Welcome to the Home of Game Strategies and Stories
19 Aug 06
The problem with a reinforcing command ship arriving is that you don't always start off the battle with your best ships. It took some rapid rearranging to get the new battle group formed up and ready. Fortunately, the defenses had been severely depleted. Still, with an active gate there, I had expected more reinforcements. Perhaps I've impacted the Hiver economy more than I know. Or perhaps he has most of his spare ships tied up in long interstellar journeys like the force closing in on Rychopre.
Given my concerns, I had actually launched half of the third wave right after launching the second. I didn't want to risk losing the battle at Rozokor. With that in mind, the primary goal for the regrouped fleet was to fight through the front lines and then go after the gate ship. Then they could clear out any remaining ships. Finally all guns would turn on the planet and the satellites.
The new group tore through the first batch of destroyers. That left only two cruisers between me and the gate ship. With the new assault cruisers, I finally had the edge in firepower. The combination of torpedoes from them and the torpedo boats made quick work of the first cruiser. That left three of the cruisers to engage the remaining Hiver cruiser while the rest of the fleet locked on to the gate ship.
With the still intact rings of defenses, the planet was a dangerous fighting ground. However the gate represented too much of a risk not to remove it. The remaining cruiser went down quickly so soon all weapons were locked on the destroyer sized gate ship. Even though my ships were taking a pounding from the defenses, they didn't have to weather it for long. The entire fleet relaxed a bit as the gate ship exploded.
The command ship with its shields and a plasma cruiser were detailed to take on the satellites. The remaining ships took up close orbit and started pounding the planet. By the time we had to pull back, the population had been reduced by sixty percent and about a third of the satellites had been taken out. We had only lost the plasma cruiser.
The damaged planet was only able to produce an additional three destroyers to help their defense while my fleet was strengthened by the arrival of some of the planetary barrage cruisers. The more space combat oriented ships were swapped out and the final cleansing of the planet began. The new destroyers were quickly swept away. Then the planet was attacked. The beam weapons made short work of the population. Then it was just a matter of clearing out the satellites. We would have claimed the planet for our colonies, but alas it was still beyond the abilities of our terraforming technology.
Meanwhile the Rychopre defenses had been built up and the defense fleet modernized. The Hivers actually arrived earlier than estimated. Their attack was swift and fierce but they had no cruiser support. The initial attack took place close enough to the planet to bring the defenses full into play. The combined firepower was pretty, but only one side was dying. It wasn't the Liir.
We had to give the Hivers credit. Those ships were tough. It took so long to chew through their assault ships that we couldn't round up all their support vessels after we had won. That meant we'd have to wait a moment to destroy the gate ship. Even so they did not have the firepower to withstand us then. Though the gate ship was the last to go, it was still an easy victory.
Upon considering it our elders pointed out that had come from across the great rift. That meant that it wasn't using their best technology and that the Hivers had spread further than we had known. The battles had been won, but war kept getting more interesting. Soon we will get a response from the Humans regarding our offer of non aggression. We will see what the universe has in store for us.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
17-18 Aug 06
We now had a few goals. The Hiver colony at Rozokor had to be removed. The Hiver gate network had to be detected and destroyed. Then we needed to explore the other side of the rift and find what the Lizards and Humans were up to. The last was troubling since we had seen incursions from both forces.
We sent the remains of the defense fleet from Tuumen out to look for Hiver gates. We also built small scout groups to check in on the planets we did not control. More Hiver gates meant more trouble. They were to identify first then destroy if possible. Apparently we weren't the only ones with this goal. Our fleets found some Humans doing the same. The Tuumen fleet was able to take out a Human cruiser and the light gate fleet it was attacking. Another of our scouts took out a Hiver gate near the edge of our colonies.
We were thinking that learning the Human song and offering at least a temporary peace would become important soon. We quickly learned it was critical. One of our scout found a Human settlement had kicked out the previous Hiver owners. The had reinforced it with a light fleet, but a full three rings of satellite defenses. Yes, the Humans had dreadnought technology ahead of us. Our goals required some reshuffling as we quickly studied their song.
Preparations for the renewed assault on Rozokor were well underway by this time. Even the greater threat from the Humans did not diminish our resolve in that area. No, Rozokor would be taken out to reduce the Hiver threat and put the lost souls to rest. We planned two waves of attack with the option of a third if necessary.
The Hivers still had a card to play as well. They launched an attack to retake Rychopre. Fortunately the colony was pretty well established by now. Some funds would have be diverted to beef up the defenses, but the attack on Rozokor would press on. The first wave with plasma cruisers launched on time. The follow up wave would have our new assault cruisers to help punch through the defending fleet. The third wave would bring in the barrage cruisers to take out he planet.
