He was scared.
No. Scared wasn't the right word.
More like terrified.
He'd heard stories about the Novgorod Pirates. The people that had been taken by them were never seen or heard from again.
That wasn't entirely true though. Some were seen again, but they weren't the same... and in some cases, they weren't breathing either.
He was currently curled up on the floor, a tiara in his hair, a blue dress instead of his usual clothes, and heels on his feet.
He watched as the two pirates came closer, laughing as they did so. "Why don't we have ourselves a little fun before we hand her over to Argun?"
"Okay, but we gotta be quick about it." The other answered. "But that won't be a problem for you. Heh."
"Wait! Wait! You're making a mistake! I'm a guy." He said frantically.
"A what?"
"A guy?"
Instead of the shocked looks, as he was expecting, he instead watched as their smiles grew.
"Huh, well, whaddya know."
"Even better, if ya ask me."
Ian's face went pale. "What?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the ship rocked.
"Wh-what was that?"
Outside the ship, the FLAKRUNNER, accompanied by Ogar and the VICTORY, continued their journey down the starlane past Gorodok.
Through the viewport, a lone charcoal and black Rurik headed for the meteoroid storm in the distance. Opening fire upon the enemy ship, the cruiser waisted no time in turning around and engaging the two ships.
The fight didn't last long, and soon, Ian was being led to the bridge by a handful of security team members.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Nia couldn't help but let out a quick laugh at Ian's state of dress. "Whew! I'm glad we got to you in time."
"Don't even talk to me." Ian told her with a sour look. "It's all because of you and these stupid clothes that this happened at all."
"You could be a little more grateful." Nia responded. "If it wasn't for Yuri here and his quick thinking, who knows what would have become of you? I think you at least owe him a thank you."
"Hmph." Ian grunted as he turned to the young Captain. "Well Yuri, having you rescue me was the single most mortifying moment of my life, but I can't say I'm not grateful."
"Um, you're welcome?" He said, confusion laced in his voice.
"That was a thank you, wasn't it?" Tatiana whispered to Kira.
"I think he meant it to be." Kira answered.
"Aw, whatever... Melania wasn't on the ship! Where the Grus is she?!" Torlo asked from the back, having brought up the rear.
"She was on a different ship from the start. They must have brought her to Medyn already."
"We've got to go after her then."
Yuri's statement sent everyone to their stations, and as he climbed the captain's dais, Ian retreated to his room to change out of his clothes.
And burn them.
A few thousand miles later, and Yuri's small fleet were on their last approach to the meteoroid storm protecting the final starlane to their destination...
"So this is a meteoroid storm, eh? This stuff could mess a ship up."
"We'll be all right. Activate the deflector! Full power!" He ordered.
"Roger. Activating deflector." Kira answered, sending a subsequent message to the VICTORY.
The blue glow of the shields flared up around both ships as they passed through the storm, and as the FLAKRUNNER rocked, Tatiana clutched the edges of her operator's chair.
"Whoa! Is everything all right?"
"Deflector output stable at 2,000, plus or minus 100." She answered, watching the flow of information carefully. "Hull vibration 2.24. We're in the green."
"Good. We'll be out of this soon."
"We're just about out of this storm! Five seconds... two... one..." Kira said as the FLAKRUNNER broke through the storm. "We've broken through the meteoroid storm."
"Whew!"
"Ah ha ha! Here come those little brats!" Argun began as he watched the viewport. "Get 'em!"
The two Sokol and Bodry escorts were easy to get rid of, and the Gnevny-class destroyer was turned into scrap with a few barrages.
The VICTORY was flying wide to the right, trading shots with the Novik-class destroyer protecting Argun's flank. With the Novik distracted, the FLAKRUNNER continued headlong into the oncoming missile attacks that spewed forth from Argun's flagship.
A glancing blow to the FLAKRUNNER'S starboard side, and the ship received minor damage.
Choosing his moment carefully, Yuri shouted the order for a full barrage to the bridge crew.
"Diverting 70% of generator power to weapons systems... five seconds to power synchronization." Kira called out.
"Adjusting horizontal angle and firing line to enemy quadrant, all weapons ready for continuous fire." Nia shouted.
The laserfire struck the Gromki front on, and Yuri watched with baited breath as two more barrage attacks hit home.
Off to the right, Ogar and the VICTORY charged forward, blasting through the wreck of the Novik.
Deciding to end the fight now that they had the advantage, Yuri's decision to use the "Final Roar" attack was met with raised eyebrows.
He sure wasn't taking any chances.
"Fire control coordinator, synch up weapon targeting systems with the VICTORY, divert unnecessary power to all weapon systems." Yuri said, turning from Nia to the other operators. "Operators, begin weapon interval calculations and firing line adjustments."
The weapons of the combined ships tore through Argun's Gromki like paper, and soon enough, they cheered as the enemy ship began a retreat.
"What?! Those little brats got us!" Argun said in shock. "Well, it looks like it's time to beat a hasty retreat."
With only minor damage to both ships, Yuri and Ogar pressed forward, their momentum carrying them on.
Ahead, a ship appeared, its size dwarfing that of the rest of the enemy ships.
"Oh dear me, take a look at who came wandering into the wrong part of town! This time, I'm not gonna let those little punks off so easy!" Balik said to himself, as Yuri's fleet drew closer.
"Yuri, the one there in the centre of the fleet... it's huge!" Kira's surprise was evident, as was everyone else's. And he detected a hint of fear in her voice.
He didn't blame her.
Studying the ship ahead, Yuri spoke confidently. "Judging by the design, I'd say that's got to be Balik's ship. I've never seen a hull shaped like that before."
Ian's voice appeared from nowhere as he stepped onto the bridge, taking a seat beside Tatiana at one of the many operator's consoles.
"That's a Eudora-class heavy cruiser, built by the nation of Kalymnos. I wonder where they got their hands on a ship like that." Awe in his words. "It really outstrips Elgavan ships as far as armour and firepower go. Looking at the situation logically, I think the best thing to do would be to withdraw."
Despite agreeing with the Gorodok-born boy, Yuri spoke confidently, and full of hope as he stated their next move. "Withdraw? Are you kidding me? This is where we take them down!"
"You can't be serious."
"Of course I'm serious! All hands, combat stations."
The VICTORY fired the first shot, pulling off to the left to flank the enemy, but was met with resistance from the two Sokol ships. Yuri brought the FLAKRUNNER on the edge of their weapons range, letting the Gnevny and Novik come closer.
