《Structural Integrity (Deliverance & Grace: Book Two)》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    August 3, 2940


    ¡°I¡¯ll move,¡± Bastien said confidently, his holographic character perking up at his words as if it had been awaiting his decision. The warrior leaped forward across the gameboard''s five squares and settled into a fighting crouch in front of the large ogre warlord who was serving as the shield bearer to the enemy formation. ¡°Attack,¡± Bastien ordered and a holographic dice appeared above the character.


    ¡°Come on! Come on!¡± Spencer Cellar called out enthusiastically as the partially translucent fifty-sided polyhedron spun in place. Then it stopped; a thirty-seven appearing on its topmost surface.


    ¡°That should hit,¡± Brice Uba commented as floating numbers began to appear above the dice. Attack bonus. Skill bonus. Trait additions. Gear bonus.


    ¡°Forty-nine!¡± Dante Saez announced as the calculations were finalized. ¡°That will definitely hit!¡±


    The four friends¡¯ attention fell to the holographic characters on the board and they watched as Bastien¡¯s martial unit jumped upward and swung its longsword at the enemy ogre¡¯s face. A flash of light indicated impact and the vicious creature reeled backward at the blow. New numbers appeared and damage was calculated.


    ¡°My turn!¡± Spencer said before pulling up his character description and consulting his notes. The boy¡¯s birthday was the previous day and the four had decided that a double session of Weapons and Warlocks was in order. Their group had only just started the tabletop holographic role-playing game the week before, having found its description in the game archive during a leisurely meal, but they were already hooked. ¡°I¡¯m casting a spell!¡±


    Bastien looked up from his own notes and scanned the room that he and Dante shared, seeing the shiny walls and clean surfaces which had looked so radically different months earlier when he had been unexpectedly pulled from cryogenic sleep and into a situation that he never could have imagined in his wildest dreams. The Grace O¡¯Malley, a UDAS military transport vessel tasked with ferrying Bastien and a large group of cadets through interstellar space, was wrecked beyond comprehension and the mystery surrounding the ship¡¯s damage only deepened as Bastien came to learn that the crew had disappeared.


    As Spencer took his turn, Bastien reflected on how challenging those first few weeks had been. Long days. Emotional nights. Bastien¡¯s anxiety had been near overwhelming during the slow repairs that he and Dante, whom Bastien had pulled from his own cryogenic sleep shortly after waking, had attempted and had stayed impossibly high as more and more cadets were pulled from blissful ignorance to aid in the efforts to restore the Grace. Months had passed, the cadets had come together as a crew, the ship had been made livable, and Bastien had found ways to cope. A great deal of self-reflection and forgiveness, Bastien thought calmly just as Spencer¡¯s fireball singed a nearby ogre marauder, or else I never would have made it.


    The Grace eventually left the nebula in which she¡¯d been floating and the crew discovered, to their horror, that they were nowhere near Avalonian space. Indeed, a careful review of the nearby stars told the stunned cadets that they were no longer in the Milky Way Galaxy. Far beyond human space and with no way home, the next major discovery was that this particular galaxy contained varied and intelligent alien life. With the Milky Way devoid of aliens, it fell to Bastien and his fellow cadets to make humanity¡¯s only known first contact with another sentient spacefaring civilization.


    Then everyone started shooting.


    ¡°Hit him,¡± Dante called out and Bastien snapped his eyes to the game board, realizing that his roommate now had control of the board. Things weren¡¯t looking too good for his party, though, and Bastien began to wonder if their characters would be able to eke out a victory. They had charged into this hidden temple without much of a plan and the ogre ambush seemed to be pretty effective. Chaos of battle, for sure.


    The crew had been victorious in the two combats the Grace had seen since arriving in this new galaxy, Bastien reflected as he watched the pieces on the board move around, but he quietly hoped that those two battles would be the only confrontations the Grace would see before she found her way back home. They weren¡¯t playing a game out here in unknown space and any misstep could, and likely would, doom the nearly two hundred souls on board. An ogre¡¯s arrow slammed into Dante¡¯s character as the dice above it indicated a successful strike. It wouldn¡¯t do for Bastien and the crew to simply assume that the dice would always be favorable to the Grace when and if she had to unleash her guns.


    ¡°You got it,¡± Spencer said, patting Dante on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to move over there on the next turn. Brice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to attack,¡± Brice said. ¡°I think I can kill this guy.¡±


    Bastien shook his head a bit and refocused on the game. Then he frowned. ¡°Hey, guys?¡± he said as Brice¡¯s character scored a non-fatal hit on his opponent. ¡°It is me or does this board not look so good?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dante asked while Spencer and Brice dug through their game menus, obviously looking for ways to maximize their characters¡¯ utility.


    ¡°I mean¡­ we are kinda spread out and there are more ogres in this temple than I thought there would be.¡±


    ¡°We can take them,¡± Spencer said offhandedly.


    Bastien wasn¡¯t so sure. He tapped away at his own menu and saw that each character was wounded, various weapons were near unusable due to being damaged during the preceding fights, and the ogres were using tactics that were making it hard for Bastien and the others to get direct hits. ¡°Well¡­¡± he began before issuing another order to his own character. It did little good. ¡°Maybe we should retreat?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Dante said with a laugh. ¡°We got this!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for sure,¡± Brice added. ¡°Positive thought. Just think positive thoughts.¡±


    Three rounds later and Bastien felt himself biting his lip in frustration. Brice was down. Spencer was out of magical essence. Dante was pinned between two mostly healthy enemies. ¡°And there goes my sword¡­¡± Bastien said as his role failed and his weapon flew from his hand. The fight had gone from bad to worse.


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± Dante muttered and Bastien observed that his friend had finally begun to see the whole picture. They were, in fact, about to lose.


    ¡°We can still pull it out,¡± Spencer argued as he busily tapped at his screen. ¡°If I can just get close enough to give Brice the potion and if you can get those ogres off Dante, then we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done,¡± Brice interrupted with a deep sigh.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dante exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Spencer said defiantly as he looked between everyone. ¡°CB? Tell them we still have a chance.¡±


    Carpenter Boineau, the ship''s internal artificial intelligence, chimed in. ¡°There is a two point seven five nine chance that your party will be victorious in this combat¡±


    ¡°I cast fireball,¡± Spencer said, undeterred, as the other three glanced between themselves. It missed.


    ¡°Now there is a one point two three eight percent chance your party will be victorious in this combat,¡± the AI corrected.


    ¡°I think we should call it,¡± Bastien said before the normally unfazed Spencer could snap at the computer for its mathematically informed pessimism. ¡°We can save it here and maybe try to finish this fight next time.¡±


    ¡°Or start back from before we entered the temple,¡± Brice suggested, clearing his screen as his holographic character disappeared. ¡°I think that might be when things started to go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dante said as he, too, cleared his screen. ¡°We sort of overestimated our abilities. We¡¯ll get it next time.¡±


    Spencer groaned dramatically, obviously wanting everyone to notice his displeasure at ending the game session at this low moment, but none rose to his bait so he shrugged and started packing up. ¡°Gamma shift is almost over,¡± he observed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Brice responded. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to the system debug I have to start.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have to crawl through the engine¡¯s tertiary coolant container to replace the injector in the back end,¡± Dante announced and both Spencer and Bastien snorted at one-upmanship. His work was going to be far dirtier than Brice¡¯s own.


    ¡°And¡­¡± Brice continued slowly, ¡°the tactical display on the bridge is having a malfunction with the targeting scanners and I think I¡¯m going to have to rebuild the code from scratch.¡±


    ¡°Deck seven has a problem with its plumbing and I might have to swap out the waste reclamation unit,¡± Dante countered with a cheeky grin.


    ¡°I need to reinitialize the environmental control unit because the variance is off by three microns.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be able to do that this shift because I have to replace the EVC temperature gauges and my repair takes priority.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Brice, usually so even-keeled and unflappable, looked exasperated for a moment before he looked over to Bastien. ¡°Can I request to be on a different shift than him?¡±


    ¡°Request denied,¡± Bastien said with a grin as the other two boys chuckled. Bastien took a moment to look at his three friends as they continued to pack up and joke with one another.


    Dante had been the first person Bastien had woken on the Grace, the fourteen-year-old the best engineer out of the cadet pool and the one who deserved most of the credit for the current state of the ship. He had done an amazing job with the repairs and was the Grace¡¯s current Chief Engineer with the rank of lieutenant commander. Bastien was certain that they¡¯d never have made it without Dante and considered the slightly older teen to be his closest friend onboard.


    As the ship¡¯s operations officer and a lieutenant, Brice was a wizard with software and coding. Whereas Dante had practically rebuilt the Grace, Brice had made her functional. He¡¯d gotten the computers in order. He¡¯d tied all the relevant systems together. He ensured that consoles worked and systems didn¡¯t degrade. Brice knew his business and Bastien was glad that the fifteen-year-old had been onboard when disaster had befallen the Grace.


    The newly turned thirteen-year-old Spencer was, like Dante and Brice, part of the senior staff but his role didn¡¯t involve maintaining the ship directly. Instead, the young lieutenant served as the Grace¡¯s chief steward and handled ancillary personnel issues, supply logistics, food and cleanliness matters, and cargo concerns. It was a role that involved wearing many proverbial hats but Spencer handled it with aplomb. The crew, Bastien knew, had come to rely on him.


    ¡°Well,¡± Brice began as he stood and stretched, ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to get to work.¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± Spencer quipped. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    ¡°Try not to turn the temperature in our room too low, please?¡± Brice gave Spencer a pleading look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set it to arctic instead of deep space,¡± Spencer responded dramatically as he picked up his tablet. ¡°How about that, my dear roommate?¡±


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    ¡°You just hate the cold.¡±


    Bastien had to chuckle privately to himself as he glanced between the bickering roommates, the dichotomy of their friendship always threatening to bring a grin to his face. Brice was serious and generally unhurried. Spencer was goofy and high-energy. Brice had the massive frame and musculature needed to compete in contact sports. Spencer was small and wiry. Brice had jet-black hair and equally dark skin. Spencer was blond and pale. ¡°Spencer, please don¡¯t antagonize Brice,¡± Bastien cut in as the two began to get more animated. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to replace him at operations if he ends up freezing to death.¡±


    ¡°Says the person who always complains when I drop the temperature in our room down to a comfortable level,¡± Dante said immediately and the other two started laughing.


    Bastien frowned good-naturedly at his roommate, their own ongoing temperature argument more funny than frustrating. Dante, with his Spanish heritage, preferred it a bit warmer in their room than Bastien¡¯s own northern European genetics enjoyed. ¡°I don¡¯t like having icicles form on our ceiling, Saez,¡± Bastien answered with a shrug. Dante snorted and made a gesture to Spencer and Brice that suggested Bastien was crazy. Bastien pretended not to notice.


    The banter continued for another few moments before Spencer and Brice left, one heading to the bridge while the other headed toward his bunk. Bastien saw them out while Dante finished packing a small bag with some of the projects he wanted to bring back to Engineering. Their quarters always had small mechanical projects lying about so seeing Dante scoop various bits of tech into his carry case was not a surprise. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Dante said as he finished and made for the door.


    ¡°Sound¡¯s good,¡± Bastien said, giving his friend a fist bump as Dante left.


    Bastien scanned the room for a moment to make sure that things were neat and tidy before looking over to his bed. His shift would start in a little over eight hours and it would be a good idea to get some sleep before going on duty. Bastien wasn¡¯t particularly tired, though, so he decided that a quick walk around the ship would help him settle in. As first officer, checking in on the crew was part of his responsibility and stretching his legs would give him the perfect opportunity to do just that.


    The Grace¡¯s three-shift rotation meant that a third of the crew was always on duty at any given time. The corridors reflected this unending activity. Crewmen worked on systems¡¯ panels at various junctures while others moved about with purpose. Bastien greeted them all while on his walkabout, exchanging a few words with each person he encountered and asking them if they had anything to report. Everything, he was told, was normal. Bastien ran into off-duty crewmen as well, the former cadets heading to the mess hall or the gym or one of the lounges where they might study or socialize. They, too, had little to report.


    It was as Bastien was passing the Tertiary Fabrications Plant that he encountered two senior officers from the recently concluded Gamma shift; thirteen-year-old Ito Hiromi and fifteen-year-old Noah Wright engaged in an animated discussion about propulsion metrics. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± the slim officer with platinum blond hair was saying as she waved her hand dismissively in the air. ¡°An increase by point zero two would be noticeable once we are at max thrust.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy,¡± her stocky fair-skinned companion responded as he ran his hand through his dark hair. ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Hiromi countered testily.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Bastien asked as he approached, grinning at the feisty exchange between Commander Ito and Lieutenant Commander Wright. Hiromi and Noah had become close since waking on the Grace and Bastien had noticed that the pair¡¯s friendship included lots of animated arguments. It was, he suspected, part of the reason they enjoyed each other¡¯s company; finding someone whom they could verbally spar with fit with both officers rather direct personalities. ¡°Propulsion metrics?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Hiromi said with an eye roll. ¡°Noah¡¯s just wrong about something.¡± Noah shook his head but didn¡¯t respond to the bait.


    Bastien didn¡¯t either. ¡°How¡¯d Gamma shift go?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Noah responded. ¡°We¡¯re going to go eat and then watch a movie.¡±


    ¡°I have some studying to do afterward,¡± Hiromi added, ¡°and Noah is going to meet with some of his people to talk about tactical stuff.¡±


    ¡°Much more interesting than your pilot stuff,¡± Noah deadpanned. The two broke out into another argument but Bastien wisely decided not to engage and slipped away, the ship¡¯s Chief Pilot and Chief Tactical Officer not appearing to notice his escape. All was normal with them, it seemed.


    Bastien soon entered Sickbay and glanced about to see who was present. Having been a doctor¡¯s apprentice prior to his enrollment in the military, Bastien felt very comfortable within the medical bay and had endeavored to take several regular shifts there so as to keep up his medical training. Safiya Asfour, the fifteen-year-old Chief Medical Officer holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander, was present and was in the process of looking over some test results. Beside her was sixteen-year-old Natasha Ivanov who had elected early on not to enter the chain of command and held, due to being the most scientifically minded crewmen on the ship, the rank of Specialist. The two were deep in conversation.


    Natasha was a tall willowy young woman with jet black hair and a reserved countenance. Safiya, always seen wearing both a traditional hijab and a wide smile, was approachable and genial. Despite their differing personalities and the fact that they served on different shifts, Bastien was unsurprised to see the two together. Their mutual passion for learning ¨C Natasha with hard sciences and Safiya with medicine ¨C had led to the two bonding during those early days on the Grace and it was for this reason that the two had elected to become roommates. Spot one and you often, unless duty prevented it for some reason, spotted the other.


    Bastien meandered over to see what they were working on.


    ¡°Hello Bastien,¡± Safiya said as she shifted slightly so as to include Bastien in their discussion. ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Just stretching my legs before bed,¡± he responded, looking at the data on the console. ¡°What are you working on?¡±


    ¡°New radiation protocols,¡± Natasha responded. ¡°It occurred to me that, with us being in a different galaxy, there may be minor fluctuations to the background radiation that would require slight modifications to both the ship¡¯s active and passive radiological measures.¡±


    ¡°Natasha asked me to look over some of her findings,¡± Safiya continued. ¡°So far, we aren¡¯t finding anything alarming.¡±


    Bastien could see that the test results on the screen looked unremarkable. ¡°You¡¯ll let the senior staff know if anything changes?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Natasha said, her tone almost incredulous that he would need to make the request.


    ¡°Great,¡± Bastien added as he looked at the two crewmen studying on the other side of the bay. The Grace had been required to pad out its medical staff so Safiya and Bastien had encouraged some of the younger cadets ¨C those with few certifications and no distinct educational trajectory ¨C to consider working in the medical corp. ¡°How are they doing?¡± Bastien said, tilting his head to indicate the junior personnel.


    ¡°Well,¡± Safiya answered. ¡°They¡¯re getting better and better with each shift and their certifications are coming along nicely.¡±


    ¡°Many of the younger cadets who have taken positions in the science division are also doing well,¡± Natasha added.


    Bastien looked at the two senior officers and smiled. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± The three discussed ship business for another few moments before Bastien yawned and excused himself. As he left the medical bay, he couldn¡¯t help but think about how lucky the Grace was to have Safiya and Natasha on board.


    It only took a few minutes for Bastien to reach his quarters but, before he could enter and get some shut-eye, movement down the hall caught his attention and he turned to put his back to the wall as the ship''s senior officer, fifteen-year-old Cait ¨® Faol¨¢in, made her way down the corridor. She was holding a notepad and was intently studying it, Bastien suspecting she was going to walk right by without knowing she¡¯d bypassed her executive officer.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Bastien said right as Cait reached him and the slightly older girl startled at the unexpected address.


    ¡°Oh, Commander,¡± she responded as she stopped. ¡°Sorry. I was focused on this engineering report from Gamma shift.¡±


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°They had been forced to reroute some power from the Backup Bridge two hours ago due to an unexpected spike in the Deck Eleven grid. I was just heading there to take a look myself. What about you?¡±


    Bastien was unsurprised that Cait would want to go check out the matter herself. A very active commander, Cait liked to set eyes on any issues that cropped up and many of the crew had grown accustomed to her appearing in unexpected places to evaluate the ship¡¯s systems and crew performance. Thanks to the level of automation on board and each crewman having an Integrated Biomechanical Processor ¨C a small versatile computer inserted near their brain ¨C it was not particularly necessary for individuals to remain at their posts during the entirety of their shift.


    ¡°Did a bit of a walkabout,¡± Bastien answered. ¡°Heading to bed.¡±


    ¡°Find anything interesting on your walkabout?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Everything seems to be in ship shape. Quiet, too.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Cait acknowledged. ¡°We¡¯re two days out from Falm¡¯shma and I¡¯d like there to be no surprises when we arrive.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be,¡± Bastien prophesized. ¡°Things have gone smoothly since leaving Freeport Mauve.¡±


    ¡°Fingers crossed,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you get to bed. See you in eight hours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll relieve you then,¡± Bastien said as Cait continued on her way.


    Though Bastien had been the first cadet to wake up and he had led the repair efforts for quite some time, the decision was ultimately made to make Cait the acting captain after all the members of the future senior staff were brought out of cryogenic sleep. She was older than Bastien, had more certifications, and generally had the right temperament to take command. Bastien had not been jealous when Cait became the ship¡¯s commander and was honored when she had made him her first officer. Since then, their working relationship had been one of congeniality and competence. Bastien liked Cait quite a bit and was happy she was in command.


    With another yawn and putting Cait out of mind, Bastien entered his quarters and got ready for bed.

