Chapter 4: Chapter 3 (The Messa region: the asteroid field)

Six weeks later they were all experts in the whirlpool and twister formation move; that move is also a prerequisite for underwater combat.

 

The instructor switched on the holo-emitter, and a map of the region appeared followed by an unknown craft navigating the band easily and rapidly.

"Take a good long look at that craft. ladies, let me introduce you to the Gliderdrops, Petra's brand-new model of attack fighter.

The Gliderdrops, so named because of their water drop-like shape, were impressive. The paint was black with shiny reflections caused by interchangeable metal palettes. They avoided the asteroid without much trouble because of their incredible speed and manoeuvrability.

Izzy's fellow cadets gasped and puffed but not Izzy; she was worried Bloody Hel, Petra's technology has either advanced considerably in a short period, or someone is helping them

She took her eyes off the holo-plans and realised that the instructor was staring at her; I guess I am not the only one thinking it.

The instructor continued, "Notice the lightness of the gliders; you can see that they have upgraded their sensors. That kind of advantage can allow them to attack from anywhere, including Messa."

The cadets shared a few looks; fear was starting to spread. They spend the morning studying the enemy's craft before breaking for lunch

Since her arrival at the camp, Izzy had been the main attraction. Although the students were trying not to stare at their Yerima, they couldn't help themselves.

After a few days at the camp, she noticed that students who had been through year one were easy to spot; they had already formed relationships and interacted with each other.

There was only one other student who had like Izzy jumped year one and just like Izzy was standing apart from the others. With her medium height, long black hair in a ponytail, light honey skin and black eyes she looked like she did not want to be there.

Izzy was relieved, she wasn't the only year one jumper and bonus, the girl looked like she was a northerner like her.

With a bit of luck, I might have found a possible friend she thought

The girl had not stopped watching Izzy.

Noticing Izzy's eyes on her, the girl blushed and looked away. Izzy took a big breath; I am the Yerima; she will not approach me; I need to go to her.

So, she made her way toward the girl, expecting to navigate through a sea of cadets, but it was not the case.

As soon as she took her first step, they all parted, some nodding at her. She gave them a shy smile fighting the urge to return to her former spot.

Izzy eventually reached her destination and stood in front of the girl, who, frozen, could barely breathe.

She said with a smile, "Hi, I'm Izzy."

The girl smiled back, "Your imperial highness, I am Yuka Jakobsen."

Izzy gave her a dismissive hand wave and whispered, "You don't have to call me 'Your imperial highness, I am just another cadet like you."

She then added, "looks like you are alone, like me."

Yuka nodded, "I jumped year one."

Izzy raised her brows and giggled "so did I."

She then looked around and said, "We should have expected the others to have made friends already."

Yuka chuckled a little and shook her head "I am alone, but you are not."

Izzy frowned "what do you mean?"

"They all want to talk to you; they are just either too shy to do so or they are staying away because they think that no one can speak to the Yerima without a formal introduction. All you need to do is to smile at a few of them, and there you go, friends."

Izzy grimaced and pouted "if that was true, why didn't you try smiling at them?"

Yuka shook her head, "because I am not the Yerima; I am not even a Member of the Tens princess Astrid."

Izzy nudged her with her shoulder, "call me Izzy; everybody does."

Yuka let out a nervous chuckle, "Izzy."

From that moment on, Izzy and Yuka became inseparable.

After the break, they asked the cadets to study the glider in groups of two. Izzy and Yuka were studying their glider when Izzy started to look around.

Yuka looked around as well then asked, "looking for someone?"

Izzy shook her head "more like something; my feet are tired, and they never put any chairs in here. If they think that it will toughen us up they are so wrong. All it does is get on our last nerve."

Yuka laughed, "I am sure if you ask for one, they'll find you one."

"No, I don't want the others to see me as the Yerima."

"In that case, why don't you do what I always do," said Yuka

Izzy laughed and said, "the floor it is then."

The girls walked to the back of the tent and sat on the floor while the others watched

"They always have a look of disbelief when we do that;"

Yuka laughed "yes and I love it"

"Did I mention that I knew you were the Yerima the moment you walked in the room?" said Yuka

"I highly doubt it," said Izzy in a giggle.

There was no portrait or photographs of the imperial family anywhere; on top of that, the imperial family always wore scramblers.

Scramblers are microscopic computer chips that make it impossible for anyone to take their photo or video by projecting a light, invisible to the naked eye.

But all Yans knew that the heir to the throne was petite, curvy, had long black and crimson curly hair and dark honey skin.

Yuka was adamant she had seen her before

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"Where?" she asked Yuka

"During Yule, on the imperial palace southside balcony. You always seem distant, away, like you hate being there," said Yuka

Izzy sighs "That's because I do hate being there. You are Norse like me, so you understand the importance of Yule. I was born in a small village; I deserve to spend every Yule there, not in Yanar Prime, our glorious capital"

Yuka stroked her arm and said, "I get it. I was forced to spend four years in the south. The worst Yules of my life."

