text: [Themes: sci-fi, war, science fiction]
  
  Your hands were restrained with a magnetic lock. Even the innate strength conferred to you by your genes could not break them apart. The dark red and white uniforms of the Second Sol Commonwealth were distinct in the dimly lit interrogation chamber you found yourself in. You were asked many questions but you were allowed none of your own nor did they listen to any of your requests. That is until one of them brought a holo-projector which displayed an ongoing speech by none other than your father, August William the second of his name, and the patriarch of House Harridan.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/nxNXTlq.png
  
  "... There is only truth and hope to be found in our cause. I vow this now, death to every foe of our blessed Aristocracy! The betrayal of my spawn changes nothing, it is but proof of her/his failure. (S)he too will find, like all Commonwealth lowlifes, that siding with those who vainly uphold an evolutionary dead-end shall naturally and inevitably lead to extinction." August spoke with fervour, both of his hands clenched in front of him. His perfected features were twisted in anger.
  
  "We shall fight them at every turn! We shall not falter in our conviction! The future rests in our hands, us, the superiors to all, the final evolution of humanity. My degenerate spawn has given up such a responsibility; preferring to mingle with the decadent remains of the Commonwealth. They proclaim the equality of all? Where has that led them but to slothful and greedy rulers who have little interest in anything but profiting off an eternal war with us?" His uncanny eyes, a steely blue, bore uncompromising ruthlessness.
  
  "Our Solarian Aristocracy has ascended beyond such petty conflicts. We stand united. As one. You, my misbegotten son/daughter, are watching this now. You will pay dearly for betraying your kin and your people." You knew that to an ordinary onlooker, your father may have looked all the part of a regular human from afar, if handsome to an unusual degree - yet the eerie tone and inflection of his voice, his unnaturally precise gestures and unblinking, overly attentive stare betrayed he was not of wholly natural, base human stock.
  
  "I have to admit. They didn't train us for this. We always thought defectors were an impossibility in the Aristocracy, due to how each and every one of you freaks are engineered like some god-damned vegetables," the intelligence officer leading your interrogation spoke, Lieutenant-Commander Abram Valerio, his tag read. "This changes everything if, and I'm insisting on the if here, this isn't a very poor play. We're going to be making some progress with you and maybe this war as well."
  
  "So let's do this one more time, except I am going to be nicer this time," the Lieutenant-Commander sat down in the chair in front of you. He motioned for the guards behind you to release the magnetic locks. It was a gesture of goodwill, but you could tell you were not truly free yet. "We're going to need you to tell us everything you know. What drove you away from the Aristocracy?"
  
  [Author's Note: Long ago, the Sol Commonwealth that united all humankind under one banner split apart, and only chaos reigned across the star system. Ideological differences over the implementation genetic enhancements tore it apart: those arguing for the limitless implementation of this technology to push humanity into a New Era were opposed by many others who objected on ethical grounds. it would be creating a caste system with a stratified elite and destroy the Republic. After the Fall, two factions coalesced around these ideological cores, who now wage an unending war for control of the solar system. You are the firstborn offspring of the Patriarch of House Harridan, and have fled your comfortable residence the Solarian Aristocracy under the cover of night, to stake out a new life in the Second Solar Commonwealth. As an enhanced human, you feel like a fish out of water. Will you manage to fit in, tear down the Solarian Aristocracy and find your true purpose?]
  
  > say "I had doubts about the ethics and morality of our cause. The Solarian Aristocracy was heading down a path I did not wish to follow."
  "Interesting." Lt.Commander Valerio intoned. "Tell me more about your father, and about House Harridan. Their place in the Palatium Superioritatis of Victoria is well-known but..."
  
  The interrogation dragged on for hours. You did not tire, you could not, you stood straight and dignified on the crude chair and answered every question as best as you could and with total honesty. Eventually, your tormentor got tired of it all and guards were replaced several times throughout, unfortunately extending your interrogation for several days.
  
