The loss of the Nelson was a blow to TFN morale but also focused the fleet's resolve. The data gathered about the enemy ships and weapons from the battle at Orphichon was quickly analyzed. The focus of research was on counteracting the Tractor capability and developing a multi-ship coordinated fire capability - data link.
In the meantime, while the Khanate didn't detect the hidden warp point back to Federation space, they were probably looking for it. It was the only way to explain where the Terran squadron came from. Therefore the TFN HQ planned an immediate probe/attack in a different direction from VX-134 - the system identified as Kompakutor in the captured Khanate astrogation database:
After the experience at Orphichon, the TFN formed a squadron of all available CL's and new construction DD's. It was designated TF 232 in VX-134 under the command of Rear Admiral Hara Tadioshi - 3 CL's and 4 of the new Brazwell class DD's. And they were all itching for a fight…
Note: I am using the Stars At War add-on scenarios now - the Starfire 2nd Edition scenarios skipped a number of critical battles at this point. Also still using the Starfire 2ed + Gorm-Khanate rules - although I am slowly ending up in the 3rd Edition rules.
Claw Ghiziharnow'soldan was in command of the Kompakutor System. With the start of hostilities against this new foe, the chance for glory had returned. But the Claw was concerned with the results of the latest battles. The first two were losses and the Battle at Orphichon seemed like a victory in name only. The system was retained and an enemy CL destroyed - but the rest of the enemy ships escaped. All the Khanate Escort class ships were destroyed, the DD's heavily damaged, and even the flagship was damaged at the end when the enemy CL self-destructed instead of being captured. A worthy foe indeed, and one not to be underestimated.
The Claw had 15 Escort class ships at his disposal for system defense. In the past, that would have been more than adequate, but with this new enemy, the Escorts seemed more like cannon fodder. Also with the enemy one Warp Point away in VX-134 it was a matter of when rather than if they would attack. He had asked for reinforcements to lead an attack of his own to retake VX-134, but with the losses from the previous battles ships were not available.
The Claw divided his ships into 3 groups of 5 ships that would rotate between patrol on the Warp Point, quick reaction force between the planet and the Warp Point, and the last group in orbit around the planet as protection and for repairs, as needed. He hoped this would be adequate until he received the promised reinforcements for an attack of his own…
The first TFN ship thru the Warp Point was the Togo. After her came the Jarvis and then the Spruance. At this point, all the CL's sensors were clearing up and coming online after the jump. Scans revealed an enemy force of 5 Escort class ships approaching from the forward starboard quarter. Then reports came in of unidentified type and number of enemy ships on the edge of the ships aft quarter - but detailed info was not available because of the masking effect of the ships ion engines.
Immediately the TF Commander gave the order to turn to port in order to unmask the ships and maintain the distance to the other enemy group until the situation became clearer. As the 3 CL's began turning in line to port the enemy ships resolved to another group of 5 Escort class vessels. The TF Commander decided the CL's could handle this threat and ordered the following DD's to continue straight and engage the other enemy force approaching from the planet.
Claw Gizharnow normally was in the Command Center of the Planetary Defense Center (PDC), but luckily he was onboard one of the Escorts in orbit around the planet conducting an inspection when the alarm came from the Warp Point pickets - "Numerous unknown ships emerging from the Warp Point connected to the enemy's star system." This was it the Claw thought, no more wondering when the enemy would attack.
The Claw immediately gave the order to both the quick reaction force and the ships around the planet to proceed to the Warp Point at full speed. He ordered the PDC to hold fire until he gave the command or if the enemy approached the planet and got close enough for a full-strength attack. With the PDC limited to a 180-degree fire arc, he didn't want it detected too soon and then the enemy could move to the opposite side of the planet.
The Claw wondered what kind of enemy force was attacking and would his Escorts be enough to stop them… Or would they be cannon fodder?
Aboard the Togo ADM Hara received the initial report of the enemy force composition:
"Sir, we have detected only Escort class vessels in both groups. There is another group of enemy ships leaving the orbit of the planet but they are too distant for more detailed scans. In the two groups near us there appears to be a mix of 2 types of Escort classes - one appears to be lightly armored and the other unarmored. Based on previous encounters we believe the enemy armament to be mainly if not entirely Missiles able to fire in sprint and long-range mode."
The Admiral's goal was to reduce the enemy firepower as quickly as possible and worry about ship destruction after the enemy had been "defanged." He ordered that fire initially be concentrated on the unarmored class escorts and shift fire after each had been disabled.
The Togo opened fire on one of the unarmored Escorts with her lasers and missiles.
