“I suppose that more than makes up for the lack of Hunter ships,” I replied, ecstatic with our newest acquisition.
“Ah, I have yet to mention the compensation for your Hunter ships. To replace their maneuverability in a dogfight you will find 40 fighter ships in the docking bay we are about to land in. Again, their weaponry and shielding are more advanced than anything the Galactic Empire has to offer. And based on the Hunter ships you flew in with, superior to the Fystr’s too.”
“No fucking way, dude! 40 legendary level fighter ships! Jezai, I think I might have just learnt to trust you again.” To everyone’s surprise, even my own, I hugged the big bastard before pulling back. “Er, sorry about that.” I laughed sheepishly and swiftly got back to the subject. “Can’t wait to see those fighter ships in action.”
“The time will come soon enough, and you will no doubt regret those words.”
I laughed, still embarrassed. “Probably.”
The bridge went quiet as we flew into the shadow of the huge ship, heading quickly toward the yawning mouth of the docking bay. It dwarfed the Uprising and despite my initial reservations, it fit in so easily!
Hwista took us into the cavernous opening of our new ship. Lined along one side of the docking bay were the 40 fighter ships Jezai had talked about. There was also another ship around the size of the Uprising parked up. “What's that other ship for?” I asked, thinking we might have even more ships.
“That is for the Apochros crew who brought this ship to our shipyards.”
I nodded in understanding. It wasn’t too much of a blow to not have that ship as well, all things considered. Vibrating with excitement, like a kid at Christmas, I didn’t bother to form a reply. Grabbing Ember with one arm around her shoulders, I pulled her close, looking around in wonder, crushing her into my side in what was supposed to be a hug.
“Ow! Careful, Shaun,” she yelped.
I barely noticed. “This is some next level shit, right?” was my only response. I looked back to Jezai to clarify, “And this is definitely ours, right? You’re not going to ask for it back?”
“Of course not, Shaun. It's the least we can do after everything that has happened.”
“I know you don’t use money, but how can you afford to give us this?”
“Honestly, it is not really a matter of cost, as we have more ships than we can use. We are constantly developing new and improved ships, while stripping down the oldest models to re-use. Having been in a state of perpetual peace for thousands of years, apart from the minor border skirmishes, we have a healthy surplus, always prepared for the fateful day when the Fystr come for us. I never thought we would be the ones to invite them. How things change! But enough of that; let us explore a little.”
Chapter 22
Ship Shape
The Uprising came to a halt and we all disembarked in short order. I clearly wasn’t the only one excited about our new home. The docking bay was truly cavernous. Even with the other ships and the Uprising, it looked empty. Visions of just how big we could make Uprising opened up in my mind. “How many people can we fit on this bad boy?” I asked Jezai.
“There are quarters enough to hold 20,000 people comfortably.”
All of our jaws dropped at that. “Holy cow, that’s massive!” I gawked.
“Will we be able to fly it okay with the numbers we have?” said the voice of reason, otherwise known as Ember.
“Flying will be no problem. Your main concern, if any, may be manning the weapons stations. While I don’t wish to dissuade the non-transcended elements of your crew from operating them, they are designed with the Apochros in mind. In time a transcended member of your crew should be able to synchronize their Mindscape with the weapons station controls and operate an array of weapons with exacting efficiency.”
“We’ll definitely take advantage of that, but I won’t push anyone’s nose out if they want to stick with the weapons. I like having Koparr on the bridge, for sure,” I replied.
“I’ll need a full instruction manual,” Calegg said with an overwhelmed expression, no doubt wondering how the fuck he was going to engineer this beast.
“The ship’s A.I., which you can access from any terminal, including those in your quarters, can provide you with all operational information on the ship, including answering queries and providing training demonstrations. We currently have a number of Apochros on board to assist you all with settling in and learning everything you need to know.”
“That’s excellent news,” Calegg replied, clearly itching to get stuck in.
“Assuming you are in agreement with our plan, the Council believes a week will be long enough to familiarize yourself with the ship,” Jezai said, looking at me expectantly.
I sighed. “Of course we’re in. I mean, I haven’t discussed it with everyone, but it would be kinda stupid not to get involved in this.”
“We’re in,” Ember confirmed from my side, prompting a wide smile from Jezai.
“I assumed you would be.” He smiled. “We will discuss the details in depth over the coming week. We are in the process of gathering whatever information we can on the Fystr’s scout and fleet movements and disposition.”
“We best get busy, then. Looks like there’s gonna be a ton to learn,” I replied, keen to take a look around.
“Certainly. Let us make our way to the bridge, shall we?” Jezai said, beckoning us to a doorway off the side of the docking bay.
Surprised that we were not going through what looked like the main exit, I followed him at the head of nearly 200 Uprising members. At the doorway, Jezai spoke loudly to the whole group. “Everyone! If you can listen for a moment. The capsules we are about to see, can hold six people. When you can enter the capsule, the display terminal inside will show seven options: Quadrants One through Four, Engineering, Bridge and Emergency Suite. If you can all choose Bridge, please. Once the doors close behind us, wait for this light to turn on as it is now. Simply press the access panel to enter the next available capsule. We will see you all again shortly at the bridge,” he explained, then pressed the panel to open the double-doors, before extending his arm to let Ember and me enter first.
