章 40: Chapter 40: Manuel

Manuel couldn't stop smiling. As the ship cleared the atmosphere and entered clear space, his lips drew wider, cheeks aching from the joy inside him trying to come out through his smile.

Even the impact of New Paltos's demise against the hull of the Horizon couldn't shake his happiness.

No matter what happened from that moment on, whether they lived or died, Manuel Diego had reached the stars.

***

She is warm again, her blood pumping, two of her powerful hearts fired and ready. She obeys the order to engage. Dust sheets from her hull, filling the air with haze. Her engines strain, her great bulk lifting free of gravity and the weight of the planet's skin for the first time in over a century. Her hearts are willing, but old and tired and in need of more than she has to offer. But she has a job to do and she has never failed.