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Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing by LordofDestruction
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Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Training
Date: 3 April 2003, 3:56 AM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Training
Location: Earth, U.N.S.C. Interceptor Training Facility
Date: Military Calendar July 2571
Lieutenant J.G. James M. Nimitz arrived at the briefing room at 06:00 hours to begin the briefing about his and his colleagues' new assignment-Strategic Interceptor Training. As he sat down in the front desk he looked up at the officer standing in front, Lieutenant Commander Vincent Perry, a legendary ace with 121 confirmed fighter kills and 4 capital ship kills.
Commander Perry addressed the class as soon as his watch touched 06:01 hours "I am Lieutenant Commander Vincent Perry and my reputation should precede me. You have been selected from the new officers for a new mission, Strategic Interceptor Role.
"You job will entail doing strategic strikes on capital ships in deep space as well as bombing hardened ground targets. You will be flying in and perhaps dying in the new SIF-1 Katana Interceptor, an improvement on the old Longsword Interceptor. It has a thrust to weight ratio of a fighter as well as great firepower in the form of quad 40mm cannons and up to 31,000 kgs of ordinance. Add the new ALQ-430 long range space radar and fire control unit and you can drop an anti-ship missile in the captains head (as in toilet) at 700km."
"What is the crew, sir." Asked Nimitz.
"Two in tandem, pilot and weapons officer. Some of you may be wondering about the other 10 SIWs are. They, like you, are also in formation. We have 144 Katanas for this Wing; there are 288 of you. You will be paired with a weapons officer or pilot. Report to the simulator room at 08:30 hours. We will be practicing capital ship runs today. BT has already taught you the art of air-to-air combat, we will teach the strategic part of your role. Welcome to hell.
After eight weeks, the recruits had finished training and the 11th SIW was assigned to the Battleship U.N.S.C. Decimator. The Decimator assigned to the 7th Planetary Assault Fleet. The Decimator carried 7 Wings of Dagger Space-Superiority fighters and 4 Wings of Longsword Interceptors along with one Katana Wing. The entire fleet consisted of 72 battleships, 560 cruisers and 800 destroyers as well as 400 planetary assault carriers. The fleet carried 500,000 fighters and interceptors in total and was the largest fleet the U.N.S.C. and the Covenant Liberation Command had ever wielded. The C.L.C. was a nation comprised of Covenant worlds liberated from their former Prophet masters and fighting the U.N.S.C. cause.
Lieutenant Commander James "Star Fox" Nimitz strapped on his flight suit's helmet. He walked out into Hangar Bay 12 and gaped at his ship, dubbed the "Fodder Cannon" by him and his Wing mates. The nose art showed a samurai katana cutting a Prophet in half. His WO, Lieutenant Thomas "Tommy" McKnight was climbing up the ladder into the rear seat of the Katana. The Katana has a flying wing shape with the nose of the ship sticking our of the wing about 8 m. At the wing roots above and below the wings are the 40mm Vulcans, the pinnacle of the 20th centuries 20mm Vulcan. The engines stuck of the rear of the wing in a central pod, concentrating the thrust.
Nimitz climbed up into the pilots seat, connected his O2 tube to the plane, strapped in and prepared for one hell of a day. In 20 minutes, they would emerge into real space and have to launch immediately. His ship was armed well, however, with 6 ASPT-34 plasma anti-ship torpedoes, 10 ASM-56 Phoenix Space Interceptor Missiles, 2 HAVOK Nuclear Mines, 6 Warhammer Cruise Missiles and 2 experimental AST-143 Slayer Thermonuclear Anti-ship missiles. The radio sounded preparing to decelerate in 60 seconds.
He thought, "My watch must be off," As he closed the canopy and started preflight. Preflight took 30 seconds.
"Decelerating to sublight now!" Yelled the intercom. As soon as the hangar doors opened, Knight Squadron Leader Nimitz gunned the engines and speed out the bay, followed by his Wing mates.