It was like a small underground tube tunnel, with a sleek, white bullet-shaped capsule. I attempted to look around it, curious as to how it might move. Meanwhile, Ember jumped in front of me to be next to the control panel. I had no choice but to shout, “Shotgun,” and jump in alongside her. Jezai and Ogun entered next, with Elyek and Calegg last, filling the last two seats in the capsule. The doors swished shut behind them, sealing us in.
I looked over at the panel to see the options Jezai had described, itching to press for the bridge. With a self-satisfied smile to me, Ember jabbed the option with her finger, and we shot forward like shit off a stick. Around two minutes later we pulled to a stop, the doors opening automatically to let us out. “How far is the bridge from the docking bay?” I asked Jezai.
“It is at the opposite end of the ship, so approximately four kilometers.”
“This ship is four kilometers long!” I gaped.
“Five. The bridge is not at the prow of the ship. That would be too vulnerable a position in battle.”
“Yeah, and it's not like we use windows, is it!” I remarked while we entered the bridge. There were around ten Apochros working on a relatively small bridge compared to what I expected. It was around double the size of the bridge on the Uprising. It came as an unexpected relief. As I looked around more and more of our crew streamed onto the bridge. It must only have been five minutes before all of them were crowding the bridge.
“Jezai, do you think it would be better to get the crew settled somewhere while we work out what everyone is doing?” Ember said. “If someone can show Acclo to the nearest living quarters and closest canteen, then everyone can relax a little while they’re all assigned rooms.”
At Ember’s words, Acclo moved forward. “I certainly will. Are there specific quarters for the captain? I wouldn’t want
to assign them to anyone else.”
“Yes, there are, Acclo,” Jezai said, gesturing behind the bridge to a door. “They are just over there.”
“Behind the bridge? I don’t know about that, we may have to look for some others. I'd like a bit more distance between work and my chillout zone.”
“I agree with Shaun, isn’t that where the captain’s office usually is? Our office isn’t in our quarters, is it?”
“Partially. Give me a couple of seconds,” he said, then waved an Apochros over. “Aliel, would you be amenable to showing Acclo around the closest living zone, please?”
“Yes, of course, Jezai, right away,” he said, before turning to me and saying with a slight bow, “Welcome, Vakuna. It is an honor to meet you, and I hope this ship meets with your approval.”
I was about to snap at him, even though he was being incredibly positive towards me, when Ember touched my arm and I managed to hold my tongue. She was right. “It’s a cracking ship. Please call me Shaun though.”
“Certainly! Of course,” he said happily. It was weird to have people a few thousand years older than me be in awe.
Jezai nodded approval at my handling of the matter. “It is not meant as an insult, the opposite in fact.”
“As long as it’s said as a title and not as my name, I can just about handle it, as irritating as it is to hear.”
“I do appreciate that and thank you for being diplomatic about it. Now, come and assess your quarters,” he said, beckoning us onward.
Through the doors lay a very large, impressive office. Occupying the center of the space was a long wooden table, which splayed seamlessly out into the captain’s desk at the far side of the room. Carved from one piece of wood, it must have once been an epic tree, and inset in front of the twenty or so chairs that surrounded it was a display screen. The rest of the office was a tasteful blend of technology and comfort.
“This is the captain's office first and foremost. There are plenty of other meeting rooms around the ship for others to use,” Jezai declared before moving us onward to another door. It was like walking through a portal to a different world as we entered a large lounge room that dreams were made of. Carpeted in a thick pile carpet, furnished with plush couches, and so many plants it was completely unrecognizable as the inside of a spaceship. The entire back wall of this huge yet cozy room was a screen displaying what I guessed was a view of Accre’s countryside. A lush meadow, with hills off in the distance. It gave the impression of being a huge window rather than a screen. In the centre of the lounge area was a centerpiece stone chimney with what looked like an actual live, roaring fire, and I instantly fell in love with it. Once we’d moved far enough into the room to take in the whole space, it was far larger than I was expecting. There was an open-plan kitchen and dining area to one side, and I mused that I could have fit four of my old apartments into this space. The kitchen itself was all stainless steel, with some fancy lighting choices that a certain Swedish furniture company would be proud of. The dining area had a thick wooden dining table that reminded me of something out of an old country mansion. The mix of modern and natural worked spectacularly together. This space was designed for luxury as much as utility.
Ember stood silently, as in awe as I was. Beyond the lounge, in the other direction, there was a spiral staircase leading to a balcony and another level. I was intrigued. “Would you like to lead the way?” I said to Ember.
“Hell yeah, I would!” Ember said, finally showing as much excitement as I had on entering the ship. She practically ran to the staircase and began to ascend.
I looked to Jezai with a smirk. “Stairs, huh?” I said as we both levitated up and over the balcony in a smooth motion.
