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07-27-2008, 11:13 AM
| #1 (permalink) |
| I need some negative rep over here  Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Singapore
Posts: 5,462
   |  In 50 Minutes: Predator and Prey The following was written in 50 minutes, given only the title "Predator and Prey" as stimuli. Practising for exams, I have to churn out narratives that pertain to unforeseen titles/topics under 45 minutes. The Raleh fleet jumped in from nowhere. Admiral Jorian was able to discover the threat and alert the allied fleet only after the enemy cruisers had charged up their main guns. Captain Stanley received Admiral Jorian’s urgent transmission mere seconds before the Carolan flagship flared with white light and vanished from the sensors, leaving a cluster of debris behind in space. On the bridge of Mikanang, Stanley reacted with shock. Jorian Steiner had been a close friend. The sensors and crew all reported the same thing: more and more Raleh ships were arriving and blowing the better part of the Carolan orbital defense to bits. “Half the allied fleet has been eliminated; of the eight remaining ships, five have sustained heavy to critical damage,” Lieutenant Corro reported from his seat at the communications console. “What are your orders, Captain?” Stanley found himself in a dilemma. Outnumbered and outgunned by an overwhelming hostile force, sense and protocol dictated an expeditious retreat. Then again, how would running do justice to Jorian’s gutsy decision to try to hold this solar system? The captain bit back his longing for vengeance and ordered all remaining ships to turn tail and head for the second-nearest jump point. The Raleh had already blocked the closest exit. The Mikanang’s crew began turning the cruiser around. The executive officer, Roger, approached Stanley. “I disagree with this move. We should stand and fight.” “What we should do is not always the same as what we need to do,” replied Stanley simply. The Raleh’s ships were not significantly faster than their Carolan counterparts, but they had a knack for constant upgrading. They were closing with the jump point slower than the hostiles were closing with them. “Channel all power away from the gun batteries and into our engines,” commanded Stanley. “Tell the other craft flying with us to do the same.” They were now two minutes away from the jump point. The Raleh were one minute behind the remnants of the defense, a paltry fifteen vessels, their aft sections scorched with relentless enemy fire. “We will make it,” said the captain. A bare thirty seconds between the Mikanang and her escape, an energy beam struck her thrusters in just the right place. The battered ship stopped dead, succumbing to its numerous injuries. Mikanang did not flinch in the face of destruction, and neither did her captain. “Bring all power back to the gun batteries. Lets cover the retreat for the rest of the survivors,” said Stanley, knowing it would be his last order. |
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