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    August 5, 2940


    The traffic around Falm¡¯shma was relatively light but Noah refused to let the lack of potential dangers influence his tactical preparedness. He scanned each vessel, noting speeds and vectors while compiling a detailed threat analysis he knew would only be casually reviewed by the captain as the Grace slid into her assigned orbit. Considering the strange circumstances that stranded the ship in this unknown galaxy, ¨® Faol¨¢in had done well in her leadership role but she was a bit too cavalier for Noah¡¯s liking. He¡¯d privately voiced his concerns to her but she still seemed content to meet new species, enter ports unknown, and find ways to aggravate her Chief of Security by way of her overly optimistic evaluation of their situation.


    ¡°The planet¡¯s trade bureau is hailing, Captain,¡± Lieutenant Uba said from across the Bridge.


    ¡°Put them on the viewscreen,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in ordered as she stood from her chair. Noah watched as the image on the screen changed from a dusty brown planet to a disheveled office and a lizard-like creature blinking its four eyes at them. ¡°Falm¡¯shma trade bureau, this is Captain Cait ¨® Faol¨¢in of the Grace O¡¯Malley.¡±


    ¡°I am Rasskeet,¡± the alien said, his voice being efficiently translated by the ship¡¯s AI subroutines thanks to the data provided to the Grace by their friends at the Syndicate. The past few weeks had seen the Grace¡¯s computers incorporating many thousands of alien languages into its translation database so as to make communications with others easier. ¡°You are here to trade?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in responded.


    ¡°I see you are in our registry. Insured. Bonded. You maintain Associate status with the Syndicate.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Our information suggests that a buyer on your planet is looking for farming equipment. We have such equipment in our hold.¡±


    The alien bureaucrat grunted while tapping away at its console. ¡°Yes. I see. I am sending you the coordinates to land. You have permission to walk upon Falm¡¯shma. Break no rules.¡± The screen cut out.


    ¡°Sounds¡­ good,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in said to the image of the planet. ¡°Hiromi, can you land the ship?¡± Noah saw the pilot''s eyes light up.


    ¡°For sure,¡± she responded and Noah had to stifle a snort. Had the captain asked if their Second Officer could fly the ship through an imploding star, Hiromi would have answered in the affirmative. ¡°Taking us down.¡±


    It took only a few moments for the ship to dip into the atmosphere and Noah was amazed as the world¡¯s rocky landscape came into view. Much of the planet was a barren desert but several small seas created a string of oases where the population congregated. He could see why farming equipment might be necessary; cultivating the soil here must be quite the endeavor.


    Though the Grace was a massive bulky transport vessel, she did have the capacity to land on a planet and Hiromi quickly settled the ship into her allotted hanger in the spaceport on the outskirts of a small outlying city. Noah quickly sent various commands to his security division, assigning personnel to different hatches by which the locals might try to board. With orders to arm themselves appropriately and for teams to begin patrolling the most vulnerable decks, Noah made sure to follow protocol to the letter.


    ¡°Bastien,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in said as she looked at the ship¡¯s First Officer. Commander Devereaux, standing near the science station, turned to regard their commanding officer. ¡°Take a team and see if you can meet this merchant. Sell off the goods. Spencer and I will begin looking for more trade opportunities. Try to get us a good price?¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Commander Devereaux answered. ¡°Noah. Natasha. You¡¯re with me.¡±


    Noah, already expecting that he would be joining the commander, finished imputing the final few commands into his console and, once satisfied, turned the station over to a junior member of his team before following Bastien and Natasha off of the Bridge. ¡°You have the information on the merchant we need to meet?¡± he asked as the three of them headed toward the airlock designated for ground departures.


    ¡°I do,¡± Commander Devereaux answered. ¡°Mr. Cusseet. My IBP indicates his import-export business is not too far from here. I¡¯ve already sent him a message asking to meet.¡±


    ¡°We are expecting fifty-thousand credits?¡± Specialist Ivanov inquired and Noah thought that the number sounded right. When the Grace had made her purchase of twenty-five thousand credits worth of farming equipment at Freeport Mauve, they had expected ¨C based on the market data provided by their association with the Syndicate ¨C to make double their initial investment. ¡°Or has the market changed?¡±


    ¡°It looked to be roughly that a couple of hours ago when we entered the system,¡± Commander Devereaux responded. ¡°I think we should be good.¡±


    ¡°Makes me nervous,¡± Noah said. ¡°Getting those initial credits for helping out the Syndicate was a nice boon but immediately investing them into trade goods that may or may not be worth anything hundreds of lightyears away? I don¡¯t trust it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re better equipped for this kind of thing than anyone else,¡± Commander Devereaux said with a shrug and Noah knew it to be true. According to the Syndicate ¨C a huge trade organization spanning thousands of systems ¨C the ability to move goods quickly based on market trends and needs could net an entrepreneurial ship a hefty profit. The Grace, as far as her crew knew, was the fastest ship in the galaxy as they were the only vessel with faster-than-light engines and could cut across vast expanses of space far quicker than the Link-dependent vessels of all the other races.


    A strange galaxy, Noah thought to himself for the millionth time since the Grace first learned she was no longer in the Milky Way. In humanity¡¯s home galaxy, there were no sentient alien species and humanity had developed all her technology ¨C including the faster-than-light Tachyonic Rill Drive ¨C through ingenuity and experimentation. This galaxy, though, appeared to be the home of a galactic-spanning precursor species that created a network of data repositories called Links. These Links served to generate artificial wormholes between systems so as to allow space-fairing races to travel beyond their local system. The Links also provided sufficiently advanced species with scientific contributions so that new races on the galactic scene might be on an even footing with their neighbors. As such, Syndicate data seemed to suggest that most, if not all, species in the galaxy shared intrinsically similar technology.


    Noah didn¡¯t like it.


    The apparent reliance on the knowledge from this precursor race meant that none had worked out the secret to faster-than-light travel. This oddity meant that, again and as far as the Grace knew, she was the only vessel unbound by the Link system. A byproduct of her speed was that the Grace could deliver goods far faster than any other trader and could respond near-instantaneously to market trends. An incredibly fast vessel might have loaded up on farming equipment at Freeport Mauve and taken a month or more to reach Falm¡¯shma. The trip took the Grace only twelve days; a timeframe that would have been even shorter had the crew not specifically detoured deep into interstellar space so that they could scan a curious nebula.


    The nebula hadn¡¯t provided the crew with an answer to the question of how they found themselves so far from their home nor had it shown them a way back. This had been a disappointment, of course, but the crew bounced back from that letdown with admirable resilience. Noah hadn¡¯t gotten his hopes up, though, as he knew that getting home would be far more challenging than simply finding a nebula that looked similar to the one within which the Grace had first found herself adrift.


    Putting those thoughts aside, Noah nodded to Lieutenant Commander Saez as he joined the planet-bound party. Bastien had messaged him during the walk and asked if Dante had wanted to stretch his legs. The engineer had jumped at the chance. Preliminary evaluation of the planet¡¯s surface ¨C standard protocol whenever entering a new system ¨C meant that the ship¡¯s CMO was already waiting for the four when they arrived at the airlock with a dose of hydracomozine designed to counter the planet¡¯s low oxygen and allow for the team to breathe. Moments later, the party climbed down the airlock¡¯s ladder and stepped on the alien world.


    *****


    ¡°I knew it was going to be hot,¡± Specialist Ivanov muttered to Noah as the four made their way through the narrow streets, ¡°but I was not expecting it to be quite this bad.¡± Reaching into her suit, Noah watched as Natasha pulled out a cloth and began to wipe the sweat from her face. Noah used his hand.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°The sensors need to be recalibrated,¡± he responded in agreement, loud enough for the Chief Engineer to hear. ¡°They had to have underestimated the temperature out here by at least a few dozen degrees. Someone really dropped the ball in Engineering.¡±


    Lieutenant Command Saez snorted at the needling as he looked over his shoulder at the now-drenched Noah and Natasha. He grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t find it too bad.¡± Noah frowned, seeing little sweat on the other young man¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m rather enjoying it.¡±


    ¡°Sadist,¡± Ivanov murmured and Noah chuckled to himself.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Commander Devereaux said, pointing to a business near the upcoming intersection. Noah saw it. One story and with tan sandstone-like walls, it had a large metal door and no windows. Checking his IBP, Noah noted that the markings on the business¡¯s sign indicated an interstellar trade office. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the heat.¡±


    The other three entered but Noah took a moment to scan the street before following. Serving as their security detail, it was important to ensure that everything appeared normal before he followed his team to a location that had few potential escape routes. The dust-covered street seemed calm, the alien residents ¨C mostly lizard-like individuals but with a few off-world sentients scattered here and there ¨C meandering this way and that as they went about their business. The caf¨¦ next door seemed a popular spot and Noah caught a whiff of some grilled meat coming from the open-air restaurant. A mechanic shop. Some sort of grocery store. An electronics bay. An arms dealer. Nothing strange and no one appearing to give him and his crewmates any suspicious glances. Satisfied, Noah turned to enter the office.


    ¡°¡ªand we are here to meet with Mr. Cusseet,¡± Commander Devereaux was saying to the receptionist.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the small bear-like alien responded, his artificially generated voice appearing in Noah''s mind and overlaying the series of clicks and whistles coming from the creature. ¡°He is expecting you. Right this way.¡± Noah fell in behind the others as they were led through the back of the office, past several rooms filled with boxes and containers that seemed overstuffed with an assortment of goods. The hall was brightly lit, though, and Noah suspected that it saw a lot of foot traffic. Mr. Cusseet appeared to be well-stocked.


    ¡°Hello travelers,¡± Mr. Cusseet said as the team was directed into a small cluttered office. ¡°You are from the ship that just landed? With the farming supplies?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Commander Devereaux said as he took the lead. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Cusseet?¡±


    ¡°That is me,¡± the lizard creature answered as he stood and bowed. His voice was sharp and crisp thanks to the IBP but concentrating on the actual sounds suggested a different language from the bear-like receptionist; one filled with hissing and chirps. He indicated the two chairs in front of his desk with a wave of his scaly hand. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Bastien and Natasha took up the offer while Noah and Dante remained standing. Bastien offered up some pleasantries. They were returned in kind. Then, in the blink of an eye, the haggling began.


    Noah wasn¡¯t particularly interested in commerce so he tuned out much of the discussion. The credits that the Grace might acquire utilizing her huge cargo holds would be useful for ship repairs and the acquisition of supplies but the actual mechanics of buying and selling was not something that elicited any excitement from the ship¡¯s head of security. As prices were negotiated and delivery times coordinated ¨C with Commander Devereaux sending group texts through his IBP both to the team on the planet and the other senior staff still on board the ship ¨C Noah took the time to look over the office. Cabinets filled with paperwork, walls covered in star charts, and even a few small cargo crates tucked away in corners demonstrated that Mr. Cusseet was no slouch when it came to trade.


    ¡°Commander,¡± Noah said during a brief pause in the discussion. ¡°Mind if I step outside?¡±


    His commanding officer glanced over his shoulder and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t wander too far. Dante, go with him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ser.¡± Lieutenant Commander Saez answered as he gestured for Noah to take the lead. They slipped out of the office and headed back toward the reception area, with Dante asking Noah about their destination. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like wandering in that heat for too long.¡±


    ¡°I thought you liked the heat,¡± Noah asked.


    ¡°I do. It¡¯s just really hot out there,¡± Dante responded with mock exhaustion.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah responded. ¡°But I¡¯m not really interested in the trade stuff and I figure getting a lay of the land might be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Dante answered. ¡°Where to?¡±


    The two nodded to the receptionist as they passed, opening the door and slipping outside as the wave of heat hit them hard. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look at the arms dealer over there,¡± Noah said as he pointed down the street.


    The two crossed the narrow lane, weaving between residents and keeping an eye out for any trouble, before opening the door to the merchant shop which displayed an assortment of weapons in its window. The shop was small but stocked with all kinds of handheld weapons; from knives and bows to energy disrupters and chemically propelled firearms. Noah immediately directed questions to the shopkeeper and the fellow, perhaps sensing a potential sale and without any other customers in the business, answered with enthusiasm.


    ¡°But does this disrupter¡¯s charge hold in a vacuum or do you need an exterior plating to shield from interstellar radiation?¡± Noah asked, his fifth question about the pulser that was currently sitting on the glass counter.


    ¡°No need for shielding,¡± the lizard-like alien responded as he shifted the weapon about. ¡°The charge does decrease point seven two percent faster without an atmosphere but that is seen as a worthy tradeoff if the user is not required to install the bulky plating.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Noah said mildly as he let his eyes wander the shop a bit in an attempt to demonstrate a reserved interest in the weapon. ¡°My colleagues are across the street coordinating some cargo matters. If I wanted to make a bulk order, are you able to handle that?¡±


    The shopkeeper sniffed. ¡°Yes, I can. It might take a few days to coordinate depending on how many of these disruptors you wish to purchase, though. I have worked with Mr. Cusseet before. He will take a small percentage as a fee but it is reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Do you have another exporter you¡¯d prefer to work with?¡± Noah asked.


    ¡°Mr. Cusseet is fair. I have no issues with him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will need to speak with my captain. The price is good and I''m going to recommend we extend an offer. How about if I reach out to you later today?¡±


    ¡°That will be fine,¡± the arms dealer said as he slid the weapon back into its case. ¡°I look forward to hearing from you.¡±


    Noah and Dante left the shop a moment later and Dante flashed Noah a grin. ¡°That was smooth,¡± he said.


    Noah grunted as he sent a text via IBP to Commander Devereaux. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn to do that?¡± Dante continued as they wandered over to the open-air caf¨¦. They couldn¡¯t purchase anything since neither had credits but the smell wafting through the street was enough to start their feet moving in that direction.


    ¡°Learned to do what?¡± Noah asked as he glanced about, checking the rooftops and mentally comparing the number of people about to the number that had been shopping earlier.


    ¡°To¡­ you know¡­ see if Mr. Cusseet is trustworthy and fair by asking a nearby merchant.¡±


    ¡°Common sense,¡± Noah responded with a shrug.


    ¡°Common sense?¡± Dante asked in surprise.


    Noah let out a grunt. ¡°Well, yes and no. I grew up on Avernus III and being suspicious of people was the norm. If someone operated a business dealing in imports and exports, it would make sense to see if they had a good reputation among those they did business with.¡±


    Dante paused. ¡°Educated guess that the arms dealer did business with Mr. Cusseet?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re across the street from one another so, yeah.¡±


    ¡°What was Avernus III like?¡± Dante probed and Noah glanced at him. The two had gotten to know each other some since finding themselves on the Grace but they weren¡¯t particularly social.


    ¡°It was fine. The Avernus system has a rough reputation since it¡¯s so close to the Lucifern Expanse but my father always said that most Avalonians based their opinion of the Avernus system on outdated stereotypes. We have infrastructure. We have Union Defense Force patrols. We¡¯re like most of the rest of the UDAS.¡±


    ¡°But you were still suspicious of people?¡± Dante asked, repeating Noah¡¯s own words.


    Noah smirked. ¡°Sure. That close to wild space and with the planet having originally been settled by pirate clans? It¡¯s always good to be suspicious.¡±


    Dante dropped the topic and Noah didn¡¯t offer any more insights into his home. He valued his time on Avernus III and knew that his interest in security and tactics likely stemmed from watching his father ¨C head of security for the Botswan Collective ¨C deal with the challenges of keeping a world-spanning mining and precious metals cooperative running smoothly in a system situated right next to lawless space. But home was very far away, Noah reminded himself, and reminiscing on the red skies above the Cliffs of Ornax wouldn¡¯t help him protect the Grace and keep her crew safe. Noah had to stay in the here and now if he was going to contribute to their successful return home.


    And even if I do everything right, he thought to himself, the odds of us reaching UDAS space is¡­ low.


    Noah was a realist. While the senior staff projected an air of certainty that the Grace would find her way home and the crew chatted optimistically about the inevitable success of their unexpected journey, Noah quietly prepared for the worst. They were a crew of cadets. They were on board a military transport vessel that had suffered near catastrophic damage. They were in a galaxy that was not their own. Could they make it back UDAS space? Sure. Was it likely, especially considering they had no idea how they got to this distant galaxy in the first place? No.


    Hope was essential. Hope was the starting point for all human endeavors. Hope allowed one to get out of bed in the morning, work toward a goal, conceptualize happiness. Without hope, failure was inevitable because one would never bother to seek success. The Grace would never get home unless her crew held onto hope that they would see their homeworlds once more. But hope alone wouldn¡¯t suffice. Hope alone was a path through the wilderness when one had no map to plan for breaks, no weapon to deal with predators, no umbrella should the downpour fall from heaven. Hope alone was a roll of the dice, subject to the whims of chance. Hope alone was dangerous.


    Integrity ¨C the strength of character to honestly evaluate and truthfully articulate reality ¨C was the answer. Integrity was the map, the weapon, the umbrella. Hope had to be tempered with integrity if the Grace would ever safely make it home. Of this, Noah was certain.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    August 9, 2940


    Bastien passed the sterilizing cloth over the cellular re-sequencer he was holding and gave thought to Safiya¡¯s question. ¡°I would say that the staff I worked with last night seem to be dedicated. Ensign Sanders asked a lot of questions and Crewman Olivera worked on her certifications most of the shift.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t seem to be slacking off? Just going through the motions?¡± Safiya stopped wiping down her own instrument and looked up at Bastien.


    ¡°No,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°Didn¡¯t seem like it to me.¡± Safiya nodded to herself as if expecting the answer before swapping the tool in her hand for one that had not yet been cleaned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have sensed a change in some of the crew over the past few days. Since leaving Falm¡¯shma, some of those I¡¯ve spoken with seem a bit deflated.¡± Bastien frowned thoughtfully. He and Safiya, being the only two former cadets with any medical training of note, had endeavored early on to acquire more phycology certifications in the hopes of treating the crew¡¯s mental health along with their physical health. This meant that the two of them regularly served as counselors to the rest of the Grace¡¯s personnel and made an effort to compare notes on any trends they were seeing. This particular meeting was one such note-sharing effort so Bastien considered Safiya¡¯s words carefully.


    ¡°People might be a bit down,¡± he said carefully, ¡°but not in a way I would consider unusual. The captain didn¡¯t let us spend much time on Falm¡¯shma and the nebula before that didn¡¯t amount to much. But I think everyone is still pretty optimistic.¡±


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Safiya began putting away the tray of hand-cleaned tools while Bastien pulled up his notes from the night before. He wouldn¡¯t have another shift in the medical bay for several days and wanted to finish his paperwork while the details of his shift were still fresh. He wasn¡¯t on duty any longer but ship¡¯s obligations often cut into his free time. ¡°And has anyone indicated to you that they are having academic problems?¡± Safiya asked as she began to catalog the biological supplies across the room.


    ¡°No,¡± Bastien said offhandedly. ¡°Everyone on board continues to knock out certifications during their shifts at a pretty impressive speed. Spencer says that the tutoring sessions are going well and the study lounges are always pretty full. Carpenter Boineau reported to me yesterday that the average rate of certification completions among the crew is thirty-six percent higher than fleet normal.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Safiya said with a hint of doubt in her voice.


