RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 23.1] A Distant Threat (YE 37)

Engineering

Jax paced back and forth. He couldn't feel it thanks to the surging adrenaline, but his heart was pounding, and his breathing was rapid. He wasn't worried so much about the rocking of the ship. The shields were holding fine, from what he could see. What really scared him was the thought of boarders, and being alone down in the belly of the ship with a- he looked at his hip -a frikin' pea-shooter! How he wished there was a way to keep his Mindy in here, so he could put thick armor plating and an assault rifle between the attackers.

He glanced frequently at the console, making double sure that nothing would go awry. He knew that there would be some damage to the ship, but hopefully nothing so severe that he would have to throw himself into the chaos mid-battle.

He stopped, and then sat.

'In... count to four... out...' Jax thought as he breathed in the fashion taught to him in training, meant to help suppress stress. It didn't help much, but at least it took some of the edge off. He then pulled his pistol from the holster and checked that it was loaded. He knew it was, but the sight of a loaded gun in the face of danger was quite calming.

Jax replaced the gun and focused on monitoring the ship's well-being.

Bridge

“Are they new Mishhu types?” Nicholas questioned aloud. “How much longer until we can get a visual on the hostiles?”

Aikiko checked in just in the nick of time. As the Chusa opened a comm line to the waiting armor pilots, he marked them as cleared for immediate launch in one of the myriad volumetric displays he had opened. They’d face superior numbers, which normally wouldn't be a problem for Star Army infantry, but the fact no Yamataian had encountered any of the technology present still concerned the commander.

“All armors, you are cleared for immediate sortie,” Saiga told the group. “We’ve been engaged by an unknown cruiser-sized vessel and six accompanying fightercraft. Keep the interceptors busy and away from the Eucharis and that lighthouse! Hasshin!”

Bridge

"It is not likely," Hanako replied. "They do not have the look of Mishhuvurthyar," she said, looking at the ship as it hurled itself gun-covered them with great swiftness. "I can make out some sort of markings, red with yellow stripes and navy with white stars. Gyolai! Torpedoes incoming!" she called out as it launched large high-speed missiles at the Eucharis. "Set readiness condition 1, with all blast shutters closed but unlocked. Saiga, do you concur this ship is trying to distract us from the other vessel that is escaping?"

Engineering

Cherry burst into the room in her skin-tight AMES suit, minus the helmet, which was under her arm, panting with excitement. "Do you want me to roam or to watch the engineering mainspace?" she asked him, anticipating damage control actions.

Bridge

Stark didn't wait for permission, they were being attacked. So she turned the Anti-fighter/PA gun onto computer control, with the targets marked for the fighters. Then, muttering delightful curses, she started bringing secondary armaments up to bear on the unknown ship what had started firing on them. The secondary weapons she maintained control of marking what she hoped were weak points then once the turrets locked on she would chain fire them.

Once she saw the torpedoes, she transfered the Anti-fighter/PA turrets over to trying to knock them out of the void.

Engineering
A sudden, unannounced entry was the last thing Jax needed at the moment. At Cherry's arrival, he nearly fell backwards in his chair. Luckily, he wasn't foolish enough to draw his blaster.

He pondered her question a little. On one hand, being outside could mean that he'd be nearer to bigger guns, while being in here meant being relatively more safe. But, he realized, this was an opportunity to show what he had to offer. He didn't want to look weak by making her go out into the danger while he cowered inside engineering.

Before he even realized what he'd said, he breathed out:

"I-I'll roam."

Well, if he had any objections, it was too late. With his heart beating even faster, he felt his body, without his say so, stand and head for the door. He was glad he'd made that decision, but a huge chunk of him was screaming to stay here, hide in the darkest crevice he could find, and be safe.

As he was floating up the main passage, he contacted Cherry.

"So, uh, since we're probably gonna have to keep in touch, my name's Jax. I-It's short for Jackson." he said, managing to keep his breathing under control.

Bridge

“I concur, Shosho,” Saiga answered. “It’d be too risky to pursue and attempt to prevent both ships’ escape, especially at Condition 1.”

He hastily donned an AMES torn from stowage. Though he should have already done so, the increased readiness level and threat demanded the suit’s necessity. It was a simple task he’d done uncounted times but nonetheless emphasized the atmosphere of violence during space combat.

“Unless their weaponry proves miraculously ineffective, we should focus on repelling or disabling the closing ship.”

Bridge

Natsumi was already engaging evasive manoeuvres even as Hanako ordered them. She kicked the Eucharis into a sharp bank that brought the main forward weaponry to bear if needed.

Then the torpedo fired. Natsumi kicked the Euchsris over into a hard snap roll, clawing the gunship away, trying to gain distance amd give Tony time to take the torpedo out with the anti armor guns.

