Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 59: A Little Fall of Rain

[Author's Note: Wattpad apparently doesn't allow it, so the effect is ruined, but please imagine the "corrupted" dialogue in the Mindscape sequence (the lines marked with <> ) as right-justified instead of left-justified.]

Chapter 59: A Little Fall of Rain

Elsewhere

TSAB L-Class Inspection Cruiser Arthra

For the last five hours, Admiral Lindy Harlaown never sat down for more than two minutes at a time. It was natural for a ship's CO to be anxious while her crew were in a combat situation, but this was no ordinary sortie. Without exaggeration, everything hinged on the events of these few hours, and all parts of the machine had to run smoothly. Therefore, Lindy would sit in the captain's chair for maybe forty seconds at a time... the mug of her favorite green tea—with milk and sugar, blech—sat on one of the chair's arms, untouched, ice-cold, and long since forgotten about. After approximately forty seconds, she would get up, pace around the bridge with her hands clasped behind her back, read over the same monitors and consoles she read moments before, grimace, and sit back down.

Thus the cycle repeated itself. Operator Amy Limietta couldn't help smiling just a little, hearing the now-familiar sound of Lindy's heels clicking across the deck yet again. Not like she wasn't worried herself, but she wasn't the one in charge, thank goodness. Overseeing a mission like this, with her crew, her children, and her friends on the ground in untold danger, and the fate of reality in the balance? No thank you. Too much responsibility for a humble Operator.

"How are we, Amy?" Lindy was back at her station, peering over Amy's shoulder.

"Systems still all green, Admiral," said Amy, same as the last seven times Lindy asked that question. "We're in a stable synchronous orbit, and the Van Allen belt is masking us from anyone who might be watching. Ready to move at any time."

"Our barriers are still holding? This is a hot spot, and I'd like to avoid killing everyone on the ship if it's possible."

Was that a joke? Better to err on the side of caution and give her a straight answer. "Holding, ma'am," she said after calling up a relevant holopanel. "Shipwide levels are only 0.0002 mSv. That's less than a few minutes of sunshine on Earth."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Back to the captain's chair she went. Amy didn't even have to look to know what pose she assumed when she sat down: leaned forward, elbows on her knees, hands folded in front of her mouth. Waiting for the signal...

*****

Starboard Observation Lounge

Simultaneously

"It should be coming up any minute now," said Erika Kurumi. One elbow nudged her best friend in the ribs, but gently. "Think it'll live up to your expectations?"

Tsubomi Hanasaki's cheeks warmed, and anticipation fluttered in her belly like a swarm of butterflies. "Oh, I'm sure it will!"

The observation lounge on the Arthra's starboard side was dark save for the emergency lights that lined the door on one side of the room and the wall-sized viewport on the other. Nothing outside the viewport could be seen. For the moment, all was quiet as the two waited breathless, looking into the viewport's plexiglass as if staring hard enough could uncover the darkness's secrets.

"It better," said Erika. "I'm staying up 'til an ungodly hour for this, you know... not to mention I'm missing the big moment. And I'm supposed to have rehab with Hayate-chan tomorrow afternoon, what's she gonna say if I yawn all the way through it?"