Empire Rising

[Ashleg]

...Bump...?

[Hickory]

OOC: Use OOC tags.

Welp, Batlord isn't showing up...

BIC:

As the Daynora plodded its way through space, a group of smaller ships hurtled toward Wayland. These were not the hulking battleships of the Empire, though. They were smaller space fighters. And they had a target.

"Incoming ships, sir!" said one of the bridge crew. The captain, a fox getting on in years, ordered the weapons chief to power up the cannons. An explosion rocked the ship. "Whatever they are, they're bombing us!" yelled the engineer.

[Unimaginative]

Marv nodded curtly at the mention of him, used to his reputation preceding him. He opened to his mouth to thank Dann, though he closed it during the exchange between Dann and Colshe.

"It was a bit mean." Said Marv, failing to realize that Colshe wasn't talking to him. A moment later Marv stumbled as the ship rocked wildly. He regained his footing, and shoved several crew members aside as he rushed for a window. Seeing the fighters attacking the ship, Marv began barking out orders to nearby creatures.

"Everyone, away from the windows. Somebody make sure that they get sealed, we can't risk them shattering from a hit."

[W0NWILL]

"Alright, open up," Liswell shinned the penlight down the squirrel's throat, "I'm not seeing any gunk, so it's probably not strep. I'll do a swab anyway, just in case." He set the light down and went to the drawer they kept their swab kits, "it doesn't seem very serious. Tonsil's a bit swollen, and I might have to quarantine you for a little bit." The squirrel nodded mutely, his throat a bit too sore to speak, "I'd rather not, but in case it's contagious. You know how it is. One creature gets sick, everyone on the entire boat gets sick." He unwrapped the swab kit, "alright, hold still."

The otter doctor leaned forward, and then stumbled as the entire ship shook horribly, "what?" He dropped the swab and straightened, "stay safe!" He ordered, "I'm gonna go figure out what's happening!" Liswell ran out of the medbay, hurtling down the hall to the closest set of windows. He peered out of them for a few heart-pounding seconds before a fighter zoomed past his field of view, "we're being attacked!" He shrieked panickedly, darting away to find someone else and calling, "is anyone hurt?"

[Hickory]

Uniformed soldiers went down the ship in squads of four. "Stay clear of the windows!" they yelled. Steel blast shields closed around the windows. "All pilots, get to your ships!"

[Fatch of Southsward]

Dann Jared was the first one to board his fighter - having arrived at a dead sprint. He was now rushing heedlessly through the takeoff procedure, and lifted off the ground. He could already hear the howling of the enemy fighters just outside. He knew that sound - it was the Empire!

He finally exited the hanger, backed up on either side by allied fighters. Immediately after exit, the one on his left was shot down and plummeted, billowing smoke. The one on his right exploded into furiously hot flames. He put the throttle clear to the floor and jerked the wheel - sending himself into a spin, but avoiding several rockets. He brought his ship around quickly and began returning fire - he couldn't let the enemy fighters wait outside the hanger to shoot down Redwall's fighters before they even got moving!

"C'mon, c'mon" he muttered as he scored his first hits and first kill of the fight.

[LT Sandpaw]

Lacy was one of those unlucky few who were standing next to something hard, with an edge. As the ship shook she lost her footing and hit the side of a control panel. She sat still for a moment her eyes clenched shut, and a paw pressed up against her head as she waited for the pain to reside. All around orders were yelled, and paws pounded on the metallic floor.

"Ma'am are you okay?" A concerned vole in civilian attire knelt beside Lacy holding out a paw to help her up. The rat grimaced, nodding abstractly.

"Yes, I'm fine, just had a bit of a knock that's all." Lacy took her paw off her head, looking at a small stain of blood on her paw fur. Wiping it away she straightened, rubbing the sore spot. "Thanks, I've got to go now."

Rushing off Lacy jogged towards the fighter deck, she hadn't been assigned a specific ship yet, but she could find one and fly it easily enough.

