<table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td>(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/223/0/2/the_celestial_ocean_by_CyberRaven.png)</td><td><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">Lord Ver'slek sat in the reclining throne that served as his command chair aboard the Berlork Battleship Yak'par.  The Yak'par was a powerful ship, stretching over 500 meters long and shaped like the deadly Vak Vu Tem, one of the most dangerous predators on the homeworld.  And there were three others hidden nearby, awaiting the signal.  They were currently masked, their hulls a brilliant sheen to reflect the light of distant stars, while absorbing all the heat energy and dumping it into a quantum singularity.  The singularity could only be used for so long before it would grow too large and unstable, so it was only used for stealthy ambushes.<br/><br/>The four ships were escorting a large black freighter that would be carrying the captive slaves of the Homo Sapient colony back to the market.  The orders Lord Ver'slek had received from the Emperor had been explicit: obtain a stock of humans to breed for work on the homeworld, and sell the rest to the markets to earn capital for the empire.  Lord Ver'slek was obeying his task, and knew that soon, glory would be basked upon him.  He would of course take his own personal slave from the group they caught, and a few would be used for dissection to ensure the strange ape creatures hadn't been radically altered or intentionally infected with a disease.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">One of the crew spoke, &lt;Lord Ver'slek, the target has raised their shields&gt;.<br/><br/>&lt;We are discovered,&gt; Lord Ver'slek said, flexing his hand slightly.  This annoyed him, to be caught before they were ready to ambush them.  &lt;Signal the fleet to drop mask and take up a position to attack.  Order the Vag'po to hold position and await further orders&gt;.<br/><br/>The ships suddenly lit up on the screens of the human station as four large bird-like warships swooping in to begin ripping apart the station.  They didn't open fire immediately, but their mere presence would be signal enough.</span>