Gabatrix: The Magenta Racer

Humanity had to find something faster than this. The Direct Fusion drive would serve as a method to shave a trip to Mars to a mere few months. Eventually, the vastly improved Super Direct Fusion Drive would reduce the time even further by weeks. Suddenly, distant objects seemed closer, and the human race finally had a method to reach nearby planets. Even if speeds of over 300 kilometers per second seemed quick, it was still too slow. Their nearest star, Proxima Centauri, was over four light-years away. Spaceships would take thousands of years to make that trip, and the humans could only live for so long before their prodigy would have to continue. Like so many space-faring individuals, the humans were trapped until they would fall extinct, discover something else, or invent a new method of propulsion.

We say goodbye to the Sol System. We begin to move away from this area. We go faster and faster until we start to see Sol shrink down to a mere speck amongst the stars. Humanity has grown hungry. Their desire to find something faster than their Super Direct Fusion Drives would propel them to seek any form of faster than light travel ideas and concepts that might provide the answer. Even as we reach lightspeed, you can feel the cosmic phenomenon of the time sheer. What we have been long protected from is a new issue for humankind. As objects reach the speed of light, it is time that begins to operate differently. If we were humans traveling in a spaceship reaching these phenomenal speeds, we would be traveling into the future. What is known as time dilation, these people would experience time progression differently. A year on the ship could be several years back at home. Upon such a realization, the human race was hit with this dilemma as well. Was there a limit to how fast that can you go?

Nothing could reach faster than the speed of light. It is a rule of the cosmos, for the most part. For humanity, there had to be a way to overcome these hurdles. We continue our journey as stars zip past us more and more. The entire scenery changes before us as we now begin to look at a new region of space in the Milky Way Galaxy. We are close to the great center of the galaxy. We can almost see the grand spiral arms of the spinning motion where billions of stars reside. Even before the advent of the fusion drives, humans had been witnessing the natural events that occurred. In 2019 of their calendars, they had found this object that we are closing upon now. It was a remarkable discovery as we began to see a massive trail of lit dust. The matter belonged to something that had reached hypervelocity speeds. It would have required a rather extensive amount of energy to do such a thing, and they were fully aware of it as well.

We reach near the trail as we begin to catch up to this moving object slowly. What is known to them as S5-HVS1 is nothing more than an A-type Dwarf star that has been flung out of the galaxy. Located almost 29,000 light-years from the Sol system, this dying burning ball of gas might have been spared a fated end from the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy. It was believed that this star was part of a binary system that was being pulled into the maw of the black hole. One of the dancing stars that spun together watched as its other partner was devoured. Their gravitational hold on each other was broken and tossed into the emptiness of space. S5-HVS1 instead creates a bright cone in front of it as we are parallel with its incredible velocity. The star has reached speeds of over 1,700 kilometers per second. Even if it is less than 1% of the speed of light, the momentum it is moving is incredible. As the white dwarf star bleeds out, it will eventually be left as an empty black husk as it leaves the galaxy entirely into the great voids beyond.  Even if humanity knew it would never reach this object anytime soon, it did bring some hope that there were ways to achieve faster and faster velocities.

Eventually, the great gift of Gabatrix would come to fruition. Humanity had finally found a way to reach other worlds. Instead of trying to beat time dilation and breaking the barrier of reaching speeds faster than the speed of light, a new solution had arrived. The ability to fold space safely had been performed. Reverse engineering the fabled alien technology found on Mars would bring forth the new age of exploration, colonization, and salvation for the beleaguered race. But, of course, the very concept of achieving faster speeds and velocities would remain within much of humanity’s heart. Perhaps one day, new advancements will allow their vessels and vehicles to progress this ever-growing desire. Folding space is only the beginning.

We say goodbye to the glowing white star of S5-HVS1. It is left to its fate as it sputters away from us. Perhaps one day, some other civilization will see the remains of this object and wonder where it came from. We come to a complete halt as we begin to reverse course back to the inner interior of the Milky Way Galaxy. Once again, the other distant stars begin to zip past us as we reach phenomenal speeds. The stellar matter comes and disappears. The great light of the center of the galaxy vanishes and becomes dark.

