The next morning breathed an air of relaxation all through the living decks of the Quarter. All of the pilots in Skull Squadron had the entire day to themselves, thanks to Ozma's arrangements. The common areas of the ship were sure to be bustling with activity, since the pilots had plenty of time to get to know each other on a more personal basis. Unbeknownst to many of the newer pilots, they were going to come under an attack of a different type of "enemy" today.

Cal sat in his quarters at the small table for two, enjoying his first cup of coffee in the morning. He had a small paperback book opened in one hand, while he used the other hand to drink his coffee. Just as he was beginning to appreciate the quietness of his quarters this morning, the door burst open and Will dashed in. Dripping wet and holding a single washcloth in front of his crotch, he stood inside the door, panting and looking at Cal with distraught eyes.

Cal's reaction was as slapstick as could be expected. Having just started taking a sip of his coffee, he almost inhaled the whole cup, burning his mouth. Of course, he spit the coffee out all over the table. Fortunately, he had lifted the book up beforehand, but the rest of the items on the table were not as lucky as they received a thorough coffee-bathing.

"What the hell Will?" Cal exclaimed, while covering his eyes and writhing in pain in his chair "My eyes! My eyes! I've been blinded!" "Some asshole took my towel and clothes from the bench next to my shower stall. I looked all over the empty locker room and could only find this washcloth to cover myself. I almost got back here unseen until I started coming down this hall. A couple of mechanics saw me and I had to run in here before they started laughing."

Will stared at Cal while he began to suspect who the prankster was. "It was you, wasn't it?" Cal vehemently denied any involvement in the recent mischief. "Goddammit, put some clothes on, Will. I was just about to go get some breakfast, but you took care of my appetite. Thanks..." Cal said as he continued to cover his eyes. Will shuffled through his drawers and pulled out another uniform set before using the bathroom in the quarters to change.

Cal grumbled as he looked for something to clean the coffee off of the table. "I'd better watch out or I might find myself on the receiving end of more hazing," he thought to himself. He remembered the bathroom-cleaning incident and the subsequent photograph of him in his boxers being posted in the public eye. It looks like it's open season for practical jokes today.

A knock at the door warned Cal of possible incoming. Carefully opening the door to peek at who was on the other side, the cheery face of Nene met Cal's eyes. "Good morning, Lieutenant. I, um, found this uniform and I thought it might belong to Ensign Garrett. Can you give it to him for me?" Will emerged from the bathroom just in time to see the exchange between Cal and Nene. She continued down the hall after saying "goodbye", closely followed by her sister. Klan casually looked at Cal from the corner of her eye as she passed by; a wicked grin was visible on her face.

Cal slammed the door shut to keep her from getting in, if that was what was about to happen. He stood with his back against the door, ready to brace it against any forcible entry. Will's neatly-folded uniform was still in one of his hands. Will raised his quivering hand and pointed at the door, "Was that-?" Cal nodded and responded before Will could finish his sentence, "It was them." Will gritted his teeth as he planned a horrible revenge to get back at Nene and Klan.

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna stay in here for awhile, lest I fall into another trap," Will stated. Cal thought for a minute about the advantages of staying out of sight while the assault raged on throughout the living areas of the ship. He shook his head before answering, "No. I'm not going to let those two intimidate me from doing whatever I want today. You can stay here if you'd like. I'm going to the mess, now that I am getting my appetite back." Cal opened the door and peered outside to see if there was any signs of an ambush. He then darted out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

The galley was still relatively empty, but Cal cautiously entered and grabbed his breakfast. He took a seat next to a couple of the new pilots who were sitting at their usual spot. "This may be a weird question, but have you guys encountered anything 'unusual' going on around here today?" Cal asked. The two pilots looked up from their plates with inquisitive looks on their faces. Cal frowned, hoping to hear some stories already, "I guess not, huh?"

Before any other words could be said, another pair of pilots sat down at the table. Their faces were screaming "Don't ask" as they worked to cope with their unfortunate encounters this morning. One pilot's hair was bright red, the other's mouth was completely stained black, including his lips. They forcefully ate their food, disgusted by their own appearance. Cal was doing his best to hold in his laughter. Only the fear of getting hazed again helped him keep his serene composure.

