A low thrumming erupted across the underground hangar as Xeta wing began running preflight checks on their engines, loud enough to make the techies bones thrum right along with it as they disengaged fuel lines and began directing the runways. Spectre's fingers danced over his console engaging his Cerebrus class Bomber's MIU systems, before reaching up to grasp the neurohelmet and pull it into place. The various electrodes around his skull stung momentarily, and he blinked the usual tears away from his mind as the helmet began projecting the HUD against the cockpit, its visor, and the backs of his own eyeballs. A flick of an overhead tab brought up a status check from his squadron, divided into their three lances. A series of pings but a second apart showed each squad member finishing their checks with their usual trained unison, and with a thought he opened a channel. "Xeta Lead to Xeta Wing. Xeta Squadron is prepped. All units report ready op."
"Gray Leader reports ready op."
"Black Hearts are ready op."
"Griffin Lead reports ready op."
Spectre listened to the remaining eight squadron leaders reporting ready, then signed the hangar control room. "Xeta Wing is ready op. Request permission to deploy C&C."
"Copy that Xeta Lead. Bay doors open. Good luck out there, the techies will have your hide if you get so much as a scratch in those rides after all the work they put in."
"Confirm C&C, beautiful job they did too. I'm loving the enamel. Tell the techies I'll skin each pilot who scratches his boat myself. Though I may need some help doing my back." He swapped channels again. "Xeta Wing, ascend on high."
Boosting his repulsors gently he lifted off the ground, retracting the landing gear. Above him the roof was parting, revealing a vertical steel chimney with a small dot of daylight at the top. "Xeta Squadron, form on me." Increasing the power, he began ascending towards the chimney, correcting his trajectory with a short thruster flare. As he breached the top of the chimney, the cockpit and visor darkened against the bright blue flare from the nearby sun, named Sturm by the Emperor for its signature violent flares, more than half the reason why the empire was still in existence. The merry hell Sturms flares played on electronics both cloaked them from their neighbors sight, and forced them to develop better equipment themselves to see past it, a twofold advantage. Around him, he saw the crimson streaked coal colours of the Dark Silence wing rising immediately on Xeta Wings right flank, and past them the hundreds of other bombers that had been prepared for this assault. A ping on the visor HUD noted a channel note, and he opened onto it.
"Long have we awaited this day. We have bided our time, waiting for the right moment. This is it. Push all thoughts of our past misfortunes, bitter though the taste is on all our tongues. This is the point at which in future days we will look back on and say 'This is when it changed. This is when we took the galaxy and made it ours.' Vengeance has fallen. Its broken spawn VVV have disbanded. The 'Inglorious Bastards' are aptly named. On this day, we take the glory, and we take the first steps on our long road to taking back what is ours from them, aye, and taking what is theirs. Let the galaxies tremble."
"For the Aegis Arises!" The pilots of the fleet echoed back to their Emperor.
"For the Aegis Arises. Generals, you may begin."
Spectre opened up to the Wing, "You heard the Emperor. His will be done. Accelerate to calculated velocity and proceed on our launch vector. Maintain formation." Spectre eased the nose of the Cerebrus upwards, and made a mental note to compliment the techies. These new models were a wonder on the old marks, the Decimators that had been phased out for the Cerebrus had been built with firepower, armour and a large shield generator in mind, and flew like it, especially in atmosphere. The Cerebrus was handling like an interceptor, and they hadnt hit space yet. It was all he could do not to fully engage the atmospheric controls and barrel roll through the formation. From the exaggerated flights of some of the other wings, he could tell he wasn't alone. He was glad to see none of his own wing were engaging in any antics though, with so many birds in the air it was a miracle there were no collisions. If it wasnt for the work all the physicists had been doing in the weeks before, calculating flight paths, accelerations and thrust times and a myriad of other such things there would be Bombers dropping all over the skies of Morder. It was rumoured that flight paths had been calculated down past the usual Wing levels, past squadron level all the way to the individual 4 pilot lances. Spectre could easily believe it, watching each Bomber rise up through the polluted clouds, past their own defensive guns which nestled like thickets over the planetwide city, with not a single ship breaking from its straight ascent vector.
