|
"A full complement of Federation cruisers?" Commander Bomer, one of Zeon's finest leaders, was in the midst of reciving some bad news. His observation units - a pair of Zaku II E's - were headed back towards his fleet at full burn, having noted a large radar signature. Their investigation had unearthed a sizable contingent of enemy ships, on an intercept course. The lead Zaku pilot hesitated for just a moment. "Yes, sir. The sensors recorded at least 4 cruisers, with a sizable number of escort units as well. Mobile pods and suits. They should be close behind us, and will be within range in short order." That gave the Zeon forces little time to prepare, and Bomer knew it. 'Still, some forewarning is better than none, I suppose.' "Very well. Get back here as quickly as possible. I want that sensor data before they arrive." Turning from the comm. unit, Bomer looked over at his XO. "Get everybody ready. We've got minutes, not hours. Full alert." The man knew Bomer well, and ran off to execute his orders without wasting time on a verbal acknowledgement, or salute. "How's the wagon, Sublieutenant?" Rose Caldwell's hazel eyes twinkled slightly, the only sign she was joking. Otherwise, her face was a mask of seriousness. Issac Lon'Dozai returned her serious gaze with one of his own. "While we're on my bridge, there will be no mention of wagons of any kind. Offenders face three days' brig time." The two officers stared each other down, playing a game of chicken with their false expressions, waiting to see who would crack first. In the distance, one new female transfer entered the bridge, got a first look at her captain's steely-eyed gaze, and sighed softly before fainting - the back of one hand pressed to her forehead in the fashion of the southern belles of old. "Grow up, you two," interjected Arturia Basil. She stepped from her chair from the helm, heading over to revive the collapsed crewmember - they were all used to it. She then turned to face the ranking bridge members, and gave them both a stern look of her own. Before long, at the staredown, all three had broken into grins, but their amusement was short-lived. Rhin Mahou cleared her throat once, loudly, as her voice rose to fill the room. "Sir, reports from our mobile pod forces suggest the Zeon targets are approaching within range. They appear to have noticed us somehow, as they are already arrayed in a defensive formation." Issac tapped his chair arm lightly in frustration, but knew he couldn't afford to dwell on it. "Okay, Rhin, give everybody the heads-up. Get them into position. They have their orders already, so just tell everybody to follow them." Rhin nodded, and reached out to switch frequencies to the other ship commanders. Otaktai Lone Wolf rubbed his neck and rolled his head around, trying to ease out the kinks. Yet again, he had been ignored and forgotten by the personnel staff on the Merrimack, and as such he had been forced to bunk in the lounge. Now, he sat in the chair of his mobile suit cockpit, and wondered if it might not be more comfortable to simply catch some sleep in his GM in the evenings. The young man wondered if perhaps this was some bizarre hazing ritual, or a prank being played on him due to his young age. Nearby, in his GM, Cato Goloni fumed. That Issac Lon'Dozai had him outranked bothered him. That Lon'Dozai seemed to believe other pilots in the fleet were his superior infuriated him. He was a ranking officer in the Federation forces, and held in close confidence by Admiral Jamitov. He would show these punks - 'Them AND the damn space natzees. Bastards, all of 'em.' The wandering thoughts of both pilots were quickly brought on-task as klaxons sounded throughout the Salamis Kai. Cato pounded his fist into his hand, and his one good eye seemed almost to burn with excitement. Otaktai simply brought his hands together at the fingertips for a brief moment, and he sent his thoughts out to the stars. 'Another battle! Grandfather, I will do my best to do honor to the warriors of the past. Watch me...' His fingers brushed the pouch at his neck once, then settled above the GM Light Armor's controls. The suit came to life at his touch, and he prepared to once more do battle, both for the sake of the Federation, and the memory of his ancestors. The Musais immediately began their first series of long-range bombardments on the Federation fleet. The two Public-class ships out towards the front of the Fed formation fired their large missile pairs in response. The sizable warheads headed towards the intervening space, but exploded long before they reached the Zeon ships. Instead, clouds of chaff spread quickly into the intervening space, causing the beam weaponry of the Zeon ships to dissipate as if into thin air. A mere handful of shots and physical ordinance made it through. One of the small shuttles was demolished, but the other escaped unscathed, and quickly returned to the main fleet. The Kira Yamato dropped its mobile weapon contingent and retreated to the rear of the formation, instructed to remain out of the fight. Issac