Ugh...
thought Devon as he levelled his fighter out, swallowing several times to keep his lunch down.
One:  Get the inertial compensator on this thing reset so it dont make me blow chunks...
And two:  Next time, go to the little Rebels room before getting into the cockpit.





'Roger that, Four.'  Seeing his threat display light up as the cloakshapes tried to lock on again, Devon followed Exilim's instructions; using the Cruisers bulk to hide him from the unfriendly eyes of the enemy.
'Duck and Cover, Eight.  Get behind Sarratoga - no point in giving them another clear shot at us...

Flash confirms Exillim's command, then pulls the Sarratoga into a tighter turn, moving it to face the Reprisal, with room to pass it to starboard.

Whilst trying to maintain as much forward momentum as possible, Flash throws the Sarratoga into a port turn, that while not the most graceful, provides Daniel and Jamie with a clear shot at the incoming Cloakshapes.  Turbolaser fire fails to connect with the nimble fighters but Jamie, focusing to the utmost manages to strike one of the Cloakshapes head on with the ion cannon.

Whilst a regular ion cannon would no doubt cause shorts and various system malfunctions, the Sarratoga carried a Capital ship-class ion cannon.  Its effects on the small fighter was nothing less then spectacular as lightning danced all over the ship and every system onboard subsequently exploded under the intense surge of power.  Wether the pilot was killed by his computer exploding in his face or by explosive decompression when his cockpit shattered under the intense pressure was purely academic.

Nirro and Devon had not been idle either.  Using the Sarratoga as a shield as best they can, they continually ducked in and out of its protection, causing the approaching Cloakshapes to continually lose targetting locks.  As one of the Cloakshapes exploded, the missile locks ceased as the surviving Cloakshapes momentarily broke off, clearly shocked at the sudden and violent death of their comrade.

The Sarratoga continued to spin until she was now flying head-to-head with the oncoming Corvette.  Exilim adjusted the shields to double-front in preperation.  As soon as the pair came into range the slugging match began.  Jamie, the only gunner able to shoot ahead, opened up with the ion cannon whilst the corvette fired her trio of foreard-firing double turbolaser cannons.

The range narrowed quickly as the two capital ships approached each other.  The Cloakshapes had recovered from the loss of their wingmate and were, to Exilim's dismay, going for missile locks on the cruiser.

---

OOC:  A couple of nice shots from Jamie have given you a slight edge.

The Corvette and Cruiser are now going head to head.  They are 4.5km (9 squares) apart.  You have a collective closure rate of 12 rounds/turn so you will pass each other in round 9.

So far the Sarratoga has taken no hits.  Jamie has scored one hit on Reprisal with the ion cannon (mind you he's only fired at it twice!).

The Cloakshapes are currently flying in formation with the Corvette, though with their superior speed they are overtaking it quickly.  Devon and Nirro are sitting behind the Cruiser, using it as a shield.

I will try to get a tactical map up asap but until then I need the pilots to tell me where they are going (especially Flash).

Remember everyone (esp. Sarratoga crew) to be familiar with the 'heroes as crew' pages in the RCRB (pp.224-225).  Know what you can do and what others can do to help you (for example, Jek as sensor operator is currently providing Jamie's turret with a +2 hit bonus each time he makes a successful computer use check)

Let the slugfest commence!


Friendly Craft
Sarratoga
Shields: 180/180 (100%) [Currently set to double-front]
Hull: 159/220 (72%)
No System Damage

Nirro (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 24/120 (20%)
0/6 Missiles

Devon (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 66/120 (55%)
0/6 Missiles

Enemy Craft
Reprisal - Shields: 75% Hull: 100%

C/S 1: Hull 100%
C/S 2: Hull 100%
C/S 3: Destroyed
C/S 4: Hull 100%
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:02, Thu 03 Jan 2008.

Mark's voice came across the comm.  "What's going on up there?  I nearly have this damn hyperdrive working and now I've suddenly been locked out of the system.  Even when I get this junk heap repaired I can't activate it!"

Jek's voice comes over the comm.  "I'm still lighting up targets for you Five.  Just be aware we've got some nosy civilians about 40 klicks off the starboard bow.  They're well out of range but they could get stupid and come in for a closer look.  I've designated the Silver Star a friendly, repeat a friendly."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:31, Wed 02 Jan 2008.

