Log:Array Consortium: Assault on Complex Seven, Part III

Assault on Complex Seven, Part III

Location: Jaynat, Sarkhai
Participants: Naldana Bienaenn, Sion, Kryll, Tamrae

The Atrax Guard has brought heavy reinforcement to the fleet orbiting Jaynat, and the invasion of the planet begins. While the warships in orbit hammer the shielded, enemy-held mining complexes with turbolasers and missiles, allied fighter groups pound those locations without them. One of these is dispatched from the Serious Business, whose entire fighter complement is being used in the surface assault, with orders to destroy the outbuildings and generators of Complex Seven, along with its defense towers.

As of two hours ago, the war in the Sarkhaian system went up to its eleventh notch.

Arriving in Jaynat orbit, a flotilla of ships bearing the colors of the Atrax Guard came to reinforce the fleet of which the Business was the secondary pinion; three assault frigates, several Nebulon-Bs, and a number of other warships have appeared around the planet, settling into position with their corvette escorts and tender ships. At its head is the Bel'talan, with Battle-Leader Shiran'la again in command - with a new arm, it is said, and a burning hatred now kindled against the corporatist mercenaries that took the old one. An hour later, and the invasion of the Jaynati city-complexes still in Kespanian control is underway.

For the first time since the Cathexis was torn out of orbit, the Serious Business fires its guns; its batteries join those of the other craft as turbolasers lay swaths of fire against surface shields finally risen over the enemy domes, and fighter wings are dispatched to the surface to help breach the shields that are already weakening against the sudden and most unexpected assault. Mass bombardment, be it from a Star Destroyer or a collection of warships, is a terrifying thing. Lighting up the sky across half the planet with ribbons of Cherenkov radiation like the Northern Lights transplanted and enhanced, the time is now.

One of those wings belongs to the Business - no, /all/ of the wings of the Business are deployed within an hour, Kill-packs sent to deal with speeders and to hint anti-starfighter defenses while a heavy wing made up of the faction's three Vendettas, its Hurricanes, E-wing and X-wing. Adhar again leads the assault in the leader, with Sion flying the second and Tamrae in the copilot's seat, and the gnarly Dug pilot Freekin flying the next. Two v-formations, the Hurricanes fly with the E-wing and David's X-wing, protecting the bombers as they descend upon their target: Complex Seven, the very complex which Consortium agents had been working to help take from within.

<< All fighters, call out status. >> Descending through the atmosphere, Adhar's Vendetta Leader winds between flashes of lightning kicked up by the turbolaser assault - though Complex Seven has no shielding, the atmosphere is an angry soup of electrified clouds even this far from the major bombardments. << I want clean boards for all ships. >>

<Naldana reporting in, eyes on the target boss man.> His voice is filled with joy, and then his fingers tracing over the console of the E-Wing, with a wicked chuckle.<Like this toy, seems like it will see some action tonight.> With that he is adjusting the seat to fit his large frame, as he leans froward his finger moving quickly, and then his eyes narrow with that large snout sniffing into the air, it is battle time.

<Vendetta Two, standing by. All systems go,> Sion coms from the second of the heavies. <I'm picking up a lot of atmo turbulence. It shouldn't bother us much, but the lighter ships might have some trouble.> The Vendetta's mighty ion drives can pierce nearly any atmospheric difficulty short of a hurricane, despite its less than lightning speed. <Just keep your eyes on the altimeters. Visibility near the target looks spotty.>

She looks back into what would be the gunner's seat, were anyone manning the cannons there. "Ready for this, Tam?"

Tamrae is not a fighter! Well, she's not flying. Just crew. ANd possible engineering. And sitting in the turret for the Vendetta, which she only JUST got fixed. And is nervous as hell, her lower hands kneading at her own thighs absently, her slightly sweaty upper hands on the controls for the guns. "So, um, they're all comign this way?"

David is leaning in his seat. More accurately, he's pressed into it by g-forces. Such is life when you're flying alongside Hurricanes. His X-Wing does a good job of staying with the interceptors though, which is a testament to the advanced nature of the group of fighters. <<Bravado 1, reporting in. All things fine and dandy here.>> So far. The pilot keeps his attention focused between the viewports and the scanner on his dashboard.

