I am the ignition.
I draw a handgun and point it back at my tank. It will take a few rounds, but I’ll make it happen.
Yet as I drift toward the radiant engine bigger than my entire ship, a pit of ink flashes to life between me and destiny.
“We’ll find each other again, Kelta. Be strong.”
It’s my father’s voice. He’s opened his secret portal in front of the enemy. I look out my dusty window and see him peering up at me. In his eyes is regret, a prayer, and hope. He can send small ships to other places, and because he can, he will never go himself. Someone has to protect the portal generator.
“Dad, don’t send me away!”
“I’m not losing another child. Solcrue do not get to take any more of my family from me.”
“Don’t do this!”
The starboard wing disappears into the ink.
“Dad!”
“I can’t send you to any friends. There’s only one other option. Be strong, Kelta. I love you. Your mother and Haakan would be proud.”
I thought I was alone before, but if he’s not sending me to meet up with another rebel fleet, I fear where heissending me.
The swirling dark water swallows my ship, and I’m spit out over a large green planet, tumbling toward the surface instead of a blazing engine. No one follows me.
When I glance back, the portal swirls into nothingness like water down a drain. Beneath my ship, streaks of light fill the atmosphere, and dread grips me.
More Skysprinters?
Solcrue storm the skies above the planet like little black and neon green hornets. The ground rotates by my window and back again. I need to get control.
Forcing a shutdown is the only way I can think of to break free of the dust and gravel.
My systems seem eager to switch off. Lights blink into darkness. Eerie silence fills the cabin. Gunfire sparkles on the surface. And it strikes me how pretty something so deadly can be. It makes me sick to think it could ever be beautiful. But I like shiny things. I can't help it.
I’m just hoping this thing starts.
My head spins until I’m on the edge of nausea. I restart the engines by memory, keeping my eyes closed. I hear the string of beeping tones that let me know my ship is operational. The drone of the engines fills the cabin again.
Yes!Icounter the spinning by launching straight and finding the pattern clearer in the larger arc. I get myself headed toward the planet, away from the battle.
Then I see the motherships.
Three have the planet surrounded. One was bad enough.
I groan in my seat until an unexpected hit sends my navigation and systems flashing blue and my ship racing toward the surface completely dark.
Shit. “Shit. Shit!”
I'm thrown head-first into the battle. Atmosphere wraps sunlight and shades of blue sky around my ship. Reentry is not something my vessel was designed to excel at. It shakes and rattles, fighting gravity, air pressure, and the sheer heat of the friction.
A blazing yellow rocket flies below my ship, then a Skysprinter behind it. A Cyborg Security Patrol ship is right on the Skysprinter's tail, lighting it up. But in the seat is not a scaly, scrawny, enemy Solcrue. It is a muscular gray man, metal, with blue eyes like fire. He looks up at me as I fall.
The rumors suddenly aren’t rumors.
That was a Titan!
Titans are here!
