Tau 30 System
Right outside the Silaris
This was it. This was the moment absolutely anything could cause things to simply go tits up. This was where things got real, and Perkins would be jumping from the frying pan, and into the fire. Here he was staring at the open port of the graceful ship. It kind of gave him thoughts of a much more refined Battleship, all chrome and silver, but he didn't doubt that it was deadly at all.
"Alright gents, remember the plan. Thatcher, I'll go first and then you. The Doctor says that he figured out that we breath the same stuff, so removing your helmet would be theoretically fine, but don't unless you have to. No telling if there are any diseases there we might catch. Do depolarize the faceplate though. It wouldn't do to see their faces while they cannot see ours."
"Roger that sir, though i do still think we are buggered."
"Noted Thatch, now initiating docking procedures into the ship. God help us all."
As Perkins slowly entered the massive ship, he couldn't help but notice that the insides are as smooth and refined as the outside. The bloody aliens have got to be rather posh, but how that translated to something relevant, Perkins wasn't quite too sure.
Still as he entered the Docking bay proper, he noticed that a few particular areas were completely empty. In fact, there were a string of lights leading to them. He guessed the aliens wanted him to land there, and so he directed his ship ever so slowly there.
Carefully, he gently led his ship there and when he was content with it's positioning, he triggered the ship's repulsor landing gear. A perfect landing. Not bad, considering the totally unfamiliarity he had with this area.
Soon enough, Thatcher went in and landed right next to Perkins, and as he looked into Thatch's cockpit, he gave a nod, and they both began to disembark, with Perkins' taking note to not carry any weapons, that was Thatch's job.
As one, they approached the blue figures in the distance.
He most certainly didn't expect to see a rather human like face there, let alone one that creepily enough, reminded him of his sister. The aliens he encountered were, in his mind, were a race of blue skinned highly beautiful women.
He just knew something was going to go wrong.
Still, there was no helping it. Best to start up the program the Doc gave and try and greet them.
"Hi. Me James Perkins of Bretonia. Me greet you. We Human. You?"
Most certainly not a bad attempt at Thessian. Thought Dala T'Loni, now for their attempt at the…what she guessed was the Human language.
"I Dala T'Loni. We Asari. Hi,"
Well, it looked like the Doctor's package worked. Thank God for small miracles. Time for the harder part though…
"This Bretonia space. Why you here?"
The alien's face, while beautiful, scrunched up in confusion. Maybe something was lost in the translation?
"Doc… You are watching this right? "
"Yes Commander, though I must say, I have very little to work on. I need them to talk or longer periods."
"Damn it Doctor! I need clarity as soon as possible.!"
"I'll do my best."
"Fine."
The … Asari woman took that moment to answer.
"We explorers. We seek understanding. You build… station?"
Station? There weren't any stations here… unless she meant the gate.
"Gate human yes. Why?"
A little gleam in those eyes that reminded him of his sister getting something she wanted was tickling certain instincts in him. He wasn't quite sure what it was. Seeing as they aliens suddenly were chatting amongst themselves, excitement, or what he guessed it to be, clear in their eyes, he figured they found what they were looking for.
"Happy! We seek welcome you to Citadel community. Come! There much-"
A klaxon begun to ring around the ship. Goddamn it. What the heck has happened now?
Aboard the Gladius
Tau 30 system
"Report!" demanded General Oraka, angry because he was right damn it. The aliens had planned something, and now something was coming from that asteroid field.
"Probes are detecting 10 contacts moving fast, within the area of that 'glitched' probe. They are heading straight for the Silaris!"
"Get me Captain T'Loni!"
"Aye sir! Putting her up now."
"General! What is going on? My bridge crew sounded a red alert!" Captain T'Loni quickly responded.
"We're detecting multiple inbounds heading your way. It's obvious those aliens tried to trick you, now pull back and let the frigates do their work!"
"That's impossible! I was talking with what looked to be their leader a few minutes ago! Look Oraka, stand down! It might just be asteroids or some debris."
"Not with the sensor readings I'm getting, they are most certainly telling me that they are generating power levels similar to that of those fighter/shuttles the aliens came in on, now move away!"
"No General! I will not! " and she cut the connection.
"Damn it T'Loni! Tell the Hoplon and the Scipio to go and put themselves between the Silaris and that field. Their GARDIAN batteries should easily handle those contacts. Meanwhile, I want the rest of the fleet moving to that position."
"Aye sir, relaying orders"
The aliens wanted a fight, then by the Spirits, they'll get a fight.
"Greene… what's going on? Did any of you daft buggers fire upon them?" Perkins asked as he quickly tapped into his comms.
"No suh! I'm detecting contacts coming from that field… My guess is that that's where the jumphole is. They may be coming in ready for a fight!"