Finally, the two hazed pilots admitted what had happened. "Dye in the shampoo." "Dye in the toothpaste." It seemed like telling everyone at the table what had happened helped them to laugh it off a little bit. "I am wondering if I'm going to be hit again. Or maybe not, since I have already been hazed," Cal confidently stated. The other pilots looked at each other and laughed a bit, remembering the picture they had seen of Cal in his boxers. "I sincerely doubt it," one of the pilots responded.

A few more pilots and ship personnel entered the galley and picked up some food, but didn't appear to have been hit yet. These hazing rituals may not be strictly for pilots, as it would make sense for the newest crew members to be susceptible to the foul play of their veteran shipmates. Paranoid about his fate, Cal continued to pick at his food and inspect it for any surprises that might be hidden inside. He eyed his drink for any foreign liquids that might have found their way into his glass.

Quickly finishing his food and excusing himself from the table, Cal had to find a place to go where he was less likely to be found. His quarters was too easy, so he decided that since the squadron had the day off, nobody would expect to be found hanging around their bird in the hangar. Those Skull pilots were a sneaky bunch, though. They'd probably seen every trick in the book by now.

Upon entering the hangar, Cal could see several new items hanging on the squadron message board. "Oh no..." he said to himself as he approached. Already, the veteran pilots had taken pictures of their work and posted it for everyone to see. These pictures were sure to last for a very long time, since they were so proud of their efforts. Cal recognized several of the pilots who had already been hit. His own picture was now accompanied by several others, displaying their humiliation for all to see.

Cal noticed a pile of tubes of paint and some brushes, still wet from recent use. Fearing the vandalization of his bird, Cal ran over to find out if there was any "damage" done. Sure enough, it looked like Klan had already come through with her branding. A huge, crudely-drawn, yellow chick was painted on the side of the fuselage, close to the canopy. Underneath the drawing, was his name with the word "The Chickling" in between, as if it was his new nickname. "Lt. J.G. Calvin 'The Chickling' Wagner," Cal read out loud as he marveled at the handiwork. He glanced over to Will's VF, which had pretty much the same thing painted on the fuselage. The writing was a bit different, indicating that someone else had done Will's plane. The author had painted a caricature of herself as a signature. The pink hair made it obvious that Nene was responsible for the defacing of Will's bird.

Jen Wentz arrived in the galley to get her breakfast and was dumbfounded by the strange activity going on. Having seen the hazed pilots for the first time, she looked at each one of them with confusion written all over her face. She tried not to let it slow her down as she approached the mess line. Her thoughts wandered to Cal's condition, as she wondered what kind of trouble he might be getting into today. Since today was the squadron's day off, she knew that it would be a good chance to get back with him and see if she can get any indications from him on whether or not he's interested in pursuing something more than just mere "acquaintance" at this point. Cal was definitely in trouble for allowing their relationship to deteriorate this far. Jen pulled out her cell phone and began to punch in a text message.

In the darkest corner of the mess, three pilots sat together feeling completely mortified. Bobby had used their faces as canvasses for his work. Mimicking Alto's character, Princess Sakura from "Sakurahime Azuma Bunsho", the pilots sported snazzy makeup that gave them the same appearance as the now-famous performance. Like clockwork, Alto showed up to rub it in. He dropped in behind two of the pilots and put his arms around each of their shoulders. "So, since you guys have made it abundantly clear to constantly remind me of my previous career, I figured this would be appropriate. I wouldn't try to take any of this makeup off or you might make it even worse," Alto said as he turned around and gave a thumbs-up to Bobby. Jen could be seen in the background trying to contain the laughter.

Halfway through her breakfast, Jen felt her phone vibrate on her hip, telling her that she received a text message. Her heart skipped a beat from the breaking of the anticipation she had been enduring for the entire meal. Quickly finishing her last few bites, Jen hurriedly wiped her mouth with a napkin and rushed out of the mess hall. She stopped at a mirror that was on the wall and did a quick spot check to make sure she was as presentable as possible.

On the observation deck, Cal stood at the large window exposed to the soft glow of outer space. The stars, asteroids, and local ships were all that were illuminating the hallway. Cal watched the activity taking place on some of the asteroids in the distance while he waited for the company of one Jen Wentz. It didn't take long for her to reach the top of the stairs, but she quietly tread the last few steps to see if she could enter the room undetected. She could only make it a few steps into the room before Cal reacted to her presence.

