The Goliath missile struck the Sunflower dead-center on her underside.
Starling watched it punch out of the clouds and slam into the hull. She had just tightened her grip on the handrail when the blast and the shockwave hit—hard enough to rattle her bones.
Blackfire noticed a beat too late. The impact tossed him clear off his feet.
Then Starling saw a second missile. It screamed in on a straight line—right at her. She turned her head away. There was nothing else to do.
Boom!
The missile detonated before it reached the Sunflower—intercepted and blown apart. A heartbeat later, swarms of Phantom fighters and Windgod fighters burst out of the cloud layer and wrapped the Sunflower in a tight defensive ring.
Their fire chewed up the third and fourth incoming missiles as well… but the relief didn’t last. Plando’s Nightmare fighters and Razorwhale fighters began arriving in waves. Tower Clan fighters rushed to meet them, and the air around the Sunflower became a knotted, vicious dogfight.
Blackfire’s physique—and reflexes honed into something inhuman—saved him from taking real damage. He scrambled up and sprinted back across the trembling deck, grabbing Starling by the arm.
“It’s earlier than I expected,” he shouted. “Move. Get on the shuttle.”
“No.” Starling clung to the rail with both hands. She didn’t budge, no matter how hard he yanked. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“If you stay, you die. This ship is finished.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. If you want to run, then run.”
Blackfire stopped arguing. He hauled her up with brute strength, slung her over his shoulder, and ran for the shuttle.
He had barely cracked the hatch when something else went wrong—dense gunfire hammered in from outside.
Blackfire dove into the shuttle with Starling, using the cabin as cover. Sparks erupted as rounds tore into the frame, but the hull held—for now.
When he risked a glance, the outer doors of the shuttle bay were already riddled with holes. A micro-missile slammed into them. One door blew clean off. A violent gale flooded in. The second door lasted two seconds longer—then it tore away as well.
An Exiler fitted with flight wings swept inside. Shoulder-mounted electromagnetic machine guns unfolded as it scanned from left to right, hunting for targets.
Blackfire dragged Starling down against the deck plating. They held their breath until the Exiler’s attention slid past them.
He raised a finger to his lips—silent. When he peeked again, there were five Exilers now.
Shuttles carried light weapons. Blackfire had noticed it the moment he got inside: this one had two 25mm seven-barrel rotary cannons.
He wrapped his hands around the firing grips and waited until most of the Exilers drifted into the cannons’ cone of fire—then he slammed the triggers.
The first three Exilers were shredded in an instant.
The last two dodged, then snapped their guns up and returned fire, stitching the shuttle with electromagnetic rounds.
All the while, Starling kept her eyes on a jagged hole punched through the airlock door. The earlier burst that ripped open the outer doors had chewed through the pressure seal too. The moment the first Exiler flew in, she’d already made her decision.
She was waiting for this exact second. As Blackfire opened up with the cannons, Starling dropped out of the shuttle and sprinted for the inner hatch.
***
The sudden roar of rotary cannons inside the shuttle bay made Carlos flatten himself against the wall on instinct. He couldn’t see what was happening in there—but the air rushing outward told him enough.
He tightened his grip on the pistol, about to step through the ragged hole in the airlock door—when Starling burst out of it at full speed, nearly colliding with him.
The fear in Carlos’s chest snapped into relief. “How did you—?”
“Later.” Starling grabbed his hand and dragged him down the corridor. “We can’t stay here.”
Carlos glanced back through the hole as he ran. In the flickering chaos he saw Exilers firing inside the bay. His face tightened. Without thinking, he let Starling take point and fell in behind her.
Then the corridor speakers crackled to life.
“Passengers of the Sunflower,” a voice announced. “This is Captain Myron. A few minutes ago, we took a direct hit from a Goliath missile. But please—don’t panic. We’re still holding. We’ll break out of the atmosphere, make for the nearest asteroid belt, repair the ship, and continue on our planned course.”
The captain’s voice steadied, turning solemn. “I believe we’ll endure this—just as our ancestors did. May the gods watch over us.”
They rounded a corner and passed through a sealed bulkhead gate. Only then did Carlos ease his shoulders a fraction.
“It won’t be that simple,” he said under his breath. “Plando’s already infiltrating the ship.”
Starling shot him a worried look. “Why are you here? Where’s Linneya?”
“I found her. She told me to come for you.” Carlos swallowed. “I had to leave her with Sheriff Victor Vaughn for now. What about you—how did you get away?”
“We’re still not safe.” Starling kept moving. “Let’s get to Linneya first. I’ll tell you on the way.”
As they ran, Starling gave him the short version of the kidnapping. By the time she finished, Carlos’s anger had boiled over; he looked like he wanted to turn back and tear Blackfire apart with his bare hands.
But a larger reality pressed in on him. Outside, the Sunflower was a hellscape of crossfire. And his years of service told him this was only the beginning—Phantom Forge’s real attack was just getting started. The inside of the ship would become a battlefield all the way to the crash.
This is my fault. I hurt her again.
There was no time to drown in regret. The only thing he could do now was keep Linneya close—alive.
Using the contact Starling had just shared, he called Victor Vaughn.
“Sheriff Victor Vaughn? Ms. Starling is safe. Where are you? I’m coming to get my daughter.”
“Carlos,” Victor said, voice tight. “I’m in the express elevator to the bridge. The captain summoned me—I can’t stop to wait for you. The ship is chaos. I’m taking your daughter to the bridge; it’s the strongest defensive point we’ve. You and Starling should come too.”
“Understood. Thank you. We’re on our way.”
“Multiple areas have already been breached by Phantom Forge’s machine forces,” Victor warned. “Watch yourselves.”
***
Victor ended the call and crouched beside Linneya. “Your dad brought Ms. Starling back. He’ll meet us on the bridge soon.”
Linneya didn’t grasp how bad things had become. Her fear vanished in an instant. She bounced on her toes. “Yay! Dad’s the best!”
Right then, the elevator lurched with a violent shudder. Victor, Linneya—and Iron—were thrown to the floor. The lights died.
In the dark, Victor pulled Linneya up first, then helped Iron to his feet.
“What now, Iron?”
The indicator light on Iron’s head blinked rapidly. After a second, he answered in a flat voice. “We took another Goliath. This time, it hit the passenger compartment.”