Page 25

Vynia sits at her console, ready to fly us out of here. Altis sits to my right, Mydax to my left. I didn’t tell either of them that I invited Neev to the bridge to observe take off and the jump. There’s nothing like watching the stars streak by in the seconds leading to being able to bend space and time to the will of your ship.

The lift doors slide open, and all eyes turn to the female who walks into the room. Despite the bruise and cuts on her cheek, she looks completely fine. She moves with a smooth, confident stride, nodding in greeting to the twins. I stand and gesture to my seat.

“You can sit here.”

She glances quickly at Mydax. “Are you sure? Isn’t that your chair?”

“It is. I’ll be fine standing behind you. The first time you experience a jump can be disorienting.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t spare another glance at the male to her left.

“Jump drive is ready, Commander.” Vynia taps a few buttons on her console. “Ready to engage at your mark.”

I lean down and reach over Neev’s shoulder, grabbing the belt and buckling her in. “Just in case,” I say quietly into her ear.

The only tell that she’s nervous is the way her fingers grip the arm rests.

“Engage,” I say to Vynia.

CHAPTER9

NEEV

* * *

The world drops from my feet at the sound of Raiz’s command. One second I was sitting in the captain’s chair. The next my body was weightless, floating in the ether of space and time. Just as quickly, I’m slammed back in my body, my stomach churning at the rapid changes.

When I look out into space, instead of seeing the binary stars of the system we had been in, I see a glowing red star. The crew around me relaxes; it’s nearly imperceptible, but I sense the feeling of familiarity and longing sink over them.

Would I feel that way if I could see Oculus Nine? I don’t think so. The thought of going back makes me uneasy. I love my work. I miss Torre. But the rest of it? I search my soul for anything resembling longing for my life back there.

I find none. In fact, part of me feels uneasy thinking about it. Having seen more than my home for the past twenty-two years has filled me with a level of excitement I haven’t felt in my life. It’s only been a short time that I’ve been outside my cage, but I yearn for more. My eyes drift to Raiz’s strong profile, and my soul feels weirdly at ease.

Mydax stands and turns to walk over to one of the crew stationed along the walls of the bridge, but he stops and turns back to me.

“I’m sorry for what happened earlier in the journey. I lost control. It won’t happen again,” he says, his crimson eyes imploring me to trust his word.

“Forgiven.” I unbuckle the belt across my waist and push to my feet, hoping no one sees I’m still a bit unsteady. “We’re all new to this partnership. I’ll do my best to keep my emotions locked down.”

“You weren’t the problem.” Raiz says from behind me. “Mydax, begin docking preparations. Our window between flares is relatively short.”

“Between flares?” I turn to the commander.

“Zeahiri is close to our star.” He taps a few buttons on the armrest of his chair, and a hologram of the system pops up. “Here’s our planet.” He points to one of three orbiting the star. “Due to how close we are, Zeahiri gets hit with radiation storms frequently. Some interfere with our electronics, so we’ll dock the ship on the dark side of the planet at the space station. Then we’ll take transports down to the surface.”

“Are the other planets inhabited?”

“Yes.” His lips flatten into a firm line.

Damn.Clearly not a fan of the neighbors.

“May I stay up here and observe?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll stay out of the way. I don’t want to be a distraction.”

“Don’t worry. This is very routine. The crew is experienced.”