Series 1.3 - Timid Trajectory
The fluidity of her motions did not portray the uncertainty that was coursing through her mind as she guided the assault craft towards the surface of the planet below. As much as she despised the term, it was more than true that the Avorundi were “born to fly” and she had the added boon of UDE-1 helping to control the decidedly fine adjustments needed during such a dangerous landing attempt. There was never room for error on Order Controller missions, but she had to be just a bit more cautious considering the importance of this one. It was that little tug of overconcentration that she could feel hovering around the base of her skull like a bothersome flitterbug; it was a feeling that she tried her hardest to ignore.
Snap out of it, you’re acting like a squab that hasn’t left the roost!
Confidence was her most prominent feature and the one that she refused to ever let betray her; especially not in front of others. Nevertheless, she had every reason to be nervous while attempting this approach. The surveillance imagery had given them little to go on in terms of alien presence, atmospheric conditions of the landing zone, and other hazards. They were essentially going in blind with nothing other than “the best possible location to land” near the main facility. As laid back as she was, Alere wished they had more to go on than that. From somewhere outside of her UDE-1 connection and concentration, she could feel the soft feathers near her cheeks twitching; it was an unfamiliar feeling.
Calm yourself. You’ve flown tougher assignments than this and came out none the worse. Calm yourself.
She allowed that thought to trail off in her mind and put her energy into focusing on the UDE-1 surrounding the canopy and allowing it to wash over her. Her relationship with it hadn’t always been a positive one and even after all this time she was reluctant to fully allow it to assist her in such a way. She trusted in her own personal abilities more than other Controllers and felt as though that made her stronger in a sense; there was no over-reliance on UDE-1 and less chance that she might fall to its lustful temptation once more.
“Alere? Status update? Are we still on course or not?” beckoned Melora over the comm-set, in a tone that suggested that wasn’t the first time she had asked. “We’re waiting on your call.”
Alere realized that she must have allowed herself to be lost in thought as she failed to notice the Commandant’s message before now. The outline of her flight assistant crosshair had been burned into her vision and she had to blink it away once she was aware of it again; a sure sign that her mind had been elsewhere for longer than she had anticipated.
“Yes, sorry for the delay.” she replied. “I’ve made the adjustments that Aida uploaded and we’re still on course; timeframe still looks proper from my end. You’re clear to go when the light fires up down there.”
“Good. Stay focused. And remember, once we’re on ground you need to continue to buzz the compound and take any heat off us if they launch sorties.” said Melora, in the assertive yet inspiring way that had become her trademark among the Order.
How is she always so…steadfast? I’m supposed to be the sanguine one during these types of missions.
She took a moment to brush back the feathers on her face that had been twitching. Whatever concern she was feeling had to be brushed away as well until the mission was complete and they were ready to leave the planet in one piece. She would have to assess the damage her ego was taking at some point after that, once they were all safely away from the invader threat. With another long blink and deep breath, she tightened her grip around the tiller and allowed UDE-1 to flow over her once more.
You’ve got this; just a few more seconds.
Snap out of it, you’re acting like a squab that hasn’t left the roost!
Confidence was her most prominent feature and the one that she refused to ever let betray her; especially not in front of others. Nevertheless, she had every reason to be nervous while attempting this approach. The surveillance imagery had given them little to go on in terms of alien presence, atmospheric conditions of the landing zone, and other hazards. They were essentially going in blind with nothing other than “the best possible location to land” near the main facility. As laid back as she was, Alere wished they had more to go on than that. From somewhere outside of her UDE-1 connection and concentration, she could feel the soft feathers near her cheeks twitching; it was an unfamiliar feeling.
Calm yourself. You’ve flown tougher assignments than this and came out none the worse. Calm yourself.
She allowed that thought to trail off in her mind and put her energy into focusing on the UDE-1 surrounding the canopy and allowing it to wash over her. Her relationship with it hadn’t always been a positive one and even after all this time she was reluctant to fully allow it to assist her in such a way. She trusted in her own personal abilities more than other Controllers and felt as though that made her stronger in a sense; there was no over-reliance on UDE-1 and less chance that she might fall to its lustful temptation once more.
“Alere? Status update? Are we still on course or not?” beckoned Melora over the comm-set, in a tone that suggested that wasn’t the first time she had asked. “We’re waiting on your call.”
Alere realized that she must have allowed herself to be lost in thought as she failed to notice the Commandant’s message before now. The outline of her flight assistant crosshair had been burned into her vision and she had to blink it away once she was aware of it again; a sure sign that her mind had been elsewhere for longer than she had anticipated.
“Yes, sorry for the delay.” she replied. “I’ve made the adjustments that Aida uploaded and we’re still on course; timeframe still looks proper from my end. You’re clear to go when the light fires up down there.”
