Page 5 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
As they prepared to move it, she glanced at Davis, noticing how his usually hard expression had softened slightly as he carefully worked with the broken machine, his hands surprisingly gentle for their size.
The robot's eyes swiveled toward her, and she could have sworn one of them dimmed and brightened again—an artificial wink. She grinned and winked back.
In her short time with the Reapers, this was the first time she'd felt like she'd done something truly her own. Something that mattered, even if it was just saving a broken robot from the scrap heap.
It felt like a beginning.
* * *
Davis watchedas the small team unloaded the salvage they'd recovered from the junkyard from the combat shuttle into the main cargo bay of the Dream. Mira carefully guided her wrapped bundle down the ramp on a grav-lift, navigating around the other crew members as they hauled scrap metal and parts toward the cargo bay's sorting area. Her movements were stiff and protective… like she was carrying something valuable rather than junk.
He carried on sorting coils of wire that looked just like all the other lengths of cabling they already had in the stores. There was something about the spiraling pattern on this lot, though, that Anson insisted was better, so coil more cable he did. All while trying to watch the petite little woman without appearing to watch her.
They'd managed to keep the little robot concealed in the rest of the scrap to get it back to the ship. He'd been concerned that it would chirp and give itself away, but Mira had told it to be quiet, and it had hunkered down, dimming the lights in its functional "eyes."
He glanced over his shoulder. No one had noticed her. Not yet.
Ryke and Rann were busy cataloging the haul, with Covak and Anson handling the heavier pieces. Jesh and Jex stood near the control panel, discussing something in low voices.
Mira caught his eye and gave him a small, conspiratorial smile. He nodded back, trying to ignore the warmth that spread through his chest. The fact that she seemed to trust him after the way they'd met still surprised him.
"Let's see what you've got here, little human," Ryke said, moving toward her bundle. "You've been guarding that pile of scrap like it contains the coordinates to the Imperial vault."
"Wait—" Davis started as Ryke reached for the covering, but it was too late.
The covering fell away, revealing the small robot they’d recovered from the scrapyard. Its optical sensors flickered to life, emitting a soft blue glow as it took in its surroundings.
The reaction was instant and terrifying.
Every Reaper with Latharian blood went on high alert. Weapons suddenly appeared in hands that had been empty a split second before. The robot found itself staring down the barrels of four guns, all trained on its core with deadly accuracy.
"No, wait!" Mira squeaked, throwing herself in front of her little robot.
Davis didn't think, he just moved. One moment he was standing back; the next he'd put himself between her and all the weapons, his hands raised.
"Hold on," he said, keeping his voice calm. "Everyone just hold on."
Ryke's eyes were cold and hard, his mouth a thin line. "Tell me why thedraanthinghell you've brought something so dangerous onto my ship."
He blinked, looking between the armed Reapers and the small robot cowering behind Mira. "Dangerous? It's barely even functional."
"It's just a little robot," Mira protested, peeking around his shoulder. "It's damaged. Look at it!"
"What exactly are we looking at?" Jesh asked as she and Jex moved closer, her eyes narrowed as she assessed the small machine.
The Reaper leader gestured toward the robot with his weapon. "That's the central core for a drakeen."
Davis’s stomach dropped. A drakeen? He'd heard of them in stories about Imperial warriors, but he'd never seen one up close.
"What's a drakeen?" Mira leaned in against his back to whisper.
"They're combat-bots that the Lathar use," he said over his shoulder. "But the ones I've seen in recordings are a lot bigger."
"They're piloted by the most experienced warriors," Ryke added, "but they're capable of running on their own."
“But it's not dangerous," Mira insisted. "It's damaged and small."
The robot chirped softly behind her, as if agreeing.
