High above the tiny green Alpha Centaurian world of Olatia, a small triangular shuttle was silently ascending through the clouds. It was heading towards a much larger vessel that lay in orbit, high above the planet. As the shuttle drew closer to the bow of the large ship its details become more visible. At the center of the vessels bow was a large opening to the main launch deck.  Along the side of her hull near this opening were the words “T.K.S. Sandra 23”. Another, smaller opening could also be seen on the ships port side and back a little ways along the hull. This was the secondary landing bay that leads to the service deck deep within the ship. Extending slightly from both sides of the carrier like giant wings were two powerful Hyper Drive engines. As the shuttle rose over and above the bow of the huge ship a large number twenty-three could be seen on its top secondary emergency service deck. In the top decks weak field of low gravity a few suited men could be seen bouncing along its surface. They seemed to be doing a maintenance sweep of the deck. One stopped and turned on his magnetic boots. A cylinder rose from the deck to reveal a hidden fueling station. Carefully the man began to inspect it as the shuttle drifted over him.  At the ships starboard, were three large elevator pads used for lowering equipment and fighters to and from the top deck. A large tower was centered between two of these lifts. At the top of this tower was the ships square bridge. Tiny figures could clearly be seen through the windows that extended around all four sides of the bridge. Mounted on top was an assortment of sensors and communication dishes. At the stern of the ship's main deck was the landing area for the top deck nestled between two hanger structures. On the top of the port side hanger was a triangular landing pad. The shuttle fired its thrusters for a few seconds adjusting its course to head towards it. “Come in Terron Kingdom Spacecraft Sandra, this is T-one-zero-one coming in for landing on dock Tri one,” the shuttle pilot transmitted. “Roger T-one-zero-one standby,” replied a slightly broken voice from the Sandra's bridge tower. The shuttle fired its braking jets to stop its forward motion.  It hovered silently above the landing pad, well above the influence of the top decks gravity field. Three landing lights, one at each corner of the triangle lit up, illuminating the dock. The shuttle then fired a thruster along its side. Slowly the craft turned, then when it was lined up perfectly with the landing pad below thrusters, in the opposite direction, fired to stop its rotation. “Tower, this is T-one-zero-one. I am getting some interference on this Hyper-subspace channel I'm only able to send and receive audio, is there a problem on your end or mine causing this?” asked the pilot. “Oh that? It happens every so often in this system, Olatia's currently between the two larger of the three stars in this system. We're getting some noise in subspace from the heightened activity coming from them. Some days things can really get hot out here. You may not notice it as much planet side since you are protected by the planets magnetic field,” explained a voice from the tower. “Thanks control. We're locked on target and holding at fifty-five meters.” said the pilots broken voice.          “Roger T-one-zero-one, you are cleared for landing. The elevator pad is ready to receive you. Everything is all clear." The voice from tower control crackled. “Roger control, going down.” the pilot replied faintly. Two small thrusters on top of the shuttle fired for a brief moment. Its small landing gear then extended from the bottom of the craft. It descended and soft landed on the docking pad. Within a few seconds the pad lowered down into the hanger. Once the ship was clear, a triangular door slid closed above it. In the darkness, the pads decent stopped with a soft thud. Soft dim lights flickered on, illuminating the shuttle in the cold, dark hanger. Off to the port side of the shuttle, an air lock extended towards the shuttles hatchway. With a soft click the lock was secure. Within the ship, on the other side of the lock, a row of men were lined along each side of the hallway. They were all wearing formal distinctive Terron military blue uniforms. A fat round officer slowly walked up towards the hatch. His eyes were blood shot and sunk in. His posture was bad and he seemed to have a deep chiseled frown on his face, almost as if it were carved in stone. A thin ring of salt and pepper hair ran around the back of his head just above his ears. The rest of his head was shinny and white. Trailing closely behind him was a much younger, fair haired, dark skinned, tall lieutenant. The crew who stood along the hall looked on at them as they past. A few of them whispered softly to each other as they gazed at the two officers. They both reached the lock just as a display screen's image of a large red circle turned to green above the door. They stopped just short of the hatchway and stood opposite of each other in front of it. As it slowly opened, a short crewman along the hallway near the door put a small metal tube up to his lips. It emitted a few high pitched notes as he blew into it.      