h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The ship stands stark against the sun from low orbit, like some obsidian-petaled alien flower. it is cold in absolute vacuum. the ship occasionally scrapes into the last vestiges of earth atmosphere up here, giving it a violet tint on the underside. a piece of debris falls out o orbit and flares momentarily.

[Quicksilver] This is Rapier Leader to Command. I'm ready to rock! I'm moving in to find the targets...

Siid's sensor view of the Hangar doors blossomed in thermal and elecromagnetic radiation. A Phoenix tail of superheated hydrogen plasma blasted backward, propelling the powerful, highly maneuverable Shrike fighter into local space.

Rapier Leader, this is Danko. Cut your thrusters and decelerate while I assess the situation. Do not venure out of Khar Siid's defensive setup. I am reading radar and magnetic resonance contacts at three o'clock.

Two pilots in very different craft roared in the Khar Siid's lunar shadow as the enemy force came into view.

[Quicksilver] With respect, Major, the Rapier can outrun almost anything they throw at me. Also, the Rapier's sensors are highly sophisticated. If I get close enough, I might be able to tell how many there are, and if any more are coming...
*Slows to coasting velocity, and comes around to sight the enemy.*
[Quicksilver] Major! I count fifteen Minion fighters on screen! There's five bombers too, but no Command Craft. They must be a vanguard! Stay sharp! Rapier Leader; Lock and Rock!
*The Rapier's nose mounted barrage cannon sings out at the enemy. Two are hit, but register no damage. A third is clipped on its left plasma cannon, which blows, sending the craft tumbling helplessly into deep space.*
[Quicksilver] Damn! Those guys can take a pounding...

I'll take the bombers, then. They are the greatest threat.

(Danko's Shrike peels off in agreesive power drive, star-hot engine plumes blossoming soundlessly in the airless atmosphere. The five fighters, in an X formation quickly react and make for the Khar Siid, which at the moment is unable to react)

Away Missiles!

(The Shrike spins in a hypersonic barrel roll, launching its complement of missiles in a storm of smaller plasma jets. The antimatter-armed missiles lock onto the five, two apiece, and Danko zooms past as the missiles close in, firing his twin automatic laser cannons to disrupting effect. Fingers are crossed.

Three missiles are stopped by a radiating plasma shield, but seven others had activated their plasma swords and hit!)

-Microsecond delay-

FWOOOM! (The intense antimatter reaction, detonating inside of the shells, destroying four, a leaving one badly breached and crippled.)

Fighters out of the picutre. I will no aid you in mopping up these fighters.

*Peels off to the left, diving between two fighters and narrowly escaping their plasma cannons. He opens fire, blowing the canopy out of another fighter. The pilot is sucked out into the cold void, but struggles for several minutes, until its servos finally freeze and die. Locks a Motion Missile onto another fighter.*
[Quicksilver] Rapier Leader; Box 2!
*Ther missile screams off, engulfing the terget in an almighty explosion. Nothing remains.*
[Quicksilver] That's three for me!

*Turns around to persue a Hammerhead boarding craft. Tries to radio Khar Siid to warn them.*
[Quicksilver] Huh!? Danko! They're blocking our communications to Khar Siid! We've got to stop those Assault Craft!
*The radar goes wild as two dozen more small, gun-metal green fighters arrive, their blue-white plasma exausts dispersing out into the freezing void.*
[Quicksilver] *Under his breath* If we live that long...

Damn. And I needed to resupply. Well, we shall go head-to-head then.

Cuts into the tight wing formation, laser cannons blazing. Clips one and slices the other in half.

WHOOM! Flies through the superheated vapor and debris as maneuvering thrusters swing it around for another run. The enemies are not so fast to turn. Danko flies in firing, and three more explode in fusioning bursts. He's in front of them now, angling up and away from their cannons, didging fiery plasma as he goes into evasive.

Quick, when your craft is more than 45% damaged head back for the Siid. I will fight them as long as I can, but keep yourself in good repair. I will do so as well, when it comes.

*Fires another volley at a fighter. There is a flash of green energy, and the ship is unharmed.*
[Quicksilver] Crap! They've polarised their hulls! Watch yourself Danko! They won't be so easy to kill anymore...

