Chapter 1.

"James Pleiades Hawkins, lieutenant of his majesty's interstellar navy, had been one of the top students of his years, ranking not only mentally but physically superior throughout his training. Lieutenant Hawkins has received three Navy Distinguished Service Medals for exceptional service to his fellow officers and superiors." The file made the young man sigh in contentment. For a twenty-four year, old to have raised to this class of officer so quickly, it looked fantastic on any applications for new assignment files. And now he was assigned to one of His Majesty's Navy best vessels, headed out for a special mission across the galaxy to the Lagoon Nebula.

Jim set the file aside and pulled out a collection of manila folders from his duffle bag. Each had a red tag on the corner, indicating that it was the personnel file of one of the crew. He flipped through the tags until he came to the M's and pulled out a file labeled "MOGTREVO". He pulled out three other files along with it; labeled "LEITCH", "PLINE", and "URIRATHA." He sighed as he flipped through the last three, making mental notes of all the offenses and demotions the officers had received. He ran a hand over his face and rubbed his cheek as he stared at the unfriendly portrait of Officer Uriratha. The alien was a stereotypical troublemaker and one hell of a bully. He was headstrong, defiant, and had a knack for starting fights. For whatever reason, he was never discharged, only given slaps on the wrist and sent on his way. The longer Jim stared at the picture, the more uneasy he became. Finally, he snapped the folder shut and moved on to the one labeled; "MOGTREVO."

Jim smiled as he read through the file. He reminisced on his time at the academy with this friendly young man. The two of them had been assigned as roommates but Jim hadn't been confident they would get along, at first.

Six Years Prior

Jim's eyes glanced over the numbers quickly as he shuffled down the hall in silence. Cadets all around him were buzzing with excitement for the first day at the Interstellar Academy. A group of young men bumped into him as he passed but waved their apologies and moved on. Near the end of the hall was a room labeled 428. This was it. Jim took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into his new barracks. Two bunk beds were pressed up against the walls with two small dressers and a clothes rack for uniforms. There was a duffle bag on the bottom bunk to his right, and on his left, there was a duffle on the ground. It was sitting open; and Jim could clearly see clothes half unpacked. There was also a book hiding part way under a folded shirt. Jim could almost make out the title. Dropping his bag and creeping closer out of curiosity; he reached out his hand to move the shirt to one side.

"Ya like Maizer?" a voice asked from above him. Jim jumped back and pressed himself against the wall. A dark-haired man was sitting, cross-legged on the top bunk. How had Jim not seen him there before? The man leaned out from the shadows and smiled a friendly smile. "I prefer his older work, myself." He set his hands on the edge of the bunk and slid off. "But his new stuff isn't bad." He shrugged and leaned down to pick the book up from out of his bag. "I've flipped through this one already, but probably won't have time to read it this semester." He looked up at Jim and offered him the book. "Why don't you take it?"

Jim looked at the book then up at the man before cautiously taking the book. "Thanks." He half smiled. Turning to glance at the bunks behind him again, he cleared his throat. "Is that one taken?" he gestured to the bottom bunk behind the man. The older brunette turned and shook his head.

"Nope. It's all yours." Jim moved forward and set his duffle on the bunk before opening it and unpacking his things. The older brunette just watched quietly and smiled. "So, do I get to know who I'm talking to?" Jim sucked on his teeth before standing to face the young man and smiling. He held out a hand for him to shake. The man grinned and took it firmly.

"Jim. Jim Hawkins."

"David." He smiled brightly and continued to watch Jim unpack. "So, is it just "Jim" or cn we call you Jimmy?" Jim smiled at the nickname, remembering how annoying it was when B.E.N had called him that when they'd first met and never stopped. David continued to list names. "James, if we're serious? Or Jameson- for giggles?"

"Just "Jim" will be great." The younger brunette blew a piece of his freshly cut bangs out of his face.

"Alright, just Jim. All joking aside though, I hear you loud and clear. My aunt calls me "Davey" and it drives me crazy. Mom tried to call me "Dave" once, but we couldn't stop laughing and just couldn't take the name seriously. I've got an uncle Dave, and he's such a ridiculously different man that I couldn't take the name for myself." He watched as Jim shoved his duffle under his bed and started placing all his clothes into his respective drawers.

Before David could continue talking, a young man in a uniform came in, holding a phone. "David- it's for you." He held the phone out. "It's your dad." He whispered. All the color drained from David's face as he shakily took the phone. He swallowed before putting it to his ear. Jim watched intensely as David's entire demeanor changed.

