Then there was nothing left to do except say goodbye.
Standing in the docking hatch, Lexi embraced him, wrapping her arms tight. “You be careful.” She pulled back and stared at Nia for a beat before hugging her too. “You take care of each other.”
Over Lexi’s shoulder, Nia’s eyes widened in surprise. Lexi’s temper ran hot, but forgiveness always followed. Amusement flickered through him when she patted Lexi’s shoulder awkwardly before his sister released her. Cheeks pink, Nia stepped away and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
Justice moved into his line of sight, extending a hand. Mace grasped his forearm in the Tellusian way.
“Your engine coil is fully charged,” Justice said. “Be well.”
“Thank you.” Mace nodded. “Same to you.”
After a self-conscious wave, Nia climbed down the docking tube ahead of him. With one last nod to both scientists, Mace followed. He slid in behind Nia, and she shifted forward to accommodate his size.
“Stay safe, brother,” Lexi murmured above them, the sound echoing, before she locked the docking hatch.
Powering the Condor’s engines, a sense of unease grew inside him, along with the need to tell his sister to come with them, to fly the shuttle to fleet and leave this place for good right now instead of waiting. He had nothing to substantiate the feeling, but it buzzed beneath his skin all the same.
They separated from the outpost withclink clankand accelerated away. The farther they flew, the more Mace’s stomach churned. He couldn’t put his finger on why he was so on edge.
They traveled a long while in silence, Nia shifting and turning, trying to get comfortable in front of him.
When he settled a hand on her hip to keep her still, she huffed out a breath. “How long will it take to get to the rendezvous?”
He touched the panel. “About eight hours.”
Another heavy breath left her as she settled more fully against him, leaning her head onto his shoulder. With nothing to break the monotony of space flight, he thought she dozed off, but she asked, “Can you teach me to fly?”
He tilted his head, and his cock twitched. “Is that a euphemism?” Though it would be virtually impossible to have sex in such a small space.
Slowly, she turned until she met his gaze, her eyebrow raised, lips pursed. “Not a euphemism. I want you to teach me how to pilot this thing.”
“Now?”
“Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”
His lips twitched. “No, I guess not.”
“Well, then.” She gestured to the controls.
Affection lightening his heart, and since he couldn’t think of a good excuse not to, he began to teach her the basics. He started with pre-flight checks and how to initiate the engines. Then how to see if there was a full charge and how to engage the shields. Nia caught on quickly, and before he knew it, he let her take the controls.
She put them in a spin.
“Wow, that was harder than I thought,” she said with a hand to her stomach once he’d righted their position. “You make it look so easy.”
“I was ten when I took the controls of my first ship. I’ve had a bit more experience than you.” He kissed her neck.
She tipped her head to give him better access. “How many different ships can you fly?” His lips tasted the skin of her throat. “I mean, I’ve seen you in, what, three so far? Or are they all similar?”
“No.” He pulled away slightly. “They’re all different, especially between the CORE and Tellusian ones. But I haven’t been in a ship I couldn’t fly, even if I’ve never seen it before.” He shrugged.
She captured his gaze over her shoulder. “So you could fly a Guardian? Or a Destroyer?” she asked, tone disgruntled.
He smiled, kissing the side of her brow, smoothing its lines. “If I had to, but there has to be more than one person on the bridge. Their systems are numerous.”
She turned back to face the front. “My stomach is settled now. I’d like to try again.”
“Keep your eye on your thrust balance. If one is firing hotter than any other, we’ll spin again.”
