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Description
-Hull breach on Decks Five, Six, Seven and Eight!- Ensign Charlotte Ainsworth shrieked- We're venting atmosphere!
-Casualties are being reported from said decks!- Lieutenant Heimann swallowed hard, his earpiece shaking in his palm.
-Emergency bulkheads!- Captain David Metlesits said, grinding his teeth- Evasive manouvers!
-Aye, sir.- Lieutenant Jiménez said, calmly as ever. His long fingers danced over his console, fircing the damaged starship to turn for a better fighting angle.
-Skip, Kzinti battlecruiser approaching from starboard. They're locking weapons.- Vasily Nussbaum said, turning back from his chair to face his Captain.
-Proximity blasts, Vasya!- Metlesits hissed, his fungers pressing into the leather covering his chair's arms- Full spr...
Before he could finish the order, something shook the Polaris with such immense a force which held the promise of shaking the ship apart. The ship moaned and groaned under the force. On the bridge, all screens flickered... and then all lights went out.
-Skip?- Nussbaum's voice tore through the tangible silence enshrounding the bridge.
-Damage report!- the Captain barked. As if to answer an unvoiced wish, the lights came back online. Damage indicators blinked red on the engineering console, un-manned now, with the Chief Engineer being down in Engineering.
-Heimann, get me Engineering.- Metlesits said- I want to know what happened and I want to now it now.
-Sir, all comm channels are overflowed.- Rochus Heimann said, wiping his forehead with his hand- Damage reports are coming in from all decks.
-Give me something useful.
-Aye.- Heimann nodded. He activated a search filter on his console and after a few seconds, he nodded- Got it.
-On speakers.- Metlesits nodded as well. The speakers came alive with a static hiss.
-This... this is Crewman Zhivanovich. Is... is anyone there?
-Calm down, Crewman.- Metlesits said in a steady, encouraging tone- This is the Captain speaking. Are you from Engineering?
-No, sir. I'm stationed at the cosmology lab, Deck Fourteen.
-Crewman, do you know what has just happened?
-Sir...- his voice sounded hesitant- I... I think we've lost our starboard nacelle.
-Basszameg!- Metlesits cursed, his Hungarian syllables a hiss.
-Captain, Engineering is reporting.- Heimann said.
-Patch them through.- the Captain nodded- Big Chief, are you alive down there?
-Barely.- the Native American's voice came as a tired sigh- Sir, the starboard Warp nacelle is gone. We stabilised all EPS junctions and the core, but...
-No buts, we're still flying.- Metlesits made a mental note of congratulating his Chief Engineer once this is over... and they are still alive. His thoughts were interrupted by Nussbaum's cry:
-Skip, the enemy cruiser is turning back!
-Fire photon torpedoes, maximum yeld!- the Captain shouted, his eyes fixed upon the magenta saucer shape of a Kzinti warship filling the viewscreen. Nussbaum pressed the launch button, a chain of five torpedoes erupted from the Polaris' lower saucer. The next instant saw the destruction of the enemy vessel.
-They didn't see that comming, the meshuggeh!- Nussbaum laughed, earning a war cry from his comrades.
-We're still flying, ladies and gents!- Metlesits shouted, veins pulsing on his temples- Mr. Jiménez, turn us about. Vasya, pick a new target and fire at will.
After two quick "Aye!"-s, the Polaris turned, her damaged frame quivering. But it was war and it was no time to stop. The next few minutes made the light cruiser fly through blazing hell, and also evoking it upon her enemies. Hulls burned under particle beam fire and torpedo impacts, but the Kzinti... they still came.
The Federation never listened to Earth when debates emerged on the Kzinti. When the attack on Cait began, they thought a small flock of light and medium cruisers will be more than enough to deal with them. They were wrong.
-Captain, incoming message from the flagship.- Heimann said.
-On screen.- Metlesits said. The main viewing screen's image switched to that of a bony-faced man's.
-This is Commodore Coulter. All ships, retreat! I repeat: all ships, retreat! We cannot hold back the invasion. We are to re-group at Starbase 15.
Amongst the noises of machinery and other equipment, silence filled the bridge of the Polaris. Metlesits saw Ainsworth and Heimann exchanging a glance and Jiménez hovering his hands over his board, ready to type in the new coordinates.
-If we leave now, Cait is good as dead.- the Captain whispered.
-Skip, if we don't leave now, we're as good as dead.- Nussbaum said.
As if to confirm his words, another particle beam lashed over the charred hull of the Polaris.
-It's God-damned Elizabethtown all over again!- Metlesits whispered, looking down at the floor- We... I...
-David!- Nussbaum's cry hit the Captain like as if the tactical officer had slapped him on the face.
-Mr. Jiménez, full reverse!- he said- Set a course to Starbase 15. Or someplace where there is a drydock for us. We'll have a devil of a time putting the ship together again. By Jove! We must put her back together again!

