Free Allies (Warriors of Karal Book 5) by Harmony Raines Page B

information from her.
    “Prepare to launch. In three, two, one.” He flicked a switch forward, releasing the cruiser up into the atmosphere where they rocketed towards the immense freedom of space.
    Petra looked pale beside him, and he hoped she wasn’t going to be sick. But she took deep breaths, and he was proud of the way she handled her nervousness. Below them Karal became a distant blur of colour while in front of them the dark of space loomed. They passed through the outer atmosphere, the cruiser juddering as it fought for freedom from the planet’s gravity. Then they were out into the nothingness of space. The ship felt as if it slowed, but really the flight had just smoothed out.
    “That wasn’t so bad,” she said, giving him a nervous smile.
    “That was the hardest part. The rest of it will be smooth sailing.” He adjusted the course manually and then flicked the cruiser onto autopilot. He let go the control stick and flexed his hands; he always seemed to grip it too tightly.
    “So what we do now?” Petra asked, looking out the window in front of her. “It’s not as if there’s a lot of anything to look at out here, is there?”
    “No, it’s going to be a pretty boring ride. Apart from the wormholes, the ship could pretty much fly itself.” He undid his seatbelt and stood up. “We could always get something to eat.”
    A weak smile crossed her lips. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for food yet.”
    He laughed at her, and then said, “Come on. It will make you feel better, and if nothing else, it will give you something to do. I’ll give you a short tour of the ship.”
    She undid her seatbelt and he could see her hand was slightly trembling. She took one more nervous look out of the window, and got up.
    “This autopilot definitely knows where it’s going, doesn’t it? We’re not going to go flying into a sun or anything, are we?”
    He shook his head. “This ship can probably fly itself better than any Karalian can. Although we still like to think we are in control. But apart from emergencies, the ship can be trusted.”
    “Emergencies?” she asked and glanced back at the window.
    “They very rarely happen. And an alarm will sound if we are ever in trouble.” He held out his hand and she took it; the familiar sensation of static electricity passed between them. He rubbed his thumb over the back of the hand and squeezed her flesh gently, trying to reassure her.
    “So what are we expected to eat on this tin can?” She followed him into the kitchen area.
    “We have plenty of fruit. It’s packed so that it doesn’t go off. Then there are dried fruits and dried pulses. And some nuts.” He smiled at her look of distaste.
    “I think I’m already missing Karal,” she said.
    They prepared a simple meal, Niko giving her small tasks to do that kept her busy, and he could see her begin to calm down. If you could forget about the fact that you were hurtling through space at a speed that would kill you if you crashed or were hit by any space debris, you could almost imagine you were standing on firm ground. There was a gravity field on the cruiser, so it wasn’t as if they were floating around, unable to function properly.
    “There,” he said as they sat down together at the small table. “Just think of it as your new home.”
    “I don’t feel as if I have a home anymore.” She ate her food slowly. “I can’t wait until this is over. Don’t get me wrong, I really hope we find this new planet. But I’ll be glad when were back on Karal and I can see your house. Maybe then I’ll feel as if I’m home.”
    He looked at her and smiled, but didn’t tell her that for him, anywhere she was, was home now.
     

Chapter Fifteen – Petra
     
    The mission seemed endless, even though they had only been in space for ten days. They had passed through one wormhole already, and now they were heading towards the next two wormholes. There was something in Niko’s behaviour that made her think that