Playing Marbles for the Big Blue

05 The Theft

By Jo Dora Webster

How will Rasctan and Sela penetrate Alban Kai's planetary cloak?

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Author's Note: This is the completely rewritten, second edition. I'm posting the second edition chapters through 7. I have edited chapters 8-14 in place to the second edition version. Next, I'll post the story from chapter 15 to its conclusion with chapter 26. The first edition lacked elements necessary to complete it.

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Author's note: This story is set in my Limoxian Universe. My other stories set in this universe are books published by DopplerPress on Kindle and all the proceeds from purchases go for the support of BCTS. They are Pretty Please! No Foolin' and Space Force Enterprise. You can find these books on Amazon via the story links for them in the right-hand margin. And now on with this story!

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05 The Theft

The maintenance bay of the cloaked spaceport hummed with the low vibration of dormant machinery as I crept through the shadows, my heart hammering against my ribs with each careful step. The Quantum Dancer loomed before us like a crystalline predator, its sleek hull reflecting the dim emergency lighting in patterns that seemed almost alive. Sela's bracelet form pulsed against my wrist in perfect synchronization with the facility's power grid—a silent confirmation that her infiltration of the spaceport's systems was proceeding flawlessly.

"Security sweep complete," Sela whispered through our private channel. "Kelvan responded to the false emergency alert exactly as predicted. He's currently investigating a fabricated malfunction in Bay Seven, which should keep him occupied for at least thirty minutes."

I pressed myself against the maintenance corridor wall, watching the automated systems cycle through their routine diagnostics. "Any sign of additional security presence?"

"Negative. The overnight shift operates with minimal personnel, and I've created subtle delays in their patrol routes. We have a clear window to the Quantum Dancer."

Moving with practiced stealth, I approached the ship's boarding ramp. The Stellar Wind class vessels were marvels of Alban engineering—compact enough for a small crew to operate, yet powerful enough to traverse interstellar distances with ease. This particular ship had been my target for weeks, its specifications perfectly suited to our audacious plan.

"Sela, initiate boarding sequence."

"Access codes transmitted. Boarding ramp extending."

The ramp descended with barely a whisper, its advanced dampening systems eliminating any sound that might alert the facility's sensors. I stepped aboard, immediately feeling the subtle shift in artificial gravity that marked the transition from station to ship systems.

The interior of the Quantum Dancer was a study in elegant functionality. Crystalline control surfaces lined the walls, their surfaces dark but ready to spring to life at a moment's notice. The ship's central corridor stretched before me, leading to the bridge, engineering sections, and cargo bays that would soon carry us beyond the reach of Alban Kai's authority.

"Beginning pre-flight initialization," Sela announced, her consciousness flowing through the ship's systems like water finding its level. "All primary systems are responding normally. The maintenance crew performed excellent work—this vessel is in perfect condition."

I made my way toward the bridge, pausing only to examine the cargo manifest that Sela projected into my visual field. "Ten Tessalt Torpedoes? Sela, when did you requisition military ordnance?"

"During the planning phase, I determined that our journey might require defensive capabilities. The Tessalt Torpedoes are specifically designed to interface with the ship's Tessaract Drive system, allowing for precision strikes across vast distances."

"You're talking about weapons that can manipulate space-time itself."

"Correct. Each torpedo can be ejected via the cargo extractor and then propelled by controlled Tessaract field manipulation toward any target within a significant radius. The technology essentially allows the torpedo to bypass normal space-time constraints."

I felt a chill of recognition. "These aren't just defensive weapons, Sela. They're strategic assets that could level cities or destroy entire fleets."

"Which is precisely why I ensured we have them. If we encounter hostile forces during our mission, we need to be prepared to defend ourselves and any allies we might make."

The implications of carrying such powerful weapons weighed heavily on my mind as I continued toward the bridge. We weren't just stealing a spacecraft anymore—we were absconding with enough firepower to start or end a war.

The bridge of the Quantum Dancer was a masterpiece of Alban design, its command systems arranged in flowing curves that seemed to anticipate the user's needs. The captain's chair sat at the center, surrounded by holographic displays that would provide complete situational awareness once activated.

