Jayda listened to the exchange, watching Hendrix, waiting until all the loose ends were in place. She waited several more minutes, until she could control her inner rage. “Adams, stand-by. Do not detonate until ordered. Everyone, remain secured where you are until you hear otherwise. Understood?”
She got confirmations from everyone, then opened the ship’s comm again, opening a line to the GR ship. “Intruders… INTRUDERS!” She shouted, forcing the comm to full volume. The men in the corridor covered their ears. Hendrix backed off the door again. “You get one warning to exit my station. The door you’re trying to cut through is core density. We are inside the core. You’re not!”
Hendrix squinted at the door, then at the surveillance eye. “Even core materials can be cut through. Otherwise we’ll wait you out.”
“Then you’ll wait without oxygen when I evacuate the station.”
“You have wounded.”
“Med lab is inside the core.”
“Food and water!”
“Inside the core. Entire inner circle is core.” She saw his lip wrinkle up. “I suggest you get your asses off my station.”
“What’s to stop us from coming back in environmental suits? We got a week before Alliance comes in. We can finish destroying the Dolan and still get to you.”
Jayda leaned closer to the audio feed. “I’m going to… blow up… your ship.”
“You’re… unarmed!” Hendrix scoffed.
Jayda sighed, loud and long. “I’m surrounded by... explosives. Didn’t Boss Louie tell you that part? All those storage platforms surrounding the station? Jayda snickered as menacingly as she could. “Highly explosive materials. I’m sure Louie didn’t tell you that before perfume, I built weapons of mass destruction. I was very good at it.” Jayda looked to the external images. “Snead, take a good long look at your engine ports, then at the station’s horizon.”
There was silence, then cursing.
“What? What’s out there?” Hendrix backed out of the antechamber, into the corridor. The two men made room for him. “What’s she done?”
“There’s barrels strapped to our engine ports and they’ve moved the Dolan into position to shoot them up our ass.”
“That’s right. Me and my little robot friends have been out here for years. I can maneuver a warship with them.”
Breeze came to lean over Jayda’s shoulder, getting her first look at this plan. “Damn, you are good.” She leaned closer. “Hendrix, if I were you I’d back on out of here before she blows your ship up. Long as you use maneuvering jets, you can get far enough away to not be a target.”
“You won’t vent. You got people out here too. Wounded.”
“No we don’t.” Taylor spoke up. “While you were going after Dr. Maldonado, we cleared out our people.”
“You still want to bet I won’t vent? Start running, asshole.” Jayda flipped a switch and red emergency lights started flashing throughout the station. “Ten…” She dropped her voice down to a calm, cold growl. “Nine…”
“Fall back!” Snead shouted over their comm. “Their weapons are fully charged.” Hendrix glared up at Jayda once more before running back through the corridors.
The surveillance system followed as Jayda continued counting. They reached the portal. “Three…two…” The two wounded pirates had already jumped to the GR ship. Hendrix shoved the two men with him through. The GR portal cycled shut as Hendrix dove for safety.
Jayda hit the emergency disengage for the airlock. Her portal door rolled shut, but not trusting the seals would hold anymore, she shut the bulkhead doors on either side of the bay.
The station’s magnetic clamps ripped themselves free of the GR ship and it drifted only as long it took Snead to engage side jets. The ship moved off, following the curve of the station to break target with the Dolan. Once clear, they headed out towards the perimeter.
“Well, Snead. Tell your boss, Lou Barron, you failed.”
“We’re not done!” It was Hendrix whose face filled the screen. We’ll disarm these explosive and come back for you. We don’t quit so easy.”
“Yeah…” Jayda sighed again. “I was pretty sure you’d be a sore loser.” Jayda squinted back at him. “I didn’t stop with four little bombs. Adams, detonate!”
Hendrix started to open his mouth, but the door to the cockpit blew. Snead ducked from his seat. Through the open comm other explosions sounded. On her external monitor Jayda saw their docking portal blow. Oxygen wasn’t the only thing venting from their ship. Jayda closed the comm link to the Tessling. She didn’t need to watch Hendrix die.
“All clear. Lewis, gather the remaining team and sweep the station.” Jayda swung her chair around to look at Nick. His skin was grey. “Taylor, get down here. Now!”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Breeze activated the medical scanner. “Pulse is weak. There’s blood in the pericardium.”
“On my way!” Taylor responded.
“Computer, open lab doors. Maintain bypass of all protocol.” Jayda slid out of her chair, crawling back to Nick. “I got rid of them. We’re safe again. You have to hang on.”
Breeze reached over to grip Jayda’s shoulder. “Taylor will be here in a minute.” She twisted around to the crew. “We need space. Get to the med lab. If you’re fit for duty, report to Lewis. Got that, Lewis?”
“Yes, ma’am!” He started issuing the same orders, including the men in the bot chambers. Jayda tuned him out. Images of her past were gone, but not the guilt. All she could see was Nick. Was she going to lose this man too, because someone was out to get her? Tears blurred her vision, dripping onto Nick’s cheek.
She didn’t look up as someone replaced Breeze, but recognized Taylor’s voice, telling her what was happening. The buildup of blood leaking into the heart sac was squeezing the heart to the point it couldn’t keep beating.
She felt a twinge in Nick’s body as Taylor inserted a needle between Nick’s ribs, into his chest. She lifted her face from his. “He felt that!”
“Can’t help it.” Taylor kept an eye on the scan image as she drew off blood. “Heart rate increasing, but I’m going to have to do something, soon. He’ll bleed out
