“It’s working on it.”
“It’s definitely a ship,” Elana said.
Suddenly Justyn leaned forward. “You won’t need the software. Look.” He pointed to something.
Nissa leaned forward, too. It was the remains of an engine. And all engines were stamped with a maker’s plate containing the ship’s name. “Can you zoom in? Find the plate?” Excitement was lightning in her blood.
The image zoomed in.
A square plate etched with writing came into view.
Engine Maker: Rolls-Royce Aero
Starship: The Nero.
Justyn laughed. He reached around and tugged Nissa into his lap. Without a care about Elana and his brothers watching, he kissed her silly.
With a laugh, she gripped his cheeks and kissed him back.
“If you two are done—” there was a smile in Dare’s voice “—you’d better suit up and get over to investigate that ship before Gunn tracks us down.”
Elana stood. “Before you do that, come down to the medbay. You’ll need some anti-radiation injections.”
Nissa smiled, giddy with excitement. Right now, neither Gunn nor the deadly radiation bothered her one bit. “Let’s go find our treasure, Phoenix.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Ready?”
Justyn watched Nissa glance up. They were both encased in spacesuits, the silver fabric slicked over their bodies. She held her slim-line helmet under her arm.
She nodded. “I’m ready. So, how are we getting to the wreck?”
Rynan strode in. “On my modified space skimmers.” He waved them through to the shuttle bay.
Inside, two streamlined space skimmers sat side by side. They were designed for the user to lie flat on, gripping the handgrips that contained embedded controls. Tiny plasma thrusters provided propulsion.
“I’ve never seen any skimmers that look like this.” She squatted beside one, running her hands over the sleek design and small engines. “The skimmers on theFreedomare bulky cylinders.”
“My little hobby is redesigning the tech we use a lot. I found standard skimmers too big and lacking maneuverability for some of the things I wanted to use them for.”
That was Ry, always charging in to fix a problem. Justyn nudged his brother. “I’m just happy you’re parting with these babies, and I finally get to use one.”
Rynan gave him a hard stare. “Take care of them.”
Justyn dragged a finger over his heart in the shape of a cross. “I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah, I know your best. Things usually end up shot at or exploding.”
Nissa’s lips twitched. “We ready to go?”
“Yep.” Justyn moved to his skimmer. “These babies have reinforced hulls, so they can withstand the radiation. And with the injections Elana jabbed us with, we have an hour to safely explore the wreck.”
“I’ve studied the design of theNero,” Rynan added. “Cargo was in the back of the ship. But, there’s a chance Captain Griffin kept the document locked in a safe in the captain’s cabin. That’s at the front. I’ve sent details to your mini-Syncs.”
Justyn nodded. “We’ll check both out.”
“All right. Good luck.” Rynan slugged a fist into Justyn’s shoulder then nodded at Nissa before he strode out.
