Slaves of Cerberus

"Barriers at 18% and falling! Power fluctuations have caused conduit bursts on decks 7 and 8!"



Jacob clung to the railing of the CIC platform, struggling to keep his footing as the Orpheus rocked and shook under them. Outside the ship, he could see the Oculus drones spinning around the ship, the ship shuddering again with every blast of their lasers.



"Joker, full speed towards the Omega 4 relay!" Jacob yelled out.



Rooker strode over to her commander, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Commander, we're getting torn to shreds out here!" she yelled over the sounds of panicked bridge techs and the loud impacts of weapons against their barriers. "If they get through our barriers..."



"We're only a few minutes away," Jacob responded. "If we can make it through the relay..."



"Barriers at 7%!" Michele yelled out from her station. "A few more shots and they'll have gotten through."



Tali's voice came over the PA system. "Jacob, their shots are targeting the Helios thrusters! If they take those out, we won't be able to move! We'll be a stationary target!"



Rooker stared at Jacob intently, trying her best to hide the fear in her eyes. "Jacob, we need to go to FTL and get out of here!" she exclaimed. "If we don't, these things are going to rip us apart!"



Jacob balled up his fists. "Joker, how far away is the relay?"



"A minute and a half, Commander, but I don't know if we're gonna make it!" Joker answered. His fingers worked at blinding speed on the keypads in front of him, trying his best to evade the incoming shots.



Outside, through the front viewing port, Jacob could see the Omega 4 relay in front of them. It was so close. She was so close. Just a few seconds more and...



"Barriers are down!" Michele called out.



"Commander, you promised!" Rooker just about screamed at him. "You swore you wouldn't..."



Jacob pounded his fist against the railing. "Jump us out of here, Joker!" he commanded. "Get as much distance between us and the relay as you can."



"Roger that, Commander," Joker said, inputting the commands into his console. The view of the Omega 4 relay, so damn close and yet out of reach, swerved out of sight, as Joker pointed them away from their target and hit the FTL drives.The stars outside turned into streaks of light, as the Orpheus retreated from the fight.



"Any sign of pursuit, Mason?" Rooker asked.



Mason shook her head. "They're moving back into position, ma'am," she answered. "They're not following us."



Fingers clenching tightly to the railing, Jacob stared down at the deck, expression grave. "Rooker," he said quietly. "Meet me in the conference room in fifteen minutes. Have all of our guests there as well."



"Yes, sir, Commander," Rooker said. "Is there anything else you..."



"No," Jacob said, his back to Rooker, not turning to meet her eyes. "You're dismissed."



Saluting her Commander's back, Rooker turned and stepped down from the CIC platform. Around her, she could hear the bridge technicians frantically assessing damage reports and rerouting power to undamaged conduits.



And at the center of it all, Jacob stood. Eyes down at the ground, his shoulders slumped down with the weight of their mission's failure.