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go." Emerson leaned over to Ely to catch a better view of his holo-screen. Ely couldn't help but notice that the man came so close he could feel his breath against his cheek. His stomach churned with butterflies. Had he got it all wrong again? Did Emerson have feelings for him, after all? Before he could contemplate such a thing any further, Emerson continued, "Our emissions will be benign and we can use the reactor power to boost the shield even more, seeing as it won't be needed for propulsion."
    Ely shook his head, clearing his thoughts and concentrating on the matter at hand. They didn't have much time, the shuttle's exhaust could already be reacting. "I just hope the ion engines will be enough to keep us in place."
    "The suction from the Mandrake in the position we're in should be enough. Just make the transition nice and slow. We may have to make a sort of compromise between ion and reactor power to get the best effect."
    Ely nodded his head. "I agree." He turned to look at Emerson, not realising the man was still close. His lips brushed Emerson's cheek. In that instant, Ely's heart skipped a beat and he pulled his head away as quick as he could, his cheeks blushed hot with embarrassment. "I'm…I'm sorry."
    Emerson flashed a smile. "Just get on with the job." But to Ely the words were nowhere near as poisonous as they were a few moments ago. Had Emerson softened now that he was in Ely's presence? Or was what he said earlier all an act, just like what Kale did. Ely was confused.
    "Sure thing."
    Again, after much adjusting and re-adjusting, the ion-reactor mix needed to keep the shuttle from becoming a fireball inside the Mandrake's emissions was achieved. The final result was one-hundred percent ion power with twenty percent enhanced by reactor power. That gave Ely plenty to use to boost the shields.
    When done, and reasonably certain the shuttle was safe, he leaned back in his chair, knitting his fingers behind his head and taking in a deep breath. His hair, forehead and body was covered in sweat, both from the stress and the speed at which he had worked. Sure, the ride was as rough, the shuttle vibrating all over, the inertial dampeners at maximum, but at least they had done it.
    Emerson leaned over once more, and said, "We make a great team." And with that he patted Ely on his knee.
    Ely almost jumped out of the chair, having to grab for the control panel in desperation to stop himself from falling backwards and making an even bigger fool of himself. "Say what?"
    Before Ely could ask for an explanation, Commander Okinawa appeared, Braden in tow. "Excellent job, cadet Ely, Cadet Emerson," he began. "Thanks to your quick thinking, the shuttle is able to remain with the Mandrake and perform the sensor sweep the captain so desperately wants. Perhaps now we can get some answers."
    Ely and Emerson got to their feet, saluting the commander. "Yes, sir," they chimed together.
    The man circled them, a beaming smile on his lips. He was clearly pleased. "We won't be able to get back into the shuttle bay until we can sort out what's going on with this energy field. Looks like we're all in for the long haul. I suggest you both get some rest, I don't want tired men on my watch." He paused to pat Ely and Emerson on their shoulders in turn. "There are three cabins on board. Cadet Braden here tells me you're a couple, so both of you can have the second cabin. I will take the first, while Cadet Kale and Cadet Braden can have the other. Now get to it, I'll wake you in six hours."
    Ely was dumbfounded. He got the distinct feeling everyone was in on something and he wasn't. Had Braden set him up, too? Offering Ely to join in with Carl as a test? Had Emerson only pretended to be angry after all this time, just to punish him?
    Before he could sort out any of the questions that swam in his mind, Emerson grabbed him by his hand and led him out of the engineering compartment.

    Chapter Nine
    About half way along the corridor that housed the