"Yepp. With some elbow-grease and skill, we should be able to find a use for it ..."
"There are distinct benefits to just getting her running as-is. We would be able to take fuel from here and set up long term operations for probes in other locations in this system. It would make almost any spaceborne operation here or in Telthani less of a logistical challenge." Ziirkaa swings around in his chair dramatically, tents his fingertips and smiles like a wolf.
"Getting this one running would be useful no matter what projects we decide are priorities here."
Holt nods at Dr. Ziirkaa and says "And there isn't any reason we couldn't do both and turn it into a long range freighter. Or even make it customizable, since we'd just be talking about swapping the pods on it."
Holt stares at the image of the ship, but her eyes have glazed over, lost in thought, as she quietly adds "Yes... there is lots of potential in this one..."
Vathan just enjoys the trip. He figuratively pinches himself every day or so from the awe that he feels traveling through space.
@Ophelia
When Annara go's to see Holt she brings new medics, who are good ones, and reads to her the Exploits of the daring Doctor Ziirkaa.
"who"
She tells Ophelia
"has been awarded the Starburst for Extreme Heroism for his part in the "Battle of The Dam" where it was reposted after a daring attack with a small group of special forces Names withheld. Fighting there way in to the Dam's inner control centre he shot and killed the Isolationist Terrorists leader De'Field's. Then wile still under heavy fire from the reaming Isolationists her perform field surgery on a number of special forces in critical condition after the attack for this breviary in the face of the enemy he will be listed as a hero of the state."
She looks over at Holt and jokes with a smile.
"You know we will have to get a bigger spaceship, he's head now is never going to fit past through the door of the old one"
Then ship reads on
"Also of note was one Viktoria Ceres know as 'Ace' Ceres now by her fellow Pilots, who gained the status 'Ace Fighter Pilot', the 1st for over 80 years, and has been awarded 'Combat Wings and the MCUF for combat via Fighters. This is the very same Captain Ceres from the historic mission 7 years ago, that hushed in the new glorious age of exploration, and it go's on listing us all again."
She places the paper down and still smiling looks back up at Ophelia.
"Well, you lot have been in the wars. Now I have some news and a gift, 1st the gift"
She hand Ophelia a small box in witch if she opens it is a set of keys.
There is also a image of a mountain cabin.
"It's close to you childhood home in the Iron Hills. After my 1st husbands estates where cleared in the courts a number of things I did not know he owned became mind. One was an old Miners loge he had converted into a retreat. Its close to an air field as It seems he would take his 'Female friends' there for weekends. I have no wish to ever go there so I had it cleared out so now its empty doing nothing. I have decided to make it a gift to you Ophelia. Once you are done with this hospital my hope is you will use it for rest and recuperation. That's if you wish to, if not I will just sell the place, but I would much more like to give it to you, before the others came."
She picks up the coffee she had brought for them.
"Everyone's been so brave, Then Vathan the movie star, who would have thought it. Do you know they even have toys of him now, Fernán showed me one, and he insisted we have it in our car. He may joke about Vathan becoming big time, but I think Vathan is a good role model for children. He's big, strong but soft, kids love him. You know he moved on from my command after the new system trip. I don't blame him I stuck up hard b***h and a real pain in the a** back then, of witch Fernán keeps reminding me. I think I was just trying to hard to do what others wanted me to do.... Did I ever tell you about the talk me and Agge Gosh! 4 years ago now. My! it was 8 years ago you entered that ship Ophelia. Most of us where just kids back then, yet it seems like yesterday. O Look at me reminiscing."
She chuckles to herself.
"Viktoria and Ace Pilot, Agge working with special forces, you fighting in ground battles, Vathan on vid, then me, I'm just a pen pushing decks-Jock now. But the truth is I'm happy with that, they made me a Commander but all I really do is consult and vet."
She taps her head.
"'Sniffing out bad eggs' as they say in the Psycorps, not that I found any. I spend a lot of time on the ISS, on the fleet or at home now."
She smiles and seems happy, she has not yet said anything about her news.
"And that's where my news comes in, Me and Fernán are getting married, publicly, He will be taking on the title of Baron. We wanted you and the others to be there. It will be the wedding of the year, everyone can get all dressed up. But that's not the big news, Once he's the new Baron he will be looking after the estates, business. Its seems all those years of crime makes him very good at spotting crocks."
Then with a grin she adds,
"and... he will also be looking after our baby twins, Ophelia and Agamemnon, named after you and Agge, we where hoping you would agree to be a god mother to them. I have yet to ask Agge, but he should be here with the others soon. I sent everyone call to come see you a few days ago."
She waits to see Ophelia reaction, to her bomb shells.
Out of the Blue Vathan
you get a delivery,
Its a hard flight case, large
A delivery note form Utoxier-Lee Industry's with a hand written note
It reads
Now your a film Star, I think you may not go hunting so much now, So try this, just off the new production line, product test it for me. Your old friend, Gomez.
It has a security lock then needs a thum scan to open and is keyed to you.
When opened you find a Custom build master work laser hunting rifle inside.
A box is delivered to you, with it is a short letter from Annara.
Dear Viktoria
I was at an art Gallery show last mouth and meet the most wonderful artist. I commissioned him to produce this piece. I hope you life it.
Annara.
Inside the box is a number of sliver plated models, each model is one of the ships that Viktoria has been Captain off. They fit on a number of stands that can be placed on a shelf or desk.
A small box is delivered to you, inside it is a small gold pocket witch and a note
.
An Inscription inside the witch says.
Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.
The notes says
From Annara and Gomez, To a man who always spends well.
Viktoria Ceres where, for once, both planet-bound and very curious about the object in her hands. She had retrieved the mysterious box from her land lord as she returned from another sortie in orbit just this morning, and now it sat on her kitchen table of her small apartment. But she hadn't had the time to open it then, she had to rush and take care of a million and one little things. But now, she finally had time to figure out this enigma. She put down the small paper container of take-away food she brought on the table and wholeheartedly focused on the box. The kitchen knife worked equally well on paper and she was soon inside.
With a grin like a child at Christmas she picked up the first little silver ship. She decided, rather quickly, that she did like this piece. Very much! Thank you Annara! she thought and dug trough the rest of the box for the other small ships. When she finally tired of admiring (and playing with) them, the wook was cold and with a sigh and a smile she placed it in the oven for reheating.
Doctor Ziirkaa stands by the window in his hotel room in the Telanthan hotel looking out at the city. He sips his coffiene and lets his mind wander. Lightbringer day... The thought brings a smile to his lips. A typo in his report about the Lightbearer that has become part of the cannon of the Telthani long night. Three more days, and I can get back to the station. Two more nights of dress blacks and small talk... Feeling a tightning down in his midsection Agamemnon lets loose with a deep rumbling belch. at least the food is good.
”housekeeping. Increase air circulation to maximum.”
Doctor Ziirkaa slides his hand into his waistcoat pocket and produces his new gold pocketwatch. He dangles it in the air by the chain watching the light glint as it turns. It’s funny how people can surprise you. She really seems happy now. Still, etiquette demands action.
”Computer, Begin Dictation.
Dearest Annara,
Your gift of the gold pocket watch is very thoughtful. Thank you for your continued kindnesses.
I hope to see you tonight at the Lightbringer Day Gala at the Telanthan hotel. The Commodore has informed me that security will be ordered to keep me away from the ice sculpture this year. That is probably for the best after the incident last year. I would certainly hate to be called upon to do another emergency tracheotomy.
Your humble servant,
Agamemnon
Computer, End Dictation.”
Once again, Ophelia found herself in the debriefing room on the ISS Telthani. She and the rest of the crew of the Lightbearer had rendezvoused with the freighter as proposed and passed on maps, recordings, and recommendations for salvage. Ophelia had wanted to continue searching the asteroids, but they were to report home, and report home they did.
She had filled out a report on the way back, but as always in these matters, the brass wanted to ask questions. She hated these meetings, and they had only become worse since she had been appointed first mate of the ship. But she bared it, maybe not grinning, but well enough.
It was explained to her, however, that since they had uncovered a new source of resources for their people, that the government decided it would be a good idea to build up their infrastructure and to set up facilities for the repair and constructions of starships. Ophelia was to be assigned to the Bureau of Ships to be one of the Engineers overseeing the construction, as well as one of the architects to design it.
