Full support. By HIGHCOM.
Jackson took off the enviro-suit, revealing tight-fitting pyjamas underneath. He was back in the post-officer's ship, having purchased a standard Alliance officer uniform on his way. The shop attendant seemed surprised that an injured Quarian was buying a human uniform for no reason, but he didn't ask questions when Jackson presented his access code.
My mission. With no-one else to order me around.
Jackson put on the uniform, which smelt like perfumed soap. He loved that smell; it reminded him of Catherine. This smell was partially the reason why he always bought his uniform instead of receiving the handouts.
I am Lone Wolf... But even the maverick has friends.
He used the reflective surface of the cargo bay's door as a mirror. The uniform suited him nicely. It was a bit loose at the shoulders and had a long sleeve, but it wasn't too bad. He bent down on the enviro-suit again, pulling out the badge from the pocket. A Captain's badge, one that didn't think he deserved.
Duty? Yes. Hope? Yes.
He put on the badge on his left chest. The uniform quickly registered his name, rank and other information, and displayed them accordingly. His name, displayed just above the badge, was written in full – Liam Harry Jackson.
"Let's go. The crew's waiting."
…
James "Alli" Allison was depressed, even though he had every reason not to. He was the very first XO of the SSV Horizon, the second state-of-the-art ship made by the Alliance in two years. He was promoted to a Lieutenant Commander two days ago. He liked the new crew very much (except for the Quarians). Everything was perfect.
Except for the fact that there was going to be a new captain.
It had been only five days since Horizon finally left the "garage" and formally commissioned. At the commissioning ceremony, majority of the crew were chosen and already there. Many of them were from the mysterious group called HIGHCOM. Alli enthusiastically noted the absence of a captain… perhaps they hadn't chosen one yet?
For the last five days, he had been working tirelessly, getting to know the crew and supervising the last tests that were being done on the ship. He considered himself the commandeering officer, one day leading this amazing craft into battle. He had even created a list of things to do once he became the captain of Horizon.
That morning, he had woken up knowing that the ship was ready to fly. For the first time, it could leave the Citadel. He was eccentric, buzzing here and there, making sure that the stocks were filled for any type of mission that the Admiral would send them that day.
His dreams came crashing into the ground just an hour ago – a new captain was to arrive that day. His orders were to "fully support the Captain in all his intentions, commitments and plans".
Whoever that is coming through that door better be very, very good. He thought as he glared at the airlock that usually served as the main entrance.
…
Kisana Sorac: The trial's finished. We won! Rallel's free, and she's agreed to join our cause.
Lone Wolf: "Join our cause" sounded a bit iffy, but that's great news. How is our new recruit then?
KS: She seems alright. A bit mistrusting, a bit jumpy - kinda like Thea actually. But you should be more worried about Thea. She looks as if she's swam through a pool full of Khar'shan Snapping Eels… I think you should buy her a drink.
LW: Ha ha! Will do.
KS: I hope everything went okay with you.
LW: Yeah, I'm fine. I've arranged a new transport, too. I've returned the ship that we rode in on – I hope I collected everything. It was just your handbag and your coat, right?
KS: I think so.
LW: Well, I've mailed them back to Omega. I doubt the thieves will be able to get to it though – I sent it on Premium delivery.
KS: What! You've just mailed them?!
LW: Did I do something wrong?
KS: Well… I guess not.
LW: I did something wrong, didn't I?
KS: No, no! It's just… my credit chit was inside the handbag.
LW: Crap… You should disable it.
KS: Probably. Wait… Done. Now then, I'm gonna have to borrow your credit chit.
LW: Wait, what? How do you have mine?
KS: Thea took it before she left, remember?
LW: Riiight. Just tell me if you girls feel like going on a shopping spree.
KS: Sorry Jackson, too late.
LW: Liam, please.
KS: Right… Liam... We've spent-
LW: Wait. Sorry. I haven't actually finished my work yet. Just give me another ten minutes, okay?
KS: Sure. Good luck!
…
Flight Officer Neil Hackham spotted an Alliance officer walking towards the ship. From the height vantage point that the bridge gave him, he could see that the man was quite young – in his late twenties, at the latest. Black haired, medium height, rather thin, wide-shouldered, tanned (or brown?) skin, he didn't look like much of a fighter. His determined and polished walk towards the Horizon clearly indicated that he was someone with a high ranking. But what really gave him away was the holographic emblem on his right shoulder – a golden sun rising proudly above the curved horizon. This was their new captain. Neil switched on the comms:
"Attention crew! Flight Officer Hackham speaking. There is an Alliance officer approaching with the Horizon's emblem on his right shoulder. I believe that he is our new captain. Please prepare accordingly."
