Corina didn't pay much attention to her surroundings as the three went
to the Palace roof where Medart's lander waited. Reaction had set in,
now that she was safe, and for the moment she was numb.
It wasn't until they were inside the boxy little vehicle that she paid
full attention again. Small as it was, this was a space-going vessel
of the Imperial Navy, something she'd thought lost to her forever when
her Talent made its belated appearance. Her ears went forward
attentively; she didn't want to miss anything.
Medart noticed, and smiled. "Your first time aboard a spacecraft, Ms.
Losinj?"
"Yes, Ranger."
"Take the right-hand seat forward, then. No co-pilot's necessary on a
surface-to-orbit hop, and you'll get a good view from there." He
turned to his bodyguard, who was also the lander's pilot. "Nevan,
would you help Ms. Losinj strap in, please?"
"Aye, sir." Nevan, now in Marine black, bent over the young Irschchan.
"Here . . . this goes across your lap, and these two over your
shoulders, all to the same buckle. It's a quick-release type; to get
out, just slap this button."
"Thank you." Corina accepted the help, though she didn't really need
it. Her pre-Talent hopes of attending the Naval Academy had led her to
study anything she could find about the Fleets, including such minor
details as how to secure flight restraints.
She had given up those hopes, forced herself to repress them and think
about her future in the Order instead. To suddenly have them back--
once she'd given the Ranger what help she could, of course--was almost
too much to believe. And to be making her first trip off-planet aboard
a Navy craft, with a Ranger, was something beyond her wildest dreams.
It was truly no dream, though, she assured herself, and as they lifted
off she was determined not to look foolish. That was easy at first;
she had seen enough holoshows to be familiar with the green sky's
darkening, becoming black as they left atmosphere. Soon she could see
stars, now hard bright points of light rather than the soft twinkling
she was used to.
One began showing a sunlit disk, and she realized that had to be Ranger
Medart's ship. Tiny-seeming at first, it grew rapidly, filling the
lander's window and continuing to grow.
Corina's determination faltered. She had seen innumerable pictures of
such vessels, knew their immensity--a Sovereign-class battle cruiser
was approximately spherical, a kilometer in diameter, and massed on the
close order of eight hundred million tons. But pictures and statistics
couldn't convey the emotional impact of actually seeing one at close
range for the first time. Corina swallowed an exclamation of awe,
trying to remain calm, but she could feel Medart's gaze, and felt
certain he knew how the ship affected her.
The lander surged slightly as it was gripped by a tractor beam from one
of the Chang's equatorial hangars. Nevan released the controls,
allowing the beam operator to settle the lander to the deck while
hangar doors closed behind them. As soon as his gauges showed
Terra-normal atmosphere, he opened the airlock and the group disembarked,
with Medart in the lead and Corina trailing behind.
The hangar deck was large, much bigger than necessary for the lander it
now held, yet Corina had a feeling of things closing in on her.
Precognition was no part of her Talent, though, so she attributed the
sensation to her surroundings, familiar from pictures but strange in
reality. She felt like a young, unbladed child again, everything
around her seeming odd and alien in spite of her studies.
But this was her new reality, here aboard the Chang. She had no way to
know how she would fit in yet, but she did know she would have to.
This ship was going to be home for however long the Ranger wanted her
help; she would have to adapt.
When they left the hangar, they were met by a stocky officer in Navy
working khaki; from the eagle on his collar, Corina knew he was the
ship's captain. There were several others, with different rank
insignia, but it was the first man who saluted Medart.
The Ranger returned the salute, then introduced them. "Captain David
Hobison, this is Ms. Corina Losinj. She will be accompanying us on
this trip as my special assistant. She won't have any formal Navy
rank, but I want her quartered in a senior officer's cabin, preferably
near mine. Have someone see to that, bring the ship to Condition
Yellow, then meet me in Briefing Room One. I have to call the Emperor,
and I don't want to have to go through everything twice."
He started to leave, then turned to Corina. "Before I go, what's your
ident code?"
"ISCCJ-1643-2048," she replied.
"Got it." Medart strode past the group and entered an intra-ship
shuttle, one of several, partway down the passage.
Hobison gave Corina a thoughtful look, then turned to one of the
officers standing nearby. "Ensign Yamata?"
A young female with a gold bar for collar insigne answered. "Yes,
sir?"
"You're assigned to Ms. Losinj until further notice. Get her a cabin
and anything else she needs. You're relieved of regular watch
standing."
"Yes, sir!" Yamata said with a wide smile. "If you'll come with me,
Ms. Losinj?"