Persei-Aries War Resumes
British Attempt Invasion of Russian Star System
FROM: UNITED NATIONS REGIONAL COLONIAL CENTER
02:30 SOL GMT, 20 DECEMBER 2520
BREAKAUTH: 181072.18J
CLEARANCE: SECRET (NATIONAL)
**UNITED NATIONS COMMUNIQUE**
The Third Hercules War continues – with British, American, and Japanese task forces recommitting to the struggle to control the embattled 72 Hercules star system. These Russian “Krasnaya Nadhezda” (Red Hope) colonies were the subject of a joint Anglo-Japanese raid launched out of the Outer Hebrides (Mu Hercules) and Kyokko Bijin (Zeta Hercules) systems last month, a raid interdicted by the US Navy’s “Oriskany” rapid response task force. Task Force Oriskany was defeated by the raiders, but the British task force (under the flag of Lord Edward Cavendish, HMS Agamemnon) was unable to remain in the Russian system when their Japanese compatriots received orders to return to 72 Hercules to deal with the Russian Admiral Lazarev battlegroup threatening the Japanese Kyokko Bijin colonies in Zeta Hercules. Of course, the Japanese could not know at the time that the Lazarev and her escorts had already pulled out of Zeta Hercules – ironically in response to the same Japanese threat that was now pulling out of 72 Hercules to respond to the Lazarev herself. The end result would almost be comical if not for the gravity of the situation.
Now the British are resolved to break the stalemate. The Lazarev battlegroup, now back at Krasnaya Nadhezda, is still under repair. The Japanese have secured Kyokko Bijin. The American Liberty carrier task force remains en route to their base at Vega (Alpha Lyra). Even if the Oriskany battlegroup can intercept again, there’s no way this small American destroyer force will be at full strength.
Thus, the decision is taken to launch not a raid, but a full-scale assault once again on Krasnaya Nadhezda. HMS Foxhound, a Fearless-class planetary assault cruiser, is loaded with Marines, ground attack aerospace craft, and tanks, and sent in a 10th magnitude Darkstar wave toward the Russian star system. Orders are to take the Russian base at Zyevnaya 21, one many moons orbiting the outer Zyevnaya gas giant.
Yet once again, the next generation transluminal drives of the American Oriskany battlegroup manage to beat the British to 72 Hercules (this small American force has nearly four times the normal FTL speeds of typical warships), and again these troublesome Yanks are in position to intercept. However, British intelligence has correctly surmised that they are nowhere near full strength. With the Lazarev task force still under repair, the Americans’ only help in defending this Russian star system is a brand-new battlegroup built around a Gagarin-class light fleet carrier.
British: Damon
Russians: Rasmus
Americans: Oriskany
Engagement 03: Vanguard Clash to Establish Orbital Zone Control over Gas Giant Moon Base, Zyevnaya 21, Kranaya Nadhezda system (72 Hercules), 20 December 2520
Here is the match up, and this will be a big one. 438 points per side, fourteen ships total, not including dozens of aerospace fighters, bombers, and scouts. Yes, both sides have a light fleet carrier (light cruiser) in this one. The British are naturally greatly outnumbered, but of course we’re talking about highly-upgraded heavy cruisers, and light cruisers against a scratch force of destroyers, frigates, and even corvettes. Then again, those Americans are some of the most experienced commanders in the Darkstar ‘verse, the nigh-legendary Valcour-class destroyers USS Oriskany and Valley Forge, and the Mako-class attack corvette USS Daggerfish. The Americans and Russians have a HUGE advantage in torpedoes and electronic warfare ... the British naturally have a gigantic edge in gunnery. A single hit from HMS Agamemnon can probably break one of those corvettes in half. As is so often the case, the game will come down to who can make the other side play THEIR game. This moon is measured to be the size of Pluto, based on the 180-km/hex scale of the game.
This battle will probably remain much more spread out than some others we’ve seen, with carriers on both sides. The Oriskany battle group will be trying to close somewhat, relying on their upgraded ECM / EW suites and gravitic shielding to protect them from the worst of the British gunfire. They will have to work with the Russians to ensure a coordinated torpedo strike, landing their Mk 48s at the same time as the Massive Russian P-500 strikes, as well as ordinance launched off their Tupolev Tu-97 “Zvesburya” (Star Storm) bombers and Mikoyan-Guyevich MiG-103 “Tunguska” fighters.
Turn two, and the distance is still so great that no one’s torpedoes have reached their targets. The carriers have finally completed launching their aerospace strike groups, now forming up and heading toward their targets. The Americans hedge closer to Zyevnaya-21, hoping to use the moon to at least partially screen their vulnerable engines and reactors from potential enemy torpedoes. First blood is drawn as American scouts launched from the Oriskany and Valley Forge tangle with British bombers and shoot two of them down, at the loss of one scout. The Novogord class frigate is hanging back with the Russian carrier, the three K-56 class torpedo corvettes hanging with the Americans for concentrated torpedo fire ... while the two Russian destroyers are a little out of position. This is partly due to maneuvering thruster damage on one of the ships, already hit hard by the long-range firepower of HMS Agamemnon and pin-point accuracy of HMS Retribution.
Turn three, a moment of fateful decision. Torpedoes and aerospace strikes have finally reached their targets. 
