"Computer," he said, his voice echoing in the empty room. "Activate terminal."

  The screen flashed to life, a gentle female voice responding. "Terminal activated. How may I assist you, Captain Strickland?"

  Soren exhaled in relief. At least the AI was functional, a small comfort in the face of so many challenges. Obviously, Rashad had programmed it to recognize his voice, which was a bittersweet surprise. The station commander had practically idolized him. And now he was gone.

  "Change the video screens to display a forest scene," Soren ordered, hoping the system could fulfill the request. He needed something peaceful to help him get his mind in a better place to recover enough to fall asleep. "And play corresponding environmental sounds."

  "Acknowledged," the AI replied. Instantly, the screens transformed, an immersive woodland vista appearing around him. The sound of chirping birds and rustling leaves filled the air, creating a soothing atmosphere.

  "Thank you," Soren said, feeling tension ease from his shoulders. He thought briefly of the lake back home, of the countless hours he had spent there, finding peace in nature's embrace.

  His thoughts turned to Jane, and he felt a sudden, sharp longing. With the station destroyed and Wraith's comms system still offline, he had no way to contact her or let her know he was alright. He knew she was strong that she had endured his long absences and the constant specter of danger that came with loving a Navy man. But this time felt different, the uncertainty and isolation more acute.

  He tried to picture her going about her daily routine, tending to the house, and discussing events with friends. He knew she would worry, but she wouldn't let it consume her. She had faith in him, an unshakable belief that he would always find his way home.

  He lay back on the mattress, pulling the simple light blanket over his tired body. Tomorrow, despite the uncertainty of what they faced, the dangers and the challenges ahead, his small crew would face the challenges and uncertainty with all the ability and fortitude he knew they possessed. But for now, he could rest, gathering his strength for the trials that would undoubtedly come.

  He closed his eyes, letting the gentle sounds of the forest soothe away the worries crowding his thoughts and slipping into the quiet depths of sleep.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Captain, do you copy?”

  Soren’s eyes snapped open, quickly scanning the room for the source of the voice, still between sleep and wakefulness.

  “Captain,” Ethan repeated, voice loud and clear in his mind over the chirping and gently flowing water. “Are you there?”

  Soren remembered the comm button behind his ear. He sat up. “Ethan, I copy.”

  “Sorry to wake you, Captain, but I figured you’d want to know the moment the jump drive repairs were complete. Everything’s checking out, the only thing left to do is spool her up and see if we fold.”

  It took Soren a moment to process the implications. If the drive was online, that meant he had been sleeping for nearly ten hours. He hadn’t slept that long in one shot since…he couldn’t remember. “Thank you, Ethan. You know me well enough to keep me informed. I’m on my way to the bridge.”

  He rolled off the mattress, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he stood. The restless dreams of the night before still lingered in the back of his mind, but he pushed them aside. There would be time enough to wrestle with his fears and doubts later. Right now, he had a ship to run.

  He stretched, feeling the satisfying pop of his joints as he worked out the kinks from sleeping on a less-than-ideal surface. Though still fit and strong, his body was starting to feel the wear and tear of his years of service, but he refused to let it slow him down.

  He didn’t bother changing from the utilities, pausing only to put on his boots before hurrying to the bridge. He only got turned around once along the way, winding up in a dark corridor where the lighting had failed, making a mental note to have Ethan add it to his growing list of needed repairs.

  “Captain on the bridge!” Jack announced as Soren entered. All the crew were present and at their stations, cleaned and in service uniforms recently pulled from the backs of their closets. Even Wilf, Tashi, and Asha were there, though they remained in street clothes.

  “As you were,” Soren said, returning them to their duties. “Jack, I have the conn.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Jack replied, rising from the command station. “You have the conn.”

  Soren took his place at the station, settling into the seat. “I’ve heard rumors the jump drive is online?”

  “Aye, Captain,” Ethan replied. “All of our tests have passed with flying colors.”

