[DISCONTINUED] The Soldiers Of Remnant - (RWBY + Star Wars Crossover)

Chapter 29 - Danger

Bold Font - Time/Location

Italic Font - Thoughts

The beeping of the life support system and the quiet humming of the ship's interior was all that could be heard. Occasionally some footsteps or talking would be audible, but they were very quiet. In the medical bay of the Shadow Hand, Tigh and Centaur were both in beds parallel to each other. The room was almost entirely white, so white that it appeared very bright to the naked eye. There were blue, green, and white lights flashing all over various consoles. There were a few benches and chairs lined up against the wall of the entrance. Centaur was out of his armor and was sleeping in a brand new black body glove with the Republic Army logo on the front in silver. Sitting in a chair beside Tigh's bed was Crane, who was observing the men. In a way, he felt guilty for not coming to their aid earlier. If only the repairs were faster, or maybe if they found a way to communicate with the survivors. That didn't matter now. What mattered was that they were safe, and they were being treated for their injuries. A voice came over the intercom of the room. Even though all of the clones' voices sounded the same, Crane was able to identify Cross as the one speaking because of his speech pattern.

Cross: "Commander Crane, please report to the bridge. I repeat, Commander Crane to the bridge."

Crane hesitantly got out of his chair and left the medical bay. He walked through the gray corridors of the ship. Troops were walking around patrolling in squads of four and he would get the occasional salute from an officer or trooper walking by alone. He reached the elevator and the doors automatically closed after a few seconds. He pressed the button that indicated deck 1 and the elevator made a ding sound before beginning to ascend. A few seconds had passed until the elevator reached the bridge. The doors swooshed open and Crane was greeted by many officers walking around, some with portable data devices and others manning their posts. There were a few troopers here and there guarding or simply helping out with operations work. Out of the corner of his eye Crane saw Cross motioning him to come over and speak. Cross was standing at the main operations console which looked like a large circular platform with a holographic display in the center. They'd use it for communications or planning battles every now and then. Currently the console was hooked up to the sensors. The Shadow Hand appeared as a green triangle with a wedge inverting into the bottom. Every now and then a circular yellow blip would appear behind the moon, which was indicated as a large white circle with cartoonish chunks taken out of it for accuracy. Crane caught a glimpse of the yellow blips and narrowed his eyes at them after he got a good look. He looked at Cross who simply shrugged.

Crane: "Is there a problem with our sensors?"

Cross: "I've had a team run a diagnostic all morning. We're sure this isn't on our end sir."

Crane: "Hmm...are any of our forces on the planet?"

Cross: "None sir."

Crane brought his right hand up to his chin. His face was now decorated with a thin layer of hair underneath his chin that extended up toward his sideburns and cheeks. Crane brought his hands down and pressed against the table while putting his right leg back a bit.

Crane: "Let's go have a look."

Crane stood up straight and walked over to the triangular windows at the front of the bridge.

Crane: "Helm, set course for the moon. Three quarters throttle."

Crane moved more forward so he could press the shipwide communication transmitter located on a panel right below the window. He pressed a white rectangular button and it began to flash black and white.

Crane: "All hands, this is the commander. We're currently moving to investigate a disturbance located behind the moon of Remnant. I want all departments on standby in case something happens. Crane out."

Crane pressed the button again and it returned to its standard white color. The stars began to move slightly as the ship began to break orbit. About thirty minutes later, the ship reached the moon. The yellow blip was nearly constant now and only disappeared for brief random intervals. By this time, Crane was back at the operations console with Cross and another officer.

Crane: "What've you got for me captain?"

Cross: "It's hard to say sir. We can confirm that there is something behind the moon, but we don't know what it is."

Crane turned back to speak to one of the officers at their post.

Crane: "Helm, take us around the shattered hemisphere of the moon. One quarter throttle. Rotate Z axis so the moon is above us."

Officer: "Yes sir, one quarter throttle, rotating Z axis negative eighty degrees."

As the Shadow Hand moved closer to the moon, the yellow blip started flashing red for brief intervals. After a minute, the ship had nearly passed the moon. Cross and Crane both took notice to this and were slightly startled. Crane quickly walked over to the windows of the bridge and took notice of a large metal object near the moon. It was definitely a ship, but it was hard to see without any light.

Crane: "What is this...?"

The unidentified ship started moving toward the Shadow Hand slowly, eventually coming into sunlight. As the ship was emerging from the darkness, blue and white stripes became visible on the forward hull. What shocked Crane the most was the blue hexagonal symbol on the side of the hull. That could only represent one thing.

Crane: "Shields up, battle stations!"

Alarms sounded across the ship and the lights on the walls began rapidly blinking red. The bridge crew began moving quickly from one console to the other. The ship now identified as a Separatist cruiser began firing on the Shadow Hand. They were taken by surprise, so the shields weren't charged fast enough to be effective. Red laser fire bolted off of the enemy ship like lightning coming into contact with the hull. The interior shook immensely and many of the crew tried to hold onto a console or panel on the wall to stay afoot. Crane rushed over to one of the stations to the left of the bridge and gave orders to the weapons officer.

Crane: "Fire everything we've got. Target their communications and engines. If this is a scout we don't want them reporting back to their superiors."

Officer: "Aye commander!"

Crane began to walk up to the operations console until an explosion occurred on the bridge near the communications console. The officer sitting at the post was killed instantly and two others were sent flying in separate directions across the bridge. Cross yelled back at Crane from the front of the bridge.

Cross: "Sir, we are not equipped for this manner of engagement! We have to withdraw!"

Crane: "I agree. Helm, set course back to Remnant, maximum throttle! Get us out of their weapons range!"

Officer: "Aye sir!"

The Shadow Hand rotated to the left of the moon to rapidly proceeded back to Remnant. There were large holes on the starboard bow of the ship along with another on the port-aft section.

Crane: "Let's just hope we can make it there in one piece..."