It is the year 2134, and humanity has reached for the stars and spread its influence across most of the solar system. However, when aliens appear at the solar system's edge and embark on a conquest against all of humanity's planets, the combined for...
Dorian was resting in the lounge of the Hopeful Stargazer. He was floating in place in the zero gravity, a television lit up in front of him. On the screen, newscaster Max Danford of Earth News Interstellar was giving a report on recent developments of the alien invasion.
"Reports confirm that the Marauder Aliens are still in control of Saturn's outer orbit," Max said, maintaining a calm tone despite the dire topic. "Fortunately, Cosmos Mining and Extraction have deployed enhanced defensive systems and are holding the planet's rings as well as Saturn itself. Unfortunately, the hastily assembled Martian Defence Force has reported that the alien threat has now spread to Mars' solar orbit."
"Crap," Dorian cursed to himself. The plan was to reach Mars before the alien fleet got there. Too late for that now. Things would get complicated from here.
Just then, Dorian heard the familiar ping of his radio.
"Captain." It was Marisa. "I'm picking up a distress signal. It's coming from just ahead."
Dorian turned off the television and pushed himself off the wall towards the bridge. Entering the room, Mars could be seen in the distance, ahead of the ship. After such a long journey, they only had a few days before reaching the planet. On one of the screens, a red icon representing an incoming distress beacon was blinking red. Dorian reached out and tapped the icon. The image of a spacesuit-clad man immediately appeared on the screen as a video link was established.
"This is Captain Marx of the cargo hauler Alexander. We are currently under alien attack and request assistance."
Dorian hesitated before responding. If they intervened, they would be putting themselves in imminent danger. As he turned to Marisa, she gave him a decisive nod, and he knew it was the right thing to do.
"Captain Marx, this is Captain Axis of the Hopeful Stargazer. We are moving in to assist."
"Oh, thank God." Marx was clearly relieved. "Please get here quickly, we won't last much longer."
Before Dorian could reply, the screen went dark. After a second, the video feed was replaced by a view of a spacecraft's dark interior. In the middle of the screen stood a four-armed, humanoid figure wearing an elongated helmet and spacesuit.
The alien spoke:
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It tilted its head to the side at an unnatural angle, then continued:
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"Cut the feed," Dorian said coldly, and the screen went black.
"SAM, what are the odds of us winning this engagement?" asked Marisa, visibly shaken by what she just saw.
"I am sorry, I do not possess the function to, calculate, battle statistics."
"Marisa," said Dorian, determined. "Hammer the thrusters to get us to the Alexander faster. I'll go check on the others." As Dorian pushed himself through the hallways, he activated his suit radio. Before he could say anything, Travis spoke up.
"I'm already on it. Head to the cargo bay to witness my latest spectacle!"
Dorian entered the cargo bay, where Travis and Sarah were preparing the drones for launch.
"Alright. Marisa can command the drones after they launch," Travis suggested as he moved over to a metal crate at the side of the room. Now standing on the wall, he input a code and began unlatching the lid of the crate.
"Really?" questioned Dorian. "I figured you'd want to command at least one of your special drones for our first space battle."
"Aha," replied Travis. "While Marisa is commanding the drones and you're steering us away from explosions, Sarah and I will be using this." Travis pulled what he was looking for out of the crate: a rocket launcher.
"Where the hell did you get a rocket launcher?" asked Dorian, dumbfounded.
"This is an M26 Ship-To-Ship Computer-Guided Missile Launcher," Travis explained. "I picked this up along with a few dozen rockets during our delivery job in Omega City."
"Ok," said Dorian, "but why did you buy a sub-military grade rocket launcher during our Earth-to-Moon fruit delivery in Omega City?"
"I could go on an epic rant about my noble intentions as I armed our simple cargo vessel," Travis replied while slowly waving his free hand like he was some kind of philosopher, "but considering that we're about to fight a spaceship from another solar system, I think it's best to leave the explanations for later."
Before Dorian could persist further, Marisa's voice crackled over the intercom.
"We have entered effective engagement range. If we're going to deploy the drones, now would be a good time."
Everyone donned their helmets as the room depressurized. The exterior doors opened, revealing the darkness of space, illuminated by countless stars. The drones lifted off of their magnetic platforms and launched into the void. Dorian re-entered the ship while Travis and Sarah exited the cargo bay onto the side of the hull.
Dorian took his place at the pilot's seat while Marisa shifted her control to the drones. The alien ship could now be seen as a glint in the distance. The cargo hauler's shape was slightly more defined, as it was much bigger than its assailant.
"Permission to fire?" asked Travis excitedly, who was standing on the side of the ship with mag-boots holding him in place.
"Wait," said Dorian. As the ship flew silently towards the enemy, Dorian kept an eye on his screen. Suddenly, the screen began beeping, indicating an energy spike from the alien ship. Dorian immediately veered the Hopeful Stargazer to the right, pulling it out of the way just as a bright streak burst through the empty space separating them, missing the ship by a hair.
"Now, fire!" he shouted. A rocket silently sped from the side of the ship towards the enemy, as the drones sped up and approached from the sides. There was a distinct flash in the distance as the missile made contact with its target. Another bright streak of enemy firepower burst towards the ship. Dorian dodged but was a bit too slow, and the sound of metal bursting apart echoed across the ship.
"It appears that the, engine room, has taken, moderate, damage," said SAM. "I shall attempt to, repair the damage, as best I can." SAM disconnected from his port and flew off through the doors, his internal propellers moving him through the zero-g.
By this point the drones had reached engagement range and were firing off lasers and kinetic projectiles. More flashes could be seen as the alien ship retaliated and the drones maneuvered away from the shots. Dorian took this opportunity to close the distance. Suddenly, a piercing enemy shot streaked through the void towards the Hopeful Stargazer, taking Dorian off guard. The impact of the direct hit rattled the entire ship.
"That didn't sound good," commented Marisa, still focused intently on commanding the drones.
"Captain," spoke up SAM over the radio. "The majority of the ship has been, depressurized. The engine room has taken, critical, damage. It is unlikely that I will be able to, re-." Suddenly, SAM's voice was cut off by static as an explosion rocked the ship.
"What the hell was that?" asked Travis as he fired another shot.
"SAM? SAM are you there?" Dorian futilely questioned over the radio.
Marisa looked up from her screen for a brief moment, before her eyes went wide. "Uh, Dorian?"
Dorian looked up and saw that the alien ship was much closer than he thought. He tried to activate the reverse and maneuvering thrusters, but that's when it hit him: The explosion was the engine room, and all of their thrusters losing power.
"Oh shit," said Dorian, as the Hopeful Stargazer crashed headlong into the alien ship.
