Galactic Defence Armada Subsidiary Log 264.2:
‘If I were to be honest about one thing, what would it be?’ The fact I know they will decommission this ship in the best-case scenario, and they will destroy it in the worst. That’s the best outcome, if we even win this war. As we explore the Andromeda galaxy, I can only wonder what is going on in the War Council’s minds. I also wonder who is winning this war, as a defeat is not an acceptable answer in this situation. This is not a battle we are talking about, where we cannot react to such a loss with a pained glare. We have to get it right, and the chances are high… but we also must not be too cocky.
Arrogance is a weakness in the art of war.
Some would say that would mean there is still hope. I find the word to be dreadful, a step in the wrong direction in terms of what we are dealing with. I suppose my past may be part of the reason behind such hatred of the word. It is not my present, it never is. It is the person who I let die.
I am not interested in the payment I lost by doing what I did; nobody will understand what happened except formoya voljeni… I have great reverence reserved for them.
Signing Out,
CDR. Yaroslavna
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The walk to the First Officer’s stateroom was long and perilous, as with any voyaging in the Opal Imperium, Lilith’s feet aching with a dull pain in both the sole and heel. She huffed and heaved as much air in as her lungs would allow her, still able to lift a hand up and fix up wavy strands of cocoa, which were scattered around her head. Her embroidered badge stood shiny and proud, a single golden star deflecting light away from it.
Lilith flicked her wrist as she manoeuvred down a corridor that seemed very well kept. Her action had revealed said small wrist and hand she boasted from the stormy, open jacket that was just a little too big for her. She then reached out to tap a neon panel of cyan. The door opened with a whizz and the light went off. She stepped inside, knowing full well that if the light were to turn on, a closing door would hit her in the face.
What followed was no miscommunication, no judging; just the Commander’s eyes widening a fraction for a split second that felt like forever. She returned to reality in less than a moment, raised blonde eyebrows furrowing lightning fast. Her eyes narrowed, baby blue orbs staring as if she could pierce a hole through Lilith’s head, only for a grin to form as the Commander rose to her full, seven foot two height. She wore something far more formal than what Lilith even considered wearing, not a single crease in the midnight trench coat and the collar pulled out perfectly. Gold accents made her look like she belonged to some form of an intergalactic association. Suddenly, a voice made itself known. It was Russian, feminine, yet husky.
“Ah, hello Lilith. It’s lovely to see you but, what brings you here?” Her pronunciation was flawless, yet something had deformed her face to an extent. Scars plated her, and that reminded Lilith of the very much harsh reality the Commander had to put up with.
A voice with a slightly less prominent accent - though still clearly Russian - winced with such a thought at mind. A foot clamped down upon the messy, velvet carpets draped across the floor; one akin to wolf fur. The Commander took a step to the left. One could hear the loud thumps as she stepped over in her combat boots, admiring the cleanliness and home-like-style of the room. It really made her feel a bit more comfy and gave her a safe place to hang out. “Сестра, капитан Локоно снова ведет себя как идиот!”
Suddenly, accents had become even stronger as the Commander uttered. “Что вы имеете в виду? Что он сделал на этот раз?”
Now there was an awkward silence, so the Commander spoke up once again. “Lilith, brief me later. I think I’ll find out for myself.”
“Yes, Mira. Just be ready; I have detained the Captain under orders from Commodore Pérez.” An eerie silence followed, as Mira stepped in front of Lilith; Lilith was at least one and a half feet shorter than Mira.
“To confirm, which Captain are we referring to here?” Mira assumed the worst, but prayed for the best, yet she had no interest in belief or faith. Time seemed to grind into being painfully slow. Then, in the space of a microsecond, all hell broke loose.
Mira had no clue what happened next, and just as a loud sound pierced one of her already sensitive eardrums, the world went black.
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A rope wrapped around her, lifting her back up to face the present. Lilith snapped her fingers in front of Mira’s face, or so she thought, since her vision was blurry.
That being said, she was certain someone was shining a light into her eyes; that she knew as she panicked, albeit internally. Whoever was there must have sensed her fear, however, so this had to be someone she knew from outside the workforce. She then felt someone squeeze her hand, but then she tried forcing herself to sit up; they forced her to lie back down by various hands. The movement of Mira’s own accord only made the commotion louder to everyone else, but it was almost dead silent to her. Her vision quickly cleared up, but only in one eye. The other had become critically wounded, and Mira recognised that alone without the sensation of hurt that radiated like a heat off of said window. She felt sharp, continuous pains in her abdominal region, looking down with a sense of acceptance within her.
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Gauze and bandage, plus a person covered the sight up, so she tried to turn her head to the right, only to realise there was a headboard. Couldn’t see whoever was giving her hand a squeeze, but very much appreciated it. The noise was turning out to be registered by the remaining working ear as she laid there, letting the medics do whatever they wanted. There was no resistance, no response and Mira hadn’t even realised she was in shock until her legs were upward.
As her hearing returned, she could hear a soothing voice… oh, for Pete’s sake! “Who’s piloting the damn starship?!” Mira croaked.
