Courage Under Fire

[Admiral Holt]

8.124

Longbow exploded out of hyperspace setting off proximity alarms through out the 331st Battlegroup. Admiral Holt shot up from his bed at the loud klaxons sounding in the hall outside his quarters. An instant later his Commander Filmoor’s voice came over the PA.

“Condition yellow, all command personnel to the Command deck.”

Holt had threw on his uniform not dealing with the elegance of the jacket, he was un a rush and he had no time for pomp or ceremony at this point. The door slid open to the command deck and bright light washed over him. His eyes adjusted to the new light scale and he walked to meet Commander Filmoor and Captain Kinsly. The two men stoop looking at a monitor which displayed what, at this distance looked like a star destroyer, but not all of one. As he neared he recognized the ship. It was the Long Bow, or what was left of her. His presence was noticed and an Ensign immediately saluted and spoke.

“Admiral on the Bridge.”

The men and women on the command deck came to attention. They held the stance for a moment then went back to work. Holt walked to the monitor in the middle of the large command center and looked closely at the image.

“Looks like Captain Lortan has been through hell. Captain, report.”

Captain Kinsly typed in some commands. A smaller window popped up. A list of communications traffic scrolled listing all communications in the system.

“Sir Longbow has not reported in since reversion.”

Holt looked over the list then back at the image of the ship.

“Well hell Don, half the command superstructure is gone. Launch all tugs and rescue shuttles. Lets give them a hand.”

8.126

“I know I know , but we can only move as fast as we can move Don.”

The meeting between Captain Lortan and the command crew of the 331st had been going on for hours now. The admiral sat at the head of the meeting table looking out at the assorted men and women under his command. Captain Lortan had been admit about the Imperials fallowing him there. It had been thirty nine hours and no imperials had showed. Holt knew they would eventually show up. He also knew that the group which engaged the Longbow was not enough to do the job. The imperial would have to regroup and move as one to attack the Courageous., that gave him a little time. Lortan and one of his dreadnaught commanders were arguing about the strategy and about Lortans request that the entire group leave now rather than wait for the tendering operations to conclude. It was heating up and Holt felt it time to intervene.

“Gentlemen please., We are under a great deal of pressure here. I have spoken with Admiral Reshmar and he and I agree leaving the ships under tender is not an option. While I respect your request Captain Lortan. And I do see your point. I could not leave at this point anyway. The Courageous Has a Dauntless Cruiser attached to deck undergoing refit. While we have put everyone we have on her and made her our first priority it will still be another forty eight hours before she can detach from our tender latch and move let alone fight. “

Holt watched the men as he spoke. Lortan had been through a traumatic experience. He had lost an entire battle group and most of the men aboard his ship. Most his captains and commanders understood the situation. Detaching the cruiser and jumping now would just leave it and anyone on board fodder for the imperials.

“Now we need to prepare for an attack. We know one is coming. We can not jump for at least fifty hours., so we need to be ready to fight if it come to that before then. Now get back to your ships and be ready.”

The group mumbles to each other as they shuffled out of the meeting room. Holt sat for a moment thinking of what the next three days meant. A lot of things needed to happen at a very rapid pace. The lives of his crew and the men and women under him depended on what he did next. Depended on his choices and actions. This was the part of command he did not like.

[Moff Joran Greth]

8.123

Moff Greth sat listening to an old corellian opera from before the clone wars. Oh how the war had changed music throughout the galaxy. He sipped his brandy and closed his eyes to listen as the second movement began and the soft alto voice of some long forgotten singer melodically moved over the orchestral arrangment with such asserted finesse. He sank into thought about war and how a battle was like this opera. The hero fights his enemy never saves the galaxy and pays for his actions with a cost of his soul and his life. He wondered if some clairvoyant wrote this seeing images of the failed rebellion to come. This music paused and a message came in over his communications panel. He spoke and activated the display.

“Ah Major Travers, How an I help you?”

