Nothing makes Lenth Aritimis feel good the way being saddled up in the cockpit of a huge ship does.

It’s not a rare refrain for a pilot. Most are enraptured by the sheer power it brings. You can feel it in your gut; the thrum of the engine, the shaking of space, the divine thunder of artillery. It’s never been that for Leinth, though. Truth be told, the noise and fury of her own ship still frightens her at times. But what really matters is what it lets her do.

Fight.

Lenth never set out to be a hero herself. She just wanted to be a little like her own heroes. To do her part. That was the least anyone could do, and the duty had grown heavy in her belly during the last years of her adolescence, until she was finally old enough to join up. The war isn’t going well. They’re always on the back foot. But that means Leinth always has something to defend, and knowing that makes her strong. The looks of hope and relief she sees on peoples’ faces when she dismounts after a long, hard-fought battle - that’s what feels good.