Page 193 of Star Bringer
They hit the shuttles simultaneously, and seconds later, both ships explode into nothingness. They just disappear.
“Holy shit,” Beckett whispers.
“I really don’t think those were normal lasers,” Gage contributes.
“Thanks, tech genius,” I drawl, but he’s not wrong. TheStarlight, quite literally, vaporized two ships in an instant.
With the ships gone, the heptosphere is free of its restraints now. They’ve fallen away, and it’s drifting in space. At least until theStarlightmakes a beeline for it.
“Can you stop her?” I ask.
Beckett shakes her head. “Not a chance. I’m guessing this is what the detour was for.”
“But how did the ship even know it was here?” Rain asks. She looks as fascinated and as horrified as I feel.
“They’re both alien artifacts,” Merrick suggests. “Maybe they have some kind of common signal that lets them talk to each other.”
Yeah, or maybe there’s something more going on here. Something we don’t have a fucking clue about.
Either way, we’re level with the heptosphere now, staring straight at it as we fly closer and closer.
“She needs to get closer,” Kali answers, and again her hand is on the display, like she’s dying to reach out and touch the giant black orb as theStarlightcircles it once before turning around and flying away.
“That’s it?” Max asks. “She just wanted to see it?”
“Nope, that’s definitely not it.” Beckett presses a couple of buttons on her console, and the right viewing screen switches to show the rear of the ship.
To where the heptosphere is now following us through space.
Chapter 83
Kali
“So we’ve got a heptosphere on our ass now, too. Because we didn’t have enough shit going on already,” Max comments from beside me. “You okay, Kali?”
I have no idea. I don’t feel okay, but I don’t think that has anything to do with the heptosphere. I haven’t felt okay since I watched Arik and Lara die, and everything that’s happened since has only made it worse. Including the fact that I’m drawn to that giant black orb in a way I’ve never been drawn to anything ever before.
Except maybe Ian. But that’s something else I don’t want to talk about right now. Max interrupted our talk earlier, and I have no idea where we left off.
I don’t know if he believes me when I say the gestalt had nothing to do with me leaving.
I don’t know if he’s still mad at me.
Basically, I have no idea where we stand, and right now I can’t bring myself to care. Not when it feels like the entire system is about to implode around us.
“I have control back,” Beckett announces. “Looks like theStarlightdid what she came to do.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” Ian answers. “And hope we don’t have any more unwelcome company on our way to the Wilds.”
Going to the Wilds, finally rescuing Milla, is the only thing I truly want to do right now. After everything we’ve been through, everything that’s been sacrificed, at least Ian and Max should get to reunite with her. And she should get to be safe.
But what about the dying sun? If we really only have a few weeks left—not years, as I thought—how can I just run off and leave that problem for another day? Because if the sun implodes, nothing else matters.
“I can’t go to the Wilds, Ian,” I tell him quietly. “We have a bigger problem. Serai might be dying a lot quicker than we thought, and I still have to help protect the whole system.”
He looks at me with fire in his gaze, and not the good kind. “I couldn’t give two shits about the dying sun, Princess. We’ve come too far to not get Milla back now. I’m sure your mom will figure something out.”
“This is what she figured out. What Dr. Veragelen and all the smartest minds in the system figured out. We don’t have any other options. We’re out of time.”
