Sins of a Solar Empire: End of Hope
Prologue
-Lt Galkin: Gambit this is Red Crow, request permission to jump in T-30.
-Fleet comms officer: Roger Red Crow, green light on jump. Just a peek and run boys, no heroics today.
-Lt Galkin: Aye aye Gambit, we promise to be back for dinner.
-Fleet comms officer: I'll save you a spot by the window. Over and out.
The Arcova class scout frigate was the smallest frigate design of the TEC fleet, not even considered a frigate by some. With a crew of seven souls, the engine-on-a-stick had the look of a salamander which had it's legs and tail ripped off. The Red Crow was an ugly thing to lay eyes on, but it had never failed to get the job done.
-Cmd Cortez: Start jump protocols, LT.
-Lt Galkin: 30 and counting sir... The crew is nervous about this one, you may want to address them sir.
-Cmd Cortez: They just sent us tailing a nightmare, they'd be stupid if they weren't. Whatever that hulk was, and what that fleet was up to, won't like us eavesdropping on their business.
-Lt Galkin: It was so many of them, I was sure we were dead when they started dropping here… But they just sailed by and jumped.
-Cmd Cortez: Because we were too little a bug to stop and whack; man up Galkin, I have no use for weak minded fools. It´s actually funny that they sent us running after their shoe.
-Lt Galkin: ...T-10 sir.
-Cmd Cortez (opening in-ship comms): Ensign Terzi, I want all power on shields and engines as soon as we drop in.
The Red Crow had already formed a small and weak phase portal to jump with. A scary little gate, just good enough for the small vessel to get through. The Red Crow lit up engines and moved forward, disappearing with a yellow flash into deep space, well on its way to the system where the Vasari fleet had disappeared to. The measly phase portal dissipated no more than half a second after the Red Crow went through it.
Commander Cortez, a stern man in his forties, proud of his recently discovered gray hair, kept his eyes set on the red dot ahead, which grew larger by the moment. The commander didn't even blink, his look was so stern that Lt Galkin thought Cortez was the one pulling the volcanic planet towards the ship. The commander's eyes suddenly grew larger.
-Cmd Cortez: What in the name… GALKIN! GET US…
The ship dropped out of phase space, and into a raging battlefield of astonishing proportions. The commander was the first to shake off the shock from dropping.
-Cmd Cortez: Tturrrn… usss… turrrn uss arounnd… TURN US AROUND GALKIN! GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!
-Lt Galkin: Shhheee… aaaaakkk… oonnn itt sss… ssirr
-Cmd Cortez: Get me the fleet! NOW!
-Lt Galkin: Aaak aaaye commmmandrrr
-Cmd Cortez: Wake up goddammit! Turn us around!
-Lt Galkin: Aaye ayyye ssir! Raising fleet!
-Cmd Cortez: Gambit this is Red Crow, do you copy?!
-…
-Cmd Cortez: Gambit this is Red Crow! Do you… for the love of God! Answer me dammit!
-…
-Cmd Cortez: Galkin! What the fuck is wrong with comms?!
-Lt Galkin: I… Nothing sir, the channels are just dead.
-Cmd Cortez: The fleet didn't disappear in a 40 second jump Galkin! Keep raising them! AND WHY THE FUCK ARE WE NOT OPENING THE FUCKING GATE?! TERZI!
-Ens Terzi (over comms): Commander?
-Cmd Cortez: Terzi! You'd better tell me something good!
-Ens Terzi: Afraid not sir, something's wrong with the phase core
-Cmd Cortez: We just fucking jumped! How can it… FIX IT ENSIGN! I'm not dying here!
-Lt Galkin: Sir! 3 fighter drone squads just broke off the main fray, coming straight at us.
-Cmd Cortez: How long?
-Lt Galkin: They'll hit us in 15 tops, sir.
-Cmd Cortez: Ensign! Why aren't we FUCKING JUMPING?!
-Ens Terzi: Something's messing with the drive, I'm...
-Cmd Cortez: Time Terzi! How much longer?
-Ens Terzi: Can't tell, all the numbers are way off, I'm trying to re-calibrate…
-Cmd Cortez: TERZI! I don't FUCKING CARE! Get us jumping before those fighters…
The commander went quiet as he realized things didn't add up in the fray either. He gazed back and forth from the view screen to the tactical monitor, sizing the strength and status of the Vasari and of the Advent, where they each were. As fearful as their numbers were, the Vasari were at a disadvantage, yet they weren't retreating. They were taking a pounding but ignoring their attackers, throwing everything they had at a couple orbital structures with a design that Cortez had never seen before.
-Cmd Cortez: Galkin, what are those things the Vasari are set on?
