and alive and safe.
They flew through the gap with barely a meter to spare on either side.
“We’re clear!” Marit yelled, sounding as surprised as Denver felt.
Denver hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he let it go, whooping with joy.
“I may need to change my pants, if that’s any indication.”
“You and me both,” Marit muttered.
Denver dove for the controls, searching behind them for signs of pursuit. Nothing. After only a couple of minutes, they were far enough away from Titan X that it would probably be more trouble than it was worth to send anyone after them.
“Did we really just do that?” Marit asked, finally easing up on the throttle.
“We did.” Denver leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. “Nice flying, kid.”
Marit almost smiled. “Thanks.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “What do you say we put this on autopilot for a bit and have a drink? I think we’ve earned it.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me.”
They found Spence and Treesa in the kitchen, sitting side by side at the table. Treesa was deathly pale, with Mister Grabby tucked under her left arm. She had a portable console in front of her, its screen glowing, but she didn’t seem interested in whatever it showed. She stared at Denver and Marit as they entered, and her chin began to tremble.
“How’s it going in here?” Denver asked. “Everything all right?”
“She’s never even been on a ship before. And never been in space.” He gave Treesa an encouraging smile. “We were just talking about how it’s totally, one hundred percent safe, right honey?”
Treesa shook her head and stared down at her lap.
“You’ll get used to it.” Marit opened the cabinet that generally held their moonshine and pulled out a bottle. “Wow. Real whiskey? I’ve never had it before.”
“Me neither,” Denver said, smiling. “But I bought a lot of it, so I hope it’s good.”
Marit took off the cap. “It smells amazing.”
She set two cups on the table and splashed a bit of the golden liquid into each one. She held a cup toward Spence, her eyebrows raised in a question. He shook his head.
Denver and Marit sampled the whiskey at the same time. The flavor would take some getting used to, but there was more warmth and a lot less burn than their usual drink.
“Oh, yeah,” Marit laughed, settling into a chair. “I can definitely get used to this.”
“I bought wine too. And something called tequila.”
“I like the way you think.” She sipped her drink, her eyes falling on Treesa, who looked to be on the verge of tears. “By tomorrow, you’ll have forgotten we’re flying,” Marit said, her voice far gentler than it ever was for Denver or Laramie. He’d almost forgotten she’d once worked with children. “It feels just like being on Titan X, and it’s just as safe.”
Treesa didn’t look convinced. Denver knew he should be more worried about her, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her brother. Spence was working hard to keep his cocky, confident facade in place, but Denver noted the tension in his shoulders, and the tightness around his hazel eyes. “And how about you?” Denver asked, leaning closer. “You ever been in space?”
Spence’s wince was almost imperceptible.
Almost.
“No.”
Treesa must have heard the hint of panic in his voice, because she turned her head his way, alarm making her eyes huge.
“But I still know it’s safe!” he hurried to reassure her. “Denver’s lived on the Jiminy for…?” He threw a pleading glance Denver’s way.
“For twelve years,” Denver said, tossing back the whiskey. “And we’ve never had a problem.”
Marit snorted into her cup but stopped short of calling him a liar.
“See?” Spence said to Treesa. “Doesn’t that make you feel better?”
“No,” Treesa growled, planting her fists on her hips, without letting go of Mister Grabby. “Just because they haven’t had a problem so far doesn’t mean they won’t have one now. That’s a logical fallacy. We learned about those in school.”
Spence bit back a smile, saying to Denver, “Told you she was fierce.”
Denver almost laughed, but he was cut short by Laramie, who entered the mess and immediately scowled at Spence.
“You’re in my spot, Cherry Cola.”
Spence looked up, alarmed. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else?”
Spence jumped to his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”
“You’re fine, Spence. And Laramie!” Denver threw his empty cup and was pleased when it bounced off his brother’s chest. “Stop being an ass.”
“What?” Laramie asked, holding