    ¡°Safiya?¡± Bastien asked, turning from his work console to look at the ship''s Chief Medical Officer. She seemed perturbed.


    ¡°That seems rather high, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Bastien shrugged. ¡°Sure, but we do have an impressive crew. They all know what¡¯s at stake. I''d say it''s a good thing.¡± Safiya¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Carpenter Boineau,¡± she said and the ship¡¯s AI chimed to acknowledge it was listening. ¡°I¡¯d like you to run an analysis of the certifications that are being acquired by the crew. I¡¯d like to know what percentage of certifications are advancing the core educational requirements for a crew member¡¯s assigned position and what percentage of certifications are¡ª¡± Safiya paused and Bastien watched her try to find the words. ¡°¡ªcertifications that require little effort and do not contribute to their holder¡¯s stated job description. Please give me an overview.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± CB said. ¡°Data analysis transmitted to terminal 6B.¡±


    *****


    ¡°Commander?¡± Lieutenant Commander Wright asked as Bastien walked onto the bridge twenty minutes later. It was Gamma Shift at the moment and Noah was sitting in the captain¡¯s chair. Hiromi, who actually held command of the shift, was nowhere to be seen but that wasn¡¯t unusual. With the automation onboard the ship and the fact that everyone in the crew had an Integrated Biomechanical Processor, none were tied to their stations and nearly everyone took advantage of this freedom of movement. Hiromi was likely in the mess hall eating or inspecting Engineering.


    ¡°Noah,¡± Bastien answered as he moved closer so the two could speak privately. There were a few junior crewmen on the Bridge but none paid Bastien any attention. ¡°Is the captain in her office?¡± Bastien asked, glancing at the door that led to the captain¡¯s private workspace. Noah nodded and Bastien began to step away. Then he paused, turned back to Noah, and frowned. ¡°Can I ask you something, Noah?¡± Bastien questioned quietly.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the head of security said with a lowered voice. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Safiya and I were just meeting to discuss crew morale and we got on the topic of certifications. We had CB run an analysis of the numbers and something weird came up. The crew has been devouring certifications and the numbers, on the surface, look good. But when we actually broke it down, many of the new certifications that people are getting are the low-hanging fruit. Certifications that don¡¯t speak to their jobs and aren¡¯t useful right now considering the Grace¡¯s current situation.¡±


    Noah raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°For instance,¡± Bastien continued, ¡°Lieutenant Cook has completed nine certifications. Two are in general engineering principles and two are in fabrication procedures. That makes sense since she heads up our fabrication department and is my primary engineering chief during the beta shift. But she also picked up one in introductory botany, one in digital artistic rendering, one in military legal theory, and two in UDF history.¡± Noah frowned. ¡°I know. Not particularly useful.¡±


    ¡°No, not particularly useful.¡±


    ¡°It seems like a lot of the crew are doing the same thing. Some certifications are for their job but others are random and not mission-critical. The one division that doesn¡¯t seem to be having this issue exactly is¡ª¡±


    ¡°My division,¡± Noah interrupted. ¡°Security.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°When Safiya and I looked at your division, we saw that all of your people were continuing to pick up tactical and security-related certifications. No one on your staff seems to be going after unimportant stuff like history and law, though all of them are still randomly dipping into fields outside their job requirements.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not correct,¡± Noah said firmly as he held his hand up to cut Bastien off. Bastien cut off his next sentence. ¡°My people are not randomly dipping into other fields. They¡¯re being very particular about choosing to develop skills outside of security. It¡¯s not the same thing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bastien said tensely, not appreciating Noah¡¯s brusqueness.


    ¡°Early on, I sat down with my people and discussed the fact that we might be here for a long time. While it was important that they continued to grow within the security division, it was equally important that they picked another specialty that interested them and begin applying themselves toward learning that specialty. Cross-training, in other words.¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Really?¡± Bastien asked with sudden interest.


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t have the ability to fill holes in our crew by stopping at the nearest starbase or planet. If something happens to a pilot or an engineer, someone else ¨C maybe someone from a different division ¨C is going to have to step up and pitch in. All of my people picked a secondary function that they wanted to learn so that they could be more flexible in contributing to our mission, sort of like you being the XO and also assisting in sickbay. Everyone has been working toward building up their secondary skill set in addition to acquiring security certifications just in case. I made it very clear from the beginning that I didn¡¯t want to see time wasted with irrelevant study.¡±


    Bastien tried to push his aggravation with Noah out of his mind as he considered the lieutenant commander¡¯s position. It was true that the Grace was alone and would have to rely on her already-present crew for all staffing purposes. If the ship needed a new navigator, the senior staff would have to look internally to fill the role. With that in mind, cross-training made sense as multiple sets of skills would make each member of the crew that much more valuable. However, splitting one¡¯s study time between multiple disciplines meant that less focus was on the job to which a crewman was already assigned. An engineer working on an astrophysics certification was an engineer not currently working on an engineering certification. The whole reason Bastien had come to the Bridge to speak to the captain was to discuss the crew¡¯s apparent lack of focus on their current mission-critical development.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Bastien said after thinking through his concerns. ¡°Thanks for telling me.¡±


    ¡°Commander,¡± Noah said as Bastien began to turn toward Cait¡¯s office. ¡°You¡¯re going to talk to the captain about this issue?¡±


    ¡°I am. So far, we¡¯ve encouraged the crew to continue their educational pursuits but there has been little guidance from command on how those pursuits should be directed. I want to show her what Safiya and I have learned and see what she wants to do. Maybe we need to brief the crew on what is and is not mission critical and put some guidelines in place to help structure things a bit better.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Noah responded as he glanced about the Bridge. ¡°My suggestion is that we encourage the crew to avoid unnecessary certifications in favor of those directly relating to their duties and any secondary mission critical skillset they want to pursue.¡±


    ¡°Let me talk to the captain about it,¡± Bastien said. ¡°But to be frank, Noah, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m in favor of splitting attention between two subjects. I think everyone needs to master their current discipline before they start focusing on other disciplines. In reality, we¡¯re all still cadets and no one has the requisite certifications to actually serve at their current post. We need to rectify that as fast as possible.¡±


    Noah shook his head slightly in disagreement. ¡°And what happens if some disaster strikes which could have been prevented by cross-training?¡± His tone suggested he thought Bastien¡¯s position was unwise.


    ¡°The same thing that would happen if the crew splits their educational focus and never learns suddenly critical job-related skills,¡± Bastien countered, not backing down and not impressed with Noah¡¯s attitude. ¡°I¡¯ll mention your position to the captain and I¡¯ll give her my opinion. If she wants to have a staff meeting about it, you¡¯ll be informed.¡± Bastien turned in place and went to speak with the captain.


    *****


    ¡°It¡¯s a tough call,¡± Cait said as she sat back in her chair and put the pad Bastien had handed her on her desk. Bastien nodded in agreement, seeing the gears moving behind her eyes as the Grace¡¯s captain worked through the problem. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily know if there is a right answer. Focusing on certifications that make you better at your current job is the fastest way of getting the crew trained to handle the ship and whatever surprises are out here. But cross-training has a real appeal, too, since we¡¯re stuck with the personnel we have.¡±


    ¡°But we both agree that a rigid curriculum is out, right? Telling everyone what they have to study?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Cait responded immediately. Humanity had experimented with educational strategies since first leaving the caves and the most successful civilizations ¨C the Grace¡¯s own Union of Democratic Avalonian Systems included ¨C had come to realize that the best educations were the ones where students drove their own learning. Education was ultimately a personal journey and allowing students the freedom to explore what interested them led to greater engagement and retention of knowledge. With the exception of some very basic skills taught young and the path a master might set before an apprentice in a trade, students in the UDAS tended to pursue their interests at their own speed and with their own determination. Cait had made it clear that trying to force the crew into following an unbending educational path would be counterproductive. ¡°We do need to do a better job explaining to the crew that limiting their study of non-critical topics would be beneficial to the Grace in the short term. As for the issue of cross training¡­¡± Cait closed her eyes and massaged her temple.


    ¡°Should I call a senior staff meeting to discuss? Let Noah present his case and see what everyone else thinks?¡± Cait generally liked to solicit opinions before making a decision.


    ¡°No,¡± she finally said. ¡°I can appreciate Noah¡¯s perspective but the Grace needs a crew that knows their jobs inside and out. We might revisit cross-training at some point in the future but, for right now, everyone needs as many certifications in their own field as they can get. Go ahead and make a general announcement to the crew encouraging them to focus more on their job skills certifications and less on non-critical areas of study. Give them an outline of what would constitute mission-critical roles and highlight that successfully developing our knowledge and our abilities will be necessary if we''re to make it home. Let them know that anyone interested in learning a secondary skillset is encouraged to put that off until we¡¯re more confident in our primary skillsets.¡±


    ¡°Should I make that last part an order?¡± Bastien asked.


    Cait shook her head. ¡°No. If crewmembers really do want to cross-train, I¡¯m not going to prohibit them from doing so. But it¡¯s not something I¡¯m going to actively encourage right now.¡±


    *****


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re in a mood,¡± Dante said as Bastien sat down across from him in the mess hall. Bastien scowled.


    ¡°Just had an animated discussion with Noah, that¡¯s all,¡± Bastien responded tersely, breathing deep to try and rid himself of his aggravation. Noah had asked him about the meeting with Cait moments after Bastien had left the captain¡¯s office and had not been pleased when Bastien told him that the captain was not going to actively encourage cross-training. Bastien had told the lieutenant commander that he¡¯d presented Noah¡¯s opinion just as he had presented his own and that Cait had ultimately agreed with Bastien. Noah, without crossing any lines, made it clear he didn¡¯t believe Bastien and that he would be raising the issue at the next staff meeting. Bastien, angry, had left before any more words could be shared.


    ¡°Well, let it go. You know how he is.¡± Bastien did, indeed, know how Noah was. Abrasive and challenging, Bastien didn¡¯t particularly like Noah and he could tell the feeling was mutual. The other young man and he would never be friends but Noah had proven to be a very good security chief and Bastien appreciated him for that. Still, Bastien sometimes wanted to haul off and slug him¡­


    ¡°Repairs are going well?¡± Bastien asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dante said around a mouthful of mashed potatoes before swallowing. ¡°Some of the materials we picked up on Falm¡¯shma are already installed and I¡¯m not as concerned about some of the critical systems as I had been before we loaded up on supplies. Now if we could just find a dry dock, I¡¯d be happy as a clam.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully we can turn a nice profit with the goods we picked up,¡± Bastien replied as he scooped up some of his eggs with his lightly charred toast. He knew from Dante¡¯s reports that the Grace needed her stores refilled and still had various unfinished projects that only time, materials, and elbow grease could fix. Using her speed and connections would be essential if they were going to continue to repair the damage observed when the crew came out of cryogenic sleep. ¡°If we can get the credits flowing, we can pay the fees at a yard and do some of the structural work you want done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. Spencer said our next stop really needs the palladium circuits and the carbon-steel cables. It should bring in a lot of funds.¡±


    ¡°The other planet in that system needs sand for their filtration system, too,¡± Bastien added, thinking about the one hundred thousand tons of fine-grain sand in the primary cargo hold. ¡°He estimates we¡¯ll make a lot on this run.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ve done about as well as we could with the materials we had on hand, and the ship is in pretty good shape, but there¡¯s still plenty of work that needs to be done to get the Grace ship-shape for any future inspections.¡±


    ¡°You expecting an admiral to drop by and give us a once over?¡± Bastien asked amusedly.


    ¡°You never know,¡± Dante said with a grin. ¡°You never know.¡±

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    August 13, 2940


    ¡°Anything?¡± Bastien quietly asked as he stood next to Specialist Ivanov. The two were huddled on the Bridge behind one of the non-critical stations, the display programmed to provide data from the science lab five decks below. Natasha, of course, didn¡¯t respond but Bastien didn¡¯t mind. She was in the zone and he was nothing more than a distraction. As her hands purposefully swiped through menus while her eyes read over large blocks of rapidly appearing and disappearing information, Bastien tried to catch a glimpse at the analysis. He knew approximately sixty percent of the terms. ¡°What¡¯s an Adrionac Protoplasmic Curve?¡± he muttered while frowning at the word salad on the screen.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mathematical representation of spacial warping based on the galactic radiation¡¯s interaction with atomic decay,¡± Natasha said flatly without taking her attention from the screen. ¡°This would be easier if you weren¡¯t looking over my shoulder, Bastien.¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Bastien said, taking a step back and putting his arms up in surrender. ¡°Just curious. Didn¡¯t mean to distract you.¡± Bastien looked around the Bridge, seeing that it was mostly empty. Beta shift had been quiet and several of the crew stationed on Deck One were currently eating in the galley. Bastien had almost gone with them, his stomach rumbling with hunger, but he¡¯d seen how focused Natasha was and had decided to stick around on the Bridge to see if she made any breakthroughs. Specialist Cellar, at Bastien¡¯s request, would be sending something up soon.


    Looking up from her console, Natasha sighed and Bastien could see that her eyes were a bit unfocused as she stared off into nothingness. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she said. ¡°Just more dead ends.¡± She squeezed her eyes shut and, when she opened them, looked over to Bastien. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of dead ends.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you just need a break?¡± Bastien asked as he meandered over to the operations station to check its readings. ¡°You¡¯ve been focused all shift.¡±


    ¡°A break sounds good,¡± she said with a roll of her head. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that getting home is going to be a bit of a challenge.¡±


    Bastien snorted at her deadpanned delivery. ¡°You and me both.¡±


    ¡°What I can¡¯t figure out is why there seems to be no hint of inter-galactic interaction. We¡¯re here. The huge distance between the galaxies has been crossed by the Grace. Yet, none of the records provided by the Syndicate of the many thousands and thousands of species they¡¯ve met or the many millions of systems they¡¯ve visited suggest any technology or natural phenomena to explain our situation.¡± Natasha rubbed her temple, her frustration obvious.


    A frustration, Bastien knew, shared by all. Since learning that the Grace was not in the Milky Way, a substantial amount of time and energy had been spent in trying to understand how a military transport vessel from a distant galaxy could suddenly find itself so far from home. No answers had been forthcoming.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning, alright?¡± Bastien asked for no other reason than to think through the problem himself for the millionth time. Natasha, eyes closed and with one hand still massaging her forehead, nodded. ¡°What do we know?¡±


    ¡°We woke up from cryogenic sleep in a vessel suffering from significant damage,¡± Natasha answered. ¡°There was no crew on board and it was up to us, a group of cadets, to try to make as many repairs as we could. The Grace was in a relatively unremarkable nebula at the time so we were not aware of our location. When we made enough repairs to leave the nebula, we discovered that we were not in the Milky Way galaxy.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, how do we get home?¡±


    ¡°Well, crossing the distance between galaxies is a fool¡¯s journey. It would take millions of years at our fastest speed. We also don¡¯t know where the Milky Way is so we can¡¯t even plot a course.¡±


    ¡°But if we figure out how we got here?¡± Bastien prompted.


    ¡°If we figure out how we got here, we might be able to use that same method to get home.¡±


    ¡°So how do we figure out how we got here?¡±


    Natasha opened her eyes and glanced over to Bastien. ¡°We have, as we¡¯ve determined, three avenues of investigation. First, we can see if one of the sentient species here in this galaxy knows of a technology or a natural phenomenon that could do it. The data given to us by the Syndicate is helpful there, though their data is woefully incomplete since it¡¯s far more focused on economic concerns rather than technological or scientific concerns.¡±


    ¡°Right, that is a problem,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°The more we travel around and meet people, though, the more information we can gather. Access and download a species library, for instance. Maybe consult with scientists. See if we can learn of a solution to our problem that way.¡±


    ¡°The second avenue of investigation,¡± Natasha continued, ¡°is to gather our own scientific data. We have sensors and engines and a fully functional science lab. Knowing what our end goal is, we can investigate natural phenomena on our own. We might see something that a species native to this galaxy missed. A wormhole. A galactic fissure. A Chimes-Hornman Paradox.¡±


    ¡°Again, our travel helps us here.¡±


    ¡°Third, we can try and figure out how we got here by looking at the state the Grace was in when we awakened.¡±


    Bastien nodded. Once the Grace had realized she was not in her native galaxy, the crew had begun evaluating the state of the ship to see if there were any clues within that might shed some light on their intergalactic mystery. Where was the crew? While very damaged, why hadn¡¯t the ship been even more critically injured or even destroyed? Why was there a rather unremarkable shuttle ¨C the Blackbird ¨C sitting in one of the cargo bays and why did their attempts at hacking into its computers keep failing? All of these could be clues that the crew might use in answering the question of what happened. ¡°And that third avenue is being pursued by Dante and Brice?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Natasha answered, ¡°and they¡¯ve not had much more luck than I¡¯ve had digging through sensor data and Syndicate records.¡± A door to the Bridge opened, then, and Spencer entered pushing a small serving cart.


    ¡°It could take time,¡± Bastien pointed out honestly as he left the operations station and drifted toward the food, ¡°but they¡¯re working on it. And we¡¯re one ship. Even if we act the trader and bounce from system to system, we won¡¯t ever visit more than a tiny fraction of this galaxy. But we plan on staying relatively near where we found ourselves after waking and it¡¯s a good bet that doing so is going to lead to answers. Someone around here knows something, I¡¯d bet, and we just have to find them.¡±


    You¡¯re right,¡± Natasha said with a deep sigh. ¡°It¡¯s still frustrating that answers seem so elusive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± Spencer said with a grin as he handed a bowl to Bastien. Bastien accepted it gratefully and began to scoop up the contents of the serving dish ¨C some sort of shepherd¡¯s pie ¨C while mentally deciding if he would eat a brownie or a blondie for dessert.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Natasha asked as she, too, approached the meal.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Spencer said. ¡°We may not have any answers right now but all it would take is for us to get home is to find the right species with the right technology or to stumble upon some wormhole or something. That could happen tomorrow, for all we know, and we might be in AVAL territory within the week.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit optimistic,¡± Natasha said as she helped herself to the meal.


    ¡°I¡¯m a glass-half-full kind of guy,¡± Spencer responded with a shrug. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s the prevailing opinion on the ship.¡±


    ¡°That we¡¯ll get home quickly?¡± Natasha asked, sounding a bit surprised. Natasha wasn¡¯t one to socialize much, Bastien knew, so she likely wasn¡¯t aware of the rumor mill.


    ¡°It is,¡± Bastien acknowledged. As both First Officer and one of the two officers on board with certifications in psychology, Bastien spent a great deal of time speaking with the cadet-turned-crew. Many had adopted Cait¡¯s message of hope shortly after they left Freeport Mauve and were convinced that this cruise would serve only as an extended training exercise. Some of the most junior members of the crew had even wagered on when they would make it back to the Milky Way, with none selecting a date past Christmas. Bastien felt optimistic as well, despite the obvious challenges, but he also knew that nothing was certain. Still, if he allowed his optimism to wane, his own mental health might just suffer.


