Chapter Six
“What have you got, Tane?” Ranvir demanded, entering the bridge.
“A deep-space convoy,” the navigator told him.
“Any evidence they’ve detected us?” Ranvir questioned.
“No, even if our transponder were active, they don’t have long-range scanning capabilities.” Tane’s eyes remained fixed on the screen before him.
“Let’s keep our distance anyway,” Ranvir ordered, looking to Ganesha, who nodded.
“I’m picking up some ship-to-ship chatter,” Pike stated, having taken over the comms center when Wells left.
“About?” Ranvir demanded.
“What’s happened over the last few days,” Pike turned to address Ranvir. “Apparently, the emperor has placed a bounty on the head of every rebel turned in. Dead or alive. They’re discussing what to do if they run into any.”
“What’s the consensus?” Taly asked, having followed Ranvir onto the bridge, not understanding the shocked stares until she remembered her hair.
“Mixed,” Pike finally replied. “The only thing they agree on is that they never want to meet one.”
“Major.”
Ranvir pulled his gaze from Taly’s kiss swollen lips. “What is it, Tane?”
“Sensors are detecting ships on an intercept course for the convoy, weapons hot,” Tane announced.
“Pirates,” Ranvir bit out as the ships appeared on the main screen.
“That would be my assessment,” Tane agreed.
“Does the convoy have any defensive capabilities?” Ranvir looked to Pike.
“Not enough,” Pike told him as a streak of white left one of the advancing ships, striking the last ship in the convoy.
Angry at the turn of events, Ranvir kept his gaze on the screen. “Status.”
“The ship was able to raise its shields, but it took damage,” Pike told them. “The second ship is preparing to fire.”
“We have to help them,” Taly told them, drawing their attention again.
“It’s not our fight,” Ranvir told her.
“Neither was helping the other rebels, but you did it because it was the right thing to do.” Taly fired back. “This is no different. There are innocent people out there.”
“Who will turn us in for credits the moment they get the chance,” Ranvir argued back.
“Then we don’t give them that chance,” she told him. “But we can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Ranvir’s gaze locked with Taly’s. He wouldn’t hesitate to assist the convoy if he were with his pod. He knew those cyborgs, knew how they thought and how they reacted. These cyborgs, even though they followed his orders, were unknowns. Going into battle with unknowns was a sure way of ending up dead.
Then there was Talyani.
To risk her…
“Major, the second ship has fired,” Tane announced.
Ranvir spun around in time to see the weapons strike the same ship.