[b]Anuria Orbit[/b]
[i]Cherubim Class Carrier “Second Light”
Bridge[/i]

Admiral Lagare was a damn cheerful mood. Even when her top ranking SIF trooper was downed. She still managed something that nobody before her could. Even now 2 Large Boarding Vessels were returning with the spoils of war. The most important one carried not only Ashtar shielding technology, but also 2 live Ashtar. The buggers were notoriously hard to kill and even harder to capture. It was very apparent that most Ashtar preferred suicide over getting captured. Something Helen would never understand. She loved living too much. Especially now.

But all that changed with a single sound. Static. Her head snapped towards the holo-table. The familiar FTL static was all over the place. Consuming her Thrones and several other ships. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, when then one of her operators said some very dire words.
“Thrones reporting sub light engine damage. Both lost 80% speed.”
“What!? Get me a status update. Now!” She yelled for the entire bridge.
It was obvious something went horribly wrong. The 3D static began to clear up slowly but surely. In its wake it left the debris of 2 Virtues and a Dominion Cruiser. But admiral Lagare cared not for that. The Ashtar Technology could easily pay those back. What made her scream in maddening anger was the complete disappearance of the Ashtar Cruiser.
“Where is the god damn cruiser!” She shrieked in her bridge.
“Virtues visually confirming that the cruiser is gone.” One operator stated.
“I can see that! Where did it go! Did it jump!?”
“No DSBB signal ma’am.”
“Admiral…Virtues reported a bright blue flash. Considering the damage, the captains suspect that…the Ashtar destroyed themselves.”
The news came to the admiral like an unexpected right hook. For a moment she stood there. Dumbfounded. Even with the 3 tactical stimulant pills her brain could not or would not process the news. But when it did, she moved with the cold fury only a woman can have. She went towards her desk, with her face like a mask. But once she was near it, she screamed and yelled. With both her arms she sweeped the desk. Launching screens, holo-tablets, papers, a desk lamp and several pens into the air. Only her coffee cup remained. Which she grabbed and launched at the counter. Shattering both the cup and damaging the counter board. It took her a few seconds to find her composure again.
“Call Seraphim-command. Tell them to hold back on second Cherubim fleet for support. But do inform them that we will hot jump towards The Observer.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Get all remaining Boarding Vessels and X-3 back in the hangar.”

Her fate was sealed. She would have to face the Anurian Echelon board. Echelon boards were installed as director oversight for military actions. A single planet battle should normally only have an Echelon 5 level. Echelon 4 meant that the entire system was a battle zone. Which wasn’t entirely true for Anuria considering most combat was done in orbit or on the surface. Not on any other planet nearby. Echelon 3 boards were created when the concerned area is about as big as a cluster of stars. Echelon 2 boards were only used when fighting an empire larger than a few clusters. Which often meant it was very expensive. Never the less, the constant fighting, the involvement of the Ashtar and that of a few other factions meant that Anuria deserved an Echelon 2 board. Who were notorious for their cold numbers and statistics. Many High-Admirals and Admirals have found themselves stripped of their position because a battle’s cost was too high. Now Miss Lagare feared the same might happen to her. Not because of a too high cost, but because she let slip a priced trophy.