Star Brigade: A 53rd Century Adventure RP

[Soviet Heavy]

Snip

Snip

Snip

Snip

"That's it! Everyone's accounted for and we're clear!" Thor said. "Demexin, how's our exit vector looking?"

"The window is closing fast. About a minute and a half before the tide swallows our exit. I'm out, see you on the other side!"

"Meet you back at the ship, my crystalline friend." said Thor. The Corona 1's main thrusters kicked in, and the shuttle rocketed away from the command center. Behind them, the building erupted into flames and began to collapse. It looked like the Norg had set their charges at the tower's base. Below, them, several other charges began detonating across the colony, turning the area into a sea of flames. The Norg's shiny black transports lifted out of the inferno, making for the dome.

One of the ships hailed Thor. "Diplomatic Corps vessel, we shall escort you from this place. It would not do well to betray our benefactors. Allow Tallek's to guide you safely."

"Hmph, much obliged, Tallek's, you have an exit in mind?"

"Fall into our formation, and we shall do the rest." Thor shrugged, and pulled the shuttle into the center of the Norg flyers. The weight of the Sea in the Sky was pushing down on the colony's dome, with waterfalls pouring through the breaches. Yet the Norg ships, rather than moving for one of the holes, instead were aimed right at the dome's side. Thor suddenly realized what they planned to do, and he winced.

"You might want to hold on back there, this is going to get rough." said Thor. In the back, Tom shrunk into his seat, while Ruth and Najeed gripped each other tightly. The passengers collectively braced themselves, preparing for the worst.

A pair of rockets streaked out from the lead Norg ship, melting a gaping hole in the dome. The squadron zipped through in a flash, and mere moments later, the entire dome shattered. The Sea in the Sky swallowed the colony in an instant, a vast wave of water a mile high sent out like a shockwave. Thor whistled to himself, impressed by the forces of nature. The squadron of ships broke for orbit, closing in on a pair of distant glinting shapes, which eventually formed into their respective ships.

"Pleasure flying with you folks." said Thor. "But this is where we get off."

"A pleasure to work with the Diplomatic Corps, despite your insistence on subterfuge." said Tallek's drone. "May we meet on more arranged circumstances in the future."

"I'll hold you to that." Thor cut the transmission and broke for the Star Brigade. The ship's smooth curves were a welcome sight after a day of chaos. Thor looked to the passenger's section. "You know how people always want to go somewhere with a beach after a particularly tough mission? Screw that, I'm going hiking. I've had enough water for a while, anyone else agree?"

Thor was met with a murmured response. "I'll take that as a yes."
[hr]

Captain Vance sat on the bridge, his chin buried in his hand. The Norg ship had left, having taken the bait, never once assuming they had moved the colonists. He still wasn't sure it was the best course of action, but he couldn't exactly go back on it now. Anyways, explaining this mess to Command was going to be trickier. They wouldn't be fooled.

Doctor Harris had his hands full setting up the quarantine and triage centers to suddenly treat forty patients as well as perform the routine post mission checkups on Corps members. The few that hadn't been infected were helping him at least, some Ruth lady and her relative. He'd have plenty of time to find out what Nate had learned on the return trip.

"Lisa, how long would it take us to reach the New Terra from here? I'd rather not spend another two weeks stuck on the ship, and I doubt our new arrivals will either." he asked.

"The New Terra is currently stationed in the Horizon System. It will take approximately three days from the Kehladd System to arrive. Shall I send a subspace transmission to inform them of our arrival?"

Vance waved his arm. "Yes, go ahead. Tell them to get the debriefing committee ready for when we arrive. I can't stand them, but procedure is procedure. They'll probably want to ask the colonists some questions too. I'll give them some time before I let them know. I think we all need the rest."

Til Wing nodded. "I agree Captain. Further stress may cause unexpected problems."

"Thank you, Counselor Obvious." said Vance, half jokingly. "And if I suddenly go blind, I suppose you'll tell me I won't be able to see where the ship is going?"

