I’d been assigned to a larger four man fighter. I braced my hands on my hips while I looked her over. She wasn’t the sleek ultra advanced work of art that was a Fang, but she also wasn’t made of cobbled together spare parts either.
Shaped like an elongated manta ray, she was burnt orange in color, and—with twin gatling lasers mounted under her wings oneither side and a blunt, ugly looking coil gun mounted on a turret along her belly—she was a mean bitch. I loved her on sight.
I think I’d name herLyudmila.
Lyudmila’snarrow rear ramp was open and after a nod to Rathal and Aga, we boarded her.
Inside was cramped, with one seat situated in the cockpit surrounded by four long rectangles of glass view screens, and three seats behind the cockpit with only a narrow aisle between them. I moved down the aisle and dropped into the pilot’s seat. I took a deep breath before strapping in and then took a second to familiarize myself with the controls.
On a Fang, it's the neural link that actually operates the ship, but there are tactile controls to better focus your mind. The Rijiteran’s had found that if a pilot had a throttle and stick to actually touch and move, it helped their brain passageways make the connection faster. That they were making the maneuvers via the neural link nanoseconds before their hands were was irrelevant.
Lyudmilawasn’t that sophisticated. There was no neural link or even the older neural halo. It was just an old fashioned side stick, rudder pedals, and throttle. I grinned, gripping the stick with my left hand and wrapping my other hand over the throttle before glancing back at the boys just as they were strapping themselves into their seats.
“You two might want to tighten those restraints.”
Aga paled and did what I suggested, jerking his restraints down tight but Rathal cocked his head at me.
“Darling, I’ve been in countless battles before. I was practically raised inside a ship. I think I’ll be fine.”
Aga shook his head adamantly. “No. No, you won’t. I’m telling you, I don’t know what it is about humans but you take away gravity and limitations and they are insane. Callie here makes most pilots look like amateurs. Do as she says.”
Rathal wagged his brows at me and pulled at his restraints tight. “You know, I find competency arousing.”
We grinned at each other until Aga rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Stop fucking each other with your eyes and focus. Rathal, show Callie how to tap into the external cameras of this hunk of junk you call a Cutter.”
We snickered at him, but did as he said.
“You see that series of pink switches there on the top left corner? Those are the ship camera feeds. The bow camera is the uppermost one. Flip it. We should be able to watch the Rijitera arrive.”
“I imagine that Som’ae has already allowed access so the rest of the crew can connect via their links,” Aga said and Rathal made a noise of agreement.
I leaned forward and flipped it on. Immediately the cockpit viewscreens flashed black with just the faint glow of the gas giant to Cutter’s starboard side.
“What’s the Cutter’s designator, by the way?” I asked Rathal, my eyes glued to the screen.
“Foresight,” he murmured.
“Why that?” I asked, frowning a little.
“As in: Don’t you wish you would have had the foresight to run?”
Aga snorted out a laugh. “You have style, Rathal. I’ll give you that.”
I would have laughed with them, but a spot of white had appeared in the distance and at first I’d thought it was a star, but I swear it was growing.
“Of course I do. Have youseenme? I am the very definition of style.”
“Uh, guys?” That white dot was getting wider, but not closer. Looking at it was kind of freaking me out.
“Oh by the Mother. You dress like aLassabird, dancing around for attention.”
“Guys.” What the hell was it?!
“If I were aLassabird, I’d be the most colorful and successfulLassabird in existence.”
“Guys!” I finally shouted, turning in my seat. Their bickering stopped and they looked at me.
“What the hell is that?” I asked, pointing at the growing white dot on the screen. Now about the size of a moon in the distance.
