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"Attention on deck!" Shouted the flight officer of the Orion
class cruiser, R.N.S Brell. The ten pilots and their RIOs, snapped to crisp attention in response. The
readyroom was littered with flight plans, patrol patterns and vector readouts.
Since the surprise attack, the Brell had been playing cat and
mouse with the Freeman heavy cruiser, Rasputin. What started as a routine patrol into the Thespian
Expanse Frontier, the Brell had been ambushed by the Freeman Rebel cruiser. Taking damage to her
hyperspace module, the Brell could not make a quick escape and was forced to lose the Rebel cruiser
in a nearby asteroid belt. While the hyperspace module had since been repaired, more Rebel ships had entered
the area and time was running out. The Brell had to make a break for it and there was too much gravetic
interference to form a complete hyperspace quantum waveform.
In other words, the Brell had to get clear of the asteroids to
translate into hyperspace... And, in so doing would be easy pickings for the Rebel hunters.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a critical situation on our
hands," Captain Jim Berry, Brell's Squadron Leader, began matter-of-factly. "As you know, we've gotta
make a break out of these asteroids to get a clear trajectory to complete the HQ-Wave. Three Rebel destroyers
have just entered the system and are closing on our position. They'll be joining the Rasputin, already on
station, and they'll be bringing some 30 fighters to the theater.
"Our mission is to engage the Rasputin and tie her up as
Brell clears the Asteroid field. Rasputin is an Archangel class heavy cruiser, her anti-fighter capabilities
are light..." Berry trailed off and paused for a moment. He saw the younger pilots look at each other nervously.
"The answer is, no, not all of you are expected to survive." |
