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Chrarada stood on the viewing platform watching as the Terran fleet began its voyage towards Aaster. "Tell me, Admiral," Chrarada asked quietly. "What drives such an intelligent male to risk his position in the way Mr. MacDonald has. In the two days I have been here, he has insulted both you and myself on multiple occasions, and from the report, Ethuci has sent me, was rather antagonistic upon hearing of his simple request. Would that not constitute disciplinary action or worse?"

"I had half a mind to ground him and confine him to quarters." The Admiral replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "But, as I'm sure you noticed, in a little under four days, he has organized close to four hundred ships, their crews, and their equipment." Taking a moment to savour the taste of real coffee, Admiral Miles continued with his thoughts. "Fleet has assigned him to this mission, even knowing how he acts within Military leadership. He was chosen solely because of how obsessive he is when it comes to his job and saving people."

The Admiral paused, taking another sip of his coffee. "I agree with that assessment. As for his reasons, I'll send you his unclassified dossier, keeping things short his childhood was not too dissimilar to the children on your planet."

Chrarada watched as the final ship disappeared into the dark and turned to the Admiral. "I thought that your people would have solved such problems."

"We have. For the most part, not a soul is homeless or starves on primary planets and colonies. But every now and then, some researcher or entrepreneur will build a colony on some far-out hazardous planet. A few years later, things start to fall apart, and it's the citizens that suffer."

Turning around, Eric motioned for Chrarada to follow as he left the viewing platform. "When your people start to spread throughout the galaxy, men and women like Finley will become important in keeping your citizens alive."

Chrarada followed silently, thinking deeply about her people spreading to the nearby systems. "Could the military not handle such tasks?"

"It's Possible. Many of our military fleets have such soldiers in them. However, you mean to train a man to be a soldier, to be a killer, and a rescue worker. To somehow be as good as a man who focuses his entire life on saving people? We found having specialized fleets and the people to work within them. Saves more lives in the long term."

Chrarada stepped into the temporary office with the Admiral and took a seat. "I see. This tour has been very illuminating. My only regret now is I won't get to see how Commander Ethuci handles Mr.MacDonald moving forward."

Eric laughed at the thought. "I rather like Ethuci. However, the Commander is rather difficult to handle, even for us Terrans."

"Well, I'm sure to receive a strongly worded report soon after they arrive." Chrarada continued, watching as the Admiral moved over to his hot drink dispenser to grab another cup of 'coffee.'

"I scent that drink on over half the crew that work on this base. Both you and Mr. Macdonald nearly always have a cup with you. Might I inquire what it is exactly?"

Eric watched as the dispenser finished up making his cup. "Well, I wanted to offer you a cup when you arrived. However, the doctors were adamant they get a closer study on your people's biology before we share foods with stimulants in them."

"A drug? Your people willingly ingest a drug en mass?" Chrarada looked at the drink in shock. "My people would ban and destroy such a thing."

"Well, banning coffee is a good way to start a war among my people. It's not harmful, or addictive really. It helps some people stay awake or alert and motivated."

Chrarada thought on the idea of a hot drink that can increase one's performance in such a way. Keeping warm already makes one strong and alert. Having a hot drink that also boosts such a state is. " Most of the people on my planet can't afford to achieve hot water currently. That said, if, my people prove compatible with this coffee, and commander MacDonald achieves his desired results. I would like to propose a trade."

Admiral miles put down his coffee laughed. "You'll have to fight the engineers and scientists for it. But I'm sure we can arrange something."

"Good, now we have a few hours until your diplomats will be ready to meet, and I remember you mentioning you would introduce me to an old 'movie' was it?" Chrarada said.

"Yes, It's actually a remake of a movie from nearly two thousand years ago called interstellar. The producers went out of the way to make everything real, right down to the pilots, ships, and planets. Well, excluding the time shenanigans. It makes for an interesting movie if you've ever been in space."

Three hours later, Chrarada left the Admiral's office to meet with the Terran diplomats, unsure if she still wanted to leave her home system.

