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“This isn’t smart, Kendra.”
“At least I’m not being called insane.”
“That too.”
“Why isn’t it smart?”
“Besides making everyone nervous you’re going to smack into a mountain trying to land on Luna?”
“Yeah, besides that.”
“How about all the promoting and news releases they’ve sent out for the past week? Think maybe Artemis might be planning an unpleasant reception?”
“Relax, Davie.”
“Relax? Did you seriously tell me to relax?”
Kendra paused in pulling on her flight gear.
“Yes. It’s a milk run. Me and the rest of Red Squadron go down to Luna, I stand around and add a few remarks to Autumn’s speech, then we fly back. I’ve got twelve of the best pilots in Starfleet around me to cover my ass and Endeavour’s going to be hovering over us like a mindful hawk. What can happen?”
“How about the al-Battani returning?”
“With Defiant on his heels, I’m sure. And you think the Al is going to be a match for Endeavour?”
“Kendra, the point is not to put the most important woman in the System into jeopardy she can avoid!”
Kendra resumed dressing. “I’m not going to be chained down by what everyone expects me to do. Never have been, not starting now.”
“Maeve wept. Of all the –"
“Hold it right there, Davie.” Kendra stood again with iron in her voice. “I am the head of the Federation. One of the leaders of a Federation member state is making a major announcement and has asked me to be there, so I’m going. Rather than tie up a relatively slow and vulnerable Wolf, I’m flying myself in the fastest fighter we have with a dozen other fighters as escort, and not announcing it. If the Union tries anything, they’re not going to have a clue who to hit, and we can outrun anything they fire off at us. Rather than putting myself at risk, I’m making myself safer. So. Anything you’d like to add to that, Admiral?”
Davie matched the iron with her own. “You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever chosen to work with, Admiral Cassidy.”
Then her tone softened. “Unfortunately, you’re right. This time.”
“Then you’ll stop arguing with me?”
“For now, on this.”
“Good.”
“Speaking of good.”
“Yes?”
“Defender II should be ready for commissioning next week. Hecate said she had a little slippage because she hadn’t figured how difficult disassembly of Defender would be, but she’s back on track.”
“And Enterprise is back next week, too, so we’ll be back up to three starships in-System.”
“For now. Endeavour is scheduled for an exploration cruise mid-month.”
“Right. Galactic North?”
“Castor, Pollux, Regulus, and Aldebaran. Long trip; Aldebaran is nearly 80 light-years distant. They’re budgeted ten days, and they’re bringing warp buoys to emplace.”
“Still, we’ll have two starships to their zero. You know, Davie, it might be my optimism talking, but I’m getting a good feeling about this.”
Whitmore snorted. “I’ll have a good feeling when our people are standing in the center of Artemis City and Vasilia’s dead.”
“Your lips to Zeus’s ears, Davie.” Kendra stood. “How do I look?”
“Like a damn fool fighter pilot.”
Kendra dimpled. “Good. Just the look I was going for.”
*
“DIREWOLF 1314 TO RED Leader.”
“Go ahead, 1314.”
“Checking in, Ash.”
“Roger that, Kendra. You are number three in the launch queue. Don’t miss your turn.”
“No, Ma’am!”
“Not joking, Admiral.”
“Neither am I, Commander.”
“Senior Lieutenant, Admiral.”
“Lieutenant Commander, technically. Diana?”
“The Admiral is correct. By the current standards of time-in-grade you have successfully achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander.”
Kendra could imagine the shock and surprise on Ashlyn’s face. “Whatever. I’ll celebrate it later. Until we hit the ground, Admiral, you are under my command. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Commander.”
Kendra listened in as Ashlyn reviewed the flight orders with her squadron. The key was surprise.
Red Squadron regularly rotated through the CAP with the divisions of Nymeria Squadron. The difference today was the entire squadron, instead of just half, was flying to Luna to replace the single division of Nymeria on station. Since Kendra had insisted on flying herself to the surface, it was hoped that the additional ship would be lost in the clutter of a larger-than-usual CAP change. It helped that the new Mark IIs weren’t noticeably different from the original Direwolves.
