The Bravest Newbie
War Boy, shiny and chrome
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2014
- Messages
- 47
The crucial paperwork arrived four hours late, Huxton had to ask the cashier to use her establishment’s printer behind the bar. It was a surprise to him that it was only four hours late, the quality of the United Systems Military’s logistics division had eroded to new lows during his latest tour. All that mattered was that he had it now and as soon as he’d completed it and turned it in he’d be retired. His age-scarred hands shook with excitement at his new life.
Huxton took another bite from his steak burger and chewed the warm and juicy meat slowly to savor every last bite. He wiped the grease off his hands with reusable napkin that probably met the official environmental standards and resumed writing. In ten minutes he’d reached the final page of plastic where a single line sat labeled ‘sign your full name and title here.’ He put pen to plastic one more time. ‘Squadron Commander Adriatic Vimes Huxton-Medal of Valor, United Systems Spacefleet, eight seven two two zero nine nine black.’ Huxton folded the plastic up with deft, precise movements and slid the perfect rectangle into one of the inside pockets of his jacket. He resumed eating.
Adriatic Huxton stood six feet even at full height. His hair was black and spiky. The face underneath was gaunt and creased with worry lines and scars both from the wear of an abusive life and several knife and gun injuries. Centering it was a pair of icy brown eyes and a thick black moustache. His body was thin and made up of ropy yet rock-solid muscle rather than fat. He wore a black jacket with red trim that had three red bars on the lapels and a thick swatch of ribbons on his chest. Black pants and boots completed the Commander’s uniform, with black gloves perfectly fitting his hands. Huxton sat slightly slumped over, but always tensed as if he could be attacked at any second.
“Adriatic” a young female voice called. He sat bolt upright and looked around quickly. There was no one within two tables of him. He sighed to himself, and took another bite from the ten-ounce burger, then downed half a glass of pop in one long gulp. He looked out the window.
The diner sat atop a junction between two of Tollyon Anchorage’s main armatures. Two roads of haphazard modular construction grew at right angles from each other and extended forty miles. Smaller columns branched off, containing drydocks, habitation modules, sentry turrets, and other modules necessary for the regional military capitol. Hundreds of spaceships ranging from tiny sub-orbital shuttles to the mile-and a half long flying bricks that were fleet carriers crossed the open starscape and half-planet view of Tollyon’s mottled blue-brown surface.
“Squadron Commander Huxton, sir” a hardened but high male voice said. Huxton ignored it this time. He finished off his burger and started on the greasy fried potatoes. “Commander, sir?” A black gauntlet slapped the plastic table.
He looked up. A Space Trooper in menacing black body armor stood before him, his assault rifle slung over his shoulders. Instinctively Huxton’s free hand went to his sidearm, but he recognized his ashen-skinned face and nervous smile beneath his helmet. “Sergeant Thomaguchi Alenko” he said. “Sit down.”
Alenko’s armor made an awkward scratching on the metal bench as he scooted in. At five foot six, his eyes were well below Huxton’s level. “Commander sir” he said nervously.
Huxton muttered “so how’s your shore leave going Sergeant?”
“I just finished it. Vindication rolls out for Hallard’s Deep in twenty-four hours. You know the rest.”
“Colonel Nessella is going to take it there for a re-fitting and a new Commander. Did they promote anyone since I last checked?”
Alenko shook his head. “Not as far as I can tell. Everything’s going to be the same except with a different commander.” His voice dragged with disappointment.
That annoyed Huxton, he’d had one of the finest crews in the fleet under his command and they weren’t being rewarded. “I’m going to write some letters and make some phone calls before I catch my shuttle to the surface, if someone on the carrier isn’t promoted by departure, someone else is going to lose their job. Then you’ll be promoted.”
Alenko looked thrilled. “Yes sir, thank you sir.”
“No, thank you. For being the finest crew in the fleet.” He finished his fried, then downed the last of the soda. Briler fruit flavored, electric blue and very good.
“Thank you sir. It just not going to be the same without you in command, nobody can replace you.”
That meant something to Huxton, even if he didn’t show it externally. “Thanks.”
Are you looking forward to settling down?”
“Yes I am.”
“Got any family?”
“Yes I do. How’s yours? Eric should be what, six now?”
“His birthday’s in two weeks, I bought the gift last night.”
Huxton nodded at him. “Congratulations, happy birthday to the little guy.” He looked at Alenko. The Sergeant was tensed and on edge. “Are you on assignment or making a social visit?”
His rounded jaw worked for several seconds before words came out. “Yes, but I wanted to make a social visit first.”
Huxton clapped once. “Alright, what’s the assignment?”
“You told the bridge that your radio was going to be off for the next eighteen hours. You’re needed back on the bridge, so I’m supposed to escort you back.”
The gears in Huxton’s mind got to work immediately. “Well, clearly its not an emergency otherwise Colonel Nessella would’ve notified the security station twenty feet from this diner, which she knows I eat at for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It isn’t a minor nuisance otherwise they wouldn’t have detatched the Sergeant-at-arms from his duties. I’ll be on one more time in eighteen hours which leaves four for formal goodbyes, not long enough for any real celebration, so…its my surprise retirement party.”
