The small framed dart took several steps farther away from Scotty and Helen. She would rather draw the 170’s fire for now. The fireball exploded between the two darts, and Sprite continued to watch the 170’s fall.

“What’s a 170, Sprite?” Helen asked, watching the sky herself, and perhaps finally spotting the machine flying toward them.

“The idea is when someone may need a bodyguard a machine may do just as well. But having a tanq or blaster or something follow your every move might become more than a little inconvenient. Instead, the owner may choose to use an orbiter.”