Communications Network
Vast Empire  -  New Posts  -  Search  -  Statistics  -  Login 
 
ComNet > Imperial Navy > Archived Naval Story Board > Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
 
 
  Pages:  [ 1 2 3 ]   
Author
Topic:  Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
Ryn
ComNet Novice
 
Ryn
 
[VE-NAVY] Senior Crewman (SCRW)
 
Post Number:  41
Total Posts:  116
Joined:  Nov 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 18, 2012 8:04:56 PM    View the profile of Ryn 
Ryn could feel her hands shake against the cool metal of her blaster. Even the techs had bigger weapons than she did, the pistol wasn't more than a hold out. She had a sudden appreciation for the cockpit and its protective barrier from the outside world. She could focus, pretend it was all a sim if she had to. Here the vibration of her boots hitting the durasteel floor, the shouts, the feel and smell of it all assaulted her senses.

She had been a passenger on a Skipray Gunboat before but never attempted to fly one. At least she would know where she was going once they managed to get onboard, she supposed. The whole mission seemed to be unraveling before her eyes. The tactical logic of sending one TIE pilot to save another had its fallacy, but the odds of getting a shuttle close enough to the Umbral Blade to land and do a proper extraction were not even calculable. Especially with most of the marines already engaged on one of the asteroid bases.

"There are three targets guarding the entry we need, you ready?"

Ryn gulped and nodded. She forgot in the chaos when they took off their helmets, but she supposed they were useless in a fight like this. Stormtrooper helmets had HUD's that enhanced vision and other gadgets she wasn't even aware of. Pilot helmets were pretty much only useful while in a cockpit.

Hades was calm under the pressure and Ryn was thankful for that, she would have been a wreck if she had to take the lead. They moved quickly when the moment presented itself and Hades fired three quick shots that dropped the techs. At least Ryn was pretty sure his shots were the ones that made contact since hers seemed to fling wildly against the walls leaving scorch marks in their path.

The two pilots jumped over the prone bodies and ran into the hanger. Blasters opened fire from every conceivable venue seemingly all at once. Ryn froze. Her mind went blank as they crossed the threshold. She could see the Skipray in the distance and the den of men and women with blasters pointed at her, but nothing processed. She numbly lifted her pitiful blaster and started to press the trigger.

She couldn't hear the bolts, or Hades shout her name. Everything seemed to be happening so fast it looked slow, yet she couldn't react. The wind exited her lungs as something large rammed into her side and collapsed with her to the hangar floor.

"Ryn, what the frack is wrong with you?" His look was one of concern and annoyance as she blinked up at him with wide blue eyes. The world around her seemed to sync up again and she could think rather than just react to the chaos.

"Sorry, yea, I'm okay."  A man came through the doorway just behind them and started to draw his pistol as he backpedaled towards cover. Ryn lifted her own weapon and fired six shots, finally making contact with his chest on the last one sending him flipping over a supply crate.

Hades looked at the result of her assault and blinked. "Nice shots."

"Yea, lets hope I don't need to actually hit anything moving."

"Ryn." They both found cover and were firing again. "Please don't get shot, I really do need someone to help me fly the gunboat."

"Your concern moves me." She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Just keep shooting your a better shot than me, I actually am doubting that what I am doing can be called shooting."


OOC:
WC: 600

AAR: More examples of Ryn's stellar shooting skills Ryn becomes a bit shell-shocked but Hades saves her and is able to recover her wits. They are under cover trying to get to the Skipray.
FM/SCW Kathryn 'Ryn' Kerdi/A-3/S:26 "Tuk'ata"/W:58 "Javelin"/SSD Atrus/TF:Aurek/1FLT/SFC/VEN/VE
{VM} [MC2] [MiD]
Imperial Network Star Wars Image
Imperial Network Star Wars Image
Serpent
ComNet Cadet
Imperial Baronet

 
Serpent
 
[VE-NAVY] Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)
 
Post Number:  275
Total Posts:  1214
Joined:  Jul 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 21, 2012 10:24:02 PM    View the profile of Serpent 
Serpent watched the tactical holo with growing horror.  It floated in the middle of the bridge of the Surprise, and while Zail could only spare the occasional glance at it as he relayed commands to the bridge officers, he knew exactly what was happening on it.

Their sister ship the Success had engaged a Lancer-Class Frigate, finishing it quickly, and then surged on towards the target, the ISD Umbral Blade.  The Republic’s prototype warship had all but reached the jump point, but the Success had activated her gravity well generator, trapping the Star Destroyer.

