The controls were foreign, but this was far from the first time someone had asked Rodney to pilot a machine he knew nothing about. Throughout his admittedly short life, people had repeatedly tasked him with working on equipment they couldn’t operate. He didn’t mind much, but it did as a certain layer of pressure at a young age that he wasn’t ready to deal with. There was no point in being distressed about it, though. His pain created a career back on Earth and gave him a place of significance beside Jean.

  “Mik’t, I assume these shuttles come with a grav field?” He asked, familiarizing himself with the control layout and pinpointing what was important.

  “Yes, push that button and you’ll create a negative gravity field that will allow us to break the atmosphere without burning a large amount of fuel.” The alien clacked, pointing to a button printed with a circle intersected by outward facing arrows. Moving on, he explained more ship functions as quickly as he could. “Here is your ignition, and the control sphere will allow you to move in three dimensions.”

  “Active heat shields?”

  “Here. But they drain a lot of power and only run for a short time before burning out. It’s best to rely on the passive shields until they are truly stressed.”

  “Understood.” Rodney said, activating the engines while Mik’t turned on the life support system. “We launch in ten. Monique, if you’re not strapped in, this is a good time to get that way.”

  He heard the woman curse in the back of the ship, struggling to tighten straps made for creatures much larger than she. Eventually, she got so frustrated that she pulled her knife and sliced through the restraints and tied them together. It wasn’t perfect, or even serviceable, but the scene made Rodney laugh. In a situation this tense, laughter was key to survival.

  Mik’t’s chitinous hands ran across the control panel, pressing buttons and entering codes. Above, the clamshell doors above the hangar opened to reveal a violet sky. He wasn’t a pilot, but every Scaladorian learned how to operate basic environmental shielding from a young age.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sky,” Rodney whispered longingly. “Even if it’s not mine, the sense of freedom I feel when seeing the open air is just…”

  “I get it,” Mik’t clicked, “no creature should be kept from the sky. Even before I knew the truth of my people, I believed this. Perhaps in the world we create, all creatures will have the right to see the sky.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The human pilot nodded, hoping the dream would become a reality. If Jean was half the man he pretended to be, all people that came to this place would be free to live the way they wanted to live. Considering how long it had been since the citizens of Earth had experienced true freedom, it would be a new experience for him.

  Rodney grabbed the control sphere and engaged the anti-grav, pushing the shuttle into the air with the ease of a released balloon. His sense of freedom grew as he spun the ship’s axis and angled the nose toward the sky. The alien void called to him, waiting for the shuttle to break free of this world and fly. Answering the call, he pushed the throttle forward and felt gravity settle in his chest like an old friend.

  “Jumper launched.” He said, setting the ascent angle and locking the sphere. “At this speed, I expect us to break atmo in about thirty minutes. Mik’t, if you would, lay out the plan one more time before we make the connection.”

  The Scaladorian turned, tearing his eyes away from the helm to address the humans he’d thrown in with. Rodney knew what would happen if he turned on them, but there was no point dwelling on a problem that might not arise. The rebellion was new, and the pirates were young. If there was ever a golden opportunity to destroy them before they became too powerful, it was now.

  “Once Rodney successfully docks with the orbital, I will carry the grav sled to the long range ship and deliver the load of gravitrum. While I’m going that, Monique will make her way to the control center and be ready for my signal. Have you tested the seals on your suit?”

  Monique nodded in response, patting the helmet beside her affectionately.

  “Good. There will only be one of my kind at the security station, and he will probably not be paying attention. They make an assignment to the orbitals sound interesting, but it’s by far the most boring job in our organization. Do you still remember the route to get there?” Mik’t paused, waiting for the nod he knew would be coming. “Good. I don’t want to know what you do to the guard, but just make sure he can’t bother us.”

  They all knew how the warrior would handle the situation, but the Scaladorian had already seen enough of his people die already. If there was a way for him to remain ignorant of more death, he would take it and hold on as hard as he could.

  “Once the exchange is complete, I will return to the shuttle and we will break away from the orbital. Monique will wait for the long range to get out of detection range, then she will vent the station and kill any remaining Scalador on board. I wish I could take them all into that tunnel and show them the truth, but I know we cannot risk it.”

  A chime sounded on the dash, informing Rodney that it was time to dock with the Orbital station. His heart pounded in his chest, daring him to make the next move to claim his freedom. Turning back to the instruments, he retook control from the AI and began connecting the shuttle to the station. A loud hiss echoed through the ship a few seconds later.

  It was time to finish this truly grim task.