A dull roar shook the sky as massive bolts of lightning carved their way through the dense atmosphere of a remote gas giant. Each one serving as a visual indication of the violent storms ranging throughout the layers of thick purple gas the entire planet was composed of. Across this turbulent orb of devastating super storms decimated anything and everything that got in their way, making it nearly impossible for anything to safely reside in the plant's dense gaseous atmosphere. Luckily, there was a safe-haven, free of the horrid destruction that consumed the rest of the world, the planet's core. Much like the eye of a hurricane the core was free from the apocalyptic effects of the wind and lighting brought about by the planet's unstable atmospheric conditions. That made it the perfect hiding place for the Corsair. Tucked away within the center of a planet sized maelstrom, the damaged ship was safe from both the mother nature and the watchful eyes of the Galra Empire. It truly was an ingenious idea, one Sun would have to thank Pidge for later, if he ever saw her again. An outcome which seemed less and less likely the longer he and his command staff examined the holo-display of their target, the colossal dreadnought containing their captured Commander.
The vessel itself was massive, easily eclipsing the Corsair in both size and armament. Defeating it alone would've proven to be a nearly insurmountable task, unfortunately, the station wasn't the only thing orbiting the dead planet. Six Galra warships were arranged in a loose defensive formation around the titanic dreadnought, culminating in a neigh impenetrable wall of death and devastation between Sun and his goal.
Of course, the Galra flotilla wasn't the only thing standing in his way, his own ship was hampering his rescue efforts. Despite the crew's best efforts, the Corsair was still suffering from the effects of its last engagement. Sure, they'd managed to fix the hull breaches and bring the targeting systems back online, but the system was still buggy without Tar to calibrate it and there was no telling how the field repairs would hold up in combat.
Especially since they'd only managed to resort the shields to twenty-five percent their normal capacity. Not that having them at full strength would've made much of a difference. The Corsair was never meant to slug it out with enemy ships. It was designed to be fast and maneuverable without sacrificing on fire power, a choice which had unfortunately left her with very little armor.
Normally, this wouldn't have been much of a problem, but with the engines, as damaged as they were complicated maneuvers were impossible. Meaning, that at the current moment, the Corsair was a glass cannon, a very slow glass cannon. A fact that Sun found rather irritating.
He'd always preferred to out maneuver his enemies rather than smash them with brute force. It was one of the things that had always set him apart, and one of the reasons he'd survived so long. No matter the odds, he'd always managed to complete his mission without putting his crew, or his ship, in unnecessary danger.
Unfortunately, given his current tactical limitations it seemed that course of action would be nearly impossible, a fact that weighed heavy upon the young Captain as he contemplated his course of action.
A fact that did not go unnoticed by his two remaining officers.
Even now as the two men sat at opposite sides of the once pristine bridge, glaring at the massive hologram, an overpowering sense of dread and despair continued to form in the back of their minds, and for good reason.
The massive dreadnought and its impressive flotilla presented an impenetrable wall of death. Even the planet they orbited seemed to emanate an aura of death and destruction.
The small world was located far closer to the system's star then the Corsair's current hiding spot, and there for, was little more than a barren rock, any trace of water or atmosphere having been scorched away by solar radiation centuries ago.
Eventually, Caz stood up, approaching the massive hologram as he slowly began to speak. "I hate to be the one to say it, but maybe we should reconsider this whole, rescue mission."
"What a surprise?" Vex said from across the room, a small hint of disdain in his voice. "Caz wants to run from a fight. Who could've guessed that?"
"You know what?" Caz yelled, his eyes shooting daggers at his seated comrade. "You might out rank me boy, but I've been in more battles then you could possibly imagine, so don't mistake my common sense for cowardice! Do you see what we're up against? Even if the Corsair wasn't falling apart around us we'd be wiped from existence the instant we left the atmosphere! So, whether you want to admit it or not, there is no way in hell we can pull this off!"
"I'm glad to see you have so much faith in our Shipmaster. Truly, you are a paragon of loyalty." Vex sarcastically replied as he rose to his feet. "If anyone can find a way to rescue Commander Shrike it's Sun. So, I suggest you sit your treacherous hide back down and wait for him to make a decision before I bust your skull..."
"Don't threaten me, boy!" Vex screamed, his face twisted in a snarl. "And in case you forgot I was a part of Sun's crew long before you were ever put on this ship, so don't lecture me on loyalty! I'd follow Sun to hell and back if he needed, but he doesn't. Shrike does, and I'm not going to throw my life away trying to save some stuck up high-born bit…"
"Both of you SHUT UP NOW!" Sun roared, silencing his bickering subordinates.
"What the hell is wrong with you two," he continued as he stepped down from the haggard remains of his command platform.
