Chapter 8 - The Next DeploymentThree days after the press conference in Savannah, I stood on the tarmac of the naval air station, watching the transport aircraft warm up its twin turboprop engines. The air was crisp, smelling of aviation fuel and salt from the Atlantic coast.
My father had driven down from the town alone, leaving his empty, echoing house behind. He stood a few yards away, keeping a respectful distance while I finished my pre-flight checks with Hayes.
When I finished, I walked over to him. He looked smaller in his civilian jacket, but there was an unexpected lightness in his posture—as if a crushing, invisible weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
"You're heading back to Virginia tonight?" my father asked quietly.
"Directly to Cyber Command," I replied, adjusting the strap of my duffel bag. "We have a new directive coming down from the Joint Chiefs regarding autonomous defense systems. It's going to be a demanding deployment."
"I figured," my father said, offering a faint, proud smile that didn't feel forced for the first time in my memory. "Just... try to call me more often, Captain. Even if it's just to tell me about the weather."
"I will, Dad," I said, extending my hand.
He looked at my hand for a second, then bypassed it entirely, pulling me into a fierce, long-overdue hug. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then wrapped my arms around him, letting the past dissolve into the wind.
"Safe travels, Andrea," he whispered.
May you like
"Always, Dad," I replied, stepping back and giving him one last crisp salute.
I turned and climbed the metal steps into the aircraft, the heavy transport door sealing shut behind me as the engines roared to life, lifting me up and away toward the horizon, where the real battles—and the real victories—always awaited.
