Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Unknown Options

They should have been more careful, should have been more careful because it never occurred to him they would run into a UNSC ship in a universe so vast, the odds were.... More than a trillion to one, at least that was what his mind said.

But if he really thought about it the odds were far smaller than that. His moon was, in fact on an established trade rout, which was patrolled by UNSC ships quite regularly, which brought the chances of running into an enemy ship higher than he had been willing to admit, and now they were about to pay the price for that.

It wasn't a ship he recognized, at least not one he had seen in person. Whoever captained this ship had been established after he became fleet commander. The name on the side read UNSC La liberte \, and it was just as surprised to see them as they were surprised to see it, and unlike captain Koslov, whoever captained this ship had no quals about leveling their guns at him., and he watched the ship go into a defensive posture almost seconds after they acknowledged one another.

"Shield s UP!" he demanded, but his crew, well trained and uncomfortably familiar with conflict, were already working to prepare the ship for battle.

Across the remaining distance, Adam watched as the enemy ship's hull sealed over the distant glittering windows.

Clearly someone had paid attention to how he had taken Koslov's ship, and they weren't willing to let it happen again.

That was unfortunate, though he hadn't really expected that strange and, mildly psychotic plan to work twice. They were going to be fighting him blind, using their outer hull cameras and their radar to detect where he was.

That was fine enough, he knew that his ship was better equipped and better defended. Even if the shields went down, which was unlikely to happen, they could always put up a flack wall. Though he didn't like the sound of that either.

All of his options were defense related.

"Arming railguns." Sunny was saying, though she had to know that he wasn't likely to use them.

That was the problem with this picture. Adam didn't want to become a killer, not of his own people. He understood why they were doing what they were doing, even though they were wrong, but killing them just wasn't an option.

Even the thought of it now repulsed him and he ground his fingernails into his seat.

This was stupid.

"Captain, we are being hailed."

"Put them up." He ordered, watching as a holoprojection appeared before his face, glittering in blue. He saw a woman sitting there now, dark skin matching her dark eyes, full lips pressed together in an expression of contempt/ he didn't know this woman, so the expression was to be expected.

She didn't know him like the others did.

He didn't know her, but he did know OF her, that had been part of his job when he was fleet admiral.

"Captain Sene, I wish I could say it is a pleasure to meet you."

She lifted her chin, expression tight, "I cannot say the same. I do not find it a pleasure to speak to traitors."

He had to admit the words stung a bit, despite how not true they were.

"If you are looking for traitors, you should look at your own commander and chief. He got Kelly killed and is now working with the void to give them over to-"

"No! I was told not to listen to you and your snake tongue. Surrender now, and this will not have to come to violence."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I could turn your ship into a memory with one shot ." He watched her lips tighten knowing she knew just how outgunned she was, "Take a look to the stern, not quite to the engines just in the middle positioned over where our fusion core would be." He watched her eyes looking at something rather distantly, probably a ship schematic or a scan.