The mass operation to move UNSC's military headquarters had begun shortly after first contact with the Galactic Assembly. They had originally deemed it prudent to move the base completely off world and out of the zone between Mars and earth orbit. So, they had set up headquarters orbiting Europa, which in turn Orbited Jupiter. They had done this mostly for its proximity to the fueling station based on the surface of Europa, and the particle collection operation harvesting from Jupiter's upper atmosphere.

The U/N.S.C Harbinger landed shortly after operational sunrise using Jupiter's gravity well as a way to slow itself down and conserve the fuel used to travel over moderatly short distances. The ships short-range engines used fusion technology to power itself, but required a specific type of hydrogen ion to properly fuel the ignition process, so it was more than a good idea to keep their largest store of space vessels so close.

The crew unloaded all their cargo while Commander Vir took Sunny and Krill to report to the Admiral and other officials on the success of their current orders. He wore his uniform, light grey, pinned at the sides with the wings that signified his ran. He even wore the cap, which is something he tended to avoid wearing. Sunny walked at his right wearing the ceremonial armor that she had inherited from her father and the war staff she had taken as prize from her defeated mother. Krill floated at his left shoulder propelled by a backpack with a small attached motor, worn over a white lab coat he had taken to wearing after the fashion of the humans.

The base itself was teaming with life, men in women in a plethora of uniforms colored to signify their use. Brown coveralls for engineering and maintenance, grey for janitorial. Scientists wore light grey lab coats while medical staff wore blue scrubs, paired with white coats when the doctors were involved. Commanding officers wore the standard military uniform in light grey.

They caught quite a bit of attention as they passed by despite the occasional glimpse of another alien lifeform working with the crews. Most of the time they would be tesraki, but he occasional Drev could be seen carrying boxes at the direction of a human officer.

They passed through a set of doorways that hissed open with the pressure difference, and into a steel grey hallway that lead down into the administration offices. The place was as austere as the military had preferred for thousands of years. The only decoration could be seen through open doorways and into offices, usually UN flags hung next to metals pinned into velvet backed glass cases and pictures of the officer shaking hands with someone important. Commander ir had a similar office on the base decorated with an old US flag tattered and scruffy next to the pristine white of the UN logo on the other side. His purple heart and bronze star hung above the desk. For all purposes, it looked like any other office of any other commanding officer in the fleet.... Accept for his desktop background which held a screenshot from the cult classic series Replication, but no one had to know that.

-

They made it to the admiral's office in good time, and the door was already open and waiting for them. She lifted her head as she heard them approach and stood from her desk holding out a hand. The commander took it with a greeting and stepped back as she greeted sunny with a nod of the head, "General." before looking at Krill, "Dr."

Sunny seemed pleasantly surprised that the Admiral had used her title, standing up just a bit straighter. Commander Vir's fingers brushed over her forearm as if to say see, what did I tell you?

"Admiral."

"I hope you have good news for me Commander."

"Only the best, ma'am." The man responded, "There have been no serious issues to report. All orders are going well, and our men have retaken the prison and returned all the inmates to their cells without complication. A few people died, but I am told most of them were lifers waiting on death row, and despite my slight disagreement the GA does not consider it a great loss."

The admiral sighed deeply and spun in her chair to look out the window. A magnificent view of Jupiter's powerful red rings rose up behind her, and Commander Vir couldn't argue with the aesthetic nature of the image..

"I am glad to hear things seem to be going so well aboard.... To be honest things are.... A little strained here..."

Commander Vir tilted his head in confusion, "In what way?"

She threw up her hands in exasperation, "It is that ongoing issues with the LFIL and the GA. If we want to maintain our good graces with the GA we have to take their side in the issue. Personally, I don't mind what people choose to do as long as both parties agree." Her eyes moved across Vir and Sunny quickly, "But as things stand the GA disagrees with my sentiment, so we continue to remain neutral. However, our action, or lack thereof, has caused some issues planet-side. Our recruitment has gone down by almost 60% in the last month. People are shipping off on those Tesraki cruisers for their fill of space rather than join."

"I am.... Sorry to hear that Admiral, but I am not entirely sure what I can do to help."

The woman sighed and stood, coming around the front of the desk, which she parked herself partially seated against, "Before I tell you, I want to make sure you know that you are in no way obligated to agree to this if you don't want to. We can find some other way to get things done and I wouldn't blame you, but it would be an unbelievable PR move."

Commander vir looked on nervously, "Go on."

"We got a call from an agency on the west cost..... And they want to buy the rights to your life story."

Sunny would have sword she could hear Adam's jaw pop out of place as it hinged itself open. He sputtered and gasped for a few minutes "My.... my life story.... Why would they.... What would they want that for?"

