"Missiles incoming!"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFxvaiUKUh
"Shields."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJkOKvwRkE
"Full strength!"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qXPruYtii
"Get point defense on it faster. Z+ 10 degrees, 20% thrust. Execute."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMW4dq8aLSI
Captain Morak of the Imperial Dreadnought Fearless glanced over at Admiral Stephanie Laurent, who was bent over a holographic representation of the battlezone. The Fearless was flanked by two frigates, the Fulcrum and the Polis. A battlecruiser, the Agamemnon, was closing in from port to wedge the enemy between them. Sarah studied the map closely, noticing the tiny red dots leaving the front of the pirate ship.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCwjTDEaei
"Torpedoes!" Sensor Officer Lamar said.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53WZGvdmav
"Destroy them," Captain Morak said, looking at his weapons officer, Lieutenant Seneca.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRejPwcN3A
"We can't get a lock, sir."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTNtbbTeSW
"Defer to Agamemnon."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHW4CppAZnZ
Sarah looked up from the map, looking at the comms officer.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBS012gkcV
"They're not getting a lock either, sir," Lieutenant Kaheira said. "They think the torpedoes are jamming their sensors."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEA9FfdHU5
"Point Defense manual lock, now."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDZFlepg19
Sarah looked out the front bridge window. Spotting the pirate ship was easy. It was engulfed in flashes of plasma and the constant, pulsing glowing of its shield under heavy bombardment. As the Fearless turned its bow upwards, the pirate ship was just barely visible on the lower edge of the window. She couldn't see any torpedoes, but that was not surprising given that the pirate ship itself was far away.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEQUGcQBYr
"Manual lock will take time, sir."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GF8cB3O65
"Do it, and send interceptors."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IzmIncHFf
The Fearless was vibrating from getting hit and firing its guns. Ten minutes ago, Admiral Laurent's task force had engaged a whole fleet of pirate vessels ranging from gun boats to cruisers. It was Operation Claw, the decisive strike against piracy in Imperial Region North. It was a breach of her word, and a planned one. After today, piracy wouldn't ever reach this level of prosperity again. She clenched her hands to fists as she saw the beacon of the Imperial cruiser Harmony disappear, a ship with over 2000 souls onboard. She went to a tactical display on the side and switched to sensor view, targeting the Harmony. The ship hadn't vanished completely, but it was heavily damaged along its underbelly and was missing half its engine section. Scorch marks scattered all over the main hull stood witness for the punishment it had absorbed. Two loud beeps sounded through the bridge and the sensors officer shouted that one of the torpedoes had not been destroyed and would impact momentarily. Collision alert sounded through the entire ship and Captain Morak spoke into his headset: "Brace, brace, brace."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdNSXJm62z
Sarah quickly lay herself flat on the floor and Admiral Laurent did the same. The torpedo impacted and exploded two seconds later and the sheer force of it shocked through the dreadnought, causing Sarah to bump her head into the floor. She jumped back up and asked, "What happened? That wasn't a normal torpedo."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pgfpSjgUl
Captain Morak nodded. "Damage report."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkjzfztdTi
"Shields are down to 30% and we have hull damage. No breach."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebQaYuO35J
"Do we know what was in that torpedo?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZl84AhQtb
"No, sir. But it wasn't a normal one."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvNrKKiOBR
"I saw that. Call Agamemnon, tell them to concentrate on their engines. Aim and lock torpedoes, fire when ready."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBgOuZjmFA
"Yes, sir!"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGwWlbtmbx
Sarah walked up to the captain. "We must catch them alive. I suspect these torpedoes weren't from the black market."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ2ftzawbN
"I agree. Our salvo won't destroy them, but will open them up to be boarded. I'm having a boarding party."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5t8hFkJyE8
The Fearless rumbled under several missile impacts and the shield status display on the wall pulsed red.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84JUg1pZJt
"Captain, why haven't we neutralized them yet?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKydxBXA13C
"They're better equipped than we anticipated, but not to worry. We'll soon crack the coconut."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBxQEPIcU6
Sarah looked over to Admiral Laurent, who was swiftly inputting orders through the tactical table's interface. Modern fleet coordination allowed a commanding admiral to do much of the work themselves and only required a staff for larger formations. With only the ICDN Fearless, IF Fulcrum, IF Polis and BC Agamemnon around, coordination was easily managed. A bright flash in in front of the Fearless snapped Sarah out of her thoughts.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2NpEpdGrs
"Direct hit. They're disabled," Lamar said. "They're launching escape pods."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtkhkjQpiE
"Bring them aboard," Captain Morak said. "Inquire Agamemnon about torpedo complement."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdWxwesX4y
"Agamemnon reports 310 torpedoes left, sir."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxZzWdZpt9
Captain Morak nodded and turned to Admiral Laurent. "Admiral, main enemy disabled. Orders?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYS7OuscpE
"Wait a moment, captain. Something is wrong here."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2kF057X7t
Sarah pricked up her ears. "What do you mean?" Captain Morak stepped beside her, silent. The admiral seemed to be thinking about something intensely.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hgKbzU4Gv
"We've only met a small force here, despite it surpassing our expectations. They can't do piracy on their usual scale with such small fleets. I think these were set up to be sacrificial lambs, making us think we dealt them a fatal blow."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NST5xlAJX
"Well, we haven't located their base yet," said Sarah.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFt9BikdTxL
"Yes, but I think I know where it is. These came from the Delta Hewi constellation. Let's jump there and see what we find."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFjlbhyh4w
"Yes, ma'am," said Captain Morak and made the preparations. Sarah left the bridge, heading for the sickbay.
