Page 32 of Escape from Nova Nine
This was going to be a long farking’ day. He couldn’t guess what Fazhian’s game was, but he was willing to play along if it kept the interrogation team away from Julke.
He didn’t want to die for her. He wanted to live for her and follow her across the galaxy and find out what claiming meant. But if he couldn’t do any of those things, he could give her and the prisoners what they need most: time.
13
NOVA NINE FACILITY • GDAT 3243.125
Julke prayed to every god she knew that the prisoners were doing like she told them and going straight for the cavern of ships. Not detouring like she was.
Immediately after locking the cells, the mine guards had vanished. Fifteen minutes later, three mercenaries who belonged to the pharma company had shown up to keep an eye on them.
Someone forgot to remind the mercenaries they’d be watching pissed off prisoners who had multiple minder talents and practice working together to extract information from the unwary.
Not only did they learn about the three jacker ships, but they now knew some of Nova Nine’s defenses. Not to mention the access codes for the pharma’s private weapons storage locker, ship hangar, and the two corporate starships therein.
All the prisoners recognized a gift from the gods when they saw it, but they couldn’t agree on when to take it. She’d finally realized they were waiting for her.
So she gave the order.
Little Moonlet went with Sutrio, but Mayek wrapped himself around Julke’s forearm like a vambrace and refused to budge. Within seconds, he looked like an extra bit of armor on her suit.
Once the prisoners used the stolen codes to get out of their cells and subdue the guards, she’d led the vanguard toward the emergency exits that would take them to the tunnels. Then she’d used hernegerensgavetalent to make them look elsewhere long enough to slip away.
The maps in her head gave her the shortest route to the interrogation area, where two rooms were clearly marked. The presence of the negligently slouching enforcer told her which room to try first. With judicious use of her talents, the enforcer was soon slumped on the floor, and she was now armed.
Her aura talent told her three people — including Zade’s unique pattern — were in the room in front of her. A fourth seemed farther away, perhaps in the other room. No time for subtlety.
She banged on the door with the butt of her newly acquired shock baton. “Sirs? Hate to interrupt, but you need to see this.”
As she’d hoped, her peremptory tone sparked irritation in two of the room’s occupants. She used her empath talent to nudge it up into anger. CGC-trained telepaths like those on the warden’s interrogation team often discounted empathy as beneath their notice, so they forgot to shield against it.
The hinged door slammed open. The woman didn’t have a chance to speak before Julke stunned her, then the shorter woman near a medic tray. She shot each of them a second time just to be sure. And when the third telepath came charging into the room, she shot him twice, too.
Only then could she afford to look at Zade to see what damage they’d done to him.
He looked back at her with a clear-eyed gaze and emotions flowing freely, dancing with hers. “Is this a good time to tell you I love you?”
She hadn’t cried in five hundred days of captivity, but tears threatened now. “The best possible time.”
Freeing him and getting him into his exosuit took more time than she’d hoped. “You brought Mayek!” His hands shook badly as he tried to pet the griffin. “Have I told you I love you?”
She frowned at the two deep bruises forming on his hip. “What did they juice you with?”
“No clue. Made me cold and twitchy.” He pulled on his gloves. Mayek transferred himself from Julke’s arm to Zade’s.
Julke glanced at the clock display. “Can you run?”
He gave her a wink. “Let’s find out.”
Their assigned route through the tunnels put them at the bottom of the cavern. Zade was able to run, but the abrupt gravity direction changes disoriented him.
After the second time running into a wall, Mayek launched and flew ahead. Instead of leaving them, however, the griffin flew back and forth, capturing Zade’s attention and guiding him like he was a griffin baby taking his first flight.
Julke projected all the gratitude she could to the griffin. Following the map and watching out for trouble took all her concentration. They’d have been twice as slow without Mayek’s help.
At last, they reached the cavern floor where the lift gates awaited. She checked her oximeter then told Zade he could unseal. Mayek settled on Zade’s shoulders. Opening her helmet again felt good.
Word of their arrival spread on the wings of thought.
