Sanadir Station

The travel to Sanadir Station was thankfully uneventful. After the 25th Destroyer Squadron from the Zeshan Trade League refueled the Uruk and the Dayanikli and took over patrol duties, the two ships were on their way with the destroyer Arioton in tow to drop off the resources at Sanadir Station. Anton took the time to nap in a spare bunk in the crew quarters during the travel.

He was woken up by the shudder signaling the Uruk being locked into the dockyard. Anton got up and made his way to the airlock, watching as air hissed from the vents and the outer door opened to reveal a hallway with bulletproof windows. Walking over to one side and looking through, he could see two more ports in front, with various industrial hubs to the left and the vastness of space on the right.

He noticed something else that wasn't visible due to a combination of the atmosphere on Siradan, and his own injuries at the time. Large portions of the cosmos looked like clumps of shattered glass, some spewing matter that coiled and spread like a nebula mimicking a solar flare, giving off combinations of colors that should not belong, yet existed defiantly against the canvas of space. He began to feel nauseated just from looking at it.

Then Anton felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Heydar and Azari looking at him.

"You alright?" Heydar asked. "Don't stare at the subspace emissions for too long; they mess with your eyes in a similar manner to optical illusions."

Further into the station, the factory for the stealth composites came into view. Various conveyors and slides weaved across various levels as they ferried raw resources, individual components, and finished products. The reinforced ceiling was lined with lights, and workers made their way across platforms and mezzanines.

Anton thought about what to do during their stay, and looked over to his hologram bracelet.

"Heydar, the pulse fried the bracelet. Got any idea how to repair these?" Anton asked.

"Well, I know a little tinkering here and there, but aren't you an agent specializing in these things despite your rank?"

"No, Alzitoran agents do recon, espionage and interrogation, and even then, I'm still somewhat average, and not a pro. Repairs are left to mechanics and combat engineers back home."

"I'll note that down the next time I access the server. It's dinnertime, so I recommend you hurry to the mess hall before they run out of the good entrees."

Anton watched Heydar leave, then followed the signs to the mess hall. The mess hall wasn't that different from the one built into the aviation cruiser, aside from having more space and selections. Speaking of which, there was Fettucine Alfredo with sliced grilled chicken being served.

'No way am I missing out on that,' he thought.

He immediately grabbed one of the few remaining pasta plates and sat at the nearest table. Azari sat down across from him with a plate of Choban salad.

Taking a bite of the pasta, Anton found that it tasted as good as the quality pasta back home. He looked back to Azari sorting out information on his hologram while eating his salad.

"So... Heydar mentioned you, but you've never introduced yourself," Anton said.

Azari swallowed down his bite of food and tapped a couple times on his hologram before responding.

"Well, you didn't ask," Azari responded. "Karim Azari, Specialist. Though I'm referred to on a last name basis."

"What exactly do you specialize in?"

"Radar operations and heavy weaponry."

"For some reason, I can only imagine two separate specialists in those fields having entirely different physiques. And you fit neither."

"You're not wrong." Azari chuckled slightly after responding.

The two continued to eat their food until Azari suddenly lifted his hand to his earpiece. He turned back to Anton after a quick response.

"Heydar's fixed up your hologram bracelet; he's in Maintenance Area 3."

Anton nodded, got up and returned the tray before exiting the cafeteria. He walked through the hallways, taking a left, then a right, and a right again, reaching Maintenance Area 3.

The three maintenance areas each tailored to a specific set of operations: Area 1 was the largest and focused on vehicles and starships, and was built adjacent to the hangar bays and docks; Area 2 focused on weapons, combat gear, armor, ammunition and other military-related materials; Area 3 focused on supplies, electronics, custom gadgetry and - from the looks of things - just about anything else that didn't fit the criteria of the other two areas.

Heydar waved Anton over and showed him the bracelet, which now looked a bit shinier.

"The pulse fried a few of the secondary components, but no major physical damage."

"And the data?" Anton asked.

"Well... that part's a little more concerning. Even though this would be a trivial loss compared to a coordinated cyber attack..."

Heydar pulled up a software diagnostics program and Anton showed that it had more than a few errors. He already had a bad feeling and put in his two cents.

"I'm guessing we lost critical data as to what happened to the expedition."

"Indeed..." Heydar pinched his nose for a while before looking up, "Either we're having a bad stroke of luck or Fate decided to screw with us today."

Queue a relatively minor explosion and sparks flying from across the room, and a man yelling in response.

"Timur?! What in Oblivion did you do this time?!" a man dressed in a military officer's uniform strode over. The young man in question jumped slightly and stuttered slightly.

"S-Sir, I was just testing the super capacitor-"

"Have you already forgotten that you need to discharge it to ground before you do anything?!"

"... Sorry sir..."

The second man sighed before pointing in a certain direction.

"Go back to making resistors, Timur. At least I know you won't blow those up."

"Yes sir." The young man made his way over to another table with shame on his face while the officer looked over to see Anton, and began walking over. The officer had grey hair, tan skin, and a mildly wrinkled face indicating someone hitting the midspan of their life.

"Sorry about the commotion. Timur's a beginner when it comes to electronics. I can't blame him for lack of trying, but it difficult to avoid getting angry when he sets something on fire by accident. Especially when it's something costing several thousand Zeshani Chips, and there's no one else to work on it."

"It's no problem, sir," Anton responded.

"So, Lieutenant Hashemi, care to introduce?"

"Right. Anton, this is Captain Abdu Amjad. He's the supervisor of Sanadir Station and a good friend of mine. Abdu, this is Private First Class Anton Volante, 13th Expedition survivor and Alzitoran agent."

"An agent, you say..."

"Something on your mind, sir?" Anton asked.

"Something for later perhaps," Captain Amjad responded while stroking his chin. "The Uruk and Dayanikli are still undergoing rearming, refuel and cargo unloading, so for now, why don't you get a drink at the bar over in the civilian section? I'll call on the intercom if I need you."

"Alright then. Anything you recommend?"

"I'm usually a fan of cocktails. If you're more of a light drinker, they have some equally good hard sodas that I've had the honor to try out."

"Hm... I'll take your word for it."

Anton knew he could use one after being thrown into action the moment he entered the Dimension.