nodded at Rhin, and she began issuing commencement orders to the other various factions. The 1st Disco Fleet's mobile weapon contingent launched, and the various pilots immediately began locating their targets and heading off to follow their orders. Darting out first were Rachel Arronax in the GM Juggler, and Issa Kobayashi in the Prototype Gundam. Both pilots had been well-briefed, and were more than prepared for their tasks. Rachel gripped at her controls tightly, trying to manage the warring feelings of anger (at Jamitov), and nervousness (at the feelings of unease she felt) this battle caused her. One thing she did know, after several hard-fought battles, was the she could implicitly trust the pilot next to her, and needed no words for him. Issa said nothing either, knowing just as well the strength and skill Rachel possessed. They both dipped each shoulder slightly as they separated, in wordless salutes to one-another, heading towards their respective targets. Quickly following them, the Saberfish fighters darted from their launching pads, streaking towards the oncoming wave of Gattles that had been launched by the Zeon ships. The Federation pilots were well-trained, and knew their orders. Both lines of jets reached maximum combat distance, and each side let loose a barrage of missiles at the other. Several Gattle pilots breathed their last, as did a pair of green Saberfish stick-jockeys. The Federation soldiers prepared to begin evasive maneuvers, expecting the Zeon forces to wheel about and chase them down from behind. But instead, the red Duchy fighters continued on an attack pattern towards the EFF's waiting capital ships. A handful of the Saberfish pilots began to break off their attack runs and return to defend their rides home, when a squadron-wide announcement came from the ranking Saberfish pilot. "Stay on target." A handful of voiced piped up to protest their orders, but once more their cockpit speakers crackled. "Stay on target." The level baritone snapped everybody back on task, and all fighters returned on intercept paths. Soon enough they were forced to begin juking to and fro to avoid anti-aircraft machinegun fire. But, they had closed to within range, and the pilots began firing off missiles as opportunities presented themselves. A number of explosions detonated upon the hulls of each of the Zeon cruisers. "Report!" Bomer stood strong, even as most of his subordinates had been sent to the floor momentarily by the crashing impacts. In the distance, one ensign's voice sounded clearly. "Our armor should hold fairly well for the time being, sir. Our capital ships will maintain firing capability for some time yet, and can bring more weaponry to bear." The young officer had also managed to maintain his footing. 'Not to mention his wits, it seems,' Bomer thought, as he mentally marked the man for potential advancement. "However," the junior officer continued, "their fighters and mobile suits are fast enough to avoid most of our anti-air. We're outgunned here, sir. Significantly." The ensign spoke the words in a matter-of-fact fashion, but their import was felt throughout the bridge. Before they could think to respond, a loud clap resounded through the room. "Excellent!" Bomer's hands separated, having been the origin of the noise. "They'll be overconfident. We can use that." Showing no sign of fear or nervousness, the Zeon commander stroked one finger along his thin moustache. When he spoke, his voice came through clear and strong, filling the bridge and heartening its inhabitants. "Issue a full frontal assault. We'll teach these fools that only idiots attack head-on, with no defenses." At his words, the Chivvay-class Tannhauser lurched into motion, heading directly at its oncoming foes. The remaining cadre of Zeon ships quickly followed. The Musais began firing continuously at the Federation forces, and even the small Jiccos began emptying their complements of missiles into the fray. The Gattles had already arrived near the Federation line, and began peppering it with potshots - both against the Ball defense forces, and periodically letting loose one at the capital ships. Rachel's eyes closed for just a moment, as she allowed herself to re-orient based on current battlefield conditions. When her vision returned, instead of a dizzying array of crosswise streams originating far above and below her, Rachel stared out at a series of well-defined targets within her new frame of reference. There was no time for thoughts of distaste at battle. Not here, and not now. 'You can worry about that later. For now, just focus on making sure you get to see a later.' Pushing that thought from her mind, she deftly slipped between several rounds from the closest Musai, and pulled the trigger on her beam guns. The shots lanced out into the darkness, impacting against a pair of Gattles in the distance. The twin explosions were oddly saddening, but the young woman shook her head before the feeling could overwhelm her. She was just in time as well, as another salvo from a more distant Zeke ship raced by her GM Juggler. Rachel flipped one arm in a large semicircle, and sighted on the Musai. The motion seemed almost lazy, given the arm's wide arc of motion. The power that burst from the beam gun's muzzle was anything but, however. It cratered the Hannover's weaponry on the underside of the ship, and gave her a moment of safety. 