    ¡°I see,¡± Natasha said with a contemplative look. ¡°Good to know.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you working on today?¡± Spencer asked as he cleaned up the tray and meandered over to the tactical station. He tapped a few keys and Bastien watched in amusement as the most junior of the senior staff nodded at the results in approval. Spencer had the strangest assortment of certifications ¨C he was a bit of a jack of all trades ¨C and Bastien recalled that the younger officer did know a bit about the security division. ¡°Things are slow in the galley right now and I¡¯ve already finished my cataloging of our cargo and personnel reviews for the shift. Anything interesting going on up here?¡±


    ¡°We are talking through how we are going to get home,¡± Natasha said. ¡°Thinking through the issues.¡±


    ¡°Any solutions?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Bastien said. ¡°I was going to say that I think utilizing our cargo space to take on the role of a trader is the right way to go about looking around this area of space. Let¡¯s meet new species and check out potential leads.¡±


    ¡°The Syndicate¡¯s term is Skimmer, right?¡± Natasha asked. ¡°Fast independent ship that is unbound by recurring contracts?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°And it¡¯s a good thing the Syndicate¡¯s vouched for us. I was reading about some of the trade laws in this area of space and I don¡¯t think we would have been able to buy any bulk goods, let alone move them between systems, without being named associates of the Syndicate. We got pretty lucky.¡±


    ¡°We would have had to take on the role of our namesake,¡± Spencer said as he continued to look over the tactical display.


    ¡°Our namesake?¡± Natasha asked.


    ¡°Grace O¡¯Malley. She was a pirate queen back on Earth. If we weren¡¯t able to trade, we¡¯d have to resort to piracy,¡± Spencer stated bluntly.


    Natasha¡¯s eyes rose but Bastien knew the other officer was joking. ¡°So long as I get to wear a cutlass,¡± Bastien added, delighting in Natasha¡¯s shocked expression. ¡°I¡¯m teasing, Natasha. So is Spencer.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Spencer responded as Natasha glowered at the two of them. ¡°Alright! I was! But could you imagine it? We¡¯d be sailing the stars, taking what we want and fencing it in secret pirate bases throughout the galaxy. We could¡ª¡± A communication chime sounded and Noah¡¯s voice came over the comms.


    ¡°Commander Devereaux?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Noah?¡± Bastien answered while sharing a grin with Spencer. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Do you mind coming down to Cargo Bay Gamma for a moment? I¡¯d like to show you something.¡±


    ¡°On my way,¡± Bastien responded. Linking Bridge controls to his IBP, Bastien excused himself from the good-natured argument brewing between Spencer and Natasha and made his way down to the cargo bay. He was unconcerned about leaving the command deck; Spencer would be nominally in charge should an emergency suddenly arise but Natasha would be there to assist and Bastien would be looped in through his Integrated Biomechanical Processor almost immediately. The automation on board, he considered as he made his way deeper into the vessel, was an amazing departure from humanity''s early spaceflight adventures.


    ¡°Noah?¡± Bastien asked a few minutes later as he strode into Cargo Bay Gamma. The dim lights illuminated the various goods acquired from Falm¡¯shma but Bastien played that cargo no mind. Instead, he focused on maneuvering through the pallets and working his way into the back of the bay. There, he could see in the shadows, was the Blackbird. ¡°Noah?¡± he called out.


    ¡°Over here, Commander,¡± Noah responded from beside the vessel and Bastien saw that the security officer was sitting on the deck just under the shuttle¡¯s tail. Tools were scattered about and Bastien observed that Noah had hauled a portable metallurgical deconstructing unit into the cargo bay from the fabrications plant. Odd, Bastien thought to himself as he approached.


    ¡°Everything alright, Noah?¡± Bastien asked. ¡°What are you working on?¡±


    ¡°Analyzing the metal used to construct this thing,¡± Noah answered while adjusting one of the PMDU sensor pads on the smaller vessel¡¯s hull. He didn¡¯t look up, his face remaining centimeters from the connection. Before Bastien could ask for clarification, Noah reached back and tapped a few commands on the unit while nodding to himself as the readout on the pad began showing data. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Bastien echoed.


    Noah pulled himself away from the hull and turned to glance up at Bastien. ¡°I¡¯ve been running tests on this ship,¡± he said. ¡°Saez and Uba missed something.¡±


    Bastien bit his tongue at Noah¡¯s bluntness. ¡°I¡­ see. You mean they missed something in their analysis of the vessel?¡± Noah nodded before looking away to continue to read the PMDU output. Their Chief Engineer and Head of Operations had worked on the Blackbird regularly, Bastien knew, but they hadn¡¯t made much headway. The ship was relatively unremarkable, other than the fact that its main computer was locked up tight, its navigation records had been wiped, and the vessel sported external weapons that would have been against code. Bastien frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do your own work-up of the ship early on?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Noah answered nonchalantly. ¡°But I only looked at the Blackbird to see if she was dangerous to the Grace. She wasn¡¯t, so I left the investigation to them.¡± Noah didn¡¯t offer any further explanation.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bastien began as he felt his jaw tighten. ¡°What did Dante and Brice miss?¡±


    ¡°As you know, they wanted to figure out where the ship came from. Why was its computer locked? Why was the navigational system wiped? Why is she armed? Unable to get that information from her systems despite their best efforts, they looked up her registration number on our computer and that showed that she¡¯d had an unremarkable career as a VIP shuttle in and around the Thalos System. They examined her for exotic gasses on the hull and internally, turning up nothing. They did a spectrometric assessment of her engines to see if they could spot any odd radiological results and that went nowhere. They also did a metallurgical evaluation of her hull to test for unique damage indicators or malformations and, again, nothing was remarkable.¡±


    Everything Noah said was true, Bastien knew, and had been outlined in Dante and Brice¡¯s joint reports on their continued attempt to learn more about the shuttle. It was believed that the Blackbird might hold a clue as to how the Grace came to be in this strange galaxy so the investigation had been deemed mission-critical. Little progress had been made. ¡°Right. So, what have you learned?¡± Bastien asked directly, tired of Noah¡¯s refusal to get to the point.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned,¡± Noah said as he glanced back up at Bastien, ¡°that this ship is not the Blackbird.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Blackbird?¡±


    ¡°Not the one we have on file, no. In fact, this ship isn¡¯t even an AVAL ship. It¡¯s a fake.¡± Noah smiled, obviously pleased at his own cleverness.


    Bastien didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Noah, it¡¯s a Supernova LXT Luxury Spacecraft,¡± he said while folding his arms in front of himself. ¡°I flew in on years ago. This is the same make and model as that one. They¡¯re made by Oxidine Industries out of the Plaquemine System.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s not what my analysis shows,¡± Noah said with a self-satisfied grin. ¡°Saez and Uba ¨C all of us, actually ¨C simply assumed that this was an AVAL vessel. There wasn¡¯t any reason to suspect otherwise. Yet, there is a very slight variance in the atomic density of the metallic alloys used in the hull that proves this didn¡¯t come from Oxidine Industries. In fact, it didn¡¯t come from any system within AVAL space since the only way for the variance to happen in metal is for that metal to have come from a trinary brown dwarf system.¡±


    Bastien consulted with his IBP. ¡°There is no trinary brown dwarf system in AVAL space,¡± he said, more to himself than to Noah.


    ¡°More than that,¡± Noah said as he stood and inhaled deeply, ¡°there aren¡¯t any trinary brown dwarf systems recorded in the Milky Way.¡±

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    August 18, 2940


    ¡°Let¡¯s just make sure that the codes are rotated bi-weekly, then,¡± Noah said with finality as he looked around his office and made eye contact with his senior security officers. Everyone but Lieutenant Valuri was nodding but Noah wasn¡¯t surprised at Andrew¡¯s frustrated glare. The last twenty minutes had been tense as the seven of them debated the change in encryption protocols and his first assistant had been advocating the position Noah chose not to adopt. The fact that the younger officer was aggravated by Noah¡¯s pronouncement was to be expected considering how passionately he had argued his opinion but Noah didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Are there any other matters?¡± he said instead. No one answered so Noah tapped at his deck¡¯s console and closed the meeting¡¯s agenda. The others began to stand. ¡°Hold up a second,¡± Noah said, causing everyone to pause.


    ¡°Chief?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°I want to talk about something unofficially,¡± Noah responded. His staff settled back down. ¡°As you know, Commander Devereaux issued some guidance about a week and a half ago regarding the continued education of the crew. He and the captain provided some outlines about mission-critical certifications and everyone was encouraged to narrow their topics of study and tailor their training toward their current ship¡¯s assignment.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Ensign McNally acknowledged. ¡°Stop getting certifications in things that don¡¯t make you better at your job.¡±


    Noah nodded. ¡°In essence, yes.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t too happy about that if I remember correctly,¡± Andrew said with a slight smirk.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Noah responded. ¡°I made my opinions known to the commander and the captain decided, as is her prerogative, not to endorse my position. Since then, I¡¯ve been reviewing the current areas of study for all security officers and I¡¯ve seen that everyone appears to be following the spirit of what was suggested. I¡¯d like for you to pass along to your teams how pleased I am at our department¡¯s commitment toward the ship¡¯s mission.¡± Several heads nodded. Andrews wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡°And¡­¡± the junior officer prompted, obviously suspecting more. Noah snorted, amused that his deputy knew him so well.


    ¡°And I¡¯d like for you to pass along an off-the-record message from me. I¡¯m pleased, as I said, but I am also concerned. I still think that cross-training is the right answer and, while I am not going to countermand my superiors, I am going to suggest that anyone who chooses to self-study on their off time should consider continuing to work on certifications from other ships¡¯ divisions.¡± Muttering arose. ¡°I know, I know!¡± Noah admitted, raising his hands. ¡°Off-hours are precious but everyone in this room does dedicate some of their free time toward certification training. Most of the security department does. I¡¯m just encouraging everyone to consider picking up other skills when they find themselves not on duty but still in an academic mood.¡±


    Everyone on the ship worked toward certifications, studying hard to improve their knowledge. It was a fact of life aboard the Grace that one¡¯s duty shift was often spent working on a new certification while monitoring whatever data was within that particular crewman¡¯s purview. The level of automation and AI involvement meant that nearly everyone had a great deal of opportunity on their shift for education. Said time was utilized. The time outside of one¡¯s duty shift ¨C the leisure time ¨C was a less popular time to be studying but Noah knew that just about everyone still did. It would be improper for him to suggest to his people that they cross-train while on duty; that time was ship time and the captain¡¯s suggestion should be vigorously endorsed. But study during free time? That¡­ was more flexible.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Andrew said a bit skeptically.


    ¡°I¡¯m not making it an order,¡± Noah said. ¡°Like the captain, I¡¯m only making it a suggestion. While on duty, study the skills related to your assignment just like the captain wants. But if people find themselves studying outside of work hours, I would consider it a personal favor if they would contemplate broadening their academic interests.¡±


    ¡°Not sure why all this is necessary,¡± McNally muttered. ¡°Not like we¡¯re gonna be here much longer.¡±


    Noah raised an eyebrow at the confidence in the ensign¡¯s voice. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± McNally said with a shrug, her eyes darting around to see if others would support her. ¡°Everybody says we¡¯ll be home by the end of the year. The captain. Commander Devereaux. We have to stay optimistic but it¡¯s going to happen.¡± Noah noted a few of the other assembled crewmen nod. He knew that this belief in the inevitability of getting back to AVAL space was prevalent aboard the Grace, especially among the younger crew. They¡¯d all worked incredibly hard over the past half-year and that work, combined with the company line in which no one was to give in to despondency or pessimism, meant that home felt within reach. There were times that even Noah found himself thinking their journey within this galaxy was limited. He knew, deep down though, that those thoughts needed to be informed by reality and not simply wishful thinking.


    The Chief of Security nodded at the younger crewman¡¯s words but let the silence grow. All eyes turned to him and he made an effort to appear pensive. ¡°You know,¡± he said quietly, ¡°I agree with the captain and the commander about the importance of being hopeful. We¡¯re far from home and things could turn out badly if we start believing we¡¯ll never make it. Hope motivates us to move forward. But I think you may be misconstruing the captain¡¯s words. She wants everyone to hold firm to the belief that we will make it but she hasn¡¯t promised it will be soon. We don¡¯t know when we will get home. It could be by the end of the year, sure, but it could also be a long time from now. We have to be honest about that or else we may not do the things we need to do to get home. Like study or explore or make hard choices. It¡¯s better to be honest about the challenging situation in which we find ourselves because that¡¯s the only way we can see things clearly. Be hopeful, yes, but be honest. That¡¯s why I think the cross-training is important. If we are going to be here for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°Then being able to do lots of different jobs becomes really important,¡± Andrew finished. ¡°Builds redundancy and makes it easier on the ship if something bad happens to some of the crew.¡± No one said anything more and Noah felt the air leave the room. He looked up and made eye contact with everyone present.


    ¡°Right,¡± he confirmed. ¡°And this is the security division. Our job is to protect the crew and the ship. We got to look out for threats that others don¡¯t see and we need to take steps to minimize those threats where we can.¡± That seemed to do it and Noah watched as the others sat up a bit straighter and their eyes filled with the light of understanding. Then he smiled. ¡°Alright. Pass along my message about cross-training during off hours. Come to me if there are any issues. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    *****


    ¡°We¡¯ll be docking in ten minutes,¡± Hiromi said from the pilot¡¯s seat, various notifications crossing Noah¡¯s console to indicate his security subroutines were actively looking for threats. The Grace had finally made it to their next port of call, a large space station designated in their Syndicate records as Freeport Gamma Tango. The Bridge¡¯s viewscreen showed the massive structure orbiting a large gas giant and Noah noted nearly a hundred vessels docked at the grey metallic structure. It looked much like Freeport Mauve, though the Syndicate notes indicated that the alliance of species managing this port was different from their former destination.


    ¡°Their trade master has sent over the appropriate codes?¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in asked.


    ¡°They have,¡± Commander Devereaux announced. ¡°I¡¯m already communicating with the buyer. We should be able to offload our cargo soon after docking.


    ¡°Great,¡± the captain responded.


    The past week had been uneventful, for the most part, with the Grace swinging by a unique-looking nebula and an odd binary-star gravity well to investigate. Specialist Ivanov and the science team hadn¡¯t spotted anything that contributed to their journey home, however, so the readings had been cataloged while the Grace continued onward. Noah didn¡¯t mind. He knew that there would likely be a lot of galactic phenomena that would require at least a cursory glance by the crew as they continued to look for a way home so the lack of results didn¡¯t faze him. ¡°My scans suggest no threats,¡± he reported.


    ¡°Data synch finalized,¡± Lieutenant Uba added.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in said as she stood from her seat and turned to look at the junior officers on the Bridge. ¡°I have a bit of a surprise to announce.¡± Noah felt his stomach tighten. He was not particularly pleased about this surprise and had made sure to note an official protest in his own log earlier that morning. Glancing about at the junior staff, though, Noah could see that everyone looked intrigued. How unfortunate.


    ¡°Ser?¡± one of the navigators prompted. Cait grinned and tapped at the control next to her seat. It opened a channel throughout the ship.


    ¡°Crew, this is the captain. We are about to pull into Freeport Gamma Tango and Lieutenant Cellar, Commander Devereaux, and I have already lined up some trade goods that we want to purchase and transport elsewhere. This next trade run will net us a nice little profit and we are already spending some of the credits we¡¯ve already earned on ship supplies and other necessities. However, we¡¯ve been in this galaxy since February and it¡¯s already the twenty-fifth of August. Everyone on board has worked very hard to contribute to the success of our mission to get home and I am incredibly proud of everyone. Having discussed the matter with Commander Devereaux, I have decided to open up personal credit accounts on the Grace for every member of the crew and will be depositing a small sum of credits within those accounts momentarily. We¡¯re going to take some shore leave here at the station and the credits in your accounts will allow you to make some purchases at the station. Consider this your overdue payment for a job well done. The commander will be sending out notices shortly regarding shore leave rotation. ¨® Faol¨¢in out.¡±


    The Bridge crew immediately let out a whoop of enthusiasm and Noah watched as huge grins spread across everyone¡¯s face. The crew had not had any sort of shore leave, having spent every waking hour on board the Grace since coming out of stasis. The fact that they would get to walk on an alien station with credits in their pocket was sure to be met with eagerness throughout the ship and Noah watched as enthusiastic discussions broke out across the Bridge between junior officers planning for their unexpected time off. ¡°Captain?¡± Noah asked loudly, catching her attention. ¡°A word?¡±


    Noah indicated her office and Cait nodded, issuing a few commands to Commander Devereaux before leading Noah into her private space. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say,¡± she began as soon as the door closed.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Noah said with controlled anger. ¡°I want to re-raise my object. I just think that¡ª¡±


    Cait interrupted. ¡°I know, but I¡¯ve made the decision. I heard you out yesterday when I broached the subject with the senior staff and I know you are concerned. But the crew is tired and worn out. They need a bit of a vacation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m head of security. I don¡¯t like the idea of letting members of the crew wander around an unknown alien station. It¡¯s a perfect opportunity for disaster. We don¡¯t know these people and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your concern has been noted,¡± the captain said with a raised hand. ¡°But I¡¯d been thinking about this for the past few days ¨C ever since our evaluation of the binary-star gravity well turned up nothing of note ¨C and I think the risk is worth it. This station has a really good safety record, according to the Syndicate, and it appears they spend a lot of energy and time on making the station safe for guests. As we discussed yesterday, we are going to restrict the crew to certain decks and specific areas and no one is allowed to go by themselves. We¡¯re also going to limit how many are allowed on station at any given time.¡±


    Noah let out an unhappy huff. ¡°I still think it¡¯s a bad idea.¡±


    The captain shrugged. ¡°Well, then, consider it like this. We can¡¯t do a lot of hand-holding out here. Our crew is full of barely trained cadets but they have to learn how to swim sooner rather than later. We have no idea what we might face in the next few months¡ª¡± Cait paused and took a deep, contemplative-looking breath ¡°¡ªor years so we need to provide opportunities for the crew to take on responsibilities. Being responsible enough to go to an alien station with some funds in one¡¯s pocket and without a senior officer looking over your shoulder is the perfect chance for most of them to gain confidence and a bit of self-reliance. If something bad happens, it¡¯s better we deal with it here in relatively friendly space than somewhere in the deep dark when the ship¡¯s safety and the lives of everyone are at risk.¡±


    Running his hand through his short hair, Noah grunted. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯m still concerned, though.¡±


    ¡°Be concerned. That¡¯s your job.¡± Cait patted Noah on the shoulder. ¡°But try to treat yourself when you go to the station, alright? You¡¯ve been in a mood since your discovery about the Blackbird. Get a nice meal or buy a nicknack or something.¡±


    Noah glared. The captain laughed.