"…is this all you are?! A bunch of rabid animals that turn on each other the second things look bad?!" he paused for a moment, waiting more for emphasis than an actual answer.
"... NO, it's not! We're soldiers damn it, we're supposed to work together! To adapt, to survive, no matter what! Or have you two forgotten that?! Because I sure as hell haven't!" Sun screamed, pounding his chest.
"You're better than this! I taught you better than this! So, what if we're out numbered, who gives a damn!? We've always outnumbered, and outgunned, and matched, but you know what? We've always survived, and do you know why? Because that's what we are, survivors! So that's what we're gonna do, survive, every last one of us, no matter what! Do I make myself clear?!" Sun asked, his steely gaze rapidly shifting between the two stunned officers.
"Yes Sir," they answered, timidly.
"What was that?!" Sun Shouted in response.
"Aye Shipmaster!" They screamed in unison, their incendiary attitude thoroughly shattered by their commander's stern words.
"Good" Sun replied, the rage slowly leaving his voice. "now then, do I have to single-handedly save our asses again or did all that screaming actually manage to give one of you two geniuses an idea?"
"We could try praying?" Caz deadpanned, a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.
"You need to take this seriously Ensign." Vex snapped, irritated by his comrade's weak jest.
"I am being serious," Caz continued, gesturing towards the massive hologram. "…look at this shit. A dreadnought, six capital ships, God knows how many fighters, we'd be flying into a literal maelstrom of death. Not to mention the fact that if this really is a trap…"
"If the Shipmaster says it's a trap, then it's a trap," Vex interrupted.
"Well then" Caz continued as he rolled his eyes. "…they've got at least two, maybe even three more battle-groups waiting to attack the second we engage."
"He's right." Sun replied, "My best guess, they're waiting for us to engage, and once we do, they'll tie us down with fighters, jump the rest of the ships in behind us, and then…"
"BOOM!" Caz yelled, punching his hand. "we're all dead."
"Great" Sun began, sighing as he squeezed the space between his eyes, "so we can add tactical genius to their list of advantages."
"What makes you say that?" Vex asked, baffled by his commander's nonsensical leap in logic. "I don't see how coming up with a half descent strategy makes whatever arrogant prick they've got leading that flotilla a genius?"
"I hate to agree with the boy," Caz asked, "but he has a point."
"Isn't it obvious?" Sun asked, his voiced filled with genuine surprise.
"Should it be?" Caz asked.
"How can you not remember?" Sun asked, examining his comrade face for any sign of recollection.
"Remember what?" Vex asked, clearly confused by the exchange going on between his comrades.
"The Argon campaign…" Sun began, "…the battle of Tarfful, The…"
"Siege of Caliban," Caz said, his voice filled with sudden recollection.
"Oh yeah, Caliban, that's right….," Vex began, "I have no idea what in God's name you guys are talking about. Are you sure you two didn't get cracked in the head a few times back over Altilis?"
"Us?! You're the one with the memory of a noghrian rock fly! How could you not remember, you were the one driving the damn sh …"?
Suddenly, Sun's voice cut across the bridge, silencing Caz.
"Rex."
"Excuse me?" Vex asked, confused by his shipmaster random interruption.
"First Lieutenant Dom Rex," Sun replied, his words haunted by an eerie chill.
"Are you sure?" Caz asked before jabbing his thumb in Vex's direction. "I could have sworn it was this idiot."
"Hey," Vex began before being interrupted once again.
"I'm sure Ensign. Helmsmen Vex didn't join our crew until after Am… Duchess Merlin had us transferred to her fleet."
"Then why do I distinctly remember hating our Helmsmen for the entire Argon Campaign?"
"Because you hate most people."
"Oh yeah, good point."
"Seriously, who the hell is Rex?" Vex asked, frustrated.
"*sigh* Rex was the Helmsmen you replaced," Sun replied as slowly he lowered his gaze. "He was killed three days before we received our transfer orders."
"Oh," Vex said, unsure how to respond. He knew Sun didn't like to discuss their dead comrades.
"Well then, I guess that means we have some explaining to do," Caz said, awkwardly.
"You see, most Galra warships have between two or three dozen drone fighters on board at any given time. But a dreadnought, especially one that big, has anywhere between a few hundred to thousand fighters."
"I already know all this Ensign, what does it have to do with their commander being some kind of genius?"
"Come on Vex, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you can figure it out."
"Figure what out? You guys aren't making any sense, what do ship specs have to do with their Commander's intelligence.
"*sigh*You see that star," he said, pointing at the hologram in the center of the room. "It's giving off radiation, not enough to kill us, but more than enough to screw with our ship's targeting systems, that's means that it'll be nearly impossible for us to take out any small targets like, for example, a swarm of Galra drone fighters.
"Oh that…" Vex replied, blushing.
