Reavers over Whitefall
| Location: Log_Location::In orbit over Whitefall | IC Date: Log_IC_Date::2533/06/12 | OOC Date: Log_OOC_Date::2013/09/05 |
| Characters: Has Characters in Scene::Jacy | ||
| Summary: Log_Short_Summary:: | ||
If you're in a fair fight, you didn't plan it right.
It hasn't been an easy week, that's for sure...broken down transports, old trans-us and the like have been joining the
Reaverite fleet so to speak. Not attacking unless attacked, even allowing ships to land but it has been the Temperance
and other Ship's job...to keep the REAVERITE ships from landing and it hasn't been easy. They keep trying, testing
boundaries...trying to slip in or past at all times during the morning and night.
This evening however, sensors pick up some new ships...hey, that's normal. Only these...are operating without reactor
containment. The reaverite ships...usually do not do this, so that only leaves one...option. There are a few cargo
sized ships and as they come into view, behind them is flying...a large, extremely outdated...Cruiser. Perhaps about
50 years outdated, but the massive ship follows the others. <English>
The IAV Temperance is a Longbow-class carrier, with 36 fighters and ten smaller craft - long range shuttles for the
most part, some bristling with sensors, others with radar and communications jamming devices. And the deployed ships
have been kept busy, harrassing the Reaverites, firing warning shots and only when absolutely necessary firing at the
ships themselves. The pilots in particular, and the rest of the crew of the Temperance in general, are weary; a week
at battle stations with little sleep, snatching what rest they can before they're called for another sortie. And
there've been deaths, too, a mid-air collision between a fighter and a Reaverite shuttle that zigged when it might
have zagged.
Lt (JG) Heather Jacy is on the bridge in the combat control room, pulling her Officer of the Watch stint. She's as
tired as all the others, manifesting in dark shadows under her eyes and her usual waspish behaviour magnified, but
she's keeping it all professional. The CO's snatching a few precious hours of sleep, but surely must be roused to hear
this news, so a runner is dispatched to her cabin. In the meantime, Jacy studies the holo-displays before her. "Launch
the alert fighters, and get me eyes on those new ships," she orders curtly. "And start to pull in the fighters that
are already in the air in sectors five and eight. I don't care about the Reaverites right now, I want those fighters
refuelled and weaponed up." <English>
You can pretty much hear the Imperial Death March playing as the ships keep on a steady course towards the planet,
broadcasting a message to all on the public open frequencies. "...and now they reap, the souls to keep...feeding from
Miranda's teat, her children come to sow their seeds. Returning to their father's breast, those who are worthy pass
the test." <English>
"Get those broadcasts jammed!" Lt Jacy orders curtly as an alert operator brings it up on the bridge speakers, and a
communications officer nods sharply and starts to speak into a microphone. "Echo Whiskey Twelve, Temperance. Jam all
frequencies on 100 MHz through 200 MHz." But Lt Jacy is still speaking. "Send in the first of the alert fighters. Shot
across their bows. That'll be their only warning." And that message, too, is passed on. The hangar doors are opening,
and the grey darts of the alert fighters stream out, banking sharply and engaging their afterburners, bright pinpricks
of light disappearing into the black. The encrypted Alliance frequencies are chattering, as air traffic control
attempts to bring in more fighters from afar. "I want vulnerability assessments of the cruiser onscreen now," Jacy
snaps. "And where's the gorram Captain?" The gorram Captain has, naturally, chosen that moment to walk onto the
bridge, and favors Jacy with an icy glare. But doesn't interrupt the junior officer's orders. Maybe the phrase 'give
her enough rope and she'll hang herself' is appropriate here. <English>
Its reavers...really, how dangerous can Reavers really be against a coordinated military attack. Really, its not like
they have ace pilots...oh wait, two of the cargo vessles break off to defend the ship it would appear...taking any
warning shots they may be firing off. But there really isn't much of a response as they continue drifting towards the
planet.
Vulnerability assessments, well its running without reaction containment, has about...100 life signs on board.
<English>
"Alright. I want the electronic eyes in the sky to sweep all frequencies. If anyone's broadcasting that isn't us, I
want them jammed." Lt Jacy's eyes are scanning the displays before her, the giant holographic images showing the bulk
of the planet of Whitefall and then bright dots, annotated with purple for friendlies, yellow for unfriendlies, and
these new arrivals in blood red. Vectors, courses, other indicators dancing as tiny numbers tagged to each dot. "I
want all fighters on the Reaverite ships recalled. Get them in, fuel them up, get them out with a fresh crew." On the
hangar deck, the first of the recalled ships are already taxying in, their pilots and navigators scrambling out to be
replaced, gunners slamming in ammunition pods into the receptacles under each wing, fuel hoses snapped into place. "I
want half the fighters distracting the Reaver escorts." No point in calling them anything but. "Bring in the others
from behind. Target the engines and the bridge windows with everything they have. Torpedos, cannon." <English>
ZZZZTZZZZZZZZZZZTTHHHHTTTTTTTTKTTTTTTZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTt - Static on the public Frequencies, a few orders get mixed up
due to the static on the frequencies and there's a glitch in the jamming. Some fighters actually target the Reaverite
ships instead. <English>
Lt Jacy's brow furrows in anger, and she snarls out the next set of orders at the entirely innocent (relatively
speaking) bridge crew. "I said target the Reavers, not the Reaverites! Get the fighters in from sector two." There's a
flurry of orders from the communications officers, and the poor crew of the jamming ship must be left with blistered
ears. Jacy's hands are wrapped around a handrail, her knuckles white, and a bead of sweat trickles down her temple,
around the curve of her jaw, and runs down under her mandarin collar. "Alright. Get me Engineering. I need to know how
to stop those motherhumpers," she growls. <English>
Explosions in the sky...like little fireworks almost as a few Reaverite ships ARE destroyed, but that causes the
Cruiser as it continues moving forward to, if sensors can pick on that sort of thing, be powering up weapons.
