Chapter One:

Deep in the night a hover car was speeding through the streets of the small city, headed towards the outskirts. There was no traffic at this time of night as a strict curfew was enforced upon the people of the Terran Ascendency, however this vehicle had the markings of a military government vehicle and was exempt from such concerns. Ignoring any traffic signals, the car continued on its course with an almost reckless abandon.
Within the vehicle, a single passenger was present in the back seat with several small tablets strewn about the seats around her and the desk laid out in front of her. Raising one of the tablets, she took a sip from her drink as she read the contents, putting the tablet down she picked up another one, thumbed through the screen reading the contents of that one.
"Sara," she said, a slight questioning tone in her voice.
The window separating the front and back seat of the vehicle slid down and a small floating drone turned to face the woman in the back seat. A voice intoned from the drone, "SRA-17 reporting."
Sighing, the woman looked at the drone, "Eyes on the road Sara."
The drone tilted, mimicking a human gesture, "Apologies Vice Admiral, but I do not have eyes."
"Sara-"
"Also, there is no need for me to 'watch' the road as my sensors are tied into the vehicles sensors."
The woman lowered her tablet and looked at the drone, a slight note of exasperation, "Sara-"
The drone continued on, unabated, "In point of fact, this unit does not have the designation of 'Sara,' why do you refer to me as such? I cannot understand-"
"Sara!"
The drone quieted while the woman took a deep breath in and continued, "Set up a meeting with Commander Wallace and Lieutenant Commander Sampson. I want to go over the specifications of the Dynast Engines."
The drone slumped, mimicking yet another expression, "Admiral, this unit has been told that the engine specifications have been discussed."
The woman shook her head, "I'm not convinced that the Dynast Engines are the best fit for the capital ships. I want to review the specifications before the cores are installed, and I still feel that the Ionic Chamber would be a better fit."
The drone went silent for a moment, "When would you like the meeting for?"
The woman smiled and chuckled softly to herself, "I would like to meet with them prior to meeting with Governor Garner and the other Admirals. Preferably at a time that is inconvenient for Danny."
The drone floated for a few more moments in silence, turned toward the front of the vehicle again, and the woman returned to her tablet while it worked. Eventually Sara responded, "Meeting set. We are about exiting city limits and will be able to rise and escape the atmosphere. Are you strapped in for orbital flight?"
The woman just nodded, "Mmm-hmm."
The drone turned back to the woman, "Vice Admiral Walsh, you must strap in to your seat before I can begin the flight sequence."
The woman looked up from her tablet, smiling slightly, "Of course Sara, my apologies," and strapped herself in.
The drone returned to look towards the front of the vehicle as it slowly and softly began to pick up altitude. After a few minutes, the unit spoke again, "Admiral, you know the Governor will not appreciate it if you are disheveled in any way."
The woman looked towards the drone as it continued, "You may wish to secure your hair before we hit zero gravity."
"I'll have time."
"Admiral-"
"It will be alright Sara, thank you."
With that the rest of the ride up through the atmosphere continued in silence, while Vice Admiral Alexis Walsh continued to review tablet after tablet. Her chestnut hair slightly longer than shoulder length slowly began to float in the lack of gravity as she continued to be preoccupied with her work. As the youngest of the Vice Admirals, she felt a certain pressure to understand every aspect of her ship as well as the fleet under her command. Her tablets contained a mixture of ship specifications, crew manifests, resource allocation, among a multitude of other informational topics.
Setting down the tablet, only to have it float off the seat next to her, she rubbed her eyes. In just a few short days, she would be the one most responsible for 250 million men, women, and children. Their hopes, their dreams, their fears, all this and more would be hers as well. She refused to fail them and their belief in her and vowed to do everything it took to complete their mission, no matter how long it took.
She owed all of them that much at least.

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This is not a complete chapter, but more of an outline of what occurs in the first chapter.