Preparations For Battle (Short Story)

Here's a continuation of a story I've been writing for about 2 weeks now, and I didn't expect it to get this long. Currently, we're 5 parts in, and I was honestly expecting it to only be 1 or 2.

It has been fun though, and I like this build-up to the conclusion I have in mind. It feels a bit like a slow burn, but I'm hoping for a big finale.

Part 1 - Passage To Zun-Kulla

Part 2 - Traveling Through Space

Part 3 - Mesmerizing Daydream

Part 4 - Ambush

Source

       "So, what's your call captain?" One of the desk jockeys asked. A Human with expressive eyes, short dark hair, and a coating of sweat on their face that reflected the lighting of the room. "Do we hail them, fight, or flee?" The Human continued as they wiped their brow.
       Merrick looked at Zebulon, who seemed lost inside his own head oblivious to all of the eyes now fixed on him, watching every movement he made. Every fidget. Every inaudible mutter Every glance into thin air. Everything he did was scrutinized by every present member of the crew in eyeshot.
       "We. We. I think." Zebulon mumbled distantly, now making eye contact with each member of staff one by one and finally his eyes fell on Merrick. "What would you do in this situation?"
       "I hate to state the obvious, but I am in this situation," Merrick responded without missing a beat.
       Zebulon shook his head lightly, and let out a frustrated sigh. "I mean, if you were in a position of power. If you were in charge of the ship. Based on your time fighting alongside my people, how would you fight against them."

       Merrick took a short pause and evaluated the situation while thinking of the question. He looked around the room at everyone and now knew the pressure of being put on the spot. "Well, that's irrelevant. It has been a long time since I fought with the Zun-Kullens, so I'm sure their tactics have changed. Also, this isn't my ship, so I don't know what it's capable of."
       The captain of the ship slumped back in his chair and stared at the window. Merrick's eyes followed the same direction, and he imagined seeing ships swooping past, but that wasn't happening. They were unseen by the naked eye. They were out there though, and closing.
       "You asked the old Human? Why?" The Trisken, M'Tbanni, asked in a sarcastic tone. "Wanna know what I'd do captain? I say we hit them with everything we got, and then paw over the carcasses for all the valuables they're worth." He spat out.
       Merrick walked toward the window to stare out, to see if he could spot the enemy ships. Sure enough, in the distance, there were two small blinky lights, slightly larger than the far-off stars. The room remained silent for a moment as he thought for a moment.

       "The Triskens - in their height - were excellent warriors. Some of the tactics they would use weren't usual, especially as far as The Confederation was concerned." Merrick said softly, and while speaking he turned from the window to look at M'Tbanni. "In a way, I agree. The best form of defense is attack. By the look of it, we're going up against two vessels. But, there is no doubt in my mind they'll be able to have reinforcements here from Zun-Kulla within the hour, so perhaps a battle isn't what we want. If we get tied down here, we will get overwhelmed."
       "Not if we destroy them before they can get messages out!" The Trisken exclaimed excitedly, clearly ramped up on the idea of a fight.
       "Both of them? How much firepower is this ship packing exactly?" Merrick asked.
       "She doesn't have that much bite. After the modifications, her best trait is maneuverability. A full-on battle isn't an option," Zebulon said as he rubbed the back of his head with his hands. "But, we could swoop around them and nip at them as we do."
       "There is the idea of reinforcements. What then?" Merrick asked in a slightly more upbeat tone, encouraged by Zebulons new-found enthusiasm.
       "We can block their outgoing comms. We won't be able to block them for long, and we'll be using power to do so, but it'll buy us enough time to deal with them." He responded with a grin.

       Zebulon held for a moment and then jumped into gear. "Get to your positions people, we've got some work to do!" Swiveling his chair firmly into his desk as he started typing, and once he was done picked up a communications device. He took in a deep breath, steadying his voice and preparing himself to address the entire ship. "I'm sure some of you have been waiting on word after noticing those big hits we received a few minutes ago. We were hailed by two ships who have given us no choice but to fight so I need everyone at their stations because this won't be easy."
       He lowered his head and finally placed the device back in its position. Then his eyes darted up, and while he tried to maintain a straight face, Merrick could see the panic in his eyes.
       "Don't worry, we'll get through this," Merrick stated, trying his best to reassure him.

       "We don't have much of a choice, do we? If we lose this battle, the ship will be grounded, and we'll all be thrown into some Zun-Kullen prison." The captain responded. "Divert all excess power to the engines, I want them good and hot for this."