    *****


    ¡°So where are we going?¡± Hiromi said a minute later after sliding up to Noah¡¯s station. He was triple-checking his security log and issuing a few last-minute orders to his team when he glanced over to his friend. ¡°I was going through the station¡¯s database a few hours ago out of curiosity and it looks like they have a huge bazaar in their trade district. Lots of little stalls that sell all kinds of crafts and stuff. I want to check it out.¡± Noah shrugged without committing. ¡°Come on, it will be fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I really want to go over there,¡± Noah responded as Hiromi began to tap the polymer casing of the computer unit. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather stay here and monitor the crew. If something should happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s going to happen,¡± Hiromi said confidently. ¡°Besides, it looks bad if you stay on the Grace. If you¡¯re not confident enough to go over there and mingle with aliens, why should any of the younger members of the crew do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already mingled with aliens,¡± Noah countered as he reviewed the latest report from the airlock security system. ¡°On Falm¡¯shma.¡±


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t get to go,¡± Hiromi needled him. ¡°And I was so jealous. Are you really going to make me miss this opportunity? I want to go hang out in the bazaar and buy stuff.¡±


    ¡°You can go without me, you know?¡± Noah said, slightly irritated.


    ¡°I could,¡± the chief pilot said immediately, ¡°but I won¡¯t have a good time if I know you¡¯re over on the ship all moody. Might as well not go, then, since my trip would be ruined.¡±


    Noah gave the young woman a flat stare. ¡°So, you¡¯re refusing to go if I don¡¯t go?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said with a wide smile. ¡°And I¡¯ll hate you forever.¡±


    ¡°I hate you already,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll make sure Bastien has us listed for shore leave at the same time, alright?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Noah sighed. ¡°Fine. But you have to buy me a treat when we¡¯re over there.¡±


    ¡°Done!¡± Hiromi rapped her knuckles on Noah¡¯s station and turned back toward her own. There were still some final matters to attend to before she could leave the bridge and Noah, having his own responsibilities, quickly put his friend¡¯s antics out of mind. He did smile, though, as he began signing off on the latest tactical update.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six


    August 21, 2940


    Bastien watched Cait as she reviewed the proposed shore leave schedule, her finger slowly scrolling down the data pad as she nodded silently to herself. He¡¯d created the timetable shortly after learning of the captain¡¯s plan and he was certain she would approve. Every member of the crew ¨C all one hundred ninety former cadets ¨C would have a six-hour window to visit and explore Freeport Gamma Tango over the next three days while the Grace loaded supplies and cargo for the next leg of her journey. Less than a sixth of the crew would be off-ship at any given moment, however, since Bastien didn¡¯t want too many wandering the alien station and not at their posts. A huge portion of the crew out adventuring wouldn¡¯t be ideal if a sudden emergency occurred and left the Grace without enough hands to manage it.


    ¡°Looks good to me,¡± Cait said as she handed the datapad back to Bastien. ¡°You can strike me from the list, though, since I plan on staying onboard.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Bastien asked, surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not going to go to the station?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Cait affirmed. ¡°I have a lot of work to do here.¡± She waved her hand around, indicating her office. ¡°You have fun.¡±


    Bastien wasn¡¯t buying it. While there was plenty of administrative work to be done, a few hours on the space station wouldn¡¯t be much of a disruption so Bastien had a hard time believing that Cait¡¯s decision to stay on the Grace was motivated by pending paperwork. Perhaps Cait didn¡¯t want to leave the ship in case there was trouble? Unlikely, Bastien thought, as she had gone off-ship after they had docked at Freeport Mauve. ¡°You sure?¡± he asked, seeing if she might provide more insight into her decision. ¡°The ship will be fine while you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± she said with a noticeably neutral tone before glancing at her desk¡¯s monitor and pulling up a tactical report. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else,¡± Bastien answered slowly. ¡°We¡¯ve already coordinated picking up our new cargo and Dante told me a few minutes ago that the station has the requisite materials for him to build some new environmental filters. All that¡¯s left to do is post the shore leave schedule and relax for a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Cait said without looking at him. ¡°Go ahead and do it.¡±


    Standing, Bastien took another look around the office while wondering why Cait wasn¡¯t interested in visiting the station. He made a mental note to discuss it with Safiya, the Chief Medical Officer the one best suited to keep an eye on the captain¡¯s mental health. ¡°Will do,¡± he said without voicing his thoughts out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if anything comes up.¡±


    *****


    ¡°So where should we go first?¡± Dante asked, the Grace¡¯s chief engineer looking around the docking bay with wide eyes. Bastien noticed his friend was bouncing on the balls of his feet, obviously excited by the possibility of exploring the alien station. ¡°Get something to eat? Do some shopping? I read that they have some kind of sports arena here and that there¡¯s something that looks like basketball going on soon. We can check that out?¡± He looked at Bastien.


    ¡°I¡¯m game for whatever,¡± Bastien responded with a grin and a shrug as various sentient aliens wandered past the ship¡¯s airlock. ¡°But just remember we don¡¯t have a lot of credits.¡±


    Dante snorted. ¡°Yeah, the captain¡¯s announcement made it seem like we¡¯d have a ton of credits to spend. When I finally looked at my ship¡¯s account¡­¡±


    ¡°You were a bit underwhelmed?¡± Bastien finished with a chuckle.


    ¡°More than a bit,¡± Dante responded dryly. Bastien nodded in sympathy. Cait had done as she had indicated, coordinating with Carpenter Boineau to create a financial account for each member of the crew and depositing some of the Grace¡¯s earned credits within. However, with the Grace having only just started out as a trading vessel and with a large portion of their earnings already dedicated to ship supplies and new cargo acquisition, the amount each crewman saw within their account was decidedly lackluster. ¡°I mean, she couldn¡¯t give us more than fifty credits each?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Bastien said, speaking as the first officer and not as Dante¡¯s friend. ¡°Too many other expenses. But,¡± he indicated with a raised finger, ¡°that will change over time. Remember, we started off with a twenty-five thousand credit gift from the Syndicate and have already nearly tripled it. And with our cargo holds not even close to capacity, we are going to get to reinvest our earnings more and more over the next few months until we are hauling hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of credits worth of supplies at any given time.¡±


    ¡°And the crew will get a slice of that pie,¡± Dante continued with a nod. ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m just looking forward to much larger paychecks. We¡¯ve earned them, you know?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Bastien said, this time as a compatriot and not a commander. ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°So how about we go get something to eat. The galley is doing a good job but it will be nice to try something new. Then we can hit the trade district and see what we want to pick up?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    The boys headed off, working their way through the light crowd of the docking bay and toward the lifts that would lead to the commercial decks. Finding them was easy, thanks to the station¡¯s map being available via IBP, and one crowded elevator later found Bastien and Dante walking along one of the commercial district¡¯s main corridors. With empty space out the windows to their left and various businesses to their right, the two discussed the interesting opportunities available while wandering the alien station.


    Freeport Gamma Tango orbited the system¡¯s third gas giant and was the economic hub for the three inhabited moons nearby. Real estate developers, large-scale manufacturing conglomerates, pharmaceutical companies, trade guilds, and all manner of civilization-supporting businesses popped up along Bastien and Dante¡¯s route and the two often stopped and utilized their link to the station to learn more about the system¡¯s flourishing economy. There were other businesses as well, some more localized to a particular moon and others coordinating economic activity with neighboring systems.


    Shortly after learning more about an asteroid mining association, Bastien and Dante discovered a nondescript eatery whose reviews, according to the station¡¯s internal net, were glowing. They decided to stop. The food, to their delight, was a mixture of noodle and broth dishes filled with fresh vegetables and well-seasoned thinly sliced meats. The two ate with gusto, discussing quietly the interesting-looking aliens who were popping into the eatery for their own meal.


    Twenty credits poorer and near full to bursting, Bastien and Dante meandered deeper into the station an hour later to peruse the bazaar. ¡°Wow,¡± Dante exclaimed as the station tram opened up into the cavernous space and the sights and smells of the busy trade district washed over them. ¡°This place is amazing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take a while to explore,¡± Bastien responded as he glanced about. The space was huge and, if his IBP was right, there were thousands of small independently owned and operated stalls selling all sorts of personal items. Colors and sounds filled the multi-deck area, the crowds of people moving about methodically as they shopped. Dozens of alien races mingled and bartered, something Bastien found to be amazing in its own right, and he quickly slipped into the crowd to do his own shopping. The nearest stall, Bastien noted, was selling handcrafted jewelry, and, as Dante joined him, he continued. ¡°I was reading through Syndicate reports the other day and it seems like these kinds of places are pretty common on large spaceports.¡±


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Bazaars?¡± Dante asked as he picked up a small crystalline ring. The shopkeeper, an ape-like creature with four eyes, watched them without interrupting.


    ¡°Yeah. Apparently, the cost of traveling from the local worlds to these stations is usually pretty low and that, coupled with a lot of interstellar travel, means bazaars like this can be profitable for independent merchants.¡± The two moved on from the jewelry stall to one selling metallic signs with humorous phrases etched on them. ¡°So a lot of small-time merchants will rent a stall here in the spaceport¡¯s bazaar and use it to sell their goods. If they do really well, they can even catch the eye of trade guilds or organizations like the Syndicate who might contract with them to move their goods out of the system.¡± The next stall featured finely woven rugs featuring colorful bird patterns.


    ¡°Maybe you and I should set up our own stall,¡± Dante chuckled. ¡°Make a ton of credits for ourselves and cut the Grace out.¡±


    Grinning at the thought, Bastien asked ¡°And what would we sell?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± came the reply as the two moved on to a stall offering combs made from animal bone. ¡°Maybe board games? Books? Something human, for sure, since it would be pretty unique.¡±


    Bastien turned from the combs and looked at Dante. ¡°That¡¯s¡­. actually an interesting idea.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± Dante asked. ¡°I was only half kidding.¡±


    Bastien shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s talk it over later. Might be worth exploring.¡±


    The next two hours went by quickly, with Bastien and Dante roaming around the bazaar and browsing its various goods. Dante ended up using a few of his credits to purchase a knit cap ¨C explaining that his head sometimes became cold when he was working in engineering ¨C while Bastien elected to save his credits. The two also chatted with various merchants and heard tales from enterprising entrepreneurs who had been regulars at the bazaar for years. They spotted a few other crewmen during their roam and it looked to Bastien as if everyone was enjoying the chance to stretch their legs and spend a few personal credits.


    It was just as Bastien and Dante were making their way into the section of the bazaar that hosted food and drink stalls, eager to get something sweet on which to munch, that Bastien¡¯s IBP alerted him that the Grace was attempting to make contact. Signaling to Dante that they needed a bit of privacy, the two found a less crowded row of stalls and Bastien put his hand over his ear while activating the communications device.


    ¡°This is Bastien,¡± he said while Dante kept watch.


    ¡°Commander Devereaux,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in responded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your shore leave but there has been an incident. You¡¯re closer to it than I am so I¡¯m sending the coordinates to you now.¡± Data appeared in Bastien¡¯s IBP and he noted that the coordinates were only a few minutes away. ¡°Can you look into it?¡±


    ¡°Happy to, Ser. What¡¯s the nature of the incident?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not totally certain. We received a message from Commander Ito that she and Lieutenant Commander Wright had been forced to call station security. When we responded to get more information, a coms block popped up followed by a station notification indicating two of our crew had been detained by station security and to standby for further information. As you know, we¡¯re keeping track of all of our people and the two of them aren¡¯t too far from you.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll check it out. Bastien out.¡± Bastien gave Dante a meaningful look. ¡°Shopping¡¯s over.¡±


    *****


    The two officers moved swiftly through the crowd and toward the coordinates in Bastien¡¯s IBP. Bastien had attempted, in the past minute, to contact Commander Ito and Lieutenant Commander Wright but, just as the captain had indicated, a coms block was in place. While Freeport Gamma Tango had allowed visitors to wander freely while onboard, the security notes sent over just prior to docking had been very clear that the station¡¯s security reserved the right to use internal dampening fields to block communications should the need arise.


    ¡°And she didn¡¯t know what the incident was?¡± Lieutenant Commander Saez asked for the third time.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°But I can¡¯t reach them so something has certainly happened. Just be prepared.¡±


    The crowd thinned out near the edge of the bazaar and Bastien¡¯s IBP informed him that this area would rapidly transition from stand-alone merchant stalls to drinking and gambling establishments. The area had not been off-limits to the crew, however, because station security had reported it as a low-crime region. Still, Bastien frowned as wondered what would possess Hiromi and Noah to head to the noticeably rougher-looking area. Speaking of, Bastien thought as he spotted his two subordinates down a corridor and surrounded by half a dozen members of station security. An unknown alien was lying on the floor, unmoving, while Lieutenant Wright was sitting on a bench and speaking with one of the security personnel. Commander Ito was standing and conversing with the alien who appeared to be in charge.


    ¡°¡ªcouldn¡¯t tell. But when he grabbed my arm, that¡¯s when my companion got involved.¡±


    ¡°And you are certain Mr. Wright didn¡¯t initiate the physical encounter?¡± the alien commander asked.


    Bastien redoubled his step, feeling Lieutenant Commander Saez right behind. ¡°Commander?¡± Bastien asked as approached, catching everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± The lead alien turned to regard him. About a foot taller than Bastien, the creature looked like a humanoid warthog and wore the professional attire of a security officer. His green and blue uniform was crisp and had several ribbons hanging from the jacket while the creature¡¯s boots and sidearm ¨C a rather dangerous-looking pulser ¨C gleamed as if polished regularly.


    ¡°I am Senior Deputy Raash Ashkeet. You are with these individuals?¡± He gestured to Commander Ito and Lieutenant Commander Wright.


    ¡°I am,¡± Bastien responded curtly. ¡°Commander Bastien Devereaux. First Officer on the Grace O¡¯Malley. These are my people. May I ask what this is about?¡± Bastien looked to Hiromi but Senior Deputy Ashkeet spoke.


    ¡°It appears,¡± he said in a nasally chirping voice that Bastien¡¯s IBP was quickly translated into Bastien¡¯s own language within his mind, ¡°that your people were involved in an altercation with a rather aggressive panhandler.¡±


    ¡°Panhandler?¡± Bastien asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Senior Deputy Ashkeet responded.


    ¡°Is this true, commander?¡± Bastien asked, turning to Commander Ito. She nodded. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Noah and I were heading down this corridor toward a botanical garden we¡¯d heard about,¡± she began, glancing up at the much taller alien. ¡°As I was telling the senior deputy, that fellow¡ª ¡° she pointed to the lizard-like humanoid on the deck ¡°¡ªwas sitting against the wall and asked us for some spare credits. I told him we didn¡¯t have any to spare as we walked by and, before I knew it, he¡¯d jumped up behind us and grabbed me by the arm. He started demanding credits but Noah moved forward and hit him twice. He landed on the deck and didn¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°He is alive, albeit unconscious,¡± Senior Deputy Ashkeet added. ¡°He should be fine in an hour or so.¡± Bastien looked around the pair and saw that one of the officers was squatting down over the prone alien, tapping away at a device that looked medical in nature.


    ¡°And then what happened?¡± Bastien asked firmly.


    ¡°Well, there were these other people nearby smoking on these pipe-looking things,¡± Commander Ito said, ¡°and they started laughing. One of them said we should leave before security showed up but Noah didn¡¯t even flinch. He sent a message to the station¡¯s security through his IBP. After that, I reached out to the Grace and informed the captain but our communications were cut off.¡±


    Bastien looked to the security officer. ¡°Are you placing my people under arrest?¡± he asked, already thinking through what might need to happen if the other two officers were taken into custody. A headache, for sure.


    ¡°I am not,¡± Senior Deputy Ashkeet responded, much to Commander Ito¡¯s obvious surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No. We know this man,¡± Senior Deputy Ashkeet said with a nod to the unconscious panhandler. ¡°He¡¯s a troublemaker. I also just received notice from our central station that the cameras in the corridor have been reviewed and match your version of events. As far as we are concerned, your companion, Mr. Wright, acted appropriately once physical force was used upon you. The fact that you called station security instead of leaving like the taka leaf smokers suggested was a good decision as well since leaving and not staying to report this incident would have constituted a minor offense.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Commander Ito said, clearly relieved.


    ¡°I do recommend visiting the botanical garden,¡± the security officer said as he indicated to his team that they should get the downed agitator to a medical facility. ¡°It¡¯s quite lovely.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Commander Ito said as Lieutenant Commander Wright came to stand next to her. Senior Deputy Ashkeet nodded to them all before he and his people left with their unconscious burden. Bastien watched them leave.


    Once gone, he turned to his three subordinate officers. ¡°Who wants dessert?¡±

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter 7


    August 22, 2940


    Bastien tapped his fingers on the operations console and listened to the sound reverberate throughout the Bridge. He was on edge, in command at the moment, and with twenty-three crewmen wandering about Freeport Gamma Tango while presumably enjoying their shore leave. There hadn¡¯t been any more incidents. In fact, station security hadn¡¯t even followed up on what had occurred the previous day. Bastien found that strange but reminded himself that Senior Deputy Ashkeet had been rather unconcerned about the whole thing. Still, Bastien thought to himself, the other shoe could drop at any moment. There had been a command-level discussion after he, Dante, Noah, and Hiromi had come back aboard but Cait had decided to continue to allow the crew to visit the station, albeit with a stern warning to everyone to be careful. The console chimed and Bastien put his concerns out of mind. The latest engineering report had been filed and he wanted to know when the secondary power distribution network would be taken out of standby mode.


    ¡°Commander?¡± Safiya said a moment later and Bastien looked up from the screen to see that the ship¡¯s medical chief was standing nearby. She rarely came to the Bridge and Bastien was certain she had been on the station. A quick check of his IBP showed that she had come on board a few minutes earlier and had headed right to the Bridge.


    ¡°Safiya? Everything alright?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± she answered with a nod. ¡°I was wondering if you might have a moment to speak with someone I met on the station? He¡¯s waiting at the primary airlock.¡±


    Using his IBP to alert the Grace¡¯s AI, Carpenter Boineau, that he was going to step away from the Bridge for a moment and was linking his implant to the ship''s critical systems, Bastien made to follow as Safiya turned to go. On his way out, Bastien let Lieutenant Juarez, Beta Shift pilot and the next highest ranking officer on the Bridge, know that he was nominally in command should something happen. ¡°So what¡¯s this about?¡± Bastien asked as he and Safiya began making their way through the ship.


    ¡°An opportunity, I suppose,¡± Safiya responded. ¡°Several of my staff and I had gone to the station to eat. While there, we overheard a conversation that piqued our interest.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bastien said.