'Just a miner, eh Jamitov? I'll show you...' She scanned her sensors, aligning with the next Musai. With that, she dove back into the firefight, spinning wildly to avoid a salvo from a Gattle. A quick burst of the vulcans was enough to destroy the fighter, and Rachel tapped her thrusters to avoid the blast zone. More targets awaited, and she tamped down on her feelings of nausea as best she could. One final dodge brought another Musai Hellhawk fully within her gun sights, and she pulled the trigger quickly. The blasts struck true, burying into the hull of the Zeon ship. While one simply ignited the aft nicely, the other crashed into the bridge, immolating it and the entirety of the Konigsberg's command staff. Strafing runs by a series of Saberfish furthered the damage, reducing most of that Musai's top level to slag. "She's lost, sir! The Konigsberg's bridge isn't responding!" The news sent a ripple of worried looks across the Tannhauser's command staff. But Bomer's gaze simply turned steely, at the thought of his lost comrades. He pursed his lips for a moment, then stepped towards the helmswoman. "Ensign, we are going to cut straight through the heart of their formation. I want you to put us right above their flagship." "Sir?" She looked at her commander momentarily, but his expression booked no questioning. "Just do it. And make sure we have a couple of Gattles protecting the Konigsberg. I don't care if it's out of the fight, our comrades are still on board!" His staff jumped into action, coordinating a small protection detail as the ensign at the helm began maneuvering the Chivvay-class along its new heading. Most of the crew feared their leader had lost his mind, though a couple seemed to have an idea behind the latest tactic. They all continued with attempts to destroy the Federation's seemingly-impervious new suit, as well as the much more malleable Saberfish - of which there were a bare few remaining. Heedless of its attackers, the old warship's engines pulsed, sending it on its new heading. The air around it was thick with shrapnel, from exploding Saberfish missiles - both ones that connected with its hull, and those that were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns and chaff. The two Zaku IIs dropped into the fray and began skirmishing with the various GMs that passed. They found limited success - managing a quick pair of kills due to the element of surprise - but both quickly began sustaining heavy damage. Meanwhile, Issa grimaced, finding it difficult to make much headway against the constant barrage of fire that kept him from managing firing solutions on the Zeon's flagship. He turned and took down a pair of Gattles, almost out of spite, before returning his attention to the now-moving Chivvay. He realized he would have to be even more careful, as it began to settle fairly close to the Merrimack - some of the Salamis's friendly fire came near to his suit as well. "I can't tell what their commander is thinking... Rose, any ideas?" Issac looked on, perplexed, as the enemy's flagship began to slide above his own. His second-in-command had no answers for him. "Sir, I'm really not sure." Her confused expression mirrored his own. "Maybe he'll try to collect some of his remaining fighter complement and use them to shield him from us?" "Well, whatever. Let him have it - tell the gunners to take care and not hit our pilots, though, please." The Saberfish continued to buzz around the Tannhauser - those that had exhausted their missile supply simply continued to rake it with machinegun fire, breaking off periodically to try and chase down a Gattle that had wandered too close. Issa's Gundam and one remaining GM continued to take potshots at the Zeon flagship in between dodging its AA fire, as well as salvos from the nearby Papua. Rachel was wreaking havoc amidst the Musais, while Cato and the new guy - 'Otakon? Something like that...' - were doing their best to finish their respective targets. Issac simply listened to the damage reports from his forces for a moment, when the Chivvay caught his eye again. "Wait... What the hell is he doing?" "Now, please, Ensign." The calm in Bomer's voice matched his countenance, as the giant Duchy ship began to roll along its horizontal axis. It's lower hemisphere had taken moderate damage, but the Zeon commander knew she could manage. Within moments, his ship was angled perpendicular to the Merrimack, and its twin 3-barrel mega particle cannons rotated so that they both came into a firing position against the Salamis Kai. Even as the Chivvay was savaged by a missile salvo from the Gundam, it locked targeting solutions. Bomer tightened his fingers into a fist. "Fire." Issac froze. "Shit." The Tannhauser's large guns erupted, and