Warnings covered the walls. People ran through the corridors, following the direction lines, while the hundreds on the floor pulled towards the walls in an attempt to make space. I waited for a team of eight to rush past, then moved to the middle of the corridor. The nearest message on the wall changed.

　　Cadet Elcy to the bridge ASAP!

　　Now they need me. I held on to the artifact container and quickened my pace forward. The nearest elevator was packed when I got there. So much for getting a green corridor. Given the size of the ship, and how packed it was, that would have been a considerable achievement.

　　"I`m for the Bridge," I said.

　　The people looked at me, then shuffled to give me enough space to let me enter. All of them were people I knew from Gregorius` database. Seven were techs with exemplary records, and the rest were described simply as "weapon systems personnel." It all went to say that despite the apparent calm, the situation was extremely serious.

　　The elevator stopped twice before I reached the bridge. When it opened for the third time, I rushed out.

　　"Who are you?" a bridge officer asked, staring at me as if I were a cadet candidate.

　　"Cadet Light Seeker, arriving as ordered." I stood to attention.

　　"Oh." The man didn`t look happy or impressed. "Down the corridor. Cap is waiting."

　　"Thank you, sir." I offered a polite smile.

　　I knew where the bridge was, along with every other non-classified section of the ship. I also knew that the officer`s face or voice print wasn`t listed in any of the personnel files I had access to.

　　A faint smell of med chemicals filled the corridor leading to the bridge—nothing harmful, though it brought a reminder that Incandescent was ready for a mutiny should it happen. Back when I was a ship, my mutiny protocols were limited, but even then I had filled my halls with sedatives. Considering the realities of the Scuu front, there was a ninety-seven percent chance that the cocktails used here would be more harmful.

　　The bridge was mostly empty compared to the rest of the ship. In total, there were two dozen people, all at their personal terminals. No one reacted as I walked in. After waiting for five seconds, I made my way to the captain. The personnel file described him as a decorated fleet officer, but compared to most of the rest of the officer staff aboard the Gregorius, he appeared mostly average. Interestingly enough, he had burned through seven ships in his service, barely surviving on two of those occasions, and had been made captain due to a "lapse of insanity" by his previous commander.

　　"Reporting as ordered, sir." I stood three meters from him.

　　Captain Ji Kol kept focusing on the screen in front of him. After five hundred milliseconds, the word "Wait" appeared on the near wall. I could feel Incandescent`s snobbishness even through the letters.

　　"Scuu attack?" I turned towards the wall.

　　"In a moment, cadet," the captain said under his breath. The hint was clear.

　　The next minute and nineteen seconds were uneventful. Everyone remained at their stations without saying a word, as if bracing for something to happen. As I stood to attention, I tried to make out whatever information I could from my current position. Of the things I could see, everything seemed standard, though there was no telling what passed as standard with two fleets leading all-out war in the system.

　　"You have fire at will authorization," Captain Kol said, directed at the ship. "Launch a contact sat when in range."

　　The man then turned around to face me. Refreshingly, he was rather short—barely half an inch taller than myself—bronze-skinned and muscular as someone from a high gravity planet. It didn`t take an analytics program for me to guess he wasn`t pleased with me, and to be honest, with everything considered, I wasn`t pleased with him either.

　　"Floater," he said, skipping all the formalities. "Engines are offline, so we only have the mass. Too big to be a Scuu but with comms down we don`t know if it`s been infected."

　　Another ship? I calculated the odds of it being Radiance. The probability was approximately one in five; the chance that she was intact and well fell to under point-seven percent.

　　"Anything I could assist with, sir?"

　　I felt the subtle silence fill the room. It was different from before—on the surface everything continued as it was, but I could see the minute differences in the officers` behavior. They were still staring at their screens, but their posture had tensed.

　　"Don`t impose the priority," the captain said. "We can`t deal with that right now."

　　Ultimately it comes down to this&

　　The captain didn`t believe in my mission. From his point of view, it likely seemed useless at best and dangerous at worst. However, all it took was one request from me and he would be forced to obey or face immediate court martial. According to a quick simulation, such an action would plunge the ship into chaos, making us a potential target for the approaching ship. Worse, there was no telling how Incandescent would react—he had priorities of his own.

