XxX-XxX-XxX
Official Supporters:
Obsessive Readers, Laurel
Compulsive Reader, The Impossible Muffin
Commissioner, Gib, Death Daddy, Le Spork, Polemoduke
If you want to be on the Supporter list, PM me for details or join our private server for details. Hope you enjoy reading my stories, please leave me a comment to let me know if you did, or where I can improve. Link here, where able to be seen : /2UZncAm
Second link here, remove ( and ) and it SHOULD work : D(i) (slash)kfhkfUb
Beta(s) :
XxX-XxX-XxX
Requested By :
Espacole and Spork
XxX-XxX-XxX
Admiral Strange watched the last of the primary defense fleet around Tanith break apart, Eezo sparking and blasting away segments of hull while others simply came apart as depressurization crippled the connecting points for the decks and they came apart. He waited a few moments to make sure the Geth and the Batarians didn't have anything else in store and then sighed and eased back into his seat. A simple button input brought up a feed of communications and signal receptions from what was left of his fleet, and he skimmed it with a frown.
"Have the Saratoga and Nightingale withdraw." He ordered, tagging them as damaged. Their engines had taken missile strikes and, unfortunately, that meant they were less than useful with the mode of combat the Forty-Eighth operated on. "All other vessels, move to search and rescue patterns. The Batarians may not respect the laws of war but we do."
A chorus of confirmations clicked across the comm-lines and he turned away from it, sighing tiredly.
"Sir, ships coming onto scanning range."
"The Turians?" He hummed, lips thinning. "No. We're not expecting them for a couple hours yet at best…"
"Negative." His comms officer answered, "Saratoga detected them as she and Nightingale withdrew. Unknown ship pattern identified. Transmitting analogues now."
"Right." He nodded, "Key in the Normandy as well. Their databases may have information we lack."
"Yes, Admiral."
Moments later, his datapad lit up with a LADAR scan of the target. It was bulbous and long, pitted by metal and lined one either side by blocky cargo-analogue bolt-ons. Or he presumed they were, since the basic scan posited that they were made of a different material compared to the other metal protrusions. And, in its core, there was a large sort of… Pit, ringed by concentric circles on metal that, according to the scans, were beginning to spin.
"No." He blinked, remembering the classified report he'd read two years ago. "That was supposed to be destroyed…"
"Sir?"
"Pull the Saratoga and Nightingale back." He ordered, flicking his fingers across his personal command inputs along his seat. Combat alert broadcasts were sent out across his fleet immediately and he leaned forward as two more ships appeared on the RADAR/LADAR display once more projected for combat operations. "Readings on the two new vessels?"
"Batarian vessels, heavy cruiser class." His monitoring officer reported instantly, "Sir, Normandy is pinging us with information. The incoming vessel is-"
"Another Collector ship…" He nodded, watching the two already wounded ships he'd separated from his formation turn and try to withdraw. But, with their manoeuvring down, they were rapidly falling behind as his fleet pulled away and reformed.
"Sir, Saratoga is reporting a cascade failure in its primary drive." One of his second officers called out, "Nightingale requesting support to evacuate it and pull away."
"Normandy information dictates ten minutes at current speed before Collector vessel enters firing range." His monitoring officer added, "Smaller signatures emerging from all three vessels. Strike craft, most likely."
"Point defense?"
"Damaged from the fighting, but operating at ninety percent." She reported, "Kinetic Barriers already coming up to full across the fleet, aside from the Nightingale. Her port side is suffering power failures, and is unable to maintain above thirty percent."
Meaning that even if they held the Collector vessel back, the Nightingale would neer survive the escape attempt. Not without him putting his entire fleet between it and the enemy reinforcements, at least. Which was not an exchange he could make.
"Nightingale and Saratoga are ordered to attempt withdrawal." He finally said, punching coordinates into his personal command system and frowning deeply at what he knew would come next. "All remaining vessels, withdraw to designated Alpha point. Staggered line, spaced deployment. Bring the Normandy back around to target the Batarian heavy ships."
"But, Sir, the-"
"I know." He sighed, flicking the comms officer a look when she turned to him. "These are my orders."
She nodded and turned away without another word and he sighed and watched the two doomed ships steadily recede as they tried to escape, and his own force withdrew to reform. All while he kept a wary eye on the numerous hazard zones projected out by Tanith's ground-based artillery.
XxX-XxX-XxX
"Joker, your heart rate is-"
"He's leaving them to die!" Joker snapped at the AI, gritting his teeth as he watched the Batarian heavy cruisers moving to engage the crippled Alliance ships. "And that's another god damn-"
"We all knew that they were going to have more than one." Shepard's voice broke across the comms, calm as ever, although Joker could hear the faintest edge to the words. Knowing her as well as he did, he knew that meant she was furious. But, as always, she was just infuriatingly professional enough to keep a leash on it. Ignoring Joker's growl, she asked, "EDI, analysis?"
