The Flin Wars Ch. 00

This is something I should have done earlier but just never did it. This is a work of fiction, and I alone am solely responsible for its content and any mistakes are of my own doing. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental and unintended. If you enjoy what I've written please remember to like, vote, comment and follow me.

Now on with the show.

Date: 451105.08

Time: 0821.54

Location: Shuttle 201 near Star Base Mariner 3, Ross 47

'Sir, Sir.' I'm suddenly woken up by a tapping on my right foot, and my eyes pop open as I quickly look around. '20 mikes out Sir.'

'Okay thanks Charley, make sure everyone else is up too.' I tell him and look out the small porthole to my left and could make out the small fleet of heavy warships. Behind them I can see the gleaming white walls of the star base slowly turning. I lift my wife Lori's hand and kiss it. 'Baby, time to get up we'll be there in 20 minutes.' I tell her as her eyes open too.

She squeezes my hand back and stretches, I eye her still trim lean body and want nothing more than to take her in back and screw her silly, but I didn't have the time right now. 'Grandpa, are we there yet?' I heard and looked over at my granddaughter who stood next to my seat. I lifted her up into my lap and kissed the top of her head.

'Almost small fry, see.' I said and pointed out the window. She leaned over, looking out her mouth hanging open. 'Wowww.' She said in awe. I always loved seeing the ships as they launched out or landed on my home planet when I was a young child.

I looked back at Karen who sat one row back, the gold stripes on the cuffs of her uniform glinted as she picked up her young son from his travel booster.

'Karen, you good back there?' I asked as Jacob squirmed around and then started to suck on the bottle nipple she had placed near his mouth. She looked up at me and smiled as I remembered the scared, dirty, slave that I found in a Flin Carrier Admirals sleeping quarters nearly 22 years ago.

She had looked out at me from the pod that he had kept her in, now here she sat with 2 children, a Naval Lieutenant Commander. She was the daughter and granddaughter of Admirals and had just received her orders to her XO Command on a heavy cruiser. Both children would stay with Lori and myself as I was retiring today and would be out 20 days from today at the end of the month.

'Yes Sir, he's just a bit restless from all the travel that's all dad.' She told me and rocked Jacky, as he'd been nicknamed, back and forth. I looked down at Maria who had crawled over to Lori's lap who was gently rocking her back and forth and humming quietly.

'Dad, you need to get ready.' My son John VII said. He held my dress blue jacket with all its metals. I stood up and shed my travel jacket and J VII helped me into the fresh one. 10 minutes later I was properly dressed in all the bells, lights and whistles. He pulled on his own dress uniform jacket, the LTJG gold stripes glinting, and his sword around his waist. I checked my own as Karen handed Jacky to the nanny who quickly readied him. I looked back and spotted Flower, my Flin slave that I had captured all those many years ago, she brought Maria over and checked her over one last time then stood next to the nanny. She leaned forward and whispered something in Karens ear, they both started giggling like the pair of young girls I remembered.

I felt the shuttle dock and the light above the hatch turned from red to yellow and a minute later green, the crew chief checked several items before opening the inner then outer hatch. 'All clear Sir, watch your step please.' He said as I shook his hand, donned my cover and stepped out.

'Honor Guard, A ten HUH.' I heard from a nattily dressed marine 1st Lt. The crack of 22 sets of heels coming together made an impressive sound. 'Present... Harms.' The slap of palms to the hard thermoplastic guards and the trill of the Boatswain pipe was equally impressive. The Lieutenant saluted me with his sword, and I returned their salute and walked across the gangway to the gathered officers and men.

'Request permission to come aboard Sir.' I said to the OOD, a young Ensign who returned my salute. 'Permission granted Admiral. Welcome aboard Starbase Mariner 3 Sir.' She replied. I saluted the colors then looked over at the gathered pack of officers and smiled as I saw a familiar face. I walked over and looked her over.

'Witch, how you doing, ya pirate' I said then laughed as she grinned back. 'Listen to the pot call the kettle black.' She replied and stuck out her artificial right hand which I shook.

'How the hell you doing Boss? Billys here someplace, God knows where. He probably taking the crew for their pay again.' VAdm, Stevie Taylor said. I remembered her as a hot shot Lt. fighter pilot at Boyington Field as an instructor pilot.

'I'm right where I'm supposed to be Witch.' I heard a voice from the back, and he muscled through. I could see the 2 stars over the crow of a Master Chief Petty Officer. He looked me over and grinned. 'How the hell are ya Boss, getting a little long in the tooth I see. Well, it's about time they sent your ugly ass to the beach, Sir.' He gripped. I just grinned at him; we bumped fist just as we had done so many times when he was my PC.

I looked around and didn't see who I was expecting. 'Where's Cindy and the kids ya thief?' I asked him. He just grinned and nodded his head towards the station. 'Waiting on your big goofy ass at our place.' He said. 'Come on I got a bottle of the good stuff; we can sit around and tell stories and swap lies.' We both laughed and embraced. 'About due to, aren't you?' I asked.

He nodded as Lori came over and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. 'Hey boss lady, you still keeping this crazy man in line?' He asked her. 'Come on, you can still dump him, and we'll go tear ass around the galaxy and see what kind of trouble we can find.'' We all laughed knowing that Cindy would kill him if he tried something like that.

'Well we're all dressed up and looking all snazzy dazzy in out monkey suits.' Billy said. 'We might as well get this circus maximus moving down the tracks.' I nodded and started for the main hanger bay and the assembled ranks of troop, officers and dignitaries.

We mounted the stage and Stevie asked everyone to please sit and launched into her prepared remarks welcoming all to this glorious event. I sat back and remembered all those had bought the farm on this mission or the one that had cost me my right leg below the knee and witch her hand. We had lost more than a few that day but it had convinced the Flin that the war was nearly over. It had lasted 2 more bloody years before the Flin finally saw the light and agreed to end hostilities with us.

I looked at Lori, Karen and John VII as they sat in the front row smiling up at me. I knew it would be a few minutes before I was called upon to speak, I closed my eyes and let my mind remember all the missions I had flown...