A duel in the dark
07 Oct 2017Lion L Jonson X
Some independent commanders prefer to operate their ships alone or with skeleton crews. A concept not completely lost to me, but unlike most of the other members of DRInc I prefer a full crew onboard my ships. I don't trust the AI to aim my weapons, most anything else in that matter. Instead I prefer to use human crew and use the AI for the minimum meaning course calculations, and the arithmetic involved in space combat. And in instances like this, watching the bridge of the Pyre of Glory buzz with the activity of her pirate crew, I can't help but swell with pride.
“Princeps we are nearing the Marki-8 sight now.” the sensor com reported to me.
“Jericho, bring us out of supercruise.” I said taking a seat in my command chair and studying the tactical plot.
Titana Haenn, piloting the Erinyes, noticed him drop out of supercruise and the navlock allowed her to drop in behind him successfully. But instead of immediately opening fire like she had expected he just sat there. Through the armour glass window the armored black and red bulk of Emile’s anaconda hung in the black. So he isn’t intending on just crushing me outright, does he intend on keeping it just between us?
She wondered with a sinking feeling if she should have gone with her impulse to have others standing by just in case. She rubbed her clutched hands over her control sticks, she didn’t trust him to be honorable, but she had no desire to be willfully underhanded. This was probably her first mistake.
“McGill, hail her and run a scan, let's see what we are working with.” as I said this I keyed in a command into my chair before standing.
My daughter Lunamaria, had been standing by my side like she always did In battle. She smoothed her clothes and took to the seat; she was better than I was at helming the ship.
“Report, Optio magos.” I ordered as I neared my newest purchase.
There, sitting about two meters behind Lunamaria was a large holo tank. It was really two large hologram emitters one on the ceiling and the other on a raised dais on the deck each about a meter around.
“Commander Princeps Barron, we are reporting several mining vessels in the ring about thirteen hundred kilometer from our position. Bloody Mary is sitting is at the ready, and commander House is reported in system. As well as two other ship silhouettes they reads as an Anaconda, and python.” Michael reported to me as I took my seat and strapped in.
“Very good Optio Magos, send a tight beam to commander House just in case.”
“Very good sir.”
Movement catches my eye and I see Meyrin sitting in her chair and her pink eyes meet mine and she smiles at me her pale skin and snow white hair almost glowing in the dull light of the bridge. Returning the smile I make a grasping motion with my biopic leg, the two of the four blocky pads closed and she waved back before going back to her prism.
“Incoming transmission from chronicler Haenn Commander Princeps. She wishes to know why we haven't started.” Option Major Michael reports.
“The bitch probably didn't even bother to come up with a plan.” Benjamin said with a wicked smile.
“Let’s not keep her waiting then. Option minor alert the crew, bring the ship up to combat alert status. I want the fighter pilots in their bays.”
Jameson responded with a crisp “Aye sir” before slipping on a headset and keying in a command on his prism.
After about six seconds the ship's speakers boomed to life.
‘Attention all hands combat stations, combat stationsn all hands combat stations. This is not a drill I repeat this is not a drill. All personally stand by for acceleration, fighter pilots to your bays, Gunnery crews deploy hardpoints stand by, engineering crews stand by.’
“Commander Princeps all hands report green across the board. The Erinyes has deployed hardpoints and is closing. Distance ten kilometers and closing.” the sensor operator reports as the holographic image of our battle ground appears on the holo tank.
The triangle marking the Erinyes suddenly began moving in the direction of my ship as my eyes gazed on the bigger picture. And upon seeing what I had wanted to I smiled.
“Let's see if she takes the bait. Helm reverse along this trajectory. Gunnery lock on target, and hold fire.”
“Aye commander Princeps.”
I can feel the sudden tug of gravity as the engines reverse thrusters engage. I watched the tank as the Pyre of Glory neared a massive asteroid and a chime toned as the Erinyes came into firing range. And with a smile I executed my plan.
“Auxiliary, deploy chaff on one, Helm disengage flight assist ventral roll execute. Gunnery stand by…” on the tactical display the icon marking the Pyre of Glory somersaulted.
The dotted lines marking the incoming fire from beams lasers and the autocannon of Haenn’s FDL went wide as the ship moved passed by.
“Force cannon, fire.”
The ship shook and the sound from the gun reverberated throughout the hull. The force of the cannon added a little force to our spin and by the time the shell struck the Erinyes’ shield. We were already on the move.
I watched and chuckled a little when her pretty little ship slammed into the asteroid and sound shields flaring. While at the same time Lunamaria gently glided the Pyre of Glory around a smaller asteroid.
