ESMF Archangel ships log
Admiral J.G. Cutter recording
It would seem the moment that the entire ESUN have been dreading for nearly twenty years, are most lethal enemy, the Haydonites have begun an invasion of known space.
Macross command is unsure as to the exact number or types of ships, but given that they are coming from the Haydon IV galaxy, and that senior fleet admiral Hunter destroyed they hyper-fold gateway six months ago, then high command is taking zero chances with this invasion.
The Archangel along with the entire 7thfleet, with elements of the 8th, 10thand 21stBodol Zer main fleet plus several ships from both Strategic Military Services, SMS, Frontier branch and Xaos Delta Flight are moving to intercept them at their most likely target. However, there is one small problem with that, since Macross fleet intelligence and the two PMC's own sources, have confirmed that they are not in fact headed towards Earth but rather the capital planet of the nearby Hansa Imperial Star Empire … Kaitain.
Right now fleet admiral Quest, aboard his personal flagship the mobile star-fortress ESMF Mantforce, is on the hyper-fold wave comm.-link to the Imperial landsraad council for the fleet to cross the demilitarized zone and enter Imperial space, however several of their more closed minded high councillors (and, I'm sad to even admit it, even some of my peers within the fleet) are being down right xenophobic in their stubbornness!
This would be highly amusing at another time or place if the current situation wasn't so serious, or the fact that even at maximum speed the combined fleet will arrive an estimated 45-60 minutes ahead of the Haydonite forces, but that is only if we get underway again within the next 90 minutes at the most.
-{[Book 1: The Archangel Effect]}-
Supplemental update
This is going to be close …
… The fleet has crossed the DMZ and entered Imperial space, but at current speed, our best arrival time is nearly two hours after the Haydonites make orbit.
Admiral Quest has ordered the fleet to go to their maximum fold speed, however the combined fleet is slowly losing ships as they have to revert to normal space to allow their fold drives to cool.
My tactical officer, after confirming with his counterparts in Delta Flight and the Frontier Branch, show that at the current rat of fold drive over heats only two hundred out of five million Macross fleet vessels, just under a full battle wing, and that is out of a force of seven thousand ships including six of the mighty Macross III class mobile space station planetary defence siege cannons of the ESUN home fleet's third mobile defence squadron.
The two PMC groups are also suffering, with projections showing that only Delta Flights and the frontier branch's flagships Elysion and Quarter expected to arrive within time.
Thank the creator that the closer that we get to Kaitain we are picking up elements of the Imperial navy, so far this increase has added one hundred ships, mostly a mixture of cruisers, battle-cruisers, corvettes and destroyers but also several groups of assault battle-carriers and troopships, with several more fleets including two battle-star groups expected to form-up with us in the Hansa system. We are rapidly working out battle plans and tactical formations for the defence of the Hansa's capital planet and system. I'm personally thankful that we had the plans from the recent conflict with the Windermere Kingdom to use as a base for all of our projection's and plans.
I am also sure that I'm not the only survivor of that conflict within the amassed fleet who is recalling the last time a fleet of this size was assembled … or what it cost the people of Windermere IV.
However, I am more concerned with the fact that even given the fleets size, only a dozen ships including the Archangel have the new armour, barrier systems and other advancements that the SDNF Yamato brought back with her from her time stranded in the double galaxy installed or have been upgraded with to what has been dubbed the Yam-spec, and somehow I have this feeling, one which has saved my life more than once, that it will mean two things.
One, that all the Yam-spec ships will be at the tip of the spear thrust at the Haydonites trying to take the Hansa system, and two, that the Haydonites as soon as they notice the Yam-spec vessels will launch everything, the kitchen sink included, at us and the other Yam-spec ships to take-us out of the fight as fast or outright sink us as fast as they can.
I never thought that I would ever think this, let alone commit it to either my personal log or the ships official log, but I wish that the Macross or the Enterprise was with the fleet, however the politicians of the defence committee have them off playing mediator, the Invid and Vajra for the Macross and the star systems around the Brisinger Globular Cluster that the Windermere Kingdom attacked for the Enterprise, I just pray to the creator that we can survive this.