The pilots of the Hurricanes report in their own green status, and Adhar grunts assent. << Right, >> he says, << I'm relaying your target coordinates now. The target is Complex Seven, along the southern hemisphere. Without shields, we are to destroy the outermost domes and gun towers, where the major generators and a majority of Kespanian troops are located. By now, they will be scrambling thanks to a well-armed internal rebellion suddenly rising in their midst. Vendetta Wing, you will engage the domes piped to your tactical computers...now; be wary of the tower guns, they're going to be strong. Bravado Wing, you will destroy as many of the towers ahead of us on the approach. Guns only on this run, folks - the civilians are in the main dome, but secondaries might tear them up. Acknowledge orders now. >>

In the distance, hundreds of miles away yet, the complex is a nest of lights housed within a crater. If all is going well, sirens will have flooded the halls of its connected domes...as well as gunfire.

<Got it boss man.> Naldana clicks on the power to the guns, and then his hand is on the stick as he guns it forward, staying on target, not trying to show off yet.<Stay frosty, and stay safe gang. We got this.> The large wolf know to the others as Naldana, is ready for action with a wolf like howl into his helmet, it is off to the races.

Vendetta Three checks in a little late, some banging heard over the comms. "This is *smack* Vendetta Three. <scree> *whack* Checking in, board green. You guys copy me ok? Had some comm issues but looks good now." he enables guns only, keeping the safety on everything else. "Vendetta Three copies, guns only." Freekin sticks in formation with the others in the wing, holding his position tight and on approach.

<Outer domes and gun towers... acknowledged, Lead,> Sion calls. <Good thing we're flying these monsters. They won't know what hit 'em!>

Vendetta Two descends into the lightning-laced maelstrom that used to be cold, calm skies over the planet. <Getting dusty down here. Those turbolasers are kicking up a lot of surface soil.>

She glances back at Tam. "Let's hope not. We don't have many fighters. With luck, the enemy's fighters are all trying to strike back at the capships."

"R-right, I'll just...shoot at them then?" Tam says, gulping a bit as she brings up the turret gun, then tries to pick out one of the oncoming targets and highlight it with the targeting reticle, getting ready to fire!

<<Copy that, towers are the primary target. Are we worrying about hostile air support?>> David confirms and questions in one transmission. He takes this time between the Consortium flight and their targets to breathe deeply, to steady himself. It's about to get a lot less relaxing, after all, from both sides. David reaches for a lever, pulling it to release the s-foils into their attack position. It's pretty much a routine move, so he doesn't report it as he would a year or two before.

Vendetta Three checks in a little late, some banging heard over the comms. <<This is *smack* Vendetta Three. <scree> *whack* Checking in, board green. You guys copy me ok? Had some comm issues but looks good now.>> he enables guns only, keeping the safety on everything else. <<Vendetta Three copies, guns only, towers Priority.>> Freekin sticks in formation with the others in the wing, holding his position tight and on approach.

<< Roger that. Bravado, range ahead and hit those gun towers. Vendettas, use the range on the heavy guns to your advantage. Three, two, one...mark. >> As the light-filled basket becomes a crater filled with seven domes, four around three in a center cluster, the six white permacite towers that stand about the crater rim flare with brilliant red light as their quad-guns spew death toward the assembly. << Bravado, go, >> Adhar bellows over the comms, pulling back to two-thirds throttle and taking control of his fighter's guns. << Vendetta, take a dome and open fire. Let's try and bring them down on the first pass! >>

There is a moment, as his fingers over the trigger, waiting for the perfect shoot and then he fires right at dome two, with his eyes are locked down on the sight, and then he is zooming ahead trying to pass it again for the next shoot, Naldana is in his element.

<Here we go!> Sion calls, taking Vendetta Two into a dive on the target dome, the ship spearing through the dusty, stormy air. Heavy lasers roar as she swoops overhead, lancing into the rooftop. "Good luck, Tam! Sensors are active!"

David grows quiet, as he usually does, when the shooting starts from his side. Instead of speaking, he lowers his craft on approach to the nearest tower. It's currently not pointed at him, and if it was he'd just fly -lower-. As it stands, David is out of danger entirely, and just unloads a volley of laser fire into the tower's base. Soon enough, explosions run up towards the business ends and as David pulls the X-Wing away, the tower explodes.

