A Swift Victory is the Result of a Swift Attack
A Swift Victory is the Result of a Swift Attack
“Status report.”
“All quiet, commander McConnell. Nothing out there but rocks and space dust, as usual.”
“Just the way I like it.” McConnell leaned back in his command chair as he looked across the space station’s bridge. All of the commanding crew were in their respective places and were busy with their daily routines. Just another morning in orbit above the Galactic Human Republic planet of Segma 7.
The bridge’s main doors opened with a hiss as a young woman entered, carrying a small tray. She walked over to a small, glass table beside the command chair and set the tray down. McConnell looked glanced at the trays contents as the delivery girl pulled out a slip of paper. “Alright Captain, we have a dark latté supreme with extra sugar and creamer, just as you like it, a doughnut with light cranberry icing, and the most recent media detachment from the planet, sir.”
McConnell picked up the mug and took a large swig of his favorite morning beverage. Its contents hit him like a meteorite, as the combination of caffeine and sugar began surging through him immediately. “Damn do I love a good cup of Joe. So, miss…” He squinted to see the girl’s name tag. “…Vanessa, is it? How much do I owe Sam’s Coffee Hut today?”
“Oh, it’s on the house. Compliments of Sam himself, sir.”
McConnell took another sip of his coffee, taking in a bit less than he had the first time. “Here,” he began as he pulled a small metallic item from his shirt pocket, “Here’s the tip.” He flicked the rectangle into the air with his thumb.
The girl reached out and caught the item in an instant. She looked at it in surprise, then to McConnell. “20 credits sir?!”
He set the coffee down and looked up to her with a pleasant smile. “Compliments of the captain. Now go on and enjoy your day.”
The girl snapped to and saluted as a gleeful grin spread across her face. “Yes sir!” She turned and walked steadily back out the bridge’s entrance, giving a happy little skip as the doors closed behind her.
McConnell picked up his doughnut and took a large bite out of it. Using his open hand, he grabbed a little ball from the tray. As he held it above the control panel in his armrest, a hole opened up into the spherical device. He plugged the orb into his chair and a holographic panel immediately appeared before him.
He glanced over the headlines, reading about the planet’s recent economic developments and politics. Once he reached the end of the page, he slid his finger from the bottom of the hologram to the top as the finished news was replaced by what he had not yet read. There wasn’t anything new or interesting to McConnell in the news, there never really was. He pulled the sphere out of his chair with a steady jerk.
“Hey Norris,” McConnell began as he turned to the communications officer. Norris turned around from his panel and saluted. “Here, you like following the news, right?”
“Yes sir.”
“Well here you go,” McConnell continued as he tossed the sphere over to the officer. “I’m sure you’ll be more interested in it than I am.”
“Yes sir. Thank you, sir.”
“No problem.” McConnell leaned back and took another sip of coffee as Norris put the sphere in his pocket and went back to work. He sat quietly for some time, thinking to himself idly as the command crew continued working diligently. It was times like these that McConnell found himself quite bored, despite his rank. It was just all-too quiet to command a space station. Maybe a systems check would uncover something interesting to pass the time? “Helmsman.”
“Yes sir?”
“I want you to run a full system’s check of the station and all of her levels.”
“Aye sir, right away.”
McConnell took the last bite of his doughnut and washed it down with the rest of his coffee as he waited for the scan’s results to come in. Great, more waiting.
The next few minutes passed by at an agonizingly slow pace for McConnell before the crewman began reading the scan’s results out loud. “Shields are charged 100% and awaiting activation. Levels 5 – 69 are showing power fluctuations, resulting in a total communications blackout and scrambled sensors. Levels 70 – 150 are reporting all green from their systems. Currently functioning sub-systems are as follows…”
McConnell’s attention drifted. He regretted asking for a system’s check as the helmsman continued his report. To McConnell, the report seemed almost as boring as the inactivity from just a moment before. He waited until the helmsman finished the report before speaking again. “Well, send some teams to fix the sensors and communications as soon as possible. Without those we’re blind in the water.”
“Yes sir, I’ll send our electricians to investigate the problem right away.”
