The first pass from the TIE Raptors, some three hundred in all and each carrying a full load of missiles, had torn the prow of the enemy fleet apart. Despite the losses incurred in that assault; nearly a wing of TIEs shot down and half as many again destroyed when the Super Star Destroyer exploded, the enemy fleet had come out the worse for wear.
And with their forward shielding largely collapsed from the missile salvo, the explosive shockwave hit them as hard as it did the assault group. Entire sections of the targeted Star Destroyers were going dead, some having been torn by missile fire, others feeling the effects of explosive decompression as their hulls were breached. Fires burned in some parts of those ships, fed by the last remains of oxygen that had once given breath to the Jutraalian crewmen.
Entire weapons batteries were going down, circuits cut off from their command centres, or their crews killed, or their power generators having been struck and shut down. The Star Destroyers were deadly machines, but they had been designed to go head to head with enemy capital ships, not to combat swarms of small ships. But Gash Jiren was compitent enough; his escapade with the lone Carrack cruiser had proven that, and even as the assault group had made their clean sweep four of their number had been lost to the enemy firepower.
But the remainder had made it behind the enemy line, and the enemy craft had been holding their positions since the eruption of the Super Star Destroyer. Each one had its aft end pointed at the Imperial fleet. And, as luck would have it, Imperator Star Destroyers were vastly undergunned in their backsides.
With the remaining Raptors having set up into a claw-shaped formation, a three dimensional outline of a bowl, perhaps, the entire small group swung back around, leaving their burning companions where they were, and flashed forward towards the enemy sterns.
Again the dark sky was lit by the flashing of red and blue missile trails, and again the enemy Star Destroyers shuddered violently as the missile strikes hammered against their aft shields. A single missile salvo could bring down a target-ship's shields. En mass this way, fired as they were from a dozen slightly different distances and angles at the same time, they were death.
The first hundred or so from each group slammed into the shields, bringing the invisible energy shields down around the opposing ships. The second hundred, though...
The Jutraalians made an effort, of course. Turbolaser fire was already lancing out, and some of the warheads exploded before they could even reach the enemy craft. But there to many... far to many. Warheads erupted against hull plating across the enemy sterns, slamming into armour plating that covered delicate equipment housing and into the rear 'neck' of the command superstructure on both Star Destroyers.
Those ships were slow enough when faced with their smaller enemies; without their engines they would suffer all the moreso.
The TIEs had broken off after releasing their missiles, doubling back and now coming alongside the Gunships and Battle Cruisers that were hammering away at the sterns of the enemy craft. Most of the enemy turbolasers were silent; and having been foolish enough to fire having been hit in return by a salvo from one of the smaller ships.
Now turbolaser blasts were lancing up into the engine compartments, ripping past coolant lines and emergency shutdowns. A pair of the Sith Battle Cruisers were draining energy into the thick armour that would lead to the ship's main reactor.
And every ship was arming their missile tubes for yet another deadly salvo...
"Response from the Jutraalians, Admiral." A voice called out. Bhindi nodded, and suddenly the voice of Gash Jiren was filtering through the bridge speakers.
"...No, Admiral Drayson, the Ossan Parliament and Jutraalian Empire will not be cowed by your threats or placed into a position of responsibility for the deaths you may cause -- nor will I leave the people of Tholatin up to your oppression and brutality. What would my surrender accomplish, but to place you into a position where you may slaughter the people of this world as unflinchingly as you currently threaten to, but without the deterrent of our presence? You should know, Admiral, that my crew is recording this, and that a log of this battle will be distributed to every news organization in the galaxy willing to take it, win or lose. So, no, Miss Drayson; I reply to you, the fate of the people of Tholatin is in your hands. The galaxy is watching; what will it be...?"
Bhindi smiled gravely.
"Tell Devestator, Steel Rain."
"No response to the Jutraalians, Ma'am?" She shook her head.
"This is our response." Outside the viewport the other Star Destroyer began to fire. In the Tholatin capital, it would rain. Green bursts of turbolaser fire lanced down from the sky and erupted, boiling duracreet and destroying entire city blocks as the massive ship continued to fire. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.
"That was your doing, Jiren. Your continued presence here forfeits their lives. Shut down your weapons and engines now, and those who survived will be spared. Refuse..."
The channel closed, and Bhindi settled back into her chair.
By any means neccessary...
<hr>
Damages: TJE
ISD True Empire, forward shields down to 55%, weapons down to 80%, engines down to 25%.
ISD Dark Flame, forward shields down to 50%, weapons down to 84%, engines down to 30%.
