Captain Faozaryc leaned back in her chair as she gave a passing glance to her front flyers. She felt no need to inspect their work as they had flown various ships with her since her graduation from command school many years ago. Formally, her rank was Tetracommander which put her in charge of four fleets; however, on this particular excursion, she was tasked only with handling the Vaurhaut which was not accompanied by an escort fleet. Of course, there was no need as they would be travelling through conquered space towards the military headquarters on the planet of Jaragand IV.

She had noted that the bridge of the ship was rather large for a transport ship, but it was mostly due to the addition of weapon control stations which were not present on previous models. It was indeed an honor for her to be able to take the Vaurhaut on its maiden flight. As she viewed the ship’s travel in the vast expanse of space through the various large monitors displayed at the forefront of the helm, she begun to reminisce of earlier days which had led up to a series of events which saw her become the Captain of such an important ship. She closed her eyes, content to leave the voyage in the hands of her trustworthy crew. It would not be until twelve hours ship time that they would finally arrive at the Solean Military Academy on the planet of Jaragand IV, named after one of the great generals of the Deisolaeic. Furthermore, the ship would have to refuel once they were midway to their destination. With these thoughts, Captain Faozaryc believed that she could relax comfortably until the ship had at least reached the refueling station.

As she began to sink into the warm embrace of slumber, Captain Faozaryc was interrupted by a beeping sound on her wrist. Frowning in annoyance, she had opened her eyes, rubbing them briefly before tapping a button on her fragarec to receive the message. The contents were absolutely not to her liking. After heaving a disappointed sigh, Captain Faozaryc turned off the holographic display that her fragarec was emitting, leaning back into her seat for several more seconds before resolving to get up, turning to her Vice Captain.

“Vice Captain Jaryoc, you will take command of the bridge until I return. I must sort out some Cadets.” Captain Faozaryc had informed the broad-shouldered man who stood slightly behind the captain’s chair.

Vice Captain Jaryoc had known his Captain for several years, first serving as a Navigations Officer before being promoted for various achievements. He was accustomed to the Captain having a relaxed attitude and casually delegating other crew members to complete tasks for her. To other members of the military, Captain Faozaryc’s actions could be perceived as laziness; however, to the Vice Captain, they were the actions of an Officer who cared deeply for her crew members and wished to provide them with as many chances as possible to prove their worth at the expense of her own. It was this attitude of self-sacrifice, among other things, which had caused Vice Captain Jaryoc to refuse his promotion to Tetracommander and becoming a Captain himself. This was an officer that he would gladly serve under.

Despite this, the Vice Captain was also aware that Captain Faozaryc would never assign a task to one of her crew members that she knew they could not complete. The fact that the Captain had seen fit to deal with the issue herself would mean that it was either of high importance or extremely dangerous.

“Ma’am, if you would permit it, what manner of task requires the Captain herself to see to it personally?” Vice Captain Jaryoc could not help but ask his commanding officer the reason for her urgent departure. This was because the voyage had been going extremely smoothly and he could not for a second fathom that anything had gone astray. For Captain Faozaryc to leave the bridge on such short notice, it was almost unheard of. In fact, he had only witnessed such a case twice in the past, and both situations had almost caused the death of his Captain. Thus, he was without a doubt worried.

Captain Faozaryc had smirked. Although she and the Vice Captain had been acquainted for quite the long time, she could not help but find it amusing whenever he was worried about her. “It appears that we have an uninvited guest on the ship who had managed to enter as the loading docks’ shields were down while the load ship Slauhaut was docking.”

Vice Captain Jaryoc’s facial expression contorted into one of worry. “C-Captain! You musn’t! The intruder may be armed! This is why we have a security team stationed aboard!”