-{[Book 1: The Archangel Effect]}-
Admiral Cutter closed the log entry which he had been updating and left the flag suit to make the bridge of the SDF Archangel, one of the only a dozen Macross SDF class mobile outpost and carrier class cruisers with the Yam-spec that was currently active with the Macross fleet, and one of the few ships within the taskforce on route to Kaitain, and nodding to the MACO, in a standard issue cyclone-3 armour, who was currently on guard duty to the main command centre of the ship as he moved to the command chair, that his aide-de-camp and long term friend flag lieutenant Kino had just vacated. "What's our status?"
The native of Valdor nodded as his ears twitched slightly in response to the question, before consulting the data-slate that he had linked to the main systems and sectors of the ship.
"Sir, as of five minutes ago, all weapons and destroid stations are manned and ready, shields, pin-points, defence grid and the new phase-shift armour all show green. Flight operations stated that all embarked craft, fighters and AI drones are locked down. Colonel Brickly says that the MACO's and Colonial Marines had the last of the modular defences around core areas, critical systems."
Cutter nodded at the report, glad that they had the colonial marines that were hitching a ride for the colony expansion on Altair XI where tucked up safe and praying that the internal defence grid would hold long enough for the MACO's, Robotech and Colonial Marines and the recently transferred special operational force from Devil Squad to repel any Haydonite boarding parties.
"I've also taken the additional liberty of authorizing the armouries to issue blaster blades, panther shields and night shade conserax photon grenades with all standard loadouts for the marines, MACO's and veritech pilots sir."
Cutter turned so that his command chair was facing the tactical control sub-deck, commonly referred to as the pit, officer in charge and tried not to scowl, "You've issued splinter grenades to the crew? What happens if they damage any of the critical systems in the middle of the battle?"
Commander Kira Hudson stared back at him with a grim smile, "The Night shade's don't have the power to go through the ships bulkheads, but if command is correct, then they should be able to destroy the servos of a Haydonite Knight type drone. That is if they can get past their personal shields." He said with a slight scowl at the idea.
Cutter tried not to flinch at the prospect that any of the high energy plasma fragments maiming or killing the crew as they fought for their lives, but he also liked the idea of using the latest version of the tried and true fragmentation grenade, so it was worth the risk. More so given the highly classified report from the Macross-E latest little run-in with the mechanical race.
"Oh, well let's hope that we don't require to field test that theory." Kino said, a slight wistfulness in his voice, as the rest of the bridge crew groan at his blatant tempting of Mr Murphy's Law.
"Hoping gets you killed Lieutenant." Hudson mutters, just loud enough so that both Cutter and Kino to hear and cringe as they exchange a worried glance with each other over the third in commands tone. However before either office could respond, master chief petty officer Brown spoke up from the lower level of the bridge.
"Admiral, we are being hailed from an Imperial destroyer of our port stern, the H.I.N. Blood Haze."
"On screen," Cutter ordered, confused as to why an imperial ship, let alone a destroyer, would be hailing them and not the Manta, until he saw the face which appeared on the forward tactical view screen. "Sub-commander Atriums, well this is a surprise."
Atriums nodded and smiled as much as the heavy scaring across his face would allow following his confinement during the Windermere Kingdom conflict. "Actually my friend, it's Commander now," he said grumbling a few choice curses, which the Blood Haze's comm-system didn't pick up clearly. "and yes it is a surprise." He paused before signalling to somebody who was just off screen to step into view. "I've been reliably informed that your tactical controller knows my second in command."
Cutter turned slightly to look into the 'pit', and was surprised if not down-right stunned to see his cold calculating third in command was actually smiling, and going by Kino's ears he was as well.
"Hello again Kira." Said sub-command Karina Dvorak, with a smile on her face that was matching Hudson's. "I'm glad that you made it through the rest of the war."
"Dilectus meus, et unus. It is agreeable to see you again Karina." Hudson replied, which caused the Imperial officer to blush a deep crimson and Cutter to make a note of asking what is was that the commander had said. "It's been a few years, I tried to get a message to you a few weeks after everything with the war ending had settled down, but I never got a reply."
"I was … occupied." Said Dvorak as Atriums coughed a lightly, his meaning clear to everyone, from by her side. "I would like the chance to catch up after the battle, we have a lot talk about."