[Ashleg]

Colshe ducked behind a wall, fumbling with his blaster in case he could try to help.
"We're being attacked?!" He echoed.

[Fatch of Southsward]

Dann had employed some of the most shrewd and harrowing flying tactics he had ever dared attempt to stay in the air. Now he had helped several allied fighters get into the air with him. Flying in formation, they were doing some serious damage, but it was not enough. As he circled around the Daynora for another pass, he finally had time to open his COMs.

"Dann Jared, Red Leader, to any one who's listening! There's too many, and we can't keep 'em off the ship. You've got to do something down there! I repeat, at this rate our ship won't be in one piece much longer! Does anybody read me?"

[LT Sandpaw]

It was the work of a moment to find an available spacecraft. Deck crews scrambled across the white surfaces checking each ship each beast knowing one mistake could lead to a doomed pilot. Lacy's eyes immediately locked onto a sleek snub fighter P-77 Firefly, the Fireflies were an older model, but one of her favorites back at the academy. Racing over Lacy snatched a flight helmet set bouncing from the loading pad into the pilot's seat.

"Is she ready?" Lacy called to a shrew deck sergeant. The shrew gave her a thumbs up and Lacy fired the fighter into life. The engines spooled, rumbling softly as power surged through the systems. Lacy was quick to strap herself down, linking her COM system to the rest of the fighters already in air. Over the crackle of orders and static a desperate voice could be heard.

"Dann Jared, Red Leader, to any one who's listening! There's too many, and we can't keep 'em off the ship. You've got to do something down there! I repeat, at this rate our ship won't be in one piece much longer! Does anybody read me?"

"Ten-four Red Leader, this is Lieutenant Keen Yellow-Two I'm on my way." Lacy pressed down on the peddles lifting the small ship off the landing pad. Deck crew members waved their paws jabbing in the direction they wanted her too go. Lacy followed the paw signals breaking through the airlock shielding and blasting into the vacuum of space. Already flashes of light sparked from every direction, as fighters and bombers wheeled around. Lacy gave the Firefly's controls the slightest of twitches sending the vessel around chasing after a enemy. This was no simulation, this was the real thing. Her heart rate quickened as she watched a friendly ship explode into a flash of brilliant fire. "Hang in there Jared," Lacy muttered to herself as she sent a deadly stream of red blaster bolts after her target.

[Hickory]

Explosions dotted the ship as both fighters fought around it. Their best efforts didn't stop a few of the enemy fighters making it through. The Daynora was torn apart.

"Shields failing. All passengers prepare for possible evacuation. This is not a drill."

[Fatch of Southsward]

Dann couldn't believe what he was seeing - the entire ship looked as though it was going to be destroyed!

He gritted his teeth grimly and yelled hoarsely at Lacy, desperately trying to sound lighthearted, while simultaneously performing a barrel roll:

"I read you and have eyes on you Yellow - Two. Just like you, Lacy, to bring a dinosaur onto the battle field - where'd you even find that ship, a museum? I thought they were no longer deployed on missions!"

He paused for a second, and shot down an overzealous enemy bomber, who had been attempting to ram a Redwall fighter.

"Lieutenant, there's no way around it, the Daynora is in trouble. I'm with you to the end, but this is a losing battle, what are your orders, sir?"

His ship shuttered horribly, and a quick glance told him he had taken a hit. Smoke plumed from Engine 4. Hastily pressing buttons and pulling levers, he shut down the engine, but sacrificed maneuverability .

"Someone get this blasted fighter off my tail! Lacy, without the Daynora we're going to be sitting ducks up here!"

He went silent as the same radio crackled to life in all the fighters:

"Shields failing. All passengers prepare for possible evacuation. This is not a drill."

[W0NWILL]

Oh seasons. Oh dear sweet seasons. Liswell bit his lip, looking around frantically at the quietly panicking passengers. The Daynora was supposed to ferry them safely across the stars, and she wasn't doing a very good job of that right now.

