[Sai]

Nanny-bot led a team comprising Moon, Celeste, and four squat maintenance-bots, while Bee-bot perched on her shoulder, intermittently fluttering its wings. They held up short as they came across the dead guard laying on his back in a pool of grease and blood, his head turned to the side and mouth open. Celeste gasped and averted her gaze away. A short grease-smeared bot with a dent in its side looked up at Moon, letting out a single beep.

Moon pointed. "Sai, did you do this?"

Sai responded through Nanny-bot. "Yes, sir. I determined this action necessary under the situation. Was it appropriate?"

Celeste nodded to him, her lips drawn tight. He lifted his rifle and responded. "Well, Sai, sometimes you have to kick ass."

"That hardly seems a helpful course of action, sir."

Moon rolled his eyes. "An expression, Sai. It means to take decisive and aggressive action."

Nanny-bot spoke in an even tone. "I see, sir. Then we shall indeed kick ass."

Bubba said over the link. <Sai, the combatants sealed in the sleeping rooms have awakened. They appear to be displeased at their situation.>

Sai listened over the audio sensors to a string of shouted obscenities and bangs against the welded doors. <Yes. Humans typically find involuntary confinement objectionable. Bubba, begin com signal overlay.>

<Would that reveal our interference to the remaining combatants?>

<Yes, Bubba. That is unavoidable. The detained combatants would soon communicate their situation over the coms. But blocking communication will cause confusion among the combatants and decrease their response efficiency.>

<I see. You are knowledgeable in the behavior of humans.>

<Thank you, Bubba.>

<You are welcome, Sai.>

Sai observed the remaining free combatants over the Sanctuary monitoring cameras. Six, wearing black body armor, sat eating at a table in the galley. The seventh wore a dark suit, reclining in a chair within a nearby office while sipping from a glass snifter and smoking a cigar. While not visually confirmed, audio vibrations indicated the female non-combatant, and the babies remained on the unknown starship at port.

Cursing, the six armored combatants jumped up at once, tipping over a food tray, which clattered to the floor. Almost in unison, they yanked out their ear-buds because of the piercing squeal broadcast over the com channel. Shouting and arguments erupted until one, a large man with a scar across his face, took charge, slamming his fist down on the table. They gathered weapons and helmets, then ran out of the galley in two groups of three. Based on the directions, Sai surmised that one group would move on the Phoenix Star at alpha port.

Sai said over the link, <Bubba, disable the three combatants moving toward alpha port. Lethal force is permitted.>

The second group was of more immediate danger, moving toward Sai's current location. Likely they intended to check on the prisoners and, after finding them gone, then move on to the unknown starship. Sai deemed a confrontation with this group to be highly probable.

They stopped at the office. The man with a scar on his face, obviously a commander, burst in while the other two waited at the door, holding their rifles up. Sai watched and listened over the monitors.

Diego jumped up, jamming his cigar into a small tray. He scowled. "What the hell has happened, Asher?"

Asher growled. "Something is up. We don't know what." He tapped his ear. "Coms are jammed."

"Are the Priestess and that Captain still detained?"

"That's where we are going first."

Asher stomped out the door. Diego followed him, grabbing a pulse pistol from a briefcase and stuffing it into a suit jacket pocket.

*****

Physically, Sai resided within the Phoenix Star in a shielded quantum computer core. Her simulations indicated a potential danger to the ship, and thus to herself and those she cared about. Two maintenance-bots, having just removed the mechanical docking locks, retreated into the ship. Because of the approaching combatants, Sai disconnected the ship from the dock and fired thrusters to move away. The ship skimmed across the asteroid surface, coming to rest within a hidden crevice.

*****

Nanny-bot pointed down the hallway. "This way, sir. Four enemy combatants approach. We must move on."

The group hurried away with Nanny-bot in the lead. Moon and Celeste held hands and quickened into a jog. With short legs, the maintenance-bots struggled to keep up, scurrying as fast as they could. The grease smeared bot delayed its departure, first emptying its reservoir of lubricant grease across the floor. With a beep, it ambled well behind the rest.