As two ships advanced, Yuri called for the sniping tactics to begin. As the battle progressed, Gen was working wonders in advising both Yuri, and Ogar. Nia's fire coordination was top notch, like always; and their attacks always seemed to hit their mark.
Balik though, wasn't taking it easy on them, and if they didn't know that he still held a grudge, the missiles heading their way sure let them know.
He had skipped over the light attacks and gone straight for the hard hitting ones. Balik's Eudora continued its offensive, its missile salvos slamming into both ships.
"Damn him." Yuri said, gritting his teeth as the FLAKRUNNER rocked again. "Gunnery crew get ready to bombard the enemy quadrant... lock target on enemy Novik-class destroyer... and fire!"
The barrage erupted from the FLAKRUNNER'S guns, and the narrow nose of the Novik hit the attack front on, its armour being torn apart as it exploded from within.
"Enemy Unit 2 eliminated..." Kira called out.
To his left Yuri watched the two Sokols doing battle with the VICTORY, blasting away from either side. Ogar was holding up okay, though was taking heavy damage from the missile attacks that seemed to be getting in his way. It didn't matter where the VICTORY moved, as a missile, or several of them anyway, always seemed to find their mark.
The Gnevny continued its assault on the FLKARUNNER, though a few shots later, and it too, was sent into a million pieces. Their small win didn't last long though, as Nia's shout drew everyone's attention.
"Hey! Look at the VICTORY."
Glancing over to the left, they watched as another missile salvo was unleashed, and the Eudora's attack landed between the three battling ships. The first few missiles missed their target, but the next few landed.
Yuri and the bridge crew watched on in horror as the missile salvo continued to explode against the three ships, Balik having no qualms about attacking his own men.
The two Sokols erupted into balls of fire; the armour of the VICTORY following quickly behind.
Inside the Orfey-class destroyer, Ogar Telegov held on for his life as the hull of the ship was peppered with small explosions. He watched with wide eyes as the last missile connected with the space below the bridge, and looked around as everyone was knocked off their feet.
The internal systems of the ship ruptured, and he found himself coughing amidst the smoke and sparks. The captain's console beeped, and he activated the communications link.
"Ogar! Can you hear me? Ogar!"
"Yes. I read you Gen? The VICTORY has been damaged. We've lost all weapon and targeting controls." He shouted over the noise, evaluating the data on the screen. "Shields are down to less the 10% and she's barely holding together."
"Can you move."
"Barely under our own power. Our thruster connectors and igniters have shorted out, and we only have enough power for lateral thrusters... though they still work."
Instead of hearing Gen's voice again, Ogar heard Yuri's words over the interfleet comm.
"Ogar, retreat to a safe distance, we'll take care of Balik!"
"Acknowledged. Just be careful, those Eudora missile salvos pack a pretty big punch."
As they watched the VICTORY retreat, Balik decided to take advantage of the distraction opening fire with another missile salvo. Having no time to dodge the attack, the FLAKRUNNER took the full brunt of it.
As the salvo ended, Yuri ordered a barrage.
"Enemy fleet maintaining position. Transmitting target information and trajectory data."
Their counter-attack hit the Eudora hard, though it wasn't down yet. The FLAKRUNNER spewed out a few attacks, before dodging the next barrage.
"Prepare a pre-emptive strike... all guns get ready to fire."
"Successive gun pattern... 2, 4, 9... fire."
Smoke billowed forth from the front of the ship, and Yuri guessed that it wouldn't be long now. Despite that however, the reports coming in from the operators informed him that their own ship wasn't faring too well either.
Barely managing to dodge the missile salvo, Yuri's left hand clenched, and he saw the next opening for an attack.
"Alright! One more attack should do it!" Yuri shouted, turning to Nia. "Fire control coordinator begin procedures for alternating fire."
"Acknowledged! Marking up starboard and port gun batteries to use Dispersion pattern V-Alpha plus... checking firing tables and correcting course projections."
The eruption of laserfire from the FLAKRUNNER might had been good, but the destruction of the Eudora was definitely a sight to behold. The hull twisted and turned, weapon mounts collapsed, and the explosion from the thrusters climbed up to the bridge.
Watching as the ship cocked sideways, Kira called out to him from the left. "Enemy ship elimination confirmed, life sign readings at zero."
"I can't believe it..." Ian said, voice trailing off in shock and awe as he watched the smouldering wreck of the once formidable Eudora pass by.
"Balik is getting away!"
"That's all right. We know where he's going." Yuri answered his sister. "Let's go after him and finally settle this thing, once and for all. Ian, guide the way!"
Ian's mouth hung open as he stared ahead, unmoving.
"Ian?"
"Oh yeah. Sure."
Making their way towards Medyn, they checked in on Ogar and the VICTORY, who said that they would be fine. Telling them that they would make it to the pirate base eventually, and to continue without them.
Approaching the artificial planet, the FLAKRUNNER was guided to one of the many hangars along its equator, and soon enough, Yuri and the others found themselves walking down the hallway with the security team.
After they'd docked, Gen had volunteered to remain aboard to oversee the ship repairs, and to look out for any other ships brave enough to continue fighting.
Stepping off the orbital elevator, the young Captain found himself in very familiar surroundings.
"Whoa! Déjà vu!"
Nia was right though. Medyn was almost identical to Balik's Base in the Lutsk sector, and this had Yuri wondering...*Are all Novgorod bases identical?*
Approaching the big double door entrance, Yuri motioned for the security team to get to work on opening up the base.
"So Argun and Balik are in here somewhere, are they?" Torlo asked.
"Yeah. It's gonna be a melee fight. Better bring the whole crew." Nia answered.
"Got it."
Yuri's response was to send someone back to fetch the rest of the crew, including those from the VICTORY. As the doors opened up, and they waited for the rest of the crew to join them, Yuri added up the total number of men in his head.
A little over 850. He thought. I hope it's enough.
As they stepped foot inside, the opposite door opened up, revealing many Novgorod Pirate foot soldiers, who poured in around them.
They were surrounded.
"Let's take care of these guys fast everybody!" He told his crew, pulling out his plasmic blade.
Not long later, and the threat had been dealt with.
"Whew!"
"Yuri, there's an elevator over there!"
"Then let's go!"
Stepping around the bodies of their enemy, Yuri, Nia and Torlo divided the crew into groups, each of them taking the elevator up one by one to the second floor.
Inside the building, everything was deathly quiet and still, and as the crew followed the building's main hallway up another level, Yuri spotted something in front of them.
"What's this?"