Captain Felicity Simmons had remained at Mira’s side throughout the ordeal. From the moment, they had broadcasted the message that Mira was in trouble, to now.
Mira was a little wary of the fact that she remembered Lilith mentioned a captain in the brig, which meant… what if it were Felicity, who had been to the brig with little warning? No, it could never be! But also, why would she even be here to help in this scenario if they detained her? Mira’s head was practically spinning with all these thoughts, all happening as fast as lightning strikes the ground.
Felicity moved a little closer, so she was in Mira’s line of sight, her blonde bun and rosy cheeks all too familiar, her Northern Irish accent way too pronounced to ignore. “The chief engineer is acting captain as I am off duty, Commander Volkova. I made a note to appoint some people to captain and commander roles whilst I was here.”
Mira mumbled a rather quiet ‘oh’. She watched as the blurriness in her eyes faded, revealing the sharp geometry of the world. She waited impatiently as silence slithered between them, knowing the rest would go in due time. In the meantime, lime orbs gazed into baby blue ones. “Captain Simmons, sir?”
“Yes, Commander?” Mira knew Felicity to be quite the blunt, formal, and charismatic person from the workforce. One could also say they knew each other too well.
“Will you escort me back to my quarters tonight, assuming you are not busy?” Her gaze softened upon seeing the commander’s expression. Mira’s heart was in her throat, her mind whizzing through a thousand thoughts; she almost said what she thought in front of the crew in the room; that would have been a horrific idea. This was as they were packing up their supplies, plus who knows what else.
An awkward sensation wrapped its slimy tendrils around their bodies, leaving two somewhat flustered, confused and exhausted crew as the last of the doctors and nurses were gently gestured to leave by the captain. Not to mention, the random crewmembers who had taken a peek in were now also gone; all but one. And when there’s one, more’s coming.
Following Lieutenant Commander Baylis Grayle were four Galactic Defence Armada soldiers, all holding standard issue weapons of some sort. Felicity glanced over, a look of confusion on her face. Grayle did not look best pleased. “Sir, we failed to identify the perpetrator who caused this. All we know is we’ve either got someone rogue on our side, or we’ve got someone who shouldn’t be here.”
“Check every manifest, every log and every data via DEUS; we’re getting that kill.” Mira’s eyes lit up like the embers of a fire.
“What are you two talking about?” Mira and Grayle faced Felicity, but Grayle abruptly halted Mira before she even said a word.
“Captain, it’s none of your business.” He had a point, did he not?
Mira inhaled, about to snap. “Chief of security, it is something that I would like to know the answer to, off-duty or not. Someone needs to look after her through the night, regardless. Volkova only lets a few know her family, even fewer know her.”
Grayle huffed for a moment, eyes stern. “You both know full well fraternisation is not appropriate on a military ship, correct?”
With the headboard gone, Mira turned her head slightly to face Grayle. She mustered the biggest smile in the world. Her nostrils flared, her teeth visible in a wicked, twisted grin that would terrify anyone who had any decent bit of sanity. “Well, why else would we have gone and done years of training - none the least command training just for us to not know what fraternisation is?” From the embers of a fire raged an actual blaze in the pit of her stomach. “It would get us court-martialled and we’d lose everything we spent years working for. Who’d want to go back to the war in the hellhole we call ‘home’, Lieutenant Commander?”
A defiance, one that kept her from dying every so often, was present. It was intimidating, and very much scary to see a seven-foot woman talking down to a Lieutenant Commander like he was some little kid. “We’re not in the academy any more, we don’t need to question our superiors about their jobs. You should know that by now. You’re a Lieutenant Commander, right?”
There was a pause, eyes wide and pupils dilated, this time from Grayle. It froze him to his location, absolutely certain that he was going to lose this battle. However, he had one last trick up his sleeve. “Yes sir, I am. What’s your excuse?”
Mira froze. “Then act like it.” She spoke through barred teeth, tone dropping in moments for a cold and harsh response. This vessel had worn the already grumpy commander down, and the woman stood next to the commander was also stiff.
It only took Grayle a couple of moments to recognise now was his time to leave. Speeding out, he left the two women to themselves. Felicity thought about changing the topic, bringing up her word choice as a topic of conversation. “You know, Mira? You really shouldn’t be so hard on your chief of security. Why are you more harsh one one person than the rest of the crew?”
Mira grimaced. “He disrespects my orders, and I suspect he’s hiding something. The rest of the crew doesn’t disrespect my orders quite like Grayle does; what would you like me to do?”
Felicity thought for a moment. “Treat others the way you want to be treated?”
“… What? Felicity, you know I don’t entertain that idea around complete strangers. I’m a big target as it is, literally and metaphorically. I have to keep up my guard, or else I’m weak, an easy threat to deal with. There are millions out there who want my head.” Already wound up, Mira froze as she said those last words, knowing Felicity does not enjoy hearing her say such things about herself. A knot formed in her stomach as she awaited the impending telling off…
“Lass, I owe you a favour, considering you saved my life; come to my quarters, just you and me.”