Fighter Runs

Posted on 08 May 2019 @ 7:43am by Captain Akio Tachibana & Commander Juan Zamora (Dec [CDO]-Jan 2389 - TRSNFR to Gorn Dip.) & Lieutenant Junior Grade Geneviève "Jenny" Lassonde (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & Ensign Kojima "Paperboy" Tanahashi

Mission: Ka Hakaka Maikaʻi - The Good Fight
Location: Near Canterra IV
Timeline: Concurrent with "Arrival"

ON:

=/\= This is Compass Island to all fighters, form up on us for first run, =/\= came the all call from the Defiant.

=/\= "Copy Compass Island, Forming up on you," =/\= Jenny affirmed, businesslike. She guided her valkyrie into position with the Larger escort ship, watching the opening stages of the battle unfold on her instruments. At the longest ranges, space combat became an almost stately affair, torpedoes crisscrossing the void in intricate patterns, careful and measured responses to everything. Before the day was done, they would probably see the viscous knife fight of close-range fighting as well.

Kojima was waiting for this, he was ready. "Jenny how we splitting this up? Who is wingmaning for who?" The young Ensign asked.

"You're with me Paperboy, the others will be flying as a trio," Jenny explained. "Whoever score the least 'kills' uses their holodeck time to throw us a victory party, and that's fighters, and torpedoes. You ready?"

"Alright, but when I win I prefer sake." Paperboy declared as he followed Jenny out. "So how about a side bet?" The young Asian suggested.

"Jackals inbound," came over the comm as 10 more Valkyries, bearing different markings than Hawaii's fighters, formed up with the Defiant escort.

"I don't want to tempt fate today, I figure one wager is plenty." jenny replied over the private channel. On a wider band, she hailed the new arrivals. "Howdy Jackals, glad to see you could make it."

"Might be for the best." Paperboy replied.

"Compass Island to all, follow our lead," crackled the comm.

"Jackal One, tally-ho!"

"Knight One, charge!"

The Defiant and trail of fighters swarmed at the nearest Gorn Escort ship.

Heavy flak started filling space.

"Watch the disrupter fire!" the voice of Jackal one could be heard.

Jenny gripped the controls tightly, darting through the storm of defensive fire as she searched for an opening. She rolled out of the way of a bolt of disrupter fire, and found herself out of position, not able to make a shot on this run.

Paperboy was doing his best to line up a clean shot with all the flak, he had just enough time to fire one burst from his phasers only to watch the shot hit the deflectors. "Dammit, their deflectors held."

"JACKAL THREE, you're too close, pull out and regroup!" Jackal One ordered.

"Negative, one, I am lining up the mark, following Knight Two," came the reply.

"Pull out! Pull out!" Jackal One repeated.

It was too late. Before Jackal Three fired, there was a small explosion, signifying the death of the pilot, leaving behind a wonder if Jackal Three was really killed by his own cockiness or by the Gorn.

The fighters pulled off to re-group.

"Compass Island to fighters, we are initiating attack pattern delta," the comms crackled.

The fighters took up the port flank of the Defiant and came in for a second run, again among heavy disrupter flak.

Most of the fighters had a hard enough time just juking and dodging all the weapons. It was very clear that this battle would not be easy.

Jenny dove headlong toward the Gorn escort, gunning her engines and slipping through the net of searing energy. This time she found herself skimming along the enemy ship's skin, her computer lining up targets. She set her controls to fire micro torpedoes in groups of two, picking a pair of point defense weapons and letting loose with a burst each. The pods slung under her wing spat out a quartet of munitions, sending the screaming toward their targets.

The first pair slammed against the shield, dissipating their energy back out into space. The second pair had more luck, one got through, and Jenny had the satisfaction of watching a new scar appear on the hull.

All of a sudden, there was laughter, "Jackal 4 to 1, we found a vulnerability in their deflectors. One even got through!"

Just then, the Compass Island swooped for a strafing run while the Gorn escort focused fire on the poor Defiant.

A small explosion could be seen as one of the new-type torpedoes evidently slipped through the Defiant's shields.

Debris was sent flying into Jenny's fighter, bouncing off her shields.

Jenny wrenched at the controls, forcing herself back on course, lest the impact knock her into the enemy shields.

=/\= Alright gang, lock and load for another pass, on us,=/\= the voice on the Compass Island transmitted.

