Playing with Hellfire (Dev Thread).

[Aithne Charr]

Rhigar System, Rhigar 3​

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Pentastar Forward Operations Base.​

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Aboard the Hellfire Class Cruiser, Unnamed Designation​

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Solan's hands hovered over the command console as he overlooked the space debris and scraps of ships that still remained in the system. Four eight hundred years it had floated between the planets like interchanging satellites and it was time to clear out the old trash. That was not the only reason he was here though, in truth the planet was to become the base of the Pentastar Alignment, a launch point so that they could operate in the system but hopefully one that would be kept from the general knowledge of the Galaxy.​

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The problem was that the Trash was not only in the form of old ships but new ones, a group of pirates having set up in the old chiss naval academy that had produced a pilot named Fel. Out of both interest in reclaiming the academy, but also in interest of removing the ships that now claimed the location, he had brought a certain experimental ship to bring down the fires of hell upon these deplorable creatures.​

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His eyes shifting, focusing on the man beside him with a smile. Two words forming on his lips as they moved around the horizon of the planet and pulled into sight of the waiting ships. He watched as the men reacted to those two words and out from his cruiser opened up like angel wings.​

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"Open Fire."​

 

[Aithne Charr]

Those angel wings that left his ship soon changed direction, reaching out and creating trails behind them. Looking to embrace the pirate frigate who had started to fire back and casting a green curtain over the space between ships, those with it following suit after recovering from the stupor of the sight before them. Time passing as their first shots hit the shields and a flare of green on blue erupted in front of him, this ship buckling at the initial shock and shaking before the dampeners kicked in. It was then that those angel wings bore down and embraced the pirate ship, an equally bright flare of light sparking all along the hull of the ship that now spits out quick bursts of debris and materials, fire erupting along its hall for a few seconds before finally cutting out in the airless space around the ship. It continued its fight, though.

Ever short lived as it was when the second set of missiles left the ship, coming down once more and towards the ship.

Solan had to wait once more, watching the streaks of missiles aimed at the damaged ship, watching it struggle to run but finding itself trapped between the two wings and being embraced by those volatile feathers that dropped over its body. His hands worked at the chair as another volley of fire from the pirates hit the ship, knowing that they would not last forever in a battle but he was certain that the three ships would not be able to destroy his own.

He was normally right when it came to thoughts like that.

 

[Aithne Charr]

He did curse the one downside of his ship, the one weakness that he had milled over and that was its lack of defensive arrays.

Even as the missiles moved towards his enemy, so to did his enemy move assault craft against him. Bombers and fighters moving over the distance between his ship and theirs. His voice ringing out once more as he brought his hand against the comms button, sending his voice ship wide and hoping his men were as good as he had thought.

"Flak Cannons track and fire into the larger groups, Laser cannons, focus on the bombers and stragglers. I want those assault craft gone and dealt with before they start tearing holes in our shields with their bombs and torpedos." He wasn't sure how much damage the pirate craft could do, but any assault craft could pose a danger if not dealt with and this was once such situation. He of course still had the Skyfall nearby, easily able to jump into the system but this was a test for the Hellfire cruiser that he had been developing, not a glory moment for the skyfall.

IT was that fact that made his eyes track and follow those fighters which had now reached the ship, peppering it with small bursts of laser fire and flying quickly out of range. He was worried but he knew it would only become a danger if his crew could not deal with them, something that made him a bit more confident and his eyes now returned to the larger ships which were closing the distance to make their weapons more impactful.

It was then a bright flash of light burst out, the frigate they had been firing on being caught in a fireball of its own creation as its reactor ruptured with the embrace of the second volley or missiles.

 

[Aithne Charr]

A quick shake of his ship occurred as a bomb penetrated the shielding and slammed into the hull, creating a hole in it but not destroying anything vital. Only one of their ships were down out of the three, their squadrons numbering two fighter squadrons and bomber squadron for support while the two ships moved to get on either side of him, something that made his missiles more than ready to counter. He would need to split the focus though as he looked to his crew.

