Page 45 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
But it wasn't enough to ground him. Not when Rann still stood there, hiding shit.
The pilot's gaze flicked around the room before settling on Ryke, and something passed between them. Rann's shoulders slumped.
"Tell is right," he said finally. "I do know more about the M'Suun than I've shared."
Vindication surged through Davis, feeding the fire beneath his skin.
"Years ago," Rann continued, "I discovered something disturbing. My clan, a branch of the M'Suun, was conducting unauthorized experiments."
Davis's pulse hammered in his ears like a countdown to detonation.
"They claimed to have discovered a lost group of stunted Latharians in deep space," Rann said. "Genetic anomalies that needed studying. But that wasn't the truth." His expression darkened. "At the time I didn't know, but now I realize they weren't Latharian at all."
"What were they?" Mira asked, creeping forward.
Rann's gaze shifted to her, then back to Ryke. "I think they were humans. Probably deep space explorers. My clan saw an opportunity. A genetically compatible species with lower physical capabilities made the perfect test subjects."
The revelation hit him. His control started slipping, rage building with each word.
"You knew," he snarled, taking another step forward, sweat beading on his forehead. "You knew they were experimenting on humans, and you didn't think that was relevant when they were hunting us down?"
Rann lifted his chin. Held his ground. "I exposed the program. Reported it to Imperial authorities when I discovered what was happening. That's why I'm an outcast. That's why they want me dead."
"And you didn't think to mention this when we were getting shot at?" Davis's voice dropped to a dangerous rumble. "When they were targeting us… targeting her?" He jerked his head toward Mira.
"The program was shut down years ago," Rann said. "I didn't think it was relevant?—"
"Bullshit."
"What would telling you have changed?" Rann's composure finally cracked. "The M'Suun want me dead because I betrayed them. That's all you needed to know."
"Wrong," Davis growled. "We needed to know they're hunting one of our own. We needed to know that they have a history of experimenting on humans. We needed to know that they might be after more than just revenge."
His vision tunneled, rage and protective instinct overwhelming reason. The thought of the M'Suun taking Mira, strapping her to some lab table, snapped the last thread of his control.
"Davis—" Mira's voice cut through the haze, alarm in her tone.
He ignored it, focused only on the threat before him. "What if they'd taken her? Did you think of that? What they might do to a human woman?"
"They're after me, not?—"
"They're after all of us now!" he roared. "Every time we defend you, we're on their hit list too!"
Something surged through him. Power flooded his system, his muscles expanding, bones aching as they stretched. For a blinding moment, the pain vanished beneath waves of pure strength. He lunged forward, barely aware of his movement.
His fist connected with Rann's face with a satisfying crunch. Blood sprayed from the pilot's shattered nose.
Hands grabbed at him, Covak's massive arms, Ryke's attempt to intervene, but he shrugged them off, focused on Rann.
"Davis, stop!" Mira's voice cut through the chaos.
He half-turned toward her, momentarily distracted by the fear in her eyes. That split-second hesitation was all it took. The power surging through him vanished like someone had flipped a switch. Strength drained from his limbs, muscles seizing with agony.
His legs folded underneath him. The deck rushed up to meet his face.
As darkness swallowed him, his final thought wasn't about Rann, the M'Suun, or even his own transformation.
It was Mira.
