Rhoe’s Request Read Free Page B

up, see what it can do.”
    With that authorization, she took a deep breath and followed orders, giving her mind and body the very thing it had longed for. She was flying.
    She tipped the wings and swung them around in a wide spiral before using the jets to propel them along the coastline.
    Her fuel gauge showed her that she was at half charge. She could fly for close to an hour before she would have to land.
    The coast gleamed brilliantly as she raced over it. She was tempted to drop altitude but that wasn’t wise given her lack of practice at being in control of a ship.
    Rhoe dipped and lowered the ship in a slow undulation to test the movement restrictions.
    “What are you up to, Cadet?”
    “Just testing the feel of the ship.”
    “Enough for one day. Bring us home.”
    “Yes, Captain.” She checked her altitude, dropped her flaps and brought them around in a swooping turn that pressed her back into her seat. She pulled back, and they shot forward.
    “You seem to have an intuitive grasp of this ship.”
    She smiled slightly and made minor adjustments. “It makes a kind of sense I could not have been prepared for. I guess genetic memory counts for something.”
    “If that is an echo of what your father knew, it is truly impressive.”
    Rhoe didn’t mention that her mother apparently had the same leanings. Secrets were in place for a reason.
    She reached out with her mind and skimmed it along Hiiron’s. He really was impressed with her skills. She quickly had to pull her mind back as they were approaching the base very quickly.
    “Slow it down, use the launch mechanisms and bring us in, straight down.”
    She had to think fast, her hands knew what to do, and it was a good thing, because her brain had gone completely blank. She almost halted the ship before she had the hovering mechanism engaged, and they jerked downward for ten feet until she mastered the landing pattern.
    Rhoe set the ship down on the tarmac and summoned the bots with a beacon.
    “Well done, Cadet Rhoe.”
    “Thank you, Captain. What did I miss?”
    “Nothing. Power the ship down, and we will wait until we are settled before we disembark. Running around on the tarmac in a combat situation can be deadly. There is a reason we use bots. Each one has two backups waiting.”
    His voice was even in her ears and echoed through her mind. She used that echo to poke around in his emotions once again. There was amusement, patience and curiosity foremost in his mind.
    She blinked; there was also awareness! She jerked her probe back to her own mind and slammed the door shut.
    Through the helmet, she heard a rich chuckle. “Was it all you expected?”
    Rhoe tried to pretend she didn’t know what he was referring to. “The flying? I expected more wind.”
    The bot clicked onto the tether and hauled them into the hangar. Once inside, she opened the canopy and left the ship. She pulled the helmet off and shifted from foot to foot.
    She cleared her throat. “What now?”
    He pulled his helmet off and tucked it under his arm. “Now, we go and I make my report to the colonel. You are a candidate for our newest fighter.”
    His eyes were a brown just a shade away from red, and they gleamed in the electric light of the hangar.
    He walked away from the ship and put his helmet back on the rack. She followed suit with the unmarked helmet and then followed him down the corridors until they were standing in front of Colonel Whisk’s office.
    He knocked sharply and opened the door, gesturing for her to precede him.
    “Captain Hiiron, how nice to see you so soon. Report on Cadet Rhoe?”
    “She has the highest ever recorded score on the simulator and just took a ship out without additional prompting.”
    Colonel Whisk gave her an amused look. “How was the landing?”
    Captain Hiiron answered, “It was a little bumpy, but she managed to get it under control. Are you positive that she has had no previous training?”
    The colonel grinned. “I am positive. She