Just outside of the elevator bay, lying on the floor, was a currency card, and as Yuri picked it up, he scanned it against the machine at his hip... 300G.
It was as they were piling out of the elevator, entering onto the fourth floor however, that the lights grew brighter...and on the far side of the room, stood Balik.
His face twisted into a sneer as he spoke, holding his chin in one hand, as his left played with the handle of his sword.
"Persistent little gnat, aren't you? You followed me all the way here?"
Yuri's face twisted into an ugly grin as he pulled his plasmic sword from its place at his belt. "You know Balik, I've never killed a man with my own hands before. I never really thought I would. But if it's got to be done, I don't think I'd mind too much if it were you."
"Hmph. Do you really think a little nobody like you can cut me down?" The man laughed.
"I sure hope so." Yuri said, holding his blade up high in front of his face. "I'll do it for Tatiana's brother, and for all the other people and lives you've ruined."
With a fire blazing in his eyes, Yuri ignited his plasmic blade, the blue glow increasing his angry look... and the others stepped back in shock. "Get ready to die, Balik!"
The battle began, and Yuri's crew of 850, did battle with Balik's men. Despite being surrounded, they put up a good fight, the tell-tale sounds of maser blasters firing, and Nia, as she blasted any enemy target with deadly accuracy.
Gadina and Poplo fought side by side, Poplo combining elegant swordplay with fists and feet into an art... while Gadina crushed heads and limbs.
To his left, Torlo was wrestling with three men on the far side of the room, and not fairing too badly either.
Yuri, on the hand, had half a dozen foot soldiers to deal with, though with his plasmic blade, made short work of them. As the enemy fell to his blade, more and more seemed to appear. The young Captain's elegant footwork and swordplay was able to deal with the enemy quickly enough, and he soon found himself face to face with his target.
Drawing his sword, Balik faced down Yuri, circling each other in the middle of the room as their crews battled around them. The clanging of their blades drew the attention of some, and the rest cheered them on.
Yuri used his size and agility to his advantage, managing to stay a step ahead of Balik's blade. Ducking a horizontal swipe, Yuri remained crouched, bringing his blade up to parry an overhead attack.
Rushing forward as Balik stumbled, Yuri gripped the handle tight, lunging forward with the blade on his right. The edge of his plasmic blade opened up Balik's side as Yuri passed.
"A plasmic... plasmic blade?!" Balik shouted. "Gaaaaagh!"
As Yuri panted, he felt the silence in the room echo around him, he looked up, noticing the startled expression on Torlo's face.
"Yuri, you did it!"
"What's the matter? You look pale." He asked, watching the colour drain from Yuri's face.
"That feeling... it was... horrible..."
Nia walked up to him, holding his left shoulder reassuringly. "But you did the right thing kiddo! You did what you had to do! That's the key to survival in the sea of stars. Come on. We still gotta get Argun."
Taking a few seconds to himself, he holstered his blade before speaking. "Okay... let's go."
Following the hallway for a few minutes, they went left, and as they continued their journey, he heard Tatiana speak.
"It's so quiet it's eerie." She whispered.
"Don't worry Tats, I'm right here for ya babe." Torlo said, hands on her upper back.
"You idiot! Get your paws off me."
"Whoa!" He ordered. "On your toes everybody."
The next fight only lasted a few minutes, as they outnumbered the enemy four to one. In the end, the opposite door led into a massive room, identical to Balik's Control Room in Lutsk.
"This is the end Argun!"
"Eek! I give up. I surrender!" The scrawny, old form of Argun stood in the middle of the room, looking pathetic and afraid. "Let's make a truce. I promise to never raise arms against you again."
"You're not really in a position to bargain right now." Tatiana told him, blaster in her hand.
"Doesn't matter what you say now buddy. You're gonna get cut down! Or would ya prefer my blaster?" Torlo asked.
Holding his hands up in a pleading manner, he begged again. "W-wait! Wait! How about this? I'll retire. I'll live out the rest of my days quietly on some remote planet. Please, please! Have mercy on my life!"
Argun's words rang around the room, and despite his pleading, Yuri already knew his answer.
"No way!"
"Aagh! B-but that's cold-blooded murder!" Eyes going wide. "How can you cut down a weak and defenceless old man like me?!"
The cold look remained on Yuri's face as he stared Argun down. He didn't need to speak for Agrun to understand what he was saying.
"What? Y-you can't be serious! Please! Please, I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want!"
"No deal."
"No... no!"
"I'll decide what to do with you later." Yuri told him. "Right now, you're going to give us back the girl you kidnapped on Gorodok."
"On Gorodok? Oh, the tavern girl? Melania, I think it was? She's in a cell upstairs." Argun told him, confused and surprised. "Here! This is the key card to her cell. Go on, take it."
Yuri reached out warily, taking the card from the old man on the floor.
"Of course, we haven't harmed a hair on her head. So please..." As Argun said this, he inched away from them slowly.
"Huh?!" Noticing Argun's backwards steps, and the funny look he was giving to the card in Yuri's hand, the dawning of realization washed over Nia. "Yuri! That key card! Look out!"
"Huh?!"
He didn't even have time to register anything before his eyes saw white...
Then the world went black.
Kira screamed as the explosion rocked the room, the red and orange from the bomb enveloping Yuri.
She could vaguely hear someone shouting Yuri's name as the room was covered in a thick white smoke. Echoing off the walls, was the sounds of Argun's laughter.
"I fooled you! I fooled you!" He sang to himself, probably dancing too.
"YURI! YURI!" She cried. Distressed beyond belief, reaching out to the last place she had seen her brother. "NOOOOO!"
She felt someone approach her from behind, but had no time to react, as a hand wrapped itself around her left wrist. She was forcibly ripped off the ground, as Argun's left arm snaked its way around her waist... breath hot in her ear.
"Ah, you're coming with me young lady!"
"LET GO OF ME! YURI! YURI!"
Struggling uselessly, she felt Argun begin pulling her back slowly. He really was stronger than he looked. "Pipe down missy. It's too late. Now forget about him and come along. You'll make the perfect hostage, won't you my dear?"
As he spoke, she stopped struggling, and she felt his hold on her loosen, using this to rip the blaster off his belt... spinning around and pointing it under his chin.
"Ha!"
Argun's twisted creepy smile reappeared, and she felt herself shiver slightly, but was overcome by a wave of emotions. Or lack thereof.
You killed my brother! she thought.
"Now, what ever do you think you're going to do with that, missy?" Getting nothing but silence, he continued. "Put that thing away. You know you can't shoot me young lady. You don't have it in you!"
