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They will mount up with wings like eagles.

Isaiah 40:31

Flight School

The morning sun painted Reynard 3’s sky in shades of amber and rose, casting long shadows across the fertile fields surrounding the base. Wade inhaled deeply, letting the rich scent of damp soil fill his lungs. Around him, the whine of anti-grav engines and the thunderous roar of atmospheric thrusters created a familiar symphony – one that had once filled him with childlike awe. Now, each sound carried a different weight, each vessel overhead a reminder of missions yet to come.

Beside him at the edge of the landing pad, Jay and Metro stood in contemplative silence. The moss beneath their boots released its earthy fragrance with each shift of their weight. Metro’s fingers absently traced the raised scar tissue on his forearm – a permanent reminder of their firefight on Carthis 7. The gesture wasn’t lost on Wade; every mark they carried told a story of survival, of lessons learned in blood and fire.

“Three months,” Metro murmured, his voice barely audible above the ambient hum of the base. “Feels like three lifetimes.” The words hung in the air, heavy with shared memories of lost comrades and near misses.

The barracks welcomed them with the sterile efficiency of military quarters, their gear stowed with the practiced precision that had become second nature. When dawn broke the next day, they found themselves facing a different kind of challenge. Gone were the thundering voices and predatory stares of their previous instructors. This phase of Ranger training carried a deceptive gentility, but Wade knew better – sometimes the deadliest predators wore the most disarming smiles.

Their first test waited below on the practice course: the Badger hovercraft. Its sleek hull caught the alien sunlight like liquid mercury, beautiful and lethal in equal measure. Wade’s pulse quickened at the sight. He’d survived combat drops and close-quarters firefights, yet something about this elegant machine made his mouth go dry. Perhaps it was the way it demanded perfection, offering no margin for the brute force solutions that had sometimes served him in training and combat.

“Sergeant Kovacs.” The instructor’s voice carried the calm assurance of someone who had seen countless recruits face this moment. “Show us what you got.”

The Badger’s cockpit enveloped Wade like a second skin, familiar yet foreign. His fingers found the controls, feeling the subtle vibrations that spoke of barely contained power. No violent shaking like the drop pods, no brutal impact of atmospheric entry – this was a dance of precision, of finesse.

The craft lifted with a whisper, responding to his touch like a living creature. Wade felt sweat bead on his forehead as he guided it forward, the rocky course stretching before him like an obstacle course designed by a sadistic enemy. A massive boulder formation loomed ahead, its jagged surface a challenge he would have once approached with hesitation.

But the Corps had changed him. Where he once saw obstacles, he now saw opportunities. The Badger responded to his subtle adjustments, banking against the natural curve of the rocks. He wasn’t fighting the terrain anymore – he was partnering with it, using the formation’s own geometry to maintain his momentum while bleeding off excess speed.

“Better,” the instructor’s voice crackled through his helmet, carrying a note of approval that meant more than any shouted praise. “But remember, Kovacs – she’s not a weapon to be wielded. She’s a partner in the dance. Let her lead sometimes.”

From their position in the observation stand, Jay and Metro watched with the knowing eyes of men who had shared suffering and success. Metro’s fingers tapped an unconscious rhythm against his leg, his body tensed as if he could feel every adjustment Wade made. They’d seen this side of him before, in moments when split-second decisions meant the difference between life and death. It wasn’t just skill they were watching – it was the quiet confidence of a born leader.

The F2-90 Stellar Scout

The days blurred together as they mastered the Badger, each session building on the last until the craft felt like an extension of their will. Then came the transition to the F2-90 Stellar-Scout simulators. The cockpit welcomed Wade and Jay like an old friend, its neural interface headset settling against their temples with intimate familiarity. This wasn’t just about flying anymore – it was about fusion, about two minds working as one.

“Pilots,” the instructor’s voice carried through the PA system, “you’ve proven you can handle the basics. Now we’ll see if you can dance in the devil’s ballroom. This neutron star field simulation has humbled better crews than yours. Remember – out there, pride kills faster than any enemy.”

The simulation erupted around them in a symphony of light and shadow. Gravimetric warnings screamed across Wade’s console like banshees, but beneath the chaos, he felt something clicking into place. This wasn’t about raw calculations anymore – it was about rhythm, about feeling the ship’s pulse and anticipating Jay’s next move before he made it.

“Gravitational shear spiking,” Jay reported, his voice carrying the same steady calm he’d maintained during their worst circumstances in training and combat. His hands moved across the controls with surgical precision, threading their way between competing gravity wells that could tear their ship apart in seconds. “Need new vectors, Wade.”

Wade’s mind raced through possibilities, combat instincts merging with mathematical precision. Perfect solutions could get you killed – he’d learned that lesson watching better men die while chasing optimal outcomes. “Feeding you new vectors… now.”

