Ship Among The Stars

"Aye Commander!"

The bridge suddenly burst into action people, scurrying here and there, readying for the coming fight. Kalis sat back in the chair and turned her attention to the prisoner.

"So what's your story? what are you doing on my ship?"

Colt of course didn't understand her so he chose to ignore her. instead he continued to observe his surroundings, finally he saw what he was looking for in the form of some writing on one of the monitors.

'Ah!! Latin letters!!! All is not lost, there must be some way to find out what's going on just have to keep looking.'

"Hey I'm talking to you, pirate!!! don't ignore me!"

Kalis, enraged, sent her coffee mug flying at the prisoner. After getting hit with the mug Colt decided to stop ignoring the woman.

"Me?" Colt pointed to himself.

"I hope you know I can't understand a word of what you say, no comprende, Ich habe keine idea, got it? Now don't throw things, its rude."

Kalis of course didn't understand a word of the gibberish coming out of the prisoners mouth, all she could do was sigh and turn her attention back to the screen. They were now approaching the first enemy vessel, the 262, who had separated from its ally to rush at the convoy. Kalis didn't like the angle they were approaching at so she issued her first command of the battle.

"Turn 30 degrees to starboard so we are going straight on, and give us half thrusters, just because we are faster doesn't mean we have to use it straight out of the gate."

On the screen the enemy ship started to turn away from the convoy and the approaching 'Swift Defense'.

"Commander, the enemy is turning to regroup with the other enemy contact, shall we ready weapons?"

"Yes get the HVMS ready, increase engine output get us within a range that we cant miss, but don't fire until I say."

"Aye Commander."

The range of the expensive but powerful High Velocity Magnetic Shell, known colloquially as "Zip" shells because of the zipper like sound the launcher made, While technically infinite, is severely limited by user error, and has an effective range of about 500 Kilometers (310ish miles) against mid sized vessels such as the 262 and 272. The 'Swift Defense' was currently 1000 kilometers (621ish miles) from the 262 which was, in turn, 1500 kilometers (932ish miles) away from the 272.

'With their speed and ours we should be ok, by my math we should be just about in effective range of the 272 when we catch the 262. I might just be able to do this!' Kalis began to get hopeful once again.

"What do our ammo reserves look like?"

"Ma'am we have 8 HVMS' our close range cannons are at 100% capacity and we have 2 SRAHT's."

'I'll save the SRAHT's for the 272, keep them at arms length and dance around them. Odds are the enemy doesn't have anymore zips. It'll still be dicey at that range.' Referring of course to the first and likely lucky hit they took.

Where the HVMS' left off the Short Range Anti Hull Torpedoes picked up, known affectionately as "S RATs" have a max lock on range of 250 km (155ish miles) but are extremely accurate.

"Range to target 800 km Commander."

The seconds ticked by painfully slow on the hushed bridge, everyone absorbed in their own thoughts and thoughts of the impending battle, many of the crews first.

'Don't rush things Kalis, wait for the perfect shot.'

'Don't rush things Colton, keep looking for information.'

'Don't rush things Robert, she'll slip up eventually.'

"Range to D262 is 600 km. Distance to D272 1100 km."

"550 km."

'Not yet.'

"500 km."

'Just a little longer.'

"450 km, we are in range and on target."

'closer.'

"Ma'am do we fire?"

"Negative, I said wait."

"Aye commander."

A few more tense seconds pass.

"350 km."

"300 km."

"FIRE!"

"Aye, zip away."

Colt heard what sounded like a jacket being zipped up followed by a bright trail launching away from the monitor.

'Hmm doesn't look like a laser weapon must be some kind of projectile. Some things never change I guess.' On the screen the light trail made impact with the aft of the enemy ship.

"Direct hit Commander."

"Reload and be ready to hit them again."

"Good effect, Enemy D262 is breaking up."

'That's one down, now for the other one.'

"Ready both SRAHTs!"