“Good to hear.” McConnell stood up and locked his hands behind his back as he looked out the aptly named invisi-steel that enclosed the front half of the bridge. Outside was nothing but the black void of space in-between planets and stars, which shone brightly without an atmosphere to lessen their glow. As McConnell continued star-gazing, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A section of stars seemed to be shimmering and shifting in an irregular pattern as he focused his gaze. Soon he realized that the shimmering seemed to be moving, distorting new sections of stars as others became stationary again. “Does anyone else see that?”
Several other crew members looked up and panned the open space for what McConnell was talking about. Many didn’t notice the strange shimmering at first, but those who did tried their best to point it out. Almost as soon as everyone seemed to be concentrating on the shimmering, it stopped, leaving the stars inside it distorted, but still. The crew gazed at the distorted region of space intently, waiting to see what would happen next.
Suddenly there were several small flashes as four trails of smoke trailed away from the shimmer. The trails curved and rotated until their path straightened, resulting in a direct path with the space station. The crew remained still for a brief moment before the realization of the situation hit McConnell harder than his coffee had. “Shit! Raise shields and brace for impact! We’ve got incoming missil-”
He was cut off as the missiles impacted the station’s exposed hull, sending violent repercussions throughout the vessel. The bridge lurched suddenly as several crewmen were thrown from their seats. McConnell stumbled from the sudden shift, but managed to remain upright. “Raise our shields before they let off another salvo of missiles, and I wanted our fighters launched ten seconds ago damnit! You-” He pointed to the helmsman. “What’s our status; how bad were we hit?”
The crewman frantically ran his fingers across his control panel as he ran the systems check again. “Sir, we have multiple hull breeches! Levels 67 through 83 have lost pressure and are leaking oxygen. Emergency blast doors have been automatically sealed between levels 65 and 85. The systems check reports that all vital electrical systems are still operational, and the core is steady. All turret defenses on and between those levels have been disabled from the damage though. We were hit hard, sir.”
“Son of a bitch…” McConnell looked back out at the distorted section of stars as they began shimmering again. This time they didn’t appear to be moving, but instead they seemed to be fading away into a solid object. Within an instant, a long, pointed ship about half as long as the station became visible. McConnell stared at the ship in shock as he followed blue painted streaks that ran down its side and around countless rows of turrets. “Someone please tell me we can get a lock on that thing…”
Another crewman turned away from his controls towards McConnell. “Sorry sir, no dice. Our scanners are still on the fritz, same with communications.”
“Are you meaning to say that that ship not only has a cloaking device, but the ability to jam our scanners and our communications?!”
“It would appear that way, sir. Should I set the turrets to manual and send the gunnery crews to their stations?”
“By all means, and tell them to move their asses; else they might not have an ass to move!”
“Right away sir!” the crewman saluted quickly and turned back to his station. McConnell continued to glare at the enemy vessel as several of the station’s sleek fighters sped past. The fighters were rushing to get into their designated squadrons and prepare for orders. In an instant, the enemy vessel’s side opened up as dozens of enemy fighters poured forth into space.
McConnell watched as the enemy fighters instantly formed flanks and held their position, just waiting for the command to attack. The space station’s fighters finished forming their flanks as fast as they could, resulting in a rather sloppy, but effective formation. The enemy lingered in their formation, as if to let the station finish prepping its defenses.
McConnell stared out at the enemy ship, noticing a short, slanted extremity towards the back end of the vessel. He glared at what he assumed was the ship’s bridge intently as the stand-off continued. The tenseness of the situation grew as McConnell waited for this new enemy to make its move.
Suddenly there was a series of explosions as another salvo of rockets peppered the station’s shields. Another enemy vessel, identical to the first one, uncloaked as it slowed to a halt. Most everyone’s attention was diverted to the new ship as it began launching its fighters, but their attention was reverted when they realized the first vessel’s fighters were now speeding towards them.
Communication channels lit up as the fighters took evasive maneuvers and engaged the enemy. The station’s fighters were much swifter than the enemy’s as they bobbed and weaved amongst the fray of battle. The enemy fighters, however, had much stronger shields, and proved hard to destroy as they blasted their way through McConnell’s fighters.
