Xinyun Cluster, Da Ling Er outer system, SSV Vasco De Gama, Rear Admiral Noah Beek, 0900 April 4th 2157:
I stare at the display sitting in the center of the Vasco De Gama's bridge, awed by the Relay show by it. An object that is older than any human civilization to even exist, yet more advanced than anything we have ever built and still in operation. It's these grand objects and the vast ruins spread across the stars that remind me of humanity's small place in the universe, and how far we could go.
"Admiral, the Captain of the MSV Danube has reported that the generators are ready and jump starting of the Relay can begin as soon as ordered" the words of my Flag Lieutenant, a man rather new to the position by the name of Steven Hacket, bring me back from my thoughts. The title Admiral still feels odd to me, just a month ago I was a Capitan, and less than a decade ago I wasn't even part of any military, just an explorer working to survey the Kuiper Belt for the UNAS's NASA. Now, I'm a Rear Admiral of the Systems Alliance, an organization I joined not too long ago. 'Has it already been eight years, has time truly passed so quickly?' It feels like it was yesterday I signed up for the Alliance, wishing to see the galaxy opened up to humanity by the Mars Ruins. Now, I command a Flotilla of my own, the 29th to be exact, ready to travel into the unknown.
"Tell her permission granted, I want that Relay active before 1200" Hacket acknowledges and moves to inform Captain Ross of her orders. The SSV Danube is an odd ship, an Atlas class Cargo Ship of about a million tons, upgraded to Alliance spec and modified to carry a massive fusion reactor and capacitors. Its sole purpose is to jump start Mass Relays from their dormancy to allow the Alliance to use them. The ship is technically not part of the Task Force, only here to activate the Relay before returning to Sol to await its next expedition. This is the ships first test, its first experiment to see if it actually works, thus why it's connecting to a middle of nowhere Relay the Alliance can live to lose if it goes wrong.
I move my hand across the holographic display table at the center of the bridge, its metallic, unmarred exterior seeming almost soft to the touch. I look down and see the slight discoloration between the tables shell and the deck plates it's connected to. 'Not even a decade old and the Alliance considers her middle age'. The Vasco de Gama was one of the first Exploration Cruisers built by the Alliance, created using the most advanced technology mankind had at the time. Now, however, she is considered out of date, its technology outstriped by new tech created or reverse engineered in the last few years. Late last year, she went into drydock for a mid-life refit, its old tech replaced with more modern equipment, or at least the small things. It was only a partial refit, her engines and reactors were kept intact, the Alliance not wishing to replace such expensive equipment on a ship not expected to be in service by next decade's end.
I watch as the Danube moves to attach to the Relay, its bulk moving with a lack of grace expected of a Cargo Ship, though helped a bit by the additional RCS Thrusters added by the Alliance.
I am violently pulled from my thoughts only moments before the Danube is meant to begin jump-starting the Relay by one of the de Gama's officers shouting to me "Unscheduled vessel leaving FTL, does not match any known design."
The Relay is replaced with an image of an odd ship, with two wings and a sharp, almost avian silhouette. "Report" I bark out, hoping none of my fear passed into my voice.
"Unknown spacecraft, 500 meters long, estimated 300,000 to 800,000 tons, readings say it is armed" the sensor officer says, unable to hide the concern I feared within my voice from hers.
I turn to the communications officer "Tell the Frigates to move between us and the vessel" I order, referring to the quartet of Frigates attached to the Task Force.
My order is obeyed and I see the four Hastings class Frigates move between the unknown warship and my small Flotilla of exploration ships and Transports.
Only shortly after I see a massive explosion on the display, overcoming the representation of the Relay and the Danube with a great light. "Report!" I shout
"The Danube exploded, it's just gone!" The panic in the officer's voice is clear as day, and it has begun to spread.
Before we are able to even fully process the events of the last few moments, the same officer shouts out "Weapons fire, SSV Yamen under fire from unknown ship, Yamen destroyed, all hands lost"
Only a few moments later, I responded "Weapons free, take down that ship".
Xinyun Cluster, Da Ling Er outer system, PFS Solana Hanus, Captain Third Class Sanos Partinax, 0900 April 4th 2157:
I look out onto the Solana Hanus's bridge, my crew working hard as we approach our destination in FTL.
"Five minutes until we reach Relay 313, sir" My third officer says. 'Good, than we can get back home and away from this assignment' patrolling the systems between Cyclops Delta and the newly discovered Relays isn't exactly a most interesting way to serve the Hierarchy. 50 light years of near or lightly populated systems, half a year of searching for illegal prospectors or mining operations, almost no contact besides the monthly Courier Drone sent out to predesignated systems. 'At least it's almost over' once the Solana Hanus reaches Relay 313, it will go through back to where we started in Cyclops Delta, and be reassigned to a different patrol, 'hopefully one that isn't so spirit's damned dull'.
I'm pulled from my thoughts by the standard automated warning from a feminine, but lifeless, VI's voice "Vessel leaving FTL in 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 leaving FTL".
