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?"
"I'd say so. Yeah."
For his daughter, he'd face the bowels of that hell his parents so fervently believed in. To say nothing of being court martialed and considered a coward by people he respected.
Jace's jaw ticked. "Give me something to work with here, Raider. Let me help."
Raider's mouth quirked. "You're really going to say that after what just went down with Blue."
Maverick and Nova frowned, their troubled expressions making it clear that Jace hadn't shared his suspicions with them.
"How long have we known each other?" Jace asked angrily.
Too long. Sometimes it felt like forever.
"Do you really think there's a chance in this world I'm working with them?" Jace pressed, seeing the answer in Raider's face. "Come on, brother. You know me better than that."
"Yeah, I do," Raider admitted, meeting the other's eyes. "You're right. You're the brother of my heart."