Hudson raised an eyebrow, having caught the worry in her tone as she spoke, before he nodded. "Sure Karina, as I recall you still owe me that tour of the central imperial art museum right?"
Dvorak smiled, but Atriums and the bridge crew of the Archangel noticed the worry in her eyes. "I remember, and I never break any of my promises. Te amo salvaator meus commander." She replied and without waiting for a response walked off screen, presumable back to her own post in the Blood Haze's command centre, as everyone watched.
When she was clear Atriums moved so that he was once again in the centre of the screen. "So…" He said fixing his attention back onto Cutter, "with the re-acquaintances concluded, shall we get down to business?" He continued nodding to someone in the command centre of the Blood Haze off screen. "My ship, and the other ten of our squadron of conquer class heavy battle-cruisers have been assigned to work with you and are now moving into formation around your ship, I've had my communications officer transmit their transponder codes."
"Then I guess we need to work out the attack plans for our combined unit." Cutter asked, as Kino began to take notes on his data-slate.
"Yes. I do hope that you and your gun-crews are able to keep up with the imperial fleets' finest heavy battle-cruiser squadron." Atriums said with a predatory smile, but his eyes showed that he was clearly laying down a friendly challenge with a long-time friend.
"Oh I'm sure that we will be able to keep up with your little tug boats with those pop-guns." Cutter replied with a serious tone but with a small smile as Hudson grunted in the affirmative before typing a short message to the gun crews and destroid units that if they lose this friendly bet then he wouldn't be a happy ex-special forces operative. "The same stakes?"
Atriums laughed, much to the shock of the Blood Haze's command centre personal, "Of course, one case of Imperial Spice Ale against one case of Vajra whisky and two albums by Sharon Apple, and we drink on the steps of the Emperors palace. See you on the flip side Admiral."
"Donee omneus unum snit, Commander." Cutter answered thumping his chest in the traditional imperial salute before the view screen returned to the familiar image of the stars streaking by at FTL, since Kino and the Dvorak where using a secondary station to work out formations and attack plans.
Looking around the bridge for a moment, Cutter nodded at the professionalism of the crew, before nodding and standing up himself and activating the ship-wide comm-system. "Alright people, we will arrive at Kaitain in five hours, so as of right now all Alpha and Beta shift personal are to take a three hour break. Gamma and Delta shifts are to cover for now, then report to their assigned battle stations when they are relived." Cutter ordered, remaining by his chair for five minutes as the Gamma and Delta shifts swapped with their Alpha and Beta colleague's before returning to the flag suite to wright a letter to his wife and twin sister back on Babylon station over Eden.
-{[Book 1: The Archangel Effect]}-
Five hours later Cutter looked around the bridge as he sat down in the command chair in his own cyclone-3 armour. The crew was nervous, and rightly so with three members on the bridge wearing custom fitted Special Forces exo-frames, lieutenant Arnold Newman at the helm in the long range variant of the Fire-Force CQB weapons system, the current commander of the spec-ops force lieutenant-commander Amber 'Kayo' Darling wearing the ranger variant of the same while Hudson had donned his older Argosy Lancer unit from the war and his families sword.
The Haydonites had also increased speed, forcing the combined forces to do the same and although they were only moments from entering the Hensa system, this increase in speed had cost the relief forces a further one hundred ships including all of their super heavy hitters, the ten Macross III class mobile space station planetary defence siege cannons.
"Well be entering the system in the next two minutes." Said an officer at one of the lower bridge stations.
"Activate and deploy the armour, arm Javelin, Helldart and Neidhardt missiles, ready all Gottfrieds, Isolde and Lohengrins. Relay that to the other ships in our battle group." Ordered Cutter as the distinctive sound of the phase shift armour materialising into place over the ship's hull, and although he knew that the sound of the armour clunking into place was right, he was still creeped out by it since it reminded him of breaching pods battering into the hull.
Even though the Haydonites had gained the knowledge of the armour technology that the Yamato had developed, the Macross fleet corps of engineers felt that they had modified it so that it would be effective again by seventy-five to eighty percent when engaging Haydonite forces, and against the other races in the universe, then the odds of survival was well over one hundred percent for even a Watanabe class laboratory ship.