Argun watched as the fire danced in her eyes, and her face turned ugly. "I can and I will. It won't be hard. All I have to do is move my finger... just a little bit."
He saw her index finger playing with the trigger, and an alarm went off in his head.
Something wasn't right.
"What? N-now, wait just one minute here! You can't be serious! If you fire at this distance, you'll kill me for sure!"
This really wasn't playing out as he expected. He could read people pretty well, and his mind had told him she would be the best hostage... she wouldn't struggle much, if at all.
"That's fine with me. Don't you remember what you did to my brother?"
The instant the words had left her mouth, he felt the colour drain from his face; his hands wet and clammy. He felt sick.
Had he really read this situation so wrong.
"What? W-wait!"
Then Kira pulled the trigger, and Argun's head exploded, splattering her in blood.
Minutes later, Nia had the crew back at their ships, and the FLAKRUNNER and VICTORY ready to leave.
Well, what was left of them anyway.
The Medyn spaceport hadn't been able to fix them much.
"Did you carry Yuri in?!" She asked as Torlo and Tatiana stepped onto the bridge.
"Yup! We just put him on the bed!"
"Nia, he's bleeding really bad! We're not prepared to handle this sort of thing!" Tatiana finished for Torlo.
"Got it! Get ready to ship out!" She said, ascending to the top of the captain's dais. Yuri's dais. "Grus! We are not gonna let that kid die! Is everybody ready?! We're going to the hospital in Zvenigorod!"
Always the voice of reason, Ian stepped forward to interject. "Nia, that's too far away. There's no way he can make it that far!"
"What do you suggest we do then?!" She asked in anger. It seemed that whatever she suggested or offered was shot down.
"I hear there's a Medic Organization ship that's been stationed near the Void Gate. Let's go look for that!"
The confusion in her voice gave way to recognition quickly enough. "Medic Organization? You mean that volunteer medical group? Great idea Ian! Let's go!"
Travelling down the starlanes to the Void Gate, the crew of the FLAKRUNNER, now captained by Nia, noticed a blinking red light in the distance. The very familiar red beacon that identified each Medic Organization ship.
"Nia, that ship up ahead!"
"That's it! The Medic Organization ship! Pull up alongside it and open up a line!"
Nia's orders were followed to the letter, and the FLAKRUNER found itself docked with the Grisha-class hospital ship. Soon enough, Yuri was hooked up to several machines and tended to, as they made the long journey to Zvenigorod.
"Observer's reading: weak but stable." One of them explained, calling out to its comrades. "Possibility of shutdown has fallen to 0.0077 percent."
"Continuing Surveillance Mode 1." The other responded, tall form bathed in the cool blue lights.
He hurt. That much he knew.
The blackness around him hurt his eyes most of all though, and he struggled for a few minutes to open them.
The world first appeared white, and he groaned. He heard what he thought were voices, and as it came into focus, he shifted his head from side to side.
The familiar silver hair, and mint green eyes of Nia Lochlain were what he spotted first, a warm smile gracing her lips as she looked down on him.
Looking around, he noticed Torlo beside Nia, and Kira on his immediate right, Tatiana beside her... Ian smiling from the foot of the bed.
"We thought you'd never wake up sleepy head."
"Where am I?" He asked.
"The hospital in Zvenigorod. Vladykin had you admitted." Tatiana informed him.
"Now I remember. There was that explosion..."
"We didn't think you were gonna make it there for a while. But there just so happened to be a Medic Organization ship in the next sector." Nia explained, taking a seat at the chair next to the bed. "They gave you some emergency care. If it weren't for them, you would've bought the farm way before we got you here."
Turning to the foot of the bed, looking at Ian, she finished. "And you've got Ian to thank, just FYI. he's the one that told me about the Medic Organization ship."
"Ian huh? Thank you."
"What? Oh, yeah. Sure, whatever. You're welcome."
"What about Melania?" Yuri asked, remembering what had taken them to Medyn in the first place.
"She's fine. We found her locked up in the basement and brought her back to Gorodok." Tatiana answered.
"And Argun's dead, too. There oughta be a lot fewer pirate problems in this sector now!" Torlo added.
"Yeah? Well that's good to hear."
"The doctors say you're good to go now, so whenever you get your bearings, we can head out." Nia told him.
"That's good."
"All right. We'll keep looking sir."
"Yes, please do that." Was Vladykin's response.
As Yuri and his party entered Oleg Vladykin's room, a group of soldiers were taking their leave, saluting the Commander.
"We came to report on our missions Commander." Yuri began.
"Ah Yuri! I've already gotten word from my men." Vladykin said, setting the mobile terminal down. "They tell me you've restored peace to the Central sector. You have my deepest gratitude. Thank you so much."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Hey what's with all your soldier pals? Is something else going on?" Nia asked, pointing over her shoulder at the soldiers that had just walked out.
"Oh that..." He said, thinking of a way to answer the question. "Well, I suppose I can tell you. Here's the situation."
"A government probe ship was sent outside the Small Magellanic Cloud, but all communication with it has been lost." He explained. "It was sent out to investigate Epitaphs, but after crossing the Volodarev Sector, there's been no trace of its movements.
The inbuilt holo lit up, displaying a group of starlanes leading to the planet Volodarev. "We're doing the best that we can to find it, but so far, we've had no luck."
An Epitaph probe ship is missing, huh? Yuri thought. If we could find it, we might find out something about Epitaphs.
The starlanes from Ostrog to Volodarev were deserted, despite this, they kept their guard up, a probe ship wouldn't have been destroyed for no reason.
"Yuri, there are several ships ahead. They look like Regional Elgavan Forces." Kira told them.
"Regional Forces huh?" Nia asked in confusion. "Even if they are, they're kinda hanging around a weird spot, don't you think?"
The words had barely left her mouth, when the five approaching ships began firing at them.
"What the —? They're firin' at us?!" He asked as the ship rocked.
"What are they thinking? Patch me through!"
As the comlink burst to life, a familiar face appeared on the screen, laughing. "I've been waiting for you Yuri. I knew you'd be coming this way."
"You! Let's see... your name was..."
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Kira asked.
With a sneer on his face, the man responded. "The Commander of the Lutsk base, Tefed Mudakov of course. Don't tell me you've forgotten already!"
"Oh yeah. The officer that was in bed with Balik! I forgot all about him." Torlo said with a smile.
"Fine! You may have forgotten me, but I certainly haven't forgotten you. Thanks to you, I lost my position and am now on the run, constantly having to look over my shoulder."
