UNION

Union War Ship, UWS Angel S. Murphy. Union Frontier Space Border, Carrier Battle Group Twenty-Three.

Sitting aboard the bridge of a Yorktown-class carrier was a trial in mastering the art of tuning out noise. Hundreds of voices talked simultaneously, Sphere Controllers coordinating hundreds of traveling small craft, bridge officers reporting the status of the ship and the captain giving out the occasional orders as navigators shouted back acknowledgements. Rear Admiral Anton Zahara was long used to the symphony of noise as he sat calmly on his section of the bridge reading intelligence reports on his MoCom taking the occasional swig of warm tea in a flask. Frontier patrol was a vital duty yet most of the time it was dreadfully dull, there was often talk of how dangerous Frontier space is from marauding pirates, colonial terrorist cells on infiltration missions and even the rare panic over invisible ships from the Stellar Empire of Tendoyue using unknown cloaking technology to slip past the border.

Most of the tales were pure sensationalism though not entirely born from ignorance. Frontier space was dangerous, there was no shortage of dangers a traveling merchant vessel, explorer, or civilian yacht could run into. A Union Aerospace Navy, Carrier Battle Group was a far different story. Twenty heavily armed warships loudly broadcasting their presence was enough to make even the boldest enemies of the Interstellar Union think twice before attempting any undesirable activity where they could be noticed. Thus, frontier patrols were as much about establishing presence as actually intercepting anything. Though Zahara was long familiar with this, he had been doing patrols like these for nearly a decade now. From his days as a fresh-faced ensign out of the academy to now.

"Admiral Zahara?" A voice cut in.

Anton looked up and saw Captain Stephanie Ngu approaching, she was an experienced officer who had worked with him for a few years now, so he was good at reading her mood. He was surprised to see she looked rather surprised as she saluted.

"Something wrong, Captain?" Anton said.

"A priority call from Mars, sir," she said. "Code confirms, it's Fleet Admiral Halsey on the line for you."

"Fleet Admiral Halsey?" Anton repeated. "I will take it at once, excuse me."

Anton immediately stood, dropping his MoCom and resting his tea as he quickly stepped off the bridge. A call received directly from fleet command was best taken in private as he walked briskly through the busy halls of the Angel, giving curt nods and quick salutes to passing crewmen as he walked by. Entering his quarters, he approached his office, a tight room tucked into the corner with a computer terminal and stacks of papers and devices. Adjusting his uniform, the Rear Admiral sat down before answering the video call. Fleet Admiral Johnathan Halsey appeared a man born out of a classical age, square-jawed with short brown hair and hard brown eyes, many would say he was meant for a more ancient era during the global wars of Earth's past when men like him led maritime navies into battle. Anton saluted as Admiral Halsey nodded giving him a warm expression.

"Rear Admiral Zahara," he said. "Sorry to bother you with the suddenness of this call but circumstances required it."

"Of course, Fleet Admiral," Anton said. "What do you have for me?"

"Approximately three days ago your local time, a frontier communications relay ship intercepted an emergency scramble data dump from beyond the border," Admiral Halsey said. "A Sacagawea-class deep space exploration ship, UAS Thorfinn Karlsefni reported catastrophic damage over a planet they were surveying which required immediate crew evacuation."

Anton nodded as he listened intently. He produced a pen and quickly began writing down notes as the Fleet Admiral explained the situation. As Admiral Halsey spoke, the screen displayed maps showing the location of the Relay Ship and the anticipated location of the Thorfinn Karlsefni.

"Deep space exploration is dangerous work, we all know that, but there are certain elements of the scramble data which have Earth concerned," Halsey continued. "Before the Karlsefni was damaged, they reported discovering a habitable planet with terran conditions, which possessed an indigenous population of pre-industrial anatomically modern baseline humans."

"Humans, sir?"

Admiral Halsey nodded. "Correct, humans. Analysis of the scramble data confirms their findings. Shortly after their discovery, however, the Karlsefni was attacked, several anti-ship missiles were launched at the vessel from an unknown source. Sacagawea-class vessels are minimally armed, their anti-debris laser didn't have a chance to intercept that firepower which caused catastrophic damage resulting in the loss of the ship."

Anton let out a long sigh. His grip on his pen tightened as he listened to the detail. Firing on a civilian vessel doing peaceful survey missions was a grievous crime.

"Did their data indicate who could have attacked? The indigenous population?"

