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Homeworld Return - blackjack
:: 05/05/01 ::
Chapter 13
A pair of Kaark-class Taiidani bombers pumped their plasma bombs into the hull of an encroaching Ytterbian frigate, the superheated particles drilling through the enemy's think armoring. Even as they cut a barrel-roll to avoid the slashing beams of the ship's ion turrets, an emerald beam speared the port launcher of the top fighter, unleashing the plasma from its magnetic shell. The craft detonated in a spectacular ball of debris, catching its wingman off guard. The other bomber tried to cut downward, but instead was impaled by the angry beams of a diving Ytterbian fightercraft.
All around, the battle raged. Taiidani vessels, mixed with the tattered remains of the Hiigaran fleet that they had hyperspaced in to support, tried and failed to hold their own against the massive Ytterbian battlefleet. A Sarkiin Cho carrier was stabbed with a quartet of ion beams in the flank, blowing a hole in the vessel and setting it adrift. A Quaar-Jet Cruiser, surrounded by a hornet's nest of smaller frigates and destroyers, staved off at least half of the small group attacking it before it too fell. All around, Hiigaran ships of various design tried to hold the enemies, but failed as their numbers were reduced one by one.
On the bridge of the Faal-Corum, at the edge of the battle, the Somtaaw'sa watched as his ship's siege cannon decimated a group of Ytterbian frigates. He grinned to himself under his robe - even with half its Sentry shield gone, his vessel was still formidable, he thought - and called for a report.
His sensor officer replied almost immediately. "At least a dozen enemy frigates, a number of Destroyers, and a Carrier-Cruiser were caught in the blast and destroyed. Two Taiidani ICFs were lost in the shockwave… we lost no vessels."
"Excellent," the Somtaaw'sa said. "Recharge de cannon immediately." He peered out into the fray for a moment, trying to make some sort of tactical decision, but with only minimal military training he gave up after a short period of silence. Ahead, he saw, a squadron of ACVs was being shredded by a group of Ytterbian Multi-Beam Fighters.
Suddenly, the Faal-Corum rocked as a Carrier-Cruiser locked its complement of beams onto the Explorer. A Support Module exploded instantly under the onslaught of energy, tossing the bridge crew about and throwing the Somtaaw'sa to the floor. His knees buckled again as he tried to get up, and he sat defeated on the floor - a most undignified posture, he though bitterly. Still, it was all that he could manage while the Faal-Corum bucked and swayed.
An officer was helping him up then, saying something about the ship being unable to hold itself for long. A bulkhead exploded outward, throwing a junior commander across the deck of the bridge. The Somtaaw'sa's head twisted toward the screen, where a pair of Dreadnoughts and a squadron of Acolytes was pounding on the Carrier-Cruiser in an attempt to save their Kiith'sa. Just then, a beam sliced outward from the Ytterbian ship, cutting an Acolyte in two and hurtling the latter half towards the Faal-Corum.
The very last thing that the Somtaaw'sa was the burning section of the dead Acolyte slamming through the bridge wall and into his half-standing body.
* * *
The Taiidani commander grimaced as a frigate exploded under the sustained pulses of a Ytterbian destroyer. Years of experience and training told him that the battle was long lost - with the Somtaaw Faal-Corum flaming and adrfit and over half of his battlegroup decimated by these rampaging invaders, they stood even less chance against the massive Ytterbian fleet than they had when the massive enemy battlegroup had been caught in the fleet's gravity wells and came out of hyperspace.
He turned toward the rear of the bridge and his navigation officer. "Recall all fighters and prepare for hyperspace. Give the signal to evacuate," he said softly, not wanting it to come to this even though this was not his war. He had sworn to help the Hiigarans, and now his sense of honor and loyalty was making him hate himself for having to abandon them. But if he did not, more of his people would die.
He had no choice, he rationalized.
The blue glow of hyperspace almost caught him by surprise as his vessel escaped the carnage.
* * *
The Ytterbian fleet had no trouble cleaning up the meager suicidal Hiigaran force that remained to oppose them. With the destruction of the last gravity well generator, there was nothing left to prevent them from heading further into the system.
The Ytterbian commander smiled as he glanced into the sun while his fleet readied itself for the final hyperspace leg of their journey.
The sun around which Hiigara orbited was bright indeed, he reflected as he stared into it.
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