The opposing fighter’s weaponry was nothing like McConnell had ever seen before. They seemed to be using advanced laser technology to cut right through his fighter’s shields and blast them to oblivion. Screams of pilots could be heard across the comms’ channel as McConnell watched the space before his station ripple with the explosions from both his and his opponent’s fighters destroying each other. “Have the gunnery crews manned the turrets yet?”
“Yes sir, all available turrets have been manned, armed, and are awaiting your orders.”
“Excellent. Give orders for the rail-gun defenses to help clear the space of those blasted fighters, while our rocket defenses focus on the first attack cruiser. If they send any more missiles our way, order the rail-guns to focus primarily of shooting them down. Our shields are able to tolerate those fighters, but they won’t last ten seconds if those rockets get through.”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
As ordered, the station’s rail-guns opened fire into the dog fight, unleashing hundreds of speeding bullets. They zipped every which way, peppering the enemy fighter’s shields with red-hot metal. Thanks to the skill and precision of the turret’s operators, not a single bullet hit a friendly ship. Soon enemy fighters were bursting into flames and breaking apart under the added fray from the station’s turret defenses.
As the space surrounding the station slowly cleared, the opportunity to launch a full missile salvo was nearing. McConnell stared out at the enemy vessel intently, waiting for just the right moment to launch the attack. “Not yet…” The surrounding space cleared for a brief moment, and McConnell saw his chance. “All missile batteries, FIRE!”
In a flash, dozens of missiles were launched, weaving around fighters as they sped towards the enemy vessel. They all passed through the dog fight scot-free without any unintentional collisions. As the missiles neared the enemy vessel, the ship fired a spray of laser fire in hopes of fending off the onslaught of rockets, but to no avail. Only a select few missiles were shot down before reaching their destination, while the rest pummeled the shields mercilessly in a collection of massive explosions.
Their shields were drained almost instantly, allowing several rockets to make it through to the ship’s armor-protected structure. What missiles did manage to make it to the ship dealt great damage as they impacted, damaging many of the vessel’s turrets and leaving several gaping holes in the ship’s exterior. Debris and crew from inside the ship flowed out from the craters and into the void of space.
A few of the command crew in the space station cheered and shouted as the enemy vessel bled out. Even McConnell grinned triumphantly at his barrage’s success. But this was not the time to celebrate. “Good work men, but let’s stay focused. Save the party for after the battle, we still have a lot of work to do. Reload missiles and prepare for a second barrage.”
But before the station’s rocket turrets could reload, the damaged ship’s engines sputtered and flared to life. Moving as quickly as it could after the damage it had taken, the vessel pitched away from the station as it faded back into a cluster of distorted stars. Even the debris trail ceased when it became cloaked once again.
McConnell slammed his fist into the armrest of his command chair. “Damnit! Open fire on that ship before it gets away!”
“Sorry sir, none of the rockets have finished reloading yet and they’re out of range of our chain-guns turrets. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Son of a bitch, we almost had the-” McConnell was interrupted when the station shuddered slightly. He stood from his seat as he looked back out at the battle. The second enemy ship began launching their missiles at the station. “I thought I ordered the chain-gun turrets to blast any incoming missiles!”
“But sir, our turrets are shooting down the incoming missiles!”
“Then where did that explosion come fro-”
The bridge’s doors opened as a squad of troopers hustled inside. Their leader stood at attention as the others took positions around the door. “Captain, enemy infantry have infiltrated the station. My squad and I are here to protect the bridge, sir.”
“Enemy infantry? Just how the hell did they get aboard?!”
“I don’t entirely know sir. They just appeared out of nowhere in a flash of light. I think they may be attempting to disable the turrets and shields, sir.”
“Shit, without those turrets we’ll be defenseless against that ship! Helmsman,” McConnell continued as he pointed to the crewman, “Order all our units to protect those power grids!” He turned back to the squad’s commander and saluted. “That goes for you too, trooper.”
“Are you certain you don’t want a squad to stay and protect the bridge?”