"I knew that, I just thought you guys were talking about something else." He lied, desperately trying to keep himself from looking foolish in front of his Sun.
"Did anyone ever tell you, you suck at lying?"
"Did anyone ever tell you you're a prick?"
"Wow, I thought you…"
"Gentlemen!" Sun interrupted, "Can we please stay focused
"I don't know, some Galra admiral?" Vex halfheartedly replied.
"Nope, that tactic was invented by none other than our very own Captain Sun Vac. He came up with it back when we were stuck on this run down old destroyer called the Onager. We'd lure a whole mess of those purple bastards to an active star, launch ever torpedo we had, , and then run like hell. And those fools fell for it every single time."
"Well boss," Vex began as he turned to face his commander. "looks like you were wrong when you said Galra never learn from their mistakes, whoever this bastard is, he knows what he's doing, and he knows you. Or, at least you style. I hate to admit it but, we might not be able to pull this off after all."
"That's what I've been trying to say this whole time!" Caz began, "We're out gunned, out maneuvered, and out planned, no offense boss. It'll take a miracle for us to even get close to that ship."
"So, what you're saying is," Sun began, his calm voice slicing through the tension filled air like a knife "we need to pull off a miracle?"
"No, I'm saying we should probably give up and go home, but, if you're dead set on this whole suicide mission idea, then yeah, I guess what I'm saying is, we need to pull off a god damn miracle."
"Well then," Vex began triumphantly as he eyes suddenly flashed with hope. "I guess it's a good thing miracles are our specialty."
"Did you really just say that out loud?" Caz asked, his palm releasing an audible thud as it collided with his forehead.
"Yes, yes I did. Do you have a problem with that Ensign?"
"No, just realizing that I'm going to die surrounded by an idiotic fanboy and a disgruntled orphan, just like the gypsy wom…"
"Both of you, FOCUS" Sun yelled, much to his own discomfort. He didn't enjoy screaming at his crew, hell, he didn't like screaming period. Unfortunately, at the current moment, his harsh words were the only thing keeping his subordinates from resuming their petty squabbles.
"Complementing me and complaining about our situation isn't going to solve anything and one way or another we're saving the Commander. So, unless you want to go charging into battle guns blazing like a bunch of brain dead yelmores I'd suggest we start thinking."
"Well," Caz began "we don't have any Starfighters so trying to distract them while we sneak aboard is out of the question."
"We have shuttles." Vex continued,
"Wouldn't work…" Sun replied, shaking his head "…they're too big, even with the interference from the star they pick us up on their scopes before we got within a thousand units of that dreadnought."
"Well then…" Caz began chuckling to himself. "…I guess that leaves option three."
"Which is?"
"Shot ourselves out the air lock and pray to every God we can think of that we don't end up as horribly misshapen blobs of smoldering goo."
Sun's lips slowly began to twist into a small, devious smile, a smile Caz and Vex immediately recognized. As soon as Caz saw it he knew their superior had either 1) constructed a heroically cunning plan to free Shrike, hold off the dreadnought, out maneuver the entire enemy fleet and somehow get everyone home alive. Or 2) concocted some ludicrously dangerous gambit that would more than likely end up with him dying.
Or both.
It was normally both.
Whatever the case may be, Caz knew there was no way he could talk him out of it, not that he wouldn't try of course. He always tried, and, unfortunately, it never seemed to work.
…
"You can't be serious!" Caz yelled, his terrified voice soon becoming lost in the sea of voices flooding the corridor as the panicked young Ensign struggled to keep up with his commanding officer as they made their way through the hectic, frenzied mass of people clogging the passageway. All around them crew members frantically rushed about, each one rushing to perform his or her part of their Shipmaster's daring, if somewhat foolish, plan. Despite the chaos, however, not one collided with Sun. In fact, the boisterous herd of crew members seemed to morph around him, almost as if he was surrounded by an impenetrable force field. Caz however, was not so lucky. The young officer struggled to remain afloat in the ever-changing ocean of people in a desperate attempt to keep up with Sun.
"You do know that no matter how many times you ask me that question my answer won't change?" Sun called back to his drowning friend.
"But you don't honestly believe you can…" Caz replied moments before colliding with an engineer caring multiple rather large tools, several of which came dangerously close to landing on the young Ensign's foot.
"You should really be more careful Ensign, if you're not careful you're going to get yourself killed." Sun said, chuckling to himself.
"Really, I'm the one who's going to get himself killed?" Caz shouted after taking a few moments to recuperate. "This plan of yours is completely insane. If something goes wrong, you could end up captured… or dead… or worse."
"I'm from Umbra remember, if there is anything worse than dying I've already been through it." He replied, smirking.
"You do know you're not invincible just because you grew up in some hell hole, right?"
"I know…"
"Then why the hell do you keep acting like it?"