"Bring us forward, and make sure you focus the shields towards the front of the ship. I want us to reach them in one piece rather than in five, make sure the missiles are ready and launch another volley, make sure each side is focused on their respective targets."

The beauty of missiles were powered flight, they could move and make adjustments so that they hit their targets with a much smaller margin of error. The problem was, they were targets able to be destroyed and were smaller than plasma-based turbolaser fire. A problem he was hoping to rectify sooner or later but for now had to focus on the enemy ships before him. His hands moved to the command console as the first volley left and shot for their respective ships, aiming to take out the two frigates shields atleast if they could.

It was hard to be certain how much damage the singular volley would do exactly, but he was certain that those frigates would find themselves hurting quite intensely. It was no doubt a situation in which would leave him to deal immense levels of damage once closer, but for now he watched and waited as she ship stretched out its arms to embrace its enemies.

 

[Aithne Charr]

The bombers were becoming a nuisance, his shields barely holding on from the frigates constant fire but those bombers were becoming a greater and greater problem as this continued on. Swooping in like gnats and biting before flying off and creating those small annoyances that started to completely cover his perception. It was for that reason he looked on at the screen now as his men armed and fired on at the squadrons, attempting to blow them out of the sky or send them to oblivion with flak and laser both. Slowly but surely they had become a problem, one he was ready to rectify and solve.

"Set the charges for five second and fire a few warheads on my mark, aim around the ship."

He wasn't sure how well this would work, knowing that it would take a bit before the damage was sure. He waited, watching and then when it was certain that it would do the most damage he spoke once more into the comm system. Before the words completely leaving his mouth the missiles would fire out but curve down and up around the ship, suddenly detonating and shaking his ship as the shields took on the debris and blastwave, something the unwitting assault craft could not do as the blast wave and debris shot into them and sent them in turns and crashing or simply stalling them for a few seconds to the effect that his defensive weapons could more easily hit them.

"Wipe them out and reload those launchers, prepare for the second wave of fire on the last two frigates."

He watched the other missiles slam into the frigates, those fired from the last volley and a cascade of oranges and blues rippled over the surface of the ships, creating a marvelous sight and his eyes burning a bit more with a surety in how quickly the rest of this would be handled.

 

[Aithne Charr]

He had barely moved, the ship a slow and lumbering one but that was why it had its defenses and weapons. It reached out and struck those that thought to face it and even then it held way of escape through sublight means. It was meant to be there to destroy the enemy, to wipe them out and to utterly annihilate them. It was not meant to sustain itself in a game of cat and mouse, it was merely there to utterly crush the mouse under a boot before it could react.

That was why those frigates who now closed in around it had doomed themselves, thinking the slow moving ship was all bark and no bite and with that they soon found out quite the opposite.

"Fire."

He watched as the missiles left their tubes, the distance much shorter now and tearing through the shields that remained before ripping into and apart the innards of those frigates, their mistake evident as they tried to fire back and were only met with fireballs leaping from their hulls before vanishing in the airless space. He watched their hulls buckle and men thrown from the ship by the blast waves and he uncaringly watched as they tried to turn away and salvage their mistake.

"Prepare next volley, they will be reduced to ash."

 

[Aithne Charr]

His hands closed as the next volley fired, leaving their tubes and slamming into the backs and sides of the frigates who tried to run, their entire bodies rupturing and the engines being torn up like they had been through a grinder. The bridges remained and only then just barely as he was sure their life support was taken out and if it wasn't, that would not matter soon. He watched them try to run, trying to get for drop pods and a few even making it to those pods, but soon found flak tracking them, his defensive weapons close enough to remove these escapees from the galaxy.