"Roger that, Doc; you point, I'll shoot."
Amidst the confusion and bustle of the battle, Jamie closed his eyes and ignored all his senses to refresh himself for the rest of the battle.
Then it was time to open them again, and blast away at the corvette.

As soon as the Reprisal was in his gun range Darak opened fire.  If any fighters entered his gun range he shoots at them but the corvette was his primary focus.

Taking a tight grip on his firing controls, Daniel waited for a target.  He'd been given 'shoot-to-kill' orders and he was ready to shoot whatever came close.

He made a mental note of the shuttle that had been tagged a non-combatant.  In the heat of battle it was easy to frgoet who was friend and foe.  Best get it in his mind now.

What the.....damn....nothing is ever easy Xil thought to himself as the cloakshapes attempted to get a missile lock on the cruiser. "Eight, Eleven, get ready to grab those fighters" he called out over the Z95's channel.

 Bringing up the correct screen on his system, Exilim attempts to determine the class of the shuttle and confirm it's ident code.

With the threat of incoming missiles he keeps the shields double front for the moment. Once they are broadside of the Reprisal he will adjust to shiels to cover the ship.

He switches to the ships comm "Slan report." he almost yells.

Flash maintains his grip on the controls, waiting...  This better work.  Last time I did this, it resulted in a spectacular explosion.  Both ships dodge the same way, you might as well not have dodged at all.  Of course, spectacular explosions are the ones you're most likely to get out of alive.  Proven fact, and I know, from experience...

The Sarratoga closed with the Reprisal at rapid speed in what looked like a space-bound version of chicken with capital ships.  At nearly the last moment, Flash took the Sarratoga in a sliding turn to port, shooting past the Reprisal with less than two-hundred metres to spare.

Either through shock or poor firing, none of the Reprisal's gunners managed to score a hit on Sarratoga as she went sliding past.  In fact neither did Darak as the Corvette shot past so closed he swore he could see people looking out viewports at him.

Jamie was more prepared and let loose another concnentrated burst of ion cannon fire which further drained the Reprisal's shields but failed to penetrate.

As the ships passed each other, Flash put the Sarratoga in the hardest turn he could manage, putting the cruiser on a perpindicular course to the Corvette with the Sarratoga's starboard facing the Reprisal's aft.

Nirro and Devon, not briefed on Flash's mad plan, remained in close formation as the corvette went sailing by.  The Cloakshapes meanwhile had recovered more quickly.  Losing their missile locks as the cruiser went hurtling past, tgey instead maneuvered in behind the Headhunters, closing the range quickly in order to use their lasers.

---

OOC:  I have only been able to post one round as neither Devon or Nirro have posted.  I need to know what the fighters are up to.  Remember combat posts have a 2 day turnaround (as best I can manage).  If there's a reason you can't post I need to know.

Well Flash brought it a little closer then he anticipated (but if he keeps his mouth shut it will look like some serious hotdogging rather than a dice roll anomoly).  But the maneuver has paid off.  The Sarratoga passed the corvette and has swung in behind them.  The Sarratoga is now behind the Reprisal and perpendicular to her.  This means both Jamie and Darak can shoot at the corvette's aft this round and the Reprisal only has one turret to return fire with.

Devon and Nirro have also passed the Reprisal but they have not turned with her.  The Cloakshapes have slipped in behind them and will be able to fire with their lasers this round.

The fighters are all aft of the Sarratoga so nobody can shoot at them.  If the Headhunters altered their course to starboard (even as little as 45 degrees) then they will move into Daniel's fire arc within one round.


Friendly Craft
Sarratoga
Shields: 180/180 (100%) [Currently set to double-front]
Hull: 159/220 (72%)
No System Damage

Nirro (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 24/120 (20%)
0/6 Missiles

Devon (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 66/120 (55%)
0/6 Missiles

Enemy Craft
Reprisal - Shields: 47% Hull: 100%

C/S 1: Hull 100%
C/S 2: Hull 100%
C/S 3: Destroyed
C/S 4: Hull 100%
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:02, Sat 05 Jan 2008.