In the sickbay on Deck Six, Doctor Lima was hard at work. He and his nurses had a room full of casualties to patch up and judging from the blood, it was bad.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTccCSoG1oP
"Are these crewmembers from the bow section?" Sarah asked a nurse.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQbmPPOZUx
"Yes. The shields held but a structural mount broke and they were buried under heavy cargo. Excuse me, I don't have time."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG267wxtj4z
Sarah nodded. The sickbay was held in a clinical white, with white light stripes on the walls and ceiling illuminating the room. It was very bright, but it allowed everyone to see everything well. For the patients, orange visors were available to shield their eyes from the light. One patient in the far side of the room had her visor dimmed down completely. The light in the sickbay wasn't hurtful to the eyes, but it must have been for the weakened patients. The usefulness of such indiscriminate illumination in a sickbay eluded Sarah, but perhaps it would be dimmed when no emergencies were occurring. Far was it from her to be a warship sickbay expert, but it was obvious to her. Snapping out of her engineering contemplations, she noticed how badly she was standing in the way of everyone and retreated to the door, ashamed of her lack of awareness. She was keen on trading places with one of the patients if it could only take the pressure she was now feeling off of her. Operation Claw needed to be successful at all fronts, or she feared the pirates and their backers would reveal the extent of their influence. It was clear that the Reformist Party in the URS was out to get her. The new chancellor Graham Bean had only been all too clear when he said that the URS would no longer play the empire's janitor like it had for the past 30 years, keeping the empire's floors clean to ensure trade was flourishing. She suspected it had begun long ago; too many signs pointed towards URS involvement in the empire's piracy epidemic. But was the influence stately or private? A doctor had enough with her standing around like a forgotten piece of luggage and gently pushed her out of the room. For a few seconds, she stared at the closed door, reading "SICKBAY - DECK 6".
She turned away and walked down the corridor, the ship creaking and aching, the sound of repairs echoing through its hallways as if it was all far away. How had she come to be here? Which choices had led here and how would the alternative have looked like? Though only 30 years old, Sarah felt old. As a kid, she had not once dreamed about being a childless wife on a governor's seat in a galaxy of terror. Come to think of it, being married had always remained strange for her. She didn't feel married. She felt like herself. But perhaps feeling married had never existed at all and every wife of any species in the universe just felt like herself. Ishaan had always been very understanding of her and she hadn't really returned the favor. Despite his constant worrying, he knew when to stay silent and let Sarah do her thing. His work as a teacher had shaped him. Right now, he was in the Fearless' gym, working out on a treadmill. Sarah approached him from behind, carefully so as to not alert him. He was in good shape, but no muscle package. Despite his aversion to physical combat, he kept in shape through regular exercise. He was no supermodel, but had never had to hide his looks. His angular face with the large nose and the brown hair were the reason Sarah was attracted to him - on the physical side. When they had started dating, she had stared at him for long periods of time, making him uncomfortable, but also intrigued. Sarah had feared he would back off, but he told the tale of one of his students having had taken a liking to him, making for lots of staring - and drawn out discussions with the girl's parents about the situation.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2FQduEZyu
"Why are you exercising now?" Sarah asked.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojNqeTHGc5
"Why do you sneak up on me when you know I can feel your presence?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6mc3VMcbb
"I guess I'm not for big hellos today."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFesJh6Rf9m
"Fair enough."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQH45r1AHRS
The pulsing red alert that had until now been set throughout the ship gave way to steady yellow lighting and an announcement said for the crew to prepare for FTL and to post additional guards on Deck 12 - Brig Section.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZyV0q2zYT
"The battle is over, that's why," Ishaan said. "I've got nothing better to do. The wife is off punching pirates, so I do the next best thing."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgMxDUoBuv
Sarah chuckled and smiled. "You can do me when we're back home. The admiral thinks we're gonna find the pirate base on the other end of this jump. That's gonna be a hard battle."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpP13dPBdqP
"Oh. Any action from me required? I'm kinda just sitting around, wondering why I came with you."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe9hAZC5zo
"To be my valiant protector, of course."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrfXH8tduw
"Yeah, right."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoJarAT4Ab
"But seriously, they may need us to provide protection."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqe28t63zOj
"Fine, I can do that."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYUQc0JYUt
"Good. I wanted to grab a meal in the mess, do you-"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAtU5Q1IkH
Shrill red alert sirens sounded off throughout the ship, the yellow switching back to red in an instant.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2vucxDwh2
"Battle stations, battle Stations, enemy contact three lightseconds off starboard. Launch alert fighters. Sickbay, be ready to recieve," it blared out of the PA system. Sarah hurried to the door and pressed the button for the bridge.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkshrwQY1D
"Governor Tanas here, what's going on?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xmjdhxvvS
"We fell out of FTL, had a sensor blackout. When we got them back online, it showed an enemy formation off our starboard side. They're engaging us."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bvQKHFpcm
"I'm coming to the bridge. Are they pirates?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ40FssTmtw
"No ID yet, only hostility has been established."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PxjGp7vxc
"Thank you," Sarah said, hurrying to the bridge with Ishaan in close pursuit.
