Read Online Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy by Gary Weston - Free Book Online

certainty which did what in the controls.  All Stella had to do was to risk using them.
    'Maybe we should postpone it until tomorrow,' Stella suggested.
    Breeze said, 'Press the damn button.'
    'Touchless sensor,' corrected Stella.
    'Fine. Right. Touchless sensor. Wiggle your fingers over the damn touchless sensors.'
    'I could do this alone,' said Stella. 'No need for you three to risk...'
    'We agreed,' said Dillow. 'Together or not at all. Let's go, Stella.'
    'Ok,' said Stella. 'Maybe a countdown...'
    Breeze almost screamed with frustration. 'I'm trained to kill with my bare hands by Dillow's father, you know. Enough with the procrastination or...'
    Stella wiggled her fingers. Nothing happened. 'Ah! Now. Hang on. I got this. I just need to do this, then err, this, no, yes...'
    Breeze was about to blow. Then the ship did a disconcerting rumble and wobble as if it were about to blow, instead. 'Too much injector input. Shut it down.'
    'It just needs regulating a little...'
    Wilder rocking and rumbling started.
    'Stella. Shut the damn thing down.'
    'I'm bloody trying to...'
    The ship responded. The rumble became a hum. The hum became a whisper.
    Skye asked, 'She's shut down?'
    'No,' said Stella. 'Ticking over. Running sweet. Now for take off and landing thrusters...'
    'Jeez, Stella,' said Dillow.
    'Oh, my God,' said Breeze. 'Are we taking off? Jeez. Are we taking off?'
    'Let's see,' said Stella. The screen flickered into life. 'We're about one mile in the air.'
    Dillow said, 'We haven't clearance. This was just a fire up trial.'
    Skye said, 'We still haven't checked all the underneath for damage. This ship might not be airworthy.'
    Stella turned and gave her friends the strangest of looks. A new found confidence was flowing through her as smoothly as the plasma was now flowing through the rebuilt engine. 'One way to find out. Hang on to your panties, ladies. Going one tenth power.'
    'How the hell can you tell?' asked Dillow.
    'I can feel it.'
    'Oh, Jeez. Another ship hugger,' said Breeze. 'It's bloody contagious.'
    'Hey,' said Stella. 'You were the ones wanting to try the engine out. One fifth power. Wow. Sweet.'
    'Up,' yelled Dillow as all they could see was the ground as the ship dropped like a very big stone. 'Take her up.'
    'This should do it. Take off thrusters off. Sweet. We are out of Mars atmosphere. Now we can really see what she can do.'
    Breeze hung on to her seat, he knuckles turning white. 'Stella.'
    'Yep. That's my name. Don't wear it out. One third power. We did fill that tank, right?'
    'Don't you dare get us lost,' growled Dillow.
    'Relax. This thing tracks our course. At least I think it does. More or less. One half power.'
    The ship was faster than anything any of them had flown in before and it wasn't even flat out.
    'Shit!' said Skye. 'The asteroid belt. Can't be going that fast.'
    'Looks like it,' said Stella, grinning. 'Slowing down.'
    'Thank God for that,' said Breeze. 'Now turn this bird around and take us home. That's if you know how.'
    'Not just yet,' said Dillow. 'We wanna see if this thing has weapons, right? Stella. Did you figure out anything that might be a weapon?'
    'Well. I've always been a little suspicious of these sensors here. I think if I...'
    From somewhere out of the as yet unexamined underbelly of the ship, a white narrow beam traced a line through the heavens.
    'I knew it.'
    Dillow suddenly got excited. 'Ok, Stella. You pilot, me shooter. Move over.'
    She didn't have twin triggers like on The Eye, but something had fired the laser cannon. Sure enough, there were at least two independently operated lasers, a right handed flick fired one, a left flick fired the other.
    'Yeah! Let's kill some rocks. Get some speed out of this bird. Skirt the belt.'
    Stella worked the ship, Dillow played with the cannon. They raced along the outer belt, and Dillow fired at random, missing most targets, hitting a few by accident.'
    'Ok,' said Breeze, assuming control as special project manager. 'Playtime over.