Alexander Jameson stepped off the train and onto the platform. He looked down at his Service Dress White uniform, ensuring that it was perfect, today was the day he had waited for his entire life, and he wanted to set the right tone. As he walked along the outermost ring of the station, he marveled at the massive windows, a luxury in space, and a weakness in a military station.
Earth filled his view, and he could see some ships and other satellites in orbit, but what interested him the most was ahead, not quite blocking his view. The light grey boxy hull of a vessel revealed numbers painted in white on its hull as he got closer, 1051. He smiled as he read them, then clinched his fist, fighting down the nerves that he felt but could not show.
Walking further along the hull he could make out darker spots on the hull, scars of her history. Finally he arrived at the aft airlock, a Marine stood guard and snapped to attention as he approached. Alexander placed his thumb on the terminal next to the Marine which took a DNA scan to ensure he belonged, a green light illuminated, and the Marine snapped a sharp salute. "Welcome Aboard Commander," he said.
Alexander returned the salute and said, "Thank you Sergeant," as he entered the airlock. The outer door he entered closed and the inner door opened, revealing the quarter deck. A ships bell rang out four times followed by "Commander, United States Navy arriving," the standard arrival notification for a high enough ranking officer, who didn't have a command. He turned and rendered a salute to the aft of the ship where tradition and regulation stated the nations flag would "fly" while in port. He then turned back to the Officer of the Deck saluted again, "Request permission to come aboard?"
The Chief Petty Officer who stood watch returned his salute, "Permission granted Commander." Alex dropped his salute and approached the Chiefs podium. Taking a look around, he wasn't too impressed with what he saw. The Quarter Deck was the first area that anyone boarding the ship would see, usually it was kept spotless, but in this case it wasn't.
The XO arrived a few moments later almost out of breath; he started sizing her up, she wasn't a tall woman, only about 1.6m, but the way she carried herself showed she meant business. She wore working coveralls with that were covered in grease. She brought her arm up in a parade ground sharp salute, which he returned before extending his hand to her. Above her right breast pocket the name tape said Williams.
"Sorry sir, we weren't expecting you for another day," then she noticed his eyes roaming the quarter deck and her face turned red with embarrassment.
He gave her a slight nod of reassurance and said "It's okay, I know being early can throw off plans, but I figured getting a head start beat spending a night in a TPU unit," referring to the Temporary Personnel Unit that Sailors and Marines used when they were between commands.
"Would you like to head to the bridge sir?" Williams asked.
"After you Commander" he said, gesturing towards a nearby hatch.
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"After you Commander" her new Captain gestured towards the wrong hatch. This should have been Rachael Williams first command, but someone at the Navy's Bureau of Personnel apparently thought otherwise.
Anger swelled inside of her, "This way sir," she said trying not to let the anger surface. She lead the way in silence. Had he come early because he thought we were incapable? she thought. All of the markings in her file showed she was a four oh sailor. It wasn't fair, she recognized that life wasn't fair and that she shouldn't take BUPERS new assignment personally, but she did.
They arrived at the bridge, while in port the bridge generally sat mostly empty except for maintenance work, only the navigation officer Ensign David Lee was there when they walked in. "Captain on the bridge" he called out, coming to attention. He may have been the only one there, but tradition mandated it be announced.
Commander Jameson moved his hand "As..."
"As you were," Williams cut him off. She was acting Captain, at least for the next few minutes. She saw him turn slightly red, and thought she saw his hand quiver. Great, a nervous Captain just what we need, she thought. He pulled a folded paper from his pocket.
She gestured towards the 1MC, the general announcement system for the ship. They had one of the quarter deck, but the bridge is where tradition dictate this be done. She picked up the microphone, a depressed the button for an "All Hands" piping, which sent a series of high pitched whistles through the ship. "This is acting Captain Rachael Williams, all hands stand by for change of command." She handed Jameson the microphone.
She watched as he brought it closer to his face and noted the lack of quiver she had seen before. He lifted the paper to read from. "From the Department of the Navy to Commander Alexander Jameson. Commander Jameson effective immediately, you are hereby relieved of your current duties at Logistics Base Wagner and are directed to proceed to the USS Titan FFGS 1051 to assume command as her new captain. Signed, Admiral Roberta Burke, First Fleet Space Command."
He moved the microphone closer to her, keeping the button depressed, "I, acting Captain Rachael Williams, hereby relinquish command of the USS Titan to you, effective immediately." Her brief stint as Captain had officially ended.