　　"What is the situation?" I deliberately dropped his rank, expressing my reserved agreement. "The whole situation."

　　There was a slow nod. The captain realized what I was saying, including that it was a compromise. When I decided that my cooperation was no longer necessary, I would invoke the zero priority mission.

　　"HQ has gathered an armada," the captain said. "The transmission came in two windows ago. No details were given, but they`ll appear soon. When they do&"

　　The shit hits the fan, I mentally finished.

　　"Time?"

　　"No details were given. Incandescent gave us anywhere between six and eighty-four hours. By then, we have to reach the Gregorius."

　　A sound plan. The ship had the firepower to provide some resistance, enough to steal the advantage of any Scuu side that decided to attack us. The same could not be said about any of the auxiliary ships. Once a human fleet entered the system, all minor targets would become fair game.

　　"Foreign contact sat within visual," the comm officer said. "Awaiting response."

　　"At least they know the confirmation protocols," the captain said. "Launch a sat and start the kiss. Incandescent, get an image."

　　Magnified image feeds covered all walls of the bridge. The satellite displayed was new, although I knew the version it had been modified from. All external sensors were removed, leaving nothing but the thrusters and outer casing. The one new element was a large circular port placed on the shield plating. In seven seconds, an image of an almost identical satellite appeared.

　　"Seven seconds to kill," someone said.

　　"Any news on our sat?" Kol asked.

　　"No readings of an energy spike, so it`s likely intact."

　　Everything seemed very on the book, with one exception—Incandescent was suspiciously silent. It was officers doing all the talking. The ship`s only interaction was through occasional messages.

　　Both sats moved towards each other, then did a standard coupling. Everybody`s expression was tense. I hesitated whether or not to break the silence, but after a few simulations decided against it.

　　"Weapons ready, Incandescent," Captain Kol whispered. "Set up countermeasures. Monitor all honeypots."

　　He didn`t say it out loud, but I recognized the protocols. We were preparing for a quarantine contact. The risks were obvious, but so were the benefits of stumbling across another ship. As Augustus had told me a long time ago, the ship was of no consequence. In a battlefield such as this, it would only serve to make us a bigger target. Despite the risk, there was always something that could be gained.

　　* * *

　　Engus VI, Cassandrian Front — 617.1 A.E. (Age of Expansion)

　　Seventy-one hours has passed since the start of the operation. One more, and the captain would be in his right to contact the HQ admiralty with an official protest; it was something that he was looking forward to, and he wasn`t alone. The mission had been off to begin with, but once the BICEFI had taken direct control, morale had dropped sharply. I had discreetly been injecting synth-endorphins in the air in an attempt to counteract the effect on the captain`s orders, but the effects proved minimal. So far, a quarter of the officer staff had requested leave in their quarters, and had received it. I, however, couldn`t afford such a luxury.

　　"Exo squad twenty-six has landed," I announced. "Team beta-six notified and heading to pod-room three. Beginning construction of squad twenty-seven."

　　I sent a personal notification to the team involved. Thankfully for me, they were veterans, so I didn`t have to bother with the full debrief protocols. Hopefully, that would mean I`d get more spikes in their bio-readings.

　　"Ready when you are, sir," I said directly in Wilco`s comm. "Unless you wish to wit this one out."

　　He didn`t respond, as I expected he wouldn`t. Since the start of the ground missions, he had personally overseen every fourth team. Regulations strictly forbade it, but the BICEFI overseer had given his approval. Augustus had protested—his way of putting future pressure on the BICEFI. As he had mentioned once, even victories came at a cost.

　　"Linking current video feeds." I added the last batch of video feeds to Wilco`s SR pod. Once that was done, I focused on the data I received from the sats in orbit around the planet.

　　According to the BICEFI overseer, we were supposed to find the cause of the mass extinction event. In truth, I had no idea what we were searching for. The planet had been scheduled for purging. Having it done faster than expected should have been regarded as a completed objective, despite the amount of losses. It had been for all other ships in the system; all of them had been sent back to the front& all except me. Now, I was stuck here monitoring a rock covered in decaying organic matter until people outside the fleet hierarchy made up their minds.

