Editing I have a bridge to look after here.

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Era|RW}}
'''''"I have a bridge to look after here."''''' is a flash-fiction story included in the ''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]''. It is about [[Captain (NAVCOM)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]] and his thoughts about his career and family on board the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} while en route to rendezvous with the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}}.<ref>''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]'', p.20</ref>
'''''“I have a bridge to look after here.''''' is a flash-fiction story included in the [[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]. It is about [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]] and his thoughts before the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} rendezvous with the [[UNSC Prophecy]] and join the fleet en route to [[Harvest]].<ref>''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]'', p.20</ref>


==Plot synopsis==
==Story==
Cutter stands on the ''Spirit of Fire'''s bridge observing slipspace's eerie casted light. Immense and serene, the ship moves through this unnatural dimension. His orders are clear: Rendezvous with the ''Prophecy'' and join the fleet heading to [[Harvest]]. The Captain remembers fondly how he mastered the word "rendezvous" in [[Ash (teacher)|Mrs. Ash]]'s sixth-grade spelling test. As he mutters the word, [[Serina]], the ship [[artificial intelligence]], suddenly appears.
Cutter looked out over the bridge and took in the view. Slipspace always reflected and lit the exterior of the ship in an unnatural and unwelcoming light. The vast size of Spirit of Fire stretched out serenely in this odd sea. The orders were quite specific: rendezvous with The Prophecy and join the fleet en route to Harvest. He had always liked the word “rendezvous” ever since he got it right on Mrs. Ash’s sixth-grade spelling test. He unconsciously sounded it out and Serina flickered on.


Serina teases him about ''the Prophecy'', mentioning that it could have been his ship had he accepted the command offer. [[Blake]], another crewmember, overhears and glances up from his console. Cutter reassures Serina that he’s content with his current command; despite ''Spirit of Fire'' not being the fastest or most heavily armed, it's a vital fleet ship bringing essential supplies, water, fuel, and ground support. More importantly, it's stationed at [[Reach]], sparing Cutter from long deployments. He briefly thinks about [[Cutter's daughter|his daughter]] and her potential spelling test today, knowing that passing on command of the ''Prophecy'' likely ended his chances for future prestigious positions. However, he has no regrets, seeing as the choice was easy.
“The Prophecy is a good ship—could have been your ship if you had taken them up on the chair,” Serina quipped. She said it loudly enough that Blake looked up from his console.


Serina breaks his reverie, reminding him she’s on the bridge. She playfully mentions that it took her long enough to adjust to him as captain, and Cutter, slightly irritated but amused, asks for a status update. She reports that the ship is "loaded for bear" and will exit slipspace in 32 hours and 12 minutes. She also notes that Professor [[Ellen Anders]] is unhappy with her quarters and insists on seeing Cutter. Interrupting Serina’s complaints, the Captain orders Blake to attend to the Professor, much to Blake’s silent frustration as he feels babysitting civilians is beneath him.
“I’m happy with the seat I have, Serina.Cutter glared back.


With Blake gone, Serina playfully questions what "loaded for bear" actually means. Cutter sits back, thinking of his early days as an [[Ensign]], his father’s disappointment when he joined the [[UN Colony Logistics Office]], and later applied to flight school. His father had scorned him for being "nothing more than a trucker." However, Cutter’s time piloting [[colony ship]]s, though monotonous, eventually led to his command of the {{UNSCShip|Glasgow}} and later caught command's attention after an incident with [[Insurrectionist]]s. His father’s approval finally came when he toured the ''Spirit of Fire'' with Cutter, acknowledging that Cutter’s mother would have been proud.
And in truth he was. Spirit of Fire was the largest operational ship in the fleet, and while it wasn’t the fastest and didn’t boast the best weaponry or military complement, it was the one ship every other captain in the fleet was happy to see. Spirit of Fire brought supplies, water, fuel—and ground support to the field. More importantly for Cutter, Spirit of Fire was stationed at Reach and generally wasn’t part of long tours of duty. Cutter thought of his daughter and wondered if she had a spelling test today or not. He also knew that by passing on The Prophecy command that his chances of being offered something as prestigious again were slim. In fact, he had already heard rumor to that effect. The choice had been easy, though, and he had no regrets.


