Orginazed Crime: Chapter 11, Fight of the Phoenix.

[Mauser Kar98K]

The Titan rocked from the direct hit of a hornet missile, throwing Shern to the deck. Senior Chief Gibbs helped her up from the surprising hard hit.
“You alright Ma, am?”
“Yes Gibbs, lets get back to our chairs.” She recommended. “Report!”
“Damage is still low. Only shields were weakened a bit,” came one of the deck hands.
“Rodger, how many TSs are left?”
“We are counting four left. Novacats are doing their jobs,” came another crewmember.
“They get anywhere near us, give them what for!”
“Yes Ma, am. Gunnery crews are aware of that.”
“What is total count of Pirate craft?” Asked Chief Gibbs as he strapped into the left seat.
“Over 200 Senior Chief! Orinoco class M3’s just dropped in. They are well armed with hornets and Ion Disruptors!”
“Along with HEPTs,” Shern whispered. “What is the count coming through the Jump Gate?”
“Sporadic. Looks like the stragglers are coming in for the fight.”
“Good for us Commander!”
Shern just nodded. Her face glowed orange when a Mandalay exploded right over the bridge followed by two Discoveries that made the kill. “Tell the gun crews to keep nailing the TSs and M3s.”
“Rodger that!” Said Gibbs.
The view outside the glass was like a fireworks show. Exploding flashes of light dotting the back drop of space. “Looks like we are holding our own Chief.”
“For how long is a good question in my mind.”
“We can only hope that the Pirates turn tale and run. They are loosing 7 to 1 from all accounts of the combat screens.”
“Ma, am! All TSs are whipped out from the area, Their M3s are still being pursued by our Avengers!” Came the ships radar man.
“Very well! Looks like our new Novas are doing very well Chief.”
Gibbs just nodded in absolute agreement. His arms were crossed over his uniform and safety belts as looking like he could be enjoying a quite evening reading old Earth literature. He had snagged a copy of the Iliad while on Argon Prime before getting assigned to Shern. After she told him about doing an assignment with Berdan, he could only think of him as the Cyclopes that Homer had described in his epic story. But from all accounts that Shern has said about Berdan, he is only ruthless in his jokes.
“Ma,am, it’s the Interpid,” came Novak.
“Put him through.” Shern sat up in her seat. “Is the Argon One coming yet?”
“Not for awhile I am afraid. Before they made the jump the Xenon made a small surprise visit in Argon Prime. Duty calls as they say.” Reported Kit.
“Do you think there is any connection…” A flash of from an exploding Discovery interrupted Shern, the bridge lighting up for an instant, “…with that from what is going on here?”
“I don’t know Commander! But for now, lets think about them Pi-RATS first then about connections. It could just be bad timing.”
Shern looked at the radarscope monitor above her head, “Nothing has come through the gate, could this be the last of them?”
“I doubt that, they wouldn’t send or keep the rest to be slaughtered by the likes of us. To me this is well organized which means that it is well thought out, and they won’t sacrifice needed pilots. They should know about us by now in Kingdom’s End. Just remember they have…”
“…Phoenix just dropped into the sector Ma, am!”
“Took the words out of my mouth. Shern, you know what to do!”
Shern swallowed hard, “I do? That thing out guns me…”
“…But it has less shield strength. You and the Eclipse can handle it together, along with fighter support…”
“They are kinda stretched right now.”
“You will be fine Shern. Just fly that thing like a fighter.”
By now all turrets were engaging the cruiser with all turrets that are in view of the massive green ship. “If one of us drops below thirty percent, I want your eyed ass over here.”
“Rodger that, we are moving a little closer now.”
“Good and what about the Armada, can he come and play now?”
“No, I want that last gate covered. Banner Just made the Jump into Cloudbase and he has the rear as far as I am concerned. Shern.” Berdan paused to get her attention, “You can do this.”
The bridge was now starting to shake and glow from the photon hits of the Phoenix. She could see that the front, and right turrets were solidly aimed at here. “Rodger that Kit! Shern out!”
She clicked off the comm and started issuing the much-needed orders.