"All weapons hit - she's bleeding air and looks severely damaged"
Then a report came in from the DD Fuller:
"Sir, the Fuller reports that she appears to have received coordinated fire from 2 of the Escorts and her shields are down."
Sounds like that damned enemy multi-ship coordinated fire capability the Admiral thought. "Which class Escorts were they?' the Admiral asked. "The armored class" was the reply. "Order all ships to shift priority fire to the armored class Escorts" the Admiral commanded.
And then the Warp Point was surrounded in a maelstrom of missiles and lasers…
Admiral Hara was beginning to feel optimistic about the battle. His TF quickly neutralized the closest group of enemy ships and inflicted damage on the most dangerous Escorts in the other enemy group closing on them. The enemy chose to concentrate all their fire on the Fuller and she had experienced serious damage - her shields and armor were gone, a number of engine rooms destroyed and 2 of her 4 launchers out of action. But the rest of his ships were undamaged and the Napoleon still about to transit into the system. If all the enemy had were Escorts this should be over shortly…
The Claw on the other hand was starting to get a bad feeling about this battle. Initial reports from the pickets were a number of Cruiser and Destroyer-sized ships had come thru and they were beginning their attack runs - and then silence. The reaction force had started opening fire at long range but then reported the enemy had damaged both the Tukazor and Salken and their data links were down.
It was beginning to sound a lot like his ships were cannon fodder.
And the Claw began to seriously consider giving a very un-Khanate order…
Disclaimer: I am playing the game based on a storyline/in character rather than analyzing all the ships/situation and coming up with the best course of action based on FULL knowledge. Hence mistakes are being made from that perspective.
ADM Hara then gave the order to the DD squadron to engage the second group of Enemy Escort vessels except for the damaged Fuller who he ordered to turn away and begin repairs in preparation for returning thru the Warp Point. He ordered the Jarvis and Spruance to turn toward the planet and began long-range scans of the third enemy Escort group and the planet itself. His Flag Captain aboard the Togo gave the order for a hard turn in place towards the planet in order to eventually join up with the other CLs. He felt confident that with the Warp Point enemy group neutralized he could proceed with closing on the planet. Then he heard a report from the DD Haslett over the comms - "These crazy cats are trying to ram us! Evasive Maneuvers!"
The Claw pondered his next move for a few more minutes. His first group of ships on the Warp Point appeared to be at the least disabled. He had no communications but felt confident they would do something appropriately heroic and suicidal rather than stand by and be destroyed. He told his Comms Officer to send a general broadcast to the Warp Point group - "For the Glory of the Empire, you will be remembered!"
His quick reaction group had already been damaged and he felt they were greatly outclassed at this point. But they were too slow based on analysis to disengage with the enemy DD's and combine at the planet with his group. The enemy DDs were too fast and would be in their engine wake if they turned away. Therefore he ordered the group to turn and maintain the range with the enemy and engage with missiles - knowing the enemy DDs would quickly close and engage.
Aboard the Haslett, there had been some violent maneuvering shaking up the ship and crew. There were a few close calls, but in the end, the Haslett escaped unharmed. The Captain said to his XO, "Make sure we keep our distance from these crazies in the future, Mike." A very forceful "aye, aye on that one Skipper!" was his reply. "Inform the Togo we are clear with no damage," the Captain told his Comm officer.
The Claw gave the command he dreaded most to his group - "Return to the planet and prepare for its defense." He then heard a low growling from his bridge crew.
ADM Hara updated his fire commands to the TF:
"DD Group disable the 2nd Enemy group. Cruisers and Fuller, while we are still in range let's clear out the first group of enemy ships from the Warp point. After the first and second groups of enemy ships are dealt with we will form up and proceed to the planet and final group of enemy ships. In the meantime, I want detailed scans of the last group of Enemy ships and the planet itself to clarify what we are up against."
The Claw's commands to his forces were not as optimistic. He knew that barring a miracle his force was probably going to be destroyed. But he was determined to inflict as much damage as possible on the Chofaki until then. He explained his strategy to his bridge crew, not something he normally felt the need to do.
"We are not going to win this battle. Therefore our goal is to inflict as much damage as possible on the Chofaki before we die in glory. We will not be divided and defeated, instead by pulling our ships back to the planet that forces the enemy to come within range of the planetary defenses. Then combined we can inflict maximum damage. And just as important, we need to get word back to Delgor."
His crew listened with whiskers twitching - the growl subsided but there were still scowls on their faces.
He ordered his Comm Officer to contact the PDC.