Suddenly, the young Shipmaster froze in place, spun around, and looked Caz dead in the eye.
"Because Caz, I don't have any other choice."
"What?" Caz began, clearly confused.
"Because if I don't people die." Sun continued. His voice soft, but intense, more intense than he'd ever been before. "Look around. These soldiers, followed me half way across the galaxy on a suicide mission to save someone they don't even like. Not because it's their job, not because they think we can pull this off, not because they want to be heroes, but because I'm the only one who's ever looked out for them in this these screwed up hell hole we call the universe. They count on me, they look up me, do you have any idea what that's like? Three hundred souls looking to you for guidance? Three hundred souls who believe that no matter what happens you can get them home alive? I can't afford to doubt myself, because when I do, I screw up and when I screw up, people die, people I care about. So, if my crew needs me to do the impossible, then you can be damn sure that's what I'm going to do, even if it gets me killed. Do you understand me Ensign?"
Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds after he'd finished, almost as if the young officer's emotional confession had frozen time itself. Soon however, time began its crawl once more and soon the young Ensign began to speak.
"I understand sir." Caz finally answered, his voice little more than a stupefied whisper.
"Good," Sun continued, his previous tune slowly returning. "now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Once he'd finished Sun, only to be stopped by a few sudden words from Caz.
"Hey, Sun."
"Yes?" Sun asked, glancing back over his shoulder.
"I just wanted to say…you better come back in one peace you lousy ash pile, because there's no way in hell I'm listening to Vex cry his eyes out all the way back to Amicus."
Sun chuckled a few times before answering. "Don't worry Caz, I wouldn't dream of leaving you two idiots in charge of my ship." And with that, the two officers saluted each other for the last time before Sun disappeared into the endless mass of sailor crowding the cramped hallway. But, before long, a small smile began to form on the young ensign's lips as he softly whispered to himself.
"Thanks boss," he said wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye, "for everything."
…
I can't believe I'm about to do this. Sun thought to himself, as he continued to pace from one end of the small metallic chamber to the other, repeating the details of his plan over and over again in his mind, searching for some kind of fatal flaw. Unfortunately, the more he scrutinized the details of his desperate last-ditch effort, the less likely it seemed he'd ever be able to determine a single crippling flaw. If he was being honest, his entire plan was riddled with weaknesses and tactile oversights, any of which could have put a quick and violent end to the young captain's rescue mission.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a much of a choice. He didn't have time to come up with a better plan, they needed to rescue Shrike now. Sun could only imagine what kind of horrible torture she was being subjected to at this very moment. Not to mention the fact that the longer they stayed hidden this close to the Galra fleet, the greater the chance they would somehow be discovered. A series of events that would inevitably lead to their destruction.
Besides, it was doubtful Sun would ever be able to formulate a strategy even marginally superior to the one he'd already created, no matter how much time he was given to do so. The truth is, with the limited resources Sun and his crew had available to them, any plan they could create would be severely flawed. At least with this plan they had the element of surprise on their side.
No one in their right mind would ever expect someone to try and board a Galra dreadnought, especially not like this.
Suddenly, a robotic voice filled the small chamber Sun was currently residing in. "Caution, Caution, Caution, Airlock opening, Airlock opening. Explosive decompression in ten…nine…eight…."
As the voice began to count down, Sun braced himself in preparation.
You know, Sun thought to himself, maybe this is a bad id…
Before he could finish his thought, the airlock shot open, launching Sun into the cold, endless void of space.
…
A small red light suddenly began to flash catching the attention of the Galra soldier looming over the control panel.
"Hey," she shouted, addressing her comrade.
"What?" he responded while rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt to stay awake, a clear sign of how bored he truly was.
"I think there's something wrong with the airlock in sector four…"
"What do you mean there's something wrong with it? We just checked the damn thing an hour ago, what the hell could have possibly happened since then?"
"Well, if you'd shut up for two ticks I'd tell…"
"You don't have to be so mean, I'm just asking a question."
"Will you please just shut up, so I can tell you what the hell's going on? This might be important."
"Fine what is it."
"The computer said the air lock in sector four was opened…"
"So, it was probably just a repair sentry going for a spacewalk. Their supervisor must have forgotten to fill the notification form again. Honestly, I don't understand how that fat bastard keeps forgetting, it's the only damn thing he has to do around here." The tired Galra replied, turning his attention back to the monumental assortment of flashing lights laid out in front of him before releasing a yawn.
"Trust me, it's not a sentry." His comrade replied clearly annoyed by his seeming disinterest and what she had to say.
"And how the hell do you know that?"
"Because, the computer says the airlock was opened from the outside."
"So," he replied with indifferently. "some idiot probably forgot to report a repair again, this kind of crap happens all the time. Trust me, it's just a sentry, nothing more.
