The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 20.1

Destiny is merely the convergence of choice and circumstance.

- Writings of the Sol Empress, Words of Faith

[Faith]

"Do I want to know why everything in the chiller had Hope's name on it?" Moon said while settling back into the captain's chair.

Faith tightened her lips, looking up at her father. "Umm, no, you don't."

"That is what I thought. I just pray both of them will be uninjured when we get back." Moon shook his head, then looked up, calling out. "Sai, do we have a departure course?"

The feminine alto voice of Sai responded through an overhead speaker. "Yes, sir. It just came in."

With a touch of a button on the chair arm, an image of a dark bearded man wearing a worn ball cap appeared on a forward display panel. Moon said, "We are headed out, Seth. Be back in a couple days."

The man performed a mock salute with a grin. "Safe journey, my friend."

While not the talkative type, Faith's father cultivated friendships with most of the port workers and earned their respect. Because of this, he usually received preferential dock services and departure windows. As the Sol Writings suggested, respect earned had its benefits.

The bridge of the Firebird Rise had the same artistic lines as its exterior. Swirls of bright colors accented the walls, and a stylized image of a flaming firebird gazed down from the ceiling. Four curved chairs in a semi-circle overlooked a set of translucent control and display panels. A sloping floor ahead led to a small open area where a holographic display would project stunning images.

Seth looked down and frowned. "Be careful, Moon. There are reports of pirate activity in that sector."

Moon grinned, patting the arm of his chair. "The Firebird Rise can handle a few pirates. No worries."

Faith's eyes widened. Pirates?

Moon turned to his daughter, pointing to the control panel in front of her. "Why don't you take the helm and bring her out in manual?"

"Me?" A nervous tingle emerged in her gut.

"Sure. It would be good practice. Sai will keep you from crashing in to anything." He looked up. "Won't you, Sai?"

The AI responded. "Oh, yes sir. With the lack of near obstacles, the probability of collision is less than ten percent."

Moon said, "See? No worries."

Faith gulped. When he says no worries, it usually means I should.

This would be her first time piloting a starship, having only done it before in simulation. Her voice came out weaker than she wanted. "Okay..."

A tap of the panel brought up the helm controls. She rehearsed the steps in her mind, then mumbled to herself. "Firing port maneuvering thrusters at twenty percent." The ship moved away from the port dock.

Once sufficiently clear, she manipulated the thrusters in a particular sequence, pitching and yawing the ship. "Aligning to departure course." Properly oriented, she adjusted the fusion reactor controls. "Fusion thrusters at ten percent."

Faith's eyes darted to her father, who nodded an affirmation. His simple gesture calmed her tingling nerves and induced a feeling of confidence.

The application of too much thrust from a maneuvering thruster brought forth a frown. A yellow course deviation warning light blinked on the control panel. But a corrective action brought the ship back on course, transforming the frown into a small smile.