  “Excellent work. Let’s try this again. Sang, bring us to a stop.”

  “Aye, Captain,” she replied, tapping her controls to adjust the ship’s various vectoring thrusters. Soren watched the velocity decrease on the readings mirrored to the command station’s surface display. “All stop.”

  “Bobby, run a new solution to the Wolf system.”

  “Aye, Captain.” He carried out the task, waiting for the navigation computer to complete the calculations. “Course set and ready, sir.”

  “Here goes nothing. Execute jump.”

  “Executing,” Bobby said, tapping his control board.

  The lights dimmed momentarily, Soren’s jaw clenching in reply. He relaxed when they stabilized, and the familiar thrum of the jump drive followed as it spun up.

  “Still a kink somewhere,” Ethan said. “We’ll figure it out.”

  The thudding increased in tempo, vibrations coursing through the bridge until it seemed it might shake the Wraith apart. And then, suddenly, silence.

  “Jump executed,’ Bobby announced. “ETA to the designated coordinates, thirteen hours, twenty-one minutes.”

  “Excellent work, Ethan,” Soren repeated. “We can all finally relax for a little while. Especially you and your team.”

  “Captain, we have so many things that need doing,” Ethan argued.

  “And you can do them after you get some sleep. Bad repairs from exhausted engineers are worse than no repairs at all.”

  “Aye, Captain,” he reluctantly replied.

  Soren rose from the command station. The rest of the crew stood as well. There was no need for anyone to be on the bridge while the ship tunneled from one part of the universe to the other.

  “Unfortunately, we’re a bit sparse on amenities,” he said. “So do the best you can. I’ll be in my quarters.”

  He left the bridge first, returning to his quarters without issue this time. Entering the head, he found a towel hanging from the shower door. Stripping out of the utilities, he stepped into the shower, somewhat surprised to find it fully functional, hot water and all.

  He let the spray cascade over him, washing away the grime and sweat of the previous day. He tried to let it wash away his worries too, but those clung to him like a second skin. Still, the heat and steam helped clear his head, bringing clarity to otherwise chaotic thoughts.

  Soren stepped out of the shower, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he toweled off. The face that looked back at him was older than the one in his memories, the lines around his eyes and mouth a little deeper, the gray in his hair a little more pronounced. But the eyes were still the same. Sharp, intelligent, and filled with a fierce determination that had seen him through countless battles and hardships.

  He dressed quickly in his old service uniform, pleased that it still fit, though it was a little tighter across the shoulders where he had bulked up a bit more in his retirement. Otherwise, it was clean and straight. He ensured he had everything just so, the way he would if he were still part of the Navy. No one could reprimand him for disobeying regulations, but that was no excuse.

  He left his quarters and headed for the mess. As he approached, the smells of coffee and, curiously, cooking food filled the air, leaving him to wonder who had assigned themselves to the task.

  Entering the chow hall, he was pleased to see that someone had taken the initiative to arrange emptied supply boxes of various sizes into makeshift tables and seats, providing a place for the crew to gather and eat.

  Ethan, Wilf, Tashi, and Lina were gathered around one of the makeshift tables, hunched over their meals, ravenously shoveling scrambled eggs and bacon into their mouths. They all looked up as Soren approached, nodding in greeting before returning to their meals, eager to finish so they could hit their racks and get some much-needed rest.

  Soren spotted Harry behind the counter, positioned in front of a pot of stew. He made his way over, the rich, savory smell making his stomach growl in anticipation.

  "Smells good, Harry," he said, leaning against the counter. "I didn't know you were a cook."

  Harry chuckled, handing Soren a bowl and spoon. "I'm not, really. But someone has to do it, and I figured a simple stew was hard to screw up. It's just reconstituted protein, freeze-dried vegetables, water, and plenty of salt. Nothing fancy, but it'll fill you up."

  Soren leaned back against the counter and sampled a spoonful, the hot, unexpectedly flavorful broth warming him from the inside out. "It's perfect, Harry. Thank you."