You are curious as to the humans right now, aren’t you? It was challenging to witness their events after their first peace treaty with the T’rintar clan. Even with the Gabatrix experiment and the success it brought forth, it has raised questions on the continued survival of their species. The “Age of Gabatrix,” as the humans termed, is coming to a debatable close. The end of an era of celebration was marked with the inevitable passing of the great pioneer. The descendants of the early explorers have rested and become complacent with their newfound luxuries. There is no name yet for this period of time, a sign that things have become uncertain.

The realization that they had found the former civilizations of the dinosaurs was a shock to all. So was it felt through all the Itrean clans and United Worlds’ Alliance. In order for us to continually learn of humanity, we need to delve further into their journey into the cosmos. It is their year of 2349, near the conclusion of a never-ending conflict in which the human race faced utter annihilation against the alien reptilian clans. Colony after colony was beginning to fall. Eutera and Cipra were taken with others teetering on being taken next. It is one month before the alliance with the T’rintar clan.

For now, humanity is on its own as we get closer and closer to our destination. The constellation of Pictor comes into view. The cluster of stars holds one location that we are vested into now. We must hurry as an event is taking place if we are to witness it. Multiple stars fly past us as we near the singular star system. The star we are closing in is a K-Type star. Our journey is sure to take us to this planet again someday. For now, we zoom in on the outermost planet of the star system. Following an elliptical orbit is a planet of interest. Founded by the former unified African governments of Earth is the colony of Oshun.

We slow down as the great blue planet is seen. It is a world that is almost completely covered in water. In the distance are the three small moons that orbit it. In reality, Oshun isn’t much of a world to look at from this distance. A water world may seem interesting, but from here, it is simply a blue planet. Of course, there is an activity that is happening on it. There is a viable atmosphere and in the southern equator is a massive spinning cyclone that continues to move in a straight line.

We close in on the world. At this distance, we can faintly see one of the tiny island continents where humanity has settled. Finally, it is here that we can see a series of flashing lights. No…..these are explosions. What we are seeing is something unnatural and artificially made.

It is a battle that is taking place. We have arrived to bear witness to the Battle of Oshun. The humans of this colony are in the fight for their lives. By now, we can see that we are getting to the near end of this conflict. A small Itrean fleet had arrived and brought siege onto the planet. Space debris is everywhere, consisting of destroyed spaceship hulks, vaporized or scorched remains, and perhaps even former living bodies. All of it is floating in the vastness of space. By now, we are so close to Oshun that it takes up a sizeable portion of our view.

The blasts are continuing to occur as we can see seven warships ahead of us. On one side are four UHN Magellan class Battleships. The cylindrical hulls consist of the near rear-mounted spinning centripetal ring, railgun turrets mounted in the mid-dorsal and ventral sides, engine thrusters in the forward and rear, and torpedo tubes in the front. On the other side are three Itrean vessels of unknown design. Their common hull color is that of purple, further illuminated by the distant star of the system.

Two alien vessels are similar in shape and design. They are cylindrical but blockier than the UHN warships. Their hull configuration is almost the same, however. They also consist of engine thrusters in the forward and rear. They have two spinning centripetal rings near the back and have two dual-mounted railguns on the mid-dorsal and ventral sides. The forward section of the hulls is lined with heavy-duty CIWS gatling guns, small missile launchers, and small fin-like protrusions. These two warships are slightly bigger than the Magellan battleships. The other alien warship is significantly smaller. It appears to be a scout ship or support ship of some kind. It consists of a single centripetal ring near the center, large engines on the front and back, smaller guns, and four large tentacle-like protrusions near the aft section. In the front are a fin-like protruding array and a single railgun.

It is an all-out battle. All the ships show signs of damage to various degrees. Blast marks and small fires are clearly seen on the hulls as their internal atmospheres threaten to be vented into space. Missiles are being launched from various areas of Oshun and its moons but are getting shot down by the small CIWS guns of the Itrean warships. The two large alien battleships are moving slowly in a stand-off match of gunfire against the human military. Hypervelocity rounds are fired from their dual-mounted railguns onto the Magellans as the Magellan battleships return fire. The blasts from the guns produce a beautiful blue and purple colorization as the shells are ejected into space. Meanwhile, the single small alien warship is focused on the planet. Its single railgun is firing at the planet’s surface as it seems to ignore the larger ships in their dance to destroy one another.