Ophelia was excited… but of course there was a condition. The Navy wanted her to be one of the primary faces of the new project: she was to do interviews, press releases, write articles, attend charity events, even commercials for merchandise based on the program.
Ophelia, not comfortable with that kind of attention, tried to convince those in charge to change their minds about that part, but they were insistent. They told her that they needed someone to convince a whole new generation of children to become engineers and techs, and to convince the current generation to volunteer for relocation. Hesitantly, Ophelia agreed.
- - - - -
Given some time off, Ophelia flew home to see her folks and friends. There were lots of questions: What did the planet look like, how did it feel, was she scared, did they encounter aliens, did she bring anything home, etc. And Ophelia did her best to answer them, leaving out the part about millions of people euthanizing themselves. Which made it a little bit harder to answer the question of why she wasn’t more excited to talk about it…
- - - - -
Ophelia, sitting in the same kitchenette she did growing up, sipped her orange juice and munched on gravy covered biscuits. She never had a talent for cooking, and the mess hall food was nothing compared to her mother’s. And while she was eating, listening to her mother tell her everything that had happened with everyone since the last time she visited, her mother said ”And, honey, I was just wondering… if you’re seeing anybody...”
Ophelia almost choked on her biscuit. No, it wasn’t the first time that something like this had been brought up, but it still took her by surprise. ”N-no Mom. Honestly, I haven’t even been looking.”
”Really? Because even though I was married and had you, even I was still looking.” her mother replied with a soft laugh.
Ophelia giggled and added, ”Ok, I’m looking. Sometimes way too intensely… It’s just… I don’t know, there has always been so much to do. Especially when I was still in school. And there is so much to do out there...” she waves a hand towards the sky, ”... that I wouldn’t get to spend that much time with them anyway. And that wouldn’t be fair to them.”
But this time her mother give her a more serious look, and a more serious tone, as she said ”Honey, I know it is your life… but... I would really like some grandchildren. Besides, you are too smart, and too cute, not to pass that on.”
Ophelia looked down, just kind of pushing a piece of biscuit around the plate.
How do I explain to her how amazing everything and important the things I do are? How do I tell her that I want the same things? That sometimes, when the plans have been completed, and the project is done, I wonder if it is time to start that family. And then I wonder if I did, would I ever get to start another project…
Ophelia didn’t look up, and said ”I know Mom… thanks for breakfast.” before getting up and walking out the back door.
- - - - -
Ophelia looked at Durant’s shop, it not having changed a bit. She walked in to see him sitting at his desk, tinkering with some sort of old, wooden clock. He didn’t seem to hear her, so she spoke up, saying ”Hello again, Master Durant.”
He scrambled to look up and squinted a bit before saying ”Ah yes, Ophelia. Good to see you. But you know that you haven’t needed to call me ‘Master’ in years. Keep it up and I’ll start calling you Miss Holt again. Anyway, come, let’s have a smoke and catch up. My clock is stopped so I apparently have all the time in the world.”
Ophelia giggled and said ”Good. Because I could use one.” as they went out back. Though she noticed that he was moving slower than she remembered.
Lit pipes in hand, Durant says ”So something is bothering you? Not that it is necessarily any of my business.”
Ophelia replied ”It’s… I got into something of an argument with my mother this morning...” Turning to look at Durant, she adds ”May… may I ask you… some personal questions?”
A confused look on his face, Durant nods. Ophelia is quiet a moment, before asking ”Were you ever married?”
Durant takes a long puff and says ”I was. Briefly. A beautiful young woman by the name of Alexandria Faulkner. We were both Naval Engineers and ended up being assigned to a submarine whose mission was to search out deep undersea mineral deposits and see how likely it was that we could establish some kind of mining operation. She and I hot-bunked the same cot, both literally and metaphorically.” Durant laughs deeply when he sees Ophelia blush and smile at the joke.
Smiling, he continues ”It was a pretty intense affair, and when the sub came back up to the surface a few months later, we decided to get married. Two years later, we divorced. Turns out there is a big difference between spending two, three hour shifts with one another and living together. We just... both wanted different things out of life.” Durant gave a long sigh. ”Honestly, we figured that out about six months into the marriage. But at that point the relationship satisfied certain needs of the both of us and it took that last year and a half before either of us felt a need to end it. We parted as friends.”
Ophelia nodded and asked ”And why didn’t you marry again? Did you stop seeing people?”
Durant laughed loudly and said ”Oh, no, I saw lots of women. Even when you were apprenticing under me, sometimes those house calls from Mrs. Miller weren’t always about her washer acting up.” Durant just seems too amused by this conversation. ”But no, I never dated anyone seriously after Alexandria. Not that it’s her fault or anything, I just realized that I didn’t want to tie someone else down to me, when I might get taken up on a whim to sign up for assignments in the deep ocean or the black of space. And by the time I retired I figured I was too old and crotchety, and it wouldn’t be right to force some pretty young thing to have to deal with me for the rest of my life.”
Ophelia grinned at his joke, and asked ”Did you ever have any children? Did you want to?”
Durant shook his head and said ”Nope, no kids. And I thought about it. I wouldn’t have minded a rug rat or two. But, again, if I wouldn’t want to force a woman to deal with me for the rest of my life, I also wouldn’t want to force her to deal with a younger, stupider me for the rest of hers.”
Ophelia giggled, feeling better, but asked ”And… it doesn’t bother you? That you never had a family?”
Durant furrowed his brow and said ”Yes and no. On the one hand, you could almost say that this whole town is my family. I know many of them quite well, am invited to family dinners, am well taken care of, and only spoken badly about in whispers behind my back, like a normal family member. But sometimes I do wonder about how things would be different, if I had a wife and kids.”
Durant took another long puff, and said ”So your mother is wondering why you haven’t gotten married and had kids yet? Well, why haven’t you?”
Ophelia had not expected that from him, but at least he seemed more curious than serious. ”Well, I’ve just been so focused on my work. And it isn’t that I’m not interested. I mean, I’ve dated a little. But, kind of like you were saying, I don’t want to get attached to someone like that, or let them get attached to me, and then just up and leave for who knows how long. I mean, it is completely possible that we could have just died on that hyperspace jump.”
Durant nodded and asked ”So what about someone else in the Navy or Marines that could come along? An engineer, a pilot, security, something like that?”
She shook her head and replied ”No, I don’t want to date a coworker. If things go wrong it could be awkward, and we might be stuck together on the same ship for years.”
Durant chuckles softly and says ”We both know that is just an excuse. I know you well enough to believe that you wouldn’t be interested in a man who couldn’t at least keep things civil and professional. And I know you would too. But fine. Do you want kids?”
She takes a deep breath, looking at the swirling smoke, and says ”Honestly, if I found the right guy… yeah. I’d love to have a family. But…I’m not exploring on a city in space like some of those huge battleships. Resources are precious and there is no way that I’d somehow be allowed to bring a non-functional crew-member on board, much less a child too. And I’d hate to have a child and then just never be there for it. So… I have to make a choice between my career and a family.”
Durant nods and says ”So you’ve chosen your career?”
Ophelia sits there quiet for a bit, before replying ”I’m now one of the few qualified to guide us back to the rest of humanity, one of the few that understands how all of this stuff works well enough to actually allow us to travel to other systems. Wouldn’t it be selfish of me not to? Or am I just trying to convince myself of that?”
Durant strokes his chin and says ”There is something of a point there. But why not just design the things and let someone else build them? You could do that here, on the planet, with a husband and child. You don’t actually have to go up there or out there.”
Ophelia can feel her eyes starting to glass over, and she takes a deep breath, trying to hold back. ”Then… then I guess I am being selfish. Because I don’t want to give that up.”
Durant puts a hand on her shoulder and says ”And there is nothing wrong with that. We all make selfish decisions all the time. And honestly, with the work that you have put into it, you deserve to do what makes you happy.”
Ophelia nodded, but she wasn’t so sure that she agreed.
- - - - -
The next year or so was a blur of activity for Ophelia. The transfer to the Bureau of ships was immediate upon her arrival, and in the course of a week she had been promoted to a Junior Grade Lieutenant, citing her ‘continued excellence’. She had also been assigned an assistant and been announced as a “Project Director and Chief Architect” of the new Orbital Fabrication Platform. The ‘Project Director’ part was attached for the PR aspect as opposed to Ophelia having any real duties in that regards.
