Sigma
Inactive Member
HX-11, Hanako Star Cluster
19 May, YE 34
YSS Kōryū and her attendant escorts entered the HX-11 system cautiously. Their intelligence about the in-system defenses were almost a week old. Anything could have decided to park itself here in that time. So the thirty-seven warships of Twelfth SF's 1st Heavy Squadron prepared to be attacked the moment they entered. The world of HX-11 II floated half an AU away.
"Deploy our fighter screen. I don't want any nasty surprises to jump at us like a certain mad Nespleslian Grand Admiral," Taisho Kurita Shunsaku ordered from his command chair aboard the Kōryū. The massive Sharie-class battleship was nothing like what he served on as a Chusa years ago. Back then, he had thought an Irim-class gunship was the greatest warship designed. Now, five years later, here he was as a Taisho leading a fleet against the same enemy.
He glanced at the sensors. There were twenty NMX warships present, not including two dozen unarmed freighters. So a minor supply lane. Good thing he had five hundred Space Infantry in his battlegroup. "Prepare the infantry for space combat and boarding actions," Kurita added as he watched the V6 and V8 fighters create a defensive screen. "All warships, full stop. We have the range on the NMX. Let them come to us," Kurita ordered. His fleet was in a circular formation with the lighter Plumeria and Urufu ships outside while the Eikans and the Sharies formed the nucleus.
Around the second planet of the system, the NMX forces mustered their strength - they were only slightly over half the 12th Fleet's number, but that didn't mean they were pushovers. The Mishhuvurthyar ships broke orbit and gathered into a rather simple box formation. The watchmen aboard the YSS Kōryū called it. "Blue shift - they're coming right for us sir!" the novice bridge officer reported. Unyielding despite being outnumbered, the alien forces intended to strike.
"Concentrate fire on the heavies. All ships, commence firing!" Kurita instructed, moments before he felt a slight jolt as the Kōryū fired its main weapons array and anti-ship batteries. He didn't need a visual to know that virtually every other warship had fired as well at the oncoming NMX. "All ships, increase speed to .2c and turn 45 degrees starboard and fire at will."
The mighty aether shock arrays of the 12th fleet's greatest battleships could easily reach out and touch a world thousands of astronomical units away, wiping its surface clean of all life - these weapons had a legacy of pure power and destruction, but what the NMX did struck home their relentlessness. Just one AU out, the pink and maroon ships merely pivoted and burned away with their thrusters, dodging the barrage and shooting down the FTL capable torpedoes as they winked back into normal space for their final runs before resuming their course.
At this range, though they could reach, it didn't mean they could hit. "Weapons fired - no contacts!" the sensor watchman called out, nervousness starting to creep into his voice after witnessing the ineffective display of power. [color=00FFFF]"NMX Fleet now adjusting their bearing - they're still heading straight towards us."[/color]
"Incoming message from the NMX forces sir!" the black haired neko at the comms station reported. "Shall I patch it through?" she then asked.
"Sure. If they're so kind as to negotiate, let us indulge in this word play," Kurita smiled congenially. He stood up to greet the projection of the NMX fleet commander. It was odd that the squid would want to talk after Kurita had already fired the first shot. "All ships, down 30 degrees for forty seconds then bring us level with the astral plane again," he ordered quickly.
Instead of a projection though, a black image was shown as the NMX only routed audio over to the 12th Fleet in a widebeam broadcast that every ship and sailor could hear if they so chose. A voice, soft, gentle and carefully controlled while almost too human, spoke at first. "Weapons? And so early. This could only mean one thing," the forcibly gentle male voice started. "FRESH MEAT!" the Mishhu's voice suddenly boomed, trademark volume and depth shattering the calm. "YOU ARE NOVICES AND INCOMPETENTS, ALL OF YOU! WE WILL CRUSH YOUR FORCES, VIOLATE, IMPREGNATE YOUR BODIES, AND FEAST UPON YOUR FLESH! FAILING THAT, WE WILL DRAG MANY OF YOUR WEAK NUMBER INTO THE ABYSS!"
At that, the transmission ended abruptly as it had begun.
Despite being well capable of activating FTL propulsion and haphazardly closing the gap, the NMX forces continued to ponder away, coming closer and closer at a 'slow' point-three light. Pulling at his collar before making his next report, the Sensor watch gave his findings to the Taisho. "Sir, the NMX forces are resuming their previous course. Sensors indicate that their FTL drives are likely charged, but are on standby. They are most likely preparing to counter any FTL moves we make with their own," he concluded. "At this current course and bearing, we will reach maximum effective weapons range in...twenty minutes."
