Lungs burning, blood churning, Lorenzo burst onto the polished concrete of the fifth floor. He spotted the escaped criminals to his right, struggling to pull the cart out of the elevator. Ranger Quinn locked eyes with him for a moment before barreling it down the hall leading toward the conference.

Ranger Summers entered just a moment later, followed by… no one else.

“Ranger Summers, where are Kelly and Wattson?”

He looked behind him, down the stairwell. “I thought they’d be behind me, but…”

Lorenzo thought he had cornered two criminals only to have another one on the loose. Again. He should’ve known it was too convenient for Kelly’s harebrained scheme to work, and now he and Wattson were M.I.A. How many new ways could things go wrong today? Now wasn’t the time to find out.

“They went to the conference room.” Lorenzo looked on ahead. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!” Summers nodded, preparing for another run.

The captain blocked him with his arm. “No. We have to look presentable.”

In the floor’s reflection, Lorenzo saw two haggard, disheveled, moderately sweaty young men. They lacked the image of anyone who should honor the Interstellar Forces, let alone such a historical voyage as the Celestion-5’s. He tucked his hair back into his hat and dabbed the sweat off of his face. His life may have been falling apart right now, but he didn’t have to look like it.

Ranger Summers followed suit, and afterwards, the two rounded the corner and presented themselves to the guard like two calm, mature adults.

“Is he with your crew, sir?” the guard gestured to Summers.

“He is.” Lorenzo nodded.

“So are we.”

Ambling in behind them was none other than Ranger Kelly, followed by Ranger Wattson. The captain had a few questions he’d like to ask them, but none were pressing at the moment. At least one problem was taken care of.

Once inside, their next problem stood front and center in the crowded room. All eyes fell on Major Flores and Ranger Quinn as they pleaded with Captain Vanderbilt. The situation caused such a ruckus, it caught the attention of a Command member.

“What’s the meaning of all of this?” The commander, a balding, older gentleman, placed himself between Vanderbilt and the culprits.

Lorenzo left his subordinates behind to approach the group. “We believe Major Flores and Ranger Quinn used this cart to take our belongings without our knowledge. When confronted, they fled here.” He gestured toward the cart. “May I request your permission to examine this?”

“Permission granted.”

After a nod of appreciation, Lorenzo stooped down and lifted up the cloth covering the cart. Underneath hid a collection of boxes. He took one, trying to hide his disgust when his bare hands felt the sticky sensation of honey residue. A quick examination revealed the name on it to be Leonardo Summers.

“Just as I expected, this belongs to one of my subordinates.”

“Ah, is that mine? Can I have it?” Summers reached forward. “I just need to get my wallet out of it real fast.”

Lorenzo handed the box to him, more interested in what the commander would have to say about this.

“What were you doing with the Celestion-5’s equipment?” He crossed his arms at the two thieves.

“We weren’t tryin’ t’ steal anything, sir.” Quinn was the first to defend herself. “I mean,” she scratched behind her neck, “I guess technically that’s what we were doin’, huh? But the only reason we did is because Cap’n Vanderbilt wanted to give ‘em a fun little welcoming surprise. Ya weren’t s’posed to know about it, so we kinda panicked when you found us in the hallway.”

“Yeah!” Flores agreed with this story. “To be honest, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a bit much for a prank, but we figured Captain Vanderbilt knew what he was doing. Sorry for the big misunderstanding!”

That sounded like the worst excuse Lorenzo had ever heard. Which was honestly relieving. While Vanderbilt wasn’t a man whom he put much trust in, he did put trust in the fact that the Interstellar Forces wouldn’t let someone that petty hold such a high position.

The commander’s eyes shifted toward Vanderbilt. “Is this true?”

“Of course not!” Vanderbilt placed a hand on his chest. “Why I’ve never seen such scheming since my--” he paused to count something, “--second wife! Shirley, Sierra, as your captain, I am appalled that you would involve me in such a ridiculous lie! But,” he lifted his hands, “who am I to let you get punished over a harmless prank? Just give the nice boy his boxes back and all will be forgiven.”

“Woah, woah, Captain, I’ll admit that we screwed up a little, but you can’t just pin the blame on us like that!” Major Flores tapped her accomplice with the back of her hand. “Shirley, he called you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but… it’s not like we can show ‘em what was said.” The taller woman pulled out her phone. “All we got is some texts…”

“That’s perfect!” Flores made a grabbing motion with her hands until Quinn gave her the phone. She scrolled through it for a while until she was satisfied, then handed off the sticky phone to Lorenzo. With her sticky hands.