Flash's flying of the cruiser left Exilim momentarily stunned, it felt as if he was trying to fly a much smaller ship.
Quickly recovering he adjusts the Sarratoga's shields to cover the entire ship as he says to Flash in a voice pumped up by adrenaline "Excellent, now keep us behind her"

Not having heard back from Slan, and the fact they have been locked out of the hyperdrive, he decides that Jamie can hit the Reprisal without any extra help and contacts Jek via the ships comm "Jek, Four, get into the computer room and see what's happening"


Exilim then starts to bring up tactical data to see what's happening with the fighters.

Devon cussed as the cloakshapes slipped in behind him and Nirro, then hurridly worked out a plan to hopefully even the odds a little.

'Eight, lead them into Sarratoga's field of fire, then we turn and engage.'

Suiting actions to his words, Devon turned hard to starboard, jinking and weaving,  trying to entice the cloakshapes to chase him.

"Nice flying, Two; I'd bet the captain of the other ship wet himself!"
Jamie tried to take advantage of the close proximity to let the other ship's wake have two more blasts from his ion cannon.
Buchaa, buchaa...blast it!

Flash grinned eerily with satisfaction.  "Thank you sir; I think Four did too."  Holding the Sarratoga steady, he maneuvered as necessary to stay behind the Reprisal.

Daniel sat ready, and a little frustrated as all the shooting happened on the other side of the ship.  He noticed that the Headhunters were getting closer but were still outside his fire arc.

"COme on guys. . .turn this way." he muttered to himself, almost willing them to do his bidding.

Amazingly he was rewarded as he noticed the Headhunters turning his way, the three CLoakshapes behind.

Years of training had taught him not to rush, as the first shot was often the most important.  Waiting until the Cloakshapes were in range, he took aim on the rearmost Cloakshape and opened fire.

Darak cursed.  How could he hae missed a target as big as a corvette!  Now the thing was filling up his targetting screen!  He'd better not miss this time.  He would hardly impress these mercenaries who he was hoping would offer him employment when this was over.  Still, he was a medic, not a starship gunner.

Taking careful aim, he kept firing at the cruiser.

Flash continues to maneuver Sarratoga as best he can to keep his starboard turret pointed at the cruiser.  The Reprisal meanwhile through a crafty use of thrusters and superb pilotting manages to pull a full 180-degree spin.  As she turns her port turret opens up but fails to hit.  As her front comes around her trio of turbolaser cannons mounted forward pound against the Sarratoga's starboard shield.

Jamie misfires, sending his ion cannon blasts wide but Darak, who has taken careful aim delivers a devastating assault to Reprisal's shields, draining away nearly all of their power.

On the opposite side of the ship, things are just as intense.  Nirro and Devon maneuver wildly to evade the incoming fire from the trio of ships behind them.  The odds are quickly lessened as the starboard cloakshape takes a direct hit from the port turbolaser, manned by Daniel.  The shot completely vaporises the cocpit and most of the forward section.  Little more than a pair of engines remain, tumbling through space as space junk.

---

OOC:  Reprisal now has her bow aimed at Sarratoga's starboard.  On the port side, Daniel has destroyed a Cloakshap leaving two shooting at Nirro & Devon (who are flying full defensive at the moment).  The two Headhunters will leave Daniel's line of fire next round.


Friendly Craft
Sarratoga
Shields: 136/180 (75%)
Hull: 159/220 (72%)
No System Damage

Nirro (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 24/120 (20%)
0/6 Missiles

Devon (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 66/120 (55%)
0/6 Missiles

Enemy Craft
Reprisal - Shields: 2% Hull: 100%

C/S 1: Hull 100%
C/S 2: Hull 100%
C/S 3: Destroyed
C/S 4: Destroyed

Normally a disciplined soldier, Daniel can't help but let out a whoop as he destroys the Cloakshape with a single hit.  Whilst experienced in various heavy weaponry, he never handled something with the kick of the turbolaser he was now sitting in.  Nor had he shot at such a fast moving target.

Steadying himself, he tried to fire off another shot before the enemies flew out of range.

Exilim scans through his systems, he then quickly begins to shore up the Sarratoga's shields after the turbolaser impacts from the Reprisal. He turns to Flash "One bit of fancy flying down, let's see what else we can get out of you.". He then turns back to his console and concentrates on the task at hand.

