The Celestial Way

Chapter 16.6 - Changing Ways

"Wow, this thing has power," Kiana said, poking the HHI helm controls with quick, practiced motions. "Maybe we should've installed some inertial dampeners."

"Too late now," Airo said. "We will have to endure the acceleration."

"Uh... Commander, I don't think you understand how much g-force we're talking here."

The FTL shuttle was lumbering through the sky, slowly making its way toward the exit of Ilsorin's sub-fractal region as Kiana was getting familiar with the flight controls. The nolreck was cramped; a short, claustrophobic accessway along the main engines, a pair of airlocks, and a small bridge was all there was. The bridge had only five seats, two in front of the helm and fire control consoles, while the other three were equipped with the bare minimum of feedback systems as a form of emergency redundancy.

"I feel strange," Veralla remarked, twisting in her seat and craning her neck to look at her custom made vacsuit. Her voice had a faint tinny quality over the commlink. "Can I take it off? Tehalix told me dragons are able to survive in vacuum."

"We are taking no chances," Airo said before anyone else could reply. "You are still a juvenile, not a fully-developed dragon." He checked for the third time if all systems were green.

"Yes, fledglings are very vulnerable compared to adults," Lylana quietly added. Her armored bulk dominated the limited space. "Hardier than baseline transhumans, but not by a significant margin."

"Y'all ready to get this show on the road?" Zuckeroff called excitedly. The FTL shuttle was entering the large tunnel leading to the exit.

"I'm ready!"

"Not you, Cloud! The others!"

"Ugh, this is the first time I'm piloting in a heavy-duty PPG," Kiana grumbled, trying to shift inside her power armor. "Seriously, Zuckeroff, how can you like to spend any amount of time wearing these things?"

"Um, 'cause I look badass?"

"Unbelievable." Kiana opened a channel to the base. "Homefront, this is Star Angel. Requesting passage through the exit."

"Understood, Star Angel," came a calm, measured response from Magus Dei over the commlink. "Granting you clear passage."

"Roger that, Homefront. Cutting radio contact in fifteen secs."

"Copy. Be swift, Star Angel. May the Great Cosmos watch over you all. Homefront, over."

The dark wall of the tunnel's exit glimmered away, revealing a softer darkness outside. The FTL shuttle flew out and began to ascend rapidly in the night sky. The mission was chosen to be performed during the night, in order to gain whatever meager advantage the absence of light could provide, making any Revenant more visible to visual observation.

"'Kay, I'm gonna keep it slow and steady until the bastards jump us," Kiana said. "Enjoy the ride while you can, folks."

"But I cannot see much of anything," Veralla complained. The FTL shuttle was pointed straight upward, and the bridge's viewpanels showed little else besides the black heavens and the ominous, omnipresent energy beam of the Reality Vortex.

"I was speaking figuratively, whippersnapper."

"Oh."

"No boogies detected by the sensors so far," Zuckeroff reported.

"Boogie-woogie!"

"Uh, what's happening to Cloud today?" Zuckeroff asked in an undertone.

"The copy we're bringing with us glitched or something? I dunno, gamebrain. Leave me to pilot this heap of scrap."