S4, 09 Torn Sky (FB) (March 16, 2018)

Corresponding text underneath each picture.

**3rd February 2098: Present Day**

Toliv.

Apparently that was where Darkblade had last been seen and so that is where Cat, Tracks and I were currently heading. It had taken a couple of days to gather the supplies and gear we would need for the journey to System 55, but I had been anxious to get on his trail as soon as possible.

The journey through hyperspace hadn't taken long and now the bleeping on *The Viper*'s dashboard alerted me to the fact that we were coming up on our destination.

Tank: "We're here." I announced to my sleeping passengers, as I prepared to disengage the Warp drive. Behind me, Tracks instantly snapped out of his resting mode and Cat began to stir.

With the countdown to reversion time now on 00:00, I pulled back on the Warp controls and, outside, the mottled mess that was hyperspace vanished and was replaced by real space.

Ahead of us, the water world of Toliv shone bright under the sun, but what instantly grabbed my attention, as well as that of the proximity sensors in *The Viper*, was the enormous battle raging between us and the planet.

Tracks squawked in alarm at the sight and I yelled;

Tank: "Evasive manoeuvres!" as I took our little fighter into a curving roll that hopefully took us out of the firing line, if only for a minute.

As I tried to get us to safety, an Imperial fighter zoomed past overhead, closely pursued by a red Aurelian ship. Moments later, the Imperial exploded under a hail of fire from the other. I cursed at the proximity of the explosion and frantically looked around for any clear path through the battlefield, but everywhere I looked space was occupied by similar dogfights. I did my best to navigate through the mess of debris and enemy ships, trying to avoid being noticed, but when the ship shook under enemy fire, I had to duck and roll beneath the belly of a giant Aurelian cruiser.

Cat: “Look out!” she screamed, not helping the situation, just as I punched the shields to maximum power and curved around a hanging gun battery.

Tank: “First space battle?” I queried with the briefest of glances over my shoulder and Cat replied with a terrified sounding “Mm-hmm!”

Lasers began flying past the canopy, narrowly missing us and the sensors showed that we were being followed. Imperial or Aurelli, I didn’t know – not that it mattered. Whoever it was was trying to kill us!

I began to bank out from underneath what I was sure was a *Cartographer*-class cruiser but then dropped us into a backwards roll that I was hoping would trick our pursuer. Thankfully, it worked and as the enemy ship, an Imperial torpedo boat, now that I could see who it was, shot by underneath, I pulled us back around and fired everything *The Viper* had at them. The torpedo boats were known for being very fast and well-gunned, but also for being totally unshielded. Under the barrage from *The Viper*, the boat’s engines exploded and left it dead in space, allowing us to fly past and continue on our original trajectory up alongside that enormous Aurelian cruiser.

Tank: “Tracks, give me some readings. What’s out there?” I demanded as I devoted all of my efforts to not being shot down. I heard him whirring away behind me and a couple of moments later, as he jacked himself into one of the ports in the back of the ship, I saw his answer begin scrolling on one of my screens.

The Aurelians had one *Cartographer* and two *Independence*-class cruisers, along with four *Ziklov*s and two *Dauntless*s, plus an innumerable amount of fighters. On the Imperium’s side was one singular, huge *Victorious*-class cruiser, three *Testimony*-class ships and four *Dreaddown* destroyers, along with their own one-man fighters.

This was ridiculous. We were never going to get through this! There was no way we would reach the planet in one piece!

Tank: “Anybody we know out there?” I queried, knowing Tracks would scan all of their transponder signatures. After a long pause, Tracks’ answer appeared on the screen.

Cat: “Anyone?”

Tank: “Huh.” I began, mildly surprised by the answer. “Well, Tracks and I have been to that *Victorious* before. It’s the INV *Anvil* - commanded by Admiral C’paya. Also, the nearest *Dauntless* is showing as the ANV *Improvement*, and it’s captained by Captain Brass.”

Cat: “Okay, so where are we going?”

Tank: “Well, the last time we saw Brass he was fighting against us on The Spire. However, to get to the *Anvil* we’d have to cross the entire battlefield and I’d rather not do that if I’m honest. Hopefully the good Aurelian will have forgiven us.” I replied, firing us the coms.

A couple of minutes later and we had been granted permission to land aboard the *Improvement* and I brought us into the designated docking bay. With *The Viper* settled, the three of us leapt out and headed for the bridge.

**The INV *Anvil***

Admiral Truss C’paya of the Galactic Imperium watched out of the enormous viewscreen that marked the front of the Imperial Naval Vessel *Anvil*’s bridge as yet another Imperium fighter exploded in a burst of furious flames.

This was not going well.

The Aurellian rebels had turned up out of nowhere and had instantly launched an assault against them. Clearly, they were trying to get through to the planet below, but why, the Admiral had no idea. His superiors had tasked him and the rest of the 51st fleet to protect the watery world below, and the research facilities located there, at all costs and that was exactly what he was doing.

Or at least, trying to do.

So far, almost half of the Imperium’s fighters had been destroyed or damaged too badly to continue fighting and one of the *Dreaddown*’s had lost power to its engines. C’paya was a seasoned Admiral and had led the Imperium to victory in numerous battles, however, this particular one was not going to plan in the slightest.