By now, the ships are so close in their fight that it is impossible to avoid the hypervelocity rounds. The Itrean ships are accurate in their shots. One of the UHN battleships takes a direct hit in the mid-section of the vessel by the dual salvos, quickly ripping into its hull and almost punching through to the other side. Meanwhile, the UHN has numbers on its side as one of the warships fires back. Its railgun flies and shatters the top portion of the Itrean battleship in turn. The fin-like protrusion is blown clean off as the shell breaks the supports of the centripetal ring.

It is a fight to the death. There is nothing else in far orbit as both fleets are shrinking in numbers. The great debris behind it is a sign that numerous warships of both sides are getting wiped out. The UHN seems to have the upper hand, but it is still a fierce battle. Tracer fire fills the spectrum as the CIWS guns of the Itrean battleships are shooting down another wave of missiles that are coming their way. The small alien warship continues to fire its small railgun turret towards the southern equator, most likely one of the tiny islands firing its planetary torpedoes towards the alien fleet. Its bow is aimed directly at the planet.

We turn our focus towards the other pair of UHN battleships and one of the Itrean warships. The engines on the ships are off as the ships continue to exchange salvos of railgun fire. There is a successful strike as one of the battleships has managed to score a direct hit on the ventral railgun turret. It shatters the hull area and the components as it blows out into space. However, the dorsal guns answer back as they fire a railgun round in one barrel and a non-hypervelocity nuclear-tipped shell in the other. The speed and trajectory of the shots quickly gain distance between the simultaneous exchange. The alien tungsten round slams into the rear portion of the power generator. Ripping the interior section, the ship suddenly begins to lose power as the armor has been breached. The AIO turrets try to fire a spread of flak bursts towards the nuclear shell, but the loss of power causes the system to seize momentarily. With a burrowed hole in the ship, the nuclear round escapes destruction and enters into the damaged breach.

A nuclear blast erupts in space. Technically, the explosion is little more than a violent burst of radiation as there is little air to convey the concussive force. The bright light flows outward momentarily, consuming the visual spectrum, but the nuclear shell has found an internal space of atmosphere. Inside the ship, it rips and spreads outward. The concussive force is beyond what the interior hulls can ever withstand. The UHN battleship is incinerated from the inside out as only a few surviving pieces of debris flow outward into space. The bright light fades as the warship has been annihilated, its crew never even feeling it.

We continue to zoom in on the single UHN battleship that continues to ready another salvo of railgun round onto the damaged Itrean warship. Finally, we get close enough to see the hull registry of the warship. It is named the “UHN Tsunenaga,” written in both English and Chinese. A single sizeable blasted hole could be seen near the forward section of the missile tubes. We fly through this hole as we can see the emergency seal panels have engaged to prevent the loss of atmosphere. Through the interior, we can start to see the chaos that the ship is undergoing. Emergency repair crews traverse the passageways. Dressed in red and blue jumpsuits and magnetic boots, they keep themselves braced in the zero-gravity environment.

It is here that our journey is complete, to witness a pair of crew members that are struggling to move towards the bow section of the battleship. The great passageway is brightly lit as tiny pieces of debris hover in the air. Red and blue lights slowly flash in the overhead areas to indicate that the Tsunenaga is in general quarters. One of the crew members is carrying various tools with him. He is a young adult with a fair but slightly tan complexion. His short-cut dark hair and facial features are reminiscent of that of a Polynesian or Micronesian of former Earth. On his nametag is the name “Neo.”

The other crew member is a woman of mixed complexion. She has long dark hair tied up in a bun to prevent it from floating freely in zero gravity. She carries additional tools with her, but her tablet is one of the things that her eyes are glued on as she walks behind Neo. Her name tag has the name “Jade” written on it.

“God…..” the woman said with a Martian accent. “The UHN Hyecho has been destroyed….”

“Come on,” Neo replied with an accent similar to that of the Oshunian people. “We need to reach the missile launchers!”

They continued to move as fast as their feet could go. They could hear the sounds of the dorsal railgun opening fire. It was very faint, but the sound reverberated throughout through the hull. Neo’s adrenaline was in full swing. A part of him now felt like he had a deep regret on serving on this ship. The idea of encountering an alien race was beyond understanding. The fact that they were hostile only meant that things were in dire straits. The room didn’t wouldn’t take long to reach it, but the fact that everything was getting rocked around and under attack changed everything. Now it felt like he was making the longest traverse of his life. They had only reached a third of the way there.

“I…..just want to let you know, Neo, that it was a pleasure to be your friend,” Jade told him.