"Well, at least one thing hasn't changed since I left. The NMX are still using the same boring old rhetoric as they did five years ago," Kurita commented with a chuckle. "Well, its not like energy beams cost money. Continue firing at will, statistics say we should get some hits. Or if not, then the NMX might change course again and keep dancing to our tune." The warship rocked slightly as the superheavy turrets discharged energy beams at the distant NMX. Kurita was unimpressed by the NMX defiance but his younger subordinates may be feeling jittery. It wouldn't hurt to shore up their confidence.
"Signal fleet, 'For Empire and Honor, the end of the war begins here,'" Kurita added. He knew most of the soldiers in his fleet had signed up after the Battle of Yamatai. They were here to bring an end to the war and then go home. Appealing to their nationalism seemed hollow compared to their original purpose of ending the war. Kurita reflected for a moment how even the rhetoric in the Star Army hadn't changed much.
Stubborn and unyielding, the NMX ships evaded again as the energy weapons of the fleet continued to send off barrage after barrage - a few beams here and there did impact, but with the shields focused to the front and the long delay between follow ups, no real damage was done. What's more, besides the great distance, the relativistic effects of both forces coming at each other at a combined .5c was throwing off sensors and targeting systems - they could compensate with more advanced systems such as Tachyon sensors, but even those could only do so much, especially considering the enemy was trying to throw out as much of their own tachyon particles to scramble any accurate readings.
And then the Mishhuvurthyar ships began randomly moving about.
They adjusted their courses without rhyme or reason individually, yet still remained in the loose, boxlike formation that ponderously came closer and closer. Kurita's words strengthened the crew's resolve, but five, then ten minutes in, and that effect was burned away by the constant tension aboard the bridge as weapons officers continued to target and fire at the NMX ships non-stop. Though their engineered bodies were still ready for a fight, the monotony of the tasks and the NMX's refusal to simply sit and die quickly turned into annoyance, and in some cases, frustration amongst the crew.
Somewhere within the NMX Fleet, a Neo Mishhu lit up a pipe and put the stem to its chitinous mouth pieces.
Kurita could see his flag captain glancing at him with unspoken questions in her eyes. "Doesn't matter to me if they want to dance. The rest of the Fleet will arrive within a few hours. Set course for HX-11 II. Continue firing with the long range weapons as long as they remain in the firing arcs. Keep this formation and increase to .375c. Have the fighter screen match speed. Reinforce the rear shields and let's see whether our dear friend, the squid, will let us reach the planet and its Hill sphere." Kurita spoke casually as though he was planning a picnic rather than a fleet action. He began strolling amongst the bridge crew, asking questions unrelated to the combat but especially about their family and situation back home. Often, he invited them to visit his family's ramen shop with its "home-grown veggies" and "first class, hand made noodles" when they got back.
It was at 18 minutes in that the NMX forces finally returned fire - all of the alien ships pushed their engines to the limits and made their final approach towards the Yamataian fleet. Lances of thunder and light lashed out at the fleet as they closed in. "Enemy fleet has opened fire - Incoming long range torpedoes. Point defenses are. Wait. They're targeting the fighters with those things!" the watchman called out to the Taisho. The Mishhuvurthyar in command intended to start by wiping out the fighter screen with their opening bombardment, fishing with sticks of dynamite and grenades.
Odd. Very odd. Kurita raised his eyebrows at the tactic. Well, the wing commanders weren't fools. The section of fighter screen facing the NMX dissolved as the V6s and V8s rushed back into the protective envelope of the warships, leaving a semi-circle of fighters on the side facing away from the NMX. "Point defense is isn't going to hit those things until they get closer. Now calm down and give me a count of the torpedoes. Fleet will turn 45 degrees to port and up 30 degrees. And we'll see what they think of our torpedoes. Oh and reinforce the front shields," Kurita said calmly. The new heading would bring the Fleet in a diagonal slash of the NMX force and allowed both dorsal and ventral weapons to fire.
A minute later, the 1st Squadron was on its new course and fired its long range weaponry at the NMX. Torpedoes, aether blasts and energy beams darted towards the NMX. "Once we're past the NMX formation, all ships down 30 degrees, reduce speed to .2c and turn starboard 90 degrees, bearing towards HX-11 II again." Nothing like watching 48 torpedoes race towards your enemy.