"It's engine signature is nearly identical to the prior contact." She reported smoothly, "However, there are differences. Further, the hull profile is altogether different. Which confirms the Collectors possess several ships."
"Joy…" Joker grunted, "Whatever. The Thanix is built for this."
"Indeed." EDI hummed, "Commander, I anticipate fifteen minutes before contact as things are. However, I recommend we move to engage directly, ahead of contact."
"Reasoning?"
"The Collectors will likely target the Saratoga and Nightingale." She explained simply, "We can engage them while they are distracted by utilizing our stealth systems. Cerberus would also like you to test a theoretical - that being that if the Thanix fires down the main artillery system of the Collector vessel it will inflict critical damage."
"Survivability?"
"Eighty percent."
"Hmph." Shepard hummed, thinking for a few long, quiet moments where Joker hoped she wouldn't go against the idea. Finally, she asked, "Joker?"
"I can make the shot." He answered, flicking up a basic LADAR readout from the Admiral's sensors when EDI pinged it to him. It was a narrow targeting zone, barely fifty feet in diameter at the end of a long tunnel that would force him in front of the guns to even try for, but… "I got this, Commander. Transmitting combat manouever plans to Rear Admiral Strange."
"Understood." Shepard answered, "I'm going to recall the Kodiak and move to target more ground-based cannons. EDI, designate targets."
"Calculating." She answered, "I will relay it to you once targeting data is gathered."
"Understood." Shepard nodded, "Shepard, out."
Joker waited a moment after the call ended before he flicked EDI's little holodisplay a look, smiled a bit, and said, "EDI… Thanks."
"For?"
"My legs are the only things that don't work so well, EDI." He chuckled, shaking his head as he watched the communique readout and the long-range scanners both, waiting for Strange's response. Talking low enough the Cerberus officers scrambling in the supplementary conn behind him would never hear, he said, "You didn't suggest this idea until after you saw I was pissed about leaving them behind."
"Yes, well…" She paused a moment, but he knew by now that a moment for her was minutes of thought for him, before she finally admitted, "I suppose I was… Less than eager to leave them behind as well."
"Uh huh…"
"And I do not like seeing you upset." She added quietly, lingering on the thought for less than a second before she added with an almost audible smirk. "And Chakwas has requested that I monitor and attempt to maintain your blood pressure around a healthier norm."
"Hah." He snorted, "Good luck with that…"
"Indeed. You are… Quite a challenge, for a meat bag." EDI sighed, like a suffering parent of some kind. He blinked and turned, slowly, to her display again. And, after a heartbeat, she said, "That was a joke, Joker."
"...You're not allowed to watch Star Wars anymore."
"Good luck stopping me." EDI quipped brightly, before an alert came across Joker's display. Back to form, she reported, "Rear Admiral Strange is reorganising his formation layout and moving forward. Tying you into the Rear Admiral's combat communication feed directly, per his request."
"Got it." A few moments passed as he angled the Normandy on an intercept course, right in the center rear of the formation, before he saw the comm-alert pop up to signal a stable feed. "Rear Admiral, this is Joker, responding to communications request. You saw our plans?"
"We did." He answered, sounding… Relieved, somehow. "I'm dedicating several of my Kowloon class ships to protect the wounded vessels. The rest are arraying themselves according to your combat VI's projections."
"Understood." True to the man's words, four of the already small fleet's designation IFFs lit up in yellow and moved on the projection to stand in front of the wounded ships, who were themselves turning to move to meet them, now. The rest of the Alliance ships, though, stayed in a tight formation and moved forward, shielding the Normandy and the Admiral's ship until they were close enough for the Collectors to fire. That was where Joker pinged the plan and said, "Here is where we will engage stealth and break formation."
"What about visuaal feeds?"
"Batarians suck at seeing things. Which, ya know, ironic." Joker snorted, "But our ECM systems are on, too. They'll fire, but we should duck it. The only real worry is-"
"The Collector vessel." The Admiral hummed understandingly, "Very well. Rear Admiral Strange acknowledging. My fleet is yours for contact."
"Thank you, Rear Admiral." He nodded, "I appreciate the good faith."
"Just make it worthwhile, Cerberus." He grunted lowly, cutting the line before Joker could respond.
"Well, he's cheery…"
"In fairness, this is the first operation between the Alliance and Cerberus since the black-ops breakaway that, in part, founded it as it is." EDI noted simply, "His anxiety about trusting his entire fleet to our plan is… Logical."
