Elias hastily scribbled down his notes as his eyes flickered in between his notepad and the presentation screen at the front of the darkened auditorium. Even if the air around him was thick with both anticipation and stress, he didn't want to miss a single detail of the briefing. The last thing he needed right now was letting any important pieces of information slip by him that might end up relevant in the near future.
At the moment, all of the officers and senior enlisted members of the 2nd Fleet were assembled within their headquarters located in the Lowestoffe colony for what turned out to be a crucial briefing. One that was being led by none other than Vice Admiral Kara Howell herself. The room was filled with the buzz of quiet conversations and the rustling of uniforms as everyone tried to make sense of what they were being told. However, all Elias could hear over all the chatter was his own pulse pounding inside his ears.
The young Ensign then looked up from his writings to focus his attention back toward his aunt. The red-headed woman's voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and clear, as she continued to speak to the group.
"These pirates are no longer just a small-scale problem." She said as a satellite image of Mars appeared on the screen. "An infiltration mission from some of our colleagues in the Colonial Marines has confirmed our worst fears. These rogues have built a fortress that they're calling 'The Box' out of an old star station near the Martian moon of Phobos. And, as many of you already know, they've been harassing our trade lanes and threatening the security of the colonies for months. The top brass has decided that now is the time for decisive action. The 2nd Fleet has been tasked with eliminating the pirate colony. It's our mission to take these hooligans down once and for all!"
Elias's hand froze mid-sentence as a chill went down his spine. This was it. The moment he and the others had been expecting for weeks. The order that would change everything. War.
It wasn't like he hadn't known this day was coming. The whispers of serious pirate activity had been growing louder with each passing week. The brief skirmishes they'd been dealing with over the last few months were obviously building up to something bigger. But hearing the words directly from his aunt's mouth made it feel all too real. They were going to war.
Admittedly, Elias's mind was all over the place at the moment. A little over half a year in the fleet, barely any time at all in the grand scheme of things, and already he was about to face the kind of struggle that no one was ever truly prepared for. This wasn't going to be like the simulations he ran with his fellow junior officers during their mandatory training sessions. This time, there would be real people on the other side of those battlefields.
Elias did feel a bit weird about calling them "people", though. After all, they were pirates. Individuals who had chosen a path of violence and chaos. Scumbags who dared to threaten the safety of space for their own personal gain. To refer to individuals like that as "people" was being awfully generous in his opinion.
"Shit..." The green-eyed man whispered, his emotions briefly betraying his usually calm composure.
Elias then glanced to his right to see the reactions of his fellow officers. Some of them were more experienced than he was, grizzled veterans with years of service under their belts. Those guys just sat there with a quiet confidence that perfectly hid any sort of trepidations that they may or may not have possessed. This definitely wasn't their first rodeo. The others, mostly the younger officers like himself, failed to hide their feelings, though. It was clear that they were unsure about how to feel about everything that was happening.
Elias, however, couldn't stop the nervous energy crawling up his spine. He had made quite a few friends among the other sailors within the fleet, especially when you count the members of his crew. The thought of losing them, of losing anyone really, almost made him want to vomit.
"The goal of this mission is the complete eradication of the pirate colony and the acquisition of the star station. However, if the star station proves to be unobtainable, it will be destroyed. Along with anyone inside of it." The Vice Admiral continued as a new image appeared on the screen. "Our fleet formation will be as follows...."
Elias' stomach began to twist and turn as he tried to focus on the task at hand. He forced himself to concentrate on the operational details the woman was laying out. However, a voice in his head kept whispering stray thoughts to him. What if he couldn't handle it? What if he froze? What if he failed his crew?
Although the meeting continued, Elias's mind was now miles away. All he could think about was the worst-case scenario. He had promised his mother that he would stay safe and wouldn't get into anything dangerous. But life had a way of throwing curveballs a the weirdest times. Either way, this wasn't something that he could turn his back on.
This was the path that Elias had chosen to walk all those years ago. Doubts were not a luxury afforded to someone like him, especially not now. What he needed to do now was tighten up and make sure that he didn't fail those around him.
-(o)-
[Three Weeks Later]
As the 2nd Fleet grew closer to their target, everyone was starting to feel the gravity of the situation.
'It's only a matter of time.' Elias thought as he reviewed the status of the ship's weapons on his terminal.
The Shadowstrike was a formidable warship, one that Elias had gotten to know every corner of since first boarding it just a few months prior. Now, he was no longer considered to be just a rookie, and his crewmates had already begun to respect him. And as the ship's weapons officer, Elias was responsible for managing the ship's arsenal and making sure that they were ready to be used at a moment's notice. The crew had learned to trust his judgment, and that meant everything to him. But no matter how many training exercises they had been through together, the reality of what was to come loomed over Elias like an ever-present shadow.
They were close....
Over the past few days, the fleet had engaged in a few minor skirmishes en route to their target. Mainly, some small scouting parties and a particularly nasty run-in with a group of corsairs. But in reality, those were just the warm-up, an appetizer to prepare them for the main course. The real battle was just up ahead, not even a day's journey away. And the pirates knew that they were coming.
From the intel that they were able to gather, everyone knew that 'The Box' was going to be heavily fortified. Despite being a simple star station, it was a place that was built to withstand a full-blown raid. And its forces were no laughing matter either. Some of the most notorious scumbags in the solar system were waiting for them to arrive. Elias had even heard a rumor that the infamous "Red Banshee" was among their ranks.
For the moment, though, Elias simply chose not to worry about all of that. The young officer simply wanted to enjoy some more quality time with his crew before the party started. Something that was certainly needed in order to get him to relax.
Everyone was currently sitting together in the ship's dining room, not quite eating, but simply sharing in the quiet camaraderie of people who had been through a lot together. Elias found comfort in moments like this, they were the kind that really made all of this worth it. These guys were his friends, and the young man enjoyed every moment that he got to spend with them.
"I don't know about you guys, but once we're done with these pirates, I'm gonna take a nice long vacation!" Corporal Oda, one of the ship's Marines, said with a laugh. "I hear the Yamazaki colony in L-3 is gearing up for a pretty big music festival. And I'm sure as hell not trying to miss that."
The others began to list off all the things that they were going to do once the mission was over. Everything from going to see one's kids to finishing up some college courses was discussed. There was an unspoken bond between the members of the crew, one forged through shared experiences. And Elias was determined to fight for them.
The young man hated pirates, there was no question about that. In his eyes, they were no better than terrorists-rogues who did nothing but threaten the peace and tranquility of space for their own selfish desires. The only thing their kind could do was take advantage of the weak and helpless, all while trying to turn space into a lawless wasteland. Elias couldn't stand them. And in all honesty, he was eager to see them finally face justice for all the pain they had caused.
Even so, concepts such as right and wrong were ultimately relative. Once the battle started, whoever was victorious would be seen as the righteous one in the eyes of the universe. Either way, Elias was going to do his duty. He was going to protect space. And he was going to protect his crew.
And most importantly, he was going to come home alive. That promise to his parents wasn't a choice, it was a vow.
The countdown to battle had begun, and Elias Thorton was ready to face the storm.