　　Fifty people entered the pods. The groups were always fifty: forty to search and ten on standby for armed support. No reason for such a behavior was given. Each team was given a grid sector to comb, overseen by a team of scientists composed of what specialists and medical personnel I could find. Every science ship in existence would probably scream in horror if they could see. However, the BICEFI orders were absolute: no outside involvement.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

　　"Links established," I said as my subroutines confirmed the obligatory stability and security connection checks. "Beta six is ready for direct control."

　　"Establishing link," Wilco said in his pod as protocol demanded. Each individual member of the team followed.

　　Five hundred milliseconds later, I was granted access to all exo video feeds. The drop shuttle had landed in sector H-7—the suspected epicenter of the anomaly, based on the current analysis. The fields of corpses visible only ten hours ago had devolved to an organic carpet of goo covering the ground up to the horizon.

　　"You know the drill," Wilco said. "Ten teams, two backup. Go."

　　The last two exos always remained near the shuttle, not that it mattered. Once the sector was cleared and the report given in, the shuttle and all exos would be abandoned and a new team would be sent to comb another sector. I had asked the overseer why the same exos couldn`t be used to scout surrounding sectors, but wasn`t given an explanation.

　　"I don`t see any suits," Private Sedina said. "Didn`t anyone get this far?"

　　"No," Wilco replied. I wasn`t able to confirm his statement.

　　"At least one run without bubbles," Private Cardinal whispered.

　　"Cut the chatter," Wilco ordered. "Let`s get this done."

　　"Yes, sir!"

　　The scanning was always the same. The modifications I had been instructed to make on the exos allows each step to do a quick analysis of the organic goo`s composition. The data was then transferred to a portion of my subroutines. I had no idea what the data contained, nor what was done with it after. Judging by the reactions of Lieutenant Aliesta, though, I suspected that she didn`t either.

　　While the team was scanning, my subroutines had completed another set of exos. I directed them aboard a shuttle, then sent it to the next section of the grid. Assuming everything continued at the same pace, the entire designated area would be completed in approximately ninety-seven hours& providing the BICEFI didn`t change their mind.

　　Quarantine imposed.

　　Quarantine bypassed.

　　"Found a suit," Private Sedina shouted through comm. Immediately, I reviewed her exo`s video feed. I couldn`t see anything matching the description. "Don`t recognize the markings. This one is for you, sir."

　　"Don`t touch it!" Wilco ordered. "Elcy, give me an encrypted line."

　　"Comm channel encrypted." I obeyed. "I`ve sent a notification to the captain. No response."

　　"Remove quarantine."

　　Quarantine removed.

　　A space suit popped up into existence in Sedina`s feed. The private had already stepped back, keeping it in view. Her bio signs were elevated.

　　"Continue the sweep," Wilco said on the public channel.

　　"Good luck with the popping, sir."

　　The private laughed and moved away. I kept the frozen image of the suit. The design wasn`t one I had seen before, probably classified. According to battle records, it didn`t correspond to anyone taking part in the battle. The item it was clutching, though, was something I recognized& a prism artifact. Thanks to the hiccup, I knew exactly when I had seen one like it: the time a squad had been sent on a suicide mission on a Cassandrian ship.

　　"That`s it," the BICEFI overseer said. "Prepare an extraction."

　　"Captain still hasn`t given the go ahead," Wilco said.

　　"This is beyond his access level. I`m taking full responsibility."

　　"It`s that or Med Core."

　　There was no immediate response. I didn`t know the details around the current operation, but apparently it didn`t override quarantine protocols. Given that the event had reverted all organic matter on the planet to goo, there was good reason for it. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn`t be allowed in orbit of such a planet, let alone unsupervised. The fact that I was suggested that I and the entire crew were playing the role of lab rats.

　　"Get the captain," the BICEFI operative said after seven thousand and eighty-nine milliseconds.

　　I sent another emergency notification to his quarters. As before, there was no response.

