Chapter 14

The group had only just entered the Crusader through the cargo bay when Lux inadvertently sent a small pile of flat metallic objects clattering across the floor with her foot. They’d been left at the mouth of the corridor for whatever reason. But rather than adopt the usual strategy of throwing obscenities at the problem the blonde security officer came to a standstill and placed both hands on her hips. Her jaw flexed and her companions could make out the sharp intake of air through the nose. This uncharacteristic display of contained fury gave the impression that Lux was familiar with both the object’s origin and how they’d gotten there. For her part Esma squatted down, mindful of the orientation of her new rifle, and picked one of the objects to examine.

“Look familiar?”

Esma nodded as Faust crouched down beside her and began picking the rest up, wanting to avoid future mishaps. Meanwhile Lux began tapping her foot irritably.

“That’s because these are the lids to the speaking tubes.”

A puzzled look crossed the brunette’s face at this revelation. Mostly because it wouldn’t make sense to remove them. Not to mention the only ones who would’ve made such a modification prior to departure would be—

“Wash!!!”

Lux belted out the engineer’s name as if he was down the corridor, even though it was likely Cade manning the engine room at the opposite end.

“You rang?”

It took her a second, but Esma realized the voice had come from the now perpetually accessible speaking tube located in the cargo bay.

“Don’t pull this shit on Galen Runs! The last thing I need is your voice in my head during combat!”

“Sorry could you repeat those figures Cade, Lux is yelling something about how my dulcet tones distract her.”

Apparently, Cade had been reaching out to the bridge from the speaking tube in the engine room, dividing the pilot’s attention. A prime example as to why the speaking tubes were best left alone.

“...she does yell a lot doesn’t she.”

Lux glared at the engine room’s sliding door situated at the end of the corridor, in doing so scaring away the silhouette of who must have been Cade.

“Cade would like me to inform you that I, Wash, am strategically redirecting your discontent at an undeserving third party.”

Esma was beginning to see how this could be distracting. Faust seemed unfazed by the development though, quietly excusing himself with the lids he’d collected. Not his first rodeo apparently.

“Intimidate Cade or throttle Wash, decisions decisions...”

“Might I offer the third option of instructing Esma about her new post?”

The poor CO was so disconnected from reality that she’d begun referring to herself in the third person.

“Thinking time...START!”

Lux looked over to Esma and gestured a thumb towards the ladderway.

“We’ll start upstairs, because that’s where you’re going to be spending most your time. I’ll find time to throttle Wash between teaching points.”

“Hostile work environment.”

Lux motioned for Esma to head up ahead of her, still needing to signal the yard staff that they could lock up the bay door. This was her only responsibility ahead of departure as there was no time for the usual security screenings. Something personnel rarely exploited to move contraband as the risks associated with Galen Runs outweighed such unsavory methods.

Backtracking to the entrance of the cargo bay Lux poked her head out to give the all clear when she spotted an individual crouched beside the ramp sporting a thousand-yard stare. She didn’t recognize them, but if the rifle collecting dirt next to them was any indicator, then they had to be a security officer of some sort. Last minute jitters maybe?

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Get your ass onboard already!”

She grabbed the mystery officer by the back collar of his uniform and dragged him to his feet. And as built as Lux was, lifting an adult human shouldn’t have been THAT easy.

“Noooo! I mean, I was just...uh, I noticed this perfectly good rifle had been dicarded on the ground and thought I’d better do my part and return it to the armory. So if you could just release me, I’ll—”

Lux ignored the slender man’s pleas and stuck a boot underneath the rifle. She kicked it up off the ground and caught it in her free hand, her own rifle slung across her back. Then proceeded to drag the man up the ramp behind her.

“Talk about my lucky day, five whole security officers on one Crusader. And a Galen Run to boot. We’ll have to take a group photo after we reach Riga to commemorate such a rare occasion.”

“I think there’s been some sort of misunderstanding! After all I’m far more suited for station work! You know; patrolling the grounds, picking up litter!”

Reaching the top of the ramp Lux hurled the man onto the floor of the cargo bay, shortly thereafter signaling the staff to lower and lock the door. They did so quickly as she stood vigilant over the man, practically daring him to try and slip past her. But seeing as the man was content to remain on the floor Lux crouched down in front of him and gestured to the rifle she’d retrieved from the ground.

