The Sting Ray and the Manta Ray came out of warp not far from a large ice rock. Lieutenant Gannon, commander of the Sting Ray, looked out the front window of his Corvette. He hadn't seen much experience, having just graduated officer's training school less than a year ago. Still, he graduated at the top of his class. The bridge of the Sting Ray was rather cramped. He was both the pilot and the commander; seated at the helm on the right side. To his left was his navigator and tacticle officer. Just behind him sat his communications and sensor officer. Surrounding them; above, in front, and to all sides, were all manner of control panels, readouts, and computer panels. The windows, both the front and the sides, were relatively small. Gannon leaned back towards his communications officer. "Do we still have an open channel to the Manta Ray?"
The young corporal obeyed and nodded. "Thanks." He leaned back forward and spoke into the speaker in front of him. "Sting Ray to Manta Ray... Sting Ray to Manta Ray, over."
The female voice of Lieutenant Featherly, echoed back over the speaker. "Manta Ray, this is Featherly, over."
"Colonel?" Gannon questioned to the speaker.
Moments, later, the southern accented voice of Colonel Prichard came through. "What is it, Gannon?"
"We're near Orias V. If there is something out here, it's probably near Orias II or III. There's a lot of debris over there. That'll make sensor readings hard."
"Understood," Prichard replied. "Move at three-quarters impulse power towards what's left of Orias III. Weatherly, stay on Gannon's wing and keep the channel open, over."
"Roger that, over."
"Understood, over." Smoothly, the Manta Ray slid up beside the Sting Ray as the two ships accelerated.
The two ships continued sailing towards the inner system for another thirty minutes, which was strewn with asteroids, planetoids and debris from the explosion of Orias III and the resulting destruction of Orias IV as a result. As they neared the asteroid belt, the speaker began to fade into static.
"Manta Ray," Gannon began, "Manta Ray, this is Sting Ray, over." For a moment, Grace Featherly's voice could barely be heard over the static. Then, it was gone entirely. "Gannon to Colonel Prichard. Colonel, are you there?" Again, there was only static. Gannon leaned back again. "Corporal, are the asteroids causing this?"
The system engineer flew through controls and computer screens. In the end, he could only shrug. "I don't think so, but I can't be sure."
Gannon scratched his head for a moment, then shook his head. "I think we're being jammed. Get the limpet speaker ready. I'm moving up along side the Manta Ray." With a few presses of buttons, Gannon brought the Sting Ray to a stop, then eased the Sting Ray sideways with the maneuvering thrusters until he was less than a hundred meters from the Manta Ray. Through the starboard window, he could see her questioning face through her port window. He held up his pointer finger to suggest 'one minute'. She nodded. "Okay, fire away," Gannon ordered.
A small panel on the bottom of the Sting Ray opened, and a small, rotating platform quickly slid down. It spun around to point a tube at the Manta Ray. Silently, a cabled projectile fired from the tube and impacted the port hull of the Manta Ray just under the port window. The cable stretched taught as a panel under the Manta Ray followed the same pattern. Within several seconds, a cabled projectile was fired at the Sting Ray. It impacted the starboard side of the Sting Ray with a thud. Gannon then pointed to his communications officer. He spoke into his speaker. "Featherly, do you hear me?"
A voice echoed throughout the bridge wall. "Yes, Sir. I hear you loud and clear."
Gannon nodded. This was certainly a primitive form of communication, but when faced with advances in technology, sometimes the best step forward was a step back. By applying old-style analog audio signals directly into the hull of a nearby object of vessel, you can turn the metal into a speaker. "Look this interference may be caused by the asteroids and it may not. Let's keep looking, but keep a sharp eye out. The first sign of danger, you bug out and get help. I'll keep them busy."
Featherly shook her head. "No way, Sir. I'm not leaving you behind. We fight..."
"Lieutenant, I'm the mission commander here." He interrupted. "That's a direct order. You bug out. Got it?"
She paused long and hard. They had been friends all through basic training, officer's training, and even flight training. She was engaged to his best friend. The thought of leaving him to an enemy that would, most likely, have him completely outmatched made her sick. Her expression became resolute. She was a Marine... before a fiancee, before a friend... she was a soldier. And she had been given an order by her commanding officer. "Yes, Sir." She answered.
"Good," he nodded. "Detatch the limpet and let's go. Look sharp." He nodded to his communications tech. With a single button press, the speaker's magnetism was cut. The cable quickly retracted the speaker back to its platform, which then retracted back into the ship. The speaker attached to the Sting Ray followed suit.
Following his lead, the two Corvettes headed towards what was left of Orias III.