10
Maddox
I carried my mate through the ship with an eagerness I’d not felt in years. Relief, too. Earth was crude and not much could harm me—besides a skittish horse—but I’d been uncomfortable in the strange environment. Here, on the ship, I was reassured. Especially now that I had Cassie with me. At last, I had her here, safe. At last, I could claim her.
The ship was built in four sections. The two outermost levels on top and bottom were filled with sensor arrays, weapons and shielding designed to protect its passengers from deep space radiation and flares. The inner two levels were private quarters and the navigation, cockpit and operations center. The neck of the ship was reserved for the captain and his flight crew. Since the ship was designed to house twenty crewmembers, we four h