Knight 1 said to his wing "Form up, staggered delta behind the Daggers, prep for capital ship strafing. Slave your targeting computers to the Decimator's. Lets frag some ETs!"
"Roger and amen to that, Knight 1." Replied The other Squadron Leaders to their Wing Commander.
The slaved targeting computers showed a fleet of 50 battleships and 400 cruisers as well as 700 destroyers. As Knight one looked toward the sun he saw the entire view darkened by the other 200,000 fighters used in the initial attack. As he checked his TC again he saw the range to the enemy fleet was 700km, only about two minutes away at this speed. As they neared 300 km, the Daggers launched salvoes of Shredder Missiles at the lead ships. A few seconds later, he saw a hole open in the lead battleship's shields. He designated it as his target, selected a Plasma Torpedo for his WO, and felt the missile slide out of the bay and engage its rocket motor. As it motored toward its target at 20km/sec, time seemed to stand still.
To be continued in Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: First Engagement
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: First Engagement
Date: 3 April 2003, 11:54 PM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: First Engagement
Location: Covenant World Vega Prime
Date: Military Calendar October 9th, 2571.
The ASPT-34 missile screamed toward the lead Covenant battleship at 20km/sec, maneuvering through the 30m wide hole created by the Dagger fighters of the 490th Tactical Fighter Wing. As it struck the battleship, it crashed through the right side super structure to detonate a mere 50m away from the main reactor. The surge of plasma expanded through the ship, detonating the main reactor, slicing the ship nearly in half.
"Looks like the boss got one!" yelled Knight 2.
"Scratch one boomer!" yelled Lieutenant Thomas "Tommy" McKnight.
"Knights, look sharp! We have Phantoms on their way in!" said Knight 1. A Phantom is the newest line Covenant fighter, packing greater speed and firepower than its forbear. "Keep your distance, we're no match for them in a dogfight. Lets fire a salvo of missiles at them, VOX threes, got it?
The 11th SIW replied, "Damn right!" almost in unison. The Wing selected ASM-56s, targeted separate targets from each other, and released a volley of hell at the 100+ wings speeding towards them. Most of the other wings did the same, sending around 50,000 missiles at the enemy. Fortunately for the Covenant, only half hit, sending thousands of valiant Covenant to their graves-then came the counterattack. The remaining Covenant fighters send their own volley of death at the U.N.S.C. fighters.
"All ships, begin evasive action!" Ordered one of the other Wing Commanders. Knight 1 saw his collision avoidance radar siren. Quickly, he avoided one of the other maneuvering interceptors. He knew that his shields can protect him from a missile, but he was trained, like so many others, not to rely on them. A bright blue flash caught his eye and as he turned to look, he saw a Longsword turned into a blue orb of flame. As he looked ahead, he saw his COR highlight a plasma missile coming straight at him. With no time to maneuver, he fired his 40mm Vulcans straight at the missile, blowing it up a mere 100m in front of him. As he emerged from the smoke, he noticed that his shields stopped all of the fragments. To escape the death trap in the making, he throttled his engines to max and dove down on an escaping Phantom. The Phantom had evidently caught some debris and wasn't traveling fast enough to escape the giant Katana about to tear him to pieces. Lieutenant Commander Nimitz dropped in behind the Phantom, lined his firing reticule, and snapped a two second burst just in front of the fighter. The eighty rounds spat out by his Vulcans tore through its right wing. The special anti-fighter bullets, once they impact a target, spread out large 3 inch wings with small plasma blades on the ends and ignite a small rocket motor, propelling the dense uranium head and chromite wings straight through the target. In this case, the bullets tore the entire wing off and nearly cut the body in two.
Knight 1 pulled up to avoid the swirling debris and heard the computer confirm the kill. "Scratch one Phantom!" he cried with the sense of his first dogfight victory still making him shake. Then, without fail, another Phantom burst his bubble by spraying plasma fire at him. He banked hard starboard, catching half of the incoming plasma fire with his shield. "I've got a bandit on my tale, I've got a bandit on my 'six!"