Freekin rolls in on his approach, firing his guns first which go wide, "Son of a, what is wrong with this now! I had a solid lock!" then his gunner fires and scores hits along the tower, and he breaks off high and away, <<Light damage hit, target still standing>>

Tamrae swivels her turret around, sending a blast of fire into the nearest quad-turret tower as they roars past, trying to slice into the systems behind the swivelling turret-o-laser-death currently sending shot after shot shooting into the air. "I really hate this!" Tamrae squeaks a bit!

The Consortium fighters come in low and spew death, answered by the quad guns on the complex's defensive towers. Quad laser cannons that were not there six months ago spew death right back, storms of red light that miss their marks even as the strike group meets theirs. Most of the outer domes bear terrible wounds at the first pass, flames and smoke billowing from rents in their armored surfaces, and fully half of the defense towers have fallen. << Come around and finish them, >> Adhar commands, even as he banks his long-winged fighter about for the kill. << Let's make this quick. >>Ùªr

There is a moment, when is coming back that he is swining too wide, but that is quickly fixed after dodging a few shoot of laser, and then he is aiming pulling the trigger this time, the hit is dead on with a whoop into the mic.<Got em, I think we got this so far. Anyone get hit yet?>

<One more pass...> Sion grits out over the com, wrestling the heavy fighter into a power climb, making a tight hairpin turn at the top, then bringing it down again in a screaming dive. Lasers spew crimson annihilation at the top of Dome 3 once again before Vendetta Two pulls out of the dive. <Vendetta Two is clear!>

"I hit it! I hit it!" Tamrae crows as the bolts from her turret punch into the tower as Vendetta 2 starts to rise again. Yeeeeeah. Tamrae not so good on that whole military use of comms thing right now.

Barely a thought is given to the civilians inside the dome, apart from the 'guns only' directive. Still, David dodges laser fire from towers all over the place, even if they're very much dropping in numbers as the Array Consortium fighters make quick work of them. Again squeezing the trigger he's holding between his knees, another tower drops off the playing field. <<Everyone still in one piece?>> he asks quickly.

Freekin flips the fighter up over the top of the engagement spehere and comes back down on a run on top of the dome, he and his gunner both fire and miss wide, hitting the dirt in the clear. He breaks away, taking a different escape vector than the last. <<Vendetta three, no joy. Coming around for another pass.>>

The next pass sees the storm of laser fire much abated; one tower remains, and the outer domes are damaged if not collapsed , with half their number in ruins. << Excellent shooting, >> Adhar calls over comms. << Now let' come about one more time and -- >> The comms crackle for a moment as the last tower fires a full burst into the back of Adhar's ship, collapsing the shields and scorching the hull, but he continues on regardless as one of the interceptors blast the turret from its perch. << Shavit. I'm all right - all ships, collapse those domes and let's get out of here. >> He starts the action by drilling a burst of laser fire through one of the intact domes, shredding durasteel and plascrete and lighting the complex with the resulting fireball.

Naldana is quiet as the grave, as he spins around now and then he fires at the dome with a wicked little snarl of pleasure, and then he is passing over the ship, trying to double check as the dome is falls down, with a little smile on his face, waiting for the next order.

<Vendetta Two, taking Dome 4,> Sion coms, making a wide circle to throw off the ack-ack guns stitching the sky with red. Between the burning domes and the cannonfire, it's like a very violent fireworks show down there.

And she dives once again, letting the cannons voice their displeasure at the whole affair one last time. "You're up, Tam!" she shouts, unable to tell if she'd taken the dome down or not.

There's lots of colorful explosions from the domes! I mean, Sion seems to have blown it up. But why not MAKE SURE, Tam figures! So she sends a few bolts into the churning mass of rising dust and flames as the dome collapses behind them. "Nope, you got it!"

David is just turning towards the last of the domes when it disappears behind a whole bunch of fire and dust. He grins slightly, then pulls up, in agreement with The Boss' call to get out of here. <<See, no big deal.>> he comms. <<Now those others know why they hired us. Bravado wing, let's form up and head out.>> he instructs, being the leader and all.

Freekin is about to come about for another pass, but the call goes out that all targets are down and their work is done, and so he pulls up and breaks for atmo. <<Vendetta three copies, up and out.>>

And with that, the task force rises toward the lightning-shot skies once more. Fast work, but terrible in its result: with the outer domes collapsed, the lights of the complex die immediately, leaving now only the flames and the pale glow of scattered emergency lighting to fend off the dark. Now, certainly, will the corridors blaze and run with the blood of the invaders and defenders alike.