Cassandra's Tears: Issue #2
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English
In our last installment, a distress call went out as Vanduul raiders hit the Centauri system. Cal Mason went against Admiral Showalter’s orders and hopped in a fighter to help Penny and her wing while the Gemini braced itself to clash with a Vanduul flagship.
Cal’s ship jolted the second it hit Yar’s atmo. Penny and the rest of her wing had already punched through and disappeared into the dense clouds of the upper atmosphere. His comms went screwy as he sliced through clouds. Cal kept his bearings and held firm until he burst through.
Right into the middle of a brawl.
Fighters on both sides screamed through the air as they coiled and twisted around each other above the craterous planet of reddish brown rock below. One of their Zippers took a hit to its thrusters, clipping its speed, i.e. the one strength they have. Before Cal could even react, two Vanduul pounced and busted him up. He saw Penny mixing it up with a raider and decided it was his turn to jump in.
On the bridge of the Gemini, Admiral Showalter watched the approaching Vanduul flagship.
“Talk to me, Corporal.” Showalter said, his expression barely moving. Corporal Whitacre studied his SIG-INT scanners.
“Weapons were powering up before shields overtook them, sir. Looks like it’s shifting course just a couple degrees.”
Showalter glanced the sphere, at its new trajectory. “It’s trying to cut us off from Yar.” He plotted a trajectory of his own on the Nav and shot it over to the deck-pilot. His eyes went wide.
“Sir, that will put us into the upper atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll be able to resist the planet’s gravity if it gets ahold of us.” The deck-pilot shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m not letting our people drift. Max shields to port, I want to slide in before they get dig in and spin up those Arc-cannons.”
The massive Typhoon engines fired, launching the Gemini toward Yar.
Down below, Cal twisted through the air avoiding Raider fire from his six. He kicked his compensator thrusters to induce a swerve. The Vanduul raider on his tail suddenly swung into his sights. Cal squeezed the trigger. Energy burned through the sky, the Vanduul tried to weave around them but there were just too many. Six shots punched through its wing. The seventh hit the cockpit square. The Vanduul started that long fiery trip down.
Cal took a moment to suss out the situation. Right now, it was anyone’s fight. One of the Anvils was gone. The other pounded out heavy arty rounds, slow but packing a big damage radius. Two Cestus pilots were tangling with a Raider. Its main wing looked like it was dipped in black warpaint. While he’d never seen Vanduul markings like that, it didn’t matter. That raider wasn’t going to last much longer. Cal knew one of the pilots, Poll, and he was as slick as they come.
Penny just blasted her second Raider. Past her, Cal saw the distant pop of ships breaking through atmo. The clouds were still messing with his scans, so he couldn’t get a clear lock. He started to intercept. If they were Vanduul, he wasn’t going to let them sneak up behind-
They were. About a dozen more Scythes and a couple Crawlers.
“Heads up all. We got some company.” Cal looked down just in time to see the Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, dance-fire his mod-thrusters in a ridiculous combination to weave him around the combined firepower of Poll and the other pilot. He sliced Poll’s ship in half with his wing and unleashed an aimed burst at the other Cestus. The energy bursts whittled the shield down enough for a rocket to connect. Cal had never seen a move like that. Whoever this pilot was, he was serious.
Meanwhile, on the Gemini, impact alarms were blaring. Some yeoman was desperately trying to shut them off. Showalter had swung the Gemini within spitting distance of the Vanduul flagship.
These two titanic ships were in a nose-to-nose boxing match, trading bodyblows at point-blank range. The space between them flashed as the massive shields flared up to divert or absorb the heavy shots, illuminating the entire bridge.
The plan had worked though. For the moment, the Gemini had wedged enough of itself between the Vanduul ship and the planet to keep an escape avenue open but the Gemini’s starboard compensators were firing at full burn to keep it from falling into Yar’s atmosphere.
“Sir, shields at thirty percent. Generators aren’t going to be able to sustain a full-burn and our defenses.” The deck-pilot reported.
“Noted, lieutenant. Finch, what’s the damage?”
Finch, the weapons officer, was locked on his scanners, coordinating the massive amount of firepower.
“We’re whittling them down, sir.”
“Not good enough. We need them to back off so you hit them with everything. If you need to put on a suit, climb out and shoot at them with your sidearm, you do it. Clear?”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Back on Yar, Cal turned back to the Vanduul reinforcements, ready to… they weren’t attacking. They were speeding towards an old settlement on the ground.
