Samrat is both surprised and glad to see Tanvi in his morning briefing with Abhay Sir. Earlier it was just him and Abhay Sir, discussing schedules, steps, and planning for their current mission involving new aircraft. Now, he and the entire team of pilots and engineers have come together for the first time in Abhay Sir's cabin to work on the project.

Tanvi catches his eye just before the meeting begins. They exchange subtle smiles, barely stretching their lips before turning their attention to Abhay.

"Purey 13 Shakti aircraft humare air base mein pahunch chuke hain. Yeh indigenously developed aircraft hai. Hindustan Aeronautical se. Defence Research Lab ne inki kafi jaanch ki hai. These aircraft are rigorously tested and are safe. Magar humen unki functioning and practical uses study karna hoga. Aur feedback Defence Lab ko wapas dena hoga, for the final adjustments and fine tuning. Aircraft testing mein yeh ek aur mahatvapurn stage hai. Jismei koi gadbadi nahi ki jaa sakti. We have to put our everything into it. I expect your total cooperation in this."

Abhay Veer Pratap sucks in a breath and looks at everyone, who nods.

"Yeh project complete hone par humare defence forces mein ek aur Ram-baan shamil ho jaega. We have to ensure this happens!"

"Yes, sir!"

The officers respond with enthusiasm, and Abhay smiles.

"Abhi tak hum paper par sab discuss kar rahe the. Now it is time to go to the field. Aur is kaam ke liye main chunata hun, Flight Lieutenant Samrat Singh Shekhawat ko! Aur uski squadron mein aur barah janbaz pilots ko. Congratulations, and all the best."

Tanvi looks at Samrat with prideful eyes, trying to suppress her grin. Samrat stands more formally, his body stiff, as he salutes Abhay. The officers follow suit. Except for one Suketu.

"Aap Samrat ko team leader aise kaise chun sakte hain? Just because he was a Hawks member? Aur Hawks ki team ke sath kya hua, yeh sab ko pata hai. Uss team per ilzaam laga hua tha gaddari ka. Jo, of course, prove nahi ho paya. I seriously think, sir, eligibility test honi chahiye. You must choose the best pilot for this."

Abhay glares at Suketu, who spoke out of turn.

"Suketu, are you questioning the decision-making capabilities of your superior?"

Suketu holds his stance, though his eyes are mildly apologetic. "Sorry, sir! But I was looking forward to leading this team. I cannot accept this chance falling into Samrat's hands."

Tanvi's lips curl in disapproval. Samrat just stares at Suketu with a blank expression, watching the scene unfolding, unbothered. Abhay heaves a sigh.

"Theek hai! Abhi tumne yeh baat ki hai, Suketu toh... iska karara jawab dena chahiye! Samrat!"

"Yes, sir!" Samrat squares his shoulders and narrows his eyes, turning to face Abhay. "Baat Hawks ki izzat ki hai. Aur meri aur meri team ki kabiliyat ki. Toh mujhe yeh chunauti sweekar hai, sir."

"Chunauti?" Abhay chuckles lightly. "Samrat, maine toh nahi kaha tha ki chunauti hogi. Lekin ab lagta hai honi chahiye."

Tanvi looks on, on edge, as Samrat and Suketu exchange intense stares. Abhay calls for the meeting's dismissal after declaring,

"Dopehar ko hum formation mein fly karenge. Suketu, get twelve members on your team. We will meet sharp at 12 o'clock on the airfield."

***

Tanvi accompanies Samrat to the hangar. The tense mood from before is gone. She's enthusiastic about tackling the challenge before her. So are Samrat and the others, she's sure. The other members of Samrat's squad have also followed them to the hangar. The air is sombre.

"Samrat..." Tanvi gingerly utters his name.

Samrat doesn't hear her, looking at the aircraft that his team must fly. These aren't the new aircraft, but the regular jets they all train themselves in, which shouldn't be an issue.

What formation to fly in... His brain already imagines the steps he and his team must take. They will have to meet at 12. That leaves four hours of time. He snaps out of his thoughts, hearing Tanvi say his name again.

"Samrat, main tumhare aur baki ke aircraft check karungi. There is no time, right?"

Samrat stares at disbelief. She is already gathering her toolkit.

"Waise maine kal hi inko check kiya hai. Lekin dobara karna padega na ek bar. Shouldn't take long, Sam."