“The Blade is coming about,” Noted Captain Trykon, his tone neutral but his voice tight.

“They have no choice now,” Observed Zail.  “The Blade must destroy the Success in order to escape.”  As he spoke, he knew that the Captain had already figured this out, but it helped to get his thoughts in order if he spoke them aloud.  “The Success cannot handle an ISD alone,” Added Serpent gravely.

“Then it is imperative that we get to them,” Said Trykon, and turned his head towards the viewport.  There, blasts arced to and fro between the Surprise and the dense asteroid field of defence lasers.  As if to punctuate his thoughts, a telling blast rocked the entire ship, and in the background Zail overheard cries of damage teams to proceed to the aft section of deck three.

“Shields are holding for now,” Said the XO, “But they are weak, and it is taking engine power to hold on.”  Serpent locked eyes with his CO.  “Do we push forward through the thick of the defences and try to reach the Success, or do we wait and see if our boarding teams on the base can shut them all down?”

“Our shields may not hold,” Said Trykon, “But we cannot wait any longer and the Success needs us.”

“Understood, sir,” Said Zail.  Turning to the pilot, Lerak Drackon, he ordered, “Full ahead!  Power to engines!  Gunners, we need you to be sharper than ever in clearing those defences from our skies!”

And so saying the mighty Cruiser advanced.

-----

Sparks flew from consoles and cries of warning came from every bridge officer as systems were hit and damage accumulated throughout the ship.  Engineering were fierce in their protests about the power demands being too much for the Surprise, with shields, engines and weapons all being pushed to their limits.  There was no choice in the matter, however, and onwards they went.

“We are receiving updates on the Umbral Blade,” Said the Sensors Chief, Kath Notra.  “According to these readings, the starboard rear quarter of the Star Destroyer is teetering on the brink of collapse!” Declared the Twi’lek.

“Order our TIEs to keep on the Blade,” Ordered Zail.  “We cannot afford to let up and risk them restoring their shields!”

Suddenly, the communications officer, Evir Norith, piped up.  “Sir!  Incoming message from Shock Eleven!  She reports that Shock Twelve is down!”

Serpent felt the news as a blow to his gut.  Eleven and Twelve, Ryn and Hades, were two of the hottest young pilots they had.  The loss of one was terrible.  He only hoped that Ryn could deal with the loss of her friend and keep her head in the fight.

Thus it came as a total surprise when, a few moments later, Norith spoke again.  “Sir!  Shock Eleven reports that Twelve went down and managed to crash land inside the Umbral Blade!  She requests permission to go after him!”

Serpent’s eyebrows shot up to mirror his outrage at the notion.  “Tell her no fraking wa...” He began, but Captain Trykon cut him off firmly.

“Granted,” Said the Kuati officer, causing Zail to whirl on his superior and stare with open mouthed shock.

“Sir?” Asked Serpent, confused.

“I know those two,” Said Trykon with confidence, “She is going after him regardless of what we say, so we might as well grant her permission so that we can maintain the illusion that we actually control our pilots.”

Zail did not like it, but he knew that his CO was right.  “As you say, sir.”

Just then another major blast rocked the Surprise.

“We have lost fore shields!” Called a bridge officer.

“Redistribute!” Called Serpent.  “But keep going!  How long until we are within weapons range of the Umbral Blade?”

“One minute!” Came a firm reply.

“How is the Success doing?” Demanded Trykon, eyes firmly locked on the other ship’s image on the tactical display.

“Holding!” Said the Sensor Chief.  “They are evading the Blade’s weapons by hiding behind the asteroids.  Their gravity well generators are still engaged!”

Neither Zail nor Trykon needed to say aloud how vital it was that they reached the Success.  So they focused on the tactical display, issued orders when needed, and watched that one minute slowly tick down...

OOC:
803 words.  Some reactions to the recent posts of others and moving on a bit.  The Surprise is almost ready for its showdown with the Umbral Blade.

