“Your thoughts, Captain?”

“Just a moment, Admiral.”

“Hrm.” Admiral Hanover laced his fingers together on his desk. He had not, of course, come this far by being impatient or easy to anger. He was as proud of his ability to stay calm under pressure as he was of his moustache, which was, all things considered, a very good moustache. Nonetheless, the woman in the chair opposite him had a tendency to test the limits of that patience. A part of him was convinced that, sipping her coffee, she was drawing out her answer deliberately to annoy him, but there was no way for him to prove that. And it was a big decision to make. 

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Captain Durand finally said, as she put the cup and saucer on the desk. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and looked at him without a hint of humour on her face. If Hanover hadn’t known her for decades, he wouldn’t have seen the little twinkle in her eye that told him she was, as she always had, pushing the boundaries of authority. “I can’t help but wonder, Admiral…” She stood up without warning and walked to the window, the second half of her sentence hanging in the air, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Outside, the rolling green terraces of New Babylon shone green in the warm mid-day sun. For a moment, Admiral Hanover wondered if she was never going to say anything. Which was exactly, of course, when she did. “I can’t help but wonder why you chose me. There must be some young up-and-comer eager for this posting.”

“There are. There are plenty,” Hanover said. “Reluctantly, Captain, I have to admit that, while I have my reservations, your service record makes you an excellent candidate. And there is the matter of your retirement.” He rubbed the line of his jaw with his thumb.

“You’re shuffling me off,” Durand said, her eyebrows raised as she clasped her hands behind her back and looked at him. “Am I too inconvenient to keep around?”

“Nonsense.” Admiral Hanover huffed. “You’re a war hero. If you were as ‘dangerous’ as you thought you were, Captain, I’d have stationed you on an ISS until your last day.” Durand smirked for the first time, and the star in her eye sparkled even harder. He could tell she relished the fact that she was causing him unpleasantness, but decorum forbade him from actually saying anything about it. “You’re qualified. And you have a reputation. That will help.” He pushed himself out of his chair. He hadn’t left Earth in years, but he’d done his best to keep in shape. It had worked. To a certain extent.

“I see,” Captain Durand said. “When do I start?

*****

Looking out into the hangar, Cathérine Durand was an imposing woman. She stood a little over six feet tall, and was all sharp angles. It was like someone had designed her with a ruler, which only added to her aura of military excellence. Her reputation preceded her, and those who didn’t know her found her gaze something to be feared. She wore her red-but-graying hair fairly short, choosing to keep it no longer than her shoulders, and that was already pushing it. She seemed indomitable, dangerous, and in control at all times. Cathérine Durand had put a lot of work into cultivating that image, and it did a lot of work for her. If she was lost in thought, or daydreaming, she simply seemed focused. 

Her new assignment was… a responsibility. A big one to bear, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was cut out for it. After all, like the Admiral had said, she was a war hero. She was no diplomat. Well, strictly speaking, that’s exactly what she was. Semantics.

Going out into the great unknown, playing pathfinder, scientist, diplomat and who knew what else… it was a responsibility she didn’t know she was up for. Not to say that she didn’t want it. Twenty years ago, when she was fresh out of the academy, she would have leapt at an opportunity like this. Now she could only worry that she had become too old, too jaded. But if the Admiralty Board wanted to send her… with a brand new ship, no less. 

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” The voice from behind her made her startle, but only someone with a heartbeat monitor would’ve been able to tell. She moved not a muscle. The man who joined her was a little taller than she was, with short, curly hair and an idle, playful smile. He wore an officer’s uniform not unlike her own, but he carried himself casually. The uniform had a tendency to make anyone look strict, but he seemed to be able to force the clothing to appear as comfortable as he did. He noticed her looking him over, and he extended a hand. “Hasan Prakoso,” he introduced himself. “Captain Durand, I presume?” She nodded. “I’ve been assigned to you as your First Science Officer. I hope we’ll get along.” He flashed her a smile bright enough to blind an unexpecting onlooker.

“I look forward to finding out, Hasan,” Durand said. Her voice was level, but her new science officer seemed to be adept at reading her particularly careful sense of humour, and his grin widened. “What do you know of the ship?” she asked, and he turned back to the window. Behind it, in the giant berthing hangar, was a ship. But not just any ship. It was an intricate marvel of technology. She knew that much. Its giant, vertical wings could house the population of any single starship. It would be able to unfurl solar sails that dwarfed entire space stations. The ship’s central shuttle was beautifully curved, and rotated on its own axis as needed. She was, as the Science Officer had said, beautiful. 

“The SS Sollipsis,” he said. “Largest non-military vessel ever created. Well, other than the OSS and her children, of course.” The sleek exterior had the ship’s name written on it in every known script. “Twelve hundred personnel and families standard, but made to house ten times that. Capable of indefinite deep-space flight, exploration, and fuel production, with a Suleiman-Alcubierre Drive three point five times as efficient as the fleet standard.” He turned to her. “She will go anywhere, Captain, and faster than anyone has ever gone.”

