[2343 A.D., Five Years After the Battle of Phobos]
In the vacuum of space, a lone ship could be seen cutting through the cold expanse of the endless void known as the final frontier. Its sleek and elegant form provided an eerie contrast to the ships that occupied the bustling trade lanes just beneath its hull. Cargo freighters, cruise liners, passenger ships, and private vessels of all kinds glided past at regular intervals. But in this part of space, they were nothing more than fleeting shadows to be forgotten about just as quickly as they appeared.
"Looks like everything's good over here." Elias Thorton said as he observed the Shadowstrike's surroundings. Even now, he couldn't help but marvel at how wonderful of an opportunity it was for him to see this kind of chaotic beauty up close and personal.
It was honestly hard to believe that five years had already passed since he first joined the Colonial Navy. These days, Elias was operating in his new role as second-in-command aboard the Shadowstrike. A notable upgrade from being a plain old weapons officer not too long ago. Although the burden of such a position was heavy at first, over time it had become a familiar one. And in that same amount of time, Elias had become more than just some inexperienced rookie officer who had a simple dream of being among the stars.
To many members of the 2nd Fleet, Lieutenant Elias Thorton was known as someone who always gets the job done. Someone who could be relied upon when things got tough. He was a man who had proven himself time and again. And very few doubted that he was worthy of either his rank or his position.
Even so, there was still a lot of work that needed to be done....
There were more than a few whispers among some of his peers that Elias had only gotten as far as he did because of his relation to the current Fleet Admiral. The man had been promoted remarkably quickly after all. And although they did annoy him at times, the green-eyed man chose to use those doubters as motivation to show everyone that he deserved to be where he was today. That he was more than capable of rising to the occasion whenever it was needed.
"Thorton, you didn't come all the way down here just to mope, did you?" The voice of Commander Brix cut through the man's musings. Even after all these years, the man was still the gruff, weathered leader of the Shadowstrike. Almost exactly the same as the day Elias first met him.
The lieutenant simply offered the man a wry smile. "Not moping, sir. Just...thinking."
"Well...you might want to stop thinking and start planning." Brix's eyes twinkled with a mix of humor and tension. "We're on the verge of making a breakthrough. And I'd hate for you to get lost in your own head just when we're about to corner the Specter."
The mere mention of that ship's name made Elias want to roll his eyes in disgust.
The Specter, a ship they had been trying to capture for months, was a ghost that continued to haunt them at every turn. It was a notorious drug-smuggling vessel that's been operating under the radar for some time now. Despite their best efforts, the damn thing had eluded every attempt by the Navy to catch it. All while supplying narcotics to areas of the colonies that were desperate for some more revenue via trade on the black market.
"We're getting closer to pinning them down." Elias then said as he straightened his posture. " They've been getting sloppy. Probably due to overconfidence, or something else."
Brix nodded; he certainly agreed with the assessment. "Either way, we're going to catch them. We've been chasing this damn ship for weeks. And sooner or later, their luck's going to run out. That being said, we need to be smart. No room for mistakes."
Elias nodded in agreement. 'We need to get our hands on that ship and see what it's made of.'
Aside from the drug-smuggling, there was another reason why the Specter was such a valuable target in the eyes of the government. The ship had been outfitted with some new form of proprietary stealth technology that allowed its crew to slip through the fingers of the Navy time and again. Technology that made it damn near impossible to find one radar once it was activated. The kind of tech that would give every ship in the Navy the absolute edge when it came to future combat scenarios. Obviously, this was a sign that the crew was well-funded. Which meant that they were the key to uncovering a much bigger operation.
That being said, it was going to take more than just a military strike to catch them. An operation like this was going to require a careful game of cat and mouse.
"Our main issue for now is trying to find them." Elias then said as he tapped a small panel in front of him. "We know that they've mostly operated in this area for the past month, but their runs are way too inconsistent."
"The guys on the Vanguard told me that they should be receiving intel on the ship pretty soon from one of our undercover agents in the Marines working in the black market port on the moon. Hopefully, that'll give us exactly what we need to at least track them down." Brix responded.
Just as Elias was about to reply, his personal tablet chimed. The man then looked over to his right to see a message notification flash on his screen.
'Aunt Kara?' The man wondered as he swiped his finger over the screen to unlock it and read the message. The fact that it was encrypted instantly made him worry.
-(o)-
Brat,
I hope this message finds you well. I've been keeping an eye on your progress, and I'm more than impressed with how you've been handling yourself lately. I've been told that you and your crew are working on the Specter case near L-2. I'm confident that you'll be able to resolve this matter quickly. Anyway, I won't keep you long. Stay safe and keep your head on a swivel.
P.S.: There's a rumor going around that you're being considered for a promotion. You didn't hear that from me, though.
Stay sharp. I'm proud of you.
- Your favorite auntie!
-(o)-
Elias couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face after reading that message. Kara Howell was now the highest-ranking officer in the entirety of the Colonial Navy. Something that also made her one of the most powerful people in the Colonial Federation. But even with her busy schedule, she still managed to carve out the time to send him messages like this every once in a while. And Elias certainly appreciated the gesture. That being said, her words did strike a chord with the green-eyed lieutenant.
'A promotion?' The thought felt both thrilling and suffocating at the same time. Elias had been itching to start commanding his own ship sometime in the near future. However, now that such an achievement seemed within his grasp, he wasn't quite sure if he was ready for all that responsibility. After all, being a crewmember on board a ship like the Shadowstrike was one thing, but being in command of one was an entirely different matter altogether. One that came with a lot more headaches and paperwork if Commander Brix's schedule was anything to go of off.
As if the universe was playing some sort of trick on him, the man's thoughts were once again interrupted seconds later by another message notification. This one, however, was from Marida Hull. His girlfriend, whom he had been dating for the last three years.
-(o)-
Elias,
I know things have been busy for you lately, but I just wanted to remind you to be careful. I remember you told me that this secret mission you're on is important, but I can't help but worry sometimes. Just make sure that you stay safe, alright? I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you.
- Marida, XOXO
-(o)-
Elias smiled faintly as a potent mixture of warmth and longing filled his chest. The woman had a habit of sending him sappy messages like that whenever he was away from home for a while. To be honest, she was more of a worrywart than his mother at times. That being said, Elias would be lying if he said that he didn't appreciate the sentiment. It felt nice to know that there were people who cared about him so much. There were a lot of people out there who weren't as lucky.
The man's thoughts were interrupted once again by a sharp beep from the ship's comms station. A new message had just come in.
"Commander Brix, a new message just came in from the Vanguard, sir." Petty Officer Sakho, the man who replaced Jor just a few months ago, said his usually stoic voice. "Our undercover agent was able to put a tracking device on the Specter. They'll be sending over the data shortly."
"Well...will you look a that!" Brix said with a grin. This was better news than they could've hoped for. "Souza, get to work plugging in that data the moment it comes in. I want to go after this damn ship as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir!" The ship's helmsman said with a firm salute.
As the Shadowstrike adjusted course, Elias felt the all-too-familiar rush of adrenaline. The hunt was officially on. Nothing was going to stop him from taking down those who threatened the sanctity of space. Anyone who dared to upset the peace of space was going to regret the day they crossed paths with him.