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Michael watched as Srettia went through the training sim for the fourth time that day. "How are her vitals, Jack?"

"It does not take a doctor to see her frustration or anger partner. But, they are currently stable."

Watching as she began to violently beat the simulated alien into the ground with the butt of her gun while screaming, Michael quirked his brow. "So it seems."

"I do not think a steak will fix this one."

"No, neither do I. I think It's best just to let her get it out of her system for now." Getting up from his seat, Michael made his way to leave the room. "Just keep an eye on her vitals and let me know if they start to spike."

"Got it. What's the plan partner?"

"Well, nothing really. We'll continue on our way back to the fleet, figure out what the Admiral thinks. Then we'll most likely be sent out to a new system. Either that or we'll get grounded." Michael answered as he entered the cockpit and sat down. Slowly he started keying in a few commands, changing his display to look at the star map. "So we got lucky here, and Aaster is here." He said, pointing out the two systems as he continued his train of thought. " I think... Um. That we need more data."

"I would think so. That is why we were sent out in the first place."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Maybe someone in the seventh fleet will be able to make that pod talk and figure out where it's been." Bringing up the system scans in an attempt to discern something new, Michael was drawing a blank. "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary from the scans we were able to take, other than what was obvious?"

"That would be a negative partner. That system is a mess, and I feel we are at a dead-end currently. So I suggest you find a way to relax while we transit."

"I'm fine. Being stuck in warp is something I'm used to. Besides, I can just watch some movies on my display while keeping an eye on space."

Dragging his hands on the screen, Michael split his display in half. One half displayed navigation, and the other playing videos of energy and particle physics taken from fleet reserves.

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Srettia sat down in the middle of the room, trying to catch her breath. "Jack, can you reset the sim, please."

"I recommend taking a break."

"I'm fine, Jack. Reset the sim, please." Standing up and taking an offensive stance, Srettia got ready for the oncoming assault.

Jack reset the sim and watched as Srettia sluggishly attacked the aliens with her gun club, eventually falling victim to exhaustion, causing the sim to end soon after her death.

"I would like to recommend taking a break. I think you are beginning to dehydrate. I will prepare a sports drink of the berry flavour variety for you in the kitchen. You can continue after your break."

Scenting the air, Srettia noticed her mouth was relatively dry and nodded in acceptance. Getting up, she slowly walked over to the vHL console and shut the sim off. "Whats Michael up to?"

"Sleeping while attempting to watch videos on energy physics."

"Well, I guess he tried? How long until dinner then?" She inquired, walking into the hallway and beginning her short walk to the kitchen.

"Dinner should have been prepared approximately two hours ago, according to the current dietary habit of both you and Michael."

The realization of a regular meal and the lack of hunger pains dawned on her as she entered the kitchen. "Does Michael look like he'll wake up soon?"

"He is not wearing his Nmesh, so I have to rely on the interior sensors. But from what I can tell, that would be a negative."

"Good. Can you help me prepare a meal for the two of us, please?" Srettia asked, Looking into the nearest camera.

"An interesting request. What prompted this?"

"Can't a female do something nice for the male she's interested in? Besides, this is my ship, and I still feel like he's been taking care of me."

"That is because he has been. But that is the way he is. Now, what would you like to cook for the sleeping male?"

"I'm tempted to make something with these berries he introduced me to. I can't seem to get enough of them. But... Would you somehow know what his favourite food is?" Srettia asked, finishing her drink and storing the cup.

"I just so happen too oddly enough, it was in his personnel file that I was given just before we met on Eris, luckily the dish is rather simple."

The two spent the next hour fumbling through a dish consisting of some weird round stem, dairy products, and something called ham. True to what Jack had said, Srettia found the dish oddly easy to make. Requiring none of the finesse she witnessed Michael used when creating a meal.

"You sure this is it? It seems rather easy to make."

"Positive. Michael takes time off work for his birthday each year to visit his mother, who cooks this exact meal."