He was getting angry, but so was Yuri.
How dare he!
He was the one that had put himself in that position. He had no one to blame but himself. "You brought that on yourself, taking bribes from pirates when you were supposed to be running a base!" Yuri spat.
"ENOUGH! SILENCE! DESTROY HIM!"
Yuri's fleet started the fight off on the back foot, charging headlong into the battle, and taking several volleys of attacks before they found their footing.
Mudakov's four Orfey and Derzky LOC escorts kept up a steady rate of fire, giving up no ground as they did so. The FLAKRUNNER and VICTORY were workhorses though, and pushed through... dodging when they could, and taking damage when they had to.
Ogar's ship was caught amidst a deadly barrage from two ships, wiping out its shields and armour, and Yuri pushed the ship forward so as not to lose them. The FLAKRUNNER, due to being the sole ship left, took the concentrated attacks from all five ships, though the four escorts had been worn down some.
Once Mudakov's fleet were down to three ships, they stood no chance. Without having to worry about five different ships, Gen had advised that taking the next few attacks would be worth it; if they could eliminate the other two escorts. It was a success... and despite soaking up a lot of damage, Yuri's Borodino was able to fire a shot that wiped out the enemy Askold's thrusters.
With a crippled ship, Yuri ordered Torlo to assemble the security team as they pulled even with the enemy... preparing for boarding as the VICTORY fled the battle towards Volodarev.
The melee was quick, with some of the enemy being wiped out because of the blasts, and the rest scattered throughout the inside of the ship. Torlo's team only had to contend with barely 40-50 men at a time, and soon enough, had returned... an annoyed looking Mudakov in tow.
"It looked like the rat bastard managed to survive Yuri." Torlo called out as Nia led in the Commander.
"Ow. Ow. Try not to be so rough!"
Nia was really manhandling him, and the next words out of her mouth showed her disgust... as if the look hadn't already. "You give one more order, Commander, and I'll knock ya into Grus!"
"Hmph."
"Mudakov, we're taking you to Zvenigorod and handing you over to Commander Vladykin. And I bet you know what happened to the Epitaph probe ship, too, don't you?" He asked, addressing the man.
"What are you talking about? I was just hiding out here from the Central Forces."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, quite sure."
Studying him closely, Nia answered Yuri. "Hm. It looks like he's telling the truth for a change."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay Mudakov, I hope you like cramped quarters, because you're going into the storeroom." Yuri said, nodding to Torlo to take the man away.
"All right you! The storeroom's that-a-way!" Torlo told him.
The others watched in laughter as the Bagut boy turned Mudakov around, and kicked his rear to get him started.
"Hey! I can walk just fine without your boot in my rear, thank you very much!"
"Okay! Okay! Stop pushing."
Torlo's continued kicking and pushing of Mudakov as they made their way towards the ship's elevator bay, only made the former commander struggle more.
"But it's more satisfying to do it that way, traitor." Torlo said, kicking his backside again.
Mudakov stumbled, falling to his knees, hands still bound together. He was getting angry now, face red. "I said... stop pushing me! I'm a former co -"
"MUDAKOV!"
The shout drew the attention of both people, and as Torlo took a look down the hallway, he spotted Karlo eyeing Mudakov with murder in his eyes.
Karlo began running down the hall, and Mudakov's eyes went wide and he began to panic. His hands were up, and he began to take steps back, looking at Torlo behind him.
Wrong move.
Karlo's momentum pushed him on, and as he leaned forward, his feet left the ground; driving his shoulder into Mudakov's unprotected stomach. The former commander let out a gasp of breath as he was driven to the ground, and his back had barely connected with the hard floor, when Karlo began letting his fists fly.
Balik was dead, and so was Argun. Now though, Mudakov was right in front of him. He may not have had a chance to get his hands on the other two, but he could do that now.
And he had a lot of anger to vent.
Karlo didn't care where he hit Mudakov, as long as he made the traitor hurt like he hurt, feel like he did.
Mudakov kept his arms up in front of his face, protecting his head from Karlo's balled up fists... though this left the rest of his body exposed.
He wasn't sure how long it had been, but soon, he felt hands on his shoulders, and he was being pulled back. Looking around, he saw three members of the security team holding him back as Mudakov squirmed on the floor... dragging himself away.
He hadn't waited all this time to get his hands on Mudakov just to be stopped. He threw his head into one, before pushing the other off him, and then, he threw himself atop the former commander again.
He felt himself being dragged off Mudakov again, and a voice calling his name.
"Karlo... it's okay, Karlo stop!." Tatiana said, as Yuri, Kira, Torlo, and Nia watched on.
Placing her left hand on Karlo's shoulder reassuringly, she could hear Mudakov scrambling to his feet behind her.
Then she smiled.
Whirling around so fast that no one had any time to react, She balled up her fist; striking Mudakov on the chin.
It happened in a flash, and everyone watched on, stunned and shocked, as Mudakov crumbled to the ground.
With a fierce look on her face, Tatiana glared daggers at the unconscious Mudakov, before stalking off up the hallway.
And then, everyone thought at once...
They sure were going to be careful not to get on her bad side.
While waiting for their ships to be repaired in the Volodarev spaceport, Yuri and company headed to the tavern, where they found themselves engaged in a conversation with the bartender, while waiting for their drinks.
"We're way out here on the outskirts of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, so even the government pretty much leaves us alone." He explained, finishing up with the last of the drinks. "It's a quiet place. Hardly a ship ever passes by. Maybe the occasional adventurer, but that's about it."
With the drinks finished, Nia reached over to pay the bartender, leading Yuri back to the table. As they passed the betting and news screens, she noticed an oddly dressed man nursing a mug.
She stopped in her tracks, doing a double take; almost knocking the drinks tray out of Yuri's hand. "Wait a minute... Semias? Semias, is that you?"
Startled at the call of his name, he turned around, examining the patrons of the room around him.
"Ah! Lady Nia! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Lady Nia? Yuri thought. If any one of them had called Nia a lady, they would have ended up with a black eye, or worse.
Nia was the furthest thing from a lady than any other woman there was. She could outdrink any man, curse like a pirate, and as she had stated herself... wouldn't be caught dead in a dress in her life.
For him to be standing right now, he sure must've known Nia well. "You know this man Nia?"
"What? Oh yeah!" She said, distracted.
"Semias Alastar, jack of all trades, at your service!"