Indeed. Antimatter missiles and other such armament could do better, but they are in the Hangar and we must refit there.

(Veers left and down, dodging the greene energy blasts with stomach-churning skill. Returns fire, saturating bursts, scattering the formation and slowing those hit.

Your craft can carry more missiles. Make for the Hangar, refit yourself, and then return. I shall fight a holding action till you return.

[Quicksilver] I've got one Motion Missile and one Plasma Torpedo. This thing only has three Hard Points, so ordnance capacity is poor... What the... Hold on a second!
*Checks the sensor array and spots the source of the jamming.*
[Quicksilver] Oh my... Danko! There's a command-craft out there! Cover me, Danko! I'm going in!

Fine. (He blasts away, increasing his thermal profile as he keys the main drive to gorge on the last of its drive matter, consuming it into white-hot heat and power. He goes into a series of aggressive cuts and slashes across the entire area of engagement, pouring out enough fire for ten, wildly maneuvering while blinking off laser targets with his eyes.

Quickly, man.

*The targeting systems bleep rapidly. Eventually, a long, drawn-out bleep of a target lock. The command craft looms ahead.*
[Quicksilver] Rapier Leader... Box 1!
*With the roar of a plasma-drive, the Plasma Torpedo soars away. It hits the Minion engines. The explosion causes an energy surge that blows the ship apart atom by atom, creating a blast area six miles across. Quicksilver's craft is caught in the middle of it, and disappears from view...*

Mr. Quicksilver, come in. Mr. Quicksilver? Do you read? Come in!
(No answer)

I must repair and rearm. I might be more useful as Pilot on the Bridge.

*The burnt chassis of a Rapier fighter tumbles slowly towards the hanger. The engines are off-line, but the cockpit is intact.*
[Quicksilver] Th~ ~s Qu-c~ ~tak~ ~vy d-ma-g~ ~quest as~ ~ou read? K~ ~id, do y~ ~d!?

A Worker Corvette, unmanned and on remote, eases smoothly out the Hangar, and makes for the crippled spacecraft as it tumbles through the local void. Maneuvering jets flare and it pulls to a slow just beside the Rapier. Begins repair and salvage sequence. Multiple robot arms begin patching and replacing damaged fighter parts, refueling it as it works. Sensors indicate that the pilot has suffered injuries and the twin electromagnetic grippers (hydrodynamic tractor funnels) flare to life and the Rapier hull clings solidly to the gripper arms. Like the spacegoing tugboat it is, the Worker Corvette swngs around and makes for the Hangar. The pilot will be extracted and sent directly to the Medilab.

The Minion craft disengage, screaming off into the inky void with a flare of plasma jets. Within moments they are gone, but far from forgotten. Khar Siid is safe, for now...

The Starship Graveyard. A fitting backdrop for the life-threatening horror that now faces Khar Siid. From out of the hangers, three Rapiers deploy, arming missiles and rotating cannons to hot so they can engage at will. Not far behind are two Katanas, identical to the Rapiers except for two hissing plasma cannons in place of the Mass Barrage Guns. The five ships cruise out from Khar Siids shadow, ready for anything...

[Quicksilver] Alright team! Move to coasting velocity. Katanas, hang back and make ready. Rapiers, go hot and go lock!

Major Danko cruises alongside Khar Siid's new fighter complement. His newly redesigned fighter, modeled on Quick's Rapier design and modified to his specifications, flies silent and cool, sailing on a gravitic current from Khar Siid. Dano brings up the new weapons complement - XJ-60 antimatter reaction drive feeding full 360-degree laser bank coverage, twin rotating rail cannons loaded with depleted uranium and Shredder rounds, and dozens of antimatter and thermonuke-metaphase missiles.

"We will show them some teeth," he breathed. "Quicksilver, you'll have to explain where you got our fighter wing and submit specs for those new Katanas to the Captain. Still," he said, shaking his wingtips and flaring to medium burn, "I think he'll like them."

[Quicksilver] Yeah, well... I'll get on it later. First...
*The object looms ahead of them. A massive space born anomaly. Quicksilver feels his skin crawl on the back of his neck.*
[Quicksilver] Rapier Leader to Wing. I'm getting readings... Oh frag! Is that... Alive? Danko! Can you clarify? Is this a living being or an electromagnetic anomaly?