Title: Sojourn: Part 3 – Cyber
Author: JadeHeart
Located/Archived: If anyone would like it, please ask me first!
Creation Date: 1994
Fandom: Blakes 7
Rating: M
Timeline: A few years after the end of the TV series.
Original Characters: Kitra and Griffen are mine.
Summary: Fate brings the players from the past to gather again.
Disclaimer: I do not own the idea/outline/characters of Blake's 7, this belongs to the original creators, nor am I making any profits from this.
Chapter 2
"We may be able to do something about this." Kitra said, examining the scarred flesh around the wrist stump with a clinical eye.
"Like what?" Soolin asked, dispassionately looking at her maimed limb.
She had been with the team for close to a month now, and the transformation had been startling. From the ragged, gaunt, almost skeletal figure she had been upon her rescue, she almost looked as she once had. Her blonde hair was clean and straight, trimmed neatly around her face, her eyes were clearer and there was more flesh covering her bones, although she still tended towards the half-hungry look. It would take time for her body to fully recover from her ordeal. Yet, no matter how well her body recovered, it would never erase the lines of pain and hardship that were etched into her face.
"We can't regenerate a new hand. The tissue's too badly destroyed for that and it's been too long, but maybe a cybernetic hand."
"Like Travis's?" Vila put in. He had told Kitra of Travis sometime ago.
"Something like that but it can be a little more flexible and realistic than his. Don't forget he was a lot more machine than human. What do you think, Griffen?"
The globe hovered over Soolin. "It could be possible, although a very delicate operation. There would be no guarantee of success."
"So what would we be doing?" Tarrant asked, peering down also. It was a little snug in the infirmary with them all present.
"Create the mechanical hand and cover it in syntho-flesh so it'll look real enough. However, what we could also try to do is actually link all the severed nerves, muscles and tendons to the corresponding electrodes in the robotic hand. So when messages are sent down the nerves it will carry it right through to the mechanical parts and they'll respond just like the normal hand would have."
"Is that really possible?" Tarrant questioned sceptically.
"Oh, yes - in theory. The Federation has made quite a few advances in such matters but, of course, keep it only to themselves and no-one else. Everything that happens in the body is sent by electrical impulses. If the mechanics can be attuned to those impulses it should be able to function." Griffen answered.
"There are risks involved though," Kitra put in looking at Soolin. "To do that re-attachment, each of the nerves has to be cut again, removing the healed ends. As we said, there's no guarantee that it will work at all. Another risk is that your body will reject it outright so we'll have to remove it. Another possibility is that it will cause an infection and we may have to amputate the whole arm. The most drastic scenario is that it will cause your entire body to go into shock and it may kill you. We can't discount any of those things happening."
"I'll take the risk."
"Okay, we'll start looking into it. Between Griffen and Orac, I'll be able to put the robotic hand together. It will only be a rough job at first. It will take a number of adjustments before we have it right. Also, making it look realistic is a little beyond us here but there are places we can go to have that done. In the meantime, you'll have to wear a glove over the mechanics to protect them. Remember, it's going to be a long rehabilitation for you and you won't be able to use it properly for some time. We're not offering an instant fix."
"I understand," Soolin said, accepting Kitra's warning calmly.
"Okay. If you're still certain, we can begin work on the robotics and then it will be up to the operation."
"Are you going to do that?" Tarrant asked.
"You'd need a pretty delicate touch for this one," Vila put in.
The smile Kitra turned on him froze his blood and made his eyes widen with fear. "Which is why I think you'd be the perfect choice instead, Vila."
"I can't do it!" he exclaimed. "I can't stand the sight of blood!"
"There won't be any blood," Kitra assured him with a wicked grin. "Much!"
"Damn!" Soolin muttered as she dropped the screwdriver again.
Painstakingly she reached down and tried to close the fingers of her cybernetic hand around the handle. Only one finger gripped firmly, the others barely closing around. Lifting her arm slowly she raised the screwdriver, watching as it shook unsteadily in her hand. Frowning in concentration, she attempted to take a firmer grip upon it and moved it closer to the screw she was trying to undo.
Again, as she tried to turn the screw, her robotic hand refused to function and she dropped it. In fury, she picked it up with her good hand and threw it across the room. Vila ducked to one side as the projectile came rushing towards him to clatter alarmingly against the wall where his head had just been.