“Penny. Any idea what’s over there?”
“Not the time, Cal.” She muttered. Her tracking systems finally beeped with missile lock. She squeezed. A stream of tiny AP rockets hissed from the rocket pod, tracking and exploding another Raider. Cal saw something else.
Black Talon was heading for her.
“Penny! Six!”
Penny didn’t hesitate and dove her ship. A full burst of shells screamed through the air she had occupied milliseconds ago.
Cal traded some shots of his own. Eight missed, three caught but the shields ate them up.
“Oh boy.” Cal sighed.
He now had Black Talon’s attention. . . . TO BE CONTINUED
Cal’s ship jolted the second it hit Yar’s atmo. Penny and the rest of her wing had already punched through and disappeared into the dense clouds of the upper atmosphere. His comms went screwy as he sliced through clouds. Cal kept his bearings and held firm until he burst through.
Right into the middle of a brawl.
Fighters on both sides screamed through the air as they coiled and twisted around each other above the craterous planet of reddish brown rock below. One of their Zippers took a hit to its thrusters, clipping its speed, i.e. the one strength they have. Before Cal could even react, two Vanduul pounced and busted him up. He saw Penny mixing it up with a raider and decided it was his turn to jump in.
On the bridge of the Gemini, Admiral Showalter watched the approaching Vanduul flagship.
“Talk to me, Corporal.” Showalter said, his expression barely moving. Corporal Whitacre studied his SIG-INT scanners.
“Weapons were powering up before shields overtook them, sir. Looks like it’s shifting course just a couple degrees.”
Showalter glanced the sphere, at its new trajectory. “It’s trying to cut us off from Yar.” He plotted a trajectory of his own on the Nav and shot it over to the deck-pilot. His eyes went wide.
“Sir, that will put us into the upper atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll be able to resist the planet’s gravity if it gets ahold of us.” The deck-pilot shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m not letting our people drift. Max shields to port, I want to slide in before they get dig in and spin up those Arc-cannons.”
The massive Typhoon engines fired, launching the Gemini toward Yar.
Down below, Cal twisted through the air avoiding Raider fire from his six. He kicked his compensator thrusters to induce a swerve. The Vanduul raider on his tail suddenly swung into his sights. Cal squeezed the trigger. Energy burned through the sky, the Vanduul tried to weave around them but there were just too many. Six shots punched through its wing. The seventh hit the cockpit square. The Vanduul started that long fiery trip down.
Cal took a moment to suss out the situation. Right now, it was anyone’s fight. One of the Anvils was gone. The other pounded out heavy arty rounds, slow but packing a big damage radius. Two Cestus pilots were tangling with a Raider. Its main wing looked like it was dipped in black warpaint. While he’d never seen Vanduul markings like that, it didn’t matter. That raider wasn’t going to last much longer. Cal knew one of the pilots, Poll, and he was as slick as they come.
Penny just blasted her second Raider. Past her, Cal saw the distant pop of ships breaking through atmo. The clouds were still messing with his scans, so he couldn’t get a clear lock. He started to intercept. If they were Vanduul, he wasn’t going to let them sneak up behind-
They were. About a dozen more Scythes and a couple Crawlers.
“Heads up all. We got some company.” Cal looked down just in time to see the Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, dance-fire his mod-thrusters in a ridiculous combination to weave him around the combined firepower of Poll and the other pilot. He sliced Poll’s ship in half with his wing and unleashed an aimed burst at the other Cestus. The energy bursts whittled the shield down enough for a rocket to connect. Cal had never seen a move like that. Whoever this pilot was, he was serious.
Meanwhile, on the Gemini, impact alarms were blaring. Some yeoman was desperately trying to shut them off. Showalter had swung the Gemini within spitting distance of the Vanduul flagship.
These two titanic ships were in a nose-to-nose boxing match, trading bodyblows at point-blank range. The space between them flashed as the massive shields flared up to divert or absorb the heavy shots, illuminating the entire bridge.
The plan had worked though. For the moment, the Gemini had wedged enough of itself between the Vanduul ship and the planet to keep an escape avenue open but the Gemini’s starboard compensators were firing at full burn to keep it from falling into Yar’s atmosphere.
“Sir, shields at thirty percent. Generators aren’t going to be able to sustain a full-burn and our defenses.” The deck-pilot reported.
“Noted, lieutenant. Finch, what’s the damage?”