    ¡°An alien gentleman named Mr. Aldram was trying to hire a ship. The captain he was speaking with turned him down but it had sounded like Mr. Aldram was willing to pay quite a few credits for the proposed work. I approached Mr. Aldram once he was alone and asked him about it. He was quite forthcoming.¡± Bastien motioned for Safiya to continue as the S-Tube¡¯s door closed and his IBP input their destination. The system activated and the capsule started moving. ¡°His family is in trouble and he needs a ship to go get them from his home system.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°It seems that there is some sort of conflict going on in the system and rescuing his family could be challenging. But knowing that our engines are unique in this region of space¡­¡± Safiya let Bastien ponder what was left unsaid.


    ¡°He was willing to pay a lot of credits?¡±


    ¡°I heard him offer the captain he was trying to hire one hundred fifty thousand.¡± The S-Tube door opened and Safiya stepped through. ¡°I didn¡¯t press for a lot of details and I didn¡¯t share much about the Grace. What I told him was that I¡¯d be happy to escort him back to the ship and let him speak with someone in command.¡±


    Bastien nodded and, a moment later, summoned the on-duty security team to the airlock. After a brief discussion with the newly assembled crew, including the junior crewman manning the airlock itself, Bastien signaled for the security systems to be lowered and waved to the alien standing patiently across the umbilical. The man indicated his acknowledgment and strode across, entering the Grace a few seconds later.


    ¡°Mr. Aldram,¡± Safiya said, ¡°this is Commander Devereaux. Commander, this is Mr. Aldram.¡±


    ¡°Very nice to meet you, Commander.¡±


    ¡°You as well,¡± Bastien responded as he looked over the alien. The man was tall, likely close to seven feet, and had a thin build with long gangly arms. His skin was a shade of pink bordering on purple and his head, while humanoid, seemed as if it had been compressed from the sides which gave him a very stretched visage. He had a white beard that hung down several inches past his chin and the top of his mostly bald head featured a white knot of hair that had been stylized to look like a wave. Bastien had never seen his species before. ¡°My chief medical officer indicates you are looking to hire a ship. I¡¯d like to know more.¡± Bastien motioned the large alien toward a security room off the main hall and he, Bastien, Safiya, and two crewmen from the security division entered.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Mr. Aldram said as he took an offered seat. Bastien and Safiya followed suit. ¡°My family is in grave danger and I am hoping to arrange for their rescue.¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant Commander Asfour indicated as much,¡± Bastien said. ¡°But we don¡¯t know your people as we are relatively new to this area of space. Perhaps you can start from the beginning? Maybe tell us a bit about where you¡¯re from?¡±


    Mr. Aldram nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± He paused and Bastien could see he was gathering his thoughts. ¡°Several weeks from here is the Kingdom of Macroom; my home system. We¡¯re a single-system constitutional monarchy ruled by my second cousin, His Royal Highness King Aklasant the Fifth. There is one Link in and out of the system and we have three primary worlds. Macroom Prime is our home planet and the capital. Ornas is the next closest planet to our star and is our largest and most populous colony. The last world we settled in was Vargas, farther away from our star and slightly smaller. There are a few colonized moons surrounding several of our gas giants and we have a rather large space-faring population spread between a few dozen large stations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot in one system,¡± Bastien mused out loud. ¡°What¡¯s your population?¡±


    Mr. Aldram paused in thought. ¡°I think the latest numbers I saw was somewhere around sixty-five billion?¡±


    Bastien felt his eyebrows rise. ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± he said. ¡°Our experience as a species has been that most solar systems only contain one habitable world. Maybe two, if the system is particularly unique. That, coupled with some space stations and maybe some small lunar colonies, means that populations rarely get as large as yours.¡± Bastien wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Back in the Milky Way, human-controlled systems typically only topped out at a third of the Macroom system before people began to leave for new places to settle. The information he¡¯d seen in the Syndicate database seemed to suggest a similar pattern here in this galaxy. Too many neighbors his father had once said when they¡¯d been discussing inter-system migration over dinner.


    The alien man nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Our system is quite populous. Over the last millennium or so, though, few have wanted to leave our star. My people enjoy a very high quality of life and there is a strong sense of community. There hasn¡¯t ever been a need to colonize elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°My CMO indicated that there is some sort of conflict in your system, though?¡± Bastien probed, watching Mr. Aldram for any visual cues that might hint that the man was withholding something.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mr. Aldram said with a deep sigh. ¡°As I said, we are a constitutional monarchy and the way our government has been structured since we achieved spaceflight has remained relatively stable. The parliament serves as an advisory board to the hereditary monarch and our unwritten constitutional traditions provide a roadmap for what the monarch can and cannot do with his authority.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°You have hereditary leadership? Father to son?¡± Safiya asked when the man paused to take a breath.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± he said, his train of thought clearly interrupted. He paused for a moment to figure out what he wanted to say. ¡°Sometimes the crown is passed from father to son if it appears the heir is a good candidate for it. Often, though, the hereditary aristocracy selects an appropriate candidate from their ranks to succeed an ailing or deceased king.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever select females to rule?¡± Safiya continued. ¡°Or is the monarch always male?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ have had queens in the past, yes,¡± Mr. Aldram said cautiously. ¡°We prefer a male monarch due to a lot of cultural reasons but there have been periods of our history where a woman has held the throne for one reason or another. We are aware that many species we¡¯ve encountered have female leadership and we see nothing wrong with it. It just doesn¡¯t quite fit our¡­ cultural norms. No offense, doctor.¡±


    Safiya didn¡¯t respond and Bastien found himself internally smirking. It was a good thing that none of the aliens in this galaxy knew that the crew of the Grace was made up of cadets who had not reached adulthood or the crew would likely be treated quite differently. Cait representing herself as a ship¡¯s commander and Safiya representing herself as a ship doctor, he knew, helped ensure that unfortunate questions didn¡¯t get asked and Bastien found himself grateful, not for the first time, that the ship¡¯s leadership had decided to fully embrace UDAS military protocols and culture. It sold their cover story.


    ¡°The conflict?¡± Bastien prompted.


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course.¡± Mr. Aldram¡¯s hands came together in front of his chest and he began to rub them slowly as he appeared to contemplate his next words. ¡°Throughout our history, there have been¡­ those among the population who have disagreed with our governmental and social structure. Attempts have been made by rogue elements to destabilize or delegitimize the monarchy. These movements have always failed and, for the most part, were never taken very seriously. Then the Revolutionary Front appeared two years ago.¡±


    ¡°The Revolutionary Front?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°One of those rogue elements I mentioned. Only, this group seemed well-funded, organized, and far more capable than prior iterations. They began to gather followers quickly and made it clear that their goal was a total overthrow of the natural order. Small-scale terrorist attacks took place, targeting transportation lines and agricultural facilities. Our government saw them as a nuisance, at first, but they grew bolder and bolder as weeks went by. We¡¯d thought¡­ well, we¡¯d thought that the terrorism would demonstrate to the populace how unstable these rogues were but many started championing their cause. Support grew rapidly. Very rapidly.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Safiya commented.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. Eight or nine months after they appeared, several technoviruses were uploaded into our power grids and governmental officials began to be targeted for kidnapping or assassination. Several attempts were made on my cousin but he survived. The military, which helped keep the peace, started fracturing and everyone was shocked when a few battalions of troops and several battleship commanders suddenly threw their weight behind the rebels. Those traitors were dealt with quickly but nothing the crown did seemed to calm the storm. More and more institutions began to break down and reports of fighting between rival civilian groups started popping up across the system. It looked like we were getting closer and closer to the inconceivable.¡±


    ¡°A civil war?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mr. Alrdam said with a suddenly violent nod. ¡°Our civilization has been peaceful and prosperous for nearly a thousand years. The thought that our people could fracture or that the monarchy could be overthrown¡­¡±


    ¡°Such a thing has happened to our species before,¡± Bastien murmured as the man¡¯s emotions seemed to swell. He calmed at Bastien¡¯s words. ¡°Our species spans many systems and we are not a unified people. We have hundreds of distinct and unique governments and civilizations; some of which are radically different from one another. It¡¯s well known that otherwise happy, safe, and productive societies can sometimes devolve into barbarism within the span of only a few years if the right conditions exist.¡± He nodded to Safiya. ¡°Our people, the Avalonians, teach us when we are young that we must guard against the crumbling of society.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that such a concern was not something echoed in our own educational system,¡± Mr. Aldram said sadly. ¡°We¡¯ve always believed things would continue on as they were.¡±


    ¡°So, what has happened to your family?¡± Bastien continued.


    ¡°I am one of the few people in my government who travels out-system regularly,¡± Mr. Aldram responded. ¡°I¡¯m in our department of trade and foreign affairs, you see. When I started seeing reports of the madness of the Revolutionary Front, I sent a message back to my wife and children to go into hiding.¡±


    ¡°Madness?¡± Safiya asked. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting word to choose.¡±


    ¡°The Revolutionary Front is mad,¡± Mr. Aldram said with certainty. ¡°They¡¯ve announced that they want to totally destroy the government and put in its place a committee of their own people to restore everyone¡¯s trust in our leadership. They say that all rights will be taken away and all property stripped from its owners. This committee will decide what jobs people will have. Whom they will marry. Where they can live. They freely execute those who oppose them and I¡¯ve seen vids of them burning buildings to ash just because one person within voiced a dissenting opinion or a concern over their methods. They¡¯ve started kidnapping the children of the aristocracy, forcing those of proper birth to pay exorbitant ransoms or to secretly undermine the government lest their children never be seen again. There are reports that they eat the dead and that their leadership uses banned medical tech for abhorrent experimentation. The things I¡¯ve heard are gruesome. How else might one describe this behavior but madness?¡±


    ¡°Madness seems as good a word choice as any,¡± Bastien said before Safiya could comment. He glanced at her and she sat back without a word. The meeting was getting a bit out of hand and Bastien wanted to reign it in. ¡°So, your family is in hiding and you are looking for a ship to go get them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mr. Aldram said. ¡°I know where they are and can provide you the details. I can pay well, too.¡±


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you found anyone to do it yet? My CMO says another captain turned you down just a few hours ago.¡±


    The alien man looked around the room and refused to meet Bastien¡¯s eyes. He¡¯s hiding something, Bastien thought to himself. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ quite dangerous,¡± Mr. Aldram finally said.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, my system only has one Link so there¡¯s only one way in and one way out. The Revolutionary Front has control of the system-side Link and Monarchist supporters hold the other side. Just prior to the communications blackout a few weeks ago, there were reports of widespread ship-to-ship combat and bombings taking place on the planets. Getting in and getting out is going to be a challenge and few, I think, want to make the attempt.¡± He looked to Bastien and Safiya. ¡°But my family has done nothing wrong. My wife. My children. Please. They are innocents in this whole affair.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know us,¡± Bastien pushed. ¡°Why did you meet with us? How do you know we could handle this mission?¡±


    ¡°When your doctor approached me, I immediately reached out to my contacts on the station to ask about her and this vessel.¡± He tapped the side of his head and Bastien saw the telltale metallic glint of an implant. His own version of an IBP, then. ¡°There are those on Freeport Gamma Tango who sympathize with me, though they are not in a position to assist. They looked into your vessel as Doctor Asfour and I spoke. They messaged me that you are an associate of the Syndicate, which is good, and that station scans suggest your ship may be capable in a battle.¡± Bastien knew that the Grace had been scanned when they entered the system so it was not a surprise that Freeport Gamma Tango had evaluated their tactical capabilities. ¡°I believed, based on that information, that it was worth speaking to.¡±


    ¡°And why would you trust us?¡± Safiya asked. ¡°If your family is in such danger, why trust a people and a ship you¡¯ve never met?¡±


    Mr. Aldram didn¡¯t answer. Bastien did. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a lot of options. My guess is that he¡¯s been looking for a ship for a while and hasn''t gotten any traction. Am I right, Mr. Aldram?¡± The man nodded slowly, confirming Bastien¡¯s theory.


    ¡°And the fact that you are connected to the Syndicate,¡± Mr. Aldram added. ¡°That means that you are trustworthy. The Syndicate has an excellent reputation and I have worked with them many times in the past. If they value you and your ship, that is high praise.¡±


    ¡°Why not ask a Syndicate vessel for assistance, then?¡± Bastien inquired.


    ¡°I did. They turned me down. It was too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°So how would we do this, if we wanted to?¡± Bastien asked, ignoring the statement. ¡°How do we accomplish what everyone else thinks is too dangerous?¡±


    ¡°I have a plan,¡± Mr. Aldram said with what sounded like a brittle confidence.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Bastien commented. ¡°Alright, Mr. Aldram. I¡¯m going to take this to the captain and we¡¯ll have a discussion. I¡¯m not going to promise anything. In fact and in full disclosure, I¡¯m going to advocate that we turn you down.¡± The alien opened his mouth to protest but Bastien held up his hand. ¡°I sympathize. I do. But I have a duty to this ship and what you¡¯ve told me, while awful, does not inspire me to put my crew at risk. My security team will see you out and we will be in touch soon.¡± Bastien stood and Safiya, after glancing over at Bastien with an unreadable face, followed. Mr. Aldram stood slowly and nodded.


    ¡°I¡­ I appreciate it, Commander.¡±


    *****


    ¡°That was a bit harsh,¡± Safiya said after the man had departed the ship. ¡°Telling him that you were going to advise the captain not to assist him was an unnecessary blow.¡±


    Bastien squared his shoulders. ¡°I meant it, Safiya. This sounds like a mess and one that, as he said, is dangerous. Not something we need to get involved in and I don¡¯t want to get his hopes up.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that,¡± she responded quietly. ¡°But hope is important, is it not?¡±

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter 8


    August 23, 2940


    Noah felt a bit queasy as he looked around the meeting room at the rest of the senior staff and wondered how the Grace had been able to accomplish so much with leadership that had so little sense. It boggled the mind. They were not in their home galaxy. They were on a transport ship as opposed to a ship of the line. The crew was made up of cadets who were barely trained. Yet they were considering this asinine plan?


    ¡°Alright,¡± Captain ¨® Faol¨¢in said while holding up a hand and quieting the discussion. ¡°I¡¯ve given everyone a chance to share their thoughts and debate the matter but a decision needs to be reached. So, let¡¯s review. Approximately a day ago, Safiya made contact with Mr. Aldram while eating on the station and spoke with him about potential work for the Grace. She brought Mr. Aldram to the ship where he was interviewed by Bastien.¡± Both Commander Devereaux and Lieutenant Commander Asfour nodded. ¡°Bastien and I spoke shortly thereafter and I decided I wanted to hear the whole story from Mr. Aldram himself so we brought him on board once more and I interviewed him privately.¡± Another round of nods ¡°I was prepared, during that interview, to decline to assist per Bastien¡¯s recommendation but Mr. Aldram surprised me by offering two hundred thousand credits as well as a complete copy of his people¡¯s central library if we took on and completed the job. That library would include a great deal of scientific data which Natasha informed me could be quite useful to the Grace¡¯s current mission of finding a way home.¡±


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Specialist Ivanov responded. ¡°As I said, Mr. Aldram allowed me to access some of his files and I believe that his people¡¯s astronomical data alone could benefit us greatly.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the captain continued. ¡°All of you had a chance to review my recorded discussion with Mr. Aldram ¨C which Bastien and Safiya confirmed was essentially what they learned when speaking with him ¨C and now we¡¯re here discussing whether we will take on this job. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but Safiya, Brice, and Spencer believe that the humanitarian nature of the request suggests we should assist.¡± The three nodded. ¡°Natasha advocates that we should take on the job because the payout in credits and scientific knowledge would go a long way to furthering our own goals.¡± The specialist stayed silent and didn¡¯t object. ¡°Dante and Hiromi, having reviewed the data provided by Mr. Aldram, are convinced that the advantage our engines provide would allow us to significantly minimize the risk quite to the Grace are thus in favor of at least attempting to help Mr. Aldram barring any unforeseen challenges developing once we reach the Macroom system. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Commander Ito said as she shared a glance with Lieutenant Commander Saez. ¡°We talked about it and we think that we shouldn¡¯t have any problems outrunning and outmaneuvering any Macroom ships we encounter. As Dante said, they build their ships - even their warships ¨C bulky and slow. The Grace is, at least on paper, more maneuverable and quicker even without taking into consideration our ability for FTL flight. Once that¡¯s factored in, the Kingdom¡¯s forces stand very little chance of challenging us.¡±


    The captain let her gaze swing over to Commander Devereaux. ¡°Bastien, you initially encouraged me to tell Mr. Aldram that we were not going to be able to assist. Over the last hour, though, you haven¡¯t advocated for that position. Any position, actually. Thoughts?¡±


    ¡°All things considered,¡± the commander began, ¡°I feel that the rest of the staff has made some good points but it was the offer of the library data that caused me to rethink turning Mr. Aldram down. Once he put that on the table, I thought it was worth giving a lot more thought to his proposal.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we should do it? I¡¯d like a firm opinion, please.¡±


    The commander shrugged. ¡°I think there is merit to assisting him but I also believe this thing is far more dangerous than anyone, other than Noah, wants to admit. We really don¡¯t know what we¡¯d be walking into and that gives me a lot of concern. If you want me to commit to an answer, Captain, then I think my position is we should not help Mr. Aldram.¡±


    Noah let out a relieved sigh. He and the commander didn¡¯t often see eye to eye but Noah knew that the captain put a lot of stock in her first officer¡¯s opinion. The fact that Bastien had finally picked a side during the meeting and indicated that he was against going to the Macroom system likely meant that the Grace would be spared the unnecessary danger. He¡¯d have to thank the commander later for speaking sense.


    All eyes turned to Noah and the captain let out a sigh. ¡°And you¡¯ve maintained the same position since this meeting began,¡± she said. ¡°That this is too dangerous and that, as Chief of Security, you object to this¡­ what was the term you used? Reckless adventurism?¡±


    ¡°I believe there is no reason to go,¡± Noah stated firmly. ¡°I¡¯ve reviewed the tactical data that Mr. Aldram provided and I gave my opinion on it earlier; we are well matched against any Macroom vessels if it came to blows. That being said, this is reckless and it is adventurism. The upside is that we gain some credits and some scientific knowledge but the truth is that both of those are things we can acquire without taking on this job. The downside is that we could find ourselves in an unavoidable firefight. A destroyed Grace is not one that will get back to AVAL space.¡±


    Noah watched the faces around him frown at his harsh statement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s particularly fair, Noah,¡± Lieutenant Cellar said. ¡°And there¡¯s no need to make comments like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll evaluate and comment on the situation how I like, Lieutenant. You don¡¯t have to worry about the Grace getting blown out of the sky because we¡¯ve involved ourselves in someone else¡¯s civil war. I do. This is a¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all concerned about the safety of the ship,¡± Commander Ito interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s not helpful Noah.¡±


    Grinding his teeth, Noah bit back a response. Most of the meeting had been civil so far and Noah had done his best not to let his frustrations show. But he was at his limit. The captain should have let everyone share their opinion before announcing that this whole mess was too dangerous and that they were going to send Mr. Aldram on his way. But they¡¯d been speaking for nearly an hour! Round and round, with the rest of the staff talking about why the crew should go through with this insanity while Noah, and now finally Bastien, trying to be the voices of reason.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Noah eventually said. ¡°This is a foolish endeavor that has the potential to get us all killed. I¡¯m urging you to point the Grace in a direction other than towards the Macroom system.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said evenly before standing up. Everyone followed suit. ¡°I¡¯ll have an answer as to our heading within the hour. Dismissed.¡±


    *****


    Noah was staring intently at the previous shift¡¯s security report when the chime to his office sounded. He didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Come in,¡± he called, making a note to review with his team a few of the inefficiencies he¡¯d observed within.


