General Armando and a Dominion fleet had been dispatched to hunt down and destroy the rogue ex-Confederate General Rakov. Rakov had gone independent after the fall of the Confederacy and declared himself a warlord. He amassed a fleet for himself and started a private war against the Dominion. He was a nuisance to track down, but now they had finally found him.
Armando looked out the viewport on the bridge of Phoenix as the battle unfolded.
His fleet consisted of three Dominion-Class Battlecruisers and six Valkyrie Missle
Frigates. The Dominion-Class was the newest warship to come out of the Dylarian
Shipyards. The pirate fleet he was facing consisted of some kind of modified
Behemoth-Class Battlecruiser and four Valkyrie Missle Frigates, but there was still a lot
of distance between the fleets.
"Commander Veare, launch all fighters. The Valkyries and them will act as a screen while our Yamato Cannons are charging. I also want details on that Battlecruiser." Armando told his second-in-command. "Weapons, will the reactors have enough power for our laser batteries after the cannon is fired?"
"Only enough power for either port or starboard batteries. There won't be enough energy to divide between both, sir." the weapons officer reported.
The general still stood watching the enemy ships. "Very well then. Helm, bring our port side facing the enemy. Weapons, power up the port batteries and load the torpedo tubes."
"Sir, we have some readings on that Battlecruiser. It's Gauntlet, hijacked from Dylar while it was under major repairs by Warlord Rakov." Veare shouted from his station.
Armando had a look of disgust on his face. "All right, sensors, keep an eye out for any ships Rakov might bring along to play. I want Defender and Crusader to charge straight towards Gauntlet. We'll deal with the Valkyries."
"Sir! Yamato cannons are charged! What's our target?" The weapons officer shouted.
"Hmmm. Tell Defender and Crusader to abandon those orders. I want all three of our ships to target Gauntlet. With that cruiser dead, finishing the rest of his fleet will be cake. On my mark, I want all Yamato cannons fired at Gauntlet. Crusader will stay
in tight with us while Defender and our Valkyries will launch a flank torpedo attack into whatever is left of their fleet," The general took a deep breath. "Mark!"
The general's orders were carried out to the letter. The Yamato blasts struck Gauntlet while Defender and the Valkyries raked the enemy Valkyries with a full torpedo broadside. Two of the enemy Valkyries were destroyed, but Gauntlet didn't even take a
scratch.
Armando was not happy. "Weapons, release a full broadside, torpedoes and lasers, into Gauntlet. Tell Crusader to do the same. Tell the rest of the fleet to continue what they're doing. Commander, find out what kind of armor that Battle-" Armando was thrown off his feet as a blast shook Phoenix. "What?" he yelled.
"That was a salvo from the enemy Valkyries, sir!" Veare yelled.
* * *
The salvo nearly crippled Phoenix from Captain Moore's view. Moore was the leader of Green Squadron, a wraith fighter squadron engaged with Nova, an enemy Valkyrie. Since the Valkyries lacked the laser batteries of the cruisers, they couldn't handle fighters. Moore and his wingman dodged a missile salvo and launched a pair of Gemini missiles each into Nova's hull. Their were a series of explosions around Nova's
engines.
"Must've hit the reactor, Cap. Scratch one Valk!" Green Two, Moore's wingman Phil, yelled.
"Looks like it, Two. I'm gonna call up Phoenix and ask what we'll blow up next. Cover me, Phil." Moore said as his lasers blew through an enemy wraith.
"I copy, Cap!" Phil yelled enthusiastically as his Gemini missile tore through another enemy.
"Phoenix, this is Green Leader. We've destroyed our target and are requesting further orders." Moore waited for an answer as he dodged a laser that would have turned him into free atoms.
"Green Leader, we copy. All enemy Valkyries have been neutralized. Keep the fighters busy while we pound Gauntlet." Commander Veare's voice was very calm.
"Phoenix, how's the rest of the battle going?" Moore asked as he vaporized the wraith that had just killed Green Six.
"We've lost three Valkyries, Crusader is a floating hulk, while Phoenix and Defender have both taken moderate amounts of damage. Taking out Gauntlet is our only choice." Veare's voice was a little more tense this time.
"I copy, Phoenix." He switched over to the squadron channel. "Listen up boys. Our job is to keep these fighters busy while our cruisers pound Gauntlet. Good luck, and make you're shots count."
* * *
General Armando was watching the engagement in pained fascination. His losses had been heavy, and he had yet to take out Gauntlet. True, almost all of the enemy fleet had been destroyed, but he was losing good people. They needed to win this quickly.
Commander Veare walked up next to the general. "Sir, it seems that Gauntlet had some kind of shield, but we took it out. Gauntlet also has lots of scrap armor melded onto it. What I think this means, sir, is that we can't win this battle."
"I know," the general's voice was deep with regret. "Weapons, do we have any torpedoes left?"
The weapons officer shook his head. "Well then, recall the fighters, get the fleet back in formation, and get us out of here!"
The sensor officer looked up at the general. "Sir! Gauntlet is retreating! Wait, it just left the system."
"Orders, general?" Veare asked.
"Let's pick up any survivors off Crusader, then take us back to Korhal. I have a few questions for the Grand Admiral." General Armando grimly said.