“Yes, I’m certain. We’ll be in bigger trouble if they manage to disable our defenses. Now hurry up and move out, the station needs you.”
“Yes sir, right away sir! Alright troops, you heard the captain. Move out!” The squad leader and his troops hustled back out the sliding door and down the hall towards one of the power grids. McConnell turned back to the raging battle outside and sat back down. He hit one of the buttons on his armrest’s control panel. A small panel on the seat’s side opened up, revealing a hidden compartment.
He reached into the compartment and withdrew an advanced, long-barreled pistol and a box of bullets. He hadn’t used this pistol since when he was a young lad in the navy. He had scavenged it off a dead general in the great rebellion almost 32 years ago. He pulled the clip out of the pistol’s base and opened up the box. He picked up one of the pistol’s unique bullets and observed it calmly as the battle raged outside and inside his station.
The bullet was a 50 caliber hollow-point made entirely of a titanium steel alloy. Moving steadily, McConnell slid the bullet into the empty clip. He continued loading the hand-crafted bullets into the clip until the ammunition box had been depleted, leaving the clip with a total of 10 bullets. He slid the clip back into the pistol’s base with a click.
After a quick scan to see that the pistol was fully equipped and ready to fire, McConnell glanced back at the bridge’s doors. If any of those enemy infantry did try and take the bridge, they would have a nasty surprise waiting for them. Seeing no signs of any enemy activities, he turned back around and watched as the battle rages outside.
Though their numbered had been greatly depleted, enemy fighters still zoomed this way and that as they cut easily through the station’s ships. The only reason the station’s ships were winning was because of the chain-gun turrets. Between missile salvos, the turrets were doing a fine job of clearing out the enemy fighters. McConnell watched as an enemy’s wings were blown off, causing it to spin wildly out of control until it burst into flames and exploded.
Suddenly McConnell saw a bright flash out of the corner of his eye before he rolled out of his chair as it exploded from an energy blast. Acting quickly, he whirled around and let off a single shot from his pistol, sending a bullet speeding cleanly into the armor-clad enemy’s visor and out the back of his helmet. The four-legged enemy fell to the floor with a clatter as some of the command crew jumped up from their posts to see what had just happened.
McConnell pointed to the crew as he walked over towards the dead enemy. “Get back to your posts! You all need to focus on the battle as a whole. I can take care of any unwanted intruders on my own.” A few of the crew looked nervously at each other before returning to their posts. McConnell knelt down beside the enemy that he had just vanquished, managing to avoid the puddle of blood that was spreading. He wanted… No, he needed to see the face of who had had the audacity to attack his station without reason.
McConnell had some difficulty finding out how the helmet was attached to the body-armor, but he finally managed to twist the helmet off. As he lifted the bloody helmet, McConnell was surprised to say the least as what lay before him. It had some equine features, but was still unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was dark purple, had unusually large eyes, and a horn. A stream of blood ran down from the hole at the base of the creature’s horn, where McConnell’s bullet had entered.
McConnell stood up and looked down at the armor-clad creature as it lay sprawled out on the bridge’s floor. He judged that its head would reach somewhere around his mid-section if it was standing. It was roughly the size of a pony, though the only ponies McConnell had ever heard of were only natural to Earth, and even those didn’t have horns.
His thoughts were interrupted when the station lurched suddenly. Managing to keep his balance, McConnell walked back in front of his smoldering command chair. “Would someone mind telling me what that was?”
“Shit… Sir, our shields are down! They must have gotten to the power grid!”
“Are the turrets still operational?”
“Yes sir, for now. But I don’t know how long we will last without those shields.”
As if on cue, the enemy fighters all broke off from the dogfight and swarmed around the station. Without the shields, the fighters began making quick work of the exposed turrets. It quickly became evident to McConnell that they were attacking the rocket turrets first, probably making sure that the station wouldn’t be able to launch another barrage.
Soon the second enemy ship launched a massive salvo of its rockets at the station. There was no chance that the chain-gun defenses would be able to stop all of the incoming missiles. McConnell ordered the fighter’s communications channel be set so speaker. “All squadrons, we have incoming missiles and our turrets will not be enough to stop them all. You need to stop those missiles at whatever cost! I repeat, stop those missiles at whatever cost!”