The first wave met heavy resistance. They held back near the edge of the system to limit damage from the planetary defenses. Their goal was to engage the defense fleet and inflict as many casualties as possible. The first Hiver attack was mostly destroyers. They must have been older ships since they were swept aside. Then came four Hiver cruisers. They were all heavily armored and three had torpedo launchers. It was a tight battle with occasional Hiver destroyers coming in to join the fray, making a run at the command ship and getting destroyed.
We were able to take down two of the cruisers before losing the first of our own, but then the ships converged with a new swarm of destroyers and descended on the command ship. We were able to take out the remaining cruisers and half of destroyers before we had to pull back to repair, rearm and resupply. Once again we lost the command ship. Rozokor was becoming a graveyard for our best and brightest.
The second wave launched right after that battle. It would take them an extra turn to get there. The repair ships worked mightily and got the fleet ready to hold off another assault. They had taken the brunt of the attack but survived. The problem now was the Hiver still had fresh ships, and we were fielding older ships led by the back up command ship.
As the fleets engaged again, the Hivers tried to entice us to fight closer to the planet and its defenses. With our lack of firepower that would have been suicide. The fleet chose to continue its stand off until the next wave could arrive. The Hivers eventually sent out a group of three cruisers and a swarm of destroyers. It ended up a pretty even fight. We lost ships one for one, but still have a force in the field when the Hivers pull back to the planet. The weak part of this strategy was that we couldn't get to the gate this way. That would be the goal of the next wave.
That story and the assault on Rychopre will be coming soon.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
15-16 Aug 06
Our surplus funds were rapidly diminishing. We had to get a solid defense fleet ready for Tuumen. We started building both at Tuumen and the nearest colony to beef up the defenses. The inbound fleet was only eleven ships and we had five turns. It should be easy.
The problem was the limited resources on Tuumen. It was a smaller colony on the edge of the union. The only planets near it were uninhabitable. Without improving stardrives, we could only get one fleet to Tuumen before the attack. Everything else would have to be built there. Shuulsi was tasked with building a Plasma cruiser and a repair ship. Tuumen started on the torpedo boats and the command ship. Though they were pressed, they managed to field a sizable defense force before the Hivers arrived.
Tuumen was too small to support medium defense platforms. It had a full ring of light satellites. The fleet was in our new standard formation with a lead of torpedo boats, followed by a fin of plasma cruisers followed by the command ship. The plan was for the command ship to stay back by the planet (near the automated defenses) while the rest of the ships engaged at medium range to blunt the force of the first strike.
When the Hivers arrived, we were relieved to see that it was a small swarm without any cruisers. That made the goal simple. Crush their first attack, sweep through and clear out their gate ship then mop up any survivors. As usual, the Hiver attack ships charged right at the planet. Our defense forces engaged with the torpedoes taking out two ships with their first salvo. The cruisers then closed to attack circling around their intended prey.
Three or four ships broke away to assault the planet. We sent a couple torpedo boats after them knowing the defenses and command cruiser was still in place. Instead of attacking the planet, they engaged the command cruiser. Combined with a couple torpedoes fired from the already engaged ships, the Hivers broke the shields of the command cruiser. It tried to maneuver to better protect itself, but the speedy destroyers were relentless. Though the Plasma cruisers weren't far away, they couldn't get back in time to help in this battle. Three of the destroyers were vaporized, but the fourth died simultaneously with the command cruisers. It appears the Hivers will bear any cost to take out the opponents command.
Without a threat to the planet, the remaining defense forces started to sweep out to find the Hiver command and the gate ship. Soon they were picked up on our scanners. With the combined firepower of the fleet, they didn't last long. As the last ship exploded, the planet relaxed. The sector was once again safe.
Meanwhile our strike force was still looking for a target. The Hivers had used several planets as staging areas for their attacks, but had not left any traces on them. We finally found one of their planets in Rozokor. Unfortunately, the fleet found more than they bargained for. The Hivers apparently realized that Rozokor was their nearest planet to our colonies. It was their they brought their new cruisers and cruiser level defense platforms online.
With that kind of firepower, there was no way for an older strike force to take the planet. The fleet commander decided to strike at their response fleet, make a pass at their gate ship and return to a friendly colony to rearm with greater firepower. The plan worked fairly well. The first volley of torpedoes took our several Hiver ships. The cruisers did not take the field immediately. They were relying on their higher speed destroyers to form the initial attack. The fleet pressed on to full speed at they took aim at the gate ship. Several of the torpedo boats started to wither under the fire, but they managed to hang on to fire another salvo before destruction. The first pass was enough to take out the gate ship.
