The First Barrage (Short Story)

It has been nearly a month since I wrote another part of this story I was working on, and today I figured it was a good day to get back into finishing.

Recap: Merrick has paid for passage aboard a ship, he is traveling to Zun-Kulla. Upon arrival, he realises that the captain is in trouble with the government of this world. Before they can dock, they are hailed by two ships requesting access to board and take everyone into custody. Rather than give up, they decide to fight, and Merrick is dragged into a situation he doesn't want to be a part of.

That's essentially a recap for anyone who just wants to read this, without going back.

Part 1 - Passage To Zun-Kulla

Part 2 - Traveling Through Space

Part 3 - Mesmerizing Daydream

Part 4 - Ambush

Part 5 - Preparations For Battle

Part 6 - The Battle Map

Source

       Merrick held onto his handrail as tight as he could. All he could do was brace himself for the incoming projectiles. The first one rocked the ship, and not even the A.G.E was able to stop him from shifting. In quick succession another four knocks came, each heavier than the last. Each consecutive hit made the shields shimmer. Through the windows of the ship was a dance of blue and white light, spiraling, and swirling chaotically. Alarms started to blare, warning everyone of the threat. As if they didn't already know they were under attack.
       "Shields are holding," one of the Humans said in a nervous tone of voice.
       The Trisken M'Tbanni let out a grunt, scoffing at the idea of the shields protecting them. "Barely." He said as he pawed the controls at his desk. "Lining up another shot," he mumbled while focusing on the holo-projection in front of him.
       Merrick looked around the room, lost in a daze. Everyone was busy, and while they maintained their composure, he knew that this was the breaking point. If they couldn't land some shots of their own the next barrage from the enemy ships would be enough to kill their confidence.
       "Make this one count, M'Tbanni. We need to tear through one of them." Zebulon said in a calm tone of voice. The Trisken didn't reply, and he didn't even react with a nod. He was clearly too busy concentrating to hear any of them.

       "Firing!" M'Tbanni erupted into a bark as he let off another shot. The bridge of the ship lit up, very similar to the last time, and Merrick could feel himself holding his breath as the two balls of plasma sailed into the distance toward the dots that were the Zun-Kullen vessels.
       They impacted the enemy ship. Evident by the explosion of translucent light that violently reached outward in all directions only to fade away momentarily.
       "That's a hit!" The Trisken shouted. "Now, hit them with everything we have!" He was excited, launching himself from his seat and the whole bridge was alive with the excitement.
       The entire ship started to vibrate throughout, as every weapon at its disposal expelled munitions. Missiles, kinetic rounds, plasma, they were throwing everything they had at the enemy, and the blue light of the shields were now completely gone, replaced with red and orange light from explosions, that were swallowed by the vacuum of space as they made contact.
       "Keep firing! We're doing it, they're trying to retreat!" Zebulon shouted through his communicator. Every room in the ship was no doubt booming from his voice, and that drove the members of his entire crew to continue their assault.

       Merrick stared at the holo-projections of the battle map and saw that the enemy ships were indeed moving. The one under fire was attempting to back away, aided by the sheer force of the offensive. The second ship, however, seemed to be inching itself forward, unimpeded.
       "Captain, the other target," Merrick said, but through the noise in the room, the captain barely seemed to pay him any mind.
       The battle map flickered, calling for his attention once more. He saw that the other ship was preparing to fire, but nobody seemed to notice. A round of projectiles launched, as shown on the map, and with it came a blast of noise counting down the seconds before impact. All Merrick could do was reach for the handrail once more, and try to save himself from falling.
       The shields lit up and dissipated. The impacts caused a much harder bout of knocks that shook him to his core. It was no use. He felt weak. He just couldn't grip as tight as before. Feeling the thuds, he fell to the ground. Laying face down on the floor, he could hear the echo of chaos surrounding him. Alarms ringing, shots firing. Merrick looked up to see that he wasn't the only one knocked off his feet. Panels had fallen. Debris crashed. The wiring was left exposed. A tube of some sort let out a plume of fog that billowed so much that the room became filled.

       "That was our hull," Merrick said through the storm.
       "Shields are depleted, Zebulon. What are your orders?" Merrick could hear one of the Humans from within the fog.
       "Our Starboard side has the thickest hull, we need to maneuver," Zebulon said, through a flurry of coughs.
       "But, our main battery is forward facing. We need to get some hits before we move!" The Trisken shouted.
       "We can't take another hit to our bow." Zebulon replied, his tone was panic-stricken, mixed with frustration and an inability to properly speak.