Crossing the Stars - Complete Edition

>You are Anonymous
>Just an average legend among the ranks of the Terran Star Fleet
>Well, you wish you were a legend...
>In truth, you're just another captain of a Terran Explorer Legion.
>You're in command of Twelve ships in total, with your own mothership being the biggest and sexiest (of course).
>Your job is to lead expeditions to unknown planets, and to meet new intelligent species.
>Of course, not all of them are friendly.
>This is why you have a shit ton of weapons on each ship.
>But not as much as the Fleet's "Guardhorses" or Warships...
>Those things are armed to the fucking teeth.
>The Warships are used for offensives against hostile races in war, and the Guardhorses are used to patrol, blockade, and guard Terran-owned locations.
>You remember seeing at least ten Guardhorses a day patrolling the skies of Earth when you were growing up.
>And through the five wars that happened throughout your childhood, you had easy access to footage of the epic space battles that went down between the Terran Warships and whatever enemy race decided that being hostile towards humans was a good idea.
>None of those wars lasted more than a half a year.
>You also had easy access to records of a lot of old missions that the Terran Star Fleet had run throughout your childhood.
>You had always wanted to go to space and serve in the Fleet since you were Six Years old.
>But you had imagined that things would be a bit more glamorous.
>Most of the missions that your Legion ran were quite boring.
>A lot of checking up on colonies and protectorates where electronic communication to Terra hasn't been established yet.
>Then there's the occasional Colony Search Operation, when a colony's people have decided to move somewhere without telling TSF command on Earth...
>You could say that it's more often of an occurrence than many would expect.
>Those don't usually end well, especially when you have to execute someone for insubordination.
>After those missions, you tend to mope around about how your jobs sucks, much to the annoyance of your First Officer.
>There are some good missions that you get to run sometimes, though.
>Those would be First Contact Missions.
>These would be the situations when you've scouted out a planet that does have an intelligent species which has control of the planet.
>In your Twenty-Three year long career, you have only gone on Three First Contact Missions.
>And for a Captain of your experience, that's a fuckin' lot of First Contact Missions.
>Hell, there's one old Captain who mentored you back in captaincy training who's only gone on One First Contact mission in his Sixty Year-long career!
>At least his one was successful, though...
>You have just as many successful first contact missions.
>You still visit that planet to this day, keeping tabs on their progress towards becoming a member of the Terran Union of Planets.

>On your most recent mission, you were on a routine checkup mission to a strange little planet out in the middle of nowhere.
>You had landed a few shuttle Airborgs at the site where the colony was supposed to be, to find that the place was deserted.
"Hooo boy, time for another CSO guys..."
>It had taken your Legion about ten days to find where the little fuckers had wanked off to...
>And you didn't like that they immediately met your search party with a violent "welcoming party".
>Per instruction of the Admiral back on Terra, you immediately ordered that the rebels be wiped out.
>Those motherfuckers fought hard.
>They were still no match for your Legion, though, and you had the whole thing wrapped up within about a day.
>Your Legion did take heavy losses though, and it looked like you would have to call up some new recruits from the TSF Academy.
>There was one entire ship in your legion that was left without a crew, and you had to have a makeshift crew fly it home to Terra.
>When you got back to Earth, though, You were met with a strange message...

>"To all Exploration Legions, we urge you at this time to take free roam and find as many habitable planets as you can. We have plenty of colonists who are ready to start brave new lives on strange new worlds. Now is the time to establish your legacy as an Explorer, and as a legend among the Terran Union of Planets for centuries to come."
>You were in Tokyo at the time, with your First Officer, about to induct some brand new recruits into your legion.
>You did still have yet to find a new captain for that one ship, which meant that you would have to pay a visit to the Admiral.
>This made you a bit frustrated, as you wanted to go fuck off on Free Roam before anyone else could claim a sector to explore.
>Oh well, you still have to get that meeting in before you can leave the planet...
"Jack, get the new recruits up to our ships and have them assigned before I get back," You command to your First Officer.
>"Aye-aye, govnah'," he says with a mock salute.
"Cut the sillines Jack, we don't have the time. I have to take the next train to Nairobi, I'll be back to the ship in an hour."
>"Sure thing."
>You wonder why the Admiral chose to have his offices in Nairobi as your First Officer leaves with your new recruits.
>The train ride there wasn't particularly interesting, just a lot of deserts, mountains, and ocean out the window.
>You get to the sub-Saharan metropolis with 45 minutes to spare, and hurry to the Admiral's Office.
>A few cabbies get frustrated with you, but you have the money and silver tongue to get what you want out of them.

>Once you get to the Admiral's Office, you find that there are about Thirty other Legion Captains there, and a little asking around tells you that they're there for the same exact reason.
>As you wait, you notice that the general area around the office building outside has a bit of a rustic, slightly dated look to it, which made you feel a bit nervous, as you remember hearing stories of this city's history.
>You don't have much time to focus on this, though, as the Admiral miraculously manages to get through introducing 60 people in a matter of 15 minutes.
