Explosions lit up the void as the ship suddenly detonated, rubble expanding outward in a thinning cloud of metal shards. "No..." Allison cursed softly from the captain's chair, her sandy hair falling into her eyes. Amara spoke up from tactical, her black hair slicked back boyishly. "The Vigil is gone, but they got their lifepods away," she reported tersely. "Multiple ships inbound," Sharin said from navigation, moving the ship on her own initiative to avoid enemy fire. "Ma'am?" Commander Laurel D'ken looked over at Allison, the blue haired woman as composed as ever. "We need to cover the pick up of lifepods," Allison said calmly, "then we'll fall back to the planetary defenses." "Should we alert the rest of the squadron?" Ensign Kayla Shen asked crisply, her pink hair tied back neatly from her face from the communications station. "Tell Marilyn, Roma and Col'Tyr to hold off for now," Allison answered, "I don't want the enemy to know we have additional ships in system." "Understood," Kayla translated that on a encrypted line. Laurel looked over at the young captain, once again feeling just a bit of surprise at how quickly the young woman had slipped into the role. Allison had grasped the tactical realities of the Liberty's Sword instinctively, and each battle she fought against the Star Empire she seemed to merely hone those dangerous skills. "How many Star Empire ships are out there?" Allison asked calmly, studying the display on the bridge's main screen. "Four light cruisers," Sharin answered promptly, her blonde hair flowing gracefully down her back, "we can take any one of them, but as a group they're trouble." "We can see the four ships," Allison muttered to herself softly, "but what about electronic counter measures?" "They don't have anything to equal ours, at least according to naval intelligence," Laurel answered her promptly. "I skimmed a few of their old reports," Allison dropped her voice a bit as she reminded her second in command, "didn't they also predict that the Star Empire wouldn't launch a military assault for at least a year?" "Point," Laurel admitted, "we might want to do a sensor scan, just in case." "On it," Sharin agreed. She manipulated the controls on navigation, boosting sensor outputs to search for any cloaked ships. "There is another ship out there," she murmured, "trying to slip around behind us, ma'am. They're coming in shields off, to improve the cloaking functions." "Plan?' Amara asked calmly, fingers on her weapon's commands. Allison flashed her friend a smile, "I want to let that ship get as close as possible, then open up with a full broadside." "It'll destroy that ship, you know," Laurel noted. "Even with our back up the odds aren't that good," Allison said frankly, "destroying that ship like that will shake the other captains and give us an edge." Amara flashed a grin, "I like the way you think." Sharin's voice was soft as she tracked the enemy ship, the tension rising on the bridge as she read off, "Closing at 3000... 2000... 1500..." "Now?" Amara asked, hands on her controls. "Go," Allison nodded. A command fired the thrusters, swinging the ship around to line up the side of the ship to the oncoming vessel, weapons ports irising open as they were primed. The enemy ship tried to drop cloak and bring it's shields up but it was far too late, the first bursts of fire power racing in before they could react. In a second or two it was over, the ship spiraling off trailing wreckage. "Critical damage," Sharin cheered from navigation, "it's fusion core and drives are all down, the weapons too." "Good," Allison said, her own eyes focused on the tactical display as they observed rescue ships picking up the last few of their own lifepods. "What about the rest of the Star Empire ships?" she asked quietly. "Moving forward, but hesitantly," Laurel replied promptly, "I think they were surprised we picked up the cloaked ship." Allison nodded after a moment's thought, "Then I think it's time to start pulling back to the planetary defenses. We can do more damage from there, as well as replenish weapons stores there before they try to attack." "Signaling the squadron," Kayla answered, bending over her communications station and going to work. The Liberty Sword lead the way, the cruiser shining silver against the void even as more silently three light cruisers skirted the edge of the system under their cloaks. The four ships gathered together at Showalter, a industrialized world not too far from the Throne World, and currently one of the targets of raiding attacks. Allison went into her wardroom just off the bridge to signal Throne World, smiling as she saw the face of her lover and future bride, Jenna. "I wish I was there with you," Allison said quietly, "is everything all right?" Jenna smiled tenderly, her black hair flowing down her back in a graceful wave. "It's all right m'love," she answered as a blonde catgirl held up a piece of fabric, "I can handle things here and we need every captain in combat right now." "If it's any comfort we're winning all our battles," Allison smiled warmly, "but they still have a powerful numbers edge on us." She ran a hand through her hair, "And how are the wedding preparations going?" "My mother is holding out for the grand ballroom for the ceremony but I'm trying to bargain her down," Jenna chuckled, "we've got the decorations and food planned out, though. Would you prefer to be married in a gown or your naval uniform?" "I've never been much for dresses," Allison admitted. Jenna smiled as she purred, "Good, you look handsome in uniform anyway." Allison blushed faintly even as the catgirl attending to Jenna looked amused. She still found it hard to get used to, how the royals could speak so casually in front of their servants. Speaking of servants... "I think Sharin is missing being pounced on by Milly, by the way." "Good," Jenna dropped her voice, "I was talking to X'tahn about it, apparently it's part of their courtship rituals." "Milly and Sharin?!" Allison blurted. She thought about it a moment, "You know, they do make a odd kind of sense...." "I thought so, too," Jenna nodded. The catgirl attending to her said something softly and Jenna sighed, "I have to go... be careful, m'love. I have no intention of losing you." "I will," Allison promised before Jenna was gone. A few moments later Allison returned to the bridge, where a young steward was dropping off drinks and snacks for the bridge crew. "I ordered a coffee for you," Laurel said as Allison sat, "I thought you could use it." "Thanks," Allison took a drink from the steaming mug. It wasn't a real cup of coffee, of course, but the local drink shared many of the same qualities, including being a strong stimulant. Even better it tasted like chocolate.... feeling a bit more peppy Allison looked at the tactical screen, "They're holding back at the edge of our missile range?" "Yes, ma'am," Laurel agreed, "we could try firing a salvo off, but I suspect they could intercept them easily." "So we wait," Allison sighed, sitting back and drinking more coffee.
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