“Sure!” Freyr laughed, as a nearby shuttle’s engines roared to life, blowing a sheet of dust over both of them. This close to the edge of the biosphere, sand was still more common than grass. Masgard levered himself off the side of his flyer where he’d been leaning and flicked his stim-cig into the dirt. “I thought we’d avoided the press by leaving from here. Guess I was wrong.” He nodded into the distance, where three small shapes approaching in the distance, blue sky behind them. “Are those news drones?” Freyr asked as the driver placed both their luggage onto a hovering cargo trolley. 

“Yeah, let's get you squared away. This is our shuttle here, everything is taken care of.” Masgard ushered her towards the waiting transport and up the ramp, using his tailored jacket to shield them from some of the dust. As Freyr’s eyes gradually adjusted to the gloomy interior, she realised it was almost full of cargo boxes. Only a few jump seats remained near the exit. “All this for me?” Freyr joked. Despite her outwardly jovial demeanor, she still felt shaken by the recent Cradle power surge. They seemed to be getting worse. Freyr was secretly pleased she wasn’t making this whole journey alone with her thoughts. Masgard chuckled. “The military hates the government’s habit of letting everyone arrive separately. They make good use of the empty space on transport ships when we’re involved.” 

After strapping in and making sure their luggage was secure, the ramp closed up and harsh lighting replaced the cool Outremer afternoon sun. The transport lifted up suddenly and Freyr held onto some cargo netting as the craft rapidly accelerated into orbit. She looked across at Masgard and noticed he’d gone decidedly pale. To try and distract him, Freyr asked one of the questions that had been weighing on her mind. “Do you know who else is coming with us? Like, outside of my Division?” Masgard shook his head quickly, his neck muscles tensing and his jaw set. “Not yet. It all happened so fast, but i expect we’ll find out soon.” Freyr nodded.

After about twenty minutes, the thunderous engine sound in the troop bay dipped slightly, and the directional strains gradually subsided. “I think we’re docking!” Freyr called. Masgard looked relieved.