A tall elderly and thin commanding officer stepped though the hatch into the hallway. He faced the two officers waiting for him. After receiving a salute from them both he quickly returned it with a small warm smile. “Mister Rolent, I presume.” The Commander said still smiling. “I am your new commander, Captain Keel." He said extending his hand. “Ah, good to see you Captain,” The large man said still frowning and intentionally ignoring Keel's hand. “I am your first officer Kyle Rolent. I have also been acting Captain of the Sandra for the last six months.” Then casually he pointed to the other officer on the other side of the hatchway and continued. “This is my personal aid lieutenant Yolo, Brian Yolo.” Keel turned his extended hand towards Yolo. Yolo was about to grasp it, but stopped when he caught Rolent's cold stare. Cautiously, Yolo returned his arm back to his side. Keel withdrew his hand; through a furrowed brow he gave them both a puzzled look. Before Keel, could say anything about it Rolent said with a half hearted attempted smile. “I shall escort you to your quarter's sir. They are jus...” “There is plenty of time for that later,” Keel interrupted. “I'd much rather get to the bridge first, If you don't mind officer Rolent,” Keel insisted, “We have orders to hook up with the First Fleet within four hours. I would like to be on the bridge when we leave.” “Yes I am aware of the orders sir. Even now we are preparing the ship for Hyper Jump.” “Good then I'll have time to take a little detour to the bridge through the hanger.” Keel said with a grin. Frowning once again Rolent asked, “We are not ready for an inspection sir, the crew are to busy preparing the ship for…” “No, no Mister Rolent, I just want to get a quick look around, that's all,” Keel said with a friendly smile. “Hum,” grunted Rolent, “Very well Captain Keel. This way sir," he said gesturing for him to follow. They both walked down the hall, between the rows of men with Yolo closely trailing. From behind them they could hear the assembled men leaving the shuttle dock area. Under the direction of a loud sergeant they left in a quick and orderly manner. After a few moments of silently passing along the corridors Keel finally asked, “So I guess you'll now be the Space boss, will your assistant be the mini Boss?” “Normally that is the case sir for the first officer, unless you have some others in mind,” Rolent replied coldly. “Oh no, I think we should stick to the carrier traditions. It's been a long time since I've been on a space carrier.” “Your experience must have been better then you think sir, otherwise the Commodore would not have placed you in charge,” Rolent said and then grumbled something quietly under his breath. They finally came to a large room full of dusty space suits hanging along the walls. Above them on a small ledge were a variety of helmets and on the floor below them were numerous matching magnetic capable boots. They too seemed to show a thin coating of dust on them as well. Keel thought it was odd that dust had enough time to accumulate in a semi-sterile environment of a spaceship. It must have been a really long time since they had last been used. At the far end of this room was an airlock that leads into the ships main hanger. They walked up to the lock and Rolent placed his hand on a panel near the door. A screen above the door lit up and indicated the hanger deck was currently pressurized and had normal gravity. They entered the lock and had to wait for the door behind them to close before the one to the hanger opened. Keel inquired, “When was the last time the ship had a no atmosphere hanger drill?” Rolent was only able to turn around to face Captain Keel before he added. “What about a no atmosphere and no gravity drill? Also, when was the last time they even drilled on the emergency open deck?” Rolent was obviously caught off guard with these sudden questions. After a short pause he was able to reply, “I'm not sure Captain. It has never been a high priority. All the lock equipment is for emergencies in case we have those problems.” Then looking up at the Captain with a condescending tone he added. “Normally a carrier remains behind the lines to launch sorties. I'm sure if the ship suffered such a disastrous condition we would be ordered to withdraw before the ship was lost. Operating a carrier under such dire circumstances would be a ridicules tactical blunder.” After a deep breath Keel looked down at the man and replied, “I know you don't think I understand anything about this ship Mister Rolent, that's why you are here. However, you have a lot to learn about tactical advantages and combat strategies.” Then through grinding teeth he added, “I will expect a detailed schedule of these drills ASAP Mister Rolent!” Rolent was silent his face turned red and you could tell the anger was raging inside him. After a few