"That doesn't make any sense, the computer would never mistake a sentry for an intruder …"
"Why?" the male asked, his voice still groggy from sleep.
"What do mean why?"
"I mean, why wouldn't a sentry set off the alarm? The damn thing goes off every time the airlock has an unscheduled opening."
"Unless a sentry's the one who opened it." she replied matter-of-factly.
"Why?" her comrade asked, clearly still confused.
"Did you even read the operating manual they gave us when we got this post?"
"No, are you kidding me, that thing was like three hundred pages long?"
"So, I read it…"
"Wait really?" he said in disbelief.
"Yeah…" she replied dumbfounded by his apparent amazement
"The entire thing?"
"Yes…"
"From start to finish?"
"Yes," she replied, before groaning loudly. "you know, the fact that you're so amazed simply because I did my job is actually pretty pathetic."
"You're pathetic." He screamed, sounding more like a child then a soldier. As he did so, a scowl began to form on his face. It was clear he found no enjoyment in this conversation, in fact, he was starting to become annoyed. It was bad enough he had to spend all day locked in a tiny room staring at a massive swarm of neigh indistinguishable lights, now some overzealous replacement was ruining the only good thing about this worthless post, an ample supply of nap time.
"I am not!" she screamed in response, a sense of subtle gall and malice clear in her voice.
"Really?! You do realize, most people don't have time to sit down and read a three-hundred-page manual about when and why one of these freaking lights is going to go off."
"Well, I'm sorry if I actually care about my job, unlike you, but I'm not just going to sit around and ignore this alarm. What if someone's trying to sneak aboard?"
"Who in Zarkon's name would be trying to sneak aboard?! No one's dumb enough to try something that stupid!" He screamed clearly exasperated but his comrade's stubborn refusal to abandon her idiotic concerns. "We're in the middle of freaking nowhere, surrounded by warships, dangerously close to an active star! No one in their right mind would try and sneak board! Hell, no one in their right mind would even want to! Besides, if there was a ship within ten light years of this flotilla the witch would've sounded the alarm herself!"
"Well, we can't just ignore it?" the female replied, clearly undeterred by her begrudging co-worker's infuriated outburst.
"Have you not been listening to a single word I said? That's exactly what we should do!"
"But, if someone really is trying to sneak aboard, and command figures out we knew and choose to ignore it they'll kill us."
"Yeah, but if we raise the alarm and it turns out it's just a computer glitch, they'll be pissed again. Really, really pissed."
"Do you really think that's worse than dying?"
"You've obviously never seen what that witch does to people who piss her off. The sentries are still cleaning up what's left of the last guy that made her angry and he was an officer, he wasn't expendable like us."
"We're not expendable…"
"Damn it Z, a pair of sentries could do our job… and they'd probably be better it then we are!"
"Okay, you have a point there." She agreed, reluctantly. "So, what do we do then?"
"We could have a sentry check it out?" he replied, finally working towards a solution.
"No, we can't."
"Why not?"
"Because, we don't have the authority to repurpose drones… of course you'd have already know that if you'd actually read the manual."
"Fine," he replied before letting out an annoyed groan. "then I guess one of us has to go check it out."
"Okay then, why don't you go?"
"Wait, why do I have to go? You're the rookie, you should go."
"*sigh* One of us has to stay here in case anything else happens, and it's obvious I'm the only one who actually understands what we're supposed to be doing here."
"Fine, I'll go. But this better not be another wild yalmors chase or I'm gonna be pissed."
"Good, now the computer says the airlocks internal doors still haven't opened, that means whatever it is is still in the airlock's pressurization chamber, so all you have to do is head to sector four, open the airlock, and see if there's anything or anyone inside. If it's empty, it means this whole thing was just a computer glitch and nothing to worry about."
"And what happens if there is someone waiting inside."
"When then I guess you'll just have to take care of them. Good news is, if they're still locked in the pressurization chamber they're obviously not very good at their job."
"What if they're waiting in there on purpose?"
"Why the hell would they do that?" she asked.
"I don't know, why the hell would they try and sneak onto a worthless space station in the middle of nowhere?" He snarked in response.
"Will you just go already?" she impatiently replied.
"Fine, but if I die it's your fault."
"You're not going to die you coward." She yelled, her harsh words reverberating down the corridor as her needled comraded slowly made his way towards the airlock in question, blissfully unaware of the dangers awaiting him at his destination.
…...
"Was it red-red-green or red-green-red?" Sun mumbled as he continued to fiddle with the disordered mass of wires extruding from the panel controlling the chamber's locking mechanism.
"Damn it," he grumbled, before tearing out a fist full of wires. "they must have upgraded these things since the last time I did this. That's not good. I'll have to find a sentry and snag its hand before…" Suddenly, the young Shipmaster stopped mid-sentence and froze in place, his face twisted into an odd look of discomfort. Then, without warning he tossed the wires he was aside, unsheathed his dagger, and pressed his ear up against the door.
