If I thought the first couple of systems we had fought in were tough, Gimle was a whole different kind of battle. Our first mission was supposed to be a basic escort, walking an Exeter-class destroyer home from the jump point.
Instead, Angel and I launched straight into the teeth of a surprise ambush by two groups of Salthi. I don’t know if the cats had blundered into the Claw’s battlegroup by accident, or if they meant to be a quick strike force, but they sure hadn’t brought enough firepower along to attack a carrier and her escorts.
Angel and I quickly joined the fight and made short work of the Kilrathi light fighters. Then it was off to Nav 1 and the destroyer.
Maybe the Salthi were just supposed to be a diversion to buy time. Because when we got to Nav 1, the destroyer was already under attack by a trio of Jalthi heavy fighters. Maybe the cats had figured that a few light fighters were a worthwhile trade for a destroyer. I don’t know. What I do know is that Angel and I had one hell of a fight on our hands. Not that the Jalthi is much of a dogfighter, but that six-pack of lasers, plus the twin neutron guns for good measure, makes those things positively lethal as cap-ship killers if they’re left unchecked for just a few seconds too long.
Angel and I split the bandits between us. We rolled in punching off missiles as quickly as we could, trying for a quick kill. I bagged one of the fighters first, and turned my attention to the unengaged fighter. Sure glad I was in a Raptor now, because those full gun bursts were able to make short work of the Jalthi once I got on the cat’s six.
Angel finished off her target, and we joined up with the destroyer. They were pretty beat up, but still spaceworthy. Once they got back to the Claw they’d have a fair bit of damage control to finish up, but it would be nice to have that additional firepower in the strike group.
