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Captain Kayla Snopaw leaned back in her chair rubbing her tired eyes, it had been a very long shift, in fact a very long 3 weeks. Her eyes looked about the bridge, falling on each of her crew one by one as they staffed there stations. 3 months ago her ship had been part of a task force to take down one of the biggest threats in Anthro history and the price had been high. Her ship had been one of the few lucky ones, the objective completed at the cost of many lives. Her ship was now on a final shake down cruse after 2 months in dry dock, the battle had been harsh and she had lost many good friends, but they had survived. Working hard thy had almost gotten all the bugs worked out, and the key systems back to 100%. Not to long ago, before the war, the ship would have been given its final checks by the dock rats at the ship yard, but with resources spread thin, the Crimson Claw had been rushed back into service and would have to finish the job themselves.

First contact with the humans of earth had been a little over 40 years ago and had been very promising. Other races had tried to warn them the humans could not be trusted, having had there own difficulties with the furless creatures, but the Anthro alliance had seen potential where others only saw the threat. A few years had been spent building diplomatic relations, trade agreements and all the small steps needed to build up to a formal alliance. There had been a few cultural clashes along the way, some that looking back on them should have been a sign that things where going to end badly.

One of the biggest clashes had come when the Anthros proposed an exchange of religious representatives. On the Anthro side there Priestess's had been very excited to learn about the Dozens of different beliefs of this new world, there own society having only developed a single unifying faith. On the other paw the human representatives had rejected the Antro's beliefs almost immediately. The humans had clamed the Anthro family structure was offensive, the fact that it was normal for there to be 3, 4 or even 5 Females to a single male in a mated home being one of the biggest points. The Anthro's had tried to explain that given there gender imbalance, it was necessary for one male to be shared between several females and all the children where raised by the family as a whole regardless of witch female had given birth to them..

The next and most troubling clash came over the Anthro's system of criminal justice. In furry society they had learned long ago it was pointless to just lock criminals away, for the benefit of all and to make them pay for there crimes the Anthro's had established a slave state. Convicted criminals would be sold into force servitude and the money given to the families of there victims in restitution for the harm done to them. In the many generations since it had been established the slave state had grown and changed, in modern times it was possible for free people to enter into a willing slave contract if they where not able to repay debts or they where not able to support themselves. Realizing that the slaves where still living, secant beans the law had adopted several safe guards for the protection of there slave population and to protect them from abusive owners. The Slave state had also adopted a cast system in witch prison slaves and contract slaves where treated very differently, a contract slave could be removed from an owner if it was shown the owner had exceeded the punishments aloud by law , or had done the slave greaves harm, wile prison slaves where only afforded very little protections and rights. An owner would have to nearly kill a prison slave or sexually assault them for the slave to be removed from there owners custody. Yes as odd as it might sound no matter the cast, no owner had the right to force a mating with there slave or to kill them, this was among the most basic of rights granted to all slaves..

The humans had publicly denounced the slave state, pointing out that slavery on there world had been one of the darkest times in there history. They had refused to allow any Anthro entering there space to have a slave with them, even going so fair as to arrest one of the priestess's in the exchange program when her family had scent her slave to her unknowingly. The Anthro's had been a shored there priestess's would be extended diplomatic protections and the arrest had sparked off tensions that had silently been building for the last few years. All of the Priestess's had been withdrawn by order of there Matriarch as this quickly marked the start of the end of diplomatic relations.

After almost a decade spent trying to repair the damage done in the early years the final braking point had been reached when both the humans and Anthro's had set there sights on colonizing the same world in the space bordering both there territories. The world had been perfectly suited to both species environmental needs and was extremely rich in natural resources. The Anthro's had been the first to arrive and with in a few weeks they had set up several small outposts to explore and map the world, in preparation for the first wave of colonists. Very unexpectedly within a few days they came face to face with humans having claimed they had arrived first and the planet had been annexed by there government. Both groups had quickly withdrawn to there respective home bases and called for help. Given the already strained relations it was no wonder things went from bad to worse in very little time. Still to this day no one knows who fired the first shot, but by the time re-enforcements arrived, all the colonists both human and Anthro where dead. Less then a week went by before the human Empire had declared war on the Anthro Alliance and the Battle lines where drawn.

