Echoes of Harmony

SSV Celestial Phoenix

Stariek Orbit

Admiral Elliott Hayes paused and took a deep breath outside the combined bridge and CIC of the Celestial Phoenix. A Hyperion robotic soldier stood to either side of the door, assault rifles at the ready. It had been more than a month since the fateful battle that killed so many of the crew aboard his vessel. The tactical mistakes leading up to the near destruction of the ship still played over and over in the back of his mind. Ingrained in his memory was the image of Commander Reese with a metal pole through her stomach.

He pushed the thought out of his head. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. He needed to be firmly in the present for the crew, especially after the disaster of their last battle. It was a miracle the vessel wasn’t destroyed, another that the Hyperions actually decided to repair it and did so this quickly, and a third he hadn’t lost his position in the transfer of power. At least, he hadn’t lost his position for long.

The door opened to reveal the bridge. Part of him expected for the mangled infrastructure, with beams and wires thrown about the room, to still be present. On the contrary, it looked as if it never experienced the battle. There were about two dozen ratings and officers moving about the room, carrying out their duties. Most of them, he didn’t recognize. However, he was happy to see Captain Hayleigh Gibson sitting at the tactical station.

“Admiral on deck!” called out the master chief. With the announcement, the enlisted personnel immediately stood and came to attention.

Hayes’ hand went to his brow in a practiced maneuver. After holding it for a moment, he finished it and announced, “As you were.”

The crew returned to their designated stations, some of the younger ones making a point of keeping their back ramrod straight. When Gibson looked up at him, something between a grin and a grimace crossed her face. It wasn’t until he noticed the white robed man standing near the center command platform that he realized what the problem was. The man was not one he recognized, his dark skin a stark contrast to the brightness of his robes. He had black hair carefully combed and parted to one side. A thin beard curved his chin and cheeks with a mustache arcing over his lips.

He was using the XO’s console, looking at the holographic display over various reports, before he glanced up at Admiral Hayes. Hayes was halfway across the room. Though he knew not who the man was, a suspicion told him he was planted by the Hyperions. The emblem of a Y on the upper right portion of his robes confirmed it.

“I’m Admiral Elliott Hayes.” He said as he neared the man, holding his hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister…”

“Mustafa Najjar.” The man spoke with an accent reminiscent of Egypt on Earth. His hand was perfectly smooth as he shook Hayes’. When he withdrew, he pulled a cloth from a pocket and unabashedly wiped his hand with it.“I am the political commissar appointed by the Hyperion Council to ensure everything goes smoothly aboard this ship. Think of me as a guide to help you acclimate to Hyperion culture. If you have questions, concerns, comments, you may inform me and I will relay them to the Council as necessary.”

“Well, I hope we are able to have a fruitful partnership.” Hayes hoped his words sounded as sincere as he thought they did. He didn’t enjoy the idea of having a babysitter, no matter how nice they made it sound. “I assume our carrier isn’t what you’re typically used to, but I’m sure you’ll find it more than accommodating.”

“It is certainly lacking, though not more than the usual ships we integrate from backwater systems.”

Najjar smiled as he said the sentence, his eyes gently probing Hayes. The latter knew it was a test, waiting to see what his reaction would be. He felt a twinge of annoyance go through him. Not at the thinly veiled insult. That was expected from what he knew of the Hyperions. He was annoyed that the man felt the need to test him in such a manner.

Before he had a chance to make his feelings known, Lieutenant Kiran Price spoke from the communications station.

“Conn, Comms. I have a vidlink from the Oberlander for you, Admiral.”

“Very well,” Hayes said, thankful for the interruption. He turned and began making his way to the door to his day cabin near the lift. “I’ll take it in private. Captain Gibson, you have the conn.”

“Aye, sir,” both Gibson and Price replied at the same time. Gibson stood and moved to the CO chair, taking a deep breath as she sat.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Soft footsteps followed him as he walked, and Hayes turned to find Najjar following. They both stopped at the same time, though Najjar’s laid back demeanor left Hayes more annoyed than before.

“I believe I said I’ll take it in private, Commissar. You can wait here.”

“Unfortunately, Admiral, I am required to be present for any communications between you and Hyperion personnel.” The man wore a saccharine smile as he continued walking, leading the way to the cabin. “Don’t worry, I will do my best to avoid interfering with the conversation.”

Hayes took a deep breath to calm himself as Najjar neared the door. It opened for the man, and he walked in without glancing back at Hayes. He followed him in, shaking his head slightly.

