Jin's feelings of frustration traveled through their bond. "Raider caught me as soon as I exited the villa. The meatsack has gotten smarter. He used Wren's presence to entrap me. If I hadn't come up with the excuse of meeting you here, I think they would have tried dismantling me."
Kira didn't know what to think about Raider's interference. Jin was her eyes and ears. While she drew the majority of attention to herself most times, he snuck around the outskirts, gathering what they needed to destroy those who intended them harm.
It was a partnership that took advantage of people's preconceptions. They relegated Jin to the role of a mere drone, incapable of separate thought and action.
Most ended up regretting that oversight.
Unfortunately, Raider knew her playbook. Jin was the first person he’d look to if he wanted to disrupt Kira’s agenda.
Raider’s guarded expression offered her no insight into his thoughts, either.
Stowing her questions for now, Kira took the opportunity to study the other occupants in the room. In addition to Raider, Wren and his oshota sprawled in their seats, observing the match.
In the corner, Yukina and her oshota sat quietly by themselves, their presence unobtrusive.
Furor from below pulled Kira’s attention to the matches. Joule walked off the board, defeated.
She didn’t think that was what had caused the upset, however. A quick scan showed her a board where one side had managed an overwhelming victory, completely crushing their opponent.
Jin hovered over Kira’s shoulder. "What is that?”
Below, the source of the fuss calmly regarded the audience. Its features were smooth, no hint of expression disturbing them. Its eyes couldn’t hide the cerulean glow of its processor. Although it had a mouth and ears, no one would ever mistake it for being a biological, not with a metal exoskeleton covering its sexless body.
Yukina put down her tea, her eyes cold as she stared at the android. "Something needs to be done to check the Consortium’s growing arrogance.”
Graydon hummed an agreement.
"Jin?"
They'd known each other too long for him not to know what she wanted. "There's too much distance. I'd need to get far closer to get an accurate scan."
"Who was the android’s sponsor?" Kira asked.
"Zepher," Yukina said, picking up her tea again.
Kira didn't know whether to applaud their arrogance or get busy digging them a grave.
The Consortium had agreed to certain restrictions on avenues of research, among them bioengineering and the advancement of artificial intelligence. With this act, Zepher was not just flaunting the treaty between the Consortium and the Haldeel, they were showing they’d already broken it.
“Himoto’s going to have a conniption,” Jin said.
“If he doesn’t know already,” Kira responded.
Having the Haldeel threaten to cut ties could give Himoto the political power he needed to clean house, but that was only if the rest of the Consortium agreed the treaty was worth maintaining.
If that was Himoto’s game, he was taking a huge risk.
"I'm surprised the Haldeel haven't stopped this," Zoella said, her expression giving away her unease.
"It's the quorum. They’ll allow the humans to hang themselves with their own rope." Yukina’s expression was as still as a frozen lake as she surveyed the scene.
Her assessment perfectly summed up the Haldeel’s methods. They rarely let you know when you had overstepped until long after you had already waded into dangerous waters and there was no way back.
There was a good bet the Haldeel planned to use the quorum to find out how deep the rot within humanity went.
Only then would they excise the trespassers.
Raider's eyes met hers in a brief moment of understanding.
