Page 98 of Star Bringer
“Are you fucking kidding me? Not again.” And why does she always seem so happy in the face of impending disaster? I’m about ready to push the big red button Gage tried earlier myself if it’ll just make all this shit stop.
I mutter a few of my favorite curses as I head over to study the screen. Sure enough, there’s a blip right in the middle. “Are you sure it’s not just some sort of space debris?” I ask hopefully.
“If so, that’s pretty big space debris.” Beckett presses a button, and we zoom in. “And it’s shaped just like a ship.”
“A big one,” Gage adds helpfully as he comes up behind us.
“It’s not the same one, is it?” I ask, squinting at the screen as if I can vaporize it with sheer will alone. But I’ve tried that more than once before, and it never works. “Could it have followed us somehow?”
“It could. But it didn’t. This one’s bigger and faster.” She blows up the screen even more. “And more dangerous.”
“It’s a frigate, and she’s well-armed.” Gage points to the ship’s undercarriage. “Look at those rocket boosters. And this one has markings.”
He leans forward and taps the console, and we zoom in closer. I can make out writing on the side but can’t read it.
“It’s Corporation,” Beckett says.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. I squint, trying to get a better look. “You sure about that?”
“Completely sure. It’s theArcher.”
“TheArcher?” I’ve never heard of her.
“She’s a hunter/seeker. A high-tech surveillance ship.”
“A surveillance ship that just happens to be equipped with enough weapons to wipe us out completely?” I ask skeptically.
Gage snorts. “Look at you, so optimistic. That ship’s equipped with enough weapons to wipe out half a planet. We won’t even slow her down.”
“Maybe she’s not looking for us,” I offer up. But as much as I like that idea, all three of us know it’s a pipe dream. Why else would theArchershow up so soon after our encounter with a different laser-happy ship?
“They could be looking for someone else—or somethingelse,” Kali suggests from behind us. “How about a recon mission for their alien artifact? I bet they’re pretty pissed someone stole it.”
“I’d hardly say westoleit,” I retort.
She lets out a little sigh. “What would you call it, considering we’re currently flying it halfway across the system?”
I think for a moment. “We appropriated it in a life-or-death situation in order to save the heir to the Empire. We’re not thieves; we’re heroes. We deserve a fucking medal.”
She snorts. “Good luck with that.”
I glance back at the ship. Corporation. Corporation leads to the Empire. The Empire would get Kali back home safely. Even though every cell in my body is pushing me not to do it, I still say, “Maybe we should try to communicate with them. See if they can get the princess home safely.”
“No way,” Beckett says with so much force that we all turn to stare at her. “I’ve been a guest of the Corporation before—it’s not happening again. They will have to shoot me out of dead fucking space first.”
I can see her point. But still…
“Maybe we should put it to a vote,” Rain says.
Beckett lets out a harsh laugh. “Since when has this ship been a democracy?”
It’s another good point, and even Rain seems to know it, but she still isn’t daunted. “This affects all of us. We should all have a say.”
I’m not particularly into this democracy thing on board my ship, but I am interested in which way everyone will vote. If nothing else, it will help push me to make the right decision.
I turn to face the majority of my crew. “Raise your hand if you want to stick around and talk with the nice people from the Corporation.”
I raise my hand. And absolutely no one else.