Neil switched off the comms, put on his official flight deck jacket and got up, heading towards the ship's exit. The ship's VI automatically turned off the access to the bridge behind him.
His thoughts were filled with the expectations for the new captain. In all honesty, he wasn't hoping much. Their XO was a disaster. Quirky and over-friendly, he had demanded that he was called "Alli" when they were off duty. Neil quickly realised that the man had actually never seen a real battlefield before – filled with fantasies, naïve and almost arrogant, he was what his friends called "Videogame Officer". Hell, he wasn't even from HIGHCOM! From the brief glance that he managed to get, his new captain didn't seem all that different.
By the time he got to the central chamber (the second largest room in the whole ship, directly connected to all vital areas. It housed the CIC and the armoury, but most of the crew used it as a social hub), almost all of the crew were assembled into rows, divided by their roles around the ship. He belonged to the "Hardware" group (named by the XO), which included three flight officers, eight engineers, two communications officers and one navigator. Two Quarians, Shema and Kem vas Hidinors were there too. They were siblings, recruited by Admiral Han himself in an exchange for a large number of LM-77 Missile Launchers. Neil heard that they were elite soldiers within the Quarian Marines, and the Flotilla wanted them to gain more experience in HIGHCOM. He personally liked them both – they were friendly, knowledgeable and most importantly, got stuff done. They worked incredibly fast, fixing up the tiniest hiccups that the new ship showed.
He took the empty spot next to Kem (actually, both spots next to Shema and Kem were empty, since most of the crew avoided the Quarians). After a little more hustling, the whole room was filled with the entire Horizon crew. A respectful silence filled the room. Even the non-HIGHCOM crew were quiet.
The airlock's door opened and a man stepped in. He scanned the room from right to left. Neil was amused – perhaps he did have training after all. More silence ensued.
Neil finally had enough: "Atten-tion!"
All the old-time HIGHCOM crew (nicknamed "oldies" by most) saluted simultaneously, making an audible snap! The others followed, and the XO's face turned red. The new captain saluted them back, also making his uniform snap. He put down his hands. All the oldies, again, put down their hands simultaneously, with others lagging behind a little.
"At ease." The captain said. Neil noticed that the captain was trying not to look amused at the situation.
A synchronised thump of the feet echoed the floor, and then rumble of others trying to catch up. They had gotten used to the fact that oldies had trained themselves to perfection. Some of the non-oldie HIGHCOM crew even managed to follow them.
"Welcome aboard sir!" The XO said, his face still bright red. "I am Lieutenant Commander James Allison, the executive officer of the Horizon. We are ready to depart as soon as you are ready sir."
The man nodded. He seemed to scan his crew in detail, his eyes pausing at every individual as it moved across.
Neil felt Kem twitch, and he immediately knew why – the ship still had to finish its initial burnout cycle before taking. The XO didn't know about that. Actually, he probably knew but didn't care.
"Hello, my name is…" He paused briefly "Liam Jackson. Captain Jackson. You may call me whatever you like."
Neil felt as if a hammer had landed in his stomach. Liam Jackson? Agent Li? The Lone Wolf? He was their new captain? Everyone in HIGHCOM had heard about Lone Wolf. Even in a secret organisation, the man was notorious for being elusive – and deadly. Most of his missions were classified, but those that weren't told tales of impossible actions… like hijacking a ship single-handedly.
We're going to hell. Neil thought. I thought he was older than me. Another voice in his head asked. So… he's not Lone Wolf anymore? A nervous feeling spoke. It might be a guy with the same name!
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"-that we are not yet fully ready. I will brief you further once the mission details are clear. We'll therefore be idling for some time. But, unfortunately for our maiden flight, I have the need to visit Omega, so please plot a course there."
Did I miss something? Damn it. Neil thought.
Their Captain, who seemed to have finished analysing his crew, smiled for the first time. His black eyes shone like pearls.
"Many of you will probably know me as Lone Wolf, and it's true that I haven't worked in a team for a long time. So I look forward to getting to know you all. Please come and talk to me whenever you feel like it – I won't bite."
Neil was impressed – this man knew how to establish himself as the authority, didn't demand it. Neil felt a tiny ripple of relief coursing throughout the HIGHCOM crew.
This is going to be interesting.