Humanity, once confined to an insignificant cradle of Eden in the vastness of the universe; Seemingly alone, forgotten, worthless; Humanities yearn for more led to a supernova of expansion and exploration from Earth. From ancestral Terra. As always humanity pushed onwards, and like always, eventually filling their newfound dominions with violence and dominance over nature. Earth was forgotten as the Old Empire collapsed, torn asunder, Terra was lost to us. But we found ourselves in our stead with thousands of other worlds of various climates and some even sported native life. Nothing sentient like humanity. But so far no one could change the fact that Humanity was still alone. Our energy became internal in an eon of strife as the Empire of Humanity became but ash. World fought world, eventually forging four superpowers and numerous lesser entities, and the cycle of time continued...
Bridge of Aphrodite I.C.L (Interstellar Civilian Liner)
Eta Sagittarii System
January 15th, 5876
The Aphrodite I.C.L-CS1247OISR (Interstellar Civilian Liner -Commercial Ship No.1247 Orion Interstellar Ship Registry) was a luxury ship. Featuring full recreational spaces, pools, VR environments, and suites able to house parties in excess of twenty with comfort. Capable of ferrying shuttles and luxury corvettes to see scenic parts of star systems or planets. At over 3,000 meters long it was one of the larger luxury liners in usage. Capable of taking journeys for weeks on end with full staff and a thousand occupants. The Aphrodite was in the midst of a long voyage into the star systems of the Sagittarius Star Empire to see the scenic Eta Sagittarii system. Known for it's spectacular planetary rises, duel sunsets, tropical resorts, and crystal clear oceans. Four System Security Ships, the Empire's equivalent of stellar police, and a trio of Naval destroyers patrolled the system. A frigate was in high orbit over the only inhabited world, Eta II, over the resort city of Neuhafen.
"There it is again!" Exclaimed the young bridge ensign craning at a monitor in the spacious bridge of the civilian luxury liner. The man could have barely been twenty-one as his eyes, wide and bloodshot from staring intently at the monitor for hours, tapped the screen. Some of the other half dozen crew glanced over with expressions of boredom. Simply looking over to see what the man looking hypnotically at his station monitor would say next. Others glanced at the older man staring out of the wide bridge viewports. The sound of the man clearing his throat could be heard as he turned and walked over to the ensign.
"Alright Malcolm what do you see...again." It was the graveyard shift so to speak as the ships chronometer was just past 2300 hours or 11PM Terran time. Though in space there was no difference in day or night aside from the movement of celestial objects like a planet. That and the concept of Terra was a long obsolete term. Earth was a radioactive hell hole by records recovered from the Terran Empire, but even then no one actually knew where Earth was. Let alone it's state of existence. So much had been lost during the Warring Systems Era, or so the historians and romanticists put it, a more blunt term would have been, 'Stellar Dark Age?' But that did not have as a good a ring some might say.
Following the ensigns finger the older man grimaced. "Its just space debris that's probably messing with the sensors. No energy readings, and the system patrol ships have not noticed anything either. This route is chartered and safe. Hell you can clearly see the Eta II colony from here." The man stood back up from being hunched over and stretched his back. He was getting old, maybe if he got a good pension from the company he'd invest in a treatment to get new spinal discs or something. Damn rejuvenation treatments cost an arm and a leg to the point only the rich could afford anything lasting more than several years. Indeed, their was a slight heat signature coming from the object on Malcolm's monitor, but it could be anything. Gases trapped in an asteroid, radiation from the system's two Suns, or a simple glitch in the system that caused 'ghost' contacts to appear on very rare occasion. Usually that would be resolved in a system patch.
The ensign looked up at the older man with disbelief, "But...But Captain it seems to be moving?! Like it's stalking us." The mention of space dust stalking the ship caused a few of the crew to shake their heads with chuckling smiles. The Captain blinked once, then twice before speaking, "Look, son, you're tired. You've been at that damn monitor for nine hours straight. Go get some rest I'll have Sasha take up your position till shift change, alright?" Space, in all it's possibilities and mind blowing eeriness, could cause the human mind to completely fabricate entire scenarios. Space was so silent to the human ear it would cause literal psychosis as you would only hear your own vitals due to how dead the blackness of the void truly was. Pandemonium was a real threat to any starship. Rest was a key fight in these space borne illnesses. The young man was clearly overworked.
The blip came up again and the ensign's expression turned to triumphant exuberance. This caused the Captain too frown as he looked closely at the monitor. He turned away and activated the central holo-table. Blinking into existence was a three dimensional map of the star system along with the locations of system patrol ships and other vessels identified by various tags, a convoy of haulers was a little ways off. "Computer. Track stellar debris at 04-26-123. Notify system patrol ships that we have sensor problems and require assistance." The 'aye sir' came from the wiry middle aged male manning the communications panel off to the side. His face too seemed to darken as he tried flicking a switch a number of times. He looked up, worry on his face, and cast his almond brown eyes back on his instrument panel. "I...I can't get a message through...I'm just getting static...uh."
"Comput--."
"Ship sighting! two million kilometers to our rear, closing fast!" It was the radar officer, Pierre as stenciled on his white sailors uniform, and sweat glistened on his forehead as he began reading the new ships heading. It had popped out of nowhere, and gaining speed quickly, where did it come from?! All of these thoughts raced through the captains head as he began to yell for all ahead full. Telling the helmsman, a woman in her late thirties, too aim for the Eta II colony and the nearest patrol ship. He looked at the ship reading as the computer updated the holo-map. Whatever it was it was big, bigger than a frigate...bigger than a cruiser, and exceedingly fast for its size to get up to speed so quickly. Then the image flickered to life as the Captain pressed a button on the holo-table. He stepped back from the table as a holographic display was brought to life with scrolling text glowing along the sides of 3D imaging.