After Action Report:  The Surprise presses forward through the thick of the asteroid defences, straining their shields in order reach the Success.  Meanwhile Zail is rocked by the news that Hades is down, and shocked at Trykon’s decision to let Ryn go after him.  Now the Surprise is a minute from engaging the Umbral Blade.
FO/CPO Pherik “Serpent” Zail / ISD II Halcyon Warrior/TF: Besh/1Flt/FC/VEN/VE
[SoA][MC2][LoM][NAR][E][HNS][SWC][CBV][VC:B][=^Eng^=]
Trykon
ComNet Veteran
 
Trykon
 
[VE-DJO] Journeyman
[VE-NAVY] Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)
 
Post Number:  1326
Total Posts:  3784
Joined:  Feb 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 22, 2012 3:42:38 PM    View the profile of Trykon 
The New Republic Star Destroyer Umbral Blade fired again, belching a torrent of blue lightning and green fire from its ion cannons and turbolaser batteries, and when the deadly blasts reached the Vast Imperial Cruiser Success, the asteroids all around the smaller vessel exploded in an array of brilliant colors, as the trace veins of phosphorescent ores deep inside the rocks were suddenly superheated to combustion.  Bathed in a rainbow of electromagnetic energy, the outgunned Strike-class ship twisted and dashed, desperately seeking ever more asteroids to hide behind.

But the struggle could not continue indefinitely, and the ultimate outcome was never in question.  Eventually, too many shots hit home; the Success's shields could absorb no more energy, and they failed.  In an instant, green fire was burning through armor, and blue lightning was sizzling across the ship's skin, and the chase was at an end.

For any starship, the loss of shields was a serious problem, but for a Strike-class cruiser, it was nothing less than catastrophic.  Almost immediately after her defensive screens collapsed, whole sections of Success went dark, as the wiring connections between the modules were burned clean through or shorted out by ionized energy.  Mere seconds later, the temperature and pressure differentials between the damaged and undamaged areas of the ship simply tore the vessel apart at the seams, creating a surreal tableau of geometric shapes floating serenely apart amidst the chaos of the asteroid field and battle.  Perhaps twenty seconds later - a long, hellish nightmare to those still alive on the wreck - the gravity well module and engine module collided with an asteroid, generating an enormous explosion that engulfed the entire debris field.  When the flash died down a moment later in the vacuum of space, nothing was left of the Success but memories.

From the tactical holo aboard his own vessel's bridge, Wyl Trykon watched the end of Surprise's sister ship, his face unreadable.  Somewhere behind him, one of his crewers gasped as the final fireball erupted.  But Trykon was focused on the image of the Umbral Blade, now turning away from its destroyed foe, back toward the edge of the system's gravity well.  The damn ship looks smug, if such a thing is possible, Trykon thought to himself.  And then, his internal sense of time reminded him to check the range-to-target.  Right on schedule, he thought.  Exactly as planned.

Trykon spoke clearly, and coldly: "Fire at will.  Break them."

But something happened then that Wyl Trykon was not expecting: the Umbral Blade disappeared.  As the first long-range shots lanced out from the Surprise's batteries, the big vessel they were targeting seemed to shimmer, and then it was gone.

"They've jumped!" Serpent said despairingly, but his tone was colored by uncertainty: according to sensors the Star Destroyer hadn't been free of the various mass shadows of the system yet.

"No, Mr. Zail," Trykon said into the sudden quiet, "they've cloaked."  The Kuati ship captain began indicating vectors in a zig-zag across the Blade's last-known course with a furious wave of hand motions.  "Keep firing!  Here, here, and here!  Send every fighter we have along these axes!  We have to find and kill that ship, before she jumps!"

OOC:
534 words.  You didn't think we'd go through a whole battle against a cloak-capable ship without seeing some cloaking, did you? 

After Action Report: The Success succumbs to the weakness of all ships of the Strike class, dying quickly after her shields fail.  Before the Umbral Blade can turn around again and escape, though, the Surprise finally enters weapons range.  But just as Surprise opens fire, the Umbral Blade disappears, not by hypering away, but by engaging its cloaking device!

Orders: blind fire free-for all!    In seriousness, creativity is encouraged as we try to find and kill this fleeing cloaked ship, but keep the technobabble to a minimum, and remember not to God-mode.  Really, we're just throwing everything we have in their general direction, and hoping enough of it finds them to stop them.  Dread Squad: there MIGHT be a display panel somewhere on the NR base that might show the location of the Blade in-system, even despite the cloak...  Only way to know is to write a post!    Still plenty of chances to help the Navy do what we need to do, so we can help you overcome further resistance and then extract.    Go team!
Imperial Network Star Wars Image

SCAP/2LT Wyl Trykon/SMC Surprise/TF:B/1Flt/FC/VEN/VE
CNT/2LT Wyl "Trick" Trykon/PLF Cappadocious/VENA/VEN/VE

