LotS/The Story/Princess Illaria's Escape/Space Combat

Space Combat
You glance at the ship’s scanner, each blip of information contributing to the tapestry which forms your mind. Green blips show Sian vessels leaving from other hangars around the Child of Heaven, entrusting themselves to the cold void. But red blips are converging on them like pack animals after their prey, Centurian fighter ships moving to intercept. Whatever stealth systems they used to board the cruiser, they’re visible enough now to your ship’s electronic eyes.

You wince as you see the green dots flicker out of existence one by one. But the Centurian ships are on the other side of the cruiser. You have a chance to escape…

All that flows across your thoughts in a second, your trained pilot’s mind assimilating the data and analyzing the situation. Then you take another quick glance, this one at the display showing the readings of the hyperspace engine.

“Need to get some breathing room,” you say, one of your hands already moving to plot the course. “Then we can jump for Sian.”

“No!” says the Princess. “Sian’s under attack.”

“What? The Centurians couldn’t get past the Golden Armada. They don’t have a fleet powerful enough-”

But the Princess’ grim silence quietens you in turn.

“Plot a course for TALOS space,” she says after a moment. “They’ll give us sanctuary.”

You do as she instructs, then focus your attention on your surroundings once more. First you need to get away from your pursuers, so you have enough time to make your jump…


That Blast Came From The...

A huge blast of laser energy flashes by, piercing the blackness, illuminating the cockpit with its glow. No fighter has a weapon that large...

“The Child of Heaven!” yells one of the guardsmen. “It’s firing at us!”

You curse. How could the Centurians have broken through the security systems on the forward weapons that fast? But there’s no time to think about it.

Another blast lances towards you, and you dart the ship aside to avoid it. You have to get clear of those cannons…


Cosmic Ballet

You manage to avoid the forward guns. Those weapons are designed to be used against large cruiser targets, and are no match for your skill as a pilot. But avoiding them has cost valuable time.

Streams of smaller laser fire come from behind. Centurian fighter ships are on your tail, trying to thwart your escape. The ship hurtles through space at your expert touch, as you plunge, soar, spin, and swerve in an effort to avoid their fire.


Rocks Fly, Everybody Dies

“Too many of them,” you mutter.

On the scanner, more and more red blips are moving towards you. But something else catches your eye.

“An asteroid field,” you say.

“Do it,” Princess Illaria replies, understanding your intention. Her hand clasps your shoulder.

The Sian Guardsmen gasp as you fly towards the whirling asteroids. A thousand deaths await you on those rocks. But it’s death for the Centurians as well, if they follow you. If you can make it through the field, you might be able to lose them…


Dogfight

Several explosions sound out from your aural implant, each one representing a Centurian fighter exploding against an asteroid – silent deaths given voice by the device.

You emerge from the field, and see that only a handful of red dots are left. And there’s something else… A green dot, weaving between the asteroids at reckless speed. Someone else made it clear of the cruiser.

“That has to be you, captain.” The female voice comes over the Sian communication channel, full of an exhilaration that seems so out of place in the grim circumstances. “No one else could fly like that. And if you’re here, she’s with you.”

“Talia!” says the Princess.

“I knew it!” A joyful laugh comes through the communicator. “I knew the captain wouldn’t leave without you.”

A musical laugh from the Princess echoes that of the gunslinger, one born of both happiness and adrenaline-fueled mania. Life or death space combat is new to her.

You look at the scanner once more. The remaining red blips are still converging on you, relentless in their pursuit. But there are only five of them now. And you’ve faced worse odds than this.

“Take the two on my left,” you say. “The other three are mine.”

“Got it,” Talia replies.

Then you arc the ship through the air, looping round to engage the Centurian fighters. Now it’s your turn.


Centurian Void Killer

The last ship explodes, and the cheers of your companions fill the cockpit. But your voice doesn’t join them. You’ve seen the red blip on the scanner, this one bigger than the others, and know that the worst is yet to come.

“Oh…” comes Talia’s voice. She’s seen it too. “That’s not a fighter…”

A large grey craft looms up through space, blue energy crackling across panels on its surface. A stream of small silver objects pours from its side, and from this distance it looks as if its hull is flaking away. Then the ‘flakes’ start firing red lasers.

“What is that thing?” asks the Princess.

“It’s a Void Killer,” you reply. “The Centurians use them to take out fighter ships. Those things it’s launching are drones.”

“We don’t have enough torpedoes to take them all out,” says Talia.

“Have to destroy the Void Killer,” you say. “The drones can’t function without it.”

You fly towards the grey vessel, weaving through a rain of laser fire. Countless drones explode as you fire back, but more keep pouring from its hull. If you don’t take out that ship, you’ll be overwhelmed…

.................................

Weapons fire rakes your ship as the drones swarm around you like insects devouring a dying animal’s flesh. Warning lights flash around the cockpit, and alarm sounds blare.

“Talia! Engines!” you blurt out. Two words, but they’re enough. She understands.

Her ship moves into position, as does yours – ignoring the niggling fire from the drones as it picks away at your armor. The Void Killer’s engines are unprotected, its shields worn away by repeated fire, its plating damaged…

You swoop down towards it like two birds of prey descending for the same morsel. Your weapons rake across the engines, piercing its armor. Then both of you soar upwards, as if fleeing the scene of a crime. A moment later a huge explosion fills the void.

For a second there’s silence in the cockpit. The Princess and guardsmen aren’t pilots. They don’t have aural implants. It’s only when they look at the scanner that they see the conspicuous absence of the red blip. Then the cheer comes.

“It worked!” laughs Talia. “Those drones are just floating around like space trash. “We-”

An alarm blares out, a boisterous cacophony far removed from the polite warning sounds you heard before. The cheering stops. It looks as if your ship was damaged worse than you thought…