Chapter 24
The bounty hunter’s ship was closer, and he could see the ring around the center start to illuminate with a blue light.
“Looks like he’s getting ready to do something,” Sanri said, her voice sounding almost bored.
Nojan’s brow furrowed. He thought she would be more concerned about her own skin. But nothing seemed to ruffle the dark-haired hitchhiker. “Keep running your smart mouth and I’ll shave you bald and convince him that you’re the one he’s looking for.”
Sanri laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Nojan muttered, making sure his defensive shields were at maximum. They weren’t. “What the fuck is going on?” He brought up the readings, and if he would have eaten lunch, the readings would have made him lose it.
It turned out that the cloak malfunction had taken out part of their shield’s power. He was down to forty percent. It was barely enough to survive a few hits at best.
There was a brilliant blast, and his gaze flipped to the viewscreen. Kange’s ship was emitting some kind of energy beam. It hit Nojan’s vessel and shook it. Before his eyes, the shields were draining. In less than a minute, they were gone.
“Triple fuck!” With no shields, Kange would be free to board the ship. Then it would come down to hand-to-hand combat. Who knew what kind of weapon the asshole had on his side?
It was clear he was outgunned, but that didn’t mean he had to give up. Nojan had weapons too, deadly ones that his opponent didn’t have. It was time to try them out, even if that meant exposing himself to the female seated nearby.
He hit the transmit button, and in a moment, Kange’s face covered the viewscreen. “Ready to try again?” he asked, his expression smug.
Nojan concentrated all his power on the bounty hunter’s mind. “We aren’t harboring any fugitives. Go on your way.”
Sanri looked at him, her face amused. “I don’t think that’s how negotiation works, cowboy,” she said out of the side of her mouth.
Kange stared back. “Go on my way?”
“Yes,” Nojan said, pushing all of his persuasion on the man. His powers had never failed him. He expected the bounty hunter to capitulate to his demands. “Return to Rantel and tell him you couldn’t find the girl.”
He could feel exhaustion start to blanket him, but he kept his powers flowing at maximum, waiting for Kange to reverse his course. Instead, the bounty hunter laughed at him. “I admire your balls, friend, but your little mind tricks have done little more than reveal your true nature to me. Now I’m even more intrigued by who exactly is on that little ship of yours.”
Nojan hit the button to cut off the transmission. His powers hadn’t worked on Kange. Why? And now he’d revealed himself, ramping up the danger a hundredfold.
“He’ll come for you,” Sanri said matter-of-factly. “What’s your plan?”
“I’ll fight him with everything I have.” And he would. Anything to keep Mayra safe.
“Why not give him the girl?” The hitchhiker’s face was impassive, her tone flat. “He’d probably offer to pay for her, just to avoid the effort of a fistfight. You could take his money and be on your way.”
Nojan shook his head. “Not a chance, sister.”
Sanri laughed. “It’s what I thought. You are in love with that awkward creature.”
“You don’t understand,” Nojan growled. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Sure, it might well be. But you’re in love with her, and you can deny it until you’re blue in the face, but I’ll still see right through you. Such a pity, Nojan. A handsome guy like you and a pretty gal like me? We could have made a good team.”
He narrowed his eyes. Not only was the bounty hunter’s ship getting closer, a bounty hunter who now likely suspected that Nojan wasn’t Territhian, but he’d have to contend with the bitch he’d rescued from the exploding cruiser. She would betray him faster than a Vartik rabbit knocked up his bride.
Nojan counted the seconds until he was forced to act. The bounty hunter’s ship was close enough to take up the entire viewscreen. A grappling claw began extending itself from the ship, moving toward the Vartik vessel. In moments, it would have it in its cold metal grip.
“Not so fast, Kange.” The familiar voice crackled through the transmitters and Nojan wanted to shout for joy. “Put that damn claw away or I’ll shoot it off.”
The bounty hunter’s ship disappeared from the viewscreen, replaced by the face of his older brother. “Looks like we got here just in time,” Zelup said.
“You could have gotten here sooner,” Nojan huffed. “You’re cutting it real fucking close.”
“Ooh,” Sanri said. “Who is this handsome drink of water?”
