Paige sat alone in the mess hall of the USS Octavian. The hall was mostly deserted, with only a few ensigns in the back chatting amongst themselves. Paige didn't often talk to the rest of the crew. Pilots were generally isolated to keep an "ace" pilot mindset. She pushed around her food, disgusting oatmeal-like substance. It was standard issue for the Confederacy, a vitamin-rich protein-based substance that all crew members were forced to eat. I bet the officers don't eat this shit, she thought to herself. She rested her head on her hand and continued to push the goop around. She had nowhere to be today. Their ship had just left Chau Sara and was making their way to Mar Sara as an observational crew. That meant that she wouldn't be in her Wraith for the entire mission. Paige had a few combat missions under her belt, but she still felt the yearning to fly. She had some dicey moments, and some of them where she didn't think she'd make it back, but she always did, just sometimes by the skin of her teeth. Her wraith was her baby. She even assisted the mechanics with the repairs when it needed it. She had heard that the UED had just been releasing a new fighter model, the Valkyrie, but she doubted it would stand a chance against the tried and true Wraith. She had an older model, one without the cloaking mechanism. Paige didn't mind. If she was fighting an enemy, she wanted them to see her coming and fear the Confederacy.
As Paige was staring at her meal, she didn't notice the rest of the ensigns clear out of the mess hall and someone sat down across from her. Paige looked up and saw a woman she hadn't met before. She had brown hair pulled back into a tight bun and bright blue eyes. They made eye contact and the woman smiled.
"I was wondering when you'd look up," the woman said. Paige felt slightly embarrassed. She always zoned out when she was thinking too much.
"Yeah, I suppose I was kinda lost in thought," Paige said. The woman still smiled.
"Why are you eating here by yourself instead of with the other pilots?" she asked. Paige was taken aback slightly.
"How do you know I'm a pilot?" Paige said.
"Well the wings on your jacket for one," she said with a smirk. Paige looked down at her jacket. A brass button of two eagle wings was pinned on her breast with the words "Airmen" underneath.
"And for two, I've radioed you into port every mission you've been on," the woman said. The realization hit Paige like a splash of water.
"You're from command and control," Paige said. The woman nodded and smiled.
"Amber Jones, nice to meet you," she said and held out her hand. Paige shook it and felt warm inside. As she looked at Amber, she started to notice more of her intricate details. She had small creases on either side of her mouth and a slightly wide jaw, with squared jaw bones. She had small lips that were pulled back across her wide smile. Paige felt her heart flutter.
"It's nice to meet you too," Paige said. She was reluctant to keep the conversation going. She was suspicious of other people
"You never answered my question," she said and put her hands under her head.
"Oh, yeah, well, it's not too well looked upon for the pilots to interact," she said. Amber looked puzzled.
"They don't want a team mentality?" Amber said. Paige shook her head.
"Our flight leader wants us all to be ace pilots, micromanaged units," she said.
"That's so bizarre," Amber said and cocked her head to the left and looked down at the table. "You'd think they'd want you to think as a team and 'fight as one', you know what I mean?" She looked back up at Paige. Paige pushed her tray away.
"I'm sure other flight leaders run their squads that way, but not ours," Paige said. Amber frowned.
"I find that highly irresponsible and ineffective," she said. Paige laughed.
"I wouldn't know any different, he's the only flight commander I've had, the Octavian Bravo Squad is my first and only deployment," Paige said. Amber sat up and stretched her back.
"I figured you would've had lots of experience, judging by your records," Amber said. Paige looked confused. Amber sat back forward. "Keep in mind, I have to know everyone's call signs when they go out for missions, and I know everyone's by heart."
"Is that a fact?" Paige said. She felt slightly uncomfortable with a stranger knowing so much about her. It was her job after all, but she was such a private person it made her wary nonetheless.
"Yup, it sure is 'Afterburn'," she said with a smirk. Paige looked Amber slightly sideways and smiled. Afterburn was the nickname she had at the Starport academy. She started out as a medic pilot. One of their training sessions was to pick up a squad of marines without stopping. Paige had trouble slowing down enough to allow the squad to get a grip on the loading bars before hitting her afterburners and surging forwards. Three dislocated arms of marines later, she was transferred to the Wraith sector, but the nickname stuck.
"So what exactly are you doing down here in the crew mess?" Paige asked, changing the topic. Amber noticed the shift and placed her hands on the table in front of her.
