21: Keelin
Keelin
Keelin hated re-entry. Not for the heat—she could cope with that, and the bond with the craft would never let her experience the true temperature anyway—but for the lack of control. There was a moment when the Hermes switched from deep controls to the atmos set-up. It was only a second or so, but it still left Keelin floating. All she could do was trust that she’d got the angle correct.
When sensation returned, pain flared across her left thigh.
Training kicked in. She pulled hard starboard, dipped toward the ground. Boosted.
Tallia cursed.
Keelin read the data. “We’re hit.” She threw the Hermes in a tight arc as another missile streaked past.
“Thought Boreas couldn’t get down here,” Tallia said through clenched teeth.
“Nyxes.” She checked sensors. “Three of t
