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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/LordCoale on 2024-09-15 05:39:14+00:00.

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I swam the docking tube from the Behemoth, before passing into the Gibraltar’s gravity. I looked over my shoulder to see the rest of my team, followed by Trey, Admiral Halsey and the senior Aglildai officers. As I grabbed the safety bar to stop my momentum, I swung into the yellow and black striped decking. This small space was aboard the station, but by custom, was part of the docked ship’s space. Beyond was officially the Navy’s largest military station in the system. But it even though it out massed the Behemoth, it was smaller in size.

I stopped and saluted the Federation flag before turning to the deck officer on duty. The poor marine second lieutenant looked lost as he surveyed my party. “Permission to come aboard?”

“Granted, General.” The second lieutenant, whose name tag read Perkins, saluted crisply. “Welcome aboard the Gibraltar.”

“Why do you ask permission to come aboard?” Admiral Halsey asked. “We were invited, weren’t we?”

“Yes, we were. It is an ancient human military tradition, going back to the days of ships sailing on water. I really don’t know the origin of it. We just have to do it.”

“The humans have many confusing traditions,” Trey added. “I have learned to just accept it and not ask too many questions.”

“Lieutenant Commander Kalei will escort you to the conference,” Perkins said, and I could almost feel his relief to pass us on to someone more senior.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” I reached out to shake his hand, but apparently, he’d never had a flag officer do this because his eyes grew wide for a moment before he took it. “Have a good day, son.”

I turned to the huge navy officer who was just slightly smaller than Sven, “Good morning, Lieutenant Commander. Pleas lead the way.”

“Yes, sir. The Fleet Admiral is looking forward to meeting all of you,” he rumbled. His deep baritone voice fit him. For some reason, I thought he’d probably have a wonderful singing voice.

“The last time I was here, this station was under construction. That was eight years ago, I think. It was the fist station built to use the new Mark Thirty missiles, and I heard it was refit with the M-230XT rapid fire countermissile launchers.”

“Yes, sir. We finished the refit two years ago. We have fifteen percent fewer launchers, but the new launchers can launch more missiles, and the space saved was repurposed to extra magazine capacity. It added another ten thousand countermissiles. But the biggest change was the modification of our ammunition systems to use the same transorbital external magazines as the ODPs. That meant we could streamline the planetside munitions resupply. And those things did make a difference in this battle.”

“I can see where that would be beneficial,” I replied.

As we walked, I could see evidence of battle damage. Several temporary power and data cables had been strung along the side of the corridor and there were scorch marks around several power distribution panels.

“I apologize, sir, but the local lifts are still out of commission. There are some working ones further in. The core took very little damage, but the rest of the station has some dents and dings.”

“The fleet is going to be in the body and fender shop for a while,” I replied. “We’re going to need reinforcements until the battle losses are repaired or replaced.”

“It would have been a lot worse without your arrival. For myself, I want to thank your friends. I don’t know if we could have held off much longer.”

“It was our pleasure to assist,” Halsey replied. “We will never say no to a good fight, especially when helping friends.”

“Thank God you are friends,” Kalei replied with feeling.

“You should thank General Pierre. I do not know how much your deity had to do with it.”

Halsey’s comment got a round of chuckles from the humans as they boarded a large lift. The doors closed almost all the way, and Kalei hammered on the left side a few times to get it to close. “Sorry, General. I said it was working. I didn’t say it was in perfect working order.”

“I’ve seen plenty of battle damage before. I am just happy the station has atmosphere, and I am not in my flight suit.”

“I am happy to be out of my Mark Four, sir,” Kalei said. “I spent six days in it, and it’s a bit ripe.”

“Hazards of the job, son. I spent twelve days in my flight suit once. It was rank. I managed to talk supply into getting another one.”

The fast moving lift came to a stop and the doors opened, but smoothly this time. Across the corridor, three marine guards stood outside a secure hatch. The staff sergeant in charge of the guard detail barked, “Admiral on deck!” And then saluted the Aglildai admiral.

