The group had only just boarded the Crusader through the cargo bay when Lux sent a small pile of flat metallic objects across the floor with her boot. They’d been left in front of the corridor for whatever reason. But the way both hands found her hips coupled with the emergence of a vein above her right temple gave the impression that Lux knew both what they were and how they’d gotten there. Esma squatted down, mindful of the orientation of her new rifle, and picked one of the objects up.
“Look familiar?”
Esma nodded as Faust crouched down beside her and began picking the rest up, to move them to a location with less foot traffic. Lux tapped her foot in annoyance.
“That’s ‘cause they’re the lids to the speaking tubes.”
A puzzled look crossed the brunette’s face at this revelation. Why remove them at all? And the only ones who would’ve had the time to make such a modification would be—
“Wash!!!”
Lux belted out the engineer’s name as if he was down the corridor, even though Cade would in all likelihood be the one manning the engine room right about now.
“Speaking.”
It took her a second, but Esma realized his voice had come from the now perpetually open speaking tube beside them in the cargo bay.
“Don’t pull this shit on Galen Runs! The last thing I need is your voice in my head during combat!”
“Sorry could you say that again Cade, Lux is yelling something about how endearing my voice is.”
Apparently Cade had been reaching out to the bridge from the speaking tube in the engine room, dividing the pilot’s attention. A perfect argument for leaving the speaking tubes alone.
“That does sound like her doesn’t it.”
Lux glared at the engine room’s sliding door situated at the end of the corridor, in doing so scaring away the silhouette of what must have been Cade.
“He says to tell you that I’m strategically redirecting your discontent at an undeserving third party.”
Esma was beginning to see how this could be distracting. Faust seemed unfazed by the development though, quietly passing them by with the lids he’d collected. Not his first rodeo.
“Intimidate Cade or throttle Wash, decisions decisions...”
“Might I offer the third option of instructing Esma on her new post.”
The poor CO was so disconnected from reality that she’d begun referring to herself in the third person.
“Thinking time...START!”
Lux looked over to Esma and gestured a thumb towards the ladderway.
“We’ll start upstairs, because that’s where you’re going to posted for the most part. I’ll find time to throttle Wash in between teaching points.”
“Lux sensei!?”
Lux motioned for Esma to head up ahead of her, still needing to signal the yard staff that they could lock up the bay door. This was her only responsibility ahead of departure as there was no time for the usual screenings and pat downs. Something personnel rarely exploited to move contraband as the risks associated with Galen Runs outweighed such unsavory methods.
Backtracking to the entrance of the cargo bay, Lux poked her head out to give the all clear when she spotted someone crouched beside the ramp exhibiting a thousand-yard stare. She didn’t recognize the person, but the rifle lying on the ground next to them identified them as a security officer. A wannabe flaker perhaps.
“What the hell are you doing? Get your ass onboard.”
She grabbed the mystery officer by the back collar of his uniform and dragged him to his feet. And as built as Lux was, lifting an adult human shouldn’t have been THAT easy.
“Noooo! I mean, I was just...uh, I noticed this perfectly good rifle on the ground and thought I’d better do my part and return it to the armory. So if you could just let me go I’ll—”
Lux ignored the slender man’s pleas and stuck a boot underneath the rifle. She kicked it up off the ground and caught it in her free hand, her own rifle slung across her back. Then proceeded to drag the man up the ramp behind her.
“Talk about my lucky day, five whole security officers for one Crusader. And on a Galen Run no less. We’ll have to take a commemorative photo after we reach Station Riga.”
“I think there’s been some sort of misunderstanding! I’m far more suited for station work! You know, things like patrolling the premises and picking up the occasional trash!”
Reaching the top of the ramp Lux hurled the man onto the floor of the cargo bay, shortly thereafter signaling the staff to close the door. They did so without delay. She stood watch over the man, daring him to try an escape before the door was lowered. She proceeded to crouch down in front of him and gestured to the rifle in her hand.
“Correct me if I’m mistaken, but did you perhaps imply that picking up the LCF’s standard issue feronetic rifle was equivalent to picking up trash?”
The officer swallowed nervously.