"What did I do?" he asked in surprise, looking in her direction, ready to flee if need be.
"Nothing," Soolin answered shortly, turning away. She stared at the console she had been working on and then looked back at Vila. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Came to see if you needed a hand," he said with a small shrug, then stopped as he realised what he had said. "I didn't mean anything by that, Soolin," he said hurriedly, backing up a step with hands raised in a warding gesture, as though expecting another object launched in his direction.
Soolin sighed, "It's all right, Vila." She stood up, brushing her trousers down with one hand. "I should be used to being a cripple by now." She sat down at one of the flight chairs and went to pick something up with her right hand, before hesitating a moment then switching to her left.
Vila came to stand in front of her leaning on the console before him. "Soolin," he said seriously, looking down at her. "You're not a cripple. It's just going to take some time. You know that. Besides, that's my handiwork you're knocking. I think I did a pretty good job of it."
Soolin half grinned. "I'll thank you when it finally works. If it does."
"Of course it will," Vila said firmly, attempting to snap her out of her depression. "Look, you're doing things with it, aren't you? Three weeks ago you didn't even have a hand at all. You're a hundred times better off than then."
It was true. The operation, as far as it went, had to be called a success. It had taken almost two months for the cybernetic hand to be assembled, under the close tutelage of Griffen and the magic touch of Vila. Once it had been completed to Griffen's satisfaction, it had been attached and the nerves and muscles for the most part were responding to this new addition, although the involuntary spasms as the body adjusted made the robotics move bizarrely at first. The road to recovery though was hard and long, and Soolin wasn't the most patient of people when it came to her own short-comings.
She sighed again and stared at her robotic hand, turning it over. "I know. I just wish I could do more."
"Griffen's done as much as he can using Kitra and I. He's looking into finding a way to finish it."
"When?" Soolin said, not really expecting an answer.
"Might be soon. He said there are a few people that he could get in touch with who he may be able to persuade to do it."
"I don't want any backstreet medic working on it!" she said sharply, "They'd more than likely botch the job completely."
"That's not the sort of people Griffen was looking at. He used to be fairly high up in the medical profession, so he's still got a few contacts. And he's only looking at the best for you."
"I never knew he was a medic," Soolin said with some interest showing.
"How did you think he knew what to do with your hand?" Vila said with a snort. "He was one of the best from what I can gather. So don't worry, when he finds someone they'll be good and they'll do the job properly." He moved over to the panel she had been working on when he had entered. "You going to tell me what I have to do to fix this?"
Soolin stood up and moved across next to him, handing him another screwdriver. "Thanks, Vila,"
He flashed her a smile and began to remove the screws.
"I hate this!" Vila said, slumped dejectedly in his seat, face morose.
"What are you complaining about now?" Soolin asked from the other side where she also sat, scrolling through some data onscreen.
"Here we are, stuck in this ship, while the other three have fun."
"It's hardly fun, Vila. They're doing a job - which we'll all get paid for," Soolin reminded him. Money was always a good way to get Vila to pay attention to anything being said.
"But they're down on that planet!" Vila wailed, not being side-tracked for once. "I had Orac check it out and there're gambling houses and entertainment halls, and we've arrived during some big festival. We could be down there having a ball! Wine, women, song – what more could we want? Instead we're stuck up here!"
"Which is a good thing," Soolin put in, returning to her reading. "Otherwise you'd lose all your money, get drunk, manage to get into some sort of trouble, and we'd probably have to find some way to break you out of prison, before having to prise you away from the place." She finished dryly.
"You'd have a good time, too," Vila said, trying to wheedle into Soolin's good side and justify his burning desire to be on the surface of the glistening planet below them.
"Maybe. But I can live without it." Soolin answered calmly, refusing to look up.
A chime from the communications panel interrupted them. "Vila?" Griffen's voice came over, crackling a little.
Vila dropped his feet from the console in front of him and leant forward to answer, "Yes?"
"Bring 'Pegasus' down and land at these co-ordinates. Stay on board and don't open up for anyone but myself." The instructions were given sharply.
"What's up?" Soolin asked, coming to stand next to Vila, alerted by the tone as well.
"Nothing, I hope," Griffen responded, "but I've lost touch with Kitra and Tarrant. It could mean they just can't talk at the moment, but I don't like it. I'll meet you when you're down."
