Send Off

Cheering. It echoed in the back of his mind like the rolling of waves on a beach.
Flashes. Burned into his eyes like the pulsating of a destabilizing Quasar.
It all swam around him so fast, blurring together, sound and sight, the sensation of victory and the exhilaration of promotion. Fame. Glory. Honor...

But behind it all loomed a darkness. A darkness that threatened to swallow up everything he had accomplished, everything he had fought to protect throughout his long career. The swimming images darkened, tendrils of blackness creeping in among the vision of celebration. The cheering faces twisted into masks of horror, and were blotted out as the blackness consumed. His breathing came fast now, the exhilaration of promotion and victory that was his so recently was now turned into fear. A deep, gnawing fear that left him feeling weak and helpless. Such a fear that he had never known before...

Fleet Admiral Richard Darren bolted upright in bed, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. His eyes were wide, and for a moment he just sat there, breathing hard. Finally he blinked and reached an arm up to wipe away the sweat. Looking around his room, he let out a deep sigh and relaxed. It had only been a dream. And yet... that deep gnawing in his gut was still there. The feeling of a distant threatening darkness...

It had been six years since the campaign against the notorious UFP had come to and end. His part in that campaign aboard the Frutol's Folley, while relatively minor, was still an excellent mark on his record. It hadn't taken long in the years that followed for him to work his way up the ranks into the upper echelon of Ardrean Imperial Command. And now as the betaverse was plunged into war anew, he had finally been given a new command. A command that spoke more of the trust and honor his superiors recognized in him than volumes of holovids ever could. He had been given command of the pride of the Ardrean Imperial Fleet, the Leviathan class warship, Nemesis, named after the ancient goddess of retribution. And with his new command, the responsibility to lead the largest taskforce the empire had ever assembled on a mission to the farthest reaches of the betaverse. A mission of invasion...

He got to his feet and crossed the room, activating the lights and looking himself over in the mirror. His hair had greyed somewhat over the years, and wrinkles had formed beneath his eyes. But there was still that commanding look about him. He stared at his reflection a moment, his sharp blue eyes staring back at him. Then after splashing some water on his face and wiping it off, he turned and went to the closet. Grabbing his uniform, he dressed quickly and headed for the bridge.

The wide corridors of the Nemesis were rather empty at this early hour. Along the tops of the walls, the status lights were a steady blue, indicating slipspace travel. The low thrumming of the massive ship's engines was a nearly imperceptible companion as he strode along, nodding to the ocassional crewman he passed. Soon he reached the main turbolift of the deck and entered it, commanding "Bridge" as the doors slid shut. A slight feeling of vertigo was briefly his as the lift shot silently upward, then came to a stop as the doors slid open. The dim blue-tinged light of slipspace from the main viewscreen provided the backdrop of color as Admiral Darren stepped out, gazing around the huge bridge. The two dozen officers stationed around immediately came to attention as he entered, he gave a short salute, then walked over to the command chair. Leaning over it, he checked the displays. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he straightened back up and went over to the deck officer's station. Standing at just over five feet, the little dark-skinned man from Sanadria looked very much out of place on this huge ship. But regardless, he did his job well, and Admiral Darren was pleased to have him in his service.

"Mister Sarrib," he said as he approached the man. "Status please."

The little man smiled, revealing shockingly white teeth, "All systems fully function sir. Crew rotation to day shift in fifteen minutes. Night crew report no problems. Fleet deployment holding, slipspace status normal."

Darren nodded. "Very good. I will be in my ready room." Fifteen minutes, he mused as he headed for the door. Just enough time for a biscuit and some coffee before the day began...