The door swung open. The group poured in. One of the officers took down the first guard with a swift strike to the shoulder. Katherine lunged toward the second, her pipe connecting with a sharp crack. The workers froze in confusion—until Ahmed raised his voice: “Gather your arms guys, we are gonna get off this wretched ship today.”
She gathered the men quickly and outlined the plan. Their tools—wrenches, wooden poles, broken equipment—became their weapons. The wave of resistance quickly spread across the workers and as they took up arms and listened intently to Katherine.