Krystal
What had just happened? The drone had just flung something… sticky at them?
Glancing at the usually unflappable Taurean next to her, Krystal realized that something was very wrong. His usually golden skin was pale, and his purple eyes were dark with focus. His hands flew over the controls with seemingly unerring accuracy.
Krystal looked from T’arq to the drone, which had retracted the arm and was now hovering in front of them. It hadn’t moved since it had stopped.
“What is that stuff?”
“I don’t know, not exactly. But they use it as a marker.”
T’arq’s hands flew faster than Krystal had seen yet, blasting the drone out of existence with the small plasma gun mounted to the exterior of the shuttle.
“T’arq?”
Hands still moving rapidly, he moved the ship out of hiding and, with seemingly no regard for caution, away from the giant Xakul ship and deeper into the asteroid belt. “They know we’re here.” His voice was grim as he focused. “And they’re following.”
Krystal paled, hands gripping the armrests tightly. “How? The cloak was working…”
“I don’t know. But they knew, and they marked us.” His words were clipped, hands manipulating the ship this way and that to deter their pursuers.
As if on cue, the AI’s voice filled their headsets. “Proximity alert. Incoming vessels.”
“Computer, how many ships?” T’arq barked.
Krystal fought to hold back a wail as the computer replied.
“Seventeen Xakul fighters.”
“Fuck.” T’arq punched a button on the controls near his head and the little ship shot forward.
“So many?” Krystal gripped the armrests of her seat and squeezed her eyes shut as the ship jerked rapidly from side to side to avoid obstacles.
“Krystal? I need you to use the guns.”
Still squeezing her eyes shut, she shook her head. “I can’t!”
The ship rolled in a maneuver that had the contents of her stomach threatening to make itself known. She swallowed a groan, hands still squeezing her chair so tightly that she was sure her fingers would have no feeling.
“You must.” T’arq’s voice was calm, belying the frantic movements of his hands as the ship bobbed and weaved to escape the Xakul tailing them.
Krystal took a breath, fighting panic as she willed her heart to calm.
“Trust me?” he asked.
Surprise had her eyes flying open as the response came immediately. “With my life.”
He nodded and gestured at the screen in front of her. “There are controls for the rear guns here. One is a plasma cannon. Only use that if you are certain that you have a perfect shot. This ship wasn’t designed for sustained combat, so there isn’t much ammunition.”
She nodded, memorizing the control where he had gestured.
“The other is a laser gun.”
“A what?” She had never heard of a laser gun, which meant that—
“It’s new technology,” T’arq said, a note of something she couldn’t quite identify in his voice.
Focusing back on the laser gun, she pulled up the rear view of the ship. They were dodging and weaving amongst asteroids, some of them the size of a house, others merely football-sized. She knew it made no difference. Even a small piece of space debris could cause significant damage if it struck them.
