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Delta Squadron: Chapter Two; First Engagement
Posted By: Steele<hoffmansteele@hotmail.com>
Date: 24 July 2003, 12:00 AM
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Delta Squadron: Chapter 2; First Engagement
0500 Hours, September 13, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
Vanyiardian System
"Estimated Slip space drop in ten seconds," said Commander James "Priest" McCoy over the COM channel. "Remember we hit them hard and fast."
Lieutenant Al "Razor" Harrison nodded to himself. They'd gone over the plan a dozen times already. It was pretty simple; a Covenant frigate was supposed to be heading through this system on a routine patrol. When it jumped out of Slip space the Bullet was going to hit it with her MACs and Archer missiles while Delta Squadron engaged any fighters and strafed the frigate.
This would be their first engagement as a squadron, but everyone in the squadron was a veteran. Al looked up and saw the section of space in front of his fighter boil and expand, spitting out a sleek, shark-like Covenant frigate. His computer immediately tagged it as the Purity of Soul.
The one advantage the human ships had over their Covenant counter parts was that when a Covenant ship jumped in-system it was dead in space for the first couple of seconds. Many UNSC captains had learned to take advantage of this.
Almost before the frigate had exited Slip space a MAC round streaked across the void like a bolt of lightning and slammed into her bow, punching all the way through and exiting out the starboard launch bay. Immediately the frigate started an uncontrolled roll caused by explosive decompression.
Coordinated Archer missiles arced over and plummeted downward, exploding on the Purity of Soul's armor. Chunks of super-heated metal geysered up as explosions chained the length of her hull.
Another MAC round leapt out and the frigate seemed to jump upwards as her midline suddenly exploded, neatly slicing her in half. The two pieces drifted about, atmosphere leaking out of ruined sections of hull as debris drifted everywhere.
"Priest this is the Bullet; I'm picking up multiple contacts inside the debris field. Signatures match those of Seraphs," Captain Jack Smith said.
"I copy, Bullet. Deltas engage."
Al clicked his COM twice in acknowledgement and accelerated toward the debris field, his sensors searching for a target. Two seconds later he got one. A box popped up in his HUD giving data on the target and his earphones started ringing signifying a solid lock.
Depressing a button on his control column, he said, "Fox Two!"
The IR guided missile jetted out of its launch bay and shot toward its target. A bright blue flash in the distance told him he had hit his target. "Splash one."
As he entered the debris field his sensor board lit up, informing him of a Seraph attempting to get around on his six. No you don't, he thought as he kicked his fighter up on its port wing and banked left. Shoving his throttles forward into afterburner, he pulled back on the stick and tapped his left rudder.
His Dagger's aft slewed to the left as his nose came up, causing the Seraph to go shooting by perpendicular to his nose. Al released the rudder and followed the Seraph. Flicking weapons control over to 'Gun' he got an immediate lock—just as the Covenant fighter inverted and dove.
Crap! Al rolled his Dagger and followed the Seraph through a tight loop. His fighter was more maneuverable than the Covenant fighter so he exited the loop in what was known as 'nose-off,' but it was a favorable 'off. He cut thrust and the Seraph centered itself right in his sights.
His finger tightened on the trigger, vomiting scores of 20mm rounds at the Seraph. The Covenant fighter seemed to disintegrate into flaming debris. "Splash two."
"I've got two on my six, can't shake 'em!"
Al heard the shout over the radio and immediately recognized who it was. Lieutenant Jason "Cain" Bourne. "Hold on, Cain. I'll be right there."
He looped his fighter around on an intercept course for Jason. "On my mark break left."
"Copy."
"Mark."
Jason's fighter, which was now directly in front of him, suddenly broke left, exposing the Seraph. Al got an instant lock; so he pulled the trigger, saying, "Fox Two!"
The Seraph's closure rate with the missile was extremely high, causing Al to never see the missile; all he saw was an explosion right in front of his canopy. Instinctively he snap-rolled his fighter to the left and turned, missing the most of the explosion, but his shields still beeped.
"Splash three."
"Bullet's sensors are clear. No more Covenant in sight."
"Report," Priest barked over the COM.
