Jenna let out the breath she’d been holding, hope breaking through the shroud that enveloped her.
As soon as she’d boardedThe Wayfarer, she’d pulled out her tablet and opened a channel toTheStar Tempest. To her relief, Commander Levi Mir-Brennan had been waiting for her.
“Good,” she replied, her voice husky. “Now we just need to reach them.”
“The Mir-Ferrins have grounded everyone,” Vic reminded her. “They’ll fire upon us if we try to take off.”
“How sturdy areThe Wayfarer’sshields?” Malik asked.
Jenna tensed. Her bodyguard had risen from his seat, moving toward the cockpit. They hadn’t spoken since leaving Mir-Brennan Tower, and she continued to ignore him now.
“Sturdy enough,” Vic answered. “These freighters have the old-fashioned shields—durable Lazda steel. They’ll take a bit of fire, but they won’t handle a pyro-torpedo.”
“Only the battle cruisers have those,” Malik assured him. “How fast can you get us off this launch pad?”
Vic inclined his head. “Fast … although it won’t be comfortable.” He paused then, his hazel eye narrowing. “I’d rather not fly my ship into a fire storm.”
“That can’t be helped,” Malik answered. “Let’s go.”
Irritation spiked through Jenna, and she cut Malik a sharp look. She was in charge here. It was up to her to give the orders.
However, glancing his way was a mistake. He was watching her, a stubborn glint in his eyes.
Her bodyguard was challenging her, daring her to lock horns with him.
Jenna swallowed down hot anger. She would—just not now.
“Strap yourself in then,” Vic replied, swiveling back in his chair, and muttering an instruction to Obsidian. “This is going to get rocky.”
Jenna fumbled with her harness. Isla and Bea were already buckled in. Her sister-in-law and niece looked as drained as Jenna felt; their faces were taut and pale, their eyes red-rimmed. Isla now had a stunned expression as shock settled over her. Reaching across, Jenna placed a hand over Isla’s arm and squeezed gently.
Meanwhile, Malik took a seat at the end of the row.
A few seconds later,The Wayfarer’sengines roared to life.
Shortly after, the comm on the cockpit console started bleeping.
“What’s that?” Jenna called, alarm knotting under her ribs.
“Tower control,” Vic shouted over the thunder of the engines. “We’ll just ignore them.” He shifted his attention to where Obsidian crouched upon the seat next to him. “Ready the shields,” he ordered. “Raise them as soon as we’re clear of the landing bay.”
“Yes, Captain,” the battle-droid replied.
The engines thrummed harder then, the noise increasing to a whine.
Jenna drew in a deep breath, her fingers wrapping around her armrests.
She hoped Vic wasn’t overstating the durability of his ship’s shields. She didn’t want them to be blasted out of the sky before reachingThe Star Tempest.
The freighter shot upward then, with such force that Jenna’s belly dropped like a stone, and she was thrown back in her seat.
Bea shrieked, and Isla gripped hold of her hand, murmuring in an effort to soothe her terrified daughter.
The Wayfarercorkscrewed upward, in the fastest takeoff Jenna had ever experienced. The view beyond the cockpit window blurred, and the ship’s fuselage creaked and shuddered as the shields raised.
Jenna whispered a prayer to the Gods under her breath then—all of them—wishing she’d been more devout over the years.
The freighter shuddered once more, violently, and Malik swore. “They’re firing on us.”
