Stardate: 61113.0958
Title: Relentless Until The End
Author: XO Abigail Winters
Time: Current
Scene: USS Relentless

"REPORT." Yelled the Captain.

"Shields down to nineteen percentage, hull breach on decks three and five and casualties reports still coming in sir."

A blast from the enemy shook the Relentless and Abby knocked her head on a tactical station she had been working at. She put her hand to her head and felt the warm sticky ooze of blood.

"Prepare to lay down covering fire whilst the civilian transport escapes." Clayton was furiously tapping commands into his consul.

Small blips flashed on the screen in front of the XO.

"We have fighters on our six"

"Shuttles break flanking formation and attack." It was then that Abby saw it - that look. Alex’s face spoke without words and it said we are in trouble and I don’t think we are going to make it.

All of Abby’s senses seem to sharpen, from the smooth feel of the consul beneath her fingers, to the sound of the red alert alarm ringing, to the smell of fear that permeated the air on the bridge.

"Fires on deck three. Ships integrity is not holding." Clayton reported

"Ideas?" Alex looked at Abby.

"We could vent the level."

They would kill anyone on deck three if they sucked out the atmosphere, but they could lose the whole ship if they let the fire continue to burn. The weight of responsibility showed in Alex’s face.

"Vent the level Abigail." The XO paused for only a few seconds before carrying out the order. If they survived, this moment would haunt her for her remaining years. At this time she could not grieve for those who would have been on that level like the two new recruits Cory and Em’rys.

The blips on the screen showing the enemy fighters and the Relentless’ shuttles were a sad sight. The shuttles were being picked off one at a time. An enemy blast caused explosions to erupt all over the bridge. The XO moved her hands quickly away as sparks flew from the screen.

Even using every tactical trick the Captain had up his sleeve and with all the available fire-power on the Relentless it still proved only to slow the enemy down without stopping it.

"Shields down to thirteen percent, life support critical and computer systems failing ship wide." Beads of perspiration lined Claytons face.

One more direct hit and they were all dead. An explosion bought down a bulkhead knocking the Captain to the floor. Abby climbed across debris to get to his side, but once there there was nothing she could do, as he was already dead.

A single tear slid down her face and as she slowly trialled a finger down Alex’s cheek, one massive direct hit to the Relentless caused all systems to fail in a blinding flash of hot colour.

Abby’s last thoughts were not particularly profound, she did not ponder on the romantic relationships she had never engaged in, neither did she think of all the things she have never managed to do, instead she simple closed her eyes and let go of life.


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Commander Abigail Winters
Executive Officer
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
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