No matter how hard they tried, the smaller crafts could not get through the battlepod’s shield.

“They’re no match for this baby,” snickered Peter as he hit a control button on the dashboard.

The ship suddenly stopped and spun around, shooting beams of echion energy at the pursuers. Two of the crafts blew up, while the other two veered sharply away to avoid fire. They darted past them and turned to come at them from behind. But they were slower than the battlepod. Already, Peter had made it spin again, guns blazing.

However, the enemy pilots now knew what to expect. One managed to pull away, but the other was not quite fast enough and got hit in the tail. It went spiraling down toward Derkanash.

The last ship flew out of range and floated there for a moment, doing nothing.

Peter grinned. “I think he just realized he’s alone and facing more than he can chew. Bet you he’ll run like a baby.”

Val didn’t think it was funny. Maybe because she was too busy worrying about Nim.

“Where the hell did you get this ship anyway?” she asked as they waited for the other to make his move.

Peter shrugged. “Traded it against another ship. A collector’s dream—even older than your Corvair. It could barely fly. Can’t understand why anyone would want such a piece of flying junk. I don’t—” He stopped and burst out laughing. “Told ya!”

The other ship had suddenly veered toward the planet and flew away, making sure to stay out of range of the battlepod.

Peter wasted no time. He quickly set their ship back on course, his fingers racing across the dashboard.

“How are we going to find them?” asked Val, concern dripping from her every word.

“Starrider is an old ship, sis. It leaves a rather obvious trail in its wake. It’ll fade after twenty minutes or so, but we were quick enough that we should be able to follow them. Another cool thing about this beauty is that it’s fast as hell. I bet we’ll catch up with your ship just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

She sighed. “I hope you’re right.”

Peter glanced at her, then back at the controls. He hit a series of buttons, jumped out of his seat, turned, and headed toward the door.

“Hey! Where are you going?” she asked.

“Follow me and you’ll find out.”

She got out of her seat and hurried after him.

“What about Starrider?”

“The battlepod is on its tail and won’t let go until we’ve caught up with it. There’s nothing we can do now but wait.”

She pressed him with more questions, but he remained quiet.

They walked through the narrow corridor, but it was a short walk. It ended at a small door and they had to lower their heads to go through.

There were two cots in the back and a table at the center with two round stools.

Peter went to the table and tapped on its surface.

“When was the last time you ate?” he asked without looking at her.

She frowned. “What? Are you kidding me? This is hardly the time—”

“On the contrary, Val. You won’t be any good to anyone—least of all Nim—if you faint from hunger or thirst.”

She grimaced as the words sunk in. He was right, of course. It had been hours and now that he’d mentioned it, she could feel her stomach grumbling.

Then she remembered who she was talking to. This was her brother. Her dead brother. She had been so shocked by the chain of events—losing Nim, Kaine, Ondine, and Starrider, then seeing Peter again after all these years—that she had not been able to process all the information.

It now hit her like a tidal wave, and she felt overwhelmed. So she reacted the only way she knew how.

With a few quick steps, she walked up to Peter and punched him in the chest.

“Ow!”

“Where were you?” she hissed. “Everyone thought you were dead! I thought you were dead! And now you’re standing here, talking to me about food as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn’t mourned your stupid ass for the last five years! What the hell, Peter?”

She hit him again.

He looked at her sheepishly.

“Sorry, Val. Didn’t mean to...” He sighed and shook his head. “The Impies shot my ship down, and I crashed on Braxia. They came to finish me off but when that failed they left me to die on a dead world... At least, they thought it was dead. So did I for a long time. Until I found the last remnants of a broken civilization.”

A plop from the table told them the food was ready. Two fuming plates had materialized on its surface. Peter sat on one of the stools and motioned for his sister to take the other. She did so with a scowl.

“I was in awful shape,” he continued, “with no way off that godforsaken world. So I survived as best I could, healing my wounds and keeping my stomach full.”

As if his words had been a signal, he grabbed a fork and dug into his plate. Val watched him quietly, then remembered how hungry she was and started eating as well.

“When I realized there were people there,” he said after swallowing, “I began to make friends. Or tried to. It was not so easy. Most of them were suspicious of strangers—and rightfully so. When so few survive in such harsh conditions, all the predators come out. It is a brutal and cruel place.” He put another forkful into his mouth and chewed on it for a moment. “I eventually realized water was the most valuable resource there, so I hoarded it.”

“You hoarded water?”

Peter snickered. “Yep. I found this well-hidden cave and stashed all my water there, in vases and cups and amphoras.” He sighed. “Such wasted time.”

Val frowned as she ate. “Why? I thought you said it was valuable.”

“Oh, it was. It bought me quite a few friends and many useful items that helped me survive. But it was pointless storing all that water because I had unwittingly created my lair right above a hidden underground lake! I discovered it by chance while building a room to store some of my most precious belongings. My pickaxe went right through the floor. Peering into the opening, I saw the reflection of my torch on the surface of a large body of water. When I later discovered there was one working spaceship on the planet, I agreed to reveal the location of my secret hideout in exchange for my ticket off Braxia.”

“Weren’t you worried they wouldn’t hold their side of the bargain?”

“Of course I was. But I had nothing to lose, while they had everything.”

“How do you mean?”

Peter ate two more mouthfuls before he answered.

“The people who owned the ship live there, Val. Not only that, they are the last scraps of a once powerful government. They despair to regain their former glory. And that ship? It meant nothing to them. Most members of that skeletal clique had no idea they had it, and many of those who did wondered why they kept it at all.” He leaned back in his chair. “As for me, it was my last hope. If I couldn’t get the ship, I knew I’d die on Braxia. So either I would leave or I would die... In either case, what use would I have of all that water?

“It was important, of course, for them to understand this. So I rigged the place up with explosives. I told them if I left the planet, I would have no reason to blow it up. But if they tricked me and I was stuck there, then I’d make sure they’d lose that precious source they so coveted.

“Worked like a charm, too.”

He gave his sister a big grin and she rolled her eyes. This was just like him. She’d almost forgotten how brazen he could be.

Then again, there was a reason the Imperium had feared this man.