Page 8 of Rogue Starfighter

The final gate was a minefield without a visible route through it. I could hear Gina breathing into her microphone. Alisha had gone completely silent. Vesh’s voice remained calm. “The fighters will reach firing distance in twenty seconds.” I studied the moving mines. There. No… not there yet. But it would be.

I could feel the route before I saw it, the same way I sometimes knew two planes were about to become a problem before the warning flashed on my screen. A tiny shift in speed. An angle that looked wrong. Instinct built from years of watching moving objects and refusing to let them collide.

“Priya,” Gina whispered.

“I’ve got it.” At least I hoped I did. I accelerated.

“You’re flying directly into the mines,” Alisha said.

“Not for long.”

“Scout,” Vesh said, “I do not see a viable path.”

“Neither do I.”

“Good. I was concerned my sensors were malfunctioning.”

That was definitely sarcasm. I had not programmed him to be sarcastic. I didn’t have time to wonder about it. The first mine drifted left. A second rose to fill the space. I rolled between them, dropped beneath a third, and flew so close to the fourth that its warning light filled my screen.

Enemy fire streaked past us and struck the mines behind the Wraith. One exploded. Then five. Then the entire field went up in a chain reaction. My chair shook hard enough to rattle my teeth. Warning alarms screamed through the cockpit.

“Hull integrity?” I shouted.

“Holding. Keep flying.”

I did. The last mine detonated behind us, and the Wraith shot through the third gate into open space.

The stars went still.

No enemy fighters. No cannons. No screaming alarms. For one second, I heard nothing but my own breathing. Then Gina and Alisha exploded in my headset.

“PRIYA!”

“You did it!”

“Oh my God, you actually did it!”

The screen flashed white.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

Dead silence followed.

“Did Priya Anand just swear?” Gina asked. "Out loud?"

“I think she did,” Alisha replied.

“I swear.” I did. All the time. In my head. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. See?

“Not on comms.”

“This isn’t work.”

“Tell that to the voice you use every time we’re about to die,” Alisha said. She dropped her voice into a disturbingly accurate imitation of me. “Please remain calm. We are currently crashing into an asteroid. Your cooperation is appreciated.”

I laughed so hard my hands slipped off the controls. “I won.” The words felt strange. I had beaten the game.

“You graduated,” Gina said. “You’re an Elite Starfighter.”