Galaxy in Flames

[Entaru]

Entaru began clapping as the camera moved along, still laughing at the carnage.  He could see that a squadron of pirate fighters had entered the fray as well.  Entaru put a signal through the drone once more, this time only with the audio.

"HAHAAA!  Excellent! Thank you Mr. Mordecai.  I was hoping to get a better view.  I have no control of my drone from here and now I can watch as my enemies tear eachother apart!  Just wonderful!"  Entaru spun his chair in excitement .  

His crew were watching the screen in pure ecstasy; placing bets on who would win, how many fighters would go down, and who could pop off the most pirates.

Only Dr. Zettergren stood by silent, the warden of this floating asylum.

[Gabag]

Captain Mordecai, not amused by the outlaw's bickering and insane laughter, decided it was time to disable the Casks's gravity generators.
A small sly smile crept on the good captain's face.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Blaire pulled her desert eagle and shot his oxygen tank. "Now you aren't! Now take me back to the market! I want my ship!!"

He took yet another gampbe and had the ship auto-pilot while he snatched the desert eagle out of her hand and almost smacked her. "You fire that again in this ship, and you'll kill us both... forget about your ship, I'm being tailed by fighters intent on killing us, so just sit down and stop causing me more problems... its not like I like turning in people and not knowing whats going to happen to them!" a few tears went out of his eyes before he went back to the pilot's chair, the desert eagle still in hand.

[Entaru]

Entaru floated out of his chair and looked about in surprise.  Ms. Zettergen laughed as she too floated from her seat.

"Looks like they hacked our grav-generator boss."

"Ms. Zettergren, I have a question for you."

"Yes, boss"

"What was your first clue?"

The crew erupted in laughter once more as they began swimming into better spots for the view.  Dr. Zettergren strapped Entaru back into his chair before doing the same to himself.

"If you fall from any height, Entaru, you'll break the suit.  I suggest you not remove the straps...for your own sake."

"Ha! Fine, I have the best view in the house anyways"  Entaru turned back to the carnage once more with a jack-o-lantern grin plastered on his face.

[Alice The Necrofox]

"Captain, i dont mean to sound like a broken record here, but we have to get the frack out of here, NOW. Several of the main engiens are busted and our only shot is right now! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
Kxxxxxxkxxxk
"NO! Dont put that there! That is the shield generator, you stupid, ignorant, flunki... KBAOOOOOOOMM!"
The shield meter began falling rapidly

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"Sir, the indomitable has fired a salvo of scorpion missiles," said Mika as he scanned the sector. Suddenly Kimchi recieved a transmission from Home.
"The R-40's under attack from pirates, sir," she said.
"And two of the human fighters flying over to them now," Mika added.
"Sir, one of the direwolves did not obey orders, it's still fighting out there," said Kimchi.
"It's not going well, sir," said Mika. He turned from his helm looking to the captain for orders.

The captain sat back, shaking his head. "Stupid baldies, no intelligence, firing after calling ceasefire." He sighed, slowly, with a hint of a growl creeping through. "Right, fire forward beams at the indomitable, launch the remaining two fighter squadrons, give Gore something to do. Get us in closer, tell me when  the point defense beams are in range, get those bombers moving in, get the fighters to protect the bombers." This flurry of orders was proceeded by an equivalent reponse as Kimchi ran through each other into the comms.

"Thank God, I finally get to kill," Gore said as he clambered into his specialised fighter. "Launch," he said into the comms as he was propelled into deep space, powering his thrusters, screaming through with afterburners, his wingmen at his tail.

"Sir, what about the R-40?" Kimchi asked.
"Send a message out for reinforcements, we're gonna focus on these humans," answered the captain. His words were final.
"Sir, they're breaking apart, they wont last."
"Dog with two bones, Kimmy!" the winged cat shouted, as he stared her down. "Call for reinforcements, make the sob story, and you," he turned to Mika. "You get us firing like the powerhouse we are."