"Why so quiet?" he asked, still facing the window. Jen skipped forward and put her arms around Cal from behind. Giving him a huge squeeze, she had to respond to his question, "I forgot that you're a pilot for just a second there. I was hoping to sneak up on you just to see if it could be done." Cal sighed as he smiled, "Silly girl." He placed one of his hands on hers and rubbed it for a moment. Jen reacted by nestling the side of her face into his back.

Quickly changing her demeanor, Jen walked around to Cal's front and began to inspect him. Cal watched with a confused look. "What are you looking for?" Seeing nothing out of place, Jen sighed in relief. "Just making sure you haven't had anything done to you." Cal began to suspect that she knew about the hazing rituals taking place today. Jen continued, "I saw some really nasty pranks being played on the other new pilots. I had a suspicion that you might have been hit in some way already, but I see that that isn't the case. But then again, you did get hit when you first transferred onboard, didn't you?" The two slowly sat down on the bench in front of the window.

Cal was slightly embarrassed that she knew all about the bathroom prank. He's going to have to get used to having a semi-risque picture of himself floating around the ship... and the fleet, if someone were so inclined to be that mean-spirited. Jen smiled with a hint of mischief, "Yes, I saw the picture. I must say, though, 'nice boxers!' I've seen them somewhere before... oh yeah, on my floor." Cal didn't really like her bringing up their intimate moment together some weeks ago. Jen saw the look of consternation on his face and felt it would be best to not take that any farther at this moment. After all, she's just here to do a little scouting on him.

After a moment, Cal broke the uncomfortable silence. "Although I've been hazed already, I wouldn't be surprised if I got hit again. Ever since I joined Skull Squadron, it's felt like one person has been out to get me. Knowing her, she's probably planning something as we speak." Jen thought for a moment as to who Cal was talking about. She searched her mind for all of the possible females onboard who would have a strong connection to Cal. "Commander Klang?" she asked. Cal nodded.

"What's the deal with you two? I've heard some stories, but I had no idea you had an existing relationship before you came onboard. You never mentioned having met her when we were together the night before we left Aimo." Jen prodded. Cal laughed because he really didn't know how to put it without making Jen feel somewhat threatened about him having another female who is a significant part in his current day-to-day activities. He had suspected that Jen still held some desire to be with him again ever since he had lunch with her a few days ago.

"I guess you could say we're two rival pilots being forced to work with each other. Although, she is my commanding officer, it still doesn't stop us from butting heads sometimes. I sometimes enjoy the conflict, and I think she also does in a way. Don't quote me on that, though. She'll have my ass on a platter if she ever found out I said such an accusing thing to someone else about her," Cal said as he chuckled nervously. Jen was picking up on the hidden meanings behind what he said, but couldn't figure out how to ask him without blowing her cover.

"How does it feel to be flying again?" she asked. Cal couldn't wait to express how much he's been enjoying the past couple of weeks being back in the cockpit again. "Oh, it's the greatest feeling ever. To have the freedom to go wherever you want and not be bound to the ground... it's like defying the very laws of nature. You refuse to let gravity completely control where you go. To me, flying and fighting are the most trivial and liberating things in life. Once again, I get to do both things at the same time while serving on this ship."

Unable to relate, Jen tried to make herself into something that would appeal to Cal's interests. "Oh, I can imagine. Sometimes, I wish I was out there flying with you all." "Oh yeah? Why didn't you become a pilot?" Jen had to think for an answer. Cal's question exposed her last statement as an outright lie and she needed to do damage control. "I don't know. I just didn't know what I wanted to do when I went through the academy. I picked operations command because I want to become an officer some day. I guess... now that I think about it, I felt that commanding was more interesting to me than flying." Whew! Good recovery, Jen.

"Always do what makes you happy," Cal said. Jen smiled as she realized that Cal was going to play out her little ruse, as if he understood what it was she was trying to do. It's nice of him to not point out the glaring fact that she was stretching the truth to get some favor points. She snuggled up to him to show her appreciation for the harmless comment.

"Cal," she said, changing her tone into a serious one, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you since you came onboard." Jen had made her decision to jump at the opportunity to ask Cal about how he felt for her. "Did you ever think about the possibility that we'd be serving on the same ship ever since we left Aimo?" Cal's face had a bit of a shocked look to it. "Of course not. The odds were astronomical. I'm glad to be here now, though." Jen's face lit up as she hoped that he was talking about being on the same ship as her. Cal continued with his answer, "Serving in an elite squadron has always been one of my biggest aspirations since I joined the NUNS. Getting to fly with other pilots whose skills meet and/or exceed my own makes things so much more interesting."