In seconds, the barrage of torpedoes streaked pass one another - point defenses of both fleets opened up as they neared, each picking off many of the oncoming warheads. The NMX torpedoes failed to chase down and fragment the fleeing fighters, but some of those fired by the 12th Fleet made it through to detonate close to the lone Line Battleship, weakening their shields. Pulsed particle beams and massive armor piercing slugs were the next to lash out as the two charging fleets closed to just one and a half light seconds apart. Projectiles smashed against shields while lances of light ablated armor; as though the universe was being born again, new stars began to ignite in the inky black space, winking into existence at a faster and faster rate.
At this distance however, the NMX finished rapidly disgorging their fighters and turned sharply to mirror the Yamataian fleet at the last moment. Both fleets were moving diagonally relative to the solar system's plane, but were more or less charging at one another head on - torpedo after torpedo leaped forward from the NMX fleet as their Battlepods, cheaply made and mass produced fighter-bombers, released their payloads. The two fleets slashed past each other in a blink of an eye at nearly half the speed of light combined - the targeting computers doled out punishment to and from both sides at a frantic pace no human or Mishhuvurthyar could.
As quicky as it had begun, this first firing pass was over and the two fleets were rapidly opening the distance between each other - the NMX Fleet continued on it's prior course but with reduced speed. Meanwhile, the 12th Fleet obeyed the Admiral's orders to turn towards the planet. The carnage was over, for now, but the damage done was only just tallied - despite the whole affair lasting only a handful of seconds, both sides had suffered losses.
The Mishhuvurthyar fleet, having started as half the size of the Yamataian one, was practically cut in half. Disabled ships fell out of the seemingly fleeing formation as the still mobile ships continued on - secondary explosions dotted the night while blackened debris scattered. A motley mix of Patrol Ships, Cruisers, Escort/Destroyers and Light cruisers were either left disabled and drifting. And fate be damned, the lone odd Scout was still intact with drained shields.
This fleet's Line Battleship however, was somewhat battered - with shields downed, the hull at taken a beating. Holes and burns marked where projectiles and energy weapons had impacted, but it was still going strong. Seeing as the Star Army Fleet was not pursuing as it had possibly hoped, the NMX fleet turned about and began to accelerate towards the Yamataian fleet again. It was now coming in to intercept the fleet heading toward the planet as the remaining half of it's Fighter-Bombers returned to reload torpedoes.
Taisho Kurita surveyed the flood of damage reports with as much attention as he could. The Kōryū and Inari were intact and shields were holding, despite minor damage to hull armor on both ships. The real damage was to his escorts. Four of his Urufu, how he hated the name, cruisers were out of action. Three were torn to shreds by NMX warheads and energy beams while the fourth was adrift without working engines. His Plumeria gunships had suffered likewise. Four ships knocked out of the fight. One had simply exploded after taking multiple hits. The other three were just gutted hulks whose survivors were either trapped aboard or making towards the escape pods.
But right now, the Taisho couldn't worry about the lone Urufu or any survivors. He had the rest of the Serpent's Head to worry about. Fatal mistake by the NMX commander to withdraw his battlepods. Kurita's own starfighters had taken some losses, about 20 or so destroyed or missing, but they were still armed and ready to strike. And now was the best time to strike.
"Wing commanders will strike for the NMX battleship and remaining heavy cruisers. Kill the heavies first and we'll finish off the escorts. Fleet will turn 45 degrees to starboard and lay on a broadside at the NMX."
As soon as the orders were given, the Star Army V6s and V8s broke their protective screen and swarmed past the squadron towards the approaching NMX. Several dozen of the NMX fighters had yet to dock and turned to intercept. Though the NMX fleet had turned around, there was still a large distance for the fighters to cover - as the Mishhuvurthyar had kept on going forward, even after their engagement with the 12th at roughly .25c for several moments. This meant they had to quickly accelerate and close a gap nearly one light second long, if not longer.
Almost instantly, a wall of anti-starfighter fire burst out in front of the Star Army pilots. Each second, young, inexperienced Yamataian pilots died as they tried to close the gap and target the four remaining heavy NMX ships. Plasma and aether beams streaked towards them at the speed of light, giving most of them little time to avoid the fire. But even as their comrades died, the little fighters continued doggedly towards the NMX warships with deadly intent. What few battlepods where still outside vainly fought against the oncoming tide of Star Army fighters, and were quickly swept aside, those still disembarking quickly picked off as they were regurgitated by the massive ships.
