The Captain

Log Entry 3162.10.31 Situation Summary: Med Bay overrun with Hive Bio-Weapons. The Captain [REDACTED] engages Elara Korr and her creations. Rescue by Operative Unit Omega is confirmed incoming. Captain executes a final, drastic maneuver to prevent Hive escape. --- Chapter LIII — Captain [REDACTED] The acrid tang of burnt circuitry and biological decay filled the med bay. The glow of emergency lights reflected off the writhing forms of Hive bio-weapons. She pivoted, sword slicing through the claws of the Shredder, narrowly avoiding a deadly lunge. Its quadrupedal agility made it impossible to predict, yet she moved with deliberate precision, anticipating every strike. The Maw slithered closer, tentacles flailing, its gaping psionic maw emitting a low hum that rattled her senses. She fired her energy pistol in short bursts, carefully striking the tentacles while keeping her distance. Every movement was measured, each attack exploiting a weakness the Hive didn’t expect her to notice. The Reclaimer split into smaller units, swarming the floor like crawling shadows, while the Wailer drifted across the room, its psionic screeches tugging at the edges of her mind. She shook her head, focusing, pushing aside the disorienting wails. And then she heard it: a faint static over the ship’s comms. Operative Unit Omega… inbound. Her pulse quickened. The Hive had been patient, careful, but now she was running out of time. They would reach the ship, unprepared for what lurked inside, and if the Hive escaped—assimilating them and spreading to other systems—entire worlds could be lost. Her eyes narrowed. Her sword danced in arcs, cutting through another Reclaimer shard. Elara Korr stood at the far side, observing, confident. The captain’s chest heaved, but her mind raced faster than her body could move. Then she spoke the phrase she had kept hidden since the Dead-Man signal was first activated—a voice override command unique to her authority, known only to her.