Mitigating Risk by Blaise Corvin

Author:Blaise Corvin [Corvin, Blaise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-03T07:00:00+00:00

Sharp Words

In my exhausted state, it took me a while to process what I’d just heard, then my jaw dropped. I looked down at my belt.

<Yes, that is me. You just did an adequate job saving us, so I suppose I should introduce myself. You may call me Vistvis.>

At first, I didn’t know what to say. Then I blurted, “Why are you a knife?” I felt stupid even as I heard myself speak, but the words had already been said.

The voice was silent for a bit, but then it sighed and said, <Fate is a cruel master to chain me to you as my last hope. So be it. I must just accept that I’m being worn like a tribal party favor by an uneducated savage.>

Despite my exhaustion and the sheer oddness of the situation, I bristled. I was exhausted, so it took two tries and a cough, but I eventually got out, “I am an educated woman! The last decade of my life has been difficult, but I had schooling before that!”

<Oh, really now?> The voice was amused, dripping sarcasm. <So you can plot a fold-space course between stars in different quadrants? You can use modern medical machines to perform gene therapy on a patient? You can compose a two-week sonnet to be performed by a full complement of musicians, actors, and children doing bit parts? You can build a hover car with simple tools and materials on a budget?>

“Wait, what—” I began, but the voice cut through my mind, overriding me.

<No, you can’t. I don’t hate you, Terran. I pity you. It isn’t your fault, but you are what you are, a simple creature swinging a crude knife around, using power that you didn’t earn, ignorant of anything but this planet or maybe your homeworld. You are most likely a local Ludan, though. You have the look. If so, you don’t even know what real technology looks like.>

My eyes narrowed at the tone and the words. I had heard similar sentiments before. If I hadn’t been sure that the voice was Areva before, now I had no doubt. The pointy-eared, petite, joyless people always had a lot of say about Terrans. Curling my lip, despite my sore throat, I wheezed, “Oh, really now? You are pretty high and mighty for a knife that has been lying around in the dark for Creator knows how long.”

<Oh, but you—>

This time I cut the voice off, grabbing the dagger from my belt and dangling it by my thumb and forefinger. I snarled, “I could drop you here right now. If I did, how long would it take anyone to find you? Maybe never, right?"

I slowly chewed every word as I ordered, “You will never talk to me like that again. Your warning right before the creeper attack probably saved my life, which is why you are getting this chance, but I will not put up with being chewed out like this by anyone—much less a tool.”

I let my threat hang in the air for a moment, but the dagger didn’t say anything else.

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