“Of course not! It’s just that I happen to be quite experienced at picking things up off the ground! Better to keep the yard free of debris and what not...!”
Lux shoved the rifle into his chest, forcing some air out of his lungs in the process.
“Of course you weren’t. After all, it’s because of tools like this that girls like me can secure a livelihood.”
“Girls like you...?”
She didn’t elaborate, instead standing back up and stuffing both hands in her uniform pockets. She looked down at him again.
“What’s your name?”
The man stood up and dusted himself off before looking at her with a wary expression.
“Brewer...Brewer Penton.”
[Brewer Penton, 27, Security Division]
Lux gave the man a once over that included lifting the hem of his shirt to get a clear look at his belt. He yelped at the unexpected motion and tugged it back down.
“Four years huh.”
“Five in a couple months, all station work mind you...”
Lux passed him by, stopping short of the ladder.
“What? Felt like doing something bold to celebrate?”
The man’s shoulders dropped and a look of regret crossed his face. Hand tightening around the strap of his rifle.
“Something like that...”
Not interested in pursuing the subject further, Lux put a hand on the ladder’s rung and began ascending. But not without some parting words.
“Do your job Brewer, that’s my plan. Always has been, always will be.”
The bespectacled slate gray head watched her disappear above deck, hesitating to follow.
“I’ll just stay down here! Keep an eye on the cargo!”
Surely it would be safer below, and it would lessen the chances of him getting in the way of the others. Speaking of cargo. Brewer turned around to get a look at whatever it was they were transporting and came away surprised.
For starters the bay wasn’t nearly as full as he would have expected. Was it because they didn’t have enough time to load more? Plus the crates themselves seemed different...more avant-garde compared to the ones he’d see being loaded whenever he passed by the yard on morning patrol. They were also strapped down almost excessively, tucked behind walls of dunnage bags. Curious.
“Congrats on five years.”
Brewer nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice. Things were off to a rough start for the unassuming station worker.
*
“Ok, who’s ready for a crash course on the duties of a security officer?”
Lux clapped her hands together enthusiastically, perhaps enjoying all this a bit too much. They were on the back deck, just in front of the bridge’s entryway. Youn having volunteered to start the guard rotation on the front deck in place of Lux. Meanwhile Faust was downstairs with some last second arrival.
“I sure hope we don’t crash...”
“Hold that thought, we’ll get to tether points in a second. First I want to ask you what stands out to you about this Crusader.”
Esma interpreted this to mean something was unique about the Crusaders used in Galen Runs and began scanning the deck of the cruiser. As it turns out there was indeed a rather obvious difference that she’d somehow missed when emerging from the ladderway. Probably due to her growing nerves.
“Thinking time—!”
Wash’s voice from the bridge was cut off by the sound of something hitting his person. Apparently Lux had something on her that she could throw hard and accurately enough to hit him, even all the way over at the controls. Esma ignored it and soldiered on with her answer.
“There appears to be some hollow structure of sorts located closer to the rear of the back deck.”
“Correct, though what you’re referring to as a hollow structure is actually the shell of a onetime gun turret.”
A remnant of the Crusades. A time when Crusaders were more armored and carried means of producing artillery fire.
“Does that mean this class three was active during the Second Crusade? I’d have thought those Crusaders to be phased out of circulation at this point.”
“They are, it’s an ongoing process called assigning them to Galen Runs.”
There was no joking tone to Lux’s words. She’d said it matter-of-factly, like it somehow wasn’t an egregious act by the LCF higher ups.
“Unrelated question, what’s the maneuver for disembarking a moving Crusader? I assume it’s along the lines of a tuck and roll from the weak side platform.”
Lux laughed and Esma could hear Wash doing the same in the background. Someone obviously had too much free time on their hands.
“Look they might be old but they’re reliable...or so Cade tells me, but you’ll never hear a deck officer complaining about additional cover. Just be mindful of exiting the shell in situations where we’re at a terrain disadvantage, say passing by a ridge or through a canyon. It’s not uncommon for Hussards to keep officers pinned inside for the purpose of separating crews. Cause if you're stuck in the turret bay you very well can’t be keeping watch over the platforms. To say nothing of spotting and stalling approaches.”