[SoA][SoV][BWC][NSM][E][NAR][HNS][DSM][SWC][1NS][VC:B][LoM]/(=*AE*=)(=*SAE*=)(=*TG*=)(=*SCFE*=)

TRN/JRN Trykon/DJO/VEDJ
Hades
ComNet Initiate
 
Hades
 
[VE-NAVY] Senior Crewman (SCRW)
 
Post Number:  131
Total Posts:  1245
Joined:  Nov 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 22, 2012 9:49:11 PM    View the profile of Hades 
Ryn fired a single shot and a pilot went down. Hades looked back, impressed, with what might have been a smile under any other circumstances. He nodded at her before running up the ramp of the Skipray, blaster raised - it was empty. Thank the Empire for that. Hades thought, relieved. Ryn ran up the ramp and slammed the hatch closed, as Hades strapped himself in the pilot's seat, powering up the engines. Ryn stood, sort of unsure as to where she should go. Hades did not need a navigator - although that would make things easier. Right now he needed a gunner.

"Get on the laser turret!" He ordered as the blastboat lifted off the hangar floor. Ryn nodded and did so, strapping herself in. Hades could control the missiles and torpedoes, as well as the Ion cannon, from his position in the pilot's seat. But he needed someone to use the Laser- Wait a minute.. Hades paused, frowning. The power output's too high for simple laser cannons.. they've been upgraded to turbolasers! He relayed this to Ryn.. who had no idea how to use a turbolaser.

"Point and shoot!" The Skipray shot out of the hangar and immediately Ryn started firing. The turbolaser took its toll as they were inside the shield, destroying one of the Blade's turbolaser batteries and allowing explosions to blossom where they had been. Ryn whooped but they weren't out of the woods yet, so-to-speak. He threw the blastboat into a dive, taking them under the Blade. At this moment, the Success exploded, brightening their viewport for a moment before fading into wreckage.. Hades was shocked. But his reflexes kicked in as he spun the blastboat around, aimed at the Umbral Blade's underside.

Closing.. closing.. when they were in range, he and Ryn both opened fire, Ion cannons, turbolasers, concussion missiles and proton torpedoes - Hades fired all of the skipray's weapons at once before breaking off as the explosion rocked the lower hangar of the Blade. Then something happened. Something big happened. The Blade disappeared. Hades swore and yelled back to Ryn.

"Get on the Sensors console!" he shouted desperately. She unstrapped herself from the gunner's console without question and ran to the designated console. She slid into the seat, starting up the instruments with ease.

"What am I looking for?" she asked.

"Did it jump?" he answered her question with another question.

"Negative on that. There were no fluctuations that indicate it did.. besides, it wasn't clear of the asteroids. It would be space dust by now if it did jump." she responded calmly. Hades bit his lip.

"So it cloaked.." He then ground his teeth. "Get me its last known trajectory and speed.. the explosions from our torpedoes and missiles should still be generating debris...so it should stand out like a sore thumb! Cloaking technology is shoddy at best.. if the debris is still there, there will be a break in the cloak.."

"Because I'm an expert at this, right?" Ryn said sarcastically.

"You can try." He hissed back, not really appreciative of sarcasm at the moment.

"Well.. I'm not picking up anything at the moment.. there's some debris we blew off it back where we got out of the hangar.. but..." She took a sharp intake of breath. "the debris forms a trail!"

"Great work! Lock us on to the debris trail.. if we get close enough we should, theoretically get engine wash.." He waited for her to press a key on the console, followed by a trail appearing on the HUD. Hades eased the engines into a higher speed, the modified blastboat chasing what would probably be called a ghost. Hades commed the Surprise.

"Surprise, this is Shock Twelve, callsign Hades. Shock Eleven and I have captured an enemy Skipray Blastboat. We're now following what seems to be a debris trail left by the Blade. It may end up being nothing but I believe it's worth checking out."



Meanwhile..

Warrant Officer Krii was a loyal man. Cynical, but loyal. This is why, when things went south for his squad, he did not go lone wolf and abandon his squad. He formed them up and counterattacked. He had a plan which, if executed correctly, should disable this dastardly asteroid base. They had managed to get out of the hangar without the help of Dread Squad and he was hoping to link up with them enroute to his next objective. Then came the news. The Success was gone. Krii was speechless. He was nervous, he felt as if things could only get worse. But on top of that, he was a good leader, so he would never show his doubts to his men.

