Skyward Ambitions

Three days had passed since the altercation between Furina and the drunken passenger that led to an emergency diversion back to Marcotte International Airport. The incident had made headlines across Fontaine, spreading like wildfire. What started as a chaotic moment in-flight had turned into something else entirely—Furina had become somewhat of a public figure.

Social media was flooded with comments, discussions, and debates.

"Damn. Pilots fight back now? That's badass!" one user commented.

"Didn't know pilots had hands like that! Good for her!" another chimed in.

"This is the kind of First Officer I'd trust my life with. Professional AND can hold her own!"

It was clear—Furina wasn't just respected within Air Fontania anymore. She had gained a quite fandom.

The airport was alive with the chaos of the winter season. Travelers shuffled through terminals, announcements echoed overhead, and the aroma of coffee and jet fuel filled the air. At a quiet corner of a café near the gates, Furina sat across from Clorinde, finally catching up after everything that had unfolded.

She had taken three days off—time to reset, process, and shake off the insanity of the past week. Now, she was back in uniform, refreshed and ready. Her next flight was a five-hour journey to Tianheng International, and for once, she hoped for a routine, uneventful trip.

Clorinde took a casual bite of her food, watching Furina as she set down her coffee. "So," she began, "how's life been after becoming Fontaine's most famous First Officer?"

Furina smirked, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Never better. Just glad I took those three days off to clear my head."

Clorinde scoffed. "No shit. You've been through hell. First Vacher, now a drunk idiot throwing hands at 36,000 feet."

Furina exhaled sharply through her nose, shaking her head. "Yeah… two days I'd like to forget."

Clorinde suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh! Almost forgot."

Furina tilted her head slightly. "What?"

Clorinde pulled out her phone, unlocking it before turning the screen toward Furina. "Take a look at this."

Furina took the phone and squinted at the document. It was a letter from Air Fontania addressed to former Captain Vacher—his termination notice.

Furina's lips parted slightly. "No way…"

Clorinde smirked. "Swipe left."

Furina swiped, revealing another document from the Teyvat Air Commission. This one was even heavier—it was an official notice of license suspension. The document stated that due to multiple recorded incidents of insubordination, negligence, and toxic behavior, Captain Vacher's pilot license was revoked for six months.

Furina's eyes widened. "You're fucking shitting me?"

Clorinde leaned back, arms crossed. "Nope. This is official. Not only did Air Fontania boot his ass out, but Teyvat Air Commission grounded him. He's banned from flying for six months. No commercial, no private, no nothing."

Furina whistled, handing the phone back. "That's some serious shit."

Clorinde pocketed her phone. "Apparently, some of his past bullshit finally caught up with him. One of his arguments with a young First Officer—fifteen years ago—left the poor guy so traumatized that he resigned from aviation entirely. Only got back into flying about four or five years ago, back when I was still a First Officer. And another? Guy completely shut down in the cockpit. Didn't make a single callout, damn near crashed into the Dragonspine mountains."

Furina exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Fucking hell. So this bastard's been a hazard for years."

Clorinde nodded. "Correct. The problem was, most of his past First Officers never reported him. They were scared of backlash from other pilots. It wasn't until your confrontation with him that they finally came forward."

Furina leaned forward, gripping her cup. "That's gotta be the best thing I've heard all week."

Clorinde chuckled, sipping her coffee. "Alright, well—you better get going. You don't wanna be late for your flight."

Furina smirked, standing up and stretching. "Right. Duty calls."

She leaned down, pulling Clorinde into a quick hug before slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Take care, Furina," Clorinde said, watching her walk off.

Furina turned back briefly and grinned. "Keep me posted, Captain."

Clorinde saluted with two fingers. "Will do."

Furina gave a final nod before heading toward the gates, the terminal buzzing around her. With her uniform pristine and her head clear, she boarded the Air Fontania A330-300 via the jetway.

This time, she was determined—no drama, no bullshit. Just a smooth flight.

For once, she hoped the skies would be as calm as they looked.

Furina stepped through the aircraft's main door and turned towards the cockpit, knocking lightly while peeking inside.

"Captain?"

