Clash of Steel: Battle of XL-387-G. Turn 4

 

"Na'Tor, Captain of the Shor'Li-Ka, rubbed his temples in frustration as he reviewed the sensor information his ship, a cramped and borderline obsolete Sho'Kar class Scout Cruiser, was collecting.

The initial excitement of the first few days of the expedition had worn off weeks ago. There were two hostile forces in the system. The hated Centauri, and the Dilgar. The War Leader had decided to keep the bulk of the Narn Task force concentrated at the trade outpost. They had plenty of supplies, kindly donated by the Centauri, but they were expecting re-supply shortly. While the majority of his comrades enjoyed the spoils of war, the crews of the Shor'Li-Ka and her sistership the Sho-Vi kept the  Centauri and Dilgar, respectively, under observation The stealth properties of the Scout Cruisers lent themselves to the assignment very well, even if their sensors were somewhat out dated. 

A soft chime sounded and Na'Tors attention was drawn to the tactical display. numerous contacts were emerging from the radiation field surrounding the fifth Planet. The Centauri were on the move"

Overview so far

The First 3 turns of the campaign had seen little in the way of confrontation, and the battles that had occured were small. The Dilgar have a slight advantage at this point, having lost the fewest number of ships, and secured the best strategic objectives but all 3 forces are mostly intact. Free objectives are running short, and a more intense period of encounters is likely.

Turn 4.

Leaving only a few light forces around the Gas Giant, the majority of the Centauri fleet emerged from the radiation cloud. They were decelerating hard to allow themselves to be caught by the gravity of the star and fall towards the planets of the inner system. Their maneuvers were observed by both the Narn and the Dilgar and it was clear their objective was the 4th planet in the system. It was a temperate world just on the edge of the habitable zone, and while there was life, it was not in any way sentient. It would be an excellent position for the Centauri to threaten any of the planets closer to the star. it was far easier to move towards the red dwarf than it was away from it.

So, the Centauri were coming out of their hiding place mused Tor'dhur, War Captain of this expedition. He grinned in anticipation. He had grown bored over the past few weeks, the indigenous population of Ptarlack had proven to be a disappointment and he had designated them for disposal. The planet proved suitable for settlement by the Dilgar, it was a little cold, but the situation was desperate. He briefly considered his options, and then sent an order to all ships. They would move out and meet the Centauri. Their current course would make avoiding battle difficult, and their efforts to mask their fleet in the shadow of the 4th planet meant that, with a little luck, they could catch them by surprise. He was leaving Ptarlack undefended of course. The Narn forces at the trade station could just move in unopposed, but the planet wasn't going anywhere, and once the Centauri were gone, they would have the high ground.

Shor'Li-Ka, Always watching

The Shor'Li-Ka sent word that the Centauri were moving almost the entirety of their force towards the 4th planet in the system. Simultaneously the Sho-Vi reported that the Dilgar fleet was moving to meet them. Warleader J'Kon resisted the urge to do likewise. Supplies and reinforcements were due to arrive, and he wanted to observe how the situation developed. with any luck, the Centauri and Dilgar would annihilate each other and leave the system to the Narn, and they wouldn't have to fire a shot. He was well aware that this could be a clever ruse, and ordered the fleet to a higher level of readiness. If anything changed, or an opportunity presented itself, they would be ready to depart at very short notice. all that remained was to watch events unfold.

The First Clash of Steel.

Both the Dilgar and the Centauri decided to try to seize control of the temperate planet, it was the only objective still uncontrolled that would provide any resources to any of the fleets in the system, excepting of course the trade route which would require constant allocation of forces.
The Scenario was A Call to Arms, 8 points, at War level, and both sides would be able to bring their full ship roster. the campaign could be decided in a single battle. If both sides were to sustain heavy losses, then it would be a simple matter for the Narn to sweep away the survivors.