Vila glanced worriedly up at Soolin who stared back in silence for a moment, then said, "Orac. Set the flight computers to calculate the descent according to these co-ordinates, then give me manual control."
"Computers set and manual control available." came Orac's reply, as Soolin settled into the pilot's chair and descended rapidly. It was never a good sign when Griffen was worried.
When they had settled on the tarmac they heard the chime of the door lock indicating that the bottom hatch of the ship had been opened. The only people who had that code was their little group and soon enough Griffen floated onto the flight deck.
"Anything?" Soolin asked immediately, standing to greet him.
Griffen settled down on the console near her hand. "No. They reached the rendezvous, that's a certainty. The last message from Kitra was that I was to wait until she called again. There's been nothing since then."
"Maybe they just don't want to give away that they aren't alone?" Vila said, hopefully, coming to sit closer to them both. "That's pretty normal."
"It's taken too long," Griffen said, silver feelers stretching out and latching into the ship's on board computer. "They should have been finished by now, or at least been in touch. She always lets me know what's happening. Kit knows that I would start to worry otherwise."
"So what do you think has happened?" Soolin questioned, reseating herself.
"I wish I knew," was Griffen's worried reply. Data began to scroll rapidly over all the screens in front of them all.
"Care to speculate?"
"Speculate? First guess would be a set up. There's a price on Kit's head, even if the Federation don't know who she is or her name. They still know she's out there and that other people would have to know that she's responsible for certain 'transgressions', shall we say."
"I thought she was just a general smuggler?" Soolin said, a little surprised at this statement. "There must be plenty of that going on. Why would the Federation be so concerned with her?"
"Kit's a little more than just an ordinary smuggler. She checks things out carefully and she won't touch anything to help the Federation. And she'll smuggle anything for the rebels."
"She never told me that!" Vila put in, sitting up straighter. "She said she wasn't out to save the universe!"
"She's not!" Griffen said sharply. "But she's got more sympathy for people trying to fight the Federation than those that sit and do nothing! And she hates the Federation, from way back. Why do you think she takes such pleasure in tweaking their noses whenever she can? Why do you think she helped all of you?"
"So is that why the Federation wants her?" Soolin said, getting back to the present problem.
"That's right. She may not work with the rebels as one of them, or on a regular basis, but at one time or another she has probably had contact with most of the rebel groups that are around, at least the larger, more organised ones. They are the ones that can cause the most damage so imagine what the Federation could do if they got their hands on her and that information."
"They'd be able to find out where all the rebels are located! They'd wipe them out completely!" Vila said with eyes widening as he comprehending the enormity of it all.
"Exactly. I think Kit's been set up and captured. She's no good to them dead. What I don't know is where they've taken her."
"She could be half way to Space Headquarters by now," Vila said, panic starting to seep into his voice. They had to get out of here!
"No," Griffen stated firmly. "I've been monitoring all the space traffic off planet and nothing's left since she ceased communications. She's still on this planet somewhere. Damn! I wish I had thought to tell her to take a homing signal!"
"Why didn't she?"
"They're something we've been working on for a time but we hadn't fully finished them. They only work over short distances but we had hoped to be able to modify them at some point. We didn't think this trip was going to be a problem."
"So what do we do?" Soolin asked, getting back to basics.
"First thing is to go to the rendezvous and see how things look there. There hasn't been that much time gone by, so I'm hoping that maybe there'll be a lead for us to pick up. You'll have to carry me in a bag. I look a little conspicuous."
"You're coming with us?" Vila asked surprised. Griffen rarely left the ship except to accompany Kitra at times.
"Yes. I need to get back to the drop ship and set things up there. It was touch and go for me to get here and I don't want to push my luck. Though I may be able to give you some help at the rendezvous also. Orac, have 'Pegasus' ready to lift off as soon as we give you the word. We may have to meet you in space in the drop ship."
"Very well."
"Let's go," Soolin said, as Vila lifted Griffen into a knapsack and slung it over his shoulder.
They reached the rendezvous without mishap, blending in with the locals wandering through the streets. Unobtrusively they looked around as they entered. It was a small bar, nothing flash, but clean enough. One of many that were quartered in this area of town.
Soolin and Vila seated themselves at a table in a far corner from the entrance, backs to the walls, where they could study the rest of the room. A waiter came up to take their order and then left, returning in just moments with their drinks.