In the end however, they all knew the priority was the battleship. If it wasn't the flagship, then the NMX were doing something wrong. Then the three battered and scorched cruisers. Since half of the fighters had been configured for space superiority rather than anti-starship strikes, the Yamataian attack was not as powerful as would have been expected. The damage to the NMX battleship was amazing. Aether blasts splashed across its shields and then scorched its hull while torpedoes ripped new holes in its armor. Yet, for all the good it did, the NMX battleship didn't die. Atmosphere vented from gashes in its flanks and weapon systems fell silent as power conduits were simply vaporized by the Yamataian assault.
On the plus side, it was clear that it wasn't going to take much more to finish it off as the fighters turned to make their way home. "Bring the V8s in first to rearm for anti-starship. Keep the V6s out there to intercept the NMX if they decide to send suicide pods at us." Just then, the 1st Heavy Squadron completed its turn and spat its broadside at the oncoming NMX.
Two NMX cruisers maneuvered to shield the NMX flagship and paid the price. The combined Yamataian broadside seemed to hit exclusively those two warships, causing them to break apart in terrible, rending explosions. Kurita gave a moment's thought as to why his pilots had been unable to kill even one warship. He concluded that most of them had fired their torpedoes too early, perhaps as a result of being reluctant to brave any more of the harrowing NMX point defense, which giving the NMX time to shoot down enough to prevent the death of the battleship. Kurita wondered if he should have expected this, considering the general inexperience of his fleet personnel. Kurita watched as the YSS Otowa, another Plumeria, spiraled out of formation, venting atmosphere and debris from the holes in its hull.
It was then that the NMX Line Battleship came plowing through the cloud of fiery debris. By now, its armor taken a beating - the hull as a whole was pockmarked by numerous strafing runs, with the fighters adding more and more of these little craters to the hull as they continued to hound the massive ship. The front armor was practically slagged, the twin fleet killing guns ruined from taking blow after blow to the nose, but it kept on coming. What few shields it had left were reconstituted to the front even as more fire poured on it, streams of AAA leaping up from the hull to try and keep the following gnats at bay.
Yet despite all this, it kept on coming, closing the gap between fleets nearly as quickly as the fighters had themselves.
With the fighters so close, the Yamataian ships couldn't risk opening fire with their most powerful weapons, or they'd kill scores more of their own pilots. This NMX Line Battleship and what remained of its fleet closed right into point blank range, the smaller ships being torn apart by what firepower the Star Army fleet could safely muster. "Brace for impact!" Kurita ordered. Before he could say anything else, a bright light washed over the ships. In a few blinks, it dawned on the fleet that the NMX were gone.
It was a few moments more when the realization of what the Mishhuvurthyar ships had done came to them - the Line Battleship had activated its Hyperspace Fold Drive and dragged with it several of the smaller Yamataian ships. As evidence of this, an Urufu was adrift, cleanly sliced in half. With its shields depleted by the fighting, the escorting ship was easily partially grasped by the field and torn asunder. What's more, many of the fighters that were hounding the Line Battleship were gone as well.
Kurita shifted his gaze away from the bisected Urufu to the rest of his fleet. His escorts were in tatters. Every single one of his Urufus had been rammed by an NMX escort or patrol ship in a bid to cover the larger cruisers and battleship as they folded out of the system. Only four of his Plumerias were still combat-capable. Added to that, all of his heavy units were damaged or functional but unable to continue fighting. It certainly did not help the YSS Hyacinth, a Super Eikan cruiser, that its entire prow had left with an NMX cruiser and that half of its decks were, temporarily, opened to space.
But the loss of escorts meant that 1st Heavy Squadron was unable to engage in fleet combat. With his battleships and cruisers barely able to cover themselves now, Kurita needed to bring in the rest of his fleet before he could begin to think about the invasion of HX-11's planets.
"Saito-kun, bring some sake and tea. Make sure they're strong," he sent a telepathic message to his aide. The young man behind him grinned and left. "Oda-kun," he spoke to his flag-captain, "All ships stand down. Get our infantry and shuttles out there to look for survivors and to stabilize the orbits of our hulks. A week's extra leave to the unit or ship that can rescue the most survivors." It was a mess. A wretched mess. How many hundreds and thousands dead or missing because of his orders?
And for what? They had control of the system's space lanes. And the invasion could begin once the rest of the Fleet arrived. But the NMX had given it to him after exacting their blood price. It wasn't a real victory where the enemy had known it was defeated. Kurita felt empty, drained by the experience of this hollow victory. Where were Saito and those drinks?
