The Silver Paladin

The Last Stand pt. 2

~~~~Sam Holt~~~~

Commander Iverson led me and my wife Colleen to an elevator along with Admiral Sanda and a few of the joint chiefs.

"We've been studying the ship that Shiro crashed in for the last year, and we've begun research on the ship you arrived in." Iverson explained as we went further and further down to the lowest level.

"We thought the technology would be exactly the same, but that's not the case."

I looked down and saw the two ships. I recognized right away that one was one mine and the other was Galra.

"That's because one is Galran and the other, Altean, created by different alien species." I explained, "So, did you get it airborne?"

"Unfortunately, no." Iverson said, "We got the nav system and other instruments turned on by powering them externally, but the power it would take to fly them is unsustainable."

"Hmm." I hummed in thought, "The crystal must have been damaged on entry if you couldn't power it."

"Crystal?" Admiral Sanda asked.

"It's the main energy source for most alien spacecraft. If you haven't been able to get it running, then what have you been doing with it?" I explained.

"We created a simulator based on the controls so that when we figure out how to integrate the tech into our own ships, we'll be ready to fly." Admiral Sanda informed.

We stopped on floor level and the elevator door opened, revealing four young men and women in Garrison cadet uniforms, all of which saluting to us respectively.

"Commander Holt, I'd like to introduce you to the best pilots to come out of the Galaxy Garrison in the last year." Iverson said gesturing to the four young teens.

"These are officers Griffin, Rizavi, Kinkade, and Leifsdottir. They're young, but their ability to adapt to new flying techniques is a step above."

One of the boys, officer Griffin, put down his saluting hand and stepped closer to me.

"On behalf of my squadron, it's an honor to meet you, sir." The young man said.

"I've got them running drills in the simulator five days a week. They can take just about anything you can throw at them."

I smirked, "Good. Now it's time to get them out of the simulator and flying these things for real."

"But they aren't working, sir." Rizavi said.

"Then we better get them working." I said.

I did a little work on the Altean ship and boarded, waiting for the platform to raise me up. A few minutes later, the hatch opened, and I took flight.

I looked down at the commander, pilots and Admiral on the ground as I landed. I opened the roof and removed my helmet, seeing the amazed and excited expressions on the young cadets' faces.

"When can we fly them, sir?" Rizavi asked.

"You're gonna be flying ships much faster and much more maneuverable than this in no time." The pilots stared at me confused.

"Sir?"

"This is just an Altean shuttle pod. The engine and functions are extremely basic. If we're going to defend the planet against the Galra, we're going to need better ships." I said.

Day passed and once again I was called by the chiefs and Admiral Sanda to explain further on my discoveries in space.

"When I was enslaved by the Galra, I was forced to work on technologies that are a hundred times more complex than a simple pod." I said, "And after I regrouped with the Paladins, I continued learning alongside the Olkari, some of the most amazing engineers I've ever had the honor to work with." I repssed a button on my remote and projected all that I knew on the screen behind me.