An alert on the cockpit HUD showed that he'd hit space, and he retracted the atmospheric foils into the main fuselage, and deployed the directional thrust pylons from their mounts on the ends of his weapon arms. "Xeta Lead to Xeta Wing. Xeta Squadron has space. Check." His squadron leaders all checked in as their units broke out of the atmosphere and corrected their positions in the Wings formation. Spectre twisted his joystick gently left to correct his rotation, and checked the Wing position in the fleet formation. When sure that the Wing was properly aligned, he opened a channel to the mission control on a modified Mammoth large cargo. Unlike the rest of the two thousand strong cargo fleet that would follow them in to raid the planet, this one had had all twenty five thousand tonnes of its holds refitted with a control center capable of managing the five thousand bombers of the fleet. "Xeta lead calls Xeta CS, Xeta Wing in position."
"Copy Xeta Lead. Fleet is forming up. Stand by."
Spectre a series of checks on his three weapon mounts, a triple set of 250mm autocannon. Reviewing the various ammo loadouts, he cycled both arm mounts to proximity charge HE rounds for dealing with any enemy interceptors, and the right 'torso' cannon to APCR rounds for engaging capital ships, ensuring he would be able to commence firing with at least one effective weapon if there was any enemy warships present. "Xeta Lead to Xeta Control staff, any word on embarkation?"
"Last fleet elements moving into position. Suggest engaging shield units."
"Copy. Xeta Lead to Xeta Wing, shields online. Prepare for Jump."
"Xeta CS to Xeta Lead. Fleet will commence Jump beginning in Four-Three seconds. Xeta Wing Jump time in Seven - Two Seconds, updating your nav computers now. Happy Hunting."
"Thank you Xeta CS, see you on the other side. Alright Xeta Wing, we Jump in under Six - Zero seconds. On my mark...Three, Two...Mark!" Spectre punched his Cerebrus into Jump, preparing for the imminent combat. Imminent for the fleet at least. In real time it would be nearly a full hour before they arrived, but at the speed the fleet was hurtling towards 'Primus,' for them it would seem like only a few seconds.
"Alright Xeta Wing, prepare for contact. Now we know they're all brewed up in some civil war, and their ruler hasnt been seen in months, but just because they're going downhill doesnt mean they're there yet. Keep together, keep those bubbles overlapping, and watch your IFF's. If it goes blue, Dont. Shoot. We've got some intel on a small fleet of interceptors and small capital ships, mainly heavy fighters and battleships. Those are not our targets, but if you get a clear shot on your way in, Im not going to complain if you fire off a couple shots. Do not let those interceptors get in about us unalerted, if you see them coming for us or anyone else, let them know and let the autoturrets do the rest. I dont want us firing these twofifties into our own formations. Got it?"
"Was one briefing not enough Spectre? Do we really need another?"
"With you Claymore, I can never tell. How's that squadron of yours? Been allowed to pick a name or are you still Gray Squadron?"
"That was low, sir, very low."
"You survive your run and Ill recommend you for the honour. Our targets are the shield domes and Ion Cannons. Switch to ECM and drop Rimward south when we break jump. Fly weapons hot and stifled for as long as you can, but again, if we get jumped by interceptors call it and let the auto turrets go to work."
"Xeta CS to Xeta Wing. Lead fleet elements dropping from Jump. Xeta Wing to exit on mark. Three, Two...Mark!"