    ¡°Noah,¡± Hiromi said as she plopped down in one of the two chairs across from his desk.


    ¡°We came to check on you,¡± Safiya said, taking the other.


    With a grunt, Noah turned off his data console and gave his two colleagues a frustrated glare. One of the perks of being the head of security was that he had his own office and he was half tempted to tell the two of them that he was busy and request that they come back another time. Politely, of course, since Hiromi outranked him. He didn¡¯t. ¡°I appreciate that. I would have appreciated it more if the captain had decided not to proceed to the Macroom system but what¡¯s done is done.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°As she said in her formal orders, there was too much upside and not enough risk to justify walking away from Mr. Aldram¡¯s offer,¡± Hiromi responded.


    ¡°And I already made a formal objection in the ship¡¯s log,¡± Noah answered immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did,¡± Safiya said calmly. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Noah answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re angry,¡± Hiromi pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Noah said again. The two girls shared a glance. Noah reconsidered kicking them out of his office.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you something, if I may?¡± Safiya said, her tone indicating she was changing the subject. Noah nodded. ¡°At the meeting, you were very engaged when we were talking about the tactical aspects of the mission. Ship speed and maneuverability. Defensive capabilities. That sort of thing. You were also very thoughtful when discussing the offered credits and the library database. When both matters were being debated, I got the sense that you were actually listening to and considering what was being said.¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Noah responded. ¡°There was some truth to the idea that the Grace was well positioned tactically for this job and I found merit in the idea that we could get such a large chunk of credits, and an entire planet¡¯s scientific database, if we were successful.¡±


    ¡°You seemed totally dismissive of the humanitarian argument,¡± Safiya stated. ¡°Why?¡±


    Noah leaned back in his chair and considered the CMO. Then he looked over to Hiromi ¨C likely his best friend on the ship ¨C and frowned. She seemed just as interested in his answer as Safiya. He let his eyes drift to the space between the two and stared at nothing while letting out a long breath. ¡°I was dismissive,¡± he said. ¡°I thought that the humanitarian argument was inane.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe in helping people?¡± Safiya asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Noah answered honestly. ¡°I think helping people is a great thing.¡±


    ¡°We have the opportunity to help Mr. Aldram and his family,¡± she said.


    ¡°True.¡± Noah paused for a long moment. ¡°Safiya, what do you know about my home planet? Avernus III?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± she began, clearly caught off guard. ¡°I have to admit that I don¡¯t know much. The Avernus system has a reputation for being quite rough. It was accepted into the Union some time ago but, because it¡¯s on the edge of AVAL space and borders an ungoverned frontier, my understanding is that it¡¯s faced a lot of social and economic challenges.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of an understatement but it¡¯s essentially correct,¡± Noah said. ¡°The original colonists of Avernus III came from the Southern Mars Colony and, before that, Earth¡¯s North America. Unlike many other political bodies that were formed after the great diaspora, our people were not particularly united in their cultural, economic, or social goals. The founding and subsequent history of our world is fraught with a lot of disputes and distrust. My ancestors had a rough go of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s tough,¡± Hiromi said.


    ¡°Made tougher by our commitment to humanitarianism.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Safiya asked with a frown. ¡°By humanitarianism?¡±


    ¡°The Lucifern Expanse ¨C the ungoverned frontier bordering our system ¨C is a nebula-dense solar cluster whose people had a far more difficult start than my own. They floundered due to a variety of reasons but, suffice it to say, societal collapse was a constant threat in that part of space. My people saw this and there were attempts over the next few hundred years to provide humanitarian relief. Doing so almost led to the destruction of our own world.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Safiya asked skeptically.


    ¡°Early on,¡± Noah said with a slight shrug, ¡°it was about food. Our farming sectors had started producing right after the founding but there were soil challenges and unexpected droughts. My understanding of our history is that growing enough food to support our population was hit or miss for quite some time. Certain segments of society ¨C the wealthy, the well-connected, those serving in necessary industries like government and defense ¨C ate well. Everyone else? Not so much. Well, those who were well fed were the ones who were the greatest proponents of sending some of our meager agricultural products to our neighbors and they also had the political power to do so. They preached humanitarianism at a time when there were portions of our populace going hungry. This caused riots and discontentment. While transports loaded up food for our neighbors, secession movements and political factionalism grew.¡±


    ¡°That seems hard to imagine,¡± Hiromi said. ¡°If there wasn¡¯t enough food to go around, I have a hard time believing a society would ship what they did have elsewhere.¡± Noah didn''t need to imagine it; he knew his people''s history.


    ¡°Societies are made up of people,¡± Noah responded. ¡°And people have agendas. For some, sacrificing at home to help their neighbors was noble. It was a moral imperative. For others? A wealthy industrialist might not care if the local working poor can¡¯t eat because sending food abroad ¨C and getting the goodwill from those foreigners ¨C might help him expand his business to that new region or guarantee favorable agreements with its people. A politician who is eating well won¡¯t be bothered if non-constituents are staring so long as foreign governments line his pockets as payback for aid.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Safiya began but Noah held up his hand.


    ¡°Time marched on and things changed. The humanitarian needs evolved. We sent military vessels to patrol the Lucifern Expanse despite the fact that pirates were routinely hitting our outer mining colonies. Our miners died while our navy protected our neighbors. Then there was a large push to open up one of the southern continents for immigrants. A wonderful gesture, for sure, but you end up with an enraged population when you seize their family homes and businesses so that you can turn them over to the new arrivals. Thirty years ago, when the grey plague hit us hard, we sent huge numbers of doctors out system while our own death toll rose as people died in our understaffed hospitals.¡± Noah realized his voice was starting to rise so he took a deep breath.


    A chime sounded from Noah¡¯s console before any more words were said so Noah tapped the appropriate indicator. ¡°Ser? You ready for us?¡± Lieutenant Valuri asked over the intercom.


    ¡°In a moment,¡± Noah responded before ending the call and glancing between Safiya and Hiromi. ¡°Avernus III has had two civil wars, several assassinated heads of state, and an unusually wild boom and bust economy since our founding. These periods of intense instability ¨C instability which has hampered our growth in a very real and tangible way ¨C generally came while humanitarian aid was being given to the Lucifern Expanse at the expense of our own people. I¡¯m not against helping others, Safiya. Really. But my people have learned the very hard lesson that helping others when you can¡¯t even help yourself will end in disaster.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very¡­ sad view of charity,¡± Safiya said quietly.


    ¡°It is,¡± Noah nodded solemnly. ¡°But had my people held that outlook when we first stepped foot on Avernus III, perhaps we wouldn¡¯t have lost millions of our own while trying to help thousands beyond our borders. With the captain¡¯s decision, I fear we run the risk of losing all two hundred souls on board the Grace just to rescue a handful of strangers.¡± Noah could tell that Safiya and Hiromi didn''t understand. They couldn''t. He knew he sounded cold-hearted. He knew that they were likely wondering where his humanity or compassion might be. He sighed internally. He did believe in charity - in helping others - but he also knew that the best way to help a neighbor raise a house was to ensure that one''s own house was in order first.


    ¡°You¡¯re meeting with your staff?¡± Hiromi asked, nodding to the computer console and clearly desiring to change the subject.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah answered softly. ¡°We have a lot to do to prepare for this mission. If you¡¯d both excuse me?¡±


    *****


    ¡°So,¡± Noah said crisply an hour later to the senior members of his department, ¡°does anyone have any questions?¡± Everyone in his office but Lieutenant Valuri shook their head. ¡°Andrew?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to interview Mr. Aldram in your office and not the brig? The brig might be more intimidating.¡±


    Noah snorted. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. The captain¡¯s position is that he¡¯s to be treated respectfully so I¡¯ll talk to him in here. I don¡¯t want him to feel as if I am interrogating him.¡±


    ¡°But you do plan on interrogating him, right?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Noah grinned. ¡°I know he¡¯s already talked to the commander and the captain but I have a lot more questions for him and I intend to know everything he knows about Macroom, their military, and any potential dangers before we disembark.¡± Andrew smirked. ¡°Oh, one more thing,¡± Noah said as he sat back in his chair. ¡°How is the cross-training going?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Lieutenant Valuri began, ¡°everyone in the department knows what you¡¯d like to see and I¡¯ve already touched base with just about everybody. Folks are sorting out what secondary skillsets they want to pick up but everyone in security is behind you on this.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s only been a few days since we talked about it,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I¡¯m glad people have gotten the message. With us going to Macroom, I think it¡¯s even more important that our team have as much diverse knowledge as possible. We won¡¯t know what to expect, even once I wring Mr. Aldram for every bit of information he contains. We need to be prepared for anything.¡±

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine


    August 25, 2940


    ¡°Come in,¡± Cait called as the chime to her office sounded and Bastien looked over his shoulder. As expected, a dour-looking Noah walked in. Though it was technically Alpha shift, both Bastien and Noah were currently busy with the ship¡¯s business and the preparations for departure. The nature of ship life, Bastien thought to himself as he considered that a three-watch rotation often forced the crew to work during their supposed off hours. ¡°Final report?¡± Cait asked as Noah took a seat.


    ¡°Final report,¡± he said as he passed the pad he carried over to the captain. Bastien met Noah¡¯s eyes for a moment and saw the other young man give him a slightly warmer nod than usual. Noah had been a bit more friendly since Bastien had sided with him in the officers meeting two days earlier.


    Cait tapped at the pad for a moment as she scanned its contents. ¡°Looks good,¡± she said before looking up. ¡°I¡¯ll dig into it later. Highlights?¡±


    Noah sat up a bit straighter. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily believe Mr. Aldram,¡± he began, ¡°but he held up under my questions. Didn¡¯t contradict himself. Didn¡¯t try to avoid answering my questions. He provided me with the information I wanted and admitted his knowledge gaps readily. I couldn¡¯t find any red flags.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Bastien volunteered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°I would say so. Doesn¡¯t make this task any easier, though.¡± Bastien watched as Noah opened his mouth to voice another objection but the security officer seemed to think better of it and stopped. The captain had made a decision and the time for objections was over. Noah knew his job was to support the captain¡¯s position now; just as Bastien was supposed to do. Trying to rehash prior arguments would be inappropriate without new information changing the math.


    ¡°Plan of action?¡± Cait asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s in there, Captain,¡± Noah said with a nod to the datapad. ¡°Basically, my analysis of the situation suggests that we load up on some useful goods and head toward Macroom. We can stop at a couple of systems along the way ¨C normal trader activity. When we get to the Ortas system ¨C which contains the Macroom system Link ¨C we can see who is actually manning the gate. The reports are a bit conflicted. If it¡¯s monarchist sympathizers, we can share with them some of Mr. Aldram¡¯s diplomatic codes and get intelligence on the system itself. Make a decision at that time if we use the Link. If it¡¯s Revolutionary Front forces, we act like normal traders and get a feel for how they are handling interstellar traffic. I have several proposals within depending on the information we receive.¡±


    ¡°Major risks of approaching the Link?¡± Bastien asked.


    ¡°Depends on who holds it,¡± Noah answered immediately. ¡°We should hope it¡¯s monarchists as they can feed us intelligence and are unlikely to cause us trouble. They¡¯d likely let us through but we could be walking into the system blind. If it¡¯s Revolutionary Front gatekeeping the traffic, we need to be prepared to run. They could try and impound the ship if they believe they can get away with it.¡±


    ¡°So, we should keep our distance,¡± Cait acknowledged. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°If we determine using the Link to reach Macroom isn¡¯t advisable, we¡¯ll take the Ortas system¡¯s third Link and head toward Altarian Coalition space. It¡¯s a nearby political body that would be a good place to unload trade goods. There are several uninhabited systems between the Ortas system and the nearest Altarian Coalition system; plenty of places we can duck out into open space. From there, we¡¯d use the TR Drive to circle around the Macroom System and enter it from the opposite direction. Mr. Aldram¡¯s reports on the system show that the Kingdom¡¯s sensor networks are all directed toward their single Link and no one will be watching for an interstellar approach.¡±


    ¡°Because no one else has FTL travel,¡± Bastien supplied.


    ¡°Right,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°There is a large asteroid cloud on the outer edge of the system that we could fly to and park behind. No one would see us coming.¡±


    ¡°And at that point,¡± Cait continued, ¡°we could get a lay of the land and start poking around.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Aldram has indicated that his family should be near the outskirts of the system. We¡¯d be where we need to be. With his codes and the names of several contacts¡­.¡± Noah shrugged.


    ¡°Should be pretty safe?¡± Bastien asked.


    Noah sighed. ¡°Should be pretty safe if everything happens as we expect.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be careful,¡± Cait said. ¡°No unnecessary risks. I spoke with Mr. Aldram about an hour ago. He¡¯s indicated that he is going to stay here on Freeport Gamma Tango since he has a duty to serve as government-in-exile should catastrophe strike the monarchy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not coming with us?¡± Bastien asked. This was the first he¡¯d heard of it.


    ¡°He is not,¡± Cait said. ¡°We¡¯re on our own.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that,¡± Noah said with a frown. ¡°He should be with us to provide insights with whatever challenges might arise.¡±


    ¡°I told him the same thing,¡± Cait responded with a slight shrug. ¡°He has a duty to his people to stay out of harm¡¯s way, though. He said it was non-negotiable.¡±


    ¡°Does this change our calculus?¡± Bastien asked Noah.


    Noah let out a sharp and irritated snort. ¡°No,¡± he finally said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it does. We have a plan of action and his presence isn¡¯t actually required.¡±


    ¡°On the bright side,¡± Cait said, ¡°Mr. Aldram has pledged to provide a small shuttle to us in case we need it. Since the Grace doesn¡¯t have any shuttles herself¡ª¡±


    ¡°Blackbird notwithstanding,¡± Bastien interrupted.


    ¡°¡ªBlackbird notwithstanding, yes,¡± Cait continued, ¡°it may be useful to have a local craft while in the Macroom system. It will get loaded later today but not before it¡¯s been very thoroughly checked.¡±


    ¡°That does open up our options,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll get Brice and Dante to help look it over. We¡¯ll make sure it''s clean before we let it on board.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Cait said. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk with Spencer shortly about any potential trade goods we can load up for Macroom. Anything else?¡± Bastien shook his head before glancing over at Noah. The security chief still looked sour but didn¡¯t raise an objection or offer any more insights. ¡°Thank you, gentlemen. I expect we¡¯ll leave port as soon as everything is loaded on board.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Bastien and Noah left the captain¡¯s office a moment later and were met by Hiromi on the bridge. It wasn¡¯t her shift but it looked like she was waiting for Noah. ¡°You ready?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sorry Hiromi,¡± he said quietly. ¡°I can¡¯t join you for dinner on the station right now. Mr. Aldram is giving us a shuttle and I need to get my team together to look it over.¡± The pilot¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked with a sigh. ¡°When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Just now,¡± Bastien said, interrupting the conversation. ¡°The captain just told us. You guys were going to go eat?¡±


    Noah and Hiromi nodded. ¡°We found a restaurant that serves a sort of raw fish; this sector''s version of sushi. Noah and I were going to check it out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re likely leaving tomorrow, too,¡± Noah informed her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re going to have another opportunity.¡±


    ¡°I told you we should have gone yesterday when we had the chance,¡± Hiromi scolded Noah with a small grin, ¡°but you just had to try the noodle place.¡±


    ¡°It was good, though,¡± Noah responded with a shrug.


    Hiromi sighed. ¡°Yeah, it was. Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m free,¡± Bastien said as he looked at Hiromi. ¡°Alpha shift has a few hours left. Interested?¡±


    Her eyes lit up. ¡°Yeah! Noah, you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    The other young man shook his head. ¡°Go have fun,¡± he said without any hint of envy in his voice. ¡°Thanks, Commander.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Bastien said as he indicated that they should leave the Bridge. ¡°Sounds fun.¡±


    *****


    ¡°Noah really is a good guy,¡± Hiromi said as she and Bastien walked along the station corridor that led toward one of the commercial restaurant areas. ¡°I know he can come across as a bit grumpy but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just a bit?¡± Bastien interrupted with a chuckle.


    ¡°Fine. He can come across as very grumpy.¡± Hiromi chuckled at that. ¡°However, he is only grumpy because he cares about the Grace and wants to make sure we get home safely.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Bastien said with a shrug. ¡°He¡¯s got a tough role to fill. The safety of the ship is his primary responsibility and our situation is pretty¡­ unique. I don¡¯t think there is anything in the handbook on how to deal with navigating an alien galaxy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Hiromi said as she and Bastien entered a wider promenade with assorted eateries on either side. ¡°Still, I know he can rub people the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°You two get along well,¡± Bastien observed.


    ¡°We get along because we remind each other of our respective siblings.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hiromi said as she pointed out their destination. The shop was small, with a thin door and no windows to allow those walking the lane to see inside. A sign hung above the door and featured a picture of a fish leaping upstream. The alien language ¨C translated for Bastien thanks to his IBP ¨C read The Flying Fish. ¡°This is it.¡±


    The interior of the restaurant was filled with large fish-themed tapestries and it reminded Bastien a bit of a sushi spot that he and his family had enjoyed whenever they had gone to Alexandria. A pang of melancholy hit him when he and Hiromi entered. That bit of home was quite far away, he knew, and Bastien wondered for a brief moment if his parents and siblings had eaten there since he had left their home planet for the stars. The smell of spice and something sour filled his nostrils as one of the employees ¨C a hostess who looked a bit like a humanoid shark ¨C escorted them deeper into the lantern-lit dining room and Hiromi giggled slightly when they were deposited at a wall-adjacent table. The side panel opened the moment the two sat down and a rectangular slab of marble slid out to provide them the menus.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Hiromi said as she picked up her menu and glanced about the restaurant. ¡°This place is amazing!¡±


    ¡°No doubt,¡± Bastien said as he scanned the options available on the laminated pad. The fish selection was huge and, thankfully, each option contained a small excerpt describing the preparation and taste. ¡°Very much like sushi,¡± he said a moment later.


    ¡°They don¡¯t use rice, though,¡± Hiromi pointed out. ¡°Looks like everything is laid out on a bed of some fibrous fruit pulp.¡±


    ¡°Looks tasty,¡± Bastien said with a shrug before he began to really dig into the available options. A few minutes later and after the two of them had made their selections on the terminal above the side panel, Bastien turned back to the conversation. ¡°You mentioned that you and Noah remind each other of your respective siblings?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Hiromi said as she took a long sip of the carbonated water that had been delivered by the marble slab within the wall. ¡°I have a slightly older brother who is really serious all the time and thinks he¡¯s always right. Noah has a slightly younger sister who he says is too bubbly for her own good. When Noah and I started working together on the Grace back in April, we sort of hit it off.¡±


    ¡°But you two argue a lot,¡± Bastien observed.