"I would," she said slyly. "Except I place more trust in Pilot Arsiir's capabilities, considering he is the pilot, and not you."

"Should I include that in our report as well, Captain?" said Lisa.

"No."

"I see."

"Just get us out of here." sighed Vance. "I've seen enough water for one day."

The Star Brigade arrived at Kehladd's Jump Gate, the gigantic accelerator ring's outer edge accentuated with warning lights. Just what Vance needed, a nice, smooth return trip that he could sleep off. He felt the rumble beneath his feet as the Star Brigade's main thrusters started up. It might have been easier to use the FTL drive, but they needed a rest.

"Thor, take us home."

Aiming the ship into the Gate's center, the stars disappeared, and the Star Brigade vanished into the gate system, leaving behind a smoldering wreck, and looking forwards to paperwork.

[HEADING=3]End Mission One[/HEADING]​

 

[Soviet Heavy]

[HEADING=1]Epilogue: The Two Faced Planet[/HEADING]​

New Terra, Diplomatic Corps Headquarters

Captain Vance stared through the window that stretched along the length of the corridor, gazing into the vast space that comprised the Diplomatic Corps' private dry dock within the New Terra. The Star Brigade was dwarfed by the massive Anvil Class Battleships it shared it's space with, a mere speck within the empty space. She was receiving a refit after their last mission, at Demexin's insistence that point defense guns wouldn't cut it against hostile warships. Vance smiled, imagining Demexin ordering about the work crews trampling over his designs.

New Terra was at once a station, a ship, and a colony on a grand scale. The station would be better classified as a planetoid, given that on first glance, one might easily mistake the grass covered surface and breathable outer atmosphere for a regular planet. But what it truly was was the greatest engineering feat of human and Crelm history. Subcontracted to the Norg of course. New Terra was the mobile heart of the Solanic Union, an Earth sized starship that served as a second home to any union member. It's organic surface covered an artificial interior, honeycombed with entire cities, factories and anything else one could imagine needed for life.

The hatch at the end of the corridor hissed open, revealing Til. The Astrid's skin was a pale blue, reflecting her calmness. She smiled at Vance. "I hope I'm not interrupting, Captain." she said.

"Not at all, Counselor," said Vance offering his hand. "Come to stare at the ships, or are you just bored of wandering already?"

"Hive structures don't interest me, Captain." she said. "I much prefer tundra, as you humans put it. Flat plains stretching to the horizon, with cold shores washing along the coasts. Ventaig might seem geographically boring to most, but it is home."

Vance leaned over the rail. "Well, this is my home. The surface might look beautiful, but you'd need to be rich to live up there. Nope, I'm from the warrens below the surface, so those "hive structures" are what I grew up with living here. They tried to make the place look lived in for people so they wouldn't feel like test subjects living in a sterile world, but all that encouraged was for the locals to shit on everything. It was a slum, no doubt, but, it was home."

Til tilted her head to try and catch Vance's eyes. "Is it still home then, Captain?"

"Please, call me Thomas, or Vance. We're not on the ship, Til. We can be informal. I haven't been back to the warrens here for maybe ten years. Not since I joined up with the military. Been on ships ever since. I guess you could compare it to a traveling salesman: his only real home is his vehicle. Except, it's a starship instead of a car. The Star Brigade just happens to be the latest one."

"Hmm, I hadn't considered that." said Til. "Even when away from Ventaig, my family has always considered it to be home, regardless of where we moved to. Not every Astrid thinks this way, though. It's seen as old fashioned. But I have my reasons."

Vance chuckled. "I suppose you do. And I also suppose you aren't going to tell me, are you?"

Til's eyes narrowed. "Not until our sun goes supernova and wipes our homeworld out."

"Hah, never met an Astrid who would talk. You're incredibly tight lipped about your local culture."

"We don't have lips, Thomas."

