Like a paparazzi’s flash, the lights of Britannia’s bridge flickered and pulsed in sudden strobing bursts of blinding white light. From behind the cracked ceiling cupola, which normally lent the room a warm glow, lighting fixtures coughed with a painful sputter. In the dark corner of the bridge, the whispered meeting of Tanek and Harrison took place in a secretive coating of shadow beyond the sight of the shrieking lightning.

“Shashnika says we can’t pull back,” Tanek hissed as he wiped a patch of dark soot from his cheek. In the corner of his eye, he could see a pair of crewmen take the last of the wounded on a stretcher, disappearing into the turbolift. “What were you thinking Anyanka?”

“We stopped the command ship, didn’t we?” The sharp contours of Captain Harrison cut through the shadow, catching the low light like diamonds. Her tone was sharper still as her superior interrogated her before the dust settled.

“By lodging the ship in its side,” Tanek was struggling to keep a lid on his frustration. The shaking interior of the ship had at least settled as Aldrin ran interference. “What’s the plan?”

Harrison tensed noticeably at the question but quickly collected herself again.

“There are several options.” She replied with a wavering confidence.

A cough from their side caused both captains to turn their attention sharply to find the coral-skinned Bahir hovering tentatively.

“Sir, Ma’am. We’re running out of time. Aldrin is starting to take damage, they won’t be able to keep running interference for long.” Bahir wrung his hands nervously, an unusual fidget that set the pair of leaders on edge. If even the ever-confident Bahir was worried, no doubt the rest of the crew would be.

“What’s the state of play Mr. Bahir?” Harrison asked, pushing the attention of the meeting away from her ad hoc disciplinary and back to the matter at hand.

“The primary hull has taken significant damage and is lodged almost 40 metres into the opposing vessel.” The tactical officer summoned a status diagram on the nearby screen where the long boxy form of the enemy ship took centre stage, the dagger-like shape of Britannia extruding awkwardly like a shiv in its side.

“We’ve lost much of the forward starboard saucer, and Shashnika has confirmed that when we try to withdraw, we can fully expect most decks to be exposed. We’re already pulling everyone but vital personnel back to the stardrive section.” Bahir wrung his hands again. “When we pull out, the strain on the saucer section will be massive, we will take significantly more damage.”

Harrison rubbed her bony chin thoughtfully as her eyes followed the imaginary dotted line from Britannia’s tip through the giant enemy vessel.

“What if we didn’t go backwards?” She finally mused.

“If we continue forward, we’re likely to rip the saucer in half. Massive damage, I couldn’t even begin to estimate how much, not to mention the casualties. Even with people in the stardrive section.” Tanek’s mouth fell open, aghast at the woman’s seeming foolishness.

“What if we blasted our way out with weapons?” Harrison continued, her attention alighting on Bahir.

“Dorsal and ventral arrays are significantly damaged. We could power the emitters, but I don’t think they would coalesce into a discrete beam. There is also a good chance they’d explode.” Bahir’s brow furrowed as he attempted to discern the captain’s plan.

“Good,” the old woman whispered as she turned away and began to return to her central seat, her slender figure becoming skeletal in the flashing lights. “Good.”

Tanek’s frustrations finally bubbled over, pushing the normally gentile Captain to erupt with a cry that raced through the shadowed bridge, causing all eyes to fall on him as the remaining crew came to a standstill.

“Anyanka! Have you gone completely mad? Exploding phaser banks are likely to lead to an exploding saucer section, which will lead to an exploding ship.” He took in a ragged breath. “What about the crew?”

“The saucer section is going forward.” A flash of the white light cut across her face, drawing the corners of her mouth up into an umbral grin. “We aren’t going with it.”