Gabatrix: The Cipra Campaign

Chapter 10: The March Forward Part 2

The battle in space had been a near stalemate. It was endless. Blasts radiated as the columns of Itrean warships were busy fending off the waves of missiles that were flung to each other. It was like watching a person fighting his or her own reflection in a mirror. The only truly significant difference was the fact that one side was green, and the warships from the other side were painted red.

CIWS gunfire and tracer rounds littered the area. Near the second half to the left side of the battle line was one of the many T'rintar clan battleships. The Atra had its share of scars and damage from the ensuing fight. Three main sections had taken direct missile hits. However, it seemed to be still holding strong. Like many of the Itrean vessels, these ships were built to survive as long as possible. The fact that it was an arduous battle was why many ships were lasting the amount of time as it was.

Inside the Atra, Ramírez was busy conveying and serving as XO of the UHN fleet. He had only so much time in observing the overall spectrum. The fact that he had to help relay messages while passing information to Tara'Talar proved tiresome.

Overall, the battle could be better than it usually was. However, Ramírez was still gravely concerned with the status of the UHN warships. While it was essential to stay in the fight, the fact remained that they were little more than a shovel of sand on a beach.

So far, the battle had been going on for two hours. It was getting to the point that Ramírez felt inclined to have a cup of coffee while watching the various explosions in space. However, he couldn't afford to get too comfortable.

"Ugh....," Ramírez remarked as he tapped the mute button on his console. "I wish I could have a few seconds to myself."

"Are you alright?" Tara'Talar asked him.

"Yes, I just need to take a piss sometime, that's all."

"Do you need to use the restroom?"

"Yes."

"We have one not far from the bridge. If you wish to....."

Ramírez shook his head and waved his hand. "No....I can't afford to abandon my post....not in the middle of a fucking battle. I'm just angry at my CO for not thinking this shit through. He just threw me into this whole mess without thinking of the chaos we would all be in."

"There is going to be a slow down in the next few minutes," Tara'Talar commented. "We aren't being targeted by of the Aksren vessels at the moment. Now would be the best time to go if you wish."

"That isn't the point. The UHN fleet is barely holding up. Rex has lost 60% of his drones, and many of the battleships have taken damage. At the same time, we keep backing away from Cipra."

Ramírez looked at the scene of the entire battle. As each minute passed, the allied space fleet was slowly retreating away from Cipra. The Aksren fleet would slowly advance forward. The bald officer was well aware that the enemy fleet was judging how the battle was proceeding.

"We keep giving the Aksren what they want," Ramírez remarked in a frustrated tone. "No offense to the T'rintar, but they keep this defensive posture up, then we will never reach Cipra. We need to halt their advance."

"My Fleet Adjunct continues to push this order," Tara'Talar informed him. "I don't have control over her commands. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. The T'rintar clan are used to fighting in a certain way. Eventually, you just have to stand your ground. The Aksren clan can't keep telling us where to go. The marines down there will eventually need us to provide fire support. If we keep retreating at this pace, then it will take hours to conduct our bombardment. It may put our forces at an extreme disadvantage."