[El_Phil]

As (sort of) promised the next chapter!

"I've heard self-reliance is a virtue. Now you've heard it." The Cheshire Cat
2401.6
Captain Delap breathed a sigh of relief, the tactical display showed the Jraenar ships heading back to the planet. He just hoped they'd keep on that course, or anywhere away from him, until his reinforcements arrived.

Despite the war effort it had been decided that exploration should continue, even if at a reduced pace, so the Batch 4 Pegasus class Loki was sent from Hope to transit the final unexplored warp point in the Styris system. The Admiralty had convinced the council that additional ships were needed to join Javelin's squadron so Hades was despatched the moment she finished her shakedown run.

Sword transited the warp point with big news for Captain Delap, as all four ships were to work together they were now part of Task Force One, under Delap's command.
�Working together watching a superior force sit in orbit around their home planet,� Delap thought �I think we can probably manage that. It�s the not getting killed part that may be tricky.�

Back in Cignus the colony ship set down and the colonists disembarked and founded Helix. There was little time for celebration however as constructing a spaceport was a high priority, so after a big party on the first night the work started first thing the next day. Of course it didn't start quickly for some people who'd enjoyed the party too much�
In orbit Pioneer was ordered back to Ocelot for refit with the new Hellstorm Mod 2s, while the shipyards began work on the first transport ship. El Presidente and the council had decided those not only was Ocelot getting over crowded but that additional population on the colonies could only make them more productive and so help the war effort. So the yards began work on the first Rover class transport.

2401.7
This was not how it was supposed to turn out Commander Linton thought to herself. Loki should have found an exciting system teeming with lost alien cities and amazing stellar phenomenon. Failing that a couple of large oxygen worlds would have done. Instead they�d found a large asteroid belt in the Bersallis system and no warp points. In short a useless dead end. When the scans were complete she�d set course back for a refuel and then maybe find something exciting in the next system.

While Linton may have been disappointed it was but nothing compared to Commander Bell�s annoyance. �Report to the shipyard for induction and preparation for your new command.� Yeah and if they�d told me it was a damn transport ship I might just of not turned up. Still Gold Rover was his new command so he�d better do a good job and hope for a promotion.
�Helm set a course for Oberon. Lets gets these damn colonists on their way.�
�You never know some of these guys could end up working on the new shipyard there that builds my next ship.� Bell thought.

Task Force One was not a happy place if your happened to be from the sensor section or had just come off night watch. �Captain Delap�s on a rampage.� was the word going around all the ships in the task force and that didn�t cover half of it.
�How do you lose three enemy frigates? I mean that�s over half a million tonnes of metal it�s not like its hard to miss!�
�Well captain they must have found the gaps in our sensor coverage and slipped out through the unexplored warp point, it�s impossible for them to have got through the other warp point in the time they had.� Lively's sensor officer answered. He had been on watch when Lively had stood turn as lead sensor ship, so it had fallen to him to explain.
�But we don�t have that on sensor do we?� Delap retored instantly
�No sir, but it is the only plausible explanation.�
Delap forced himself not to shout back at the Lieutenant. Yelling his throat raw, while it would cheer him up, was counter productive and wasn�t going to help morale on any of the ships. He was the task force leader, time to lead.
�That is true. I want all sensors crews on all vessels running constant drills, we are not going to be caught out like this again am I making myself clear?�
�Yes sir.�
�How long until Pegasus arrives?�
�Four hours, according to their last transmission.� Jennings answered.
�Close enough. We have orders to engage targets of opportunity and I think that Bolivar and transport in orbit fits the criteria. I want Javelin and Falcon ready to leave within the hour, in our absence Captain Vickers is taking command of the task force.�

As the two Ocelot vessels closed in on the Jraenar home planet it became clear this would be easier than they thought, the space stations were unarmed shipyards and the transport vessel was running as fast as it could.
�At least the transport�s captain isn�t as suicidal as that colony ship Vickers told me about.� Delap thought. Try as he might he couldn�t, or perhaps didn�t, want to understand that sort of mentality.
�Sensors do you have a fix on that Bolivar yet?� he asked
�Faint, but we�re reading two missile launchers with slightly different configuration than an Azul and different energy emission patterns.�
�Threat assessment.�
�She�s seems slightly more manoeuvrable than an Azul but not faster, unless she�s holding back. The missile tubes are an unknown, at least as good probably better than an Azuls.�
�Have you passed the good news to Falcon?�
�Yes sir and they confirm our reading and assessment.�
�OK close to maximum range then open fire�

Both ships crew�s were well drilled and Javelin's crew had been in combat with Jraeanar before, they were trained, prepared and composed, right up until:
"Missile launch!� Jennings announced to the bridge
�What? We�re still 10 clicks out.� Delap replied
�Confirmed two inbound missiles.�
Delap went with his first instinct.
�Split and run, let�s find out how much legs these missiles really have.�

