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BlinAI
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Dataset card Data Studio Files
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"Then we have to surrender," Jonny said.
Wrey turned a murderous glare onto him. "I told you to get lost," he snarled. "You have no business here-this is a military situation."
"Which is exactly why you need me. I've fought the Trofts; you almost certainly never have."
"So you're an overage reservist," Wrey grunted. "That still doesn't-"
"No," Jonny said, lowering his voice so that only Wrey and Tarvn could hear. "I'm a Cobra."
Wrey's voice died in mid-word, his eyes flicking over Jonny's form. Tarvn muttered something under his breath that Jonny didn't bother notching up his enhanc...
Jonny shook his head. "Just you two-and I want it kept that way."
"You should have told me earlier-" Wrey began.
"Be quiet, sir," Tarvn said unexpectedly, his eyes still on Jonny. "Will the Trofts be able to detect your equipment, Governor?"
"Depends on how tight a filter they put all of us through," Jonny shrugged. "A full bioscan will show it, but a cursory weapon detector check shouldn't."
Behind Jonny the helmsman cleared his throat. "Captain?" he said, his voice rigidly controlled. "The Trofts are calling on us to surrender."
Tarvn glanced at his screens, turned back to Wrey. "We really don't have any choice, sir."
"Tell them we're an official Dominion courier and that this is a violation of treaty," Wrey said tightly, his own eyes on the displays. "Threaten, argue-do y...
"And try to get terms that'll leave all of us aboard the Menssana," Jonny added. "We may need to get out in a hurry if we get an opening."
"We damn well better get that opening," Wrey murmured softly. "All of this is your idea, remember."
Jonny almost laughed. Middle-level bureaucrat, indeed-the operation had barely begun and already Wrey was scrambling to place any possible blame elsewhere. P...
Wrey hesitated, but only briefly. "Whatever you want. It's your game now."
"Thank you." Jonny turned back to Tarvn. "Let's see what we can do now about stacking the deck and maybe providing a little diversion at the same time."
He outlined his plan, got Tarvn's approval, and hurried to the Marine guardroom to set things up. Then it was back to the lounge and a quiet consultation wit...
He was back in his cabin fifteen minutes later, hiding the most sensitive of his Aventine data on random sections of unrelated magcards, when Tarvn officiall...
A half hour later, the Trofts came aboard.
* * *
The lounge was the largest public room on the ship, but fifteen passengers, thirteen crewers, and four Marines made for cozy quarters even without the seven ...
There had been few communications with the Trofts during the war to which Jonny had been privy, but back then he'd gotten the impression the aliens weren't m...
So they were to be held aboard. That was a stroke of luck Jonny had hoped for but not dared to expect. If Wrey had wangled this concession, perhaps he was go...
His thoughts were cut off abruptly as an armored but weaponless Marine was hauled through the door by two Trofts and put into line with the other prisoners. ...
The prisoners were kept in the lounge another hour, leading Jonny to wonder whether they would be staying there until the Trofts were satisfied everyone had ...
Though not quite alone.
The three sensor disks the Trofts had attached to selected sections of wall and ceiling were rather conspicuous as such things went, nearly two centimeters a...
It was probably the first time in twenty-seven years that his arcthrower might have done him some good; but then, he hardly could have used it without announ...
"You will cease this activity," the alien said, the monotone translator voice editing out whatever emotion lay behind the words.
"I'll be damned if I will," Jonny snarled back, putting all the righteous indignation he could into both voice and body language on the off-chance this was o...
The alien's upper-arm membranes rippled uncertainly. "Not all of you seem bothered by our security needs."
Not all of you . . . which implied Dru and Harmon had followed his instructions to kick up similar fusses. Three wasn't a very big crowd to hide in, but it w...
"The sensors will remain," the Troft insisted.
"Then you're going to have to chain me up," Jonny snarled, crossing his arms defiantly.
The alien paused, and Jonny's enhanced hearing caught a stream of high-speed Troft catertalk. It was another minute before the translator came back on-line. ...
Jonny pursed his lips. It would, actually, but he didn't want to accept the compromise too eagerly. "Well . . . I could try that, I suppose."
The Troft stepped past him and disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with the sensor disk in one hand and some tissues from the dispenser i...
He gave in awfully easily, was Jonny's first thought. A careful check of the bathroom, though, showed it was indeed clear of all sensors. Returning to the ma...
He waited an hour, ten minutes of which time was spent in the bathroom to see if the Trofts would get nervous and send in a guard. But they'd evidently decid...
He began with the normal human pattern for a pre-bedtime shower: pajamas carried into the bathroom accompanied by the hiss of water against tile. But under c...
The Menssana's designer had apparently felt that separate ventilation systems for the various service lane levels would be a waste of good equipment and had ...
Jonny passed three more cabins before finding a grille leading to the deck above. Bending his knees the few degrees the walls allowed, he jumped upward, stif...
Jonny eased out the equipment room door into the deserted corridor, alert for sounds of activity that weren't there. The main hatch was indeed open, the boar...
The spiral stairway leading to the bridge had not been designed with military security in mind, but the Trofts had added one of their sensor disks to the spi...
He moved quickly, though no faster than a normal human could have, and no challenges or shots came his way before he reached the stairs and started up. His c...
Slowly, Jonny continued up the stairs and into the bridge, keeping his hands visible. The four guards were backed up by three more at the Menssana's consoles...
"How did you escape from your quarters?" one of the guards asked.
Jonny focused on the semicircle. "Call your captain," he said. "I wish to speak to him about a trade."