The squad travelled along the strange asteroid corridor, blasters raised and formation tight. Krii held up his right hand in a fist, before falling into a crouch and motioning with his palm down, that his squad should do the same. They all fell into position, before Krii motioned them against the wall. Again, they did as they were told. Not a moment too soon, as a squad of New Republic marines rushed past the end of the corridor. Krii's men were more or less hidden from them, so the Rebels continued without the knowledge that they were about to get ambushed.

Krii moved his fist forward, and his squad moved as one, a vengeful predator made up of numerous sections, requiring each section to work with the other to reach full potential. This was something Krii's squad did with perfection. They burst from the corridor, two grenades rolling into the center of the New Republic marines, blowing their formation apart as the members of the Imperial Marines picked off the stragglers and survivors. It was over too quickly for the Rebels. Krii waited for the smoke to clear and the bodies to be checked.

His plan was going perfectly so far. They had made their way from the hangar to here, taking down a few marines on their way. Their objective was the control center. He had commed Dread squad and informed them that his squad was searching for a control center, and that Dread Squad should do the same. Shutting down the asteroid was important, but the information contained in the command center could be considerably more valuable. It was to this end that Krii was determined to get there first. The Captain of the Success had been determined to earn the glory here. In her memory, Krii wanted to get that information and put it on his squad - on Success' record. Not on those army grunts, or the Surprise's own marines.

"Move out! We want to find this control center ASAP!" Krii told his men. They jumped to it, getting back into formation as they loped down the corridor. "Check your corners!" He urged as they approached an intersection. Those on the left swept left, and on the right swept right while the center kept their blasters trained down the front, and the rear spun to cover the back of the formation. A chorus of 'clear' came from the squad and they moved on, inexorable in their pursuit of glory, for their fallen captain and friends aboard the Success. It was only inevitable that they would get there first - no way would an Army squad be more efficient in a boarding action than the Imperial marines. Krii intended to prove it.

The fact that he had heard little from Dread Squad did not bother him. He could do this without them.

OOC:
Wordcount: 1,302.

AAR: Hades and Ryn do some damage to the Blade in the blastboat, and think that they've got a way of tracking it.. they can't be sure though. Warrant Officer Krii begins to share the mindset of his late captain, and wants the glory for his squad and the fallen comrades aboard the Success! Should give the army folks something to work with!

Imperial Network Star Wars Image
Senior Crewman Demetrius "Hades" Aita, Nightshrike Squadron
FM | SCW "Hades" | A-2 | S:82 "Nightshrike" | W:245 "Scimitar" | mSSD Atrus | TF:A | 1Flt | SC | VEN | VE
[MC1] (=SWC=) [BWC]
{INTER} {XenMA} {AFM} {HypM} {INFL}

"Life is warfare."
~Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Imperial Network Star Wars ImageImperial Network Star Wars ImageImperial Network Star Wars Image
Havock
ComNet Expert
 
Havock
 
[VE-ARMY] Major
[VE-DJO] Dark Jedi Knight
[VE-ICS] Privateer Captain
 
Post Number:  1811
Total Posts:  2413
Joined:  Feb 2009
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 23, 2012 4:50:51 PM    View the profile of Havock 
"Sergeant!" Jack threw herself down, rolling into a desk sending datapads raining over her head. The fire was coming from all directions now, somehow Dread had gotten themselves pinned down in a command room with three entry points. It was a tactical nightmare and based on the scattered comm traffic nobody was fairing much better in the fight.

"Grimm I have no visual on you."

The comm flooded her ears with a hodgepodge of responses mostly from the Surprise. Things were going bad and the decline in their luck was fast. The navy had at least two of their more productive fighters down and it sounded like they may have lost one of their ships.

"I'm on your nine Jack, something big just happened with the Blade. I'll move with Moor, we can cover you, get to that terminal and see if you can pull up a tactical screen."

Shock shot through Jack's spine almost making her lose her senses and stand as the word, "What?" escaped her lips. Jack wasn't a wiz on the hacking front, she was lucky to send and receive messages without accidentally deleting them.

"Stop your arguing trooper, this isn't the time or place for that. You are the closest and I trust someone taught you how to pull up a map in the academy."

Jack gritted her teeth and muttered, "yes sir." Between shots she glanced over at her Squad Leader watching for the signal she needed. Running through a storm of deadly bolts was not Jack's idea of a good time. She just kept focusing on the bar she would be going to after the ridiculous mission came to an end and the legendary amount of liquor she would consume.

"Go!"

Jack jumped to her feet and sprayed the entryways haphazardly with her blaster rifle, hoping it was enough to discourage anyone from aiming at her. She slammed her forearm into the terminal sending it and the keyboard to the floor a few seconds ahead of herself.

