"The agony of losing you is only surpassed by the joy of having known you."
- Selma Lagerlöf
____________________________________________ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbHfgXJKn1Y
The crimson warning lights of the Absalom Station pulsed in the rear viewport of the Invictus. Ash slammed her fist on the command console. "They found us faster than I thought!"
Across from her, the normally jovial mechanic, Bubblegum, cursed under his breath.
Their predicament was dire. Their friend, Benny, was aboard a heavy cruiser, on a one-way trip to a brutal execution at his family’s hands. Benny's crime? Leaving his family's ruthless criminal enterprise to pursue a life of honest work.
Pam, Benny's estranged wife, gripped the armrest, her knuckles white. The fiery passion that had once defined their relationship now flickered with guilt and desperate hope. "We have to catch them…Please Maker, help us."
A low, rumbling growl emanated from the comms console. Enzo, Benny's hulking uncle, his voice laced with a strained emotion. "The Invictus… you must return to the Absalom Station. I’m sorry, I… I don’t want any of you to witness what's going to happen."
Ash thinks to herself, "We have more firepower now, but-"
Suddenly, the holographic display flickered to life, revealing a menacing vessel, its sleek obsidian hull bristling with cannons, drifting into existence behind the Invictus. It was a sleek Drow battlecruiser, the "Widow's Wail."
Vicky swore, a symphony of alien curses erupting from her translator.
The Invictus, recently upgraded with salvaged weaponry and experimental tech, is a force to be reckoned with. But against a Drow Battleship and the Pirozzoli cruiser? Even Ash's optimism is beginning to falter.
The Drow ship opened fire and a hail of energy blasts peppered the Invictus’ shields.
Enzo's voice crackled through the comms again. "Invictus crew, listen closely. You… can’t save him."
His voice held a tremor of remorse and desperation.
Ash met Pam's gaze, a silent conversation passed between them.
The fate of Benny, the Invictus, and her crew, hang precariously in the balance.
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