Stardate: 17915.2237

And so ends the stream of the TSN Hydra. No second chances. Her black box was recovered and a radiation cloud lingers. May her particles drift in the vastness of space forever. Better than the pirates boarding and capturing her…but still.

It’s only been a few days, but as Humans might say, everything has gone to below the earth, in a breadbasket. Something like that.
Simulations were par for the course yesterday. As usual. We have an armada at our doorstep and we seem to do more training then I had at the Academy? But perhaps it’s for the best. Somehow, the Pirate alliance has managed to bring in more ships, take over our old stations and mine the area in record time. Like waves still crashing about the shore after a tsunami.

We had one job yesterday. Head back into our old sectors and destroy a transport convoy. Four ships. Seemed a perfect dive, if we became like the Terran Barracuda, instead of the Shark.
In fact it was, for the first sector. The division managed to make good use positioning and only had to deal with a few patrols, and strangely enough a Caltron once again just…observing? We avoided the main force, and headed to the next sector.
We arrived to see an entire minefield keeping us from a direct run. I was only too happy to see Fulvus back on Weapons, as I took Science. We had to find a pin in a clothes-stack, as the Human expression might go. Nothing but red IFF’s all over sensors.
So, we went around the minefield, keeping all four ships together. Sensors found the three transports behind the seemingly endless waves of alliance ships. In Gregorian, we would call this moment the rising of the bubble, before it bursts. Humans might say something that makes even more sense, the calm before the tempest.
We had one take, to do a hit and swim on them and leave. We did that objective, to the divisions credit, but failed in the execution. Miserably.
For the Hydras part, we did what we usually did…took on enemy ships. On my sensors I saw two of the transports slowly moving away towards the safety of their numerous ships, un-molested. By the time the division had caught upon them, they had made the safety of net. Again though, the division did the job. The transports were taken care of. But our ships were outgunned and outnumbered. We didn’t swim away. The Hydra went down making what I’ve researched to be a Kamikaze mine run the pirate alliance ships. The outcome has already been recorded.
We survivors spent the rest of the mission picked up by the TSN Hawk, and watching our almost routed retreat. The Raven and the Hunter took serious damage, and were almost destroyed themselves.

But they warped their way out, against incredible odds. Still, the price was a tad too deep for such a trivial objective. It had better have been worth it.

End Duty Log.

Personal Log:

Seems I’m going to be recovering in a tank for longer than I thought. Medical just scanned me again; another rupture of my leg cartilage. Note to escape pod designers, add more cushions, perhaps? Actually maybe I need one filled with water, just for myself. Wishful thinking.

The Hydra was a good example of what happens when a ship has a few non-regular bridge officers coming and going. And like a school of fish, it’s not good when individual ones aren’t used to the currents; the whole are then easy prey.

Ever since we returned from Expanse, the Hydra had no serving Helms officer, or Engineer. The Captain…well she’s a busy person it seems. Our XO was basically it most of the time. Lt junior Fulvus pulled double-duty as the Engineer, when he was usually around, and I would take weapons. The three of us were a sight to see as we were a crew. But with two bridge officers never the same person twice, we’d be re-setting our teamwork and co-ordination. Especially a pilot and an engineer, two key roles that need to be in-sync with the Captain.

I am not making excuses though. But to be honest…perhaps I should have been more vocal about retreating, from the view I had at science station. Perhaps, I finally understand what Humans refer to as ‘behind-sight’?

We’re going to hold a quick burial at space ceremony for those who didn’t make it into the escape pods from the Hydra. Afterwards, I’ll be awaiting whatever the currents will flow into, for orders. Perhaps, if I’m fated, I’ll transfer to a new ship.
Whatever happens, I’ll say this for those we lost. Hail Hydra.

End Personal Log.