{"data":{"id":17493,"title":"Instrument of Surrender (Part Two)","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/17493-Instrument-Of-Surrender-Part-Two","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/17493","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/17493","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Instrument of Surrender","images":[{"id":23520,"name":"Instrument-Of-Surrender.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/8yfnvv0gp8ovlr\/source\/Instrument-Of-Surrender.jpg","alt":"","size":1340804,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2020-01-28T15:50:05+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/23520","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/23520\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Instrument of Surrender (Part Two) was published originally in Jump Point 4.6. You can read Part One here.\nCrescent\u2019s crew rushed to battle stations. Starmen, startled awake by the unexpected announcement of Tevarin enemies, now poured from the crew quarters. Engineers double-checked the ship\u2019s power plants and battery bays to ensure every last bit of juice would be on line.\n\nThe bridge buzzed around Commander Wallace. Somehow this felt both familiar and completely foreign to her. She\u2019d been in battles before, but never in charge of one. She\u2019d seen firsthand the destruction of Virgil I \u2014 the plumes of smoke rising from formerly verdant fields, orbital bombardment craters the only remnants of what was once an emerging metropolis.\n\nCommander Wallace had seen just how far the Tevarin would go to win this war. She couldn\u2019t let the same fate befall Crion.\n\n\u201cCommander, a warning has been sent to Crion,\u201d XO Coburn stepped to her side, personal data pad in hand.\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve also dispatched a drone to the main fleet, though there\u2019s a good chance they won\u2019t receive it in time to make a difference.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why we need to do everything we can to slow them down.\u201d\n\nXO Coburn nodded then continued, \u201cOne final update, sir. Prisoner Lime made it to the\nbrig. Paredes has been assigned first watch.\u201d\n\nPrisoner Lime, who called himself Hickory, had slipped to the back of Commander Wallace\u2019s mind. What if Lime was right? What if he did have the Instrument of Surrender on his ship, and this war was finally over? Yesterday\u2019s expected comm drone from command never arrived. It might be a coincidence; it might not. Lime was right about the Tevs being in system. There was a chance he was telling the truth about this too.\n\n\u201cHave we located his ship yet?\u201d\n\nXO Coburn scowled, \u201cNo, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me know the moment they do.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, Commander.\u201d\n\nStill, it wasn\u2019t something she would risk the lives of millions on. People like Lime are always playing an angle; why else would he, a wanted criminal, flag down their ship for a ride?\n\n\u201cSir, our scouts just reported that the Tevarin fleet has entered the asteroid belt.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace crossed to a terminal and overlaid the system\u2019s extensive network of early warning sensors on the hologlobe. Entering the asteroid belt meant they didn\u2019t want to be detected. The moved aligned with the many after-action reviews she had read about other Tevarin attacks.\n\nWhen the Tevs struck civilians targets, they did so with little to no warning. They preferred to move in quietly, strike hard and fast, then retreat before support appeared. When executed correctly, the results were devastating. Commander Wallace knew from Virgil there\u2019s no feeling more helpless than responding to an attack that\u2019s over before you arrive.\n\nThe Tevarin war machine fed on chaos and the flames of fear. Corath\u2019Thal had even recorded a series of vids that often forced their way onto the spectrum through pirate broadcasts. The vids justified his guerrilla tactics and excoriated Messer for taking their homeworld away. Corath\u2019Thal claimed that no Human world was safe until Jalan was under Tevarin control once again.\n\n\u201cXO Coburn, the Tevarin are sacrificing speed for stealth. That gives us a chance to quantum travel ahead and set up a defense of Crion.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does, sir . . . \u201d His words had stopped, but it was obvious he had more to say.\n\n\u201cNow\u2019s not the time to hold back.\u201d\n\nCoburn glanced at his feet, then proceeded, \u201cEven if we rush to Crion, we\u2019ll never be able to set up a viable defense. We don\u2019t stand a chance battling them in open space. Their force is too big and their capital ship\u2019s phalanx shield too strong.\u201d\n\nHer body temperature spiked as nervousness poured out of every pore. She was certain everyone on the bridge could feel the tension coming from her. This was not the calming presence the commander of a ship should project.\n\nSo Commander Wallace closed her eyes while her thumb and forefinger squeezed the bridge of her nose. There had to be another way, she thought, but what options were left?\n\nCommander Wallace finally opened her eyes and looked at the hologlobe. Her eyes settled on the asteroid belt. She zoomed the hologlobe in on the belt, and watched the Tevarin fleet slowly making their way through it.\n\nA thick silence settled over the bridge. No one dared to speak as everyone anxiously awaited orders.\n\nDeeper in Crescent, Hickory lay on the brig\u2019s bunk, counting. The kid guarding him had been pacing since the cell slammed shut. He moved up and down the hall with such annoying precision that it was hard not to count along. Every bleedin\u2019 25 seconds, he\u2019d pass the cell window with that stern look on his face that Hickory attributed to overcompensation.\n\nThe kid had to know he had been saddled with a crap assignment. Every other soldier on the ship was gearing up to roast and ghost Tevs and here he was stuck guarding some Human. The young starman would never become a hero stuck watching the brig, or at least, that\u2019s what Hickory needed to convince him. Anything to get himself more than 25 seconds of alone time. Hickory needed time to work.\n\nHickory glanced at the cell door. He had worked a few electromagnetic locks in his day. He\u2019d first opened a cell door, a lot like this, on Olympus. In fact, many of these halls felt vaguely familiar. If his hunch was right and this was the same type of UEE ship that crashed into Ashana, it meant Hickory knew how to find the hangar.\n\nOf course, he\u2019d have to get out of this cell first. Then he could worry about how to get to the hangar discreetly as the ship prepared for battle.\n\nHickory swung his feet to the floor and sat up straight. Behind his back, his fingers dug inside his spacesuit\u2019s right sleeve, and found the secret zipper hidden near a seam. Carefully, he opened the hidden pocket and withdrew a miniature multi-tool.\n\nWait, he had focused so hard on extracting the tool that he\u2019d lost count. Suddenly, the kid appeared before his cell.\n\n\u201cWell, look who\u2019s finally up.\u201d\n\nStartled, Hickory\u2019s fingers fumbled with the multi-tool almost letting it fall from his sleeve. \u201cWanna be ready when the Tevarin arrive,\u201d said Hickory as he arched his back and secured a grip on his multi-tool.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you worry. They won\u2019t be getting this far. Not with me and my mates in the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeen a lot of action against the Warriors of Rijora, have you?\u201d\n\nThe Marine nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, well, what do you know about \u2018em?\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t admit to fighting any T-vars myself, but they\u2019ve never given me cause to.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou should be ashamed to call yourself a Human.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you worry, I\u2019m far from sympathetic. I just don\u2019t fight folks with everything on the line. They\u2019re too desperate, unpredictable. You never know what they\u2019ll do to survive.\u201d\n\nHe paused for dramatic effect.\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019d grab more ammo if I were you. Cause if a few warbirds come barreling through the door at you, it\u2019s not like I can help.\u201d\n\nThe kid considered his position, then pivoted and paced with precision back down the hall. Hickory cursed under his breath. So much for talking him into leaving. Guess he\u2019d have to go at the lock slow and steady.\n\nOnce again, the kid appeared, then stepped off down the hall. Hickory started counting as he silently crossed the cell floor to kneel by the door. His right fingers flipped out a small drill bit from his multi-tool. His left hand felt the sterile grey metal encasing the door\u2019s large magnet. Its width was slightly smaller than his hand.\n\nHickory switched the multi-tool to his left hand, then pressed the drill bit into the middle of the metal casing. His internal clock hit 20. No need to test the limits first time out.\n\nHickory quick stepped to the bunk and sat with his hands behind his back just at 25. The kid arrived as planned. Hickory couldn\u2019t help but smile as the kid\u2019s nervous eyes glanced in his direction.\n\nThen he was gone again. The multi-tool sliced into his spacesuit just under his left cuff line, exposing a small port that tapped the suit\u2019s power.\n\nHickory plugged the multi-tool into the port then shuffled his hands behind his back. The kid came and went, but Hickory stayed seated, drawing a deep breath. Letting the multi-tool charge before continuing his escape.\n\nCommander Wallace stared at the Tevarin fleet on the hologlobe. Their icon hadn\u2019t moved for a while. Neither had the marker for their scout stalking the fleet.\n\n\u201cStarman Darsha, is our feed still live?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cContact the recon ships, see if they know why the Tevarin fleet is stationary.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Commander.\u201d\n\nWhile waiting for a response, Commander Wallace slowly advanced then reversed time on the hologlobe, watching the asteroid belt\u2019s composition slightly change. New asteroid-free areas suddenly appeared or vanished as objects closer to the star orbited slightly faster than those near the outer edge. Then she saw something strange.\n\nAt first she thought it was a glitch. She reversed time on the hologlobe then played it forward. There it was again. Positioned too close to the waiting Tevarin fleet to be a coincidence.\n\nA relatively straight gap through the belt.\n\nCommander Wallace checked the time stamp. According to this, the belt would fall into this alignment in 45 minutes before vanishing again 15 minutes later.\n\n\u201cStarman Odorizzi, how accurate are these scans?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhh . . . estimates show they are operating at 93% accuracy, sir.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace\u2019s gears began to spin.\n\n\u201cCommander?\u201d Starman Darsha called from the comms station. \u201cOur scout\u2019s reporting that there\u2019s no indication why the Tevarin fleet has come to a stop.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace\u2019s eyes returned to their icon.\n\nA plan took form in her head. She finally saw a chance to engage the Tevarin on favorable terms.\n\n\u201cStarman Odorizzi, see this point here? In 44 minutes a gap will be opening there. Pull its precise coordinates.