She sat back in the plush chair, leaning her head to the side and looking forward to the cockpit, toward Commander-Maximus Vennius’s pilot.

“You may take off when ready, Lieutenant.”

*   *   *

“For those of you who have served with me before, veterans from Vindictus, welcome back. You are warriors and heroes all, and it fills me with satisfaction to have you all with me again as we serve mother Palatia. You are men and women of honor, of courage, and you do pride to your families, and to the Alliance you serve.” Kat felt a little discomfort as she addressed her old crew. She had been hailed a hero, but she was also the commander who had gotten half of them killed. Not a man or woman from Vindictus didn’t carry the memories of friends dying in those fateful moments around Heliopolis, dying because they had followed their commander’s orders.

There was something else too. She had been decorated, hailed as a hero for her actions. Her crew had also been feted, but she knew most of the credit had accrued to her. It was the way of things, that junior officers and common spacers bled to feed the advance of their commanders. But now, addressing the warriors she had commanded before, she felt a strange discomfort about it.

“For those who are new to my command, welcome. It is your honor, as it is mine, to serve upon the Alliance’s greatest instrument of war. This vessel is a triumph of Alliance engineering, and the great fist of our peoples’ power and might. I call upon each of you to rise to meet this honor, to serve your new ship with all the courage and ability you have brought to your previous postings, and more, to exceed even that lofty level, for we set off now into the unknown, alone, our mission one of the gravest importance. To you, I promise all a commander can give…focus, tenacity, dedication. And from you I demand nothing less. Let us serve together, and bring honor upon this ship, and upon the Alliance we serve.”

Kat felt a bit overwhelmed at the size and power of her new command. She had known about Invictus, at least in a general way. Most senior Alliance officers had been aware that a new flagship was under construction. But she’d almost gasped out loud as her shuttle approached the giant vessel. It was almost twice the size of her old ship, and its hulking form had filled the viewscreen. She’d arrived early, wanting a few days to familiarize herself with the new ship before the crew reported in, but now her complement was complete, one thousand one hundred twelve men and women…engineers, technicians, gunners, stewards, computer specialists, fighter pilots, mechanics. Everything the Alliance’s largest battleship needed to begin its maiden voyage.