And having an assistant was new for her as well. She had always worked alone or been the assistant. But the young man assigned to her, Warrant Officer Daniel Shanks, was nice enough. He didn’t suck up to her, which Ophelia liked, and he was confident in his abilities without acting like a jerk, which is something that she had found to be rarer than should would have liked.
The two of them quickly developed a comfortable working relationship. Ophelia still wasn’t comfortable giving someone ‘orders’ like that, but Shanks, assigned to her as much for his diplomatic skills as his technical ones, managed to help them figure things out.
Ophelia enjoyed her work, or at least the technical part of it. The social aspect was exhausting to her though. She was constantly having to go in front of a camera and talk to someone, saying the same talking points, memorizing written speeches, going to photo shoots so her face could be printed on some t-shirt or poster, or making public appearances at schools and museums. And without the help of Shanks, she never would have been able to keep everything straight.
Often she just wished that they would leave her alone to her work, and when things got to be too much, she would make up some excuse about how some bit of construction needed her personal examination. Suiting up and floating, alone, in space, she was able to relax and center herself again.
And Ophelia continued to think about what her mother had said, about starting a family. She still wasn’t sure of what she wanted, but maybe she could give it a chance. Even if it was just for a while, she could have something to look back on like Durant did. But her schedule was so hectic, and her use as a personality for publicity worked against her. Any time she started to talk to someone she wondered if it was really her that they thought they were talking to or if it was the ‘her’ created by the PR team.
- - - - -
Shanks came into Ophelia’s office, unsure of how to deliver this news. He swallowed to clear his throat and said ”Dr. Holt, I have a message for you.”
Ophelia didn’t like this. Shanks only referred to her as ‘Dr. Holt’ when he was acting in some official capacity, and that usually meant something bad. ”Yes Shanks, what is it?”
Shanks looked in her eyes and said ”I’m sorry, Ophelia… Senior Petty Officer Zachary Durant passed away in his sleep last night… The funeral is Thursday...”
Ophelia stared for a moment, taking in what was said, before turning away. She could feel her face flushing, the tears starting to well. Softly, she replied ”Please… cancel my appoints for the rest of the day… and arrange for travel Wednesday night, and for my return Saturday morning.”
Shanks nods and turns to leave, but before he can get out the door, Ophelia speaks up again ”Wait… don’t arrange for travel… I’ll fly myself...” Again, Shanks nods and closes the door behind him, leaving her to her grief.
- - - - -
Ophelia sat in the front row, dressed in her full Navy formal uniform. The funeral was bigger than she had expected, and certainly bigger than Durant would have cared for. When Navy PR had received word of Ophelia taking time off for the funeral, and that she was to give a eulogy, they saw an opportunity.
While the priest spoke, Ophelia stared at the prepared speech given to her. It spoke lots about things like ‘honor’ and ‘service’ and ‘glory’. Biting her lip, she thought about how hollow the words were. How they could be said about anyone… just ten minutes of nothing but soundbites for the evening news.
It was time for Ophelia to speak. She stood up and made her way to the podium and looked out amongst the crowd. And for a moment she could have sworn that the entire town had shown up. She looked down at the casket and cleared her throat.
He deserves better than to be used like this…
She puts the cards away and leans into the mic. ”I know that things have been moving fast lately, and that it seems like the world is changing at a rapid pace. And with that change, there have been lots of discussion of ‘heroes’ and of the influence of great figures. But not every great figure is on television.”
”If you had asked Zachery Durant who and what he was, he would have told you ‘A simple man with too little time to waste it answering such a stupid question.’ Durant never cared about titles or the opinion of others. Many of you here spent more than a few minutes being berated by him about how you treated your farm equipment. And berated is definitely the nicest way he might treat you about it.”
”But he also often worked at cost of parts, or in trade, or for a credit that he never expected to receive. I watched as he often spent the night working on a someones car or tractor, and then for hours billed, put ‘two’.”
”Durant lived by two simple principles: The time that we have here is too short to spend doing anything other than what you love. And that one should try their best to leave the world a better place than they found it.”
”Now, to speak personally, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be who I am today with the influence of Zachery Durant. Almost twenty years ago I went up to him seeking to be his apprentice. That time with Durant is what inspired me and what has driven me to become the woman that stands before you.”
”And yet, he refused to believe that he was anything other than a normal man, no different from you and me. And in a lot of ways, he is right. The traits that made him great, at least in my mind, were his sincerity, his patience, and his passion. And those are traits that all of us could have, and do have, within us.”
”We all have the potential for greatness and when Durant could see it, he nurtured it. Well, Durant has passed, and it is ever more important that we follow in his footsteps and learn from his example.”
Ophelia stands still, just quiet for a moment, before stepping away from the podium and towards the casket. There, she places a hand on the it and whispers ”Goodbye, Master Durant.”
- - - - -
After the funeral, Ophelia went back to Durant’s workshop. She went back to the little kitchenette and opened the fridge. And grabbing a six pack of beer, like there always was in that fridge, she went around back and sat in the same chair that she always had.
She took off her coat, her cap, her gloves, and her tie, tossing them on the nearby table, and cracked open that first beer. And for the next couple of hours she thought over her time with Durant and how it had changed her.
But she couldn’t stay there forever. She got up to take another look around the shop, just wanting to get one last memory of it before anything happened to it. And after a cursory examination she stood before a door she had never gone into before: the door to the stairs to Durant’s bedroom over the top of the shop.
Hesitantly, she opened the door and walked up the steps. Opening the door at the top of the stairs as well, she examines the small, plain room. Bits of junk are scattered about, and the room smells heavily of Durant’s tobacco.
She laid down on his bed, hearing the creak of the springs, noticing his scent on the sheets. His bed was just as plain as everything else. Continuing to examine the room, she saw his desk with various books and tools strewn across at, as well as an old radio.
Also on that desk is a wooden clock, the same one that Durant had been working on nearly a year ago. It’s hands were still, and the small tools spread about around it indicated that either it had stopped working, or he had never gotten it to work.
’My clock is stopped, so I have all the time in the world.’ is what he had said. If only that had been true…
Ophelia closed her eyes, feeling the tears returning. But it wasn’t long before exhaustion overcame her, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
- - - - -
Ophelia stayed as long as she could, but she had to return. She went straight to work from her plane, and when she entered her office she placed her luggage in a corner. But before she starts working, she opens a box and pulls out a wooden clock and places it on her desk.
Smiling, she spends a few minutes watching the hands stay still.
- - - - -
The next two years were busy, but uneventful. Ophelia attempted to build up more of a social life, to date, but between the PR events and getting past her own celebrity, she found it difficult to go places or be with people without feeling like she is playing a role. So, once again, she spent more time in her work, even if it was just to ‘center’ herself.
She did spend a fair amount of time interacting with Dr. Ziirkaa, though they often worked in different departments. Still, she came to look forward to their lunches, dinners, or even work related meetings. And of course she would see Ceres on occasion, especially as new ships were salvaged or when rare materials would be delivered from Milthana.
Annara, Vathan, and Gomez were a different story. Ophelia would send them a message here or there, but they just didn’t run in the same circles. Sometimes a PR event would bring them together, and Ophelia enjoyed their time, especially when they could get away from the propriety required of their various ranks. Ophelia found Annara, in particular, quite fun to be around when she let her hair down.
The orbital platform was advancing quickly, even ahead of their aggressive schedule. A number of scientific advancements had occurred as more technology was brought back and those materials studied. Even if the ships that were retrieved were old, they still represented advancements that had atrophied during their ‘Dark’ period.
- - - - -
Ophelia was leaning against the wall of one of the many workshops at the Naval base near the shuttle site, wiping the sweat from her forehead and arms. The cool evening air felt great compared to the heat of the shop when they were welding and cutting as much as they were. She looked out at the setting sun, trying not to think about the press conference that was supposed to be tomorrow.
Tomorrow is going to be... exciting... this is a big milestone: the first time that the platform systems will be coming online as a whole unit... even if they aren’t all complete. But there is going to be lots of questions, and lots of people, and then there is going be some kind of dinner…
And I’m so sick and tired of wearing that dress uniform. I mean, it looks nice, and it isn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but I’d much rather be dressed in pants, boots, and tank top. I mean, that is part of the reason that I like to go work in the shop so much as it is! But even if I’m going to just be sitting at my desk, seeing no one, I have to ‘be presentable’...
