Star Runners: Mission Wraith (#3) by L.E. Thomas Page B

such home vessels existed for each squadron, and he would see the Tizona very soon.  
    “So we report to this home vessel and then leave from there?”
    Ryker smiled. “You’ll see. You won’t believe it. Tradition calls for us to report to the Tizona for our assignments. We’ll board the shuttle in the morning. This time tomorrow, we’ll have our assignments and be on our way. Tizona officers from all over the Legion will be there for the ceremony. It’s been done this way for generations.” She leaned over and peered at him over her sunglasses. “But let’s not worry about that now. Today’s our last day. I want to enjoy it.”  
    *****

    “It’s up ahead.”  
    Austin twisted his neck for a better view. Thousands of micro units away loomed the moon of Mackaron orbiting the Legion core world of Tania. “I just see the moon.”  
    “Give it a moment,” Ryker said, her voice playful as she gripped Austin’s hand on the seat. She kept the action low enough to avoid being seen by the other officers in the transport.  
    “What am I looking for?”
    Ryker giggled. “I don’t want to ruin it.”  
    Austin squeezed her hand and peered into the blackness of space. The position lights of two escort Tridents glimmered past his window, but he knew Ryker didn’t want him to see two standard fighters. Her tone of voice had suggested something much more grand since they curved into the system two minutes ago. He lost himself in the dark view, remembering back to the days when seeing a Trident outside his window would have been grand enough to amaze him.  
    The Tizona School of Excellence—and his computer with the Star Runners game loaded on its hard drive—was a long way from these Legion core worlds.  
    The transport’s course adjusted, moving directly for Mackaron. Austin started to turn to Ryker, ask her what he was supposed to see but decided to be patient as she slid her soft fingertips across the top of his hand.  
    He inhaled deeply. He belonged here. He belonged as a Star Runner. Never in wildest dreams had he thought he would be reporting for duty as a full-on Star Runner. On top of that, he was traveling with the first woman he had ever loved.  
    The thought shot through him like an electric current.  
    Loved .  
    Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at her as she rubbed her hand across her chin. Her resolve had thawed during their leave, and he no longer saw her as an attractive flight instructor or officer. She was much more than that. She had become everything to him.
    “Officers,” the transport pilot announced, “we’re now in our traditional approach pattern. For all of you new officers, your initiation ceremony has now begun. Fellow Star Runners have carried out this tradition for generations. I would direct your attention to starboard to behold your home vessel, the revered Tizona . May she sail the stars for all time.”  
    The transport banked slightly. Mackaron, much larger now, filled the lower half of his small, circular viewport. The brownish surface passed the transport. A glint of steel reflected starlight in the top left corner of Austin’s view. A hulking piece of metal crept in front of the viewport. The steel came to a point. The incoming vessel dwarfed the escort Tridents as they shot toward the behemoth, becoming nothing more than faint specks of light.  
    “My God,” he breathed.  
    Ryker leaned over his shoulder and squeezed his arm. “What do you think, Rock?”
    “I don’t know what to say.” He watched the Tizona come into view. The sword-shaped vessel appeared large enough to hold thousands of Tridents—perhaps more. Countless running lights twinkled brightly as a steady meteor shower while the mass of the Tizona passed the transport. The blade section of the vessel stretched to the crossguard before becoming more narrow at the hilt. Freighters, cruisers and carriers docked and departed from the Tizona in well-orchestrated flight patterns.
    “Is