Merrimack bridge. Admiral Keogh is with his staff.

"Zeta Draconis VI has fallen admiral." says Captain Reeves "Rana III is their next target."

"Do we have any ships, any at all, in the area?"

"A squadron of 6 Corregidor-class ships."

"Who's in command?"

"Commodore Mark Tanimoto aboard the T.F.S. Crazy Horse."

****

Crazy Horse. Captain Tanimoto sits down at his chair.

"Battle stations! Report."

"Rana III is under attack, defenses overwhelmed."

"Let's get in there and help them. The mothership?"

"In orbit sir."

"Have the second flight attack the fighters, first flight, after the mothership."

"Yes sir."

"Engage!"

"In the brave words of Crazy Horse himself" says one crewman "It's a good day to die."

"Well spoken ensign. Fire!"

Weapons fire from the sphere ship hits the Crazy Horse and her escorts. One ship is overwhelmed and destroyed as it goes in. The other two fire their pulse lasers, doing damage to the ship.

"Enemy fighter on our tail sir!"

"Evade!"

Sparks erupt from consoles. The Crazy Horse does a loop-de-loop and falls in behind the fighters and smashes it to bits.

"Well done conn! Keep at it!"

"Sir, second flight's been destroyed! Our wingship is also destroyed!"

"Head for the planet!"

The Crazy Horse goes into the atmosphere with several fighters on her tail. Her engines start smoking and she crashes to the ground, leaving a deep groove in the earth before coming to a stop. The bridge is a smoking ruin. The conn operator and first officer pick themselves up.

"The captain's dead sir."

"Let's see if we can get to a shuttle or escape pod."

Outside a small shuttle pod leaves the striken ship and lands inside a forest.

"We have to see what they're doing to the colony."

"Yes sir. If we escape we might be able to bring back some useful information."

They walk to the egde of the forest and look toward the smoking colony with binoculars.

****

Yuva'zag Warleader Shivak survey's the devastation with pride. His aide, Kossta walks up.

"The prisssonerss are asssembled ssir."

"Excccellent. I shall ssspeak to them at once. The mothership?"

"Only minor damage."

"Good."

He walks to a clearing where the survivors have assembled, guards all around them.

"I am Warleader Shivak. You will not be harmed. You will be allowed to rebuild but under our sssupervision. You will find that we are a fair people who treat their subjects jussst. Resisstance will not be tolerated and will prove futile. Consider yoursselves citizens of the Yuva'zag Entire."

Shivak leaves and walks to his ship, Kossta along side.

"By the way sir, one of those vesselsss that attacked was seen crashing not too far from here."

"Wass it dessstroyed?"

"I don't know sir."

"Fool! There could be surviorsss! Destroy it at once!"

"As you command."

****

Merrimack bridge.

"We have two bits of good news." says Reeves "A Yuva'zag fighter was shot down on Marconis Prime, but it took them some time before they found it. The pilot was dead but it's nearly intact."

"And the other good news?" says Keogh

"Two survivors from the Crazy Horse have made it back from Rana III with valuble intelligence on the Yuva'zag."

"Excellent. Now the bad news: what's they're next target?

"Zeta Gadni II."

"Is it me" says another officer "Or are they moving in a line? Those systems are right next to each other. The Kzatti captured 5 other systems in the area."

"Thank goodness the Yuva'zag aren't." says Keogh "Still, can we assemble some kind of fleet at Zeta Gadni?"

"Just a task force sir."

"Get it moving then!"

"Yes sir."

to be continued....