They noticed four girls who had been staring at them, all day, finally walking up to them. They looked at each other, gave Izzy a nod, and then one of them turned to Yuka and said, "Hi Yuka, could we have a word?" They took a few steps back

Izzy and Yuka exchanged a look, smirked, Izzy nodded, and Yuka got up. She approached them and said, "How can I help?"

They smiled, exchanged more looks, and then one said, "Could you introduce us?"

Another said, "We would really like to know the Yerima."

Yuka crossed her arms, frowned, bobbed then said, "I'll think about it, see, if she might be interested and I will let you know."

They turned toward Izzy, gave her a few nods then walked away

Yuka walked back and stood next to Izzy, leaning on the wall. Izzy looked up and asked "Why didn't you just introduce them to me? I am fine with it."

Yuka stared at something afar then her eyes fell on the Yerima. She stayed silent for a while, just looking at her then said, "You are so beautiful, you look like a dark Freya."

Izzy laughed "Huh, thanks, my mum thinks I look more like Frigg"

Yuka gulped then nodded "yes, oh wow, it is so true, especially the statue from the main temple in YP (Yanar Prime). Not so much like the one in the south though"

Izzy burst out laughing and pulled Yuka's hand, forcing her to sit down

Yuka took a big breath then continued "You changed everything by coming here."

Izzy took her hand "I bet you say that to all your new friends" and she winked

Yuka let out a sad laugh, "Seriously, before you came, I didn't have a single friend, even at school, my circle of friends was quite restrained."

She looked at the girls that had approached them, "Now the fab four would do anything to be my friends."

Yuka sighed and shook her head "funny how life can change so easily"

"Hey, my circle of friends is restrained too," said Izzy

Yuka sighed and placed her head on Izzy's shoulder "Before you got here, these four arrived together, ignored everyone else, even sat in a corner making mean remarks about a few cadets and others from the navy. They did not come here to make friends, and they made sure everybody knew it. The others, even though they ignored me, had the decency to say hello. Some even asked me to join them, but I felt uncomfortable and decided to stand at the back. And then you showed up. Princess Astrid herself, heir to the throne, head of the empire's most powerful house and a year one jumper. All of a sudden, they want to be friends? No, thank you."

"Will you believe me if I told you that these people exist everywhere in the empire?"

Yuka raised one shoulder, "hmm mm, but we don't have to associate with them."

Izzy wrinkled her nose, "No, no we don't, we have each other, the girls from the north," and they burst out laughing.

The time finally came to pick their craft. Tradition demanded that air force cadets randomly pick a number and then search for the fighter with the same number. That way, no one can accuse the instructors of favouritism.

Most training fighters were ancient, but a few were new, and every cadet had their eyes on the new ones.

Izzy pulled out seven and Yuka two; they led the cadets to a range of crafts, each with a number on it.

Yuka's one was the closest; the girls found a beautiful, round, silver-painted brand-new fighter jet with a rounded nose.

The girls jumped and clapped.

"Now yours, "said Yuka, and they walked past a range of beautiful crafts; oh, my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods, am I getting a new craft? Thought Izzy

The thrill did not last; when they got to unit seven, all they saw were an extended range of class one fighter jets.

Class, one craft was old, loud, and ugly. They were grey and shaped like a missile with wings on each side and three wheels.

They designed them specifically for the Messa region over 50 years ago and have been out of commission for a long time.

I know I want them to treat me like everyone else, but at this very moment, I would give anything for special treatment and have the strength to ask for a new fighter without remorse.

Yuka noticed her face drop and took her hand "you can have mine if you want."

But Izzy shook her head," no, the gods gave me that old pile of metal, and I will take it like a big girl. I could do with a hug, though"

Yuka burst out laughing and threw her arms around her

Like most of her cousins, Izzy had always felt the weight of their rank in society. The protocol suffocated her, the never-ending rituals, and traditions, especially in the Lamidat, her father's region was insufferable to her. But what terrified her the most was the knowledge that she would be ruling over almost two billion people one day.

However not that day. No, that very day, while standing, staring at the big ugly fighter she ended up with, she wished the protocol were still alive and well.

There is a saying in Yanar Talk is cheap; if she didn't know what it meant before, she did now.

Izzy sighed, if that plane is good enough for my comrades, then it is good enough for me.

She took a big breath, turned, smiled at Yuka, and went in. It smelled like rust and aged cheese and was a mess with wires and tools everywhere.

The pilot chair was threadbare and uncomfortable; a miserable heap of junk, she thought, while kicking the chair in anger.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch" she screamed. She ended up hopping around, trying to numb the pain on her foot with Yuka covering her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh

A voice called for all cadets to take their seats in their designated crafts. Izzy stepped out and the girls ran into each other's arms, the time for jokes was over; "May the gods clear your path to Valhalla."

Yuka replied, "and yours"

They grabbed each other's lower arms, joined their forehead, and let go, it was the Yan greeting and goodbye. Yuka curtsied, Izzy let out a chuckle, shook her head, and then watched Yuka make her way to her craft while she returned to her seat. 

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