A familiar voice responded. Captain Chiori, the same one from three days ago, turned from her seat, a smirk on her face as she looked back.

"There's our ace. Come on, let's get this briefing started."

Furina smiled and stepped into the cockpit, sliding into the First Officer's seat. She buckled her lap belt and adjusted her seat for comfort before settling in.

Chiori grabbed her tablet, scrolling through Marcotte's airport charts before leaning toward Furina.

"Alright, let's start. So, our flight to Tianheng today is five hours. You're Pilot-in-Command this time—I'll be monitoring. We're expecting heavy fog and rain by the time we arrive, so we're going to load extra fuel in case we need to hold or divert to Dihua Airport. But hopefully, by then, the weather will improve. Standard rejection procedures apply in case of an aborted takeoff. Departing runway is Zero Nine Left."

Chiori glanced at Furina. "Any questions?"

Furina shook her head. "All clear."

Chiori smiled and nodded. "Alright."

She handed Furina the stapled OFP paper. Furina flipped through it before stopping at the third page, her finger tapping on the block fuel section.

"We need thirty-five thousand kilos of fuel, but considering potential holding, I'd say we load an extra five thousand kilos. Make it forty thousand."

Chiori paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Agreed. Call it in."

Furina grabbed the intercom and brought it to her mouth. "Flight deck to ground?"

A ground crewman responded. "Go ahead, ma'am?"

"Load up an extra five thousand kilos of fuel, please."

"Roger. We'll load up an extra five thousand kilos."

"Thanks." Furina set the intercom aside.

She leaned forward toward the MCDU, inputting the aircraft's performance numbers as boarding began. The jet was packed—285 passengers, a full flight. The boarding process would take another 45 minutes.

Pushback & Engine Start

With the last passenger seated and the jetway retracting, Furina reached for the intercom again.

"Flight deck to ground?"

The same ground crewman responded. "Go ahead, ma'am?"

"We're cleared for pushback and engine start. Parking brakes are set."

"Roger. All doors and hatches are closed. Connecting the tug. Stand by."

Outside, the pushback crew inserted the bypass pin into the nose gear and attached the tug. Moments later, the radio crackled again.

"Tug is connected, and bypass pin is inserted. Release the parking brakes when ready."

Furina reached for the parking brake, twisting it counterclockwise.

"Brakes released."

"Starting pushback."

The aircraft jolted slightly as it began moving backward. Furina instinctively glanced at her right window, scanning the wing and engine.

"Right is clear."

Chiori did the same on her side, looking out at the left wing. "Left is clear."

Furina nodded. "Alright. Engine start—Number Two."

Chiori reached overhead, flipping on the beacon lights. Furina switched the engine start selector to IGNITION, causing the PACKS to shut off automatically. She reached down to the fuel control panel, flipping Engine Two's cutoff switch to RUN.

"Starting Engine Two."

She watched the ECAM engine display as the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 on the right side of the aircraft began to spool up.

The needles for N3 and N2 climbed as fuel was introduced. Seconds later, the EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) spiked, signaling combustion. The engine hummed to life, the deep whine transitioning into a low, steady rumble as the fan blades accelerated.

Moments later, the engine stabilized at idle.

"Engine Two stabilized. Starting Engine One."

Furina repeated the process, switching Engine One's fuel cutoff to RUN. The left engine spooled up, ignited, and soon stabilized just like the first.

"Engine One stabilized. Engine start complete."

Chiori reached up, switching off the APU Master and APU Bleed. The AVAIL light disappeared as the APU shut down into cooldown mode.

Right on cue, the ground crew called in. "Ground to flight deck. Pushback complete. Set parking brakes, please."

Furina twisted the parking brake knob clockwise.

"Brakes set."

"Roger. Disconnecting. Stand by."

Furina reached for the flap lever, sliding it into the Flaps 1 position. She watched the ECAM display, confirming that both flaps and slats deployed. Next, she pulled the speedbrake lever into the armed position before reaching for the autobrake selector, pressing MAX. Finally, she adjusted the trim wheel, setting it to UP 0.8.

Chiori grabbed the laminated checklist placard. "Before Taxi Checklist. Flaps?"

