Intergalactic Affairs [FINAL CHAPTER OUT NOW!!]

Out of the Base

When the alarm that Michelle had set on her port-comm went off, it was blaring through the serene music she had fallen asleep to. With only six hours of sleep, Michelle felt surprisingly well rested. She had slept a deep and dreamless sleep, and was ready for the day, though the thought of her mission made her anxious. She wasn't ready. Not to help cause the death of hundreds of people, nor to lie to her superiors, but by the end of the day, she would be doing one of them.

Her shower that morning was bitterly cold, and despite normally having a cold shower, she felt that the chill went straight to her bones this morning. As she dressed, she thought of her conversation with Nikolas the night before. She would ask his father about the strange room at breakfast, which she would be having earlier than everyone else, and with the commanders in charge of her mission - Sergeant Knight, General Maine, and a few others.

Michelle made her way down to the canteen cautiously. She carried her bag, which contained two changes of clothes as well as her own personal items. As she walked down the halls, she took everything in; it might be her last day in the base ever. She glanced into the empty, dark classrooms, remembering the lessons she'd learned during her training. She startled when she saw a face peering out at her from one of the doorways.

"Stars above, Nikolas, you nearly gave me heart failure!"

"Sorry." He didn't look sorry. He looked like he was about to laugh at her. "I brought you a going away gift."

"Did you even go back to your room last night?" Michelle narrowed her eyes at him, a trick that had a particularly disconcerting effect, she knew.

Nikolas didn't look ashamed, merely a little disconcerted; he'd had that particular look directed at him so many times it didn't really phase him any more. Instead of answering her question, he gestured for Michelle to follow him into the unlit classroom.

Michelle sighed and stepped inside. "Make it quick, okay. If I don't make it to breakfast on time, they won't be happy."

"It'll only take a second."

He held out his hand, closed in a fist. She held out hers in response, but Nikolas hesitated. "Promise you won't look at it until your alone. If your commanders see it, they'll be suspicious and... I don't want anything bad to happen to you." He pressed a small box into her palm. "Put it in your pocket. Please." She did.

"I hope this is something important, Nikolas."

"It is. It might be the key to stopping the war... That is still what you want, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Nikolas. I don't want to put you in danger either, though."

"I'll be fine," he muttered. "My dad's a General, remember? Nothing will happen to me with him around to defend me."

"I hope you're right."

Nikolas surged forward and wrapped her up in a hug. "Be careful out there. They won't hesitate to blow you up, too, and I couldn't bear it if you weren't here."

Michelle returned the hug. "I'll be as careful as I can. I promise."

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The canteen was barely lit - only about a third of the lights were on - and Michelle could barely see to get her food. The five officers in charge of her mission sat at a table towards the back of the room, and as Michelle approached, she could overhear them talking.

"....really sure? Why are we trusting the fate of the people on this planet to a young girl?"

"She's older than she looks." General Maine.