As the fighters locked onto another pass, something seemed to give way as the deluge of fire stopped reflecting green.

Paperboy leads the next fighter run, he dove low and fired upon the underside of the stern. He had two solid hits on the escort, the first again pinged the shields but it was enough for them to drop. The second drilled the hull nothing preventing the damage. "All wings, shields on the escort have dropped."

Jenny swooped in over the exposed hull of the escort, raking her phasers along one of the impulse grilles, and the nearby area. She was rewarded with the sight of a broad gash she had opened up in the armor, sparks pouring out into space.

The Gorn vessel was not looking so great as several fires erupted along the hull.

She was not going down without a fight though.

"This is Jackal ONE, shields at 70%," he reported.

=/\= Alert, Hawaii is targeting our tango with hammerhead, =/\= Compass Island transmitted.

Jenny looked on as the hammerhead streaked across her vision, slamming home into the escort's forward section. Almost at once the ship's armored skin began to dissolve, a hole opening up as the weapon set to work.

Paperboy let out a whistle over the comms, "That at least saves us another run on this ship, who's next Knight-One?"

"Next nearest escort Knight Two," Jenny replied, "Without the minnows, the sharks will be a lot more vulnerable."

As the rent in the escort's skin continued to grow, lights began to flicker and fade out around its edges. A chain of new explosion erupted along the hull, and the ship veered gracelessly off course. Now the nacelles flickered, the fire from the escort's weapons slackening and finally ceasing all together. The lights throughout the ship died and it was left drifting, dead in space. Pods began erupting from the stricken vessel, angling themselves toward the Gorn lines.

=/\= Good call, Knight One, Compass Island is inbound at your seven,=/\= came over the radio.

Paperboy noticed the Gorn ships in the area were pulling closer together and away from the planet. "Knight-One, it looks like they are pulling out? How copy?"

"I see it," Jenny confirmed. "Let's not make it easy for them, line up the next escort and dive in!"

=/\= Command is in agreement Knight One, new target assigned. =/\= Compass Island broadcast to the flyers.

"Right compass island, I'm going in!" Jenny angled in for an attack, opening up her engines and bearing down on the new escort. She let loose with her phasers, peppering the Gorn ship's shields with energy, the remainder of teh knights, and jackals flying behind her.

Paperboy had been lucky, he hadn't taken a shot this engagement he followed in on the wing of Jenny and managed to place a solid hit on the shields.

Despite her best efforts, Jenny still took a hit from a point defense disrupter. Feeling her valkyrie jolt and shudder as her shields struggled against the lethal energy. Gritting her teeth, she pulled on the control stick, peeling off from the attack and re positioning. "Knight One, Shields at 76%," she reported.

From her new vantage point, she had a front row seat as the Compass Island made its own pass. The attack ship came in fast and hot, weapons blazing as it charged the Gorn ship trading shots in a storm of fire. The pulse phasers, working at full intensity, pounded the escort's shields like rain, the energy barrier glowing vividly and sparking as it struggled against the onslaught. And all at once, the crackling screen of energy had dissipated, and the last few bolts of slammed into the hull directly, sending up small fireballs. The Compass Island was forced to break off, or risk ramming into its opponent, nosing up and turning to join the re-forming fighters. Finding themselves unprotected, and with their attackers poised to begin another run, someone on the Gorn ship must have decided that discretion was the better part of valor, as the escort turned its bow back to the Gorn lines, and began powering up its engines. The nacelles glowed, and the ship vanished, executing a short range warp jump, to bring it to the far side of the Gorn lines and relative safety.

=/\= This is Jackal One, 50% shields remaining. Not sure how much more we can take, =/\= the other fighter leader transmitted.

=/\= Copy, Jackal One. We're not doing so hot either, yet the fight's on! =/\= Compass Island responded.

"That was great work anyway Compass Island" Jenny cheered. "You put their tail right between their legs! So, what now?"

=/\= Compass Island to Command, enemy fleet is bugging out. What are your orders? =/\=

=/\= Move in and establish orbital control of Canterra IV, the colony is our primary objective =/\= the voice commanded from the Hawaii's CIC.

OFF:

Juan "JJ" Zamora, CDR, SF
XO

Geneviève "Jenny" Lassonde, LTJG, SFFC
FLT 801/CO

Kojima "Paperboy" Tanahashi, ENS, SFFC
FLT 801/XO

Jackal One & Compass Island NPCs
Played by Akio