“I… I’m a communications specialist,” he stuttered. “I forwarded messages between rebels.”
“Cyborgs don’t need their ‘messages’ forwarded,” Ranvir growled.
“Non-cyborgs do.” The civilian dragged his shirt sleeve over his face to wipe away the snot and tears. When he hit his new facial enhancement, he winced, “Fuck, that hurts.”
Ranvir ignored him and turned his attention to the other cyborgs. “Are any of you members of the same pod?”
The three silently looked at him before the largest one spoke. “No.”
The other two shortly followed.
“No.”
“No.”
“Can any of you link with your pods?” Ranvir asked.
Again, he received a chorus of noes.
“They’re separating us in the hope it will weaken us. It won’t.” But Ranvir knew it could.
During Shui's sham of a trial, he’d been able to communicate with the other members of his pod through their closed network, but then one by one, he’d lost them.
That meant they were either dead or out of the closed network’s range. The cyborg part of his brain calculated the odds and was sure it was the second, but the human part worried it could be the first because Emperor Shui had lost his mind.
Through his boots, he felt the vibration of the engines starting up. He leaned back against the wall, gripping the bench with the back of his knees, and braced for takeoff.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“What are you doing?!” The exclamation stilled Taly’s hand as she was about to push open the door of her hiding place.
“I forgot the visual of my family.” The guard hurried across the room to rip the visual off the view screen.
“You’re willing to lose your life over avisual?!” the other guard sputtered.
“It’s the last one taken where my father was still alive,” he defended, stuffing it into his jacket.
“I still say you’re an idiot. Now can we get to our escape pod? I want to be as far away as possible when this ship explodes.”
“Calm down. We still have fifteen minutes before we can launch. The emperor wants the ships close enough, so the explosion is seen from Kirs, but far enough away, so the debris won’t cause any damage.”
Talyani stood in stunned silence as the guards left the room.
She couldn’t have heard what she thought she had, could she?
Was the ship really going to explode?
Had the emperor planned to murder these people all along?
Oh, Gods, she needed to get off this ship!
Everyoneneeded to get off this ship.
Shoving open the door, she rushed to the control console. Shaking, she reached out only to curl her trembling fingers back.
Oh, Gods. What was the code?
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Deep breath in then out, just as she did every time before going on stage. After a moment, everything settled, and she recalled the code.