-Lt Galkin: Can't make things out sir, too much of a mess out there.
-Cmd Cortez: Do I have to do your job too? Use your eyes lieutenant! The two looking like a nuke symbol, close to…
The ship reverberated as a rain of blue streaks hit the shields, yellow waves expanding outwards, a foot away from the hull.
-Lt Galkin: Drones striking, shields at 61 sir. Never seen those 'nuke' things before, and the VI has nothing on them either.
-Cmd Cortez: Terzi? TERZI?!
-Ens Terzi: I... I can't say sir
-Cmd Cortez: Get us FUCKING jumping Ensign! Galkin, comms dead still?
-Lt Galkin: Dead flat.
-Cmd Cortez: Give me speed, no sense standing still if we can't jump, we need to get some distance from the drones. I want your best evasives Lt.
-Lt Galkin: Already rolling sir.
The Red Crow was doing impressively good at dodging the drone's attacks, but shots were still landing on the ship's shields a lot faster than it could regenerate them; all of the seven souls in the crew knew they wouldn't hold for long. Lieutenant Galkin was sweating grapes, yanking back and forth at the controls. He'd cursed the stiffer controls since the day he was promoted from his fighter wing and into the Red Crow, but the curses now became loving pleas to the ship. The Red Crow barreled a hard left, grunting at the strain that was being put under.
-Lt Galkin: Come on, you can take it, show me you can take it, work with me girl…
Ensign Terzi was the one who had served the most aboard the Red Crow, and was just a week short from rotation. His hand ran fast through the virtual keyboard, typing and dragging, tapping and wiping, fueled by thoughts of drink and women just a week away. His eyes jumped all over the screens without stop, and his teeth clutched hard enough for his jaw muscles to show, even beneath his month old beard. His assistant was hopping back and forth the engine room's consoles, trying to keep up with the instructions Terzi shouted between his teeth. The rest of the crew was standing fast, hands on the rails of the corridor and sections they were at, desperately thinking of anything to do, when there was nothing to. The two marines on board gripped their auto rifles and waved them around as if taking aim on the drones hunting them.
Back at the cramped engine room, Ensign Terzi's face tightened into a mash of muscles and veins as the last set of commands he'd given the drive showed yet another error message. Rage took over his mind and he turned over to the core engine behind him, raising his right leg.
-Ens Terzi: SON OF A BITCH, PIECE OF SHIT CORE! DO AS I FUCKING SAY!
Terzi kicked the emergency override lever on the engine at full force with his talon, his assistant barely dodging the kick. As the lever flipped over and it's panel bent, red lights flooded the engine room. The ship's VI softly quoted in a lady like fashion: "Warning, engine safety countermeasures overridden. Manual override mechanics damaged."
-Ens Terzi: I warned you, bitch!
Terzi turned back to the console and started re-entering the last set of commands that were rejected before. The engine snapped a dry clank and moaned at the new orders, but complied never the less. This time, portal opening calculations showed a number. Terzi's voice made its way to the bridge.
-Ens Terzi: Commander! Ready to jump at T-13, just get her steady for me!
-Cmd Cortez (opening comms): All hands in the engine room now, and suit up! Out of that chair Lt!
-Lt Galkin: Sir, with all due…
-Cmd Cortez: GET OUT OF MY FUCKING BRIDGE LIEUTENANT! I'M SICK OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE!
The lieutenant frowned and stood up, running out of the cockpit and down the corridors to the engine room, grabbing an environmental suit on the way. He knew what the suit meant: the hull had been compromised, some part of it wouldn't hold the jump and the ship wouldn't be able to maintain life support. The commander had sent the whole crew to the engine room, meaning most of the ship was torn, but Galkin had been too busy sailing to check hull integrity and see where the damage had been. He'd hated Cortez since the day they met, his idea of leadership being barking orders and curses at anyone in his path, but he'd just taken away every right to shit talk behind his back. He cursed at him one last time, knowing the "miserable bastard" LC, who forced his crew to call him a commander just for an ego boost, would be called a hero from this day forth.
Lieutenant Commander Cortez brought the ship to a halt at the planet's orbit rim and punched inthe phase jump commands, finally letting out a sigh as the gate started forming. The Red Crow creaked as the last of the shields gave up and several bursts hit the ship's bare hull. Cortez reached into his left vest pocket and slipped out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, placed one cigarette on the rim of his lips and flicked the lighter once, which failed to provide a fire. The lieutenant commander chuckled. The crew felt the familiar tug on the guts as the ship entered phase space, some of them still suiting up, and all flinching at every vibration and groaning of the ship. A loud snap followed by a fast drawn line of loud clanks down the ship's line took away with it the last bits of courage the crew had.
End of Prologue