“Feel free to correct me if I’m reading too far into things, but did you not just imply that collecting one of our standard issue feronetic rifles from the ground was the same as picking up trash you stumble on. during patrol?”

The officer swallowed nervously.

“Of course not! Though can understand the confusion! I just think it’s better to keep the yard free of debris! Things are hectic enough as is without dangerous things strewn about!”

Lux retained a relatively blank expression before shoving the rifle into the man’s chest, knocking some air out of his lungs in the process.

“Of course you weren’t. After all, it’s tools like this that allow girls like me to secure a livelihood.”

“Girls like you...?”

The blonde didn’t elaborate, content to stand back up and stuff both hands in her pockets. Her gaze continued to linger on him however.

“What’s your name?”

The man stood up, dusting himself off as he supplied a wary expression.

“Gliel...Gliel Penton.”

[Gliel Penton, 27, Security Division]

Lux gave Gliel a once over that included lifting the hem of his shirt to get a clear look at his belt. He yelped at the unexpected act and promptly tugged it back down.

“Four years huh.”

“Five in a couple months, all station work mind you...”

Lux passed him by, speaking over her shoulder.

“What? Felt like doing something bold to celebrate?”

Gliel’s countenance dropped, his hand clenching around the strap of his rifle.

“Something like that...”

Not interested in pursuing the subject further, Lux put both hands on the ladder and began ascending. But not without some parting words.

“Do your job Gliel, that’s my plan. Always has been, always will be.”

The gangly recruit watched his new crewmate disappear above deck from behind his pair of plain spectacles. The steel gray of his frames a similar shade to that of his mop of hair.

“I’ll just stay down here then! Keep an eye on the cargo!”

Surely it would be safer below, and it would minimize the chances of him getting in the way of the others. Speaking of cargo. Gliel turned around to get a better look at whatever it was they were transporting and found himself surprised.

For starters the bay wasn’t nearly as full as he would have expected. Perhaps because they didn’t have time to load more? But the crates themselves also seemed different, more avant-garde compared to the ones he’d often see being loaded whenever he passed by the yard on morning patrol. And to top it all off they were strapped down almost excessively, tucked behind rows of dunnage bags for good measure. Curious.

“Congrats on five years.”

Gliel nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice from behind him. Things were not off to a flying start for the unassuming station worker.

*

“Ok, who’s ready for a crash course on the duties of a security officer?”

Lux clapped her hands together enthusiastically, perhaps enjoying all this a bit too much. They were on the back deck, just in front of the bridge’s entryway. Youn having volunteered to man the front deck while Faust headed downstairs to assist some last second arrival.

“I sure hope we don’t crash...”

“Hold that thought Es, we’ll get to tether points in a minute. First I want to ask you what, if anything, stands out to you about this Crusader.”

Esma correctly interpreted this to mean that there was something unique about the Crusaders used in Galen Runs and began scanning the back deck of the cruiser. As it turns out there was indeed a rather obvious difference that she’d somehow missed when emerging from the ladderway. Probably due to her growing nerves.

“Thinking time...START!”

A loud voice belonging to their resident pilot came spilling out from the bridge, only to be cut off by the sound of something striking his person. On a related note, Lux had quite the arm on her if she could hit Wash from his position all the way over at the controls. To say nothing of the arm slot that would have been required to pull of such a throw. Alas Esma had more urgent matters to attend to, answering Lux’s question for one.

“I’m noticing an unfamiliar hollow structure situated on the rear of the back deck.”

“Correct, though to be more specific that hollow structure is actually the shell of what once was a gun turret.”

A remnant of the Crusades. Back when Crusaders were more armored and carried a means of producing artillery fire.

“Does that imply this class three was operational during the time of the Second Crusade? I’d have thought those Crusaders would be phased out of circulation by this point?”

“They are, and it’s an ongoing process called assigning them to Galen Runs.”

There was no joking tone to Lux’s words. She’d said it matter-of-factly, like it somehow wasn’t an egregious act by the LCF higher ups.

“Unrelated question, but hypothetically how would one disembark from a moving Crusader? I assume it’s something along the lines of a tuck and roll from the weak side platform.”

Lux guffawed and Esma could make out similar amusement coming from Wash in the background.

“Look, they may be old but they’re reliable...or so Cade tells me, but you’ll never hear a deck officer complaining about additional cover. Just be mindful of exiting the shell in situations where we’re at a terrain disadvantage, say passing by a ridge or through a canyon. It’s not uncommon for Hussards to keep officers pinned inside as a means of disrupting crew coordination. Can’t rotate over to stall an approach if your trapped in a turret bay after all.”