>"Captain Anonymous, I was expecting you. Take a seat please."
>You look around at the busy lobby, then take a seat.
>"Right now, I'm in the midst of a pretty big shitstorm. Both the World's News Agencies and High Command have been shoving their arms up my ass about the recent rebellions around the outer fringe colonies, so I am actually glad that I'm having to bring fresh subcaptains in, as this means that I'll have the journalist monkeys off my back for at least a few more hours. I've got a freshly graduated subcaptain being flown in from Amsterdam as we speak, and the stack of papers you guys will have to sign so that she can fly a ship already have everything on my end filled in."
"You said She, so I'm assuming my new subcap is a woman?"
>"Well... yeah, did you think that I was going to tell you that she's a transgender planetesimal otherkin or some bullshit like that?"
>sensiblechuckle.webm
>"Heh... but in all seriousness, all you have to do is sign these papers-" he says as an assistant drops a stack of at least 60 pieces of paper on the desk, "and have someone fly you up to your legion, because I don't have the time to arrage for a chauffeur right now."
"Alright Sir, i'll get right on it."
>"Good to hear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get this damn journalist at the front door out of the building..."
>You walk over to an empty seat, grab a clipboard and pen, and start filling things out.
>Within a few minutes, you have your signature filled out on at least 50 of the documents.
>As you're signing off on a Fair Weapons Use agreement, one of the most stunning blondes you've ever seen walks into the lobby from the top entrance stairwell, escorted by one of the Admiral's assistants.
>"Captain Anonymous, this is Cadet Emile von Assendelf of Voorburg, South Holland. She will be your new subcaptain."
"Wait, Voorburg? I thought that they merged with-"
>"She prefers it being referred to as Voorburg, sir."
"Hold on, shut it," you say to the assistant. "You can speak, can't you Cadet?"
>"Yes, Captain."
"Okay, can you fill out Sixty papers in the span of Ten minutes?"
>"I can try, sir, but-"
>You interject, and motion to the stack of forms as her face slowly contorts into a face of confusion and exasperation
"You're gonna have to. We're running late, and we have a shitton of work to do when we get to your new ship."
>Just as you have her get to work, your PCD (Personal Communications Device) starts to wail like crazy.
>"Anon! Where the hell are you? You said you'd be back!"
"We're still singing papers, now I'm gonna need you to send a shuttle down so that I can get to our ships, as it is we're stuck down here."
>"Anon, you do realize that every second you spend down there is one legion claiming a sector that could be ours!?"
"Ya don't say, Jack..."
>"..."
"..."
>"I'm sending a shuttle down in Five Minutes, and I've instructed the pilot to leave ten seconds after he lands, whether he has passengers or not, so you'd better hurry your ass up."
"I'm sorry, but who's the captain here?"
>"I can claim Acting Captain status right now, so-"
>"No, you can't. Trust me," The Admiral states nonchalantly.
>He's gonna need some ice for that burn.
"Jack, I believe you have just been - wait, what is it called... ah yes - REKT."
>Apparently, The Admiral was still in the call...
>"Even your new Subcaptian is smirking at you Officer, I can see her from my office."
>Still only silence from your deputy.
"Cadet, how long will you be?"
>"Seven Minutes."
"Jack, have a shuttle down here in seven minutes, and I'd better not find you in the captain's chair when I get back."
>"..."
"Jack, you have your orders, do you read?"
>"I read you, I'll have the shuttle there."
"Thank you. Now, I have some documents to get to..."

>Aaaand he's sitting in your chair.
"Goddamnit Jack, we've been over this," you say with your palm in hand
>A cheeky smile grows on his face as he asks, "U mad?"
"Just get the fuck out of my chair."
>"No u."
"Jack. Get out of my chair."
>"Okay, fine. We have some exploring to do, anyway."
"Thank you. Now go check on Engineering, see if the ST Drive is ready."
>"Aye Aye, cap'n."
>You sit down in the Captain's Chair, glad for a second that your First Officer warmed it up for you, and get comfy.
"Alright Meyer, check out what sectors we can explore."
>Your Pilot does a little exploring with the display, before he finally finds the live exploration map.
>"Sir, It looks as if everything at a range of 30 Light years is taken, and most sectors at a range of 40 Light years are also taken. Not very many sectors have been claimed at 50 Light Year range, maybe we should try 60?"
"Idunno man, I've heard that some planetary systems can get a bit weird at 55 Light Years out, how about 53 Light Years?"
>"We have to go to a range of 55 Light years, as there's no habitable planets in the 52-54 range."
"Damnit. Okay, let's look at 56 Light years."
>"Ja, Captain."
>He pulls up a display of all the sectors at 56 Light years out which have habitable planets.