Part of being in the force is that you have to be always ready. Despite the suddenness of this challenge, none of the officers can back down. Samrat observes that the other engineers are unenthusiastic about assisting Tanvi. The female ones in the hangar, especially. Oh right, the ones he scoffed at during the Valentine's party. The girls were eager to assist him before, but not anymore after the outburst. After all, he's not the same Samrat who used to charm people at parties and flirt with girls to keep them entertained.

That's why the cold shoulder. Couldn't they be at least professional? He clutches his forehead at the misfortune he caused Tanvi.

"Tanvi, tum itna kaam akele—"

Tanvi shows him a bright smile, cutting him off before he can speak further. "It's okay, Sam! I got this.... Don't worry, main yeh kar sakti hu."

Samrat mumbles his thanks and joins the other squad members to discuss the flying route plan. Four hours pass in a blink. Tanvi finishes checking all the aircraft. On Abhay sir's orders, the other women engineers also join her towards the end.

Suketu and his squad arrive. At sharp 12, Samrat's squad flies over the desert horizon. On Abhay's orders, they fly at an altitude of 30000 ft, perform as instructed, cruising above the fluffy white cloud cover, their aircraft twisting and turning various ways before falling back into the formation again and destroying intended targets far off in the desert.

The stunning display in the sky has Tanvi grinning with pride again. She's lost sight of Samrat's jet at several points, but Abhay Sir is watching them all with the binoculars. Then there's the live feed streaming onto the man's tablet from Samrat's jet.

It's about an hour of flying. Eventually Samrat's jet lands, followed by the others. The sight of him getting off the plane and taking off his helmet overwhelms Tanvi. Samrat Singh Shekhawat urf — whatever his real name is — was born to do this! To conquer the skies! He's not the ex-terrorist, or the broken soul he claims he is, who has to live his days paying penance for the crimes he was forced to do owing to his wrong upbringing.

Knowing she's getting overly emotional, Tanvi swallows, as if swallowing her thoughts. When Samrat passes by, she flashes him a thumbs up. Samrat smiles at her briefly before lining up with his team before Abhay, saluting him.

"Sir!"

Abhay nods with a satisfied smile. Suketu's squad flies next. Their formation remains intact, but the coordinates show their flying speed is relatively slow. It doesn't help that they don't hit their target on their first try; they do it on the second try, but then Abhay sir's judgment has been made.

"I hope whoever wants proof, unke liye prove ho gaya hai." Abhay claps Suketu's back to cheer him up, despite the curt words. Samrat, too, in a goodwill gesture, shakes his hands with the said pilot.

"This was an amazing drill, though," says Abhay, laughing. "Wow! I enjoyed it."

Samrat relaxes, laughing along with his senior. It happens in an instant, with their superior officer relaxing, smiles spread everywhere.

Tanvi sidles up to Samrat. They grin at each other and shake hands formally like they do with the other officers. Abhay notices the camaraderie between them and clears his throat, demanding everyone's attention again.

"Suketu, ab mere decision-making aur Samrat ke team, dono ki kabiliyat sabit ho chuki hai. You can still stay on this team as a member. Aur agar tumhe problem hai, tumhe leader hi banna hai toh, tum squad se hat sakte ho. Tumhari jagah kisi aur ko de sakte ho."

Samrat and Tanvi and other officers look on keenly. They hope for the best, but Suketu, having lost his pride, opts to leave. Abhay immediately picks a new guy in his place — Rajiv.

Samrat and Tanvi look at each other and exchange reassuring smiles. No matter who's there or who's about to come. They will work together as a team and overcome all hurdles — their thoughts are in sync. Little do they know Rajiv is going to brew them another trouble. An officer's life can never be too easy.

***

🌀TBC 🌀

Word count: 1380❣️🌈

💬❣️Up next: This time it's Tanvi who faces the burnt from Rajiv. But Samrat has got her back. They are a strong force as individuals, stronger when together! 

💬❣️an: I personally enjoyed writing this part because of all the action and the tension. What do you think?😎☺️💕💕 I am also glad that I found some appropriate pics, after writing this chapter I went to check the episode and found some really cool pics. I wish the show showcased more action sequences like this one. But anyway

I would have used a new cast for Abhay, but I ended up using Veer sir😮‍💨 not that it is bad I adore Veer sir. RIP Narendra Jha. Normally I would have gone with a different cast for a different character but anyway... Stay tuned to read more. 🌙✨Thanks! V & C🌙✨