The Prodigal Sun by Sean Williams, Shane Dix Read Free Book Online Page B

serious. She will awaken shortly.”
    Roche wasn’t sure how she felt about that, and couldn’t fight the sensation that she was being backed into a corner: first Cane, and now two others. Her mission was in enough jeopardy without complicating things further. But without saying anything, she hurried the short distance to the lander itself. When Cane had ducked through the inner airlock, she keyed it closed and made sure the seals were tight.
    A short companionway led to the cockpit and its standard, if slightly out of date, hemispherical layout: five acceleration couches, centrally placed in rows of two and three; main controls located ahead of the front row; pilot’s position right and backup to the left, auxiliary systems away to either side and rear. There were no viewports this far forward; heat shields covered the nose completely.
    Roche dropped into the pilot’s couch, made the fundamental adjustments to suit her physique, and placed the valise on her knees. “Out of curiosity, Box, can you fly this thing?”
    
    “Good.” She turned in her seat to see what Cane was up to. He had strapped the Eckandi into the chair in the center of the rear row and lifted the Surin from where she lay on the floor. The girl, limp and even smaller than Roche had guessed, went into the seat on the far side of the cockpit from Roche. “We have a reave on board, Box.”
    
    “If she wakes up and takes me over, you have my permission to fly the ship on your own. I don’t want us stuck in limbo again waiting for her to decide whether or not she should trust us.”
    
    Cane strapped himself into the copilot’s seat next to her, and Roche belatedly realized that she had been talking aloud.
    “The briefcase,” he said. “It’s some sort of computer, isn’t it?”
    “Yes.” She cursed the slip. “It’s going to fly us out of here in—how long, Box?”
     The Box paused.
    “What? Klose gave the order to scuttle the ship?”
    Before the Box could reply, Roche had to grasp at the armrests as the frigate’s gravity stabilizers failed completely.
    “Shouldn’t we be launching, then?” If the stabilizers had gone, the main energy pile wouldn’t be far behind. And if the Box was right about Klose’s order to free the antimatter reserve—
    She was suddenly aware of perspiration beading her forehead.
     the voice lilted in her ear.
    Roche forced herself to stay calm. “To hell with decorum, Box. Would you just get us out of here?”
    
    “Yes. So?”
    
    “Box!” It was an exclamation of disbelief, nothing more. She had passed beyond panic.
    
    “Just don’t cut it too fine—”
    
    “Brace yourself!” Roche shouted to Cane, remembering that she alone could hear the voice in her ear. “We’re launching!”
     intoned the Box.
    Riding a wave of energy as mighty as that on the surface of a small sun, the lander ejected itself into space. Roche closed her eyes against the sudden pressure, and put her fate into the Box’s hands.

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    From his coffin in life support, Captain Uri Kajic viewed the