Matt Dovey
The fighting was fierce on all sides. Off to the left, a Valua mage-ship shot a bolt of pure energy, glowing incandescent against the dark clouds. He watched it fly straight, and, anticipating its path, looked to the Nasr ship that was surely its target. True enough, the ship was surrounded by the bright crackle of electricity. To the far right the Grand Fortress stood, looming like a dark god. To his immediate right, his immediate future... He could clearly see the faces of the men whose ship he was preparing to board. Their vessel had been crippled by a torpedo to the keel, exposing the engines. He readied himself, and looked around at the other Valuans, all with a set look of determination on their faces, grey and sober. His attention was snapped back to the Nasr ship as he heard the whistle of a thrown hook. It was necessary to take the commander of this ship alive, they had been told, but we care not for the crew. He thought of his wife and daughter, as he often did before going into a battle. He suddenly found himself looking amongst his foes, thinking how many of them had families that would grieve their losses this day... For he had no doubt in his mind that it would be them mourning for their fathers and husbands, not Valuan families. No doubt at all...
Several days later, Belleza wept uncontrollably into her mothers shoulder, shaking with the intensity of her sobs.