The other modifications' that the Yamato had gained from their short stay within the double galaxy which had been applied to the Archangel as well as several others within their ad-hoc battle group. Yes those would mean that the Archangel would be living up to her motto of 'defender of light' and be part of the first wave of this relief force to engage the Haydonites over Kaitain, but Cutter would rather have all of those upgrades than be on one of the older Ikazachi class carriers that didn't.
"Thirty seconds."
"Order the task-force to commence the plan."
Around the Archangel the imperial naval elements of the combined fleet activated their phase-shifting clocks while both the Xaos variable attack space aircraft carrier Elysion and SMS attack space aircraft carrier Macross Quarter moved closer to their Proteus class escorts and commenced broadcasting the latest version of the 'Minmay Attack'.
"Weapons, concentrate on the closest ship. Prioritize the locations that the Icarus discovered." Thank the maker for the information that the crew of the ESMF Icarus had gained prior to their deliberate detonation of the Neutron-s missiles hosed at space station liberty, destroying not only the massive former factory satellite but also the attacking Haydonite forces and sub-space for five light-years around the stations former location. When the battered Icarus had arrived in the Sol system the data gathered was annualized to the Nth degree by command, so when this attack was detected command had sent a data packet about all the tactical locations on all the most likely ships within the Haydonite force, the challenge however was finding their targets through their shadow clocks for the fleets gunners.
"Reverting to normal space in three… two… one… now!" Said Newman, adjusting his shoulder mounted radar range finder, while at his station at the primary helm.
As the lead elements of the battle-group re-entered normal space they were hastily forced into evasive manoeuvres to avoid the massive amounts of debris, over two hundred ships from the Imperial Home fleet was scattered across their flight path with several larger hulks from the newest Volga class battlestars still visibly on fire.
The Archangel, despite her massive 5,700 meter length, danced around the worst of the debris as loud and painful sounding scrapes and bangs could be heard as the ship smashed through the burnt out hulks of Amalthea assault carriers, Raptor class and Haydonite Wraith fighters, before ploughing through the remains of an older Knight class assault ship. As it cleared the small field of debris when it violently shook twice in rapid succession throwing the crew around despite the inertial dampeners.
"Report!" Commanded Kino as Cutter returned to his seat having been thrown from it by the violent shaking.
"Sir, one of the Orion class frigates collided with the debris from a Haydonite ship." Stated Hudson, Sreading the reports from his station in the tactical pit, "it spun into the Shimakaze battle-cruiser Liverpool's port side engines. Even with the new armour system they've still suffered heavy damage forcing them to break formation."
"Bohze Moi!" Cutter cursed in his native Russian, activating the combat harness on his seat, they hadn't even entered into weapons range and his force was already down two ships.
"We have ten Haydonite vessels engaging around two thousand imperial warships and stations. Scans show three of the ten and their Wraiths disengaging from the main fight on an intercept course."
"On screen." Everyone watched as the main view screen switched from the tactical readout to a visual showing the three massive warships and their fighters turning and slowly advancing on their small force.
"Admiral, the enemy force consists of five Saratoga type V battleships, two unknown destroyer class analogues, one Grave class and two Saratoga type VI battleships. Both of the type VI and a Type V plus Wraith fighters are moving to engage us."
"Load Javelin missiles and activate the anti-air grid. Order all the other ships to do the same. All ships are to target the left most warship but they are to only fire on the Archangels order."
"Battle-group responding." Brown said from the lower bridge as the chorus of Ai Oboete Imasu ka? finished over the fleet's general comm-channel.
"Entering optimal firing range in five seconds." Hudson said from the tactical pit, as the sensors showed the two forces closing in on each other.
Cutter waited, as the seconds appeared to stretch into years of silence as they slowly ticked away, only broken by the sound of Newman, Darling and Hudson deploying their exo-frames helmets, and he would have sworn that those five seconds were the longest of his life since he asked his wife to marry him.
"The Haydonite's have opened fire." Announced colonel Brickly from the airspace controller's station half a second before the ship shook from a high powered hyper beam shot from the type V collided with the armour and pin-points of the Archangel. "Direct hit to sector five, the armour and pin-points held but is down by five percent, auto regeneration is active."
