Excerpt: Antiphon: Lament

Antiphon: Lament
Chapter One

The orange emergency lights blinked dimly throughout the bridge, the panoramic view screen blinking wildly with red and green flashing boxes amidst a see of stars. A crew of twenty manned their stations, trying to assess the situation.
At the center of it all was Ortool Remus, the Captain of the battle cruiser Vengeance. He carefully watched the screen with his sharp, yellow eyes, stroking his mane with the tips of his paws.
They had just received a distress call from the trade freighter Mighty Storm, and were in route to intercept. The Mighty Storm was on its way to the Harae homeworld of Rajjona when it suddenly dropped out of hyperspace just ten minutes from their destination; an emergency precaution commonly used when an unknown biological threat had been detected.
It did not settle well with Captain Remus. He was all too familiar with situations like this, and there were only two possible outcomes with little variance. Neither he liked being this close to home.
“Time until intercept?” Captain Remus asked.
“One minute, fifteen seconds, Captain.” Helmsman Quiljik answered, lightly adjusting her hands over the pair of control pads she was clawed into.
That made the Captain on edge. He looked up at the view screen, focusing on the small red box that represented the Mighty Storm. “All guns report in. Have a boarding team stand by.”
The communications officer began to echo the order, looking back at the Captain to make sure he was hearing right. Several more of the crew did the same, but all thought the better to question the order.
Commander Mull Jitura, Remus’ right hand, did not. Though he waited a moment, lowering his voice as he leaned to the Captain’s ear. “Captain, guns?”
“A precaution, nothing more.” Captain Remus whispered, leaning back in his chair. “No dishonor shall come from defending our home.”
Jitura nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
“Captain, we are within range.” Helmsman Quiljik said.
“All stop.” Remus hissed. “Get me a visual. Scan for life signs.”
“Yes, sir.” Helmsman Opo said, whirling around his right control pad and pressing his finger buttons in sequence.
The box that represented the Mighty Storm suddenly grew larger, becoming a live picture of the Harae vessel. The long, sleek almond of a ship slowly drifted through the dead of space, a sprinkling of small lights blinking a warning of its presence.
“Sir!” Officer Brotok exclaimed, looking up from his screen. “I’m picking up five crewmembers aboard. One of them Nerath.”
Jitura titled his head. “Nerath? Could it be the Ambassador?”
“Let us hope not.” Captain Remus said, slowly sitting up. “Do you see nothing else?”
Officer Brotok shook his head at first. “Nothing that I…” he stopped. Something new popped up on his screen, something that he could not really read. “No, wait. I’ve got something… else. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
If Captain Remus was not nervous about this encounter before, he certainly was now. His claws dug into the padded armrest of his chair as he stood up. His cat-like ears perked upward, ready to hear the answer to his question: “How many are there?”
“The scan counts them in the hundreds… no, thousands, sir!” Brotok said, his mouth dropping in worry. “But their numbers are growing. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“Dearth.” Remus said under his breath, clenching his fists. Nobody heard him at that moment, though it was safe to assume that they would not know the meaning of it.
“Captain!” The communications officer burst out. “I have an incoming signal coming from the Mighty Storm, emergency channel.”
“Patch it through!” Remus barked.
A new window popped up to one side of the giant, starry screen. The sound of metal pounding upon metal and scrapping filled the room, a sound suddenly replaced with the panicked voice of the Mighty Storm’s Captain.
“This is Captain Ghrol of the Mighty Storm!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, the face of a worried Harae appearing on the screen. His fur was a mess, his eyes wide with terror. “We’ve taken on some boarders and are under attack! They have us pinned down on the bridge. Requesting any ships I the area for immediate assistance! Anyone, please respond!”
“Open the channel!” Remus ordered.
“Channel Open.” The communications officer said.
His scowl becoming more apparent, he straightened himself and faced the view screen. “Mighty Storm, this is Captain Ortool Remus of the Harae battle cruiser Vengeance. We are coming to assist.”
There was a loud noise that burst through the speakers, and the screen became nothing but snow. Static hissed through the transmission, along with the continued banging sounds.
Remus waited a moment, his eyes widening. Was he too late? “Captain Ghrol? Captain Ghrol can you hear me? Please respond.”
The static was broken Ghrol’s face, appearing just as frightened as he was before. “It’s good to hear you, Vengeance. You’re help is greatly appreciated, but…”
Static obscured the transmission for a moment, but Captain Ghrol appeared to remain in place. His voice suddenly cut back in, but no one was able to understand it completely. “…gri proto……l. Please… you must hurry!”
Remus nodded at the screen. “I understand, Captain. You and your crew are most honorable in your sacrifice.”
“Thank you, Vengeance.” Ghrol nodded. “May God bless you and your crew.”
Remus waved at the communications officer, who quickly cut the transmission. He sat back down on his seat, folding his paws together as he contemplated what he was about to do.
“Your orders, Captain?” Jitura asked.
“Have the boarding team stand down. Move us in front of the vessel.” Remus said, unmoving. “All guns, prepare to fire.”
The communications officer repeated the order, taking uneasy glances back at the Captain as he spoke.
“Sir!” Jitura stepped forward, just in Remus’ view. “What are you doing? They’ve asked for our help! It would be a disgrace for all of us if you…”
“Hold your tongue, Commander! We have no time for this!” Remus roared, gripping the arms of his chair and pulling himself to his feet. “We only have time to act before they meet a fate worse than the one we can give them! Do you understand?”
Jitura backed up. “Yes, Captain.”
It didn’t matter whether he did or not, at least in Remus’ mind. Humans were one thing, something that he was sure that his crew could handle any day.
But Dearth…
“Sir, we’re in position.” Helmsman Quiljik said, looking back at her captain with concern.
Remus looked out through the view screen to see that it was true. The Mighty Storm was on a collision coarse straight into their nose. It was a position that any Harae would be willing to attack from, one considered to be the best way to dispatch an enemy.
But this wasn’t an enemy. These Harae were their allies, their family, warriors in arms against a common foe. The Captain could understand his crew’s hesitation, but there was no other way.
“May they be honored among all Harae.” Captain Remus said, letting himself relax for a moment. He bowed his head and took a deep breath.
“Fire.”