"I wanted to meet you," she said with a devilish look. Paige felt uneasy. "I hear your voice coming through the comms all day but I've never put a face to the voice." Amber looked Paige up and down.
"Well, here I am," Paige said and dramatically raised her arms. Paige's arms were toned with muscle. Small veins poked through on her forearms and biceps, the deep blue arteries winding through the clear cut muscle. Paige lowered her hands and picked up her tray and stood up. Amber stood with her.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" Amber said. Paige turned and walked towards the trashcans. She threw her entire tray in and walked out, leaving Amber still standing by the table.
Paige sat in her room. She had just gotten back from the ship's fitness center and was finally cooling off. She wore a clean white t-shirt and shorts, though she was sure she still smelled of sweat and rubber. The gym was usually filled with the meathead marines that pumped iron every day. When she first started going to the fitness center she was catcalled and harassed relentlessly. One marine thought it was a good idea to slap her behind while she was doing squats. She sent him to the infirmary with a broken nose. No one has touched her since. She looked around her room. A single lamp illuminated the room, light bouncing off the matte metal walls. Posters of Wraith schematics lined her walls, as well as a small run sheet of every mission she had been on. A small metal desk was the only other piece of furniture in the room besides her bed. On the desk was a few bits of official papers and a small notebook with a leather cover and a black pen sitting on top of it. Paige had kept a journal since she was a little girl. Her mother encouraged her to document her feelings since her father passed away. Paige hadn't taken his death well. He was a pilot for the Confederacy. He was her hero. He was rarely home, but when he was, he regaled her with stories of far off planets and exotic places. She wanted nothing more than to go with him on his missions and see all the wonders the galaxy had to offer. When she was 10, instead of her father returning, two men in Confederate dress uniforms handed her mother a letter and a flag.
A knock on the door startled Paige. She sat up from her bed and looked through the peephole. Amber was standing there looking at the nametag on her door. Paige opened the door slowly and peered out.
"What do you want?" Paige said. Amber didn't react.
"I wanted to apologize for being weird," she said. Paige couldn't help but laugh. Amber looked disheartened.
"Weird isn't the word I would use, I think stalkerish is a better one," she said. Paige could see tears starting to well up in Amber's eyes. She instantly regretted the comment.
"Look, I'm sorry, I just…" she started. Tears streamed down her face. "I don't have any friends here and you're the only person I feel I know," she said. She sniffed and wiped away the tears and looked up at Paige. Paige's gaze softened.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Paige said. "I don't have any friends either." Amber sniffled again. "Do you want to come in?" Amber nodded. Paige opened the door fully and Amber walked inside. Paige closed the door and sat on the bed as Amber sat on the desk chair. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Amber collected herself. She breathed deeply and dried her eyes. Paige watched her closely. She felt strangely threatened by this small girl. She couldn't be more than 20 years old. She was wearing a Confederate Navy t-shirt and sweat pants, a far departure from the class-A uniform she wore earlier. Her hair was down now, the long straight brown hair ran down to her shoulder blades. Finally, Amber calmed herself and looked up at Paige.
"I apologize for being so forward, it's not usually like me to be like that," Amber said. Her eyes were still bloodshot but she had dried her tears.
"Do you want to try again?" Paige said. Amber smiled weakly and nodded. They spent the next hour talking about their jobs and where they had come from. Amber was from Tarsonis, the capital of the Confederacy. It was where she had gone to school and enlisted in the Navy. Paige listened intently and savored every word. She wasn't used to anyone just talking to her. It felt nice to be able to relax and talk about the small things around them. The change of pace from having orders barked at her to a calm conversation was extremely relaxing and refreshing. They talked and laughed for most of the night. Amber finally left at nearly one in the morning. Paige watched her walk down the hallway towards the elevator before stepping back into her room. She lay on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, scanning the imperfections of the metal before closing her eyes. A knock on her door startled her as she sat up quickly. She walked to the door and saw Amber standing outside.
"Everything okay?" she asked as she opened the door.
"The elevators are down and I can't make it back to my room, can I stay here?" Amber asked. Paige looked at her and didn't say anything before stepping aside and letting her in. Paige had an extra cot that she kept underneath her own bed. She pulled it out and set it up beside her bed. They sat next to each other and talked for a little longer before Paige yawned.
