Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 40

Thread: [M] War in the Void - Imperials IC

  1. #21
    The Last Remembrancer
    dakkagor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    the luminous Aether
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Modern times or Sci-Fi games.
    Posts
    2,035
    Mentioned
    61 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    198

    Default

    "Signal that we are commencing, and wish the Omnissiahs blessings upon them" Chao ordered.

    "Signal sent!"

    "Fire! Then all power to drives!"

    The bombardment cannon thundered, a hundred decks below. The super-massive shells shot through the void as the lumbering Shepherd accelerated after them. The shells, traveling at near light speed, reached their target zone and exploded in a wave of light and electromagnetic fury.

    "Reload for close fire!"

    She watched the plot table. While the enemy cruiser was blind, she was as well for a few crucial minutes, her target obscured by the blast wave. The seconds slid by like glaciers, piling up into minutes that felt like eons as data was collated, passed to the bridge, plotted, and interpreted. For a mechanicus captain, augmented with split second decision making processes, time seemed to stretch even further, and deadly overthinking could crowd out logic and good decision making.

    Chao was only lightly augmented herself. Just enough to interact with and process her ships noospheric environment, and even then, she preferred the somewhat more sedate experience of meatspace thinking.

    They punched through the blast wave, the ship radiation alarms trilling, and they came upon their target. She had hauled away and upwards relative to the orbital plane, but Chao had expected some evasive maneuvers, and cut speed to give them a better, broader window of fire.

    "Target for effect and then have us cross their T from the rear aspect."

    A hard target lock alarm sounded.

    "Torpedo on our six!" Sensori called out. "They have us cold!"

    "Cut power to drives, all power to weapons. We can't evade at this range."

    The radiation field that had obscured the Shepard's charge had, at the last minute, disrupted their own sensors abilities to see the approaching torpedoes. Meanwhile, the simple cogitator brains of the torpedoes had cut through the radiation and then locked onto the closest, hottest thing they could find, her ships drive plume. Even with the drives cut, her ship was still the logical target.

    The bombardment cannon opened fire, at naval terms, knife-fight range. Even as the batteries of the target Chalice, Scintillating Wrath hastily retracked and hammered Chao's shields, the Wrath's own were knocked down by a massive blast of plasma and hard radiation.

    "Fire portside battery as we cross." Chao grimaced. "And pray to the Omnissiah that our turrets are up to the job."

  2. #22
    June MotM 2014
    Jarms48's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Australia
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Sci-fi
    Age
    30
    Posts
    19,635
    Mentioned
    29 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    2012

    Default

    If the cruisers were the lions, growling and circling as they tested each other’s defences, then the frigates were the jackals darting around their feet. On the right flank Pillar of Intent and Audax were maneuvering to ward the Patriot destroyers away from the flagship, while around them the Patriot’s surprise fighter element had unfolded like a steel claw to rake through the Imperials’ own attack wave. On the left, the cross-hatching volleys of capital grade weaponry were mirrored on a smaller scale as the two frigate screens crossed.

    It was beautiful in a way.

    Murderous, hateful, world ending, but beautiful. The flashes of bright blue pulses and bursts of plasma ions, the flares of macro tracer darting across the void, the refractions of light as the entangled fleets void shielding flickered to life with every impact. There was chaos across the bridge, yelling, runes and alarm klaxons blaring with alerts. Lt Marie was head down at her desk, tapping her pencil against the hard metal. Occasionally jotting down notes with furious speed, before dropping it to work her terminal to the correct frequencies. Every second was vital, she relayed the orders and external communications. Effectively controlling every move Pillar made.

    Captain Aeneas watched her. Before his eyes moved back to the exchange unfolding over the vid-screens. He turned his head away and paced across the bridge, a hand rubbing his chin. He was stuck in thought, trying to find solutions that wouldn't come. This was a matter of life and death, the countless lives of his crew rest in his hands and untold millions on the planets below should he fail in his part, and by extent his peers if they did the same.

    He took a deep breath, now wasn't the time.

    "Helmsmen Bernd, keep us in range of defensive turret range of Audax. We'll need to concentrate our defensive firepower if those attack craft decide to harass us. Those additional batteries may finally come in handy." Aeneas ordered.

    "Aye, Captain."

    "Lieutenant Struss, prepare torpedo spread for launch. Hold fire until the forward sections are totally clear, we don't want friendlies passing over our path."

    "One building sized bad day, already primed and ready to fire. Waiting for opportunity to lay the spread." Struss chimed back.