“We…..we….have to make it,” Neo struggled to say. “It is a matter of life or death. They need to get the missile launchers working again if we can try to fire back at them.”

“I agree. I just wanted to say that…..because…..”

“I know,” he said as he continued to move. “You have been kind to me as well since I transferred to here half a year ago.”

A part of Neo thought of doing a blow-through in the vast open corridor. This would involve leaping and using momentum to take you to the bow section of the ship. It would shorten the trip drastically, but the vessel could engage in evasive maneuvers at any second. With the lack of gravity, both could be implanted into the deck and walls the moment that the ship jolted. Severe injury would be the end result even in an emergency situation such as this.

“We have to make it…..” Jade said to herself. “I still want to be with my family.”

“You’ll get that chance,” Neo tried to assert. He knew that he was trying to cheer her up.

“How…….the Itreans are trying to take Oshun. If they do it, then…..”

“They won’t,” he interrupted.

Jade could see the lines of data feed that were coming through her tablet. It depicted the schematics of the Tsunenaga with a separate text of events. The forward launchers were offline. The forward-most bulkhead had sealed the breach, but the Itrean round’s unique structure had to be more than just tungsten. It was some sort of special blend of metals designed to break and splinter inside once the ship took a hit. While the main shell would keep going, the shrapnel it would emit would go in all directions in the interior. At its speeds, the fragments could tear into machinery, flesh, and hardware. There was almost no response from the missile room, except that all but one of the crew was alive. He was in badly needed assistance to get the equipment working again.

“Are the other planets going to send reinforcements?” Neo asked.

“No,” Jade replied. “At least from what I saw.”

“They have to send help……please send help to us.”

“Didn’t they announce earlier that they wouldn’t?” there was a hint of dread in her voice. Even Neo hated to admit to the truth. So little was known about the Itreans. All that was known was that they consisted of clans. They had warships color-coded to their identity. It seemed that the alien race had an almost infinite amount of resources. He could only imagine what would happen if these intruders wiped out the rest of the defense fleet. The planet would be next. Would Oshun be another Cipra? What if they were like the other clan that kidnapped the people of Eutera? Mars, Cebravis, New Olympia, and Batrice refused to lend any further vessels to assist in hopes of protecting the most critical locations in the UWA.

Neo knew that his life could be extinguished at any moment. A single nuclear round or well-placed shot would result in instantaneous death. He could at least feel that his end would be quick and painless. His only regret was the one thing that he wanted to do more than anything. He reached the halfway point in the ship when the vision of the street races filled his thoughts. The thrill of driving his motorcycle loomed and provided a sense of comfort on the battlefield. How much he dreamed of being back on the ground.

“We’ll make it,” Neo said.

“Their firing!” Jade yelled out loud. “Brace!”

Neo grabbed the small side brace of the passageway and waited. In space, the damaged Itrean battleship had its working dual-guns aimed at the UHN Tsunenaga. Suddenly, it fired one from each barrel as it did the tiniest of adjustments between each shot. The trail of blue and purple particles quickly dissipated in space as two hypervelocity rounds were expelled directly into the UHN warship.

Almost simultaneously, the two shells struck the battleship at once. One struck the dorsal bridge of the ship, blowing through the entire interior and into space. Atmosphere, bodies, debris, and even limbs were expelled into space. The other shell, however……

Neo almost never felt it. It happened in a split second, and only his mind could relive the events as best as his eyes could capture. The other shell hit the bow section at least thirty feet from his location. The hypervelocity round had entered and exited from the one side and out the other side of the vessel. Shrapnel pieces blew through the decks and radiated outward in all directions. He barely heard the screeching sound that they made. He was in front of the blast as his body almost shielded Jade from the raining metal. It bounced around until the bulkheads finally absorbed enough of it to slow their advance. Something was wrong, however. He heard the sound that rang his ears a little bit. There was the feeling of something hot that happened below one of his legs.

It was pure horror in his eyes. His right leg was gone. One of the metal pieces had flown and tore it completely off. Blood was raining in all directions and floating around harmlessly into space. It happened so fast that his adrenaline was masking the pain. He watched as the leg was floating away. He had but one response.

“AHHH!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Jade barely had a chance to respond as she too realized what had happened. A small piece of metal had grazed her right arm, but she knew that she was fine. Neo had saved her from the worst, but the cost was monumental. The horror struck her as well as she could hear his screams combined with the fact that he was losing blood. For a few seconds, she shook a little bit as her mind was trying to comprehend what had happened.

