10-30-2026, 07:33 PM
The two shuttles proved marginally effective upon deployment; the first was nailed by a stray torpedo almost immediately after launching, a direct result of being deployed into the line of fire. The second, less constrained by things such as pilot G-tolerances thanks to its guidance programming, ducked and weaved and began to harass the two trailing Hidekis. That harassing fire proved distracting enough that Powl's follow-up torpedo volley nailed one, leaving nothing but an expanding cloud of gas. The shuttle was caught in the secondary detonation caused by the Hideki's warp core, but it had done its job and the odds were now even.
Scans for the Aquila and Yeager revealed that the two ships were heavily engaged:
The Aquila had just lost shields to a matter/antimatter detonation with the yield of a medium-sized antimatter reactor (likely the Aquila's Secondary Core), while the two Keldons she had faced off against were both holding position out of weapons range to lick their own wounds.
Meanwhile. the Yeager was in trouble. Sensors showed she was off-course, trailing atmosphere and debris, with structural integrity fluctuating around critical levels. The crippled Scout Cruiser was arcing around onto a collision course with the lead Keldon, and hull plating covering escape pods began to be jettisoned in preparation of the crew abandoning ship.
As the timer ticked down, the Yeager's final transmission to the group was received, a text-only command for the Aquila and Zephyr to withdraw to Starbase 214 and provide support for any craft evacuating the area.
Scans for the Aquila and Yeager revealed that the two ships were heavily engaged:
The Aquila had just lost shields to a matter/antimatter detonation with the yield of a medium-sized antimatter reactor (likely the Aquila's Secondary Core), while the two Keldons she had faced off against were both holding position out of weapons range to lick their own wounds.
Meanwhile. the Yeager was in trouble. Sensors showed she was off-course, trailing atmosphere and debris, with structural integrity fluctuating around critical levels. The crippled Scout Cruiser was arcing around onto a collision course with the lead Keldon, and hull plating covering escape pods began to be jettisoned in preparation of the crew abandoning ship.
As the timer ticked down, the Yeager's final transmission to the group was received, a text-only command for the Aquila and Zephyr to withdraw to Starbase 214 and provide support for any craft evacuating the area.