Blind Justice

All information she had already known. There were always skirmishes with the rebels- the captains and ships easily identifiable. It would be the first priority of course, to learn the names of the men wanted by the capitol.

And Jessie...Jessie had changed so much... Not the anger in her, no that had always been there. It had just come closer to the surface. It was... hard to conceive how callous she was being. How cold. Tessa's hand tightened on the bars, sparks igniting from the metal plates of her glove and throwing the room into sudden relief.

"I have no problems telling you about our officers. No doubt it's things you already knew."

There was Alta Briggenshaw, captain of the Eschalon, a relatively small ship focused on quick hit and run missions. She wasn't very well known for her battle skills- but her nimble flying made her the perfect choice to patrol the mountainous areas of the country. There was the Dawn Flyer- one of the biggest ships in the fleet. It boasted the largest crew in the navy, but didn't lack in speed. It could be a little cumbersome to turn, but captain Dalton made up for that with a gregarious amount of weapons. Probably one of the better known captains was Eduard Raegin. He was boastful, hard to get along with, and commander of a small fleet of experienced battle ships. The Alexandrian fleet.

"And of course, captain Cooper. I've never met him personally, that should make it easier for you to pass as me... You'll...I'll be stationed with him, starting tomorrow." Tension crackled between them like low burning coals, it made Tess want to curl up in a corner and long for the old days.

"If you don't do this Jess, it's as good as letting me die... and I know some small part of you still cares about me. Me, not the navy officer, but your twin. I can't do this without your help. Please."

"Then I suppose I should go on a murdering rampage, and leave you here to die!" Tessa snapped, the words like bitter ashes in her mouth. "That's the opposite of what I want to do right now, but I suppose that's what I'll have to do to be you." Tess waited for a few more moments, but her sister was stubbornly mute. That hadn't changed either. Once she got an idea in her head- she was impossible to deter.

"Fine. I'm going." Tessa slipped a small piece of paper out of her back pocket, eyeing the picture with frayed edges- and the happy four year old boy giving the camera a wide gap-toothed grin.
"You can keep this. His name is Johnathon. Though I suppose to you he'll just be another family member to leave behind." Tessa let the paper slip through the bars, flutter through the air and come to rest just beyond Jessa's reach.

She left without saying goodbye. 



"Are you ready to leave?" Tessa glanced up at the navy official, feeling strangely exposed despite wearing more layers then normal. She felt almost...naked without her uniform on. She took the time to adjust the hem of the cuff of a worn leather jacket.

"Not really. But I'm going anyways."

Chapter Two
3^rd Month, 16^th Day


“Sir! The new recruits are coming in today, did you want to greet them?” Dael looked up from his pistol, one small streak of black across the bridge of his nose making it quite obvious exactly what had been on his mind. That damnable jamming problem he’d been having.


“Right. That was today, I’ll be down in one moment, I just have to...” Dael reached for his coat, frowning when he finally realized how grimy his hands had become. He picked up an already greasy cloth with a sound of disgust.


“Yes, sir. I’ll gather all of the new recruits in the mess hall.” Dael quickly located some water to clean his hands, threw his coat over his shoulders- and meticulously buttoned the front closed. A quick scan of his quarters revealed nothing out of place, and the streak of grime on his nose as he caught his reflection in the mirror.


He was still in his quarters when the communicator went off- spitting out a small piece of parchment. It wasn’t any good for long ranged communications, but for short ranges like this? It certainly had it’s uses.

“Theresa Astor?” Grey eyes scanned the crisp parchment. Blue eyes, Blonde hair, 5’8”. In training for captain.
All words that stood out to him on paper. They'd never sent him a captain trainee before- something about not being firm enough with the recruits. Interesting.


After the entrance speeches- something he’d memorized from the military handbook, and probably something the majority of the recruits had no doubt heard numerous times- the assignments were handed out by his second- Evan. All except for one.


Theresa Astor. She was easy to pick out- one of the only women in the new recruits, one of only two blondes, and the only blonde with blue eyes. Not that he had really needed the description. There was just an...edge about her, something that made her stand out from the rest of the eager recruits fanned out in front of him.

“Welcome aboard, Miss Astor. You’ll be working with me.” Dael held out his hand, a soft smile capturing his lips.

Dael lifted one eyebrow, taking in the worn black jacket. Not exactly military make, but functional enough. Also not in keeping with someone who likes to 'keep things straight'. Normally the people who follow the rules follow all the rules. Unless she was just incredibly good with names and faces.

"That's right. I hear from the brass that you're well on your way to a promotion. What kind of experience have you had leading before. I'm afraid I haven't gotten around to reading your full file yet. I didn't want to be late for our first meeting." He motioned to a side hall- one that would inevitably lead them to the bridge of the ship. Evan would bring the rest of the recruits down this way soon enough for their first official tour, but he wanted to give the girl a chance to see the area first.

That and there had been something off about her smile. Not necessarily insincere, but certainly not genuine. He would have to keep a closer watch.