The pilots all shouted ‘yes sir’ in unison before their combined clamor began again as they engaged the missiles. In the midst of the battle, McConnell spotted two missiles headed directly for the bridge. “Squads, we have two bogies coming straight at the bridge here, would someone kindly SHOOT THEM DOWN?!”
The speakers cracked as one of the pilots responded above the other voices. “I’m on it sir!” McConnell looked back out at the two rockets and saw a stream of bullets cut through one of them as the fighter flew past the bridge. As it turned back to make another pass, the pilot shouted through the channel again. “Shit, I’m out of ammo!”
McConnell watched as the rocket kept getting closer to incinerating the bridge. Suddenly the fighter zoomed past the bridge again, this time turning into a collision course with the incoming missile. “Pilot, what the hell are you doing?! Break off!”
“No sir, I may not have any ammo left, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stop this thing!”
“Damnit pilot, break off! That’s an order!”
“It was a pleasure serving under your command sir.” The fighter’s engine’s kicked into full throttle as it sped head-long at the missile. “COME GET SOME YOU MOTHER FU-” The fighter transformed into a massive fireball as the missile made contact, sending scorched debris in every direction. One of the fighter’s flaming engines was sent reeling back towards the bridge, exploding when it smashed against the invisi-steel. Several cracks suddenly jetted out from where the engine had exploded, but they quickly ceased spreading.
McConnell lowered his head in respect to the brave pilot that had just sacrificed himself to save him, as did most of the command crew. After the brief moment of silence, McConnell looked back out towards the enemy ship with rage in his eyes. “Helmsman, what’s our status?”
“Sir, we have several new hull breeches on several levels. Total power level is at 30% and dropping, and we’ve lost over half of our turret defenses. …I don’t think we’re going to make it, sir.”
McConnell processed the information for a brief moment. “Are the escape pods on level 5 still operational?”
“Yes sir, that’s what the scan is reading. There are no hull breaches between here and there either, so it should be a relatively straight path.”
“Good. Prep the pods for launch and send an infantry squad here on the double. Order a ship-wide evacuation as well, and give the fighters commands to safe-guard the escape pods when launched. We need to get as many people off this station as we can. …if we still can.”
“Yes sir.”
McConnell took a step back and glared at the enemy vessel once again. The helmsman’s voice could be heard over the intercom ordering all hands to abandon ship as several red lights began flashing around the bridge. Soon the same squad of troopers from before rushed into the bridge. McConnell turned and saluted the squad’s commander as he approached. “Welcome back, soldier. Your mission now is to safe-guard the command crew and myself to the escape pods on level five, understood?”
“Absolutely, sir.”
“Good man.” McConnell turned back to the command crew. “Alright men, set whatever you’re doing to auto or just drop it. We are leaving in 5 seconds, no delays.” He watched as the entire command crew got up from their stations and headed for the bridge’s entrance. As he looked back out to the enemy vessel one last time, he saw them launch another barrage of rockets. “Alright men, we need to move fast! We have more rockets incoming!”
A few of the crew dared a glance behind them, only to turn back around quickly and begin running down the corridor outside the bridge. The majority of the infantry lead the group of crew members, in case they happened across any more of the enemy troops that were scattered across the station. McConnell and the other troopers watched the rear of the group as they made their way quickly to the escape pods. “The elevation transports will be shut down due to the multiple hull-breeches. We’ll have to take the stairs.”
The squad leader nodded and clicked his helmet’s communicator on “You troops up front, we’re taking the stairs.” The speakers popped as the troops gave a ‘yes sir.’ There was a sudden explosion a ways down the corridor, and the air immediately began getting sucked into the void of space. The troops in front and several of the command crew lost their footing and were sucked out the breech, dying instantly. Before anyone else could be sucked into space, an armored blast door slammed shut, stranding a few more crewmen in the void while managing to save McConnell and the rest of the group.
