But, as robots from the Najer, they’d always been treated well. Everyone had been too afraid of them. This alien didn’t know them, and he wasn’t a robot anymore. So he couldn’t scare them into being nice.
Which brought him back to talking. It was definitely ironic.
The airlock wasn’t visible from where the two aliens had been, but as Tim turned from his scrutiny of the surroundings, they came around the shuttle, their gazes still on the shuttle.
“I’ve never seen one of these, just seen specs and heard rumors about them,” the big one was saying.
His companion spotted Tim and gave a warning choke that swung the big one’s attention his way.
Tim noted that the smaller of the two now had a weapon in his hand, but he hadn’t pointed it at Tim yet. It wouldn’t take long to lift it, of course, but the little one didn’t know he or it wouldn’t be fast enough. Tim might not be a robot anymore, but he had enough cybernetics to outpace any non-cyborg.
The larger man studied Tim for a long moment, and Tim wondered what he saw. His cybernetics wouldn’t be immediately apparent, though if the alien really focused, he should be able to see his optical device through the transparent faceplate of his head gear.
A smile cut across several folds of the aliens face, but Tim noted it failed to reach the man’s eyes.
“I’m afraid this isn’t for sale yet,” he said.
Tim hesitated. They thought he was a client who had wandered over here? It was data he filed away to think about, mostly because it appeared to indicate a serious lack of security protocols.
“This shuttle will never be for sale,” Tim said, finally, watching to see if his words registered. He wasn’t certain Veirn was translating correctly.
“And why not?” the big one asked.
“Because I own it. This ship is mine.”
“The laws of salvage…”
“Only go into effect when the owner is no longer present,” Tim said. It didn’t seem wise to use the word “dead,” when the little guy was armed. He doubted it could penetrate his Garradian gear, but he didn’t know that.
He’d believed the Garradians almost all powerful until he found out they weren’t. But their stuff was, according to Colonel Carey of the Earth Expedition, pretty bad ass.
Folds of skin lowered over the big one’s eyes, then lifted. Tim didn’t like their expression.
“You were on this ship?” he finally asked.
“I was. I am from this ship”
“That could explain why we couldn’t…” the little one began but stopped when the big one waved a hand.
“And you never will be able to take it over,” Tim said. He’d almost said “we” but managed to stop himself. Don’t give any more information than you have to, was a dictum they’d followed well before coming into contact with the Garradians. “I will be leaving soon.”
All he needed was his systems back online, navigation information, and a lot of luck.
“The,” the word that followed sounded like he barfed, “do not make mistakes in what they bring me.”
“Until now,” Tim said. “They made a mistake when they…collected my ship and another when they dumped it here.”
The big man looked at the shuttle, the longing in his eyes clear for Tim to see, then he returned his attention to Tim.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
With no warning, the smaller man lifted his weapon and fired.
It impacted solidly against his chest and Tim felt his cybernetics flare to protect him. But the shot did not penetrate the suit.
It hurt some, another side effect of being human, but Tim didn’t move. Even as a human, it took more than that to knock him back a step.
He had to admit he longed for his cybernetic body and what he would have been able to do with it. This talking wasn’t working that well for him. But…his gut still said that Trac might actually be at a disadvantage here, though he didn’t know why.
