Location: Kamino System
Objective: Strike from behind
"ETA to Kamino," Lucan demanded of his navigator. The man flashed back a number of raised fingers in response - three minutes. Lucan nodded, turning from one side of the bridge to the other. "Intensify the forward shields by thirty percent. I don't intend to drop in anywhere we'll have to worry about a strike to the stern." One of the other officers on the bridge moved to comply, inputting the commands on her console. Lucan looked around the bridge, regretfully noting how sparse the crew had become in the last few days.
When the orders from Tuspin came through - for all ships in his fleet - to immediately make way to and attack Kamino, some of the crew - men more loyal to Tuspin than to their own Captain, or to the Empire itself - had thought to follow those orders; when Lucan instead ordered a series of detour jumps purely to buy time, they had attempted to mutiny. Most of them were now lying, bloody and bruied, in the detention area of the ship. Lucan himself was worried about the ramifications for himself and his crew should Tuspin come victorious - no doubt Lucan's own insubordination would earn him his death, no matter what the reason for them was.
Thankfully, the majority of the Existentiality's crew agreed with Lucan.
With a blue flash, spacetime resolving itself back to a normal state, the Existentiality exited hyperspace at the edge of the Kamino system. Off in the distance, Lucan's eyes could resolve numerous Star Destroyers, engaged in heavy battle with each other as the Kamino defense fleet tried to protect the planet from Tuspin's attack. "Sir! Incoming transmission!" Lucan turned to his comm officer, giving them a nod. The audio recording of Graf's transmission started to play through the bridge. Lucan's eyes narrowed at the end. "What are your orders, sir?"
Lucan pondered for a moment, observing what he could of the battle, thankful that this far out his reflec-coated hull gave him some protection from being noticed. "Advance at half-thrust for the backside of Tuspin's fleet's attack line," he commanded, gesturing with a hand at the ships off in the distance, feeling the inertia as the thrusters cut power. The transponder codes from the attack line he was looking at confirmed that they belonged to Tuspin's fleet. "Once we're within weapon range, execute an alpha strike maneuver on whichever craft of theirs appears to be hurting the most. We'll do what we can to thin the herd before help arrives." All of his bridge officers moved to comply, before his second-in-command called out to him.
"What do we do if help doesn't arrive?"
Lucan pursed his lips thoughtfully. "We try and make a break for the opposite side of the planet, load this boat as full of civillians, governmental personnel, and anybody else that we can, and make a break for First Order territory. Failing that, we take as many of these traitors down with us as possible." With a chorus of Yes, sir!-s behind him, Lucan looked out at the ships that the Existentiality was quickly approaching. Even at half-thrust, it was still faster than most other ships of its size, let alone larger. His concentration was quickly interrupted again by his comm officer. "Sir, incoming transmission, from part of Tuspin's fleet!"
Lucan turned to the viewscreen. "Patch them through," he commanded. On the screen materialized the face of a younger man, some comm officer aboard one of the star destroyer's in Tuspin's attack line. "You're a bit late to the party, Existentiality, but we're glad to have you!" he said. No small amount of fear was evident in his voice. "We've been skirmishing with the home fleet, trying to hold the line and make sure Tuspin has an escape route, but we're taking heavy damage. We've been redirecting our shields from everywhere to the front just to make sure we don't get blasted apart! See if you can't wedge yourself in, harass them a bit, and try to draw some fire. We need your help!" Lucan looked at the man impassively, before turning his attention the line of battle. It was relatively easy to pick out which of the Imperial-IVs it was that had contacted them. "End transmission."
"Captain Sir--!" The transmission was cut, the panicking comm officer from the other ship trying in vain to garner some sympathy from Lucan. "Are we in range to fire?" the captain asked, turning back to his crew; the crewmember at the weapons control station nodded. "Target that Imperial-IV that just contacted us, with every weapon we can train on them. Soften up what remains of their shields with ion cannon fire and then blast them apart with turbolasers." As small as the frigate was, Lucan was nearly convinced he could feel the vibration as the cannons turned and started to fire, ion blasts streaking forwards and eating into the meager aft shielding of the Imperial-IV. The lumbering beast started to try and turn, although judging by the meager laser cannon fire that was uselessly absorbed by the Existentiality's shields, everybody aboard that craft knew it was too late to make a difference; they were just putting up the show of a fight, refusing to go out gently. Within moments, turbolaser fire started to hammer into the engines of the Star Destroyer.
Trying to erase the face of the young crewmember he'd just signed the death warrant for out of his mind, Lucan turned away from the viewport, walking back to his own chair, and praying that more Imperial loyalists would arrive soon.
