24

It was rather anticlimactic once they got under way.

Callahan was clearly a skilled pilot, skilled enough to survive against Finley after all, and had guided the Loss from her birthing with a deft hand.

For all that she looked like a mismatched Lego kit, the Loss flew like a dream. Smooth and steady under the power of four Hell engines. It would be interesting to see how she flew under the solar sails, which had become popular a few hundred years after humankind made it to space when they provided a significant power supply whenever they were near an appropriate light source. A Japanese science vessel had orbited a bright new star in the Triangulum Galaxy for fifty-six years using a single solar sail as they'd recorded its growth and the death of its closest neighbor.

They'd become a required element for all military vessels during the short war with the Alari but hadn't been much use against the Parasites, who'd been drawn to the heat they reflected. 

The Loss had two. Fins on either side that stayed tucked in and out of the way most of the time, but could be unfurled to their full size, twenty-six hundred square feet each, in less than four minutes. They'd start reflecting light at a quarter extension and at full extension with a solid light source they could hurl the Loss through space at twice the max speed of her Hell Engines. 

Evolutions in engineering had produced a solar sail that even rippled like silk depending on the amount of light it was exposed to and there were many stunning images captured of ships sailing through space with glittering sails. Like some fantastical fantasy sea creatures. 

Their route to the Light Wall was via the Plutonian Corridor. Due to the dwarf planet's location and its rotation around the Earth, it remained the closest planetary body to the light wall and had enjoyed a resurgence in popularity when it became the base for building the wall. The corridor began at the massive colony built on the surface, which supported one of the largest space stations in the universe floating just outside its atmosphere but still inside its gravitational pull. 

The Christy-Harrington Station had been a last line of defense during the war with the Parasites and acquitted itself well during multiple attacks. It had changed hands between the Federals and Republicans multiple times during the war but had gotten out mostly unscathed because of its importance to both sides. 

On one memorable occasion, the Federals, led by a Captain Finley wouldn't name, gave it up without a fight when faced with a Republican force four times their size.

Like Finley's own end of war experience, it had been in the midst of a battle when the call came and had been the first joint station in history simply because there'd been so many wounded necessity had driven both sides to set aside any feelings.

A lot of those commanders had been honored for their dedication to peace and setting aside hostilities so quickly on Earth after the war and most of their counterparts, Finley included, found it rather hilarious since they all knew there'd been nothing noble about it.

Pluto was a nine-day flight as a crow flew, but their planned route had them stopping at Saturn, which due to its current orbital position added a total of six days to the trip. Finley had changed the route herself, as Triton Base was holding equipment she wanted for the Loss and Saturn's rings were always a beautiful sight. 

Somehow, they inspired a sense of peace in everyone who looked at them and as a result, much of the infrastructure around Saturn was focused on medicine. The largest military hospital in existence was stationed just off its rings and had treated 1.3 billion soldiers during the war. In the upheaval of the new government, Walker Hospital had also just become the new military medical training ground, and the inaugural class had just begun a month prior.

The seven days it would take to reach Saturn would be a good dry run and if there was anyone on the crew that just couldn't cut it, Walker was a good place to leave them.

Finley stayed on the Command Deck until they were well underway and approaching 2100, before she turned to Ookami and handed off the bridge. "All yours, Lieutenant."

Ookami snapped off a salute, "Have a good night, Captain." She even unbent enough to give Littlefoot a gentle pat on the head, before taking the First Officer's chair Evan had abandoned hours before.

The Captain's Section was directly above the Command Deck, but Finley still had to walk fifty feet to the nearest elevator and take it up one level and walk back to her rooms. 

The Captain's Section was actually two rooms, and Finley had specifically had her's arranged so that both rooms, the living quarters and the office, shared a portion of the front port hole. Allowing her to look to look out at the stars whenever she was there. 

The living quarters included a full bathroom with a shower and collapsable wall to make a tub when she wanted one, as well as a sink and toilet. There was a cleaning machine in the main living area, next to the small kitchenette. There was no dining area or table, but with her office next door she didn't really need one. The bed, which was folded out now, could be pushed into the wall for more space and lay right against the port hole.

It wasn't the safest possible place, but Finley loved falling asleep under the stars. It reminded her of the few happy times in her childhood when she, Evan, and Russo had escaped to the dying fields to stargaze until dawn.

They'd come a long way from the warm, hungry days of their formative years.

Her bags were stacked next to the bed, but before she unpacked, she went into her office to look around.

~ tbc