    "Comms, get Audax on the horn. Find out who they're targeting for their bombardment and coordinate with gunnery officer Struss. I want all firepower on nearest destroyer. We take them out and then make a straight shot for those Chalices. Put a plasma torpedo flush into their traitorous hulls."

    "Aye, Captain. I'll send word to them immediately."

  3. #23
    Member
    PaintSerf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    1,252
    Mentioned
    45 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    129

    Default

    Hold for Retaliator POV.

    Ramming. Speed.

  4. #24
    The Replicant
    Azazeal849's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    7,608
    Mentioned
    84 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    470

    Default

    Spoiler: HDMS Retaliator, HDMS Resurgent, Shepherd of Light - Coseflame 
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  5. #25
    The Last Remembrancer
    dakkagor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    the luminous Aether
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Modern times or Sci-Fi games.
    Posts
    2,035
    Mentioned
    61 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    198

    Default

    "Hail the Deus and the gunnery crews both." Chao breathed. "Shut down the affected thrusters and despatch the servitor clades, we can execute a roll if we need a turn to starboard."

    As the crew recovered from the impact and her orders filtered through the ships taxed systems, fresh orders from the flagship were handed to her.

    "Restore power to main drives and cycle our shields. Sensori, give me a sweep of Coseflames upper orbital tracks. All hands, prepare for orbital operations." She turned to Mistress of Archives Dehl Koudrakis again, who had remained on the deck, recording the combat on sheaths of parchment. "Find me everything you can about the target planet. With only two ships and a brawl at our backs, we can afford to leave nothing to chance."

    The Mistress of Archives offered her a formal bow before she trundled away on her tank-like treads. She watched her officers go about their duties with the efficency she was accustomed too, and brought up a hololith display of Coseflame.

    If only I was dropping Titans on that world.

    It didn't feel right to not have their titan charges aboard and be heading towards a planet to support a landing. There was honour in putting the first boots down on a planet, and the bridges rear bulkhead was covered in 10 thousand years of such battlehonours from xenocides, insurrection suppressions and smashed blockades where naval action had been followed by the glory of Titan coffin ships delivering the Legio to break a world, each one stamped on a silver or gold seal, holding a parchment in place listing the engines and skitarii units that had dropped and fought in the Deus name. This action, no matter how glorious and vital it might be to the Imperiums efforts, wasn't what this ship was built for. She'd have felt better about it even if they were deploying Astra Militarum via bulk lander.

    She shook her head and patted the solid hololith table, listening to the grumble of engines out of alignment and the dull growl of void shields being rotated, allowed to shut down and cool before being relight in preparation of ground attack. Chao imagined it like a prize fighter snapping her nose back into position, wiping the blood out of their eyes, and cracking their knuckles ready for another fight.

    She partitioned the output of the hololith table, and moved the layout of Coseflames orbits to one side. She instead brought up the current status of the Chalice class they had smashed through. She felt a pang of remorse as boarders swarmed its hull and fires burned through its upper decks.

    A loyal machine of the Deus brought low in treachery, and injured by my hand.

    What would have been better? An instant death, an ammunition bunker or plasma reactor going up and consigning the ship and its compliment to oblivion? At least this way, there was a chance the ship would be recovered and pressed back into loyal service.

    But still, it was sad to watch. She dismissed the data and refocused on the battle ahead.

    Lets see what other surprises the seperatists have set up for us.

  6. #26
    The Replicant
    Azazeal849's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    7,608
    Mentioned
    84 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    470

    Default

    Spoiler: Shepherd of Light, HDMS Tiamat’s Claw - Coseflame 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 12-26-2021 at 11:03 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  7. #27
    Sanity's Eclipse
    Atrum Daemon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    The Totally Secret Moon Base
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Sci-Fi
    Age
    33
    Posts
    3,715
    Mentioned
    35 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    125

    Default

    The black void of space rippled and churned like a man wracked with intestinal pain. A soundless ripping tore reality asunder, leaving a gaping wound releasing tendrils of eldritch power. A massive shape pulled itself free from the roiling hole in the void; a black spearhead shape bristling with weapon ports and bedecked with gilded statues and icons. An ancient ship of war and faith directed to the battlefield by backroom politicking rather than to the dry dock.

    “Realspace transition complete, Commodore.” A tall, handsome deck officer turned to look at the bulky figure sitting on the command throne.

    Commodore Balthazar Grantz had always been a man of imposing stature and now with the exo-frame he had an added intimidation to his silhouette. The Commodore was less than pleased with the redirection of his vessel even moreso realizing there were no escorts awaiting their arrival.

    “And right back into the shit,” grumbled the Commodore. “Weapon status?”

    “All green, Commodore,” came a prompt answer.