Esma grimaced at the thought of being pinned away from Lux and the others, stuck cowering in an empty turret bay.
“I think I’ll be defaulting to the bridge as my source of cover.”
“Nothing wrong with that. Though there is an awfully noisy creature inhabiting it for the convoy’s duration. And if you think it’s going to quiet down in the heat of a raid, think again.”
“It’s called being consistent!”
“You’re not part of this lesson, shut up and pilot!”
Esma smiled. It might be negligible but listening to her colleague’s banter was doing wonders as a form of distraction.
“Ok, time to go back downstairs for a bit. We’ll rotate the guys up here prematurely in the meantime.”
Esma made to climb down the ladder but was stopped by a much more serious tone from Lux.
“ALWAYS rotate your deck officers to ensure you have at least two patrolling, one on the back deck and the other on the front. Doesn’t matter how competent the officer is either, if they can stand in the middle of the deck with a rifle in their hands that’s good enough. It’s about keeping up appearances. Because raiding parties are chock full of vigilant fuckers whose jobs are to identify openings in a convoy, no matter how small. Raids are all about timing after all.”
The brunette swallowed and nodded in understanding. Come to think of it, she couldn’t recall a time during the previous two weeks' worth of convoys where there weren’t at least two officers milling about on deck. In fact it was easier to remember instances where all four were up top. This made sense though, it was far easier and more time efficient to go down to the lower level than it was to come up to the upper one. Having everyone up top also had the added bonus of being able to pick and choose who went where according to their strengths.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Her first convoy for example. Lux being a sharpshooter meant she never descended lower than halfway down the stairs. And using the ladder would have been out of the question as it completely inhibited her ability to maintain a visual mark on her targets. As for Esma, she’d be useless in any form of direct or close combat synonymous with boarding parties. Lux and the others knew this, which is why she’d been told her post would be on the upper level for the most part. The only reason she could see herself going downstairs at all was if a gopher was needed. Delivering someone ammo or a headset for example.
With that settled the pair descended the ladder again, at the bottom of which they came across Faust, Cade and another security officer Esma couldn’t place.
“You two.”
Lux gestured at the two security officers with what could best be described as a flipped shaka sign, though Esma recalled from the academy courses that it was actually the LCF’s designated hand signal for expressing two of something.
“Upstairs, we’ll be back up shortly.”
The blonde shifted her gaze over to Cade who looked right at home in the bowels of the Crusader.
“Do you have a tether on you? Forgot to grab Es one back at the docks.”
The engineer swung his drop pouch around and pulled out a green cord book-ended by steel snap hooks. He tossed it over to Lux who gave it a healthy pull.
“Thank you.”
“Tether point on the strong side is no good, you’ll have to demonstrate on the weak.”
“Make sure you tell Youn that later in case I forget.”
“That’s the plan.”
They passed by Cade and turned down the corridor, a few steps later they were on the weak side platform. Esma keeping a vice grip on the doorway as her counterpart strolled onto the platform nonchalantly. Mainly because she still didn’t trust herself to walk so close to the edge. That trepidation was noted by her colleague turned instructor.
“If you’re scared of falling off at this click going straight, imagine a scenario where evasive maneuvers need to be taken and your caught outside the Crusader.”
“I’d very much rather not. Just you bringing it up was enough to make my hands sweaty.”
“Won’t matter how sweaty your hands are if you’ve got one of these attached.”
She tossed the chord at Esma who had to release the doorway to catch it properly.
“That’s a tether, they’re meant to be used at tether points like this one. Granted if you’re in a tricky spot railings will work too. Wouldn’t recommend it though.”
Esma shuffled forward to get a good look at this ‘tether point’. In many ways it resembled a large door handle mounted on the wall within arm's reach of the doorway. It had a fair amount of play between its top and bottom mounting points, likely so multiple tethers could be attached at the same time. The ‘handle’ part also had bright yellow rings decorating it to pull attention, though a notable portion of the paint had chipped away from use and time.
“It’s not hard to wrap your head around. Just attach one end to your belt and the other to the tether point. Doesn’t matter which side goes where.”
Lux pulled out her own, a navy blue in color, and attached both ends to demonstrate.
