Once the colonel returned to the line, Alisha turned on her mic. She praised their efforts and how it was proof to the power of a positive state of mind. “Even I would have told you that maneuver was impossible without shortening your tethers, and yet three of you proved me wrong. So if any of you ever find yourself thinking: ‘I can’t do the maneuver,’ just remember three of you, first time you ever tried it, performed a maneuver I cannot do with unmodified equipment. Now that we know how powerful your state of mind is, let’s get your equipment fixed and do the maneuver over, the easy way.”
As Alisha shortened each of the tethers, she asked if they wanted them tied off or cut, every single one said ‘cut’. They were confident they could do it the easy way.
And they did. Logan, Jason and two other flyers all performed as if they had been doing it for years. She was especially impressed with the colonel, because his heavier weight should have made him slower to ascend, yet he had matched Jason in speed and his drift was much less.
She shortened the third group’s tethers and they also got it on the first try. The fourth group struggled a bit and several didn’t catch on without some additional coaching. The fifth group was the same. Most got it first try, but a few struggled.
Alisha knew they were supposed to move to testing at this point, but they had all taken to the maneuver so well, that it made no sense to cull them now. She went over to Jack and explained her thoughts.
He agreed with her and grabbed the mike. “We’re making a slight change to the rules. It’s pretty clear, this is a simple maneuver to do, but it happens to be time-consuming to test since we have to depend on radar to measure the performance of each cadet. However, if we combine it with the descent, we can test both the ascent and descent of the flyer, and actually cull the flyers lacking all necessary skills to perform in battle. Therefore, all flyers who can perform a vertical ascension after two practices will automatically move to the next maneuver. We will then test both maneuvers together and pass the top twenty. That’s five more than would have passed Man 2 in the prior rules.”
Alisha explained the descent carefully to them all and then sent the first squad up. They performed beautiful descents, but two were clearly off their marks, which more than likely meant they lost their vertical climb somewhere along the way. Alisha pointed it out and reminded everyone to stay focused. “Even a split-second slip will put you thirty feet off your mark, and since you haven’t yet learned a 360 and the forward dive, there is no way to get back to your mark once you pass it.”
Their next pass was much better with the entire squad coming in within a reasonable distance of their mark.
Second squad actually looked better going up than first squad. Alisha was going to gently bring that to their attention, but Ginnie beat her to it.
“Guys, we just got out-flown,” she announced. “Stay focused. This ain’t no cakewalk to Man 3.”
To her absolute astonishment, Colonel Logan and Jason landed within one foot of the target circle. She was so proud she wanted to hug them both, but she doubted either would appreciate the gesture.
Instead, she went over to Jason. “You been doing this maneuver all your life, soldier?”
“Sir, no, sir,” Jason barked in reply.
“Well, it sure looks like it,” she insisted. “Now let’s see if you and the colonel can get a foot in red this time.”
She watched them soar into the sky and disappear. It really did look magical from the ground. Almost as if an invisible hand just reached down and snatched them up.
Gunny called out their names when they hit five thousand. The colonel was a clear five seconds ahead of Jason this time. His descent was so fast that Alisha was concerned he was actually falling, but then at a thousand feet, his descent slowed. With a forceful collapse of his catcher a half second before landing, he somehow managed to land with one foot in red.
Alisha went over and studied his foot firmly planted on his red circle. “That was pretty amazing, Colonel Logan. In the air, I would have sworn you were going to land a good yard off target, but you seemed to have willed that catcher two-feet upwind.”
She was still teasing the colonel when Jason came down and also managed to manhandle his catcher upwind. She stopped and stared at Jason’s foot planted in red. “Well clearly, moving a catcher upwind by two feet is easy, if you want it bad enough. Keep that in mind when the two feet is the difference between landing in the Cully or landing on solid ground.”
Then she flipped off her mic and walked back to Logan. “And once I figure out what the hell you two are actually doing to move that catcher, I’ll learn it myself.”
Next, they added marksmanship. Anna reviewed the basics of firing a weapon in air, made certain each flyer knew his correct target, and then they went up again. The added activity caused some degradation in the drift, but First squad had picked up their game after Ginnie pointed out Squad Two had out-flown them.
If Logan suffered any drift, she couldn’t tell it. He bull’s-eyed his target and landed again with one foot in red.
Jason was next. He missed his mark by a yard, but his shots were so tightly grouped that Anna decided to add ‘ding plates’ to the back of the targets that would send an electronic signal when hit.
***
Logan was glad he’d been placed in the second group. He learned a lot watching Squad One, such as handling the rifle caused some degradation in the drift. He the problem at once. They tied off the toggles, then removed the rifle from the back holster using both hands. Certainly, it was safer, but it meant they couldn’t make necessary micro-adjustments to the wind-catcher.
When it came his turn, he decided to attempt a one-handed retrieval. It wasn’t a new maneuver for him, for in the field he had frequently found the sudden need to clear a sniper as he continued dropping blasters into a trouble zone.
