Rojo turns to look at Jonas as the young pilot calls after them. His eyes have the same fatherly glint to them, but his jovial smile is not to be seen. Closing his eyes, he sighs and says, "I don't know what difference it will make... but suit yourself." Enrica nods. "Come along, then, Jonas..."
The three make it to the bridge as the rest of the crew starts helping to clean up the situation.
Fred begins looking through the information on dreadnoughts, and one entry in particular stands out to him.
Code:
The Pirate's Guide to the Sector is the (unofficial) authoritative handbook to survival in the Seven Squalls Sector, and it has this to say on the subject of Dreadnoughts.
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to engage a Dreadnought. Well, unless those circumstances are "I really really really want to die today."
There are only three Dreadnoughts in history, their construction based on the great transport cruiser Argo Navis, the vessel which carried the human species to the Sector. They are designed to be the ultimate weapons of war, and are a class of their own in terms of size and scale. To put it lightly, they are big and you are not.
In more specific terms, Dreadnoughts have thick armor which defend it from all forms of attack, be it Energy, Kinetic, or Explosive. They have three main guns, which can be charged and fired in sequence or all at once. Their secondary guns have been augmented with the latest technology, greatly enhancing their range and firepower. A barrage from a single dreadnought is estimated to have the accumulated destructive power of the impact of a large asteroid.
For this reason, Dreadnoughts are highly regulated; it is illegal to produce any beyond the needs of the Sector Defense Armada as ordained by the Sector Council. Originally four were commissioned, a prototype and three to be based on the test results of the prototype. The prototype, Pyxis, was disposed of once its testing had completed. No further Dreadnoughts have been commissioned, as it is cheaper to maintain one than it is to build a new one. The plans for creating Dreadnoughts are a heavily guarded Sector Government Secret, and are inaccessible for any without proper clearance.
To this day, no Dreadnought has ever been damaged in any significantly mentionable way. For this reason, there are no known weaknesses. For all of the above reasons, it is highly advised that Dreadnoughts are to be avoided at all costs.
The only thing that can defeat a Dreadnought is another dreadnought.
On the bridge, Rojo immediately dashes to his seat and shouts, "Open a communication line with the
Carina!"
"Yes Captain," the comms officer responds, and as soon as she initiates communication, a man who looks very much like Rojo appears on screen. He is of roughly the same build, has the same tanned skin and red eyes, and similarly brown hair. He wears a Red SDA uniform, and is decorated with numerous medals for many years of service. He's even smiling.
However, unlike Rojo's generally friendly demeanor, this man radiates a twisted presence. His red eyes burn brightly, as opposed to the cool heat of Rojo's. His hair is longer and shaggier, giving a wild impression. His grin is not filled with affection, but instead malice. Rojo instantly shrinks back as he sees him. As if responding to that, the man steps forward and begins to speak.
"BROTHER!!!!! It's been far too long! Why haven't you been keeping in touch? Mother's just SO WORRIED about you!"
Rojo snarls. "Fuerrot Barrett, you're an Admiral of the Moirai Space Force, and in charge of the Sector Defense Armada's prized Dreadnought
Carina. Don't you think you should act like it?"
Fuerrot laughs in response. "What's this? A lowly pirate is lecturing ME on demeanor? I speak exactly in the amount of respect that is deserved! Well, that is, to you, anyway."
Rojo closes his eyes. "I don't suppose we could parley?"
Spitting to the side, Fuerrot says, "Like hell. You know the code of the SDA, no negotiations with criminals. And you also know my style... I'd sooner die then let a pirate crew live. On that note... we haven't spoken in twenty years, brother... mind telling me why you abandoned your position and became a criminal?"
Rojo clenches his teeth. "You wouldn't understand." He then opens his eyes with an uncommon rage, and shouts, "If you open a communications line with the
Silk Road, you can speak to the captain and know we killed none of his guards and tended to their wounded! We have committed no crimes!"
Fuerrot sneers. "Of course you've committed crimes. You call yourselves pirates, and by definition, Piracy -IS- -A- -CRIME-."
Rojo throws his hand to the side. "Then what of the other Pirates? There are far worse crews than ours in the sector! Why isn't the SDA going after the likes of the Black Sky Crew?"
Fuerrot laughs and shrugs. "They certainly are slippery bastards aren't they? But rest assured, what we shall do to you today, we shall do to them in due time. Fare thee well, Brother. It's been nice catching up."
The communications line is forced closed, and Rojo stares blankly at the screen for a second before falling back in to his chair, as if to think. As he does, another salvo of fire rains upon the
Supernova, rocking the ship even more than the last barrage did.
He turns his attention to Enrica, frowns, and then stands up and walks towards Jonas.
"Listen to me, Jonas. As much as I know you want to help here, there is nothing you can do." He pats Jonas on the shoulder and says, "You need to get back to the
White Dwarf. You have potential... you must live through this." Turning to Enrica, he says, "Get the bridge officers to the escape vessels." Enrica somberly nods, heads for the door, and grabs Jona's hand, dragging him with her, the bridge command following.
Returning to his post, Rojo pushes a button on his seat. "Fred? I need you to cede all ships controls to me. I will take it from here." He raises ARMS, and begins to access the ship's computer wirelessly through it, accessing its systems through his neural interface.
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In the damaged sectors of the ship, the rest of the crew races to bring the ship to a working state...