The Stellar-Scout responded like a creature born to dance among the stars, riding gravitational currents with ethereal grace. Warning indicators cascaded from danger to safety, but neither man celebrated. They weren’t just surviving anymore – they were transcending.

Hours bled into days, days into weeks, each session building not just skill but understanding. Every simulation reinforced what combat had already taught them: that trust wasn’t just about faith in each other’s abilities, but about reading the microscopic tensions in a shoulder, the subtle shifts in breathing that telegraphed intentions before words could form.

Late one night, reviewing flight logs in his quarters, Wade found himself smiling at a realization. The eager recruit who had first arrived on Rinart 3 would have seen these challenges as hurdles to overcome, tests to pass. Now he understood – they weren’t obstacles at all, but gifts. Each simulation, each flight, was another chance to refine the skills that would keep his team alive when theory gave way to brutal reality.

The familiar terrain of Reynard 3 hadn’t changed, but its meaning had. Every field, every training course, every moment in the cockpit wasn’t just about personal achievement anymore. It was about preparation for the moment when skill and trust would mean the difference between bringing everyone home or adding more names to the memorial wall.

The moment of truth arrived when they finally got to tour an actual F2-90 Stellar Scout. Lieutenant Commander Goering, a veteran Navy Flight Instructor with weather-worn features and sharp eyes, met them at the landing pad where the sleek spacecraft waited.

“Gentlemen,” he said, running a hand along the Scout’s polished hull, “this beauty is going to become your second home. She’s built for deep space exploration and reconnaissance – the kind where you might not see another human face for months.”

Wade watched Jay’s eyes light up as they approached the vessel. The morning sun caught the Scout’s aerodynamic curves, highlighting its military precision while hinting at something more elegant.

Goering led them to a recessed panel in the hull. With a practiced gesture, he pressed his palm against the access pad, and a section of the hull smoothly retracted, revealing a compact lift system. “Primary access point,” he explained as they stepped inside. “Gets you directly to the main deck. There’s emergency access hatches too, but this is your day-to-day entry.”

The lift hummed softly as it carried them upward, depositing them just aft of the Central Command Station. “CCS is your nerve center,” Goering said, stepping into the cockpit. “Two-person crew configuration – pilot and nav/comms. Everything within arm’s reach, no wasted motion.”

“Twin VTOL engines,” he continued, gesturing to the holographic displays. “She’ll lift off and land smooth as silk on just about any terrain you can imagine. Those retractable landing struts aren’t just for show – they’ll adapt to everything from crystalline ice fields to volcanic rock.”

Moving aft, he opened a sealed compartment. “And here’s something you’ll want to get familiar with – stasis pods. Latest generation cryo-sleep systems. For those extra-long hauls where even Rangers need to conserve resources. Four pods, medical-grade monitoring systems. They’ll keep you fresh for the deep space legs of your mission.”

“Armament seems light,” Wade observed, noting the modest weapon systems on a nearby display.

Goering nodded. “She’s not built for slugging it out with hostiles. But don’t let that fool you – she’s got enough teeth to get you out of a pinch. Remember, your job is to observe and report, not pick fights.”

“What about communications range?” Jay asked, his technical curiosity evident.

Goering smiled. “Thought you’d ask. State-of-the-art microwave antenna array and military-grade encryption suite. You could probably call home from the edge of known space – assuming Command lets you.”

They explored the galley and common area, where clever storage solutions and transforming furniture showed the Scout’s dual nature as both military vessel and exploration craft. “Every cubic centimeter serves a purpose,” Goering explained. “Take the crew quarters – six individual berths, but they don’t feel cramped. The designers knew Rangers spend months out there. Had to make it livable.”

A narrow stairwell led them to the lower deck, where the lab and specimen storage spaces waited. “This is where the real science happens,” Goering said, gesturing to the advanced analysis equipment. “You’re not just Marines out there – you’re explorers.”

At last, they reached the rear cargo bay. Goering touched another control panel, and the massive rear ramp began to lower, hydraulics humming smoothly. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating a rugged Badger secured in its berth. “And here’s your ground transport,” he said, patting the vehicle. “Because sometimes the only way to explore is to get your boots dirty.”

Standing at the base of the ramp, looking back at the Scout, Wade felt a new appreciation for the vessel. Goering’s voice carried the weight of experience as he concluded, “The F2-90 isn’t the biggest or most powerful ship in the fleet. But for what you Rangers do – pushing the boundaries of known space, facing the unknown – there’s nothing better. Treat her right, and she’ll bring you home.”