  > Next
  Wearied by the days and nights of constant questioning, you were taken from your cell by armed guards and shoved into the back of a limousine with tinted windows after almost a week had passed. The only explanation you received was a gruff "higher-ups want to see you".
  
  Being thus driven through the wide and busy streets of St. Josephine, you at least had the chance to catch a glimpse of life in the cities of the Commonwealth. The buildings towered high into the air, glittering colossi of steel and silver, missing the ornate, classicizing decorations which adorned many public buildings at home, but instead appearing more functional and sleek.
  
  At home, where one could often clearly distinguish the Homo Sapiens Superior nobility in their splendorous hovercraft and palanquins with their motorcades and entourages from the lower classes, even attempting such seemed folly here. The streets and walkways were crowded with people in their multitudes, dressed in strange and foreign attire that seemed to make it impossible to distinguish by status, and it all blended into a melting pot of colours. The sounds of lively arguments decided openly on the streets, of vendors loudly appraising their wares, of strange music, advertisements and news announcements reached your ears even through the tight windows of the limousine.
  
  Everything seemed somewhat more ordinary, less organized, more chaotic when compared to the pomp and pageant of Victoria and other Aristocracy strongholds, and yet, the people appeared happier, livelier. A certain sense of levity was in the air, quite unlike the always subdued and dignified atmosphere of the Aristocracy's worlds.
  
  After about half an hour of driving, the limousine pulled into the driveway of a plain-looking apartment complex. The weathered sign at the entrance announced "Commonwealth Navy NCO Housing Facilities" in black lettering. You were led through many nearly identical-looking, windowless corridors illuminated only by lurid artificial lighting until you arrived at Room 201. Your room until further instructions, the guards told you, leaving you alone. Resigned to your fate, you retired to your new suite. Compared to the luxury you revelled in back on your far-off homelands, this room was positively spartan. Nothing but the bare necessities were contained within - a small bed, a cupboard and dresser, a single, flickering lamp to provide light and an ancient-looking projector. The shower appeared as if it hadn't been used in years.
  
  You found out soon you were not all alone in your room. Ever perceptive, you found a wiretap embedded inside your showerhead - soon, you found more bugs under your small nightstand, embedded in your pillow as well as behind your dresser. It was difficult to conceal these things from someone such as you. While yanking another wiretap from its embedding, you heard three thuds on the door.
  
  When you opened up, there stood before you a muscled man in military uniform, about half a head shorter than you and grizzled by the lapse of time, a cigarette stump in his mouth. A carefully trimmed moustache adorned his angular, weathered face, and grey hair his head. With his narrow, light brown eyes, the military-man looked you up and down.
  
  "Sgt. Steiner, at your service. I am to serve as your personal retainer and guardian by orders of the Second Sol Commonwealth Government," he proclaimed gruffly, and followed with a slightly mocking tone "So you're that kid that's got half the fucking galaxy up in arms?" He let out a raspy laugh.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/bmPCrRe.png
  
  > say "I am not just some kid. I am a Prince(ss) of House Harridan."
  The Sergeant walked up to you with quick steps, leaving you no personal space as he got right up into your face. "And what part of that matters anymore, kid?"
  
  "As far as I am aware, your daddy disowned you and now you're here at our mercy." The Sergeant was not impressed, his whole attitude was crude and savage at best. "So keep the pompous attitude back home. You're in new grounds now."
  
  "I have defected to the Commonwealth out of my own volition," you reply with dignity and a glare of your own. "I offer my gifts and expertise to your nation. I do expect at least a modicum of respect, for I have extended the same courtesy to you, Sergeant."
  
  "What makes you think we'll need them? Or that you're going to make any change?" Sgt. Steiner scoffed. "You've got a spine there at least, Harridan. The last thing I want is to babysit a spoiled nth generation of nobility from the Commonwealth's sworn enemy. I can't exactly trust you nor does the Commonwealth, so why did you pluck out the bugs in your apartment? Did you have something to hide?"
  
  "It's not particularly endearing for my allies to encroach on my privacy. That is quite shameful of you and the Commonwealth," you shake your head in disappointment.
  
