Death, Dirt and the Nerf Rancher's Daughter

[Tiercel Habrok]

The Outer Rim...

The rugged, frontier of the galaxy. Here, there is no law but that which each world makes for itself. Amidst this sea of chaos, a lone sentinel moves. The Imperial cruiser Kalidor – four-hundred and fifty meters of her Imperial Majesty's justice, a hammer with which to strike order and obedience into the Outer Rim territories. Though her hull is scorched and scarred with the wounds of a hundred fire fights, she marches onwards, her command and crew dedicated to the noble purpose or bringing enlightenment to the dark, unruly corners of the Empire.

Star-fighters swoop and circle across the cruisers bow, running drills of formations they have learnt to heart. Aboard the command deck, officers stand above an illuminated, three-dimensional navigation display, musing over their next move. Below deck, crewmen sweat out the days frustrations in the gymnasium, or retreat to their bunks for a well earned rest. It's hangar bays are still, its shuttles remained docked, without duties to complete. All, that is, save one.

“Hyperdrives still aren't responding,” Tiercel Habrok punched another of the control's on his command console, desperately willing the Zeta-class shuttle to right itself. The ship veered to the left, though not at his command – another wave of energy from the ion storm raging around them had crashed into the shuttle. Whip-crack lightning flashed across the viewport, and the chest of Habrok's black flightsuit strained against the cockpits safety webbing as he was rocked forward.

Being assigned to an away mission with Vikki Tavik was never going to be easy, but right from the beginning – from the moment that Colonel Wystalin had chosen the pair of them for this special task – Habrok had known he was going to regret catching the Executive Officer's eye.

“All this for a bunch of nerf meat,” Tiercel muttered to himself, wondering once again just what running personal errands for the Colonel had to do with upholding Imperial law and justice. “Hope he chokes on it.”