‘We got most all of em. Can’t find Ranger Pending’s though.” sent Quinn, presumably.

‘The others should be enough...’ sent someone labeled as ‘Capt. Vandy.’

‘Where should we put it?’

‘Somewhere where they won’t find it...’

‘Where’s that?’

‘That’s your job to find out!’

While the times matched up to when the equipment was probably stolen, it would’ve been hard to prove this exchange was about the robbery from these messages alone. It would’ve been, if not for Ranger Pending. Through all of the commotion, Lorenzo had nearly forgotten, but it made sense why the thieves had trouble finding everything. He needed to make sure of one last detail, though.

“Your thoughts, Captain Galhardo?” The commander looked at him for answers.

“Ranger Pending doesn’t exist.” Lorenzo addressed Quinn. “My crew has only seven members, that’s why you couldn’t find the eighth box.” He then turned to the commander. “May I make a quick call, sir? I need to verify something.”

“It’s a weird time to be making phone calls.” The commander rubbed his head. “Only if it’s quick.”

Captain Vanderbilt chuckled. “Ah, where would you kids be without your phones?”

Using Ranger Quinn’s phone, Lorenzo dialed the other number. A ringtone went off nearby.

It came from Vanderbilt’s direction.

A hush fell over the room as eyebrows raised, eyes darted at one another, and whispers were traded. The sound of muffled laughter led Lorenzo’s eyes to Ranger Kelly. He was joined by Emil, who did a sloppy job of hiding in his own glee.

Captain Vanderbilt did not answer his phone. “Oh weird.” He announced, a little louder than necessary. “Must be the wife calling. I-I could’ve sworn I told her I’d be in a meeting today!”

Lorenzo handed the phone to the commander. The bald man’s face went through a range of different expressions before finally sighing.

“...Good grief, Claude.” He shook his head at Vanderbilt. “A word of advice? Just because Captain Galhardo is the same age as a college freshman doesn’t mean you get to haze him like one.”

“I wasn’t hazing him, I was just trying to teach him a lesson about--! About the importance of keeping track of your belongings!” Captain Vanderbilt nodded at Ranger Quinn and Major Flores, trying to get them to agree. They seemed uncertain.

“If that’s the case,” Flores nodded her head to the side, “couldn’t our stuff have gotten robbed just as easily?”

Her captain had nothing to say to that.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The commander approached him. “You may not believe this, but piloting the Celestion-6 is a very important mission. One that we chose you for because we thought you were capable for the job.” He lifted up a finger. “A job that requires not just technical expertise, but a lot of trust between us in the command staff, you and your crew, and the Celestion-5. If we can’t trust you, then we can’t send you on this mission.”

“Wait!” Vanderbilt panicked. “But w-what about my crew?”

“I’m surprised you asked, considering how eager you were to throw them under the bus just now.” The older man motioned toward the table where the two famous members of the Celestion-7 sat. “Wanna know a secret about the Celestion-7? Every single member of that crew is a trained pilot, much better than you or Galhardo. We could replace you with any one of them. No one would even know you were there.”

“I understand, sir.” Captain Vanderbilt looked even paler than usual.

“Then show it. Get your act together. And drop the schoolboy shenanigans, it’s embarrassing.”

“Yes, sir.”

The commander placed Quinn’s phone back into her hand.

“Thank ya, sir!” She smiled down at him, but the smile vanished just as quick. “So, uh, is there gonna be a punishment for me an’ Sparky?”

He thought for a moment. “We’ll discuss that later. Speaking out against a superior is an offense on its own, but considering the circumstances…” he glanced at a dejected Vanderbilt, “we’ll see. I can’t promise you’ll get off scot free, though.”

“I understand. Thank ya, sir.”

“You are dismissed.”

Major Flores and Ranger Quinn gave a crisp salute--their captain’s was much more sluggish--to the commander, who returned it. The three Celestion-6 members departed afterward. Rather than feeling vindicated, the entire situation left Lorenzo a little uneasy. For this mission to go smoothly, he knew both captains would have to put their lives in each other’s hands. Not just their own, but their entire crew’s. How could he trust Vanderbilt with his life when he couldn’t even trust him with his luggage?

“Captain Galhardo, I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself.” The commander held out his hand to shake. “Commander Bellamy.”

Lorenzo shook it. “Nice to meet you, Commander.”