"Oh great." The wires weren't long enough for the holoscreen to sit in its proper position on the ground so she had to turn it on the side and cock her head to look at it. The keypad reached nicely though.

Lighting yelped and dove over the counter she was using for cover. She frowned at him as he landed, face first on the floor then shook it off and started to fire up from the ground.

The first several screens were very boring, mostly calendars and administrative things. It appeared that the station had been some kind of research facility full of tech-types that thrived in making data and charts for kriffin everything. Although their security force must have been bored enough to spend every day training and had been itching for a real fight. That would explain the zealous nature they had for shooting at her squad.

Finally an image appeared that was useful to the trooper. She could see the layout of the battlefield and was glad to see that the Surprise had managed to advance past the asteroid obstruction. Unfortunately, they seemed to be having trouble with their trajectory.

"Sir, I show all the players on the field...except the Success, I think we may have lost her."

"Can you get a visual on the Blade?"

Jack frowned and shrugged. "Yes its right there. Although it shows up as a neutral target now for some reason."

"Its cloaked we need to send the coordinates to the Surprise. Kriffing sith lords in hell would these idiots stop shooting already! Jack we cannot get a clear signal in here, I'm going to alert command that we have intel for them then we must get clear of this position."

The situation wasn't pleasant, they would probably need to use something that went boom in order to clear a passage, but then the question moved to which entry to choose. With little to go on as in the layout of the research facility, they would be flying blind looking for a data terminal or at the very least a security comm channel.

"I've downloaded the information to my datapad, don't suppose anyone brought a grenade."

OOC:
WC: 749

AAR: Jack and Dread Squad got pinned down in a non-specific command room, but Jack was able to access a terminal and can in fact see the Blade's coordinates. Dread Squad cannot however send a communication from their current location, so they must choose one of the three exits and hope they can access a comm terminal of some kind to get the coordinates back to the Surprise.

Army Objective: Fight (or boomboom) our way out of the room and find a terminal that can be used to send secure communications to the Surprise. Time is of the essence.
XO | MAJ Ayme 'Havock' Katash | VEA | VE
SM | DJK Ayme 'Havock' Katash | Lion Sect | Lopen | VEDJ | VE
PRT | CPT Havock | Broken Bitch | Eyesore | Osk
[EW1] [RoT] [RoM] [CRoM] [CoH] [RCoD] [PoC] {HoTC} {KAD} {GC} {GS} {RES} {MRT} (RAWR) (ESC09) (AoT) (DoH-P) (AS-3) (A13)
Imperial Network Star Wars Image
Imperial Network Star Wars Image
(A13) Vehicle Mechanic  ~ Former RAIDERS Squad Leader
[This message has been edited by Havock (edited February 23, 2012 4:51:18 PM)]
Serpent
ComNet Cadet
Imperial Baronet

 
Serpent
 
[VE-NAVY] Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)
 
Post Number:  285
Total Posts:  1214
Joined:  Jul 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 25, 2012 7:28:17 AM    View the profile of Serpent 
Pherik ‘Serpent’ Zail was stunned by what he had just seen.  The demise of the Success had been as unexpected as it was spectacular, and had come as a painful reminder to the Alderaanian of just how outmatched they were.  The Success was pretty much the same as the Surprise, and if their sister ship had been crushed by the Umbral Blade, what chance did they have?

Zail pushed his mind away from such negative thoughts, and nor did he allow himself to contemplate the loss of so many fellow members of the Vast Empire Navy who had been on the vessel.  Serpent had been in battle before, and he had seen allied ships fall.  As callous as it was, Pherik knew that the dead would wait, and seeing to the continued survival of the living and the completion of their mission was what was critical.

The Blade had cloaked and now they were firing in vain, hoping to hit the massive but invisible ship.  TIEs scattered all over the space where the prototype New Republic ship had vanished, but so far nothing.

“Sir!”  Called the com officer, Evir Norith.  “We have a message from Shock Twelve!  He and Shock Eleven have escaped the Umbral Blade in a captured Skipray Blastboat and think they have a lead on the cloaked ship.”

Serpent glanced back at Captain Trykon at the news.  While the First Officer was amazed that the two pilots, Hades and Ryn, had survived their jaunt into the Republic vessel, the CO seemed to take the news in his stride.  “Let them pursue it,” He said, “But until they have something solid keep the rest of the TIEs spread out and searching.”