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Odorizzi responded.\n\n\u201cHelmsman Ayers, once Odorizzi\u2019s done, get the Crescent lined up to quantum travel directly into that gap.\u201d\n\nHelmsman Ayers shared a nervous look with XO Coburn, then spoke cautiously, \u201cExcuse me, Commander?\u201d\n\nXO Coburn quickly stepped to her side, \u201cSir, it might help to talk us through your intentions.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace locked eyes with Coburn. They didn\u2019t have much time to get her plan in motion. She almost reminded him who gave the orders aboard Crescent, but held back. She looked around the bridge. The rest of the crew avoided her gaze. She needed Coburn\u2019s support now more than ever.\n\n\u201cIn precisely 43 minutes, the varying orbits of the asteroids in this belt will align in such a way that a large gap will appear completely through the belt. Currently, the Tevarin forces are holding position near that area. We can only assume they\u2019re waiting for this gap. Once it appears, they\u2019ll maneuver into the gap then quantum jump onto Crion\u2019s doorstep.\u201d\n\nA murmur spread among the bridge\u2019s crew. Commander Wallace let the voices settle then continued, \u201cWe can\u2019t let that happen. So here\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. XO Coburn, order all of our scouts to rally near this gap immediately.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll scouts, Commander?\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace paused, then nodded. Hickory\u2019s story was a long shot, and this Tevarin threat was real. The scout searching for his ship would be better utilized here.\n\n\u201cAll of them. I want proximity interdiction mines placed on both sides of where the gap will appear, about halfway down. As the Tevarin approach, the mines will detonate, creating a wall of debris that will bring their ship to a stop. That\u2019s our chance. The moment those charges blow, Helmsman Ayers, you quantum travel us into the back end of this gap. While the Tevs are occupied with what\u2019s in front of them, we\u2019ll sneak in behind and attack their stern.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace scanned her crew. Helmsman Ayers locked eyes with Starman Odorizzi, who urged him on, \u201cCommander, are you sure? The timing needed to execute a QT into a moving belt, not to mention the risk of stray asteroids, is problematic to say the least, if not dangerous.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommander Wallace was not looking for opinions or excuses, Helmsman Ayers,\u201d XO Coburn bellowed.\n\nHelmsman Ayers\u2019 stiffened. \u201cNo, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood. Now let\u2019s get to work. We\u2019ve got some Tevs to surprise.\u201d\n\nAs the bridge came to life, XO Coburn stepped to her side. She met his gaze and felt the confidence and experience radiate off of him. It was exactly what she needed.\nCoburn leaned in close and spoke in a voice only she could hear, \u201cThis better bloody work.\u201d\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind sat in their Jackal, running dark except for their scanner. They, along with the rest of the Tevarin scouts, were posted like sentries around the main Tevarin ship. All patiently waiting for the gap to appear so they could strike Crion.\n\nDrahk quietly recited Rijorian verses while watching the scans. Tajhbind stared out of the cockpit, seemingly at peace. Drahk always wondered where Tajhbind\u2019s mind went in quiet moments like this.\n\nEverything was back to normal between them after Tajhbind convinced Drahk not to volunteer for the first strike force. Once settled into the Jackal, Drahk realized Tajhbind was right. His decision to volunteer for an assignment unsuitable for him was impulsive and clouded by emotions. He hoped he would be more thoughtful and patient in action.\n\nAs Drahk returned his attention to the scans, he saw a strange blip moving across the screen. Drahk increased the range of his scans and watched the blip weave around asteroids. It was certainly a ship and definitely not one of theirs. Those wretched Humans had finally shown themselves.\n\n\u201cTajh, there\u2019s something moving ahead. Let\u2019s see what it is.\u201d\n\nTajhbind cautiously piloted the Jackal in that direction. As they drew near, the blip slowly spun towards them. Drahk looked up to see a small Human ship circle from behind a large asteroid.\n\nTajhbind fired a salvo from the Jackal. The Human ship ducked away as the asteroid beside it was ripped to shreds.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d called Drahk, almost instinctively. \u201cDon\u2019t let them get away!\u201d\n\nTajhbind put the Jackal\u2019s engines on full burn and careened around an asteroid after the ship. With each new twist and turn, Drahk adjusted the shields so they would be protected if the Human ship looped back to surprise them with a head on attack.\n\nAhead of them, the Human ship skillfully wove its path. Yet the longer they pursued it, the more Drahk wondered about the ship\u2019s intentions. It hadn\u2019t initiated another attack or even attempted evasive maneuvers to shake them. Instead, it seemed content to stay just out of effective weapons range while leading them away from the rest of their forces.\n\nTajhbind spun the Jackal around an asteroid to see the Human ship pitch up. Drahk\u2019s eyes followed it, then returned to the scans to see two new blips before them.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve entered a trap,\u201d Drahk called. He immediately pushed all shield power forward to withstand the blasts from the new attackers. The shield held, but would need time before regaining full strength.\n\nTajhbind sliced down, then pitched up and around an asteroid. The quick, efficient maneuver was enough put the Jackal on the tail of one of the ambushers. Without wasting a second, Tajhbind fired a missile and destroyed it. One ship down.\n\nAs Tajhbind spun them through a tight inside loop, Drahk saw one the remaining Human ships fall in behind them. He bolstered the stern shield then searched the scan for the other ship, not wanting to be ambushed again.\n\nThe Jackal\u2019s cockpit beeped loudly. The Human pursuer had achieved missile lock. Drahk looked at their shield\u2019s charge. It still wasn\u2019t fully regenerated.\n\n\u201cTajh, evade!\u201d\n\nThe Jackal accelerated, then suddenly pitched up. Its wings rolled right until achieving a vertical alignment. Then barely passed between two asteroids. As Tajhbind slipped the ship between these two giant chunks of rocks and minerals, he dropped some chaff. The trailing missile exploded into the asteroids, saturating the area with a debris field that the Human ship could not avoid.\n\nDrahk glanced at the scans to see the pursuing blip disappear, done in by damage from the debris. That left only one ship, but Drahk couldn\u2019t find it on his scans.\n\n\u201cWhere is it, Drahk?\u201d an energized Tajhbind implored.\n\n\u201cI do not know.\u201d\n\nTajhbind slowed the ship until it stopped. Drahk\u2019s scans remained empty of enemies. Maybe the coward had run away, fully aware of its danger?\n\nDrahk checked the shield strength and gave an update, \u201cShield is fully powered.\u201d\n\nSuddenly a signal sparked.\n\n\u201cStern side attack,\u201d warned Drahk as he redirected the shields to that sector.\n\nThe Human ship bore down on them from behind, both of its barrels blazing.\n\nTajhbind reacted instantly, pitching the ship\u2019s bow up until it was flipped 180 degrees. They were now upside down from where they started. The two had done the maneuver so often that Drahk knew exactly when to shift the shields from front to back.\n\nThe moment the bow was flipped, Tajhbind unleashed hellfire. The two ships tore into one another\u2019s shields. The Jackal withstood the onslaught while the Human ship\u2019s shield was quickly ripped to shreds. By the time the Human ship realized it was in a losing battle, it was too late. It exploded seconds later.\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind sat there silently for a moment. They had done it. They had survived.\n\n\u201cTime to return and report our encounter,\u201d said Tajhbind.\n\nYet something wasn\u2019t sitting right with Drahk. He checked his scans to see they had worked their way deep into the belt, but were still near where the gap would appear. Why would so many Human ships converge around here when the rest of the Tevarin forces were so far away? His time as a youth on Olympus had taught Drahk that it was always best to suspect treachery from Humans.\n\n\u201cNo. We can\u2019t go back,\u201d Drahk said resolutely. \u201cNot if we want the attack on Crion to succeed.\u201d\n\nActivity on the bridge stopped and every eye found Commander Wallace. After Starman Darsha reported that their three scouts were under attack, everyone had turned to the hologlobe. Together they had watched as those three blips disappeared, one by one. The entire bridge crew knew their fate, but none dared to say it out loud.\n\nXO Coburn stepped forward, \u201cCommander, how do you wish to proceed?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave the proximity mines been set?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen we have only one choice. We go forward as planned.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, sir . . . \u201c Coburn hesitated then continued. \u201cWe won\u2019t have our scouts to confirm the Tevarin forces are in the gap.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not ideal, but we\u2019ll know they\u2019re there once the gap opens and the charges detonate. Prep for quantum.\u201d\n\nCoburn didn\u2019t move. None of the bridge crew did. Wallace looked around.\n\n\u201cI gave an order.\u201d\n\nStill nothing.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need to tell you what those Tevs will do if they get to Crion. You\u2019ve probably heard about it. Some of us have been unfortunate enough to see it in person,\u201d she paused to scan the faces of her crew. \u201cWe find ourselves out of position and against superior numbers, so I\u2019m not going to stand here and lie to you or promise you victory. We might die today, but it won\u2019t keep me from fighting to save the millions of innocent people on Crion. Will it stop you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, sir!\u201d Echoed in unison.\n\nAcross the bridge, her crew snapped into action. After a brief respite, Commander Wallace continued, \u201cNow, in exactly three minutes, this gap will open, and the Tevarin will begin their march to destroy Crion. No matter what, those mines will still explode and the Tevarin will be slowed down. But the only thing that can truly stop them is Crescent. So . . . who\u2019s ready to trap some Tev?\u201d\n\nA roar went up around the bridge.\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind watched the gap slowly form before them. It was an elaborate celestial arrangement so peculiar it was hard not to watch in wonder. Yet Drahk wouldn\u2019t allow himself to stare. Instead, he focused on his scans to see if more UEE forces were lying in wait.\n\nTajhbind had contacted the leaders to update them on the situation. Their superior had even congratulated them for their destruction of the scouts, and Drahk\u2019s foresight to continue searching the gap.\n\nStill, the lack of a further UEE threat puzzled Drahk. He almost suggested expanding the search deeper into the belt, but he held back on that suggestion. Instead he just wondered, what could three scout ships have hoped to do to stop an entire Tevarin force?