"Jin was so right. Piracy really is fun."
Though technically she considered this closer to pure theft than piracy.
"Piracy is banned in all known territories of space,” the J1N said from above her.
"Then it's a good thing we're not in any of those territories."
She was pretty sure.
"My programing does not allow me to participate in a known felony. Should you continue on this course, I will be forced to take action."
That got Kira’s attention as she eyed the drone carefully.
Given the amount of firepower she and Jin had installed, that was a serious threat. To make matters worse, she couldn't do anything that would cause harm to Jin's original body.
"J1N, what are the rules on salvaging ships?"
There was a brief pause. "These vary based on the government enforcing them."
"Yes, they do, but a common theme throughout Haldeel, Tuann, and human space is that an abandoned ship is up for grabs by whoever chooses to salvage it."
As a former salvager, Kira was familiar with all of the laws governing the recovery of abandoned and dead ships. Although most humans focused on Tsavitee ships, there had been the odd one here and there who would target the Consortium's relics. She'd wanted to know the rules just in case.
"That is correct," the J1N said after a moment.
"Do you see anyone nearby who could lay claim to this ship?"
"That would be a negative."
"Then this isn't theft or piracy—we're simply salvaging an abandoned ship," Kira explained.
"I see."
With a sense of victory, Kira turned to the ship's airlock, only to find herself stymied a second later.
"Ah, crap," Kira muttered.
She didn't recognize the security system. Given the way the ship bristled with weapons like an unfriendly hedgehog, she should have expected its owner to go the extra mile to prevent unauthorized entry.
She was a decent hacker, but this was far beyond her skills. Jin, on the other hand, would have had no problem.
That actually gave her an idea.
Kira crooked her finger at the J1N. "Come here."
The drone was sluggish to obey, drifting toward her in fits and starts. Its lens ending up facing away from her despite being pointed in the right direction to begin with.
Kira made a frustrated sound before yanking the drone into position.
"Stay there."
She opened the J1N's access panel located at the bottom of the drone. Its leads dropped.
Normally, Jin could have wirelessly hacked the hatch, but since the J1N was a pale facsimile of him, she had to go old school.
That meant manually splicing into the system before using the J1N's programs to trick the door into opening. And hope the ship didn't use her for target practice in the meantime.
It didn't take long, the ship de-pressurizing several minutes later as the hatch opened.