Vance shrugged. "It's a manner of speaking."

Neither spoke for a while. Vance noted through several quick glances that Til's color was changing ever so slightly towards yellow. She seemed more comfortable and less coolly professional, or at least that was what he could gather from bioluminescent communication. He grinned to himself.

"Still," he started. "Even if the warrens are a slum, they had some good haunts for food. Let's see if any of them are still standing. Are you hungry?"

Til seemed surprised. "Oh, er, well, why not? I suppose there are more tunnels and hollows I can see before we set out again."

"That's the spirit. We're ashore for a few days, we might as well spend it doing something new!"

[hr]

"I'm telling you Rithim, they are going to pin this on me somehow. They always do. Thomas Anderson, accidentally worshiped as a god on one planet before being chased off world. Thomas Anderson, responsible for causing a war within the first hours of contact with a new species! The Andursion, an evil being that will be shot dead and eaten if he ever steps foot on Lonyx again. And now a new one: Thomas Anderson, the man responsible for unleashing a galactic pandemic to the heart of the Solanic Union because he made a split second decision to rescue a bunch of colonists!"

"Well, I'm sure the colonists won't hold it against you." said Rithim. The Crelm continued working on his leaking doorway. "Anyways, the Committee will understand, especially if they want testimonies from everybody, not just you. It's not like you were the only one to advocate taking them."

Tom was pacing around the room, biting his knuckles. "Sure, that's true, but what do you think the Committee will see? A bunch of relative nobodies on their reports, or the guy who has a track record that puts most others to shame?"

"Pass me that slicer will you?... thanks. Well, if you hate it so much, why don't you just take an office job? You'd still be working for the Corps, but the worst thing you could be accused of is forgetting to format your spreadsheets. I'm sure that Poravan could send another envoy."

Tom scoffed. "Right, in another thirty years maybe. They might be sophisticated, but organized, they aren't. I'm just stuck in this spot. What am I going to do, Rithim?"

The Crelm hit his head region as he stood up. "Well, for starters, you could stop moaning about it at every chance you get. I'm busy doing housework while you just stomp around the common room whining about your job. So unless you want me to dump seawater all over you, shut up and let's talk about something other than work."

[hr]

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Snip

The door to Rithim's home rang. "Tom, make yourself useful and get that will you?"

"Why yes dear, right away." muttered Tom. The door slid open revealing Lime. "Oh, hello Lime. Umm, come in, please."

Lime obliged and followed Tom back to the common room. Rithim looked up from his work at the sudden arrival of a fellow Crelm. He tucked his tools into his gel pouch and offered a hand to Lime. "The name is Rithim, friend. Do I call you sir, ma'am or both?"

"Uh, Rithim, this is Lime, the military commander from the Star Brigade. He's a colleague. Lime, this is Rithim, one of my friends from my time doing field work before I was made envoy." Tom leaned in closer to whisper to lime. "He likes it if you talk to him as male. Just a quirk of his."

"It's more than a quirk, Tom. It just makes things easier for me, and it definitely helps when dealing with other species in... intimate situations. So, what can I do for you Lime? Tom was just stopping by to tell me all about his fascinating experience with almost being drowned, eaten, shot at, blown up and falling to his death in a single day. I'd show you around the submerged section, but Tom wants to stay dry."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Snip

Gabriel had remained mostly with his security team whilst they was on board the Star Brigade, chatting about their overall experience mostly, whilst playing a few games of cards during the voyage. Most of them had left to visit family stationed on New Terra, others decided to stay, wanting to help out in what way they could.

He was looking out one of the viewing windows at the various ships, which easily dwarfed the Star Brigade, when a female lizard like being with orange scales, and purplish blue rings on its tail and limbs went up to him.

"Gabriel was it?" She had asked, Gabriel soon turned round to respond.