"Hello, Sir." He greeted his father confidently. His eyes were downcast, shuffling from side to side. His body language changed again when his head shot strait up and his eyes widened. "I'm sorry Sir? Could you repeat that, Sir?" Panic spread through David's body like a disease, and he was visibly shaken. "Sir, this isn't-" his father cut him off with shouts from the other side. After a minute of harsh scolding David took a deep breath and swallowed back tears. "Yes, Sir. I am." His eyes screwed shut when more shouting could be heard through the receiver. Then there was nothing but dial tone, and the phone went dead. David's arm fell to his side as he handed the phone back to the officer. "Thanks Freddy."

Freddy made his way out of the room and gently pulled the door closed behind him. David moved to his bunk and climbed up to lay down. Jim waited for a moment, before standing and peering over the side of David's bunk.

"You okay?"

David sighed and rubbed his face. Looking up to make sure the door was completely shut, he leaned on his elbow to get closer to Jim. "Can I tell you the truth?" Jim's eyes shifted to the side before making eye contact with the strange man. He shrugged as if to say "Sure, go for it." David bit his lip before getting super close to Jim's ear. Jim backed away, causing David to give a crooked smirk. "I'm not gonna bite you." Jim paused before allowing David to pull him close by the collar and whisper in his ear. All the hairs on Jim's neck stood up; he wasn't used to being this close to anyone, and it was giving him a case of anxiety. "I'm fine." he pulled away and smirked. "What's the worst that could happen?" David folded his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles.

The two of them grew closer as time went on, discovering they shared a few extracurricular activities and more than a few classes. It wasn't long before Jim started to get comfortable with his bunk mate, and the two began spending time together outside school. It was one of these evenings, when the two were making their way home, that David seemed less cheerful than normal. Jim bumped their shoulders together, getting David's attention. "What's wrong?" he furrowed his brow and came to a halt. David looked discouraged, and downright exhausted.. Before he replied he rubbed the back of his neck and walked to a nearby bench to sit. Jim joined him, and they both watched the stars pop up into the twilight sky.

"Jim, I have to get this off my chest." David sat with his elbows on his knees, staring down at the ground. His shoulders slumped forward and his hair fell over his face; hiding his eyes. "I can trust you, right?" he suddenly tensed up, and gave Jim a wary, sideways glance. Jim nodded solemnly, and moved to sit closer to his troubled friend.

"What's up?" Jim half whispered and leaned his elbows on his knees to mirror David's posture. He put one hand on David's shoulder for good measure, trying to comfort him. He felt David take a shuddered breath, and exhale slowly.

"Jim?" David rubbed his hands together anxiously. "Jim, I'm gay."

Jim raised two fingers in the air, summoning the bar tender to fill his cup. He watched the light brown liquid cascade down into the glass, crashing like waves over the ice cubes that began rising like a sail over the foam.

He curled his hand around the glass and supped on the cool, thick drink. He could discern tastes of rum and thick ale, damning his anxiety to the bottom of his stomach. Leaning on his right elbow, he didn't want to leave the undisturbed, almost serenely quiet bar.

He was due at the Rowlow port in 25 minutes; hadn't it just been an hour? For his new assignment. He rubbed the back of his neck and was about to get up and stretch, when a tall, sharply dressed figure took a seat in the stool beside him.

"You know you're just going to feel ill after this, right?" A deep and soft voice asked as a large and rough hand reached across the bar and took the half-drunk cup.

Jim glanced sideways at the man, taking in the sharp cut of his uniform and new line of his freshly trimmed beard. The man's dark brown hair was slicked back over his head with no stray hairs to be seen. Jim watched as the man smelled the contents of the glass and scrunched his nose in disgust. Jim stretched his arms, preparing to pick up his duffle bag. "Can't blame the sailor for the drink when the sailing is just as gruesome."

The man turned with raised eyebrows, feigning surprise. "I thought you loved to sail."

"I enjoy the adventurous opportunities it supplies." Jim composed himself and both men stood from their stools. "This crew we have with us, however, was not the selected I had in mind." Jim bent down to pick up his duffle and swung it over his shoulder. After paying for the half-finished glug he had ordered, the two men walked out into the morning sun.

