true, but they’re either going to eat you or use you for entertainment. I’m told the Psonil demand a high price in the slave markets, at least the ones the Slasu run. If they don’t keep you for themselves.” EJ folded her arms over her chest. “If only for self-preservation, you should want to fight back. Perhaps you can make it to an escape pod. I’d think anything would be better than waiting in a locked cell for new jailers to appear and destroy what remains of your future.”
Gygak’s lips thinned in irritation, and her form drifted away from blue scales and closer to her natural hue of dusty brown flecked with blue diamonds. “Say I do this and we fight off the Slasu. That still leaves me with a damaged gen ship, a shitload of worthless settlers, and a crew of murderous criminals to placate. And with what? There’s nothing of value on this damn thing. It would be a day of celebration, everyone would get drunk, fights would break out, and the bloodbath would begin.”
“You are more than capable of handling that,” EJ said quietly. She didn’t want Nokx to know about certain parts of her past, but if it meant saving the ship... She took a deep breath before she went on. “I spent some time on Souli, in the Dravik sector.”
Gygak’s eyes narrowed and flashed with an internal fire. She didn’t speak.
Nokx tensed next to EJ, as if he wanted to hurry things along. EJ felt the same way about moving with a sense of purpose, but the plan—such as it was—hinged on getting the prisoners to distract the Slasu. EJ met the other female’s gaze as fearlessly as she could. “That was where I stole my first cruiser and sabotaged half the Fleet’s transporters in garrison.”
“I remember that,” she said grudgingly. “A useful trick.”
“And you made a fortune off fixing them, if I remember correctly.” EJ didn’t want to get into any more details, not with Nokx hanging around next to her. She’d tell him eventually, but a ship under attack was not the best time. “You can do a great deal with almost nothing and come out ahead of everyone else. Your reputation means you can control everyone on this ship with a look and a word.”
The Psonil were partial to flattery, and Gygak preened before tapping her claws once more on the invisible door. “So I would be the captain of this ship. If we keep it.”
Nokx made a slight disbelieving noise, perhaps objecting to the plan, but EJ shot him a dirty look. Sometimes you had to make deals that weren’t ideal just to survive. Things weren’t always as clear-cut as the Xaravians liked. EJ held up the panel in her hand. “The only caveat is that you not strand the settlers anywhere. Take them to a habitable, nice planet nearby and let them start doing what they wanted to do. You don’t need farmers and a bunch of terra-forming equipment. Off-load them, and you have an enormous ship to do whatever you want with.”
Gygak’s features sharpened and turned predatory. “I assume you won’t be around to enforce this.”
“No,” EJ said. She glanced up as a new set of alarms triggered in a cadence she didn’t recognize. All three of them looked around, bracing for the new disaster. Had Klee triggered something else? Was something new and horrible happening? Were they already too late to save themselves? “We have to get back to the Sraibur, the cutter that’s circling and distracting the Slasu fleet. We just need enough time to get to an escape pod and launch from here. Then the ship is yours.”
The Psonil pondered, her form rippling in brown and blue with different textures as her thoughts wandered. EJ wanted to tap her toe in irritation. They didn’t have time for long negotiations. But she couldn’t rush Gygak. The Psonil thrived on annoying others, too, apparently.
“And then the ship is mine.”
“Captain Gygak has a nice ring to it,” EJ said calmly, like her heart wasn’t racing faster than plasma shooting out of a black hole. “Given enough time, I imagine you could be the best pirate ruling this quadrant.”
“Yes,” Gygak murmured, a smile spreading until it exposed her three rows of teeth. “Yes, we will take the ship.”
“You have no weapons save the ones you can find,” Nokx said.
EJ could have strangled him. Gygak already agreed; they didn’t need to give the Psonil a reason to change her mind!