"Indeed it is. Gabriel Wolfe at your service. Your Kalade right? I think I spotted you in passing as the colonists got on board." He offered a handshake, or clawshake if your a lizard I suppose.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Snip

Gabriel was slightly in shock that someone had discovered that he wasn't human, but decided to test the Lallow's knowledge. He first gave a courteous smile, and then spoke in a rather calm manner.

"What proof do you have, that I am not human?" Gabriel then sat down at a near by table, gesturing Kalade to sit down with him.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Snip

Gabriel smirked, impressed with the Lallow reasons. "Fair enough. The reasons good, I should probably get those looked at, could probably do with a tune up. I'm, surprised you didn't point out that I don't look like a usual human, what with the tanned skin, golden eyes, and white hair and all that." He remarked, taking a brief moment as his right arm. His focus soon returned to Kalade.

"Whilst I haven't met Lisa, I certainly have interacted with her. Remember when she was taking those Norg orbital weapons offline? Well, you could say I-" He then leaned over to whisper something to Kalade. "-helped her out with them. Don't tell her that though." Gabriel then went back to his original seating position, and clasped his hands.

"Your right, I am advanced; but also one of a kind. My 'parents' as it were, are no longer part of the equation that makes up the universe, at least in a living sense. He then chuckled slightly, with a slight hint of sadness as the end, showing sorrow for what had happened all those years ago. Gabriel then looked at her boldly.

"So, what do you wish to know? Be warned, whatever I speak, must remain between us; think of it as the price for such knowledge. The others will know in time, as long as a certain A.I doesn't inform them beforehand." Gabriel then said in a rather cold demeanour, referring to Lisa at the end.

 

[TheBlueShotgun0]

snip

James and several other engineers walked through the New Terra's sub-surface laughing. They were on their way to a bar which was, according to Rivers, of the highest quality. The pilot had made a full recovery from his head injury on Earth, and was in fact the jolliest among the group, both taking and giving jokes with a wide smile. James guessed that he was just happy to be alive after Earth. Honestly, none of us have any right to be alive. James though, his mind wandering to the incident a few days ago on the water-world. He still was against taking the colonists aboard, as he hadn't thought that the quarantine would hold. But it had, and James considered himself and his crew mates fortunate. He still distrusted the assassin they had picked up, but the Captain didn't seem to worry about it, and James had tried to follow his example. But despite himself, James still felt that something was off about the man.

James heard the communicator on his belt go off, and snapped himself out of his thoughts. A glance at the display revealed that Lisa was the one calling him. I'm on shore leave. What could it possibly need? he thought as he keyed the devise. "What is it?" he said into it.

"James, Captain Murray of the Pious King would like to see you at the local Space Naval office." Lisa's voice chimed from the communicator for all hear. "He said it was urgent."

James tried to remember what kind of ship the Pious King was. He believed it was one of the SU's new humanitarian aid vessels, designed to help people suffering from any kind of catastrophe. "What does he want me for?" he asked Lisa.

"He did not say. Only that it was very important."

James signed. He never liked to be left out of the big picture. "Alright, thank you." he said, and turned off the communicator. He turned to his comrades. "I'll meet up with you guys later. Hughs, make sure this fool doesn't smack his head against anything." he said with a point to Rivers and a smile. With that, James turned away while the others burst into laughter.

 

[LeeFromCollege]

A shadowy figure walks out of a hospital bedazzled by such a view as he takes in and begins to comprehend the sight witnessed before him. This, here. A new planet. He's made it.
Although still drowsy from the recovery after being found by the SU, suspended in space encased within a small pod.

The figure begins to explore looking high and low at what he finds fascinating, with some people giving him a strange eye as he carelessly investigates. A sudden gleam catches his eye.
With a rapid turn of the head to check the new find, the sharp ray of light reveals half of his face, a mask. Making out two charcoal black engraved dashes representing the eyes upon the dark grey template along with the light catching part of another longer dash symbolising a mouth.
Without much hesitation the figure darts across the land to unveil the spectacle from which the light reflects.
There before him settled a grounded ship of simply class design, seeming fairly modern with cutting edge aesthetics. For a few seconds the figure gazed, stunned by the sight. Is this what he was looking for?

