Battle Of The Karos Colonies by InocPrime
Published on Kiith Iopia on theΒ 07 August 2003
The expansive Karos Colony Station stretched as far as the eye could see, towers jutting from it's surface like enormous trees on some alien planet. Docking bays and hangars kept a constant flow of fighters and strike craft coming in and out, occassionally launching a larger frigate or destroyer from repair bays. The enormousity of the colony station was such that it was said that a fighter was always passing through the doors of a launch bay. The grandeur of the station did not die with it, its remnants still mirror the greatness of it's former self.
***
"Patrol AF94 to Karos Control, requesting flight plan and sector asisgnment."
"Karos Control to Patrol AF94, flight plan is transmitting. Your sector assignment is Sector Omega 6"
"Sector Omega 6, affirmative. Flight plan received. Patrol out."
Art-Arkut adjusted his automated flight destination to correspond to the coordinates of Sector Omega 6, or SO6 for short. His nimble, Heavy Patrol Corvette maneuvered through a Heavy Cruiser formations, one of the many dozens of such formations surrounding the enormous Karos Colony Station.
"This is Patrol AF94 to KaTCom, I've got a red blip in SO7, right next to my patrol assignment, could be a sensor echo, but I think I should check it out."
"Karos Tactical Command to Patrol AF94, permission granted. Be quick about it though, we've got 3 frieghter convoys coming through that area in less then an hour."
"Affirmative command."
Arkut veered his corvette in the direction of the sector adjacent to his own assignment, short and long range scanners fully active, reaching towards the location of the red blip. As the corvette carried it's scanners ever closer to the blip, it began manifesting itself more clearly into the form of a ship. The blip was a tiny craft, half the size of Arkut's own craft, but the appearance rather then the size caused his alarm.
"It's a Taiidani," Arkut whispered to himself, "It's a Taiidani."
"KaTCom to Patrol AF94, have you sufficiently investigated your blip?"
"Affirmative command," Arkut spoke slowly and deliberately," It's a Taiidani Scout."
Now, on the KaTCom bridge of the Karos Colony Station, it was the dispatcher's turn to feel the alarmed.
"KaTCom to Patrol, confirm. The ship is a Taiidani vessel."
"Confirmed command."
"Command out, return to bay immediately."
"Affirmative command, returning to bay."
The officer cut the communication as he rose from his double, sensor and communications displays.
"Commander, I have a Taiidani sighting reported by Patrol AF94."
The deck commander looked up from the wall display he had been observing, and turned towards the officer.
"Military or civilian? We get dozens of independent Taiidani convoys everyday. Show me the sensor records."
"Yes sir."
The officer led his commander to the scanner display, and began replaying the sensor recordings. As it progressed the commander was able to see the red blip manifest itself into a what appeared to be an armed Taiidani scout ship. His face growing more grave as the scout grew in clarity.
"Where is the pilot now?"
"I ordered him to dock sir, he has probably already arrived."
"Send him to my debriefing room upon his arrival."
"Yes sir."
***
Arkut stepped through the doors of the station commander's long, rectangular debriefing room, coming to attention just past the threshold of the door.
"Sir!"
"At ease lieutenant."
Arkut dropped his hand, previously held in a tight salute, and let his body sag noticably.
"What did you spot out there?"
"A Taiidani scout vessel sir."
"What class?"
"Strike craft chassis, possibly a streamlined frigate sir."
"What is your tactical opinion?"
"My opinion, sir, is that the scout is part of an advance fleet. The Taiidani have overrun most of our outer planets sir, they see Hiigara as the next step. The only serious resistance left between them and Hiigara, is us sir."
"That is the unfortunate truth of the situation. We've known of an enemy fleet for some time now .We've been tracking it from the outer perimeter scanners, and this scout is likely going to provide them with all the data they need for an attack. We were hoping they would lose confidence, and forget the possibility of attack. That is not the case."
Arkut slouched further at the sound of his commander's near hopeless voice.
"We can't put the station at risk. We have to try and halt the Taiidani before their frigates and capital ships can get a chance to fire on the station. Reinforcements have been requested, but the nearest ships are dozens of jumps away, they can't arrive in time."
"How can I participate sir?"
"You will command a wing of heavy corvettes, under the combined group command of myself. I will lead the entire station strike craft fleet from the carrier group Al-Serum. All frigates and capital ships will form up to defend the station. If we can destroy the enemy fighter craft early in the battle, station defenses in conjunction with our remaining craft might be able to pick off the enemy capital ships."
"Yes sir. When will the strike begin?"
"As soon as you can get into a ship."
***
Arkut sat, as comfortable as circumstances permitted, in the form fitting seat of his corvette, with over a hundred others in formation with him. Then near a hundred other wings and squadrons of strike craft formed up all about them. The enemy strike craft fleet arrayed similarly before them.
"Strike Command to all groups. Prepare to receive target assignments."
On the bridge of the command carrier, tacticians and strategist raced to prepare target orders for the literally thousands of fighters and corvettes outside their ship. Each planner assigned its own wing.
"Heavy corvette wing 1 has received target assignments," informed Arkut.
Arkut's wing of powerful assault craft had been assigned the single most important target in the enemy fleet. The Taiidani command carrier, buried underneath wing after wing of fighters and corvettes. They had been teamed with another 5 interceptor wings for this assignment. The interceptors would engage in a running fight, to clear the path for Arkut's heavy corvettes.