In fact, the intruder had already been detained by the ship’s security team; however, Captain Faozaryc had purposely withheld that tidbit of information in order to elicit such a reaction from her Vice Captain. “Oh, I don’t know. I think I can handle myself just fine. Make sure to keep the ship on course, alright? Captain’s orders” She gave her Vice Captain a mischievous smile before leaving, giving him a light pat on the shoulder as she stepped past him and towards the exit of the bridge.

Vice Captain Jaryoc had stood in place as if frozen, watching helplessly as Captain Faozaryc departed from the bridge. The crew members on the bridge had stifled their laughter as they watched their Vice Captain’s expression change into one of horror. It was already common knowledge that the Vice Captain had fallen head over heels for the Captain.

After she had left the bridge, Captain Faozaryc’s hand fell instinctively to the weapon which hung at her hip. She usually disliked using violence on captured prisoners; however, she had a feeling that it might be unavoidable. The security team had reported capturing a military officer in the service of the United Empire of Brannar. Though they were considered a neutral faction, the United Empire had been opposing the expansion of the Deisolaeic heavily throughout the years and despite a tenuous non-aggression pact, there was concrete evidence of the United Empire steadily increasing their military power and even diverting much of their funds to fleet construction. It would not be a mistake to say that they were preparing for a war and the non-aggression pact had only served to delay the inevitable.

Captain Faozaryc inhaled before letting out a deep breath as she paused outside of the ship’s detainment block. Normally, transport ships would not contain such a section, but since the Vaurhaut was designed to function as a light military cruiser as well, it was necessary to create an area to hold prisoners of war. She adjusted her uniform briefly before raising her fragarec to the scanner mounted next to the door and stepped in.

The detainment block was busier than Captain Faozaryc expected. She had thought that there would be four guards stationed in the block at most; however, it appeared that almost all of the ship’s security team was currently inside and patrolling the area. Though it was rather small, the guards made sure to keep every single area of the section monitored at all times. With a stern expression, the Captain walked past the empty cells and toward the only cell which was in use. Upon arrival, she noticed that the translucent energy shield barring the prisoner from exit was doubly reinforced, causing the interior to appear slightly blurred. Security was awfully high for a single prisoner.

As she was about to peer into the holding cell, a voice drew Captain Faozaryc’s attention to her right, the sound of the standard military-issue steel shod boots ringing across the metallic surface of the floor beneath her. “Tetracommander Faozaryc!” A man had marched towards her quickly, stopping just a meter away and bringing his fist to his chest in salute. He wore a pitch-black version of the Solean military uniform with a gilded raudrec of the same color adorning his shoulder which identified him as the Captain of the ship’s security team. Despite certain ranks in the Solean Navy and Infantry sharing identical names, the power and authority that each rank bestowed was quite different. It was for this reason that the security team’s captain chose to address Captain Faozaryc as Tetracommander in order to avoid confusion.

Captain Faozaryc returned the salute before casting a quick glance to the prisoner detained in the cell. She couldn’t pick out many details due to the layered force field; however, she could tell by the prisoner’s uniform and his ornate decorations that the prisoner was anything but a simple soldier enlisted by the United Empire.

“Report.” Captain Faozaryc ordered the security team’s Captain.

The man nodded. “Security team 01-05 found the prisoner in the conference room sitting in the furthest chair to the door. Upon the security team’s entry, the prisoner immediately surrendered and was brought to the detainment block without any complications. The ship was then thoroughly inspected for any foreign mechanisms that may have been planted by the prisoner. None were found. That is all, ma’am.”

Captain Faozaryc frowned. It was strange for one to board the ship and then immediately surrender when caught. “Did the prisoner say anything while he was being transported?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. The prisoner had remained silent during the entire trip to the detainment block. Up until now, he has not spoken a word. We were awaiting for your permission to interrogate the prisoner.”

Captain Faozaryc had nodded, standing off to the side as the security team began their interrogation procedures, but to no avail. It seemed that no matter what they tried, the prisoner would not budge a single inch.