"Looks like the egg-heads on the Deukalion did their jobs." Stated Hudson, his voice sounding toneless due to his helmets built in voice changer.
Cutter nodded as he looked at the small holo-screen built into his command chair. The other elements of the combined fleet exiting hyper-speed to engage the Haydonite forces from multiple vectors. Again these elements were sphere-headed by as many Yam-spec of the Macross fleet as possible with Xaos, SMS and Imperial forces sweeping around the Macross fleet ships allowing them to unleash a massive Macross Missile Massacre strike.
"Lets not give them a chance to adapt. Target pre-set co-ordinates Alpha and open fire all ships."
From all around the mighty vessel, at the anti-ship missile tubes and the two battalions of SDR-05-MkXXX area denial destroids around the hull, a volley of two thousand Javelin anti-ship photon missiels launched to hypersonic speeds, quickly followed by sixteen high powered shots from the main Gottfried cannons. The other ships followed suit with both the Macross Quarter and Elysion firing there main anti-mater cannons as the Imperial ships de-clocked, unleashing enough firepower to vaporise the surface of a small moon.
The Type V battleship shook at the amount of fire power which impacted it. The damage that was caused left a massive creator in the planet sized warship, which could clearly be seen on the view screen of the Archangel.
"Target ship has suffered extensive damage at the targeted location, scans show a sixty percent drop to internal power and it is attempting to withdraw." Brown said.
"Tactical, let's not give them a chance, concentrate fire on that ship, target the secondary locations that the Icarus found. Order all ships to concentrate fire on that ship."
The ship suddenly lurched hard to the right as the two type VI battleships opened fire with their own enhanced beam weapons on the Archangel.
"Armour is down to seventy-five percent. It seems that those battleships are using brute force in an attempt to counter the modifications to the armour grid." Reported the ships senior pilot April 'Ice Queen' Kyrano over the comm-link from the secondary command decks flight operations station.
"Well then, let's not give them enough time to do that. Tactical, order all of the armoured units to use attack pattern Gloval three beta, all other units are to go full evasive." Ordered Cutter as the ship continued to shake from the weapons fire that the Haydonites were launching, while Hudson sent the orders to the other ships of their battle-group via text.
"Targeted ships power is down by seventy-five percent, readings show massive secondary explosions." A crewman said from the lower bridge.
"Tactical, if you please…" Asked Cutter looking down into the tactical pit, which caused him to smile viciously as Newman turned the Archangel's bow so that all sixteen Gottfried's, eight Lohrngrins and Isolde cannons and three banks of anti-ship missile launchers were lined up directly towards the heavily damaged battleship allowing him to launch a time-on-target strike plus a volley of Helldart quantum reaction anti-battle station missiles directly into the damaged section of the type V battleship.
Two of the Imperial Conquer class heavy battlecruisers also fired on the damaged Haydonite battleship adding to the massive amount of firepower pouring into the dying vessel. The battleship shuddered, and seemed to be pushed backwards, as its reactors were destroyed from the massive amount of firepower targeted at it, but in its dying breath it managed to destroy three Garfish VII class assault ships and two SMS Northampton class frigates in graviton beams by dragging them close enough so that they were destroyed as the battleships power went critical.
In retaliation the two type VI battleships vaporised several more ships from the allied forces.
"Deculture! Were in the name of all that is holy is the rest of the fleet?" muttered the young crewmen at the secondary science station on the lower bridge.
As if in answer to the plea, the rest of the fleet, some two million ships including the Macross III class mobile space station planetary defence siege cannons, reverted from hyper-speed launching a massive time-on-target Macross Missile Massacre alpha strike package.
"Admiral sir, orders from the Manta. Our task force is to pull back to mobile position one and regroup ASAP." Brown said, manning the primary communications station.
"Acknowledge the orders and transmit them to the remaining ships, then get me a short damage report." Cutter ordered.
"Nothing major, we're down too…" Hudson stopped giving his report as something on the tactical scanners caught his attention. "Deculture! Sir, we're reading a massive disturbance in sup-space at indigo nineteen!"
"What kind?" Asked Cutter and Kino together, both having a really sick feeling that they didn't want to know the answer to their question.
"I'm not sure, however it has very close characteristics to Haydonite hyper-speed windows."
