“What is this urgent matter that needs my attention, Admiral?”
Nalyra swept down the stairs from the High Deck to the bridge, descending onto the command dais. She glanced around the bridge. Vessa and Mikka were at their stations, but Nivi was absent, likely monitoring the reactor directly during their dive. Soreth also was nowhere to be seen, but Nalyra didn’t much care what the priestess was off doing.
Grief still lurked within the Crown Daughter, but she kept it sealed tight, refusing to let a single drop bleed out. It had been tempered, now focused into a white-hot spear, directed solely at finding those responsible for the death of her sister, and tearing them apart. Thus, the Aegis was currently diving towards Orphila. So that she could begin her hunt.
“It came through the Q-comm network. Highest civilian priority.” Vessa turned to look at her, a grim look on her face. “We’ve got a disabled merchant vessel with a dead reactor, in immediate danger of losing full life support. We’re the only vessel in range capable of mounting a rescue operation.”
Nalyra couldn’t help but sigh, her ear flicking just a bit in annoyance. She settled into her seat, looking out over the bridge.
“And just how in the Maker’s name did they manage that?” She asked slowly. “There hasn’t been pirate activity in this sector for years.”
“The distress call states that they miscalculated their subspace emergence, and returned to realspace in the middle of an asteroid belt.” Vessa explained. “Before they could perform an emergency dive, their void shields were overwhelmed, and a stray asteroid heavily damaged their ship’s engines.”
Nalyra slumped down in her seat, closing her eyes. This was not something she wanted to be dealing with currently, her mind focused almost completely on Orphila. But she was a Royal Hand, and she had a responsibility to the subjects of the Monarchy.
“Then I suppose we will be mounting a rescue operation.” She managed to keep the impatience out of her voice. “Crew, prepare for an emergency return to realspace! Navigator, find us a safe place for emergence, and start plotting another dive towards the distress call.” She leaned forward. “And do try to avoid having us emerge inside the asteroid belt, yes? I don’t want to go down as the only Royal Hand in history to lose a Citadel to hunks of floating carbon.”
A chorus of “yes, Highness”s, and “yes, Royal Hand”s sounded throughout the room, and the bridge crew moved into action.
A few marks later, and the door to the Mid Deck slid open, Nivi rushing inside. She gave a hurried salute to Nalyra and sat down at her station, getting straight to work.
The Crown Daughter watched her bridge crew work for a few moments, before pulling her communicator from her belt. She stared at the device for a few seconds, pursing her lips, before typing out a quick text comm, and jabbing the “send” button with a finger.
A call from the front of the bridge pulled her attention.
“Royal Hand, we have a safe emergence point locked, and our second dive coordinates queued up. With your permission, Highness, we’ll be leaving subspace in two marks.”
“See it done, ensign.” Nalyra tapped a few times at one of the screens on her seat’s armrest, then stood, her palm resting on the hilt of the dagger at her belt. “Attention, crew and citizens. This is your Royal Hand,” she began, her voice being projected throughout the ship. “In response to an urgent distress call, we will be making an emergency exit from subspace in the next two marks. After which we will immediately dive once more, en route to render aid to an imperiled civilian ship. There is no cause for alarm. Glory to the Monarchy.”
Cutting the broadcast, Nalyra turned to Mikka.
“Lieutenant Commander, prep a few squads of Armswomen and shuttles. I want rescue operations to be ready to launch at a moment’s notice. I trust you’ll handle it personally?”
“You got it boss.”
Mikka sauntered out of the bridge, already issuing orders using her earpiece. Nalyra ignored the urge to roll her eyes.
Over the next few marks, the Aegis surfaced into realspace, only to dive once again almost immediately, Nivi carefully monitoring the strain on the reactors from her station. Thankfully, with the size of the reactors on a Citadel, even the demands of an emergency dive like this barely stressed their reserves.
It seemed that this second dive would take only a few marks, one of the helmswomen swiping a timer up onto the main viewport. The civilian vessel was truly fortunate that they ended up so close to the Citadel’s course.
The door to the Mid Deck slid open once more, and silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket.
The Ydani stood in the doorway.
If he was at all put off at the chilly reception, he didn’t show it, his eye sliding over and catching Nalyra’s gaze. She jerked her head slightly, motioning to the left side of her command chair. Purposefully, he moved to the command dais.
The Crown Daughter stood once more.
“Bridge crew. By now I’m sure you have all been briefed on the presence of our guest.” She said firmly, her gaze traveling over her crew. Every eye in the room was on her. “As I’m certain you’re all aware, he is now a subject of the Monarchy, and has been given the same rights we all share. I know that none of you will have any thoughts of reprisal or retaliation against him.”
“Then why is he on the bridge?”
Nalyra turned to glare at the junior officer who had spoken up. The woman shrank back slightly, but her gaze didn’t waver.
