[Starhawk]

2405.5 Loss of a Hero
6-11 System
“Damn it Captain I don’t care about your opinion on this subject!” Governor Paldwin screamed at Manning so loud his assistant cringed and looked toward the door like she was about to run.
“Governor please, keep your voice down.” Manning said in as calm a voice as he could manage considering he despised the man in front of him, especially since the slime ball had just ordered him and his ship through a warp point leading into enemy space.
“Don’t tell me what to do CAPTAIN! You will take your ship through that warp point and find out who attacked you and destroyed Bounty or I will have you hung!” Paldwin’s voice was cold and hostile but not any quieter, and if he had been a military officer Manning would have challenged him to a duel and killed him outright for threatening him in such a manner.
“Governor you have no authority over whether I am hung or not, and if you threaten me in such a manner again it will not help your position any further.” Manning was about to leave when he heard the clear sound of a slap…Manning whirled around to see the young assistant holding the side of her face, a large red mark on her cheek.
Manning’s hand went immediately to his sidearm before he heard the Governor’s personal guard’s unlock the safeties on their weapons behind him, he slowly slid his hand off his sidearm and grimly acknowledged that all the nasty rumors passing around the Icaran royal court were true, Paldwin was running 6-11 colony like a dictatorship and that meant that the rumors of him using a private army were also likely to be true which meant those two “soldiers” behind him probably wouldn’t hesitate to put a few explosive darts in his back.
“Governor Paldwin……I will take Claw through the warp point if that is what you want….however I am going to need to take some of your staff to act as liaisons.” Manning thought quickly, he needed to get off world and he needed to bring someone with him who could testify to the fact that Paldwin was a dictator, in short he needed Paldwin’s assistant.
“Ah, so you’ve finally come around have you Captain?” The arrogant little man said self importantly as he reevaluated the officer in front of him
“Yes….governor, I suppose we do need to investigate that region, but may I ask that you assign me your assistant as she is more likely to know what you want done M’lord?” Manning attempted to sound cowed into submission ,
The governor rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking at the young assistant who was still holding her bruised cheek, a wolfish grin crossed the man’s face as he looked back at the naval officer.
“Very well captain you may take her, as well as two of my personal guards to, ah ensure her protection.” Paldwin’s shark like grin grew broader, as if he dared Manning to defy his order that his assistant be accompanied by two of his “soldiers”.
But Manning simply bowed politely and turned to leave.

*****************

Three days later HMS Claw was headed towards the warp point where their sister ship had died with all hands. Manning sat frozen in his command chair as he contemplated the bigger picture which that fool Paldwin did not see, there would be two Navy destroyers coming in system in less then a year to reinforce the security blockade at 6-11 but that idiot wanted to send his only warship straight into enemy space instead of trying to keep them on station to protect his world.
“Sir, we are out of Paldwins’ jurisdiction now.” Commander Tyler whispered to his commander as they reached the 12 light minute range of a non noble Governor’s jurisdiction in a system.
“Commander, execute my orders now please.” Manning whispered back to his friend as he patted the younger man on his shoulder.

********************
Kira Lougheed frowned as she sipped at her coffee noting the two heavily armed guards that never let her leave their site since she had come aboard. She knew all to well that the guards were just mercenaries and that they were there to kill her if she tried to say anything to Captain Manning or any of his people what was going on in Paldwin’s district.
A knock on the door to her quarters made Lougheed jerk out of her thoughts, as she stood to answer it one of her “guards” waved her down and opened the door, the look on the guard’s face made Loguheed cringe and she made sure she accidentally dropped the spoon she had been stirring her coffee with and ducked under her table feigning a search.

