“Stick close to the planet. The fleet hasn’t given permission for us to go out too far.” Master Daviti’s usual hiccup punctuates his instruction.
Maybe I’m not much of a healer—though I did manage to at least stop the bleeding I’d caused on Jeren’s poor arm—but I’m definitely a pilot. Flying class feels like a relief, especially since it’s another one of the private lessons set up exclusively for the circle. It’s just us and Master Daviti, plus my usual crew.
“Clearing the atmosphere,” Tilda says from beside me.
I can’t respond, not when I’m utterly transfixed at what I’m seeing. The darkness of space, the glow of Centari’s sun, the beauty of a nearby moon that seems swathed in blue smoke. I’ve never seen anything so incredible in all my life. When the shuttle took me from earth, I was far too freaked out to pay much attention to the wonders of the galaxies. But now? Now I could sit in this one spot and stare all day.
“Captain?” Tilda nudges.
“I’m here. I’m ready.” I maintain thrusters to fight against gravity’s pull and free us from the last vestiges of Centari.
Master Daviti is ahead, his blue engine lights glowing. “We’re going to do a quick turn around the sapphire moon, weave through the chunks of asteroid on its far side, then head back to campus. Nothing flashy. I had to fight to get us out this far. The council wanted you firmly on-world. But you need to get used to the feel of space. The ship reacts differently.”
“Faster.” I don’t feel the pull of the wind or the weight of the air. The ship has a gravity system that keeps us in place, but outside is another story. There’s nothing holding me back.
“Right behind you,” Ceredes’s voice comes over the comms. Kyte won the rock, paper, scissors match to join Tilda, Uaxin, and me as our gunner. Then Ceredes and Jeren had yet another match to determine who would pilot the third craft on this little exercise. Jeren has an affinity for scissors, and Ceredes tends to choose the rock, so I could tell how that was going to go before it even began.
“You’re in our sights, my love,” Jeren’s voice practically coos over the comms.
“Wet blankets.” Tilda rolls her eyes. “We got this.” She points at the console. “Beats. Now.”
A nice rhythm thumps through the craft as we speed into the unknown. Everything is clearer out here. I want to say that it’s simpler, but that’s not the right word. Freedom, maybe that’s it. For the first time maybe ever, I feel free.
Giving the ship a bit more push, we jet through the empty space ahead of us, the glint of sun striking the aircraft’s metal nose, but not blindingly. The windows have some serious tech in them to keep the nearest star from burning out our eyes.
“I’m flying a spaceship.” I mouth the words to myself.
“You’repilotingit, captain.” Kyte puffs his chest out with pride. I can see him in my mind though he’s behind me in the gunner’s seat.
I focus on the craft, learning its tells and the way it rides along through the weightless nothing. It feels good, the controls right in my hands. They’re made of the same versatile material as in the other practice ships.
With a smile, I increase our speed, the virudivan engine reacting instantly, pushing us faster toward the smoky blue moon.
“Looking good. Pay attention to the computer. It will alert you to any debris or odd gravitational issues you might encounter.” Master Daviti coasts along at my side. “Space isn’t just space. Gravity pulls bits of this and that all over the place. Not to mention there are plenty of stars giving off radiation. Some in blasts or waves or—well, you get the idea. Stay alert.”
How could I not be alert when everything is ridiculously beautiful? Out here, my fears seem to melt away—Warverian, the duel, Bartanz. Those things don’t matter when you’re skipping across starlight. I add more speed, the sapphire moon in the distance, only half of it glowing a serene blue in the sun’s rays.
“That all you got?” Master Daviti’s craft shoots out in front of me so quickly that I barely track it before it disappears.
“Did he just …” I honestly don’t know what he did.
“He’s moving at a fast clip.” Tilda taps her screen. “But I’ve got him on my screens.” Her fingers move with calculated efficiency. “This parabola will take us to his estimated destination faster than he can get there in a straight line. Hit it, Lana. We cancatchhim this time. Uaxin, send all power to rear engines.” The excitement in her voice has me leaning forward, a smile twitching my lips.
Uaxin manages her controls just as efficiently as Tilda, though her eyes never stray from Daviti’s indicator on the monitor. She wants him just as badly as we do.
“Get ready,” I throw over my shoulder at Kyte and push the craft faster, following the path laid out by Tilda.
“To knock Daviti from the sky?” Kyte’s cocky tone warms me even more. “I’ve been ready for years, just never had a captain capable of catching him.”
“Daviti has tricks, too. Damn. He’s trying to use the sapphire moon’s gravity to slingshot ahead of my parabola. We need to move faster.”
“I’m pushing as hard as it can go.” In the vastness of space, it seems as if we aren’t moving, but I know we’re going thousands of miles an hour, hurtling at speeds I can’t begin to process.
Tilda points at Uaxin. “We need more power.”
“We’re losing you, Lana. Ease up.” Ceredes’s tension twangs along our bond as his voice comes over the comms.
“I can’t back off now. What if we get him out here in space? This is a million times harder than on planet.”
