“Then we wait.”
I keep the engines at full power, swinging around the first moon using the gravity as a slingshot to get into the orbit of the second moon and hopefully putting the astral body between us and the Ulep. The third moon has a hollow center, but it can only be accessed through one crater. I have one chance at this. One only.
The Ulep are still gaining, but they slow slightly as they approach the moons. It’s the gap I need.
“Launch the remote.”
I hear the thing fire away from us.
“Epsilon-alpha-five,” Maggie instructs as we come round into the orbit of the third moon.
The crater is too easy to miss. I rapidly punch in the co-ordinates, and the flyer makes a swift turn, shoving us both back in our seats.
“What was that?” Maggie cries out.
“Nothing,” I lie as the crater rushes up to meet us. “Instruct the remote to release the beacon.”
“Release the beacon,” Maggie says.
And I flip the flyer on its side as we enter the crack within the crater into the cave system of the moon.
“Nev!”
There’s a sheer wall of moon rock directly ahead meaning I have to pull the flyer into a vertical climb, the limited gravity the moon itself offers pulling at the controls as we fire upwards before I can slow us down and we fly into what my instruments claim is a vast cavern.
“Did the beacon deploy?” I turn to Maggie, who has hold of her seat like she is never going to let go.
“It deployed,” she says, her voice shaking. “That was some flying,” she adds.
“I would never let anything happen to you, my sweet mate,” I croon, placing one hand on hers and taking hold of my comm device with the other. “Activate,” I say into it. “Code Driok-four-two.”
For a while, there is simply silence, save for the occasional creak from the hull cooling.
Maggie looks at me and widens her eyes.
“If it worked, the Ulep are now unable to enter the galaxy. Any attempt they make will fry their circuits instantly, leaving them with floating hulks in space.”
“Unable to go anywhere or do anything,” Maggie says.
“And no one will assist an Ulep ship,” I growl. “Not even Gonoz. Not given the predilections of the Ulep.”
“So, how long do we have to stay here?” Maggie asks. “Because if it’s going to be a while, I think we should get more comfortable.”
She looks into the rear of the flyer and then back at me.
“Lord Driok…” The comm crackles into life.
“Foiled by a Sarkarnii.”
“Warrior,” I bark, not taking my eyes from my mate.
“The starnet has deployed.”
“And the Ulep?”
“On the other side.”
Maggie lets out a huge cheer, drowning out anything further my warrior has to say.
