Board!

At the bow of the ship, in a room full of blank screens, a young woman wearing a heavy plate armor was sitting cross-legged on a leather armchair too big for her. Her hands clung so tightly to the metal handles of her seat that they had been completely distorted like a snake with a twisted neck.

Although she was no taller than five feet and looked more like a teenager than an adult, her cruel smile inspired fear and respect in everyone present. Her hazel eyes, delicate features and long black hair were not enough to counterbalance this impression.

Several high-ranking soldiers shivered with apprehension next to her, but they didn't dare interrupt her pondering. Luckily for them, the young woman was not interested in them, her gaze fixed on an armored window opening directly onto the sidereal void.

Suddenly, a breathless soldier burst into the room covered in blood before collapsing unconscious in front of the young woman and her officers.