Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,61

only saw the reptilian birds when they dropped down close. Otherwise, it was just a mass of confusion everywhere in the dark surrounding them.

The strained shouts of pirates filled the night as everyone leaped to their feet, blasters firing blindly into the dark. Only one bird ventured close enough to Terri that, when she brought up her arms defensively, the bio-tech extended a metal band around her wrist from which long barbed whips extended out, snapping at the creature. Although Terri didn’t know if any of the blasts landed amid the chaos, she knew that her whips landed, as hot blood splattered on her skin.

Veral’s claws were extended, and he slashed out at the creatures whenever they dared to get close. His frustrated snarl at lacking a weapon was all the more obvious when heavy blaster fire from Azan filled the air beside them.

It seemed to last forever, but the assault ended as the birds fled with angry hisses and shrieks. When the last of the calls faded into the distance, the captain rounded on Veral, his face a mask of fury in the glow of the disc.

“This is what you call safe?” he shouted.

“When compared to the odds of attempting to travel through the night or camping at the edge of the ravine, it was an acceptable risk. The birds were an inconvenience, and minimal danger.”

“How do you figure a minimal danger? They would have killed us all!”

“No one died. The attack lasted only five point three standard minutes, and the lifeforms were relatively easy to frighten away, as I estimated. This is acceptable and normal for salvaging.”

The males faced each other, both rigid as they exchanged glares.

“Captain,” Egbor’s remaining guard called quietly. “I believe that the crew requires your guidance.”

“Yes, of course,” Egbor muttered as he stalked away, his tone cajoling as he addressed the males. Terri didn’t bother to listen to him. She knew it would be appropriately convincing. This was confirmed by Azan’s laughter.

“That would be code for ‘the crew needs to be talked back into this suicidal mission before everyone revolts,’” Azan said, once the captain was out of earshot.

“Foolishness,” Veral growled. He drew a hand down his face. “One more day.”

Terri prayed that it wasn’t portending something bad coming their way.

20

“It is there,” Veral announced as he pointed at a dark shadow deep in the ravine.

Terri clung to a narrow shelf of rock that spanned what must’ve been a few dozen feet along the wall. Even though everyone hunkered close together, they still all barely fit on it. She swore she could almost feel the rock threatening to crumble beneath her feet as she squinted down in the direction that he indicated.

The starship was as dark as the wreckage that they came upon before, but unlike the medical unit that had been torn away, it was smashed against the rocks in pieces. From the sleek, dark exterior where it wasn’t damaged, despite their distance above the remains, Terri could tell that it had once been a magnificent ship. Her eyes scanned over it, greedily drinking it in as everything slipped away. Now confronted with it, she found herself imagining what secrets it might hold.

A small frown pulled at her brow. Although the Evandra wasn’t completely beneath water, large portions of it were, and that wasn’t good. A simulation had predicted such a scenario with a half-sunken vessel. Terri recalled that the exercise had been unpredictable and hazardous. Entering the ship, they wouldn’t know what levels were safe and which might be flooded. Due to the pirates’ haste, they didn’t have the necessary equipment with them to allow for a submerged salvage.

Not that they wanted to help the pirates along, but damn, she wanted whatever was in the ship.

A slight burning sensation drew her attention down to the bio-tech embedded in her forearm, and she grimaced. Okay, maybe I can live without any more close encounters with the Elshavan. Still, since they were forced to go down anyway, it would have been nice to be able to walk away with something for their trouble.

“What a glorious sight,” Egbor laughed. “Look, all of you, there rests the bounty we have been waiting for!”

“Looks more like a great big invitation into the next world to me,” Azan muttered. “It just lacks script announcing ‘death awaits you here.’”

The captain nudged his second-in-command with another bark of laughter, blind to the flash of hatred on her face. “Always doom and gloom with you, Azan. This is why you will