► “Captain on deck!”

“As you were,” Eric said as he shifted uncomfortably in his new uniform, not having yet had the opportunity to break it in. “Ship status?”

The bridge still felt odd to him, despite his having been on it a dozen or more times since the invasion. He paused by the captain’s station, let his hand drop to rest on the controls arrayed around the seat, and again noted that he rather missed the more enclosed space of the Odyssey. Eric felt like everything before the invasion was perhaps colored by a rosy tint, and he was now having a hard time fully trusting his judgment.

“All systems nominal, Captain,” a tall blonde woman said, turning in his direction. “We’re green across the board.”

“Thank you, Commander Heath.”

Miram Heath was his new executive officer, or XO, replacing Jason Roberts, who had been given command of the Bellerophon. Miram was almost six feet tall with Nordic looks, and she was a little stiffer than he’d prefer, though Roberts hadn’t exactly been a smooth operator himself.

“Stand by the board for new course,” Eric said.

“Aye Captain. Standing by the board,” the helm duty officer replied from her position.

Miram approached Eric. “Do we have new orders, Captain?”

“We do,” Eric confirmed, standing at his station and dropping an NFC, or near field communications, chip onto the surface, where it instantly connected to the ship’s computer. The smooth black material lit up, showing the contents of the chip. A flick of his fingers sent the appropriate file to the helm.

“Course received. Stage one ascent to the heliopause, stage two jump to Priminae space, stage three descent to Ranquil, stage four . . .” Lieutenant Kinder frowned. “Classified and locked out. Sir?”

“I’ll unlock those once we clear the heliopause, Lieutenant,” Eric said. “Enter the open courses.”

“Aye sir, courses accepted. All lanes report clear, and we have authorization from Unity.”

“Then take us out of orbit. Port speed.”

“Aye Captain. Thrusters to three-quarters . . . and we are moving,” she said. “Current altitude, forty miles above sea level and climbing. Escape velocity from Earth orbit in three minutes, Captain.”

“Very good. Lieutenant, have Commander Michaels report to the bridge, and let me know when we’re clear to engage wave drive.”

“Aye Captain.”

Eric looked back to where Miram was waiting. “We’re to report to the Priminae. Just a standard meet and greet—make them feel good about us being in the area.”

“And the classified portions?”

“You’ll find out shortly, Commander,” Eric assured her before smiling. “Don’t worry, I think you’ll like it.”

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