"There's still the Tuann you were traveling with. I'm sure they'll suffice."
Though Raider had expected that response, it was still disappointing to hear.
He rose, giving Jace a salute. "Of course. Sir."
Jace didn't react to the slight bite in his voice, bending his head to concentrate on the tablet in front of him.
Raider stalked out of the room, looking neither left nor right as he headed toward the flight deck.
Soon, it was going to occur to Jace that Raider had been much too accommodating just now. His history with Raider would make him realize that something was up and he'd react accordingly. Either by assigning someone to sit on Raider to make sure he didn't do anything stupid or by restricting him to quarters. Possibly both.
Up ahead, the exit to the flight deck came into view. Just as shouts came from down the corridor behind him.
Looked like Jace had finally caught on.
Raider burst onto the flight deck, moving at a quick clip. Wren spotted him first, signaling Finn.
Nova turned, the expression on his face unsurprised.
Son of a bitch. No wonder Nova and Maverick had been waiting on the flight deck when they'd arrived. Jace must have suspected this was coming.
Nova reached for the stun gun at his side.
Finn's fist dropped him an instant later.
Maverick attempted to evade, but Wren knocked him unconscious before he made it a single step.
"Nice take down," Raider told them.
Finn's mask cracked; his smile tiny.
Shouts broke out as the flight deck crew noticed Nova and Maverick's prone bodies.
Raider broke into a run. "Time to go."
Wren and Finn dashed ahead of Raider toward the ship as its engines roared to life. The Wanderer's ramp lowered. Devon strode down it with his en-blade drawn in preparation. Joule stood behind him, his hands lifted to cast a ki shield.
A pulse rifle blasted, singeing the deck in front of Raider.
"Take another step, Raider, and I’ll give the order to shoot," Jace threatened.
Raider slowed to a stop, Wren and Finn doing the same a few steps later.
"Damn it," Raider groaned, tipping his head back.
He'd really hoped to avoid this.
With a feeling of resignation, Raider faced Jace. "Impressive reaction time by your crew. How fast did you have a team scrambled? Four minutes? Five?"
It would probably have been even faster than that if Jace hadn't insisted on being present for the take down.
"What are you doing?" Jace asked, furious. "I mean—what the absolute hell are you doing?"
Nova strolled up to join those at Jace's back. He rubbed his jaw, shooting Finn a dirty look. Maverick came up behind him, his expression controlled.
"I've told you—I've got places to be," Raider said.
"Are they so important that you're willing to be considered a deserter?"
