Last flight of the Barcelona (ATwT)

==Description==
An events that took place in the Alternate Timeline with Thanks mainstory, where the Lyran Heavy Cruiser, LCS Barcelona would fight it's last fight in nation.
==Story==
LCS Barcelona (Hyperion-class Heavy Cruiser)
Freedom, Isle of Skye
Lyran Commonwealth
24th February 3097
Patrol duty was not always the most exciting mission, but the crew of the LCS Barcelona performed it as was expected of any sailor in the Lyran Navy. The Hyperion Class Heavy Cruiser was on the 3rd week of her patrol after spending six weeks in dock being repaired and resupplied whilst letting the crew have plenty of shore leave at Alarion. Now the ship was back on duty, patrolling the worlds round the Isle of Skye, three weeks per system, jump, patrol, jump, dull and often uneventful but vital for security and sometimes a cause for excitement such as helping a damaged dropship or as they were now, heading towards a known Pirate point ‘just in case’ to check for Pirates or someone trying to stay off the beaten track.
“Sir, I’ve got our fuel consumption details for you, we’ve also got all recycling systems active and we’re processing the water in C and D tanks.” The Warrant Officer reported
“Excellent, let Mr. Sojorn know that he’s earned his pay for this month.”
“Aye aye, Kommodore.” The Warrant Officer said, saluting smartly before drifting away with the lope of a low-G expert. The small amount of thrust provided some gravity but not enough, it was more like walking on the moon.
“Okay Sensors, what have we got?” He asked glancing at the screens beside him seeing very little.
“Zero readings at the Jump Point, Sir. Nothing on thermals, LADAR is picking nothing and we’re getting nothing on active or passive.”
“CAG?” He asked the aerospace fighter air group commander.
“We’ve got six birds out on patrol, another dozen ready to go and the rest at five minutes standby, the first patrol still has two hours of fuel before being bingo and needing to return to base. We’ve also got a Stork with on-board tanks if they need a top up on standby to launch if needs be.” The Hauptmann reported glancing at the status of the fighters, a pilot himself he hated being stuck deep inside the Heavy Cruiser.
“Understood, helm bring us to a halt, slow port rotation please.”
“Aye Sir! We will be….600 km from the Pirate Point when we are halted.”
The deep and constant rumble of the Barcelona’s engines started to lessen as thrust was cancelled now being countered by the forwards thrusters and maneuvering jets firing in short bursts to reduce the ships inertia fed speed. “STATUS CHANGE!” One of the ratings at the sensor station barked out “Sir we’ve detected pre-emergence neutrinos!Emergence in five, four, three, two, one!” There was no view screen in the CIC of the Barcelona buried as it was in the hull of the heavy cruiser, but dozens of long distance cameras relayed the image as the sensors picked up the ship that blinked into existence in a burst of radiation.
“Monolith class JumpShip! She’s not squawking a friendly IFF, reading her as the CWS Tundra Walker!”
“Set Condition Two throughout the ship, order the CAP to not approach, CAG, I want everything we’ve got in the void now! Weapons wake up your guns but do not fire unless they detach!”
Half a dozen voices barked out “Aye, Sir!”
“Com’s hail those Wolves and demand to know what the hell they are doing here!”
“Sir, I’m picking up an energy flux from the Tundra’s KF drive, they seem to be in difficulty.” The Warrant officer replied looking at the screens "difficulty" was an exaggeration it was surprising the ship hadn't exploded given the current readings.
“Sir, I have them on comms, their Commander wants to speak with you.”
“On speakers.”
<<“This is the Clan Wolf JumpShip Tundra Walker we have suffered a malfunction with our Jumpdrive, we are carrying non-military supplies and will not launch our DropShips but be warned we have three Isegrim Assault DropShips docked and if your fighters come within 1000km of us they will be launched and you will have a fight on your hands.” >> The commander replied from the sound of her voice she sounded like she was a civilian.
“Tundra Walker this is the LCS Barcelona, you will explain why you are in Lyran Space and your threats are meaningless. three Assault ships against my cruiser and wing of fighters, it would not be a fight it would be slaughter.” He promised her.
<<“Barcelona, we do not have to tell you where we are going only that we do not intend to stay here. Do not approach and there will be no conflict between us and no one need die here today.”>>
“I can’t accept that, Walker, you’re a long way from home and you’re here uninvited at a Pirate Point. I am going to send a shuttle across and they will take an itinerary of what you are carrying.”
