Nice Odds<?
Action Date: 15 November 2265
?I?m bored.? Commander Ahern grumbled, one leg cocked carelessly over the arm of White Star 77?s command chair.
?So?? Lt. Commander Sheng Mai-Yun retorted from the tactical station, shaking out her wealth of black hair. ?Bored is good. Bored is relaxing. Bored is not getting shot at by these dimwit allies of ours. Vive la bored!?
?Yes, but if we were all about being bored, we wouldn?t have joined the Rangers, would we?? Ahern shot back, a sly tone in his voice.
?I joined the Rangers because someone needed to.? Sheng snorted. ?Just because ?saving the galaxy? is part of the job description doesn?t mean we have to do it every day.?
?And from people who are theoretically on our side.? Acolyte Tarron of the religious caste chimed in from his post at engineering.
?Well, I suppose, but?? Whatever ruminations on adventure that Cmdr. Ahern was about to make were lost when his XO interrupted.
?Sir, I?m picking up some weird readings in Grid Omicron.? Sheng reported warily. ?Could be ships of some kind, trying to keep a low profile.?
?Can you identify them? ? Ahern asked, a note of concern in his voice.
?I?hold on a sec.? She tossed her raven tresses in annoyance as her hands flicked across the control console. ?Ah, here we are. They are?positive contact! Three capital ships and some auxiliaries. Looks like Drazi, Commander. Their stealth technology is crap.?
?Well, the Drazi aren?t noted for subtlety.? Ahern said. ?Sunhawks, or bigger??
?They appear to be Sunhawks, sir.? Sheng pressed a control crystal, and the main holodisplay shimmered into existence above them.
?Well, well, well. Nice odds.? Cmdr. Ahern took his leg down and leaned forward. His ice blue eyes gleamed as he surveyed the Drazi warships, now easily identifiable by their forward-sweeping stabilizer wings and the sun-bright glow of the reactors in the stern. ?They?re not supposed to be here.?
?And judging by the relatively slow speed they?re maintaining, they know it.? Tarron offered.
?Agreed.? Ahern smiled. ?What do you think Behyran might do if he were here??
Sheng laughed. ?He?d probably blow them into dust with the external loudspeakers.?
?Should we warn them?? Tarron asked.
?Probably.? Ahern answered. ?Scramble the fighters, at any rate. I don?t want those bombers coming back to haunt us if?negotiations turn sour.?
Sheng tapped her console. ?Fighters away.? She moved over to the comm station. ?What do you want to say to the Drazi? I?ve noticed they don?t tend to be good listeners.?
Tarron pointed to the holodisplay. ?I would humbly suggest that warnings are no longer necessary. The Drazi vessels are on an intercept course and accelerating to attack speed.?
?Agreed.? Ahern repeated. ?All right, Rangers, it?s time to earn our lordly pay! Attack!?
White Star 77 leaped forward as the engineers powered up the engines. As graceful as she was deadly, the sleek ship knifed into the darkness towards the oncoming Sunhawks.
?Order the fighters to come up from the stern and take out those bomber wings!? Ahern commanded. ?The Sunhawks are coming around in a line abreast!?
?They?re lining us up for bore-sight!? Sheng called.
?Hang on!? Ahern yelled as the Sunhawks opened up with their powerful particle batteries. The pilot, another Minbari of the religious caste named Daraal, bobbed and weaved, pirouetting through the oncoming streams of destruction like an elegant dancer. The ship shook as a few hits scored.
?Damage report!? Ahern barked.
?Slight damage to the rear quarter, some casualties.? Sheng replied. ?All systems are go.?
?Well then, let us go!? Ahern growled savagely. ?Open fire!?
The White Star?s neutron laser flashed out like a spear of green death, lancing into the flank of one of the Sunhawks as they glided past, ripping a jagged hole in the armour.
?Direct hit!? Sheng crowed.
?Swing us around for another pass.? Ahern said grimly.