There it was clear as day, footsteps, and they were getting closer. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed it, especially not through an air tight metal door, but Sun wasn't most people. He could hear them loud and clear, someone coming.
Damn, he thought to himself. I must've tripped some kind of alarm. Whelp, I might as well make the best of this, besides. He thought, glaring down at the disheveled mass of wires. It's not like I was getting out of here anytime soon.
Slowly, the young Shipmaster stepped backed and readied himself.
"Five…" Sun whispered to himself "Four…Three…Two…"
Right on cue, the door flew open revealing a single Galra soldier clutching small data pad.
"What the f…" was all he managed to say before Sun attacked. In rapid section, the Young Shipmaster reached up, grabbed the man by the collar, stabbed him in the gut, threw him to the ground, and plunged his dagger through the back of the poor man's neck.
"Well," Sun said, admiring his handy work. "you're not a sentry, but you'll have to do."
Then the young captain reached down and grabbed the dead man by the wrist and placed the blade of his dagger against the man's forearm.
Wait, Sun thought, stopping himself before he could make the first insertion. this'll take at least twenty minutes and I don't have that kind of time. Well, I guess it's all for the best, Galra blood never washes out. No matter, I'll just have to grab a hand off an actually sentry on the way to the brig. And with that, Sun returned his dagger to its sheath, grabbed the blaster rifle off his back, and left the airlock.
…
Footsteps echoed though out the dreadnought's detention block as Sun inched his way down the vacant corridor leading to the Shrike's cell. Or at least Sun hoped it was Shrike's cell. Honestly, he had no idea where his missing commander was being held. Hell, for all he knew Shrike wasn't even on this ship, but ever Galra soldiers he'd "questioned" on his on trek to the detention block had told him the only prisoner they had was being held in cell 1138, the very cell he was currently approaching. Normally Sun would've never trusted a single shred of information he'd gotten from a Galra soldier, mostly due to the fact that their officers made it a point to lie as much as physically possible, therefore rendering any information extracted from a rank and file soldier completely and utterly useless. But, his current desperation combined with the sheer number of soldiers he'd "questioned" convinced him that they were telling the truth, or at the very least a reasonable facsimile.
Luckily, Sun had been able to take out every soldier he'd encountered so far without raising any alarms, a feat that most soldiers would've found impossible. This, combined with the sheer size and scale of the Dreadnought, meant the chances of anyone noticing the ship's sudden reduction in staff were rather slim. Meaning that, at least for the time being, Sun still had the element of surprise, a valuable asset intracule to Sun's overall escape plan.
Unfortunately, none of this helped to ease the Captain's troubled mind.
For some strange reason, no matter how hard Sun tried he just couldn't shake this odd feeling of dread building in the back of his mind.
Most people would have assumed this strange feeling was simply a byproduct of the dangerous situation Sun currently found himself in, unfortunately Sun wasn't most people, not by a long shot. Ironically, facing mortal danger was one of the few things that didn't put Sun edge. Unlike most aspects of life, combat came naturally to Sun, mostly due to upbringing. Hell to him, infiltrating a massive enemy warship to rescue a captured member of his crew wasn't just simple, it felt as normal to him as breathing, or at least it should have.
Instead, fear was slowly creeping its way into the back of his mind, like a parasite feeding off his own unknown apprehensions. In fact, the closer he got to his destination, the worse he began to fell. Almost as if the chamber itself was imitating an aura of death and despair.
But there was no time to worry about trivial things like fear, the distance between him and Shrike's cell was rapidly decreasing, not to mention the fact that if and when he managed to save Shrike he still had to get the both of them off of a heavy armed Galra ship and back aboard the Corsair without being completely annihilated.
Luckily the first part of his ludicrous plan was final completely, now all he had to do was open the damn door.
Whelp, Sun thought as he retrieved a severed robotic hand from his belt, here goes nothing.
Suddenly, the door flew open to reveal…. nothing.
What the hell? Sun asked himself as he hesitantly raised his blaster before crossing the thresh before him.
"This doesn't make any sense" he mumbled to himself as he examined the empty room. No matter how hard he looked there was no sign of Commander Shrike, or anyone else for that matter. There were no blankets tossed about, no scuff marks on the floor, no scratches on the walls, even the air smelled sterile and lifeless. It was as if the cell had remained vacant sense the day it's construction. In fact the longer Sun spent in that room the more he became convinced that no was, or had ever, occupied the cell his was currently exploring. And yet, nearly a dozen Galra soldiers had explicitly stated, after a bit of persuasion, that this was where they were keeping his missing comrade, and yet she was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe she's hiding? He thought as he racked his brain for ideas that didn't involve him searching ever cell the dreadnought had.
