(o7 reporting for duty)

Skathi 3 and 4 are hard at work , patrolling the rim of Balquis space when the proximity alarms begin sounding off. Detection officers scramble to decode the strange signals, resolving that 4 contacts have entered their sphere of engagement, and will be getting a firing solution in moments. "four contacts! Two merchants and two warships! They're already on top of us!"

(initiative for both fleets.)

(7)

(7)

(We're using flat NPC's here, so nobody would have a higher dex. You guys think re-rolling is fair ? )

(Yep, got a 4)

(8)

(Do I know what class of warships? Even frigate, cruiser, or capital would help here)

(Two frigate class, obvious warships, and two free merchants that are also armed)

(Thanks. Both Skathi’s are frigate class as well)

(Take the lead my friend the turn is yours)

(yeah the ship designations were the last line the SCAF bridge crew called to the NPC admiral)

(I made sure)

Rear Admiral Stevens of the Bergelmir sits straight up in his command chair, "All hands to general quarters! Coordinate with the Bestla, focus fire on the lead warship! Get our shots off and kick the drives up." (All weapons on both ships targeting the first warship. Speed 2 so -1 to the to hit rolls. Following attacks, Emergency Thruster Boost will be activated on both frigates, kicking their speed up to 4 for 3 turns.)

(The warships are speed 1 and the free merchants are speed 2)

(Bergelmir 5 CP: Fire All Guns 3 CP Boost Engines 2 CP 11v8 SUCCESS ----------------------- Bestla 5 CP Fire All Guns 3 CP Boost Engines 2 CP 7v8 FAILURE) (edited)

(Bergelmir Attacks 2x Plasma Beam AP 10 15/13 (overcharged so taking 13 over 11) 16/13)

(Bestla Attack 2x Plasma Beams AP10 9/13 (overcharged so 13 over 11) 9/15)

-------------------------- (FINAL SPEEDS: Bergelmir Speed 6 Bestla Speed 4)

The plasma blasts from the Bergelmir rake the scarred and jagged armour of the lead warship, with chunks of superheated metal boiling into vapour, scattering in the vacuum of space. The warship itself doesn't slow down, continuing on it's aggressive forwards trajectory, it's fellows keeping up handily. The Bergelmir receives a communication, sounding much like a dinosaur angrily chanting. The word "Rachk" is heard repeatedly. The Rear Admiral has only moments to contemplate this before the enemy fleet opens fire. (Free Merchant 1: Engage Volley Capacitors, +4CP for Weapons Engage Emergency Thruster Boost, +2 Speed up to 4 Fire One Weapon -2CP Target System -1CP Fire One Weapon -2CP Target System -1CP Fire One Weapon -2CP 2 targeted shots at Bestla against Engines, 16/5 and 17/5 at AP15 (half damage already applied), 1 normal shot at Bestla 16/10 at AP15 Free Merchant 2: Engage Volley Capacitors, +4CP for Weapons Engage Emergency Thruster Boost, +2 Speed up to 4 Fire One Weapon -2CP Fire One Weapon -2CP Fire One Weapon -2CP Fire One Weapon -2CP 4 shots at Bergelmir 17/13 18/16 18/8 at AP15 (adjusted for speed) Warship 1 Engage Volley Capacitors, +4CP for Weapons Engage Emergency Thruster Boost, +2 Speed up to 3 Fire All Weapons 3CP Fire All Weapons 3CP Fire All Weapons 3CP 3 torpedoes at Bergelmir all miss, 3 shots at Bergelmir all miss Warship 2 Engage Volley Capacitors, +4CP for Weapons Engage Emergency Thruster Boost, +2 Speed up to 3 Boost Engines 2CP, 11/9, pass, speed up to 5 Fire All Weapons 3CP Fire All Weapons 3CP 2 torpedoes at Bergelmir 18/10 at AP20, 2 shots at Bergelmir 21/14 at AP10) (edited)

(I believe I've disabled the engines of Bestla?)

(FUCK man)

(hold on)

(One sec before your turn just chatting to Neko sorry)

(Standby, you made me get my glasses and do math so now im double inconvenienced ) (edited)

(Bestla has its engines disabled, Berglemir is chugging along untroubled from what I have picked out)

(I'll launch boarding tubes from the Free Merchants if it's available)

(I think the Bestla is just degraded to Drive-2) (edited)

(Bergelmir is destroyed outright)

Any sort of jubilation is cut short by the return salvo from the raiders. Bergelmir's bridge is rocked by explosion, after explosion, after explosion. Stevens' ops officer is thrown from his chair, face a ruin of shrapnel and burns. The admiral himself is dazed by the violent jarring of the ship. Suddenly, even the sound of emergency klaxons are cut off and the bridge is thrown into the subdued red lighting of the ship's emergency lanterns. There's a slight breeze from somewhere, one pulling the air in the opposite direction it usually flows from which could not be a good sign. "Sta-," Stevens coughs, clearing his throat, "Status report?" Screams and calls echo from the depths of the ruined corvette, and an assistant pushes the ops officer's corpse from the ruined station, "I don't know, sir." The man's voice is weak, and Stevens realizes he's not much older than his own children. Beside the admiral, a terminal crackles. It's the hardline directly to the engineering room, "Sir," the chief engineer says, her voice is wet and thick, "the reactor is going critical. We only have a few minutes." Stevens acknowledges the report, and moves to activate the mechanical back up alarm. Wailing sirens begin chorusing through the ship, a directive to abandon the doomed crovette. (Bergelmir is dead in the water and will explode in 5 minutes. The chief engineer failed her fix/int check. Her crew, what's left of it, is making for the dubious safety of the lifeboats) Aboard the Bestla, Commander Gilliam finds herself the most senior SCAF officer in the system and in command of a disabled ship. She has no choice as the raiders' ships stalk closer, "Crew, to arms. Prepare to repel boarders." She turns to the communications tech, "Send a distress call to Actaia and Mount Home. Include what you can of the fight." (Bestla is disabled per the revamped ship rules we were trying out here. Not that it matters since you would've hulled her on the next round anyways haha) (edited)

Boarding tubes crunch into the side of the Bestla, as the marines aboard prepare to repel the unknown invaders. All non-essential crew members were able to get to the lifeboats, and a few of them go sailing away toward the planet below. With the slavers gone at least they have a chance to hold on until relief comes for them. A message has undoubtedly gone off into the void upon detection of the raiding fleet, at best, reinforcements are two days away. Bestial raiders pour into the disabled vessel, some of them falling to disciplined SCAF marine void carbine fire, but there are more, always more, piling in, firing back, and using the dead of both sides for cover as they finally overwhelm the bridge. The only image of them is displayed in the ship's last transmission, as a splash of plasma fire blows out the monitor and ends the broadcast. The final frame shows the captured members of the crew being dragged away.