Jen's look of exuberance quickly drifted into disappointment. "Oh. Well, at least we get to see each other regularly now, right?" Cal thought about what Jen was beginning to hint at. "Well, of course. That's just the bonus of all this," he nervously replied. Jen knew he was really reaching for a way to make her feel better. She could tell he was doing his best to tell her what she wanted to hear, without giving her the wrong impression. Considering whether or not it was best to continue with this conversation, Jen took a deep breath and prodded on. This may be her best chance at getting what she wants.

"I know I told you that we have no ties together back on Aimo, but it doesn't mean that we can't establish something now," Jen said as she brushed up against Cal's shoulder. At this point, Cal could see exactly where she was going with this. His mind raced as he tried to think of how to get out of this without making any kind of hard commitments. Part of him was interested in Jen's proposal, but another part of him felt like he wouldn't have the time or the desire to pursue anything more than friendship. Now that he has his wings again, he's been reunited with his long-lost love of flying. The honeymoon phase was still well underway and it was going to be nearly impossible for him to discover what he wants to do with Jen while he's undeniably enamored with taking his bird out into combat.

"You're right about that, Jen," Cal said while he searched his mind for something else to say regarding the subject, "That was one memorable night we had together, though, wasn't it?" Cal hesitantly chuckled at his statement, but Jen took it as serious as she could. "Then you understand why I choose to return to you with these words," Jen said as she began to lean forward towards Cal's face. The moment of truth is nigh for Cal. Time seemed to crawl to a near-halt as he desperately searched for a way out of this predicament.

His prayers seemed to be answered immediately as he sensed something was about to go awry. Instead of meeting Jen's lips with his, he reeled away and stood up. Jen was shocked and surprised at his sudden reaction. "What's wrong? Did I say something you didn't like?" Cal didn't answer and instead stood clear of her, like he was waiting for something to happen.

Out of the shadowy areas of the halls, two people charged at Cal. One carried a small bucket, and the other carried a filled plastic sack. Awaiting his destiny, Cal remained motionless as Nene dumped the bucket over his head, completely dousing his uniform. Klan hopped up on the bench that Cal had been sitting on and opened the bag to release its contents onto him. Down feathers immediately adhered themselves onto Cal's head and uniform and started to float everywhere in the vicinity. To finish the process, Klan pulled out a specially-prepared hat and forcefully seated it on Cal's head.

As quickly as they came in, the two Zentraedi sisters left the room. Jen sat on the bench covering her mouth with her hands as she gasped in surprise at what had just happened. A smile began to creep onto her face as she finally realized why Cal reacted so violently to her aggressive advances. "You knew they were coming, didn't you?" Cal laughed at the predicament. "Yup, I showed you that a pilot's senses are top notch. I just didn't want you to get any on yourself."

Jen blushed at the thoughtfulness that came from his abrupt reaction. "You wanted to save me from the attack, huh?" Feathers were still dancing around Cal as his every movement disturbed the deposits of down all over his body. He huffed a few times, trying to blow some of them away from his face. "A good pilot always sacrifices himself to save his teammates."

Cal pulled the hat off of his head and inspected it. It had been painted yellow and a handcrafted set of fluffy wings protruded from the sides. A reddish beak made from the brim of the hat and a second like-sized piece of sewed-on cloth was accompanied by a pair of googly eyes glued on the front. The back of the hat had two floppy brown pieces of cloth cut in the shape of chicken legs hanging down. Cal had to laugh at the amount of handiwork it took to make the hat. Someone really outdid themselves on this prank.

Jen was still at a loss of words as she tried to break the uncomfortableness of the situation. Cal took a deep breath, to help move the conversation forward. He turned to look at Jen with his answer, "What you did for me on Aimo deserves all of the thanks. Right now, I need to make sure I know what I want before I give you any definite answers. Give me some time to think things over and I'll let you know what I come up with. I'm sorry I've been ignoring you the last week, but as you can imagine, I've been quite busy." Jen didn't get the answer she wanted, but she was okay with a "maybe"... for now.