"Commander…" he whispered to the shadows tuck away in the rear of cell. "…you can come out now. I'm here to res…"
Before he could finish, someone, or something, grabbed him from behind wrapping its arms around his neck in an attempt to strangle him to death. Luckily, Sun was used to being attacked. Acting more on instinct that conscious thought he quickly lunged backwards, crushing his assailant between the wall and himself. Then, in one fluid motion, he reached back, grabbed his attacker by the hair, flipped them over his shoulder, and stomped on their chest, a demented wheeze echoing throughout the cramped chamber as the air was violently forced from their lungs. Finally, he aimed the barrel of his rifle right at his attacker's face, his finger pressed tight against the trigger, applying as much force as physically possible without actually firing the weapon. A single twitch and the mystery figures brains would be replaced with a bolt of super charged particles, and yet, he hesitated. Not out of mercy, but of confusion.
As he stood there with his weapon trained face he suddenly realized, the person he was mere ticks from killing, was the same one he'd come to rescue. Crushed beneath the young Captain's scuffed boot, was Commander Shrike, gasping for air as she struggled to breath in spite of the weight currently compressing her chest.
"By the light of God," Sun began as he removed his foot. "what the hell are you doing here?"
"That's a pretty stupid question, don't you think?" Shrike answered as she struggled to refill her lungs. "I was captured remember, a cell seems like a pretty obvious place for me to be. Now, if we're done with the interview, would you mind helping me up? It seems some oaf knocked me to ground."
"Well then," Sun said between chuckles as he helped to her feet. "I'm glad to see your incarceration hasn't put a damper on your cheery disposition. Never the less, I'd be a little more positive if I were you. Most Shipmasters wouldn't risk their necks to rescue their subordinates, especially not from the belly of a Galra dreadnought."
Shrike's suddenly changed from one of open hostility to a much softer look, almost as if she was surprised by something Sun had said.
"My apologies, Shipmaster. I didn't recognize you, my eyes have been playing tricks on me ever since they stuck me in this lightless box, and I'm sure that blow to the head I just got didn't help much either." She replied, smiling as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Sorry about that Commander, but in my defense, you were the one that attacked me."
"My apologies, Shipmaster. I thought you were a Galra soldier coming to…." Shrike began before being interrupted by a sudden burst of muffled laughter from her superior. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just… I think you've apologized to me more in the past thirty tickets then you have in our entire career together? Are you sure I didn't knock a fuse loose or something?" Sun asked as he tapped his finger against his temple.
"Don't worry Sir, it's nothing really. I'm just a little shaken after everything that's happened. I'll be okay."
"Are you sure? After everything that happened over Altilis I kind of surprised to see you up about?"
"I could say the same about you, last time I saw you, you were on the brink of death. Hell, until you opened that door I thought you were dead."
"Trust me, when I finally bite the dust it'll take a lot more than a few cheap robots and some fanatical soldiers to finally put me down." Sun replied, chuckling at his own weak jest.
"That's a little arrogant, don't think."
"A wise man once said, it's better to be over confident then unsure."
"What idiot ever said that?"
"Tar, several times actually."
"Whoever this Tar guy is, he sounds like he needs his head examined." Shrike replied without the slightest hint of sarcasm, a detail Sun found rather unsettling.
"Are you sure you're okay Commander?" He asked, his usually stern expression replaced by one of obvious discomfort.
"I already told you, I'm fine. I'm just a little, shaken, after everything that's happened."
Sun paused for a moment, his cold blue eyes examining every detail of her face for any noticeable distinction between the women standing before him, and the officer he'd served with for the past year and a half. But, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find a single detail that set her apart from the women he'd known before the gala. And yet, he couldn't shake this feeling that something was off.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid, he thought, or maybe….
"We should get moving," he said, hesitantly. "We have to move quickly if we want to avoid the next patrol."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Shrike asked as she held out her hand.
"What?" she continued, clearly annoyed by Sun response, a blank expression. "You don't honestly expect me to wonder around a Galra warship unarmed, do you?"
"Sorry," Sun replied casually, "it must have slipped my mind." And with that, he took one of the pistoles off his belt, flipped around and placed the handle in his subordinates outstretched hand. "Here you go. Now then, we should get moving, I'll take point."
With that settled, the pair slowly approached the entrance to the cell, carefully checking hall for any signs of the enemy before continuing on their way. Sun took the lead, his rifle at righty as he walked, half crouched, towards the T shaped intersection at the end of the corridor. Shrike followed close behind, her pistole carefully aimed over Sun left shoulder ready to engage anyone that appeared in front of them. The pair came to a stop as they approached the first corner, hidden just out of sight from anyone that might be on either side of the intersection. With a quick wave of his hand Sun motioned for Shrike to check the left side while he cleared the right. Then, after a count of three, both soldiers slowly peered around their respective corners, just like they'd both practiced a thousand times over.