I do not expect what comes next "Unknown contacts near Relay 314, 12 vessels, one of which is attached to the Relay"
The report from the sensor officer leaves me shocked but I respond "Composition?"
The response is almost immediate "Seven craft of Cruiser or Cargo Ship scale, another Six of Frigate scale. Four of the Frigate scale vessels are moving between us and the unknown Flotilla and closing".
"Arm weapons and kinetic barriers" I order, which my crew faithfully obey as I observe the image of the unknown Frigate; its small, only 160 meters long, and appears to be equipped with a spinal Mass Accelerator, but anything else cannot be known unless they open fire.
'Why are they here? There is nothing to gain, the system is nearly worthless' only a moment later, a realization comes to me 'They Relay, they are trying to open Relay 314'. That makes the situation far more precarious, an unknown group opening a Primary Relay is a great danger, and they would have gotten away with it if not for the Patrol Cruiser, the system is so newly discovered, and the Hierarchy has been so stretched thin, the Relay monitoring pickets haven't been deployed yet. I clench my teeth in rage at the audacity of the unknowns, no, the criminals.
It is tense as the unknown craft close in on the Solana Hanus, only to be interrupted by a change on the display and a proclamation "Detonation on the Relay"
Confusion and shock fill me, but I know there is only one response to such actions against a Relay "Designate unknowns as hostile, and open fire on the closing Frigates", and as Turian would, my crew obeyed fervently.
Xinyun Cluster, Da Ling Er outer system, SSV Danube, Captain Audrey Ross, 0903 April 4th 2157:
I can feel the ship shaking all around me, like a toy being shaken by a toddler "what do you mean the reactor is melting down" I shout to my officer.
"Something is wrong with the reactor, started showing up after it began charging the capacitors, now we can't stop it and it's melting down" he said in a panic.
Before anything more could be said, the reactor exploded, filling the bridge with a bright light for only a moment, before I was embraced by darkness.
Xinyun Cluster, Da Ling Er outer system, 0904 April 4th 2157:
The fighting started as a surprise, two rounds from the spinal mounts of the Hanus striking straight into the Yamen, ripping through the small Frigate with frightening power. The energy they brought, however, was enough to rip a pair of large holes through the ship from stem to stern, the rounds breaking up within the Frigate as was designed. Less than a moment later, the rounds' broken shards passed through the stricken vessel, leaving paths of destruction in their wakes.
Only moments later, the Yamen exploded violently, its antiproton tanks perforated by one of the rounds, and the vessel annihilated by the antimatter within.
The response was swift, each of the Yamem's remaining sisters began to fire at the Hierarchy Cruiser, their small spinal mounts striking the ship's kinetic barriers or moving endlessly into the void, the range too long to guarantee hits.
Another strike lances out from the Cruiser's prow, its main weapons trained on the SSV Marathon. One after another the main guns of the Solana Hanus fire, only to both miss the nimble Frigate.
While the warships perform their deadly dance, the Task Force is not idle. Each of the Exploration Cruisers open up a small hanger bay, and out from them come Fighters. The Vasco de Gama and her two sister ships within the Flotilla were not designed to deploy their fighters, being built before the Alliance consigned itself to defend its explorers, leaving their converted Shuttle bay to launch only a pair of their Fighters every quarter minute. The two Francis Drake class vessels, however, have no such limitation, their bays launch out twice that number in the same time, leaving 56 Fighters ready to strike from the Flotilla by minutes end.
While waiting for their support, the Alliance Frigates close the range with the Hanus, nearing the point they can launch their torpedoes and expect some to reach the Cruiser. However, as they close, the Hanus turns its broadside to face them, and upon that broadside are eight Mass Accelerators, each ready to strike out at the closing Frigates.
First to come under fire was the Salamis, its barriers straining under the wall of fire. In only a few moments, its barriers fail and the Frigate is hit by several rounds, burrowing deep into the ship, causing great levels of damage. As the Frigate drifts, combat ineffective, the guns turn on the Gettysburg, which soon joins its sister in death.
As the vessel's guns turn to fire upon the Marathon, the Fighters arrive. Like a swarm of locusts, the 56 PF-51 Bidents come down upon the Cruiser. Each moment the vessel's point defense strikes down another Fighter, still operational but combat ineffective, but they still come. As the lasers of the Hanus nearly glow with their built up heat, the Fighters strike. Wave after wave of small torpedoes streaked towards the Cruiser, many being struck down by its defenses, but others hitting the Cruiser. The Marathon joined the barrage, sending its own torpedoes to join those fired by the Fighters, emptying its magazines to try and kill the Hanus.
The hull of the Hunus glows as it becomes awash with dark energy, warping and ripping its exterior, leaving it with ugly gashes across its entire side, but it is not dead.
The Hanus moves, not yet dead and still more than a match for a single Frigate and a few depleted Fighters, but the defender's job is complete. Away from the battle, the Task Force escaped from the system through Relay 313, coming to
[End, shifting tenses and change from 1st to 3rd POV was a bit jarring]