Cal accompanied his answer with a hug and a kiss on her cheek. He left a few feathers on her uniform as he stood back up from the hug he was giving her. "I have some stuff to take care of, so I will probably see you here and there for the rest of the day. Let's get together to eat soon, okay?" Jen nodded and wiped the emulsion of liquid and feathers that he left on the side of her head from the kiss. Cal casually strolled back out of the hallway onto his next item of business.

Refusing to let the recent turn of events mortify him, Cal decided to show up in the mess hall to see what kind of big deal he could make out of his hazing. The dull roar of conversation in the mess hall was interrupted by his entrance. "Hey! Look what happened to me!" Several of the newer pilots and crew were sitting at one of the larger group tables in the mess. Most of them applauded and cheered at Cal's entrance. Evidence of hazing instances were on some of those crew members. Cal sat down to visit for awhile, but he was looking for someone in particular. "Has anyone seen Ensign Garrett?" he asked. Most everyone shook their head in response. Cal stayed to chat for a little bit, but quickly got back up and left the room in search of his good buddy.

The return to her quarters was a little tougher than Jen expected. Cal's indecisiveness continued to dog her, even though she could somewhat understand the reasons he had for not showing any desire for commitment at this point. Unfortunately for her, her shift on the bridge was coming up soon. The pilots in the squadron may have the day off, but the command crew did not. There was one other person on her mind who might be able to help her see things a bit more clearly.

Cal burst into his quarters, hoping Will was still being too much of a wimp to show his face around the ship. Sure enough, he was reclined on his bunk while watching TV. Cal sat down in the chair facing the large viewscreen near the bathroom door. Will took a quick glance at him and turned back to the TV. It only took a split second for him to whip his head back around and look at the condition of Cal's uniform. The double-take was accompanied by a bit of laughter. "Yup," Cal simply said without turning his gaze from the TV "You still need to see what they did to our birds." Will jumped up from his bed in disbelief. "No! What happened?" "We got a slightly new paint job. Don't worry, I have a plan to get back at them for it."

Will flopped back down on his bed in relief. He had imagined something more horrible than the brief description Cal had given him. "C'mon to the hangar, I'll show you," Cal said as he got up from the chair. Will hopped down and followed Cal to the door. "Aren't you going to change?" Will asked. Cal just smirked and opened the door to exit the room.

Accusing stares from random crew members stuck to Cal, much like the down feathers did to his uniform. Cal first wanted to show Will the collage of pictures that was multiplying exponentially on the squadron message board in the hangar. Upon reaching it, they marveled at the careful planning it took to execute such a well-coordinated massive strike on the new pilots in the squadron. Even Will had been candidly photographed wearing only a washcloth as he ran down the halls near the quarters. However, one picture caught their eyes. It was the all-familiar picture of Cal in his boxers cleaning the toilet... only it had been altered to show him wearing a maid's uniform, still bending over the toilet with brush in hand. A crude caricature of Klan's head was drawn in the corner, gesturing her approval of the activities taking place in the photograph.

"I gotta admit, that girl has this shit down to a science," Cal said. Will nodded in agreement while Cal continued, "We know what we're up against. I think it's time to plan out a counterattack." Will followed Cal to their VFs so he could see what kind of "damage" had been done to his bird. He found it just about as funny as Cal did. The two huddled close together to talk about how they were going to return the favors.

After about an hour on her shift, Jen completed the first set of her station's responsibilities. Taking advantage of a break in the aerospace traffic patterns, she turned to Bobby for a small bit of advice. Like a child waiting for candy to dispense from the machine, Jen wanted a little piece of sugary delight. "Bobby, have you ever fallen in love with a pilot?" The subject of her question was glaringly obvious to Bobby and the rest of the bridge crew, who could overhear her speaking.

"What did he say?" Bobby asked. Jen turned back to her station and looked upwards out the front of the bridge into space. "He wouldn't say yes or no. He seemed 'distracted'." Bobby nodded his head as if he already understood the situation. "He's a pilot." Jen stared at Bobby, hoping he'd elaborate. Bobby continued after a few moments, "Pilots are much different than most other people you meet. They love the sky and space. They're probably the hardest individuals to get to enter into any kind of commitment. They fly because they can't stand not to fly... it's as if they are always in a state of constant readiness... the readiness to hop onto a plane to fly away to wherever their heart desires." Monica, Lam, and Mena all nodded in agreement in the background.

