the planet is outside the jurisdiction of any existing planetary alliances. Any sentient species discovered has no one to protect them. For the first time, Earth can fully ‘research’ more about sentient xenobiology. Dr. Santo and Earth Gov won’t let that opportunity slip by.”
“You do realize that you sound like a conspiracy nut right now,” Charlie hissed as they entered the room.
“Trust me, I know how I sound,” Erik said with a weak laugh. “Fuck. I’ve always been the first person to laugh at the lunatics spouting Earth Gov conspiracies, but I can’t ignore the way all the dots are connecting. Oh, and don’t worry about being overheard in here. I ‘accidentally’ disabled the surveillance in this room and put a work order in for it to be repaired tomorrow. Tonight, we can speak freely.”
Charlie ran a hand through her hair, but it made her feel marginally better to know that they couldn’t be overheard.
“Maybe if we take more recordings and push the matter—make them see. Erik, they can’t just ignore it forever.”
The sigh that burst from his lips was weary. “I’m afraid we aren’t going to have much opportunity for that.”
Charlie sank into her one of the workstation chairs. “What do you mean?”
Erik dropped into the chair beside her and rubbed his eyes. “I’ve received notification that they’re moving him into an isolation habitat. One reserved for when the scientists need to work in-depth with a particular specimen. We will no longer have him under our care or any access to him. They’re moving him Wednesday.”
She sat forward, her hands slamming against the tabletop. “What? That’s in two days!”
His mouth thinned as he nodded. “I have access codes. Charlie, I’m not going to lie—this act will be career killers for both of us. Facing prison time at least on a trumped-up theft charge. This will need to be done at closing shift tomorrow if we’re going to do it at all. We’re usually among the last out of the building, which will cut down on the possibility of casualties should the worst happen. We can sedate him and take a transport away from the colony until we can find a safe place to release him. I’ll need some extra oxygen tanks for us for an extended field stay so that we can watch over him from a distance until he wakes. We’ll need gate codes to get out of here, though.”
Charlie dropped her head into her hands and groaned.
“We can’t let them experiment on him and butcher him, Charlie,” Erik whispered.
“I know we can’t,” she groaned into her hands. Slowly, she lifted her head and scowled at him. “I might know someone who can get us through the gate, but it’s not fair to ask her to do something that will ruin her life in the colony. I have a friend who’s working toward getting a marriage permit, for fuck’s sake!”
Erik propped his chin with one hand. “Why not tell her the situation and let her decide what she’s willing to risk?”
“Oh, blessed gods, you’re just adding years to my sentence. They’re going to nail me for breaking a government NDA as well as theft.”
“We’re going to jail anyway, so what the hell does it matter?” Erik said with a small smile. “And hey, if she decides not to risk it, well, at least we can sleep at night knowing we tried.”
The grin appeared on her face before she could stop it. “Good point. Oh, what the hell. Tomorrow night then.”
Erik sat back with a satisfied smile as she punched a comm message for everyone to meet in her quarters. It was going to be a tight fit, but they would manage. A person’s bunk was the only place with guaranteed privacy. Thankfully, he didn’t speak any more on the subject. Instead, they shared a cup of coffee and went back to their duties as if they had merely been enjoying a break with each other.
The rest of the shift went by in a blur. Although the alien occupied her mind, she made a conscious effort to not give his enclosure any more attention than usual. Instead, she kept her head down and moved from one cage to the next.
When she finally left work and made her way back to her block, excitement began to hum within her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was actually doing something that would make a difference. It was dangerous and crazy—and was going to end up in