"Roger, Knight 1, I've got him in my view." Replied Eagle 4, a Dagger pilot, in his rich British accent.
"Well, hurry, I can't our maneuver him!"
"Don't worry, I've got missile lock-VOX three!" said Eagle 4 as he launched the missile at the Phantom. The Phantom pilot never knew what hit him as the missile ripped into his main fuel cell, converting him into nothing more than a mini-nova and a foul memory.
"Thanks, Eagle 4-oh, wait, I've got a damaged frigate in my sights!"
"Go get 'em, tiger."
Knight 1 launched an ASPT-34 at the general area at the bridge, leaving the exact detonation time to the torpedo's sensors. Several Longswords fired Warhammer Cruise Missiles at the frigate's exposed hangars simultaneously. As the ASPT impacted the forward superstructure and drilled through the first major bulkhead, the Warhammers detonated in the hangars, destroying several squadrons of fighters and wrecking the repair and refueling equipment. As the ASPT destroyed the bridge and fire control centers, a secondary fire ran into the ship's magazine, vaporizing the amidships of the ship and destroying the vessel.
"Nice shot!" cried Knight one with joy, "Who did it?"
"It was I." Said an Asian sounding Captain. "Well placed shot by yourself, Nimitz-san."
"Thanks. There is a squadron of Phantoms harassing some Longswords 40km due west, shall we?
"We shall!"
To be continued in Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Scourge of the Gods
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Scourge of the Gods
Date: 11 April 2003, 3:54 AM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: Scourge of the Gods
Location: Covenant World Vega Prime
Date: Military Calendar October 9th, 2571.
Lieutenant Commander Nimitz and Captain Hikaru Yamamoto broke hard right in crisp delta formation in front of a squadron of Daggers following them to the violated Longswords.
"Alright, let's sneak up behind them from in front of the sun, dive on them, and get our asses clear. Hopefully it will create enough confusion for those Longswords to escape those Phantoms. We'll then form up with them and start killing some boomers. Got it?" Said Nimitz
"Roger Knight leader." The squadron leader replied. They then came up in front of the sun and dove in on the Phantoms. Knight 1 selected the front most target, lined his crosshairs 5m in front of the target, selected max fire rate-6,000 rounds per minute, and snapped a quarter second burst at the ship. The 100 bullets launched by the guns tore the lead apart splashing tongues of flame and debris into nearby Phantoms. The rest of his group killed seven more of the ships and scattered the rest.
"Thanks, Knight 1, I guess you guys saved our skins." said the southern Lieutenant.
"We need your help strafing capital ships. If we can't take a portion of them out, then this will be the smallest ground offensive of all time."
"Indeed, lets start with that cruiser over there." The Lieutenant sent a nav point to the other ships, highlighting a large battlecruiser not far away from the planet's largest moon.
"Roger that. We'll form up behind the Daggers as usual. Get your ASP-34s selected." The pilots did just that. As they charged straight toward the battlecruiser, they noticed a small flight of Phantoms charging at them. The Daggers shot Shredder missiles into the weakened shields of the cruiser, tearing an oblong hole in them. Just as the Daggers moved out of the way, the Longsword squadron launched about ten plasma anti-ship torpedoes and a dozen Warhammers to make sure the ship wasn't getting away. The ASPTs detonated in the ships mess hall, combat bridge, flag bridge, reactor room and main drive shaft. The resulting damage crippled the vessels as the 'hammers tore the combat armor off of the fighting compartments, spacing hundreds of Covenant crewmembers. The battlecruiser careened out of control and struck a derelict destroyer, tearing the forward superstructure off of the ship.
Location: Combat bridge U.N.S.C. Decimator
Rear Admiral (lower half) James Marshall surveyed his problem. The Decimator was an older battleship, lacking enough power to go toe to toe with newer battleships. He was faced with two destroyers and a cruiser assaulting him and a previous torpedo damaged his rudder control. The radar man yelled, "Sir, five plasma torpedoes, range seventy-two km and closing!"