"Damn." Perkins replied. Nothing good could come out of this. "Right, Greene, you are in command of the flight, me and Thatch will try and explain that that is not us! You are not to fire upon the alien ships even if they fire back! We've no chance of denting them anyway, so fight those bloody Mollies off and show we have nothing to do with them! Give em hell Lieutenant!"
"Roger sir!"
Time to now go and explain things to the ladies. God he hoped they would be understanding of the situation at hand. He went and approached the woman who talked to him before, she had just finished talking into what looked like a holographic device on her wrist.
"Right. We Bretonian. We Want Peace. Field, not us." he desperately tried to talk to them.
""Then who?" she asked back a little desperation in her voice
UGH! There weren't enough words they knew to talk back properly!
"No have words! Not us! Please believe!" he tried desperately.
"Commander… the aliens are firing laser batteries at us, our shields can still take quite a bit, but they are bloody accurate. If those Mollies were to iht us along with those lasers, I don't think we can't win."
Damn it! He needed to be out there not trying to talk pidgin with this woman!
"Commander! The bloody Mollies are here and man do they look rather angry! They're concentrating on the Frigates and by God, are they doing far more damage than I thought they would. We're trying to get them to back off, but damn it, these Laser batteries of the Aliens aren't making things easy!"
"Damn." This was it. This was where his actions would determine the lives of many, possibly thousands. Perkins really wished he wasn't here right now, there was just one option left, and he wasn't even sure if it'll work. "
Thatch, give me your gun, then go straight for your fighter. "
"but sir-"
"No buts Lieutenant. That's an order."
Thatch hesitantly approached Perkins, then, slowly handed him his gun. "Good luck sir. I bloody well hope you know what you are doing."
"Same here Thatch. Now go give them hell. "
As Thatch ran for his fighter, Perkins walked up to the woman, Dala, and looked straight into her azure eyes, a hint of what looked like worry in them.
"Right. I know, you no understand all words. So I ask trust." he said as he slowly and carefully raised the gun. He could see the other women behind her raise their own weapons towards him, but he tried to block them from his mind. It wouldn't do to panic right here and now, he instead tried focusing on the eyes of the woman in front of him, their pupils widening in what he hoped was shock. " I trust you. We no wish harm. They not us. " he said as he gently grabbed her right hand and placed the gun there. He then guided Thatch's pistol towards his head and positioned her finger over the trigger.
"I give you life for friends." he told her, as he watched those eyes water with worry and indecision.
He really really hoped he did the right goddamn thing, otherwise, his flight would likely die out there, and he would be one dead body in an alien ship.
"I trust.' she said quietly, handing him the gun while doing so. "Now leave. Me do what I can help."
Perkins could only sigh with relief as he made a run for his ship. Thank God for small miracles. Now to pray to God for bigger ones…
Onboard the Gladius
Tau 30 system
"What do you mean they aren't dead yet?!" snapped General Oraka, disbelief clear in his voice.
"Those GARDIAN batteries should have finished them off by now!"
"I don't know sir!" reported, Lieutenant Xalax, the stress clear in his voice.
"Calm down Lieutenant" pressed Oraka, "We aren't dead yet."
Xalax breathed in, taking in the General's stern and firm voice "Yes sir."
"Good. Now, can someone give me an idea of why they aren't dead yet?'
"Sir, permission to speak freely?" replied Lieutenant Praxis
"Go ahead Lieutenant." said Oraka, nodding his head in approval toward the Lieutenant.
"Sir,I've noticed that our GARDIAN batteries aren't registering any misses. In fact, they all seem to be registering hits on designated targets."
"You mean to tell me, that those little fighters have shielding that can block directed energy attacks?!" snapped Oraka, his mandibles visibly twitching.
"Yes sir."
"Can they be worn down?'
" In theory, yes sir. I mean our own barriers eventually-"
"Then I want you to relay this to the rest of the fleet, reprogram those batteries to concentrate fire on one fighter than to move onto the next. Spirits willing, that will wear down their barriers, enough." said Oraka, pointing his talon at Praxis.
"Yes sir," said Praxis, his voice remaining cool and collected, "but it'll take some time for us to do so."
"Time is something we don't have!" snapped Oraka "Those little fighters could open fire at any minute now, so program at best speed. Lives are depending on this. "
"Aye sir."
As the young Lieutenant Praxis relayed his orders to the fleet, Oraka still felt that things would go his way. Yes, those barriers of theirs meant that they'll now take some damage, but surely it wasn't anything their barriers couldn't handle?
"Sir! The contacts from the field are moving to attack the Hoplon!"
"Tell the Hoplon and the Scipio to put themselves between the enemy contacts and the Silaris. We can't let those damn stubborn fools there die." his irritation at Captain T'Loni clear in his voice.