The Drazi bomber pilots lined up in formation behind the embattled Sunhawks. The wing commander addressed his fellow pilots.
?Sky Serpent Wings One and Two make ready.? He intoned. ?When White Star take first heavy hit, then Sky Serpents strike! Do most damage!?
There were generally exuberant war cries across the channel. Drazi are nothing if not enthusiastic about a good fight. Suddenly, the wing commander heard a scream.
?Ships attacking! All Sky Serpents must?? the channel went dead. The commander fumed at the breach of comm silence.
?Not attack until White Star wounded!? he shouted. ?Not hear battle plan? Respond!?
The only answer he received was a sudden warbling tone. As his proximity sensors suddenly screamed a warning, the nearly invisible Minbari Nial fighters ghosted out of the dark, triple fusion cannons tearing into the shocked Drazi planes like the hammer of some wrathful celestial god. He had just enough time to look up in surprise before his own ship exploded.
The Rangers in the Nial fighters continued on, swallowed up by the endless night as they went a-hunting.
White Star 77 chased the Drazi across the sector.
?Wing Commander Kheran reports all Drazi auxiliaries are destroyed.? Sheng announced.
?Good.? Ahern said, eyes never leaving the tactical display. One of the Sunhawks was crippled and running for it. The other two were trying to bring their particle weapons to bear, but were having trouble drawing a bead on the fast-moving White Star. One of them was leaking reactor coolant. Huge frozen clouds drifted away from holes in the hull as the small but deadly Nials, no longer tied up by the Sky Serpents, poured fire into the stern. ?Let?s take care of this clown and we can go back for the others. All weapons, fire!?
The neutron laser tore into the ailing Sunhawk?s stabilizer, but the pulsars hammered into the plasma core. Superheated gas vented into space, turning the Drazi ship into a blazing comet.
?gak!? Ahern yelled, as the energy signature of the Drazi suddenly spiked off the scale. ?Reverse course now! She?s gonna blow!!!?
The Ranger crew tried to escape, but the warning came too late. The reactor on the dying Sunhawk went nova, and the White Star got ripped by the ensuing explosion. Chunks of shrapnel, jagged blades of armour as big as a Starfury slammed into the hull as her engines fought to push her clear of the blast.
?Damn, that was close!? Ahern raged, mostly at his own stupidity for coming too close. ?What?s our status??
?The ship is still capable of combat, Commander.? Tarron reported as the damage reports streamed in. ?But we have lost many good people.?
?Dammit.? Ahern sighed painfully. ?Alright Tarron, make sure the flight computer?s on line in case we need it. The rest of you, this ends now! Let?s make sure we avenge our fallen.?
With that command, the White Star slewed around, taking on both remaining Sunhawks like an enraged lion. In a split second, Ahern decided that he wasn?t likely to do enough damage to the healthy enemy ship to keep it from firing back.
?Daraal, keep sharp! Dodge that last salvo and we?re home free!? Ahern exhorted his remaining crew. ?Direct all fire at the damaged ship! Tell the fighters to break off. We don?t want them taking the same kind of hit we did if it blows!?
The neutron laser flared and the pulsars flashed. When the White Star glided by, the Sunhawk was a drifting, lifeless hulk. The remaining Drazi, having seen both its sister ships annihilated and all its support killed, set course for the jump gate at the maximum speed. Like a bat hearing prey, White Star 77 wheeled about and inexorably closed the distance.
?They?re making a run for it!? Sheng warned. Ahern stalked over to the tactical station. His eyes grew flinty as he watched the Sunhawk zigzag across space, desperate to avoid the caress of the White Star?s deadly touch.
?No.? He said softly, thinking of the Rangers who had died, friends and comrades all. ?No, they?re not.? Like an asp striking, his finger stabbed at the panel, and the last Drazi interloper disappeared in an eye-blistering firestorm of light bursts.
Commander Ahern sat down wearily. ?Set sensors for maximum. Scan for survivors. Then open a jump point and get us the hell home.?
