Con-Red: Recourse (23 page)

The rest of the missiles pushed on without opposition and closed the distance to
their targets in seconds.  Each one curved its flight path to match the ever changing positions of the enemy fighters as they maneuvered to avoid them. There was no chance of outrunning the missiles, but the more advanced UPF ships did have other counter-measures in the form of EWS.  The electronic warfare suites were designed to confuse sensors, such as those equipping most missile systems.  When pitted against older weapons like those carried by the Legion fighters, they were very effective defensive systems.  This was evidenced quickly when most of the projectiles pursuing the enemy fighters started to veer off course once they got too close to their prey.  Even so four of them punched through the UPF jamming to detonate beside their targets.  Two of the missiles exploded beside two enemy fighters, damaging a Dragonfire and Pegasus UCV each, while the other pair converged on a single Pegasus.  One slammed into the drone’s shield and allowed the second to punch straight through the craft’s hull to explode inside it, shattering parts of the craft in all directions.

With the loss of only one fighter out of the entire engagement it should have been termed a win for the Federation, but the destruction of the enemy squadron was never the goal of the operation. 
The intension of the missile launch was to distract and scatter the
Cambridge
fighter group and in that aspect the plan had worked perfectly.  As the corvette’s fighter screen dissolved Lark Squadron accelerated through the newly created gap to close on the
Cambridge.
  None of the Legion fighters carried any sort of heavy anti-ship weapons, since they had not anticipated the need for them, and as such had no chance of causing the Federation vessel any serious harm.  What they did carry, however, was a pair of SW-115 ‘Weaver’ missiles each. 

The entire compliment of these Weavers, twenty missiles in total, dropped down from each Kaji fighter’s underside and streaked away towards the
Cambridge
at tremendous speeds.  It was also at that very moment that the enemy ship opened up with a full broadside barrage against the whole array of Legion targets, including not only the incoming missiles and fighters, but also the
Marauder
as the larger ship gained speed and closed on the corvette.  The display of weapons discharge filled the surrounding space with a myriad of various colors.  There were the red hues from the scattered laser burst emplacements, along with the various shades of blue from the particle beams and plasma bolts.  It was the true duality of combat, being both deadly and at the same time beautiful.

Damian sat on the edge of his seat within the
Marauder’s
bridge and watched the entire display of force unfold.  The darkened room bathed in a crimson hue now flashed in an occasional sky blue color each time the incoming fire impacted against the forward defense shield.  The forward display showed Lark squadron’s missiles racing towards the enemy vessel on a straight-line course.  At just over twenty kilometers from the
Cambridge
the missiles spread out and began to change course in erratic corkscrew like maneuvers just as small puffs of explosions began to fill the spaces they had just voided.  The course changes were in response to being targeted by the corvette’s ship defense systems, most notably plasma flak bursts and defensive missiles. 

Weaver missiles were advanced projectiles designed to avoid enemy d
efensive fire, which they did through ever changing course patterns.  This made them extremely difficult targets even for automated targeting systems.  They were also laser guided weapons systems, meaning that enemy jamming had no effect on their performance.  However, the downside of such a guidance system was that at least some of the parent fighter craft had to stay within the vicinity to keep a constant laser beam on the targeted vessel.  As such, a number of Lark squadron fighters had to stay close to the
Cambridge
and in range of its armament.  One of these guidance craft disintegrated as a well place plasma bolt slammed into its side while it was trying to evade a pair of incoming missiles.  Another Kaji was damaged by particle cannon fire from a returning Dragonfire, but remained on station long enough for it and the three other Kaji fighters to guide the Weavers to their intended target.

The seventeen surviving missiles punched through the defensive screen and attacked FNV
Cambridge
from multiple sides.  Just before they reached the corvette’s shield perimeter their nose cones detached and a series of micro-rockets fired out.  These rockets spread out in front of the carrier missile and pulled out a large glowing net.  Within milliseconds the rockets hit the ship’s shields and vaporized, but the net, carried by sheer momentum, slide right through the defensive shields.  Seventeen of these web-like nets descended on the
Cambridge
and enveloped a vast majority of the enemy vessel, instantly clinging to its hull.  This fusion of hull and web unleashed a stored charge that coursed through the entire ship, disrupting all internal command systems, including weapons, engines, and even shields.

Damian witnessed the effect with his own naked eyes as the
Marauder
now closed to within visual distance of the Federation corvette.  The vessel was still far away, but he could see volume of outbound fire die down and become more sporadic as the targeting systems shut down and various weapons went off line.  At the same time the zoomed in view of the ship allowed him to see the internal lights dim through various viewports along entire side.  It was a display he would have celebrated if not for the fact that the
Cambridge
would soon overcome these effects.  Damian knew that the Weaver missiles had never been designed to disable hardened naval military ships, like the Griffin class or larger.  While they were incredibly effect against lighter class ships and transports, as well as certain older naval vessels, their effects against most other combat ships were at best temporary.

The fact that the Griffin class of corvettes had been built with a new composite type hull and superstructure did not help matters either. 
This nonmetallic material was specifically designed to be a horrible conductor of electric charges and was therefore more resistant to such weapons.  Because of that there was little time to waste in initiating the next part of the operation.

“Enemy shields beginning to waver,” reported the sensor station.

“Very well, recall all fighters and fire the Thrasher,” Damian instructed and shifted back into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

At that command a pair of armored blastdoors slid aside along the underside of the
Marauder’s
forward section.  Once they locked open a massive cannon assembly protracted from its internal storage compartment.  The visible portion of the large Continuous Particle Beam Generator consisted of a rear portion housing the capacitor banks with two long barrels extending from it.  From the exact second that the CPBG fully descended the system rotated towards the
Cambridge
, which tried to maneuver under limited power.  Both of the barrels began to spin faster and faster as the targeting system locked on. 

