back together. We flew side by side for a moment, me firing forward while she rotated to fire backward, each of us covering a 180-degree arc.
On my mark, we darted to the sides, then used our light-lances to pull ourselves in mirrored maneuvers, swinging off embers even as they tried to collide with us. This move sent us hurtling back toward one another. We then crossed within centimeters as we opened fire, each blasting away the embers chasing after the other.
When we swooped back around again, we were both free of tails. Heart pounding, a dangerous grin on my face, I fell in beside Brade. Together we flew away from the delver maze, almost like we were two ships being controlled by one mind.
Brade was good. As good as I was. More, I clicked with her. We flew like we’d been wingmates for decades, rarely needing to even confirm with the other what to do. Perhaps it was because we were both cytonic, or maybe it was because our individual piloting styles were in sync. Over the last week, I’d spent time training with each member of the flight—but I never seemed to fly as well as I did when Brade was on my wing.
At least until we spoke to one another.
“Great work,” I said over the communication channel.
“Don’t compliment me on being so aggressive,” she said. “I need to control it. Not revel in it.”
“You’re doing what the Superiority needs right now,” I said. “You’re learning how to protect them.”
“It’s still no excuse,” she said. “Please. You don’t know how it feels to be human.”
I gritted my teeth. I could help you, I thought. Offer you freedom from this—freedom to actually be yourself.
I didn’t say it. Instead I switched off the comm. I felt that I was slowly getting through to her, but if I was going to make further progress, it probably wouldn’t involve directly arguing against Superiority ideals. I needed to be subtle.
I could be subtle. Right?
Together we rejoined the other ships, and received a round of congratulations from Hesho and Morriumur.
“You continue to fight well, Alanik,” Vapor said to me. “You bear the scent of long rains.” I wasn’t certain what that meant—her language had some odd idioms that the pin could only translate literally. “But remember, our task is not to chase and hunt these embers. Learning to dogfight is only a first step. We will soon have to practice flying that maze.”
Morriumur and Hesho took off to do a practice run—using another training exercise that I’d developed. I wasn’t worried about training them to be expert dogfighters, but we did need to be working in pairs.
“Vapor?” I asked. “Do you have any idea what this weapon is that we’ll supposedly use to kill delvers?”
“I do not,” she said in her soft way. It was odd, but I felt more comfortable speaking to her over the comm than I did in person. “I am intrigued by the possibility though,” she added. “It would mean a great deal to society if delvers could be killed.”
I nodded to myself.
“I fear them,” Vapor continued. “During the second war, when the humans sought to control the delvers and use them in battle, I caught a . . . glimpse of how the delvers see us. As specks or insects to be wiped away. They laid waste to worlds, vaporizing entire populations in moments. We didn’t drive them off then. They just ended up leaving. We exist because they let us.”
I shivered. “If that’s true, then all life in our galaxy lives with a gun to its head. All the more important that we should know if this weapon works or not, right?”
“Agreed,” Vapor said. “I find its possible existence to be most interesting.”
“Is . . . that why you’re here?” I asked.
Vapor was silent for a moment. “Why do you ask?”
“I mean, it’s nothing. Just . . . you know, the others tell me that your kind usually . . . has very specialized missions . . .”
“We are not assassins,” she answered. “Those rumors are false, and the flight should not spread them. We are servants of the Superiority.”
“Sure, sure,” I said, surprised at the forcefulness in her voice. “Maybe the team has been chattering too much. I’ll run them through a few more exercises today, shut them up the old military way—make them too tired to gossip.”
“No,” Vapor said, her voice softening. “No need to bear the scent of smoke, Alanik. Just . . . ask them