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Ranvir pressed his back against the wall, then quickly looked around the corner, his cybernetic vision needing only an instant to take in everything before he pulled back. “Six targets. All armed with blasters. Pike, Tane, you take high. Ree and I will go low. Ready?” Receiving nods from all three, he gave the order. “Go!”
Focused on opening the cargo door, the pirates didn’t notice them at first. Before they did, they were all on the ground. Dead.
“Contact the colonists,” Ranvir ordered Ree. “Tell them it’s safe to open the door.”
Ree went to the open comms panel just outside the cargo bay door. Apparently, the pirates had been taunting the colonists through it.
“This is Ree. It’s safe to open the door now. The pirates are dead.”
After a moment, he got a response.
“How can we be sure you’re telling the truth? That this isn’t a trick?”
“You know me,” Ree told them. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Major,” Ganesha’s voice filled his ear.
Ranvir touched his earpiece. “What is it?”
“I’m getting dangerous readings from the Celerity’s engines. They’re approaching critical mass.”
Ranvir muttered a curse under his breath. “How much time?”
“Ten minutes. Fifteen if we’re lucky.”
They had no time to waste. Ranvir raced to the comm panel, shoving Ree aside. “This is Major Somerled. The pirate’s attack has damaged your ship’s engines. They will reach critical mass in less than ten minutes. If you don’t want to die, you will open this door. Now!”
He banged his fist on the door for emphasis. It took longer than Ranvir liked, but the door finally opened, and fifty scared faces of various ages and sexes stared back at him.
“Let’s go,” Ranvir ordered. “Pike, take point. Get us back to our ship.”
The next few minutes were chaos. Ranvir had never understood the phrase ‘like herding kassids,’ but he did now. The colonists kept trying to break off so they could retrieve something they ‘just couldn’t live without.’
Didn’t they understand that if they didn’t get off this ship, they wouldn’t live? As another male rushed into a room, Ranvir announced. “We will not be waiting for anyone who leaves this group!”
They finally reached the hatch leading to the Troubadour. Pike ushered the colonists through as fast as they could move. Shouts sounded from Ranvir’s left. Spinning around, he raised his blaster only to lower it again when he saw Captain Ju and the remaining crew members hurrying in their direction.
“You were going to leave us!” Ju accused.
“I gave you as much consideration as you gave these colonists when you barricaded yourself on the bridge and left them to fend for themselves.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Taly’s fingers twisted together as they monitored Ranvir’s and the colonists’ progress through the other ship. Her gaze went from their dots on the main screen to the increasing temperature of the Celerity’s engines, which Ganesha had enlarged on another screen to keep track.
They were running out of time. Taly rose from her seat as the dots neared where the Troubadour was attached. She couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m going to help at the hatch.”
Ganesha glanced at her over his shoulder. “What do you think you can do?”
Giving him a hard look, Taly bit out. “I can guide the colonists to the concert hall. There’ll be enough seating for them, and the seats have harnesses. That will free up Ranvir, Pike, and Tane to help you get us out of here before the Celerity blows.”
Not waiting for his response, she stormed off the bridge.
Ganesha looked to Vujcec. “Concert hall?”
“It’s used to give private concerts for high-ranking officials.” Vujcec frowned. “Are you that ignorant about who she is? Her life has been all over the news feeds for years. She makes a fortune giving those private performances.”
“I’m a cyborg. I don’t downloadentertainmentfeeds,” Ganesha snarled.