"Get me the Manta!" Cutter almost screaming the order through clenched teeth.
"Too late!" Said ensign Zeferm 'Zee' Cochrane at the primary science station on the bridge.
The crew watched in horror as a newer, fresh and much larger contingent of Haydonite warships exited from the maw of the massive hyper-speed vortex.
"Ho… how many?" Cutter asked in a near whisper, his throat suddenly dry, as he slowly removed his combat harness and stood.
"Scans… scans show thirty type V battleships, sixty destroyer analogues, five pairs of Grave class, ten type VI battleships, two key class dreadnoughts and a command ship, all are launching Wraiths."
Cutter walked towards the forward section of the bridges command area, as all around the Archangel ships exploded left and right as the Haydonites began their true attack. "By the maker, this isn't an attack. It's an invasion."
-{[Book 1: The Archangel Effect]}-
The Archangel violently shook once again as another Haydonite Wraith fighter made a suicide run in attempt to breach her armour.
"Armour is down to twenty-five percent again and we are down to fifty Javelins, a dozen Helldarts and ten of the Neidhardt space missiles left." Hudson reported stowing his sword in its sheaf again after slicing a Haydonite drone that had breached the bridge, "Also all destroids have fallen back have expended all munitions."
Cutter nodded grimly, unwilling to turn and look at Hudson as that meant looking at the dead bodies of Kino and a crewman in the secondary damage control. The ships casualty reports were mounting quickly, but they were at least still in the fight.
The rest of the fleet …
… well that was another story, as another three ship exploded taking out the last of the Grave planet killers in a co-ordinated kamikaze attack. It was starting to get desperate as the Haydonite armada was slowly advancing towards the oceanic world of Caladan. They had tried for Kaitain but the surface and orbital defence systems had torn through most of their force quick enough to make them extremely warry of being trapped between the grid and the allied fleet.
Never the less, the fleet was being bleed.
Of the initial two million and fifty ships, over one million were gone, the rest, including the Archangel were suffering from moderate to heavy damage. While the Haydonites, well they still had a third of their capital ships, nine type VI and a single Key class dreadnought.
The bridge suddenly rung like a bell as two Wraith fighters exploded nearby.
"Were in the hell are our escorts?" Demanded cutter griping the arm rest of the command chair for dear life, despite the seats combat harness.
"We've only four left sir, the Blood Haze, two SMS Uraga class escort battle carriers and the Galaxy's last Proteus class defence cruiser." Answered brown as a medic tried to get him to stand still so he could treat a gash on his arm.
Cutter let lose a long stream of Russian aimed at the Haydonites, they had been systematically targeting all of the Yam-spec Macross fleet ships defending Kaitain, and doing a bloody fine job at it too, since as far as Cutter could tell there was only five such ships left, with the Archangel being the only one that wouldn't need months in dry-dock just to hammer out the dents in the outer hull.
"Ask the fleet admiral again…" Cutter sighed.
Brown nodded tiredly, from the nearly five hours of constant battle, as he tried to hail the fleets command ship. "Sir, the Manta's gone, as well as the ESMF Red Venom, Black Barracuda, Little Big Horn and Trafalgar."
Cutter swivelled to look at the communications station all five of the ESUN senior admirals were gone. "Who's in command?"
Brown shrugged, wincing due to the gash on his arm. "The Imperial command ships are also destroyed, Xaos Elysion and SMS Macross Quarter have just jumped out on fire while the Sandline Galactic ship Starscream just rammed a type VI battleship."
Even the allied admirals were gone, and without a flagship the combined fleet would struggle to survive much longer, though even with a senior officer Cutter suspected that they wouldn't last till the 4th and 5th battle-groups of the frontier fleets, led by the Macross and Enterprise respectively, arrived in forty minutes.
"Send to all ships, I'm authorizing the use of the new Mardoul trans-phasic phase shifting quantum reaction anti-Haydonite drone missiles. If any ship has them and are far enough away from either planet, use them. I'll deal with high command if and when we make it through this alive."
Brown nodded while he transmitted the message to the remaining Macross fleet ships. "Sir, our allied escorts are asking about the new weapons."