As they sipped their beverages, they continued to look around carefully. Vila had placed the bag containing Griffen on the table between them, loosening the opening a little so Griffen's opticals could also scan the area and see what was happening.
Soolin took a sip of her drink, grimacing a little at the taste. The beer was very heavy and bitter, not really to her liking. "There doesn't seem to be any signs of trouble having been here, and this is a busy enough place to make it difficult to spirit someone away." she said quietly over the rim of her raised glass.
"Don't you believe it," Vila put in, drinking also and speaking just as softly. "Just because there are people here doesn't mean anything. In this type of place, if you see trouble, you ignore it. Kitra and Tarrant could have been cut into tiny pieces and made into minced meat right in the middle of the floor and not one of these people would admit to seeing anything if you asked them later."
"Lovely imagery, Vila," Soolin commented drily
Then Griffen spoke, "Maybe. But there could be signs of a scuffle if we look carefully. I don't think either of them would have gone quietly. Kit, at least, would know what to expect if that happened and it wouldn't make her any keener."
"Maybe if we circulate a little and have a look around?" Soolin suggested.
"It's a good an idea as any. Let's try it." Griffen agreed. "Go one at a time, and make certain you stay in view of each other at all times. Vila, I'll go with you on your round. You go first, Soolin. Carefully, mind you." He cautioned.
Soolin stood and wandered slowly around the perimeter of the premises, stopping now and then, casually glancing at walls, doors and tables as she went. When it was Vila's turn, he held Griffen in his bag under his arm and also circumnavigated the room at a slow, steady pace. It wasn't very big, so it didn't take long for either of them to make their rounds. When Vila rejoined Soolin back at their table, she said, "There's marks on the side of the bar over there," indicating with her head. "They look like they were left by a laser of some sort. Fairly low powered, but it's fresh."
Vila looked carefully in the indicated direction. "That would make sense. There's a door leading out to the back from there."
"How do you know?" Griffen asked quietly from his position in the centre of the table. "I couldn't see anything."
"If you look closely you'll see that the wall is standing out about a foot further than the others. There must be a passage that runs behind there."
"Is that the likely course do you think?" Soolin queried, taking another sip, trying to see what Vila had seen and had to quietly admire his keen eye because it was only now he had pointed it out that she identified the possible place. She would never have noticed it herself.
"I would say so," Vila answered, quite seriously as he fell into 'business' mode. "If they were going to remove anyone, or anything, from this place they wouldn't be likely to use the front door, so that would be the only alternate."
"Okay then," Griffen said quietly. "You'll have to take it from here. I'm afraid I won't be of much use to you from now on. Keep in close contact and don't take any chances. We don't want to have to send a search party out for you two as well. Take me back to the drop ship and I'll get things organised from there. When you find them, head there immediately."
They left what remained of their drinks and returned to the drop ship, waiting till Griffen was settled in before leaving and returning to the bar. They didn't enter this time, simply stood across the street from the building and planned their next step.
"We can't go back inside," Vila said. "It would look too obvious."
"Well, we know that there is a passage at the rear," Soolin said, glancing at the alley that ran down the side of the bar. "If we go to the back we should be able to find where it comes out and might pick up some clues from there."
"All right, but be very careful," Vila cautioned. "Places that have hidden passageways usually get very upset if they find out other people know about them!"
Instead of taking the direct path that had been before them, they made their way around the block, squeezing through some very narrow alleys between the various buildings until they reached their destination. When they were directly behind the bar, they ensured they were definitely alone, remaining in the shadows to examine the area more closely.
"There's the exit," Vila said, pointing to what looked like jumble of a half fallen down masonry haphazardly piled in one place.
Soolin looked at the mess, then spoke to Vila with doubt. "You sure?"
He nodded unhesitantly, "Positive."
She took his word for it. In this, he was the expert. "So where to from here?" she mused out loud, looking around the surroundings. "There are only two alleys leading from here. This one, and that one over there." she pointed towards the other. "Not a lot of choices."
"We'll have to get closer to have a look down that one," Vila said, stepping forward, half hunched as though expecting an attack any moment. His fear was palpable.
Hugging the sides of the buildings, they made their way to the hidden back door, trying to avoid making any noise that was unnecessary. In this enclosed space it would be sure to echo loudly, announcing their presence. Sure enough, When reaching the secret door and upon closer inspection, Soolin could see that the rubble had been welded to the door itself. Very ingenious. Vila meanwhile was examining the ground around its base.
