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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tun Kai Poh" data-source="post: 8467909" data-attributes="member: 6761960">Musical ChairsStrike Captain Bannon has been on the Hannibal for 30 minutes and she still hasn't managed to take back command of her fleet. Struggling in her emergency vacsuit, she claws her way up a maintenance ladder-shaft. Above her is E3 Nilsson, a deckhand who met her in the damaged mech bay where she landed. Below her are two more deckhands, bringing up the rear with the precious NHP casket from the Shaka Zulu.A burst of static, and then the voice of Aelita echoes in her helmet: "Strike Captain, you should not be moving around inside the maintenance shaft.""Well, it's about time you replied! The lift was out! We need to get up to the bridge as fast as possible. No, wait - get me a fleet legion linkup with the other captains!""I'm afraid that will be challenging," replies the diminished fleet legion. "This ship is under a severe ontological attack. Escort command network is down, and we are experiencing infrastructural crashes.""Just patch me to the bridge! This is a fleet command override order!"A limited mini-display pops up, showing the brutal dance of carriers and dreadnoughts, all pivoting around the Hannibal. The painful sight of the debris fields marked "Shaka Zulu" and "Titania" burns her soul."Give me Fleet Comms.""Yes, sir.""This is Strike Captain Bannon, I am safely aboard the Hannibal and I will be raising my flag as fleet commander here."A condescending chuckle. It's Strike Captain Gopalakrishnan. "With all due respect, Strike Captain, we have the matter in hand.""I don't care what you think, Strike Captain," she hisses back at him. "The Directorate put me in charge here -"Aelita puts up a warning pop-up. Another Armory carrier is entering from nearlight. The PCV-GC Ching Shih is here now, its launch ports catapulting squadrons of mounted Sherman chassis into the battlespace."There! Now we have the forces to finish this fight!"Captain Ashanti breaks in on the channel, sounding distressed. "Strike Captain Bannon, sir, you have to get back to the mech bay! We have enemy boarding parties crawling all over your sector!"Seconds later, a burst of gunfire shreds E3 Nilsson, spraying his blood all over Bannon.An armoured marine lurks in the shaft above - and the outlines of more behind her."Good morning, y'all," chirps the marine. "I am Lieutenant Park of the 120th Mirrorsmoke Detachment, and you are now my prisoners!"Bannon freezes, uncomprehending. How has it come to this?Over the fleet legion channel, Gopalakrishnan can be heard telling Ashanti that he is taking command once more.If Aelita could throw her hands up in frustration, she would. "For Ra's sake, we might as well be playing musical chairs."Next: Last lifeboat</blockquote>

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