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« Last post by Kurt on Today at 09:26:02 AM »
August 4, 2163, Rift System
The salvage effort of the destroyed Rifter and Terran ships is complete. A total of 116 Rifter systems of various types were recovered, along with over a hundred Terran systems from the destroyed bases. In addition, 27,000 tons of TN resources were recovered, including 5,500 tons of precious gallicite. The salvage ships set out for Terra.
August 24, 2163, 86 Cygni (Bob controlled Space)
Terran sensor buoys detect a barrage of nuclear explosions on the jump point to the Oct controlled system of HIP 84051, and then a new wreck appeared on the jump point.
September 19, 2163, Terra
The fast salvage ships deliver their load of components and raw materials to Terra on this date. The components are studied carefully, but none contain advanced tech, and although that is disappointing to the scientists and engineers on the examination teams, it is a relief to the naval high command. The Rifters have so far not demonstrated any tech in advance of the current Imperial standard.
November 27, 2163, Sol
The last four warships scheduled to be refitted with the new solid-core anti-matter drives go into the yards. The commercial yards are still working on the support fleet, in particular the troop transport squadrons, but the fleet is now in the final phase of the refitting program. However, the Io labs recently finished development work on a new generation of laser weaponry, with upgraded capacitors. Negotiations begin on targeted refits to upgrade some capital ships to the new standard before the fleet departs to Oct space.
December 15, 2163, Mu Puppis, Bob Territories
Sensors left in the Bob home system of Mu Puppis detected a flurry of explosions in the outer system and the appearance of a wreck at the explosion’s location, in spite of the fact that there had been no ships on their screens before this. This information was relayed back the forward base at Upsilon Puppis, and then back to the Empire.
The navy wasn’t ready to mount the planned Oct Pacification Campaign yet, but a squadron of newly refitted battlecruisers and carriers, supported by destroyers, was dispatched to bolster the forward base’s defenses.
January 29, 2164, Sol System
The Empire calls a halt to the refitting program for the commercial fleet. Stocks of gallicite are dangerously low, and stockpiles across the empire have been emptied to fuel the refit of the fleet and its support units. Until those stockpiles can be replenished, no further refits will be authorized. Similarly, plans to expand the fleet will have to be put on hold, at least for now.
February 21, 2164, Sol System
Troop Transports begin loading Imperial Guard troops for transport to the forward base in Upsilon Puppis. The first wave will consist of two corps of Imperial Guard troops, and the newly constructed 1st Super Heavy Armor Division.
September 22, 2164, V577 Monoceri System, Shield Forward Base
At 0600 hours Shield Base Naval Operations Center received a distress call from a small civilian freighter crossing the Sigma Cephei system. Sigma Cephei was an uninteresting system three jumps from Shield Base, on the route between Shield and the new colony in the Omega Pegasi system. Sigma Cephei had no Terran naval presence, which meant that the small freighter was likely doomed.
During the major refit and build up to the offensive against the Oct’s beyond Bob space, Shield Base’s squadron had been reduced, but as the attacker was likely a small group of raiders, Captain Feng wasn’t too worried. He dispatched a strike carrier, jump cruiser, and a destroyer to investigate and hunt down any remaining raiders.
The three Terran ships arrived in Sigma Cephei on the 27th. During their voyage to the system the raiders had hunted down and destroyed a second small freighter. The squadron immediately set out for the location of the wrecks.
Just over nine hours later, as they were about half way to the wrecks, a third small freighter reported that it was under attack in-system of the previous attacks. The Terran squadron was fifteen hours away. It took the raiders forty-five seconds to destroy the freighter, after which they hunted down the life pods.
At 0734 on the 28th the Terran Squadron picked up a Raider ship on their sensors. It was immediately identified as a salvage class ship, and was at the location of the first ship to be destroyed. Captain Feng ordered the Phobos to launch her fighters to run down the salvage ship while the squadron continued on towards the last known location of the Raider attack ship(s).
When the fighter squadron reached its own sensor range of the salvage ship it detected two Raider class ships, and two light raiders, escorting the salvage ship. The fighters continued closing.
The raiders waited to the last minute to begin running, but it was far too late. One light raider pulled away from the other four ships at full speed, while the other three armed-raiders limited their speed to that of the salvage ship they were escorting. The fighters launched a salvo of Sparrow III ASM(L)’s at the three warships in close proximity to the salvage ship. These were the Empire’s latest missiles, an improvement over the Sparrow IIb’s that had been used in previous engagements. The Sparrow III’s were 10,000 km/s faster, at 52,800 km/s, had more range, and were equipped with the Empire’s latest development, laser warheads. Eighty-eight ASM(L)’s roared away from the fighters, divided between the three warships.
All three warships took multiple penetrating hits, and one was reduced to drifting. Their missiles launched, the fighters turned towards the Phobos to rearm. Captain Feng ordered his squadron to chase down the lead raider while the fighters returned to their bays. The Jump Cruiser Destructor and destroyer Henderson took the fleeing light raider under fire at 1107 hours, scoring only one hit at extreme range. The two warships relentlessly closed on the fleeing ship and pounded it to scrap, then turned on the group of damaged raiders still covering the salvage ship.
The Terran squadron closed with the group of two raider warships escorting the salvager and opened fire at 380,000 kilometers range. By the time they had closed to 200,000 kilometers the lone medium raider had been destroyed and the squadron shifted fire to the damage light raider. It only took two salvoes to eliminate the light raider, after which the Terran squadron shifted to targeting the salvager.
With the salvager gone, the Terran squadron set its course for the medium raider that had been crippled during the missile attack, while their fighters set out for the location of the most recent attack. It only took two salvoes to eliminate the medium raider, after which the squadron turned to follow their fighters. During the engagement a pair of raider ships had appeared in between the fighter’s location and the site of the last attack, a light raider and an Echo class ship, which was a suspected commercial ship of some sort.
At 1303 hours the fighters launched twenty-four ASM(L)’s at the lone light raider escorting the Echo class ship. The medium raider survived, but was left drifting. The fighters left the drifting warship and the Echo class ship for the following warships and set out for the scene of the last attack. Once there they found nothing except for lift pods containing twenty-one crew members of the civilian freighter.
After destroying the Echo and the crippled medium raider with laser fire, the squadron set its course for the life pods, which were being watched over by the fighters. Once the life pods were recovered the fighters had landed, the squadron set out for the inner system to determine if there were any more raiders lurking in the system. When no more raiders were detected, the squadron set its course for Shield Base.
Back on Terra, the fleet is nearly ready to set out for Bobruisk space to confront the Octs.
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