Testamant: Lumiance base

Luminance base  22:40 hrs  S.E.T

Kit sat in the oval shaped, poorly lit, mess hall; loosely chewing on the cornbread that rested in plastic dishes upon the round plexiglass table. She had her head cocked to the left and her eyes looked strained, swollen with a lack of sleep and the nightmare that was entering the domed complex.  Already her green vest had sweat marks down the back and along her cleavage line. And though she tried to stop thinking about Dekkard her nipples budded through the top. 
​      She attempted to  concentrated on the pale yellow dried rations in front of her. Ignoring the images and the sudden thoughts that rose within her, as she looked up and glimpsed  Dekkard sat sideways on and ten feet away  sneering a laugh out with the other troopers. His lips pulling away from his even teeth; the chiselled contours of his face, the muscles along his arm and back… they were typically disgusting rations. Dry to the taste and bitter to the tongue but in the neon blue lighting, she could ignore  ignore at least what they looked like
​      Dekker began laughing nasally as a voice broke in on the tano
​       ‘Ms Katerine O’Donnal, could you come to control, Katerine O’ Donnal to control please.’  The voice sounded old cracked and tired. She glanced at Dekkard who after laughing looked up at the tanoi and sneered.

The control room pale blue and dimly lit, yet was a hive of activity. The smell of too many people in too small an area with poor ventilation struck her at once,  as Officers of various ranks huddled around holographic consoles and spoke into their headsets A large, round faced, sweaty man with a grey goatee stood at the doorway.
​      ‘Ms O’Donnal?
​      ‘yes.’
​      ‘Pleased to meet you, I, I am commander Solway. I understand you’re here  on the the orders of commander Thrace?  to look at the caves in the beta quadrant?’
​      ‘ -Yes we are here to meet with-
​       -‘ please follow me.
​       They waked through the chaotic command centre; weaving between and colliding with  various over worked and from the look of them underfed chiefs of staff as he continued to talk over the noise of the room.
​       ‘-Yes, professor Johnson, he’s  already out at the caves now…’ he pushed between two officers then looked over his shoulder towards her  ‘…please follow me.’
​       They walked through the uniformed  morass towards   a glass sealed office at the far end of the rounded room. A partition in the glass curled open. They both entered and the glass petition sealed behind them. Then the glass began to haze up and turn dark. to kit the silence became numbing; though the air conditioning gave relief as they stood in this new silence.
​       Solway looked awkward, his olive eyes appeared strained and he nervously bit the side of his sallow cheek, making a suckling sound, that slowly began to irritate Kit. 
​       She sat  in the only  other vacant chair in the room now  opposite Solway
​       'I- its late now…’ he coughed ‘…the Grazzi are…’ he sighed ‘… being difficult in that region at the moment. We have sent a significant number of droids to protect the camp….errum…but they, they  need constant replacing...night travel is…’
​        Kit thought he looked decidedly nervous, as sweat pealed from his brow. …‘not recommended at the mom-’ 
​         The gentle, sexless voice of Haniel, the bio-server injected:  ‘Deputy commander.’
​         What?  Deputy  Commander? The image of a bullfrog filled her inner eye. Its face slimy, its’ over large lips a grotesque parody of Solway’s.  Kit looked away fromthe man at the desk and began survaying the sparce slowly cooling room apart fom the desk and two chairs there was nothing here. This room, she mused to herself  reflected Solway's personality perfectly.' ​         ‘Yes Haniel’ Solway  replied tersely.
​         ‘We are getting a disproportionate rise in Grazzi activity along the western border.
​         ‘Initiate protocol ten.’ He paused as an idea glittered to the surface; and shone from his eyes with malevolence. ‘Is the wind blowing from the east? it is I recall?’
​        ‘Yes it is blowing east to west.
​        Solway drummed his fingers on the glass table. ‘ Then, then increase oxygen output of the convector by, by  bursts of fifty percent at intervals of ten to fifteen minutes...or until the fucking animals give up.’
​        ‘-That would put an increase upon the fusion reactor of 2.5 % above the recommended –
​         ‘-look, I don’t care… the, the gas will send the fuckers running or burning, I don’t care which!
​         ‘As you say.
​         Solway looked up from his desk and stared nervously at Kit
​         ‘The commander has been… taken ill. He was…he he, was  attacked in the last Grazzi attack.  There followed a weak smile. ‘ His mech-suit was compromised and one of the Grazzi-
​        The door curled open and Dekkard stood in the room
​       ‘ You wanted to see me.
​        ‘In a moment Dekkard.
​        Dekkard turned and  was about to leave when Solway piped up.
​        ‘No, no, you better stay now, this concerns you too.’  Solway sighed ‘Officer Dekkard will take you to the caves in the morning….I believe you two have met?’
​         ‘Yes sir we have.’  Dekkard ground the words out, as Solway nervously looked away.
​     ‘The Grazzi have pulled away from the western side of the compound.’  Haniel said, shall I reduce oxygen levels?
​        ‘No not yet, get the droids in to reseal the compound. Also get a thruster into positon to cover them.  I don’t want to lose any more droids than I have to.
​        ‘But killing the odd man or two is fine.’  Mumbled Dekkard
​         Solway glared at Dekkard.  Who glared back, until Solway looked away. Dekkard smirked. His eyes became laced with hatred
​         Solway stared directly at Kit ‘Time for departure tomorrow will be 09.23 S.E.T.  it will be under the white sun, so Grazzi attacks will be limited. You may go…' he dismissed he with a weak wave of his hand.  She left the room in silence.

