“The ship can’t take this,” Nezla said, but Luuj was not listening. Her eyes and attention were focused solely on the screen showing the position of the other ship relative to her own. Her face was taut, lips pressed closely together.
The ship continued to buck. The passengers could only watch the trivid screens, frantic, as the Hermes approached. There was a jolt, and it came by them. Tyla closed her eyes, fists clenched so tightly that the nails broke the skin of her palms, leaving shallow cuts that oozed blood.
Then the Hermes had passed them, and they were still alive. They had missed the backwash, with its deadly radiation. Tyla let out the breath she’d been holding, opened her eyes, and slowly unclenched her fists.
“Agg Two’s ready to go,” Nezla said. Simultaneously, the entire sh