Bellamy’s hand struggled to unstick from his. “Your father and I used to work with the same fleet. I can’t think of a finer man to be where he is now.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lorenzo struggled to look away from where Vanderbilt stood, sulking by a stack of chairs.

The commander glanced at the middle-aged captain. “I take it you’re concerned about Vanderbilt?”

Lorenzo could trust Bellamy to maintain order so far, maybe he could trust him with his concerns. A little bit. After all, it was in the best interests of the mission. “With all due respect, sir... I am. Theft is a breach of trust in its very nature. As you’ve mentioned earlier, trust is an important part of our mission.”

“You are correct.” Bellamy agreed. “Vanderbilt may be a bit… pouty right now, but I imagine when push comes to shove, he’ll shape up. His personality has always been troublesome, but he’s good at his job. And to be honest? What I said about replacing him was a scare tactic more than anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can replace him,” he tilted his head, “but that would require finding a replacement for the Celestion-7 member that goes in his place. We don’t have enough people we could ask, and few people in their right mind would go on that mission in the first place.”

“I… understand, sir.” That just left Lorenzo with more questions. “A question I was wondering about earlier: If, for example, someone filed a complaint against a captain of a Celestion vessel, how would that be handled?”

“If someone filed a complaint, I doubt we’d read it. Not for anyone above the Celestion-4. We’ve spent so many years setting up this project, we can’t afford to lose any of you.” Bellamy examined his hands. “If someone really wanted to do something about a captain they’d have to go over our heads and send the word directly to your father.”

“...I see.”

Like pen lasers, Bellamy’s eyes bore into Lorenzo’s. “A word of advice? Going over people’s heads like that disrupts the flow of things around here. We have a chain of command for a reason. Imagine how it would impact his workflow if your father had to solve the problems of every single captain.” He smiled. “Just take my word on Vanderbilt. He’ll sort himself out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lorenzo’s father was a very important man with a very important job. His sons learned from a very young age that they shouldn’t bother him with every little problem. Why start now? While Vanderbilt wasn’t a man whom he put much trust in, he did put trust in the fact that the Interstellar Forces wouldn’t let him die.

“Any other questions?” asked the commander.

“...Shouldn’t the meeting have started now?”

“Right, right!” Bellamy lifted a hand. “I’m supposed to start it off, but,” he wiggled his fingers, “I’ve gotta get this gunk off my hands. Your brother let me know about the whole missing ranger situation, the other Command staff should be in the back room over…” he pointed to a door on the right side of the room, “...there. You two can take this time to meet with them.”

With that, the commander left for the nearest restroom, and Lorenzo busied himself with searching for his younger brother in the crowd.

“Captain Galhardo.” Just as he had located Emil, a woman’s voice called from behind. Captain Pryce walked up to him.

“Yes?”

She stared at the ground before looking back up at him. “I just came to apologize for some of the things I said earlier. While I am… concerned about your age, calling a peer a child was beyond unprofessional of me. I’m sorry. Best of luck on the Celestion-5.”

Lorenzo gave a small nod of appreciation. He didn’t want it to show too much, but he felt much better knowing that at least one of his peers could be professional. “I wish the same for your journey, Captain.”

“Thank you.”

The two parted, and Lorenzo resumed his journey of relocating his brother’s blond afro among the crowd. He found him again, this time with the rest of their crew.

“...So then he says--” Emil proceeded to do a terrible impression of Lorenzo, “‘It is imperative to me that you explain what potat--’”

“Lieutenant. ”Lorenzo tapped him on the back, stopping this farce.

“Oh, heeeey, bro!” The blond turned around, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Did’ja see the look on Vanderbilt’s face when you busted him? It was priceless!” he pinched his fingers together.

Lorenzo had no joy in reliving that moment. “Commander Bellamy told us to go to the back room.”

“Oh!” Emil rubbed his hands together. “Is it time to find out who our newbie is?” He turned to the others and winked. “I’ll be right back guys, we’re gonna go see about our missing buddy! Ciao~!”

Lorenzo entered the crowd, assuming his younger brother would follow.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey Lorie, wait up!”

The captain continued walking, but slowed down some.

“So, what did you and the commander talk about?”

“Nothing much.” Lorenzo held out an arm instinctively, catching Emil mid-stumble. “Captain Pryce apologized, though.”

“Thanks bro.” Emil steadied himself. “What’d she say?”

“She’s still concerned about my age but thought it was rude to call me a child.”

“Dunno if the first part was necessary, but hey! It’s nice she said sorry.” He shrugged. “Speakin’ of, you have a little apologizing to do yourself, don’t you?”

