The Hegemony fleet circled around the massive repair yard at top speed from multiple angles, and fired their broadside weapons straight into the various targets the yard present. And they spared no expense in obliterating whatever they could, with whatever weapons they had.
Structures and ships and drones and goods were torn apart with vicious ferocity.
Not that the Federation took any of it lying down. Although the cruiser and the destroyers that were being repaired were instantly neutralized, there were still plenty in the space all around. There was still one of the cruisers, eight of its destroyers, and 40 of its frigates in perfect working order.
Most of them spun and rolled in place as they counter-fired on the Hegemony fleet that was bombarding them on all sides. Their broadside guns tracked their targets qui
Every turret on the top deck of the carrier shifted and swiveled and adjusted as they tracked the many incoming enemy targets. Many pilots and gunners gripped their controls tightly as they anticipated the initial barrage.And once their targeting intelligences beeped in alert, squeezed their triggers.Almost all of the mecha’s guns fired at the same time, and flung countless shells and slugs and sabot rounds up and out at the Federation fleet. The force of the combined blast was so powerful that the entire carrier was pushed downward.That was even in spite of their bottom thrusters flaring out to absorb the massive recoil.Most of the rounds they fired were concentrated on the incoming cruisers - all knew that eliminating them quickly was the only way they could
The Corvus Republic ported in with a blinding flash of light at the Sorellus port beacon, along with numerous others all around. Like them, there were all manner of combat ships porting into the area, ready to help defend the planet, and the 5th Fleet.Besides the Republic, there were a couple of cruisers, a handful of destroyers, and more than a dozen frigates. They were accompanied by a healthy swarm of fighters and mecha - though they numbered less than a hundred total.In comparison to the massive fleet a few kilometers in front of them, they were pitiful.Some in the ragtag fleet were filled with raw fear as they saw the Federation’s numbers. They practically died on the spot when the third wave arrived at the front lines, and joined the rest of the ships assaulting the carrier.
“Am I actually hearing what I’m hearing?” Lucifer said with incredulity. “Better them than us, huh? How ruthless of you.”“Well, it’s like you sometimes say,” Freya replied, “that’s just how we have to be.”“That might be true, sure. But I’m also not always right.”This time it was Freya’s turn to raise an eyebrow.“Hold on, is that humility coming from your lips?” she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.But Lucifer balked slightly. Being called humble was something ze didn’t enjoy. At all.“Practicality is more like it,” ze replied quickly. “No-
The flanking Hegemony fleet moved and swayed and swirled around the Federation ships they surrounded, and kept them contained as they maneuvered all around.And though they exchanged weapons fire against each other with equal ferocity, the fact that the Federation ships were squeezed together and bunched up meant they took far more damage than they needed to.Shots that missed their intended target often ended up hitting whatever was behind them.The Federation ships struggled to push themselves out of the envelopment - no matter where the fleet maneuvered, Lucifer ensured that they were clamped down tightly. Ze punished them hard with concentrated fire every time they attempted to push out, and kept them in their place.Every ship in the Federati
With dull orange lights and blazing klaxons, the bridge of the Federation cruiser was as panicked and awe-stricken as the rest of the intercepting fleet. Its grim-looking captain was aghast at all the reports he was receiving, and all the devastation he was seeing.All of the Federation ships around him were dismantled piecemeal by the enveloping Hegemony fleet - their armor was ripped apart, their guns were torn off, and their systems grew dimmer. Frigates and destroyers were exploding all around, even as the cruisers grew ever more fragile.He watched on the live feeds as a number of dead and dying frigates crashed into the cruiser next to them, and tore its armor open even wider.Alerts kept on blaring on comms as the various captains frantically reported their dire situations - many cut to black as their ships e
The cruiser’s bridge was now almost completely dark, with only a few deep red lights shining in the corners. There was just enough to outline everyone’s edges, but not much more. Every screen all around was completely blacked out and filled with the same error message, from the various wall screens to the technician terminals.Even the captain’s chair’s screens were filled with the error.—Authority Removed—“What in the nine hells is going on?” the captain cried out. “Can anyone explain what’s happening here?”“No idea, sir,” replied one of his techs.&ldq
The gargantuan thrusters on the 5th Fleet’s carrier flared out to the maximum as the entire ship flipped over along its length. Its top deck had been all but thoroughly torn apart, and every millimeter of its thick armor had been completely shredded.All of its emplacements and turrets had been reduced to useless scrap, along with all of the mecha and defense drones scattered on its surface.Almost nothing was left of the forces on that side, and so as promised, the admiral rotated it out. He showed the Federation the hangars they had previously busted, then flipped to the bottom side of the carrier.Absolute glee filled him as the hundreds of the fresh mecha and turrets peppered the Federation with their weapons fire the moment they were able.Cannon shells
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.– Revelations 6:8The 5th Hegemony Fleet, or what was left of it, flashed into the Rylaren Gamede system with a bright flash. They were joined by the remaining mercenary fleet, evacuee ships, and whoever else they could get out of Conflict Sector 2.With them was every member of the Corvus Republic, along with the Federation cruiser and crew they had captured.In the space surrounding the beleaguered fleet were tens of thousands of ships of all sizes, from battleships all the way down to fighters and mecha. Though most were cru