Quoted By:
Rolled 2 (1d3)
You command Kryska to assemble a force of frigates to assault the pirate battle group. Her new ship; the <span class="mu-i">Castle</span> leads the charge, supported by Farside’s strike craft garrison for good measure.
The pirates attempt to bombard Kryska with torpedoes as she closes in but the <span class="mu-i">Castle</span> lays down a flak screen to protect the advance. Meanwhile the Herons snipe at the enemy frigates, scoring two kills as both forces close with each other. Wary of the flak screen the pirates hold back their own strike craft till the last moment, before committing them to a flanking attack. With the torpedo frigates forcing the <span class="mu-i">Castle</span> to maintain a defensive posture it’s down to your TILE fighters to intercept them.
Elsewhere in the system the herons play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the thunderbirds. One manages to clip the enemy engines with a lucky shot, making it unable to dodge the follow up. The second thunderbird actually manages to close with the attacking heron, just when it looks like the heron is about to be shredded by cannon fire it launches a barrage of missiles, forcing the thunderbird to break off its attack. In the moment of vulnerability the heron manages to snap off a shot with its railgun, putting a slug clean through the target's centre of mass… ammo explosions do the rest.
It turns out the thunderbirds had been sent to blind your surveillance network and distract your defenders. Shortly after your herons had committed to the engagement, new jump signatures were detected on the systems edge as fast moving excelsis frigates made a beeline for your industrial stations.
Fortunately for you, you had committed your patrol frigates in support of the herons. Once it became obvious what the enemy’s intentions were, they broke off and successfully intercepted the excelsis.
>cont
