ic Incursion: Opportunists and Opposition

[Raveled]

Corona hung in space for a long minute, watching the last of the Communion vessels be consumed in fire. She felt... not at peace. Some part of her hoped she would be once she saw them all dead and destroyed, but instead she just felt anxious. She kept going over cold calculations in her mind, trying to decide how many shuttles and cruisers and battleships they would have to sacrifice to drive off the Communion, and each time the numbers were depressing.

She shook herself out of her fugue and flew back towards the Aphelion. The pirates were breaking off the attack, but she still didn't trust them to not resume the assault on the civilian freighter. If that happened, Corona would need to be on-board to defend it.

[Thevshi]

Soon Corona and Galvanic were back aboard the Aphelion, which was going to have to serve as their transport back now that the Nomad was destroyed. Mechanized and Memorial were both there to greet them, and soon the four women were up on the rather crowded bridge of with the merchant ship's captain when a message came in from the pirates.

Sovereign appeared on a holoscreen, with Waymaker visible behind him and off to one side. "We have emerged victorious and destroyed these Communion that dared challenge us!" The Broan began in a loud voice. "As such, our truce is at an end."

The was a brief pause before he continued. "However, it is apparent that this Communion is a significant threat, of far more immediate concern than the meager goods that we could potentially capture from that ship. As such I am allowing you to depart unchallenged."

"I plan to go and gather more of my forces and allies, and will return to assist in driving this Communion back to the void from which they came! Prince Dovox out!"

With that the screen went black and one of the crew members reported that the remaining pirate ships were withdrawing.

[Raveled]

Now that her adrenaline was fading, the stress of the battle and the loss of her shuttle was beginning to start to weigh on Corona, and she sat in an empty chair on the bridge. She glowered at 'Prince' Dovox's transmission, wishing she could transmit her energy powers across a communication beam. "Damn pirates," she muttered to herself. "The Republic will have to send more patrols out here, once we drive back the Communion." She mind flashed to all the worlds, all the people, who had already been consumed by this new terror, and she felt a yawning gulf of despair open up under her feet. The Lor officer pushed through, though, standing upright and placing a hand on the merchant captain's shoulder. "On behalf of the Lor Republic," she said, her tone shifting to something official and imposing, "I will have to request that the Aphelion return us to the Sol System, or at least to a Republic military base. I thank you in advance for your cooperation."

[Ecalsneerg]

Galvanic sagged back against a wall. For all her phenomenal strength and endurance, the fight had drained her, both physically and voltaically. Dark bruises were spread across part of her neck and chest, and some buttons had some off her coat. 

 

She managed some half-hearted cursing at the Broan's arrogance. Deep down, she wasn't wholly unglad. She wasn't sure she had it for a few round with their fleet as well. Wincing, the Tempestian pushed herself fully upright, and approached her comrades.

 

"Not over." A grim smile found its way to Chlo'zel's place. "Not yet." She looked at Corona. "What do you thinksuppose we can do to help?"

[Thevshi]

There was visible relief on the faces of the Aphelion's crew at the confirmation that the pirates would not be renewing their assault. The merchant vessel's captain turned to regard Corona as she made her request. "Sol? I am afraid officer that is far out of our way, particularly as weighed down as we are. There are several much closer Republic systems which we will be able to reach within half a standard rotation. The Republic presence in any of them would be far more likely to provide a quicker means of transport to wherever you and your companions need to go next."