The engines of the Z-Series Sabre dubbed “Spitfire” hummed as it made use of the last trade lane towards the Sigmas in Frankfurt. Orlando Spiteri sat at the controls in his usual clothing, a T-Shirt with some slack tracksuit pants with a formal coat over the top. Behind him in the narrow walkway to the cargo bay sat a small crate of papers and some locked datapads. Several days earlier, he was stood in a briefing room at Ataraxia on planet Wichita. Before him stood Venator Bennett, holding the crate under one arm.
“Given your rise in the ranks, I thought it best to assign a special task to you. In this box is statements and reports dating back to the reforming and merge of our forces. These records are hard copies that the Honshu team is lacking for archive purposes. It also contains an encrypted file with instructions from Keeper Leviathan to the Outpost commander. I’d like you to be the one to deliver it. Are you up for the task?” The aged Libertonian asked as he extended the crate to Spiteri.
“I would be happy to do such a thing, but what are the costs of this and the outcome?” Spiteri responded as he took the crate.
“A promotion into the midden ranks for you, and an update to the Outpost. There is nothing to lose from this and everything to gain. These are just basic reports, after all. There’s nothing in here that would compromise the Outpost or make you a target.” Bennett answered as he crossed his hands behind his back.
“I understand and completely accept that, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting into anything bad here or putting my life on the line or anything stupid., I also don’t want to put any of us at risk. I suppose I am doing this alone?’’ Spiteri said as he put the crate on the table. He leaned onto it with his hands, tapping his fingers and wondering.
Bennett nodded. “This isn’t a job that requires a massive amount of effort or resources to be put to use. One capable individual just needs to take this box to Honshu and come home. With the upcoming peace talks with Liberty, it’ll be good to have everyone brought up to speed and on the same page. We’ll be able to send larger convoys to Honshu and even deploy a Venator there. These small tasks are what help keep the cogs turning in our efforts.” As he finished, Bennett gave a formal salute. “Good luck. You’re dismissed.”
Orlando returned a salute to the seasoned Libertonian veteran. “Yes, sir.”
Back in the cockpit of the Spitfire, the ex-Crayterian made his approach to the Sigma-13 gate. He submitted the proper codes and initiated the jump sequence. It was the final stretch of his mission. The Crow Nebula was all that stood between him and his destination of Honshu, where he would spend the night at Iwamoto Tower after delivering the package. He felt like success was in front of him. He was very nervous about it all but knew it was the best thing to do. He knew that following through with things could mean a bigger outcome and for him, the promotion was on his mind, and he wanted it a lot.