Their transition from simulators to the actual F2-90 Stellar-Scout proved smoother than even their instructors anticipated. The countless hours spent in virtual training had built muscle memory that translated seamlessly to the real craft. Where most trainees required six weeks to achieve basic proficiency, Wade and Jay demonstrated advanced maneuvering capabilities in just three. Their natural synchronization in the cockpit drew attention from the senior instructors, who began using their flight recordings as teaching materials for other crews. The duo’s ability to anticipate each other’s actions and maintain perfect coordination during complex maneuvers spoke to something beyond mere technical skill – it was the kind of intuitive trust that couldn’t be taught, only earned through shared experiences both in combat and training.

The familiar had indeed become new again, transformed not by time or circumstance, but by the weight of purpose that now infused every action, every decision, every breath.

Romance and Revelations

The barracks’ overhead lights had dimmed to their night-cycle setting, casting long shadows across the titanium-alloy floor panels. Wade’s boots barely made a sound as he returned from his evening maintenance shift, mind still churning over the day’s training flights. He stopped short at the familiar cadence of a voice – soft, melodic, Japanese accent distinctly out of place in the utilitarian surroundings.

“I can’t say I miss all that adventure but I sure miss you,” Mayumi’s holographic message flickered in the dim light. “I even miss your terrible jokes.”

Wade froze, suddenly feeling like an intruder. Through the half-open door, he caught a glimpse of Jay sitting on his bunk, head bowed toward the projection, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth that Wade had never seen before. It wasn’t the practiced grin Jay wore during training or the fierce determination that emerged in combat – this was something entirely different, something private.

“I keep asking Commander Chen when our security status is going to be downgraded and I would be up for reassignment,” Mayumi continued, her translucent image seeming to glow with warmth. “She told me there’s no telling when, but…” She paused, her expression softening. “Just make sure you stay in one piece, okay? The stars aren’t quite as beautiful without you here to name all the constellations wrong.”

Wade backed away silently, his mind racing through calculations of a different sort. How long had this been going on? The Jay he knew from training was all precision and protocol – seeing this other side of him was like discovering a new dimension to a familiar star chart.

His thoughts shifted to Kristen. Could she still be waiting for him? Is there any possible way she saw through the ruse of him being dead? He had to believe that the promises they made to one another as they trusted God for their relationship had to be his resting place. He reminded himself; “Always.”

Hours later, in the quiet corner of the station’s observation deck, Wade found Jay staring out at Rinart 3’s three moons. The aurora painted sheets of green and purple across the star studded sky.

“So,” Wade said, settling against the railing. “You and Mayumi?”

Jay’s shoulders tensed for a moment before relaxing. He turned, and in the shifting light from the aurora, Wade could see both embarrassment and pride warring on his friend’s face. “After what you told me about her reassignment in the Delphi Quadrant, I tracked her down and sent her a message. Just to check in, you know? I know I shouldn’t be trying to connect with the security risk and all, but then…”

“One message became two, became twenty?” Wade finished, remembering his own fumbling attempts at trying to pace himself when he was dating Kristen, trying not to seem too obsessed.

“Something like that.” Jay’s fingers traced the handrail as he leaned toward the stars. “She understands things – not just the quantum mechanics she works with, but…” he struggled for words, unusual for someone so precise in the cockpit. “She gets what it means to be out here, on the edge of everything. To love the void as much as you fear it. And Wade, her relationship with Jesus has grown leaps and bounds. It’s very…attractive.”

Wade nodded, letting the silence stretch comfortably between them. He thought about their shared history – the terror of the Skravak ship, the grueling training that followed, sharing the gospel and leading her to Christ, the way life had carried them all in unexpected directions. Yet here they were, still finding new ways to surprise each other.

“You know what’s funny?” Jay said finally, his reflection overlapping with the stars beyond. “All our training, all the simulation hours, everything we’ve survived in combat… and sending that first message to her was still the scariest thing I’ve done since enlisting.”

Wade clapped his friend’s shoulder, feeling the familiar weight of their shared experiences and this new dimension of their friendship. “Well, for what it’s worth, now I know why your landing approaches have been a little off lately. Maybe you’re a little twitterpated?”

Jay’s laugh echoed into the darkness, genuine and unguarded. “Don’t you worry bro. Even twitterpated, I’m a better pilot than you.” Playfully punching Wade in the chest.

Jay’s expression turned serious. ‘Have you tried to contact Kristen at all? Since… you know.’

Wade’s shoulders slumped. ‘You know I can’t, Jay. Not with everything that’s happened. The security protocols are there for a reason.’

‘But surely there’s some way—’ Jay started.

‘No,’ Wade cut him off firmly, though his voice carried a weight of sadness. ‘I won’t put her at risk. Not even a chance of it. The conspiracy we uncovered… it runs deep. Until everything’s fully exposed and dealt with, contacting her would be selfish.’

Jay studied his friend’s face. ‘You really love her, don’t you?’

