[color=lime]> UEE Imperial Command - Ardin's Shuttle > Admiral Elias Ardin III[/color] The interior of Ardin's transport shuttle was as opulent as its exterior suggested. Its lush, luxurious interior was open and spacious, highly resemblant of a limosuine in space. Its seats were lined with gold and ivory, and were fashioned from clean black leathers. In the center of the shuttle sat Admiral Ardin himself, one leg casually crossed over the other, golden tassels draped over the black and gold of his crisp and clean uniform. Seated next to him was another man in a similar military uniform, in the black and gold of the imperial service. [color=gray]"Admiral, we'll be arriving at the Lincoln in a few moments. Should we take control of the ship upon our arrival?"[/color] [color=gold]"No need for such an.. active hand in things."[/color] Ardin replied, [color=gold]"I'm sure the good captain will value [i]my[/i] input."[/color] [hr] "Skull squadron has made it aboard, ma'am! The 7th are taking hits but are still combat effective." one of the ensigns reported. Alexis looked at the holo-display and saw everything that the ensign had just passed on to her. She looked at Trapp's icon on the display, it was blinking orange after he took a heavy hit. [b]"Odin, return to the Lincoln your unit has taken too much damage and I can't afford another death."[/b] she looked at the other units, some yellow for minor damage, some still blue for no damage. It was going to be tight. [color=lightgreen]"7th reports! The cruiser has been destroyed, ma'am. Target is breaking up."[/color] Aston said as he looked down at his holopad. Alexis grinned at the report and looked at the VIP making its way to her. She could see Ardin's shuttle nearing the Lincoln now, moving the battle-carrier closer was a smart move. One of the red icons that was intercepting Ardin's shuttle vanished, the elites surrounding the shuttle had dealt with it. [b]"Echo, dock with the Lincoln for a resupply once the admiral's vessel has made it onboard then launch to assist the bomb team."[/b] [color=lightgreen]"Captain, the admiral's shuttle is now aboard." Aston reported.[/color] An alarm went off and a low rumble could be heard as a hardballer shot managed to strike the Lincoln's shields. They held thankfully, but getting shot at by a hardballer always caused a moment of dread. When she saw on the display that rabbit and wizard dealt with the hardballers shortly after, Alexis let out a sigh of relief, [b]"Good work, you two. Link up with Hunter and take out those frigates. The Lincoln has softened them up for you so it should be easy pickings."[/b] [color=red]"Uh! Captain!"[/color] came the somewhat confused and concerned voice of one the marines standing guard outside the bridge as the door smoothly opened. Admiral Ardin and another officer strode onto the bridge, flanked by a quartet of Imperial servicemen- the black and gold of their combat armor a stark contrast from the UEE standard white and gray. Several of the bridge crew shot looks at the Captain and their new visitors, unsure of how to react. Despite the combat and the heavy thuds of the Lincoln's weapons, the bridge was silent. Alexis was staring at the admiral, surprised at how fast the man moved from the hangar to the bridge. [b]"Admiral."[/b] she started, [b]"The situation is under control, it would be safer for you and your entourage to wait in my cabin until the Lincoln is clear of hostiles."[/b] [color=gold]"That won't be necessary Captain."[/color] Admiral Ardin stated in a matter-of-fact tone. [color=gold]"Recall your MAS units. We shall soon be leaving this battlefield."[/color] That tone was one Alexis knew she wouldn't get along well with. But if he wasn't her direct superior, he was still a part of the royal family, she had to deal with it. When she got the order to recall, Alexis looked at the holo-display, [b]"Sir, we can't disengage now. Not with the enemy closing in on the Ulysses."[/b] she paused, [b]"There's thousands of people on that station, some of which are the Lincoln's crew. We need to stay."