So over the years, I've posted 1 story AAR and 2 life stories of characters in the game in Reddit. Today, as I played it I got inspired-ish.
So this is an entirely fictional account of a Battle using ships I designed in a system I imagined.
—-
Battle for Cygnus A a Fiction Story
YXX13, 1 jump from Cygnus A onboard HOS Burgundy, Flagship of the 2nd Fleet Zulu Combat Command
Master Arabella Paidar sat on her command chair and faced the 6 projections in front of her. She took note of their stoic faces and wondered if they were really as impassive as they looked.
Thinking that she started. “So Paladins any updates?”
The two Paladins of both fleets and the four Paladin Squires commanders of the four flotilla looked at one another and soon looked towards Paladin Isador, commander of the 1st Battle Fleet. She composed herself and looked towards a point off center before looking back towards her superior and started her briefing.
“Master, our Battle Group is currently 2 hours from the Jump point towards Cygnus A. As you know raiders have been harassing shipping in the system and the planetary governor has been raising hell with High command.”
“Fleet intelligence has indicated 11 contacts, 4 of sizes estimated around 9k tons and 6 at 12k tons. The final contact while still being confirmed has been identified to be around 20k tons.”
“We don’t know their full capabilities yet but Quincy, our diplomatic ship that encountered them reported nearly 200 missiles were launched at them over 2 hours of contact she had with the enemy fleet as she ran for safety.” She looked sad as she said the next moment “Quincy reported they took down nearly 160 missiles before she was struck by a salvo that came too close with another salvo and wasn’t able to shoot those down. Knight Captain Orion died with with his ship”
There was a sudden intake of air from all the paladins present as everyone remembered that the commander of the Holy Order’s name was Mersadie Orion.
“Elder Mersadie was very clear with her orders. We are to hunt and sink all enemy ships in the Cygnus A System.”
As she said that, Paladin Meng the commander of the 2nd Battle Fleet looked up from a panel he was looking at and reported. “That does tell us something of their missile capabilities though, Quincy reported initial passive contact with their fleet at 20 million klicks. Their active sensors then picked up the missiles entering their active ranges soon after.” He looked around the holo displays again and said “Say they opened fire at 20 million klicks and the Qunicy was able to shoot down 160 missiles. Granted the ship mounted 5 CIWS defense systems more than any of our current warships, but we got 40 ships. Better armor, better sensors if anything we should be able to hammer the aliens easily!”
Paladin Squire Indrick his 3rd flotilla commander spoke up next “Quincy was a not a warship, the CIWS systems on her was also outdated. We on the other hand have the most advanced systems available to us” He smiled as he looked towards Arabella, “Sir, I recommend we go in hard, let the frigate squadrons cover our advance and once we are close enough, our heavy lasers should make short work of their ships.”
As he closed with that, the other paladins nodded their heads and turned towards Arabella. She took in their determination and gave a smile of her own. “Indrick, your plan seems simple enough. While we do have to devise a more suitable plan of action, the idea is there. We are here to follow the orders of the Elder! All of you should gather your staff and make an attack plan. Report back in 2 hours, we will hold at the Jump Point and once we select the best course of action. We shall purge the xeno-scum from our space!”
She stood up and drew her sword and yelled out. “For Holy Terra and the Order!” and watch with satisfaction as the other paladins did the same.
—-
YXX13, in Cygnus A, Outside Jump point charlie.
The 2nd Fleet jumped into Cygnus A a day later, upon which the fleet started a full burn towards Cygnus B1, a small rocky planet just 2 billion km from the sole colony in the system.
As Arabella received reports from the colony and their garrison commander, she frowned and turned towards Knight Captain Eun-Young's display showing the ship bridge and the organized chaos that was playing out behind him. “Is this right? Captain?” and looked up at the display. “They did nothing? The aliens did not push in to raid the colony?”
Captain Eun-Young also turned to face Arabella and reported back. “Master we have received the most up to date reports and our sensors report the same thing. The aliens are holding at their last reported location and we are sure that they did not move, our passive sensors are already picking them out at the maximum range.” Arabella looked towards her own sensor officer and saw the nod he gave her and turned back to Eun-Young. “Ok then it looks like a slug fight is on the table. Give the order to the fleet and let them know to proceed with Plan Gamma”
Captain Eun-Young saluted and spoke “For the Order!, Sir” She watched her flag captain and her communications officer on her own flag bridge start distributing orders and sat back while watching the monitors. “What next?” she muttered watching the unmoving contacts on her sensor displays and wondered what was to come. She suddenly felt something in her guts but waved it off.
History, it seems, loves to repeat itself. The battle would be a very long one for Arabella and she would never forgive herself for what would come next.
—-
YXX13 in Cygnus A 4 hours from Raider Fleet, 30 million klicks.