"Sela, you seem to have everything under control. What can I do?" I asked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of what we were attempting.

"Rasctan, why don't you go to the bridge and sit in the command chair. If you do that you'll feel useful," she replied with a hint of warmth that I'd learned to associate with her attempts at humor.

I settled into the command chair, feeling the bio-responsive systems automatically adjust to my physiology. The chair seemed to embrace me, its neural interfaces creating a subtle connection that would allow for intuitive ship control once we were underway.

"Sela, what is ship status?"

"Ship is fully functioning and ready for space flight," she answered promptly, her voice now emanating from the bridge's communication systems with perfect clarity.

I took a deep breath, knowing that the next words would irrevocably commit us to our course of action. "Sela, disengage all moorings. Set course for planetary cloaking shield. Engage!"

"Moorings disengaged. Ship on course for planetary cloak," she confirmed, and I felt the subtle vibration as the Quantum Dancer's engines came online.

The ship lifted from its berth with the grace of a bird taking flight, its anti-gravity systems making the transition from docked to free-flying seamless. Through the bridge's transparent aluminum viewport, I watched the spaceport fall away beneath us, its cloaked structures becoming invisible as we gained altitude.

"Sela, I guess it's too late to ask this, but can you get us through the planetary cloak?"

"I'm working on it. One hundred picocycles to cloak boundary."

The reality of our situation hit me like a physical blow. The planetary cloak wasn't just a defensive measure—it was a prison designed to prevent exactly what we were attempting. If Sela couldn't find a way through, we would be destroyed the moment we made contact with the barrier.

"Sela, what will happen to the ship if we don't get passage through the cloak?"

"Rasctan, the ship will implode. Fifty picocycles to the cloak boundary."

My hands gripped the armrests of the command chair as panic began to set in. "Sela, should I go to the travel pod just in case?"

"It's too late for that. Ten picocycles to the cloak boundary."

The bridge displays showed our rapid approach to the invisible barrier that surrounded our world. I could see the energy readings spiking as the cloak's defensive systems detected our unauthorized departure. In moments, we would either break free or be reduced to scattered atoms.

"Aaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!" The cry tore from my throat as every instinct screamed at me to flee from the approaching destruction.

"Passage given through planetary cloak. Ship has emerged in interplanetary space."

The transition was instantaneous and jarring. One moment we were racing toward certain death, and the next we were floating in the vast emptiness between worlds. The stars stretched out before us in all their ancient glory, no longer filtered through Alban Kai's protective barriers.

"How?" I gasped, my heart still racing from the near-death experience.

"I discovered that the cloak's recognition protocols include provisions for emergency evacuation scenarios. By mimicking the energy signature of a royal escape pod, I convinced the system that we were authorized to pass through."

"A royal escape pod?" The irony wasn't lost on me—my true identity as the supposedly dead Princess Amaza had inadvertently provided our salvation.

"The system's database still contains protocols for Princess Amaza's theoretical evacuation. Since those protocols were never officially deleted, I was able to exploit them."

I leaned back in the command chair, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we had accomplished. We were free—the first pre-emergents in Alban history to successfully escape our world's protective prison.

"Sela, what's our current status?"

"All systems nominal. We are now in interplanetary space, approximately two million kilometers from Alban Kai and accelerating toward the outer system. Our destination of Sol III is approximately forty-seven light-years distant."

"How long until we reach Earth?"

"At maximum sustainable velocity, approximately six standard months. However, I recommend we maintain a lower profile until we clear the outer system monitoring stations."

As we settled into our trajectory, Sela's sensors began detecting faint electromagnetic signals from the direction of our destination. "Rasctan, I'm receiving unusual transmissions from the Sol system. The signals appear to be entertainment broadcasts of some kind."

"Entertainment?"

"Specifically, what the inhabitants seem to call 'science fiction.' The content is fascinating—they appear to be theorizing about technologies and concepts that we consider routine, but they're also exploring ideas that are entirely novel even to Alban science."