Just meters from the bridge, the Fearless shook so hard, Sarah crashed to the floor. Was the artificial gravity damaged? There seemed to be less of it now. Ishaan helped her back up and they entered the bridge. The tacmap showed a large force approaching fast, but the signal cut off intermittently. Beyond the panoramic bridge window, the point defense turrets were hard at work throwing compressed plasma at invisible targets.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVKeDkMING
"What are we shooting at?" Sarah asked.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqdrltIIXN
"Incoming small missiles, very fast. These can't be pirates, they don't have such technology," said Captain Morak.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMCrjcjCfU
"Are you sure?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNQwGLxaZi
Admiral Laurent looked up from her holo display. "What we don't have, they can't have."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN7Kf3X3fs
"Incoming torpedoes!" shouted weapons officer Lieutenant Seneca. "They're gonna hit."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yOepwcQmV
"Sir, I can't find any of our other ships. We're alone here," Lamar said.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrfUZQgs4z
"Brace, brace, brace," Captain Morak spoke into the PA system and Sarah found the next best empty seat to strap herself in in. Ishaan had already done so. A jolt more brutal than any Sarah had ever experienced rippled through the ship and the lights went out. She slowly floated upwards until her seatbelt held her back. Another violent impact and explosion sounded off an alarm. In front of Sarah was a standard bridge workstation and on its main display, it read in bold, red, menacing letters: "MAJOR SYSTEM FAILURE. EXECUTE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL. MAIN POWER OFFLINE."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe0XHTrzYj
This was it. Someone had killed them. Only two salvos against a dreadnought. Almost like in the early days of the Zephalan War, but it couldn't be. Their ships were destroyed. Sarah closed her eyes, not wanting to see the computer message of doom anymore. She didn't pay attention to the frantic chatter on the bridge, the efforts of the crew to get the ship going again and continue the fight. She should be helping them, but how? She didn't know where to start, what to do, and she was sure the admiral, captain and the crew would call on her if they needed her. Why was she so afraid? Why did her hands tremble. Why the cold sweat in her face? Faint images swirled around in her head, blurred and distorted. Old, faded memories from long ago. How long? She heard a woman screaming her name. Rose, not Sarah. Then it all disappeared and silence fell.
She awoke with a start, still floating in her seat. She looked around. Emergency lamps stood around, their light touching on yellow-ish. The bridge crew was standing in a circle near the captain's ready room and technicians were hard at work to bring the systems back up. Despite all the commotion, it was fairly quiet. Nobody talked much except for necessities. Ishaan was nowhere to be seen at first, but then he came in from the ready room with a cup in his hands. He faked a smile at her when their eyes met.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGpnvzlWsH
"How are you?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7ZoeuwTmu
"Groggy. How long was I asleep?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmVXlOnElZ
"Two hours. I just got myself a cup of tea. Do you want one?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf21EorqRIh
"Yes, please. Don't care about the flavor."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcOr43stb3
"I'll get it. Be right back."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtAtLrI5nc
"Wait. Why are we still alive?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXDZq51vhh
"I don't know. The attacker suddenly disappeared. We still don't know what it was, but it was out to get us, and only us. The rest of the task force completed their jump and found a destroyed space station. All records wiped. Can't tell you more right now. I'll get the tea."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTlEbCr0Qr
He set down his cup and disappeared through the door before returning with a steaming cup of fruit tea. Setting it down on the tray in front of her, he gave her a kiss. "The doctor checked you out while you were out. You're fine. How did you manage to fall asleep?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxBCBO2Zni
"I didn't know I was sleeping till when I woke up. Something really strange happened. I tensed up in fear like never before. I don't get it. It's not the first ship battle I've been in, not even the only one recently."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeynCHeIaok
"Hmm. Should we see a psychologist?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kSs2osQgU
"We don't have to see a psychologist for every emotion, Ish."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktboqnkskt
"'like never before' didn't sound like 'every'."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtwLIdXVFR
"I just need to rest a bit. Haven't had much sleep recently."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ii5953VCC
"Ever since you came back from your adventure with that Zephalan."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspqPG6onid
"Yes."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelKOVxGDIl
"You still won't tell me what happened there?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSM7yxM98r
"It's better if nobody knows."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkavZabNks
"Better for whom?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmo4XWd8g4
"The both of us, our families, the empire."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSw1CRuIxh
"But I wouldn't talk to anyone about it."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofDFp7zVhF
"I know. It's just that the more people know, the higher the chance it gets out somehow."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqy1uEkKwRn
Ishaan nodded, visibly dissatisfied.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplMhxy53g2
"Perhaps one day, Ish."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7vGTIjTFV
He kept nodding, absorbed in his thoughts.
