It was peak operating hours for the commissary situated on the first floor of Station Varza, with roughly three quarters of its long-laminated tables already at capacity. A combination of station and field personnel pressed shoulder to shoulder as they consumed their ready-to-eat meals. A cacophony of conversation and cutlery leaking out through the sets of double doors located on either side of the dining space.

A short distance away from the epicenter of the uproar stood a brunette communications officer waiting patiently as the dining staff plated the serving she’d requested. A grilled cheese set that came with a tomato basil soup and a small cucumber salad. Her reason for choosing this menu item being that she simply hadn’t tried it yet. And while Esma had seen the item on the menu at previous stations she’d opted for other options more in line with her personal preferences. That’s not to say every station had the same menu items, it was actually quite the opposite. Each station’s menu accounting for the region’s local produce and delicacies. But for the sake of accommodating some of the less adventurous palettes, each station also rotated through several fixed menu items available at any commissary. This happened to be one such item.

Collecting the red tray, Esma mouthed a thank you to the staff member and waded through the growing crowd towards a table in the corner. Sat at said table were her comrades in arms; Lux, Cade, and a friend of the former’s named Faust. The rookie CO only being introduced to the man a day prior. But he seemed amicable enough. At the very least he’d held off beginning his meal until she joined them. Much like Cade who sat across from him browsing some pamphlet or another. Considerate of them to wait for her but not even remotely necessary.

“Never thought I’d say this but take a lesson from Lux and drop the decorum. Can’t imagine the food tastes better cold.”

She slid onto the bench across from the blonde, settling beside the well-traveled security officer who began eating his own meal right away. His table counterpart made a face at whatever he was reading and tossed the pamphlet aside in favor of grabbing a spoon.

“Stews taste better cold.”

The three dug in while Lux, who was all but finished, directed her attention at Esma. She held a fork in her mouth as she inquired about the CO’s first two weeks in field service. In the span of which Esma had served on five different convoys including New Kantler. A tad below the median number as personnel typically crewed on four to five convoys in a given week. Unfortunately political backlash following the convoy to Belveer had them stuck in the Commonwealth for longer than anticipated, lowering everyone’s service time.

“I’m happy to report that my first convoy has, by far, remained the most eventful. That includes my trip to Station Ellorizo sans your company.”

As for the other three, Esma had been fortunate enough to rejoin the pair, even if they weren’t assigned to the same Crusader. Just knowing there were reliable faces nearby working towards the same goal as her was enough to ease her anxieties.

“Well, give it some time and you’ll familiarize yourself with plenty of other crewman besides us. More so if you stick to this region of the Expanse.”

Esma dipped one half of her grilled cheese in the tomato soup as she considered Lux’s words. She hadn’t considered whether she’d move around or not. Part of her knew experiencing the other regions of the Expanse would be necessary to seeing her objective through, but after reflecting on her first two weeks on the job it sounded quite daunting.

“Have you two—”

She glanced at the reticent security officer in her peripheral.

“Er—three been in the West for long?”

Lux crossed both arms and sat up straight in a show of pride.

“Born and raised!”

Cade raised a brow in response to his friend’s declaration but didn’t refute it, swallowing his current mouthful before responding.

“Spent my first year operating in the North, shifted to the Western region around a year ago. That’s when I ran into this one.”

He gestured to Lux with his spoon.

“I’d say I prefer it here in general. More agreeable weather, better city layouts, heaps of other stuff that’d probably bore you.”

“Because city planning is so thrilling—”

Cade ignored the comment and motioned the spoon to the seat across from him.

“Warren, you’ve been in the West awhile, right?”

[Faust Warren, 23, Security Division]

“Three years and counting.”

“Bullshit, toss it over!”

Esma didn’t immediately understand Lux’s request but pieced it together after Faust slipped one hand under the table. Watching as he wordlessly undid his belt and tossed it over to the insistent blonde, who proceeded to scrutinize its contents. The action itself spoke volumes of the man’s trust in Lux, to the extent Esma nearly chastised her for making such a porous effort at covering the belt from passersby. The CO unconsciously placed a hand on her own waist just to make sure her own service record was still safely concealed.

