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When her eyes managed to adjust to the too-bright light, she saw what Caryn had likely sensed: A wasteland, similar to the mining planet, only this one was a sea of sand, dead and overtaken by blistering dunes, choking dust, and boiling hot air that tricked the eye into seeing the horizon as a fluidly moving thing. Nothing could survive here. Not for long, anyway.
And this is where he plans to abandon us?
Apparently unconcerned, Aidan trudged down the ramp. She rushed forward and matched his stride. “Look. I know we were just fooling around back there, and I’m sorry if I insulted you, but you’re not really going to leave us here, are you?”
“This is where we say goodbye,” he replied, not even looking at her.
“You can’t be serious. Please. You must realize we’ll die here.”
“I’m sure your crafty mind will figure something out. Plenty of other suckers to latch onto.”
She turned to face the rest of the crew. “You’re all okay with this?”
None of them responded, or even met her gaze, although a couple of them had the decency to look ashamed. Zeek, for one, and surprisingly, Priya, as well as the man who stood next to her. Vin?
“Look.” Aidan pointed in the distance. “Your next mark is just over yonder.”
Onnika followed his line of sight. Beyond the dancing heat waves and sweeping clouds of dust, she spotted a camp. Temporary tents had been set up to accommodate Phase Nine contestants and fans.
“Better get started, because in sixteen hours this place will be deserted, just like your morals.”
Onnika stiffened with indignation. Normally she would have shot him a lewd gesture for that remark and happily said good riddance, but she wasn’t even remotely ready to give up onDragoonand its crew, or even its obnoxious captain. Caryn had a good feeling about them—or at least she had in the beginning, which she hadn’t yet recanted—and abadfeeling about this place. That was enough for Onnika. “Please. I’m begging. Just carry us to the next spaceport. It has to be better than this. We’ll be happy to leave then. More than happy.”
Aidan remained stolid as he marched toward the camp, but there was a slight tick in his jaw. Was he considering her request? She gleaned nothing from him.
“You’ll be dooming us if you leave us here. Can you really live with that?”
Vin spoke up for the first time, and by his tone, he was their lone champion. “Captain, what if we just—”
“You all know what you need to do,” Aidan interrupted. “So get started. I want at least one voucher from each of you, more if possible.”
“Voucher?” Onnika asked.
Priya answered. “Each stop offers mini contests where vouchers can be won. Each voucher shaves off one hour from our mandated sixteen-hour wait time at this stop. Get enough of them, and a ship could overtake the competition.”
Asher shoved past Onnika. “We need them even more now than we would have if we’d been able to start the race on time, thanks to you.”
Instantly, she saw her way back into good standing with the crew. “Okay,” she said. “We can help. We’re still technically part of the crew. We can get some vouchers too, right? How about that?”
Aidan stopped dead and grabbed her by the arm. “Do not even think about stealing vouchers. If you are caught, we will be punished with twice as much time as the vouchers are worth.”
Ripping her arm away, she snapped, “I wasn’t thinking about stealing them.” She was totally thinking about stealing them. “Well, then? If I win a voucher, will you allow us to ride with you to the next spaceport?”
Aidan was silent for a moment, contemplating her words. “Make it two vouchers,” he said. “Each.”
How difficult could winning vouchers be? Airily, she replied, “Fine.” Aidan snorted, as though she didn’t have a chance. She wasn’t sure herself. “So, what sort of contests are we talking about?”
Priya explained, “We don’t know what the specific contests will be until we arrive at each stop and see for ourselves.”
When they crossed the camp’s edge, the sound of cheers rose up ahead. Onnika squinted to see better, but the wind picked up and dust whipped the air. They traveled down a small avenue packed by tents on either side. Yet she didn’t see any people.
More distant cheers erupted ahead.
The haze thinned, and like an apparition taking form, a big top tent came into view. The ruckus was coming from inside. Parted canvas flaps created a triangle shaped opening. An attendant sat off to one side, waiting to sign them in. He appeared to be a native to this planet, with dark, leathery skin, hardened by the harsh conditions with a pointed lizard-like face and small slits for nostrils. The tunic he wore had the wordsPhase Ninescrawled officially on the front.
“Congratulations on making it to the end of Phase One.” He handed an electronic pad and a silver bracelet to Aidan. “This unit will update automatically when you reach the end of each phase, with information on upcoming contests. These bracelets will identify which ship you’re all playing for. You’ll need them to register for contests moving forward. Vouchers must be physically claimed at a designated voucher booth. If you lose your voucher, it will not be replaced, and anyone who finds it can use it. Stealing vouchers is prohibited and will result in a fine of additional time added to your wait. Come forward one at a time to accept your bracelet.”
Upon getting a better look at the bracelets, both she and Caryn took a hesitant step back. Aidan noticed. So did Lear. The others were busy snapping the things on their wrists.