"Aye Commander"

'What is this stupid girl planning, blowing all her torpedoes at once, is she really just a dumb bimbo?' Captain Gene scoffed at the apparent inexperience of Kalis, only going off what he had learned, that zips were what won battles near and far.

"150 km to D272."

The 272 loomed threateningly on the screen as it made some final adjustment as it prepared to fire, and although it was quite some distance away, the zoom of the monitor made it seem close enough to touch. A bright red abomination that made a sharp contrast to the verdant green of the planet behind it.

"Enemy is in firing position Commander."

Regaining his self confidence Gene saw the impending danger and spoke up. "Commander Kalis we must disengage and retreat to zip range!" Kalis just rolled her eyes at the man.

"Let me know when we have a lock. On my mark increase port thrusters 3 through 7 to 100% and port thrusters 1 and 2 to 55%. Ready? 3." Kalis began to count down.

"2."

"1."

"Mark."

The ship made a sudden lurching movement to starboard while the front of the ship seemed to stay pointed at the general direction of the 272. As the enemy fired the 'Swift Defense' shuddered but not nearly as violently as before.

"They raked our port side Commander, no serious damage sustained."

Captain gene was dumbstruck as evasive maneuvers had not been taught in the Caligian naval academy for centuries, knock down fights having become the common method of fighting long ago.

"Lock is good Commander."

'I sure hope this works.'

"Fire both SRAHTs"

Kalis shook away her doubts. 'No, this will work!'

"S RATs away."

"All port and forward engines to 100%."

The ship again lurched this time they rapidly started to go away from the enemy ship.

"Time to impact, 5....4....3....2....1.... Impact times 2!" The monitors lit up with a flash as both torpedoes hit the 272 in front and slightly to the port side of the ship. Kalis and the whole bridge crew waited with bated breath, no one daring to speak. Finally, Kalis decided to speak up.

"Effect?"

"Commander, the enemy has halted all movement and appears to be without power... I... I think we got them! Ma'am we hit the enemies life support module!!! The 272 is no longer a threat."

'We did it? We won? Wait we survived?!?!?!?' These thoughts rushed through Kalis' mind all at once.

"YEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!" Kalis and the other officers on the bridge as well as the other crewmen in other parts off the 'Swift Defense' were beyond ecstatic at their first victory.

"Turn us around, get us back to the convoy!"

As she was finally sitting back in the chair Kalis noticed how exhausted she was. 'I'm alive....I'm alive because they aren't.' She immediately crushed all sense of remorse she felt welling up inside of her.

Just as she was about to exhale the breath she hadn't realized she was holding the ship was shaken like a ragdoll and she was thrown across the bridge crashing shoulder first against a monitor with a gut wrenching "CRUNCH".

"AAAAAAH" she screamed out in pain as her vision went completely white for a moment.

"What was that?!?!?! REPORT!!!"

The ensign in charge of the 'Swift Defense's' vast sensor array struggled to his feet before nearly passing out from shock. "Ma'am. Its a 888 dreadnought."

"ALL AHEAD FULL GET US THE F.U.C.K AWAY FROM HERE, NOW!!!!"

Another jolt this one accomponied by the sound of screaching metal. Kalis felt something take her legs out from under her, when she looked to see what it was, it was the prisoner, he was uncouncious and bleeding profusely from a head wound. Screams could be heard from the other side of the bridge, Kalis rushed over to look only to vomit upon witnessing the scene, one of the panels had burst open sending a metal plate flying taking the poor ensigns leg with it before lodging itself in a junior lieutenant's neck. After quickly looking over the two officers injuries Kalis gave up on trying to bandage the gaping hole in the paling lieutenants throat and instead started tying a tourniquite on the bloody ragged stump of what was left of the ensigns leg. she quickly gave up on that too, having seen the young officer bled out. Standing up she Looked at the instrument panel and sighed in resignation.

'It was going so well, Too well I guess.'

Wadeing through the carnage, Kalis made her way back to the Captains chair. Keying the Intercom she issued the one order she hoped she would never have to.

"ALL HANDS, ABANDON SHIP."