Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 22, 2021 16:41:44 GMT
The five white-hulled vessels bearing the marks of the SUSN drifted silently through the void, their homeworld behind them inching further away as the cold expanse of the stars beyond encroached ever closer. They had passed Isrekis some time ago, now passing the two smaller planets beyond it on the outskirts of their system. Four of them were Arbelests, the oldest and smallest design the SUSN had. Slight retrofits to the spinal gun had made them that little bit more viable in combat, but even so they were fragile, and none too exposed.
The fifth, however, was considerably larger. One of the Staebh's first Polybolos cruisers, it was a much fiercer opponent than its lesser escorts; stronger weapons, thicker armour, and unlike the Arbalests, gun turrets. If they had a chance at breaking the shields of an invader, the Polybolos most certainly did. They had their target. After the SUSN's victory over Isrekis, now a mere speck on the digitally overlaid viewports, the Artificia had chosen to place a monitoring station near the system's edge. the Staebh had chosen not to give them any room.
Life aboard that station was...quiet, to say the least. There was little to do when keeping an eye on a small, pre-FTL nation that barely knew how to conduct space battles. They had identified a probable mining world, looking at the relative lack of evident surface colonisation but abundant orbital activity, the Staebh's homeworld with the bustling activity of their brand new 'Space Navy', and the myriad other colonies and installations the aliens had built around the system. The Unanimity had not forgotten the Staebh's victory at the gas giant Isrekis, and the station bore a considerably sized hyperfrequency laser cannon. Nothing would get close unless they wanted it to.
"Status update." came the tired order from the station commander.
"Usual activity. Checking probes now."
"Alright. I wanna know if those navy ships of theirs try to sneak up on us."
"Probe Four silent, Probe Three silent, Probe Two silent, Probe One--" the officer called, cutting themselves off.
"Probe One...what? What's the status of the recon probe?"
"I-It just went offline, ma'am! Confirmed destruction!"
"What the hell? They got that close and we didn't notice?"
"What do we do, ma'am?" another crewman asked.
"Bring the station to combat alert! Charge the main gun!"
Captain S'dara watched the video feeds as the mangled debris of the probe scattered into space.
"Confirmed hit, captain! Polybolos gun turrets, functional. Target destroyed."
"They'll notice that. Reload the gun turret, keep a close eye on sensors."
"Aye aye. Other task forces are closing in on targets. We have location lock on the enemy station."
"Good. Can we get a firing lane plotted?"
"Affirmative."
"Alright. Align spinals, acquire target lock. All ships, fire on my mark." S'dara called. He knew from his previous encounter; their guns worked, but to break the shields of any large target, they'd need to hit it as many times as they could. His eight eyes narrowed as he watched the display.
"Fire!"
The spinal guns, and the gun turrets of the Polybolos, all fired in rapid succession, flashes of light as coils charged and dumped, kinetic slugs screaming out of their barrels in the utter silence of void combat. Nine shells, total. S'dara could only hope they would hit their mark.
"Commander! Staebh battlegroup located! Weapons fire confirmed!"
"Inbound rounds!"
"Affirmative! Defence guns are acquiring lock now!"
"What is the charge status of the main gun?"
"Capacitors are charging, targeting systems are still calibrating!"
"As soon as that gun is ready, I want beams down lane on that fleet."
"Acknowledged!"
The point defence flared to life, rounds and lasers flying back to meet the surprise attack. All but one of the slugs were blown clean from the sky, electricity crackling across the station's shields as the batteries dumped.
"Ma'am! Hit confirmed! Shields down to 90%!"
"One hit? Damn, they weren't wrong when they said they could break your shields fast. What's our PD status?"
"Coming fully online now."
"Good. Let's not let them get too many hits in."
"Captain! One hit confirmed!"
"Damn, just the one? Were they on target?"
"Affirmative, sir, but they have heavy point defence. They have more than enough time to lock onto and destroy our munitions from this range."
"Alright. All ships, engines to full burn! We need to close the gap!"
"Aye aye! Engines to full!"
The engines on the Staebhic ships flashed to brightness as they roared, readouts coming alive as velocities skyrocketed. The range to the station started dropping sharply. S'dara knew close range was not advisable, but from out here, they would only be wasting their time.
