AboardFSSOkinawa

15.2 AU fromColorado, Isabella System

05/04/70, 02:52:26

"Forthose of you who don't know,” an FSN embed droned on,” theHostile Unit Neutralization Device, used in a variety of roles by theFederated States’ Armed Forces for the last four hundred years, isa unique combination of harvested organic brain matter, coupled to acanine-like frame housing advanced sensor and target-acquisitionsystems, as well as a titanium-steel alloy skeleton, the latest inaerogel muscle technology, an advanced CQB weapons suite, state ofthe art self-repair capability, and a third-generation battlecomputer augmenting the organic element of this weapons platform. Itis uniquely suited to the counter-terrorist operations in which ourArmed Forces find themselves increasingly engaged in.”

"Mmm,hmm,” Vice Admiral Daniel Park said in reply, as he swung his feetonto the wardroom's coffee table and watched the HOUND run down, and,ultimately slam the procreator it was chasing into the gravel parkinglot of the c-store alongside a highway choked with hurtling DAVTvehicles.

"Up!”barked the Gnat in charge of the eight-man squad approaching her, themechanoid releasing its prey just long enough for its masters todescend upon it themselves.

Ifonly every operation went as smoothly, the commander ofthe Federated States’ Sixth Fleet thought bitterly, sighing,sipping at coffee laced with whiskey and powdered narcotic, as hischief of staff, Rear Admiral 2d Class Vashan udun-Khonyat,emerged from the core lift, turned on his heel, and snapped toattention before his superior officer.

"Theship of the Watch has eluded the kill, hasn’t it?” said Park,before his chief of staff could open his fanged horror of a mouth tospeak.

"Notentirely, Vice Admiral,” udun-Khonyat replied. "Itsucceeded in extracting Johansdottir and the others, before escapingthe vessels arrayed against it in Colorado orbit; however, we wereable to reacquire the Anacreonian destroyer with the use of warpdriveradar and passive sensors. It is nearing the orbit of the system’sfifth planet, a Jovian with the unoriginial name of Azul, presumablyboosting towards Hammarskjold.”

"As it willrequire some time for the Nak ship to complete the necessarycalculations,” he then said, Park wrinkling his nose at the stenchof cologne the Abysar used to mask his equally repellent naturalmusk,”we can still intercept, cripple and capture it, her crew, andthose they’ve taken.”

"Have we been ableto ascertain its identity?” Park asked.

"Easily,” hissubaltern said all too quickly and effortlessly.

"It’s her.”

Park’s lips drew intoa thin, bloodless line, at the same time the fingers of his handscame together almost like a prayer, part of the Sixth Fleet commandergalled by how casually the Abysar had spoken those last two words.

As if, hethought to himself, as he unknotted his hands, they weren’tthe signature on the orders delivering me from the cold and awayfrom this voghole system.

His chief of staff saidas much out loud:

"The reward andcredit for her capture will be ours; the Committee will have littlealternative but to recall us to life.”

"We need onlyprovide a cover story explaining our whereabouts for the past fifteenyears,” Park commented.

"That willprobably be the easiest part of the entire operation, Vice Admiral,”udun-Khonyatobserved.

"Idon’t doubt it,” Park replied, nodding his head, before tellinghis chief of staff:

"Returnto the bridge, and order the XO to begin boosting towards warpdriveon an intercept vector at once; inform the Allenbyit has command of the fleet, until my return.”

"Iwill join you shortly,” he added.

Aboard FSS LewisB. Puller

Docking Bay #67,Meechum Spacedock Maindock, Colorado Highport

1,000 kilometersabove Colorado, Isabella System

05/04/70, 05:16:21

"Wehave deflectors,” Crane reported,”warp engines, and partialoffensive capability. "

"Spacedocktechs,” he added,”say we can have our full arsenal back on line,if we—"

"No,”Pendry decided, turning away from his sparkchaser to his XO.

"Cutus loose, Mister Gilyard,” he ordered,”and get us clear of thespacedock.”

"Aye,sir,” Gilyard said, without hesitation, as, moments later, Pendryfelt his ship sealing its dorsal and ventral airlocks and separatingfrom the umbilicals connecting them to the docking bay.

"Skipper,”Crane said,”we still have EVA parties working on the hull.

"Thenthey need to be offthe hull,” the Puller’sskipper replied evenly.

"Understood,sir,” was all Crane could say to that, as Delgado let him know thespacedock controllers were pitching a hairy fit over the ship leavingwithout being cleared.

"Tellthem to vog themselves, Sparks,” Pendry replied. "XO, ifanyone attempts to impede our progress—"

"Understood,Skipper,” Gilyard replied, fondling the firing triggers on thestick in his left hand, as the Pullerapproached the inner iris valve of the shiplock standing between themand space.

"Lerfsquadron closing dead astern, Skipper,” Benton reported a momentlater.

Pendrysighed.

"XO," he said, beyond sick and tired of this crap,”give me afiring solution on those lerfs, then shove a torp in their faces.”

