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“No one is stripping anything off my ship unless they give me a damn good reason for it,” Taly continued, not noticing Tane’s actions.
“We need weapons and have no way to pay for them. Is that a good enough reason?” Ganesha told her.
“They don’t accept credits?” She looked around the room in confusion. “I thought it was the universal currency.”
“It is,” Ranvir told her. “But, Taly, by now, Shui has frozen your accounts, and if he hasn’t, then it’s because he wants to track those credits to locate you.”
“Then it’s a good thing most of my funds aren’t on Kirs.”
“What?!” Five sets of eyes stared at her in shock.
Sighing, Taly shook her head. “Look, I know you guys think I’m some kind of pampered airhead who doesn’t have a brain in her head. You think I just walk onto a stage, open my mouth, and sing.
“You don’t understand the actual planning, logistics, and strategy involved. Yes, I have assistants, but someone has to tell them what to do, and that someone is me.” She poked a finger into her chest. “I told you before I didn’t go into this unprepared, and except for Shui trying to murder us, the plan has gone as planned.”
“You need to explain this ‘plan,’ Taly.” Moving closer, Ranvir ran a finger along her cheek. “We need to know.”
She gazed up at him uncertainly. If Nas was here, she’d never reveal this, but he wasn’t, and if any of them were going to survive, they would have to start trusting one another, starting with her. Sighing again, she moved and sat down in the captain’s chair.
“Over the last few years, I got the impression that Nas wasn’t happy being in the military. It’s why I pushed for the MKX-10 when he suggested it. When he decided to leave, it would be the perfect ship for him.”
“There’s no leaving the military once you become a cyborg,” Tane told her quietly, pulling her gaze to him.
She appreciated the sincerity she saw in his dark eyes. “I’m aware of that, but that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t slip away under certain conditions.”
“They’d come after him,” Ganesha said.
“I know that, too. We both did, so I used my ‘deep-seated fear’ of being abducted by pirates to convince the powers in the military to arm the Troubadour with military-grade weapons.
“After all, the loss of ‘Talyani’ would be a worldwide tragedy that would reflect badly on them and the emperor, and we all know what the emperor does to those who make him look bad.”
Their disbelieving looks were starting to piss her off. “Seriously, do you really think I don’t know how to work a crowd after all these years in the public eye? That I don’t know how to find one person I need and play to their ego to get what I want? Arrogant generals are especially easy with their bloated egos. They like believing they’re essential for protecting a defenseless little female from the big bad universe.”
“You’re talking about General Qubad,” Ranvir didn’t have to make it a question.
“He’sthe one who signed off on the arming of the Troubadour?” Pike gave them both a skeptical look. Qubad was the most-feared general in the Kirs Military.
“Yes, to both of you,” she replied. “He was also the reason I was able to get two med beds.”
“You’re lying,” Ganesha accused.
“Really?” Taly just raised an eyebrow at him as she stood, and before their eyes, her expression and body posture transformed into that of ‘Talyani.’
“Oh, General, I need more thanonemed bed. The emperor wants me to sing at his annual ball, and I must travel back from Bionus to do it. What if I come down with one of those dreadful Bionus colds and the only med bed on my ship is broken? It takeshoursfor me to go through my vocal warm-ups. What if I’m late going on stage because I don’t havetwobeds? You know how the emperor reacts when he’s kept waiting.”
Ranvir couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing. The female before him was nothing like his Taly. Her breasts were upfront and prominent, her hip was cocked to one side, and her voice had taken on this sultry element that most would find sexy. To him, it was grating because he knew it wasn’t the real Taly. His Taly.
“Shit…” Vujcec all but groaned. “Qubad never stood a chance.”
Taly shrugged and her expression and body posture transformed back to the woman they’d gotten to know. “So that’s how I got my two med beds and a fully stocked medical suite.” She looked to Ganesha. “Believe me now?”
“I believe you’re a good actress, and whileentertaining,” Ganesha sneered that last word, “it doesn’t explain the credits you claim to have.”
“You don’t have to have a cybernetic brain to know that eventually, Nas needed to refuel and restock the Troubadour. So I ensured he’d have all the credits he’d need.”
“How?” Ranvir asked, bringing her attention back to him.
“I began rerouting funds to different places then downloading them onto untraceable credit strips.”
