The monstrous ship that had swallowed the stars now swallowed the Medusa. A gaping black maw of an entrance opened up in its side, and some mysterious, irresistible force dragged them toward an uncertain fate. They were utterly helpless against it. Raphael had given up on resistance. Feeding what little juice they had left into the thrusters was a futile waste of energy, and as for the idea of using their remaining missiles…

Against a vessel of this size, that would be insanity.

From her vantage point inside the bridge’s observation dome, all Calexa could do was stare as they flew into the abyss. Raphael had chased them away from the navigation pod, demanding absolute silence so he could concentrate on keeping the Medusa’s failing systems online.

Their usually laid-back navigator was tense. They were all fucking tense.

“We’re totally screwed. I mean, we’ve been screwed before, but this time we are screwed.” Beside her, Mai let her Irradium cannon drop to the floor with a heavy thud. The bloody thing probably weighed close to a hundred pounds, but Mai carried it around as if it were as light as a feather. Like Calexa and Zahra, Mai had undergone enhancement therapy on that shit-hole of a planet called Dashki-5. Her bones had been coated in a metal composite, enabling her to carry some very heavy things around.

Calexa didn’t know what to say, because Mai was absolutely right. She shook her head as she pressed her palm against the cold surface of the observation window, trying to see beyond the small halo of light that surrounded the Medusa. The ship’s navigation lights could only penetrate so far into the inky blackness.

Darkness engulfed them, obliterating the glittering tapestry of space. Without the familiar backdrop of stars, Calexa felt anchorless and rudderless. They were in freefall, and it was utterly terrifying.

Calexa’s breath misted in the frigid air as she exchanged a look with Mai and Zahra. The dim light was unkind to her companions, accentuating their tired faces, deepening the dark circles under their eyes, and highlighting the pallor that came from too many days spent away from the warm caress of a decent sun.

They were wide-eyed, ashen-faced ghosts.

She had no doubt she looked just as bad. A good night’s sleep was a luxury she hadn’t enjoyed in years. In real life, there was no such thing as a deep, dreamless sleep. There were only snatches of fitful rest, stolen in-between visits to grim, charmless destinations.

“Do the girls in the passenger bay have enough thermal gear?” Instead of worrying about her chronic insomnia, Calexa turned to more practical matters.

“Monroe magicked some thermal skinsuits and blankets out of God-knows-where.” Zahra said absently, her attention held hostage by the inescapable void.

“Monroe did that? Since when has he been even remotely approachable?” The Primean half-breed could fix anything and everything, but he was the surliest individual Calexa had ever met. It wasn’t unusual for him to go for days—even weeks—without speaking a single word to anyone. She couldn’t imagine him doing anything nice for anyone, let alone a group of humans who had pledged their loyalty to one of the Primeans he so despised.

Calexa tensed as a dull groan echoed throughout the cabin, followed by an eerie metallic tapping sound. The ship listed to one side, throwing Calexa off-balance as Mai’s Irradium cannon rolled around on the floor. Mai swore as it hit the wall with a heavy, metallic clunk. An odd sensation—like gravity being pulled out from underneath her like a rug—churned Calexa’s stomach as the Medusa dropped.

“Grab a safety hold,” Calexa barked. They all scrambled to the corner of the cabin, fighting the topsy-turvy motion of the ship. They should have been strapped into their landing chairs, but because flight monitor-screen was down, Calexa had been unable to drag herself away from the observation dome. She had to know what was going on. It was like watching a multi-freighter wreck in slow motion; she knew disaster was imminent, but she couldn’t look away.

She curled her hands around the nearest safety hold and waited. The ship rocked some more, then a deafening crash shook the cabin. It was accompanied by a series of powerful shudders.

The three of them didn’t say a word until the movement stopped and everything went quiet.

Calexa took a deep breath. “I get the feeling we’ve landed.” With a sigh of relief, she released the safety hold. The impact hadn’t been as bad as she’d feared. Raphael must have worked his magic and had the presence of mind to drop the landing gear.

She looked outside and saw nothing but endless darkness.

There was no sound, no light, and not a single sign of life. She was acutely aware of the heavy rasp of her breathing and her thundering pulse.

“This really fucking sucks,” Mai whispered.

Zahra let out a cynical snort. “I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided I am afraid of the dark.”

Calexa nodded in agreement. There was no way in hell she was going to lead them out into the darkness, not when they had no idea what they were up against.

All they could do was wait. Eventually, whoever—or whatever—was out there would show themselves.