"We believe an attack by the indigenous population would be impossible," Admiral Halsey said. "The Karlsefni's analysis was brief before the attack, but nothing indicated their pre-industrial capabilities were merely a façade. The system they surveyed is on the edge of contested space near the Independent Colonies and the Imperial Sphere of Tendoyue. It is possible that the Colonials or Tendos could have played a part in this. Until we assess further, we're blind, that is where you come in."

Anton nodded. "I believe I understand, Fleet Admiral. Mission?"

"Good man," Fleet Admiral Halsey nodded before straightening up. "Carrier Battle Group Twenty-Three is to immediately suspend frontier patrol operations and redirect to an emergency area of operation. For the sake of efficiency, the system of operation will henceforth be known as the Camelot System, the planet in question will be known as codename Holy Grail. Rear Admiral Anton Zahara, you have operational authority in this sector until relieved. Priority one is the rescue and recovery of all surviving and deceased crewmembers of the UAS Thorfinn Karlsefni for immediate return to Union Space and investigating the nature of their attack. Due to the nature of the emergency standard first contact protocols are suspended, you are authorized to use whatever means necessary to rescue Union citizens up to lethal force if required, however Union Parliament and the Presidential Administration advise minimal force where possible."

"Understood Fleet Admiral," Anton said with a salute. "We will deploy at once."

"It will take some time to reach the Camelot System, you'll be alone briefly. Analyze and report anything of interest you find on Holy Grail, we contacted the Planetary Army and requested an expeditionary force be put on standby if you need additional support. They're assembling on Baal as we speak. Likewise, the UWS Astarte is operating near the frontier, she's not at full capacity since she's been assigned to the diplomatic mission. Still, if you need more troops, Captain Booker Reese is a good man, and his wife is a civilian government representative if you need a liaison with Earth. Additional Relay Ships are being dispatched to your area of operation to speed up communications."

"Understood," Anton said. "Anything else?"

"That is all for now," Halsey said. "Godspeed Rear Admiral, get it done."

As Fleet Admiral Halsey's face disappeared, Anton let out a sigh as he adjusted his peaked cap. There was never a dull moment in the Aero Navy, and he was just given the mother of all missions. He tapped his console and Captain Ngu appeared.

"Stephanie, contact the Battle Group," Anton said. "I'm sending a new heading to you now; all ships will redirect immediately. Then I want all senior officers to report for an interfleet briefing priority one."

Captain Ngu saluted as she read. "Contested space, Admiral?"

"Yes, Captain for a vital task. Please, hurry."

Stephanie only nodded as she disappeared. Admiral Zahara stood as he adjusted his uniform, he would give his briefing from the bridge. The Twenty-Third were no stranger to combat operations, but a rescue mission in contested space with an uncontacted world and known hostiles was daunting. As he walked toward the bridge he could hear the gentle thuds of escort fighters and drones making their recovery landings and the gentle groaning hum of Angel's massive gravity engines spinning to life.

"Admiral on deck!"

Several crewmen saluted as Anton returned to the bridge and he returned the gesture, likewise, motioning them to return to their duties. On the display showing the vast void of space, he could see the last small craft returning as the Angel's escorts were already preparing to depart. The Battlecruisers UWS Jutland and UWS Isonzo could be easily seen as their massive fusion engines roared to life, followed by a distorted bubble which engulfed the ships as they bent spacetime with the sheer force of gravity. The two giants suddenly raced forward disappearing from the naked eye as they accelerated to the speed of light. The escorts followed quickly, racing away one by one until the Angel S. Murphy was alone. The symphony of the crew was now at max volume as officers reported the status of their sections and accounted for everything.

"Captain all sections locked down and green, we are ready to go on your word.'

Captain Ngu nodded and raised her hand. "Transit!"

"Roger transit!"

The carrier lurched forward as an invisible bubble surrounded it. The Angel S. Murphy began moving forward until the stars surrounding them became a line.

"Transit speed reached," An officer said. "We'll reach our escorts momentarily."

"Good work," Ngu said. "Ready for your briefing, Admiral."

Anton nodded. He stood as the faces of the Battle Group's leaders appeared one by one, each anticipating his next words. The Rear Admiral took a breath.

"Fleet, we have a difficult mission ahead of us…"

Author's Note:

And we are back after a long break. I apologize for the delay, I started a new job recently and needed some time to adjust but now I'm getting back to ASOTS. This chapter is a step away from the crossover to set up the next phase we'll be entering soon, next time we'll rejoin our friends in Westeros and Essos.