+++ Jonathan Jones +++

Lubola System

Fuck…this doesn’t look good.

A barrage of incoming torpedoes greeted our advance, speeding up at relativistic velocities that we almost failed to dodge. Of course, we didn’t get close, we only went in close enough to allow our weapons to get in range, around a thousand kilometers away. Their frigates were faster, and earlier we engaged them at shorter distances (around two hundred kilometers) which was practically knife-fighting distance in space. Still, considering that they had a light cruiser that packed with it some heavier armaments, this was pretty damned close.

One after another, our point-defense mounts swatted the incoming projectiles, as the Photon Lance of the Shine opened up. Target analysis showed that they had already begun to raise their shields, while their frigates that retreated earlier reformed with their formation to resume the fight. Another barrage of their missiles came in, with almost five of them passing through our point-defense curtain, slamming straight into the Jukebox’s shields and raising the reactor heat capacity to a nasty twenty-five percent.

Fuck. I just vented. I wiped the sweat on my forehead. Was this really how combat in this damned corvette-sized ship went? Quite literally, you would feel the heat of battle. I suppose this was why only the most crazed lunatics crewed anything smaller destroyer-sized hull. It was crazy fast, maneuverable, unprotected, and it overheats fast. Perfect for those asking for an exciting, and very early demise.

“Alright SYS, do you have any recommendations?” I pulled the stick back, as another hail of railgun slugs almost clipped us. “I’d really appreciate one because I’m running out of ideas.”

“The unit from VSS Shine has transmitted a tactical plan.” It paused, as it marked three vessels on their formation. Two of them were their remaining frigates, but the last one was the Puncher-Class Destroyer present in their fleet. Unlike the rest of this pirate flotilla, this seemed to be in good condition, its main gun being a turret that housed a dual-barrelled railgun amidship. It had been acting as their main fire support since the battle started, alongside their Vanguard-Class, which had been keeping its distance from us since the battle started.

Quite frankly, I expected them to go in and CQC us like the pirates they were, until I remembered that pirates had brains, unlike Communards who burned in forward for “defensive” ramming maneuvers, packed with IEDs. Think I’m joking? I swear, I saw it already once. Hesperia, FEG held colony, just five weeks ago when I stopped there for a supply run. Three of their frigates went in for a FEG battlecruiser, stocked with anti-matter IEDs. The folks planetside must have had quite the nice view down below from that one.

Thought to be fair, we aren’t a massive lumbering mass of a hull. I mean, could you really do that to a frigate or a corvette? On second thought, I don’t want to find out.

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“The VSS Glisten will attempt to distract the rest. The unit from the VSS Shine believes that we both can take these three out in order to trim their numbers.”

“Split them and defeat them in detail?” I laughed. “Does that plan even have a chance? The first rule of plans like that requires at least some parity in numbers, does it not?”

“If we fail, then we bought her enough time. That was the VSS Shine’s response to your query.”

“Can you ask them if they have an idea of what is happening to her?”

“I asked. Negative, they have no idea.”

“Great. Alright SYS, we’re going in with VSS Shine’s plan. Charge forward, split them, and kill them.” I pushed the control sticks forward, as SYS ordered NAV to push the Jukebox’s thrusters at a full burn. “Should be quite easy.”

“Negative. Chance of success is approximately twenty-eight percent.” SYS interrupted, and I groaned.

“Can you at least let me sound cool for even a moment?”

“Acknowledged.”

“Thank you.” And great. Even my last monologue sounded lame and pathetic because of that. Thanks, SYS. Very reliable. I felt honored that I would be going down with this good boy. SCs well spent indeed. No regrets, ten out of ten would buy again.

The Jukebox and the Shine pushed forward, and I watched as its Photon Lance fired again and again while we pushed on, slowing them down and forcing them back, as they kept their shields raised. I noticed that the Shine was also taking more potshots at the enemy destroyer. Most likely, the drone ship was attempting to drive their overheating reactor to the edge, bit by bit.

In the distance, the VSS Glisten parried alone against a hail of railgun slugs and missiles, all while keeping its shields up. Even from far away, our sensors could see that it was doing its best, keeping the rest of the pirate flotilla’s attention on it, as we engaged this one. Due to our initial positioning, where we split off our formations before charging, the enemy, expectedly, also split into two. At around two hundred kilometers, once more, I ordered SYS to open up the Licht PD Lasers.

“Target that damned Spearhead-Class!” I ordered. “Full power, the VSS Shine is about to down its shields.”

“On it.”

Another beam from the Shine, and the enemy Spearhead-Class Frigate was overheated, its reactors finally shutting down to prevent a catastrophic failure. Immediately, I took the opening and lunged forward, the Licht PD Lasers chipping away at its hull and armor. SYS’ targeting was impeccable, as each red hot beam sliced through my target’s hull before it turned dead.

[ISS Jersey disabled!]

I ignored the Fed-System notification that appeared in my vision. I should probably get used to it anyway. Considering that I was now a true spacer, it was inevitable. Still, it surely still was weird. In many worlds, being subjected to the Fed-System’s influence was almost a death sentence, as authorities rampantly investigated the phenomenon if you weren't a noble. And by investigate, I meant it could be invasive.

Still, I could at least find solace in the fact that its effects on me weren’t as wacky as the ones I heard about. Borderline magic, special powers…well, not like those individuals last very long either way. Practically all governments crack down on it. Except again if they were a part of the nobility…

Back to the battle, the enemy Puncher-Class Destroyer took the turn to push like a maniac. One after another, it unleashed railgun slugs at my ship’s face, as I opened up the emergency frontal thrusters to retreat to safety. Luckily, the Shine gave a very good covering fire, as it fired its Photon Lance again at the enemy destroyer. The earlier shots must have heated its reactor enough, and it backed off instead of pursuing my ship.