"Ship Identified as the Aeternia. BLACK LISTED."
(Obligatory theme music)
The monotone machine voice of the Aphrodite's shipboard computer rang out as the bridge fell dead silent. Only adding to the fear now embracing the bridge crew of the silence before utter panic. That name was dreaded in every star system from the Norma arm to Perseus arm and beyond. There it was, the ship must have been nearly powered down completely for it to have slipped through unnoticed for so long. Probably drifting for days with limited to no life support to evade scanner detection.
All hell broke loose as the Captain spat orders. The ship was going on lock down. Crew ran too their positions as every able bodied hand went to the armory lockers. Pulling out whatever assortment of weapons they could get their hands on. The Aphrodite had no ship weapons of its own in which to fight or at least delay the Aeternia's approach. In a matter of seconds the latter was able to be seen from the viewports heading straight for them. It's crenellations, Gothic architecture, basilica like aft castle, and armored prow emblazoned with a golden aegis such a trademark it barely needed an actual name. Civilians alarmed, babies crying, as the crew rushed them into their rooms or bolted them in whatever space was available.
The Aphrodite was giving all it had as its engines maxed out at 35% the speed of light, and yet it seemed to make no difference the much larger rogue ship loomed up, for the luxury liner was not built for speed and easily outclassed by the military vessel. Scant meters apart as it pulled up next to the Aphrodite. All attempts at evasive maneuver would fail as a blue beam lanced out from the Aeternia. Striking the ships bridge and spreading throughout the vessel. An EMP pulse wracked the Aphrodite as computer systems shut down. The engine's flickered and died. Only life support, running on redundancy networks, remained online. The lights on the bridge and else ware dimmed and died. To be replaced by red emergency lights.
"Sir detecting magnetic lock on our hull! We are being boarded!" The cry from a blonde haired ensign trembling at her station came to the Captains ears. The communications officer confirmed what happened next, the sounds of weapon discharges on Deck C, the civilian quarters, as the Aphrodite's crew tried to fight back.
Deck C
Deck C was awash with emergency lighting when the hull was breached, a small umbilical from the Aeternia having extended to magnetize to the Aphrodite's hull. Allowing the pirates to use plasma cutters to breach the hull. The clang of the hull piece falling to the floor was followed by the bright lights of laser weapons, bullets, and the snap-twang of a coilgun going off. Civilians screamed from within their cabins, having been locked in by the defending crew, which also saved them from the literal one way slaughter that followed. The Aphrodite's crew was only trained in basic defense techniques, they were not marines or navy sailors, only meant to run a luxury liner. Within minutes the pirates were spreading out through the civilian liner. Resistance being sporadic and short lived. The Aphrodite's small security teams offered the only form of meaningful resistance and even then they where swept aside in furious hallways firefights.
A figure stepped through the improvised entrance. Wearing a tricorne hat with a cockade on the right side, red-white-black feather plumes were cinched on, a womans figure could be barely made out through the haze of weapons discharge. A black and red body cloak wrapped around her features as she removed her hands from her hips. The movement of the tricorne hat signaled she was looking around. Examining the carnage for a minute before moving on with the flutter of wings followed by a large avian creature landing on her left shoulder. A Syth-Eagle, a cybernetic eagle hybrid, perched itself on her shoulder. More of the Aeternia's crew followed her, all armed to the teeth, and sweeping their heads for any sign of hostile intent. Yet the leader, the woman in the tricorne hat, seemed utterly unperturbed at the violence that had left red splotches of gore on the walls, ceiling, and floor. Leaving a literal blood trail that ended in corpses throughout the hallways of the once luxurious liner's exquisitely paneled hallways. Bodies littered the halls and several rooms where the Aphrodite's crew had upturned tables and furniture to serve as makeshift barricades. It had all miserably failed. Only once did the tricorne wearing woman stop, and that was to look at two bodies slumped up against a wall underneath a bulletin board detailing events at bingo night. They where members of the Aeternia's crew. One had a pair of finger sized holes in his chest from a 9mm hand gun. The other had a blackened hole from where a laser bolt had blasted through his heart. The woman's pace quickened with resolution in her steps.
More screams echoed through the halls, followed by the yells of men and women, the flashes of weapons fire casting nightmarish shadows on the walls of the vessel. Yet the cloaked woman only had one course in mind and that ended with her staring at a reinforced door. The entrance to the bridge of the Aphrodite. The boarding party, the vanguard of this invasion, could be left to deal with increasingly isolated pockets of resistance.
Placing her hands on her hips again she waited as a crew member of the Aeternia wounded his way through the crowd. Checking the object he was holding he aimed the steel grille of the contraption at the door. Pressing a stud the smell of ozone filled the air as superheated air struck the door. Blasting a hole through it with slagged edges rimmed in glowing yellow. Heavy Industry Plasma torch with it's focusing grille preventing it from vaporizing everyone else in the room. The woman stepped through and was soon followed by the crew behind her. The bridge crew of the Aphrodite was in shock, mouths a gap, staring with dread from where they sat or stood. The Captain gulped.
"Nice ship you got here." The woman smiled with rose red lips. It was only then the Captain saw that a black eye patch covered her right eye along with a scar across her cheek. Zamyra Drakazha. Her dark hair cascaded about her fair face. The avian creature, a large eagle with a blue bionic left eye, cawed.