　　"No answer," I informed him on the secure channel. "Senior staff have been told to inform him personally."

　　"So, we wait," Wilco said, as his exo neared the location of the corpse.

　　* * *

　　I understood Wilco`s fears. Bringing the artifact aboard could have instantly made me into a plague ship. In all probability, I would have survived, but my entire crew would have shared the same fate as the ground troops on the planet. In the end, the captain had made a compromise. An AI shuttle had been launched to retrieve the prism. After confirming the transfer, I had been sent back to the front, and all memories of the event had been restricted. Similarly, everyone aboard Incandescent could also become infected. The difference was that, this time, not only humans were at risk.

　　Everyone watched the image of the sats. When they disconnected, there was a general sigh of relief throughout the bridge.

　　Positive confirmation.

　　Incandescent displayed a message on the screen as one of the sats turned around and thrust away. Shortly after, a new satellite approached.

　　"We have double confirmation," Incandescent announced. "Moving to combat readiness status."

　　"Maintain battle readiness," the captain ordered.

　　"Anything else I should know, captain?" In my experience, when a captain was overly cautious, there was more than one reason.

　　"Standard procedure," he said. I knew he was lying.

　　"Identity confirmed as Gleam, sir," Incandescent announced. "Scuu combat patterns remain intact. No change from the honeypots."

　　"Combat readiness," Kol whispered under his breath. "Send five trail sats. I don`t want Gleam too close."

　　"Understood."

　　"Full privacy to my quarters. Commander Evans has the bridge." The captain looked at me. "Cadet." He gestured with his hand for me to get going.

　　We left the bridge. The lieutenant from before was there. The bridge officer from before was still in the corridor, sitting on the floor, his back to the wall. As we made our way to the captain`s quarters, I saw the lieutenant put a few drops of an unknown substance in his eyes.

　　The room we entered was smaller than I expected. There was no desk or dedicated meeting area, just a standard bed and wardrobe section.

　　No shower? I wondered.

　　"Complete privacy mode," the captain said, as he sat on the bed. "Show me the simulation path to the Gregorius."

　　An image covered the entire wall—a maze of vortex tunnels in constant motion. Every millisecond, vortex points disappeared creating new connections. As tense as the situation had been just now, it couldn`t compare to the danger that was outside. From what I could see on the simulation, the total number of vortex points was growing.

　　"Captain?" I asked.

　　The man just looked at me, then put his head in his hands.

　　"Is there something you wish to tell me, sir?" I ran a few simulations based on what I knew of his personnel file. "Or ask me?"

　　"One thing determines someone`s career on the front," Captain Kol began. "When not to ask questions. This is the first time I have been ordered not to ask you questions."

　　"Sir?"

　　He seemed like a teen—confident that he had all answers in the universe before facing something that brought his whole world crashing down.

　　"Gregorius personally ordered that you be brought back. He specifically asked for you by name. The order was then confirmed by the captain. Both times, it was made very clear that you were to be sent alone. I made several requests for clarification as to what that meant, especially given the evacuation order. There was no answer. No direct or automated responses. At this point, I only have Incandescent`s word that we won`t have a repeat of the incident."

　　And given the amount of Scuu involved, a ship`s word couldn`t be taken for granted.

　　"A new system, filled with Shield remnants and two Scuu fleets killing each other, and I`m not allowed to ask a single question."

　　"I understand your dilemma, sir. If—"

　　The captain made a gesture telling me to stop. I could only assume what was going through his mind.

　　"I ordered Incandescent to break protocol and message HQ for instructions during one of the windows. I was hoping that would sort out the damned mission priorities. Instead, we received a priority message from Gregorius` Administrator."

　　"Directed to me?"

　　"No." There was an eerie moment of silence. The captain then pointed at the wardrobe section.

　　Not the best invitation I had received. With a nod, I went there. None of the uniforms were in pristine condition. If he were anywhere else, he would have gotten half a dozen demerits. Going through the clothes, I found a datapad in one of the pockets. Unlike the common model, this had the markings of a read-only unit. There were no encryption or security protocols: nothing but a single entry.

