Banshee waltzed down the ramp off her ship. Strictly speaking the one-person scout vessel wasn’t hers but it might as well have been. Her leisurely attitude quickly disappeared, however, as she noticed the single other occupant of the hangar.
She approached him and stiffly broke the silence.
“Sir.”
“Report.”
“Things didn’t go as planned, unfortunately. She was there.”
Ban expected annoyance or frustration but instead a grin came across his rough features.
“I waited as you ordered. Aster made use of what she’d stolen from us and… well… despite your orders, it looked like Arthur tried to fight her. Hand to hand no less.”
The grin became an open-mouthed smile.
“HA! So, he’s dead I take it.”
“I had to finish him. She’d dragged him to the center of town after a… beating. Seemed about to kill him but stopped. Ship is a smoldering heap too. Nothing to trace back to us.”
“Hmm…”
“That’s all you have to say? Your pet project just turned all of our frames to scrap heaps and ruined any plans we had for that colony and all you have to say is hmm?!”
The look in his eyes suddenly shifted. Intensity.
“Scylla.”
A pit began to form in her stomach as she shrunk.
“Um… What?”
“You will refer to her as Scylla. A name she earned and something you will respect. Is that understood?”
“… Yes Sir.”
She couldn’t hold his gaze any longer. Instead finding something behind him to focus on.
“You seem to misunderstand your position, Banshee, so I will remind you. You show promise. You are skilled and those skills make you very useful. I might even go so far as to say you could earn that name of yours. But as it stands you gave it to yourself, and you are nowhere near Scylla or myself. I would trade you for her in an instant. Now, Raxia is no great loss. In fact, I’d consider it a net gain.”
“The frames…”
“Were already going to be replaced.”
“… Replaced?”
“I’d secured a source for far more capable combat frames before I even sent Arthur to Raxia.”
“I was unaware…”
“Yes, because I don’t need to explain every facet of our operation to you. Something you should already be accustomed to.”
“Yes Sir.”
“I’ve nothing for you for now so enjoy some down time.”
He picked up a pack, slung it over his shoulder and headed aboard the light scout ship.
“To Raxia?”
“Indeed.” He didn’t stop moving.
“She’d better be worth it…” Banshee muttered to herself under the loud noise of the ship’s ramp retracting for takeoff.
---
The Blue Nebula’s business on the colony was finished and she was ready to head off.
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Gareth and Ton’et had taken their places. Deag sat in his Captains chair. That was the entirety of the bridge crew, save one. The security station was unmanned once again.
Deag fiddled with the recording disc in his paw. He’d watched it but didn’t pay much attention to the actual words. He knew the deal he’d made and knew he had no right to be upset. Yet he couldn’t help but lament the loss.
“… Are we ready for takeoff Gareth?”
“It would seem so captain. Where to?”
“We’ll make for the closest station in Terran space. Pen said something about a military liaison that can put us into contact with the proper people.
“Understood.”
The bridge sat in silence. No one moved.
“Ton’et?” Deag said.
“Hm? Oh, yes. Of course. Plotting our jump route Sir.”
They began to slowly access the ship’s star map. The closest UEG territories lit up and various possible routes presented themselves.
“It seems as though we have a couple of options-”
“You’ll want Lotus Station in the Lakshmi system. It’s host to the naval base for that section of the border territories.” Penelope said, leaning against the doorway.
“PEN!” Ton’et practically yelled.
They wheeled around in their seat to see the familiar large figure now walking onto the bridge.
Deag sprung from his seat and turned. He paused slightly tempering his perhaps undue excitement.
“You’re here to join us?”
“Indeed I am.” She smiled shyly, scratching her head.
“Not that I’m upset by any means, quite the opposite, but what made you change your mind?”
“Look it’s still not a permanent thing, okay? I just can’t leave the weapons and such. They’re dangerous. It would be irresponsible. And that’s not even mentioning how they connect to whatever the hell is going on with these pirates… which isn’t my problem, but I suppose I owe brass a warning of some kind…”
Deag took a second to connect her reference of metal alloy to its intended meaning but got there.
The Corvul version of a smile came to his face, a raising of eyebrows mostly. He wasn’t going to push her but he doubted the reasoning.
“Of course. Well, we’re all happy to have you on. Even if its only for a while longer.”
“All? Even our first mate?” Pen looked to Gareth.
“Well, it would be right for you to join us on a stint through human space and I… well you never left much to be desired when it came to filling your role. I don’t believe I ever critiqued your skills…”
Pen couldn’t stifle a full-blown laugh.
“Careful Gareth, you’re getting dangerously close to a compliment.”
Gareths frills began to flutter in embarrassment while he turned back to his station. If he had the ability to blush his face would be beet red. Finally, he managed to respond.
“Well anyway we’d better get going.”
“I agree, with everyone finally aboard, its time to set out.”
Gareth waddled back to his chair while Ton’et plotted the Blue Nebula’s first journey to a human system.
Pen moved to her station and once again readjusted the display to suit her height. She smiled as the ships rumbling engines signaled a return to orbit, a departing of Raxia’s space, and finally an FTL jump out of system.
---
Penelope remarked on the relatively quiet journey to the Lakshmi system. Especially quiet considering the unusual level of “excitement” the crew’s previous journey had provided. Not a day of the twelve-day journey had been interrupted.
“Excitement is not the word I would use Pen,” Gareth said as the Nebula popped into the system and made for Lotus Station, “Terror would be far more accurate.”
“Aw come on, you can’t say it’s something you’ll soon forget.”
“… That’s for certain, no matter how much I might prefer that.”
The ship cut through a few outer planet’s orbital paths before making it to the mineral rich host planet of Lotus Station and the accompanying Naval yard. The station itself seemed fairly bare bones to the bridge crew.
“Humanity isn’t totally lost for aesthetics but this is a military installation so you may find things a little more… essentialist here compared to a trade hub or colony.”
The three others on the bridge barely noted Penelope’s comment, however, as they were all focused on the array of truly massive vessels laid out before them. Many were in dry docks and undergoing repair. Some were moving from one dock to another. An organized formation moved in closer to the station. As they came closer it wasn’t just the size of the ships that awed the Nebula’s crew but their armament. Even the smallest of them boasted a capacity that might rival an entire Corvul defense fleet.
“We must have arrived during some sort of event Pen. How many of the UEMC’s fleets are here?”
“Some of the one’s in dry dock might belong to the 8th fleet but I think most of these guys belong to the 6th.”
“Why would the entire fleet be gathered here?” Ton’et asked.
Pen glanced over at them. The Ossians scaly skin was a dull yellow.
“This isn’t the whole fleet. At most it’s a battle fleet coming in for leave and the systems general defense fleet.”
As she spoke Pen directed their attention first to the grouping of ships docking with the station and then the spaced formation of ships moving from point to point.
Just as they were marveling at the sight a hail came in from Lotus Station.
“Blue Nebula this is Lotus. Stand by for scan... complete. We see the cargo you declared. We were set to receive you at the station, but I’ve been ordered to direct you to the Yosa. Follow this flight path and do not deviate. Lotus out.”
“What’s a Yosa? Are we not docking at the station?” Ton’et asked.
“Not anymore. It’s a battleship. The Yosa is the Basho’s sister ship…”
The designated flight path led to one of the smaller ships of the docking fleet Penelope had pointed out earlier.