  "You know why that is the case. A month ago, you were the son/daughter of an enemy leader. You still are, even if you defected," the sergeant replied coldly.
  
  "I have ostracized myself from my family and the Aristocracy. Is that not proof enough? I will not compromise my privacy, this has been my only demand when I have been nothing but compliant." You stood your ground regardless, your arms crossed. You would not let them listen in on every waking moment of your life and peep on you at your most private.
  
  The sergeant did not look particularly interested in getting into a long-winded argument with you and thankfully relented. With a roll of his eyes, he said, "I'll see what I can do, Harridan. No promise."
  
  "I'm coming back in a few days, do make sure to not go crazy without your luxury."
  
  He left, now leaving you in this... prison cell.
  
  > Next
  The days blurred together, you weren't quite sure how long you stayed in that cramped little room. You've had a holo-projector to distract yourself at least. Those days, you immersed yourself in the drastically alien world of the Commonwealth media. It seemed that, besides Channel 1, which was reserved for a constant stream of monotonous state news broadcasts not unlike those in the Aristocracy, the other channels contained an anarchic and colorful variety of programs, films, live broadcasts and shows. Some of them appeared terribly vapid and trite to you, as your father had spared no expense to further your education in the high cultures back home, others were intriguing, fascinating, new - either way, you were entertained, captivated even, and eagerly took in all these impressions of the strange Commonwealth culture, be it sports, art, theater, movies or the indecent night-time program.
  
  One day, as you were idly zapping through the many channels your holo-projector would grant you access to, Steiner knocked on your door and gruffly requested you follow him. Two armed guards stepped in line behind you and led you out of the Commonwealth's housing facilities. You were not quite sure where they drove you, as you were unfamiliar still with the layouts of your new environment, but soon enough, you found yourself in what looked like a hearing. A semi-circular table with six voice-projectors and data-slates, at each one were uniformed men and women in dark red and white with heavily decorated pins and ranks. You were familiar with each, as you had been taught to recognize persons of interest back in the Aristocracy when capturing them was possible. Not that you ever saw combat. Idly, you let your eyes wander along the uniforms: Major-General... Lieutenant-Colonel...
  
  > type Your Name
  
  > A
  
  > confirm Name
  You are called A
  
  > Scene IV - 2
  "A Harridan, former Prince(ss) of House Harridan, who has defected to the Second Sol Commonwealth, will now receive their hearing. As this is a case without precedence, this interrogation will proceed without according to standard protocol. Speak only when asked questions - otherwise, you are to keep quiet."
  
  A voice came from your right: "A Harridan, do you swear to tell before this Commonwealth court the truth and nothing but the truth?"
  
  "I swear it," you replied tersely.
  
  "Then let us begin." came the reply from your left.
  
  ...
  
  The hearing, an intense process of several hours in which you were probed intensely as to your background, motivations, connections and personal secrets, was over, and you were awaiting the verdict. You watched in silence as one by one, the decorated commanders of the Commonwealth shuffled in and took their places around you. One, a greying man, bearing insignia marking him as "Admiral First Class" stood up and spoke:
  
  "A Harridan, we are granting you command of a ship. You are to report tomorrow at 08:15 at the Commonwealth Navy Station 7-7-3 to receive your badge, uniform and further instructions. Do not disappoint the Commonwealth. More importantly, do not disappoint me." You saluted in Commonwealth fashion, your hand next to your head with your palm pointed downward. For some reason, the greying man reminded you of your father. You did not like that one bit.
  
  > Next
  It didn't take you long for you to step before your new command. You were surprised you were given one on such short notice, not surprised that they gave you one at all. You had been expecting it, you were potentially too useful to them to let lie in one of their colonies. Either case benefited you. You were expecting some training, protocols, doctrines. You were already familiar with the Commonwealth's as you were with those of the Aristocracy, but they didn't know that, did they?
  