"Immediately dispatch the courier ship to the Delgor Warp Point. I will transmit my reports and status as long as possible while it is enroute. Bring all Planetary weapons to passive readiness. I do not want the Chofaki detecting them until they are in optimal range. I will give the order to fire," he commanded.
And the battle continued…
The TFN DDs unloaded a salvo of SM's in sprint mode on 4 of the enemy escorts in order to disable their weapons. The KON Escorts instead focused all their fire on the Haslett - their favorite target for missiles as well as ramming. By the end of the exchange all but one of the KON Escorts had lost their weapons. The Nappie's Lasers inflicted the most damage at this range. In return, only the Haslett's shields were down and armor slightly damaged.
Back near the Warp Point all 3 Cruisers and the Fuller opened fire on the Enemy group there. The Spruance and Jarvis had some misses while the Togo and Fuller scored all hits. Three enemy Escorts were destroyed, one reduced to a hulk, and one damaged Escort remained. The Fuller could probably dispatch the remaining Escorts before beginning emergency repairs. The Cruisers now focused their attention on the planet and remaining enemy ships while the DDs continued to engage the second group of enemy ships.
The KoN Escorts were in disarray - with most damaged, weaponless, and streaming air. But still, each ship's commander tried the best they could with the one weapon they had left - their ships. But the Escorts didn't have the speed even undamaged to keep up with the TFN ships which began streaming past them towards the planet and last group of KoN Escorts.
ADM Hara ordered the DD squadron to proceed towards the planet and engage the final group of enemy ships. The Cruisers he ordered to finish off the 2nd group of enemy ships while the Fuller took on the last 2 ships around the Warp Point. At the last minute on a gut feeling, he ordered the damaged Haslett to turn to starboard into the 2nd group of enemy Escorts engine wake.
Meanwhile, the Claw started bringing his remaining ships back around in front of the planet. He hoped the PDC on the planet surface would get off a few good salvos before the 'Chofaki' ships moved out of its arc of fire…
The combat started separating into two groups - the cleanup around the Warp Point and approaches and the developing long-range fire between the last group of enemy ships near the planet and the majority of the Destroyer squadron.
Near the Warp Point the one remaining KoN Escort with weapons was able to get off a shot at the damaged Fuller and succeeded in taking down her remaining Missile Launchers, making her offensively ineffective. In response, the Togo at near point-blank range reduced the Escort to a hulk with only an engine left. Meanwhile, the Jarvis and Spruance destroyed 2 of the other damaged enemy Escorts. Five enemy Escorts destroyed - 5 Escorts remained in various states of damage with no weapons.
With the Fuller disabled, ADM Hara contemplated detaching a Cruiser from his Squadron to remain behind to finish off the rest of the enemy Escorts, since the Destroyers were more than a match for the last group of enemy ships. But the situation quickly changed…
As the Destroyers sped towards the planet they started exchanging long-range missile fire with the KoN Escorts near the planet. The TFN targeted the Escorts with data link first then the remaining ones with the goal of taking out their weapons quickly.
The Claw recognizing the limited life span of his ship's weapons ordered all ships to concentrate fire on the leading TFN Destroyer - the Brazwell. And then he played his last card. Over the comms to the PDC he ordered: "Target the lead Chofaki Destroyer and fire missiles!"
Aboard the Brazwell bridge:
"Sir, the enemy ships seem to be concentrating all their fire on us. We are receiving missile fire from a number of them," the Tactical Officer said.
"I think our shields and armor can handle it, while the Squadron takes them out. Continue course and missile fire," the Captain answered.
"Continuing enemy missile fire… shields down" the Tactical Officer reported.
Then the Tactical Officer shouted "Receiving active emissions from the planet surface. We are being scanned. I believe they are trying to get a target lock… Missile launch from the surface!"
"How many and who are they targeted at?" the Captain asked.
"Six, no seven missiles and they are targeted at… us."
"All hands brace for inbound missile salvo," the Captain said over the 1MC.
The Claw was furious. Only 4 of the 7 missiles hit the lead Chofaki destroyer and they were at optimum range. Surprise was gone and now the Chofaki would maneuver to get clear of the PDC's fire. Over the comm to the PDC he shouted "You incompetents! Lockdown your solution and fire again!"
Aboard the Brazwell the XO reported "It could have been worse, only 4 of the missiles hit. Our shields and armor are destroyed. The next salvo will do real damage."
The Captain ordered the Comm Officer to contact the ADM "let him know there is a heavily armed station on the planet that has fired on us. Our shields and armor are gone and we are maneuvering to avoid its fire."
