Routine for a Hornet

Alarm bells echo through the steel corridors as Cressey scrambles to his G‑suit, heart pounding in the cramped wardroom of a space station. The crew hustles him toward the “Hornet’s Nest,” a precarious launch platform that looks more like a grotesque parasite perched on twin silver needles. In this moment, the line between fear and preparation blurs, and every breath feels like a countdown.

The Hornet is a one‑way interceptor, a lightweight “computer” that carries two sleek Stinger missiles—thin, gleaming pencils of death meant for a single, desperate strike. With fuel gauges flickering and the mission briefed by the sardonic Captain Mackley, Cressey knows his life hinges on a fragile piece of equipment and a gamble against an unprepared alien force. The stakes are high: the Outspacers have caught humanity off guard, and these expendable pilots are the only line of defense.

As the canopy seals and the launch sequence initiates, Cressey confronts the stark reality of a mission designed for no return. The tension of the unknown enemy, the fragility of his craft, and the weight of being a human “computer” combine into a breath‑holding plunge into the void, where every decision could mean the difference between survival and oblivion.