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Lear remarked, “I doona understand. Why would they do that?”
The image on screen shifted to what Aidan soon realized was the wormhole’s exit point, and his jaw dropped.
Two warships were there waiting to pounce on whatever vessel appeared. The two ships were promptly bombarded by munitions. The blasts were so fierce and bright, the camera was blinded for several seconds during the frenzy. Aidan could hardly imagine the confusion of such an unexpected attack. It would be like fish jumping from one pond to the next, only to meet the teeth of a predator.
Shock gave way to panic as both ships scrambled to ward off the attack and get away at the same time.Vagajust barely managed to escape with several ruptures to the hull and appeared to be hemorrhaging fuel. The attack ceased as quickly as it had begun as both ships hobbled away. It seemed the commissioners were behind this little stunt, all in the name of entertainment. What appeared to be an advantage or a shortcut was really a trap. Sure, the two ships that made it through the wormhole had gained a great deal of ground, but if they couldn’t repair their ships in a timely manner, they risked falling farther behind than they were before.
“It was an ambush,” Vin muttered, facing Aidan. “Do you think…well, Onnika couldn’t have figured that out when she attacked you, could she?”
It certainly seemed she’d had some kind of sixth sense about the looming danger. Had there been an obscure signal the rest of them had missed that the wormhole was a trap? Or could Onnika have inside information on the race? If she’d seduced one of the commissioners as easily as she had him, it was possible. She could loosen any man’s lips with her irresistible sensuality.
The bottle that he’d been gripping so hard shattered. With a vile expletive, he swiped the remains away with his forearm. The others went quiet with wary concern.
“It wasn’t Onnika who first sounded the alarm,” Lear revealed. “It was Caryn, remember? Onnika merely took action.”
“Why not just say something?” Priya asked.
“It’s no’ like we had time to hear them out,” Lear replied. “Besides, would we have listened?”
They all nodded, conceding the point.
Aidan pushed out of his seat. “We’ll not get answers here. I don’t care if I have to rip that hatch off its hinges with my bare hands, those girls are coming out of there now.”