Furina glanced at the flap lever and ECAM display. "Flaps One. Slats down."

"Trim?"

Furina pushed the FLT CTL button, displaying control surfaces on ECAM. "Trim Up Zero Point Eight."

"Speedbrakes?"

"Speedbrakes armed."

"Autobrakes?"

"Autobrakes MAX, RTO."

Chiori moved to the final item. "Flight controls?"

Furina wrapped her right hand around the Airbus sidestick, pulling it back. The elevators lifted up on the display.

"Up."

She pushed the stick forward. The elevators followed.

"Down."

She centered it before banking left. The ailerons moved accordingly.

"Left."

Returning to neutral, she banked right.

"Right."

Finally, she tested the rudder pedals, pressing down with her left foot. The rudder swung left.

"Rudder left."

She pushed with her right foot.

"Rudder right."

Satisfied, she nodded. "Flight controls all okay."

Chiori stowed the checklist. "Before Taxi Checklist complete."

She flipped the nose wheel light to TAXI.

The ground crew's voice crackled through the radio. "Ground to flight deck. Area is clear. Hand signal to the right. And may the wind guide you safely to your destination. Safe travels!"

Furina glanced out her right window. Below, the ground crewman stood with a thumbs-up, holding the bypass DO NOT REMOVE pin high above his head.

Furina smirked, returning the thumbs-up before snapping off a salute.

Her focus shifted back to the displays.

Now, it was time to taxi.

With engines stabilized and checklists complete, Chiori reached for the radio and contacted Marcotte Ground.

"Marcotte Ground, Fontania Five One Six, ready for taxi."

The response came quickly through the headset.

"Fontania Five One Six, roger. Taxi to Runway Zero Nine Left via Echo, Papa Two, Tango Echo One, Romeo, Romeo Tango One, Tango, Tango One. Hold short of Zero Nine Left."

Chiori pressed the push-to-talk button. "Roger, taxi to Zero Nine Left and hold short via Echo, Papa Two, Tango Echo One, Romeo, Romeo Tango One, Tango, Tango One. Fontania Five One Six."

Furina nodded, released the parking brakes, and eased the throttles forward. The aircraft began rolling smoothly, its massive 45-meter wingspan clearing the taxiway edges with precision as Furina guided the A330-300 through the intricate network of taxiways leading to 09L.

The taxi took a solid 15 minutes, weaving through the airport's bustling ground traffic. As they approached the hold short line, the aircraft in front of them—a company Boeing 747-400—was already in position, its four engines rumbling as it waited for clearance.

So far, the flight was running on schedule—no delays yet. But Tianheng Airport's weather conditions would ultimately decide if they stayed that way.

Right on cue, Marcotte Tower crackled through the radio, addressing the 747 in front.

"Fontania Six Mike, Runway Zero Nine Left, cleared for takeoff. Winds variable at five."

A response came swiftly.

"Cleared for takeoff Zero Nine Left, Fontania Six Mike."

With that, the 747's landing lights brightened, and its engines roared as the pilots advanced the throttles. The jumbo jet began its takeoff roll, its massive frame gradually gaining speed.

Then, Marcotte Tower called for them.

"Fontania Five One Six, behind the company Seven Four, line up and wait Zero Nine Left. Expect five to ten minutes delay for wake turbulence."

Chiori responded. "Roger, behind the company Seven Four. Line up and wait Zero Nine Left. Expecting the delay. Fontania Five One Six."

Furina glanced at her navy blue NATO strap Speedmaster and checked the time.

"So, five to ten minutes. We've got a grace area of ten minutes before we have to adjust our slot."

Chiori nodded. "Not bad at all. At least we're not delayed on departure."

"Yep," Furina said, nudging the throttles slightly forward as she disengaged the parking brakes.

She guided the A330 smoothly onto the runway, perfectly aligning it dead center on the white dashed line.

Chiori smirked, nodding in approval. "Well done."

Furina chuckled. "Finally on centerline, huh?"

"I bet Vacher is eating his words now."

The two laughed as they watched the 747 ahead gain lift. Its wings flexed dramatically under the strain of takeoff, and with a final burst of power, it soared into the sky, leaving behind a trail of engine exhaust as it climbed through the scattered clouds.