Greth had hand picked Travers when he as promoted to Moff of the sector. The man was a hard as they come. He had a kill sheet rivaling vaders. He had been injured on Endor and lost his left eye. Imperial command, seeing it cheaper to ship him off to do desk work than replacing his eye, had him put in the non combat officers list. Generally this list was for officers who did not show aptitude for combat or like Travers had been injured making them less effective in battle. Some were patched up given new limbs or organs and returned to duty. These were the ones from wealthy world or families. Travers had no family that Greth knew of.. Knowing the man as he did , if he had a family h e would have killed them. His murderous spirit was one of the main reasons Greth had chosen him. The other was loyalty.

“Sir, Captain Saye has transmitted a message. He has engaged an alliance Battlegroup and chased them to Courageous. He has taken up position seven light years away and awaits orders.”

Greth shot up from his relaxed position. He sat stern and straight up. It had been almost three years now of constant headache for convoys between Valc VII and Bilbringi. Raids and attacks seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Months past before imperial intelligence had discovered the Courageous and its Battlegroup hiding in wild space. Always moving, never in the same spot twice. Now it seemed he had them It was time to pounce. And pounce hard.

“Major, what do we have in the area of Captain Saye’s group.”

The major looked over information. Lists of ships and groups scrolled most near the Valc system, some out on patrol in the rest of the Perinn sector. Then he saw what he and Greth were looking for.

“Sir the 455th pursuit Squadron and the 388th skirmish squadron are both in the vicinity.”

Greth had no idea what the groups consisted of or who commanded them. They were close and he wanted Courageous dead.

“Major, order them to report to Captain Saye’s position. Tell them Saye has group command until I arrive. And get me a channel open to Saye. I want to give him these orders directly.”

Major Travers carried out his orders and waited for a communications officer to inform him when Captain Saye was on the channel. The lieutenant transferred the transmission to Travers.

“Sir, Captain Saye in on the channel I am routing it to your desk.”

The image of Line Captain Saye appeared on Greth’s desk monitor.

“Captain Saye, I congratulate you on a job well done. Now I have another assignment for you.”

[Captain Tyberius Saye]

“Captain Saye, I congratulate you on a job well done. Now, I have another assignment for you.” Saye smiled wolfishly at the thought of the assignment Moff Greth was about to give him. Ten to one odds said it would be chasing down the Courageous. If they were lucky, the Courageous wouldn’t have time to move. He mulled over possible strategies in his head. They ranged from a full scale attack to sending a disguised ship undercover to plant a homing beacon on the Courageous. He nodded a bit at the last one. That could be do-able, very do-able.

“Your Excellency. I apologize for the loss of the two Carrack Cruisers.” Saye solemnly gave his report. He still grimaced at the thought of over 2000 of his men dying in a ball of fire that engulfed both ships. They had shot down only five of the eighty missiles, and the poor bastards didn’t have the time to escape. Those missiles had been aimed perfectly, completely annihilating both ships. The remainder of the ships slammed into the Vic. Saye had taken his revenge; several thousand Rebels were now dead. He had paid a fraction of the price that the Rebels had. His current ship, the Vindicator, was under minor repairs that wouldn’t last more than a day. Mostly, she was getting a new paint job after the Rebels had scorched a bit of the hull. “Is my new assignment the assault on the Courageous?” He asked hopefully. It would be nice to finally obliterate the terror that had been hitting shipments between Valc VII and Bilbringi. Countless Imperials had died in those attacks, and Saye hoped he could avenge their deaths. “The Vindictive shall be ready for battle soon.” Another thing he had to wait for was the arrival of 38 new TIE fighters and their respective pilots. The little Rebels had given him quite a hassle with his fighters.

“Sir, the estimated time of completion is in six-point-five hours.” Saye frowned, annoyed at the ensign who had wandered in the middle of his conversation. After the ensign left, he returned his gaze to the holo, awaiting his reply.

[Moff Joran Greth]

Greth listened as Saye ask about his next mission. He was eager indeed. He must be put off by the loss of his men. Greth did not worry about such things, men die, ships are lost. He understood how it may anger a commander to lose people under them. he just did not care. For every man below him there are four more below them ready for promotion.

"Indeed The loss of your ships is a terrible thing captain but a price I would gladly pay ten fold for the information it brought. I have send orders for the 455th pursuit Squadron and the 388th skirmish squadron to join you. Once they have arrived move in and focus on that Lucrehulk. I will be departing later today and joining you. Good hunting Captain Saye."

