Death, destruction, mayhem, that was the main goals of the attack. Instil fear into the population of the orbital platform Beta (β), one of the most outer rim platforms under our control. β is one of three that has the facilities to construct capital class dreadnaughts. The planet β is built around a vast industry planet named "Corpus". It's capable of supplying large fleets almost indefinitely as long as the other planets in the system remain under control.
There are five planets in total, each as unique as the next. The first planet "Mimas" has a large amount of active volcanos, which is used for large scale refining and power production. Smaller scale platforms used primarily as a storage and transport hub for inter system travel because of its proximity to the orbital path of the systems kinetic relay. The second planet in from the edge of the system, a gas giant that is one of only one of fifteen gas giants containing the potent gas "Crystite". This gas is refined and used to fuel the kinetic relays and the generators of some of the more recently contracted orbital platforms. The third is "Corpus" followed by the fourth planed "Meridian Prime". This planet has quiet a large population because most people prefer to not stay on the platforms/rings. "Meridian" houses most of the workers of "Corpus". The fifth planet is a barren world in tidal lock with the sun. Naturally, most of the population live on the dark side of the planet or at least those that want to be there. The rest of the world has been converted in to a high level detention centre were only the worst of the worst are kept.
My life is spent on the capital ship "Pride of Eden". The Pride of Eden is the most recent ship I've been assigned to but the first with ark folding tech, the Pride of Eden is a fast response carrier carrying 15 light frigates fitted with magnetic accelerator cannons, 15 heavy bombers, 15 infantry transport frigates and 30 light interceptors. The carrier itself is fitted with a capital siege cannon as well as 5 point defence magnetic accelerator cannons. We are currently at β getting a refuel and refit on our forward Magnetic cannons fitting them with a experimental direct ammo feed belt removing the need for a loading crew and allowing for sustained fire over a longer period, we are also taking on supplies for a three year deployment to an adjacent sector while training is taking place for the crew of our point defence turrets.
While we are deployed are going to be taking part in a live fire exercise with one of the new dreadnoughts to test our new point defence as well as the dreadnaughts new assault pod system. The system we are being deployed to is a militarised zone used purely for exercises like the one are taking part in, the system consists of 3 asteroid belts and a swamp planet named "Hosen" there is also a large mass of ship hulks from the old war, one ship in particular "The Icarus" is left afloat there abandoned and forgotten yet it is the most intact one of them all It still has its reactor's and Its Weapon systems, the story of The Icarus is unknown all that is known is that it was the flag ship of a grand empire and that it only had one equal, it's sister ship "the Hyperion" witch was destroyed during the raid of Gamma (γ), all hands lost.
Out of nowhere the intercom springs to life. "all hands prepare for undocking procedure". Guess it's time for me to get to the hanger deck and start the lockdown for ark fold, Ark folding is the effect of rapid mass compression allowing larger vessels (like carriers) to jump across Interplanetary space in a fraction of the time it would take travelling at maximum impulse speed, a by-product of ark folding is it tends to cause severe mutations to occur to unprotected carbon based life forms. In theory a vessel could use ark folding to cross inter system space but every time this has been tested the vessel has been vaporised upon exiting melded space and we don't want that to happen, do we?
As I approach the upper decks I am always checking my heads up display for updates on; time until ark fold, status of hanger door and refilling progress of the Crystite reserves. Once they are at 100% capacity we will be undocking completely. At the moment, they are at 82% capacity at the moment, if I've done the math correctly I have two and a half minutes until the refill is complete three minutes to clear dock and two minutes to charge the Ark fold drive, which gives me six minutes to close the hanger doors and get to my jump chair unless I want to be a pancake after Ark launch, not a pleasant sight.
Entering the Hanger deck I find myself in the middle of the crew of β hurrying to leave and the crew of the carrier returning to their posts after a short shore leave to visit the local planets. "Hey McDonald get your ass over here and help me with the door".
The one person I'm happy to see after getting this placement was my own brother unfortunately it wasn't, "you must be my boss, Fredric right?" What was I thinking? Who else would know my family name on this ship? "Who do you think I am, any way we need to get this door shut unless you want to experiment with mutations?" The stories I've listened to of the Mutations from what I've heard they aren't a pleasant sight, mind you I wouldn't like to have my skin turned into a brittle glass like substance or a third arm to grow were my left knee is. Anyway we need to get this door closed and it requires two engineering officers to do such a task, to close the doors the first step is to check the track for any objects that could block the doors from sealing, all clear, now to check the control wiring for fraying or striping of the intuition, all wires intact and not arcing, ok finally to check the motor assembly for any fractures of missing gear, something's wrong here, the assembly is missing, we can close the door but we don't have time for that, we need to cancel the ark fold.
Running to the console I find myself thinking, why something so critical was over looked? "
Hanger to bridge, cancel the Ark Fold, The Main Motor assembly is missing and we can't close the doors!"... No response?
This is strange but I've got no time to think about this we need to evacuate the section and seal it. "Bridge to hanger, not sure if you were brought up to date but the Motor assembly is now housed internally repeat the Motor is in the super structure itself, go for seal." "Engineering confirms go for seal". I swear no one tells me anything anymore. Following Engineer Fredric's steps we start the process to sealing the hanger. "Enter security codes on my mark 3... 2... 1... Mark." Shorty after triggering the protocol the doors creak to life and inch towards each other eventually slowing down to a crawl as the electromagnetic field takes control, pulls them shut and sealed to the point were not even an Oxygen practical can pass through the door.
"2 minutes until Ark Launch." The chilling synthesised voice over the intercom indicating that all crew have gotten to their jump chairs and the onboard artificial intelligence has take control for the flight too Mimas. Arriving at my jump chair I notice that I'm one of three people in this section unfortunately the other two don't seem awake, the first a thin man sitting in a personalised chair and the other another man who seems to short for the chair (his feet aren't touching the floor), my seat still smells of the factory floor that it was made in, strapping myself in I find myself again in thought "this is my first time Ark Folding" the count down on the wall pulls me out of my thought "5... 4... 3... 2..."