Draz was in  his room, muttering under his breath as the argument with Jaylee   started again.
​      ‘But I jus’ don’ see why you hafta go.
​     ‘Its orders, hun, I should be back in five to six days at the most. It’s a recon mission, pure an simple.’
​       ‘Hun, nothing is simple with the Terran federation! The base here is on lockdown after president  sent a fleet of ships to Mars.
​       ‘What?’  Draz was stunne
​        ‘President Kirkbride has sent three battle cruiser’s an’ gods knows how many field troops to Mars!
​        Draz eyes opened wider. His pupils tightened. Images of a a clasping hand around Mars filled his mind.
​        Suddenly his comlink hummed.  He looked at his wrist communicator. It was from Kit. The words were clipped. Briefing room now.  When it rains… A storm cloud filled his inner eye.

The briefing room was a white narrow sparse and functional, with poor seating that rose in tires on the left and a podium set central to the room.  Sitting on the lower tier her hands cupping her chin, her knees on her elbow was kit.  She looked sad.
​       ‘you okay?
​       ‘Ha, no, not really…do you know why the native creatures are called Grazzi?’
​        ‘Eer, no’  and in truth Draz had no real reason to care
​       ‘The first officer to be killed by one was a Wiilliam. S. Grazzi. He killed one that was, according to some here, defending her young.’
​       ‘-What’s that go to do with me being here?  Look, Kit… I’m-
​        ‘-Why do you think this is always about you?’  She stared at him until Draz looked down  ‘I just don’t think we should be here… that’s all.’  Kit  sighed.
​        ‘I know.’  Draz agreed. He slowly walked over  and sat down next to her
​       ‘-I’m sorry about the way here. About everything!’ murmured
​       ‘-No…I should have told you.
​        ‘No…Terran command should have told me. Shit, I should have known by the duty rosters.’
​       ‘-Well…the flight not be on now anyway.
​        ‘-why?
​       ‘-Kirkbride has ordered operations to Mars.
​        ‘Oh gods!
​         ‘-Yeah…according to Jaylee, Orphanage is on lockdown.  I’m surprised we haven’t been called back yet.
​          Kit looked at the floor. ‘I’m sorry… I, I know that the Orion mission meant a lot to you.
​         ‘Yeah. It does…it did…now, with Mars about to be wrecked for coin… I, I just don’t know if I trust the Terran’s anymore.’
​         ‘I’ve  had a briefing from the commander here.  We are off to some fucking caves here in the morning.
​         ‘What the fuck have cave painting’s go to do with what happened to the Way station?  I just don’t get it.
​        ‘Neither do I. one thing is certain. We shouldn’t be forming this planet. There must be something really valuable here for Terra to want to spend so much time and resources keeping this  station alive.’ 
​       ‘They are ugly fuckers though. the Grazzi or whatever the fuck they called ’ Draz quipped.
​       Kit grinned. ‘They probably think the same about you, you muthafucka!’  she giggled
​       They both rose and left the room.
​        Hidden in the shadow at the far end of the room the holographic form of Haniel stood motionless. A cold cruel  smile slowly crept over its face.