Chapter 1 #2
“Of course.”
Bad feelings or not, crazy science experiments and packed schedules or not, Cody was excited for the new year.
He had his friends with him, his family was healthy and happy, and he had recovered really well from the environmental challenges of Perelan.
As far as he was concerned, everything was off to a perfect start.
Last year’s awfulness had been an anomaly. This year was going to be better. How could it not be?
Chapter Two
Jonah
Jonah winced as he heard his ship’s thrusters whine indignantly and wondered, not for the first time, why he was doing this. “Ease up on the throttle, Lacey. You’re gonna rattle us right apart at this rate.”
Lacey scowled from where she sat in the copilot’s seat. It wasn’t all that different from her expression when they’d lifted off an hour ago, honestly. “It’s this storm, it keeps screwing with me. I thought this thing had stabilizers?”
“It does, but you have to practice things the hard way too,” he reminded her.
“You’ll be tested on whether or not you can fly one of these ships without stabilizers to help you.
Eventually, I’ll shut off one of the engines too”—he shut his eyes briefly as the ship jumped and almost spun out on an updraft for the tenth time in two minutes—“but not today,” he finished.
“C’mon, you’re better with this class of ship than you think.
Just handle the controls like you did in the simulation. ”
“But this isn’t a simulation!”
“No, which is why you’ve got to—proximity alert, Lacey, we’re getting too close to the heart of the storm.
” The ship was built to withstand lightning strikes, but the manufacturers hadn’t imagined how bad storms could be on Pandora.
“Get us some altitude.” She grunted and leaned into the throttle.
It wasn’t easy, but the ship gradually veered away from the hurricane that was whipping across the edge of the ocean as she set them on a higher course a bit closer to land.
“Now can I use the stabilizers?” she asked around gritted teeth.
Jonah checked their position. “Turn the autopilot on.”
“I don’t need the autopilot!”
“You need a break, honey. Turn the autopilot on for a minute, okay?”
“Fine.” Lacey practically slammed the lever into auto mode. Instantly, the ship’s course steadied. Jonah set them to flying in easy circles, then turned toward his son’s childhood best friend.
“What’s going on here, Lace?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She didn’t meet his eyes, though, staring sullenly out at the lashing rain that beat across the viewscreen. It didn’t obscure the holographic projection of their course, but it sure made things dark in the cockpit.
“I’m talking about you jerking around those controls like you’re trying to hold onto a catterpet’s tail. You’ve flown one of these before, Lacey, and I’m right here with you. You don’t have to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Then what are you?” No response. Jonah suddenly felt tired. “Fine. You want to keep it to yourself, that’s your right, but I’m not going to let you take your mood out on my ship. We’re heading back to the Box.”
That got her attention. “No! I don’t want to go back yet!”
“Well, I’m not going to let you fly when you can’t focus, and it’s my ship.”
“I’ll do better, I promise.”
Jonah sighed. “Lacey …”
“My dad is leaving today, all right?” She blurted it out like it had been suffocating her. “He took a contract to fly for one of the travel syndicates. He’s going to command a cruise liner in the Central System.”
Jonah was dumbfounded. Lacey’s family members were among the founders of Pandora’s sole colony. Hell, her father had helped write the original charter. “What about Ellie and the other kids?”
Lacey’s eyes went flinty. “He’s taking them with him, of course.
Why not? They’re his normal family. He doesn’t have to worry about them having an asthma attack or getting the Ceylan flu.
I asked if I could go with them, too, but he said I was an adult now, and I needed to learn to make my own way in the ‘verse.’” Her hands clenched into fists.
“That’s why I have to learn to pilot one of these.
How else will I ever get off Pandora?” She looked away but not before Jonah saw her eyes fill with tears.
“Nothing ever happens here! Cody gets to do everything, he gets to go to the Academy, and visit Perelan, and his whole life is so exciting, and I’m stuck here doing nothing except getting shots!”
“Y’know, not all of that excitement was good for Cody,” Jonah pointed out.
Lacey waved his caution away with the blithe dismissal of an immortal teenager.
“Yeah, but he got through it all fine. And Krystal left six months ago, and Jo’ El is going to work as a miner.
A miner! He got a job on a mining ship even though he’s a natural!
Why can’t I do that? I want to go somewhere.
I want to do something with myself. And I’m going to do it without my fucking father’s help. ”