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The next morning, she ran the request for flight instruction past Ziggy, and an hour later Derion was at her door smiling slightly.

“I am here to give you instruction in the pilot’s seat.”

She blinked. “Just like that?”

“Sure. I was pronounced clean by medical so there is no danger that I will go into mate madness. Would you like to get a morning meal?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Please. I wasn’t able to work out the dispenser. It baffled me.”

He chuckled. “Come with me.”

She followed him, wearing another of the stylish bodysuits and the long robe over it. She felt more centred today. It was strange but she felt at home.

The walk to the restaurant was quick and the servers were attentive as she picked a few items that Vida had recommended on the first day and entered them into the ordering unit.

When their server returned, he set her selections down in front of her as well as a large pot of tea.

Derion poured her cup of tea before his own and sat back to enjoy his own meal.

“So, your check in medical was fine?”

He inclined his head. “I was found to be within my rights as your assigned escort. Things can escalate quickly here, so my actions were deemed appropriate.”

She smiled and nodded. “Good.”

She sipped at the tea and got on with her breakfast.

“Were you worried?”

“Well, your father has assigned you to me during the mission, so I was concerned that you would be detained.”

She used the eating utensils with growing confidence to increase the speed of her consumption.

He chuckled. “I am sure they would have found you another partner and pilot for the event.”

“I have a hard time dealing with strangers, and spending a few days in a shuttle with someone I haven’t met is a tricky prospect.”

“You seemed fine when we met.”

“I was told you were arriving, I have met your parent, so your scent is familiar, and by the time I finished my workout, I was used to you.”

He paused and raised a brow. “You identify folk by scent?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes. The air got acrid when those other guys entered the hall yesterday and grew worse when they started eyeing me.”

Amazement covered Derion’s features. “You have surprised me yet again. Strength and enhanced senses. Congratulations.”

“Thank you again for the observation.”

She finished her meal and sipped at her tea. “Why did you agree to act as my escort on the ship?”

He chuckled. “The Fury have a strict hierarchy. We are a military unit. We may fight amongst ourselves during off times, but we are deadly serious about following orders from our commanders.”

“Ah. Right. So, do you have much family aside from your father?”

He smiled and his blood-red features softened. “My mother and younger brother are still at home on Neecrad.”

Ianka sympathised. “Is it hard to be away from them?”

He inclined his head. “Duty called and we answered, but yes, we do miss them.”

Silence fell between them for a moment and she nodded. “I can understand that.”

After their meal, he took her to a training centre where she was seated behind the controls, and he took the position next to her, explaining the controls and walking her through the preflight checks. By the end of the afternoon, she was hungry, her arms ached and she had managed to power up the simulator.

Vida and S’rin came to take her to dinner and Derion smiled. “Same time tomorrow, Miss Senior?”

She nodded. “I am going to get the hang of this before we leave. I promise.”

He nodded. “I have no doubt.”

It was routine by the day that they were ready to launch. Derion greeted her in the morning and they had breakfast together while discussing the information found by the probe.

The afternoon was spent on the simulator and Ianka had managed to take off, fly and engage in battle manoeuvres, as well as landing. She wasn’t graceful but she could get them where they were going.

The evening meals were spent with Vida, Ziggy and any other Gaians who had time. Late in the night, she answered the knock on her door and went out with Derion again for her exercise.

The day of the launch, she had her bag with her when the knock on her door told her it was time.

The flight time would be twelve hours. The larger ships had more power than the probe and could travel far faster.

She opened the door to see Vida and S’rin. “Morning, Veed.”

Vida smiled weakly. “Would you like some breakfast?”

Ianka chuckled. “Please. Never miss an offered meal. That is my motto.”

Vida laughed. “It always was.”

They linked arms and went for breakfast before the rest of the day shift had stirred into action.

It had less the feeling of a last meal and more of a holiday gathering. There was hope as they discussed the mission and Vida kept tearing up.

When she was escorted to the shuttle bay, S’rin stopped her with a glance and he bowed deeply. “Come home safely, sister.”

She bowed in return. “Take care of her and do not let her get too excited until we return. I expect a tense family dinner when we get back here. You will get to meet our parents, and though they are not talented in the same way Vida and I are, they can see things you could never imagine.”

She smiled softly in remembrance of her functionally blind parents and their vision that went far beyond the physical.

Vida lunged at her and squeezed her tight. “Take care of yourself. I want to see all my family together, not in pieces. I am going to see everything you do, so take care or I will kick the tar out of you when you get home.”

“Yes, Veed. I promise I will take care.”

She whispered it in her sister’s ear and she heard Vida sob. “Vida you did the hard work; now, let me do my part.”

Vida leaned back and swiped at the tears in her eyes, moving back against S’rin.

Before she could start snivelling on her own, Ianka turned and headed for the walkway that extended into the ship she would be ensconced in. Derion stood aside as she entered, and once inside, she nodded to the guard on her left.

“To the right and down the hall until you see a staircase. Go up the staircase and then turn left.”

She nodded. He had briefed her the night before. As commander, he was the last one into the ship, because the moment he was in place, they would leave. She needed to be strapped in before he sat down or she could tip over.

Ianka kept on track with his directions, and after ten minutes, she was sitting in the cockpit on a jump seat with her bag stowed in a locked shelf behind her. She needed the contents of the bag for the mission and wanted to keep them close.

Two other members of the Fury were on the command deck and they linked to the probe that Ula had sent out and used that for telemetry. The moment that Derion was strapped in, they started the engines and the ship began to move.

Ianka was fascinated by the flight. It was so different from lifting off from a world. There was no pressure, no discomfort, only a slight indication of motion before all exterior signals ceased.

Humming to herself, she followed the motions of the crew and unbuckled her launch harness. She unlatched the storage box and removed her bag, fishing out the tablet with the information programs that she wanted to watch. She had twelve hours to kill and she was finding the history of the Nine fascinating.

Derion smiled and got to his feet. “Miss Senior, this is Uradik and Morwil. They will be at your disposal if you require anything. Medical is ready if you want to take a nap.”

She smiled. “I am fine. I can stay awake and alert for a few days if needed. I don’t need to use the bed in medical. Will this documentary disturb any of you?”

Uradik and Morwil shook their heads. Derion shrugged. “It will be fine. What are you watching?”

She flicked her fingers across the screen. “The origins of the Balance, since Vida is married to one.”

She set the volume down as low as she could and still hear it and settled in to watch the documentary. She might be able to make her way to the People of the Air if she kept her focus. With her blood singing in an urge to action, focus was all that kept her from screaming with tension.