She is brought out of her thoughts by the sound of an explosion in the distance, the ground shaking with the impact and debris flying through the air. There is a stark, heavy silence for a moment before the sirens begin. A jet flies by overhead before a series of series of small explosions appear.
Ophelia runs back into the workshop and shouts She herself runs up to the lockers kept ready for just this occasion, grabbing the provided flak jacket, sidearm, and rifle.
As everyone was getting ready a message bursts from each of their radios ”This is HQ. We are under attack by the Sons of Isolation. The attack has consisted of artillery fire from the northeast and small cluster bombs. Jets are being scrambled to counter enemy bombers.”
Shortly afterwards Ophelia alone receives a message ”Junior Lieutenant Holt, this is Lieutenant Commander Samantha Carter, please report your status.”
Ophelia grabs her comms unit and responds ”This is Holt. I’m in workshop 12 with eight engineers. We are gearing up now and standing by for instruction.”
Carter responds ”There is a group of university students in the basement of Workshop 15. Once you are geared up, take your squad and escort those students to Administration building 6. You’ll receive new orders upon arrival.”
Ophelia nods and begins to speak when a nearby explosion rocks the building. Barely keeping her balance, Ophelia responds ”Wilco. Holt out.”
- - - - -
Ophelia and her team make it safely to the students. Opening another equipment locker, the students are each given a vest and told to follow. But before they head back outside, it is decided that the students and engineers are to be broken up into smaller groups, allowing them to spread out more and reduce their vulnerability to enemy fire.
Slowly, carefully, they work their way towards the administration building. Artillery fire is still raining down around them. Then, another burst of static and a message comes across their radios ”Update, the enemy has tanks approaching from the north-east, north, and east, and infantry approaching from the north, northwest, and west.”.
Ophelia holds her rifle tighter as they continue on. They can hear gunfire in the distance, it getting louder as they get closer. She turns quickly when she hears gunfire off to her right, one of the teams having spotted an enemy soldier behind a building in the distance. The presence of more soldiers becomes obvious as they continue to trade fire.
As they are pinned down, a shell lands nearby, spewing dirt into the air, and much closer than any of them liked. Knowing that they have to move from this location, Ophelia radios her squad ”Gibson and Dick, the three of us are going to provide cover fire and a distraction towards the northeast. Everyone else gather together and travel towards the northwest.”
The squad regroups, as Ophelia, Gibson, and Dick feint to the side. Gunfire blares alongside Ophelia as she hurls her only real grenade around the corner. The grenade doesn’t manage to do much, but it forces the enemy soldiers to take cover, allowing the rest of their group to dart to the next building.
Quickly, Ophelia and her companions circle around the other direction, laying down suppressive fire as best they can. Wanting to take advantage of the situation, Ophelia signals for the other two to continue circling as she moves forward. Taking cover behind an overturned table, she waits for the enemy to return fire on her companions before tossing a stun grenade. Unprepared for the blinding flash, the enemy soldiers start firing wildly, and it is only a moment before Gibson and Dick have taken them out.
Quickly, the three move to catch up with the rest of the squad, getting within sight when they are almost to administration building 6. As they are making a final change across an open courtyard, Ophelia notices a group of soldiers approaching from the east and she breaks off from the group to lay down suppressive fire.
The others notice and also provide fire, still moving towards the building, the students making it inside. Ophelia throws another flashbang and hears the scream of the enemy soldiers. Taking this opportunity, she makes a dash for the administration building.
Her eyes go wide when she passes by the alley the enemy soldiers were using and sees a tank on the other side. Suddenly, the front of the bunker of a building is struck, and while the building itself does not suffer much damage, the force of the blast hurls Ophelia through the courtyard. She tumbles across the lawn like a skipping stone, before landing in a heap in a fountain, the water slowly turning pink.
- - - - -
Ophelia suffered several broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and dislocated both of her hips. In addition, there was severe bleeding, some from surface injuries, but mostly internal. If it weren’t for the brave actions of Specialist Will Gibson, who risked his life to retrieve her body, she would have bled out before help had arrived.
It took three days before Ophelia woke up, briefly, another three before she could stay awake, and then two more before she could remember who she was and what had happened.
Ophelia smiles when she sees Annara, shifting to sit up, and then wincing at what a mistake that was. Instead, she says ”I’d stand up to hug you, but...” as she waves down at the plastic cast wrapping her hips and thighs.
Laying back again, she continues ”And I’ve been told that you spared no expense in getting the best specialists you could find. You...You didn’t have to do that. But I do appreciate it. Thank you.”
- - - - -
Ophelia smiles at the stories of everyone. Giggling faintly, she adds ”I can’t imagine Aggie being like that… the whole special forces thing, not the massive ego thing. No imagination required for that one.”
Everyone is doing such great things… and I just wound up in the hospital… again...
When Annara speaks of the lodge, Ophelia’s eyes will go wide ”Really? You… don’t have to do that… Not that I’m not appreciative!... I mean, it’s just such a big gift…” Ophelia takes a deep breath… which is immediately followed by a cough and sucking air through her teeth. ”OK, I’ll accept your gift on one condition: if you promise that you’ll still be able to come around and visit and that the specter of your departed won’t scare you away.”
Ophelia grins and nods in a playful fashion when Annara talks about how cold she was before. But she shakes her head when Annara talks about just being a desk jockey, saying ”I want to say that they wouldn’t have made you a Commander if you didn’t deserve it... But I don’t know why they keep putting me in leadership positions either… I just wanted to be a grease-monkey… well, in space...”
Ophelia stares off for a moment before continuing, ”And besides, I didn’t do anything important. At least the last time I ended up in a coma it was because I was saving the lives of my team. This time I just made a stupid decision. Now Gibson, he deserves praise...”
Ophelia grins happily when she hears about the wedding. But when she hears about the babies, and about her possible godmother status, she looks surprised and starts coughing, grunts of pain appearing between coughs. It takes her a moment to recover, but when she does she looks at Annara and says ”Are you serious? I’m not hallucinating again, am I? You’re really going to name one after me? And you want me to be their godmother?”
Ophelia looks confused for a moment, and then like she realizes that she missed something. ”Oh! Congratulations! On the children and the wedding. And I’d be happy to be their godmother. But… are you sure you want me doing that?”
Wow… Annara is starting her family too… Is this supposed to be a wakeup call for me to start my own? Or is this supposed to be a way for me to feel some of those things, to help raise someone, without having my own?
"Hellooo Hellooo!" Doctor Ziirkaa announces as he steps up to the open door of Holt's hospital room, and pokes his head around the corner.
"They tell me it's traditional to bring flowers or chocolate to people in the hospital... So I printed out the last 2 months of articles from the material science journal for you..." Ziirkaa waves the sheets of polyprint into the room and stops abruptly when he sees the two women on the bed chatting conspiratorially.
”And I’ve been told that you spared no expense in getting the best specialists you could find. You...You didn’t have to do that. But I do appreciate it. Thank you.”
Then the Loge
”OK, I’ll accept your gift on one condition: if you promise that you’ll still be able to come around and visit and that the specter of your departed won’t scare you away.”
"It want be his any more so yes we will come and stay"
”I want to say that they wouldn’t have made you a Commander if you didn’t deserve it... But I don’t know why they keep putting me in leadership positions either...”
"They do it because your good at it, I heard your teams have the orbital ready ahead of schedule, that why they keep putting you in Charge, I just wish they would not put you in places where you can get in harms way."
She dos sound worried.
Ophelia grins happily when she hears about the wedding. But when she hears about the babies, and about her possible godmother status, she looks surprised and starts coughing, grunts of pain appearing between coughs. It takes her a moment to recover, but when she does she looks at Annara and says ”Are you serious? I’m not hallucinating again, am I? You’re really going to name one after me? And you want me to be their godmother?”
Gets up and comes over, taking Ophelia and looking for an orderly, but as she recovers she smiles at her
Ophelia looks confused for a moment, and then like she realizes that she missed something. ”Oh! Congratulations! On the children and the wedding. And I’d be happy to be their godmother. But… are you sure you want me doing that?”
She nods,
"Yes we talked about it and Fernán and I felt you and Agge would make splendid God parents. As for names that we both wish this, its feels right and you know some of you twos heroism may rub off."She Jokes, but you can tell the names mean something to her, she is honouring two of her friends.