“What is he doing?” Halsey asked.

“He is saluting the senior officer of our group. That is you. It is another military custom for a junior to salute a superior officer. In groups, they salute the senior officer of the group. You salute him back.”

“I see. I will take Trey’s advice and just accept it. I return the salute like this?” He raised his left hand to his head, touching just above his multifaceted eyes.

“We normally use the other hand, but that’s close enough,” I explained.

“Take me to your leader,” Halsey said. After several moments of disbelief, the humans all started laughing. Halsey turned to Sven and added, “Did I say that right?”

“My friend, that is everything I expected,” Sven answered between gasping laughs. “I am going to laugh about that every day for the rest of my life.”

“Dammit, Sven. Can’t you take anything seriously?” I groused. But I didn’t put any anger into it. It was funny as hell.

“Major Baldursson explained the origin of that term,” Halsey said. “I agreed it would be funny.”

“I just hope the security cameras caught it. That is going to get me free drinks for the rest of my life,” Sven had laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.

“The Fleet Admiral is waiting on you,” the staff sergeant said before opening the conference room hatch.

“Thank you, Staff Sergeant.” I led the way. Yes, Halsey outranked me, but he was a guest.  

The marine guards watched in frank curiosity as we passed. Not many of the humans in this system had seen the newcomers face to face. I had become used to them, but I realized that the rest of humanity wanted more. Sven’s joke would likely be seen by everyone in the system in short notice, and then beyond into all human space.

Inside, Fleet Admiral Davidoff and his staff stood in dress whites. It was a stark contrast between my Marines in our rumpled duty uniforms and the Aglildai and Lopingu with no uniform other than their utility harnesses.

When we’d all entered, Davidoff spoke, “Attention on deck.” His entire staff snapped to attention, and he saluted the Aglildai admiral.

“I salute back, right? With this hand?” Halsey raised his right hand in a return salute.

“That’s right,” I replied. “And you drop your salute first.”

With that courtesy completed, I took notice that there were multiple civilians in formal attire. I assumed they were part of the planetary and system government.

“Welcome aboard the Gibraltar,” Davidoff said. I’d never served with the man but knew his reputation. He was one of the finest military minds around and a damned fine leader.

“Thank you, Admiral Davidoff,” Halsey replied. The Gibraltar command staff looked at their guests with guarded curiosity, as if they didn’t want to get caught staring.

“Let me introduce President Moudry.” Davidoff waved a well dressed man forward.

“I don’t know the proper form of greeting for your people,” Moudry said

“We have come to appreciate your ritual of shaking hands.” Halsey reached out his clawed, three fingered hand. I watched as President Moudry overcame any hesitation and shook hands in friendship.

“On behalf of the Ikenga System, I would like to offer our formal thanks. You will probably hear this quite a bit in the future, but without your arrival, I fear our planet would have been destroyed.”

“It was the least we could do. Our ship had been stranded in hyperspace for over nine hundred of your years. We have survived twenty generations, but it was no real life for any of us. We had no future until General Pierre found us. I don’t know how many more years we would have been stranded, likely forever. He saved my ship and my people.”

“What will you do now?” Davidoff asked.

“We had thought to go home, to return to the Imperium,” Halsey replied. “But we will not be alive to see it.”

“If none of you were alive when the Behemoth left the Imperium, then why do you consider it home?” Moudry asked. It was something I had thought about quite a bit.

“Because we always have. It is where we were created. You humans are from Terra originally. Do you consider any other place home?”

“I can see your point,” I said. “But humans are nothing if not pragmatic. If we were in your situation, we’d probably find a new home, ensure our survival, and worry about getting back in contact with the Federation later.

“And I know your people’s origin. You owe the Huxtl nothing.”

“Our origin? What do you mean?”

“Trey? This is your secret. I can tell you that you are among friends. But if you tell me no…”

“General Pierre… Olliver…” It was the first time he’d ever used my first name. “You will betray no confidences. It is my story to tell.

“The Lopingu as you know us, Admiral…

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