Page 188 of Star Bringer
Yeah, I want to say.It was a really fucking awful thing to do. But if I say that, she’ll think I care more than I do. And I don’t give a shit. If she wants to leave, she can have at it. She just can’t go back to the damn Empress and bring down half the solar system with her.
Suddenly, theStarlightshudders, nearly knocking us off our feet.
“What was that?” I demand, racing for the bridge.
Beckett’s right behind me. “What did you do?” she demands of Gage, who’s standing next to the pilot’s chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“I didn’t do anything.” He points at theStarlight’s front console. “She did.”
“Beckett,” I say warningly. It’s one thing for the ship to fly us out of here on her own. It’s another thing for her to decide to take matters into her own hands.
I slide into the captain’s chair. “Get control of this ship,” I bark at Beckett.
“Thanks for the suggestion,” she snarls back as she jams her hand down on the controls.
TheStarlightdoesn’t so much as acknowledge her presence. It’s like autopilot on steroids. But you can switch off an autopilot.
I glance at Gage. “Can we do anything?”
He just shrugs.
“Thanks,” I tell him.
Another shrug. Useless bastard.
“Everyone get to your seats!” I order. “Now.”
Because something tells me things are about to get ugly. And with theStarlightin control, there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I thought Gage fixed this,” Max grumbles as he buckles himself into the nearest seat.
“So did I,” Gage answers.
“You mean you don’t know?” What the hell am I supposed to do with this guy? So glad Max thinks he’s a freaking genius.
Gage rolls his eyes at me. “Well, she hasn’t gone into autopilot since I thought I fixed her. Hence, I assumed she was fixed.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to try again. She—” I break off as a message pops up on my HUD.
Short-range ballistic missile attack. Evasive actions imminent.
“The fuck?” I demand, right before theStarlightjerks us several meters to the left.
“That was close,” Merrick comments as we watch a missile fly right by on the viewing screens.
Not this again. “Gage!” I yell. “Get your ass under that console and figure this out!”
“I’m on it—” he starts, but thenStarlightstarts to spin and he’s hurled halfway across the bridge.
“Everyone okay?” Beckett shouts from the pilot’s seat. Apparently, she and Max were the only two smart enough to buckle up (yes, fucking including me), because everyone else is on the floor with me.
TheStarlightfinally calms down and pulls herself out of the spin, so I take advantage of the quiet and crawl my way back to my chair. I click the harness into place just as the ship spins in the opposite direction. And then we’re upside down. Then we’re right side up. Then we’re upside down again.
There’s a lot more screaming and a few more crashes and bangs. My stomach—usually made of iron—lurches, and I swallow down the sick. No way am I puking in the middle of this. Beckett would never let me hear the end of it.
We flip right side up again, and I dare to dream that theStarlighthas finally calmed the fuck down.
Evasive actions successful. Missiles avoided. No further action required.
