If you have been following me, You know why I have been struggling. So in an effort to at least try and stay on top of this whole blogging thing, I have decided to put up the first chapter of my prequel. Please, please, please (I can beg more, just ask me) let me know what you think!
Chapter 1
Commander
Alarm klaxons rang out, echoing loudly off hallways and corridors. Rushed footsteps, and shouted commands were buried under the noise. Tension hung heavy in the air as all hands ran to their respective stations. A few paused along the port side to catch a glimpse of the war vessel that was threatening them.
"I said, Turn off that klaxon!" Star-Commander Renile screamed (the klaxons ending in the middle of his request). "Thank you," he snapped. Renile, his hair gray at the temples, and the still flashing alarm lights reflecting off his bald cap, was in a very poor mood.
Renile faced his second in command, Captain Hapter, and glared angrily. "How did they follow us? You said that warp jump would leave them behind!"
"I'm not sure, Sir. It should have worked. I don't understand how they made that second jump so quickly." Hapter's voice was strained, and Renile smiled inwardly. It was always good to keep your underlings in their place. He let none of that smile show, as he faced the mammoth display on the far wall. "Status report!"
The bridge went into a flurry of action, as everyone turned to face his or her terminals.
"Sir," an Ensign stood and saluted, "with the upgrades to the warp engines, we will be ready for another jump in about fifteen minutes.” Sweat began to bead on the younger man’s upper lip. “Sections two, seven through ten, and twenty-four are venting life support. The areas affected have been sealed, but we have lost access to some key parts of the ship. Also--"
Already bored with the report, Renile cut off the Ensign. He knew that they had taken damage. That’s war. He wanted to know if they could fight back. "What is the status of our shields and weapons?"
The Ensign, Renile couldn't remember the man’s name at the moment, and truthfully, he didn't care, glanced down at his portable screen. "With the damage to section eight, our weapons are at forty-three percent, and our shields are still down."
"Sir?!" Commander Renile demanded, angry that this lowly Ensign had forgotten to address him properly.
"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir."
"Divert all available resources into getting our weapons and shields back up." Renile grunted in disgust. The fool Ensign probably hadn’t even thought to do any of this. Renile knew better than to trust that men would do what was common sense.
"Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir.” The Ensign glanced down at his handheld. “It will take several days to fix the shields and get them operational. We can’t even touch the weapons until we fix the holes in our hull."
"Sir," Captain Hapter interrupted, "they are hailing us."
Renile glared at his captain before flicking his wrist at the screen.
The image of a handsome woman appeared, her brown hair pulled back sharply and forced into a tight bun. Her austere face and small nose showed none of the familial features that ran in the Renile family.
"Star-Admiral Renile," Thal Renile addressed his younger sister, "I am so glad you were able to keep up with us."
"Drop the crap, little brother, this ends now. Your shields are down, your weapons are crippled. Surrender and I will try to make sure you have a fair trial." He bristled at being called little brother. He was the elder, but she outranked him, and had him in height by a couple inches.
Thal could feel Keirin Renile's cold fuze to his bones. He had been right to defy her, to refuse to attack that frigate filled with refuges. That she would talk down to him in front of his men, just added more insult. He had earned the title of Star-Commander, and he expected to get his due.
"I will surrender when I'm dead! Those refuges didn't need to die. They were no threat, and were unarmed. You should be placed on trial."
Commander Renile turned away from the screen and gave the signal to terminate the connection.
"That was a direct order! It is your duty—" His younger sister's voice was abruptly silenced as the signal was cut.
"Sir, they are powering up their weapons. We won't last long under another bombardment. We need a few more minutes before our next jump is plotted. We won't live long enough," Hapter stated beside him.
"Well, we will just have to jump with the data we have."
"With all due respect, Sir, there’s no telling where we’ll end up." Hapter's jaw snapped shut at Renile’s look. Did the man really think he was an idiot? How could Renile have become a commander without knowing that? Jumping without having the entire route plotted could land them anywhere, including inside a planet or sun?
"Do it, or die! Or would you rather I boot you out the hatch to her?" Renile said, nodding to the empty screen.
"Plot the jump quickly, Ensign Keller." Hapter ordered.
Ensign Keller's hands flew across his terminal.
Renile sat in his chair, trying to present an air of confidence, but inside he roiled.
"Incoming barrage, prepare for impact. Ensign, it's now or never. Punch it!" Hapter yelled.
The ship lurched, and shook, then everything went white.
Okay, I lost some of the formatting on pasting it here, so please forgive me if I missed a paragraph. And please let me know in the comments what you think.
