she’d had the chance, even if the surgeon operated illegally on a pirate spaceport in an ungoverned quadrant.
EJ fired again and scrambled to the edge of the wall and the last bit of concealment she had. A few seconds. A few seconds and then Nokx would be there to fire on the guards, and she could bolt for the escape pod and fire it up. While it was powering on—if it powered on—she could use the rifle to help Nokx cross.
Easy peasy.
She pressed her back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. They should have agreed on a signal, some kind of verbal ‘go.’ Definitely a note for next time. EJ had just made up her mind to shout at him to do something when the lights flickered and a generator chugged to life. She squinted against the flare of dull light and caught a hint of blue Xaravian scales.
She shouldered her rifle and fired a few warning shots to clear the way, then bolted for the door to the escape pod.
Chaos erupted. The Slasu and Horgut shouted in their own languages until it all garbled together, and weapons fired in every direction.
EJ skidded across the floor, slick with blood or some other dark fluid, and crashed hard into the locked doors that prevented easy access to the escape pods. Of course. Because it couldn’t be easy in an emergency. The rifle, at least, destroyed the ship door locks and let her shove them open. She kicked the door to the pod in frustration, then dropped to the floor as stunners and what might have been a small flash grenade struck the doors.
EJ clawed at the rusted metal on the pod until the damn things creaked open, then wormed her arm through and used leverage to pry it all the way. She slid through and exhaled, even though they weren’t actually safe. She wasn’t actually safe. The escape pods were designed to protect against space, not a battle.
She slapped the control panels without sticking her head up too high, just in case, and started the power-up sequence. She wedged a spare pack between the doors so Nokx could get in, and lay on the floor to aim better with the rifle. Now it was Nokx’s turn. The stubborn ass just had to recognize it and take it. The weight of his dagger was a comforting weight in her belt, but nothing would compare to his comforting presence.
EJ swallowed the knot in her throat as she searched for a sign that Nokx was on his way. They didn’t have much time.
Chapter 44
Nokx
Nokx got closer than he thought before the Slasu found him. They shot him twice before he managed to kill them, since his aim was off in the darkness, and he barely got into position by the time the generator kicked on and the emergency lights flickered and EJ went for the emergency pod.
She took a few years off his life as she slid and dodged with a single-minded focus and determination to scoop up a laser rifle on her way to the pod, and Nokx had to take out at least three more guards before EJ shoved her way into the pod. He breathed easier to know she was safe. Mostly safe.
The Slasu and Horgut retreated, but he knew better than to assume they’d given up. Gygak stayed on the comms, insulting the Slasu with some of the foulest curses he’d ever heard, which added more noise and hid whatever clues he might have gotten on where the guards moved.
A hint of the rifle barrel appeared from the escape pod’s doors as EJ settled her stance, and he swallowed a smile. She meant it about punishing him. He had no doubt she wasn’t going to leave him behind, whether he wanted to go or not. Nokx took a deep breath as he leaned against the wall and pressed his hand against the slice in his side from one of the lasers the Slasu fired. It made breathing and moving difficult, and his strength slowly waned. He only had one more run in him. He had to make it to the escape pod in some form or fashion, otherwise EJ would never leave.
He activated his comms unit as he strained to hear anything from the guards or EJ, and finally saw a signal from the Sraibur come through.
It wasn’t good.
They were still under fire. Whoever was on the comms—likely Izyk—warned them to hunker down and stay put on the