Catch a Falling Star by Fay McDermott Read Free Book Online Page A

about.” Lyrianne stopped him from continuing
     with the list of terms men used to describe women, some
     condescending, some insulting, some just plain weird.
    She bit her lower lip
     and turned to look at the spot where Miguel had disappeared into
     the smoking remains of his “broad”. She'd figured out pretty
     quickly that he'd been talking to his ship since she'd often
     heard her father and brothers talking to the farm equipment in
     that same way. But, thank the stars, Farley had thought he'd
     been addressing her. For just a moment, she found herself
     wishing he had been using that tone with her. That was not what
     she should be thinking though, so she covered it with another
     bout of annoyance with him. Stupid Fed fly jockey , she
     thought. He could have easily given away who he was if it had
     been anybody brighter than the one who had heard it.
    “Well, you know how
     it is, Farley. I guess he was never taught manners and proper
     respect for women.” The irony of talking to her big neighbor
     about someone else's manners and respect wasn't lost on her. It
     was then strengthened as her expression suddenly turned to
     disgust. She moved some distance away from her enormous
     neighbor, waving a hand in front of her face.
    “Farley! 
     Speaking of manners. Gag! I've told you before. Give a girl some
     warning when you're going to break wind. I think the inside of
     the metal carcass there has cleaner air than out here with you
     right now.”
    Farley grinned yet
     managed to look contrite at the same time, not moving and
     obviously not minding the quality of the air now surrounding him
     – or he was immune to it. “Sorry.” He said it because he knew
     she expected him to but he didn't put much sincerity behind it.
     “Say, where'd your fancy boy go, anyway? Is he in there shuttin'
     down the security field?”
    Staring back at the
     ship, she wondered the same thing. What was he doing? “I
     don't know. Yeah, I guess maybe he is.” She hoped, if he was
     looking for a working communicator or beacon, he found it soon.
     It didn't look at all healthy to be inside there.
    She took several more
     steps toward the fighter. “Maybe I should see if he needs help.”
    What Lyrianne and
     their oversized friend did not know, was that the ship was
     attuned to her pilot’s unique resonance, as all of the
     starfighters of this class were. It was not just a precaution
     for the present eventuality, but a way for the pilot to
     communicate his actions even before his own body had registered
     the commands from his brain.
    Miguel had triggered
     the release of the security field just by his proximity; there
     wasn’t anything he had to do to get into the craft’s interior.
     Except for jump in, which he was doing right then. The pit was
     like a hollowed out canoe, deep enough that he had to reach for
     the lip to pull himself back out when it was time.
    Unaware of his
     audience outside the screaming metal wreck, the pilot had to
     stop moving when his ship bellowed and tipped a few inches
     forward on the already beleaguered nose. The sudden tilt nearly
     threw him into the cave where the HUD used to sit.
    A gasp escaped from
     Lyrianne as she saw the ship take a groaning tilt before finding
     its balance again. She knew she should stay back but, he was
     taking so long. Wasn't he? She'd lost track of just how long
     he'd been in there; it seemed too long.
    She tried to reason
     with herself that if he was taking so long because he'd been
     hurt, or overcome by the smoke, she would be of little help. For
     one thing, she'd left the flashlight back at the mule and it was
     dark, the moons still not above the tree line. They were hardly
     providing light to see by outside and would be no help inside
     the ship, especially with the heavy smoke. Besides, who was he
     to her? Nobody. Right? Even as she was arguing with herself,
     however, she was moving forward, pulling on her leather gloves
     to protect her