Part 56: The Second Battle of Cera
The PACT ryders close in, intending to take out the Alliance shield cruisers, leaving the fleet vulnerable to laser attacks.
Said shield cruisers don’t have any offensive weapons or abilities, just a large shield bubble.
The PACT ryders are also out ahead of their own shield coverage.
The support ryders hanging back are our number one target, however. Some long-range rocketry takes one out.
The casualties among the PACT ryders is just as brutal as predicted.
We didn’t get nearly all of the support ryders, however. See those red down arrows on some of our units? That’s them turning our flak off. The torpedoes and rockets follow. Kryska’s got her draw fire ability active, fortunately, and she can handle a few torpedoes exploding in her face.
The Sutherland is in the extremely unenviable position of being nose-to-nose with a squadron of PACT fast cruisers.
They are screened by two Alliance infantry ryders, lighter versions of Kryska’s Paladin.
I’m sure they can handle things. Right now I want that support ryder all the way across the map to be dead.
Fast cruisers don’t have a lot of armor so between the carrier, the infantry ryders, and Sola, a few go down. The infantry buy time for the carrier to escape to the relative safety of the Sunrider and Paladin’s guns.
One of them makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Another PACT task force of frigates, destroyers, and cruisers arrive. Those torpedo destroyers combined with the remaining support ryder’s anti-flak ability presents some real danger. Remember, their torpedos have splash damage.
However, now ours do too. I bought an upgrade.
Fuck this support ryder as well. There’s an upgrade (the most expensive in the game) that gives the vanguard cannon splash damage as well. I want.
The last Alliance ryder goes down, but they served their purpose; the carrier has made a clean getaway. With not one but two units capable of repairing ryders, now would have been an excellent time to pop Asaga’s and Sola’s Awaken ability. But I forgot.
Just when I think I’ve swatted them all, they send in more.
While I’ve been massacering their ryders, the PACT capital ships have closed to kinetic range.
This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen!
But two can play at that game.
They can put more torpedoes in space than I can, however. The Arcadius units are also trying to close into melee range. Icari can handle them, though. She’s just been acting as an anti-missile unit all battle so it’s time to put her main skill to use.
It’s such a target-rich environment I have no issue saving up enough command points for a third vanguard shot.
And with their entire ryder screen down, the rest is just mopping up.
There're so many of them we don't even have to aim!
Hiyah! Take this!
We have a battleship on an intercept vector!
Chigara, prepare ECM! Black Jack, cover her!
Understood, captain!
… all right!
Watch out Liberty, you've got an Arcadius unit to your six!
I don’t have a clear shot! Liberty, take evasive maneuvers!
Hi-EEAAHH!!! Liberty has taken a direct hit! Come in, Chigara! What's your status? T-the shoulder maneuvering valve has fractured! I'm venting plasma on one side and can’t stop spinning! C-currently, revolving at a rate of 30 RPM!
Captain, if the Liberty cannot regain control, she'll fall straight into the battleship's path! 50 RPM! Claude, can you stop the Liberty!?
I-I'm a doctor, not a-- Nobody cares, you idiot!
I-I'm on it! E-eighty RPM! Icari, speed up and see if you can catch her!
Copy! Starting to … lose … inertial dampeners ... No joy, captain! It's spinning too fast! We're both gonna be in pieces if I grab the Liberty! Claude! I-I'm sorry, captain!
Phoenix and Bianca, clear the area.
Sola?
The defective valve has been destroyed. Bianca, retrieve the Liberty! U-understood!
Captain, our munitions are down to 20 percent. I was thinking the same. Full reverse! Pull back away from the fighting and let our escorts take care of the battleship! We'll rejoin this fight after we've resupplied.