"Jim, you knew when we were assigned to this crew that there would be plenty of scallywags with us." Walking down the cobblestone street of the spaceport, the two of them walked side by side toward their newly assigned ship's berth. Two ladies standing at a nearby trader's stall giggled behind their gloves at the two handsome men passing. The taller man nodded his head in recognition. "There is nothing to be done about it now, and you know it. If you had your suspicions before, then you should have requested reassignment. And even then, with such short notice, there would have been no guarantee they would have accepted your appeal." Jim sighed and blew a piece of his bangs away from his eyes.

"I know David, but I wasn't aware we would be around such unsavory characters until late last night, when Vice Admiral Seneux informed me." Jim moved his duffle bag from one shoulder to the other, shifting the weight rather suddenly. Something bumped against the bag, making Jim turn his head. "Oh, I apologize-" he started, but was stopped by thin, boney fingers grabbing the earring that hung from his lobe and pulling it roughly.

"Well Hawkins," a gravelly voice greeted him with a snarl full of dirty teeth. "I knew you were clumsy, but I didn't know you were still adorning such a pathetic trinket." Two large lime green eyes squinted in amusement from a taunt, grey face. "Fits in with your nature though, doesn't it?" He tugged at Jim's ear once more before releasing the little gold hoop. Jim stepped back and glared at the creature before him. One of their more unpleasant crew mates, the alien before them stood at 5'10, with large, muscled arms covered in scars and tattoos, while his four legs stood slightly bent like those of a crab, with three talons scratching the cobblestones on the bottom of his reptilian feet. His uniform ranked that of a Chief Warrant Officer, a title he bullied his way into. He looked up from Jim to see an equally stern face looking at him with disapproval. He cleared his throat and saluted. "Lieutenant Commander Mogtrevo," David saluted back in acknowledgement. "It will be an honor to serve you, sir."

"Warrant Officer Uriratha," David respectfully nodded at the compliment. His voice was all seriousness and scolding. "I trust we will not have this disrespectful chatter on board. You may recall that both Lieutenant Hawkins and I are both your officer's senior. With that being said, you can imagine the punishment you will receive due to this insubordination and brawl like behavior should it happen again." David raised his eyebrows when the officer didn't respond with more than downcast eyes and a tightly closed mouth. "Officer?" David stepped toward the alien, just two inches shorter than he. The creature in question looked up and saluted again.

"Yes, sir." He replied, and reluctantly passed Jim without even a shove. Jim turned to watch him go, before he and David followed farther behind.

"What a creep." David shuddered and put an arm around Jim's shoulders, squeezing one in comfort. "Don't worry about him, Jim. He's just jealous that you've worked harder than him to get where you are." Jim tilted his head to look up at his friend who had not removed his arm from around Jim's now tense shoulders. Jim found himself staring at David's face, tan and soft with dark green eyes and smile lines that refused to leave even when the man was glaring at someone. The two made it halfway to the dock before running into a much friendlier comrade.

"Upon my word, Jim Hawkins!" A cheery voice came from a man coming out of a trader's stall with four children roughhousing beside him. extending his arms toward the pair. The young man in question greeted the man with a bright smile and tight hug. "Jim, look at you! Your mother must be the picture of pride!" He pulled back from the hug and examined Jim from head to toe.

"Doc, what're you doing here?" Jim smiled a crooked smile and warmly shook the hand of one of his oldest friends.

Dr. Delbert Doppler adjusted his glasses, which had gotten thicker since Jim had last seen him, and beamed at the boy. "Well, as you know, Amelia is busy searching for plutonium mines in the Coral Galaxy. She has recruited a replacement second in command to assist her on the Legacy; a bright young thing named Freidrich Leanschen. As for me, I am here searching for solar system miniatures for the children to take to camp." He turned to find only one of his children present. "Miles! Where are your sisters?!" Dr. Doppler scanned the area frantically for his three rambunctious girls. He found them a moment later, standing on each other's shoulders, trying to reach a toy butterfly hanging from a trader's tent. "Oh, girls! Get back here at once!" He moved to go after them, but not before taking Jim by the hand once more. "A pleasure to have seen you Jim. I'll visit your mother as soon as the children are in camp- Lilith get your hands off that! I'm sorry, I must go." Dr. Doppler ran in a comical fashion to his girls, awkwardly trying to avoid the crowd of people moving along the dock.

Jim shook his head with an amused smile as he and David finally made their way onto the berth where their next assignment was waiting. A great naval vessel towered over them. Three masts full of large solar sails reached high into the air, making one feel dizzy if they stared for too long. The ship itself was a brilliant white, outlined and trimmed in gold with a great archboard accenting the port bow. Reading in great black letters, as to be seen from a great distance it read, The Remnant.

