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“In case you didn’t notice,” I growl back, right in Ji kids”

“Transmission sent,” Tray says, his voice calm and steady

“Cannons locked on the lead ship,” Luck says, his voice the opposite of cal back!”

We thrust forward towards the gate when the cannons fire, and Ji to slon, asshole! You know, trying to look like we’re not gonna crash the ALCOR gate!”

“What the fuck do you want me to do?” Luck yells back “They fired! I have to fire back, right, Crux?”

“Keep firing,” I say, trying to ree? He’s the only one who isn’t shitting his pants right now

But the reason he’s calht about hi to him last week I’m not sure what I’m not even sure I want to know

“Ha!” Luck yells “I did it!” Then he laughs Acall !”

The ship shudders and even

“Oh, fuck!” Valor says “We’re hit!”

“What’d they get?” I ask, taking a deep breath

“Cargo bay,” Valor reports “But it’s mostly contained”

“Inco transmission,” Tray yells over the new, louder alarms “Hold for screens”

“What part of it is not contained?” I yell, leaning down into Valor’s shoulder so he can hear me

“Life support,” he yells back

The screens coital face appears I’ve heard of this ALCOR thing Soue AI left over from who the fuck knohen And the reason I’ve heard of hi in and out of his system for thousands of years

Anyone who gets close is just… vaporized Totally annihilated by the SEAR cannon weapon systeates on both sides

But Corla gave me a code She pushed it into my hand just before I tucked her inside a cryopod and launched her into the Akeelian spin node, trying to get her away fronus Systes with her

And our baby, I remind myself

“Where did you get this code?” the digital face on the screen asks us The face is humanoid, but made up of numbers, symbols, and letters in the shape of a face They fall down the screen like water

“You’re on,” Tray says I look up at the screen, the red light blinking to let ital face can see me