Hellion 1193:“Thanks for the tag.”
Hellion 870:“No problem.”
We race together toward the oncoming enemy ships like we’ve fought together before. It’s just Hellion training, but it’s effective.
He fires a rocket behind me and takes out a Slithership fast approaching my tail.
Hellion 870:“Thanks.”
He clicks back twice, and I know he got the message.
I hope we can survive this and make it back to our new mates. Tag-teaming with Sa’Tai gives me another set of eyes in the sky and a greater chance of staying alive.
Hellion 1193:“I have now taken two. Shall we make this a game?”
I chuckle, liking his dark sense of humor.
Hellion 870:“Deal.”
33: Jovie
I finally get the damaged control panel repaired and soldered back into place. “Okay, Allele!”
The starter flashes in rapid succession, warming up the turbo coils. “Stage one, confirmed.”
I hang onto the internal framework of the engine bay as we sway again. Blood thumps through my body. I definitely tolerate being in battle better with something to do.
Tal hangs onto the opening in the floor. “Turbo coils hot. Stage two, confirmed.”
Flashes become steadier, and the starter kicks off. “Stage three!” I shout up at him.
Heat stirs around the engine as it begins to glow and whir. I monitor the revolutions rising on my gauntlet as Allele rotates, and I’m slung around, held in place only by my tether. “Stage four, confirmed.”
Come on—
The nodes around the engine that absorb Allele’s thermal energy light up and feed into the ship. “Five!”
I close up the housing and bolt it down. When she’s fully back together, I hand my tool pack up to Tal and disconnect myself. He helps me back into the main fuselage as the ship rotates again.
My ponytail does a 360 with Allele. It’s such a strange sensation to me, while everyone else seems to be unaware. Even Tal seems nearly comfortable with the insanity of the movements. There is no pattern. Battles in space are utter chaos.
A Denarsoan ship blinks into oblivion. Then, an Amphiran fighter. Another Denarsoan vessel. Allele codes them withorange, green, and purple silhouettes on the front windows, somehow tracking all the vessels and the grid of gunfire.
“Eleven left,” Blaize reports as Fieri races us away from another attack. The stars are littered with amber rockets and green shield blasts.
An Amphiran mothership takes a hit. Lights flicker off. I see it—feelit. It’s strange the way it tugs at my insides.
I brace my stomach, catching Eluni’s attention.
“Going to be sick?” she asks.
“The ship. I felt it power down. Is that weird?”
Eluni’s eyes widen. “For a human, yes.”
“Ivairamhas no engines!” Blaize swipes through screens as I steady myself on a support pillar. “Gailith. Kilaros. Vadarei.”
I pull myself to Blaize’s seat and look at the video feed. “They’re targeting punchdrum capacitors for the engines. I don’t know what you call them. Tell them to reroute power to their midspan backups. If we have them, I’m sure you’ve got something similar. Might have to shut off nonessential facilities.”