Asia recieved the command to fight, and banged the side of the cockpit with his fist, relaying the information to his squad. Shock didnt dare contain herself,
"Hahaa! Shoulda listened to me, boys!" She swerved and danced through the air, arching down from above the lead fighter, launching her Hornet missiles, dumbfire, sending a hail of eight warheads swarming downwards. "Best dogfighter in Eph'tan!"
"Dont get too close, I'm about to fire off my EMP," Strike called out, as his lock-on triangle rotated over the hud of his visor, crawling over to the enemy with a quickening beep.
"This is the weirdest fight, I've ever been in," said Ragged as he activated his afterburners to position ahead of the bombers, between them and Iota squadron.
"Thankyou Beon, thanks for the insight," Asia replied. Through rear cameras, he could see the other two squadrons pour out of the capital ship. At the same time, he recieved a transmission from  Gore's fighter.
"TAK 2, take out those fighters, we've got those bomber interceptors in our sights. TAK 3 will escort the bombers." Suddenly, Asia's view was blinded by green light, as the forward beam cannons tore past on either end of his fighter.

[Gabag]

Zev and Collins were engaging the Mugari pirates, easily routing them with superior ships and skills and 3 kills, managed to save 'Home'.
"Home. ya can thank us later!"
Punching the afterburners, the pair concentrated catching up to Strike from below.

"Alpha 1 evade, rockets fired from enemy ship!" cried Lisa.

"I got it! hold on, Lisa reroute Iota squadron to the escort fighters accelerating for them and get requests for reinforcements!"
Gab swerved left and right to avoid the missiles, as his own craft got a target lock on Shock. Firing a missile, but not giving up chase, he still stood on the tail of the rat firing his lasers even though his missile was accelerating towards her.

"Iota new targets pinpointed on your HUDs, take 'em out!"
"Roger Alphas, ok boys get ready to dogfight... if targets are locked missiles away!"
Missile trails appeared under three of the lead ships of IOta, accelerating towards TAK 3's lead ships.

"Preston full power to shields to absorb those cannon blasts now!" The Captain yelled as a giant blue orb covered the indomitable and buckled under the power of the laser cannon shots. However the shields still held, abiet at 30 %
"Ready Guass Cannon rounds and fire on my mark!"

[KittKat chunky~]

"Shiro, we are making the jump soon, Kitt and the rest of team tango are three clicks away from us.... they undocked from the Ellan during the confusion and will be with us in under five minutes.... you get the shields back online!"


The home turned away from the fighting, hyperdrive core charging up for a jump....

