Ten minutes earlier
Jeska’s life was in danger.
She was dehydrated, malnourished, and injured — with her medical cloud in forced hibernation.
The threat of death had to be real; otherwise the plan would fail.
Understandably nervous, Jeska stood in front of Daniel's ugly hulk of a ship in Visitor’s Bay 2-C5 and waited to ruin her ex-boyfriend’s life.
The one man I ever actually cared about, she thought.
She sighed.
Wish I didn’t feel so terrible. Jeska said. … It’s probably better that I do. Otherwise, I’m a sociopath.
She took some comfort in that thought. And then the fact that she took comfort in that thought made her feel worse.
Anderson and Riox should have come to see me off.
But Anderson and Riox had already said their goodbyes. Anderson gave a funny speech, and Riox burped his planet’s anthem. Both farewells were touching in their own way.
They had also begged her not to do this “despicable thing.”
Jeska had shed tears of real sorrow at their moving words.
But she would not change her mind.
Even as she looked at the hideous and probably dangerous ship that Daniel had flown, she steeled herself for what had to happen next.
Just the type of ship Daniel likes to fix up, she thought. Wonder why he didn't make any modifications?
The station’s clouds had fixed it up as best they could, but still, it was more of a landfill than a spaceship.
It looked like a mound of well-polished garbage.
I have no clue if it's safe, she thought. But it's better than staying here.
figured she would do something like this