Skye noticed, her breath catching as she eyed me, but she didn’t say anything. It was the Imperial officer who spoke.
“You can do with me what you wish. The Zagrath won’t negotiate with you.”
I pinned him with my gaze, studying the subtle flare of his nostrils and the shift of his eyes away from mine. He was lying. The Zagrath would negotiate for him. But if that were true, then that meant he was valuable to them.
The Empire had no problem letting soldiers die for their whims. If they valued this officer, he must be important. And that meant I would not negotiate for his release. Not that I planned to let him know that.
I plucked a blaster from my belt and leveled it at his head. “If they will not negotiate for you, then there is no reason to keep you alive.”
Instead of blanching at this, Skye sighed. “If we’re getting rid of them, we should get rid of them both. Do you want me to get the pilot?”
The Zagrath slid his gaze to her. “I expected as much from a Vandar brute, but you are human. We were once the same people.”
Skye shrugged. “That was a long time ago, and your kind left the rest of us to starve and struggle to survive. You aren’t human anymore, so don’t pretend that we have any sort of solidarity.” She looked at me and smiled. “I didn’t do it for you, but I have gotten pretty close to the Vandar. I think his brutish ways have rubbed off on me because I can’t think of a good reason not to execute you.”
His pupils flared, then narrowed to slits. “Then you deserve each other.”
Skye gave him a bright smile. “Thanks. I like to think so.”
I settled my finger on the trigger. “If there is no way your people will negotiate and if neither of us can see a reason to keep you alive…”
“Stop!” A single bead of sweat rolled down the Zagrath’s temple. “Let me talk to them. I might be able to convince them to break off pursuit.”
I glanced at Skye, leaning into my role as a vicious raider. “You decide. I am always eager to spill Zagrath blood.”
“Fine.” She swung around to the console and activated the comms. “Attention Zagrath vessels, this is a message from the captors of…” She paused the transmission and twisted her head to lock eyes with the Zagrath. “Who should I tell them we have captive?”
He ground his teeth so loudly I could hear it. “Admiral Crushings.”
Skye resumed the transmission with a satisfied grin. “The esteemed Admiral Crushings. If you wish to see him alive again, you will cease pursuit of the transport. If not, expect to see his body and that of the pilot discharged into space.” She sat back, then jerked forward and resumed the transmission. “The Vandar thank you for your attention to this matter and wish to convey that we are not kidding.”
Then she spun back around. “What do you think? Did that do it?”
A beep sounded from the console. An incoming transmission.
“That was quick.” Skye turned back and touched the screen to accept the video transmission. A stern Imperial soldier appeared on the screen.
“We received your transmission,” he began, “but we do not negotiate with?—”
“Cease pursuit!” Admiral Crushings bellowed. “That is an order!”
The Imperial soldier’s mouth gaped as he appeared to notice Crushings being held at blaster point. “Yes, Admiral. Immediately, Admiral.”
Skye terminated the transmission, watched the red dots representing pursuing ships change course on the star chart, and swiveled to smile at the Zagrath. “And you said your people would never negotiate. I suspect you’re even more valuable than we first thought.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the admiral hissed. “They don’t need to track you. You’ve already served your purpose. You’ve already lured your horde into our trap.”
I thought of the message we’d sent. Would the horde get it in time? Would they understand the warning? Would they stay away, or would they fly into danger to save us, no matter what?
I was afraid I already knew the answer.
Chapter
Forty-Six
Jasmine
“Tell me again about the transmission,” I said, as I stood in front of the fireplace embedded in the ebony wall of the Raas quarters.
