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The Battle of
Altorus
“Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” Iluvar ordered as he stood before the replicator. The dispenser was illuminated as the steaming cup of tea materialized before him. He lifted it from the tray and took a brief whiff while glancing out the large viewports of his ready room at the stars outside. =^= Bridge to Commodore Iluvar =^= the voice of Commander Earlond, the Tethys’ chief tactical officer called. “Iluvar here,” the commodore replied, “What is it Mr. Earlond?” =^= We’re receiving a distress call from inside Elyshan space. It appears to be text only, sir, =^= Earlond replied =^= From Ambassador Ocal. =^= Iluvar paused, cup halfway to his mouth, before slowly lowering it to the saucer. Immediately, he got to his feet and started for his desk. “Route it here, commander,” he ordered, taking a seat and placing his tea to one side. Iluvar activated his desktop terminal and the message began to scroll across for him to read. It took only a few moments to digest the information. =^= <i>This is Ambassador Mordred Ocal, commanding officer of the USS Frontier. I have escaped Elyshan custody and am being pursued by numerous vessels. Immediate assistance required. Rendezvous in the Altorus system. Do not cross border.</i> =^= Iluvar knew that Earlond was waiting to hear what his orders might be. If it was a trap, it was quite an elaborate one…and for what purpose? If not, then it was vital that they respond immediately. The commodore tapped his terminal again, entered a few commands, and watched as the latest long range sensor report appeared on the screen. Three starships were marked within range: the Tigris, the Tizona, and the Carthage. Already, it was clear that the Tigris and the Carthage had altered their course to proceed to the Altorus system, but the Tizona remained on its patrol, maintaining course and speed. “Mr. Earlond, has the Tizona received this message,” Iluvar asked. There was a brief pause before Earlond replied, =^= Confirmed that they have, sir. =^= Iluvar frowned. Why would the Tizona maintain her patrol along the border and not respond to such a distress call? It didn’t make sense, unless there was something else going on. “Set course for Altorus, maximum warp,” Iluvar ordered, working his computer again. =^= Aye sir =^= Earlond replied. Outside the viewports, the stars rotated slightly before stretching into streaks of light as the ship’s engines pushed her well past the speed of light. Iluvar was focused on his computer screen. He had a call to make.
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