Chapter 28
As Roys said, Zavir had been set free of his torment on the tenth day, and he wept.
“I’ll live,” he cried, kneeling in the grass, arms to the sky. “I’ll finally live!”
“You are awfully dramatic,” said Iylene.
“You would be too if you were in my position. I have done more these past few days than in my entire life combined.” Zavir stood, two hands on his hips and two in his hair. “I thought the captain would run me ragged until the end of the tour, if I survived that long.”
“I could always change my mind,” came Roys’ voice from behind us.
Our captain had us all decked out, exoskin’s on with an extra pack of essentials per person. The shuttle hummed to life.
“No, sir, I understand the wrong I have done and greatly appreciate you disciplining me properly,” said Zavir.
Excuse me, the only person who got proper discipline here was me, thank you very much.
Roys had his visor on and darkened; otherwise, we probably would have seen him smiling. “Good. I'd better not have to do this again.”
“Absolutely not. The lesson has been learned.”
“Get on the shuttle. We’re heading out,” Roys ordered, and the three of us followed.
Korb and one mineralogist wanted to see the mountain they believed to be volcanic, most likely dormant. That meant I got to fly the shuttle, or rather, sit in the pilot seat because they usually had them on autopilot, but I could pretend to fly the shuttle.
The cockpit door opened after Roys made sure everyone was settled. The door shut when he crashed into the copilot seat. He tugged off his visor to sit on the middle console next to mine. The exoskin hugged him in all the right ways, accentuating the muscles in his legs and thighs most of all.
“We’re good to go,” he said. “Keep autopilot on.”
"I thought watching me fly got you all hot and bothered." I double-checked the landing gear, then flipped on the holo screen to check the cabin and exterior. The engine lights blinked green, and the perimeter was safe for takeoff.
"It does." He gave me a slow once over that made me seriously question sucking him off on the ride there. "But that doesn't mean I trust you to fly, although seeing you going through all the checks is making me feel better."
“I am not interested in getting blown up. Seatbelt.”
“I am still shocked you wear a seatbelt.” Roys hit the button on the middle console. His seatbelt rolled out to lock him in place.
“It’s protocol,” I mocked, catching his small smile out of the corner of my eye.
He settled his elbow against the windowsill and leaned his temple against it. The shuttle shakily rose before taking off far too slowly for my liking. We should have been given a speeder. Alas, Corporate didn’t want us risking crashing one by flying haphazardly near the ground.
“Tell me about your first time in a speeder,” Roys said with a finger against his full lips where he nipped at his nail.
“Why?”
“Making chit-chat while we wait.”
Humming, I said in a singsong voice, “I don’t think I want to chit-chat, Captain.”
“I passed out and, when we landed, I threw up on myself.”
I burst out laughing, causing Roys to do the same. He bit his bottom lip in a way that tested my will because all I wanted was to lean over and kiss him. We were alone in the cabin. With the door shut, no one would know…
But it was cheesy, and too much, and I wouldn’t give in to foolish thoughts.
“I didn’t expect the G’s to affect you so badly in a speeder cockpit.” Roys tapped a finger against his cheek. “I expected to be protected from it, but it was rough.”
“I passed out too, but I didn’t puke until I was out of the speeder. The second go went the same. The third time I stayed awake, but I sat in front of a toilet for hours. On the fourth though, it was like everything changed.”
“Really?” He gave a disbelieving look while rubbing the crook of his arm.
“Why? How long did it take you to get used to it?”
Based on those pursed lips, he didn’t want to answer.
That made me even more curious. I tugged on his gloriously muscled thigh.
He didn’t answer. I tugged on his knee. No answer.
I grabbed his firm chest and squeezed. He shoved me off.
I leaned over to grab between his legs, and he swatted at me, chuckling.
Damn, I really, really liked his laugh.
“Twelve runs until I stopped throwing up. Seventeen until I could actually fly,” he admitted.
I slapped my hands against the wheel. “They had me piloting a speeder on my own by the sixth.”
“You are good at it. It’s why I was always so irritated with you.”
“Because I’m better than you?”
He flicked me on the nose. I cursed and rubbed the spot while he replied, “Because you waste your potential by being a prick most of the time. You’re good in a speeder, good with a blaster, good with your hands—”
“Better with my mouth.”
Shutting his eyes, he groaned. “Stop.”
I clicked my tongue. “You have never wanted me to.”
“Ethin.”
“Roys.”
He rolled his eyes but didn’t bother hiding his smile. “You’re intelligent, quick-witted, observant, and good at anything you’re given a moment to study, but most importantly, have the patience for.”
I shifted my weight from side to side. His compliments were suffocating.
Pretty little lies, like the faux flowers the upper ring sat on their windows at the Colony.
They didn’t feel real, like he was making shit up to get under my skin.
I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what to do with them.
Didn’t know how to handle that kind of honesty, the way he looked at me so I knew he meant every word, so I took the easiest way out.
“This flattery is concerning. Are you dying?”
“Am I not allowed to flatter you?”
“I prefer it in bed.”
“You want me to talk about speeders and lasers in bed?”
I shrugged and tapped my hands on the wheel. “That could be an interesting challenge.”
“I’ll pass.” Roys slipped a hand into his pocket to pop in a candy.
“Feeling angsty?” I held up my hands, signaling to the wheel being free of me. “I’m not even driving, but if I were, I’m skilled, as you said, unless your flattery was a load of shit.”
“It wasn’t,” he replied. I shifted again, realizing I shouldn’t have said that. “We’re flying to unknown territory, and you’re with us.”