their blasts slammed into the Merrimack, gouging the longer ship. The mobile suit launching pad on the deck was torn completely into pieces, and the entirety of the ship's aft weaponry was shredded. The resulting shockwave caught several Ball that had been too close to the blasts, causing them to erupt as well. The ship shook from stem to stern, feeling for a moment as if it might split apart. Issac wondered if that might not happen, even as he was thrown to the floor from his command chair. He tasted copper, and spat out a mouthful of blood. The dollop fell heavily, with a *smack* that would have been gratifying were it not for the accompanying pain. All around him, his crewmembers were in similar disarray. They attempted to gather themselves, but several appeared concussed, and even those in the best condition were staggered. Without the coordination from the flagship, much of the ship defense for the Federation's forces turned to a bit of a mess. As the remaining two Musai Hellhawks closed in, they continued to spray anti-air and missiles at the mobile weaponry. Their mega particle guns, however, cut into the line of pod defenses arrayed in front of the Federation's battleships. Most of the Balls were quickly destroyed, their pilots screaming wordlessly as they burned. The Monitor's captain, having made friends with many of those pilots, attempted to make his way forward in an attempt to search for survivors. The move proved to be fatal, though, as a blast from the Hannover's remaining guns broadsided it and annihilated it. Cato saw the attack, and moved in close. He had been taking potshots with his beam spray gun for most of the battle, and now saw an opportunity to do more damage. His attacks slammed into the already-gaping hole in the base of the Hannover, and secondary explosions began to ripple up and down the Musai's frame. Unfortunately, the sizable blast that followed was much larger than Cato expected, and his GM was thrown wildly into the distance by the explosion. Though damaged, Cato felt elated - by far, his most successful sortie yet against the Zeon. Maybe that would make the higher-ups take notice of him! Now he just had to get himself back under control... Otaktai sent his GM Light Armor dancing as best he could, staying out of reach of the Pupua's light guns. Beyond him he could see the Mecklen engage with the Shinji Ikari, giving it a full salvo from its heavy guns. The Caratan returned fire, but the heavier armor of the Hellhawk bore the brunt of the attack much better. 'This is wrong. I can be of more help over there.' Even as the words came to his mind, he found himself forced to ignore them, as a Gattle buzzed by his cockpit. Quickly, he caught it with a blast from his modified beam rifle - down to a few shots only, now. Sighting carefully, he saw the Pupua's guns rotate to follow him, but not quickly enough to keep up with the nimble GMLA. "Too slow!" Almost without thinking, the young pilot's instincts took over, and he went in for the kill on the weakest member of the enemy's forces. Three quick blasts erupted from the beam rifle, impacting on key points on the hull. A series of missile blasts soon followed, as a trio of Saberfish zoomed by and hammered the Zeon carrier. It hung in space for a moment, before it broke along the hull - splitting right down its thin center piece. But the Zeon forces had found their own victory, too, Another series of blasts lanced out from the Mecklen, and the Fuji began to crumble along the outer portions of its hull. A handful of pods streamed from its doors, as some of the crew attempted to escape the ship before it lost all integrity - which happened mere moments later, as atmosphere hissed into the space outside it, and the entirety of the ship's electronics failed and went dark. The Prototype Gundam continued to harass the Tannhauser. All 3 of its GM E support flight were gone. One suit had been destroyed, and the other two were so heavily damaged that Issa had ordered the pilots to retreat to the Kira Yamato. He had sustained light damage to his frame, but continued attacks with his weaponry had worn down the Tannhauser's fighting capability significantly. Both of its massive cannons was warped to the point of immobility, though they seemed to keep firing capabilities. Issa pressed on, knowing that the safety of the Merrimack's crew depended on his ability to keep the Zeon flag occupied. The Federation's flagship burned brightly against the black of space, and had completely ceased firing. His attention was grabbed as he realized the true depth of his fleet's situation. Astonishingly, the Chivvay had pulled its guns about - it had continued to roll, and had gone another 45 degrees. It now found its main guns aligned directly with the Caratan, and the Salamis's new captain was too inexperienced to be aware of the fact. He was busy attempting to manage the Gattles, which had harried the Caratan far more than the other battleships of the Disco fleet. "Caratan, break now!" Issa's words came quickly, and yet they were still too