Command Awareness
Posted on Sun Feb 1st, 2026 @ 1:41pm by Vice Admiral Sidra MacLaren
944 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Second Light
Location: Starbase 369 via Secure Channel
// Fleet Operations Secure Conference :: Starbase 369 //
The channel came up clean.
One by one, windows resolved across the display, not bridges or public spaces, but closed ready rooms, private offices, secured briefing compartments. Each commanding officer had taken the call alone or under visible encryption seals. Exactly as instructed.
Sidra’s eyes moved instinctively as the roster populated.
McKinney first, posture tight, jaw set. The lighting behind him was harsh and functional, the kind used when sleep had become optional. Valley Forge was still at Tavrik, and Sidra could see it in the way his attention never quite stilled. The reports crossing her desk were messy, contradictory, stripped of anything that resembled narrative clarity. Tavrik was not finished with them yet. It was unstable, explosive, and being held together by decisions made in real time, with her husband on the ground trying to orchestrate something that refused to be orderly or contained.
Chen appeared moments later. Tempest’s captain looked composed, but Sidra caught the strain beneath it. Tavrik again. The colony. The grid. Chen was holding the line, keeping the Vethari ships from turning posture into provocation. He had always been precise, almost clinical in his command style, and Sidra knew exactly how much restraint that precision was costing him right now.
Rucker’s window resolved next, Caelestis framed behind him in familiar blues. There was steel there, as always. Sidra trusted Rucker with her life without hesitation. Still, she felt the tug of distance. Caelestis was close enough to matter, close enough to be drawn in fast if this went sideways.
Harrington followed, Intrepid’s captain seated in a quiet office with no visible distractions. Harrington listened like a scalpel. Sidra would need that.
And then Corbin.
The feed from Arawyn came from far off, Spinward March space stretching invisibly behind her. Even compressed by distance, Corbin carried herself like someone who could feel the fleet through the bulkheads. Sidra felt a flicker of something close to regret. Corbin was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing out there. Exploration. Presence. Stability. And Sidra was about to complicate that.
Fleet advisors filled the remaining slots. Familiar faces. Vice Admiral Blokpoel among them, silent, observant, exactly where Sidra expected her to be.
Sidra waited until the final confirmation tone sounded.
“Thank you for making yourselves available on short notice.”
Her voice carried evenly through the channel. Calm. Controlled.
“This briefing is compartmentalized. The fact that this call is occurring is not to be discussed outside this channel. If you are not alone, end the call now.”
No one moved.
“We have confirmed a changeling infiltration within Fleet Operations.”
She did not rush the words. She did not soften them.
“The individual has been identified and contained. I will not discuss names or specific operational details beyond that point. What matters is this. The breach did not occur at the edges of our space. It occurred at the center.”
Sidra let her gaze move slowly from one window to the next.
She saw McKinney’s expression harden. Chen’s eyes narrowed just slightly. Corbin went very still.
“My direct operations staff has been vetted in full. Access permissions, transport records, system interactions, behavioral baselines. That same scrutiny has been applied to each of you.”
She paused.
“As of this moment, there is no evidence indicating compromise within your commands.”
That, she knew, was the line they would hold onto. She made sure they heard the next one just as clearly.
“That assessment is current, not final.”
Her hands folded lightly before her.
“What comes next depends on discipline rather than alarm. Trust your people. But verify them. If something feels off, follow it until there is no doubt left. I am not interested in instincts left unexplored or concerns waved away because they are inconvenient.”
Sidra felt the weight of Tavrik press in again. Two ships, one colony, already stretched thin. And now this.
“Quietly re-vet your command teams. Then senior staff. When you are satisfied they are clear, you may inform them in broad terms only. This is not a fleet-wide briefing. This is not a topic for speculation or corridor discussion. Containment is essential.”
Her eyes lingered on Corbin’s window for half a second longer than the others.
Spinward March was already distant and complicated. She hated adding another layer of vigilance to that burden. But she trusted Corbin to carry it without letting it bleed into fear.
“If you encounter anomalies, unexplained access, resistance to verification, or behavior that does not align with established patterns, escalate immediately to Fleet Operations. Do not attempt to resolve it locally. Do not assume it is nothing.”
Sidra straightened slightly.
“I recognize the weight of what I am asking. Some of you are already operating under significant strain. That does not change the necessity of this.”
Her voice remained steady.
“I would not ask it of anyone I did not trust. You have my full confidence, and you will have my full support.”
A controlled breath.
“We are not sounding alarms. We are tightening posture. We are doing the work thoroughly, quietly, and correctly.”
She held the channel, meeting each face in turn.
“I will remain available following this call. If you have questions that do not belong here, you know how to reach me.”
A final pause.
“Thank you for your time. And for your professionalism.”
The channel began to close, one command at a time, until only Fleet Operations remained.
Sidra exhaled slowly.
So many fronts.
So much distance.
And nowhere she could afford to look away.
Vice Admiral Sidra MacLaren
Fleet Commander
Epsilon Fleet
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