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“But he did,” Ranvir told her. “Now, you can’t return to Kirs either.”
“What?” He saw the slightest sliver of doubt enter her eyes for the first time. “What do you mean? No one knows I’m involved.”
“They will once our escape pod docks and your ship takes off,” he informed her.
“Shit,” she whispered and dropped back into her seat. The reality of her situation had started to sink in.
Ranvir turned to the console and entered the new coordinates.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Talyani watched as the cyborg with the major’s insignia on his arm skillfully maneuvered the escape pod into the docking port closest to her ship on the way station.
She’d thought she’d prepared for all contingencies. Her ship had a ‘technical’ problem that allowed it to dock at the way station. The crew had transported down to the moon’s surface to witness the trial since there wasn’t live reception on the dark side of Tyurma. She’d planned on sneaking Nas and his pod on board before her crew returned. They’d then travel on to Bionus as scheduled. That wasn’t going to be possible now.
“Be ready,” The major ordered, and the other cyborgs took up defensive positions in front of the hatch, shoving her and Vujcec behind them.
“Ready for what?” she asked.
“Whatever’s on the other side,” he told her, joining the others. “Pike, open the hatch.”
She watched as the hazel-eyed cyborg, with the regulation cut of short brown hair, slapped the button, and the door slid open, revealing…
Nothing.
No one was there.
“Move out,” the major ordered.
“Everyone is on the surface for Shui’s transmission,” Talyani told them as they exited the escape pod into an eerily silent corridor. The other waystations she’d been on were busy, boisterous places filled with people.
None of the cyborgs responded to her comment. They continued to walk forward in formation, forcing her and Vujcec to follow.
“My Gods, that’s an MKX-7!” Vujcec exclaimed as they passed a viewport. “You own an MKX-7?!”
“It’s the ship Nas recommended,” she responded absently, her gaze remaining on the major.
When they reached the airlock where her ship berthed, she pushed forward to enter the code to open it. The major got there first and, to her amazement, could disengage the lock.
“How the hell were you able to do that?” she demanded angrily.
“Override code,” he told her, moving through the airlock to the ship’s hatch and entering the code again, received a different result.
“That’s not going to work.” This time, she got past the other cyborgs and entered a long combination of numbers and symbols. At the major’s raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “Nas suggested the extra layer of security, especially when the ship is left unattended. I was on a hijacked ship once.”
“I know. I was part of the rescue team,” he told her.
“You were?” she asked as the ship’s hatch opened. “I don’t remember seeing you.”
“Because you didn’t,” he bit out, then gestured. “Let’s go.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Ranvir’s jaw clenched as they made their way to the bridge. He couldn’t believe he’d revealed that. Cyborgs rarely discussed missions outside of the team or pod that completed them. For some reason, he needed her to know.
He remembered everything about that mission, including how Nas and Reiji had acted after finding the Supreme Judge’s family. He’d known something had happened but never discussed it.
Now he knew why.