"Here," he whispered. Soolin came to his side, hunkering down beside him. "Something's been dragged," He pointed to two furrows. "Those were made by boot heels. I think we've found Tarrant at least."
"Well, where Tarrant is, most likely will be Kitra." Soolin said.
"What if they split them up?" Vila asked pessimistically. "They could have taken Kit to sell to the Federation and decided to dispose of Tarrant."
"Maybe," Soolin said, "But I'm betting that if they know Kitra's worth something to the Federation then there's every chance that anyone she's with could also be the same. I think they'll keep the two of them together and alive, until they can find out what they'll get from the Federation for them both."
"I hope you're right," Vila said.
"So do I. Where do these go?"
"Straight down that alley," pointing to the second one they had already identified.
"Let's follow."
They carefully made their way to the mouth of the alley, checking that they remained unobserved and that all was clear before they entered. Both had their guns out and at the ready. Now was not the time to be concerned about the laws that said all weapons were to remain holstered.
There was rubbish scattered entirely through this alley, and here and there Vila pointed out the continuing signs of dragging along its length so they continued. Reaching the end they paused again to check the surroundings. They were deeper into the warren of buildings now, and obviously in one of the poorer quarters of the city.
"Where to now?" Vila said looking around them.
Soolin carefully examined the area also. The ground was harder here so the faint trail they had been following was no longer visible. She had a feeling that their journey's end was somewhere in one of the buildings before them. But which one?
"She pursed her lips, running her eye over the three buildings immediately adjacent to their current position. "You start one end and I'll take the other." she instructed. "Let's see if we can spot anything that looks like it's been disturbed recently leading to any of those."
"Okay," Vila agreed reluctantly, and they separated.
Soolin didn't saunter or try and walk casually. Here, in this area, acting in that manner was suspicious. Skulking along as she was currently doing was probably far more common. She paused and examined the building frontage. She didn't even know what it was that she was trying to find, and that thought made her despair a little. What if they were wrong? What if they couldn't find Kitra and Tarrant? What would they do then? These were frightening thoughts and they scared her deep down in her soul.
A low whistle caught her attention and turning her head she saw Vila motioning to her. She scuttled back to where he was crouching, settling in close to him. He nodded towards the building before him.
"That one I think is it," he said.
Soolin looked it over, not seeing anything. "What makes you think so?" she wanted to know. She really didn't want to be charging into the wrong place and creating a ruckus for nothing.
Vila pointed towards the steps leading to the landing, with the awning overhanging the door. "See those tubs there?" indicating the items. Soolin nodded. "On the side of one is a definite scrape, and there's what looks like black boot polish scraped on the edge of one of the steps. Also," and he opened one hand to show her a small scrap of material resting on his palm. "this was caught on a jagged edge right near the door." The colour matched what Kitra had been wearing that day. It was all circumstantial Soolin knew, but the likelihood that this had all come about in a complete unrelated incident was taking the odds a little far.
"Okay then," she said taking a deep breath and turning to look at Vila. His face was pale, and she knew he was frightened. She wasn't feeling that gung-ho herself, not when her gun hand was still out of commission. "How do you want to handle this?"
Vila swallowed audibly, then tried to smile, which came out looking more like a grimace of pain. "We don't have a lot of choice. The longer we wait the harder it will probably become. Or we might lose the chance of getting them back completely."
"I agree," she said, shifting her weight. "So we just barge straight in?"
Vila looked at the door. "Why don't we try subtle first?" he suggested. "What if I knock on the door and when it opens you take out who ever is there – then we charge in and duck!"
Soolin let out a ghost of a chuckle, "Sounds like a plan." She stood and looked down at him. "Come on then, there's no time like the present."
Vila stood also, although reluctance was in every movement. "I'll just let Griffen know what we're about to do." A hurried conversation to that effect took place, and with Griffen's words of caution still with them, they made their way to their target.
Vila stood at the door, though a little to one side which would allow him, hopefully, to be able to throw himself out of immediate harms way if need be. Soolin took up her position, pressed hard against the wall beside the door, where she would not be viewed by any occupants inside. She silently nodded to Vila who, with another deep swallow, raised his hand and knocked.