“...I’ll be damned, and to think you’re so unassuming. Nice of you to whip it out for me though.”

“Hey...”

Cade shoved Lux’s shoulder.

“Some of us are still eating here.”

Lux shrugged and handed the belt back over to Faust over the table. On the return trip she plucked a cucumber off Esma’s salad and bit into it with a satisfying crunch. But rather than lament the loss of her botanic fruit, she found her green gaze flittering over to the pamphlet Cade had discarded. It was face down so she couldn’t be sure, but based on the language on the back it concerned travel.

Swallowing the last bite of her sandwich, she made to ask the engineer about it but became distracted by another attempt at her salad. As if to help Esma thwart this second effort a loud female voice suddenly came over the station’s PA system. It was monotone, indicative of an emergency alert, and did the impossible of making the entire dining area settle down in unison.

“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SUMMONS; ALL AVAILABLE PERSONNEL ARE ASKED TO REPORT TO THE ASSEMBLY AREA IMMEDIATELY FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SUMMONS; ALL AVAILABLE—”

The message continued to play on repeat as chatter began to pick back up around them. Meanwhile Esma had gone from startled to discerning whether sharing a meal qualified her and the others as available. That question was answered in the form of Lux, Cade and Faust shooting up from their respective seats.

“Galen Run. Whose game?”

“I’m due.”

“Think I’m going to let you run off on your own.”

The three gathered up their trays and began moving away from the table. Feeling terribly uninformed and alone, Esma scrambled to collect her own things so she could hurry after them. The PA’s continued assault from above only adding to her nervous energy. They proceeded to deposit their trays on the designated conveyor belt before bursting out of the dining hall doors.

As they entered the hallways leading into the rest of the station Esma could make out a select few similarly rushing in the direction of the assembly area. Although there was also a staggering number of personnel going about their business as usual, granted they still made way for those passing through. Where she not so preoccupied keeping pace with the others she’d have inquired more about these so-called “Galen Runs” and asked why they didn’t seem to be of interest to the rest of the station. But at their current pace coupled with the cramp forming in her side, Esma felt it likely her questions would have to wait until they reached their destination.

Turning a corner the group nearly collided with a pair of officers coming from the other direction. Fortunately, Lux, who’d been leading the charge, redirected the momentum of the closer individual. Spinning them into the lap of the person behind them. As Esma was at the tail end of their bunch she took it upon herself to raise a single hand in apology as they passed by the toppled duo. Much to her surprise the taller of the two sprang back to his feet rather quickly and no sooner had passed her enroute back to Lux up front.

He matched his stride to Cade’s for a moment and offered a goofy smile to the engineer before catching up to Lux just as she reached the series of doorways leading into the assembly area. The two entered the space through separate doorways, the man extending his upper body forward and flailing his arms back like one would at the end of a two-hundred-meter dash. The blonde stood off to the side of the opposing doorway looking unimpressed as the others filed in after him, Esma bringing up the rear.

“Can always count on you to get in the way Wash.”

The man peered of the doubled over forms of Esma and the officer he’d been running alongside at the time of the toppling, both trying to catch their breaths. He brought a pair of round, red-tinted glasses up from his face and offered a toothy smile at his impromptu race opponent.

“Anytime pal.”

[Wash Redcliffe, 26, Engineering Division]

*

It took longer than Esma would have liked to admit for her to regain her breath and stand upright again, and even when she did the cramp in her side protested causing her to grimace. She half-worried the unfamiliar man next to her would mistake it for a glare, but he seemed more focused on the officer sharing in her struggles. She used the opportunity to get a good look at him.

He was tall, taller than Cade who’d Esma would also consider tall, and had a build she could best describe as sinewy. His arm musculature in particular on full display as the gray top he wore lacked sleeves by design. Albeit his right arm did have a black compression sleeve running its length. Looks wise he had wavy dark brown hair that he’d swept back and a light birthmark bordering the corner of his left eye. It contrasted an olive skin tone that was one shade lighter than Lux’s. Just as she’d finished studying his appearance a pair of brown eyes flicked downwards and met her own.