At that very moment as if by magic Agamemnon show his head at the door.
Annara's face lights up and if her smile gets even bigger.
"Aggee, its good to see you, and thank you so much for coming."
She dos not let go of Ophelia's hand but with her free hand pull up her seat, so he can set in and seat close to them as well.
she pats the sait.
"We where just talking about you, I have some news I think you may like to hear. I just told Ophelia, Fernán and I will be getting married, publicly, He will be taking on the title of Baron. But that's not the big news Agge, "and... he will also be looking after our baby twins, Ophelia and Agamemnon, named after you and Ophelia, we where hoping you would agree to be a god father to them. I just asked Ophelia and she has agreed to be their god mother. Please say you will it would mean the world to us."
She looks at Ophelia then back at you,
"O and of course your invited to the wedding, both of you. Fernán jokes you to will be next, the time you spend with each other, I that reminds me I need to go give him a call, ill be right back."
She gets up and go's just outside, can see her talking on the Mobile to him. Every now and then she waves and smiles thought the glass.
Ophelia squeezes Annara’s hand, smiling. She isn’t sure if it is because of the drugs or the news, but Ophelia feels really close to Annara right now. And when Ziirkaa shows up, she grins, and taking her cue from Annara’s earlier entrance, she stays still while she greets the ‘good’ ‘doctor’, ”Aggie! Thanks for coming to see me. ”
Giggling softly, and oh so gently, at the printouts, she says ”Oh yes, these are most definitely better than either flowers or chocolate at this point. The doctors keep telling me not to think too hard so that the whole brain trauma thing will go away quicker. Buuuuut… there is no way that is going to happen… The not thinking part I mean.”
And when Annara delivers the news to Ziirkaa, Ophelia grins and giggles at him. Nodding at Annara, she says ”Of course I would love to go! And tell him I said hi! And tell him congratulations! About the babies and about the wedding! Don’t forget to tell him I said hi!”
Ophelia turns looks up for a moment and mutters ”A little Ophelia and a little Aggie running around… Isn’t that something...”
Ziirkaa's face drops into a look of abject terror as he is told the news. He turns and proceeds to the nurse station in the corner and begins rifling through the drawers and cabinets until he finds a small packet. He breaks it open and wafts the contents under his nose. "Pure feezil, it's the best." Then he plops down in a chair still huffing the vapors from the medicine packet.
"I assume this God Father thing is something religious." He looks to Annara with dread focus and begins stammering, "Do I need to be ordained or consecrated in some way? What are the duties of a God Father? Is it honorary, roughly how much time in a week does it take up? You do have to understand that I am over-scheduled and I cannot be sure that I would be able to perform the necessary rituals if they are too frequent."
And when Annara delivers the news to Ziirkaa, Ophelia grins and giggles at him. Nodding at Annara, she says ”Of course I would love to go! And tell him I said hi! And tell him congratulations! About the babies and about the wedding! Don’t forget to tell him I said hi!”
Annara abruptly leaves to go call Fernán and Doctor Ziirkaa stares helplessly through the window at her.
Ophelia turns looks up for a moment and mutters ”A little Ophelia and a little Aggie running around… Isn’t that something...”
"Ophelia. If I am stuck in whatever these God parental responsibilities are, I certainly hope I can look to you for guidance. Can we Switch off? Do they need both Parents at all the ceremonies?"
Ophelia grins at Ziirkaa, and says "Calm down. I don't know how religious Annara is. But, in general, being a Godparent means that they just want you help guide and mentor the children. Think of it... like... being the department chair of two aspiring undergraduate students."
Ophelia giggles, and adds "They're new to everything and while you are not their parents, you have a vested interest in making sure that they become the best that they can."
Looking up and pursing her lips, she says "Of course, department chairs aren't expected to take ownership of the students should something happen to their parents... but no analogy is perfect."
Ophelia looks Ziirkaa up and down for a moment, and blushes as she says "I don't know if you want kids or not, but I think that children would like you."
Like Annara before, a warm wave washes over Ophelia and she feels very close to Ziirkaa. "Have you ever thought about starting a family?"
nods and chats on her phone. She seems very happy and nods now and then at the two of you, but seems engrossed in talking to her husband to be for a wile.
”By starting a family, I assume you mean setting up a household? If so, I have no interest.” Doctor Ziirkaa lays back in the chair. ”My family, and most of the Villani on the planet, think of family not as something you start, it’s something you are a part of. I would have expected that if Aunt Estraavia intended a match for me, she would have arranged it by now. Fortunately, it seems I have embarrassed the family enough that they are not interested in making a match for me. I suspect only my sister is more embarrassing to them, but she is now richer and more influential than all of them put together. I have made it clear to my aunt that I am happy to be part of McTavish’s household in the sky.”
”So, Annara is asking me to be an honorary uncle, or aunt in your case? That seems simple enough." Ziirkaa smiles warmly at Holt, While I can imagine it wouldn't be obvious, I am actually familiar with the basic concept of children. I find them detestable in general; they are like people... which I also find detestable... with certain rare exceptions. I have 9 nieces and 5 nephews. None of them are exceptions. Perhaps Annara’s will be.“
Ophelia giggles at Ziirkaa and says ”Well, there is a little more to it than that, but that is a pretty good comparison. And I am sure that they will be exceptional, though maybe not your exceptions.”
Ophelia waves at Annara, while asking Ziirkaa ”So, you’ve never wanted a wife or kids of your own? I mean, I understand that Aunty Estraviviva didn’t find anyone for you, but why not find one on your own?”
She then furrows her brow for a moment before, blushing and asking ”And... am I detestable, or an exception? And why am I whichever you choose?”
Waves back wile talking. Then puts her and over the resever and pops her head around the door.
"Ophelia would you mind being my maid of honour, I know it's short notice, but none of my brothers wants the job."
She jokes and winks,
"and We'er going to have us I hope Viktora as well if she's in she can make it. At the top table, Fernan wants Vathen as his best man. It's 1+ guest so let us know who your brining."
Then she pops her head back a keeps talking about guests Fernan thinks should come with criminal back grounds.
"Harumph!" Ziirkaa stands and deftly opens a cabinet, this time he knows exactly where the Feezil pouches are. "This is the tedious conversation of small minds, but you are sick, so I will indulge you."
"Doctor Holt, you are the single least detestable person I know. You are one of the few people on the planet who actually has something insightful to say about the universe. I am continually astounded by your passion for building and your focus on pushing the boundaries of what we can do. I look forward to each of our meetings, and it's an honor to count you as a friend."
In the midst of talking Ziirkaa finally reaches the box of Feezil and takes one, pulling several boxes of bandages, tongue depressors and sterile wipes down out of the cabinet onto him. Deftly he catches two of the three boxes, and snaps his leg out for the third trapping it deftly against the back of his seat. He continues the conversation, downplaying the fact that he is stuck standing on one foot; unable to move without spilling first aid supplies all over the floor.
"You asked about choosing a wife. I know that marrying for emotional reasons is something that's completely normal among the Solomani, but it's just not the way I was raised. Among the Villani marriage is a practical matter like everything else. We marry to unify fortunes; among the poorer classes it is done to make an efficient household in which to raise children. My parents were married for 55 years and had 3 children, they managed a household quite well. I can't believe that sort of stability and clearsightedness is possible by picking a partner based on ones hormones."
Ophelia laughs at Ziirkaa’s predicament, and his attempt to hide it, before falling into a small coughing fit and a faint groan. She gently nods at Ziirkaa and says ”Thank you. Both for indulging me and for the compliments. I’m not quite as… jaded? fatigued? weary? I can’t think of the right word right now, but what I am trying to say, is that while I often can handle people better than you, I also count you as one of the ones that I truly enjoy spending time around. And you are easily one of the most brilliant people I have ever worked with.”
Smiling again, feeling another wash of warmth, she continues ”And I’m not sure how to feel about your views on marriage. On the one hand, I am kind of envious of your ability to casually dismiss what is often considered such an important life decision. And on the other… I’m kind of sad at what you might be missing out on.”
She giggles again, adding ”Ah, but it is just more simple and spurious thoughts...”
I wonder what his parents and home life were like? What kind of childhood produced a man such as him? And what about Annara? Or Vathan? Or Gomez? I had two wonderful, strong, supportive parents growing up. And I’ve always assumed that is what a family is. Am I wrong about that?
