Rhine Gold helped Ronan stabilize the Stormrider and get her locked back safely into her hold.
“Need to speak to the Captain,” said Ronan urgently.
“On the bridge,” said Rhine Gold.
Ronan ran.
“Captain! There’s a fleet of Rebel ships hunting the Solar Wind!”
“How many?” asked the Captain, alarmed.
“Don’t really know.”
“Where’s Rushka?”
“Right here, Captain,” said his daughter.
“I’ll speak to you later, young lady,” warned Lascek. “Ronan, where the hell’s the gypsy?”
“Sir, he asked me to tell you – he’s not betraying you, Captain. He jumped off. He’s trying to rescue Paean and Sherman.”
“Uh-huh,” said the Captain with irony. “Do you believe him?”
Ronan’s back straightened and he frowned angrily. “Implicitly, sir. He says he’ll be coming back to the Solar Wind when he’s freed Paean and Sherman. Asked me to relay to you that Federi is no renegade; in those words.”
Lascek shook his head. Confirmation of Marsden’s theory! “The crazy loon. And he believes he can do it alone?”
“So it seems, Captain.” Ronan’s chin lifted defiantly. He also believed Federi could do it!
The Captain stared at Marsden. The First Mate stared at Ronan.
“You are meaning to say Federi jumped onto the Rebel Schooners?” asked Jonathan Marsden. “How did you get away? Are you now leading them straight to us?”
“No, sir. There wasn’t a ship in sight yet when he jumped overboard. Not even on the radar.”
“He just jumped overboard? Into the sea? What if he’s wrong?” Marsden was worried. “What if there aren’t any ships?”
Ronan looked troubled. This was a possibility that hadn’t even crossed his mind, so sure had Federi been of the fleet.
“Then he’s all alone out there,” he realized. “But the Silver Bullet should pick him up.”
“Son, the ocean is no freeway,” said Radomir Lascek. “If he made a mistake with the direction, even by half a degree, he’ll be lost at sea.”
“There were lots of heads,” said Ronan.
“Even worse!” Lascek activated his com. “Federi, come in. Don’t move. Stay where you are. We’re picking you up.”
“Captain, this is Shawn,” came the reply, two octaves too high. “Federi left his wrist-com in the Crow’s Nest, must have lost it in the storm.”
The Captain switched off his com. He stared at Ronan, dumbfounded.
“He’s jolly taken off his com! He’s out there without a com! The faithless vagabond!” Radomir Lascek started pacing like a caged tiger. “What the hell do we do now?”
“Captain,” said Rushka with horror in her voice, “he gave his life vest to Shawn. He’s out there without a float!”
Marsden sat down with his head in his hands.
“No vest, no com! We’d better start praying, my friend,” he said softly. “Let’s hope that this isn’t the day Federi’s instincts have let him down.”
“Either way,” growled Lascek. “Lousy deal either way!”