After drifting off to sleep, I dream again.

My dream was vivid. It all flooded back to me as I opened my eyes again. People dying. My hands were covered in blood; The screams, the bloody screams. After dragging myself out of bed, I headed into the washroom attached to my quarters. I wash my face, trying to wash these memories out of my head as if the water would carry these horrifying memories with it. I shut off the water and looked up at the mirror in front of me. Bags were forming under my eyes, I looked fatigued, weary, tired.

My eyes were red and bleary. As if I had aged a full 200 years in the last twenty-four hours. "Who am I?” My lips move and I murmur to myself in the mirror. Not sure if this is me, or some ghostly apparition, some unseen side of my character.

After a few long moments of staring into my own eyes, I left the washroom. Pausing to glance to the digital clock face at my bedside stand. It blinked 01:30. It was rather early, the third shift crew was probably still at their posts. I sigh, having resigned myself to the fact I’d not get any more sleep, and change my clothes.

Upon exiting the elevator onto the CIC, the entire watch paused, and stared at me. “Captain on the deck!” One of them shouted, the third shift bosun’s mate, He was a grizzled, middle-aged man. Likely a veteran of the border conflicts with the gravidans from the late 2900s. “You are up early, captain.” he gives me a warm smile. “What brings you out of your lion’s den and onto the bridge?”

I stretched out, arching my back and pressing out my ribcage to flex my aching muscles and cramped joints. My back exhuded a loud crackling, which caused the bosun’s mate to wince. “You should the CMO for that, cap.” he stared at me, looking slightly blued around the gills.

Frowning, I look at him in the eyes “I would soon rather slam my fingers in the elevator door..” I looked for a rank, but I found none. A remnant habit I formed with the Commonwealth military.

The bosun’s mate barked out a laugh “Midshipman Fletcher, ma’am.” he gave me a half-assed salute. “It is a pleasure to meet you, we all feel honored to be graced with your presence on the third watch!”

I smiled. It seemed the third watch was much more relaxed whilst the first watch were tensed and rigid. It was a very nice change of pace, different faces and new names, and a less-than-stuffier atmosphere. “Carry on, Fletcher.” I smiled at the bosun’s mate. Fletcher beams “Yes ma’am!” he gave me a crisp salute, then turned back around to watch his post and attend to his duties.

Immediately afterwards, I headed to the bridge. Wesley was seated at the helm. “Can’t sleep, helmsman?” he jumped in his seat “Oh! Cap’n..” he stretched. “Y-yeah, cant sleep. Anxiety and all.” He squinted “are you sure about this plan?”

I smiled, of course I was sure. But I did not say it to Wesley, I merely smiled. “Ah… Cap? That smile does not bode well… usually when you smile like that, like, when you look like a cat that ate a canary, you have an ulterior motive...” He eyed me warily.

***

In the armory, I went over all of our weapons. Including the ones I bought in the illicit gun markets in the city. I even found a rare Hydra pistol of Gorgon Arms make. Likely an original made during the Fed-Com war, since it still had its Federation military serial partially legible on the frame. The majority of it had been filed away, likely to prevent tracing with the crime weapon databases.

“Quite a rare find, lass!” I flitted my head to the doorway. Jay was standing in the way of the door, leaning on the bulkhead. His cybernetic leg got him this far, however it was really just on its last ride it seemed.

“It is.” I smiled fondly. “We should get you a new leg when we finish all of this business.” I looked to Jay, giving him a wry smirk.

“Oh lass, ye won’ have the coin.” he chuckled mirthfully “Bu’i guess it is the thought tha’ counts.” He levered himself off the bulkhead, limping over to me to sit on the bench beside me.

Jay put a steady, knurled hand on my shoulder. “Ya know, you’re one of the few people I believe tha’ can really bring down ol’ Makarovo.” he smiled “I hear about wha’ happen’d over with the matron.” he smiled wryly “Imma ol’ man, but I know people, lass.”

I blinked slowly. “Word spread fast, huh?”

“Aye.”

I nodded in thought. “To be honest, I never really thought it was a solid plan, but.. We don't really have much choice. Frankly, it’s sink or swim. It’s the flip, and I’m bluffing on a pair of twos.”

