Tanya had been looking forward to firing up the Pathfinder's engines and finally putting her creation through its paces, but Amara had other ideas about how the testing should proceed.
"I've arranged for a test pilot and a cargo hauler to relocate the Pathfinder to another system," her business manager announced without preamble at their morning meeting. "Operational security requires that testing be conducted away from Eden-Five, and we can't risk revealing the ship's capabilities by flying it here ourselves."
"This is the first I'm hearing about any of this. I want to be the test pilot," Tanya said. She understood the need for secrecy, but she was still adjusting to this new lifestyle and knew she owed Amara more credit than she had given. However, the delay grated on her. She wanted to test it out.
"It's too dangerous for you to test the ship," Amara replied firmly. "I've already coordinated everything with your parents. They know you'll be away for a few weeks." She glanced at her tablet. "But before we leave, there's a more pressing issue we need to address."
She gestured toward the office entrance, where a woman Tanya recognised immediately was waiting with obvious excitement. Karen Mills had been David's friend since childhood and currently served as Eden-Five's only professional seamstress. It was a challenging occupation on a world where the wealthy travelled to Barth for fashion and farmers needed nothing fancier than work clothes.
"Tanya!" Karen said, overflowing with enthusiasm. "I can't believe I finally get to work with someone who needs actual professional attire!"
"I'm happy with what I've got," Tanya said automatically, gesturing to her practical work clothes.
"Absolutely not," Karen said firmly, while Amara nodded in agreement. "I was aghast when I saw the kind of people you were interacting with when that Garrett fellow arrived at Founding Day. Personal ship, expensive clothes, obvious wealth and status and there you were looking like you'd just finished working on a tractor and Ms Okafor tells me you don't dress much better for professional meetings!"
"I don't need to, I like what I wear, it's practical," Tanya protested.
"Exactly the problem," Amara interjected. "You're going to be meeting some very important people soon, and you need to look the part of a successful, professional engineer rather than a farm girl with a hobby."
What followed was an hour of feeling like a dress-up doll as the two women made her try on different combinations of clothing, fabrics, and accessories. Karen had been planning this intervention for a while, with samples and measurements that suggested considerable preparation. Tanya had to wonder if Amara had already organised it from the very beginning.
"Professional pants, blouse, and jacket work best for your petite build," Karen announced finally, adjusting the fit of a dark blue ensemble that somehow made Tanya look both more authoritative and more approachable. "The colours complement your light brunette hair without overwhelming your features."
"I look like a completely different person," Tanya said, examining herself in the mirror.
"You look like the person you are becoming," Amara corrected. "Successful, competent, and worthy of respect."
Once the impromptu fashion show was over, Tanya was finally able to meet the master builders aboard the cargo hauler. The massive vessel was designed for bulk transport rather than passenger comfort, but it served its purposes perfectly. The pathfinder was secured in a sealed cargo container, hidden among legitimate shipping until they reached their destination.
If the master builders were confused by the change of venue or the elaborate secrecy surrounding the test, they didn't show it. Elizabeth, Klein, and Garret settled into the journey with the patience of experienced professionals who had learned not to ask unnecessary questions about government contracts.
The thirty-hour journey gave Tanya time to review the ship's systems and double-check her calculations, though she found herself increasingly curious about their destination. When they finally arrived, what she saw through the cargo bay's viewports made her forget all about dimensional mathematics.
The military outpost was impressive enough. It was a cluster of stations and defensive platforms positioned around a failed terraforming project. But it was the ships that captured her attention completely. Cruisers and destroyers moved through patrol patterns with lethal precision, their hulls bristling with weapons systems and defensive arrays she had only seen in books.
"They're beautiful," she breathed, watching a destroyer execute a perfect navigation manoeuvre that spoke of decades of engineering refinement. "Look at the way that hull flows into the engine housing. And those weapon mounts. The stress distribution from the recoil must be incredible."
//Military vessels represent engineering optimisation for destructive capability. Aesthetically pleasing but philosophically problematic.//
"You don't like warships?" Tanya asked quietly.
//Weapons systems serve limited educational value. Construction for creation surpasses construction for destruction.//
She got the impression that Sage had strong opinions about militarised technology, though she couldn't quite understand why an alien AI would care about human ethical choices. Yet, She also agreed with them. She would rather develop ships for the little people, not the rich warmongers.
They were eventually transferred to one of the cruisers, where Inspector Davidson was waiting to greet them. Except he wasn't wearing an inspector's uniform anymore. The captain's stripes on his sleeve suggested either a promotion or a revealed identity that had been hidden during their previous meetings.
"Ms. Furrow," he said with a slight smile. "Welcome aboard the Vigilant. I trust your journey was comfortable?"
"Captain Davidson now?" Tanya asked.
"Always was. Inspector Davidson was a convenient fiction for our initial meeting." He gestured toward a secure hangar bay. "Shall we see what you've built?"
The pathfinder looked smaller in the cruiser's hangar, but she was still proud of it. The quantum-enhanced hull gave off an eerie feeling to look at. It visually looked the same, but she could sense it was different.
Elizabeth was the first to approach, running her hands over the hull with obvious professional appreciation. "This atomic welding work is exquisite. Where did you find equipment this advanced? I know some R&D companies are working on prototypes, but nothing this refined."
The Captain stepped in before Tanya could talk. "She had a mentor who lent her a workshop."
"Anyone I would know?" asked Elizabeth, clearly interested, but she was likely also challenging the story. Tanya suspected she likely knew all the master builders.
"Unlikely, they are a classified military asset." His tone indicated there would be no more questions about the mentor.
