Page 22 of Star Cruise Captain's Story

“Are we surprised he jumped the gun?” Gil said out loud, with a laugh. “Is everyone okay?”

Emily had a big bruise on her forehead but she was tending to the man who had landed with a scream. “His leg was crushed when the temple collapsed and falling to the ground here didn’t improve matters. I need to get him to sickbay immediately or we’re going to lose him.” She looked at Maeve. “What you did was amazing and absolutely the right thing. He didn’t want to die entombed in the middle of the destruction, I’m sure.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize I was bringing us to arrive in midair,” Maeve said. “I’ve never used the ability before. It was untested.”

“Well it worked,” Jake said, “Which is all I care about. Thanks.”

Gil could feel tremors running through Maeve’s body where she stood, locked tightly to him.

“I need—I have to—I can’t stay here,” she said to him in a voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry, I?—”

“Do what you need to do for yourself,” he said immediately. “Can you get to the ship on your own?”

“Yes.” Maeve stood on tiptoe to kiss him again, closed her eyes and next moment had dissolved in the cloud of sparkling motes, which rose into the night sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Daveed moved closer to Gil. “There’s a bit of explaining to be done, brother, when we have time. Is your girlfriend a Mellurean or something?”

“Or something is right,” Gil replied with a rueful smile. “But I love her and she loves me and she organized this rescue mission we’re standing in the middle of.”

“Works for me.” Daveed’s answer was prompt and good humored. “I want you to be happy, big brother, but she seems a little…unusual.”

“She makes me happy.” The truth of his statement resonated in Gil’s heart. “She and I were made for each other, in a way Ican’t explain right now but trust me, Maeve is the woman of my dreams and I’ll be with her till the day I die.”

“Which hopefully won’t be today,” Jake said, having come to stand with them. “Theo’s on final approach and Owen reports he and Jayna will be here in five minutes. They’re double timing it. Help me get the ex-hostages ready to move as soon as Theo touches down.”

Gil and Daveed organized the group at Jake’s request, assigning two of the ex-hostages to help carry the badly injured man to the shuttle, there being no antigrav litter. Then there was nothing to do but wait, which was the most nerve-wracking part of any operation.

“Can Maeve get any of her drones working again?” Jake asked Gil. “I don’t know what’s going on with her but I’d like eyes on the temple and as overwatch here.”

Activating drones now, Maeve said on the com.Sorry, I should have done that sooner but I’ve been a bit preoccupied.

“Makes her seem more human,” Jake said to Gil as the drone feed came online.

I’m sending out an all-planet evacuation warning, she added.No one here will survive the coming eruption of a supervolcano.

Gil appreciated her decision to advise the locals to leave but he could foresee the mass chaos which would occur as a result. There was no strong civilian authority to organize an evacuation so there’d undoubtedly be fighting for space on the few ships available, most of which were owned by criminals like Arturo Main. The gang boss was no philanthropist—he might evacuate a few who could pay dearly for the privilege or selected individuals he could use in some fashion. The other gangs were much the same.

“We have to remember this situation was caused by the actions of the Jlonngi cult,” he said out loud, sure the otherswere experiencing the same dismay and anxiety. “It has nothing to do with us and our presence here. If Maeve could have talked sense into the ancient spirit, she would have but he—it—had no higher consciousness left to address, only chaotic rage and determination for vengeance.”

Owen and Jayna burst into the clearing, running full out.

“There’s a squad of tangoes on our tail,” Jayna managed to gasp out as she leaned on Jake and tried to catch her breath. “Maybe ten minutes back. I think they were blindly fleeing the disaster at the temple but then their scouts ran across us—there was a nasty firefight and we escaped—and now the surviving gang members probably think we have a ship of some kind they can steal.”

“Maybe twenty guys,” Owen added as Midorri climbed him like her favorite obstacle course, perching on his shoulder with her tail wrapped around his neck for stability. “We bought ourselves time but not much. Where the seven hells is Theo?”

The scream of whining engines from the sky answered him and the shuttle came into view as a rapidly enlarging spot in the light of dawn. Theo was descending at a reckless rate but Gil knew he was pilot enough to handle his craft and the situation certainly was dire, calling for speed. He shepherded the others away from the area where Theo was likely to land as the shuttle came ever closer.

The ramp was emerging from the flyer even before the landing gear touched the soft ground and sank in an inch or two.

Come on, come on,Theo said on the com.You’ve got tangoes about to surround us and the volcano is about to blow too.

Jake released the ex-hostages in small groups, running across the turf with aNebula Zephyrteam member at their sides to provide assistance. The three women went first, followed by Emily, her patient and the two men carrying him. Asthe doctor ascended the ramp, there was a burst of blaster fire from the jungle.

“Not close enough yet,” Jake said. “That’ll change in a blink of the eye. All right, everyone, make a run for it.”

He and Red remained behind, providing withering covering fire, directed into the surrounding jungle. Gil ran with Daveed, helping his brother move as fast as possible, He hated not being the last to board the shuttle but Jake was in command. Once he reached the ramp, he hunkered down in the minimal cover its struts afforded and shot at the lurkers in the jungle, trying to protect Jake and Red as they now ran for the flyer. The ramp began to close and Gil swung onto it, a near miss of blaster fire scorching his sleeve as he fought his way inside. Theo wouldn’t leave anyone behind but he wasn’t going to linger either. Gil stopped just inside the doorway, spinning around to resume shooting again as Red and Jake managed to work their way up the nearly closed ramp and fall into the flyer by his side.

Go, go, go, Gil yelled into the com as the Jlonngi soldiers, desperate to capture the ship, broke into the open.

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