Furina watched, eyes wide. "One day… I'll be in that seat."

Chiori turned to her. "Don't worry. You're closing in on your thousand-hour mark. At this rate, you'll be in that Seven Four cockpit by next year."

Furina smirked. "Hopefully."

Takeoff Clearance & Departure

The wake turbulence spacing required eight minutes, but finally, Marcotte Tower called back.

"Fontania Five One Six, sorry for the delay. Runway Zero Nine Left, cleared for takeoff. Winds variable at five."

Chiori read back. "Cleared for takeoff Zero Nine Left, Fontania Five One Six."

Furina flexed her fingers over the throttles and nodded. "Let's roll."

She disengaged the parking brakes, pushed the throttles forward to 50% N1, and listened as the Trent 700 engines began to howl.

The deep, powerful rumble vibrated through the airframe as the engines stabilized.

With a firm push, she advanced the throttles to TOGA (Takeoff/Go-Around) detent. The distinct triple-clunk of the throttles locking into place was unmistakable.

"Man TOGA, SRS, runway track Zero Nine Left."

Chiori's eyes flicked to the engine display. The numbers confirmed maximum takeoff thrust was set.

"Thrust set."

She glanced at her Primary Flight Display (PFD).

"Airspeed's alive. Eighty knots."

Furina checked her own PFD and looked back outside. "Checked."

The A330 surged down the runway, its acceleration smooth yet relentless.

At 134 knots, Chiori called out. "Vee one."

Furina's grip tightened slightly around the sidestick.

"Vee one," she echoed in her mind. No turning back now.

At 138 knots, Chiori's voice came again. "Rotate."

Furina smoothly pulled back on the sidestick, raising the nose of the aircraft.

The nose lifted, and for a split second, the aircraft seemed weightless—then the main landing gear separated from the tarmac. The A330-300 was airborne.

Chiori called out. "Vee two."

Furina locked her eyes on the PFD. The vertical speed needle indicated a healthy climb rate.

Chiori confirmed it. "Positive climb."

Furina responded immediately. "Gear up, please."

Chiori reached for the gear lever and pulled it up.

"Gear up."

A slight vibration ran through the airframe as the landing gear retracted. The wind noise softened, and finally, a solid clunk signaled the gear doors closing.

Chiori checked the gear indicators. "Gears up. Doors locked."

Furina reached for the throttles, gently pulling them back to the CLB detent. A double clunk followed as the thrust levers locked into place.

Right on cue, Marcotte Tower made their final call.

"Fontania Five One Six, contact Departure. Good afternoon."

Chiori replied. "Over to Departure. See you then."

The A330 climbed steadily, piercing through the scattered clouds as it made its way toward cruise altitude.

Furina exhaled, settling back into her seat. Another textbook departure

Hours later, the aircraft cruises at 39,000 feet, the deep blue sky stretching endlessly around them, with clouds overcast below at 20,000 feet. Furina rests her foot on the footrest, feeling the hum of the aircraft as she leans back in her seat. The table is extended, and she glances toward the right window, her eyes lost in the expanse of blue above.

Chiori looks over at her, breaking the quiet. "How's everything at home?" she asks, a light tone in her voice.

Furina smiles a little, her gaze still on the window. "No issues so far."

Chiori nods knowingly. "And your parents?"

Furina smirks, a bit of pride creeping into her voice. "Proud as ever. My dad's eating his own words now. He's never been happier."

Chiori turns to look at her with raised brows. "Mhm. And you're the only pilot I know who drives a Gallardo to work."

Furina glances at Chiori, a cheeky grin crossing her face. "Well, I'm a car gal. I love my cars."

She taps her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I've got another car in the garage I need to get running."

Chiori leans forward, her curiosity piqued. "Another car? What is it?"

Furina smirks, her eyes glinting with pride. "Something red. With a five-speed manual. And a twin-turbo V8."

Chiori's eyes widen in disbelief. "What. You own that car?"

Furina nods, grinning. "It was my dad's. He didn't need it anymore, so instead of selling it, he handed it down to me."

Chiori smiles, impressed. "How nice of your dad."

