Avery
“Sergeant Avery Takenada, reporting, sir.”
“At ease, Tak. How long have we known each other now?”
Avery relaxed from the salute they had taken, but their back remained ramrod straight, and they met their commanding officer’s eyes. “Nearly 8 years, sir.”
“8 years, Tak. You were in my wedding. I know you won’t listen to this, since you never have before, but when it’s just the two of us you don’t need to be so formal.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And you don’t need to call me ‘sir,’ either. You know to call me Isaac by now.”
“Right, Isaac, sir.”
Admiral Isaac Rikemann sighed. Avery knew why. They had always been one for protocol. They considered Isaac one of their closest friends, and they knew he felt the same way, but Avery had never found it easy to switch between “friend mode” and “soldier mode.”
Isaac beckoned Avery to sit down in the chair on the other side of his desk. Avery did.
Isaac was a large man. Over six and a half feet tall and nearly 300 pounds, he was used to being the largest man wherever he went. His demeanor, however, did not match his physical presence, and his energetic and friendly personality was one of the many reasons he was so beloved in the Fleet.
Avery, on the other hand, was small and slight. They were just shy of five foot four, and finding clothes small enough to fit them without tailoring was often a challenge.
“Avery, I called you here because I need your help.” Isaac leaned forward and steepled his fingers together. “I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the ship discovered by the Farsight and haven’t had nearly enough time to process that.” Avery grimaced at the truth of their friend’s words. The information had been leaked by Dr. Marcus Hatch three days ago. “I’m speaking to the Director-Admiral tomorrow about what our response is going to be, and I want you there with me.”
Avery blinked and leaned backwards in their chair. “The Director-Admiral? You want me to meet him?”
Isaac nodded. “He’s a good man, Tak. I think I can get him to see reason.”
“What reason is that?”
“To not issue a declaration of war.”
Avery blinked again. “War?”
Avery and Isaac were both ranking officers in the Independent Fleet. The Fleet began as little more than a mercenary group of fighter pilots that sold their services to whatever organization had need of guns and people to fly them. All of that had changed, however, when the current Director-Admiral took charge. DA Hao Zheng had led the Fleet through their role in the Outer Rings War against the would-be dictators of the Saturn’s moons, through the Rebellion of Phobos, and even through the Fleet’s own civil war of sorts just a few years ago. He was more than just their admiral, he was a legend. Avery had been in the Fleet for almost a decade and had never met the Director-Admiral, but of course his reputation preceded him.
Avery was shocked to hear that Zheng was considering war. While still technically a mercenary company, the Fleet had become more of a peacekeeping force between the major powers on the Interplanetary Council. More than one conflict had been stopped short by the mere threat of Fleet intervention. For the Director-Admiral to be considering war… things must look worse than Avery knew.
They looked back up at Isaac. “Okay. So, what are you going to propose instead?” They knew Isaac well enough to know that he wouldn’t try to sway anyone, especially not the Director-Admiral, without proposing an alternative.
Isaac grinned in response. “That’s the other reason I asked you here today, Tak. Come with me.”
Isaac led Avery through the halls of the station. The Fleet’s primary base was on the asteroid Ceres, and had long since transformed the rocky planetoid into a ship manufacturing hub and transit center for ships crossing the Solar System. A common Fleet saying went that “you can never know Ceres” for how complex and ever-changing the Fleet’s primary base was. Avery was never more sure of that than they were right now. Isaac led them down several hallways and to a transit shuttle, and they transferred no less than 4 times. Avery figured they must have moved halfway across the asteroid (although their implant insisted that they had only traveled about 20 kilometers) by the time they reached their destination.
Isaac flashed his ID to the guard at the door, and he and Avery headed down one final hallway into an elevator. Avery asked Isaac one more time what they were here to see, but before he could give an answer, Avery discovered it for themself.
One wall of the elevator shaft changed from the metallic rock of the asteroid to glass, and Avery found themself looking into the largest drydock they had ever seen. Even more impressive was the equally large ship, sitting mostly completed and swarming with construction workers and drones. Avery could see the partially constructed, cylindrical shell, as well as the series of rings running down a central axis inside the shell. They knew that the rings would rotate to create artificial gravity, that the axis would contain essential ship systems, and that the shell and engines would be heavily armored to protect the ship.
