Ricochet (25 page)

“What? You never told me that.” Angry breathing filled the intercom before he calmed down. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Willa swallowed.
Me too.
She maintained her silence as Stratton guided the ship closer to the blazing star. “Careful. We don’t want to get too close.”

“I think that’s obvious.”

She squinted against the brilliant light. “Computer, please darken the cockpit glass by 75 percent.” Immediately, the sun’s glare faded behind the shade. “Entering the outer ring of the star’s gravity field. From here on out, it’ll be messy.”

“See you on the other side,
kita
.”

Willa’s heart pounded so hard she felt it in her ears. The temperature in the ship rapidly increased. Sweat trickled down her spine, wetting the back of her slick gear. “Keep as close as you can without compromising our ability to navigate.”

“I’m not an idiot. I heard you the first time.” Strain roughened his voice. “Heading south and following the curvature.”

All moisture evaporated from her mouth as the
New Independence
continued to gather speed, as well as heat. She kept her gaze glued to her instrument panel. Schematics showed the sun they edged, with pulsating waves in red while depicting their tiny craft in yellow. “Come on.” She muttered the phrase to herself as the digital ship made progress around the blazing sun.

“How’re we doing?” The drone of the engines muffled Stratton’s question. “The nose is starting to glow.”

“Outside temperature readings are near maximum capacity.” She tapped a display screen. “I don’t know how long our hull will be able to withstand the heat.”

“It just keeps getting better and better.” As he guided the ship northward and slightly toward the port-side, tremors shook the
New Independence
. “That doesn’t bode well.”

“Afraid not.” She punched in a line of code, frowning at the feedback on the screen. “The gravitational pull, combined with the heat and advanced velocity we’re experiencing, is trying to tear the ship apart.”

He growled. “Got any more good news?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Willa dragged a finger over her display, and the screen switched. “If we can’t maintain hyper-light speed, there’s every chance we’ll be stuck in this orbit until…” She broke off, not having the heart to finish.

“Death. I got it, but it won’t happen on my watch.”

A sudden increase in propulsion plastered Willa to her seat. “What are you doing?”

“Whatever it takes.” The engines roared as he taxed them to their limit.

“Knock it off. You’re going to kill us!” She gripped the edge of her seat. Adrenaline flooded her system, sending her senses into hyperawareness.

“Paybacks are a bitch, huh?” They shot through space with ever-increasing speed.

The
New Independence
shook so hard Willa thought every bolt holding it together would fly out into space. She glanced at her display screen, squinting as it bounced in the tremors. “We’re halfway there.” Rivulets of sweat snaked down her temples. After swiping at the moisture, she unzipped her suit to allow a bit of cool air onto her skin. The auto-temp controls in the suit weren’t working anymore. “We’re at maximum heat threshold.”

“Steady.”

She shook her head. “We have to abort. It’s too much.”
The race isn’t worth losing our lives
.

“We’re doing this.” It sounded as if he forced the words through clenched teeth. “Where’s that Lingorian pride?”

“You’re right.” Her grin wobbled, and disappeared when a huge tremor hit the ship. Red lights erupted in the cabin as warning sirens screamed. “Hull integrity is at critical levels for meltdown.” The last word went up an octave.

“We’ll make it. Don’t go hysterical on me.”

She barely had time to register anger from the comment when the sound of his curses filled her ears. “What’s wrong?”

“The gravity here is too strong. I can’t get away.”

The picture on her monitor steadily advanced. So close only to lose it now?
We need a guaranteed move to wrench out of it.
“Do the corkscrew. It’s the only way to break free of the pull.”

“How the hell do I know how to do that?” His irritation became an almost-living entity between them.

“You watched me do it the last time. Don’t think about it. Jerk the joystick hard to starboard. Once we flip three times, boost the thrusters for all they’re worth.” Bile rose in her throat, and she forced it back down. “We’ll either hit hyper-light or we won’t.”

“Willa, no. It’s too risky.”

“Damn it!” Since when did he fall back on caution? “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you with the pilot’s responsibilities. Do it. We have more than enough energy behind us.” The heat in the cockpit was nearly overwhelming.

“It won’t work.”

