NanoTec: Flight to a Distant Star

(2)07: 2115: The Bigger They Are...

Elleno burst into Sir-Caller's room and defrosted him from his cryosleep.

"Wake up sleepy head. We've got a ship to catch." Elleno snapped. "Gather your crew, now. 9 pm, on the dot. You know where."

"Huh?" Sir-Caller mumbled. "Five more minutes mom."

Elleno tipped the cryo chamber, causing Sir-Caller to fall out face first onto the plastic floor.

"OK, OK, I'm awake." Sir-Caller half-lamented. "You really are like my mom sir."

Elleno ignored the comment. He pulled Sir-Caller to his feet and even took the liberty to toss him his lab coat and gas mask.

"Thanks... Where am I supposed to go again?"

"Ugh... The dockyard, port, harbor, mooring, boat house, whatever. You know."

"OK sir. On it."

Sir-Caller left the room, leaving the habitat hatch open. Elleno sighed as he walked out into the darkened evening. It was almost 8:40 pm, Ellenove time, Earth clock. Elleno had always found it strange that NanoTec would still be using the Earth hour-minute systems on a new alien planet whose rotations and orbits do not match that of Earth at all. Perhaps nobody had the time to come up with a new system, or was too lazy to even lift a finger to begin with.

Maybe the 'civil war' had something to do with the 'no time to do anything non-military' meta of the current situation. Then again, Elleno thought to himself, why on Earth (or Sirrea) would humans, the moment they land on a new planet, want to desecrate the untouched soils or in this case, oceans, with war and income tax. It just makes no sense.

Elleno, now standing before his deputy captain/navigation officer's habitat. He knocked on the hatch once. A few seconds passed before Maria greeted him wearing nothing but a gas mask and a towel draped over her body.

"What is it sir?" she asked nonchalantly.

Elleno was taken aback slightly as his face suddenly became hot. Keeping himself calm and preventing any impromptu rocket science below his belt, he answered.

"Brass' orders. They want our ship, Petramale included, to depart in about 20 minutes. Call the crew and tell them to get ready by then."

Maria remained silent for a while.

"Yes sir." she answered after the pause before closing the hatch.

Elleno turned around and readjusted his pants. That could have ended much worse. He did not want to think about it any further as he started making his way to the engineering complex.

He bumped into Aquila on the way.

"Oh, si... Elleno. Good timing. I need to brief you briefly on the new tech installed on your ship."

"Did you say 'brief' twice on purpose?"

"As many times as you are wearing briefs." Aquila said with a creepy smile.

"How did..." Elleno started before holding his tongue. It was cold on Sirrea after all.

"Fine." Elleno finally said. "The new tech. Shoot."

"Right-o." Aquila said cheerfully as she spun around and began half-jogging towards the dock, gesturing for Elleno to follow.

He did as requested.

Now standing before the NNT Rockmage, Aquila began speaking.

"I've got engineering to install decoy chaff onto your, and your friend's ship. They come with their own ECM broadcasters although they are not as powerful as we hoped them to be. It will have to do... OK with that Elleno-sir?"