Chapter 41
“It won’t take long for the Caruso to recover a little and start chasing us,” Ethan said when she flopped down beside him on the bridge. “We’re going to have to pick a direction and run, and when we have enough distance, we can start trying to work out how to navigate back.”
She managed a nod.
“What is it?” He was suddenly focused on her, and she shook her head and waved him back to the controls.
“Nirro and another Caruson soldier came through, with Linao, but she was just collateral. I pissed Nirro off and killed his soldier before I forced them back over.” She flexed her hand. “I don’t think they like me that much, anymore.”
Ethan paused, eyes a little wider, then gave a nod.
“There must be maps,” Velda said. “If we’re near Fjern, then the Cores have come this way before.”
“I wonder where that ore runner is,” Ethan said. “I meant to ask Brink once or twice, but . . .”
“There was all that shooting and fighting,” Velda said. “It was hard to get a word in edgewise.”
Ethan’s lips quirked up. “Exactly. Maybe they went back to Aponi, and if that’s so, they’ve pinched to the black long ago.”
That depended on whether Sylvester had thought he had a good chance of persuading Nirro to help mine the ore on Fjern, or whether he’d decided to send the ore runner back to the mine on Aponi. Either way, they’d need more ore to appease the Caruso, whether it be the rebels or the establishment.
“There’s a pre-programmed destination here,” Ethan said, pulling it up. “I’m assuming it’s to Fjern, if what Nirro said is right. I can’t call up anything else, and I think it’s because of the damage to the panels in your laz fight.”
“What choice to we have, then?” There were plenty of reasons why it was a bad idea to go to Fjern, but being able to retrace their route was a positive. And there was no question she was very curious about the new planet.
The silver balls were, too.
“None. We can stop or go off course if we find an alternative, but let’s use it to get away. Even if Sylvester manages to renegotiate with Nirro, or has a Caruson government warship close by as part of a possible double-cross, he doesn’t know we’re stuck on a single route.”
That was true, Velda realized. Neither Sylvester, nor Nirro, nor, for that matter, Linao, could possibly know that they were locked in to one destination.
“It doesn’t matter, anyway. The only alternative is to choose a random direction, and that’s not smart.” She would rather go where she knew there were people and supplies.
“Agreed.” Ethan tilted the throttle, and Velda felt the Raptor respond, pushing her back in her seat.
On the screen that showed their rear view, she watched as the warship disappeared. “How far is Fjern, according to the maps?”
Ethan tapped at the screen. “Ten hours or so.”
Ten hours meant Fjern was closer than she’d guessed.
“I wonder what’s happening back home,” she said.
“It sounds like whatever takeover was planned has failed.” Ethan stretched in his chair.
“Yes. Brink outright said it had.” She was so relieved about that. Aponi was theoretically safe, and at least for now, so were they.
She looked out into the distance, to the darkness of space and the glimmer of stars and planets in the distance, and finally let herself relax.
They could go to Fjern and hopefully make official contact with a brand new Verdant String planet. If the Cores had already been there, she was sure there was damage control to be done, but she thought she was up for it.
And if it looked like there was a way to get home instead, before they reached Fjern, well, they’d make that call when it presented itself.
She stood, slid onto Ethan’s lap, and smiled up at him when he curved an arm around her.
Her silver balls gave a hum of contentment as they connected to his.
“Do you have to stay at the controls?” she asked.
“For another couple of hours or so, while I get us as far away as possible, as fast as possible,” he said. His voice deepened a little. “Then I can set the ship to autopilot for a bit, so we can rest.”
“Good,” she said, and laid her head on his shoulder. “I was getting tired of being responsible.”