"Kovah. No."
Soah was just about ready to throw her desk into her Lieutenant's face; especially when she looked so proud of herself.
Like ramming the SRN Ytineres - a warship with weapon systems empty of all ammunition - into the Meiyaem, a cruiser loaded with planet-destroying munitions, was remotely a good idea. "Your plan would kill us all."
"Yes, but you have to admit, it would be awesome."
For a second, all was silent.
Kovah was still staring at Soah with the proud grin of someone who thought they'd just devised the best battleplan in the history of warfare.
Soah was still staring at Kovah like the woman was the dumbest Lieutenant she had ever been paired with.
"We can't ram the Ytineres into the Meiyaem-"
"WE VERY MUCH CAN!"
Another moment of tense silence.
Then, "We can just Leap away..." Soah gestured at the ship's navigational controls, the system designed to fold space and evade combat entirely.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR ERKHINA GLORY!?! OUR ALAHAM?! OUR ANCESTORS DIDN'T FLEE FROM A FIGHT!"
Both Soah and Kovah were descendants of the ancient Erkhina warrior people, who believed in Alaham - a Palace of the Afterlife, where those who fought gloriously would go after death. Those who didn't were said to be banished to the Dungeons of the Afterlife and scorned as "Morgies," which was a popular Syriulian insult - although only now had Kovah ever brought up anything about their lineage.
"...that was because they burned their boats, so the soldiers would fight with the fact that they couldn't surrender..."
"I'LL RIP OUT THE DAMN LEAPER!"
"NO YOU WON'T YOU MORGIE!"
"YOU CAN'T STOP MEEEE!"