<<“Neg, Barcelona, we will not allow ourselves to be boarded.”>> The clansmen reported to him
“I have two Heavy Naval PPCs that say otherwise, Walker. Barcelona Actual out. Let Hauptmann Walker know that her marines will be needed non-lethal means if we can, CAG, I want a dozen of your best guarding the shuttle and sensors the moment they launch so much as a EVA suit I want to know it!”
“Sir, I’m reading five Mules or what look like them, three Isegrims and one Overlord-C on her docking ports, none of them have powered their weapons at the moment. “ The sensor crewmen reported as the Heavy Cruiser's powerful sensors penetrated the JumpShip's hull.
“Energy spike! Damn that was a lot of power…Sir, they just did something with their KF drive..”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“Sorry Sir, still running the numbers..they just fed a lot of power through their KF drive.”
“Possibly attempting to kick start it?”
“Possibly, Sir, but damn that was a lot of power, if only for a moment.” The drive was already unstable following its erratic entry into the system.
“Understood, keep an eye on her.”
“Sir, we’ll have three shuttles with the Marines ready to go in ten minutes, I’ve got all our birds out we’ll provide escort for the shuttle.”
“Ten minutes?”
“Gotta get suited up Sir, no one was expecting to have a Clanner JumpShip land on our lap all we have is a squad of ready men.” The space round the Barcelona was thick with fighters the larger assault and heavy fighters sticking close whilst the eighteen light and mediums, the interceptors of the group arced out wider, closer to the Clan JumpShip that still made no hostile moves.
“Sir we’ve been looking at that power surge and..”
“Status change! Pre-emergence neutrinos, holy crap they are right on top of us!”
“Kommodore, the Walker is launching her Isegrims!”
“Damn, range to target?”
“8091 km, Sir!” The Kommodore bit back a curse, that was well outside the range of his weapons.
“Emergence in 3..2..1!” Less than a thousand kilometers away, just on the boundaries of what was safe in special terms for Jump Drives two star going behemoths blazed into existence, their weapons already starting to train and elevate.
“Sir, I’ve got two ships…CWS Jerome Winston, an Anne Rosse class ship and…and..CRS Mountbatten..Texas class!”
“Weapons free, engage the Winston, she’s the weaker of the t...” As alarms started blaring the Barcelona rocked as if kicked as the first weapons fired by the Clan Battleship and Battlecruiser arrived, coherent bolts of light and energy raking the old heavy cruiser’s flanks and bow even as her own guns started hammering back shattering armor plate along the side of the Jerome Winston as the Clan vessel began to launch several aerospace fighters surprisingly there were no DropShips being launched from the WarShips.
“Sir enemy are launching fighters" one of the sensor techs yelled out as the ship rocked again, a volley of naval lasers scoring white hot gouges across the hull the Barcelona could not take this for long the Heavy Cruiser was already outgunned having aerospace fighters added to the mix did not help.
“Comms, can we report this?”
“We’re being heavily jammed I can get a radio transmission out but it will take hours to reach the nearest receiving station.”
“Do it! Guns, report!”
“We’ve lost one of the bays for the port PPC’s but we’re still firing, Sir!” The space round the three WarShips was filled with explosions and bolts of light. At this range it was near impossible to miss but the Clan’s had the advantage in throw weight as well as numbers. There had been no Batchall, no challenge or discourse, they had just opened fire, flooding space with OmniFighters as their guns hammered silently in the void.
“Sir there’s a fire on the port side near the magazine for the AR-10 requesting permission to vent.”
“Vent it, seal bulkheads and vent now!”
“Sir, we’ve got a dozen missiles inbound from the Isegrims, AMS are engaging but there's way too much to take them all out.”
“Coolant leak in secondary reactor!” Another station reported. The reports came in thick and fast as the cruiser shook, the blows crumbling her flanks, her bow a blazing ruin.
The Kommodore knew his command was dying, even in an open battle there was no way they could fight a battlecruiser and a battleship, and today their surprise had been total. “Alright..all hands get to the life-pods, helm angle us down 45 degrees at whatever thrust you can do, get us out of their guns arcs.” The battered, burning Barcelona commenced her dive, her weapons fire coming to a halt, the cruiser rolling tumbling slowly forwards and to port as the two Clan WarShips came about. Escape pods and lifeboats shot from where they were still intact. but there was precious few. Of a crew of over three hundred there was eighty-seven survivors, the lifeboats and escape pods were ignored by the Clan ships as was the wreck of the Barcelona as she continued to roll into deep space a burning hulk until the pockets of air ran out. The crew were recovered eighteen hours later when a DropShip from Freedom picked up the distress transmission from the vanquished cruiser.
--FINI--
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*Original posting on Bg.Battletech.com
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Category:Short Stories
Category:Works by Steve Cross
Category:Dragon Cat Collection