  They talked briefly about their supplies, Harry giving him a rundown of their inventory. According to his calculations, they had enough rations to last the twelve-person crew for about four months, assuming they were careful with their portions.

  "Let's hope we won't need to stretch it that far," Soren said, frowning slightly. "But it's good to know we have a buffer, just in case."

  Harry nodded, his expression serious. "Agreed. I'll keep a close eye on our stores, make sure we don't burn through them too quickly."

  Soren clapped him on the shoulder, grateful for his friend's diligence. "I know you will, Harry. Thank you for that.” He raised his bowl. “And for this. I appreciate you picking up the slack.”

  “We all know how short-handed we are, and that we have to wear different hats. Maybe we can start a rotation, so I’m not cooking every meal.”

  Soren nodded. “Good idea. I’ll make it happen.” Bowl in hand, he headed to the engineers' table. He pulled up a metal crate and sat down, digging into his meal.

  “Captain,” Ethan said. “Nice of you to join us.”

  “Thank you all again for your efforts. I know you’re all tired, but you’ve put this entire mission on a stronger footing with your diligence. It doesn’t go unnoticed.”

  “Nothing does with you, does it?” Wilf said. “I’ve never had a Captain thank me before. It’s always like, oh, you finished that. Well, get your ass on this next thing you lazy mongrel.”

  The rest of the table laughed. “We’ve all had captains like that,” Lina said. “Soren is the best leader I’ve ever served under. And we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

  “Aye,” Ethan agreed. “That’s why we’re here.”

  “You aren’t getting paid?” Tashi asked.

  “Nope. Purely volunteer.”

  “Captain,” Wilf said. “You never did tell me where we’re headed or why.”

  “Me, either,” Tashi added.

  Soren stopped eating. “My daughter,” he replied. “She commands a research ship called the Galileo. It disappeared without a trace. I came out here to find it, and her.”

  “But Captain, why not let the Navy take care of it?” Tashi asked. “It’s their ship. They must want to find her, too.”

  “They do,” Soren replied. “But the Navy answers to the government, and the government has other concerns they need to weigh with every decision.”

  “What do you mean?” Wilf questioned.

  “He means, they won’t jump to the end of the universe and back looking for Galileo,” Lina explained.

  “Your daughter must mean a lot to you,” Tashi said, looking thoughtful.

  “She does,” Soren agreed, recalling the photo in his office at home.

  “I wish my parents had cared that much about me.”

  Ethan reached out, putting his large arm over Tashi’s shoulders. “You have a new family now, son.”

  Tashi nodded, eyes bright and grateful.

  "So, Tashi," Soren said after a few more spoonfuls of stew, "how are you enjoying your first taste of space so far?"

  Tashi grinned. "It's incredible, Captain. I never imagined anything like this. The vastness, the beauty...it's like a dream come true." His smile faltered slightly as he added, "Except for the part where we were being shot at. That was less enjoyable."

  Soren chuckled, nodding in understanding. "It's not always like that, I promise. But you handled yourself well, especially for your first time under fire. You should be proud of yourself."

  Tashi ducked his head, pleased by the praise. "Thank you, Captain. I just did my best to follow orders and not panic."

  Soren turned to Ethan, his expression growing more serious. "Speaking of being shot at, I want you to prioritize working with Keira to understand the limitations of the beam weapon once you're back on duty. Considering our limited ammunition, if we run into trouble again, it might be our best, or only, chance of evening the odds.”

  Ethan nodded. "Understood, Captain. I’ll have a full report for you by the time we arrive in the Wolf system.”

  “That’s only nine hours from now. I want you to rest.”

  “Four hours will do me for now. Like you said, we might need that gun, and we don’t want to burn up trying to leverage it.”

  "I can’t really argue with that, can I?” Soren said. "Lina, I know it’s not your specialty, but I need you to see what you can do about getting our comms system online. Hopefully it’s something simple you can work out without Ethan. Tashi, I want you to assist.”

