much is riding on me right now. But Mother Mary of Anabolic Grace, I’ve never fought with a
kid
on board.
Stop it. You can do this,
I tell myself.
It’s only a couple more than you took before.
Relax,
March says silently.
I trust you.
His faith permits me to shoot the first one clean.
Five to go.
The drones scramble, swinging up and away. I wish the shuttle had automated defenses. Next time, maybe I’ll take Constance and download her into the nav panel. I bet she can shoot faster. More accurately, too. Vel swings us around, but he’s not as experienced as March. We take a hit in the maneuver, glancing across the bow. The impact rattles us.
The shuttle doesn’t have shields. Its armor will take a few more hits before we’re crippled. Time’s ticking while I fumble locking on the target. It’s harder with March and Sasha aboard; the stakes are higher, and I feel like my hands are all thumbs. My head fills with fear that the shuttle will go down here, in the middle of nowhere, and we’ll be stranded.
They’ll find us.
I’m truly worried about March and Sasha. Now I understand how he felt about going into battle with me. Vel and I, we’ve fought together for turns. I trust he can handle his business. I know March can, too, but not with his kid in tow. He’ll always protect him first, maybe sacrifice himself if push comes to shove.
This
sucks
.
Clumsy on the controls, I take out another one while Vel spins us away from the remaining four. More shots come in hard, and only a sharp altitude drop gets us away from the barrage. I’m tired, terrified, and not on top of my game.
Don’t choke, Jax. Not now.
“I can help,” Sasha says. “This will be easy. They’re not big.”
My hands are shaking. “Go for it, kid.”
Leaning forward, he narrows his eyes on the drones, their lights showing him how to strike. Then he slams all four of them together; they explode like fireworks, bits of metal cascading down. He doesn’t even have to gesture. The shuttle doesn’t rock. That’s some fragging impressive control. No wonder he took the blue ribbon.
“Way to go,” I say, sitting back from the weapons console. Cold sweat trickles down my spine; that was closer than it should’ve been. “You saved us, Sasha.”
March is ominously silent.
CHAPTER 14
“So are we part of the resistance now, like when I fight the evil overlords in Rebel Alliance XVI?” Sasha has chattered all the way to base. “This is like the mission where—”
“Can you sit in the cockpit and run a diagnostic for me?” Vel cuts in. “I must be sure the shuttle sustained no lasting damage.”
“Sure. I mean, I can, can’t I?” The kid glances at March for permission.
“Find me after you’re done,” he says tersely.
I offer Vel a nod of thanks. Sasha needs to be distracted while his uncle tears me a new asshole. I can tell he’s furious; I’m just not sure why. At the house, he didn’t seem this upset with me. He doesn’t speak as he follows me from the hangar. Behind us, the doors have sealed, hiding our energy emissions once again. The next few hours will be crucial as it’ll reveal whether Imperial troops detected our movements.
After a little thought, I lead the way to my quarters. Nobody else needs to hear this, and he requires privacy to yell at me. Sure, he could do it in my head, but it doesn’t have the same impact for a thunderous scold. Once we reach my room, Istep in and seal the door behind us. I don’t take a defensive posture, just brace and wait.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demands.
“Which time?”
“When you let my kid take on the enemy!”
“I thought it was better than dying. I was choking on the guns.” I don’t explain why; it seems to me if he was in my head, he knows. I was too worried about their safety. For once, I couldn’t compartmentalize.
“Then you should’ve given
me
the controls.”
“That would’ve taken too long. By the time we swapped seats, the
kid
on board.
Stop it. You can do this,
I tell myself.
It’s only a couple more than you took before.
Relax,
March says silently.
I trust you.
His faith permits me to shoot the first one clean.
Five to go.
The drones scramble, swinging up and away. I wish the shuttle had automated defenses. Next time, maybe I’ll take Constance and download her into the nav panel. I bet she can shoot faster. More accurately, too. Vel swings us around, but he’s not as experienced as March. We take a hit in the maneuver, glancing across the bow. The impact rattles us.
The shuttle doesn’t have shields. Its armor will take a few more hits before we’re crippled. Time’s ticking while I fumble locking on the target. It’s harder with March and Sasha aboard; the stakes are higher, and I feel like my hands are all thumbs. My head fills with fear that the shuttle will go down here, in the middle of nowhere, and we’ll be stranded.
They’ll find us.
I’m truly worried about March and Sasha. Now I understand how he felt about going into battle with me. Vel and I, we’ve fought together for turns. I trust he can handle his business. I know March can, too, but not with his kid in tow. He’ll always protect him first, maybe sacrifice himself if push comes to shove.
This
sucks
.
Clumsy on the controls, I take out another one while Vel spins us away from the remaining four. More shots come in hard, and only a sharp altitude drop gets us away from the barrage. I’m tired, terrified, and not on top of my game.
Don’t choke, Jax. Not now.
“I can help,” Sasha says. “This will be easy. They’re not big.”
My hands are shaking. “Go for it, kid.”
Leaning forward, he narrows his eyes on the drones, their lights showing him how to strike. Then he slams all four of them together; they explode like fireworks, bits of metal cascading down. He doesn’t even have to gesture. The shuttle doesn’t rock. That’s some fragging impressive control. No wonder he took the blue ribbon.
“Way to go,” I say, sitting back from the weapons console. Cold sweat trickles down my spine; that was closer than it should’ve been. “You saved us, Sasha.”
March is ominously silent.
CHAPTER 14
“So are we part of the resistance now, like when I fight the evil overlords in Rebel Alliance XVI?” Sasha has chattered all the way to base. “This is like the mission where—”
“Can you sit in the cockpit and run a diagnostic for me?” Vel cuts in. “I must be sure the shuttle sustained no lasting damage.”
“Sure. I mean, I can, can’t I?” The kid glances at March for permission.
“Find me after you’re done,” he says tersely.
I offer Vel a nod of thanks. Sasha needs to be distracted while his uncle tears me a new asshole. I can tell he’s furious; I’m just not sure why. At the house, he didn’t seem this upset with me. He doesn’t speak as he follows me from the hangar. Behind us, the doors have sealed, hiding our energy emissions once again. The next few hours will be crucial as it’ll reveal whether Imperial troops detected our movements.
After a little thought, I lead the way to my quarters. Nobody else needs to hear this, and he requires privacy to yell at me. Sure, he could do it in my head, but it doesn’t have the same impact for a thunderous scold. Once we reach my room, Istep in and seal the door behind us. I don’t take a defensive posture, just brace and wait.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demands.
“Which time?”
“When you let my kid take on the enemy!”
“I thought it was better than dying. I was choking on the guns.” I don’t explain why; it seems to me if he was in my head, he knows. I was too worried about their safety. For once, I couldn’t compartmentalize.
“Then you should’ve given
me
the controls.”
“That would’ve taken too long. By the time we swapped seats, the
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