“You’re such a gigantic ass, I’m surprised you can even think.” She dug her fingers into his shoulder until he flinched. “If you do this and we survive, I’ll…” What could she bribe him with that he’d understand? Money? No, that would be too easy.
Think Willa.
Think on Stratton’s level.
“I’ll give you the best blowjob you’ve ever had, cook you dinner, then rub your stomach until you fall asleep.” How degrading, but he didn’t know she couldn’t cook, and there was no way in this galaxy or the next she’d ever rub his stomach.

Smug, masculine laughter filled her ears. “I’m holding you to that promise.”

“I bet you are.” Desire unfurled low in her belly, and she squirmed in her seat. Would she suck his cock? Hell yeah, because she’d enjoy it too. Now she needed to think of a way to get back at him. “Are y—”

The rest of her question broke apart as the ship suddenly barrel-rolled. Over and over they went amidst the near-constant tremors. Willa couldn’t read the displays as black dots swam in her vision. Rivulets of sweat dripped into her eyes, and she wiped at them as best she could. The only thing she could do was brace herself and wait for either death or her world to stop spinning. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips together and willed Stratton confidence, luck and everything else she could think of.

Long seconds later, the
New Independence
came out of the spiral and leveled off. She sucked in a shaky breath.
We survived.
Letting it hiss out between her teeth, Willa glanced at her display screens. No longer was the sun a predominant fixture on her readouts. The tremors as well as the incessant heat had subsided.
We really survived!
Black space met her gaze as she peered out the window. The sun had vanished, which meant they had indeed achieved enough accelerated velocity to use the slingshot effect.

Giddy with relief and joy, she did a quick little victory dance in her seat, then finally yelled “Woo-hoo!”

Stratton’s head jerked, and a string of profanity shot over the comlink. “Trying to make me deaf, Willa? Do you mind telling me where the hell we are? Obviously, we’ve successfully accomplished what you said we would, but I have no idea of our bearings.”

“One sec.” She called up the schematic of their section of the galaxy. “Actually, the computer’s showing we’ll reach Renara in twenty minutes.” As she gaped at the evidence, she grinned. “You did it, Stratton. The corkscrew worked, and now we’re ahead of schedule.”

“That’s why I’m the pilot.”

“Don’t start. I’ll run a quick diagnostic.” She pressed a few buttons on the console. “Hull integrity is compromised but should hold until we reach the planet. I don’t know what kind of shape the ship will be in, though. We could have issues.”

“At this point, I don’t care. We’re still flying. We didn’t become humanoid goo. We didn’t break apart. Everything else is gravy.”

“True.” She patted his shoulder, wishing she could thank him by a much more satisfying display of affection. “We have a chance.” Victory was within her grasp. She never would have made it here without Stratton’s help.

“Yeah, we do. Less talking, more action.” His laughter filled her ears and sent a host of shivers down her spine. “Now, let’s see if we can get a jump on Chaf and get this business wrapped up. I want to make good on your promise as soon as possible.”

“We’ll see.” She grinned despite his teasing. What she couldn’t explain was the tightness around her heart. Had to be an aftereffect from the corkscrew. Anything else was too…scary to contemplate. “Thanks, though. I’m impressed.”

“Good to know. I’ve got more where that came from, but you don’t get to see those moves until I get you naked and on your knees, begging.”

“Jerk.” But this time, the heartwarming, belly-flipping feelings that had started to percolate remained.

Chapter Fifteen

Stratton fought with the steering mechanism, a joystick in each hand as the
New Independence
descended through Renara’s atmosphere like a chunk of space debris. “We’re losing altitude too fast. What’s the verdict?”

“The engines are almost shot. The energy put off from the sun, then the subsequent jump into hyper-light was apparently too much for them.” Willa’s no-nonsense voice droned over the intercom.

Of course it was.
“Why is it that ever since I partnered with you, I can’t manage to stay airborne?”

“Oh, so everything that’s happened since we met is my fault?”

“It’s a huge coincidence, don’t you think?”

“So, you’re blaming me for all this misfortune?” Indignation hung on her words.

“Nope, I’m just saying it’s your fault.” He grinned as the ship flew parallel to Renara’s surface. Through the gray wisps of clouds, he discerned square patches of farmland dotted with some sort of white animal. Pastoral scenes gave way to the more complex workings of cityscapes, all teeming with activity.