All the pilots reported in and it turned out that Al tied for the most kills with Major Justin "Broadway" Jackson.
"Dock with the Bullet. We're getting out of h—"
"Priest, this is the Bullet. Incoming Slip space contact. It's big."
A hole opened in space and a Covenant Destroyer fell out. His IFF tagged it as the Gods' Will. The Bullet immediately started to retreat out of range; she was no match for a Covenant Destroyer.
"Do we engage?" Al asked.
"No. We get out of here," Priest responded, his voice as calm and cool as usual.
"Not an option, Commander," Captain Smith said, sounding strangely resigned. "Any possible slip space jump will violate the Cole Protocol. The Destroyer is blocking our only exit. We're gonna have to bring it down. I want you and the Longswords to use your Shredder missiles and punch a hole in her shields. I'll prep a Shiva and send a MAC round when possible."
"Are you sure this is the only option, Captain?"
"Yes, Commander. This is our only chance and I will NOT violate the Cole Protocol. And besides, Covenant Destroyers have no fighter bays, so all you need to worry about is a hole in her shields."
"We'll do our best. Smoke slave your Longsword's targeting computers to ours. Your Longswords are larger targets than our Daggers. Wedge formation, slave targeting to me, Deltas."
Al complied by flicking a few buttons on his instrument panel. Slaving this targeting to Priest's would ensure that all missiles struck the exact same spot. Shoving this throttles forward; he took up position and followed the rest of the squadron.
Almost Before they were in range, Plasma and pulse lasers came soaring up to meet them, forming a sheet of energy they had to fly through.
"Launch in three...two...one...NOW!"
Al immediately fired two Shredder missiles, watching them trace long trails of fire toward their target. Thirty-two missiles were launched at the Destroyer. Of those thirty-two, only twenty-one made it. They hit the shield and exploded brilliantly. Electrical lines formed their way along the Destroyer's shields.
"Bullet, we've punched a hole through her shields, now it's your turn."
Captain John Smith of the UNSC Bullet didn't like this one bit. His frigate was about to take on a Covenant Destroyer. Those Covenant Destroyers are more than a match for THREE human Destroyers, much less a human Frigate. We're screwed.
"Lieutenant, just how fast can we fire the MAC?" he asked his Weapon's officer.
"Sir, if we re-direct power to charging the accelerator coils I can give you six rounds per minute.
"What's our range advantage on the Plasma Torpedoes?"
The ship's AI, Napoleon, replied instead, "Our best chance for survival is to wait for the Destroyer to close into range then launch MAC rounds before retreating and repeating."
"Can you maneuver a Longsword inside the shields?"
"Yes."
"Do it."
Lieutenant Erickson keep us out of range; Lieutenant Harris put as many MAC rounds inside that shield as you can.
"Aye, sir."
"Aye, aye."
The Bullet lurched to port and her MAC fired, sending a spear of death across the void of space, through the hole in the Destroyer's shield, and into her hull.
"Damage?"
"Minimal, sir," Napoleon replied. "The Destroyer's superstructure is very sound. It'll take a lot to break her apart. I've docked the Longsword inside her shields."
"Alright. Order the Deltas to get out of there. We're they're clear detonate the Shiva Warhead."
"Yes sir."
"Captain, Plasma Torpedoes incoming!"
Smith looked through the viewscreen and his stomach flip-flopped. The giant azure projectiles arced toward his frigate. "Impact?"
"Ten seconds."
"On my command fire the starboard pods." The pods would literally knock the Bullet on a new course.
"NOW!"
The Bullet flew sideways, causing the first torpedo to miss by mere feet. The second, however, just curved straight toward the Bullet.
"Sir, I've lost ship control!"
"What? Napoleon detonate the nuke."
Al rolled his fighter around a Pulse Laser and continued his retreat from the Covenant Destroyer just in time to see what happened next. A Plasma Torpedo turned and slammed into the Bullet's bow. The front half of the Frigate just exploded, creating a beautiful display of colors, but Al didn't have time to enjoy it.
A sudden shockwave rocked his Dagger, causing his head to snap forward and slam into the instrument panel. Blackness.
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