Alfreien’s Reviews > Skyward > Status Update

“—And then…I wrote a new program.”“I don’t understand.”“It was a simple program,” he said. “It edited one entry in a database, while I wasn’t looking, replacing one name with another. I must follow the commands of my pilot.”A voice played out of his speakers. My voice.“Please,” it said to him. “I need you.”“I chose,” he said, “a new pilot.”

“As the Saint always said, true failure is choosing to fail.”

“Hello?” M-Bot said. “Spensa? Are you dead?”“Maybe.”“Oooh. Like the cat!”
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“Bless. Your. Stars.” She muttered it, which was practically cussing from Kimmalyn.

“Asking questions and listening is a big part of effective teaching, Nedder! So shut up and let me get on with it.”

“She dropped a roll into my lap. “Cobb told us you forgot to bring a lunch,” she whispered. Then she stood up and walked the other way, speaking loudly. “What a lovely view of the sky we have! As the Saint always said, ‘Good thing it’s light during the day, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see how pretty daytime is!’ ”

Kimmalyn is a day 1

“Scud. He might have pulled off some awesome flightwork, but that face…I still just wanted to punch him.“You watch yourself,” I said, wishing I had something to stand on to bring my eyes level with his. “When you are broken and mourning your fall from grace, I will consume your shadow in my own, and laugh at your misery.”

“That music the water makes,” she said. “Isn’t it the most wonderful sound ever?”“The most wonderful sound ever is the lamentations of my enemies, screaming my name toward the heavens with ragged, dying voices.”

“I closed my eyes—but then cracked them as I heard a distinct voice whispering nearby, “Oh, thank the homeworld.” Rig? I glanced and spotted him a few rows over. He had probably arrived three hours early, then spent the entire time worrying that I would be late. For absolutely no reason. I’d arrived with at least half a second to spare. I winked at him, then went back to trying not to scream in pain.”

“Usually, exploring kept my mind off my problems. Today they kept intruding, like a rock in my shoe. Remember? Remember that your dreams have just been stolen?”