Iter Per Astra: Volume 1 - Lost Princess
Astral 3 - Nautica Harbor

The ship suddenly shook, and clanking sounds came from everywhere around them.

“We’re here,” Melody said.

The air seal was disengaged, and temperature-equalizing gas was released from both sides of the door, as the door started to descend, light seeped in from between the door and the hull of the ship until the entrance was clear to pass.

As all three walked outside the ship, Rose was awestruck by how beautiful the harbor was.

The harbor was filled with activity, from smaller and bigger ships flying overhead, fishermen preparing their boats to head towards Coryzen’s expansive ocean to collect fish, people walking around the mall-like marketplace in the harbor, to military soldiers moving small vehicles to and from the landing pad deeper inland.

The CRN Javelin itself landed on the ocean and floated like a boat, while its ramp was lowered into a concrete walkway heading into the terminal before heading into the harbor.

“Wow!!” Rose said excited. “This is a really beautiful place. Commander Terix Sir.”

“Please just call me Joseph. I am roughly the same age as you so don’t call me like your superior just because of that.”

“Roughly the same age? How old are you then?” Rose asked. "I am twenty-three."

“I turned twenty-four today.”

“Really? Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” He replied.

“Well as we are all sharing your ages might as well say mine, I am twenty-six. So, I am technically your superior because of age.” Melody added.

“Okay, Commander Melody ma’am.” Joseph continued the gag. “Where are you headed today, Melody.” He then asked.

“The Director told me to take her to Intrepid Technologies as he granted her some money to get a personal phone from there, not sure why though.”

“We can go together I don’t have anything else today.”

“Great, that way I can get to know you a bit better,” Rose said.

As they were about to walk away from the terminal, another commander approached them. “Excuse me, Captain Terix. I have a message that I must give you.”

“Yeah, what is it?” He answered.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, I was sent here by the local General, but your presence is requested at the command center for a meeting of sorts.”

“A meeting?” Joseph said, clearly annoyed. “I thought I had the rest of the day off?”

“Admiral Rove was the one that sent the request.”

“When did she request that?”

“She just sent me a message minutes ago, to intercept you here at the harbor and send you to the command center.”

“I guess I don’t have a choice,” Joseph muttered to himself. “You two go ahead. I’ll talk with you guys later.”

“Very well,” Melody said as she bowed. “I’ll bring Rose by the house later if you want so you can get intimate with her.”

“Wait what?!” Rose said confused and scared. “W-What do you mean by that?!”

“Melody. Don’t scare her like that.” Joseph called. “You will have to get used to her tongue,” Joseph told Rose. “Her’s is a bit sharper than what it initially seems. I’ll let you know where we can meet later.”

“O-okay,” Rose said. “Thank you for the warning, sir... I mean Joseph.”

“Come now Rose, let’s go,” Melody answered.

Rose then Followed Melody over to the marketplace and Joseph headed with the commander over to the Nautica Harbor command center.

Nautica Harbor command center was the CRN control hub of Nautica Harbor, not only did the team at this location manage the military and naval movements in the harbor, but they also managed the non-military ships in the harbor.

It was a two-story building, with the first floor being a small garage for gas-powered jeeps and the second floor being the command center with about two dozen people managing and talking with captains of ships, either military or non-military to their destinations.

Joseph walked up the ladder and at the entrance he was greeted by General Wilson, he is the local general of Nautica Harbor, he was once one of the most feared generals of the CRN, having liberated Lonor prime from being the Confederacy capital with only a handful of ships against a dozen Confederacy ships, confederate ships are inferior to the equivalent CRN ones but their tactics are frequently to overwhelm the enemy with sheer amounts of troops. But under General Wilson’s command such overwhelming tactics are typically turned on their heads.

“Captain Terix.” The general said. “A pleasure to meet again.”

“Likewise General,” Joseph said as he shook his hand. “It’s commander now. Why did you call me here.”

“Come inside, let me explain.”

Joseph followed the General inside.

The room was dark with only the holograms and screens lighting the room. Something that Joseph found odd as he had frequently come here before.

“Why is this place so dark?” Joseph asked.

“The high-power projector for the holograms shorted out last week, the IT told us that the thing that broke comes from planet America, and it will take nearly a week to get here, he told us to keep the room dark while it arrives, otherwise we will not be able to see the holograms.” The general answered. “Back in my day, we used holographic screens, not these free-floating garbage projectors, enough about my ranting. About the meeting, I tried to convince the admiral to have the meeting tomorrow, but she had forgotten to tell you and she already had the time separated for it. And as we both know we cannot change a meeting scheduled by Admiral Cyana.”

“What is the meeting about,” Joseph asked as the General pressed a button on the central holoprojector.

After a short humming sound of the projector starting up, several other holograms appeared around the hologram projection table, one of them was Admiral Cyana Rove.

“Hello again Commander Terix,” Cyana said. “Sorry for calling you again after I told you that I would give you the rest of the day off.”

“It’s not like I can complain much, it’s only a meeting, right?”

“Not quite, it’s been a week since the last fleet formation check, I need you to check them again.”

“With all due respect but why me? what about Lennox? he’s a strategist too. and he has more experience than me.”

“He is off-planet currently, and outside of lightyear range, as well as the other strategists.”

“So, I’m the only one here then. Great.”

“Of your level or above yes, but not quite,” Cyana said. “The young woman next to you is Celyn Mckay.”

A woman beside him slightly nodded her head, as Cyana said that.

“She is currently in her fourth year of training to become a strategist; she trains under Lennox but as he is not here, she is stationed here; she will help you if you need help in something.”

“Don’t hesitate to tell me what you want me to do,” Celyn said. “I would prefer if you didn’t give me anything too difficult.”

“Nice to meet you, you can call me Joseph, okay Admiral,” Joseph said. “So, what sections do you want us to check on?”

“Here’s the list, I will display it on the screen just in case. I want you to check fleet formations in Coryzen, Iskar, Vox Hyperspeed Lane, Lonor Prime, Kivaly, Rkeyma, Rylezam, and Eldives.”