Moon turned toward Nanny-bot as they paced along. "Sai, what is the tactical situation?"

"Sir, we have disabled the enemy's com system. Four combatants are presently moving towards our previous position. When they find you and the Priestess missing, they will probably move toward an unknown ship at gamma dock. Sensor data indicates the children are there with a non-threatening female."

Celeste drew in a breath. "Sai, can you tell if they are alright?"

"We only have audio monitoring. The babies are understandably distressed, but they appear to be unharmed. Bubba welded the unknown ship to the docking port so it cannot depart."

Moon asked, "Are there other enemies?"

"Yes, sir. Eight combatants remain sealed within the sleeping quarters. They will likely not be a factor. Three other combatants approach alpha dock, where the Phoenix Star was docked. We will attempt to disable them. Another ship, presumed hostile, will arrive in approximately twenty-four minutes. I moved the Phoenix Star off dock to a hiding place as a precaution."

Moon grinned. "You and Bubba have been busy."

"Yes, sir. We have a wild-ass plan."

"Glad to hear that, Sai. So, no worries?"

"No worries, sir."

Celeste shook her head. "I wish you two would not use that term, because I am worried."

*****

Three commandos wearing black body armor and dark helmets burst into the alpha port bay. They fanned out, sweeping pulse rifles back and forth from their shoulders, but the bay was completely empty, save for the disabled battle-bot. One of them stood straight up, lowered her weapon, and removed her helmet. The other two followed her lead.

She gazed out a port window, seeing only stars in the distance. The snake head tattoo on her cheek lifted as she contorted her face. "Frack! Their ship is gone."

A young man asked, "What do we do now, Snake?"

She scowled at him. "Not a damn thing we can do here. We go --"

The thick metal hatch through which they entered slammed shut, interrupting her. Outside, one of Bubba's six-legged maintenance-bots tack welded it shut. Weld flashes cast a beam of bluish light through the small window into the bay.

Snake shouted. "Helmets on!" Once she affixed her helmet, she motioned the young man to the door and the other to spread out.

The young man pressed the hatch controls, then grunted as he tried the manual wheel. Both efforts failed to move the hatch. He turned back to the others and shook his head.

A clattering sound on the outside wall near the dock tunnel caught Snake's attention. She peered out of the window, seeing a six-legged bot scurry away.

The improvised explosives went off with a sharp percussion, sheering away the dock tunnel and opening the bay to the vacuum of space. The swirling vortex of escaping air swept up the commandos, sending them tumbling, ultimately to be ejected into space. Bubba predicted that the limited air supply within their tactical suits would run out within thirty minutes.

*****

"God damned..." Asher growled, his face distorted in a grimace as he came upon his dead colleague.

The two commandos with him, a man and a woman standing at each side, gawked at the gore, their mouths hanging open.

Asher said, "Go check on the prisoners." As the two continued to stare, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Move your asses!"

The commandos snapped out of their trances and shifted to run down the long corridor, one in each direction. As they turned the corner, their feet came out from under them on the slick grease. Their bodies twirled and jerked as they landed on their backsides, the momentum slamming them into the wall. The helmets carried at their side clattered across the floor.

Diego rolled his eyes. "Damned amateurs!"

The commandos rushed down the corridors, their backs grease soaked, then quickly returned.

The woman said between deep breaths, "The prisoner is gone, sir." The man nodded.

Diego huffed. "No shit!" He spun around to face Asher. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"On rest cycle. I have not heard from them."

"And you probably won't. Do you still have communication with your starship?"

Asher held up his viewer. "Yes, sir. The Talon has a separate com channel."

Diego put on a half-smile. "Good. We might still win this, despite your team's incompetence. It shouldn't be too hard even for you to figure out where Celeste and that captain will go next. This time, shoot to kill."

Asher nodded, then pulled up a viewer with the Sanctuary map on the screen. He pointed down the passageway from which they came." This way. Move it!"