Greth killed the transmission and sat thinking over his next move. It would be thirty hours before Saye's group could form up and attack. If he pushed the overlord hard he could be there. He stood and walked into the office next to his. The officer behind the desk stood at attention. A scar ran down his face from is forehead to his chin. The socket of his eye was covered by a durasteel plate. Greth coulld not help but think of admiral Screed. While Travers was much larger than the Screed, the eye always reminded him of his former commander.

"Major Travers, Prepare to leave. Tell Captain Baroo I want the Overlord ready for departure within the hours. we will be heading there after we make a short visit to the repair yard."

[Aaron Nomarr]

Aaron Nomarr, captain of the New Republic Dreadnaught Mk. II Selfless was having a bad day even before he arrived at the Courageous. After an attack on an Imperial strike force in deep space, his ship had sustained major damage that resulted from the explosion of an entire Gladiator Cruiser. His crew had managed to get the hyperdrive working, but power was still shorting out in many sectors. In the two hours it took to get to the Courageous, he was patrolling up and down the corridors of his ship, making sure everything was running smoothly. According to a recent transmission, another New Republic Captain had been attacked by an Imperial, and had to escape to the Courageous. It seemed that the Imperial scum had managed to get a fix on the position of the Courageous, and since Aaron was already on his way, he was assigned to help defend it. Unfortunately, after the repairs would be finished with the Selfless, he would be switching ships and leaving the Selfless under the command of Lieutenant Kilsy, his second in command. He trusted her enough to handle the dread. In the meantime, he would be commanding several ships, almost all of which he was unfamiliar with. He made another pass through the corridors and finally retired to his quarters, waiting for half an hour before the Selfless would reach the Courageous.

“Sir, we are approaching the Courageous. Hyperspace exit in ten seconds…five seconds…4…3…2…1… hyperspace exited.” Navigation reported in, prompting Aaron to get up and resume his position at the command bridge. Immediately, he sent a transmission.

“Admiral Holt, this is Captain Aaron Nomarr. I request docking space for my ship, a Dreadnaught Mk. II designated four-niner-six-two. After receiving the affirmative, he had to wait for another hour, sourly pacing the command bridge as the never-ceasing flow of traffic to the Courageous continued. Idly, he watched ships come and go, flickering with pseudomotion as they entered or exited hyperspace. At long last, he managed to dock the cruiser.Quickly, he summoned lieutenant Kilsy for briefing.

“When the repairs are done on the Selfless, you are to be escorting the Longbow, Victory Star Destroyer. I want you to take very good care of her, okay. If my position holds, I might be promoted to Line Captain, and my first action will be to appoint you as the new captain of the Selfless.” Kilsy nodded, knowing the great weight on her shoulders. Aaron knew that she would do well, but he tried not to be over-confident. He was sure she could handle herself in a crisis; he had seen her do it before. His only hope was that the crisis wouldn’t be an Imperial fleet. Turning away, he made his way to where Admiral Holt was, trying to guess what his new assignment would be.

[Admiral Holt]

The door to Admiral Holts quarters chimed. he had been expecting captain Nomarr for an hour now. Traffic outside must be a nightmare now. All non-essential personnel are in the process of evacuating to the vessels of the 612th Support service Group. He closed the window on his desk display and pressed a button opening the door.

"Captain, come in. Please, have a seat."

Holt motioned to a chair sitting across the desk from him.

[Aaron Nomarr]

Aaron took the seat offered by the Captain, a little worried about his new assignment. For all he knew it could be a suicide mission, which it probably would be. If he was to defend the Courageous, he would be against a large Imperial Fleet. He thanked his lucky stars that he was defending the Courageous. He had heard storied of the firepower she could bring to bear, wiping out entire enemy forces.

“Good day, Admiral.” He replied, not sure if it really was day out in space. Still, the standard greeting applied to the situation, even if his day had been far from good. “May I ask what my assignment is to be?” He hoped it would have something to do with the Dauntless class cruiser he had seen. Since his appointment as Captain, he had longed for one of the large cruisers, but he had to bide his time as the captain of a dreadnaught, which was a pristine position in its own right. He let himself relax a bit, remembering to uncross his knees, sacrificing comfort for formality. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke an Admiral who was already stressed by the management of their situation.