\n\nSuddenly, asteroids on both sides of the gap exploded. Shrapnel hurled into the Jackal on all sides, overwhelming their shields and striking their hull. The impacts sent the ship spinning wildly. Drahk held on for his life, hoping Tajhbind could regain control before they both blacked out.\n\nTajhbind cycled through thrusters until the spinning slowed and Drahk\u2019s sickness abated. He checked the status of the ship\u2019s systems now that he could focus. They had taken significant damage and were in desperate need of help.\n\nDrahk accessed the emergency channel and broadcast a distress signal. Suddenly, a massive object filled the scanner\u2019s screen. Drahk\u2019s eyes grew wide. It could only be one thing.\n\nHe looked up to see a Human capital ship coming down the gap towards them. Still in disbelief, Drahk announced the Humans\u2019 arrival across the emergency channel. Then desperately said, \u201cTajh, we must abandon ship!\u201d\n\nDrahk grabbed his personal propulsion device and unstrapped himself from his seat. With the shields down, it would just be a matter of jumping out the open back of the ship and then EVAing into the asteroids until help could be sent.\n\nSuddenly, turret fire from the Human ship blanketed the space before them. Instinctively, Tajhbind turned the Jackal away from it, but the previous damage to the left wing was too much. It ripped off the hull and sent the ship into a tailspin toward the massive ship, flinging Drahk towards the back of the Jackal and eventually into space.\n\nOnce Drahk realized what had happened to him, he activated the thrusters on the personal propulsion device until he was under control. He searched the space around him, but there was no sign of Tajhbind. Just the sight of the wounded Jackal tumbling towards an impact with the massive Human ship, its damaged engines hurling it wildly out of control.\n\nHickory was one step away from escaping his cell. He had drilled a small hole in the metal case housing the door\u2019s electromagnet, then carefully removed the power port in his left sleeve to expose the wires connecting it to the rest of his suit. All while the kid continued to pace the hallway none the wiser.\n\nHickory began the countdown in his head as he crossed to the cell door for hopefully the final time. He needed to reverse the polarity of the electromagnet so it would repel the door away from the armature plate built into the jamb. But he wouldn\u2019t know which wire would do so until he tried.\n\nThe orchestration of this last part was essential. Hickory assumed opening the door would set off some kind of alarm. So doing it too soon would give the kid the chance to react. Yet, if he waited too long or chose the wrong wire, the kid could catch him in the act.\n\nAs his internal clock hit ten, Hickory had no more time to debate. He picked a wire and guided its exposed end into the drilled hole, then held it in place with his left hand.\n\nThe countdown hit five . . . four . . .\n\nHickory\u2019s right hand activated as many of his suit\u2019s systems as possible. Electricity buzzed through the wire and into the electromagnet. The kid appeared before the cell just as the door popped open and beeped loudly. The kid jumped back, surprised.\n\nHickory grabbed the door and pushed it open. The last thing he wanted was for the electromagnet to reengage with the armature. Suddenly, a shockingly loud alarm blasted through the brig, startling both Hickory and the kid.\n\nMoments later, an explosion rocked the ship. Only Hickory\u2019s hold on the door kept him from flying across his cell. The Marine was not so fortunate. He was flung down the hall, landing with a loud thud.\n\nOnce Crescent stabilized, Hickory glanced out of the cell to see the kid writhing in pain. Hickory hurried down the hall towards him. Seeing him coming, the kid struggled to raise his gun. Hickory kicked it out of his hand.\n\nThe Marine screamed in pain. Hickory couldn\u2019t have him making any more noise, so he cocked his arm and knocked the kid out cold.\n\n\u201cTajhbind!\u201d Drahk helplessly called into his comms. Still holding the personal propulsion device, he fired its thrusters until coming to a stop.\n\nStill and silent, Drahk stared at a debris field drifting away from the UEE capital ship. It was all that was left of the Jackal.\n\nEven though Tajhbind\u2019s fate seemed clear, Drahk was not ready to accept it, as doing so meant grappling with his own.\n\nDrahk knew a rescue wouldn\u2019t be possible from this position. He\u2019d have to EVA into the asteroid belt and soon. The UEE capital ship grew closer every second.\n\nDrahk felt himself drifting towards the ship, having entered its gravitational field. Slowly floating forward, he stared at the ship. It reminded him of home on Olympus. Sitting on the dunes as a kid, staring at its hulking hull half-embedded in sand, he\u2019d always imagined what one would look like in space. And here it was.\n\nIn a way, he had come back home in the end after all. A sense of peace settled over him and a Rijorian verse filled his mind. Then he had an epiphany: he had been brought here for a reason.\n\nThrusters sparked on his personal propulsion device, shooting Drahk forward. He\u2019d be building up a good deal of speed on approach. If Drahk had any chance of surviving this, from here on in, his thrusters should only be used to slow him down.\nThat is, of course, if the ship didn\u2019t pick up speed and ram into him. Drahk doubted that would end well for him.\n\nCommander Wallace gripped the railing before her. The charges had detonated but, besides the one ship that crashed into them, the Tevarin forces weren\u2019t here. At least the damage from the impact appeared to be minimal.\n\n\u201cFind me that Tevarin capital ship immediately,\u201d cried XO Coburn. \u201cWe need to know how much time we have before they\u2019re on us.\u201d\n\nCoburn\u2019s eyes cut across to Commander Wallace. She had never seen him so worried before.\n\nWait . . . if they quantum jumped in then they could just as easily quantum jump out. It would just be a matter of steering the bow in the other direction.\n\n\u201cCommander . . .\u201d cried Starman Odorizzi.\n\nWallace looked at the hologlobe. Her heart sank into her stomach. It was too late.\n\nThe Tevarin had entered the gap behind them. Crescent was snared in its own trap, boxed in by a debris field on one side and the Tevarin capital ship on the other. Before Commander Wallace could say anything, the Tevarin\u2019s phalanx shield flared to life, ready for a fight.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026","de_DE":"Anmerkung des Autors: Instrument der Kapitulation (Teil zwei) wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 4.6 ver\u00f6ffentlicht. Den ersten Teil k\u00f6nnen Sie hier lesen.\nCrescent's Crew eilte zu den Kampfstationen. Starmen, die durch die unerwartete Ank\u00fcndigung von Tevarin-Feinden wachger\u00fcttelt wurden, str\u00f6mten nun aus den Mannschaftsquartieren. Die Ingenieure haben die Kraftwerke und die Batterier\u00e4ume des Schiffes doppelt \u00fcberpr\u00fcft, um sicherzustellen, dass auch das letzte bisschen Saft in Betrieb ist.\n\nDie Br\u00fccke schwirrte um Commander Wallace herum. Irgendwie f\u00fchlte sich dies sowohl vertraut als auch v\u00f6llig fremd an. Sie war schon fr\u00fcher in Schlachten gewesen, hatte aber noch nie eine gef\u00fchrt. Sie hatte die Zerst\u00f6rung von Vergil I. aus erster Hand gesehen - die Rauchfahnen, die aus ehemals gr\u00fcnen Feldern aufstiegen, orbitale Bombardierungskrater, die einzigen \u00dcberbleibsel der einst aufstrebenden Metropole.\n\nKommandeur Wallace hatte gesehen, wie weit die Tevarin gehen w\u00fcrden, um diesen Krieg zu gewinnen. Sie konnte nicht zulassen, dass Crion das gleiche Schicksal ereilt.\n\n\"Commander, es wurde eine Warnung an Crion geschickt\", trat XO Coburn mit einem pers\u00f6nlichen Datenblock in der Hand an ihre Seite.\n\n\"Gut.\"\n\n\"Wir haben auch eine Drohne zur Hauptflotte geschickt, aber es besteht eine gute Chance, dass sie sie nicht rechtzeitig erhalten, um etwas zu bewirken.\n\n\"Deshalb m\u00fcssen wir alles tun, um sie zu bremsen.\"\n\nXO Coburn nickte und fuhr dann fort: \"Eine letzte Aktualisierung, Sir. Der H\u00e4ftling Lime hat es in die Brigg geschafft. Paredes hat die erste Wache \u00fcbernommen.\"\n\nDer Gefangene Lime, der sich Hickory nannte, war dem Kommandanten Wallace in den Hintergrund gerutscht. Was, wenn Lime Recht hatte? Was w\u00e4re, wenn er das Instrument der Kapitulation auf seinem Schiff h\u00e4tte, und dieser Krieg endlich vorbei w\u00e4re? Die gestern vom Kommando erwartete Kommunikationsdrohne ist nie eingetroffen. Vielleicht ist es ein Zufall, vielleicht auch nicht. Lime hatte Recht, dass die Tevs im System sind. Es bestand die M\u00f6glichkeit, dass er auch in diesem Punkt die Wahrheit sagte.\n\n\"Haben wir sein Schiff schon geortet?\"\n\nXO Coburn blickte finster drein: \"Nein, Sir.\"\n\n\"Sagen Sie mir Bescheid, sobald sie es tun.\"\n\n\"Nat\u00fcrlich, Commander.\"\n\nDennoch w\u00fcrde sie nicht das Leben von Millionen von Menschen riskieren. Leute wie Lime spielen immer eine Rolle; warum sonst sollte er, ein gesuchter Krimineller, sein Schiff f\u00fcr eine Fahrt unter die Flagge bringen?\n\n\"Sir, unsere Sp\u00e4her haben gerade berichtet, dass die Tevarin-Flotte in den Asteroideng\u00fcrtel eingedrungen ist.\"\n\nCommander Wallace ging zu einem Terminal und \u00fcberlagerte das umfangreiche Netzwerk von Fr\u00fchwarnsensoren des Systems auf dem Hologlobus. Der Eintritt in den Asteroideng\u00fcrtel bedeutete, dass sie nicht entdeckt werden wollten. Der Umzug stand im Einklang mit den vielen Nach-Aktions-Berichten, die sie \u00fcber andere Tevarin-Angriffe gelesen hatte.\n\nWenn die Tevs auf Zivilisten einschlugen, taten sie dies ohne oder mit nur geringer Vorwarnung. Sie zogen es vor, leise einzuziehen, hart und schnell zuzuschlagen und sich dann zur\u00fcckzuziehen, bevor Unterst\u00fctzung auftauchte. Bei korrekter Ausf\u00fchrung waren die Ergebnisse verheerend. Commander Wallace wusste von Virgil, dass es kein hilfloseres Gef\u00fchl gibt, als auf einen Angriff zu reagieren, der vorbei ist, bevor man eintrifft.\n\nDie Kriegsmaschinerie von Tevarin n\u00e4hrte sich von Chaos und den Flammen der Angst. Corath'Thal hatte sogar eine Reihe von Vids aufgenommen, die oft durch Piratensendungen auf das Spektrum dr\u00e4ngten. Die Vids rechtfertigten seine Guerillataktik und verurteilten Messer, weil er ihnen ihre Heimatwelt weggenommen hatte. Corath'Thal behauptete, dass keine menschliche Welt sicher sei, bis Jalan wieder unter der Kontrolle von Tevarin sei.\n\n\"XO Coburn, die Tevarin opfern Geschwindigkeit f\u00fcr die Tarnung. Das gibt uns die Chance, eine Quantenreise nach vorn zu machen und eine Verteidigung von Crion aufzubauen\".\n\n\"Das tut es, Sir . . . \"Seine Worte hatten aufgeh\u00f6rt, aber es war offensichtlich, dass er mehr zu sagen hatte.\n\n\"Jetzt ist nicht die Zeit, sich zur\u00fcckzuhalten.\"\n\nCoburn warf einen Blick auf seine F\u00fc\u00dfe und fuhr fort: \"Selbst wenn wir nach Crion eilen, werden wir nie in der Lage sein, eine tragf\u00e4hige Verteidigung aufzubauen. Wir haben keine Chance, sie im offenen Raum zu bek\u00e4mpfen. Ihre Streitmacht ist zu gro\u00df und der Phalanx-Schild ihres Kapitalschiffs zu stark\".\n\nIhre K\u00f6rpertemperatur stieg an, als Nervosit\u00e4t aus jeder Pore str\u00f6mte. Sie war sich sicher, dass jeder auf der Br\u00fccke die von ihr ausgehende Spannung sp\u00fcren konnte. Dies war nicht die beruhigende Pr\u00e4senz, die der Kommandant eines Schiffes zeigen sollte.\n\nSo schloss Commander Wallace die Augen, w\u00e4hrend ihr Daumen und Zeigefinger den Nasenr\u00fccken dr\u00fcckten. Es m\u00fcsse einen anderen Weg geben, dachte sie, aber welche Optionen blieben \u00fcbrig?