With quick, enthusiastic analysation of the surroundings which held this wonder the figure looks for a sign. Then realising that the ship shared similar features with the one which found him bound in space.
Eager anticipation causes him to pace towards and then around the ship as he inspects the fine detail. Some time passes as he continues to study the fine craftmanship.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Snip

"Oh, I've known Tom for about five, maybe six years now. Used to do field work before I decided my career could do without the threat of death. I stuck with the Corps, but I'm on the office end of things now. I remember the first time we met. What was the name of the place? Tenegra?"

Tom turned away. "Oh not this story again. Yes, it was Tenegra."

"Oh good. So anyways, Tom and I are put in the same shuttle on the way down. It's his first mission, and he's a little nervous. So you see, Tenegra has a rather rough atmosphere, loads of storms that cover the planet and only filter down bit of sunlight. And we had to go right through it. So, you couple one nervous human with the choppiest shuttle drop you could imagine, and you get one sick Tom."

"Yes, and what a day that turned out to be." said Tom irritably. "I vomited all over the representative from Tenegra the moment we got out of the Shuttle. Rithim would tell you that it got me thrown in a prison complex. It was more like a rehabilitation center. The Tenegrans just have a very... well, primitive I guess is the word, idea of what rehab actually means. I think I was a few inches narrower afterwords."

Rithim laughed. "A few? You looked like you hadn't eaten in weeks."

Tom cocked his head to one side. "Well, I'm glad that my torture for the sake of planetary goodwill is so amusing to you, Rithim. Now Lime, you came here to ask me something? Has the tribunal been set up yet? I haven't heard."
[hr]

Vance threw back another glass, laughing. "I'd forgotten how strong this stuff was. Remind me to sip next time, I'd rather keep my brain functioning."

Til smiled, and set the bottle on the waiting rack away from Vance's hands. The cafe was buzzing with conversations of all kinds. Even from the veranda where they sat, the sound of cheers and loud shouts from angry betting clubs inside were inescapable. She looked over the railing, staring across the artificial landscape of New Frekisberg, stretching out for miles in every direction.

"So, Til, what do you think of my former home?" said Vance. "Well, the clean part, at least. Still too hive like for you?"

"I;ll admit it's starting to grow on me." she said.

"Hah, that's just the algae from the drowned sections. It washes right off." he winked slyly at her.

"Very funny." Til said. "I know you'd rather not talk about work, but, as the ship counselor, I feel concerned. If it doesn't bother you."

"Til, please. Speak your mind. What's bothering you?"

Til looked down at her plate. "It's Mae. His condition is getting worse. Doctor Harris took him to the Alanis Medical Complex, but even they haven't been able to find the cause."

Vance frowned. "It isn't the Gyrale virus, is it? Could it have had an unknown effect on Maskerades?"

Til shook her head. "No Vance, it isn't. They don't know what is causing it, and Mae is dying. Nate said he wouldn't last long. If the Alanis doctors cannot help him, nobody can. I think it would be best if we checked in on him, let him know that he isn't alone."

The captain said nothing, swilling his drink with a finger. "You mean be with him as he goes." he said quietly.

"Yes. He is a good crewmember. At least someone should go. I wanted to know if you would come with me. We can speak for the rest of the crew as well. I just didn't want to do this alone."

Neither said anything for several minutes, passing the time staring at their food. Finally, Vance spoke. "Okay, I'll go with you, if it makes this easier."

Til smiled faintly. "It won't make it easier, but I'm glad to have the company."

 

[TheBlueShotgun0]

James stepped into the reception room of the Naval office. He still wore a T-shirt and jeans; not the best outfit for meeting a Captain, but Lisa had said that it was urgent. On the benches lining the walls sat several officers awaiting their meetings. James approached the desk. "Hello. I'm here to see Captain Murray." he said to the man seated behind the desk.