>"There's a sector with two M-class stars with three GLZ (Goldilocks Zone) planets each, fifteen A-Class stars with an average of twenty GLZ planets each, and then one really strange G-Class star that seems to be either wobbling or orbiting something unseen, I can't really tell. This all looks to be in deep space, but all of these stars are barely moving around the Galaxy's orbital path, so I guess they're part of the Milky Way. Like you said, space starts to get a bit weird once you hit 55 Light Years."
>Your PCD starts making noise, and the voice of your First Officer fills the room
>"Engineering says that the ST Drive is purring like a kitten, and I heard that entire conversation. We-"
"Jack, you left cloaking mode on again."
>"You know as well as I do that I didn't just 'leave' cloaking mode on."
"I'm meming, you dip. But in all seriousness, turn cloaking mode off. It kills the battery on those things, and you shouldn'tve been listening in on that conversation."
>"Will do. But I say that we check out that weird G-Class, could be something interesting. Is there a habitable planet there?"
"Yeah. Meyer, is there a Habitable planet there somewhere?"
>"If there is one, then I don't see it. But records from that centuries-old Kepler Telescope say that there is one, as well as a moon orbiting that planet opposite the star."
"Woah-woah-woah. We're relying on data from Kepler here?"
>"That is the only comprehensive source of data on that system that I can find, captain."
>You sigh.
"But Kepler wasn't even accurate on a coin flip, that's been proven. Why should we go out there if we can't be sure if it's safe?"
>"It's worth a chance, captain. If I'm honest with you, I'm extremely curious and want to see if there is something there. Besides, if we go there and there's a black hole waiting for us, I promise that I will take all responsibility for this decision."
"Curiosity killed the cat. And I won't even let you get into a situation where you have to take responsibility, Gustav."
>"Captain, ST Drives still work even if we're at the event horizon of a Black Hole. We'll be fine, trust me. Besides, looking at Kepler's data, it actually gets more accurate at greater distances, based on the data it gathered on systems we've already explored," The Chief Engineer assures.
>These motherfuckers...
"Fine, but you'd better be right Johnson. I don't want anyone dying on this mission."
>You seriously had a bad gut feeling about this.
"Gustav, take us out."
>Your pilot punches some controls, and you feel the ship detach from its docking bay.
"By the way, what is this sector called?"
>"It is designated as Sector... uhh... oh, there it is. Sector X34-CV8."
"Alright then."
>You punch in a code which connects your comms to the bridge of the other ships in your legion.
"To all ships in Legion Sigma-Xi-Golf-4, this is Captain Anonymous speaking. Detach from your docking bay and plot course for Sector X34-CV8. I repeat, Detach from your docking bay and plot course for Sector X34-CV8. All ships, do you read?"
>"This is Subcaptain Lee Jong Choo of DC2. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcaptain Scarlet Manning of DC4. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcaptain Johan Bachmann of DC3. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcaptain Vladimir Kyrzweschki of DC1. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcapatin Ahron Twerde of DC6. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcaptain Emile von Assendelf of DC5. I read you, Captain."
"Good to know you're already getting the hang of this."
>"I have some help."
"Anyway. The rest of you, continue."
>"This is Subcaptain William Harris of TC1. I read you, Captain, SIR."
>"This is Subcaptain Wilson Mwenda of TC2. I read you, Captain, SIR."
>"This is Subcaptain Cassandra Veracruz of TC3. I read you, Captain, SIR."
>"This is Subcaptain Georgios Katrakis of RC1. I read you, Captain."
>"This is Subcaptain Muhammad Israt of RC2. I read you, Captain."
>You can then see all eleven ships under your command lined up in a row on both sides.
"Alright everyone, get into Basic Formation and prepare to jump."
>You watch as the three Tank Class ships slowly move in front of your ship, at a distance where they won't be shredded by your ship's ST Drive.
>On either side of you, your legion's Resource Class ships can be seen slowly moving into their position.
>Beyond them, in diagonal lines at a slant going out the farther back they get, are the Drone Class ships.
>"All ships are in position, captain.
"All ships, report, what is your status?"
>"TC1 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"TC2 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"TC3 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"RC1 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"RC2 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC1 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC2 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC3 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC4 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC5 is in position and ready, Sir."
>"DC6 is in position and ready, Sir."
"Alright then. Set Jump speed at T2, begin launch sequence on my command."
>All of your subcaptains report that they are all ready one more time before you give the commands.
"3, 2, 1, Fire!"
>The ships' engines roar to life, generating enough thrust to get them going at about 9000 miles per hour. The only thing stopping them are the flight brakes, which cause the ships to not move at all (on purpose).
"3, 2, 1, Punch it!"
>The ships' Space Tunneling Drive warms up, and then shoots a beam of matter forward at insane speeds, ripping a controlled hole in the fabric of space itself.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Release."
>All ships release their flight brakes, and hurl themselves forward into ST Jump.
>Your own ship violently lurches forward, speeding into ST Jump.
"Gustav, shut down all comms systems leaving and entering the ship; we're in for a nice comfy ride."
>"Ja, Captain."
>It wouldn't really matter, as ships are in radio silence when they're at Jump.
