With every passing hour, Val grew more restless.

As she paced back and forth, biting down on her lip, an alarm blared through the ship.

“What’s going on?” she shouted. “And please shut that off!”

The ringing stopped as Nim’s voice rang out.

“Imperial ships coming in.”

“I thought we were invisible?”

“We are. I don’t think they’re coming for us, but they’re searching for something.”

“Or someone...”

She cursed as she ran through the corridors to the engine room, where Kaine was still busy working.

“How much longer?” she cried out as she stumbled into the room.

He glanced over at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Impies approaching. They’re scanning the whole area. I worry that invisible or not, we could still show up on their sensors. We need to get out of here.”

“We won’t. Show up on sensors, I mean.” He looked back to the console he was repairing. “That’s the whole point of the system, after all.”

“It’s an old ship, Kaine. New technology might be able to pierce through our disguise.”

That gave him pause for a second, then he shook his head. “Nah. The technology hasn’t evolved much in a hundred years. So unless this baby is older than that...”

She frowned. “How could it not have evolved?”

“That’s a good question,” he said as he leaned closer to the circuits and welded them with a device he held in his right hand. “One I can’t really answer. What I can tell you is what the rumor is.”

“The rumor?”

“People say the Imperium is stagnating—”

“It is! That’s nothing new. What does that have to do with quantum physics?”

“Oh, only everything.” He straightened and put the tool down. “What do you think stagnation means? It’s not just about politics. It’s also—and perhaps most essentially—about science. You can’t have a thriving Empire if there is no technological progress.”

“That doesn’t say why there isn’t.”

He slid the panel back over the compartment, covering the circuits, and screwed it shut.

“Suppression and oppression. About a century ago, the Emperor decided science was a heresy.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “How can you not know this?”

“I do know it. I just assumed it was for show, to keep the people in the dark, but that he still had people working in the background. I mean, it’s not like the Imperium has lost all its technology. And Assalin itself remains one of the wealthiest and most advanced worlds in the universe.”

“Sadly, it was not for show. As a result, all our leading scientists—those who weren’t jailed or executed—flocked away, beyond the Imperium’s reach.”

“Then how can we still have so much technology?”

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” Kaine had a troubled expression on his face as he worked. “Which is why it’s just a rumor.”

“That’s all well and good, but my mind would be more at ease if we got off this damned rock. How much longer is this going to take?”

He tightened the last screw and turned to face her with a smile.

“All done.”

As she opened her mouth to respond, alarms blared again.

“Nim!”

The sound was cut off instantly.

“Sorry.”

“What is it this time?”

“We’ve been spotted.”

Kaine frowned. “That’s impossible.”

“One of the ships went past us. It then turned and is coming back in our direction. Oh, no...”

“What?”

“It is turning its weapons toward us and hailing us.”

“Let’s hear it.”

A new voice rose. It was firm, deep, and commanding.

“Cloaked ship, identify yourself! Failure to do so will prompt immediate termination.”

Val spun to face Kaine.

“The ship is ready?”

He nodded.

Without another word, she rushed out of the engine room, toward the bridge.

“Nim! Keep the cloak and shield on if you can, but get us out of here! Now!”

“But... you’re the pilot!”

“Yes, and you’re the ship. Do it! I’ll be at the controls in a minute, but we can’t afford to wait. Try not to make any noise as you lift off. With some luck, they won’t notice.”

She heard Kaine running behind her.

“If they sensed us on the ground,” he said, “there’s no reason they couldn’t sense us in the air too.”

“I’d rather take that chance than remain a sitting duck.”

They heard the soft hum in the walls amplify as the engines turned on.

“We are taking off. But where should we go?”

“Up, Nim! Up! As fast as you can. Toward the stars.”

Alarms blared again, and the ship shook.

“They shot at us!” said Nim, though the words almost came out as a whine.

“The shield?”

“It’s holding.”

“Great. Stop the alarm, please! It’s driving me nuts.”

The ringing stopped as they barged into the bridge. Val hurried to the pilot’s seat and jumped in, while Kaine sat next to her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.

Her eyes were focused on the controls as she answered, fingers darting from one switch to the next.

“What’s that?”

“A war is raging up there...”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten, Kaine. I haven’t forgotten at all.”

She hit one last button and Starrider shot through the sky, pierced the atmosphere, and headed straight toward the battlefield.