The Themiskyra was a truly impressive ship, even from the perspective of the dinky little TV embedded into the back of Rebecca’s chair. It was a colossus of metal, easily the size of some of the largest skyscrapers within the city of Athens.
It was a clumsy looking thing, being strangely boxy. Though she supposed that without the burdens of an atmosphere there really wasn’t a reason to care about things like aerodynamics.
A pair of blue contrails shot out from the rear of the titan. It was a potent thrust brought forth from reactors that were surely more magic than science. Or at least, a level of science that a junior mechanic couldn’t help but feel like was the product of magic.
“We are now beginning our final descent into the Themiskyra,” the shuttle’s officer said through the comms system. “Please consider flying with Air Themiskyra for all your future flights back to the planet Thebes.” She snorted. “Not that you honestly have much of a choice in the matter.”
The craft started to bank slightly and Rebecca shifted in her seat.
She glanced to her side and placed a hand on Ashley’s arm, shaking her.
Ashley jerked awake. “Are we there yet?”
“Nearly,” Rebecca said. “Pilot just said we’re about to dock.”
“Dang, and here I was, having a really nice dream,” Ashley murmured. She stretched her arms above her head and made a contented little cooing sound as her joints popped. “You were there, believe it or not.”
Rebecca smirked. “How dirty were they?”
“Extremely,” Ashley shot back.
The comms came back on. “Two minutes until docking. Also, good news but I’ve been informed that due to the dire circumstances that we face as a society, you will not be subjected to the usual hazing ritual of having to endure a half-crazed barrel roll.”
This earned the pilot a ripple of laughter from her wards. Though if that laughter was genuine or nervous, Rebecca couldn’t honestly tell. At least for herself, it was nervous.
Sure, she knew that the Bands would require her to do some intensive maneuvers. Though she preferred if they were not taken lightly. After all, she very much enjoyed the orientation of her organs as they were inside of her body.
“I dreamed that we were on a beach,” Ashley said, clearly ignoring the pilot’s teasing. “A nice warm sunny beach on the Islands. White sand, hot girls, and clothing was completely optional.”
“And I was there?” Rebecca asked.
Ashley nodded slowly. “As bare as the day you were born.”
“We should go to one of those beaches sometime,” Rebecca teased.
A person nearby scoffed. “Those beaches are filled with older guys who just want to leer at cute girls.”
“Sadly, there is no Island of Lesbos on our little planet,” Ashley said, yawning and smacking her lips together.
Rebecca nodded. “They should really set aside one for us. A nice little retreat for members of the Sacred Bands to go to when we’re off duty and need a place to relax and chill out.”
“The Colonial Administration probably thinks that it would be a waste of money,” Ashley grumbled. “But hey maybe we can become famous and petition them to do that.”
“Famous?” Rebecca snorted. “The Bands are revered but I doubt that we’d have the clout to get enough investors willing to drop several million dollars on our pipe dream, babe.”
“There has to be some old sympathetic lesbian out there who can sugar mommy all of our dreams,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca rolled her eyes and was about to retort, though she was cut off as the ship started to shake. It was like going through turbulence on an airplane. Though thankfully it was only for a very brief period of time.
Once the vibrations had settled, she lifted her arm and was surprised by how light it felt.
This gravity wasn’t quite like Thebes. It was only about half as strong. Still, it was an interesting change.
“Must’ve landed,” Ashley said.
As if to prove her right, the comms came back online. “And we have safely landed. Please sit tight while we get this craft into its proper berth.”
A few more minutes went by and the energy within the cabin was palpable. Rebecca bit her lip and bounced her leg, eager to get off of this craft and see the Themiskyra properly. And as she looked at Ashley, she saw a similar energy within her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the ship finally shuddered to a halt.
A couple more seconds ticked by before the cockpit opened and the pilots stepped into the cargo bay.
“You lot have quite the welcoming ceremony waiting for you,” one of them said. “Got half the ship’s officer corps here to handpick you for their various pet projects.”
The second pilot went over to a button on the wall and pressed it. This released the harnesses that had constrained Rebecca, and everyone else, until this point.
She pushed it away and got her feet, surprised by how much they wobbled under her. As she looked at Ashley, she noticed that she was also afflicted by a similar bout of sea legs. Apparently, a change in gravity wasn’t the easiest thing to overcome.
“Going to take a little while getting used to this,” Ashley said, shaking her head. “Wonder why they do this?”
Rebecca shrugged. “Guess having only a fraction of a gravity makes it easier for the smaller craft to take off or something.”
“Must be,” Ashley murmured.
The pilots went over to the bay doors and fiddled with the controls. They soon shuddered and started to open, descending towards the ground.
As they parted, Rebecca got her first taste of life aboard the Themiskyra.