Spectre disengaged the Jump engines and flared thrusters, and disengaged the Targaryen field that protected the Cerebrus from Newtonian physics by the hazy near magic of Quantum, firing his right side thrust pylons to drop the Bomber towards the fleets flanks. A map tagged with Wing coordinates and enemy battle stations and fleet analogues scrolled up on the visor, and he was pleased the see the intel had been right and Xeta Wings approach vector would be unopposed, and hopefully, undetected. Muzzling his engines, he activated his ECM package and hoped Xeta Wings heat signature would be baffled enough by the ECM to be unnoticed when compared to the fleet proper as it drifted towards Primus. The planet had clearly been undergoing strife, black blotches of smoke showed clearly through the hazy sky as they approached. A bright flash shone brightly where a battlestation was brought down by a barrage of torpedoes from a Devastator wing from the vanguard, the sparking shield walls rippling through the debris. Monitoring the commchatter as best he could, Spectre heard heavy interceptors attempting to drive into the shield wedges of the bomber wings, attempting to break the formation enough that the defensive guns planetside could start punching holes through the marauders.
"Xeta Lead this is Warlord Prime. We are moving in on your flanks to deal with enemy laser emplacements. Vulture Wing is lagging behind to distract a wing of enemy interceptors, so we may have to engage enemy gauss and plasma batteries as the opportunities present themselves while the Vultures distract those fighters."
"Copy Warlord One. Suggest you take primary concern with that, we need to take down as many of these shields as we can so dealing with the emplacements is an option."
"Understood Xeta Lead."
"Xeta Lead to Xeta CS, what is Vulture leads situation?"
"Vulture is stable for now, autoturret systems appear to be dealing with enemy interceptors with minimal damage to friendlys. Vulture maintains 100% combat strength."
"Copy. Alright Xeta Wing, approaching atmosphere, deploy fla-"
"Xeta Wing this is Vulture-Dominion-Three you've got a quarter wing of heavy interceptors moving in on your north through the wreckage of that station."
"Copy Vulture-Dominion-Three, Thanks for the heads up. Warlord, can you merge with our flight? We cannot engage enemy ion batteries while tangoing with those interceptors."
"Roger Xeta, triple your squad breaks, and we'll move in and destroy those interceptors. Loading up proximity fuse HE into right side batteries for interdiction en route."
"Xeta Lead this is Black Heart Nine, I have eyes on enemy interceptors, moving in from hub north."
"Alright Xeta Wing, we're in it now. Punch up tracking on those interceptors and let the turrets go to work. Break squad distance to three times standard, lets leave Warlord some room to move in." Spectre fired off his thrusters and moved down in the formation with his lance, the other two lances of Xeta Squadron moved across to fall in behind them. With another thruster flare Spectre spun the Cerebrus round, letting the momentum he had already gathered continue to send him onwards while he checked the merging of the two Wings by eye. Warlord's white and steel coloured Cerebrus were slowly pulling into the formation, accelerating with constant thrust to try and catch up enameled pitch of Xeta Wing, already moving at next to full combat velocity. "Xeta Wing, slow velocity by one quarter, let Warlord pull in." His cockpit dimmed as the space before him flared white as the Cerebrus fired off their forward pylons to slow the velocity. As Warlords Bombers pulled in, filling the gaps in the formation, he saw the autoturrets on their trailing rear guard begin firing off streams "Emperor's Dustbins," waste metal that had been slagged too many times or simply too impure melted down to a 105mm slug to be fired from the Cerebrus' railguns. He couldn't see the slugs themselves, but the telltale blue cluster flares around the Cerebrus' two oversized shoulder mounts gave tell to the ordnance nonetheless.
"Xeta Lead this is Black Heart one, Black Heart's Avenger Lance is engaging enemy interceptors. Avenger One confirms enemy interceptors as Mad Dog's. Requesting permission to split off Black Heart Lances to engage?"
Spectre swore. Mad Dogs bore a pair of 88mm autocannons, and were famed for carrying the same proximity flak he and Warlord had chosen to deal with them, they could make mincemeat out of a formation if they managed to go to work for long enough. "Neg Black Heart One, stay in formation. If you split off you give them exactly what they want. We've got two wings here, even if they get in amongst us we have enough turrets that everytime the crossfire is clear we'll be punching them down." Spinning the Cerebrus back to forward facing,he changed channels again. "Xeta Lead to Warlord One, suggest you change to Xeta Wing channels, sending now. Xeta-Black Heart Lead has confirmed enemy interceptor's as Mad Dogs, we are breaking formation to four times standard. If they get in amongst us I want the turrets getting as many safe shots as possible."