“Understood, sir,” Said Zail, and spoke to Norith.  No sooner had the Captain’s words been relayed, than Serpent returned to Trykon’s side at the tactical holo, and there watched the hurried pursuit of the now-invisible ship.

“What is that?” Asked Serpent suddenly, pointing to a cluster of four TIE Interceptors.  On the hologram, the Flight, all of them with the transponders of fighters attached to the Success, were heading off on a new course, away from the pursuit vectors that the Captain had laid out as the likeliest course of the Umbral Blade.

“I have no idea,” Said Trykon, clearly displeased.  “Pherik, get those ships back on course!”

Dashing back to the Com Station (something Zail had been doing a lot of during the battle), he called on Norith to put a message to the wing leader of the Success’s TIE Squadron, Pounce One.  However, rather than let the bridge officer do it, he scooped up a headset and opted to speak to the man himself.

“Pounce One, this is the Surprise!  Copy!”

“Copy, Surprise,” Came a deep male voice in reply, though the rustic edge to it instantly made Zail think of someone from the fringe worlds.

“You have been ordered to engage in the pursuit of the Umbral Blade,” Said Zail firmly.  “Why have you and your flight not done so?”

“With all due respect, sir,” Came the indignant reply, “I have directed all save four of my remaining fighters to join the pursuit.  The loss of my Flight will not affect the operation.”

Serpent raised his eyebrows at the audacity of the reply. “That is not your call to make, Wing Commander!” He snapped.  “You have been directed by Captain Trykon to...”

He began the tirade, but did not get a chance to finish it.  “Your Captain, Surprise, not ours!”  Interjected Pounce One.  “Captain Jan’tera was our CO, and she died with the Success, in case you didn’t notice!  Now before our carrier blew, some people made it to the escape pods, and we are going to save those escapees which you seem to be ignoring!”

Pherik was slightly stunned by the rebuke, but recovered quickly.  “The pods can wait!” He snapped.  “And you can’t rescue anyone in TIE Interceptors!  Now get back to the chase!”

“They can’t wait!” Replied the TIE pilot desperately.  “They are of sufficient mass to trigger the still-active asteroid defence systems!  If those pods drift into range of any of those hidden weapons arrays they will be sitting ducks, and I will not allow fellow men and women of the VE Navy to die like that!

Zail suddenly understood the cause of the man’s defiance, and that it wasn’t defiance at all.  It was loyalty.  Loyalty to his dead Captain and destroyed carrier, and loyalty to his last few surviving shipmates.  Serpent could not fault the man or the three TIE pilots following him for their courage or dedication, but this was not the time for it.

“I get where you are coming from,” Said Serpent after a few moments.  “But we need every TIE we have to complete this mission.  And if the Umbral Blade gets away, a lot of Vast Imperials, Navy, Army, even civilians, are going to die.  I know you are loyal to your people, I respect that, but I am asking you, in the name of the uniform you wear, to put the mission first.”

Several of the Surprise’s bridge officers were staring at Zail, listening to his earnest plea for help.  He did not know if they respected his words or detested his weakness.  Some Imperial officers would have ranted and raved, threatened Pounce One and his Flight into obedience.  But that was not who Serpent was.

There was silence on the com line.  “I hear you, but I owe it to Captain Jan’tera to save her people...”

“She died for this mission,” Said Pherik firmly, hearing the waver in the other’s voice.  “She and so many others have already suffered and perished to stop this monster of the New Republic.  Please, one Navy man to another, do not let their deaths be in vain.”

Silence.

For a long moment, silence.

And then Captain Trykon, still staring at the tactical hologram, spoke.  “Pounce One is coming around,” He said.  “And the rest of his Flight are following.”

Zail nodded.  “Thank you,” He said into the headset, and then cut the transmission.

When the XO handed the headset back to Evir Norith, he found the Com Officer staring at him with a different look in his eyes.  Was it respect?  Perhaps, thought Zail.

Serpent returned to the Captain’s side.

“Eloquently done,” Said Trykon.

“Thank you, sir,” Said Pherik.  “Now, let’s find and destroy a Star Destroyer...”

OOC:
1072 words.  I have already experimented with defiance among the crew in earlier posts in this story, and thought that, with this one, I would try another variation on that.  I think it worked well!