“Will it be another coincidence if I smack your bald head once we get out of here?” Staccato tapping spoke volumes of how annoyed she was. “Three teams are a mile ahead of us. Three teams are some minutes behind. We must have gotten more lift from the slingshot than I’d first thought.” A pleased chuckle floated over the intercom. “Info indicates the finish is located in the old ruins of what used to be the capital seat of the planet. Renara is tiny, with not more than two million inhabitants. It’s divided into four quadrants. We need the unipolar region.”

“And that would be where? I’m not a mind reader,
kita
.” He flexed his hands on the controls as restlessness settled over him. He wanted out of the ship. Being trapped in the close confines, only able to hear Willa’s voice and smell her perfumed skin but not see her, played havoc with his brain. Without visual confirmation, he had no idea if her mood was a sign that she regretted their tentative partnership and simple teasing.

“Directly ahead, you ungrateful bastard.” An unmistakable smile infused her voice, and Stratton relaxed a fraction. “You’ll see the ruins of an ancient city on the port-side. Set the
New Independence
down outside as the remains are too close for maneuvering this ship.”

“Aye. Preparing to…” He trailed off as another racer came into view. “Give me the name of that ship.”

“It’s the
Stryker
. He’s manipulated energy signatures to read differently, but I’d recognize that ship anywhere. Looks like it’s preparing to land.” Seconds of silence reigned, broken by their mutual breathing and the intermittent sputtering of the engines. “Awaiting further orders.”

“Since when?”

“Remember, I had to deal with him and his attitude all of last year. He needs knocking down. Tell me what you’d like me to do.”

Stratton snorted at her submissive attitude. Oh, he’d like her to do a host of things, most centering around the bedroom or kitchen, but they’d all have to wait. First, they’d both have to get through the next hour or so. “I’d like to give him an old-fashioned Earth welcome.” Being raised on the streets as well as in and out of halfway houses had given him certain knowledge. The best way to get a point across was to fight dirty and fight hard. No amount of talking or negotiating could glean the information a well-aimed punch could.

“Sounds good to me, as long as I get to add a Lingorian twist.”

“Will do.” He guided the craft closer to the surface, following in the
Stryker’s
wake. His stomach tightened with nerves. What exactly did Chaf do to her that warranted her level of dedication for stopping him?
Doesn’t matter now. She’s with me.
Preemptive victory swelled his chest. Hell, Chaf probably hadn’t done anything but piss her off.
Gotta keep on her good side.
Which probably meant changing a few things in his life. Stratton frowned at his display panel. That would be a tall order and one he didn’t know if he was prepared to enact. “Get ready for landing.”

“Better do it soon. Power won’t hold for much longer.”

As if a portent of fate, the
New Independence
shuddered.

Willa’s soft cursing filled the intercom. “Engine one is off line.”

“Have patience.” He shoved both joysticks forward. The ship responded instantly. “Landing gear deployed.”

Another shudder rocked the vessel. “Engine two is now gone.”

“We don’t need it.” His jaw clenched while he gritted his teeth. “Computer, straighten the wings.” A glance outside confirmed the sloping wings had been reconfigured. Instead of pointing downward, they now flared straight out.

The dusty plains of the planet came ever closer. When the wheels hit the ground, the
New Independence
bounced and shook but remained intact and upright. Scrub pines and ground-hugging shrubs scratched the hull. A few branches stuck to the windscreen. Through the organic mess, he watched as the other three shuttles touched down. Focusing on his own bird, he flinched as a larger tree scraped the hull. The top of it punctured the windscreen. Stratton reflexively dodged the living missile. A sharp aroma of pine wafted through the cockpit. “Fuck. Won’t be able to go airborne until that’s patched.” Each hit they took slowed their acceleration until eventually the ship came to rest, nose first, against the crumbling red bricks of a long-abandoned building.

A gasp from Willa jerked his attention away from the intruding tree. “Look out! Incoming fire!”

“Aw, damn.” He ducked as much as the seat harness would let him. Seconds later the ship reeled from a laser cannon blast. Warning alarms went off. Red light flooded the interior. “Willa, are you okay?” Thick, black smoke billowed around him, and as it swirled, he caught a glimpse of the twisted wreckage that used to be the front of the ship.
We’re stranded on this planet.
“That bastard’s days are numbered.” He yanked the helmet off and threw it over the tree to the floor.