Shaken, those who only know of Constants

Her gaze settled on the message, reading it over several times a millisecond as that moment almost froze her in time as more of her focus tried to make sense of it.

Her 'data processing trance' was only shaken after Thella tugged at the hem of her uniform, still waiting on her response for why the ship had slightly veered off-course.

With a quick and short series of inputs into her console, she made the necessary corrections before addressing the sergeant's concerns. 

Settling in her chair, Vronica returned to her duties, hoping as much as she could to defy the persistent distraction that ate away at her efficiency.

After ten solar hours had passed with very little occurring of note. Each member of the crew had been managing the various tasks assigned to them, and once they were complete, they were free to occupy themselves until the next duty cycle.

This ensured that the journey through the stars progressed with very little obstructions or concerns. 

Though when it came to much longer journeys such as those between galactic systems and even interstellar space without the aid of superluminal engines, more of the ships general operations would be handled by the onboard A.I.

At the end of her current cycle, Vronica left the bridge, with Ridge at the helm, keeping his eyes on the sailing sea of stars while he tinkered to his own amusement, she excused herself to her private quarters. 

What would have been completely missed by him after waving her off struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Did she just say she's taking a break?" Though she was already on her way to her room. 

"Maybe our Pygmy needs a diagnostics check…" He tried to align his thoughts with the various possibilities, finding no sensible or logical reasoning to have heard her say such a thing, concluding that he must've been exhausted from the flight.

The private quarters or personal cabins of the spaceship were found on the middle layer, housing all the amenities and facilities needed to comfortably support a crew. Sandwiched between the upper and lower layers means the crew receive the most amount of protection of any place on the ship.

On the upper deck or layer of the ship was Bridge from which centralized control of the ship could be found, everything from navigation platforms and sensor arrays to even the command station of the captain and the neural mesh, an interface from which the onboard A.I operates, extending its reach to all parts that are connected to the ship. 

The lower layer of the ship possessed the largest area, housing storage, munitions, retractable hardpoints, as well as the Engineering, Power Generation and Engine bays, keeping these facilities as far from the crew as possible. 

An important design feature to provide as much shielding between the high-energies produced by the ZH-SB Black Body Reactor.

Regarding the Captain's Quarters, they were placed much closer to the Bridge and as a consequence were offered far more reinforcement and protection, with sliding bulkheads to shield the entrance into the room. 

Though Vronica found they had welcomed her as they opened with no request for authorization.

Checking with the EJ A.I to confirm that the security protocols had been lowered by the captain, the ship agreed. 

She asked that they be reinstated the moment she entered, asking that the ship notify her in the future of any such security changes. Though they both share a sign knowing fully that the Captain may override them as he has done in the past.

Entering through the doors, she was greeted by a familiar sight of the Captain hard at work. Supporting his frame with his arms alone in a planche, before he would periodically raise his legs into a handstand and then lower them to the planche position, never allowing any other body part to touch the ground.

She stood at the door, though unlike her or her kind, in that moment she felt hesitant. For this, like all the other times before it, she found it difficult to make sense of his actions. 

The doors suddenly slid shut leaving her flustered. Coming in she found Pierce now catching his breath on the edge off his bed. After parting his unruly hair out of his eyes, he offered a seat to his visitor. 

"I appreciate your prompt arrival, V."

"How can I help, Captain Gage?"

"Worry not, that's not why I called you. More to the point, I know that since we returned to the ship, you've had some reservations about some orders I had you carry out."

"I do–"

"Then I would like to say that–"

"That being said, it is not my place to question yours or the Silver Council's orders. You were put in charge of our Sword Company because your judgment was trusted and respected."

"That might be true, it doesn't discount your perspective of the matter. You are quite possibly the most rational member of this team and by that capacity alone, your concerns will always be possessed of great value."

"With all due respect, that has not been my experience as of late, Captain Gage." Her voice fell off this time, growing much softer.

"Pardon?" 

