Captain Sir Nathan Wright
Residence of the Wright Family
Karin, the Karin Star System
Monday 22nd January 2694
The Wright Family was well-off by Imperial standards, and had been for a fairly long time, even during the dark times before the Return of the Empire, not a mean feat on Karin. They owned a decently sized estate about fifty miles south of Karin where the snow was a lot less prevalent, albeit still a regular visitor. They had earned and maintained their fortune by operating a Private Security Company, which had held contracts with, amongst other bodies, the Government of the Duke of Karin, or at least what had passed for that before the Empire had returned. That same security force had served to protect the Wrights and the community that had grown up around the estate. The Wright’s were not of the nobility, not even after the return of the Empire, but they were wealthy and influential, and were the de facto leaders for the small town that had become known as Wrightsville. Sir Jonathan Wright was desperately looking for his family to become part of the nobility, to be fully recognized for their wealth and influence, but it was slow going, and he had become somewhat ruthless in his business dealings, especially before the return of the Empire.
Nathan Wright had wanted none of that. He had left home at the age of eighteen to find his own way in the world, spending two years going from odd job to odd job before he joined the Karin Star Guard, his grades from the Karin Education System, such as it was, being sufficient to earn him admission to the Star Guard Academy and his status as a commissioned officer. His father had not been best pleased with his eldest son’s choice, he had no doubt been expecting him to join the family business, and eventually replace him. They had, to a degree, made up after the resurgence of the Empire, especially after Nathan was in personal danger on a regular basis fighting on the frontlines of the Hegemony War. Even so Nathan had not exactly gone home all that often, even when he had been on leave, except maybe to catch up with his mum and sisters, but never just to see his father. His deployment to Andromeda had hardly helped matters, before today he had not seen any of his family in over three years.
Unfortunately it was a personal tragedy that had brought the family together again.
Haligonian Flu had spread across the Apilon Rift like wildfire, the Imperial Health Service had quickly gotten a handle on it and developed a vaccine, but not before Stephanie Wright had contracted and died from the disease. Nathan had been in the Andromeda Galaxy when he had received the news and had immediately been granted compassionate leave and passage home. This alone was unusual in the extreme, due to the threat posed by the Asgar in Andromeda it was the height of unusual for any extra leave to be granted to anyone in either of the Imperial or Cresian task forces stationed out on Unity Station, which explained why Lorana wasn’t here with him. Even now Nathan wasn’t sure why he had even bothered, his father was even more distant than normal and, aside from being able to comfort his younger sisters, there was very little that he could achieve out here. He was devastated by the loss of his mother, of course, but there was nothing he could do about it, whereas he was very much needed in Andromeda.
So much so that, after staying only the weekend, he was repacking his bag to leave. An vehicle was being provided by Fifth Fleet, which was responsible for Imperial Naval operations in the Apilon Rift, that would take him to Karin Starport where he would join the civilian ship that would take him as far as Haligonian, from there he would join a military transport heading out to Unity Colony. His sisters had already tried to convince him to stay but they had accepted that he had a duty to do and that his way of mourning their mother wasn’t to sit around here for days on end, indeed he had tried to encourage them to get out there and get on with their own lives, rather than allowing the full weight of what had happened to press down on their shoulders all day long.
“So you’re just fucking leaving,” Jonathan Wright said shortly, standing in his doorway. “Again.”
“That’s right,” Nathan nodded. “I’ve got a job to do.”
“A job that’s so damned important you can’t spare a few days to mourn your mother,” Jonathan scowled. “The woman who raised you and looked after you, even when I was too busy or away on business.”
“She wouldn’t want me to sit around in this house for days crying about it,” Nathan shot back. “Besides, I am a Captain in the Imperial Navy, I have a ship waiting for me and an important duty to fulfil.”
“Oh yes, a duty so important that you can’t even tell us what it is,” Jonathan spat. “The fucking Imperial Navy needs to pull its head out of its arse, the war is over, there isn’t monsters hiding behind every nebula.”
“You’d be surprised,” Nathan said darkly.
Jonathan Wright looked uncertain how to respond to the sudden dark tone in his son’s voice, clearly he had been expecting the same combative tone that Nathan had replied with the last time they had discussed his ‘classified’ mission, but then that was before they had even left for Andromeda… before the Battle of Epsilon Alpha and everything that had happened on Unity Colony at the same time. Nathan didn’t say anything further as he zipped up his holdall and pulled on his HMS Repulse sailing jacket and zipped that up as well, all the way to the neck to keep him warm, as it was in fact snowing outside.
“I’ve got to go, Dad,” Nathan said simply. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back.”
“Just make sure you do come back,” Jonathan said quietly.
“I will,” Nathan nodded. “Goodbye, Dad, give my love to Jenny and Anna.”