Esma grimaced at the thought of being separated from Lux and the others, much less cowering in the corner of some empty turret bay.

“I think I’ll stick to using the bridge as my primary source of cover.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Though there is an awfully noisy creature residing in it for the duration of today’s convoy. And if you think it’s going to quiet down in the heat of a raid, forget about it.”

“Let it be known that I’ve been complimented for my consistency in the past! Praised even!”

“You’re not part of this lesson, shut up and pilot!”

Esma smiled. Because if nothing else listening to her colleague’s banter was providing an excellent means of a distraction.

“Ok, time to go back downstairs for a bit. We’ll rotate the guys up here in the meantime.”

Esma prepared to climb back down the ladder when Lux suddenly adopted a much more serious tone.

“ALWAYS rotate your deck officers to ensure you have at least two patrolling topside, one on the back deck and the other out front. Doesn’t matter how competent the officer is either, as long as they can stand in the middle of the deck with a rifle in their hands that’s plenty. It’s about keeping up appearances. Because raiding parties are chock full of vigilant fuckers whose sole job is to scour for any and all openings in a convoy, no matter how small. Successful raids are built on taking what the opposition gives you, which is why we can’t be handing out any freebies.”

The brunette swallowed and nodded in understanding. Come to think of it, Esma couldn’t recall a time during her brief stint with the LCF where there weren’t at least two officers milling about on deck or around the bridge. If anything it was easier to remember instances where all four officers were present. This made sense though, because it was far easier and more time efficient to go down to the lower level than it was to come up to the upper one. Having everyone present also had the added bonus of being able to pick and choose who went where according to their strengths.

Her first convoy for example. Lux being a sharpshooter meant she’d never descended lower than halfway down the stairs. And using the ladder would have been out of the question as it completely inhibited her ability to maintain a visual mark on her targets. As for Esma, she’d be useless in any form of close combat synonymous with boarding parties. Lux and the others knew this, which is why she’d been told her post would be on the upper level. The only reason she could see herself going downstairs at all was if a gopher was needed. Delivering someone ammo or a headset for example.

With that settled the pair descended the ladder again, at the bottom of which they came across Faust, Cade and another security officer Esma couldn’t place.

“You two.”

Lux gestured at the two security officers with her thumb and pinky extended, the LCF’s designated hand signal for expressing two of something.

“Upstairs, we’ll be back up shortly.”

The blonde shifted her gaze over to Cade who looked right at home in the bowels of the Crusader.

“Do you have a tether on you? Forgot to grab Es one back at the docks.”

The engineer swung his drop pouch around and pulled out a green cord book-ended by steel snap hooks. He tossed it over to Lux who gave it a hardy tug.

“Tether point on the strong side is no good, you’ll have to demonstrate on the weak.”

Lux gave a small nod of approval at the condition of the tether.

“Make sure you tell Youn as well, in case I forget.”

“That’s the plan.”

They passed by Cade before turning down the corridor, a few steps later and they were on the weak side platform. Still lacking in confidence with regard to the platforms, Esma made sure to hang back in the doorway while her counterpart strolled out to the center nonchalantly. This trepidation was noted by her colleague turned temporary instructor.

“If you’re scared at falling off at this speed headed in a straight line, imagine a scenario where your caught outside the Crusader and evasive maneuvers need to be taken.”

“I’d very much rather not. Just you bringing it up was enough to make my hands sweaty.”

Esma held out her palms as proof.

“Well it won’t matter how sweaty your mitts are if you’ve got one of these attached.”

She tossed the chord at the interim help who bobbled it rather pathetically.

“That’s a tether, they’re meant to be used at tether points like this one. Granted if you’re in a tricky spot railings will work too. Can’t say I’d recommend it though.”

Esma shuffled forward to get a good look at this ‘tether point’. In many ways it resembled a large door handle mounted on the wall within an arm's length of the doorway. It offered a fair amount of play between its top and bottom mounting points, likely so multiple tethers could be attached at the same time. The ‘handle’ part also had bright yellow rings decorating it to pull attention, though a notable portion of the paint had chipped away from use and time.

“Pretty straightforward shit. One end attaches to your belt and the other to the tether point. Both sides of the tether are symmetrical so no need to stress over what goes where.”

