[attack_condor]

2407.7

Zezzis system
...onboard CDS West End...

Still in high orbit around Zezzis IV, West End and Artemis both received a proximity alert at the same time. The Sergetti fleet had moved into the sector, and was on a direct bearing for the planet.

With the ships now in the same sector, the make-up of the Sergetti fleet could be analyzed.

“Reading seven contacts, Captain. Scans show four are equipped with multiple point defense cannons, one is a missile frigate with two missiles tubes, just like us. Contact six is a carrier, scans read 34 fighters on board. Contact seven is a freighter, but it does have a repair bay.”

The planetary governor sent a message that the weapon platform was still not available. West End and Artemis were on their own. O’Rourke did send a message to Toronto, but she would not make it to them before this battle started.

The Sergetti assumed an arrowhead formation with the one missile frigate in an echelon right position, and the carrier and freighter in an echelon left position. The four PDS frigates were in the center.

Sensors again reported.

“Captain, I believe I see an opening. If we can get in line with the missile frigate, and the enemy hold their positions, he’ll have only one PDS ship that can support him.”

He moved his cursor on the display to show where he thought the weak point was.

O’Rourke nodded. “Good call, sensors. Advise Artemis. Helm, try and loop around the back side of that missile ship, but be ready to close if they continue towards the colony.”

The plan was to stay in formation, and draw the enemy away from the unprotected colonists. Artemis, with her shields and regenerators, would stay in-between West End and the Sergetti. As a further enticement for the enemy to chase the ships, Artemis would slide into and out of the missile range of the Sergetti, counting on her own point defense to protect her.

The two forces closed, and the two Dawn ships began to try and loop behind the attackers.

Sensors provided the information for O’Rourke.

“Captain, multiple new contacts! The carrier has launched her fighters. The carrier and freighter are turning away.”

“Roger, sensors. Helm, stay on course. Let me know if they come for us or continue to the planet.”

Seventeen seconds into the engagement, O’Rourke had her answer.

“Contacts changing course, Captain. Bearing now 220, headed toward us. Targets 200 km from colony, 190 km from us.”

O’Rourke didn’t respond, but kept her eyes on the display.

“Helm, plot an intercept course with the lead frigate!”

“Recommend course 016, Captain.”

”Approved, helm. Get us in close to those ships.”

The two forces now closed on each other at a substantially faster rate.

As they closed, O’Rourke again turned from the enemy, and ran across their bow, hoping to get behind the missile frigate and attack it with as few PDS ships supporting it as possible. Artemis continued into the formation, trying to draw fire.

Twenty kilometers from the edge of the frigate’s cannon range, Artemis turned to starboard, and the two Dawn ships now split around the formation. Artemis was trying to get close to the fighters, and skimmed through the weapon arcs of the enemy. Meanwhile, West End fired her first missile volley at the lead frigate. O’Rourke gave the order to cease firing then until the missile frigate could be targeted. She wanted to see how effective the Sergetti PDS umbrella was.

As it turned out, the umbrella was quite effective. Both of her missiles were destroyed before they got within 20 km of the frigate. Meanwhile, the enemy fleet had decided she was the priority target and started to bear in her direction.

Thirty four seconds into the fight, West End was just 5 km outside the weapon range of the frigates, when she started to pull away from the enemy. O’Rourke had to keep her speed up, or else she would end up nothing more than an explosion in space. She was unable to get behind the missile frigate, so she was content to lead them away from the colony as well as Artemis.

Artemis, for her part, had gotten behind the enemy’s frigates and was bearing down on the fighters trailing the formation.

The battle now was for the two ships to stay alive long enough for Toronto to arrive…

Haphik system
...onboard CDS Aztec...

Aztec was on her way back to Zezzis. She carried 48 more mines from Haphik II. She was going to try and use these to help protect the new colonists in the Zezzis system. The crew had been receiving commsat reports of the Sergetti aggression, and tried to get every kilometer of speed out of the ship they could.

Nekkar III
Dawn headquarters...

Chairman Lomax listened to the report delivered by his research directorate. He was reluctant to approve this latest project, but the facts were overwhelming. In the battle with the Sithrak frigate in Zezzis, the entire compliment of Montreal’s boarding party had been wiped out by less than half of their number of Sithrak. They had to have an advantage to counter the physical superiority of adversaries. Biological warfare was a term used in hushed tones, and caused all sorts nightmarish scenarios to be conjured up, but there was really no choice. They had to proceed. The project was approved.

Rita Edwards then presented the responses of the Norak government to the demand to stop their spying. The reply was almost ludicrous.

“And what are you going to do about it, Chairman Lomax? Your military is a third rate power.”

Rita Edwards told the assembled heads of the corporation what they were going to do about it, and introduced them to a brand new ship, commanded by an ex-freighter captain...

Zezzis IV
...onboard CDS West End...

Captain O’Rourke was still alive. Her ship was damaged, but ship and crew was still alive. Artemis - with her shields and regenreators - took fighter hits, but was undamaged. The colonists were still alive as well, and that was the important part.

The Sergetti fleet lay burning throughout the sector. O’Rourke’s missiles had finally penetrated the PDS ships, and one was destroyed. The missile frigate, as well as the other four PDS ships was disarmed, and trying to escape the sector. Artemis’ flak cannon had taken out 23 of the 34 fighters launched against them. The carrier and repair freighter had left the sector, only to run into Toronto who was on her way to assist West End. Toronto fought through the limited fighter screen offered up by the carrier, and destroyed the freighter. The carrier escaped, and there was one more frigate that hadn’t participated in the battle still out there. Toronto let it go, returned to guarding Zezzis VIII. The colonists for all three Dawn planets reported they had completed the new Hercules IV weapons platform.

The Dawn empire had just secured a foothold in Zezzis...