Finch, the weapons officer, was locked on his scanners, coordinating the massive amount of firepower.
“We’re whittling them down, sir.”
“Not good enough. We need them to back off so you hit them with everything. If you need to put on a suit, climb out and shoot at them with your sidearm, you do it. Clear?”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Back on Yar, Cal turned back to the Vanduul reinforcements, ready to… they weren’t attacking. They were speeding towards an old settlement on the ground.
“Penny. Any idea what’s over there?”
“Not the time, Cal.” She muttered. Her tracking systems finally beeped with missile lock. She squeezed. A stream of tiny AP rockets hissed from the rocket pod, tracking and exploding another Raider. Cal saw something else.
Black Talon was heading for her.
“Penny! Six!”
Penny didn’t hesitate and dove her ship. A full burst of shells screamed through the air she had occupied milliseconds ago.
Cal traded some shots of his own. Eight missed, three caught but the shields ate them up.
“Oh boy.” Cal sighed.
He now had Black Talon’s attention. . . . TO BE CONTINUED
German
In unserer letzten Tranche ertönte ein Notruf, als Vanduul-Räuber das Centauri-System trafen. Cal Mason ging gegen die Befehle von Admiral Showalter und sprang in einen Kämpfer, um Penny und ihrem Flügel zu helfen, während die Gemini sich darauf konzentrierten, mit einem Vanduul-Flaggschiff zu kollidieren.
Cal's Schiff ruckte in der Sekunde, als es Yar's Atmo traf. Penny und der Rest ihres Flügels hatten sich bereits durchgebohrt und verschwanden in den dichten Wolken der oberen Atmosphäre. Seine Kommunikation wurde verrückt, als er durch die Wolken schnitt. Cal hielt sich fest und fest, bis er durchbrach.
Direkt in die Mitte einer Schlägerei.
Kämpfer auf beiden Seiten schrien durch die Luft, als sie sich über dem Kraterplaneten aus rotbraunem Gestein unten winden und umeinander verdrehen. Einer ihrer Reißverschlüsse nahm einen Schlag auf seine Triebwerke und kappte seine Geschwindigkeit, d.h. die einzige Stärke, die sie haben. Bevor Cal überhaupt reagieren konnte, stürzten sich zwei Vanduul und verprügelten ihn. Er sah, wie Penny es mit einem Raider vermischte und entschied, dass er an der Reihe war, einzuspringen.
Auf der Brücke der Zwillinge beobachtete Admiral Showalter das sich nähernde Vanduul-Flaggschiff.
"Sprich mit mir, Corporal." sagte Showalter, sein Gesichtsausdruck bewegte sich kaum. Corporal Whitacre studierte seine SIG-INT-Scanner.
"Die Waffen liefen hoch, bevor die Schilde sie überholten, Sir. Sieht so aus, als würde sich der Kurs nur um ein paar Grad verschieben."
Showalter blickte auf die Kugel, auf ihre neue Trajektorie. "Es versucht, uns von Yar abzuschneiden." Er plante eine eigene Trajektorie auf der Nav und schoss sie auf den Deckpiloten zu. Seine Augen wurden weitsichtig.
"Sir, das wird uns in die obere Atmosphäre bringen. Ich glaube nicht, dass wir der Schwerkraft des Planeten widerstehen können, wenn er uns in die Finger bekommt." rief der Deckpilot.
"Es ist mir egal. Ich lasse unsere Leute nicht treiben. Max Schilde an Backbord, ich will reingleiten, bevor sie sich eingraben und die Arc-Kanonen hochdrehen."
Die massiven Taifunmotoren feuerten und starteten die Gemini in Richtung Yar.
Unten angekommen, drehte sich Cal durch die Luft und vermeide das Feuer des Raider aus seinen Sechs. Er trat seine Kompensatortriebwerke, um ein Ausweichen zu induzieren. Der Vanduul-Räuber auf seinem Schwanz schwang plötzlich in sein Visier. Cal drückte den Abzug. Energie brannte durch den Himmel, die Vanduul versuchten, um sie herum zu weben, aber es waren einfach zu viele. Sechs Schüsse schlugen durch den Flügel. Der siebte traf auf den Cockpitplatz. Die Vanduul begannen diese lange feurige Reise nach unten.