"Aye sir. Relaying Orders. Asteroid Contacts have left the field and are approaching the Hoplon in a wedge. Detecting energy spike coming from the Asteroid Contacts- what the- I'm reading some sort of high-energy pulses coming from the fighters! Hoplon reports severe damage to port engines. They're dead in the water!"
"How?" shouted Oraka, disbelief strong in his voice. "What happened? Are you telling me that these fighters have some sort of… directed energy weapon?
"Sir our sensors can't identify just what those fighters are firing! All we can tell is that its definitely some sort of energy "
"Spirits...' Oraka said bitterly, from a slightly more difficult battle to one where he would probably win at tremendous cost…
He knew he should've just blown up that spirits damned Artifact.
"General!" reported Lieutenant Galarn, joy clear in his voice, "the three contacts that were left outside the Silaris have gone and moved to engage the Asteroid Contacts."
"I want video of the three Alien contacts now!" Oraka demanded quickly.
"Relaying video feeds from both the Hoplon and the Scipio." replied Galarn, his optimism still clear in his voice." Video feed established."
And indeed, on screen, Oraka could see that the Aliens were opening fire on the ones coming from the Asteroid field. Perhaps-
"General! The Silaris is hailing us! Captain T'Loni wants to talk!"
"Put her up then!" snapped Oraka. That woman better have something to add to this situation...
"General! By the Goddess stop firing at the aliens we made first contact with!" T'Loni pleaded desperately, her face showing clear signs of desperation. " Their leader put his life in my hands for a while and I swear, that they aren't attacking us! Just watch the battle for evidence!"
Sure enough, as Oraka took a closer look at the footage they were receiving, he began to be convinced that the Aliens were… for the most part on their side.
In fact, the more he looked at the footage, the more he took note of some other things. Like how, despite the fact that the Hoplon and Scipio were wide open to attack, the Asteroid contacts didn't even bother to attack them once they noticed the Alien contacts. In fact, the more he watched their dogfight, the more he realized that the Asteroid contacts were flying very aggressively, taking risks in their manoeuvres that no clear thinking pilot would have performed, and yet just minutes ago, these same fighters were performing a well-coordinated attack on the Hoplon.
By the Spirits of Palaven, just what have they just walked into?
" Captain T'Loni is right!" he said as he ordered Lieutenant Praxis " Temporarily designate those Aliens as friendlies, concentrate GARDIAN batteries on one fighter at a time. I want the entire fleet moving to their position at flank speed!"
"Aye sir! Relaying orders!"
Spirits, he hoped things wouldn't get worse.
Right Outside the Silaris
Tau 30 system
Things had nearly gone completely tits up. The Mollies have done and interrupted the talks and only after a frighteningly close encounter with Thatch's pistol was he able to get the Aliens to stop shooting at his lads and ladies.
That still left him 10 Mollies to deal with, and from the looks of it, they were fresh out of Aranmore… and rather ready to die for the cause.
"Right lads! Form up! Thatch, give me a status report!"
"Well sir, me and the rest of the lads have been having this wonderfully sunny stroll under these laser batteries-" Thatch crackled on the radio.
"Who are giving us this wonderfully pleasant suntan. We're talking nob quality here Commander! We all really wished we could give one back. Suh" exclaimed White with just a little bit of irritation.
"All of this while you were in there, chatting up that wonderfully charming woman. Then, suddenly, all these batteries decided to go and give our Molly friends the suntan instead eh? Bout bloody time those Miners had something right go their way? Anywho, the rest of us are still pleasantly tanned after that, while the Good Doctor has gone to wait at the gate, just in case.
"I should punch the lot of you for that. Luckily I deserve that, so onwards and upwards lads! ' He said as he began to lead his wedge of fighters forward.
"Right lads, Me and Thatch will lead a couple of em close to those batteries, the rest of you, peel off, hide under the frigate to the port side of the one me and Thatch landed on, then when we emerge on the other side of the ships, I want you to give the buggers we're chasing merry hell. No mines! They might go and attach themselves to our alien friends, and we wouldn't want that now would we?" Perkins replied confidently, a cheeky smile forming on his face.
"Roger that sir! Moving to position!" replied his flight, eager to finally do something.
Now for the tough bit. Here, he was going to try and pull off a reverse Hood on them. He put his engine to maximum speed, and did a straight run at one of the Mollies, his sensors showing they managed to nick away most of his shields.
"Well that got their attention, " said Thatch as he formed up beside Perkins. "I think we got them quite angry sir."
"No kidding Thatch. You still have a full load of bots and batteries?" Perkins asked, it never hurt to be to double check the essentials, especially something as lifesaving as nanobots or shield batteries.
"Yes sir." Thatch eagerly replied..