The first thing she noticed was how it smelled. It may have been because they were in the hanger but it was like a machine shop. The air was heavy with metals, fumes, and the scents of lubricants and oils. And much like a shop, the din was loud with many crashes and bangs.
The interior was filled with various kinds of smaller ships. She recognized all of them from her lessons in the academy.
There were of course shuttles, like this one, though what really stood out were the smallest vessels present.
Generation Three Hoplites
They were the bread and butter of the Sacred Bands, a two-woman attack craft that looked like something pulled right out of a science fiction magazine. They were sleek, slender, and needlessly aerodynamic. And by the gods did they look cool.
Each bore enough firepower to slag anything that came through the Thermopylae Warp Gate, bearing a wide assortment of cannons and missiles.
The one she spotted, through the crack, had red flames painted upon it and had two women working it over. It was hard to read them from this far away but they seemed astute, taking their duties incredibly seriously.
Finally, the ramp clapped against the ground.
And like the pilot promised, there seemed to be quiet the ceremony assembled for the newbies who had just landed.
There were a series of small vehicles laid out in neat rows before the shuttle. They were like the little carts in the Athens’ airport which shuttled people to their connecting flights. And standing at the foot of each was a woman wearing a crisp uniform that spoke of her importance.
And in front of them all was Captain Constantine herself.
Rebecca couldn’t help but notice that she looked far less pleased than she had on the day of their wedding. Her expression was serious, grim. Though considering the circumstances, and her rank, that could only be expected.
After all, there were many fingers being pointed. And Rebecca could only assume that many of those ended up in Constantine’s direction.
Still, she was an intimidating presence, burly and strong with her metallic leg and scars proudly on display. If there ever was a resolute leader in a time of crisis, she would’ve filled the roll nicely based on appearances alone.
“Ladies,” Captain Constantine boomed. “I’m thankful that we could finally get you up here. Normally, I would have a happier disposition to welcome you aboard. But as you’d imagine, the last week has sucked every last ounce of goodwill out of me.”
She sighed and shook her head. Her expression grew quite dark and she looked like she was about to spit with pure venom.
Instead, she drew in a breath and settled herself to a more moderate level of disdain. “You have joined the bands at an interesting time, that much I can say with certainty.” With another breath she nodded towards the vehicles. “You’ll now be divided into teams by my officers and moved to your quarters for orientation. Thank you and may the Gods save Thebes.”
With that Constantine saddled up upon one of the carts and slapped the side of it. She was off, moving further into the hangar to attend to one of a million duties that surely needed to be examined during such a critical time.
With Constantine gone, the officers stepped forth, each of them bearing a board. One by one they listed off names.
Due to being the Agincourt-Reeds, Ashley and Rebecca were called early, ushered towards the leftmost cart. They obeyed and sat down upon the tired and deflated seats. They were not even remotely comfortable.
Ashley looked at Rebecca and smiled before draping an arm over her shoulder.
Rebecca tensed, at first, but forced herself to lean against her wife.
“Is something the matter?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca glanced at her, noticing the concern in her gaze.
It was a silly question, wasn’t it? Had she really forgotten the clerk that she had left a battered and bloodied husk upon the ground? Surely, such memories couldn’t be ignored.
“Just…” Rebecca shook her head. “It’s been a long week.”
“A hell of a long week,” Ashley whispered.
One by one, the carts were filled with fresh faced recruits until the last was called. A couple with the family name Xenophon-Clarke.
The officer who picked them finally saddled up upon their cart, ushering for the driver to go. Which she did without question, zooming through the hanger.
“I’m Petty Officer Jamie Le Fleur,” she said. “I’ve served upon the Themiskyra for the last eight years of my life.”
She was a beautiful woman, though Rebecca sensed that this was a common theme aboard this ship. Her cheekbones were striking, along with her bountiful blonde hair. She very much looked like one of the Amazonians who would’ve joined battle during the Siege of Troy back on Earth.
“As Captain Constantine mentioned, things have been extremely active aboard this ship. The last few days have been tough,” Jamie said. “Normally your orientation would fill an entire day but sadly I’m needed for about a thousand other things this afternoon. I do apologize for this but I hope that you can understand our difficulties.”
There was a murmur of sympathy from the recruits which earned them a thin smile from their officer.
“This is the hanger,” Jamie said, starting on her impromptu tour. “This is where ships are stored, repaired, retrofitted, maintained, and ready to be sent out on missions. At peak capacity, we can fly close to a hundred missions out of here in an hour. There are probably more explosives stored here than anywhere else on the planet of Thebes.
They passed another Hoplite, where a crew of around five mechanics were giving it a once over. It looked like the ship had taken a fair amount of damage, with lots of gruesome chunks taken out of the metal. The windows were also damaged and plastered with red.
