I know I’ve said it countless times, but Hyperspace is something else. The hypnotic swirling, the faintest hum of the engines and the almost comforting idea of never being too far from home. Home, however was far from my mind. I was having a bad feeling about this whole mission. In principle it should go smoothly and that was irking me for some reason.

  “Two minutes sir. We’ll be about three minutes out by sublight after.” I hear from navigations.

  I ponder for a moment before giving my orders: “I want shields up all around, kick generator two back on for the engagement. Weapons ready and I want any intership communications between Captains to go through without asking for this mission.”

  As a few people move to follow my orders I gaze out before me. The minutes pass as my shoulders grow tenser. I place my left hand on the holster of the ancestral slugthrower and try to calm myself. It would go well, I had to trust intelligence or else I was doomed in the long run to paranoia. Then the swirl of hyperspace faded and we re-entered realspace.

  “Sensors, give me a sweep. Sitrep after.” I bark.

  “Sir, our sensors are picking up the shipyards, they appear near completion. Also two Munificent class cruisers in system.” comes the first report.

  “Sir, weapons ready and the shields are holding steady.” says Lieutenant Mi-Kus.

  “Hyperdrive is cooling off a little, but everything’s in the green.”

  “Get into formation. Let’s get truly bloodied.” I command.

  The fighters and bombers launch from the Little Hope as the other ships enter formation. It was the same as the last time. We approach the Separatist ships which stayed in position. The duo of Munificents were the first to open fire. Their long range heavy turbolaser cannons missing their first and second volleys.

  “Sir, we’re in range.”

  “All ships fire at will. Prioritize the enemy cruisers. Hope Squadron make first run on starboard Munificent. Little Squadron escort the bombers. Petty Squadron hold escort formation. All ships continue advance.” Comes the order from Senior Captain Di-Van.

  “You heard the man, open fire. Tear the port side cruiser apart.”

  Soon the space between the two sides were lit up with turbolaser fire. The first two hits on the Little Revenge made the shields shutter, but I remained calm. It would not do to have an officer seem uncomfortable when fired upon. It was not only for tradition but for morale, to react to such a small thing, such as the enemy shooting at us, was an insult to the crew.

  After a few more volleys and the Republic ships approaching their foes the battle became more brutal. The Y-wings had released their first payloads and destroyed part of the outer hull of their target and a salvo of missiles from the Acclamator had destroyed the same ship’s shield generator, a lucky hit.

  “Continue to fire upon the Munificent ahead of us. We shall not be tempted by the kill.” I order.

  Just a moment later the Core’s Bastard had hit something important. The Munificent started detonating. First from the exposed armor, then to its underside then up its superstructure. Finally the reactors must have been enraptured by the chain reaction and the ship exploded one final time in a cacophony of fire and steel.

  “All ships, focus fire on the remaining cruiser, Bombers begin assault on the enemy shipyards.” I hear over the comms.

  “Sir the enemy cruiser’s shields have failed.” I hear from my head gunnery officer.

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  “Target their primary bridge.” I order.

  “Sir, I'm reading multiple signatures about to exit hyperspace.”

  I turn to my sensors officer, shock in my eyes. I don’t even think before giving the order: “Give me a visual, now.”

  The holoprojector in the center of the bridge turns on to give a tactical display. In front of us is the Munificent and the shipyard, to our port is the remaining fleet, behind us multiple pings are lighting up. A second later the pings turn into ships. A trio of Munificents in front, a Lucerhulk-class vessel in the back.

  “Relay this to command now! In fact update all Captains on the fleet about to pounce on us! Navigations, bring us about and prepare a hyperspace route around them, otherwise give me our chances of running the blockade. I want our shields focused on wherever that enemy Section is to us! Get to it!” I bark. This whole situation has gone to hell in a hand basket. The holoprojector already is showing multiple enemy fighter squadrons slowly heading towards us.

  “Sir, the Cruiser ahead is dead in space.”

  “All ships, ignore the fleet behind us, I want six volleys into the shipyards before coming about to face them. All fighters and bombers, make an attack run on that Lucerhulk.” I hear over the comms channel.

  “Di-Van you fool. Get me the Buckler and Dagger now!”

  “What is it Captain Dericote?” I hear from Faxe.

  “Is this about the fleet about to get us from behind?” Comes the concerned voice from Luis.

  “We need to make Captain Di-Van see reason.” I say.

  “You have my support, just nothing too stupid.” Comes the reply from my oldest friend.

  “If you can convince him, do so now, I’m already worried about the amount of droids heading towards our fighter screen.” Captain Strom adds.