  You were rarely on the back foot and the situation you willingly put yourself in is unfamiliar. You liked the uniform, however, it was tailored to your size despite it being fairly tight, probably for safety measures while in a ship crossing the void of space. The Farsight, was a S55-class destroyer of the Commonwealth, a towering metal hulk 180 metres from prow to stern, 40 metres in width, and 50 metres in height. Quite a beauty of firepower. A lauded escort of the Commonwealth and cursed by many in the Aristocracy. It was also the most common destroyer class in their navy.
  You were to be given the command of one, and despite your outward composure and the elegant grace by which you moved, you felt quite excited. You were escorted by marines to your ship, Sgt. Steiner's men, who you knew would soon be part of your crew. You weren't quite sure how that would go, he didn't seem like too bad of a man.
  
  The dim hallways of the ship were, for now, empty, but soon, over a hundred and sixty men and women would be your responsibility. Quite a task to be thrust on you, but one you were determined to not disappoint them on. The deck was comparatively busy - your Executive Officer snapped at attention once you were in sight.
  
  "Commander on deck!" she yelled out. Activity stopped and everyone turned and stood straight to salute you professionally. Despite the practiced professionalism, you could tell you received less than friendly gazes from your new subordinates. New ship captains were always expected to say something to their crew, you straightened your back and stood tall. You were not proud of imitating your father's way but he was the only example you could follow. You could not deny he was a great orator.
  
  > Prideful
  Being stared at expectantly by dozens of pairs of eyes, you took a moment to let the silence settle in, raised your chin and began to speak with a confident tone. "I am A of House Harridan, your new commander. For my exceptional talents, I have been chosen to command this ship by the Commonwealth Navy High Command. From you soldiers, I expect absolute obedience. Your personal opinions of me are of no consequence."
  
  You let your intent gaze drift from one pair of eyes to the next. "I say this, to you, citizens and soldiers of the Commonwealth. I had a lot of time to consider if the Aristocracy was worthy of my support. I found it wanting. It trampled on the ideals that the old Commonwealth was built on, labelling it as outdated and degenerate."
  
  "I admit to my lack of sagacity and the disgrace that is the Solarian Aristocracy, I was late to see it but I saw the truth of the matter eventually," you continue. "These acts deserve criticism and I am profoundly saddened that humanity, a people of such talent that we rose to claim the stars, would be split and the universal peace was disturbed," you finish, looking expectantly at the crewmembers arrayed before you.
  
  Despite the pompous manner by which you presented yourself, as Sgt. Steiner would put it, it seemed like people were caught up in your confidence and momentum. Your voice did not fail to reach them, you could see frowns among the crowd but you still received acknowledging nods as was appropriate. There was work to be done still if you wanted to gain the loyalty of your crew.
  
  "At ease."
  
  > Next
  https://i.imgur.com/Akh8SlK.png
  
  "An interesting speech, Captain" your XO spoke up, a fit woman with a scrutinizing, attentive gaze and a shapely figure under her flawlessly maintained uniform. She was certainly conventionally attractive but obviously, could not match up to the engineered perfection of nobility back in the Aristocracy. "I am Lieutenant Laura Cassius, I will be effectively your second-in-command and the one responsible for relaying your orders when necessary or taking command when you are indisposed. If you would like, I can give you a tour of-"
  
  "That's unnecessary. I've memorized the plans of the ship," you interjected. She raised an eyebrow at that but you continued on. "What I do need is our assignment since for some reason I wasn't briefed before taking command."
  
  "First, we will do the tour as is customary," Lt. Cassius insisted. "And we're not taking flight for a few days yet as far as I know, this ship is brand new and it hasn't received its full crew yet. A briefing will likely come later."
  
  "Now, Captain Harridan. Follow me," not leaving you a chance to answer. As a new element you were in a bit of a precarious situation here, might as well try to earn as much goodwill as possible. You decided to take the tour, although you found it hard to keep your eyes straight as you followed behind her. A test of will and professionalism from the Commonwealth's High Command, she had to be.
  
