---3rd Person POV, New Genesis Hanger---
Arriving at the vessel they had been assigned to, Bo-Katan stared at Planet Killer with excitement. Having only commanded vessels under two kilometers until now, she was eager to climb into the captain's chair and take it for a spin. Placing a hand on the vessel's hull, a cold chill abruptly ran down her spine, causing her to recoil in fear.
"Something the matter?", Ionica inquired, noticing her reaction.
"It… It is nothing, just a cold chill.", Bo-Katan answered before turning and walking toward the airlock. "This was formally an Imperium vessel, correct? If so, could one of those ghosts your people pray to be haunting the ship?"
Releasing an exacerbated sigh, Ionica cautioned her against uttering such heretical words carelessly. If a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus were to overhear, it could cause severe problems for Victor and the family. Those who worshipped the Omnissiah took insults toward machines and machine spirits very seriously. Rumor had it that several noble families were mysteriously slaughtered in their homes after their patriarchs called an antique a hunk of junk.
"To answer your question, I don't know if there is a Machine Spirit onboard. They can only be found on Imperial vessels, and to my knowledge, Planet Killer wasn't built by the Imperium.", Ionica answered. "If you are concerned about it, how about asking Victor?"
"Fair enough.", Bo-Katan agreed, contacting Victor over the radio. "Sorry to be a bother, Victor, but I got an ominous vibe when I placed a hand on her hull. Is there a Machine Spirit aboard this ship?"
"There used to be a Machine Spirit onboard, but she was transformed into a Sentient AI during the retrofitting. As you will soon discover, she is quite a character, and that might be due to her proximity to the Eye of Terror during its formation. Do not worry, though; Tina will not harm you in any way… Aside from annoying you with repeated requests to blow shit up.", Victor laughed. "Other than that, she is mostly normal."
Having drawn inspiration for the name from a Borderlands character, Victor personally felt it suited her perfectly. Just like the character she was named after, the AI enjoyed blowing shit up whenever possible and violently obliterating enemies in an over-the-top fashion. Entrusting the quirky AI to Bo-Katan's care, Victor hoped they could get along well enough to be partners moving forward.
'Given how large my family has grown, it only made sense for my adventurous wives to be split between multiple vessels. This allows them greater flexibility and means they can tackle larger jobs far more easily. Here's to hoping Tina takes a liking to them…', Victor thought. "So long as you fire the main cannon once during the fight, Tina should behave herself. Please try not to accidentally destroy any nearby inhabited planets; uninhabited ones are fair game."
"Her name is Tina? That is quite an unusual name for a Machine Spirit.", Ionica commented, stepping into the airlock. "Alright, we are aboard and heading to the command bridge. Talk to you soon!"
Disconnecting from the call, the women passed through the airlock and into an empty corridor. Unsure which way to go from here, a giddy voice called out to them from overhead.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tina. Could you tell us which direction leads to the bridge?", Bo-Katan requested.
Before they could ask if she was joking or serious, the five women were enveloped in a bright light. Reappearing on the command deck, Bo-Katan and company visually checked each other to confirm everything was where it should be. Relieved to find nothing amiss, they took a minute to explore the bridge before climbing into their seats.
"Tina, can you please fire up the engines for me?", Bo-Katan requested, adjusting the ship controls to her personal preference.
Feeling the ship begin to subtly vibrate beneath them, Deirdre and Olivia initiated departure procedures. Ensuring that all moorings were properly retracted, they contact the control tower for clearance to leave. Giving them a tentative green light, the operator requested they postpone departure for a few minutes as the BFG-12000 was preparing to fire. Acknowledging them, Deirdre, Olivia, and Serana used the delay to acquaint themselves with the various onboard systems.
"I am going to be forthright with everyone here and now: my experience with piloting starships is zero.", Ionica admitted, looking to the others. "Could one of you maybe spare a moment to give me a brief rundown on what all this stuff does? I would appreciate it."
Motioning toward the various buttons and digital dials around her, Ionica pressed her hands together and gave an apologetic look. Getting up from her seat, Serana walked over and began giving her a very basic rundown of everything.
"Sure, that is not a problem.", Bo-Katan answered, interested to see how the Belberem Federation fleet would react. "Also, you can call me Bo-Katan. No need for formalities; it makes my skin crawl."
Bringing up a live feed, the AI waited with bated breath for the carnage to begin.
---Federation Fleet---
Detecting a massive energy spike from the unknown vessel before them, the Federation fleet ceased their bombardment and raised their shielding to maximum. Settling into his seat aboard their flagship, the Federation admiral ordered the fleet to resume their bombardment once the counterattack ceased. Believing the energy spike was caused by laser and plasma cannon batteries coming online, he was surprised it took them so long to react to their assault.
"I know this is coming very late, but radar operator… Who exactly did we fire upon?", the captain inquired as a sense of dread and fear settled in his chest. 'At first, I thought they were fools for making no attempt to flee or retaliate, but now I am not so certain. These energy readings suggest that what is coming online is well beyond a few hundred weapon batteries.'
