Damn thought Ion Why don't they attack?

"Sir, this is as close as we can get without entering the debris field. The enemy is continuing to put space between us and them."

"Our fire is still ineffective, sir. We've got a 5% hit ratio going on."

Ion sighed, this wasn't working. "Cease fire. We'll wait them out."

"Why do they run, sir?" croaked his lieutenant "Their orbit is bringing them perilously close to the planet, and their class doesn't look very able for atmospheric flight."

"I guess they're hoping they can outmaneauver us. Get away with their cargo and never face us in battle." It was then that Ion got another idea. "Wait, you see how the debris retains our energy? When they do that, they heat right up and glow like light... Follow them into the field!"

This startled the crew. "Sir, follow them? Into the debris field?"

"If it's not killing them, it won't kill us. Follow them into the field, use our tractor beams to push as much of the junk as we can in front of us - between us and our target."

Confused, the men followed out his orders.

"Double check that our pilots and shuttles are ready to launch - tell them we've got a fool-proof plan this time. Tell the soldiers onboard to prepare to recieve orders, and have the pilots read my encrypted message with their orders in it.

"Go after them, and have our guns fire - I want it to be practically impossible to see the space between us for the exploding and glowing of these rocks."

"...Begin rotating our vector and have us come about."

The Judicator was turning around to face the enemy, it's guns primed and it's shields charged.

The sight that met the Captain's eyes was a lightshow of rather large magnitude as debris either exploded or was absorbed into some of the debris causing them to glow rather brightly.

With no sensors, targeting or conventional, at their disposal, the gunner stations on the Judicator would have to simply eyeball it.

Such maneuver played on the firing orders to be carried out at the last possible moment to ensure maximum yield effectiveness.



But the light show before him hid the enemy ship from view.


A truly brilliant ploy that Tyscio Zier had to admire.


And while the enemy ship could not be seen, it's general relative position could be guestimated with some semblance of accuracy.

The problem was that the area was still too great to simply lay down blanket firing.

"Maximum thrust!" he shouted suddenly as if he smelled blood.


The mighty powerplants of the Judicator began to increase their output propelling the mighty ship through the debris field like butter.

"If they followed us, they should be positioned behind us. It's time we met them and cracked their shell!" Zier admonished to his crew and to Herridian at seeing his white faced fear.

"I want us to burst through this light show to surprise our enemy. We may be blinded to their location but by the same move, they'd be blinded to ours.

So hopefully we'll pass close enough across their bow to rip into them!"

Ion smiled. The plan was a risky one, but it was now or never.

"All right, have the pilots and shuttles enact their sealed orders. The ship is to go into full reverse, but keep up the barrage - The asteroids we're blowing up will continue to be closer and closer to the enemy, making it look like we're advancing, since they won't be able to see us. Open the hangar, lower shields, launc the fighters and shuttles - have them raise sheilds and prime their weaponry - then once they're out close the hangar and raise shield again.

"The pilots and shuttle pilots have their own orders. All we need to do is to keep up this blinding ball of light, and draw them to us."

The ship complied with his orders, and as it did so, the fighters and shuttles launched - this time, hitting no shield or closed door. The pilots had been pissed, but they weren't about to mutiny now - not with the survival of the whole crew in question.

Keeping low, to remain out of the way of their own fire and to dodge the debris, Gold squadron and the remains of Red squadron flew tightly around a flight of Assault shuttles. Red Squadron were the remaining six Kris fighters, but Gold Squadron...

...Gold Squardon were twelve Mechanoid Space Superiority suits. Piloted by a unit aboard the 003 through simulation, the suits were humanoid in nature and were a towering twenty feet tall Armed with a missile launching hook-up on one arm, and a laser cannon on the other, they were meant for space combat and built to face enemies in an unexpected way. Each mounted an ion-engine 'backpack' capable of propelling them through space, as well as point maneauvers.