late. Even more horrifying, the GM Juggler was passing in the same area of space. At the last moment, Rachel's odd sense of unease filled her again. This time, instead of tamping down on it, she allowed herself to follow the flow, tugging lightly on her controls and shifting her direction. Not a significant change, however - the feeling was very faint. As Issa watched, the enormous weapons of the Chivvay loosed once more, and the attack managed a surgical kill on the already-damaged warship. The blasts cut straight to the reactor, and the massive explosion engulfed the entirety of the Caratan - not to mention a number of the surrounding GMs and Gattles, which were busy skirmishing all about the space between the various capital ships. Rachel's Juggler was caught in the blast, but her quick course-correction saved her from complete destruction. Instead, a sizable portion of the Juggler's lower extremities was blown apart, but the suit itself somehow managed to stay intact. Rachel slumped heavily against her cockpit, in shock from both the attack - and from the fact that she had survived. That was the true genius of Bomer's attack patterns - by effectively ramming his ships and personnel into the middle of the Federation's fleet formation, he had thrown their entire offensive strategy into chaos. The wily captain had managed to inflict heavy losses by forgoing a defensive pattern, and instead borrowing from the old canard, "The best defense is a good offense." A clinical observer, these thoughts passed in the back of Issa's brain. At the fore of his thoughts, though, Issa fumed, turning his anger against the Chivvay. "Damn you!" He paired his shout with mega particle fire, and a blast from the Gundam's beam rifle bored through the fore hull of the Tannhauser and finally eradicated one of its main weapons, nearly causing the entire ship to go up as well. A few missiles came as return fire, almost seemingly halfhearted, and Issa knew that it was only a matter of time before he would have that flagship taken down. Bomer cursed. That damned black-and-white suit was going to be the end of him at this rate. Even as he watched, though, his most experienced Gattle pilot's voice came over the comm. unit. "It's been an honor, sir." Perplexed, the commander was about to ask him what he meant, when the pilot's intentions became all-too-clear. The Gattle screamed in from the distance, heading directly for the Prototype Gundam. That suit's pilot aimed quickly and attempted to shoot it down several times with no success. Even as it appeared the Gattle might actually collide with the Feddie suit, the monstrous machine managed to hit it with its vulcan cannons at the last moment. However, the explosion sent the Gundam reeling, with heavy blast scarring across much of its torso. Issa was heavily rattled, and realized with chagrin that he had lost his beam rifle in the explosion. Almost out of ammo, he turned to head back towards the Merrimack to protect it closer-in, if need be. Bomer nodded, sadly. "Okay, that should buy us some time. Don't let that soldier's sacrifice go to waste. Helm, get us out of here." The Chivvay began to pull out, followed closely by the remaining Musai, the Mecklen. Neither ship moved quickly, but both were still operational - if barely. The Federation forces were occupied with trying to maintain some semblance of order, and salvaging what crew they could from the burning husks that remained of the majority of their own forces. As the young woman began the process of retreating, Bomer's voice sounded once more. "And make sure you take us on a course to pick up as many of our EV pilots as possible." She looked at him. "Commander?" His face was drawn, but resolve showed through. "We leave nobody behind." Issac looked over the damage reports and shook his head. At least the Merrimack had been brought back online, he thought, as he began issuing orders to the remaining few bits and pieces of his own shattered fleet. Finally completing that arduous task, he turned towards Rose, and gave her a rueful, thin-lipped smile. "At least from your perspective, there's one good thing in all this." She turned towards him, curious. "What would that be?" He grinned, showing gums and teeth stained a dark red from numerous lacerations. "For a while, at least, it'll definitely be too painful to drink... Much." Patting Arturia on the shoulder for a job well done, he began walking slowly towards sickbay. But he couldn't resist one last look back towards Rose, and gave her a wink. "And it's really too bad, because I could sure use one right now." And with that, he vanished around a corner, chased off by the sound of Rose's exasperated sigh. Issac Lon'Dozai: 11 VP gained, Injured 2, promoted to Lieutenant Otaktai Lone Wolf: 12+1 VP gained, Repairing 1, promoted to Seaman Cato Goloni: 12 VP gained, Repairing 2, promoted to Sublieutenant Issa Kobayashi: 11 VP gained, Repairing 2, promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class Rachel Arronax: 11 VP gained, Repairing 3, promoted to Chief Petty Officer |