“Good. Stay focused. And remember, once we’re on ground you need to continue to buzz the compound and take any heat off us if they launch sorties.” said Melora, in the assertive yet inspiring way that had become her trademark among the Order.
How is she always so…steadfast? I’m supposed to be the sanguine one during these types of missions.
She took a moment to brush back the feathers on her face that had been twitching. Whatever concern she was feeling had to be brushed away as well until the mission was complete and they were ready to leave the planet in one piece. She would have to assess the damage her ego was taking at some point after that, once they were all safely away from the invader threat. With another long blink and deep breath, she tightened her grip around the tiller and allowed UDE-1 to flow over her once more.
You’ve got this; just a few more seconds.
*****
“We have just a few more seconds to go! Everyone up and ready to dismount!”
Tae had always admired his sister’s ability to act firm and courageous in the most strenuous of moments; and this moment was no different. They were likely about to come face to face with a savage, unyielding brute force that had already begun a systematic destruction of their long-lasting beliefs and in the literal sense of destroying entire planets. Yet, his sister was treating this mission as though they were simply intervening in a local conflict between a pair of disgruntled nations. He knew her better than anyone else, the real person behind the legend that had built around her, and he was still left in awe of her ability as a tactician and leader. They did not always see eye to eye on the direction the Order of Ascendancy had gone since the end of the last large-scale war, but he would never doubt her as the best choice for Commandant.
“I want to hit them with haste so that we’re in and out before they even notice the bombs going off. We’re not here to negotiate a peace treaty and we aren’t in any sort of condition to take prisoners, so do what you have to do but make it as humane as you can. Kel and Aida, you both stick as close as you can with me. Aida, be sure to blanket us with UDE-1 if needed. Tae, you and Yigit trail behind us and cover the escape route. We don’t know what they’ve got hiding inside that compound and I don’t want us getting snagged up on unnecessary delays.”
All of this came over the comm-set with her back turned to the rest of the strike team, but she turned to look them all in the eye one final time before the ship touched down on the surface.
“We may not know much about the Sunder, but we do know that they hate everything we hold dear. They want to stop us from drawing on UDE-1. They’ve been slaughtering the people we’ve vowed to protect and killing our own brothers and sisters. Strike true and strike often if given the chance. And, as always, believe in the Assemblage and in UDE-1.”
It was just the thing that the rest of the strike team needed to hear in order to put aside any feelings of doubt; they were never going to be more ready than they were now to face the treat waiting below them. The dark, flowing tides of now visible UDE-1 practically engulfed the entire bay of the staging area due to the Order Controller’s culling of it around them. That amount of power was dangerous to all but the best practitioners; and that is what was gathered in front of Tae and behind his sister now: the very best. The Sunder would soon find that out.
Tae had always admired his sister’s ability to act firm and courageous in the most strenuous of moments; and this moment was no different. They were likely about to come face to face with a savage, unyielding brute force that had already begun a systematic destruction of their long-lasting beliefs and in the literal sense of destroying entire planets. Yet, his sister was treating this mission as though they were simply intervening in a local conflict between a pair of disgruntled nations. He knew her better than anyone else, the real person behind the legend that had built around her, and he was still left in awe of her ability as a tactician and leader. They did not always see eye to eye on the direction the Order of Ascendancy had gone since the end of the last large-scale war, but he would never doubt her as the best choice for Commandant.
“I want to hit them with haste so that we’re in and out before they even notice the bombs going off. We’re not here to negotiate a peace treaty and we aren’t in any sort of condition to take prisoners, so do what you have to do but make it as humane as you can. Kel and Aida, you both stick as close as you can with me. Aida, be sure to blanket us with UDE-1 if needed. Tae, you and Yigit trail behind us and cover the escape route. We don’t know what they’ve got hiding inside that compound and I don’t want us getting snagged up on unnecessary delays.”
All of this came over the comm-set with her back turned to the rest of the strike team, but she turned to look them all in the eye one final time before the ship touched down on the surface.
“We may not know much about the Sunder, but we do know that they hate everything we hold dear. They want to stop us from drawing on UDE-1. They’ve been slaughtering the people we’ve vowed to protect and killing our own brothers and sisters. Strike true and strike often if given the chance. And, as always, believe in the Assemblage and in UDE-1.”
It was just the thing that the rest of the strike team needed to hear in order to put aside any feelings of doubt; they were never going to be more ready than they were now to face the treat waiting below them. The dark, flowing tides of now visible UDE-1 practically engulfed the entire bay of the staging area due to the Order Controller’s culling of it around them. That amount of power was dangerous to all but the best practitioners; and that is what was gathered in front of Tae and behind his sister now: the very best. The Sunder would soon find that out.
