*Half a month after the destruction of the Nova Krakov.*
The Fazzad sailed through the dark expanse of the galaxy with its escorts as it waited for its Temporal Wormhole Generator to go through its cycle period. The gigantic Cruiser-Class warship maintained a state of alertness as it moved; its sensors repeatedly scanned the surroundings for any anomalies. The crew of the ship remained silent as all this happened, the only sounds being the occasional beeps of machines.
Commander Abis Finete strolled through the long white halls of the ship, admiring the beauty that it was as he went. The advanced systems, the powerful and deadly internal defenses, he inspected each and every important corner of the ship, taking in its majestic beauty one more time before he would be transferred to the latest Heavy Cruiser of the USC - the Estella Crow!
As the latest of its kind, the Estella Crow was sure to come packed with advanced and new innovations that were made by the researchers of the USC. Just looking at the Fazzad, and the now decommissioned Nova Krakov, it wasn't too hard to guess that whatever was coming would be supremely more powerful.
He finally stepped into his stateroom, making sure to lock the door behind him and seal its access so only he could open it. As soon as that was done, he retreated to a small desk that was placed in the corner of the room by a small view screen that gave him a view of the dark galaxy outside. He activated his military standard communication device that was on his wrist and quickly contacted his superior - the head of the Hawk Faction in the USC upper echelon level.
The call wasn't even up for five seconds before getting picked up on the other end. The stern face of his superior appeared in the form of a projection before him. His appearance was that of a middle aged man, but although he looked quite young, Abis was sure that this man was well into his older times. In this time and age, it isn't unheard of to see powerful figures living for over two centuries.
His golden brows were bent in a small frown that seemed to be etched onto his face and his fierce golden eyes complemented his fierce look. His hair was cut short into a simple buzz cut. From what was displayed through his projection, numerous medals that stood out in order to show off his accomplishments hung from his chest. The way they glimmered subconsciously drew in Abis' attention. This fierce figure was known as Tarvit.
"Sir!" Abis gave a salute to show his respect.
"Is it done?" Tarvit gave him a knowing look.
"Yes, sir. We left the site roughly a month ago after wiping all traces of our presence." Abis nodded and dropped some vague words. Although he knew that there was a very low chance of the channel of communication being monitored, he felt it was best to be careful and not elaborate on the specifics of the mission.
"Good." Tarvit nodded sternly. He examined Abis in silence for a few moments before speaking up again, "It will take you roughly seven more months to reach the Central Area of USC space. By that time, the Estella Crow should have been done with production. As agreed, you shall be responsible for handpicking your own crew. That is all. I will await any further news from you. Be cautious at all times." With a simple sentence of warning, the projection flickered and blinked away.
Abis sat stiff in his seat for a few moments longer as the content of their conversation was processed in his brain.
"Hahaha! The Estella Crow is basically mine!" He laughed manically for a while as he kept on thinking of the mighty Heavy Cruiser that was waiting for him back in the Central Area.
After a while, he finally calmed down and reigned in his emotions. He tapped his comm device a few times before the projection of the Estella Crow appeared, suspended in the air. He enlarged the projection until it was large enough to take up the entire space in the middle of his stateroom.
The mighty warship was a gorgeous creation in every sense of the word to Abis. It was streamlined to a very high degree, and stretched up to an astounding 2.5 kilometers! It's entire body was smooth and slick, hiding the extremely dangerous weapons within it. It resembled a deadly poison that was coated with a layer of sugar to hide its true self.
Abis sighed in admiration before cancelling the projection of the ship and laying on his bed.
A few minutes later, he drifted into a deep sleep, plagued with childhood memories of a special someone he held very dear. A special someone he had ended a month ago...
.....
Jacob whistled a low tune as he stood outside Maximiler's stateroom. He had been given strict instructions to guard the room in order to make sure Maximiler didn't leave his room. Jacob knew it was all in vain. He had come to trust Maximiler, and when Maximiler said he didn't intend on leaving so as to not cause any more trouble, he believed him. But of course, no one took Maximiler's words seriously and still left Jacob to guard his room.
He released a sigh before walking down the hall to take a seat that was conveniently placed there. He had been at this for five hours already and no one from the higher chain of command had sent down any new orders.
At this time, his comm suddenly beeped twice with a special tone, alerting him of a new order.
"Finally!" Jacob groaned before opening up the message. A short but very precise set of instructions appeared before him. It read:
[Bring the clone up to UG-Floor 3.]
The Research Facility was basically spilt into two. The first half was the aboveground level, which was referred to as 'AG'. The second half was the underground level, which was referred to as 'UG'. So, the message was telling Jacob to take Maximiler to the third floor of the underground level.
Seeing this, Jacob's face contorted, slightly put off. "Damn. That's the testing facility." The testing facility was a no-man's-land in the Research Facility's building. Things only went in, never coming back out. Because of this, everyone usually kept clear of the area, except for the scientists that were assigned there.
"Well, we can conclude that Max isn't getting off so easily." Jacob sighed before going over to Maximiler's door. He flashed his card over the scanner let out a low chime before the door slid open. Maximiler who was sprawled over the bed raised his head when he heard the sound of the door.
"Time to go?" He asked.
"Yup. Not looking too good, though." Jacob winced when he thought of Max being cut up for research purposes.
"It's fine. I'm an asset with value to them. I won't be disposed off so easily." Maximiler nodded his head with his eyes closed as he thought.
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of..."