Hope you enjoy. I'd love some feedback for this series. :)

Chapter V: The Journey Begins

Captain James Ellior gave a large sigh as the screen of the simulator went black. James hit the button located on the panel in front of him to open the top of the cockpit and stepped out into the immense room that held a large number of the over-sized simulator compartments that looked similar to the A-17 Wraith cockpits. Ellior unstrapped his helmet and used both hands to remove the protective covering from his head. A few of the other pilots in his squadron who had been shot down were sitting at a bench against one of the walls and each held a look of shock on their faces as they saw the Captain step out of his simulator cockpit.

"Sir, you were shot down?" asked one of the pilots.

"I thought you were invincible," another stated with a sarcastic grin.

Ellior shrugged his shoulders and stated with a smirk, "Yeah, well, I'll blame it on my lack of sleep lately. By the way, lunch is in ten minutes, which I will probably skip so I can catch a few winks while I can. When the rest of the squadron finishes, just let them know where I went. I'll do a debriefing on the simulator run after the lunch hour is over. You guys did well out there, by the way."

The sarcastic pilot replied. "Oh yeah, that's why we're sittin' out here."

The Captain and the other pilots laughed as James excused himself from the room.

As James walked down the various passages that eventually led to his room, he came across a young man that was wearing a technician's suit and was trying to carry two large metal containers without much success.

"Here, let me help you with that," James volunteered.

"Thanks a bunch. These things are a pain," stated the technician as he handed one of the containers to Ellior.

"What's in 'em?"

"Oh, just spare parts for the A-17/Gs. I just need to get them to Hangar B."

"Name's Captain James Ellior, by the way."

"Aren't you the squadron leader of the fighters stationed on this hulk?"

"That's right. I'm the Captain of the 21st."

"Pleasure to meet you," the technician stated, "John Smither's the name."

"So are you one of the technicians tasked with upkeeping the fighters?" James asked.

"Yep. Unfortunately whoever was in charge of your fighters down on Earth did a good job in keeping those things in shape. So I haven't had that much work to do, which is probably why I'm being sent on these little errand runs."

"Well, I also make it standard that each one of my pilots regularly checks up on his fighter to make sure everything is in order. So if you see any of my guys down there getting in your way, you'll know why."

John chuckled, "Thanks for the tip."

Soon they arrived to the hangar with only a couple mechanics inside making last minute checks before they went on their lunch break. Smithers pointed to a corner where the two men placed their containers.

"Thanks again for your help," said John.

"Anytime," Ellior replied as he turned to exit the hangar.

"Hey," the technician said to stop James from walking away. "It's lunch. Want to get a quick bite to eat?"

The rumbling in James' stomach made him consider the offer. Oh well, I can get some sleep at any time. It's not like we're going to be arriving at the Terran Sector anytime soon.

"Sure," James finally said, "I'm a little hungry. You can meet the rest of my squadron."

John smiled. "Sounds good," he said as he wiped his hands together to remove the dust that he collected from the containers. "You lead the way."



##################

The huge cafeteria was bustling with activity as men and women from different divisions consumed their meals that they received at numerous food stations. Because of the overwhelming number of staff and crew on a battlecruiser, the total number of crew are divided into three shifts, so that when one shift is working, another is taking a break, while another is having their lunch or dinner break.

As James and John finally got through the huge line at one of the stations and received their food, it took the Captain a few minutes to locate the rest of his squadron at one of the rectangular tables near the center of the room. Pushing his way past numerous people, Ellior and Smithers arrived at the table.

James turned to the squadron then to John, "Guys, I would like you to meet John Smithers. He's one of the technicians that will be upkeeping our ships."

The squadron all said their hellos with the technician replying back, then he along with the Captain took their seats at the table.

"So, Captain, decided to get some lunch instead of sleep?" Greg Hammel asked.

"Yeah, my appetite got the better of me."

James took a large spoonful of the mush that was in his bowl and gave a disgusted look as he placed it in his mouth.

"Man, this stuff is horrible. So much for my appetite. I'm missing the food back on Earth already."

John laughed. "I've practically grown up on this stuff 'cause I've been on this battlecruiser for so long. You'll get used to it," he finished as he took a spoonful of the meal before him.

"What is it?" James asked as he winced while trying to swallow the bite.

John swallowed his own mouthful. "Good question. I still have to figure that out."



##################

James walked briskly towards the command bridge, careful to not be late. Admiral Cyric had requested to speak with him and had only given him ten minutes to get ready. The Captain had only gotten a few hours sleep before the phone had rung and Maria's cheerful voice over the speaker had given him the news.

Approaching the large neosteel doors that led to the bridge, James gave one last yawn as he handed his I.D. to the two, armed guards at the entrance. They had no combat armor on, but still carried the oversized Impaler rifles in their hands. The guard to whom Ellior showed his I.D. to gave a small grunt and typed the code into the small keypad to the right of the door, as he handed the card back to the Captain. The doors parted and James entered inside, spotting Admiral Cyric located at his traditional position at the center of the bridge, staring intently at the monitors surrounding him.

The pilot approached the Admiral and gave a salute. "You wished to see me, sir?"

Admiral Cyric slowly turned around to the Captain. "Captain Ellior, let's get down to business. You know the importance of this mission."

