When I get a chance I'll test the automated mine laying, im currently busy smashing an enemy freighter with 5 twin gauss fighters, which after grade and weapon accuracy penalties have a 3% hit rate.
It's been about 25 minutes ingame and several hours real time thanks to a getmaxpotentialsensorrange popup that needs attention every 5 seconds.
But it's been slowed from engine damage twice and every hit now leaks atmosphere so there's not long left.
Finally some revenge for my 3 lost civilian freighters and lost survey ship(I lost a second one but to spoilers in V1581 cygni).
Meanwhile the NPR wrecks continue building in V1581 cygni grand total is now 12;
3 chinese 62000 ton gate builders
3 chinese 9200 tonners
1 chinese 27000 tonner
1 American 67000 tonner
1 American 9000 tonner
A Russian 4500 tonner
A UN Hawke class geosurvey ship (8100 tons)
And an unidentified wreck.
Estimated tonnage 350,000-420,000 tons of shipping lost to spoilers.
Edit: 10 more minutes of battle and 2 hours of real time later; 2 more engines down and I estimate there's only 2 left as the freighter is down to 370 km/s from it's origonal 1872 km/s , needless to say I need new fighter designs.
Edit : and it's down finally.
Edit: a brief summary of recent operations in Barnards star:
After destroying a 20000 Tirat commonwealth freighter the fighter support vessel Hermes escorts it's group of 7 fighters to the fuel dump on Barnards star 1.
Noticing a pattern of enemy freighters entering that system, the Pegasus takes up a position at the Barnards star - 70 Ophiuchi jump point, destroying an additional freighter.
Later an enemy 17,000 ton destroyer is detected by the formidable passive sensors of the Pegasus, on a direct course from the Ross 154 jump point towards 70 Ophiuchi this gives evidence of the source of enemy transgression into Barnards star.
The Pegasus attempts to evade, while it's 2500 km/s top speed is no match for the 4000 km/s shown by enemy warships, the ship has been detected at a range of 180000 kilometes and the Pegasus might not have been detected.
The Pegasus successfully evades the destroyer, and heads for a rendezvous with the rest of force Swift Vengence: the twin gauss armed longbow, 33 tube AMM escort Valkyrie, and the Destroyers Tenacious and Valiant all 8100 tons.
After entering 70 ophiuchi briefly the enemy contact destroys the sensor probe monitoring the jump point then vanishes from sensors.
The entire destroyer fleet sets course for the Ross 154 jump point, it should arrive a few days before the Pegasus manages to catch up, the destroyers all have a slight speed advantage of 2592 km/s, and set off from a closer point than the Pegasus.
5 days later the destroyer Force has made position outside Ross 154 jump gate, shortly afterwards the enemy ship is once again detected this time coming out of the gate. After a brief delay in firing the force opens up on the ship which has managed to open distance of 100,000 kilometers in the minute of wasted opportunity.
The opening three simultaneous salvos of 11 hades antimissiles slams into the ship causing minimal damage, but finally signalling the start of offensive operations against the "Rats" as they have been called. Within seconds the two salvos of 6 anti ship missiles arrives adding 4 strength 10 warheads to the carnage. The Raucous cheers of the bridge crews at the nuclear fury unleashed is cut short as equally strong detonations flower across the armour of the tenacious, the enemy ship has powerful plasma carronades, and the fleet has strayed close enough to allow even the gauss cannons of the crossbow a chance to enter the fray.
"Evasive action! Get us the hell out of here! " Shouts Lieutenant commander Hunter Rehder in command of the tenacious. Commodore Joelle Hakanson orders the fleet to attempt to retain a distance of 200,000 kilometers, sufficient to evade the short range thus far evidenced by the carronades. Thankfully the enemy ship is in a course to evade the Task force, but in the minute it will take to get out of range the carronades may fire again.
"Damage report!" Onboard the tenacious panic reigns. "All hits absorbed by armour, but we've lost half the hull, another broadside and we're dead, captain"
"Scheisse"
Two more salvos of of 33 anti missiles buffet the enemy while the fleet increases it's range, but just as the size 6 tubes of the tenacious and valiant are preparing to fire again a second salvo is unleashed from the enemy.
The first casualties aboard the Tenacious are employed in damage control, chief engineer Gerd Schupfer is killed along with another crew member while attempting to seal a hull breech near the first impact site, the weapon discharges completely against undamaged armour, but fatally irradiates the engineering team.
The second impact destroys an engine and a missile launcher, killing 16 crew members.
The third and final impact lands on intact armour plating outside the main engine compartment, penetrating shock destroys several engines, which cascade forward causing damage to a primary magazine. Owing to severe structural damage and preparation to fire another salvo exposed ordnance is caught in the fire, the resultant detonation takes out the rest of the engines and magazines, tearing the ship to ribbons.
Lieutenant Commander Rehder is unable to finish his last thoughts cursing the ineptitude of the task forces commander as he is killed along with 150 of his crew.
Despite the loss of the Tenacious, the fleet finally manages to subdue the enemy destroyer, using a total of 2 salvos of ASMs and 10 of AMMs.
After picking up the survivors from both ships the task force is stationed 250,000 km from the gate while waiting for the Pegasus.
Another enemy vessel jumps into the system, this time firing only twin size 6 missiles which are easily handled by the crossbows gauss cannons.
After using most of the remaining AMMs commodore Hakanson orders the fleet to conserve tge remaining 3 salvos, utilising 2 more salvos of ASMs while inching the longbow closer to finish the ship off with gauss fire.
The 26000 ton ship is soon reduced to smoking wreckage, after picking up the survivors and rendezvousing with the Pegasus the fleet returns to the fuel depot.
After it's arrival total fuel reserves in Barnards star amount to a mere 300,000 litres. At least 1.2 million is needed for the fleet to return the 9 billion kilometers to earth. However operations at the Ross 154 or 70 Ophiuchi jump point are only 1.5 billion kilometers away.
High command eagerly awaits the first 2 120,000 liter per annum harvesters ready in 6 months, the more adequate 240,000 liter harvesters which will be retooled for in 1 year, and the first tanker ready in 3 years.
The situation is grim, meanwhile makeshift 500 ton tankers shift 260,000 litres at a time at a mere 1000 km/s, requiring 3.5 months each way.
Edit: did I say brief?