A navy officer stood in the doorway and the guard mumbled something at him and attempted to close the door in his face, but the naval officer shoved his hand out and stopped the door saying something that Kira couldn’t quite make out.
A shouting match started shortly there after and Kira noticed the guard still hidden from view reaching for his sidearm, she cowered for a moment before standing up from behind her desk and throwing her mug coffee and all straight at the man’s face. His scream of agony as he started trying to get the fragments of the mug and the burning coffee out of his eyes alerted the navy officer who reached for his own sidearm just a second faster then the other guard.
The whine of a darter pistol and the dull thud of an explosive dart jerked the young woman back to the real world as she saw the guard at the door drop to the deck, a clean hole through his torso and his gun held limply in his dead hand. The navy officer charged into the small room and three marines quickly followed him, two of them rushed over to Kira and shoved her head down as they raced her to the door, Kira briefly caught a glimpse of the third marine slamming a knee into the groin of the other guard and hearing a gurgling scream coming from the room behind her as she was raced down the corridor.
The young woman did not even have enough time to feel fear as she was rushed into the destroyer’s small boat bay. The two marines let her go and the naval officer stepped in front of her, a grimace on his face.
“Ma’am I am Commander Tyler, I know your confused and probably more then a little scared but I need you to follow these two marines into that launch over there and go with the rest of our non essential personnel.” his voice was urgent but calm as he looked around the boat bay to ensure that his people were cramming into the destroyers three launches.
“What’s going on Commander?” Kira asked in a voice who’s calmness surprised even her but the officer just nodded at one of the marines and a firm hand locked around her arm and began almost dragging her towards the third launch in the line “COMMANDER WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?” she screamed again but the officer simply turned around and rushed for the bay door.
“Relax ma’am I’ve been instructed to explain it all to you once we are aboard the launch.” The marine who had her arm said as he continued to pull her towards the launch.

Less then three minutes later all three launches and 280 navy and marine personnel were on their way to the nearest Icaran naval base, all of them were witnesses essential to building a case against the local governor and Manning expected that they would be the only survivors from his destroyer.
“Is it done Richard?” Captain Manning asked as his commander quietly as the young officer stepped back to stand beside his captain.
“Yes sir, it’s done.” Was the simple reply as the young man took his seat beside the captain's chair.
**********************
Two weeks later the three launches arrived at the Grayson colony and were immediately brought to the naval base, a series of interviews was begun on behalf of the Icaran Royal Court to find out what was really going on in 6-11 system.
Three days after that a messenger drone from HMS Claw showed a video playback of the warship’s Last minutes of life as she attempted to get into scan range of a world at the other end of the warp point she had been blockading. Unfortunately for the destroyer and her crew the enemy world’s weapons systems were long ranged and Claw didn’t stand a chance as she was destroyed at two hundred thousand clicks by an energy weapon of unknown type.

A battle against the Phong
“Commodore Ross, this is Count Aznoble, our scanners show an enemy squadron in system can you confirm?” Aznoble said grimly as he finished tying his bathrobe, and wiped the sleep from his eyes.
“Sir I can confirm, I am preparing to deploy my squadron as we speak.” Ross ‘ voice was calm and professional but Aznoble could tell by the tone that the captain was anxious, he had been given the brevet rank of Commodore unexpectedly so he could take command of the Enterprise Squadron and much to Aznoble’s amusement the captain still flinched at being called Commodore.
“Captain Ross is there anything I can do to assist you?”
“Sir, the best thing you can do for me is get your people into shelters, I’ll try to engage the enemy squadron at three light minutes out and with your permission sir if I can destroy them with minimal damage to my own force I will retrace their vector and see if I can destroy their base.” Ross quiet deadly tone was one Aznoble was not used to hearing and he stood stunned for a moment before nodding to himself.
“Ross do what you think is best, God and Saints be with you.”
“Thank you sir, may God be with us all.” Ross said ominously before cutting the com channel. Ross and Aznoble almost hated each other when Ross first arrived on station, but once they had gotten to know one another and once Aznoble became more sure of himself as Count Handra the two men became friends to their mutual surprise.