"Firingsolution computed,” Gilyard replied,”arming bursting charges ontorpedos in launchers two and four, and firing!”

The shipkicked like a mule, as shrap from twoMark 125 torpedos ripped through the six-ship squadron of long-rangefighters, and much of the dock as well.

"Shiplockis cycling, Skipper,” Benton reported.

"SpacedockOperations,” Delgado added,”has cleared us for departure.”

"Ofcourse they have,” Pendry replied, with a tight smile.

"BravoZulu, Mister Gilyard,” he said.

AboardASWUnbroken

246,000 kilometersfrom Azul(Isabella V), Isabella System

05/04/70, 06:11:21

“Thankyou,” Stevie said to the service bot, as it handed her a baconsandwich and a cup of black coffee mixed with hot chocolate, themaster of the Unbrokennibbling on the sandwich, sipping at the coffee, as she studied hercommand holodisplays.

Shewas vaguely aware of the bot telling her she was welcome, before itscuttled off to feed the rest of the bridge team, all of whom at beenat their stations since they'd left Sentinel Docks late last night,after the Masters of the Watch had relayed Hammarskjolder militaryintel's concern that the medship and those they'd been sent to rescuewere all blundering into somebody'strap.

Unbrokenhadfound the medship adrift in the outer edge of the system, holed anddead.

The luckiest oneshad been those the Marzie bastards had killed outright.

‘Cause, themiserable gugsuckers had taken their time brutalizing the rest,before finally watching them die broken and alone in the eternalnight and cold of space.

And, per usual,Stevie had been too late for any of them....

“...Invincible,no. goddamnyou, d—“ was all Stevie had time to get out, Alexa Davidson'svoice screaming,”MYLIFE FOR THE WATCH!”over comms, before her mortally wounded destroyer entered warpdriveone last time, aiming herself straight for....

...onlya small fraction of the 400,000-ton SandCreek-classbattleship filled the Skua’sflickering master holodisplay, as Stevie pumped the trigger sendingthe last of the Raptor-classlerf’s torps against the monstrous warship.

Thebridge exploded again, Movela’s screams echoing in Stevie’sears,as she slammed the stick in her white-knuckled left handforward, shoved her ailing warp engines’ antimatter torches to thefirewall, blindly aiming her dying warbird at her antagonist, thetears she’d so badly wanting to cry filling her eyes, as she reached for....

...Taylor'slong, black hair, Stevie's hand trembling, still not knowing whatthat would mean, afraid she knew only too well, Taylor's deep browneyes wide with fear, same as Stevie felt, even as—

Oneof the mistresses violently wrenched Stevie's arm out of its socket,jerking her to her, her leather-gloved free hand catching her acrossher face ten, fifteen, twenty times, as she screamed “Whatthe vog?!”over and over.

Steviestruggled, trying to break free, trying to get to Taylor, even asmore mistresses grabbed hold of her, their filthy vogging hands allover her, as yet another mistress stood in front of her, spat on her,smacked her hard across her face every time she....

...screamed.

Not now, shetold herself, getting her breathing under control, forcing herself tofocus on the holodisplays in front of her, and the situation athand...six hours, thirty-five minutes to go, before Prue and thenavicomp finished their calculations for the ten-light year jump toHammarskjold, in the Christina system, six hours, thirty-five minutesand almost sixty ships of the Federated States’ Sixth Fleet lurkingout there in the dark, hunting for her ship, her crew, and theirpassengers.

Or,just waiting until she was locked into the warpdrive initiationsequence to jump her, since she was reasonably certain they knewwhere Unbrokenwas,either way....

“...shakeit, lil’ gynt!” screamed the mistress whipping her through thecellblock, the frightened eleven-year old girl running the gauntlet,other mistresses and some of the older proks lined up along eitherside, stomping, kicking, slapping, pinching, fingering, handballing,twisting, peeing, and crapping on her, telling her she was nothingbut gynt,nothing but worthless, filthy, vogging....

“...no!”shescreamed, as she succeeded at last in making it to her feet, chargingfull-tilt for the stage where masters, mistresses, bastards,haveher on her knees, begging forgiveness for something she neverwas.

Almostthere,Stevie thought to herself, even as fire seared her lungs and torethrough her head. Justanother couple of—

Theshrieks tore through her, Taylor now twitching helplessly on thestage in front of her, soiling herself, blood pouring out ofeverywhere on her body, in the paralyzed eternity it took for herto....

...either way,she'd just put her whole voggin' crew at risk, again,cause she'd gotten them into anothersituation where anychoice they made was the wrong frickin' one...Prue, bless her heart,if they evergot their filthy hands on her again—

They won't,Prue'svoice whispered in her head, even as she kept Unbrokenmovingthrough the void at max burn.

How do youknow,baby? Steviethought back, wishing to God she could just simply believe—nomatter how many times she'd screwed up—the way her heart and souldid.

You won't letthem,was Prue's answer.

I'm not thehero you think I am, Steviethought, refusing to give in to the tears she wanted so badly to cry.