“A recommend testing the durability of the tether towards the beginning of the convoy. A good way of doing that is connecting the tether and then leaning your body weight back like this.”
She spread her arms out wide and leaned back until she was at around a forty-five-degree angle, even adding a small jump at the end.
“More so if you’re borrowing someone else’s tether. Shouldn’t be problem in your case since Cade weighs considerably more than you do and takes care of his shit. Hell, I’d argue that tether’s getting a much-needed break today.”
Esma inspected Cade’s tether as if she’d be able to discern its condition visually before looking up as Lux.
“Can we not use the words tether and break in the same sentence please.”
“Fair enough, now get over here. It’s your turn.”
Lux unclipped her tether and moved to the other side of the platform as Esma hugged the wall and inched forwards. She attached the tether as instructed but didn’t lean back nearly as far as Lux had. She also made it a point to lean back in the direction of the doorway instead of away from the Crusader. Unimpressed, the security officer stepped forward and made to grab the CO around the waist.
“Wait, wait, wait! I surrender! I’ll do it properly!”
Three sets of eyes watched this theater unfold from the railing of the back deck. All wearing amused expressions. Including the CO who’d grabbed a spot on the Crusader ahead of Esma.
“I almost feel bad about indirectly subjecting such a cute rookie to this, almost...but she’ll thank me in the long run. Assuming she survives that is.”
The communication officer’s crimson locks framed her face and fell between her amber eyes somewhat messily as she leaned forward on the railing, both features owing to the Skarpurian heritage on her father’s side. Before joining the LCF those things had irked her, but now? She couldn’t care less. A tickle on her right cheek suddenly drew her attention and she plucked the culprit, a red eyelash that had fallen loose, blowing it into the air as it rushed by.
According to oral history, whoever came upon that eyelash would have one wish manifested if they slept with it in their mouth for an evening. Of course, the only ones in a position to find it way out here were raiders. What would they wish for she wondered? The woman swung a headset in circles around her manicured finger as she pondered the question.
“Guess I’ll just have to ask one...”
[Jericka Katsurn, 22, Communications Division]
*
“And that concludes the details of the would-be manifest. Any questions before we move on?”
“What the fuck?”
“Not a question Hayes.”
“Like hell it’s not, or did you not catch my rising intonation!”
“It was crass and inappropriate for a group transmission! Apologize to Miss Endellion!”
Lautnor exploded into a fit of laughter in response to the direction the transmission was taking. It didn’t help that Sumiye could hear him both over the headset and in the actual room as he was propped up on the console behind her.
“That won’t be necessary Kircher, I can commiserate with where officer Florrick is coming from after all.”
She flicked through some paperwork concerning the next topic; threats they’d be likely to encounter along the route. Pulling and summarizing the most prudent points in her head before speaking. To buy some extra time and prevent further discourse she directed a question at the silent participants in the call.
“Awfully quiet over there C362, any questions or concerns?”
“...I trust we’ll be among those inoculated upon arrival.”
“Correct, you’ll even be given preferential treatment. Higher ups don’t want to risk LCF personnel contracting the virus unknowingly and carrying it to other stations.”
“You want to talk about a shitshow...”
“Hayes!”
“—moving on to raider activity in the region!”
Before she could begin the head CO felt a hand touch down on her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. Commander Dandridge stood behind her and gestured a thumb towards his chest as he swung the mic of the headset in front of his mouth. Sumiye gave him the go ahead despite her confusion at his sudden insistence to participate and offered the papers in her hand. He took them.
“Listen up all! Way things are shaping up, it’s looking like a confrontation with one of Sunny Baugh’s feeder parties is all but guaranteed. On a positive note, there influence makes it’s unlikely we’ll have to worry about or prepare for anyone else.”
Sunny Baugh, one of three bastions of pro-raiding in the west. Alongside the likes of Wild Roy and Stamper Penance. Granted their seats were currently being challenged by a younger generation of up-and-coming party leaders. But Baugh’s group in particular boasted a long and storied history dating back to the earliest stages of Lurdia. Back when rivalries between competing groups spawned prolonged conflicts lasting decades. And something Lurdia’s leaders took full advantage of when extending their reach into the region.