[ooc]I have tried to post this 5 times, each time its failed[/b]
Annara us looking at them both, at some point her phone call must have ended, and she enters the room once more, and flops down on a seat looking a little tuckered.
"You have no idea how hard it is to make a seating plan for 400 when most of them wish to NOT be sat at this table but SAT at this one, add to the catering and music selection. So have you decided Agge, will be you out children's god father? You do know one will be name after you. You know all this was because of you, when you said tell the family, well lets say butt out shall we. Then and there I made my mind up, if I wished a family with someone I care very much about then I will have jut that. I bloody well earned that right when we lifted the long dark. Once they got over the shock, well they soon fell in line."
She sits up.
"I hear Vathan has been seen with a number of Starlets, I hope its not that Megara Lyn, always taking her cloths off, if she dos it at our wedding I will be very put out. Last thing we want is Vathan all red faced"
She seems to be joking.
Teetering, Agamemnon replies nonchalantly, "First I need you to explain what you are expecting from the "God-Father" before I agree to it. Making time to attend the wedding is trivial. I will just need to know the date."
Commodore McTavish brings Ceres into her apartment, and delivers her a set of sterling silver leaves. "Viktoria, I may not be alive when you get back, I doubt it will be soon. Even if I am, I'll almost certainly be retired, and Senior Commander Villiers or Senior Commander Monsith will have taken my place. In either event, this is likely the last major mission I will assign to anyone." She smiles and waves Ceres to a seat on the couch before taking a seat in the armchair that faces it. "I wish I had the health to be in charge of this mission. I don't. I do have the brains not to break up a winning team, however. There are certain people that just click together, and we were lucky that you and your crew happened to be the ones assigned eight years ago." The woman has faded the last few years, the nearly 90 year old woman's voice strains at times to make itself heard, and she moves much more slowly than she did that day on the bridge. "What you do is vital. The council has decreed we will investigate the Rovanna jump point first. It's unlikely there will be anything in the Ceska system, but leave probes to look for other warp points. Then continue on to HD105382. Rovanna Station was there, and it may be salvageable. It was only 43 lightyears from Gamma 2 Velorum, so you'll have quite the show. While you are there, look for additional warp points, and see if the old Station is still intact enough for us to salvage. It was just an old Class D refueling station, but it might be worth restoring if there are any other warp points. If not, it could be worth salvaging for parts." The steward comes in, bringing tea and coffee and small biscuits. McTavish thanks him, and then begins speaking again after he's left.
"As you know, they're keeping the refueling ship as a supply run ship between here and Milthana, like it used to be. But we're giving you everything else we have for this. The Griffen Rampant, the Lightbearer, and Hera's Folly. We've converted the Rampant over into a tanker, so you'll be able to carry fuel with you, but the Lightbearer will need to refuel it, it doesn't have room for hydrogen scoops. The Folly can only carry 155 tons, between that and the Lightbearer's 30 tons, you don't have a lot of supplies for extended voyages. We've got 30 probes on station at the Rovanna warp point, ready to go through on your order in groups of five. You've got 25 more probes, disassembled, in the hold of the Folly. That leaves you a little under 130 tons for supplies and parts. Between the three ships minimum requirements, and food for 6 months, you've got about 10 tons left over. Your old APC is on the Lightbearer, taking up most of it's cargo hold." She chuckles. "But you might need it. Viktoria, make sure nothing can find it's way back here. If you don't find anything worthwhile over in Ceska corps old system, you are authorized to return and resupply for and go to the new warp point."
The small fleet spends a couple of weeks in the Ceska system, mostly looking for the HD105382 warp point. They then transit and spend the next three months surveying the HD105382 system. Locally it was called Rovanna, although it never was named that officiall. They find the old derelict space station is still there, damaged, without power, but mostly intact.
Unable to find any new warp points, they transit the first Zig point toward G2V, first sending a probe through first, wait for it's return, and then jump through. The view of interstellar space is unnerving, no sun, no nearby stars, just deep empty blackness with points of light like pinpricks in a curtain.
The second Zig point is nowhere near where it's supposed to be, and it takes nearly a month to find it. It's moved 2/3rds of the way around the inbound Zig point, and up to positive 43 degrees instead of negative 14 degrees.
No probe ever sent through ever comes back. After firing five into it, the ship returns to Telthani. Dr. Ziirkaa believes the second zig point may now lead directly into the heart of Gamma 2 Velorum. The loss of the major star may have destressed the local gravitational bands so that the zig points formed into a pair of points. He makes this announcement after a long and painstaking process of astrogation analysis.
On their way back through Ceska, they find that the small army of drones have converged on the return warp point, as programmed. Downloading the logs indicates they found nothing here either.
Running low on fuel and suppplies, the ship returns to Telthani with the news that at least one warp point out system, while safe, has nothing much to offer except an old station to salvage.
The small fleet then resupplies, get's a good look at the first Telthani built light freighters coming off the orbital shipyards. They are small, only 100 tons each of cargo, but they are locally built. They'll begin doing supply runs to Milthana and Rovanna, salvaging and rebuilding what they can.
-----------------------------------
Nearly 6 months after leaving on their first trip, Commodore Martin Slayton Villiers gives the small exploration fleet the order to continue on to the Delta warp point.
The Lightbearer is rechristened the Martha McTavish, in memoriam of the late Commodore, who passed away peacefully in her sleep sometime in the night of the 16th day after the ship left on it's first cruise.
The probes sent through Delta return, showing a star on the other side. Little other data is available other than the warp point is a closed point on the other side.
The small fleet transits as carefully as possible, the Martha McTavish going in 12 hours before the other two ships.
"Good then I can place you in the seating plan, now Agge."
She moved to the end of the bed, patting down Olivia"s bed sheets.
"The god fathers roll in a child's life is that of a kind of back up parent. There job is to over see thier god children growing, offering help and advice, so they grow healthy and well adjusted. It's a fail safe, if anything should happen to me and Fernando you and Olivia will take over the task of raising our children.
She looked up at the roof for a moment, letting out a breath.
"I know what your thinking, why not a family member, Well it be blunt, it's because of what both our clans are like, I do not wont my children groomied by there clan just as sister dos not wont hers to be. yes Agge we talk a lot. and You know what I'm talking about."
She looked back down with a look of concern
"This is a new age, with new ideas, we don't trust anyone more about this or to look after our children as much as we do you two. Olivia, Agge your perfect oposits. Olivia your and wunderful empath, I can see it in you, you feel so much of what others feel around you! With out being trained, that's why your so good at leadership. I have leaned so much from you about not just seeing but understanding what others feel. "
She patted the bad.
"You Agge, your close to pour logic as any one can get. Analytic, matriculass, systematic, if a couse of action is to be taken involving our children you have the gift to analize outcomes, that is something we value very highly. I also respect the fact you did not do what your Clan wanted but followed your heart, that I leaned from you. My life is what it is now because of you."
She nods at him a yes,
"You also share things, your both deeply practical, dedicated, carrying, yes Agge don't pull that face"
She tapes her head with a grin.
"you forget I can see it carring individuals. Who just happen to like and respect each other and more than anything happen to be very close freands of ours. Freands we trust to the point of raising our kids should any thing bad happiness to us. So there you have it."
Her smile is back, as you looks at you both.
"so you both argued, great now we can talk wedding plans..."
The wedding was everything she wanted, not to big not to small, yes press but under control, the family and freands. Then after, on the honeymoon the call. The fleet would be heading out again, 2 mouths, she knew what that meant. Annara had been given the role of force commander for the feel, with all marine troops and one other psi-corp diplomat under her command, then she being under the Commodore Ceres. Fernan, was not coming, having left the forces to look after the new company's and as the new Baron, father. He's was needed more at home. "New ships do not build themselves Fernan" she had said, he was more vaulble her. She would feel better of at least one of them stayed with the children. There had been an argument, macho ego and a male need to protect, but Annara had won, looking after the AI, Arms, ships systems and jump unit plans was his strong suit, he was good at it and they needed that. They where sinking every Cr they had back into building the business, As a corporation he was more use here.She pointed out as well, she was a PSI-diplomat and commanding officer in the marines, Orders won the day and she was soon packing for the trip. Yes he made her take the best, get check ups the works, but as the shuttle landed in the grounds of the estate house, she give him and the baby's one last kiss then left. She did not look back, because she knew she would be back soon.
