And there it is, Remi mused as he gazed at Terra Nova’s sun. They’d actually had it on instruments for some time now, using it to navigate their way through interstellar space, but now they were close enough to see it fully with the naked eye. It was smaller than Sol, an orange K-type star instead of the yellow G-type that had illuminated Earth, but to him and his crew, it looked just as inviting. More so, perhaps, because of the promise it held, though whether it lived up to that potential remained to be seen. They were still too far out to spot New Terra itself, but once they were within the stellar system proper, he was certain they’d have no trouble locating it. If we can get past the blockade, we’re home free, he thought wryly.

That was one hell of an “if”, but they’d made it this far. They’d make it the rest of the way, of that he was certain… or die in the attempt.

Activating the intercom, he addressed the crew. “All hands, this is the captain. We are within sight of our objective, and as yet, there is no sign of the Troika. Of course, we expect that to change as we get closer, but for now, I’m taking it as a good omen. Today we sail into history and give our people the home we have long searched for ever since losing Earth.” Xuilan and Slavko looked at him from their stations, and he could feel the pride and determination emanating from them both. It was time.

Time to make their run.

“Let’s make this one count, people,” he told them. “All hands, helmets on.”

They were already wearing their suits, of course, and strapped in. They’d kept their helmets off to conserve their oxygen reserves, relying on the ship’s life support as they drew near. As he fitted his helmet to the suit’s neck ring and locked it into place, the rest of the crew was doing likewise. A quick functions check to ensure it was operating as intended, then it was on to the next item on his list.

“Suit status by the numbers, people. Commander Kokkinos.” It felt odd, addressing the crew by their… admittedly artificial, though also strangely accurate… Terran Naval ranks. It was as if someone was speaking through him, a ghost from that bygone era, one much more formal and reserved than the casual and unceremonious Corsairs. Yet it also seemed right, somehow, like they were finally reclaiming something they had long considered lost and irretrievable.

“All green,” Mairead reported from engineering, “oxygen reserves at one hundred percent.”

“Lieutenant Hirsch.”

“All green, one hundred percent,” Xuilan answered from the helm.

“Lieutenant Ribeiro.”

“Green and one hundred,” Slavko replied.

“Chief Pasternak.”

“Green and topped off,” Isi reported. “We’re good to go, Cap’n.”

He’d already known they’d be suited up and ready when he gave the order; not only had they lived their whole lives aboard ships, but he had sailed with them for years. That wasn’t the point. This mission was too important to make any mistakes, which meant they were doing this one by the book. Not the Corsair manual, the one they were used to, but the Terran Navy’s. Those old space jockeys had been consummate professionals and, given what was at stake, nothing less would do.

“Commander Kokkinos, take Life Support and Grav Plating offline,” he ordered, as they continued their preparations.

“Life Support and Grav Plating offline, aye aye captain,” she responded.

Moments later, he felt the familiar sensation of Zero-G, giving the bridge a quick glace to ensure nothing was floating free. They’d worked to safely secure any loose objects in anticipation of this moment, but a few items always fell through the cracks. He failed to spot anything within his vicinity, but then the bridge was easier to lock down than other areas. If the tactical situation forced them to maneuver as hard as he suspected it might, anything unsecured quickly became a dangerous projectile. Ships had been lost and sailors killed because something as innocuous as a coffee mug slammed into a critical system, or worse… a crewman’s skull.

“Confirmed, Life Support and Grav Plating are now offline, captain,” Mairead informed him. Again, he was already aware of that, but he was determined to do this right, which meant double- and even triple-checking, just to be safe.

“Copy that, commander,” he answered. “All hands, stand by your stations. We are beginning our run.” Xuilan tensed, like a racer at the starting gate. “Lieutenant Hirsch,” he commanded, “… take us in.”

“Aye aye, captain,” she acknowledged, as Heuristic Fealty surged forward, its heading already programmed for New Terra.

“Keep a close watch on sensors,” he warned them, though they were already watching for any sign of the Troika. It wasn’t just a case of nerves on his part… well, not entirely… but simply the awareness that repetition kept them all sharp, and on their toes.

“Aye aye, captain,” Slavko replied, “Scope is clear.”

That wouldn’t last, of course. Sooner or later, the galactic overlords would make an appearance, and based on previous experience, his credits were on “sooner”.