Pulling the 1MC back, he said "All officers assemble in the wardroom at," she watched as he looked at the time, "1800 hours. Carry on," he said before replacing the 1MC back in its cradle.
She thought about the orders that her new Captain had just read. He had just come from a logistics base, Great, a paper pusher it just keeps getting better she thought.
The holotable illuminated a large portion of the small room even at its lowest brightness. The walls grey color absorbing much of the blue and orange light being projected. The professors eyes were glazed by the orange light beams as he thought about the problem laid before him. This has to be it, he thought.
Faster-than-light travel had eluded the best scientists in the solar system for over two centuries, and most have given up on its possibility. No matter how hard one searched for a solution, they always came up empty handed, and generally much poorer than they had started.
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Dr Nexus Raynor absent mindedly curled his rather wild looking long hair around his finger, he was well aware that he had let it grow without care over the past year. His passions were here, in front of him. He allowed very few distractions such as haircuts, or shaving. He was gaunt enough that on Earth he may have been mistaken for one of the millions of inhabitants of the Welfare Tenants. People barely getting by on the few resources the governments of Earth could supply.
The part of him that was hopeful and humanitarian said that he was doing this for them, that this would set the human race free. If anyone asked that's what he would tell them, though he knew that his goals weren't as egalitarian as he would make them seem. He wanted what so many others desired, a legacy. He wanted to be remembered as the one who set them free. He was waiting for a simulation to finish, calculating space-time wasn't all that complex, not really, but what was complex, was the variables. Everything had to be perfect, had to line up exactly right, just to entertain the possibility that this could work.
It flashed, its calculations completed, Nexus's sharp eyes widened as he saw the results. It is possible! I finally have the proof I need. He thought. A wide smile creased his face, it felt like the first smile he had given in months. The United Earth Science Committee hadn't wanted to offer him any funding, had basically decried him as a crackpot, now he had something to show them, they couldn't deny him funding any longer.
He wanted to run down the corridors of Deimos Station, shouting the news, but he knew people would just think he were crazy. Nexus had some self awareness left.
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"Hey Sam," the stout little man greeted her in the hallway, they shook hands. "Just got to review the new bill you helped author, not a bad piece of work in your first year" he said.
She smiled "Thank you, does that mean it'll have your support?" she asked knowing the answer was probably no, but these were the kinds of platitudes that had to take place in politics. It annoyed her, she had been selected by her national government to serve on the United Earths' Senate to bring a 'common' persons perspective. She knew that meant because she had grown up in a welfare city, and seeing one of their own in a position of power helped keep them sedate.
He smiled at her, the kind of smile that comes with conditions, "I'd have to take some time to really consider it, but its not outside the realm of possibilities. Maybe we can sit down and discuss it further. Maybe over dinner?" He sounded so hopeful, and she realized now that the condition was a date. One she was not interested in.
Politics, she thought as she gave an inward shrug, "That sounds great, I'll talk to my secretary to see when we can make it happen," she gave him a little smile and shook his hand tenderly before walking towards her office.
She glanced at the plaque outside her office, Senator Samantha Chen, United States. It made her genuinely happy every time she looked at it. Opening the large wood door, she entered her reception area, it had taken time to think of it as hers.
"Good morning, Senator," her secretary greeted her with a smile and a stack of papers.
Sam grabbed the stack of papers, "thank you Martha, but please just call me Sam when we are in private," the woman gave a slight nod as Sam started walking to her office which was already opened. "Oh and can you please try and find a time when I can sit down for lunch with Senator Dubois," she grinned a little, giving him a lunch instead of the dinner he really wanted.
"Of course ma'am, I can reach out to his secretary to find a time that mutually works," the woman said.
Sam sat down at her desk, loading up her terminal, then letting the biometrics confirm her identity. She saw the steaming cup of coffee on her desk and took a sip. She savored its wonderful taste, nothing like what she grew up with.
A message alert chimed on her terminal, she noticed the sender and moved it from the urgent folder it auto directed to, to the medium priority list. She always felt somewhat annoyed that everyone felt everything was urgent, she would get to it in time.
For the next hour she read through her messages, other Senators either supporting her new bill, or wanting to make changes, environmental groups wanting her support in some matter or another, until finally she was able to read the one that came through as she sat down.
Her coffee was refilled almost without her noticing, as she read the message. A friend on the United Earth Science Committee had recently seen something they deemed of interest. She couldn't believe what she was reading, it sounded like a work of fiction. More baffling than the proposal, was its response.