Ah, Nikana, you are indeed a sharp one. Yes the Krimgorfs have connections to Klingons, as the Moncali do to the Mon Calimarians. But you were slightly incorrect about the TIE Defender. The TIE Defender does have three panels, but they are split panels. These are just plain triangular panels. The ship's model is that of the Phantom, a TIE that was featured in Rebel Assault II. It was fairly fast, sported three cannons in its wingtips along with two in the hull, and possessed a complete cloak capability.
Original vessels introduced this chapter:
Godhammer-Class Starstation
Incursion Sphere
Defender-Class Star Monitor
TIE Demolisher
TIE Predator
TIE Armageddon
TIE Enforcer
TIE Retaliator
TIE Retribution
TIE Shadow A-Type
TIE Vampyr-II
Angels and Demons: Searching for Elysium
Chapter 4
Begin process.
Process initialized.
Initialize 01. Power up main capacitors.
Main capacitors powered up.
Initialize 02. Power up main reactors.
Main reactors at maximum output.
Initialize 03. Re-assess safety matrix program.
Assessment complete. Proceed.
Begin step one. Charge timeflux cannon.
Yu'han scrambled out of the transporter, clutching his stun rifle. He'd pulled on some blaster armour, though he doubted it would make much difference against fighter cannons. He nodded to the man waiting beside the transporter.
"Paramina. What's the situation?" asked Yu'han hurriedly as he trotted towards the bulky doors that separated this bay from the hangar. As he punched the access panel's main release valve, he listened to Paramina attentively.
"Twelve dead. The outsider shot up the hangar pretty bad. We've sustained heavy damage, so the hangar will be out of use for a fair while. Whether by skill or luck, the outsider managed to demolish the main defense obelisk with his first shot." Paramina pushed his long sweaty hair out of his face, and gasped slightly. Yu'han turned to him, and only now noticed the bandage that was wrapped around Paramina's torso.
"You're hurt. How bad?" asked Yu'han swiftly. Paramina winced and then cracked a weak smile.
"Not too bad… just got a bit of a burn when I climbed up on the ship to gas that killer. Those black panels are raging hot…"
Yu'han nodded and stepped through the now open door. He saw that three of his crew had contained the newcomer in a stasis ring, and there he would stay until Yu'han was ready to question him. Yu'han headed towards the fighter instead.
The fighter gleamed a dull blue-grey, and had an octagonal viewport in the front. Through it Yu'han could see a cramped cockpit. Yu'han glanced at the panels. They were connected to a triangular prism that joined the ball at the back, and they arrowed forward, tapering to points a few meters in front of the ball. Yu'han thought they looked sort of frail, and he didn't think the fighter was supposed to rest on the panels as it currently was. But that wasn't his problem. He waved over two men from beside the stasis ring.
"You," Yu'han indicated the taller, broad man of the pair. "I want you to rig this fighter up on something. I don't think it's meant to sit like that. I want it analyzed and I want one of our pilots to learn how it functions."
Yu'han turned to the smaller man, who was slightly stocky.
"I want you to take our guest to the interrogation chamber. Make him comfy." Yu'han's voice had a cold sarcastic edge that would have chilled the TIE pilot's blood had he been conscious to hear it.
Step one complete. Timeflux cannon charged.
Finalize initial checks. Complete.
Activate compensators. Complete. Activate projectors. Complete.
Initialize firing sequence.
5
4
3
2
1
Fire.
Cannons discharged successfully.
A steady buzz filled the darkened room. Suddenly a flash of light was emitted and a grunt of pain was heard.
"OW! Bloody hell, Katel… how does being shot by a seeker train me to be a Jedi?" Dylan grumbled, as he jumped sideways to avoid a second shot.
Katel, seated in her chair, smiled cruelly in the darkness. He would see what the training was for.
"Sith Lord, Richards. The term is Sith Lord. Jedi are filth. Long dead filth. As for this training? It enhances reflexes and agility. And it seems you need it quite a lot." Katel giggled mischievously. She heard Dylan swear again as another blaster bolt hit him. In her mind, she could feel his frustration and anger welling.