  "Aye, Captain,” Lina replied.

  “Is there a manual for the comms station?” Tashi asked. “I started looking at the ship’s wiring diagrams, but they didn’t go into that level of detail.”

  “There must be,” Lina replied. “We’ll find it.”

  “You might not have a lot of hands-on experience with starships,” Ethan said, “but being able to read schematics and diagrams is a major step in the right direction.”

  Tashi beamed at the praise.

  “What about me, Captain?” Wilf asked, chagrined by all the attention his old rival was getting.

  “You said you’re a jack of all trades. For now, I want you to assist Asha in getting sickbay organized and fully-operational.”

  Wilf didn’t look that happy with the assignment, especially comparing it to Tashi’s orders, but he nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

  Soren smiled, warmed by his crew's dedication and resolve. They finished their meals in companionable silence, the weight of the tasks ahead of them tempered by the knowledge that they were in it together, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

  And he was certain there would be plenty of challenges to come.

  CHAPTER 15

  Gunnery Sergeant Alexander Strickland crouched in dense underbrush, his powered armor's adaptive camouflage helping him blend in with the alien foliage. The jungle around him teemed with life, a cacophony of strange bird calls and insect chirps filling the air. But Alex focused solely on the enemy encampment sprawled out before him.

  Through his helmet's advanced optics, he could make out the terrorist forces scurrying about like ants, their outdated armor and weapons a far cry from the cutting-edge technology employed by the FUP Space Marines. But what they lacked in equipment, they made up for in sheer numbers. Alex's squad of Marines was vastly outnumbered, but that was par for the course for Force Recon. They were used to operating deep behind enemy lines, striking hard and fast before melting away into the shadows.

  "Scorpion Six, this is Scorpion One," Alex subvocalized, his suit's neural interface picking up the minute muscle movements in his throat and translating them into clear communication. "I have eyes on the target. Confirming heavy enemy presence. At least fifty tangoes."

  "Copy that, Scorpion One," Lieutenant Mark Weathers’ voice crackled in his ear. "Proceed with caution."

  Alex acknowledged the warning. The terrorists might be using outdated equipment, but they were still dangerous. Their fanaticism made them unpredictable and willing to fight to the last man.

  "Alright, Scorpions," Alex said, addressing his team. "You heard the man. We're here to plant demo charges on their fuel depot and comms array, then exfil before they know what hit them. Scorpion Two and Three, you're on the fuel depot. Four and Five, you've got the comms. I'll run interference and keep their attention focused on me. Scorpion Six will provide overwatch and coordinate our extraction."

  A chorus of affirmatives sounded over the comm as his team acknowledged their orders. Alex took a deep breath, centering himself. This was what he lived for. The thrill of real combat, the test of skill and strategy against a determined enemy. It was in his blood, a legacy passed down from his father.

  "On my mark," Alex said, his voice steady and calm. "Three... two... one... execute!"

  The Marines burst from their hiding spots, their powered armor carrying them across the open ground with inhuman speed. Alex headed straight for the center of the camp, his suit's jump jets flaring as he leaped over the perimeter fence. He landed in a crouch, his armor absorbing the impact, and immediately opened fire.

  His rifle spat high-velocity rounds, each finding its mark with unerring accuracy. Terrorist soldiers fell left and right, their outdated armor no match for the advanced munitions. Alarms blared across the compound as the enemy scrambled to respond to the sudden assault.

  Alex's HUD lit up with threat indicators as return fire started coming his way. The rounds pinged off the armor, unable to pierce its tough hide. A rocket streaked toward him, and he pivoted and punched his jump jets, skidding sideways. The rocket detonated harmlessly several meters away, the shockwave barely registering against his protective shell.

  "Scorpion Two here," came the voice of Corporal Sarah Chen. "We've reached the fuel depot. Planting charges now."

  “Copy that, Two. Maybe take the scenic route next time. You’re making it look too easy.”