An hour later, IF Polis had arrived and assisted with repairs. Admiral Laurent was busy wondering about the unknown attacker, while Captain Morak and his chief engineer Commander Brant coordinated the repair and maintenance effort. Sarah had requested the casualty list earlier and an ensign had brought her a tablet with a whole folder full of status lists and reports that updated in realtime. 230 dead, 632 wounded, 3 missing in a cargo bay that wasn't yet accessible again and no contact could be established. That left about 9000 crewmembers unharmed or only lightly injured. A good number considering the damage done to the ship. Perhaps that was all the attacker wanted: To disable the ship and send a warning. But a warning of what? There hadn't been any sign of anyone claiming responsibility for the attack yet. Sarah had personally spoken with Therana about the situation and found her concerned about the possibility of it having been URS black ops. She had said that the Reformist Party had let violent rhetoric run loose about alleged Imperial involvement in the URS election. Apparently they weren't happy with their 54%. The reason was probably that a good chunk of the URS people weren't swayed by the Reformists populist and blame-assigning campaign. Their most prominent opposition, the United Freedom Party, were already up in arms over the belligerent attitude of President Ilvati.
Some time later, the Fearless' main power and engines modules were operational again and stable enough for three short FTL jumps to the nearest base at New Atlantis. There the ship would be receiving the bulk of the repairs or, if it turned out it was too damaged, be slated for the scrap heap.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2k23IO3JG
"We should be able to make the journey in four hours, one of which being idle time to cut the engines some slack. We'll remain on red alert and battle stations for the duration. Inform the Section Heads to prepare for a possible abandoning of the ship and have them always be with one foot in the escape pod. Governor, we're transferring much of our non-essential personnel to the Polis. I highly suggest you also leave," said Captain Morak.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHdrIZpErw
"No, captain. I'll stay with the ship. Give me a job and I'll do it."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6wny3KTID
He nodded. "Your job is to catch some shut-eye. You don't look fit for duty."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1krk0dTnoZ
"But..."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UelndcdK3
"You in bed equals you being most useful for the entire region currently. I won't force you to leave the ship, but I will force you to sleep."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hIoHlSDM1
"Understood, captain."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eoUeOBbue
"What about you, sir? Staying with the governor or leaving?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5pUZjOuTL
"Staying," said Ishaan.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBudU11jfc
"Very well. Would you mind a moment in private?"718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBUTazs3qv
"Not at all. Excuse us, Sarah."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfhIwy2CGH
They turned their backs on Sarah and walked away a few steps.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJSD5dKeDV
"Do me a favor and make sure the governor stays in bed. I don't like saying it too loud, but she's not of any use to me right now, unless she has hidden talents in fusion core maintenance."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSyzOxe3yq
Ishaan subdued a chuckle. "She doesn't, captain. I'll make sure she rests."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYhMtQhddF
"Thank you, sir. I'll assign a guard to your quarters."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOViOTnUYg
"Alright. Thanks for letting us stay, captain. She'd get weird otherwise if you get me."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWaeXgp9gd
"I think I do, sir."718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmTl7dIRgi
Ishaan returned to Sarah and helped her out of the seat. Together, they went to their quarters, both exhausted from the day. On their way, they had to ask crewmembers to let them through multiple times, their equipment blocking doors and corridors. In places, lights were smashed, flickering. Bent bulkheads and leaking conduits showed the damage. In their quarters, Ishaan brought Sarah to bed and she fell asleep immediately. He sat down on his and watched his wife sleeping. He was still of the opinion she should see a psychologist. Being this tired after effectively sitting in a chair, although under great stress, and her general lack of sleep, with her getting up at night and walking around the house, was concerning to say the least.