The results from the security team had only caused Captain Faozaryc’s frown to grow deeper over time. There was definitely a reason for this man’s appearance, and she was determined to find it. “Lower the containment fields. I will question the prisoner personally.”

The security team’s captain nodded and raised his fragarec towards a nearby panel before sliding a lever which caused the layered force fields keeping the prisoner inside to disappear. He had thought nothing of it, as the man’s arms were bound behind him and he had been thoroughly searched and found in possession of no weapons.

Now that the containment fields had disappeared, Captain Faozaryc could see that the man was a high ranking official of the United Empire. The color of his uniform had matched the stark white of her own uniform, though it had been decorated by the addition of a golden aiguillette and pauldrons. The left of his chest was decorated with various medals and commendations and though Captain Faozaryc was not familiar with the ranking system of the United Empire, she was sure that this man was a high ranking officer.

Stepping into the cell, the Captain confronted the prisoner who was still staring at the floor. “I am Tetracommander Aergjn Vyrak Kalesia Faozaryc Vianea Jouurn, captain of this ship and your captor. My men tell me that you have not spoken a single word since your capture, but it seems that we shall have to cut your vow of silence short. You have been caught trespassing aboard an Imperial spacecraft for unknown reasons and surrendered peacefully. I do not wish to use violence nor do I wish to cause you suffering. Thus, it is in your best interest to answer my questions clearly and succinctly. Do so, and we shall judge you fairly in accordance to Solean law.”

The prisoner did not seem to respond at all, continuing to stare at the ground.

Captain Faozaryc had paused for a few seconds before continuing. She assumed that the prisoner had heard her previously. “Prisoner, identify yourself and state the purpose of your crime.”

The prisoner continued to remain silent and unresponsive, prompting Captain Faozaryc’s hand to fall to the weapon which hung at her hip. She has gripped it lightly and unsheathed it in a single fluid motion, the light of the cell dancing across the bright silver blade. The weapon was elegant and refined with the blade forming a straight edge on both sides before tapering into a sharp point which traced a graceful arc in the air to arrive just below the prisoner’s chin. Captain Faozaryc had used the blade to gently lift the prisoner’s head up, exercising extreme control so as to not draw blood.

“Speak, prisoner. I have demanded information from you and I will receive it.” The look in her eyes told the prisoner that she brooked no conflict.

As the prisoner looked up at her, the Captain shivered. The man gave off a weirdly unnerving feeling, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. The man was middle-aged and had a full beard, and now that she could see his face clearly, she had noticed that his left eye was missing and that the socket was lined with wires, perhaps adding to the unnerving atmosphere that the man generated.

For the first time since his capture, the prisoner had given a response to his captors. He flashed Captain Faozaryc a fierce smile. It was an expression that made the Captain find the prisoner extremely familiar despite this being their first meeting.

“I am Rear Admiral Nathaniel Barron of the United Empire of Brannar’s advance fleet, Last Autumn Leaf.” The prisoner said, his smile not disappearing for a single second.

Captain Faozaryc raised an eyebrow. It was extremely strange for any officer to be boarding an enemy ship, much less a Rear Admiral. It was likely that the prisoner was lying. “I’ll give you another chance. Name and purpose.”

The prisoner who called himself Nathaniel only laughed, his smile growing wider. “I’ve already told you, girl. I am Rear Admiral Nathaniel Barron. As for my purpose? I’ve come here to kill you.”

Captain Faozaryc couldn’t help but grin. The prisoner who she was holding at swordpoint with arms bound behind him, was telling her that he would kill her. “And how would you go about doing that?” She asked, mildly intrigued.

“Like this.” The prisoner had a wild look in his eyes now as his smile grew unnaturally wide before he let out a loud cry. “Long live Emperor Brannar!” He shouted as he drove his body forwards before Captain Faozaryc could register what he was attempting to do, impaling himself onto the Captain’s outstretched blade. The sword had gone clean through his throat and neck in a single stroke, his body weight causing him to slide down the blade rapidly before being stopped by the crossguard.