"On screen." On the main view screen the image of Atriums, the captain of the ESMF Angler and both SMS captains appeared. "Gent's, how has your day been going?" Atriums rolled his eyes at the joke, the fallen support beam and fire being dealt with behind him told the story well enough, as the other three just laughed at the bad joke.
"We're going to use an experimental weapons system on the Haydonites. I'll need you to launch a strafing run to allow us time to close in and fire."
The four men merely nodded as they closed their respective comm-links.
"Newman, set a course for the nearest type VI, Hudson once we have a clean shot and the kill zone is clear remove those mechanical spawn's of Kyron from my sky." Both officers nodded as the one hundred fifty kilometre mobile outpost and carrier class cruiser turned to face her pursuers.
While the Archangel was completing her turn the, the Blood Haze, Angler and two SMS ships strafed between the two type VI battleships, that had been chasing the small force, but just ignored them as if they were flies, even literally swatting aside one of the SMS Uraga class ships, causing it to lose control and collide with the battleship shattering the outer skin.
"Target that explosion and fire!"
Everyone on the bridge watched as the two advanced missiles leaped across the gap between the two ships. They couldn't believe what they were seeing as the warheads actually went through the Haydonite shields and shadow cloaks to enter the small moon sized battleship. A second later two massive displaced hyper mater explosions occurred vaporising the power cores deep within the ship, forcing it to a sudden shuddering halt.
"Scans show its power levels have dropped to less than ten percent." Announced Darling at the secondary tactical pit controls.
"Once more." Ordered Cutter as another two missiles leapt towards the critically damaged battleship, which attempted to destroy the highly advanced drones of death moving into kill it.
As the second pair of explosions took place deep within the type VI battleship it suddenly accelerated towards the Archangel.
"EVAD!" Shouted Hudson, realizing what the Haydonites were planning to do before anyone else on the bridge.
Cutter barely managed to stay in his seat, even with the combat harness clipped into his cyclone -3 armour, as the ship spun and started to pull away as the gigantic type VI battleship bore down on it. The battleship exploded, showering the Archangel in huge pieces of debris and stray plasma, overloading the internal dampeners causing several people on the bridge to stumble but they could only watch in horror as chief Brown went flying past them before hitting the forward bulkhead with a sickening thud and sliding down next to the helm.
"Target destroyed." Stated Hudson, as he re-routed the communications station to secondary tactical control and dealt with the fire from the exploded console that had thrown Brown towards the forward bulkhead. "Sir, scanner are showing a wildcat destabilization of the Blood Haze's engine core."
"Evacuate as many of the crew as you can. Helm make sure that we are clear before it blows." Cutter ordered as he limped, his ankle swollen from where the Knight drone had kicked it as he held it when Hudson had killed it, to where Brown was to confirm if he was dead or if there was still a chance, a quick scan with his wrist mounted scanner and a physical check told him all he needed to know about the senior NCO, before pulling the body away from the helm.
"How you holding up Meer?" He asked the young, freshly minted, ensign Campbell. The young woman was less than six months out of the robotech academy, and though he suspected that there was something going one between her and Hudson, they always acted professional like the officers they were, and he hoped that if they all survived this, that they could get a chance to explore it.
Campbell was startled a little, before looking up at the admiral, and despite the fact that she had lived aboard a Macross colony ship and was used to seeing and speaking to ESUN offices. "Fine sir, but all things considered I'd rather be at moon base ALUCE for the festival." She said with a week smile.
Cutter nodded in agreement as the bridge entry hatch opened allowing Dvorak and lieutenant, junior grade, Jake Rockwell the ships special forces land operative entry, with Rockwell wearing his Fire-force CQB exo-frame. "Atriums?"
Dvorak shook her head negative, sadly, as she walked down to the tactical pit and Hudson, whispering something to him, before addressing Cutter. "He died during that last attack. Thank-you for rescuing us but I fear it will not mean much in the fullness of time."
Cutter gave her a slight sad smile as he lowered himself back into the command chair, without activating the combat harness. "How we doing Kira?"
"Armour is down to five percent, auto-regeneration is active. Shields and pin-points are at hot stand-by, not that they will last long in this tempest stercore. Gottfireds and Lohrngrins are at twenty percent and recharging, Isolde's are at ten percent and on recharge, MAC's are down, Javelins are down to twenty with ten Neidhardt and a dozen Helldarts. All destroid's have fallen back to their hangers having expended all munitions, that's the bad news. The good news is we still have ninty-six of those new drone missiles left." Hudson said, taking a quick swig of water from his canteen.
