Under different circumstances, she would’ve wanted her and Epyc Ro to be friends. As it was, Epyc Ro’s scrutiny threatened to reduce her to a kind of adolescent awkwardness. Knowing it was her first assignment, knowing the HOVAs under her didn’t see her, didn’t trust her, and knowing that they had to be convinced that she was capable of leading them. Fela’s suit pinched about the shoulders and began to chafe around her groin. Even her chest plate felt a little snug. Despite its self-maintenance protocols, the exoskeleton smelled more than a little ripe. However, her EVM was not designed for comfort but rather to protect her from radiation, temperature extremes, and the vacuum of space. Her discomfort was better than death, and she didn’t want to appear the slightest bit soft in front of the squad. Her squad.

“I gotta put a helmet on this?” Robin patted her Afro puffs.

“I assume you know how.” Fela stared out the launch bay as the doors opened and the shielding was on countdown to lower for them to make their exit. She hated space jumps, preferring to do a space walk and risk zero-G nausea from floating. She had the same issue when learning to swim, never trusting the concept of relaxing and bobbing at the surface. Even then, she learned by simply diving in.

The ship’s shields dropped.

“Come on, we’ve got to go.” Epyc Ro slid past all of them, her way of cutting through the command bullshit. Possessing a bit of a reckless streak, without so much as a backward glance, Epyc Ro leapt into the oblivion of Eshu’s atmosphere.

Trying not to resent the captain undercutting her authority, Fela jumped after her.

Fela spun ass over neckbones for a few miles, little more than an ancient shuriken. The HOVAs had to make a tight landing window: waiting until they fell beneath any possible radar, if indeed anyone possessed that level of technology, but leaving themselves with enough time to activate their glide jets and stop. Twenty-five seconds into the jump. 546 mph. 600. 650. 785. 835. She stabilized, regaining control of her descent. Her suit was thin enough for her to feel the wind threatening to tear through her. The ground rushed toward her. The EVM thrusters fired. The sudden deceleration racked her body. Shields up, she positioned herself for landing. Her touchdown left a crater-sized divot in the ground.

Shedding the artificial carapace of the EVM unit, she stripped down to her field uniform and activated the tactical AI of her helmet. “Chandra, we good?”