  > Next
  The next morning, you were back in your cramped little room, putting on your uniform. You knew that from this day forward, your days of leisure and boredom here were over - a simultaneously exciting as well as worrying feeling. You were a soldier of the Commonwealth now, and thus you had to adapt to their daily routine as well. You looked over the plan you were handed upon arrival on Station 7-7-2. First thing in the morning was the roll call, then you would get half an hour in the cafeteria. Afterwards, your day would consist of menial tasks and officer training courses. Today would be your first contact with the general soldiery and other officers. You were one of them now. But would they see you that way too?
  
  With a disciplined step, you marched out of your room and went straight to Station to fall in for roll-call inspection. On the way you crossed paths with others, some adjusting their uniforms, some rubbing the sleep out of their bloodshot eyes, some chatting among each other or walking in silence. Almost all of them, however, shot you a suspicious look or two - some tried to do it covertly, some glared at you openly. It seemed that your identity was no secret.
  
  You shuffled in and took your place among the other officers, and waited patiently for the station's commanding officer to arrive. Due to your auditory enhancements, you could not help but overhear some of the chatter around you.
  
  "Yeah, that's the new..."
  
  "-s got some strange eyes, doesn't-..."
  
  "...I heard they all look that way over in..."
  
  "...gives me the creeps, that fella..."
  
  "...why was this little worm even promoted? got no qualifi-..."
  
  You had never thought of your genetic gifts as a curse, but today...
  
  Suddenly, the arrival of your commanding officer bursting through the door dead on eight o'clock jolted you out of your thoughts. The entire room snapped to attention and saluted as the stocky, greying Lieutenant-General inspected the troops, accounting for every soldier. Walking along the ranks, he occasionally stopped to aggressively reprimand some poor fool for a blemish on their boots or a crease in their uniform. When he reached you, he stopped, looking you up and down. Then, he pulled you out of the ranks and walked to the front of the assembly with you while the other soldiers looked at you askance.
  
  "At ease, soldiers. This is A Harridan, newly appointed Destroyer Captain. This individual of high birth has defected from the Solarian Aristocracy to fight in our armies against their own people," the commander bellowed. A murmur went through the crowd. "This is a person of interest, so you should all be aware." With those words, you were dismissed.
  
  Soon after, the muster ended and you made your way to the cafeteria, which was already bustling with activity. You took a tray and joined the queue to receive your food, but you could tell the others were eyeing you suspiciously, even shuffling away from you slightly, whispering to each other. You did your best to stay calm and appear unconcerned, but it was still making you nervous. When it was your turn, the man behind the counter glanced at you for a second in silence before handing you your rations for the day.
  
  Recognizing no one here, you took your place on an unoccupied table and began to eat by yourself. That slight feeling of being watched, of being the center of attention did not dissipate. As you were munching on some scrambled eggs, you noticed from the corner of your eye that a few soldiers were coming up to your table. Pretending not to notice, you kept eating, until the trio stopped, standing just behind your back.
  
  "So, you're that turncoat wunderkind that was magically promoted to ship Captain?" the first grumbled. He was huge, a muscle-bound hulk with a blonde, shaved head. A deeply unpleasant individual, you could feel. Beside him stood a tanned woman with a grim look on her face and a skinnier fellow nervously fidgeting with his eating knife.
  
  At this point, the cafeteria fell silent as people began to realize something was going on. You didn't get the chance to get up to answer before someone behind you grabbed your shoulders and forced you face down, sending your metal cup clattering off the table. You couldn't see them from this angle, the situation was getting a bit dangerous.
  
  "Leave... me alone..." you muttered under your breath, "you'll only get this warning once." By now, several interested onlookers had gotten closer to your table.
  
  "What're you gonna do, freak?!" you heard a woman's voice snarl at you contemptuously. "Bewitch us with those creepy-ass eyes of yours?" she lets out a bellowing laugh.
  
  "You aren't in your fucking palace anymore. Your noble daddy can't help you," came the deep, gruff voice again.
  
  "You're 'one of us' now, so you gotta learn how to fit in with us lesser creatures, gene-freak." The man behind you kept you restrained with his strong hands.
  