“Commander Kokkinos, status of the Eleexxi simulacrum,” he inquired. Without that hole card in their pocket, the mission got considerably more dangerous.

“Simulacrum is standing by, Captain,” she reported, “awaiting your order.”

“Understood, commander,” he said. “We’ll keep you apprised.”

And with that, his checklist was complete. They’d done everything they could to prepare for this moment, everything they could think of. From here on out, it would be him and the crew reacting to whatever the Troika threw at them. They’d drilled, they’d trained, they’d done everything possible to cover their bases. It was time to see if all their hard work paid off.

The minutes and then hours slowly ticked by as they approached the system, while the alien sun grew steadily larger on the display. Remi realized he was drumming his fingers on the armrest and made himself stop. He needed to set an example, and twitchy didn’t exactly inspire confidence. As ridiculous as it sounded, part of him was actually hoping for a Troika ship to intercept them, anything to end the existential dread he felt. Human beings could only remain on high alert for so long before their mind and body suffered accordingly. It was like putting a cable on high tension and keeping it there; eventually, it would break under the strain. In fact…

“Status change!” Slavko shouted. “I’m reading an Eleexxi vessel, bearing 351 by Mark 008, range… one million kilometers!”

“Are they hailing us?” Remi asked.

“No, sir,” Xuilan responded. “No transmissions as yet.”

He nodded, though inwardly he was cursing their luck. Samara warned them the simulacrum might not withstand scrutiny from the Eleexxi, and he’d hoped one of the other Troika races would intercept them instead. “Distance to the Precursor system?” he inquired.

“Approximately one-tenth of a light year,” the pilot informed him, “one hundred billion kilometers, captain.”

Under normal circumstances, it was a relatively short distance. Given their current situation, that making it to New Terra meant running a gauntlet of Troika ships, it felt like infinity. His clenched fist pounded the intercom switch. “All hands, we are being approached by an Eleexxi vessel. So far, they haven’t hailed us, but I want us to be ready when they do. Commander Kokkinos, bring the simulacrum online, and be prepared to pull out all the safeties if it fails.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Mairead acknowledged, though he could hear the tremor in her voice. “Simulacrum is online and ready.”

That settled, Remi turned his attention to the bridge crew. “If this doesn’t work, Lieutenant Hirsch,” he told his pilot, “your orders are to immediately go to maximum acceleration and make for New Terra. They’ll likely be shooting at us if we’re running, so I need you to use every trick you know to avoid the incoming fire.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Xuilan swallowed, echoed the Tinker, “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will,” he said gently, not wanting to spook her further. “Lieutenant Ribeiro, if an enemy vessel is between us and New Terra when things go south, aim for their weapons array. If they’re chasing us, however… then take out their engines.”

“Aye aye, captain,” the gunner grimaced, already updating his firing solutions. They didn’t need to destroy the enemy vessels, merely render them harmless, assuming such a thing was even possible. Any ship in front of them could intercept, which was why destroying their ability to fire on Heuristic Fealty was so important. But if they were being chased, then disabling their propulsion system would hopefully allow them to escape. Troika ships were tough nuts to crack even under the best of circumstances, and if they ran up against something like an Imperial Dreadnaught, then all bets were off. Combat with anything that powerful would most definitely be short-lived.

“Still no hails?” Remi asked again, their continued silence confirming his worst fears.

“No, sir, nothing,” Xuilan informed him.

They absolutely should have heard from the other ship by now, unless it was standard procedure for the arriving ship to initiate communications. That was certainly possible, and even made sense from a security standpoint. If you want to keep your ships hidden… like, say, for a blockade… announcing your position to the galaxy, every time a new vessel arrived was a poor way to do it. If that was the case, then the clock was already counting down.

It was time to make their move.

“Commander Kokkinos, bring the simulacrum online, and open a channel,” he ordered, keeping his mental fingers crossed.

“Aye aye, captain,” Mairead confirmed, her voice steady despite any concerns she had to be feeling. “Simulacrum online and running, channel is open.” There was a brief pause. “Communication has been established.”

The crew held their breath as they waited for the Troika ship to respond, praying they’d accept Samara’s ruse as genuine. If they didn’t…

“... Sir! They’re charging weapons!” Slavko shouted, as their elaborately planned strategy immediately turned to shit.

