Chapter 9

Takara cameto and tried to orient herself. Her crew was looking as bleary as she felt.

Earth was far below, way far below. And the American continents were facing her.

She was supposed to be headed back to the Moon, in which case she should be looking down at Asia, not the Americas.

“Stella?”

“Here, Takara.”

At least something was functioning properly, because Takara knew that she wasn’t. All she could recall was a massive force hammering her back into the pilot’s seat, and then it continued to crush her, even though there was no more chair padding to compress.

The Stella’s screens reported their altitude at seven thousand miles—on the wrong side of the Earth.

And dead ahead, a small blip on the screen.

Takara blinked at it in surprise—the Alpha Company’s command Stinger, Jess. It was a miracle that they’d found it at all. A pure-chance byproduct of the hard burn to escape United California’s attack.

* * *

Jess! Calling Jess!

Respond please!

* * *

No need to shout, Stella.

Radios = 100%

Drive functionality = 0%

Estimate destructive impact with former Chinese space station in 2 minutes 43 seconds.

Estimate impact damage = total hull loss event.

* * *

Relief = off scale.

I can give you a push. Applying thrust.