Prepare for evacuation. He could do that. Prepare. Evacuation was a little iffy, but he'd be able to manage. He stared at the passengers for a moment, resolving to help him once he'd salvaged what medical equipment he could. Liswell dashed back to the medical bay, finding the sickly squirrel still there, looking scared and confused.

"I heard-" the squirrel's voice cracked, and Liswell nodded, placing his paws on the squirrel's shoulders comfortingly.

"We have to prepare for evacuation. Hopefully it won't come to that. Can you help me carry medicine?"

The squirrel nodded in response.

"Wonderful," Liswell tried smiling, though he was completely terrified, "put on this mask and follow me." Liswell started running around the med bay, loading various boxes of bandages and ointments into the squirrels paws until they were full, before starting to fill up his own. Liswell had no idea what the other doctors on the boat were doing at this moment, but he hoped that they'd come by and get what he had to leave behind.

Now...Liswell had no idea where they were supposed to go or what they were supposed to do. Completely lost, he stared around, hoping somebeast would stop and inform him.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Was Dann talking to Lacy? Cause she would be a ma'am not a sir.

IC:

"Dinosaur!" Lacy yelled in indignation as she chased after a enemy bomber whose rear guns were proving highly effective. Her shields were absorbing a good amount of the frontal fire, but already her cockpit had a black scar scratched across it where a low powered bolt had broken through. The rat's teeth were chattering, and she tried to hide her terror behind a false wall of bravado and humor.
"This is a Firefly, it's a classic Ensign, it doesn't matter how old it gets, it'll still be effective." She pressed down on the safety and fire sending two well aimed blasts into the bomber's rear gun. The damaged armaments floated away, lost to space forever.

"Someone get this blasted fighter off my tail! Lacy, without the Daynora we're going to be sitting ducks up here!"

Spinning away Lacy left off chasing the damaged bomber tearing through the space battle towards Dann, screaming into her COM system.
"Dann, roll left I'm coming in twelve o'clock hot. You've got a admirer trying to get a lock on you, put everything you have into anti missile defenses! Once your clear we've got to pull out and defend the escape vessels, they'll be roosting pigeons out there without us." Lacy pulled back on the throttle flying straight towards Dann's ship, it was smoking badly, if he didn't have the maneuverability...
Roll left, c'mon roll left you damn mouse, roll left.
Lacy unleashed a full power barrage straight towards Jared's ship sweating in anxiety as she watched the fighter almost directly behind him fire off a missile. She could only hope her plan would work.

[Fatch of Southsward]

OOC: He was indeed referring to Lacy - I figured I would refer to her rank, rather than her gender. (I couldn't picture soldiers responding "yes ma'am" to orders - it just sounded weird. A quick google search has confirmed that, in fact, Ma'am is still the correct term. My bad. 

Dann was bucking and weaving wildly to avoid the chasing fighter. Shaking off dizziness, he laughed at the COMs:

"Classic? Well, let me know if the Empire ever stops trying to shoot you down in order to take in the historical legacy of the ship you happen to be piloting at the time. It'll be a first!"

Things quickly became more serious as Lacy suddenly wheeled about and flew straight towards him. He gritted his teeth, accepting the daring plan:

"I've always had problems with admirers, can't deny it! Don't remember this lesson at the Academy. Guess there's more to you than book smarts Rookie."

The grin that has decorated his face with those words died as he jerked the controls to roll left, and the ship only sputtered. His steering had been hit! He couldn't veer off course! He glanced up at the incoming Lacy, still expecting him to veer left. He took a deep breath, and turned the ignition lever off. His ship immediately lost the thrust keeping it going in a straight line. It naturally flew with the nose dipped downwards, so it dropped like a rock, putting the surprised enemy fighter directly in Lacy's cross hairs. Below them, Dann was desperately trying to get his damaged ship started again.