by S. J. Bryant
At his command, two sections of the stadium swung backwards to reveal the rest of the course.
Nova didn't waste any time. She blasted out of the gates and into the open space, leaving Dean and his wrath far behind.
Liam and Kero came out of the gate at the same time and for a few moments they were flying alongside each other in perfect formation.
Nova glanced at her fuel gauge. With the spare tank gone, all she had left was half a chamber. She hoped it would be enough to get her to the finish line.
Kero was still laughing as he pulled away from Nova. His ship was a newer model and its top speed was faster than hers, especially without her solar fuel.
As he moved in front of her, Kero maneuvered his guns and fired a few parting shots at Nova's ship. Only her exceptional reflexes saved her as she ripped the controls up and out of the way of the blast.
Liam wasn't so lucky. The blast went straight under Nova's ship and into his. His shields must have been down too because his craft shattered. Shards of metal flew across the course, but by then Nova was far past it. In her rear mirror she watched the explosion puff out, leaving a trail of rubble.
Kero was already far out in front and gaining more distance with every second. Rage rose in Nova's stomach when he had the nerve to swerve back and forth across the course, taunting her.
They couldn't be far from the finish line, how could she possibly catch up now?
Then she smiled. Kero was too busy watching her to keep his eyes on the course.
Nova saw it first. Initially it was just a tremble but then the small moon of Grenn began to fall out of orbit towards Kero's ship.
Kero was completely oblivious. His ship was seconds away from colliding with the moon when he swerved to the right.
Nova chuckled and pushed the throttle. She zoomed forward and lifted up, over the top of the way-ward moon, well out of its reach.
Meanwhile, Kero's ship turned right around so that it was going backwards down the track in an effort to stay out of the moon's path. The moon followed after him for at least one hundred metres before he was far enough away that it lost touch with his gravity.
Nova was far out in front. She could see the finish line in the distance, surrounded by spectators. She pushed the throttle as far forward as it could go and pressed the red sun fuel button but there was none left after she'd destroyed Demolition Dean. Her engine roared under the throttle, zooming faster.
Something in the motor snapped and smoke poured out of the control panel. She choked on the fumes as tears streamed out of her eyes. She blinked away the sting, keeping her eyes locked on the finish line. The entire ship rattled around her. Loose bolts fell to the floor with metal clunks and still she pushed faster.
The line drew closer. She dare not glance behind in case there were other racers right on her tail. Alarms blared through the ship and red lights lit up the controls.
She tore across the line just as her engine gave a final shudder and cut out. The ship fell out of the air and crashed onto the floor of the dome, spewing smoke.
Nova slammed her fist onto the open button and the glass case retracted, releasing a new plume of smoke into the air. The fire crew were already running towards her with extinguishers. She stumbled out of the ship and was inundated with cheers.
She threw her helmet off and it clattered to the ground as she gasped for breath. She rested her hands on her knees and gulped for fresh air. It cleared the smoke from her lungs and the fog from her head. A grin spread across her face. She drew a deep breath and then stood with her hands held wide.
The crowd roared.
Her face was plastered onto the holographic platforms scattered throughout the stadium. Normally she'd keep her identity and face hidden but this was one time when she wanted to be known. The screens replayed the highlights of her race; the deadly right-hand corner was reshown at least four times as she walked from her ship to the winner's podium.
"Incredible, ladies and gentlemen. Nova from The Jagged Maw has won the four hundred and fifty-third bounty hunter space-race. And she's done it in what appears to be a modified seven-fifty racer. Incredible, just incredible," Cambran boomed.
Nova stood next to the winner's platform and waited for the other racers to finish. According to the score-board, twenty racers weren't going to finish, how many of those had died wasn't mentioned.
Tim and Tom came out of the stands to join Nova. Their round faces flushed red and their white hair stood in tufts as if they'd spent the whole race pulling it out. Tim grabbed hold of her hand and shook it wildly, while Tom placed a thick hand on her shoulder.