“You’re an unfamiliar face.”

Cade answered in her place as he stepped up alongside the man Lux had referred to as Wash.

“She’s new, circa de two weeks ago. Got stuck in Belveer with the rest of us.”

Wash folded his arms and hinged at the hips to get a closer look at her. Notably, lowering his round spectacles prior to his appraising. He snapped his long fingers.

“Communications Division.”

Esma reflexively looked down to see if all the running had exposed her belt, it hadn’t. Meaning he’d drawn on experience to make an educated guess. Something she wouldn’t make up for anytime soon, and undoubtedly a contributor to her failures thus far to correctly guess even half of her colleague’s divisions ahead of departure. It frustrated her.

That frustration went unvoiced however as the personnel who’d crowded into the assembly area began forming several queues. Lux appeared behind Esma and guided her by the shoulders into the closest one, Cade and Wash in line ahead of them.

“Managed to catch the final quarter of that game the other day, darn shame.”

“Don’t remind me. That old fossil’s clock management was as horrendous as ever. I mean, at the very least give the guys a chance to go down and win it.”

“Think you could do better?”

“Hey, I coached in an intramural league once!”

Esma tuned the pair out from there and poked her head out of the line to gather more information about what was happening. She noted the line was moving surprisingly fast.

“Hey Lux?”

Said security officer had produced a nail file at some point, beginning work on her pointer finger.

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“Hmm?”

“Care to fill me in on what’s going on.”

They took a few steps forward.

“Galen Run.”

A beat of silence.

“Yes, you made mention of that back at the table. Now if you could provide a bit more context for this confused fledgling.”

Lux paused her filing and looked up as they moved forward again.

“Oh right, my bad. Just think of it as an emergency convoy. We’re talking super last-minute shit.”

Esma contemplated the implications of that synopsis as Lux blew on her nails. Meanwhile the ongoing sports debate going on ahead of them had shifted abruptly to an argument on industrial politics. Talk about whiplash.

“A time sensitive convoy...that would imply the cargo we’re pulling either has a critical shelf life or we’re transporting emergency supplies in bulk. Likely the former. Unless it’s still developing, I haven’t heard word on a disaster in any of the neighboring city states. But if that’s true the cargo will be of considerable value raising the likelihood...”

The brunette continued rambling, mostly to herself, as Lux alternated between nailcare and moving her along. Cade and Wash already in the process of being assigned a Crusader. And as one would expect based on their extensive history working as part of a tandem, they were assigned to the same machine. Esma snapped back to attention just in time to watch as their broad forms walked side by side in the direction of the docks. Understandable as engineers needed to board the Crusader before everyone else to help with loading and to conduct their routine checks. In this case a very abbreviated version.

“Been awhile Lux, how’s life treatin ya?”

Lux squeezed in next to Esma and extended a fist to the man stood beside the staff officer responsible for filling out the crew roster. He returned her gesture in kind.

“It’s been bit too gentle as of late, nothing jumping onboard one these can’t fix.”

Esma looked back and forth between the two as she presented her ID to the seated man. Sensing her inquisitiveness the man offered an introduction and a firm handshake.

“Convoy Commander Dandridge. Happy to have you on board.”

[Lautnor Dandridge, 32, Convoy Commander]

Unlike the CCs she’d encountered thus far this guy was exuding waves of charisma. Kind of like the engineer she’d met two minutes ago. But unlike Wash the commander had very fair skin and short messy blonde hair. His scant stubble a much darker shade and his stature on par with that of Cade’s. And the pièce de résistance, a pair of tattoos running up the sides of his neck until they converged on the underside of his chin. A chin with a labret piercing shaped like a star. But it was something about the phrases making up the tattoos that struck Esma as familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it. She made to ask but got interrupted.

“Miss Villard you’re to report to Crusader C362 for the role of security officer. Same Crusader as the gentlemen before you for reference.”

“...huh?”

