In a few more seconds, it finally dissipated, leaving their shield down to twenty-eight percent. After that, many Minotaurs on the bridge and throughout the ship sighed in relief; they were finally safe, at least for now.
"Damn," one Minotaur said.
"It's finally over." Another choked on his saliva.
"This... this was just so brutal," he said with lingering fear and dread in his voice. "And that was just one attack," he added, wiping the sweat from his face.
The Minotaur captain's finger shakily pointed at the screen, bewildered. "How... how the hell did our ship's hull structural integrity come down to sixty-one percent when it wasn't even a direct hit on our hull?" he said, his tone one of utter disbelief despite the data.
The display showed the hull's structural damage with many components—though unimportant—inoperable. Some compartments in the front of the ship were even sealed, as they had been breached.
