The Outer Ward

The Outer Ward
Cardec’s dog, Gemini, had not come back to the ship for a week. He knew it was aliens. They had been scouring the galaxy for dogs for months. Gemini was not just a rescue dog. She carried some of the top secrets of the ship in her collar. As a Clearance Grade 10 mechanic, Cardec had access to all of this technology. The question was – why were they after the dogs? Surely they could not know Gemini carried the crucial “snowcone” technology for the latest war ships. It was the only way humans would take the Outer Ward.
Melton, one of the intergalactic delivery drivers, said he saw Gemini near the black hole. Time was of the essence. Cardec thought Melton a spoiled brat. But he would need the younger man’s help. As an intergalactic delivery driver, Melton knew all the routes and side shoots in this half of the galaxy.
The two, paired up in an unusual arrangement, set out to find Gemini and save the fleet’s most precious secrets. Melton was seen as a child prodigy, but quickly tired of the attention. When he reveals what he knows to Cardec, it could change the whole fleet and improve humans’ odds of retaking their portion of the galaxy, and the Outer Ward.
But finding Gemini and utilizing the snowcone technology contained in her collar was crucial. If the aliens found out she carried the secrets, all would be lost.