“Two nova-hours.” I look down at the ground of the second continent flashing below us.
“Any way we can shake it off, divert it or something?” Gillian asks.
I stroke my chin as I run through the options on the console until something catches my eye.
“Nev the nevver!” I stare down at the screen. “Darax will never cease to amaze me. He has installed a shadow device.”
No wonder he didn’t want me taking this flyer. It has more tech than my main interstellar ship.
“Please tell me a shadow device is exactly what I think it is,” Gillian says, staring out of the window.
“It will make us harder to find.”
“How about you use it?”
I find the relevant algorithm and work my way through the various settings as she goes over to the front of the flyer and looks out.
“It is unlikely you’ll be able to see what’s following us,” I say as I find the correct part of the algo and set the shadow device into motion.
“Is it likely to be black, small, and fast?” she asks.
I check my console. She has described a surface flyer similar to the one which is out there.
“Yes,” I respond.
“Then it’s out there,” Gillian replies. “And closing fast.”
“Nothing should be as fast as this flyer,” I respond, checking my instruments once again, but she is correct. The unknown ship is approaching, its speed increasing.
“We are in shadow mode.” I walk over to the viewing window. “Neither it nor its occupants should be able to see us.”
“Maybe that’s why it’s coming so fast,” Gillian says, her eyes fixed on a far point. “It thinks it’s lost us.”
“That is entirely possible.” I lift her hair to one side so I can scent both her and the mating we have recently undertaken. “But it cannot see us now.”
Gillian melts against me. It would appear my wish will be granted before we reach the second continent, more time to pleasure my little spark and more time to sheathe myself in her.
GILLIAN
If Dalox wanted to keep my mind off the fact we are in stealth mode and we’re being chased by another space ship, origin unknown, he knew exactly what to do. And it was even better than the first time and his clean-up session. One he happily repeated even though I protested although not exactly with all of my being.
Dalox was not going to take no for an answer on this occasion, and I was happy to defer to his abilities. I willalwaysdefer to his abilities. His tongue is absolutely something else.
When I finally emerge from the bathroom, Dalox is back at the controls of the flyer.
“We’re approaching the landing site,” he calls over his shoulder. “If you want to have a look.”
“Any sign of the other ship?” I ask as I walk to the viewing window and am confronted with a sea of greens and blues along with bright pops of pinks and reds.
The jungle beneath us is intertwined with mist, hanging between the tallest of trees and the canopy below, giving the entire place a mystical and slightly creepy feeling. I’m usually pretty skeptical of the paranormal, but this place gives me a shiver I can’t escape from.
“It’s not in this vicinity,” Dalox says, giving me some reassurance. “We should be coming up on the target in the next thirty nova-seconds. We’ll do a fly by before determining the best landing spot.”
I watch the jungle below us as it zips past until, up ahead, I see a shiny, silvered surface which can only be one thing.
“Here it is,” I call out to Dalox.
He pushes the nose of the flyer up and swings to the left so we can look down on the ship below. My heart skips in my chest as it appears in its full glory. The top of the ship, a saucer shape like the ones joined together to form their base, is still silver, but the jungle has encroached on the edges, coloring them green and making it look almost…frilly.
