Stars formed and broke apart in Rene’s mind. Psychologists claimed that jumps had no effect on the minds of those who undertook them but spacers knew better. Some people enjoyed a deep dreamless while in the jump, others, less fortunate, suffered vivid nightmares. Rene’s mind spun queasily through a series of disconnected thoughts and images. The Crystal Palace on Cappela grew out of the void like an organic thing before morphing into flare bursting over a training ground on Kappa Virgio. The muzzle flashes of distant machine guns spun into the brilliant blonde of Solae’s hair as she rose, nymphlike from a pool of water as black as night. At some level he realised he was sleeping but days of operating at a hundred and fifty percent combined with the linger effect of the stun needles conspired to prevent him from waking.

The jump phantoms spun outwards in a web mapping the stars in an outward spiral spreading into the Eastern Cross. The Bonaventure sailed between the stars as a dark figure in the regalia of an Imperial Duke reached out towards vessel, snatching at it with fingers the size of starships. Rene swatted at the fingers furiously trying his best to keep the hand from closing around Solae. No matter how quickly he smote them down another finger was always there closing off their means of escape. In the background his father glowered at him, judging his performance with grim disapproval as Gisella Chastain stood behind him sharpening a long knife. Mercedez Vilatre sat atop her throne, Ameilia’s mutilated body lay before her as she arched an inquiring eyebrow at Rene, he couldn’t see it but he felt the sword of damocles hanging over his neck. Solae stood by the shoulder of the Empress, her face vaguely disappointed. 

The sudden burst of deceleration jolted Rene awake. He came to his feet unsteadily his hand grasping for a weapon for a moment before the disorientation passed. The deck of the Bonaventure vibrated as the engines began the long burn to bleed off the excess velocity of the jump. A tingling shimmer ran through Rene’s body as the subatomic particles resumed their normal configurations. The jump drives whined quietly as they finished their work. Rene grabbed the hatch coming to steady himself and looked around the hold. The results of Solae’s work loomed before him, his eyes flicked over the pictures, articles and holograms. For a moment he hesitated wanting to try and take in what, if anything, she had discovered but there were other more pressing concerns.

Rene pushed his way forward into the cockpit where Solae sat, he squeezed her shoulder and leaned forward to kiss her before sliding into his chair beside her. She glanced up him with concern in her eyes and he tried to smile comfortingly, his fingers brushing the dressing on his shoulder. It occurred to him that she had removed his shirt to treat his wounds, and that it wasn’t exactly professional attire. The thought of being professional aboard a stolen ship as they flew towards a contested planet filled with people who would turn them over to their enemies in a heartbeat made his smile even broader.

“I’m ok,” he told the woman he loved.

“Thanks to you,” he expanded as he turned his eyes to the sensor readouts for his first look at Zatis.

“What have we got?”