Free The Jovian Run: Sol Space Book One by James Wilks Page B

on a ship that people shoot missiles at.”
                  “No one shot any missiles at us.” His face ably communicated his thought: come on . “I mean it. No one shot at us. They shot at Dinah.”
                  “And Dinah is not part of ‘us’ now?” he pressed.
                  “Well, she wasn’t on the ship at the time. And they didn’t really shoot at her.”
                  “They didn’t shoot a missile at her.” The tone in his voice ably communicated that he and she both knew that wasn’t true.
                  “Well, not a real missile. It wasn’t armed. They never intended to really hurt her.”
                  “Do you know that for sure? How do you know that the missile didn’t just malfunction?”
                  “I was in the cockpit. I heard what Vey said. He was just trying to scare us. It was very clear that he meant it to be a warning.” She kept her voice at the same volume, but it was difficult to keep it from building in intensity as they argued.
                  “Or it malfunctioned and he played it off that way. You can’t trust what that man says.” He tried and failed not to sound scolding as he said it.
                  “Of course I can’t trust him, but do you know what the chances are of a warhead not detonating on impact? It’s like…” she searched her memory for the data, “ten thousand to one.”
                  “Are those odds you’d gamble our lives on?” He pointed towards the door. “Would you gamble Gwen’s life on those odds?”
                  “Of course not,” she replied instantly. “But first, that’s not the same thing. Secondly, the chances of us crashing on takeoff or landing are greater than that.”
                  He looked at her incredulously. “This is supposed to help your argument?”
                  “No.” She sighed and paused, re-centering herself. “All I’m saying is, we all take risks. If we were in some office job and suburban house on Earth, there’d be a chance of danger every time we put Gwen in the car, or let her play soccer, or… I don’t know, try out for cheerleading!” Against her best efforts, her voice had risen nearly to a shout. 
    John regarded her gravely for a second, and then a smile spread on his face. She looked at him darkly. “I hope you’re not laughing at me.”
                  He chuckled briefly. “No…” he grinned, “I was just picturing Gwen in a cheerleader uniform standing at the top of a pyramid of girls shouting Gimme an A! ” He gesticulated with his arms as he delivered her mock lines. Charis’ anger broke, and she began to smile as well.
                  “ What’s that spell? ” she added, her voice rising. “ Astrogation! ”
    They both grinned at the thought and at each other for a moment, and the tension between them dropped several levels. It became easier to remember that they loved each other, that they were partners and not adversaries. Finally, John assumed a more serious face and his voice found an air of contrition. “Look, you’re right, I know. Things could happen to her, to us, anywhere. Some occupations are more dangerous than others, but of course there are no guarantees. I just worry that we’re screwing up our kid.”
                  Charis opened her mouth to reply, but John stopped her with a raised palm. “I know, I know, everybody screws up their kids. Your parents did. Mine certainly did. And we turned out all right. I just worry. There are no other parents here to talk with, to get advice from. No kids to play with. And space is dangerous; not as dangerous as it was fifty years ago, but it’s still dangerous.”
                  Charis nodded sagely, happy that the argument had taken on the quest for common ground. “It is.” She raised