"Spin up the forward gun, three shots, straight centre mass." the order rang out across the bridge.
"Three shots, centre mass, aye." the reply came, mere moments later. The damaged hull of the siege cruiser groaned under duress as the RCS thrusters fired at full power to manoeuvre the great Star Lance in to firing position upon her target, an Insurgent heavy battlecruiser. An audible hum began, quietly beginning to resonate from the floor as the power core began to feed energy to the great magnetic coils at the front of the ship, rising second by second to a cacophony of noise resonating throughout the interior. Combined with the creaking hull, it almost felt as if the Savannah were tearing herself apart. It only lasted a few moments, though, that's all it took. Three great bolts of plasma lashed out from the forward gun, arcing aggressively towards the Insurgent capital. The projectiles' aim was true, and they struck the Judicator directly centre mass. The great battlecruiser's engines fluttered for a moment as the power core attempted to re-route power and keep its output up. The attempt was ultimately futile, however, the vessel's core failing just as it began to split in two, micro explosions still bursting out from atmospheric vents in the hull as volatile gases began leaking, set ablaze by short circuits from now-exposed wiring.
The Lieutenant sat back in her chair with a sigh. She had been leaning forward, bouncing her leg with anticipation as she awaited the shots. Her XO was watching the scanners with intent, before he, too, soon relaxed. "Target rendered combat ineffective.. Near enough destroyed. Good odds they try to tow it back to some shipyard to stitch it back together though." The XO turned to face Lillian. "What the hell was a lone battlecruiser doing patrolling an asteroid belt?"
Lillian glanced back at her XO, her face betraying little emotion. "I don't know, Max. Word is that the Insurgents are gearing up for some evacuation operation, though. It could be a pathfinder or simply an attempt to catch some supply vessel off guard."
Lt. Maxwell Anderson sighed and gave Lillian a hard gaze. "A better question. What are we, a lone siege cruiser, doing patrolling an asteroid field?" he asked sternly, crossing his arms and leaning against the sensor readout console.
"I wasn't expecting a battlecruiser, if that's what you mean. Like I said, there's meant to be some kind of evacuation soon, I thought we'd see if we couldn't catch anyone trying to get out before the proverbial rush. Consistency and planning don't tend to be things in the average insurgent's lexicon, it wouldn't be surprising for some panicked individuals to break away from the pack sooner than planned." Lillian sighed and brought herself to her full unimpressive 5ft5in height and set about pacing around the small bridge of the Archer.
"Olson, you're bothered." Max stated bluntly. "Your idea may not be a bad one, but at least let's get back to Norfolk, get some repairs, and see if we can't link up with some of the Ohio battlegroup before we play backstop, alright?"
Lillian stopped pacing for a moment, her head hung in a 45 degree angle downwards as she seemed to consider the proposal. After two or three seconds, she gave a sharp nod. "Helm, set course for Norfolk."
Max's gaze did not break from the young dark-haired Lieutenant, however a wry smile began to creep on his lips. "Is this something to do with that LSF agent you've been ogling for the last week?"
Lillian's eyes darted to Max as she once again sat in her Captain's chair. "I don't know what you're referring to, Anderson, but if it's some kind of joke it isn't funny."
"It isn't a joke and it's the worst kept secret on the ship. None of the crew mind, in fact they take humour in it, but don't let it get in the way of your line of thinking, alright?"
"Alright, Max." Lillian replied as she forced a smile and sighed once more, trying to loosen up as she settled back in her chair. "Just another day in the Navy, right?"
![[Image: 94SMXdp.png]](https://i.imgur.com/94SMXdp.png)