seconds he was finally able to respond in a low pitched voice to say, “Yes Captain.” The other hatchway door to the hanger finally opened to reveal the large internal fighter deck of the Sandra. The deck was massive and almost as big as the Sandra herself. Keel could see the emergency landing area and the main deck at the same time. A number of fighters and a few bombers were lined up neatly along the deck. Shimmering slightly like a silk veil at all the large openings to space were pressure force shields. They were merely a low grade defense shield, just powerful enough to keep the air in, but allow heavier objects to pass through. Brightly marked zones and warning lights were near the fields to warn the crew they could easily fall through the field and into the vacuum of space if they were not careful.      Most of the deck was bathed with light. The immense hanger was lit by a number of large lights on the ceiling. On the ceiling at both ends of the main hanger the Terron Kingdom Star symbol with the words “T.K.S. Sandra 23” was lit up with special lights. There was even one of them along the starboard side of the hanger. Like the others, it was also lit by a special light from the ceiling above. The three men walked along the deck heading towards another airlock on the opposite side of the hanger.  The crew was busy working to line up the rest of the crafts on the deck and securing them for the jump. The few men that saw them quickly gave them a salute and then just as quickly went back to work. As they made their way towards the other side of the deck, Keel saw the carrier's three large brightly lit hanger lifts. They were the ones he saw as they approached the ship. Currently they were locked into place at the upper level; just above the lifts own pressure force shields. As they approached the lock Keel noticed a young lieutenant talking to the deck chief nearby. Keel looked at the lieutenant intently, he seemed familiar. Suddenly he broke his stride, turned and walked over towards him. Rolent continued to head for the lock unaware of Keel's departure. Yolo, who was still behind them both said, “Uh sir, that's the wrong way we need to go through lock A-1 in order to get to the bridge.” Rolent was almost at the lock doorway when he heard Yolo. He stopped and turned around to see what was going on. His face turned red with anger again and his body trembled. Some of the crew stopped working to watch. Everyone could tell Rolent was at his limits, but they also knew he was not in charge anymore. Hopefully this will keep him from going off into one of his well known tirades. As Captain Keel approached the lieutenant from behind, he was sure he had heard that voice before. Reluctantly, Rolent quickly followed him with Yolo in tow. “…well I guess we should wait and pull the computer sub-processor boards from the fighters after we get to our next destination. Once there we can do the upgrades needed for all of them. “ Keel was now standing behind the young officer now smiling. The deck chief noticed him and saluted. The young officer was still oblivious to it all since he was going over a holographic check list being emitted from a wrist band. The young man continued with, “We don't have the time to fix them right now.” With a loud thunderous roar Keel exclaimed, “And why not Lieutenant John Marret!” John froze with fear and dread. He didn't expect to be overheard by any commanding officers. Slowly he turned around to explain, “Look sir, as the deck officer and Handler I know regulations insist we be battle ready at all times but, we don't have the time to get all the fighters up to…” The lieutenant then took a good look at the Commander. He smiled and yelled with delight. “Ah..., it's you Mero.” He quickly hugged his old friend as tears formed in his eyes. Then realizing where he was, he quickly stepped back, turned off the holographic display, and saluted him. "Um, I'm sorry sir," He apologized. Rolent and Yolo were both surprised with this sudden display of friendship.  “Do you know this man sir?” questioned Rolent as he and Yolo joined them. “Why yes I do Mister Rolent, this is my old friend John Marret. He was my first officer on the Leaken. Of which I was the Captain," Keel replied. Turning towards the two officers he then asked. “Would you mind going on up to the bridge and await for me there. I would like to talk to my friend for a few moments alone.” “But sir we have to rendezvous with the first fleet. We still have to get the Sandra re...” “I'm quiet sure you are more then capable of handling all the preflight checks yourself Mister Rolent. I shall be there shortly. We have more than three hours left.” “As you wish Commander," replied Rolent curtly looking on at John with a smirk. He and Yolo quickly headed towards the lock. Mero gestured to John to head for a more private spot near the hanger wall. “Well John they finally drafted you, thanks to this alliance. I bet Mary didn't like it a bit," Keel said with a smile now looking more like the old friend John remembered. “She