Klein circled the ship slowly, his expression growing more puzzled with each step. "There's something different about the hull material. I can't identify what, but I can feel it. The molecular structure seems... deeper somehow."
Garret simply walked over to Tanya and extended his hand with genuine warmth. "Congratulations on a job well done. This is exceptional work, especially for someone at your experience level." His tone carried an undertone that suggested he knew more than he was saying. "I look forward to seeing your future projects. I hope you prove as brilliant as the last few geniuses I've had the privilege to work with."
The way he said "geniuses" made Tanya's skin prickle. There was definitely more to Garret Velon than appeared on the surface.
"Well then," Captain Davidson said, checking his watch. "I believe it's time to see if theory translates to practice. Are you ready to test your pathfinder, Ms. Furrow?"
Tanya looked at her creation with a smile. Everything she had learned, everything Sage had taught her, everything the master builders had contributed, it all came down to this moment. She had waited long enough; she wanted to see it work.
"Absolutely," she said, surprised by the confidence in her own voice. "Let's see what she can do."
Tanya watched with growing unease as an unknown pilot climbed into her ship's cockpit. She would have much rather conducted the tests remotely, but that would risk revealing Sage's piloting capabilities, and that was something she wanted to keep hidden even from her allies.
"Why can't I pilot it myself?" she asked Captain Davidson. She already knew the answer, but wanted to at least ask, to make it official.
"Standard protocol," he replied. "Test pilots are trained specifically for evaluating new vessel performance. They know what to look for and how to push systems safely to their limits."
Tanya bit back her response about knowing her own ship better than anyone else. Adding remote piloting capabilities would have been ideal, but they represented a massive security flaw. Even if she removed the systems before the final mission, traces would remain in the ship's architecture that could be exploited.
//Remote piloting systems create vulnerability points. Operational security requires manual control only. Especially true for ships that will operate in hostile territory//
"Right," she murmured, watching the pilot run through pre-flight checks with professional efficiency.
The ship's startup sequence was flawless as every system came online exactly as designed, with the smooth progression she had fine-tuned during construction. She felt a surge of pride as the pathfinder's engines came to life with barely a vibration transmitted through the hull.
"Dropping from hangar bay," the pilot's voice crackled over the comm. "All systems green, proceeding to test range."
They moved to the observation windows as the spherical ship drifted out into space, looking oddly elegant against the backdrop of stars and military vessels. The test range was an elaborate obstacle course designed to evaluate manoeuvrability, acceleration, and overall flight characteristics.
"First test: basic manoeuvring," the pilot reported.
Tanya held her breath as her creation began weaving through the obstacle course. The sphere moved with fluid grace, its unconventional shape somehow working exactly as the mathematics had predicted. Each course correction was precise, each acceleration smooth and controlled.
"Excellent response to attitude thrusters," Klein observed, making notes on his tablet. "The symmetrical design is actually working in its favor."
The acceleration tests came next, and Tanya grinned as the pathfinder shot forward with impressive speed. The modified engines Klein had suggested were performing beautifully, pushing the ship well beyond what should have been possible for its mass.
"Top speed test shows performance within projected parameters," Elizabeth noted with satisfaction. "Power distribution is remaining stable even under maximum load."
Each test was a success, and Tanya found herself practically bouncing with excitement. The ship was working, not just functioning but excelling at everything they threw at it. It was proof she was capable of designing ships.
"Return to hangar for pilot debrief," Captain Davidson commanded as the tests concluded.
When the pilot emerged from the cockpit twenty minutes later, his expression was a mixture of professional assessment and obvious discomfort.
"Performance report," Davidson requested.
"Technically impressive," the pilot began, pulling off his helmet. "All systems responded within normal parameters, acceleration and manoeuvrability exceeded specifications." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "But it's extremely difficult to fly. The ship wants to roll constantly; there is something about the spherical design that makes it unstable around the pitch axis. The slightest touch to the controls makes it move too far, too fast. Requires constant micro-corrections to maintain heading."
Tanya's excitement dimmed as she absorbed the criticism.
"Additionally," the pilot continued, "the acceleration curve is brutal. Goes from zero to painful in about two seconds. Crew's going to need serious restraint systems or they'll be unconscious before reaching cruising speed."
Klein nodded thoughtfully. "The acceleration issue can be addressed with ramped power curves instead of linear progression."
"What about the control sensitivity?" Garret asked.
"That's a bigger problem," the pilot admitted. "I'd suggest implementing dual piloting modes—standard and combat. Standard mode would reduce control sensitivity by maybe sixty percent, making it manageable for normal operations. Combat mode would keep the current responsiveness for emergency situations where you need maximum performance."
Elizabeth was already making notes. "Software modification should be enough, shouldn't require hardware changes. Could probably implement it in a few days."
Tanya felt the familiar sting of criticism, even though she knew the pilot was right. The ship flew beautifully in terms of raw performance, but controlling it was an exercise in frustration.
"So close to perfect," she murmured to herself.
"Actually," the pilot added, "once you get used to the quirks, it's kind of incredible. Never seen anything change direction that fast or maintain stability in such tight manoeuvres. With some control software adjustments, this could be one of the most agile ships I've ever flown."
That helped restore some of Tanya's confidence. The fundamental design was sound, but it just needed refinement to make it human-flyable. She had to wonder if there were alien pilots or AI pilots that could use its full potential.
"How long for the modifications?" Captain Davidson asked.
"Give us a day," Elizabeth said. "We can implement the dual-mode controls and smooth out the acceleration curves. After that, she should be ready for vortex testing."
Tanya felt nervous as it was becoming all too real now.