Terran Alliance: The Odyssey

Chapter 11- New Life

Chapter 11- New Life

(April 18, 2041)

The stars are twinkling as brightly as ever. Stars within the Unknown Regions are certainly a sight to behold. Such are the thoughts running through Admiral Pellaeon's head as he looks out of the viewport of the Hood into the void of space. Despite his advancing age, Pellaeon never shirks his duties when it comes to commanding the Hood.

It's been 16 years since the Hood first came to New Callistan. Ever since they wiped out the Bloodfangs' military capability, the ship and its crew have made New Callistan their home. Over time, they have built a good life for themselves here on New Callistan.

In that time, the Hood has settled into a new routine in order to preserve the ship. The ship had been moved up to a higher orbit over the planet, an orbit it could easily maintain. Since then, the Hood kept its engines and reactor off for the most past in order to preserve the fuel left. Meanwhile, it deployed a towed solar panel array, a new addition to the Repulse class that was added in the Hood's last refit before she departed on her mission. The solar panel array kept the ship's light and other systems needed to keep the ship operating. In the last 16 years, the Hood had only turned her reactor and engines on on occasion to ensure they were still working.

"Admiral?" Pellaeon turns around and sees one of the officers overseeing the engines, a British woman now in her early 40s who had been a relatively new sailor when the Hood departed on her mission. He had worked with her a lot and she was one of the officers Pellaeon knew best on the ship that didn't work on the bridge.

"Yes, Lieutenant Davies?" Pellaeon asks.

"Sir, we just finished our most recent diagnostics on the engines. Engines still capable of maximum speed," Lieutenant Davies says.

"Good," Pellaeon says. He then smiles and says, "When are you and your husband welcoming your next little one?"

Davies smiles, resting her hand on her enlarged stomach. "I'm due in just three weeks," she says brightly.

Pellaeon smiles brightly. Davies had married a gunnery officer two years after they first came to New Callistan. The couple had had two sons in the following years. Maybe a year ago, knowing her time to do so was running out, Davies had decided she wanted to have another child, and she and her husband were now expecting a daughter.

Davies and her husband were not the only ones either. When it became clear that the Hood was not leaving New Callistan anytime soon, the crew and troops aboard realized they needed to try and settle down and establish lives for themselves on this new world. Members of the crew tried to find places to settle down on the surface for when they were not on duty aboard the ship.

In the process, many of the crew decided to try and find relationships. A few thousand crew and soldiers had married amongst the crew. Thousands more had forged relationships with and married among the native Callistans given they were so similar to humans. And of course, most of these couples had had children. Records kept aboard the Hood recorded the number of children born to members of the crew so far as being 20,739. Like Davies and her husband, a number of couples were also expecting children now.

"Good. I am happy for your family," Pellaeon says before adding, "If you require any time off before your child is born, do not hesitate to request it." Davies smiles gratefully before heading off of the bridge.

Pellaeon heads over to a spot in the corner of the bridge where there is a drink station set up. As he goes, he's moving a little slower than he has in the past. Pellaeon is now 79 years old. Although he's still in relatively good shape as he takes care of his body, he is starting to feel the effects of age on his body. However, that has not affected his ability to command the Hood and its crew. And, of course, he has remained involved in the goings-on down on the planet. Sharlin and the other leaders of the Callistans had appointed Pellaeon to the Ruling Council of New Callistan for all that he had done for the Callistans, and at this point, with how much he is revered by the Callistans, he is almost the king of the planet.

As Pellaeon pours himself a glass of water, he thinks to himself about heading down to the planet.

(Planet surface)

In the town square of the capitol of New Calistan, a city named Klain, Ronen is slowly making his way to the government building on one side of the square. He had been called there for a brief meeting with Sharlin.

Ronen is now 52 years old, although the only real sign of that is his graying hair. Despite his age, he is still as active and limber as ever, and he is still just as capable in combat as he has always been. In fact, over time, as he has studied more and more, he has grown stronger in the Force over time.

With his age, skill in combat, and wisdom, Ronen is widely revered by the Callistans. He had been asked to teach a few Callistans who were discovered to be Force sensitive, and had been put in charge of helping to train a military force for the Callistans, as the Callistans realized it was time to train an armed force after all that had happened with the Bloodfangs.

Ronen makes his way into the building, where he finds Sharlin waiting for him. "Sharlin," Ronen says with a slight smile. He and Sharlin shake hands and clap each other on the shoulder. They had become good friends over the last 16 years.

"David. Thank you for coming," Sharlin says with a smile.

Sharlin leads him into another room that serves as a kind of cafeteria for a bite to eat. "Thank you for coming, David. I only have a few quick things I want to talk to you about, so I won't keep you long," he says.

"Alright," David says with a chuckle, getting into a line and grabbing a sandwich and a few cookies. The Hood and its crew had shared a lot of Terran dishes with the Callistans, and many of them had become staples among Callistan society.

Sharlin also grabs some food and sits down at a table with Ronen. As the two start eating, Sharlin asks Ronen, "How are your students doing, David?"

Ronen smiles a bit. "All three of them are doing very well. They are starting to truly master use of the Force. And although, of course, we do not have the materials needed to construct lightsabers for them, but they are learning well with the weapons we have made for them," he answers Sharlin's question.

"Very good. It is of great blessing to our people that you are willing to teach them," Sharlin says.

"It has been my pleasure to work with them," Ronen says.

Sharlin smiles, then asks, "I also wanted to ask if you feel you and General Strickland have found somebody worthy of succeeding you as commander of the militia." The militia of New Callistan has been trained for years now, and until now, Ronen has been serving as its commander. However, now that it has existed for years, the Callistans and Ronen had decided it was time to appoint a Callistan as commander of the militia.

"Yes," Ronen says. He pulls out a tablet and pulls out a series of three Callistan officers in the militia. He holds it out for Sharlin to see and says, "Strickland and I have discussed it amongst ourselves, and we have narrowed it down to these three candidates. We decided to let you and your fellow members of the council to go over our candidates and decide which one you would like to appoint to the position."

"Of course. We thank you for your recommendations," Sharlin says.

The two finish their quick lunch before they say goodbye for the day and Ronen heads out to the town square. As he exits the building, he sees an officer he knows as being one of the bridge crew aboard the Hood. He's walking through the square with his Callistan wife, one of their daughters walking between them while the officer is carrying their younger daughter on his shoulders.

Ronen smiles a bit. It brings a small amount of joy to see the crew making the most of the situation and building relationships and families. However, he had not been one of those who followed that path. He had avoided dating or trying to start a family, dedicating himself instead to his duties and his work. And honestly, it has made his life here on New Callistan a fulfilling one.