Awakening the Lightforged

Joining the Imaia, or surrendering, isn’t an option, either. Not after all we’ve done to them, and all they’ve taken from us. C. 7 days, 21 hours since the assassination of rebel leadership

Uuchantuu busied herself with checking the multitudes of georaural fixtures on Frozen Phantom's salvaged and stolen Imaia fighters and transport ships as she waited for her team to arrive. There were a few of them on the other side of the ship, their conversation lost in the multitude of echoes in the large stone chamber, but Uuchantuu wasn’t entirely certain how to start this off yet.

Do I just go talk to them while we wait for the others? Or should I wait for everyone, then address them all at once? Darkness, should I have prepared something?

She wasn't as bad with people as Estingai, but she usually had Koruuksi to help smooth over any awkwardness, and she rarely took the lead, especially of groups that hadn’t worked together before. In the past, she'd been part of teams with Koruuksi and some Knights, and on a few occasions, she and Koruuksi had taken over leadership of squads of regular soldiers who knew each other and followed her orders without question.

The Remnant factions didn't have the luxury of trained soldiers. Sure, they followed a military command system and style of living because of their circumstances, but most of Frozen Phantom's fighters weren't soldiers trained in a formal army.

Trying to shake her nerves, Uuchantuu bent a few wires back into shape, then tightened a few of the screws that held the housings of the wireframes that connected controls in the cockpit to the georaural mechanisms.

Darkness, I wish Koruuksi was here. What would he do?

Uuchantuu heard the footsteps of more teammates arriving, and saw a few more join those standing and waiting before the ship out of her peripheral vision, but she held back until five or six had arrived before she performed one last check on the emerald georaural that would help keep the ship in the air while hovering and walked forward to meet her team.

As she did so, she saw a few more filing in from the back of the small hangar, walking from the tunnel entrance, deeper into the cave they’d modified to be able to fit their transports. Before her, Luuhuuta, Wemba, Naruuna, Araana, and Oka'ada had gathered. They studied her with heads cocked and arms folded over their chests.

All except Naruuna.

Auroras, she’s pretty.

The Samjati woman was unusually petite. Even her antlers only reached a head higher into the air. Given her role on the team as a georaural specialist, however, that wouldn't matter too much.

While the others studied Uuchantuu with expressions ranging from curious to bordering on hostile, in Araana's case, Naruuna kept shifting her weight from one foot to another, hands folded before her as she looked between Uuchantuu and the transports with a grin that exaggerated her already cherubic features.

Uuchantuu swallowed, and had to take a deep breath to clear her head. She forced herself not to stare at Naruuna. Not at her silvery-gold eyes, or her violet lips, or her—

Uuchantuu cleared her throat, shaking herself a bit. "It looks like everyone is here, so let's start."

Auroras, that was… ugh.

Taking a datapad from her hip, Uuchantuu glanced over the names as she listed off the teams. They were sixteen total, including her, with seven in each transport, and one on each of the speeder bikes they would use for ground cover. The other eight—led by Edendo and Jaran, Koruuksi's friends—would come from Ironpeak to meet them before the raid. The faction's new leader didn't care much for Estingai, but Koruuksi was well liked through all the factions.

Apparently even more than I realized.

Uuchantuu stopped near the end of the list, frowning as she realized Naruuna wasn’t on her team.

Right. She’s their georaural expert.

"Naruuna and Oka'ada are with Araana's team on Muuzuuri’s transport,” she finished, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice. "Kakengo, Tshala, Akseli—you're with me."

That done, she lowered the datapad and looked over her team, meeting each of their gazes.

Can't put this off much longer. Just do the bare bones, don’t try to wow them or anything. Go over the teams and the plan.

"Most of you know me, but I know not all of us have worked together. I wish we had more time and resources to run drills, but that's just another luxury we'll have to go without."

Naruuna smirked a bit at that, but otherwise, the quip fell flat. It hadn’t been that great to begin with, anyway.

"We're travelling to a rendezvous point near the magrail, where we will meet up with a team from Ironpeak that came personally recommended by Koruuksi. After that—"

"Where is Koruuksi, anyway?"