The admiral raised on dark eyebrow, "Come now, Commander. The man who flew on the first manned mission into interstellar space, made first contact with an alien race, fought in the Drev War, and then became Commander of the first interstellar fleet. You're life story is striking media gold."

"What agency in California?"

The woman shrugged, "Hollywood Incorporated."

He nearly choked. Hollywood Inc. was the biggest film cooperation that side of Earth, named for the infamous strip of land which had, two thousand years ago, produced some of the greatest actors of their time.

"I.... I don't know ma'am."

"Well, that's entirely your decision, but I would suggest heading to their Martian office and talk to the director because he is going to keep pestering me until he gets an answer."

***

The Hollywood Inc. Office was located just towards the edge of the gravitational strip in the largest city on Mars. Because of its location, the gravitational field was slightly weaker. The children who wandered about where unusually tall for their ages, a fact that Commander Vir couldn't help but notice as he opened the glass fronted doors and stepped inside.

The interior of the room was gaudy and over the top, lined with hundreds of vintage posters spanning the last two thousand years. He thought he might have seen a batman poster in the far corner that had to be at least two thousand years old encased inside a climate controlled glass case. It must have cost a couple thousand dollars if not more. The rest of the room was decorated in a similar fashion with hundreds of priceless moments of the entertainment industry from years long passed. Another climate controlled case held at least one of the costumes used in the original pirates movie. The thing should have been mostly ash and dust by now but somehow it had maintained its shape.

The three of them stepped up the nauseating checkerboard floor and up towards the reception desk. The woman who sat there looked like the Victorian era had thrown up all over her. He was surprised she could fit behind the desk, or even sit with the sheer amount of petticoats she must have been wearing underneath. He had to clear his throat a few times before she looked up, and when she did she looked positively board, "Can I help you?"

He rubbed his hands together awkwardly, "Um.... i was told to come here.... To meet someone." She didn't look particularly impressed at his explanation, so he cleared his throat, "Uh, my name is Commander Adam Vir from the UNSC...." He was cut off quickly as the woman leapt to her feet with a yelp.

"Yes, Yes of course, right this way, he's been expecting you." In the next second, he found himself grabbed by the hand and dragged bodily through a door behind the desk, and into a long, and even more lavish hallway. They hurried past a few rooms before she made it to the door, which opened for them, "Mr. Clayton Ellis, He's here, he's here."

"Wait Clayton E-" His voice trailed away slowly as he looked towards the end of the room and found one of the greatest directors of their time sitting at a horrible tacky golden desk in an overstuffed zebra chair wearing something that made him appear as a prohibition gangster, a powder blue suit with shoulder pads and matching fedora.

This couldn't be real right? It explained the extravagance though, the man was known for being way over the top even as far as directors and movie producers go. The man stood as soon as he saw them a massive smile playing over his face as he made his way around the desk arms held wide, "Look who it is, the man of the hour, the star, the light at the end of the tunnel."

"Uh." Adam said as the man caught him by the hand shaking vigorously. Sunny and Krill exchanged a confused glance. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Ellis."

The man waved a hand, which glittered with enough rings to satisfy a king, "Please call me Clayton." He stood back arms still held wide, "And just look at you mmm mmm perfect main character material, I mean who doesn't love an eye-patch, just the kind of little piece of personality I would add, you know."

Commander Vir stood there in bewilderment, "I'm sorry sir, I don't"

But the man had turned his attention away towards his companions, "And look at this. The quintessential alien sidekicks to our roguish human protagonist..... What a story what a set."

Sunny couldn't hold back a snort of derision, "Sidekick, excuse me."

He turned his head eyes lighting up, "Check that, how about Love interest." he spread his hands wide above his head as he said it, "Think of the publicity. With all the LFIL stuff going on this would be perfect." He made heart with his hands and framed the two of them in it, "I can see it now, the roguish space captain falling in love with this aesthetic exotic-

"Wow.... just hold on a second." Commander Vir barked, "I haven't agreed to anything just yet, and I thought this was about my life story, about accuracy."

The man waved a hand, 'Right, right, right, but let's be honest reality is often disappointing. Sometimes film requires a bit of dramatization."

Commander Vir crossed his arms, "I beg to differ. Unless you consider being almost brainwashed by sentient-space-vacuum dwelling humanoids boring."

The man's eyes flashed greedily, and he hopped up on his desk legs dangling over the floor, "Ok, I see you clearly aren't kidding around here, so I will make you a deal." He raised his right hand, "I swear to be as accurate as possible, do my research and everything, but you have to understand, you are a national-no planetary hero, no interplanetary. You have the ability to be a role model for thousands of young minds who just eat up this media stuff. You and I can do some real good together."

