Back in Hel‘am, on the bridge of the star destroyer, the captain stands, awaiting the signal from the shuttle. Minute by minute passes, reinforcing his belief that the boarding party has not been successful. Then, even from kilometers away, the captain sees something moving on the hull of The Reliant.
“Sensors! Get a reading on the unidentified ship.”
“Enemy is charging weapons! Shields and engines are back online! Hatches are opening… Reading over 200 new weapons contacts!”
The captain slams his hands into the table, his face growing redder by the second, his face contorting into a visage of hatred.
“Launch all TIE fighters! I want every gun on that ship! Face to port!”
“Fire on my command!”
In the recesses of the Shadow Hawk’s hull, the heavy turbolasers mounted on the top of the hull rotate to face The Reliant, scanners analyzing potential weaknesses in the enemy’s hull and shields. Each turbolaser holds 8 heavy laser cannons, with each shot being able to crater a small village. Secondary concussion missile launchers ready several dozen shield crackers, and secondary laser turrets swivel to face, readying repeaters to lay down hell. Anti-fighter and point-defense weapons track the surrounding area, ready to blow enemy fighters and missiles out of the sky. The ship moves and works as one, comms links and computer connections stringing the Shadow Hawk together. Weapons teams run supplies through the corridors, and fighter pilots hurry to the hanger, with technicians running final checks on TIE fighters. Stormtroopers take positions at key areas, and begin running patrols through the countless corridors. The crew is ready.
In The Reliant, chainguns, counter-missiles, lasers, and light railguns run their final automated checks, before reporting their readiness to the central command system. Cruise missile crews load the first volley into gigantic launchers, while fabrication bays create more for the second volley. Heavy autocannons traverse, pointing their barrels at the specific locations highlighted by the combat sensor arrays. The crew manning HA-53S-21 have managed to convince the battery leader to write “quotes” on each barrel. The triple barrel autocannon reads: “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” The central railgun mounted on the x-axis of the Reliant draws power from the secondary reactor. A 3-meter long shell is held in place in the central firing chamber by field generators. Down in the hangers dotting the sides of The Reliant, fighter crew jump into the various craft, checking weapons, and preparing for launch. The primary fire control system reports to the captain that all weapons are ready for combat. Back in the fighter bay, fighter craft are ready for combat, lighter interceptors sitting on mag-rails, ready to race out of the hull, and into the glorious expanse of space. All crew report maximum readiness.
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TIE fighters race out of the Shadow Hawk’s bottom hanger bay, raring to try and score the first kill. TIE Bombers make up the second wave, maneuvering to achieve maximum damage in their bombing runs. Anti-fighter weapons instantly achieve locks on the oddly shaped craft. Alerts ring in every pilot’s cockpit. TIE fighters continuously fly out of the hangar, leaving only a few reserve squadrons. A third wave of boarding craft is ready to bring the fight even closer.
Heavy gunships lumber out of the Reliant’s hangars, weapons tracking the innumerable amount of TIE fighters. Boarding shuttles are prepped, and combat drone launchers ready a swarm of gun drones.
A last minute burst of information bounces from the Shadow Hawk to the Reliant.
“I give you one last chance to surrender.”
Moments pass before a message is relayed back, on the same channel.
“I will do no such thing.”
“Then you will DIE.”
The channel is cut, but not before the Reliant’s captain sees Gaius Quinn, for a flittering moment before the screen fades to static.