The squad leader regained his composure and looked at the immovable steel door. “Well I guess we’re not taking the stairs. Come on, the elevation transports are this way.” Now leading the group, the Squad leader and McConnell turned and quickly headed back the way they had come from. After passing by the command bridge’s entrance, the group turned down a separate hall. At the end were two large doors with screens above them, which both read ‘out of order.’
McConnell clicked hit the call button, only for it to flash red and buzz. “Helmsman, can you get these elevators back up and running?”
“Yes sir. I can override the system’s automatic lock down and-”
“Sorry, but we don’t have time for a lecture. Just get to it if you would please.”
“Um, yes sir, right away.” The helmsman walked over to a control panel in between the two doors and pulled up a holographic screen.
Suddenly McConnell heard the sound of several people rushing down the hall as someone barked orders. The running stopped as the unseen group became silent, aside from a commanding voice counting to three. He heard the doors of the command bridge slide open with a hiss as the voice ordered for the group to hustle. McConnell looked over to the squad leader with a concerned look on his face. “Do you know of any other friendly infantry squads on this level?”
The officer positioned his assault rifle against his shoulder. “No sir, we are the only squad within 10 levels. Everyone else was either heading towards or already guarding the power conductors.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. Everyone huddle close to the elevator doors. Commander, you and your men take positions. We may be having some unwelcome company pretty soon.” McConnell cocked his pistol back. Everyone hushed as the soldiers knelt down or stood, positioning their weapons down the empty hallway. McConnell listened closely to the enemy group as they exited the bridge.
“Command, The enemy bridge is empty. They must have abandoned ship. …no sir, there are no signs of where they went. …yes sir, we’ll do our best to find them. …yes sir. …Roger that sir, over and out. Alright men, we need to find the command crew and eliminate them. Remember, no survivors.”
The squad leader looked over to McConnell with a ‘we’re in deep shit’ look on his face, before quickly returning his gaze down the hall. Suddenly a shrill alarm rang out from the control panel that the helmsman was working with. McConnell reeled around to the helmsman who was now hitting the panel in an attempt to make it stop. As he slammed his fist down on a large red button, the alarm ceased and the screen above the first door read ‘active.’ McConnell turned back to the hallway as he heard one of the enemies speaking again.
“You men, check out that noise!”
“Yes sir.”
“Yes sir.”
Two more of the armor clad equines rounded the corner, barely getting a look at the command crew before McConnell sent two more expert shots from his pistol through their helmets. He heard one of the other enemies give the order to attack before several more equine soldiers rounded the corner. McConnell didn’t see them carrying any sort of weapons, but the hallway was quickly filled with laser fire similar to that of the enemy fighters that had torn through his ships and turrets.
Several of the lasers impacted the walls around McConnell and his group, but the barren hallway provided little cover. Soon his infantry and the remaining command crew began taking casualties as the lasers impacted the men. The squad leader pulled out his fragmentation grenade and activated it before tossing it towards the enemy. To the shock of McConnell and the others, the grenade suddenly froze in mid air as a blue glow surrounded wrapped around it. Without warning, the grenade was send flying back towards the group.
Acting quickly, the squad leader removed the rifle from his shoulder and swung it like a baseball bat, knocking the grenade back towards the enemy. The strange blue glow didn’t have time to take control of the grenade this time, as it exploded in the air above the enemy troops. Several of them were sent flying against the walls or the other troops, but few stood back up after the blast.
Letting off three more crack shots, McConnell turned back to the functioning elevator as the door opened. “Alright men, time to get the hell out of this battle. Fall back to the elevators!”
The surviving command crew rushed inside the open doors as the squad leader turned to McConnell. “Captain, you go! We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”
“You’ll do no such thing! You’re going to come with us and escape!”
“With respect sir, we don’t want to risk them deactivating the elevators before you get to the 5th level. It’s imperative that we stay here and keep them away from that control panel as long as possible!”
“I don’t care! I will not have you sacrifice yourself on our part!”
“Damnit sir, it’s us or the entire group! Would you let the others be killed just so you wouldn’t lose a few expendable soldiers?!”
McConnell paused and tried to think over the sound of gunfire. He looked back into the elevator where the remaining command crew cowered to avoid enemy fire, and then back to the squad leader and his troops. “ …It’s been a pleasure serving with you commander, and your sacrifice will never be forgotten as long as I live.”
