"Solar sails?" Willow crossed her arms, puzzled. "Where did you find something like that?"

"On Mars." Zara, lying face down on the hull, handed her a blowtorch. "If you don't mind..."

The Hunter rolled her eyes and slipped under the belly of the jumpship, a refurbished Rimskipper Sling. She fixed the telescopic mast on those already present on the vessel and made the electrical connections necessary to control the sails from the cockpit.

"I don't understand, Willow continued, studying the plans that the Warlock had handed over to one of the hangar's frames. With such a small surface, the thrust generated by the sails will be insignificant, won't it?"

"We'll see." Zara smiled and swooped into the cockpit, leaving the hatch open. "Koryl!"

The Ghost materialized above the control panel and winked at the Hunter before activating the magnetic crane shift. The machine pivoted on its axis, moving the jumpship out of the hangar, suspended in the air.

"Everything looks OK," confirmed the Warlock by giving a thumbs up to her Ghost. Beginning of Test Number Two..."

"Number Two?"

"We've already tried the sails on Mars, before fixing them on the ship, clarified Koryl. The result was... interesting."

"That is?"

"Well, the Ghost chuckled, I needed the ship to retrieve her from the stratosphere."

Willow raised an eyebrow and stared at Zara, who pushed the sails unfurling button. The masts lengthened and split open, and a set of silver sails stretched around the ship, depicting the silhouette of a blooming lotus. The wind blowing along the Wall caused the vessel to sway, but the reflective surfaces remained perfectly taut.

"On the aerodynamic level, you'll pass again. And now?"

"Now, brace yourselves!" shouted Zara before sealing the cockpit. The ship's engine roared, transmitting slight vibrations along the masts. Around the thruster, the stabilizer ring ignited, ensuring that the energy discharge did not reach the sails.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Willow had to scream for Koryl to hear her.

"Not really. That's why she asked me to stay outside. That said, you really should hold on to something."

Through the canopy of the cockpit, the Hunter saw Zara close her eyes, and her breathing becoming smoother. Suddenly, the sails began to shudder. A flicker of light pulsed through them, and then it seemed like a breaker had just passed through the hangar. Willow lost her balance and ended up on her back. The ship took off so fast that she thought it had gone into warp and was reduced in an instant to a small bright spot in the sky.

"I understand this stratosphere thing better, mumbled the Hunter as she dusted off her cape. These aren't just solar sails, are they?"

"You’re right. From what we were able to decipher, Clovis Bray designed them to capture the Traveler's Light and travel faster through the system. But needless to say, they had not foreseen the existence of the Guardians. Using her own Light, Zara can herself propel and direct the ship by her own will, even in an atmosphere."

"But aren't they a little... fragile? The slightest gunshot would tear them to pieces!"

"The sails can always be folded up, and we end up with a perfectly functional Rimskipper Sling."

"It's... pretty impressive. But why didn't you give the plans to Ana, or Amanda? Technology like this could work miracles..." The Hunter was already imagining her Platinum Starling transformed into a sailboat of Light.

"We passed around everything we found, of course. But the project was not completed." Koryl raised two of his spikes, as if to apologize. "These are the only sails we found, and it may take years to reproduce them."

Zara's jumpship reappeared on the horizon, gliding gracefully over the clouds before diving back to its starting point. The sails, vibrant with Light, folded into the fuselage and the vessel gently positioned itself above the landing pad. The Warlock transmatted out of the ship, which was then boarded by frames for maintenance. Zara's fiery eyes glowed with excitement, and she was almost trampling on the spot when Willow and her Ghost approached.

"Did you see that?" Zara spread her arms and waved them like the wings of a bird. The laughter of Saint echoed in the distance. "I could have gone all the way to Mercury and back or had tea with Devrim before you calculated that I was gone!"

"You've made a great find, admitted the Hunter as she juggled her knife. I think I know how I'm going to make you pay for those Glimmer you've been owing me for the past few months."

The Warlock's face froze into an embarrassed pout. "Well, about that... It turns out that the latest spending on equipment has left me a bit dry. Can I pay you back in Enhancement Cores?”

"Are you kidding me?" Willow pointed at Zara with the tip of her blade.

"What, you want to settle this in the Crucible?"

"I'm not aiming at you." Her friend turned around and saw the Sling being stored. "There's no way I'm letting you run away with that gem until I try it on!"