Ship Master Toun' Takee stood in the control room of the Covenant cruiser
Comfort and Joy. An experienced commander, Takee was a veteran of the Paris
IV operation and two years earlier had killed thirty-nine human marines in
less than ten minutes, receiving only minor wounds.
The Gold Elite silently awaited orders. His armor glistening in the light. He could see two Grunts below his station, one was asleep, the other gazing out into space.
Someone tapped on Takee's shoulder; the Ship Master turned around and activated his plasma sword to see...a Blue Elite, Mokon Neugee.
"Why have you disturbed me fool?" Takee hissed. "What in the name of the Prophets..."
"Excellency," Neugee started as he looked into the angry eyes of his superior. "We have a contact five light minutes out." His commander thought for a moment.
"Put it on the main display," he ordered. "And hail."
About sixty seconds later Takee had prepared his speech.
"This is the Comfort and Joy; identify yourself in the name of the enlightened Prophets." He received no answer.
"Run a scan of the enemy ship."
A 3-D model of the strange ship appeared before the Master's eyes. It matched no known human ships. Multiple power spikes could be seen in various locations of the ship.
"She's powering up her weapons, Excellency." A Jackal to Takee's left said. "Her weapons are using a mysterious power source, I can't find any ballistic or plasma similarities."
"Try harder," Takee barked at the offending Jackal. If only Takee could...
"It's firing! We're all gonna die!" The Grunts on the bridge started screaming and running around in circles, several made a dash for the nearest food nipples, two Red Elites prevented them.
Takee looked up; several green streaks approached his ship. If I will die I will die with honor.
"Return fire!"
Too late, the shots made contact with the ship's hull; a second salvo reduced the Comfort and Joy's shields to less than 30%. The covenant ships plasma torpedoes were fired, the enemy ships displayed blue sparks as the rounds hit, the enemy was shielded too. Explosions ripped through the bridge, Takee's last moments were very hot.
Captain Jake McWeill of the RIS (Republic of Independent States) cruiser Wendor peered out of his window on the bridge. He could see the enemy ships become engulfed by flame. He turned to a junior officer.
"Endsign, start a scan on that ship."
"Sir, this design is used by neither pirates nor the Dirt Brotherhood." McWeill gazed into space. An unknown enemy, he had gotten more than he bargained for when he had left Walderann five days earlier.
"Damage report Ensign?"
"Fire control to fore turrets offline sir."
"And the butcher's bill?"
"Two dead, six wounded in Sector 1."
"Ha-hem." McWeill's orders were to patrol the outer rim planets of the known galaxy, ships of the Dirt Brotherhood, an extremist group with a hatred of Termites, had been spotted a few weeks before, hopefully they were still there. But if this new enemy was a bigger threat, the already stretched-too-thin Navy was ill-prepared to handle it. His orders were to fire on mysterious vessels without warning, his sensors could tell friend from foe.
The Gold Elite silently awaited orders. His armor glistening in the light. He could see two Grunts below his station, one was asleep, the other gazing out into space.
Someone tapped on Takee's shoulder; the Ship Master turned around and activated his plasma sword to see...a Blue Elite, Mokon Neugee.
"Why have you disturbed me fool?" Takee hissed. "What in the name of the Prophets..."
"Excellency," Neugee started as he looked into the angry eyes of his superior. "We have a contact five light minutes out." His commander thought for a moment.
"Put it on the main display," he ordered. "And hail."
About sixty seconds later Takee had prepared his speech.
"This is the Comfort and Joy; identify yourself in the name of the enlightened Prophets." He received no answer.
"Run a scan of the enemy ship."
A 3-D model of the strange ship appeared before the Master's eyes. It matched no known human ships. Multiple power spikes could be seen in various locations of the ship.
"She's powering up her weapons, Excellency." A Jackal to Takee's left said. "Her weapons are using a mysterious power source, I can't find any ballistic or plasma similarities."
"Try harder," Takee barked at the offending Jackal. If only Takee could...
"It's firing! We're all gonna die!" The Grunts on the bridge started screaming and running around in circles, several made a dash for the nearest food nipples, two Red Elites prevented them.
Takee looked up; several green streaks approached his ship. If I will die I will die with honor.
"Return fire!"
Too late, the shots made contact with the ship's hull; a second salvo reduced the Comfort and Joy's shields to less than 30%. The covenant ships plasma torpedoes were fired, the enemy ships displayed blue sparks as the rounds hit, the enemy was shielded too. Explosions ripped through the bridge, Takee's last moments were very hot.
Captain Jake McWeill of the RIS (Republic of Independent States) cruiser Wendor peered out of his window on the bridge. He could see the enemy ships become engulfed by flame. He turned to a junior officer.
"Endsign, start a scan on that ship."
"Sir, this design is used by neither pirates nor the Dirt Brotherhood." McWeill gazed into space. An unknown enemy, he had gotten more than he bargained for when he had left Walderann five days earlier.
"Damage report Ensign?"
"Fire control to fore turrets offline sir."
"And the butcher's bill?"
"Two dead, six wounded in Sector 1."
"Ha-hem." McWeill's orders were to patrol the outer rim planets of the known galaxy, ships of the Dirt Brotherhood, an extremist group with a hatred of Termites, had been spotted a few weeks before, hopefully they were still there. But if this new enemy was a bigger threat, the already stretched-too-thin Navy was ill-prepared to handle it. His orders were to fire on mysterious vessels without warning, his sensors could tell friend from foe.