19 May, YE 34
YSS Kōryū and her attendant escorts entered the HX-11 system cautiously. Their intelligence about the in-system defenses were almost a week old. Anything could have decided to park itself here in that time. So the thirty-seven warships of Twelfth SF's 1st Heavy Squadron prepared to be attacked the moment they entered. The world of HX-11 II floated half an AU away.
"Deploy our fighter screen. I don't want any nasty surprises to jump at us like a certain mad Nespleslian Grand Admiral," Taisho Kurita Shunsaku ordered from his command chair aboard the Kōryū. The massive Sharie-class battleship was nothing like what he served on as a Chusa years ago. Back then, he had thought an Irim-class gunship was the greatest warship designed. Now, five years later, here he was as a Taisho leading a fleet against the same enemy.
He glanced at the sensors. There were twenty NMX warships present, not including two dozen unarmed freighters. So a minor supply lane. Good thing he had five hundred Space Infantry in his battlegroup. "Prepare the infantry for space combat and boarding actions," Kurita added as he watched the V6 and V8 fighters create a defensive screen. "All warships, full stop. We have the range on the NMX. Let them come to us," Kurita ordered. His fleet was in a circular formation with the lighter Plumeria and Urufu ships outside while the Eikans and the Sharies formed the nucleus.
Around the second planet of the system, the NMX forces mustered their strength - they were only slightly over half the 12th Fleet's number, but that didn't mean they were pushovers. The Mishhuvurthyar ships broke orbit and gathered into a rather simple box formation. The watchmen aboard the YSS Kōryū called it. "Blue shift - they're coming right for us sir!" the novice bridge officer reported. Unyielding despite being outnumbered, the alien forces intended to strike.
"Concentrate fire on the heavies. All ships, commence firing!" Kurita instructed, moments before he felt a slight jolt as the Kōryū fired its main weapons array and anti-ship batteries. He didn't need a visual to know that virtually every other warship had fired as well at the oncoming NMX. "All ships, increase speed to .2c and turn 45 degrees starboard and fire at will."
The mighty aether shock arrays of the 12th fleet's greatest battleships could easily reach out and touch a world thousands of astronomical units away, wiping its surface clean of all life - these weapons had a legacy of pure power and destruction, but what the NMX did struck home their relentlessness. Just one AU out, the pink and maroon ships merely pivoted and burned away with their thrusters, dodging the barrage and shooting down the FTL capable torpedoes as they winked back into normal space for their final runs before resuming their course.
At this range, though they could reach, it didn't mean they could hit. "Weapons fired - no contacts!" the sensor watchman called out, nervousness starting to creep into his voice after witnessing the ineffective display of power. [color=00FFFF]"NMX Fleet now adjusting their bearing - they're still heading straight towards us."[/color]
"Incoming message from the NMX forces sir!" the black haired neko at the comms station reported. "Shall I patch it through?" she then asked.
"Sure. If they're so kind as to negotiate, let us indulge in this word play," Kurita smiled congenially. He stood up to greet the projection of the NMX fleet commander. It was odd that the squid would want to talk after Kurita had already fired the first shot. "All ships, down 30 degrees for forty seconds then bring us level with the astral plane again," he ordered quickly.
Instead of a projection though, a black image was shown as the NMX only routed audio over to the 12th Fleet in a widebeam broadcast that every ship and sailor could hear if they so chose. A voice, soft, gentle and carefully controlled while almost too human, spoke at first. "Weapons? And so early. This could only mean one thing," the forcibly gentle male voice started. "FRESH MEAT!" the Mishhu's voice suddenly boomed, trademark volume and depth shattering the calm. "YOU ARE NOVICES AND INCOMPETENTS, ALL OF YOU! WE WILL CRUSH YOUR FORCES, VIOLATE, IMPREGNATE YOUR BODIES, AND FEAST UPON YOUR FLESH! FAILING THAT, WE WILL DRAG MANY OF YOUR WEAK NUMBER INTO THE ABYSS!"
At that, the transmission ended abruptly as it had begun.
Despite being well capable of activating FTL propulsion and haphazardly closing the gap, the NMX forces continued to ponder away, coming closer and closer at a 'slow' point-three light. Pulling at his collar before making his next report, the Sensor watch gave his findings to the Taisho. "Sir, the NMX forces are resuming their previous course. Sensors indicate that their FTL drives are likely charged, but are on standby. They are most likely preparing to counter any FTL moves we make with their own," he concluded. "At this current course and bearing, we will reach maximum effective weapons range in...twenty minutes."