"Anyone, what's our ETA as of this minute?"
>"26 Minutes, 43 Seconds and counting sir," Answers your Pilot.
>Right on schedule.
"Looks like I'll have to brief the crew and then we're all set."
>You punch in a few codes on your chair's armrest's keypad, and access the shipwide comms.
"Hello everyone, this is your captain speaking. Since most of you guys are unaware of our current mission, I figured I'd give you a briefing."
"As you might have heard, the Admiral sent us out on free roam. So, those of us up here on the bridge have decided to go out and explore a little farther than everyone else."
"We're headed for a place called Sector X34-CV8. It's 56 Light Years away from Earth, and we've found something quite interesting there."
"Our Pilot and Chief Navigations Officer, Gustav Meyer, discovered a strange, anomalous solar system which appears to have a star and a moon orbiting what might be a habitable planet at somewhat strange but still regular intervals."
"Although, the data source that he cited on this would be the famous old Kepler Telescope, whose youngest records are 320 years old."
"Not only that, but once technology improved to a standard to where we could observe habitable planets better, we as a human race found out that the Kepler Telescope was only accurate about a third of the time."
"Those of us in the Bridge determined that it was worth it to see if this anomalous solar system is actually there as described by Kepler."
"We understand if you dislike our decision, but we believed that it was the best course of action."
>At these words, you can hear Jack groaning, and you know that he's shaking his head in exasperation.
"So, we are on our way to this system to see what's there, and if possible, check and see if there is a habitable planet or not."
"Be prepared for a First Landing or First Contact mission if necessary."
"Anonymous out."
>You silence the comms, and hope that the crew won't complain too much.
>You're also steeling yourself for the debriefing that you have to give to your subcaptains when you arrive in the Sector.
>Not very many of them are going to like this.
"Oh well," you mutter under your breath.

>"Captain, we are almost out of Jump, and the location we'll be arriving in is right on the edge of the Sector. What are your orders?"
"What's our ETA?"
>"Fifteen seconds and counting, Sir."
"Alright. Start shipwide countdown, and open all comms to the other ships into the legion as soon as we leave Jump."
>"Aye, Sir."
>Meyer punches a few controls and begins counting down.
>"We will be arriving in Sector X34-CV8 in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..."
>You sigh nervously, hoping to appear calm to your crew."
>"5, 4..."
>You can name about three of your subcaptains off the top of your head who are going to vehemently oppose you on this.
>"3, 2, 1..."
>The ship lurches violently as it leaves ST Jump, and everyone is thrown forward in their seat.
>"Okay Captain, we are now at the edge of Sector X34-CV8, and the Legion's private comms are online. It appears that there were no miscues or mispositionings during Jump, as all ships are in position."
"That's good. when will the subcaptains be here?"
>"For what, exactly?"
"For our mission briefing, of course. Don't they have to agree on our course of action as well?"
>"Uhh, ja! Of course, I'll have the-"
"No need Gustav, you've done enough so far."
>"Aye, Captain."
>You whip out your PCD and contact your First Officer.
"Hey Jack, have the meeting room ready for when our subbies get here. We're gonna need any and all maps of the Sector that you can find. Get them off of the Internet, if necessary."
>"Gotcha, Cap'n. Also, won't I be attending this meeting as well?"
"No, you won't. You don't need to."
>"I think I do. And I think that Meyer and Johnson need to be attending this meeting as well, as we were all the ones who convinced you of this, weren't we?"
"Jack, you're missing the point-"
>"Oh, so I'm missing the point?"
"Yes, you are. This is a meeting of the Legion's Leadership, those being me and my Subcaptains, and those alone. Twelve people in total."
>"Na-na-nah. This meeting will be consisting of 15 people, as there were three others who helped make this decision. We are going to be there to explain why we thought this was a good idea, isn't that right Eric?"
>"Yeah, Cap'n. No disrespect, but this wasn't your idea, so you shouldn't be trying to explain it," the Chief Engineer offers.
>You give a flustered sigh, and wonder why you always let these sons of bitches trample on your orders like this.
>On the other hand, you're kinda glad that none of them are ordinary Yes-Men.
>If they were, you'd probably all be dead by now.
"Okay, fine, but don't be late, and you'd better not fuck this up. I still have a bad feeling about this myself..."

>"Captain, you need to grow a pair sometime. This is getting ridiculous."
"Look, I know that you don't like this proposition. I fully well anticipated this-"
>"So you did? Then why the hell did you summon us all for this meeting?"
>You sighed. Of all of the people under your command, Ol' Willy is the one who harassed you the most about your decisions.
"First, I summoned you all here because I'm required to do so before we actually embark on this mission. Second, I need to see exactly how many of you all will agree with the mission."
>Will paused. You could tell that he was about to launch into his step-by-step rants.
>"Anonymous, Sir. You're the captain of this entire legion, correct?"
"Will, I Know where you're going with-"
>"CAPTAIN. Let me finish."
>You huff in slight frustration, letting him continue.