“Disable their weapons, evasive maneuvers, hard burn for the system!” Remi roared back as the crew raced to respond. Acceleration crushed him into his chair as the ship leapt forward, Mairead red-lining the engines as they raced for New Terra. The pulse cannons and gravitic missiles erupted with fire from Heuristic Fealty’s weapons’ batteries, drawing first blood as the Eleexxi ship staggered. They might have been initially suspicious of the silent vessel approaching them, but it seemed no one actually believed they were a threat. If no one had seriously challenged their blockade in recent memory, maybe they‘d grown complacent.

And it’s about to cost you, he sneered, while Xuilan wrenched the ship hard to port to evade the first salvo of returning fire. There was no way to avoid them completely, however, as Heuristic Fealty shuddered under the impact.

“Hull damage, sections twelve and thirty-two!” their engineer reported. “We’ve lost an entire bank of pulse cannons!” she continued, “engines are at ninety-four percent!”

“We’re still in this,” he growled as the other vessel came about to fire again. “Pound that bastard!”

“Firing!” Slavko howled, as a second and then a third volley slammed into the enemy ship, the Eleexxi vessel staggering under the onslaught. It attempted to come about as they made for the system, but its efforts were sluggish. It fired again, but the barrage was off target and woefully under strength, allowing Xuilan to sidestep the fusillade. As Heuristic Fealty charged ahead, the stricken vessel fell behind, already deep in trouble.

“Ignore him!” Remi ordered. There had to be other ships out there, and they couldn’t afford to get bogged down fighting a single ship, especially one this far from the system. They had to get closer, close enough to trigger whatever defensive measures New Terra possessed that kept the other species at bay. If they could shelter under its protection, they might just have a chance.

“Status change!” Slavko screamed yet again. “One… two… four… seven… thirteen enemy ships now detected, on a converging course!”

“God damnit!” Remi pounded the armrests in frustration as they sprang the trap. The Troika’s plan was as obvious as it was simple; send a single ship out to challenge all incoming traffic, while the other vessels lie in wait under stealth. If things went poorly, the other ships would appear and encircle the intruder, cutting off their escape route before annihilating them.

“Show me a plot!” the captain thundered, as Xuilan threw up a tactical display on the main viewer. Staring at the display, he felt his gut clench hard. If they altered course now, and with more than a little luck, there was still a chance they could escape the ambush. The odds weren’t great, but they were a damn sight better than if they continued heading for New Terra.

Which meant giving up any chance of ever claiming it for their people.

He thought furiously, considering their options, and then decided. “There!” he growled. “Make your heading 047 by Mark 113, maximum burn!”

“Aye aye, sir!” the pilot acknowledged, throwing her hard to starboard as they fought to evade the net. The nearer ships were already firing, but they were still far enough out that their weapons’ fire could be avoided, though that wouldn’t last for much longer. With every passing second, the enemy ships drew closer, and as they continued to make for their objective, he was helping them do it.

Time to throw a spanner into the works.

He hit the intercom switch and connected with engineering. “Mairead, I’m about to ruin your day,” he warned her, drawing a worried look from Slavko.

“Oh, bloody hell,” she swore, “not again!”

Remi bore the grin of a madman as faced his pilot. “Lieutenant Hirsch,” he said calmly, “... Crazy Ivan! New course heading 278 by Mark 315!”

Xuilan responded instantly, cutting their acceleration just long enough to flip the ship end for end before re-engaging on a reciprocal course. The ship screamed in protest as the crew were crushed by the extra G-forces, the deck and bulkheads shuddering as they pushed the vessel to its very limits.

The surprise maneuver caught the Troika ships by surprise, throwing their neatly planned stratagem into brief disarray. “Ha!” he shouted, “weren’t expecting that, now were you?”

“... Status change!” Slavko shrieked in sudden panic. “A dozen more ships just appeared on sensors, directly in front of us!”

The triumphant expression drained from his face as he stared in horror, the new targets appearing en masse to block their advance. Too late, he recognized their ploy. Throwing the first wave of ships at him, they’d herded Heuristic Fealty into the waiting arms of the second line of defense.

By avoiding what he’d thought was the trap, he’d foolishly fallen for it instead.

“Sir! They’re firing!” the gunner got out… just as their world exploded in flames.