Commander Vir shifted his feet on the floor running a hand through his hair. He knew what his family would say. His father would tell them to shove it, his mother would want him to do what made him happy, his brothers would kick his ass if they knew he turned down an offer like this, and well..... The contract he could make with them, the things he could do with the money.

"I would have a few conditions."

"Of course you would, of course you would."

"I get royalties, and i'm not talking a measly ten perent, I am talking about thirty, and all of it better end up at a charity or you can color me gone. Plus this isn't just some excuse to do some intense super action space thing with a ton of drama. I consult, and this thing better be accurate, or I am also gone, and my life story comes with me. Plus, don't ask about things that are classified because I won't tell you. Push me and I am gone."

The man sighed, but waved a hand, "Alright, alright."

He took another deep breath, "I'm not pausing my job for this, so you are going to have to have to talk to me on my free time. Try to underhand or backstab or go around any of these agreements and consider your ass sued." Sunny champed her beak together for emphasis, shifting in her massive plate armor. Clearly she had a different idea of litigation than he did, but he would talk to her about that later.

Clayton took his seat back behind his desk again, "You drive a hard bargain there, Commander, but a deal is a deal. I will get the contract to you as soon as things are formalized.

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

The man shrugged "Long enough to have started the casting process. I even hired the man who will be playing you, isn't that exciting."

"You have?"

"Yeah here let me call him out. Keith! You can come out now." There was a shuffling from behind some of the stuff, and a man made his way out from the other side of the room.

Krill wasn't particularly impressed, but by the way Adam took a step back it seemed as if he was, "Keith.... J-Jenning." The man stammered."

Sunny gave the human a once over, and immediately didn't like the casting choice, sure they had similar builds with blond hair and a charming smile, but this guy was..... Well he was a total Deva.... Not that she followed the gossip magazines.... Too much. But just looking at him, with his manicured nails and perfect hair, it just didn't seem right. She much preferred Adam, rugged, useful, confident in his work, but also not a massive ass.

The man held out a hand, "Commander." He looked him up and down eyes falling on the eye patch, "How the hell do you see out of that thing."

Vir paused in his fan boying to look confused.... "Uh.... I don't, that's sort of the point."

The man turned to look at the director, "Do I have to wear one, It would cover like half my face."

Vir frowned, "No it doesn-"

"Look Keith poles say that women find a man with an eyepatch at least ten percent more attractive than men without one"

The man glanced over at Adam and frowned, "Well.... I guess I'll need all the help I can get."

Adam frowned, but before he could say anything a large blue shape had cut in front of him, grabbed the man by the front of the shirt, and lifted him to eye level, "Look here you little weasel, Adam is twice the man you are, and has more honor in one of his little toes than you have in your entire body." She poked him in the chest with a free claw, "So I would shut the hell up and learn some respect before I reverse the typography of your face."

A hand grabbed her by the elbow "Sunny, put him down."

"Why he's got insurance on his face."

"Sunny, that's an order." She let him go with some hesitation grumbling the entire way.

Keith hit the ground with a hand around his neck . From behind them clayton began to clap slowly, "Bravo, bravo, what a show, what an act, such emotion, such loyalty. That really was deeply moving , you feel that Keith, you feel the sexual tension."

"What."

"Hey-"

The two men ignored them as keith rubbed his neck ,"I felt SOMETHING alright."

Clayton stood walking in a slow circle around sunny prodding at her armor, and her carapace, "Now ths, this is interesting, quick do something else intimidating."

Sunny growled.

"Oh yes, I have the perfect casting choice for you Rita Ortiz."

Sunny tilted her head thoughtfully and couldn't help but nodding. The actress was mostly known for her roles in action movies somehow managed to dodge the romantic arcs that film still can't let go of. She was cool, Sunny liked her."

With a critical eye the director turned to look at Krill, who watched, uninterested and unimpressed, "How about you little fella."

The Vrul remained standing arms crossed, "I think this is stupid, i think you're stupid, and I thinnk he." Pointing at Keith, "Is especially stupid. IF you just look at his eyes you'll know he is a terrible casting choice. I mean look at him you can hardly expect someone with the pain threshold of a ballsack to play a decorated war hero."

That didn't really get the response Krill had intended and had the man in stitches laughing on the on his desk, "The comic relief, I get it now."
"Wait, no I'm not-"

"We will be in touch commander, I look forward to working with you and your hilarious friends. Come on Keith, lets go call the studio, this is going to be big." Commander Vir barely had time to react as the two men left them standing in the center of the room with confused expressions.

"This.... This is going to be a disaster." Krill commented in the following quiet.

Sunny gave a sigh, "That should be the title of your autobiography." She said nudging Adam on the shoulder.

"Yeah and yours should be Sidekick." He said smugly."

"Hey!"

He sighed then.

"You're probably right though, this is going to be a disaster."