    “Sensors?”

    “Primary running optimally. Secondary…”

    “As expected,” Grantz grumbled again. “Bring us about and towards the ongoing engagement. Once targets are identified, prepare for broadsides at maximum range.”

    “Aye!”

    Tiamat’s Claw may have been left partially blind and with a damaged engine from her last engagement but there was little Grantz could do about that now. The tech-adepts down in engineering were a talented bunch and could keep her running just fine and the Commodore trusted his bridge crew with his life. They would be able to compensate for the damaged sensors as they had when transitioning to the Claw and discovering her lack of advanced sensors most of them were used to.

    Emperor willing, of course…
    Hit me up on discord: Mags#3126
    I'm just easier to get a hold of there. Just lemme know who you are

  8. #28
    The Replicant
    Azazeal849's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    7,608
    Mentioned
    84 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    470

    Default

    Spoiler: HDMS Tiamat’s Claw - Coseflame 
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  9. #29
    The Last Remembrancer
    dakkagor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    the luminous Aether
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Modern times or Sci-Fi games.
    Posts
    2,035
    Mentioned
    61 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    198

    Default

    "Execute a turn to port, get me side on and give them the guns. Focus fire on the incoming fighter screen. Change our approach to Coseflame to oblique, rising over the system plane at 20 degrees."

    Chao was gripping the holotank hard as the two Enforcer Class cruisers turned and rose to meet her. She felt the gun deck vibrate as the massed broadsides thundered into the void in an attempt to scatter the incoming bomber wave.

    Based on the Dauntless hull, the Enforcer was a formidable opponent and in many ways similar to the Shepherd in being a specialised ship designed to support ground operations. Putting their back to a gravity well was a smart move in this situation, making every missed shot with her big guns a potential disaster.

    She tapped her boot on the deck, squaring the problem away. No way she could fight through that escort screen and the heavy lance batteries. Could she take one of those factors out of the equation and do some good? Or was now the time to show discretion and hold off, maybe even return to the brawl at her back and assist the Imperial navy?

    She watched the transports hug the atmosphere and begin the process of slingshotting away. These were awkward civilian cogs mostly, pressganged from the various merchant familia into supporting the war effort. Big, fat, soft targets that if she could kill, would seriously reduce the patriots ability to resupply and reinforce other worlds.

    Even better, they would be easy to board as well. . .with luck, she could kill or disable four of them, maybe more.

    "Give me full acceleration towards Coseflame, insertion vector 22-54. All power to shields, engines and point defence. Tell our fighter screen to hug as close as they dare. Give me a chaff spread along our course from the bombardment cannon now!"

    She stepped away from the holoith for a second, and addressed the bridge crew directly.

    "I intend to have us enter a high, fast, planetary orbit and end up amongst the transports scrambling to escape. The more of them we overhaul and destroy or disable, the better this war will go in the future. I expect us to take a beating from the lances on our way in, but once the orbit is completed we should have reversed the situation; we'll have the planet to our backs and be at liberty to use the bombardment cannon to drive off those damn Enforcers. If anyone sees a flaw in the logic of this plan, speak up now."

    There was a silence on the bridge, broken only by the click of cogitators and the monotones of servitors monotasked to their bridge roles. Chao did not give speeches, but her crew knew that when she addressed them like this, the risks were higher than usual. But this was also not an Imperial warship, this was a temple of the Omnissiah, and each priest and officer had an equal say in its future when she opened up the floor like this.

    "Very well then. Gunnery, have the gunners lively. No ammo stacking, ensure all safety rituals are adhered too, we will be under heavy fire. Artisan, focus on our voids. Once we clear the planets horizon, you'll have a limited window to cycle and repair our emitters. Make it count."

    She felt the ships engines strain under her to push them through the void. She stared at Coseflame as it grew in the occulus, daring it to throw another challenge at her.

    "Incoming!" The Sensori augmitted. The first lance bolts, brilliant neon shards of light that blistered the voids, came in. The bridge lights flickered and died, then came up again, and Chao's hearing picked up the distinct whine of void shield generators overloading.

    The next salvo slapped the shields all the way down. Chao barely had time to yell before the third and fourth salvo cut deep into the Shepherds ten millenia old hull, venting compartments, incinerating crew and systems, and scoring glowing lines down her flanks that wept metal tears. Subsystems blew out along the starboard flank and oxygen fires swept along decks as bulkheads slammed down.

    Then the lightside of Coseflame slid past their starboard side, and the lances couldn't reach them anymore.

    "Artisan, cycle shields, gunnery, free targets! Highest cycle rate and hammer them to scrap!"

