USD: 2 Days after the arrival to MIL-1A

Location: Van Biesbroeck’s star, Meltisar, MIL-1A, Central Hub, Habitation Arc 26

Alex stood at the residential assignment desk, waiting as the clerk behind the counter checked her card a second time.

“Sorry, miss. As a refugee, your status doesn’t grant you the right to rent an apartment on the station. It’s reserved to current or former military personnel, navy approved contractors, and visiting family members of military personnel who are hospitalized.”

“I am here with my sister, who is in the medical center.”

The clerk nodded. “But you are not a Meltisar citizen, and I can’t find your sister’s discharge or active record. I’m sorry, but you need to take this up to legal because I can’t do anything with this mess.”

For a second, she felt like she wanted to cry and go back to the medical room and stay with Elis.

But only for a second. She did not want to fall into a depressed funk again. Would not let herself do that.

So instead, she stepped aside and pulled out her datapad and called Admiral Darren. He was surprised and confused to hear from her so soon, and apparently his private number worked very well because he had to step out of a meeting to take the call.

After explaining her problem, he asked her to wait where she was. It left her feeling self-conscious standing in front of the line of people behind her. She pulled out her datapad and looked for alternatives and rethink her decision to find a room for herself.

Fifteen minutes later, an officer arrived, wearing the gold filigreed gray uniform of the naval JAG office. Alex felt a bit of alarm when he stepped up to her.

“Ms. Myers?”

“Uhh, yes?”

The officer offered her his hand, and she shook it.

“I am Lieutenant David Harmon. I’m here to help with your case. It shouldn’t take long.” The military lawyer pulled out a folio he had been carrying under his arm and turned to the person second in line.

“Excuse me, my client is having an issue with RHS and has been waiting here for some time. Could we please speak to the clerk next?”

The off duty enlisted man shrugged and nodded. “Sure. Knock yourself out.”

“Thank you.”

When the person at the front moved on, Lieutenant Harmon stepped up and Alex followed in beside him.

A rapid back and forth between the lieutenant went on faster than Alex could follow, in clerkesse. Several prepared documents flowed over the count to the clerk who then scanned them in his workstation.

Five minutes later, Alex signed her thumbprint paying the housing fee and had her residential assigned.

“Thank you?” Alex offered, still surprised at how fast things had been pushed through.

“No problem, Ms. Myers. Admiral Darren is a good friend of mine and sometimes special cases just need help getting past the regular paperwork that doesn’t account for them. I’ve amended your registry and made the proper inputs to the database that should afford you and your sister the proper framework for being accepted by most naval offices on the station as normal residents.”

The lieutenant pulled out a card and handed it to her. “My number is on this card. If you have any further difficulties like this, please just make a call to my office. Either I or someone in the office should be able to help”

“Thank you.”

“I also made sure he gave you the best place available on the floor closest to the medical center.”

Alex was surprised by the thoughtfulness. “Thank you again. I was feeling a bit lost when hitting the snag and not sure what to do.”

The Lieutenant nodded. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I’ll be here to help if needed.”

The trip to the habitation row required a tram trip from the main hub. The sections were large, with thousands of apartments and weren’t just composed of housing, but amenities, including even food and shopping for the residents of the section. As Alex read the brochure on the way to her new place, she was surprised at just how much each section of the station acted as its own mini ecosystem.

There was a security checkpoint at the entry, but it only scanned her new residence card. She realized she was going to need to purchase some type of wallet to organize and carry all the cards she was picking up. Maybe a shopping trip was in order.

A new outfit or two, and some other personal items.

She could skip the toothpaste, since her maintenance nanites could take care of those things, and were even getting better at it despite her limited ANUF resources.

Peeking into her new bathroom and shower had her thinking that some nice smelling shampoo and soaps would be really useful for having a long, hot shower. Even if water usage was billed by the liter.

Credits credits credits… She didn’t have enough for the big-ticket items that she really needed, but she was hardly destitute.

|Main Balance: 149,989,551 SE |

With the inner system prices, it wasn’t quite the generational wealth it was in the frontier systems, but it was still several years’ worth of wages or salary for a regular person.

It was just miniscule compared to the multi-billion or trillion credit companies that seemed to dominate the fields she had researched in her searches.

That meant she didn’t need to worry about getting a job to care for her basic needs. She’d pre-paid a year of rent for the apartment for the discount rather than electing a monthly plan. Not because she wanted to plan for staying that long, but because the discount had been decent, and she could afford it to avoid making sure she made her payment on time.

Realizing she didn’t have many possessions to drop off, Alex finished searching and examining the space before going to explore the rest of the residential district and check the shops.

USD: 3 Days after the Arrival to MIL-1A

Location: Nu Crateris, Dedia IV, The Great Nest, Surface Zone A

The nearly opaque clouds above turned the noon sun into a dim afterthought as Heeler watched the thousands of tracked drone vehicles carry their human passengers into the nest. The human colony at the space elevator had been evacuated as he realized that the humans were incapable of restoring their manufacturing and food production.

He had directed production toward building a nest inside The Great Nest for them that was separated and secured from the rest of the massive complex. The vehicles as they approached along the route slid into the tunneled entrance and ramp that curved and brought them deep into the embrace and protection of the nest.

