The edge of the Pale Cousins system
“Captain! The 17th Heavy Fleet is backing off! Their ships are retreating into warpspace!”
Captain Asari Hellspark waves a cloud of acidic, black smoke away from her face. “Thank the Powers!” she coughs, her words lost amid the bursts and pops of damaged instrument panels and the cries of wounded crewmembers. “Contact the other captains!” she barks loud enough to be heard. “We’re backing out! We’ll rendezvous with Admiral Orangeblack’s fleet at Coriolanus Minor!”
Her second officer–now acting first officer, after the death of Commander Rainsinger–salutes awkwardly with his broken arm, holding back a grimace of pain, and shuffles off to execute her orders. When he comes back within earshot of the captain, she shouts to him, “Why in the Hundred Hells did the Imperial fleet leave before they could finish us off? We’re damned lucky they did, but…” She wipes sweat and soot and blood from her forehead. “Why?” Her subordinate shrugs and shakes his head. (more…)