While introducing himself, Yuri took the time to get a better look at the man. He wore a red and brown bodysuit, with grey sleeves and two braces over his shoulders. His grey hair was cropped short, and he had a trimmed moustache with some facial hair on his chin.
"So what in Grus are you doing here Semias?"
"Well actually... I've been looking for you, Lady Nia." He said, somewhat anxious. "There's something I thought you should be aware of."
"Oh yeah?" She was curious now, leaning forward.
"The Void Gate that leads to the Alzenia Sector appears to have been reactivated."
"What? No... how could that happen? I thought that gate was dead!"
"It was." Semias answered. "But that doesn't change the fact that it is now reactivated and fully functioning."
"So do you think they..."
"I went to the gate to check on that very thing, and I'm sorry to say they have already begun to invade." He told her solemnly.
"No way, I can't believe it!"
"Nia, what's going on?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry kid. I have a few things to discuss with my old pal Semias here." She said. "Would ya mind leaving us be and coming back later?"
Confused, he answered. "Huh? Oh, okay. Sure."
"Thanks. I just need a little time. Why don't you guys go for a walk or something? Get some fresh air, okay?"
"Okay, fine."
Leaving the two alone, he returned to his friends, placing the drinks atop the table. His arrival was just in time, as Ian, now sitting beside him... struck up a conversation.
"I hear you're looking for Epitaphs. Is that true?"
"That's right."
"Hmph. I find it amazing that you actually believe in such fairy tales." The other boy said, arms crossed.
Yuri frowned.
He understood that some things could be a bit of a stretch to believe, but he was surprised that the other boy wasn't budging even a little bit.
"If Epitaphs are so ridiculous, why would Valantin go so far out of his way to steal mine; he seemed pretty excited about it too."
"Valantin? You mean the pirate Valantin?" Ian questioned, eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise.
"Yeah, that's the one." Torlo cut in, slamming his drink down on the table. "A brainiac like you wouldn't understand about Epitaphs anyway."
"Hm. So there might be a small grain of truth to those fairy tales after all. I suppose I can accept that." Ian said, eyes locked on Torlo's across the table.
"Why can't ya just admit you're wrong?"
Yuri and Tatiana exchanged knowing smirks and eye rolls as the two began bickering about some thing or another. He honestly didn't pay attention to their arguments any more.
Turning back towards the bar... with grave expressions on their faces... Nia Lochlain and Semias Alastar were having what appeared to be a very intense discussion. They didn't look like they wanted to be disturbed.
After finishing the round of drinks, Yuri took Nia's advice, going for a walk... and taking Kira with him.
"Mmm, it smells so good in the forest."
After grabbing Kira, the two had headed off towards the forest, a protected and isolated area.
"Yeah. It kind of reminds me of the forests we had back on Ropesk." Yuri said. Though we protected ours. He thought. And we didn't have to pay to get in.
"Come on Yuri! It's so pretty here! Let's go for a little walk, just you and me."
"Huh? Yeah, okay."
After paying the admission fee, he found himself following after his sister. As they walked together through the forest, he watched Kira's happy smile.
She really did look content. At ease. Not a problem in the world.
She definitely seems happier here. Yuri noticed.
Afterwards...
Their walk had eventually led them to what appeared to be a panmolo farm. Many panmolos were wandering around, fury humpbacked bodies with two legs and long necks connected to small heads.
The farm hands were going around, milking the docile creatures as they grazed peacefully in the pasture.
"Would you two folks like to try some?" A farmer asked, holding up some panmolo milk.
"Really?"
"Thank you mister!"
Standing together, Yuri and Kira drank from the cups that were offered to them. The milk tasted rich and sweet.
"Phew. We've been traveling for so long... this feels really nice."
Noticing the look on his sister's face, he turned to her. "What's up Kira?"
"Oh, I was just thinking... I'd really like to live in a place like this someday. It feels so much like where we grew up, on Ropesk."
"Don't you like traveling with me through space Kira?" He asked. "I mean, I want to go as far as I can, and see as much of the universe as I can, and never ever stop! And I want to learn! Not just about Epitaphs, but about anything and everything I can wrap my mind around."
"But... don't you think space is scary?"
"Not really. I mean, sure it's not as safe and peaceful as life on the ground can be, and there's not a lot of stability... but there's plenty of people who move around their whole lives, right?" He asked, watching the confusion play on her face. "Nomads! Hey, I know I'm just an inexperienced captain and all, but I'll do my best to keep you safe and happy Kira. Don't worry, okay?"
"All right..."
As Kira grew silent, on a corner of the farm an elderly man was standing, seemingly lost in thought.
"Oh Ratai! I always knew you'd come back!" He said, walking towards Yuri.
"What? Uh, I think you've mistaken me for somebody else." Yuri told him, hand held up in front of him.
"Huh? Oh... oh yeah. I guess so. Ratai's a lot taller than you. You're kind of runty.
"Um... who's Ratai?" He asked, Ignoring the insult.
"He's my son. Said somethin' about goin' off and studyin' the stars. He left this planet about three years ago now." The man said, staring up at the sky. "Wonder what he's up to these days..."
"Oh, hey kiddo. We just got done talking." Nia said as the young captain walked up to them, handing Yuri a thin plate.
"What's this?"
"It's a voyage recorder, something that documents journeys. It's from the Epitaph probe ship."
"What?"
Smiling at Yuri's shock, Semias began to give him an explanation. "I salvaged it from the wreckage I found near the Void Gate to the Alzenia Sector. I'm sorry to say that they had already stolen the Epitaph the probe ship had apparently found."
Confused about a few things, Yuri stopped, hoping for some answers. "Wait, back up a minute. What are you guys talking about? Who is this they you keep talking about? Are you trying to tell me they destroyed the probe ship?"
"Well..." Not able to explain, Nia finished for him.
"Instead of trying to explain it here, I think we'd better try and take that voyage recorder to Zvenigorod and have it looked at there." She answered. "Once they suss it out, we'll be able to see their recorded images right up to the moment of the attack."
"Okay, then let's go!"
Before heading up to the bridge, Yuri managed to catch Nia in her quarters before they left port.
"Before we ship out, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead kid." She said, sitting back on the bed. Patting the space beside her, she motioned for Yuri to sit.
"Where is this Alzenia Sector that Semias mentioned? I never heard of any place like that in the Small Magellanic Cloud."
"That's no surprise. If you tried to get there without using Void Gates, it'd take you five years at warp speed, one way." She said, cracking her neck.
"Wow. So it's in another galaxy?"
