Intergalactic Affairs [FINAL CHAPTER OUT NOW!!]

Quietus Extreme

The first hours of the flight were uneventful; Michelle put the ship into autopilot and slept in the small room towards the back of the ship. She woke up at 07:36 and headed back to the front of the ship, stopping in the galley first to see if there was any food; she found a slightly stale loaf of bread and some canned fruit, which wasn't the worst meal she'd ever had, but it was a far cry from delicious or even filling. She sat down at the controls of the ship and checked to see how much time was remaining in her journey. The projected ETA at the base was 19 hours. Michelle cursed quietly and pressed some buttons, searching for a way to cut some of the time. 19 hours gave the general far too much time to do some horrible thing. Killing everyone, for instance. She blew out a puff of air impatiently as the ship ran diagnostics for her new flight plan which would take about nine hours off the flight.

"Faster," she hissed at the screen, tapping her fingers anxiously across her leg.

Finally, there was a soft ding and the screen showed the route that would be shorter. It was a risky path that flew directly through some of the most dangerous areas of the mountains and above areas that Michelle suspected were being used as a ground for the fighting. Michelle squinted at the screen, trying to see if there was any other way through that would be just as short. Unfortunately, any deviation from the chosen route would add at least an hour and a half to the trip.

She only hesitated for a few seconds before okaying the change of route. Instantly, the ship banked hard to port and picked up speed. Michelle sat back, pleased to have done something productive that would increase her probability of success. Unfortunately, the sense of relief didn't last long, and Michelle was soon pacing the cockpit, worrying and fidgeting. Down on the planet's surface, Tess and Elisabeth were risking their lives to buy her more time and to stop General Maine from committing a terrible crime. Meanwhile, she was stuck in a ship with nothing to do except wait and hope that everything would turn out okay.

To distract herself, Michelle turned on the radio Tess had given her and listened interestedly to the army's movements and strategies, simultaneously hoping to hear one of her friends' names and dreading that it would mean something terrible had happened to one of them. Unfortunately, all that was transmitted was mostly speculation about the attack and reports on the other army's movements. Michelle plopped herself back onto her chair with a heavy sigh. Stars, she hoped her friends would be okay.

At that moment, the radio fizzled into life, but instead of an army report, Michelle heard: "Aspen? Are you there?"

It was such a relief to hear Tess's voice that Michelle actually laughed out loud before responding.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm here. What's up with you guys?"

There was a pause. Tess cleared her throat. "Well, Elisabeth got assigned a covert-ops mission. I...well, even I'm technically not supposed to know about it, but she told me before she left. She um, also asked me not to tell you, either cos she didn't want you to worry or cos she was worried that you might... I dunno. Be tortured and reveal it or something. But, I thought you should know," Tess was quick to add. "Especially since they just assigned me to the front lines." There was a longer pause. Michelle felt a lump form in her throat, making it difficult to swallow, and when Tess spoke again there was a quiver in her voice not quite disguised by the unnaturally cheerful tone she put on. "But what's up with you?"

Michelle gulped, her mouth suddenly dry. "Not much. I mean, I've been flying for as many hours and all that's gotten done is a course correction that'll shave off a few hours but fly me through some potentially dangerous areas. It sounds like all the real action is happening down there." She didn't quite succeed in keeping her voice light.

"Believe me, I'd rather be with you than on this suicide mission," a new voice chimed in darkly.

"Elisabeth!" Michelle practically sighed with relief. "Thank the stars you're okay."