"Ready the guns again. Maintain target lock. Account for mounting velocity."
"Aye aye!"
"Staebh warships approaching ma'am!"
"They must be trying to get closer. Give our PD less time to react. Gun status?"
"Capacitors charged, acquiring target lock. Bringing up display now." an officer called as a holographic display appeared.
"Acquiring target...locked!"
"Fire!"
With a hum and the mounting glow of lights, the firing sequence started. And, mere moments later, ended as a blindingly bright beam of red light left the barrel, lancing across space.
When it hit, the Staebhic crewmen barely knew what happened. Cameras polarised, darkening the views of the digital displays, and even then many averted their gaze. One of the Arbalests, in the momentary flash of light, almost seemed to vanish, like a dust sculpture caught in the wind. Only the engine block was left when the light subsided.
"Wh...What the hell just happened?!"
"High intensity weapons discharge! Directed energy, a laser! We've never seen power like that before!"
"Dammit! Fleet status?"
"Light One has been lost, all hands KIA! Light Two has taken considerable armour damage to its port bow, but all systems are green!"
"Right...return fire! Give them hell!"
The guns of the Staebhic vessels flashed again, volley after volley racing back even as the Artifician hyperfrequency cannon recharged, point defences hurrying to respond. Space between the installations became a mess of light flashes, point defences flaring, shells exploding or narrowly evading. Steadily, one after another, shell after shell hit, electricity crackling across the shields.
"Weapons status!"
"Shields down to 50%! Main gun at 90%!"
"Ma'am! The other probes have gone offline! No response from any of them!"
"Are they trying to blind us?"
"Weapon charged! Who do we target, commander?"
"Try and pick out their flagship! Scatter them!"
"Aye aye!"
"Captain! Energy spike from the station's energy weapon! They're firing again!"
"Dammit! Who are they targeting?"
"...Us, sir! The station has a target lock on this ship!"
"Dammit! Evasive manoeuvres! Fire two impactors!"
"Affirmative! Launching!"
Attitude thrusters burned, gases and such jetting into space, the Polybolos turning hard to change its course, the Arbalests scrambling to do the same. Two of the impactors flew down their rails, approach engines burning as they turned to fly towards the station before orion drives engaged. S'dara never expected them to hit the station. He doubted they would break the shields. But that wasn't his plan. Sensors went blind as the engines fired, the sheer radiation of multiple successive nuclear detonations blotting out everything around them. Firing sequence already engaged, the laser fired, and cameras again polarised as a flash of light tore through space.
S'dara half-expected his vision to come back to either fires and blaring sirens, or the cold, silent void of space. To his fortune, the worst of the scenario was a few flashing red readouts.
"Status!" he called, wiping his stinging eyes.
"Miss! Considerable damage to dorsal hull! Turret one is offline!"
"Arbalest Four took a hit to its engine block! All systems are offline! Lifeboats ejecting!
"Pick them up, ASAP! Target damage?"
"Shields...online, but weak! Gun recharging!"
"Dammit, by the time that station is dead, we will be too! What's the objective status of the other task groups?"
"All enemy probes destroyed, sir! Waiting for our withdrawal signal."
"Alright...send it out. Helm, get us out of here. Give them one last volley!"
The remaining Staebh ships, all three of them, turned, their engines flaring back to life as they steered away. Guns fired once more, Artifician point defence swatting them away.
"Ma'am! Staebhic vessels turning to leave! Tails between their legs!"
"Should we make pursuit fire?"
"...No. Fire a warning shot. Make them know we won't be so merciful next time. And if anything with more than two eyes comes near us again, you make it dead!" She growled, looking at the blaring warning readouts. One of the impactors had pierced the shields, and it had rammed through one of the hab blocks. No casualties, but the entire block had been depressurised when the supersonic spear of solid mass tore a section of the hull out. Damage control was already responding.
The final laser shot missed as intended, narrowly, and sent the Staebhic crews into a brief frenzy as sensors screamed. The ships finally left, vanishing behind the system's gas giant as they headed home. Nerves slowly settled, though tension had certainly mounted aboard the Artifician station; while their sensors let them see much of the system, with the probes destroyed they were blind to the finer details. The SUSN had earned themselves a little more breathing room, though with the station's lasting presence and the power of its gun, the Staebh were now more scared than ever to act. Still, with the ongoing projects above their homeworld including the steadily more integral Onager warship, it wouldn't be long before the SUSN got bold again. The Unanimity was not willing to let that pass.
