Page 65 of The Un-Apparent Heir

“Can do, ma’am.”

She did as she was told, likely disappointed by her luck. They were on the end of the Mach Loop, not far from home. Natalie never passed out like this in years and years of flying. She was a legend. She’d been so proud of her record. Of course, it was a good lesson for the trainee. Anyone can lose it, but in a combat situation, it could be the difference between life and death.

“How many Gs did we pull?”

“Six? Seven?”

“Embarrassing,” Natalie sighed.

Something was wrong. Natalie couldn’t put her finger on it but felt off for a couple of days. When they landed, she took her lumps on the ground and proceeded to the infirmary for a check-up. She immediately changed out of her soiled flight suit. It was a grave embarrassment. There, a friend found her.

“Songbird, don’t give me grief,” Natalie groaned.

Marian Lewis was one of the best female pilots—even pilots—Natalie had the pleasure to fly with and learn from. She was one of the Americans who returned to train the joint set of squadrons working at Valley. Natalie helped bring her back. They flew missions together at Valley and in battle. Natalie had also been lucky to travel to the States with her and go to test pilot school—something Marian recommended. They were sisters in a way. Marian was slightly older, but they were close enough in age to spend the last years of Marian’s twenties and Natalie’s mid-twenties doing stupid things. Marian was the best type of person—someone who would pack up her family to move abroad and leave a very lucrative position at Lockheed to follow her calling.

“You didn’t bag up?”

“Fucking hell. I feel like a cadet,” Natalie said. “I lost it—just passed out. Hard. I came to and Singh was flying like a pro. I didn’t need to tell her anything. She maintained altitude and kept flying until I pulled myself together. We were only pulling six or seven Gs and even in my old age, I can manage that.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m headed to the infirmary.”

“I must go out again until five.”

“You got the night shift. Lucky bitch,” Natalie sighed.

“Says the woman who should be home and in bed.”

Natalie rolled her eyes.

“I’m coming with you.”

Two other officers entered the locker room, staring at Natalie with confusion. She rarely got a strange look here. She was high-ranking and a fixture. The air station and mess had provided her cover for years. It was like a sanctuary for a future monarch who refused to stand out in a place where standing out was prohibited. It was an escape.

“Colonel Lewis, Wing Commander Wales,” the older of the two said.

“You alright?” The other asked Natalie with compassion.

“She’ll mend,” Marian said. “Go on. Nothing to see here. Don’t need to be gapers.”

They filed to their lockers as Natalie and Marian left for the infirmary. The physician on duty expected Natalie. By now, the entire station knew of the Princess Who Blew Chunks. It spread like wildfire, leaving Natalie mortified.

“So, am I sick?” Natalie asked after a thorough exam.

“Will she live?” Marian joked.

“She will live. There is nothing wrong with you. It happens to anyone, Wales. You know that.”

“It doesn’t happen to me. In decades of flight and two decades of service, this has never happened to me,” Natalie protested. “Not like this. I mean, it has happened with the centrifuge. But I haven’t gotten G-LOC like this. It’s not something I do. A major cock up. And I won’t be cleared to fly until you find something wrong, and we remedy it.”

“She is an anomaly. In years of flight, she’s never done this,” Marian vouched. “It is not like her, doc.”

He furrowed his brow. “Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions, ma’am?”

Marian looked at Natalie for clarification.

“Sure. Marian and I have shared a lot. It’s fine.”

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