The WAIs run them with authorization from the pilot. We can’t reach a specific subsystem like that. However, we might be able to interfere with communications between the pilot and the jet WAI if we can get a stella drone close enough.

And that would prevent the jet from receiving the go-ahead. Good idea!

It’s done. We will do the same to the ones who are scrambling from Andrews to prevent our landing there.

She couldn’t get through to Olafson, but Connor, Ammanuel, and Hassan wouldn’t be isolated. She narrowcast to the three of them: “I’m coming back, and I have Ao Tara/Josephine Lee with me. Can you get word to someone in DC with authority? We’re going to land at Andrews, and I don’t want them firing on us.”

Connor grinned on his feed ten seconds later. “Good to hear your voice! I hope you’re seeing this. I have the radio you brought. I’ll see what we can do.”

She wanted to linger on his image, but more pressing matters demanded her attention.

After the shuttle cooled enough, it extended its wings. Jets accompanied them to Andrews once they entered American airspace, but they didn’t shoot. The spacecraft landed with Welga and Ao Tara on their backs. Swarms covered the air above, dense enough to cast shade. A well-armed greeting party had assembled a safe distance from the runway.

Even before she opened the hatch, the smells of Earth seeped in. Welga inhaled deeply and saw Ao Tara’s nostrils flare.

Home sweet home.

“I can’t move,” Ao Tara whispered.

Welga infused her body with enhancements to perception and motion, then set her motor nerves to prioritize strength over dexterity. She carried the monk up and out of the hatch. With her dakini body, gravity didn’t pose much of a challenge, and neither did Ao Tara’s weight.

Outside, the sun glared from a cloudless sky. They faced a line of soldiers, with armed agents farther back. A quick scan of the faces showed Olafson and Director Rice standing behind raised weapons.

Welga kept her hands visible as she held the monk. “My name is Olga Ramírez. This is Ao Tara, formerly known as Josephine Lee, currently the head of Eko-Yi Station Council.”

Ao Tara pressed her palms together, arms shaking from the effort. Her saffron shawl glowed under the midday sun.

Welga continued, “We are here in the hope that the United States government will respect diplomatic immunity and ensure our personal safety. Ao Tara offers her presence as a guarantee in exchange for the safe return of her dakini, who is currently held prisoner by the US government. The Machinehood would like to negotiate for peace.”

NITHYA