Starship: Rogue

Chapter Eleven

 The shuttle IRC Washington got its first view of Earth just over two days after it had left the military base on Hosk. At the helm, Rowan watched, a small smile on her face, as the planet came into view. No matter how long she made the approach to the planet, she knew she would never tire of the sight of her adopted home planet.

In the copilot chair, Carter straightened, her eyes wide. Rowan smiled at her. "Never seen it before?" she asked.

Carter blushed furiously. "Only once, when I came for training in London," she admitted. "I haven't been back since then, though. I... forgot how beautiful it was, you know."

Rowan nodded, her smile fading. Lately, it had become harder and harder for her to keep a smile on her face. They always fell away too soon. She kept her gaze on the planet as they drew quickly nearer, and she toggled a few switches, opening a channel to the Rangers headquarters in San Francisco.

"IRC Washington to the Hub, come in please," she said, waiting for a reply.

A few seconds later, it came. "IRC Washington, this is the Hub, reading you loud and clear. What is your status?"

"On final approach to the planet," Rowan replied. "Will be entering orbit in two minutes, thirty-six seconds."

"Roger that," the disembodied voice said. "You are cleared for final approach. Please prepare to moor at docking bay A3. Over and out."

Rowan flicked the comms channel off and turned off manual flight mode. "Ready?" she asked Carter. The medic was wearing her uniform for the first time, and, Rowan had to admit, she looked like she belonged completely.

"Yup," Carter answered, grinning. "But, um, what's the Hub?"

Rowan tried to smile at her, but her mouth didn't cooperate. "Headquarters," she explained. "Everything has a codename, like, um, our prison is called the Freezer, one of our labs is the School, and the training wing at the Hub is, of course, the Academy. You'll figure it out pretty quick, but it can be a little confusing at first."

Carter nodded, nibbling her lip. Rowan wondered if she knew she was doing, and did it whenever she was nervous or deep in thought. "Okay," she said, then turned to Rowan, frowning a bit. "What's it like, living on Earth? I mean, I lived on the planet, but I stayed on campus in London."

Rowan shook her head, bemused. "It's... different than anywhere else. The planet's... cleaner than anywhere in the Fringe. The cities are also smaller than anywhere else, because people have the resources to move off-planet when overpopulation becomes a problem."

Carter nodded, but neither of them had a chance to say anything else as the shuttle slammed into Earth's orbit, shuddering a bit as it slid into Earth's gravity. Rowan flicked on the ship's comms network and said, "Guys, ten minutes. Full uniform, remember. This is the Hub, not the Base were going into!"

"Base?" Carter murmured.

"Hub is administrative HQ, the Base is operational command, across the country, and where we work from when we're working on a mission on-planet."

"Thanks," Carter said gratefully. "So the Hub's a bigger deal? More official?"

"Yup," Rowan agreed. "See, the Academy, the Hub and the docking bay all make three corners of a square, along with the West Coast Marine base. It's where everything relating to the Rangers is managed.The docks sit out over the water, so, technically, the coastline makes one side of the Quad. That's what we call the square. Civilians call it Ranger's Square."

They had entered the atmosphere by now and had drawn into a descent over the North American continent. Rowan could make out the horseshoe shape of the San Francisco Bay, almost centered along the West Coast, looking west over the Pacific.