landings."
"Lucky you. I'd go, but we're pretty backed-up here. Too bad about the clouds though. You're not going to see much."
"Better than more of Rosa's exercises."
"Yeah—I've seen that stuff…" He glanced over his shoulder at the crew working behind him. "Look, I gotta get back before my supervisor has a fit. But I was wondering…maybe we could meet later—after my shift…?"
"Okay." Sigrid nodded and watched him trot off.
She turned to walk back toward the gates—and bumped straight into Suko. Suko tightened her grip on Sigrid's hand.
" Ow… "
"Who was that?" Suko asked, drily.
"That's, uh, Matthew—"
"Matthew." Suko seemed unimpressed. "I think he looks dodgy."
Sigrid felt oddly flustered. "No, he's…he's nice, actually."
"I didn't realize you were hanging out with the workies now."
"We weren't hanging out . We were just…" Confused, Sigrid looked at Suko. Suko's chest was rising and falling quickly and her jaw was slightly clenched. Sigrid felt the tightness of Suko's hand around her own and the intensity of her gaze.
Sigrid stepped closer, taking Suko's other hand. "Suko, he's just a boy— he's nobody ."
Suko's eyes softened and she opened her mouth, as if to say something, but they were interrupted by Leta who ran up to join them.
"What are you doing down here? You're going to miss the whole thing!"
She slipped between the two girls, linking both their arms in her own. She looked spectacular, as always. Her damp, red curls hung loosely over her shoulders and down her back,sparkling with flecks of thawing snow. The light sleeveless shirt she wore clung to her, showing off her toned arms and strong shoulders.
A sudden boom overhead made all three girls look up.
"Come on!" Sigrid called, towing them along and increasing their pace to a run. The sound was the sonic boom of a shuttle entering the atmosphere high above. The three girls ran out through the Academy gates and up the slope to join the other girls who had gathered to watch the shuttles coming in. They got there just in time and clambered up onto a snowy ledge where they'd have an unobstructed view.
Sigrid raised her hands toward the heavy, overcast sky. "I can't see a thing!"
"You're not using your head ," Suko said, snickering. She tapped Sigrid on her forehead.
Sigrid sighed and silently cursed herself. She activated her optical implant and scanned skyward; the heavy thermal signatures from the shuttle's massive thrusters were clear to see as it blasted down through the clouds. Scanning the electrical signatures provided an even more dazzling sight. The ground shook beneath them as the throaty roar of the re-entry boosters grew louder and louder. Sigrid quickly ramped down the frequency in her audio modules to avoid being overwhelmed by the noise.
They all cried out when the shuttle burst through the clouds, close above their heads at two-hundred feet. The skeletal craft comprised a tangled framework of thrusters connected by a long supporting structure. It looked surprisingly delicate. Sigrid wondered how it could possibly support the massive hundred-meter-long transport container it carried in its cradle.
The shuttle's sixteen thrusters flared brilliantly as it descended on the Academy grounds. The Cargo-Handlers hardly gave the thing a second glance as they continued with their duties; even though the leviathan craft looked as if it were about to crush everyone beneath it. With a loud, clanking thud of metal on metal, the shuttle deposited the container expertly on the growing stack in the middle of the compound. After pausing to disconnect its burden, the pilots maneuvered the craft swiftly to the side, hooking onto one of the empty containers. The thrusters flared and roared again as the shuttle climbed quickly back into the thick cover of the clouds. The whole operation had taken less than a minute.
The girls hooted and clapped in appreciation.
Over the next two hours, seven more shuttles arrived to deliver the
"Lucky you. I'd go, but we're pretty backed-up here. Too bad about the clouds though. You're not going to see much."
"Better than more of Rosa's exercises."
"Yeah—I've seen that stuff…" He glanced over his shoulder at the crew working behind him. "Look, I gotta get back before my supervisor has a fit. But I was wondering…maybe we could meet later—after my shift…?"
"Okay." Sigrid nodded and watched him trot off.
She turned to walk back toward the gates—and bumped straight into Suko. Suko tightened her grip on Sigrid's hand.
" Ow… "
"Who was that?" Suko asked, drily.
"That's, uh, Matthew—"
"Matthew." Suko seemed unimpressed. "I think he looks dodgy."
Sigrid felt oddly flustered. "No, he's…he's nice, actually."
"I didn't realize you were hanging out with the workies now."
"We weren't hanging out . We were just…" Confused, Sigrid looked at Suko. Suko's chest was rising and falling quickly and her jaw was slightly clenched. Sigrid felt the tightness of Suko's hand around her own and the intensity of her gaze.
Sigrid stepped closer, taking Suko's other hand. "Suko, he's just a boy— he's nobody ."
Suko's eyes softened and she opened her mouth, as if to say something, but they were interrupted by Leta who ran up to join them.
"What are you doing down here? You're going to miss the whole thing!"
She slipped between the two girls, linking both their arms in her own. She looked spectacular, as always. Her damp, red curls hung loosely over her shoulders and down her back,sparkling with flecks of thawing snow. The light sleeveless shirt she wore clung to her, showing off her toned arms and strong shoulders.
A sudden boom overhead made all three girls look up.
"Come on!" Sigrid called, towing them along and increasing their pace to a run. The sound was the sonic boom of a shuttle entering the atmosphere high above. The three girls ran out through the Academy gates and up the slope to join the other girls who had gathered to watch the shuttles coming in. They got there just in time and clambered up onto a snowy ledge where they'd have an unobstructed view.
Sigrid raised her hands toward the heavy, overcast sky. "I can't see a thing!"
"You're not using your head ," Suko said, snickering. She tapped Sigrid on her forehead.
Sigrid sighed and silently cursed herself. She activated her optical implant and scanned skyward; the heavy thermal signatures from the shuttle's massive thrusters were clear to see as it blasted down through the clouds. Scanning the electrical signatures provided an even more dazzling sight. The ground shook beneath them as the throaty roar of the re-entry boosters grew louder and louder. Sigrid quickly ramped down the frequency in her audio modules to avoid being overwhelmed by the noise.
They all cried out when the shuttle burst through the clouds, close above their heads at two-hundred feet. The skeletal craft comprised a tangled framework of thrusters connected by a long supporting structure. It looked surprisingly delicate. Sigrid wondered how it could possibly support the massive hundred-meter-long transport container it carried in its cradle.
The shuttle's sixteen thrusters flared brilliantly as it descended on the Academy grounds. The Cargo-Handlers hardly gave the thing a second glance as they continued with their duties; even though the leviathan craft looked as if it were about to crush everyone beneath it. With a loud, clanking thud of metal on metal, the shuttle deposited the container expertly on the growing stack in the middle of the compound. After pausing to disconnect its burden, the pilots maneuvered the craft swiftly to the side, hooking onto one of the empty containers. The thrusters flared and roared again as the shuttle climbed quickly back into the thick cover of the clouds. The whole operation had taken less than a minute.
The girls hooted and clapped in appreciation.
Over the next two hours, seven more shuttles arrived to deliver the
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