* Date: January 23, 2183
* Time: 1:35 AM
* Location: UGS New Jersey Bridge
On the terminals of the Fleet Admiral Sasha Zveroboy, she watched as Battlegroup Yorktown engaged with the Kaynian flotilla. Thus far, the engagement has proceeded as any regular ship-to-ship combat with the Kaynians. Already, the battlegroup lost seventeen ships, one heavy cruiser, three light cruisers, five destroyers, and eight corvettes. A price to pay to protect Earth and her people.
[Fleet Admiral, I am receiving an encrypted message from Yorktown.]
''Very well, let's hear what Gaft has to say.''
Tempest, the A.I. executive officer, read the message and found only two words. It's time.
[Ma'am, Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft says it's time.]
''Good, bring the fleet to condition one. I want every hell cannon, torpedo, drone craft, and anti-ship laser pointed at the remaining Kaynian ships...''
''...It's about time we give them a piece of their own medicine.''
[Understood, orders sent.]
Each vessel in the fleet initiated the activation sequence for their main engines and readied their weaponry following the command issued by the Fleet Admiral. The UGS New Jersey took the lead and came out of the asteroid field. The massive five-point-five-kilometer-long supercarrier was a sore thumb among the ships present in the Second Fleet. It was one of the few ships that could destroy Kaynian Galleons in a single shot. As the fleet emerged from their hiding place, the Kaynians didn't notice them. They were so busy bringing their wrath on Yorktown that they neglected their scanning capabilities to bring down the battlegroup. Suffice it to say. The Kaynians would see the error of their ways because the entire Second Fleet was about to engage them from behind. Thousands of drone crafts would form up as they exited their respective ship, and New Jersey alone would launch two thousand drones.
''Tempest, fleet status?''
[Battlegroup Lexington reporting...]
[...Battlegroup Bunker Hill reporting...]
[...Battlegroups have reported, Fleet Admiral, awaiting your command to engage.]
Each vessel pointed its respective hell cannons at the occupied Kaynian ships and the thousands of drone craft moving in to engage the Kaynians after the fleet struck first. The supercarrier was flanked by the battle carriers Lexington and Bunker Hill. The battle carriers would be able to one-shot any Kaynian ship present on the flotilla ahead of them, but New Jersey had a trick on her sleeves.
'Alright, this is it.'
Sasha thought as she held tightly on a picture of her and her father standing side by side during her promotion to Vice Admiral ten years ago. Taking a deep breath, she would utter the words that would bring doom to the Kaynians.
''All ships, this is Fleet Admiral Sasha Zveroboy...''
''...Weapons free, engage the Kaynian flotilla!''
The high-energy laser cannons of every carrier, cruiser, destroyer, and corvette then lighted up. They were sending an instantaneous beam of energy at the occupied Kaynian flotilla. Since they were within the three hundred thousand kilometer range of the hell cannons, the Kaynian didn't even get to respond as their shields broke before the attack of the Second Fleet penetrated their hulls.
[Battlegroup Lexington and Bunker Hill have collectively destroyed eighteen Kaynian ships.]
''Well, let's not give them all the fun. Hell cannon charge?''
[One hundred percent.]
''Prioritize the unshielded ships, and use scattershot.''
[Of course, admiral, switching fire mode.]
A loud hum echoed throughout the bow of the supercarrier as it prepared to fire its potent super-type hell cannons. The Iowa class stood out as the largest ship in the A.F.E.'s arsenal and, in its arsenal, were two super-type hell cannons capable of activating a supercarrier-only mode of fire known as scattershot. This firing mode disperses multiple laser beams toward enemy ships, albeit at the expense of reducing the power of each beam. Luckily for this engagement, twenty Kaynian ships had their shields obliterated during the detonation of the nuclear mines that were the first to be destroyed. New Jersey would line up and fire its first hell cannon. Twenty laser beams for twenty unshielded Kaynian ships. The assault successfully destroyed a significant portion of the alien vessels in a single attack. It wasn't long until the remaining Kaynian ships took notice of the Second Fleet and boosted their energy shields.
