NMK 2009/12/17 (Thu) 20:28 No. 32888 ▼ File 126108171663.gif - (55.40KB, 456x274 , 2009-12-16_151757.gif)
You know, keeping watch is often a very boring task. You have to stay on your patrol route and you wait. You wait, wait wait and wait. Most of the time, nothing interesting happens at all. Well, of course, the point of keeping watch over border is to notice if things were to happen. So if they were common things, there would be no need to waste time and resources. Therefore, patrolling in itself is meant to be boring and 90% of the time totally useless. This is especially true in time of peace. Moreso, we are in time of peace. But if we are in time of peace, then just what the hell -is- this?
-“Captain, the three contacts from the Nox system are still advancing fast. No sign of hailing yet, should we send them a transmission?” the communication officer quickly states, aware of the emergency of the situation.
-“No” you dismiss her suggestion with a sign of your hand. “Their actions are clearly violating the Peace Treaty signed twenty years ago. It is safe to assume their actions are hostile, let’s not waste our excuse for a surprise effect safe for now, shall we?”
-“Understood captain.”
-“Sensors, what are the reports?” you quickly inquire another officer.
-“Captain!” She glances at your general direction, then at her monitor. “Their main battleship is a Seraph-class cruiser, they also have a Sunrise-class frigate and a Maiden-class carrier vessel.”
-“So, main guns, mobile hostiles and Anti-mobiles.” You join your hands and rest your chin over them. “What is the status of the Rigel?”
With expert hands, your communication officers hail the allied frigate in mere seconds and the captain, a young but grave man in his mid twenties appear on the monitor.
-“Kapitan Balnas reporting.” The man says with a heavy accent “The Rigel’s systems are optimal, Impulse lasers heating, plasma batteries charging.”
-“Good, what crafts do you carry?”
-“We gott four tridentt class interceptors onboard kap’tan. Shall I make them launch?”
-“That won’t be necessary; let us not reveal our cards so fast.” You reply with a smile. “Keep the batteries and the lasers warm, we must imperatively remain undetected for now.”
-“Will do Kap’tan.”
With a salute, the officer closes the communication and his bridge disappears from the main monitor, leaving you with your own. A quick glance at your crew gives you confidence. Although those gals have all experience in their fields, they are still all rookies, in a sense. This is the first act of aggression in twenty years, and you’re right here to witness it all begin. Even though it would be their first battle, you have no worry, only confidence in your girls’ abilities fills you.
-“WCC, all frontal turrets: 45° rotation and 25° rise. Rear turret , counter’ 135° rotation 25° rise, ready all Impulse lasers on the right flank, minimal energy charge to the main canon.” You give out your commands clearly and swiftly. Despite all your attempts, the Weapons Control Center gals falter a moment at your driving, assured voice. “All crafts on standby.”
-“Aye aye!”
The four turrets align themselves toward the incoming contacts, the Rigel following closely behind you in a following fashion. The large asteroid fields around the Nox system is both a curse and a blessing. It is quite simply a risky challenge to maneuver through or even simply around, as such, most would avoid having to cross it. However, this natural minefield is for obvious reasons not the direction where one would expect hostiles to come from.
-“In range of scanners in 3 minutes.” Your sensor officer warns you.
-“Very well, lateral push, let us slip around their scanners and flank them. Hopefully Balnas will copy us.”
Small streams of gas erupts from the right flank of your vessel as the main propulsion lessens, efficiently grazing the effective range of the enemy sensors. Much to your pleasant surprise, one of your officers speaks up, with an important notice.
-“Captain, the celestial sensor arrays are obsolete, but that’s only true with the old models, are we sure this Seraph-class is not equipped with new materials from Margatroid Techs?”
You chuckle softly and look into the smart girl’s eyes. “ Well, you are correct, we have no guarantee whatsoever that this Seraph is equipped with old model of sensor arrays. If it isn’t, however, we should have already been detected since a while. Therefore, either it is or they are ignoring our presence, whichever the case, we’re already on the flanks and their formation is loose.” The girl nods and turns her attention back to her monitors. “Maximum thrust, rotation 30°, all crafts prepare for launch.”
As your vessel roars, sailing forward toward what it had always been intended for, you review the forces in presence and your options once more. Your Blaze-class cruiser itself, although old, is in perfect condition, equipped with its completely functional main particle canon, three frontal laser turrets, one rear plasma turret and close-range impulse lasers on both flanks. The Rigel is a Nova-class frigate, slightly more recent, it’s impulse lasers and turrets as well as its plasma batteries are devastating against mobile units at short range. Both vessels combine, you have seven Interceptor-class fighters, two Dragoon-class bombers and one Spearhead-class Multi-purpose fighter/bomber, which came with its Ace pilot from Crimson. Thinking of which, you didn’t speak with her much since she is never on the bridge. Rumia… was it? You couldn’t be sure…
As for the enemy fleet, at their rear is a Maiden-class carrier and support vessel. It has a light but still dangerous massdriver, multiple stallions and a handful of new turrets from Margatroid Tech, you don’t really know the specifics, it support 24 crafts. In the center of their formation is the Seraph-class, main cruiser of the enemy fleets, it has a very potent massdriver as well as frontal and lateral turrets as well as stallions. Finally, up ahead is the Sunrise-class frigate, armed with three turrets, stallions and several missile batteries. In total, the enemy fleet supports 38 crafts against your 10.
[] Target first the Maiden-class and destroy it before it can launch its mobile hostiles.
[] Target first the Seraph-class, it’s weaponry is the deadliest and as such it has to be dealt with first.
[] Target the Sunrise-class, destroying it would allow your crafts to launch and cover you much more effectively and with less risks of being properly wiped.
AND
[] Launch your Mobile units immediately while you have time.
[] Keep your Mobile units on stand-by to avoid early-battle casualties, you already have low numbers.