Singing Senator Patreus' Beard - Part III
06 Mar 2018Jellicoe
Coma, Deep Space"Frame shift Charge detected." The computer calmly announced.
"He's trying to run for it." Vik added a little unnecessarily from his tactical station
"He won't make it," Jellicoe replied with a chilling calmness, his words lost in the simulated roar of the 'Resolution's' twin multi-cannons opening fire, shredding the Type 6's exposed hull.
"I have powerful friends, you'll regret this!" The freighter pilots panicked voice came through.
"You were warned," Jellicoe replied coldly, "Any Patreus lackey in Coma is fair game."
"Take the cargo," The pilot almost shrieked in terror, "This job isn't worth my life!" Pods of supplies for Patreus' garrison began ejecting from the Type 6's cargo bay, it's engines failing and hull integrity becoming critical.
"Too late." Jallicoe said with a brutal finality a fraction before the cargo hauler exploded under sustained fire, then smiled grimly as confirmation of another large addition to the price on his head flashed up on his display.
"Police response wing incoming." Claude put in from the scanning post.
"Late as usual," Jellicoe answered contemptuously, "What are we dealing with?"
"Pythion and two Eagles," Vik reported, "Closing fast."
"Usual drill," Jellicoe ordered, "Knockout the Eagle's first then gut the Python. Power to weapons and shields."
"Rapid Response Unit deployed, investigation reports of criminal activity, submit to scan." The police commander ordered, Jellicoe smiled savagely, lined up his target and unleashed a firestorm of overcharged weaponry, watching impassively as the single seat fighter disintegrated before it could even return fire.
"Target the next Eagle." Jellicoe barked, slamming his ship into full reverse to give his devastating gunnery the maximum possible time on target.
"Target locked." Vik confirmed a moment later. Jellicoe pulled the ships nose up, rolled slightly to starboard and fired. The incoming wing had closed the gap significantly, but not enough, the Eagle pilot's frantic manoeuvres to no avail as the torrent of highly engineered destruction slammed home.
"Now for the Python." Jellicoe spat.
"New contacts," Vik called, "two Annies and a Viper, even klicks out."
"Good, the more birds the bigger the bag." Jellicoe growled, swinging round to bring the Python into his forward arc before firing again, the Python's shields draining rapidly under the blistering bombardment, while its counter fire barely registered on the 'Resolution's' shields.
"New wing coming into range...firing." Vik reported, their hits registering but failing to make any real impact at the extreme limit of their range. The Python, seeing help arrived boosted hard for his support, rolling and weaving amidst a stream of chaff to lessen the murderous fire he was taking from the ship hard on his heels. The support wing had reached their effective range now, and the two Anaconda's were making their big guns count, their deployed fighters adding their stinging lasers to the deluge.
"Shields at 70%." Vik reported, Python's hull down to twenty." Jellicoe continued to pound the Python, seemingly oblivious to the punishment his ship was taking, this wa always his way take out one target then move to the next, some pilots decried what they called target fixation but Jellicoe had always fought like this. The Python blew.
"Shields at 45%, new hostile wing detected." Vik said.
"I want one of those Annie s." Jellicoe replied bringing the Corvette about, "Lock the lead ship, target the power plant." He barely waited for Vik to confirm his order before firing again, his view through the canopy little more than the vibrant stream of laser beams, the burst of exploding missiles, the bright trail or incendiary rounds and the flare of shields. Battle he thought, in a strange moment amid the chaos had a strange beauty.
"Shields at 20%, cell banking." Vik called amidst the cacophony of synthesised noise. "Target's shields failing." A surge of power coursed through the ship as its shields replenished, the blue rings on the holo-display growing brighter, then dimming again as the latest police wing joined the fray. Another Annie, a Viper and Eagle." Vik reported, we can't take this for long."
"We won't have to," Jellicoe replied, an absolute calm settling on him as it seemed to in battle these days, once he had tingled with adrenaline when the missiles began flying, and the coolness an affected mask, but now the calm was real, life or death of little consequence, only the cause mattering, that and paying back as much as possible the bastards who had lied to the whole human race. He knew they couldn't win, a small handful of pilots against the men who stood in the shadow controlling everything, but that knowledge had, unexpectedly, proved to be very liberating, he knew that sometime, sooner rather than later he would die, the one certainty that they would one day get him, and once he accepted that and determined not to fight it but to do them as much damage as he could before it happened he found his fear evaporate. Now his life itself was the weapon, and he would use it without fear or hesitation.