Halo: Wrath of the Humans
Chapter nine: Dreadnaught
ZR: Those of you who love space battles. You'll love this chapter.
As the ground battle raged; the space battle grew ever more hectic. Hundreds of single ships clashed between capital ships. The enemy Covenant ships were getting slaughtered by the combined force of the allies. On the other hand, the Vaygr ships were putting up a real fight for the Allies.
Captain Miranda Keyes, her once jet black hair now graying, cringed slightly as a Flak Frigate exploded into a miniature supernova off the port bow of the Battleship Missouri.
"Inbound Vaygr bombers!" Reported the AI, "Flak turrets targeting now."
The turrets targeted and tracked the single bomber squadron. The turrets opened up and smothered black clouds into the path of the squadron. One bomber made it through, firing a quartet of bombs before a panel on the nose ripped off and crashed through the cockpit. The ship, now with out pilot, veered off course and collided into a large section of deck from the Frigate. Four shudders reverberated through the bridge; Miranda had to hold onto her seat tightly.
"Armor in sections five through seven down to one and a half meters. Minor breach on deck eight. Sealing now." Reported the Ops.
A single Vaygr Heavy missile Frigate passed directly in front of the ship, completely oblivious to it, and engaged a Destroyer. Miranda opened a COM with that particular destroyer.
"Captain Gudorf, looks like you could use some help."
"Anything is appreciated Keyes."
"Lock our Ion turrets onto that Frigate Matthias." She ordered the weapons officer.
All four ion cannons rotated and tracked the Frigate.
"Ion cannons locked on Ma'am!"
"Fire!"
Four blue lances of light sprang fourth from the cannons and ripped apart the hull of the frigate before it even fired a second salvo.
"Thanks for the help Miranda."
"Anytime Justuce."
"Ma'am, inbound Vaygr ship!" reported Lieutenant Douglas Stevens on navigation.
"What class?"
"Frigate ma'am. It's a Marine Frigate."
"Target all mass drivers; take it out before it unloads its troops!"
"Aye ma'am, targeting mass drivers." Answered Matthias.
The mass drivers swiveled, tracked, and fired on the Vaygr Marine Frigate, pelting it with twenty ton depleted uranium, tungsten carbide coated projectiles. This shell was both a "shredder" and armor piercing. Shortly the frigate began to trail smoke and vent atmosphere. It listed sickeningly to port. More rounds connected, and its running lights flickered and went out.
"Ma'am, a single pod launched!"
"What?"
"Pod connecting with the hull in two…one. Contact! Pod connected on deck A section fifteen!"
"Any personnel in there?"
"No Ma'am."
"Seal that section, then empty it Lieutenant Stevens."
"Gladly ma'am."
The left screen blipped and showed a dozen Vaygr marines within the section. Although the section was a vacuum, they still moved.
"Damn environment suits." She muttered, "Abaddon, activate defense turrets in that section."
"Yes ma'am." Replied the AI.
Three panels on the ceiling slip open. Each one had a .50 cal machinegun auto turret. The Marines quickly fired on the turrets, but were quickly mowed down.
"Enemy boarders neutralized, repressurizing deck section."
"Ma'am! A Covenant carrier launched its plasma torpedoes! They're inbound for us!
"Transfer emergency thruster control to my station."
"Aye Ma'am, transferring controls."
"Target all ion cannons and mass drivers at the carrier, fire on my mark and not a moment before."
"Yes ma'am."
"Stevens, new course; zero-four-five degrees, declination zero-point-zero-nine degrees."
"Collision course! Plasma torpedoes at ten kilometers"
Miranda waited a heart beat, and then activated the port emergency thrusters. A loud BANG reverberated throughout the ship, and the ship lurched to starboard, throwing Miranda from her seat. As she returned to her seat, she thought if this would work. It only happened only once before. But that was before Reach, at Sigma Octanus. But then she remembered who pulled off the trick. And a wave of confidence came over her.
Stevens turned in his chair, "Captain, are you trying to pull off the loop?"
"Yes Stevens, that's exactly what I intend to do. Put the Aft camera on screen."
On the aft camera, the torpedoes flew straight past the Missouri. They slowly turned and began to follow the Battleship.
"Engines to 100 percent Stevens."
"Aye Ma'am. Torpedoes are matching our velocity. Now over taking us ma'am."
"Distance to Carrier"
"Thirty kilometers."
"New course. Declination zero-point-zero-two degrees."
"Aye Captain, declination zero-point-zero-two degrees."
"Captain, if you continue on this heading you'll-" started the AI.
"I know what I'm doing Abaddon." Snapped Miranda, "Just trust me."
"Carrier at five kilometers."
"Sound collision alarm. Alert all lower deck personnel to evacuate to the upper decks."
"Aye ma'am."
"Three Kilometers!"
"All hands brace for impact!"
The two shields scraped along each other, causing major vibration throughout the ship. All bridge crew clung to anything stable. As soon as it started, it stopped.
"Report!"