Cal nahm sich einen Moment Zeit, um die Situation zu verstehen. Im Moment war es jedermanns Kampf. Einer der Ambosse war weg. Die anderen schlugen schwere künstlerische Runden, langsam, aber mit einem großen Schadensradius. Zwei Cestus-Piloten verstrickten sich mit einem Raider. Sein Hauptflügel sah aus, als wäre er in schwarze Kriegsbemalung getaucht. Obwohl er Vanduul-Markierungen wie diese noch nie gesehen hatte, war es egal. Der Raider würde nicht mehr lange durchhalten. Cal kannte einen der Piloten, Poll, und er war so clever, wie sie nur kommen.
Penny hat gerade ihren zweiten Raider zerstört. Vorbei an ihr sah Cal den fernen Pop von Schiffen, die durch die Atmo brachen. Die Wolken verwirrten immer noch seine Scans, so dass er kein freies Schloss bekommen konnte. Er fing an, sie abzufangen. Wenn es Vanduul wäre, würde er nicht zulassen, dass sie sich hinten anschleichen.
Das waren sie. Etwa ein Dutzend weitere Sensen und ein paar Crawler.
"Achtung, alle zusammen. Wir haben etwas Gesellschaft." Cal blickte gerade noch rechtzeitig hinunter, um zu sehen, wie der Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, seine Mod-Triebwerke in einer lächerlichen Kombination tanzte, um ihn um die kombinierte Feuerkraft von Poll und dem anderen Piloten zu weben. Er schnitt Polls Schiff mit seinem Flügel in zwei Hälften und entfesselte einen gezielten Burst auf den anderen Cestus. Die Energieschübe haben den Schild so tief geschnitzt, dass eine Rakete sich verbinden konnte. Cal hatte noch nie einen solchen Zug gesehen. Wer auch immer dieser Pilot war, er meinte es ernst.
In der Zwischenzeit, auf dem Zwilling, waren die Aufprallalarme heftig. Ein Yeoman versuchte verzweifelt, sie abzuschalten. Showalter hatte die Zwillinge in unmittelbarer Nähe des Vanduul-Flaggschiffs geschwungen.
Diese beiden titanischen Schiffe befanden sich in einem Boxkampf zwischen Nase und Nase und handelten mit Bodyblows aus nächster Nähe. Der Raum zwischen ihnen blitzte auf, als die massiven Schilde aufloderten, um die schweren Schüsse abzulenken oder zu absorbieren und die gesamte Brücke zu beleuchten.
Der Plan hatte jedoch funktioniert. Im Moment hatte sich die Gemini zwischen dem Vanduul-Schiff und dem Planeten genug von sich selbst eingeklemmt, um eine Fluchtallee offen zu halten, aber die Steuerbordkompensatoren der Gemini feuerten bei voller Verbrennung, um zu verhindern, dass sie in Yars Atmosphäre eindringt.
"Sir, Schilde bei dreißig Prozent. Generatoren werden nicht in der Lage sein, eine vollständige Verbrennung und unsere Verteidigung aufrechtzuerhalten." Der Deckpilot berichtete.
"Vermerkt, Lieutenant. Finch, was ist der Schaden?"
Finch, der Waffenoffizier, war auf seine Scanner fixiert und koordinierte die gewaltige Menge an Feuerkraft.
"Wir reduzieren sie, Sir."
"Nicht gut genug. Sie müssen sich zurückziehen, damit du sie mit allem schlagen kannst. Wenn du einen Anzug anziehen musst, klettere hinaus und schieße mit deinem Unterarm auf sie, dann tust du es. Klar?"
"Aye, aye, aye, Sir."
Zurück auf Yar kehrte Cal zu den Vanduul-Verstärkungen zurück, bereit,.... sie griffen nicht an. Sie rasten auf eine alte Siedlung am Boden zu.
"Penny. Irgendeine Idee, was da drüben ist?"
"Nicht die Zeit, Cal." murmelte sie. Ihre Ortungssysteme piepen schließlich mit Raketensperre. Sie drückte. Ein Strom winziger AP-Raketen zischte aus dem Raketengondel und verfolgte und explodierte einen weiteren Raider. Cal sah etwas anderes.
Black Talon war auf dem Weg zu ihr.
"Penny! Sechs!"
Penny zögerte nicht und tauchte über ihr Schiff. Ein voller Granatenschrei schrie durch die Luft, die sie vor Millisekunden eingenommen hatte.
Cal tauschte einige eigene Schüsse aus. Acht verfehlt, drei gefangen, aber die Schilde fraßen sie auf.
" Oh Mann." Cal seufzte.
Er hatte nun die Aufmerksamkeit von Black Talon.