Blood began to spill from the man’s punctured throat, steadily forming a puddle before Captain Faozaryc’s feet. The rest of the crew, as well as Captain Faozaryc herself, had only stared at the scene in horror as they processed what had just happened. If the man was not lying, his death may have just created an excuse for the United Empire to wage war on the Deisolaeic. It would be a gross failure on Captain Faozaryc’s part and she would have to answer to the Imperial Court for it.

It was only now that realization dawned upon the Captain. It was not that she had found the prisoner familiar, but the expression itself. It was an expression that she had seen many times during her career in the military. It was the bestial grin of a soldier who was ready to die for what he fought for. The unnerving aura that the man exuded came not from him, but rather the fact that he had already consigned himself to death. He had no longer considered any alternatives to death and he had cut himself off from any possible routes of survival. It was the stench and attitude of a man who was already in death’s embrace which had caused Captain Faozaryc to feel uncomfortable in the man’s presence.

With a grip that tightened with worry, Captain Faozaryc withdrew her sword from the now deceased prisoner’s throat, causing several blood droplets to flow off of the blade in the form of a stream. The weapon was made with a special material which repelled liquids and other matter which caused it to be heavily favored by nobles and officers of the Empire as the blade required no cleaning and maintained a pristine appearance during combat as well as during formal occasions. After sheathing the blade, Captain Faozaryc had stepped back to avoid staining her shoes with the blood of the prisoner as he fell down, no longer supported by her sword.

There was a brief moment of silence before the captain of the security team spoke. “Ma’am, please return to the bridge. We shall clean up this mess.”

Captain Faozaryc nodded. She wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible in order to collect her thoughts. She had technically caused the death of a possible Rear Admiral of the United Empire, which would put them in a position of retaliation. It was common knowledge that the United Empire had been preparing to start a war against the Deisolaeic, and she had just given them a reason to do so. She was not considering the possibility of a reprimand or demotion for something like this. If this truly sparked a war, she would be executed for her actions.

Briskly, the Captain departed from the detainment block and returned to the bridge. Upon arrival, she instantly made a beeline towards the captain’s chair and slumped back into it, causing Vice Captain Jaryoc a great deal of surprise.

“C-Captain!?” Vice Captain Jaryoc had slightly recoiled in shock by the sudden appearance of the Captain and her aggravated actions.

Captain Faozaryc gave her Vice Captain a brief glance before letting out a long sigh. “Don’t worry about it.” She quickly said. “Are we almost to the refueling station?”

“A-Ah, we will be arriving at the refueling station in approximately two hours ship time.” Vice Captain Jaryoc responded, not quite knowing if he should prod the Captain for more information on her current disposition.

Captain Faozaryc nodded. “So I was gone for about three hours…” She muttered to herself.

After their brief conversation, Vice Captain Jaryoc suddenly jolted to attention, turning to the crew manning the various stations on the bridge. In the midst of the Captain’s abrupt return, he had forgotten an important piece of protocol. “The Captain has returned to the bridge!” He announced somewhat sheepishly.

Although most of the crew members just quietly snickered and continued on with their work, some had turned around to give the Vice Captain a look which seemingly implied that he was an idiot.

As Captain Faozaryc reclined in her seat, she was thinking of solutions to the bind that she had put herself in. Should her actions have truly sparked a war, her foremost priority was to ensure that she would not be executed. For that, she was willing to throw away her honor. Though she did not believe in deception, she was a firm believer of regaining one’s lost honor so long as one survived.

As she simulated various situations in order to rectify her error, she heard the telltale sounds of the door which led to the bridge open. Captain Faozaryc’s heart had skipped a beat. There were no scheduled visits to the bridge, nor was she informed that there would be any officers heading to the bridge. Of all the crew members, the only ones capable of accessing the bridge without prior notice other than herself and the Vice Captain were the front flyers, the engineering team, and the security team. Since there was no need for the engineering team to come to the bridge, it could only be a member of the security team. Perhaps they were thinking of saving themselves from the wrath of the Imperial Council and staging a mutiny in order to capture her.

