Combat in the CG
08 Feb 2016Jim Beaumont
‘Give me a beacon and a secure channel Oppo, on station’It was standard practice for the three of us now. The first in system and on station was Wing lead. The next in requested the beacon and secure channel, and this was raised by the Wing lead. The next two, I and Merc in this case, tuned in on those.
‘Good to see you hear Jim; the Almeida will be good here.’
‘What’s the fishing like Oppo?’
‘Oh some good stuff here to be had. They are tending to be hunting in shoals, anything from 3 to 7’
‘You in the FDL then, I think Merc is coming in the same.’
‘You take the escorts Jim. I’ll cook the big fish. Gimme a shout if you need a hand with anything tricky. Merc can act as cover when he gets here. He’s about 80Ly back at the moment. Running a delivery on the way down.’
‘Roger that’
Oppo had gone to LHS 2936 first, but found it incredibly busy with other Cmdrs cashing in on the offer from the Alliance. So he had sourced a Haz RES in a nearby Alliance system, where the Miners were taking a hammering from the pirates and were probably on the verge of exiting. Some support from us would go down well.
‘I got the Python, 3 escorts Jim’
‘Eagle 1 in my sights. 2 & 3 breaking left and right.’
Eagle 1 was the left most of the 3. 2 broke left and up to come over the top round to my rear. 3 broke right, to sweep round in front of the Python and I assumed to take Oppo on from his rear. A sharp burst of the Beam and Pulse dropped E1’s shields quickly. He ran for the cover of the rocks but Almeida wasn’t to be run from. A long blast and E1 was gone.
‘On Eagle 2, 3 has swung to your rear Oppo’
‘Seen’
Short messages are best in contact. Nothing worse than protracted messages when in combat. To the point is all you need.
I dispatched E2, and took down E3 while Oppo worked and took down the Python.
‘Evening gentlemen, show me the fish!’ Merc had arrived ahead of schedule. Still carrying the load, he had decided to make a late delivery.
‘You’re on cover duty Merc. Jim has the escorts if we are taking a wing.’
‘Roger that Oppo.’
‘I got a solo. Moving in’ I interjected. Good comms is what good wingman ship is all about. As soon I said this, Merc and Oppo would be checking my Target comm. for what I was going after. This would alert them to the chance I may need backup. It worked for all of us. No solo running without letting the others know what you were doing. We took down a good few pirates before Oppo had to return to the station nearby for replenishing of ammo, Merc and I stayed in the rocks.
‘Gunship and 3 escorts Jim. Ready?’
‘Escorts are 3 Vipers. Moving in. Targeted. Ready’
A blaze of laser headed forth to our targets. The Gunship swung, Merc swinging with it to stay to its rear. The Vipers split going up, down and left. I went up. I quickly dropped his shields then he chaffed my Gimballed lasers. But I clung to his rear, watching the scanner for his mates. Both are coming for my rear.
‘2’s company at my rear Merc’
‘Roger, hail when needed’
I was beginning to take some punishment from the rear Vipers, the shields holding but slowly dropping down. I smashed the lead Viper down to 20%.
‘Rolling out!’ I shouted as I made a ¾ roll before hitting the boost, and being thrown into the seat as I pulled back hard on the stick, trying to outmanoeuvre to the rear of the Vipers.
It worked and eventually brought me round on one of them. Stupidly though, the lead had managed to get himself along side V3, so I only had V2 to worry about at my rear. No problem for my shields now. I began to put down the Beam and Pulse on V3 when suddenly a torrent of laser came from my right, pulverising V1 and obliterating it just before a Vulture swept across my front.
‘Jeez who the fuck is that!’
Suddenly an open message came in.
‘Care to join you guys. May I?’
‘Abso-bleedin-lutely mate. And thanks for that’ I replied.
Oppo gave him the secure channel details, and we welcomed Cmdr Ollie.
So the 4 of us ripped into the pirates for a few hours, taking out anything that flashed up as Wanted, from Eagles to Anaconda’s at our want. Plenty was taken as solo’s offering lots of Cr, plenty taken in the wing and shared.
We all teamed up again the next day, Ollie once again joining us, making our wing quite formidable and we made some very good money when it was all cashed in. We gave Ollie an offer to come and join our group back home, and he said he might see us up there at some point but he is more of a lone shark just travelling the skies and taking work where it came. Darn good pilot is Ollie.
Merc and I headed home to continue with our work, Oppo sticking around the rocks for a little longer. He’s still the true Mercenary.
The long journey back gave me plenty of thinking time. Of how I can get to the inside of what the WP are planning. One man may offer a way forward though. One of the last people I would have chosen in all honesty. But sometimes needs must.
Pastolis!