As they ascended onto the deck, they found the crew bustling about, prepared to cast off into the bright blue sky. The crew selected for this mission, seemed to be quite mismatched indeed. While many naval officers had a tattoo here or a missing limb there, it seemed that each member of the crew shared some sort of incomparable feature to his mates. And though a mix of races from all planets and galaxies, Jim and David were surprised to find only one other human crewmember; a man Jim faintly remembered as one of the older petty officers of the third class. A man of 57, and from a military family, Jim couldn't recall just what had possessed this man to join. Perhaps it was simple a call of duty, or an act of defiance. Whatever the case, he found Officer Gourrows to be an outstanding soldier in the line of duty.

"Lieutenant Commander Mogtrevo! Lieutenant Hawkins!" A strong voice called from the Captain's cabins. A tall, rather thin womanesque figure emerged and saluted the two officers. She stood before them in a Captain's uniform, with glittering medals covering her chest. She had the flat head shape of a praying mantis, but where hair and antennae should be were long grey-green tentacles running down her back like dreadlocks. Her eyes were that of a cat, slender and drawn out under a rather large forehead. Her nose were like two slits of a snake's nostril but her mouth was a pair of full lips that resembled a human woman's. "Glad to see you've made it aboard. These other rapscallions I am not as pleased to see." Captain Vlow scanned her eyes over the crew and sighed. "RESHKEN!" The Captain hollered. "Reshken if I have to tear the two of you apart again, you will be spending tonight in place of our cabin boy! Do I make myself clear?!" A gorilla officer slunk back from where he was standing and waited quietly while his friends snickered. "That goes for any of you." The Captain remarked and moved to stand in front of her crew. "I won't tolerate any shenanigans on my ship." She slowly marched down the line of officers with her hands clasped behind her back and stopped to stand in front of the fore mast. She scanned her crew once more before suddenly barking orders. "What're you all looking at, a date for a ball? All hands to stations!" The crew rushed to their posts. "I want to cast off before we lose the wind."

Jim turned and began cranking the wheel to pull up the anchor, while David ran to the nearest shroud and climbed up to loosen the nearest sail. With the vessel ready to depart, everyone braced themselves for the lurch of the ship's take off. With a great rush, the thrusters sent the ship off into the blue sky.

"I wonder if we'll be delayed at all." Jim stopped to see a young sailor leaning over the deck. His back was turned, looking back at the port which was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Jim walked over to watch the port fade into the distance.

"If we are, it shouldn't be too long." The two smiled warmly at each other before Jim turned and headed down to the galley. The galley aboard The Remnant was a bit larger than that aboard The Legacy. Walking around the benches, he found himself running his hands over the tables and large barrels of fresh fruit. In his mind, he was back on The Legacy, confronting Silver about his connections to purps. Smiling to himself, he couldn't hear the person walking up behind him. Approaching quietly was a soldier in black boots and a white uniform. As Jim was reminiscing about his youth, two arms wrapped themselves around Jim's waist and pulled him into a backwards hug.

"Evoking some memories?" A soft voice inquired. Jim smiled again and felt the man's beard scratch against his cheek. He turned his head slightly, and David did the same, planting a small kiss on the younger man's forehead.

"Just one or two." He sighed and leaned into the embrace. David rested his chin on top of Jim's head and sighed. They could hear their crew mates mucking about above them, knowing that any of them could slink down into the galley for a late breakfast. Hesitating for just a moment longer, David loosened his arms and turned to go. Jim curved his head to watch.

"Well, I won't keep you long." David walked along the galley's hall and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Jim was behind him in a moment, and the two of them looked up the stairs. No one was in sight but the voices of the crew were scattered along the deck like beads of a broken necklace. In a flash, David turned back around to face Jim and pulled the younger man toward his chest, out of view of any onlookers near the stairs. Biting his lip, he bent down close to Jim's face, now seeing the light blush across his cheeks. With a smile, he brushed his thumb along Jim's bottom lip and gently kissed him.

Jim grabbed his superior officer by his jacket sleeves, trying to raise himself up. Attempting to crash their lips closer together, he could feel David smile. David moved his arms from Jim's shoulders to his hips, desperately trying to resist picking him up. After just a moment, they broke apart gradually, taking a moment to slow their heartbeats. David brushed his thumb over Jim's lip once more before making his way up the stairs.

Jim smiled and after scanning the galley once more, followed his superior officer onto the deck of the ship.