One could even argue the three current bastions were guided into power by design. Proving an effective means of curbing the number of violent raiding groups and facilitating a more comprehensive system of checks and balances in the raiding community as a whole.
“I’d expect many of you are familiar with the raiding party Cloud Nine.”
A round of murmurs followed as Lautnor flipped to the relevant document.
“It would seem leadership of the party has been a bit of a revolving door as of late, with the most recent leader joining the ranks of Baugh’s Voltigeurs. His replacement, one Logan Hite, is reportedly struggling to win over his new subordinates who are of the opinion that Duck Reed was the better fit for the job.”
“Infighting huh, we can use that.”
Lux disagreed. Ever the cynical realist.
“Even if the party is split on its current leadership, it’s far too optimistic to assume the dispute will carry over to the raids themselves. This isn’t some young upstart group, it’s one of Baugh’s. They have a standard to maintain.”
“Lux is correct, I only bring up the supposed rift because it factors into who our deck officers should be prioritizing.”
“In other words taking out Duck Reed is more likely to have the desired effect of lowering enemy morale or stirring panic.”
“You got it. As for formation, we’ll be limited due to the nature of the route. Expect lots of stacking. C362 will take point when we reach the first check-in.”
Lux relished the opportunity to be out front of the convoy and not because being on top of the stack made her job easier or harder. For as long as she could remember the security officer had an inclination for being in the thick of things. An unusual quality for a sharpshooter and one that her teacher tried fruitlessly to stymie on multiple occasions.
While Lux was busy rejoicing at their position in the formation another occupant of the bridge expressed irritation at having to keep watch over route conditions. As they would be out front it fell to the Skarpurian CO to watch for and report obstructions as they appeared. On top of all her usual responsibilities of course. She promptly covered the mic and heaved a sigh at the ceiling. Something that didn’t escape Wash over at the controls.
“Is it that bad or did you have the garlic bread for lunch?
Jericka responded by sauntering right up next to the pilot and prodding at the birthmark beside his eye, jostling the frame of his glasses as she did so.
“No worse than usual. At least nothing you can’t steer us out of.”
“That’s changes if you blind the pilot.”
Wash looked down at the young woman but didn’t stop her poking.
“Is touching birthmarks a Skarpurian thing?
“You know that would be borderline offensive if it weren’t true.”
The man embellished wiping his brow and breathing out in relief.
“But it’s not the birthmark itself as much as its location that holds significance.”
“And the prodding?”
“Checking its authenticity.”
Wash made a face at the remark.
“You telling me that Skarpurians fake birthmarks for attention?”
“Sure do. But only when it concerns birthmarks in favorable locations.”
Jericka ceased her prodding and directed her attention out the front window. Amber eyes dancing across the midday horizon.
“And what pray tell does having a birthmark by my eye signify?”
“I regret to inform you that birthmarks adorning the face often represent a manifestation of one’s guilt. Though with one as small as yours it could also be interpreted as having very little or no guilt at all. Everyone’s got their own take I suppose.”
The duo fell into a comfortable silence, granted Jericka could still hear the discussion going on over the headset. Nothing that required her attention or participation though.
“Hey.”
The CO made eye contact with Wash in the barely visible reflection of the window. A very different Wash at that. This version of the man seeming more...somber. It caught her off guard and Jericka felt a rare pang of regret for broaching the subject. She turned and looked up at the engineer just in time to see that he’d brought his glasses up to his forehead, as if getting a better look at mark.
“Never mind, it’s not important.”
He dropped the glasses back onto his nose, and semi-forced a smile at the woman beside him.
“Thanks for teaching me something new.”
She scowled in return, not a fan of being let off the hook so easily after bringing down the man’s spirits. If only Lux had still been on the bridge to tell her off. The two weren’t really fans of each other, not that either would let it affect the crew’s chemistry.
“I think I’ll keep my hands to myself from now on...”
Jericka walked back over to her equipment and spared a glance at the side window in front of her, half-expecting to find that a small birthmark had formed on her face. But after checking beneath her bangs she found her face remained clear of blemish. She ruffled her hair with both hands.
“Honestly, getting worked up over some bull shit belief system...”
