The Ghost War almost destroyed the Human race and we have spent the last twenty years
rebuilding and hunting down those responsible.We have strengthened ties with our new found allies
and pushed back into the darkness with our colony ships. Businesses and corporations have spread to new markets and discovered new resources to exploit. The moons of our solar system teem with military and commercial activity. The old powers of our world have expanded into space and form the founding members of the Terran Alliance. They still retain their national identities and military arms though armed clashes over resources have been kept to a minimum.
Our alien allies have been increasingly insistent that we join with them in a crusade to cleanse the sector of Synod influence and the very territorial Ghost systems. The Asian Union and the Russian Federated States have resisted such action on the grounds that it would start another genocidal response from the Synod of Worlds. The Pan-African Union and the Brazilian Empire have both been increasingly insistent that we expand into more territory even if we have to conquer it as a means to ensure that the Human race survives even if Terra is destroyed or conquered in turn.
The United States and the European Union have resisted taking sides for almost two decades. Recently, that neutrality has changed. The Joint Special Operations Command has been hunting for the Ghost fleet home-worlds since the siege of Terra. A few weeks ago a deep cover team stumbled upon those coordinates. Posing as a freighter crew in distress they lured in and captured a courier ship. That ship contained a quantum storage device containing evidence implicating the Synod in a deal with the Ghost systems. The Ghost systems were promised amnesty from Synod aggression and trade agreements promising the purchase of labor drones in exchange for rare elements. In light of this new information both the US and the EU have sided with the hawks in the Alliance Security Council. A massive fleet and ground force is being assembled in the Alpha Centauri system. Camp Gold has expanded into a sprawling complex of barracks and fortifications. The entire Alpha Centauri System is one huge military complex housing over six million personnel from all of the major powers in the Terran Alliance. Six million humans born and raised to hate the Synod. Cry Havoc! And set loose the dogs of war.
Task Force Alabama is led by the Super Dreadnought Snow Leopard and is tasked with clearing the inner Kreul system of Ghost units. Kreul is a strategic system which connects the Terran fortress system of Alpha Centauri, the Allied system of Sera and the Ghost 263 system. Kreul must be secured in order to guarantee security between the Sera jump nexus and the rest of the Terran systems. With Kreul secured the Allies can drive forward with the campaign to cleanse the Ghost 263 and 152 systems.
Scouts have detected a huge signature escorted by a slightly smaller signature in the inner system. Task Force Alabama has been tasked with clearing the inner system and securing 5th fleet's flanks against a surprise attack while the rest of the fleet is landing troops on Kreul.
The Invincible class Super Dreadnought Snow Leopard launches its four Interceptor squadrons who dive into a large force of drone fighters from the Butcher class Super Dreadnought.
The two fleets close the distance while the Interceptors from the Snow Leopard demolish the drone fighter squadrons in the center of the battle. They are ultimately destroyed but gut the Ghost drone swarm. The Snow Leopard and the two Ambusher class cruisers launch a cloud of salvo missiles and heavy capital missiles at the Butcher class SD. The Snow Leopard also launches its four torpedo squadrons who burn hard to get behind the Phantom class Dreadnought and prepare an attack run.
The Butcher has kept half of its fighter strength back to cover the large ship against the inevitable salvo of Terran missiles and fighters.
The last interceptor holds off five drones but is eventually burned from the sky in a fiery flash of fuel and oxygen.
The Torpedo squadrons weather the storm of point defense fire and only lose 4 fighters. Their salvo of torps break the Phantom dreadnought in half.
Three salvoes of conventional missiles and two nuclear missiles dart through the defensive fore of the six screening drone squadrons and thick point defense fire to virtually gut the Super Dreadnought. The Bridge and Life Support systems were damaged, the SD took numerous hits to the flight deck and the missiles scoured weapons blisters from the surface of the huge warship.
The Butcher is drifting and bleeding fuel and on fire. The Phantom was no match for a storm of torpedoes.
The Ambushers took light damage from the Butcher's Graser mounts while one of the Destroyers had its reactor damaged and would spend the rest of the game getting clear of the battle and fighting the out of control reactor mass. They would eventually lock the reactor down and the very last second as they prepared to eject the damaged core.
The valiant torpedo squadrons return to defend the Snow Leopard against the drone fighter assault.
The stricken Destroyer attempts to get clear of its fleet mates before its reactor goes critical.
The Torpedo fighter squadrons were definately the MVPs of the game. They killed the Phantom DN in one run and then went on to shoot down two squadrons worth of drone fighters before they hit bingo fuel and were forced to land on the Snow Leopard while its point defense systems lit up the night with burning drone fighters.
TAS Snow Leopard under siege by doomed drone fighters.
Fighters swirl around the SD as it fights hard against the suicidal fighters.
Eventually the Snow Leopard destroys the last of the drone fighters when their energy reserves run low and hang helpless in space.
Final damage on the Snow Leopard. The drone fighters managed to do a lot of damage before they went down. The Leopard was not able to repair any damage before the game ended and it limped back towards Kreul on one engine while the crew tried to repair the jump drive.
After Action Thoughts:
The power of Salvo missiles and heavy missiles was huge. Also torpedo fighters are dangerous in large numbers. One big ship may be powerful but it also makes for a very large and potentially vulnerable target. Even with 8 PDS clusters so many missiles got through that they gutted the SD. The poor Phantom never stood a chance with only 6 PDS clusters against 4 squadrons of torpedo fighters.
Missiles and torpedoes are one shot or limited ammo weapons but when you gut a big ship that fast it doesn't matter.
K-guns: it seems that many smaller k-guns with wider arcs of fire is more effective than one big k-gun. you do more damage with the bigger guns but hit less often at long range while the smaller guns hit more often at long range but do little damage with each hit.
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