Against The Shroud Ray [I]

"It's turning," Harper whispered from the vanguard station, her hand hovering over the arming studs.

Out in the black, the massive light-swallowing wings tilted.

It didn't use thrusters like they had… It just leaned into the drift like it was leaning into water and slid toward them with terrifying liquid grace.

"Evasive burn!" Leo roared, his fingers digging into the cradles. "Full burn! Put the asteroid cluster between us and that thing!"

THOOM!

The twin ion drives screamed to life and the Wanderer-7 kicked away at maximum burn, crushing everyone deep into their seats as Leo rolled the ship thirty degrees and dove for the iron boulders they'd been mining hours earlier.

"Five kilometers per second!" Jin-Ah yelled, watching the velocity tape climb. "Six! Seven!"