*
Cade flexed his wrist several times as he exited the engine room, having tweaked it the day prior while helping move cargo. He’d planned to visit the infirmary after lunch to have it wrapped, but the Galen Run announcement threw a wrench in those plans. Best to leave it alone for now. His attention then shifted to a presence hovering around the corridor like a lost child.
“Looking for your mother hen?”
Esma started and turned towards the source of the deep voice. Visibly relaxing upon seeing him. She let out a soft sigh and loosened the grip on her rifle strap as she padded over to meet him.
“I know where she is, I’m just conflicted as to whether I should join her or not.”
Cade looked past the brunette, at the doorway to the strong side platform, and deduced Lux must be on the front deck.
“In fairness the front deck can be rather intimidating for inexperienced deck officers. Not much by way of cover and throwing yourself down the stairs isn’t a great alternative.”
Esma perked up a bit at these insights.
“You also inherit a bulk of the scouting responsibilities since the view from the front is the least obstructed. It’s a delicate balance to maintain.”
“How do you know so much about this stuff? Is it from fraternizing with Lux and other security officers?”
Fraternizing she said. This girl’s vocabulary kept him on his toes, that’s for sure. Or as she would probably refer to it, her ‘lexicon.’
“Same way you’re learning right now, crewing as a security officer. It’s only happened a handful of times, mind you. An under the radar benefit of a Crusader needing two engineers to operate.”
“Were all of those instances in the context of Galen Runs as well?”
Cade leaned against the corridor wall and crossed his arms. With no pressing obligations to attend to, he might as well field some questions or concerns Esma might be hesitant to badger Lux with.
“Maybe half, the others were convoys that required each Crusader have a full security lineup—to offset the expected visit percentage. Not uncommon when transporting valuable cargo.”
“I’d presume Galen Runs boast a similarly lofty EVP, why not use that to enforce participation?”
“Logistics. In a similar vein to how there are no manifests, there isn’t enough time to process the paperwork relating to each crew member’s immigration permissions.”
“So? They can just have the personnel from the convoy remain in the station until the paperwork is processed.”
“And that’s what they’d normally do, but legally the LCF can’t force its workers to jump on a convoy into a territory they don’t have lawful protections in. After all, a fair amount of field service personnel rely on those permissions to enter and exit various city states without threat of detention.”
Esma mentally admonished herself for not making the connection sooner. It was well established that one of the LCF’s main demographics for recruitment were those fleeing arrest warrants, court orders and the like. It was also quite common for those who fled to bide their time in the LCF until the statute of limitations passed for the city state in question. In essence a quarter, bordering on a third, of the available workforce would outright avoid Galen Runs for this reason alone. With the rest declining due to the added dangers involved.
“I can see the gears turning, work everything out?”
She nodded, and Cade noticed that she seemed more relaxed. But distracting her with logistical mumbo jumbo would only get her so far.
“Look, I know you’re probably scared but try and make the most of this opportunity. Remember back during your first convoy, when I recommended you go and interact with the other divisions?”
“I must admit it was a rather tactful way of getting rid of me for a spell.”
Cade grinned off to the side for a moment before recollecting himself.
“I did it because learning about other people’s jobs on top of your own makes for a more dynamic team environment. Helps you understand how they operate, which can in turn lead you to make more informed decisions for the whole team. What I’m saying is that you should think of this as a shortcut to deepening your understanding of the security division and its role in a convoy.”
His words seemed to help the brunette buck up a tad, though a degree of unease remained present. Satisfied. he pushed off the wall and headed in the direction of the cargo bay.
“Hey Cade!”
The engineer turned his body halfway.
“Thanks...and if the day should ever come when I’m relegated to the engine room, I’ll look forward to your guidance.”
Now that sounded interesting. Though it was very unlike him to want to teach anyone the job.
“In preparation for this possible future, I recommend you start doing some pushups every night before bed. There’s a lot of strength involved in what we do.”
He’d meant it partly as a joke, but if Cade had learned anything about this girl over the past two weeks, it was that she’d take any advice from him or Lux as gospel. With that in mind it was entirely possible that they were knowingly creating a monster. And yet Cade couldn’t find it in him to care.