You take any kind of measure you can get when this much was at stake.
He also found himself with only two cruisers pounding on one ISD, and in that moment his gaze sharpened and his mind quickened. It was going to take all he'd got to get out of this battle alive.
The defenders were in two rough groups, standing point on the two main hyperroutes in and out of system. The plan had been to attack each pair with three cruisers, pound the ISD by surprise before they'd raised their shields, disable her, and then it would be three on one against the remaining. Simple.
Except it hadn't worked out that way.
In the second that it took him to assess this new battle dynamic he realized that he had a second disaster on hand, in that the ISD the four of his were hitting had already raised her shield before they'd begun to fire. They weren't likely to disable her before the second ISD over there joined the fray, and that would be more equal odds.
He'd give alot for more equal odds over here. Two ISDs versus two Flamberge cruisers, and the second ISD had a smart captain and was moving this way without much delay.
At least the Dreadnought's hyperstrike had been successful. He could see flame gouting from the hangar decks of both target ships. And since they knew they couldn't tangle with fighters at the same time as their motherships, all half dozen of his strike force had been pounding the hangars of their target ships from the first moment they'd appeared to make the raid, completely shutting down all four's ability to launch TIEs, in theory.
His two had succeeded in damaging their ISD's bay before their captain pivoted his ship on its axis and got his belly out of their arc of fire. They'd caused a few fires and power fluctuations before he did so, and TIEs were delicate craft. They couldn't launch in those type of conditions. It was too distant, too many ships in the way, to see how the four were doing on theirs. But if they weren't doing well they may have a half dozen fighter squadrons to play with real soon here. Fun, fun, fun.
Now the second ISD was coming up fast, and it was about to become a cruiser on Star Destroyer death match. "Okay, give the order to the Naginata. We'll stay on Imperial A, and they get B just coming up on us. Tell 'em to maneuver dead astern of their target and stay there. That's an ISD's weakest weapon arc, and they've got the speed to do it if they're cautious."
He looked over to where his four were tangling with Imperial C. At least D was taking her sweet time getting her act together and joining the party.
His eyes spied his Dreadnought, hanging out with the cargo ships and playing guard on them - though the sheep didn't know it was a wolf, not a dog. He could call that ship to his aid if he needed it, but that could give the idea to that glistening herd and they'd run every which way. They'd all get away. There's no way he'd catch em.
Just then the depot station launched a hyperspace message pod. It jumped even before he could draw breath to order guns to draw a bead on it. He hadn't thought anybody on a supply station could have reflexes that quick, to load and fire a pod that fast.
That was it, word had escaped.
Another Impstar appeared in system with four small ships beside her.
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(Posted Thu, 15 Apr 2004 01:47)
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