After Action Report:  The Surprise presses all its TIEs to search for the cloaked Umbral Blade, but some of the TIE Interceptors from the destroyed Success are not cooperating.  They are trying to rescue survivors of their lost carrier, but Zail persuades them not to endanger the sacrifices made by the dead, and to continue with the mission.
FO/MCPO Pherik “Serpent” Zail / ISD II Halcyon Warrior/TF: Besh/1Flt/FC/VEN/VE
[SoA][MC2][LoM][NAR][E][HNS][SWC][CBV][VC:B][=^Eng^=]
Trykon
ComNet Veteran
 
Trykon
 
[VE-DJO] Journeyman
[VE-NAVY] Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)
 
Post Number:  1351
Total Posts:  3784
Joined:  Feb 2011
Status:  Offline
  RE: Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back
February 26, 2012 3:43:59 PM    View the profile of Trykon 
The Battle of Brinlik ended abruptly, and comparatively quietly.

The Surprise was still firing blindly in all directions, vainly trying to find the cloaked Umbral Blade, when she received two transmissions.  The first was a data stream from the New Republic base built into the asteroid near where the Vast Imperials had entered the system: it was a long sequence of numbers, which a bright communications mate on the bridge recognized as simplified course data; the second signal came from ahead of the ship, where Demetrius "Hades" Aita and Kathryn "Ryn" Kerdi were following a trail of debris back to the wounded, hiding enemy Star Destroyer.  Armed with these two sources of information, Surprise suddenly knew precisely where the Umbral Blade was.

The ship's cloak was nearly perfect: even knowing their target's exact position, the Surprise's sensors technicians couldn't actually find the Umbral Blade with any of their instruments, and the Vast Imperial gunners were forced to abandon traditional visual targeting, instead aiming their weapons using mathematical formulas.  But the math did not lie like their eyes did, and the volley of turbolaser fire did not care at all how good the Umbral Blade's cloaking device was.  Bolts of coherent light lanced out and disappeared into the cloaked ship, one after another after another, until eventually the Star Destroyer could take no more.  A small fireball erupted, seemingly out of nowhere, and then the ship rematerialized beneath that conflagration.  Then, with a minimum of spectacle, it broke apart, fracturing across the entire length of its superstructure and splitting into ragged chunks of still-burning durasteel.  There was no dramatic final explosion; the Umbral Blade died with as much subtlety as her designers had hoped she would fight.

Almost immediately, Wyl Trykon began giving orders to his exhausted crew.  Vast Imperial personnel were scattered throughout the system, aboard the research station and drifting in escape pods, all of whom needed extraction before the New Republic reinforcements - which were no doubt on their way to Brinlik - arrived in-system.  Still, as he watched his acting Executive Officer organize a hasty rescue-and-retreat operation, the Kuati-born ship captain couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh of relief.  We did it, he thought to himself.  We struck back at the New Republic.  Trykon thought about all the enemy shipping Surprise and her sister ships had destroyed over the past months, and he thought about the wreck of the Umbral Blade still smoldering ahead, and he thought about the rebel researchers on the base behind, who had been surrendering - loudly and continuously - since the Blade was found and killed... and he smiled.  Now, let's see what the Naval High Command does to build on this momentum, Trykon thought.  It's time the Vast Empire went on the offensive.

OOC:
463 words.  That's all, folks.

AAR: With the Umbral Blade's position marked (both by the trail of debris Hades/Ryn followed and by the course information provided by Jack), it's an easy matter for Surprise's gunners to train their weapons on the fleeing, hidden ship.  After several seconds of concentrated volley fire, the New Republic Star Destroyer is destroyed, and rescue operations begin.  The Surprise has successfully struck back at the New Republic, and put an end to their secret cloaking program.
Imperial Network Star Wars Image

SCAP/2LT Wyl Trykon/SMC Surprise/TF:B/1Flt/FC/VEN/VE
CNT/2LT Wyl "Trick" Trykon/PLF Cappadocious/VENA/VEN/VE

[SoA][SoV][BWC][NSM][E][NAR][HNS][DSM][SWC][1NS][VC:B][LoM]/(=*AE*=)(=*SAE*=)(=*TG*=)(=*SCFE*=)

TRN/JRN Trykon/DJO/VEDJ
ComNet > Imperial Navy > Archived Naval Story Board > Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back  |  New Posts    
  Pages:  [ 1 2 3 ]   

All times are CST. The time now is 3:39:49 PM
Comnet Jump:

Current Online Members - 0  |  Guests - 148  |  Bots - 2
 
< Contact Us - The Vast Empire >
 
Powered by ComNet Version 7.2
Copyright © 1998-2024 The Imperial Network
 
This page was generated in 0.889 seconds.