Page 57 of Seven Oars
“Hey, we have plenty of courage!” Eze argued.
Phex remained unconvinced.“You tremble when you see a pirate coming. You cower when you’re yelled at. And you’re weak.”
None of them liked his unflattering assessment, yet none had a good response.
“You need to work with the people you’re given, Lieutenant Phex,” Rosamma said gently.“We aren’t Aris or Silo, but we’re not without merit. What can we do to help you send the signal?”
Radiating potent doubt about the“people he was given,” Phex was about to speak when Alyesha’s eyes flashed with defiant light.
“How about we kill them first?”
Phex’s head jerked slightly.
“There are ten pirates,” Alyesha said hotly. She’d clearly given the matter some thought.“And there are nine of us. I say we each pick a victim, and Phex picks two. If we strike at the same time, we’ll have the station to ourselves.”
The idea energized Fawn.“Bro, that’s so… bloodthirsty! I’m in.”
Phex closed his eyes, letting the discussion roll on without him.
The women chattered as the preposterous idea took root. The thought of having the station to themselves struck a chord, and they got on board with organizing a killing spree.
Wildly, Rosamma thought,Can I do it? Just once, for everyone’s sake, can I take a life that’s not worth living in the first place?
She mentally cycled through the pirates’images, trying to pick a victim—and failing.
She imagined sticking a knife into a faceless pirate. Pictured the struggle, the blood, breath leaving his body.
The idea was inconceivable, abhorrent. She couldn’t, not even the scarred Striker, the one she resented most. The one who kept poor Father Zha-Ikkel in the Meat Locker.
“We don’t have any weapons,” Eze pointed out.
“We will improvise,” Anske exclaimed.“We’ll make shivs from water pipes. Gro, you went to prison. You’ll teach us.”
Gro blanched.“I was in minimum-security prison camps. I’ve never made a shiv in my life! That shit carries a serious sentence, and frankly, I never had a need.”
“What’s a Rix’s most vulnerable spot, Phex?”
“Go for the neck,” Phex said tiredly, without opening his eyes.“If you can catch one unaware, which you can’t.”
Fawn made stabbing motions near her neck.
Alyesha was undeterred.“We’ll find a way.”
Gro raised an eyebrow.“Wait. In your nine-on-ten scenario, you counted Daphne in. Who’s she gonna stab? Massar? Nud? Striker Fincros?”
Collectively, they turned to Daphne, who sat very quietly in a corner, flipping through the pages of a book.
“That’s… my Holy Guide!” Anske jumped to her feet and crossed the room in two strides.“Where did you get it?”
Daphne didn’t reply. She continued tracing pictures in the book with her finger, as if Anske didn’t exist.
“I’d like to have it back. Daphne, please?” Anske extended a hand.
Daphne ignored it, just as she ignored the entire room full of people. Like she ignored the space station. Her attention was completely absorbed by the Holy Guide, and only she knew what she saw in its pages.
Eze stepped closer.“She’ll give it back in a little bit. Let’s let her finish. You know how she gets when you take stuff away suddenly.”
“Let her wail, I don’t care!” Anske snapped.“I’ve been looking for my Holy Guide since before the pirates snatched us! She probably stole it back then.”
