You Might Just get the Teeth

Posted on Mon Mar 22nd, 2021 @ 12:29am by Administrator LordeEmp

Mission: Heroes of the Hov'hurgh
Location: Eta Eridani Sector Near the Donatu System
Timeline: 901432.2

Tracking Markers filled his screen as the Flight Commander’s computer responded to the sixty fighters pouring out of belly of the mighty starship like angry Pherza wasps. As he expected, four squadrons veered towards the B’rel and the rest formed an elaborate attack formation that all of the pilots had practiced daily for the past six months in the onboard holodecks. “Forward two squadrons tighten up and overlap your shields just like we did in simulation. It’s time to show your ancestors that you deserve a place in Sto’vo’kor!”

As the small ships approached the wounded yet still incredibly deadly Negh’var, a blinding shower of defensive battery fire rose to meet them.

His shields crackled to life in front of him. “Squadron Leader Malok reporting heavy defensive fire shields down to thirty-five percent.” His comm array came to life as JoH’qIj ordered, “Adjust forward speed down one point three percent, let your wingman's shield take some of the damage.” This continued as the fighters streaked at the slowly turning enemy ship, worrying away at its shields as they came.

Aboard the B’rel, HoD K’tar’s eyes widened as the four squadrons of fighters closed on his position. “Tactical, what kind of fighters are those!?! I need all the data I can get!” shouted the distressed Klingon. “Reinforce the shields! Target the lead ship and open fire, plasma torpedoes full spread!” Multiple radiant balls of green plasma launched out of the rear of the small escort vessel and burst into a series of explosions directly in front of the lead attacker.

“Optimum fire distance reached, target the neck and open fire!” directed Squadron leader Tor’ath as they deftly avoided the explosions. Bright disruptor fire erupted from the wings of all twenty of the Qul’toQ fighters, many striking the shielding and bringing it down. “Break! Swing around for another pass!"

K’tar watched smugly as the plasmatic globes of death exploded exactly where he expected, only to have it turn to a look of shock as all but one of the craft passed through with roughly half their shields intact. The Captain realized that their ship’s auto-targeting systems were being overwhelmed by the seemingly erratic, constant movement of the tiny ships that looked very much like miniatures of his own, and the battered B’rel took aim on the nest of that rather deadly swarm. A second rapid volley of glittering green orbs streaked out, forcing a group of fighters to break off their attack run in order to chase down the torpedoes. Two of the glowing missiles hit home, slamming into the hull of the stagnate hulk.

The impact struck the heavily armored Hov’HurgH in the neck, blasting two decks and starting plasma fires in the sturdy honeycomb that was a section of the crew quarters. The engineer began shouting damage reports as the ship shuddered under the barrage of torpedoes, “Hull breaches and plasma fires on decks nineteen and twenty! Emergency force fields in place...”

“Reroute containment fields to expose those fires to space!” the small Klingon woman ordered. Most of the crew had been at battle stations, so she knew that most of those areas had been empty. And anyone caught in that blast would not be among the living anyway.

The gruesome grin on VaQ’taj’s face twitched slightly and a dark chuckle escaped her. She had known that the neck of the design was typically the weakest point on any normal Klingon ship and had worked diligently to develop a fix to that particular flaw. Something that her engineering brethren had often scoffed at, had just saved them from a penetrating strike.

Aboard fighter number twenty-three all hell was breaking loose.

**Red Alert. Weapons offline.**

First Lieutenant K’arg son of Kurg was showered by sparks as one of his overhead panels burst into flames.

**Shields offline**

He struggled with his control panel, half the buttons were not responding.

**Inertial dampeners offline**

~Oh this is not good.~ K’arg thought.

**Engines at forty-two percent and failing.**

“Lieutenant T’rin! Arm all warheads!”

Lieutenant T’rin responded in a calm, measured tone “All warheads armed, sir.”

**Maneuvering thrusters twelve percent**

“Hov’HurgH! We are in bad shape!” There was a slight pause. ”Preparing for ramming speed!”

**Life support failing**

“Lieutenant T’rin, full impulse on my mark.”

“MARK! FOR THE EMP...”

Static filled the comm on the bridge of the Hov’HurgH as Joh’qIj saw a streak of light and then a flash erupted where the neck of the B’rel had been, leaving only a gaping hole. The “head” of the bird spun off lazily in one direction while the wounded drive section continued to plod along erratically as its momentum carried it. Obviously the bird was out of the fight. The giant of a colonel noted this in the computer and said over the comm, “ta’mey Dun, bommey Dun! Great deeds, great songs... we all can only hope for such a glorious death! K’arg, son of Kurg, and T’rin, son of Grot, claim the killing blow on the B’rel! Now who will take the Negh’var!”

Aboard the Batlh TIq, a warrior gripped his station against the battering against the outer hull. He winced as consoles exploded into flames to all sides. He yelled back in warning over his shoulder. “The Tar Taj is down!”

“I see that you petaQ!” Lord Rolq spat harshly as he gripped his arm rests. “Helm, bring us to bear on the traitor ship! Tactical, arm plasma torps, high yield, pattern DaH. Ready main disruptor cannons and the ion cannon. All weapons… fire!”

In space, the mighty battle-cruiser spat a steady stream of white fire from its central ion cannon. Simultaneously, giant cannons mounted on the outer wings let fly with bolts of blistering green death. Finally, torpedoes burst from twin launchers and wove through space to join the other weapons.

Thick plates of Hov’Hurgh’s ablative armor blistered and boiled away under the relentless assault of Batlh TIq’s ion cannon. The white lance then punched through the base of the unique battle carrier's neck and out the other side in a tremendous spray of molten debris. Meanwhile disruptor cannon bolts scarred the wing from the primary hull to the the tip, failing to score hits against the heavily shielded warp engine and cannon beneath.

Torpedoes that would have struck the Hov’Hurgh brutally hard were instead chased down by a squadron of fighters that broke off to defend their home. One escaped the defensive onslaught and struck the base of the command module, vaporizing armor on impact and spreading fiendish fingers of plasma lightning into tender wounds. Consoles on the bridge erupted in the violence and structural supports collapsed in thunderous crashes, but the mighty ship emerged from the smoke battered, bloodied, but very much alive.

“Secondary drive system online!” shouted the interim engineering chief, triumph sounding in his tone, even as the bridge crew recovered from the latest blasts, “Power transfer complete! We have full impulse, shields and weapons!”

HoD VaQ’taj stepped in front of her command chair and watched her heads-up display as she barked, “Raise shields! Give me two high-yield spreads leading that ship! Fire all disruptors!”

Glancing towards the Flight Commander, the battle-high, red-haired brawler ordered, “Pull the fighters back to escort pattern Beta eight-one! Target any incoming torpedoes and fire at will! Do NOT let any more through! Helm, get us between that Negh’var and the station!”

“At once Captain,” Lieutenant cHoq tHc stated, using the maneuvering thrusters and impulse engines to sidestep the battle carrier into position between the burning Federation ship and station, deadly horns facing the Negh’var.

As per her orders, the fighters broke off the attack on their adversary and circled back towards the mother ship, taking out torpedoes as they went. The IKS Hov’HurgH’s defenses and weapons systems leapt to life, throwing out a deadly volley with a short lead on the Negh’var. The formerly paralyzed behemoth of a starship began to slide once more through the void, ambient radiation from the battle crackling in jagged streaks across fresh shields.

TBC