Several tools litter the floor, right next to blown parts and circuit boards of various size and make. Traudel sitting in the middle of it all, going through different pieces. Hands shaky at times, motions jerky. She reaches for something out of frame, turning out to be a small pack of stimulants. With a flicker of hesitation they are regarded before two are taken. Rubbing her face and squinting her eyes shut for a couple seconds. With a strained and long exhale she returns to work. Humming to herself while occasionally speaking to someone or something. "... alright love. Time to put you on a bit of a diet, mh? Our remaining fuel cells got to last just a bit longer. Here, i will be gentle. You... you just rest a bit more. Take it slow, ja? Like all of us should. Heh. Turn this one... dial down intake rate, adjust compensation value... ... ja. Now to this one over there..."
The recording jumps forward by an undefined amount of time. Three figures staring at their respective instruments on a barely illuminated bridge. Silence reigns until familiar sounds ring from a nearby console. Kertz, Schneider and Traudel look up - then at each other. Nothing but low background noise of the Sprotte and the new signal to be heard. A moment passes before Schneider looks back down at the screen. "Contact! IFF... none of ours, sir! Prelimenary scans indicate heat signature above snubcraft. Bearing 075-mark-60... they will be passing by here!"Traudel swallows once while Kertz stares at the readings in front of him. "Komm schon... komm schon...""Freighter! No additional signals. No escorts. Pirate signature. We are lucky today!" She takes a deep breath, slapping her face several times to wake herself more. "Prepare! No warning, we got one chance. With our engine troubles they could very well outrun us. Ammo count!""Ten hornets, sir!""Intercept course. Full speed ahead on my mark. Time to see how well your work holds up, Habermeyer." Tense hands fly over input consoles as bridge lighting turns slightly brighter while the gunboat groans back to life. "Vorwärts!""Jawohl! Come on old girl, time to make us proud. You are as good as the newer models, i know it." What is visible of the nebula through the bridge's viewport becomes less and less until telltale reddish blue engine trails draw the attention of all three. "Vessel adjusting course. They try to avoid us. It's a Mule. No read on the cargo, sensors can't get through even out here. Firing solution... ... ready!"
![[Image: Traudel-Ava-resized.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/VLthvMSM/Traudel-Ava-resized.png)
![[Image: VIil-D9J.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/QMFYLTZ2/VIil-D9J.png)