Bridge, Revanche-class Star Defender
Revanche, in orbit via Euceron
“Quaint little world,” murmured Fyre, his eyes glazing over the world's southern pole.
Turning toward's the man's voice, Corise gazed through the bridge's viewport at Euceron. His eye immediately fell upon the occasional strips of grassy plains merged into estuarial wetlands. But that little land that kissed the water paled in comparison to the planet's vast oceans. Across the world, tiny chains of small islands randomly sprouted up acne on an adolescent. A decade ago, he remembered that many of them had served as bases for small-time smugglers and small mom-and-pop transportation services. But now he was not so sure. Not since the Ruling Power had been toppled, due in part to his own actions. The younger Lucerne closed his eyes, conjuring up the peculiar scent of the world's seas mixed with that of the plant life of the wetlands. But his mind presented him with only a vague recollection of that memory, intermixed with those of a dozen other worlds he visited in his past days as a CEC crewman all those years ago.
His other memories of Euceron were more grim, more seedy.
Things I will never tell my children, if I ever get around to that...
“We're being hailed,” announced the comm's officer, “the world's General-Governor is requesting an audience with you sir.”
Rear-Admiral Lucerne dutifully nodded and waved his hand towards his command chair. The comm's officer bobbed his head up and down and turned back to his console.
I suppose our presence here couldn't have gone unnoticed by Sen...I suppose we gave traffic control a heart-attack with our sudden presence here. Straightening out his black duty tunic, Corise settled into his chair. He lightly tapped a button on the console. His sapphire blue eyes quickly dilated as the holo-projector whirled up to present the upper half of an middle-aged gentleman beginning to enter the twilight of his years. General-Governor Sen's caf-colored hair now had light streaks of cream around them. While his face seemed more taut, his cheekbones more hollow, Corise saw that his eyes still gazed upon him warmly like the world's afternoon sky. He offered a brief smile to the other man.
“General-Governor Sen, it is good to see you again.”
The older man smiled, “Last I saw you, you weren't an Admiral.”
“Last I saw you, you weren't a General-Governor. Colonel, wasn't it?”
He nodded, “Lantillies put me in the spot to fix the damage we wrought. I don't know if that was a punishment or a reward. But my work has been constant, and the world is almost entirely recovered now. But where have you been? You disappear for what...has it been about five years since I heard your name reappearing, leading some unknown world's defense force, and now this?”
“Something like that,” admitted Lucerne, sparing a quick glance to the side.
“What'd you do?”
Corise hesitated, “Stuff. Perhaps I can fill you in person once our official business is finished...”
Sen sagely nodded, “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“Oh? How is that sir?”
“Lucerne, one doesn't bring a battleship to talk to an old acquintance,” replied the gentleman, weakly smiling, “but you're being rather polite now...let me guess, Lantillies sent you here to reclaim us?”
“I think that abandoned all claim, or even pretense, of that during the civil wars. They've left you on your own, and I think they accept Euceron's independence. When was the last time they tried to give you a marching order anyways?”
“Years ago. So tell me then...what brings you here? Or should I say what trouble? It's what warships bring and what warships chase...”
We aren't endangering him in some way, are we? Sure, the Reavers might have shown up, but there's enough small craft traffic around here they would have shown up regardless if they haven't already done so...
“Counterfeiting,” stated the confederate officer plainly.
“You enforce counterfeiting with battleships now? That's not the Lucerne I knew...”
“Who said it was going to be with the battleship itself? It's what the ship carries, General-Governor. Besides, I'd assume you want the criminals removed from your world as much as I want to bring them in for justice...”
The administrator hesitated, “It's not that simple. Corise, you've always known that Euceron has attracted some unreputable attention from time to time. There's too many islands and coves for people of that type to hide to effectively patrol and permanently stamp out, and the space lanes are far to convenient...”
“I know it's not easy,” admitted the Rear-Admiral, “but we've got a source, and a location for the key hub of a counterfeiting ring on your world. They've faking a lot of goods. A lot of Confederation-made goods, including Zaltin Corp bacta...”
Sens sighed, “Corporate influence is it...”
“Corporate influence has been Euceron's lifeblood...”
“As it has been for much of us, whitherwards we are on the Perlemian.”
“So we can shut down this operation together, for both of benefit, just like the good old times then,” suggested the Admiral, leaning forward.
“I can't really argue with a man in a battleship,” murmured the man, “not that I doubt your ethics behind this. But you're going to have to give me time to muster up my people. You want to give the info you've got.”
“Transmitting it now. With your permission, I'd like to send down a team of mine to scout out the island chain where they're based, and to keep a close eye on them.”
Sen nodded, his eyes glancing downwards, “Very well. I will start reviewing your data and your attached battle plan. Goodbye Admiral.”
“Goodbye General-Governor.”
The holo-link faded into a brief haze of static light before vanishing. Shaking his head, Corise let out a muted sighed. Fyre popped his head around his shoulders.
“Hurts to see how a man changes,” noted the explorer's son, “so what's the real plan?”
This post was edited by Corise Lucerne (1:22am 15/12/13, 12 years ago)
