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fighters close enough to Ariel I to conduct the surveys
Headquarters needed. Over the course of nearly two weeks, the flight wing
operated at peak capacity, almost without let-up, and the strain inevitably
took its toll on people and equipment alike.
Blair could only hope that ship and crew were up to the job.
Flight Control, TCS Victory
Ariel System
Blair came out of the elevator next to Flight Control and nearly ran into
Rachel Coriolis. She was clutching a personal data pad in one hand and a
half-disassembled control module in the other, walking briskly with an air of
distracted urgency. As she caught sight of Blair she made a face.
"Can't talk now, skipper," she said, hardly slowing her pace at all. "All you
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fighter jocks were so damned eager to draw recon work. Well, now you got it,
and that means us common techies have to bust our asses to keep you flying."
"Okay, okay, Chief," he said, holding up one hand. "On behalf of the entire
wing, I apologize. Next time HQ gives us an assignment, I'll tell 'em to clear
it with you first."
She grinned as she dodged past him and into the lift. "Maybe if us techs had a
say in things you hot-shots wouldn't always be getting in so much trouble."
The doors snapped shut, and Blair turned back to the entrance to Flight
Control.
There were only routine patrols out now, no survey missions, so the chamber
was manned at minimal levels. The relative calm in the room was a stark
contrast to the scene visible through the windows overlooking the hangar deck,
where technicians and fighter crews were hard at work on maintenance, repairs,
and mission prep for the next batch of launches, scheduled to begin shortly.
The bustle of activity would have been a scene of utter confusion to the
uninitiated, but Blair recognized the order and purpose underlying the chaos.
It was the dance of the deck, the almost rhythmic cycle that made any pilots
heart beat just a little bit faster.
He became aware of another figure standing by the windows, intently watching.
It was Cobra, wearing her flight suit and carrying a helmet under one arm.
Blair was surprised to note her smile. It transformed her entirely, changing
her customary bitter moodiness into a genuine look of enthusiasm and
anticipation.
"About time," he heard her say softly, as if to herself. "About time we showed
'em."
"Lieutenant," he said quietly.
She looked at him. "Sir?"
"I don't recall ever seeing that before," he said. When she looked confused he
continued with a grin. "That smile on your face. It looks good.
Suits you."
The wolfish smile reappeared. "It's good to be in their back yard for a
change. I can almost smell 'em, Colonel. And with any kind of luck, I'll get a
couple of them in my sights sometime soon& "
He raised an eyebrow. "Well, being on the offensive seems to have helped bring
you out of your shell, I'd say."
"Scuttlebutt says we're here to scout the cats out for a real attack. That
HQ has a weapon that'll blast them to hell, where they belong. I want to be
here for the kill. I didn't become a pilot just to baby-sit bases and such."
Blair frowned. He supposed the spread of rumors about the Behemoth project was
almost inevitable. Nothing stayed secret on a ship in space for very long it
seemed, despite the best efforts of Confed security. He wondered if Rollins
had been leaking information, or if this story started somewhere else.
At any rate, at least this rumor was having a more positive effect on morale
than some of the earlier ones.
"Look, Cobra, I'm glad to see that smile, I really am," Blair told her.
"But you've got to be pumped on every mission, not just the ones you like."
"Point taken, Colonel," she said slowly. The smile had faded now. "Well, I
guess I'd better get down to the launch bay. I'm up in fifteen& "
After she left, Blair frowned at his own reflection in the window. For some
reason he could never find the right things to say when talking to
Lieutenant Buckley. Why couldn't he have allowed her to enjoy her newfound
enthusiasm for
Victory's current operation? Instead, he'd managed to deflate her just when it
seemed she was ready to start letting down the barriers which kept her apart
from the rest of the wing.
Sometimes he wondered if he would ever really get a handle on his job.
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Flight Wing Rec Room, TCS Victory
Ariel System
"Pull up a chair, Colonel, and join me. I'll stand you to the first round."
Acknowledging Vagabond's greeting with a nod and a smile, Blair took the chair
opposite him. Lieutenant Chang played with the inevitable deck of cards in
front of him, and if the continual cycle of missions was getting to him it
didn't show in his grinning face. The pilot might have been fresh from leave
instead of unwinding after flying a survey sweep with Hobbes only a few hours
earlier.
"You must be getting pretty lonely if you want to buy your CO a drink,"
Blair commented. "What's the matter? You already clean everybody else out?"
"Unfortunately, it doesn't take too long to get a reputation, if you know what
I mean. And even the new chums from Blackmane caught on to me after a few
days. Gets pretty tough to get up a game when everyone's afraid to take you
on. Know what I mean?" Chang held up the deck.
"C'mon, Colonel. Why don't you try your luck?" Without waiting for an answer,
he started dealing.
"Whoa, there, sharpie," Blair said, holding up a hand. "Don't I at least get
to cut the deck?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]