. . . WIRD FORTGESETZT
Cal's Schiff ruckte in der Sekunde, als es Yar's Atmo traf. Penny und der Rest ihres Flügels hatten sich bereits durchgebohrt und verschwanden in den dichten Wolken der oberen Atmosphäre. Seine Kommunikation wurde verrückt, als er durch die Wolken schnitt. Cal hielt sich fest und fest, bis er durchbrach.
Direkt in die Mitte einer Schlägerei.
Kämpfer auf beiden Seiten schrien durch die Luft, als sie sich über dem Kraterplaneten aus rotbraunem Gestein unten winden und umeinander verdrehen. Einer ihrer Reißverschlüsse nahm einen Schlag auf seine Triebwerke und kappte seine Geschwindigkeit, d.h. die einzige Stärke, die sie haben. Bevor Cal überhaupt reagieren konnte, stürzten sich zwei Vanduul und verprügelten ihn. Er sah, wie Penny es mit einem Raider vermischte und entschied, dass er an der Reihe war, einzuspringen.
Auf der Brücke der Zwillinge beobachtete Admiral Showalter das sich nähernde Vanduul-Flaggschiff.
"Sprich mit mir, Corporal." sagte Showalter, sein Gesichtsausdruck bewegte sich kaum. Corporal Whitacre studierte seine SIG-INT-Scanner.
"Die Waffen liefen hoch, bevor die Schilde sie überholten, Sir. Sieht so aus, als würde sich der Kurs nur um ein paar Grad verschieben."
Showalter blickte auf die Kugel, auf ihre neue Trajektorie. "Es versucht, uns von Yar abzuschneiden." Er plante eine eigene Trajektorie auf der Nav und schoss sie auf den Deckpiloten zu. Seine Augen wurden weitsichtig.
"Sir, das wird uns in die obere Atmosphäre bringen. Ich glaube nicht, dass wir der Schwerkraft des Planeten widerstehen können, wenn er uns in die Finger bekommt." rief der Deckpilot.
"Es ist mir egal. Ich lasse unsere Leute nicht treiben. Max Schilde an Backbord, ich will reingleiten, bevor sie sich eingraben und die Arc-Kanonen hochdrehen."
Die massiven Taifunmotoren feuerten und starteten die Gemini in Richtung Yar.
Unten angekommen, drehte sich Cal durch die Luft und vermeide das Feuer des Raider aus seinen Sechs. Er trat seine Kompensatortriebwerke, um ein Ausweichen zu induzieren. Der Vanduul-Räuber auf seinem Schwanz schwang plötzlich in sein Visier. Cal drückte den Abzug. Energie brannte durch den Himmel, die Vanduul versuchten, um sie herum zu weben, aber es waren einfach zu viele. Sechs Schüsse schlugen durch den Flügel. Der siebte traf auf den Cockpitplatz. Die Vanduul begannen diese lange feurige Reise nach unten.
Cal nahm sich einen Moment Zeit, um die Situation zu verstehen. Im Moment war es jedermanns Kampf. Einer der Ambosse war weg. Die anderen schlugen schwere künstlerische Runden, langsam, aber mit einem großen Schadensradius. Zwei Cestus-Piloten verstrickten sich mit einem Raider. Sein Hauptflügel sah aus, als wäre er in schwarze Kriegsbemalung getaucht. Obwohl er Vanduul-Markierungen wie diese noch nie gesehen hatte, war es egal. Der Raider würde nicht mehr lange durchhalten. Cal kannte einen der Piloten, Poll, und er war so clever, wie sie nur kommen.
Penny hat gerade ihren zweiten Raider zerstört. Vorbei an ihr sah Cal den fernen Pop von Schiffen, die durch die Atmo brachen. Die Wolken verwirrten immer noch seine Scans, so dass er kein freies Schloss bekommen konnte. Er fing an, sie abzufangen. Wenn es Vanduul wäre, würde er nicht zulassen, dass sie sich hinten anschleichen.
Das waren sie. Etwa ein Dutzend weitere Sensen und ein paar Crawler.
"Achtung, alle zusammen. Wir haben etwas Gesellschaft." Cal blickte gerade noch rechtzeitig hinunter, um zu sehen, wie der Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, seine Mod-Triebwerke in einer lächerlichen Kombination tanzte, um ihn um die kombinierte Feuerkraft von Poll und dem anderen Piloten zu weben. Er schnitt Polls Schiff mit seinem Flügel in zwei Hälften und entfesselte einen gezielten Burst auf den anderen Cestus. Die Energieschübe haben den Schild so tief geschnitzt, dass eine Rakete sich verbinden konnte. Cal hatte noch nie einen solchen Zug gesehen. Wer auch immer dieser Pilot war, er meinte es ernst.