[/b] Ardin looked at the bridge's holo-display, almost admiring the bright flashes of light that signified explosions in the background. The 5th fleet was in a bad position, everyone knew that. They had been caught in the midst of repair and refit operations. The planetary defense fleet on the other hand didn't even measure up to half of the Coalition force. Even if the 5th fleet had been in full functioning order, the two UEE fleets would've been hard pressed to keep the Coalition armada at bay. [color=gold]"And millions more will die if we do not capture the Coalition superweapon, Captain."[/color] Ardin replied smugly. [color=gold]"The lives of a few thousand is a small price to pay for the greater good."[/color] [b]"Admir-!"[/b] said the young captain, the fire in her heart burning at the thought of leaving her comrades and the rest of the 5th fleet behind, but she was cut off before she could continue. [color=gold]"This is not up for discussion, Captain."[/color] replied Admiral Ardin, whose voice had taken on a haughty, superior tone. Once again, Alexis's eyes travelled to the holo-display, looking at the bomb team moving in on the cruiser. She mulled over the admiral's words. She didn't like it, and she definitely didn't want to admit it, but Ardin was right. The captain clenched her teeth, [b]"Helmsman, change course for the remaining coalition cruiser."[/b] then to the gunnery chief, [b]"Get me a firing solution on the cruiser for the WMG. Focus fire with our deck guns to weaken it for the shot."[/b] Turning herself back toward the rest of the bridge, Alexis addressed the 7th and her two escort cruisers, [b]"All units, withdraw to the Lincoln, we're leaving the battlespace... The wave motion gun is firing on the remaining coalition cruiser to make a way out. Clear the firing line."[/b] The thuds from the deck guns and picked up as they didn't need to pinpoint their shots of small frigates anymore, instead they innacurrately bombarded the cruiser at rapid fire speeds to take out its shields quickly enough for the WMG. The gunnery chief was looking down at his interface, working out the firing solution. The entire ship rumbled as the Lincoln's main cannon powered up. She cast her gaze on the Ulysses and looked to Aston, she received an understanding look back but there was no pride in his expression. Alexis sighed and looked over to the gunnery chief, [b]"Status on the wave motion gun?"[/b] [color=orange]"Fully charged Captain, fire when ready."[/color] The gunnery chief replied, his voice atypically cowed. She nodded and traced the firing line on the display all the way to the cruiser. Marquis locked her eyes on the Lincoln's prey. Another ensign reported, [color=Khaki]"All friendlies have left the firing line, captain!"[/color] [b]"Fire!"[/b] Alexis ordered, followed by the gunnery chief confirming the command. The bridge shook and a loud rumble took the ship as the wave motion gun roared. The ears of everybody on the bridge rang. The plasma shot travelled the length of the cannon and exitted into the void of space. The bright streak soared through space, disintegrating the small debris that had accumulated from the battle. A chunk of the cruiser that the 7th had managed to destroy strayed into the firing line but the plasma didn't pay it any heed as it melted it to nothing and finished the lives of whoever might have been left alive on it. The shot continued, catching one of the coalition MAS units. The armor suit's size was insignificant compared to the small miniature star bearing down on the cruiser. Thanks to the deck guns, the shields of the cruiser were wittled down to a capacity that couldn't hold back the WMG. The plasma struck the prow of the cruiser right in the middle, peeling away the plating and the decks beneath outward in all directions. The plasma came out the other end of the cruiser and dissipated soon after, debris trailing after it. The hole punched clean through the ship, inflicting the most possible damage the WMG could give. The cruiser exploded in a flash of white, its reactor detonated. There was no chance for anybody to escape the nuclear explosion if they managed to survive the skewering of the WMG. The gunnery chief looked up at his captain,[color=orange] "Target disintigrated, ma'am!"[/color] Alexis leaned forward on the rail, [b]"Status of Gemini 1 and 2?"[/b] [color=khaki]"Attached and secured to the Lincoln, ma'am!" an ensign reported.[/color] "Good." she then looked to her helmsman, "Full speed ahead. Prepare to warp out. 7th, you have 10 minutes to get aboard, it doesn't need to be pretty, move it!"