Just when ADM Hara was hoping the battle was moving into the mop-up phase, his comm officer reported:
"ADM, report from the Brazwell, receiving heavy missile fire from the Planet. Shields down, armor destroyed, maneuvering to avoid further fire!"
Now the real battle begins, the Admiral thought. He looked at the plot with the new information about the planet. Since the fire was from a base on the Planet it was possible to avoid its fire by moving to the other side of the Planet. But then the question was whether there was another Base on that side providing full planetary coverage. His options were either to continue full speed on current course, close the distance to the planetary base and attempt to overwhelm it with his undamaged ships or turn his ships now to get to the other side of the planet while maintaining/extending distance and determine if there was another base.
The Tactical Officer reported "More detailed scans of the enemy planetary base are coming in from the Destroyers now that it went active. It appears there is a number of missile batteries as well as rail guns for close-in fire. Also, there are emplacements that look like Point Defense batteries. All of it heavily armored."
Point Defense, close-in weapons system, and all heavily armored. There was no way he could bombard the base while receiving that level of incoming fire. His Cruisers had point defense that could mitigate some of the missile fire, but his Destroyers did not and would not last long. "Order the Destroyers to turn to port and maintain/extend distance while moving to the opposite side of the planet from the base. Continue long-range fire on the last enemy group of ships near the planet. Order the Jarvis and Spruance to do the same."
He still had 5 enemy escorts around the Warp Point that needed to be cleaned up. "Order the Haslett to continue turning to starboard and close the nearby enemy ships from their aft quarter. We also will turn to starboard and work with the Haslett to finish off the remaining nearby enemy escorts. Finally, order the Fuller to turn away from the enemy and keep her distance while conducting emergency repairs."
The Claw was still fuming at the incompetence of the Base missile unit. As expected, the Chofaki ships had turned in response to the missile fire and were moving towards the other side of the planet. He was hopeful the base could get a few more salvos in before that, and maybe actually destroy one of the enemy ships.
"Order all ships with weapons and the Base to concentrate fire on the damaged destroyer!"
The Claw watched his plot intensely as his ship's then the base's missile fire hurtled towards the Chofaki Destroyer. Two of three of his remaining ship's missiles hit the Destroyer. There was a chance he thought. Then he watched the base's salvo go in… hit, miss, hit, miss, hit then the remaining missiles missed their target! Even worse than the last salvo! He was about to explode into rage, and was seriously considering opening fire on his own base in response.
But then he saw what the enemy fire had done to his ships. Between all of the them there was now only 1 missile launcher left. And unless he had somehow damaged the Chofaki Destroyer enough to slow it down, it was about to move out of the arc of fire of the base. "Perhaps today is a good day to die" he thought… while trying to remember where he had heard that quote.
Aboard the Brazwell damage reports poured in. "Two missile launchers destroyed! Now Engine Rooms one, two, and three report damaged and offline. Fighting fires!" Serious damage the Captain thought, but again it could have been a lot worse. Luckily the enemy missile battery was not up to TFN standards. "Maximum possible speed to the other side of the planet!" he ordered. Hopefully there was not another base there and his ship and crew would live to fight another day…
While ADM Hara desperately wanted to be in the thick of the battle against the enemy base, he knew the remaining enemy ships had to be dealt with first and the Togo and Haslett were in the best position to do that. The Tactical Officer reported "Multiple hits, target enemy escort destroyed. The Haslett reports destroying her target also."
Two down, three to go thought the ADM. And soon we will know if the planet is fully defended…
Aboard the Brazwell the Captain watched the plot anxiously as his ship moved to the other side of the planet with respect to the enemy PDC.
He was dreading the report from his Tactical Officer of another missile salvo launch from the planet when the officer called out, "Sir, enemy target lock is gone!
We seem to have moved outside its field of fire!."
And then to reinforce the report the other Destroyers and Cruisers in the group started reporting the same - enemy target locks on them had gone. Now only if there is not base on this side of the planet he thought…
Aboard the Togo ADM Hara received the report, "ADM, our ships near the planet report enemy target locks are gone… including the Brazwell." Good news, especially for the damaged Brazwell ADM Hara thought. Now to find out what's on the far side of the planet.
Since the Cruisers had Point Defense he ordered, "Have the Cruisers begin closing the planet and scanning for enemy bases. The Destroyers should maintain distance. All ships should continue long range fire on the remaining enemy ships in the meantime."
The Claw watched as the Chofaki ships moved out of range of the base. This battle was over.