"Good. God knows we'll need it. One more direct run, see if we can nick away more of their shielding, then run for the designated ship. As soon as we get above it, thrusters to the max."
"Got it sir. Godspeed to you." replied Thatch, his voice practically brimming with confidence.
"Our Lady of blessed acceleration, don't fail me now…" Perkins muttered to himself. This was a flight that would put his skills to the limit, and by God would he need as much speed as possible.
This was it, one more run, then hit it all the way back. Perkins made sure to make his shots as accurate as possible, nicking as many of the buggers shields, but there were too many and they were all starting to angrily concentrate fire on either him or Thatch.
"Now Thatch! Run for the frigate!" Perkins ordered, clearly putting his weight into his voice.
"Way ahead of you sir!" said Thatch as he made a beeline for the frigate he mentioned.
"Right, the rest of you lot better be under there! We're coming in hot!" Perkins shouted into the comms.
"We're ready sir, just pass over and we'll do the rest!" replied White, confident and eager for action. A little part of him wanted to switch places with White, but he shoved that aside. He and Thatch were here for a reason, and that was they were the best bloody pilots in the flight.
Perkins was getting really worried now. A good three of the 10 Mollies were locked onto him, and were depleting his shields at dangerously fast levels. The only reason why he and Thatch were able to survive so long in the first place was because the Mollies were running comparatively ramshackle Bloodhounds and Wolfhounds. His Crusader, while clumsy compared to some border world or even other military fighters, was significantly better engineered than those hunks they call ships.
'There goes the shield, deploying batteries!" he shouted into the comm as he let the disposable supercharged capacitors fuel the shield array once more. Just a thousand more meters, and he'll make it to the Frigate where hopefully those laser batteries will do some good.
"They nicked my port wing sir! I've lost half my armaments!" declared Thatch, a little bit of panic in his voice.
"Hold on Thatch! You still have some bots and batteries! Just a bit longer!" Perkins cried out into the comms, worry very much breaking his normally rather calm and collected voice.
"Doing my best sir. These buggers are damned good shots!" Thatch replied, panic creeping into his voice.
Damn it, Perkins hasn't lost a man yet, and he'll be damned if he'll let Thatch be his first loss.
"Damn it" shouted Perkins to himself. "Thatch, enter cruise and dock with the ship we did so earlier. I'll cover you."
"But sir-"
"Goddamn it Thatch!" screamed Perkins" That's a goddamn order you better follow! I'll be damned if I lose a man under my command that isn't me. I'll buy you some time then finish the plan. Now go!" Perkins ordered, putting as much firmness as he could into this command.
As Thatch's Cruise Engines activated, he left one brief message, regret strong in his voice. "Give 'em hell sir."
"Thatch, I do expect you and the lads to pay for drinks back on the bar after all this." Perkins replied, his voice grim and heavy with the very real possibility that he'll die.
"Of Course sir." said Thatch, more of the regret showing in his voice.
Goddamn it. This was supposed to be a simple mission! This was supposed to be a mission where he would have some form of preparation but noooo. Bloody first contact happened and now things were absolutely going tits up.
"Okay Perkins." he muttered to himself " You've survived these bloody miners before. You've just got to strike fast and then gun it back to the bloody ship. " he said, trying to convince himself that for once in this mission, things will go according to plan, which as far as he was concerned in this situation, was to come out alive.
He launched his full arsenal of particle cannons at one of the Molly ships, this time, actually managing to do some severe damage, and then he pulled back towards the frigate, trying as much as possible to make it hard for the Mollies to get a lock on him.
900 meters to the bloody thing, and his shields get dangerously low
500 meters and he loses his shields, he manages to recharge them, but they were his last batteries.
100 meters, his shields go, and he's down to his nanorepairbots. Luckily the alien batteries start to pick the Mollies off a bit, his scanner now reading 8 instead of 10.
Halfway across the ship, and the Mollies are down to a very manageable 6 , his nanobots still finding the damage he was taking quite manageable.
As Perkins screamed right across the frigate, he could hear his flight's shouts of glee on the comms at him having made it, he couldn't help but wonder just what kind of luck he possessed.
"Damn sir! You made it! We manage to nail another three as they went over us. The rest of them seem to be making for the jumphole again. Should we engage?" White replied, his voice clear with both a desire for vengeance and at the same time, a little bit of tiredness.
"No Lieutenant White. Stand down." ordered Perkins, his voice a little distant. He still had trouble believing he was alive." We'll rest and wait here for the Stirling to come. Goddamn do I wish Lord Barstow would get here soon. "
"Well, sir, at the very least we made sure the aliens don't see us as a threat." White exclaimed rather confidently.
"I'm not too sure about that Lieutenant. I'm not too sure about that at all…" said Perkins as he stared into the damaged Frigate, its port engines clearly on fire…