Chapter Text
Millions upon millions of stars... Literal endless darkness smattered with pinpoints of what seemed to be tiny lights, which were in reality huge burning balls of gas. No singular one could determine time for them while they traveled, so it was up to the ship to tell the crew what was day and night. They were on their way back home after another rather basic mission (the equivalent of helping a cat from a tree, as far as the captain was concerned) and it was coming upon "day". Claude had spent the "night" staring listlessly at the screen of on-going stars as they sped by.
Claude C. Kenni; captain of the E.N. Psynard. Once, he was a man of action and known for spouting one justice speech or another until it was a running joke among the crew, but... Well, it hadn't been just his speeches that felt like a joke in a long while.
When did those become "funny" rather than inspiring, anyhow?
Claude huffed to himself as he recalled the hell he had traversed in order to secure his position. He was a captain in the Peace Effort employed by Nede, and he had worked his butt off to get there. At first, he really had been making a difference and garnered respect even in the most unlikely of places, but that was years ago when what he did mattered. When things were a torrent of rough waves (figuratively speaking) and "heroes" were necessary. Just a few short years ago was a time for making a name for one's self, and now Claude was slumped into his chair with his hands clasped on his stomach sporting the most bored mien upon his face he could muster without thought. There wasn't much to do these days.
Claude sighed as he melted further into his chair. He mentally catalogued the past few missions they had been called out on or assigned whilst ignoring the twinge in his back caused from lounging so deeply his chin nearly rested upon his chest: ships needing a tow, calls for directions, Rena and Celine "treasure hunting" again, escorting diplomats and celebrities alike, trash collection, traffic violations... Nothing that involved actual law-keeping that couldn't be handled by the individual governments (unless one counted Rena and Celine, but he preferred not to think about them less he end up with a headache). It wasn't the first time in the past few months when it had finally begun to hit him that the Star Rangers had basically all the importance of galactic meter maids now.
Nede hadn't been looking to hire, so much as act as the home base for those who could commission their own ships (which was how Claude first met Noel). It was the most open way to do things so that no one could claim too much bias on Nede's part. Of course, everyone who had wanted to be apart of Nede's Peace Effort did have to pass a background check else anyone could have been involved. Claude's background with the second most powerful military force, Earth, had given him a leg up. Many of those who should have been comrades who also worked with Nede in similar circumstance did not look upon him kindly and some even acted in jealousy to sabotage himself and his crew more than once. It was as if they had two Wars going on: with their own "allies" and with the rest of the universe as they sorted things out. It was a time of constant surveillance and even in sleep one had to stay on their toes...
Claude groaned to himself in defeat. No one bothered with him now.
Except for Mullen, but that's because he has a playground crush on Justin, Claude thought with a long roll of his eyes.
Claude heard the doors behind him open and then shut with a gentle "whoosh". The blonde didn't need to get up to know it was Noel, and his instincts proved to be as sharp as ever as the Nedian brunette with the long ears tilted himself into the captain's blasé view.
"Oh dear," came his irritatingly calm voice, "that's no way for a captain to sit. You'll hurt your back."
"Thanks, mom."
"Claude," came that passive, parenting tone that caused Claude to frown even deeper, "I know things haven't been terribly exciting this past year--"
"That's an under-statement--"
"But you're still considered one of Nede's top ranking officers. Everyone across the Galaxy looks up to you."
"Little good that does."
Noel sighed, as he did every other time he caught Claude in a funk, though it was the movement of his shoulders that gave it away rather than a sound. The brunette walked to stand behind the blonde captain's chair, his steps almost reminiscent of a metronome, before he unceremoniously tipped Claude right out of his seat with a hard shove.
Claude tumbled onto his feet with a grunt. He had just barely caught himself on the row of chairs in front of him before he could fall head over heels into the Navigation pod. He turned sharply on his heel to glare at Noel.