The interior was spartan, which was not unexpected given the fact the Hyperions were the ones to reconstruct and remodel the carrier. A desk with a holocomputer sat near the center of the room. Two chairs were placed on the side closer to the door while the far held a single one. The opposite wall, while made of metal, was covered with a display that could show different views from around the Celestial Phoenix. Currently, they showed Stariek and its moon, Helaris.

Najjar stood with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the display, facing the door. He gestured with his head to the chair and holocomputer built into the desk.

“I believe the call is for you, Admiral,” Najjar said. A smirk touched his lips. “You should not keep General Kindler waiting. She is not know for her kindness, you know.”

Hayes ignored the man and sat in the chair. The material adjusted to the shape of his body, almost holding him in place. He straightened his new Hyperion uniform. A slight discomfort came to him at having to wear his enemy’s dress. However, it was better than the alternative.

With the press of a button, he activated the holocomputer. Immediately, the unsmiling face of General Liliana Kindler filled the holographic screen. While he had never met her, Hayes had been given her heavily redacted file, making particular note of the fact she was something of Legate Habricht’s pet project. He couldn’t help but feel she was assigned to keep an eye on him.

“General Kindler, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Hayes said. He hoped his voice hid the disdain for her and the Hyperions in general.

“Admiral Hayes, how about we skip the pleasantries?” She sat up straighter and folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t like me, I don’t like you, and nothing is going to change that. That doesn’t mean we can’t work together, though, so let’s move on to more important matters, shall we?”

“Of course, ma’am,” he said. The bluntness with which she spoke was both a surprising yet welcome change to what he expected.

“With that out of the way, we have received our orders.” She pressed a button off screen and a projection appeared in place of her face. It showed a star system with a blue giant at its center and three closely orbiting planets. Sitting atop the outermost planet was a symbol of a space station. “This is the Mog Daruhl system. We are going to start heading there in the next half hour to destroy the Druthagar forces stationed at an outpost they have in the system. I hear your precious Snow Wyverns are some of the best pilots on Stariek. Perhaps we will have a chance to put them to the test. My communications officer will provide yours with the course we are taking. Do not deviate from it. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hayes took a deep breath and managed to keep a lid on his emotions. Part of him wanted to rage against the way she treated him as a child. Another knew he needed to follow the expected protocol when speaking with a superior, no matter his personal opinion on them.

“Very good. Oberlander actual out.”

Before Hayes could reply, the link cut out and the projection disappeared, leaving him alone with Najjar. He turned slowly in his chair to face the commissar.

“She seems pleasant,” Hayes said. “Woman of many words.”

“General Kindler is one of our finest military leaders,” Najjar replied. “Some say she’s the best we’ve had in over a hundred years. Excluding Legate Habricht, of course.”

“I’m sure she is.” Hayes stood, prompting Najjar to walk towards the door. “May I go back to my bridge, Commissar?”

“Of course, Admiral.” He gestured with a sweeping arm at the door. “You are the ranking military officer on this ship, after all.”

Hayes let out a slow breath as he walked past Najjar and out the door. The bridge was much the same as how he left it, though Gibson stared pointedly at him as he entered. She stood and returned to her console after a brief acknowledgment of his return.

<Do you trust them?> a direct message from her to his CAM asked.

He kept walking for a moment before replying, <Not by a long shot.>

She nodded almost imperceptibly before turning to her console and typing in commands. Hayes walked to the CO’s chair in the middle of the room and sat. A shifting of fabric half a second later told him Najjar took the XO’s seat next to and slightly behind him.

“Conn, navigation,” a young man Hayes didn’t recognize said from the navigation console. He had not originally noticed the absence of Lieutenant Perkins until this new officer spoke up. He wore a blue robe in a similar style to Najjar. A pair of chevrons, one red and one white, sat at his shoulder with the Hyperion symbol at bottom. Tousled brown hair that looked as if he attempted to run a comb through it and gave up sat atop his head. “We have received a designated course from the HMV Oberlander. Inputting now. Anticipated arrival is one day, seventeen hours from now.”

“Very good.” Hayes noted but didn’t mention the officer changing the course without asking his CO. It was just another thing he would need to get used to: Hyperion plants commandeering his ship and leaving him as the commanding office in name only. He turned his attention to Gibson, though her back was currently to him. “TAO, send a message to Major Finley and ensure all squads will be ready to launch once we arrive.”

“Aye, sir,” Gibson called out, continuing to type commands into the console without looking away.

Satisfied for the moment, Hayes sat back in his seat, his gaze slowly shifting around the bridge. For perhaps the first time while he was in command of a vessel, he felt he was nothing more than a bystander. And that scared him more than anything.

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