Unreliable Exploration - Into the Trap

Posted on Thu Mar 12th, 2020 @ 2:54am by Rear Admiral Heather Yamaguchi-Johnson

Mission: Mission 80: The Arms are fair. When the Intent of Bearing Them is Just
Location: USS Yankee Clipper - Near the Gnosh'thar system
Timeline: 1615Hrs - May 16th, 2392

Captain Elizabeth "Beth" Jones grinned as she was seated in her command chair while the display on the main viewscreen displayed the effects of warp before the starlines flashed into stars as the entire fleet dropped from warp. The Klingon force was caught out in a long line as they were moving into orbit over the fourth planet which looked class L, it was a tundra style super-earth class planet as they were busy shooting at the Gorn's orbital space station, the base looked to be more or less holding its own but its shields were taking a battering from the Klingons weapons fire.

Yamaguchi-Johnson smiled as she watched her ships go to work. "Starfighters, screen our big guns from their small ships. Destroyers and Light Destroyers, do the same and help our starfighters," she ordered. "Cruisers and smaller fleet units, provide escort for our big guns." she then slowly grinned. "Everyone else. Break and attack!" she finished rattling off her orders to the fleet.

Meanwhile on the main bridge. Commander Nathan Wright saw the chance before them, he turned his head. "Siaxx. Target those ships and open fire." he paused. "Nicole. Order all other ships to do the same."

Lieutenant Commander Nicole Borodin nodded. "Alerting the fleet sir," she responded as she proceeded to do exactly that.

Commander Siaxx Dhald nodded her head. "Willdo." The handsome Bolian female at Tactical was confident in her skills, her ship, and her weapons, on her command, many thousands of warhead launchers on the USS Yankee Clipper and the rest of the fleet and out emerged tens of thousands of warheads which sped downrange into the ships making up this Klingon assault force, catching the force completely by surprise, depleting the shields of many of the ships, doing damage to others and finishing off several more.

The Klingons return fire was actually quite weak and scattered as if they didn't expect to be shot at by the large Federation forces approaching from their port side aft. The Federations fire was withering as they utterly demolished over sixty Klingon ships in minutes.

Suddenly, a second force of another hundred and twenty Klingon ships appeared from behind their cloaks and began shooting at the Federation ships from well beyond the range of the Federation ships with hundreds of missiles of various types.

"Predictable," Yamaguchi-Johnson commented quietly. "All starfighters, go shoot down those warheads, don't let them through to us." she watched as her starfighters carried out her order without question, picking off many hundreds of warheads in the process. "Destroyers and Light Destroyers. Target those warheads." she sucked in a breath. "Everyone else, evasive maneuvers."

The fleet which was clustered quite close together suddenly began to break apart as various ships opened fire on the incoming missile swarms, shooting down many hundreds more, along with the starfighters who were still swatting down missiles as well with their phasers and their other onboard weapons.

It was right at that moment when Heather saw it. "Mmm. more intelligent than I gave you credit for Klingon." she tapped the display once. "All ships, close on the enemy fleet, assume attack formation Delta Three."

This maneuver was more or less her entire fleet forming out into a large bowl style formation, designed to receive large gatherings of enemy ships rather than a spear formation as one would have expected. Yamaguchi-Johnson was content to allow her enemy to attack since they had made the first move.

Many long seconds went by on the Federation ships as the missile swarms closed with the Federation fleet, some leakers began crashing into Federation ships, mostly doing damage to their shields but some of the smaller ships began venting debris, atmosphere and hull fragments into space, due to warhead strikes, those who could begin falling back, allowing the rest of the fleet to screen their withdrawal.

On the main bridge. Commander Siaxx Dhald smiled. "We're in range. I have a lock on an enemy ship."

"Fill them full o'holes!" came Captain Elizabeth "Beth" Jones's response. "Open fire!"

Dhald nodded her bald head. "Aye skipper.. and firing!" as the ships phasers cut loose, they drilled their target with one solid blast of energy, before several more Federation ships joined in shooting at the various Klingon ships. For a few moments, it looked like a classic barroom brawl with all the lights shot out as various ships from both sides blasted away at each other. All the while, Heather Yamaguchi-Johnson kept order within her ranks as her damaged ships were permitted to withdraw while the Klingons fought on to the death.

Soon, however, like all sad tales. The battle ended with the last Klingon ship attempting to escape but was shot down by the USS Yankee Clipper before it could escape.

Captain Elizabeth "Beth" Jones sighed softly. "Stand down from alert. Send to all ships: Well done everyone!"