“Reactor heat capacity now at eighty-eight percent. Commencing emergency cooling is advised.”

“I know SYS, that’s why we’re backing off.” It was really damn hot as if I was already burning in a sauna. Not even the insulation of the ship was working well, as I could already see sparks and “emergency shutdowns” on some of the computer screens. Hell, I could even feel the heat on the control sticks that I held. “Alright, commence venting. Cool down this damned ship.”

For nearly eight seconds, I could hear the emergency coolants fill much of the ship before it was cycled out and vented. I always wondered what material it really was, but I had not seen a single man who knew what it was at any shipyard I went into. Apparently, these coolants were produced with a copy-protected Federation-era process, which they plug into the appropriate autofabricators.

Quite fascinating…the fact that it could cool down an entire ship within a few seconds of deployment from its extremely compressed state…and also quite fascinating that its damned creators gave such an extremely secure and rigid copy protection for it. Absolute wankers indeed. And people would say that Stable Dynamics was the worst. Well, those other companies three or four centuries ago certainly didn’t help, now did they?

The VSS Shine continued its rampaging against the shields of the enemy Puncher-Class. However, disaster struck. In the distance, the VSS Glisten charged forward, as nearly a dozen missiles and two torpedoes were launched from it. It slammed both at the enemy converted freighter and their last Bungaloo-Class Frigate, all while the two unguided torpedoes somehow slammed into the shields of their Vanguard-Class. It seemed that the VSS Glisten went into a final hail mary, and I watched as it took two of their ships with it.

[ISS Vagrant disabled!]

[ISS Covenant disabled!]

[VSS Glisten destroyed!]

“Well…shit. Now we’re really fucked.” Well, if that wasn’t some Communard type of suicidal attack. Salute to the VSS Glisten, I didn’t know the ship AI onboard it, but damn, whoever it was, it was a good one. “But…” I smirked. “At least now it’s down to two versus two.”

“Negative. A hostile cruiser is still a cruiser. Chances of victory are rated at eight percent. No hope.”

“You’re too logical.” I pushed off the thoughts of the continued impossibility of this fight, as the enemy Puncher-Class backed off enough to vent. Superheated gasses blasted out of its vents, and comically, to be honest, it always seemed like space combat always had ships almost farting when they vent. Fight then fart…or fart heat, but, the idea was still comical nonetheless.

Just at the same time, the VSS Shine vented beside us, most likely since the earlier hits from them took a toll on its reactor as well. And since I noticed that it was moving faster than normal, I could assume that it had also turned off its safeties. That, and the Photon Lance required copious amounts of energy to operate. I could imagine that the constant firing and taking of hits would also take its toll on this high-tech frigate. No matter how efficient its shields or powerplants were. It would simply be an inevitability.

Alright…here we go.

Once again, the two of us lunged forward, as their Vanguard-Class finally engaged its thrusters at full burn, almost catching up rapidly to the enemy Puncher-Class. Immediately, the hail of incoming missiles and railgun slugs rained on both of us. The VSS Shine dodged it as best as it could, as its shields finally opened. As for me, I didn’t raise it yet, as the enemy’s slugs went left and right. I wanted to preserve the state of my reactor, and I wouldn’t put pressure on it yet if I could.

Especially when my ship’s Licht PD Lasers were on full overdrive, swatting missiles left and right. While it happened, the VSS Shine fired off three consecutive beams from its Photon Lance in a span of sixteen seconds. In that time, the enemy Puncher-Class finally relented and lowered its shields from the pressure, allowing the fourth beam from the VSS Shine to clip through its armor, but it held on, albeit it seemed to have pierced through its engine control systems, as its thrusters went dead.

I pressed on, dodging the fire that rained from their Vanguard-Class. I closed in at fifty kilometers, and immediately, the Licht PD Lasers opened up. Normally, it only had a range of forty kilometers on its anti-missile and anti-fighter point defense operations. But due to SYS’ interventions, I had no problems using it for hundreds of kilometers much like a normal anti-ship laser. But, when I fired it, one of the turrets detonated due to a malfunction. I was pushing everything too hard.

But then it worked. One after another, the Jukebox’s lasers sliced through the enemy destroyer in front of me. Each slice first burned through its armor platings, then, it started going through its hull. Secondary detonations appeared one after another, and just then, the VSS Shine’s Photon Lance opened up, slicing the enemy destroyer in half as my earlier attacks already burned through its armor plating.

[ISS Bucketlist destroyed!]

And just then, I came face to face with the true enemy. A hail of heavy autocannons and flak filled the void around the Jukebox, and I tried my best to dodge it one after another. The enemy cruiser’s missile pods on its port and starboard side then opened up, and I watched as a swarm of what could be two dozen small missiles, most likely for anti-fighter purposes, rained toward my direction.

“SYS! Do everything to defend against that! Screw the reactor! We’re burning away!”

“Acknowledged.”

I gave everything I had. I just hope that it would all be worth it in the end. Whether I lived to see it or not. The Licht PD Lasers did everything, swatting the missiles hot on my tail. Five railgun slugs then slammed straight on the Jukebox’s shields, and the entire CIC turned red as alarm lights blared.

“Reactor heat capacity now at ninety-eight percent!” SYS blared out. “Reactor commencing emergency shutdown in five…”

Three more missiles slammed at my ship.

“Four…”

And another two.

“Three…”

“Two…

“One…”

Everything powered down, and the last thing I heard was the multiple slams of the missiles on my ship’s armor platings. I gasped for my last breath, but alas…everything turned black.