"Sir, we're reporting extensive damage throughout the ship - hydraulics are basically non-responsive, we're down to the last AA battery, and we're only running on a fifth of our power. If they're able to rearm and reinforce, well..."
"Where are our damn escorts!?" the Captain bellowed. An imposing man who seemed cut from a bulkhead, his stature could do little to remedy the situation.
"Sir, I'm afraid they're all out of the fight."
"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck. We're going to need a miracle."
"What if we stopped?"
"What?"
"Well, right now we're a white dot at the end of a long line of smoke and wake. If we stop and focus on defense, we're a heavily armed dot without a big arrow pointing at us."
"And we focus on the engines and getting to a port to refit and repair only at night," the Captain continued the thought. "Alright - full stop. Repair crews to the guns - let's get some prickles on this porcupine. Any extra crew to engines and medical. Everyone else should get some shut-eye - it should be an hour or so until the next wave."
"Aye aye!" the bridge crew responded in near unison, immediately scrambling to their tasks. A moment later, the ship fell silent for the first time in months.
Despite her size, despite her color, she now relied on being an invisible spot in the ocean for her survival. A proud giant in hiding.
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