The staff member turned their attention to Lux, seemingly done with her. She placed both hands on the reception desk to make it clear she was still very much present.

“I’m sorry, I think you must have misread my ID. I’m a member of the communications division, not security.”

The older man went about inspecting Lux’s ID and jotting her name down on the crew roster, unperturbed by Esma’s assessment of the situation.

“I regret to inform you that all three CO positions are currently accounted for. If you intend to be part of this convoy, it will have to be in a security capacity.”

“...”

For one of the scant few times in her life Esma was at a loss for words. Too busy analyzing the ramifications of this development. Did they really expect her to competently fill this role? Should she resign from the convoy so the position could go to someone more qualified?

“Go ahead and slide me onto C362 as well, I’ll take responsibility for her.”

A courteous move on Lux’s part. Not that it solved anything.

“But—”

“You're in-luck newbie! I struggle to think of a finer security officer to learn from in these parts!”

Esma swallowed and desperately tried to conjure up an acceptable counter argument, but things were moving much too quickly. Emphasizing that point was Lux who hooked her arm and began dragging her in the direction of the armory.

“Get a move on Es, time to get you acquainted with the ole shooting iron.”

Lautnor watched as the sharpshooter dragged off her colleague when he felt a stack of paperwork smack the top of his head. He turned, meeting the half-lidded gaze of the convoy’s assigned Head Communications Officer. She released the papers atop his head forcing him to hurriedly grab them and followed up with a flick of her dark ponytail over her shoulder.

“We have a LOT of things to go over before departure, hope you can walk and talk.”

*

“It emerged two weeks ago, in concert with the return of an aquatic fowl species called the Boreal Crested Grebe. They used to make regular migrations to the region, up until they disappeared from Mennarouple’s shores some thirty years ago. Consensus among biologists was that warmer temperatures in the Northeast corridor altered their migration patterns.”

“Crested Grebe...those’re the ones with the crazy looking head feathers, right?”

One of Sumiye’s eyes twitched involuntarily at the Commander’s takeaway, but she knew that he wouldn’t pay attention if she didn’t answer him before continuing.

“Their plumage is considered unique, yes. Hence the use of the term ‘crested’. Relative to similar species they apparently spend a great deal of time on plumage maintenance.”

“Birds are so funny. You got a favorite bird Sumi?”

[Sumiye Endellion, 27, Communications Division]

“No. Now as I’m sure you’re aware the city of Mennarouple is a major agricultural producer for the region. They make use of not only the fertile land around the lake but also employ floating gardens on its surface. Ideal places for the Grebes to construct their nests.”

“What they don’t have floating scarecrows?”

The two strode across the yard and entered the dock of Crusader C471, which would serve as the command center for this convoy.

“On the contrary, the farmers were happy to see the return of the bird population. Not only do they aid in pest control, but they also serve as effective bioindicators for ecological conditions.”

“You don’t say.”

Sumiye had to tug on the blonde’s shirt to regain his attention as he waved at someone from across the yard.

“Turns out they shouldn’t have been so welcoming after all. The birds were carrying an IAV, what’s essentially influenza or the flu for birds. And they transmitted it to the farmers without anyone knowing. In general the disease’s onset is one to four days after exposure, plenty of time to spread it to family members before symptoms began showing.”

Lautnor’s head snapped down in the Head COs direction.

“You telling me we’ve got an outbreak in Mennarouple? Because if that’s the case I’m pretty sure we’re legally required to notify the crews ahead of departure of what we’re driving them into.”

“Relax, parts of the city have already been placed under strict quarantine. And no cases have been reported at or around the Crusader station. It’s one of the reasons the Council of Trade and Commerce positions its assets on the outskirts of most city states.”

“Who you calling an asset?”

The CC pointed an accusatory finger at the woman, for her part she smacked it away with a grumble.

“The crews will be made aware via a group transmission at the beginning of the route. If you’re worried about mutiny rest assured the conditions in the city are being factored in to this convoy’s compensation package.”

Lautnor held her gaze for a moment before heading around to C471’s cargo bay, Sumiye lagging not far behind.

