NationStates Jolt Archive

This is the combat ring for the Flagship Contest.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=470765

I want the contestants to post their arrival before the fighting starts.

Fresh from a dissapointing but deserved forfiet win, The Ultra Phoenix cruised toward the area of space designated the "battlefield" on its ion drives alone,without the glow of impulse engines, making for an almost ghostly arrival.

The sensor officer scanned the Xeno's ship at long range with the full miitary sensor package, this would expand upon publishsed statistics of the ship and make for a more effective combat profile. Unlike the laser armed vessel which was easily scared off the last round, the Xeno's ship was a brawler, with Torpedos, Missiles and Projectile weapons, that certianily would not be harmlessly deflected like the lasers which had been tried before. These weapons were explosive and pose a real threat to the sheilds and armor.

The Commander looked over the scans and then turned to the defense officer and said calmly:
"Major, increase power to the shields, 5% above critical and then bring the third generator online to compensate, charge all weapons, load torpedo bays, get the fighters into attack formation and lets get this party started gentlemen!!!"

A short energetic outburst from the crew puncutated the commanders words as they awaited their "enemy".

The Pennsylvania, dull black and menacing loomed around 23,000km distant.

Onboard, Admiral Kael stood tall in his CIC, eyes drifting over the various stations. ~She's deploying her fighters now. Go ahead and release the Squadron Leaders in the F-1s. I want the A-1 Gunships ready as well. Six degrees port, ten degrees up.~

The Pennsylvania's nose lifted slightly, turning fractionally to the left. This exposed more of the menacing torpedo and missile bays to the enemy, and focused more of the capital ballistic cannons.

A red light on the bow of the Pennsylvania flickered from red to green, indicating readiness to engage.

The Commander nodded towards the view screen, showing the Xeno's ship and gave his orders:
"All fighters execute closing manuever, set target priority to enemy fighters and incoming projectiles.
Helmsman! Engage Ion drives and impulseengine , and set speed 5200kph, stand by for closing manuever but do not execute until my signal, Major Frederick!(the weapons system officer) launch one volley, four cruise missiles, tight spread right in thier nose and then reload those tubes with torpedos, stand by all other weapon systems, you will fire on my command only. All other stations stand by for combat. For the Glory of the Fleet!!! Vince Aut Morrie!!!"

The cruise missiles, which were just torpedos with disposable warp 3 burst drives attached, spiraled toward their targets. The fighters executed thier closing manuever, a warp one burst to get in range and the Ultra Phoenix waited for the right moment to execute it's own closing maneuver.

The Pennsylvania sat unmoving for a minute or so, waiting as the enemy missiles and fighters closed in. At the range of 10,000km, the bow seemed to flicker, as dozens of anti-fighter flak cannons opened up, sending assisted tracer rounds downrange in burst patterns.

There is no point in targeting specific fighters at this range, but instead diamond and cluster burst walls of explosions began to appear just ahead of the enemy fighters, the warheads popping to spray forward with shrapnel heavy enough and moving quick enough to shred fighter armor.

Waves of Swarm anti-fighter rockets (About the size of Sidewinders) were launched, moving in spirals and dodging back and forth automaticly, tracking via IR, thermal, image-recognizing and guidance modes from the Pennsylvania itself. They would be due to engage the enemy fighters as they cleared the first shrapnel field. Each Swarm missile pod had a different fighter targeted, a half dozen individual rockets swooping in from different directions, set to proximity explosions at 20 meters.

A mirror image of that defense would appear immediately after the fighters warped, except with them being closer, it would lalow the flak turrets to focus on individual targets, and allow the Swarm rockets to be fired more-rapidly.

Meanwhile, the cruise missiles would be engaged with another shrapnel field, walls of explosions forming up along the flight path. What with the speeds involved and all, even minor shrapnel (As opposed to closer hits) should tear at the skin of missiles.

The Pennsylvania began to drift forward and 'upwards', mainly just getting some momentum going should they need to manuver. The fighters and gunships were kept close for the time being

In space near the Pennsylvania:
"This is Talon leader to all wing elements, picking up a flak cloud on sensors break off and stay outside of their envelope, keep your eye out for interceptors" the wing leader ordered

"Flak? What is this is world war two? let's drive in through that shit, our shields will hold. " A green pilot said

"Negative flyboy, they have anti fighter missile batteries as well dont get too close until we can open up on them from our main guns maybe disable some of thier launchers, just keep thier fighters off of us if they bear towards us" The fighter cheif radioed from the flight deck back on the Ultra Phoenix

Meanwhile on the bridge:

"Sir, I have lost contact with two missiles, the other two are about to reach thier target" reported the weapons sensor officer

"Helmsman! Stand by to warp once we have impact, Major! Prepare a full spread, all torpedo banks, fire broadside as soon as we drop out of warp and give me a combat burst from the disruptors, and then deep scan them for weaknesses and lock black talon phasers on thier systems after the first hit!" the Commander ordered.

The weapons system officer nodded and primed the torpedo launchers by manipulating a round switch on his console while the helmsman kicked his foot pedal and moved his levers, with one last look back to the commander her engaged the warp burst which would bring the ship roughly 40km away from the enemy ship.

The automated defensive systems of the Pennsylvania had by now determined that the inbound torpedos were simply that. Torpedos. After a final volley of flak and miniature missiles, the ship cycled its weaponry off.

As scanners watched, the torpedos came within striking range. The very first torpedo would strike the shielding, the explosion held back. The defensive systems, to keep the energy at its peak levels, would simply open a hole in the shielding and let the second torpedo come through. That is what the Xeno love. Ballistics-on-ballistics. The torpedos truck the massive armor on the bow, dug in and exploded to leave a blackened pockmark on the already-ugly, sleek face of the battleship. Just the first pinprick in a duel between giants.

The Xeno shielding expanded to cover the 'hole' again, engines compensating easily for the energy use, and keeping the shielding at peak.

Seconds later, sensors revealed that the enemy had entered a jump. Automaticly, White Tiger anti-ship missiles were launched during that moment when the enemy sensors would be stuck in that 'warp' state and unable to scan. The missiles were dead-fired, launched with air power. Just debris in space, floating slowly outward from the Pennsylvania as it waited for its foe to reappear.

"Detecting multiple missile launches im getting numerous vectors!!!" the excited sensor operator reported.

"Countermeasures! Set black talon phasers to hands free mode!!" the executive officer interjected.

"Phasers hands free, aye, launching counter measures and activating all jammers, preparing to fire salvo one, full spread of quantum torpedos and disruptors" the Major replied.

"This is the Commander to all hands, brace for impact!" the commander annouced as they dropped out of warp near the enemy, they would both soon be in optimal weapons range.
Once the first volley hit, and hopefully it would be a devastating first hit, the fighters would creep up on the contrails of the UltraPhoenix and keep any fighters off of her. The crew grit their teeth and prepared the simulated jolts that would be coming from the artifical gravity system to replicate the "missile" strikes.

bump
come on, this will be fun...

bump
come on, this will be fun...

Startrek and any realistic technology is incompatible. You can win by forefit if you want. Trying to out-manuver Startrek's grossly simplified and unrealistic view of combat isn't what I consider fun.

[OOC:Are you sure it's not because, in your words "I don't want to do FT RPing god damnit."
Why did you even enter in the first place....?]


The Ultra Phoenix crew was baffled, they had scared off another opponent before the battle could even get in full swing with a simple display of manevering. The crew was unhappy with another forfiet win, but nevertheless prepared for round 3 and reset the simulation systems.

Well, I guess you won another round.