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Watching the emotions play across Akiyra’s face, the dominant one is fear. Who is this man that makes her so afraid? What control does he have over her?
Akiyra’s mention of a weapon has me grimacing. A servant no matter how glorified is never allowed a weapon on Xistrosie, and a man of the night wouldn’t need one. Why would we when we had Relly? He was all the weapon we needed, though he was one of the few allowed to carry weapons.
On Xistrosie, you can learn to defend yourself but even that is minimal training. They wanted us full of fear, easily malleable. And we were. But in secret, we learned how to fight, if anyone asked it was exercise. So being without a gun doesn’t scare me, what scares me is losing this chance at freedom, and maybe losing Akiyra.
“Tiri, one day...” I mutter as the five of us trek downstairs to get our weapons.
“Hey!” Roberd says looking around the first floor. “Do we even know where they will board from? Or how? Weapons won’t do us much good if we are sitting out in the open waiting for them. I doubt that they will have nice rules for a fight.”
Roberd had loved to go to the Fight Club on his free time. It was the only place on Xistrosie that fighting was legal. If Umbri had allowed him, he would have fought in the cages. But his value was on the stage and in bed, demeaning as it was for him.
“Um, no idea.” I look around the large space. Besides the loading doors and the smaller door we had entered into, I can’t see an entrance, “Sawyr, you have some experience on ships. Where would they come in?”
His harsh laugh reminds me that it has been over ten years since he was on a ship. “Tobis, man. I have no clue. This ship is nothing like what I remember growing up on.” He pauses, “Tiri? Where should we station ourselves?”
The crisp, clear voice echoes around us. “They will bring a small ship to the side and board through a removable tunnel that will connect the two ships. The door that they will use will be the one you entered through with Akiyra. Placing yourselves around the main cargo area is best”
“Tiri, if they are coming through that door, don’t they need to have the passcode to enter?” Roberd questions, his eyes scanning the large space.
“No, Roberd. When in space that feature is shut off in case of emergency. If Akiyra or I were incapacitated and needed assistance, that is the only way into the ship without damaging her. The other way would be to explode a wall out, but the damage and cold that would come in would kill us without a forcefield in place.”
“You said us, Tiri. Does that mean you can be killed as well?” Jax asks.
“In a sense, I can. Extreme cold or heat will cause my systems to shut down. They can be restored, but the damage can be irreparable.”
“Keep the android at optimal temperatures, gotcha.” Jax smiles up at the ceiling, something we all do when talking to Tiri. For some reason, it is easier to think of him above us instead of all around us.
“Yes, I would appreciate that, Jax. John’s ship is approaching. Please take your positions. I will not be able to assist you. Good luck.”
We look around the large space. There are not many hiding places. I point to the cabinet under the stairs, “Jax you are smallest so hide there.”
“Thanks, Tobis. Nothing like putting the class clown in the closet. Too bad I can’t jump out, shifting into their worst nightmare.” Jax makes a face before turning to his assigned spot.
“He has been watching too many vids from the early 21st century.” Sawyr shakes his head. “Tobis, I will hide in the storage room at the end of the hall.”
Nodding to him I look at Roberd and Fynn. “Where do we hide? There isn’t any space left really.”
Roberd looks around. “What if two of us stand on either side of the door? Take them out as they come in.”
I quickly shake my head. “Too obvious. If I was coming in I would be expecting that. We need to take them out as they walk in.”
“What if we wait upstairs? Akiyra said that there should only be two. If Sawyr and Jax can take one out, that will leave the other one for us upstairs. And if he has a `few extra, we will still outnumber them.” Fynn suggests.
His suggestion has merit and there really is nowhere else to hide down here. The small pallet of goods that Xistrosie is shipping to Zanthia wouldn’t hide a small child let alone a six-plus foot tall man. “Go! I will tell Jax and Sawyr the plan and then join you.”