Summon the Thunder

Charming,Pe

If there was any consolation to be had during this journey, the journalist decided that it came from its lack of interruption by representatives of the Klingon Empire or the Tholian Assembly—or the Federation, for that matter. Despite several long-range sensor contacts detecting ships from all three parties, the Rocinantehad managed so far to avoid attracting unwanted attention. How that even was possible was a mystery to Pe

As though offering a blatant show of reinforcement to his assessment, Qui

Grimy bastard.

Any remaining nerves Pe

“Finally!” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. At long last, they were about to set down somewhere, anywhere. Fresh air, chilled spirits, and perhaps something to eat that did not come from a ration pack awaited. Turning to the slumbering Qui

Qui

“What the hell was thatfor?”

“We’re about to drop out of warp,” Pe

“Huh,” Qui

Guess that’s his idea of a joke.

His attention focused on the console before him, Qui

The words offered no assurance to Pe

Looking up in response to the question, Qui

“Oh, that’s just bleeding fantastic,”Pe

Qui

His fingers moved over several of the smudged controls and Pe

Dropping into or out of warp so close to a planet was supposed to be dangerous, according to what little Pe

“Holy hell!” he shouted, his fingers digging into his chair’s armrests.

“Relax,” Qui

Pe

“Yeah?” Qui

Grunting in irritation, Pe

Figures I have to be stuck aboard the one ship in the Taurus Reach that’s even dumber than its pilot.

“Just leave the talking to me, okay?”

Pe

Stepping onto the house’s porch and approaching the heavy wooden door that was adorned only with a large brass knocker and a small circle which Pe

“No need to shout, you know,” Pe

From behind the door, a nasally, whiny voice called out, “You don’t have to shout. And thanks for using the knocker. Moron.” Pe

“Just open up,” Qui

“How do I know you’re not lying?” the voice asked. “You could be trying to kill me for all I know.”

“Assassins don’t a

There was a pause before Pe

“No need to be testy about it,” he said. “One has to be careful around here, after all. You can’t go opening your doors for strangers.”

“Your door’s open now,” Qui