The Dilgar lost the roll to deploy, despite having a huge number of scout ships in their roster. one of the Dilgar Fleets great strengths is having a patrol level scout.

Dilgar Fleet Deploys for battle

The Dilgar fleet consisted of: 1x Mankhat (represented here by the G'Quan) 2x Tikrit Gra, 2x Wahant, 2x Tratharti, 2x Garasoch, 2x Kahtrik So, 2x Ni'Tratha, 3x Ochlivata, and 12x Jashakar of various types.
The Heavy armour 6 ships, the Mankhat, Wahant and Kahtriks were massed in the center, with lighter forces deployed behind. There were quite a few missiles available to the Dilgar, and with there being no features on the board, they would have relatively free reign to choose their targets. the central position meant that they could cover most of the board on the first turn.

Centauri deploy to meet them.

The Centauri fleet deployed to meet the Dilgar, with the force being split into 2 forces. the heavier ships opposite the Dilgar counterparts, a strong flanking force to push the Dilgar right flank (the centauri left) and the Carrier and Elutarian missile ships towards the rear. Centauri forces were composed of: 

1x Octurian, 1x Primus, 1x Dargan, 2x Centurion, 6x Vorchan Demos, 2x Elutarian, 1x Corvan, 2x Kutai, 2x Maximus, 1x Sullust, 3x Haven, 1x Balvarian. One of the Havens had been rolled as an upgrade to a Demos.

The Fleets Maneuver into position

The two forces closed with each other, the Dilgar decided to concentrate as much fire as possible on the Centauri left flank and maneuvered accordingly, and moved their torpedofighters to attack the Dargan and Demos' moving towards the Garasoch's just behind the fighters.

The Centauri meanwhile were maneuvering to catch the Dilgar capital ships in the flank, the only wrinckle to this would be the pair of Tikrit Gra bearing down on the fragile Demos' they had the firepower and speed to go through whatever was in front of them.
The Centauri meanwhile were maneuvering to catch the Dilgar capital ships in the flank, the only wrinckle to this would be the pair of Tikrit Gra bearing down on the fragile Demos' they had the firepower and speed to go through whatever was in front of them.

The ELINT ships relayed targeting information to their fleets, and with the bulk of the fleets in weapons range, the space between them was filled with beams of energy, bolts of plasma, and barrages of missiles.

Torpedoes stream into the Centauri fleet

The First Target of the Dilgar was the Dargan. the stealth had been degraded by the Dilgar ELINT ships. Torpedoes flew into the ship, its EW systems unable to do very much and armour plates buckled, compartments vented and flames erupted from parts of the ship. The lead Demos on the flank was also targeted. The Centauri fighters were desperately trying to close with the Thoruns, but hadn't quite made it.

Weapons fire was now crossing the space between the fleets turning it into an inferno. A Centurion was the first casualty, a pair of Tratharti gunships pouring bolter fire into it until it was torn to pieces by internal explosions. They would not last long, Missiles from the Elutarians and beams from all around pounding them into submission. The Dargan on the Centauri Left flank was blasted to pieces by missiles from the Wahant, and a Demos was blasted into scrap by fire from all around. one of the Tikrit Gra heavy gunships had its prow shattered by beams from the Octurion, and missiles from Demos' before it too was pounded into a tumbling wreck. The battle at this intensity would be short, but it was going to get more intense!

The Battle Intensifies

The Forces continued to maneuver, the Wahants turning to bring their rear missiles into action and the Mankhat charging ahead so that it could fire its bolters in all directions. The Centauri left flank had borne a lot of the fire from the Dilgar last turn, and the Dilgar meant to finish the job. The problem though, was the Centauri main force now closing on what had become their rear. Seeing the danger, the Jashakar frigates charged into weapons range. some would be destroyed, but hopefully a few, or if they were fortunate, most, would get to respond.

