Priestess of the Eggstone by Jaleta Clegg Read Free Book Online

of the cockpit.
    The ship lurched sideways as a warning shot exploded.
    “They are shooting at us!” Jerimon wrenched the ship onto a new heading. “That isn’t Patrol,” he added after a moment.
    We streaked past a strange looking ship. I glanced at the viewscreen and went cold. The ship was Sessimoniss. We raced out of its range, swerving again to avoid a line of ore tankers. A long lance of white light shot from the Sessimoniss ship to the line of Patrol cruisers chasing us. The Patrol fired back.
    I clutched the disk in my hand, my heart pounding as I stared at the waiting computer. The ship lurched again as Jerimon darted past the chaotic line of pursuers. The indicator for the shields faded into red. Flashes of light danced around us as the Patrol and the Sessimoniss fired at each other. I twisted the disk in my hand as I searched for inspiration to save us.
    “I think I’ve got it!” I shoved the disk into the slot and hit the reverse button on the keypad. The nav computer chuckled and hummed to itself. Numbers scrolled across the screen. The ship lurched again. The light on the nav computer flickered green.
    “Now!”
    Jerimon goosed the engines. We felt the briefest tug of resistance as we shot into hyperspace. I heaved a sigh and sat back, waiting for the warning lights to change from red and yellow to green.
    “What was that about and who in blazes is the lunatic with the stunner?” Jerimon demanded as he shut down the sublight engines.
    “A Belliff executive without enough rank to escape the Patrol net,” I said absently. Three lights refused to change. I tapped a few controls. They stayed yellow.
    “Why were we running away from the Patrol? Why didn’t you just take his gun away in the first place?”
    “Belliff was using us to smuggle cargo. Do you think the Patrol is going to believe us if we say we knew nothing about it?”
    “They definitely won’t now! They were shooting at us!”
    “They are much more likely to believe us now than before.” I fiddled with the controls. The lights stayed yellow. “We lost the left rear stabilizers.”
    “Humor me for a minute. Why are they going to believe us now?”
    “Because we were hijacked by a lunatic with a gun.”
    Jerimon looked like he’d just swallowed something prickly that tasted vile.
    “We’ve got Leon to turn in when we get to Tebros.” I readjusted the thruster settings. The lights stayed yellow.
    “If we get to Tebros.”
    “You don’t believe me, do you?”
    “About what? I believe you are a raving lunatic with a death wish, yes.”
    “Who’s the lunatic being hunted by giant lizards? The Venturer was in the repair dock at Viya. The story I heard was the Sessimoniss used it for target practice. Long after you left. They’ve marked me as well as you. We’re going to get that Eggstone you stole and give it back. Then we’ll worry about the Patrol.”
    “Dace, I’m sorry. I never meant to get you involved.”
    “Well, you did. Do you want to tie up our guest while I check on the stabilizers? Then we’ll find out what’s in those crates. And try to figure out our next move.”
    “What if they’re waiting for us at Tebros?”
    Jerimon made no move to leave his seat. I climbed out of mine and stepped around Leon’s limp body.
    “There isn’t much we can do about that. Is there? Except maybe collaborate on a story.”
    Jerimon ran his hand through his hair and swore.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    We found a cargo net and wrapped Leon in it. Jerimon dragged him into the cabin, rolling him under the table. Leon shivered, mumbling incoherently as the stunner wore off.
    “Now what?” Jerimon asked, watching Leon’s feet sticking out from under the table.
    “Let’s go open a few crates.”
    “If we leave them sealed, it makes our story more believable.”
    “What if there isn’t anything but papers and chips like the manifest says? Then how do we explain things to the Patrol?”
    “We still have