“Absolutely. And it’s very interesting to get a glimpse into your life.” Wren glanced at Kellis to include her in the conversation. “And what a surprise to learn that this one had already gotten a glimpse.”
“More than a glimpse,” Fallon said. “She stormed a PAC base with us.”
Kellis made a self-deprecating gesture. “I didn’t do much. Just tagged along, really. Cut through a bulkhead.”
“Still, the idea of seeing all this in action is fascinating.” Wren showed none of the nervousness Raptor had anticipated. Hah. She’d have to rub that in later.
“Let’s hope you still think so once we get on the station. Do either of you have any questions?” Fallon had thought hard about which engineer to take to Jamestown and which to leave on the ship. She’d decided that since Kellis was more accustomed to working on board a ship while Wren had more experience on a station, there was no reason for them to switch that up.
“You’re sure I shouldn’t come with you on the Outlaw?” Wren asked.
“No. It’s a great ship, but you’ll be safer here. Plus you’ll have more people to protect you during boarding. I don’t expect Colb to let us waltz right in. The only question is how much protection he has.”
“Do you have any idea what kind of ships we can expect?” Kellis asked.
“No. He had time to get to a mercenary station, which means he had the opportunity to hire mercenary ships. Those could be anything from slag heaps to warships. So we’re planning on warships. Classes and models, I have no idea. We’ll have to adjust as we go.”
“Right.”
“Anything else?” Fallon asked, looking from one to the other, but they both shook their heads, looking determined.
“Good. I’m off to the cargo bay to get ready.”
“Can I walk you there?” Wren asked.
She remembered what Raptor had told her, and nodded. “That’d be great.”
It felt strange yet nice to walk with Wren down the corridors of the Nefarious. Wren was finally seeing who Fallon truly was.
Fallon was proud of her ship, her partners, and the rest of her crew. She wasn’t glad that Wren would be mixed up in whatever was about to happen, but she was very glad to know she could rely on the best engineer in any galaxy to handle whatever the station would throw at them.
In the cargo bay, Fallon ran a hand over the flank of her little race-car ship. “This is it. Gets some amazing speed and maneuvers like a dream.”
Wren laughed. “It’s funny to see you so excited about flying. I didn’t know that about you.”
“There’s still a lot you don’t know. Sorry you ever asked me out?”
Wren elbowed her. “Absolutely not. Best thing I ever did.”
Wren faced her full-on, and Fallon braced herself for a teary farewell.
Wren leaned forward, gently pinching Fallon’s nose. “Beep.”
Fallon laughed. “I’m flying off to save the universe and you beep my nose?”
Wren grinned. “Not the universe, just a bunch of galaxies. And I know you don’t want an emotional scene. So a beep seemed the safest course of action.”
“I like it. Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around Wren for a hug. Wren returned the hug tightly, belying her flippant words.
Fallon looked into her eyes. “Wren.”
“No.” Wren stepped back, holding a hand up in front of her. “Nope. Say it when you get back. You’ve already done the ‘dire circumstances’ goodbye. No sense in repeating yourself.”
“Are circumstances dire? You just said it’s only some galaxies to save. I mean…pfff…no problem.”
“Good. You remember that. Now up you go. Strap in nice and safe, and I’ll see you when you get home.” She turned and sauntered out as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
Fallon was still smiling as she went through her pre-launch checklist.
“Fallon, are you seeing this?” Ross’ voice filled the Outlaw’s small cockpit. She rested now, attached to the outside of the bigger ship, waiting for her moment. They’d practiced these maneuvers and she knew they were ready to do them for real.
“Yep.” As they neared Jamestown, she saw five ships. Two were small, no match for the Nefarious. One was a mid-sized wild card—no telling if it was a real threat. Of the remaining two, both were worth a good portion of concern. The larger was a much older model than the Nefarious but clearly in excellent condition.
“Ross, you’re going to take on the big guy. While you’re working on that, I’ll keep the others busy. See if I can get the little ones out of the way.”
“Okay, but watch yourself. You won’t be any use to us if you get yourself burned crispy like last time.”
“Understood. Good luck, Nefarious.”
“Back at you, Outlaw.”
She wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but she liked being called “Outlaw.”
She watched her viewscreen, even as she felt the Nefarious shift almost imperceptibly. They dove in beneath the lead ship, and her team unleashed the standard weapons attacks and evasive patterns. Well, standard for a highly trained military team. Ross had improved greatly during the drills they’d done, and she had faith in him. She had to have faith, because she had her own job to do and it depended entirely on him doing his.
While the Nefarious angled its belly away from the other ships, Fallon detached the Outlaw from its hull and hid behind Ross’ sensor shadow as long as she could. With the Nefarious occupying the lead ship, she streaked around it and unloaded some firepower at its aft section, where the life-support systems would be. Anything she could do to slow it down or disable it would give Ross a big advantage.
She sailed on by the lead ship, ignoring the two small vessels to focus on the second large one. If she let it get position on the Nefarious, the smaller ships could help at pinning Ross in, and it would only be a matter of time until their concerted efforts took him down.
Can’t have that.
She came in fast—too fast, technically speaking. If she anticipated her
