Page 28 of Starfighter’s Salvation

“No, you’re not.” I was laughing despite myself.

“Not even a little.” Priya shoved a warm mug of something steaming toward me that looked and smelled close enough to coffee that I didn't hesitate to bring it to my lips as the women laughed. The sound hit me harder than it should have. For three weeks, these women had been names connected to missing-persons' stories. Priya had been missing, a gaping hole in my life. Now we were sitting around a table discussing my alien love life over waffles and fake coffee.

I took a bite of the waffle on my plate. Sweet, crisp, with thin slices of the blue fruit cooked into the middle. “Oh my God. This is so good.”

“Right?” Jamie said. “The fruit is called pola. Alex keeps ordering crates of it because I can't stop eating the stuff.”

“Kassius had the kitchen reproduce German chocolate cake,” Mia said. “It took four attempts, but they've got it now. In case you get a craving.”

“Darius doesn’t cook,” Lily said. “He breaks things and brings me the pieces. It’s very romantic.”

“Vesh brings me intelligence reports,” Priya added.

I looked at her. “That explains so much about your dating history.”

“I know, right?”

They started talking over one another. Men. Ships. The shock of discovering that the game had recorded every stupid thing they’d said to their companions. I laughed until my ribs hurt. Then I remembered who was missing.

“Alisha’s all alone, back on Earth.”

The table quieted.

“She’ll finish,” Priya said. “She was close when I left.”

“She said when she gets here, she's going to find Corvan and kick his ass. Her exact words.”

“That sounds like Alisha,” Priya said.

“I bet detective mustache is still asking questions. You don't think they'd take her game, do you? What if they arrest her and don't let her finish?”

"No one believes it's real." Jamie reached across the table. “She’ll get here.”

“And if she doesn’t,” Mia said, “we will steal a ship and go get her.”

“Hell, yeah, we will,” Jamie said.

Priya choked on her fake coffee and Lily crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me when I couldn't hide my surprise. “What? Trust me. We've done way worse.”

That made me feel better, probably because she meant it. Priya leaned closer. “There’s something else you need to know before the trench.” She told me about the traitor. The beacon in Vesh’s ship. Rainhart. How whoever betrayed them had Delegate-level access, which, from what I could tell was kind of like a senator or ambassador or something back home. She told me about the trap that someone had set for her and Vesh at the Gate, and the code hidden inside the Citadel.

“The convoy route was protected, too,” she said. “Same kind of access.”

I set down my fork. “You think whoever sold your scout route sold out the convoy, too?”

“We don’t know yet. But if something feels wrong out there, don’t ignore it.” Jamie spoke softly. "Trust your instincts."

I looked at her. Then Jamie said out loud what had kept me tossing and turning all damn night. “The entire situation feels wrong. Why would they spend days hunting for a handful of engineers with just two Titans for escort? Cassia said it was totally routine when she and Brennix left. They weren't mounting an attack or anything. And why waste personnel and resources jamming communications for a handful of wounded people. I reviewed all the reports again last night. Something doesn't add up.”

“That’s why I’m telling you." Priya's hand came down on top of my knee and she squeezed.

"Enough doom and gloom. You're a freaking Elite Starfighter, badass boss bitch from Earth. Go do your thing, girl." Jamie stood and collected the empty trays. “Go get on your ship, kick some ass and bring Cassia home.”

“Don't forget to kiss your giant, scowling pilot before you take off,” Lily winked. "For luck."

Every woman at the table made the same delighted face, as if Corvan and me were a done deal, perfect match. Kismet.

I pointed at them. “Behave.”