Chatter through the comms of the Sense was frantic: The convoy had been spotted, and it was moving. There wasn't any more time to prepare for what was to come. Many of us were gathered outside the Cruiser Schwarzwald, performing final checks before the blockade was to be setup. Fighters were instructed to distract the escorts while bombers offloaded their payloads into the prison ship. Instructions were clear: Do not let it reach Kusari space, under any circumstances. That far out, they would likely have their own traps and ambushes set up to interfere. We knew it had to come through Cologne if it wanted to escape the attention of the Law. And so, we waited. Moments turned into minutes and those minutes slowly but surely multiplied. A sigh, one final glance over the ship's systems. She seemed as ready for the fight as I was.
Contact. Farmers Alliance vessel, right from the Jump Hole. Every second felt like an eternity in that one moment. The intake of breath right before the first shots were fired. More ships began to flood in, three, seven, twelve contacts. In among them, the target. The vessel wore its name with pride, the fresh paint spelling out "Kiritsu", but all we saw was the betrayal. Safeties off, Torpedoes armed and locked in. Fire. In those brief seconds there was the tell-tale whoosh of the torpedoes rushing out from their launchers. The warheads seemed as angry as the Farmers that were launching them. It seemed like forever before they impacted on their intended target, but the first explosions hit their mark. Each one ravaged the paintwork and the reinforced hull of the transport vessel, but it still held firm. Second wave of torpedoes and explosive munitions didn't seem to have much effect either. Fighters were being disabled or shot down one by one. Ours or theirs, I couldn't tell. A radio call to maintain focus on the target. Then, a jolt as weapons fire shredded away my shields. One of the hostiles had broken away and had my engines in lock. A fighter craft not well suited to sustained combat against the munitions I carried. I peeled off, returned fire. No success in vaporising them, but at least it disengaged.
Now, out of position and able to see more of the warzone, the fighting was quite grim. A gunboat had made its move onto some of our fighters, missiles flew from its launchers. Several hit their targets. "Ignore the gunboat, focus the prison ship!" came over on the comms line, but I didn't hear it. The exposed underbelly of that machine was ripe for targeting. Torpedoes were already armed. For a moment my hand hovered over the launch controls. This would be ammunition that could cost us the effort of rescuing Schroder. At the same time... it might save wingmen from being shot down. It didn't register until the munitions were already hurtling towards the gunboat that I had pulled the trigger. Direct hit. It peeled away, Escape pods ejected from the sides of the battered hull, and the reactor detonated moments after.
I had about three seconds to myself, before an angry voice yelled out to focus the frigate once more. The name along its side was no longer discernible from the burns and explosive rounds that had been launched at it. The hull integrity seemed to remain intact, but there were signs the perpetual discharging into the vessel was taking its toll. More shots rocked the hull of my vessel, this time several ships had me locked in. Evasive manoeuvres, exchange in weapons fire, mine discharges. Nothing shook them. Before long, there was a loud bang. With my ears ringing, all I could make out was that engine 1 had been taken out. I looked to my right to see the wing had been blown clean off. Very close to the armed Torpedo tube. She spun out of control, several moments of spinning and lack of response told me the ships systems needed a reboot. I needed twenty seconds for a successful restart. I had pretty much exactly that before I'd be caught in the gravity well of Planet Steinfurt. I thought before that time seemed to slow to a virtual stop. Awaiting the steady reboot to complete while drifting towards my death... Leaving my life in the hands of a coin toss... That is when you seem to have the most time to think.
Mentally, I said my goodbyes, asked for forgiveness of the cause, wished only for its success in the wake of my death. Physically, I was never more ready to snap into action. Poised on the controls, ticking down the seconds, waiting for the moment that the ship came back to life. "Ship Systems, Online." Never before had I reacted so fast than in that moment, and immediately burned in the direction of Schwarzwald. Had I hesitated, I would have no doubt that would have spelt my demise. Both engines died on me after the burst, but at least it was in a safer direction this time. It seemed the fighters had taken my ship to be damaged beyond operational use and no longer a threat because they broke away and hounded another instead. Well, it wasn't in any condition to fight again, at least not without a complete rebuild. I was stranded, adrift until a rescue wing aided what was left of her to crawl back to the repair bays of the cruiser.
A frenzy of flashing lights, searing heat and clattering of hull plating as the repair crews got to work on the battered shell. I waited, dreading the apologies and the retiring of the Sense, but she held strong while they worked. Many engineers and technicians poured over her, patching holes, re-attaching the systems back together, restocking the ammunition reserves for a second sortie. It would do them little justice to say I was surprised at both their ability to repair the damage, and the speed at which the crews worked. It seemed the betrayal of the Alliance had driven them to quite inhumane levels of resourcefulness and efficiency. Eight minutes was all it took to get me back into the cockpit. Cleared for launch and en-route to re-join the battle.
I wanted nothing more than to see to the destruction of the Kusari Farmers one by one but there wasn't any way that we were letting that get in the way of our primary objective. The prison ship had to fall. From Cologne to Hamburg, frantic words started to come through. A war cry, a call to arms to strike hard and fast at the frigate. Renewed energy seemed to spark inside, there was still an opportunity to finish what we started. The prison ship showed heavy damage on long range sensors, right before it slipped through to New Berlin. It couldn't take much more of a beating, but neither were we able to just destroy the reactor. We had to rescue Schroder. They wouldn't provide her with an escape pod, no matter what code of honour they claimed to fight with. We needed to tear the ship open, and scoop up the containment cell that she was kept in. Jubilant calls of the Kiritsu's engines being disabled, and focused weapons discharge separated the cell from the prison ship.
Reaper-One exclaimed the successful extraction over the system-wide band. The foolishness of this move was completely ignored, each and every one of us cheered in our victory. Now, to buy them time to escape by holding up the remaining Alliance fighter craft. The system-wide declaration would likely attract the Authorities too. We likely didn't have long to hold anyone back before we would be met with superior force of the Law. I held in the engagement for several minutes, exchanging "pleasantries" with an Alliance Bomber for as long as it took Schroders rescuer to get through to Cologne. When it was clear they were safe, I disengaged. No need to risk the ship now, the mission had been successful. We had accomplished something momentous in our struggle.
I returned to Cologne, to the cruiser where we originally banded together. There were many missing faces from our ranks, many lost to the bloodshed. A day of glory today, to become one of mourning tomorrow. The movement must stand strong, to not falter again. I shall remain around to search for survivors when the chaos calms, aid in stocking supplies for future skirmishes and to attend the memorial for those that gave up their lives for what they believe in. What comes after that, only the future knows. With the newfound independence of the LWB, so too comes a name for the vessel that carried me through the heat of battle. Rescinding Subjugation, a token to the termination of the oppressive alliance that had formed in desperate times. It may not be glamorous or special as far as names go, but it represents well the bringing of a brighter future for the LWB, one without betrayers within their midst, one that the Sense I now fly contributed towards. Sometimes one wonders about wars, and whether they are worth the losses. Even now, I still cannot find the answer as to whether those that fought and died alongside us was a worthwhile trade for independence. Most here seem to think it was, and I have no doubt that the breath of freedom they now have feels far better than what they had before. But... No. I shouldn't cast shadows on the sacrifices that were made. I don't think they'd have it any other way, even if it does mean their numbers have dwindled somewhat. This ending was best for everyone. This ending that has opened a new chapter in the lives of the farmers movement, in the heart of the Landwirtrechtbewegung. This ending has brought a new beginning.
