Less than an hour ago the lower decks had been a cacophony of chatter, yelling, screeching, banging, clanging, stomping, running, sparking and other such clamor. Additional ammunition, parts, coolant and supplies were moved into position. Engineers performed their final inspections and touch ups on armor and guns. The crew went over battle plans and targeting priorities. Now all that remained was the ever-present warm hum of the engines and the occasional mumbled exchange. In Carson's mind there was only silence. She stood at the fore of the battery with her eyes closed and breathing slowly.
Here was a large computer screen flanked by smaller clones topping a super computer which was used to aim the massive laser cannons on either side of them with deadly accuracy. Four of the behemoths, the same girth and two and a half times the length of a bus were each under the control of a small squad at their base and a gunner seated at a spot at the computer. Most of the main gun deck was devoted to them though the EMP mines could be dropped from this station as well. A gunner each was posted at the ship's dozen Vulcans and a team of three assigned to load and fire each of the three rocket pods.
There was little visible of the outside world on this dark and cramped deck save for the spaces in the various gun housings and on the large computerized display that now showed what lay ahead of them thanks to cameras on the outside of the ship.
A sudden static over her head set had her opening her eyes slightly and looking over the virtual cloud sea.
"Ground team is away," she was informed, "We are moving in to support."
"Rodger that," there was something of a feral and barely controlled growl in her voice. She cleared her throat in an attempt to be rid of it.
The engines revved up faster and louder now. The entire ship heaved forward with the acceleration. While others were rocked or stumbled she did not budge. She approached the four tactical gunners at the computer and stood directly behind them. Her eyes flicked back and forth across the screen and the information displayed. A smattering of tiny dots with tiny labels plummeting downward marked the ground team as they descended. It tracked them until the weak signal went out of range or was perhaps obstructed by the structures on Tirbetha. But where they had once been more signals replaced them. Unidentified electromagnetic, thermal and radio readings lit up the screen. No visuals yet. They were still too deep into the cloud cover. Even still an area the size of a city was rapidly being traced before them.
"All canons online. Gathering coordinates on possible targets," one of the tactical gunners, a small female, reported.
"Readying tracking decoys," another, a large male with a cybernetic lower jaw, followed suit.
Carson nodded and linked her headset to the other on-site gunners, "Cloud cover will be breaking momentarily. Wait for my command."
More silence sealed over the sudden flux of communication. Wind whipped past the gun housings and cameras and rushed into the deck creating a eerie breeze. Carson held her breath. In mere seconds the fog was cleaved apart as the Dusycion ripped her way into the open skies. Long ropes of vapor clung to her contours and billowed along the in the displaced air washing over her like ribbons. Steam billowed from the jets behind the ship dropping down on the city like a furious archangel.
"Laser priority targets are in range, Sir!" one of the gunners snapped.
"Lock the canons," Gerlach hissed.
A moment passed where she could feel every drop of blood scraping through her veins.
"Canons, locked! Rockets in range."
Gerlach opened her comm again, "All gunners at the ready."
"Vulcans in range..." the gunner paused, "Now."
"Open fire!" Gerlach commanded.
All four canons hummed with a charge and then roared out and were blown back on their bearings. The first brilliant fireballs were sent screaming downward. They smashed into walls, towers and barracks blasting holes right through the foundations and setting everything they touched alight. The drone of the machine guns joined them and brought a burning steel rain to ruin the day of anything and anyone unfortunate enough to be within their reach. The first of the rockets flew from their launchers and went twisting through the sky like dragons before finding marks on the ground as well.
In only a matter of seconds Tirbetha was thrown into chaos. Air raid sirens began to blare through the streets. Laser canons charged and fired again. Again. And again. They began to offset each other to a constant chorus of deep booms and explosions. Mortar and brick was thrown into the air. Glass shattered. Pirates, soldiers and civilians alike screamed and ran for cover and battle positions. They scrambled for their weapons and pointed toward the huge beast in the sky. They were now completely unaware of the invisible beasts that moved among them.
Gerlach clenched her fists tightly. A wicked smile that nobody could see spread across her lips.
Another, less beautiful sound interrupted her guns. The distant crack of the anti-air defenses. Flack exploded around the hull of the ship. They were coming in hot, but she trusted the navigators knew what they were doing. They had given them a marvelous first strike after all.
A wretched clatter rang against the steel outside like thunder. Shrapnel blasted off the walls and into the deck. Another blast rocked them and forced her to reset her footing. The ship was taking damage already. But a few scrapes and bruises wouldn't stop her. Though the Dusicyon may have a few punctures, Tirbetha was slowly lighting up like a disgusting, violent Christmas tree.
"Keep it together!" she ordered, "I want those blood sucking, ground kissing cretins bathed in the fires of Hell! We've only just lit the match."
Vash