Here is the second part of a story written by myself and Arclite - its just got to the good bit - space battle
. We hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 2: The Trap
[The Jedi prepare to engage the enemy above the planet Wardell IV zoom in to the SSD Sherbertia]
"Launch all fighter wings; shields up; full power to weapons" ordered Admiral Sherbert. All around him the Jedi speedily carried out his orders, like cogs in a vast well oiled machine. He flicked the switch on his console that opened communications to the rest of the fleet; "All craft assume attack formation; flank speed".
[Zoom out to a panoramic view of both fleets]
"Red group your job is to take out the enemy shield generators. Gold and Silver groups; protect Red group" boomed the voice of Cadrys, leader of the fighter wings. "Hit the lead ships first so the cruisers can blow 'em open. Wedge your leading Blue group. You will be protecting the cruisers in case the enemy tries the same trick". Moving in a seamless dance, the squadrons of X-wings, B-wings, Y-wings and every other fighter the Republic could muster; set off on their missions.
"MWC Destroyer Islis now in range commander"; reported the lieutenant; "Hold fire until the fighters have had a go at those shield generators" replied Exar Kuun; commander of the DC Killing Time, the newest ship in their fleet. “Let us see if this ship is as good as the tech officers cracked it up to be” he thought as an explosion in the distance signaled the loss of the Islis's shield generator. "Bring fusion cannons on-line; fire when ready lieutenant" said Kuun. The DC Killing Time shuddered as if struggling to control the energies it was unleashing and in one brief moment bright streams of plasma surged towards the Islis.
"Most of us in the fleet are light cruisers. We can't go toe-to-toe with the enemy battle cruisers for long.” said the voice of Arcilte over the Comm. “Our job is to take out enemy fighters and don't you forget it for a second. Pride is a path to the Darkside. SS Defiant out"
Darth Kryo, commander of the SSD Icemane watched the battle unfold carefully. The shimmering lights in the distance seemed innocuous… but he saw them for what they were; little streams of death. “We should have destroyed the MWC long ago” he thought to himself. He had told the rest of the council this but they only replied: "Wars do not make one great". The tactical officer interrupted his deviate thoughts. "My lord, I’m sorry for the interruption” the officer said averting his eyes. “Continue” came the raspy voice of Darth Kyro. The officer took a long gulp before he continued. “Cadrys’ attack wing has destroyed the shield generators on the MWC Azuras, Marduk and Ur. Should we move in?" Darth Kryo replied "Open a Comm. channel to the battle group" “Communication established sir" quickly came the voice of one of the lieutenants. “Quick” was best aboard the SSD Icemane, for incompetent officers tended to have short life spans. "All heavy cruisers close to within firing range and fire at will. Kryo out” he commanded icily. Soon turbo laser fire arced towards the stricken cruisers.
[On board the SSD Sherbertia]
Admiral Sherbert watched the battle unfold. “This is too easy” he thought to himself as he watched the Islis explode like fireworks. Then he watched the Marduk and then the Azuras share the same fate. The MWC were barely responding. They had already lost seven ships out of the sixty they commanded. At this rate the Jedi wouldn't even lose a ship. Something was wrong here, very wrong.
[View of black space slowly zooming in on a point of streaking light, a small ship. Switch to a view of its bridge]
All is quiet concentration aboard. They know time is running out for the Jedi Republic. A beeping console breaks the silence. "My lord it has begun" came the voice of the helmsman. "How long till we reach Wardell" demanded the captain. "Just under nine minutes" was the response. The captain sat in silence, it might be enough he thought… but then again it may not.
[On board the SS Halut, Icho Tolot in command]
"Focus all fire on the MWC Asgard" ordered Icho Tolot as he watched the MWC Ur disintegrate. Laser fire hammered into the Asgard as it let off a weak volley of fire in return. The Halut gave a little shudder but the shields absorbed the impact easily. Then the fire from the SS Halut began to slow....
[On board the SS Vulcan’s Hammer]
"Ensign, I assume there's a good reason why we've stopped firing?" inquired Jedi master M.B.M. As M.B.M. looked up from his view screen he saw the panic stricken face of the tactical officer. "The ships not responding to commands, sir" was the officers only reply.
[On board the SS Defiant]
An enemy fighter streaked towards them on the main view screen. A couple of shots from the SS Defiant’s pulse lasers rendered it obsolete. Suddenly the lights began to dim. Arcilte watched the Jedi fleet slowly come to a halt. It’s firepower dissipating into the endless void of space. Arcilte slowly reached for his Comm. Panel. "Engineering what's going on down there? I need an answer and NOW" shouted Arcilte. After a few quite seconds, there was a reply. "I'm not sure sir, all we've got left is shields, communications, life support, and a couple of other vital systems but not much else". We're sitting ducks thought Arcilte.
[On board the SSD Sherbertia]
”Admiral, we are being hailed” said the Communications officer. With a confused look Admiral Sherbert replied “Put it on the main viewer” The Comm. screen flickered into life to show the smiling visage of KasualKid. "Good day Admiral. Are you ready to surrender or shall we destroy you?" Admiral Sherbert sat in near darkness with only the red emergency lights for any illumination. They were in trouble… big trouble. “What have you done” was the first question that came to the Admiral’s mind, but he doubted he would get an answer. "End communication" was his only reply as the surprised face of Kasualkid disappeared.
Sherbert flicked the Comm. switch and spoke. "Cadrys, the fighter squadrons are the only ships with full power. Break into a holding pattern and do what you can to defend us" he ordered. Cadrys’ surprised response came over the Comm. "We are fighters Admiral. Taking out shield generators is one thing but taking out fifty cruisers is another. It will be a massacre" "JUST BUY US SOME TIME DAMMIT!" shouted Sherbert. On the view screen he watched the MWC begin to close in and fire volley after volley.
[Zoom out to a view of the engagement and the view of the stricken Jedi slowly being destroyed]
[Aboard the DC Killing Time]
Exar Kuun watched the MWC fleet close in for the kill. Laser fire raced towards the DC Killing Time, which hung motionless in space. The ship shuddered. “The shields absorbed that volley.” thought Exar… but they wouldn't do it forever. Laser fire continued to rain down on the ship. There was a flash of light on the bridge as a console overloaded and gave out a shower of sparks. “Maybe another couple of minutes” Exar thought darkly. The Comm. officer suddenly became animated; "My lord we have a new inbound signal on the scanners. IFF status is friendly but there are no republic ships in the area, we can't identify it......
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