Dagon and Barus shared a look. Barus had wished to exclude the Purveli from the meeting but had bowed to Dagon’s wishes.
After a moment, Ziv’ri pointed. “The Lasaran escape pod was held in this hangar. We passed these rooms here on the way there from where I was being held. All of them appeared to be soldiers’ barracks.”
“Do you know how many soldiers are on the ship?” Dagon asked.
“No,” he said with regret. “I mostly dealt with scientists and guards until they took me to the hangar bay. If I’d had a better view of one of the rooms and knew how many beds were in each, I could estimate it, but…”
He couldn’t, so they had no idea what kind of numbers they would be facing.
“Ava saw more of the ship than we did,” Ziv’ri murmured, “and shared as much as she could with us telepathically.”
Dagon frowned. “You said the Gathendiens dosed you with nahalae to keep you from communicating with each other nonverbally.”
“They did. All our communications with Ava were instigated by her.”
Eliana glanced up at Dagon. “Ava is telepathic. Even if Ziv’ri and his brother couldn’t actively send thoughts to her, she could delve into their minds, listen in, and hear their thoughts as long as they were in close enough proximity.”
Ziv’ri nodded. “But the Gathendiens didn’t know that, so they didn’t dose her.” He pointed to another room. “Jak’ri and I were held in containment cells here. The Gathendiens experimented on us,” he said with a curl of his lip, “in the primary lab here. They had secondary and tertiary facilities here and here. There could be more, but these were the only ones I saw. Jak’ri and I were almost always taken to the primary lab. Ava was held in a containment cell over here. I think they usually took her to the tertiary lab, because we often only saw her when…” He faltered.
Eliana’s lips tightened. “When they tortured her in front of you?”
Ziv’ri’s hands curled into tight fists. “Yes.” Bitterness hardened his features. “They’re very good at inflicting pain.”
She curled her hands into fists, too. “Which just makes me want to annihilate the Gathendiens even more.”
Dagon touched a hand to her lower back and gave it a soothing stroke.
“If it had stayed just the two of us,” Ziv’ri said, his silver eyes meeting Dagon’s, “I would not have detonated a single bomb once I gained access to your ship. Jak’ri and I made a pact. If one of us had to die in order to end the Gathendiens’ research and warn our people…” He shrugged, then winced and touched his chest. “We thought it worth the sacrifice. But once they captured Ava, everything changed. They stopped punishing us when we didn’t cooperate and started punishing her. We couldn’t…” Sighing, he dragged a hand down over his face, then shook his head helplessly. “We couldn’t cause her more suffering than she was already enduring.”
So they had put themselves and their people in jeopardy in an effort to protect Ava.
Ziv’ri met Eliana’s gaze. “The only time they ever mentioned killing us was when they put me in that suit and gave me their instructions. They vowed to bring my brother more pain every time I hesitated to detonate one of the explosives within the accepted time frame. And if I failed in the mission they gave me, they said they would kill him.” He swallowed hard. “Our presence… our compliance… provides Ava with some measure of protection. If they lose me and kill my brother, she’ll have no one.”
“You’re wrong,” Eliana told him, her voice as hard as steel. “She has me. And the men you see around you. So does your brother.” She glanced at the Segonians. “What I don’t understand is why the Gathendiens changed their plans and what exactly they think they can accomplish by attacking you. This ship is almost twice the size of theirs, and you’re all superlative warriors. There’s no way they can win if they pick a fight with you. The bombs Ziv’ri carted along with him only damaged the thrusters—at least that’s what they’ll assume—not the e-cannons and other weapons. And your fighters are all intact.”
“Yes,” Dagon said. “But they know we can’t fire on them without risking Ava’s life.”
“How do they even know we’re aware that they have her?”
Ziv’ri leaned back in his chair. “Perhaps they guessed I’ve disobeyed their orders. Or perhaps they think I’ve been captured. Either possibility might have led to my informing you of Ava’s presence on their ship.”
She returned her attention to Dagon. “You’re searching for my friends as a favor for the Lasaran government, right?”
“Yes.”
“Would the Lasarans expect you to sacrifice your ship and your entire crew in an attempt to save just one Earthling? Would your government?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Won’t the Gathendiens draw the same conclusion?”
“If they’re wise,” Maarev muttered.
“Then I ask again, why are they barreling toward us now—in plain sight, I might add—instead of waiting a little longer to see if Ziv’ri activates the beacon? What made the most patient freaking aliens in the galaxy suddenly lose their composure, say drek this, we can’t wait any longer, and speed toward a fight they’ll most likely lose?”
Silence fell.
It was a valid question.
Ziv’ri glanced around. “Could someone have inadvertently activated the beacon?”
Joral stiffened, his craggy features darkening with a scowl. “No, we didn’t activate the beacon. We know how to handle explosives and delicate tech.”
Beside him, Cobus nodded.
Ziv’ri held up a hand. “I meant no disrespect. I am simply baffled and concerned by the Gathendiens’ actions and sought an explanation for them.”
Some of the anger left Joral’s expression as he issued a curt nod.
Janek suddenly frowned at his screen and touched his ear. He looked up at Dagon. “We’re being hailed by the Gathendien ship.”
Eliana followed Dagon, Barus, and Janek to the bridge. Galen, Rahmik, Efren, and Maarev brought up the rear, leaving the others behind with Ziv’ri.
“Eliana,” Dagon said, “I want you to remain out of sight while I speak with them.”
“Okay.” She was actually both surprised and pleased that she would be allowed on the bridge at all. Relaxing the rules on an average day was one thing. Relaxing them when facing a possible attack was another.
Minutes later, Dagon planted his feet shoulder-width apart beside the commander’s chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the screen that descended in front of the crystal window. Eliana stood off to the side beside Janek, fighting dual urges to hover and to nibble her thumbnail.
Dagon nodded to the communications officer.
A Gathendien appeared on the screen in giant proportions.
Eliana’s eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. But she did manage to keep from gasping or swearing.
Like Dagon, the male stood in front of what she assumed was the commander’s chair on his ship’s bridge. At a glance, he bore a similar physique to humans and Segonians. He had two arms and two legs, one head devoid of hair. There were, however, some eye-catching differences. Like his tail. She couldn’t see all of it because it was behind him. But it appeared to be as thick as his muscled thighs where it began and tapered down to a point after… five feet? Maybe six? When it twitched on the floor behind him, she glimpsed several bracelet-like spiked silver bands that adorned it.