  "We're gonna be giving you a little welcome present that you won't be forgetting," the woman snarked, and grinned.
  
  The quiet, lanky man to your left pulled out a knife, a proper one this time, and revealed his neck, into which the letters C.N. Unto Death were carved. These three were not fooling around, they were serious!
  
  > Prideful
  "Do not dare touch me again, you lowly curs." you muttered. "I did warn you."
  
  "And what do you thi-" the burly brute began to taunt, but he choked on his words. With one explosive movement, you pushed yourself off the table, out of the muscled man's tight hold, and elbowed him in his gut, making him double over. Your lean appearance might not have looked like much, but your genetic enhancements gave you the speed and strength of two world-class athletes pressed into one body.
  
  In an instant, you whirled around, kicked the lanky knife-wielder in the kneecap sending him sprawling to the floor, wincing in pain and seized his knife, pressing it to the big man's throat. All around you, everyone gasped and went silent, frozen in shock. A look of astonishment was written on the assembled crowds' faces.
  
  "Fuck! What kind of a goddamned freak are you?!" yelled the woman, who had taken a step back. She was trembling visibly.
  
  High on gratification, you began to gloat, letting your gaze wander from one soldier to the next. Most attempted to avoid it. "Anyone else want to try me? Come and get so-" you felt a big hand on your shoulder.
  
  > Next
  "Clear it up, soldiers! Now!" you heard the gravelly voice of Sergeant Steiner. Everyone turned around to look at the stocky noncom, red with anger.
  
  "I cannot believe what I am seeing here. Is this what we stand for here in the Commonwealth? Does even one of you worthless pieces of human garbage here have a spine?! Count yourselves lucky I am a busy man, else I would give each and every one of you a well-deserved beating. Soldiers, you are hereby dismissed," Steiner announced with a voice full of righteous anger and natural authority.
  
  The curious spectators, now looking abashed, shuffled away one by one and the small crowds dispersed as fast as they had formed. However, before the trio who had wanted to abuse you, faces now flushed red with shame, could slip away, Steiner was upon them and gave each of them, in turn, a resounding slap in the face.
  
  "As for you three, I will see you tomorrow in my office, 9 o'clock sharp. DISMISSED!" he shouted, and they scurried away. After a moment of silence, Steiner took a deep breath and turned to you.
  
  Steiner smacked the back of your head, without much force but still enough to make it hurt. "You're a fucking idiot, Harridan. I guess all that shit they pumped in your brain still couldn't make you act like a normal goddamn person. Don't cause such a scene again."
  
  "But I-" you began, but Steiner interrupted you.
  
  "I will hear no more from you, Captain. You're lucky I was there to intervene, this could've gotten ugly." Disgruntled, he stomped off, leaving you no time to answer.
  
  > Next
  The next few days were a monotonous drudge. You still mostly sat alone, but at least no one dared to try harassing you again. Occasionally, some of the more curious and bold soldiers came up to you and asked you questions, which you answered patiently. At some point, your comrades stopped staring so much as the unfamiliarity slowly wore off and by and large gave way to an uneasy arrangement of mutual avoidance.
  
  At some point, the daily routine of officer training courses and no social interactions was broken. You were quite eager when you were summoned for a mission briefing.Your first mission on a Commonwealth ship, under the Commonwealth flag - your opportunity for proving your worth.
  
  The briefing was short, and not quite as exciting as you had hoped. It was supposed to be a routine patrol mission of the S 2398 Star System's twin suns, on the edge of known space. A sleepy, remote outpost on the borders of the Commonwealth, sparsely populated. You were told that the biggest danger you would be encountering would be boredom. Raiders could be a possibility too, but they usually steered clear of Commonwealth warships. Overall, a low-stakes routine mission for you to prove yourself capable of commanding a ship.
  