“Helm level off. Gunnery fire secondaries.”
“Fire secondary.” Optio Magos Michael ordered.
Three beams and two pulses of blood colored energy lanced out and slashed at the shields of the Erinyes who spiralled and rocked with shells from the force cannon. After six seconds the ship rotated to port allowing the temp to drop back to safe levels.
“Princeps, the chronicler's shields are at fifty…” that's as far as the panel operator got.
My ship rocked from a series of explosions and a short scream reached my ears. Glancing up i look to the source of the scream. A support beam had snapped crushing one of the sensor operators flat in her chair. In the zero G of the ship's environment the blood and bits of bone floated before being sucked into a ventilator. But not before an eyeball glistened in the dull light making itself known.
“Charlotte status.”
‘We have some fires on decks one and six. But the shields took the brunt of it, no real damage. Commander Princeps.’
“Python and Anaconda on the scanner Princeps. It's the Hellwing, and the Eris.”
“Hawk and Max. Those Idiots!!”
“What the hell are you doing here!?!” She shouted in the silence of her cockpit for noone but her to hear. She slammed the heel of her hand into the arm of her chair, now she not only had to worry about avoiding Pyre of Glory, but avoiding them as well!
“Shit..”
Well, Never let an opportunity go to waste. Maybe she could work this to her advantage. She boosted and twisted in space, creating as much space between her, Hawk and Max while having a good shot on Emille’s ship, stinging his shields with all 4 of her beams. With one hand she opened voice communications with hawk and Max
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here but you’ve already engaged, let’s make this work and stay out of my way!.”
“Chikken we came to help” who it was and what else may have been said was lost in the furious shriek of the Erinyes as she swiveled, determined not to put the Bloody Mary or John Rico at her back. If they hadn’t been planning on engaging, they sure as hell would be now.
The ship rocked again as a steady stream of bullets from the two newcomers multi cannons. In the tank two more icons blinked into existence. The sudden barrage dropped my ship's shields by twenty percent.
“Sir, Haenn is coming around for an attack run.” McGill reported.
As the ship rocked again and sparks flew the shield status bar on the tank moved to half.
Keying in a tight beam signal I remembered something the original Rance Barron his progenitor and template had done centuries ago.
“We need room and we need it now. Charlotte give me everything you can out of the reactor. Dump a portion of our fuel into the engines and fire.”
“Yes Princeps I'll try my best, but I have to warn you that may flood the chambers and we'll be dead in space.
“Noted. Just do what you can Charlotte.”
“Aye sir.”
The next few seconds flew by the Pyre of Glory taking concentrated fire from three separate ships. Just as the her shields were at seventeen percent the confirmation came.
“Sir you have to fire now before the chamber floods.”
“Helm flight assist off, fire engines full.” I order before being slammed back into my acceleration seat as the ship accelerates. In the tank the red marker I identifying Pyer of Glory leaped into motion, leaving the three purple markers behind.
“relative speed?”
“four hundred k sir.” Lunamaria reported. Before another alarm began going off.
“Report Optio Minor.”
“Sir scanners picking up two ships entering the asteroid field. Scans show anaconda… confirming its commander House. And the second is Python class, it’s the Bloody Mary.” Optio Minor Jameson Barron reported.
A wicked smile crossed my lips. My cyborg eye shored and clicked focusing on the Erinyes. She must have planned this, that conniving bitch isn't as as dumb as I thought. She knew Hawk and Max had beef with me and mine.
“Well let's go through them. Optio Major get to the cargo hold and get our surprise ready... just in case.”
“Aye sir”
“Fighters deploy. Alert the Rico, and the Bloody Mary we are executing a wolf pack engagement. Have Jonathan deploy his fighters to cover the Bloody Mary, and move into the asteroid field. And have the Bloody Mary engage targets as they appear on my command.” I ordered as the ambient lighting in the bridge changed from a calming white to red.
There is a short series of booms from below as two fighters deploy from the launch bay. Eyeing the tank closely and watching as the ragged formation of hostile ship draws near. I notice the Rico and Bloody Mary moving into positions.
“To enact our plan we have to get passed those three. No problem.” I say to myself eyeing formation. Seeing the weak point in my opponent's line I clench my command chair.
“Instruct the Bloody Mary to hold fire. Helm come about to point one eight five, and engage full burn passed this point in their formation… Execute.” I am once again rammed into my chair the ship flips and burns towards the marked position.
“Commander Princeps Barron, Commander House is reporting all weapons locked. Same from our gunnery stations.” The comm operator reported.
