Marauder (Oregon Files 15)

cleared, he could see that the ruins hiding Jin’s men had been scoured away as if by a broom.

“That’s all of them,” Linc said, getting to his feet.

“That rail gun is a nasty weapon,” Raven said.

“Max, are you there?” Eddie said into his comm unit.

“Loud and clear. Still on station where I dropped you off. Sounds like I missed the party. Is everyone okay over there?”

“We all made it through, but I don’t think any of us feels like taking a walk right now. Why don’t you come and get us.”

“On my way.”

Eddie took a seat on a broken piece of concrete. “We might as well get comfortable and enjoy our front row tickets.”

“Too bad we don’t have any popcorn,” MacD said as the rest of them joined him. “I can’t wait to see what Captain Jin is going to do.”

* * *

—

Jin wiped her sleeve against her head, but all it did was smear the blood around. Everyone on the bridge had been sliced with glass when the windows shattered.

A voice was calling from the radio.

“I repeat, this is the Norego. You are ordered to surrender your vessel. Shut down your engines, come on to the deck with your hands in the air, and prepare to be boarded.”

She picked up the microphone and said, “Acknowledged, Norego. Shutting down engines.”

Jin initiated the shutdown procedure, then helped the XO to his feet. “Gather the men and take them out to the deck. I’ll join you in a minute. I have to make a phone call first.”

The executive officer made a shipwide announcement to muster topside and then escorted the bridge crew outside.

When she was alone, Jin took a deep breath and typed in some last commands into the control pad. After she was done, she took out her phone and called her husband.

The phone rang four times and then went to voicemail.

“Honey, it’s me. We’ve had some trouble here, and I think I’ll be late to Sydney. I wish I could be there to see the launch. You’ll do great, and I want you to know that I love you. Whatever happens, I know this will lead to a better life. Good-bye, my dear.”

She hung up. It rang almost immediately, and she answered without looking at the number.

“Darling,” Jin said.

“I don’t think we’re to that stage of our relationship yet,” Juan Cabrillo said.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to come out on the deck like we asked.”

“You were never planning to make a deal, were you?”

“Sure I was. It’s just that the terms may not be to your liking.”

“You’re either here to commandeer my ship and kill us,” Jin said, “or you’re going to take us all to prison. I told myself a long time ago that I was never going to set foot in prison again. I intend to keep that promise, Mr. Cabrillo.”

She watched the needle on the temperature gauge for the plasma cannon’s power generator rising toward the redline. As soon as it reached the critical limit, the weapon would self-destruct, blowing the Marauder apart.

SIXTY-THREE