Lorenzo turned to his brother. “About what?”

“Accusing Jun and Roxie of theft! And Aiden too!” Emil raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you think it was a little weird for them to have done it?”

“Ranger Kelly is a known thief and Ranger Kim and Allen matched what we knew about the culprits.” Lorenzo explained.

“Aiden stole for survival and the other two have never shown any sign they’d steal at all.”

“They’ve never shown any sign they wouldn’t.”

Emil sighed. “...I worry about you and dad a lot.”

As Lorenzo did Emil. “But I will apologize.”

The blond seemed content with this. “Good.”

Finally, they made it to the door where the Command members were located behind. Lorenzo could make out Bellamy’s bald head entering on the other side of the room. He didn’t know if they had enough time left before the conference started, but knocked anyway.

A muffled “Come in!” came from the other side.

Lorenzo opened the door to reveal some kind of storage room where a few men sat in spare chairs from the conference room. The dim glow of a tablet and a printer barely lit the room, but he could see that darts and a blindfold were scattered around. A dartboard was set up at the other end.

“This was all kinda on short notice, so we don’t have all of our usual decision-making apparatuses.” The man sitting in the chair nearest to the door flippantly waved his hands. He raised up a sheet of paper with names printed on it. “We printed out a list of personnel from some no-name base in…” he squinted at the list, then shouted to one of the others. “Hey, didn’t we do this base already?”

Another commander shrugged. “Does it matter? Small-town guys’ll jump at the chance to go anywhere.”

“Is this really… okay?” Lorenzo struggled to accept what he saw. This lack of care was not something he’d expected to be accepted by such high-ranking officers in the Interstellar Forces. Then again, the Celestion crews were picked semi-randomly. This could lead to the same results whether or not they used fancy equipment. ...It still didn’t feel right.

“Yeah, yeah!” The first commander reassured him. “This’ll be done real quick. All we need is for one of you to put on this,” he picked up the blindfold, “pick up one of those,” he pointed at a dart, “and someone to pin this list to the board over there.”

“I’ll do it!” Emil volunteered himself.

“Great!”

Emil took the list and a dart, pinned both to the dartboard, and walked back to the front of the room to get blindfolded.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome one and all to the Celestion Project Conference.” Commander Bellamy’s voice boomed from outside.

“Sir, would it be alright if we address this after the conference?”

The first commander and one of his peers were busy spinning around a blindfolded Emil. “Did it start already?” He stopped Emil in place. “Tell ya what, we’ll give all the information to this guy,” he patted the blond on the back, “and you can go attend the meeting. Neither of you’ll hafta miss a thing.”

“Yeah, I’ll handle it!” Emil gave a thumbs up in entirely the wrong direction.

“Appreciated, Lieutenant, and thank you, sirs.” Lorenzo nodded to each of the commanders before exchanging a salute.

Lucky for Lorenzo, when he exited into the conference room, everyone else was already standing up and too busy paying attention to Bellamy to notice he’d come in late. The captain took a deep breath, trying to expel the doubts in his mind through his nose. There was nothing to worry about; he’d just gotten worked up from a stressful day. He tried to focus on Bellamy’s words in order to calm down.

“This year marks 60 years since America took its first few steps on the moon.”

A projection behind the commander showed pictures of American hero Herbert Legard taking his first steps on the Moon ...and tripping over.

“As you can see, we’re no stranger to hiccups here and there,” Bellamy surveyed his audience, “but our biggest strength is that we’re able to push past those things and make innovations. Because this is the Interstellar Forces, and in the Interstellar Forces... there is always… a solution.”

The projection played footage of Legard getting standing back up, leading to the much more famous clip of him jumping on the Moon’s surface. More footage played of the Interstellar Forces’ achievements over the past six decades. Footage recording the construction of Lunaria and the Moon Base transitioned to clips of people boarding the first commercial spacecraft in all their bulky glory. From there played a slideshow of the Martian Base’s construction, before finally ending off with a picture from a few years ago of Ranger Kim shaking hands with the president, marking the day that any adult US citizen, regardless of gender, could enlist in the Interstellar Forces.

It was only human to make mistakes. Even Lorenzo knew that. What he’d seen and experienced today were just a few errors in the otherwise functional organization. The Interstellar Forces recovered from worse blunders and would continue to do so as long as he and everyone else did their best to make sure these mistakes happened as little as possible.

There was always a solution. Knowing that brought him comfort.