\n\nCommander Wallace \u00f6ffnete schlie\u00dflich die Augen und schaute auf den Hologlobus. Ihr Blick richtete sich auf den Asteroideng\u00fcrtel. Sie zoomte den Hologlobus auf den G\u00fcrtel und beobachtete die Tevarin-Flotte, die sich langsam ihren Weg durch den G\u00fcrtel bahnte.\n\n\u00dcber die Br\u00fccke legte sich eine dichte Stille. Niemand wagte zu sprechen, da alle sehns\u00fcchtig auf Befehle warteten.\n\nTief in Crescent lag Hickory auf der Koje der Brigg und z\u00e4hlte. Der Junge, der ihn bewachte, war seit dem Zuschlagen der Zelle auf und ab gegangen. Er bewegte sich im Saal mit einer so \u00e4rgerlichen Pr\u00e4zision auf und ab, dass es schwer war, nicht mitz\u00e4hlen zu k\u00f6nnen. Alle verdammten 25 Sekunden kam er mit diesem strengen Gesichtsausdruck am Zellenfenster vorbei, den Hickory der \u00dcberkompensation zuschrieb.\n\nDer Junge musste wissen, dass er mit einer Schei\u00dfaufgabe belastet war. Jeder andere Soldat auf dem Schiff r\u00fcstete sich f\u00fcr Brat- und Geister-Tevs, und hier sa\u00df er fest, um einige Menschen zu bewachen. Der junge Starman w\u00fcrde niemals ein Held werden, der im Gef\u00e4ngnis festsitzt, oder zumindest musste Hickory ihn davon \u00fcberzeugen. Alles, um mehr als 25 Sekunden allein zu verbringen. Hickory brauchte Zeit zum Arbeiten.\n\nHickory blickte auf die Zellent\u00fcr. Zu seiner Zeit hatte er einige elektromagnetische Schl\u00f6sser gearbeitet. Zuerst hatte er auf dem Olymp eine Zellent\u00fcr wie diese ge\u00f6ffnet. Tats\u00e4chlich f\u00fchlten sich viele dieser S\u00e4le nur vage vertraut an. Wenn seine Vermutung richtig war und es sich um den gleichen Typ von UEE-Schiff handelte, der in Ashana abgest\u00fcrzt ist, bedeutete dies, dass Hickory wusste, wie er den Hangar finden konnte.\n\nNat\u00fcrlich m\u00fcsste er zuerst aus dieser Zelle herauskommen. Dann k\u00f6nnte er sich Gedanken dar\u00fcber machen, wie er diskret zum Hangar gelangt, w\u00e4hrend sich das Schiff auf die Schlacht vorbereitet.\n\nHickory schwang seine F\u00fc\u00dfe auf den Boden und setzte sich aufrecht hin. Hinter seinem R\u00fccken gruben seine Finger in den rechten \u00c4rmel seines Raumanzugs und fanden den geheimen Rei\u00dfverschluss, der in der N\u00e4he einer Naht versteckt war. Vorsichtig \u00f6ffnete er die versteckte Tasche und zog ein Miniatur-Multi-Tool heraus.\n\nMoment, er hatte sich so sehr darauf konzentriert, das Werkzeug zu extrahieren, dass er nicht mehr mitz\u00e4hlen konnte. Pl\u00f6tzlich erschien der Junge vor seiner Zelle.\n\n\"Na, sieh mal an, wer endlich aufgestanden ist.\"\n\nErschrocken fummelte Hickory mit dem Multi-Tool an den Fingern und lie\u00df es fast aus dem \u00c4rmel fallen. \"Ich will bereit sein, wenn die Tevarin ankommen\", sagte Hickory, als er seinen R\u00fccken w\u00f6lbte und sein Multiwerkzeug in die Hand nahm.\n\n\"Mach dir keine Sorgen. So weit werden sie nicht kommen. Nicht mit mir und meinen Kumpels im Weg\".\n\n\"Haben Sie schon viele Aktionen gegen die Krieger von Rijora gesehen?\"\n\nDer Marine verlagerte nerv\u00f6s sein Gewicht von einem Fu\u00df auf den anderen.\n\n\"Das habe ich mir gedacht.\"\n\n\"Ja, aber was wei\u00dft du \u00fcber sie?\"\n\n\"Ich kann nicht zugeben, dass ich selbst gegen T-Vars k\u00e4mpfe, aber sie haben mir nie Anlass dazu gegeben.\"\n\n\"Sie sollten sich sch\u00e4men, sich selbst als Mensch zu bezeichnen.\"\n\n\"Keine Sorge, ich bin alles andere als sympathisch. Ich k\u00e4mpfe einfach nicht gegen Leute, bei denen alles auf dem Spiel steht. Sie sind zu verzweifelt und unberechenbar. Man wei\u00df nie, was sie tun werden, um zu \u00fcberleben.\"\n\nEr machte eine dramatische Pause.\n\n\"Also w\u00fcrde ich an Ihrer Stelle mehr Munition holen. Denn wenn ein paar Warbirds durch die T\u00fcr auf Sie losst\u00fcrmen, kann ich Ihnen nicht helfen.\n\nDer Junge \u00fcberlegte sich seine Position, schwenkte dann und schritt pr\u00e4zise den Flur zur\u00fcck. Hickory verfluchte unter seinem Atem. So viel dazu, ihn zum Gehen zu \u00fcberreden. Ich sch\u00e4tze, er m\u00fcsste langsam und stetig an die Schleuse gehen.\n\nNoch einmal erschien das Kind, dann trat es den Flur hinunter. Hickory begann zu z\u00e4hlen, als er schweigend den Zellenboden \u00fcberquerte, um vor der T\u00fcr niederzuknien. Seine rechten Finger flippten einen kleinen Bohrer aus seinem Multi-Tool aus. Seine linke Hand f\u00fchlte das sterile, graue Metall, das den gro\u00dfen Magneten der T\u00fcr umgibt. Seine Breite war etwas kleiner als seine Hand.\n\nHickory schaltete das Multiwerkzeug in seine linke Hand und dr\u00fcckte dann den Bohrer in die Mitte des Metallgeh\u00e4uses. Seine interne Uhr hat 20 geschlagen. Es ist nicht notwendig, die Grenzen beim ersten Mal zu testen.\n\nHickory ging schnell ins Bett und setzte sich mit 25 Jahren mit den H\u00e4nden auf den R\u00fccken. Das Kind kam wie geplant an. Hickory konnte nicht anders als zu l\u00e4cheln, als die nerv\u00f6sen Augen des Kindes in seine Richtung blickten.\n\nDann war er wieder weg. Das Multi-Tool schlitzte sich in seinen Raumanzug direkt unter der linken Manschettenlinie auf und legte einen kleinen Port frei, der die Kraft des Anzugs anzapfte.\n\nHickory steckte das Multi-Tool in den Hafen und schob dann seine H\u00e4nde auf den R\u00fccken. Das Kind kam und ging, aber Hickory blieb sitzen und holte tief Luft. Er lie\u00df die Multi-Tool-Ladung zu, bevor er seine Flucht fortsetzte.\n\nKommandant Wallace starrte die Tevarin-Flotte auf dem Hologramm an. Ihre Ikone hatte sich eine Zeit lang nicht bewegt. Auch die Markierung f\u00fcr ihre Kundschafter, die die Flotte verfolgten, war nicht vorhanden.\n\n\"Starman Darsha, ist unsere Sendung noch aktuell?\"\n\n\"Ja, Sir.\"\n\n\"Kontaktieren Sie die Aufkl\u00e4rungsschiffe und fragen Sie, ob sie wissen, warum die Tevarin-Flotte station\u00e4r ist.\"\n\n\"Ja, Commander.\"\n\nW\u00e4hrend er auf eine Antwort wartete, r\u00fcckte Commander Wallace die Zeit auf dem Hologlobus langsam vor und kehrte sie dann um, wobei er beobachtete, wie sich die Zusammensetzung des Asteroideng\u00fcrtels leicht ver\u00e4nderte. Neue asteroidenfreie Bereiche erschienen oder verschwanden pl\u00f6tzlich, da Objekte, die n\u00e4her am Stern lagen, etwas schneller umkreisten als die nahe dem \u00e4u\u00dferen Rand. Dann sah sie etwas Seltsames.\n\nZuerst dachte sie, es sei eine St\u00f6rung. Sie drehte die Zeit auf dem Hologramm um und spielte sie dann vorw\u00e4rts. Da war es wieder. Zu nahe an der wartenden Tevarin-Flotte positioniert, um ein Zufall zu sein.\n\nEin relativ gerader Spalt durch das Band.\n\nCommander Wallace \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte den Zeitstempel. Demnach w\u00fcrde der G\u00fcrtel in 45 Minuten in diese Ausrichtung fallen, um 15 Minuten sp\u00e4ter wieder zu verschwinden.\n\n\"Starman Odorizzi, wie genau sind diese Scans?\"\n\n\"Laut Sch\u00e4tzungen arbeiten sie mit 93%iger Genauigkeit, Sir.\"\n\nCommander Wallaces Getriebe begann sich zu drehen.\n\n\"Kommandant?\" Starman Darsha rief von der Kommunikationsstation an. \"Unser Scout berichtet, dass es keinen Hinweis darauf gibt, warum die Tevarin-Flotte zum Stillstand gekommen ist.\"\n\nDie Augen von Commander Wallace kehrten zu ihrer Ikone zur\u00fcck.\n\nEin Plan nahm in ihrem Kopf Gestalt an. Sie sah endlich eine Chance, den Tevarin zu g\u00fcnstigen Bedingungen zu engagieren.\n\n\"Starman Odorizzi, sehen Sie diesen Punkt hier? In 44 Minuten wird sich dort eine L\u00fccke auftun. Ziehen Sie seine genauen Koordinaten\".\n\n\"Ja, Sir\", antwortete Odorizzi.\n\n\"Steuermann Ayers, sobald Odorizzi fertig ist, stellen Sie den Halbmond in einer Reihe auf, um direkt in diese L\u00fccke zu gelangen.\"\n\nSteuermann Ayers teilte einen nerv\u00f6sen Blick mit XO Coburn und sprach dann vorsichtig: \"Entschuldigen Sie, Commander?\n\nXO Coburn trat schnell auf ihre Seite: \"Sir, es k\u00f6nnte helfen, uns \u00fcber Ihre Absichten zu informieren.\n\nCommander Wallace schloss die Augen mit Coburn. Sie hatten nicht viel Zeit, um ihren Plan in Gang zu setzen. Sie erinnerte ihn fast daran, wer die Befehle an Bord der Crescent gab, hielt sich aber zur\u00fcck. Sie schaute sich auf der Br\u00fccke um. Der Rest der Besatzung wich ihrem Blick aus. Sie brauchte die Unterst\u00fctzung von Coburn jetzt mehr denn je.\n\n\"In genau 43 Minuten werden sich die verschiedenen Bahnen der Asteroiden in diesem G\u00fcrtel so ausrichten, dass eine gro\u00dfe L\u00fccke vollst\u00e4ndig durch den G\u00fcrtel hindurch entsteht. Gegenw\u00e4rtig halten die tevarinschen Streitkr\u00e4fte ihre Position in der N\u00e4he dieses Gebiets. Wir k\u00f6nnen nur annehmen, dass sie auf diese L\u00fccke warten. Sobald es erscheint, werden sie in die L\u00fccke man\u00f6vrieren und dann einen Quantensprung vor die T\u00fcr von Crion machen\".\n\nEin Raunen machte sich unter der Br\u00fcckenbesatzung breit. Commander Wallace lie\u00df die Stimmen sich beruhigen und fuhr dann fort: \"Das k\u00f6nnen wir nicht zulassen. Wir werden also Folgendes tun. XO Coburn, befehlen Sie allen unseren Scouts, sich sofort in der N\u00e4he dieser L\u00fccke zu versammeln\".\n\n\"An alle Pfadfinder, Commander?\"\n\nKommandant Wallace machte eine Pause und nickte dann. Hickorys Geschichte war weit hergeholt, und diese Tevarin-Bedrohung war real. Der Scout, der nach seinem Schiff sucht, w\u00e4re hier besser eingesetzt.\n\n\"Sie alle. Ich m\u00f6chte, dass auf beiden Seiten der L\u00fccke, etwa auf halber Strecke, Minen mit einem Nahkampfverbot angebracht werden. Wenn sich die Tevarin n\u00e4hern, werden die Minen explodieren und eine Tr\u00fcmmerwand bilden, die ihr Schiff zum Stillstand bringen wird. Das ist unsere Chance. In dem Moment, in dem diese Ladungen explodieren, Steuermann Ayers, reist Ihr Quantum uns in das hintere Ende dieser L\u00fccke. W\u00e4hrend die Tevs mit dem besch\u00e4ftigt sind, was vor ihnen liegt, schleichen wir uns von hinten ein und greifen ihr Heck an.\n\nCommander Wallace hat ihre Besatzung gescannt. Steuermann Ayers schloss die Augen mit Starman Odorizzi, der ihn aufforderte: \"Kommandant, sind Sie sicher? Das Timing, das f\u00fcr die Durchf\u00fchrung eines QTs in einem sich bewegenden Band erforderlich ist, ganz zu schweigen von der Gefahr von verirrten Asteroiden, ist zumindest problematisch, wenn nicht gar gef\u00e4hrlich\".\n\n\"Commander Wallace war nicht auf der Suche nach Meinungen oder Ausreden, Steuermann Ayers\", br\u00fcllte XO Coburn.\n\nSteuermann Ayers' versteift. \"Nein, Sir.\"\n\n\"Gut. Nun lassen Sie uns an die Arbeit gehen. Wir haben einige Tevs zu \u00fcberraschen.\"\n\nAls die Br\u00fccke zum Leben erwachte, trat XO Coburn auf ihre Seite. Sie begegnete seinem Blick und sp\u00fcrte, wie das Vertrauen und die Erfahrung von ihm ausstrahlten. Es war genau das, was sie brauchte.\n\nCoburn lehnte sich eng an und sprach mit einer Stimme, die nur sie h\u00f6ren konnte: \"Das ist ein besseres blutiges Werk\".\n\nDrahk und Tajhbind sa\u00dfen in ihrem Schakal und waren bis auf ihren Scanner im Dunkeln. Sie waren zusammen mit den \u00fcbrigen Tevarin-Scouts wie Wachen um das Hauptschiff von Tevarin herum postiert. Alle warten geduldig darauf, dass die L\u00fccke entsteht, damit sie Crion schlagen k\u00f6nnen.\n\nDrahk rezitierte leise rijorianische Verse, w\u00e4hrend er sich die Scans ansah. Tajhbind starrte aus dem Cockpit, scheinbar in Frieden. Drahk hat sich immer gefragt, wo Tajhbind in ruhigen Momenten wie diesem hingeht.\n\nNachdem Tajhbind Drahk davon \u00fcberzeugt hatte, sich nicht freiwillig f\u00fcr die erste Eingreiftruppe zu melden, war zwischen ihnen alles wieder normal. Nachdem er sich im Schakal eingelebt hatte, erkannte Drahk, dass Tajhbind Recht hatte. Seine Entscheidung, sich freiwillig f\u00fcr einen f\u00fcr ihn ungeeigneten Einsatz zu melden, war impulsiv und von Emotionen getr\u00fcbt. Er hoffte, dass er in der Praxis nachdenklicher und geduldiger sein w\u00fcrde.