But What Will The Gods Eat Tomorrow?

"This stupid programming!" Tempest snarled. "It had me so worried about you burning to a crisp that I wasn’t paying attention to anything else."

"That kind of single-minded loyalty is refreshing," I said with a smile, "but in a situation like this, it can get us killed. You have to learn to keep your mind focused on the task at hand."

"Believe me, Jonny, if it were up to me, you’d be the furthest thought from my mind!"

I settled back in the chair and wiped the sweat from my brow. I let Tempest control the Dragon, holding it steady in the space between the four blazing engine exhausts. It was still hot, but I was no longer in danger of dying. At least, not from the engines.

The rest of the voyage to Vartherik II was uneventful. Tempest kept quiet, for the most part, except for a few choice insults he threw at me whenever they struck his fancy. Eventually, a green-blue glow appeared beneath the freighter. I leaned to the side, squinting my eyes to see through the exhaust. It was Vartherik II. We had finally arrived.

"Prepare to reverse engines," I told Tempest, putting my hands on the controls. "On my command, turn the throttle to full reverse."

"Why? Is it time for another nap? What are you going to do?"

"I’m going to try to hold the Dragon steady so we’re not torn apart by the engine wash. Then, as soon as we’re clear, I’m going to dive into the atmosphere and hope we get away before the Aardvark spots us. Meanwhile, I’m going to hope the Cult doesn’t have a sophisticated radar system on Vartherik II, so we can get to the ground without being detected."

"Alright!" grumbled Tempest. "No need to have a heart attack, Jonny. I was just curious!"

"Reverse engines on my mark!" I stared out the window. "Now!" The whine from the engines was intense, and the freighter shot ahead of us. It took all my skill to hold the Dragon steady while the waves of engine exhaust rolled over us. I leaned into the flight stick, and the nose of the Dragon dipped, plunging us into the atmosphere at full speed. It wasn’t long before I heard the air whipping around the outer hull. "Ah! Sound effects!" I said joyously. "It’s nice to hear a couple of sound effects!"

As the atmosphere grew thicker, it became harder to hold the Dragon steady. Reluctantly, I lessened our speed, knowing every moment’s delay meant we were more likely to be detected. "Any radar signals?" I asked.

There was a hesitation while Tempest ran the scans. "None, but I’ll keep checking the frequencies. There are some strange radio communications, but my translator program and code-breaking algorithms haven’t been able to decipher them yet."

"Keep on it," I said, gritting my teeth as I fought the drag of the atmosphere. "And plot a course to the complex. Try to keep us as low to the ground as possible, and avoid any settlements."

"Yassir!" Tempest said in a subservient voice. "Anythings you says, Sir! You sure you don’t want me to pilot the ship too, Sir?"

A thought occurred to me. "Is the Dragon equipped for planetary landings?" I asked, a pang of anxiety roiling through my gut.

"Now isn’t the best time to ask, you know," Tempest chided. "But just to set your mind at ease, the Dragon should hold up structurally. They never tested her in a gravity environment, but she’s designed with the best trix-polymers, so we shouldn’t have any problems, especially on a planet this light.