"Yup, a galaxy far, far away. In fact, it's in the galaxy where I'm from." She explained, staring into nothing at the wall.
The galaxy where you're from. He found himself thinking, staring at his best friend. So why did you leave, I wonder?
"Tracker's continued resistance to accepting control confirmed." The first of them began, addressing the situation. "Measures must be taken at once."
Activating something on its console, the other began its reply. "Setting tracker to auto-adjust to thought control and cooperation at the next observation checkpoint."
Entering the Zvenigorod spaceport, and climbing the docking tube ramp, Yuri and Nia in the lead; they could hear a commotion up ahead. As they drew nearer, an Elgavan soldier was dealing with a civilian... long grey shirt under a brown sleeveless jacket and bowl haircut.
Unique, was the only word to describe him.
"All I need is one more day, just until I can get some results for the cosmic microwave background radiation I've been observing!" He pleaded.
Grunting in annoyance, the soldier replied. "You need to get a permit to do stuff like that on public property. No exceptions! Now pack up and hit the road!"
"B-b-but..."
"Is there a problem here?" Yuri interrupted, feeling sorry for the stammering man.
"Yeah, he's illegally camped out here. This is a spaceport, not a campground." He was angry, sort of hoping that someone would at least see the light of what he was saying. "Do you know him?"
"No. No I don't."
"Please! All I want to do is finish my research on comic background —"
"Will you shut up about that already?" The soldier spat out. "I've got my own work to do you know! I'll let it slide today, but if I catch you here again, I'm going to haul you off to jail! You got that?"
With that, the soldier stormed off with a very irritated look on his face. Turning to the very crestfallen looking man, Yuri spoke up.
"Excuse me."
"I'm not sure I really wanna know, but still, I gotta ask." Torlo interrupted. "What are ya doing here at the spaceport like this?"
"I'm researching cosmic background radiation on this planet. I can't measure it on the ground, so that's why I'm doing it here." He explained, looking glumly around at his equipment. "The name's Ratai Faustov, by the way."
Exchanging a look with Yuri, and receiving a nod, Torlo continued. "In that case, I've got an even better idea. You should join us on our ship."
"Do you mean it? Can I really come on board?" Ratai asked in surprise.
"Sure. Welcome aboard Ratai."
"What? I can? I can come with you?" He asked in wonder. "I've always dreamed of performing my observation experiments in space!"
"Of course, nobody gets a free ride. You're gonna have to work for your keep ya know." Nia explained.
"Yes, of course. In my research, I did a lot of radar analysis, so I'm sure I can be useful there." Was his answer. "Thank you for this opportunity! Thank you very much!"
With a skip and a hop, Ratai set about continuing his experiments, agreeing to meet aboard the ship once ready to depart.
A regular visitor to the Zvenigorod Officer's lodgings, they were greeted at the entrance by the guards, who cleared them for entry.
Making their way through the compound, they arrive at Vladykin's familiar lodgings; standing upon their entrance.
"You found out something about the Epitaph probe ship?" He asked.
"Yeah. Check this out." Yuri said, handing over the voyage recorder to Commander Vladykin.
With a shocked look on his face, the older man replied.
"But this is... so the probe ship is done for, is that it?"
"It looks like it. I didn't see it myself, but we talked to somebody who salvaged that recorder from the wreckage."
"Hm... all right, thank you. We'll get this analysed, and then we'll be able to see what happened to the probe ship for ourselves." Vladykin said, examining the data plate.
"And could you get that Mudakov guy out of our storeroom?" Torlo blurted out, Tatiana facepalming... again.
"Mudakov?" Vladykin asked. These kids sure surprised him time and again. "Don't tell me you apprehended Tefed Mudakov as well!"
First Balik. Then Argun. Now Mudakov. Yes. He thought. This kid will go far.
"Yeah. Heh, heh. We ran into him on our way to Volodarev, so we just picked him up."
Tatiana's eyes rolled, and you could almost hear them move. "Oh please! Quit trying to show off in front of Commander Vladykin!"
Laughing at the interaction, Vladykin replied. "You people surprise me more and more at every turn. I'd like to thank you, and there's that Epitaph information we spoke of as well. Please meet me at Headquarters later. I'll be waiting for you."
After exchanging docking and handover details with Vladykin, the group left, Yuri sending off a message to the FLAKRUNNER security team to allow entry to the soldiers for Mudakov's transfer.
It had been a long time coming, as Yuri walked through the doors of the CTA Rankings Office. Lit up in purple, he made his way through the entrance, examining the inside of the room.
People milled about inside, and along each wall was a massive screen, consoles positioned randomly. Behind the receptionist desk was a woman in her mid to late 20's, blonde hair tied back, and a warm smile on her face.
"Welcome. Here at this facility, we rank zero-G dogs throughout the universe based on the fame values stored in their phenomena logs. Phenomena logs are the records kept by each ship." She started. "We keep track of every one and announce the rankings. If you try hard enough, you just might be selected as one of the top 100 zero-G dogs in the universe."
After waving the group through, they split up for a bit, and Yuri, curious to find out just where he was ranked, wandered over to a console. He scrolled through the top 100 zero-G dogs in the universe... noting the name at the top.
"Valantin." He ground out, the name of Vincent Gambi in a very close second.
Not recognizing any of the other names, he grew curious, and so, called up his own ranking. Punching in his info, It read:
Name: YURI
Ship Name: FLAKRUNNER
Age: 16
Rank: 3900
Fame: 4,913
And as he read that, his heart sunk...
The storeroom door opened, lighting up the inside of the room.
On the floor, propped up against the wall, was a very dishevelled looking, former Elgavan commander, Tefed Mudakov.
"Oi Commander!" A security team member began, kicking the older man awake. "Ya got some visitors."
Their teasing was starting to grate on his nerves. Then again, he guessed that he really couldn't blame them. If he were in their position, he'd have probably done the same thing.
Eyes still closed, he felt another kick to his legs, and he slowly opened them, holding his arm up against the light filtering into the room.
"I said get up!" The man ordered, grabbing Mudakov by the shoulder and hauling him out of the room, throwing him onto the floor.
As he struggled to his feet, he remembered too late about his bruised and blackened eye.
"Well, well... what's this. Someone looks like they've been having fun." One of the soldiers said.
The guards from the security team laughed, and when the Elgavan soldiers threw them a questioning look, they answered.
"Oh he was having fun alright." One answered.
"Yeah... one of the Captain's friend's smacked him good across the face. One punch, and blam! Out cold!"
