something or other

Hundreds of glowing pinpoints hung amidst the infinite black.

Anya sighed, glancing between the radiant specks and her reflection on the porthole glass.  The bags under her eyes weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Is this right? She wondered, as she had been prone to ever since she’d heard that damn message. As usual, the abyss wasn’t in a hurry to provide her with an answer.

“…Captain?”

Anya whirled about, claws out and her eyes narrows slits.

First Officer Katyusha simply looked down at the claws and then back up at her Captain. Patiently, as always.

“Yes, what is it?” Anya said after just a moment’s delay, carefully retracting her claws as if she’d never drawn them.

Katyusha cleared her throat, which was more like a low-level chuff than anything else. “Captain, your presence was required on the bridge…” she paused, and added with an exasperated tone, ‘…fifteen minutes ago.”

By now the hairs on Anya’s neck had managed to de-bristle and she re-gained some of her usual dignity. Insomuch as she was possessed of.

“Why didn’t anyone call my room?”

“I did several times, Captain,’ Katyusha replied coolly, indicating to the vidphone atop Anya’s desk with her eyes.

Anya noticed a small light blinking furiously and frowned. “So you did.”

“Shall we? They are rather insistent.”

“Very well,” Anya said begrudgingly, pausing before the doorway to don her cap. She hated the thing, it always bothered her ears.

It wasn’t that she harbored any particular dislike for fleet command, but at the moment, and indeed for the past few days, her thoughts were elsewhere. All thanks to that damned, centuries old radio broadcast.

The pair walked silently the short distance the Captain’s quarters to the bridge, their paws damping any noise. Standing before the doors to the bridge, Anya took in a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves just as they whooshed open and allowed her inside.

Inside the massive bridge she made her way past the rows of stations manned by dozens of crewwomen towards the principle feature – a large, recessed pit in the floor. As the lithe Jinko captain descended the stairs into the circular dugout, an inconspicuous scanner at the foot of the stayway confirmed Anya’s identity.

In an instant a massive three-dimensional projection filled the space, segments breaking briefly as the two women proceeded to the center of the tank. All around them were displayed the other ships of the fleet as tiny shapes, along with nearby planets, stars, and any significant bodies. Her ship was marked as a square with two lines over it, denoting it as a cruiser-sized vessel, and as such as on picket duty on the outskirts of the fleet.

At the core was a star insignia with a claw mark, marking the vessel as battleship and flagship.  A flight of little triangles flit about near her ship, running their screening pattern. All was well with the fleet, triggering certain parts of Anya’s mind and allowed her to relax.

Until a large display opened in front of her, giving her a far too-close view of some orderly.

“About time you joined. They were tired of waiting and began without you,” the woman said flatly.

“Yes, I do apologize,” Anya said, waving a paw in the air. “I know how important these meetings are, after all.”

The orderly’s eye twitched. She hadn’t missed the barb. Not that Anya wanted her to. To her side Katyusha coughed lightly, reminding the captain she ought not be smirking at this time.

“Very well, patching you in,” said the orderly with a snort.

For a moment the screen went dark as the feeds switched.

“You’re liable for the fastest promotion and demotion,” Katyusha said calmly.

Anya’s ears picked up and swiveled, following her side-long glance. “You think so?”

The sudden appearance of multiple faces, some of which were talking, others glaring at the late arrival, silenced any further discussion of the matter. Save for Katyusha’s faint grin.