When she got to the ISS and the yards, her shuttle dropped her off at the new marine HQ. The Navy had handed over a small part of the ISS to the marine and now it acted as command offices, space barracks and training centre. She was shown her small room, she wasted no time but dropped off her things then heading to her briefing. General Kanross was waiting in the small meeting room. The meeting went on a wile, going over personnel records and crew load out. The plan was to have at lease one marine on every ship in the small fleet, two if possible. Then
Vathan came up. She was shocked to think he had agreed to ever be this close to her again but when the truth came out she was very angry!!
"Look, Its felt they the team that has been this affective must be kept together. Call is luck, the gods, karma who know gives a c**p Commander, the fact is we ARE sending just about all on this one, they where not happy about your husband but compassionate ground. With Vathan he was told he has to go and that's that!!."
General Kanross said point blank.
"General he hates me as it is, I have to work with him, in the past I makes some bad calls and for that I don't think he will ever forgive me. You making him come will just add to him being pissed at me. Look Ill agree to this on one condition, and I think you will see my side of things on this. You Warrant him, I'm not having him stuck as a Carpal. The man has more than earned it, as a Marine Gunner Warrant Officer we will rank second to me on the mission, it will look better for me as Lieutenant Major and force commander to have Marine Gunnery Warrant officer Vathans a man I trust, than than Carpal Vathen. Think of the good press, hell it even scans a lot better, for us this is a win win, It also means he can be on any of the ships as a back up should I be lost and Vise vurser. So I am requesting for the good of the mission before we set off that Carpal Vathen be Warranted to Marine Gunner Warrant Officer Vathan."
They went on for a wile and she was threatened ordered but she would not move on this. He got premed or she was off the mission.
She calls the Marines to the meeting room, they had been sent orders, for this meeting full dress uniform. It would be there last time, on the ships they would be in civee clothing. Nothing they took must lead back to home. As Vathan came in she stopped him.
"Vathan you are improbably dress I could place you on a charge."
She smiled at him and the chatter behind her stopped, every one was looking at them. She handed him a small box, inside was the insignia, Marine Gunnery Warrant officer Vathans.
"Your earned them O'Cyrus and I mean that, the best of the best"
She then gos and gets ready to start the briefing.
Vathan arrives at the wedding with one of the most popular, thirty-something year old country singers who demonstrates how intellectual she is when you actually meet her. He greatly enjoys his celebrity and handles it with maturity despite the rumors in the tabloids. The couple appears friendly and to enjoy each others company but are not clingy. Rumors afterward forecast their wedding to her dumping him and everything in between.
Vathan enjoys his place as best man to Fernan and supports the best day of his life. The mechanics of the wedding prevents him from speaking to Annara until before the celebration supper. Then, the seating arrangement keeps Fernan between Annara and him, so their conversation is minimized. He is genuinely happy for his friend and himself with his companion.
When the couple finally takes the time to open their wedding gifts. They discover Vathan's present is the entire collection of his action figures, including two prototypes.
The best you can get is a CWO, not CWO3.
The day had been amazing, and Fernan was happy, Vathan was a revelation, as best man he was out standing, funny talking about them at the resection and with his +1 keeping the press happy. She did try to talk to him, but things moved so fast that day. After when they poped up there gifts, his made Fernan laugh out loud.
"Now I can put these in the board room, next to our innovation awards, we should start a toy company, mabe make action toys of all of us."
She had given him a look, but know he was joking.
"You know he was really happy at the wedding! I hate being around the press but he's controlled them efitlesly, I wish I had his confedance with them."
"Well he's a big vid star now, he's had practi..."
The comms rang, Fernan took the call then look at her.
"It's for your! the admiral, the next mission"
He looked worried but handed her the phone, it was then she got the news.
Mission Report outline - Ravanna Mission
With the fleet of three ships, The Griffen Rampant [Tanker], the Lightbearer [Flag ship], and Hera's Folly. Annara I took on my roll as Psy-Corps-Diplomat, handing the main supervision of the marines to Marines Warrant officer Vathan. Our detachment was six marines including two officers Myself and Vathan's.
My main role for this mission was Psycorps Diplomat. I left the day to day Marines oversight to WO Vathan's. This was a piratical diction more than anything. Wile I had to stay in the lightbearer, WO Vathan's was free to hot swooping ships and place the other Marines has he felt fit. My only standing orders where that he keep one on each ship crew and keep me in the loop. I admit here that WO Vathan's is also better with them troops then me. I spook them, they know I am Psycorps and a telepath. My idea was that Vathan would only need me for disciplining them and I really did not expect that I would need to. He had hand picked them so he would not have pulled in trouble makers.
As the small fleet spent a few weeks in the Ceska system. I had a number of plant side meeting, see A001 doc. Meeting wile the fleet looked for the HD105382 warp point. As the fleet diplomat I worked to end a few disputes and work with the new colonists on a number of problems.
See sub-report 002
Then a transit point was found, the fleet spent the next three months surveying the HD105382 or as it was called Rovanna system. There we found a derelict space station, damaged, without power, but mostly intact.
It was agreed Vathan would lead a small party over and check just how bad it was, before the techs headed in. It was not with out risk but after a few hours the all clear was given by him and the away team. Wile the techs worked, the search for any new warp points a bank. So next was the transit to the first Zig point toward G2V. Sending a probe through first then jumping through with an all clear. Open space, nothing to repost anther probe search. Found the second Zig point after 3 1/2 weeks. Sent a probe, nothing after five. A dead end no way there so back to Telthani. For refuelling and resupplying, all in all and uneventful trip. I recommend that WO Vathan's be promoted.
End of Mission.
Once her report was done Annara headed down to Telthani and a few weeks with Fernan and the children. They would be heading out soon, but Fernan had a news. One of the new ships coming off the yarts was to be called the Annara Lee. It felt off that she and the others where having ships named after them. Agge she knew would love it, but to her its felt strange. Like being in your own history.
Ophelia is in the Hospital for another month as they monitor her mental condition and put her through physical therapy. Everything seems fine with her mental faculties, and as time goes on her personality and mood evens out back to where it was. And because her hips were dislocated, instead of broken, it doesn’t take long for the therapy to get her back where she was.
And upon her release she was told that she was told to get her formal dress in proper condition, as they were going to have a ceremony honoring those who fought in that conflict in just a few days.
- - - - -
Still using this as a PR statement, much was made of Ophelia taking lead of a group of helpless students, and her bravery to break off and risk her life to let her fellow soldiers escape to safety. Some time is spent speaking of Gibson’s heroism, more so when Ophelia gets the chance to speak of it.
Either way, Ophelia earns another Meritorious Conduct Under Fire medal, along with another Purple Heart.
- - - - -
It isn’t long before Ophelia tries to return to work, despite having been given more time off. They told her she just couldn’t be climbing around like that so quickly. She asked about desk work but was told that at this point, there were getting past the design phase and more into the building phase.
So she made one more argument: that she be allowed to fly the shuttles in the first tests of the new docking systems. She wouldn’t be doing much moving, and it would give her a good understanding of how the docking system seemed to make impact on the ship from a crew perspective. Besides, it might be a good idea for her to learn how to pilot one of these things, given how much time she spends in space as it is.
So for the next few weeks she learns the ins and outs of piloting small spacecraft. Doing so reminds her of the first time she learned to fly her personal plane, and at that moment she decided that she needed one. So even though she wasn’t needed to design anything for work, that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t do so in her spare time.
Ophelia had been getting more and more excited as the wedding got closer. When it first became time to size everyone for dresses it was obvious that she had a lot to learn. She had to spend days practicing walking on heels. And she panicked when, during her practice, she noticed that she got a smudge of grease across the rear of the delicate dress, taking it immediately to a cleaner.
Regarding her Maid of Honor duties, it is a good thing that Annara is the kind of woman that knows what she wants, because Ophelia’s tastes and experiences are far below the expectations of the high society people that would be attending. Still, she does her best with the administration side of things: keeping notes, making reservations, making timetables, and keeping everyone informed.
The night before the big day she went to a salon to have them try and prepare her as best they could. The attendant working with her berated her about the quality and cleanliness of her nails and the obvious lack of detail to her skin and hair. Ophelia took some of this to heart, getting a regiment of various creams and lotions that she was going to try. But for the immediate concern, she was soaked, and scrubbed, and brushed, and filed, and polished, until she didn’t think she was going to be able to stand it anymore.
