IRONOAK
STARDATE 08.28.24
HOURGLASS DOMAIN
Captain Grisla slowly materialized in the Transporter. Her First Officer stood waiting to receive her. When she stepped off of the Transporter, he was concerned about her appearance.
Captain Grisla’s uniform was soaked in purple blood from dead Frog Demons. Her face was ragged and pale, as if she had run twice the distance she was capable of. Cuts and abrasions covered her body, but fortunately they were all minor wounds. Some wiring was protruding from her left cybernetic leg. Captain Grisla stopped directly in front of Bronx and looked him directly in the eyes with her left normal eye and her right cybernetic eye.
“Welcome back to the Ironoak, Captain,” Bronx announced in a loud voice as he stood at attention. “We have a clean change of clothes for…”
Captain Grisla cut off her First Officer. She was not concerned with clothing. “Report, Number One.”
Bronx paused for a moment. He was a large, muscular man with solid black skin and short hair. His chest glowed with lights due to being shot five times when he first joined the Alliance. In order to keep him alive, it was necessary to replace most of his organic chest with a cybernetic chest.
“A Demon Frog Spawning Vessel is approaching, Captain. It is escorted by two Demon Frog Destroyers. They are attempting to circumvent our position at Veridian VIII. Current distance is three hundred and two thousand kilometers. The Dark Cypress is at least two days away, too far to aid us in this conflict. I would have already moved to intercept, but I was awaiting your return. Will the rest of the Trench Defenders be beaming up after you?”
Captain Grisla saw an image of the Trench they so desperately fought to protect in her mind. It was full of Alliance and Demon Frog dead bodies.
“Negative, Bronx. There is no one else left.”
Bronx was shocked. His face began to contort into worry, but it was held back by years of military stoicism. Immediately, the First Officer’s thoughts raced to the families of the dead. News of the Grim Reaper’s visit was always as painful as a blade thrust into the back and through the heart.
“Special Commendation for Ensign Alan Yang,” Captain Grisla said abruptly, dispersing his thoughts of weeping and mourning for the dead.
“Our newest recruit?” Bronx replied in a surprised tone. He remembered that his first impressions of the young Ensign were anything but impressive. “I would have thought he would have frozen at the first sight of battle.”
Captain Grisla remembered Jenkins, Dyer, Frankins, Tomkins, O’reilly, Argosky, Devins, Hopkins, and Barrymore, all laying dead in the Trench because Alan Yang had failed to fire his weapon when the first wave of Demon Frogs advanced. She gritted her teeth and held her anger in check.
“When I needed him most, he performed his Duty. Alan Yang saved my life. I wouldn’t be standing here in front of you if not for him. And he died fighting valiantly. Alan killed a total of ten Demon Frogs before he finally went down. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Bronx listened intently and nodded. “Very well, Captain. I will enter a Commendation for Alan Yang at my first opportunity.”
Captain Grisla thought of Alan Yang lying dead at her feet, his neck broken from strangulation and both of his arms pulled out of their sockets. A ghastly death mask was forever etched onto his young face.
“THERE’S A HERO IN ALL OF US, BRONX. SOMETIMES…IT JUST NEEDS THE RIGHT ENCOURAGEMENT TO REVEAL ITSELF.”
