Interspace Origins 01: Faring Soul by Tracy Cooper-Posey

Author:Tracy Cooper-Posey [Cooper-Posey, Tracy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction romance
Publisher: Tracy Cooper-Posey
Published: 2016-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

It took Brant five minutes to figure out where the weapons console was. Lilly leaned over from her own boards, slapped the switch that changed out the back-up system feeds for the weapons controls and by that time, they were out of the atmosphere and the two Federation troop carriers were in their field of sight.

“Carriers,” Bedivere murmured. “We can out-run them.”

“Then to the gate and let’s get out of here. Straight to Drusiss, Bedivere. I’m tired of running scared.”

He nodded.

Catherine turned to look at Brant, who was frowning his way through the controls. “You guard our rear,” she told him.

“Done,” he said flatly.

“Lilly, we’re jumping in…” She looked at Bedivere.

“Sixty-four minutes,” he said flatly.

Lilly opened her mouth to protest, then shut it and nodded. Her face was pale.

Catherine didn’t have time to talk after that. It was the most crowded and short jump prep she had ever been through and only the mild comfort of knowing that Brant was watching their rear stopped her from melting down altogether.

Bedivere accelerated all the way to the gates, which were closer than normal to the planet because there were so many gravity wells in the system that gate placement was a logistics nightmare. It made the jump even more precarious, but the closeness was going to help them, this time.

They passed through into the wormhole the gates generated with the carriers close behind. As the soundless, featureless hole engulfed them, Catherine sat back in the chair, all her muscles weak. For a moment she couldn’t move.

“Why didn’t they fire on us?” Brant said. “They’re military carriers. They’d have nukes and more on board.”

“They want me alive,” Catherine said sourly. “That’s why they tried to take out the ship first, instead of just lobbing the bomb on our picnic blanket.” She stirred and looked at Lilly. “You. In the rec room. Now.”

Lilly’s eyes widened, but she nodded and followed Catherine off the flight deck.

Brant and Bedivere came behind.

The dinner table was still covered with the remains of their preparations for the picnic. Most of it had toppled and spilled, or had slid right off onto the floor. None of them had been expecting to take flight before they returned to the mess. Catherine made note. Next time, clean up first.

She confronted Lilly, as Brant slid into the room around Bedivere, who stayed in the doorway, which happened to block any way out and also happened to put him right behind Lilly.

“It’s nothing personal,” she told Lilly. “But the only way the Federation could possibly have known we were on Sunittara was if someone told them.”

Lilly’s mouth dropped open. “You think I am working for the Feds?”

“I know that Brant isn’t. I also can personally account for his every move since Bedivere landed us on Sunittara and surprised us with the picnic. You, however, disappeared into the engineering section after we landed.”

Lilly shook her head. “I’m not Federation! I swear! There was another warning light showing. I wanted to check on it because Bedivere said he was going to keep the engines on trickle while we were dirtside.

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