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"How close are the LAC to point Beta?"

"Still five minutes out sir."

"Have them open fire as soon as they get the range, I don't want anything smaller than a dreadnought in orbit when they are done."

"Sir, incoming LACs. They're within missle range."

"Open fire!"

Thousands of missles slashed out at the LAC force. They had gotten very close, too close to firing on the Mesan fleet. But they had been detected now and their point defense was about to be swamped by the overwhelming wave of missles.

The accompanying Ferrets, now that stealth was not required, began firing decoy missiles to support their numbers, as jammers and wedges came online, and all four walls enclosed the ships.

In the mean-time, the fleet used the confirmed target locations to better target their fire.

"cut accel down to 100g, all active sensors offline. Roll pods, and send 3 destroyers ahead for scouting."

Missles began exploding amongst the LACs. A combination of old fashioned contact nukes which burned the decoys out and laser heads which savaged the LAC strike force.

The renewed fire of the Manticorian forces was as yet still just a bother as the extreme range hampered proper targetting. A few ships took hits but none succombed to them.

Hundreds of LAC were destroyed or crippled, but the remainder had reached their own range. Thousands of missiles launched, boring in on the light fixed defenses and escorts. Within 15 seconds, every Shrike was out of missiles, and five swarms of death reached out for the Mesans.
At the same time, a dozen LAC activated their grav-pulse transmitters, sending targeting refinements back to the main fleet.

The Havenite fleet was pushing ahead for the planet, to unload it's missiles. Keeping their accel as low as 100G, and with their stealth systems put to the maximum, they were trying to be as invisible as possible.

Scores of drones were racing ahead and to the side, searching the space for any hidden MEsan ship.

The Mesan fleet had patiently waited, stalking the enemy force. They had gone silent on their active sensors but they had managed to give away their positions quite nicely. Even their second rate stealth wasn't enough to prevent tracking.

The Mesans on the other hand had first rate stealth. They unleashed a deadly salvo at mid range. The enemy wouldn't have time to react before they got a salvo of missles right up the kilt. It was every commanders dream to cross the t in such a way, and they did it.

* * *

LAC missles pelted the Mesan fleet. Thousands of missles bore down on the hardened gun platforms. Most of those died instantly as did the few escorts holding in orbit. But the Ships of the Wall had been left alone and they were taking their vengeance on the LACs.

"Incoming from aft!"
the sonsor officer snapped.
"All ships, roll to interpose!" The whole formation roled as one, presenting the wedge to the incoming missiles. decoys spread out.
Drones were fired to get the exact location of the attacking ships.

Just before the salvo arrived, the drones finally picked up several ships af of the fleet.
"Flush all pods. Better get them off before they die from proximity kills..."
And a huge salvo seperated itself from the pods.

The Mesan commander grinned evily as he watch the Havenite ships explode. They had come in over confident and they had been taken from behind in classic manuver. It was too bad that it was futile but they would take a lot of the enemy with them.

Fewer than five hundred LAC remained intact as they closed towards energy range. That this many survived was a great testimony to the effectiveness of their EW and sidewalls, but even so, more and more were shredded with depressing regularity.

Captain Tennyson, orginally fourth ranking officer, was now in effective command, as he sent to the survivors, "Concentrate fire on the 'Lightnings', as close to a full wing as possible on the four best targets. Do not attempt to engage fortesses or 'Devastators', but if you get a clear group shot at the 'Superdreadnoughts' as we pass , take it."

10 destroyers and 2 heavy cruisers were destroyed outright. Several other ships were damaged, yet no missile managed to penetrate the shell deep enough to hit the SDs.

And at the same time, the massive volley the pods had launched raced for the Mesan ships.

The Havenite fleet had taken considerably damage from the strike. But not enough to prevent the retaliatory strike. The Mesans rolled their ships and prepared for the incoming fire. It was a perfectly executed end to the manuever.

* * *

The LACS were now making their closing runs. The Mesans own LAC, older convential models move in to counter the Shrikes. It was a tbest toss of the dice. The Allies were advancing inexorably forward. This brought them well with in the envelope of missles and soon enough the energy batteries of the fortresses and capital ships.

"Continue turning!" Tourville barked. "Roll pods, and keep on firing. I want this fleet destroyed."

For such a large fleet the return fire was inaccurate. The split between the fleets meant the salvos was disjointed and not as well timed as it might have been. Still it was overwhelming and four battleships and five battlecruisers were destroyed before they pulled out of range of the lumbering, clumsy fleet.


* * *

On the ground the Mesans readied their last hand. They would be ready for the invaders.

While turning, and changing course, the fleet kept on firing large pod salvoes at the attacking fleet.

Even as the Havenite fleet manuvered the Mesans began opening the range, holding their wedges between them and the enemy. They were breaking off contact and heading for the hyper limit, their mission accomplished with the destruction of a significant portion of Haven's escorts.

Despite heavy losses taken from missile fire, the Mesan LAC force still outnumbered the Alliance severely. Still the qualitative difference rapidly became apparent, as the massed Shrikes began to tear through their opposition. Still, little more than half of the remaining Alliance group broke past their counterparts, still charging forwards.

The assembled Mesan battleline opened up with nearly indescribable force, massed batteries seeking out their attackers. LAC after LAC vaporised, as they attempted to concentrate fire, to have some effect before dying. Fifty or more Battlecruiser grade beams would lash out at a single target, and while the Mesans sidewalls had been greatly refitted since their original purchase, their armor was generations, in some cases even centuries out of date. What would have been pinpricks to more modern ships repeatedly gouged at the obsolescent Dreadnoughts' armor. While none of their targets were taken out of action, five Lightnings were horrible maimed, losing much of their capabilities.

The LAC force had another effect though, as broadside energy weapons that had been tasked to point-defense had to divert to more immediate threats. Even more importantly, a capital ship firing full energy broadsides was impossible to conceal, even from the limited onboard sensors of the incoming MDMs Three full salvos slashed down on the Mesans in the time the LACs were engaged, with much greater effect than previously.

Eleven Light Attack Craft exited the energy envelope intact enough to interpose their wedges and evade.