Final Flight

Untitled Part 1

Contact, it was going to happen one day. Looking out the window of the portable quarters that would be her home in the Human Defense Force. She glanced at a manual not today, today we fly. Stepping out of her quarters the light from the nearby star felt warm and welcoming.

The craft looked like an oval angling out toward the two stubby wings at the back. By the line of four craft stood the flight lead and two other nuggets. "Jenson you'll be element lead and Petrov will follow your lead since you two seem to work well together."

The flight seemed to have flashed by, one moment they were taking off, next Petrov and her were practicing flying in formation and then she was exiting the cockpit and heading to the building just across the flight line to discuss the flight. PD was approaching and she began to grin as the manual laid out the steps before punching. 

Lying in bed later that night looking up at the roof she imagined her arms floating as gravity no longer pushed them down. Soon Amanda.

Today was the big day, called Punch Day, they would leave the atmosphere of Planet 19A in zone 1 and fly in space for the first time. Skipping toward the flight line she was first there. Turning around everyone was right behind her. 

Her arms started to lift as pushed downward to counter the weightlessness of space. Up ahead was a group of asteroids in orbit around the planet. "Jenson your flight is first. Approach the asteroids first using your instruments only.  On some planets you will not able see outside the cockpit." Just ease yourself toward it this isn't a race. Petrov already was looking at the instrument panel in her craft. Both Petrov and her souls were meant for space, but Petrov maybe trusted her instruments a little more. "Your drifting girl" It was just a fraction of a meter, but what mattered was that she was off her set course.

Wait, where are the other two? Looking up and to her left they were still there; it was just that the asteroids between the two elements blocked sensors. Letting out a breath she looked down again and monitored the position of her charge and the asteroids to her left. "You okay you looked panicked for a moment?" Okay, the asteroids blocked you on my sensor, so I looked up. "Roger"

You can call me Anna, we're not on duty Amanda. Want to hang out tonight, maybe watch a movie?

So, this was the moment her and Petrov made their friendship official. Yes, I'd like to hang out and watch a movie tonight. Do you have one in mind?

War of the Worlds

Any reason why? That wasn't what I was thinking.

I've never seen it and want to.

Ok, I'll bring the popcorn.

If only some of the stuff they talked about that night stayed hypothetical.  It would start with a fight in the orbit of Planet 19A. A single ship had showed up destroyed a satellite and broadcast its intent to occupy the planet through force.  And now they were being sent to fight in space.

As they were leaving the planet surface, her flight lead called over the radio "Jenson this is your show now, you've got it. I'm having a technical problem and have to return planet side, your flight lead." Great now I'm responsible for two people's life and making decisions on how the flight operates. Focus he said you can do this.

The problem was it wasn't just the two ships under her command she had to keep track of; but also, the rough position of three other flights which made up her wing. She could feel her legs start to lift. The position of those three flights was displayed on a screen to her right. At least someone had thought about the ergonomics and placed the screen at the base of the panel to her front.