MEANWHILE IN ORBIT ANOTHER BATTLE RAGES
+ + + + + + + ASSYRIAN STAR EMPIRE + + + + + + +
For those of you who may not have noticed the space action in the background while the UDSM Commander achieved escape velocity in his make shift rocket chair then here is some info. The situation between the Britannian Navy and Assyrian Demi-Destroyer went to hell. Despite repeated attempts to hail the Britannian ships and have them stand down the two squadrons of Britannian Strike Fighter kept closing to attack range. Making a judgement call the Assyrian Commander captaining the Venus engaged with point defence and blasted both squads from the void. Diplomacy having failed and the Britannian Ships targeting and shields starting to engage the Assyrians outclassed spent no time coming to a decision... Politics be damned, people were dying down there! The fighters launched by the Agamemnon are swatted aside with a torrent of point defence laser fire.
[Rules are nothing fancy, Britannian Crew and Tech are lower so most Skill rolls work on a 5+ to hit or succeed on a D6 roll. Assyrian Tech and Crew are Elite so have on most rolls a 4+ with one re-roll per turn of combat. However, The Britannian Ship has more numerous main weapons than the Venus, but the Venus is far more manoeuvrable AND has a super weapon. Britannian Fighters are 2nd Generation and so require to get within knife range to launch an attack. Each Ship gets to make a repair roll for shields and damage at he end of every three combat turns and each may perform a Captains Hero Feat once at any point within the three combat turns, for any skill roll].
The Britannian Battlecruiser Agamemnon takes the full brunt of the Super Laser which cuts through the larger ships shielding and hull effortlessly.
The Britannian Battlecruiser Boadicea bombards the Venus as she pores on the speed. The Assyrians divert as much power as they can to shields, specifically the rear.
Keel severed and blazing fires erupting throughout the ship the Agamemnon refuses to quit and blasts of energy span the void in fury. The Venus with her smaller main guns makes up for the fact with more advanced technology and an Elite Crew. Both ships rake each other relentlessly.
Three of the Boadicea's Valkyre fighters race forward and attract the Venus' defensive fire. Despite their tight twisting evasive manoeuvres two fighters die.
Meanwhile the Boadicea fires volley after volley of Canon Battery fire but the Venus's shields refuse to give.
But a lucky shot shorts out a shield at the wrong moment and the Venus loses a secondary engine assembly to the Boadicea's Grand Battery before she can pull behind the wrecked Agamemnon.
Another squadron of Valkyrie push the envelope powering to attack speed in pursuit.
The Boadicea continues to fire as she comes about to engage the Venus with her main weapons.
But the Assyrian Captain uses his Hero Feat to make an emergency manoeuvre to starboard and the Venus responds swinging her nose about without undue stress on the ships hull.
On the far side of the Agamemnon there is no let up from the fusillade of shots, thankfully the Agamemnon's Grand Battery was taken out previously so the weight of firepower rests solely with the Assyrian Ship.
The Assyrians use the advantage to strip the Agamemnon of her last Main Battery and another hit explodes on the main decks leaving the ship a powerless hulk.
The Valkyrie fighters catch up with the Venus and commence their attack runs. One is blasted apart by deadly point defence.
The Valkyrie slash in to knife edge ranges and release their payload.
Two attacks fail to penetrate the shields but the shields are overwhelmed and the last attack hits!
Another secondary engine is lost and the ships speed and manoeuvring decreases.
While the Britannian Boadicea struggles to clear a line of sight to the Venus the Captain takes the opportunity to use the lull in the fighting to fire a MK-IV "Fat-Man" Torpedo at the planet below. The Commander breathes a sigh of relief, mission accomplished!