“What happened?” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca shrugged.
The cart took them out of the mammoth hanger and into a hallway that was also impressively large. It was like zooming through a highway meant for cars with four lanes established to allow these little carts to move about.
“Most of the sectors aboard this ship are linked by a pair of intership highways,” Jamie explained.
“Pair?” someone asked.
Jamie nodded. “Almost every function within this ship has been doubled to provide a redundancy in the event of disaster. The only thing that doesn’t is the bridge since the office corps can not be made redundant.” She smirked. “At least, I hope so for my job security.”
This garnered her a nervous ripple of laughter.
They continued forward for a few minutes then took a turn, going down a smaller two-lane corridor.
“The Sacred Band’s are quartered near the hanger, allowing for quick movement between them,” Jamie explained. She flashed a smile. “Be very thankful for this as the mechanics have to wake up an extra half an hour earlier than us to be at the hanger in time for work.”
They pulled into a garage that was filled with similar carts and their driver parked amongst them.
Once they had come to a stop, Jamie motioned for them to get off. Which they did as they assembled in front of her.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Jamie asked.
Ashley raised her hand. “When does our training start?”
Jamie smirked. “Ah good, a keener.” She frowned. “Normally you’d be put in simulators after your third day here. Considering how things are I can’t say for certain. You might be bumped up to starting tomorrow or it could be pushed back a week so that the veterans can get in a little extra practice.”
Ashley nodded. “Thank you, Petty Officer.”
“Anyone else?” Jamie asked.
A few more questions came forth, asking about accommodations or basic facts regarding life aboard the ship. One brave soul even asked about the fabled private baths which Jamie politely stated did not actually exist, though she cheekily added that this was only because of budgetary constraints.
Though the final question was what Rebecca was waiting for.
“What happened?” another of the recruits asked. “I mean how did that ship get through.”
Jamie stopped and looked at her. “What’s your name, recruit?”
“Jasmine Brown-Lee,” she said.
Jasmine had a very similar build and disposition to Rebecca though her skin was darker. Her hair was also a gorgeous black and even curlier than Rebecca’s own.
“Well Misses Brown,” Jamie said, standing before her. “Someone in a very important position royally fucked up.” She frowned. “We’ve grown complacent and soft as of late and it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.” Her brow rose. “Does that answer your question?”
Jasmine nodded, her gaze falling towards the floor. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Did you have family in the city?” Jamie asked.
Honestly, it was a silly question. About sixty percent of the colony lived within the city of Athens. There probably wasn’t a Theban alive who was fortunate enough not to be personally touched by this disaster.
Jasmine nodded once more, looking increasingly dire.
“Remember that hate you’re feeling,” Jamie said. She reached out and rested a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder before looking out upon the room of recruits. “I want all of you to remember it. We are at war and you will learn the enemy well over the coming months.”
Rebecca glanced over at Ashley, flinching as she saw her wife clenching her jaw. Her expression was cold, furious. A coolness which Rebecca found to be incredibly unsettling.
Rebecca couldn’t remember Ashley ever bearing a look like this prior to this week.
“Anyways,” Jamie said. “Let me show you to your quarters.”
She motioned towards the recruits and they all followed her out of the garage and into a common area of sorts. There were plenty of seats available though few people seemed to be enjoying them. Maybe a half a dozen couples were there, chatting, reading, or fiddling with computers.
As Jamie walked, she talked. “This is the common area, free for use whenever you’re off duty.” They passed a steel bulkhead and she motioned towards it. “Gym for all your personal health needs. And yes, we will be expecting many physicals and tests out of you.” Another bulkhead. “The cafeteria. Meals are prepared at three-hundred, nine-hundred, fifteen-hundred, and twenty-one-hundred hours. Besides that, this place is always open for drinks and snacks.”
“Sweet deal,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca smirked. “All it took to get a lifetime of free snacks was to sign away the next thirty-years of our lives.”
“Hey.” Ashley snorted. “That doesn’t sound like the worst deal ever.”
Rebecca was about to retort, wondering what could possibly be a worse deal but she kept her mouth shut as Jamie continued with the tour.
“Entertainment centre,” she explained while motioning to another door. “Full of books, movies, and all the video games you could possibly want.” She snorted. “Just don’t expect to have all the time you’d want to play them.”
Finally, she approached a row of bulkheads, each numbered from I to XII. “And these are your barracks. Newbies unfortunately don’t get a whole lot of privacy, so I would suggest getting to know your fellow crewmates well.” She nodded towards them. “Anyone with a last name before the letter R will be housed in eleven and everyone else will be in twelve.”
She then stood still.
