The Tin Cans

As Taffy-3 warped away, four of the nine destroyers sent by the U.N.I.C. remained. The Johnston, the Earnest E. Evans, the Copeland, and the Glowworm comprised the now retreating quartet. They were inbound for the moon. Copeland was so severely damaged that there were no lights on in the small vessel. Johnston's bow had almost been cleaved off. Evans had only one functional engine. Glowworm's bridge had been completely obliterated.

However, facing several ships whose guns weighed more than their entire fleet, Johnston decides that running is boring. Her commander radioed the other destroyers, informing them of the decision.

Aboard the Evans, her commander spoke over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, this will be a fight against overwhelming odds, from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what we can." Turning to form a column behind the Johnston, the tiny vessels began thier approach. Damage control crews began repairing anything they could before combat started.

By the time that the charging ships reached engagement range, Copeland's power had been restored, Evans' engines were fully functional, Glowworm had a new command center, and Johnston had managed to patch the hole in her bow. The four small destroyers were the only combat vessels that could do anything here. It was bound to be a slaughter.

The aliens fired the first shots. Johnston's captain began the age-old naval warfare maneuver of "chasing splashes". The destroyers zig-zagged toward the hostile ships, dodging fire at the extreme distance. Once in range, the tin cans began slinging shells toward the enemy. The destroyers, now being targeted by capital ships, were so small that the enemy's large guns seemed to be incapable of properly tracking their movements. The tiny vessels threw everything they had at their colossal enemy.

None of them had shields. None of them had cannons powerful enough to scratch the enemy vessels. However, they were able to get in close. The four ships split up, each attempting to avoid fire while engaging the alien ships. Johnston's charge lead her directly between the broadsides of two ships. Both vessels attempted to kill the destroyer, but Johnston turned off the ship's artificial gravity and began pulling off insane maneuvers, such as flipping the ship vertically (relative to the ship's "up") several times. This caused the larger ships' guns to rip into their comrade's shielding and giving Johnston an opening. The ship carried ten armor piercing high explosive torpedos, stored in a pair of tubes amidships. The tubes turned, and Johnston fired a full spread of five per side.

Massive holes were torn in the capital ships. Johnston's guns once again opened up, matching her small shells to the alien's energy weaponry. The small vessel's gunner soon realized that, unlike human ships, the alien ships' armor wasn't that thick. In fact, the tiny rounds from the Johnston's battery were actually puncturing the hull.

Copeland's gunners had also realized this. The ship had decided to pick on a ship that was actively glassing a city in North America. A full salvo from the ship's tiny guns was fired, and, as if miraculously, didn't slam into a shield. Instead, they shot straight through, exploding in the bowels of the enemy vessels. A spread of torpedoes was fired at an area that the Copeland's captain figured was the bridge.

Glowworm wasn't nearly as lucky as the Johnston. She was already considered outdated halfway through the Insurgency War. She had lagged behind the rest of the column during the initial charge. And now the aging warship was in a similar position to Johnston. However, she was far slower and less maneuverable. While she managed to survive long enough for one ship's shields to drop, her stern was cleaved off, disabling the ship's power, setting the engines free, and starting fires in pressurized areas. However, Glowworm's commander had anticipated this. The helmsman had already set a ramming course, and the engines had been overcharged. Glowworm plunged deep into the enemy ship, plowing through the thin hull and almost going halfway through the ship before coming to a stop. With no way out, the crew detonated the ship's reactor, blowing the enemy ship apart from the inside.

The Earnest E. Evans' crew watched as a huge chunk from the ship Glowworm had rammed slammed into the ship next to it. Evans herself was happily blazing away at the hostile ships. Then the scanners picked up a swarm of fighters coming to engage the ship. The Evans launched her own small fighter wing, though it was to no avail. The tiny ship was pummeled by kamikaze attacks. She managed to fire a spread of torpedoes at the nearest enemy ship before disengaging and beginning repairs.

By this time, Johnston was being engaged by a vessel, which, compared to the capital ships, would probably be a cruiser. The ship's smaller guns seemed better at hitting the destroyer. Deep gashes had been torn into the ship's hull. Two of the five primary guns had been disabled, and the aftmost torpedo tube was stuck facing the portside of the vessel. Johnston was doing her very best to go tit for tat with the larger vessel. Her guns failed to disable the enemy's shields. Energy weapons melted holes deep in the ship's armor.

Copeland had expended armor piercing shells, and was now using high explosive. She pulled alongside the vessel that Johnston was relentlessly mauling and began her own assault. The double attack forced the aliens to split their focus. Beems shot rapidly from both sides of it, several of which struck Copeland. Her reactor was damaged, and the ship went to auxiliary power to stop the reactor from fully melting down. Her guns, however, continued to blaze away. So more beams fired from the ship. And its shields flickered. The excellent gunners spotted this, and began to exploit the ship's failure.

The Evans, meanwhile, was now in a position to strike the ship that the other two were attacking. A single torpedo from Evans managed to slip through a hole in the shield, blowing the aft section of the ship to smithereens. It opened a portal and slipped through as Johnston and Copeland moved to form another column. The Earnest E. Evans moved to join them, but caught a beam to her bridge. The commander survived, but he was severely injured. However, he remained at his post. The ship would have her finest hour. She followed the Johnston on her final charge.

Johnston led the three destroyers into the middle of the enemy fleet. Her commander knew that none of the destroyers were long for this world. Holes filled her hull. Copeland's reactor was severely damaged. Evans was limping now. Johnston was the most functional ship out of the trio. Her guns blazed away at the enemy ships, trying to locate any holes. And she found some. Once again, because of positioning, the enemy ships were hitting each other instead of the small destroyers. And three had holes in their shields. The destroyers fired full spreads of torpedoes.

Copeland's failing reactor finally caught up to her. The ship was dead in the water after the torpedo attack. Escape pods were shot out, pucked up by fighters from Johnston. But her sacrifice was not in vain, as each spread struck true. Evans took a hit to her engines, and was almost immediately ripped to shreds by enemy fire. However, by this point, the entire enemy fleet had opened portals and exited the quadrant. One of Johnston's sailors exclaimed, "Damn it boys, they're getting away!", lightening the mood on the bridge. Johnston immediately began search and rescue.