Lux pulled out her own tether, navy blue in color, and attached both ends to demonstrate.

“A recommend testing the durability of the tether towards the beginning of the convoy. A surefire method is connecting the tether and then leaning your body weight back like this.”

She spread her arms out wide and leaned back until she was at around a forty-five-degree angle relative the wall, even adding a small jump for good measure.

“This is especially important if you’re borrowing someone else’s tether. Shouldn’t be problem in this case since Cade weighs considerably more than you do and takes decent care of his shit. Can’t say I recall him snapping any tethers in the past either.”

Esma inspected Cade’s tether as if she’d be able to discern its condition visually before returning her gaze to Lux.

“But you have seen it happen?”

“Once or twice, now get over here. It’s your turn.”

Lux unclipped her tether and moved to the other side of the platform as Esma shuffled over to take her place, keep one hand on the wall all the while. She then attached the tether as instructed before settling on a far more conservative stress testing angle. She also made it a point to lean back in the direction of the doorway instead of away from the Crusader. Unimpressed, the security officer stepped forward and made as if to grab the CO around the waist.

“Wait, wait, wait! I surrender! I’ll do it properly, I swear!”

Three sets of eyes watched this theater unfold from the railing of the back deck above. All of whom wore similar expressions. That included the CO who’d grabbed their spot on the Crusader ahead of Esma.

“I knew having five security officers was too good to be true. Though I suppose that girl might be of some use as a distraction or meat shield.”

The indelicate communications officer’s crimson locks naturally framed her face and partially obscured her amber eyes as she leaned forward on the railing, both features owing to Skarpurian blood on her father’s side. Something she’d resented before joining the LCF, but now? She couldn’t care less. A tickle on her right cheek suddenly drew her attention and she plucked the culprit, a dark red eyelash, then watched as the wind claimed it.

According to her culture’s oral history, whoever came upon a ceded eyelash would have one wish manifest if they slept with it in their mouth for an evening. Of course, the only ones in a position to hypothetically find it way out here would be raiders. What would they wish for she wondered? The woman swung the headset in circles around her manicured finger as she pondered the question.

“Guess I’ll just have to ask one...”

[Jericka Katsurn, 23, Communications Division]

The two men beside her, unaware of CO’s inner monologue, exchanged looks of confusion as the seemingly random follow-up.

*

“And that about covers the gist of today’s convoy. Any questions before we move on?”

“What the fuck?”

“Not a question Hayes.”

“Like hell it’s not, I said it with a rising intonation!”

“It was crass and inappropriate for a group transmission! Apologize to Miss Endellion!”

Lautnor exploded into a fit of laughter in response to the direction the transmission had taken. It didn’t help that Sumiye could hear him both over the headset and in the actual room as he was propped up on the console behind her.

“That won’t be necessary Kircher, I can at least commiserate with where officer Odec is coming from.”

She flipped through the paperwork concerning their next topic; a scouting report on the local raiding activity. Keen to avoid further discourse as she skimmed the details of said report, the Head CO directed the conversation to the less contentious members of the call.

“Awfully quiet over there C362, any questions or concerns?”

“...I trust we’ll be among those inoculated upon arrival.”

“Correct, you’ll even be given preferential treatment. Higher ups don’t want to risk LCF personnel contracting the virus and carrying it to other stations before symptoms manifest.”

“Now THAT would be a shitshow...”

“Hayes!”

“—moving on to raiding activity in the region.”

Before she could continue the Head CO felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning she met the gaze of Commander Dandridge as he gestured hus desire to take over. Sumiye gave him the go ahead despite her confusion at his sudden interest and handed the report over.

“Listen up gang! Way that things are shaping up, it’s looking like a confrontation with one of Sunny Baugh’s feeder parties is unavoidable. Of course this means that any other potential enemies will be steering clear.”

Sunny Baugh, one of three bastions of pro-raiding in the west. Alongside the likes of Wild Roy and Edelweiss. Seats that until recently would have been considered ice cold until the recent wave of young and ambitious party leaders making themselves known. But it was Baugh’s group in particular that boasted a long and storied history that dated back to the early stages of Lurdia itself. A chaotic era in which raiding groups routinely brutalized one another over dominion of what was at the time a very limited number of established trading routes connecting Luridia. But rather than stand idly by as the carnage unfolded, the first councils opted for a more hands on approach and coaxed confrontations between particularly problematic raiding groups through carefully devised convoy designations.

