"Neither Kennedy or I will ever leave a crew member stranded without backup," Trudy said firmly. "Not when there's another option."

She saw how subdued Allenby was at that little speech, so she let it go. She was reasonably sure that she and the kid had reached an understanding, at least one that didn't leave Allenby hating her guts.

"For what it's worth, I hate to lose you as a pilot," she said. "But I can't have you in the field, and I don't think you really want to be there. Fix my X-Wing, and I'll sign off on your Gundam. Deal?" She stuck her hand out so the other pilot could shake on it.