“Yes.” She could see Nirro thought so, too. “I agree with Linao that the Caruso seemed to know about it before they even saw it and I don’t think Raxia would have hidden the existence of the balls from the VSC if they had found something like that.”
“The other possibility is there might not have been a box on that ghost ship,” Ethan said. “There’s been quite a few ancestral wreck finds in recent months and I haven’t heard about silver balls in any of them.”
“Not finding one on the wreck on Fynian doesn’t surprise me. It was on the ocean floor for years.” Velda thought about it. “And the Cores went through that wreck before we could get to it. If there was one, they may have taken it. They already knew what to look for, after all.”
“Yeah. Although I’m betting Linao would have mentioned it when she was telling Ritter about the Garmen find if they had.” Ethan was moving around the room, opening drawers, rifling through cupboards. He tossed two sharp scalpels onto the table, and kept going.
Velda realized he was looking for weapons and joined in the search.
They found a few more scalpels, and a laser tool, but that was it.
The sound of fighting had intensified, and then everything went quiet.
Nirro burst through the door, panting, hand bloody where he pressed it against his left shoulder, and he touched something when the door closed behind him. Locking it, Velda guessed.
“Things not going well out there?” she asked.
He looked at them, startled, as if he’d forgotten they were in here.
He shook his head. “You’re very calm.” Then his gaze touched on Ethan, and he drew himself up. “And you are recovered.”
“Don’t worry about Ethan,” Velda said, forcing his attention back on her. “What’s going on?”
“We are going to get them off the ship,” Nirro said, shooting another look at Ethan.
“Great.” Velda had found a few regen packs in one of the drawers, and guessing that’s why he was here, held one out to him.
He took it, bemused. “Thank you.” He slapped it over a nasty looking wound, and then eyed her again. “What is your preferred outcome to this?”
“That you get them off your ship, let us sneak over to theirs, and we’ll wreak as much havoc there as possible. You get to go on your way with your warship, and good luck to you.” Velda smiled.
“You wish them harm?” Nirro asked.
“They’ve told us they will kill us when we’re no longer useful to them, so, yes. And Iamthe Head of Defense for Aponi. If you are victorious in your efforts on Caruso and wish to reach out to the VSC, I would be a good contact to have.” She got a cup, poured in some water, and held it out to him.
“That is true, and it’s also true that I don’t have time to stay here and deal with thesebissa.” Nirro drank the water, his gaze flicking to Ethan again, but it seemed he was a little more relaxed now.
Velda assumedbissawas an insult. “Let us deal with them.”
Nirro set down his cup and crouched down beside his dead friend and put a hand on his head in a gesture that seemed almost tender. “If my government has some of these balls, I haven’t heard about it, but I wouldn’t say it was impossible that they do.”
“So be careful if you see one,” Velda said. She was glad Ethan was letting her do the talking. “I don’t think Ritter knew it would kill your friend. He would have warned you.”
Nirro looked up and gave a nod. “I should have been more cautious. This is technology built for your kind, not mine. But what is done is done.”
Someone slammed against the door.
Nirro called out, and was answered with a shout.
He opened up, and the group of Caruso waiting outside seemed to do a double take at the sight of them.
There was some back and forth between them, and someone eventually unclipped a smaller laz from their belt and handed it to Nirro, who handed it to Velda. His gaze flicked to Ethan. “Do not betray my trust.”
“We won’t.” Ethan spoke for the first time. “We are notbissa.”
Nirro gave a nod. “We have a group of Cores’ guards cornered. We will give you time to get onboard their runner which is in the launch bay, and hide. Then we will allow them to escape. You will be transported over to their ship, which was built with the technology from my own people, and which they do not deserve, but which I don’t think I have a realistic chance of capturing.”
“That sounds like a good deal,” Ethan agreed. “Good luck to you.”