Having discovered both corridors to be vacant the pair continued on their way, methodically creeping down the corridor on the right.
"Shipmaster," Shrike whispered, her voice barely audible.
"What is it Commander?" Sun replied at a similar volume, his gaze still locked on the empty corridor in front of him
"If you don't mind me asking, where's the rest of the rescue team?"
"I am the rescue team."
"What?!" She replied barley managing to repress her own surprise long enough to quite her voice "you're the only one who came to rescue me?"
"No, I'm just the only one that came aboard."
"If that's the case, where's the rest of the crew?"
"Waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Us, once we reach the hanger all we have to do is steal a pair of fighter and rendezvous with them and we'll be home free."
"That's your plan?" She replied cynically.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Once again Shrike was silent, and once again she began to speak after a brief intermission.
"What about the Paladin?"
"What about her?" Sun replied, his callus tone surprising the young.
"Is she with the rest of the crew?"
"No."
Shrike froze for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by his response.
"If she's not on y… our ship, where is she?"
"I'm afraid I have no idea."
"What?!"
"I left her back on Altilis, I have no idea what happened to her after that…"
Just then Sun felt the familiar feeling of a cold metal barrel being pressed against the back of his neck.
"Well then" Shrike began, her voice slowly transforming as she continued to speak, "I guess there's no reason for conversation to continue."
"What the hell did you do with my Commander?" Sun barked, tossing his rifle aside as he slowly raised his hands.
"That whelp, I disposed of her after she told me everything I wanted to know."
"Drop the act, I know she's still alive." Sun replied, his voice filled the brink with rage.
"What's makes you say that?"
"Because, if you're not dumb enough to kill her without getting any useful information out of her. And I know for a fact that she didn't tell you a damn thing."
"You have far too much faith in you underling Sun, that pathetic little girl broke the second I…"
"Will you stop it with that shit already. If she had told you anything, you wouldn't have done such a piss poor job pretending to be her."
"If my performance was so bad, why am I holding a loaded pistol to the back your neck?"
"Who ever said it was loaded?"
"What?"
Before the imposter could react Sun wiped around, smashing her in the face with elbow before cracking her across the jaw, stunning her long enough for him to retrieve his rifle. But before he could take aim, a mysterious force slammed into him, knocking the weapon from his hand and lunching several yards down the corridor.
Miraculously, Sun had managed to land on his feet and after a slit second delay, he drew his remaining pistole and fired several shots at his opponent who was now rapidly approaching. Unfortunately, his wraith like attacker effortlessly dodge ever shot Sun fire until finally, she reached him.
Before Sun could react the imposter swiftly knocked the pistole from hand before slashing his across the chest with what appeared to claws that had seemingly materialized out of thin aim. Then while Sun was doubled over, wincing in pain, she reached out, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him nearly a foot off the ground.
"You're going to regret striking me!" She hissed, as energy began to course through her hand electrocuting Sun.
Just then Sun reached down, quickly grabbing the hilt of his dragger before swiftly thrusting it through the forearm of his attacker, losing her enough for break free and causing her to violently shriek with pain.
"I'm getting tired of being electrocuted by you assholes." He said between desperate gasps, his muscles screaming in pain as he agonizingly picked himself up off the deck.
Unfortunately, before he could recover he was suddenly slammed into the ceiling, his whole body surrounded by an aura of dark energy. He desperately tried to move his limbs but to no avail, every inch of his body was being forced the ceiling as if some tremendous weight had been placed upon him, pinning in place.
"You worthless, peace of filth!" The imposter shrieked as she removed the blade from her arm, drops of dark energy seeming to emanate from the wound.
"It… takes one… to know one." Sun replied, each and every syllable a struggle against the overwhelming force imposed upon him.
Suddenly the imposter flicked her wrist, causing Sun to violently slam into the floor beneath him only to be immediately returned ceiling at the same destructive pace, both blows resulting in a load bang followed by several blood curdling cracks.
"Do you think you're funny?" The imposter hissed before slamming her captive into a wall.
"Do you think you're clever?" She screamed before catapulting Sun into floor.
"Do you think you're special?" She roared, returning to the ceiling.
"Do you think you matter? Well you don't!" She continued, punctuating each sentence by smashing Sun into one of the corridors many hard surfaces.
"Not to your crew!"
*SLAM*
"Not to that Duchess!"
*CRASH*
"Not to your parents!"
*BANG*
"And not to that Paladin!"
*CRACK*
And with that finally impact, Sun finally blacked out, but not before catching one last glimpse of his attacker. A hunched over women in dark robes with long white hair, and two glowing, yellow, eyes.