completely ruined.
I bolt into the hallway and don't stop until I reach the adjunct, kneeling in a line next to the others. I climb up into the cockpit and pull up a HUD, mechanically running through the pre-flight tests I would normally do with Mikscn. Everything comes back clear, of course, so I run another diagnostic, and another, and another, until there's nothing left to do but menial tasks and coding.
The other trifectas are starting to trickle out. I can hear their conversation and the low whine of the other adjuncts as the pilots pull back-up power to run their diagnostics. We've been briefed to hell and back, and the other's voices are lighthearted and cheerful. I know most everyone's missing home, and there's a definite note of relief in the air.
"Hey." I blink and look up. Jye's leaning into the entrance of the cockpit, something I can't read on his face. "Did you and Mikscn have a fight?"
I chew on the inside of my cheek, discarding option after option until I decide to tell the truth, if only because lies never survive long in a healthy trifecta.
"Sort of," I say, feeling out the words. "We're … having a difference of opinion."
"Is this going to affect your synchronization?" His tone is nothing but curious, but I flinch anyway. "We're leaving in an hour."
"No," I snap, and dive into another diagnostic. Buried in the adjunct's programming, only part of me registers Jye's low sigh and departure, but I curse myself anyway.
I know that acting like this is only going to make Jye leave all the sooner, but I can't just be okay with what Mikscn said. I want to keep Jye for forever. I don't know how to be okay with knowing that's never going to happen.
Aiya comes by to confirm the adjunct's operating normally. She gives Mikscn a narrow-eyed look when he arrives a few minutes late, but he just straps into his cradle without a word.
"Look," she says, glancing over her shoulder quickly. "I want you two to remember that you're a team and we love you."
I frown. "Aiya—"
"We wouldn't have brought Jye to you if we thought he would hurt you," she says. She leans forward, and her smile is a tiny, shadowed thing. "Trust us. Trust him. We love you."
I start to stand even as I hear the hiss and release of Jye's cockpit closing. "Aiya—" But she steps back and slams her hand on the manual hatch release. The door descends behind her and I have to settle back into my cradle.
"Temsha, what …?"
"I don't know," I grit out, my pulse jackhammering in my chest. Aiya always sends us off, but this feels like she's saying goodbye.
I strap into my cradle and interface with the adjunct with shaking hands. The adjunct registers us and I let out a slow breath when the cradle shifts to make contact with the rest of my interface relays. No matter how many times we do this, it's always disorienting for a second when the low-grade connection between Mikscn and I is blown wide open.
"Initializing sequence. Sequence initiated. Reading trifecta."
I bite my cheek at the grief and regret riding low in my chest. Mikscn bites his lip in turn and the pain zings through my mouth.
"Trifecta confirmed. Pilots confirmed. Pilot synchronization initialized."
We take a low, heavy breath.
"Anam confirmed. Coordination with anam initialized."
Soothing coolness flows over us and we grin.
"Pilot synchronization holding at 100%. Coordination with anam holding at 100%."
We open our eyes and stand, a wave of apology-regret-forgiveness flowing through us.
"Ready?" Aiya and Keito ask, their adjunct gleaming pale blue in the afternoon sun.
As one, the line of adjuncts turns, flight sequences initialized. The leisure-class vessels are already in orbit waiting, and we merge in the clouds with the adjuncts that are escorting us. The lead vessel, Jheghda's Silverstar , sends us the flight path and the adjunct's computer reads it.
To preserve pilot efficiency, the flight computer requires little adjustment from us, and we lean back as the entourage
I bolt into the hallway and don't stop until I reach the adjunct, kneeling in a line next to the others. I climb up into the cockpit and pull up a HUD, mechanically running through the pre-flight tests I would normally do with Mikscn. Everything comes back clear, of course, so I run another diagnostic, and another, and another, until there's nothing left to do but menial tasks and coding.
The other trifectas are starting to trickle out. I can hear their conversation and the low whine of the other adjuncts as the pilots pull back-up power to run their diagnostics. We've been briefed to hell and back, and the other's voices are lighthearted and cheerful. I know most everyone's missing home, and there's a definite note of relief in the air.
"Hey." I blink and look up. Jye's leaning into the entrance of the cockpit, something I can't read on his face. "Did you and Mikscn have a fight?"
I chew on the inside of my cheek, discarding option after option until I decide to tell the truth, if only because lies never survive long in a healthy trifecta.
"Sort of," I say, feeling out the words. "We're … having a difference of opinion."
"Is this going to affect your synchronization?" His tone is nothing but curious, but I flinch anyway. "We're leaving in an hour."
"No," I snap, and dive into another diagnostic. Buried in the adjunct's programming, only part of me registers Jye's low sigh and departure, but I curse myself anyway.
I know that acting like this is only going to make Jye leave all the sooner, but I can't just be okay with what Mikscn said. I want to keep Jye for forever. I don't know how to be okay with knowing that's never going to happen.
Aiya comes by to confirm the adjunct's operating normally. She gives Mikscn a narrow-eyed look when he arrives a few minutes late, but he just straps into his cradle without a word.
"Look," she says, glancing over her shoulder quickly. "I want you two to remember that you're a team and we love you."
I frown. "Aiya—"
"We wouldn't have brought Jye to you if we thought he would hurt you," she says. She leans forward, and her smile is a tiny, shadowed thing. "Trust us. Trust him. We love you."
I start to stand even as I hear the hiss and release of Jye's cockpit closing. "Aiya—" But she steps back and slams her hand on the manual hatch release. The door descends behind her and I have to settle back into my cradle.
"Temsha, what …?"
"I don't know," I grit out, my pulse jackhammering in my chest. Aiya always sends us off, but this feels like she's saying goodbye.
I strap into my cradle and interface with the adjunct with shaking hands. The adjunct registers us and I let out a slow breath when the cradle shifts to make contact with the rest of my interface relays. No matter how many times we do this, it's always disorienting for a second when the low-grade connection between Mikscn and I is blown wide open.
"Initializing sequence. Sequence initiated. Reading trifecta."
I bite my cheek at the grief and regret riding low in my chest. Mikscn bites his lip in turn and the pain zings through my mouth.
"Trifecta confirmed. Pilots confirmed. Pilot synchronization initialized."
We take a low, heavy breath.
"Anam confirmed. Coordination with anam initialized."
Soothing coolness flows over us and we grin.
"Pilot synchronization holding at 100%. Coordination with anam holding at 100%."
We open our eyes and stand, a wave of apology-regret-forgiveness flowing through us.
"Ready?" Aiya and Keito ask, their adjunct gleaming pale blue in the afternoon sun.
As one, the line of adjuncts turns, flight sequences initialized. The leisure-class vessels are already in orbit waiting, and we merge in the clouds with the adjuncts that are escorting us. The lead vessel, Jheghda's Silverstar , sends us the flight path and the adjunct's computer reads it.
To preserve pilot efficiency, the flight computer requires little adjustment from us, and we lean back as the entourage
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