Opening Gambit by Elizabeth Schechter

Author:Elizabeth Schechter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: erotic science fiction, erotic romance
Publisher: Circlet Press
Published: 2018-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

"He called you a freak. A blunted freak. Why?"

It was the first thing either of them had said since Gavir had freed Iras from the restraints. She'd remained in the rear seat, despite his invitation to join him in the front. Gavir didn't turn when Iras spoke, so he was almost certain that she hadn't seen him flinch. "He did?" he answered, trying to sound normal. "I couldn't hear."

"Why would he say that?"

The 'car picked that moment to shudder. The quiet purr of air circulators sputtered and died, and the lights on the control panels blinked out. Gavir reacted, grabbing the controls and tapping the control for the auto-pilot. Nothing happened. He growled and tapped it again, then cursed. "We've lost auto-pilot. Damn it." Gavir looked at the screen and sighed. "We've lost... I think we've lost the main computer."

"Are we going to crash?"

"No, No. I can still control it manually. And the engines are the best shielded part of this craft, so there should be no damage there. But we have no navigation, to start with. I'm going to have to steer by dead reckoning." Gavir looked out the side window at the setting sun. "Thankfully, that's easy right now. We're still heading west. Once we're over the Melnamore, I'll bank and we can follow the river north. I should be able to do that even in the dark."

"If you say so. I can't see much. Gavir, why would he call you a freak? He's a Sword, the same as you."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Gavir muttered, low enough that he didn't think Iras could hear. Then he raised his voice, "Iras, I need to pay attention to the terrain and to any pursuit. Without the computer, I don't have scanners."

"All right." She fell silent, and Gavir turned his attention back to the controls. At this speed, and on the course he was taking, they'd reach Maryst... he sighed.

"How are you at math?" he asked.

"Fairly good."

He read her the current speed and altitude, thankful that those gauges were independent of the main computer. "Now, I already told you the route we're taking. About how long will it take us?"

Iras hummed softly for a moment, then clicked her tongue and answered. "About three hours, if I did it right."

"And if you didn't do it right?"

"Then we crash into the other 'car."

"What?" Gavir twisted, looking back over his shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain in his side. Damn it, now not! "What other 'car?"

Iras giggled. "Oh, didn't you ever do that sort of problem at school? One aircar leaves Niran at midday, going so fast, and another leaves Maryst twenty minutes later, going this much faster,. Where do they crash into each other?"

"Really? You do math like that in school? That is... ridiculously morbid," Gavir said. "Why would you want to know where they crash? Wouldn't you want to stop the crash?"

"Don't ask me. I never saw the point."

He looked at the gauges, noticing one in particular was dark.

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