___The shuttle deck was huge. All of the Destiny's small fleet of support spacecraft were still on the deck, making things crowded. They included large, ungainly-looking cargo ships, somewhat smaller passenger ships, and special spacecraft like the landers.
___"So, this is space..." Will said out loud as everyone just stared at the spacecraft, the deck crewman prepping the different ships, and the circular cargo platforms flying across the deck.
___The Deck Section was removing the fuel hose and power umbilicals from the Lander Titov while the team simply stared at the unfolding spectacle. The left-side window of the lander's cockpit was open and a female voice yelled out at them: "YOU! Cryonauts! You are delaying my departure. Get aboard the ship schnell!
___"Man, have we been drafted into the Wehrmacht?" Burt muttered as he boarded a nearby cargo platform. He helped the others get aboard and put their things under the platform's restraining straps. The platform's controls made the trip over to the Titov's smaller cargo door very simple, even if the team had trouble hanging on to the platform's rails.
___A flight crewman met them at the door. "Lieutenant Tempelhof and Flight Sergeant Green are to report to the cockpit immediately."
___Burt lowered Slinky from his shoulders, where the cat had been riding ever since they left their quarters. "Wait for me here, and be a good cat." Burt told him.
___"Bite me." The cat replied in his raspy voice.
___The cockpit was a couple of decks above the cargo/passenger hold. The pilot who had yelled at them was busy prepping her control board. Another flight officer was sitting in the co-pilot chair and beamed when he saw Burt and Kelly. "Ah, our cryonauts. My name is Lieutenant-Commander Mirax DepGoot and I'm in charge of the overall mission."
___"Lieutenant Tempelhof." Burt said, shaking hands. "And this is Flight Sergeant Kelly Green."
___Kelly whistled. "So this is what it looks like for real. Nice!" He plopped down in the co-pilot seat just vacated by Depgoot and began reaching for the control pad...
___"NO! The pilot shrieked as she slapped Kelly's hands. "You are NOT copilot on this mission."
___"This is Senior Lieutenant Helga Rhinetochter, pilot and second-in-command." Depgoot told them.
___"Pleased to meet ya, little lady!" Kelly said, smiling broadly.
___Helga gave him an icy stare. Then she said "Your position, Flight Sergeant," she stabbed Kelly's four stripes on his arm, pressing in the planet emblem with her finger for emphasis, "is in the spare navigator seat. The one behind you."
___Kelly was still grinning as he climbed out of the seat. He passed close by Burt.
___"What are you so happy about?" Burt whispered.
___"She wants me." Kelly said, just loud enough for the pilot to possibly hear. Burt rolled his eyes.
___"Completing preflight. Entering launch window." Helga said, matter of factly. She reached up and activated the commsystem. "Titov ready for flight, Control."
___"All personnel clearing shuttle deck. Standby for permission to move to Spot One, Titov."
___Burt strapped himself in, and saw another sleek, gull-winged lander outside his window. "Whose is that?" He asked DepGoot.
___"Ah. That's the Glenn. That belongs to second team. It's on standby as our rescue ship, should anything go wrong."
___"Well, that's reassuring." Burt muttered, swinging his data display console in front of him.
___The voice of Control came back on. "The shuttle deck his clear. Move to Spot One, Titov."
___"Roger." Helga's voice replied, her german accent clear. "Complying."
___Helga used the gripwheels of the lander to move along the "deck," following the lines and symbols until she reached a large "1" in a circle. Arrows pointed from Spot One to the wide door on one side of the deck. "Lander Titov on Spot One, Control."
___"Standby, Titov." Flashing red and blue lights appeared as if by magic all over the deck. A word appeared on the door in nufonic, but Burt couldn't make out at first. Then he realized it was "Depressurizing." The door began to pull "upward," revealing the stars outside, in strange and unfamiliar constellations.
___"Titov, this is Control. You are clear to depart. Good luck."
___"Roger!" Helga said. The ship status display indicated that the wheels were being retracted. The Titov must be hovering above the deck, Burt mused.
___"Low thrusters, direct flight." DepGoot said from his seat.
___There was no noise, nor a great burst of speed. Instead the lander almost casually glided along the deck following the arrows, until it went out the open door.
___Once clear, the lander began rotating, changing its aspect. Burt could see for the first time the huge shape of the Destiny. The interstellar spacecraft hung over Haven, lights shining on its hull emphasising its massive size.
___"Wow." Burt said, in quiet awe.
___"Ditto." added Kelly.
___"Titov, this is Control." Came over the speakers. "You are clear of Destiny's Safety Zone. Proceed to modified orbit and descent."
___"Roger." Helga replied. She referred to the navigation display, set and fired the nose thrusters. The blackness beyond the front window flared silently.
