>>5669749>>5669750>>5669755>>5669759>>5669771Jolt-Leader and -Two bear down on the asteroid, taking their fighters into a sharp dive not dissimilar to its namesake. Their cannons fire a volley of crimson bolts, lighting up the void of space to pepper the surface of the asteroid. The plasma cannons spit death in response, but the pair come from an angle well beyond their firing arc.
“Acquiring lock…firing!” shouts Jolt-Leader. “It’s away!”
The interceptors veer off, pulling out of their dive to get clear of the ship as they disgorge their deadly payload. Both barely make it, twisting to avoid and dodge the counter-fire that fires at their way. Yet with how close their dive had been, there is almost no way for them to miss. Twin-red suns streak towards the asteroid, who barely has enough time to turn before they make impact.
<span class="mu-s">KA-BOOM![/i:lit]
Half of the asteroid seems to disappear in a glorious conflagration of orange smoke and white-hot debris. The sensors across the cockpit derezz as the shockwave of the explosion staggers the <span class="mu-i">Albatross</span>. Systems and panels shriek in alarm, spiking but holding at a mercifully benign yellow. “Shields still holding.”
“Systems…a-okay,” stutters Ceyla.
Suzel whoops, and Elba breaks radio protocol by transmitting a guttural, triumphant roar. B-33 remains calm, intoning: “Post-strike assessment?”
“Positive hit!” whoops Jolt-Two, flying a victory lap around the cloud. “Two torpedoes launched-!”
He doesn’t finish. Through the smoke and haze, the asteroid emerges, badly mauled but still far from being down and out of the fight. The flyboy’s victory lap is cut short as plasma fire tears the fighter to shreds. Smoking bits and burning pieces of the late Jolt-Two are scattered across the belt as the reactor cooks off and explodes.
“No!” screams Jolt-Leader. “Damn you, that was our youngest pilot!”
Ceyla gasps, hands flying to her mouth as horror floods the Force bond. But Suzel puts to words the dread, cursing explosively. “What the hell?! Ain’t no way that thing’s still alive!”
“Negative, negative,” Jolt-Five reports tersely, “It turned at the last second to take the hit on its starboard broadside. Bastard’s mauled, but she isn’t out of the fight yet.”
The computer updates with a new assessment of the asteroid. True to Jolt-Five’s words, the asteroid took a bad hit. From over a dozen holes, and one gargantuan crater dozens of meters deep that encompasses half the ship, atmosphere, organic material and bits of the coral are venting or sloughing off into the void of space. Four of its plasma cannons have been destroyed, leaving only gasping thermal blooms spraying heat and debris.
“Assessing situation...establishing new parameters,” intones B-33, “One to deliver the payload, one to spot. Escort to <span class="mu-i">Albatross</span>, continue to harry and harass. Focus on its starboard.”
(cont.)</span>
