Chapter one.
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"Two more are entering slipstream, and are in pursuit"
"They're firing."
"Fuel reserves down to twenty percent. We can't keep this up much longer."
"Yeah, thanks! I'm already well aware of that!"
"Dammit! That last one took out our weapons!"
"Fuel reserves down to fifteen percent we have to exit slip stream. Now!"
"Ok just cool it a second, We're not dead yet. I'm going to try something…"
"What? Oh no. Bad idea. Bad. Bad Idea Beka!"
"You have a better one? Fasten your seat belts."
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Beka was slowly dragged back to consciousness by the far-off throbbing of a dull ache somewhere around her midriff, but it seemed too far away for her to worry about now. She was given the strange but rather pleasant sensation of floating, she knew she must have been drugged, but somehow it just didn't seem to matter.
She dimly wondered why she couldn't open her eyes, then realised that they were open. The room, or at least she thought it was a room, having vaguely remembered hearing a door slam, was pitch black. It seemed to be completely devoid of all light and was deathly silent. She tried to sit up but her stomach muscles wouldn't respond, with nothing else to focus on the small distant pain in her lower abdomen returned, willing her arms to work she touched it and was unsurprised to find her hand came away wet, grogily she decided to stay put. For the time being at least.
The darkness was starting to play tricks on her eyes, so she closed them again. Or at least she thought she had, there was no way to tell.
"Hello? Any body there?" Beka tried to clear her throat, it sounded thick and croaky, however this only resulted in a coughing fit, which left a coppery taste in here mouth. "Aww crap, that can't be good"
What happened? It was getting harder and harder to focus, she kept seeing flashes of colour and movement even though there was nothing to be seen. With a tremendous effort she forced herself to remember what had happened.
On the maru with Rhade…Rommie was there too…there was a drift…Fighting…there's always fighting, why is there always fighting, just once I'd like to go some place where there's no fighting…
Then the thought was gone, and the pain was back, it seemed to be spreading, the drug must be wearing off, Beka thought absently, As she lay there she could feel the floor becoming harder, the air becoming colder, and slowly but surely, as her senses became more acute so did the hallucinations.