Bridge

Umeshu was a bit confused at what she was seeing from the Bisen, but then it soon turned into a momentary disbelief when the enemy ship suddenly turned and threat detection was activated when it began to fire upon the Eucharis. "Dôshiyô! How could they so brazenly engage the Star Army of Yamatai? Who or what are we dealing with?" The sensors were lighting up with all of the sudden activity as fighters and even missiles were being launched, and electronic warfare commenced in earnest. She was now thrust into real battle in space for the first time, yet found herself thinking back to her samurai training and took a deep breath and cleared her mind, the chaos slowed down and she could focus in that one ever lasting moment...

Then, in a burst of decisive action her fingers started moving across the consoles with fresh determination. "Beginning counter measures," stated Hashimoto-shoi as she first activated the WARMS system, locking its focus onto the guns of the enemy starship to predict their firing waves and assist Natsumi-shoi in taking the most effective evasive maneuvers to mitigate damage to the shields as the ship advanced. Next, she attempted to employ the MEGAMI's electronic warfare suite against the missile's tracking systems, hopefully slowing them down or misdirecting them long enough to make them an easier target for Stark's point defense guns. She did not forget about the jamming going on either, searching for frequencies and types that may be unaffected or ignored by the enemy, should the PA wing need to utilize these lines for effective coordination versus the superior numbers. Umeshu also tried to work with Charisma to discern the method the starfighters were being controlled with and that she could possibly send out white noise or bad commands on.

P.A. Bay

Aikiko passed as a new incoming call sent them new orders. "Looks like we are going for a little space walk to play tag with some Interceptors crafts. Line up by the numbers and get ready to launch into space. This was going to be interesting. We need to keep the smaller fighter crafts away from the Eucharis and Lighthouse." She informed the Squad of Infantry.

This was going to delay the departure of the Armored Infantry as her mind raced though several solution.
"Candon? Half of the squad gear up with missiles packs, and follow the first team out to engage the Interceptors. Which you'll lead. I'll lead the first team to engage them and buy time for you get your team loaded up with missiles."

She moved to the P.A. Bay doors and began to lock down the P.A. Bay for depressurization. Sealing up her Mindy and transferring to from external life support to internal. "Everyone pair up. " She told her team of Armored Infantry.

Aikiko called up to the bridge, "Any information on what we're going to be facing out there? Or is tis going to be a Recon by Force?"

Halls
Sam blinked when he realized no one was there. Odd, wasn't he just talking to someone? He really should have slept longer cause his drowsiness is starting to make him see things. Dammit, Mitsuko! Why'd she have to go and wake him up? A growing boy needed his beauty sleep! He ran toward the Power Armor Bay. Or, at least he thought that was where he was going. This ship was so huge it was hard not to get lost in.

Engineering
Sam entered the room , then saw Cherry in her skin-tight AMES suit, and whistled as he stared at her butt. "Hey, Baby. Lookin good! Where ya been all my life?"

Bridge

Saiga watched his battle monitor nervously as a volley of blips marking enemy ordinance raced toward the Eucharis’ own position. The only element that remained unchanged when Aikiko’s query snapped over the line was the armor contingent, its designator showing the group hadn’t yet departed. His concern for the situation only grew now — the enemy was prepared for a fight and apparently put little thought toward attacking a Yamataian vessel while they were caught fumbling with a response.

“Seven unidentified contacts are firing upon the Eucharis,” the Chusa feverishly reiterated to Aikiko. “That’s all we’ve got right now: Six interceptors and a single cruiser-sized vessel are on an attack vector. We’ll know more when the battle is over and Suties-hei can give us a preliminary analysis of their technology.

“The hostile ship has launched a salvo of torpedoes so exercise caution when departing,” Saiga warned. “You remain clear for sortie, Nitô Hei.”

Higaflan System, Near Planet Higaflan

Massive explosions detonated against Eucharis's shields, sending the ship reeling. Now that the ships were in weapons range of each other, the hostile cruiser was really laying into the Star Army gunship. As the shields buckled, the ship started taking hits, leaving ugly holes and gouges in her armor.

Damage reports started coming in rapidly. One of the starboard dorsal AA guns exploded, there was a fire alarm in the fabrication bay, a hull breach in the wardroom, and the starboard field projector took the brunt of the damage, being showered with blasts of aetheric plasma from the other ship. With the shields now down, the enemy fighters began strafing runs and launching their guided missiles at the Eucharis.

Engineering

"This guy," Cherry snarkily remarked, pointing back at Samuel with her thumb as she started to reply to Jax.

Just then, the compartment filled with a flash of fire and radioactive energy as one of the enemy heavy guns penetrated the engineering compartment, lancing through one of the fusion reactors. Cherry was thrown to the floor and Sam was propelled back into the main passageway. When the technician rose, half her face was burnt off and with her good eye she could see the compartment was in shambles and that air was rushing out. She fumbled around in the dim red of the remaining emergency lights for her helmet.