    The merchant cogs, fat and soft and running, scattered before the Shepherd. One, painted in a gaudy stripped pattern of blue and red, was dead ahead, until the bombardment cannon thundered. The ship simply disintegrated, shards of wreckage falling back into Coseflames atmosphere as a storm of meteors.

    "Let them have it!" Chao yelled as the guns thundered.

    "Incoming bombers!"

    The bombers fell on them like wolves on the fold. Their own interceptors, hugging the port side hard, rolled out to meet them and became engaged with the fighters escorts. Hydra and basilisk emplacements along the Shepherds flank thundered into the void alongside the larger turbo laser anti-bomber emplacements. Chao turned to watch the damage reports as the bombers focused on the holes already clawed in her hull. Damage icons spread across the Shepherd as bombs and missiles found their mark and tore into weakened armour.

    "Forward gunnery bridge disabled!"

    "Dorsal drop bays damaged!"

    "Fires on multiple decks!"

    "Reactor 3 shutdown! Reactors 1 and 8 failing!"

    "Starboard gunnery decks at 45% operation!"

    "Voids not cycling on Starboard side! Voids dead starboard!"

    The bridge shook and people were thrown to the deck. The lights died again, then the emergencies came back up.

    "What the FRAG was that?" Chao yelled as she hauled herself to her feet. She paused to haul the mistress of archives upright as the artisan station applied percussive maintenance to a failed readout.

    "Big debris chunk, possibly a disabled enemy bomber with a full or near full load, slammed into the bridge tower at its base. Armour took most of it but the transitways are completely shot, its open to vacuum across two decks, and power was cut to bridge systems. We are running on local batteries. Working on a redirect now, Shipmistress."

    "We've been decapitated. . ." Chao groaned. "Do we have noosphere? Hardline may be down, but can we chain a noosphere link to the secondary bridge?"

    The more heavily modified priestesses and adepts scuttled around, working on the problem as Chao ignored the suddenly still air and the tightening sensation in her throat. It had only been minutes, but she knew the aircyclers were not powered by the back up batteries now keeping the lights and basic noosphere support active. Grav was also out, with everyone now clamping to the metallic deck.

    "I have reconnected with the secondary bridge!" One of the adepts shouted. Chao pushed over to her.
    "Ship Secundi Dorlia is currently coordinating repairs, and managing gunnery. We have several confirmed kills amongst the merchantmen and she has despatched some skitarii boarders to two we crippled."

    "The enemy attack craft?"

    "Unknown, Shipmistress."

    "How long on the hardline repair?"

    "Unknown, Shipmistress. The spirit is willing, but the metal is weakened."

    "Tell Dorlia to cut speed and keep us behind Coseflame for as long as possible. The longer we have to repair and get the shields back up the better we will be."

    She turned to the crew and raised her voice again.

    "Void hardened adepts are to remain at their posts and continue efforts to restore prime bridge functionality. Everyone else, suit up and relocate to the secondary bridge."

  10. #30
    Sanity's Eclipse
    Atrum Daemon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    The Totally Secret Moon Base
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Sci-Fi
    Age
    33
    Posts
    3,715
    Mentioned
    35 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    125

    Default

    “Firing solution locked.”

    “Fire torpedo barrage.”

    “Torpedo barrage, aye!”

    The front of the massive warship belched out a payload of void-ready torpedoes before beginning her seemingly laborious turn to starboard. Despite her size the “Claw” was nimble in a fight with a crew that knew how to handle her. In moments the traitorous ship was faced with the broadside of the Retribution-class ship and the lion's share of that sides massive array of deadly guns. From the command throne, Balthazar drummed his fingers on one of the armrests and studied the displays. “Reduce it to splinters.”

    The void between the two ships lit up in a grand display of force few other ships could manage. The enemy ship's void shields flared to life under the impressive barrage. After the first barrage of powerful canons, the lance batteries along the dorsal hull had in their targeting sequences. Brilliant crimson light shot forth seeking to gouge the “Corrino” to her core. The bold choice to face the “Claw” one-on-one was commendable of the traitors, the Commodore thought and perhaps indicative that they had not wholly abandoned their courage. But a fool's errand was a fool's errand.
    Some might be surprised at the extreme show of offense from the “Claw” but the Commodore was making adjustments to their usual tactics to make up for their current lack of escort craft which only magnified the need to keep their damaged sensors at the front of his mind. He made a note to remember the name of the crewman up in that specula and see they were rewarded accordingly.
    Hit me up on discord: Mags#3126
    I'm just easier to get a hold of there. Just lemme know who you are

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •