Free Star Runners: Mission Wraith (#3) by L.E. Thomas

Second Lieutenant, Thirty-Second Tizona.”  
    “Stone … Ah, here you are.” Bates nodded. “Are you the Lieutenant Stone from the Battle of Atlantis?”  
    Austin’s face warmed. He clenched his jaw, trying to conceal his sense of nervousness and swallowed. “Yes.”  
    Bates grinned, an expression of approval crossing his face. “Definitely a pleasure to have you aboard, Lieutenant. First time on a Parazonium Class Carrier?”
    “Yes,” Austin said, the feeling of apprehension in the pit of stomach lessening. “First tour, actually.”
    “I see.” Bates turned around, gesturing to the corridor behind him. “This is the main passageway that runs parallel to the retrieval bay as you head toward the bow. You are currently at one of four entry hatches used to board the Formidable . It’s just above the main hangar bay. Follow this passageway until you pass berthing compartments for the enlisted men on the port side. Officers quarters will be just past the berthing compartments. You’ve been assigned Room Fifty-Eight. You can’t miss it.”
    “Thank you,” Austin said, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer size of the carrier.  
    “Operations are pretty straightforward on the Formidable . Everything runs on schedule. I would recommend coming to the orientation today once we are underway. Should help answer any questions.” Bates nodded. “Right now, report to your quarters for departure. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant.”
    Austin nodded and stepped over the hatch as he boarded the Formidable . The ceiling was cramped and lower than the corridor on Tarton’s Junction. The sound of a dozen conversations mixed with the crackling buzz of intercom messages. Human traffic swarmed through the corridor, carrying boxes and equipment. Officers wearing Tizona blue and the black of the Tarnex Squadron peppered the gray uniforms of the Legion Navy filling the majority of space in the corridor. According to what Austin had read about the Parazonium Class Carriers as he waited to board, two thousand souls would be aboard the Formidable when she debarked the Tizona and started its tour. Five-hundred personnel onboard consisted of the space wing with the remainder part of the ship’s crew. It looked like a busy airport. A busy, cramped airport.  
    He moved through the river of traffic, dodging people and boxes of equipment littering the deck. A nondescript wall pressed in from the left. The right opened up into a long thin viewport stretching the length of the corridor. The viewport revealed a massive bay open to the void of space Bates described as the retrieval bay. Trying not to be run over by the people hurrying through the passageway, Austin slowed and gazed down at the bay. It was empty now, but he could imagine Tridents filling the area after a patrol. He couldn’t wait.  
    Above the retrieval bay loomed the steel bulk of the Tizona, blocking any view of the stars beyond. Shuttle traffic crisscrossed the space above the Formidable . Thousands of crew boarded dozens of other carriers at this very moment, and Austin felt he was just one piece of this massive machine.  
    “Watch where you’re going, Lieutenant.” Ryker lingered at the right side of the corridor, staring at the empty bay and watching a shuttle pass to the far side.  
    Austin smiled. “Lieutenant Zyan,” he whispered. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?”
    “Stop it,” she mouthed, barely audible. Austin thought he crossed a line with her but saw her smile. She turned back to the shuttle. “Impressive, isn’t it?”  
    “Yes.”
    “Once we are underway, you’ll see this is where you will land just like on Tarton’s Junction. It’s not that different, but everything on a carrier is about space. That’s something that took some getting used to. It’ll be cramped at first, but they have plenty of operations and programs to help cope with it.”
    Austin blinked. “You worried about me, Lieutenant?”
    She cocked