Jane came with Maura in a maintenance hangar and looked around.

Maura pointed at the Yaeger. „ There she is. "

Jane staggered at the sight and it took her breath as she went to the railing. „ Oh, my God. Look at her. Gipsy Danger. God, It's so beautiful. She looks like new. "

Maura smiled proudly. „ Better than new. She has a double-core nuclear reactor. She's one of a kind now. "

Jane looked long at Maura. „ She always was. "

Maura looked long into her eyes and got lost.

„ How do you like your ride, Rizzoli girl?", called an all too familiar voice. „ Solid iron hull. Forty engine blocks per muscle strand. Hyper-torque driver for every limb and a new fluid synapse system. "

Jane beamed as she saw her old friend Tendo and hugged him.

Tendo laughed. „ Come here. "

„ Tendo. ", Jane sighed. „ It's good to see you, buddy. "

Maura smiled broadly as she saw the warm welcome.

Tendo looked at Jane for long. „ It's good to see you too, sis. It's just like old times."

Jane loaded her luggage off in her quarter as she felt Maura coming in. „ What's your story? Restoring old Yaegers, showing has-beens like me around. That can't be it. You a pilot?"

Maura was visibly overwhelmed by Jane's directness and smiled shyly. „ No,. Not yet. But I wanna be one … more than anything. "

Jane enjoyed Maura's honesty. „ What's your simulator score? "

„ Fifty-one drops, fifty-one kills. "

„ Wow, that's amazing. But you're not one of the candidates tomorrow? "

Maura blushed a little. „ I am not. The Marshal has his reasons. "

Jane frowned. „ Yeah, he always does, doesn't he? But with fifty-one kills, I can't imagine what they could be. "

Maura hesitated for a moment and smiled politely. „ I hope you approve of my choices. I've studied your fighting techniques and strategy. Even … Alaska. "

Jane was still in flirt mode. „ And what do you think? "

Maura pressed her lips together and knew that she couldn't stop herself. „ I think … you're unpredictable. You have a habit of deviating from standart combat techniques. You take risks that endanger yourself and your crew … I don't think you're the right person for this mission."

Jane raised by suprise by the honesty her eyebrows, every flirt already forgotten. „ Wow … Thank you for your honesty … You might be right. … But one day, when you're pilot, you're gonna see that in combat … you make decisions … And you have to live with the consequences. That's what I'm trying to do. "

Maura hated herself for the outburst of honesty as soon as she saw Jane's face and went to her quarter pluged with blame. She paused as she was about to close the door as she saw Jane dried her face only just in sports bra and pants. Visible muscles and scars of battle on her body. Maura wasn't sure what of that let her stare but as Jane looked at her she winced and closed the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Jane slowly closing her door. Maura remained standing at the door and took a deep breath. She wondered how much one woman could endure. And how much one woman could change the life of another in no time.

The next day , Maura came as usual to Cavanaugh in the center. „ The candidates are ready. We will commence the trails immediately, Sir. "

Cavanaugh went on emotionless. „ Good. "

„ But there is one thing. "

„ Maura, we have talked about this. We will not be talking about it again. "

Maura dropped her shoulders. „ You promised me. I should be the one driving Gipsy with her. "

Cavanaugh sighed loudly. „ Maura … Vengeance is like an open wound. You cannot take that level of emotion into the Drift."

Maura looked at him pleadingly. „ For my family, I need … "

„ If we had more time. ", he cut her off roughly and walked away.

Maura looked after him and suppressed a sob.

Jane came into the canteen and earned skeptical views by anyone.

Korsak with two trays of food to her and smiled. „ Jane. Come sit down with us. "

Jane waved. „ Oh. I'm okay, thank you.. "

„ Ah, come on., there's plenty room at our table. "

Jane followed him to the table. „ I haven't seen bread in a while."

Korsak laughed. „ Hong Kong. Beauty of an open port, no rationing. We've got potatoes, peas, sweet beans, decent meat loaf. Pass the potatoes. Jane, this is my son Chuck. He's my copilot now. "

Chuck chuckled cocky. „ He's more my copilot. Right, Dad? So you're the guy, eh? You're the woman who's gonna run defense for me in that old rust bucket of yours? "

Jane smiled. „ That's the plan. "

Chuck fed Max. „ Good. So … when was the last time you jockeyed, Jay?"

Jane swallowed hard and took a deep breath. „ About five years ago. "

„ What have you been doing for five years? Something pretty important, I reckon. "

Jane held his disparaging glance, SHE had nothing to hide. „ I was in construction. "

Chuck frowned. „ Oh, wow … that's great. It is really useful, I mean. We get into a fight, you can build our way out if it, eh, Jay? "

Jane restrained herself. „ It's Jane.", she admonished.