He watched as another volley left his ship and slammed into the sides that had been untouched, cutting through and ejecting debris from both sides of the ships as they ruptured and burned, one too close to the planet below as it started to fall into the atmosphere. He watched it fall further and further into the sky until reentry claimed it and the fires burned ever hotter, its body torn apart and any soul that had survived was now claimed by those forces which came with reentry.

His focus now drew back down on the enemy before him, staring at the cripple and otherwise lifeless ship, watching as they tried to signal a surrender and for a moment all actions from his ship halted. There were no volleys, there was no fire at all from his ship and he merely spoke to his second hand a few words.

"Move us in front of them, and open a line of communication."

 

[Aithne Charr]

Once done, he leaned back and spoke.

"You have been relieved of your command, of your lives, and of your riches. Make peace with whatever gods you pray to and find solace in that your death will be sudden and quick... Fire."

He didn't bother with cutting off the communication, watching the face of the pirate who was begging for his life. Not that of his crew but his as his crew looked on in horror at their captain. He was promising money, spice, anything that would save him as the missiles left their tubes and stretched out like bright wings once more. They came down soon towards the ship, the fear and utter terror on the pirates face as he looked at their last moments cut short as he closed the comm in the moments before their deaths. He had seen enough people burned and reduced to nothing to care if he saw that part.

He watched on as fire claimed what was left of the ship, heavy warheads and those of a lighter variety erupting all along the ship in front of him, its sides buckling and its frame twisting. The bridge was slammed into and reduced to nothing as it was claimed in a ball of fire and burst out like a balloon. He watched and spoke up again.

"Fire another volley, make sure that nothing survives."

His words would ring true as another volley left his craft, and seconds later found their marks. It tore and twisted apart whatever was left until finally what remained was no longer able to be regarded as a ship. What was left was twisted and shattered metal, no life left and those that had been sent into the vacuum were long dead. He watched it for a few seconds more before standing up and looking at the captain.

"Signal the other ships to enter in. We will go and make sure that there is nothing more."

 

[Aithne Charr]

The other ships would bring the supplies and the soldiers, they though had to reduce the base of these pirates.

Sitting alone was their base, far below on the surface of Rhigar I. IT was alone now and he knew some had already tried to escape on smaller craft. There was nothing he could doo about that but below was the enemy that he needed wiped from this planet. He watched his ship bore down on them, watched as it took up position in orbit and watched as his crew focused in on the small shielded base below on the icy planet's surface. He continued to watch, continued to wait and then smiled as the last volley left their tubes, watched as a hundred warheads headed through the atmosphere and aimed for that singular point.

His mouth turned down though once they punched through the atmosphere and reached their target. The bright flash quick and over as the shields were reduced and the base wiped out in a second, possibly two. He lost all enjoyment in feeling the death of those below and he sighed before standing up and heading towards the door that led off the bridge. The captain would move the ship to the others in orbit while he checked on the data he had gotten for this test of the ship.

 

[Aithne Charr]

What had been figured out, was exactly what he wanted. The limited defensive weapons had provided a bit of cover against the enemy fighters but he would certainly need more than what he had been able to use, certainly needed to work on the entire situation to better fit his needs. He wondered if there was something more he could add to the ship but its performance was exactly as he had wanted out of it.

The shields had held, albeit barely and with some damage to the hull here and there by those earlier bombers, something he would need to repair but otherwise ended well enough. He looked on at the readings and found that the shields had been dropped below twenty-five percent operational capacity, understandable considering it had faced three lesser craft alone and without support.

Speed had been expected, the craft barely moving faster than a snail in comparison to other craft its size, but it had survived and held up against other ships well enough. It was hard to be sure if that would be a problem in the future, knowing that faster opponents would be able to move circles around the ship but he had hoped the missiles could correct that problem considering they needed not to be in a clear line of site in order to work.

He sighed and collapsed down into the chair in his cabin, closing his eyes and focusing on those deaths and that fear which were creeping in his mind. This had been alot for him and he needed to rest.