"I think we should be getting to bed, it's late," Paige said. Amber nodded and went to stand up but stopped herself. She leaned forward and kissed Paige on the cheek. Heat rushed Paige's head as she felt Amber's lips press against her. Paige's face was red as Ambers as she leaned back.
"What…was that?" Paige said. Amber laughed.
"I just felt like doing that," she said. They both laughed. Amber leaned forward again and kissed Paige on the lips. They held there for a few moments before parting. Paige's eyes were still closed.
"I don't know if this feels right," Paige said. She nervously fidgeted with her hands and scooted away from Amber.
"I know," Amber said sadly. She moved over to the other cot and laid down facing Paige. She pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and sighed. Paige turned off the light and got into her own bed. They didn't talk in the darkness, the only sound being their breathing and Paige's fluttering heart.
The next day, Paige woke up to discover Amber had already left. The blanket was folded at the bottom of the cot and the pillow was sitting on top of it. Paige rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and pushed the cot back under her bed. She felt like shit. She took a shower and changed into her class-B uniform before walking down to the mess hall. The hall was filled with ensigns and marines, all eating the morning chow and talking loudly. Paige grabbed her food and ate at her normal spot in the corner by herself. She finished her meal quickly and made her way to the debriefing hall. Inside, their flight commander and a few other Wraith pilots were sitting in front of a projector. The flight commander was talking to one of the other pilots about something. When he saw Paige walk in, he stopped talking and walked over to her.
"Good morning Staff Sergeant Scott," the commander said.
"Good morning Petty Officer McBride," Paige said. Paige saluted him and took a seat in the middle row of chairs. Another man walked in.
"Good morning John," the man said to McBride.
"Good morning David, now I hope you're all comfortable," McBride said as the man sat down beside Paige. "This morning we received intel that Korhal operatives are working around Mar Sara," McBride said but Paige began to drone him out. She thought about last night with Amber. It wasn't until she heard her name that she broke her daydream.
"Scott, are you listening?" McBride said. Paige blinked a few times before responding.
"Y-Yes sir!" she said loudly. Most of the room chuckled.
"Then you'll report to Admiral King immediately, as I just said," McBride growled. Paige hurriedly gathered her things and ran out of the room. She walked quickly to the elevator and took it up to the bridge. The elevator ride was long. The Battlecruiser Octavian was large, even by most battlecruiser standards. It had an attached research and science facility that made it ideal for research missions and reconnaissance. There was a large wing of the ship that was off limits to most crew members. There were always rumors that they performed weird science experiments there, like fusing plants and people. The thought often made her shutter.
The bridge was busy with many crew members walking around. Paige scanned the computer terminals but didn't see Amber. She walked forward and stood in the middle of the room by the commander's chair awkwardly. She had never been on the bridge before. A man soon approached her. He wore the same uniform that Amber did.
"Can I help you Staff Sergeant?" the man said.
"Yes, I've been told to report to Admiral King," Paige responded.
"Ah yes, his office is right over here, if you'll excuse me for just a moment," he said and gestured towards a door to her right. Paige stood outside of the door as the man walked over to a comm station and said something into a mic that Paige couldn't hear. He waited a few more moments before walking back over to Paige.
"You can go inside now," the man said and smiled. Paige thanked him and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" a gravelly voice said behind the door. Paige opened the door and walked inside. Admiral King sat at his desk looking through a file. He looked up and saw Paige. He stood quickly and offered her a seat.
"Thank you, sir," Paige said as she sat down. She sat up as straight as she could. She had never met Admiral King before but knew who he was by reputation and speculation from the crew.
"Staff Sergeant Scott, how are you?" he said. His eyes were surprisingly soft and comforting.
"I'm fine sir, thank you," she said, not relaxing.
"Good, good," he said and shuffled his papers around. His fingers looked like long tree branches, thin and brittle. He gathered up the papers and set them aside. He clasped his hands together and sat them on the desk.
"I've called you in here for a special assignment," King said. He was soft-spoken but firm. Paige sat up even further in interest. "You're one of our best pilots, and you've received multiple commendations from your Flight Commander," he said.
"Thank you, sir," Paige said.
"The task I have for you is rather different, however," he said in a lower tone. "Tell me, have you heard of something called Psionic power?" Paige was confused.
"Um, yes sir, it's the ability to do things with your mind in the physical world," Paige said. The question had caught her off guard. She hadn't thought it was actually real.