The man, no older than 22, looked up from his computer. "Captain Murray?" he mumbled to himself, and clicked several times on the mouse. "Oh." he exclaimed, looking back at James. "You must be Chief Petty Officer Bergmann. Please come with me." The man got up and opened a door to the side of his desk that lead to the offices. James walked through the door and into a hallway lined with more doors and pictures of past battles and war heroes. "Right this way, sir." the man said as he slipped past James and proceeded down the hall. James followed him to a door labeled "ADM. Roy" where the man turned to James. "He's right in here, sir." he said, and went back to his desk.

Upon opening the door, James was greeted by the sight of several ferns and flowers. Siting at the desk at the other end of the room was a man of around 50 or 60, with deep wrinkles and graying hair. "You must be James." the old man said, smiling. "Please, take a seat."

James sat himself down in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. "I am, sir. You must be Captain Murray?"

"Indeed I am." the man said. "You certainly took your time getting here." The Captain's body language expressed that he was not displeased with James tardiness, but only joking about.

"My apologies, sir. I was in the level below when I got the message and came as fast as I could." James glanced back at the door, then back at the Captain. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, why does the door say 'Admiral Roy'?"

Murray seemed to find a bit of amusement in James' confusion. "Well, Admiral Roy is currently out and about on important business that no one will tell me about, and so is not using his office. Because I needed a place to meet with you and a few others, I decided to temporarily move in." The Captain leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. "And I must say, I love his choice in decorations. There's nothing quite like the smell of lavender in the air."

"Certainly, sir." James agreed. It was nice to smell something organic after being on a starship for a week and a half. "So, why did you need to see me?"

The Captain's eyes snapped back to James. "Ah yes, the reason you're here." He laced his fingers together in the desk and adopted a more serious tone. "As I'm sure you know, The SU has been trying to gain a foothold on the frontier for quite some time now." A smile spread across his lips. "Well now we have one."

James raised an eyebrow of confusion. "What do you mean, sir."

"What I mean, Bergmann, is that the SU has recently annexed a system in the frontier, Tellus. Now, we're sending our best doctors and engineers to the system as a show of good faith. The plan is to convince other systems in the frontier that they should join the SU."

"That's great, sir, but what does it have to do with me?" James asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, James, you're one of those engineers." the Captain said.

James was shocked. "I'm honored, sir, but I can't leave my current mission. It's very important."

The Captain's face dropped and he looked disappointed, as if he had expected James the answer in such a way. "It wasn't an offer, son."

Now James was shocked. He had expected to have a say in the matter. "Sir, I don't think you can just pluck me off the Star Brigade." he said, hoping for an excuse to stay with the ship.

"Oh, but I can." the Captain responded. "The President himself gave me a list of people to recruit, and your name was on it. I've already sent a message to Captain Vance telling him that you're leaving." James' shoulders slumped, and Murray noticed. "I know you don't want to leave your companions on the Star Brigade, but trust me when I say that You'll like it aboard the King."

James striated up. He was disappointed. but that didn't mean he had to show it. "I'm sure I will, sir. I look forward to it."

The Captain seemed pleased. "Very well. We don't leave until tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to pack and say your farewells. I expect you on the Pious King at noon tomorrow, is that understood?" James answered in the affirmative, and Captain Murray ushered him out. Walking back to where the Star Brigade was docked, James let his mind wander to the crew mates he would be leaving behind. At least I can say goodbye.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Snip

"No, no, no! This one goes here, that one goes there! Honestly, am I the only competent person on this work crew? Oh right, I am! Now, you either follow my instructions, or I throw you out the airlock, got it?"