He was using all of his skills, all of his tactical abilities to try and outsmart his opponent, however it simply wasn’t working. Whoever was leading the Aurelian forces, they were doing a damned good job. C’paya had employed every trick in the book to try and get the upper hand, including using tactics that had won him previous fights – but all to no avail.

As he heard the bridge doors ‘swoosh’ open behind him, an officer informed him from off to one side,

Officer: “Sir, a small vessel just dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the battle. Should we intercept?”

Ad. C’paya: “Ignore it. Focus on the battle. If some civilians want to wander into a war zone then that’s up to them.” He instructed as soft footsteps approached him from behind. Without averting his gaze from the battle beyond the viewscreen, he knew who was stood to the side and just behind him.

Ad. C’paya: “Are Spark squadron ready?”

Captain Drayson: “Yes Admiral. Flight Sargent Whist is standing by.” The Soaterian native replied, her gloved hands clasped behind her back as always.

Ad. C’paya: “Lieutenant!” he barked without turning. “Launch Spark squadron.”

An affirmative reply was shouted up from the crew pit and barely a minute later, a new wave of Imperial fighters came into view, leaving one of the *Anvil*’s many docking bays and heading out in formation.

Ad. C’paya: “Target the *Dauntless* in sector D-12.” He commanded.

Just behind him, Captain Drayson took a deep breath in through her nose, her mouth clamped shut. This battle was not going well and so far, the Admiral was doing nothing to rectify that. He had promised to listen to her advice and yet thus far, he had simply ignored her. Lya knew that she could turn the tide of the battle, if only C’paya would let her. All she could do now was watch as Spark squadron made their way into battle, heading for their designated target.

A target that was far too well defended for a single fighter squadron to successfully take on.

However, that thought she kept to herself.

**The ANV *Improvement***

The doors slid open with a slight creak as Cat, Tracks and I made our way onto the bridge of the ANV *Improvement*. The sounds of the battle outside were muted and the bridge itself was oddly quiet. As our escort led us forwards onto the deck, I noticed Captain Brass ahead of us, seated in the Captain’s chair at the centre of the room.

As we approached, he noticed us and stood to greet us.

Captain Brass: “Well. Tank.” He began.

Tank: “Hey. Um, look about…”

Captain Brass: “Forget it. I don’t have time right now. Apologies are probably at the bottom of my priority list.” He interrupted. “Look, you were fighting for what you thought was right. So was I. That’s the end of it.”

Tank: “Oh!” I responded, rather taken aback by his forgiveness. “Well, yeah. Thanks.”

Captain Brass: “Now, what the hell are you doing here? We’re in the middle of a battle if you hadn’t noticed.”

Tank: “We were just trying to get to the planet! I didn’t know there was going to be a battle in the way!”

Cat: “Trust me. If we’d known, we wouldn’t have come!” she added, semi-jokingly.

Officer: “Enemy fighters at point 2-8.” A voice called out. I glanced around for the speaker, but it could have been any one of the multiple officers on the bridge.

Captain Brass: “Turn to point 0-12.” He commanded, jumping back into the Captain’s chair and letting it automatically swivel him round to face forwards out of the curving viewscreen.

Tank: “What’s going on here anyway?” I queried as the view out of the window changed slightly as the ship began to come about.

Captain Brass: “The council ordered an attack on the research facilities down on Toliv. Beyond that, I don’t know; I’m not leading the mission.”

Cat: “Who is?”

Captain Brass: “Vice Admiral Ku’lk.” He replied, gesturing out the window to the massive *Cartographer* nearby. “That’s the ANV *Power*.” Brass continued. “Brand new, state of the art. The rivets are still shiny.”

As I took a moment to admire the impressive ship, a thought occurred to me.

Tank: “Wait… the *Power*? As in…”

Captain Brass: “Max. Yeah.” He replied with a slight smile, cutting me off. “Maximum Power, now and forever.”

Tank: “Max Power lives.” I muttered quietly with a smile of my own. I had always gotten on well with Max before his death at the hands of… well, One, aboard the Spire, however, I noticed that Tracks had averted his eyes and was making a point of looking anywhere BUT the cruiser. He still felt bad about what had happened.

I was going to comfort him, but another shout went up.

Officer: “Enemy fighters reaching in 3, 2, 1.”

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Captain Drayson couldn’t take it any more.

She had held her tongue and seen enough ships get destroyed- enough soldiers die, for long enough.

She strode over to the viewscreen from where she had been stood by the tactical array and addressed the Admiral.

Captain Drayson: “Sir. A word.”

Ad. C’paya: “What is it Captain?” he asked with an edge to his voice, his mind occupied with the battle.

Captain Drayson: “Sir, your plan is failing.” She began. “We have established time and time again that my strong suite is as a tactician and in battle planning. Give me command so that I can save this battle. Save the fleet.” Drayson urged, but the Admiral turned to her with a face like thunder.

Ad. C’paya: “Don’t be ridiculous! The day I relinquish command mid-battle is the day I will have failed in my duty!” he snapped.

Captain Drayson: "You won't have failed! You'll have done the right thing." She pushed in a quiet, controlled tone.

Ad. C'paya: "Out of the question." He snapped, but Lya could hear that some of the edge in his voice had faded away. He was uncertain.

Captain Drayson: "Sir..."