"Right full rudder! Reverse starboard engines! Come fifty degrees down angle! Divert auxiliary power to port shields!"
The Command Master Chief Petty Officer relayed the orders to the bridge crew and watched five blue orbs coming up on their port side. Pulse lasers begin firing at the orbs, killing one of them. The first torpedo hit the port shield, bringing the shields fro m seventy-five percent to fifty percent. The next two hits take the shields down. As the last torpedo strikes the main reactor, taking down main power systems.
"Damage Report!" cried the Admiral.
"Main power is down!" yelled the Master Chief. Just as they were about to despair, a Warhawk class battleship speeds ahead and destroys both of the destroyers and scares off the destroyer. The hull plating said "Warhawk" The U.N.S.C. Warhawk was almost universally hailed by the Covenant as "The Scourge of the Gods".
Warhawk class battleship. Fitted with eighty percent greater shield and power than its Decimator class forebear, it carries eighteen hundred Longbow plasma missile pods and quad Super MAC guns as well as one hundred plasma torpedo launchers, it is universally feared by all. Armed with twenty combat ready Marine divisions with ten wings of fighters, it is a force to be reckoned with.
Location: Combat bridge U.N.S.C. Warhawk
"Target the center battlecruiser, fire main MAC gun. Launch all Longbow missile pods and come about one-hundred eighty degrees." Bellowed the Admiral.
"Aye aye Admiral!" replied the Master Chief.
The ship fired eighteen hundred missiles at an advancing battle group. The missiles tore three of the cruisers apart and ripped a battlecruiser in half. Flames and debris tongued into space, creating a maneuvering nightmare for any ship caught in its wake.
"What is the kill ratio?"
"3.5 to 1 us, Admiral.
"Sir, the Covenant fleet is making a final push to remove us from the system!"
"Tell engineering I need one-hundred twenty-five percent power!"
"Yes sir!" replied the bridge officer. "A reinforcement group of fifty battlecruisers and about two hundred cruisers is entering the system a we speak."
"Send our destroyers around their perimeter and above and below them. They're not escaping lightly this time!" He chuckled. "All ahead flank! Reload Longbow missile pods!"
To be continued in: Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Next Waterloo.
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Next Waterloo
Date: 12 April 2003, 1:19 AM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Next Waterloo
Location: Fleet Engagement over Covenant world Vega Prime,
Combat bridge U.N.S.C Warhawk
Date: Military Calendar October 9th, 2571
The U.N.S.C. Warhawk soldiered straight into the heart of the Covenant fleet. As it did so, it passed the 11th SIW, calling it for combat air patrol to help guard the ship. The Admiral asked his bridge crew, "Combat readiness status?"
"Shields are at eighty-five percent, and we have one-hundred and twenty-five percent main power. MACs are at one hundred percent charge. We have eight hundred Longbow missile pods ready." Replied the weapons officer.
"Increase to Flank speed, come right thirty degrees. Direct the other vessels to form a noose around the Covenant fleet. I don't want them to escape this time."
"Sir, the U.N.S.C. Decimator is derelict, and is transferring control of its fighter squadrons to us." Said the communications officer.
"Target the forward cruiser. Send two MAC rounds into it."
"Yes sir, Admiral." Replied the WO. The ship rocked as two MAC guns fired simultaneously.
The Admiral said as the MAC guns hit, "Get a firing solution on that battlecruiser. Verify range to target."
"Firing solution readied, inserting it into the computer, range seventy two km and closing."
"Perfect. Target MAC guns and lock on Longbow missile pod batteries A through I. A missile pod battery comprises of fifty missile pods designed to provide maximum fire on a single target.
"Yes sir. At that range, the MAC rounds require 1.44 seconds to reach the target and the missile pods take 3.01 seconds to reach the target."
"Fire the missiles one second before the MAC guns."