“Fire. Primaries.”
The Lead ship in the enact formation which so happens to be Haenn’s FDL is struck by the power of the Pyre of Glory’s keel mounted rail gun. On the screen her ship rocked and it's shields flared bright as they attempted to stop the tungsten slug. Then her shields failed as a ball of magnetically contained plasma slashed them.
To the port side the FNS-John Rico fired a full barrage of her pulls lasers into Hawks smaller Python the Hellwing. The smaller ship held fast and returned fire with a barrage of its own, it's pulls lasers and multi-cannons splashing on the shields of my friends Anaconda. Ahead of us Hawk’s anaconda loomed large.
“Charlotte I need more to the weapons, divert power from non essentials.” I said to my chief engineer.
“Yes commander Princeps, I can do that, but it will be hard. We have fires on decks seven and three and reactor two is damaged. You will have your weapons in ten seconds.”
The seconds ticked by as the looming grey and orange hull of the Eris came closer. It's firing cone dipped to starboard going after the silent running Bloody Mary. Seeing this however the Rico moved to interposed itself between the unshielded python and the anaconda taking a broadside of laser fire and multi cannon shells before the two passed.
The Eris had the focus of the Bloody Mary and John Rico, for now, with the exception of any fighters that largely left her free to attack the Pyre. Taking full advantage of her maneuverability she flew and spun through space, avoiding some but not enough of the more experienced and maneuverable fighters as she took her shots at the Pyre her own shields dieing, flashes blooming to swallow impact even as they were lowered.
“No no no!” she activated opposing thrusters to still her movement, hoping to give her a more direct line to follow her target into the asteroids. He meant this to be as hard on her as possible. They didn’t fly together often, but she doubted he had forgotten her frustration with those damn rocks.
“Princeps we have reentered the asteroid field.”
“Have the Bloody Mary take up a firing position near this asteroid.”
“Daddy, I hope you have a plan.” Lunamaria said leaning around the pilot's chair. A look of concern was displayed on her face.
“I do Luna, just focus. Attention all hands this is Commander Princeps Emile Barron….” In the tank Haenn’s FDL floated in space its shields down.
What a time to need to reload. She silently cursed her multicannon, her beams were on the verge of overheating as it was. Titania breathed deeply in a placebic effort to keep her head clear, her bionic eye flitting to watch her scanner as she swept her gaze along the blast shield.
Lumbering nearby the purple icon marking the Eris loomed like a sentinel its shields at seventy percent. Ahead of them both the purple icon marking the Hellwing stands with shields at thirty five percent. Around her a screen of sixteen tipan fighters hang in a loose formation. No doubt launched from Hawks Eris.
Around us the asteroid float and tumble as they have done for eons. Occasionally running into one another sending a shower of debris in every direction. The fighters of Varus squadron moved into tight formations.
The Erinyes maneuvered around the asteroids, her pilot flustered that every movement seemed to put more in her way. She pulled upward to avoid being sandwiched between two on a collision course for one another. She had to find a way in, no she WOULD find a way in.
Sixteen fighters hung around my ship. Consisting of the eight tipan heavy fighters of Varus’s first cohort under the command of Centurion Graves. Beside them the eight Condor interceptors of the second cohort under Adjunct Leason lie in wait.
Another eight fighters hung around the John Rico all condors interceptors. The rest of House’s fighters hanging around the Bloody Mary to protect her. My friends shield gauge teases sixty percent and I frown, that barrage hit him harder than I had thought.
We had their fighters in force parody, but they had that python acting as a corvette even if they didn't know it. It might make short work of the fighters.
In times like this, staring down the enemy in the calm before the storm. I can't help but think back to ancient times. When men in armor would duel one another for whatever reason. When battle was decided with strategy and skill in equal measure. Glancing towards the readout I see the shields at fifty percent. In the end we aren't as different from them those ancient men in armor.
“Sir all stations report green status.”
“Commander Princeps, this is Bloody Mary we are in position. Hardpoints deployed and weapons ready.” Drusus reported. The Tribune in charge of the Bloody Mary and her crew always was reliable.
In the end it all comes down to this. One moment where skill and strategy prevail. A duel in the dark.
“Blood Crows… Hoist the black flag. Attack.” A cheer went up throughout the ship we flung ourselves fully into the battle.
In space the two swarms of fighters rocketed towards one another. The Hellwing just as I had thought Max would began firing on the oncoming fighters with her pulse lasers and multicannons.