"Well that's all very well and good, but…" Dylan hopped out of the way of a bolt, which twanged off the floor a mere inch from him, and continued speaking. "I don't see why I can't have something to defend myself, or at least be allowed to see."
Katel merely smiled. He was restraining his anger well, but it was there, brewing headily. Another blaster bolt hit Dylan, this time in the leg, and he broke.
"Argh!" roared Dylan as he grouped sightlessly for the seeker. It buzzed and hummed as it ducked easily from his outstretched hands. In frustration, Dylan made a fruitless swipe for the seeker, and the seeker was sent flying across the room by a powerful Force push. It slammed into the wall and exploded with a weak squeal.
The lights returned to normal, and Katel spun her chair to face Dylan. He was panting and still seemed irritated, but there was a blend of pride mixed in too.
"Well done. As you can see, anger is a valuable tool. Harness it Captain." Katel was about to continue her tutelage when there was a slight shudder and the Nova jolted slightly. Richards perked up, his eyes brightening as he realized what it meant.
"Ah. We've come out of hyperspace." Suddenly a cloud crossed his features as something occurred to him. "We weren't scheduled for exit for an hour at least."
Katel clicked her intercom, waving Dylan towards the repeater stations. He glanced at the monitor, and saw what he'd thought was right. They'd dropped out early. It seemed a gravity well had manifested where one had not been three weeks prior.
"Status report Admiral. What's happened?" Katel asked, calm and collected.
The intercom fell silent, then crackled as a reply was issued.
"Lady… Katel. I think you want to see this. Bring up visuals, magnify the starboard quadrant." Admiral Trask's voice was oddly strained. Katel wondered at it, then nodded at Dylan, who punched in the commands. In front of them, a holographic screen spat forth an image of a blur that filled the whole screen. As it came into focus, Dylan gasped.
It was a giant metal sphere. Huge in fact, covered in terraced metal, and cannons, and who knows what else. It reminded him of the legendary Death Stars. Checking the monitors, he corrected himself. No, it was more than a Death Star. The second Death Star had measured in at around 900 kilometers. This sphere… was over sixty thousand kilometers in diameter. Dylan's eyes widened. The mass was absolutely enormous!
Katel seemed not to have too great a comprehension of how big it was. Or maybe she just hid surprise well.
"It seems, dear Captain…" Katel's voice was silky with satisfaction, "that we have discovered the Godhammer."
Wormhole stabilized.
Launch Incursion Sphere designation 90274
Incursion Sphere designation 90274 launched
Initiate remote intelligence activation routine
Remote intelligence activation routine complete
Dylan was busily running diagnostics of the Godhammer when Katel called to him.
"Captain. What's that?" she asked, pointing to the holographic screen. Richards shot a look at the screen. They were approaching the Godhammer at a vectored course, and were slowly moving around it. What Katel was pointing at had, until now, been hidden by the Godhammer's immense bulk. It was a glowing, whirling vortex suspended in space. And headed towards it was… a smaller sphere.
Katel seemed to hold some interest in the sphere, and clicked her intercom to contact Trask.
"Take us closer. Maximum acceleration. Oh… and raise shields, full power." Katel added the last part almost as an afterthought. Dylan gaped at her. He rushed up to her and, mustering as much respect as he could, decided to offer his view.
"Are you sure this is wise Katel? That vessel alone is over two hundred kilometers. And the Godhammer, well… it's beyond what I thought possible. I advise we take more caution." Katel glanced at him, and then back at the screen.
"Your thoughts have been duly noted Captain Richards. Maintain present course," she ordered into the intercom. Dylan sighed, and decided to move to the main command deck.
"A good idea Captain, I shall follow." Katel stretched and got out of her seat, then padded out of the room behind Dylan.
Admiral Trask stood stiffly beside Katel, who was seated above the rest of the command crew. Captain Richards was down observing a sensor console. He was watching for anything out of the ordinary.
Anything other than a giant mechanical planet and a wormhole, thought Dylan sourly. Suddenly there was a blip on his console. Dylan glanced at it, and paled noticeably. He dashed up to where Admiral Trask stood.
"Admiral. Enemy fighters have been deployed. Headed in our direction." Dylan reported. Trask nodded, then asked the obvious question.
"How many are there?" Dylan grimaced. This was the bad part.