“Impressive,” she said, and turned without warning, walking down the halls that would take her to her ship. Hasan followed at a leisurely pace, and it wasn’t long before they were on the elevator that would take them to the airlock. “What about you, Prakoso? What’s your record? A posting like this would be a dream come true for any cadet, let alone first science officer.” Hasan put his hands in his pockets and nodded thoughtfully. 

“Yeah. Got lucky, I guess. I was stationed on Europa, and I guess someone finally took notice of my papers.” He grinned to himself. “People were really angry about those, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were happy to see me off.”

“Angry?” Cathérine asked, curiosity piqued. “How so?”

The memory seemed to please him greatly. “I disproved a lot of popular hypotheses about deep-sea life on moons and exoplanets and their relation to complex tidal movements.” He shook his head as the elevator came to a gentle stop. “They didn’t like that one bit. Three people quit, and the research lead had just finished his second book on the subject.” His smile was infectious, and it was only through sheer force of will that Cathérine didn’t join him. She could definitely appreciate a move like that. Existing power structures were made to be challenged, after all. 

“Do you know anything about the rest of the crew?” she asked. He shook his head. 

“They’ll be competent,” he said. “Perhaps even the most competent crew on any vessel not built for combat. But no, none of them personally, I’m afraid.” They approached the airlock, and Cathérine nodded. She hadn’t seen the ship manifest either. Usually, she’d prefer to do her homework before meeting the crew, but almost everyone on the crew had been a last-minute addition and a part of her, a part she didn’t really want to admit was there, was excited, almost giddy at the prospect of seeing a new ship, a new crew. Hell, everything from now on would be new. When the airlock opened, they were hit with a light gust of recycled air, and after a frustratingly long moment of waiting, she finally saw the inside of her new ship. It was beautiful. The walls were brand new, black glass paneling on plasteel walls of eggshell-whites and warm browns. The floor was carpeted, and smelled exactly like fresh carpet was supposed to smell. In fact, the whole ship smelled brand new. It was chemical and oppressive and perfect. Captain Cathérine Durand touched one of the wall-panels, and the display lit up helpfully. It showed her that most of the crew was already present. Good. She wanted to leave as quickly as possible, and the more people had gotten settled in, the better. The little display showed her biometrics being recognized. 

“Open a channel,” she said. “All decks.” 

“Captain Cathérine Durand: Authorized,” the tinny voice said. After a moment, a little microphone icon lit up. She wished she’d cleared her throat before she’d done this. 

“Attention all crew,” she said with all the authority in the world. “My name is Captain Cathérine Durand. Some of you will have heard of me. Some of you won’t. My service record is free to view in the archives. What I expect from you is nothing less than excellence. Our mission is vital, this ship irreplaceable. What I demand from you is cooperation. With my orders, of course, but, perhaps as importantly, with each other. This ship will only function if you, the crew, act as one.” She looked sideways at Hasan, who had raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “So I demand you fraternize. Form connections. It is what makes us human. It is what will bring us forward, to new stars, and the future. I look forward to working with you all. Durand out.” She shut the communication system off, and exhaled, letting her shoulders slump a bit. “How did I do?” she asked as she made her way to the elevator.

“Excuse me?” Hasan Prakoso seemed genuinely surprised to be asked the question as he followed her in.

“I’ve never captained a vessel whose purpose wasn’t warfare, Prakoso, and the majority of the crew is technically civilian.” She bit her lip as the elevator ascended to the bridge. “Truth be told… I’m nervous.”

“You did alright. Clearly military, of course, but I doubt there are a lot of people on this ship that don’t know you by reputation.” He smirked again. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she said, and the doors opened to her bridge. It was well lit, with a command chair in the middle, where she would be able to see her bridge crew, and they her, without much trouble. The chair itself was a bit large, not so much opulent as it was imposing. She could sit in it twice if she kept her arms and legs close together, but she knew how to sit in a chair like that without looking like she was going to lose herself in it. When she entered, the crew stood up and saluted her. “At ease.” Everyone went back to their stations, making sure the ship was in perfect condition. Hasan moved to his own station, close to her own, although he would likely be spending most of his time in the lab once research became a priority. The Sollipsis would be launching in less than a day, she realized as she stood in front of the command chair. That was no time at all. She took off her shoes, sat down, and crossed her legs. It caught her some glances from the crew, but she didn’t pay them any mind. In front of her, through the large view-screen, she could see the giant exit gates of the hangar, and beyond that an infinity of stars, infinitely bright and beckoning.

Elamimax

The stars -- and possibilities -- are endless. 

So, this is a new story, and a new way for me to write stories. This story is, after all, a commission. But at the time of writing, it is not a commission of one person. Welcome to Among Brighter Stars, an ongoing, serial commission. The initial request was made by a patron, but everyone can contribute. That means that Patrons (through Patreon or  by sending me a mail at [email protected], with "Commission ABS" in the header) can, if they want to, commission more chapters so more will get published in a month. That way, you can sort of vote on what you want more of. The cost is $20 per 1000 words, and half that for certain Patron tiers. Alternatively, you can just support me on Patreon and gain access to every chapter as its written, before anyone else does. All the cool kids are doing it!

I hope you like the system, and I hope you like the story. Don't worry, you'll see more soon. 

Also, check out my other new story, Eris, The First God of Chaos.