He continued to speak, but his voice faded away as her mind reeled. She swallowed hard.
It didn’t even matter if Legion ships came at this point. They wouldn’t be able to get to the Argus to save the crew, then back out of the gravitational pull. If they tried, they’d just be sucked into the Divide as well.
“Adequin…” came Mesa’s calm voice again. She’d entered the cockpit, and Puck now stood over her shoulder.
“That was impressive, sir,” Puck said.
“You saved them,” Mesa agreed.
Adequin didn’t respond.
If Jackin almost got pulled in that easily, what chance did the Tempus have? That was another sixteen souls she was responsible for. It was a larger ship, sure. With more powerful engines, designed to withstand the bizarre gravitational influences of the Divide. But they’d been barreling toward it at full speed without realizing it also barreled toward them. Even if they’d accelerated safely, how long would that balance last if it was moving—a calculation they wouldn’t know to account for?
Puck cleared his throat. “What now, sir?”
She blinked the dryness from her eyes and tried to remember what the plan had been. “They have a warp core,” she said. Even if they hadn’t refilled it at Kharon Gate, they should still have enough to make another trip.
“Okay,” Puck said. “We’ll all have to get on one ship.”
Puck and Mesa stared at Adequin expectantly, but she barely noticed.
How could she return to Legion HQ with fewer than fifteen of the two hundred people she’d been responsible for? How could she face their families, or Lugen—or anyone? And how could she leave the Divide without knowing if Griffith was safe?
Mesa stepped to the console and pressed the comm link with one dainty finger, as if warily squishing a bug. “Optio North, this is Animus Mesa Darox.”
“Uh, go for North?”
“We are going to get a safe distance away, then transfer your warp core and your crew onto our vessel.”
“Is Rake okay?”
“She is fine.”
“Okay,” he said, then cut away for a few seconds. “Hey, we have a lot of supplies on board, maybe you should come here instead? Might be easier to pass people than crates.”
Adequin narrowed her eyes at the comms screen. Why did supplies matter? They’d hop to Kharon Gate, inform the Legion, then get on the first bus back to the Core for reassignment.
Mesa looked to Puck. “Do we have enough suits?”
“No, but the sectors can be vented separately,” Puck answered. “We can get everyone into crew quarters and take a few shifts.”
Mesa’s eyes drifted to Adequin. Adequin gave a stilted nod.
Mesa pressed the comm link again. “Very well, Optio. We will call back when we are ready to board.”
Adequin stared at the control screen, watching as their speed approached maximum.
“EX,” Puck said. “You wanna head over first so you can talk to Optio North?”
“I’ll go last. I’ll stay and man the pressure.”
Puck didn’t respond at first, but eventually gave a short nod. “Yes, sir.”
He headed into the common room, and Mesa stood in the doorway and looked back at her. “Puck and I will get the first round prepared for transfer. I will call when we are ready, and we can align the ships.”
“Thanks, Mes.”
She nodded, then disappeared into the common room. Adequin waited for the door to close again, then turned back to the console.