>"You are the captain of this entire legion, correct?"
"Yes, I am the Captain, Will. I am the Captain."
>"Okay then. If you're the Captain, then what level of control do you have over your subordinates?"
>You're suddenly very interested in how quiet everyone else in the room is.
>Your lengthy silence agitates the Subcaptain even more.
>"Captain."
"Yes, Subcaptain?"
>"What. Level. Of. Control. Do-"
"Look, Subcaptain Harris, I understand that you don't like my decision about the mission at hand-"
>"SHUT THE HELL UP CAPTAIN! THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!"
>The rest of the room is in a shocked silence at this sudden outburst.
"Then what is it about?"
>The gruff Scotsman looks at you with an incredulous look on his face and fire in his eyes.
>"It's about YOU, lassie! You and your Leadership Skills! And the specific skill of maintaining control!"
"I don't want to be seen as a tyrant-"
>"Oh, THAT'S your biggest concern? Being seen as a tyrant? Wanting everyone to like you?!? I've heard rumblings on multiple ships in the legion that you're a goddamn disgrace to TSEP! When it comes to leadership, everyone thinks you're a joke! YOU'RE TOO DAMN SOFT!"
"It's either too gentle, or too harsh," you say dejectedly.
>"And HOW do you know that for sure?"
"Because-"
>"You DON'T know that! You've been nothing but /gentle/ for your entire career as a Captain! How would I know this? I've been a Subcaptain under you for your entire career! We've had to have this same conversation Every. Single. Time that we go out on Free Roam For TWELVE! GODDAMN! YEARS!"
>He's not wrong.
>As you sit there and ruminate on how the hell you got yourself into this mess, Will speaks up.
>"Could everyone else please leave the room for a minute? Anon and I need to have a little talk."
>The other attendees of the meeting file out of the meeting room, some of them giving you quick glances that said, "may the powers that be have mercy on your soul. Again."
>Subcaptain Harris was known to chew out his own crew at times, and the stories from them about what he said never ceased to spook anyone.
>And it is true that he had chewed you out on more than one occasion, so you had experience dealing with him when he was angry with someone
>As you sat there, awaiting your lengthy lecture, Will grabs a chair, sits down, and turns to you with the best poker face you've ever seen.
>"Anonymous, I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer me with complete and utter honesty. You can go into a big long spiel about your backstory if you want, but I need the complete truth from you."
>"Why, for God's sake, did you join TSEP?"
>Well that's a difficult question to answer.
>As you sit there and think about how to respond, Will continues
>"I see that you're hesitating, struggling to come up with the right words. I know that this means that you either don't have a damn clue about why you decided to become a part of the most elite exploration program in known human history, which is unlikely, or that your reason is less noble than you would like. So let me ask you again to be completely honest with me."
>Well fuck, he called your bluff.
>Admittedly, it wasn't a very good one, but you had hoped that your hesitation would be seen as being nervous about having to say something incredibly cheesy.
>"Anonymous, why did you join the Terran Space Exploration Program?"
>You try to soothe yourself as best you can before speaking, and tumble into your explanation
"Ever since I was a kid, I had looked up to the people in the Star Fleet. Those brave soldiers in the Military Space Forces, and the gutsy, seemingly fearless explorers in TSEP. Those people who were willing to put their lives on the line to protect others, and those people who were willing to face the fearsome unknown in order to seek out new worlds for the human race to expand to, to search for new allies amongst the stars, and above all else, to go and venture further into the Frontier than anyone else has ever been."
>You pause, silently questioning if it is okay for you to continue
>"Go on."
"But when it came time for me to decide what to do with my life, I couldn't quite decide what path I would take. I revered the people serving in the Star Fleet, but I didn't know if I could become one of them."
>"And why is that?"
"Well, I knew that I couldn't make a living out of war without my moral hesitations getting in the way, so I knew that the Military wasn't for me. And-"
>"What, so war is all that they do in the Military, is that it?"
"That's most of it."
>"Oh, so most of their job is to annihilate hostile alien races who may or may not be simply protecting what has been theirs for as long as they know, and they don't often go protect colonies in such hostile environments where even the /grass/ will try to kill you?"
>You facepalm in frustration, not knowing how else to respond.
>"But by all means, go on. It's probably too late for you to change your mind now. Probably."
>The way that he said the word "probably" unnerved you a bit, and you made a mental note to keep a lookout for a situation at which the Admiral would have reason to pull you from service in TSEP entirely.
"Well, okay. So, Military service was out for me, and I felt like the Star Fleet was where I belonged. TSEP was the only other option, and I did have a knack for going out and exploring a good long ways from home when I was a little kid. And as such, I decided to join TSEP."
>"That sounds kinda iffy. You say that you didn't actually eye TSEP as the place for you until it was time for you to decide what to do with yourself after school?"
>...
"Yes."
>"So you only joined TSEP so that you wouldn't end up as some homeless, degenerate bum, begging for all yer worth in some inner city slum in, say, Aleutia?"
