Magnus
Outpost Reapers Nest was little more than a hole in an asteroid with reinforced tunnels built into living spaces that were half caved in, and even the life support systems had long since failed, and been salvaged by scavengers, and others who had long ago ransacked the outpost.
It took the ‘Greymark’ days just to get the main room back on line with life support, power, and other survival features. It took Magnus, and the rest of Green Squadron another week to get less than ten percent of the old outpost operational, but it at least gave them more than one room to live in.
Reapers Nest was just one of thousands of asteroids in the field that Green Squadron had been tasked with defending while the ‘Greymark’ patrolled the between them, and other outposts on Uhtred’s Line. Sensor platforms were setup throughout the asteroid, and even an old weapons platform which hadn’t been completely salvaged had been repaired.
Each day they patrolled their operation area. One flight was always in their starlances wither on patrol, or powered down, and waiting from behind or on some asteroid, while another flight was on standby for quick reaction. That left one flight on downtime, and the last flight conduction repairs on Reapers Outpost, or at least attempting to repair still damaged sections.
In it’s height Reapers Outpost had been garrisoned by over a thousand personal, but could hold more than twice that number. Now it was home to twenty five, and it was likely more than had lived in it for more than three hundred or five hundred years.
There were outposts on either side of Reapers Nest no more than three days travel, even with the limited speed of the Starlances. The ‘Greymark’ had arrived at Reapers Nest a few days after the battle against the Walhaz raiders. It had just been over a week by the time the starship left the system that Reapers Nest was nestled in. It had been gone for five days, and was due to make an appearance as it checked on the other outposts along Uhtred’s Line that the ‘Greymark’ had been ordered to hold.
Magnus, like the rest of Green Squadron was getting tired of the smell. Twenty five of them sweating, and stinking, and clogging the air recyclers. They could barely handle the non stop use, and systems kept going down. The smell of their cockpits were better, at least their cockpits only smelled like them.
“Any luck?” Magnus heard Lydia ask as he tried to repair a computer system in one of the new sectors Major Oldseal wanted repaired.
Magnus looked up at Lydia as she stood in the door way, her jump suit half unzipped, and a sly look on her face. “Depends on the kind of luck,” he finally said with a grin. “The repairs, no, but…”
“Don’t ruin it,” Lydia said, and walked towards him as she removed her jump suit further. It was rare for them to find time alone, but it was getting easier as more sections of the outpost came online.
Magnus stood, and took Lydia in his arms as he kissed her.