"Well, at least one thing hasn't changed since I left. The NMX are still using the same boring old rhetoric as they did five years ago," Kurita commented with a chuckle. "Well, its not like energy beams cost money. Continue firing at will, statistics say we should get some hits. Or if not, then the NMX might change course again and keep dancing to our tune." The warship rocked slightly as the superheavy turrets discharged energy beams at the distant NMX. Kurita was unimpressed by the NMX defiance but his younger subordinates may be feeling jittery. It wouldn't hurt to shore up their confidence.
"Signal fleet, 'For Empire and Honor, the end of the war begins here,'" Kurita added. He knew most of the soldiers in his fleet had signed up after the Battle of Yamatai. They were here to bring an end to the war and then go home. Appealing to their nationalism seemed hollow compared to their original purpose of ending the war. Kurita reflected for a moment how even the rhetoric in the Star Army hadn't changed much.
Stubborn and unyielding, the NMX ships evaded again as the energy weapons of the fleet continued to send off barrage after barrage - a few beams here and there did impact, but with the shields focused to the front and the long delay between follow ups, no real damage was done. What's more, besides the great distance, the relativistic effects of both forces coming at each other at a combined .5c was throwing off sensors and targeting systems - they could compensate with more advanced systems such as Tachyon sensors, but even those could only do so much, especially considering the enemy was trying to throw out as much of their own tachyon particles to scramble any accurate readings.
And then the Mishhuvurthyar ships began randomly moving about.
They adjusted their courses without rhyme or reason individually, yet still remained in the loose, boxlike formation that ponderously came closer and closer. Kurita's words strengthened the crew's resolve, but five, then ten minutes in, and that effect was burned away by the constant tension aboard the bridge as weapons officers continued to target and fire at the NMX ships non-stop. Though their engineered bodies were still ready for a fight, the monotony of the tasks and the NMX's refusal to simply sit and die quickly turned into annoyance, and in some cases, frustration amongst the crew.
Somewhere within the NMX Fleet, a Neo Mishhu lit up a pipe and put the stem to its chitinous mouth pieces.
Kurita could see his flag captain glancing at him with unspoken questions in her eyes. "Doesn't matter to me if they want to dance. The rest of the Fleet will arrive within a few hours. Set course for HX-11 II. Continue firing with the long range weapons as long as they remain in the firing arcs. Keep this formation and increase to .375c. Have the fighter screen match speed. Reinforce the rear shields and let's see whether our dear friend, the squid, will let us reach the planet and its Hill sphere." Kurita spoke casually as though he was planning a picnic rather than a fleet action. He began strolling amongst the bridge crew, asking questions unrelated to the combat but especially about their family and situation back home. Often, he invited them to visit his family's ramen shop with its "home-grown veggies" and "first class, hand made noodles" when they got back.
It was at 18 minutes in that the NMX forces finally returned fire - all of the alien ships pushed their engines to the limits and made their final approach towards the Yamataian fleet. Lances of thunder and light lashed out at the fleet as they closed in. "Enemy fleet has opened fire - Incoming long range torpedoes. Point defenses are. Wait. They're targeting the fighters with those things!" the watchman called out to the Taisho. The Mishhuvurthyar in command intended to start by wiping out the fighter screen with their opening bombardment, fishing with sticks of dynamite and grenades.
Odd. Very odd. Kurita raised his eyebrows at the tactic. Well, the wing commanders weren't fools. The section of fighter screen facing the NMX dissolved as the V6s and V8s rushed back into the protective envelope of the warships, leaving a semi-circle of fighters on the side facing away from the NMX. "Point defense is isn't going to hit those things until they get closer. Now calm down and give me a count of the torpedoes. Fleet will turn 45 degrees to port and up 30 degrees. And we'll see what they think of our torpedoes. Oh and reinforce the front shields," Kurita said calmly. The new heading would bring the Fleet in a diagonal slash of the NMX force and allowed both dorsal and ventral weapons to fire.
A minute later, the 1st Squadron was on its new course and fired its long range weaponry at the NMX. Torpedoes, aether blasts and energy beams darted towards the NMX. "Once we're past the NMX formation, all ships down 30 degrees, reduce speed to .2c and turn starboard 90 degrees, bearing towards HX-11 II again." Nothing like watching 48 torpedoes race towards your enemy.