‘Yeah,’ Wade admitted quietly, flexing his prosthetic hand. ‘That’s why I have to protect her, even if it means staying away. But I haven’t lost hope. I’m trusting God’s timing on this one.’

‘Well,’ Jay said, bumping Wade’s shoulder with his own, ‘then I’ll keep praying. This isn’t the end of the story.'”

As they stood there, watching Rinart 3’s moons slowly set beneath the horizon, Wade realized that some of the most important discoveries in space weren’t made on distant planets among the stars. They happened in these quiet moments, when the Holy Spirit reminded you that even in the vastness of space, the human heart could still chart unexpected courses.

Exploration Training

The holographic alien landscape shimmered around them, so detailed that Wade could smell what seemed like rotting vegetation. The simulation had rendered a jungle world with triple-gravity and a toxic atmosphere – exactly the kind of environment Rangers were expected to handle. Sweat trickled down his spine inside the environment suit, each movement requiring conscious effort against the crushing gravitational pull.

“Contact, two o’clock,” Jay’s voice crackled through the comm, steady despite the strain. “Biological signature. Nothing in the database matches.”

Wade’s heads-up display highlighted the movement – something serpentine sliding through the phosphorescent underbrush. Their squad had already lost two holographic members to similar unknowns. The simulation was brutally effective at teaching survival priorities: analyze, adapt, or die.

“Hold position,” Wade commanded, forcing his breathing to steady as he activated his suit’s biological analysis suite. The crushing gravity made even the smallest movements exhaust precious oxygen reserves. “Running spectral analysis.”

The creature emerged into the clearing – a writhing mass of tentacles and what appeared to be photoreceptors. Wade’s scanner beeped a warning: highly acidic secretions detected. He remembered their xenobiology instructor’s words: “Out there, everything wants to kill you. Your job is to figure out how…before it succeeds.”

“Pattern analysis suggests predatory behavior,” Metro reported from his position, the words coming in short bursts as he fought against the gravity. “Similar to the Skravak Sliders we studied from the Cygnus sector.”

Jay had already adjusted his position, using the terrain to create a crossfire zone. Three months ago, he would have just opened fire. Now, he waited, gathering data. Rangers weren’t just Marines; they were explorers, scientists, and when necessary, executioners of hostile life forms.

“Acid-based neurotoxin from the twin venom glands nestled beneath its iridescent carapace, it projects with laser-like precision.” Wade announced on the comms, watching the creature’s movements through his scope. “Similar to the Skravak’s secondary defense tactics. Metro, remember the countermeasures we developed during our last dance at the Zoo?”

“Already on it.” Metro’s suit dispensed a stream of base chemicals, creating a protective barrier around their position. The training scenarios weren’t random – they built upon real experiences, forcing the Rangers to apply past lessons to new threats.

The creature lunged, faster than its mass suggested possible. Wade’s squad responded with surgical persision, their movements economic in the crushing gravity. Their coordinated response wasn’t just about survival – it was about data collection, threat assessment, and preservation of valuable xenobiological samples.

“Clear,” Jay called out as the holographic creature dissipated. “But we’ve got atmospheric degradation incoming. Looks like this planet’s sun is about to go nova.”

Wade checked his suit’s readings. They had seventeen minutes of oxygen remaining, a damaged sample collection unit, and five kilometers of hostile terrain between them and their extraction point. In other words, a typical day in Ranger training.

“Status check,” he ordered, already calculating their optimal route.

“Suit integrity at sixty percent,” Metro reported. “But I saved the biological samples.”

“Nav system’s glitching from magnetic interference,” Jay added. “Going to have to do this old school.”

Wade allowed himself a grim smile behind his faceplate. Three months ago, this scenario would have seemed impossible. Now it was just another challenge to overcome. “Metro, take center with the samples. Jay, take point and plot us a course using stellar positioning. I’ll watch our six.”

As they moved through the hostile landscape, Wade reflected on how far they’d come. Flight school had taught them to master their vessels, but exploration training was teaching them to master themselves. Every challenge forced them to combine their skills in new ways – Jay’s intuitive grasp of spatial navigation, Metro’s encyclopedic knowledge of xenobiology, Wade’s tactical expertise.

The extraction ship appeared as a distant speck in the purple sky, a testament to their successful navigation. As the simulation faded around them, Wade caught Jay’s eye. They didn’t need words to express their shared understanding: this wasn’t just training anymore. This was preparation for a future where humanity would need every skill they were learning, and probably a few they hadn’t imagined yet.

The instructors had a saying: “In space, you improvise, adapt, and overcome or… you die. Rangers are masters of the first three.” With each passing day, Wade understood that philosophy more deeply. They were trained to the hilt and ready to graduate. They had passed the most extreme military gauntlet the Confederation had to offer. They were qualified Deep Space Rangers.

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