The squadrons under the ball of light, and found that the enemy captial ship was heading towards them - it intended to pass through the continous explosion of debris towards the 003. Yet, for some reason, it had not given it's fighter support orders to attack 003, meaning they were still hanging back.

"All right, keep it tight and keep it careful. We have one objective - open up the hangar bay for our shuttles. All forces, open fire!"

The enemy had noted the irratic positioning of the Judicator's fighters and their lack of coordination but did not yet realize what their observation meant.


Tyscio Zier cursed the fact that he could not coordinate his fighters more effectively but there was nothing he could do about it. It would have been glorious to have the interceptor squadron strike the enemy from behind in a "hammer and anvil" manevuer but it stood to reason that if the metallic debris field could channel electrical fields and totally blind a ship's sensors and scanners, they would make short work of communications.

Static hummed as the Comm officers tried to get signals to their fighters but it was a lost cause. There would be no hammer and anvil. The price for some manuevers was that you could not carry out others.

The only thing that showed wide along his field of vision on the bridge was the nebular explosions as his enemy ignited the stored energies of the debris.

The closer the Judicator came, the bumpier the ride would be.



But if they were blind to the enemy, then the enemy was also blind to them. Actually, given that the enemy was firing, the Judicator had a better idea of where their enemy was. Or would have once they punctured the exploding field.


So intent were they on the explosions that they never noticed the enemy fighters under the explosions amid the debris nor their assault shuttles.


It was an interesting situation.

The Judicator was heading straight for the large exploding debris cloud while the enemy ISD began to reverse their course at a slower pace. The enemy ISD did not know the Judicator was heading straight towards them and the Judicator did not know that enemy was reversing it's course. Both did not know each other's relative position though the Judicator had a better idea due to the enemy's firing.

And then there were the enemy shuttles and remaining fighters. They found, visually, the Judicator was heading straight for their command ship but were unable to warn them due to the interference of the debris field and explosions.

Given their close proximity to each other, some of their communications could get through to each other but even then, fighters took their cue from their flight leaders.

The fighters, unable to warn their command ship decided to open fire thus revealing their positions.



Tyscio shook his head in slight admiration as the six Kris fighters opened fire. The ventral shields flared a little at the assault but what Tyscio noted was that there looked to be shuttle craft around the assaulting fighters.


"Do they mean to board us?" he asked to his Exec and the other shrugged.

"No time to think about it.." was all the Exec said as Tyscio drew his attention from the attacking fighter to the massive energy laden debris field, pieces of collected energy exploding due to the oncoming fire from the enemy.


Tyscio never saw the floating pieces of metal that was left behind by the Kris fighters and the shuttles. These pieces of metal were the remains of Gold Squadron. Twelve Mechanoid Space Superiority suits. Piloted by a unit aboard the 003 through simulation, the suits were humanoid in nature and were a towering twenty feet tall Armed with a missile launching hook-up on one arm, and a laser cannon on the other, they were meant for space combat and built to face enemies in an unexpected way. Each mounted an ion-engine 'backpack' capable of propelling them through space, as well as point maneauvers.


The problem was not construction nor their designed purpose. It was the way they were operated: Piloted by a unit aboard the 003 through simulation.

If sensors and scanners didn't work in the debris field, how the crew of the enemy ISD thought they'd control space suits by remote would have been beyond Tyscio's thinking had he known of their presence.

As such, upon launching, the command ship could not lock onto the space suits and establish a steady signal stream for the continuous control they required for operation. As such, the suits tumbled into the debris some striking debris and others simply floating away.




The Judicator entered the exploding debris cloud.


"Weapons ready! Gunners, prepare to mark targets on those bastards! We do not have targeting sensors so make your best guess!" Tyscio shouted among the shaking and clatter increased.


"Hang on!"


They were inside..

The sensor officer squinted. "Sir, it... it looks like... it looks like they're inside the ball of explosions!"

Ion grinned. I have you now!

