He felt himself snapping back to his rigid posture, staring straight ahead as he waited for the confirmation. No one on the planet had Dauntless’s code—at least, no one living. Only the base’s AI. And security protocols prevented any direct contact between the core data systems and unconfirmed ships, for fear of viruses and cyber attacks. That meant the base crew would have to manually input Dauntless’s code to check its validity.

“Dauntless, you are cleared to dock at bay three. Welcome to Archellia.” The voice on the speaker was crisp, professional…but there was something else there too, something besides the provincial accent. A touch of excitement perhaps. Archellia was far from the core worlds or the disputed frontier, a quiet frontier capital overseeing a cluster of fringe systems and mining colonies on the far edge of Confederation space. The planet was home to a sizable naval base, but the frontier it guarded was a quiet one, facing mostly independent and militarily weak systems, and its naval complement was one of small patrol vessels and scoutships, designed to counter piracy, not to face invasions. A visit by a frontline warship was a quite a rarity.

“Understood, Archellia Control.” Barron’s hand moved toward the com controls, but then he paused and added, “Thank you, Archellia. It is good to be here.” He tapped the sensor pad, closing the connection. He could have allowed the comm officer to conclude the transmission, but he had a lot of nervous energy, and he disliked the idea of an aloof commander, acting as if pressing a button or reading a report himself was too much of an effort.

“Commander Travis, you have the con.” He stood up slowly, taking a step from his chair. “Bring us in…” He turned and looked around the bridge. “…and authorize shore leave for all off-duty personnel as soon as base operations have secured Dauntless.” He fought back a smile as he heard the not-so-quiet rumble. It wasn’t exactly a cheer, but it left little doubt as to how much his overworked bridge crew was looking forward to a break. He imagined the areas of the ship farther removed from the exalted presence of the captain would experience a rather more…enthusiastic…celebration when Travis passed on the command.

“Yes, Captain.” Atara Travis’s voice was sharp, crisp. Travis was a tough officer, one whose relentless intensity left no doubt how far she would go to keep Dauntless functioning at maximum efficiency. She’d come with Barron, transferred from Excalibur, where they had been first officer and tactical officer, respectively.

Barron remembered the first time he’d met her, three years before. He’d been struck by her beauty at first, but it was quickly followed by respect. Travis was smart…more than smart, brilliant. And she was hard as nails.