The commander ordered a full retreat then to minimize losses. The fleet continued to pick off Hiver ships as their engines drove to escape the gravity well to fully engage the stutter warp. As expected the attacking Hiver ships swarmed around the command ship. It wasn't long before their shields fell. Still it looked like they would make it as the other ships started to stutter out. Unfortunately, they took a torpedo in the engines before clearing the well. It resulted in a cascade that destroyed the entire section. Without a line of retreat, the commander ordered the rest of the ships to carry on and avenge their loss later. The crippled ship turned to engage the approaching forces. That was the last ever heard from their noble crew. They will not be forgotten.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
14 Aug 06
We are beginning to think that land creatures are born hostile. Strange air breathers called Humans popped out of nowhere near one of our colonies. Though they were only two vessels and poorly armed against a well defended colony that took no aggressive action, their first instinct was to attack. Almost reluctantly the safety devices on our weapons were removed and the Human scouts vaporized. We recorded the screeching curses they broadcast at us. Perhaps if we can find a moment in this hostile galaxy, we'll take the time to translate them. They seem to have come across the great rift. Now we have more pressing matters.
It was inevitable. We knew our retaking of Zozoris had angered the Hive even though the planet was not used by them. We defended it appropriately. The fleet there was the strongest in the colonies. They would send their best against it. We had our best there to defend. Soon enough, the assault fleet appeared on our sensors.
Their slow ships crawled toward Zozoris with menace. We couldn't tell the make up of their fleet yet, but we knew there were nearly thirty ships inbound. No doubt they had even more armor and firepower than the others we had seen. We had two goals. First we would defend the planet. Then we would destroy their gate ships.
The first wave of defense had a new shielded command ship with three of our plasma cruisers for firepower. Then we had our torpedo boats to punish and chase the smaller hiver ships. The planet itself had a full complement of missile batteries. It had a light and a heavy ring of defense satellites. If the Hivers could punch through those defenses, our whole existence was in doubt.
When they closed to attack range, we took comfort knowing that they only had destroyers in their fleet. That would limit their ability to repair damage and ensured we would not be outgunned. Their fleet was made up mostly of attack ships. They had two gates and a couple of support ships. If we could break their first assault, the threat would be largely diminished.
We weren't sure how aggressive the Hivers would be. They had enough ships to attack the planet without risking their gate ships right away. Everything we had seen indicated they would jump to attack, but perhaps they would try to defend the gate ships to overwhelm us later.
The question was quickly answered as we witnessed asteroids at the edge of our sensors being destroyed to clear the way for their fleet. The were attacking in force. Our first volley of torpedoes took out two of their ships. Then the battle was on. It was impossible not to admire the grace of our ships compared to the brute force of the Hivers. However this time we gave as good as we took. Hiver ships expecting to cut through our ranks seemed confused as they watched their fleet explode instead.
The bugs were not deterred for long. They noted our command ship and its shimmering shields and closed for the attack. Whatever their violent beliefs, they seemed convinced that victory came through the destruction of that ship. Though our love for those on that ship was strong, we knew the young on the planet needed us more. The bulk of the fleet deployed to protect the planet though it left the command ship somewhat exposed. If the shields held, they would survive. If not, they would die in the most noble of causes.
Our cruisers zeroed in on their long range attack ships. Mostly they were firing on the command ship, but some were going after the planet. Once our cruisers tore into them, they did not last long. The shorter range Hiver ships opened up on the planet while swinging around behind the command ship, but they were being torn apart by the defensive satellites. Things looking promising as one by one they fell, but then the command ship's shields buckled and fell. There were still too many Hivers around, and the cruisers were too far away to help. The command ship's last order was to engage the Hiver reinforcements coming through the asteroid field. Some of the younger crew lost consciousness as the command crew's screams echoed through our minds.
As our reinforcements joined the fray, the fleet regrouped and assaulted the new Hiver ships. With their combined firepower, they weathered the first salvo and bit deeply into the tough hides of the hiver ships. They cut though our lines near the right end. Instead of burning toward the planet, they swung around to get behind the plasma cruiser on the end. Though they would not survive the assault, they were determined to bring that cruiser down. Even as the last of the wave died, our cruiser burst into flames as well. It was truly a dark day.