"What a race!" he gushed.
Nova felt the corner of her mouth twitch up in a smile.
"The Gunners are gonna be furious!" Tom said.
"The way you took over Kero." Tim shook his head. "Just phenomenal."
Nova shrugged. "If he hadn't been showing off he might have seen he was dragging a moon out of orbit."
The three of them chuckled.
It would be a long time before the stragglers crossed the line, so when the first ten were home the official winner's ceremony commenced.
Nova climbed up to the top of the podium and lifted the gold trophy. It would be housed in The Jagged Maw for the rest of the year until a different guild won it back in another race.
Nova's heart fluttered in her chest. She was overcome with pride, joy and relief. All the months of training and hard work had paid off. The only way it could have been better was if Kero had been crushed by the wayward moon. She couldn't help a smile from splitting her face.
That night she celebrated with Tanguin and Aart and many others from The Jagged Maw. Aart was sour for the first five minutes, but it didn't take him long to lighten up and regale them all with his epic race. He waved his hands through the air and held his audience captive as he told of how close he'd come to overtaking Nova and winning this year's cup.
Nova chuckled. She knew as well as anyone that Aart hadn't even been close to her. She didn't bother correcting him. Let him have his fun.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Nova sat up in her bed and rubbed her tired eyes. It felt as if a thousand grains of sand had fallen behind her lids and scratched her eyes to pieces while she slept. The light stung as she forced her eyes open and stumbled out of her sleeping pod to the pilot's chair.
"You're finally awake," Cal said as he hovered around the corner and into the command pod.
Nova looked down at her unkempt self. She was wearing the same clothes as the day before, her hair was a tangled mess, and she had no idea where she was currently parked.
She buried her pounding head into her arms and rested on Crusader's dashboard. "I wouldn't say that just yet," Nova whispered from between a gap in her arms.
"That will teach you for enjoying so many Saturn Smoothies," Cal said. He went over to the food generator and pressed a few buttons. The machine whirred into action.
"As I recall," Nova said, lifting her head. She squinted at Cal through bleary eyes. "You were matching me drink for drink. It's not my fault I don't have an instant detox function."
"Ah, well that's where you're wrong," Cal said. He hovered over to Nova with a small glass in his hand. Amber liquid sloshed from side to side.
"Cal! I don't want to do shots," Nova groaned, laying her head back in her arms.
"This isn't a shot," Cal said. "At least not of the kind you think. This is brand new out of the Science District."
"They're still making things?" Nova asked, lifting her head once more. As far as she knew, the Science District was made up of middle-class druggies who spent their days trying to find new ways to get high.
"Not much, but this one was relevant to them. It's supposed to be the perfect hangover cure."
"Really?" Nova brightened. She straightened her back and took another look at the amber liquid. It glowed with a soft orange light. "Has it been tested?"
"The scientists were the first to try it. According t
o them there have been no extra deaths."
"Reassuring," Nova said, with a raised eyebrow.
She reached out and took the glass from Cal's hand. She held her breath and threw the liquid to the back of her throat.
She was expecting a burn, much like hard liquor. Instead she felt a soothing coldness. It splashed around her mouth, before sliding down her throat. The cold extended up into her nose and eyes. The sensation was invigorating. Her bloodshot and aching eyes were overcome with the soothing sensation and when she blinked them open, the whole world seemed to have taken on a brighter range of colours.
Her head was next. The cold seeped into every recess of her brain and laid a soothing blanket over it. She felt every neuron relax and the pounding headache disappeared. Even her arms and legs relaxed and the tension from the previous day melted away.
"This is better than a Parapem" Nova said, her eyes wide.
"So I guess I'll save that formula to the food generator; many other functions," Cal said, hovering back to the machine.
"You bet." Nova nodded. "But keep an eye on the Cloud would you? Just in case there are any unforeseen side-effects."
"I'll run a monthly search."
"Good! Then let's get out of here. Wherever here is," Nova said, frowning down at the controls as she tried to piece the night's events together.