"Stop being a child," Noel stated firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm done constantly dealing with your sour moods. Now act more professional while on duty, or I'll have to dock your pay."
Claude frustratingly knocked some of his loose, golden locks from his face in response as he stood up straight. He glowered at the co-captain, who returned the look with a pitying shake of his head.
Pay? What pay? My "pay" usually goes to repairs or to the constant bonuses you promise the crew, anyway.
However, despite his internal grumbling, "dock your pay" didn't mean the same when it was said between Claude and Noel. He chose to stay quiet and force himself to be satisfied with seething on the inside.
Noel took a breath, and then smiled--the same way he always did. It was practically a constant with him.
"Now, since you clearly have the time," Noel began as he walked to a seat just to the side of Claude's, which was on the same landing and an exact copy of the one the blonde usually occupied (the same style and size, but just slightly off to the left), "let us discuss the monthly budget!"
Noel sounded far more excited about it than Claude felt he should be, and it showed in the blonde's defeated groan. The blonde slapped a hand to his face, but at least sat back down and turned to face Noel in acquiesce.
"Oh, come now! It won't be so bad."
"Uh huh."
"Grow up for an hour, would you?"
Claude had just opened his mouth to snap a retort, when the doors opened again. Both captains turned their chairs to regard their new guest, and both quirked a curious brow upon greeting. Noel looked to Claude first, before he turned back to the invading red-head. The man who had entered the bridge was in his mid-twenties and had a sheepish grin held at a crooked jaunt that showed off all his teeth. He rubbed the back of his long neck uncertainly, which was hidden beneath a firey ponytail. He had large, blue eyes that matched the color of his goggles that sat upon his fluffy mop of hair, and he was usually covered in a layer of grease, but today it looked more like... smog.
"Justin?" Noel asked gently, being the more diplomatic (and less prone to anger) of the two. "Not that we aren't always pleased by your presence, but how odd of you to come directly to the bridge. What could you have needed to visit us for rather than contact us? You know unless you're called the bridge is off limits to all personnel besides ourselves."
It was an underlying threat of sorts. It was meant to convey Noel's concern as well as to warn Justin that Claude was on edge, so it better not be anything bad. Unfortunately, Justin was horrendous at picking up cues.
"Heeeey, bosses!" Justin began, which immediately set off Claude's warning bells. Justin had stretched out his greeting as if to stall, and worse; he sounded nervous. That was never a good thing, especially given how obnoxiously confident Justin usually was. The last time the red-headed engineer had sounded nervous they had been without hot water for a week, which was one of his lesser crimes.
Claude's lips thinned.
"... Well?" Noel prompted with an elegant turn of his hand.
Claude immediately narrowed in on how Justin kept one booted foot in the elevator as he twirled the end of his long hair between his fingers. More red flags. Justin didn't play with his hair unless he was feeling guilty (and he chewed on it when he was trying to think hard).
... He's trying to secure his exit, Claude thought with a grimace as he carefully stood from the seat. Justin jumped, despite how slow the movement had been, and practically danced around Claude each time the blonde got too close. This at least meant the elevator could finally close, and that seemed to make Justin a touch more anxious. The 'ding!' of the door seemed to be like a death toll for the engineer. "Justin," Claude began in an even tone, "the longer you wait to explain why you're here, the bigger a reaction you might get."
"You're gonna be mad no matter what I say!" Justin proclaimed, as if that statement did anything but cause Claude's eye to twitch.
"Out with it."
Justin took a long, deep breath (as well as another step back).
"First, I would like to remind you that I'm an adventurer before anything else, sure, but I'm also an inventor."
"And?"
"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary for both!"
"... What kind of sacrifices this time?"
Another deep breath, and then the red-head began to babble quickly, "So, Sue thought it would be best if I came up here to explain since she's real big about in-person apologies, not that there's anything to apologize for--there isn't, but if there was it's always best to do it directly rather than on screen, and then she threatened to hit me with a wrench--notthatshedidorhasareasontobut--"
"Justin!" Claude snapped as he approached once again, which caused Justin to jump another foot in distance. He stood beside Noel now.
