The Rebel Faction

The rebel ships flew at the Reign, vengeance and destruction the only thoughts they cared for. Luckily, their commander’s trick had bought them little, as it still took time for them to repower their engines and accelerate back up to attack speed. Ming was instantly suspicious of a counter-motive, as on it’s own this manoeuvre was idiotic at best, and probably designed to mask a greater plan. He kept his eyes on the display.

Despite the speed of the Mon Cal vessels, they still took a short time to catch up to Ming’s fleet. In this, his Fire Frigates and Carrack Cruiser began to cut their propulsion. When the Mon Cal ships drew level they accelerated again, coming back up to speed only when the opposition had past them. Fire then began spurting from their weapons, as they attacked the exposed behinds of the Mon Cal ships.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Shrouds began unleashing their missiles on the second shipyard. Half of the Shroud force were unloading payloads into the defenceless hull, mercilessly shredding the metal framework. On board the shipyard, the people found it impossible to retaliate against the invisible attackers. Chaos reigned.

The other half of the Shroud force had been steadily working its way towards Ming and his fleet. As the Mon Cal ships prepared their second payload, they struck, unloading powerful Occult missiles into their targets.

Amidst all this, one Shroud sidled up to the Invincible’s hold.


Suggested Damage:

Shipyard under attack
Attacking Mon Cal ships taking a pounding
Invincible on its last legs


(OOC EDIT: I just felt I had to include this; I've been off school sick today, so if anything in this post doesn't make sense, or if it's a bit too short, blame my bowels. Also I forgot to think up a funky title, which we know makes all the difference.)

OOC: In this post I’m assuming that by “The Defender” you are talking about your fleet as a whole, and not the MC-40 Defender. I’d also like to know what the “Vengeance” is, as I don’t see it listed in our manifests. (For the moment I’m assuming you mean the Invincible)

IC:


The half-dozen Shrouds attacking the shipyard unhindered continued their barrage of fire. Missile tubes were quickly reloaded amongst the chaos, while lasers unleashed havoc upon those vital systems already exposed.

Though its engine was dead, the mighty Reign continued plundering forward at an unstoppable velocity. The lack of friction in space meant that to stop the Invincible would require it to ram headlong into another ship of equal mass and travelling at an equal speed; and even then, the chances were slight.

Ming had the crackling transmission from the enemy re-routed to his personal com-link, as he busied himself with tasks. He listened with half an ear to the others’ threats of death and destruction, while he poured over statistics and trajectories with the navigational programs.

When the rebel had finished, Ming signalled for his support ships to continue focusing their defence on the ships near the Reign’s rear, as the shields there seemed the most exposed. He then clicked the comm.

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Commander, in once again offering me the opportunity to surrender. I will of course take it into consideration.”

He cut the transmission, and signalled a quick communication to his ships. The support ships continued harassing any rebel starship that came close to the Reign, although now they were inflicting only minimal damage to convince the swarming fighters and ships that had been able to keep up to stay away, and were not pursuing any that fled. The Reign’s few operational thrusters made minor adjustments to the course.

As the roaming battle force passed through space, the General’s voice rang out through his ships. “All hands; make ready for hyperspace.”

Ming watched from the bridge of the M780 as his command ship, the Invincible, was torn apart by rebel fire. Captain Essian stood to his left, and Rear Admiral Lebron was on the other side of the TAC, directing his Shrouds with practised ease.

Slowly at first, then quickly picking up speed they began to flee the disaster area, managing to slip by the rebels unseen. The Fire Frigates had already managed to loop around and were easily evading the rebels, being the fastest ships currently in the system.

From different angles and at different speeds, they all resumed the previous course that the Invincible had held; the shipyard.

Over half of the remaining Imperial force was already there, pummelling the shipyard with missiles as Ming watched.

He smiled again then, for the first time since the conflict had begun. Though it was not a smile of pleasure, or of vengeance. He knew very well that there were many people who had died today, many who still would die, and that it had been he who orchestrated their inhumation.

The rebels had taken his ship from him; and it was a Reign, too, the height of Imperial engineering. They had been vastly outgunned, though, so Ming let this pass.

But even so, the destruction that was now being wrought was not revenge. And Ming’s smile did not branch from a perverted pleasure in causing the enemy the same pain that they had caused him. He knew that the main populace of the shipyard was civilians; designers, engineers, construction workers, and yes, families. There was no pleasure in killing them.

But what had to be done, had to be done. They had allied themselves with an enemy of the Empire; the only true and just power in the galaxy. They had committed treason, and there was only one suitable punishment.

And so Ming smiled, relishing the moment between conflicts, because what he was doing was for the greater good, and existed beyond the moral boundaries of ‘normal’ society. He was fulfilling his duty, to serve and protect the Empire’s interests; if that constituted killing traitors, then so be it.

Even though he didn’t like the act, it was the cause worth fighting for.

The smile lasted only a second, and then he looked to the tactical reports flooding in from the sensors. The Invincible’s mainframe had been successfully destroyed before Ming had left; he’d seen to it personally while he was on his way from the bridge to the waiting Shroud in the hangar. That and other small tasks. There was no way the rebels would be able to discern any information from the Invincible’s carcass.

The M781 and M782 had stayed behind briefly, using their high-powered precision stealth weaponry to destroy any useful parts of the hull and superstructure, effectively neutralising the use the rebels could make of what was left.

As for the escape pods, Ming knew there was no way to save them. The ultimate sacrifice by the Imperials, who would sooner commit suicide than be captured. Their deaths would be with honour, and they would be forever remembered; in the Imperial records, by their friends, family and comrades in arms.

Again the Shrouds attacked, and again the missile launchers were reloaded. The shipyard had been under constant barrage now for quite some time, and the rebel fleet still chose to pursue Ming and his fleet rather than rush to the aid of the defenceless shipyard.

Slowly, amidst the screeching fires of destruction, the shipyard began to fall apart.

Ming listened to the message from the rebel, once again with only half an ear. When it finished, he did not respond. It was a bluff, Ming knew, for the rebel commander had no way to know that Ming was still alive. The Shrouds were perfectly invisible, and the only other option was for Ming to have been in one of the escape pods, which would render him helpless.

So he assumed that Regard thought him dead, and was addressing his second-in-command. Once again he felt a pang of remorse at the mention of his soldiers in the escape pods; but the rebel, for once, was right. They signed up knowing they could die. For the greater cause.

The Fire Frigates, which could top a ludicrous speed rating, were now nearing the shipyard. The weakened superstructure was incredibly susceptible to their weaponry, with the aid of the Shrouds. They angled themselves to run the length of the shipyard, as was done earlier, and began unleashing barrage after barrage of fire into it.

Now Ming’s force was drawing in close as well. The Shrouds, too, were faster than most of the Mon Cal cruisers, and were making good time to the shipyard. Soon they would be there, and it would all be over.

(OOC: I will after school, damn, where did the 72 hours go? I swaer I thought I had more time. Oh well)

Regrad sat there after they left. He stared ahead into infinity.

"Sir, they're leaving the system."

Yes, they were, at last.

"Capture some of those escape pods. Lets' see if we can't get something from them."

Chau ming. Thats' who he wanted. He wanted him alive, he wanted to show that man what happes to those who were so evil. But when he wasn't found, Regrad made a pact with his gods.

He would find Chau ming, and kill him. He would watch the man die some day. And that day was soon.