Sunspire (The Reach, Book 4) by Mark R. Healy Page B

leave!” Talia said, grabbing the phone and tilting it toward her.  “Please, Captain Ngozi!”
    Ngozi recoiled in surprise.  “Well,” he said.  “You’re keeping some attractive company these days, old friend.”   He gave Silvestri a wink.
    “Captain, you have to meet us at Sunspire,” Talia insisted.  “If I could tell you what we’ve been through…”
    “Yes?  I’m listening.”
    “We fought all the way to the roof of the Reach and took down the Redmen who were stationed there.  We protected it all through the night against the crazy bastards who were trying to take it from us, and then, after all that, it ended up being for nothing.  The habitat was destroyed, and we were left stranded.”
    “I see,” Ngozi said pensively.  “And where exactly are you right now?”
    “We just left the Reach,” Silvestri said.
    “According to the data I’m seeing here, Sunspire is a couple of hundred clicks away from Link,” Ngozi said, staring at the screen before him.
    “Yes.”
    “How are you going to get there?”
    “Leave that to us,” Talia said.
    Ngozi’s expression turned serious for the first time as he considered.  “Do you really think this is possible, Silvestri?”
    “Absolutely.  We’ll be there, I guarantee it.”
    Ngozi rubbed his brow.  “If your friends can get the pinger working and activate a cruiser dock, then it might be possible.  But I won’t even try unless they can guarantee the seals are still in order.”
    “We’ll do that.”
    “The dock needs to pass diagnostics, one hundred percent.  I don’t want an explosive decompression blowing a hole in my hull.”
    “I promise, we’ll take all the necessary precautions,” Silvestri said.
    Ngozi inclined his head, then took another sip from the glass.  “And one other thing.  I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I can only give you a window of forty-eight hours on this thing.  There’s just too much heat up here.  Patrols are everywhere.  If they catch me smuggling illegals, it’ll be my ass.”
    “Forty-eight hours?” Silvestri said.  “Is there some wiggle room in there?”
    “Afraid not, old friend.  I’m sorry, but I just can’t take the risk.”
    “We’ll make it,” Talia said adamantly.
    Ngozi hoisted the glass.  “I’ll have a round of Saturn’s Tears waiting for you if you do.”   He checked the console again.  “Give me another call when you’re closer and we’ll fine tune the arrangements.”
    “I don’t know if we can do that, Captain,” Silvestri said.  “We might not have access to another relay between here and there.”
    “Damn.  You’re really doing this the hard way, Silvestri.”
    “It’s the only way.”
    Ngozi shrugged. “So be it.  I’ll be at Sunspire in forty-eight hours, on the dot, and that pinger better be loud and clear.  It better be screaming as it guides me in.”
    “It will be,” Silvestri said.
    Ngozi’s face softened.  “Good luck, Silvestri.  I mean it.”
    “See you at Sunspire.”
    Silvestri closed the call as Roman dropped down beside them, and Talia took a deep breath.
    “I’m starting to believe we could actually make this work,” she said.
    “There’s still a long way to go, and not much time,” Silvestri said.  “But yes, it might work.”
    Talia dialled the longwave again, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto her face.  “Knile, we’ve spoken to Captain Ngozi.  The cruiser is on its way.”  This time she did not bother to wait for a reply before putting the phone away.  “I sure hope he’s hearing this.”
    “So what the hell is a pinger?” Roman said.
    Silvestri grimaced.  “I have no damn clue.”
     

 
    16
    An hour later, Talia waited as Silvestri surveyed the street behind them from the cover of a half-collapsed brick wall.  He squinted toward the west, then rapped his knuckles on the brickwork as if to admonish himself.
    “It’s them, no question,” he said, loping back toward the group.
    “I