Most impressive, though, was the sheer size of the ship. Avery had served on three different ships over the course of their career, but this ship dwarfed all of them. It probably dwarfed all of them combined. Their implant confirmed it: this ship was just over a kilometer long. The shock must have been visible on their face, because Isaac grinned at them.
“This, my friend, is our alternative. We are going to convince the DIrector-Admiral to send this ship, to gather intelligence and hopefully make a diplomatic first contact, intercepting that ship before it gets here, instead of declaring all-out war.”
Avery stood open-mouthed for a few seconds before stammering out, “But, one ship? It’s huge, granted, but one ship against that thing coming for us? And not even to attack it? What are you thinking, Isaac?”
“I’m thinking, Tak, that with you as my deputy captain, we can do whatever needs to be done to protect everyone.”
Avery backed up against the wall and slid down until they were sitting on the floor. “Isaac, I-”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, Tak. Crazy, even. But think about what good we could do if we pull this off. We can save… everyone. And if we fail, well, this thing has more firepower than most of the Fleet combined. If she can’t take down that ship, we’re probably screwed anyway.”
Avery was, for the first time in their life, well and truly speechless. They sat on the elevator floor, watching as the ship loomed larger and larger on their descent. Isaac gave them a few moments to take it all in. The next thing Avery said was about the last question Isaac would have expected from them.
“Why me?”
Isaac put a hand to his chin and thought about the answer for a moment. “Tak, you have proven yourself to me more than anyone else ever has. I need someone that I know, someone I can trust, and someone I know I can rely on. You fill all three requirements more than anyone else I’ve ever commanded. I know that you are the best person for this job. And, I know that if something should happen to me while we’re out there, I know that you would be the best person to take over for me. You’re probably the best pilot in the fleet, and there is nobody I’d rather have by my side.”
Avery nodded slowly and staggered to their feet, still stunned, but already reverting to “soldier mode.” “Okay, sir. I’ll do it. What’s her name?”
Isaac grinned again. “We’re calling her the House of Hope.”
Director-Admiral Hao Zheng was not as intimidating as Avery would have thought.
He was actually rather short, only taller than Avery by a few inches, and his age had long since begun to show. He looked nothing like the image of a living legend that Avery had in their head before meeting him. His actions, however, marked him for the man he was, and Avery knew better than to let appearances deceive.
Avery had accompanied Isaac to the meeting with the Director-Admiral. Zheng had called a meeting of all the Admirals of the Fleet to meet, and tomorrow the last of them would arrive from across the Solar System. Isaac had impressed upon Avery that this was their last chance to talk to the DA alone, before the rest of the Admirals forced his hand.
Isaac’s idea for a “meeting” was to invite the DA out for beers at one of the Fleet-run bars. Avery thought that was quite unprofessional.
Isaac and Avery met the Director-Admiral at the bar, a small but bustling little hole-in-the-asteroid named the Spacer’s Daughter. Isaac greeted Zheng in a way that was more befitting bumping into an old friend than a hero who also happened to be your commanding officer.
“Hao, my friend!” Isaac said with a beaming smile, reaching his hand out for a handshake.
Zheng smiled back with significantly less enthusiasm, and shook Isaac’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, Admiral Rikeman.” Avery didn’t miss the formality.
Isaac began chatting Zheng up like an old friend. He led the group into the bar and led them to a table in the corner of the room. The bar itself was… exactly what Avery would have expected. It was clean enough, but definitely a bit dated, and the entire room smelled like cheap beer and e-cigs.
Isaac sat Zheng down, but before he sat himself he leaned over to Avery. “Go to the bar, grab us some beers, if you don’t mind. Use your Fleet card, I’ll cover it.”
Avery’s eyes went wide. “What kind of beer? I don’t really drink, Isaac.”
“He likes dark beers. Ask the bartender for a recommendation.”
Avery nodded slowly and headed over to the bar. They heard Isaac saying “That’s my top pilot, Avery. They’re gonna grab us some beers and then I have a proposal for you, Director…”
Avery flagged down the bartender, a gruff older man who had gone just long enough without shaving that you couldn’t call it stubble anymore.
