Fortunately I hadn’t just been standing there like a moron and didn’t drop the perfectly good opening she was trying to hand me. “I’m Consultant Rin’s contracted SecUnit. Consultant Rin is on the station, and sent me to the facility on her shuttle.”

Gerth said, “We weren’t told about this.” Wilken snapped a glare at her. Still no conversation between them on any private feed connection. There were a lot of questions they could ask. The scenario I had described, a client sending a SecUnit out to provide security for another set of clients, was technically possible, but would violate bond company regulations and warranties. But Gerth took her weapon off me and pointed it where it should be, on the still-open corridor where the hostile had taken Hirune.

Abene snapped, “I don’t care what you were told! We need to find Hirune! Brais, you have to get Ejiro back to the ship. Gerth, you go with them. Wilken, either help me or give me a gun and go back to the ship with the others.” She switched to her feed to say, Kader, inform the station PA of our situation. Tell them we’re not sure what attacked us yet. Tell them to be wary of possible raiders in the system. Kader acknowledged.

I can’t help it, I like it when the humans are decisive. (Especially when it’s the human who’s in favor of not shooting me.) I said, “Consultant Rin has instructed me to help you in any way necessary.” I kept my gaze on Abene because I was a SecUnit and that was what a SecUnit would do. You talk to the client and leave the people holding the guns to decide if they should feel threatened by what you said or not. (They should, they should feel really threatened.)

Wilken said hurriedly, “We’re your security team, Don Abene, of course we’ll go. But you should get back to the ship with Gerth and the others, and I’ll go after Hirune with Rin’s SecUnit.”

Ejiro struggled to stand and Brais got under his good arm and levered him upright. Brais said, “I’m on the feed with Kader, Abene. Vibol’s prepping the medical bay.”

Since I was the SecUnit now and everything, I said, “Don’t take a lift. The hostile may take control of the system and bring a lift to its position.”

“I know that,” Gerth snapped.

I know you know that, asshole.

Brais nodded at me and promised, “No lifts.” She told Abene, “Please be careful.”

Abene said, “You, too. Keep in contact with Kader.” She turned to Wilken. “I don’t have time to argue. We need to go.”