She ran to the weapons room, but the twins were already gone. Trove was the only one left and he was frowning at his displays without doing anything.
“Hey, what’s going on?” She asked, coming up behind him. She couldn’t see any enemy ship on his displays. Or even the targeting data.
“That ship is better than ours,” Trove shrugged, leaning back, putting his arms behind his head, like it wasn’t of any consequence. “Their defenses won’t even let me lock on. I’m pretty much just monitoring at this point.
“Monitoring what? Who is it? More pirates?”
“Doubtful. Unless these are some massively wealthy pirates. The tech needed to make you invisible to weapon scanners is stupid expensive. Almost as expensive as the tech it would take to targetdespitethat tech. Which we definitely cannot afford. The twins already left to meet up with Tanin in rear stowage.”
“If it’s not pirates, then…”
Trove sent her a fangy grin. “Yeah, I’d say so. I think it’s that Gissrn fool again. Or bounty hunters taking him up on his offer, anyway. Only, he hasn’t sent just one bounty hunter after us this time. We’ve got a whole crew trying to fight their way in. Someone really wants that offer on our heads, I guess.”
“So, if they caught up to us already, we haven’t managed to find that tracker yet?”
“No, but this pretty much proves we have one on us. Sway and Alred have had us going in nonsense directions ever since we left the lab station. No way to guess it because it was completely random. At least we know there’s definitely something to find. You going to fight or you going to the shelter?”
Garnet scoffed. “You even have to ask? Of course, I’m going to fight.”
Trove laughed. “That’s why I like you, little lady. You remind me of the captain. Never willing to step back from a challenge.”
“You better believe it, buster,” she said, leveling the shock stick at him. “Are they coming in through rear stowage again?”
“Naturally. It’s the only way in without ripping a hole in the ship. Which they can’t do because it might kill you, and that would rather ruin the point of coming here. Don’t worry. Cap and the twins wouldn’t let them get any further than that.”
“Areyougoing to fight?”
He held up his hands, wiggling his clawless fingers. “I don’t really do hand to hand anymore. Not since I lost my claws. All the weapons I mastered aren’t allowed to be used on a ship. But you can bet if I get a chance on my display, I’ll fire on their ship without hesitation.”
Garnet hesitated as she turned to leave. “How does one lose their claws?”
He smirked. “One at a time. With pliers. Now, go on. Get to fighting. I can’t wait to see how you do this time. I love watching that vid of you beating that last guy’s face in.”
Garnet still didn’t leave, not quite able to hide her horror. He was smiling as he said it, but that didn’t disguise the fact that he just described literal torture. But this was neither the time nor the place to get into it.
Giving him one last look, Garnet turned and ran down the hall. She knew the ship better now than last time. Her movements were unerring; her determination hardened. She tightened her grip on the shock stick that fit perfectly in her hand as she rushed into rear stowage.
Only to be greeted with the pained cries of too many people to count. The meaty thuds of fists on bodies. The coppery scent of blood, just similar enough to human blood that it made her nauseated. A reflex she pushed down as she rushed forward to run to the balcony of the second floor.
Down below, in main stowage, Tanin and the twins were kickingass.
They were outnumbered far greater than when they took on the pirates. And unlike that ragtag group of lethal misfits, the group facing them now were obviously well trained and well equipped. The fact that they were all in matching, shiny black armor was evidence of that.
It was like an entire platoon of soldiers had come rushing in. They filled the space, making her little shock stick, pretty in purple, feel like a joke. But none of them were even looking up. They were all too focused on the trio in the center of the room.
With good reason. They were cleaning house in the absolute worst way.
The twins were ruthless. They moved as a single entity, taking on multiple people with their twin blades, creating a whole ass knife tornado that effortlessly cut through the people charging at them. It was unnerving just how fast, how seamless, their movements were. And maybe things would be different if the bad guys could use guns, but they were just as constrained by the walls of the Humility as the crew. So, it was blades and sticks vs blades and sticks.
And the twins absolutely dominated with blades. She watched the two of them literally cut a path of blood and bodies through their enemies. They fought with and around each other with the sort of well-practiced perfection that couldn’t be achieved by normal people.
And then, there was Tanin.
He was easily the shortest guy down there. And it was easy for her to forget since he was taller than her, but s’skree were short by alien standards. He was a bright dot of gray in a sea of black that looked like it should be swallowed up any moment.
But unlike the twins, he wasn’t cutting his way through. He was staying in one spot, accumulating bodies like he was trying to build himself a throne on top of their defeat. His ribbon flashed, the bright color remarkable in the monochrome sea of bodies. It whipped around, catching limbs, circling necks, acting as a weapon and a shield. Tanin was able to catch blades on the silk, and they couldn’t cut through. The silk it was made of was like Kevlar, but somehow stronger and softer at the same time
As she watched, he whipped it around someone’s neck, jerked them to the ground, put a foot on their back, and pulled. Essentially hanging the man with one hand as he grabbed the next opponent’s wrist. He slammed forward, forcing the guy to punch himself. As he was reeling, Tanin yanked him close, grabbed him by his chest armor, and used his body to block the others.
