Three years. Three years living alone in a shack in the desert could change a man. The odd thing was that Austin Kogane didn't feel like a changed man.
Many of his habits had changed, certainly. They were bound to now that he knew his heart might try to kill him one day.
As a result recreational drinking flew straight out the window. Not that it was a terrible loss. Once he didn't have anyone to drink with, alcohol had lost its enticement.
He'd started hiking more. Not that he hadn't hiked before now. But before hiking had been something they had done in field training. Now it was something that required special boots and a stick.
Astronomy, which had previously just been an odd hobby as well as an ill-advised diploma, had become Austin's new career. Instead of spending his nights laughing around a card table with a bunch of greasy pilots, he now spent every night alone looking up at the sky with a telescope and making notes about star positions and what not.
It wasn't a particularly fulfilling life. Not an exciting one either. It didn't even have the decency to be boring.
But it was a life and it was his now.
Starting out things had been soul crushingly lonely. It had to be. Austin figured that anybody who went through what he did would experience loneliness one way or another. And he had.
However, he'd somehow managed to carve a little life for himself out of the loneliness. Day by day, he began to enjoy the isolation. No one around to disturb him or his thoughts. Just him, the desert, and his work.
It wasn't even like he never saw people. There was a nearby town he frequented to gain supplies, as well as a clinic where he got monthly check ups on his heart condition. None of the people there were his close friends, but it wasn't like he was alone in the world.
Course a new chapter was starting in his world's history. For the first time in forever the planet earth… was at peace.
Austin had never expected he'd see the day it'd happen. Hell, if he was being honest with himself he never thought it would happen. Apparently the rest of the world hadn't either.
The shaky international truce had surprised everyone. In fact most people didn't even think it was real at first. But then months went by and no one did anything.
Oh, there were a few minor incidents by independent organizations, but all investigations proved that all incidents were not connected to any nation or world power.
It was sort of like every person on earth was sitting at the same dinner table and doing their absolute best to not make eye contact with each other.
The human race had, rather accidentally, stumbled across world peace. So of course something had to be done before somebody somewhere screwed it all up.
So the world leaders had a meeting. And then another meeting. And another.
Months of many many meetings later, they had come up with the idea of the Galaxy Garrison. (Likely an idea somebody had shouted out at a meeting, got written down on a post it note, and then dug out when no other better ideas had been suggested). As something to occupy the world's time and interest so no one went off and started another war.
And much to the world at large's shock…
...it was successful.
At least this was how Austin preferred to think of things. He was sure the actual turn of events had been far more dramatic and filled with a lot of fat old graying men in suits yelling at each other in varying languages while sweating a lot but the result was still fundamentally the same.
The military was out of a job.
Austin couldn't help but muse at that. It seemed rather hilarious to him that not a year or two after his dismissal from the air force that his squadron had been disbanded. It's members tossed to the winds.
There still remained smaller versions of the military personnel who were tasked with a lot of public service duties like guarding diplomats, running supplies, and doing the usual grunt work.
But as far as the public could tell the militarized world was at an end.
Austin didn't buy it for a minute.
They weren't public anymore, the names had changed, and the general outlook of the world was different. But humans were still fundamentally the same. Which meant that people were just as nasty as ever.
The people who had been soldiers were still soldiers deep down in their souls. Just because the system had changed a little and their mission had gone from "blow these guys up" to "blow these asteroids up" meant diddly squat.
Countries still competed like they always had. But now their soldiers were astronauts and engineers, and all the real nitty gritty stuff went on in the shadows.
Still, Austin had to admit it was an improvement. Better than blowing each other up at least.
Sighing he lay on his porch, waiting for the daylight to dim out just enough to begin seeing the first stars. As corny as it was, the stars had been his only real companions for these past three years. The only things he could count on to be there.
It really was pathetic when balls of burning gas a bajillion miles out into space were your only friends, but Austin figured it was better than nothing at all.
He closed his eyes and took in the evening desert air, the warm heat from the day, and the revving car engine in the distance.
Wait.
That wasn't right.
Austin sat up and stared at his own mud covered pickup truck. It wasn't his go to option for transportation, but his accursed heart condition kept him from getting a motor bike. Besides the pickup was useful when it came to carrying his telescope across several miles into the desert to observe the stars.
But right now the truck sat silently next to his house. And yet the sound of an engine was getting louder. Turning his head and narrowing his eyes, Austin could just barely see a cloud of dust being kicked up in the distance.
He had a visitor. Which was odd because he never got visitors.
