“Natasha, radio in to the Comms Center and let them know we’re out of radio silence.” Sera says, sticking her head into the kitchen, where Natasha is currently peeling carrots. “I’ll be over in about five minutes to talk to Lawrence.”

“Gotcha.” Natasha drops the carrot peeler into the sink, with what looks to be at least two hundred carrots worth of skin. Or whatever it is carrots have. Sera shakes her head and retreats back into the hallway.

They’re at least five hundred miles away from Aranek’s coast, and she hopes far enough that it’s safe to radio in. She’s waited this long; another hour and most likely her head would just give up and explode. She’s certainly had more than long enough to dwell on just what this could mean for the Islands.

Sera descends the stairs at a trot, heading for the Navs room. There’s something she just thought of that she wants to check before she speaks with the commander, and hopefully there’ll be something in one of the books about the mainland they have down here. Des and Melanie are scribbling away at something on one of the corner tables, and there’s a map of Aranek up on the wall. They both look up as she begins rifling through the row of books on one of the bottom shelves.

“What’re you looking for?” Des asks, coming over to stand behind her, nudging her with a booted foot. “Probably I could tell you where it is.”

“Do we have anything on mainland technology?”

“There might be something in one of the history books, but I doubt it’s very different from ours.”

“Those crates they were loading, they had some sort of weapon in them. It doesn’t do Lawrence any good to tell him they’re arming up, but we don’t know what with.”

“If you describe them to him, maybe he’ll know. Hasn’t he actually landed in a town over there before?” Des says, shoving books back into their places even as Sera tugs them out.

“Yeah, ten years ago, I think.”

Des shrugs, and gives Sera a hand getting to her feet. “Probably that’s your best bet.”

“Yeah I guess.”

“Come let us know what Lawrence has to say? We need to finish up with these.”

“Definitely.”

Sera runs back up the stairs, taping the sick bay’s door on her way by. “I’m calling Lawrence.” She announces when Bella yanks the door open. “Come on.”

Natasha’s bent over the comms board when she walks in, listening intently as she fiddles with a knob that means just about squat to Sera. At last, she sits up, triumphant, and holds out the headset to Sera. “Got it. Here, I’ll connect you.”

Settling the headset on, Sera pulls a chair over and sits down, legs crossed. Bella comes in about then, pulling the door closed behind her, and settling against it. “Is it-? Oh. Commander Lawrence, sir?”

“That was quick captain.”

“Uh, yeah. We definitely found something. They’re shipping soldiers out to the coast, along with some sort of weapon we haven’t been able to identify.”

“This is Aranek?”

“Yes sir.”

“Great. Wonderful.” Lawrence says angrily, and Sera thinks she just heard something smash in the background.

“What’s wrong sir? Besides the obvious.”

“That craft up north? Well, it blew Mul and Rak to pieces yesterday morning. Heid was able to disable it and take five of six crew members prisoner. The only thing we know for sure is that they’re from Mettos, and that’s only because one of the doctors up on Ptok did a huge report a few years back in the differences in the blood of people from different countries. He was brought in to take a look at the blood samples and recognized them as Mettian. He went on to say that, while definitely Mettian, the blood was… not normal. Quite helpful really.”

Sera is fairly certain that she looks something akin to a fish out of water right about now, because that’s how she feels, gasping for breath with lungs that just won’t work right. “Did… did anyone survive?” She manages to gasp out, and that has Bella and Natasha’s attention.

“No.” Lawrence says flatly, and Sera squeezes her eyes shut. As a Fleet officer she is accustom to death, and occasionally, she’s the cause of it, but there was no way she was prepared for that, expecting that. One small boat, not even shielded, shouldn’t have been able to get the jump on three Fleet ships, no way, no how.

“So, it’s Aranek and Mettos?” Bella and Natasha look about as ill as she must, and she’s got to admire them; if it were her, she’d be demanding answers, not just standing there quietly. Of course, if they tried to take the headset she’d probably kill them, so maybe it’s not to strange after all.

“Everyone’s on high alert. I’ll let anyone in your path know you’re on your way in, but be careful; people are likely to attack first, ask questions later. And by later I mean when you’re a burnt out husk sinking to the bottom of the ocean.”

Sera makes a face. “Thanks for the imagery.”

“Sorry.” Lawrence says, and he sighs. He’s too tired for this, to be relaying the same horrible message over and over again, and it’s starting to show. This has to be the worst first month of rotation ever, hands down.

“This is a nightmare.”

“Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus. Oh, Jase is awake, by the way.”

“Well that’s something.”

“Sam informs me he intends to murder Fosher.”

“Tell him if he waits a day or two, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Yeah. Be safe Sera.”

“We will.”

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