AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The ship’s shields have failed. The pirates are maneuvering to board her,” Tane reported flatly.
“The rest of the convoy?” Ranvir coolly asked.
“Leaving the area at max speed,” Tane told him.
“They’re abandoning them?” Taly’s whispered voice filled with horror.
“They’re sacrificing them,” Ranvir corrected. “So the rest can survive. It’s the most logical and strategic decision when there’s no hope of victory.”
“It’s the coward’s way,” Taly spat, her hands fisting. “It’s what Shui would do.”
“She’s right,” Vujcec agreed, having returned to the bridge. “I did more on Kirs than forwarding messages between rebels. I managed to hack into palace communications before I was caught. Do you know how many innocents Shui sacrificed to lure out members of the rebellion?”
“Thousands, hundreds of thousands, and he did it not because it was logical and strategic, but because heenjoyedit. He enjoys hurting people just like he enjoyed doing this to us.” He gestured to his cheek. “I know I’m not a cyborg or even military, but I damn well know that I never want to be like Shui. I vote we assist them.”
“This isn’t a democracy,” Ranvir snarled.
“It isn’t the military either,” Vujcec refused to back down, “and in case you’ve forgotten, this ship isn’t yours. It’s Talyani’s, soshe’sin charge. Not you.”
Absolute silence filled the bridge. Everyone, including Taly, waited to see how Ranvir would respond to that challenge.
“He’s right.” Ganesha spun around in the pilot’s chair. “We’re no longer members of the military. We’re fugitives. The rules we were forced to live by, the orders others forced us to follow, are no more. Nowwemake the rules, and I, for one, am tired of being told to stand down or stand by when I know we could make a difference. So, in this, I’m with Wells, but this ship is Mamsell Zulfiqar’s, so the final decision is hers.”
“Pike?” Ranvir looked to the weapons specialist.
“Assist.”
Ranvir’s gaze went to the navigator. “Tane?”
“Assist.”
Ranvir turned to Taly. “What are your orders, Captain?”
Taly’s eyes widened in shock. She held up her hands and waved them in the air. “Now, wait a minute. While I agree the ship is mine, I have absolutely no clue how to fly her, use her weapons, or fight pirates.”
“Are you saying you wish me to take over command?” Ranvir asked stiffly.
Taly’s gaze locked with his. “If you’re willing to help that ship, then yes.”
Ranvir spun on his heel with a nod and began snapping out orders. “Ganesha, get us there. Pike, power up the weapons. Vujcec, get on the comms. Tane, make sure there are only the convoy ships out there.”
Ranvir guided Taly to the captain’s chair as everyone moved to obey. He knelt down and secured the safety harness around her. “Sit and remain silent.”
Rising, he stood beside her chair and faced the main screen. “Pike, status.”
“Weapons hot. Targets acquired,” came the instant answer.
Using his enhanced cybernetic brain to calculate the odds of every possible strike and the resulting damage, Ranvir assessed the battle’s outcome. “Take out the farthest ship. Stagger the hits.”
Although focused on the battle before him, Ranvir still noticed how Taly’s fingers tightened on the arms of the chair as three white streaks shot out of the Troubadour. They arched over the convoy ship before descending sharply, striking the front of the farthest pirate ship one after the other. The ship exploded, its pieces blown away from the convoy ship as he’d planned instead of damaging it.
“What’s the status of the remaining pirate ship?” Ranvir muttered.
“They attached to the convoy ship right before we attacked,” Tane informed him.
“Shit,” Ranvir cursed.
“Why’s that bad?” Taly asked.
