Tuesday
A failure:
Flash! Bang! Boom!
Captain Naomi Xiomar flew out of her chair. Her head crashed against the unforgiving steel floor with a sickening thunk, and pain ripped through her brain.
“Captain, we’ve lost shields.” Naomi’s first and tactical officer Commander Leena Khan called out.
“Damn it!” The battered Captain cursed as she pushed herself off the now blood spotted floor. “Murphy! Get us out of here!”
“Yes, sir!” The pilot Lieutenant Salim Murphy answered.
“There was a loud explosion from the rear of the ship, and then everything went dark.
Naomi had barely enough time to think ‘Shit!’ before the emergency backup power kicked in and the lights came on. “Commander Khan, damage report.”
“Captain it appears that one of there shots caused a power surge in the primary power core.” Khan relayed as calm and efficient as ever. “Shields, weapons, and engines are offline.”
“Life support?” Naomi ran a hand through her Dark brown bloody hair.
Khan’s dark eyes flickered over her station to the right of the Captain’s chair. “Minimal.”
Naomi closed her green-brown eyes and rested her head in her hands. “Communications?”
“The long distance relay dish is inoperable, but short range signals are still possible.” The Asian woman replied.
“Ensign Preston, get me engineering.” Naomi commanded.
“Yes, sir.” Ryley Preston responded as he fiddled with the controls in front of him.
Lieutenant Commander Aaron Herman’s deep voice boomed from the speakers embedded in the communications console to the left of the Captain’s chair. “Engineering here.”
“Herman, how long till we get engines back?” Naomi asked.
“At least an hour, sir.” The Commander replied. “That surge melted half the circuits together. They have to be replaced along with most the wiring.”
“Work as fast as you can, Commander. Bridge out.”
Preston cut the comm.
“Commander Khan, what is the enemy ship doing?”
“They’ve ceased fire and are currently scanning-”
“Sir,” The Ensign at communications cut in. “They’re hailing us.”
“On screen.” Naomi sat up straighter.
The staticy image of the enemy Captain filled the large screen directly in front of the Captain’s chair. His face was grotesque. Tribal tattoos decorated his ugly scars creating a mask that inspired terror. He smiled maliciously. “It seems as if you are in a bit of a situation Captain.”
“No thanks to you.” Naomi responded. “I don’t suppose you would just go away and forget this ever happened.
The scarred visage laughed. “Not a chance, Captain. Prepare to be boarded. If you surrender I will spare your crew.”
“And if I don’t?”
“If not… Well I’m sure you are familiar with the Gliesdin prison camps. I shudder when I think of all the awful things that occur there. Who knows what will befall-”
“What will you do with them?” Naomi sagged in defeat.
He smiled cruelly in victory. “As long as you cooperate your crew will be ejected in your escape pods and left here with a distress beacon for the rest of your fleet to find.”
“And my ship and myself?” Naomi questioned resigned.
“The ship will be destroyed of-coarse. You will be taken prisoner.”
“Captain,” Commander Khan chimed in. “I must advise against yielding. We have no guarantee he will keep his word.”
“Nor do we have any other choice, Commander.” Naomi said decisively. “We agree to your terms Captain.”
A triumph:
4/28/3516 Captain’s log
We met the Gloriam ship Gateway in battle yesterday. I have gone up against them before with the Griffin. Back then it ended in stalemate. Now Captain Smith is residing in my brig.
This ship is a killing machine. It scares me. This kind of power doesn’t belong in anyone’s hands.