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The AI comes to life: "Found. Interstellar jammer."

Daccia's eyes narrow. "Iknew it.”

The towering Aurelian holds up one hand.

“AI - shall we remove the device?”

The AI doesn't move - yet.

"This will cause significant pain to the subject – at a level above that permitted for a prisoner."

Oh, shit!

My heart starts pounding. It fuckinghurtto get my implants – although the initial pain of the implantation was nothing compared to the fevered horror of the infection I developed afterward.

I imagine this will hurt too. I steel myself for the pain. It will be bad, I know it – but at least this is a sterile med-bay, not a sleazy back-alley joint.

Daccia doesn't give the order, though.

He stares down at me – slate-grey eyes cold and imperious.

"Youdodeserve to be punished,” the Aurelian commander warns, “but not like this.” Then he looks up, and barks: “AI – is the jammer still operational?"

The AI's tendril slowly presses against my arm. It calculates for a second, before the mechanical voice speaks: "No. This device was designed for one-time use only."

Fuck. Ididget ripped off, then!

I’d paid top dollar for this shift-blocker. It wassupposedto be an implant that would work once a week, after it had used my body energy to recharge the pulse battery. Either the ship’s AI is somehow wrong, or I got ripped off…

…and, given the infection I’d received, it’s not difficult to guess which.

"AI," Daccia orders. "Continue probe."

The tendrils start moving again – this time following the length of my right arm. I wince as they discover my second implant.

Suddenly, I realize that I've failed. All I’d had to do was push Daccia over the edge – to make him lose self-control andtakeme, hard and fast. If I’d have succeeded in that, I’d be free right now...

…instead, I’m about to lose the one last weapon I have left.

The AI pauses as the tendrils scan over my right arm.

"Weapon found. It’s a defensive implant capable of delivering 600 volts of electrical energy. "

Daccia pauses. He stands there for a second, examining me with those emotionless, slate-grey eyes.

Then, slowly, he takes off his suit jacket – throwing it across the back of a chair in the corner.

The Aurelian towers over me, and I notice how his tailored, white dress shirt hugs ever line of his huge, muscular body. I can see every muscle of his powerful biceps. He crosses his arms, his forearms flexing menacingly.

Shit. Now IknowI'm in trouble.

Not only have I tried to escape –twice– but I've also sabotaged their ship,andI’d lied about the potentially deadly weapon concealed in my right arm.

As I lie there, pinned and helpless, Daccia looks down at me. It’s like he's deciding what to do with me. The seconds tick by…

"AI – deactivate her weapon."

There's a sudden jolt. A blue arc of electricity lances from the long, probing arm of the AI and hits my arm. There's a slight pain, just for a second…