stowing away and no trackers. We’re clear to go.”
She let out a short laugh. “We were going anyway.” She glanced at him. “I’m connecting to Arkhengai Tower. Strap in. And look pretty…pretty.”
Daned’s mouth thinned. “And that is the last time you call me that.”
Chae ran her hands over the comm. circuits, plugging in her flight plan. “You know, I don’t think it will be.” A burst of gray-white light shot over the screen and a quick flare of static noise cut back Daned’s reply. She flexed her fingers around the guidance rods. She had to push the tau to its furthest point. Probably not the best plan, but it was all that she had. “Arkhengai Tower, this is Captain Chae Beyon signing in and asking for permission for transit and rift lock. Destination Shavgar-7.”
“Captain Beyon? You’re not on your usual sig.”
A smile curved her lips. It was good to hear a familiar—if synthesized—voice. Noor had worked at almost as long as she’d been flying. The screen filled with his image. Noor was Misae and a stunning example of his species, even if he did say so himself. Seeing him triggered a happy burst of adrenaline. She was escaping Arkhengai. Always a good thing. “You’re looking fine today.” She ran her gaze over his thick, deeply patterned tentacles, each one grafted to a separate traffic control system. “The gamma’s out of action. I’m in a bucket with seats. Lucky me.”
Noor’s throaty chuckle filled the small cockpit and had her joining him. “Yes, your luck is infamous. So, is it business or pleasure, today, Chae?”
She pointed to Daned, who sat quietly in the next chair, the perfect image of vacant flesh. “Definitely pleasure.”
Noor tutted, the quiet click of his beak finishing each sound. “You should find a real male.” His expression took on a salacious twist and Chae couldn’t stop her grin. It was always very…odd…to flirt with a Misae. “Me, for instance.”
“Noor, we’re not a compatible species. If only I had a few more arms…and orifices…you’d be the one for me.”
“I know. Fate and biology have kept us apart.” His mouth stretched into what classified as a grin. “Can’t knock a cephalopod for trying.” He looked to his left, eyes narrowed on instrumentation she couldn’t see. “All right, you’re cleared to join the rift stream.”
Chae poured power into the tau’s engines, and the thrum increased until the tin can was practically shaking apart. She gritted her teeth and released the force-grips. The cylinder screamed into the sky and pressed her hard into the thick padding of her chair. “I hate tau-class.”
The roar of the engines evened out as the ship climbed through the atmosphere, following the flight plan overlaid on the screen. It was a more circuitous route than she was used to. Her gamma-class was a beauty—huge, smooth, would take up a lane, easing into the waiting rift stream. It was a joy. The tau-class had to weave through and around lumbering cargo vessels, rumble over the sleek, expensive high-atmosphere craft, and fight the pull away from Arkhengai’s gravity. She hadn’t had to put her body into flying for too long. She preferred to find her workouts in other ways…and made a point of not looking at Daned.
“Entering the rift stream.” Noor’s voice broke through the riot of noise in the cockpit, his image flickering as the hull thunked. “Starting the countdown to rift lock. Expected flight time in the lock: twenty-three minutes. And that’s three…two…one. Have fun without me. Again.”
“Poor, Noor. I’m—” But the rest of the sentence choked in her mouth as rift lock slammed into her. She broke her hands away from the guidance rods and dug her fingers into her damp thighs. Every breath was a labor, her chest tight with pain as the tau’s systems fought to compensate for the hard rush of space-time around its hull. “I hate…these ships.”
Gradually the strain eased from her body
She let out a short laugh. “We were going anyway.” She glanced at him. “I’m connecting to Arkhengai Tower. Strap in. And look pretty…pretty.”
Daned’s mouth thinned. “And that is the last time you call me that.”
Chae ran her hands over the comm. circuits, plugging in her flight plan. “You know, I don’t think it will be.” A burst of gray-white light shot over the screen and a quick flare of static noise cut back Daned’s reply. She flexed her fingers around the guidance rods. She had to push the tau to its furthest point. Probably not the best plan, but it was all that she had. “Arkhengai Tower, this is Captain Chae Beyon signing in and asking for permission for transit and rift lock. Destination Shavgar-7.”
“Captain Beyon? You’re not on your usual sig.”
A smile curved her lips. It was good to hear a familiar—if synthesized—voice. Noor had worked at almost as long as she’d been flying. The screen filled with his image. Noor was Misae and a stunning example of his species, even if he did say so himself. Seeing him triggered a happy burst of adrenaline. She was escaping Arkhengai. Always a good thing. “You’re looking fine today.” She ran her gaze over his thick, deeply patterned tentacles, each one grafted to a separate traffic control system. “The gamma’s out of action. I’m in a bucket with seats. Lucky me.”
Noor’s throaty chuckle filled the small cockpit and had her joining him. “Yes, your luck is infamous. So, is it business or pleasure, today, Chae?”
She pointed to Daned, who sat quietly in the next chair, the perfect image of vacant flesh. “Definitely pleasure.”
Noor tutted, the quiet click of his beak finishing each sound. “You should find a real male.” His expression took on a salacious twist and Chae couldn’t stop her grin. It was always very…odd…to flirt with a Misae. “Me, for instance.”
“Noor, we’re not a compatible species. If only I had a few more arms…and orifices…you’d be the one for me.”
“I know. Fate and biology have kept us apart.” His mouth stretched into what classified as a grin. “Can’t knock a cephalopod for trying.” He looked to his left, eyes narrowed on instrumentation she couldn’t see. “All right, you’re cleared to join the rift stream.”
Chae poured power into the tau’s engines, and the thrum increased until the tin can was practically shaking apart. She gritted her teeth and released the force-grips. The cylinder screamed into the sky and pressed her hard into the thick padding of her chair. “I hate tau-class.”
The roar of the engines evened out as the ship climbed through the atmosphere, following the flight plan overlaid on the screen. It was a more circuitous route than she was used to. Her gamma-class was a beauty—huge, smooth, would take up a lane, easing into the waiting rift stream. It was a joy. The tau-class had to weave through and around lumbering cargo vessels, rumble over the sleek, expensive high-atmosphere craft, and fight the pull away from Arkhengai’s gravity. She hadn’t had to put her body into flying for too long. She preferred to find her workouts in other ways…and made a point of not looking at Daned.
“Entering the rift stream.” Noor’s voice broke through the riot of noise in the cockpit, his image flickering as the hull thunked. “Starting the countdown to rift lock. Expected flight time in the lock: twenty-three minutes. And that’s three…two…one. Have fun without me. Again.”
“Poor, Noor. I’m—” But the rest of the sentence choked in her mouth as rift lock slammed into her. She broke her hands away from the guidance rods and dug her fingers into her damp thighs. Every breath was a labor, her chest tight with pain as the tau’s systems fought to compensate for the hard rush of space-time around its hull. “I hate…these ships.”
Gradually the strain eased from her body
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