"I... uhh..."
>"Well then, that answers one part of that. Now I would like to know what compelled you to enroll in Captaincy Training."
>Oh boy, this was gonna be a tough one.
"Well..."
>"Spill it, lass."
"I was about done with TSEP standard training, when a few of my superiors told me that I would do incredibly well if I stayed in the program and went through the Captaincy Academy. I kinda enjoyed the academy life, and I thought that I could make a pretty good captain, so I did it."
>"So, you only became a captain in TSEP because the opportunity was handed to you, and you took that opportunity while saying, 'What the hell, why not?'"
>You put your head in your hands.
"Pretty much."
>Officer Will shakes his head and chuckles uncomfortably.
>"So I got beat by a kid who decided to become a captain of a brand new legion on a dare? Holy fuck am I pathetic!"
>Wait, what?
>Oh yeah, that's right!
>Harris had told you plenty of times before that he was one of the captains that the Admiral was considering for the new legion that you eventually got.
>"Yeah, well lemme tell you what lassie, that may or may not last much longer."
"What, why?"
>"I've had a word in with the Admiral. If we're not successful out here on Free Roam, then I get control of the legion. You get sent back to captaincy training for twice the normal length of time, and when you're out, you're exam will be twice as hard as everyone else's. And when you get cleared for your own legion again, it won't be this one."
>Well that's what that "probably" was about.
"And the Admiral agreed to this?"
>"He hasn't yet, but upon evaluating our conversation just now, about your /actual/ motivation for getting into TSEP, he's thinking of agreeing to it."
>Fug.png
>His PCD starts ringing.
>"Hold on a second, I've got a call to take."
>He stands up and moves to the doorway.
"Wait"
>"Hmm?"
"Who exactly defines 'success' on this mission?"
>"Me."
>So you thought.
>"But, if this mission is a successful one, you get to keep the Legion, and I might actually like you."

>The Admiral had agreed to it.
>You deeply respected Admiral Leroy
>As a leader, as a man, and as a spacefarer.
>Now that you think about it, it doesn't surprise you that he agreed to go through with this.
>He wanted to see you succeed, and he had told you this on multiple occasions
>He even had your sentence reduced when you and your crew accidentally started a war, in direct violation of TSEP Directive
>The Admiral had been pulling for you ever since you had shown up in Star Fleet Academy
>Despite how comparatively nice he had been to you over the years, he was still a tough old man when he needed to be.
>The Admiral also trusted Officer Will, as the two had been close friends when the two of them had served in the TMSF once.
>Now that you think about it, Will may have been assigned as one of your subcaptains on purpose
>If what you thought about what The Admiral was doing proved to be true, then that man was truly clever.
>He also was committed to seeing you reach your full potential as a captain
>Not just commited, but stubborn.
>This just made you admire him all the more, that he was confident in you, even when you were not confident in yourself.
>The only problem is, he just put you in the hot seat.
>You completely understand why
>It's to light a fire under your ass, to force you to get your shit together.
>But goddamnit, it still hurt.
>Your entire livelihood was at risk now.
>If you didn't make it, your already shaky reputation would go straight to shit.
>Which meant that you had to meet Officer Will's standard
>And you guessed that it started with getting a "go" consensus when the mission briefing resumed in 24 hours
>For now, you had agreed to take a one-day recess.
>But when the recess is over, you'll have to start doing your job better than you have in 12 years.

>"Anon, it's time."
>24 hours later
>You had spent the last "day" trying to sleep, drinking, and pacing nervously in your private quarters
>The pressure of the situation was getting to you
>You had to calm the fuck down.
>"Clean yourself up, almost everyone else is in the meeting room and ready."
"Okay, Jack. Just gimme a moment."
>"Are you sure you'll be okay to get ready on your own? You look like you were in a train wreck."
"I'm sure. I have to be."
>"Okay, whatever you say man..."
>As Jack slides your door closed and walks down the hall, your stomach ties itself into about 5 more knots.
>The more you try to convince yourself that being anxious won't solve anything, the more anxious you get.
"I-It's okay, you'll do fine, it's not like your entire career is on the line from here on out..."
>Jack slides the door open
>"Anonymous. Calm the fuck down."
"Jack, how the-"
>"Anonymous."
"What, Jack?"
>"Calm. The. Fuck. Down."
"But what reason do I have to be calm?"
>"Anon, you don't need to have a sound reason for everything. There may be almost nobody who is confident in your ability to haul your ass through this, including yourself, but for the purpose of this mission, you have to be the one person who believes in you the most."
"Jack, you know I hate sappy shit like this-"
>"Shut the fuck up about your hatred for cheesiness, okay? You're not an Android, you're not even a cyborg; you're a Human. Humans have emotions. You have emotions, Anon."
"I know that I have emotions, Jack. They're kinda bothering me right now."
>"Yes, you know you have emotions, Anon, but you don't use them enough.
