[01] Elite: Wanted by Gavin Deas

Author:Gavin Deas [Deas, Gavin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781473201293
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2014-05-15T07:00:00+00:00

‘Well, they can fly, whoever they are,’ Ravindra conceded as she watched the death of the Nephilim. ‘What’s this got to do with me – or did you just want me to see the pretty lights?’

‘Her name is Ziva Eschel and she’s a bounty hunter.’ Harlan said and sent her a data packet across their open comms link. Ravindra opened it and information started cascading down her vision. Ten years in the federation police in Beta Hydri, five years as a Viper pilot. Ten years as a bounty hunter. ‘She’s taken down some heavy ships as well: the Broken Heart, the Widow Maker, the Red Goat.’

‘She was the one that took Vanos down?’ Ravindra asked, impressed despite herself. She was scan-reading the information. It was telling the story of a pilot who was a bit more than competent but also someone who was careful, clever and thorough and, unusually for a bounty hunter, had always kept on the right side of the law. She didn’t want this woman on her six, not at the moment. ‘What makes you think that she’s after me?’

‘I’ve got some data rats in a number of different systems working for me. They’re paid to look for certain keywords, including the Red Hourglass.’

The Red Hourglass, the name their victims had given the Song of Stone. Most people who were even aware of the ship’s existence assumed that it was an Imperial privateer. It wasn’t enough in itself but Ravindra didn’t like the coincidence that this Eschel had done a search on the Red Hourglass and then come to Whit’s Station.

‘There’s more,’ Harlan said grimly. ‘She pulled your records. Imperial and Federal.’

Shit, Ravindra thought. ‘I’m going to have to kill her,’ she said.

‘Not here.’

‘For someone I’ve given a lot of money to over the years, you’re saying no to me a lot.’

‘Because you keep wanting to break the rules, the ones that make this place work.’

‘What, no preferential service for loyalty?’ she asked, knowing the answer. She could see the fusion torch of the Dragon Queen’s engine now as the ship fell towards Motherlode’s atmosphere. Harlan turned to look at her.

‘If I make one exception, everyone knows they can’t trust me.’

Ravindra turned to face Harlan. ‘She’s a bounty hunter.’

‘She’s paid up. You want to take her, you do it off my station. It’ll be made clear to her, in no uncertain terms, that the same applies. She can’t hunt here. If she does, she gets spaced. Same goes for you but it would piss me off a lot more.’

Ravindra nodded, rubbing her face.

‘Look,’ Harlan said. ‘Everyone’s going to know what she is. Maybe you’ll be lucky and someone else will take care of her for you, and then I’ll have to come down on them for breaking the rules.’

Ravindra was of the opinion that she’d been lucky many times in her life, but she didn’t think that today was going to be one of those times. She walked away and stood on the observation deck over the docking berth levels, looking down as the Fer-de-Lance, the Dragon Queen, came in.

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