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“Then what’re we waiting for, queenie? Rally the troops.”

3
    Blood for Blood
    Once Dred gave all the orders, she went to find Ike to make a special request. “Is it all right if we borrow RC-17?” That was a boxy maintenance bot Ike had reprogrammed to do recon and help them bypass certain ship defenses. The droid’s sensors might come in handy if the situation got dicey.
    In answer, the old man turned the unit’s remote over to Dred. “Be careful out there.”
    â€œMake sure this place is in one piece when I get back.” She tapped the command button, and the unit circled her feet in response.
    Ike rubbed his whiskered chin, wearing a wry expression. “Given what’s going on, I make no promises.”
    She smiled as he intended and stripped off her chains. The skin of her forearms bore pebbled imprints from the metal; she shook her arms once, twice, getting used to the new lightness, then she bent to unwind them from her boots. It had been so long since she’d done so that she was surprised to see that the thin leather had faded in a pattern that matched the dents on her arms. Dred rubbed her fingers over her inner wrist, tracing the thorn-tree tattoo that wound up past her elbow. It was a delicate design, all black ink and pale skin—the only one she’d had done before she was sent to Perdition. The ancient symbolism had spoken to her, even then. According to the oldest tales, the thorn tree represented strife and challenges—with the promise of strength for those who overcame the odds.
    â€œThanks, Ike.”
    The old man stared at the circling bot for a few seconds, then glanced back up at her. “Two men were on the road together when they met a monster in the wilderness. One of them shoved the other down and scrambled up a tree. The second man lay there, terrified, and the beast came up to snuffle over him while the traveler held his breath and played dead. Surprisingly, that worked, and the monster went away, uninterested in carrion. When the other man dropped out of the tree, his former comrade killed him. Do you have any idea why?”
    â€œBecause he’d proven he’d turn at the first sign of trouble, and it was the wise man who knew to strike first.” Dred couldn’t remember where, but she’d heard some version of that parable before. “Is there some reason you’re telling me this now?”
    â€œDon’t lean on anyone too hard,” Ike said quietly.
    â€œIs this about Tam again? Or Jael?”
    â€œIt’s about no one in particular . . . and every man in the place.”
    â€œNot you,” she said.
    Tiredly, the old man shook his head. “Under the right weight, I’ll buckle.”
    â€œNoted. Thank you for the story.”
    She signaled to Tam, Jael, and Martine, who were waiting near the center of the common room, and they joined her at a jog. The halls were eerily silent beyond the new barricades. Dred tilted her head, listening, and she didn’t hear the usual scrabble of claws from the oversized rats that lived in the bowels of the station. She’d heard that the aliens hunted them for food, but they were tricky to catch and big enough to take on a normal-sized humanoid when they attacked as a pack. More than anything else, their complete absence reinforced how serious the situation was. If the rodents had gone to ground, the mercs must be shooting up the place.
    As if she shared Dred’s concern, Martine muttered, “Wish we knew where those fucking mercs are.”
    â€œYou’re not alone.” Tam slipped to the front of the group and headed off to scout.
    â€œI’ll go with you,” Dred said.
    Since she’d discarded her chains, she should be able to keep up, and Dred needed to keep her finger on the pulse of what went on in Perdition. While Jael shot her a look she found impossible to interpret, Tam only nodded. Soon they left the others