"Reverse speed, all ahead full! Angle the ship down below them! Keep firing, but only so long as we have a clear shot at the area just in front of them - for Gods's sake, don't shoot directly under them! That's where our own ships will be! And while we're at it, someone go reactivate the fighter missiles - good thing we took those out - and stick them in the airlocks for later."

As the 003 changed directions and barrled ahead, the signal strength to Gold Squadron strengthened. Suddenly coming online - appearing as if out of the blue - The twelve suits engaged their Ion packs, that brought them both closer to their target and their control ships. Guns blazing, the twelve of them tore into the underbelly shields of the Judicator.

The Kris fighters began hanging back to make sure the shuttles were kept out of danger, as the twelve suits continued their savage attack. The shields began to flicker and shimmer, as the damage began to show.

The Enemy ship began to move forward shooting into the cloud that hid the Judicator from view. And while the ship closed, signal strength went up and engaged the mechanized suits.

They went forward into the cloud to tear into the underbelly. They got one salvo off when the signal died as they crossed into the cloud to strike at their Caprician enemies.

The Judicator shook at the strike. "We can't see them sir! They are too fast."

"We're a much bigger target than they are so they can fire blindly and still hit." grumbled Tyscio Zier. "Target the balls of collected energy under us. Blow them to hell!"

Beams lanced forth creating a chain reaction underneath the Judicator scattering the tumbling mechanized suits into oblivion. Being inside the cloud, there was no controlling them for evasives.

The squadron was wiped out but the ventral shields of the Judicator also took a savage blow.

Coming out of the cloud many sections of the ventral shielding were simply dead, their generators burnt out.

The enemy ship was ahead but on a vector that would take them down along a lower plane. They could not see the underside of the other ship but had a good view of their upperside.

With guns cycled and charged, Zier relished his next command. "Fire!"

All forward batteries on the upper and lower decks let loose their pent up fury.

It had cost them dearly, but there was finally a chance. As 003 took a beating, and Ion struggled to remain on his feet, he gave out as concise orders as possible. "We've got a clear shot! Draw their fire away from the shuttles and fighters by keeping your fire focussed on their nose! As for the shuttles, get them in there already!"


The remaining Kris fighters fell back to the 003, trying to stay out of danger in case they were needed to chase off enemy fighters. The shuttles, however, had other plans. Passing through a hole in the ventral shields, they maneauvered right into the hangar bay itself, passing the thin field that kept the air from pouring into space, and coming crashing down into the hangar bay.

Confused crew turned to look at the shuttles - were they returning Capricians? No.

Knight Yakabe was the first to leap from a shuttle in all his Azguardian Glory, decked out in a vaccum-sealed battle armour suit complete with rifle and sword. Out of each followed scores of Coalition soldiers, pouring out of the shuttles like a tide.

"Charge!"

The battle had begun.

*

Major Kitticha was organizing the Hanger Deck detail as technicians ran across to the damaged shield generators that were blown.

He picked up his comm to check with the status as they were vunerable when shuttles began to enter the large Hanger opening.

Confusion swept the Hanger Crew and the Major wondered briefly if their ground pounders returned. Ensign Lively trotted over, a grin on his face as the shuttles were landing in a rabble fashion causing the Major's mind to scream in alarm.

Something was not right!

Then an amoured alien stepped out armed with a blaster and sword. He raised his hand and opened his mouth shouting something that the Major could not hear through the helmet of the alien.

It was not hard to figure out what it shouted as scores of soldiers also began to run in their clunky vacuum-tight armour.

Ensign Lively turned his back to the Major to look at the commotion when his head was blown off.

The act prompted the Major to yell into his comm and the blastdoors began to close.

He looked around frantically but the Hanger Crew were only lightly armed. It would take minutes for the ship's reserve troops to mass enough to stop this invasion of their ship.

Fortunately, Tech Sergeant was on the ball. They had opened a panel to get to the shield generator below when the alien surge began. Taking his wrench, he interrupted the power flow for the gravity plating for the deck.

