Once just a dot on the radar, the auxiliary spaceport suddenly appeared out the front windshield.
“That’s one ugly base,” Burn said.
I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it was not the floating, twisting tangle of shapes ahead of us.Part circle, part pyramid, part...I had no idea.The whole thing looked cobbled together.A pit formed in my stomach as I wondered if my skills were enough to landFortunaon the floating structure.And if the structure was solid enough to support our ship.
With a confidence that I didn’t feel, I contacted the controller on the base and confirmed our dock number.
“Should I get Lacy?”Burn asked as soon as I cut the call.
Wanting nothing more than to take her up on that offer, I shook my head.I needed the experience.And after this stop, we wouldn’t have Lacy to fall back on any longer.“No, I got it.”
Burn raised her brow but didn’t say anything other than “Aye aye, Captain.”
I eased the ship into the docking station, hoping that Burn didn’t notice my white-knuckle grip on the controls.A combination of autopilot and either luck or skill got us safely into our assigned dock.
“We’re attached,” Burn said after she verified our position.“And the atmospheric shield is stable.”
Only when I’d cut the engines and the ship slowly settled into the port did I finally release my grip.
“Welcome to Harrier auxiliary spaceport,Fortuna.”
“Thanks, glad to be here.”
With the atmospheric shield in place, we wouldn’t have to put on spacesuits to unload the cargo.
“Are you ready for this?”Burn asked.
I blew out my breath before responding.“Completing our first job?Yes.The rest of it?”Leaving Lacy here?“No.Not really.”
I really fucking hated the idea.I’d wrestled with options all night.Sure, I could probably enforce my will, or try to at least, but it would either lead to physical violence or destroy my crew.Either way, it was a step that my team would never come back from.
My job.My responsibility.
I shoved out of the captain’s chair, wishing again that the circumstances were different.
Burn followed me with a sigh as I left the bridge.She went to corral Finn, while I stopped at Lacy’s door.
I knocked, then opened it.“We’re here.”
Lacy logged off the computer, then stood up from the desk.She looked subdued.Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, the braided end draping over her shoulder.She wore her worn Elegium Station coveralls.
My heart raced, knowing this was likely the last time I would see her.I hated that thought.
“How will this work?”I asked to break the tension that hovered between us.
“Depends,” she said.“Am I allowed to help?”
“Yes.”My response was immediate, even though it wasn’t technically what Finn and Burn had agreed to.
“Okay.Someone will need to meet the unloading crew on the cargo deck.Someone else should open the cargo hold.The team will let us know if they need help.Most likely, they’ll instruct us to stand back and stay out of their way.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
Lacy laid her hand on my forearm.“Dax, nothing about this delivery is easy.The stupid shooters are essentially massive bombs.They’re no less dangerous now that we’re on the spaceport than when we were in transit.It’s not easy until we’re—you’re—well away from here.”
I covered her hand with mine.“Thanks for the reminder.”I hated knowing that we would be leaving her here, in danger.
“Want to meet the station crew with me?We can get Burn to open the cargo hold.”
