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Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Rhane, Mahan, Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
The Reclaimer's Intent, Borite Downport
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 4) 1105, Imperial

The Reclaimer's Intent, even sluggish on the controls, can respond reasonably enough still. It is a warship, after all. The vessel is able to shoot up and turn once more, accelerating all the more as it turns with its previously damaged grav plates turned towards the advancing raiders. 'Retreating' in posture only, it would seem, as the turret and barbette slew their aim to the rear of the newly stabilized fighting platform.

There's an audible growl of annoyance over comms, "Strike us down if you think you can, intruder! Chief Keia has a hundred-fold more!"

And with that, in the barbette's control seat, the displays flash in front of Kesper. They show a projection of the pinnace as the targetting computer lays out everything the ship's sensors can read on it. Its current speed, its composition. All of this data fetched from broad-sweep readings by the ship's automated systems, refined and turned into sensible readings by Urien's deft work, and laid out for the gunners to make use of. As Kesper depresses the triggers, there is a hum all around him with energy systems flaring up to account for the sudden spike. A rumble through the whole turret that carries through the seat. A near-invisible streak of blue-green light cuts through the sky.

Aboard the pinnace, the raider at the helm has just enough time to read the warnings from the computer and key the ship's internal comms. But it doesn't due any good. At this range, the beam hits true on the nose in a matter of seconds. Most of the others are dead in their seats before they even hear what the pilot is starting to scream.

The pinnace splits open, lengthwise at the top like a hotdog left to boil for too long. Metal rends and snaps. The powerplant explodes at the rear and the whole vessel is fragmented into various parts. They careen down into the woodland below and on impact, another fireball erupts as the liquid hydrogen detonates. The fireball registers as little more than a blip on Urien and Kesper's screens, and on Urien's console the marker for Romeo 2 is struck through. One target splashed.

At the same time, as Eirene slips down into the direct control station for the ventral turret, already displays light up as the computer detects a gunner's presence. Situated under a stack of twelve loaded missiles, Eirene can take the controls and easily set the interface to target the modular cutter. Information is piped to the consoles in front of the corsair that give a feed on the status of all twelve missiles and their payloads - the fire-control system already dumping input into the programming bus. Meters showing each missile coming live, engines pre-heating, display.

A single button press and the overhead rack audibly rumbles as the missile comes to life.

Louder than the barbette's fire, the missile leaves the tube and streaks across the sky.

Not picking it up on their sensors - and with the missile streaking at 10 Gs through the open sky - it screams over the landscape with its engine leaving a brilliant trail in its wake. It hits Mach 10 and is covered in the glow of plasma. The modular cutter has barely turned to avoid terrain when the gunner sees the brilliant light streaking towards the vessel. He barely cries out a warning, a mere second before impact. The force throws him from the station, laid out on the deck.

Urien and Eirene both have display prompts telling them the results of the hit.

The modular cutter's drive signature grows weaker, and its belching smoke out the side where the missile struck, a gaping hole in the hull. She is clearly making to turn away from the fight now, trying to return the way they came and leaving the burning body of the pinnace in the ground. A moment passes after Urien's declaration, "Freeze in the deepest hells, intruder!" He is growling over the comms, "Chief Keia will see you burn for this! You've made powerful enemies! Strike me!"

But even then, the modular cutter is starting to angle away. It seems as if they might be intending to run and quit the field.