In seconds, the barrage of torpedoes streaked pass one another - point defenses of both fleets opened up as they neared, each picking off many of the oncoming warheads. The NMX torpedoes failed to chase down and fragment the fleeing fighters, but some of those fired by the 12th Fleet made it through to detonate close to the lone Line Battleship, weakening their shields. Pulsed particle beams and massive armor piercing slugs were the next to lash out as the two charging fleets closed to just one and a half light seconds apart. Projectiles smashed against shields while lances of light ablated armor; as though the universe was being born again, new stars began to ignite in the inky black space, winking into existence at a faster and faster rate.
At this distance however, the NMX finished rapidly disgorging their fighters and turned sharply to mirror the Yamataian fleet at the last moment. Both fleets were moving diagonally relative to the solar system's plane, but were more or less charging at one another head on - torpedo after torpedo leaped forward from the NMX fleet as their Battlepods, cheaply made and mass produced fighter-bombers, released their payloads. The two fleets slashed past each other in a blink of an eye at nearly half the speed of light combined - the targeting computers doled out punishment to and from both sides at a frantic pace no human or Mishhuvurthyar could.
As quicky as it had begun, this first firing pass was over and the two fleets were rapidly opening the distance between each other - the NMX Fleet continued on it's prior course but with reduced speed. Meanwhile, the 12th Fleet obeyed the Admiral's orders to turn towards the planet. The carnage was over, for now, but the damage done was only just tallied - despite the whole affair lasting only a handful of seconds, both sides had suffered losses.
The Mishhuvurthyar fleet, having started as half the size of the Yamataian one, was practically cut in half. Disabled ships fell out of the seemingly fleeing formation as the still mobile ships continued on - secondary explosions dotted the night while blackened debris scattered. A motley mix of Patrol Ships, Cruisers, Escort/Destroyers and Light cruisers were either left disabled and drifting. And fate be damned, the lone odd Scout was still intact with drained shields.
This fleet's Line Battleship however, was somewhat battered - with shields downed, the hull at taken a beating. Holes and burns marked where projectiles and energy weapons had impacted, but it was still going strong. Seeing as the Star Army Fleet was not pursuing as it had possibly hoped, the NMX fleet turned about and began to accelerate towards the Yamataian fleet again. It was now coming in to intercept the fleet heading toward the planet as the remaining half of it's Fighter-Bombers returned to reload torpedoes.
Taisho Kurita surveyed the flood of damage reports with as much attention as he could. The Kōryū and Inari were intact and shields were holding, despite minor damage to hull armor on both ships. The real damage was to his escorts. Four of his Urufu, how he hated the name, cruisers were out of action. Three were torn to shreds by NMX warheads and energy beams while the fourth was adrift without working engines. His Plumeria gunships had suffered likewise. Four ships knocked out of the fight. One had simply exploded after taking multiple hits. The other three were just gutted hulks whose survivors were either trapped aboard or making towards the escape pods.
But right now, the Taisho couldn't worry about the lone Urufu or any survivors. He had the rest of the Serpent's Head to worry about. Fatal mistake by the NMX commander to withdraw his battlepods. Kurita's own starfighters had taken some losses, about 20 or so destroyed or missing, but they were still armed and ready to strike. And now was the best time to strike.
"Wing commanders will strike for the NMX battleship and remaining heavy cruisers. Kill the heavies first and we'll finish off the escorts. Fleet will turn 45 degrees to starboard and lay on a broadside at the NMX."
As soon as the orders were given, the Star Army V6s and V8s broke their protective screen and swarmed past the squadron towards the approaching NMX. Several dozen of the NMX fighters had yet to dock and turned to intercept. Though the NMX fleet had turned around, there was still a large distance for the fighters to cover - as the Mishhuvurthyar had kept on going forward, even after their engagement with the 12th at roughly .25c for several moments. This meant they had to quickly accelerate and close a gap nearly one light second long, if not longer.
Almost instantly, a wall of anti-starfighter fire burst out in front of the Star Army pilots. Each second, young, inexperienced Yamataian pilots died as they tried to close the gap and target the four remaining heavy NMX ships. Plasma and aether beams streaked towards them at the speed of light, giving most of them little time to avoid the fire. But even as their comrades died, the little fighters continued doggedly towards the NMX warships with deadly intent. What few battlepods where still outside vainly fought against the oncoming tide of Star Army fighters, and were quickly swept aside, those still disembarking quickly picked off as they were regurgitated by the massive ships.
