The briefing ended, and the officers were dismissed. Everyone gathered their gear and filed out towards the docking bays. They’d be boarding the Voyager 8.
Juno, on the other hand, stayed with Captain Carter. They had a separate briefing alone where the crew dossiers were separated into groups and familiarized between them. Schedules and charts were studied and the ship decks assigned various crewmembers.
Juno was surprised at how much she retained in the end. Her years aboard different military spacecraft seemingly paid off.
“There’s a meeting with particular higher ups, most notably, a member of the Board of Humanity and some folks from the Earth Advisory Board. As the captain, I have to go. As my second in command, I’d like you there, but I want you on the Voyager 8, instead. Make sure it’s squared away properly,” Captain Carter informed Juno. She was glad. Meeting and board members were making her sick. And besides, she wanted to see the Voyager.
“Understood.”
“I know we haven’t had time for a proper introduction, and with the way this operation seems to be going, we won’t get to until we’re well on our way. I’ve read a bit of your file though, Juno. You truly seem to be a cut above the rest. The other officers and some of the specialists… they’re good at what they do. Army, navy, special aeronautics, we’ve got a good team, but I’m afraid of their disciplinary status. I don’t want my crew thinking that because we’re outside the military chain of command, things will be easy. As a marine, you know how to kick a unit’s ass into shape, so I’ll be counting on you, First Officer Juno. Keep em in line.”
“I will, sir.” Something about his attitude eased her mind a bit. A part of her was afraid of what it meant to be outside the standard chain of command. Captain Carter’s methods were harsh but recognizable to her at least. That was something to cling onto.
She’d read his file too, extensively and repeatedly. He enlisted with the Navy when he was young. From there, Carter transitioned to an Airforce Officers academy, eventually rising into the Special Aeronautics programs. He didn’t last long there, either. Someone nabbed him up. Soon after, he was assigned to an SA special tasks group. Special forces. Hardcore.
The Special Aeronautics Division was where astronauts were born. Training for these programs was extensive. The Special Aeronautics Division wasn’t necessarily a military branch on its own. It was a separate program entirely, dedicated to a variety of missions. However, joint military ventures were a big part of the SA’s operational base.
Each branch of the military had some form of special forces used for small scale tactical operations, and despite their limited military capabilities, the Special Aeronautics Division did have its own version of special forces.
SA Special Tasks group. It was a joint military effort between different branches of the military and SA to create a tactical force ready for operations in and out of space, on any terrain, on the surface of an asteroid or in the confines of a space station. And its training program was the toughest of them all.
Those who made it onto a special tasks force team were highly skilled in a number of fields: engineering, close quarters combat, Zero G, nav guiding. Special Task Operators had education levels parallel to physicists, and ship operators. These guys flew their own ships, handled their own crews, and knew how to land on a planet, and exit the same way. They could do it all. Failure rates for these types of schools were upwards of eighty percent, but there were always thousands of participants.
Captain Carter was a hardcore man, no doubt about it. He could probably fly the Voyager 8 by himself.
That also scared Juno. She wasn't in the special forces. Neither was their crew. Like she’d been told a hundred times, this coalition was partly a diplomacy act. How would the captain handle the kinds of situations that needed more than an itchy trigger finger? And how much could she and the crew live up to his perfectionist mentality? A big ship like the Voyager was a far cry from the small ships the captain had been a part of for the past ten years.
She hoped that maybe he’d draw on his time in the Navy and Airforce to help remind him what normal service men and women were like. The way he held himself though, she was doubtful.
At last, Captain Carter stuck out his hand, and said, “Glad to have you aboard.” She shook it.
“Glad to be aboard.”
“Dismissed, First Officer Juno. Take these materials to the ship. Get your gear and find your place. I’ll join the crew after the meetings.” She saluted and the captain saluted back before leaving the room. As the door slid shut behind him, Juno finally breathed. She had been tense the entire time. She’d have to work on that.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Juno gathered up the things he’d left behind and headed for the Voyager 8.
With a black duffle bag on her shoulder, all the materials inside, Juno stepped out into the hall, locking the room behind her. Then, she made for the elevators down the hall.
