Red Alert

After getting back from a little vacation, I am ready to get back into doing some art. I managed to finish this one piece and I am currently working on another. It's been rather busy since I got back so it's been a little difficult to buckle down and get some characters done. I'm rather enjoying being a little more focused in what I'm creating. This world building is fun! 

This next piece brings us back to space. The Outer Worlds are a dangerous place to fly as well. You have pirates, you have the Commonwealth military ready to board and inspect you, and you have strange anomalies ready to tear you apart without a moments notice. If one captains a vessel flying through or bound for the Outer Worlds, then one had to be prepared for anything...

"Here they come"

The red lights pulsated as the alert sounds blared their intent. The intruders cut through the hull a little more than 5 minutes ago. Ahlia knew they were heading for the bridge and poised herself in front of the sealed door. 

"Take the short cut," her navigator said. "It'll knock a whole two weeks off our journey," he said. 

Well, it turned out no one comes through this sector because this is where the pirates' hideout resided. These bandits had caused no shortage of angst in this star system for a while now. From small settlements like Little Bastion to big Space Ports like Atlantis One, these bastards sewed more than their fair share of havoc. 

​And now they're on Ahlia's ship. 

The attack didn't even set off any long range sensors which completely blindsided Ahlia. By the time she noticed something was wrong the hull had already been breached and the outlaws were on board. This didn't mean the captain got caught with her pants down. She had been preparing for just such an occasion. At the first sign of strife, she activated an response automation that sealed off all of the doors within her ship, The Ace, which would funnel them into the direction she would want them to go. Since their first stop would be the bridge anyway, they wouldn't notice they're being funneled. The safety protocols were then disabled so the maintenance hatch that led directly out to the void could be opened even with people in the main pathway. 

After getting her crew locked into the bridge, Ahlia stood outside the door and waited for her guests. She moved forward preparing to put up a fight. All she needed was to buy enough time for the enemy to all make their way into this hall. She would then blow the maintenance hatch and take as many of the assholes out in one swoop as possible. The trick: not get killed as well. 

​A small smiled flirted with the edges of her lips. Ahlia loved a challenge and if she made it to the other side with was going to be one helluva story. However, the moment of musing passed rather quickly as she heard the sounds of boots hitting the metal floor just on the other side of the hallway indicating how close they were. 

​"Here they come..." Ahlia said, to no one in particular.