An Adventurous Journey

[Toaster]

Capitaine Laurent closed the file on his datatab and clipped it to his uniform's belt. For a moment, he just stared at the far wall of the elevator cabin as it sped down toward the engineering decks. This was tremendous news to him.
He had planned on taking the Ile de Re for a ride around the Burgundy system for a few days, perhaps intercepting a few Council or Maquis patrols, then returning to Dijon to take command of his old gunboat again. He gave a moment's thought to what the Saint Brieuc was doing just then. Suddenly, Laurent realized something. He had just been given a high-risk mission. Exploring the Tau-systems would take weeks, maybe months. When he returned - and he was fairly sure he would - he would surely be promoted, maybe even given command of an Obstinate . . . or perhaps even a Valor!
This was almost too much for the young man to grasp. After serving for only five years, he could be the youngest captain of a Valor-class battleship in the younger history of the Navy!
The elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open silently. The three crewmen that stood outside waiting snapped to attention as the captain walked out of the cabin. He curtly nodded and strode past.
Turning a corner, he nearly bumped into Tristan who was on his way back to the bridge.
"Pierre!" He called out with a laugh. "Watch out, mon ami!"
Laurent didn't return the gayness.
"Tristan, I just received new orders."
"Ah oui? What are they?"
Laurent looked around carefully, then said, "A recon mission into the Tau-region of Sirius. That's all I've been told so far."
Tristan's smile faded.
"Well... I guess that's good." He placed his large hands on his friend's shoulders and squeezed them lightly. "Now you can prove yourself to be worthy of your rank."
This made Laurent chuckle.
"Did you ever doubt that I was?"
The other man laughed loudly and said, "Of course not! But who knows what the eggheads in High Command are thinking?"

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Olivia Sable