Now 30 years later the exhausted artic vixen cast her deep blue eyes to the ships clock, 23 more minutes and she could turn over command to the night shift and take a long hot bath then get some badly needed rack time. She allowed her mind to drift, the bubbles and the scent of fur wash filling her mind as she let out a deep needful "mmmmmm, yes." Her crystal blue eyes then fell on her first officer Sasha, a very strong and toned female white tiger she had been secretly involved with for many years, with any luck she would not be taking that bath alone. If not for star force regulations they would most likely have been mated by now and after the way things had been going the last week she needed her kitten in her arms as much as the sleep that was calling from the back of her mind. With a sigh she looked back to the clock, 17 more minutes, dear goddess that clock is moving slowly tonight she thought, but when your tired it always seams to. She flopped down in her chair and looked about the bridge, her Helmsbunny, Jessica a tan rabbit doe had been flirting with her new counter part all night and the tactical officer had been giving them both a look so predatory that only a wolf could have pulled it off. True she was more lax with military protocols then most captains but at the rate things where going she was going to have to turn the fire suppression system on them before she ended up with a live sex show on her paws. She was thinking she would have a talk with her kitten in the morning about crew discipline when a shout from the tactical officer snapped her back to reality. Commander Ash, The large black wolf called out " Captain, we are receiving a distress call from a cargo transport vessel, "The Black Rock," they are under attack and requesting immediate assistance."

A growl formed in the vulpine Captain's chest, her bath would have to weight as She cast her gaze back to the wolf and barked out "What's there position?"

The lupine tactical officer looked up from his screen, his face inscrutable as he replied "The Corven system, 8.3 light years out."

The Captain's mind instantly snapped into motion, even at best speed the Corven system was 18 hours away. By the time thy arrived the cargo ship would be little more then a floating mass of scrap metal in space. With slight trepidation she turned to her first officer and asked "Commander are there any other ships in range?"

Sasha's claws quickly ran over her screen, desperately looking for another ship that could respond, replying with a shake of her head " No Captain, the only other ship in this system is the Talon, there last reported position puts them 2 days out at best speed."

With that pronouncement Kayla knew instantly there was only one choice left to her, her ears folding back as she gave the order "Tactical alert, all paws to battle stations, Helm Plot an Emergency jump to the Corven System." She could feel the eyes of the bridge crew on her as the lapin turned and plotted the course. The jump drive was the one system they had not tested since the refit and of every system on the Crimson Claw, the jump drive was the most temperamental and most likely to blow up in there faces. The up side of the jump drive was it allowed a ship to travel 10 times faster then the standard (FTL) drive, the down side was that it always left you disoriented and on rare occasions a ship never came back. Personally a jump always left the vixen dizzy and her fur standing on end for hours after, so she tried to avoid it when ever possible.

Without a word the order was carried out, the ship coming alive with crew members staffing there battle stations, locking down all the bulk heads and preparing for the first fight of this newly repaired vessel. After a few seconds to compose her thoughts the Captain stabbed the ship wide address control on her console and announced in a loud voice full of authority and power "All paws prepare for jump, a sister ship is under attack. Medical Bay Standby to receive casualties and all tactical teams prepare for boarding parties, the use of deadly force is authorized."

The Address system had been silent less then a minute when the Tactical officer looked over to his Captain and shouted " All stations Staffed and ready Captain, Jump on your command."

Kayla gripped the armrests of her chair, her claws digging in as her ears plastered to her skull, the vixen barking out "jump." All the lights on the ship went dim, time freezing in that second as all the ships power channeled into forming a white vortex of energy around it. Within seconds the energy had totally encompassed the crimson claw and with a final flash from the engines the ship was gone.

...................................................................................................................................

The Captain took a deep breath as time resumed, the vixen blinking to regain her senses and shake off the disorientation as she made sure everyone was still in one piece. Her head still spinning, the pure white vixen focused her eyes on the view screen, hoping the fixed point would help her clear her mind. She was just about to call out for a status report when the ship was rocked by a powerful impact and she was nearly thrown from her seat. Once she had regained her balance she called out with annoyance in her voice " Report!!!"

