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Yankee fighters. Immediately after launching their short range missiles, the Ginia Guard fighters popped flares and swung around in an unbelievably tight turn, tighter than even the few veteran Union pilots would have believed possible. 
    Much later, Alliance Fleet Intelligence analysts would identify the strange looking craft as Russian made, Su-137 in-system fighters. Without hyperspace capabilities, their power-to-weight ratio allowed for exceptional nimbleness and dog-fighting capabilities. The fact that the rebels had them, and in such numbers was ominous and alarming, as it indicated that the Russians were definitely providing weapons to the Confederacy. Federal analysts then had to wonder when other nations would also begin supporting the Southern insurrectionists.
    At the moment, though, the Federal pilots of McAllister’s fleet had more pressing issues on their minds. Phosphorous flares were released and active ECM employed, as they desperately tried to evade getting their asses shot off. About one-third got off at least one missile at the now retreating Confederates, but the fleet batteries had to wait until the rebs were well away from their own fighters, before launching. When they did, a firestorm accelerated away towards the fleeing Guard fighters. By the time that particular exchange was over, over 130 Federal fighters were lost to merely 47 of the rebel’s in-system fighters. About half of McAllister’s 465 remaining fighters had fully expended their missiles and had to return to their carriers for rearming. 
    When the Confederate’s first wave swung around for another pass, McAllister suddenly realized the enemy hadn’t launched a single missile towards her fleet. They were obviously intent on eliminating her fighters. A quick estimate revealed she had already lost ~ 220 fighters… almost one-third of her force in the first exchange, while even their best estimates of Confederate casualties stood at somewhere around 70. As the Confederates had already enjoyed at least 30% advantage in fighter numbers, coming out 150 on the short end, during the early going, was not a good sign. 
    When her destroyer screen sent word that another 700 rebel fighters were coming at her from astern, pandemonium reigned when Midway’s inexperienced CIC controllers panicked at the news. McAllister realized she’d probably be without fighter cover completely by the time those fighters coming in from the asteroids arrived. Chances were, they were all loaded with anti-ship missiles — a lot of anti-ship missiles.
    McAllister realized that her fleet was totally outclassed by what the Confederates had here at Ginia and it was definitely time to bug out. Word was sent and one massive barrage of long-range anti-ship missiles were launched toward that single Confederate task force that had broken orbit around Ginia, and was heading out to meet her. After launching that single missile barrage, McAllister’s oversized Union fleet ponderously came about, oriented itself away from the planet and accelerated towards transition speed. The Union fighters were recovered and McAllister eventually escaped the Ginia system, but not before losing 28 ships, including a light carrier, to the over 900 Confederate fighters chasing them with anti-ship missiles. 
    Even before leaving Waston, McAllister figured that after losing so much of her original fleet strength due to the Stillman raid, the old Gray Fox would very probably kick the shit out of what little the politicians had left her. She’d been right, but McAllister never knew that her single massive missile barrage crippled one-third of TF-23’s ships, including Vice Admiral Carpenter’s flagship, the CSS Coral Sea . 
    * * * *

 
    Chapter-5
    Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying “End-of-the-World Switch: PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH,” the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry. —