Apparently, they do a canon, which is used...to fire shots at the fighters who were attacking.
Engineering will be able to report, that taking out one central engine room will not do the trick on a cruiser that's
been designed FOR war and sustaining others on the ship, there are 4 reactors and 4 generator like devices that keep
it powered. They are however, already operating without reactor containment so it doesn't appear that RADIATION seems
to be a big deal for them. <English>
"Do we have any ship-to-ship weapons that will take them down?" Jacy asks, as some of the little holographic dots
disappear and are gone. The strained voice of a fighter pilot crackles from the bridge speakers, "We're taking fire.
We're taking..." And his voice disappears in a burst of static, and one of the purple dots on the holodisplay winks
out. Jacy's face becomes ever grimmer. "Tell Red and Blue sections to target the cannon. Everyone, stay on the
cruiser. Get in close and take out their sensor clusters. Make them blind," are her next set of snapped orders,
playing for time as she tries to think this through. <English>
Pew Pew! PEW PEW! The Fighter Forces are doing their damndest now to follow orders, a few fighters fire trying to take
out the sensor clusters but the angles of their passes...don't cause really any damage, but there are 2 fighters from
Red and Blue who manage to damage one of the canons...luckily, but beyond that no real damage as the Cruiser opens
fire once more. At least it caused a major distractions.
As for ship to ship weapons...its an older model so...they have weapons, you have weapons, theirs are older and
outdated so not as much is still in the systems about them. <English>
As the engagement continues, the encrypted fighter comm channel is patched through to the bridge speakers. "Red five,
red five, break left, break left!" "I got it! I got the gorram cannon!" And screams, some of exultation, others...not
so much. More purple lights wink out on the holodisplay, and the Captain, standing behind Jacy, hisses sharply between
her teeth. But the refuelled, rearmed, recrewed fighters are now entering the battle, Green and Purple sections. "Red,
Blue, Purple, target the engines," Jacy orders calmly. "Torpedos. Green, cover them, draw off the cannon fire. I want
to know when the Temperance is in range. I want everything concentrated on that cruiser. Forget the cargo ships, just
make sure they don't ram you." She's holding one wing, White wing, back in reserve, mindful of the fact that one or
more of the cargo ships could play the very same ramming trick on the Temperance. The Captain is a step ahead of Jacy,
though, and orders smoothly, "And seal up the Temperance, please, Engineering. All blast doors closed. Damage control
teams standing by. Gunners can fire at will at any approaching ship that isn't one of ours. Carry on, Lieutenant
Jacy." <English>
Orders come over the com and the fighters are back out there following orders. Red's pilots are skilled but aren't
quite fast enough as more canon fire comes from the Cruiser clipping a few wings, however their torpedos hit their
target, causing the ship to stutter a bit so to speak in its forward movement. Blue's pilots are too quick to get
shot, showing some fancy flying in their evasion but their torpedos just miss their main target. Purple's flyers are
aces, maneuvering like pros and dropping their payloads as well and Green follows orders to the T...even drawing off a
Cargo ship that was on ramming duty.
There are a few hiccups though, one of the remaining cargo ships directs itself on an intercept path towards the
Temperance, and the gunner tasked with firing...can't get the cannons to work for now. <English>
Lt Jacy swallows hard as she spots the incoming ship. "White wing, stop that ship," she orders calmly. "Temperance
gunners, fire at will." And to hell with not shooting the friendly fighters. "Check your targets," she adds curtly,
"Watch out for the fighters." See, she's not the ruthless bitch she often comes across as. Her knuckles whiten as she
watches the two dots on the holodisplay close together, the blood-red of the enemy cargo ship approaching the large
purple representation of the Temperance. The bridge's windows, of course, have long ago been covered by blast
shutters, so the battle is seeming very remote...except for the excited chatter of the fighter teams crackling from
the speakers. The Captain interjects gently again, "Prepare the ship for impact, Lieutenant Jacy." Heather Jacy nods,
biting her lip, and gives the order. A bridge NCO speaks calmly into a microphone, and the ship's tannoy blares
through all the decks, "All hands prepare for impact, repeat, all hands prepare for impact." <English>
The ship...it is coming...its coming...it...manage to RAM/nudge the side of the ship, sliding half under it in a
manner that keeps it from hitting at full impact, the angle was off just a bit. <English>
The Temperance judders, pitching sickeningly with the impact and sending men and women staggering. Jacy is braced at
the rail but still staggers into it with an oof. Across the bridge, red lights spring up on displays. The Captain
takes command as she straps herself into the chair. "Damage reports, Mr Song, if you please." Cannons on the
Temperance and in White wing are firing at point blank range into the other ship as it scrapes along the hull with a
hideous screeching of metal on metal, tearing open the hull of the Alliance carrier. Air spills out, moisture freezing
into little ice crystals...aye, and men and women, too, tumbling into the black. "Lieutenant Jacy. LIEUTENANT JACY."