She couldn't bring herself to answer him adequately and so simply changed the line of her Captain's questioning. Her eyes this time shimmered violet for a brief moment before she gave him a stern look and spoke.

"What do you need of me, Captain Gage?"

"To speak frankly, V."

"...Captain Gage, I believe that you were assigned to your role for a reason and that means we are to honor that decision. My 'feelings' are irrelevant to the matter."

"I see. Then we have no quarrel."

"Yes Captain…"

"If I can make a request of you, Captain. I ask that you speak honestly, as you have in the past. I never want to be placated by someone I trust."

"Understood, I see no reason to start, V."

She thanked him before leaving his room ahead of him. Captain Gage got undressed and settled into his covers before passing out. Only for Vronica to return with her data slate and enter his room again, shocking him awake as she sat on his bedside.

She noted that she watched him doing more of his intensive workouts, believing that it was an indication of his difficulty getting rest.

"An old trick, one I learned when I still lived on Terra, though I can't remember exactly when. Put plainly, when the mind and body are both driven to exhaustion, rest comes easy."

"I cannot imagine that such behavior is at all kind on your body or even your mind, Captain. Going beyond the recommended degree of physical and mental training, the only outcome of continued activity is slowed recovery and inhibited capability."

"Humans are as remarkably fragile as we are resilient. Our nature is one of adaptation and it's only by pushing ourselves that we're able to build our resilience."

"Quite. It is that very fact that brings me here. Pardon my intrusion, but I believe that I can assist you, just as I did on Titan. That is, if you will allow me, Captain Gage?"

Looking up at her, now with some measure of consciousness, he was able to take in her complete resolve, with no flicker in the violet glow of her eyes, nor were the corners of mouth lifted by curled lips, she was neither hesitant nor unsure. She sat beside him with absolute certainty, asking only that her Captain trust her. 

As if she taken in by instinct, she took a hold of his hand and began monitoring his vitals, clasping with both hands, she watched as the began to fall into an acceptable range, marked by the sensation of a growing warmth between them, she wondered if she may would cause him to overheat.

Though her panic would quickly ease after he was soothed into his rest.

'Urgent Transmission.'

Awoken by an update for EJ, Vronica's primary system tuned to her conscious state, marked by a visible sense of concern.

'Was I asleep?' She wondered as she parsed the transmission through her internal systems, answering EJ's call.

"Sergeant Vronica. Can you receive this transmission?"

"Yes."

Her internal communication system was tethered to that of EJ and the source of the transmission. 

Being generated by a source near Terra, she was both granted updated orders and access permissions for her Sword Company to dock. 

Emphasizing that their clearance had to be reissued to accommodate the status of the criminal that had been transporting and likewise the necessary security measures that would have to be prepared for them. 

Upon accepting their commands, the transmission ended, and at Vronica's request the entire crew of the Enduring Hope was awoken and asked to meet on the Bridge within the hour. While she turned her attention to Pierce.

"Captain. It is time to return to our duties. We have issued new orders."

"...Yuri?"

"Captain..?"

"V! Apologies. I've allowed myself to indulge too deeply in my rest. I am ready now." 

"V?" He called to her, while the Pygmy tried to make sense of what just happened. She had a growing number of questions sparking from her brain but she had her orders and she understood her role.

"Captain Gage. We have finally entered Terran space and we will soon be set in Lunar orbit. We have been issued with altered clearance and we will be docking in the Hangers of Shahat Base."

"Shahat Base? That's not within the Silver Council's territory."

"That is correct, Captain. We are approximately 299.34 km from Silver Command, we will be arriving in fifteen minutes. We have received no word from the Silver Council."

"Who sent the orders, V?"

"1st Order, Major Anabelle Merricks. The command came from the Silver–" Her words came to a stutter with the sound of static over a signal channel.

"The Imperial Defence Force, Captain. What shall we do?"

"..." His eyes narrowed into piercing slits after noticing that sudden show of strangeness.

"We will comply, until we have established communications with the Silver Council. Please gather the rest of the crew on the Bridge, we must act quickly!" 