  You felt a tingle of pride when you entered the large hangar and gazed upon your proud warship, being worked on by dozens of industrious mechanics and engineers readying this beauty for takeoff. Every crew member you passed snapped to attention to salute you. As you marched up the ramp, someone waited at the top to greet you. A tall and muscular man, probably in his late 30s, with a dark, narrow beard framing his face. He had a look of quiet professionalism about him. The insignia on his overall marked him as Chief Engineer.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/Akh8SlK.png
  
  "Captain Harridan. I had been hoping to meet you," he opened up. "I am your Chief Engineer, Tian Hao."
  
  "A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Tian. I hope our cooperation in the future can be fruitful" you extended your hand for him to shake, but he did not take it nor look at it for that matter. A bit annoyed, you returned it to your side.
  
  "You are not what I expected," he continued, you weren't quite sure how to take that.
  
  "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" you asked. You were hoping to connect with your senior staff as soon as possible for optimal performance in the field but they didn't necessarily reciprocate your efforts.
  
  "We'll have to find out. I am not particularly fond of the current situation and you are the centre of it." The man paused for a second before continuing. "I'll be in the engines if you need me, good day Captain."
  
  And he swiftly stepped out without waiting for your reply. Despite your officiated rank and the professional attitude of your soldiers, you could notice your authority here was rather thin. You'd have to change that. This coming assignment in the borders of the Commonwealth could help.
  
  Even with the open scepticism, your staff displayed towards you, the rest of the preparations went off without a hitch. The next day, at the crack of dawn, you were standing on the bridge of the Farsight, looking at the massive projection in front of you. While your ship was sealed tightly and armoured on all sides to protect its all too fragile occupants from the dangers of the void, there were sensor arrays on the outside that allowed you to glean the outside, creating the illusion of a large window. Slowly, the hangar doors opened wide to make way for your ship's maiden voyage. The last preparations were finished, and a countdown blared over the speakers.
  
  You assumed your most dignified pose as the ship slowly took off the ground almost without a sound. Beside the muttering of the crew, there was complete silence except for a muffled whirring, as the massive vessel hovered over the ground, was maneuvered out of the hangar and sped off, gaining in speed with every passing second. Soon, the surface of the planet behind you got smaller and smaller in the distance until it vanished entirely and instead of the atmosphere, the massive black carpet of the void, punctured by small gleaming dots of white, unfurled in front of you. Six hours until you were slated to reach the first Jump Gate that would take you to S 2398.
  
  > Next
  It was your tenth day on patrol, and the hours stretched longer and longer. The commanders had been right: boredom was the biggest danger out here in this godforsaken no-man's-land. You spent your time on the bridge idly gazing at the endless expanse in front of you, lost in thought, occasionally receiving the ever-same reports containing nothing of substance. The twin stars had been something to behold, but even there the excitement vanished after a few days of the same scenery.
  
  In these moments you began to wonder if this wasn't a test of your skills at all, but instead some manner of punishment for you and your crew, or a way of sidelining you, keeping you busy with menial tasks. Weren't you destined for something greater? You wanted to dismiss these thoughts but you couldn't shake them off entirely until a shrill beeping roused you from your quiet contemplation.
  
  "Contact reported, Sir! No identifiable signature," came the voice from the observer on your left. In a second, you were wide awake, and the bridge stirred to life. Everyone around you was just as curious as to the mysterious arrivals you had just encountered. Were these... enemies? A scan popped up on the screen, of an ugly, grey slab of metal, ringed with proton lance arrays and torpedo launch pods. Didn't look like any Commonwealth or Aristocracy ship still in use, and lacked the markings identifying it as such as well.
  
  "We are hailing them, Sir, but they aren't responding," the operator continued, clutching his headset. "Your orders, Sir?"
  
  Everyone turned to look expectantly at you. You tensed up. This was the first time you were actually going to have to prove yourself.
  
  "Let them approach to a distance of one AU and continue hailing them. Try getting a read on their ship and possible armaments too." You paused for a second, and took a deep breath. "Prepare the main guns, ready for them to be fired. If they continue approaching... open fire."
  