Ad. C'paya: "No." He snapped. "Now let me focus, Captain."

Drayson desperately wanted to protest, to force the elder man to see the error in his judgement, but the emphasis he had put on her title told her that she was being dismissed.

So, biting her tongue, she took yet another deep breath, turned and stalked towards the nearest com officer.

Captain Drayson: "Get Cadet Odanna up here at once." She ordered.

Officer: "Yes, Captain."

If she couldn't change the Admiral's mind, at least she could teach Ari' what bad commanding looked like.

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I watched out of the viewscreen as the Imperium fighters dove past our bridge in formation. Lasers lanced out and struck at the *Improvement* but it's shields were more than strong enough to withstand a few pot shots from one-manned fighters.

Then, a deep, heavily-accented voice came over the bridge’s loudspeakers;

Voice: "Forward cannonsth, mark every alternasth sthip. Fire on my command."

Captain Brass: “Acknowledged.” The Captain called.

Tank: “Ku’lk?” I queried and Brass nodded in confirmation.

A few moments later, the ships were back, angling around the front of the cruiser.

Vice-Admiral Ku’lk (Voice): "Fire."

The forward cannons let rip and in the space of that single run, annihilated half of the Imperial formation. Tracks turned to me with a quizzical expression, clearly wondering the same thing that I was, so I asked aloud;

Tank: "Why every alternate ship?"

The Captain turned to face me and, with a slight smirk, replied;

Captain Brass: "To make them think they stand a chance."

Captain Brass: "Hull lock the rest. Fire at will." He called and received multiple acknowledgements.

Over the space of the next few minutes, the remainder of the Imperial squadron was destroyed. It was a small victory in a much larger battle, but still there was a small cheer when the last fighter exploded.

Officer: "Clear, sir!"

Captain Brass: "Damage report?"

Shield Officer: "Shields holding at 70%."

Deck Officer: "Minor damage to hull on decks 88 and 89."

Coms Officer: "Coms fully operational."

Gunning Officer: "Starboard turbolaser battery 5 is still down from the earlier attack, but nothing new to report."

Captain Brass: "Excellent. Standing by for orders, Vice Admiral.” He declared.

VA Ku’lk: (Voice) " Okay, letch sthend sthome back. Bring the *Improvement* about. Stharboard batteriesth: target the nearest desthroyer and wait for my mark."

As the ship moved ponderously through space, turning to get the requested angle, I couldn't help but feel awed by the spectacle unfolding before me. Sure, it was terrible - people were dying, but the sight of so many ships weaving in and out and around each other and all of the explosions and coloured lasers - it was quite the sight.

VA Ku’lk: (Voice) “At your disthcretion, Captain.”

Captain Brass: "Prepare to fire. Fire."

I could feel the dull vibrations reverberating throughout the decks of the cruiser as the massive guns opened fire on their designated target. Several lasers struck unlucky fighters before they met their mark, but most crossed the battlefield in the blink of an eye and crashed into the *Dreaddown*. For a few seconds their shields held, but once the shields began to falter and some of the lasers started getting through, the huge ship became pockmarked with small explosions.

VA Ku’lk: (Voice) “Are your bombersth sthanding by, Captain?”

Captain Brass: “Affirmative.”

VA Ku’lk: (Voice) “Launch bombersth. Target that *Dreaddown*’sth enginesth.”

Officer: “Bomber squadron 2 launching now, sir.”

A few seconds later, a wave of Aurelian bombers soared into view, heading out over the battlefield. One came under attack and was destroyed midway, but the others successfully reached their destination and began to drop their payloads.

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Admiral Truss C’paya watched on, his breathing shaky, as blast after blast rocked the destroyer’s engines, until eventually the entire ship erupted in a horrific fireball that he had to turn away from.

Where had it all gone wrong? What had happened? He had stuck to the plan and it was failing. There was nothing he could do about it. He had sent out the *Anvil*’s top fighter squad and had had to watch as one by one they were picked off and gunned down.

Now he was forced to watch again as one of his fleet’s four *Dreaddown*-class destroyers, was turned to shrapnel and space debris.

He had done all that he could. Despite the battle still raging outside, it was over and he knew it. All that was left to do now was to offer their surrender to whoever was leading the Aurelian’s attack force.

Unless…

Imperium Cadet Arianne Odanna, dressed in full combat gear, marched onto the bridge, just in time to see the old Admiral turn and address Captain Drayson.

Ad. C’paya: “Captain.” He began, motioning for her to join him at the viewscreen. Captain Drayson strode forwards, as requested, and stood beside the Admiral.

Ad. C’paya: “I…” the elder man started, but seemed to falter, unsure of the words to say.

Captain Drayson: “Permission to take full command of the 51st fleet, sir?” the Captain asked once again and this time, thankful that he didn’t have to be the one to initiate the change, Admiral C’paya nodded once, sharply.

Ad. C’paya: “Granted.” He acknowledged.

The Captain’s already immaculate posture seemed to become even more perfect, if that was even possible, as she clasped her hands behind her back, as was her customary stance, and turned to address the *Anvil*’s bridge.

