A horror overcame the crew as they stared at the body. Rhea tapped on Darrion's arm.
"I can show you where the blasters are," she said.
"So do we!" Skyla and Anya said, and they gave Rhea smug smirks.
They scampered to another entrance to the control center.
"Hey!" A Dialorian with long, shaggy hair covering his body shouted. "Where do you think you're going?"
Annika responded by firing a prompt blast into the shaggy creature's torso. They didn't pause to see the penetration or the damage the blast caused.
"Come on!" Rhea urged.
Twists, turns, blasts to the security cams, and blasts to rogue Dialorians later, they stood in the white room. Rhea nudged Skyla's shoulder.
"Come on," she said. "We can use the blasters to beat the box."
Raylay grinned down at the girls.
"Let Ty and I do the beating," he offered.
"Won't work," Maurian chimed in.
The crew stood at attention.
"It's a bioscan," Maurian added. "Programmed for all the Dialorians' fingerprints."
He cracked his knuckles and marched to the box. The bioscanner read his fingerprint, and the reader flashed green and blipped. He threw open the doors, and gestured to indicate the stacked blasters.
"Here you go," he said.
"We appreciate it," Relda said.
Age had changed her manner of speech. No longer was she the tough young adult. Gentleness and wisdom graced her words and tone.
She lifted a blaster from its place and held it in her arms.
"Go, girls," she told her daughters.
She squatted to make eye contact with Rhea and Skyla.
"You've done well," she said. "Now, please give those to Daly and Darrion?"
Once all fifteen had reunited with their firearms, Relda advanced toward the door. Her crew cleared a space for her.
"Come on," she ordered. "Let's do what we came here for."