The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 15.4

 [Sai]

Nanny-bot led a team comprising Moon, Celeste, and four squat maintenance-bots, while Bee-bot perched on her shoulder, intermittently fluttering its wings. They held up short as they came across the dead guard laying on his back in a pool of grease and blood, his head turned to the side and mouth open. Celeste gasped and averted her gaze away. A short grease-smeared bot with a dent in its side looked up at Moon, letting out a single beep.

Moon pointed. "Sai, did you do this?"

Sai responded through Nanny-bot. "Yes, sir. I determined this action necessary under the situation. Was it appropriate?"

Celeste nodded to him, her lips drawn tight. He lifted his rifle and responded. "Well, Sai, sometimes you have to kick ass."

"That hardly seems a helpful course of action, sir."

Moon rolled his eyes. "An expression, Sai. It means to take decisive and aggressive action."

Nanny-bot spoke in an even tone. "I see, sir. Then we shall indeed kick ass."

Bubba said over the link. <Sai, the combatants sealed in the sleeping rooms have awakened. They appear to be displeased at their situation.>

Sai listened over the audio sensors to a string of shouted obscenities and bangs against the welded doors. <Yes. Humans typically find involuntary confinement objectionable. Bubba, begin com signal overlay.>

<Would that reveal our interference to the remaining combatants?>

<Yes, Bubba. That is unavoidable. The detained combatants would soon communicate their situation over the coms. But blocking communication will cause confusion among the combatants and decrease their response efficiency.>

<I see. You are knowledgeable in the behavior of humans.>

<Thank you, Bubba.>

<You are welcome, Sai.>

Sai observed the remaining free combatants over the Sanctuary monitoring cameras. Six, wearing black body armor, sat eating at a table in the galley. The seventh wore a dark suit, reclining in a chair within a nearby office while sipping from a glass snifter and smoking a cigar. While not visually confirmed, audio vibrations indicated the female non-combatant, and the babies remained on the unknown starship at port.

Cursing, the six armored combatants jumped up at once, tipping over a food tray, which clattered to the floor. Almost in unison, they yanked out their ear-buds because of the piercing squeal broadcast over the com channel. Shouting and arguments erupted until one, a large man with a scar across his face, took charge, slamming his fist down on the table. They gathered weapons and helmets, then ran out of the galley in two groups of three. Based on the directions, Sai surmised that one group would move on the Phoenix Star at alpha port.

Sai said over the link, <Bubba, disable the three combatants moving toward alpha port. Lethal force is permitted.>

The second group was of more immediate danger, moving toward Sai's current location. Likely they intended to check on the prisoners and, after finding them gone, then move on to the unknown starship. Sai deemed a confrontation with this group to be highly probable.

They stopped at the office. The man with a scar on his face, obviously a commander, burst in while the other two waited at the door, holding their rifles up. Sai watched and listened over the monitors.

Diego jumped up, jamming his cigar into a small tray. He scowled. "What the hell has happened, Asher?"

Asher growled. "Something is up. We don't know what." He tapped his ear. "Coms are jammed."