Everything seemed fine and they were 2 hours from the raiders expected launch range when the sensors on all 4 of the Destroyer Leaders saw the same thing.
Arabella was in her stateroom when the klaxons started blaring the same message over and over again. “Battle Stations! Battle Stations!” as Knight Captain Eun-Young's voice came over the alarms.
She ran out and into the elevators waiting to bring her towards the flag deck. She entered the room and glanced at the holo projectors showing her paladins and their flag decks as well as the bridge deck of the HOS Burgundy. She did not like what she saw.
The organized chaos that was there was still visible but when you see multiple combat decks and all their crews speaking with more urgency and in her mind signs of panic in their voice. Even she could not help but be affected.
She turned towards Eun-Young and he spoke with haste as he met her eyes. “Sir! Primary sensors are now picking up multiple incoming, We believe them to be missiles. They crossed the 4 million klick inner detection ring just seconds ago!”
“If this is correct, their launch range is significantly larger than expected and we just waltz into their kill zone.” She frowned and stared at the plot showing the missiles coming in at 20k km/s almost twice the rated speed for tracking on their CIWS and Gauss turrets.
She then noticed the numbers. Spinning back to the communication displays she spoke to no one in particular “200 a salvo!? How many salvos have we detected!” Paladin Squire Romulus, her 4th flotilla commander, replied with a heavy tone. “Sir we have just seen the 8th salvo crossing into our detection zone, I recommend we start defensive action!”
She looked at the plot again and saw the 9th salvo coming in and said nothing for a minute watching even more salvos come into range. “Defensive fire is authorized, Laser and Gauss batteries are to start area defensive fire. Pull all ships in tighter for better anti missile coordination” She then looked towards the flotilla commanders. “Push the frigates forward, they were designed for this work.” All of her commanders tightened their eyes and nodded, they knew that it was the best chance for their destroyers to survive and close into the alien fleet.
She then watched as orders were given and the men and women of her fleet brought their guns to bare. She knew it wasn't enough. 200 missiles and salvos around 20 seconds apart. It would break them. She prayed it would not.
Break them, it tried, the salvos stopped after the 20th one came into range. The defensive fire of the River class frigates tore into the salvos, each River class ship came with 3 batteries of Quad Gauss turrets and they fired non-stop. Even the jump and leader class frigates mounted at least 1 battery of turrets.
By the end of the 20 salvos, 40 ships became 31. 6 Rivers 1 Counties (Leader) and 2 Minbari (Jump) frigates lay stricken as the fleet pushed forward and left their wrecks behind.
The damage to the fleet was just as significant, all the remaining frigates were damaged to a degree and some of the destroyers took heavy armor damage. Some 2500 crew died in a span of 10 minutes of desperate fire and explosions, The Holy Order lost ¼ of its Heavy elements in 10 minutes and they were still needed to close to gun range of the alien fleet.
—-
YXX13 in Cygnus A 3 hours from Raider Fleet, 22 million klicks.
Master Arabella Paidar knew her career was over as she watched screens of damage reports, one screen showing the flag deck of the 1st Battle Strike Flotilla showing artifacts and when it was working a damaged and burning deck.
She knew Paladin Squire Boreas was dead, Paladin Isador who also had her flag bridge on the same ship was still out of contact. She prayed Isador was still alive and in the meantime Paladin Squire Zhang Soo-Kyung would have to command both flotilla of the 1st Battle Group.
Her flag deck was still calm but as she glanced up towards the bridge deck display she saw her Flag Captain standing at his command console and directing damage control teams, His XO who should have been doing that Knight-Lieutenant Tycho died when the Auxiliary control bridge was blown up from a missile strike.
Even now she prayed for the souls of those who were lost and blamed herself for underestimating the enemies. She turned towards the remaining flag offices and gave her next orders. “Transfer the wounded to the ships most heavily damaged and direct them back to Jump point, the Rescue squadron and logistic fleets have already jumped and will know the results of this battle soon.” She sighed and looked towards the plot and the 11 red glowing dots. “We got hammered badly and they still aren’t damaged. They may have fired all their offensive missiles but we can’t be sure. Tighten the formation and rotate the ships to ensure we have full fields of fire for anything else”
She turned back to the displays and narrowed her eyes. “We still aren’t out of the fight and we still got our main batteries! I want constant reports on anything that happens with the alien fleet from now on and our sensor watch is to be kept on high rotation to ensure we don’t get caught flat footed again!”
Hearing the assembled paladins reply back in the affirmative, she turned back to the plot and sat impassively, watching and waiting for the next phase of the battle to start.
—-
YXX13 in Cygnus A 10 minutes from Raider Fleet, 1.2 million klicks.
The two fleets came within 1.2 million klicks and…
To be continued
