Adrian had worked closely with the scientists, engineers and laborers on project DS-1. A small frigate capable of speeds approaching ftl (faster than light) travel, cyber warfare (non lethal combat for jumpy aliens), and stocked with enough food stuffs for all races to last indefinitely. Its power source was made of Lunalloy, (reactive metal from Earth's moon) and its engines a proprietary design birthed by the great minds of the galaxy. Adrian was attached to this ship because it was going to be his. His home, his command post, his life.

  He was Captain, but he was still a tad curious as to how he landed this posting. He had experience: countless humanitarian missions, though humanitarian had lost some of its meaning, dozens of battles with no casualties on either side while still emerging the victor, and then there was that incident on Peyran, one of the many moons or planets he had searched. Peyran had an unstable orbit and when they had approached they miscalculated and didn't account for a gravity well. The ship he was on had gone down, cutting the crew in half. The flora and fauna were both primitive and violent and he rallied his crew to survival through a fight that lasted 73 days on the planet, when rescue was able to retrieve them safely from the planet's surface. He had walked away scarred, physically and in his soul.

  They train all scout ships to be versed in lethal combat, to completely disregard the concept had been the undoing of many missions. Adrian had been a military man on Earth for 5 years, slowly climbing in rank until he bore the insignia of Sergeant. He knew his way around all types of weapons, energy, sonic, ballistic, edged, blunt, hand to hand. He had never expected to utilize those skills. But after losing so many in the first week to his commander's inability to end life, he broke the chain of command, issued weapons and became a hero.

  He ran his fingers along the lash-rose scar on his throat, a carnivorous plant that had tried to decapitate him. His hand trailed up to the burn on his left cheek and ear, the product of an acid spewing giant insect he had pissed off. He thought of the myriad of puncture scars and cuts he had sustained in the melee he threw himself into to save a young private. Hero? Crazy human with a penchant for violence, not unlike his ancestors.

  But the ship still needed a crew. And a name. Right now, it was designated Proto-DS1. Had no flair. He twisted at his desk to access the holodeck. Holodecks, hologram displays with cpu decks, were the current top of the line in gaming, business, and web surfing in general. You could peck away at a virtual display of a keyboard, like they had centuries ago for nostalgia, or plug into it via brain jack. This allowed the deck even more processing power by routing basic functions through the users brain. Adrian plugged in, feeling the familiar zap as an outside current entered his skull.

  "Display." A hologram appeared in his vision. "Enable virtual/physical manipulation." This prompt allowed a user to move the hologram with their hands, giving them a more hands on feel. He grabbed a holo-folder labeled 'Dossier,' opened it and threw his arms wide spreading the folders in a circle around the room. He got up from his desk and skimmed the files. 45 candidates. 15 would make the cut, the others were second and third options. That is where he would look, the tertiary choices. They weren't first pick but still considered acceptable. The first string were probably Union seeds or bureaucratic plants. Something he wasn't particular interested in entertaining was ego stroking for the foreseeable future.

  "Narrow search, third string candidates for crew hopefuls, Proto-DS1." Thirty folders faded from view. First string was almost all Human and Sobranis. He wanted a varied crew, full of the different insights each race would offer. A Lojqick engineer caught his eye. Sossick 11-6. The first number, usually double digit, was a class or profession indicator, the second, how many generations the family had been in the field. Sossick was a sixth generation electrical engineer.

  "Expand, Sossick 11 dash 6." The file grew to fill an entire wall. Sossick was 121 Earth years old, young for a Lojqick. But had aptitude in Sobranis, Human and Helos technology, as well as his own Lojqick. "Flag, Proto-DS1 electrical engineer first choice candidate. Expand, third string candidates." Beryllius were big, crystal skinned wonders. Their ships were cultivated crystal from their home planet, and the prestige of the vessels depended on if it was still growing. Dead crystals were usually freighters, live crystals house Beryll Royalty. The Beryillius candidate Adrian was considering was royal blood, 10256th in line for the throne. His name was only listed as "Alien Alias: Bright." Other races couldn't speak Beryll, they communicated like Earth's whales. Bright, although royal, had a career in astro-mechanical science, with a specialty in energy propulsion. "Flag, Proto-DS1 core technician, first choice candidate." Adrian rubbed his eyes. This was going to take all day. But, he wanted a varied crew.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  He made six more choices before going to sleep and telling the computer to display the recommended candidates for the remaining positions when he woke up. Kreka Voorlien, a Helo sub-light communications aficionado, Tyk Tog Ribis, a Sobrani doctor, AS:H-3, Android Series: Human-3, Artificial Intelligence, Vriko Hayet, a New Martian astro-navigator, Ari Rina, a Spacer cyber warfare operator, and Marik Hao, a Lunite Lunalloy core specialist.

  ***

  Adrian woke up suddenly, the sound of his video communication link taking him from a good dream involving a cute Spacer and a New Martian and disturbingly a Helo that he hoped was female. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

  "Vidlink, on." Earth's Union General of Science, Gion Sing, appeared.

  "Captain Stellar, sorry to wake you. I see you've made your choices for the crew. Interesting choices, I must say. Lots of third string and aliens." Adrian grunted, not fully awake. "I'm calling to tell you that we picked your First Officer. She'll be in command if you are ever unfit for duty." General Sing paused.

  "She, General?" Adrian stopped rubbing his eyes, why did he refer to his second officer only as "She?"

  "Yes, well, I believe you have already met." The General continued hastily, "Lieutenant Eva Winters. Her file speaks volumes of her character and she is the obvious choice to replace you should you be incapacitated."

  Adrian's heart felt like it sped up and stopped at the same time. Adrian groaned.

  "Sir, not questioning your authority here, but, well..." Adrian rubbed his chin as if thinking hard. "We do know each other. In fact we have a history."

  "Yes, it says here that you were intimately involved while stationed remotely. Both of you were reprimanded, both lost rank. You both have stunning careers; you with your stint on Peyran, her with her handling of the situation with the Kanne expansion."

  "Sir, if the Kanne have intergalactic capabilities we need to..." Kanne expansion? Forgetting the problem at hand with the girl that nearly cost him his career, Adrian finally woke up to this news.

  "Its already under consideration. Some of the civilizations in this Union haven't been to war with a sentient race for decades. Its been roughly six centuries for humanity." The General looked far too proud of himself, especially considering the war humanity knew truly paled in comparison to some of the massive battles that happened in the stars.

  "How did she handle this 'situation with the Kanne expansion,' Sir?"

  "Our cyber warfare is unmatched. She shut down their power supply, and gave them an ultimatum, give up their intergalactic ships, which were stolen to begin with, or she would purge them." The old man's mustache wiggled around in the uncomfortable silence.

  A purge? Eva had grown ruthless Adrian thought. Purging meant wiping out all atmosphere inside a ship and not even the Kanne could survive in space.

  "What escalated the situation for her to threaten a purge?"

  "There was a fire fight. The Union lost many lives to violence. Lieutenant Winters was among the last ships to respond to the distress call. When she arrived, two human frigates and one of the Beryllius' newest living crystal ships were destroyed. Her ship was able to launch anti-weapon viruses with control worms before being attacked. The Kanne, scavengers that they are, were picking over the dead." General Sing sneered.

  Adrian understood the combat; strategy was his forte and with the development of cyber warfare it had gotten much easier to have casualty free battles. He who controlled won, and terms were negotiated for a peaceable end to the conflict. A purge was never on the table, shouldn't even be considered.

  "Did she purge the Kanne ships?" Adrian felt he already knew the answer.

  "Yes."