"Strike Command to all ships. Engage targets, engage targets."
Arkut activated the device that would restrict his communications to his corvette wing, and the interceptors escorting them.
"Flight Leader to interceptor wings 1-4, position yourselves in front of my wing and engage all interfering enemy craft. Wing 5, you will take up the rear and engage any pursuing craft. Orders received?"
"Orders confirmed," each wing leader reported individually from their own even more cramped fighter cockpits.
"Let's move!"
Simultaneously, each fighter took off, some moving slower then others in order to fill the positions assigned by their commander. As the great fleets neared each other, every pilot Taiidani and Hiigaran alike, began to fear for their lives and the lives of those they fought for. Few on either side would survive the ensuing enagement.
"Wing 3, Major Gartu to Colonel Arkut. The first Taiidani ships are nearing us. 30 seconds to range."
"Confirmed 3."
The blue and grey mass of Hiigaran ships merged with the yellow and red Taiidani ships in a blinding mass of weapons fire, explosions, and high velocity collisions.
"Artuk to fleet. Form up! We're coming out of the main fighter groups. Scanners detect 100 scout fighters as the first command carrier defenses we'll encounter. Activate high velocity rounds."
"Confirmed," shouted his entire fleet at the same time.
"Scout defenses coming up."
A mass of enemy fighters streaked towards them, guns firing despite the small chance of scoring a hit at that range.
"Enemy in firing rage. Wing 2 engage. Corvettes, activate independent firing systems, try and score a few hits as we pass by them."
In response to his orders, the fighter wing to the corvette wing's port side streaked forward and fired relentlessly into the enemy fighter formation, destroying a dozen or so initially, due to the sheer concentration of fighters.
"Don't let them get through to us!"
The interceptors engaged in a quick dogfight with the scouts, dispatching them within the space of a minute, only taking 37 casualties compared to their 100% casualties.
"Return to formation!"
The interceptors returned to their position, port of the corvette wing.
"Last mass of defense. The rest of the fighters have probably taken up defensive positions around the carrer."
Arkut extended his scanners, and picked up an enormous fighter fleet defending the enemy carrier, number near 800 in all. Mostly scouts and bombers, in a loose formation around the ship.
"Mostly plasma bombers and scouts, fleet. No armor and then no speed. This should be cake walk."
Arkut heaved a sigh and relaxed internally. The carrier's defenses could be dispatched in mere minutes with a few well placed shots.
"Enemy strike craft moving out of formation. All interceptors engage and destroy. We will continue on, destroy the carrier, and come around to assist should you require it."
"Confirmed," his fleet once again shouted.
The enemy fighters veered from their defense runs around the carrier, to engage the advancing interceptor wings, incapable of reaching the corvettes now moving towards the carrier and only means of docking and refueling without a mothership.
"Flight leader to all corvettes, concentrate as much fire as possible on the open engines, bay, and underbelly of the carrier. Maximize damage. Make every shot count."
The strike craft dove towards the carrier, weapons blazing, scoring hit after hit on the carrier's heavily armored surface. Each shot left little damage or scar, but together the 200 hundred guns mounted on 100 ships blew holes in the ship's armor.
"We're getting through!" Arkut whispered to himself, triumph welling up inside him.
A few minutes after Arkut spoke these three words to himself, the carrier exploded in a flash of fire, resulting in hundreds of cheers from the interceptors, corvettes, and the other craft engaging the enemy strike craft fleet itself.
"Interceptor wings, have you destroyed the escorts?"
"Yes flight leader, wing 1 and 3 were wiped out though. 2,4, and 5 have suffered more then a dozen casualties each,:
"Damn. It could have been worse though."
"Sir, should we engage the remnants of their fleet?"
Arkut checked his fuel, and read transmitted fuel counts from his fleet.
"No, we're to low on fuel. If we engage the fleet we might not be able to get back to the carrier. We'll move towards the carrier and defend it against any stray fighters."
"Affirmative sir."
Arkut smiled at his reflection in the cockpit window, but wondered how many casualties the other wings had taken.
***
"Arkut to command, we have engaged and destroyed the enemy carrier."
Arkut's call went unanswered for the fourth time.
"Flight leader, have you been able to raise the command carrier?"
"No, damn it. Has anyone?"
"No sir, they must be out of range."
"We'll move into their original position and try and trace their engine trails."
"Affirmative sir."
The fighters moved into the area originally occupied by their carrier, and began scanning.
"Sir, I don't detect any engine trail. Maybe they jumped out without us."
"Sir, scanners are picking up debris."
"What type of debris."
"Sir, the debris corresponds with that of the Ar-Selum sir."
"They were destroyed," Arkut spoke to himself, more loudly then he thought.
Suddenly, questions of "what will we do" and "what happened" erupted from the fighters surrounding him.
"Sir, I detect a hyperspace gate nearby. It was used recently, to transport a large fleet."
"Set course for gate, and move us through."
All of the ships moved towards, and then into the blue square of hyperspace. The pilots would never have guessed they would see what they saw upon their arrival. The Taiidani had brought their entire fleet through to the Karos Station while they had engaged the fighters. They had just been a distraction. Now, as a result of their fighter engagment, hundreds of cruisers, destroyers, and frigate enaged the station defenses. Even then, hundreds of Hiigaran cruiser hulks filled the screen. Karos Station, broke itself into enormous sections of debris before their eyes.
The mysterious Karos Graveyard had been born.