HELIOS

Chapter 61

We're facing two enemy ships, but we are maintaining a good distance from them, and they want to close in. Although now they are much more cautious, since we've crippled five of their vessels in the last two weeks. We've taken some damage as well, though we're still hanging in there. "Tom, how are things down there?"

"Sir, we got the fold generator back on line." Fantastic!

"Helm, get us the hell out'a here!" Space erupts open in front of us and we slip through. "When we're clear set course for Majah Prime."

"Aye Sir." We slip out and and almost immediately slip in to another rift, and we pop out in Majah Prime space. Immediately two Majah-tu dreadnoughts intercept us, as we approach and They take up flanking escort positions on either side of us.

"Comms hale the Majah-tu commander please."

"Aye Captain." She gets the commander on the horn. "He's on Sir."

"Captain, thank you for the escort." It's good to be back after nearly a month and a half; now we need more significant repairs to the Helios.

[It is an honor to escort you into our spaceport.]
Well, at least I'll be able to stop home to Jahní, but first I need to speak to our Ambassador and report on our progress. We enter the spaceport and dock; once inside the station the Majah-tu engineering team looks at the exterior hull of the Helios. The chief has an appalled expression, when he turns to me.

I shrug my shoulders.  "What have you done to my work of art?"  His frustration is evident, but she is a ship of war and we've been fighting.

"I apologize for that, but you know we are fighting out there." He needs to understand that simple fact.

He looks at the ship shaking his head.  "I will have all the damaged armored plates replaces and... I will run a full diagnostic on all systems and replace cannons five, seven and ten."  He runs his hands through his hair.

I smile and walk on to my office in the spaceport entering turning the lights on, and thinking about the repairs to the ship. I don't know how long the Majah-tu will support us; I can only imagine that if it becomes to expensive they're going to squawk about it. This has to work because so much is riding on it, and the more we're out there the more exposed we will be.

I begin to write up the summary of the after action report, so I can turn it in to the Ambassador. In an hour I'm ready to head down and talk to the Ambassador. I step out of my office and head for the shuttle that is waiting in the port bay.

We are landing at the Embassy, and stepping out I see the monument and the graves of our fallen shipmates. I stop in front of them and salute; I pay my respects to them, for the sacrifice they made. I make a sharp left and head into the Embassy making my way to the Ambassadors office. On the way there the Marines at the Embassy snap a salute in my direction, which I return. I see a few Majah-tu who are employed here, who bow to me and I incline my head in return.

Finally I reach the door and knock waiting patiently to be admitted.  The door opens and I'm face to face with a large Majah-tu guard. He bows and steps aside allowing me to enter, and to my surprise the King is here with the Ambassador sipping tea or something.

Ambassador Ahmadi rises to greet me. We shake hands then he just gives me a big bear hug patting my shoulder. "Thanks be to Allah for your safe return Captain!"

"Thank you Ambassador, for your kind words. It's good to be back here." I nod and turn my attention to the King because his presence here is no coincidence. "Your majesty. It's good to see you here, though I am a bit surprised." I bow.