Free VirtuallyYours by Caroline McCall Page B

down, Charley. Tin Guy is right. You’ve accessed
almost all of the ship’s systems and I’ll help you with the rest.”
    Charley closed her eyes. You can do this, Maxwell .
You’ve clocked well over two hundred hours flying time, and lots more if you
count the unofficial stuff. She didn’t want to think about flying with her Dad.
Her mind reached out, feeling for the systems until she could sense them coming
under her control. “Marc, I need a visual of the hangar.”
    She almost wished she hadn’t asked. The giant doors were
open to the night, but the floor of the hangar was littered with bodies. The
propulsion system surged and bucked before stalling with a protesting groan.
    “Easy, Charley, easy.” She could feel Pete’s hand. His
calloused finger brushed along her knuckles. “Try it again.”
    Charley began to talk herself through take off. Propulsion
systems powered up. Stabilizers off. The ship moved slowly forward, passing
through the hangar doors. Increase speed. Throttle Back. Doors cleared .
Adjust speed. Take off. The sky came toward her at an alarming speed. Too
Fast. Too Fast. Trickles of sweat slid down her spine, puddling in her
lower back.
    “You’re doing fine, sweetheart.”
    Sweetheart. He called her sweetheart. “Pete, I forgot to
tell the crew to prepare for take off.”
    She heard a snort of laughter. “I think they know by now.”
    The ship blazed through the night sky like a comet. Then
they were through the upper atmosphere and into the inky darkness of space.
Charley let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She felt
Marc’s hand resting on her shoulder.
    “The autopilot system is now engaged, Charley. Navigation
systems are online. The ship is under my control. Setting course for Tarsus
Four.”
    Charley opened her eyes. Tarsus Four. Her stomach flipped.
Reality check, Maxwell, that’s the least of your worries. You’ve just helped a
bunch of Vashtar mercenaries steal a top-level prototype from a military base.
Every Fleet Command starship in the quadrant is going to be looking for you.
She didn’t have to worry about passing her final exams. If she made it out of
this alive, she could kiss her career in Fleet Command goodbye.

Chapter Seven
     
    Charley disabled the external com link. At least they had
some privacy for a while, until the Vashtar figured out how to override it.
“So, what now?”
    Pete cast a baleful glance at Marc. “I think that depends on
Tin Man here. He kept pretty quiet about the Vashtar.”
    “You are mistaken, Pete. My father said that we were leaving
Earth, but I was not aware that the Vashtar were coming. I would never endanger
Charley.”
    “You had no problem endangering the rest of us,” Pete
snapped. “What about the men on the base?”
    Charley remembered her last glimpse of the base. Fleet
Academy had taught them battle tactics and weaponry, but nothing prepared her
for the sight of the blood-soaked bodies on the hangar floor. This was no time
to fight with Marc. They needed him on their side. “Marc, has your father
discussed his plans with you? Has he told you what’s going to happen when we
reach Tarsus Four?”
    “No, Charley. I am sorry. He just said that he wanted us to
be together.”
    “As if that’s going to happen, you clueless piece of junk,”
Pete growled. “You’re going to be sold off to the highest bidder and Daddy is
going to end up developing weapons for whatever tin-pot terrorist cartel pays
the most credits.”
    Marc’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Poor Marc. He had no
idea how much danger they were in, but maybe she could persuade him to help
them. Charley reached for his hand. “Marc, can you monitor the ship? Try to
find out how many Vashtar are on board and where they are?”
    “Yes. I will do that, Charley.”
    Pete scowled. “Come on, Charley, we have to go back. The
Vashtar are jumpy enough as it is.”
     
    Pete tugged his visor back to find himself surrounded by a
group of