Alenko slapped the table with his gauntlet, denting its surface. “It isn’t a surprise if you guess it, this is why everybody thinks your omnipotent.”
Huxton smirked at him. “I don’t like surprises. Now, we have a party to make don’t we?” He waved at the teenage boy acting as waiter. “Check please.”
Huxton took another bite from his steak burger and chewed the warm and juicy meat slowly to savor every last bite. He wiped the grease off his hands with reusable napkin that probably met the official environmental standards and resumed writing. In ten minutes he’d reached the final page of plastic where a single line sat labeled ‘sign your full name and title here.’ He put pen to plastic one more time. ‘Squadron Commander Adriatic Vimes Huxton-Medal of Valor, United Systems Spacefleet, eight seven two two zero nine nine black.’ Huxton folded the plastic up with deft, precise movements and slid the perfect rectangle into one of the inside pockets of his jacket. He resumed eating.
Adriatic Huxton stood six feet even at full height. His hair was black and spiky. The face underneath was gaunt and creased with worry lines and scars both from the wear of an abusive life and several knife and gun injuries. Centering it was a pair of icy brown eyes and a thick black moustache. His body was thin and made up of ropy yet rock-solid muscle rather than fat. He wore a black jacket with red trim that had three red bars on the lapels and a thick swatch of ribbons on his chest. Black pants and boots completed the Commander’s uniform, with black gloves perfectly fitting his hands. Huxton sat slightly slumped over, but always tensed as if he could be attacked at any second.
“Adriatic” a young female voice called. He sat bolt upright and looked around quickly. There was no one within two tables of him. He sighed to himself, and took another bite from the ten-ounce burger, then downed half a glass of pop in one long gulp. He looked out the window.
The diner sat atop a junction between two of Tollyon Anchorage’s main armatures. Two roads of haphazard modular construction grew at right angles from each other and extended forty miles. Smaller columns branched off, containing drydocks, habitation modules, sentry turrets, and other modules necessary for the regional military capitol. Hundreds of spaceships ranging from tiny sub-orbital shuttles to the mile-and a half long flying bricks that were fleet carriers crossed the open starscape and half-planet view of Tollyon’s mottled blue-brown surface.
“Squadron Commander Huxton, sir” a hardened but high male voice said. Huxton ignored it this time. He finished off his burger and started on the greasy fried potatoes. “Commander, sir?” A black gauntlet slapped the plastic table.
He looked up. A Space Trooper in menacing black body armor stood before him, his assault rifle slung over his shoulders. Instinctively Huxton’s free hand went to his sidearm, but he recognized his ashen-skinned face and nervous smile beneath his helmet. “Sergeant Thomaguchi Alenko” he said. “Sit down.”
Alenko’s armor made an awkward scratching on the metal bench as he scooted in. At five foot six, his eyes were well below Huxton’s level. “Commander sir” he said nervously.
Huxton muttered “so how’s your shore leave going Sergeant?”
“I just finished it. Vindication rolls out for Hallard’s Deep in twenty-four hours. You know the rest.”
“Colonel Nessella is going to take it there for a re-fitting and a new Commander. Did they promote anyone since I last checked?”
Alenko shook his head. “Not as far as I can tell. Everything’s going to be the same except with a different commander.” His voice dragged with disappointment.
That annoyed Huxton, he’d had one of the finest crews in the fleet under his command and they weren’t being rewarded. “I’m going to write some letters and make some phone calls before I catch my shuttle to the surface, if someone on the carrier isn’t promoted by departure, someone else is going to lose their job. Then you’ll be promoted.”
Alenko looked thrilled. “Yes sir, thank you sir.”
“No, thank you. For being the finest crew in the fleet.” He finished his fried, then downed the last of the soda. Briler fruit flavored, electric blue and very good.
“Thank you sir. It just not going to be the same without you in command, nobody can replace you.”
That meant something to Huxton, even if he didn’t show it externally. “Thanks.”
Are you looking forward to settling down?”
“Yes I am.”
“Got any family?”
“Yes I do. How’s yours? Eric should be what, six now?”
“His birthday’s in two weeks, I bought the gift last night.”
Huxton nodded at him. “Congratulations, happy birthday to the little guy.” He looked at Alenko. The Sergeant was tensed and on edge. “Are you on assignment or making a social visit?”
His rounded jaw worked for several seconds before words came out. “Yes, but I wanted to make a social visit first.”
Huxton clapped once. “Alright, what’s the assignment?”
“You told the bridge that your radio was going to be off for the next eighteen hours. You’re needed back on the bridge, so I’m supposed to escort you back.”
The gears in Huxton’s mind got to work immediately. “Well, clearly its not an emergency otherwise Colonel Nessella would’ve notified the security station twenty feet from this diner, which she knows I eat at for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It isn’t a minor nuisance otherwise they wouldn’t have detatched the Sergeant-at-arms from his duties. I’ll be on one more time in eighteen hours which leaves four for formal goodbyes, not long enough for any real celebration, so…its my surprise retirement party.”
Alenko slapped the table with his gauntlet, denting its surface. “It isn’t a surprise if you guess it, this is why everybody thinks your omnipotent.”
Huxton smirked at him. “I don’t like surprises. Now, we have a party to make don’t we?” He waved at the teenage boy acting as waiter. “Check please.”
