Worldbuilding Prompt #751 - Miyard's Death Ride

This post is a bit of a mixture. I've written it as a response to a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - Worldbuilding Prompt #751 - Tactical Advantage but it's also a sequel to a post I wrote yesterday, since @zakludick wanted to see more of the story 😁

It's set in space near an obscure backwater colony world in my Sci Fi setting.

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

The huge enemy dreadnaught dropped through space, falling inexorably towards the agricultural world of Hyperion II, New Home as it was called by the folks living there.

All that stood in it's way was a ragged formation of outdated space fighters, the Planetary Defence Force.

In the lush green fields of New Home, farmers stopped their machines. In the towns and cities, people switched their 3V terminals to the news channels. Not a few of them reached for a strong drink, stronger drugs, or the arms of a compliant and equally terrified companion. A world held it's breath, expecting to see the fighters brushed aside and the Einheriar war machine slowing into orbit ready to burn off the crust of their planet.

Fighter Blue-2 of Hyperion Defence Squadron 28 was the steed of Jerran Harpur. He was the eldest son of a farmer; twenty two years old. His Dragonfighter was twenty times his age, and had the scars and wear marks to prove it.

Once upon a time, it had been a shining new Orbital Strike Dive Bomber serving with Planetary Assault Command under the legendary Sjhonn Niebane. Then it had been passed to a reserve unit, and then mothballed for a few decades. Finally, it had been cascaded down to New Home's Planetary Defence Force. Jerran touched the ship's faded and scuffed control panel for luck. He knew he'd need it.

First to feel the wrath of the Einheriar behemoth were the squadrons equipped with Piratique-S3's. Their fighters were agile, but not agile enough to out-dance the AI controlling the enemy weapons. They were shredded, turned to burning debris. The one or two hits they landed didn't even penetrate the monster's shields.

After that, it was the turn of the stubby little Miracle-Fighters. Even more archaic then the Dragonfighters, originally designed millennia ago as a cheap emergency expedient, they still gave a good account of themselves. They were agile, tough and heavily armed. They scored good hits, and some penetrated the shields, but the damage was not significant.

Finally, all that was left were the three squadrons of Dragonfighters. Thirty six craft against the machine that would destroy their world.

Squadron Leader Miyard's voice came over the intercom.

"Well, boys and girls, we're it. It'll be tough, but I've fought bastards like this one before, and I've got a plan."

Jerran felt a small stirring of hope. Miyard was a veteran, who'd retired to New Home after a lifetime of service in fighter squadrons, working up from mechanic up to wing leader.

"We've seen how it dealt with agile craft. Well we've got something different. We've got speed. You won't have noticed, but when I worked on your ships over the years, I removed the speed limiters. 120% of maximum should be easy, which will help fox the machine."

"Squadron 13, go high. Squadron 43, go low. As fast as you can, firing all the way. Squadron 28, you're with me. Everyone fire at the blue bulge on the side of the enemy ship, it's a control cluster for the AI and links to it's core."

On command, the Dragonfighters dived towards the Star Wrecker. Miyard wasn't lying about the speed restrictors. The small ships screamed in at insane speed. Jerran could feel himself grinning with exhilaration as he kept his hand wrapped around the control stick, finger pressed against the 'Fire' button as his forward-firing plasma cannon went into overdrive.

A few fighters were blasted to oblivion by the Einheriar ship, but only a few. It was clearly struggling to reconcile conflicting data about the performance of the needle-like Dragonfighters with what it was actually sensing.

There were plenty of hits being scored on the blue bulge. But although the shields had been overwhelmed, there was little sign of damage.

Then Jerran heard Miyard's voice over the static of battle. "Squadron 28, I've given us another little advantage. I re-enabled your dive brakes. When you get to the bulge, hit the brakes and angle in as close as you can. Concentrate fire."

This... this was what Dive Bombers did. Dragonfighters were designed to drop like burning meteors through an atmosphere, survive the structural stress of deploying the brakes at the last second and deliver pinpoint strikes. Squadron 28 no longer had the bombs and missiles they'd have used against ground targets, but their plasma canon were deadly at close range.

But Miyard's fighter wasn't keeping up. Was he damaged ? Had he been hit ?

No matter. The bulge was closing... closing... closing... NOW !

Jerran hit the brakes and directional jets. His fighter's antigrav screamed as it tried to compensate. He could feel the whole ship groaning and flexing as it dropped from a significant portion of lightspeed to almost stationary in just a few shiplengths.

Around him, the surviving ships of squadron 28 did the same, two of them flashing into clouds of shrapnel as their ancient systems failed under the insane strain.

But six of them were now pouring plasma directly at the bulge from point-blank range. Inside the arcs of fire of the enemy defensive weapons. They were still falling towards New Home, though. In five minutes, their homes and families would be in range of the Star Wrecker's primary weapons.

Then a new command came in. Miyard's voice again. "In ten seconds, split. Get out as fast as you can."

From behind them, Jerran's sensors picked up Miyard's fighter. Not going slow. Not hit or crippled. Bearing down on the enemy ship at a crazy speed. It was clear he'd done more than just remove his speed limiters. How could he possibly brake at that velocity ?

Then Jerran realised. He wasn't going to brake.

As the rest of Squadron 28 peeled away, Miyard's fighter plunged into the blue bulge at close to lightspeed.

The enemy vessel shuddered. Silent flame erupted from all over it. Then it detonated in a terrible explosion, wrecked by the huge energy that had been delivered direct to it's core.

The threat to New Home was over. The price had been high. From then on, the colony would have a national holiday, celebrating their salvation by what they would come to call "Miyard's Death Ride".