A strong argument could even be made that the three current bastions were guided into power as a means of curbing the number of violent raiding groups and facilitating a more comprehensive system of checks and balances in the raiding community as a whole.

“I’d expect some of you are familiar with the raiding party Cloud Nine.”

A round of murmurs as Lautnor scrutinized the remaining contents of the document.

“It would seem leadership of the party has been a bit of a revolving door as of late, with the most recent leader being elevated to the ranks of Baugh’s own personal Voltigeurs. His replacement, one Logan Hite, is reportedly struggling to win over the party in part because it was believed succesion should fall to a veteran member named Duck Reed.”

“Infighting huh, we can use that.”

Lux disagreed. Ever the cynical realist, she decided it was time to join the call.

“Even if the party is split on its current leadership, it’s too optimistic to assume the dispute will carry over to the raids themselves. This isn’t some young upstart, it’s one of Baugh’s. They have a standard to maintain.”

“Lux is correct, I only bring up the supposed rift because it factors into who our deck officers should be prioritizing.”

“In other words taking out Duck Reed is more likely to have the desired effect of lowering enemy morale or stirring panic.”

“You got it. As for formation, we’ll be limited due to the nature of the route. But expect lots of stacking. C362 will take point when we reach the first check-in.”

As someone who enjoyed being in the heart of the action, Lux relished the opportunity to lead the charge. And Galen Runs were no exception. All things considered it was an unusual quality for a sharpshooter, and one that her teacher tried fruitlessly to stymie on multiple occasions.

Far less amused by their position in the formation was C362’s resident CO who’d just incurred the added responsibilities of confirming and reporting route conditions for the first leg of the route. Jericka didn’t bother to hide her displeasure though she did have the decency to flip the mic of her headset away from her face before heaving a sigh at the ceiling. Something that got Wash’s attention from the controls.

“Thanks for the meal, I’ll be sure to put your luck to good use.”

“Is that your roundabout way of saying you’ll need all the luck you can get today?”

“I’m afraid that might just be you projecting. Worried about the route’s topography perhaps?”

Jericka responded by sauntering up next to the pilot and prodding at the birthmark adjacent his eye, displacing the frame of his glasses as she did so.

“No more than usual. Nothing you shouldn’t be able to steer us out of at least.”

“That’s changes if you blind the pilot.”

Wash looked down at the young woman who persisted in her poking.

“I don’t suppose touching birthmarks is a Skarpurian thing?

“You know that would be borderline offensive if it weren’t so true.”

The man embellished wiping his brow but stopped short of breathing out in relief. Wouldn’t want to lose all the luck he’d just acquired.

“But it’s not the birthmark itself as much as its location that holds significance.”

“And the prodding?”

“Checking its authenticity.”

Wash made a face at the remark.

“You telling me that Skarpurians fake birthmarks for clout?”

“That and beauty marks. But only when they’re in favorable locations.”

Jericka finally ceased her antagonizing and directed her attention out the front window. Amber eyes dancing across the midday horizon. The pilot couldn’t help but remain curious, however.

“And would my face be considered a ‘favorable location’ for a birthmark?”

“I regret to inform you that birthmarks adorning the face are said to represent a manifestation of one’s guilt. Though with one as small as yours it could also be interpreted as having very little or no guilt at all. Everyone’s got their own take I suppose.”

The duo fell into a comfortable silence, granted Jericka could still hear the discussion going on over the headset. Nothing that required her participation though.

“Hey.”

The CO made eye contact with Wash in the barely visible reflection of the window. A very different Wash at that. This version of the man seeming more...somber. It caught her off guard and Jericka felt a rare pang of regret for broaching what might have been a sensitive subject. She turned and looked up at the engineer only to see that he’d brought the glasses up to his forehead, as if to get a better look at mark.

“No...never mind, it’s not important.”

He dropped the glasses back onto his nose, and semi-forced a smile at the reflection in the glass.

“Thanks for teaching me something new.”

She scowled in response, not a fan of being let off the hook so easily after clearly bringing down the man’s spirits. If only Lux had still been on the bridge to tell her off. The two had never really gotten along with each other, not that either would ever let it influence their work.

“I think I’ll be keeping my sighs, and hands, to myself from now on...”

Jericka walked back over to her equipment and spared a glance at the side window in front of her, half-expecting to find that a small birthmark had formed on her face. But after checking beneath her bangs she found her face remained clear as ever. She ruffled her hair with both hands.