Drayson: "Attention everybody." The pale green-skinned Captain began. "We are losing this battle and losing badly. This is something that we and the rest of the 51st fleet are not accustomed to. However, whilst it is true that there are lessons to be learnt in defeat, it is also true that this fight is not yet over. We have not lost yet." She spoke loudly and clearly, her enunciation as precise as her posture. All across the bridge, every officer was stood to attention at their respective positions, listening intently to what the Captain had to say.

Drayson: "And I have no intention of losing. Admiral C'paya has graciously allowed me to take command for the remaining duration of this skirmish and I intend to lead us to victory. I ask that you trust in my decisions and obey my orders without question, as if they were the Admiral's own. If any being has any issue with this request, then speak now."

The only sounds to be heard were that of muffled explosions and lasers being fired out in space. The bridge itself was silent save for the constant background whirring of computers and the occasional electronic beep.

Drayson: "Very well then. To victory." The Captain finished and with a nod, allowed the crew to return to their posts.

Drayson: "Ari'." She beckoned. "Come join me."

Cadet Odanna, impressed with her mentor's speech, made her way along the bridge's central walkway, past the sunken officer pits, and joined Drayson by the viewing wall.

Drayson: "Observe." She instructed and side by side, the two women stood facing out towards the battle raging outside their vessel.

Nimble fighters wove around each other, engaging in fast-paced dogfights to the death. Bursts of flame erupted as unlucky pilots met their end when their ships exploded. Deathly red lasers criss-crossed the battlefield, lancing out from the gun emplacements of larger cruisers.

One wave of Aurelian bombers returned to their capital ship, the giant *Cartographer*-class cruiser, hanging out there in space, the sleek arrow of greys and reds positioned the furthest away from the Imperium fleet, even as another wave was launched. The bombers glid through space, following eerily direct paths through the chaos swirling all around them, making their way towards their intended target. Ari' watched on nervously as the Aurelian ships began to drop bombs along the prow of one of the Imperium *Testimony*-class ships. Thankfully, the shields held and the bombers continued on their way, starting now to arc around and head back to their carrier to re-load.

Drayson: "What can you tell me?" The Captain asked after a good while of the pair stood motionless, watching the battle unfold.

Ari': "I can tell you that the Imperium is losing." Cadet Odanna began, unsure of what it was exactly that the Captain wanted her to be picking up on.

Drayson: "What else?"

Ari': "That whoever is commanding the Aurelians is aboard the *Cartographer*."

Drayson: "Good." She confirmed, treating this as if it were no more than another of their lessons. That made Ari' nervous; How calm Drayson was despite the war at hand. Even seasoned Admiral C'paya, with all of his previous experience, was tapping his foot with stress.

Drayson: "How did you reach that conclusion?"

Ari': "Because it's the only ship holding back." Ari' began to explain, pausing to think through her own reasoning. "It's furthest from the battle and is not using its weaponry to its fullest potential."

Drayson: "Which means?"

Ari': "Which means that it is either damaged and trying to keep its distance in order to make repairs or it is the commanding vessel and is holding back."

Drayson: "Very good." She verbally applauded.

Drayson: "Now, can you deduce whom their commanding officer is? Based on what we have observed and thinking back on your lessons on species and their instincts."

Ari' was silent for a minute as she desperately racked her brains, trying to see if she could work anything out, but she wasn't really sure where to begin. It could be any number of people! In the end, she conceded defeat.

Ari': "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Drayson: "Do not apologise, Cadet Odanna. The inability to solve a puzzle in the heat of the moment simply shows us what we need to focus our attention on in future lessons. The same applies to all aspects of life - if you find yourself unexpectedly talking with an alien who doesn't speak basic and you are unable to speak their tongue, you know that when you have the time, you should make the effort to study their language."

Ari' nodded in understanding.

Ari': "Yes Captain."

Drayson: "Vice Admiral Ku'lk is commanding the Aurelians in this battle." She announced with utter certainty.

Ari': "How can you tell?"

Drayson: "As you previously deduced, the *Cartographer* is indeed hanging back from the fight. We know from how the battle up to this point unfolded that it was not damaged badly enough for a ship of that size to withdraw - ergo, it is being used as the command ship. Now, whilst we watched and also from what I observed before, the Aurelians are sending out waves of bombers, targeting each of our vessels in turn. As one squadron returns to its parent cruiser then next wave departs. Watch."

Even as the two spoke the current wave of bombers began to return to one of the *Ziklov*'s, whilst the next emerged from a hanger on the capital ship.

Ari': "Okay." Ari' nodded, having seen what Drayson wanted her to.

Drayson: "Now, given our knowledge of the behavioural patterns of different species and specifically how they react when threatened; can you think of any species that this pattern of attack matches to?"

Ari': "Well, I know the answer is Zarun, but I don't know why." She admitted.

Drayson: "Zaruns are naturally a hive species. It is only recently, galactically speaking, that they have begun to live more civilised lives. This means that they have not yet evolved out of their natural habits when they come under attack. In traditional Zarun culture, if the hive is threatened, the leader of that colony will retreat to the centre of the hive to gain the best protection possible and from there will send out the colony's warriors to protect them. But they will not leave all at once - instead, only a handful of warriors will emerge from the hive at a time. Once they are worn down or are injured, they retreat and are replaced by another wave of warriors, ones who are fresh and ready for battle. This leaves the attacker constantly fighting against the best warriors available."

