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“Swear it! You will not fall into Shui’s hands, Talyani. He’s not going to do to you what he….”
She cut him off with another kiss, tongue stroking over his until Vujcec cleared his throat, reminding them they weren’t alone.
“I swear, Ranvir,” she said, breaking off the kiss. Her gaze locked with his, letting him see the truth in hers. “But you’d better get your fine ass back here, too, because I’m coming after you if you don’t.” She looked to the rest of their group. “And that goes for each and every one of you. We’re apod. Afamily. No one gets left behind.”
“Yes, Captain.” Vujcec snapped to attention, giving her a lousy imitation of a military salute. It was so bad she knew he had to be doing it on purpose to break the tension.
“And don’t you forget it,” she sassed back, smiling.
A beep had Ganesha turning in his seat. “We’ll be entering Yelmurn’s atmosphere in five minutes and land in another ten.”
“I’ll go let the colonists know.”
“We’ll meet you in the cargo bay once we’ve landed.” Ranvir didn’t tell her to be careful again, even though it was on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he’d do what he could to protect her. Looking to Tane, the other cyborg nodded and initiated the tracking beacon on the extraordinary woman they’d all come to care about.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Taly paused at the door leading to the lower deck. She knew Ranvir had legitimate concerns about her safety with the colonists and on Yelmurn. Even Ree seemed to. But she had just as many about Ranvir’s.
She wasn’t going to stand out like he did, not with her new haircut and the clothes she wore. No one ever saw her in public when she wasn’t projecting her ‘Talyani’ image. It was a way to keep some semblance of private life. Even when traveling on the Troubadour, she kept up the facade because you never knew who might snap a visual and leak it to the public.
On the other hand, cyborgs tended to move and sound more regimented, especially around other cyborgs. She’d never been sure if it came from being in the military or part of their becoming cyborgs.
Now with Shui’s brand on their faces…. But she’d taken care of that. At least temporarily. They’d always have to deal with it like she’d have to deal with being ‘Talyani.’
She honestly didn’t think the colonists were a danger to her, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. Reaching into her pocket, she touched the mini blaster she kept in her suite. It was currently set to stun but could kill if necessary. It was yet another thing Nas had insisted on, for which she was grateful.
She silently prayed she wouldn’t need it. Stepping forward, the door opened to the lower level.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
She found the colonists waiting in the dining room, all clutching baskets filled with the supplies Oved, Sato, and Ree had helped her gather and distribute. “We’ll be landing on Yelmurn in about ten minutes. Do you have everything you need?”
“What we need is to be taken to Gamma-2,” a familiar voice yelled.
“Which isn’t going to happen.” Taly’s gaze locked with Feo’s, standing in the back. She reached into her pocket as his muscles bulged and his face reddened.
Captain Ju whispered something in Feo’s ear, and he finally looked away. She wouldn’t be sorry to see the last of those two.
“We’re ready, Taly.” Sato moved toward Taly with Uki strapped to her chest, Oved and Ree close behind, each carrying a large bundle of supplies on their backs.
Taly gave them a small smile. These four she’d miss. “Then let’s get down to the cargo bay.”
Turning, she led the way.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Ranvir looked to Pike as the Troubadour touched down on their designated landing area. “Contact your dealer. I want the weapons and crystals here within the hour. Vujcec, you’ll stay here and assist Ganesha. Tane, you go with Pike. I want this operation quick and clean.
“The sooner we’re off this rock, the sooner we can take the fight to Shui. Vujcec, all comms on an encrypted channel now. I want to be kept informed on every step of this op. Understood?”
He looked at each pod member, and for the first time since being captured, he felt like he was back doing what he did best—leading an op.
“Understood, Major,” their firm replies filled the room.
“Then let’s do this.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