The first volley took down four of our fighters before they were on him. It was chaos, as all dogfight tended to devolve into. Like a swarm of flies they danced around the larger form of Max’s ship. And occasionally the taipans of Centurio Grave’s cohort would make strafing runs with reaching fingers of white lasers that takes the flaring shields of the python who’s weapons fired into the melee indiscriminately.
“Gunnery, Fire the primaries.”
In the tank the icon of Haenn’s ship had regained shields and was burning towards the melee to aid their ally. As the two ships entered weapons range their friends shields were struck by a solid tungsten slug from the Pyre or Glory’s meal mounted rail gun.
The Hellwing’s shields flared bright blue as a shield cell bank was activated, but were negated by a full broadside from The John Rico’s pulse lasers and it's autocannon. For a moment it seemed they would hold but they were suddenly splashed by a ball of red superheated plasma from the Pyre’s Plasma accelerator.
“Charlotte status on the main guns?”
“They are fully charged for now. But Commander Princeps, Reactor-A is overcharged and B’s housing is cracked. I can give you two shots before they have to charge. You have thirty seconds.” How she was able to do that with only one fully operational reactor i will never know but I smiled.
The result was instantaneous. For a split second the shields on the python flared brightly and flickered before finally failing. The Tipan’s of Varus took full advantage of this and raked her hull. Strips of hull playing were struck by the lasers, they sizzled and boiled away portions of the hull. All along the superstructure large gashes started to appear venting air and other gasses into the black.
With a smile I watched as large sections of the hull seemed to boil away, as Jonathan’s autocannon struck home. With a smile I watched as Maryn ran through a list of sub targets and selected one not really knowing what was going on.
I slammed my finger into the firing controls on my chair and watched with pleasure as my railgun reached out and pierced Hellwing’s FSD. The tungsten slug slammed home and gutted the frame shift drive sending sparks and large chunks of molten metal spiraling into space. Then the plasma hit, it slashed into the hull like a wave and washed over the aft section of the Python. Behind the ship the engines that had been roaring with jets plasma flickers and died.
“Sir the Tribune reports that the Hellwing is calling for help.” Michael Barron reported
“Dumbasses, they took the bait.” Jamison said with a snarl.
The two enemy ships neared their friend’s dead ship at full burn throwing cause into the wind. In the tank A new cone appeared and I smiled. As the two ships drew near the Hellwing fired a single escape pod. No doubt Max wanted to live, I thought about it for a moment and decided to be merciful.
“Tribune Drusus. Fire.”
As the dogfight had moved to port during the short exchange it allowed Haenn to pick up Max’s escape pod. But not before he bore witness to two flashes of red as two more railgun rounds slammed into the top of his ship punching great holes in the Hellwing’s hull.
Those holes spewed fire, smoke, and gas into space. The entire ship began to list to starboard where it had been hit, it's running light flickering before three balls of plasma splashed into its ventral hull. The entire ship buckled and entire sections boiled in the extreme heat, before the entire ship disappeared in a silent explosion.
I smiled at this, that felt good. There was blood in the water now and I wanted to see more before this day was done.
To their credit it only took about a minute for the two enemy ships opens up on us. Our two anaconda’s rocked with combined fire of the Eris and Haenn’s ships. Beams slammed into our ships drastically damaging our shields as we returned fire.
The three anaconda’s and a Fer-de-lance entered a deadly dance to bring all of their weapons to bear after the first pass. Fires and sparked slashed across the Pyre’s bridge as the shields flared and died. True to his character Johnathan stood strong having taken less damage from the exchange with shields at ten percent.
“Charlotte status report!” I command managing to slip on the headset.
“Commander Princeps, Reactor B is about to go critical I have to take it offline to effect repairs. We have explosions and decompression across the ship. And I have sealed or isolated the affected areas I have crews fighting fires in deck five.” she said her voice crackling through the headset.
“Give me what you can, things are going to get worse before they get better….wait Charlotte can you start another explosion but keep the ships key systems protected, and contain the fires?”
“I think I can commander Princeps but I don't see how that would be… I see what you are thinking. I'm on it, I think I can time it just right. I even think I can feed some of the file into it Just give the word Princeps, I'll have it done.”
The John Rico kept into action advanced the enemy anaconda. The two ships closed on one another once again and began hammering at one another with devastating broadsides. Massive chunks were blasted off of both ships as beams and pulse lasers were joined by multi cannons.
Seeing a chance as the Eris overheated Johnathan’s ship rocketed forward on long cones of plasma. The two ships closed into knife fighting range were meters separating them as Hawk’s weapons came back online. Seeing the danger he attempted to maneuver his ship out of danger. However he was too late, at the last second commander House rolled his ship into a port turn, and blasted his engines on full.
