Page 41 of Star Bringer
But I do point out that, “We’re going in the wrong direction.”
Beckett zooms out some more, and a second planet appears, a lot farther away than Askkandia. Permuna, I think, and we’re heading straight for it. But unless my knowledge of the planets’ current orbital positions is off—which it’s not—it’s almost as far away as Vistenia.
“You need to turn around,” I tell her.
She actually snarls at me in response. “Shut up and let me fucking concentrate for one second, will you?”
And yup, looks like the old Beckett is back and worse than ever.
Beckett leans back and studies the console in front of her. “Accelerator,” she says, pointing to a part of the console that looks exactly the same as all the rest to me.
I don’t say anything, though I can feel Kali over my shoulder, watching Beckett’s lesson. I just wait to see what goes down. Beckett touches a finger to it, but nothing happens.
“I don’t think—” Gage starts, then breaks off when she presses her palm down and we shoot forward so fast that Kali tumbles against me.
I grab the back of Beckett’s chair, then wrap my arm around Kali’s waist to stop us both from falling. I have a second to register that she feels good against me—really good—as I wait for Beckett to slow us down.
It doesn’t happen. Instead, we keep going faster and faster, until I can feel my vision blurring. Around us, the others are calling out. Groaning.
“Fucking stop her!” Max says in my head.
But I’m already trying. It’s just taking a while—and all the effort I’ve got—to force my hand forward, grab her arm, and pull it from the console.
We slow immediately—but not before Rain pukes at the back of the bridge.
“What the hell were you doing?” I demand, furious at Beckett and myself as I look around fruitlessly for some kind of towel. This is what a little bit of trust gets you—an acceleration headache and vomit on your bridge.
I definitely should have known better.
Beckett just grins at me, her eyes wild and laser bright. “Just seeing how fast she can go.”
“The answer’s pretty fucking fast,” I growl.
“I think you meanreallyfucking fast,” she corrects. “Why? Were you scared,Captain?”
The emphasis she puts on Captain turns it into an insult, but I don’t give a shit.
“We were all fucking scared. The question is—why weren’t you?” I ask. But she’s still grinning, and the weird light still shines in her eyes. “You’re really messed up, you know that? You could have killed us.”
“Well, she did just spend who knows how long as the subject of one of Dr. Wicked’s experiments,” Max reminds me.
Which is his not-so-subtle way of getting me to lay off her—not to mention reminding me that we don’t have a fucking clue what shape Milla will be in when we finally get her back.
When someone starts shoving against my chest, I realize I still have my arm around Kali—and she’s not entirely happy about it.
“Let go of me,” she snaps.
“Hey, I was helping you,Princess,” I snap back. “And what is it with you and the touching thing, anyway?”
“It’s punishable by death,” Rain says as she picks herself up off the floor and brushes her hand down her now dirty white robe.
“Death? For touching you?” I shoot Kali an incredulous look even before she nods. “That’s seriously fucked.”
“It’s the law,” she says. “I didn’t make it, and it goes back a long, long time. But it’s never actually been enforced.”
“You sure about that, Princess?” Beckett says without taking her eyes from the viewing screens in front of her.
“Yes,” Kali snaps back, though she suddenly looks a little uncertain. I think this trip may be an eye-opener for the princess, and she’s not liking what she sees.
