Elinor
Seven weeks had passed since the attack on Fellkeep was repelled. Elinor knew the world had been lucky, they had suffered only light losses with the arrival of the ‘Skreap’. A few dozen deaths, and injuries, but no doubt each loss was felt deeply in a world with less than ten thousand on it.
The Crown Prince had led the task force to Fellkeep just in time. The Furse raiders the task force had spent more than two months chasing were caught mid attack, and with no hope of escape. If the task force had arrived an hour later the world could have been looted and the Furse most likely long gone from the system.
Lord Jaclyn Washburn, and the people of Fellkeep had proved generous and thankful hosts after the repelled attack. The Crown Prince had used the world as a staging area for weeks after the attack as the task force patrolled the nearby star systems.
Through the weeks the task force made contact with other minor lords in systems as small or smaller than Fellkeep, and under the command of the various lords of the Furia Sector. Crown Prince Osmund had proved his reputation as a good heart man as he sent teams from the task force to upgrade and help the locals. Power grids were repaired, generators granted, along with other items, and gear that would improve the lives of the people. Field shelters, landcraft and aircraft were even brought down and gifted to the minor lords across the planet.
Elinor had found a nice little pub on one of the northern landmasses during her off time. A quiet little place in a small village with no more than a hundred or so people. The locals treated her kindly, were thankful for the extra credits, but mostly left her alone. She spent much of her leave drinking the local booze, and eating the local food, while reading reports after report, and sometimes she found herself reading one of her books on her datapad.
The food wasn’t that bad, and Elinor enjoyed the change from the stale food they ate on the ‘Skreap’, and better than what most ships of the Commonwealth Forces had to endure. Both of which were much better than what she had been forced to eat during her time at the Commonwealth Force academy on Fistgard.
Like the Furse starship they hunted, the ‘Skreap’ had several gardens on board it, but the food which it could produce couldn’t match that of the crew size and most meals were still simple rations to better utilize the valuable space on the ship and fill it with other much needed supplies. Eating the fresh food on Fellkeep was a treat that Elinor would miss when they finally left.
“There you are,” Elinor heard and looked up from her datapad to see Lt Vault with the aged private Oakheart in tow.
“Lt,” Elinor said and began to stand.
“Please sit,” the Lt said, and placed a hand on one of the chairs at her table. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” Elinor replied. “Please join me,” She said and settled back into her wooden seat.
“Finally some good food,” Oakheart said and he sniffed with his nose, and placed an order with the waitress of the small pub. The Private stood out, near seven feet tall, and bulky while the Lt was slender, and of average height.
“We heard you mention the pub to Ensign Kane, and thought we might find you here, and that we might get some decent food,” Lt Vault said as the giant private downed his glass of beer and ordered a second.
“It’s a nice place,” Elinor said with a smile. “Is there anything I can do for you Lt?” she asked. The Lt was often bringing her work, requesting information for the Crown Prince, and she thought he might have a crush on her.
“The Crown Prince is preparing to leave the system in the next couple hours,” the Lt informed her.
“Nothing a message on the Comm’s couldn’t have handled,” she replied.
“True,” Lt Vault said.
“Then we wouldn’t get a last meal out of it,” the private said. Elinor had no idea how old the private was. There were all sorts of rumors, but the most common was that the private had refused promotion after promotion, but he was never far from the Crown Prince.
“There have been reports of several transports being attacked several jumps from here. The Crown Prince wants the ‘Skreap’ to investigate,” Lt Vault told her.
“I’ve read that, but several ships from the task force have already been dispatched,” Elinor countered. “Hard to believe there are still raiders foolish enough to attack starships with the task force so close.”
“They likely don’t know we are here,” Lt Vault told her. “It’s been more than a month since the attack, and most of the task force has spread out. The Crown Prince wants to draw out the raiders with a juicy transport. It’s flight path has already been leaked.”
Elinor cocked her head as she looked at the Lt. “When do we leave?” Was all she asked but she had a hundred questions.
“Two hours, rest of the crew is being recalled, just enough time to enjoy this,” Lt Vault said as the food was set down in front of him.
Elinor finished the rest of her food, along with the Lt and Private before joining them on the small shuttle they had outside the small village, and joined them on the ‘Skreap’ as dozens of other shuttles filled into their hangar bay to unload other personnel.
“We will see you on the command deck during your shift,” Lt Vault told her as they made their way onto the ‘Skreap’.
“You don’t think I should report for duty now?” Elinor asked.
“The raiders won't jump within the first couple jumps,” Lt Vault told her. “No, the Crown Prince wants you to get some rest. Wants all his main staff well rested for the attack. You will get an alert from Sub Lt Pilgrim shortly.”
“Sleep,” Private Oakheart said and gave her a small shove that forced her back a few paces. “Sorry,” he said and rubbed the back of his head.
Elinor made her way through the ‘Skreap’ to her private quarters. There was still another hour before the ‘Skreap’ left orbit, three per jump meant that she could get six to eight hours sleep before the ‘Skreap’ made it’s four jumps, and her shift started.
Elinor entered her quarters and began to remove her uniform as the alerts began to come into her datapad to inform her that the ‘Skreap’ was leaving orbit, and Sub Lt Pilgrim informed her that her shift had been moved forward.
“Six hours is enough,” Elinor told herself as she sat down at her small desk in her quarters. She could go through a few reports, try and figure out what the Crown Prince had in mind, or at the very least make sure she was fully up to speed for Sub Lt Pilgrim.