“So if I’m following along correctly, the cargo we're transporting is—”

“The specimens required to produce an adequate number of vaccines.”

He approached the series of specially prepared crates carrying the specimens in question, all of the cold storage variety. They were strapped down thoroughly and surrounded by a sea of dunnage bags to ensure no damage came to their fragile contents.

“Time is of the essence; another day goes by and the sickness could spread to every corner of the city. And since the cash crops they grow in Mennarouple are harvested year-round, delays caused by the virus could lead to short term food shortages in the surrounding regions.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a Galen Run if there weren’t stakes tied to our success.”

The pair skirted around the cargo and headed up the ladder way, the onboard crew members offering nods and greetings as they emerged topside.

“Regarding the route...”

Lautnor offered a hand and pulled her up with practiced ease.

“If we’re being realistic, there’s only one option that’ll get us there on time...”

“Can’t be helped. It’s an emergency after all.”

He turned to the piloting engineer.

“We loaded yet?”

Of course, he’d dodge her attempt at discussing the route.

“Last of the roster is trickling in as we speak.”

“It’s shaping up to be an interesting afternoon! Hey Sumi!”

The CO had given up on her briefing and instead started fiddling with her equipment, things like setting the frequency for the group transmission and adjusting the fit of the headset.

“Let’s hurry on over to Station Riga so we can do some bird watching! I’d like to get a good look at the little bastard’s causing us so much trouble! Maybe get some tips on plumage maintenance while we’re at it!”

Sumiye got the headset on and made sure to cover the mic.

“Moron.”

*

Station Varza’s armory was housed in a separate building a short distance away from loading yard. As one would hope and expect it had multiple security checkpoints one had to bypass if they so much wanted to sniff a rifle, or any other firearm for that matter. Lux’s pedigree allowed her to skip a couple of checkpoints whereas Esma had to go through all the normal operating procedures. It didn’t matter how strapped for time they were, the LCF didn’t play around when it came to weapon access.

Rather than wait around for Esma to finish up, Lux entered the main reception and flagged down one of the technicians. She handed the woman her weapons license, a card she kept in the same sleeve as her ID and flashed the sharpshooting qualification decorating the right side of her belt. The tech nodded and headed over to one of the weapon lockers to retrieve Lux’s custom rifle.

Save for unique circumstances, this was where every field service security officer stored their rifle between convoys. Handing them in shortly after arrival for the technicians to clean and maintain. This was also where they were allotted ammunition in accordance with the CC’s order. And given the convoys ‘Galen Run’ status they’d be afforded more than the usual number of magazines.

Lux leaned back against the counter and scanned the room for familiar faces. Galen Runs didn’t have manifests due to their last second nature. As such personnel didn’t know which colleagues would be joining them on the convoy until boarding. The irony of this wasn’t lost on Lux who didn’t pay much heed to the manifest regardless, but Galen Runs would have probably been the one exception. Being considerably more dangerous than your typical convoy, who you had on hand mattered more. Especially since these runs relied on volunteers to fill out their crew rosters. Meaning they took whatever they could get. Even if it meant appointing a rookie CO to a security position.

“I thought you only had these episodes during the actual convoy?”

Turning around Lux came face to face with Youn who similarly handed his weapons license over to an available tech just as the her’s returned, rifle in tow. After setting it on the counter she produced a ring of keys from her person and opened a reinforced cabinet behind the counter. Inside, the ammunition for Lux’s rifle.

“What’s your number?”

“C362.”

Lux nodded and started to list off names on her fingers.

“That makes me, you, Faust and Esma...but wasn’t there a weak presence accompanying Wash to the assembly area? What division was that guy in?”

“Hold on a sec, wasn’t Esma the name of that rookie from Belveer? You’re really telling me they expect her to serve as a security officer today?”

Lux turned back towards the counter and went about examining her magazines.

“See for yourself.”

Looking towards the entryway Youn watched the brunette in question enter somewhat nervously, rushing over as soon as she saw Lux stood beside him. He doubted she even noticed his presence. Faust was not far behind and offered a genteel nod in his direction before also coming over.

