Little feedback and critical comments. Now is this a good sign or a bad one?

Pride's Prize - Chapter IV

"Kriff." the curse escaped Martel Uther's mouth at the sight of the destruction of the "Avenger of Humbarine".

"Tell our ships to watch out for the orientation of the Yirrho-ships, especially for prolongations of their center-line. They have to stay away from those points or the Yirrho will target them again." Teshik ordered.

"It takes time to accumulate enough power for such a shot." argued Uther. "Time the Yirrho no longer have."

---

The Commander was partially correct. Three Acclamators got destroyed and one of the Imperators heavily damaged in the opening salvo of the Yirrho, but after that the Imperials were able to stay out of the firing-arcs of the bow-lasers . The soldiers and officers aboard the cylindrical ships still tried to get the invaders into the reach of their super-heavy cannons, but with limited success.

From now on the battle would be fought with more conventional weapons.

---

"The firepower those ships can take is incredible." commented Uther when another ISD-broadside hit into the shields of a 1,500 meter long Yirrho-destroyer without visible effect.

"Their destroyers are almost fourty percent larger than our Imperators. And something about their cylindrical design is very suspicious."

"The demands of super-heavy bow-cannons and their recoil taking their toll and placing limits on the possible designs?" Uther suggested.

"Not only that. I'm thinking more in terms of redundandency." answered Teshik.

"Several smaller reactors spread over the entire ship, instead of a single powerful one?" Martel Uther said, realizing where his superior was heading. "Such systems are hardly uncommon. The Quarren and Mon Calamari do the same with their ship-designs."

"Not to the same extent as the Yirrho, if my suspicion is correct." Fleet-Admiral Teshik looked at the display of the battle, where the two Imperial destroyer-squadrons were making little progress against their opponents. In fact two additional Acclamator-Class Star Frigates had been destroyed.

But now the flagship of the second destroyer-squadron, the Bellator-Class destroyer "Defender of Tepasi" was engaged in a broadside-duel with one of the leading Yirrho-destroyers. Sixteen very heavy turbolaser-cannons in eight turrets and scores of medium and light turbolasers from every part of the surface of the more than two kilometer long dagger that was facing the 1,500 meter long cylinder were firing. A comparable number of light, medium and heavy cannons was firing back at the "Defender", while the remaining star destroyers and frigates of the Empire tried to form a protective screen for the flagship from the majority of the other Yirrho-ships.

"Tell Rear-Admiral Kaller to concentrate his fire on the midsection of that Yirrho-destroyer." ordered Teshik. "Lets see, what happens."

---

The broadside-duel between the Yirrho-destroyer and the "Defender of Tepasi" continued for almost another minute, causing Martel Uther aboard the "Gamerrah" to wonder, if Rear-Admiral Kaller had gotten his orders.

But then the "Defender" started to roll around her main axis, presenting her dorsal side in the process to the leading Yirrho-ship, firing with her port-side and dorsal cannons as long as possible. Then the starboard-cannons, that had been silent until now got into view of the 1,500 meter long cylinder. The capacitators of the eight double-barreled turbolaser-cannons had been powered up for almost a minute and now the entire accumulated energy was released in a single volley against a relativly small area. Several hundred petatons of destructive energy poured into the shields of the Yirrho-vessel, too much to resist. For a last moment they were holding, then ceased to exist and the "Defender of Tepasi", which had spent the fire of her heavy cannons for the moment started to target the now unprotected hull with its light and medium cannons, when something unexpected happened.

---

"It is breaking apart." Martel Uther cried out, surprise and disappointment audible in his voice. He had expected almost anything, but not that the ships of their opponents were that fragile. The Bellator-Class Star Destroyer in charge of Destroyer-squadron Six hadn't even really started to open fire with its lesser guns at the unprotected midsection of the Yirrho-ship.

"Oh no." explained a grim Osvald Teshik after a last confirming look at his sensor-displays. "This is happening on purpose."

On their screens the imperial officers had to witness how the Yirrho-destroyer seperated itself into five even-sized parts, which now really looked like cogwheels. Cogwheels threehundred meters high and wide, with the six trunks running parallel to the keelline adding another fourty meters on each side for a total width of threehundred-eighty meters.

Four of those sections were fully shielded and now activated their ion-drives, while the fifth, which had been at the centre and the target of the imperial salvo was drifting through space. Instead of fighting one target the "Defender of Tepasi" was suddenly facing four of them and that from different directions. However the Imperials didn't lost their nerves, using his heavy ion-cannons Admiral Kaller made sure, that the drifting section of the hostile destroyer stayed drifting and started to concentrate on the now smaller ships.

----

"Wrong, this is wrong." cursed an enraged Rugar, more than an lighthour away from the battle.

"But we're making good progress." Zaar dared to say.

"Yes, too good." The Muun-Twelve closed his eyes. "This way we are not able to lure those destroyer-squadrons into the reach of our heavy weapons of the Yrr-17 defense-perimeter. Their Admiral will have no choice, but to attack our bait with his main fleet."

"If we trap the entire imperial fleet between Yrr-17 and our main fleet or just those two squadrons, makes no difference, if you ask me."

"On the contrary. What do you think this Osvald Teshik will do when our main fleet shows up, if the Imperials have that much trouble with eight destroyers and two dozen frigates? Will he continue to fight or will he abort the battle, run to his emperor and return with enough re-inforcements to defeat us? Our entire plan is in danger."

"The codes Ivar has taken with him ... ."

"Work only for our cruisers. Which haven't shown up so far." Rugar slammed his fist against the desk.

"In that case I suggest we accelerate our plan." said Zaar. He turned to the Yirrho manning the com-station of the command-centre. "Tell the Muun-Thirty Kezetta to attack the Imperials with our main fleet." The Muun-Eleven ordered. Zaar exchanged a short look with his superior. "And tell him to power his systems down by thirty percent" he added with a sour face.

----

"At least now we know how to fight them most effectively." Martel Uther muttered after taking a look at the display, that showed their overall progress. The situation wasn't good for the two destroyer-squadrons. Five other Acclamators had been destroyed as well as another ISD. On the other side the Yirrho had only lost three of their frigates to the combined fire of two of the imperial destroyers.

"Alright, that is enough." stated Osvald Teshik as another unfortunate Imperator-Star Destroyer got into the firing-arc of one of the heavy bow-cannons of the Yiirho and got its bridge-tower vaporized. "Sent destroyer-squadrons five, seven and eight in and have them launch their bombers in addition to their TIE-fighters. We ... ."

Alarm-klaxons interrupted the flow of orders from Admiral Teshik.

On a nod from his superior Martel Uther activated his com. "Bridge, what is the reason for this alarm?"

"Commander, our scopes have detected a large number of Yiirho-ships coming from the inner system. We've counted more than eighty contacts and some of them are larger than their destroyers."