Jen began to understand what it is that ties pilots to their work. "I guess that's what Minmei understood when she wrote and performed 'Watashi No Kare Wa' (My Boyfriend is a Pilot)." Bobby laughed at the reference to such an old classic song. "Perhaps... All I can say is that you just sit back and enjoy the time he spends on the ground. Restraining him from his desires to hop up and fly off somewhere will only cause him to push you farther away from himself." Jen nodded and thanked Bobby for his bite-sized advice, just the way she had wanted it to be.

Unfortunately for her, he was right. She wanted something more of a commitment from Cal and his words only served to dash her desires. She could do one of three things. The first was the most common mistake women make when they see a man they want: Try to change who he is to fit the mold of their ideal man. The second was to take Bobby's advice and learn to savor Cal's company for the times that he's not thinking about flying. The third was to outright just forget about being with Cal and return her focus on her career and maybe someone else who isn't a pilot. Life's full of important choices...

A couple of hours had passed since Cal sent a private message to all of the new pilots. He sat with Will in the mess hall, awaiting the arrival of the people he invited. He was still wearing the same uniform, which had gotten rigid and crusty from the glue that was mixed in with water to use as an adhesive. Not to mention, he was still shedding feathers wherever he went. Several maintenance crew members had already expressed their disgust with his dirtying of their floors. The hat still remained firmly planted on his head. It was as if he wanted to show off that he had been pranked, as opposed to the way his squadron mates chose to hide it.

Said squadron mates finally arrived to the clandestine meeting being held in the corner of the mess. Cal began the meeting and got right to the point. "Okay, I'm sure you guys are a little miffed about getting hazed, right?" The pilots at the table agreed wholeheartedly. "Well, I have a plan to get back at those guys, but it could lead to further punishment. If you ask me, what I have planned will be worth pretty much any retaliation they can throw our way. If any of you don't want to deal with it, then leave now." One of the pilots spoke up, "They'll punish us all anyways, no matter who decides to not participate." Everyone at the table agreed.

Cal rethought his statement for a moment. "Then does anyone have any reservations about doing this with me?" Nobody spoke up as most of the pilots looked at each other for a cue to sit this one out. "Nobody? Okay, good... then here's how it's gonna go. I have, on these sheets of paper, the plan. Each of you will have a different job and we expect it to be done without being detected." Cal started to hand out the sheets of paper to each pilot. Everyone looked at their jobs and seemed to be pleased at the proposed results. "Any questions?"

The group of pilots quickly dispersed so they wouldn't raise suspicion of the allegedly targeted pilots, in case they happened to come into the mess and see what was going on. Cal left with them to head to his quarters and work out some more details of his plan. Sure enough, as he was walking out of the mess, Ozma and Alto bumped into him on their way in.

Seeing the condition of Cal's uniform, Ozma was a bit annoyed. "So, that's why I keep finding feathers all over the ship. Goddammit, Wagner, go change your uniform. Klan told me she and Nene got you a few hours ago. Why the hell would you still be wearing all that shit on you?" Cal shrugged, "I thought it was funny to show it off. I'll make her eat her words some day." "Just get your ass out of that uniform. I'm tired of feathers getting all over the place." "Yes, Sir." Cal quickly left Ozma's presence to get moving on his agenda.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making arrangements for the surgical strikes that were to take place overnight. After visiting with a couple of the new cooks in the galley, Cal met Will in the hangar to make some alterations to the new paint jobs that Klan and Nene had given their birds. The rest of the new pilots completed preparations to execute their plan. Dinner in the mess hall was a bit peculiar to the veteran pilots. The new pilots seemed to have a much bigger sense of unity with each other; sitting together and enjoying their meals as a group. The veteran pilots didn't suspect a thing, though. In their minds, the hazing rituals has helped to pull their pilots together as a team. Little did they know how right and wrong they were at the same time.

Needless to say, that night saw very few of the new pilots getting to sleep at reasonable times. Something was happening on that ship that only some were privy to. Cal and Will got into their quarters very late. Both of them breathed a heavy sigh, as they had completed their work. Cal's PDA began to chime as each pilot reported in with their success. The few hours they had left to sleep were going to be full of anticipation. The roommates went to sleep chuckling at each other; proud of what they had accomplished during the course of the night. They, and all of the other pilots didn't care about any kind of retaliation they were going to get as a result.