Johned

 Pacing. Lore hadn’t sat down since leaving the council chamber. They were supposed to have left an hour ago but The Destiny still sat firmly magnetised to the hangar bay floor.
“There’s more to this.” They mumbled under their breath. “I don’t know what it is but I really don’t trust them.” Char had been sitting silently on the bed, watching as they mumbled and muttered to themselves. Lore could feel her staring. “Look, you might think I’m mental but I trust the council about as far as I could throw them.” Char chuckled at the idea of Lore carrying, let alone throwing fifty people simultaneously.
“Look. They haven’t steered us wrong yet have they?” Char spoke up. “I get where you’re coming from, they are definitely hiding something but we won’t find it here.” Her words resonated with Lore who immediately lunged towards their satchel.
“Where is it?” They scrambled through the bag, unleashing a tsunami of empty and partially eaten ration packets onto the bed.
“Where’s what? Could you please stop that.” Char returned one of the fuller packs to Lore. The waves subsided as Lore withdrew a small, white rock. “What’s that?”
“Brian gave it to me on Rexel. He told me about the Republic at the same time… Well, he mentioned them in the same sentence at least.” Lore removed their Breacher. “Destiny, I want everything the council has given us about the Johned Nebula.” Lore sat at the foot of the bed, inspecting the power supply of their Breacher.
“The Johned Nebula is an artificially created gaseous expanse designed to mask and protect the existence of the council’s research base.” Destiny displayed several wide shots of their destination. “The planet at the centre is in actuality one of Quatarr’s moons. The Nebula was raised shortly after Quatarr’s destruction however, the council’s records we have access to date back to thirty years before that date.”
“Perhaps this isn’t the first time they’ve tried.” Char looked to Lore. “What makes this time any different?”
“Let’s find out.” Lore stood, holding their Breacher which now had the white stone sticking out of its secondary fuel slot.
The pair proceeded to the bridge where they saw their updated objectives.
“Enter the Nebula. Reclaim the labs. Open the corridor or lower the Nebula.” Lore scoffed. “We’ll see.” They tapped at their armrest. “Ace, you’re needed on the bridge.” With course set to the centre of the nebula, Lore prepped the jump drive.
“Sir.” Ace stood at attention.
“Relax Ace. What I’m about to tell you is need to know. Got it?” They nodded. “Right. You are to take The Destiny and the clones and carry out these tasks. Char and I have other things to see to.” Lore’s hypocritically vague instructions put Ace and Char on edge. “Char and I are going back to the beginning, well, as close to the beginning as we can go without going in completely blind. We’ll be leaving the ship and crew in your hands while we’re in the past. Do your best.”
“What about the other Commanders? Do they need to know?”
“No. Tell everyone else that we have our own mission.” Lore nodded. “Yeah, a different mission.”
“Yes sir.” They tried to smile but their nerves were winning the battle. “You want me to keep an eye on our new additions don’t you.”
“If you could. Where possible, there should be a member of our crew with them at all times.” Lore dismissed Ace with a quick salute.
“Now what?” Char looked to Lore who was deep in thought.
“Destiny, I need some fuel.”
Lore dragged Char to the engineering section. Conveniently, one of the fuel injectors had been disconnected. Lore removed a vial from their pocket and filled it with the viscous yellow fluid.
“One trip.” Lore swirled the Hydroxine as they poured it into their Breacher.
“You do know what you’re doing?” Char looked to them, worried.
“Do you trust me?” Lore held out their hand.
“I do.” She took it and pulled them closer. “But I’m worried that you’re not thinking this through.”
“I’ve got a little over three years of memories rattling around in here, if you don’t count the muscle memories and none of it has happened to me yet. Everything I am has been shaped by you and those memories. Almost everything I know comes from a war I haven’t fought in but I remember every day as if it were last week. I had to plan every day time and time again. This time, no mistakes.” Lore tried to smile, although they looked as though they were about to cry. “I read my file and I don’t want to be that man again. I’m me. Shaped by the moments I chose to mark as important. The people I chose to be with. The Lore you knew made me for you, the perfect version of me. I can only think about the future and trust me, I’ve thought ours out.” They pulled Char into a tight embrace as they activated their Breacher. There was a blinding flash neither of them saw, and then, they were gone.
The soil was soft underfoot. They found themselves on the edge of a construction site; temporary buildings flanking them left and right. Char eventually released Lore leaving a pair of watery tear tracks running down the back of their jacket. They took a moment to take in their surroundings and breathe in the fresh air. Lore returned their Breacher to their wrist and took Char’s trembling hand. They smiled. The pair walked through the strangely silent site towards the closest of the prefabricated buildings. Char translated the sign, an instruction to be vigilant in following safety guidelines, as they continued to meander around. They stopped dead in their tracks as they came to the first of what they knew would be many familiar faces. A mess of Lores moved from one building to the next, never looking up from their tablets as they worked and walked. Following soon behind them was a flustered trailing of Chars, trying to keep up with and participate in the Lores work. Ensuring the coast was clear, they moved from their hiding place and towards the Lores.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice came from behind them. “Where are your hard hats?” Lore and Char turned to begin their explanations. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Didn’t realise we were expecting new arrivals.” They smiled. “Follow me and I’ll take you to your quarters.” Lessons.