Re: Experimental Fate - Vandread
Outside the ship, the space pirates' eight fighter crafts were circling the Ikazuchi, using the debris from wreck satellites, asteroids and the destroyed escort ships as cover. Their heist was going off without a hitch. The entire Tarak space fleet was scattered around the whole planet evenly while the target of the week was isolated with only two small cruisers for protection, which they easily overpowered. All they needed now was a way into the enemy flag ship to relieve the crew of it.
"These energy shields are really useful," said Jura in her resonating and melodic voice, "I'm so glad we got them working." She had insisted on a custom design for her ruby red painted fighter craft, having a few extra generators so that she would never had to worry about her beautiful craft getting marred or damaged again.
"Don't get cocky, Jura," replied Meia, their aloof flight leader. "These shields are not impenetrable. Break off if you take a hit. Let them recharge." Her own craft kept the spartan colours of the Majere's military, however she had it retrofitted with slightly larger engines, designed for high speed aerial acrobatics.
"I know, I know. You briefed us for ever on how to use them," Jura retorted. Her flight leader's stoicism was getting on her nerves.
"I'm having trouble finding that last fighter, Meia," came the bright voice of Dita, another pilot. Her retrofitted sapphire craft had a sinister paint job that was at complete odds with her personality and intention.
"Don't worry, I just spotted it." Barnette, the fourth member of the pirate fighter squadrons flying the standard chrome Majere military space fighter. She fired off a barrage of missiles, destroying a small ugly craft that they had been chasing. "That's the last of the escort's fighters. Man these things are shoddy."
"Not quite the last one," Meia corrected, noting a new blip on her radar screen. "I'm detecting another target, slightly smaller than their usual fighter. It just came out of the flag ship. I'm not getting any information on it. It must that new Vanguard fighter that we've been hearing about."
"Just one? That's pretty arrogant, considering the damage we've done without taking any in return," Jura said in a haughty tone, as if taunting the Tarak forces.
"Follow my lead, but don't let your guard down." Meia veered her craft around a piece of debris from a cruiser, exposing her self to the weapon batteries firing from the Ikazuchi, her wing mates right behind her. "The hanger that fighter came out of is out ticket inside."
As Meia sped her ship towards the new battle attendee, her ship's weapon system automatically began locking missile targeting information. She unloaded a battery of super heated particles at the target with the forward mounted canons. She had a small moment of satisfaction when the volley connected with her target, which went away when her sensors didn't indicated any change in the target's velocity or mass. The missile guidance system indicated a successful target lock, and she fired a pair of missiles, which sped off ahead of her ship, straight at the strange fighter.
In his stolen Vanguard, Hibiki was ventilating. He was caught off guard by the sudden attack, not expecting the enemy to be using such agile and fast craft with rapid firing particle weapons. He felt such relief when the attack merely made some soft pinging sounds as it struck his stolen fighting machine. "You're a tough nut to crack aren't you, partner?" he said to the vehicle, not exactly knowing what the term meant. It was catchy, though.
His near calm demeanour was broken when the automated attack detection system detected a pair of target seeking projectiles. His eyes widened in fear, uncertain at what to do. Then at the last second, inspiration hit, and he spun the Vanguard while flailing it's arms out. The missiles flew right past him, and veered into each other as the attempted to correct their course to hit their target.
Elated at his luck and genius, he grinned. These space pirates weren't so tough. He looked at the radar and noted that he had four of their craft heading straight for him. He picked one and decided he would concentrate on attacking that one, while keeping a sharp eye on his radar to avoid any attacks.
Meia nearly growled in frustration. Not only was the tiny fighter incredibly tough, but it was also nimble enough to dodge a pair of missiles, and they were still speeding towards it. "Squad One, concentrate weapons on that fighter," she ordered, "let's see how tough it is." She barely registered the affirmation of Jura, Dita and Barnette as she held down the trigger for the particle cannons.
Four constant volleys of the super heated matter flew towards the Vanguard, as well as a few missiles from Dita that were unfortunately destroyed by the attack they were accompanying. The four large fighter craft and the lone Vanguard continued to speed towards each other, until the blue and red craft veered off to avoid collisions, followed soon after by the chrome ship, leaving Meia's craft heading straight for the Vanguard.
Meia was scowling as she approached. The enemy craft wasn't firing back, just taking every hit it could while continuing on a direct course. If it intended to collide with her, he ship had nearly eight times it's mass, and she had the shields to protect her. Even then, she wouldn't let it hit her.
Then the instant were she was in visual range of the fighter came. She could easily make it out between her cannon blasts. To her surprise, it had a humanoid shape, and she suspected it had fully articulate motions as well, since it was brandishing a sword.
She turned her craft an instant too late, and she heard a loud screeching noise as she flew past the Vanguard. She looked over her should to the wing and noted a huge gash in the armor running for the front to the back. Her collision alarms were going off, but didn't note and damage. The Vanguard's sword luckily didn't hit any system, only managing a superficial hit.
"Regroup behind cover," Meia ordered as she manoeuvred her fighter around and back behind the debris cloud as weapons fire from the enemy flag ship caught up to them. "Keep an eye on that Vanguard."
"Meia, are you all right?" she heard Dita inquire through the coms.
"I've taken minimal damage. My shields held, however that sword went right through it."
"Sword? That thing tried to fight you in melee? In space?" Jura asked in disbelief, before breaking down in laughter.
"Avoid the Vanguard. It has an idiotic design and attack strategy, but can be dangerous if you're not careful. Concentrate on the enemy flag ship. Squadron Two, provide cover during out boarding run." She then noted that several more fighters had poured out of the their target vessel while they regrouped from their attack run. "More Vanguards have been deployed. Squadron 2 will distract them using formation Queen Three.
"Roger," the flight leader for the other half of the fighter crafts replied.
Back in the Vanguard, Hibiki was having trouble. He had successfully damaged the pirate's fighter craft, but didn't cripple it in the least. He had also lost sight of when the weapon's fire from the Ikazuchi suddenly filled his radar, which he was busy dodging. Part of him wanted to scream out, high off his own adrenalin.
The artillery barrage subsided, letting Hibiki catch his breath. He then noticed the slower blips on his radar coming from the Ikazuchi: Other Vanguards.
- "COME GET SOME!!!"
- Back to the Ikazuchi: That artillery fire from the Ikazuchi is giving him a headache. He should fly back to the vessel and convince them to stop firing in his general direction. With his Vanguard's fists.
- Just leave: He's tough enough that he should be able to evade all the fighting and get back the surface. It's only a matter of time before his luck runs out.
- Finish her off: Hibiki already has a target, a space pirate's fighter craft. He should hunt it down and finish it off. He scored a hit, so he should be able to score another.
- Find a new target: They space pirates aren't so tough. But maybe he should try to sneak up on an unsuspecting target instead of chasing a foe wise to his antics.
- Find the enemy command ship: Those fighters didn't come out of nowhere. They need a place to hang out when they're are blowing shit up, a place to hold all the loot they gather.