Unity

Chapter 12

It was championship time. They gave us Saturday morning off to prepare. We were gathered in our barracks looking over the data file that was transferred to our tablets. The entire squadron was involved in the planning today. I wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page.

"Ok, so what do we know?" I asked, after giving everyone some time to look over the information.

Andrew spoke up, "It appears to be a two-part fight. We have to defend a base against an enemy attack, as well as be the attackers. The winner is the team that destroys the enemy base first. If nobody destroys the base, or both bases are destroyed, then it goes to a panel of judges to decide."

"We also get to choose our fleet composition," added Rachel.

"We don't know the enemy losses, which means they don't know ours, or lack of in our case," said Jen. "Also, the base we are defending has minimal defenses, but the defenses they do have can be remotely controlled. The defending team will get a five-minute head start to prep defenses, then enemy fleet will spawn in the vicinity of the moon."

"The station is in orbit around Earth, so there won't be many areas to hide. Any missiles will be easily seen and destroyed," said Bruce.

"Does anyone else have anything more to add?" I asked after a minute of silence. "Alright then, we'll split into two groups. One group will focus on attack, while the other on defense. Come up with as many scenarios as you can, as well as fleet compositions. Once we've got both sets of plans, we'll go over them in detail and select a primary and secondary plan for each. Andrew, you are in charge of offense, and I'll take defense. Let's go."

It took us the better part of two hours to hammer out the details of the four plans. The match was scheduled right after lunch. As we walked to the cafeteria, I reminded everybody to eat light, and to stay away from the sugary foods. Last thing we needed was a jittery trigger finger. After lunch, we were escorted to the simulators while the rest of the station went to the amphitheater to watch. It made me nervous think that thousands of people were going to be watching our every move.

When we reached the simulators, we were told that we had been selected to defend first. Our defense fleet consisted of two cruisers, five battleships and twenty-one fighters. Once the simulators powered on, we were given a five-minute countdown.

"Mitch, take your cruiser to the other side of the moon and stay out of site. We only have a general idea of the area they will be spawning in. Tina, take four other fighters and provide cover. Remember, don't fire until they engage our salvo," I transmitted.

"All battleships, I want a tight formation. Nothing gets through to the station. The cruiser will take cover behind us, with the fighters in front. Make sure to leave gaps for the station weapons to assist in providing cover fire. The cruiser will call for holes to fire their missiles, as necessary. As soon as we have the enemy's location, I want everyone to fire a single shot from every weapon."

The first four minutes went by in the blink of any eye as we rushed to get into place. We finished our preparations with less than a minute to spare, and I watched the countdown with growing anxiety. When the countdown finished, there was a flash of light, and the enemy appeared.

"Jen and Drew, get me a headcount on ships out there. I want to know what we're up against." I commanded.

I watched as missiles and projectiles were launched at the enemy fleet. If we got lucky, we would catch them just as they were trying to get their bearings. If damage were done, that would be a bonus as the main purpose was to provide a distraction for our ships that were hidden behind them.

As I waited for the fireworks, I began studying the space station. We were going to be the ones blowing it up soon, so I figured it would be a great chance to gather a little bit of intel. I watched as the enemy fleet formed up and prepared to intercept our welcome package. As they prepared to intercept, I saw missile fire coming from behind them. The end result was chaos. Jen and drew had managed to get an accurate count before we hit them, and they had three battleships, ten cruisers, and seven fighters.