A sly smile touched the Gathendien’s thin lips. “The Purveli government’s representatives enlightened us about the benefits of galaris. They knew our agreement would be void if the slaves they provided killed any of us with a senshi.”
Eliana didn’t know how the Gathendiens learned about the galaris but was pretty sure the Purvelis hadn’t told them. How stupid would it be to give potential enemies a method with which they could render you powerless?
Dagon remained silent a long moment, then nodded. “I’ve a task I must complete for the Alliance and need to restore full functionality to my ship so I can be done with it. We were supposed to go on leave a month ago,” he muttered. Then his tone shifted from disgruntlement to crisp command. “I’ll have engineering compile a list of the supplies we need, then send it over. If you can provide us with enough of it, we’ll have an accord.” He made a cutting motion with his hand.
The screen went dark, then retracted.
“Wow,” Eliana said, motioning to the disappearing screen. “He’s good.”
Dagon nodded. “I didn’t expect him to come up with such a plausible explanation for Ziv’ri’s presence on his ship.” He rose. “Although I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. The Gathendiens did, after all, manage to convince the Lasarans they were worthy allies.”
She strode toward him. “You’re good, too, by the way.” She smiled at Maarev and Efren. “So are you. Did you guys study acting when you were younger or something? Because if I didn’t know you, I would’ve totally believed you.”
“No performing lessons.” Maarev winked. “But I love to gamble.”
Dagon offered her a wry smile. “And years of serving in the military, meeting with ambassadors, and dealing with foreign military commanders has taught me much.”
Barus smiled. “As has talking your way out of bar fights and other dicey entanglements when you were younger.”
“I bet,” Eliana said with a smile as she stopped beside Dagon. “Commander Sneersucker seemed pretty ecstatic when you didn’t ask about Ava.” Masculine chuckles filled the bridge at her nickname for the lizard-like commander. “I think you succeeded in tricking him into believing you don’t know they have her.”
“Good.”
“When he suggested making a trade, I half expected him to ask you to throw me in with Ziv’ri and hand over us both. Clearly he knows I’m here.”
Dagon shrugged. “I believe his intent is to catch us off guard when we allow him to dock with us. Thanks to Maarev, he thinks we’re down sixty-two men, with countless others incapacitated.”
Maarev bowed like an actor at the end of a show.
Eliana grinned.
“And,” Dagon added, “he thinks the Ranasura’s thrusters have been severely damaged.”
Maarev grunted. “Wouldn’t take much to overwhelm the remaining soldiers and seize the ship.”
Eliana rolled her eyes. “As if anyone could overwhelm you guys.”
Grins broke out all around.
Dagon rested a hand on her shoulder. “But they don’t know that.”
Maarev winked. “I say we let them dock, then hurl Eliana at them and let her kill them all while the rest of us sit back, relax, and eat what’s left of the jarumi nuggets.”
She laughed. “No way, buddy. Those jarumi nuggets are mine.”
The big warrior chuckled. “I notice you didn’t object to the killing part.”
“Because jarumi nuggets mean more to me than Gathendiens.”
Chuckling, Dagon curled an arm around her and turned toward the door. “Let’s go see if we can devise a plan that won’t deprive Eliana of her favorite treat.”
Eliana stared at the air lock and fought the urge to fidget. Patience had never been her strong suit. And having to wait while the damn Gathendiens lined their ship up and attached a docking tube to one of the Ranasura’s air locks was driving her crazy.
“What’s taking so long?” she blurted.
“Once the docking tube attaches, it must decompress,” Dagon murmured beside her.
Though the Gathendiens could have sent a shuttle over, Dagon had instead directed the Cebaun to dock with them. Strategically, Eliana thought it a smart move. Instead of entering the Ranasura in a shuttle equipped with heavy weaponry, Gathendien soldiers would have to enter through a narrow hatch that limited them to two at a time with whatever weapons they could carry.
She glanced around. Maarev and a dozen other soldiers fanned out behind them. All wore combat armor. A few dozen more clustered together out of sight of the hatch’s window.
Dagon looked at those men. “Helmets up,” he commanded.
Each man in the larger group donned a helmet, then touched the side of it. A clear window slid down in front, forming a bubble that covered their faces. Hisses sounded as the visors locked with the rest of the helmet.
Dagon met Eliana’s gaze. “You, too. We know the Gathendiens aren’t going to execute a fair trade. We don’t know why they changed their tactics, but they are still hunting you.” He touched her back. “I don’t want you to be harmed by tengonis or any other gasses they may deploy.”
“Okay,” she replied somberly. “Though I don’t think any gas they hurl at me could be more noxious than Maarev’s after he eats mamitwa.”
The men all laughed.
Eliana glanced down. The black, lightly armored uniform Joral had provided her with was only a little bit looser and bulkier than the clothing she normally wore. Though it wouldn’t change color and make her blend in with her surroundings the way it would for a Segonian, he had assured her that it would offer her protection if the Gathendiens tried to gas her or if all this went sideways and landed her out in space again. That protection, however, would be more fleeting than the Lasaran space suit had provided.
It also would not stand up to blasterfire for long.
Dagon and his soldiers, on the other hand, wore full suits of what he called exo-armor.
Eliana had to admit as she surveyed the men around her that their armor made them look even more badass than usual. Sleek and shiny like some kind of titanium alloy, it repelled stunners and blasters and a hell of a lot of other weaponry and firepower. It also increased their strength, enabled them to jump higher and farther, and would provide them with oxygen if the ship lost atmosphere. The helmet, only the front half of which was clear, boasted tiny cameras that let them see everything in front of and behind them. It also provided infrared vision, night vision, and helmet lights in case the first two failed. The rest of the armor provided all manner of blades and blasters and other weaponry ready to pop out of this limb or that with a flick of the wrist.
Eliana thought it very cool but could easily see herself accidentally shooting someone while reaching up to scratch an itch if she wore such armor.
The larger group of soldiers flickered, then faded out of view, blending into the background like chameleons. Apparently the exo-armor—including the helmet—was infused with the same nanochromatophores their uniforms were and reacted to that special chemical in their skin, allowing them to camouflage themselves at will without dropping their drawers.
Dagon had wanted to provide Eliana with exo-armor, but nothing on the ship fit her. When he had suggested she at least try to don the smallest exo-armor they could find, she had nixed the notion, knowing it would swallow her.