24
An explosion reflected on his canopy, a flash followed by an orange fireball filling the space behind him. The high-pitched wail of the heat-seeking missiles had ceased. Austin shook his head.
That wasn’t Ryker, he thought. It couldn’t have been.
The Lutimite Drive circles counted down from three, two…
“No!” he yelled, searching for the Trident he knew Ryker piloted. It was gone, vaporized into a cloud of debris. His hands trembled as he searched the scene of destruction. He looked over both shoulders. “No!”
He pulled back on the Lutimite Drive lever, halting the countdown. Turning the Wraith around, he surveyed the area. With his sensors disabled because of the disruptor, he peered through the cloud of missile and spacecraft debris. The remains of a Trident spun away from him. The