Bridge

Natsumi got an automated alert from the computer that the ship's CFS, hyperspace fold system, shields, and communications systems were now offline.

"Return fire," Hanako ordered, seeing the hostile cruiser's shields were still up despite the ship's attacks. "Use every weapon we have!" She looked to Saiga with frustration in her eyes. "We already missed our chance to alpha strike," she grumbled. "Take us closer to the planet so we can use it as cover."

Main Passage Way

Jax yelled and cursed as he saw the blast below. He could have been in there!

"Oh god, we're all gonna die! We're all gonna die!" He whimpered, his voice choking a little. Why wouldn't they just let them have a chance to get ready?

Wardroom

Jackson entered the wardroom, and the sight of it being destroyed didn't help him in his state of panic. Everything was falling apart! This wasn't the way things were supposed to go! He floated there for a minute, floating since the hull breach depressurized the room. He was in a state of shell-shock, for lack of better term. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own breathing. The panic had gone, so it was slower, more relaxed, as if he were sleeping. The fires and objects floating around didn't seem to faze him.

"...And it looks like the starboard field projector is out as well." Jax snapped out of his trance. His FAR had followed him, and was listing damage to the ship.

"What...?" he nearly whispered. The robot repeated the list, and Jax didn't reply this time. He merely thought. It was all too much. There were so many places to go, things to repair, and only one him. There was no way that red-haired woman had made it. He sat still for a moment...

Some other time, some other place...

"Fine, go join the Star Army," growled his father. It had been another heated argument. One of several since Jax had immigrated. "But before you do, just remember, I was a soldier too..."

Wardroom, present day...

"...You're going to see things no human being should ever see. Do things no man should have to do. But only in combat does one discover a man's true nature..." Jax finished the sentence in a detached voice.

"...Er, what? Is that your only response? How are we going to fix this?!" Cried his FAR. Without answering, and with a little more motivation than before, Jax engaged the thrusters and boosted across the wardroom, heading for the fabrication area. The fire needed to be put out- it could spread to other parts of the ship and cause even more damage. Then, he would tackle the AA gun, as more guns meant more rounds being sent to the enemy. Last, he would work on the field projector, if it could even be serviced after taking so much damage.

He figured it was a start. He was still terrified, but he had a job to do, and fixing up the ship gave them a higher chance of survival.

"Howard to bridge, and engineering, if a-anyone's still alive down there," Jax swallowed. "I-I'm headed to the fabrication bay to put out the fire. Is anyone t-there?" he asked, praying for a response. Any indication that he was not alone on this ship would ease his nerves a little.

Bridge

Despite her best efforts, it seemed the battle was not going well. Hashimoto-shoi winced visibly as the hits rocked the Eucharis and she was in the rather unenviable position of watching the systems on her volumetric display as they fell one by one like a set of red, flashing dominoes to the superior firepower of their foes. Then there was one particularly hard blast and she could no longer hold her silence as hull breaches has started occurring, and then the communication from below decks from Jackson's nervous voice sealed the deal.

"Saiga-chusa," Umeshu said as she stood up from her console and chair, holding onto the side of it to stabilize herself as another wave jostled the ship. "There are multiple hull breaches reported now, and little more I can do here with the systems heavily compromised. Permission to assist with damage control..." It was spoken as a formal request to the first officer above her, but anyone close by could see the purple Neko was very likely ready to reach for the nearest AMES and go whether given the go ahead or not. In her green eyes Nicholas could see that at this moment there was nothing but her duty to the princess Hanako and preserving the crew's lives to fight another day.

PA Bay
"You got it," he replied as she pat his shoulder.
As Aikiko talked about teams it struck him that there were now only three soldiers in that bay. "Wait, where's Da-" a shockwave ripped through the hull and slammed him to the floor. He quickly regained his footing and rushed to the weapons locker, grabbing two Aether beam saber rifles. "New plan!" He shouted, "Defend Eucharis! LAUNCH!"

He made a running start at the still closed bay, taking flight and leveling out. He timed this action to the speed of the door's opening, passing through the small gap between the door and floor and pulling up hard. One of the enemy fighters was coming his way. With no time to think he could only react, bringing the two saber rifles and wrist mounted aether blades up to greet its belly. The four Aether weapons ignited just a moment before contact.