Ari': "Just like the bombers." She concluded, understanding now.

Drayson: "Exactly. So, after deducing the Aurelian Commander to be a Zarun, there were but two options; Vice Admiral Zarnek or Vice Admiral Ku'lk. Now, think back to the end of The Collective war - to the peace that followed it. Aurelia split in two; True Aurelia, who were for the continuation of their rebellion and Pax Aurelia, who were happy with peace. Now, Zarnek was a Pax Aurelian but Ku'lk was a True. Given the more aggressive nature of this assault, it was fairly safe to assume that it is Ku'lk over there. The last piece of the puzzle is that Zarnek only has one eye; his left. In previous battles, the bulk of his forces have been committed to a fairly one-sided fight. Most of the time, it has proved an effective strategy, however, the current assault is very evenly spread, leading me to the conclusion that it is indeed Vice Admiral Ku'lk whom we are facing."

Ari' nodded in understanding, all the while keeping watch on the battle raging outside the viewscreen.

Ari': "Okay, but, how does knowing who we're up against help us?"

Drayson: "Know your enemy, Cadet Odanna. If you know your enemy, then you know not only their strengths but also their weaknesses. For example;" Drayson began explaining, before turning to the officer bays;

Drayson: "Order *The Prolific* to move to quadrant 19, the *The Aggressor* to quadrant 7 and *The Fanhide* to quadrant 3. All Imperium fighters are to withdraw to quadrant 1 immediately and await further instructions."

Officer: "Yes, Captain." The affirmation came and Drayson returned to the viewscreen.

Drayson: "The fleet is far too close together - we need to spread out further.”

Ari’: “How will that help us? Surely that will leave us more vulnerable?”

Drayson: “Zarun hives have only two points of entry; the main entrance and an escape route – a back door if you will. This means that whenever the hive comes under attack, the attackers must focus their efforts on a single location. Ku’lk will naturally be used to fighting a single group.”

Ari’: “But if we split up, he will have to spread his own forces out to match us. Something he won’t be used to.” Ari’ deduced, finally understanding the Captain’s plan.

Drayson: “And giving us the upper hand.” She concluded with a thin smile. “Precisely.”

Ari’: “You’re a genius.”

Drayson: “Flattery, Cadet Odanna?” she asked, facing her mentee with a slight smirk.

Ari’: “Only for you, Captain.” She replied, matching the other’s expression.

Officer: “The Prolific, Aggressor and Fanhide are all in position, Captain.”

Drayson: “Good. Order all ships to target their nearest opponent. They will find that not only are we now spread farther apart, but that they are now also positioned closer to our enemies.”

Officer: “All ships are locked on targets.”

Drayson: “Fire at will.”

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I watched out the viewscreen with a frown on my face as three of the Imperium’s cruisers moved ponderously through space, repositioning themselves in the battlefield.

Tank: “What are they doing?” I queried aloud.

Captain Brass: “I don’t know.” He replied honestly. Outside, Imperial fighters began to turn tail and head back towards their own ships.

Captain Brass: “All Mark 7’s are to pursue those fighters.” He ordered. “I don’t know why they’re running, but they won’t get far.”

I scowled and bit my lip, trying to figure out what had caused the sudden change of tactics from the Imperials.

Captain Brass: “Somebody else has taken command. That’s the only logical reason I can think of.” He explained with a slight shake of his head and I nodded in agreement. It would certainly make sense if that was the case.

Suddenly the newly re-organised cruisers opened fire again and began to batter the Aurelian shields. There was a jolt as our ship came under fire.

Captain Brass: “Orders, Vice Admiral?” he questioned aloud.

Ku’lk (Voice): “I…Uh… hold posthision and returnth fire.” The uncertain reply came.

Cat: “That sounds promising.” She muttered in my ear and pulled a face in agreement with her. If Ku’lk didn’t act fast, he was going to get swamped.

Officer: “Enemy fighters emerging from quadrant 1, sir.” The call came and everybody turned to look in the direction of the enormous *Anvil*. Sure enough, as we looked on, wave upon wave of CX-15’s, Imperial fighters, soared out from beneath the *Victorious* class cruiser. Before they had been all over the place, attacking targets seemingly at will, however now they were flying in formation. The first wave broke off and flew to port, heading straight for one of the Aurelian’s *Dauntless*’. The second wave followed suit and aimed for the closest *Independence*. One by one, each of the following waves began to target a different Aurelian cruiser.

Captain Brass: “Mark 7’s, focus fire on the CX-15’s!” he shouted as one of the waves of enemy fighters headed straight for us. “Protect the cruisers! All batteries, open fire!”

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Officer: “Enemy losses are up 25%, Captain.” The gleeful voice of an officer informed the bridge of *The Anvil*.

Drayson: “Hmmm…” she mused aloud, clearly not as happy as the informing Officer was with the results.

Drayson: “Pull *The Sanction* back to quadrant 2 and patch me through to the leader of wave 3.” There was an affirmative call from the crew pits and a few moments later a strained sounding voice came over the speakers.

Voice: “Yes Captain?”

Drayson: “Flight Commander Yarron?”

F.C. Yarron (Voice): “Yes.” The strained reply came, followed by a groan of effort. “I’m under fire!” he shouted. “There’s an M7 on my tail. I can’t shake…”

Suddenly the line turned to static and through the viewscreen, Captain Drayson saw a tiny explosion in the distance, out by the *Cartographer*. Drayson ground her teeth in frustration.