Captain Faozaryc stood from her seat, one hand placed upon the hilt of her sword as she prepared herself for the worst. What she saw had caused her to relax, the tenseness of her muscles fading away like snow in the sunshine. She let out a sigh of relief which left the security team member confused.

Before her stood four cadets escorted by a single ensign from the security team. These cadets were none other than Auryn Parnyr and Sabriel Saryun, both of which she had already met as well as Lafaea and Kalen Ssiurec who she had also met when they boarded the ship.

Captain Faozaryc ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to regain her bearings. “So, what brings you and these cadets to the bridge, Ensign?”

The ensign saluted, bringing his right fist to his left chest. “These cadets have been involved in a fight at the mess hall, ma’am. A cadet has been injured and sent to the medical bay as a result of their actions. It is per military protocol that they be given a reprimand.”

Captain Faozaryc frowned. Although she did not know the Cadets very well, she was sure that someone from the Deusicar clan would not recklessly charge into fights, especially not Sabriel if her reputation around the Empire was correct. “Cadets, would you mind explaining the situation?”

Before the cadets could answer, the entire bridge was abuzz with frantic scrambling of crew members who were previously observing the flight of the ship in a passive manner. A series of loud beeps had drawn their attention.

“Captain!” One of the navigation officers had announced nervously. “We have detected four spatial anomalies opening approximately half an aurech in front of our vessel! Unidentified ships are estimated to appear in normal space within two minutes ship time!”

Captain Faozaryc had spun on her heel to face the front of the bridge. Even at this distance, she could spot the large wormholes that were causing the fabric of space before them to deform into the likeness of a pinwheel. It was without a doubt that the ships which would appear from them were at least the size of heavy cruisers.

“Everyone, man your stations! Power up the weapons and take aim! Prepare to fire as soon as the unidentified vessels enter normal space!” Captain Faozaryc barked orders to her crew rapidly.

As the crew members rushed to complete their tasks and put the Vaurhaut into battle-ready condition, Captain Faozaryc bit on one of her nails nervously. This was certainly not planned for the Vaurhaut’s maiden voyage. Although the ship was equipped with heavy weapons, it was not designed for front line combat, but rather supporting other cruisers from the rear lines. The Vaurhaut, despite the additions, was still a transport ship at its core. Left without an escort fleet, defeat was almost guaranteed; however, that was not something that Captain Faozaryc could allow with a Deusicar on board.

Although she was by no means an amateur at ship-to-ship combat, each one of the Captain’s simulated battle scenarios in her head resulted in defeat. She would have to stall for time, at least until the Deusicar had been safely evacuated from the ship. Then she would go out in a blaze of glory. She thought it would be a fitting end for one who had sparked a war between the Deisolaeic and the United Empire. Perhaps it may even redeem her from her actions.

“Captain!” One of the navigation officers called again. “The unidentified spacecraft have entered normal space! They have been identified as vessels from the United Empire of Brannar! Awaiting orders!”

The Captain had not guessed incorrectly regarding the size of the approaching ships. Out of the four ships which had emerged from the wormholes, three were heavy cruisers while one was a larger ship that appeared to be a carrier, bearing the holographic flag of the United Empire of Brannar.

As Captain Faozaryc was about to give the order to open fire, she was interrupted by one of the communications officers. “Captain! Their flagship is hailing us!”

“Put them through. Let’s see what they want.” Captain Faozaryc ordered, causing the communications officers to type rapidly on their holographic display, opening up a large screen at the forefront of the bridge which displayed the image of a man in an ornate uniform. He was undoubtedly the commander of this fleet.

