Page 77 of The Last Hunt
“Shut the hell up.” Aethon strides up behind Daik, stopping a good ten feet from the smuggler. “She’s not alone,” Aethon says, his lips pulled back in a snarl. He has his pulse gun in hand, but he keeps it at his side, clearly wary of the bomb.
“Get the hell away from here!” Maeve shouts at the crowd around them. It doesn’t matter if she causes a panic - people need to panic right now. “He’s got a bomb! Move!” For good measure, she pushes her jacket back, unholstering her pulse gun and people gasp, starting to push each other to get away. The noise level starts to increase as people shout, but it feels like there’s a bubble around her, Daik, and Aethon. Everything else seems muffled.
Daik’s eyes narrow, flicking between Maeve and Aethon. He backs up to the railing that overlooks the food court below.
“Take off the bomb, Daik,” Maeve says, her voice low. “Disarm it. And come with us. You aren’t getting on that Lightway. This ends here.”
Daik laughs, but Maeve hears an edge of panic in his tone now. “No fucking way. You’ll escort me to the Lightway, and let me board. If you don’t -” He shrugs. “It’s all over anyway.”
“You don’t need to do this,” Aethon says, gesturing around them. People are avoiding them now, yelling and shoving each other to get away, but there are still people everywhere. Clearly TAI hasn’t gotten through to starbase security yet.
“You don’t need to hurt anyone,” Aethon says slowly to Daik. “Or yourself.” He takes a step toward Daik, but stops when the smuggler jerks his hand toward his chest.
“Stay right there!” Daik snaps. “You think I won’t blow myself up along with everyone else? If you don’t let me on the Lightway that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I’m not turning myself in. You’re right - this ends here. I know what Brimstone does to people who steal from them.” He shudders. “And besides, Brimstone wants me alive. Not dead. I’ll be worth nothing to you if you drag them my corpse.”
Maeve glances over at Aethon. She shakes her head slowly. Daik is serious. Maeve knows it down to her bones. Daik knew exactly what he was getting into when he stole from Brimstone. It was a huge risk, with the potential for a lifetime of payoff. If he succeeded in bringing that stolen information to Dreadnought, they would set him up for life. Protect him. Daik would never want for anything. But the sheer size of his bounty shows how much Brimstone wants him caught. And if Brimstone gets him, Maeve is sure that Daik will wish he had blown himself up. Brimstone believes themselves above the law of the galaxy. They won’t hesitate to torture Daik in ways Maeve can’t even imagine. Daik’s not going to allow himself to be caught. It’s the Lightway, or death.
“Maybe I’ll just shoot you,” Maeve says, meeting Daik’s eyes. Her heartbeat is loud in her ears.
“The bomb might be connected to his biosigns,” Aethon hisses. “It could go off if he’s dead.”
“I know,” she replies. “But maybe it’s not.” And maybe if she hits him just right, she can avoid killing him and then they can still get his bounty.
The smuggler smiles and a bead of sweat slides down his temple. “Go ahead,” he says. “Risk it.”
The air feels unnaturally still. Maeve’s eyes flick over Daik’s chest where the bomb is concealed behind his jacket. Can she give up the possibility - however small - of bringing Daik in alive and collecting that life changing bounty? She looks out again at the innocent crowd of people in the food court below.
“Let him go,” Maeve says. She holsters her gun and Aethon nods, his face tight, but understanding in his gaze. He steps to the side and Daik’s face transforms into a goading smile.
“Good choice, Bladesbearer,” he sneers.
He turns toward the Lightway and starts walking. Maeve follows only as far as where Aethon stands, watching the smuggler walk away. And with him, six million credits.
“I hate this,” Maeve growls. Aethon just nods. His face is a mask of frustration. She realizes that for him, losing this bounty means losing Two Roses. Maeve wraps an arm around his waist and squeezes.
Then Scimitar Starbase security flood out of a hallway and spread themselves out in front of the entrance to the Lightway. Guard after guard, all dressed in gray, pulse rifles at the ready, aiming for Daik.
“Surrender yourself!” one of the guards shouts, his voice electronically magnified. Fear rises in Maeve’s chest. Why are they doing this? They know he has a bomb - and they’re going to arrest him before evacuating the people below?!
“He’s got a bomb!” Maeve cries. “What are you doing?!”
Daik turns around toward them, his face falling from smugness to resignation. His hand seems to rise in slow motion toward the detonator on his chest.
“Fuck -” Aethon says. “No!”
“Stop!” Maeve cries.
Aethon shoves her away, the force of his push sending Maeve six feet back and onto her ass. “Aethon!” she shouts.
But Aethon is already at Daik’s side. Maeve shoves herself up with a snarl and starts to run toward them. They’re too far. Aethon has Daik wrapped in his arms, and he leaps with the smuggler toward one of the emergency escape pods in the hull of the starbase, kicking the lever to open the doors.
Maeve feels her throat tear with a scream as the doors of the hatch open and Aethon shoves Daik inside. The doors don’t completely close before the bomb goes off. The explosion is deafeningly loud, and orange fire shoots up and out, mostly contained by the escape pod doors, but a line of concussive power blasts through the vertical crack directly at Aethon. He flies backwards, his body crumpling in on itself as he absorbs the explosion. He hits the railing with a sickening crunch and collapses to the floor.
Horror cracks through Maeve like lightning, freezing her in place. Is Aethon - is he - he can’t be -
Starbase guards swarm the area, their big armor plated bodies obscuring her view of Aethon. Maeve’s ears ring from the force of the blast, and she stumbles forward. “Aethon!” she cries. Her voice sounds muffled in her ears. She shoves her way through the guards, stopping when she reaches the railing.
Aethon lies crumpled on the ground, blood pooling around his broken body.