“It seems ironic that a battle of God should take place amongst the stars.”

Lord Saul

“Who are you?”

“Hailey Garret, Captain of the Uriel, the incoming Lancer-ship.”

Captain Garret stood on the far side of the wooden desk. The room was full of books cluttering into various piles around the room. However, on the desk, one book stood out from the rest. It wasn’t larger from the others, it was bound in simple leather, but Captain Garret had already guessed what it was from the moment of his entrance. On the far side of the desk, sitting in an old wooden chair, was Commander Simon of the Rose of Sharon. He wore the long black coat of Royal Crusader Admiral and the white shirt with a red cross of a High Templar, two prestigious ranks befitting the most decorated man in the Crusades. His snowy white hair was kept moderately short and the ivory beard was trimmed. He was the model of an officer and a gentleman.

“I didn’t ask for your name or rank, I asked who you are?”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“We all wear masks, Ms. Garret. Hailey Garret, I’ll assume, it the mask your parents gave you. Captain of the Uriel is the mask the Royal Crusade gave you. Neither of those will suit you here. What contributions would you bring to the ship?”

There was a question Hailey had prepared for. She cited her answer like rhetoric, “I bring new necessary new strategies and tactics.”

Simon scowled, distorting his face to appear as a disgruntled fish, “I despise new stratagies and tactics.”

“Making them nonetheless necessary.”

There was a long pause. She was naturally an argumentative. She was something of an enigma, none ever knew what to expect around her. Typically she adopted an attitude contrary to those around her, in the Royal Crusade; this usually left her as a bright and optimistic youth. She too wore a black and gold uniform with her brown hair trimmed to shoulder length. A band of freckles crossed beneath her childlike blue eyes. Here, she was determined to beat the Commander with his own logic. When she set her mind to something, she attained it. She would use whatever weapons at were at her disposal, a center point of conflict between Simon’s generation and her’s. Simon was old enough to be her grandfather, but time hadn’t dulled his wits. Simon mastered conflict through silence, something Hailey could never understand.

“The Rose needs a Lancer!” She protested.

“I’m keenly aware of what my ship needs or doesn’t need,” he voice wavered on the edge of anger, “don’t presume to lecture on how to run my ship.”

“I’m not, I’m telling you how I run mine.”

“I’ve operated five years without a lancer, I don’t need one.”

“It’s been ten years since the Rose of Sharon actually fought alongside other ships. A single ship can’t win a war, not even a Bladeship. Let the Uriel fight alongside the Rose. In the right hands a Lancer can be an invaluable asset and you know it.”

Ten years? Had it really been ten years? He didn’t even know how the war progressed, the Bladeships were made to be titans of the battlefield, and there was no denying that, Simon had helped design them at the start of the war. Hailey was bright, but she wouldn’t mesh with his crew. He had handpicked, hand trained, every one of the couple hundred aboard.

“You’ve done your research.”

It was clear that Simon was giving in, Hailey smiled and barely withheld her giddy excitement, “Yes sir.”

“Do you know why we fight?”

Of course she did, “We fight to preserve the values of the Royal Crusade, of the Holy Bible, and to crush the godless heathens of Freeworld. We will not stop until we topple Jericho.”

“Do you believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t. If I don’t step in as Lancer Captain, someone less competent will.”

“Why do you say less competent?”

Hailey smiled, “Because there can’t be anyone more competent.”

“Are you aware of the Halberd maneuver?”

Hailey didn’t see how this was important. She didn’t know the maneuver, but she was too close to let something so stupid stand in her way.

“Yes,” She lied.

“No you don’t, I just made that up. An officer of the Royal Crusade must answer with full honesty at all times, no hesitation, and no lies.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, “How will an officer be able to distinguish between a real order and a trick.”

Simon looked up, his interest almost piqued, “Why Ms. Garret, it’s not up to you to distinguish. Every order here is a real order.”

Simon hadn’t smiled once during the whole ceremony, “What do you know about Bladeships?”

Hailey told everything she knew. The main body of a bladeship was composed of a steel sword that housed the tactical operations of the ship in the front and the living quarters in the back. Two aft blades jutted out from behind to do more damage to the punctured ship, and behind them was an engine. She even went into detail on the history of the bladeships, how they were the primary ship in usage at the beginning of the crusade. She told how the melee combat of the stars gave way to the missiles and laser technologies. The bladeships swiftly became too expensive, but the remaining ships proved decisive on the battle. The bladeships nobly held back the Freeworld swarms, but the sacrifices made were irreplaceable, and the bladeships became extinct.

“Nearly extinct,” Simon corrected.

The Rose of Sharon was the last bladeship. Commander Simon was a legend in the fleet, a lone wolf hunting down infamous Freeworld ships. The Rose of Sharon was resupplying at Tyre, the homeworld of the Royal Crusade. Tyre was the site of the finding, where the Archbishop discovered a crashed satellite containing a single book, the Holy Bible. The neighboring star system, the volcanic planet Jericho in particular, resisted the religious missions. Sparks flared, debates were waged, and war was underway. Now, fifty years later, the animosity showed no signs of subsiding. Hailey was a devout member of the Royal Crusade, and her decision to enlist was composed of both patriotic and adventurous elements of her soul. The Rose was docked in Tyre, and she knew it would probably be her only chance to join. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to be a part of this legendary. Not just a part, an officer in the high command. An officer under the direct command of her hero, Commander Simon.

“No.”

“What?!”

“You simply don’t have the combat experience to be such a vital member of my crew,” His tone was level, and he only appeared half interested in the conversation, “You have potential, but that’s not enough. Maybe after a few years on the Zephon you’ll have what you need.”

Tears flooded into her eyes, she wouldn’t let him break her dream. Suddenly, she wondered if it had already broken. She grasped for words, finding none, she resumed a position of prefect attention. She drew on her military training for strength, and not even Simon could break her.

“Yes sir.”

Hailey stared intently at the ceiling, fearful that any look down at Simon might bring about a new wave of emotion.

“Obedience is one of my most highly prized virtues. Adaptability is also something I respect,” Simon leaned back and examined Hailey, “But above all, I respect fortitude. You have proven insightful in addition to all the aforementioned values. I have not taken a Lancer captain because none have shown the true quality of the Royal Crusade. I will be content to take none other than you, if you will still have anything to do with this command.”

When Hailey looked down, she saw that Commander Simon’s face had lightened. He wasn’t cheerful, but he was impressed. It was a test, it was all a test. She saluted,

“Captain Hailey Garret reporting for duty.”