"But first, let's get dressed." Realizing now after sitting and watching the covers slip down to highlight her fair skin, that it had happened again. 

With a quick breath, he focused his mind and covered her with the sheets, while he stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

As if of one mind, Vronica mobilized with characteristic efficiency, getting dressed and cleaning herself as her body produced intense ultrasonics and an ejection of steam, leaving her skin a rosy peach color. Before she took up her data slate and awaited the Captain's return.

Taking five minutes to make himself presentable, before they left his private quarters in lockstep. While he ordered EJ to try and send out a transmission link to Silver Command only for the request to be blocked, noting the effect of precise interference impairing her telemetry systems.

Joining the rest of the Cloudjumpers, already at work as they prepared for their arrival, Pierce got into his seat before commanding the ship's A.I to intercept any scanning attempts as they entered Luna's atmosphere. 

Giving off a gentle pulse at his command, the ship's internals shutdown for a moment before being illuminated by violet and crimson lightning as only the primary systems continued to function.

At their Captain's order, Ridge checked their sensory cross-section and confirmed that the ship only gave off a visual signature.

"Isn't cloaking within the Council's airspace against protocol?" Ridge wondered, hoping Thella or Vronica might have an answer, as Pierce seemed too preoccupied to indulge him.

"We have precious little time. Rayce, Thella! Report to the cargo bay immediately."

"Captain Gage? I don't understand–"

"The two of you are to rendezvous at Silver Command and inform them of what is happening. V, please ensure that the Skip is loaded with all the telemetry data as well as the status of our prisoner."

"What? You're sending us off? Why, I thought that we were already headed there?" Thella's questions came one after the other while Vronica went straight to work. 

While Ridge would be just as confused, he was set to another task, as he was ordered to bring the ship into a glide, shutting off the sublight engines at his command.

Seeing the pressured nature that their Captain was operating under made Rayce realize just how urgent the matter they found themselves in was. With that, he walked off, commanding Thella to follow, who would have protested had Vronica not urged her to listen. Forcing her to bite her tongue as she ran after Rayce.

Once they reached the bay, the Skip was activated and they were allowed in. The interplanetary vessel was large enough to accommodate eight passengers along with payload, requiring only a single pilot. Thella was ordered to take the helm by the Enduring Hope's A.I as the ship's P.A system was offline.

Once they were onboard, EJ notified their Captain who gave the command. Ridge repsoned by disabling the engines, and initiating the air brakes, bringing the ship to a sudden jolt before the vessel entered a dive into a slow glide. 

The cargo bay doors opened, allowing the Skip to slip out and away before the sublight engines were re-engaged. Sending the vessels in two different directions.

"Captain…The Skip is on its way to the Copernicus Crater."

"Right. Ridge, turn on all of the ship's systems." Again, sharing his expression of concern with Vronica, but she again urged him to heed his order, flooding the room with the white light as all onboard systems were charged and empowered once again.

"Vronica. Set a course for Shahat Base."

"Yes, Captain."

Shahat Base was the Lunar military installation situated in the Eratosthenes Crater as one of the two installations of the region. The secondary installation is the Erastos Observatory, taking advantage of the deep and wide natural depression to establish a radio telescope for beyond Terran telemetry and communication. 

Because the construction takes up most of the surface of the depression, Shahat Base was constructed with a majority of the base below the Lunar surface, deep within the Apenninus mountain range with the entry docks and hangers being located between the crater and the mountain range. 

Upon entering the Shahat Base airspace at 5.5 km, EJ suddenly fell unresponsive as all the ship's systems were shut down soon after. As Ridge tried to restart all the systems, the navigation and propulsion systems were turned on again, but we're now at the mercy of another.

While Vronica tried to override the system's current control, she found herself restricted, encountering an invading A.I in opposition of her commands, that forcibly pulled the ship out of her hands and towards the Hangars.

"Captain, what's going on? Is it the same curse all over again?"

"You need to remain calm, Sergeant Essern. We must make sense of the situation. We cannot do so if we panic." Vronica stated, in a tug-of-war with the foreign digital invader over helming the ship.