The Voyager awaited her in Bay nine. The ship would be her new home for the considerable future. There was so much information in her head still to pick apart, but her nerves about the ship were stronger than everything else. She hated ship life.
This time would be different, though, at least. A smaller ship. A smaller crew. And she was in charge. Maybe they’d have more shore time, though Captain Carter would probably make sure that didn’t happen.
Juno couldn’t shake the feeling that, though he was capable, Carter might be the wrong choice for captain. This wasn’t solely a military organization. Juno guessed it would be common to interact with other non military based personnel, even aliens who would not understand the position the Captain was coming from.
What am I thinking? We haven’t even had a mission yet.
Aliens though… She’d be meeting aliens. Kids back on Earth always dreamed of meeting an alien. She was no exception.
Arriving at the central elevators, Juno, on a random inspection of the halls, happened to notice a woman down one of them with her head in her hands. She was visibly distraught.
It was the woman from earlier. She was obviously crying. Juno pressed the button to call the elevator. It hummed as it traveled down to her. Better to not get involved. She thought.
As the doors opened, Juno heard the muffled sniffling of the woman. Her foot landed inside the elevator for just a moment before her guilty conscience made her step back out. She sighed, and then walked over to her.
The woman noticed Juno approaching. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“What’s your name?” Juno asked, standing over her.
“Rachel. Triegler, ma’am.”
“What was your position on my ship?”
“I was a Navigation Officer ma’am.”
“Military?”
“Used to be. Now, I don’t know what I’ll do.” Juno felt so sorry for her. Normally, she would’ve been on the side of Captain Carter. A soldier late to the briefing would be forced to do extra PT, or assigned to a shitty detail. Depending on the assignment they could even be kicked off.
This was a different matter, of course. It wasn’t the Marines anymore. Juno felt Rachel got a bit of bad luck.
She juggled different options in her head. Some people would need a hand on their shoulder and some encouraging words. Juno wasn’t any good at that. Besides, in Rachel’s position, she’d want a good boot in the ass.
“Who did you serve with?”
“Special Aeronautics. Space Navigator, ma’am.”
“Is that right? Are all astronauts as pathetic as you?”
“Ma’am?” She stopped crying, her face twisting in confusion.
“I thought astronauts were the explorers of the galaxy. Fearless, and wild. You guys are supposed to go into the depths of the unknown with a smile on your face. At least, that’s what I always heard. In the marines, grunts like us dreamed of being you guys. But, what I see here is a sniffling little girl crying because she got embarrassed. Where did you serve?” Rachel didn’t like Juno’s attitude. She responded with prickly words.
“I served with the Armitage, and the Andromeda 6 ma’am. We flew all over the systems. I personally charted the Eagle system.” Her crying had stopped. She was angry.
“Yeah? I don’t believe you. That sounds like a woman who can handle herself. You’re not that kind of woman.”
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“First Officer Junotori Sashino, of the Voyager 8. I would’ve been your CO if you hadn't missed your briefing. What I want to know is why you’re sitting here when you have a job to do?”
“Ma’am.” She wiped her face one last time, the tears finally gone, “You heard back there. I’m kicked out of the unit.”
“You were selected because you have a certain skill set, not because the Initiative needs positions filled. You screwed up your chance with my unit, but that doesn’t give you the excuse to quit. We still need those skills. There are nine other ships ready for travel, and possibly hundreds of more positions open on the main station. Find yourself another unit, Navigator Triegler. I won’t accept you quitting on the Initiative. That’s an order.” Suddenly, Rachel snapped to. She understood.
“Yes, ma’am.” Juno walked back towards the elevators. Her pep talk seemed to have worked, but there was no telling if Triegler had made it. Juno had been bluffing. For all she knew, all the positions were already filled. But it didn’t hurt to try.
As the elevator doors opened Juno shot a glance back at Rachel before stepping in. She was on her glass tablet scrolling vigorously through something. She had the look of someone on a mission.
She disappeared as Juno stepped into the elevator. She left Triegler to her duty. For Juno, the Voyager 8 awaited.