With that Nathan walked past his father, down the stairs and out the front door. Walking across the gravel drive he found himself facing a young naval rating holding the door open for him, saluting crisply as he approached. Not wearing his uniform as he was Nathan simply nodded his appreciation of the mark of courtesy and got into the back of the air car and settled down. It would be a very short trip to Karin Starport, all things considered. They were soon airborne and heading northwards, Karin City growing steadily in the distance, as did the mountain range against which it was nestled, into the slopes of which the Karin Fortress had been built. They were however heading for a location on totally the wrong side of the city.
“Have you lost your sense of direction, Able?” Nathan asked dryly.
“No sir,” Able Crewman Rogers replied promptly. “I have orders to take you to Fifth Fleet headquarters first.”
“Nice of you to tell me,” Nathan said pointedly.
“Sorry sir, I’ve only just found out myself,” Able Crewman Rogers answered apologetically. “We’ll be touching down in a moment.”
Sure enough it was only maybe a minute more before they were coming in for an approach to the street outside the Headquarters of the Imperial Fifth Fleet. It had once been the home of the Imperial Admiralty for the duration of the Hegemony War, but with the recapture of Earth it had been relegated to housing the Fifth Fleet, as well as the headquarters for the theatre level commands of the other branches of the armed forces. Nathan grimaced as he stepped out into the cold, he was hardly properly attired for a meeting at a place like this, but if they weren’t going to give him any warning they’d damn well have to make do with whatever he turned up in. Thanking the Able Crewman, who told him that he would wait there to take him to the Spaceport, he headed inside and was almost immediately intercepted by a female officer wearing the insignia of a full Commander.
“Captain Wright?” The Commander asked.
“That’s right,” Nathan nodded. “Commander?”
“Whisper,” The Commander replied.
“I beg your pardon,” Nathan said, raising an eyebrow.
“Whisper… my name is Whisper,” Commander ‘Whisper’ replied.
“What kind of name is Whisper?” Nathan frowned. “Wait… are you the…”
“The AI from the Whisper Amongst Stars,” Commander Whisper nodded. “Yes sir, or at least I was.”
The Whisper Amongst Stars had been an Imperial Dreadnought. She had been heavily damaged during the last days of the first Empire and had been abandoned by her crew. The ship itself had continued on through the void for over three hundred years before it had stumbled upon an inhabited system, which had reactivated the AI: Whisper. Faced with the prospect of an Imperial Warship falling into foreign hand Whisper had taken it upon herself to pretend that her ship was fully operational and manned, initially with holograms but as the need to personally interact with the natives became more and more immediate she had made full use of the ship’s fabrication systems and constructed herself a near perfect recreation of the human body, into which she had transferred most of her program. After returning the ship to the Empire she had commanded… well… herself during the Hegemony War, with a minimal crew, and that was where Nathan had thought that she would still be.
“Well, what can I do for you, Commander?” Nathan asked. “And when did you get a commission?”
“When the Whisper Amongst Stars was decommissioned,” Commander Whisper replied. “Seemingly the Navy decided that I had done well enough to be able to operate as a full officer in the Imperial Navy.”
“As a Commander?”
“It seems that commanding myself and commanding a ‘normal’ warship is different, so the Navy decided that I needed to serve as stint as a line officer, an XO, before I get promoted,” Whisper replied. “I’ve been assigned to serve as your executive officer for the next twelve months, I was originally going to head out there myself, but given that you were on Karin… I’m sorry about your mother by the way.”
“Um, thanks,” Nathan nodded. “Well, I think that we should be getting out there, shouldn’t we?”
Captain Sir Nathan Wright
Unity Station
Unity IV Orbit, Epsilon Alpha Star System
Wednesday 24th January 2694
Captain Sir Nathan Wright stepped through the airlock from the Naval Auxiliary transport ship that had brought him out here and onto Unity Station, alongside him was Commander Whisper, with whom he had been discussing the state of affairs in Andromeda for the majority of the two-day trip out from Karin. They were both in No.3 Service Uniform of the Imperial Navy, long-sleeved white shirts worn with black trousers and a black tie, and both returned the salute of the Imperial Marines standing post on either side of the airlock. They made their way through the bustling corridors of the Imperial Space Station. They were due to report in to the newly promoted Vice Admiral West, who commanded Task Force 81, the Imperial naval force that had been stationed out here to provide a mobile strike force against any potential Asgar aggression, with Unity Station itself providing the bulk of the defensive firepower for Unity Colony.
“I’ll meet you in the Command Centre, Commander,” Nathan said to Commander Whisper once they reached the Station Promenade, its social centre. “I have another appointment to make first.”
Commander Whisper nodded and saluted crisply, a gesture that Nathan returned before taking his leave. He was heading for the station observation deck, at this time of the day it was usually empty as most people were on duty, but he knew that one person in particular would be there.