“So I think the reality of the situation is beginning to sink in and I’m kind of freaking out.”

Youn groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, Lux on the other hand didn’t seem too perturbed by the beginning stages of the rookie’s mental breakdown.

“Two weeks ago you climbed the bridge of a moving Crusader, got within spitting distance of a raiding party leader and now you’re scared?”

“Spitting distance wouldn’t have been my first choice of metric, and I’d argue the encroaching reality of getting blown up by a rocket super seceded my usual capacity for putting myself in harm's way.”

“The armory has rockets, right?”

Lux turned to the same woman tech who’d been on standby. She nodded in the affirmative.

“Try and use that to put yourself in the same head space as back then.”

What even was this conversation. Youn collected his rifle from the counter and slung its strap over his shoulder. Securing his allotment of ammunition inside his drop pouch, he made to leave for the Crusader but took one more look at Esma’s lackluster body language and stopped.

“You should probably pass on this convoy.”

The two girls put a momentary halt to the scene they were making in the middle of the armory and glanced at his back.

“There’s no shame in staying within your means, and no one’s going to fault a CO for withdrawing from a crew roster due to availability concerns. Many would argue that rookies shouldn’t be anywhere near a Galen Run to begin with.”

Youn looked over his shoulder.

“Believe me, the last thing your colleagues want is to lose someone new because they tried to do too much too fast.”

He didn’t miss the fact that Lux held her tongue in this case, though she was visibly displeased it was clear she wanted the rookie to fight her own battles. A sort of hands-off policy that many seasoned field service personnel subscribed to when handling those less versed in life on the road between stations. Whether he’d just overstepped that bound was up to interpretation, but Youn was willing to admit he was still a bit raw from the fate that befell Preece. As such he’d hate to see Lux go through something similar. For it was obvious based on the way the two interacted that they were already close.

He wouldn’t say that he’d been particularly close to Preece in comparison, but they’d worked together enough times that a foundation of trust had formed. And having that foundation torn up so unexpectedly hurt like hell. Having said his piece and feeling a little better for it, Youn made to leave again. Only for Esma’s calm voice to hold him in place a moment longer.

“Lifes not supposed to be a race, it’s perfectly ok to speed up for some people and slow down for others.”

Youn turned around, not bothering to mask his look of surprise. Because those weren’t the words of someone her age. It was clear someone had already gotten through to her in the past.

“The CO who told me that is one of two people in my life that I truly admire.”

A huff from the vicinity of Lux.

“Though I expect the list will continue to grow in time.”

Esma smiled at the offended party, who responded by looking away sheepishly for behaving so immaturely. She returned her attention to Youn.

“I’m sure it must seem like I’m speeding up to catch all of you, but from my perspective I’ve been stationary this entire time. It just so happened that some rather impressive people were about to pass me by and for the first time in my life I decided I’d try joining them. Join them on whatever journey they were on. For someone stagnant like me it was never a matter of speeding up or slowing down to others, so I decided to put my trust in the people steering the ship, or Crusader in this case. If they want to go fast, I’ll go fast. Even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone.

The girl took in a sharp breath, as if to bolster herself for what she was going to say next.

“I’m more than aware of the inherent recklessness in this method, but if it takes me away from that place I was before, then I’ve taken one step closer to properly learning what it means to live for myself.”

A few claps rang out from both Faust and some of the technicians who’d listened in. Suddenly it was Esma’s turn to avert her gaze in embarrassment as the reality of her long-winded monologue sank in. Youn watched on, both impressed and somewhat saddened by the implications of the young woman’s statement. But at the same time knew such things were commonplace among the LCF’s most self-driven branch.

“In that case I look forward to seeing what else your role model taught you.”

Youn left the armory quickly afterwards, eager to get the Galen Run underway. With the matter of her involvement settled, Esma received assistance from Lux in getting her standard issue. Faust too collected his weapon from the counter. And with that the security officers of C362 were now armed and ready for transit.