This choice: X7089301: Supply Line Disruption • Go Back... Commander Horst sent the relevant mission files through to you and said farewell. You relaxed in your chair and mulled over the three different missions. You could take any of them at your point and the decision rested completely on you. The mission to spy on a potential threat looked really interesting, but you really wanted to see how your crew would handle in a potential firefight.
It was tradition that the first crew for a captain was actually picked by other captains, as you had done for other people in the academy. By all intentions, it was expected that captains receieved well trained crew, but the entire purpose was to ensure that crews knew how to work together despite never having seen each other before. It was a highly effective method that had been going on for years.
You decided on the Supply Line Disruption mission and called Commander Horst back.
"I thought you'd take that one!" He laughed. "Seemed right up your alley. I'll send through more information now. Should be a really easy job, just go in there, tear up a few rebels and then tarry on back to the Ceaser Station in a nearby system for a post mission report. Enjoy yourself."
Fleet Admiral Jason Horst was still laughing a bit when he finished the call. You two had gotten along extremely well in the academy, which explained why you were the first captain out of dock.
The computer bleeped at you again. A face you recognised appeared. Osman, the guy in charge of engineering.
"Captain, we're all ready down here for when you want to depart. Engines have been spinning happily for the past hour"
"Thanks Osman. We'll be leaving shortly"
"Sure thing, oh and... Captain?"
"Yes Osman?"
"Thanks for all this. I'm really glad to be working with you"
The call ended. Horst must have talked to some of the crew and exaggerated your skills.
Another call came through in about ten minutes while you finished up reading the mission documents. This time it was one of the technicians who wasnt going to stay on the ship.
"Captain? We're all done fitting everything around here and I'm the last one to leave. Your armoury officer told me to tell you he's busy checking the last of the weapons but apparently he's all happy. Communications has been running fine for the past few days - as evident by our call now. Anything else you need before I leave?"
"Thanks guys, you did a really good job here and I'm impressed. Go get yourself a drink in the mess"
"Thanks alot sir! Goodluck out there!"
The call ended.
You left your dormitory and headed into the bridge. The same guy from before managed to yell out Captain On Deck before you could silence him. You'd need to make a note of that. Everyone stopped looking at their console, stood up and saluted you.
"Good morning everyone. Glad your all here. I'm Captain John Macree and I'm hoping we'll all get to know each other well and have some good missions. There's just three things I want to set down before we depart. First, I want you to all work at the same rate regardless of whether or not I am around. Second, I will do my best to not expect anything beyond what I believe your capable of. Lastly, the next person who yells "Captain On Deck" OR salutes me gets shot in the throat. I really hate that"
Everyone blinked at you. The guy who yelled out before shrunk away slightly but you gave a light smile. If you didnt instil in this crew that YOU were in charge, this wasnt going to be a nice career.
----------
"Helmsman" You said, sitting in your chair in the middle of the room. "Take us out"
"Aye sir" Came the reply from a man in front. It would take you a while to learn everyones names.
You felt the engines rumble into life, the power in them pushing against the metal clamps which once held this ship together as it was constructed. The clamps disengaged and folded back into the ground, allowing your ship to rise into the air and fly high into the sky.
You soon broke through the edge of the atmosphere, heading past one of the defensive platforms setup around Earth an extremely long time ago. It's slowly blinking lights signifying 'Please don't ram me'. You sailed on past it, far clearer than the minimum distance allowed.
"Helmsman, set course for Sector X39, activate Translight Drive" You commanded.
"Aye sir" He said again. The ship changed course, the rim of Earth appearing just below the main viewport outside the front of the bridge. A massive blue energy portal appeared infront of the ship, a swirl of blue and purple colours moving in and out. The ship moved forward, into the portal, dissappearing from Earth and the solar system.
Here, was the translight realm, where moving a few meters meant kilometers in the normal realm. It would take a total of two hours to reach the next system. Outside the viewport, everything was black, there was no indication that you were actually moving, just the Translight Drive humming away. Thats what scared people about this realm though, the total blackness - no stars - nothing. Many passenger cruisers actually automatically closed their windows in order to prevent people from becoming unsettled.
"Tactical Officer, report" You said.
"Here and ready Sir" Came the reply from your left.
"Prepare the Forward Railgun for a single round upon exit of Translight. Make sure the point weapons are all ready for immediate firing upon exit"
"Cycling up the coils Sir. Point Weapons ready" He replied. According to your report, your tactical officer was a keen fanatic on big explosions. "Preparing for a battle are we Sir?"
"I'm actually more keen on how big of an explosion we can make in the first volley" You said. The tactical officer beamed.
"Uhh, Captain?" The Helmsman said.
"Yes Helmsman?" You replied.
"I just checked the Star Map, there's nothing there but an empty large asteroid orbiting a small sun. Several recon reports over the last few months confirm there being nothing."
"Time for a mission briefing then" You smiled. Everyone turned to you. "According to very recent intel, rebels have setup a small warehouse on the asteroid, which is cutting several of their supply runs in half. We destroy the warehouse and we put a big kink in their plans. Recon also suggests that the rebels don't know that we know about it yet, so the depot will be extremely lightly manned, only a few point guns which we can easily stay out of effective range of"
Everyone nodded in response, happily understanding why you were going there.
----------
Your journey was up and you exited Translight as swiftly as you had entered it, approaching the warehouse directly from above. Hopefully they had some terrible sensor equipment.
"Tactical Officer. Fire when ready"
You felt a massive discharge as the Forward Railgun fired above you, slightly shaking the ship. The projectile was like a bullet, going exponentially faster through each coil. Except unlike a bullet, this was a small nuke specially designed for Forward Rail Guns. Since space doesnt transmit sound, all you saw was the fiery explosion of the warehouse on the asteroid as it seperated from the surface, pieces drifting into space.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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