Less then a day after the three destroyers and single frigate of his squadron had left orbit of Handra they got a visual of the six Phong frigates and Ross noted that the Phong had actually altered course and speed to engage him directly.
“Sir, enemy will be in missile range in one nine minutes, and cannon range five minutes after that.” The familiar voice of Sarah Pallins chimed in his ear as she passed on the message from tactical.
“Thank you Commander, my compliments to tactical.” The Captain gave his exec a wry grin as he noted that she was passing on a message that he was too busy thinking to himself to hear, and also caught her polite warning to that fact in her tone.

“Captain Fowler, this is flag I want Saber to stay on the tail of our formation, hold your missiles until all three destroyers have fired theirs.” Ross said as he fixed his eyes on the tactical display and saw the six red blips closing fast.
“Aye Commodore, am I to engage with cannons sir?” Fowler’s voice came crisp and calm over the com net and Ross felt a swell of assurance that he had given his old ship to the right officer and had to suppress the smile that was twitching on his lips.
“Negative Fowler, I want you to keep your missiles in this fight until we’ve scored a few hits, let the destroyers get into the cannon duel until the Last minute.”
“Aye sir.” Ross heard the disappointment in her tone as she realized her ship was pretty much the squadron’s reserve and the same pride swelled again, she was an aggressive young Captain and aggressive captains were exactly what he wanted under his command, unforunately she also commanded the smallest ship in the squadron and in a straight up cannon duel she would be hurt the worst.

Nineteen minutes later a mass of blue dots appeared on the holotanks of the Enterprise Squadron signaling a massed volley of missile launches from the Icaran warships.
Enemy point defenses tore through space and 6 of the Icaran missiles died before reaching their targets but Saber’s missiles had popped up from behind their destroyed brethren and all of them slammed into their target knocking one of the Phong Frigates to pieces, leaving it’s point defenses and two engines wrecked.
A second volley of Icaran missiles followed moments later and this time only five Icaran missiles were taken down, the remaining missiles knocked yet another Phong Frigate out of the point defense screen and also removed all but one of it’s engines, and one cannon.
A third volley destroyed it’s target outright as the 4 missiles tore it to pieces sending wreckage across space in a brilliant flash of light.
“This is flag to squadron give them one more volley and close to Cannon range, Saber as we engage with cannons I want you to take out those stragglers with your missiles.” Ross’ voice was the same icy deadly tone that he had the Last time he had gone into combat and Pallins smiled at the familiar tone
The ranges closed fast and the fourth squadron wide volley of missiles blew another frigate apart, the three destroyers reached cannon range of the Last two combat effective frigates, the destroyers [i]Enterprise and King Roger targeted the frigate closing from the left, their concentrated broadsides sent 7 cannon shells into the enemy frigate, turning it into little more then a burning wreck it’s own single cannon broadside missed both destroyers entirely.
Meanwhile Manticore engaged her own target and sent four shells ringing into the forward section of the frigate’s hull tearing out half of the enemy ship’s cannons, the Phong ship returned fire defiantly and scored a single direct hit on the larger Icaran destroyer doing only minute damage.
The single Icaran frigate rushed past the cannon duels going on between her squadron mates and the enemy frigates and fired off yet another volley of her own missiles straight into one of the “stragglers” blowing it into a massive cloud of plasma and wreckage.
Her own cannons finished off the second straggler before it even brought it’s cannon to bare, it’s wrecked hull drifted away.
Enterprise and King Roger fired another concentrated broadside at their target, all eight shells impacted on the frigate’s already shattered hull and the brilliant golden explosion that followed left only one enemy frigate.
The Manticore closed to point blank range on the Last remaining frigate and her four cannon broadside tore the frigate asunder without even an explosion to mark it’s death.

“Sir all enemy frigates have been destroyed!” Sarah Pallins announced cheerfully as the Last red blip on the holotank winked out of existence
The bridge crew relaxed noticeably and smiles were on almost every face, Ross couldn’t help but smile himself as the damage reports showed no damage that could not be repaired in space, casualty reports were equally as good, no dead and only 21 wounded throughout the entire squadron and Doctor Leung the squadron’s senior doctor assured the Captain that the injuries were minor enough to be treated by the squadron’s sick bays.