Void Star Read Free Page B

Trevor wanted to argue it was only his second drink but thought better of it. His uncle would only launch into a "When I was your age, at the Royal Guard Academy, I never…" story. He got out of the hammock and pulled his flight gear on. He zipped up the gray jumpsuit and pulled his leather jacket over it.  He picked up his sword and lugged it back toward the ship without another word.
         Theirs was the only ship on the landing pad. It was a Tiger-37, J-model, quadwing, dual-analog-capacity craft. It truly was one of a kind, seeing as the production plant and the world it had been manufactured on no longer existed. It had a sleek, straight body and engines that spiraled from the back toward the front like dead spider legs. Trev could see the cargo door open and Boost helping Daphkalian tie the equipment down for flight. It was still odd to see such a large Ecath like Daph, since most were pretty small and reminded him of lithe humanoid tigers from Earth. He was like a rhino-sized tiger version, standing one head taller than everyone on the crew. His orange-and-black striped body nearly took away from their ship's current color, which was the darkest obsidian black there was. They'd painted it that color to help them traverse past the outskirts of Ruveran-monitored space.
         Its tail flash caught his eyes for a moment. One of the words was missing. After the end of Earth, or EOE, as the crew called it among themselves, Nathan had named his old war fighter, Arilyn's Wrath , for the son he'd lost in the war. Arilyn had been Trev's closest cousin. Now his name was missing. It had been painted over and recently.
         Were they just "Blind" Wrath now?
         Even though Trevor liked to play like he didn't pay attention or care, he had noticed a change in his uncle lately. He wasn't sure what it was yet, but he did worry about him. He had always been a little too militaristic, but he had been quick to laugh and joke. Trevor hadn't seen him smile in a long time. And after taking this job, he felt like Nathan had become almost loathsome.
         Trevor pushed it out of his mind, grabbed his list, and started going through his checks.
         Elsewhere, back down toward the beach, the older woman in orange robes walked up to Nathan. "How long will it be, Captain Sutherland?"
         Nathan turned from watching his crew prepare the ship. He forced his eyes not to do what they naturally wanted to do, which was unprofessionally wander down. He looked her in the eyes and answered, "Ms. Elwin, we will be ready to depart in thirty minutes. Is all your equipment aboard?" Even as he tried not to check her out, his mind told him that he knew her from somewhere.  Was he so old that everyone seemed familiar or did he just not remember?
         "Daphkalian is loading it now. And, please, Captain, call me Kaida." She absentmindedly pulled her reddish hair behind her ear, further exposing her smooth, frail neck. Even her name echoed from a time long forgotten.
         "Of course, ma'am." He coughed. Nathan could feel his missing wedding ring, and guilt darkened his approach to the beautiful woman. "If everything is set, go take your seat." His stony exterior left little room for debate.
         Kaida watched the well-muscled captain depart. He couldn't help looking so dashing in his pressed collared shirt and tailored pants. His long, dark overcoat blew in the ocean breeze. With the smooth way he walked, it was difficult to tell he had a prosthetic leg. He was like an old stone statue from a different era, begging to be chiseled down. It hurt her deeply that he didn't remember her, but she would remind him when the moment was right.  Or maybe never.
         She couldn't wait to get away from this place. Her tests had failed. Ruveran technology could not be duplicated or repressed. Those she worked for were not going to be pleased. She needed a distraction.
    She stole one last look at the beautiful landscape,