"We're at The Jagged Maw," Cal said.
"How did we get here?" Nova asked, still frowning.
"According to Crusader we challenged Aart to a race. First one back to The Jagged Maw wins."
"We..?" Nova asked.
"You said it yourself, I was matching you drink for drink," Cal admitted sheepishly, as he turned away from Nova and pretended to examine the wall.
"So… did we win?" Nova asked.
"According to Crusader," Cal said with a pause. "Aart has yet to arrive, so yes."
Nova laughed and slapped her hand down on the dashboard. "Make sure we leave a message for him when he gets here. He probably got pulled over by some Confederacy big wigs, driving in manual or something."
She chuckled and inwardly congratulated herself for winning the illustrious space-race. She felt like she'd been reborn; the amber liquid had worked a miracle. While she had woken up feeling half-dead, she now felt ready for anything. She strolled away from the command centre and straight to the shower.
***
An hour later Nova felt better than she had since first landing on Boullion Five. She bounced into the pilot's chair and threw her legs up onto the controls.
"Dial Tanguin," she said.
A moment later Tanguin appeared on the front screen. She looked the same as she always did.
"I see you came out of last night unscathed," Nova said with a grin.
Tanguin nodded, but didn't smile. "You know I don't really drink."
Nova frowned, sensing something in Tanguin's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Aart is still MIA," Tanguin said. Her tone was light, but her expression as she looked at Nova was stern.
"He probably just got lost on his way here," Nova said, waving her hand.
"No. There's no trace of him. I can't find Sylar's signature anywhere."
"What?" Nova said, her brows drawing together. "But it's been hours. Even if he was pulled over by the Confederacy, we would have heard from him by now."
Her mind raced. Did he say anything about having a mission on?
"I didn't want to worry you," Tanguin said. "I'm sure he's just sulking about you winning. He's probably just spending his time on Vix."
Tanguin's expression gave her away. It was clear that she did not think Aart was okay. Nova bit her bottom lip. He could be anywhere.
"Put a trace on his ship; call in a few favours if you have to. I'm going straight to the Pleasure District to see if I can get hold of him."
Tanguin nodded.
Nova's victory turned to ash in her mouth at the thought of something happening to Aart.
The screen went black. Crusader lifted up into the air and shot off. There were some extra shakes and a few new noises but the ship held together and they broke atmosphere without blowing themselves up. That was always a good sign.
Nova sighed and tapped her fingers on the control panel. Tabryn and the Pleasure District was probably the very last place she wanted to go. Her home planet had too many memories; too many ghosts. But if she didn't go and Aart was in trouble… she'd never forgive herself.
Nova's Journey Continues…
When Aart goes missing Nova is forced to travel back to her hated home planet of Tabryn.
Her latest job to solve a casino heist takes her deep into the fetid underbelly of the corrupt planet, as faces from her past start to resurface.
It will take all of her strength to stay afloat as the past tries to pull her back to where it all began.
Discover the planet that made the bounty hunter in Book Four: Gambler.
Find out more at:
www.saffronbryant.com/books/gambler
http://www.saffronbryant.com/free-books
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Find all of Saffron's Books At:
www.saffronbryant.com/books
The Lost Child Saga - An Epic Fantasy Series
The Fallen Star
The Herald of Darkness
The Hordes of Anarchy
The Nova Chronicles
Survivor
Pilgrim
Hunter
Gambler
Justice
Junkie
Adventurer
Prisoner
Stranger
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saffron Bryant was born on the 17th December 1990 in a small town in North Queensland. In 2010 she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After extensive, life-saving surgery she returned to her home in Queensland to recover and finish The Fallen Star. She received a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2011.
Saffron has been interested in fantasy and science fiction writing from a very young age, writing her first story at the age of seven. She has always been fascinated by fantasy stories and has a passion for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Saffron currently lives in Sydney with her partner Michael Lee where she is completing her PhD in chemistry.
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WEBSITE: www.saffronbryant.com
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