The team installing the Star Brigade's new guns grumbled in acknowledgment, but Demexin just huffed and walked away. He wiped the sweat from his face. It was boiling work. The ship's reactor and FTL drive were both clean running Astrid tech, but these particle cannons worked up an obscene amount of heat. It was no wonder SU naval warfare was based around anticipating heat dumps with the way these energy guzzlers were running. They'd melt themselves without constant coolants being applied. Ant that meant that his new job was rerouting a new coolant line through the ship in a way that didn't suddenly evaporate their entire water supply.

Demexin leaned back, thumping the bulkhead as he slumped to the ground, exhausted. They'd been at this all day. At the rate they were going, by tomorrow, the ship would probably outgun the Alsvior. His head bobbed and lolled to the side. "Lisa, when is Bergmann getting back? If I have to put up with these morons any longer.... everyone gets shore leave but me. I can't let the ship out of my eye or these goons will dismantle her behind my back!"

"Officer Bergmann is currently in the New Frekisberg Solanic Naval Office, five levels below the docking port. Shall I contact him?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. I'll grab him, but I want you to watch the ship while I'm gone, alright? Anyone touching anything other than the gun emplacements, and you let me know, Lisa."

"Of course, Chief."

Demexin shook his head. Leaving the ship in the hands of a computer that ran on snark. He really couldn't rely on anyone these days, could he? He headed ashore, in search of James.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Snip

Gabriel left the observation room behind Kalade, making sure that he was loaded up with all his weapons, whilst the people on board were friendly, he didn't fully trust them yet to safely handle his gear. Besides, the recoil from the sniper rifle could shatter someone's arm. After traversing many of New Terra's levels, they finally arrived at what could be described as a park. They sat under one of the many trees, which had a commerative plaque, stating that the tree originated from Earth, and one of the few that survived from Mars. After reading it, Kalade has asked him something.

"So Sebastian, have you been here before?" Gabriel then sat down.

"First off, the name is Gabriel. Second, whilst I haven't been to this place specifically, I have been to New Terra before. It was eight years ago, a year after I had 'left' the Elysium. When I was just starting out my freelance career."

 

[TheBlueShotgun0]

snip

James was just entering the Star Brigade's docking berth, lost in thought, when he literally ran into Demexin. James fell to the ground, stunned by the impact with the Chief's crystalline body, while Demexin only took a step back. "Bergmann." the Astrid said, extending a hand to help him up. "Watch where you're going, boy. Now, I need to you to help install the new weapons. I'm surprised the grunts the SU sent us can tie their own shoes, let alone stick a pair of particle cannons on the hull of a ship."

James took the offered hand and got up. "I'm afraid I can't, sir." he said timidly, unsure how the Chief or Engineering would take the news. "I-"

"You what?" Demexin said angrily, cutting James off. "What the hell is so much more important than your duties aboard this ship? Didn't they teach you anything in the military?"

Jesus! James thought. If he's this cross now, how's he going to react to the rest? There was only one way to find out, of course. "Well that's just it, sir." James said, nervous to incur Demexin's wrath any further. "I've been transferred to another ship and I have to start packing."

Demexin stared dumbfounded at James for a moment before speaking up again. "What?!" he shouted. "On who's orders?!"

"Ap-apparently the president's, sir." James stammered, startled by Demexin's rage.

"So the president himself gave you a direct order, is that it?"

"No, um, no sir. Captain Murray-"

"Who?" Demexin said, cutting James off again.

"The king, I mean captain of the Pious King." James could feel sweat starting to form in his armpits. "Anyway, he's got orders to take me aboard."

"Is that so?" said the Chief, who by this point was glowing scarlet red. "Well then come with me. We're going to have a talk with Captain Asshole."

Too afraid to object, James lead his superior to the Naval Office. Upon entrance, Demexin stomped up to the front desk and slammed his hands down, snapping the officer at the desk out of his game of solitaire. "Where's Captain Murray!?" Demexin roared.

