Even the air felt different.

Captain Jason Hunter had toured his command on numerous occasions, and yet he still couldn’t get over the fact his ship still looked and felt new. Argent had only been in service for 19 Terran months, but she had seen her fair share of action. In addition to a slugging match with the heavy battleship Kingsblade she had gone toe-to-toe with hostile warships armed with deadly riflecutter beams. She had limped home, but she brought at least a partial victory with her.

Hunter had to admit he was getting that old feeling again. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the many times his friend Lucas had made sport of his boasts over being able to catch the scent of new paint aboard his first command. Skywatch had gone out of their way to provide he and his crew of former fighter pilots with every possible technological advantage, and now that he had well and truly settled in to his new command, Captain Hunter was starting to get really good at some things and markedly better at others.

Unbeknownst to his senior officers, Admiral Powers, the Commander in Chief (CINC) of Skywatch Southern Banner, had offered Captain Hunter a tour aboard the experimental X-cruiser Wisconsin. It was a prestigious assignment. Wisconsin was one of the newest and most advanced warships in the fleet. As tempting as it was to take advantage of all the notoriety he would have surely received, he had turned it down. Hunter’s bonds with the pilots in his former squadron were well-known and unique. He rarely parted ways with capable officers, and the four members of the legendary Bandit Jacks were clearly the best. They all had long and distinguished careers in Skywatch waiting for them, and Hunter was not going to make the mistake of missing it.

There was trouble brewing in the Kraken Sector, and despite his thirst for adventure, deep in his soul, Captain Hunter was a firm believer in the principle of “dance with who brung you.” He was captain of the battleship Argent. He had no ambitions of leaving his first love.

When he and newly promoted Fleet Command Master Chief Petty Officer Duncan Buckmaster finally returned from their hand-shaking responsibilities at Skywatch Command, Hunter had been greeted by more than one report of new and improved toys being delivered. His current destination was Argent Flight Deck Two, where a couple dozen of those new toys were parked.