Suddenly, the space in the Hanger became crowded as Hanger crewman, equipment, shuttles, ship parts and armoured aliens began to float.

The Hanger was a mess as crewman and alien alike were being hit by debris, shuttle while trying to shoot or hack each other to bits.

The charge had been blunted for now.

Yakabe cursed as his men began to float in confusion around the hangar bay - besides him and the two other knights present, these soldiers had very little training in conditions like zero-G. He knew, however, that staying here was a death-sentence, as once the enemy reinforcments arrived it would be shooting fish in a barrel.

"Everyone" he said, over the boarding-forces channel "push off of something towards the blast door next to the open panel - the one sparking - and if possible be ready for gravity's return at any moment."

Satisfied that at least the Coalition forces would have something to do to keep them from panicking, Yakabe pushed off his own shuttle towards the door. A sergant stood ready to resist, but the full hurled force of an armoured Azguard in zero-g is quite a thing, and he was knocked clean off his feet - an effective way to transfer the energy of the push to someone else, bringing Yakabe to a stop as his opponant drifted away.

Elsewhere in the hangar, Knights Ulric and Gurda stationed themselves on a shuttle each, using it's bulk to get some stability and absorb the recoil from their rifles - which were occupied in picking off the few armed crewmen they could see. Although everyone was floating in confusion, it was still technically a battle, and although the crew and the soldiers were struggling in this environment simply to move, nevermind shoot, the Knights at least knew enough to find a stable object and prop up to it. Though several others were trying to fire, at this time only they had enough stability to hit.

Yakabe held tightly on to the edge of the open panel, and saw the spanner stuck in the energy current. "Everyone, ten seconds until gravity's return - make sure you're close to the ground with, and this is key, nothing floating over you! If anyone needs more time send a message."

He began counting under his breath, hoping dearly no drifting crewman would get ahold of a blaster and find something big enough to absorb the recoil so they could shoot him. "Ten!" He shouted, and immeadietly at least five men shouted "Wait!"

"Oh, for the love of -" Yakabe began to say, but a shot suddenly earthed itself too close to his head for comfort. The Sergant was trying to get back. "Hurry it up there, guys." he muttered.

"Clear" said one, as he touched down on the ground. The sergant drifted against a bulkhead.

"Clear" said another, as she grabbed on to a jutting part of the lower wall. The sergant had managed to find his pistol in zero-g.

"Clear""Clear" two more landed roughly near the door, where the majority currently clung. The sergant steadied himself to fire.

"Clear" said the last one, as he rolled out from under where the shuttle would land. Yakabe didn't have time to think as he yanked up the wrench which gut-wrenchingly restored gravity - sending him, the sergant, the crew, the shuttles, the troops, and all the stuff clattering to the ground in a sound akin to a bridge collapsing.

Luckily for Yakabe, for him it was a short fall. He stood up, raised a pistol, and reduced the Sargent's hand to a blackend nub - leaving him to scream in pain on his own.

All around, his men groaned as they lay scattered around the door. "On your feet!" he shouted, as the sudden clatter of approaching enemy boots could be heard. "The enemy is coming! I want a door breach this instant! There'll be plenty of time to lie around when you're dead, which might be much sooner then you wanted if you all don't get to your feet and set up a door breach, pronto!."

In space, the battle still raged, but it was a different kind of rage. The six Kris fighters had returned to stay close to the underbelly of 003, where they would stay and watch for enemy fighters. Even the suits, who once again awoke as the 003 moved closer and the enemy moved away, began to make their way towards the safety of 003 to fight a defensive action.

Ion, on the command bridge, paced anxiously. "This part of the battle is key to our entire plan. Keep the enemy distracted, keep their attention split, but by gods don't get our own men killed. Bring us up alongside the enemy ship, and prepare to harry them with broadsides. Any and all auxillery power should be directed to the shields, and I want the whole crew on alert for possible combat-damage scenarious - none-essential crew away from the ship's 'surface areas', and so forth. If the enemy fighters attack, have our forces engage them only as long as they stay within our own gun's range."