"Well, that's an oddly specific meal to have made. Guess I'll go wake him up." Srettia left the kitchen and made her way to the bridge as the meal finished cooking. Walking up to his couch, she saw the video on his screen still playing while Michael sat in his couch sleeping.

"Is it normal for a Terrans mouth to leak when they sleep, Jack?" Srettia asked, watching the small puddle of something accumulate on his shoulder.

"Only when they sleep in weird positions, most of the time they do not."

"I see." Srettia poked Michael in the chest in an effort to wake him. " Hey leaky, wake up. I made food." Srettia watched as Michael weakly swatted at her hand and turned over, mumbling something about removing overheated canines.

Trying again, she poked at his shoulder, this time with a bit of talon involved. "Wake up and come eat the food I have crafted for us." Noticing that Michael was still in a deep sleep, Srettia's frustration began to grow.

She walked around the couch as to be face to face with her target and began to think. First, she tried placing her hands on his chest and rocking him around as best she could. "Wake up, you heavy jerk. I have made us food."

Srettia's eyes lit up as Michael began to stir. Only to be taken by surprise, as he caught her hands and turned over, dragging her with him. Finally, coming to her senses, she realized she was lazily laying onto a sleeping Michael.

"Well, I guess this isn't so bad. Can you save the food, Jack?"

"I can do that. You have a pleasant nap."

Srettia adjusted herself to get comfortable and closed her eyes, Deciding her anger could take a back seat for a bit.

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Commander Kendra Brown had been in charge of the Leda moon base for a little over six years now. She had accepted the position knowing that it would be a boring job and would interfere with her hobby. However, one does not move up in the fleet by turning down a moon base commission.

So, she accepted the job. And up until now, the base was mainly in charge of fleet repair and refit as her base had some of the best engineers in the Navy.

That mostly changed when she got a strange order from First Fleet's Admiral Adelyn Perrin. The order being to relocate to the Eris research base. It was something new and exciting. That is until she arrived, where she was told her base would be stationed at Eris for the foreseeable future.

She watched as all of her reactor and engine mechanics were replaced with new blood and put on fleet maintenance. She asked where her engineers went. She wasn't told. Frustrated, she demanded to know what was going on. Unfortunately, she was told it was classified, and parts of her base were closed off.

Having been stuck at Eris for over three years, she was coming to her wit's end, and morale was at an all-time low. Then suddenly, Fleet Admiral Cohen Ewart showed up with what he claimed to be the most important mission in the Navy's history and promptly assigning her to the seventh fleet and relief of the Aaster system.

Commander Brown was excited to be leaving the sol system finally. It wasn't until she was briefed on what was going on in her base and where she was going that the reality hit her.

Now she was sitting in a room with six Terran diplomats, an Admiral, and the First Tail of Aaster. Kendra felt out of place, watching as the diplomats negotiated a meeting between the remaining Aasteran leadership and the possibilities of a trade agreement with Chrarada. Well, it had left her feeling small.

"I have said it many times before, and I will not repeat myself again. If you wish to enter our system to negotiate, you will come unarmed, and your ship will exit outside our system. It will then be escorted inward under our supervision." Chrarada Spoke sternly, eyeing down the diplomats.

Kendra watched closely as the diplomats talked amongst themselves before relenting and agreeing to her terms.

"Good, now that we are agreed, I would like one Commander Brown to oversee your shuttle refit personally. I will hold her responsible if we find any weapons aboard your vessel. Failure to comply with the agreement will result in your diplomats being held as prisoners and the overseeing body held accountable for their actions."

Kendra blinked, trying to understand what was happening. "Wait, does this mean if the diplomats mess this up, I'll be held responsible?" She thought to herself, watching as the datapad was passed around, and everyone signed it before passing it to her. She gave off a confused noise and picked up the pad, thumbing her signature.

"Excellent! Thank you for your time, and I look forward to seeing you in our system." Chrarada then turned around and walked out the door with the Admiral of the seventh fleet.

Kendra looked down at the datapad and read through it, lamenting at taking the moon base job. "I just wanted to take pictures of planets."

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