Blink: 3003 (Book 1)

04

 The shuttle ride was everything Amber had hoped for. Under instruction from her two chaperones she buckled into the passenger seat just behind the main cockpit while Darien and Idas took up positions in the pilot and co-pilot chairs. She recognised the shuttle from its control layout, a state-of-the-art Becker A110 orbit-to-ground model. This one had some variations she didn't recognise on the control panel, presumably to do with the strange glowing blue rod that stood in the rear compartment. As a dedicated student of both commercial and military spacecraft she immediately found her interest piqued.

The Blink operatives' ship took off in the manner of a traditional rocket, shaped like an arrowhead pointing into the sky. A trio of cone thrusters protruded from its rear, glowing a lurid blue from its superheated fuel cells, which told Amber all she needed to know about the kind of fuel it used. Its heavy proton drive was not standard issue. She'd also noted weapon mounts on the nose cone when she'd first boarded. She didn't get a good enough look to see what kind, but it still checked off another part of the two teenagers' story.

Amber gripped the arms of her seat as the engines rumbled into life. In the pilot's chair Darien was in constant communication with the space-dock operators to make sure their departure was timed correctly. For a craft of this type, if they misjudged their takeoff and found something in their path on the way up, the results would be explosive.

"Okay, hang on to your hats," Darien declared. "We are cleared for lift-off."

The whole craft shuddered from nose to tail as the engines began to roar. The cabin shook and she could see Darien counting down silently to himself. Then, in a flashing motion he rammed the ignition lever forward.

Without the shuttle's motion buffer the three of them would have been pasted against the nearest bulkhead by the tremendous velocity of their take off. Amber's eyes widened in excitement as the sky began rushing towards them. On all sides she could see the glowing engines of other ships like fireflies in the night, some ascending with them, others coming in to land. They tore through the veil of clouds and she found herself facing a sea of stars. Unable to control herself she let out a whoop of excitement.

Idas looked over his shoulder and grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. She felt her cheeks redden but managed to smile back. Then her attention returned to the vastness of space that they were fast approaching.

"We're in the atmosphere," Darien said. "Cut breakaway burn on my mark."

He counted down from five whereupon Idas twisted a switch on the panel above him to cut off the engine fuel flow. Suddenly everything was quiet. The shuttle stopped shaking and the only sound Amber could hear was the gentle bleeping of the control consoles. She gazed out of the front window as the shuttle began to turn. Before long the planet hove into view on the port side and her heart leapt at the astonishing sight.

Illuvari was just as beautiful from space as it was from the ground. The green of its landmasses was streaked with lines of silver where the long cities were, as though some cosmic overlord had taken gentle strokes of a paintbrush to the blue-green sphere. In orbit the hulls of ships glinted from the light of the system's sun. Swirls of white cloud hung over the globe like daubs of cream.

"Three hundred and four," Darien said, swivelling in his seat with a smug smile plastered across his face.

Amber looked at him blankly. "Three hundred and four what?"

"He counts every successful lift off," Idas explained wearily. "Don't ask me why. I wish he didn't."

"You've done this three hundred times?!"