Starship Troopers: Chronicles of a Mobile Infanterist

Interregnum( Cpt. Carmencita Ibanez)

"Captain, Sun Tzu is down. Multiple losses across the entire planet."
I like Ensign Bronson. A man who always looks on the bright side of life. But even he could not deny that this was a disaster. We were losing ship after ship after ship. And Cornwallys did nothing to put a stop to it. While good men were dying he kept on being oblivious to it all and just ordered the ships to fire everything they had got.
"Maam, Franklin and Cortez are receiving heavy damage and Ishizuka is starting to evacuate and abandon ship."
"Get ready for the wounded from the Ishizuka.", I told him, "Get me a com to Franklin and Cortez."
The soldier nodded. What I was about to do would be, by all accounts of federal law, treason. But it would also save hundreds of lives. Bronson showed me a thumbs up and I began to speak:
"This is Captain Ibanez from the John A. Warden. I see that you have received heavy damage. Are your FTL drives still online?"
"Affirmative." A deep voice answered.
"Then go and retreat back to fleet-base. We will pick up your troopers." Realistically speaking, they were already dead.
"But, that is treason. You can't be...."
And then we lost the transponder of the Mers el Kebir, the admirals ship. And then someone called over a fleet wide channel:
"THE KEBIR IS GONE! THE MERS EL KEBIR IS GONE!" Suddenly my heart froze and I very calmly spoke into the comm:
"Listen, you heard that just now did you? The battle is lost at this point. I order you to retreat back to fleet base. Save yourselves. Live to fight another day!"
"Affirmative.", the deep voice answered, "Take care of yourself, John A. Warden."
"Will do." I answered.
Then the comm cut off and soon we saw the two destroyers jumping out of the combat zone. Since all of us knew that now, that the Admiral and his entire Command Staff died aboard his ship the fleet would soon be in total disarray. But before that could happen I gathered my last bit of will and said into a fleet wide communications-channel:
"To all ships, this is Captain Carmen Ibanez.", I paused for a second, "I am hereby assuming command of all remaining federation vessels. I am ordering a full retreat. Repeat, I am ordering a full retreat for all vessels. Evacuate all troops still on the surface. If anyone wants to stay, I'm not stopping you from getting yourself killed. Out."
And with that I finished the transmission. The vessels slowly started to jump one after another. I for sure thought that I would be court martialed and shot when we got back to fleet base.
"Begin steady ascension to outer atmosphere." I called to my navigations officer, Ensign Lydell.
"Affirmative, steady ascension. Ten percent on the thrusters."
"Status on the troopers?"
"We've picked up Cortez' Troopers. The last shuttle with our troopers just landed in the hangar."
"Status of the rest of the fleet."
"They're beginning their ascends. All ships are status green. Ready to jump on your command Maam."
"Jump as soon as we're out of atmosphere!" I called to Lydell.
We climbed higher and higher. Past falling wrecks and carcasses that were glowing and burning as they fell towards the surface.
"Commencing jump in ten, nine, eight....."
I felt both incredibly relieved and dangerously anxious. For what was waiting for me once I return to fleet base.
"....four, three, two, one, engaging FTL drive."
With a bang and a bright flash of light the stars disappeared and we were in FTL.
What would Command say? I asked myself.