Drayson: “Who’s second in command of squadron 4?”

Officer: “Flight Lieutenant Colt.” She was informed and barely a second later, a new voice came over the speakers.

Voice: “Hello?”

Drayson: “Flight Lieutenant Colt; Flight Commander Yarron is dead, you are now in charge of squadron 4.” She informed.

F.L. Colt: “Oh scrim. Okay.” The reply came and Drayson frowned at the unprofessional response. The voice sounded young, but that was no excuse. “I’m being followed!” the worried sounding voice continued.

Drayson: “Perform a ‘Smugglers stop.’” She instructed. “The enemy fighter will overshoot, giving you plenty of time to target the rear engines and destroy them.”

F.L. Colt: “Okay, here goes.” The Flight Lieutenant acknowledged and there was a strained sound followed by silence. For a few moments there was nothing and then Drayson witnessed another small explosion. For a second, she was unsure if the manoeuvre had worked or not, but then the Flight Lieutenant’s voice returned.

F.L. Colt: “Okay, I’m clear. Thanks Captain.”

Drayson: “Good. Squadron 4 is to break off the attack on the *Cartographer* and concentrate on defending the other squadrons. Beginning with squadron 6. That *Zilkov* is going to move to quadrant 20 any time now and squadron 6 is going to need covering fire.”

F.L. Colt: “Yes, Captain.”

The line ended and Drayson watched the battle proceed. Sure enough, barely a minute later, one of the Aurelian *Zilkov*’s began to come around and made its way across space into quadrant 20 – exactly as predicted, bringing it away from the danger of the fighters, but now into the firing line of one of the Imperium’s *Testimony*-class cruisers.

Drayson: “Order *The Prolific* to target that ship’s engines.” She instructed. “Captain Farroway may fire when ready.”

It didn’t take long for the *Zilkov* to go up in flames, an explosion blossoming from each of its individual engines. From where he stood off to one side of the bridge, now barely an onlooker in this raging battle, Admiral C’Paya watched in awe – impressed by his Captain’s abilities to not only predict the enemy’s movements, but to seemingly be one step ahead at all times. The *Zilkov* had moved away from the fighters, but *The Prolific* had already been there waiting for it. And her deductions about Ku’lk were astonishing. He would never in a million years have thought of trying to establish who was leading the Aurelian forces simply by matching their tactics to speciesal tropes.

Drayson: “Bring us about.” She ordered. “Move *The Anvil* into quadrant 16 THROUGH quadrants 14 and 15 and prepare all gunners for battle.”

Admiral C’Paya frowned at the odd order. The Captain was ordering his ship into battle readiness against… nothing. Quadrant 16 was empty. 14 and 15 would take them past one of the *Dauntless*’ and then they would be in empty space. For a moment, the Admiral considered returning to his post and ordering Drayson to stand down and stop her madness, but then, considering everything else that she had done so far, with a deep breath he rooted himself to the spot and decided to trust her judgement, even if it made no sense to him.

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Tactical officer: “That *Victorious* is moving, sir. Heading; 10.5. Quadrant 15.”

Captain Brass: “They’re targeting *The Thalmere*.” he concluded, referring to the *Dauntless* positioned there.

Ku’lk: “*The Thalmere* willth sthand itsth ground and defend itsthelf. Captain Brass,*The Improvement* will move into thflanking posthition in quadrant 16 and provide addithional covering fire.” The Zarun ordered.

Captain Brass: “Yes, Vice Admiral.” He acknowledged, before turning to the officers on the bridge. “Bring us about. Move into quadrant 16.”

I held onto Cat, the view outside the huge windows changing as our ship began to turn around and head towards it’s designated location. I didn’t like the idea of getting any closer than we had to to *The Anvil*, but we would only be providing covering fire from a distance, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous. Cat, on the other hand, looked positively petrified.

Tank: “You want to go and wait in *The Viper*?” I asked her quietly, holding her close. Her big eyes looked up at me and she nodded, too afraid to speak. “Okay. Tracks, take Cat back to *The Viper* and look after her, okay buddy?” Tracks nodded and whirred soothingly as he placed an arm around Cat’s shoulders. I kissed her briefly on the forehead before my mechanical best friend led her away.

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Officer: “Captain, the *Dauntless* in quadrant 18 is moving into quadrant 16.” One of the bridge officers informed Drayson and she smiled with satisfaction. They were now coming alongside the *Dauntless* in quadrant 15 and she could feel the dull vibrations in her feet as *The Anvil*’s massive compliment of turrets let rip against the enemy ship.

However, the Aurelians had done exactly as predicted and had moved their second *Dauntless* into a covering position directly ahead of them. Both enemy cruisers were returning fire, but *The Anvil* was more than a match for the two of them together and besides, instead of coming to a stop in quadrant 15 as she had led them to believe, *The Anvil* was still travelling at flank speed, passing right by the first *Dauntless* and coming up beside the second.

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Officer: “Sir! That *Victorious* isn’t stopping! It’s moving into flank position!” came a worried call and my eyes widened in concern as I saw that he was right. *The Anvil* hadn’t stopped in quadrant 15 as expected. Instead, it was still barrelling towards us, simply firing at *The Thalmere* on its way past.

