Epilogue

Lev didn’t die.

Incredibly, former Soviet Army Warrant Officer Lev Semenov survived the Levchenko’s cannon attack.

When Doc told me, I couldn’t believe it. “There weren’t any vital signs I could detect!” I told him “He was so badly injured I thought he was dead. How did he survive?”

Benji adjusted his glasses, a sure sign he was about to enlighten me with some deep wisdom. “It so happens that those Dreadnoughts can shut down their extremities if they’re badly damaged, or even separate them from their bodies if needed. As long as their torso and head are intact, most of the time they’ll survive injuries that would be lethal to anybody else.”

A mischievous glint appeared in Doc’s eye. “I’ll bet you had a tear-filled goodbye soliloquy that you delivered when you thought he was dying. Didn’t you?”

“Me? Hah. I’d never --”

He dismissed my denials with a wave of his hand. “It’s okay. I’ll get the straight scoop from Lev himself when he gets out of the SDF hospital. With the advanced cybernetics available now, we’ll be able to restore his speech. Guess what I’m going to ask him first?”

“Oh? Who are you going to believe, your childhood buddy and role model, or a former Soviet soldier?”

“That’s hardly what I’d call a choice. I’m going with the former Soviet soldier, obviously. Far more trustworthy than you.”

***

The Challenger-class grav-carriers present at Chiba-1 had been destroyed or badly damaged during the assault by the DDC-1 Levchenko. A significant amount of Japan’s air power had been concentrated on the rooftop airfields, and that had been decimated through the combined efforts of the Cyclad attacks and the Levchenko’s guns.

The headquarters of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Challenger fleet had also been damaged. A new headquarters with cutting-edge technology and ship repair capabilities, away from civilian population centers, was needed. If it was close to the existing airfields at Chiba-1 that would be even better.

I was very pleased when I found out that a new headquarters location was under consideration by JAXA: the Yamanaki Future Technologies base on Kimura Jima.

There was just one small catch.

The base, like several other islands around Japan, had been occupied by YFT on behalf of the Russian Federation. An assault on the base could work if it was done quickly, before the island could set up defenses.

It was fortunate for the Japan Self Defense Forces that someone with first hand knowledge of the base’s layout was readily available and willing to volunteer for the attack.

The successful air assault on Kimura Jima was the last military operation I participated in before transferring to JAXA.

***

Challenger candidates go through training together as a crew and graduate as a crew. As team-building exercises go, it was some of the best training I’d ever experienced.

I sat between Minori and Doc at the graduation ceremony for the JAXA Challenger Academy. There were about fifty of us lined up by rank and time in service, with each row representing a single ship. Lieutenant Commander Minori Asakusa was at the far right of our file, followed by me. She, Doc, and I wore new bronze leaf rank insignias indicating the JAXA rank of Lieutenant Commander, as did Doc. He and I had transferred into JAXA shortly before Challenger training started.

Rio, Aiko, and Keenan had all been promoted to Lieutenant. They sat next to Doc. And at the end of the line was the Mistral’s newest crew member, Chief Warrant Officer Lev Semenov.

What Doc and his team had been able to do with Lev was nothing short of miraculous. All of his cybernetic abilities were left intact, but the cosmetic changes were incredible.

The ugly black eye tubes had been replaced by natural looking blue eyes, which Lev claimed had the same appearance as his original set. The steel grill covering his mouth had been removed, and extensive reconstructive and plastic surgery performed on his head and body. He looked like any normal barrel-chested blonde soldier you’d find on a Soviet Union recruiting poster, except now he wore the teal-and-gray JAXA uniform like the rest of us.

And his voice had been restored. It still had a few rough edges and sounded a bit gravelly at times, but it was completely normal. His fiance’, Mei Takahashi, was pleased with the changes. But as the Mistral crew knew, she’d loved him even before his original appearance had been restored.

I returned my attention to the speaker. The current head of JAXA’s Challenger program, Fleet Admiral Akane Maruyama, approached the end of her graduation speech. An accomplished engineer, Maruyama was responsible for the establishment of the Challenger program and had influenced the design of the Mistral Challenger and her sister ships. There were rumors that she had come through a rip, just like most of the Mistral crew.

“A new age of exploration, not seen in centuries, is upon us. These anomalies, these ‘rips,’ have shattered our Earth, ravaged our economies, and decimated our populations. Each time a rip is created, devastation follows. But a window opens as well, into other times and places that may have the answers we seek. Some of you have already joined us from these alternate realities.” She glanced at the crew of the Mistral.

“If the Challenger program could be distilled into one word, it would be this: exploration. It will be hard. It will be dangerous. Some of you will not return from your missions.

“Yes, these are challenging times. But each hardship will be met with resolve. Danger met with courage. And for every challenge that arises, a Challenger will step forth to defeat it.”

So that’s where the motto on our crew patch comes from, I thought. “For every challenge, a Challenger.”

Off to her side an adjutant shouted “Attention!” As the assembled officers came to their feet, Maruyama finished her speech.

“May you have fair winds and following seas. Challengers, report to your ships.”