Fiction for Noble Armada: Lost Worlds, set in the Fading Suns universe
Ferocious Boarding Combat
Little more than a day after they left the mining post, Tomas raised the expected alarm. A Decados frigate, carrying many more guns than their explorer, was heading directly toward the jumpgate. Its blasters could tear through the explorer’s shields in minutes, reducing it to slag in a traditional space battle. Leopold did not intend to give them the time.
He and Tomas plotted their course as Atila brought their squads of freshly minted marines to the airlocks. Once the course lined up perfectly with the enemy frigate, Leopold hit the thrusters, and the race was on. This was not a race against the other ship’s engines but against its gunners, for there was no way the Mane was ending this fight undamaged.
It only took seconds for the Decados to become aware of their attackers. The frigate maneuvered quickly, bringing its main guns to bear. Tomas made minor adjustments in their own trajectory, and everyone on the Mane prepared for the impact. The explorer headed straight into the broadside, and blaster fire tore through space on all sides of the ship. “Front shields are down,” said Tomas. “No way our fore can survive another salvo like that.”
Both of them knew it would not have to. Tomas’ hands flew over the ship controls, and the explorer’s maneuver jets spun it around so its starboard shield came to bear. The Mane’s momentum kept it speeding forward, and the Decados’ next broadside tore down those shields. Once more the Mane twirled, and this time its aft shields took the blow. Read more »
