Segunda Batalla de Alta

Segunda Batalla de Alta
Participantes	Defiant Defense Force, Krell
Mundo	Detritus
Universo	Skyward Universe

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The Battle of Alta Second occurs on the day of Skyward Flight's graduation.

History

The Battle of Alta Second started in a small room in the Defiant Defense Force's Flight Command building, as Admiral Judy Ivans and her aide-de-camp Rikolfr informed National Assembly Leaders Algernon Weight, Valda Mendez, and Ukrit that a large chunk of falling debris, containing hundreds of acclivity rings, would be disarmed within two days. She and the National Assembly Leaders knew the hard truth - the DDF would continue to spiral towards collapse unless they could find a way to field more starfighters than the Krell. Knowing a better opportunity might not come while they had the strength they had, the National Assembly Leaders and the Admiral agreed to throw all DDF ships at capturing the acclivity rings.

The battle began as soon as the DDF Flight School graduation was over, as the DDF quickly launched eleven full flights and five scouting trios, totaling eighty-seven pilots. The DDF also called in all of its reserves from the deep caverns. The pilots approached the shipyard and Ironsides asked the scouting trios for fighter estimates on the Krell. The scouting trios determined that a first wave of Krell contained fifty starfighters, while a second wave carried another fifty starfighters. Both sides understood the titanic consequences the battle would have.

Ironsides ordered Riptide, Valkyrie, Tungsten, and Nightmare Flights to provide cover fire for the inside flights protecting the shipyard from a Krell bombing. One of the flightleaders reported a bomber, with a confirmation from three other ships. Scout Cloak gave a scouting confirmation, and Ironsides ordered the pilots to drive it away, at the risk of pushing it towards Alta Base, more than two hours away. One of the flightleaders told Ironsides that they had the lifebuster on the run, but that it was headed towards Alta. Cloak informed Ironsides that the bomber was faster than most, so Ironsides ordered the scouting contingents to move to intercept the lifebuster. The flightleader of Valkyrie flight told Ironsides they were down to three pilots and requested support, only for their line to go short. Another pilot told Ironsides that Valkyrie flight would be absorbed into their flight. Ironsides then ordered a full offensive to protect the shipyard, and all the flightleaders gave a verbal confirmation.

Cloak told Ironsides that the bomber was moving extremely fast, had an escort of ten ships, and could easily get in blast range of Alta Base, so Ironsides ordered told her to engage it with just her flight of twelve scouts. Both the battle at the shipyard and around the bomber continued for some time, before Cloak finally reported that the bomber had been destroyed and that the lifebuster was falling to the ground and ordered all of the scouts to get clear before it exploded. It hit close enough to Alta Base that Spensa could hear the explosions from underground in Igneous Cavern; after it exploded, Ironsides congratulated Cloak, only to be told by FM that Cloak didn't make it out of the blast and that only three scouts survived. Ironsides then ordered the three survivors to return to the battle at the shipyard.

Shortly thereafter, a woman from antiaircraft gun outpost fourth-seven reported that it, as well as outposts fourth-six and fourth-eight, had been hit by the lifebuster blast and destroyed. The gunner who gave the report then asked Ironsides if she had a nearby debris fall on her radar. The gunner took out a pair of binoculars and reported multiple Krell ships dropping through the debris field, right over where the destroyed antiaircraft gun outposts. The gunner told Ironsides to scramble the reserves, not knowing all the reserves were out fighting at the shipyard. Ironsides ordered Riptide Flight to return to Alta Base immediately, but their flightleader informed her that even at Mag-10 it would take over thirty minutes.

Ignoring the defect, Spensa ran to the DDF hangars and asked Dorgo if she could fly Arturo's ship, Skyward Five. He told her it was barely functional, no shields and poor steering, but it had destructors and ejection. Spensa got in the ship and took off for the rogue lifebuster.

Admiral Ironsides stood in command room, watching a hologram of the fifteen Krell ships, lifebuster included, approach Alta Base unopposed. Suddenly, rising from the hangars appeared a single red dot, who flight command confirmed was Skyward Ten: Spensa.

Ironsides gave Spensa a heading for the Krell force, eight minutes away from the death zone, telling Spensa she could make it in two. Spensa told her she might have a few reinforcements coming, and headed towards the force without a shield.

