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Then came a cacophony of familiar voices, all talking over each other.

"Ariana! Are you okay?" "Did you find Sasha?" "Is everyone alright?" "Morgan? Torq? Can you hear us?"

I nearly burst into tears at the sound of Jess, Britta, and Fiona all trying to speak at once. Across from me, Vyk's normally stoic expression softened at the sound of Fiona's voice, and Torq sagged against the bulkhead in obvious relief when Jess called his name.

"We're all here," Ariana assured them. "Sasha too. Mission accomplished."

"Well done." A new voice cut through the chatter, deep and commanding. "All of you."

Tivek's mouth actually dropped open, his composure slipping for the first time since we’d rejoined the others. "Admiral Zoran?”

We all exchanged startled glances. The Academy Master himself had joined the rescue mission? That was unprecedented.

Before anyone could respond, a terrible sound of metal grinding against metal tore through our ship, followed by the high-pitched wail of emergency systems. The deck plates beneath us vibrated ominously.

"What's happening?" I asked.

Ariana's hands flew across the controls, her face grim as she assessed the damage readouts. When she spoke, her voice was tight.

"The starboard engine is completely gone. Coolant systems failing. Hull integrity compromised in three sections." She looked back at us, her expression bleak. "I'm sorry, but we're not going to make it back to the academy."

My heart stopped. Not going to make it? As in, we were going to die out here in the cold emptiness of space?

And then the ship's lights failed completely, leaving us in darkness and silence.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Tivek

I’d been in tougher situations, but not by much. Our ship was dead in space. Our engines were gone. Our life support was still functioning, but for how long?

The blue emergency lights flickered on, glowing from the recesses in the ceiling and making everyone’s terrified faces look even more gaunt. I caught Commander Vyk's eyes across the cabin. His face was set in the grim mask I'd seen a thousand times during our time at the academy.

“Emergency power is holding,” Ariana said, the smallest bit of hope in her voice.

I didn’t know how long that would be true, which meant there was little time to lose. Unhooking myself, I headed toward the back of the ship, my footsteps echoing on the metal grating of the floor. Once I’d reached the back, I opted open an electrical panel to assess the damage.

"You know something about ship repairs?" Vyk asked, as he approached from behind.

I chose my words carefully. "More than you might expect from an adjunct."

What he didn't know was how many solo reconnaissance missions I'd conducted over the years, how many times I'd patched together damaged vessels while deep in enemy territory.

Vyk grunted but didn't push further. His focus had already shifted to the exposed circuits as Torq appeared next to me and pried off another access panel. The acrid smell intensified, making my eyes water.

Torq waved a hand in front of his face as he stepped back and glanced at Vyk. “Maybe an Iron should take a look.”

I often forgot that Commander Vyk had been an engineer at the academy since he’d gone on to become an Inferno Force warrior and a notoriously merciless one, at that.

"Main power coupling is fried," Vyk said after a cursory look at the circuitry. "And the secondary systems aren't engaging properly."

I leaned in, eyeing the wires inside my panel. "The cascade failure damaged the isolation circuits. We need to reroute through the tertiary systems."

Both Drexians looked at me with renewed interest, but neither commented as I reached past them to disconnect the damaged coupling. My fingers moved with practiced efficiency, muscle memory taking over as I bypassed the failed systems.

"If we can get minimal power restored," I said, "we might be able to limp to a safe location."