Glancing down at a potted cactus with a bright pink (and very guilty looking) flower sitting beside his steps, Austin bit his lip and looked back at the rapidly approaching car. In what could only be called an exaggeratingly casual manner he picked up the plant, wandered over to his truck, and tucked it under the tarp over the trunk.
Couldn't be too careful.
The vehicle was now close enough for Austin to identify it as a military grade jeep. Which surprised him still further. People had avoided him as 'that weirdo in the desert' for years to the point that he had actually started to grow accustomed to the odd stares he'd get in the town.
But the military hadn't had anything to do with him since they'd given him a boot.
So what the hell was one of their jeeps doing out here?!
He took a position by his porch as the jeep pulled up and parked just a few yards from his house. He leaned against the porch, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.
The jeeps door swung open. A boot stuck out. A figure appeared.
Austin stared at the man standing there in the full military issued garb of the galaxy garrison and let his jaw drop.
"Iverson?!"
"Kogane."
Kalthara knew she had no grounds to protest Kolivan's appointment to be leader anymore. She hadn't had any ground to begin with, but she somehow had even less grounds now.
The blades were doing better now than they had in literal decapheebs. Kolivan had a good mix of ambition and caution that helped to curb the rate with which their fellow galra were falling in battle. This had had a good effect on overall morale and had won him the approval of the lower ranks more or less overnight.
Others were less easy to convince.
While they treated him with the same respect they had their previous leader, most of the higher ranking blades Kolivan at arms length. Watching him for any slip up, any sign of weakness or indecision.
But that was where Kolivan's other little virtue came into play.
He was patient.
Kolivan was a man who wouldn't even twitch as every one of his self appointed "betters" questioned his authority at every turn. Never letting an opportunity pass to test him.
He passed every time with flying colors.
Kalthara HATED it.
It wasn't that she didn't acknowledge her brother's skills or have any respect for him. Hell, every time one of the older galra treated him like a child she wanted to personally take the old crones out with her blade. The only thing stopping her from doing so was the knowledge that Kolivan might relocate her to a distant outpost as punishment.
But she was slowly beginning to lose reasons for why Kolivan should step down from his position. No one would support her even if she could start up an argument. The only one's who might agree also wanted to take her brother's place and Kalthara would sooner slice off both her ears before throwing her lot in with them.
Besides, she would never betray her brother. She had no issues with her brother being leader. She just didn't like the leader being her brother.
It wasn't just that the role would eventually get him killed. (Though it was the major driving force). It was also the sheer amount of attention she got due to her relation to him.
Kalthara was meeting members of the blades she hadn't seen since she was a child as well as one's she had never seen before. And she didn't like how they looked at her.
Everytime she had been introduced to someone outside of the inner circle they had been respectful and polite. They had also stared. The stares and the looks in their eyes made her ears itch.
Kalthara wasn't used to getting undue attention from strangers. Especially strangers she wasn't allowed to just brush off.
The older ones felt like they were analyzing her. Summing her up in the same way they might sum up an aircraft. They weren't quite as annoying as the younger ones though.
The younger ones displayed an odd habit of trying to consistently draw her attention. For most of the meetings they never left her side. Constantly yammering on and on about whatever thought happened to limp across their minds.
But she knew what they were really up to.
Trying to earn favor with her brother no doubt. The sneaky bastards. Well she certainly didn't fall for it. No one was pulling the blanket over her eyes. Kalthara may have disliked the idea of her brother being the leader of the blades, but she wasn't about to allow that fact to distract her from her duties to the group.
Kolivan was the only real family she had left. There had been others before but they were all dead. Lost to the ceaseless never-ending battle her ancestors had started.
Her brother seemed to have some idea that peace was an attainable concept. But Kalthara knew better. She had not left the many records their organization had preserved unread. While their contents had somehow bolstered her brother to strive towards the blades original mission, the one's she had read had detracted her dedication.
It seemed that every time the universe, or even a small part of it, attained what could graciously be called "peace" something always happened to bring it to an end. All the blood and tears that were shed in order to attain whatever counted as freedom to those people always ended up going to waste when another war started up just a short time later.
It annoyed her to hear her brother droll on and on about making their comrades sacrifices worthwhile, when she knew from history that even if they somehow managed to bring an end to the war another one would just come and wipe away all their progress.
Her whole life and being was dedicated to fighting a battle that couldn't be won. It frustrated her to know that there were no other options available to her. In the universe that existed now you were either a member of the empire or you existed on the fringe. Fighting every day to stay alive.
There was nowhere the war didn't reach. Nowhere left untouched by the ceaseless battles. No life gone unaffected.