“A reasonable question.” She acquiesced. “Consider his presence here a diplomatic favor. After our unfortunate misunderstanding at first contact, his people have expressed interest in joining hands with the Monarchy. And, as I’m sure you all can understand, as a military people, the Ydani will understand us best through the lens of our own mighty naval power.” She had rehearsed the words in her head numerous times the night before, and they came out steady and smoothly. “As your Royal Hand, I assure you that he is officially under my command, the same as all other officers and crewmembers on the Aegis. He will follow my orders.” Nalyra let a bit of steel and menace enter her voice in the last sentence, meant as much to remind the Ydani as to reassure the crew.
The explanation seemed to satisfy her bridge crew, the tension in the room dwindling away for the most part. Vessa gave the Crown Daughter a very slight nod, before turning her attention back to her station.
The Ydani reached the command dais, moving to stand to the left and slightly behind Nalyra’s chair. He assumed a position of parade rest, hands clasped behind his back, and his one visible eye slowly surveyed the bridge.
It truly irked Nalyra to admit it, but he looked at ease on the command dais. Comfortable. As if he belonged there.
Though, judging by his former rank, he probably spent most of his time on the Ydani equivalent of this place, back during his time among his fleet. The thought made it feel slightly less annoying. Maybe.
“Emergence in one mark.” An ensign near the front of the bridge announced.
Nalyra opened a holographic screen with a flick of her wrist, bringing up a security feed. She watched the view of one of the hangars, as Mikka directed squads of Armswomen in full EVA suits into a trio of shuttles, clearly shouting orders.
The Aegis surfaced into realspace once more, the swirling blue lights fading from the viewports. In their place were countless asteroids, ranging from the size of an interceptor to ones that were easily 500 kilometers across.
“Holding position at the edge of the belt.” The helmswoman announced.
“Get power to the point defense network.” Vessa ordered. “Turn any asteroids that get within 100 kilometers of the Aegis into dust.”
The gunner officers’ hands danced over the screens of their stations, and within seconds, the viewports filled with targeting data, reticules tracking countless asteroids moving through the belt. Dozens of lines extended to meet the closest of the reticules, the point defense turrets tracking the possible targets almost eagerly.
“Any distress signals on local comms?” Nalyra called out, standing and moving to the front of the command dais.
“I’m getting flickers of it, Highness, but there’s too much interference. I can’t even get enough to triangulate.” One of the communications officers answered.
“I suppose we’ll have to find them ourselves.” Nalyra growled. “Can you glean anything, officer? Even the hint of a direction would improve their chances.”
The woman leaned closer to her station, tapping away with one hand, pressing one side of a headset into her large ear with the other.
“Sweeping…” The crew seemed to hold their breath for half a mark. “Somewhere between three hundred and three thirty, Crown Daughter. That’s where the signal seems most concentrated.”
“Very well.” Nalyra gestured off to the front left of the bridge. “Set our heading for three fifteen, and proceed into the belt at half burn.”
“Yes, Highness.”
“Power to void shields!” Vessa ordered. “Weapons free on point defense! Bring rail to bear on anything larger than two kilometers in diameter!”
The ship turned, and the thrum of the engines slightly reverberated through the deck. The viewports lit up with streams of tracer fire as the point defense cannons sprang to life, their explosive ammunition pulverizing any of the smaller asteroids they hit.
A significantly larger asteroid, nearly ten kilometers across, drifted almost lazily into their path, and Nalyra watched as one of the manual targeting reticules tracked it. The Citadel gave a shudder as one of the super-heavy rail guns fired. Almost instantly, the asteroid vanished in a near-blinding flash. A clean hit. The viewports automatically dimmed as the kinetic energy of the tungsten slug obliterated most of the asteroid's mass. Numerous point defense cannons saturated the impact site, cleaning up the larger fragments before they could scatter. The smaller pieces soared towards the Citadel, but merely caused flickers of blue as they were reduced to dust by the void shields.
Nalyra glanced back as her mind picked up a current of disbelief from behind her. The Ydani stood, still motionless, but his brow was furrowed, his eye roving back and forth over the viewports. Watching the sheer scale of the firepower carried by a Citadel.
A small part of her hummed with satisfaction, but her attention quickly returned to the viewports.
Several more sizable asteroids were obliterated by the Aegis, and countless smaller ones fell to the ship’s point defense. An undercurrent of tension and focus ran through the room.
“Picking up the distress call on local comms, Crown Daughter!” The comms officer called out, still listening to her headset.
“Enough to locate, officer?”
“Negative, it’s bouncing around the belt too much, Highness.” She shook her head. “But I can make out the contents now. Hold – receiving.”
She was quiet for a long moment, then glanced back, her face stricken.
“They’ve completely lost reactors and backup generators, Royal Hand. They’re on battery now. Heat, pressure, and scrubbers are all close to failing. They estimate roughly fifty marks before they’re completely out of oxygen.”