The Centauri fired volleys in to one of the Kahtriks, and it tumbled out of formation. Centauri fighters engaged in a rough melee with the Dilgar Thoruns The Centauri had the upper hand, but there were just too many, and a massive volley of torpedoes, from all directions blasted the Corvan into a drifting wreck.

The Mankhat was in a prime position, and ready to deal some immense damage having ships all around, but the Centauri Primus had accelerated to get behind it, and a volley of Ion fire blasted through the engines into the armoured citadel of the ship. one of the missile magazines detonated. the hull of the ship warped as the armour plates directed the blast rear wards. an engine was torn off the ship, shrapnel tore through control wires, power cables and in to the crewed areas at the very center of the ship, the safest place to be. In a fraction of a second the ship had turned in to an inferno. most of the crew killed or injured. the bridge smashed, weapons incinerated. a gaping hole in the rear of the ship spewed flames, rents in the armour spewed atmosphere. miraculously, the ship held together, barely.

The firing continued. a second centurion was torn to pieces by the Wahants, who in return were being pounded by the rest of the Centauri fleet. A Kutai misjudged and was cut in two by bolter fire. Jashakars exploded as the Octurion brought them under fire, and the Tikrit Gra that had made so far avoided any fire on the Centauri right tore through a Demos turning it into a rapidly expanding ball of fire and spinning metal, before itself being targetted by all weapons that could be brought to bear. it weathered the fire but armour plates were torn off, and the hull glowed brightly as it took numerous hits. One of the Garosoch carriers was pounded by ion fire, the shots tearing through its hangars and engineering spaces. a few more hits and it would be finished.

Fate would intervene on the side of the Dilgar though....

The Narn Fleet had decided they would intervene if the situation warranted it. With both the Centauri and Dilgar heavily engaged, they could jump in and sweep both depleted forces out of the system.
The Shor'Li-Ka had shadowed the Centauri fleet and sent information back to Warleader J'Kon. Almost the entirety of the Narn fleet jumped in to hyperspace, and at battle stations, were set to emerge at the perfect moment.

Just as the final calculations were being made, the Star Flared, blanketing the area in ionizing radiation. sensors were overloaded, weapon locks were lost, ship systems were forced to shut down and reboot. the firing stopped, and the blind fleets of the Centauri and Dilgar grew further apart. When ship systems on both sides came back online, the two forces were too far away to re-engage easily and numerous jump points were opening. They were too far away for whatever was coming through to catch either force and with only rudimentary sensors available, the Centauri and Dilgar fleets raced away from the area, leaving the Narn floating in space. they quickly re-entered hyperspace, and slipped back to the Trade Outpost to ensure the safe arrival of the supply fleet.

Losses *

Dilgar: 2x Tratharti Gunship, 1x Kahtrik So 1x Tikrit Gra heavy Gunship, 1x Jashakar. 1x Garasoch Heavy carrier Crippled, 1x Mankhat crippled.

Centauri: 1x Dargan, 2x Centurion 3x Demos 1x Corvan, 2x Kutai 1x Demos Crippled.

19-22 Dilgar victory. Seize Temperate planet

Narn Regime Seize Trade Route.

Both the Dilgar and the Centauri had taken a pounding, and next turn would see the Narn Regime decide whom to target. Ships in both fleets were being withdraw for repairs, which meant that the Narn had a brief window of superiority in which to push for an advantage.

*Authors note: the battle ended due to being out of time at the local club. The Centauri player, David, is just getting back in to the game, so was playing quite slowly. Nevertheless, the Centauri were in the better position. They had suffered a lot of damage to lighter units, and lost a Dargan, but the Mankhat was crippled, the remaining Tikrit was at half health, one of the Wahants was a few points from being crippled, and the Jashakars were all in position to be swept away. If the game had continued in to a third turn, the Centauri would likely have lost a few more ships, but the damage to the Dilgar fleet would have been much worse. The Centauri were robbed by time. On the plus side, the campaign isn't over, because I suspect after a few more turns, there would have been relatively little left on either side.