Page 38 of Journey to the Forbidden Zone
“Sark, find us a stable layer. Something with less shear. Zed, full damage report. Prioritize structural integrity and the jump-drive. We’re not staying for tea.”
“Aye, Captain,” Sark said, his voice still tight but losing the edge of panic. He began scanning his navigational displays. “There’s a denser stratum about fifty klicks down. Lower turbulence. Might buy us some time.”
“Do it.”
Carmen leaned back slightly in her chair. The frantic energy of the fight was ebbing, leaving a bone-deep weariness in its wake. Her gaze drifted back to the Xena. Mila had lowered her hand from the bulkhead, her posture relaxing minutely. She met Carmen’s look, those green eyes holding a quiet intensity.
“That was quick thinking,” Carmen said, her voice rough. “The coolant loop. How did you know?”
“I was an engineer aboard a transit shuttle prior to becoming Harimi,” she answered. “I’ve always been fascinated by space travel and ship operations. Comparative starship engineering is one of my favorite subjects.
“The Kestrel’s design flaws were well-documented in technical journals of the era. It seemed a plausible vulnerability.”
Carmen’s mouth fell open. Mila was a starship engineer? And not just any engineer. A good one. A learned and clever one. She’d given all that up to become a concubine?
“Your crew is remarkably efficient under pressure, Captain,” Mila said. “Your pilot’s maneuvers were exceptional.”
Sark didn’t acknowledge the compliment, but he sat up a little taller in his seat. A flicker of gratitude cut through Carmen’s exhaustion. She appreciated the assessment of hercrew, but more than that, Mila’s calm, intelligent analysis had probably just saved their lives. Her mind was sharp, a valuable asset. She saw solutions where others saw only walls.
“Yeah, well, don’t let it go to his head,” Carmen managed, forcing a tight smile.
Desire ignited in Carmen when she looked on the Xena refugee. It was confusing. Disorienting. She tore her gaze away, focusing on the swirling gases outside.
“Zed! Talk to me!” she spat into the commlink.
“Structural stress is stabilizing at the new flight level, Captain,” Zed reported. “Hull temperature decreasing. Primary concern remains the hyperspace jump-drive. Sector Theta-7 instability is now fluctuating at 0.005% outside tolerance. Amplitude increasing. Probability of catastrophic failure during jump sequence has risen to 4.1%. Recommend immediate course plotting to the nearest viable exit point from this gravity well. Extended submersion risks further sensor degradation and increased detection probability upon emergence.”
“Understood.” Carmen turned to Sark. “You heard him. Plot the shortest possible course out of this soup. Minimum safe distance for a hyperspace jump. As soon as we’re clear of the gravity well and the planet’s mass, get us anywhere the fuck away from here.
“Norvik, keep passive sensors on max sweep. And shut the damned klaxons off. They’re giving me a headache.
“Letitia, power down weapons to standby, reroute everything you can to structural integrity and the jump-drive.”
“Aye, Captain,” the responses came in quick succession.
The bridge shifted from battle frenzy to focused escape preparation. The alarms fell silent.
Sark worked frantically, muttering to himself. No one spoke asAntillesrose through the thick gases. Carmen held her breath.If he brought them out too near the other ship … If the pirates anticipated their course and were ready to jump them …
The clouds cleared. The black of space and the pinpricks of stars filled the viewscreen again.
“Norvik, where’s that other ship?” Carmen asked.
“Presently outside scanning range, Captain,” he answered, his eyes glued to his instrument panel. “But interference from the static in the planet’s atmosphere could still be masking their signature.”
Carmen bit her lip. If this didn’t work, they wouldn’t get another chance. Another surprise attack would finish them….
“Sark, time to safe jump-point,” she said.
“Thirty-two seconds,” he answered.
Thirty-two seconds? Hell, that was an eternity.
“Start plotting your course. Spool the drive.”
“Aye, Cap.”
His fingers flew over the helm, adjusting trajectory, calculating jump-points, finding a destination. She couldn’t manage a smile, but a tight look of satisfaction flashed across her face. This was the man she knew – talented, capable, brave.