[Admiral Holt]

Holt watched the young captain enter the room. He sat and greeted Holt then ask about his assignment.

"To the point I see, Well Captain, here is the situation. thirty hours ago Longbow jumped in damaged and bearing bad news. It seems some imperial bull dog pounded on him out in some forsaken system. He was fire up about them tracing him to Courageous."

Holt brought up a halo display. an image of the Courageous and the surrounding group of ships came on the display.

"I have who know how much time to get two hundred thousand people out of here and get ready for an attack. so, I need someone to assist in protecting Courageous while we finish evacuations efforts and rig the ship for a jump out of here. Are you interested?"

[Aaron Nomarr]

Aaron snorted. "of course I'm interested. I don't want to leave anyone here to die. What will be the ships I am assigned."

he glanced at the holo, looking at the hundreds of ships desperately trying to make their escape. They knew destruction was imminent, and so did Aaron. It would be only a matter of time before more Imperials came, and they would be bringing friends.

He watched as several more dots exited the system. Hopefully he could protect the station as long as he could before he was overpowered. Who knew? They might win.

[Admiral Holt]

"Captain, the 334th needs a commander. Captain Vasti fell ill just before they arrived. He has been sent back to Sullust with the others from the med bay. The XO is a good officer but lacks combat experience. I need you to take command of Salvation and lead the battlegroup while we get ready to jump."

Admiral Holt hands Nomar a data pad listing the ships and commanders of the 334th battlegroup.

[Aaron Nomarr]

Aaron glanced over the data pad looking over his new ships. He smiled as he saw that he was in fact in command of that Dauntless cruiser, along with a Neb-B, and Assault Frigate, and a couple of CR90s. It wasn't much, but it would be backed by the Courageous, so there was at least some hope.

"Thank you Admiral. I will make sure I do not disappoint you." He turned to leave, ready to familiarize himself with his new ships. He knew he only had hours until the Imperials came, so should get started.

[Admiral Holt]

Holt waited for Captain Nomarr to leave. He sat back and looked over the reports stacked on his desk. They were running out of time. He had so much to do before the Courageous could jump. He turned on his comm transceiver and pressed the transmit button.

"Captain Its time, Have the Dreads detach and take up defensive positions supporting Captain Nomarr and the 334th. Launch the gunship’s and get them patrolling the outer parameter. I don’t want anything sneaking up on us."

[Aaron Nomarr]

Aaron took in the vastness of the Salvation, admiring every detail. His dream ship, from top to bottom. Able to take on an Imperial Star Destroyer, it was one of the most powerful ships the Rebel Alliance had. There were only three in the entire 3rd fleet. Composing himself, he managed to make his way back to the command bridge without having his mouth hang open in awe.

He took in his new lieutenant, Lieutenant Fisher. He was a short man, a good three inches shorter than Aaron. He was bald, with a pink scar across the top of his head. He was a quiet man, but took his orders without question, and in the 5 minutes he had know the man, Aaron knew he was a good second-in-command.

"All right lieutenant. Give me a status update on the Salvation."

"Sir, we still have two hours before we can detach from the Courageous."

"Shields, weapons, power updates?" Aaron asked, raising his eyebrow. The man hadn't even looked at a datapad before answering. Even Kilsy couldn't have managed that.

Once again, he responded immdiately. "We have full shields and full power running to weaponry. The drive system is at ninety-five percent due to a power fluctuation, but we're working on it. We need to load a couple of fighters before detaching."

As Aaron saw the man speak, he realized there was a cyborg implant behind his left ear, meaning he was connected to the very fabric of the Salvation. Leaning over, Aaron commed the other captains signaling them to move into position. If the Imperials came, they would be ready.

[Captain Tyberius Saye]

Captain Tyberius Saye was looking out at the stars flashing by when navigation commed in.

"Sir, we will be arriving in 30 seconds."

After downing a presented cocktail, Saye watched as once again he exited hyperspace. He cracked a small smile, seeing his attack force. An Enforcer, 2 Carracks, 3 Assassin Corvettes, an Interdictor, a Lancer, and a Strike Cruiser. He knew Dodson would join him with the Lucky Shot shortly. He had allowed the man to visit his family before fighting the Courageous. He claimed it was a custom for him to say his good-byes before a battle, usually over the holo. He had said he wanted to leave a good-bye if he were to die.