It was Sasha who answered, the white tiger looking as if she was barely able to hold onto her station mumbling "It's the human ship, we are taking incoming fire." As the viewer changed to display the vessel they where firing at it was instantly clear to the Captain just how bad the situation was.. It was a Human, Pulsar class star destroyer. This ship had her out matched in firepower and shields, twice what they where rated for even if they where in top fighting form

"Dam it" The Captain thought, the helms bunny had jumped them in right on top of the fight. She made a mental note to have that bunnies hide later if they survive this, the vixen shouting "Target the human ship, Attack pattern alpha 3.... all batteries open fire." This order had the effect she expected, the tactical officer snapping to attention and opening up on the attacking ship. The Crimson Claw then began to rock back and forth as it jumped quickly to 3/4 combat speed just barely dodging the incoming fire, it being deflected by the small combat vessels shields. As they returned fire, drawing the destroyer off of the disabled cargo ship the captain yelled "what is the status of the transport? "

The first officer called out " there shields are down, life support and main power are offline and they are venting atmosphere on 2 decks. The crew is heading for the life pods, but.... " she was cut off as the ship was rocked by another powerful impact.

The Captain yelled out as she held tight to her seat "Tactical, release the counter measures, we have to draw off there fire or we don't have a chance."

The vixen turned her piercing gaze back to her first officer as she answered "what was that last part commander?" Sasha was biting her lower lip as she answered, the white tiger knowing the captain would not take this well. " It's a slave ship Captain, they are heading for the life pods and leaving there cargo to die."

The Captain's ears flicked tall as a savage growl built in her chest, as a fleet officer she was sworn to protect any alliance ship, even slavers as distasteful as she found it. "Those spineless cowards" was all she could think as she moved to the edge of her seat "I will win this battle just so I can take a pound of flesh from there mangy hides." Slavers, why for the love of the goddess did it have to be slavers. In her almost 50 years of service in the star forces she had seen many things that left her with a burning hatred for the slave trade. Under the law the captain of the transport ship was the legal owner of the slaves under his care, and wile leaving them to die in this situation was not technically murder, it was one of the biggest reasons she despised the slave trade. Kayla had always felt it dishonorable to own another living bean, even a captured enemy witch is why she refused to allow her crew to keep any on board, even if it was legal in the furry alliance she would have nothing to do with it.

The tactical officer caught her attention just as she was about to say something she would regret later. "Captain the energy weapons have overloaded and are off line."

"By The Dark Pit Not Again" the vixen cried. This was one of the last bugs they where still trying to work out, for some unknown reason the energy weapons where overloading after just a few shots. She had been assured that the problem had been corrected, but it looks like the engineering crew had dropped the ball again. With burning fury in her eyes the vixen turned to the wolf at tactical and snapped "What offensive systems are still functional?"

The wolf answered quickly as his claws ran over the tactical panel, his face still inscrutable "20 plasma torpedoes, half our standard complement, the point defense system and 2 of the EMP counter measures." That was not enough, not agents a ship this powerful.

The vixen started running mental calculations and tactical scenarios as fast as she could, with no energy weapons and only half there torpedoes left her options where beyond limited. Another volley of torpedoes rocked her ships rapidly depleting shields, causing the tactical officer to call for emergency power to re-enforce them. She was just thinking about ordering a retreat when it hit her, It was dangerous, but it was all she had and with a little luck "Helm, Tactical..." she called out wile giving them both a look that broached no disobedience "Death Blossom "

"" Death Blossom was a ships last line of defense for a very good reason, in one single attack it would deplete all the ships weapons. If not used perfectly it would leave a ship helpless and with the size and power of this humans ship, if it did not work they would surely be destroyed.""

The young tan bunny at the helm and the dark wolf both swallowed and set the attack Plan into motion wile the first officer locked eyes with her Captain, a grim expression on her muzzle as she whispered "Captain our shields are less then 50%, that destroyer will cut us to pieces before we can get close enough to..."

The Captain cut her first officer off with a visus snarl and a loudly shouted "Execute." With that command the helm and tactical officers both simultaneously pressed there respective commit buttons, this releasing control of there stations to the ship's computer. Instantly the crimson claw launched itself full speed at its target, the point defense system set to intercept as much of the incoming fire with speed and accuracy not possible from a mere mortal. Aboard the human ship it's Captain had seen the charge and reacted just as Kayla had hoped, Thinking this was a suicide run he ordered his ship to turn hard, trying to avoid the collision. With the larger destroyer rolling, it's field of fire would be limited. "Perfect" Kayla thought "keep rolling, show me that big underbelly." Quickly the Crimson Claw closed the distance, the computer's faster reaction time allowing it to avoid some of the incoming fire from the larger ship. The closer and closer the claw got to it's pray, the more incoming fire found it's mark rapidly depleting there shields. Seconds from failure the Captain, her grip iron on her chair and her teeth bared, snarled "FIRE."