"Copy Xeta Lead. Warlord WIng swapping to Xeta Wing channels and breaking to four standard. Let them come."
"Xeta-Black Heart One, this is Xeta Lead. Where are those interceptors?"
"Moving in fast towards formation rear elements, Warlord squadrons running interference."
"Xeta Lead to Warlord Elements, thanking you kindly. How are you fairing
"This is Warlord-Tyrants-One, confirm enemy Interceptors down one half squadron. Two and one half remain. These ones know what theyre doing."
"I was worried about that. We are getting way too close to atmosphere for me to be happy with Interceptors hanging around our asses. Warlord Lead, we're going to have to break off and advance in two standard, think you can keep those interceptors occupied?"
"Think I can keep them dead. Warlord-Crusaders, Warlord-Dominus, switch to PHE and flip axes, teach them what the Aegis think of such minor irritations."
Spectre hit a tab and glanced up at the cockpit ceiling. A monitor swapped to showing the Cerebrus' rear view, through the left side turret cam. Its narrow view was still wide enough for Spectre to see the distant flares of thrust from some of the Warlord elements through the formation, and then the space to the rear of the formation exploded as the PHE tracer from the three squadrons of Cerebrus fired all guns into the oncoming Mad Dogs.
"Uh oh. Wing Leads, this is Xeta-Griffin Lead, I think that little display just earned us some attention. I read another quarter wing of Interceptors moving up on formation right axis."
"Nothing we can't handle Xeta-Griffin, Warlord Lead to Warlord Squadron, time to earn ourselves some fun. Enemy at 46 klicks and closing. Load PHE and fire on my mark."
"Xeta-Griffin to Wing Leads, those interceptors were gua-"
"Mark!"
Spectre saw Warlord Squadron drifting sideways as they pumped out PHE in a steady stream, and smiled grimly when he saw the PHE explosions begin to be joined by the blue flares of reactor detonations.
"Xeta-Griffin to Leads, they were guarding planetside emplacements! Enemy firebase has us!"
"Sons of Curtis- Warlord, close formation to two standard. How are those rear interceptors?"
"Warlord-Dominus One reports rear interceptors have reached formation, I count less than one squad."
"Warlord-Crusader One confirms, rear interceptors at two lance strength, markings indicate seperate squadrons. Shouldn't be a problem."
"Alright well lets watch for 'em. Xeta Wing, pull to formation front. We need to take down those shields. Warlord, hows those right side interceptors?"
"Pounding them into swiss. Already marking them at under one half squadron. Extra firing time and space for ordnance did wonders. Running to one half PHE though."
"Alright cut the stream and let the turrets take the rest. We might need it on the way out. Xeta Wing will pull to front, Warlord Wing to engage one third standard behind. Co-"
"Enemy batteries firing! Enemy Light las emplacements moving to track, watch for gauss!"
"We're in it now people! Close vanguard to one half standard, I want full overlap on the shields! Warlord do you copy engagement orders?"
"Copy Xeta. Open the door we'll drop the hammer."
"Xeta Lead to Xeta CS, how's Vulture doing? I need their comms now!"
"Xeta CS transmitting Vulture Wing comms, suggest joining Vulture Wing to Xeta channels, transferring codes to their CS now. Vulture wing is engaging remnants of full interceptor wing, formation broken to squad level."
"Vulture Lead this is Xeta Lead. We are under fire from your PT. How far behind are you?"
"Vulture Lead joining Xeta channels. We are one and one third behind you if we break now-"
"Break now! You'll have less than one standard to get in there before their shields close from our pass, reform your formation."
