We reached the elevator, and after a tense ride filled with wary glances and stoic robots, we exited the main hangar.
This time, I couldn't stop myself from gasping, let alone prevent the others from their sounds of surprise.
There in the hangar was the largest shuttle I had ever seen. It was beautiful, made of sleek lines and sharp angles. It was painted in the same black, white, and blue as the Marines and looked to be in the middle of loading various crates into the bay doors. Two huge rectangular thrusters were lifted into an obvious idle stance, and I could see what looked to be a large flechette turret mounted on the nose.
Surrounding the shuttle was more robotic marines. I saw four observing from the side; each focused on one of the drones transporting the crates. In Gutierrez's squad, there were nine Marines. As I watched, Gutierrez angled away from the group, joined shortly by two others. I was about to wander off when a shadow passed over me. I looked up to see a hulking mass of armor not centimeters from my face.
I stepped back to get a better look and found myself looking directly into the sensor of the Marine. My face gave me away since the Marine spoke, his voice filtered by speakers.
"I'm Ajax," he said, holding out a hand that was bigger than my face. He must have realized what was wrong because he chuckled and withdrew his hand. I studied him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Navy and Marines didn't socialize often, and I had yet to have a Marine compliment assigned to my ship. I knew why, but I was also lamenting my lack of experience.
Thankfully, the awkwardness was relieved by Ajax, who at least sounded abashed, although I could have imagined it.
"The Sarge told me to answer your questions before we board. I won't answer some of them, but I can give you a general sense of the situation." His voice sounded young like today's youth had an air of arrogance and glee that surrounded their every action. I smiled at him, taking a moment to organize my thoughts.
"What can I expect when we reach your ship, Marine?" I kept my voice level free of any inflection.
"You'll join us on our return to the Venator, where the LT'll escort you to meet with the Commander. I don't know what the boss will ask but be prepared for anything. The man has a way of extracting the smallest detail from the slightest verbal clues." The Marine shook his "head," obviously recalling some experience.
"Where is the rest of your platoon?"
Ajax was quiet momentarily, probably considering what details he could reveal.
"They're spread between security and transport." It was practically nothing, but I could make some assumptions. Parts of the platoon were on the Clar, keeping the people under guard, while the others were probably taking inventory of anything their Commander deemed important. I nodded, seeing the logic. I saw Gutierrez finish with what I assumed were her corporals and make her way over to us, so I got out one more question.
"Who do you swear loyalty to, Ajax?" I wanted to know where the mysterious ship had hailed from. I knew from my "conversation" with Commander Venata that they were contracting with the Feds, but between the Cruiser and the Marines, I was just too curious.
"The Commander." Ajax's voice made it sound like it was an obvious answer, but it was anything but. I could tell from the discipline shown by the Marines that they were professionally trained. Their armor and weapons were too uniform, and their speech was to be practiced. If they swore to their commander instead of a nation, this was indeed a curious group.
I mulled that over, almost too distracted to see the Sergeant arrive before me.
She collected my little group from their various states of awe and hustled us aboard the shuttle. After strapping into oversized harnesses, the ship accelerated out of the hangar and toward the Cruiser.
The trip was short and uneventful, although Gregor would not shut up about all the marvels he'd seen. It took a sharp word from me and an admonishment from Robert to finally silence the man.
It didn't last long, however, because he began chattering once more as we neared the Venator.
"Dear Void, that is the most beautiful ship I've ever seen." The awe was evident in his voice, prompting me to twist my harness to get a look at one of the various screens showing the view outside.
Although it irked me to compliment another ship aside from the Infix, I had to admit that the Venator was the perfect blend of menace and beauty.
It was shaped like an ancient arrowhead that was blunted at the end. It was covered in advanced armor paneling, lines of white dissecting the panels in a mirror image of its opposite side. Some various instruments and arrays dotted the hull, some I recognized, some I didn't, and some that I couldn't begin to guess at their use. I saw five spots that made themselves obvious as we got closer. Lining the ship were some of the largest weapons I'd ever seen.
Near the front was what looked like a set of railguns the size of a luxury yacht. A mirror image was set a few dozen meters behind it, making four of the most dangerous mid-range weapons in the galaxy. Not a few hundred meters behind the guns was an even more threatening sight. Six missile launchers in an idle state were crouched on the hull, glowing softly against the dark metal. I was no Amelia Farrow, but from the length alone, I could tell the missile armament was massive, no doubt able to deal incredible damage for every missile.
Just as we descended to come even with the midline of the ship, I saw something that threatened to topple my worldview. Two drones were flying up to meet the shuttle, each sporting lethal-looking weapons and powerful thrusters. They were about half the size of the shuttle, which didn't make them look any less dangerous. A thought clicked into my head, and suddenly I was much more apprehensive about the ship's origins.