It wasn't a question, but a statement, James noted. "Yes, sir, I do."

"And you also realize it may be a suicide mission."

"Sir?" Ellior asked curiously.

The Admiral gave a large sigh as he glanced down at the floor momentarily. "Look, you and I both know that the likelihood of Admiral DuGalle still being alive, along with his fleet, is not very high. Just look at the facts. He was planning on a major counteroffensive against the Zerg, with two temporary allies that were previously enemies. Only after the assault was made on the Zerg did we lose our communications from him. Even if the Zerg didn't destroy him, how do we know that one of the other two didn't turn on him when the battle was over? Doesn't all of this seem like too much of a coincidence to you?"

Ellior chose his words carefully. "Sir, while I am not questioning your opinions, they are still opinions, sir. Admiral DuGalle is one of the finest officers we have. He would not dare go on some outlandish last-chance mission that would most likely fail. He's courageous, but not stupid."

Cyric nodded his head. "I agree, but things happen in war unexpectedly. Things happen that can turn the most perfect plan sour. I just feel like we are going to walk right into the hornet's nest that he stirred up."

Ellior decided to not say anything at the moment.

Cyric cut the silence. "Look, I just wanted to give you the heads up. Once we reach the Terran Sector, who knows what we'll find. I just want your squadron to be at it's best. Because if we're going to get out of this alive, it's going to count on your fighters to keep this battlecruiser safe, understood?"

"Yes, sir, perfectly." Ellior remarked.

It was then when a young marine guard approached the two men in conversation, his eyes looking towards Admiral Cyric. "Admiral, we've got a situation. We have a man locked up on Cell 4 for tampering with the weapon room security lock."

"Let me guess, it's Lt. Smith."

The marine nodded his head.

Cyric shook his head in disappointment. "I knew that boy was going to be trouble on this mission the second General Legiri transferred him to my battlecruiser."

He turned to James. "Captain, would you like to accompany me?"

Ellior nodded his head. "Certainly, Admiral."



­­­##################

"So who is this Lt. Smith?"

The Admiral turned to James as they continued to make their way down to the holding cells. "Oh, he's a security technician. He is constantly getting into trouble. Tampering with a weapons security lock is nothing compared to some of the things he's done before."

James gave a confused look. "Then why would he even still be in the military, or even alive for that matter, for making such mistakes?"

"Because he's the best. There's no mistaking that. He has set up practically unbreakable security walls and can hack into anything that you send him after. Unfortunately, he sometimes can misuse these skills of his. I can't wait to hear his reason for tampering with the weapons room."

They had soon arrived at the cellblock, which was empty save for one cell. The two marine guards that were escorting both officers took their positions on either side of cell door #4, their weapons pointing through the bars of the jail and at the man inside.

The man inside laughed when the Admiral approached. "Come now, Admiral, why the armed guards? Surely you don't think I would try to harm you."

"No, but I don't take chances, Lt. Smith. Now what were you doing trying to hack into the weapons room?"

The Lieutenant gave a large, whispered snort. "All I was going to do was get myself a needlegun for protection. There's no way I'm going into a warzone without some type of self-defense on me."

The Admiral crossed his arms. "Well, it's going to be fairly difficult to defend yourself in there, now isn't it?"

"All the more reason to let me out," he said as a smile crept onto his face. "Look, you know you need me. You also know that I don't hurt nobody. I'm a hacker, not a criminal."

"Hacking is a crime. That makes you a criminal. If this were back in the older days during the Purification Act, you would've been sentenced to death," Cyric remarked.

The man in the cell gave a large snort of disgust. "Man, I don't care what you say, but hacking is an art-form. You can't compare something like that with the likes of pathetic criminals who can only fire a gun and can't think worth a lick. And if you say that hacking is a crime, then every single one of you UED boys need to be in here alongside with me. You're the ones who hired me because of my hacking abilities. So what are you saying? That's it's not a crime if I do it in the name of the UED?"

"You use your skills for personal gain."

"And the UED doesn't?"

"The only reason we would use your skills is if UED world security was compromised. It is to protect the people. Including even people like you."

The Lieutenant smirked. "Come now, you surely don't expect me to believe that, do you, Admiral? I know the details of some of the jobs your people have given me. Things that nobody would ever consider to be within the realm of 'world security'."

"I think the UED High Command would be more suitable for making those kinds of judgments than you would," the Admiral retorted.

Lt. Smith smiled. "Besides, what did you think I was gonna do with that weapon? Shoot someone?" He raised an eyebrow. "You, perhaps?"

"What you were going to do with that weapon is irrelevant at the moment. I don't consider you to be the kind of criminal who 'can only fire a gun and can't think worth a lick', as you so eloquently put it. You are constantly misusing your skills and breaking UED protocol. Those skills you possess do not belong to you. They belong to the UED Armed Forces." Cyric remarked as he uncrossed his arms and pointed towards the man in the cell. "You don't like it, then you and your skills can just sit there in that cell until you change your mind."

Cyric then turned and began to walk away. Lt. Smith hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "Ok, Admiral, you win. I'll obey your 'military protocol'."

That man in the cell crossed his arms. "But don't think I'll like it."

Cyric faced Smith and smiled. "I would expect nothing more nor nothing less from a man like you."