Echoes of Harmony

SSV Celestial Phoenix

Stariek Orbit

17 February 3296

Admiral Elliott Hayes, a man in his fifties, slowly paced around the expansive hangar bay of the largest ship in the Stariek Navy. His gray hair had long ago retreated from the top of his head, leaving just a ring along the sides and back.

The Celestial Phoenix, being just a few years out of construction, was still rather pristine. The hangar bay, especially, was a point of pride for the hangar bay officer, who currently hurried between the various fighters and bombers lining the deck of the ship. Hardly a speck of dust seemed to accumulate anywhere. Even the deck spaces housing newly received craft were devoid of dirt. Enlisted ratings moved to and fro, checking different systems and making sure everything was functioning as expected. Hoses stretched from the walls to the crafts, refueling them with the deuterium and helium necessary to power their fusion reactors.

“How’s the refitting going, Admiral?”

A voice from behind prompted him to turn around despite the fact he knew who it was. His executive officer, Commander Morgan Reese, slowly strolled towards him. She was a few years younger than him, and her black hair was tied into a tight bun on top of her head. Small splotches of grease stained the light gray of her uniform. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and a smile was plastered on her lips.

“Couldn’t be smoother, XO.” He gestured to the new Starhawk fighters in neat rows down one side of the hangar bay. “The amount of force we’ll be able to project should make pirates think twice about raiding merchants in the system. Maybe we’ll finally be able to see a decrease in their activity this year.”

“The real threat is the Druthagar.” Reese shook her head. “Something’s got those dwarves all up in a tizzy lately.”

“The government’s done a good job of keeping the attacks on the DL, that’s for sure. Especially after what happened to the Forest Hill a few months ago. Hardly a peep about it in the CoreNet, and social media is almost devoid of talk about it.”

The Forest Hill was a passenger liner destroyed by the Dwarven race of pirates, claiming the lives of several hundred civilians on their way out of the system. Stariek forces were too late to stop their warship before it left, prompting quiet calls to provide more firepower to the military to prevent a repeat of the event.

“Well, it’s been awhile since the last attack,” Reese said, walking a meter to the closest Starhawk. “As much as I’d like to see the new model in action, I’d rather things remain quiet.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath.” Hayes pulled up a file on his CAM and sent it to her. “There’s already been sightings of the Druthagar out near the mining facilities around Ailas. We’re escorting cargo haulers there and back.”

“Oh, something interesting for once?” she joked. “What’s our battlegroup look like?”

“They seem to have things well in hand here, so let’s head back up to the bridge and we can take a look.”

Hayes led the way to the lift which, after a thirty second rise, opened to reveal the bridge of the Celestial Phoenix. The room was expansive, with a shallow pit in the center where a holographic projector table sat. Currently, this was deactivated. At the side closest the lift were two chairs, one for him as CO and one for his XO. The far side held three stations in an arc. Each were currently staffed by the third watch officers for communications, navigation, and weapons systems. Around the exterior of the room were various stations for the systems that kept the carrier running day to day. A few ratings moved between the various stations, ensuring everything was operating as expected.

The pair walked to the center of the room. At their approach, the holoprojector sprung to life. A large orb in the center showed Stariek while a smaller one orbiting represented the moon, Helaris. Currently tiny pinpricks were the forty ships making up the two separate fleets for the planet. With a swipe from the admiral, the projection zoomed in on one of the groupings, the one with a slowly blinking green dot for the Celestial Phoenix. Around it were scattered another twenty-one ships.

“Two destroyers, seven cruisers, six frigates, five corvettes, plus the repair ship Zenith. Then we also have a full small craft contingent. A total of three hundred fighters and seventy-five bombers spread across the fleet.”

Reese whistled softly.

“That’s a lot of firepower,” she said, flicking between some of the dots.

“There’s a lot of space to cover out there.” Hayes gently slapped her hand away and expanded the projection to show the entire system. Another planet sat closer to the star while three gas giants, and their combined over one hundred moons, orbited further out. Hundreds of yellow dots representing civilian craft slowly snaked their way from point to point. “My plan is to keep the Celestial Phoenix on a patrol around the system, ready to assist wherever needed at a moment’s notice. We’ll keep two cruisers and a frigate with us. Then, we designate zones and split up the rest of the fleet to trouble zones. Ailas in particular. They’ll stay in their general locations unless extraordinary circumstances demand otherwise.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She rubbed her hands together. “Hopefully we’ll finally put an end to the pirates out here.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Commander.” Hayes put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook his head. “There’ll always be plenty of pirates for us to fight.”

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SSV Traveler

Stariek Orbit

24 February 3296

First Lieutenant Ethan Fischer brought his SF-17 Starhawk space superiority fighter to a gentle landing on the hangar floor of the Traveler. Being a Feldspar-class frigate, it was barely large enough for the three squadrons of four fighters. Their addition was meant more for reconnaissance than for the force projection the Celestial Phoenix supplied. It was different from the usual sorties he flew in against pirates, but at least there was a smaller chance of being blown out of space.

As the canopy of his fighter hissed open, the roar of engines from directly next to him reached his ears. Another fighter, followed by two more on its opposite side, landed in the designated bays. The first had a skull with a flower on its forehead etched into the side. With a release of air, the first fighter opened. A woman took off her helmet to reveal her long, black hair tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

“Excited, Ethan?” the woman, Second Lieutenant Ava Bahr, asked.

“Excited as I can be,” he replied, taking his own helmet off and clipping it to the belt of his pilot’s jumpsuit. Running a quick hand through his short brown hair expelled most of the sweat accumulated. He grabbed a duffel bag behind his seat before climbing down the ladder extending from the side of the Starhawk. When he reached the bottom, he slung the strap of the bag over one shoulder. “You know the drill, I’m just hoping to make a difference.”

