Flight of Fancy
Posted on April 20th, 2011 by Kathryn Harper

The previously dormant ship grew larger on the viewscreen as Atlantis sped closer. Commander Kathryn Harper sat confidently at the helm, her hands darting over the console to adjust various functions with an air of skill that made it seem as if they moved of their own accord, without need for guidance from her brain. Her jade eyes moved continuously from the viewscreen to the panel’s instrumentation, efficiently processing all the information presented to her by this rapidly evolving situation.

On one glance up to the viewer, she hesitated but a moment, although her hands never stopped their work. From this distance, Kate could see the Sharks circling the alien ship, like hungry… well, sharks. A whispered Risan epithet escaped her lips as the thought crossed her mind of how much she wanted to be out there with them, with her fighter wing. The Sharks were no exception to the generalization that pilots were a cliquish lot, and Kate felt that as their leader it was her job to also assume any risk she asked them to take. It was beyond camaraderie; this was the bond of knowing that someone has your six.

Kate shook off the moment’s distraction. This was no time to care about what she wanted when the controls of a ship carrying over a thousand people were at her fingertips, which had fortunately carried on playing their silent concerto with competent precision during her fleeting reverie.