Captain Brass: “Scrim.” He muttered through ground teeth, leaping to his feet. “Full reverse! Divert power from starboard shields to the engines and get us away from here!” he ordered, frantically trying to think of a plan, but *The Anvil* was already on us. Even as we picked up momentum, the massive cruiser, already moving faster than us, matched our speed, meaning that we were flying along side by side.

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Officer: “We’re at flank speed now, Captain.”

Drayson: “Good. All batteries target the shield generator. Fire.”

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*The Improvement* shook violently as *The Anvil* opened fire on us. I had to grab ahold of the nearest console unit to stop myself from falling over and I saw Brass doing likewise.

Captain Brass: “All batteries are to target the nearest turret emplacements on that ship and open fire!”

Officer: “Sir! They’re targeting our shield generator!”

Captain Brass: “Status?”

Officer: “Shields at 48%! 35%! 29%!”

With worried eyes, I looked to Brass. How was he going to get us out of this?!

Officer: “15%!”

Swallowing, the Captain turned to look at me, a glassy look of horror on his face and I knew that he didn’t know. There was no plan. There was no way away from this.

Officer: “Shields are going to fail! Orders, Captain?!”

Brass was silent.

Beyond the viewscreen I saw the flicker of light as the shields vanished.

Officer: “SHIELDS ARE DOWN!”

Tank: “Cat.” I whispered and closed my eyes, accepting my fate as the ship began to shake with greater force; every laser strike now doing more damage.

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Drayson: “Cease fire.”

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Abruptly, the shaking stopped as *The Anvil*’s guns fell silent.

I opened my eyes again, breathing deeply and looked around. Everybody else seemed just as confused by the sudden calm.

Tank: “I don’t like this.” I muttered.

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Drayson: “All batteries, target the bridge. Fire.”

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Brass leant against the viewscreen and looked to the massive ship that filled our entire field of vision, wondering what was happening.

And then every gun emplacement began to rotate and aim directly at us.

Tank: “Oh shit!”

Captain Brass: “EVACUATE THE BRIDGE!” he screamed as realisation dawned. We didn’t need telling twice. As one, everybody leapt to their feet, crying out with terror, and began to sprint for the bridge doors. I had just reached them when I realised that Brass wasn’t with me. Turning, I found him still on the lower deck, helping get everybody else to safety.

Half of me wanted to run. Just to run and get as far away as I could, but the other half of me wanted to wait and make sure that Brass and the others made it to safety as well.

Tank: “Come on!” I yelled as Brass and the last officer ran towards me.

And then the bridge exploded.

As turbolaser after turbolaser smashed through the room, Brass and I dived for the doorway. The bridge doors, sensing that the room was now exposed to the vacuum of space, immediately began to close.

Flames and lasers licked at my legs as I made it to the relative safety of the corridor, but when I heard Brass scream, I knew that he hadn’t been as lucky.

As the door slammed shut, repressurising the corridor, we hit the floor side by side and I groaned in pain But there was no time to rest. We had to get out of here. I went to grab the Captain by the arm, but found it missing.

Expecting him to be unconscious, I began to shout;

Tank: “Brass! Come on, get up!”

But to my surprise, he simply pushed himself to his feet with a groan and examined his missing shoulder. Wondering how the hell he wasn’t crying in pain, I took a closer look – and saw sparks bursting out of the missing joint.

Tank: “What?” I breathed.

Captain Brass: “I’ll explain later.” He told me, grabbing me with his remaining arm and pulling me along the corridor. “We’ve got to get to the escape pods!”

Tank: “No, wait!” I suddenly realised, coming out of my confused reverie. “We can use *The Viper*!”

Captain Brass: “Okay, let’s go!”

Voice: “WARNING. SHIP LIFE SUPPORT SYTEMS FAILING. ALL HANDS, ABANDON SHIP.” The automated message started to blare and everywhere, red emergency lights began to flash.

As we ran through the ship, I pulled out my com and told Tracks to prime *The Viper* for take-off as soon as we arrived. It was chaos. Everywhere we went, men and women were frantically trying to get to the nearest escape pod, whilst the ship continued to shake and shudder with every laser strike. Not far from the hanger, the lighting went out, leaving only the emergency lights to bask everything in a red glow. Thankfully, it didn’t take us long to get from there to *The Viper* and as soon as everyone had squeezed on board, we were off.

Tank: “Everyone hold on!” I shouted as we blasted out of the hanger bay. I brought us around and angled us down through space, beneath both *The Improvement* and *The Anvil* and headed straight for the planet. It was risky, but it was now our best bet at surviving. Hopefully, with the battle around us still raging and the tide now well and truly in favour of the Imperials, nobody would stop to question a small civilian ship as it made its way down to Toliv.

Hopefully.

Suddenly the sky lit up and I didn’t need to look behind us to know that *The Improvement* had blown up.

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Captain Drayson watched on with grim satisfaction as the *Dauntless* went up in flames. The explosion outside bathed *The Anvil*’s bridge in light and Ari’ had to turn away from the brightness. When she turned back, she found her Captain, hands clasped behind her back, silhouetted against the fireball and wondered with admiration if there was anything that could stop her.