"Yes sir. Firing missiles, firing MACs." The missiles screamed towards the battlecruisers and were quickly over taken by the two MAC rounds. The two MAC rounds struck the shields, tearing jagged holes in the shields just before they gave out. The rounds ripped the starboard superstructure almost off of the vessel as the Longbow missiles entered the ships open wounds and tore the ship apart from the inside. "Kill confirmed, Admiral."
"The Admiral smirked, saying, "Nice shot. It's a shame that the Covenant High Priests aren't here to see this!"
Location: Covenant Command ship High Templar
The commanding officer of the vessel looked out on the raging battle before him, noticing that the infidel vessels were en-sphering his fleet. It dawned on him that his fleet wouldn't escape the system without losing almost every ship in the fleet. He looked at his WO, and saw the terror in his face. He looked forward and saw MAC round coming straight at the bridge. He said one last prayer for his existence, and then it was snuffed out.
Location: 11th SIW Wing commander cockpit
Knight 1 charged straight towards the Covenant battlecruiser straight ahead of him. It was more heavily guarded then any other ship in the fleet, so it probably was either a flagship or an important vessel. He was about to fire an ASPT-34 at it when a large titanium-chromite sphere blew straight past him and struck the battlecruiser right at the bridge are. A second one tore its left wing nearly off and then four-hundred and fifty Longbow missiles struck the ships open wounds, tearing whatever was left of the vessel into shreds. "Damn, I almost had him. Nice fire works!" said Knight 1.
"Jesus Christ! That one is going to leave a mark." Said Knight 7.
"Look, the rest of the vessels are scattering, you can't tell me that wasn't a flagship." Retorted Knight 1, "At this rate, the entire Covenant fleet will be completely annihilated in about a half and hour."
"The rest of the fleet is trying to escape! Well, looks like the Covenant met their Waterloo. We need to start taking out those orbital defense pods."
Knight squadron lanced right towards a plasma torpedo battery, and fired twenty Warhammer cruise missiles at the station. The missiles screamed at the installation, dropping counter measures to prevent the station's pulse lasers from taking them out.
Around a hundred pulse lasers fired at the missiles, to no avail. The first missile hit the fire control tower, decimating it. The next three missiles tore giant holes in the combat armor. The rest of the missiles smart brains aimed the missiles right into the gaping holes in the station. The missiles destroyed the power core and shredded the station into three pieces.
Location: Combat bridge U.N.S.C. Warhawk
"Admiral, the Covenant are trying to escape us, but your tactic worked!" Yelled the weapons officer with glee.
"For once, we've been able to route the Covenant as bad as they did to us at Reach. This is the Covenant's first time that we've been able to return the favorite. Send in our reserves to mop up and prepare for a planetary assault.
"Yes Sir! All right, relay that message to the rest of the fleet.
"Aye aye, Lieutenant Commander, said the comms officer.
"Sir, there are still orbital defense pods around the planet." Said the radarman.
"Move the fleet up to mop them up. Destroy all of them, Okay?"
"With pleasure, Admiral!"
"How many and what type of Marine divisions do we have on board?"
" Seven ODST Infantry, eight ODST Armored, three Light armored reconnaissance, one Marine engineer and one OD capable Spartan Armored division." Said the Command Master Chief Petty Officer.
"Deploy six Infantry divisions, seven Armored divisions and the Spartan Armored division.
"Yes Sir!" The Master Chief said with a smile. That was the first time that the bridge crew, including the Admiral, had seen the Command Master Chief smile.
To be continued in: Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Hammer Falls
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Hammer Falls
Date: 13 April 2003, 3:20 AM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing: The Hammer Falls
Location: Fleet Engagement over Covenant world Vega Prime,
Combat bridge U.N.S.C. Warhawk
Date: Military Calendar October 9th, 2571
The U.N.S.C. Warhawk darted through the wreckage of the battle and rammed a lone recon ship attempting to escape the deathtrap created by the U.N.S.C. fleet. The ship engaged a lone Covenant destroyer, tearing its engineering section clean out of the superstructure.