Uuchantuu clenched her jaw as she looked to Araana, along with everyone else. The Natari woman's amber eyes bored into Uuchantuu's as she continued.

"Doesn't he usually run these things?"

Uuchantuu held Araana's gaze.

What is wrong with her?

She knew everyone was stressed but even Estingai hadn't been acting this hostile unless she was cornered. A thought popped into her head.

No. It’s not Araana. It couldn’t be. Right?

"Koruuksi is doing something only he can do," Uuchantuu replied, keeping her voice cool.

Auroras, it could be any of them.

Somehow, she needed to lead them, and make sure she didn’t have a traitor in her midst.

Schooling her expression, Uuchantuu looked to the others. "As I was saying, we're raiding a shipment coming back from Darkside this time, instead of one being sent there.

The water car, ration crates, and fuel cells are the main targets, but we've also got marked containers of Darkside seeds and saplings, medical supplies, gembraces, and rare metals to take. We take only what's been marked and nothing else. The refuse containers have already been loaded onto our ships."

Uuchantuu read off the rest of what she’d written down—Koruuksi had been able to help with that before he’d left, at least—but she blinked when it was done. She was certain she’d hit all the points but couldn’t remember the actual words she’d said.

Just get going so you don’t need to talk anymore.

She nodded to the two transports. "Go get yourselves settled. I'll go over the finer details once we meet up with the Ironpeak team. Induu, Bavlos, get to your bikes. We'll see you outside."

Uuchantuu stood and watched as everyone headed to their places, then felt awkward and went to check with the hangar attendants about the outer doors and go over the pre-launch protocol again.

Once she was done with that, everyone was on the transports except her.

She stopped before the boarding ramp as her stomach tightened, then took a deep breath and forced herself onto the transport, taking a seat up front next to Luuhuuta.

The cramped tunnels they had to go through to leave the hangar didn't help with her nerves, but sitting with a view of where she was going in a cockpit sized for people with antlers was better than sitting in the cramped cabin. A part of her wished she could take one of the speeder bikes, but she knew that wasn't how she should do things.

As Uuchantuu strapped herself in and glanced at Luuhuuta, she had to take another deep breath. The Natari woman was just her type—tall, and fit with deep red skin, full lips and long black hair. Uuchantuu was friends with her now, but she'd had a crush on Luuhuuta for a while after they'd first met. That had, of course, been during

Uuchantuu's phase of having a crush on pretty much any unattached woman that was nice to her. A hazard of being in the minority.

"You've flown out of these tunnels before, right?" Uuchantuu asked, as Luuhuuta checked the ship's controls. "Several times, hopefully?"

Luuhuuta looked at her and laughed. "It's my favorite part."

Uuchantuu shivered, shaking her head. "Pilots are crazy."

Luuhuuta laughed even harder and Uuchantuu smiled, relaxing just a bit.

"Everyone strapped in?" Luuhuuta called.

A round of affirmatives answered.

Luuhuuta turned on the radio. "Muuzuuri? You ready?"

"Whenever you are, Luuhuuta."

Luuhuuta grinned and nodded to Uuchantuu. She blinked, scanning the controls for a second before she apparently remembered that hangar control needed a signal.

She flicked a switch back and forth, which flashed their lights, a harsh white like those that illuminated the cavern. The other transports’ flashed a moment later, then three low, synthetic beeps echoed through the cave.

Luuhuuta grinned. "Finally."

She pressed a few buttons and the ship hummed to life.

Uuchantuu took another deep breath.

"Still not a fan of flying?"

"Nope."

"It'll happen someday."

"I doubt it. Especially not with these tunnels and the canyons beyond."

"But those are fun!"

Uuchantuu rolled her eyes and Luuhuuta sighed. "Just wait for the day we fly away from the Imaia, then you'll like flying. Until then, sit back and relax. I've got it from here."

As Luuhuuta took the yoke and raised the ship off the ground, Uuchantuu tried not to let her nails dig into the seat.

I hope Koruuksi is having a better time than me, at least.