Link to sign-up for the Alpha Centauri 2 challenge.Writing Style #8: Simplicity
Black Box recordings Classic Missiles fighting Guass Tanks1st June 2026: 00:00
Opposing fleets enter the Alpha Centauri System.
5th June 2026: 00:24
Guass EM sensors detect the Falaq active scanners.
5th June 2026: 5:14
Missile Fleet detects Guass fleet on active scanners.
5th June 2026 6:35
Missile fleet launches the first of 3 SuckerPunch waves consisting of 8 salvos of 3 missiles. Each wave targets a different ship of a different class.
5th June 2026 7:18
Guass fleet detects the first approaching wave of missiles. 10 seconds later Guass turrets destroy every missile. The Guass fleet goes on to destroy every incoming missile.
5th June 2026 7:20
The Classic missile fleet begins the regrettably necessary task of closing to a point blank range of 128k km. The two fath colliers that still have full ammunition loads are detached to stay clear of the fighting.
5th June 2026 13:41
The Guass particle beams open fire for the first time at a range of 146k km. Fire is split between one Falaq and one Nahid. 5 shots hit.
The Missile fleet then launches, targeting the Cacle first. 4 missiles are destroyed by CIWS, but the armor is breached and one CIWS is destroyed. The second wave looses only 1 missile and destroys the Cacle with massive overkill.
5th June 2026 13:42
The Missile fleet has no EM sensors and is unable to detect the resolution 1 scanners used by the Guass fleet. They decide to target the Moyotes next since those are firing twice as many of the pesky particle cannons. By now one missile ship, Falaq 015, is streaming atmosphere through holes in the thin armor.
5th June 2026 13:42:41
Falaq 015 is now only marginally combat capable. Roughly half of all combat related components have been destroyed, and the armor belt is reduced to small scabby patches of protection. Orders are given for the wounded Falaq to withdraw.
5th June 2026 13:43:06
After repeated pounding the Moyote tank is finally starting to stream atmosphere. The wounded Falaq is still floundering trying to acknowledge orders and has drifted 14k km closer to the gauss fleet. While the Falaq continues to take the majority of hits, the Nahid 011 has also started to stream atmosphere.
5th June 2026 13:43:46
The injured Falaq -finally- gets under way after drifting to within 85k km of the enemy. The targeted Moyote is still stubbornly alive, even if it has fallen out of formation due to engine damage. With only 6 ASM missiles left to fire the rest of the missile fleet is given orders to retreat to a safe distance to rearm from colliers.
5th June 2026 13:44:46
The missile fleet makes good its escape with no losses, even if the Falaq 15 is too badly damaged to risk in combat again.
5th June 2026 18:01
The lightly damaged Nahid has finishes field repairs, and the missile fleet transfers the last collier carried ASM to the attack ships.
5th June 2026 21:35:36
Round 2 begins. The Gauss tanks target one of the smaller Fath colliers. Both of their previously damaged targets stayed behind for this fight.
5th June 2026 21:36:11
The first wave of point blank Suckerpunch strike the previously damaged Moyote, destroying it.
5th June 2026 21:36:41
The second wave of point blank missiles strikes the remaining Moyote. The guass fleet realizes the wave was smaller than when the fleets first met and correlates this with the absence of the previusly damaged ships. The particle guns switch targets to one of the Falaq.
5th June 2026 21:37:41
The 2nd Moyote is destroyed by the 4th wave of point blank missile in the clash. The guass have less than a third of their starting particle cannons still firing. The Missile fleet is down to 6 ASMs. Orders are given to empty magazines into a Zenzontle and begin the retreat.
30th June 2026 17:54:06
Missile reinforcements make transit, and identify the Zenzontle as having Res-1 scanners. The Zenzontle open fire with two guass turrets and the particle beam each while holding the remainder for point defense. This totals about 25 points of damage every tick.
30th June 2026 17:54:31
The guass tanks fire targeting the Flaq, Nahid, and one of the Fath. The Fath starts to immediately vent atmosphere.
30th June 2026 17:55:11
The missile reinforcements finally overcome their terror and confusion and start moving. The Nahid and one of the Fath have already been destroyed.
30th June 2026 17:55:21
The Falaq manages to limp outside of guass turret range. Slowed as it is it is still faster than the guass tanks. The Fath didn't make it.
30th June 2026 17:55:56
63k km into its run for freedom particle cannon hits destroy the Falaq's last engine leaving it dead in space. Three more rounds of particle beam shots are enough to make the kill.
30th June 2026 18:00
The Missile Fleet surrenders.
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Alternative Ending:
5th June 2026 13:42
Instead of targeting the Moyote the Missile fleet hypothetically targets the Zenzontles instead. The next two clashes play out as before, but leave two intact Moyotes instead of intact Zeenzontles.
30th June 2026
With no active scanners the Moyote are helpless to stop the missile reinforcements. The Missile fleet now has 120 new ASMs to use to take down the arriving guass reinforcements.
6th July 2026
Having found the Cacles, the missile fleet once again closes to point blank range and opens fire: launching 6 waves of 20 missiles, with two waves targeting each cacle.
When the dust clears all three cacles are heavily damaged beyond complete repair, but all are intact and one still has a working active scanner.
8th July 2026
All reinforcing cacles finish repairing at least one engine, and make speed toward the missile fleet entry point. Faced with proof that they can't stop fleet guass the missile fleet surrenders.
Winner: Guass fleet.
Casualties:
Guass Fleet: 1x Cacle, 2x Moyote
Classic Missiles: 1 reinforcement wave.
The Classic Missile fleet might have won if they were allowed to use their AMM offensively. Alternatively, they may have won if the fath colliers carried only half as many AMMs to make room for an extra 17 ASMs per collier.