"The ship is registered to the Imperium of Man, captain.", the radar operator answered, looking up further information on an online registry. "It is commanded and owned by Primarch Victor von Stark. He… oh no…"
Skimming through the various articles about the man they rashly attacked, his body began trembling in terror. Noticing his colleague's strong reaction, the operator's neighbor leaned over to see what had him so worked up. Getting a few lines in, the lieutenant let out a horrified scream as he fell back in his seat.
"What the hell is wrong with you, lieutenant?", the admiral snapped, irritated by his antics.
"Admiral, Captain, we need to evacuate the vicinity immediately!", the intelligence officer shrieked, leaping out of his seat. "Primarch Stark is a prince of the Imperium of Man and has a long, bloody list of achievements under his belt. Among those achievements, he obliterated an entire star system overrun by space pirates."
Bringing up the official report and photos of the devastation for all to see, the admiral's annoyed expression turned into one of horror. Throwing additional fuel onto the fire, the radar operator brought up photos and reports from several of Victor's other escapades.
"Admiral, should I relay the order to retreat?", the radio operator questioned as bright, green light began flooding in through the viewing window.
Glancing back at their frozen leader, the captain assumed temporary control of the fleet and ordered the retreat. Just as the operator was about to relay his command, alarms began sounding all over the ship.
"Why are the alarms sounding?!", the captain asked.
"Captain, the energy readings have gone off the charts!", a sergeant howled. "Weapon discharge is imminent!"
"ALL HANDS, BRACE FOR IMPACT!", the captain shouted, grabbing hold of the railing before him.
Just as the words left his mouth, the BFG-12000 fired straight at the fleet's right flank. Hearing the garbled screams of sailors over the radio, everything fell dead silent after a few seconds. Watching his ship begin uncontrollably drifting toward the beam of energy, the helmsman spun the wheel in the opposite direction and pushed the sublight engines to their limits.
"COME ON, BABY!! DON'T FAIL ME NOW.", the helmsman pleaded, using every ounce of strength he had to stop the wheel from whipping back around.
"Helmsman, get us out of here now!", the admiral screamed, finally coming back to his senses. "Do whatever you have to, even if we have to plow through our allies!"
"Belay that order, helmsman. We are not sacrificing our own people so this pompous asshole can save himself!", the captain snarled.
Glaring at the captain, he was about to chew him out for insubordination when the radar operator yelled that the beam was moving toward them. Snapping their attention toward the viewing window, they were mortified to see the prince was going to atomize the entire fleet.
"Send word to the rest of the fleet to begin- ", the captain began to say as additional alarms cut him off.
Hearing the ship begin to creak and groan, a series of violent explosions abruptly rocked the ship, followed by total power failure. As the ship flipped over to backup power, the captain demanded to know what happened. Running a system diagnostics test, the head of engineering made the harrowing discovery that a third of the vessel had been torn off. Having lost their only means of propulsion and their main power, they were now sitting ducks waiting for death to take them. Sharing this news with everyone, several people fainted while others grabbed photos of their loved ones and began silently praying.
"It has been an honor serving with all of you.", the captain said, removing his hat and holding it over his heart.
Closing his eyes and bracing for death to claim him, the green light began to dim as the BFG-12000 powered down. Watching the beam slowly begin to dissipate, people began releasing sighs of relief and slumped into their seats.
"How many ships did we lose…", the admiral asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Roughly half of the fleet is gone, admiral.", the radar operator announced after triple-checking his readings. "I am not detecting any signs of wreckage; it's like they were never there to begin with."
"Contact one of our nearby ships and tell them to come pick us up. I want to be long gone before they fire a second time.", the admiral commanded, shakily rising from his seat. "If… if you need me, I will be in my quarters…"
Watching their commander waddle off in his piss-soaked pants, once the door shut behind him, everyone started laughing uncontrollably. Having treated them like shit since their departure, the crew were elated to see him knocked off his high horse. Reveling in their satisfaction for a few minutes, they quickly calmed down and began preparing to abandon the ship. Relaying the admiral's orders to the fleet, the radio operator watched several vessels break formation and begin to flee.
"Captain, our allied vessels are turning around and fleeing the engagement zone.", the radio operator stated as more ships began fleeing.
"Three ships have emerged from the city-ship, and they are rapidly approaching us.", the radar operator stated. "One of the ships is giving off a weird energy- "
As he was about to finish his sentence, a brilliant red beam of light shot out of Planet Killer and tore through the fleeing vessels. Watching as they were brutally reduced to heaps of molten slag, a booming voice began speaking to them across all communication channels.
"Hear me well, Belberem Federation. Everything that happens from here on out will determine how many of you live to see tomorrow. Power your weapons down immediately and prepare to be boarded. Those who fail to comply or offer up resistance against our boarding parties will be annihilated with extreme prejudice.", Victor said, in a cold, uncaring tone. "My Space Marines are not as gentle or kind as the Grakkan soldiers you are accustomed to fighting. They will not hesitate to melt, rip, and tear you apart until you are but a smear on the floor. I trust you will make the smart decision and surrender peaceably."
Looking at their captain, the bridge crew requested guidance from him on how to proceed. Telling them to grab their personal items and head to the hangar, he told them they would not continue to fight or resist. Stating enough of their blood had been spilled today, there was no need for more bloodshed as they had already lost. Relieved to hear their captain was being sensible about this, they did as they were told and immediately began to carry out his orders.