Where Fools Fly In

No one can hear you scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.

LIlion MaKruchen had never been one to put such ancient thought to the test but she could hear her heart screaming. She wondered if anyone else could, knowing that the fleeting thought was nonsense. And if there was one thingilLIlion not partake in, it was nonsense. Still, she could feel the strain in her face and breathing, in each step toward the fighter ship and in the tilt of her head.

Could they see it? She'd immediately dismissed the ridiculous image of her heart break being audible. But the physical symptoms of stress and excruciating sadness were visible. Could they detect it in her gait or countenance? She glanced up at the viewing bay.

Her children, her babies, were jumping up and down, waving and calling 'Mommy!" with every breath. For them, this was just another 'trip' . She'd taken so many in their short lives. They had no idea... She captured their images in the camera of her helmet. It gave her some comfort. She'd be able to pull it up whenever she needed a view of home, whenever she needed to remember why she was far away and fighting instead of home where she was happy and comfortable.

And loved. So loved.

Then she shifted her gze.

Pifos was not smiling. Not waving or calling her name. He stood, tall and erect, beside their little ones, his sorrow covered to all but her. She saw it. She saw it in his eyes and the shadow of fear in his features.

Just as he saw hers.

When she neared her ship, she joined the other pilots, facing the bay where all the families were watching, waiting..

Waiting to leave the space station. Waiting to fly toward the small, blue planet. Waiting to engage with an enemy so ruthless that they'd left most of that planet's population reduced to rubble only three generations before. Waiting to save the remnent, knowing that the Horde was coming.

Waiting to die in the attempt.

She looked up once more at her husband. He would keep their children safe and would be one of the most protected men in the colony. His job as a Biotech was too important to let him go. And so, as soon as she left the flight deck, she knew her family would be rushed into the safest bunker, the safest spot.

She knew they would survive.

The Commander concluded his short speech. Lillion hadn't listened. It was meant to encourage the families and community.

The polits all knew the reality. Looking around, she saw the faces of others who knew, too. None were smiling like the crowds around them. None were cheering. They stared bleakly at the polits, no hope visible in thr etched features.

She turned to her vehicle, catching a brief glimpse of the ship's name, painted by her children on the tail.

Fool, it read.

"Fool?"Pifos asked as he watched them, cradling Lillion in his strong arms. "I'm not sure that's the best name for a battle craft."

Dac turned, his seven-year-old eyes serious. "It is," he said. "You know... 'Fools fly in where angels fear to... Something." He grinned. "I don't know it all. But Mommy is going to rush in. She's going to save us all."

Pi nodded. He tightened his grip on his slender wife. "Yes," he'd managed without a glitch in his deep voice. "She is."

Lillion felt the need to lighten the mood. Pi was getting far too serious. Dac was always serious. It could make for a very heavy combination. "I think it goes, fools rush in, Dac. And it concludes, where angels fear to tread."

"You don't rush anything, Mommy. You think. And you fly." Dac stepped toward his parents, grabbed her hand and smiled.

Lillion smiled. "Well, okay. But you could have called me 'Angel' instead of 'fool'."

Dac shook his little head. "No. You're not afraid of anything, Mommy. And the angels are afraid to go where you go."

That had been true. Because she was going to die today.

She waved through the thick material of her cockpit.