"Okay, Cap'n, look," Justin breathed in deep again, and then held his hands out beside his face like two boards--as if to say 'really focus now!'. "Picture this: what if we had an engine that used only a fourth the power we use now, but could handle the same amount of force? And it could be made from materials that are more flexible--less likely to break, you know? So, stronger and less costly are both good things, right?"
"Justin," Claude growled slowly.
"And you did give me permission to work on such a thing--"
"At home when we are safely grounded back on Nede, and with materials we don't need for the ship."
"And it could also bring in money flow should we patent it--"
"Justin. What did you do?"
"And because it's smaller we could have more for a back-up--"
"Justin! What did you do?"
The red-head jumped as Claude yelled, but Before the captain could do more than glare harshly and hold his hands out as if intent to strangle the red-head Justin jerked Noel from his co-captain's chair, spun the brunette around as if they were about to dance, and held Noel tight about his waist from behind to keep him in place.
"Justin! Get to the point! What are you really trying to say?" Claude threw his arms out in frustration.
"Excuse me for interrupting," began Noel as he frowned and tried to look over his shoulder at Justin, "but why are you hiding behind me?"
"Because you two are friends, and you're a pacifist. Claude isn't gonna hit someone who won't hit back!"
"Oh." Noel blinked as he processed that. "I understand. That makes sense. Carry on, then," Noel turned back to Claude, which made Justin chuckle a little. The brunette shrugged casually in answer to the blonde's look of exasperation.
"Okay, so," Justin pushed his arms out beneath Noel's. He waved his hands as he spoke, which made it look like he was Noel's new, overly animated arms now. The red-head carefully moved Noel so that they kept slowly circling just out of Claude's arm range. "Unfortunately, or fortunately since every test has something to learn, I had a brain storm and knew the reason my project wasn't working was because I have to test it out under real circumstances rather then just hypothesize and run simulations..."
"Which means?" Claude stressed as he crossed his arms and leaned heavily into his hip. Let me guess: he broke something...
"I..." Justin stretched out the vowel and rolled his hands as he seemed to try and think of his next words. "May have... Well, you see..."
Justin had managed to maneuver himself and Noel back to the elevator. He slapped a button and the doors opened.
"The entire back half of the ship is going to be without power for the next two hours! I'mreallysorry,okay,bye!" And with that, Justin released Noel and scrambled into the elevator, cracked open the ceiling hatch, and was gone--his movements quick and slippery like an eel.
"My calculations for failure said it was supposed to be worse, so I may be onto something!" Justin's voice echoed, along with the clank of his boots onto the steel ladder rungs.
Claude barely made it two steps before the engineer was gone. He growled loud into the compartment and yelled past the open hatch, "You are forbidden from anymore experiments until further notice! That includes back at the base, you menace!"
Claude punched the elevator wall before he stepped away. He jerked back to yell again, "And why now when we aren't even docked?!" Claude huffed as he pulled back. The door closed as he stomped to his seat and threw himself at it as heavily as a bag of bricks. His normally handsome face was skewed due to an on-coming migraine.
"Damned hyperactive little..." he grumbled to himself as Noel returned to his own chair and they shifted into a comfortable position. Noel pressed a button on the band over his wrist, which produced several blue documents lined in white text.
"Don't be too hard on him," Noel said, as soft as ever. "He was only trying to help, and that idea of his really does sound remarkable." Noel handed half the documents to Claude. "Maybe we should have him take us through his process when we return home? I was only just contacted by a friend about an engine they were looking to sell that might allow him to test it safely?"
"Whatever," Claude said in a tone that made it clear the day had just begun and he was already done with it. "Let's get this budget thing over with. It'll give him time to think he's safe before I hunt him down."
Noel sighed. "No fighting, please."