so something could happen. Did they plan to kill EJ, even if she was a valuable prisoner?
More glances exchanged between the crew, and the half-Slasu oozed forward. “A Class R designated planet. More than that we cannot say.”
“Of course,” Wyzak said. “In this quadrant?”
The other Xaravians peppered the Slasu with questions, stroking its ego at the same time with how impressive the ship and mission were, as Nokx glanced at a flashing notice on Wyzak’s comms unit. It jumped to his as well, even though Nokx was supposed to still be on the Sraibur. Another ship approached. Several ships, in formation to overtake a target. It looked like an attack. He caught Wyzak looking at his comms unit and tensing.
Nokx’s eyes narrowed as he studied his two crewmates. Something was happening that they hadn’t expected and weren’t happy about. Which meant the handover wasn’t going as planned, so they had been stalling for a reason.
His stomach clenched. It could have been anything—maybe the gen ship was designed to lure pirates so the holding company could attack or the Alliance could come after raiders, or it could have been the Tyboli looking for a bounty on the Sraibur and using the gen ship to catch Faros’s attention with an easy kill. Maybe other pirates had the same thought as Faros and intended to raid the gen ship for anything of value. Anything was possible—and every possibility was dangerous.
Especially for EJ.
Harzt’s deep voice filled the loading bay as he stepped back. “Fine. Good luck with the Earther. Hopefully you don’t have too many of them.”
“We have enough,” the Slasu said with what might have been a smile or other sign of amusement, but instead it revealed lines of sharp teeth and turned Nokx’s stomach.
“Enough for what?” Nokx asked. It was the first thing he’d spoken, and EJ jerked when she heard his voice. She didn’t look at him.
“Enough for the purpose they will serve,” the Slasu said. It traded looks with the Horgut guards, who moved EJ toward the ship’s interior.
“What purpose?” Nokx persisted. “Earthers are small and weak, they have no physical defenses or natural weapons. They are hardly useful for terra-forming, particularly against their will and on a Class R planet. It is odd that you’d want any of them on your ship or at your destination. They’re nothing but trouble.”
He saw EJ’s shoulders tense until they rose to her ears. No doubt she’d argue until her face turned blue to change his mind. He couldn’t remember her ever going so long without a barrage of words. Her silence said a hell of a lot more than even an hour of talking could have achieved.
The Slasu’s demeanor turned chilly as it retreated. “They all serve a purpose, Xaravian, whether they know that purpose or not. You have our thanks for returning the Earther. Now it is best that you depart. Quickly.”
A threat, or a hint? Nokx couldn’t tell. He watched the guard drag EJ toward the door, his hearts in his throat. He would never see her again. She would disappear onto some hostile planet or would die in a cell on the gen ship. If he walked away from her in that moment, a piece of his hearts would disappear with her.
Harzt caught his arm and muttered in High Xarav, “We should go. Faros says the ships are approaching at speed with shields up. It’s an attack of some kind.”
“Then I’m not leaving her,” Nokx snapped, trying to wrench free. “You’re out of your mind if you think I would.”
“I’m ordering you—” Wyzak started.
An alarm drowned out the rest of what he meant to say, and a massive shock rolled through the Hollbrd. The transfer arm creaked as the gen ship moved and tested the long tether to the Sraibur. Harzt shouted into his comms unit and headed for the arm, gauging the likelihood that they could make it back to the Sraibur before the connection severed completely and left them adrift in their survival suits. Wyzak followed on his heels.
The guards didn’t look particularly surprised at the sudden change, and the Slasu had already disappeared. One of the guards dragged EJ toward the ship’s interior. She looked back for a split second and her eyes found Nokx. Fear filled them. She reached back, struggling to free herself, and he knew. He couldn’t leave her.
Even as Wyzak caught the back of his robes and tried to haul Nokx into the transfer arm even without a survival suit, Nokx shook