Finally, without warning,
lights throughout the cruiser dimmed and a grand steel gray beam discharged from the weapon and sped towards the other ship at tremendous speed.  Unlike other particle beams this one did not stop firing, instead a continuous beam to particles slammed into the
Cambridge’s
rear along the ventral port side of the vessel.  Designed to hammer its way through even heavy shields, it took but a few seconds for the powerful beam to slice through the Griffin’s already fluctuating shield and impact against the hull underneath.

Damian watched
in almost slow motion as a series of ripples spread out from the strike point of the composite armored hull as it absorbed the kinetic force of the beam.  It was actually surprised how long the corvette’s hull held out against the combined punishment of physical and energy forces, a true testament to its design, but even so the armor gave way within seconds of the initial impact.  Weakened by the intense heat generated by the beam, fractures formed along the armor from the beam’s focus point and began to quickly radiate in all directions.  Entire sections of hull plating boiled away and exploded out from the bombardment, allowing the particle beam to pierce through this protective barrier and enter the vessel’s portside engine bay that lay beneath.

For a deceptively long second it seemed that nothing happened, but then suddenly a beam of gray light erupted from the ship’s top side.  The beam was followed quickly by an explosion that shattered the surrounding plating, sending large fragments of armor in all direction.  At that same moment the particle beam shut down and jets of orange-red fire spewed through the two new opening within the vessel’s hull.  These fires slowly dissipated as all the oxygen within the engineering bay became consumed and
seconds later Damian watched as the two left most engines of the
Cambridge
sputtered before dying in the coldness of space. 

The entire bridge burst into exultation as the successful firing of the CPBG and the damage it had caused.  To Damian it was really the surgical strike that had been the most importantly factor.  The beam had been
like a surgeon’s skillful scalpel, only destroying its intended target and leaving everything else intact.  He smiled to himself and leaned towards the front of the bridge as he watched the damaged corvette grow in size through the viewport.  With the ship’s propulsion heavily damaged the vessel would not have the ability of match the
Marauder’s
speed, allowing the larger cruiser to slide underneath and past the smaller corvette on an intercept course with the four freighters beyond.

“
Initiate the final phase, Commander,” Damian ordered as the
Cambridge
began to diminish behind them.

“Right away sir,”
Srita responded and paused for a moment to study her display, “we have enemy fighters inbound, Captain.”

Damian was not surprised at the news since the enemy captain still had a range of options at his or her disposal.  One of those was the remaining fighters at now turned back to try and engage his shuttles as they began to detach from their individual transports.  The second was witnessed seconds later when he commanded the forward display to show an image from the
Marauder’s
rear.  It was instantly visible that the
Cambridge
was damaged, but not out of the fight.  The ship began to turn slowly in order to point its narrow bow at the Legion cruiser’s rear and slowly picked up speed in pursuit, while still venting streams of dark fumes from the damaged rear section.

“Increase shields aft and direct Captain Ziana to have her remaining fighters cover the shuttles,” Captain Deisthauf commanded as he looked over at
Srita, already fully aware that almost half of Lark Squadron had already landed within the hanger.

The order was carried out just as a large blast struck the rear of the ship and sent a tremor throughout the vessel.  This heavy particle beam strike was followed by a series of other smaller hits indicating that the corvette’s weapon systems had recovered from their incapacitation by the Weaver nets.  An increasing number of hits against the rear shields began
to register on board the bridge as the Federation vessel tried its best to stop the
Marauder
from escaping.

On another front the two opposing fighter groups fought their battle as well.  One group trying to complete its objective of destroying or disabling as many shuttles as possible, while the second tried its best to prevent that from happening.  A fury of energy fire exchanged between the two as the Legion fighters slid in behind their counterparts and let loose with their particle cannons. 
The Federation Dragonfire fighters responded with defensive fire from their rear facing plasma cannons.  Most of the Legion shots glanced off the Federation Naval craft heavy shields, but a few got through to damage some of the Pegasi and Dragonfires.  Another AF-103, one that was already damaged in the previous scrimmage, detonated from a few well-placed shots by one of the Kaji fighters and exploded in a brilliant flash.  The fighter pilot survived the ordeal, however, saved by the Dragonfire’s pilot assist system, which automatically ejected the entire cockpit section from the fighter as soon as it detected the first signs of critical failure.

The remaining assault fighters were undeterred and continued with their assigned mission.  Once in range of the fleeing shuttle craft they each fired off a volley of missiles and broke off to engage Captain Ziana and her fighters.  There was no way that the heavy and slow shuttles would outrun or out
maneuver the inbound missiles so they launched a pair of decoy drones each.  These decoys accelerated away from each shuttle and began broadcasting an intense sensor signal, mimicking each shuttle, but being much more powerful.  This signal presented a much more tempting target to a large number of the incoming missiles and caused them to turn away from their true prey. 

Even so half a dozen missiles continued to follow their original targets, not being drawn away like their brethren.  These remaining projectiles closed to within seconds of four of the six shuttles at great speeds.  The Vulture shuttles
only saving grace was that they had finally closed to within the
Marauder’s
engagement zone, allowing the larger vessel to launch its own defensive barrage.  Plasma bolts flew past each of the shuttles and detonated behind them in rapidly expanding bluish flashes.  A few of these bursts triggered larger secondary explosions as they made contact with some of the incoming missiles.  Another series of fireballs followed the first as a number of Inflight Missile Interceptors slammed into their intended targets.