It was no doubt that the Drones were what had destroyed the other ships. However, that meant that the Venator was capable of storing, maintaining, and arming those drones and controlling each one to at least a modest degree.
Drone carriers were quickly commonplace in almost every navy in the galaxy, replacing some of the older battleships and battlecruisers as the main offensive arm of a task force. However, they were massive, the new ones coming at nearly 40 million tonnes and fielding dozens of drones. Even if the Venator was only capable of fielding two combat drones, it made the ship herself practically a one-ship strike group.
The shuttle banked suddenly, bringing the nose perpendicular to an opening on the side of the Cruiser. We floated gracefully through the hangar, sitting down like a feather in the middle of the chamber.
We disembarked and were greeted by even more Marines. There was at least a whole other platoon milling around the space. As we were escorted to an elevator, I heard faint sounds of gunfire from a room off to the side. I eyed it warily as we entered the elevator.
It was a short ride, ending with a soft chime that heralded the opening of doors.
As the doors slid open, we were greeted by the largest man I had ever seen. He was at least 200 cm tall, coved in muscles. His dark eyes roamed over us, and I sensed he was less than impressed. I was so distracted by his size that I failed to disembark promptly. Gutierrez took offense to this since she placed a metal hand on my back and shoved me into the hall, followed closely by my chiefs.
As we stumbled into the hall, I heard the elevator chime and turned to see doors shut behind us, leaving us alone with the man. I turned to face him, a greeting on my lips. It died in its crib as I took in the surroundings.
The lobby was nicer than some of the most expensive hotels on Illion. It had marbled floors and golden trim. I heard mumbling "oohs" and "aahs" from my chiefs, and I couldn't disagree.
"Welcome, Commander Borak. I am 1st Lieutenant Andrew Lincoln. Please follow me." The man before us spoke to get our attention, derision still coloring his face. After speaking, he turned sharply on his heels and began walking away down a hall. We hurried to catch him, his long strides making it difficult to keep up.
We walked silently, reaching another set of doors at the end of the hall. Two were on either side, with one more abundant entrance at the end. The Lieutenant turned sharply once more, gesturing to the doors.
"These will be your quarters for the remained of your stay. Please feel free to ask for assistance if you need something. Otherwise, stay in your room until one of my corporals retrieves you in a few hours." He pointed out each door on the end. "These rooms were designed for wealthy dignitaries and their entourage. A door connects each room, and the suite on the end has a conference room. Feel free to meet with each other, but be aware that we are listening." With that, he nodded to each of us before stepping past us and striding back down the way we came.
We stared after him for a minute before turning to face each other. I could see the shock and confusion written on their faces, as I'm sure they could on mine.
The first to break the silence was Gregor.
"This is the most advanced and lethal cruise liner I've ever seen." A weak chuckle followed the joke, but it was obvious that there was truth to Gregor's words.
I had never before seen the weapons, armor, or instruments displayed throughout the ship. In addition to the drones and the marine compliment, the Venator, as the Marines called her, could wipe the floor with any ship her size, possibly even one above.
The chiefs began chatting about their own experiences since coming aboard, and I found myself in agreement.
"Um, I've seen blueprints of almost every armament in the Imperial Navy and most of the Feds'. I've never before seen the model that this ship has. Perhaps the Flarekast Dominion is the source, but I doubt they would keep such advanced weaponry hidden from us unless they don't have many of them."
Amelia's voice was calm, like it always was when she discussed weaponry. Her stammering fled whenever she got the opportunity. I was nodding thoughtfully. Everything that had been said lined up with my thoughts, aside from the Flarekast angle. I didn't see why those fanatics would allow a human to use their tech.
What do the suites look like? Jax said. We all looked at him, wondering what that had to do with anything. I was becoming aware that the professionalism that defined a naval officer was missing from our actions, but I decided it was the shock more than anything.
"I'm sure they're tasteful, but I doubt a PC could afford an Ebmassorial Suite." Rachele, the resident stuck-up, was immediately dismissive of the room's supposed quality. Given the luxury and obvious wealth on display all over the ship, I wasn't sure I agreed.
'Only one way to find out, I suppose," I said, strolling over to the door at the end. I looked around for a handle or button, not finding either. I was at a loss before seeing what looked to be a palm scanner on the right. I tentatively placed my hand, hoping it was what I thought it would be.
As soon as my palm was flush against the screen, a feminine voice sounded from what seemed to be everywhere at once.
"Greetings, Dignitary. Please state your full name and rank." The voice was calming, reminding me a little of my late mother.
"Uhh, Joseph Fulmore Borak, Captain Commander of the Imperial Illion Navy."
"Accepted. Welcome, Captain Commander."
The door slid open, and we stepped inside.