I am Vivilanna of the Harvalinir, Sister of The Questing Fleet. I never expected I would end this way.

Separated from my people, I have served the Suthiinai in various capacities - a protector for the "companions" of their demi-god ruler, Gorygarn; a special agent for Tri-Planetary Alliance Intelligence... I've even done some unofficial work for a group calling themselves "Reality Defence", which I'm sure Lord Gorygarn at least knew about - but none of that is going to matter, in maybe no more than nine minutes.

I was running "special support operations" along the void-side border of Mutual Defence Imperative space, monitoring the activities of what's left of their renegade "dark operations" division, the Vaggtshaersken, when something came blazing in from under-space; a creature of some kind, like nothing I've ever seen before. My ship had only seconds to try and analyse it before the unknown's energy wake fried my systems, and left me drifting. I've been trying to bring things back online ever since, but it's not looking good.

I have enough power to send out a distress signal, and hope someone friendly is the first to pick it up, but the odds don't exactly favour me. The communications traffic I've been listening in on suggests that this area is crawling with hostiles - Narthani forces, loyal to the renegade faction; beings who are either members of "The Pandemonicum", or members of races now allied to them. By the time friendly forces reach me, there's a very good chance I and my ship will be vaporised wreckage. If I'm lucky.

To be honest, I'd welcome a fight to the finish. My people may be explorers, adventurers, but we've never been afraid of combat. Death is, we're told almost from birth, "the last great adventure" - that's why the old folk choose to head out into space, and maybe discover something new and wonderful with their last reserves of energy, those last few beats of their faltering hearts. Unfortunately for me, that option isn't open to me, as I can't even divert power to the escape systems, and launch an evacuation pod. Curse this: I can't even attempt to ram an enemy ship, hurt them before they can finish me off.

The only way out seems clear now. I'll put the last of my power into a distress signal, and hope the enemy receive it. When they do, I'm hoping they'll board my ship, and give me the honour of one last fight - I'll take as many of them with me as I can, and if The Gods are impressed, they may even let me win...

Hold on, what's this? The sensor array is all but on the path to The Ancestors, but it is reading something on an approach vector. Propulsion, energy signature, all unknown - I suppose this is it...

"Attention, unknown vessel - your condition has been detected and recorded. Do you require assistance?"

That's not a normal comms-feed. The sound isn't coming through any equipment - it just... I don't know how to describe it. It's almost as though the air itself is talking.

"Who... who are you?"

"Non-hostile. Your vessel has been identified - alignment: Tri-Planetary Alliance, subset Suthiinai, sub-category Allied. Please stand by for recovery."

"That's not good enough. I'm grateful for the assistance, but I have to know your identity. Please clarify..."

"Unit designation irrelevant, but direct information query has been received. Complying. Unit assigned to investigate this sector is designated Counter/Strike One."

Counter/Strike One? This is new - I've heard of "Over/Strike", some kind of army of giant robots the Confederacy built, but this...?

I may be on the verge of death, but I am still an Adventurer, bound by honour to explore the unknown, and this definitely fits that description. I just have to know.

"Received and understood, Counter/Strike One. Do you wish to dock, or engage a towing beam...?"

"Negative. Prepare for vector-dilation transit. Quantum suspension commencing..."

Recording terminated.

...to be continued.