\n\nAls Drahk seine Aufmerksamkeit wieder auf die Scans richtete, sah er ein seltsames Zeichen, das sich \u00fcber den Bildschirm bewegte. Drahk vergr\u00f6\u00dferte die Reichweite seiner Scans und beobachtete, wie sich die Markierungen um die Asteroiden wanden. Es war sicherlich ein Schiff und definitiv nicht eines der ihren. Diese erb\u00e4rmlichen Menschen hatten sich endlich gezeigt.\n\n\"Tajh, es bewegt sich etwas vorw\u00e4rts. Mal sehen, was es ist.\"\n\nTajhbind steuerte den Schakal vorsichtig in diese Richtung. Als sie sich n\u00e4herten, drehte sich das Signal langsam auf sie zu. Drahk blickte auf, um ein kleines menschliches Schiff hinter einem gro\u00dfen Asteroiden kreisen zu sehen.\n\nTajhbind feuerte eine Salve aus dem Schakal ab. Das Schiff der Menschen duckte sich, als der Asteroid neben ihm in St\u00fccke gerissen wurde.\n\n\"Komm schon\", rief Drahk, fast instinktiv. \"Lasst sie nicht entkommen!\"\n\nTajhbind setzte die Triebwerke des Schakals auf volle Leistung und umkreiste einen Asteroiden nach dem Schiff. Mit jeder neuen Drehung und Wendung passte Drahk die Schilde so an, dass sie gesch\u00fctzt sind, wenn das Schiff der Menschen eine Schleife macht, um sie beim Angriff mit einem Kopf zu \u00fcberraschen.\n\nVor ihnen bahnte sich das Schiff der Menschen geschickt seinen Weg. Doch je l\u00e4nger sie es verfolgten, desto mehr wunderte sich Drahk \u00fcber die Absichten des Schiffes. Sie hatte keinen weiteren Angriff eingeleitet oder gar Ausweichman\u00f6ver versucht, um sie zu ersch\u00fcttern. Stattdessen schien sie sich damit zufrieden zu geben, einfach nur au\u00dferhalb der effektiven Waffenreichweite zu bleiben und sie gleichzeitig vom Rest ihrer Streitkr\u00e4fte wegzuf\u00fchren.\n\nTajhbind drehte den Jackal um einen Asteroiden, um das menschliche Schiff aufschlagen zu sehen. Drahks Augen folgten ihm und kehrten dann zu den Scans zur\u00fcck, um zwei neue Markierungen vor sich zu sehen.\n\n\"Wir sind in eine Falle getappt\", rief Drahk. Er dr\u00e4ngte sofort die gesamte Schildkraft nach vorne, um den Schl\u00e4gen der neuen Angreifer zu widerstehen. Der Schild hielt, w\u00fcrde aber Zeit brauchen, bis er wieder seine volle St\u00e4rke erreicht.\n\nDer Tajhbind wurde heruntergeschnitten, dann auf und um einen Asteroiden herum aufgestellt. Das schnelle, effiziente Man\u00f6ver reichte aus, um den Schakal auf einen der Hinterh\u00e4ltigen zu hetzen. Ohne eine Sekunde zu verlieren, feuerte Tajhbind eine Rakete ab und zerst\u00f6rte sie. Ein Schiff weniger.\n\nAls Tajhbind sie durch eine enge Innenschleife drehte, sah Drahk eines der verbliebenen Menschenschiffe hinter sich herziehen. Er verst\u00e4rkte den Heckschild und suchte dann den Scan nach dem anderen Schiff, um nicht wieder in einen Hinterhalt zu geraten.\n\nDas Cockpit des Schakals hat laut gepiept. Der menschliche Verfolger hatte die Raketenerfassung erreicht. Drahk sah sich die Ladung ihres Schildes an. Es wurde immer noch nicht vollst\u00e4ndig regeneriert.\n\n\"Tajh, ausweichen!\"\n\nDer Schakal beschleunigte, um dann pl\u00f6tzlich aufzutauchen. Seine Fl\u00fcgel rollten nach rechts, bis eine vertikale Ausrichtung erreicht war. Dann kaum zwischen zwei Asteroiden hindurchgeflogen. Als Tajhbind das Schiff zwischen diese beiden riesigen Brocken von Gestein und Mineralien schob, lie\u00df er etwas Spreu fallen. Die Schlepprakete explodierte in die Asteroiden und s\u00e4ttigte das Gebiet mit einem Tr\u00fcmmerfeld, dem das Schiff der Menschen nicht ausweichen konnte.\n\nDrahk warf einen Blick auf die Scans, um zu sehen, wie das verfolgte Signal verschwindet, das durch die Tr\u00fcmmer besch\u00e4digt wurde. Es blieb nur ein Schiff \u00fcbrig, aber Drahk konnte es auf seinen Scans nicht finden.\n\n\"Wo ist es, Drahk?\", flehte ein erregter Tajhbind.\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df es nicht.\"\n\nTajhbind verlangsamte das Schiff, bis es zum Stillstand kam. Drahks Scans blieben frei von Feinden. Vielleicht war der Feigling im vollen Bewusstsein der Gefahr davongelaufen?\n\nDrahk \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte die Schildst\u00e4rke und gab ein Update: \"Der Schild ist vollst\u00e4ndig aktiviert\".\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich funkte ein Signal.\n\n\"Angriff von der Heckseite\", warnte Drahk, als er die Schilde auf diesen Sektor umlenkte.\n\nDas Schiff der Menschen bohrte sich von hinten an sie heran, beide F\u00e4sser brannten.\n\nTajhbind reagierte sofort, indem sie den Bug des Schiffes so lange aufschlug, bis es um 180 Grad gedreht wurde. Sie standen nun von Anfang an auf dem Kopf. Die beiden hatten das Man\u00f6ver so oft durchgef\u00fchrt, dass Drahk genau wusste, wann er die Schilde von vorne nach hinten verschieben musste.\n\nIn dem Moment, in dem der Bogen umgedreht wurde, entfesselte Tajhbind ein H\u00f6llenfeuer. Die beiden Schiffe rissen sich gegenseitig in die Schilde. Der Schakal hielt dem Angriff stand, w\u00e4hrend der Schild des Menschenschiffs schnell in St\u00fccke gerissen wurde. Als das Schiff der Menschen erkannte, dass es sich in einer verlorenen Schlacht befand, war es zu sp\u00e4t. Sie explodierte Sekunden sp\u00e4ter.\n\nDrahk und Tajhbind sa\u00dfen einen Moment lang schweigend da. Sie hatten es getan. Sie hatten \u00fcberlebt.\n\n\"Es ist Zeit, zur\u00fcckzukehren und von unserer Begegnung zu berichten\", sagte Tajhbind.\n\nDoch irgendetwas stimmte nicht mit Drahk. Er \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte seine Scans, um zu sehen, dass sie sich tief in den G\u00fcrtel hineingearbeitet hatten, aber immer noch in der N\u00e4he der L\u00fccke waren. Warum sollten so viele Menschenschiffe hier zusammenkommen, wenn der Rest der tevarinschen Truppen so weit weg ist? Seine Zeit als Jugendlicher auf dem Olymp hatte Drahk gelehrt, dass es immer das Beste ist, Verrat von Menschen zu vermuten.\n\n\"Nein. Wir k\u00f6nnen nicht zur\u00fcckgehen\", sagte Drahk entschlossen. \"Nicht, wenn wir wollen, dass der Angriff auf Crion gelingt.\"\n\nDie Aktivit\u00e4ten auf der Br\u00fccke h\u00f6rten auf und jedes Auge fand Commander Wallace. Nachdem Starman Darsha berichtet hatte, dass ihre drei Sp\u00e4her angegriffen wurden, hatten sich alle dem Hologlobus zugewandt. Gemeinsam hatten sie zugesehen, wie diese drei Markierungen nacheinander verschwanden. Die gesamte Br\u00fcckenbesatzung kannte ihr Schicksal, aber niemand wagte es laut auszusprechen.\n\nXO Coburn trat vor: \"Commander, wie wollen Sie vorgehen?\"\n\n\"Wurden die Proximity-Minen gesetzt?\"\n\n\"Ja, Sir.\"\n\n\"Dann haben wir nur eine Wahl. Wir gehen wie geplant vorw\u00e4rts\".\n\n\"Aber, Sir . . . \"Coburn z\u00f6gerte und fuhr dann fort. \"Wir werden keine Sp\u00e4her haben, die best\u00e4tigen k\u00f6nnen, dass die tevarinschen Truppen in der L\u00fccke sind.\"\n\n\"Es ist nicht ideal, aber wir werden wissen, dass sie da sind, sobald sich die L\u00fccke \u00f6ffnet und die Sprengladungen explodieren. Vorbereitung auf das Quantum\".\n\nCoburn hat sich nicht bewegt. Keiner der Br\u00fcckenbesatzung tat dies. Wallace schaute sich um.\n\n\"Ich gab einen Befehl.\"\n\nImmer noch nichts.\n\n\"Ich brauche Ihnen nicht zu sagen, was diese Tevs tun werden, wenn sie nach Crion kommen. Sie haben wahrscheinlich schon davon geh\u00f6rt. Einige von uns haben es leider pers\u00f6nlich gesehen\", hielt sie inne, um die Gesichter ihrer Crew zu scannen. \"Wir befinden uns in einer Situation, in der wir nicht in der Lage sind, uns gegen eine gr\u00f6\u00dfere Zahl von Menschen zu behaupten, also werde ich nicht hier stehen und Sie bel\u00fcgen oder Ihnen den Sieg versprechen. Wir k\u00f6nnten heute sterben, aber das wird mich nicht davon abhalten, f\u00fcr die Rettung der Millionen unschuldiger Menschen auf Crion zu k\u00e4mpfen. Wird es dich aufhalten?\"\n\n\"Nein, Sir!\" Das Echo war unisono.\n\nAuf der anderen Seite der Br\u00fccke schlug ihre Besatzung zu. Nach einer kurzen Atempause fuhr Kommandant Wallace fort: \"Jetzt, in genau drei Minuten, wird sich diese L\u00fccke \u00f6ffnen, und die Tevarin werden ihren Marsch zur Zerst\u00f6rung von Crion beginnen. Egal was passiert, diese Minen werden immer noch explodieren, und der Tevarin wird gebremst werden. Aber das Einzige, was sie wirklich aufhalten kann, ist Crescent. Also . . . . wer ist bereit, einen Tev in die Falle zu locken?\"\n\nUm die Br\u00fccke herum brauste es.\n\nDrahk und Tajhbind sahen zu, wie sich die L\u00fccke langsam vor ihnen auftat. Es war eine ausgekl\u00fcgelte himmlische Anordnung, die so eigenartig war, dass es schwer war, nicht staunend zuzuschauen. Doch Drahk wollte sich nicht erlauben, zu starren. Stattdessen konzentrierte er sich auf seine Scans, um zu sehen, ob weitere UEE-Kr\u00e4fte auf der Lauer liegen.\n\nTajhbind hatte sich mit den Staats- und Regierungschefs in Verbindung gesetzt, um sie \u00fcber die Situation zu informieren. Ihr Vorgesetzter hatte ihnen sogar zu ihrer Vernichtung der Pfadfinder und zu Drahks Weitsicht, die L\u00fccke weiter zu suchen, gratuliert.\n\nDennoch verwirrte Drahk das Fehlen einer weiteren UEE-Bedrohung. Er schlug fast vor, die Suche tiefer in den G\u00fcrtel hinein auszudehnen, aber er hielt sich mit diesem Vorschlag zur\u00fcck. Stattdessen fragte er sich nur, was drei Aufkl\u00e4rungsschiffe h\u00e4tten tun k\u00f6nnen, um eine ganze Tevarin-Truppe aufzuhalten.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich explodierten Asteroiden auf beiden Seiten der L\u00fccke. Von allen Seiten wurden Schrapnelle in den Schakal geschleudert, die ihre Schilde \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigten und ihre H\u00fclle trafen. Die Einschl\u00e4ge haben das Schiff wild durcheinander gewirbelt. Drahk hielt um sein Leben fest und hoffte, dass Tajhbind die Kontrolle zur\u00fcckgewinnen k\u00f6nnte, bevor beide in einen Blackout fallen.\n\nTajhbind fuhr durch die Triebwerke, bis die Drehung verlangsamt und Drahks Krankheit abgeklungen war. Er \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte den Status der Schiffssysteme, nun, da er sich konzentrieren konnte. Sie hatten erheblichen Schaden genommen und brauchten dringend Hilfe.\n\nDrahk griff auf den Notfallkanal zu und sendete ein Notsignal. Pl\u00f6tzlich f\u00fcllte ein massives Objekt den Bildschirm des Scanners. Drahks Augen wurden gro\u00df. Es kann nur eines sein.\n\nEr blickte auf, um zu sehen, wie ein Humankapital-Schiff die L\u00fccke zu ihnen hinunterkam. Noch immer ungl\u00e4ubig k\u00fcndigte Drahk die Ankunft der Menschen \u00fcber den Notfallkanal an. Dann sagte er verzweifelt: \"Tajh, wir m\u00fcssen das Schiff verlassen!\"\n\nDrahk schnappte sich sein pers\u00f6nliches Antriebsger\u00e4t und schnallte sich von seinem Sitz los. Mit heruntergelassenen Schilden w\u00e4re es nur noch eine Frage des Sprungs aus dem offenen Heck des Schiffes und dann des EVAs in die Asteroiden, bis Hilfe geschickt werden k\u00f6nnte.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich wurde der Raum vor ihnen durch Turmfeuer des Menschenschiffs \u00fcberschwemmt. Instinktiv wandte Tajhbind den Schakal von ihm ab, aber der bisherige Schaden f\u00fcr den linken Fl\u00fcgel war zu gro\u00df. Er riss den Rumpf ab und schickte das Schiff in einen Tailspin in Richtung des massiven Schiffes, wodurch Drahk in Richtung des hinteren Teils des Schakals und schlie\u00dflich in den Weltraum geschleudert wurde.\n\nAls Drahk erkannte, was mit ihm geschehen war, aktivierte er die Triebwerke des pers\u00f6nlichen Antriebsger\u00e4tes, bis er unter Kontrolle war. Er durchsuchte den Raum um ihn herum, aber es gab keine Anzeichen von Tajhbind. Allein der Anblick des verwundeten Schakals, der auf den Aufprall des massiven menschlichen Schiffs zusteuert, dessen besch\u00e4digte Motoren es v\u00f6llig au\u00dfer Kontrolle bringen.