"All right everybody, this is Line Captain Tyberius Saye. I want the Enforcer and the two Carracks on my port, the two Strikes and the three Assassins on my starboard. The Interdictor can line up behind me. As soon as Dodson arrives, we jump." He sat back, awaiting the last ship, knowing that the Courageous would be in a lot of trouble when he arrived, and even more when Greth followed.

[Moff Joran Greth]

Greth sat comfortable in his chair looking out over the six monitors laid out around him. five meters below the Moffs command section catwalk the command deck was alive with officers completing their last minute departure checks. The entire bulk of Scythe Squadron now sat posed to jump. Saye had expected it was not needed but he wanted to make a show for the rebels. He meant to send a message. Make them understand that he and the Perinn sector would not be toyed with.

Overlord sat at the intersection of opposing chevrons, twelve destroyers in all. twenty four smaller escorts made the up out prongs of the double chevron formation. From a distance above they looked like a skull and crossbones with [I]Overlord [/I, as ]the skull looking out on the unsuspecting foe. Just port of Overlord sat the Abolisher. She had recently been commanded by Captain Saye, and the man had requested it be assigned to his group once repaired. If thing went well with the attack he would indeed give the ship to the captains group.

The last of the ships reported status green. they were in position and ready to jump. Out in the distance small pinprick of light gave away the tiny TIE Avengers and TIE Defenders of the 238th Fighter Wing. The hyperspace capable Avengers ad Defenders had take up position in the center of the forward inverted chevron and awaited orders to jump.

Greth sipped his tea and watched everything unfold on his monitors. From below he heard the ships captain begin his final check list. after a short question and reply session with his crew he issued the order to jump. Greth watched as the monster that was Scythe Squadron jumped into hyperspace in unison. A monster about to breath its doom fire down on the Courageous.

[Captain Tyberius Saye]

"Sir, His Excellency Moff Joran Greth has jumped to hyperspace," the navigation officer said.

Saye was sitting in his captain's chair, keeping a hawk's eye on the monitor. His squadron was already en route to the last known position of the Courageous, which was a short jump away. He trusted his other ships had jumped in unison, but at light speed, there were no communications. If all had gone well, his entire squadron would jump out of hyperspace ready to pounce on the defenders. He frowned, mulling over the Moff's orders. He had said to engage the Courageous, but she wouldn't be undefended. An Imperial Star Destroyer wouldn't be able to attack the Courageous on its own, at least if the captain wanted to live. But if there were defenders, he was in a lot of trouble. If he chose to focus all fire at the Courageous, he would lose many ships to the defenders. He figured he should engage the defenders first, hopefully out of the firing range of the Courageous. Once Scythe Squadron arrived, Greth could easily handle the Courageous, but Saye's own force would be decimated by the monster. Given the short distance between where Saye had formed up and the Courageous, he would have to make an instantaneous decision. Attacking the defense fleet might spare his forces, but it would mean directly disobeying the Moff's order, which could result in a court martial. On the other hand, a court martial wouldn't matter if Saye was dead.

Finally, he figured he would attack the defenders, if there were any, first. If he had the Abolisher with him, he would be able to allow Filmor and whatever port or starboard side escorts he had, to attack the defenders while he concentrated on the Courageous. He wished had time to upgrade the Star Destroyer's reactor to allow heavier power output to the shields, but there was no time. It would be all he could do to engage the defenders, if there were any.

[Admiral Holt]

Admiral Holt enjoyed his morning tea in a brief moments of peace. Things had been hectic since Longbow entered had returned with news of an impending Imperial assault. All but the skeleton crew needed to operate the ship in battle had been evacuated back to Sullust. The final preparations were under way to jump away. Only the Longbow’ which had been patched up for the jump’, and the Selfless remained of the forces jumping before the main Task Force.

The Courageous had prepared for a fight it seemed now would not come. Three hours and were safe, he thought as he looked over the morning duty roster. It was odd to see so few names. He placed the data pad on his desk and rubbed hit temples. It had been nearly thirty hours since he slept. Not from lack of trying, he just could not sleep.

