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Nova muttered, “I fucking hope so. Let’s go.” She kept her eyes on the displays and listened to the reports as their deadly star began to spin as it took out the attackers.
She moved the star into attack positions and skipped them around the battle zone. As soon as all ships within reach were taken care of, they were on to the next batch.
Hours passed, and Nova was exhausted when there were no more attacking vessels left.
“Get us home, pod.”
She directed them back to the ship, but an alert went off as they began to move. “Incoming.”
Pilot one said, “It’s theWandering Star. The overseer is back.”
“Oh, shit.” She had to get back, shower, and be appropriately dressed when she met the Hmrain. Right now, she was covered in sweat and dressed in a bodysuit that she had to negotiate for, for two days.
The star returned to the ship, and she released the ships. They slotted their ships into what she could only imagine as a parking beam, and she waited her turn. It grabbed her and pulled her into the ship, guiding her into a slot for the pod.
When all seven of the ships were in place, the entryways locked, and exit tubes attached to the vessels. Nova shut down the pod, and as everything went dark, the point she had entered lit up, and she could see the ladder. Oh, great. Her limbs were numb, and this was not going to be fun.
Nova got out of the pod, and her sweat had been renewed. Her workouts had not prepared her for this. The slide down the exterior of the pod lacked dignity, but it let her clamber to the med team that swarmed her and took her vitals while an IV was run to get her fluids.
La’thet and Ke’vath crouched near her. La’thet smiled. “Well done, little cub. I have never been in such a fun fire fight.”
She smiled at him through the oxygen mask. “Glad you enjoyed it. It was... more than I expected.”
She realized something and started laughing then coughing. The medics frowned at the two pilots. “She needs to rest.”
Nova shook her head. “I need to hide.”
Ke’vath laughed.
The medic scowled. “Why did she say that?”
Ke’vath chuckled. “The overseer’s ship appeared on our scans. He will be here in the next two hours.”
A shadow fell over them, and a deep voice stated, “Or sooner.”
Nova inhaled slowly and looked up. “Aw, hell.”
Heboren looked at her with a slow smile. “Hello, pet. Have you gotten some exercise today?”
He hunkered down, and his black bat-style wings blocked the medics. Nova stared and tried to figure out what she was looking at. His skin was black but gold where the light struck it. He had a sharp nose, pointed ears, a wide and clearly cut mouth, and eyes that were black except for small artifacts in them. His body was solid muscle under smooth skin. He was wearing a dark version of the ship suit. The crew wore gold and black, and he was wearing black and gold in a sleeveless scuba-suit style.
She swallowed and bowed from her seated position. “Lord Heboren. Please, pardon my lack of formal greeting.”
He chucked and stroked a finger under her chin. He brought that finger to his lips and licked a bead of sweat. “Pardon granted. So, you can operate the hub?”
Ke’vath nodded. “Yes, Overseer. She got into position and summoned the ships into formation. The star is an impressive weapon.”
The Hmrain looked at her. “So, you can operate the hub?”
She nodded behind her mask. “Yes. There are a few things I would change, but yes, I can operate the hub.”
“Good. I have questions about the operation. Come with me.”
She tried to struggle to her feet, and the medics bobbed their heads. The senior one stated, “Pardon, Overseer, but she needs more fluids and oxygen. Her suit wasn’t equipped for life support, so she hasn’t had any supplements since she got into the hub.”
The Hmrain looked at the canine physician and blinked. “You would keep me from my consort?”
“No, Overseer, we simply need to make sure that she recovers the energy she lost while fighting for the survival of our ship.”
