Legion unto Hell

[Taneru]

The bridge of the Libertine bustled with activity as final preparations were made. Fleet Admiral Kyle Ormaan sat calmly, surrounded in his command chair by a broad array of holographic status displays and the shimmering tactical grid. As Star Colonel Hunter left the bridge, he toggled the comm for shipwide.

"All stations, final status report in ten minutes. Non-essential personnel, report to your assigned stations, and prep for jump. Departure in fifteen."

He closed the comm, then turned and nodded to the helmsman.

"Major, take us into the Passage."

The Libertine nosed slowly out of the docks Leniex, its decks rumbling softly under the power of its engines. Swooping up on either side of the massive vessel came the in-system escort, two gunships and half a dozen fighters, as ahead in the nebula mists, The Passage yawned open.
Within the nebula, the station-keeping thrusters of the hundreds of asteroids comprising the elaborate security system known as 'The Passage' began to fire, and, slowly, a compact tunnel began to form through the dense asteroid field. Navigating the tunnel was a feat so complex that it could only be trusted to the Libertine's navigational computer, in conjunction with the networked systems of The Passage, as the tunnel's dimensions were so precise that the clearance on all sides of the ship was so close, it could be measured in tens of metres.

As the massive ship cleared the edge of the field, the escorting ships broke away and swept back into the mists, The Passage closing behind them. A handful of minutes passed as the Libertine plowed through open space, and then Ormaan activated the comm again.

"Alright, attention all stations, we're passing minimum safe distance. Status reports. I want go/no-go for jump. Navigation?"

One by one, each station responded on command with their status.

"Navigation is go."

"Drive?"

"Go."

"Sublight."

"Go jump."

"ECLSS."

"Go jump."

"EW&C."

"Go."

"Tactical."

"We are go."

The list went on down through all the major ship systems until, finally, there remained only one station left. Fleet Admiral Ormaan inspected the status displays hovering before him for a few moments, then nodded and spoke.

"Command is go. Leniex Control, this is the Libertine. All systems green, departure imminent.
All stations, prepare for jump."

He nodded again to the helmsman.

"Major Garrett, take us away."

The Libertine seemed to pause in space for a moment, then a brilliant, almost blinding light flared up around the ship, growing in intensity until it seemed as if the ship had been replaced by a miniature star. Then, just as quickly, the light faded out, leaving empty space where moments before had been a ship.

Hundreds of light-years away, the Libertine floated in the empty void of interstellar space.

"Jump transition complete. We've cleared the Barrier. Aligning for next jump."

It would take three more of such jumps to reach their destination.

---

Characters
Alan Markson: The Hellfire Legion's Lord Commander
The Perihelion: Freeport Four's guardian, and yet much more. Missing and assumed Lost with all hands.
Eric Dresmund: Junker, smuggler, thief. Last seen drunk on Beaumont
Vayrn Wyard: IMG Recon pilot turned Neo-Terran Captain. Last location unknown