The 003 moved to comply, striking an upward path that brought it alongside the enemy's ship - albeit facing opposite directions. Punishing salvos went to and fro between the two ships, but damage wasn't their main purpose - distraction was, keeping the ship's attention and manpower split.

Zier was wild with excitement as the enemy destroyer before them moved into a parallel course to exchange broadsides.


"Loss of gravity in the hanger area!" a report shouted.


"Leave it! Our fighters are out anyway!" Zier shouted in response, his eyes narrowed on the approaching ship which was expending it's energy firing onto the more stronger portions of the ship.

"They're ignoring the shattered shielding on the ventral side!" Herridian noticed as the damage reports scrolled across the TAC display.

"STARBOARD THRUSTERS FIRE!!! Z PLUS 10 METES!!" Zier shouted as the distance monitor ejected it's data to his delight.

Before an actual broadside manevuer could be joined, the Judicator rose slightly and slid it's bow to the starboard enough for the underside of the Caprician warship to strike the upperside of alien warship.

The impact wrenched people from their rooted positions on the floor scattering their bodies here and there. Some died, some were injured and others were just too keyed up to care.

Zier had a cut above his brow and brushed away the trickle of blood as he shouted out 'the' order... what their gunners had been waiting for.

"LET FLY!"

And the broadside weaponry of the Judicator let loose on the upper hull of the alien warship tracking all the way to the conning tower, striking at different portions of the raised upper hull.

"CUT THEIR BRIDGE OFF!" he was shouting but the gunners had their own concerns tryiing to remain as the Caprician warship continued to extend it's impact as if aiming the bow of their ship toward the bridge as much as possible. The fact that the enemy star destroyer was not flat would hinder this.






Major Kitticha screamed a feral roar as his good hand clutched the stump of the other. The alien demon standing over him had re-activated the gravity causing men, materials, ships and the like to come crashing down in a conglomeration of wreckage.

On both sides, some were killed, many were injured and yet all Kitticha had was his rage.

The alien stood above him lowering what appeared to be a hand weapon when the ship suddenly banked to the starboard rising slightly. The motion was felt as the inertia dampeners were having trouble operating with the stresses already applied to the system.

But it was enough to throw the alien's aim off for the few seconds Kitticha needed.

With an incredible yell he dropped his good hand down into the open circuitry bypassing the artificial gravity coupler shattering the main power conduit.

The interrupted flow entered his body as energy bolts shot up from the panel burning incredible holes in his body killing him instantly.

With out the conduit to channel the energy, bolts flew throughout the hanger from the open circuitry.

What this did do for the Capricians however is deactivate the hanger energy barrier and suddenly the opening under their star destroyer was the vortex of an incredible vacuum.

Friends and enemy alike were sucked out into the vacuum. Those that lived an extra few seconds in the unnatural conditions were squashed as the Caprician lower hull and the alien upper hull smashed together..



"Fancy meeting you here?" Tyscio Korban's grin was irritating as a sweat drenched Scipio Arien scowled at her cheery compatriot.

The Capricians were strung out all over the valley but the Providence 1st had been the anchor and moved to locate the temple.

Only how, the wings were straying in tired, sweaty and right now hating all designers of body armor.

The humidity of the jungle was taking it's toll as soldiers were collapsing from heat exhaustion.

But the Providence had their Corps dug in and entrenched ignoring the temple for now.

What good would it do to investigate while your backs were unprotected?

"Drop dead, Tyscio!" Scipio growled and Mathias grunted in satisfaction. He had his own opinion about women in the military but so far, those he had met had the appropriate toughness in them to carry out the job!

And the ability to carry out the job was what this messy business was all about.

He turned and spit on the ground looking pulling out another plug of chew and taking a big bite.