It was honestly a miserable existence, but it was the only one they had. The only thing Kalthara could do with her life was to fight to keep her and as many of the people she cared about alive for as long as possible. It had proven time and time again to be a futile battle, but it was better than just resigning herself to whatever fate had been lain out for her.
That was probably why she did what she did.
Calling it a regular patrol mission would have been stretching a point. Regular patrol missions didn't tend to explore long ago abandoned colonies on dead planets.
"This is a waste of time, brother." Kalthara sighed as she kicked a piece of debris to the side. "These old colonies have been abandoned since before the empire was established."
Kolivan ignored her as he pushed past some debris and inspected what seemed to be and ancient control panel. "Before their destruction the alteans were a civilization that rivaled the galra in terms of technology. Some of that machinery was impossible to replicate using galran technology."
"Yes. Like the giant warrior made up of lions." She replied sarcastically. "You can not actually believe those old fairy tales?"
"Those old fairy tales also claimed that the alteans had technology that allowed them to distort space-time in order to travel across whole galaxies in a matter of hours. If we could use that technology it would allow us to have an upperhand in this war."
Kalthara sighed. It was hard to argue with him when he took that track of thinking.
"The only people who have been able to come close to that technology were the druids. Even then, the reach is not quite as vast as the alteans were said to be."
"Give them a few more years." She argued pessimistically. "And I bet they will surpass the so called ancients."
Kolivan tried a door to an abandoned building.
"Sealed." He grunted.
Leaning down he inspected an access pad.
"Brother, we have been here for almost four vargas! There is nothing here of value!"
"I will not leave until I have checked this last structure."
"So once we get the door open, and seen that there is nothing inside we can return to the base?"
"Yes yes, but first I will need to hack this keypad-"
Kalthara's ceremonial blade stabbed through the crack in the door. Using it as leverage she applied all her strength and pried it open.
"Well that is certainly one method."
"Yes yes, you have made your grievance known brother." She stepped through the doorway as she spoke. "Now let us get this chore out of the way so we can go back to the-"
She stopped suddenly and stared into the room.
Kolivan's ears twitched in worry. "Sister? What is it?"
He peered into the darkness.
"Oh." His ears perked up, his eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face.
"Yes oh." Kalthara sighed. "Oh quiznak."
It was a machine.
That was all either of them could really say about it. It was a large cylindrical device which Kalthara had to assume was hollow due to the reverberating echoes that admitted from within when she knocked on it. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion as she inspected the surface.
"Extraordinary." Kolivan breathed as he ran his hand across the surface. "We must analyze this back at-"
"We are not taking this back to the base." Kalthara cut in before realizing she had overstepped her bounds. "I mean, we should not take this back with us."
"This was the whole reason I came out here Kalthara. To find altean technology. Now I have."
"Certainly, but I had assumed you meant something small and harmless. But this?" she gestured to the hunk of metal. "It could be a bomb just waiting to go off! Besides it is too large to move. This is the size of both our pods together! We would need to tow it with BOTH our ships just to get it off the colony! I don't see-"
Kalthara caught the glint in her brother's eye.
Oh quiznak, she thought. I've given him an idea.
As it turned out, the device proved to be much lighter than Kalthara assumed given its size. Only her brother's ship was required to tow the machine. Kolivan seemed more than willing to comply.
"If you wish to drag that trash heap across the galaxy, go right on ahead. I will not be held responsible when something happens to you."
Kolivan grunted. "I do not know why you continue to accompany me on these excursion if all you do is argue."
"If I did not go with you, you would have gone alone, correct?"
He didn't didn't answer.
"That's what I thought."
Kalthara activated her own pod, only waiting for Kolivan to do the same before lifting off.
Honestly her brother's ambition would be his downfall. All she could do until then was keep him alive for as long as possible. Still, perhaps she had been too harsh.
Her brother genuinely believed that this long dead civilizations leftovers could change the tide of the war and the lives of everyone in the universe.
But that was ridiculous.
Whose life could such a clumsy rusted over trash heap possibly change?
Iverson really hadn't changed much in three years. Though Austin was convinced this was because he had a permanent scowl chiseled onto his stone like face. The expression made him look like an old man even though he likely wasn't older than twenty-eight.
Exactly like he'd been in the air force.
Except for the scar. The scar was new.
Austin tried not to look at ir.
"So, uh, h-how've you been?"
Iverson didn't respond. He hadn't even touched the water Austin had given him. Not a good sign.
"I've been alright." Austin carried the one person conversation along clumsily. "I'm an astrologer now. Been observin. Out here. By myself. In the middle of nowhere. Like Courage, eh? Eheheh."
His awkward laugh trailed off as Mitch continued to scowl at the desert.
