Chapter 8.2 - Englene Station

To Alaya, "If I fall, take the gun and give it to someone else to use. Help is coming. We just have to keep them off of us!"

Corbin aims again at the wounded zealot.

Douklan keeps firing until the situation changes.

With their movements sharp and practiced, Mercer and Douklan cut through the pressing zealots like a storm. Mercer’s stun baton crackled with every strike, each blow sending another zealot twitching to the ground. He sidestepped a clumsy swing from one zealot wielding a wrench, retaliating with a clean strike to the man’s torso. The zealot gasped and collapsed, the baton’s electric discharge leaving him momentarily incapacitated.

Beside him, Douklan fired two precise shots from his stun pistol. Each bolt found its mark, dropping two zealots before they could close the distance. A third zealot lunged at Douklan, but he deftly ducked beneath the attack, sweeping his baton upward to knock the attacker off-balance. A quick shot from the pistol finished the job.

The momentum shifted. The zealots began hesitating, their fervor waning as they saw their comrades falling one by one. At the back of the fray, the crimson-robed Inquisitor raised his voice, his tone sharp and commanding.

"Fall back!" he ordered, his words carrying over the din of battle. "Regroup and prepare for judgment! Let them think they have won, for now! The Angels will know about this!"

The other zealots exchanged uncertain glances before retreating, pulling their wounded and following the Inquisitor’s lead.

Soon, the mob began to disperse around them while Mercer lowered his baton, its electric hum fading.

---

Meanwhile, Hank and Corbin stood their ground, grim determination etched on their faces as the zealots pushed closer. The Stellar Express workers crouched low behind makeshift cover, their fear barely contained as Alaya clutched the baton like a lifeline. Erin’s pistol cracked intermittently, her shots keeping the mob at bay but doing little to thin their numbers.

Then, a shout echoed down the corridor, cutting through the noise.

"Reinforcements arrived!" Mercer’s voice rang out, clear and loud.

Not a moment too soon, Mercer and Douklan emerged from the chaos, weapons at the ready. Mercer moved with precision, his stun baton humming as he swung it into the side of a charging zealot. The impact sent the man sprawling to the floor, unconscious. Pivoting smoothly, Mercer ducked under a swing from another zealot before jabbing his baton into the attacker’s midsection, dropping him instantly.

Meanwhile, Douklan provided cover fire with his stun pistol, each shot forcing the mob to scatter and hesitate. One zealot fell as Douklan’s aim found its mark, while the rest faltered, their momentum broken by the sudden, coordinated assault.

"Fall back! Now!" Douklan barked, waving the group of workers toward the corridor behind him.

Hank and Corbin moved to herd the workers, with Erin helping Alaya steady one of the injured as they retreated. Mercer and Douklan covered their exit, their teamwork keeping the zealots from regaining the upper hand.

As the group rounded the final bend, the Celestial Voyager came into view. The ship’s ramp was lowered, and a squad of armored personnel stood ready, stun rifles and grenades at hand. Captain Valeria stood at the forefront, her sharp eyes scanning the corridor.

"Move it!" she called, motioning for the group to close the distance.

The crew and workers sprinted the final stretch, the armored squad covering their retreat with practiced precision. As the last of them reached the ramp, Valeria stepped aside to let the group pass before signaling her team.

"Inside! Cover fire until the ramp’s secure!"

The zealots didn’t dare press their attack against the heavily armed squad, their fervor finally dampened by superior firepower. As the ramp groaned and began to close, the squad fell back inside, keeping their weapons trained on the corridor until the heavy door slammed shut with a final clang.

Inside, the air was thick with tension and the smell of ozone from discharged weapons. Valeria turned to the exhausted group, her gaze lingering on Hank, Corbin, Erin, Mercer and Douklan.

"Good work out there," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos they’d just escaped. "Let’s debrief and figure out our next steps. For now, everyone take a moment to catch your breath. You’ve earned it."

Erin slumped against the bulkhead, exhaling a shaky breath. "You sure know how to throw a welcome party, Captain."

Valeria’s lips quirked into a faint smirk. "Stick with me, and you’ll see worse."

Captain Valeria Zaytsev and her senior crew members gathered in the meeting room after their rescue operation. Hank, Corbin, Erin, Douklan, Mercer and Maya were there.

The dimmed lights of the ship’s interior cast sharp shadows on Alaya Chen's haggard face, her injuries hastily treated and her Stellar Express uniform streaked with soot and dried blood. But her voice was steady, honed by years of navigating Stellar Express's labyrinthine political battles.