Holt walked down the access hall to the command center of the Courageous. The massive deck was fifty meters across and filled with communications and sensor consoles. In the center the bank of navigations and tactical consoles sat like an island in a large metallic ocean. Holts raised command chair platform sat just behind the island of consoles. Two other seats flanked his to the left. Commander Dorna Forlon sat in his chair awaiting him to take command from her and the third watch. An ensign came to attention then shouted out.

“Admiral on the bridge.”

This was a normal thing. Holt was not a stickler for protocol or procedure but the action of calling to attention as he entered the command deck was more for his crew than him. Commander Dorna Forlon stood and walked down the ram to greet Holt as he neared the command podium. Her long blond hair rustled as air from the ventilation passed by her. She was striking and beautiful but Holt knew that was just a enigma. She was a warrior thru and thru just like her father.

“Good morning Admiral, Here are this mornings logs. I have cleared Longbow and selfless to jump away and have brought all defending vessels to condition two.”

Holt took the data pad and looked it over briefly. Not a lot was on the log that was not on his morning data feed. Captain Nomarr had taken command of the Salvation and had set up a defensive perimeter. All non-essential personnel were off Courageous and leaving out with the Longbow. All hands had been rotated out in four hour shifts to keep them fresh. Now it was just a waiting game. His attention fell back to his third watch commander.

“Very well Commander, Send for the captain and then you may get some rest. I expect you back on deck by sixteen hundred..”

Dorna saluted then walked away to the comm station. She carried out her orders then left the deck. Shortly there after Captain Kinsley Entered the command deck and came to sit beside Holt.

“Morning Admiral,”

Morning Tom, did you get any rest?”

Captain Kinsley looked at Holt and smiled.

“Slept like a log .”

The tow laughed then went about the business of preparing the task force for departure. Longbow and Selfless made the jump and with them the last of the civilian and non-essential personnel. Now the business of war took over. The atmosphere changed from one of worry to one of trained calmness. If the Imperial showed up before they could jump the men and women of Task Force 32 would be ready.

[Captain Tyberius Saye]

Saye was pacing the bridge, waiting impatiently for the Vindictive to exit hyperspace. He had a cocktail in hand, occasionally taking a sip from it, marveling at how the cocktail moved at lightspeed with him, allowing him to drink.

"Sir, we are exiting hyperspace. All units are on stand-by." Navigation commed in, giving Saye the signal he had been waiting for.

"10 Seconds...5 seconds...4...3...2...1...hyperspace exited succesfuly, and all other units have exited in position."

Saye sighed in relief as the lieutenant reported in. His sigh quickly gave way to a gulp when he saw the Rebel fleet stationed on a perimeter outside of the Courageous.

"Launch all fighter squadrons and set up a picket around our ships. I will focus my firepower on that Dauntless, Dodson, focus on that Neb-B, Hal and Bornil, focus fire on that CR90 and the Assault Frigate, respectively.. Jol, I want you to set up position behind the fighter squadrons. Ilro, I want you to join Bornil on an attack on that Assault Frigate. Captains Gilroy, Defa, and Zixl, I want you to pull an Ackbar Slash between the Dauntless and the Assault Frigate." He rattled off the names of the captains. "Captain Rew, I want you to activate the gravity well generator so that nothing gets away. Captain Yren, I want you to join Dodson on that Neb-B." He scanned over his new group making sure he had the names right. The Carracks were attacking the CR90 and the Assault Frigate, the two Strikes were attacking the Neb-B, the Enforcer was attacking the Assault, Saye was attacking the Dauntless, and Rew was keeping the enmy from hyperspacing. As he made a mental checklist, the first turbolaser blasts lanced out from his ships, firing the first shots of the Battle of the Courageous.

[Aaron Nomarr]

"Sir, enemy ships inbound!" The ensign's report was an unneccessary understatement. From his viewport, Aaron could see the menacing shapes hyperspace in, and they soon began firing shots at his own cruisers.

"Okay Fisher, let's unload on those Imps." He said good-naturedly, smiling at his lieutenant's frown as Aaron completely ignored protocol, adressing Lieutenant Fisher solely by his last name.

