EPISODE 4: INTO THE BREACH
Side 7, Bunch 1, Garrison Noah, January 25, U.C. 0099, 03:00.
Final preparations are underway for the launching of the Earth Federation Forces space warship Amuro Ray, a Ra Cailum-II class space battlecarrier named after the Earth Federation Forces’ most famous war hero. The ship’s commanding officer is space naval Captain Beecher Olech, AEUG veteran of the First Neo Zeon War and onetime commanding officer of the Nahl Ahrgama.
The Amuro Ray floats in a Zero-G airlock, the orbital analog to the old maritime drydock, as dozens of technicians and engineers make final checks in preparation for the ship’s launch in T-minus ninety minutes. The ship’s nuclear fusion turbine engines, digital navigation systems, gunnery (multiple missile tubes, beam cannon, and a single, mighty mega-particle beam cannon), communications (a full array of radio, laser, broadband, and microwave systems), and hundreds of other assorted sundry systems and mechanisms are checked and rechecked in triplicate.
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The Amuro Ray, a Ra Cailum II-class Earth Federation Forces Space Battlecarrier
For its mission to the Outer Solar System, the Amuro Ray will be operating with a crew of seven-hundred members of the Federal Forces Space Navy. Attached to the Amuro Ray will be the twelve-member Centurion Special Operations Team and its force of nine mobile suits.
On the bridge of the ship, General Bright Noah introduces Captain Beecher Olech to Major Athena Ibaz, commanding officer of the Centurion Team and Deputy Director of the Special Forces under Colonel Peter Cairlay.
Beecher is a naval captain, meaning that he outranks Athena by two grades according to the parallel ranking structures of their respective departments (he, space navy; she, space army). As the vessel’s commanding officer, Beecher has ultimate authority aboard the Amuro Ray. Nevertheless, Athena has effectively autonomous authority over her personnel on the Centurion Team, the key concession being that the Centurion Team must observe the rules that apply to all crew members of the Amuro Ray while aboard the ship and respect Captain Beecher’s authority.
Interdepartmental deployments such as this are not uncommon among the Federal Forces, but it is a first for the Centurion Team, which has, in the first two years of its existence, been primarily attached to army bases, not space navy ships.
“Major Ibaz is one of our finest officers in the Special Forces,” Bright tells Beecher, “she will be a great asset to you as your First Officer, Captain.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Beecher smiles. He has read the dossier on Athena and her team, and knows that he has been assigned the Federal Force’s star combat squad…a unit that has had extraordinary achievements during the past year.
Never a tactical genius himself, Beecher feels relieved that Athena will be available to help him plot and direct strategy in the very likely event that the Amuro Ray sees combat out in the Asteroid Belt.
“It will be an honor, Captain Beecher, for my team to serve under your command,” Athena says to Beecher, shaking his hand, “We are pleased to be at your service.”
“Thank you, Major,” Captain Beecher says, shaking Athena’s smooth, soft hand. The captain stares at Athena fixedly…not just because she is an extraordinarily beautiful young woman (besides, Beecher’s wife Elle would kill him if she finds him flirting), but because she seems…familiar somehow. Beecher has a strange sense that he has seen Athena somewhere, long ago, but cannot place exactly when or where.
“Major,” Beecher ventures, “I hope you’ll pardon my asking, but have we met? You seem somehow familiar to me.”
Athena smiles prettily, “No, sir. As far as I know, we haven’t met before. I have, however, conducted joint operations with space navy personnel in the past. Perhaps we encountered each other briefly during one such operation.”
“That might be it,” Beecher says, although he doubts it, “Anyway, I’m glad to have you and your team aboard, Major. You have my permission to rejoin them now so that you can supervise their integration into the ship’s crew. We’ll talk at length later.”
Athena salutes crisply and smartly, “With your leave, sir.”
Athena salutes General Noah as well, and leaves the bridge en rout to where the rest of the Centurions are being processed into the ship’s crew.
“Wow,” Beecher says after he and Bright are alone, “she’s something.”
Bright smiles, “Quite a stunner, eh? Beauty and brains, all in one package, and an excellent combat pilot as well. But you’d better be careful, Captain. If your wife catches you flirting with her, I wouldn’t be in your shoes for a tubful of diamonds and gold bars.”
“Yeah, I hear that,” Beecher grins, reminding himself that he’s a married man and soon to be a father to boot, “There’s something about her, though. I swear I’ve seen her somewhere before.”
Bright shrugs, “That’s not surprising. Athena and her team have been right in the middle of several high-profile combat incidents during the past year, in each of which they turned the tide in the Federation’s favor. You might have seen her on the TV news or the Uniweb.”
“No,” Beecher says, “The feeling goes back way further than that. For some reason, I keep seeing this vague image in my head of the major as a little girl.”
“You’re a little young to have fathered any illegitimate twenty-year old daughters,” Bright jokes.
Beecher sighs, “Well, it’s probably not important. What’s important is that she’s got the brains needed to be my badly needed point person on the strategic end of things.”
“She’ll give you that and more,” Bright promises, “Athena’s second-to-none when it comes to strategy and tactics. We’re extremely fortunate to have her on our side. I shudder to think what we’d be up against if she were working for our enemies.”
“Lucky me,” Beecher smiles, suddenly feeling less anxious about his new assignment.
Episode 4 to be continued...