Since we dropped the rock, we had been rushing to get everything ready. Even one cruiser was a dubious target in a fair fight if we had all the Crows. From the hundred we started with, we were down to just above seventy.
Three cruisers fought head-on would be a very expensive way to commit suicide.
Everybody had worked hard to get this to work, even the Jedi. Even so, I tried to make sure that everyone had enough rest to remain alert for the coming battle.
I needed to remember that we are merchant shippers, not military, Even so, I didn't hear any complaints other than from my second in command...but that's her job. I would have no use for a yes man first officer.
It was the first time the Crows ran into real fighters... a whole new experience for them. I did have some basic knowledge about dogfighting programmed into them and they did get some experience against the freighters in the past and against each other and simulations in war-games.
Next time, they will do better.
I was brought out of my musings when Jack spoke up. "Contact! I have three cruisers on my scope. They just dropped out of hyper."
"Bastards. They're a day early. Good thing we were ready for them to drop in at any time." Tel'te commented as she put her datapad with her book away and turned her attention to her controls.
"Indeed. Remain vigilant." I said before I contacted engineering and asked, "Captain to engineering. Is everything ready?"
"Everything is ready. We stand ready to revert at your orders. I would have liked more time to perfect it, but we do what we can." My chief engineer answered after a moment.
I nodded as Jack spoke up once more. "They are hailing us."
"Ignore them. Set a course towards the asteroid belt, best-modified speed, Miss Tel'te." I ordered as I brought up the tactical hologram. I knew how we looked... We were leaking gas and smoke from all airlocks. Our engines flickering and glowing purple instead of steady, healthy blue as we crawled from the wrecks of the freighters.
"They ask us to surrender, Captain." Jack relayed.
Dooku and Jinn were at the weapons consoles. While neither of them was happy to find out that according to all records, Krayt was on one of the destroyed freighters, I put them in charge of the turrets. Their Jedi instincts and reflexes should help with their aim if needed... and it's not like they could leave even if they wanted to. Their unarmed one man crafts lacked hyperdrives, they still used that old model that needed an external hyperspace ring.
The rest of the prisoners were locked in the brig and in cargo containers.
I tapped a couple of buttons, marking the three cruisers as targets Alpha, Beta and Gamma, two of them moving intercept us but target Beta moved towards the planet and the collections of drifting freighters.
"Damn." Swan cursed as she watched the hologram. "Beta isn't following us."
"You can't count on all enemies being morons." I said, ruffling my feathers. "One cruiser we can take."
Maybe.
"Targets are launching fighters. I have...fifteen additional contacts." Jack reported after a moment and I zoomed in on the cruisers.
"I have them. Shields to maximum. Gunners, you are weapons free as soon as they are in range." I said as I forced myself to keep my voice calm, relaxing around my pillar.
A nervous captain leads to a nervous crew.
I simply watched as the icons indicating fighters slowly crawled between the cruisers and us, target Alpha and Gamma slowly starting to catch up with us.
I could feel the ship shudder slightly through my pillar as the fighters finally reached us and the thud-thud-thud of our rapid-firing turbo-lasers joined them. One of the fighters faded from the hologram as we passed into the asteroid belt.
"The cruisers are still following. They will be in firing range in two minutes." Jack reported. "So far, so good."
I turned my head to look at him. He did not just say that.
Shaking my head, I returned my attention to the hologram.
Just a little bit further.
As we passed between a pair of large rocks, the fighters kept hammering us, causing the ship to suddenly jerk beneath me.
"That one went through the shield. We have an atmosphere leak at deck three." Swan reported, "Sealing it off now. Captain, we can't take much more of this."
"Just a little bit further, commander." I said as I watched another three fighters fade from the display. Twelve left.
The two enemy cruisers entered the asteroid belt behind us and I spread my head feathers happily as they passed through the right point in space.
"Got you." I purred as I pressed a couple of buttons, transmitting a simple number code.
On the asteroids all around the enemy cruisers, seismic charges and the rest of our supply of powerful explosives detonated, mass shattering the large rocks and battering the cruisers hard, causing them to disappear in a cloud of dust and spinning asteroid fragments.
"Take that, you fucking bastards!" Jack cheered, punching the air.
As the energy signature of the two cruisers faded from my hologram, I turned my head to look at my pilot.
"Miss Tel'te, bring us about. Set an intercept course towards the remaining cruiser." I ordered as I pressed a button on my pillar. "Crows, take flight. Targets are the fighters, search and destroy."
I switched to contact engineering. "Captain to engineering, revert changes and bring engines back to full power."
All around the ship the outer airlocks closed, emitters stopped spewing smoke and gas into space while the Crows launched from their small bays to engage the squadron of fighters.
As the ship started to pivot around, the engines brightened to a healthy blue and we resumed normal operations.
The fighters were still reeling from the loss of their two capital ships and were slow to react to the drone fighters launching from the converted frigate.
Three were shrapnel before they started to do evasive maneuvers. Nine left.
As we moved over the asteroid belt towards the cruiser who had just started to turn to meet us, I couldn't help but dig my claws into the carvings of my marble pillar, feeling the thud-thud-thud of the turbo-lasers seeking the fighters.
We were no longer taking hits, the shields recharging as the fighters had more important things on their minds than shooting us.
That cruiser outgunned us by a fair deal. The computer was now identifying it as a modified Hutt cruiser.
Three fighters left. Two fighters left, Jinn just blasted one from the skies.
As I watched the crows chase the last two fighters towards the approaching cruiser, I shifted my wings and took a slow breath.
It was now that the real fight started. With the crows, even with only sixty remaining, we should be more or less evenly matched, if a bit less shielded.
Let us see how these pirates handle somebody who could bite back.
Ah.
Weapons range.