Heavens of Glory

Chapter II

Chapter 2

His eyes cleared slowly, and he tried to focus on the objects around him. Everything was white except for two vague columns in the middle. Focus on them. Eventually his vision cleared and he identified two people, one human, one Lenothias, standing at the foot of his bed. But was it his bed? No, a hospital bed. Suddenly he felt a slight twinge in his face and felt the heat of the fire. He shivered briefly. A nurse came into the room.
         “Oh good, you’re awake. I am sorry for everything that has happened. We were able to repair most of the scar tissue from the fire, but some will have to remain.” Orion ran his hand along the dermal discrepancy on his right temple..
          “My parents, what about them, how are they doing?” The Nurse’s face grew very sad.
          “I’m sorry,” the Nurse said after a pause.
         Orion turned his head over and cried. It wasn’t until his tears had completely stopped that, he remembered the two other people standing in the room. “What are you here for?”
          “We realize that this may come at a hard time for you, but the Alliance Military Academy is looking for recruits, and frankly, you’re a prime candidate, high grades, few ties left on Earth…

         The Neyna and the sixteen other ships under Orion’s command came out of hyperspace at 0900 hours the next day, entering orbit around Toan, the governing planet of the Alliance of Five. As soon as they arrived in a fixed orbit, the Neyna received a transmission from the surface. It was Alliance Fleet Command, or AFC. Orion gave them a shortened report of the mission.
          “So the mission was successful, then?” said the AFC delegate.
          “Correct. The Soan Station was fully destroyed. Most of the bombing squad survived the attack, but during the return trip we had trouble penetrating their defenses. And of course there was the abnormality in the jump.”
          “So I see. Orion, you and your ships have clearance to dock at Hera Star Port. There you will meet with Admiral Hadrmagar. Your crews have been granted a temporary leave of absence on Toan until further notice.”
         After the AFC’s spokesperson disappeared from the holographic projector, Orion contacted the other ships. “We are cleared to land at Hera. You have all been granted a TLOA, but are confined to this planet. Prepare to descend when ready.” Orion gave the signal to switch off the comm- link, then ordered Scarth to take them down.
         The Neyna pointed tilted her sleek nose slightly towards the green planet as her engines whined up to fifty percent. Around her, shuttles were being launched from the other non-atmospheric ships, carrying the other crews down to Hera Port. As the Neyna entered the atmosphere, Scarth cut the engines altogether and let them glide in gently, applying reverse thrusters occasionally to check their speed.
         After the hum of the Neyna’s power core had died down, Orion opened the main hatch and blinked as he stepped into the sunlight. Admiral Hadrmagar stepped out of the ground transport that was waiting on the tarmac and habitually straightened his uniform. Orion walked up to greet him, saluting when he stopped. The Admiral saluted back, then said, “Captain, good to see you again. I’d like to hear a full report now in the debriefing room.” He climbed back into the transport without another word. Orion followed suite, knowing his crew would take care of the ship, then probably go into the city and have a drink or two. Downtown Hera City was famous for its bars, and it was not unknown for the occasional soldier to get a little drunk from time to time. Orion smiled at the thought as the transport sped off across the shining metal tarmac towards the terminal.

