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The Pegasi-35c Conflict

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Now before we begin, english is not my native language, I'm Dutch, but have quite a good grasp of english. Now I have published a book under my name, so I can't say I'm a stranger to writing. I mostly write romances and short stories, never really tried sci-fi, but here we go, I hope someone likes it.

The Pegasi-35c Conflict

“What was the situation when you got there?”
“It was bad, really bad.” Tanner remembered what he had been through in that system.

“Alright people, we’re arriving soon, prepare to shut off the jump coil. Harris, count us out.” The blue fluctuations of the jump trail danced in his eyes. He looked calm enough but deep inside he was stressed. ‘It can’t be that bad, just another distress call, nothing to really worry about.”
“We’re coming up on Pegasi-35c commander Tanner”
Tanner walked back to his chair and sat down.
“Alright, hold on, disengaging in 3.. 2.. 1..” The ship shook as the jump system punched a hole through the barrier.
“Jump drive disengaged.” It was the ship’s computer. “All systems normal.”
The light of the bright orange star casted strange shadows around the bridge.
“Aris Station, this is the Lancelot leading the 64th strike fleet, we’re responding to your distress call.’
A voice crackled to life. “Thank god you’re here, we’re under attack from an enemy dreadnought, most of our perimeter defence force has been wiped of the map.”
Tanner took a quick peek out of one of the massive windows, an enormous ship could be seen in the distance.
“Copy that Aris, we see it, we’re moving into position.”
“Commander, should we launch our fighters?”
Tanner favoured long range tactics, but sending in fighters at this point would be suicide.
“No, we need information on that dreadnought, what kind of wea--”
“Commander, I’m detecting a massive energy spike within the dreadnought.”
“Pinpoint it, what is it doing?”
A loud grumbling suddenly filled the bridge.
“My god, the dreadnought’s plasma cannons! Commander, what do we do?”
Tanner opened a strategic map of the battlefield.
“Launch our fighters, send them to point Z3, have them wait there, set our course for that point as well.”
“This is Aris Station, we’ve got a breach in the main hull, disengage all mining ships, launching escape pods now.”
Another bright light filled the bridge, Aris Station had been turned into space debris.
“Damn, they got Aris, new plan, prioritise targets by range, closest first.”

“At this point it was all for nothing, but I wasn’t planning to let them take Pegasi-35c that easily.”

“Commander, I can’t get a signal to D group, C is reporting massive causalities’.”
Tanner looked at his map, C had gotten smaller and D was nowhere to be found.
“We’ve lost D group, keep pushing, we can’t let them take this system.”
All around the Lancelot ships we’re burning.
“Commander, our fleet is down to 65% effective fighting force, the enemy seems to have suffered very few losses, I’m advising a tactical retreat.”
Tanner shook his had. “By no means are we giving up on this system, is that clear officer?”
“Completely.”
“We’ve got company, I’m detecting several jump signatures.”
“Enemy carriers.”
And indeed four new ships jumped in.
“Enemy fighters incoming, activating flak cannons.”
“Commander, that dreadnought has a visual on us.”
“Get us out of here, now!”
“Jump drive malfunction, please wait while diagnostics is being executed.”
Tanner sighed. “Stupid old ship, full power to shields!”
The ship began to shake again as the projectors were trying to keep the shield up.
“She’s not holding!”
“Shields at 45%”
Tanner saw his life flash before his eyes, he saw his wife and began to feel guilty, their unborn child would have to grow up without him.”
“Jump drive online, please specify a destination.”
“Iotona System.”
“Destination accepted, jumping now”

“And that is how we ended up here.”
“So the Lancelot is the only surviving ship?”
“That is correct, the entire 64th fleet was lost.”
The general noted something on his console.
“And that dreadnought?”
Tanner nodded. “We have the data on it, but it wasn’t worth the loss of an entire fleet.”
“Information is everything in this war, the loss of your fleet was just a means to an end.”

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