The computer complied, All the forward launchers releasing there payloads. 3 waves of 5 torpedoes sped hot and fast directly into the enemy shields, all impacting within inches and seconds of each other. The computer in a move of pin point timing then fired its lateral and ventral thrusters flipping the ship 180 degrees to line up the rear launchers. Just as the Captain was praying ¾'s of her ships full payload impacting all in the same spot so quickly over whelmed the enemies shields in a massive burst powerful enough to open a gap. Seconds after the ship flipped, The last 5 torpedoes launched, The gap allowing them to strike there vital targets. The First 2 impacted the main deflector array, crippling the ships communications, navigation and shields, the second set landing true on both engine pods blowing them apart and leaving the larger ship tumbling out of control. The last torpedo impacted the ships bridge, making sure no human would survive to report this fight. The Captain allowed herself a satisfied grin as her ship leaped away, pushing hard to get clear before the doomed ship was blown apart.

The computer had just released control back to the tan bunny as secondary explosions ripped throw the humans ships hull, sealing its fate. First the crippled engine pods, then the crew section and last the weapons pod exploded, The shock wave taking mere seconds to reach the Claw. The ship's shields on the edge of giving out, barely withstood the force of the impact, it sending the crew flying from there chairs and the ship hurling out of control. The bunny at the helm was the first to regain her station, one paw holding a cut on her forehead as she quickly corrected the ship's attitude. The viewer came to rest on the gutted hull of the once mighty star destroyer, the bridge crew thrusting up a cheer as the dark wolf at tactical howled out in victory.

The merriment was short lived as the com system crackled to life with the cargo ship calling for help, The shock wave had been to much for there crippled ship. The captain of the slave ship had just ejected with the last of his crew, his frantic voice screaming they could not get clear in time. Just as the captain was about to order an extraction the tactical display flashed a warning, the wolf calling out "Captain, 2 more ships closing on our position and the black rock is about to louse containment on there engine core."

The Captain looked back to the viewer as it changed to show the new ships approaching, both pulsar class destroyers. They had nothing left to fight with, Death Blossom had depleted there torpedoes and the energy weapons where still off line. The Captain growled, distain from being forced to retreat, showing in her voice as she ordered " Emergency fly by extraction of the black rock " passengers and crew." She then turned her burning eyes to the helm bunny " the second they are on board emergency jump to star base 86."

"Yes, Captain " The bridge crew chimed in unison. The Crimson Claw sped as fast as possible to the cargo ship, each member of the crew preparing for one of the most dangerous maneuvers a star ship could undertake. An Emergency fly by extraction was something that Teleporter operators trained years for and if they where very lucky, never had to attempt. They would have to teleport all 60 crew members from there life pods and all 200 slaves off the dieing ship wile building up to jump speed. This was extremely dangerous because If the fly by was to fast they would move out of range before everyone could be collected, to slow and the new threat would be on top of them before they where able to reach jump speed.

The Captains eyes never left the tactical display as the ship approached the dieing transport, her commands coming with a growl. "Teleporter room 1, evac the black rock crew from there escape pods directly to medical, Teleporter rooms 2 and 3 evac the passengers ((she refused to call them slaves)) to cargo bays 2 and 3."

The dark wolf at tactical not missing a beat touched his personal com "Tactical Teams to cargo bays 2 & 3, full combat armaments to secure incoming slaves."

The First officer held her finger over the shield control, weighting for the very last second, "5, 4, 3, 2, Now" she called. She dropped the shields as every teleporter on board jumped into action, calling it off as they worked. "10%, 20%, we have the crew Captain, 30%, 60%"

Just then the Tactical officer called out " enemy ships will be in range in 45 seconds"

"70%, 85%,92% " The white tiger continued, her voice tinged with apprehension at the incoming threat.

Just then the 2 enemies dropped in right on top of the Claw, there weapons locking the instant there jump vortex's cleared.

"Jump" the Captain yelled, she could only hope the last few could be saved before the jump drive engaged. The helm bunny stabbed the jump control, time slowing as the vortex formed around the ship. The first enemy shots struck true on there port engine pod just as the engines flashed to leap away, it causing the expanding vortex of energy around the ship to shift from it's normal pure white, to a dark blue just as the ship vanished. The left over vortex energy would normally just fade away, but this time with one, two and then 3 beams of energy from the human ships passing throw it, the vortex collapsed into a ball then exploded in a massive release of energy, vaporizing both destroyers in a blast that would be seen for light years in every direction.

To be continued..