7
THULIAK
Some of my my men laughed as the wall sucked Airlock up, but I shot them hard stares, which silenced them.
I’d allowed her on the bridge without her mask or baggy clothes, and already I’d noticed certain men reacting to her in less than subtle ways. Even if she hadn’t been questioning me in front of my pack, I’d have needed to send her away just to keep her safe from them.
“Six hours is too long,” I said. “What if we used the Grasp Drive?”
Kantar frowned. “It’s a bad idea.”
“Is it, Helmsman? You know I don’t like being told that something won’t work without awhy.”
Kantar sighed. I knew what he was going to say, but I needed him to say it for the rest of the bridge.
“It’s dangerous—”
“The Hivemind will not allow us to operate the Grasp Drive if there were any danger of it damaging Tschenkar’s ship,” I said, cutting him off.
Kantar nodded. “Yes, Scion, but Grasping over such a short distance will mean that the warped spacetime could get stuck.”
“Not for more than a few hours.”
Kantar blinked, though his eyes stayed closed for several heartbeats before he opened them again. “During which time the pirates would be right next to Eden.”
Everyone looked up at me. Now I was especially glad that Airlock wasn’t here, because I didnt want her to hear what I was about to say.
“If this battle happens in orbit,” I said, “rather than far out in the asteroid belt, the women will see first hand just how dangerous these pirates are. They’ll also see us protecting them closer up.”
“What if the pirates manage to hurt or capture some of the women?” Kantar asked.
“We won’t allow it. Not a single woman will be touched. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Scion,” they all said in unison.
“Now, fire up the Grasp Drive.”