The fifth, however, was considerably larger. One of the Staebh's first Polybolos cruisers, it was a much fiercer opponent than its lesser escorts; stronger weapons, thicker armour, and unlike the Arbalests, gun turrets. If they had a chance at breaking the shields of an invader, the Polybolos most certainly did. They had their target. After the SUSN's victory over Isrekis, now a mere speck on the digitally overlaid viewports, the Artificia had chosen to place a monitoring station near the system's edge. the Staebh had chosen not to give them any room.
Life aboard that station was...quiet, to say the least. There was little to do when keeping an eye on a small, pre-FTL nation that barely knew how to conduct space battles. They had identified a probable mining world, looking at the relative lack of evident surface colonisation but abundant orbital activity, the Staebh's homeworld with the bustling activity of their brand new 'Space Navy', and the myriad other colonies and installations the aliens had built around the system. The Unanimity had not forgotten the Staebh's victory at the gas giant Isrekis, and the station bore a considerably sized hyperfrequency laser cannon. Nothing would get close unless they wanted it to.
"Status update." came the tired order from the station commander.
"Usual activity. Checking probes now."
"Alright. I wanna know if those navy ships of theirs try to sneak up on us."
"Probe Four silent, Probe Three silent, Probe Two silent, Probe One--" the officer called, cutting themselves off.
"Probe One...what? What's the status of the recon probe?"
"I-It just went offline, ma'am! Confirmed destruction!"
"What the hell? They got that close and we didn't notice?"
"What do we do, ma'am?" another crewman asked.
"Bring the station to combat alert! Charge the main gun!"
Captain S'dara watched the video feeds as the mangled debris of the probe scattered into space.
"Confirmed hit, captain! Polybolos gun turrets, functional. Target destroyed."
"They'll notice that. Reload the gun turret, keep a close eye on sensors."
"Aye aye. Other task forces are closing in on targets. We have location lock on the enemy station."
"Good. Can we get a firing lane plotted?"
"Affirmative."
"Alright. Align spinals, acquire target lock. All ships, fire on my mark." S'dara called. He knew from his previous encounter; their guns worked, but to break the shields of any large target, they'd need to hit it as many times as they could. His eight eyes narrowed as he watched the display.
"Fire!"
The spinal guns, and the gun turrets of the Polybolos, all fired in rapid succession, flashes of light as coils charged and dumped, kinetic slugs screaming out of their barrels in the utter silence of void combat. Nine shells, total. S'dara could only hope they would hit their mark.
"Commander! Staebh battlegroup located! Weapons fire confirmed!"
"Inbound rounds!"
"Affirmative! Defence guns are acquiring lock now!"
"What is the charge status of the main gun?"
"Capacitors are charging, targeting systems are still calibrating!"
"As soon as that gun is ready, I want beams down lane on that fleet."
"Acknowledged!"
The point defence flared to life, rounds and lasers flying back to meet the surprise attack. All but one of the slugs were blown clean from the sky, electricity crackling across the station's shields as the batteries dumped.
"Ma'am! Hit confirmed! Shields down to 90%!"
"One hit? Damn, they weren't wrong when they said they could break your shields fast. What's our PD status?"
"Coming fully online now."
"Good. Let's not let them get too many hits in."
"Captain! One hit confirmed!"
"Damn, just the one? Were they on target?"
"Affirmative, sir, but they have heavy point defence. They have more than enough time to lock onto and destroy our munitions from this range."
"Alright. All ships, engines to full burn! We need to close the gap!"
"Aye aye! Engines to full!"
The engines on the Staebhic ships flashed to brightness as they roared, readouts coming alive as velocities skyrocketed. The range to the station started dropping sharply. S'dara knew close range was not advisable, but from out here, they would only be wasting their time.
"Ready the guns again. Maintain target lock. Account for mounting velocity."
"Aye aye!"
"Staebh warships approaching ma'am!"
"They must be trying to get closer. Give our PD less time to react. Gun status?"