"Home, this is R-20 tango... we are docked.... fire her up!"


~~~~


The home, battered and smoking dissapeared in a blue flash, reapearing at a nearby salvager outpost..... Eph'tan ships already moving in to tow the frigate into dock....


((the home is now being repaired at outpost delta sigma 4..... it is taking no more part in fighting or salvaging as it is severly crippled))


The captain of the home scratched his chin.... staring at the statistics before him....
"so.... we can pay off the repairs?"

"well yes... we can, that ore the salavgers got before the fighting is top grade! coretonium, hephtolite and aluminium.... in fact by my calculations... after these repairs are done... we have a large subsidy left over... we could get the frigate upgraded?"

"well, we see once the repairs are done... until now... thank Eph'tan that we didnt suffer more casualties...."

[White Wolf Guardian]

*White looked out a window from his room at the dogfight outside on the Frigate Indomitable and sighed* "Makes me wish I wasn't ground forces... or at least long range." *He fiddled with his shotgun and loaded up the ammo*

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The HUD giggled as it locked on to Lisa's fighter. "Firing EMP," Strike said as he let loose his new toy, staying at distance with Asia and Ragged, as he watched it glide through the lumps of energy slicing through the air, to the enemy pair. Asia and Ragged split off from Strike's side, powering round to flank them.
Shock spun and dived, spiralling through the darkness, surprised to be locked on at all. She heard the steadily increasing beep, as the sensors tracked the missile, gaining ground. It inevitably came too close for comfort, forcing her to pull out her tricks, cutting her engine, flicking round and rocketing through with her afterburners. She swerved and rolled to dodge the missile by a hair's breadth powering her primary weapons to rip through to the lead fighter, while simultaneously firing another wall of rockets his way. No time to lock on, but hard to miss.

Gore and his squadron powered through the vacuum firing off his GTM-19 Harpoon missiles, packed with highly advanced navigational AI. His wingmen made do with one set of Hornets, locking on and firing off 4 missiles each. They spiralled through the air, the Harpoon streaking away along with the hail of laser fire.



Mika burst out in a laugh as the beam cannons pounded the Indomitable. The captain was not so jubilant, appearing lethargic in his seat, but his brow was furrow, his eyes staring away.
"Sir, the point defense guns will be in range of the fighters so very soon," Mika chirped with excitement.
"Yeah and the indomitable's guns might too. How's the beam cannons?" the captain asked.
"Still charging,"
"The aft gun?"
"Ready as anything." Mika nodded as he spoke.
"Flick us, sideways on," the captain ordered. "We've gotta get this done without major damage, that Cask thing is still out there." Kimchi turned to face the captain.
"Sir, the R-40 has jumped. Shall I cancel the reinforcements request?" she asked.
"Heck no!" The captain replied. "The more the merrier, we're still in a fight here. When it's one vs one, nothing's certain... don't even update them."

[Entaru]

The crew cheered with every bombardment as they floated about the deck.  Every explosion, every laser burn, every person lost, were given whole-hearted shouts of glee.  Finally Entaru was growing tired of simply watching.  No doubt the Eph'tan had called for reinforcements.  And a dead Eph'tan was better than a dead Human any day, even if they were a scumbag.  Entaru patched the signal through a final time and spoke calmly to the captain.

"Alright Mr. Mordecai,  you seem to be a little outgunned at the moment.  And if I know those Eph'tan cowards, then you have another ship on its way.  So I have a proposition for you, a truce.  You let up on the hack and get me a pardon.  In return I'll chase the furballs off.  My ship is still in good shape, despite the damage caused by your missiles. My shields are at 100% again and with the damage you've done to the Ellan I should be able to take it out in a couple of shots.   You've experienced the Cask's power first hand Captain, you know I'm right.  So...do we have a deal?"  Entaru smiled as he waited.

Either answer would do...

[Shenzii]

Blaire kicked him in the face and screamed again. "If we were on my ship we would have been in the clear!!!!" her shrieks were almost glass shattering.

[Gabag]

(blaire I think if you kick a pilot in the face and keep shooting him, theres a large possibility of death)

In the breif lull in combat, The good captain sent a letter of conscription to the Cask, pardoning it and allowing it full military action against hostile parties, however Entaru was to follow the orders of Mordecai and the human high command. That meant no killing Eph'Tan who the captain will let go.

[Entaru]

"Blast! Oh well, I can still burn them a bit."  Entaru felt his weight come back as the gravity turned back on.

Crashes and cusses filled the room as the crew fell from their places in the air to the cold hard grating of the floor.

"Battlestations everyone!  We've got some strays to neuter and a two-faced Captain to save." Entaru shouted to the pile in front of him.

The crew quickly began to scurry about the ship, getting into place for the battle.  The tech officers busied themselves for their next jump, while the Brothers got into their gun positions (minus one).  All was ready.

"Prepare to fire as soon as we fall out of warp.  I want us to surround the Ellan with the Indomitable's help.  When we do, take out thier life-support.  Get'em to surrender!"

"Jump's ready boss!"

"Prepare for the jump, in 3...2...1...JUMP!"

The viewscreen blurred as the Cask sped through hyperspace, then cleared again as the Cask appeared next to the Ellan.

"TURN IT INTO SCRAP!!!!"

The Cask's turbolasers streaked toward the Ellan in red and blue streams of destruction.

And Entaru smiled.

[KittKat chunky~]

The intercoms crackled, the captain's voice ringing throughout 'home', penetrating even the loud buzzing of welders and the deep steady ~thrum, thrum~ of the shield generators...

~" Could Shiro, head engineer report to the bridge immediately... thats Shiro to the bridge please..."~

All of the engingeers turned back to their work, masks back on, welders buzzing again, sparks flying...


~~~~

Up in the bridge the Captain of 'home' sat at his desk, rifling through papers.... a young feline stood before him, showing him more papers and information readouts...

"well sir... the main hull has been repaired to almost full integrity.... just a few more hours and this ship is ready to roll.... plus.... we have a hold full of ore..... we sell that, we can pay of the costs of this repair... aaand... have enough left over for whatever we need..."

"that sounds good.... and you have allerted the Eph'tan of the attack on the Ellan?"

"yessir"

"good, very good.... when Shiro comes up here, direct him to see me okay? i want a word with him about his bravery and actions back there..."