Page 5 of Marked for Vengeance
“Where do we go?” Loris asked, already scanning the area. She needed to get Maddison out of here. Now.
“That hatch over there.” Jodi pointed out the spot and then turned her attention to the one called Joy. “Bashir, you go with them and see to their safety. I’m counting on you.”
Joy nodded crisply and unclipped her safety harness.
Loris barely got two steps before things started to unravel.
Crewman Hooper protested, “What the hell, Captain? You’re sending the blind party planner? What can she do to protect the VIPs?” Loris realized the other woman was already unclipped asshe got to her feet, looking wide-eyed and ready to bolt. “I’ll do it.”
“Hooper! You will sit your ass down right now. Your place is here, ensuring we do everything possible to bring this ship down intact.”
Loris led Maddison, keeping her body between her client and the unstable crewman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joy Bashir attempt to join them without drawing attention to herself.
She failed.
Hooper—Loris belatedly remembered that the woman was the first officer on board—uttered a wild, broken sound and threw herself at Joy. The smaller woman went flying, arms flung out as she tried to regain her balance. Her head hit the deck with a thud that made Loris wince. She didn’t need to look closely to know that Bashir was down and out of the fight.
Loris dropped her bag and charged at the first officer before the other woman had time to recover. Her unexpected takedown of Bashir was ugly and out of control, leaving her vulnerable. Loris took full advantage of the opening. The bridge wasn’t large, but it allowed her enough room to accelerate a few steps before she stretched out one arm and used it to clothesline the out-of-control crewman.
Hooper made a horrific gurgling noise and clutched at her throat. Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open as she struggled to breathe.
Loris turned and lashed out with one foot, striking the already injured officer in the back of her knee and sending her toppling to the deck. She hadn’t heard anything, but she’d felt the way the joint gave way and knew Hooper wouldn’t be getting up again. Not with her knee shattered. She might survive her fractured larynx if she got immediate medical treatment, butsomething told her Captain Perez wouldn’t make that a priority. Not when the ship was going down.
“Take Bashir and get out of here!” Perez barked at Loris.
“On our way.” Loris took a second to straighten and give the captain a sharp salute, her fist clenched and held by her right cheek. “Good luck, Captain.”
The captain nodded once and then moved to take over the first officer’s now empty chair. No one even glanced at Hooper.
With no time left, Loris hurried over to the still unconscious Joy Bashir and grabbed her under her arms. “Maddison, get inside the shuttle and start emergency departure protocols. I’ll be right there.”
Maddison was visibly shaken, but she vanished through the hatch without question. Loris had taught the woman how to perform basic flight checks and emergency procedures long ago. She had no doubt they’d be on their way in no time at all, which was good because the faster they got clear of the doomed ship, the better their chances of survival were.
At least in the short term. Getting away from theHarvestwas one thing. Making a go of it once they were down on the planet’s surface was another thing entirely. She didn’t even know where the hell they were, and she had no time to ask.
The shuttle was larger than she’d expected, which was nice. She managed to wrestle the still unconscious Bashir onto a bench and strap her in. Then she made her way to the cockpit. Maddison gave up the pilot’s seat immediately. “We’re almost ready to go. I waited for you to start the final sequence.”
“Good job.” Loris dropped into the newly vacated seat and assessed the controls. Nothing unexpected. In fact, it was older technology, similar to what she’d learned to fly during her military service.
“Strap in and take a deep breath. We made it through the first challenge.”
Maddison smiled tightly as she fastened her safety harness. “Thatchallengerepresents the loss of everything that son of a bitch gave me in the divorce. It’s all gone, Loris. The ship. The business…” She sobbed softly. “The people. Oh gods, Loris. Are they all going to die?”
She considered lying but then decided not to bother. Maddi wasn’t stupid. She knew the answer already. “Some of them will. But Captain Perez and her crew are good at their jobs. Trust them to take care of everyone still on board.” She tapped in the command to launch. “Everyone but that bitch Hooper.”
They broke away from the main ship. For one glorious moment, everything was calm. No more alarms. No flashing lights. Loris exhaled a long breath.
Then the shuttle was plunged into chaos as atmospheric entry tore at the little ship. She reacted instantly, attempting to alter course to improve their angle, but the controls stopped responding.
“What the fuck?” she shouted in frustration.
Then a thought occurred. “Ship. Can you respond?”
“Yes.” The voice was flat, artificial, and indifferent. “What is your query?”
“Why can’t I use the controls?” she demanded.
“No registered pilot is on board. All systems have reverted to automatic control.”
