The past several weeks had been rough for Elias and the crew of the CSS Victory. Constant skirmishes with the Rift Marauders were beginning to take their toll, and everyone was more than fed up with the current state of things in space. Unfortunately, the men and women aboard Victory weren't the only ones feeling the pressure. Every ship in both the 2nd and 3rd Fleets has been on high alert due to the threat that the Earth-born terrorists had become. And every day, a new skirmish between them and the forces of the Colonial Navy ended with varying degrees of success.
Even now, as he prepared for what very well may be the largest mission of his career, Elias felt the weight of his current situation bearing down on him.
A new intelligence report had come in earlier that day. A group of the Federation's elite spies was able to learn that the Rift Marauders had established their base of operations on New Haven, a mining colony situated near the south pole of the moon. The place had been all but abandoned due to safety concerns roughly seven years ago, but now it serves as a hub for the terrorists' operations. And to make matters even more fun, the report also detailed how the terrorists were able to hijack a fleet of old ships from various junker companies and retrofit them to now be heavily armored.
In short, the Rift Marauders were now ready to launch a series of devastating strikes against the Colonies whenever they felt like it.
Naturally, it was clear to everyone that these rogues could no longer be tolerated in space on any level. They were simply too much of a threat not to warrant any sort of serious military action. And the lives of all those who lived in space were now on the line. That is why the 2nd Fleet has officially been tasked with dealing with this threat once and for all.
Elias couldn't help but replay the orders in his mind. It was obvious to everyone that this was the inevitable outcome, but that did nothing to ease the pressure that the young Commander felt. This mission needed to be a success, not just for the survival of the colonies, but to prevent a catastrophic war between Earth and space. A failure here could end up pushing the two sides closer to armed conflict. A possibility that the man didn't even want to consider.
The green-eyed man was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching him. Elias instinctively straightened his uniform before turning around and giving the new arrival a perfect salute.
"Greetings, ma'am!"
"At ease, Commander." Fleet Admiral Kara Howell said with a smile as she returned the salute.
The red-headed woman was currently in the middle of her quarterly inspection of the 2nd Fleet. And naturally, she decided that she was going to use this opportunity to see how her favorite (and only) nephew was doing. It had been quite some time since the two had spoken face-to-face, so Elias was more than happy to show her around and catch up.
"How's the crew holding up?" The Fleet Admiral then asked, her voice sharp but still retaining that tone of kindness that was only reserved for him and his sisters.
"Well enough." Elias replied. His voice was steady, but he failed to hide the trace of exhaustion that he was feeling. "Everyone's preparing for the operation. And moral is high...all things considered."
Fleet Admiral Howell nodded. She was well aware of how much trouble the Victory had been in over the last month. Even among the rest of the fleet, the ship's crew had been in more engagements with the rogues than anyone else. The woman was certainly glad that her nephew's ship was equipped with that funky stealth tech. The fact that they had it is probably what's kept them alive so far. It was no wonder that so many ships were currently being retrofitted with the technology.
"I feel like I don't have to tell you how important this operation is going to be." The woman said as she walked up next to him. "These dirt crawlers need to be taken down. You didn't hear this from me, but some of our esteemed politicians are trying to use this whole Rift Marauders situation to strong-arm the governments of Earth into better trade deals to compensate for the trouble they've been causing. We can't let this go on any longer, or else we'll find ourselves in the middle of a full-blown trade war."
"I know." Elias replied quietly. The weight of his responsibilities was perfectly clear to him.
The woman's expression then slightly softened as she got rid of her formal posture. "You've grown into one hell of an officer, brat. I still remember when I used to take you out for joyrides on my ship when you were little. Now look at you, you're all grown-up! Shit...you're even about have a kid soon, aren't you?"
"I'll be a dad by this time next month, hopefully." Elias nodded.
"Good! I can't wait to spoil your kid so rotten that you won't be able to tolerate him."
The two shared a quick laugh before they both took a moment to stare out of the viewport and admire the wonder that was space.
"I won't fail." Elias then said, his voice was firm despite the nervousness he still felt.
"I know you won't." The red-headed woman smirked. "You're one of our best after all."