Spensa got a visual confirmation on the lifebuster, so Ironsides gave her the order to shoot it down, regardless of how close it was to Alta Base. Spensa engaged and immediately gained twelve tails. They chased her around, trying to draw her away from the lifebuster, but she stayed focused and scored a few hits on the bomber, which its shield absorbed. She continued dogfighting with the escort, and found that she could faintly hear the commands being sent to the Krell ships and was able to act on them before the Krell.

All of the junior admirals gathered around Ironsides, gazes locked on the hologram of Spensa weaving in and out of destructor blasts. All of the remaining flights had been disengaged from the battle for the shipyard, and were on their way back to Alta Base. They would be too late, so all of Alta and Igneous' hopes rode on Spensa.

Spensa counted five hits on the lifebuster when Jorgen contacted her via the general comm line. He asked how she was doing and informed her that he was with Riptide Flight, streaking toward Alta Base at Mag-10. Suddenly, Spensa was hit, on the nose of her ship, disabling her destructors. It was one of the sleek black ships whose commands she couldn't hear. Ironsides informed Spensa she had full authority to shoot the ship down even if it reached the death zone. The lifebuster was one minute away from the death zone, and with no weapons, Spensa resolved to kamikaze into the lifebuster. Ironsides asked what she was doing, and Spensa informed her of her weapons malfunction. Ironsides understood and gave her a solemn wish of good luck. Spensa streaked toward the lifebuster, nose still on fire, when her battered ship finally gave out. The acclivity rings on the bottom of her ship gave out, and she undershot the lifebuster and started spiraling towards the ground.

Spensa: "My weapons are gone. I have to ram it."
Ironsides: "Understood. Saints' own speed, pilot."

―Spensa and Ironsides.

Instead of ejecting, Spensa was able to control her starfighter and guide it to the ground. She skidded into the ground just as Arturo informed Ironsides that he, Nedd, and Kimmalyn had successfully stolen their parents' private craft and were headed toward the Krell. Flight Command informed Spensa that a Krell ship was coming to destroy her wreckage, but she told them she was stuck in her straps. The Krell ship opened fire, only for its destructor blasts to be blocked by the shield of a W-shaped large fighter, M-Bot. Cobb called into Flight Command as Mongrel and told Spensa to hang on. Cobb slammed the Krell into the ground using M-Bot's light-lance, then skimmed towards Spensa's ship. Cobb got out and helped Spensa out of her ship, then told her she had to fly M-Bot and go take out the bomber. Spensa told him she could hear the Krell commands, so he told her to ignore the defect, that she wasn't predestined to destroy the DDF, but that she could choose to save it. M-Bot told Spensa he rewrote his code to identify Spensa as his pilot, thus forcing him to follow the commands of his new pilot and fight.  Spensa got in M-Bot and fired on his systems, everything but his stealth mode, so the Krell would see her coming.

Several powerful families informed Ironsides that they were escaping as the last line of emergency gun emplacements informed her that the Krell fighters were coming close to engage them. She then made contact with Arturo, ordering him to shoot down the lifebuster, regardless of the effect it would have on Alta Base. He gives confirmation, just as Rikolfr informed Ironsides of an unidentified fighter approaching the battle at Mag-20. Spensa then identified herself over the comm line as Skyward Eleven.

Spensa sped towards the lifebuster in M-Bot, his shield lit up due to the heat of air resistance, as he informed her that all of his systems but cytonic hyperdrive, self-repair, and destructors were online. Spensa connected with Kimmalyn and Nedd over the general comm line, informing them of her talking ship's capabilities. Spensa then flew through the center of the Krell force and immediately gained a tail if thirteen ships. Nedd told Spensa that Riptide Flight was a minute and a half away, so Spensa told him she'd distract most of the Krell, but she needed Nedd a d Kimmalyn to try to drive away the lifebuster. Ironsides told her to shoot it on sight, but Spensa told her they might not need to do that.

Spensa dove through the Krell, dodging their destructor blasts, anticipating their movements before they made them, even able to feel the lines of electricity giving orders through M-Bot's fuselage. When the lifebuster reached two minutes away, the flightleader of Riptide Flight, Terrier, called in through the general comm line, asking who Spensa was. Jorgen told him it didn't matter, and Spensa told him to focus everything he had on taking out the three black Krell interceptors. FM and Jorgen flew close to the bomber, activating an IMP to bring its shield down, and Kimmalyn fired a destructor blast on the exact spot holding the bomb to the ship. The ship kept flying, but the bomb fell out. All of the fighters, DDF and Krell, overburned out, except Spensa.

When the lifebuster dropped its bomb Spensa jumped it away to save Alta Base and Igneous Cavern.

Notes

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