The Admiral said to his comms officer, "I need to find out how much is left of the Covenant fleet. The wreckage is jamming our sensors, so we'll need to get more data from the rest of the fleet."
"Yes Sir. All U.N.S.C. ships, respond. I need you to slave your sensors to the flagship Warhawk."
An acknowledgement message came through and suddenly the ship's A.I. was flooded with sensory information.
"So, what do we have, Ulysses?" Asked the Admiral.
"Well, all of the battleships and heavy cruisers are destroyed and the light cruisers, destroyers and carriers are running like mad to try to escape. A number of them are crash landing-wait! The entire enemy fleet has been destroyed or captured!"
"What are our losses?"
"Minor, really. We lost fifteen battleships, one-hundred fifty cruisers and about two-hundred and thirty-five destroyers."
"Good. Call U.N.S.C. Command and tell them hat we have routed the Covenant defending fleet. Also, get them to send in reinforcements. We're going to get moving much faster than I had anticipated. Also, request that they send one of the new Claymore-class super dreadnoughts."
Claymore class super dreadnoughts--Claymore class super dreadnoughts are a new class of ship, also the first ships to carry the designation "super dreadnought". Claymores are three times the size of a Warhawk class battleship. The ships carry six thousand Longbow missile pods and eight MAC guns on addition to their three hundred plasma torpedo launchers. Though they carry extreme firepower, their great cost forever limits them from coming into wide spread use.
"Yes sir," replied Ulysses.
"Move the ship forward to engage those plasma missile batteries."
"Sir, there are too many batteries there. The torpedoes will cut-
"Damn the torpedoes! Increase to Flank!"
"Yes Sir."
Location: 11th SIW Wing commander
"We're running out of munitions, so lets get back to the Warhawk and refuel and rearm." Ordered Knight one to the rest of his wing. "The reserve fighters are launching, so we can afford to miss some action."
"Yes Sir!" replied the squadron leaders, who relayed the orders to their squadrons. The 11th SIW cruised back to the Warhawk, which was moving into range of the plasma missile batteries. As they docked in the main hangar, they saw many damaged fighters already there, as well as fresh fighters launching out of the bay. Knight 1 touched down at the rear end of the hangar bay. His ship hadn't received so much as a mark from enemy fighters or capital ships. He and his weapons officer climbed out and went to the officers' mess for debriefing.
At the officers' mess, they learned from the thousands of other combat pilots that the entire enemy fleet hadn't escaped as they thought, but was decimated. Other interceptors and fighters began bombing the hell out of the planet, and all of them wanted a piece of the action. The briefing proceeded smoothly, the Flag officer of the ship conducted it himself. There were scores of promotions and many of the fresh jet-jockeys became aces. Lieutenant Commander James M. Nimitz, AKA Knight 1, earned three confirmed fighter kills and two capital ship kills. For gallantry in the face of the enemy, he was also awarded the Navy Cross. The Flag officer, Fleet Admiral Ronald Pershing gave them general details of their next missions-a whole lot of strafing ground targets in support of the Marines. They also learned that this planet, Vega Prime, was to the Covenant as Reach was to the U.N.S.C. Nimitz thought, "Well, paybacks are a bitch, aren't they!"
Location: Covenant Capital planet, unknown location
"They what!" Screamed the Covenant High Priest at the top of his lungs
"They routed the Vega Prime defense forces. The planet will fall with in a matter of a few hours." Replied his secretary
"If Vega Prime indeed falls, I fear that it may be the end of us all. If they have the firepower and skill to route our best fleet commander, they will surely not stop there. They are now within two hundred and thirty light years from here. Call the entire Navy, tell them to speed to here at best possible speed."
"Sir, the nearest fleet capable of intercepting theirs is three weeks away. They can be here in a day-- "
"By the Gods, we have lost!"