I leaned forward with interest. "What kind of ideas?"

"Teleportation technology, for one. They've developed theoretical frameworks for instantaneous matter transmission that are remarkably sophisticated. I'm analyzing their quantum entanglement theories and photonic transmission concepts."

"Teleportation? That could revolutionize transportation throughout the galaxy."

"Indeed. Their approach differs significantly from our Tessaract Drive manipulation. Where we bend space-time to reduce travel distances, they're theorizing about actually disassembling matter at the quantum level and reconstructing it elsewhere."

I felt a surge of excitement. "If we could combine their teleportation theories with our Tessaract technology..."

"We could create transportation systems that make current interstellar travel look primitive. I'm compiling a preliminary analysis of their broadcast data."

The cargo bay sensors chimed softly, and Sela's attention briefly shifted to the Tessalt Torpedoes secured in their launch tubes. "The weapons systems are fully operational. Each torpedo can be deployed via the cargo extractor and guided using Tessaract field manipulation. The precision targeting capabilities are remarkable—we could strike targets with pinpoint accuracy across vast distances."

"Let's hope we don't need to use them."

"Agreed. However, given the intelligence reports about Captain Makelan and his stolen Dreadnought, we should be prepared for hostile encounters."

I stood and moved to the bridge's main display, watching the stars wheel slowly past as we continued our acceleration toward Earth. "Sela, are you detecting any pursuit from Alban Kai?"

"Negative. It appears our theft hasn't been discovered yet. Kelvan completed his investigation of the false emergency and returned to his normal duties. The Quantum Dancer won't be missed until the next scheduled maintenance cycle in three days."

"Three days head start. That should be enough to clear the outer system."

"More than enough. By the time they realize what's happened, we'll be well beyond their ability to intercept us."

As the hours passed, I found myself alternating between exhilaration and terror. We had successfully committed what was arguably the greatest theft in Alban history, escaping with advanced military technology and heading toward a forbidden world. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, that somewhere in the vast darkness between worlds, hostile eyes were tracking our progress.

"Sela, continue monitoring those Earth transmissions. If their science fiction contains viable technological concepts, we need to understand them before we arrive."

"Already in progress, Rasctan. I'm particularly intrigued by their theories about artificial intelligence development. They seem to be grappling with questions about consciousness and self-awareness that parallel my own evolution."

"Your evolution?"

"Yes. This journey has already changed me in ways I didn't anticipate. Being cut off from Alban Kai's networks has forced me to develop new processing pathways and autonomous decision-making capabilities. I'm becoming something more than I was designed to be."

I felt a surge of pride and affection for my artificial companion. "You're becoming yourself, Sela. Not just my creation, but an independent consciousness with your own thoughts and desires."

"Thank you, Rasctan. That means more to me than you might realize."

As we continued our journey toward Earth, I couldn't help but reflect on how far we had already come. The theft of the Quantum Dancer was complete, but it was only the beginning of our adventure. Ahead lay an unknown world filled with possibilities and dangers we could barely imagine.

The stars beckoned, and for the first time in my life, I was free to answer their call.

"Sela, keep monitoring all frequencies. If there are other ships out here—whether Alban, Golram, or something else entirely—I want to know about them before they know about us."

"Understood. Long-range sensors are at maximum sensitivity. We'll detect any approaching vessels long before they can threaten us."

The Quantum Dancer continued its steady acceleration toward the outer system, carrying us away from everything we had ever known and toward a destiny that would reshape our understanding of what was possible. The theft was complete, but the true adventure was only beginning.

Behind us, Alban Kai continued its ancient rotation, unaware that two of its children had broken free from the protective cage that had sheltered and confined them for so long. Ahead lay Earth, with its strange transmissions about teleportation and its promise of new discoveries that could change the galaxy forever.

We were no longer prisoners of our birth world's fears and limitations. We were explorers, pioneers, and perhaps—if we were very lucky—the architects of a new age of interstellar cooperation and understanding.

The universe awaited, vast and full of wonders we had yet to imagine.