"We still have a quarter wing of intercepto-"
"We still have a mission and a role in that mission! Those Heavy Fighters shouldnt be able to do much more than disrupt your formation, and with the turrets following us thats not as important. Get your **** together and do your damn job!"
"Copy Xeta Lead. Vulture out."
"Xeta Lead to Xeta-Gray, rotate, Im reading your shields at half. Xeta Squadron will take the brunt while you recharge."
"Copy Xeta Lead."
Spectre moved his lance through Gray Squadron as it fell back, filling the gap in the formation front. His Cerebrus rocked from the lasfire as he closed into spacing with Xeta-Iron Hammer Lead and Xeta-Pheonix Hawk Lead, in the Aegis tradition of leading from the front. A gauss slug set all three Cerebrus' shields to glaring as they dissipated the kinetic energy from the massive slug. Iron Hammer Lead did a slow barrel roll to send the static flares rubbing off the shields off his edges, and all three Cerebrus checked rotation. His monitors showed all vanguard units above half as they closed to atmosphere.
"Xeta Wing, switch to atmosphere. Xeta CS take over autorotation. How's Vulture? Closing to engage Primary Targets."
"Copy Xeta Lead. Vulture at three quarters standard delay. You may begin your run."
"Xeta Lead, beginning my run."
The formalities and essentials dealt with, Spectre finished retracting the thrust pylons and redeployed the atmospheric foils, take the opportunity to check the banking pedals and wing flaps before he needed them. His engines croaked once, then roared into life as the intakes hit atmosphere, triggering the engines to constant thrust and he checked his spot in the formation. The slightest gap meant a bomber taking shots on its own, and that lost bombers and pilots real fast. Without the constant overlapping of shields as a buffer, combat losses would be significantly higher.
Ahead of him, he saw a plasma cannon battery pumping fire into the massed Large Cargos, less able to dodge the huge shots. Checking his HUD, he saw it was one of the edges of the dome complex, and pointed his Cerebrus past it, flagging its las emplacements for Vulture. He rounded close to a skyscraper, releasing a package of frag grenades from the left mount as he did so, sending them raining through the windows of the building, erupting in shrapnel beyond. Setting the bombers computer to auto deploy on the various small arms packages, he cycled his weapons to the special baffled APFSDS rounds, each armed with a small disruptive capacitor that relied on the same Quantum magics as the Targaryen field and the particle shields themselves, that allowed them to pass through a shield without being deflected. "Xeta Lead to Xeta Wing. Entering Target Zone. Mark targets and check with Xeta CS, I dont want doubling up and wasting the run. Switch to baffled APFSDS, lets kill as much as we can from range so we can kill more up close. Aegis Arises!" Ahead of him he saw the Large Shield Dome rising through a storm of munitions fire pumping into the air, though it was the tendrils of lasfire that worried him. He'd heard the LL emplacements described as a 'thousand whipping tentacles trying to grab on to your bird and pull it down." Watching the fire wash over his Wing, he could see the analogy. He flagged the dome as Xeta Squadrons. "Xeta Squadron, target marked. Engage on my mark. Three, two...mark!" The Cerebrus thrummed as the twofifties unleashed a devastating hail of the the Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot AP rounds. Below them, unprotected enemy infantry and civilians were deafened by the rapid fire roar for the 144 Xeta Wing bombers each unleashing their three cannon. Safe in his cockpit with a halfmeter of soundproofing foam built around him, Spectre grinned. There was just something about the feel of good old ballistic weaponry. The old devastators plasma bombs and cannon were good enough, but at that moment Spectre fell in love with his Cerebrus.
Before the roaring Cerebrus the LSD rippled as the specialized rounds cut through the shield in a shimmering ripple, like rain on a pond. Then all at once it collapsed in a pulsing flare as the shells penetrated the projector and a nuclear roar from the generator going critical washed over the city.
"Xeta Wing, avoid blast zone as much as possible. Xeta Wing, switch from SD rounds, Xeta Squadron, switch focus to ion batteries. Vulture, you with us?"