  “Thank you. Get me Captain Di-Van, now.” I order.

  A moment later the battle display is exchanged for my superior.

  “Sir, We must retreat. We stand little chance against their fighters and it is not clear what kind of Lucerhulk this is.”

  “No, I will not sully the Navy’s honor by retreating. All ships the Little Hope and the Core’s Bastard will break off to hold them off until the rest of you have destroyed the shipyards. We will then assault them together and defeat these Outer Rim bums. Helmsman bring us about, we’ll hold them off until the rest of the fleet has successfully completed our objective.”

  The hologram changes back to the battlefield. I watch as the Little Hope and Core’s Bastard break off of the line and charge towards the rapidly approaching separatist fleet. Meanwhile the remaining Republic ships continue to bombard the enemy shipyards.

  “Sir, the enemy ships have opened fire on our reacting forces.”

  “Is it clear what type of Lucerhulk we’re facing?”

  “Based off of fire rate, it appears to be a freighter and not a battleship, sir.”

  I grumble at that. Di-Van was being overconfident, our section may be able to defeat the enemy section if and only if the Lucerhulk was indeed a commandeered merchant vessel and if the enemy commander was an idiot. Our best course would be to retreat either way, gather forces and strike them again soon after, if at all.

  “Sir, the enemy shipyard is going down. We must have hit their primary reactors.”

  I looked at the hologram of the tactical overview. Surely enough the shipyard was no more, simply a collection of slag and debris.

  “Bring us about, maybe we can still support Captain Di-Van.”

  As the trio of ships left behind came about, the tactical display updated. This was joined by a cry from my head sensors officer.

  “Sir, the Core’s Bastard is down. The Lucerhulk appears to be a battleship variant.”

  “Get me the Little Hope, now!” I bark, the comms officer rushing to follow my commands. Before the tactical display could be replaced with the images of my fellow officers, I saw a conflagration of lights emerge from the Little Hope. A reactor hit, it was gone.

  “Sir … it’s just us now.” I hear from Lieutenant Mi-Kus.

  “I am taking command, where are Captains Sicato and Strom?”

  “Following us in an arrowhead with us as the point.”

  “Contact all remaining Officers now.”

  I wait only a moment before my two friends appear before me. Luis looks mildly concerned while Faxe looks perfectly calm, except for his eyes full of panic.

  “Gentlemen, I am taking command. We will break past the blockade while transmitting our location to any local Republic broadcasts. We will jump back to Dac the moment we passed the blockade. Am I understood?”

  “Will we make the jump together or will it be every ship for themselves?” I hear Luis ask.

  “If possible together, if not, every man for themselves.” I reply.

  “And the fighter and bomber remnants?” I hear from Faxe.

  “Any fighters are to dock with the Little Revenge, the bombers are to make their own jumps to Mon Cala.”

  The two officers nod and the holoprojector returns to the tactical layout.

  “Navigation I want the route planned, calculated and ready the moment we’ve passed the blockade. Helmsman all ahead full. I want all spare power to shields, kill all weapons and put their power into the engines. Divert power from non-emergency lights and any non-critical life-support functions. Maker preserve us.”

  Our trio of ships begin to speed up, gaining momentum, until they’ve reached the speed of the Little Revenge’s maximum sublight speed. The remaining seven V-19 Torrent fighters enter my ship’s hangar, as the trio of remaining bombers join the formation between the Little Revenge and Dagger.

  “Sir, we’re in enemy weapons range.”

  “Brace for impact.” I warn.

  The first turbolaser barrage hits the shields. They appear to be focusing us down, leaving the lighter ships until we go down. I can feel the ship shudder with every hit to the shields. Sapping more and more of the energy from them.

  “Sir, our shields are down!” I hear from Lieutenant Mi-Kus.

  We’re almost through. Perfect broadside for our turbolasers and lasercannons, if we were to do so. The remnant of our section threading the needle between the Lucerhulk and a Munificent. It hits me like a speeder. They don’t think we’re trying to retreat.

  “They think we’re going for a broadside.” Emerges from my lips. They’re rate of fire is lower than before, as if they are putting more power into shields than usual. I seize the moment and shout: “GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!”

  I can see the countdown on the screen of navigations as I lean towards them. The ship shudders again and again as turbolasers impact the hull repeatedly, yet we’ve passed the blockade. Before the enemy can come about the three republic vessels are embraced by the relative safety of Hyperspace. I barely make it to a spare chair before collapsing into it. I need a break or maybe a drink.