“I’m lucky.”
“Not to everyone around you.” Roys cracked the candy in his mouth and went for another one.
“Careful, you’re going to run out, and I imagine it’ll be a pain in the ass to order more.” I dipped my hand into his pocket, surprised he didn’t stop me. Taking a piece, I put one in my mouth, finding it not to be as sweet as when Roys shared one with me.
“I practically bring a warehouse of these wherever I go.”
“Here I thought you weren’t needing them as much. I haven’t seen you eating any and kissing you doesn't taste as good without them.”
“If you’re going to complain, I guess we can put a stop to our nightly rendezvous.”
“So sensitive.” I squeezed his thigh. He smacked my hand away, and I cradled it to my chest. “I didn’t realize you were so easily o—”
“ETHIN!” Roys screamed.
My hands fell on the wheel, jerking to the right. The autopilot switched off as I took manual control to avoid the tendrils bursting out of the canopy below. They thrashed around us, thumping against the shuttle.
“Brace yourselves!” Roys called over comms to the screaming passengers.
The shuttle was no speeder. They groaned and fought against sharp maneuvers, and these tendrils were swift.
They lurched out of the canopy, which looked like an upside-down mushroom cap.
More and more of them splayed themselves open, releasing tendrils into the sky, translucent like those that grabbed Arana.
Except these were as thick as my arm and blinking with yellow light.
The shuttle groaned when the tendrils latched themselves onto the exterior.
Shuttles weren’t made for evasion or assault.
As I pushed the junk to top speed, the tendrils tugged, trying to drag us toward the canopy, and they would because the engine burned hot.
If the tendrils didn’t crush us, the engine would blow us to bits. Cheap fucking Corporate.
“I’m going to shut off the engines,” I said.
“What?!” Roys bellowed.
“Once I shut them off, the tendrils will pull us to the canopy. Flip the engines back on, you give the engines a little extra thrust, and there should be enough flames to burn them to a crisp.”
“Are you nuts?” Roys glanced at the door. “We have flamethrowers on board… but we can’t risk opening the hatch.”
“Exactly."
The shuttle shrieked, signaling its inevitable loss. Roys saw the idea, his eyes wide in realization, but still hesitated.
“What’s the fucking problem and say it before the tendrils drag us in—” and one of them hurled against the window, then more joined, making the shuttle screech. “Fuck it, hit the button in three!”
I shut off the engine. Everyone screamed.
We plummeted. Roys’ eyes strayed over the dash.
We hit the canopy, where the tendrils enveloped us in a sea of flashing white lights.
A crack formed in the window. Roys shook, sweating, hands hovering over the dash.
I hit my seatbelt and flew over the console to slam the burn fuel button.
My other hand turned on the engine, and the shuttle howled, or maybe it was the flora.
Fire roared. The tendrils went red and then caught in flames. We burst out of the canopy, a blazing ball of fire and thrashing tendrils that fell away. I dropped into the pilot seat, barely getting into position before the seatbelt clicked on.
“Sorry about that, folks. Had to escape being devoured by flora. The shuttle is damaged but can get us back, so we have to cut this little adventure of ours short today. Please keep all bodily fluids within yourself until we land. Over and out,” I said over comms before checking our engine.
So hot it could rival the stars but cooling fast since the shuttle returned to its preferred leisurely pace.
Nothing else proved to be a potential problem, so we were in the clear.
Roys’ leg took on a whole new level of shaking, bouncing enough to vibrate his seat. He removed his seatbelt and went for the door, saying over his shoulder, “Good job.”
He went into the cabin to explain the situation.
My fingers tapped against the wheel, wondering exactly what had happened.
Roys saw the merit in my plan. He was willing to do it but what — he couldn’t find the damn button?
We did plenty of maneuvers in speeders, behemoths compared to this fucking shuttle.
With all the tours he had been on, he flew these shuttles more than I did. What was the problem?
The cabin door opened. Roys sank into the copilot seat. He put on the seatbelt and shut his eyes.
“The shuttle got a quick scan of that flora, so we’ll be notified should we ever come across them again,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll search for a safer path to the mountain.”
“On manual, yeah?”
“Definitely on manual, and Iylene will be your copilot.”
My jaw clenched. “You doing that because you froze?”
Roys had far more hours than Iylene, than all of us. He should have been able to react without my help. He should be the one co-piloting the shuttle. Not that I didn’t want Iylene with me, but… I didn’t get it. Him.
“Now isn’t the time to rub it in,” he grumbled, arms crossed.
“For once, I’m not. It’s a question.”
“Yet you make it sound like a jab.”
“You’re taking it as a jab.” I flexed my fingers while his were pressed firmly into his arms. My chest ached with a pain I couldn’t place. “Why did you freeze? I’ve seen you do faster maneuvers than that in a speeder.”
“This isn’t a speeder.”
“You’ve piloted a shuttle before.” I tapped and tapped, wondering if I had misunderstood, if he didn’t… “Did you hesitate because you didn’t believe in my plan?”
He set a glare on me. “Not everything is about you.”
“I am asking honestly if you didn’t trust my plan.”
Roys slammed his fist on the dash. “Just pilot the fucking shuttle, Lucky!”
His attention was hotter than ever, pointed in a way it hadn’t been for a while. I had the urge to meet his scrutiny, to give him shit, but the words congealed on my tongue.
Eyes set firmly ahead, I flew without saying another word while he kept popping candy and crunching them to bits.
I kind of hated him calling me Lucky.