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“If that is the name of your electrically charged weapon.”

“I’ve never used one. They stop people dead. You get a taser attached to your skin and you’re flipping around on the floor like a fish out of water. They’re supposed to sting like anything.”

Loka scratched his horn. “Yes. That sounds similar to the way individuals act when prodded with an electro rod.”

“Stay here,” Heather said. “I’ll check for electro-taser rods.” She hurried out of the cockpit and began a swift search of each room. The ship was small, meant to house no more than a dozen Koobs. She checked the sleeping quarters first and came up empty-handed.

She found a store room. There was plenty of food, but no weapons.

“Bingo!” The next room was small, more a large closet than anything else. Inside were six long, metal poles. They were shaped to look like metal branches and extended three feet in length.

Heather carefully extracted two poles and then took two more. They were lightweight and easy to handle. She carried them back to the cockpit.

Loka’s eyes widened, and he grabbed the poles from her hands.

“How do they work?”

“Grip the handle and punch the base against your thigh. Make sure it doesn’t make contact with your skin. Everything other than the handle will have a powerful charge to it.”

“Got it. Don’t prod myself with the big metal stick.” Heather took one of the electro rods and pressed the base of it to her thigh. The hair on her arms tingled as the power from the rod flared out.

“We’re about to enter the station,” Loka said.

Heather watched with wide eyes as the tractor beam pulled the ship into the docking bay. Their ship was the only one that had been returned, confirming her suspicion that they kept this ship intact because they wanted her.

Had the Banti and Vincole already got their hands on everyone else? Where was Vegas, Nell, and Avril? What about Diadora? Was she standing up to the cyborgs, or had she hidden somewhere to wait until the attack was over? Would they be interested in her with her cybernetic arm? The rest of her was human; Heather was sure of that. Although her boss was scary, she wouldn’t mind having Diadora aboard this ship right now. She punched as hard as the next cyborg.

The ship rocked from side to side as it came in to land. Its locking mechanism attached to the ground.

“We’re here,” Heather whispered.

“So are they.” Loka’s words came out low as he stared through the cockpit window into the docking bay.

In front of them stood five full-sized cyborgs. They were accompanied by six broad-shouldered aliens wearing head to toe black body armor. Their faces were hidden by black masks. In their hands, they carried plasma swords.

“Although I can’t see their faces, they look like Banti fighters.”

“It looks like they’ve come to claim what they think they’re entitled to,” Loka said.

Heather tried unsuccessfully to moisten her dry mouth. There was no way they’d fight off the cyborgs and the Banti, even with their super-charged electro-taser rods in hand.

“Is it too late for us to hide somewhere inside the ship?” Heather said.

“They’ve scanned us,” Loka said. “It’s the reason we are still alive. They know you’re here. If we don’t go out there, they will come in and take us. If we go out, we’ve got more of a chance to get away. In here, they can pick us off easily.”

“Like sitting ducks.”

“If you say so.” Loka looked over at her. “Are you ready?”

“No.” Heather’s insides felt like they were bubbling. She was either going to melt or throw up. Fighting was not her thing. Watching actors fight in carefully staged movies was her thing. Fake violence was good. Real violence, where people got hurt, blood was spilled, and limbs were hacked off by plasma blades, no thanks. She’d pass on all of that.

Loka placed his electro rods down and turned her to face him. His large, warm hands clasped her shoulders as he stared down at her. “They won’t hurt you. They need you alive.”

“That’s not reassuring, knowing what they want me for.” She gripped Loka’s hands. “What about you? What will they do to you?”

“You can’t worry about that. They won’t get you. They’ll have to go through me first.”

That made her feel no better. Heather didn’t want Loka dead because he’d tried to protect her. “No. We shouldn’t fight back. We’ll go out and let them take us. It’s the sensible thing to do. That way, no one gets hurt.”