Sharp and bitter winds whipped the ocean surface to a roiling broth of high crests, deep drops and foam. Captain Alexander, of the Covenant’s Aristotle Class Battleship, gazed across the seas with an unreadable expression in his face. A smudge like haze was in the distant sky; smoke pouring through the funnels of French ships as they worked hard to close the distance. There would be wreckage in the ocean come nightfall.
The Covenant line arrange their position. An enhanced Plato squadron angles itself to maintain the optimum range between the Covenant and the enemy.
The French and Australians line up ready to engage the Covenant.
A group of Australian Escorts close on the Covenant bombers…
Under heavy fire one of the bombers is hit, and spirals out of control into the ocean below. The other two are not far from destruction.
Heavy engagements between squadrons of tiny fliers were ongoing and bloody.
The Covenant and French both exchanged blows. The Fresnel enhanced Plato squadron were wreaking havoc, but the combined French and Australian forces were far from done.
In the end we called the battle as time was against us, and at that stage the combined French and Australian forces were ahead in points.
As the Captain Alexander ordered his squadrons to fight a disengagement and retreat, cheers and an echo of the call, “Vive le président” and “France toujours” could be heard across the waves. It was far from over, but for now, the French had won the day.
Element270 