Page 52 of Stealing the Star Stone
“Absolutely,” Nova said.“And thanks for the rescue.”
They were alone, no longer being fired at, and traveling to yet another adventure.Things were going too well.“Any damage?”he asked.“We good to land?”
“I hope so,” Nova said and spun the shuttle, catching a glimpse of the departing saber.
A slight whir in the engines made him stiffen his spine.Maybe he was being paranoid.When she resumed their path to Lethara, the strange sound settled into a hum.
“Mm, maybe take it easy when we land?”She didn’t glance at him.That didn’t bode well.
“Ifwe can.”
He wasn’t a praying man, but the urge to start pressed on him.Gazing at the ceiling seemed silly.He did so anyway, sending up a quick prayer for a good landing, survival, and overall success.He followed with a quick apology for being silent all these years.The last time he’d spent any time with the Lord was after his parents died.
The forescreen flashed, mapping out their trajectory with a dashed line.They breached the red-tinted clouds, barreling along tall, asparagus-like trees.Three feet or more below their tips, thick foliage began, hiding the ground below.The engines whined, and when the shuttle dipped then righted itself, the sudden movement left his stomach in his throat.He swallowed the rising nausea.
She gripped the lever, her knuckles white and strained.“We’re nearing the spot,” she said.“See any clearings in the canopies?”
He scanned the almost-phallic trees, trying to find a break where they didn’t look like porcupine quills.“Nothin—”
“Destination reached,” the computer intoned, flashing a green icon on the screen.
She yanked back, the ass of the shuttle scraping along the tips of the trees.They hovered there.
“Caves without mountains have to mean an opening going underground,” he said.“Any guns on this thing?”
“Computer, can we blast a clearing?”she asked.
“This is a N-class expedition shuttle, designed to be a scientific personnel carrier.It does not have security features,” the computer said.
“There we go,” Nova muttered.
The computer continued.“A suitable landing location is 2.43 kilometers due west.”
Nova grinned.“Thank you.”She propelled the shuttle forward then jerked it to a halt.The suggested spot was on the apex of an orange waterfall where a narrow strip of dark riverbank jutted out.
“Shit,” he hissed, tension hardening his spine.“Can we make it?”
“We have to,” she said.“Good to be near water, though.Computer, land this shuttle.”She removed her hands from the lever.“Goes against my better judgment, but she’ll do it better than I can.”Nova offered him a smile.“Docking, no problem.Landing, mm, not my best skill.”
“Now you tell me?”
“Think you can do it, Thorne?”she snapped.“How long have you had your pilot’s license?”
How does she know about that?He pinched his lips.But she has a good point.
What should have been a gentle touch down turned out to be an extreme joyride.The shuttle shot up, then dropped, leaving his stomach pinned to the ceiling.His feet left the floor then slammed down, reverberating up his feet into his knees.A horrendous whine pierced the air.
“Engine malfunction,” the computer stated.“Overriding auto-pilot.One moment, please.”
Up they flew.This time, he couldn’t hold on and hit the floor, the chair’s edges scraping his ribs.Nova stayed in place, having strapped herself into the seat.She tried to grab him, but to no avail.
The final descent rattled his teeth, and the crunch of shattered rock had to mean only one thing.
They’d landed.Metal creaked, and the distinct odor of chemicals pierced his senses.
“Chance of exploding are?”he asked the computer while keeping his gaze fixed on Nova.
“73.7 per cent.”