"That's right. Ridge, can you head to the cargo bay and ensure that our prisoner is where we left him. Vronica, can you try and wrestle away control of the Enduring Hope?"

"Unfortunately not, Captain Gage. We are being ordered to comply or risk retaliation." Once the ship was forcibly docked, an announcement was made from within the unlit docking bay. 

Again, orders for all members of the Sword Company to make their way to the cargo hold with the prisoner in hand. The command went a step further requesting that all Blades and Enforcers on board be in uniform and that the prisoner must be removed from stasis, giving Captain Gage ten minutes to comply before they take action. 

Once the announcement ended, the Hangar was flooded with aggressive lighting, highlighting the vessel and stunning all the occupants for a moment. 

As the space was filled with armed guards. From what Pierce could make out from the Bridge, their uniform possessed the vivid green and black hues of the Imperial Defense Force, moving with intentional cadence as they surrounded the bow of the ship.

"Captain, it seems that they are armed."

"That doesn't bode well for us. Can the ship handle an assault from them?"

"My sensors tell me that four of them are armed with Compact. Atomic. Mass. Drivers. They would most likely force their way in before I could revive all our systems and escape."

"Four squads of five IDF guards each, armed with C.A.M Driver rifles and an A.I capable of overriding EJ…Okay, we'll act to the best of our ability. I think it's time we wake the Major, she'll need to be briefed by what is happening but I trust you to manage it."

"I think Major Illyanova is far more fond of you. Would it not fair better if you were to engage with her?"

"I'm not too sure about that. She mocked Rayce the entire time they met, but she hasn't said a word about you. My guess is that she is actually very fond of you."

"All right then, Captain."

"I will go and greet our visitors along with Ridge."

Ten minutes latter, another announcement goes off,

"Captain Gage of the Sword Company, Cloudjumpers, have you complied with our commands?" While the squadron of guards awaited a response, they would suddenly jump to a battle-ready formation the moment they were met with the Captain's gesture as the cargo bay's doors opened. 

Major Zoya and Captain Gage walked out first, ahead of Vronica and Ridge who carefully hauled their restrained prisoner, who now conscious was taking every possible opportunity to make Ridge regret it.

"I am the leader of our Sword Company, Cloudjumpers as well as the Captain of this vessel, the IMS-EHJ. I am joined by Major Illyanova Zoya, an Enforcer of Titan and I have complied. We were tasked with apprehending the criminal known as Ozrickt Flynn and delivering him to the Silver Council."

An announcement goes off once more,

"Understood. We are pleased to finally meet you, Captain Gage. Please make your way to the Briefing Room, there is someone we would like you to meet."

"It seems you're expected." Said the Major, with her gaze moving over and between the armored guards, still tracing their rifles on them.

"And what of my crewmates, and the prisoner?"

"They will be allowed to accompany the prisoner to our Holding area. We have already contacted your organization, they will soon know of your arrival. Please, report to the Briefing Room, it is imperative."

"Captain. I sense the involvement of more worrying forces."

"I don't doubt that, V. Tell me, can you establish a link with Silver Command?"

"I require base approval. I must first acknowledge our clearance within the base. Only then can I be permitted to transmit."

"Then I shall trust you to do so. Ridge, can you accompany our prisoner into Holding?"

"That is probably the most reasonable order you've given me today." He nodded before following the two guard squads that took custody of the prisoner. While he tried to mock and tease the masked guards, a heavy blow to his jaw was enough to silence him for some time.

"So that means I'm coming with you?"

"You'll be going with V."

"Why are you pairing me with your Pygmy? Had I needed your appliance, I would have asked. Please don't mock me."

"I pair you with my pilot and my companion. Remember that you made the choice to come here, now that you are here, you are welcome to go your own way." Watching the Captain follow two armed guards that were waiting on him, before he was held back by Vronica.

"Captain Gage, let us come with you."

"V–"

"You asked me to trust you, Captain. Please, trust us."