"Vulture coming in behind Warlord Wing. We'll take the Gauss and Plasma."
"Copy Vulture. Those Interceptors still with us?"
"Pulling out now. That LSD popping has them running scared."
"Copy."
A heavy laser pulse knocked Spectre sideways, and a ping from Xeta CS told Xeta Squadron to rotate to center to regenerate shielding. With a curse he did so, the Black Hearts filling the gap. Jockeying for shots was more difficult in the center of the formation, but safely cuccooned in the the marauding bubble of Xeta Wings shield, he was still able to bag a pair of Ion turrets and shower an overheating cooling station with inferno grenades, causing it explode.
"Warlord, engaging enemy firebase."
Xeta's assault had been a focused stream of fire, which had broken into smaller groupings as Xeta engaged the heavier targets of the shield dome and ion batteries, but Warlords assault was against light emplacements. Xeta's constant throaty roar of munitions expenditure was overruled by the staccato rapid bursts of Warlord Wing, their AC's firing in strafing patterns rather than lances. Around them, enemy lasemplacements detonated as they were ruptured by the heavy shells, or as they overheated after their clusters cooling tower was cut down.
"Xeta Lead to Warlord, Xeta Wing coming around for another pass."
"Copy Xeta."
"Vulture Lead, beginning our run." Spectre targeted a trio of Ion Cannon as they attempted field part of the Warlord Wing bubble, flagging it for his lance. A blinding flare signaled the plasma cannon they had passed erupting as Vulture Wing sailed through, Spectre was alarmed to see several trailing smoke, obviously hit hard by the enemy interceptors. He made a note to talk to Vulture about that, in regards to his own earlier commentary, and switched from standard APFSDS rounds to APCR shells for the closer in work, where the penetrating power was roughly similar.
"Xeta CS to Xeta Wing. Primary Targets neutralized. Switch focus to Heavy Laser emplacements." Spectre switched to aid Warlord, the enemy laser batteries were proving more numerous than expected. After another pair of runs, the three wings finished the firebase and were rerouted to engage enemy stations guarding the satellite fields, most of the sats already broken wrecks from the light flares from bursting shields, coherent light weaponry and a myriad of other factors, overloading their capacitors and destroying the satellites. It was fortunate, as otherwise the lasers with which the satellites transmitted their energy planetside would be a deadly weapon against the bomber fleet of the Aegis. Spectre swapped to void rounds, specialized variant ammunition able to be fired in space as he once more retracted his atmospheric foils and deployed thrust pylons. The stations mounted several ion batteries, but Xeta Wings specialized ammunition was able to cut through the shields to knock out enough emplacements to cause a large enough EM field from the bursting shields to neutralize the station's shields, allowing them to be knocked out by other Wings. Looking around the map displayed on his HUD, he saw only a scattering of enemy opposition, already well under containment. Confirmation with Xeta CS took Xeta Wing onto escort duty for the LC fleet as they moved in planetside to harvest its resources. The powered infantry regiments had no trouble forcing the flattened enemy to cooperate, as after the waves of destruction visited by the bomber fleet, there just wasnt any fight left on Primus. After that it was just cleanup, wounded bombers being guided to dock with Cargoes that still had the space, or towed by their lancemates. The Combat report distributed to the fleet and sent by HPG transmitter to Morder showed no bomber losses, only two or three hundred LCs, depending on how many of the crippled survived the Jump to Morder. Spectre relaxed into his throne, allowing his cracking fingers to ungrasp the joystick and fly by thought through the neurohelm, as the fleet prepared to return to Morder.
After that it was just medals, ceremony, and merciful oblivion as his head hit the bunk the second he reentered the barracks on board the Melbourne Star as the Xeta Wing pilots trooped onto the LC as it carried their bombers on the long haul to some distant moon to hide the fleet from their enemies, until the next time it was needed.
Re: The Zorg Chronicles
#11