\n\nHickory war einen Schritt davon entfernt, seiner Zelle zu entkommen. Er hatte ein kleines Loch in das Metallgeh\u00e4use gebohrt, das den Elektromagneten der T\u00fcr enthielt, und dann vorsichtig den Stromanschluss in seinem linken \u00c4rmel entfernt, um die Dr\u00e4hte freizulegen, die ihn mit dem Rest seines Anzugs verbinden. W\u00e4hrend das Kind weiter durch den Flur schritt, wurde es nicht kl\u00fcger.\n\nHickory begann den Countdown in seinem Kopf, als er zur Zellent\u00fcr ging, hoffentlich zum letzten Mal. Er musste die Polarit\u00e4t des Elektromagneten umkehren, so dass er die T\u00fcr von der im Pfosten eingebauten Ankerplatte absto\u00dfen w\u00fcrde. Aber er w\u00fcsste nicht, welcher Draht das tun w\u00fcrde, bis er es versucht h\u00e4tte.\n\nDie Orchestrierung dieses letzten Teils war wesentlich. Hickory nahm an, dass das \u00d6ffnen der T\u00fcr eine Art Alarm ausl\u00f6sen w\u00fcrde. Es zu fr\u00fch zu tun, w\u00fcrde dem Kind also die M\u00f6glichkeit geben, zu reagieren. Doch wenn er zu lange wartete oder den falschen Draht w\u00e4hlte, konnte ihn der Junge auf frischer Tat ertappen.\n\nAls seine interne Uhr zehn schlug, hatte Hickory keine Zeit mehr zum Debattieren. Er nahm einen Draht und f\u00fchrte sein freiliegendes Ende in das Bohrloch und hielt es dann mit der linken Hand fest.\n\nDer Countdown erreichte f\u00fcnf . . . . vier . . .\n\nHickorys rechte Hand aktivierte so viele der Systeme seines Anzugs wie m\u00f6glich. Elektrizit\u00e4t schwirrte durch den Draht und in den Elektromagneten. Das Kind erschien vor der Zelle, als die T\u00fcr aufsprang und laut piepste. Der Junge sprang \u00fcberrascht zur\u00fcck.\n\nHickory packte die T\u00fcr und dr\u00fcckte sie auf. Das letzte, was er wollte, war, dass der Elektromagnet wieder mit dem Anker in Eingriff kommt. Pl\u00f6tzlich schlug ein schockierend lauter Alarm durch die Brigg, der sowohl Hickory als auch das Kind erschreckte.\n\nAugenblicke sp\u00e4ter ersch\u00fctterte eine Explosion das Schiff. Nur Hickorys Festhalten an der T\u00fcr hielt ihn davon ab, durch seine Zelle zu fliegen. Die Marine hatte nicht so viel Gl\u00fcck. Er wurde in die Halle geschleudert und landete mit einem lauten Aufschlag.\n\nNachdem sich Crescent stabilisiert hatte, blickte Hickory aus der Zelle und sah, wie sich das Kind vor Schmerzen wand. Hickory eilte durch den Saal auf ihn zu. Als er ihn kommen sah, k\u00e4mpfte der Junge darum, seine Waffe zu erheben. Hickory hat ihn aus der Hand getreten.\n\nDie Marine schrie vor Schmerz. Hickory konnte ihn nicht noch mehr L\u00e4rm machen lassen, also spannte er den Arm und schlug den Jungen bewusstlos.\n\n\"Tajhbind!\" Drahk rief hilflos in sein Funkger\u00e4t. Er hielt immer noch die pers\u00f6nliche Antriebsvorrichtung in der Hand und z\u00fcndete die Triebwerke, bis sie zum Stillstand kamen.\n\nStill und leise starrte Drahk auf ein Tr\u00fcmmerfeld, das sich von dem UEE-Hauptschiff entfernte. Das war alles, was vom Schakal \u00fcbrig geblieben ist.\n\nAuch wenn Tajhbind's Schicksal klar schien, war Drahk nicht bereit, es zu akzeptieren, da dies eine Auseinandersetzung mit seinem eigenen bedeutete.\n\nDrahk wusste, dass eine Rettung von dieser Position aus nicht m\u00f6glich sein w\u00fcrde. Er m\u00fcsste bald in den Asteroideng\u00fcrtel EVA durchf\u00fchren. Das UEE-Hauptstadtschiff kam mit jeder Sekunde n\u00e4her.\n\nDrahk f\u00fchlte sich zum Schiff hingetrieben, nachdem er in sein Gravitationsfeld eingetreten war. Langsam vorw\u00e4rts schwebend starrte er das Schiff an. Es erinnerte ihn an seine Heimat auf dem Olymp. Als Kind sa\u00df er auf den D\u00fcnen und starrte auf den unf\u00f6rmigen, halb in Sand eingebetteten Rumpf, und stellte sich immer vor, wie man im Weltraum aussehen w\u00fcrde. Und hier war es.\n\nIn gewisser Weise war er am Ende doch nach Hause zur\u00fcckgekehrt. Ein Gef\u00fchl des Friedens legte sich \u00fcber ihn und ein rijorianischer Vers erf\u00fcllte seinen Geist. Dann hatte er eine Erleuchtung: Er war aus einem bestimmten Grund hierher gebracht worden.\n\nDie Triebwerke z\u00fcndeten an seinem pers\u00f6nlichen Antriebsger\u00e4t und schossen Drahk nach vorne. Er w\u00fcrde bei der Ann\u00e4herung ein hohes Tempo aufbauen. Wenn Drahk eine Chance h\u00e4tte, dies zu \u00fcberleben, sollte er von nun an nur noch mit seinen Triebwerken gebremst werden.\n\nDas hei\u00dft nat\u00fcrlich, wenn das Schiff nicht schneller geworden ist und ihn gerammt hat. Drahk bezweifelte, dass dies f\u00fcr ihn gut ausgehen w\u00fcrde.\n\nKommandant Wallace griff vor ihr nach dem Gel\u00e4nder. Die Sprengladungen waren explodiert, aber au\u00dfer dem einen Schiff, das in sie hineingefahren war, waren die tevarinschen Truppen nicht da. Zumindest schien der Schaden durch den Einschlag minimal zu sein.\n\n\"Finden Sie mir sofort das tevarinsche Gro\u00dfkampfschiff\", rief XO Coburn. \"Wir m\u00fcssen wissen, wie viel Zeit wir haben, bevor sie auf uns zukommen.\"\n\nCoburns Augen richteten sich auf Commander Wallace. Sie hatte ihn noch nie so besorgt gesehen.\n\nWarten . ... wenn sie einen Quantensprung hinein gemacht haben, dann k\u00f6nnen sie genauso gut einen Quantensprung heraus machen. Es ginge nur darum, den Bogen in die andere Richtung zu lenken.\n\n\"Kommandant . . .\" rief Starman Odorizzi.\n\nWallace schaute auf den Hologlobus. Ihr Herz sank in den Bauch. Es war zu sp\u00e4t.\n\nDie Tevarin waren in die L\u00fccke hinter ihnen eingetreten. Crescent war in einer eigenen Falle gefangen, eingekesselt durch ein Tr\u00fcmmerfeld auf der einen Seite und das tevarinsche Hauptschiff auf der anderen. Bevor Commander Wallace etwas sagen konnte, erwachte der Phalanxschild des Tevarins zum Leben, bereit f\u00fcr einen Kampf.\n\nWIRD FORTGESETZT...","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Instrument of Surrender (Part Two) was published originally in Jump Point 4.6. You can read Part One here.\nCrescent\u2019s crew rushed to battle stations. Starmen, startled awake by the unexpected announcement of Tevarin enemies, now poured from the crew quarters. Engineers double-checked the ship\u2019s power plants and battery bays to ensure every last bit of juice would be on line.\n\nThe bridge buzzed around Commander Wallace. Somehow this felt both familiar and completely foreign to her. She\u2019d been in battles before, but never in charge of one. She\u2019d seen firsthand the destruction of Virgil I \u2014 the plumes of smoke rising from formerly verdant fields, orbital bombardment craters the only remnants of what was once an emerging metropolis.\n\nCommander Wallace had seen just how far the Tevarin would go to win this war. She couldn\u2019t let the same fate befall Crion.\n\n\u201cCommander, a warning has been sent to Crion,\u201d XO Coburn stepped to her side, personal data pad in hand.\n\n\u201cGood.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve also dispatched a drone to the main fleet, though there\u2019s a good chance they won\u2019t receive it in time to make a difference.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why we need to do everything we can to slow them down.\u201d\n\nXO Coburn nodded then continued, \u201cOne final update, sir. Prisoner Lime made it to the\nbrig. Paredes has been assigned first watch.\u201d\n\nPrisoner Lime, who called himself Hickory, had slipped to the back of Commander Wallace\u2019s mind. What if Lime was right? What if he did have the Instrument of Surrender on his ship, and this war was finally over? Yesterday\u2019s expected comm drone from command never arrived. It might be a coincidence; it might not. Lime was right about the Tevs being in system. There was a chance he was telling the truth about this too.\n\n\u201cHave we located his ship yet?\u201d\n\nXO Coburn scowled, \u201cNo, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me know the moment they do.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course, Commander.\u201d\n\nStill, it wasn\u2019t something she would risk the lives of millions on. People like Lime are always playing an angle; why else would he, a wanted criminal, flag down their ship for a ride?\n\n\u201cSir, our scouts just reported that the Tevarin fleet has entered the asteroid belt.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace crossed to a terminal and overlaid the system\u2019s extensive network of early warning sensors on the hologlobe. Entering the asteroid belt meant they didn\u2019t want to be detected. The moved aligned with the many after-action reviews she had read about other Tevarin attacks.\n\nWhen the Tevs struck civilians targets, they did so with little to no warning. They preferred to move in quietly, strike hard and fast, then retreat before support appeared. When executed correctly, the results were devastating. Commander Wallace knew from Virgil there\u2019s no feeling more helpless than responding to an attack that\u2019s over before you arrive.\n\nThe Tevarin war machine fed on chaos and the flames of fear. Corath\u2019Thal had even recorded a series of vids that often forced their way onto the spectrum through pirate broadcasts. The vids justified his guerrilla tactics and excoriated Messer for taking their homeworld away. Corath\u2019Thal claimed that no Human world was safe until Jalan was under Tevarin control once again.\n\n\u201cXO Coburn, the Tevarin are sacrificing speed for stealth. That gives us a chance to quantum travel ahead and set up a defense of Crion.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does, sir . . . \u201d His words had stopped, but it was obvious he had more to say.\n\n\u201cNow\u2019s not the time to hold back.\u201d\n\nCoburn glanced at his feet, then proceeded, \u201cEven if we rush to Crion, we\u2019ll never be able to set up a viable defense. We don\u2019t stand a chance battling them in open space. Their force is too big and their capital ship\u2019s phalanx shield too strong.\u201d\n\nHer body temperature spiked as nervousness poured out of every pore. She was certain everyone on the bridge could feel the tension coming from her. This was not the calming presence the commander of a ship should project.\n\nSo Commander Wallace closed her eyes while her thumb and forefinger squeezed the bridge of her nose. There had to be another way, she thought, but what options were left?\n\nCommander Wallace finally opened her eyes and looked at the hologlobe. Her eyes settled on the asteroid belt. She zoomed the hologlobe in on the belt, and watched the Tevarin fleet slowly making their way through it.\n\nA thick silence settled over the bridge. No one dared to speak as everyone anxiously awaited orders.\n\nDeeper in Crescent, Hickory lay on the brig\u2019s bunk, counting. The kid guarding him had been pacing since the cell slammed shut. He moved up and down the hall with such annoying precision that it was hard not to count along. Every bleedin\u2019 25 seconds, he\u2019d pass the cell window with that stern look on his face that Hickory attributed to overcompensation.\n\nThe kid had to know he had been saddled with a crap assignment. Every other soldier on the ship was gearing up to roast and ghost Tevs and here he was stuck guarding some Human. The young starman would never become a hero stuck watching the brig, or at least, that\u2019s what Hickory needed to convince him. Anything to get himself more than 25 seconds of alone time. Hickory needed time to work.\n\nHickory glanced at the cell door. He had worked a few electromagnetic locks in his day. He\u2019d first opened a cell door, a lot like this, on Olympus. In fact, many of these halls felt vaguely familiar. If his hunch was right and this was the same type of UEE ship that crashed into Ashana, it meant Hickory knew how to find the hangar.