“But that brings us to the end of our tour,” Jamie said. “I’ll probably be seeing you around during training but… that’s questionable and depends on how the situation develops.”
“When will we be getting more orders?” Rebecca asked.
Jamie nodded. “Good question.”
And she left it there, letting them know that it was one without an answer.
“Just stay here,” Jamie said. “I’m sure someone will come along for you lot once we can reserve your cohort some time with a tutor.”
With that she was off, leaving the recruits behind.
“Never thought things would be like this,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca nodded. “Shit must be properly fucked aboard this ship.”
“Think we’ll get a chance to talk to our moms?” Ashley asked. “They probably have a way better idea about what’s going on.”
“No idea,” Rebecca said.
Ashley went for the bulkhead numbered eleven and pressed a button beside it. The door opened and revealed a series of eight cots, each of them king sized with a small curtain allowing for the slimmest amount of privacy.
Rebecca entered with her and noticed that names were already on the lockers adjacent to the beds. There were two lockers for every bed. Two of which, near the front of the room, had the name Agincourt-Reed typed in a neat little font.
She tried the door and found that the inside was filled with a few uniforms. They seemed pretty minimal, being made of a boring-looking yellowish material. There were also toiletries and a little extra room for the few personal possessions they had managed to bring along with them.
“It’s Spartan,” Ashley commented, plopping down upon the bed.
Rebecca nodded. “That it is.”
“Shame we had to bail on most of our stuff,” Ashley said, sighing. “Not like we really had anywhere to store it.” She winced. “Gods… have you heard from…”
“I have not,” Rebecca cut in. “They’re radio silent.”
“You lost someone too?” a familiar voice called.
Rebecca looked over and saw two women enter the room. She recognized one as Jasmine Brown-Lee. The other was a far taller woman who looked like she would get a lot of use out of the inhouse gym. Her skin was pale and her aqua hair was cropped short though black roots were already showing at the base of her scalp.
“Yeah,” Rebecca said. “Our old apartment was near the crater and our roommates were…”
Though she couldn’t bring herself to continue.
Jasmine nodded. “I getcha.” She motioned to herself. “I’m Jasmine and this is my wife, Leslie.”
“Pleasured,” Leslie said, flashing a smile.
“I’m Ashley,” Ashley said.
“Rebecca,” Rebecca greeted.
Leslie moved into the room, examining the various lockers until she stopped at a pair that were across from Rebecca and Ashley’s bed. She dropped her bag on the floor and started to open it.
“It’s cozy in here,” she commented.
Rebecca nodded. “A little bit.”
“Can see where the joke about the Bands being intimately close come from.” Leslie flashed a smile. “How are we going to do this? Sock on the bulkhead or…”
“I assumed that we were supposed to fall to the allure of free love,” Ashley quipped.
Leslie chuckled. “I can get down with that.”
“So, I’m guessing that you’re the pilot?” Rebecca asked, looking at Leslie.
Jasmine snorted. “Nope you got it backwards.”
“Oh really?” Ashley cocked a brow. “Are you telling me that you’re the fabled couple that’s going to kick the stereotypes.”
Jasmine snorted and made her way over to Leslie, placing her bag on the ground beside her.
“I wouldn’t know about that,” she said. “I just like to fly ships and Leslie here is magic with a toolkit.”
“More of an apprentice mage than an actual mage in that regard,” Leslie teased.
Rebecca watched as Leslie opened her bag and started to empty its contents into her locker. Unlike her and Ashley, these two had actually managed to pack some stuff, putting casual clothing inside along with a few books and personal items.
Including a very personal item attached to a strap-on holster. The sight of which made Rebecca flush.
As she glanced up at Leslie, she saw that the other woman was looking directly at her. She was sticking out her tongue as she offered a coy little wink.
This only made the heat in Rebecca’s cheeks intensify.
“Sorry,” Rebecca yelped.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” Leslie teased. “I assumed we would just have to adapt to having a dozen young lesbians crammed in a room together.”
Ashley snorted. “That’s an adjustment that I am totally willing to make.”
She laid back upon their bed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“At least the beds are bigger here,” she quipped, yawning. “And comfy too.”
Jasmine looked at Rebecca. “So, are you excited to finally be in the Bands?”
Rebecca frowned before slowly nodding to herself. “Wish it would’ve happened during better times but… yeah, yeah I think I am.”
“Hopefully they don’t keep us couped up in here for too long,” Leslie murmured.
“Day or two, at most,” Ashley grumbled, smacking her lips together. “I think imma get some shut eye. Wake me up if anything fun happens.” She smirked. “Feel free to plow Beca if you want.”
“Ashley!” Rebecca gasped.
Leslie snickered. “Will do.”
-End of Part One-
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