“Honestly, riling myself up over such nonsense...”

*

Cade flexed his wrist several times as he exited the engine room, having tweaked it the day prior moving cargo. He’d planned to visit the infirmary once lunch had concluded for a brace, but the Galen Run announcement ended up throwing a wrench in those plans. Needless to say fiddling with it hadn’t exactly improved its condition. Fortunately the presence hovering around the corridor like a lost child provided a welcome distraction.

“Looking for your mother hen?”

Esma started and spun towards the source of the deep voice. Visibly relaxing upon seeing him. Letting out a soft sigh, the brunette relaxed the grip on her rifle strap and padded over to greet him.

“I know where she is, I’m just conflicted as to whether my presence would be a bother or not...”

Cade looked past their chick, specifically the doorway leading to the platform, and deduced Lux must be on the front deck.

“In fairness the front deck can be rather daunting for inexperienced officers. I mean there’s virtually no cover save for throwing yourself down the stairs. So the fact your main concern lies with being a potential hinderance is actually promising in my opinion.”

Esma perked up a bit at her companion’s insights.

“Keep in mind that patrolling the front deck also means inheriting a bulk of the scouting responsibilities, a job that will be especially crucial in the context of a stack formation.”

“Your awfully well-versed in the semantics of security protocol. Did Lux teach you?”

Cade couldn’t help but grin in response to the suspicion lacing her first statement.

“I largely learned the same way you are now, crewing as a security officer. It’s only happened a handful of times mind you. A lesser-known benefit of a Crusader needing two engineers to operate.”

“Were all of those parts of Galen Runs as well?”

Cade leaned against the corridor wall and crossed his arms. With no pressing obligations to attend to, he might as well field the questions and concerns Esma was too hesitant to badger Lux with.

“Maybe half, the others were convoys that required each Crusader to employ a full security lineup, namely to offset the expected visit percentage. Not uncommon when transporting valuable cargo.”

“I’d presume Galen Runs boast a similarly lofty EVP. So why not use that to enforce participation?”

The engineer gestured towards the young woman with a finger snap.

“Logistics. In a similar vein to how there are no manifests, there isn’t enough time to process the paperwork relating to each crew member’s immigration permissions.”

“So? They can just have the personnel from the convoy remain in the station until the paperwork is processed.”

“And that’s what they’d normally do, but legally the LCF can’t force its workers to jump on a convoy into a territory they don’t have lawful protections in. After all, a fair amount of field service personnel relies on those permissions to enter and exit various city states without threat of detention.”

Esma mentally admonished herself for not making the connection sooner. It was well established that one of the LCF’s main demographics for recruitment were those fleeing unfair persecution, court orders and the like. It was also quite common for those who fled to bide their time in the LCF until the statute of limitations passed for the city state in question. In essence a quarter of the available personnel would outright avoid Galen Runs for this reason alone. With the rest declining due to the added dangers involved.

“I can see the gears turning, work everything out?”

She nodded, and Cade noticed that she seemed more relaxed. But distracting Esma with logistical mumbo jumbo would only get them so far.

“Look, I know you’re probably anxious but try and make the most of this opportunity. Think back to your first convoy. Remember when I suggested you go and interact with the other divisions?”

“I must admit it was a rather tactful way of getting rid of me for a spell.”

The engineer didn’t even bother denying it.

“I did it because learning about other people’s jobs on top of your own makes for a more dynamic team environment. It deepens your understanding of how they operate, which in turn leads you to make more informed decisions in the future. Think of this as a shortcut to achieving that goal.”

Having said his piece and noting the brunette seemed a tad more at ease, Cade pushed off the wall and headed in the direction of the cargo bay.

“Hey Cade!”

The engineer turned halfway.

“Thanks. And should the day come that I’m relegated to the engine room, I look forward to your guidance.”

Now that sounded interesting. Though in this very unlikely scenario one of them would still have to pilot the Crusader. That or Lux, who would presumably be there as well, could indulge in one of her random yearnings.

“In preparation for this hypothetical future, I’d recommend doing some pushups before bed every night. There’s a lot of strength involved in what we do on the daily.”

He’d meant it mostly as a joke, but if Cade had learned anything about this girl over the past two weeks, it was that she’d take any advice from him or Lux as gospel. With that in mind it was entirely possible that they were knowingly creating a monster. And yet Cade couldn’t find it in himself to care.