Meshes by me
Photon torpedo effects by Prologic9

Description
-Hull breach on Decks Five, Six, Seven and Eight!- Ensign Charlotte Ainsworth shrieked- We're venting atmosphere!
-Casualties are being reported from said decks!- Lieutenant Heimann swallowed hard, his earpiece shaking in his palm.
-Emergency bulkheads!- Captain David Metlesits said, grinding his teeth- Evasive manouvers!
-Aye, sir.- Lieutenant Jiménez said, calmly as ever. His long fingers danced over his console, fircing the damaged starship to turn for a better fighting angle.
-Skip, Kzinti battlecruiser approaching from starboard. They're locking weapons.- Vasily Nussbaum said, turning back from his chair to face his Captain.
-Proximity blasts, Vasya!- Metlesits hissed, his fungers pressing into the leather covering his chair's arms- Full spr...
Before he could finish the order, something shook the Polaris with such immense a force which held the promise of shaking the ship apart. The ship moaned and groaned under the force. On the bridge, all screens flickered... and then all lights went out.
-Skip?- Nussbaum's voice tore through the tangible silence enshrounding the bridge.
-Damage report!- the Captain barked. As if to answer an unvoiced wish, the lights came back online. Damage indicators blinked red on the engineering console, un-manned now, with the Chief Engineer being down in Engineering.
-Heimann, get me Engineering.- Metlesits said- I want to know what happened and I want to now it now.
-Sir, all comm channels are overflowed.- Rochus Heimann said, wiping his forehead with his hand- Damage reports are coming in from all decks.
-Give me something useful.
-Aye.- Heimann nodded. He activated a search filter on his console and after a few seconds, he nodded- Got it.
-On speakers.- Metlesits nodded as well. The speakers came alive with a static hiss.
-This... this is Crewman Zhivanovich. Is... is anyone there?
-Calm down, Crewman.- Metlesits said in a steady, encouraging tone- This is the Captain speaking. Are you from Engineering?
-No, sir. I'm stationed at the cosmology lab, Deck Fourteen.
-Crewman, do you know what has just happened?
-Sir...- his voice sounded hesitant- I... I think we've lost our starboard nacelle.
-Basszameg!- Metlesits cursed, his Hungarian syllables a hiss.
-Captain, Engineering is reporting.- Heimann said.
-Patch them through.- the Captain nodded- Big Chief, are you alive down there?
-Barely.- the Native American's voice came as a tired sigh- Sir, the starboard Warp nacelle is gone. We stabilised all EPS junctions and the core, but...
-No buts, we're still flying.- Metlesits made a mental note of congratulating his Chief Engineer once this is over... and they are still alive. His thoughts were interrupted by Nussbaum's cry:
-Skip, the enemy cruiser is turning back!
-Fire photon torpedoes, maximum yeld!- the Captain shouted, his eyes fixed upon the magenta saucer shape of a Kzinti warship filling the viewscreen. Nussbaum pressed the launch button, a chain of five torpedoes erupted from the Polaris' lower saucer. The next instant saw the destruction of the enemy vessel.
-They didn't see that comming, the meshuggeh!- Nussbaum laughed, earning a war cry from his comrades.
-We're still flying, ladies and gents!- Metlesits shouted, veins pulsing on his temples- Mr. Jiménez, turn us about. Vasya, pick a new target and fire at will.
After two quick "Aye!"-s, the Polaris turned, her damaged frame quivering. But it was war and it was no time to stop. The next few minutes made the light cruiser fly through blazing hell, and also evoking it upon her enemies. Hulls burned under particle beam fire and torpedo impacts, but the Kzinti... they still came.
The Federation never listened to Earth when debates emerged on the Kzinti. When the attack on Cait began, they thought a small flock of light and medium cruisers will be more than enough to deal with them. They were wrong.
-Captain, incoming message from the flagship.- Heimann said.
-On screen.- Metlesits said. The main viewing screen's image switched to that of a bony-faced man's.
-This is Commodore Coulter. All ships, retreat! I repeat: all ships, retreat! We cannot hold back the invasion. We are to re-group at Starbase 15.
Amongst the noises of machinery and other equipment, silence filled the bridge of the Polaris. Metlesits saw Ainsworth and Heimann exchanging a glance and Jiménez hovering his hands over his board, ready to type in the new coordinates.
-If we leave now, Cait is good as dead.- the Captain whispered.
-Skip, if we don't leave now, we're as good as dead.- Nussbaum said.
As if to confirm his words, another particle beam lashed over the charred hull of the Polaris.
-It's God-damned Elizabethtown all over again!- Metlesits whispered, looking down at the floor- We... I...
-David!- Nussbaum's cry hit the Captain like as if the tactical officer had slapped him on the face.
-Mr. Jiménez, full reverse!- he said- Set a course to Starbase 15. Or someplace where there is a drydock for us. We'll have a devil of a time putting the ship together again. By Jove! We must put her back together again!

Meshes by me
Photon torpedo effects by Prologic9