said to him.
“Just call me Raptor, madam,” he said,
“thanks for inviting me.”
“We have an overnight furlough, if I won’t
get drunk tonight, then when will I get drunk, on the bridge of Victory?”
Tollvyk said and they all laughed.
“Where is the Robo Server?” Raptor
asked.
“Very busy tonight,” Myra said, “But I
have ordered drinks and appetizers.”
“And where is that new friend of
yours…what’s her name?” Tollvyk pretended not to know.
“Capitan Alvina Lytar, she couldn’t
come tonight,” Myra said. Raptor was trying to look for the robo server, the
robot that brought drinks and food, and was pretending not to pay attention to
their conversation but his heart sank and his stomach fell when he heard the
news.
Tollvyk felt bad for his friend too and
inquired further, “Why? Is their spaceship departing for the frontier earlier
than scheduled?”
“No,” Myra said, “She got called into
the headquarters of the fleet command. Many other officers from different
Starships have been called in. They are being transferred out.”
“Oh…” Tollvyk didn’t know what to say.
Raptor turned around to look at them, he was feeling really bad now but he
forced a smile. If Alvina was transferred out to another province then he would
not get another chance to meet her. After the Academy he had forced her out of
his mind and as a junior officer he did not have the authorization to search
for the assignments of the other officers. Starfire Empire had a multitude of
fleets and bases flung out across thousands of light-years of space and the
chance that she would have been assigned to the same province as him was
remote. Yet, that is what had happened and he had not known it all these years
and now to come so close…
His thoughts were interrupted when both
his and Tollvyk’s emergency receivers started giving out an uninterrupted
shrill noise at the same time. Customers at the nearby tables looked at them
and both of them yanked out a small metallic phone-like device and turned off
the alarm.
“What the hell?” Tollvyk said, “Red
Star Alert?”
“Same here,” Raptor said and started
decryption.
“War imminent?” Tollvyk wondered.
“I doubt it. Lots of officers and
soldiers here, no one else is getting an alarm,” Raptor said. The machine was
decoding the encrypted message and they waited eagerly for it to finish, “I am
asked to meet Star Commander Carvyk Botlar at his palace immediately.”
“Me too,” Tollvyk said.
Myra let out a sigh. She worked for the
Star Command and understood that such demands were a part of the army life even
if she didn’t like it.
“I am sorry…” Tollvyk said as they got
up.
“It’s ok,” Myra said, “you have orders.
Another time.”
“I will write him another furlough,”
Raptor said to her and she smiled. They turned around and rushed out of the
door and went directly to the parking space to their airship.
Half an hour later they were sitting in
front of Commander Carvyk Botlar in his personal office at his palace where he
was holding their army records in his hands. He looked at both of them as they
sat sternly, their faces not showing any hint of the confusion raging in their
minds.
“You must be wondering why I had you
two ordered to my office out of the blue,” Carvyk said.
“Fortunately, we were on the planet on
furlough,” Raptor said.
“Furlough that you yourself signed for
you and your friend Col. Tollvyk,” Carvyk said.
Raptor and Tollvyk looked at each other
for a couple of seconds before looking straight ahead. Raptor knew this was
within his rights as a VC and had never been an issue before.
“Now you boys don’t exactly have a
perfect record,” Carvyk said, “Colonel Tollvyk…drunkenness off and on duty,
quarrels, fights,
“Just call me Raptor, madam,” he said,
“thanks for inviting me.”
“We have an overnight furlough, if I won’t
get drunk tonight, then when will I get drunk, on the bridge of Victory?”
Tollvyk said and they all laughed.
“Where is the Robo Server?” Raptor
asked.
“Very busy tonight,” Myra said, “But I
have ordered drinks and appetizers.”
“And where is that new friend of
yours…what’s her name?” Tollvyk pretended not to know.
“Capitan Alvina Lytar, she couldn’t
come tonight,” Myra said. Raptor was trying to look for the robo server, the
robot that brought drinks and food, and was pretending not to pay attention to
their conversation but his heart sank and his stomach fell when he heard the
news.
Tollvyk felt bad for his friend too and
inquired further, “Why? Is their spaceship departing for the frontier earlier
than scheduled?”
“No,” Myra said, “She got called into
the headquarters of the fleet command. Many other officers from different
Starships have been called in. They are being transferred out.”
“Oh…” Tollvyk didn’t know what to say.
Raptor turned around to look at them, he was feeling really bad now but he
forced a smile. If Alvina was transferred out to another province then he would
not get another chance to meet her. After the Academy he had forced her out of
his mind and as a junior officer he did not have the authorization to search
for the assignments of the other officers. Starfire Empire had a multitude of
fleets and bases flung out across thousands of light-years of space and the
chance that she would have been assigned to the same province as him was
remote. Yet, that is what had happened and he had not known it all these years
and now to come so close…
His thoughts were interrupted when both
his and Tollvyk’s emergency receivers started giving out an uninterrupted
shrill noise at the same time. Customers at the nearby tables looked at them
and both of them yanked out a small metallic phone-like device and turned off
the alarm.
“What the hell?” Tollvyk said, “Red
Star Alert?”
“Same here,” Raptor said and started
decryption.
“War imminent?” Tollvyk wondered.
“I doubt it. Lots of officers and
soldiers here, no one else is getting an alarm,” Raptor said. The machine was
decoding the encrypted message and they waited eagerly for it to finish, “I am
asked to meet Star Commander Carvyk Botlar at his palace immediately.”
“Me too,” Tollvyk said.
Myra let out a sigh. She worked for the
Star Command and understood that such demands were a part of the army life even
if she didn’t like it.
“I am sorry…” Tollvyk said as they got
up.
“It’s ok,” Myra said, “you have orders.
Another time.”
“I will write him another furlough,”
Raptor said to her and she smiled. They turned around and rushed out of the
door and went directly to the parking space to their airship.
Half an hour later they were sitting in
front of Commander Carvyk Botlar in his personal office at his palace where he
was holding their army records in his hands. He looked at both of them as they
sat sternly, their faces not showing any hint of the confusion raging in their
minds.
“You must be wondering why I had you
two ordered to my office out of the blue,” Carvyk said.
“Fortunately, we were on the planet on
furlough,” Raptor said.
“Furlough that you yourself signed for
you and your friend Col. Tollvyk,” Carvyk said.
Raptor and Tollvyk looked at each other
for a couple of seconds before looking straight ahead. Raptor knew this was
within his rights as a VC and had never been an issue before.
“Now you boys don’t exactly have a
perfect record,” Carvyk said, “Colonel Tollvyk…drunkenness off and on duty,
quarrels, fights,
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