Editing Battle of Beta Seranis III (section)

==(USS Hades - Phlegathon Bridge - ASEC Ensign Baylon Trinin  - 1745)==
 
There were a few moments after  Baylon had given his suggestion, that he thought that Travis might have rejected it out-of-hand. The wasn't any immediate acknowledgement that the Lieutenant had even heard the suggestion. Maybe he hadn't
 
Baylon was about to repeat his suggestion on the off chance that Travis had not heard him, but he had to wait until the senior officer had finished issuing his orders.
 
"Ensign Maraht, I want you to do what you can to confuse their sensors." Keswick ordered.
 
Then he turned towards tactical. The Lieutenant was a silhouette against the starfields and asteroids that Trinin had to peer through to see him.
 
"Trinin, focus phaser fire on their communications systems. If we can take out their communications array, then the ships will no longer be able to coordinate their attack." The order was there, without any mention of his previous suggestion. Maybe the lieutenant was still mulling it over.
 
"Aye, sir. using phasers to target communications systems." Baylon replied. He wasn't about to add that he would never be able to be accurate enough to hit them at this range. ~The command was unpractical for the moment, but once they got closer....~
 
His thought was interrupted by the sudden launch of a half dozen missiles. They were traveling at nearly one-half the speed of light and closing fast. Had it not been for their very direct path of travel and the relative distance of the Phlegathon from the task force, he wouldn't even have seen them.
 
As it was there was little that he could do to stop them. "Incoming missiles!" he reported and lashed out with every phaser bank he had at the incoming cluster of projectiles.
 
His efforts weren't entirely futile, three of the sleek missiles disintegrated in a ball of thermal nuclear flame. The explosions weren't large, but the shockwave was rapidly approaching the Phlegathon.
 
"Evasive Maneuvers, brace for possible impact!" Baylon spat out.
 
He reached out and grabbed the TIHS console with both hands, readying himself for the shockwave from the blast.
 
The helm officer twisted the Phlegathon along her long axis, tucking the ship into an inverse climb as she went. The missiles strained to follow, trying to correct their courses and detonate within a reasonable distance of the Phlegathon. 
 
The maneuver worked. The Phlegathon drove headlong into the category two shockwave caused by the expanding detonation of the other missiles. She bucked and complained, but a moment later the shockwave was beyond them and headed for the missiles.
 
The first missile hit the shockwave and detonated. It's detonation, of course setting off another series of explosions as the remainder of the missile volley also detonated.
 
The Phlegathon  bucked a few more times, as they rode the shockwaves, like some primitive surfer trying to stay afloat during a tsunami.
 
Several asteroids were hurled out of their orbits and the ones that didn't immediately vaporize or shatter were flung with tremendous force in dozens of different directions.
 
Baylon released his death grip on the station and looked at the status of the battle. It appeared that all the missiles had been launched for the same ship that he had pelted with quantum torpedoes. Perhaps they were trying to pay back the favor.
 
For spite's sake, he fired a spread of torpedoes at the leading vessels, who had weathered the shockwave very well, and had gained considerable ground on the Phlegathon.
 
The Phlegathon shook as some of the enemy's fire slammed into her forward shields.
 
Trinin quickly made a tactical assessment, despite the potential for serious damage, the Phlegathon had suffered nearly none at all. 
 
Some reports were coming in concerning minor injuries from sickbay and little else. The shields easily handled the radiation and force generated by the indirect detonations of the nuclear energy that struck the vessel's shields.
 
If it had been a direct hit, however, things may well be very different. Baylon wondered why their sensors had not detected the presence of nuclear missiles aboard any of the enemy starships. Perhaps the weapons were exceptionally well-shielded.
 
"Sickbay reports minor injuries only Captain." he reported as the status displays scrolled past him. "All major systems unharmed. Forward shields at 92%, Aft shields at 96%, both are recovering."
 
[...]
 
Baylon was quickly jabbing pulses of phaser fire at the two nearest ships as they approached. As ordered, he was pounding the shielding surrounding the communications systems in the hopes of burning through and making the ship's both deaf and mute to their commander.