His only regret now was that he had not forcefully demanded the completion of the second base on the other side of the planet.
He was guilty of the aggressive, offensive-focused attitude of the rest of the KoN. Bases were viewed as defensive, not a priority, with no glory to be had.
Hence they were also staffed with the most junior or incompetent personal. As evidenced by the missile crew's performance…
He gave the order to his remaining ships to execute hard turns to keep the enemy ships in front of them.
He was going to face them at the end, not turn tail.
Meanwhile, the Togo and Haslett continued the pursuit and destruction of the enemy ships near the Warp Point.
The Fuller focused on repairs while maintaining distance from those ships who were following her, most likely with the intent to ram her.
Game Note: One more hit on the Brazwell last turn would have destroyed an Engine Room, reduced her speed to 3, and she would have been on the edge of base's fire arc at the end of movement this turn. That close...
The Claw watched as his Squadron was annihilated around him.
With all his ships' weapons destroyed and the Chofaki ships out of the firing arc of the PDC there was nothing he could do but face his and his Squadron's death with defiance.
The only good news was he had transmitted his final report to the courier before it transited the Warp point to the sector capital at Delgado.
He did not waste time in his report with the larger problem of the KoN being overly offensive focused and when on the defense they were at a major disadvantage.
No one was ready to listen.
Instead, he stressed that the Escorts that the Empire had relied on for so long to invade smaller less developed races and patrol its borders were totally outclassed by this foe's ships.
They needed to be pulled off of the front lines and replaced by stronger warships if there was any hope of victory…
And just to make his point, "Enemy missiles inbound!." Then the end came in a bright flash of light…
ADM Hara listened as his ships reported multiple enemy ships destroyed.
Just a few more to go and then his TF would be left to deal with the planet.
If there was a matching enemy base on the opposite side this would be a lot tougher - he may even need to call for reinforcements.
If not, he could bombard the current enemy base from the opposite side of the planet using the detailed scans he already had of it.
On the plot, the Cruisers had begun their run into the planet. We will soon find out he thought…
The remaining KoN Escorts were destroyed. The Cruisers closed the planet while the Destroyers held their distance. Much to the relief of the TF personnel and ADM Hara there was no enemy PDC on the other side of the planet. It looked like construction was in progress but not very far along. There were a number of what appeared to be comm and observation satellites, but these were quickly destroyed with laser fire.
What next thought ADM Hara. With engine damage, the Brazwell and Fuller had to return thru the Warp point for extensive repairs. The Haslett only had shield and armor damage, which could be repaired in system after some resources came thru the Warp point.
As for the enemy PDC, he first tried the ploy ADM Anderson had used earlier and demanded their surrender or be destroyed. He was not really surprised when all he got in return was a stream of Khanate curse words. He had plenty of missiles remaining on his ships. Even though the PDC appeared to have extensive Point Defense emplacements, it only took a few dozen hits on a planet base without the protection of drive bubbles like a ship. Using his missiles in sprint mode degraded the efficiency of the enemy PD Systems, but his ships had to have LoS for this. And if his ships had LoS, so did the enemy missile and gun batteries…
Therefore he ordered the 2 Cruisers and remaining 3 Destroyers to close the planet to optimum guided standard missile range from the other side. There they programmed their missiles with the exact location of the enemy PDC emplacements and entered the course guidance to allow them to be fired from the other side of the planet. The Togo stayed beyond missile range on the same side of the planet as the PDC for BDA and to provide retargeting as required. Then the rain of missiles began…
After approximately 250 missiles were expended, about 16 had got through the enemy PD defenses which was enough to destroy the PDC's armor and the first systems were destroyed. At that point, ADM Hara was surprised when the enemy PDC communicated on all frequencies that they surrendered. Maybe the base personal weren't as suicidal as their compatriots in the Escorts…
This battle was done, but the war continues thought ADM Hara. He had a decision to make. The captured astrogation data showed that the other Warp Point lead to a system called Delgado - and it appeared to be an important system. They had tracked the courier ship go thru that Warp Point before the end of the battle, so surprise was lost. The question was what enemy force was already there and how fast could the enemy reinforce the system?
His TF was down 2 Destroyers that had returned to VX-134 for repairs. Another Destroyer had Shield/Armor damage that needed to be repaired while in system. And finally, his ship's missile stocks were depleted. An immediate push thru the Warp Point to Delgado did not sound like the best plan. The question was how long could he afford to wait. He had to wait at least long enough for his in system destroyer repairs and missile resupply. But then how long should he wait for his possible reinforcements…
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