Drayson: “Move us into quadrant 24. Target that *Cartographer*. It’s time we taught these Aurelians not to mess with the might of the Galactic Imperium.”

Officer: “Yes, Captain.”

With one of the *Dauntless*’ incapacitated and the other now a blackened shell, slowly falling towards the planet below, the space ahead of them was clear all the way to Vice Admiral Ku’lk’s flagship. *The Anvil* soared towards *The Power* and as Captain Drayson watched the enemy vessel growing closer, excitement began to build in her stomach. If she could take out one of Aurelia’s key leaders, C’paya would HAVE to start listening to her. The Admiral may even give her a ship of her own to command!

Determined, Drayson took a steadying breath in order to focus.

Officer: “Entering quadrant 24 now, Captain.”

Drayson: “All batteries target the *Cartographer* and prepare to fire.” she ordered. Moments later she received confirmation of standby.

Drayson: “*Elathey*, Vice Admiral Ku’lk.” She whispered, using a word from her native language, before addressing the rest of the bridge. “Fire!”

Lasers lanced away from *The Anvil*…

But not a single one touched *The Power*.

At precisely that moment, a huge cruise liner dropped out of hyperspace right between the two ships.

*The Anvil*’s lasers bombarded the unshielded civilian craft and massive chunks began to come adrift, the ship itself becoming rocked with explosion after explosion.

Drayson: “NOOO!” she screamed, slamming her palms against the viewscreen, her mouth open in shock.

Ari’: “Oh my God…” she breathed in horror as the cruise ship continued to take damage.

Drayson: “CEASE FIRE!”

The lasers stopped, but by then the damage had been done. As another explosion erupted from the top of the cruise ship, thousands upon thousands of tiny escape pods began to eject from the vessel.

In the chaos, Drayson briefly registered the shimmer of space distorting as one by one the Aurelian fleet made the jump to warp speed and away to safety. With a deep breath, she regained her composure, tucked a loose strand of long black hair back into place behind her ear and then ordered,

Drayson: “All fighters are to return to their docks immediately. All three *Testimony*’s are to tether to that cruise liner and begin search and rescue. All rescue ships are to begin hunting for survivors in escape pods.”

With her orders issued, the bridge fell eerily quiet. Lya continued taking slow, purposeful breaths to keep herself calm. The Aurelian fleet was gone. Ku’lk was gone. And with him went her chance of getting her own ship. Her chances of recognition may as well have been aboard that cruise liner, now that they were up in smoke. Now she would only be remembered as the Captain who destroyed a civilian cruise ship.

One day though, she would get Ku’lk. Drayson didn’t like it when enemies slipped through her grasp. But when they did, it only made her more determined, so one day, she would get him.

**Qoter…**

In a dingy apartment somewhere in the lower reaches of one of Qoter’s suburbs, Xavier Ramson sat slouched in a battered old armchair, beer in hand, watching the TV.

Despite his dismissal from the Galactic Imperium, he still liked the keep track of current events and so he was watching the news. They were currently reporting on a fierce battle that had been raging over Toliv before some poor cruise ship had gotten caught in the crossfire. The damned Aurelians had escaped and left the Imperium to clear up the mess of course, but as Ramson took another swing from his beer can, something in the corner of the screen caught his eye.

Frantically grabbing the remote control, he rewound the footage and then paused when he spotted what he had seen. There, flying away from the battle was a tiny ship he recognised. It only took a few moments for him to realise why he knew it.

It was Chain Rockwell’s ship. The ship Rockwell had used to escape from him on numerous occasions.

With a snarl, he tossed his beer can aside, drink and all, and shuffled himself out of the armchair and into his wheelchair. From there, he wheeled himself across the single room of his apartment to where one wall had been covered in papers and files and a huge map of the system. He printed an image of the TV screen showing Rockwell’s ship and used a pin to stick it to the map over Toliv.

Before Ramson had run into Rockwell, he had been a respected member of the Imperium. Now… now he was a wreak of a human and it was all Tank’s fault. Almost everything bad that had ever happened to him; losing his legs, losing the Beta Squad project, losing his job – it had all been because of Tank.

He was going to get back at Tank. That’s what this wall was all about – tracking him down. And one day, he would kill him for everything that he’d done.

Even if it was the last thing he ever did.

**BONUS PICTURES**

A WIP shot for the Aurelian bridge.

An early shot for the Anvil's bridge. We've seen it before in other episodes, however, it was a much smaller set of just the viewscreen. For this episode, I had to make the entire bridge.

An unused image of Brass and the gang.

The Aurelian bridge being destroyed.

The finished Aurelian bridge set.

The finished set for the Anvil's bridge.

A lot of the cool edited images of the battle that I created ended up getting only partially seen because they were seen from the perspective of the bridge. Here is one of the battle edits.

*N.B.*

Mark 7’s and CX-15’s made by Toa Jaton.

Cartographer-Class, Ziklov-Class cruisers by Indy Beetle.

Dauntless-Class cruiser by Matt Ridgeway (I think?).

Aurelian Bombers by Zach Sweigart.

Cruise Liner by The Darth Designer.

Escape Pods by Alex E.

As my series is going to be jumping around though time, I will include a date on each episode and add it to the timeline at the end of each episode so that you can follow it.

TIMELINE