First, the British ships. Admittedly, this Russo-American strike is not all it should be, note there is no aerospace missiles or torpedoes in this mix, they are still too far away. Nevertheless, the sheer numbers of the Russian torpedoes (green) are a terrible threat. The British mass driver defenses opt to shoot for the more accurate American torpedoes, but due to electronic warfare upgrades on the Oriskany and Valley Forge, they are more difficult to hit and it takes pretty much the entire British task force to shoot them all down. Fair enough, but now almost all the Russian torpedoes sail in unopposed. They are inaccurate and the British have upgraded shielding, but what can I say, the Russians have upgraded dice. :D Rasmus has 61 torpedoes hitting on a 10% chance, and gets a lot more than 6.1 hits on the stern on the Agamemnon.
The British strike does not fare as well. They are targeting the American destroyer USS Oriskany. Note the Oriskany’s stern is up against the moon, the torpedoes cannot approach from her stern or starboard quarter. In an attempt to sling around to her port quarter, the bombers must approach too close, and the Oriskany and Valley Forge largely gut the strike before it has a chance to fire. The Oriskany is hit by torpedoes fired from the carrier HMS Vindictive (red 8), and some of the bomber torpedoes and fighter missiles, but it’s not enough to take out the Lady O. However, Brutish gunnery indeed proves fearsome, and one K-56 corvette is already knocked out. By the end of this fire phase / resolution phase, the other two will be crippled as well, one will never fight again (later destroyed by British fighters). Two possible things went wrong here ... that torpedo strike should have gone for the Oriskany’s starboard bow rather than port quarter, the bombers could have released from further out, just enough to remain out of mass driver range. True, the Brits wouldn’t be hitting any engines or reactors, but hits on the Oriskany’s forward magazine or even bridge might have had the same effect. Two, the guns and torpedoes engaged different targets. Yes, three K-56s knocked down means 36 less torpedoes launching, but it they’re only worth 36 points, the Oriskany is worth 106.
With the Agamemnon now crippled, the Retribution takes over as flagship and carries on the struggle. The Americans (a little peeved that the Russians didn’t stick with them to offer mass driver support), break off on their own and start working around behind the British for broadsides across their sterns. Gunfire against the Oriskany is horrific, and she takes heavy damage along her port bow. 
The British are now effectively in a fighting withdrawal, stepping back from the oncoming Russian torpedoes and bombers while the Americans still try to get around behind them. The Oriskany has to roll over on her back to screen his savaged port bow (where she has lost all shielding and her hull is torn open). The British fighters engage Russian bombers and shoot them all down, along with some of their torpedoes (that whole dogfight takes place in Hex 2608). The Russian bombers, once their fate becomes clear, release their ordinance. Not much of their torpedo strike makes it through the Retribution’s mass driver and shields (to avoid losing their aerospace torpedoes completely when the bombers went down, they had to release NOW, not with the main torpedo strike from the destroyers which won’t hit until next turn). American gunnery is also a little disappointing, although to be fair these are destroyers and torpedoes are their main weapon. British gunnery shifts to the Sovnya destroyers. After all, the British have the Sovnyas broadsided, while the Americans have managed to duck in behind them, thus out-of-arc for the forward British batteries. The first Sovnya is shredded by the Sheffield and Retribution, crippled and adrift.
Turn six, and the battle is finally complete. Torpedoes from USS Oriskany and Valley Forge slam into the heavily damaged HMS Sheffield, leaving her afire and dead in space (all torpedoes from the Daggerfish were shot down by the Sheffield and HMS Vindictive). Russian fighters try a missile strike on the Vindictive, but not much gets through the shields. HMS Retribution weathers the worst of the rather disjointed Russian torpedo spread, and the again inaccurate American gunnery. However, the surviving Sovnya class destroyer and Novgorod class frigate have zoomed up for a point-blank broadside on the British light cruiser, and with heavy rail guns and especially plasma accelerators, Russian ships in point-blank broadsides are very, very dangerous. They all but melt off the starboard quarter of the Retribution. But the Retribution gives as good as she gets, with a single broadside crippling both Russian ships.
And that’s the battle. The Vindictive has to break off to avoid being destroyed, and since this was an “assault” game, points are assessed based on what remains on the table. The Russians have the carrier, 16 fighters, and a handful of scouts = 77 points. The British have only a few fighters and scouts = 22 points. But the big score is the Americans, which still has the small but very powerful Oriskany battlegroup in play. The Oriskany is badly damaged but still operational, giving them 196 points. Total score is thus 273 to 22, or a +251 margin for the Americans and Russians. This is more than 40% of the starting 438 per side, counting his as a MAJOR victory for the Americans and Russians. Needless to say, the HMS Foxhound falls back to the Outer Hebrides system and the British will be on the defensive for a while. As we can see, for the Americans, they’re still not full recovered from their previous defeat at 72 Hercules, the British seems to have lost a little of their earlier steam, but the Holy Russian Empire is about to declare victory in this war.
Great game – I need to get better with coordinating the Aerospace and Torpedoes – Very different from the fire and forget (they have a lot more movement) of the few Type 5 Torpedoes, I am used to from the Japanese fleet
@rasmus – the Japanese are definitely one of the most interest navies of WW2, with such a curious blend of cutting-edge tactics, doctrine, and thinking … combined with such hide-bound traditionalism. Hybrid battleships, some of the most beautiful and deadly cruisers ever built, the best torpedoes, the best early war naval fighter, dreadnought submarines that could launch seaplanes, a carrier with something like five feet of concrete under its flight deck, human torpedoes, of course the biggest battleships ever built, and so on. Really wanted to do them justice in Darkstar. The Japanese and British (@damon) are both some of… Read more »