Read Online Alien Alliance by Maxine Millar - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maxine Millar
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They’ve
bought others, bigger ones. There’s about eight of them.”
Enslaved
Kaswa looked at his fuel gauge. That was
going to cut it fine but not as fine as he had. He stretched
stiffly and smiled. He’d reached over 5,000 hours flying time
today. He’d never have managed that at home, not within two years,
not legally. By the time this was over he’d be up two flight
levels, they were already licensed for multiple planes and
spaceships and for the positions of Pilot, Passenger Licensed
Pilot, Weapons Specialist, Communicator and Navigator and they had
nearly enough between them to buy a small freighter. They almost
had enough now for the ship although they’d need more for buying
cargo. But the first flight could be passengers going home. If they
could do that they could be off home in two months. And they’d then
have a chance.
It had been two years of a steep learning
curve. Two years of being dirty, living rough, spent flying,
studying flying, in the training simulators or sleeping. Impossibly
long days, like today, up for 23 hours so far and 17 of them spent
flying. The pay was terrific, if you could handle being shot at. He
smiled. He wouldn’t have categorised either himself or Aswin as
being risk takers but neither of them were getting anywhere. Two
dates in ten years of trying and neither came to anything. Ditto
Aswin. It really got to him. It got to Kaswa too. His parents had
impoverished themselves to have him. And he hadn’t been the girl
they had prayed for. But they’d still had him. He was lucky; a
second son. An endangered species.
At least Aswin had had a good job, flying
for an importing business. Kaswa thought of his list of boring,
badly paid jobs but he didn’t have Aswin’s brains. Well, that
wasn’t exactly true. Aswin learned because he was a natural
scholar, he enjoyed learning. Kaswa smiled thinking of how he had
shocked them both when he really put his mind to it. His learning
curve had gone up like a rocket. He had been determined to catch up
to Aswin this time and he nearly had. Aswin had had to put on a
dedicated spurt to keep ahead despite having being well ahead at
the start of a competition he didn’t know he was in. Until Kaswa
nearly caught up with him. Kaswa smiled at the memory of the shock
on Aswin’s face. Within a month it would be a dead heat as they
both would have all the qualifications it was possible to get here.
Which was all they needed and more.
Until Aswin had trained him, he hadn’t been
a pilot. He hadn’t known it would be his thing. He had excellent
spatial awareness. He always knew how big he was, how high off the
ground, how wide, no matter what he was driving or flying. Just
like Aswin. It was a gift. Within two months of getting here, he
had qualified for his pilot’s license and thanks also to the
previous experience he had had with Aswin, he had a pilot’s job.
Best job he’d ever had. He loved it. It sure beat cannon fodder. It
paid a lot better too. Of course statistically, his life expectancy
was bad, which was why the higher pay. But he had an instinct for
this. Or a lot of good luck. In nearly two years, he hadn’t got a
scratch. His plane had been hit but not him. He’d beat Aswin there.
It was a carefully guarded secret from their parents that Aswin had
been hit twice; one lot of shrapnel in his leg not long after
they’d got here, and one dose of concussion, a broken arm and a few
odds and sods of bumps, gashes and bruises when he was hit and
crashed. Kaswa knew nothing about it until it was all over and
Aswin was patched up and in the medical centre. But the main point
was that now, financially and in terms of qualifications, they were
set up for life.
He was sore and tired. It had been a long
day hauling supplies and troops but at least he hadn’t got shot at
today. He yawned and tried to concentrate. The Tower still wasn’t
answering. Visibility was bad with misty rain and clouds occluding
the moons making it unusually
bought others, bigger ones. There’s about eight of them.”
Enslaved
Kaswa looked at his fuel gauge. That was
going to cut it fine but not as fine as he had. He stretched
stiffly and smiled. He’d reached over 5,000 hours flying time
today. He’d never have managed that at home, not within two years,
not legally. By the time this was over he’d be up two flight
levels, they were already licensed for multiple planes and
spaceships and for the positions of Pilot, Passenger Licensed
Pilot, Weapons Specialist, Communicator and Navigator and they had
nearly enough between them to buy a small freighter. They almost
had enough now for the ship although they’d need more for buying
cargo. But the first flight could be passengers going home. If they
could do that they could be off home in two months. And they’d then
have a chance.
It had been two years of a steep learning
curve. Two years of being dirty, living rough, spent flying,
studying flying, in the training simulators or sleeping. Impossibly
long days, like today, up for 23 hours so far and 17 of them spent
flying. The pay was terrific, if you could handle being shot at. He
smiled. He wouldn’t have categorised either himself or Aswin as
being risk takers but neither of them were getting anywhere. Two
dates in ten years of trying and neither came to anything. Ditto
Aswin. It really got to him. It got to Kaswa too. His parents had
impoverished themselves to have him. And he hadn’t been the girl
they had prayed for. But they’d still had him. He was lucky; a
second son. An endangered species.
At least Aswin had had a good job, flying
for an importing business. Kaswa thought of his list of boring,
badly paid jobs but he didn’t have Aswin’s brains. Well, that
wasn’t exactly true. Aswin learned because he was a natural
scholar, he enjoyed learning. Kaswa smiled thinking of how he had
shocked them both when he really put his mind to it. His learning
curve had gone up like a rocket. He had been determined to catch up
to Aswin this time and he nearly had. Aswin had had to put on a
dedicated spurt to keep ahead despite having being well ahead at
the start of a competition he didn’t know he was in. Until Kaswa
nearly caught up with him. Kaswa smiled at the memory of the shock
on Aswin’s face. Within a month it would be a dead heat as they
both would have all the qualifications it was possible to get here.
Which was all they needed and more.
Until Aswin had trained him, he hadn’t been
a pilot. He hadn’t known it would be his thing. He had excellent
spatial awareness. He always knew how big he was, how high off the
ground, how wide, no matter what he was driving or flying. Just
like Aswin. It was a gift. Within two months of getting here, he
had qualified for his pilot’s license and thanks also to the
previous experience he had had with Aswin, he had a pilot’s job.
Best job he’d ever had. He loved it. It sure beat cannon fodder. It
paid a lot better too. Of course statistically, his life expectancy
was bad, which was why the higher pay. But he had an instinct for
this. Or a lot of good luck. In nearly two years, he hadn’t got a
scratch. His plane had been hit but not him. He’d beat Aswin there.
It was a carefully guarded secret from their parents that Aswin had
been hit twice; one lot of shrapnel in his leg not long after
they’d got here, and one dose of concussion, a broken arm and a few
odds and sods of bumps, gashes and bruises when he was hit and
crashed. Kaswa knew nothing about it until it was all over and
Aswin was patched up and in the medical centre. But the main point
was that now, financially and in terms of qualifications, they were
set up for life.
He was sore and tired. It had been a long
day hauling supplies and troops but at least he hadn’t got shot at
today. He yawned and tried to concentrate. The Tower still wasn’t
answering. Visibility was bad with misty rain and clouds occluding
the moons making it unusually
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