There was no answer, so he knocked again when Soolin nodded for him to continue. He did so, this time making it a little louder and longer. Silence again, then there was a sound on the other side and, bracing herself, Soolin tensed as the door swished open.
"Whadda ya want!" the man said as soon as the door was opened wide. Vila smiled broadly at him, looking completely harmless, opening his mouth as though to speak when Soolin suddenly appeared around the corner, the butt of her gun connecting with the temple of the man before her and he slumped to the floor in silence, without uttering a sound.
Soolin scanned the hall and stairs before them but there was no-one else present. She could feel the adrenalin running through her. Turning her head she motioned Vila forward into the relative safety. Silently she motioned for Vila to drag the man out of sight and close the door again, which he did, before taking up position beside her. Along or up, she wondered?
She pursed her lips, gazing up the stairs. Up, she thought, following her gut instincts. On silent feet she moved in that direction, feeling Vila following. She tested the first step and was glad to hear no corresponding creaking. That would make life a lot easier. She continued on her way, taking great care to not make a sound with her boots. She marveled at how Vila could walk so silently. He wasn't a small man by any means but he was very light on his feet.
They reached the first landing at the top and Soolin peered carefully over the edge, keeping low. Instead of another corridor and more rooms, it opened up into a large open space like a storehouse. She could see three men standing, and as she craned her neck she felt a wave a relief in spotting Kitra and Tarrant seated on the floor in the far corner, hands tied behind their backs, but seemingly unhurt. She ducked back down and turned to Vila.
On the stair before them she sketched the view for him, indicating the open area. She held up three fingers and then placed crosses where their foes were standing. She then held up two fingers and smiled broadly, with a nod, to indicate that she had also found their missing comrades, and on the invisible diagram drew a circle to show their position. Vila nodded his understanding. Soolin then pointed to him, made the motion of running and pointed on the plan the direction she wanted him to go. This would place him behind some cover where he would be able to take out one of the assailants almost immediately.
She pointed to herself and indicated what she would be doing. She would go directly to the closest enemy, knocking him out so Vila would be able to pass unharmed. That would then only leave the third to deal with.
She looked at Vila directly and raised an eyebrow, questioning his readiness. He gulped but nodded, taking a tighter grip on his weapon. She gave him an answering nod and turned. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, feeling a familiar calm settle over her. Then with a quick motion of her head, she and Vila burst from hiding and put their plan into motion. It went like clockwork . Almost
She downed her man immediately, seeing Vila reached his point of safety and fire his weapon at his designated target and seeing that man drop. Vila actually was a reasonably good shot, although he would never let on. She had dropped to the ground straight away to prevent becoming a target herself. Vila should be able to pick off the third man who had turned at the sudden flurry of activity around him. It was then that she saw she had misjudged. A fourth man was also in the room, partially hidden by a supporting column so she hadn't seen him. From his position he had a clear shot at Vila.
From her prone position on the floor Soolin could see all this and her heart froze. Vila was oblivious to his danger, concentrating on trading volleys of deadly fire with the third man who was his next target. She would never be able to get there in time – to either of them. The man raised his weapon, readying to take out Vila, when Soolin reacted. She rolled across the floor, keeping an eye on the fourth man, and then automatically transferred her gun to her right hand, steadied and shot.
The sudden silence that settled over the room was almost deafening. She looked behind her to see that Vila had taken his man down also. She heard steps and looked up to see Vila approaching, looking a little pale. He reached down and helped her to her feet, glancing over to where the fourth man lay still. "Thanks." He said sincerely.
She brushed herself down, "You're welcome."
They hurried over to where Kitra and Tarrant were bound, removing manacles and gags.
"You were cutting it fine," Tarrant said with a smile.
Vila sniffed, "You could at least say thank you that we saved your ungrateful hide!" Tarrant just smirked at him.
"For someone who said they couldn't use that hand, you did one hell of a job," Kitra put in, rubbing circulation back into her arms, smiling at Soolin.
Soolin looked down in surprise at the gun still clasped in her robotic hand, feeling the fingers curled comfortably around the grip. She hadn't even registered that she had used it for that last shot.
"I'd say that things are looking up, wouldn't you agree?" Kitra said, standing and brushing herself off.
"Yes," Soolin replied, carefully holstering the gun and unflexing the mechanical fingers. "I think you might be right."