>>6038802“We can't let them disengage like that, Commander Jean-Pierre. Think about it, every ship we don't knock out now is another ship the Ter can spare for the Kaskandir front.” Around you, the room continue to roll back and forth under roaring guns. “Besides, Liu won't retreat until she has her share of blood anyway. Over.”
“Too aggressive, Commander Thornton. Too aggressive. Liu can go dig herself out of the pit if she won't listen to me. O-” That silky-smooth voice cuts in, “-nwards! This is the real de Tassigny here. We'll show these bugs the cost of opposing us glorious humans, just like the holovids, eh? Over.” Maybe Fleet Intelligence does include slight insanity in their hiring requirements.
Snapdragon-2, realising it cannot run, banks hard right on a parallel course with your ship. Its sixteen coilguns can dish out a heavier weight of fire than your twelve railguns, but superior Terran engineering tips the scale of shot momentum in your favour. “Zeroing in... We've got a hit! First rapid fire salvo, too!" Not to mention better fire control units.
“Uh, sorry Commander if I was too loud.” You can't, his cowering is just too funny. “It's fine, Elysium. But only barely so.” Snapdragon-2 does not even bother to evade, determined to return the favour first. Silas snaps on comms, tone slightly stressed. “Shield integrity at 60%. We can only take a couple more hits like that.” A classic gun duel, if only your side does not have the advantage in tin-cans. “Torpedoes away. Yushi, disengage with me. Over.” Only a handful of fish, they must be saving for what lies ahead.
Escape pods start ejecting from the doomed cruiser long before the torpedoes even activate their impulse boosters for the final approach. Albatross-2 scoops up only a few as a formality before running headlong for Heart's Perch, chased by 12-inch slugs. In the distance, Razorback pulls out from another fake run on Snapdragon-1. A now-familiar voice jeered, Midshipman Fock's, “Must have forgotten to strap-on today, hah.”
Tim whispers something into his ear, something along the line of keep your trap shut. Indeed, Liu today, the Director tomorrow, by the end of the week he would be facing a wall. The kid turns deathly pale and stays silent for the rest of battle.
The Yushi and the Armitage make chase while your Skyline stands by for long-range fire support. You would take a more active role in the engagement were it not for your depleted magazine. Taking advantage of the brief lull, Goldsmith works to reinforce the bulkheads keeping the rest of Section 5 from baking in stellar radiation while repair drones seal in the gash in your armor from the outside. 20 minutes later, the verdict comes in, “Sorry, capt'. Gonna have to buy new lasers once we dock.” Tim clicks his tongue in disdain.