Terran Alliance: The Odyssey

Chapter 2- Adrift

Chapter 2- Adrift

(July 12, 2019)

On the bridge of the Hood, Admiral Pellaeon is standing beside a table, examining a series of photos and written reports. Also around him are Captain Moorhouse, Major David Ronen, and Iden Versio. The photos and reports they're looking over are all detailing the level of damage done to the Hood and her crew during the battle with the Eclipse.

The battle had caused the Hood the most damage she had ever sustained. Not only from the Eclipse's firepower and the weapons of her starfighters, but also because of the ferocity of the fighting that took place on board her. The fighting had been so fierce that the British troops aboard had been forced to use their Challenger 2 tanks on board the battlecruiser in order to defeat the invaders, and that had caused even more damage to the ship's interior.

The ship had suffered heavy damage. Had they made it home, preliminary estimates were that they'd need at least a few months in dry dock to repair everything. Even if they found a planet with the resources needed, some things were damaged beyond repair. It was estimated that the Hood had permanently lost almost 10 percent of her firepower, unless they could salvage similar weapons from any ships they came across. While the Hood still had plenty of firepower, it was still a big blow.

However, the bigger blow came with the loss of life. The Hood's crew alone numbered 14,864 living crew and 21,732 droids, and the 6th Armored Division and 61st Motorized Infantry Brigade, along with the special forces, numbered 18,416 more. The battlecruiser also had a hundred tanks, about two dozen walkers, 108 starfighters and 12 bombers aboard. The battle against the Eclipse, its air wing, and its boarding parties had cost the lives of 989 of the Hood's crew, 851 soldiers, and 817 droids, as well as the loss of a tank and a walker, 19 starfighters, and a bomber. Most of the dead had been frozen in carbonite so they could receive a proper burial, while all the dead Imperial troopers had been jettisoned into space. The losses had been heavily felt and mourned by the rest of those aboard the Hood, but could've been a lot worse.

The Hood was still maintaining her course she'd been sailing on since coming out of hyperspace. Basic surveillance with nothing more than telescopes had shown no sign of anything remotely close to the ship. However, Pellaeon still ordered that the ship maintain full speed ahead, hoping that they'd eventually come across something.

"Any update on the status of the engines?" Pellaeon asks.

"Not good Admiral. We have the fuel and energy from the reactor to keep going for years, but with the damage the engines sustained, they'll start failing in a matter of months. If we reduce power to 70 percent of rated performance, we can keep them running for maybe 8, 8.5 months max, but at the current rate, the engines will completely break down by early December," Captain Moorhouse says.

Pellaeon thinks on this for a moment, then sighs. "Very well. Order the engine crews to reduce engine power to 70 percent power and do everything they can to hold the engines together," he says. Moorhouse nods and goes to send the orders down to the engine compartment.

Meanwhile, Ronen looks at Pellaeon. "Admiral, I think our situation is not going to be dictated by the state of the engines, but the state of the crew. The whole crew pretty knows our situation, and that's weighing heavily on them."

Iden Versio speaks up. "Major Ronen is right, Admiral. The mental toll that our situation is going to take on the crew is probably our biggest threat. Adrift for months at a time with no way to contact home and no knowing if we'll actually find a habitable planet will eat away at their sanity," she says.

Pellaeon slowly nods. "I know," he says simply, silently hoping that they will be able to find a planet before the engines or the crew break.

(December 24, 2019)