“Oh! Very fucking funny, you arseholes,” Ember huffed as she got to the top to find us both standing there. “It’s my own fault, I’ll have to get used to using powers more regularly.”
“It is a good habit to develop. I’m certain that learning to use your powers as second nature will one day save your life,” Jezai replied.
“Okay, you don’t need to labor the point. I get it!”
Jezai laughed as the taciturn Ember spun on her heel and went to the first door. It opened to reveal a huge bedroom, bigger than our entire quarters on the Uprising. “That bed makes a super-king-size look like a single!” she almost squeaked, while walking over and pressing down on the mattress.
I obviously wanted to jump on it, but you know, I was trying to look professional. “That’s about the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. You could get lost on it,” I said, instead of the diving spread eagle, I so desired to do.
“Yes! The Apochros believe being in space shouldn’t mean being uncomfortable.”
A door to the side of the bedroom led to an en-suite, containing a good-sized shower and a huge bath big enough for four people to bathe in comfort. Along the balcony we found two more bedrooms, each with an en-suite.
“Wow! Jezai, this place is a goddamn mansion. I think I can just about get over the fact that we won't be living on the Uprising anymore,” I said as we moved to the last door.
Behind this one was an open platform that overlooked a good-sized gym with a part-wooden, part-padded floor area. There were several resistance machines, but what really caught my eye was the hoops all around the ceiling. A smaller recreation of the course in the facility on Accre. I grinned at Ember and Jezai, then shot off the platform, flying around the hoops as fast as I could. Both for the thrill and to show off to Ember. Thirty seconds later I was back on the platform, grinning like the cat who’d got the cream.
“I think I’ll wait till later before I try the rings out,” Ember stated, “but thanks for the demonstration, you tit.”
I smiled back, suitably chastened. “I couldn’t help it, sorry. Pretty fun, eh? We’ll be trying to beat each other's times by the end of the week, I’m sure.”
Jezai nodded. “It won't take long to get up to speed, Ember. Ialos spoke to me about having some of the apparatus we used with Shaun installed onboard. As long as they are used under medical supervision, there is no reason why not. If you wish to have them available both here and in the communal gym, you will have to look into obtaining enough medical staff. While Ialos is a wonderful, hardworking physician, she cannot be everywhere at once!”
“We have a few useful people with medical training that Ialos could perhaps help train on their use?” Ember replied.
“I am sure she will be amenable to that, and I hope you like your new ship so far. I think you deserve a place you can really call home, and as far as spaceships go, this should fit the bill. The next big question is, what will you call the new ship?” Jezai asked enthusiastically.
“That’ll be down to a meeting of the crew. I’m not allowed to name things.”
“Not that it’s a bad thing to share the decision, but why not?”
Ember helpfully provided the reason. “Because he's shit at naming things apart from Havok, and that took him nearly a month.”
“I see.” He smirked. “Well, do let me know. I’m fascinated to hear what you all decide upon. For now I should leave you to get situated. Oh, and one last thing before I go. You can change the main wall display, have it blank or showing the view of outside the ship. There will be a control for it somewhere in here.”
“Worth knowing. Thanks, Jezai,” Ember replied.
“Good luck. I will be in touch tomorrow,” Jezai said, then levitated over the balcony and was gone, leaving us alone in our flash new pad.
“Well, this is awesome!” I declared.
“It sure is! It's so lush, like it could be a very swanky house on Earth! I don’t want to leave, but we should probably go and make sure everyone else is okay.”
“We should, yeah. But not until I’ve spent a full five minutes on that couch,” I insisted, pointing down at the expanse of comfiness. I levitated over the balcony to float above the couch, angling my body into a horizontal position a few above, then I let go of the levitation, dr
opping into the snug cushions with a huge smile on my face.
Ember was giggling from above, leaning over the balcony. “I’m so jealous of your levitation skills. I want to know everything,” she demanded as she carefully levitated to hover above me. She looked rather unsteady to my eyes now, after all of my training with the Apochros. Hard to believe I once thought her amazing at the skill. She lowered herself slowly down toward me, smiling brightly. I had to admit to becoming a little nervous underneath her. A second later, I discovered I was right to be. She dropped the remaining distance, feet first onto my stomach. Honestly, with 450 Constitution, it pretty much tickled. She got down next to me and cuddled in. We spent five blissful minutes just lying there next to the fire, which burned and crackled away. I could have stayed like that forever, and I sensed Ember could too. But duty called, and we really did have to check on everyone else.
Chapter 23
Choices
We made our way back to the bridge. Elyek, Calegg, Hwista and Wulek were still there, preferring to dive straight into learning the operation of the ship. I wasn’t surprised.
Calegg stood separately from the three Veilitians, discussing engineering aspects with the Apochros. He was engrossed but spared a moment to wave and acknowledge us. The three Veiletians would be doing the lion's share of piloting this monster, and they were similarly engaged.
“Hey guys, we're gonna check on the others, but we’ll have a meeting in an hour or so. You’re all invited,” I said to them with a wink.
“I will make sure that we are all there, Shaun. This ship is so fascinating, there are so many new things to learn,” Elyek replied, excitement tinging their words.
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