>"You need to use your emotion, your extreme force of will. That is Humanity's greatest weapon, and you don't use it enough."
"Jack, what are you on about?"
>"Anonymous, do you really want to be a successful captain? Do you really want to be a successful explorer?"
"Yes. I do."
>"You don't sound like it."
>"Yes Jack, I want to be successful."
>"Do you really? You don't sound very passionate. You don't sound like you signed up for this so that you could be the best at what you do."
>"Jack, I want to be THE BEST!"
>"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"I want to be THE BEST Explorer! I want to be THE BEST Captain."
>"I CAN'T YEAR YOU!"
"I WANT TO BE THE BEST DAMN CAPTAIN SINCE UNITED EARTH! I WANT TO BE THE BEST DAMN EXPLORER SINCE LEROY JENKINS! I WANNA BE THE BEST DAMN SPACEFARER THAT EVER LIVED, GODDAMNIT!"
>"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT, YOU LIMP-DICKED PHILOSOPHER FAGGOT?"
"I'M DAMN SURE, YOU MENTALLY DEFICIENT ADRENALINE-JUNKIE!"
>"Guys, what the hell is going on?"
>Your Chief Engineer, Eric Johnson, was poking his head through the door with the most confused look on his face that you've ever seen.
"Uhh, nothing, Rick. Nothing important, we're just-"
>"Discussing important details for the Free-Roam Mission! Yes, that's what we're doing."
>He doesn't look like he's buying it.
>"Then why were you guys screaming at each other so bloody loud?"
"We just disagreed on a few things, that's all."
>"Yes, minute details that won't matter much, we're just being nitpicky at each other."
>He gives you one last skeptical look before turning to leave.
>"Well, you guys had better get it all wrapped up, because everybody else is getting impatient. The meeting was supposed to start 7 minutes ago."
>"Sure, okay. Actually, I'll come along with you. Anon, I'll give you a little time."
"Right. I'll be down in a bit."
>As the two of them leave you alone, you take a minute to get your ship uniform on and spray some good smelling smells on yourself.
"Forget your past, the future begins now."
>You felt like a stoned and heady twat saying that, but it didn't matter now.
>Now, it's showtime.

"So everyone's here?"
>"You were the last one to show up, Captain."
"Okay, good. Well then, let's get this show started. Gustav, take it away."
>"Ja, captain. Okay, so at 1500 Zulu yesterday, Captain Anonymous officially launched a search for star systems to be explored. All star systems remaining unexplored at 30 Light Years were already taken, and many systems at 40 Light Years had already been marked for exploration by other Legions. The decision from Anonymous was to go out to a range of 56 Light Years, so as to have plenty of room between our Legion and many of the others.
>"Nice going asshole, you swing us out into the space boonies so that help will take longer once we inevitably need it," Scarlet Manning commented, her voice dripping with toxic sarcasm.
"Yes, we're in the Space Boonies, Scarlet. Get over it."
>"I'm sorry, Anon?"
>Everyone else in the room stares at the two of you intently
"Scarlet, is your brain working? We're in the space boonies, like you said. And us being here is not your decision, so you might as well get over it. Also, you are a subcaptain, correct?"
>"Uhh, yes Anon. I am a subcaptain."
"Which means that you are an officer, under the command of me, your captain. This is correct, no?"
>"I fail to see your point, Anonymous."
"My point is that I am your superior, whom you must address as such. I don't hear you calling me 'Captain' at all, and that needs to change."
>"And what if I don't feel like saying 'Captain' every time I address you, /Anonymous/?"
>You huff quietly.
"'I don't feel like it' is not an excuse, /subcaptain/. You're going to start addressing me by my proper title as of this minute, or else."
>"Or. else. what? Besides, I haven't even told you why I don't want to address you as captain. Don't you want to know why?"
>You hate to admit it, but she's starting to get to you a little bit.
>You lean on the table with both hands and stare her down, feeling that you're on your last straw.
"Okay, so why is it that little miss Scarlet Man-toy doesn't feel like addressing her superior with proper respect?"
>All eyes are on you now, some hold looks of awe and disbelief
>"I'm sorry, did you just call me 'Man-toy'? Who the hell do you think YOU are?"
"Come on now, Scarlet, your off-time... exploits are hardly a secret to anyone in this room, much less the Legion. What, did you think nobody would ever call you out on it?"
>She's sputtering, and her face is a bit red.
>"I can't believe you! Not only are you a goddamn creep, but you're so terrible at your job that eve *I* could do it better than you! In fact, it's a moral crime that you were chosen for your own legion, and that I was stuck on a Drone Class under YOUR command!"
>And there it is. The prickly self-righteous cunt reveals itself.
"I'm sorry, what's that? Did you say that you're better than me at being a Legion Captain?"
>"YES!"
>Holy fuck, she's screeching like a goddamn fire alarm.
>She's so pissed that some of her colleagues are having to hold her back.
"So would that constitute as a challenge? Or, perhaps, a threat?"