Furina nods, the pride evident in her tone. "Yeah, it's a rarity for a dad to own a Ferrari F40."

Chiori nods in understanding, then turns her attention back to the window, watching the clouds drift below them. "Winter's coming up soon, which means the Christmas rush."

Furina slumps slightly in her seat. "Yeah, and snow. Icing conditions."

Chiori snaps her fingers, a thought hitting her. "By the way, how's the weather at Tianheng?"

Furina pulls out her tablet and loads the weather report. As it loads, she frowns. "Not good. Still raining, still foggy. And based on the radar reports, looks like we might be holding for a while."

Chiori sighs, her expression softening. "Good thing we loaded up extra fuel."

Furina nods, her fingers drumming on the armrest. "Yep, we're in for a long one today."

The cruise is uneventful, the flight smooth as they continue their path toward Tianheng. But as the descent approaches, the calm is about to break.

Hours later, as the aircraft begins its descent towards Tianheng, the Tianheng Director calls in.

"Fontania Five One Six, by waypoint SIERA, level off at flight level one-one-zero, and enter a right-hand hold."

Chiori reads back, her voice calm. "Roger. By SIERA. Level off at one-one-zero, and enter a right-hand hold over SIERA. Fontania Five One Six."

Furina nods, leaning over the MCDU. She searches for SIERA and, once she finds it, presses the button beside it and selects the hold option. She cross-checks the hold's details with the charts, making sure it's at the correct radius and on the right hand turn. Once confirmed, she presses "Insert," and the aircraft's MFD displays the waypoint SIERA with a green flight path line, showing an oval representing the hold.

Minutes later, they pass waypoint SIERA and begin the hold, joining five other planes waiting to land.

Chiori turns to Furina, a look of understanding passing between them. "This will be a while."

Furina nods, keeping her voice even. "Yep. I calculated how much fuel we'll have when we land. We'll be right on the money with reserves."

Chiori raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "By how much?"

Furina glances at the OFP papers, scanning the numbers before responding confidently. "FINRES is 2,000 kilos of fuel. Based on my calculations, if we're holding for the next 10 to 15 minutes, we'll be down to 5,000 kilos. If we hold for 30 minutes, we'll hit 3,000. So far, ATC spaced us pretty well, so I'd say we're on the 10 to 15-minute mark."

Just as she finishes speaking, Tianheng Director calls back.

"Fontania Five One Six, descend to flight level eight-zero, speed 240 knots for spacing. QNH one-zero-zero-four. I'll try to insert you with the Liyue Air A340 ahead."

Furina rocks her fist, smiling. "Yes!"

Chiori smiles at the success and radios back. "Thank you, Fontania Five One Six. Descending to flight level eight-zero, speed 140 knots, QNH one-zero-zero-four."

Furina reaches for the autopilot altitude selector knob and turns it counterclockwise. As the display reads 8,000 feet, she pushes the knob, and the aircraft begins its managed descent. Moments later, they're at 8,000 feet, still holding at waypoint SIERA.

As they continue to circle, they receive some good news.

"Fontania Five One Six, looks like it's your lucky day today. The Liyue A340 ahead will continue to hold due to a technical issue. You can descend via the arrival, and you're cleared to exit the hold."

Chiori raises her fist, elated. "Yes!"

She radios back, her tone light and grateful. "Roger. Descend via the arrival and cleared to exit the hold at SIERA. Fontania Five One Six."

Furina nods, her excitement palpable. "Let's go."

The aircraft begins its slow descent, as Chiori inputs the necessary information into the MCDU to exit the hold and continue the approach.

Minutes later, the aircraft is now just 15 miles away from the runway, preparing to intercept the glideslope for the ILS approach to runway Zero Seven Right at Tianheng Airport.

Furina glances at Chiori, her voice calm but focused. "Let's get that final approach checklist."

Chiori nods with a small smile, "You read my mind, Furina."

Chiori grabs the checklist placard, flipping it to the landing checklist. "Let's start. Landing gear?"

Furina scans the gear indicator and gives her a reassuring nod. "Gear down. Three greens."

Chiori acknowledges with a nod and moves to the next item, "Flaps?"