“Holocameras are off, so you can drop the act,” said Riley McCoy, also a Second Lieutenant in the Stariek Navy, as he climbed down from his own fighter on the opposite side from Ava. His Irish brogue was thick even in the din of the hangar. He had two thick braids of black hair running across the top of his otherwise close shaved head. “We already know you’re just in it for the college money.”

“Ethan thinks he’s always being taped,” Bahr said, rounding the front of Fischer’s fighter with another woman in tow. Her blonde hair came down either side of her head in waves, accenting her crystal clear blue eyes.

“Good thing we know the truth about him,” the woman, Second Lieutenant Erin Burns, said with a teasing smile on her lips. “Desk jockey turned stick jockey and thinks he’s hot shit.”

“Very funny, guys,” Fischer said, crossing his arms and leaning against his Starhawk. “You make it sound like I’m gonna fall over any second from how bloated my head is.”

“You said it, not us,” Bahr said, leaning next to him in a nearly perfect imitation. Fischer reached over and flicked her shoulder, though she didn’t budge. “After all, you are the leader of the Snow Wyverns.”

“And that comes with its own notoriety,” McCoy followed up with. He walked up to Burns and put his arm across her shoulders, though she promptly sidestepped the maneuver to let his arm fall limply to his side.

“You guys are just jealous you never get any interviews.” Fischer laughed and shook his head. He pushed himself up and off the side the fighter with his shoulders and began leading them towards the exit. A squadron of deckhands moved into position as they walked away, working on their checklists to make sure the fighters were flight ready.

“Can’t be jealous of something we don’t want,” Burns replied. “I think you’re honestly doing us a favor by hogging the limelight.”

“Maybe we should thank him,” McCoy offered, grinning. They crossed over the threshold of the large hangar door into the primary hallway.

“Come on, guys, leave our fearless leader alone.” Bahr sped up to get ahead and spun around, walking backwards down the hallway as she spoke. Her lips curved into a smile. “You wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt his feelings.”

“My feelings are as impenetrable as the hull of a battleship, thank you very much.” Fischer gently gripped Bahr’s arm and turned her back around, causing her to stumble slightly before she regained her footing.

“Sounds like all we need to do is a fire a couple magnetic cannon rounds to crack you open like an egg,” Burns said. She nodded with a smirk on her face. “Good to know, thanks for the idea.”

“So, what’s the plan for the evening?” McCoy asked. “Get a bottle of brandy and drink until we’re all flutered?”

“All you ever want to do is drink yourself into a stupor, McCoy,” Burns said, rolling her eyes as they entered the main lift of the frigate. “That’s not all there is to life, you know.”

“I think that might be the most hurtful thing you’ve ever said to me, Erin.” McCoy held his hand to his chest in mock shock.

“Sounds like you’re gonna need another drink after such a low blow,” Bahr said.

The lift door opened at the deck designated for crew quarters, where each of them had a berth. Ahead of them, the hallway was empty. Fischer stepped off first, taking the lead once more. They walked in a single file line to fit in the narrow corridor.

“I was honestly thinking of just relaxing for the evening,” he said, turning his head slightly towards the others behind him. “Thought I might holocall my sister if she’s still up. After all, it’s not a school night.”

“Well, more drinks for the rest of us then,” McCoy said, rubbing his hands together and smiling. “Erin, Ava, what do you say? Stop by my bunk for some drinks before turning in for the night? Maybe a holovid?”

“Not me, sorry,” Bahr said, holding up her hands and shaking her head. “I’m just going to relax with a good book and take it easy.”

“Ah, you’re no fun. Just you and me then, Erin.”

Fischer stopped at his door, which opened after recognizing his CAM signature, before Burns could answer.

“I’ll see you all bright and early for simulation training, then?” Fischer asked, looking at the others. A chorus of affirmatives, reminding him of being in the cockpit, barraged him. He stepped over the threshold. “Good night then, Alpha Squad.”

The door hissed shut as the lights inside came on. It was a rather plain interior. There was a desk with a holocomputer built into it next to double sized bed. A holographic painting of waves on a coast hung from one wall. To his right was a small bathroom, and a closet sat to his left. Without missing a beat, he took a seat at the computer and pulled up Emmie’s contact card. A green dot in the corner marked it as active. A few moments later, her smiling face appeared in the air above the desk.

“Ethan!” she shouted, her voice filling the room.

“Hey, Emmie,” he said, grinning at her. “I take it you miss me already?”

“So much.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on her desk. Her shoulders swayed from side to side as she pivoted back and forth in the seat. “How’s space? My friends never believe me when I tell them you’re out there fighting pirates.”

“Same old, same old. You see one asteroid, you’ve seen them all.” He opened the duffel bag and pulled out a holographic tablet and pen, both military issued. With a couple taps, he pulled up the notes he was looking for. “Now, I took the liberty of finding the curriculum for your math class.”

“Ethan,” she whined, throwing her head back with a groan. “It’s Friday night. You’re supposed to be a fun brother, not an unfun one.”

“I’m the only one you got, so you’re going to have to deal with it.” He smiled at her. “Come on, Emmie. You didn’t tell Mom and Dad until the progress reports went out. The least you can do is humor me.”

“Fine.” She shook her head and disappeared from frame for a moment before returning with her own school assigned tablet and pen.

Ethan smiled and dove into the tutoring lesson he had planned, happy to be spending time with his sister even when separated by hundreds of millions of kilometers.

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