(Page 1 of 8) No More Miracles by Cameron OlsonSUMMARY: A starship captain is forced to confront the existence of the impossible in an age when the impossible no longer exists.Dialogue Legend:
"Spoken Dialogue"
//Long Range Radio Communications\\
::Private Thoughts of a Character::
--Other--
No More Miracles
--March 14'th, A.D. 2411--
Scintillating fire and dodging streams of lightning swirled in boundless turbulence through the timeless storm that was hyperspace. Captain Feodosiia Prosdoka Smiridova stood and stared at the senseless chaos that surrounded her and marveled at how small she was. No matter how large a starship she was in, she was always dwarfed by this horizonless ocean.
"Twenty-two hours to objective, Captain," an ensign announced.
Fey looked away from the holographic depiction of the world outside the ship and nodded to her ensign. Only twenty-two hours until her ship, the missile destroyer NSRNSS Pavichenko, reached its first duty assignment in the heart of New Soviet Kingdom territory. The first time Fey had made the trip it had taken two days, but that had been on a much slower ship, a clunky beast of a cruiser with more investment in protection than speed, part of the curse that came with being a daughter to the king. Efficient performance and much quiet persuasion had finally convinced Fey's commanders to put her in a ship that had some actual tactical importance, but she was still doomed to a boring central posting. Fey had the feeling that her commanders meant to placate her when they assigned her the Pavichenko. The ship was sleek, silent, deadly and made for someplace far hotter than where she was now intended to. Fey almost wished her commanders had left her on the cruiser. At least then the Pavichenko would have been put to better use than guarding established colonies where nothing ever happened.
One of the other ensigns on the bridge looked up from his panel and said he was picking up a distress call.
"Put it on," Fey said, her voice betraying a hint of excitement. The ensign nodded and keyed the call onto the bridge speakers.
//This is the CSR Defense Force Cruiser Chan's Legacy. We are taking fire from hyperspace pirates and require immediate assistance.\\
"Chinese Stellar Republic," Commander Alexander Sidorov, Fey's second, remarked out loud. "We don't have a defense treaty with them."
Fey nodded, her momentary excitement dying.
//I repeat, this is the CSR Defense Force Cruiser Chan's Legacy. We are being attacked by hyperspace pirates and require immediate assistance. We are escorting an E class colony ship and cannot hold out much longer.\\
"How many people on an E-class, Alex?" Fey asked, even though she already knew.
"About a million," Alexander replied.
Fey grimaced and listened as the message was repeated. The voice was that of a young man. Fey could tell he was struggling to stay calm as he delivered his message and waited for an answer she couldn't give. There was only one pirate group that operated in hyperspace, the Lost, and no one ever challenged them with less than a full battlegroup.
"Do we have any battlecruisers in the area?" Fey asked.
"The closest one is in Rigel, five hours away," Alex replied.
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