“What’ll y’have?” the bartender asked shortly.
“Um,” Avery hesitated. “Three beers. Something dark, whatever you recommend,” they slid their Fleet credit card across the bar, and the bartender snatched it up like he was afraid it would run away. He poured three beers and ran the card, then slid it back across to Avery.
“Here,” he said. “Hellas Stout, from Mars.”
Avery nodded, and realized with slight panic that they had three beers to carry but only two hands. They gathered the three glasses into a triangle and picked them up a bit precariously, but managed to walk the beers back over to the table where their two superior officers were waiting.
Avery placed the beers on the table and slid two of them to Isaac and Zheng.
Isaac was continuing his – to Avery, seemingly futile – attempts to butter Zheng. “…the maneuver at Pallas during the Crisis. It was incredible, Hao, simply incredible.” Zheng looked disinterested at best, but was making a point of at least pretending to listen.
Isaac picked it up and began drinking eagerly, but Zheng didn’t touch the drink. Avery hesitantly took a sip. It wasn’t bad, actually. Only after Avery had had a few sips did Zheng reach out and drink from his own glass. Avery thought they detected a hint of approval in his eyes.
Isaac had continued talking like nothing had happened. He was continuing to ramble about Zheng’s “brilliant maneuvers” and “genius strategies,” but he trailed off when Zheng set his glass down just slightly too hard and cleared his throat.
“Why did you bring me here, Admiral Rikeman?” He said, his voice soft but commanding.
Isaac stammered for a moment. “Uh, well, I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“Well, I know that tomorrow at the meeting with the Board of Admirals, they are going to force your hand. Into a full mobilization against the alien ship.” Zheng nodded, and Isaac continued. “But I think I can offer a safer option.”
“This had better be a damn good option, Rikeman.”
“It is, sir. As you know, my battalion’s engineering division has been hard at work on a new class of ship, a cruiser. The House of Hope is designed for independent operations and should be able to operate-”
“I know what a cruiser is, Rikeman.”
“Right, right, of course. Uh, so my proposal is to send the House of Hope on an independent mission to intercept the alien ship and attempt to open diplomatic channels. And if negotiations fail, the House of Hope might be our best shot at destroying this thing anyway.”
Zheng didn’t respond for a moment. “So your proposal is to send the single most expensive piece of hardware ever developed by the Independent Fleet, on a solo mission, farther than any manned vessel has ever traveled, to the most dangerous and potentially catastrophic encounter in human history?”
“I- uh,” Isaac stammered.
Zheng turned to Avery, who almost choked on their drink.
“Sergeant Takenada,” they said, and Avery immediately noticed themself dropping back into “soldier mode.”
“Sir,” they said, back straight, fighting the urge to salute in their seat.
“What do you think about this?”
Avery had not expected Zheng to ask them anything, much less such an important question. They gaped for a moment, but quickly gathered their thoughts.
“Sir,” Avery said again. “I grew up on Europa. I remember the Outer Rings War. I was too young to fight, but I lost an uncle and my mother in the fighting. If we can avoid a conflict on that scale…” they paused and took a drink before continuing. “I think that this idea has the chance to save thousands of lives, at least. I think we would be foolish and selfish not to try it.”
“Hm,” Zheng responded, and leaned back in his chair. “Okay. You’ve convinced me.”
“Really?” Isaac blurted out. “Just like that?”
“Just like that. I assume you’ll be taking them with you, yes?” Zheng asked Isaac.
“Yes, of course. They’ll be my deputy captain.”
“Good. Because they’re the one that convinced me, Rikeman. Not you.” Isaac flushed slightly, and Avery felt a rush of pride. “I can’t promise the other admirals won’t mobilize. But I can prevent them from launching an all-out attack in the meantime.”
“Thank you, Director,” Avery said, and Zheng nodded. He took another swig from his drink and stood. “Now. I have some business to attend to. Thank you for the drink.” Zheng left, leaving Isaac and Avery slightly stunned.
“Well,” began Isaac. “That went better than I expected.”