“Helm, point the nose to that son of a bitch and give me throttle! Radio; patch me to the Eclipse pronto! Chief how is our turrets doing.”
“Seventy-five percent and following on front and right side. Top turret is down to sixty.”
The Revenge shook a little harder as the boost was applied while leveling towards the Phoenix. “Helm back of the boost, let here get up to speed by her own power.”
“Aye Ma, am!”
“Radar here, the Cruiser is power up its engines, speed is thirty.”
Shern leaned over the comm-unit on here chair, “Eclipse you copy?”
“This is Eclpise, go ahead Commander.”
“Take your ship and stare down the side of that thing, full-power. I want you to pass this thing from the top. Banker if you have too to get more fire on it. If you really have to roll it.”
“I just might have to do that,” came the Commander Davis-Shin.
“Rodger, Shern out!”
“ Three Klicks and closing Commander!”
“Helm, fly below it and be ready with the roll,” Shern look towards Chief, “tell the gunners to be ready to get a chance at it.”
“I’m on it!” Chief unbuckled his straps and went to the weapons consol behind the Captain’s chair and started relaying to the turret operators.
“Comm, put me through to Novacat One!”
“Ma, am, shields down to eighty-five.”
“I can see that! Just post me on that cruiser’s shields!”
“Aye…”
“Corps here, what can I do for you Commander?”
“How busy are you Corps?”
“Not as much as you…”
“…I was hoping for that. What is your missile status?”
“I have eight silkworms and five hornets in the bay. The rest of my squad is pretty much the same!”
“Great, we are going to divert the attention of the turrets to us, when we do fire all that you spare. As low as we can drop the shields, the hull is a piece of cake.”
“Rodger, on the way! Corps out!”
“Two Kilcks ma, am!”
“Rodger…”
“Enemy’s Shields are down to Seventy-six percent!”
“Chief, turret status?” Inquired Shern.
“Front is down to Twenty-two, right side is the same. Top turret is at ten, but our left side just started opening up.”
“Rodger! Helm, be ready to roll. Bank us clock-wise!”
“Rodger that!”
“One Klick!”
“No kidding, why don’t you look out the window and wave to them.” Retorted Shern.
Shern never did realize how big the Phoenixes were. They were close enough that the green lights from the ship were flooding the bridge along with the blue from its photon cannons. But then the green became more pronounced as the bottom turret of the Cruiser fired its gamma HEPTs.
“Helm, roll this hunk of junk.”
The Revenge slowly rolled its lumber some self. The bottom turret operator had the auto-target activated and as soon as the female computer voice spoke, the trigger was down. The blue photons light the bottom side the Phoenix with every hit. The gunner followed the movement of the ship until no other piece of the ship was visible.
With a break to recharge, the right-side gunner opened up again, hitting the starboard pod of the cruiser. The gunner could see the photon balls from the bottom gunner still be fired until its visual had vanished. As the shipped continued its roll, the top turret began having its fill. Shooting the side of the cruiser as the Revenge flew past. The rear turret fired its Shockwave emitter until the range was to far.
The Eclipse fired everything it had while doing the same maneuver. But the most of the turrets of the cruiser had fixated on it than the Revenge.
“Commander, my shields are down to thirty! I need to break off and recharge!”
“Evasive maneuvers. Start dodging the shoots, but stay in range to knock down the shields. If this thing goes into the middle of the sector, the stations are sunk.”
“Shern clicked off the comm. She just hung up on Shin, but protocol was out the cargo bay in her mind.
“Shields!”
“Forty pecent…”
“Not us theirs!” Shern referring to the Phoenix.
“Twenty-five and falling!”
“Helm, move us to broad sides with a little frontal attack.”
“Aye Ma, am!”
Chief marched back to his chair and again, strapped himself in. “That wasn’t so bad Ma, am!”
Shern just smirked at him. Her arms were now crossed with her fingernails looking like pongee sticks from her arms. The bridge was still blue with yellow flashes. She wished she was back in fighter.

[KiwiNZ]

Nice battle! It certainly is not an easy task to take down a Phoenix, unless you are a Khaak M2 Also interesting bit with the Xenon attack!

Looking forward to seeing how that continues!