“Neo!” Jade snapped out of her shock. She could see that he was losing blood as he was starting to run out of breath. She practically let go of all her tools as it dawned on what she could do. The man was bleeding out as it continued to flow out into the compartment. Slow-moving pieces of metal were floating around as she saw one of her tools that she could use. If she didn’t act fast, it was possible for Neo to bleed out and die. She slapped the magnetized tablet to the wall as she grabbed a sealant projector on the floating gear. Used to mend bulkheads and parts together, the sealing foam might work.

“Help me!” Neo yelled out. “My leg! HELP!”

“I’m here, Neo!” Jade replied as she grabbed his shoulder. She took the tube-like device and held him in place.

Even with the shock and awe of the event, there was a slight amount of clarity in everything. Neo could see that Jade was trying to get ahold of him as the blood continued to flow. He could see her bring the tool to his severed leg. He didn’t look as the emitter activated. The foam began to flow outward and apply to the mess. They both knew that this form of sealant foam was not exactly designed to mend tissue together. In fact, it was never meant to be applied in this particular fashion, but it was all that they had. The foam would spread outward and begin to harden immediately. Forming a red cap over the cut area, it was working.

“H……hurts……” Neo grimaced as the pain was starting to him. He was shaken as he could see that the bleeding was slowing down. Jade was working as fast as she could, applying another firm layer over the wound. The bleeding had been averted as it formed the perfect clot over it.

“I got it!” Jade said as she practically let go of her tool. “I sealed the bleeding!”

There was a minor form of lightheadedness coming from Neo. The bleeding had ended, but he lost some blood. His brain and body were still trying to get ahold of everything that had happened. It was here that Jade’s instincts were in full swing. She looked at the tablet and could see the results of the Itrean barrage. The damage had become near catastrophic. The main command bridge was gone, and the forward bulkheads had sealed ahead of them. There was no hope of ever reaching the missile launchers, and one of the repair teams had suffered a horrific loss of a limb. The battle on the ship was becoming a lost cause. Jade frantically grabbed her tablet and tapped a button to call for help.

“Medical team respond!” She yelled out to the tablet. “This is repair team Gamma. We have taken injuries……located compartment Level 1……loss of right leg…….shit……”

She shook a little bit as she waited to hear a word of it. Finally, an overhead announcement was called out.

“Primary bridge is out,” a male voice called out in the announcement. “I, Lieutenant Josiah, am assuming command. Prepare for evasive maneuvers!”

There was no response as they could hear the other railgun on the Tsunenaga fire. Neo naturally grabbed the brace as Jade held onto him. The forward thrusters were firing as the battleship was limping backward. As pain rode through Neo’s system, he faintly recalled seeing the metal pieces begin to float forward along with his severed leg. He looked away from it. It might as well be miles away from both of them. The inertia began to cease as the two were accustomed to the new movement. Their magnetic boots kept them anchored to the deck.

“Can’t….feel……too much…..pain….” Neo said as he was trying to keep control of his breathing.

“Medical team to repair team Gamma, report to the medical bay,” another male voice called out on the tablet.

“En route,” Jade replied. She grabbed Neo as he faintly noted that he was being pulled. Jade was going to do a blow-through. With no gravity and one grab of his arm, she leaped and let inertia take them down to the center portion of the warship. She could only hope that they would both survive this encounter. It was beyond risky as the ship could move in another direction at a moment's notice.

Things started to become a daze to Neo. He closed his eyes as he felt that he was getting weak. He dared not look down to the forward compartment. He had to say goodbye to his leg. There was no hope in retrieving it.

“Just……want…..to go home…….” Neo stated.

As Jade considered his words, she had to think at the spot. The medical bay was not far from the shuttle bay. It was best to be ready if the inevitable were to occur. The Tsunenaga might not even survive another salvo from the Itrean battleship. As they flew down the passageway, she briefly looked at the tablet. The UHN battleship, despite the damages, was still in the fight. The problem was that it was reversing course, and there wasn’t much room for the ship to go. That direction would start to take it closer to the planet.