[Twenty Kaynian vessels were successfully taken out by the first hell cannon strike.]
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
''That's good. How many are left?''
[Twenty-seven ships.]
''Their status?''
[They have halted their attack on Vice Admiral Gaft's battlegroup and have boosted their defenses.]
''That's new from them. Either way, we'll finish this on our terms. What's the status of our drones and torpedos?''
[They've reached the Kaynian flotilla.]
As noted by Tempest, the executive officer, thousands of drone crafts and torpedoes successfully reached their targets. Immediately, the drone crafts unleashed their payloads of missiles and torpedos, impacting the boosted shields of the Kaynian frigates and corvettes. While unable to breach or obliterate, the sheer quantity of missiles or torpedoes launched by the drones would weaken the energy shields of the Kaynian ships. Following the drone crafts' assault, the torpedos fired by the fleet impacted the damaged shields of the Kaynian vessels, causing some to lose their shielding. Massive nuclear explosions peppered nine Kaynian vessels, drowning them in fire.
Those that survived had their shielding go critical and their hulls damaged from the torpedos. Seeing how their attempt at defending themselves was fruitless, the Kaynians would respond in kind and return fire. Two light cruisers, three destroyers, and ten corvettes were destroyed, but despite the deaths of sailors, pilots, officers, and captains. They were about to be avenged as the anti-ship lasers initiated a relentless barrage on the enemy flotilla. The amount of laser fire headed toward the Kaynians was so much that it didn't matter whether or not they had energy shields. Combined with the recharged hell cannons of the Second Fleet, the flotilla didn't stand a chance as they were butchered.
[Fleet Admiral, you have an incoming call from Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft.]
''Very well, put him on my terminals.''
[Understood.]
It didn't take long for a connection to be established between New Jersey and Yorktown. Meeting face-to-face via holographic call, the two admirals would converse with one another.
''Fleet Admiral, this is Vice Admiral Gaft.''
''I hear you loud and clear, Vice Admiral.''
''Thank god you came to our rescue just in time. My battlegroup took a beating from the Kaynians, a baptism through fire.''
''Don't worry, Gaft. Once we finish this, we'll get your battlegroup a fix for the upcoming battle after this.''
''Appreciated it, Fleet Admiral.''
''You're welcome...''
''...Well, we still got battle to win. Ensure your battlegroup stays out of this.''
''Of course, I'll have my battlegroup stay out of the battle...''
''...Vice Admiral Abraham Gaft, out.''
Ending the call, the Fleet Admiral swiftly accessed her terminals to assess the current state of the battle. Looking at the ships destroyed on their end, she cursed silently, knowing that each loss would mean Eden's defenses would be lessened.
"Tempest, it's time to finish this. Prepare another scattershot on hell cannon two."
[Very well, switching fire mode on hell cannon two...]
[...Ready to fire on your command, Fleet Admiral.]
''Fire!''
[Acknowledged.]
The remaining eighteen ships were in a state of being bombarded by the Second Fleet and its thousands of drone crafts. Six Kaynian ships already had their shields cracked, while the remaining twelve had theirs on critical. At that precise moment, the second hell cannon of New Jersey discharged twenty laser beams toward the six unshielded and twelve shielded Kaynian ships.
''Report!''
[Six Kaynian ships were knocked out, and twelve had their shields cracked by New Jersey's scattershot.]
''Good...''
''...Inform Battlegroup Lexington and Bunker Hill to converge on the remaining unshielded ships and finish them off.''
[Orders away.]
Immediately, the two battlegroups started to converge on the alien ships as they fired their hell cannons and anti-ship lasers at them. Sasha observed as she witnessed the final remnants of the Kaynian flotilla being dismantled before her eyes. Typically, encounters with the Kaynians in space resulted in inevitable defeat, even when they were on the defensive, leveraging their home-field advantage, but here it was different. The Second Fleet formulated a plan that exploited the Kaynians' superiority over them. It didn't take long until the last Kaynian vessel was gutted to pieces by an overwhelming amount of laser fire before being destroyed by a hell cannon strike. A massive explosion was seen as the alien ship was vaporized by the amount of damage it took. Gazing across her bridge, the officers anxiously awaited her words, which would confirm their first triumph over the enemy. This was the first time she had ever led her fleet against a superior force in open combat. Her loyal crew relied on her judgment and authority, which were now imperative for the situation.
