Incursion Vector

039

[▲] Caminha Waypoint

After double-checking that everyone in his wing was still flying Keiji asked, "How's a pursuit course looking, Red Spider?"

Calli groaned as though she had been asked the exact same question a dozen times already-and likely had given the fact she was orchestrating information for Agamemnon Wing now that their home ship was basically a deaf and lame horse in the middle of their engagement sphere. "Sketchy. Without a solid grip on their propulsion capabilities all I can get us is direction and confirmation that they left at FTL speed using bubble mechanics."

"So we're letting them get away?" Karda sounded properly indignant at the prospect. "We had them on the ropes!"

"There's a com frigate listening in-sector," said Calli. "If they drop out within range for longer than a course correction we can turn and jump. Heinlein and Asimov are good to go immediately, and we can take on Bahamut Squadron while Barca and Rommel try to turn and burn."

"Well we already have Valkyrie and Kingfisher's wings as bunkmates until Agamemnon is on her thrusters again," said Damien with a chuckle. "What's a few more dirty space pilots huh?"

The leader of Bahamut Squadron, the man they only knew as Flins, piped up over comex laughing through his words. "Oi, I heard that, Mantis. You shite kiwi, I'm teaching you some respect when we land."

"I'll be waiting, you aussie wank. With the exact same beating my All Blacks have been handing your Wallabies for nine years running. Think of it as a preview for the Bledisloe this year."

Keiji frowned at the odd exchange, having absolutely no idea what Bledisloe was or why it was relevant to their argument. "Seriously, if anyone thinks they're coming on to my ship to fight one of my pilots they're going to get a welcoming fist to the face."

"What's this? A bunch of UF fledglings think they can take a squadron of marines that've been out in the black years before they were old enough to join the Corps? Come on, what else you got for me, mates?"

"Oh dear Flins," said Calli in a frightening and sweet voice, "if Bahamut Squadron believes it can take Methuselah, bring it. I'll enjoy tattooing your wing's foreheads with imprints of Heinlein's deck grids after today's cluster fuck."

"Three hundred from Roughneck says Red Spider KO's four of you fools before anyone lands a solid hit on her," declared Sparrow with a snicker. "Courtesy of me, Nava and Agneya-who all, by the way, want vids of the fight. For posterity and blackmail."

Calli switched back to her grandmaster personality abruptly and announced, "Heads up all fighters in-sphere, Frank Herbert is inbound on red-flagged vector in seven-zero seconds. Clear the path."

"Clear read, Red Spider," confirmed Flins. "Bahamut Squadron will be cleared out in one-five seconds."

"Asimov Wing is clear."

"Agamemnon Wing is clear," said their wing leader Kingfisher.

"Mantis what the hell is Bledisloe?" asked Keiji once he had moved himself out of the way of Herbert's impending event horizon. "Heinlein Wing is clear."

"Rugby tourney," replied Damien with a laugh. "Flins is bitching because his team tends to piss their shorts every time they see an All Blacks haka coming at them."

"And rugby is a sport, right?"

"Best sport in the damn galaxy, Lawman."

"All... right, then."

Things fell quiet throughout the sphere as everyone waited for the Herbert to show up. There were a few alarms still coming out of the Tiaha fleet, but a majority of their smaller ships had avoided the lawn darts the Stingrays had started launching almost when they dropped back in to the black. He still wasn't absolutely certain about the extent of the damage, but the Shamal was the worst off of any of them judging by the list of alerts coming up as attached to the ship. Of all the Navy's vessels the Agamemnon was a wreck due to whatever faction Asimov had showed up with screwing up their exit vector. She wasn't broadcasting any loss-of-life signals but she was going to need a repair frigate to get back up, if only to replace the massive section of her hull that had buckled under the dart impact.