Page 29 of Starfighter’s Salvation

They laughed harder.

8

Corvan

* * *

Less than five hours before we were supposed to take off, Captain Wroxxon attempted to cancel the mission. No one was surprised. The briefing room ran too cold, and the ventilation pushed dry air over the backs of my hands. The only warmth in the room sat at my side. Gina. Close enough that I tracked her without looking — a discipline I had been perfecting for the last two days. Wroxxon’s untouched drink gave off a sharp herbal smell from across the table.

“Almost three days of comms blackout,” he said. “No confirmed life signs. Enemy weapons covering both sides of the trench. And you want to send in a deep-rescue ship, an untested medic who arrived from Earth yesterday, and a pilot who has not flown a live-fire extraction since Callis.”

Captain Wroxxon looked at me, then General Aryk. “The risks are unacceptable.”

“Then change the odds.” Dekker stood at the far end of the table, where I had been purposely ignoring him since the briefing began. “I have flown eleven live extractions in the last couple months. Give me the Salvation. Starfighter Reyes flies with me.”

The room turned to look at him. Then at me. Then, because Velerions are not stupid, at Gina.

He was right. By every bit of logic and common sense, Dekker was the better choice. I had spent every day since Renn's death making certain of it.

“He is right,” I said.

Gina’s head snapped around and I couldn't stop the thrill in my blood from seeing her upset at the idea of flying without me by her side.

“Dekker has more recent combat experience. I've been out of the line of fire for a while now. I might be rusty." It was the truth. My pride was not worth risking Gina's life. If Dekker had better odds of getting her out of this mission alive, so be it.

"No." Her mouth went flat. Nurse flat. “I trained with Corvan.” She was speaking to General Aryk, not me. “I spent more than a year in training sims with Corvan. I know how he flies. I know what he does when it goes wrong. I don’t know Dekker at all.” She looked at Dekker then, and I hated the look, because it was kind. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Dekker inclined his head. “The offer stands. Even after this mission. You know where to find me."

“I do. Thank you.”

Aryk folded his arms. “Corvan has years of flight experience. Sitting a few out isn't going to erase that. The Salvation flies with her pilot. Your objection is noted, Captain. But the mission goes ahead, as planned.”

She had chosen me. Again. In front of a room full of ranking officers and the man who was still trying to steal her from me. I dragged my attention back to Captain Wroxxon.

“This is a mistake. Everyone in that trench is probably dead.”

“Probably isn’t dead,” Gina argued.

Wroxxon looked at her. “Based on the last three days of data, they are either dead or captured."

“I disagree with your conclusion. If everyone in that trench is dead, why is someone still wasting their time and energy jamming their communications?” The room went quiet and Gina leaned forward. “You don’t hide corpses, Captain. You hide survivors.”

A table of ranking Velerion officers stopped talking and stared at a woman who had come from Earth one day ago.

She didn't even notice, her gaze locked on the holographic mission maps. Something pulled tight in me that I hadn't felt for anyone in a long time. Pride. I was proud of her.

Wroxxon studied the map from where he stood next to her. I already disliked the man. Most of the fleet did. He spoke of soldiers and ships as assets because someone in command had to count what war consumed with a brutal honesty that left no room for empathy or regret. He wasn't evil, but he wasn't well liked. No one liked to be looked at as a math calculation rather than a living soul.

“The survivors could be bait,” he said. “The convoy route was protected. Delegate clearance. Someone knew where it would be. That same someone may know exactly who will come after it.”

Gina’s hand found the edge of the table. “Like Priya’s scout mission,” she said.

“How did you—?" General Jennix tilted her head in Gina's direction then snorted. "You've been talking to the other Starfighters from Earth."

"Yes.” Gina nodded and I hid my relief. I'd stopped by her quarters this morning to take her to breakfast and she'd been gone. Panic had gripped me until I tracked her to the dining hall and spotted her at a table with the other Elite Starfighter females, laughing and smiling like they were all old friends. She'd looked happy and I didn't want to interrupt her stolen moment of joy.

“If you think it's a trap, why send only one rescue ship?” Gina asked.