    ¡°I argue with my brother all the time but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t like him. He¡¯s pretty much my best friend. Noah has said the same thing about his sister.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, I guess,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°My siblings are four years younger than I am so I wouldn¡¯t say we were friends, exactly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Hiromi said. ¡°Four years is a pretty big age gap.¡±


    ¡°I miss them,¡± Bastien said ruefully. ¡°I miss everyone back home.¡±


    Hiromi let out a sigh before she nodded. ¡°Me too,¡± she said quietly. Then her voice grew more confident. ¡°Imagine what they are going to say when we get back, though? Right? We¡¯re going to have a pretty amazing story to tell.¡±


    Bastien let out a little chuckle. ¡°Yeah, I think you are right.¡± Then he straightened up. ¡°So, tell me about your family?¡±


    Though the crew of the Grace had been together for several months, Bastien knew little about some of his colleagues other than their cadet records and what they chose to share when he and Safiya met with them for mandatory mental health checkups. Those on different shifts ¨C like he and Hiromi ¨C didn¡¯t have as much opportunity to socialize as did those who worked the same shift. Unless strong friendships were forged, it was easy to slip into congenial but otherwise impersonal working relationships. Going out to eat was a good way to rectify that.


    Over a wonderful assortment of fresh sashimi-style fish, Hiromi told Bastien about growing up on New Dallas. She had a tight-knit family with no military connection but her parent¡¯s work as orbital shuttle pilots had sparked in her a desire to explore the galaxy while sitting behind the controls of fast and powerful vessels. The Union Defense Force seemed a good way to do that so she enrolled ¨C with her parent¡¯s blessing ¨C at age ten and excelled at the curriculum. Her focus, obviously, was on navigation and piloting.


    After swapping a few tales about the early cadet years, Hiromi eventually asked Bastien about his own journey into the UDF. He paused for a moment before deciding he could share the tale. Dante already knew, Bastien having told him some time ago while they were sharing stories, and he felt as if the last few months had helped him cope with the negative feelings associated with the tribulations that brought him to space.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hiromi said as Bastien finished telling his story. ¡°That¡¯s awful.¡±


    ¡°It was tough,¡± Bastien conceded. ¡°But I got through it and I¡¯m, in some ways, grateful for the opportunity it provided. I wasn¡¯t thrilled that my choice was to join the UDF or spend the next few decades incarcerated ¨C I would have much preferred to stay home with my family ¨C but it put me here on the Grace. I feel like I can contribute to us getting home and that feeling has helped me move forward.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you are here,¡± Hiromi said with a raised glass. Bastien mirrored the gesture.


    The rest of the meal went by quickly and Bastien had to admit that the restaurant was a true gem. The food was fresh and delicious. The atmosphere reminded him of human space. The company was enjoyable and getting to know Hiromi in the less formal setting helped Bastien better understand the ship¡¯s second officer and appreciate why Cait had selected her for the post. While she was full of energy and lacked the seriousness that some of the older cadets had shown, Hiromi was intelligent, driven, and had a thoughtfulness behind her eyes that Bastien felt made her a good choice for the command team.


    The bill came and, as there was a growing line at the restaurant¡¯s entrance, the two quickly paid the appropriate credits and left. Hiromi expressed to Bastien as they walked out the door how nice it was to have a bit of cash to burn and Bastien echoed the sentiment. A quick perusal of some of the nearby storefronts finished off the evening before the two officers returned to the airlock that served as the connection to the Grace and signaled to the crewman on the other side their desire to board. Hiromi thanked Bastien for accompanying her to dinner and headed off to bed. Bastien, with Beta Shift only an hour away, went to burn off the meal in the gym before he had to take over for Cait on the Bridge.

 Chapter Ten

    Chapter Ten


    August 29, 2940


    ¡°So, how¡¯s it looking?¡± Bastien asked as he tried not to let his teeth chatter. It was cold in the Galley¡¯s primary freezer and Bastien was not wearing the protective layer that those assigned to the kitchen tended to have on hand. He regretted not trying to find one of the large parka-looking coats before seeking out Spencer. ¡°Full stores?¡±


    Lieutenant Cellar peaked his head out from behind several shelves deep in the icy chamber. ¡°Yes, Commander,¡± he answered with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s taken a couple of days to cycle up the remaining foodstuffs and get everything we picked up at port organized. We¡¯re almost there but I can assure you that we have plenty to eat for the next eight months.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Bastien commented, glancing back the way he¡¯d come and toward the much warmer kitchen. He knew that the ship had spent some of her hard-earned credits on resupplying the Galley at Freeport Gamma Tango but that actually organizing their new foodstuffs had been a logistical challenge for Spencer since it was the first time they had been required to do so. ¡°Any issues with the supplies?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the chief steward said. ¡°I made sure to work with Safiya when selecting potential food supplies at Freeport Gamma Tango. Everything we purchased is safe for consumption.¡±


    ¡°Anything that would remind us of home?¡± Bastien asked as he wrapped his arms around his chest to try and fight off the cold. Spencer appeared to notice and stood.


    ¡°Want to continue this conversation in the kitchen?¡±


    Bastien nodded vigorously. ¡°Please.¡±


    The two exited the huge walk-in freezer and Bastien let out a sigh of relief as the warm kitchen air hit him. Several steward attendants were busy with food prep and Bastien looked on with interest. The crew of the Grace had eaten well since getting the Galley up and running. It was thanks to the hard work of these crewmen. ¡°So, your question,¡± Spencer asked as he closed the cold storage unit, ¡°was whether any of the food would remind us of home?¡± He began to take off the coat.


    ¡°Right,¡± Bastien confirmed.


    ¡°I would say so. There are only so many types of foodstuffs, Commander, and the markets at Freeport Gamma Tango supplied us with practically everything I ordered. Meats. Grains. Vegetables. Spices. An assortment of odds and ends. We can make dishes that resemble foods from home. Some things might taste a bit¡­ odd. Might look a little weird. But for the most part, I¡¯d say people shouldn¡¯t have any complaints.¡± He hung the insulated jacket next to several others that Bastien hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Bastien glanced around the kitchen. ¡°Well, I came down for a quick bite but thought I¡¯d pop back here to see if everything was going well with the new food stores.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Lieutenant Cellar answered. ¡°I was about to get a meal myself. Want to join me?¡±


    With a grin, Bastien followed Spencer through the busy kitchen and into the Galley proper. They approached the terminal used for ordering a meal, tapped at it to generate a ticket, and Bastien reviewed that shift¡¯s offerings. Omelets and hash browns. Fish and chips. Shepherd¡¯s pie. Pork fried rice. Like other UDF vessels, the Galley had a variety of meals available at any given time and they were freshly made upon ordering. ¡°Any suggestions?¡± Bastien asked as he debated between the shepherd¡¯s pie and the pork fried rice.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting the shepherd¡¯s pie,¡± Spencer said with a shrug. ¡°Cookie is trying a new variation and I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s going to be great.¡±


    ¡°Make it two, then,¡± Bastien said and Spencer punched in the order. Then the two officers grabbed drinks ¨C lemonade for Bastien and jasmine tea for Spencer ¨C before ambling over to a table and sitting down to wait for their food. Bastien looked around at the crewmembers eating and laughing throughout the Galley. The space was certainly popular. ¡°So,¡± Bastien said by way of conversation, ¡°we have one hundred ninety crew on board, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Spencer said before taking a sip of his tea.


    ¡°And the normal crew compliment for the Grace would be one hundred forty?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°A Dublin class support carrier like the Grace generally carries enough food to comfortably feed her crew for eight months and our pantries and cold storage were practically full when we first came out of cryogenic hibernation.¡±


    Spencer took a moment to respond. ¡°That¡¯s accurate.¡±


    ¡°Your latest estimates, if food consumption so far is to be believed, is that we could feed our crew for about six months if we are fully stocked with the requisite foodstuffs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my current estimate, yes. The model shifts a bit depending on the kinds of meals we prepare but six months is a good base number.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Bastien commented before taking a sip of his lemonade.


    ¡°Problem, Commander?¡± Spencer asked. His tone sounded a bit wary. Bastien didn¡¯t answer immediately so Spencer continued. ¡°If you¡¯d like to see my model, I can send it to you. I¡¯m pretty confident I¡¯m right but you¡¯re welcome to check my numbers.¡±


    Bastien held up a hand in apology. ¡°Sorry, Spencer. I didn¡¯t mean to question your conclusions. I was just confirming them because a thought occurred to me earlier.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Spencer asked without offense.


    ¡°We¡¯re on our way to the Macroom system with the goal of rescuing an unknown number of people but we¡¯re not totally sure how long those people will be on board if we rescue them. Will we have enough food?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Spencer said confidently. ¡°My understanding is that the parameters of this mission involve us rescuing Mr. Aldram¡¯s immediate family. The report that Noah sent around after the interrogation suggested maybe a dozen people? A score at most? That¡¯s not going to have a significant impact on our foodstuffs.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bastien acknowledged. ¡°But what if something changes? What if we suddenly find that we have a hundred civilians who need to be evacuated. Two hundred? What then?¡±


    Spencer paused for a moment and Bastien watched as the chief steward did some mental calculations. After a few seconds, Spencer spoke. ¡°It takes a lot to work through our stores. Even if we add another couple of hundred mouths to feed, we would have weeks, if not months, to get them away from the system and to a friendly port. I¡¯d probably need to draft a few crewmen from other divisions to help in the kitchen but we should be fine if that were to occur.¡±


    Bastien felt better after hearing the certainty in Spencer¡¯s voice. Though the chief steward was the youngest of the senior officers, his number of certifications and general competence at his job gave a lot of weight to his pronouncement. ¡°Good. One more thing?¡± Spencer raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are we sure that any refugees we rescue can eat our cooking?¡±


    Spencer grinned. ¡°I already discussed it with Safiya and Natasha. Yes, they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Bastien said before shifting the conversation to their next planned game night. Minutes passed as the two chatted enthusiastically about the state of their current holographic adventure before the food was delivered by a smiling crewman. Bastien dug in immediately, his stomach growling, and was immediately glad that he¡¯d taken Spencer¡¯s recommendation. ¡°This is great,¡± he announced around a mouthful of carrots, peas, potatoes, and ground beef. ¡°The flavor really pops.¡±


    ¡°We used some spices we picked up in port,¡± Spencer responded. ¡°Thought they¡¯d go well in the dish.¡±


    ¡°Keep doing what you¡¯re doing,¡± Bastien said before taking another huge bite. Spencer chuckled and followed suit. The next few minutes were quiet as the two dug into their meals and savored the delicious food and the warm energetic atmosphere of the Galley.


    ¡°Beta shift starts in two hours,¡± Spencer pointed out sometime later as the two pushed their empty plates away and leaned back in their chairs contentedly. ¡°Anything of interest scheduled?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Bastien answered before draining his drink. ¡°A few routine maintenance issues, I think, and I was planning on reviewing Syndicate trade data. We have a few smaller ports we can stop at before we get to the Macroom system so it¡¯s worth taking a look to see if there is anything interesting available for trade. You have anything pressing to do?¡±


    ¡°I still have some more freezer organization that needs to happen,¡± Spencer said. ¡°Everything should be in its place after this shift, though. Going to check in on our garden, too.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that project coming along?¡± Bastien asked with interest.


    ¡°Slow but good,¡± Spencer said with a shrug. ¡°Life is coming back to the greenhouse but it takes time. With everything there totally dead when we woke up, I¡¯m actually surprised that we¡¯ve made as much progress as we have. In another few months, I think we¡¯ll have some fresh vegetables on hand. The fruits will take longer, though.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Bastien said with a smile. Then he looked around. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m going to head up to Deck Three and hit the gym. I¡¯d like to burn off a bit of the meal before duty starts.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Spencer said as he stood and turned toward the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m going to chat with Cookie a bit and discuss the menu for tomorrow.¡±


    *****


    After stopping off at his quarters to change, Bastien took the S-Tube to Deck Three before deciding to pass through the primary lounge en route to the gym. He didn¡¯t spend much time in the lounge ¨C preferring to do any studying or non-bridge work in his quarters or the small office set aside for the ship¡¯s executive officer ¨C but he knew a lot of the crew spent their off hours there. It was a spacious area and partitions broke it up into several useful configurations for entertainment, informal meetings, and study. There was even a wet bar that Spencer ensured was well stocked with salty snacks, sweet treats, and drinks.


    The primary lounge was bustling as Bastien walked in and he exchanged greetings with quite a few of the crewmen present. Many were from the Beta shift, up on Deck Three early in order to get in a bit of studying or fun before work began. Some of the crewmen were Gamma shift and would soon be heading back to their quarters to sleep. There were even a few Alpha shift crew present, sitting at the stationary data terminals which they had linked to their assigned shipboard duties. Everything looked good so Bastien meandered toward the other exit, already thinking about his upcoming exercise. Crewman Olivera, sitting at a table with several others, waved at him as he started to pass. ¡°Hey Commander,¡± she said and Bastien altered his course to greet her. She worked in Sickbay and he¡¯d shared a shift with her when he picked up a shift there.


    ¡°Crewman,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°How¡¯s everything going?¡±


    ¡°Well, Ser,¡± she responded. ¡°We¡¯re busy studying. I¡­ um¡­ I¡¯m having some trouble with this particular chemistry problem. Do you think you could help me out?¡± Bastien smiled and nodded, leaning over the table to look at her tablet. He recognized the issue from his own certification training.


    ¡°Of course.¡± It only took five minutes to clear up the young crewman¡¯s confusion and, by the time Bastien was done explaining, he saw that Olivera understood and could proceed forward on her own. He looked around the table and saw that one of the crewmen was in the engineering department and the other three were security personnel. ¡°Anyone else having any trouble?¡± The four shook their heads in the negative and Bastien grinned. ¡°Anyone studying anything interesting?¡± The crewmen lit up at the senior officer¡¯s interest and each proceeded to tell Bastien a bit about what they were working on. He nodded and asked a few lightly probing questions. ¡°And what about you, Crewman Khan?¡± Bastien asked, turning to one of Noah¡¯s people. The young man grinned.


    ¡°Working on an operations certification, Ser,¡± Khan said. ¡°Inter-system realignment. I¡¯m acing it.¡±


    Bastien felt his eyebrows raise slightly. ¡°Really?¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Is it tough?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Khan answered. ¡°I should have the certification by tomorrow I think.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Bastien responded. ¡°That¡¯s not a security certification, right? It¡¯s in the operations department?¡±


    ¡°Yes Ser,¡± Khan said with a nod. ¡°Once I have it, I¡¯ll have access to a few other higher-tier operations certs.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Bastien said. ¡°Are you working on any security certifications too or just focusing on operations?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all doing security certifications,¡± Crewman Austin interrupted. Bastien glanced at her. She, like Khan, was one of Noah¡¯s people. ¡°But Lieutenant Commander Wright told us we can study other mission-critical divisions in our off time so long as we work on security certifications while on duty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on the small-arms maintenance and procedures certification while on duty. I should have that one in a day or so too,¡± Khan said enthusiastically. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to tackle basic ship-to-ship tactical analysis after that.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Bastien said with a slightly forced smile, doing his best not to allow his frustration with the other senior officer to show. Bastien told the assembled crew to continue their hard work before excusing himself from the lounge and heading toward the gym.


    His aggravation grew with each step. Noah knew that the captain had wanted the crew to focus on their own responsibilities and gaining certifications in their assigned divisions before trying to cross-train. They¡¯d made a general announcement about that very subject and had even gone so far as to provide guidance on what was, and was not, considered mission-critical educational opportunities. While she hadn¡¯t ordered the crew to narrowly tailor their studies, the message had been clear. If you were security, work on security certs. If you were engineering, work on engineering certs. They were all still cadets, no matter the acting ranks they claimed, and none of them measured up to true crew when it came to experience and knowledge. If they were going to get home, that gap had to be rectified as soon as possible.


    The overwhelming desire to give Noah a piece of his mind struck Bastien just as he entered the gym so used his IBP to ping the automated ship systems and find out where the chief of security was at that moment. The response indicated that Noah was in his quarters. ¡°Probably asleep,¡± Bastien muttered to himself with an angry sigh. He could march down and wake the lieutenant commander but Bastien pushed that thought aside. Charging into another¡¯s quarters to yell at them would be¡­ poor form. Instead, he approached one of the treadmills, activated it, and began a slow jog.


    The next hour was filled with vigorous exercise, Bastien working up a sweat on the treadmill before moving on to lift weights. He didn¡¯t speak to the other crew who were exercising nearby. He was too angry. Noah had done a great job over the months to get under Bastien¡¯s skin and Bastien felt a sense of vindictive pleasure as he thought about the confrontation that was to come the next time he ran into Noah. He was the senior officer. Noah was junior to him. He¡¯d tear into the other young man with all the authority his rank allowed and, by the time he was done, Noah would know just how badly he¡¯d screwed up. It would probably get around the Grace, of course, and everyone would be talking about the dressing down the chief of security had received for undermining the captain¡¯s goals. Noah would be forced to stop acting like a pain in the rear and the captain would thank Bastien for¡ª


    ¡°Commander?¡± a small voice said nearby.


    ¡°What?¡± Bastien snapped, turning his head to look at the junior crewman who was standing next to him. The boy, one of the youngest members of the crew if Bastien remembered correctly, jumped back as if slapped. The fear on the kid¡¯s face caused Bastien to take a deep breath and soften his tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Crewman Leeds. I was in the zone and you startled me. Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes Ser,¡± the boy said as he pointed to the weight rack right in front of Bastien and then to the small weight in his own hand. ¡°I wanted to put this back, Ser, but you were standing right in front of the rack.¡±


    Bastien looked down and saw that he was, indeed, right in front of the weight rack. He hadn¡¯t noticed, his thoughts swirling angrily in his mind and making him less aware of his surroundings. Bastien stepped back and gestured to the rack, giving the young crewman a reassuring smile as the boy stepped forward to place his weight in its proper place. ¡°Sorry about that, crewman. Like I said, I was sort of in the zone and I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Feel free to push me out of the way if it happens again.¡± Bastien offered the boy a conspiratorial grin, which was returned.


    ¡°Yes, Ser,¡± Crewman Leeds said before turning to go.


    Bastien let out another deep breath and put his own weights away. Then he headed for the gym¡¯s exit, needing to get back to his quarters for a brief shower before Beta shift began. By the time he walked onto the Bridge twenty minutes later, his aggravation with Noah had diminished considerably. What hadn¡¯t diminished was his irritation and embarrassment at allowing his emotions to run wild.