In der Zwischenzeit, auf dem Zwilling, waren die Aufprallalarme heftig. Ein Yeoman versuchte verzweifelt, sie abzuschalten. Showalter hatte die Zwillinge in unmittelbarer Nähe des Vanduul-Flaggschiffs geschwungen.
Diese beiden titanischen Schiffe befanden sich in einem Boxkampf zwischen Nase und Nase und handelten mit Bodyblows aus nächster Nähe. Der Raum zwischen ihnen blitzte auf, als die massiven Schilde aufloderten, um die schweren Schüsse abzulenken oder zu absorbieren und die gesamte Brücke zu beleuchten.
Der Plan hatte jedoch funktioniert. Im Moment hatte sich die Gemini zwischen dem Vanduul-Schiff und dem Planeten genug von sich selbst eingeklemmt, um eine Fluchtallee offen zu halten, aber die Steuerbordkompensatoren der Gemini feuerten bei voller Verbrennung, um zu verhindern, dass sie in Yars Atmosphäre eindringt.
"Sir, Schilde bei dreißig Prozent. Generatoren werden nicht in der Lage sein, eine vollständige Verbrennung und unsere Verteidigung aufrechtzuerhalten." Der Deckpilot berichtete.
"Vermerkt, Lieutenant. Finch, was ist der Schaden?"
Finch, der Waffenoffizier, war auf seine Scanner fixiert und koordinierte die gewaltige Menge an Feuerkraft.
"Wir reduzieren sie, Sir."
"Nicht gut genug. Sie müssen sich zurückziehen, damit du sie mit allem schlagen kannst. Wenn du einen Anzug anziehen musst, klettere hinaus und schieße mit deinem Unterarm auf sie, dann tust du es. Klar?"
"Aye, aye, aye, Sir."
Zurück auf Yar kehrte Cal zu den Vanduul-Verstärkungen zurück, bereit,.... sie griffen nicht an. Sie rasten auf eine alte Siedlung am Boden zu.
"Penny. Irgendeine Idee, was da drüben ist?"
"Nicht die Zeit, Cal." murmelte sie. Ihre Ortungssysteme piepen schließlich mit Raketensperre. Sie drückte. Ein Strom winziger AP-Raketen zischte aus dem Raketengondel und verfolgte und explodierte einen weiteren Raider. Cal sah etwas anderes.
Black Talon war auf dem Weg zu ihr.
"Penny! Sechs!"
Penny zögerte nicht und tauchte über ihr Schiff. Ein voller Granatenschrei schrie durch die Luft, die sie vor Millisekunden eingenommen hatte.
Cal tauschte einige eigene Schüsse aus. Acht verfehlt, drei gefangen, aber die Schilde fraßen sie auf.
" Oh Mann." Cal seufzte.
Er hatte nun die Aufmerksamkeit von Black Talon.
. . . WIRD FORTGESETZT
Chinese
In our last installment, a distress call went out as Vanduul raiders hit the Centauri system. Cal Mason went against Admiral Showalter’s orders and hopped in a fighter to help Penny and her wing while the Gemini braced itself to clash with a Vanduul flagship.
Cal’s ship jolted the second it hit Yar’s atmo. Penny and the rest of her wing had already punched through and disappeared into the dense clouds of the upper atmosphere. His comms went screwy as he sliced through clouds. Cal kept his bearings and held firm until he burst through.
Right into the middle of a brawl.
Fighters on both sides screamed through the air as they coiled and twisted around each other above the craterous planet of reddish brown rock below. One of their Zippers took a hit to its thrusters, clipping its speed, i.e. the one strength they have. Before Cal could even react, two Vanduul pounced and busted him up. He saw Penny mixing it up with a raider and decided it was his turn to jump in.
On the bridge of the Gemini, Admiral Showalter watched the approaching Vanduul flagship.
“Talk to me, Corporal.” Showalter said, his expression barely moving. Corporal Whitacre studied his SIG-INT scanners.
“Weapons were powering up before shields overtook them, sir. Looks like it’s shifting course just a couple degrees.”
