Author's Note
I feel that some explanation is necessary for this one. You see, I recently ran a story arc in Fort Mayhem, intended to take my character -- Fleet Admiral Redstone -- out of the picture. I personally call this arc my "End Game," basically my way of saying I'm writing myself out of the RP. (I chickened out and am just throwing him in either a prison or exile indefinitely, in case I should want to pick up again. But whatever.)
In this arc, there's a mention of some mysterious journey he took away from Mayhem, corresponding with my long hiatus. This fic is an attempt to explain that absence. I'm going to be posting it in short installments whenever possible.
But enough of my rambling. Let's get to the story.
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Part I
This make the third system the Amon Star battlegroup has visited in the week – not that weeks are much more than a nice frame of reference in deep space. Ever since the coalition victory in the Forum Wars and the end of the time war, the Navy's been making an effort to establish bases of operations in other universes. You don't want all your eggs in one basket, especially when your enemies can cut you off from the multiverse. Or worse.
The star system in question has proved rather promising: A mid-sized yellow sun with two planets in the habitable zone create perfect conditions for humanoid inhabitants. It's in a sparsely populated universe which is near a confluence in the greater multiverse, a major improvement over many of the previous candidates. The system itself even shows no signs of habitation. It's perfect, except for one problem.
“Do we still have those tails?”
“Yes sir. They've been following us since we passed through the cometary cloud.” The response comes almost too quickly, no doubt some young ensign looking to impress his superior officer. Redstone isn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused.
“I think maybe we should inform them they've been spotted. Alys, you care to handle this?”
Alys Rennie, captain of the Amon Star, tries to hide her surprise; the Admiral tends to micromanage, so only rarely does she get to run the ship herself. “Aye. Gunnery, give our guests a nice welcome. Warning shots, please.”