*          *           *

         A few hours later, Orion stood uncomfortably before Admiral Hadrmagar in the debriefing room, awaiting a response to his report.
          “Stay on the planet for a few days. We’re amassing another fleet- a full-sized one this time, with twenty warcruisers and even a supercruiser in addition to two thousand others- to attack a crucial Union outpost a few light-years from here. Although we destroyed a key research station, Soan, they are far from crippled, a fact which their quick repair of the blockade proves. Unfortunately, every time we manage to break their D, they build it back up in a matter of days. We shall strike now with a stronger fleet than ever before, with the sole purpose of tearing down their defense and disabling their mining planets. Your ship and your crew will probably be needed for this next mission. We’ll contact you when the fleet is assembled and ready to launch, or if we have other orders for you. You do not have clearance to leave the planet’s gravity well for now, but you can go into orbit if you so desire. Quarters have been arranged for you and your crews. Dismissed.”
         Orion saluted and walked out of the room, but instead of leaving the military complex, he went to the anti-gravity chamber and swiped his clearance card on the security scanner. Having changed into a tight-fitting training uniform designed for the null-G environment, he fitted the four small stripes that were his sign of office onto the neck of the suit, then opened the door to the massive room. He used a small device to pull himself around the room via the magnets in the walls and maneuvered to the middle of the room, then locked the item into his belt, relaxing all his muscles and drifting serenely in the bright room, glad to finally be away from the heavy gravity of Toan. He never could sleep well in gravity.
         He awoke sometime later as the door to the chamber opened. A group of cadets stood expectantly in the doorway. Their trainer pushed his way to the front and called out a greeting.
         Orion responded with a grunt, unhooked the movement device from his belt and moved to the door. He braced his muscled for the transition into gravity and managed to land somewhat gracefully on the floor. The trainer nodded to him, acknowledging his rank, then ordered the cadets to activate their mock lasers and move to the opposite wall. They landed in a practiced straight line, slightly crooked from the natural orientation of gravity. Once their trainer had moved to the middle of the room, she began to plan a small skirmish, moving small obstacles into seemingly random places. Orion watched as the cadets flew across the room and shot at each other, often trying difficult moves in a vain attempt to impress the officer standing in the doorway. After all, it was always useful to have a good mention from an outstanding officer when they graduate. But Orion soon lost interest and changed back into his normal clothes, still readjusting to the sensation of gravity.

*           *           *

         The following day, Tournia arrived at Toan. Orion walked leisurely onto the tarmac as the white orbital shuttle touched down. She stepped out, looking around at her surroundings, then ran to meet Orion as her gaze fell on his solitary form. They embraced and kissed shortly, and Orion picked up her luggage as it was unloaded by one of the attendants. “I assume your research vessel is in orbit?” he asked as they walked to a nearby transport.
          “Well, yeah, but please don’t talk like I’m one of those military neat-freaks you take orders from. You’ve spent too much time away from ‘civilians.’ You can go ahead and call it a science ship. Cim’on, relax. It won’t kill you,” she responded happily, giving him a slight tap on the shoulder.
          “So you say, but I’m not so sure,” Orion joked, feigning pain from her punch and giving her a slight tap back. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They boarded the transport and waited for it to lift off. He loaded her bags into the tray over the seats and sat down in the seat next to her. He smiled as he kissed her again. “It’s good to see you, Tour.”
          “You too, Ory. It gets deathly lonely out there sometimes.” The transport gave a small jolt as it lifted the normal eight inches off the ground and sped forwards.
          “Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t exactly call it deathly lonely.”
          “Well that’s just because you’re always off fighting the Union. You don’t have the time to be lonely. You don’t know what it’s like when you just wake up, eat breakfast, work for a few hours in the lab, then go back to sleep. It really gets boring. And you have too much time to think.”
          “Well aren’t you supposed to be thinking, anyway?”
          “That’s besides the point.” She punched him again in the arm.
         Orion rubbed his arm ruefully. “Hey, you’re gonna break my bones one of these days.” He gave a quick chuckle. “By the way, I booked reservations over at Tiso’s tonight.”
         Tournia turned to him in surprise, her mouth half open. “And you were going to tell me this when?!”
          “Oh, about right now.” Orion gave a quick shrug. Tournia punched him yet another time, and her reply was in a squeaky voice of excitement.
          “Yiza, Orion. I’m not gonna have time to prepare!”
         Orion looked at her strangely. “You’ve got three hours to prepare.”
          “Like I said, I’m not gonna have enough time! It’s only the fanciest restaurant on the planet, with the best view of Hera City and Toan City that you could possibly ask for!” She waited impatiently as the transport drove down the tarmac, stopping at the occasional launch pad to pick up more new arrivals. “I don’t deserve this. You really do spoil me, you know?”
         Orion snorted. “Bah! You were already spoiled. I’m just not letting you get any better.” Laughing, he added, “Besides, I don’t really get to see you all that often, so it’s kind of nice to spend the time we do have together as best we can. I’d rather spend all the money I’ve got on you than anything else.”
          “That’s precisely what I’m worried about.” But her happiness was still very much evident in her constant smile. The smile suddenly faded a little. “What am I going to wear!? Stars! You could have told me about his a little sooner, you know?” The shuttle arrived at the terminal and Tournia hurried off, almost at a run, towards the giant parking tower, not waiting for Orion to grab her luggage. Her stylishly wide sleeves billowed out behind her, flapping as she moved.