Operation Darkness: Capital Punishment
by Brad Corletti

I saw the immense Vong warship hanging in space between my home and me.

"Well, at least it's only one."

I armed my proton torpedoes and adjusted my course. I locked the Vong 
warship into my targetting computer.

"You're not going to *engage* a capital ship in this thing, are you?" Mike 
asked.

"Of course I am. This thing is *designed* to engage capital ships. Plus, I 
have a plan."

Sci was whispering his ghostly words. He told me that capital ship combat 
was one area the New Republic actually had the edge. Perfect.

I began my assault.

"Brad, I've been analysing the warship, and it looks like this is the 
weakpoint," he said, drawing a box around a component of the warship on the 
networked VDU.

"Got it."

I was in maximum range now. Even if the warship turned tail and ran, my 
torps had enough fuel and enough velocity to catch it. I held off. I didn't 
want them shot down by point defence batteries that easily.

I got closer.

Closer.

Now!

I pulled the trigger and sent first two, then four, then all of my 
torpedoes flashing across the void. The warheads armed.

I took a deep breath, and focused. I opened my eyes, and saw the warship as 
a thing of living energy. The entire warship was alive! But I had my 
mission. That warship must die.

I remembered the small fightercraft, and their weakness. I focused my 
attention on the electrical arcs surrounding the capital ship. I magnified 
them. I made them go wild.

On visible sensors, a storm of electrical energy engulfed the warship. 
Black holes erupted everywhere, devouring the energy. But the black holes 
began shrinking, slowing, and then my torpedoes flashed into the maelstrom.

The explosions tore the Vong ship in half. We were home free.