The other continued to laugh, clutching his stomach as he managed to get out the words. "Best part was... she was... only eighteen years old."
They all laughed, and Mudakov sagged in defeat. Trying desperately to hide his face as the four men laughed at his expense.
And as he was led towards the docking tube, they continued, and Mudakov sighed.
He'd never been so humiliated...
Yuri sighed again, sitting gloomily at the bar, staring at his not yet touched drink. His visit to the CTA Rankings Office, while initially exciting, had left him feeling down.
"Why so blue kiddo?"
Glancing over through the corner of his eyes, he lingered on her for but a second, before returning to his glass... chin resting on his hand.
"Hey barkeep! Over here!" Nia called.
Pulling up a chair beside Yuri, she waved the bartender over again, nearly knocking over a patron walking past... and grumbled about them not watching where they were walking.
After filling up the glass, she downed the first, before turning to him while refilling the next. "So... I see you're still pretty bummed out over the whole ranking thing, huh?"
Not getting an answer, Nia prodded a little. "Look... you really didn't expect to be so high up right now, did you."
That seemed to be the spark that lit the fire inside Yuri, and he lashed out.
"Sure I know that but, I at least thought I'd have a little bit more fame behind me now..." He began. "I mean, I beat Panfilov, Balik and Argun, shouldn't that count for something..."
"Look. Let me tell you how this works." She started, taking a sip of her scotch. "The CTA ranking offices follow and compile a long list of all the zero-G dogs in the universe... not just the SMC. There are millions, probably billions of them spread across the galaxies, if it was so easy to make it into the top 100, it wouldn't come with as much prestige... would it?"
Yuri shook his head at Nia's question. "I guess not."
"Of course it wouldn't, that's why everyone tries so hard to make it into the top 100. Besides, you should be proud of yourself kiddo, you've only been a zero-G dog for a couple weeks, and to be ranked at 3,900 at your age... you should be stoked."
"Yeah I guess." Yuri still wasn't satisfied, and as Nia sat there watching him, something seemed to click in her mind.
"I don't think you're really worried about your rank at all. I think you're worried about Valantin. Right?"
Yuri's head whipped around to face her so fast, she thought he would break his neck. Her lips twisted upwards into a sly grin.
"That's it Isn't it? Let me ask you this..." She said, leaving her whiskey and turning to face him directly. "Do you think when someone overtook Valantin in the rankings he fell into that doom and gloom Grus? No! Do you think that when times got tough he moaned and complained? No!"
She had his attention now... which was good.
"Valantin hasn't always been the best zero-G dog in the universe ya know, he was once in the same position you're in now. And he didn't let anything stop him. If you need to go out of your way to fight pirates just to get some more fame, you do that. But just remember one thing... don't let yourself get stupid, cause there's no going back afterwards."
Yuri let his eyes fall to the glass, and the drink inside seemed to show him Valantin and the Corsair, and he felt the fire burn inside.
Nia's right. Sitting here wallowing isn't doing me any good.
Looking up at her, Yuri smiled. "Thanks Nia."
"Anytime! Just remember, your hard work is gonna pay off eventually, you just have to give it a little time. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"Ah, I've been waiting for you!" Vladykin greeted them as they were escorted inside. "First of all, about the voyage recorder from the Epitaph probe ship..."
"You're finally done analysing it?" Nia asked.
"No, I'm afraid it was badly damaged, and we're still trying to deal with it. I don't think we should get our hopes up."
"That figures." Nia said to herself.
"Now about the Epitaph information you asked for. Do you know what Dead Gates are?"
"Dead Gates?" He didn't need to ask... it was plain as day by the expression on his face.
"They're similar to Void Gates, except they're not functioning anymore. You won't see many of them in the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, but you can sometimes find them in remote sectors." Ian explained.
"Huh. Okay, but what do they have to do with Epitaphs?" Still not getting the connection between the two.
"Well, according to some old information we've got in our military database, there have been two instances of Epitaphs being found in the vicinity of Dead Gates." He told them, hand to his chin as he thought on what he was saying. "Professor Gavriil Minas has said in his research reports that the composition of Epitaphs and Dead Gates are quite similar."
"So if I find out more about Dead Gates, I might be able to solve the mysteries of the Epitaphs. Is that it?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that, but your best bet is to go see Professor Minas and ask him for yourself. I've already contacted him for you, so he'll be expecting you." Vladykin informed them, handing Yuri a palm-sized mobile terminal. "You'll find him on the planet of Heraklion in the Kalymnos Cluster."
"Heraklion in the Kalymnos Cluster, huh?" Yuri recited.
"Is that where we're gonna go next Yuri?" Torlo questioned.
Turning to his friend, he noticed the boy's expression. "Of course. That's what this is all about, why I even went into space in the first place."
"Yeah! So we're really gonna blow this taco stand! Good-bye Interplanetary Union of Elgava! Man, this is gonna be great!" Torlo said with a wide smile.
"And I'd like to give you this, as a personal thank you. This is a company that creates ship designs for the military, so I think it would be well worth your time to visit."
Interrupting the conversation at the first opportunity, Commander Oleg Vladykin handed the young Captain a letter of introduction to the Ship Design Company on Chernesk.
"I've done all that I can do for you now. I wish you safe travels!"
Shaking hands with Oleg Vladykin for what could possibly be the last time, Yuri thanked him for the help, and was thanked promptly in return.
"You wanted to see me, Defense Minister Fomich?" Vladykin asked, coming to a stop in front of the man.
"Yes. You settled the dispute between Alatyr and Driutesk, and even managed to preserve the dignity of both nations. President Saburov would like to get the entire report from you directly, if you wouldn't mind."
Watching Vladykin's surprise, he smiled Internally. "President Saburov sir?"
"Yes. Please go there at once."
"Yes sir!"
Watching as the Commander walked off like a little kid, Novikov frowned. Why Vladykin, and not me?
Approaching the Defense Minister, Novikov spoke. "Sir, what is the meaning of this? If the President would like a report, it is only fitting that I, Vladykin's superior officer, would —"
"Are you saying you're unhappy with the President's decision, Captain?"
As his face went white, Novikov began to stammer. "What? N-no, of course not sir!"
Smiling, Fomich approached Novikov, coming to a stop so close to him that the Captain could smell the man's breath. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Novikov. The President wants people here in Zvenigorod who can get results, people who can bring prosperity to the area. Be they Conservative Faction, or Reform Faction..."
Pausing to look Novikov in the eye, Fomich finished. "You'd do well to remember that and step up your game, Novikov."
"Y-yes, sir."