"At least three thousand. Approaching us fast. We're only ten thousand klicks from them." Dylan waited to see what the command would be. It was as he'd expected.
"Scramble the TIE squadrons. All of them. All the support craft too. Blastboats, Assault Ships, shuttles, everything. And have the Dark Whisperer dispatch its fighter compliment too."
"Yes sir." Dylan saluted and went to issue the order. A full scale scramble? That would be unheard of for a ship this size in a normal battle. But of course, the odds were heavily against them. They only had a little over a thousand ships. Granted, the Dark Whisperer was a monitor, but how much help would that be?
The strange fighters roared in towards the red point on the horizon that was the Nova. They were all entirely automated, controlled by the super-intelligence that monitors the Godhammer. They were curiously shaped fighters, roughly diamond-shaped, with no obvious engines and of course, no cockpits. They raced towards the Nova at incredible speeds, and as they neared the ship, broke off into coordinated groups, swooping, rolling, twisting and maneuvering in ways Captain Richards wouldn't have thought possible.
From the large docking bay halfway down the dorsal hull of the Nova came a wave of TIEs, a huge mass of them. They were all TIE Defenders, which made up the bulk of the fighter complement aboard the Nova. Though old, the Defender model was still one of the most effective and cost-efficient models in existence and was still heavily used. Captain Richards checked the status reports. The first 5 squadrons had been launched.
The TIEs screamed out into space, pulling tight turns and twists as they shot into combat against the hordes of enemy fighters. Richards let himself calm down a bit as wave after wave of TIEs were deployed from the Nova. The great ship held 1020 fighters, and of that compliment, 960 were being launched. The only ones to remain in the docking bay were the TIE Demolishers, heavy bombers that would provide little help in the massive space battle.
After 6 waves of TIE Defenders emerged from the Nova, two waves each of TIE Enforcers, Retaliators and Retribution fighters swept into the battle, then a single wave each of TIE Predators, Armageddons, Shadow A-Types and Vampyr-IIs followed. Captain Richards smiled. Maybe they wouldn't be as outclassed as he'd originally thought. Most of the ships were top of the line.
The fighters drew within range of each other and suddenly the area outside the viewport was filled with lances of laser fire. Richards watched the ships dive and weave and blast each other in a deadly dance of fire. He glanced at the monitor and was pleased to see that the Skipray Blastboats and Gamma-class Assault shuttles were also being launched.
Several thousand kilometers from the Nova, a tri-paneled Defender shot through space, with two of the strange diamond-fighters on its tail. It weaved and dodged, trying to avoid the lasers of the alien fighters as best it could, but its shields were taking heavy damage. Suddenly, it spiraled into a tight downward arc, just as the TIE Predator that had been racing towards it fired its mini-turbolasers. The four beams of powerful green light shot from the quadruple panels of the TIE, and two struck the alien fighters, which exploded.
Nearby, the strange shape of a TIE with two flat triangular panels that extended outwards from the hull shot through space at an incredible speed. This TIE Retaliator was being followed by a diamond fighter that was launching a volley of micro-missiles towards it. The TIE pulled into a loop-the-loop, and swung behind the strange fighter, blowing it to pieces just before the missiles caught up to it and destroyed the TIE.
Captain Richards watched these happenings, and several others, with increasing joy. Though outnumbered almost 3-to-1, so far the Nova's forces were shredding apart the enemy. And the Nova itself was about to enter the fray. Richards glanced at Admiral Trask. Trask was watching a monitor that showed the mass of dots getting steadily closer. He waited a few seconds, and an indicator blinked green. He triggered his comm. and ordered calmly, "Full point-defense broadside."
Richards frowned at the order. They were likely to hit a lot of their own ships with a full broadside. Apparently Katel thought so as well, as she placed her hand on Trask's shoulder.
"Override that order, Captain. Let's just watch. And assist where it is needed."
Admiral Trask nodded silently, anger in his eyes. He was the Admiral, he should be making the orders. Instead, he relayed the order and watched. The enemy fighters were just about done in, and the Imperial force hadn't suffered as badly as everyone had believed. They'd lost 60 Defenders, around 12 of the Enforcers and Retaliators, and a few each of the Predators, Armageddons, Retributions and Vampyrs. No Shadows had been lost in the battle. Seven squadrons worth of ships in total. In all, a small loss compared to what they'd just defeated.