\n\nOf course, he\u2019d have to get out of this cell first. Then he could worry about how to get to the hangar discreetly as the ship prepared for battle.\n\nHickory swung his feet to the floor and sat up straight. Behind his back, his fingers dug inside his spacesuit\u2019s right sleeve, and found the secret zipper hidden near a seam. Carefully, he opened the hidden pocket and withdrew a miniature multi-tool.\n\nWait, he had focused so hard on extracting the tool that he\u2019d lost count. Suddenly, the kid appeared before his cell.\n\n\u201cWell, look who\u2019s finally up.\u201d\n\nStartled, Hickory\u2019s fingers fumbled with the multi-tool almost letting it fall from his sleeve. \u201cWanna be ready when the Tevarin arrive,\u201d said Hickory as he arched his back and secured a grip on his multi-tool.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you worry. They won\u2019t be getting this far. Not with me and my mates in the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeen a lot of action against the Warriors of Rijora, have you?\u201d\n\nThe Marine nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, well, what do you know about \u2018em?\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t admit to fighting any T-vars myself, but they\u2019ve never given me cause to.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou should be ashamed to call yourself a Human.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you worry, I\u2019m far from sympathetic. I just don\u2019t fight folks with everything on the line. They\u2019re too desperate, unpredictable. You never know what they\u2019ll do to survive.\u201d\n\nHe paused for dramatic effect.\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019d grab more ammo if I were you. Cause if a few warbirds come barreling through the door at you, it\u2019s not like I can help.\u201d\n\nThe kid considered his position, then pivoted and paced with precision back down the hall. Hickory cursed under his breath. So much for talking him into leaving. Guess he\u2019d have to go at the lock slow and steady.\n\nOnce again, the kid appeared, then stepped off down the hall. Hickory started counting as he silently crossed the cell floor to kneel by the door. His right fingers flipped out a small drill bit from his multi-tool. His left hand felt the sterile grey metal encasing the door\u2019s large magnet. Its width was slightly smaller than his hand.\n\nHickory switched the multi-tool to his left hand, then pressed the drill bit into the middle of the metal casing. His internal clock hit 20. No need to test the limits first time out.\n\nHickory quick stepped to the bunk and sat with his hands behind his back just at 25. The kid arrived as planned. Hickory couldn\u2019t help but smile as the kid\u2019s nervous eyes glanced in his direction.\n\nThen he was gone again. The multi-tool sliced into his spacesuit just under his left cuff line, exposing a small port that tapped the suit\u2019s power.\n\nHickory plugged the multi-tool into the port then shuffled his hands behind his back. The kid came and went, but Hickory stayed seated, drawing a deep breath. Letting the multi-tool charge before continuing his escape.\n\nCommander Wallace stared at the Tevarin fleet on the hologlobe. Their icon hadn\u2019t moved for a while. Neither had the marker for their scout stalking the fleet.\n\n\u201cStarman Darsha, is our feed still live?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cContact the recon ships, see if they know why the Tevarin fleet is stationary.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Commander.\u201d\n\nWhile waiting for a response, Commander Wallace slowly advanced then reversed time on the hologlobe, watching the asteroid belt\u2019s composition slightly change. New asteroid-free areas suddenly appeared or vanished as objects closer to the star orbited slightly faster than those near the outer edge. Then she saw something strange.\n\nAt first she thought it was a glitch. She reversed time on the hologlobe then played it forward. There it was again. Positioned too close to the waiting Tevarin fleet to be a coincidence.\n\nA relatively straight gap through the belt.\n\nCommander Wallace checked the time stamp. According to this, the belt would fall into this alignment in 45 minutes before vanishing again 15 minutes later.\n\n\u201cStarman Odorizzi, how accurate are these scans?\u201d\n\n\u201cUhhh . . . estimates show they are operating at 93% accuracy, sir.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace\u2019s gears began to spin.\n\n\u201cCommander?\u201d Starman Darsha called from the comms station. \u201cOur scout\u2019s reporting that there\u2019s no indication why the Tevarin fleet has come to a stop.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace\u2019s eyes returned to their icon.\n\nA plan took form in her head. She finally saw a chance to engage the Tevarin on favorable terms.\n\n\u201cStarman Odorizzi, see this point here? In 44 minutes a gap will be opening there. Pull its precise coordinates.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Odorizzi responded.\n\n\u201cHelmsman Ayers, once Odorizzi\u2019s done, get the Crescent lined up to quantum travel directly into that gap.\u201d\n\nHelmsman Ayers shared a nervous look with XO Coburn, then spoke cautiously, \u201cExcuse me, Commander?\u201d\n\nXO Coburn quickly stepped to her side, \u201cSir, it might help to talk us through your intentions.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace locked eyes with Coburn. They didn\u2019t have much time to get her plan in motion. She almost reminded him who gave the orders aboard Crescent, but held back. She looked around the bridge. The rest of the crew avoided her gaze. She needed Coburn\u2019s support now more than ever.\n\n\u201cIn precisely 43 minutes, the varying orbits of the asteroids in this belt will align in such a way that a large gap will appear completely through the belt. Currently, the Tevarin forces are holding position near that area. We can only assume they\u2019re waiting for this gap. Once it appears, they\u2019ll maneuver into the gap then quantum jump onto Crion\u2019s doorstep.\u201d\n\nA murmur spread among the bridge\u2019s crew. Commander Wallace let the voices settle then continued, \u201cWe can\u2019t let that happen. So here\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. XO Coburn, order all of our scouts to rally near this gap immediately.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll scouts, Commander?\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace paused, then nodded. Hickory\u2019s story was a long shot, and this Tevarin threat was real. The scout searching for his ship would be better utilized here.\n\n\u201cAll of them. I want proximity interdiction mines placed on both sides of where the gap will appear, about halfway down. As the Tevarin approach, the mines will detonate, creating a wall of debris that will bring their ship to a stop. That\u2019s our chance. The moment those charges blow, Helmsman Ayers, you quantum travel us into the back end of this gap. While the Tevs are occupied with what\u2019s in front of them, we\u2019ll sneak in behind and attack their stern.\u201d\n\nCommander Wallace scanned her crew. Helmsman Ayers locked eyes with Starman Odorizzi, who urged him on, \u201cCommander, are you sure? The timing needed to execute a QT into a moving belt, not to mention the risk of stray asteroids, is problematic to say the least, if not dangerous.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommander Wallace was not looking for opinions or excuses, Helmsman Ayers,\u201d XO Coburn bellowed.\n\nHelmsman Ayers\u2019 stiffened. \u201cNo, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood. Now let\u2019s get to work. We\u2019ve got some Tevs to surprise.\u201d\n\nAs the bridge came to life, XO Coburn stepped to her side. She met his gaze and felt the confidence and experience radiate off of him. It was exactly what she needed.\nCoburn leaned in close and spoke in a voice only she could hear, \u201cThis better bloody work.\u201d\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind sat in their Jackal, running dark except for their scanner. They, along with the rest of the Tevarin scouts, were posted like sentries around the main Tevarin ship. All patiently waiting for the gap to appear so they could strike Crion.\n\nDrahk quietly recited Rijorian verses while watching the scans. Tajhbind stared out of the cockpit, seemingly at peace. Drahk always wondered where Tajhbind\u2019s mind went in quiet moments like this.\n\nEverything was back to normal between them after Tajhbind convinced Drahk not to volunteer for the first strike force. Once settled into the Jackal, Drahk realized Tajhbind was right. His decision to volunteer for an assignment unsuitable for him was impulsive and clouded by emotions. He hoped he would be more thoughtful and patient in action.\n\nAs Drahk returned his attention to the scans, he saw a strange blip moving across the screen. Drahk increased the range of his scans and watched the blip weave around asteroids. It was certainly a ship and definitely not one of theirs. Those wretched Humans had finally shown themselves.\n\n\u201cTajh, there\u2019s something moving ahead. Let\u2019s see what it is.\u201d\n\nTajhbind cautiously piloted the Jackal in that direction. As they drew near, the blip slowly spun towards them. Drahk looked up to see a small Human ship circle from behind a large asteroid.\n\nTajhbind fired a salvo from the Jackal. The Human ship ducked away as the asteroid beside it was ripped to shreds.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d called Drahk, almost instinctively. \u201cDon\u2019t let them get away!\u201d\n\nTajhbind put the Jackal\u2019s engines on full burn and careened around an asteroid after the ship. With each new twist and turn, Drahk adjusted the shields so they would be protected if the Human ship looped back to surprise them with a head on attack.\n\nAhead of them, the Human ship skillfully wove its path. Yet the longer they pursued it, the more Drahk wondered about the ship\u2019s intentions. It hadn\u2019t initiated another attack or even attempted evasive maneuvers to shake them. Instead, it seemed content to stay just out of effective weapons range while leading them away from the rest of their forces.\n\nTajhbind spun the Jackal around an asteroid to see the Human ship pitch up. Drahk\u2019s eyes followed it, then returned to the scans to see two new blips before them.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve entered a trap,\u201d Drahk called. He immediately pushed all shield power forward to withstand the blasts from the new attackers. The shield held, but would need time before regaining full strength.\n\nTajhbind sliced down, then pitched up and around an asteroid. The quick, efficient maneuver was enough put the Jackal on the tail of one of the ambushers. Without wasting a second, Tajhbind fired a missile and destroyed it. One ship down.\n\nAs Tajhbind spun them through a tight inside loop, Drahk saw one the remaining Human ships fall in behind them. He bolstered the stern shield then searched the scan for the other ship, not wanting to be ambushed again.\n\nThe Jackal\u2019s cockpit beeped loudly. The Human pursuer had achieved missile lock. Drahk looked at their shield\u2019s charge. It still wasn\u2019t fully regenerated.\n\n\u201cTajh, evade!\u201d\n\nThe Jackal accelerated, then suddenly pitched up. Its wings rolled right until achieving a vertical alignment. Then barely passed between two asteroids. As Tajhbind slipped the ship between these two giant chunks of rocks and minerals, he dropped some chaff. The trailing missile exploded into the asteroids, saturating the area with a debris field that the Human ship could not avoid.