The officer stammered some gibberish and pointed at the door, but that was enough for the Astrid. He threw the door open and walked so fast down the corridor that James had to jog to keep up. "He's in Admiral Roy's room." James explained.

"You mean this one?" Demexin said, stopping before the office that James had exited only a few minutes before. James answered in the affirmative. "Alright, you stay out here. I want to talk to him myself." With that, Demexin burst into the office and slammed the door behind him.

James' watch said he only sat outside that door for 20 minutes, but it felt like an hour. During those 20 minutes, James could clearly hear Demexin's every angry word, despite the layers of insulation that lay between them. James even heard something smash against the wall at one point. Eventually Demexin came back out, even more enraged that when he had entered. "Come on." he said to James in a low but harsh tone. James followed obediently, half out of respect for the man, and half out of fear. They walked through the streets outside for a bit in silence, Demexin slowly calming down. At some point they passed a diner, which the pair silently entered and were seated. The waitress who came to order their drinks was very happy and peppy; it annoyed James beyond measure. When their drinks arrived; an iced tea for James and a tall glass of ice water for Demexin; they just sat in silence, James stirring his drink while Demexin starred out the window. After a few minutes, James just couldn't take it anymore and decided to break the silence. "So, did you break something in there?"

"Not my fault." the Astrid responded, not taking his eyes away from the window. "They should make chairs more durable."

"Right. So I'm guessing you couldn't change his mind?"

"Can never change the mind of a bureaucrat." Demexin said, saying the last word like it tasted bad in his mouth. "We never had to deal with this kind of bullshit where I grew up."

"I'm sorry, sir." James said. He wasn't really sure what he was apologizing for, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"Bah, don't be." The elder man said with a wave of his hand. He had finally taken his eyes off the window and they were now focused on James. "It's not your fault." He took a single sip of his water before standing up. "Come on, we got stuff to do back at the ship." James stood up and the pair left, leaving behind two mostly untouched drinks and the money to pay for them.

They didn't talk again until they reentered the ship. James was all too aware that it may be the last time he ever did so. "So, Tellus, aye?" Demexin finally said. "You do known, boy, that by the end of this month I expect that system to be legendary for it's infrastructure and industry, understand?"

"Of course, sir." James said, and the engineers shared a chuckle. For the first time since joining the Star Brigade, James realized that he would miss Demexin. Despite the yelling and constant bad mood, he was a wise man a good mentor, and James would miss those qualities just as much as would miss any other crew member.

They arrived at a three way intersection between the halls. James would go right, towards his dorm to pack, and Demexin would go left, towards engineering. They stopped in the middle of the intersection and faced each other. "I guess this is goodbye, isn't it." the Chief said.

"Ya." James said. "I guess so."

Demexin came closer and put a hand on James' shoulder. "You make me proud out their, James, alright?"

"I will, sir."

For the first time, James saw Demexin smile. "I know you will." he said, and walked off to engineering. James went his own way, fighting back tears. He had heard something in Demexin's voice that had never expected to hear. He had heard respect.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Snip

"This body is about fifteen years of age." Gabriel remarked solemnly, he was about to continue, when Kalade was interrupted by the ship's A.I, Lisa. According to her, a Masquerade was detected near the ship, and could be a potential security risk. Kalade then looked up at him.

"Sorry to cut it short, you want to come investigate the Masquerade?"

"Of course, if I'm going to be serving on board the Star Brigade, I may as well make myself useful." He replied with a slight chuckle.

 

[LeeFromCollege]

The shadowy figure, a Maskerade, sees two figures approach him from a slight distance. Keen on seeing these two go towards the direction of him and the vessel that stood behind, he eagerly runs to approach them, wanting to inquire about the ship and what it does.

As the Maskerade comes to an abrupt halt in front of them, he begins his inquisition in his mother tongue,
"Hello, do you know anything about that ship? Where does it go? Who are the members in its crew? Do you know them perhaps? Oh, where are my manners, who might you two be? Forgive my thirsty questioning."