[sachmo]

I had to write something...


Showdown at Bardron VI

Thirty-one fighters from the 3rd Fighter Wing joined up with Strike Fleet Hellcat for the assault on Bardron VI, possibly the Last Rage held world in the galaxy. Strike Fleet Hellcat was the most powerful fleet in the Remorhaz People’s Navy. The fleet consisted of one system patrol ship, twelve frigates, five destroyers, two light cruisers, one minesweeper, two repair ships, three supply ships, two landing ships, plus the thirty-one fighters that had just joined them. It was an impressive fleet, but Bardron VI had some very strong defenses. The previous reconnaissance of the planet reported at least sixteen defense complexes, armed with a variety of weapons, and fifteen space fighters. If the planet could be taken, it might end the Rage threat to the Remorhaz Society. Rear Admiral Shiro Sakazawa, commander of Strike Fleet Hellcat, knew that every month that they waited to attack the planet was another month that the defenses were strengthened, and that his fleet was tied down here. There were other battles that needed to be fought, and so the Rage threat needed to be eliminated. Bardron VI could wait no longer. Hellcat moved in for the kill.

Commander Philip Henderson checked his readouts as his fighter wing formed up around him. His entire wing was made up of FA-4 Thundercat attack fighters, which were designed for ground attack missions. Each of the thirty fighters was armed with two heavy space-to-surface bombs, idea weapons for knocking out hardened surface targets. The biggest problem for his fighters was that they had to get in very close to use the bombs, and to do that they would have to get through the Rage defenses. As he had learned during the briefing, that would be a very tough job by itself.
“Jericho flight, arm ordinance.”
He glanced at the status display as the weapons systems on all of the fighters changed from yellow to green in short order. No problems so far.
“Jericho flight, execute formation delta.”
Using his ship as the axis, his fighters maneuvered into their positions for the run in on Bardron VI, behind the capital ships. Sakazawa was sure that the Rage would send their space fighters out to intercept his fleet, and he wanted the Thundercats to stay behind the point defense umbrella. Their lack of ship-to-ship weaponry would make them an easy target for the Rage ships.
All that was left to do now was to hold formation and wait for the admiral to give the order to attack. He settled back in his seat and looked out of the canopy at the large planet ahead. Without an atmosphere, it looked like a dead world, but this was the type of planet the Rage preferred. Not much of a prize, he thought, but knocking out the Rage would be worth it.

In the combat information center onboard his flagship RSS Tarus, Rear Admiral Sakazawa kept a close eye on the tactical display. Thirty Rage fighters left their hidden base on the surface of Bardron VI and turned to intercept the Remorhaz fleet.
Sakazawa shook his head. If he were in command of the Rage defenses, he would have kept the fighters uncommitted until the odds had evened out a bit, or at least until the fleet was distracted by fire from the ground bases. As it was, the Rage fighters didn’t stand a chance. Hellcat was deployed in a phalanx formation, which allowed the fleet to concentrate its point defense fire and eliminating holes in the coverage.
Despite the knowledge of the Remorhaz firepower, the Rage fighters pressed on, while the fleet moved closer to the planet. Sakazawa’s plan was simple. The fleet would move just outside of ground cannon range and deploy for a massive attack on the surface defenses of Bardron VI. Since the Rage couldn’t hit everything at once, Sakazawa was hoping that a massive attack from the capital ships would allow the Thundercats to lay some of their ordinance on the defense bases, opening the way for the Space Marines to land and take the planet by force. His hope was that by overwhelming the defenses early, he would minimize his own losses, but the plan relied on accurate intelligence and no shortage of luck.
The Rage space fighters moved into maximum engagement range of the fleet. RSS Quasar scored the first kill of the battle as her point defense cannon locked onto a Rage space fighter at maximum range. The Rage fighter began to twist and turn, trying to avoid the cannon fire, but the computer was always one step ahead of him. Shell after shell hit the craft, tearing pieces from the ship and damaging components. As the ship lost maneuverability, more shells hit it, until a number of rounds penetrated its powerplant, causing it to explode. The crew cheered as they watched the target disappear from the tactical display, but quickly searched for a new target as twenty-nine Rage ships moved even closer, hoping to put their own missiles into the skin of a Remorhaz ship.
They would never get the chance. The closer the fighters got to the fleet, the heavier and more accurate the fire became. Within two minutes, all of the Rage space fighters were destroyed. The only threat they posed to the Remorhaz fleet was if their wreckage happened to collide with one of the capital ships. Having overcome the first line of Rage defense, Hellcat continued on.


This chapter will continue!