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whirlwind pace, he snagged her wrist on her way past and tugged her close, then bit back a
wry smile at the peeved look that flickered through her green eyes. She just didn t take no for
an answer. That was probably the single most confusing trait about her. He couldn t decide if
he found it annoying, or endearing.
I think it s a lost cause, he answered her stubbornly determined look, and shrugged
when she turned that green glare on him. So much for afterglow. Come on, Nya. You gave
it your best shot you even tried the manual override. The ship s clearly damaged.
She broke his hold on her, as her expression brightened. Maybe not. Maybe the
problem isn t with the ship.
Her logic was dizzying. And you lost me.
She whirled toward him, her eyes dancing with newfound hope. All the vehicles on
the planet access their navigation logs through the AI in the Garrison. Skipper updates travel
logs as it powers up each navigation computer, to account for registered changes in the
system.
Now he saw where she was going with this. And you think that because the AI s
down&
Navigation won t come online. But if I can reach the central AI consol in the
Garrison s engine room, I can manually switch over navigation control.
And then what? We don t even know how long it ll take to get back to the Garrison to
do that, let alone get back here once you work your magic.
Her eyes rolled just before she scooted under the Navigation panel. I just have to
switch the circuits and hotwire a couple of boards, and I can control the ship by AI remote
once I get the AI up and running again.
Before he could question her, she was out from under the console and brushed past
him. Amani couldn t stifle his wry grin any longer. Nya was beautiful, and entirely driven
once she latched onto an idea. Evasion was the better part of valor, he decided. Better not to
let the hurricane that was Nya on a mission catch him.
Nya moved around the exterior of the ship like lightning, opening and closing conduit
panels as she rearranged control boards and crossed wires. He didn t have a clue what she
was doing, but it had something to do with her plan to turn a multi-ton spacecraft into a
remote-control toy.
Got it! Nya s exuberant exclamation drew his attention away from the ship as she
approached, a grin spread over her face that punched him in the gut and brought his
confusion rushing back.
Amani swallowed hard, and his chest tightened. This was a mess. His feelings for Nya
evolved with every minute he spent in her electrifying presence, and the memory of the debt
she still had yet to claim tightened his gut with renewed hunger. Yet, he was only too
conscious of the other debts he owed, as well. Debts sworn in his own blood, for crimes he
The Garrison: The Good Fight 95
could never make right. He wanted Nya in his life, wanted a future with her more than his
next breath. But he wasn t supposed to live. He already promised his life in reparation for his
crimes. It was his penance, damn it. He didn t have a choice.
Nya s grin collapsed as she came to a stop before him, and the worry that filled her
green eyes ate at his guts. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn t touch her. Remorse
swamped him.
Amani? What s wrong? Nya s hand trembled where it stretched toward him, as if
she meant to touch him. He couldn t allow that. He was too close to forgetting, already.
With a jerk, Amani pulled away and turned on his heel. Let s get going. We need to
get to the Garrison so you can work your magic, before this whole damned rock goes up in
flames.
*****
Something bothered Amani, and Nya was desperately afraid of what. She saw the guilt
in his eyes, and knew that if she had a choice, she would avoid confronting him and the ache
in her heart. The problem was that she knew it would be suicide to go off on her own. There
was a reason Captain Riggeur insisted on teams of two at all times outside of the Garrison.
With the galaxy s most dangerous criminals housed in the levels beneath them, going
anywhere without backup wasn t just stupid; it could easily be deadly. Especially now, when
the planet was tearing itself apart at the seams.
They didn t have time for the heart-to-heart she needed to assure herself they were
okay. They had to move fast, and there was little time right now for feelings. They were back
in the charted mine, and the compad would give them accurate directions, so she swallowed
her pride and deferred the lead to Amani. With accurate directions, they had a chance of
rescuing themselves and the rest of the guards, at least.
Damn it.
Amani s sudden oath yanked Nya s attention back to him in time to see him tapping
buttons with his thumbs, a scowl on his face.
What s wrong?
The screen just went blank.
Nya s brow furrowed. Impossible. Those things never run out of power.
See for yourself, he said in disgust, and slapped the compad into her hand.
Nya fiddled with the buttons, turned the compad over, and examined the back in
concern. We might have to take the case apart to see if the AI link is damaged& Her voice
trailed off as a possibility struck her. Oh, shit.
What?
Our compads are linked into the Artificial Intelligence system. The same system that
gives coordinates to Navigation computers also powers our maps. We could see ID-chipped
people, and the magnetic compass still works, but the further away from the central system we
are, the less map power we re going to have right now.
Which means we re right back where we started.
In a manner of speaking.
Esther Mitchell 96
Great. Amani set off, leaving Nya no choice but to trail behind. Disgruntled, Nya
followed, confusion furrowing her brow as she told herself she was insane for the knot of
hunger that twisted inside her.
Amani never so much as shrugged or glanced back at her, and the familiar sense of
being invisible assaulted Nya again. It was a feeling she loathed with her entire being; she
spent a lifetime being invisible, and she had enough.
It wasn t that her family didn t love her. At least, that s what she told herself. She
knew they cared, because they could have just as easily drowned her at birth, or offered her to
the Gods at any point in her childhood. Neither disposing of unwanted or bad omen babies,
nor sacrificing a child deemed infested with evil to the will of the Gods and the Elements of
their homeworld, was a crime among the Norjardin. Their living space beneath the frozen
surface of Omri-Lodus was limited, and food supplies were precious commodities. There was
no space for unwanted or disharmonious people.
No. Instead, her mother and adoptive father had fought for her, had made certain her
birth was legitimate, no matter that the truth came out, anyway. Against all the odds, and her
bad blood, Nya s mother fought to keep her. It wasn t Lilliana Valgard s fault her child turned
out to be such a misfit. Nya was never content with the simple life of her people. Technology
fascinated her, and the Norjardin possessed little of that. So Nya read, and dreamed of the
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