[center][h2][u]Xakloant System[/u][/h2][/center]

With little fanfare the third fleet warped into the Xakolant system, having been recalled for reinforcement following its near obliteration over Hestollon II.  Of course, Olivia knew the media would be spinning wild tales of her unbelievable victory against what was [i]surely[/i] the better part of the Scorpine navy; after the Spaceborne Arms humiliation two years ago even the slightest success was something to be extolled.  The truth was far more grisly.  Of what was once a fleet at full strength now there remained only a handful of vessels.  The back line had been mostly saved from the violence, but nearly every front line vessel and fighter craft had been destroyed by the Scorpine assault or her own gambit.   

Since the battle the ships captain had been terse to the point she'd be within her rights to censure him for insubordination.  She wouldn't, after all he didn’t act without reason.  The third fleet had never sustained such damage, and at least in name it had been involved in the desperate backward fighting of the wars early years.  In fact, nearly every member of the crew treated her with a stiffness far beyond what was expected of them then interacting with a senior officer.

She was, in a way, a pariah in her own home.  It wasn't the first time there been losses after she'd been attached to a fleet she hadn't commanded before, but rarely had they been anything that was beyond what would be expected.  No doubt the soldiers on Hestollon II were drinking to her name, but to her peers she'd condemned their friends and, on occasion family, to death.

She bitterly reflected that it wouldn't be the last time.  For the better part of three decades the Spaceborne Arm had grown used to supremacy, gotten used to thinking of the enemy as helpless.  It was only natural they sought out a scapegoat when disabused of that notion so savagely.

After the fleets ships docked at their respective moors she took her leave.  Without more than telling the captain she commandeered a shuttle and flew herself to systems main command post, a nondescript station easily mistaken for an installation of lesser importance.  Everyone had a job to do, and was she tired of being escorted everywhere since she'd been tentatively promoted to the Spaceborne Arms highest post two years ago.

The docking procedure went smoothly, but when she stepped out of the shuttle and dusted off her white  uniform she was met by a sight she hadn't expected in the least.  Waiting just beyond the shuttles ramp was her sister, Kaisa dressed up in the ghastly wrinkled garment that passed for the livery of the Irregular Operations Division.  She shared Olivia's ghostly white hair, though hers had been permitted to grow down to her shoulders, but beyond that Kaisa was a different creature.  Her face was a tad longer, but the real difference in Kaisa's face was in features that would have looked similar if they'd ever attempted to hold an expression beyond smugly satisfied.  Olivia adopted a slight and bemused smile as she greeted her, “Kaisa.”

Kaisa's toothy grin met Olivia's lukewarm greeting, “Olivia!  My favourite and only big sister.  I see the your new station hasn't rotted your brain entirely, still flying for yourself like you are.”

Kaisa stepped forward and took Olivia in a friendly embrace before she could reply to that, but when it passed Olivia straightened out her uniform again before asking, “As welcome a surprise as seeing you is, what brings you to Xakolant?  More specifically, what bring you to me? We both know you'd not be here if there wasn't something going on.”

Kaisa's grin withered at the callous statement, but with a shrug it rebounded, “Always business with you Olivia, we've not seen each other since your promotion!  You're not wrong though, the IOD keeps me busy.  Its not a conversation for the hanger though.”

Olivia sighed and wordlessly set off towards her quarters, beckoning for Kaisa to follow.  They caught up, or at least as much as was possible given their jobs, on the way.  It wasn't that Olivia didn't enjoy the smalltalk, but she hadn't suffered from Kaisa's career taking her to the ends of the galaxy.  Theirs hadn't been an unhappy childhood, but their personalities weren't the sort that meshed easily.

Eventually Olivia reached the door to her quarters and motioned Kaisa to step aside as the little sensor on the door verified Olivia was who she said she was.  The room wasn't spartan, but it was the sort of domicile familiar to anyone who spent the bulk of their time elsewhere.  A library of suspiciously pristine texts dominated half of one wall, a few screens on the walls displayed scenes from tropical planets, and a large table took up the space not separated from a small kitchen by a glass pane.  For a military space station it was luxurious, and Olivia often wondered why they'd even given it to her if she rarely used it.

Kaisa helped herself to a seat as Olivia prepared tea, not needing to ask and not bothering to either.  When she returned with the cups Kaisa had a serious expression and was focused a small foldable tablet.  Olivia cleared her throat and Kaisa looked up before she spoke, “So, to business?”

Olivia nodded and Kaisa went on, “Alright, I suppose we both have things to do.  I hear the Astranan delegation arrived a little while before you did, I won't be keeping you from them for long.  The IOD has become aware of certain worrying patterns abroad, it looks like the Coalition might have something up its sleeve beyond what we've come to expect from them.  We have nothing definitive, but there have been whispers of 'No Man', which we can safely assume is code for some sort of Martian asset, being dispatched to Scorpine space.  Where Mars acts we can only expect the Coalition to follow, and probably the Free nests at that given their stated position on the war.”

Olivia cradled her cup with one hand and pinched the bridge of her nose in thought with the other, “What are we looking at then?  A potential intervention?”

“No,”  Kaisa sipped her drink, “We'd have more to go on if that was it.  Our best guess at the moment is a multinational spec ops contingent.  Which is why we're informing you before we know enough to really respond, it could be that they intend to damage the war effort through sabotage and...  Assassination.”

“So you're telling me to watch my back then, Kaisa?”  Olivia asked fondly.

Kaisa begrudgingly reciprocated Olivia's little smile, “Yes, Olivia, I am.  In seriousness though, you're the head of the navy now, and the Scorpine have never had the capability to take a shot at our senior staff before.  It's not how they operate, and that's not true of Mars.  You need to take this seriously, the IOD, and yes me personally, are suggesting you order additional security staff be assigned to all officers captain and above.”

Olivia drummed her fingers against the table and took on a contemplative expression,  “I'll do that, then.  Like you said though, it's not a lot to go on Kaisa.”

Kaisa shrugged, “It's what it is, and it's all I was sent here to say.  Be safe, Olivia.”

Olivia regarded her sister with concern, “You too, Kaisa.”