The Mercenary fleet entered the New Antigua system. Immediately a fleet of 60 or more Rapiers were launched from the moon and began to scream towards the mercenaries in three 15-ship attack prongs.
Den'Zar was ready for them.
Immediately the Argosy began laying down a spread of missile fire to cover the fleet as the Corvettes ignited their afterburners and speeded forwards. All four headed towards the center prong. Once they were close enough, each corvette launch a space bomb, then fired their reverse engines, turned around, and headed away full speed. The bombs drifted forward and the lead Rapiers, unable to stop in time, barely managed to avoid striking the floating warheads. The next few Rapiers were not so lucky.
Four rapiers were vaporized instantly, and three others were blown apart, sending fire and debris into the surrounding vessels as more of the heavy fighters were engulfed in the expanding fireball. By the time the explosion had subsided, there wasn't a functional rapier left in the center attack wave.
Meanwhile, the Kestrels unleashed a wave of Heavy Rockets and Torpedoes into the other two prongs. As the Pirate Rapiers scattered to avoid being struck and annihilated, the Corvettes and Argosy finished pulling back into the main formation of the Kestrels, and as a whole the fleet began to back up.
The Pirates followed, closing in from two angles on the sides. On que, the Kestrels launched their compliment of Lightnings, making 10 Lightnings in all. The heavy fighters split up into two waves and moved around to the sides. As the Rapiers got closer to the main fleet and began firing with heavy rockets, the Lightnings unleashed a wave of 20 heavy rockets almost simoltaneously into the Rapiers. The resulting havoc was nearly catistrophic as almost a dozen Rapiers were sent into spinning, burning wrecks. What was left of the wings made a last charge into a line of Kestrels and Corvettes, and was almost instantly repelled by waves of Javelin rockets and sprays of laser and proton bolt fire. Only 10 Rapiers managed to pull back and requested reinforcements.
Ten more Rapiers and five corvettes were launched, and, after joining up with the the remnants of the first wave of Rapiers. Together, they made a mad charge for the center of the Mercenary line, firing torpedoes and missiles as they went.
The bridge of the Nemesis shook as missiles and torpedoes blasted into the shields. "Fire RCS thrusters and move us away from the Pirate fleet immediately! Full impulse!" Den'Zar ordered.
The Mercenaries turned around and blasted away as fast as they could, chased by a swarm of torpedoes and missiles which quickly reached their ranges and self-detonated, causing no damage. The Mercenaries then turned back to face them and the two fleets were engulfed in waves of proton and laser blasts, when suddenly the Pirate were hit from behind by the Lightnings. The Pirates had forgotten about the Mercenary fighter-bombers, who had unleashed all their remaining missiles. As Rapiers dropped like flies, the corvettes tried to pull back, but were instead met with a fusillade of laser fire which tore apart their remaing armor. As the corvettes exploded and disintigrated, the Mercenary fleet plowed through the wreckage towards the moon of New Antigua. Coming within range, the Corvettes descended and disgorged dozens of troops which quickly subdued the Pirates, who were not very combat-worthy as land troops.
New Antigua was theirs, and at no real losses, except for the Argosy, which was disabled, and heavy damage to several Kestrels and Corvettes.
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If at first you don't succeed...Hit it harder! - Me
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Millennium. Its coming, prepare for it.
Coming to the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiaSW.com/games/ev/chronicles.html")EV Chronicles(/url).
:<( heheheheh