"No damage done to our hull. Shield at 57 percent."
"New course, Nine-zero by zero degrees. Bring us to a stop Stevens."
"Aye Ma'am. Coming to a stop. Now parallel to the carrier."
"Port camera."
The center screen blipped and showed the Carrier. Light began to appear in its later lines.
"Get ready to fire on my command."
The two plasma bolts streaked toward the Carrier, and impacted. The first one impacted the shields, and took them out. The second one made contact with the hull.
"Fire!"
The deck rumbled softly as all turrets fired upon the carrier. Its hull tore to shred by the sheer amount of damage. The torpedo burned out, and the carrier was left drifting in space.
"Incoming transmission from the Guardian, audio only."
"The rebel Covenant requires assistance. Their ships can't withstand the onslaught from the Vaygr weapons. Any ships in their vicinity immediately assist them. Nagumo out."
"Give me flank speed toward to rebel Covenant Stevens."
"Aye ma'am, Frigates Impaler, Falcon, Tyrant, and Scepter, along with the destroyers Centurion, Dragon Fire, Grizzly, and the Battle cruisers Beowulf, and Orion, are on the same vector as us. Wait a minute, additional ship, carrier force Lucifer and Genesis are inbound as well."
"Incoming transmission from the carrier force Lucifer."
"On screen."
"Battleship Missouri, this is Admiral Toban it is a pleasure fighting along side a qualified captain as you Captain Miranda Keyes."
"The pleasure is mine Admiral."
A tremendous vibration shook the bridge, nearly sending Miranda to the deck.
"What just hit us?"
"Vaygr destroyer! God damn missile barrage."
"Rotate the ship so we're pointing at the destroyer."
"Aye ma'am!"
The battleship rotated, its prow pointing at the Vaygr destroyer.
"Arm the MAC guns, a heavy round each."
"Aye ma'am. MAC capacitors at 50 percent, 75, 100 percent."
"Fire!"
Twin thunders and bolts of lightning spat from the ship and plowed their way to the Vaygr destroyer. The rounds impacted, the first one taking out the shields, and destroying the missile pods. The second one impacting the bridge and creating a five hundred meter wide hole through the ship. The ship began to spin erratically, pilotless.
"Return the ship to her original course."
"Aye ma'am. Vaygr ships in range! Two destroyers, five assault and heavy missile frigates, and one battle cruiser."
"Target the battle cruiser, target all mass drivers and Ion cannons at their bridge and engines."
"Aye ma'am, targeting. Ready to fire."
"Fire!"
Lances of vermillion light and mass driver rounds impacted the battle cruiser's shields, broke through, and destroyed the bridge and engines.
"Missile frigates turning to face us! They're firing a salvo!"
"Charge up the MAC guns, and give me emergency thruster control."
"Aye ma'am."
"Impact in ten seconds."
"MAC guns fully charged!"
"Five seconds to impact!"
Miranda waited three heart beats, and then fired the dorsal emergency thrusters. No collision.
"Missiles went off course; they're spinning out of control."
"MAC guns ready to fire ma'am."
"Fire!"
Twin bolts of lightning spat out toward the frigates. The first one bounced off the prow, and collided with the command tower, severing it from the ship. Both pieces collided with another frigate, and were locked in a death embrace. The second one collided with the first one, and hit the missile magazine. The resulting explosion sent molten fragments careening toward neighboring frigates.
"Incoming torpedoes, brace for impact!"
Several thuds reverberated through the hull.
"Report!"
"Shields down to thirty nine percent, still holding."
"Divert enough power from the engines to keep them online. Keep out ion cannons target on the frigates, and line up for another shot on the battle cruiser.
"Aye ma'am, lining up with the battle cruiser."
The ship rotated once again to face the battle cruiser.
"MAC is hot ma'am."
"Fire!"
Twin rumbles echoed through the ship as two white hot bolts shot from the bow. The first one struck the heavy missile battery, obliterating two-thirds of the tubes. The second struck the reactor compartment. The running lights flickered then went dead. Seconds later, explosions ripped through the hull, and the ship exploded. When the intense light faded, only scraps of the hull, and floating debris remained.
"Shields are back to 100 percent ma'am."
"Incoming torpedoes!"
Another series of shudders reverberated through the ship.
"Shields down to eighty nine percent."
"New course, zero-nine-zero, inclination zero-point-nine, engines to fifty percent. Spin us so our top and bottom face the sides of their ships."
"Ay ma'am, new course zero-nine-zero, inclination zero-point-nine, engines to fifty percent. Spinning the ship, aye."
"Target the frigates; do not fire until I say."
"Targeting the Frigates, aye. Awaiting your orders."
The Battleship made its way through the empty space between the ships, and through the cloud of debris left behind by the battle cruiser. The frigates however, were now occupied by the other ships firing on them, that was until the battle ship fired.
"Fire!"
ZR: Heh, don't you just hate it when I do that? Summer is almost here, one more day of exams and I am outa school, until next year...BTW, I'm a senior next year. Yay me!