Location: U.N.S.C. Warhawk
Lieutenant Commander James Nimitz was dumbfounded. By the time he had finished his debriefing and freshened up, Vega Prime had already fallen. Instead, he was called to the ships flag bridge to meet the Admiral. Something about catching the Covenant with their pants down, which could only mean one thing, That they had found the Covenant capital world. Five whole fleets were entering the system to discuss the attack plan. If they could take that planet, it would mean that the rest of the Covenant would be brought to its knees. An invasion of this scale had never been even dreamed before. The Siege of Earth involved only one third the firepower. This invasion could be paralleled to the Normandy invasion on Earth, 1944 AD. He thought, "Well, if we can hit fast enough and hard enough, the war could be over soon. Then again, if the High Priests escaped, the war could drag on for another century. The war has already been going fifty years, so a delay of that magnitude would be costly. If we do fail in capturing them, however, it will be like the point of no return for the Covenant." That thought brought a smile to his face. The Warhawk formed up with the rest of the fleet, including the gargantuan Claymore class super dreadnought U.N.S.C. Styx. And indeed, one who crossed the Styx ended up crossing the river Styx.
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing Part 6: Invasion
Date: 17 April 2003, 2:25 AM
Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing Part 6: Invasion
Location: Combat bridge UNSC flagship Warhawk
Date: Military Calendar November 7th, 2571
Fleet Admiral Ronald Pershing walked on the bridge. The night watch had just ended and the combat crew came on to the bridge to prepare for the upcoming battle. Five fleets, his 3rd Battle Fleet, Admiral Smith's 7th Battle Fleet, Vice Admiral Doohan's 1st Battle Fleet, Commodore Nelson's 8th Battle Fleet and Rear Admiral Norris's 1st Reserve Fleet all were formed up and ready for battle. In total, four hundred battleships, two hundred battlecruisers, two thousand cruisers and two and a half thousand destroyers escorting seventeen hundred planetary assault carriers-eighty percent of the UNSC and Covenant Liberation Command's fleet. It had cost a lot getting to this point-this fleet alone commanded more firepower than the entire pre-war fleet.
The Admiral walked to the main view screen and saw the count down timer for coming out of slipspace-fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes and the future of the universe would start playing out. All of the fighter crews were ready and Marines were prepared to repel boarders. "Bring the fleet up to Combat Alert Alpha." He ordered. "Get ever man at his station. Ulysses?"
"Yes Admiral?"
"What are we up against?"
"I can't tell you. What I do know is that we are in for one hell of a ride."
Lieutenant Commander Nimitz grabbed his M-6F pistol, an upgraded form of the M-6D featuring 14.7mm APHE rounds as well as improved accuracy, and slipped on his flight helmet. He ran out into Launch Bay 9 and climbed up into the pilot's seat of his Katana and started preflight. His weapons officer was checking over ordnance that the plane was carrying. Nimitz then pulled out his Star of David necklace and prayed for the upcoming battle. As a follower of Judaism, he was one of the very few Jews left in the universe. All the more reason for him to not die today.
Fifteen minutes later, the Warhawk lurched out of slipspace and powered up. The rest of the fleet followed her into the system. Admiral Pershing knew that with a one-hundred fifty terawatt shield and seven meters of ATLAS battle plate, (Ablative Titanium Laminate Armor Sandwich, an armor with cm thick layers of Titanium battle plate sandwiched around a powerful heat ablative) it would take a quite a bit of firepower to take his ship down. He then said, "Ulysses, get me a firing solution on the forward battleship, and fire two MAC rounds into it, then follow up with Longbow missile batteries A-I.
"Yes sir. Firing solution locked. Firing in three seconds." Said the A.I. smugly. As he finished smiling, the two MAC rounds slid out of their launchers along with four hundred fifty Longbow missile pods. The UNSC Styx did a similar maneuver on another battleship.
"Well done Ulysses, any suggestions for a battle plan?"
"Yes. We could fire a salvo of SHIVA Nukes into their fleet's center, charge in and divide their force while the other fleets try to string a noose around them."
