Showtime

"Here they come," you hear Elena say at her side of the cockpit.

Indeed, you can see a long, rectangular vessel, bristling with guns and armor plates, on its hull written Kraken, popping out of FTL at the exact location it was determined prior.

"Wait for it," you hear Neil from the comm.

"They could spot us any minute," you object.

"Wait for it," Neil raises his tone.

"Wait for it," he says again.

"Now!" he orders.

The Emerald Grace and the Gneisenau open fire as one. The shots go through the Kraken's hull, her shields aren't raised, then continue their way to open space. You smile. It is a glorious sight alright. But perhaps too good to be true.

"They are raising their shields! Their guns are aiming at us!" Elena warns. And, short of a quick maneuver, the Emerald Grace almost gets hit by a projectile. Worried, you find yourself that you grab something: you are unsure if your shields could withstand a single hit.

"How did they survive those shots?" you ask.

"Dunno darling, but they really seem to duck towards that planet," Neil says through the comm. His answer as a surprise to you.

And indeed: the Kraken begins to turn her nose towards the surface, all the while it keeps shooting at you. You notice that the Gneisenau breaks off from the fight, and as another shot passes by your hull, you give Elena the same order. Why risk so much if you already won?

You order Elena to turn back, following the Gneisenau, and you continue orbiting the planet. Minutes later the heat sensors flair up at the impact point designated by the computers. The battle was won. Question is: could there be any survivors?

"We better head down, just to see if the old bastard is in one piece," Neil says through the comm.

"We could just vaporize them," you answer.

"Not that simple, my dear. What I want is the bastard's head," you hear the answer.

"Roger that," you nod. Not like you had a choice anyhow!