"All hands, prepare for departure! All personnel, report to your stations immediately! All hands, prepare for departure-"
The announcement rang through the ship, followed by a shrill, urgent alarm that forcibly dragged Xia Ya out of his thoughts. It was Captain Murrue's voice, stripped of its usual composure and calm, her urgency making it almost hoarse. This was not an order to prepare for battle-it was a declaration that the fighting had already begun.
"..."
Hearing the announcement, Xia Ya immediately looked up at the ceiling. The lights flickered in time with the alarm, casting shifting shadows overhead.
"Sorry. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Huh? W-wait!?"
Xia Ya handed the remaining work to a mechanic who happened to be passing by. The young technician took the datapad in bewilderment and opened his mouth to say something, but Xia Ya had already turned and strode toward the hangar deck exit.
His footsteps echoed across the metal floor, each one brisk and urgent. Though he felt sorry for the mechanic he had left with a pile of work, Xia Ya had no room to worry about that now.
His heart pounded in his chest, driven not merely by his running but by some ominous premonition.
That feeling grew stronger and stronger, pressing down on him like the low pressure before a storm until he could barely breathe.
By the time Xia Ya reached the bridge, Jiliang was already there. She must have heard the announcement too and arrived ahead of him. Her long, dark brown hair lay somewhat disheveled over her shoulders after her run, and her amethyst eyes were filled with urgency. Lacus Clyne, Mr. Bartfield, and the others were already seated. A star chart filled the main screen, while dense streams of tactical data scrolled across the secondary screens.