We're facing two enemy ships, but we are maintaining a good distance from them, and they want to close in. Although now they are much more cautious, since we've crippled five of their vessels in the last two weeks. We've taken some damage as well, though we're still hanging in there. "Tom, how are things down there?"
"Sir, we got the fold generator back on line." Fantastic!
"Helm, get us the hell out'a here!" Space erupts open in front of us and we slip through. "When we're clear set course for Majah Prime."
"Aye Sir." We slip out and and almost immediately slip in to another rift, and we pop out in Majah Prime space. Immediately two Majah-tu dreadnoughts intercept us, as we approach and They take up flanking escort positions on either side of us.
"Comms hale the Majah-tu commander please."
"Aye Captain." She gets the commander on the horn. "He's on Sir."
"Captain, thank you for the escort." It's good to be back after nearly a month and a half; now we need more significant repairs to the Helios.
[It is an honor to escort you into our spaceport.]
Well, at least I'll be able to stop home to Jahní, but first I need to speak to our Ambassador and report on our progress. We enter the spaceport and dock; once inside the station the Majah-tu engineering team looks at the exterior hull of the Helios. The chief has an appalled expression, when he turns to me.
I shrug my shoulders. "What have you done to my work of art?" His frustration is evident, but she is a ship of war and we've been fighting.
"I apologize for that, but you know we are fighting out there." He needs to understand that simple fact.
He looks at the ship shaking his head. "I will have all the damaged armored plates replaces and... I will run a full diagnostic on all systems and replace cannons five, seven and ten." He runs his hands through his hair.
I smile and walk on to my office in the spaceport entering turning the lights on, and thinking about the repairs to the ship. I don't know how long the Majah-tu will support us; I can only imagine that if it becomes to expensive they're going to squawk about it. This has to work because so much is riding on it, and the more we're out there the more exposed we will be.
I begin to write up the summary of the after action report, so I can turn it in to the Ambassador. In an hour I'm ready to head down and talk to the Ambassador. I step out of my office and head for the shuttle that is waiting in the port bay.
We are landing at the Embassy, and stepping out I see the monument and the graves of our fallen shipmates. I stop in front of them and salute; I pay my respects to them, for the sacrifice they made. I make a sharp left and head into the Embassy making my way to the Ambassadors office. On the way there the Marines at the Embassy snap a salute in my direction, which I return. I see a few Majah-tu who are employed here, who bow to me and I incline my head in return.
Finally I reach the door and knock waiting patiently to be admitted. The door opens and I'm face to face with a large Majah-tu guard. He bows and steps aside allowing me to enter, and to my surprise the King is here with the Ambassador sipping tea or something.
Ambassador Ahmadi rises to greet me. We shake hands then he just gives me a big bear hug patting my shoulder. "Thanks be to Allah for your safe return Captain!"
"Thank you Ambassador, for your kind words. It's good to be back here." I nod and turn my attention to the King because his presence here is no coincidence. "Your majesty. It's good to see you here, though I am a bit surprised." I bow.
The corner of his lip smirks up. "I'm here just to make a social visit and not on any state business."
I smile at his excuse to come here. "Oh and very well done Captain, for all your work to make the Barhalmahní run around like a decapitated pheasant." He seems to be containing a laugh. "It truly has been most amusing to watch."
I chuckle a bit. "It was my pleasure to provide you with entertainment."
He puts his hand behind him. "They are so invested in destroying you, that they have stopped almost everything else they were doing or plotting to do."
I can see that some weight has lifted off his shoulders, at least for a time.
I turn to the Ambassador and I hand him my report.
"It's all there Ambassador; the full after action report of the last month, and I'm glad to report no serious casualties." He holds it looking at it knowing that Earth history is being written here. "Well Ambassador your Majesty, I must be on my way to see Jahní and Marleia."
They both incline their heads as I do as well taking my leave of them exiting the Embassy, and taking the shuttle back to our house. I step off the shuttle and Jahní practically runs over to me, and Throws her arms around my neck. I hug her gently as is possible, but it's difficult to contain my joy, at seeing her again after more than a month away.
She holds me tightly. "I've heard so much from the Ambassador, about the exploits of the Helios!" I gaze at her for a bit and she tugs at my shirt. "Tell me all about it please."
"I will, but in the house sitting down comfortably." She laughs lightly. God I've missed that smile and laugh; we step inside and the house staff greet me at the door taking my bag up to our room, as we head for the family room.
Marleia looks up from the homework she's working on, and jumps up running into my arms. "How has this young lady been behaving since I've been gone?"
She has a big smile on her face. "I've been good and I'm doing my homework."
I nod putting on a serious face. "Well now, that's exactly what I wanted to hear." As I tickle Marleia her laughs fill the family room. "Alright then, back to your work." She pouts, but does as she's told. I sit down putting my arm around Jahní, as she rest her head on my shoulder. "So, what do want to know?"
"Everything. Don't leave a single thing out." I have to always remind myself that she is an experienced ship Captain as well, and she will want to know everything we've done.
"It's been an active month and a half with moments of extreme action and of moments that were not so much, but I guess I'll start at the beginning with... I go through it with her and boy she had questions up wahzu!
She looks at me with understanding. "So you wanted to cripple that ship and you wound up causing catastrophic damage instead."
I look away from her. "That's about the gist of it." I let go of breath remembering that encounter. "We offered assistance, but they flat out refused it. They instead they threw threats at us."
She chuckles. "That is the Barhalmahní. They will never accept help even when they need it." That's just insane I f you ask me. "You did the right thing and left them to die with their honor intact."
I look at her blinking. "Really?" I just sit there thinking that over. "So to them death is acceptable alternative, rather than to live with regret and dishonor." Brother, what have we gotten ourselves into? "Do the Majah-tu feel the same way?"
She has a distant look in her eyes, as if remembering something from her past. "We are similar, but not the same. We do not throw away our lives without the correct reason to do so."
Interesting. "But, if you had a reason you would give your lives."
She moves closer to me. "What would you give your life for?"
I look at her and I lean my head to hers. "For you, my children... and my fellow shipmates." Yes, those are the only reasons for me to give my life for. No one ever asked me that before, and frankly I probably would have laid my life down for the UEA before; when I was young. War has a way of changing some of your idealistic views, and then it becomes survival of you and your fellow soldiers and aviators.
"You're so quiet." I look back at her realizing how quiet I was. "Is it difficult to share your adventures?"
I smile shaking my head. "Not at all. I was just reminiscing on the War on Earth." I take deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sometimes I feel like everything I did lead up to me being Captain of the Helios, and not now it seems true that it was that way."
She straightens herself locking eyes with me. "That is exactly as it worked out, for us. Don't doubt that."
Her eyes are so focused on her belief, and with all the things that I have seen I now believe as well.