Read Xandrian Stone 4: The Academy Part 3 for Free Online

on our way. Sensors, navigation, keep your eyes open with all that traffic. Engines, get us into orbit, 150 kilometers."
     
    Good. Lindan knew what he was doing. I could enjoy settling in, which honestly just consisted of me entering the captain's quarters, taking a deep breath of the air in there (that was no different than anywhere else in the Brick but still tasted sweeter) and throwing my bag onto the cot. In about an hour I'd be getting my bag out of the quarters again, after all. And yes, I intended to dawdle.
     
    Walking out again I claimed the captain's chair and watched us settling into a nice, circular orbit. "Well done everyone. Navigation, do you have Eden 2 on your map?"
     
    "No sir, I don't."
     
    "You will soon." I set a course to Eden 2 and stored it in the Brick's short-term memory. "Engines, take us there with the rail-drive."
     
    The trip was, as usual, short and way too quickly over. I looked at Lindan. "I have stored the position of our target in the Brick's short-term memory. Take us there if you please." He nodded, happy that I was giving him this much to do.
     
    "Engines, land us 35 meters to the north of the given coordinates. Shields up for the entry, sensors and navigation, keep your eyes open just in case."
     
    Very happy with Lindan's performance, I watched our descent through the big screen. The shields were a bit of an overkill, but my experience told me that having a shield and not need it was infinitely preferable to the alternative. As expected the landing was smooth and also over way too quickly. "Sensors, just in front of us there should be a rock with a blue marked underside. Scan for it, if you please. Navigation, I trust that you are mapping everything?"
     
    "Of course." "Sir." Uh, I had stepped on the navigator's toes it seemed. Lindan gave me a small smirk, which was well deserved. I filed it away as a learning experience while the sensor reported. "Sir, I found the rock in question. It's 36.2 meters north-north west of here, I have marked its position and specifics in the Brick's short-term memory." Accessing the data I nodded.
     
    "Well done. Chief Weapons Officer, please send 2 weapons to retrieve the stone." Weapons were the guys manning the turrets if needed, but as that was rare at best they also were traditionally tasked with everything that the other specialists could not do better, as well as everything that included even the slightest risk. Like walking out in the searing heat of Eden 2.
     
    "Aye, sir. My best 2 boys are disembarking now." That voice...
     
    "Lieutenant McGlennan?"
     
    "Aye, sir." He looked through the door of the bridge. "You had more action in this past year than I." He smiled a little bit, and I grinned in understanding.
     
    "I am happy to have you here, Lieutenant. Carry on."
     
    "Aye, Sir!"
     
    I truly felt great having him on board. Also, that he called me "sir" felt most nice, after having been yelled at by him so many times during the afternoon exercises.
     
    His weapons were efficient, as expected. It seemed only moments later that they marched back through the airlock, one holding the stone in a thickly gloved hand. "Sir. It's hot, sir."
     
    "Thank you, well done." I wrapped a shield around my hand and took the stone from him.
     
    The weapon looked at me. "Neat trick." "Sir." We grinned at each other and they left again.
     
    "Thank you Second Lieutenant Linuson, your duty is hereby concluded. Very well done."
     
    "Thank you, sir." We shook and Lindan headed to the infirmary, as an Adept Healer his duty was there if he was not on the bridge. Annina walked in from the sensor room.
     
    "Second Lieutenant Henderson, welcome as my second-in-command for the trip home. Take us into orbit, if you please, and back to Eden 6-1 from there." Annina smiled, nodded and took us into orbit just as expertly as Lindan had done before.
     
    "Navigation, set a course for Eden 6-1."
     
    "Course set, ma'am."
     
    "Thank you. Engines, take us there with