In the end however, they all knew the priority was the battleship. If it wasn't the flagship, then the NMX were doing something wrong. Then the three battered and scorched cruisers. Since half of the fighters had been configured for space superiority rather than anti-starship strikes, the Yamataian attack was not as powerful as would have been expected. The damage to the NMX battleship was amazing. Aether blasts splashed across its shields and then scorched its hull while torpedoes ripped new holes in its armor. Yet, for all the good it did, the NMX battleship didn't die. Atmosphere vented from gashes in its flanks and weapon systems fell silent as power conduits were simply vaporized by the Yamataian assault.
On the plus side, it was clear that it wasn't going to take much more to finish it off as the fighters turned to make their way home. "Bring the V8s in first to rearm for anti-starship. Keep the V6s out there to intercept the NMX if they decide to send suicide pods at us." Just then, the 1st Heavy Squadron completed its turn and spat its broadside at the oncoming NMX.
Two NMX cruisers maneuvered to shield the NMX flagship and paid the price. The combined Yamataian broadside seemed to hit exclusively those two warships, causing them to break apart in terrible, rending explosions. Kurita gave a moment's thought as to why his pilots had been unable to kill even one warship. He concluded that most of them had fired their torpedoes too early, perhaps as a result of being reluctant to brave any more of the harrowing NMX point defense, which giving the NMX time to shoot down enough to prevent the death of the battleship. Kurita wondered if he should have expected this, considering the general inexperience of his fleet personnel. Kurita watched as the YSS Otowa, another Plumeria, spiraled out of formation, venting atmosphere and debris from the holes in its hull.
It was then that the NMX Line Battleship came plowing through the cloud of fiery debris. By now, its armor taken a beating - the hull as a whole was pockmarked by numerous strafing runs, with the fighters adding more and more of these little craters to the hull as they continued to hound the massive ship. The front armor was practically slagged, the twin fleet killing guns ruined from taking blow after blow to the nose, but it kept on coming. What few shields it had left were reconstituted to the front even as more fire poured on it, streams of AAA leaping up from the hull to try and keep the following gnats at bay.
Yet despite all this, it kept on coming, closing the gap between fleets nearly as quickly as the fighters had themselves.
With the fighters so close, the Yamataian ships couldn't risk opening fire with their most powerful weapons, or they'd kill scores more of their own pilots. This NMX Line Battleship and what remained of its fleet closed right into point blank range, the smaller ships being torn apart by what firepower the Star Army fleet could safely muster. "Brace for impact!" Kurita ordered. Before he could say anything else, a bright light washed over the ships. In a few blinks, it dawned on the fleet that the NMX were gone.
It was a few moments more when the realization of what the Mishhuvurthyar ships had done came to them - the Line Battleship had activated its Hyperspace Fold Drive and dragged with it several of the smaller Yamataian ships. As evidence of this, an Urufu was adrift, cleanly sliced in half. With its shields depleted by the fighting, the escorting ship was easily partially grasped by the field and torn asunder. What's more, many of the fighters that were hounding the Line Battleship were gone as well.
Kurita shifted his gaze away from the bisected Urufu to the rest of his fleet. His escorts were in tatters. Every single one of his Urufus had been rammed by an NMX escort or patrol ship in a bid to cover the larger cruisers and battleship as they folded out of the system. Only four of his Plumerias were still combat-capable. Added to that, all of his heavy units were damaged or functional but unable to continue fighting. It certainly did not help the YSS Hyacinth, a Super Eikan cruiser, that its entire prow had left with an NMX cruiser and that half of its decks were, temporarily, opened to space.
But the loss of escorts meant that 1st Heavy Squadron was unable to engage in fleet combat. With his battleships and cruisers barely able to cover themselves now, Kurita needed to bring in the rest of his fleet before he could begin to think about the invasion of HX-11's planets.
"Saito-kun, bring some sake and tea. Make sure they're strong," he sent a telepathic message to his aide. The young man behind him grinned and left. "Oda-kun," he spoke to his flag-captain, "All ships stand down. Get our infantry and shuttles out there to look for survivors and to stabilize the orbits of our hulks. A week's extra leave to the unit or ship that can rescue the most survivors." It was a mess. A wretched mess. How many hundreds and thousands dead or missing because of his orders?
And for what? They had control of the system's space lanes. And the invasion could begin once the rest of the Fleet arrived. But the NMX had given it to him after exacting their blood price. It wasn't a real victory where the enemy had known it was defeated. Kurita felt empty, drained by the experience of this hollow victory. Where were Saito and those drinks?