"Yes, in layman's terms that is correct," King said. "There are a few tests to see if it occurs within an organism, but they are unreliable at best," he said. King grabbed a piece of paper from the stack. "You've displayed an incredible amount of skill and mental ability in the past few years Staff Sergeant, were you tested as a child?"
"I believe so sir, most everyone was," Paige said. She was getting worried. She wasn't used to questioning like this.
"I see," King said. He scanned the paper one more time before setting it down. "Well, there is a new test I'd like to try with you, to see if you perhaps have a subtle hint of it." Two men walked into the office and stood on either side of Paige. They wore black uniforms and black cloth covered their faces.
"These men will escort you to the testing chamber, don't be afraid," King said. The men grabbed Paige's arms and lifted her out of the chair. She fought them but they didn't budge. She hit their arms but it was like she was hitting solid rock. They dragged her to the elevator. The crew on the bridge didn't even seem to notice them pass. Paige continued to fight in the elevator but the men refused to let go. They gripped her arms tightly and held her off the ground. The elevator stopped on the 13th floor, one page had never been to. It was connected to the science facility. The men walked her down the hall. The walls were covered in white plastic. Windows were the only break in the cloud-like hallway. Around them, scientist worked on various experiments. One scientist had a small creature in a glass tube. He filled it with gas as the creature squirmed and clawed at the glass before becoming rigid and falling over. Paige resisted against the men but her strength was failing. They walked through the winding halls before coming to a doorway. One of the men pushed a button and the door slid open. The men tossed Paige inside and closed the door. The room was pitch black. Paige felt her way around. The floor was made of a metal grating. She crawled around the floor, feeling for anything that could be of use. Suddenly a light turned on next to her. Behind a thick pane of glass, Amber was sitting on a chair in the middle of a room. Paige noticed her hands and feet were bound. Paige stood up and slammed against the glass. She called Amber's name but she doubted she could hear her. Amber was crying softly, tears streaming down her red cheeks. A door to Amber's right opened and the men from before entered. They placed some kind of device in Amber's lap. A timer counted down on the front facing machine. Paige recognized it as a bomb. She slammed on the glass again, feeling red-hot tears stream down her face.
"You can save her," a voice overhead said. She didn't recognize the voice. "Defuse the bomb Paige, use your mind," it said. The voice sounded robotic almost. The clock counted down on the device. 24, 23, 22. Paige yelled Amber's name again and pounded her fists on the glass. 21, 20, 19.
"Save her Paige," the voice said. Amber squirmed in her chair. 18, 17, 16.
"Paige, I'm so sorry," Amber sobbed. 15, 14, 13. More tears rolled down her face, splashing the bomb on her lap.
"I can't do it, stop this!" Paige screamed. She pressed her face close to the glass and tried her hardest to stop the bomb, but she had no idea where to start. 12, 11, 10. Paige thought of the bomb turning off, the detonator becoming powerless. Paige screamed and hit the glass as hard as she could. 9, 8, 7.
"I'm so sorry Paige!" Amber yelled. "I didn't know!" 6, 5, 4.
"No!" Paige screamed. The glass began to crack.
"Save her Paige," the voice said again, forcefully. 3, 2.
"God no!" Paige screamed. The timer his zero and blinked. Amber looked down and the device and back up at the glass.
"Paige?" she said before the room burst with light. Black smoke filled the room. Paige hit the glass again and shattered it. The smoke billowed into the room Paige was in as she leaped through the window jamb. The chair where Amber was sitting was splintered across the room. Blood pooled and splattered across the walls and floor. Paige screamed as she fell to her knees in the pool of blood. Around her, the metal flooring groaned under an unseen pressure. Paige slammed on the ground, leaving two large fist prints in the metal grating. She felt a sharp pain in her neck and reached for it. A small needle stuck out of her neck. She felt tired immediately and fell to the floor in the pool of blood. The two men from before walked into the room.
"She'll do perfectly well," one of the men said to the other. The other nodded. The men picked her up and dragged her back to her room. They changed her out of her bloody clothes and threw her into bed. They walked out of her room and closed the door quietly behind them. In the corner of her room, a shimmer stood from the chair the same chair Amber had sat in a few hours previous. She placed a small card on Paige's chest.
You've seen what the Confederation is like
Contact me when you can
Sarah K