The sudden appearance of energy flares typical of freshly lit-off drives took the Rabid Phoenix’s standing watch officer by complete surprise. Such complete surprise, in fact, that she didn’t not even get a chance to alert anyone else before the lethally beautiful crimson tracks and violet pulses of missile launches and weapons fire flashed onto her display. The new data shocked her out of her stasis, and her well-honed reactions took over. Unfortunately, even her quick reaction speeds meant nothing, for the range was well within the Terminal Affect boundary, and the flight time for the incoming fire was a mere 4.87 seconds. Her hand tripped the pressure plate, but it was too late. The Battle Stations alarm had been blaring for under a second when the weapons impacted. Without any active defenses to interdict the fire, or even any passive defenses to deflect and lessen it, the weapons fire-not even meant for the Rabid Phoenix, but for the hard used but well-kept freighter that had passed in front of it-nonetheless came crashing in on the un-suspecting ship.

* * * * * * *

Aerion awoke to a violent shudder and a sudden screaming wind that all spacers learn to fear. His reactions already had him diving for his suit, but he knew it was not enough. The wind pulled back just as a world ending series of detonations sounded throughout the hull. Blast doors. Thank God for AIs. Aerion turned around and found himself suited up, with his helmet sealing itself over his head. Thank God for Grey genetics and merciless DIs. He winced, despite the thousands of duplicate experiences as his suit’s plumbing connected. He suddenly had no more time for idle thoughts or wool gathering as his suit’s interfaces became live and his internal networks successfully linked and dropped him into the ship’s internal networks.

“Command, DamCon reporting multiple small breaches spread from Section A-Twenty Eight to C-Seven. We have lost our main dorsal energy mount, and Launch Tubes Seven though Eleven, and Magazine One is done for th