Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The fighter shook violently, as if trying to escape from Nehemiah’s grasp and go with the wind, forever around and down into the blue below. The wind seemed alive, resisting Nehemiah’s every move. The pebbles bouncing off the ship didn’t help either.

The red lights in front of him were all he could see of Jonah’s fighter. Jonah. Something still felt wrong, unfair. Why should he save this boy? Why should he risk his own life? Nehemiah was important. He was important to his friends, to the Neyan, to Yanaro. Jonah just had a grandfather for a drunk.

In response to his thoughts, Neptune threw a large boulder at Nehemiah’s ship. Nehemiah barely dodged it. As he leveled out, he shook his head. He had to focus. He narrowed his eyes, and stared ahead. All he saw was the red lights. He had to reach the red lights.

With a sudden cool hand, Nehemiah dodged rocks left and right. He pushed the accelerator down all the way. He had to catch the lights.

The fighter was caught in a windstream that carried it along with small asteroids. It had scraped against them, but had fortunately avoided a head on collision. So far.

Nehemiah was close. Very close. He tailed the fighter, following it in the wind, trying to avoid the rocks all around. Nehemiah lined up behind the fighter, preparing his harpoon. He had a shot. He pulled the trigger.

The harpoon flew forward. Nehemiah leaned forward in his seat. His aim seemed true.

And then a stray rock hit the harpoon. The harpoon shot off course. It reached the end of the line with a jolt, and then dangled in the wind. Nehemiah slammed his console in frustration, and began reeling the line back in. He had to try again.

The red lights still hovered in front of him, taunting him. He had fallen behind while he was reeling in his harpoon.

Nehemiah continued his chase, but another danger looms in the back of his mind. The wind had taken them far from the station. A little longer, and he would not have enough fuel to get back. He would be stranded. He had to make this shot.

Once again, he tailed the fighter. Once again he followed it through the wind and rock. Once again, all he saw were the red lights.

Once again, he pulled the trigger.

The harpoon shot forward. Rock flew by, threatening to knock it off course. But its aim was true.

With a CLANG that was lost to the wind, the harpoon hit the fighter and latched on. The red lights continued to glow.

Nehemiah began reeling in the harpoon as he accelerated forward. The lights continued to grow. But he had to get in front of the fighter.

Nehemiah continued drawing the ship in. When he was close enough, he heaved on the control stick. His fighter rolled up and over the red lights. Had Nehemiah looked down, he would have seen the shocked face of Jonah, tear-stained with thoughts of impending death. And now, a slim chance at hope.

But Nehemiah wasn’t looking down. He had to get in front of the red lights. And he did.

Jonah hit the side of the cockpit as his ship was spun around. When he shook his head, he gasped. He was flying backwards.

Nehemiah scanned the area around them, looking for an opening in the rocks. He checked his fuel gauge, and then redoubled his efforts. He had to get out soon. Really soon.

There! Two large rocks collided with each other, and ricocheted in opposite directions, clearing the surrounding area like a Godsend. Nehemiah heaved on the controls, and the fighter pulled itself up, away from the blue maw of Neptune below. The wind fought back, trying to keep its double prize. The dead weight of Jonah’s fighter didn’t help either.

“I guess that was my fault,” Nehemiah muttered as fought the controls. Rocks had begun to approach again. The window was closing. Fast.

Then Nehemiah felt the ship go free. Even so, he continued to drive the ships away from the atmosphere, away from the rock and into the quiet, stillness of space. Behind him, the last efforts of the wind died away as the asteroids closed over the opening the fighters had just come from.

Nehemiah felt his breathing slow down. HIs heart still thumped inside his chest, an accompaniment to the thrum of the spaceship engines.

Nehemiah turned the ships back towards the station, which was hidden around the curve of the planet. He slowly turned on his coms.

“Hey, this is Smith. Is there anyone there?”

The coms remained dead. Nehemiah hadn’t expected them to work. These fighters only had a short range signal.

Nehemiah turned his coms on again.

“Jonah, you alright?”

“Yeah,” was the only reply he got. Nehemiah nodded.

The red and blue lights continued making their way home.