Higaflan System, Near Planet Higaflan

The guns of the Eucharis continued to fire from within the cloud of smoke and metallic debris that now surrounded the wounded gunship. Bright beams of energy lanced back and forth in both directions as the ships pummeled each other. But it was clear who the heavyweight was in this case as the unknown cruiser continued its relentless assault. Streams of lost air and burning bits of the ship left lines of smoke spread in starburst patterns from the hull and flashes of light flickered as each impact occurred. A massive explosion when off as the anti-matter systems in the starboard wing lost containment and violently exploding, sending a spray of shimmering positions to crash against the surrounding hull where they annihilated bits and left it looking corroded. The starboard STL engines nozzles flew off into space and the larger aether plasma engine flickered out as it lost power due to damage. The barrage ceased as the fighters closed in for the kill.

As Candon hurled himself and his blades into the enemy fighter, its underside shields dropped completely on impact, leaving it exposed. Its torpedo was still attached and had a big gash in it from the aether weapons. The force of the strafing fighter hitting his guns snapped their power cables and sent them flying off into space, and Candon was tumbling backward with his left wrist broken and his right shoulder dislocated. One of the AA turrets Antonia was controlling took the opportunity and shot the enemy fighter up pretty badly as it passed over the ship. It spun out towards the nearby planet, leaving a trail of smoke.

Bridge

"Jax, Bridge," Hanako answered. "Acknowledged."

"The second hostile ship has folded," Charisma announced, in between damage announcements. "Small explosion in life support detected, electrical hazard detected in starboard wing area, electrical fire in the power distribution room, radiation leak in the starboard main engine, artificial gravity failure in the power armor bay...."

"I assume that was the important one and this one is the escort," Hanako noted, looking over at Saiga. "Since it no longer has to defend the other ship, maybe it will leave us be if we can bloody its nose. Fire the main weapon array on it at maximum strength, Natsumi!"

Power Armor Bay

The power armor bay was once again in shambles from the positron spray. Several armor racks were hit by weapons fire or torn by the force of the explosion and were complete wrecks. Armor segments, weapons and ammunition freely floated about the bay. Another one of the enemy fighters came barreling in and launched a salvo of mini-missiles down at the open bay door.

Bridge

It’d been a long time since Nick had been aboard a Plumeria-class in battle — not since his brief stay aboard the YSS Hesperia during the Second Mishhu War — but the scenario was no less claustrophobic today. While the situation seemed very dire the Chusa didn’t lose hope yet. Gunships were tough and packed a significant punch for their size and if the Eucharis’ reputation was anything to put faith in, they still had more than enough fight left to survive.

“Go, shoi!” he shot to Umeshu with an assuring nod while still addressing the numerous alerts that littered across his station.

Hanako’s assessment seemed sound. But the enemy’s decision to attack in itself worried him greatly.

“We should still be prepared to slug it out, Kanchou,” Saiga told their commander. “We may not know who or what they are, but their decision to attack and success at doing so might mean they have intelligence on the Star Army beyond whatever they gleaned from the lighthouse. They may intend to leave no witnesses at this point.”

Halls

Someone saw Akane and tried to make conversation. He complimented her in such ways that she blushed. While she would have stayed, she had duties to attend to. "Hi," the Neko said as she passed by. She smiled as she passed, wanting to be pleasant and kind as she continued on her way.

Power Armor Bay - Later

Chaos reigned as the ship shook. Parts of armors fell all around Akane, some striking her in the arms and shoulder.

Explosions hurled all around the bay as enemy munitions burst in the Neko's direction. As she spotted the fighter, Akane had a single thought: I need a gun.

Med Lab

Taharial was shocked as she was getting chucked around the area she tried to keep her balance and got worried for her allies but knew that they could handle themselves and if not, she was here to help them. She stayed calm as she closed her eyes and tried to not to think of the fighting that was going on, she was hoping that she wasn't going to be need, but the alarms and rocking told her differently she guessed she would be needed at some point quick soon but waited in the Med Lab "no point running off and leaving a place everyone knows I am at."

Space, rear of YSS Eucharis

Searing pain and the gratification of seeing the fighter explode passed instantly as he saw another fighter lining up a shot on the place he'd just launched from. Having been launched backwards from the impact he was in an ideal spot to make a move on the assailant. With a minor correction he drew the SMG off his back and flew at the fighter with his shoulder cannon rotating to rest on his dislocated shoulder. At this point he knew something was wrong with his arm but couldnt feel it with the adrenaline in his blood. He opened fire with the SMG he held one handed in his left arm, which the computer had braced with the suits muscular lining, peppering shots at the incoming fighter while letting the targeting computer aim. The scalar shots hardly made a difference before the fighter released a swarm of mini missiles. Being too small for him to target he laid back hard releasing countermeasures in the form of Aether flares and engaged his CFD shield to allow the small drones on his legs to stay with him. The drones opened fire on the mini missiles while he focused on what he could personally handle, the fighter itself.

As the computer registered a perfect firing solution his rail gun pounded thrice as it released a three round burst.