I slump in the copilot’s seat and watch the screens and skies for any sign of Aura and his friend Sa’Tai. Several long minutes pass before Eluni punches out another missile that arcs across the starscape and pelts a ship I can’t see. But when it lights up, I pick up the ribbed ailerons and black hull.
“Bam! Eat that, bitches!” Eluni whoops, swivels, and fires again. “Ashes to stardust and glitter and shit. Kiss my ass before I blow up your...”
“Eluni, Jovie.” Allele interrupts. “Aura’s in trouble. I cannot reach him. There is some sort of force field stopping mycommunication with him. His last known location is Deck Eleven near the cargo docks, here onGravion.”
A schematic appears on a screen beside Eluni.
“Where’s Sa’Tai?” I ask.
She tracks a tiny shape in the stars. “Eluni, fire.”
Eluni swivels her gun and takes the shot. The missile arcs through the emptiness and punches through a small fighter chasing Sa’Tai’s silhouette.
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask Allele.
“He is returning to his ship, leaving the battlefield now,” Allele replies. “Back to Aura.”
A door opens in the back of the ship.
“The ship is chaos. Fieri’s team is already occupied. Aura needs help. I cannot go. It must be you two. No one else is responding.”
34: Jovie
Eluni and I look into the room Allele has opened and find weapons and ammo.
“Okay, so we go in,” I say. “But the Denarso are tearing up Earth’s orbit, picking off Terran ships, and firing at ABR vessels entering and exiting space. The battle is quickly escalating into a bigger conflict, even though they’re outnumbered. Isn’t there a way we can portal them out of here, all the flightless ones, take them away from all these innocent people?”
“A mass teleport has not been done with enemy ships, but it could work. I have teleported MONA, Elix’s Scintilla,” Allele replies. “It could draw the attention of the Denarso to their abducted ships. Get them to leave Earth.”
“Can you get the others the message?” Eluni asks.
“I will coordinate the mission,” Allele remarks. “Is now a bad time to tell you the Ginarigons are entering orbit?”
Eluni races up front to check the scanners. I follow, curious what they’re doing here. She slumps like she’s relieved.
“What is it?”
She points to an area of space near the moon. “They’re taking up defense positions around Earth. Guess they’re not total assholes.”
“Tal said they hate Denarso.”
“Lots of females on Ginarigon.” Eluni rests a hand on a nearby wall. Allele’s milky sheen ripples with green electricity around Eluni’s hand. “Thank you for getting us here in one piece. Just keep your shields up, Allele. You’re Queen out here. I don’t want you unguarded. Call if you need us.”
She hands me a set of radiant chips. “For your gauntlets. I finished installing the shield generators. Even one can knock a Denarso off your ass. Copy?”
I take the orbs encased in my generator tech and insert them into my gauntlets. “Thank you.”
“You have no Storm, so you have little defense system otherwise.” Eluni motions to the cargo bay at the back. “Go test them. Be quick.”
I walk in and wait for the door to close, then tap my forearms together. The shield flashes for a second.
“Hold them,” Allele says.
I press my arms together in front of me, opening a translucent green shield that encompasses my body.
A bright arc slams into me, pushes me backward, and disburses around the shield. It’s startling at first, but the tech works.
“Do not tell Aura what we have done, or he may gut me.”