„ Whatever. Look, you're Cavanaugh's bright idea. And my old man, he seems to like you. But It's guys like you who bought down the Yaeger program. To me … you're dead weight. You slow me down … I'm gonna drop you like a sack of Kaiju shit. I'll see you around, JANE. Come on, Max. "

Korsak looked after him in disbelief. „ You can blame me for that one I've raised him on my own. He's a smart kid but I've never knew whether to give him a huge or a kick in the ass. "

Jane ate relaxed and furrowed her eyebrows. „ With respect, Sir … I'm pretty sure which one he needs. "

Jane was about to establish her new copilot in the training room and anticipated every step of her opponet. She resisted any attack with her fight stick and attacked mercilessly. Every fiber in her body was tense and concentrated, both externally visible. Jane threw her opponent to the ground with ease.

Maura made unimpressed notes. „ Four points to zero. "

All clapped their hands.

The same was at Jane's second opponent. A ease.

Maura didn't looked up. „ Four points to one. "

It slowly bugged Jane that Maura didn't looked at her and was rough on the next opponent. "

" Four points to two. ", announced Maura annoyed.

Jane looked unaware at her. „ Okay, what? You don't like them? I thought you selected them personally. "

Maura looked at her confused. „ Excuse me? "

„ Every time a match ends you make this little …" Jane wrinkled annoyed her nose. „ gesture like you're critical of their performance. "

Maura felt caught and pulled her protective wall up. „ It's not their performance, it's yours. Your gambit. You could have taken ALL OF THEM two moves earlier."

Jane took unimpressed a deep breath. „ You think so? "

Maura licked her lips. „ I know so. "

Jane loved challenges. And that's what exactly Maura Isles offered her. She looked at Cavanaugh determined. „ Can we change this up? How about we give her a shot. "

A murmur went through the crowd and Maura looked at him hopefully.

Cavanaugh gritted his teeth. „ No. We stick to the cadet list we have, Ranger. Only candidates with Drift compatibility … "

„ Which I have, Marshal.", Maura cut him off.

„ Maura, this is not only about neural connection. ", Cavanaugh whispered. „ It's also physical compatibility. "

Jane waited and grinned. „ What's the matter, Marshal? Don't think your brightest can cut it in the ring with me? "

Cavanaugh accepted the challenges and looked at Maura. „ Go. "

Maura nodded and prepared herself for the physical-tactical fight with a aware Jane Rizzoli.

Cavanaugh stood straight. „ Four strikes marks a win. "

Maura took a deep breath and walked to the center.

Jane walked past her and looked into Maura's eyes. " Remember, It's about compatibility. It's a dialogue, not a fight. But I'm not gonna dial down my moves. "

Maura looked at her innocently. „ Okay. Then neither will I. "

Jane nodded and Maura took her first combat position skillfully.

Jane walked unimpressed toward Maura and then suddenly stopped and hold her stick like a waiting samurai sword leader. She slammed and stopped in front of Maura's skull. „ One-zero. "

Maura gasped and made a skiful stroke and stopped at Jane's forehead. „ one-one. " Now Jane was interested in everything. She struck unexpectedly in Maura's side. „ Two-one. Concentrate. "

Maura studied her long and deflected the next attack. Then she countered it with a view strocks and break through Jane's defense. She stopped at Jane's head. „ Two-two. Better watch it. "

That statement drove Jane even more. She led unhibited deadly strikes in her attacks. Noone but Frost could say that.

Maura automatically parried the hits and started the counter attack. Then she threw Jane to the ground and struck. She stopped a few milimeters in front of Jane's face.

Again a murmur gone through the crowd.

" Man. ", said a man loud.

Jane looked at Maura breathless, she didn't knew the reason if it was exhaustion or if it was arousal.

Maura looked at her, breathing heavily. „ Three-two. "

Cavanaugh came as the head coach to the ring. „ Maura. More control."

Jane grinned broadly, she'd found a new challenger. She flung Maura over her shoulder.

Abandonment disagreed Maura's nature. She stood up and fought Jane down again.

Abandonment Jane never would, she tried to get up again.

" Enough." Cavanaugh interrupted the fight. „ I've seen what I need to see. "

Jane stood up proudly. „ Me too. She's my copilot."

Cavanaugh sighed. „ That's not going to work. "

„ Why not?"

„ Because I said so, Miss Rizzoli. I made my decision. Report to the Shatterdome in two hours and find out who your copilot will be. "

Jane looked seriously at Maura, who passes her without any protest, and bit her lower lip. She felt it, why didn't Maura?