Holding the catcher steady with both toggles secured in his left hand, he pulled the rifle from his back with his right hand and in a single graceful sweep locked it into shooting position, waited for the bead to center on the target, and fired three times. He then replaced the rifle in a backward sweep and returned control to both hands. He checked his mark to find it once again creeping upwind. Using the same technique as before, he landed with one foot in red. Damn! He really wanted two feet!
Jason was next. He missed his landing mark by a yard, but his shots were so tightly grouped they almost looked like a single shot.
Logan continued to watch the flyers. Besides the retrieval problem, they were also losing control on the return of the rifle. A little ground practice on handling the rifle might help immensely.
As they began the Man 1 and 2 qualifying tests, Logan was confident, but he was careful not to be too confident. He knew given his performance during the practices that the general would see he was included in the Man Three training, but he didn’t want to be passed under an exception. He wanted to earn his pass, and not just win it, but win it so clearly that no one would ever say he was passed because they needed a colonel who could fly the new maneuvers on the East Coast.
He treated each run with absolute focus, just as if he were in battle. And just because it seemed almost natural to him now, he didn’t drop his guard. He actively managed every move the catcher made on each ascent and descent. He focused on that target as if it were a live enemy, and he stretched for that red circle as if it were the only piece of safe land on the tarmac. And finally, he struck it dead center in his last run.
When the general prepared to read the twenty who would pass, he knew with absolute certainty he would be in the top three and he had truly earned his place in line.
General Powell read the top score of 991 points and then Logan’s name. A moment later, a spontaneous roar exploded from the troops. Their response took him by surprise. Most of these Ryders had barely known him before the Ridge battle. He had hoped for their acknowledgment that he truly deserved his spot in training, but he had not expected this. They were giving him the
same respect they had shown Alisha the day after her battle.
Don’t let it go to your head, he warned himself. All you did was two simple maneuvers and hit a target at three hundred feet. Save your self-congratulations until you pass Man 3.
Chapter 14
Alisha knew that as their instructor, she shouldn’t have favorites, but she did cheer for the first squad as they struggled to hold on to their top positions. Colonel Logan didn’t require anyone rooting for him. He so completely dominated the results of each test that Alisha seriously doubted she could have consistently out-flown him, and she knew for certain that she would never out-shoot him. He was simply magnificent.
When the mornings testing ended and the twenty top names were called, she knew, no matter how many orders he might give to the contrary, she was forever, hopelessly, in love with her Colonel Logan.
General Powell was clearly pleased as he first read Logan’s score and then his name. It was several minutes before the cheering quieted down enough for the general to continue. She had expected him to be angry at his troops for breaking his order not to applaud, but evidently, he relented in the presence of superior effort.
Jason and Tucker were head-to-head through the tests for second position. In the end, a bad drift pulled Jason four feet off his mark, and Tucker took second place by a single point. Jersey, Ginnie, and Ollie all landed in the top ten. The surprise was that Washington pulled himself into the eleventh position. She could see that Colonel Logan was very pleased with his prior squad and took the time to congratulate them all.
As she watched him shake Ginnie’s hand, she realized with a sickening feeling that she wasn’t the only one who loved the colonel.
Jack rested his hand on her neck. “Logan outdid himself today,” he said.
“He did. I think he was out-flying me at the end.”
“Not quite.”
“Well, definitely out-shooting.”
“Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise. Normally, he doesn’t score well in target practice. I’ve seen him shoot in battle, and he shoots like this. However, when he’s tested, his scores are quite unexceptional. MAC’s going to be very confused.”
“Do you think he’s been dunking the test?”
“I do. Probably for the same reason he has always managed to avoid letting anyone know his flight ranking.”
“Which is?”
“Nobody likes a show-off,” Jack said and then quickly amended. “Unless she’s five-foot tall and cute as a button.”
***
Logan searched the crowded field for one small perky colonel he wanted to congratulate. Even though they could only move twenty forward, she had successfully taught all fifty a maneuver that would be immensely powerful in battle. And unless the enemy discovered the secret of shortening the tethers, the move could not be copied.
He finally located her with Jack. Of course! He could have saved time just looking for Jack, for wherever Alisha was, Jack was always close by. Yet in fairness, Jack had proven to be a more honorable and intelligent young officer than his reputation suggested. Maybe he’s not such a bastard. Clearly, he hasn’t shown any interest in the other female cadets that recently invaded this once male-only fort. His focus continued to be solely on Alisha.
A big heavy palm slammed down on Logan’s back. “Damn fine job, Logan! Damn fine!” General Powell said. “We’ve got lunch set up in the officers’ commons. I had no idea you could shoot like that? What set you on fire?”
“You did, General. You told me to be a hero,” Logan replied with subtle sarcasm.
Powell missed the sarcasm and seemed very pleased to discover that Logan’s miraculous improvement in shooting was due to his own commanding influence.
Chapter 15
Alisha knew she was just being a child, but she felt a bit put out. Throughout the entire lunch, everyone made a fuss over Logan’s flying and shooting. She agreed he’d performed spectacularly. However, didn’t she deserve some credit as well? She could still out-fly him, and everything he did was her invention.
Jack leaned over and whispered in her ear. “If it’s any consolation, I know how you feel.”
