Fringe Runner (Fringe Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

against the jump shield and chewed at his raw nerves. Glimpses of debris lit up space like tiny stars. Many chunks were smaller than an inch in diameter, but each one was capable of piercing a view panel without jump shields as easily as a knife tip through a sheet of paper.
    A larger metallic shard skidded off the jump shield, and he instinctively ducked. “How close are we to the leading edge?”
    “Close. I’m trying to get us a little closer.”
    He spun around “You’re what?”
    “We’re too close to outrun the asteroid’s gravitational pull, so I’m skimming across the leading edge like I would with a planet’s orbit. If we hit it at just the right angle, we should skip right off the buffer instead of getting sucked into the swarm. At least that’s my guess.”
    Turbulence sent Reyne collapsing into his seat, and he buckled in.
    Throttle, even with her wheelchair locked in, held onto the instrument panel with one hand while punching in commands with her other. “Just a few more seconds.” Her voice trailed off in a small shriek when something that looked eerily like a chunk of Myrad hauler M4029LW collided with the bow, and the ship pitched.
    Then, as quickly as the star swarm began, the space outside became blissfully silent.
    “Damage report?” he asked.
    The petite blonde blew out a breath, leaning over her panel. “It will take some time to run diagnostics, but the engine isn’t running at full capacity, and I’m showing a thirty-four percent vulnerability in our jump shield.”
    He grimaced. “That’s not going to be a cheap bill.” He pulled up the quadrant map. “If we maintain jump, we can be to Ice Port in seventy-four hours, still well before our deadline.”
    She shook her head. “If we lose any more of the jump shield, we’ll have to drop to sub speed.”
    Reyne tapped the comm on his panel. “Boden, you there?”
    “Yep.”
    “We need to boost the jump shield. Divert any extra power you can find.”
    “That’s a big viggin’ negative. We have a five-foot-long chunk of rilon sticking through our stern right now. Damn thing skittered right across our jump shield to nail us in the ass.”
    Reyne winced. “Shit.”
    “ We’re bleeding out. I need us to shut down as soon as possible to plug the leak in the stern, or else we’ll never make it home.”
    Reyne watched his pilot before he replied to make sure she was listening. “Throttle will drop us out of jump speed as soon as we’re a safe distance from the swarm.”
    “Give me ten minutes,” she chimed in.
    “Can you work on the hull with the solar sails out?” Reyne asked.
    A pause. “I’ll make it work.”
    “Good.” He released the comm, unbuckled his belt, and pushed from his seat with a groan.
    “One more thing,” Throttle said. She abruptly unlocked her wheelchair and spun around to give Reyne a hard look. She wagged a finger at him. “Don’t you ever order me to leave you behind again. That was an asshole move.”
    He stiffened. “The safety of the crew always comes first.”
    “Oh, so you and Sixx aren’t part of the crew now?”
    He pursed his lips. “We knew the risk when we went out there. You should’ve—”
    She held up her hand to stop him. “You can be such an idiot sometimes.” She blew out a breath. “For a moment, I thought you weren’t coming back.”
    He strode over to her and squeezed her shoulder, using the physical contact to convey things he never had a knack at saying right.
    After a lengthy moment, emotion softened her features, and she placed her hand over his. “I couldn’t imagine being on the Gryphon without you.”
    “I know,” he said softly before adding on a bit louder, “You might not be my daughter by birth, but you’ll always be my daughter in all ways that matter. As long as there’s the barest hint of a chance, I’ll make it back. That’s one promise I can make.”
    She eyed him. “I’ll settle for that. For now.”
    He patted her back and stepped away,