Damages: HDE
SSD Imperium Destroyed
2 Gunships crippled and out of fight
2 Sith Battle Cruisers crippled and out of fight
100 TIE Raptors destroyed
And with their forward shielding largely collapsed from the missile salvo, the explosive shockwave hit them as hard as it did the assault group. Entire sections of the targeted Star Destroyers were going dead, some having been torn by missile fire, others feeling the effects of explosive decompression as their hulls were breached. Fires burned in some parts of those ships, fed by the last remains of oxygen that had once given breath to the Jutraalian crewmen.
Entire weapons batteries were going down, circuits cut off from their command centres, or their crews killed, or their power generators having been struck and shut down. The Star Destroyers were deadly machines, but they had been designed to go head to head with enemy capital ships, not to combat swarms of small ships. But Gash Jiren was compitent enough; his escapade with the lone Carrack cruiser had proven that, and even as the assault group had made their clean sweep four of their number had been lost to the enemy firepower.
But the remainder had made it behind the enemy line, and the enemy craft had been holding their positions since the eruption of the Super Star Destroyer. Each one had its aft end pointed at the Imperial fleet. And, as luck would have it, Imperator Star Destroyers were vastly undergunned in their backsides.
With the remaining Raptors having set up into a claw-shaped formation, a three dimensional outline of a bowl, perhaps, the entire small group swung back around, leaving their burning companions where they were, and flashed forward towards the enemy sterns.
Again the dark sky was lit by the flashing of red and blue missile trails, and again the enemy Star Destroyers shuddered violently as the missile strikes hammered against their aft shields. A single missile salvo could bring down a target-ship's shields. En mass this way, fired as they were from a dozen slightly different distances and angles at the same time, they were death.
The first hundred or so from each group slammed into the shields, bringing the invisible energy shields down around the opposing ships. The second hundred, though...
The Jutraalians made an effort, of course. Turbolaser fire was already lancing out, and some of the warheads exploded before they could even reach the enemy craft. But there to many... far to many. Warheads erupted against hull plating across the enemy sterns, slamming into armour plating that covered delicate equipment housing and into the rear 'neck' of the command superstructure on both Star Destroyers.
Those ships were slow enough when faced with their smaller enemies; without their engines they would suffer all the moreso.
The TIEs had broken off after releasing their missiles, doubling back and now coming alongside the Gunships and Battle Cruisers that were hammering away at the sterns of the enemy craft. Most of the enemy turbolasers were silent; and having been foolish enough to fire having been hit in return by a salvo from one of the smaller ships.
Now turbolaser blasts were lancing up into the engine compartments, ripping past coolant lines and emergency shutdowns. A pair of the Sith Battle Cruisers were draining energy into the thick armour that would lead to the ship's main reactor.
And every ship was arming their missile tubes for yet another deadly salvo...
* * *
"Response from the Jutraalians, Admiral." A voice called out. Bhindi nodded, and suddenly the voice of Gash Jiren was filtering through the bridge speakers.
"...No, Admiral Drayson, the Ossan Parliament and Jutraalian Empire will not be cowed by your threats or placed into a position of responsibility for the deaths you may cause -- nor will I leave the people of Tholatin up to your oppression and brutality. What would my surrender accomplish, but to place you into a position where you may slaughter the people of this world as unflinchingly as you currently threaten to, but without the deterrent of our presence? You should know, Admiral, that my crew is recording this, and that a log of this battle will be distributed to every news organization in the galaxy willing to take it, win or lose. So, no, Miss Drayson; I reply to you, the fate of the people of Tholatin is in your hands. The galaxy is watching; what will it be...?"
Bhindi smiled gravely.
"Tell Devestator, Steel Rain."
"No response to the Jutraalians, Ma'am?" She shook her head.
"This is our response." Outside the viewport the other Star Destroyer began to fire. In the Tholatin capital, it would rain. Green bursts of turbolaser fire lanced down from the sky and erupted, boiling duracreet and destroying entire city blocks as the massive ship continued to fire. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.
"That was your doing, Jiren. Your continued presence here forfeits their lives. Shut down your weapons and engines now, and those who survived will be spared. Refuse..."
The channel closed, and Bhindi settled back into her chair.
By any means neccessary...
<hr>
Damages: TJE
ISD True Empire, forward shields down to 55%, weapons down to 80%, engines down to 25%.
ISD Dark Flame, forward shields down to 50%, weapons down to 84%, engines down to 30%.
Damages: HDE
SSD Imperium Destroyed
2 Gunships crippled and out of fight
2 Sith Battle Cruisers crippled and out of fight
100 TIE Raptors destroyed