God, why was this so hard? And why was Iverson even here? All he'd said was "we need to talk" before taking up residency on Austin's porch and starting up a staring contest with the scenery. And though grating on his nerves, Austin couldn't seem to get angry.
They hadn't seen or heard from one another since that day in the hospital and Austin was honestly curious as to how his old friend was doing.
So he asked.
"I see yer wearin a garrison uniform. One of the personnel there?" Going out on a limb he hazarded, "Mitch?"
A single cold eye turned to him.
"Iverson." He growled. "Commander Iverson. And you can stop acting buddy-buddy Kogane. I'm here on business."
"Coulda fooled me." Austin muttered, but quickly added as he caught the commanders glare. "So what kind of business are we talking here? Corporate? Private? Serious?"
Iverson scowled.
"Business business." Then he muttered. "I forgot how annoying you are."
Austin tried not to appear visibly hurt.
"Alright then, get down to it then. What are ya doin here?"
Iverson pressed his lips together and twitched before saying, "Before I start, just know that I had to be explicitly ordered to come out here. I don't agree with my superiors decision. The long and short of it is, I don't want to be here."
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
The commander ignored the comment.
"As you have likely already heard, the galaxy garrison has finished construction of their newest facility."
"News to me." Austin shrugged nonchalantly Perhaps drawing too much satisfaction from the look of irritation on Iverson's face.
"It is literally miles from the nearest town. EVERYONE is talking about it. How have you not heard?!"
Austin gestured at the desert.
"I don't exactly have a lot of gossipy neighbors MI- uh, Iverson."
"Commander."
"Whatever, so you guys have a new facility? Don't see what that's got to do with me."
"It's not just any facility. It's the newest international installment in a world wide collective effort to facilitate and train the next generation of elite astro explorers in preparation for the globally agreed upon mission to push humanities influence into the cosmos and beyond."
It sounded exactly like a pre=written ad campaign. Which it likely was. And given that Iverson was a commander now, chances were he'd memorized the whole thing for just that purpose.
Now would probably be the expected time when all the young candidates would be expected to begin salivating at the mouth while imagining themselves doing the moonwalk on an asteroid.
Austin found this idea reprehensible.
They should be doing the robot.
"That's an overly long way of spaying Space School."
"It's NOT a Space School it's an elite training facility!"
"Are they learning to be astronauts, engineers, pilots, and astrologers?"
"Of course they are!"
"Are they being graded?"
"They are going to be ranked through-"
"Ranks, grades, same thing. It's a space school."
"It's NOT! It's a-"
"Space School."
"GOD DAMMIT AUSTIN!"
"Ha!" he grinned ear to ear. "You called me by my first name!"
Iverson was flushed with anger and embarrassment. "God I hate you."
"Sure, whatever Mitch. But you still haven't answered my question." Austin was suddenly serious. "What's it got to do with me?"
Iverson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He hated this.
He hated the dry air and the desert heat.
He hated the poorly thought out decisions that had brought him here.
He hated the dilapidated old porch he wa siting on.
But most of all he hated that Austin could still get his goose the same way he always had. He hated the rosy colored reminiscences that this silly conversation was bring to the surface.
Iverson hated it all.
But not Austin. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't hate Austin.
He thought that that would have been easy. Afterall, old friend though he was, he had ended Iverson's flying career. He'd cost him his perfect record. Taken his eye.
But he couldn't truly hate him.
And he hated that most of all.
"The garrison want to fill some of the facility position with highly decorated and influential individuals." Iverson explained. "They've already appointed Samuel Holt as a central member of the science division."
Austin raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah, I figured you'd know who he was given your hobby."
Scowling, Austin retorted. "It's my career now. Not a hobby."
But once the momentary irritation evaporated his brow creased in serious thought.
Samuel Holt was a highly respected member of the astrological community. His work on the Mars space colony had revolutionized the idea of life on other planets. He had also been an ardent supporter for the Galaxy Garrison when it had first been proposed on the world stage.
Throwing someone like him into the project really showed just how serious the planners behind this project were. They were collecting the brightest minds from all over the world to take part in the program. Hell, Iverson's presence there even showed they valued the skills the former pilots; flight ready or otherwise.
This last thought made Austin's brow crease further.
"Mitch-"
"Iverson."
Austin growled in frustration but continued on.
"Look… if you're trying to figure out where the other members of our squadron went after they shut down the air force. I have no idea. None of them have talked to me since-"
"I know. That's not why I'm here." Pulling off his beret, he looked Austin in the eye and asked.
"Austin Kogane. On behalf of the Galaxy Garrison, I have been tasked to officially invite you to join our organization."