Cutter sighs and tells Serina that tomorrow will be a long day.
“Hello! Ship AI on deck!” Serina brought him out of the moment and back to the bridge. “Well, I would have hated to break in a new captain anyway; took me long enough to get you where I want you.


==Appearances==
“Thank you, Serina. I think. How are we doing?”
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-6|title-1=Characters|
 
*[[Cutter family]]
Serina could get under his skin, and she knew it. The AI was necessary to run the ship, and her sometimes flippant character didn’t betray the complexity of her second-to-second duties. However, sometimes Cutter thought he could do without the running commentary.
**[[Cutter's father]] {{Mo}}
 
**[[Cutter's daughter]] {{Mo}}
“Loaded for bear, sir. We should exit Slipspace in thirty-two hours, twelve minutes. Professor Anders has requested better quarters and insists on seeing you. Apparently you must know the ship layout better than me because I told her—”
**[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]]
 
*[[Serina]]
Cutter interrupted, “Mister Blake, please go see to our guest. I have a bridge to look after here.”
*Officer [[Blake]]
 
*[[Lieutenant (UNSC)|Lieutenant]] [[Green]]
Blake looked around the largely empty bridge. Lieutenant Green peered up from the flight control; he was sure Serina was looking at him smugly.
*[[Ellen Anders]] {{mo}}
 
*[[Ash (teacher)|Ash]] {{1st}}
“Yes, sir!” Blake barked as he made for the door. He thought to himself that he would never be babysitting civilians if he was on The Prophecy.


|title-2=Species|
Serina paused, waiting for Blake to leave. “So, Mr. Captain, sir, what do you think ‘loaded for bear’ actually means?”
*[[Human]]


|title-3=Organizations|
Cutter sat down and pushed back in the chair. His mind fixated on the empty seat Blake had vacated, and he thought back to his long days as an Ensign in the fleet. His father had pushed him to get his degree and was furious that he had signed up for the UN Colony logistics office and even more furious when he applied to flight school. “Nothing more than a trucker!” He could still hear the words echo.
*[[UNSC]] {{Mo}}
*[[Insurrectionist]]s {{Mo}}
*[[UN Colony Logistics Office]] {{1st}}


|title-4=Locations|
Piloting colony ships was mind-numbing work, but
it gave him experience and eventually earned him command of the Glasgow, a colony freighter vessel.
It wasn’t special, but he pulled his runs, and after an incident with insurgents in the Epsilon Eridani system, he gained the attention of UNSC command.
*[[Epsilon Eridani system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Reach]] {{Mo}}


|title-5=Vehicles|
His mind moved to his father again and the redeeming words he later said when he toured the ship with his son—the new captain on the Spirit of Fire. “I guess you knew something, after all. Your mom would be proud.” This was all he said, but it was enough.
*[[Colony ship]] {{Mo}}
*[[Freighter]] {{Mo}}
*[[UNSC starship]]
**{{UNSCShip|Glasgow}} {{Mo}}
**{{Class|Phoenix|colony ship}}
***{{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}
**{{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}
***{{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} {{Mo}}


|title-6=Technology and equipment|
Cutter sighed. “Serina, it means that tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
*[[Artificial intelligence]]


|title-7=Miscellaneous|
==Characters==
*[[Slipspace]]
*[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]]
*[[Bridge]]
*[[Serina]]
*[[Water]]
*Officer [[Blake]]
}}
*[[Lieutenant (UNSC)|Lieutenant]] [[Green]]
*[[Ellen Anders]] {{C|mentioned only}}
*James Cutter's daughter and parents {{C|mentioned only}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources|1}}
{{Reflist|1}}
{{HWSG}}
{{HWSG}}
[[Category:Halo Wars]]
[[Category:Halo Wars]]
[[Category:Short stories]]
[[Category:Short stories]]
[[Category:Canon]]
[[Category:Canon]]

Please note that all contributions to Halopedia are considered to be released under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license (see Halopedia:Copyrights for details). If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

To view or search uploaded images go to the list of images. Uploads and deletions are also logged in the upload log. For help including images on a page see Help:Images. For a sound file, use this code: [[Media:File.ogg]].

Do not copy text from other websites without permission. It will be deleted.