>"STOP TRYING TO TOY WITH ME, YOU GODDAMN SELF-RIGHTEOUS INCOMPETENT BASTARD! I'LL RIP YOUR SPINE OUT AND USE IT TO FLAY YOU!"
>Some of those colleagues of hers are glaring at you for making the job of restraining her that much more difficult.
>Thankfully there are armed security personnel just outside the door.
"Guards, this woman has lost her composure. Could you please restrain her and toss her in the Brig? I'm going to have her court-martialed for Insubordination when we get home. Anyway, Gustav, carry on as soon as she's out."
>The guards burst through the door as she struggles even harder against those who were already holding her in place
>You almost worry that they won't be able to contain her, as she's basically a raging she-demon at this point.
>Thankfully, though, the guards manage to haul her out of the room, albeit kicking and screaming.
>You wipe some sweat off of your brow as you catch a glimpse of Subcaptain Harris half-grinning at you.
>He's very likely just as relieved about you finally putting Scarlet in her place
>She'd always been a complete cunt to everyone, although very few knew why
>Those who did know never really told anyone.
>But that's something for you to ponder another time. Now is the time for the mission briefing.
>"Okay then, now that that's out of the way...
>"As I was saying earlier, the decision from Anonymous was to search for star systems at a range of 56 light years from Earth. Those of us in the bridge went through our options of what star systems we could check out.
>"As we went through our options, First Officer Jack Pond and Chief Engineering Officer Eric Johnson both suggested that we check out one certain anomalous solar system."
>Jack spoke up
>"Thank you Gustav, I think i'll take it from here.
>"This solar system seemed very strange. Now, there are only three celestial bodies in this system: a star, a moon, and a planet. The strange part is that the star and the moon both seem to be orbiting the planet on the same orbital path, and they stop and start at precise intervals."
>He clicks a button on his PCD, like a remote, and a visual appears on the wall behind him.
>There are hushed whispers in the room, and some exchanged looks of worry, or curiosity.
>"Now, we did as much research as we could on this system, and the most info that we could find was from the Kepler Telescope's database."
>At this, many objections were made.
>"Sir, people have known for centuries that Kepler isn't very accurate!"
>"We might end up inside the star"
>"It might be a Supermassive Black Hole instead"
>"This system might not even exist, it could just be a glitch in Kepler's records-"
>Jack decides that enough is enough.
>"Okay everyone, I get it! And so did your Captain, for that matter."
>All eyes are on you now.
>"Sir, would you like to explain to us why it is that you agreed to this mission?"
>You stand up and take a deep breath
"I agreed to this mission because of the potential here."
>"Really? What kind of potential?"
"The potential to make history."
>There are a lot of confused, hushed whispers amongst your subcaptains
>All except Officer Will, who is staring intently at you.
"Just think - we have no idea what this place is. This place could belong to a new intelligent species, one that rivals us in technological advancement, or in culture. We could find a wormhole here, a link to some other part of the universe, or even another universe entirely.
"We have no idea what we'll find here, and to be honest with you all, that's exciting to me. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for us explorers, and we really shouldn't pass this up.
>One of your subcaptains, Muhammad Israt, stands up.
>"Captain, you're taking a huge risk with this. A bigger risk than you usually do, if I may add. You do realize that we could all die as soon as we're in the system, right?"
"Oh, yes, I do realize that, Officer Israt. But do you realize that we take that risk every time we go to an unknown system on Free Roam? Hell, we take that risk on every single mission we do- no, every single time we wake up to start another day! Besides, you know what they say, the higher the risk, the higher the reward."
>"Hmm, okay then," Muhammad mumbles hesitantly.
"Well, does anyone else have anything to ask or point out?"
>All eyes are on you, but nobody says anything. A few shake their heads, other just sit there.
"Is there anything that anybody would like to declare? It can be anything you want, just get it out now before we start planning this shabang."
>It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in the hallway outside.
>Actually, if you listened closely, you could hear Scarlet banging on the door of her cell and screaming in the brig.
"Nothing? Okay then, let's get started."

>So you spent an hour hammering out the details of the now Scouting Mission, with a contingency for a First Landing mission.
>Who knows, if there is an intelligent species on the planet, then you might even get another First Contact mission under your belt.
>The prospect of this makes you tingle all over.
>To think that at this critical point in your career, you could get a chance to have a second successful First Contact mission AND escape the hot seat by inducting another new friendly race into the ranks of the Terran Union of Planets?
>You're probably overthinking this, but in your opinion, the opportunity of ten fucking lifetimes just fell into your lap.
>However
>All that is only if you succeed.
>If you fail...
>You don't even want to think about what failure entails.
>Now the seering, watchful gaze of Officer Will truly gives you the heebie-jeebies.
>Suffice to say, he very well knows how much this mission means to you.
>This is it. The beginning.
>From here on out, everything that matters to you, short of your life, is on the line.
>A tiny voice inside your head can be heard, one that you hadn't heard in a long time, and almost appreciated hearing.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."