Jay looked at me in puzzlement a moment, then barked in laughter. “Ye got a wit, lass! Tha’ for damn sure.” he stood up, grunting in exertion. “You jus’ let ol’ Jay know if you need anythin’ ya hear?” he smiled cockily “If you nee’it, I got it, if I don’ got it, I know a guy.” he paused “sleep tight, lass.” Jay made his way out after patting me on the shoulder in a grandfatherly manner. Hobbling out of the armory to make his way to his quarters.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I sighed, and went back to examining all of our weapons, taking inventory of grenades, explosives, any speciality gear, and counting our ammunition. I had spent most of our creds on new equipment, and a pair of surplus starfighters, which were being delivered that morning.

After I finished counting our ammunition and recording the amounts on my mGlass, I opened my own personal weapon locker with my access code - 5057. The door chirped, indicating access being permitted. I opened the door and picked a specific pistol off the pistol rack I had on the top shelf, which had my three personal sidearms on it.

It was the Zetter and Metz Mark 28 - The one I picked off the dead Chimera during that Iridian dinner party. My mind wandered to my next moves after finishing with my takeover plans. I had to evaluate the extent of the Makarovo enterprise. I can go from there. If his operations were extensive enough, I can always retool them for information brokerage. Everyone needs information, and information was a far more valuable commodity than any liquid currency. Whether people realized that or not, everything has a price, even information.

I turned the pistol over in my hand, looking at the engraved Z&M logo on the side. Caressing the large-framed weapon in my hands like a precious stone. I really liked this gun, it was large, imposing. Easily the weight of a submachine gun, Maybe slightly less.

My hands wrapped around the grip of the weapon, Fingers contoured to the rubberized panels; Left hand over the top of my right fingers. Left palm over the left-side panel of the grip. My right index finger rested on the side of the frame, pointed in line with the barrel. I took aim at the wall, and a blue hologram appeared above the slide with a red dot in the center. A set of quarter-circle arcs around it and two lines crossing in the center of the dot. This formed a sort of bullseye reticle in the center of the blue hologram. On the top-right was an ammo counter, which blinked a red ‘0’, indicating an empty magazine.

I broke my aim to examine the top of the slide on the pistol. A slight parting line indicated the profile of the emitter device, which sat flush with the pistol’s slide profile, Creating no additional footprint. I tucked the rear of the weapon in my hands up to my chest in a ready stance, barrel pointed in front of me to gauge my comfort with the weapon, then pushed my hands out from my body, presenting the weapon and aiming down the sighting system.

Hefting the weapon in a hand, I noted the considerable weight compared to other pistols. Nodding, I stood to set it back gingerly in its spot on my pistol rack in my locker, before closing the metal door.

“You look like you’re having fun.” A playful voice remarked.

Exhaling, I half-lidded my eyes “Vlondril, you cant sleep either?”

“Nope.” Vlondril popped the P, as if exaggerating it’s importance. “Something on your mind, Kara?”

“No just checking our inventory.” I smiled at Vlondril, but she saw through that with a frown.

“Kara, we may not have known eachother for long, but I know enough that you head here when something is troubling you. Weapons seem to occupy your mind, takes you off otherwise undesirable, dark thought.” She sat on the bench next to me. “If something is troubling you, I’d be more than happy to listen.”

She looked at me with all the seriousness she could muster. I stared right back, staying silent. “It’s alright if you do not wish to talk, Kara. I will not force you to.” Vlondril smiled. “However; I trust you enough that I should tell you something.” she sighed, hesitation stopped her a brief moment before she elaborated. “Farsa sent me to monitor you and protect Galinae, I originally thought you had ulterior motives, Galinae would have made rather good leverage against Farsa.” Vlondril huffs “However, you have proven me wrong.”

My face contorted in confusion first, then annoyance, then flashed through anger, surprise, then to a look of exasperation. I sighed “How have I proven you wrong?”

Vlondril gave a wry smirk “Kara dear, you showed you had no motive, Even though you could have easily confined Gali to quarters, or had her shot. Many times over might I add.” She stood, stretching sleepily. “I should head back to bed.” she pauses “One more thing..”

She leveled her face with mine, staring into my eyes with her own. I blinked in confusion. “Vlondril, what are you-” I only managed that much until Vlondril attacked my lips with her own. After a long moment, she retreated and after a coy smile, left the armory.

I blinked in shock a few times, and gently placed the pads of my fingers to my lips. I stared at the doorway as felt my face getting warmer as I blushed a deep red. Hunching forward, I buried my face into my hands, a feeling as if dying from embarrassment surging. I lingered a bit longer to gather up my composure before exiting the armory, returning to my room to read in an attempt to tear my mind away from the encounter down in the armory.