[Fleet Admiral, the last Kaynian ship, has been destroyed.]
''Right. Give me comms across the entire fleet.''
[Right away.]
Responded the A.I. executive officer as he established a connection with the comms across the surviving A.F.E. vessels.
''Second Fleet, this is Fleet Admiral Sasha Zveroboy...''
''...We have officially won the battle!''
Saying those words out loud, the entirety of the personnel on board each vessel burst into cheers and joy as they won their first engagement with the enemy. They had never imagined they would live to witness the conclusion of this conflict. Nonetheless, achieving the impossible marked a memorable moment in their ongoing conflict with the Kaynians.
''Tempest, send out rescue teams on the search for any A.F.E. personnel that survive on those ships that got destroyed.''
[Of course, I already have them on the way.]
''Good, because we bought ourselves one thing we need the most. Time...''
''...After a thorough search for any survivors. Have the fleet ready their real space drives for our return to Eden.''
[Understood, Fleet Admiral.]
* Date: January 23, 2183
* Time: 1:45 AM
* Location: UGS Howling Knight
Seeing the battle unfold between the Kaynian flotilla and the Second Fleet. Sword and Shield had stayed at the sidelines as the rest of the fleet had their first-ever victory since the reclamation of Mars back in 2173. By and large, the Ghosts felt a sense of pride, having just accomplished something that significantly contributed to the Navy's success. Albeit small, it did make a difference in the end, and that's all that matters.
''Holy shit! We won!''
''Indeed, Nomad.''
The two rivals exclaimed as they listened to the Fleet Admiral's proclamation of victory over the Kaynians. West, on his part, had remained stoic, and it wasn't easy. The Navy did lose several ships and thousands of sailors. Ships could be replaced easily, but trained individuals that operated those ships? Not so much.
''Merci.''
[Yes?]
''How many ships did we lose in total?''
The commander inquired as his partner began to meticulously check through every ship in the fleet, ensuring that all losses were accounted for. It took several seconds before the A.I. returned with an answer.
[We have lost one heavy cruiser, five light cruisers, eight destroyers, and eighteen corvettes. In total, we lost about thirty ships.]
''I see...''
''...Any word from the Fleet Admiral?''
[The admiral issued an order to search for any survivors if there were any. Besides that, she ordered to have our real space drives ready for our return to Eden.]
''Very well, have our drive ready.''
Nodding at her partner, Merci immediately went to work. This left West and his subordinates to be left by themselves without orders other than preparing to go back to Eden. They have outdone themselves this time if they hadn't proceeded with their plan. Then, the causalities of the Second Fleet would be catastrophic.
''Ey, West. What's our orders?''
"We'll wait until the search and rescue operations are completed, then we'll head back to Eden."
''Why aren't we helping?''
"I doubt our ship could accommodate several additional personnel on board. Remember, Howling Knight is a stealth ship."
West responded, gaining an oh from Nomad. Looking at his terminal, he saw several corvettes and destroyers sweeping through the derelict ships present in the area. But as time passed, there were no survivors found, just the bodies of the occupants of those ships that perished. After nearly several minutes, the search was called off by the Fleet Admiral.
[Commander, FTL drive at the ready. Also, we just received a new set of orders from the Fleet Admiral.]
''What is it?''
[All ships engage real space drive.]
"Hmm, I guess the search and rescue didn't locate any survivors?"
[Indeed, all personnel on board those ships that were obliterated by the Kaynians are all dead.]
If there was one thing West hated, it was their enemy's capability of leaving no survivors behind. However, recognizing it was beyond his control, he reluctantly accepted the situation and pressed forward.
''Alright, let's get out of here.''
[Understood, commander...]
[...In three...]
[...Two, one...]
[...Initiating!]
To Be Continued.