Location: Bridge of
Bane of Lorell
Objective: I and possible II if the strike team needs reinforcements
Commanding:
Bane of Lorell, 2 x
Nova Cruisers,
17/24 (Docked on Bane, reloading and refueling, ETA to relaunch 7 minutes) x Torn'ikiir space
superiority fighters,
0/48 x
Miy'til Interceptors, approximately 90 Royal Hapan Marines standing by in dropships aboard the Bane
"Miy'Til fighter screen taking heavy casualties!" Called the Flight Control officer from her station.
"Enemy bombers moving to engage us from the rear!"
Many of the enemy bombers had been destroyed by the point defense cannons, but not enough. With the interceptors all but completely overwhelmed by the swarms of enemy fighters, there was little Rowan could throw at the enemy that she hadn't already.
"Status on the Torn'Ikiirs?" She asked, already suspecting the answer.
"At least another two minutes, ma'am."
Two minutes. It was strange to think that so much could be decided in such a relatively small amount of time.
"Understood, alert me when they're ready for launch. Divert all available power to the rear shields. Weapons, have all point defenses target the incoming bombers and fire at will." Rowan knew that without the support of the three cruisers' point defenses, what remained of their Miy'Til screen would quickly succumb to the enemy interceptors. She was, effectively, sentencing those brave pilots to die and she knew it.
There was a strange sense of solemn quiet that filled the bridge as she gave her orders and she knew that the same would befall the bridges of the Fate and Destiny as well. With the number of enemy fighters out there, there was virtually
zero chance that any of the Miy'Til pilots would survive more than a few seconds.
Unfortunately, that was the way of war. Commanders had to spend some lives in order to protect more. And these weren't faceless warriors either, these were her countrywomen and men. Undoubtedly there would be pilots who would die today that she had met, even a few that she probably knew. The families back home that would grieve their loss weren't a hypothetical to Rowan. She would meet them, she would see their tears with her own eyes.
As the point defense cannons on all three ships turned to face the rear of their formation, explosions could be seen from the Bane's bridge. One, two, three, ten, twelve, as the Miy'Tils fell to the overwhelming enemy fire. She could hear the panicked chatter of the surviving pilots as they desperately tried to regroup, largely failing.
One pilot, in a last act of heroism and defiance, triggered the self destruct of her fighter-piloting it as close to the center of one of the sixty-fighter swarms as possible. The explosion dominated the space-line for a moment as it's micro-fusion reactor exploded, taking several of the enemy fighters with it. Seeing the success of the attack, the remaining pilots did the same. And so it was that the last ten Miy'Til's split off into two flights of five, one moving for one swarm and the other for the second.
A few would be lost before triggering their self-destruct, but the majority would be able to engage, sending perhaps eight nuclear reaction explosions into the enemy screen.
"Commodore!" Someone shouted, forcing Rowan back to reality.
"We have incoming!"
From the rear, dozens of rockets were fired as the enemy bombers made their first attack run. The concentrated fire of the point defenses would take out many of the incoming enemies, but not enough. Rockets continued to close on them. Some where intercepted by the counter-fire, and others were destroyed by the Jedi fighters who were still making quite the account of themselves.
Grabbing the armrests of her command chair, Rowan set her jaw and spoke tightly through the ship's intercom.
"All hands, brace for impact!"
Tathra Khaeus
Ala Quin
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Romi Jade
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Jend-Ro Quill
Vexander Graves
