Page 5 of Surrendering the Skies

She finally succeeded in eliciting a laugh from some of her subordinates. “I’ll alert you as soon as the official order is given, and then we’ll suit up and head for the shuttles,” she said. “Don’t forget to bring everything you’ll need since the ship is going in for routine maintenance while we’re stationed on Kasarad.” Rising from her chair, she gestured toward the door with her datapad. “Dismissed.”

The team filed out of the room. Geneva stayed behind and consulted her datapad for the next checklist she’d prepared. Every minute brought the ship closer to the remote planet, and she wanted to be sure everything was in place for when it was her turn to descend to its surface.

At long last, the command she’d been awaiting arrived. Admiral Joachim Walker summoned the higher-ranked officers to review their objectives one final time. She joined her colleagues at the large table, choosing a seat near the center of one side. Ash entered the room several minutes later and sat across from her, offering her a quick wave before the meeting started.

Walker delivered his remarks with his usual gruff efficiency. Months of careful planning were coming to a close; it was time to embark on their mission. At the conclusion of the admiral’s statements, Geneva relayed the orders to her team via her wrist communicator and reconvened with Ash out in the hallway.

They hurried to their shared quarters to retrieve their packed bags before meeting the others at the designated location. Ash turned in a slow circle in the center of the bedroom. “I never thought I’d say it, but we might actually wind up missing this place.”

She shrugged. “I’m sure our accommodations at the compound will be equally sparse yet suitable.”

“Ouraccommodations?” A mischievous sparkle glinted in his cobalt eyes. “I thought I might want to try bunking with someone new for a change.”

Pursing her lips, she gave him a playful shove. “You’re such a terrible liar.”

He laughed and scooped her into a firm embrace. “I know it’s a short flight, but safe travels.”

She stood on her toes and kissed him. “Likewise. I’ll see you down there.”

As instructed, her team gathered at the lockers housing their spacesuits. Leading by example, Geneva inspected her gear, referring to the electronic form she’d copied to her communicator. She donned the protective suit and clicked her helmet into place before hoisting her bag onto her shoulders.

The soldiers proceeded to the lowest level of the ship, where a fleet of shuttles stood ready to whisk them to the military base. She took attendance as they filed past her, confirming everyone had made it to their assigned seats. Climbing inside one of the small vessels, she strapped herself in and waited for takeoff.

Endless miles of dull-gray clay and sand stretched before her when they reached the surface of Kasarad. A ramp extended from the shuttle, and she gestured for her fellow travelers to disembark. Following behind them, her boots thudded against the metal pathway as she descended from the shuttle and took her first steps on the planet.

The massive military compound loomed nearby, set against a backdrop of millions of glittering stars. As anticipated, the increased gravitational pull on the planet made each of her limbs feel twice as heavy. She adjusted her bag on her shoulders and forged ahead, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Although the entrance to the main building stood a short walk away, the procession of newly arrived soldiers moved slowly as they acclimated to their new environment.

Geneva was the last one on her team to enter the vestibule, and the outer doors slammed shut behind her. The interior of the compound had been designed to mimic the conditions they were used to on their ships and home planets, an impressive engineering feat implemented by the finest minds in the Terran military. While she waited for the second set of doors to open, she looked around the chamber and marveled at the brilliance and ingenuity of its creators.

Inside the building, the simple act of walking and other movements didn’t require as much effort. The first room off the central corridor housed lockers similar to those on the ship. Along with the rest of her team, she detached her helmet and unzipped her spacesuit to store them in the appropriate locations.

“Check your communicators for maps and room assignments,” she said as they finished removing their equipment. “They should have been sent to you before we left, so let me know if you haven’t received anything.”

She paused to give her team the opportunity to look for the information. “We’ve ever-so-kindly been given the rest of the day to explore the compound and become familiar with the layout. Contact me if you have any issues, but if not, I’ll either see you at one of the scheduled dinner times or bright and early tomorrow morning.”

Plain white walls and recessed lights lined the hallways. Geneva tapped the device on her wrist and pulled up the map of the building in a small holographic display hovering above her arm. Consulting it for guidance, she navigated the passages, on the lookout for significant locations and other landmarks to help orient her inside the sprawling complex.

She made her way to one of the residential wings. After confirming the room number, she pressed her thumb to the panel beside the door. Upon scanning her fingerprint, the lock clicked open, and she turned the knob to enter.

Ash stood near the foot of the bed, unpacking his belongings. His face lit up when he saw her, and he gestured around the room in a wide circle. “I hope you weren’t expecting anything fancier than our usual accommodations,” he said, grinning. “Whoever designs our living quarters across the empire doesn’t have a lot of imagination, I’m afraid.”

She glanced at the bed, desk, and closets, which all appeared strikingly similar to the lodgings they’d left behind on the ship. “I assumed as much.” She dropped her bag next to his on the bed. “Though it’s not like we expected to walk into the life of luxury all the way out here on this dusty rock.”

“Not in this job, that’s for sure.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Remember what you kept telling everyone—this will be over before we know it.”

“I know. We’ll make the best of it.” Inching closer to him, she draped an arm around his waist and leaned against his chest. “So, here we are for the next nine months. Home sweet home.”

Chapter Three

Geneva rolled her chair back from her workstation and rubbed her eyes. Reviewing her team’s reports for an entire afternoon wasn’t high on the list of her favorite activities, and relief washed over her when she submitted the final compilation. She stretched her arms above her head and leaned back as far as she could go before shutting down the computer and spinning the chair away from it.

On her way back to her quarters, she paused at one of the large windows stretching from floor to ceiling. Outside, a group of soldiers stood in a line, firing weapons at a row of targets dozens of yards away. The weight of their spacesuits and the additional gravity made it seem as if they were moving in slow motion, but overall, the entire unit had been adjusting to the conditions on Kasarad without incident. It wasn’t the worst assignment she’d ever been given, she thought as she watched them work, though she hoped they’d never have to return after its conclusion.

Muffled voices rumbled from behind her door. She pushed it open and found Ash sitting at the desk, along with her mother’s face filling the screen of the tablet he’d propped up. He turned when he heard her enter and waved her over. “There she is!”

She stood behind him, resting her hand on the back of his chair. “Hello, Mother.”

“Hi, sweetie! George was filling me in on what you’ve been up to in that dreadful place.” Dahlia sniffed, and then her eyes darted to the side. “Since you’re here now, let me go get your father.”

---