Young Writers Society

1326 Hours April 5th, 25 AS
French Carrier Aigle
YWS Station

The view screens displayed only static.

"Report!" the Captain ordered.

"Sir, the sensors are reading this as a solar flare. Visual sensors are offline and radio communications has too much interference. Shields are at ninety percent and holding," an ensign called out.

"Pilots are reporting temporary blindness, switching to computer guidance," another the Wing Commander reported.

"What is the current status of the YWS fleet?" the masked man asked.

"Their fleet has disappeared. They may have jumped out, there is too much interference to tell."

"We'll have to assume they are still in the area. How soon will the assault shuttles arrive at the SPEW yards?" the masked man asked.

"Two minutes."

1324 Hours April 5th, 25 AS
SPEW Gryphon
YWS Station

Grif and the chat room people ran aboard the Gryphon. Grif was the last one on board, the hatch shut behind him. He moved quickly towards the center of the ship. In there was a spherical room, just like the one on the SPEW Eevee. Grif floated into the center and stayed there. Elinor, Bolt, Lumierre, and Kara followed behind him.

"Activate the SPEW system, initiate Omega protocols." He had barely uttered the words when the walls of the room lit up. Additional displays, showing the status of the engines, the shields, the hull, and the weapons all popped up. On another screen was the following:

Stingy
People
Eating
Walruses

"Wow," Lumierre and Kara said at once. Grif barely heard them though as he connected to the ship. There was brief discomfort, then he was connected. With a thought, Grif had the walls show the outside. The Gryphon moved forward, out of the dock and into an elevator. Another thought was all it took to access the elevator controls. Tractor beams locked onto the Gryphon, and then the elevator began to ascend rapidly. It was disorienting to see the metal fly by, but Grif was used to it. The elevator began to slow as the Gryphon approached the catapult deck. Grif activated the intercom.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Please make your way to the reinforced crew quarters; just follow the lights. We will soon be entering combat. Grif out." he said just as the Gryphon reached the top of the elevator. They were now in a large tunnel. The tunnel lit up with red light. A mile ahead of them, the catapult door opened. The lights turned yellow. Grif looked forward and saw three assault shuttles. Firing inside the catapult would probably destroy the catapult.

"What are those?" Bolt asked. The images appeared on the display and the resolution was automatically enhanced.

"Those are shuttles," Lumierre said. The tunnel lights turned green and Grif thought of the horizon. The Gryphon's thrusters fired, moving the Gryphon into the magnetic field, then the Gryphon was launched. There was a sudden acceleration and the Gryphon streaked straight out towards the shuttles. They dodged out of the way as the Gryphon shot past them like a freight train.

The sensors began to give him useful readings. The individual ships showed up as red blips on the wall.

"Good lord, there are hundreds of them," Lumierre said. Fighters were already on course to intercept the Gryphon. The fighters went between them and the French fleet, like a cloud of flies.

"Let's get out of here," Grif said. "Prepare for Hyperspace!" Alarms went off throughout the ship. There was a loud whine, then nothing. The Gryphon remained where it was.

"Nuts. They must have activated a hyperspace distorter. Whatever. I'm tired of running anyway." Grif said, turning the Gryphon back towards the French fleet. The displays began popping up at extreme speeds. In a moment, Grif had given the computer detailed order on what ships to fire at, where, and in what order. The computer began moving the Gryphon into firing position. In the meantime, Grif started a game of minesweeper.

1330 Hours April 5th, 25 AS
French Carrier Aigle
YWS Station

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" the Captain screamed. The Aigle turned abruptly to port, just missing the violently spinning wreckage that had been a cruiser just moments before. Below them, a Frigate shuddered as a heavy shell destroyed the spine of the ship. The masked man looked closer at the Gryphon. A rapid fire rail gun had emerged from the bottom of the ship and had already taken out four ships. Pulse lasers targeted the fighters that approached the Gryphon as well as missiles fired at it.

The surviving sixteen ships fired a salvo at the Gryphon. The Gryphon moved with incredible speed, dodging most of the shots. Two hit the shields and exploded harmlessly. The Gryphon returned fire, devastating the two ships that had hit. The masked man frowned as the ships blazed in front of him.

"I guess we'll need my fleet after all," the masked man said, before he activated his emergency signal.

"Sir, they've hit the Broyeur. Hyperspace distortion has ceased. LMNO ships are jumping in."

1333 Hours April 5th, 25 AS
SPEW Gryphon
YWS Station

"Hyperspace distortion gone. Not a moment too soon either," Grif said as he examined the new ships that just jumped in. A heavy round reached one, but their shields held, not a small accomplishment.

Without a word, the Gryphon disappeared into hyperspace.

The tunnel lights turned green and Grif thought of the horizon.

What exactly do you mean by this?

The Gryphon's thrusters fired

This is sooooo dirty.

"Let's get out of here," Grif said. "Prepare for Hyperspace!" Alarms went off throughout the ship. There was a loud whine, then nothing. The Gryphon remained where it was.

"Nuts. They must have activated a hyperspace distorter. Whatever. I'm tired of running anyway." Grif said,

You might want to expand on this more and give the other guys some talking parts.

If you're going to go into the POV of the French ship, I would like to see more characterization there.

Cool beans! Now, write more.