Conrad's Flight & Fight

[LancerZero]

Onboard a modified Camara freighter, Omega-54 System

There were only thirty people in the hold of the Camara, in a space that could hold considerably more. But to Conrad, it seemed stifling and crowded. Moritz' funeral had taken place only two days ago, and it still didn't seem real. This morning, Conrad had entered his former XO's office to move his own things in, and had felt a very disquieting sense that he was disturbing something important, as if Martin Moritz might walk in at any moment and ask what was being done with his office.

The other Hessians looked at him differently already, however. Now, when he entered the bar in Vogtland, the usual coarse jokes and idle chatter tended to die out. And this morning, in his former commander's office, he'd uncovered the access codes to the old RHA flagship: a Hessian cruiser that had not seen use in some time. As far as Conrad knew, she hadn't seen the outside of Omega-54 since he had flown escort for her as a Rekrut.

The men and women of the RHA are strong, but this is quite a blow...we need something, even if only symbolic, to show that we are as strong as ever. Perhaps recommissioning our flagship will help...she's been idle, empty in the asteroids for months. This skeleton crew ought to be enough to fly her to Omicron Alpha for a proper overhaul, and a new name. But still...twenty-four people? I've never had more than three under me onboard the Eismaid!

He shifted uncomfortably in his new Fleet Kapitan's uniform, and checked his watch. We should be arriving any minute now... And sure enough, the freighter rumbled as her reverse thrusters fired to ease her entrance into the cruiser's small hangar. Conrad glanced at the guards on either side of him, the only two members of his crew that carried more than a sidearm. It sent a bit of a shiver up the new Kapitan's spine to think that such protection might even be needed. It was one thing to be hunted as a Hessian...it was quite a different thing to be hunted as a leader of Hessians.

With the familiar hiss of pneumatic arms, the Camara's loading ramp lowered until its lower lip rested upon the hangar deck of Das Gotte Krieger. The air was stale, but breathable; the lower decks, with the hangar and engineering spaces, had airscrubbers running at all times, even when the reactor was offline.

Before Conrad could take a step, the two guards rushed ahead into the dark maw of the hangar, brandishing their flashlights like weapons, seeking out some hidden foe. They found nothing, gave the all-clear, and the engineering team rushed from the freighter to fire up the cruiser's reactor and restore power to the mothballed warship.

Meanwhile, Conrad made his way to the bridge, several crewmembers in tow. There were a few scattered spiderwebs - How did spiders get onboard, anyway? - but no corrosion or signs of anything having gone wrong while the cruiser was out of commission. Once he arrived on the bridge, Conrad didn't have to wait long. Within moments, the overhead lights hummed to life, and the corridors again reverberated with the comforting industrial thrum of military-grade life-support systems.

The speakers mounted on the ceiling crackled to life. "Kapitan Egon, sir, the reactor is online and showing green. All systems are ready for your command."

Though only the crewmembers on the bridge could see the motion, he nodded. "Very good. Lay in a course for the Dresden jump hole and bring us up to cruise speed. We'll work out any bugs in Dresden and Frankfurt today...and tomorrow, we go to Alpha."

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Current Stories
Linus' Lackadaisical Logs(upd.3-1-10)
Archived Logs
In the Queen's Service(upd.4-21-10) | The Finer Things in Life (upd.4-8-10)
Silvy's Story(upd.2-29-08) | Conrad's Flight & Fight(upd.1-14-08)