“Greetings, Tetracommander Aergjn Vyrak Kalesia Faozaryc Vianea Jouurn.” The man spoke slowly and deliberately, with the tone of a man who knew he was in control of the situation. “I am Lord Admiral Harrow. I will make this brief. We would like you to surrender your ship to us. That is all we require. We do not wish to keep you all as prisoners and feed you. You and your men will be allowed to go wherever you please after you have surrendered. We will not pursue, nor will we attack. You have my word.”

Captain Faozaryc was taken aback at the man’s words. She had not recalled ever meeting this man, nor had she ever introduced herself. She shook her head as if to clear herself of her conflicted thoughts, she responded to the Admiral. “If you require our ship, it seems that you will not be able to attack us carelessly. You say that we will be able to go wherever we please after surrendering our ship, but without a ship, one cannot get very far in space, as you should know. Since it is quite clear that you are unable to simply destroy my ship with your superior firepower, I’d like to know just why it is I’d ever surrender to you and give you the satisfaction of taking the ship as well as the victory without the loss of so much as a single man.”

Lord Admiral Harrow looked at her with a tired expression. “Perhaps this will convince you otherwise.” He gestured to one of his officers who caused a holographic display to appear in front of Harrow. Upon it was a video of Captain Faozaryc’s blade being driven into a man wearing the uniform of an officer of the United Empire.

Captain Faozaryc cursed herself for her carelessness. She realized why the prisoner’s eye socket was lined with wires now. His eye was a camera implant which he had detached during his imprisonment and planted somewhere in the cell to record and transmit that very moment. It was most likely why the man had kept his face hidden until he was in a position to execute his mission. The previous guards who had entered to interrogate him would have immediately noticed that something was astray.

After the video had finished transmitting, Lord Admiral Harrow gave Captain Faozaryc a self-explanatory shrug. “It is quite simple. Surrender your ship, and you can do your nation a service by preventing the deaths of billions. As of right now, I am the only one within the United Empire of Brannar who has access to this little show; however, I can release it to the rest of the Empire at a moment’s behest. Surrender your ship, and I shall spare you the fate of bearing the knowledge that it was because of your actions that you had cast your own nation into a war. You have my word.” He repeated, his words sounding almost like a siren’s song that dragged those who listened into their grave.

Captain Faozaryc grimaced. That was the crux of the matter. Unfortunately, surrendering the ship would also give the United Empire access to Solean technology. The major blockade that the United Empire faced when considering war against the Deisolaeic was the difference in their technological prowess. Were she to give up the ship, it would potentially allow for the United Empire to become a deadly enemy, and that was something she could not permit. On the other hand, if she were to fight, it would most likely cost the entirety of her crew, as well as the life of a Deusicar, and also cast the nation into a war. She was at an impasse.

Lord Admiral Harrow smiled patiently. To him, his prey was already within the grasp of his talons. He merely needed to grip, and his prey would be his. “The choice is yours, Captain. You will have four hours ship time to answer me. Of course, since neither of us are going anywhere, it will be quite lucky for you that time will appear constant for the both of us.”

Captain Faozaryc clenched her hands into fists as the transmission from the enemy Admiral had ended, the holographic screen disappearing. Within a mere hour, she would have to make a decision which concerned her entire crew, and quite possibly the fate of the entire Deisolaeic. It was a decision that she felt was way above her pay grade.

However, she had now found a solution to the daunting problem which now faced her. It was rather simple if she thought about it. Previously, she had not been given time to prepare for this situation; however, the enemy commander had graciously given her four hours. It would be more than enough.

A grin grew on Captain Faozaryc’s face. Beside her, Vice Captain Jaryoc gulped. He knew from experience that the Captain smiling in such situations could lead to nothing good. Steeling her resolve and nodding once to herself as if affirming her plans, she pivoted neatly on her heel and turned to the four cadets who had simply been nervously watching the situation unfold.