Defense fleet 0142 destroyed.
Threat condition upgraded.
Threat condition Level 5.
Dispatch Defense fleet 0143 to 0232.
Avert Incursion Sphere designation 90274 for defense against unknown intruders.
Tasks completed.
Dylan glanced at the monitor, and was disturbed to see that the smaller sphere had changed its direction and now seemed to be headed towards them. He was about to tell the Admiral when something else caught his attention. A great swarm of fighters leaving the Godhammer. The ships computers did some calculations and then came up with a figure that was obviously incorrect. Dylan ran the calculations twice more and got the same answer. His faced paled and he broke into a sweat.
"Uh, Admiral? Fighters coming up on the port. Twenty thousand klicks. A lot sir."
Trask glared at him, as if Richards was responsible for this new disturbance.
"How many is a lot, Captain?"
Richards gulped and stammered "A.. around 260 thousand… sir."
Trask stared at him, then walked steadily to the monitor and checked it. When he glanced back up, his eyes were gleaming with the knowledge that this force was far beyond their abilities to fight.
"Very good, Captain. Warm up the hyperdrive units, and recall all ships. We're leaving." Trask's voice was strained, but still meticulously controlled. For that one moment, Captain Richards felt a flash of admiration for Trask, and sympathy at what he must have to go through with such decisions. Then it all went to hell and high water.
"Argh… my head…"
Lieutenant Chand moaned as he returned to consciousness. At the edges of his fuzzy vision were two red-skinned humans. He lurched upwards with horror, but was jerked back into place with electromag restraints.
He looked around wildly and found himself staring straight into the optical sensors of an antiquated protocol droid. It was of a unique construction, one he'd not seen before.
"Greetings. I am 9DK3. My function is that of protocol droid and I am to translate for you. Your language is archaic, but very similar to my master's. You will learn it very quickly."
One of the men barked something that Chand almost understood. It was hovering on the tip of his tongue when Deekay spoke.
"My master bids you welcome. His name is Yu'han and he is the leader of the Corullag Pirate Fleet. He is most displeased with you."
Chand moaned as he let himself digest this information. Chand was an ordinary Imperial pilot. He had black hair, tied back in a ponytail, and a lean body. He was Corellian by birth, and he flew like one for sure. And one other thing, he was an Imperial all the way. He loved his Empire, the great peacekeeper that it was. Imperial propaganda had done a good job with this boy.
"Okay, fine. My name is Barun Chand. I am a servant of the Empire and my Emperor." Chand knew he couldn't very well tell these aliens he meant them no harm when the planet they were orbiting had been rendered uninhabitable by his fleet.
The droid translated, Yu'han paused, and spoke again. Deekay quickly translated.
"My master wishes to know why your fleet came and destroyed our planet."
Chand hesitated and thought about what he was to say. He didn't know that much, being of low rank. However, he had heard rumors. Hesitantly, he voiced them.
"I have heard that… that you destroyed one of our ships. That you acted in an open and hostile manner towards our ship, which was a first-contact dispatch." Chand looked up at Yu'han, noting the enourmous similarities between humans and these aliens.
Yu'han's face distorted and he spat on the floor in deep disgust. He then began to shout at Chand, a tirade of gibberish that Chand could almost understand. Deekay dutifully translated.
"My master says that what you have heard is all lies. He has evidence to suggest that your ship opened hostilities against us."
Chand laughed, knowing he was risking the wrath of his 'host'.
"Tell Yu'han he is the fool. The Empire is the peacekeeping force of the galaxy. They wouldn't open hostilities on a planet for no reason." Chand was very sure of his answer, and couldn't help but feel angered by this man who was obviously trying to deceive him.
As Deekay translated, Yu'han uttered a humourless laugh, and barked an order at the other alien. Suddenly Chand felt his restraints cease to exist, and felt instead a hard rifle digging into his back.
"Yu'han reiterates his point. You are a blind fool. Yu'han is your saviour, and it is time for him to make you see." Deekay offered helpfully as Yu'han stalked out of the room, followed by Chand and his guard.