And that night, she told herself that she was not going to tinker with anything. Nothing. At all. Not even just equipment maintenance. Even if it meant that her rifle might have a very slightly higher chance of jamming. She could always just replace the firing coil. Just a couple of hours to make a new one. Yeah… it would be fine…
Ophelia distracted herself by reading research articles, but she immediately wanted to start playing around with some of the ideas that came from that. She put that down and glanced around, looking for something to do. She started cleaning off a table that was covered with old notes, opened mail, and just general paperwork. There, she found a book that had been suggested to her by a younger undergraduate student that she had worked with. With the title Pleasure Unbound, Ophelia had taken it, but dismissed reading it… but if it kept her hands clean, well…
Ophelia woke up the next morning, lifting her face from the pages of the novel, and scrambled to get ready and leave for the wedding.
- - - - -
The wedding looked lovely, but was much bigger than Ophelia has expected. Sure, she put together the invitations and arranged for the seating and catering of 400, but actually seeing that many people in one place was still a little shocking.
When she wasn’t overseeing various tasks, she was right by Annara’s side, making sure she had everything that she needed. Helping her get dressed was still a little intimidating to Ophelia, making her blush quite deeply, but nothing that she couldn’t handle. And as time drew closer to Annara’s appearance, Ophelia found herself getting more nervous than the bride.
- - - - -
As they sorted through the wedding gifts, Gomez was more than a little surprised at just how heavy one of the packages was. The box was a large rectangle, but the size of it had made him think it might be clothes or a painting. Seeing that it was from Ophelia, and marked as ‘1 of 2’, he searched for the matching gift, a long box that might hold an umbrella, but just a little heavier than expected.
Opening them, they find that there is a gift for each of them.
To Gomez, the gift is a large, polished metal shield, the front of it engraved with their families crest. The note on in the box reads: To the groom, so that he may keep the homestead safe.
To Annara, the gift is a fine saber, made in the style of a Marine Officer’s blade. The blade itself is well honed and engraved with Marine oaths. Each side of the guard is engraved with her family crest. Inside the box are two notes. One is an official certification stating that the sword has been registered with the Telthani Marine Core and has been approved for use. The other is a note that reads: To the bride, to give her a way to return home, no matter the opposition.
- - - - -
= 1
= Red Dwarf
Temp Adj : +2
= 1 Gas Giant
Large Gas Giant
3 belts!
0 additional planets
7 moons
Asteroid Belt
6400km planet 0.5 G
9600km planet 0.75 G
Ring
11,200km planet 0.875 G
6400km planet 0.5 G
8000km planet 0.625 G
Very Dense +50% G (0.75 G)
Light (0.375 G)
Average (0.875 G)
Average (0.5 G)
Average (0.625 G)
None
Trace
Very Thin
Trace
Trace
None
None
None
None
The ship takes a week or so for the probes to spread out and begin sending back more detailed information.
The system is a Red Dwarf, Type V star. It's small and dim. There is a companion gas giant that's almost half the size of the small star, a brown dwarf. The interaction between the two stopped most of the planets in the system from forming, resulting in 3 separate asteroid fields, one immediately around the star, in what would have been a possibly habitable zone for the small cool star. The other two are between the brown dwarf and the red dwarf.
The brown dwarf itself has managed to attract a nice little system of planets, 5 planets, it's own small asteroid field, and a thick ring of ice. One of the planets surrounding the brown dwarf has a very thin hydrogen atmosphere, but is rocky and barren underneath. Another has a heavy gravity for it's size, indicating high density in it's crust.
It takes 3 weeks, but eventually the probes find another warp point on the opposite side of the system.
At one point, as they travel through the system, Holt turns to Ceres and says "Captain, while the probes are scanning, maybe we should survey the planets and those asteroid fields, especially the one in the habitable zone... They might be rich with rare minerals, and they're pretty close to home."
The doctors had said she would probably get use to it by time. Probably. It didn't feel that way when they jumped straight into the unknown and her stomach turned inside out. Blech. And the excitement/worry didn't help either. Thankfully, it turned out that their doom wasn't waiting for them at the other end. There wasn't much of immediate concern in any way. With one hand on her now signature companion, a brown paper bag, Ceres breathed a sigh of relief as the sensors reported no intelligent activity at all.
"There we go! Our first leap into the great unknown... What did they say ? A small step for a man - a giant leap for Telthani!"
She paused for a moment before proceeding according to plan.
"Launch the drones, and start scanning the constellations. I want to see if we can't get a position!"
------------------------------------------------------------
Ceres nods at Ophelias excellent suggestion.
"Well - we should probably start with the high G planet then. Hopefully whatever causes the gravitational anomality is shallow enough to extract without too much of a hassle."
As with the astrogation task, she will try and help the crew get things up and running efficiently, in addition to offering her own knowledge.
With the Jump in, She once again, placed her mind around the ship, now she felt the shift, she held the feeling and placed it into that part of her where, where her Psi centre is. If she could just replicate it, form it. But that would have to wait, they where in system now.
But once there with little to do in a system with out a population Aannra keeps out of the way. Dressed as a noble she acts the role of Diplomat, Giving Vathan full over sight of there military kit and needs. When it looks like they may have a world to colonize, she shows up but stays back.
The ship swoops into the orbit of the gas giant.
A detailed scan of the heavy G world reveals that it is rich in heavy metals, both in the deep crust and outer crust. It would provide a rich source of chromium, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, and selenium according to the scans. There are also appreciable amounts of iron, silver and gold.
The rest of the planets around the star seem rather poor in heavy metals, or any metals for that matter. After looking at it, the science types theorize that the heavy planet is a capture planet, likely originating from another solar system. Likely pulled off by a close encounter between two stars.
The group refuels 5 probes, sending them back to the warp point to act as data relays. Another 15 are refueled and tasked with coming with them. The remaining 10 are not refueled but instead set to search patterns within the system, gathering more and more refined data on the system.
The fuel tanker and the cargo ship transit the system, and begin heading over toward the new warp point. As they transit the system, they scan the middle asteroid belts to gather some more data, and also study the sun.
The McTavish does a close approach on the sun, the small dim red ball of gas somewhat depressing up close. A detailed scan of the small asteroid field finds it has trace atmosphere trapped in the stony material, indicating the small planet likely had an atmosphere at one point, before it broke up. Most likely from tidal stress.
The navigation computers finally spit out a location. An unknown and unidentified star approximately 4.23 lightyears from Gamma Orianis (Bellatrix).
Binary
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Temp Mod +4
2, 2 gas giants
none
4, 4 planets
Habitable zone : 0
Companion Star : Orbit 20 - 735,000 million kilometers
Gas Giant 2 : Orbit 8 - 3000 million kilometers
Planet 4 : Oribit 6 - 740 million kilometers
Gas Giant 1 : Orbit 4 - 240 million kilometers
Planet 3 : Orbit 3
Planet 2 : Orbit 2
Planet 1 : Orbit 0
4800km
4800km
3200km
4800km
Average
Light -25%
Average
Light -25%
No atmosphere on any of them.
The probes go through the new jump point, and of the two sent through, only one returns, and it's blasted by heat.
The probe was exposed to a very hot area. Much hotter than it was designed to withstand. The heat range would have been in the neighborhood of 1200K and 1400K. The McTavish is rated for up to 1600K, the follow on freighters are rated up to about 1500K. Lingering in such heat would be ill advised though for any of the ships.
"That doesn't look good. Does it?" Vathan offers his technical opinion.
Ziirkaa leans down toward the lateral sensors. Doctor Holt, I think I can reconfigure the Gravitcs and the Higher energy EM bands to create an active interference matrix..." <Leaving this open for holt to jump in on>
"Yeah. That looks exceptionally far away from good..."
She had a fair guess about why, a faint memory of smelters and alloys from material since at the University. But she would led the crew take a look at the readings first. It was, after all, their job. Any mine is sitting in this chair and puking! She smiled at herself.
Holt nods at the good Doctor, adding "And I could patch a line from our hydrogen stores through a compressor and into our hulls cooling system. We can't run that way for too long, but between the two it should buy us enough time to at least look around and maybe see if there is a quick route past it."
Holt almost looks excited about this when she turns to Ceres and says "What do you think Captain?"