Page 277 of Reaper Said Mine

I add one private tag buried beneath the public signal.

GNASH.

My throat tightens when I type it.

If he receives it, he will know the route is compromised beyond speculation.

He will want to come.

He must not.

I add one more line.

Hold the corridors.

The words blur slightly.

I blink hard.

“Ursa,” Rana warns.

“Ready.”

She shoves the connector into place. Sparks jump. The cabin lights flicker out completely, leaving only emergency red along the floor and the pale glow of my compad.

Sera grips the back of my seat. Dane plants himself near the hatch with the empty extinguisher in both hands as if planning to bludgeon boarders with it. Rana keeps one hand in the panel and the other near her disguised pistol.

The transport’s internal speaker crackles with a new voice.

Not the pilot.

Male.

Cold.

“Medical freight transfer Hestia-Seven, power down and prepare for boarding. Failure to comply will result in compartment breach.”

Rana murmurs, “Private security accent. Combine training, maybe.”

I press send.

Nothing happens.

The compad stalls at twelve percent.

“No,” I whisper.

Another warning from the boarding vessel. “Power down immediately.”

Rana slams her fist into the panel. “Come on, you ugly little bastard.”

The packet jumps to thirty-eight percent.

Then sixty-one.

The transport shudders as docking clamps strike the outer hull.

Sera’s voice cracks. “They’re attaching.”