Legacy of Sius Malacos

[Heartless]

"Watch it Neriu, that's a prototype!"

From the bridge of a Geb class carrier, the Captain pitched his continued frustration into the comm device.

"You're supposed to fly around the asteroids, not into them!"

A prototype Onuris class light strike fighter zoomed past the portside viewport and flew back into the asteroid field.

"A prototype interceptor that isn't even nimble enough to dodge a few rocks!"

Now in her late teens the young girl, Katria Neriu, was assigned to the prototype Geb which had departed Order space on a multi-year mission to gain data on the development of the Order's planned light attack fighter, the Onuris. Katria was selected to be one of the test pilots and then a regular pilot once back in Order space. Their current location, and flight plan, were known only to the two commanding officers of the capital ship as well as a small group back at headquarters.

Given the time spent away from home and the lack of inhabited planets, Katria determined that they had flown at cruise speed away from Sirius for a long, long time. No Liberty ships, no Corsairs, no Bounty Hunters, no Nomads, there was nothing out here.

Drifting and strafing and turning the nimble little fighter through the asteroid field, Katria was one of the pilots which delivered positive results for the Onuris. The crew was told their mission would soon be over and that they would be returning home.

"Command to pilots, we have the data we need, return to base."

"Another day, another set of boring regular data..." groaned another pilot.

"All pilots return to base, priority call level Alpha, we are departing immediately. This is not a drill!"

Katria and the two other pilots flying wing on wing looked at each other through their cockpits. Departing to where? They landed in the carrier and stepped out of the cockpits.

"This is the Captain." the ship-wide speakers hummed. "We have received an emergency call from Toledo, the planet is under attack.

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Everyone was tense and no one knew what was going on. The crew paced back and forth and pilots sat around in the hangar waiting to hear what would happen next.

"Brace for jump hole entrance in 10, 9, 8, 7..."

"Jump hole? It took us years to get to where we are now and all of a sudden there's a jump hole?"

"3, 2, 1, jump!"

The space outside the Geb turned bright white as the ship made its way through the jump hole. Only a few short seconds later they emerged on the other side.

One of the pilots stood up. "It's Minor! We're home! Wait..."

Outside their view port were ships they had never seen before. Like a small Osiris class ships, only with many odd looking equipment on it, almost like spikes sticking out of a porcupine. The three ships were emitting an odd energy field that seemed to be stabilizing the makeshift jump hole they had just emerged from. The energy emitting from the three mysterious ships faded and the jump hole dissipated.

"Hey, over here, everyone get over here, now!"

Katria and the other pilots ran over to the other side of the hangar where other crew members were staring out the view port.

Toledo was on fire. In every literal sense of the word the planet was burning. Everyone just stood still. Then the lights dimmed. Sirens began to wail and red lights flashed.

"Battle stations! Pilots man your ships, gunnery crews open fire."

"What in the world is going on?!" The voice of the Captain seemed calm to Katria. Once in her cockpit she put on her helmet when the Captain's voice was heard again.

"Mission: protect ships evacuating survivors. Escort them through the jump hole now updated onto your navmaps, jump with them."

Katria looked at her navmap. A jump hole that had never been there before popped up on the map of Omicron Minor. This all made no sense. How did they get back here so fast, what were those ships, what was this new jump hole, and what happened to Toledo?

The squadrons launched from the launch tubes of the Geb carrier into the fray. among Order ships buzzed Bounty Hunters, few Corsairs, and Nomads. Nomads accompanied by an abnormally large ship that seemed to be dissipating into thin space. The evacuation was a mere convoy of very few ships headed by another ship which also resembled an Osiris. Only this ship was larger with more curvature and apparent weaponry. The ships from the carrier formed up blasting some Nomads out of the way. The battle seemed to be ending as the Nomads began to leave. Not quite flee or retreat as their mission, if it was the destruction of Toledo, was completed.

Once in formation the convoy flew into the field of shards towards where that new jump hole was located and they all jumped.

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SwissScorch --> Heartless