Page 161 of Tempting Fate

But they’d hurt him. I clenched my fists, wanting nothing more than to storm onto their ship and punch Dickbeard in his pompous, sneering face.

Urula let out a low growl. “They’re powering up secondary subspace thrusters.”

“Skikking Rintan vhoz.” Reskavi thumped his fist on his console.

Thrusters, vhoz, none of it meant anything to me, but I understood the foreboding in their tone. “What does that mean?”

Kapiya swung around on the jump seat, one beefy hand worrying over his tattooed ear ridges. “Vhoz is volatile. If they use it, they’ll get away. But if we try to stop them, we could blow their whole ship.”

Well, I wished I hadn’t asked.

“Kapiya, enough,” Reskavi said, voice too steady. “Get back to the turret.”

I rounded on him. “What? It’s got explosive stuff! Airi’s on that ship. You can’t fire on it, not for real!”

Reskavi stared at me with unblinking crystalline eyes. His sharp jaw jutted out, lips peeled back, revealing all those teeth. Huge neck muscles bulged and strained. “Trust me, Imani. I’d happily see Dickbeard blown to pieces, but I promise I won’t risk your mate, same as I wouldn’t risk mine.”

My chest felt too tight. I leaned forward, trying to make sense of the view through the bridge window, where the Fanged Altair banked and dove towards the planet.

Reskavi pulled the Jewelled Tusk in a sharp turn, the thrusters kicking in so fast we were pinned to our seats.

I fucking hate space travel.

“Aim for their aft thrusters!” Reskavi barked into the comm.

“Aye, Cap.”

I watched, helpless, as bolts of light streaked through the void towards the ship holding Airida captive. They landed with violent red starbursts, a shimmering translucence rippling around the impact zone.

Kira scooched closer to me and took my hand. “He’s taking out the thrusters. And that’s not where the vhoz is stored. It looks worse than it is, it’s only hitting their shields at the moment. But they’re already low, or the whole ship would have shielded.”

I tore my gaze away from the window. “How do you know all this?”

“It’s my job. Been doing this a few months now.”

“And you’re okay with…” Another barrage of photon-laser-blaster-whatever projectiles hit the enemy ship, this time leaving glowing damage in their wake. A single point of light appeared on the lower quarter of the Altair, then grew, as if it was coming towards—

The enemy fire hit the Tusk’s shields, shaking everything.

“Shields holding,” the AI said, her voice eerily calm over warning klaxons that blared at frequent intervals.

I clung to Kira.

“Dickbeard, you ruthless motherskikker, don’t make me cripple that junkyard of yours more than it already is.” Reskavi thumped one massive hand on his console and sat back, headspines flaring. “If Airida wasn’t on board, I’d blow that ulthbrained shit-sucker out of the godsdamned void. Kapiya! Can you target his weapons?”

Kapiya’s shout came through the comm and echoed up the corridor. “Come on, Cap, they’re tucked right under the hull. I know I’m good, but it’d be easier to take out the thrusters.”

“One or the other, Kapi. Want me to pull her around, give you a clearer shot?”

“Negative. Keep quiet and let me concentrate.”

I couldn’t look. I tugged Kira into a hug and clung to her, my eyes squeezed shut.

While the crew traded reports and commentary, I replayed moments from the caves. The warmth of the pool. Our first kiss. Airida’s unshakable belief that we were destined for each other. The freezing cold underground lake. I pushed away memories of the way Big Fish had dealt with our pursuers and what might happen to Airida if all of this went wrong.

Comkana blared another klaxon, this one cutting into my thoughts as Kira gave me a squeeze. She drew away, pointing.

The Altair listed to one side. Smoke poured from somewhere, I couldn’t tell where.