Beginning of the End
29 Jan 2020Oak7603
Waking up this morning was easy. I'm not sure I slept to be fair. Because this is the day. This is the day that the war turns in our favour and we're on the home stretch.Usual routine. Well, my usual war time in Chuntabon routine. Wake up, check the reports, update the VP in Kraunaha and then jump back to Chuntabon. This time was different though. Not physically different. I ate the same old shit and drank the same morning coffee, but the numbers in the reports were starting to lean in our favour. The dots are starting to add up and it looks to me like we're 3 days away from victory. Just gotta get this day out of the way first.
The big news today though wasn't KI and MoC related. It was the announcement that the war between the Chuntabon Silver Natural Ex and the Aristocrats of Binjaha has ended. The Aristocrats had lost and they've started their exodus from the system. They weren't big players, they were the bottom two in terms of influence across the whole system but I hope that the victory by a different faction, one that is indigenous to the Chuntabon system, doesn't spur the MoC on. I don't think it will but it's something to be aware of.
In terms of our war with the MoC , I think we're nearly on the verge of our own victory. The first thing that makes me think we're nearly there is the local media. It's been 3 days now where we're being touted as the most victorious, the most gains made, the dominating force. The media are always right. They get everywhere. They're in the docks, the canteens, the bars, the HQ's and the battlefields. They know. We're the dominating force and have been since this war started. The next reason is that If I extrapolate the figures it tells me that the MoC can only hold out for 3 more days after today. The supply ships are dwindling. The medical centres are filling. The patrols are becoming less frequent. The leadership are going quiet. They're preparing to lose. The last reason is that I can see it myself. I can tell when I'm in the combat zones that the MoC fighters are just losing faith. The first day they were sharp. They were disciplined. They had a belief. Today on day 4, they're scruffy, they cross each others flight paths. The wings lose formation. They run quicker. The battles don't last as long. They're defeated.
Today's battles were where I saw this. After completing my checks I walked to the Sekowski Project hangers and waited for Angeline to turn up. She came rushing through the bay doors, carrying her helmet and reading a datapad. Always the professional, she saluted (something I keep telling her not to do but as I'm a Warrant Officer in the Fed Navy she says that she can't ignore the rank), and walked straight up the gangplank and into the fighter bay on The Executor. I checked through my messages as the fuel couplings were fixed on. I smiled as I read a message from another Cmdr telling me how they had seen the reports and had come to the system to fight the MoC. With almost half a million credits in bounties, they must have had a good time. I thanked them for their help. Its good to know there are still some good pilots out there willing to make a difference by helping others.
The Chief Engineer shouted over that The Executor was ready to go.
Flying from the landing pad I was aware of what a significant day this was going to be. Just one more good day and we'd be there. I had my orders from the VP and set out to Chuntabon A 4 to patrol for MoC forces. It wasn't long before the chatter of traffic made it clear that a battle was going on and in the shade of the icy planet I saw the beam lasers in the void. Confirming the reading with Angeline, I released her from the fighter bay, waited as her systems spun up, and deployed my hard points. We flew in, Angeline holding a perfect defence formation. As we highlighted out first target we were back in the think of things. Anacondas, Eagles, Pythings and Vultures were screaming through the black. MoC formations in tatters and the KI wings holding strong. Emboldened by the successes of the previous days. Today was the day. 5 fighters destroyed. 10. 15. The numbers rose. The body count did too. We carried on for as long as we could before returning to Sekowski.
Sekowski is actually a MoC controlled station but due to it's small size and location, the MoC and KI all land here. There are scuffles, and fighting breaks out occasionally but in general we're kept apart and some modicum of humanity and civility lingers. As we headed back I could see the usual picture. Fighters ready for the fight streak out. Fighters weary of the fight limp in. T7 and T9's in and out carrying supplies in and the dead and injured out. On one of the pads a burning ship was being extinguished by the station emergency services. I landed on my usual pad and we thanked our training that we were ready to see another day.
I headed back to my bunk and looked over the figures again. With the new calculations I'm sure that we've done it. It's another day of battles being done. More missions completed. More enemy fighters lost. I look forward to seeing the updated figures tomorrow. If we've smashed it again I may not join in the fighting as it slowly ebbs away and the stragglers are mopped up. I'm going to be needed to negotiate a surrender and to prepare for our victory.
Lets hope I'm right. O7