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Whole planets razed and left bare, others annihilated in one swift firing of a ZWC, more split apart by the ferocious beams of the ministations. Massive fleets of hundreds of cold, unthinking, merciless warships of all sizes filled Kobialkan space.

It was the beginning of the end for the KCC.

"Sir, we're picking up subspace distortions congruent with Alcubierre fields."

"Detach a fleet, we need to finish cleaning up here."

"Aye, sir."

"The KCC has been effectively eradicated, ma'am."

"Good, good... Resume the conquest of the Milky Way."

"Ma'am?"

"Do it."

Comms: Sir, incoming transmission from Marcus Broadcasting.

Kobialka: "Put it up front."

Comms: Yessir.

Marcus: My God, Kobialka, we've lost everything! I told you this would happen! Our intel on the size of the Hexalani empire was incomplete! You and that farm boy from the Yod 7 Agricultural Administration are traitorous little-

Kobialka: "Save it, Marcus. We may have lost everything but maybe this is a good thing."

Marcus: The hell are you going on about?

Kobialka: "We've been pushing for extra-galactic exploration for 200 years but the other corporations never allowed it. They said it was too expensive. Now that they are out of the picture, not only are the security council corporations in control of everything, we have an entire new galaxy to colonize. Think that over and call back when you aren't being an ass. Engineering!"

Engineering: Yes, captain?

Kobialka: Take the 20 astronomical units into the Nebula 5,000 light years from our position.

Comms: Communicating orders with the fleet, sir.

Engineering: Powering up A-Drive sir.

Comms: Captain Marcus doesn't think you are in any position to give orders.

Kobialka: I'm sick of people telling me what I can't do today. Tell him that under Article 18, paragraph... um... 7... of the constitution, the military industrial complex is to take control of all fleets in the event of an emergency on a Galactic scale, and that until we take back our territory in the Milky Way, this is an emergency on galactic scale.

Comms: Yes sir.

Kobialka: Oh! Scratch that last bit. Tell him I'll surrender control of the fleets when we all three have decided together that we are no longer in an emergency of galactic scale.

Comms: He's responded. His fleet is ready when we are. Yod 7 Agriculture has already arrived in the nebula.

Kobialka: Then get us the hell out of here, engineering.

Engineering: Coordinates locked in. A-Drive activation in 3... 2... 1... Done. Fusion engines at half power... Moving to intercept with Yod 7.

Comms: Marcus' fleet just warped in. He's moving to intercept with Yod 7.

Kobialka: We sit here until I decide what to do next.

Engineering: Captain, I think we may have a potential problem.

Kobialka IV: what is it?

Engineering: We're leaving pretty large signatures that could lead be easily tracked, based on what we know of Hexelani tech.

Kobialka IV: I don't want to hear it unless you have a solution, corporal.

Engineering: We have a solution sir, but we're not sure the crew will like it.

*Kobialka IV clicks to the engineering channel on his headset and turns off the bridge intercomms: Continue.

Engineering: No scanning tech can pick up a signature inside a black hole. So we think we could use the alcubierre drive to move us into, and then out of the black hole at the center of the galaxy, effectively stopping our trail short at the black hole.

Kobialka: Warping leaves a straight signature from the entrance point to the exit point no matter what kinds of maneuvers you make. Taking us into a black hole would do nothing. If they find our entrance point, they will find our exit point.

Engineering: Taking us into the black hole wasn't the part I thought the crew wouldn't be okay with sir.

Kobialka: What's the rest of your plan?

Engineering: We'd have to exit inside the black hole, create a new entrance, and warp out.

Kobialka: Wouldn't that crush every ship in the fleet?

Engineering: We aren't certain. We don't have to make it to the singularity, we only have to go slightly beyond the point where signals can't escape, the part where light is pulled in. Theoretically, black holes don't stop there. Those forces are still incomprehensibly large, though. Anyways, if I set the computer to create an entrance a millionth of a second, the fastest we can get it to work, after exiting into the black hole, we could survive. Could. I could increase our chances of survival by reversing the gravity generators to push outward on the ships hull. I can't get it to match the crushing force of the black hole's gravity but it's something. If you put on your seatbelts so you don't splatter against the ceiling, I could set set the gravity generators to 12 Gs for as long as we're inside the black hole. Not long enough to kill you. Again that's nothing but it may increase our chances of survival.

Kobialka: Fleet: Brace for evasive maneuvers. Engineering, If there's any other way I'd like to hear it right now.

Engineering: With respect, sir, we already tried diplomacy.

Kobialka: Alright prepare to do this on my command. Kelly, give engineering control of the A-Drives of the entire fleet.

Comms: Sending request... Control granted. Marcus already wants to know what you're doing.

Kobialka: Engineering: Go.

Engineering: Coordinates locked in... 3... 2... 1...

Darkness.

Blinding light. Kobialka IV was on his back staring up at a blinding light. He slowly sat up. His vision was blurry and his head was pounding. Someone grabbed his face and shined a flashlight in his eyes.

Not... helping...

"Captain, good morning, you've been out for about an hour."

Kobialka's vision began to clear. It was Doctor... what's his face...

Doctor: Been busy down here. Half the crew was unconscious. Well, that's a lie. Everyone was unconscious.

Kobialka IV: You have blood on your nose.

Doctor: So do you. Everyone probably has one, and a concussion. Nothing I can't fix with the medication I have on board though. Other ships have reported similar, but we didn't lose a single ship. I don't know what happened...

Kobialka IV: Any casualties?

Doctor: 42 so far. a fifth of the crew is still... asleep.

42. That was a good number for a ship of a thousand... At least after what they had just pulled off.

"Huh."

"What is it?"

"We aren't picking up any new emissions."

"Then they must've stopped."

"We aren't picking up any ships either, not even debris."

"What?"

"Hold on, there's a blackhole near their last known location."

"You don't think..."

"It's the only explanation. Good riddance. Let's get back to the Milky Way."

"Right then."