　　Classified data. And something that could be kept from a ship`s memory.

　　I tapped on the entry.

　　"This is a priority zero order," the Administrator said. "Retransfer this message immediately to fleet admiralty. The Gregorius cannot be trusted. The interim captain has taken command of the vessel and invoked a general evacuation order. The stupid wartime protocols don`t allow me to re-establish my authority, so I`m requesting for a direct external intervention. Renaan has gone insane. All medical personnel have been ordered off the station, making it technically impossible for him to be removed. I have closed myself in the admin section of the ship, but I won`t last long."

　　So, it was a mutiny.

　　This was better organized than any of the ones I had experienced. For one thing, it was successful, technically not making it a mutiny. Renaan must have planned this for a while, or maybe he had done it before? I still didn`t know the exact details that had sent him to a penal colony. The only fact I knew was that Nitel had something to do with it. Quite convenient that the flight colonel happened to have gone missing in roughly the same time. According to an analysis of the situation, there was a fifty-nine percent chance that he had suspected this turn of events and taken advantage of the chaos to run off.

　　"Renaan has been infected. The whole Scuu attack is a fake. There is no fleet out there. Renaan wants to keep me from establishing contact. I want a full investigation before he meddles with the data. The contact must proceed as planned and—"

　　The message cut off abruptly.

　　"Thought quarantine?" I asked as I put the datapad back where I found it.

　　"The communications window ended. I used my authority to restrict the memory. Incandescent has no idea."

　　"Why let me hear it?"

　　"You`re the only one granted authority on all sides." His voice was dripping with disgust.

　　After a century, I had learned to accept humans despising ships. Even in my old husk, it hadn`t been rare for people to dislike me. On the front, we were seen as necessities, often even accepted, but not when we had the authority to issue orders. It didn`t help that I was a retiree and a cadet.

　　"What were the captain`s orders regarding me?"

　　"To be returned to the ship. Priority one."

　　One priority zero order to establish contact with a new race, one for me to return to the Gregorius, and one to help the Administrator regain control of the ship. On the surface, the decision relied on me. In the last year when I found myself confronted with several orders, I had always chosen the one involving the third-contact race. The chance of a simple coincidence was less than thirteen percent. Finding a dome on a deserted planet, entering fractal space, even entering the Scuu network& everything was starting to become connected, just as Rigel had said. That is how I knew it wasn`t.

　　"We`re going to the inner planet," I told the captain. "This has priority. Any other priority zero order will be disregarded pending an investigation by an Arbiter."

　　"If that is your decision." There was a note of relief, drowned in disapproval. "What about Gleam?"

　　"He carries on with his own priorities."

　　Sorry, Administrator. Some things have a higher priority. Humanity must be the first to achieve contact. Everything else is a distraction.

　　Communications restored. Direct fleet priority message.

　　A message flashed on the wall in large red letters. I blinked. For three milliseconds, the image on the wall seemed slightly blurry.

　　"There`s a message from fleet HQ, captain," Incandescent said in the room.

　　The man looked at me. I just nodded.

　　"End privacy mode," Captain Kol hissed.

　　"The fleet has started entering the system, sir," Incandescent continued. "All combat ready ships have been ordered to join the attack force."

　　"Any response from the Gregorius?"

　　"No, sir. The Gregorius is still dark. Orders?"

　　The image on the screen changed. Vortices tore apart, preparing for the new presence invading the system. This had just turned into a three-way battle. From here on, no one was safe.

　　"Belay those orders, we`re heading back to the Gregorius," I ordered. "Tell Gleam and all other original auxiliary ships to follow. Communications with anyone else are to be ignored by BICEFI authority." I transmitted Lux` protocols.

　　"Authority confirmed," Incandescent complied. "Calculating new path. Transmissions sent."

　　"I thought we were heading to the inner planet," the captain said.

　　"The priorities change, sir."

　　With all-out war breaking out in the system, the chances of reaching the planet unscathed were under point-zero-zero three. The alternative, given that we managed to reach the Gregorius, was twenty-seven percent higher.

　　"I`ll need all combat forces. Including Kridib." There`s something I need to confirm.