The CO's voice lashes out. "See to the primary target. I have the Temperance." And Heather Jacy, her face pale, drags
her gaze back to the now-flickering holoprojection, because the battle out at the incoming cruiser is still raging.
The little purple dots swarm around, darting and diving; further out, the sensor shuttles and the jamming ships are
orbiting. Jacy clears her throat and orders crisply, "Stay on the engines. If you can knock the engines out she's dead
in the water." <English>
There's something about...losing comrades, and things looking Grim that seems to inspire the fighters as the avoid
getting hit...with some fancy flying and managed to all hit their Engine based targets as the Cruiser now is,
indeed...dead in the water. <English>
The reports of success start to filter in from the fighters, confirmed by the electronics surveillance ships further
out, and there are some whoops of success on the bridge. Not Jacy, though. "Green, Blue, concentrate on the cargo
ships now. Purple, stay on the cruiser. Torpedos only. Keep sinking them into that motherhumper," she says coldly. She
switches frequencies. "ATC, start rotating the fighters back to the Temperance to re-arm. Torpedos. I want to blow
that go tsao de cruiser out of the sky." She risks a glance at the Captain, but the CO is busy with damage control;
the hull breach is sealed off, and first estimates show they lost around forty men and women. Only forty. Only? The
CO's face is a grim mask, and Jacy quickly looks back at the displays before her. <English>
Green takes a couple of hits from the cruiser unfortunately...but STILL manages to hit their target. The rest...they
are aces, the Cruiser is being torn apart from the outside in, firing as it can now, aiming towards the Temperance
itself. But it can't steer or move. <English>
Only half the hangar bays are usable now, the damage down the port side of the hull will take a full ship-dock to
repair. But the surviving fighters are being refreshed, and now fire is being concentrated on the cargo ships, far
softer targets, torpedos and cannon pounding them without mercy. The Temperance's gunners, too, aren't slow to get
into action, and the constant rolling thunder of the anti-ship heavy cannons are shaking the deckplates. But some fire
is getting through, too; White's leader, a seasoned vet, lets out an uncharacteristic whoop of joy at landing her
torpedo on one of the cargo ships when her ship blows apart, fragmented by a cannon from the Cruiser. The Temperance's
CO is ordering evasive action, and while the ponderous bulk of the Alliance carrier is slow to respond, respond it
does. Lieutenant Jacy is still taut as a bowstring as she orders curtly, "For the cargo ships, concentrate on their
bridge windows. Blow them out into the black like they hit us." <English>
Perhaps they are lucky...perhaps it just chance...but the Cruiser stops firing as the cargo ships are wiped out,
exploding like stars in the night stars to those down on Whitefall. The Cruiser however, just shudders to a halt, no
firing, just that terrifying screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech over any open coms. <English>
"All ships, concentrate your fire on the cruiser. Watch out for her cannon." Even though there's no response, Jacy is
cautious. "Get me Engineering. Mr Song, I want the biggest torpodo you have loaded onto a shuttle and fired at that go
tsao de ship," she says calmly. "And please jam that transmission." She seems to realize that she's had the railing in
a death-grip for the last...how long has the action taken? Forty, fifty minutes? It seems like an eternity. She
loosens her hands and flexes her fingers. "Kill it." <English>
The transmission is jammed...and then everything is in slow motion almost, as the torpedo fly towards the Cruiser and
impacts...tearing through hull and longing there. 3...2...1... BOOM! There is a massive explosion, enough to cause a
shockwave to impact the Temperance as the Cruiser explodes like an overly dramatic fireworks show. <English>
The last blood-red dot on the holodisplay winks out, replaced by a spreading cloud of pinpricks representing the
debris field. There are whoops and ululations crackling over the pilots' comm frequencies, and cheers from the bridge
crew. Heather Jacy moistens dry lips, staring around at the scene. Where ships once flew, there are debris scattered,
twisted shapes of metal drifting and spinning endlessly in the black void of space until they are eventually swallowed
by the gravitational pull of Whitefall, or Athens. And people, too, and those which were once people, staring
sightlessly in the vacuum of space. The status panels on the Temperance bridge are still lit up red in many places,
while crews are working to repair and reroute damaged cabling around the gouged void in the hull. Jacy turns to the CO
and says quietly, "M'am? Targets destroyed. We lost fifteen of our fighters." Nearly half the fighter complement. "The
remaining fighters are returning to base to be refuelled, rearmed, and recrewed. We'll be ready to resume the blockade
duties within the hour." <English>
