Sharon Lee - - Prologue

"Bully!" Asu swung around, but Chelly was already back in the joint room, pulling open the shared coldbox.

"I will have you know," Asu said, following him, "that I do not bully Theo."

"Yeah?" Theo could imagine the look of skeptical interest on Chelly's face as she turned back to the mirror.

The sweater did look nice, she thought, and the wings, too. Her hair, of course, was a disaster area . . . She ran her fingers through it, trying to force it into seemliness. From the other room, Chelly and Asu's voices continued. In the mirror, her hair sprang back into wild disorder the second she took her hands away.

Sighing, she walked out to join her roommates.

"So, Chelly, what're you doing here?" she asked.

"Going to get the rest of my things out," he said, giving her a straight look. "I talked to the house father, Theo. You'll take my slot, Asu'll move up to First Bunk, and you'll be getting a new Second Bunk start of next term."

"Theo's not a senior," Asu objected.

Chelly gave her a bland look. "Don't gotta be a senior to be unit senior," he said.

Asu drew a breath.

And the doorbell rang.

"A pleasant evening to the house." He bowed slightly to Asu, who'd beat them both to the door. "I am Win Ton yo'Vala, come to call upon Theo Waitley, if she will see me."

"I see you," Theo said softly, feeling kind of fluttery and light in the chest. Win Ton, she noticed, had changed out of what must've been his dress uniform, into a dark sweater and pants—and his jacket. He looked at her over Asu's shoulder with a smile.

"I see you, also, Sweet Mystery. Is this everything that will be allowed us?"

She laughed. "Asu, you're not my aunt! Let him in."

"Certainly," the taller girl said. She took a fluid step back, and swept her arm out, head inclined very slightly. "I am Asu diamon Dayez. Be welcome, Pilot yo'Vala."

"My thanks." Win Ton stepped inside, brown eyes flicking to Chelly, who gave him a matter-of-fact nod.

"Chelly Frosher, Pilot Admin trainee." He paused, and added, thoughtfully. "Friend of Theo's."

"I am pleased to meet you, Admin Frosher," Win Ton assured him gravely.

He turned slightly, and Theo felt her stomach tighten, which was silly. This was Win Ton , not some stranger, or—

"Pilot yo'Vala!" Asu said, sharply.

Win Ton's eyebrows rose, and he turned, perhaps faster than he had intended. Asu went back a step, and he became very still, hands belt high, palms out, fingers spread in the sign for no threat .

"I was wondering," Asu said, sounding breathless, "if it is in fact yourself who taught Theo to play bowli ball." She tossed her head and smiled, nervously to Theo's eye. "She's coy with names, our Theo."

"Ah, is she?" He sent a quick look to Theo, the corner of his mouth tight with the effort of holding the laugh in. "Shall I reveal all?"

Theo felt her cheeks heat, but she met his eyes firmly. "All?"

He flung a hand up, as if in surrender. "No, you are correct! Word might yet reach my captain! But, to answer Pilot Trainee diamon Dayez—in fact, I was one of three pilots who introduced Theo to the joys of bowli ball. As you know, the best game can be had with a foursome, and the other pilots must need work around their shifts, so we did not play as often as any of us would have preferred."

There was a small silence, broken at last by Chelly. "Theo learned to play bowli ball from a Scout and two working pilots."

"Indeed." Win Ton turned, gently, to face him. "It would hardly have done to allow her to play with the passengers."

"Make that, a Scout and two cruise line pilots," Chelly added, and laughed softly. He shook his head at Theo. "No wonder you got an attitude problem, Waitley."

"I don't have an attitude problem," Theo told him, but Chelly only laughed again.

"Who here has not had their temper fail them?" Win Ton asked, possibly rhetorically. "Theo, are you hungry?"

"Yes," she said, though she wasn't, exactly.

"Then we are well-met, and well-matched! I am famished. As I am in receipt of the coords to a binjali restaurant, perhaps you will join me for dinner?"

Light spilled from the ship's at-rest lights, casting a circle that faded from ruby to pink along the tarmac. Walking at Win Ton's side, Theo crossed that magic circle and tried not to stare around while he spoke with the security team.

"This pilot and I will be lifting to coords provided by Master Pilot yos'Senchul very shortly. Thank you for your care of my ship."

"That's all right, Pilot," one of the two answered, both saluting with a snap. "Will you be returning?"

"This evening, yes. We will, of course, file with the Tower."

It was said gently enough, but the guards seemed to take it as a rebuke or setdown. Another pair of salutes and they were gone, marching briskly down toward Ops while Theo followed Win Ton up the ramp and into the ship.

The lights came up as they entered the piloting chamber, Theo walking as lightly as she could, as if she would bruise the ship if she set her feet too firmly. It seemed as if Win Ton had forgotten her; he walked to the board, leaned over and touched a rapid sequence of keys and toggles. The ship woke with a soft, welcoming chime. He turned and gave her a smile as bright as the one she remembered.

"Hovering at the door? But that will never do! Come, you must sit second for me!"

Theo stared at him, suspecting a joke at her expense. "I can't sit second on a spaceship," she stammered. "I don't have the hours, or—"

"Tut and tut, Sweet Mystery!" He came back and took her hand. His fingers were warm, patterned with callus.

"The pilot has asked you to sit second," he said, looking into her face with all of Win Ton's mischief. "It is, of course, a signal honor."

"Well, it is," she answered, defensively, but she let him lead her over to the second chair and show her how to adjust it, and where the webbing was. She tried to relax while he settled into the pilot's chair, her eyes drawn to the board, and something like . . . hunger in her middle . . .

"Now," Win Ton said calmly, his fingers dancing on a touchpad. "The pilot would take it kindly if Pilot Waitley would ride comm, and clear us with the tower. Coords—"

"Win Ton," Theo's voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again, watching the side of his face, seeing concentration and . . . something else. "Win Ton."

He glanced up, eyes soft with concentration. "Yes?"

"What are you doing?" she asked carefully, twisting her hands together on her lap so she wouldn't reach out and touch that tantalizing board, though she wanted to!

His gaze sharpened somewhat. "I am offering opportunity," he said, his tone precisely as careful as hers. "Will you grasp it? Or will you be shy and orderly?"

She knew better than to take a dare . . . well, mostly she did. But, that board . . . She swallowed and nodded, leaning forward.

"Comm is lit yellow," he said quietly. "The rest of the board is slaved to mine, so you may follow, if you like."

"Yeah . . ." she whispered, and raised a hand to finger the yellow toggles.

"Tower, this is Theo Waitley, sitting second on Torvin ." She paused, glancing to the amused Scout, who signaled there now , and her screen lit with ship numbers and info in proper sequence for her to read out, which she did, adding, "Out of, Solcintra, Liad, local berth Number 9F. Torvin 's pilot requests a tow to a launch pad at your earliest convenience."

There was a moment of perhaps shocked silence, then a voice she didn't know answered calmly in the affirmative. "Acknowledge, there, Torvin , we see ship systems coming live. We'll call out the horses and camels now, if you can wait that long."