Admiral I’Isahra M’lensa was entering his forty-fifth year of honourable service to the people of Arrhazon.

During his tenure of service, he worked his way up from entry-level cadet to command the most prestigious vessel in the Arrhazon fleet. He had seen so much unfold during that time: exploration, the rise of a vicious dictator, the coming of equality and full-fledged democracy.

No one who was lost prior to the fall of Brellian would ever believe women now served on his ship, now served as high-ranking officers under his command. Some of them would be unable to comprehend that every one of them was a dedicated and highly competent officer, among the best with which he ever had the pleasure to serve.

A great injustice was partially rectified, and in the process, his outlook changed dramatically. All of the women of Arrhazon had endured a great injustice during his lifetime and for millennia prior, and he and all men owed them so very much. Yet those under his command demanded nothing from him, only the opportunity to serve equally.

They had taught him much about life and its living.

I’Isahra reached for his newly arrived orders, already opened and read earlier, and which left his mind weighing the virtually endless consequences and possibilities. He began to read the message, probably for the fifth time since it first arrived:

Admiral I’Isahra M’lensa,

Per order of Chief of Government Gl’nsiel, as of Monday next midday you are to take a civilian team of five on a mission of utmost importance to the Arrhazonan people.

While on this mission, you are to follow the orders of Jahrae Khentavra, taking your ship wherever she and her team decide they need to go. CoG Gl’nsiel asked Jahrae to lead this mission. She also requested this ship, with you carrying out instruction from Jahrae. The CoG believes you are the right person to carry out the military portion of this joint civilian-military mission, one of peaceful exploration.

You are not to question the team’s strategy or their selection of destinations, as well as how long they choose to remain at any destination.

Jahrae will likely seek your assistance and input, particularly to evaluate and decipher logs and records recently found on the AISV Jredvarha. The records are of a highly secret mission ordered by then Chief of Government Brellian 14 years ago. Some of these recently found records were stored in archives here in Arrhazon City, but have been uploaded into our database for the team and for you to access.

As we find more information, both in the archives and from interviewing all those indicated to be involved, we will relay it to you immediately. By extension of authority, you may task any of your crew to assist the team, providing it is at Jahrae’s request for assistance and she assents to your choice.

Authority reverts to you should an emergency arise which places your ship and its crew and passengers in peril. Once such an emergency has passed, final authority reverts to Jahrae Khentavra.

Duration of this mission is open ended, with no window within which the mission must succeed or fail. We all owe it to the people of Arrhazon to exhaust every possibility.

It is imperative you understand Chief of Government Gl’nsiel grants this authority, at whose pleasure you currently serve as commander of AISV Equality.

I trust you fully understand the import placed on this mission, as well as these orders. If any questions remain in your mind after reading this, or if you feel you are personally unable to serve on this mission, please contact me at once.

Chief Admiral J’sehra

Dated: 026.5448

I’Isahra had little idea in the moment what could be as bloody important as to task the finest vessel in the Arrhazonan fleet to some indefinite and abstract mission. He remained puzzled why the order came directly from the Chief of Government, but he greatly respected Gl’nsiel, had twice voted for her as CoG, and if she thought this necessary, then it would be an honour for he and his crew of 350 to be involved and to serve.

This was the first time in I’Isahra’s long career where the authorities ceded command to a civilian passenger. He well knew of Khentavra – she was legend in new history books, not quite on the level of her wife llhaesa ahrella t’yaeli, whose name he knew from inside sources would grace the first of the next generation of vessel now beginning construction – but she wasn’t all that far behind in the equality and freedom revolution.

The last he heard, Khentavra was leading a quiet life, running various foundations that well served the people of Arrhazon. Why would Gl’nsiel suddenly task her to lead an extended mission on Arrhazon’s very finest space faring ship?