Furina checks the flap lever and calls it out. "Flaps full."

Chiori's hand hovers over the checklist, moving on to the next item. "Spoilers?"

Furina glances at the spoilers lever, confirming. "Spoilers armed."

Chiori continues. "Autobrakes?"

Furina shifts her gaze to the autobrakes button. "Autobrakes medium."

Chiori pauses, her eyes scanning the final checklist item. "Landing speed?"

Furina looks over at the PFD's speed tape. "Speed one thirty-eight."

Chiori nods, satisfied, and tucks the placard away. "Landing checklist complete."

A few seconds later, the calm voice of Tianheng Airport's tower crackles through the headset. "Fontania Five One Six, runway Zero Seven Right. Winds are variable at six, gusting fourteen. Cleared to land."

"Cleared to land Zero Seven Right. Fontania Five One Six," Chiori reads back, her voice steady.

As the aircraft closes in on the runway, the GPWS callouts begin, filling the cockpit with their rhythmic countdown.

"One thousand."

Chiori calls it out without missing a beat. "Thousand feet. Stabilized. Go-around altitude set."

Furina places her hand on the joystick, preparing to disengage the autopilot if necessary, her fingers twitching in anticipation.

"Five hundred."

"Minimums."

Furina nods, her gaze fixed on the runway now coming into clearer view. "Continue approach."

"Three hundred."

"Two hundred."

"One hundred."

Furina's heart beats in sync with the countdown. The runway is now fully in view, and with a small but purposeful motion, she disconnects the autopilot. The distinctive "tick tick tick" of the autopilot disengaging echoes in her ears.

"Fifty."

"Forty."

"Thirty."

"Twenty."

"Retard. Retard. Retard."

With a decisive movement, Furina pulls back the throttles to idle and gently flares the joystick, feeling the aircraft's weight lift slightly.

"Ten."

"Five."

The aircraft's main gears touch down with a soft but firm thud, and the spoilers silently deploy, creating a reassuring rush of airflow around the aircraft.

Furina's fingers dance over the thrust reverser handle, pulling it back with a satisfying mechanical click. The engines roar as the reversers deploy.

"Chiori calls out, "Spoilers up. Reversers deployed."

The nose gear touches down smoothly, and the aircraft gradually slows down to 50 knots. Furina presses her foot firmly onto the toe brakes and continues manual braking, feeling the responsive tension in the pedals as the aircraft slows.

As the aircraft exits the runway, Furina takes control of the tiller, guiding the aircraft onto taxiway J7.

Tianheng Tower calls in, breaking the quiet. "Fontania Five One Six. Welcome to Tianheng. Left onto Victor, then Hotel. Contact ground on one-two-one-point-eight-seven. Good evening."

Chiori reads back, her tone cheerful but professional, "Left on Victor, then Hotel. And to ground, twenty-one-point-eight-seven. Good evening. Fontania Five One Six."

Chiori adjusts the frequency while speaking to Furina, a tone of approval in her voice. "Nicely done, Furina."

Furina smirks, a sense of satisfaction in her expression. "Thanks, Captain."

She glances at the fuel quantity indicator on the engine display, her eyes calculating. "And looks like I was right. We have 5,800 kilos of fuel remaining."

Chiori nods in acknowledgment, still impressed. "Oh yeah. That's amazing. Your calculations were right on the money."

Minutes later, the aircraft is parked at the midfield terminal at Gate D306. The passengers begin to disembark, and Chiori finishes up with the post-flight checks.

"Well, that's another flight done," Chiori says, closing her tablet with a satisfied gesture.

Furina sighs, leaning back in her seat. "No kidding. I've reached my daily quota of ten hours. Looks like this is my stopover."

Chiori nods, glancing at the time. "Same here. Ten hours of flight within a day."

Furina stretches her legs, giving a brief chuckle. "I've done nine today."

Chiori gives a dramatic sigh. "Ten today. Time to hang it up for the day."

The pair gathers their luggage and exits the aircraft, watching as the last passengers disembark. They head toward the airport hotel, ready to rest after another long day of flying. Another flight completed. And despite nearly being delayed, they made it with just ten minutes to spare.