"It looks like we might make it through this then." Muttered Cutter, unknowingly tempting that evil one known as 'Mr Murphy' with is his comment. "Were are the Haydonites?"
"Five battleships and Wraith escorts, three type VI, are ninety seconds out, sir."
"Support?"
"None in range. The Macross and Enterprise battle groups are still two minutes out." Hudson said replacing his helmet.
Cutter sighed and limped back towards the helm, resting his hands on the back of both the primary and co-pilots seats. "Very well. Helm bring us about and set a course that takes us right down their throats. If were going down, then I for one plan of taking as many of those mechanical spawns of Kyron with me as I can on my way Ne'tu."
"Aye sir." Came the enthusiastic reply from around the bridge. "Course programed, set to execute on your command." Newman voiced.
"Let's storm the gates of hell." Cutter said turning to look down into the tactical pit. "Tactical. I want you to make every shot count. Clean my sky!"
Both senior level officers nodded with Dvorak grinning an animalistic smile "By you command."
"As my uncle used to say, 'Hodi in die enim bona mori'." Hudson said, his hand sliding into Dvoraks.
Cutter smiled too at the strange mood that had come over the bridge, and it made him prodder than he had ever been of his ship and her crew. "Personally I prefer 'once more unto the breach' for something like this."
Looking around the bridge, and the officers there all nodded solemnly to each other, even major Kyrano on the link from the secondary command centre.
"Very well, we have an appointment to keep so let's not be late."
In an act of pure defiance, and one that belittled her massive one fifty kilometre length, the wounded ESMF Archangel turned and closed on the five massive forms of the Haydonite warships.
"Divert all power to the foreward barriers, pin-point arrays and armour grid, hell take it from life support, somehow I doubt that we will be needing it were we are going…" He left the rest of his order unsaid allowing it to hang in the air, air which was soaked in the smell of death and destruction.
"Oh how nice, they have lined up alongside each other for us." Dvorak somewhat jovially informed those on the bridge, displaying a very strong familiarity with the controls of the secondary tactical sub-station she was sat at.
"Well then I think it would be wrong to disappoint our hosts. Kira, if you would care to announce us please." Ordered Cutter, standing next to his command chair.
From the remaining weapons banks the last of the Archangels Helldart quantum missiles, Javelin anti-ship missiles and Neidhardt space missiles launched in a Macross Missile Massacre at the central most battleship as the Gottfried's, Lohrngrin's, Angi MkVII hyper impulse beam cannons and Scylla 580mm Mk VI anti-proton beam cannons concentrated on the same spot in a massive time-on-target strike.
As the missile tubes were reloaded for a second salvo using ten of the Mardoul drone missiles, the only sicence officer left on the bridge, ensign Cochrane, shouted out an alert. "Admiral, I've got a sub-space disturbance forming at yellow alpha three seven. It's amazing!"
"We'll look at it later ensign." Cutter said coldly, "Fire Drones!"
"WAIT!" Screamed Cochrane, but it was too late the advanced anti-Haydonite weapons had already launched.
As the salvo of ten drone weapons sped from the Archangel on a path for the central formation of type VI Haydonite warships. The eight that were fired at the battleships flanking the central one hit their targets at just under ninety percent the speed of light, shattering the massive warships outer armour before detonating deep inside, the explosions also heavily damaged the others causing a chain reaction of secondary explosions.
However the crew of the Archangel and the colonial marines hitching a ride never saw this sight, as the two drones that had be aimed at the already damaged central ship collided with the just emerged graviton ellipse detonating within it. Before the bridge crew could even react a massive wave of energy was released, enveloping the one fifty kilometre mobile outpost and carrier class cruiser.
When the energy wave and residual scanner interference from the simultaneous destruction of five type VI battleships had died down the Macross and Enterprise battle-groups, surviving Imperial naval, private military contractor forces and Haydonite warships all detected that the ESMF Archangel had been destroyed in a last act of pure defiance in the defence of Kaitain.