Quoted By:
The same OOM pilot droid which briefed you before the task force jumped out of hyperspace turns from its console as the bulk of the Republic fleet comes into effective firing range. “Sir!” Its whiny voice is filled with as much alarm as its vocabulator can summon, “we’ve detected a ship coming out of hyperspace, vector matching Gravlax Med, battlecruiser class! It’s the <span class="mu-i">High Gravity Empress</span>!”
Another droid scrambles to open a visual channel with one of the Fantails on outer edge of <span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span>’s section, letting everyone on the carrier’s spacious bridge observe the oversized warship jump into the system.
The flagship (and only ship larger than a frigate fielded by) of Anx Space’s meager defense force is an aging Maelstrom-class battlecruiser. While the Maelstrom-class is several hundred meters longer than the Lucrehulks that the task force centers on, the battlecarriers are significantly more massive thanks to the width of their cargo rings. However, the power output of the two ships is similar, with the dedicated warship edging out the converted cargo vessels thanks to the massive reactor which creates a hump at the convergence of its twin hulls. The delta hull of the Maelstrom similarly gives it an advantage over the Separatists’ annular battlecarriers, as it’s able to line up most of its guns along its central axis, though the split prow and reactor bulge prevent it from being as effective as the Acclamators. Tonnage aside, the Lucrehulk-class’s advantages are its cargo capacity and the slightly higher output of its shields.
<span class="mu-i">High Gravity Empress</span> immediately opens fire after entering the system, the output of her turbolasers still deadly despite her age. Three Hardcells practically evaporate under the hail of plasma. They’re quickly joined by the Munificent which had the misfortune of being the closest ship to <span class="mu-i">High Gravity Empress</span> when it jumped into the system, which cracks in half along its spine before exploding, struck by several extremely lucky shots from the battlecruiser.
Unworried by the other rearguard Munificents and Hardcells which are quickly falling back, the Maelstrom summarily opens fire on <span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span>’s engines. The feed from the Fantail cuts out as the lightly-shielded (and even more lightly-armored) frigate, along with another of its number, burns away from Anx Minor’s orbit. You don’t bother to contact the fleeing frigates, opting to retain the Sluisi-produced ships for future operations than risk losing them. There’s also the matter of preserving your own flagship.
<span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span> shudders as the Republic battlecruiser’s first salvo slams into its engines, the shields flashing red on the display in front of one of the Neimoidian crewmen, who diverts shielding from the hauler’s arms to guard protect the ship’s rear.
>(2/3)
