The hangar bay was an absolute disaster zone of sparks and screaming metal. Felix didn’t care about the structural integrity of the Rusty Pelican; he cared about the three inches of clearance between his landing gear and the blast doors that were rapidly closing."Come on, you bucket of bolts, don't you dare stall on me now!" Felix shrieked, his knuckles white as he jammed the ignition sequence.Behind him, the hangar’s automated defense turrets hummed to life, firing red-hot streaks of plasma that melted the floor plating exactly where he’d been parked seconds ago."Is this it? Is this where I die for a gambling debt I couldn't pay?" Felix yelled at the console, ignoring the way his heart was trying to hammer its way out of his ribcage. "Just fly!"The ship roared—a gut-wrenching, unrefined sound of straining turbines—and shot forward like a greased pig. As they cleared the bay, the ship bucked violently under a glancing blow from an interceptor’s laser."Whoa! Whoa! Too much tilt!"

"I think we both know that's a lie," Felix whispered, his face still inches from hers, their breaths mingling in the small, cramped crawlspace.Odette didn’t shove him off. Her hands, calloused and strong, remained curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him just a fraction closer. The tension was thick enough to choke on, a volatile cocktail of adrenaline and something far more dangerous."Keep pushing your luck, flyboy," she breathed, her gaze flickering to his lips before sharpening back into her trademark lethal glare. "If you don't get us to a refueling station in the next hour, I’m going to make sure your last memory is the sensation of my boot against your spine."Felix chuckled, a shaky, breathless sound. He rolled off her, the movement clumsy in the confined space, and scrambled toward the access ladder. "Always the romantic, aren't you? Fine. Let’s get off this hunk of junk and find a fuel pump before the ship decides to spontaneously combust."They didn't speak as they

"Fly, Felix! Or the next thing you feel isn't going to be my heart rate—it’s going to be a torpedo!""I’m trying! My pants are literally caught in the seat hydraulics, Odette! This is not how a legendary pilot starts a high-stakes dogfight!" Felix screamed, yanking at his trousers while simultaneously slamming his fist into the engine’s 'Go Fast' button.The Rusty Pelican groaned, its engines shrieking as they kicked into an Overdrive that the manufacturer had explicitly labeled 'Suicidal.' Outside the viewport, four sleek, terrifyingly expensive-looking corporate interceptors dropped out of warp, their hulls gleaming with the cold, silver polish of the Aegis Corporation."They’re locking on!" Odette roared, sliding into the gunner’s seat. She hadn't even finished zipping her bodysuit; the fabric was pulled taut over her shoulders, but the plunging neckline still teased the skin that, seconds ago, had been pressed against Felix’s chest. "Felix, if you don't break their lock in three s

"Get to the cockpit. I’ll handle the welcoming committee," Odette snapped, her voice already regaining that razor-sharp edge, though her lips were still swollen from his kisses."Can I at least put on my socks? Frostbite is a very unsexy look for me, Odette! I have a reputation to uphold!" Felix scrambled across the cargo floor, his bare feet slapping against the freezing metal."Your reputation is 'Dead Man Walking' if you don’t move! Now!" She kicked a stray drone-sensor that had poked through a gap in the hull, sending a shower of sparks over Felix’s head."Okay, okay! Moving! Why are the scary ones always so bossy after a romantic night in?" Felix ducked into the narrow corridor, fumbling with the zipper of his flight suit while hopping on one foot."I heard that, Starling! And for the record, it wasn't romantic, it was a tactical necessity!" Odette yelled back, followed by the wet shing of her blade leaving its sheath."Tactical necessity? My back has carpet burn that says otherw

"Punch it, Felix! Punch it!" Odette screamed, her fingers digging into the back of his pilot chair."I'm punching! I'm punching as hard as my fist allows!" Felix yelled back, slamming the hyperdrive lever forward just as a blinding lance of plasma scorched the Rusty Pelican's rear shields.The universe stretched into a violent violet tunnel, dragging them away from the exploding moon and the Aegis fleet. But the relief was short-lived. A low, angry hum started vibrating through the floorboards, accompanied by a heavy, sweet smell of ozone."Uh, Odette? Why is the cockpit filling with purple mist?" Felix asked, coughing as he waved his hand in front of his face. "Is the ship having a gender reveal party?""No, you absolute clown," Odette hissed, lunging toward the central console where the Black-Box Echo Drive was nestled. "The drive's containment casing is cracked. The feedback from the EMP must have ruptured the sub-harmonic seal.""Which means what, exactly? Are we growing third eye