"Good shot, Darak!" Jamie called, wishing the same could be said about his shots.  "Keep it up; wear 'em down!"
Jamie rubbed at his eyes a little and refocused his eyes before firing again.  It had been a long day...and it wasn't over yet.

Feeling a little of the tension bleed out of him as one of the cloakshapes exploded behind him, Devon mentally congratulated whoever was that the controls of that turbolaser and vowed to buy them a drink later.

'Now we got them under Sarratoga's guns, lets keep them there.' Devon told Nirro over the comm, before forcing his Z-95 into a tight turn, back towards the enemy fighters; which was - if he was honest - one of the last places he wanted to go.
Snapping off a shot as a Cloakshape flashed in front of him, Devon tried to drive the enemy fighters back towards Sarratoga

The forward guns of the Reprisal continue to pound on the Sarratoga's shields, which hold, for now.  Exilim works to increase shield efficiency, increasing their power a little.

Flash continues to try and move the Sarratoga for advantageous positioning.  As he furiously works the unfamiliar controls he accidentally trips the autopilot, causing the ship to fly straight for several valuable, costly seconds as he attempts to disengage it.  The Reprisal takes advantage of this and moves towards the cruiser's stern.

All does not go the corvette's way however.  While Darak again fails to connect, Jamie laces the corvette with a pair of well-placed ion cannon blasts.  Lightning flashes arc up and down the ship's length.  The turrets seem to go momentarily haywire before they continue shooting.  A quick glance at his targeting system suggests the Reprisal had taken some computer damage, but it would take someone with better sensors to fully assess the damage.  Jamie shrugged it off, as that was not his role at the moment.

On the opposite side of the cruiser, Devon and Nirro continued to jink as they tried to distract the Cloakshape's enough for Daniel to nail them.  Calling for a turn to keep them in Daniel's arc of fire, Devon was suprised to see that Nirro hadn't followed him in the turn.

It took moments to notice why.  One of the Cloakshapes has nailed Nirro was a scathing laser volley which had totally destroyed his engines.  The ship had lost all power and was ballistic, heading into space.

---

OOC:  Due to a critical fail, Flash can not act in round 13 (but can act normally in 14).  This will likely allow the Reprisal to slip in behind the Sarratoga (where she has no guns).  If Jamie & Darak beat the Reprisal pilot on initiative they may still get some parting shots in first.

Nirro's ship has been destroyed and is now ballistic.  He is flying off into space, away from the fight.  The two Cloakshapes have turned to chase Devon who has turned back towards the Sarratoga.

The Sarratoga has taken some system damage from the ion cannons but with nobody on sensors you're not sure how bad.  Exilim could assess from his position (but he would have to stop repairing shields for a round).  A fighter could also do a fly-by and scan.  The only other choice would be for Jek to return to navigation/sensors.



Friendly Craft
Sarratoga
Shields: 116/180 (75%)
Hull: 159/220 (72%)
No System Damage

Nirro (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: OFFLINE
Hull: -17/120 (Destroyed)
0/6 Missiles

Devon (Z-95 Headhunter)
Shields: 30/30 (100%)
Hull: 66/120 (55%)
0/6 Missiles

Enemy Craft
Reprisal - Shields: 0% Hull: 100%
? Damage

C/S 1: Hull 100%
C/S 2: Hull 100%
C/S 3: Destroyed
C/S 4: Destroyed

Oh no you don't! Jamie mentally shot hateful thoughts at the Reprisal's pilot as the ship moved to the stern.
Physically, he sent the ship another two powerful ion blasts as a parting gift.
"Two!  The Reprisal is moving out of my firing arc to our stern!"

Everyone who possesses a Black Talon commlink (that is switched on) begins to hear a message.  At first it is little more then static and then it begins to clear.

"Nine to any Crusader, respond.  Nine to any Crusader respond."

You recognise it as the voice of Captain Zyra Jax, squadron XO.


OOC:  You know that without a sattelite system, your commlink only have a range of 50km, maybe up to 60km if you're lucky.  You're hundreds of kilometres from Hydia IV.  Wherever the signal is coming from, its fairly close.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:35, Tue 15 Jan 2008.