Avery snorted. “I suppose so. We did it, though.”
“We did. The House of Hope will be on her way soon.”
The next few weeks were a whirlwind. Avery and Isaac began the preparations for the journey, and there was a hell of a lot to do. They had to find crew, manage pay and rations, work on logistics and timing, monitor the construction of the ship itself… they were constantly busy.
Avery spent most of the time reviewing staff and crew postings. Most of it was as simple as looking at service records and making sure nothing concerning jumped out at them, but there were a few positions that needed a little more attention. The most vital to Avery’s mind were the Head of Research and the Diplomatic Liaison.
The Liaison would be in charge of the actual negotiations with the aliens when first contact was officially made, and their work could shape the future of humanity and of this potential conflict. There were dozens of recommendations from across the Solar System, but one man in particular stood out to Avery. The man was Ibrahim Gbadamosi, a former spiritual leader on a Nigerian colony on Mars. During the Rebellion of Phobos, his colony had been one of the only settlements on Mars or its moons that remained unaligned and untouched due to his leadership and his negotiations with both sides. He seemed to be the best man for the job. Avery sent the invite.
The Head of Research position was a bit tougher. There were literally hundreds of applicants and recommendations for it. The discovery of the Lifeboat when Avery was younger had spurred on a technological revolution across nearly every field of research, and with that had come a wave of scientific brilliance that many said would never be seen again. Humanity had progressed faster than ever before, and that would likely continue for many more decades.
Right now though, it just made Avery’s job that much harder.
There were a handful of names that stood out to them. Doctor Marcus Hatch, xenologist and one of the leading experts on the Lifeboat, and also the one who broke the news publicly about the alien ship approaching. Andrei Balatovsky, xenolinguist and expert in what little of the Vaultan language was gleaned from the Lifeboat, who also had honorary doctorates from at least… sixteen universities across the system. Felipe Otero, leading voice in the research on Vaultan fuel and shields and Dean at the University of Olympia on Mars.
Avery’s head was swimming by the time they finished reading through just a small sample of the names and credentials on their list. They were ready to call it a night and head back to their quarters when they heard a knock at their office door.
Puzzled, Avery glanced at the clock. Nearly 9 PM Ceres Standard Time. Who would be-
Avery’s thought process was interrupted as the door burst open, and in strode a tall woman with large glasses and unkempt, curly brown hair. Before Avery could even speak, her eyes went wide, and words began spilling out of her mouth, seemingly faster than her brain could keep up with.
“Avery Takenada, yes? My name is Doctor Jules Radikiss, I heard about your project, with the cruiser. I want in.”
“Wait, wait, slow down,” Avery forced the words in, exasperated. They had heard the name, of course. Probably everybody in the Solar System had. Jules Radikiss was not just (arguably) the leading expert on Vaultan technology, she was also the mind behind the invention of the eponymous Radikiss Array, the special power cells that allowed the Farsight (and would allow the House of Hope) to store the immense amounts of energy that a dive into reference required. Avery had actually been somewhat surprised not to see her name on the list of references – it had been one of the few he has actually looked for. Avery’s head spun, and they took a deep breath to organize their thoughts.
“How do you know about that?” they asked, and Dr. Radikiss grinned. Avery thought it made her look a touch like a mad scientist.
“Same way I know everything. I have my contacts.” She stepped further into Avery’s office and grabbed a chair, seating herself. “Never mind that, though. Like I said, I want in.”
“Now hold on a second-”
“Sergeant Takenada, with all due respect, you know I would be the best person for the job. I know more about alien tech than probably anyone else in the entire system, and I know enough about our own tech to help out with that.” She grinned even wider. “And besides, do you think you could keep me off of that ship?”
“The Independent Fleet has very rigorous standards-”
Dr. Radikiss waved a hand. “Standards, shmandards. I have my ways. I’m going to be on that ship no matter what you tell me here, but it would be easier for us if you just make it official.”
Avery was speechless for a few moments. They gaped at her for a few moments, and it seemed like her grin only grew wider as Avery’s resistance sapped away.“Okay,” Avery said with a sigh. “Welcome to the crew of the House of Hope.” It seemed like they had found their new Head of Research.
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