It worked. Jade reached the main elevator that would lead to the medical bay. She pressed the button on the panel as she touched the deck. Neo barely felt anything by now as his eyes would open and close. The lift’s doors had opened as they both entered it. The one significant advantage of the lack of gravity was that it made things easier to traverse for the most part. Jade was not a physically strong individual, but it didn’t matter as Neo was weightless. His one leg pressed the deck plating as the elevator started to go up. He didn’t even see that Jade had pressed the buttons on the lift control to traverse a deck above. There was a sudden shift as the elevator was lifting upward.

Neo blacked out momentarily. The loss of blood was taking its toll. Then, he remembered that he was in the elevator and now was in the passageway leading to the mid aft compartments adjacent to the medical room. Wounded individuals were gathering as corpsmen and doctors were treating the injured just outside the door. Emergency straps were in place to hold the people in as the ship threatened to shift or move.

“I have him!” Jade called out.

Neo’s head turned to look towards the forward passageway of the new deck. Far ahead was the sealed bulkhead. It was leading to the area where the railgun round had damaged the vicinity and destroyed the dorsal bridge section. He barely felt his body being strapped into the side bulkhead as he could hear one of the medics holding a medical scanner of some sort near his body. His eyesight was going in and out as he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Loss of a lot of blood,” another female voice echoed in his head.

“I used our sealants on his severed leg,” Jade responded.

“Good call, but….shit…..let me give him something for it. You used Erdinsealant?”

“Yes.”

“It can poison him. I’m giving him a pain reliever sedative and coagulant stimulant.”

Neo briefly opened his eyes to see a woman in front of him that pulled two small hypo needles out of her pocket. She stuck each one into his leg. The pain was so much that he barely even felt the medications being applied to him. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when he was consciously aware of it, the pain was muted in his body. At times, he wondered if this was just a bad dream and that he would wake up soon.

“I need to give him something else to treat for the toxic effects that sealant has,” the corpsman stated.

“No……” Jade said as she looked at her tablet. “They are firing again. Everyone, brace yourselves!”

Deep in space, the reversing warship was still in a slugging match against its adversary. The UHN battleship’s ventral railgun fired as the round took several seconds before successfully hitting the front midsection of the alien battleship. The damage seemed to have some impact as it struck one of the starboard CIWS batteries, tearing it into pieces before penetrating deep into the framework. Meanwhile, the alien warship readjusted its only functional dual railgun at the Tsunenaga.

It fired two more rounds, taking at least eight seconds for the hypervelocity round to strike the centripetal ring of the UHN ship. Living compartments from the ring were blown out into space as the shell kept going. It finally hit the power generator in the aft section of the ship. Another non-hypervelocity round was heading dangerously close behind. Much as the fate of the previous warship, the combination of the hypervelocity and nuclear round salvo was being used. The flak guns hastily tried to hit the incoming round when power fluctuated inside the ship. Lights on the vessel flickered as the guns were temporarily knocked out. However, unlike the fate of the previous ship, the flak guns did hit enough shrapnel into the nuclear shell that it diverted the shot off course a little bit. Instead of heading towards the blown-in hole of the hypervelocity round, the shell was now heading towards the vessel’s midsection.

Neo had passed out again. A part of him felt like he was in heaven as the pain relievers gave him a form of euphoria. It would only be temporary as he could feel the ship be rocked from the shell that struck it. His closed eyelids could momentarily tell him that power went in and out. Had they taken another hit? He couldn’t tell. All he knew was that his partner was there beside him.

It happened. The nuclear shell struck near the mid-portion of the hull as a powerful radiation burst went outward. The blinding light filled the area. Exploding in the vacuum of space, the concussive shockwave was primarily mute, but it seemed catastrophic. The massive amount of heat generated flowed across the starboard portion of the Tsunenga’s hull instantly but quickly dissipated. The emergency bulkheads barely held. When the light finally left, the battleship was sent in a slow spin towards the planet.

Neo thought he heard screaming as his eyes opened. Power had gone out entirely with only emergency lights kicked on. Even a powerful warship such as the Tsunenga couldn’t take a beating such as this. It was rated to handle a nuclear blast, but not when it was continuously being battered like this. The EMP blast was enough to punch through the weakened bulkheads and knock out much of the equipment. There was a massive tug as the ship was being pushed as inertia could be felt throughout the interior. The straps were doing their part in keeping him in place.

“This is the acting CO. All hands, abandon ship!” an overhead announcement called out. “I repeat, abandon ship!”

Even with the euphoria, Neo understood enough of what that meant. The ship of his posting was lost. Was the battle a defeat? He couldn’t think as he blacked out again.