Unity

Chapter 28

Several days had passed since our battle with the Zrynt. It was hard to believe that it had been a week since we had traveled here. With everything that was going on, I never had time to sit and contemplate on what my life had turned into. I never imagined being in command of a fleet could be so much work. I sat at my desk and looked at a list of our most pressing concerns. The ships that had been damaged or destroyed during our last fight had been replaced or repaired, so I took that off the list. Dr. Thompson wanted to meet and discuss something but had been cryptic on the specifics. I had finally worked out a rotation schedule for commanding the bridge, so I removed that from the list as well. Our most pressing problem was supplies. We had enough supplies for about three weeks, longer if we rationed. Water and air were no problem, they were simple enough that we could have our makeshift construction yards supply it in bulk. Food was much more difficult. Technically the nanites could synthesize it like they did everything else, but organic matter was much more complex and took too many different "ingredients" as the technicians called it. It was possible, just not feasible on the scale that we required.

I had talked to Shahae about diverting some supplies to us, but with the war against the Zrynt going poorly up to this point, they were having food shortages as well. The last system they lost provided food for several worlds as well as their fleet. I stood up and sighed. I had talked to Dr. Thompson about making this a priority, but he was so obsessed with his current project that he barely acknowledged my presence.

"Captain, the shuttle is ready for launch," a voice said over the speakers in my office. I was hoping some crisis would come up, so I didn't have to attend the upcoming meeting, but I wasn't so lucky. I missed my carefree days at the Academy, and I was sure that the stress of being the captain and acting fleet admiral was already taking years off my life. I had dubbed the upcoming meeting a war council, and now that the Tuleeriri had a chance at fighting back, they wanted to take an offensive approach.

I arrived at the hangar to find my normal retinue of support staff and marines acting as my personal guard, with the welcome addition of the battleship commanders. They were all present except for Commander Wolf who had the envious assignment of bridge watch. Dr. Thompson decided to grace us with his presence to provide his invaluable technical expertise. It was a shock to see him pull himself out of his lab. Seeing that I had arrived, everyone boarded the shuttle and we headed towards the surface. It was a small comfort to have my commanders with me on this trip. We had become close in the Academy, and I trusted them with my life. They had proven more than capable at fighting the Zrynt, and I valued their opinion as well as their tactical input gained from the last battle. I flinched as I felt a weight on my lap. I had been brooding again, as I had come to do all too often, when I realized that Miyako was sitting on my lap and looking me in the eye. She stared for a second then asked, "Will you marry me?"

I felt my face flush. I didn't get a chance to respond before everyone in the shuttle burst out laughing. Miyako smiled and sauntered off. She sat next to Daniel and held out her hand. He grudgingly passed something to her. "What's going on?" I asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Just a friendly wager," Miyako said smiling. "You've been so quiet and distant lately we thought you might have been exchanged for a robot. We were having a challenge to see who could get the most human reaction out of you. I still can't believe you let Edgar get away with insulting your mother that way though."

"What did you say?" I asked Edgar.

"She's lying," He replied with a sudden look of panic on his face.

Between Miyoko's smirk and Edgar's look of panic, I finally caved and laughed. It felt good. I hadn't laughed since arriving, and it almost felt like I had forgotten how. Leave it to my commanders to act like children in such circumstances. We spent the remainder of the trip bantering back and forth, but all too soon, we arrived at the royal palace. I watched in amusement as my commanders walked around with a look of awe on their faces. I had been here once before, but the sight was still impressive. Once inside, we were whisked away to a large room where the Tuleeriri were patiently awaiting our arrival to begin.