Chapter 17 #3
"Tiri, you don't need to—" Brick started, but I cut him off.
"Of course. However, you also need to understand that anyone who has been involved in hurting members of this ship will be dealt with at our discretion.
" I needed to be perfectly clear that I could—and would—hold everyone accountable, even members of her company, for attacking my crew.
Hiring us could come with the implication that we'd follow her lead.
That wasn't how it worked in this circumstance.
Tiri met my eyes and gave a slow nod. "I understand."
"Good." I clapped my hands together. "Then I think we can all agree. We're no longer just visiting this world. We're now actively fighting against it." I nodded to Lily. "Please, keep us safe."
She lifted her chin, her eyes practically sparkling with passion as she stared back. "Of course, Captain. I dare anyone to get past me."
I chuckled. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies."
"At least let me hire all of you," Tiri said, pulling out her tablet. "I should be able to now. They got me the verifications I need, just—" She started tapping before a clicking noise came from the tablet, and a voiced broadcast played over it. I glanced over her shoulder, as did everyone else.
It looked like a very low-quality video, a little static feathering the edges.
"Tiri, darling," the man said, his face jolting to the side and coming back together, his expression dropping into a deep frown.
"I'm sorry, Tiri. Hopefully this is enough for you to get out of here.
It's not safe. The"—the video crackled and cut off whatever name he had said—"have been consolidating their strength.
Someone like me or you is just another obstacle in their way. "
Tiri frowned and smacked the tablet.
"The file's been heavily compressed and uncompressed," Brick said, shaking his head. "Looks like he tried to hide it in the signal." He grinned. "And he did. It's just not going to be a very clear video."
"Darling." Her father, as the resemblance was uncanny, beamed again. "I hope you'll forgive me. I'm doing my best to work inside the system, but that means I can't give everything up. Like I said, I hope this is enough to get you somewhere safe."
I frowned and glanced over her shoulder to see what he was talking about, quickly realizing he meant money.
Tiri stood, simply frowning at the tablet. "Dammit. That's all you've got for me, Dad?" She shook it.
"Well, maybe we should send him a message asking for more," I offered.
Tiri shook her head. "No. If he thinks the situation is bad enough that he's just giving me a little money and telling me to get out, then it absolutely is bad. This is money he’s rolled off and isn’t associated with him.
" She scowled. "As much as I want to do something else about all of this, we're going to have to take that answer for what it is and move on. "
"Who do you think he was indicating?" I asked, focusing on the cryptic mention of opponents.
Tiri waved a hand, and I caught her glancing at Violet out of the corner of her eye.
"Just the new political party that's taken over in the last few years.
They're the whole reason the kikai have become insular and pulled back from the federation.
They believe the kikai have given up too much of their value to the whole, that our technology has been stolen, copied, and used ad nauseum by less than, shall we say, generous people.
They've taken kikai technology and made millions, paying no homage back. At least, that's the narrative."
I stared at her, waiting for more. But Tiri shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. That's well beyond you or me. Sometimes, when it comes to being a merchant, you must operate within the current constraints rather than bemoan them or try to change them."
"Fair." I smiled at her. "Then what do we do within the current constraints?"
Tiri grimaced. "Sounds like we need to get out of here. And it seems unlikely they're simply going to let us go."
"No." I returned the grimace. "It doesn't seem like that's on the table. How much money did he give you?" I wondered if it was enough to solve our problem with the ship.
Tiri glanced over and shook her head. "I can definitely hire you. However, I don't know if I'm going to be solving all of your money problems, and the payment to Sentar never went through," she told me as her ears and tail dropped like they’d melted.
"It’s not your job to do that. But given how badly we need the work, I'm sure you can get us for a fair price." I chuckled. "Just don't gouge us too much."
There was a flicker of a smile on Tiri's face, but it faded the moment her attention shifted back to the tablet. I understood her concern. Her father had just admitted he was in deep with some very problematic and apparently dangerous people. I didn't blame her for the sudden drop in mood.
I had to admit part of me didn't want to use Tiri's money to solve a problem. I wanted to use the money of those who caused the problem in the first place.