Eventually, the woman left the ship, leaving Elias to finish his preparations for the upcoming battle. This mission was certainly going to be one for the ages. And Elias hoped that he would be able to protect the people of space.
-(o)-
[Five Days Later]
The Battle of New Haven was unlike anything Elias had ever experienced before in all his years of Naval service.
Upon their arrival in the near-abandoned city, the members of the 2nd Fleet were horrified at the state of the former mining colony. New Haven's once-bustling spaceport now lay in ruins, a shell of its former self. The Rift Marauders had fortified their base with heavy defenses and surrounded the place with their fleet of hijacked and junked ships. It was truly a stage befitting of a final confrontation.
As volleys of cannon fire crackled across the lightless sky, Elias barked orders to his crew. His commanding voice cut through the chaos of the bridge with the authority of a seasoned veteran as he tried to navigate his men through the chaos. "Evasive maneuvers! And activate the stealth mode! We need to get back into formation with the Vanguard. Communications, open a channel with Admiral Gravely! I need to figure out where he wants us to reposition our ship!"
The Rift Marauders' fleet was more formidable than they had originally anticipated. The terrorists were truly experts in guerrilla tactics, launching sudden ambushes and outmaneuvering their opponents at every turn. And much to everyone's dismay, a few of them were even willing to pull out kamikaze tactics in order to dwindle the 2nd Fleet's numbers. Elias's heart raced as the battle unfolded around him. Ships were exploding all around them, both enemy and ally alike. Sending debris into the dark expanse of space amid the morbid flashes of light.
After about thirty minutes of rough fighting and some slick maneuvering, Elias and the members of the Victory found themselves directly below what appeared to be the Rift Marauders' flagship. It was a large, ugly-looking beast that was definitely designed by someone who didn't spend a lot of time in space. But even so, the crew had watched this same ship tank a volley of ion torpedoes barely ten minutes ago.
'We're too close to use the cannons. The blast would do just as much damage to the Victory as it would the enemy ship.'
Elias's mind raced as he tried to devise a strategy for taking down their foe. And in that moment, he decided to stick with what he knew best.
"Prepare for a boarding assault!" He commanded, signaling for the ship's marines to get ready. "We're taking out that flagship. It's the only way we'll quickly neutralize the command structure."
The tension on the bridge was palpable as the crew prepared for what was surely going to be a high-risk maneuver. As the Victory closed in on the Rift Marauder flagship, Elias's hands gripped the sides of his chair as the ship lurched toward its target. Explosions rocked the hull as enemy fire raked across the Victory's shields. But despite the chaos, Elias and the crew remained focused.
Minutes later, the boarding party, which included Elias himself, began blasting their way through the Rift Marauder vessel. The crew had to fight their way through every room and corridor while engaging in close-quarters combat. Thankfully, most of the people on board the ship didn't appear to be used to this kind of fighting. Something that gave the Victory's crew a much-needed advantage.
However, during the heat of the battle, disaster struck....
Elias suddenly felt a searing pain throughout his body as a high-caliber rifle round tore through his left arm and ripped deep into his flesh. His vision blurred for a moment as he tried to fight off the shock. But despite the pain, Elias chose to continue fighting, refusing to let his newfound injury slow him down when he was so close to his objective.
"Commander Thorton!" Shouted Lieutenant Herrera, his voice filled with concern after seeing the state that his Commander was currently in.
"I'm f-fine..." Elias gritted out as he held up his pistol in his right hand. "We finish this. Now!"
With nothing but sheer willpower and fierce determination, Elias pressed forward. His crew, inspired by his tenacity, followed his example and refused to relent. And after fighting their way through every level of the enemy ship, in the end, the crew of the Victory had succeeded in neutralizing the Rift Marauder leadership.
With this achievement, the terrorists' fleet instantly became disorganized. And soon enough, the Rift Marauders were being gunned down by the superior fighting power of the Colonial Navy. Not a single ship had been allowed to escape the battlefield; that was not the kind of victory that they were looking for today.
And even though the battle still wasn't over, the scars of this day would stay with Elias for the rest of his life. Although the man wanted to take a moment to recover his strength, he still had a job to do. With the decapitation of their flagship, victory was all but guaranteed. However, the battle still wasn't over.