The next fifteen minutes passed in a flurry as the ships moved to meet the Batarian reinforcements and they, in turn, spread out and launched strike craft. There were only two dozen of them, and Batarian fighters were well-known trash. But the torpedoes they carried weren't, which was why he toggled the GARDIAN into over-active mode and logged it for maintenance later. OA mode would overheat it and damage the cooling systems, but it'd also make damn sure nothing scratched the paint - and EDI could manually redesignate strike craft as targets, too, if they didn't fire on the Normandy.
Which was just a win all around.
Finally, EDI spoke, "Collector vessel is charging primary weapon."
"Got it." Joker nodded, "Moving now. EDI, watch the heat gauge."
"Understood." She acknowledged, "Five minutes at full thrust, before our heat dampeners begin to leak into the ship."
"Keep an eye on it." He nodded, "Only thing I want broiling on my ship is Gardner's meatloaf surprise!"
As planned, he kicked the engines to full blast - as much as he could with the stealth programs running, at least - and pulled up and away from the fleet. Sensors couldn't detect them but EDI pinged the Collectors adjusting aim anyways. Tracking them. Whether because they could see him or, since the Collectors tended to utilize sensors, not visuals, the Batarians were relaying tracking, Joker didn't know. And couldn't, either. Not that it mattered, really.
"Enemy fire in-"
"Seven seconds, I know." Joker nodded, "EDI, when they fire, kill stealth and put full thrust into the port engines, and fire manuevering thrusters along the same side."
"Acknowledged." She answered, "Diverting auxiliary power to inertial- Brace, Joker."
As soon as the words left her 'mouth', Joker felt the entire ship jerk to the side and accelerate faster and harder at too sharp an angle even for their systems to compensate. He felt two of his ribes break as he slid into the arm of his chair and hissed, ignoring the pain while he maintained control and kept the direction of the ship head-on for the trajectory he needed. The sudden acceleration, and its imbalance, rocketed them off at an angle and set them spinning, the manoeuvring thrusters spilling heat out to blow up their sensor signature. It was an inversion of their normal modus operandi, of course, but…
It would be playing hell with their targeting, especially if the Batarians were relaying targeting information.
Even so, the Collectors fired…
"Come on…" He grunted, watching the vid-feed of the shot coming in when EDI popped it up for him. He had the readouts around it to track it, too, just in case, but… Sometimes, he just needed to see it. "EDI, cut the engine over-rides… Now!"
Just as quickly as they'd shot forward, the extra power died and he fired the reverse thrusters, slowing them and yanking the nose around just as the particle lance reached them. Then he angled down and to the side, circling around it as the Collectors tried to adjust and bring their lance to bear. Finally, the shot ended and he shot straight for the Collector warship while the long distance sensors monitored a second energy build up.
As expected, the batarians moved to defend their ally, the heavy cruisers turning in protectively like arms coming in to protect a body while the fighters shot forward. He ignored them, mostly, letting the GARDIAN pick off the torpedoes coming in and twisting and turning as EDI threw up trajectory alerts from torpedoes she couldn't quite get. Then came the fighters themselves, trying to harass him with light concussive bombs and mass accelerator fire, bunching up to confuse his sensors. Or try to, anyways.
The pulse-guns blew a path threw and warded them away just as the second shot from the Collector ship ripped through space and he spun, just barely scraping by. So close, in fact, that the kinetic barrier all along the stomach of the ship lit up in alarms as the heat alone burned at it.
But he was right on target and smiled as the Thanix's fire indicator warmed up.
"Hope you're hungry, fellas…" He smiled, punching the release button, "Because I have something spicy for you! Special delivery, no tip needed!"
The shot lanced out in a globule of super-heated fluids as he turned and backed away, curving around a Batarian ship. The shot hit home, or close enough, Joker assumed, because as the Alliance fleet reached firing range the Collector vessel lit up on thermals. It was like watching water boil, almost, with little bubbles forming at the center and then expanding quickly until-
"Whoa!" Joker laughed, watching the energy cascade rip out of the starboard decks and rip it apart all along that side, bathing the Batarian ship on that flank in super-heated fluids that overloaded its barriers and ripped it apart in turn. As its Eezo overheated and its core went off, Joker pulled away to dodge any shrapnel and laughed, "Well, EDI, I think you can log that as a successful test."
"Technically, without a visual, I cannot confirm the success." She remarked dryly, "Luckily, the Collectors seem to have more than enough ships to supply us with more… Samples."
"Hah!" He smiled, keying a line to the Rear Admiral and laughing, "Sir, I'm leaving that last one to you, unless you have any complaints. I'm going to pull back to help your wounded girls back there, if I'm able."
"Acknowledged, Normandy." The man's aide answered, "And good shooting."
XxX-XxX-XxX