  > Next
  The atmosphere on the bridge was thick with tension. Roused from idleness, the crew switched from their usual inaction to a drive for action. Orders were shouted over each other and nervous chatter filled the room, along with the beeping of the consoles and whirring of machinery. You attempted to stay on top of things, watching patiently as the unknown ship inched closer and closer and one salutation after the next went unanswered.
  
  More and more you were convinced that you were dealing with raiders - outlaws, the dregs and outcasts of society who were making the outer rims of space, off the beaten path unsafe. They persisted off of plunder and murder. You wouldn't give them that chance today.
  
  "This is Commonwealth Navy Destroyer Farsight calling the unknown intruder. Turn back immediately or you shall be treated as hostiles, I repeat, turn back immediately or be treated as hostiles, over," came the voice from your communications officer again. Fruitless.
  
  Your ship was well-armed, outfitted with an array of beam weapons and twin missile launchers that could atomize a small moon, but raiders were always dangerous nonetheless, owing to their unpredictability. Who knew what kind of strange, jury-rigged arsenal they had acquired in their time in space dealing death and destruction.
  
  "Sir, incoming fire! We are detecting atomic missiles being launched in our direction, estimated impact half a minute!" A shrill alarm went off, and the bridge was bathed in red light. So they were hostiles. The die was cast. Cold sweat ran down your back. You would have to make a split-second decision, and it would have to be the right one. One-hundred and sixty-four lives now depended on your ability as a ship captain.
  
  > let the shields bear the brunt of this first salvo and fire back.
  "Divert power to the shields! All hands to combat stations and get ready to fire back as soon as the first salvo has been overcome," you barked and heard the familiar whooshing of energy being diverted to other sectors of the ship. Fifteen seconds until the warheads, crossing thousands of kilometres per seconds, would reach you. Anxiously, you stared at the meter filling up.
  
  "Faster!" you shouted, wiping the salty sweat off your brow. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...
  
  "Brace for impact!" you heard someone yell, and a few seconds later the atomic warheads, each enough to flatten a city slammed against the invisible shields like fists of an angry god. The hammering rang in your ear, over and over again you felt the powerful impacts shake the entire ship. Then, silence, except for the whining alarm and incessant beeping.
  
  "S-status report," you stammered, shaken.
  
  " It looks like Compartment 21 was blown apart. Light damage was sustained, eighteen crew members reported MIA. Overall, the condition is reported stable, Sir," came a voice from your right, belonging to a young woman from the sound of it. "We are in range to return fire."
  
  "We have weathered the worst of it. Return fire immediately!" you bellowed. The large screen in the middle of the bridge came back online and showed the light of your beam weapons and missiles cutting through the void. At these distances, even your light-speed beams took a few seconds to reach the enemy. Impacts could be seen on the shields, then the shields flickered and gave out and beams cut through the hull like a hot knife through butter.
  
  Cheering was heard on the bridge as the last explosion shook the raider vessel, tearing it in half, and the burnt-out wreck floated in the void. No life signs were reported.
  
  > Scene XII
  After two more weeks out in space, your ship was recalled from its patrol mission, back to the Navy Headquarters on St. Josephine. It was a dizzying but comfortable feeling to finally be on terra firma again. As all the crew members spilt out of the belly of the ship for shore leave; to seek out their rooms, some came up to you in order to thank you. You got a few congratulatory nods and appreciative smacks on the shoulder. After a quick debriefing with the officers, you too were dismissed.
  
  The next few days were just leisure. You took some time to explore the winding paths of the capital on St. Josephine, its chaotic, riveting nightlife and breathtaking attractions, and spent many unforgettable nights diving into this unknown but endlessly fascinating world.
  
  One morning, as you found yourself once more in your room idly browsing the available holo-entertainment, Steiner entered, with a grim look on his face. More so than usual, that is.
  
  "Well, Captain Harridan, R&R is over for us. The Aristocracy fuckheads are launching a major offensive, and we are supposed to be at the front lines. You are to come with me, Sir." With a curt nod, you stood up to follow him outside.