"First," she began, her voice steady but tinged with genuine emotion, "I want to thank you all. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up. My people probably owe you their lives, and so do I." Her eyes swept over the crew—Corbin, Erin, Hank, Mercer, and Douklan—before returning to Valeria. "You didn’t have to risk yourselves for us, but you did. That’s not something I’ll forget."

The crew exchanged glances, and Valeria gave a slight nod, acknowledging the thanks without breaking her composed demeanor towards the manager.

So Alaya sat forward, her tone shifting to something more pragmatic. "That said, the situation we’re in now... it’s bigger than all of us. The Heaven’s Wing wasn’t just a ship. It was state-of-the-art, a prototype like nothing else out there. The kind of thing that could tip the balance of power in this sector. And now it is gone. The Church won’t let us investigate—they’ve practically forbidden it under their divine mandate nonsense. They’re splitting into factions faster than a corporate merger gone bad. The Ascensionists are calling this a cosmic miracle and are busy lighting candles and blaming everyone else, while the Pragmatists—what’s left of them—are trying to piece together what actually happened by checking their own records. Either way, no official investigation is coming. Not from them, not from us. The job that you took is canceled."

The crew exchanged uneasy glances. Erin leaned back in her chair, her sharp eyes narrowing, while Hank, his ankle hastily bandaged, shifted uncomfortably, grimacing as he adjusted his leg. Mercer and Douklan stood quietly at the back, their expressions unreadable.

Alaya continued, her words cutting through the tension. "Unofficially, I think separatists from the Draco system are behind this. Their rebels have a track record of exploiting chaos like this—big, flashy grabs that destabilize entire systems. And considering how conveniently the Revelation Choir seemed to know when to move... well, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were in on it."

Captain Zaytsev’s eyes didn’t waver. "You’re saying this was orchestrated."

"Exactly. The Choir provides the cover—the perfect distraction with all this talk of angelic mandates—and the Draco rebels take the ship for their own ends. Stellar Express’ Corporate Intelligence suspected the Separatists were ramping up operations near the outer platforms here, but we didn’t think they’d move on something this big."

Alaya’s eyes flicked to the holomap projected between them, its glowing lines tracing shipping lanes and orbit patterns. She gestured, and the image shifted to a sparse, unmarked sector of deep space. "If I’m right, they’ll hole up somewhere out here." - she said, pointing towards sector 02.07, an uninhabited red giant star in a jump-3 distance from their current location.

"A platform, maybe a stealth depot. Stellar Express has no official capacity to pursue them, and, after your refit, we’re pulling out of Englene Station entirely. Between the riots and the Church’s... let’s call it 'displeasure,' this station is a lost cause."

Valeria’s lips pressed into a hard line. "You’re abandoning the station?"

"Officially? Yes," Alaya replied, her voice cool but her eyes gleaming with implication. "It’s too hot. Not worth the lawsuits or the PR fallout. But unofficially..." She leaned forward, the faintest hint of a smile playing at her lips. "If someone were to find the Heaven’s Wing, Stellar Express wouldn’t be opposed to recognizing their claim and trading with them."

Erin let out a low whistle, thinking about what Alaya said. They could reclaim an advanced starship for themselves. "And the Church?" - she asked

Alaya’s smile faded. "They won’t recognize it. In fact, they’ll come after you with everything they’ve got. The Ascensionists will see you as heretics defiling a divine relic. The Pragmatists might see you as thieves undermining station security and their private property. Either way, you’ll make powerful enemies. But let’s be honest—you’ve already made some today." She gestured vaguely at Hank’s feet and the soot still smeared across Corbin’s armor. "What’s a few more?"

Valeria folded her arms, her mind clearly racing. "We’re already on borrowed time. Once the refit is done, we’ll need to leave before the Inquisitors start asking inconvenient questions."

"Exactly," Alaya said, nodding. "My lawyers are stalling as best they can, but after the refits you’ve maybe got a day, two at most, before the Church stops tolerating your presence here. If you’re smart, you’ll cut your losses, take my gratitude, and get out."

Erin raised an eyebrow. "And if we’re not smart?"

Alaya chuckled dryly. "Then you’ll be greedy or heroic. But somehow, I don’t think ‘smart’ has much to do with it for you lot. You wouldn’t have pulled that rescue if it did. Officially, Stellar Express is giving up on the ship. Too much heat, too much politics. But unofficially..." She let the suggestion once again hang in the air, her sharp eyes flicking to Valeria. "You have an opportunity here. The ship’s yours—if you can take it."

"If someone were to take this on, we’ll need more than vague coordinates and a pat on the back from Stellar Express." - answered the captain.