"Good. Enact that strategy. Prepare SHIVA nukes for launch. As soon as they detonate, increase speed to flank. Lieutenant, get me max recharge on the MAC guns. I want to have as much power as possible when we attack."
"Sir! Torpedoes locked on to us!" cried a crewman.
"Right standard rudder, increase speed to Full and fire emergency thrusters. Launch countermeasures! All hands, brace for impact!"
Just then, a salvo of SHIVA nukes flew from the other vessels as fifteen plasma torpedoes roared straight at the Warhawk. Pulse lasers destroyed three of the torpedoes and another four were shaken by the countermeasures, but the other eight struck the port side of the ship. The entire crew gasped in horror as torpedo after torpedo struck the port shield and then tore though, allowing the last two to strike the vessel amidships, tearing about one and a half meters from its combat armor in two eighty meter wide craters.
"Damage report!"
"Damage is minor. Didn't even get past the armor."
"This new ATLAS battle plate is worth its weight in gold." Said the Admiral in a relieved tone.
Nimitz had just cleared the launch bay when the torpedoes struck the Warhawk, shaking the vessel quite a bit. As soon as he cleared the ship, he formed up behind a fighter group and tagged a destroyer with his ships target designator. Weapons officer Lieutenant Thomas McKnight locked an ASPT-34 anti-ship torpedo on the vessels bridge. As he was about to launch his missile into the hole in the ships shields caused by a MAC round, a Phantom jumped in behind his interceptor and launched volleys of plasma fire at him. Nimitz banked left just ahead of the plasma shots and shouted into the radio, "All fighters, begin the Thatch weave!" The Thatch weave was invented during World War II by the US Navy, which involved slower craft fly parallel to each other until one is engaged. Then they swing in a figure eight pattern, bringing the offending vessel into the other fighter's guns. This tactic is still very effective when used by slower interceptors and bombers, making up for their lack of speed and maneuverability. Nimitz swung his ship into a near collision course with a squadron mate who caught the Phantom pilot off guard and sent him to an early grave. Once he was clear, McKnight launched the ASPT-34 and selected a space-to-space missile and locked onto a fleeing Phantom, and let lose a missile at it. The Phantom banked left as hard as he could, but was hit by the missile in the aft part of the wing. The explosion tore his ship apart. Nimitz dove down behind another Phantom, lined the crosshairs three meters in front of it and spat 40mm cannon fire at it. Half of the rounds hit the Phantom's cockpit, destroying the ship and its pilot. He then pulled up to avoid a Covenant corvette and almost hit a floating piece of debris. He reduced his engine power and prepared for a run on cruiser.
The UNSC Warhawk swung to port as to not expose its unshielded port side. The ship fired a salvo of one thousand Longbow missile pods at a Covenant heavy cruiser, setting the enemy ship alight with plasma fire and spewing debris all over the place. Eight hundred more Longbow missile pods tore into a light cruiser, gutting it. The ship paused to reload its missile pods as it fired two MAC rounds into a frigate in conjunction with an UNSC destroyer's missile pods, setting the ship aflame. Another salvo of plasma torpedoes launched at the Warhawk, but the ships fighter squadrons helped take most of them down. The remainder of the torpedoes took the ships starboard shields down to fifty percent, but the port shields were already back up to ten percent and recharging at a rate of fifteen percent a minute. The Styx fired three more MAC rounds into the melee, along with twelve plasma torpedoes and eighteen hundred Longbow missile pods, pushing three cruisers into destruction. The battleships Adamant, Archangel and Hercules charged around the Covenant fleet's forward mandible's flank as the rest of the fleet destroyed a dreadnought and two cruisers. A column of UNSC armored cruisers protected the three battleships flank and pushed back the Covenant charge, losing two ships, the Saratoga and Centauri. As the battle heated up, the UNSC had lost two battleships, ten cruisers and thirty destroyers, with slightly greater losses on the Covenant.
To be continued in: Halo: 11th Strategic Interceptor Wing Part Seven: Heating Up
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