\n\nDrahk glanced at the scans to see the pursuing blip disappear, done in by damage from the debris. That left only one ship, but Drahk couldn\u2019t find it on his scans.\n\n\u201cWhere is it, Drahk?\u201d an energized Tajhbind implored.\n\n\u201cI do not know.\u201d\n\nTajhbind slowed the ship until it stopped. Drahk\u2019s scans remained empty of enemies. Maybe the coward had run away, fully aware of its danger?\n\nDrahk checked the shield strength and gave an update, \u201cShield is fully powered.\u201d\n\nSuddenly a signal sparked.\n\n\u201cStern side attack,\u201d warned Drahk as he redirected the shields to that sector.\n\nThe Human ship bore down on them from behind, both of its barrels blazing.\n\nTajhbind reacted instantly, pitching the ship\u2019s bow up until it was flipped 180 degrees. They were now upside down from where they started. The two had done the maneuver so often that Drahk knew exactly when to shift the shields from front to back.\n\nThe moment the bow was flipped, Tajhbind unleashed hellfire. The two ships tore into one another\u2019s shields. The Jackal withstood the onslaught while the Human ship\u2019s shield was quickly ripped to shreds. By the time the Human ship realized it was in a losing battle, it was too late. It exploded seconds later.\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind sat there silently for a moment. They had done it. They had survived.\n\n\u201cTime to return and report our encounter,\u201d said Tajhbind.\n\nYet something wasn\u2019t sitting right with Drahk. He checked his scans to see they had worked their way deep into the belt, but were still near where the gap would appear. Why would so many Human ships converge around here when the rest of the Tevarin forces were so far away? His time as a youth on Olympus had taught Drahk that it was always best to suspect treachery from Humans.\n\n\u201cNo. We can\u2019t go back,\u201d Drahk said resolutely. \u201cNot if we want the attack on Crion to succeed.\u201d\n\nActivity on the bridge stopped and every eye found Commander Wallace. After Starman Darsha reported that their three scouts were under attack, everyone had turned to the hologlobe. Together they had watched as those three blips disappeared, one by one. The entire bridge crew knew their fate, but none dared to say it out loud.\n\nXO Coburn stepped forward, \u201cCommander, how do you wish to proceed?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave the proximity mines been set?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen we have only one choice. We go forward as planned.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, sir . . . \u201c Coburn hesitated then continued. \u201cWe won\u2019t have our scouts to confirm the Tevarin forces are in the gap.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not ideal, but we\u2019ll know they\u2019re there once the gap opens and the charges detonate. Prep for quantum.\u201d\n\nCoburn didn\u2019t move. None of the bridge crew did. Wallace looked around.\n\n\u201cI gave an order.\u201d\n\nStill nothing.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t need to tell you what those Tevs will do if they get to Crion. You\u2019ve probably heard about it. Some of us have been unfortunate enough to see it in person,\u201d she paused to scan the faces of her crew. \u201cWe find ourselves out of position and against superior numbers, so I\u2019m not going to stand here and lie to you or promise you victory. We might die today, but it won\u2019t keep me from fighting to save the millions of innocent people on Crion. Will it stop you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, sir!\u201d Echoed in unison.\n\nAcross the bridge, her crew snapped into action. After a brief respite, Commander Wallace continued, \u201cNow, in exactly three minutes, this gap will open, and the Tevarin will begin their march to destroy Crion. No matter what, those mines will still explode and the Tevarin will be slowed down. But the only thing that can truly stop them is Crescent. So . . . who\u2019s ready to trap some Tev?\u201d\n\nA roar went up around the bridge.\n\nDrahk and Tajhbind watched the gap slowly form before them. It was an elaborate celestial arrangement so peculiar it was hard not to watch in wonder. Yet Drahk wouldn\u2019t allow himself to stare. Instead, he focused on his scans to see if more UEE forces were lying in wait.\n\nTajhbind had contacted the leaders to update them on the situation. Their superior had even congratulated them for their destruction of the scouts, and Drahk\u2019s foresight to continue searching the gap.\n\nStill, the lack of a further UEE threat puzzled Drahk. He almost suggested expanding the search deeper into the belt, but he held back on that suggestion. Instead he just wondered, what could three scout ships have hoped to do to stop an entire Tevarin force?\n\nSuddenly, asteroids on both sides of the gap exploded. Shrapnel hurled into the Jackal on all sides, overwhelming their shields and striking their hull. The impacts sent the ship spinning wildly. Drahk held on for his life, hoping Tajhbind could regain control before they both blacked out.\n\nTajhbind cycled through thrusters until the spinning slowed and Drahk\u2019s sickness abated. He checked the status of the ship\u2019s systems now that he could focus. They had taken significant damage and were in desperate need of help.\n\nDrahk accessed the emergency channel and broadcast a distress signal. Suddenly, a massive object filled the scanner\u2019s screen. Drahk\u2019s eyes grew wide. It could only be one thing.\n\nHe looked up to see a Human capital ship coming down the gap towards them. Still in disbelief, Drahk announced the Humans\u2019 arrival across the emergency channel. Then desperately said, \u201cTajh, we must abandon ship!\u201d\n\nDrahk grabbed his personal propulsion device and unstrapped himself from his seat. With the shields down, it would just be a matter of jumping out the open back of the ship and then EVAing into the asteroids until help could be sent.\n\nSuddenly, turret fire from the Human ship blanketed the space before them. Instinctively, Tajhbind turned the Jackal away from it, but the previous damage to the left wing was too much. It ripped off the hull and sent the ship into a tailspin toward the massive ship, flinging Drahk towards the back of the Jackal and eventually into space.\n\nOnce Drahk realized what had happened to him, he activated the thrusters on the personal propulsion device until he was under control. He searched the space around him, but there was no sign of Tajhbind. Just the sight of the wounded Jackal tumbling towards an impact with the massive Human ship, its damaged engines hurling it wildly out of control.\n\nHickory was one step away from escaping his cell. He had drilled a small hole in the metal case housing the door\u2019s electromagnet, then carefully removed the power port in his left sleeve to expose the wires connecting it to the rest of his suit. All while the kid continued to pace the hallway none the wiser.\n\nHickory began the countdown in his head as he crossed to the cell door for hopefully the final time. He needed to reverse the polarity of the electromagnet so it would repel the door away from the armature plate built into the jamb. But he wouldn\u2019t know which wire would do so until he tried.\n\nThe orchestration of this last part was essential. Hickory assumed opening the door would set off some kind of alarm. So doing it too soon would give the kid the chance to react. Yet, if he waited too long or chose the wrong wire, the kid could catch him in the act.\n\nAs his internal clock hit ten, Hickory had no more time to debate. He picked a wire and guided its exposed end into the drilled hole, then held it in place with his left hand.\n\nThe countdown hit five . . . four . . .\n\nHickory\u2019s right hand activated as many of his suit\u2019s systems as possible. Electricity buzzed through the wire and into the electromagnet. The kid appeared before the cell just as the door popped open and beeped loudly. The kid jumped back, surprised.\n\nHickory grabbed the door and pushed it open. The last thing he wanted was for the electromagnet to reengage with the armature. Suddenly, a shockingly loud alarm blasted through the brig, startling both Hickory and the kid.\n\nMoments later, an explosion rocked the ship. Only Hickory\u2019s hold on the door kept him from flying across his cell. The Marine was not so fortunate. He was flung down the hall, landing with a loud thud.\n\nOnce Crescent stabilized, Hickory glanced out of the cell to see the kid writhing in pain. Hickory hurried down the hall towards him. Seeing him coming, the kid struggled to raise his gun. Hickory kicked it out of his hand.\n\nThe Marine screamed in pain. Hickory couldn\u2019t have him making any more noise, so he cocked his arm and knocked the kid out cold.\n\n\u201cTajhbind!\u201d Drahk helplessly called into his comms. Still holding the personal propulsion device, he fired its thrusters until coming to a stop.\n\nStill and silent, Drahk stared at a debris field drifting away from the UEE capital ship. It was all that was left of the Jackal.\n\nEven though Tajhbind\u2019s fate seemed clear, Drahk was not ready to accept it, as doing so meant grappling with his own.\n\nDrahk knew a rescue wouldn\u2019t be possible from this position. He\u2019d have to EVA into the asteroid belt and soon. The UEE capital ship grew closer every second.\n\nDrahk felt himself drifting towards the ship, having entered its gravitational field. Slowly floating forward, he stared at the ship. It reminded him of home on Olympus. Sitting on the dunes as a kid, staring at its hulking hull half-embedded in sand, he\u2019d always imagined what one would look like in space. And here it was.\n\nIn a way, he had come back home in the end after all. A sense of peace settled over him and a Rijorian verse filled his mind. Then he had an epiphany: he had been brought here for a reason.\n\nThrusters sparked on his personal propulsion device, shooting Drahk forward. He\u2019d be building up a good deal of speed on approach. If Drahk had any chance of surviving this, from here on in, his thrusters should only be used to slow him down.\nThat is, of course, if the ship didn\u2019t pick up speed and ram into him. Drahk doubted that would end well for him.\n\nCommander Wallace gripped the railing before her. The charges had detonated but, besides the one ship that crashed into them, the Tevarin forces weren\u2019t here. At least the damage from the impact appeared to be minimal.\n\n\u201cFind me that Tevarin capital ship immediately,\u201d cried XO Coburn. \u201cWe need to know how much time we have before they\u2019re on us.\u201d\n\nCoburn\u2019s eyes cut across to Commander Wallace. She had never seen him so worried before.\n\nWait . . . if they quantum jumped in then they could just as easily quantum jump out. It would just be a matter of steering the bow in the other direction.\n\n\u201cCommander . . .\u201d cried Starman Odorizzi.\n\nWallace looked at the hologlobe. Her heart sank into her stomach. It was too late.\n\nThe Tevarin had entered the gap behind them. Crescent was snared in its own trap, boxed in by a debris field on one side and the Tevarin capital ship on the other. Before Commander Wallace could say anything, the Tevarin\u2019s phalanx shield flared to life, ready for a fight.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026"},"links_count":1,"comment_count":19,"created_at":"2020-02-26T03:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"6 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 21:24:59","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":17492,"next_id":17494}}