“Ready, Brie?”
“Damn right I am, boss! Let’s show these slackers what we can do!”
Kendra laughed at the AI’s enthusiasm. “Hey, we’re good, but they’ve got a couple orders of magnitude more stick time than we do!”
“None of ‘em have your reactions, boss.”
“No, Brie. We’re not gonna show off.”
“Boss!”
“No. Maybe on the way back we can play a little. For the flight down to the surface we behave.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Brie.”
“Fine. I’ll behave, be a good little drone.”
“Red Leader to squadron, check in by launch order.”
After Locksmith and Ro reported Kendra chimed in with, “1314, all systems green,” just like the other pilots.
“Hecate, request launch clearance,” Ashlyn commed over the general channel.
“Clearance granted, Red Leader. Launch tubes primed, skies clear, control passed to you. Launch when ready.”
“Confirmed. Locksmith, let’s go. By the numbers.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
The first Direwolf disappeared down the launch tube, followed by Ro in the bay next to her a half-second later.
Kendra mashed the launch button and her Direwolf was propelled through the outer wall of Njord at nearly 10g’s of felt acceleration. She grunted at the sudden impact but then she was clear of the tube and didn’t have time to think, simply react.
She’d never let on, but she was terrified. She had maybe fifty hours’ solo time in her Direwolf, enough so she felt comfortable taking it out. She’d never flown in a formation, though, and didn’t have the first idea what to do or how to do it. Ashlyn had told her where she’d be in the squadron, but translating the instructions into action was another thing.
“Brie, where do we go?”
“I gotcha, boss. Follow the head’s-up.” A glowing caret appeared on the cockpit’s optical sapphire window and Kendra adjusted her course to match.
“On it.”
“Maintain 300g accel.”
Kendra resisted the urge to look at the throttle and instead checked through her ‘plant.
“On the beam,” she said.
“Nice catch, boss.”
“You noticed, eh?”
“Duh. AI, remember? I pretty much am the ship?”
By the end of this exchange the squadron was formed up and on course for Luna at a relatively leisurely 300g’s. The entire journey took little more than twelve minutes, by which time Kendra was feeling comfortable enough to joke with the other pilots. A little. Until Ashlyn put a stop to it.
“Locksmith, peel off for rendezvous with Nymeria.”
“Aye, skipper,” said the XO, and she and her five division mates swerved to assume their station for the next four hours.
“Division, form around 1314, pattern Cheerleader.” That was the code for the other Direwolves to rotate position around Kendra’s ship to hide it from Artemis’ scanners. “1314, maintain assigned course and speed.”
“You repeat it back,” Brie said when Kendra didn’t answer.
“Roger, Red Leader. Maintain course and speed, aye.”
“Better. We’ll make a proper pilot of you yet,” Ashlyn commented.
“She likes you, I can tell,” Brie added. “She’s never that gentle with her pilots.”
“Yeah, well, first, I’m married, second, she’s straight, and third, I’m also her boss once I get out of this cockpit. Now shut up so I can concentrate. Landings are tougher.”
“Just relax and let me do most of the work,” Brie said. “We’ll be on the ground in a minute.”
“Can you be a little more specific? ‘On the ground’ sounds like we might miss the landing pad.”
“You worry too much.”
“Davie thinks I don’t worry enough.”
“Bring her along for a flight sometime and, whoops! Increase down angle, Kendra, or we’re gonna miss the ground!”
After the blip, the rest of the landing went smoothly. Kendra took guidance from Tycho Control to a remote hangar while Ashlyn and her division shaped course back to Njord.
“Not bad for your first planetfall,” Brie said as they ran through the shutdown procedures.
“Thanks. You weren’t bad yourself.”
“Oh, yeah, it was mine too! Looks like the official greeters are on the way.”
Kendra looked up and saw the skinsuited figures. “Ah, it’s Mikki and Jordan and Mac. Mac? What is she doing down here?”
“Guess you’re going to find out.”
“Keep the reactor hot, Brie. This looks ungood.”
Kendra popped the canopy, grateful to be standing again, and hopped down the side of the ship.
“Chief.”
“Admiral. We’ve got problems.”