“The feeling is mutual, sir. Now get the fuck out of here while you still can!”
McConnell ran into the elevator with the other command crew and hit the desired levels’ button. He watched the squad of troops continue their battle as the doors slid shut, sealing their fate. The elevator lurched a bit as it began to move, and a tiny speaker box in the upper right corner buzzed to life. McConnell and the others were silent as the happy, yet very irritating music played quietly.
After what felt like an eternity, the helmsman decided to break the group’s silence. “Millions of years of technological advancement in every field, and they still haven’t been able to find good elevator music. Who would have thought?”
Without aiming, McConnell lifted up his pistol and shot the final round through the little speaker, warping the sound until it finally died. “Yea, ain’t it a fucking mystery,” he uttered with a scowl on his face.
After another, less agitating moment passed, the elevator jolted as it stopped. The doors slid open, revealing a charred and desolate hallway. Wires and panels dangled loosely from the ceiling as small fires burned from exposed sections of other electronics. The group exited the elevator and began making their way through the wreckage towards the escape pods. After a few twists and turns the group finally came upon a long row of secure doorways, all of which led to an escape pod. All of the doors except the closest three had red auras around them, identifying that they had already been launched.
McConnell glanced over the group and took a quick head count. There were roughly a dozen of them left. “Alright, there’s enough of us to fill two of these escape pods. We’ll leave the other for the infantry squad, if they make it. However we do not have time to wait, so hurry up and get aboard.”
The helmsman and one half of the group clambered in the first pod, while McConnell and the rest occupied the second. Having previous experience as a pilot, McConnell took a seat in the pilot’s chair. He hit a series of buttons as the pod’s systems hummed to life. As the engines began to warm, he opened communications with the first pod. “Alright helmsman, those fighters are going to be hot on our asses, so let’s move as fast as possible to the planet, understood?”
“Copy that sir. I await your order to launch,” he replied as his voice crackled over the intercom.
“Ok, on the count of three. One…” He clicked another button as the engines built up power. “Two…” The pod began to rattle as the built up energy was beginning to peak. McConnell gripped the throttle. “…Three!” He slammed the throttle forward as the engines released their pent up energy in a massive wave of flames. The pod jolted as it exploded from the tube it was sheltered in, sending it speeding out into space alongside the other. As soon as the two pods were clear of the station, two sets of wings unfolded from the pods.
A voice crackled over the speaker in McConnell’s pod. “Whisky 4 to escape pods Alpha and Bravo, you guys want some support?”
“Roger that Whisky 4, this is commander McConnell and the remaining command crew. We’re glad to have the cover.”
“Well it’s my pleasure, commander. I’ll do my best to see that you make it planet-side.”
The three ships turned and began speeding towards the planet as they weaved through the battle that was still raging in space. McConnell looked out the viewport at the fighter as it flew in front of them, matching its speed with theirs when it got to a suitable position. “How many other fighters are left, Whisky 4?”
“Not many, I’m afraid. The remaining fighters are distracting the enemy as best they can to try and make sure as many escape pods get away as possible. Though, not all of them have made it…”
“Well, you men are doing your best. I can only hope that the-” McConnell was cut off as a rocket zoomed out of nowhere and impacted the fighter, incinerating it instantly. McConnell yawed to the left to try and avoid the debris, but to no avail. One unidentifiable piece of the fighter impacted the pod and knocked both its starboard wings off, sending the pod into an uncontrollable spiral.
McConnell could barely make out an enemy fighter making an attack run towards the two pods as the world outside the viewport spun wildly. Its laser cut through the first pod, causing it to explode on contact. The laser barely scraped McConnell’s pod as the enemy fighter zoomed past. Had it not been for the pod’s tumbling, the fighter might not have missed.
The control panel before McConnell sparked and fizzled as the laser had crippled the pod’s systems. He desperately mashed buttons and flicked switches to try and regain control of the pod, but his efforts were vain. The last thing McConnell remembered was seeing another enemy fighter making a pass before the control panel blew up in his face, knocking him out cold.