Showalter glanced the sphere, at its new trajectory. “It’s trying to cut us off from Yar.” He plotted a trajectory of his own on the Nav and shot it over to the deck-pilot. His eyes went wide.
“Sir, that will put us into the upper atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll be able to resist the planet’s gravity if it gets ahold of us.” The deck-pilot shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m not letting our people drift. Max shields to port, I want to slide in before they get dig in and spin up those Arc-cannons.”
The massive Typhoon engines fired, launching the Gemini toward Yar.
Down below, Cal twisted through the air avoiding Raider fire from his six. He kicked his compensator thrusters to induce a swerve. The Vanduul raider on his tail suddenly swung into his sights. Cal squeezed the trigger. Energy burned through the sky, the Vanduul tried to weave around them but there were just too many. Six shots punched through its wing. The seventh hit the cockpit square. The Vanduul started that long fiery trip down.
Cal took a moment to suss out the situation. Right now, it was anyone’s fight. One of the Anvils was gone. The other pounded out heavy arty rounds, slow but packing a big damage radius. Two Cestus pilots were tangling with a Raider. Its main wing looked like it was dipped in black warpaint. While he’d never seen Vanduul markings like that, it didn’t matter. That raider wasn’t going to last much longer. Cal knew one of the pilots, Poll, and he was as slick as they come.
Penny just blasted her second Raider. Past her, Cal saw the distant pop of ships breaking through atmo. The clouds were still messing with his scans, so he couldn’t get a clear lock. He started to intercept. If they were Vanduul, he wasn’t going to let them sneak up behind-
They were. About a dozen more Scythes and a couple Crawlers.
“Heads up all. We got some company.” Cal looked down just in time to see the Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, dance-fire his mod-thrusters in a ridiculous combination to weave him around the combined firepower of Poll and the other pilot. He sliced Poll’s ship in half with his wing and unleashed an aimed burst at the other Cestus. The energy bursts whittled the shield down enough for a rocket to connect. Cal had never seen a move like that. Whoever this pilot was, he was serious.
Meanwhile, on the Gemini, impact alarms were blaring. Some yeoman was desperately trying to shut them off. Showalter had swung the Gemini within spitting distance of the Vanduul flagship.
These two titanic ships were in a nose-to-nose boxing match, trading bodyblows at point-blank range. The space between them flashed as the massive shields flared up to divert or absorb the heavy shots, illuminating the entire bridge.
The plan had worked though. For the moment, the Gemini had wedged enough of itself between the Vanduul ship and the planet to keep an escape avenue open but the Gemini’s starboard compensators were firing at full burn to keep it from falling into Yar’s atmosphere.
“Sir, shields at thirty percent. Generators aren’t going to be able to sustain a full-burn and our defenses.” The deck-pilot reported.
“Noted, lieutenant. Finch, what’s the damage?”
Finch, the weapons officer, was locked on his scanners, coordinating the massive amount of firepower.
“We’re whittling them down, sir.”
“Not good enough. We need them to back off so you hit them with everything. If you need to put on a suit, climb out and shoot at them with your sidearm, you do it. Clear?”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Back on Yar, Cal turned back to the Vanduul reinforcements, ready to… they weren’t attacking. They were speeding towards an old settlement on the ground.
“Penny. Any idea what’s over there?”
“Not the time, Cal.” She muttered. Her tracking systems finally beeped with missile lock. She squeezed. A stream of tiny AP rockets hissed from the rocket pod, tracking and exploding another Raider. Cal saw something else.
Black Talon was heading for her.
“Penny! Six!”
Penny didn’t hesitate and dove her ship. A full burst of shells screamed through the air she had occupied milliseconds ago.
Cal traded some shots of his own. Eight missed, three caught but the shields ate them up.
“Oh boy.” Cal sighed.
He now had Black Talon’s attention. . . . TO BE CONTINUED
Cal’s ship jolted the second it hit Yar’s atmo. Penny and the rest of her wing had already punched through and disappeared into the dense clouds of the upper atmosphere. His comms went screwy as he sliced through clouds. Cal kept his bearings and held firm until he burst through.
Right into the middle of a brawl.
Fighters on both sides screamed through the air as they coiled and twisted around each other above the craterous planet of reddish brown rock below. One of their Zippers took a hit to its thrusters, clipping its speed, i.e. the one strength they have. Before Cal could even react, two Vanduul pounced and busted him up. He saw Penny mixing it up with a raider and decided it was his turn to jump in.