“I seriously doubt it,” she grumbled. She didn’t even know how she felt. She was so mixed up, filled with happiness for the colonel, pride…love…and yet, she resented how quickly everyone forgot her and shoved her to the side.
It was just like Diana Wilson, the most sought-after debutante last season. Everybody loved her! She was absolutely the most charming, the most beautiful, the most ‘everything’. Then it came to light that her father wasn’t the richest man anymore. His investments had gone rather badly, and Diana’s dowry was now less than Alisha’s. In an instant, Diana became just another ordinary debutante. Alisha hadn’t shown the girl much pity at the time. Diana hadn’t been nice to Alisha when she’d flown in the clouds, so Alisha hadn’t bothered to notice when she crashed back down to the ground. Right now Alisha wished she had been nicer, because falling from the clouds turned out to be more hurtful than she’d imagined.
“Let’s get out of here,” Jack said and pulled her from the table.
Alisha didn’t resist. She wanted to leave the room. However, she held her breath until they had actually made it outside. She expected any second for the general’s bellowing voice to stop them.
When the door closed behind them, they both breathed big sighs of relief.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested.
Alisha didn’t feel like walking. She just wanted to be alone…really alone…instead of being alone in a large group of people.
“On second thought, let’s go to our room,” he said. Placing his hand on her neck, he escorted her back to their quarters.
Since that was where she wanted to go, she didn’t resist. When they arrived, however, she stopped him from entering. “Thanks for helping me escape, Jack, but I really need to be alone now.”
“No, you most certainly do not.” He opened the door and guided her inside.
“Jack, please. You’ve been very kind to me, but I just need to sort some things out.” She went to her bed and lay down facing the wall.
A second later, she felt the edge of the bed dip as Jack sat down beside her. His hand gently stroked her arm.
“I know what you’re feeling.”
“No, you don’t,” she said, struggling not to cry.
“I do too.”
Angry that he wouldn’t leave her alone, she rolled over and glared at him. “Then tell me what I’m feeling!”
“You’re feeling like your catcher just lost its wind and dropped you on the ground. And what makes it worse is the person who stole your wind is someone you really like. So you’re ashamed of your resentment; you know it’s not fair; you only wish good things for your friend, but you don’t understand why their success has to cause you such pain. Surely, there’s got to be enough wind for both of you.”
Having her thoughts so clearly put into words brought the tears she had been so diligently fighting. “You do know what I’m feeling,” she admitted and quickly rolled over toward the wall so he wouldn’t see her cry.
She felt the weight on the bed shift, and suddenly he lay beside her, holding her as she cried away her misery. Having his arms around her reminded her of how the colonel use to hold her and thinking of Colonel Logan’s kindness only made her cry harder.
“I’m a horrible person,” she sobbed.
“No, you’re a wonderful person.”
“No, I’m horrible. Colonel Logan risked everything so I could have my moment of glory, and the first day he gets some well-deserved recognition, I react like the spoiled selfish little debutante I was raised to be.”
“I don’t believe you’re mad at Logan.”
“No, I’m mad at the general and all the others at that table. Not one person besides you congratulated me on my work today!”
“And it hurts,” he admitted. “And I should warn you, it might go on for a while. Stardom is a fickle busi
ness. But just keep doing your best, and things will settle out.”
“You sound like you speak from experience?”
“I do. A week ago I was considered the best strategic planner in the Corps. I might have been held in contempt by the colonels, but I had the trust and admiration of the general. And then this petite and absolutely amazing young woman stepped up during the briefing and shot my brilliant plan to hell.”
“You probably hated her,” Alisha grumbled.
He tightened his embrace. “Not for one second. I was glad she was there. My plan was a disaster. Without her, hundreds of Ryders would have died. However, she did take my wind, and suddenly the general had a second-rate planner on his staff.
Alisha rolled over so she faced him. “That’s not true! You are the absolute best. Once you have the right intel, you create incredible battle plans.”
“But part of my job is to have the right intel, and in the general’s view, I keep missing the mark.”
“Well, Powell is wrong. And I’m sorry I stole your wind, but I have to tell you, Jack, if you shared this to make me feel better, it didn’t work. Now I’m more upset than ever.”
Jack laughed and gently kissed her on her temple. “My point was to help you move beyond it, as I have, and find a place of acceptance where you can enjoy watching the other person fly while regaining your own place in the sky.”
Alisha stopped crying and sniffed. “Oh…can we get to that part now?”
Chapter 16
Logan had hoped to catch Alisha before they sat down to dinner. He wanted to congratulate her on her tremendous success. Unfortunately, Powell kept him on a short leash, pounding him with his hand every thirty seconds as if Logan was his pet dog.
If this was what it felt like to be General Powell’s favorite, Logan would gladly cede the position back to Jack. This was a hundred times worse than the general’s contempt.
Since Alisha sat halfway down the table on the same side as him, he couldn’t keep an eye on her. On occasion, he’d stretch for the salt just so he could observe her. He was worried. She wasn’t her happy self. He glanced at Jack to see if he was the problem, but Jack looked as concerned as Logan felt.
Scavenger Falters (The SkyRyders Book 2) Page 8
