The Retreat of Starbase 211
Posted on Sat May 25th, 2013 @ 2:11am by Lieutenant Colonel Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan
1,383 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Mission 83 - Recovery
Location: Starbase 47
Timeline: 2373, 23 After Starfleet's Withdrawl from DS9
"Get up and get your suit on, Lieutenant Sullivan," came a gruff voice that woke Jillian up from her nap.
She was in a holding cell that had been individualized - signifying Jillian's long-term stay in the prison-like jail cells of the station. A hard bunk to sleep on still, but there were a few posters on the wall of beefy Andorian men in nothing but diving bikini bottoms, and a nice comforter and sheets.
Once Jillian rubbed the gunk from her eyes and popped her neck, she began to blindly put on her suit over her gray briefs and tank top while she listened to the base's Fighter Element CO - Brigadier General Samuel Jacobs.
"I had to order your CAG to take you on your next mission," he informed, though Jillian learned to tell when people were being diplomatic with her. "You should be lucky you showed high aptitude in flight school, otherwise you'd still be in that hell hole."
"If you're looking for gratitude, you can shove it where the sun don't shine Sir," Phoenix bit back as she started to put her boots on.
"Just shut the hell up and listen for your mission objective, you spoiled Jarhead," the gray-haired and slightly pudgy man shouted at her, which did get her attention, but put an awful ringing in her ears.
"Yes Sir," Phoenix replied, just barely civil as she tied her laces.
"Your wing is tasked with running interference for the eighth fleet. We're retreating all elements from Starbase 211, to here."
"That means you want as many fighters scratching the Cardassian battle cruisers so they'll have to fight us instead of the retreating support crafts," Phoenix already guessed and clenched her fist when one of the security officers stuck a tracker on her left ankle.
"You're fighter is being prepped now.... And this will be the only time I come down here, Lieutenant. If you cannot be thankful to the person that gave you a second shot to make something respectable of yourself, then we are done," he said, turned on his heel, and left the room.
"Take me to my leader, Boys," Jillian almost instantly shot back at her security escorts.
Two hours later, the wing of Valkyries came streaming out of an Akira-class carrier, USS Grayson. The battlefield was compacted with explosions as many ships of the 8th fleet was being pummeled by both Cardassian and Dominion elements. Hearing maydays being blared on her emergency channel made it hard for anyone to figure out where to help out first.
"Listen up, 821st," came the female voice of Marine Captain T'Gahl, Hex being her callsign, and CAG for her element. "Each flight will have separate AOFs. Flight leaders will check their tactical packets and relay to their flight what to do after that."
As she said this, Phoenix was running a systems check and going over her primary target. All of her squadron was attacking the single Galar-class Cardassian capitol ship in the middle of the Dominion side's picket line, but she was given the task of disabling their disruptor strips, which was far harder than taking out engines or life support.
"Shields to front and go weapons hot," the Vulcan CAG spoke in a cool tone.
"Beta flight, slave your targeting systems to mine once we get that beast's shields down," Phoenix ordered her group, for which she heard four affirmatives... This was not going to be a fun attack run.
"On my mark, go for hard burn up the middle," Hex told the entire unit.
Phoenix gripped her yoke tightly and clicked off three tones to her flight which told them to stay on her ass the entire way in.
"Mark," Hax barked out.
Some say to be a fighter pilot, you were fine with suicide missions. That was the brunt of work most fighters saw in this war so far. Shards of disruptor blasts streamed at her squadron violently as they bobbed and weaved in an attempt not to get hit.
Finally one shard did manage to hit Phoenix head-on, for which the computer announced, "Shields are down to eighty percent."
"You all right Phoenix?" That was her wingmate, Joxer.
"Just a graze. All systems are unscathed," Phoenix announced off-handedly.
At this point there was no safe place to fly through, and the rate at which her holographic tactical display announced blown fighters from her wing, that told Phoenix all she needed to. But she refused to die without taking a single spoonhead with her.
"Sun Matrix is down to four pilots," Hex told the remainder of the wing.
"All hands, this is Admiral Ross. The 8th Fleet has almost completed the withdrawal, but I promise you, we will return to retake this sector again. We haven't lost by a long shot," Phoenix heard Ross say.
Funny thing... the fighters were so deep into the Dominions line that it would be a miracle if any of them got out alive. And now that her squadron reached the massive capitol ship and was engaging with full prejudice, there seemed to be a renewed since of hope in the fleet.
"Warhead lock," Joxer cried out as he launched his countermeasures.
"Don't evade. Run them into the ship's own shields," Phoenix ordered.
"That's not regulation," Hex ordered.
"No, it's not. But it's the fastest way to take the shields down, since our mini orbs are only gonna scratch," Phoenix countered as she adjusted her shields for an even spread and inverted the ship so she could look at the battleship's hull as she ran the full length of the bow.
"There's torpedo launchers on the bow. Pull back, Lieutenant," Hex warned.
"Yeah... And if you want to use their weapons against them, you're gonna have to make oneself a target," Phoenix countered and gave a Cheshire grin the moment her warhead collision alarm blared.
"Wave off Lieutenant Sullivan. That's an order," Hex voiced more sternly, but Phoenix did not.
Some people just had a feel for flying. Phoenix might not of been the smartest in books, but she was becoming one of the best pilots in the Dominion War Theater. So by instinct, she angled her fighter around, switched her shields to full in the rear, and flew so close to the shields of the enemy that they had to drop them or risk bouncing the warhead off and onto one of their starboard support ships.
"I'm gonna bring the shield matrix off-line indefinably, Hex. And you're flight better be ready on the engines," Phoenix spoke with pure venom.
"Lieu-" The Vulcan's protests stopped once she realized what madness Phoenix was about to do, then decided to bust Phoenix later for her insubordination... Assuming her hothead pilot survived the madness. "All wing elements, target your assigned areas and go weapons free once the matrix is down."
"You got disruptors on your tail as well, Phoenix," Joxer pointed out.
"You just take the flight and fire on their disruptor banks and strips," Phoenix ordered, as she got close to the front of the ship.... This was going to hurt a lot.
"Understood," he clicked off with a hint of remorse.
At the very last second, after pushing her impulse engines to their limits, Phoenix was a sharp turn and caused the torpedo on her to do the same, though Jillian had the time to move out of the way of an antenna. The warhead did not, which caused a systematic failure of the cruiser's main defense.
While her wing celebrated and pummeled at the designated areas of the massive warship, Phoenix's fighter was going up in flames from not being able to clear the explosive shockwave. She just barely had enough time to pull her helmet on and hit the EV transporter, before her fighter exploded right on top of the enemy subspace relay.
Floating in space while waiting for EVAC, Phoenix could see from afar, the fighters doing what they were designed for... Being so small and so close to the capitol ships, that it was impossible for proper target locks. It was probably the only success her wing had during the early days of the war, but boy did it feel good just watching the light show.
Phoenix
In Her Early Years
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