Aboard the Valiant class heavy cruiser, Vice Admiral Cerri watched the alien ships jump into the system. She looked at the readout, and sighed.
Sensor bouys had confirmed multiple covenant capitals. A CAS Assault carrier, 2 CRS class light cruisers, and 7 SDV class heavy corvettes. That was... She sighed. It was.
She held no illusions. This wasn't a large fleet, by any stretch of the imagination. But... That fucking carrier and the cruisers will be... severe issues.
She inhales, and exhales. She connects to the battlenet, and begins to give out orders.
"This is the Hercules, all ships report." She ordered. Her fleet of 1 Valiant class Heavy cruiser, 1 Epoch class Heavy Carrier, 3 Charon class Frigates, 13 Paris class Frigates, 1 Able class Heavy Destroyer all reported in turn.
She nodded, and began in earnest. "To all ships, launch fighters. Transports second, send them to ground in case of rapid evacuation needed. Focus fire on capital ships, lady's and gents. Begin maneuvers to meat the enemy. Hold fire until my order. God save us." She said, and her fleet began twisting to face their foe.
They closed the distance slowly. It was peaceful, there first moments of battle. "All ships, calculate firing solutions." She ordered.
Targets were painted in the battle net, and soon, all ships had a target.
"Inbound torpedoes, Admiral!"
"All ships fire! Same targets, fire archers." She ordered.
"Inbound fighter craft! Seraphs and banshees!" Came the call. The fighters were painted in battlenet, and she ordered.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Fighters to intercept course." She ordered as archer missles began streaming from their pods. Tye unsc fighters twisted and jinked to intercept the hostile craft before they got among the capital ships.
She checked the net, and saw the Mac effects. Estimated 50% shields on carrier, 70% and 60% shields on the cruisers respectively. She grimaced.
"All ships focus fire on the carrier, an- SHIT!" She yelled. A second volley of plasma torpedoes was launched, coming right at her. " BEGIN EVASIVE MANEUVERS! ALL SHIPS FIRE AT WILL! KILL THE CAPITALS!" She yelled as the first volley began hitting ships.
She cursed as one was intercepted by her ships point defense before it ripped her fore apart. One slipped through, and struck her ventral, spacing a good portion of the underside of the ship.
Another Mac volley lanced out, and this time she watched as the Carrier took the brunt of 15 direct hits. Her shield dropped, and finally, her cruisers larger Mac's reloaded, and fired.
The first hit struck her fore, causing her to crumple inwards, and begin rolling. The second shot struck her thin spine, and the ship began to break apart. The Epoch class fired her light Mac into the stricken carriers afterand on screen she watched as internal explosions began wracking the ship. A third wave of torpedoes from the cruisers heralded their plasma beams launching out towards them.
Her cruiser was-
"CAPTAIN, THE HERCULES IS GONE!" Said the sensor operator of the Epoch class heavy carrier. The Commodore grimaced. His grimace got worse as 3 Paris class frigates were bifurcated. By the cruisers plasma beams.
The corvettes were firing plasma at them, but the accuracy was not favorable yet. They were rushing the planet, so that didn't help...
"All ships, fire on the cruisers, kill target 2. Launch all archers at corvette class vessels. Able and Charon class vessels, begin intercept of corvette class vessels." He spoke in battlenet.
A staggered wave of Mac rounds struck the light cruiser as, in its final moments, it wiped out another Paris class. The torpedoes struck at the UNSC vessels, and they lost another 2 Paris classes.
They returned fire on the last cruiser, and he felt a plasma beam rip across his ship. Eventually, the ship broke apart, and the bridge cheered.
"All ships, engage hostile corvettes! Turn and burn." He said.
As he watched the 4 escorts battle the corvettes as they slung Macs and missles from afar, he watched a Charon get ripped apart by plasma. The destroyer sped ahead.
With its armor, it punched back again and again until it broke and began falling towards the planets ocean. It was little more then molten slag now, but he watched life pods eject and begin falling with the dead ship.
She watched as covenant drop pods, phantoms, and spirits were spewed out of damaged, crippled, and whole corvettes before they began fleeing. They gave chase, ultimately destroying the fleeing ships. He checked the battlenet, and winced heavily.
1 super heavy cruiser, 8 Paris class frigates, 1 Charon class Frigate, and 1 Able class Heavy Destroyer lost. His carrier was severely damaged from plasma torpedoes, plasma beams, and light strike craft damage. His remaining Frigates weren't much better, being chewed up by plasma.
All in all... they came out well ahead. It was an extremely good victory. As he watched a Paris suddenly lose power, he felt his face scowl. A great victory indeed...
