Chapter Twenty-Eight
October 4, 2230, Solar System, En Route to UTC Space Fleet Base Penglai, Aboard Argo
Jia leapt from the barren, rocky ledge, arms outstretched. If she didn’t snag the rope, she’d plummet into the river below. Her hand almost cleared the rope before she tightened her fingers, her arms jerking.
Erik wanted to clap, even if it was a simulation. He’d run this course fifteen minutes prior, and he knew how difficult it was. While he wanted her to succeed, he also hoped she finished slower than his time. Sometimes a man needed bragging rights.
“They don’t have rivers and ledges on New Samarkand,” Jia complained. “Shouldn’t this course have reflected the planet or Sogdia better? We should be running through a densely packed urban environment, jumping from building to build
