Fiction Friday: Old Times 2.13

Previously:
0.1
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.0
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
2.10
2.11

2.12
* * * * *

I sent the command to the drone bay to release three of my Warrior II drones at the same instant I slowed the ship down and pitched the direction sunward. The Crow pilot was an expert and was slowing down to match my velocity change within milliseconds; as my speed dipped below 4 km/sec his missiles started to slam into my shields and alarms began to sound. 

My HUD indicated his warp disruptor had been activated on my ship and a quick attempt to activate warp that failed confirmed it. I could imagine in my mind's eye right now the shouted acknowledgement from him that he had caught me being relayed to the awaiting fleet hundred's of kilometers behind us, and their acceleration into warp. My only chance was that the fleet warped together and would be slowed by the old lumbering battlecruisers.

As the Condor swung around me and started to settle into an orbit around 20 km away I picked a point on his projected path and emergency turned the Dramiel, then overheated the micro warp drive n that direction. From the crew compartment I heard some more strained cursing which I ignored. The Crow pilot was fast and reacted quickly, but my ship's extra long overheated scrambler detected his warp signature and began to disrupt it, breaking his micro warp sphere and dropping his vessel back to normal speeds. The distance closed more and my stasis webifier attacked his mass signature slowing him down even more despite his thrusters burning at full; allowing my drones to catch up and my ship to establish a tight 750 km orbit.

My armour alarms started to sound as his missiles continued to hit home with full force so I deactivated the micro warp drive and switched to my afterburner allowing me to outrun some of the blast of the explosions. His shields began to disappear rapidly as my autocannons hit home with perfect aim and rounds of Republic Fleet EMP along with the drones. 

On my overview I saw the fleet enter warp and speed towards us. 

My overheated guns began to punch through the Crow's shields and as my last armour plate was peeled off my ship's hull, my rounds punched through his non-existent plating to pierce his nuclear reactor and start a runaway chain reaction. Just as his ship exploded in a miniature star the enemy fleet decelerated out of warp. I didn't bother to recall my drones; I picked the closest celestial in my current direction of travel and as the Guristas reinforcements began trying to lock me, I activated my warp drive.