Screw Pile Developments

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Hundeerde: Part 3 — Greenwatch
Proving Ground

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HSS Chasetail: High Hundeerde Orbit

Lieutenant Lewis Vale (“Echo”), at just 17, would ordinarily have been too young to have joined the Hundeerde Space Defence and Communications Network; however, he was bright and intelligent. Bright enough to have passed all of the entry requirements by the time he was 15. The one and only requirement that he had not been able to meet was his age, normally set at 18. This had been taken care of by the one and only Hunde who could override the entry rule.

The Hunde in question:
General Marvin Huxley — (“The Hux” / Callsign: “Hux-One”).

So, despite the odds, only two years after commencing his officer training, Lewis now found himself on the HSS Chasetail; one of three large capital cruisers of the Hundeerde Space Defence and Communications Network — or The Network — that patrolled the planet in high orbit.

Two of his friends, human boys rescued from Earth after The Great Collapse and subsequently taken to Hundeerde, had also joined The Network.

Lieutenant Sebastian James Jarvis (“Glow / Glowstick”) and Lieutenant Raven Cole (“Rook”). They were now pilots, newly qualified to fly the Hundeerde X-fighters.

Lewis had qualified as a communications, data, and systems analyst.

They all held equal rank.

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HSS Chasetail Control Room

Dogger sat where he always sat when Lewis was on duty, at the communications console, on the small divider between himself and Lieutenant Anika Weiss (“Klar”) his fellow communications, data, and systems analyst. The soft toy provided a calming presence, always there, silently watching over Lewis, his constant companion since childhood. Dogger was the one and only link to his time on Earth, before his arrival on Hundeerde, a time that no longer existed.

Lewis sat at his console, monitoring communications, directing traffic entering and leaving the flight deck, and working directly alongside Anika, also monitoring one of the three vast sensor-net sector wedges that protected Hundeerde space.

A faction of the Marauders, the ruthless paramilitary force that had ruled parts of Earth by fear and violence after The Great Collapse, had eventually managed to escape the decimated remains of Earth themselves. Up until quite recently they had remained only a theoretical threat, never quite managing to make any successful incursions into Hundeerde space. This had recently changed, and there had now been several recorded incursions of suspicious probes, testing the defences and ability of the Hundel to protect their planetary backyard.

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The routine chatter of the control room continued.

Until:

The sound of intentional, quick footsteps could be heard approaching the communications and systems consoles. There was no need to turn around and identify who they belonged to, they could only belong to one person:

Lieutenant Commander Hazel MacKenzie — (“Vector”).

Lewis made no immediate move to remove Dogger.

The Lieutenant Commander decided that assertive action was required. The control room was an area where procedures and rules mattered and she was in no mood to have her authority challenged by the back head of a — what was it again? A mere 17 year old child who thought he could cut it in the control room of a Hundeerde capital cruiser? She reached out her hand to confiscate the offending item of childish contraband, once and for all.

A deep voice boomed behind her.

Hazel spun her head in surprise, her hand frozen in place.

That was it.

No further discussion or explanation.

Hazel withdrew her hand.

Lewis, meanwhile, had still not turned his head.

If he had, it would have shown the tears stinging in his eyes.

After both Huxley and Hazel had retreated, and after a few moments of silence, Anika spoke softly to Lewis.

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Hyperspace Solar Current: Delta-6-K9

The rookie pilots of the Greenwatch Squadron were in high spirits as they returned from their mission via the hyperspace solar current. Holding formation with Lieutenant Commander Klaus Adler (“Keel-One”) on point, the others chattered as they made their transit, riding the current back to the Chasetail.

A round of acknowledgements for the upcoming jump out of hyperspace came from each squadron member.

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Lewis pushed his glasses up his nose.

A few more moments, then a blip showed on the screen.

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The squadron continued their approach to the Chasetail flight deck, led by Greenwatch Squadron leader Keel-One. One by one they passed through the starboard portal curtain, and landed on their assigned docking pads. The last X-fighter cleared to land was Seb. He passed through the curtain and slowed his speed just enough as he flew down the central approach strip.

Lewis murmured quietly to himself.

Instead of slowing, turning, and landing at his assigned docking pad, Seb gunned his engines. He swooped right along the approach strip and continued straight on through the flight deck to the departure strip. His fighter exited the portside curtain, taking off again through the other side at speed. He immediately pulled up hard, completing a full inverted loop right over the Chasetail control island and back down again, re-entering the flight deck through the starboard portal. This time, landing at his assigned docking pad.

The sound of intentional, quick footsteps sounded across the flight deck. Lieutenant Commander MacKenzie was already waiting for Seb before he had even climbed out of his craft.

Hazel saw to it that he was quick-marched to General Huxley’s ready room without delay.

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HSS Chasetail: Ready Room

Lieutenant Sebastian Jarvis stood stiffly at attention, precisely in the middle of the opposite side of General Huxley’s desk.

The Hunde himself sat at his desk; there was nothing on his desk except for one item.

A tablet.

Huxley slowly and deliberately picked up the tablet and started to scroll methodically through the log.

Mission data:

• Routine patrol of Quadrant Gamma-2: Greenwatch
• Probe located, identified, Marauder origin: Fang
• Chase of probe, QG-2: Greenwatch / Fang
• Unorthodox; successful intercept manoeuvre: Glow
• Probe destroyed: Glow
• Hyperspace return voice recordings: Greenwatch
• Approach protocol breach: Glow
• Docking vectors, ignored: Glow
• Unauthorised loop over Chasetail: Glow

Huxley stopped scrolling. He did not look up.

Huxley looked up, cutting him off.

Seb turned smartly and made to leave the ready room.

Seb promptly halted, at the sound of his full name and turned.