The surface had grown more tortured as the consequences of his bombardment of the unruly queens had filtered through the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the resources to build the massive constructs required to cleanse the atmosphere and restore the habitability of the planet had been delayed by necessity.

The reconstruction of the SR-01 Heaven’s Fire had required massive expenditures of resources and investment in planetary transport capacity. And the refurbishment of the battlecruiser had been a top priority.

While the surface of the world had begun to die, Heeler had utilized drones to take samples of the wildlife and fauna for reproduction once the chance to restore the surface to its once former glory.

He could fix things later.

Now was the time to strengthen their defenses.

The Corporate System’s remnants had somehow put together the scraps of the debris in the outer system and had established a base of operations. They had captured multiple civilian craft that had avoided returning to Dedia and had attempted to destroy the space elevator and ruins of Dedia Prime by hurling asteroids at the planet.

Those efforts had failed as Heeler had deployed makeshift orbital pods with active laser and railgun defenses, but they were desperate measures that would be unlikely to hold off an assault.

At least two Corpo frigates were in operation and Heeler suspected a limping cruiser was lying low and in hiding. As yet, he had been unable to acquire a lock on their positions. One had chased down Daniel Ashburn, who had fled around the gas giant weeks ago on the Hades Orbital, but no further contact had been available.

Heeler did not know whether the human was lying low or had been destroyed. The last report of the station’s life support had painted a poor picture of the probability of survival for the manager and refugees he had saved, and Heeler had continued with the assumption that the Corpos had destroyed the proto station.

So, he was building a new one near the space elevator with the rapidly growing industry that was being supplied by the giant mega-structure. It was a heavyily armored and armed station, and it was clear that the Corpos had spotted it by the number of kinetic rocks that had been flung its direction.

He was sure that they couldn’t discern the skeleton of the battlecruiser being rebuilt under the nearly opaque atmosphere, as even communications to orbit were forced to run through a hard line through the space elevator or use high-powered radio transceivers on the surface. Laser comms were blocked, and that meant reclaiming the orbital was key, as the numerous laser weaponry would have a very difficult time protecting the planet.

A ping echoed in his shell, not from H32 or the regular comms, but in his thought mind organ. A single inquisitive pulse that excited his exterior feelers.

He had avoided her since arriving, taking care of the defense of the nest and building up its productivity. He knew he would eventually go to her, just as she knew he would come when ready. Perhaps she had felt the state of his mood and the lack of direct need of his presence for the moment, because the mind caress came at a time that was perfect.

Heeler moved to an elevator and took it down deep into the nest, where his Queen awaited him.

He could sense her anticipation as he neared.

As he crossed the threshold into the Queen’s new chambers, her mind thoughts reached him.

“You have returned from the stars,” Szizsielia said.

“I have continued to secure the security of the nest,” Heeler replied.

As he approached, the two triumvi of the Queen growled and stood, blocking his path.

Heeler was not surprised; he had been gone for a long period. Longer than he had liked, and the simpler minds of the star children were meant for war, not thinking. That was for the Queens. And Himself.

Undeterred, he approached, and the larger Triumvi with a damaged skull plate charged at him with its horns. A moment before impact he braced his carapace, the bone crashing into his shell with an echoing impact.

Heeler was not pierced. His nano-enhanced shell absorbed the shock and a growth of nanites flowed forth to grab hold of the horn and hold it in place. The Triumvi attempted to dislodge itself to no avail: Heeler had cemented himself to the ground and fortified his shell, granting him an unbreakable leverage.

He then whacked the Triumvi with his tentacles, using them as whips. He restrained himself from using more force than necessary, and the myriad blows would leave the star child sore with bruises and pain, but without permanent harm.

When it collapsed from the punishment, Heeler caught it and let it to the ground gently.

The second Triumvi growled angrily at the abuse of his brother, but a second display was not required, as Szizsielia admonished her two strongest and most protective children.

“You do not slay the one that challenges you,” Szizsielia asked.

“I would not admonish more than necessary one that protects my Queen,” Heeler answered.

“You have brought the soft skins into the nest. I do not enjoy their presence.”

“It is a directive from mother. She wishes them cared for as they are of her species.”

“The glowing one who brought me you.”

“It is she.” Heeler answered.

“And if I direct you to disobey her and destroy them instead?”

Heeler grumbled deep in his carapace. “You present me with a dilemma between disobeying either Mother or my Queen right upon my return?”

Szizsielia let out a tittering laugh. “I would not burden you so, my mate. But I am interested in how you would resolve it.”

“I would disobey you both. Rather than destroy them, I would remove them from the nest to a less safe location, but far enough to remove them from your notice. I calculate it would displease her that I failed to protect them properly from the bandits who roam the stars above, while disobeying your directive to slay them. But I believe I could survive two irate females long enough to forget my transgression.”

“You are bold to state you would disobey,” Szizsielia cooed.

“I wear my leash willingly, but I am no slave. If you give me thoughtless directives, expect to be disappointed. I have my own mind.”

Szizsielia hummed as Heeler came closer. “It is so strange, there has been no male with a mind in my memory. Only mother might have met one. It feels so right.”

Her feelers caressed his carapace, and Heeler vibrated in anticipation. The mating was fierce.