The twin jets of plasma from the John Rico’s engines blasted the hull of the Eris like a blow torch. Hull plating buckled and melted under the extreme heat. For two entire seconds the ship's starboard side burned before she was clear. But she wasn't safe yet a salvo from the Bloody Mary slammed into her rocking her with explosions and punching holes into her hull.
“Princeps Commander Haenn and some of Hawk’s fighters are on an attack run.” Optio magus Michael reported.
“Let them hit, All hands brace. Optio Major Benjamin stand by. Tell the Bloody Mary to form up.” I said glancing to Meryin who had somehow managed to fall asleep during all of this. Beside her one of the crew had been killed when a display exploded in his face his blood oozed and floated freely around him.
The ship rocked once again and I felt every explosion like a strike to my person. And every dead crew man served to file my rage. After the attack was over I gave the order, and a larger explosion rocked the hull. I winced even knowing it was meant to look were than it was.
Titania Haenn watched as the Pirate’s vassal suffers a series of explosions. She cheered, alone in her FDL’s cockpit. And watched in morbid fascination as another larger explosion seemed to cripple the ship.
The entire thing seemed dead in space, it's running light flickered and so, with trepidation drew in closer followed by the fighters. It was being carried by the centripetal force of the explosion into a roll. And only as the Pyre of Glory listed to port as the smoke cleared from the latest explosion did she see that a portion of the cargo bay had been blown away. Something happened.
An alarm brought her out of her thought as three missiles slammed into her shields. And two of the fighters to her left exploded, as three shapes screamed passed her cockpit. She recognized those designs their forward swept angular wings, the large thruster at its aft section, and diamond shaped cockpit.
Three aging Saker Mk3’s had torn themselves from the confines of the Pyre’s cargo hold and destroyed her fighter escort. Then her ship rocked with explosions, and sounded alarms as the hyperdrive was torn from its housing. The culprit of this act?
The python Bloody Mary, Emile’s old ship. That was even now moving to place itself between its opponent. And the shieldless Pyre of Glory, whom even now was coming back online.
He tricked her, he drew her in by damaging his own ship and probably killing some of his own people. She barely had time to feel the repulsion at his actions before she threw off her restraints and leapt from her seat and ran to the escape pod. Her ship was dead in the proverbial water and she wasn’t going to sit there for what she was sure would happen next.
She felt the artificial gravity begin to give as her cracked blast shield cried out before it broke. She threw herself forward to grasp the handle above the pod entrance and swung herself bodily inside. True to himself Hawk moved his Heavily damaged ship to support her. But faced with three fresh ships, a python with PA’s and railguns as well as two admittedly damaged anaconda’s the result was never in doubt.
Escape pods launched from the two enemy ships as I gave the command. They watched as we proceed to reduce their ships to heaps of molten slag.
Titania gazed frantically out the small viewing windows of her spinning pod trying to witness the fate of Hawk’s ship. It was a complete clusterfuck, but she learned more about his tactics and would live to see another fight… if Emile kept his word… or help came.
Torpedoes from the saker’s, fire from the Pyre’s primary and remaining secondary weapons. As well as the might of the Bloody Mary's heavy weapons and the remaining weapons of the John Rico. All lanced out rending holes and destroying entire sections of hull playing.
As the three escape pods floated in space, in the star's pale light, the two ships exploded.
A cheer went up throughout the ship at our victory. And as we recalled our fighters and collected what cargo survived from the three ships we all laughed.
Large chunks of the hull still glowed in the ink like blackness of space. Bodies in various states of death that had been vented into space clattered against the hull.
Johnathan left then, no doubt needing to start on repair and in a flash of pseudo-motion he was gone. A new contact appeared on the scanner and I smiled. A pitch black imperial cutter, green drive trails flaring bright as it neared our position.
“Helm get us out of here!” I yelled slamming my bionic into my chair arm. My ship was too damaged to enter a new fight yet, she needed repairs badly. But that cutter would be too late.
“Aye Commander Princeps.” Lunamaria replied a smile evident in her voice.
That conniving bitch Haenn had tried and had failed to defeat the blood crows. In two flickers of pseudo-motion the Pyre of Glory and the Bloody Mary disappeared into supercruise. Followed quickly by the the Saker mk3’s.
This battle that had been originally to teach Haenn a lesson had ended. A good learning experience ended by their stupidity. But it was a decent enough fight. And Meryin seemed to enjoy it so it couldn't have been that bad.
The duel in the dark, had its victor.