In a small, dimly lit room, two large domed windows shine dust grained sunlight onto grated metal floors and painted steel walls. Beneath the grated floors, golden glitters shine through as the light catches on hundreds of spent gun shells littered below.

This is the bridge of the ship.

It’s dark and quiet.

The only sounds that can be heard are the electronic hums of a massive glowing war table in the center of the room. The war table projects a bright, golden holographic recreation of the Earth’s surface and sky. The projection stands about eight feet tall. It keeps track of the air traffic at every level of the planet’s atmosphere.

Not far from the table, standing and staring up towards the sunlight pouring out of the circular windows above, a lone figure stands; a tall woman with long wavy hair and bronze skin.

This is Captain Indigo.

Despite the desert heat, the Captain wears a thick turtleneck sweater and a long, green trench coat that rests unbuttoned over her shoulders. Her oily hair obscures the left side of her face while her only potentially visible eye is covered with an eyepatch. However, she is still able to perceive the space around her because she catches an ominous glint through the window. She quickly turns around and looks at the war table. A squadron of Lunar Federation jets passes above in the stratosphere. She sighs in relief and turns back towards the sunlight. Suddenly, she hears a voice:

"Dusty and June have returned. Tyrannis has been refueled. The dust still hides us. We can leave now."

The Captain’s posture becomes slightly relaxed once more. In front of her, a tall, hilt-like control stick extends up from the floor and stands just above waist-height. All lights are green across the board, the ship is ready to move. She pushes the hilt forward and the room begins to rumble.

Everything has gone perfectly to plan.

The Lunar Zweihänder has just touched down deep in the Iridescence. Its enormous size has kicked up enough dust to cloud the entire region. Enough dust to cover their escape. It’s exactly what the Captain has been waiting for. This expedition has been very rough. But it looks like the crew’s luck is finally turning around.

"Dusty and June have brought someone back with them. He is a stranger to this planet."

The Captain’s posture straightens. She contemplates leaving the room, but decides to wait instead as she hears the sound of incoming footsteps.