As Javelin and Falcon turned and went to full power they soon found out that the Bolivar�s captain had launched at maximum range as the missiles burned out at ten clicks. �That was lucky, that Captain shot his bolt too early. If he�d held his fire we�d have assumed they were standard eight clickers and might have got caught. Doesn�t solve our problem though, how do we get close enough to launch without being hit ourselves?� Delap thought. �Wait a minute..�
�Mr Miller what were targets of those missiles?�
�Both missiles were targeted at Falcon sir.�
�So either he didn�t or couldn�t spit his fire. That�s our way in. Turn us around and get me Falcon on comms.�

�I can�t see any other way, it�s our only chance Julia. Unless you�re really sure that Goalkeeper of yours can take out two missiles before they hit�
�It�s untested and I don�t think this is the best way to test it. I can�t see any better plan and you are officer commanding. Let�s do this and hope you're right�

Both ships entered range of the Bolivar which again opened fire with two missiles at Falcon which turned to run, but Javelin kept on going to close the range.
�We�re on limited time here PWO, we should have time for two volleys before they return fire, but it�ll be tight. Nothing fancy just take the best solution you can and get reloading.�
�Aye sir.�
'If they've improved the reload time on that ship we are in trouble.' Lieutenant Miller thought to himself. �The Captain was right about them not splitting their fire, he�ll be right about this. And if I say it enough times I might even believe myself�


The first volley was outrun, but the manoeuvrings cost the Bolivar time and speed so the second volley homed in with deadly precision. The Hellstorms hit the middle of the drive assembly knocking the Bolivar down to 2/3rds speed and doing massive secondary damage, but not before the Bolivar managed to get two missiles away on Javelin. While Javelin ran, Falcon, having outran her missiles, closed the distance and engaged with her single tube. The first took out one of the Bolivar�s launchers and heavily damaged the other while the second volley destroyed the bridge and the remaining tube.

�She�s dead in the water Julia, do you want to finish her or get that transport.� Delap asked
�I�ll take the Bolivar� Locke replied slowly
�OK, after you�ve done that start on those shipyards. Delap out�
The victorious euphoria Locke had been feeling had all evaporated during that brief exchange. �How can that be the same Michael Delap I knew back on Ocelot? Calmly talking about destroying a ship full of civilians.� �What had happened to him?� She asked herself.

The transport never stood a chance, neither did the orbital shipyards. However after watching the fate of her sister yard, and being on the receiving end of a full Hellstorm barrage, the commander of the remaining yard asked for a ceasefire so he could evacuate the civilian contractors onboard. After a quick discussion it was agreed, but any hostile action would result in instant retribution.

The battle had been a nasty shock to all in the Admiralty and the Ministry of Defence, it was clear that ship for ship any vessel with Mod 1 Hellstorms would be outclassed. With that in mind the shipyards were ordered to crash research on 200kT vessels and Lively was pulled back to the Oberon yards for refit.

2401.8
News of Captain Delap�s victory raised morale throughout the fleet, well almost all the fleet. For Commander Linton it just emphasised how far from the action Loki actually was and for Commander Bell� Suffice to say the entire crew kept well clear of him for a few days.

The latest colonisation vessel set course for Styris, while Pioneer having finished her refit headed for Oberon as a staging point to the frontline where she would join the blockade.

�Well at least we�ll know for next time� Locke thought. While it was true the Jraenar had indeed evacuated the station, they had also filled the damaged station with demolition charges and detonated them the moment the last shuttle cleared. �Saves us the missiles I suppose.�
�Enemy vessel being launched from the planet, erratic power fluctuations from the engines, I think they rushed it just for us.�
�Which we�ll probably need now� Locke thought to herself with a grin
�Javelin on the comm link.�
�Put it through� Locke ordered.
�Same plan as last time, no need to risk being fancy let�s keep it simple.� Delap didn�t beat around the bush.

The Jraenar vessel, despite knowing the fate of the last Bolivar again fired both her missiles at one target, confirming that Jraenar launchers couldn�t cope with multiple independent targets. The combat was swift and efficient, although Captain Locke did take a chance on live fire testing Goalkeeper on am enemy missile. The results weren�t positive, yes it could track and hit Jraenar missiles, unfortunately it took two sustained bursts to destroy them.

Back on Ocelot the Admiralty was pleased with the way things were progressing, the Jraenar home world was blockaded and a significant amount of their ship building infrastructure had been knocked out. The only fly in the ointment was the relatively poor performance of the Goalkeeper system in its field trial, something for the R&D boys to work on, if they ever got a chance in between all their other work.
Admiral Watson however was thinking about a bigger problem, the Jraenar colony or colonies. The only plan they had for dealing with them was either forcing them to surrender, but he held little hope that would work judging by their ship captains or destroying them from orbit, which he was certain would work but had little appetite for. �There had to be another way� he thought �and perhaps there was.�
�Get me General Kirkland on the line.