"Capacitors charged, acquiring target lock. Bringing up display now." an officer called as a holographic display appeared.
"Acquiring target...locked!"
"Fire!"
With a hum and the mounting glow of lights, the firing sequence started. And, mere moments later, ended as a blindingly bright beam of red light left the barrel, lancing across space.
When it hit, the Staebhic crewmen barely knew what happened. Cameras polarised, darkening the views of the digital displays, and even then many averted their gaze. One of the Arbalests, in the momentary flash of light, almost seemed to vanish, like a dust sculpture caught in the wind. Only the engine block was left when the light subsided.
"Wh...What the hell just happened?!"
"High intensity weapons discharge! Directed energy, a laser! We've never seen power like that before!"
"Dammit! Fleet status?"
"Light One has been lost, all hands KIA! Light Two has taken considerable armour damage to its port bow, but all systems are green!"
"Right...return fire! Give them hell!"
The guns of the Staebhic vessels flashed again, volley after volley racing back even as the Artifician hyperfrequency cannon recharged, point defences hurrying to respond. Space between the installations became a mess of light flashes, point defences flaring, shells exploding or narrowly evading. Steadily, one after another, shell after shell hit, electricity crackling across the shields.
"Weapons status!"
"Shields down to 50%! Main gun at 90%!"
"Ma'am! The other probes have gone offline! No response from any of them!"
"Are they trying to blind us?"
"Weapon charged! Who do we target, commander?"
"Try and pick out their flagship! Scatter them!"
"Aye aye!"
"Captain! Energy spike from the station's energy weapon! They're firing again!"
"Dammit! Who are they targeting?"
"...Us, sir! The station has a target lock on this ship!"
"Dammit! Evasive manoeuvres! Fire two impactors!"
"Affirmative! Launching!"
Attitude thrusters burned, gases and such jetting into space, the Polybolos turning hard to change its course, the Arbalests scrambling to do the same. Two of the impactors flew down their rails, approach engines burning as they turned to fly towards the station before orion drives engaged. S'dara never expected them to hit the station. He doubted they would break the shields. But that wasn't his plan. Sensors went blind as the engines fired, the sheer radiation of multiple successive nuclear detonations blotting out everything around them. Firing sequence already engaged, the laser fired, and cameras again polarised as a flash of light tore through space.
S'dara half-expected his vision to come back to either fires and blaring sirens, or the cold, silent void of space. To his fortune, the worst of the scenario was a few flashing red readouts.
"Status!" he called, wiping his stinging eyes.
"Miss! Considerable damage to dorsal hull! Turret one is offline!"
"Arbalest Four took a hit to its engine block! All systems are offline! Lifeboats ejecting!
"Pick them up, ASAP! Target damage?"
"Shields...online, but weak! Gun recharging!"
"Dammit, by the time that station is dead, we will be too! What's the objective status of the other task groups?"
"All enemy probes destroyed, sir! Waiting for our withdrawal signal."
"Alright...send it out. Helm, get us out of here. Give them one last volley!"
The remaining Staebh ships, all three of them, turned, their engines flaring back to life as they steered away. Guns fired once more, Artifician point defence swatting them away.
"Ma'am! Staebhic vessels turning to leave! Tails between their legs!"
"Should we make pursuit fire?"
"...No. Fire a warning shot. Make them know we won't be so merciful next time. And if anything with more than two eyes comes near us again, you make it dead!" She growled, looking at the blaring warning readouts. One of the impactors had pierced the shields, and it had rammed through one of the hab blocks. No casualties, but the entire block had been depressurised when the supersonic spear of solid mass tore a section of the hull out. Damage control was already responding.
The final laser shot missed as intended, narrowly, and sent the Staebhic crews into a brief frenzy as sensors screamed. The ships finally left, vanishing behind the system's gas giant as they headed home. Nerves slowly settled, though tension had certainly mounted aboard the Artifician station; while their sensors let them see much of the system, with the probes destroyed they were blind to the finer details. The SUSN had earned themselves a little more breathing room, though with the station's lasting presence and the power of its gun, the Staebh were now more scared than ever to act. Still, with the ongoing projects above their homeworld including the steadily more integral Onager warship, it wouldn't be long before the SUSN got bold again. The Unanimity was not willing to let that pass.