He headed to his bag and pulled out a comm device, tapping away with furious speed.
‘I’m in your systems,’ he warned Zolan, glancing up for a brief second.
Zolan nodded, his face still weary. ‘We can spend time warring between us, which is what our enemies want, by the sounds of it. The fact is, these so-called Solanites are coming after you and me. What shall we do about it?’
Kaal broke his silence. ‘Mak, if we can’t trust Zolan, who can we turn to? We’ve been fighting this war for decades, and it’s time for a change. We need to join forces and forge a new future.’
Mak’s eyes narrowed as he considered his brother’s words.
‘Seems like the best move is to band together,’ he murmured to the SidanŠarkhan. ‘What resources can you bring to the table?’
Zolan shook his head. ‘I’m wiped. My bank balance is pitiful because we have nothing to barter with in the flotilla. I’ve been further drained trying to get my men to leave the dark trade business to go clean. My crew is scattered, and my stronghold is compromised. I have nothing left to offer.’
Zolan’s posture was slumped, his face drawn, haggard, eyes sunken like a man carrying the load of the planet on his shoulders. Even his hands quivered as he spoke.
‘My world is a battlefield, one where my family is on the brink of collapse as they resort to crime to survive. I need a lifeline to hold them all together, to keep them from shattering and falling apart.’
Saba couldn’t watch him suffer anymore. She couldn’t stand that he was struggling with the pressure of his failing community and clan.
She also couldn’t handle the sorrow in Shiloh’s eyes, the tears she flicked away as she gazed at Zolan, her man.
A drowning commander man caught in a maelstrom of chaos, his once-proud people now reduced to desperate measures for survival.
He was a captain with an ailing ship, a leader without resources, and a protector devoid of power.
What kind of sister would Saba be to leave her and her man flailing?
So she leaned over and whispered into Mak’s ear.
He tilted his head, and his eyes sliced to hers.
Saba nodded. ‘Tis the right thing to do, you know it.’
Mak took a ragged inhale, reluctance written all over his face.
However, he was aware that the idea they discussed a few nights back was the only way forward, a card they could play as a final peace offering.
Her man stared at Zolan as if pondering the consequences of allying with the old adversary.
He cast his eyes at Saba, then he jerked his chin as if to commit that it was a risk worth taking if they were fighting a common enemy.
Mak braced with a deep breath. ‘Zolan, let me make this clear. Shiloh is family, and Saba is the woman I love. This is the only reason I’m contemplating this concept, but only if you play nice. I have a last-resort solution in reserve to overcome our stalemate. But only if youfokkin’ listen.’
Saba jolted at his words, shocked at his unbidden revelation about how he felt about her, perhaps without even thinking.
Her heart thudded as Mak continued, oblivious to her astonishment.
‘We might have that lifeline you need. It concerns a project Saba is spearheading to create an innovative hydrogen scoop and fusion drives to help us get to Pegasi quicker.’
Zolan narrowed his eyes at Mak with suspicion. ‘OK?’
‘We require manpower, workers to build those freakin’ engines and new ships, get people off these aging clunkers like yours and into faster, more efficient, clean energy vessels.’
The SidaniŠarkhanangled his head and studied her husband. ‘Sounds promising.’
‘It is. Zolan, it’ll give your people a lifeline other than crime and piracy. I’m willing to consider a profit share of each craft we sell, a reasonable percentage of the sales, and maybe a discount on new ark ships. What do you say?’
Zolan took a moment to mull over Mak’s proposal, his eyes never leaving his face. Finally, he assented with a twist to his lips. ‘Alright, I’ll think on it.’
