THE OLD GUARD
STARDATE 02.08.22
SECTOR 50
Captain Severick sat in his anti-gravity wheelchair, dreaming of better days. He was a balding, elderly man whose legs had finally given out due to a degenerative disease that he had fought off for years with medication. Now, that medication was no longer effective. The years had finally caught up to Captain Severick. And like any hunter that has finally caught up to its elusive prey, the years were vicious indeed.
But Europa Command refused to allow Captain Severick to retire on a comfortable homeworld. With his countless years of combat experience and knowledge, he was invaluable, even without the use of his legs. Captain Severick was there at all the major battles: the March of the Delta Stars, the Death of the Morning Sun, the Clash of Fifteen Fleets, the Battle of Emperor Ramses, the War of Midnight Dawn, and More. No matter what was happening with Captain Severick’s body, it was Captain Severick’s mind that Europa Command was interested in, and that they refused to let go of.
But Captain Severick was not the man he used to be. The truth was, his spirit was broken. He remembered his youth, when he was able to do so many things, so effortlessly, so efficiently, so perfectly. He recalled a different time…with different people, with different technology, with different procedures, with different worlds, and with a different fleet. Europa was still young back then, an empire only beginning to explore the stars. Now, Captain Severick barely recognized all the ships around him and all the Captains that commanded them. His time was past. And, although it pained him to accept it, Captain Severick knew it was true.
The harsh bitter truth was that Captain Severick wished he died heroically in one of the battles of old, fighting for a noble cause that was worthy of his life. He desperately did not want to become a burden to anyone, to lack the capability to stay independent and functional, to become a liability to Europa Command instead of an asset. He needed to have meaning, value, and purpose in his life. But how could he possibly do that when he could not even walk? The answer evaded him like an ethereal ghost which haunted his mind with every passing moment.
And now there was this young crew aboard the Old Guard. These brave, new souls who yearned for adventure and the discoveries that deep space held. They yearned for guidance, for tutelage, for mentoring, and it was to Captain Severick that they looked to as the source of these things. He could not fail them. He would not fail them. No, no matter what it took, Captain Severick would impart everything he had learned upon them, making sure they would grow into the best persons they could be once he was gone. Captain Severick would lead them into the dark, mysterious beyond so that they could find their destiny. And if that shadowy realm would claim Captain Severick’s soul in the process, so be it. He could finally rest in peace…
“Captain! Two Babylon P3A Battlecruisers on an Attack Run!”
It was Descry Brookside, Captain Severick’s First Officer. She would be the one to take command should anything happen to Captain Severick.
Captain Severick dismissed his thoughts and focused on the moment. He turned toward his Navigator.
“Mr. Catharnaigh, distance to the Battlecruisers?”
The young Irish Navigator examined his console. “Five hundred forty thousand kilometers ah’n closing fast, Captain!”
Hmmmm. Two Babylon Battlecruisers against one old Europa Heavy Cruiser? I’ve been in worse situations…
“Red Alert! Raise Shields. Charge Phaser Capacitor to maximum.”
AND ARM THE PHOTON TORPEDOES.