"I want the Hammer to commence firing on the two Strike Cruisers and the Brethren to fire on the Carracks. Also, the Brethren should boost shield power to the connecting spar; the Imperials will most likely concentrate fire there. I want the Hammer to turn into the Assault to provide less surface area for hits. I want the Glouster to fall back under the protection of our hull. If we're lucky, we can get a tractor beam locked on any ships that try to engage." Taking another look at the tactical, Aaron changed his orders.

"I want the Brethren to attack that Lancer. After that, send in all available squadrons to attack the fighters there. Lieutenant, I want a status update on shielding and a check on the range of the Courageous. I want to be able to know if the Courageous can hit those Imps."

"Sir, the range of the Courageous implies that she can hit the Imperial forces." Lieutenant Fisher replied, checking his implant to determine the range.

"Good. Now, let's see what those Imperials can do."

[Admiral Holt]

In the distance an explosion of light was the first indicator that they had company. The next was the proximity alarm sounding and the warning klaxons sounding. A sensor officer sounded off.

"Commander, new contacts bearing two ninety one degrees fifteen degrees positive declination."

Commander Filmoor stepped up into his operations position and began To give orders.

"Set condition red, all hands to action stations. Ops, launch the Havoc, we need them deaf out there. Tactical I want a solution on that Imp star yesterday."

He pointed from man to man giving orders. He turned to look at Captain Kensley and Admiral Holt. The two men sat looking over halo displays positioned around the Command Podium like a bubble. They were looking over incoming threat assessments and tactical data on each of the new contacts. Holt stood and walked off the podium and to the command station in the center of the bridge.

"Very good commander. I will take it from here. Please assist tactical, I need them on target."

Commander Filmoor nodded then walked away to take his place at tactical. He sat in a seat between the seven weapons officers. They had begun communicating with the gun crews and Targeting had complied a solution. He looked over at Admiral Holt who had now been joined by Captain Kensley. Commander Forlon had come in and was sent to the Ops station to assist Colonel Myphes with fighter operations. Holt was fastening into the command harness and engaging the halo displays of the command Station. Captain Kensley had moved to communications and was proceeding with elint operations. Reports began to fill the air as the officers of the Courageous reported back to Holt.

"We have a targeting solution admiral. Weapons are hot all guns stand ready."

"Havoc away sir, ETA two minutes ten seconds till she is in position.

"Fleet wide channel open sir,"

Holt took a second to gather himself. he listened as other stations reported and as officers gave orders. His crew was a well oiled machine. Each knew their place and their responsibility. They lived, trained, and had fun together. they were family and when it came time to fight they fought for each other, and did it well.

"This is Admiral Holt. We have been discovered and the Imperials have forced our hand here ladies and gentlemen. I intend on kicking these imps like they chewed my favorite shoes. We will engage and force them to tuck their tails between what is left of their ass and run home. Engage targets at will and keep this formation tight. Good luck everyone, may the force be with us this day."

Holt looked over to tactical and at the face of Commander Filmoor. He was waiting on orders. as were most of the other senor officers.

"Hold your fire commander. Navigation. reroute weapons power to engines. Shields to full lets get a bit closer shall we."

The corresponding officers did as they were ordered and the Courageous broke lose of the grip of deep space which had held her for almost seven months now. posed to pounce on the Imperial fleet. Holt looked over at the chief of the boat manning the engineering station. he was communicating with DC crews, and engineering teams. The ship was ready to jump now but the reactor conduit had not been merged at the anchorage links. The power conduits which had feed the dreadnaughts now for seven months had not yet been terminated. This would have to be done before they could jump.

"Havoc in position engaging Elint suite."

Silence hit the com channels like a brick. The modified freighter set off a massive RF bust overpowering every radio wave within two million kilometers. The massive power cell wrapped in a induction coil thirty meters in diameter sent out radio waves over every channel imaginable. Sic A-wing fighters took up position around the freighter waiting on the inevitable attack.

"Com have the rest of the 31st move into delta formation. Ops, launch all fighters."

Each officer did their part and the massive hulk that was the courageous was bearing down on the imperials with four dreadnaughts and six gunships in tow.