sure didn't. She doesn't fancy this alliance with the Deverons and Lenards much. Mary even wanted me to desert and for us both to head out for the outer trading planets,” said John with a long grin. “She's not the only one that has had reservations about it. Many have said it's expecting far too much. However, we must show some faith in our Chairman Sharmov. I'm sure he's doing what's best for us all John.” “I guess your right Mero,” said John with a somber look on his face. “Of course I am,” Keel replied with a half hearted giggle and smile. He then said “Still you didn't do to badly Mister Handler of the Sandra.” “Actually,” John whispered, “it's one of the lowest jobs for an officer on the Sandra.” “Oh, I see,” Keel sadly replied. John then took a quick look around to make sure he was out of ear shot from any of the crew on the deck. Quietly he said. "Um, you better watch that Lt. Commander Rolent. After he was passed up for the Sandra's command he's been a real bas… pain.” “Yeah I thought that might be it. I got the message right away, as soon as I realized something had him in a curl,” said Mero looking down towards the lock. “By the way John, where is Mary? Don't tell me you've got her hidden away on board somewhere?” “Heavens no, she would be telling me how to do my job then. As well as give Rolent a good talking to. I'm just glad she's safely tucked away on Terra, working with the Civil Defense Department. I think she was going to try and get into nursing, or something, heaven only knows.” “When was the last time you saw her?" questioned Keel “Oh, five months ago I believe. It was when I had a few days leave on Terra,” answered John. Mero said with a chuckle, smiling, “I bet she got it while she could.” John blushed a little and said laughing, “Well she got what she wanted.” Looking down at John, Mero asked, “Man it's been a long time since I last saw you. I think it was shortly after we left Quarantine, maybe a week or so after we got to Earth.” “Oh yeah the quarantine, I guess too many refugees from Oma overwhelmed the Terron ports all at once. It was so bad they had to stick us up in one of those old quarantine moon stations to handle the over flow. I know they needed to make sure we weren't carrying anything that could be problematic Earth side. Fortunately modern scanning devices rendered the need for quarantine stations over a hundred years ago. That was until we all came along and clogged up the works. Even all the planets most modern medical scanners couldn't keep pace.” Keel then added, “It could have been worse if it were a hundred years ago the lot of us might still be stuck up there. Well at least until after you all were checked out with lots of long drawn out physical exams and testing by medical bots and …” “Uh Mero,” interrupted John. “What ever happened to the Leaken anyway?" he asked. “Oh her, I was afraid you might ask.” Mero said quietly. There was a long pause. “Well Mero?” impatiently asked John. “They uh...., scrapped her John,” said Mero regretfully. “Why?” “They said that was all she was good for.” “Damn it Mero, I put a lot of years of hard work into that ship. Updating every circuit and bypass with the newest proven technology,” John growled. “I know John. You weren't the only one,” Mero said frowning. “I guess we've got to look at it this way, her parts are now being used to build up our fleet. She could have never been made a combat vessel anyway.” “I suppose your right Mero,” said John. “Did you have any luck finding Mary's sister?” Mero asked. “No, none, but we don't think she was on Oma when the Meants came,” John replied. “How's your old man then John? Did you see him when you finally got home to Earth?” “Dad? Nah, he left home not long after Mom died. He wanted to get back out exploring again. I guess Mom was the last thing holding him back. I do get messages from him over the Hyper-subspace network from time to time.” “Well that's good, isn't it?” “I suppose, but he's not a youngster anymore. I worry about him too much I guess.” “Well be grateful he can still get out and do what he wants to.” Then with a sudden smile Mero remembered something. He reached into one of his pockets and carefully pulled out a slip of paper. “What's that?" John asked. “These are my orders,” he said glancing over them. “It would seem you and Mary maybe in for some luck my friend.” Before Keel was able to continue an announcement rang throughout the ship, “This is the first officer Rolent we are now at T-minus 2 hours and fifty one minutes until departure. That is T-minus 2 hours and fifty one minutes.” “Crap! There is not much time left. Sorry John I need to go. I'll see you later then.” Keel said as he bolted for the lock. “Ok... sure, sir,” replied John sadly. John watched him until he entered the lock. He then went back to his check list after activating it on his wrist band. He began to walk back over to the deck chief. After a few seconds he stopped and looked back at the lock and said, “Luck? What luck?” © Lee Crystal's Outpost 13 All rights reserved