Page 33

I slide into the pilot’s seat of my StarBuster, Gashnaar in the co-pilot’s seat beside me. Elix remains on his ship, alone, with MONA. They are our primary defense system. And as MONA has picked up a bit of a defiant attitude, Elix feels it’s important to make sure they clear up a few things.

Gashnaar muses at my modifications while Teol and Keo strap in behind us. “We used tooo have a fleet of StarBustersss when I was a youngling. They had ooonly hooover and tow-haul capacities. Nooo deep ssspace thrusters or hyperspace enginesss.”

“Have to move fast to evade the enemy.” I warm the engines and guide my cargo ship out of the asteroid field.

Hello, Tempest. We’re all a little beat up, just like you. Hold together for me for one more mission. Then we’ll all get some overdue R and R.

I engage the hyperspace engines and signal Elix we’re about to launch for Denji. He confirms on my screen that he’s ready.

Ihna’s distress beacon appears on the ship’s navigation and my wristband. I send her a message requesting their status.

Ihna: in the Morzivon cave. I can’t get to my ship. Novarks are fighting ghostships and the Nebulous Empire. I don’t understand what’s happening or why they’re all here.

“I know she’s not pretty,” I call back to the other three. “But help me get her ready, please. Missiles are manual-loaded. I think we might need them.”

Keo takes his sister into the back and helps familiarize her with the heavy weapons, while Aurelius seems to know exactly what to do.

As the stars blur and we near the drop-out zone, Gashnaar opens something on a screen. “All the refuges are children, or mooostly?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“Do yooou take them or are they sssent to yooou?”

“Sent by families or living in refugee camps.”

“Do yooou have documentsss for all of that?”

I shrug, not wanting to give him a clear answer. “I’m prepared to handle Sol Federation agents. It’s the relations between species I’m more concerned about.”

He primes the launch tubes. “That’sss my point, thooough. Nebs fighting with Novarks and ghooostfleet above a refuge colony makesss me think they could believe they’re ssstealing each others’ younglingsss.”

I slow the engines and drop us out of hyperspace. “This camp has thirteen species. It’s not like the Novarks are holding ghostfleet children hostage or vice versa.”

Smoke clouds the skies of the green planet of Denji as we approach. Ghostfleet has teamed up with Novarks against a fleet of Nebulous berserkers.

“Oh, shit.” Teol straps in behind me again. “That’s a chaotic mess!”

Elix pulls up beside us as we head for Ihna’s beacon. “Cloaking. See you on the ground, slia ahmani , my mate .”

His ship disappears to guard us without alerting the others. I do no doubt that the other ships know we are here. They just have other things to worry about.

Since I’ve only heard from Ihna, I have to believe the other camp leaders are dead. Watching the battle makes me think about the portal that Elix mentioned, the ghostfleet waiting beyond it, waiting for us.

Tempest shudders as we descend the turbulent skies toward the planet’s surface. Denji is jagged, covered in mountainous terrain with lush valleys between. When the camp comes into view, I start to put everything together.

A Nebulous Empire cruiser has landed in the fields of grain. Beside it is a ghostfleet ship of similar size, something meant for hauling soldiers, large, but still only half the size of my vessel.

Shots streak down from above, lighting up my hull in fractal blues that smoke. The Nebulous Empire has figured out I’m here.

Gashnaar fires up at the Empire ship. The missiles hit a berserker, but barely make a dent in their shields.

Green blasts zing out from an invisible object that arcs in front of us and disappears overhead.

“Shit,” Teol breathes out behind me.

“It’s okay,” I say, hoping I convey confidence. “ Tempest is built to endure star-level heat.”

Aurelius grunts in distrust. “She’s got a good shield and strong hull. But she’s not meant for this level of gravity.”

“That’s what all my mods were for.” I land us in the upper valley by the cave’s entrance. Resting a hand on Gashnaar’s shoulder, I give it a squeeze.

He glances at me, gives me a nod he’s ready to take over piloting so I can focus on the kids. I get up from my seat. “I want the children aboard and in the central quarters. It has extra shielding. We will transport them to the next site, permitting we are not followed. We’re relying on MONA and Elix for that portal.”

Aurelius rights his rifle and hustles to the rear ramp with me. “Sorry I didn’t bring my ship. Relations with my kind aren’t great. Didn’t want to make things worse. But I’m here.”

“I appreciate it,” I say.

Gashnaar and Teol share a moment before taking up positions with Keo behind us. I feel terrible that they’re here when they should be enjoying the race and a vacation on the cruise ship. As the ramp drops, I motion up the hill to the slit of black in the pale gray columns of rock. “That’s where they are. We’re going to have to make this fast.”

More weapons’ fire pelts the land around the vessel, cutting through our path.

What the hell? Where is Elix?

“Zariah!” A raucous voice echoes through the mountains.

Despite protests from my team, I peer out of the ramp and around my ship.

A yellow rectangular portal closes behind Cazir.

He’s a dirty, bloodied mess. I can’t believe he’s still alive.

The feds didn’t pick him up?

“Zariah!” he calls again, face reddening, veins rising in his neck. “Come out or I will teleport myself into that cave and fire until I am out! I know what you’re hiding!”

I glance back at Teol who shakes her head.

“You know the plan,” I say. I will serve as a distraction to my brother. “These children are the future. You get them out of here. With or without me. And you teach them that we don’t have to hate one another.”

Teol hugs me. “Stay loose and ready.”

I nod and shake off the tension that’s grown from hearing my brother’s voice. Then I lean around the side of my ship, skirt into the bushes until I’m away from my crew, and close in on him.

Once our crew is hustling up the hill on the other side of the ship, I aim at my brother, wagering he has a shield, and take the shot. It skips off of his shield and buries in a rock wall.

Just like Dad.

He spins around and smirks, lifting a cannon that swells with yellow light. “Zariah. You made a terrible mistake.”

Panic suffocates me. I scramble up and sprint through the bushes, pushing my legs as fast as I can. I know that weapon all too well.

A blast scores a charred path through the vegetation. Bushes and trees go up in flames so hot they’re rendered to coals, many crumbling to cinders and ash.

“You should’ve just done what you were told and left the feds out of this!” he shouts, firing again, closer to me.

Something falls from the sky. I glance as I run and see Elix slam into the ground. He straightens and produces two iceblades from the holsters on his back.

“She didn’t call them. I did!” Elix growls.

A Novark from the ship in the lower field climbs the hill and fires up at Elix. My stomach clenches so hard I feel like I might get sick.

Elix flicks a blade and deflects the shot like he’s playing a simple game of ping pong. “Now, you better start talking, tekowan, or I’m going to cut your heart out.”

Elix spins his swords and spreads his feet. “You killed my mate. Let’s see how long you last under the weight of my kind of revenge.”