"Of course," Alaya said smoothly. "I can provide intelligence, weapons, armor, supplies, hitch you a ride inside one of our frigates, and even give you the names of a few... unofficial allies who might be able to help. For a small fee and off the record, naturally."

Silence fell over the room as Valeria and the crew considered it. The crew watched her, waiting for the call. Finally, she straightened, the steel in her gaze matching the resolve in her voice.

"No," Valeria said, the word heavy in the quiet room. "I can’t risk it."

The crew stirred, exchanging glances. Erin leaned forward, her expression uncharacteristically urgent.

"Captain—Valeria—we can’t just let this go. The Heaven’s Wing is out there, and if Alaya’s right, someone’s going to use it for something far worse than making headlines."

"I understand the stakes," Valeria replied, her voice calm but resolute. "But my responsibilities have grown beyond this ship and crew. If I’m to succeed in aiding the ITC, its growth, its democratic reforms and fulfilling my new role as planetary governor, I can’t risk openly defying the Church, any elected officials or their authority."

Erin’s jaw tightened. "Then let me take it."

The room fell silent. All eyes turned to Erin as she stood, hands planted on the table. "I’ll resign my job here if I have to. This isn’t about orders or side missions anymore—it’s about doing what’s right. The Revelation Choir and the Draco rebels stole that ship, and you know they’re planning something dangerous. I can’t just walk away."

Valeria’s gaze softened, but she didn’t speak.

"I’m not asking you to take the risk or believe in it, Captain," Erin pressed. "I am just asking you to let me go. I’ll take whoever’s willing with me, but I won’t give up on this."

Maya was the first to speak. The doctor, leaning against the wall, crossed her arms and nodded once. "If you’re going, I’m in. I will resign from my position as medical officer in the Celestial Voyager as well. Wherever this takes us, I’m not sitting it out."

Erin’s breath caught as her eyes swept the room, searching for answers in the faces of the rest of the crew there. She hadn’t realized until that moment just how much she needed their support—how much she needed them to stand with her.

I think this opportunity is too incredible to pass up. But also, we can't let some power-hungry zealots take control by stealing a ship. I think ...
I think a leave of absence for some members of this crew may be in order. For a few days to a week.
Captain, you can stay away from all this, which I think is fair considering your upcoming responsibilities. I can certainly make it clear to anyone looking into it that we are on a leave of absence. A few words here and there in bars where the Church has informants, or at least places where some of their informants frequent, should do it.

"We are in the market for a ship," Douklan muses, "And I would deeply relish sticking it to those Revelation Choir nutjobs. But at the same time, going up against people equipped with that powerful a flagship is a tall order. I'd like to get a better sense of if it's even logistically possible before I commit."

"This sounds like a bit of a crusade, but I've made my position clear, I'm in the market for a ship and I'm not willing to settle a new planet without a way off. Also, not a big fan of Zealots or rebels. I'm in for the gamble of grabbing this ship."

"If you wanna go for it, I will put you in contact with Stellar Express Corporate Intelligence. Their official purpose is to gather knowledge about rival corporations and protect us from industrial theft. Suffice to say, that's not the only activity that they can do. In this case, they can get you there with one of our starships. After that, it's up to you." - answered Alaya

Hank stands up, as best he can, and says, "Captain ... Valeria, you gave me an opportunity when I was at my lowest and running out of chances. You showed me I can do things that I never knew I could do. Gave me the chance to be the first officer. I know I can never repay that; I can only thank you for that.

"But I can't pass up on this opportunity. The next part of your life has already started. I now have to prepare for the next part of mine. And this is the best opportunity I see to do that. It is disappointing that we must resign to do this, but that is what I will do to take this chance."

"I understand" - the Captain answered Hank, while Alaya waited expectantly for Douklan’s answer or further questions.

"Thank you."

I will coordinate transportation and storage of our goods that are still on the CV.

Hank sells off all remaining trade goods with any connections Alaya can provide. He negotiates with the Captain to fully equip everyone in the party from the Armory and Ship's Locker, paying for all they take. If the Captain can't allow that for political reasons, he will instead work with Alaya to accomplish the same goal. Either way, they will use their funds to pay list prices to fully equip themselves for their mission. (We can specify the full kit in a follow-up post.) We also pack all of our personal items and effects to prepare for our mission. We will again work with Alaya for proper storage so they can be reclaimed when we finish the mission.

This likely takes a couple days to work through, after which we will be ready to embark on the adventure!

(I am assuming that Douklan will also buy-in to the mission. As it is, Mercer, Corbin, Hank, Erin, and Maya (and RB!) all appear to be in.)