Page 11 of Alien Peacock

I rub my butt where it hit the wall inside the cargo hold when the ship did some hard maneuvers after it had just taken off. “I’m fine with not going back into that cargo space. Can we at least get my stick down?”

“No,” Bari says simply. “It’s too high up. That gravity discontinuity can’t be easily turned off.”

I think about it. “But you can open that door, right? The one where Arelion went?”

“I can, but he’s right. There are cameras in here, and he will see what we’re doing long before we can get into the cockpit and surprise him. And even if we could…” Bari does a cute little puppy shrug.

“... he’d be too big and strong to overpower,” I finish the thought. “I was hoping that a robot like you might have some secret fighting skill, but if you had, you probably wouldn’t have let those aliens kick you around back there. What was the quarrel, anyway?”

“Oh, they just didn’t like the looks of me. That’s usually all it takes.”

I examine all the walls and the sparse equipment of the spaceship. Nothing looks useful for me to get out of this situation. “What’s your story?”

Bari lazily stretches one limb out to the side. “It’s not considered polite to ask that of someone you just met in a shady space station, Maeve. Notice how I haven’t interrogated you about whyyouwere there.”

I examine the control panel to the airlock. Maybe I can jam it and make it impossible to open the outer hatch. There’s writing and symbols, but I have no idea what they mean. “Sorry. Just making conversation. You probably shouldn’t have come with me.”

“I probably shouldn’t. But I couldn’t help liking that you stood up for me against the goons. Decent people are hard to find in space, if you hadn’t noticed.”

I try several buttons on the airlock, but all I accomplish is making it beep. “Any idea how I can prevent Arelion from airlocking me?”

Bari curls up on the couch and lays her little head on her paws. “You mean jamming the controls? I could probably do it, but again, he is watching us right now. And while my grasp of organism psychology is not the firmest, using basic logic Iconclude that he would stop us from fiddling too much with it. Ah, there. He’s locked the panel.”

The airlock gives off one last chiding beep, and the buttons stop responding to my touch.

The effects of the drugs in the energy bar are slowly wearing off, and I start to feel the first pangs of panic. “Damn. What do Ido?”

“You may not need to do much,” Bari says calmly. “I don’t think he’s actually going to kill you. I think he only wanted to scare you. Again, with the usual caveat about my grasp of organism thinking. You people often surprise me.”

I plop down on the couch and consider eating another energy bar. But I’ve been advised against getting too many of those pharma products in me at one time, and I need to keep my thoughts somewhat straight.

I concentrate on gathering my wits. I’ve been trained in persuasion of aliens, and I have memorized a list of nine techniques to use in a tight spot. I’ve tried number two on the list, the ‘appeal to vanity’ approach, when I suggested he’s too decent to kill meaninglessly. I’m still not sure if that worked or not, but I’m leaning towards ‘not’.

And we tried number four, negotiation, by suggesting a mutually beneficial agreement where we pay him. I suppose I could offer more, the carnal approach that my instructors apologetically held up as a possibility for a female. I can’t be sure Arelion would refuse me if I threw myself at him. But I seriously don’t want to. Not just because it would be degrading and unpleasant, which I am mentally prepared for during this mission, but because it’shim. I don’t want it like that withhim. With him, I’d want it to happen naturally?—

I frown. What thehellam I thinking?! Dreaming of being seduced by an alien who’s threatening tokillme?

No, no. That won’t fly.I have to try another way.

“Number one on the list,” I mutter in English. “‘Appeal to curiosity’. Not that he seems all that curious, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Who are you talking to?” Bari asks, looking around.

“Sorry,” I tell her. “I’m just thinking out loud.”

“Well, don’t. It’s a sign of insanity in organics.”

“That’s number seven,” I tell her in English. “Faking insanity to get out of a tight spot.”

Bari’s round little ears twitch. “Talking to yourself in another language doesn’t change what I just said. Could you stop?”

I get up to pace back and forth, sending longing gazes up at my stick. It would improve my chances if I had it. Not by much, but I need every fraction of a chance. “I would appreciate any help to avoid being airlocked, Bari.”

The robot puppy yawns, showing her small, white fangs. “Oh all right. If it looks like he’s really going to kill you, I’ll stop him.”

I look over at the tiny, pink-furred puppy. She’s about the size of a roll of paper towels, and with her over-the-top cuteness she reminds me of a battery-powered toy that yaps and walks. “You’llstophim?”

“I did the first time.”

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