28-12-2176 (3rd Solar War)
NAC Back story
The RNS Medway fleet tender had been supplying outposts and patrol groups along the border, they had stopped off at OTS-225 to replenish their stores and grant the crew some shore leave.
The Garland, a Heavy Frigate, was also docked with OTS-225, the ship had been having some issues with its life support for the last week and was getting it checked out.
The Druid sat far out as a picket ship while the Heavy Cruiser, Hawkins, sat in Orbit.
They had spent three days docked and were getting ready to depart, the Garlands life support had been fixed, the Medways crew was all back on board. The last shuttle had just dropped off the last of the crew to the Hawkins.
It took a further two hours to undock, clear the station and establish formation.
On the bridge of the Druid, Scan-Tech Freeman had been monitoring some objects drifting in system. He had initially thought they were asteroids but he just had a gut feeling they were not right.
Suddenly his board lit up, all six 'asteroids' started emitting EM signals and Thermal spikes.
"Contact" he called
Captain Henderson was at his side within seconds,
"What have we got?"
"Six contacts just came to life here sir"
He indicated the location on his screen.
Captain Henderson paused for few brief seconds as he calculated the situation.
"They've been on Silent Running, Red Alert!, Helm, put us on a return course to the Hawkins, Comms, open me a line to Captain Barker"
The bridge was a flurry if activity.
"Keep me updated on those contacts, I bet my life those are ESU vessels"
Freeman scanned the contacts, as their readings stabilised the computor could run more accurate data on them . . . 99.7% match, ESU vessel signatures.
NAC Forces
In Orbit
>RNS Hawkins Vandenburg/T class Heavy Cruiser
Senior Captain James Barker
>RNS Garland Tacoma Heavy Frigate
Captain Stephen Harwich
>RNS Druid Minerva/A Frigate
Captain Alexander Henderson
>RNS Medway Support Vessel
Captain John Parry
>Orbital Transfer Station OTS-225
Commander Lee Hastings
ESU Back Story
Admiral Sologubov was eager to get the operation started, he had come up with this idea. The NAC world of Grendal was out of the front lines for the war and had a minor Resupply depot.
If ESU Forces could capture it, they would open up a new front in the war and redirect NAC Forces from the front, it would also offer ESU Forces a staging point to attack NAC Forces and territory.
Two things had him concerned, his flight of Interceptors had been reassigned to a carrier that had lost craft, and had been replaced by the older YaK-67 Fighters.
And upon departing he had been informed by Colonel Volkov that the 59th battallion had suffered a large amount casualties in their last campaign, many of the replacements had just finished training.
Intelligence from operatives on world said the NAC had no air power, but NAC Marines were resourceful, he also hoped they would not be too much for the 59th.
They had jumped in at the extreme edge of the system to prevent NAC Forces from detecting any jump spikes, and had been drifting insystem on silent running for the past three weeks.
The weeks of waiting were now over, everyone's worries and fears disappeared as they now had a purpose, a job to do.
The ships powered up and battle was joined.
ESU Forces
Attack Force
>VKK Gangut Rostov Class Battledreadnought
Rear Admiral Aleksei Sologubov
Captain Yegor Volpin
>VKK Molotov Beijing/B Class Escort Cruiser
Captain Sergei Nosatov
>VKK Ognevoy Volga Class Super Destroyer
Captain Yuri Motsak
>VKK Strogiy Warsaw Class Destroyer
Captain Fyodor Ambrosov
>VKK Kerch Warsaw Class Destroyer
Commander Igor Dybenko
>VKK Ropucha Assault Ship (Carries 400 Troops) (4 Class 5 landers)
Senior Captain Viktor Lobov
Carrying the 59th battallion
Turn 1
The ESU attack Flotilla comes speeding in as the NAC ships start leaving the station, the Molotov makes an excellent long range shot against the Garland, the Gangut adds its own long-range shots knocking out the Heavy Frigates targeting array.
The NAC damage control teams show their worth as they quickly get the targeting Sensors back online.
Turn 2
As the two sides close in, the NAC vessels concentrate fire on the Battledreadnought, while ESU ships focus on the Heavy Cruiser.
The Gangut suffers some hull damage while the Hawkins has its armour stripped off.
Turn 3
The Gangut splits it's fire, damaging the Hawkins Hull, and with the combined fire from the Kerch they vent one of the Medways holds to space.
The Molotov opens up all guns on the closing Heavy Frigate, the NAC vessel is totally destroyed.
Turn 4
NAC Vessels go Full Thrust, deciding to save what they can. The Molotov continues escorting the Assaultship towards the planet as its guns turn on the station.
The ESU Destroyers start making maximum deceleration in order to start pursuing the NAC vessels, the Kerch manages to destroy the Druid.
The Gangut closes on the station pounding it with its beam batteries.
Turn 5
The NAC vessels burn off towards the jump point, the ESU Destroyers still decelerating.
With the ESU Battledreadnought overlooking them, they had suffered Heavy damage and their only beam battery knocked out, OTS-225 surrendered.
Aftermath
NAC
-Hawkins: Minor Damage
-Garland: Destroyed
-Druid: Destroyed
-Medway: Moderate Damage
-OTS-225: Heavy Damage, Captured
The Hawkins and Medway escaped the system with ESU Destroyers in close pursuit, they jumped out to the Closest starbase. Both ships required repairs and they needed to report on the Situation.
ESU
-Gangut: Light Damage
-Molotov: Undamaged
-Ognevoy: Undamaged
-Strogiy: Undamaged
-Kerch: Undamaged
-Ropucha: Undamaged
The Ognevoy, Strogiy and Kerch persued the NAC vessels to the jump point but were unable to close enough to destroy them, they took up position on the system edge to watch for any counter attack.
The Ganguts Naval Infantry boarded the station, they met no resistance and took command of the station, the Gangut eventually joined the Molotov and Ropucha in Orbit.
