things? You believe her?”
“Yes, I do. I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. But I believe her. I believe in her.”
“Like a God, you mean? Like she’s one of the Gods?”
“No. She’s not a god, and don’t ever say that to her. She’s a woman, a special woman, but a woman nonetheless.”
“Then, you mean to say she’s been gifted by the Gods?”
Kyr rubbed his chin. “If you ask, I suspect she’ll tell you it’s more of a curse.”
“If she can see these things ahead of time, though, if she knows these things... Well, the Resistance... You understand what I’m getting at?”
“I do. That’s what I hope to protect her from.”
“Protect her from the Resistance?”
“Yes, even from the Resistance. Both sides could use her for their own ends and not everyone is, well, let’s just say not everyone can resist such power. Aja fights against it herself.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How do you figure into this? Pardon me, Captain, but what do you mean to her?”
Kyr didn’t know how to explain himself or if he even cared to. He said, “Aja is a woman. I’m a man. Go on.” He dismissed Davi. “Grab something to eat and get some sleep. I’ll fly my bird safe.”
Davi pushed himself out of his seat. “Well,” he laid his hand on Kyr’s shoulder. “Obviously I don’t know Aja like you do, but I gave you my trust when we were six suns. I’m not about to take it back now.”
Kyr nodded at his second. His eyes followed Davi as he headed down the companionway. He’d need to stow Davi someplace safe, too. He didn’t want his friend in danger because his own destiny had taken a sudden turn.
Eyes closed, Aja rose from Kyr’s bunk. She grabbed the clean garments Kyr had thrown over a stool as she walked by them. She stepped into the trousers and mechanically rolled the waistband to keep them up. She threw open the door to the cabin, tugged the sweater over her head as she strode down the companionway.
“Mr. Fedd,” she called out as she passed his cabin. “Strap in.”
Eyes still closed, no hesitation in her step, Aja entered the cockpit. She sat down in the co-pilot’s seat and wrapped the harness around her, locking it into place. She punched off the auto-nav.
Kyr shouted, “What that hells are you doing?”
“They’re on us,” Aja said. “We drop out and we move. Strap in.”
“Aja...”
“Kyr, strap in. I’m dropping us out of flash.”
“You’re flying blind! You’re flying blind, Aja. Give me back the controls.”
“Not now. Strap in or you’ll be injured.”
“By the Gods,” said Davi, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What the hells is going on?”
“Get down, Mr. Fedd. And hold on.” Aja opened her eyes for a moment to look at Kyr. “Listen to me. Trust me. This is what I do.” She closed her eyes and turned back to her console.
Davi dropped into the navigator’s chair and Aja heard both men click their safety straps.
“Dropping out of flash drive. Prepare to come about.” The jarring motion of a rapid drop threw all three forward against their harnesses.
“Coming about,” Aja said.
The ship groaned sickeningly, skidding sideways through space.
“Gods in heaven.” Kyr managed to speak despite the g-forces. “You can’t come about at this speed. She won’t hold together.
“She’ll hold.”
Behind her, Aja heard the sound of Davi gagging, and she knew he’d thrown up the meal he’d eaten two turns before.
Aja stayed sublight, heading straight for an enormous asteroid belt.
“The Pikes. We can’t enter the Pikes. Aja, stop.”
Aja concentrated on reaching the belt before the pursuing ship dropped out of flash. The Coalition ship was too large to drop as fast as she had, giving them some breathing room.
“Aja, who is it? Who’s after us?”
“Bom. General Bom.”
“How?”
Aja thrust her left leg in Kyr’s direction. “Your knife,” she said. “Get it.”
Kyr reached around his back and
“Yes, I do. I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. But I believe her. I believe in her.”
“Like a God, you mean? Like she’s one of the Gods?”
“No. She’s not a god, and don’t ever say that to her. She’s a woman, a special woman, but a woman nonetheless.”
“Then, you mean to say she’s been gifted by the Gods?”
Kyr rubbed his chin. “If you ask, I suspect she’ll tell you it’s more of a curse.”
“If she can see these things ahead of time, though, if she knows these things... Well, the Resistance... You understand what I’m getting at?”
“I do. That’s what I hope to protect her from.”
“Protect her from the Resistance?”
“Yes, even from the Resistance. Both sides could use her for their own ends and not everyone is, well, let’s just say not everyone can resist such power. Aja fights against it herself.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How do you figure into this? Pardon me, Captain, but what do you mean to her?”
Kyr didn’t know how to explain himself or if he even cared to. He said, “Aja is a woman. I’m a man. Go on.” He dismissed Davi. “Grab something to eat and get some sleep. I’ll fly my bird safe.”
Davi pushed himself out of his seat. “Well,” he laid his hand on Kyr’s shoulder. “Obviously I don’t know Aja like you do, but I gave you my trust when we were six suns. I’m not about to take it back now.”
Kyr nodded at his second. His eyes followed Davi as he headed down the companionway. He’d need to stow Davi someplace safe, too. He didn’t want his friend in danger because his own destiny had taken a sudden turn.
Eyes closed, Aja rose from Kyr’s bunk. She grabbed the clean garments Kyr had thrown over a stool as she walked by them. She stepped into the trousers and mechanically rolled the waistband to keep them up. She threw open the door to the cabin, tugged the sweater over her head as she strode down the companionway.
“Mr. Fedd,” she called out as she passed his cabin. “Strap in.”
Eyes still closed, no hesitation in her step, Aja entered the cockpit. She sat down in the co-pilot’s seat and wrapped the harness around her, locking it into place. She punched off the auto-nav.
Kyr shouted, “What that hells are you doing?”
“They’re on us,” Aja said. “We drop out and we move. Strap in.”
“Aja...”
“Kyr, strap in. I’m dropping us out of flash.”
“You’re flying blind! You’re flying blind, Aja. Give me back the controls.”
“Not now. Strap in or you’ll be injured.”
“By the Gods,” said Davi, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What the hells is going on?”
“Get down, Mr. Fedd. And hold on.” Aja opened her eyes for a moment to look at Kyr. “Listen to me. Trust me. This is what I do.” She closed her eyes and turned back to her console.
Davi dropped into the navigator’s chair and Aja heard both men click their safety straps.
“Dropping out of flash drive. Prepare to come about.” The jarring motion of a rapid drop threw all three forward against their harnesses.
“Coming about,” Aja said.
The ship groaned sickeningly, skidding sideways through space.
“Gods in heaven.” Kyr managed to speak despite the g-forces. “You can’t come about at this speed. She won’t hold together.
“She’ll hold.”
Behind her, Aja heard the sound of Davi gagging, and she knew he’d thrown up the meal he’d eaten two turns before.
Aja stayed sublight, heading straight for an enormous asteroid belt.
“The Pikes. We can’t enter the Pikes. Aja, stop.”
Aja concentrated on reaching the belt before the pursuing ship dropped out of flash. The Coalition ship was too large to drop as fast as she had, giving them some breathing room.
“Aja, who is it? Who’s after us?”
“Bom. General Bom.”
“How?”
Aja thrust her left leg in Kyr’s direction. “Your knife,” she said. “Get it.”
Kyr reached around his back and
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