On the bridge of the Gemini, Admiral Showalter watched the approaching Vanduul flagship.
“Talk to me, Corporal.” Showalter said, his expression barely moving. Corporal Whitacre studied his SIG-INT scanners.
“Weapons were powering up before shields overtook them, sir. Looks like it’s shifting course just a couple degrees.”
Showalter glanced the sphere, at its new trajectory. “It’s trying to cut us off from Yar.” He plotted a trajectory of his own on the Nav and shot it over to the deck-pilot. His eyes went wide.
“Sir, that will put us into the upper atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll be able to resist the planet’s gravity if it gets ahold of us.” The deck-pilot shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m not letting our people drift. Max shields to port, I want to slide in before they get dig in and spin up those Arc-cannons.”
The massive Typhoon engines fired, launching the Gemini toward Yar.
Down below, Cal twisted through the air avoiding Raider fire from his six. He kicked his compensator thrusters to induce a swerve. The Vanduul raider on his tail suddenly swung into his sights. Cal squeezed the trigger. Energy burned through the sky, the Vanduul tried to weave around them but there were just too many. Six shots punched through its wing. The seventh hit the cockpit square. The Vanduul started that long fiery trip down.
Cal took a moment to suss out the situation. Right now, it was anyone’s fight. One of the Anvils was gone. The other pounded out heavy arty rounds, slow but packing a big damage radius. Two Cestus pilots were tangling with a Raider. Its main wing looked like it was dipped in black warpaint. While he’d never seen Vanduul markings like that, it didn’t matter. That raider wasn’t going to last much longer. Cal knew one of the pilots, Poll, and he was as slick as they come.
Penny just blasted her second Raider. Past her, Cal saw the distant pop of ships breaking through atmo. The clouds were still messing with his scans, so he couldn’t get a clear lock. He started to intercept. If they were Vanduul, he wasn’t going to let them sneak up behind-
They were. About a dozen more Scythes and a couple Crawlers.
“Heads up all. We got some company.” Cal looked down just in time to see the Vanduul Raider, Mr Black Talon, dance-fire his mod-thrusters in a ridiculous combination to weave him around the combined firepower of Poll and the other pilot. He sliced Poll’s ship in half with his wing and unleashed an aimed burst at the other Cestus. The energy bursts whittled the shield down enough for a rocket to connect. Cal had never seen a move like that. Whoever this pilot was, he was serious.
Meanwhile, on the Gemini, impact alarms were blaring. Some yeoman was desperately trying to shut them off. Showalter had swung the Gemini within spitting distance of the Vanduul flagship.
These two titanic ships were in a nose-to-nose boxing match, trading bodyblows at point-blank range. The space between them flashed as the massive shields flared up to divert or absorb the heavy shots, illuminating the entire bridge.
The plan had worked though. For the moment, the Gemini had wedged enough of itself between the Vanduul ship and the planet to keep an escape avenue open but the Gemini’s starboard compensators were firing at full burn to keep it from falling into Yar’s atmosphere.
“Sir, shields at thirty percent. Generators aren’t going to be able to sustain a full-burn and our defenses.” The deck-pilot reported.
“Noted, lieutenant. Finch, what’s the damage?”
Finch, the weapons officer, was locked on his scanners, coordinating the massive amount of firepower.
“We’re whittling them down, sir.”
“Not good enough. We need them to back off so you hit them with everything. If you need to put on a suit, climb out and shoot at them with your sidearm, you do it. Clear?”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Back on Yar, Cal turned back to the Vanduul reinforcements, ready to… they weren’t attacking. They were speeding towards an old settlement on the ground.
“Penny. Any idea what’s over there?”
“Not the time, Cal.” She muttered. Her tracking systems finally beeped with missile lock. She squeezed. A stream of tiny AP rockets hissed from the rocket pod, tracking and exploding another Raider. Cal saw something else.
Black Talon was heading for her.
“Penny! Six!”
Penny didn’t hesitate and dove her ship. A full burst of shells screamed through the air she had occupied milliseconds ago.
Cal traded some shots of his own. Eight missed, three caught but the shields ate them up.
“Oh boy.” Cal sighed.
He now had Black Talon’s attention. . . . TO BE CONTINUED
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Metadata
- CIG ID
- 12750
- Channel
- Undefined
- Category
- Undefined
- Series
- Cassandra's Tears
- Comments
- 52
- Published
- 13 years ago (2012-10-26T00:00:00+00:00)