TNS Chapter 24 Preview (Patreon)

Chapter 24 will release on 1/30/23 at 0800 MST. Please enjoy this preview!

Subject: AI Tim

Species: Human-Created Artificial Intelligence

Description: No physical description available.

Ship: USSS Thanatos

Location: Sol

Even with all of my clearances and workarounds I couldn't figure out who it was. The redaction had taken place at the source, meaning that the crewmembers name was entered in as *CLASSIFIED* when they boarded. There's only about fifty people who could do that, and not a single one of them should have been aboard the Armstrong.

Their arrival in system would have caused a fuss with security, and they definitely weren't aboard when the Armstrong went on their scouting mission. Whoever it was, they definitely boarded in Sol. The Armstrong didn't dock with any of the carriers or stations, which indicates a boarding shuttle. But where did the shuttle come from? And where did it go? And who was on board it, Cotton Eye Joe?

The little joke made me feel a bit better about not knowing. I hate not knowing, even things I'm not supposed to know. I enjoy being privy to secrets, it makes me feel special. Trusted. Being kept on the outside of a secret was a bad feeling. It made me grumpy. It was with this grumpiness in mind that I watched ship-head Uleena exit his ship.