The rest of our fleet burned out to find the Hiver command ship. We soon saw more reinforcements arrive. Still we rejoiced to see them since we knew instantly that we had forced the gate ships to take the field. All our ships concentrated their fire on them. Unfortunately, supplies ran low and repairs were needed. As we saw the Hiver pull back, we knew we would have to survive at least one more assault wave. We had taken out over half of their fleet while losing two cruisers and two destroyers.
We quickly repaired the battle damage and rushed new ships into battle readiness. The fleet was reformed under a new command ship. This fleet's mission was to take out the gate ship we knew had been deployed. This time the firepower advantage was on our side.
The fleet wasted no time charging out toward the Hivers. They were mildly surprised to see the remaining Hiver assault ships burning toward us. They clearly wanted to take the battle away from the gate ship and their command ship. We weren't about to allow that. The guns engaged them in passing but pressed on to reach the gate. The planet would survive with its missile batteries and satellites. That might not remain true if that gate wasn't destroyed.
All of our weapons had recharged and were ready as the crews identified the gate ship. The whole fleet locked on. It was quite a site to see plasma and torpedoes converging on the gate. It survived the initial volley, but couldn't last long. Soon there was only dust.
The guns turned to the undeployed gate nearby. It was burning in retreat, but it could not outrun our weapons. In fact, we could see it still wore the wounds from the earlier battle. In mere seconds, it too was gone. Then it was mopping up the remaining support ships. As the last fuel tanked exploded, we knew that Zozoris was safe again. This time the fleet wiped out the Hivers without taking losses. Our new technology was validated. We only wish the price hadn't been so high.
There was no rest to be had though. The next fleet had already been detected inbound on the small planet of Tuumen. This would be a long war.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
11 Aug 06
We had cruisers, but they needed more options and firepower. We needed more and more varied ships. The Hivers knew of our laser weapons so we shifted to plasma research. They knew of our weaker hulls, so we research shields and reinforced armor. We added plasma torpedo boats to our arsenal. We also worked to pump up our satellite defenses and improve our industry.
Apparently, the Hivers weren't any more impressed with the results of our recent battles than we were. They weren't able to hold the gates in our systems. Rather than rushing a new fleet at us, they decided to build up as well. The two colonies where they had evicted us were not fully developed and somewhat vulnerable. No doubt they took this time to beef up their technology and defenses as well.
Despite needing all that technology to compete, we knew we couldn't wait for all of it to make our move against the Hivers. If they managed to deploy their gates in one or more of our systems, the battles might be endless. We had to take the fight to them.
As soon as our first cruiser command ships started coming online, we started assembling a battle fleet to assault Rychopre. That was the scene of our biggest loss. Our exploration fleet had just arrived at Rychopre when the Hivers cancelled our non aggression pact. Though they had two of our then brand new cruisers, they could not withstand the swarming destroyers and superior firepower of the Hivers. They took down several Hiver ships, but the loss was heavily unbalanced. Once the first cruiser went down, the fleet was annihilated in mere moments.
The strike fleet would take our new command cruisers, plasma cruisers and torpedo boats into action. All of our defensive projects were still underway. The fleet did not represent our true current power, but it would be a good gauge to see if we were now a match for the Hivers. Our new fusion engines with the improved stutter warp drive got us there in less than half the time.
The planet and its defenses were stronger than when we had last fought there. They had one full ring of defensive satellites. They had a deployed gate ship and a dozen destroyers. Some of the destroyers must have been support craft since the Hivers retreated them away from the planet at the start of the battle. The rest of the forces rushed to engage the new threat.
Our line of torpedo boats led the way followed by our attack cruisers. The gleaming shields around our command cruiser brought up the rear. The first volley we noticed that the Hivers too had acquired plasma technology. However, their ships didn't seem to take receiving plasma as well as they could dish it out. The first two destroyers died almost immediately in a wash of plasma and torpedoes. Then the battle was on.
The planet wasn't too large so the missile volleys weren't instant death. The first volley went at our command ship. Right then our commander was questioning the wisdom of putting improved armor over point defense in our research priorities. Fortunately it didn't matter since the ship's shields held.
Then our plasma cruisers started circling the attacking destroyers. We lost a few torpedo boats, but they could not take out our cruisers. Slowly the tide was shifting. We were taking out two of their destroyers for each one of ours lost. Even so we were soon out of reserves with even our repair ship taking the field.
Then the command cruiser's shields went down. He had to pull back a bit to reduce his risk, but then there were only three destroyers left. Quick focused fire took them down one after the other. Our commander decided to ignore the satellite defenses and assault the planet. The one remaining assault boat was launched while the rest of the fleet closed in to weapons range on the planet.
Though it was risky, the commander ordered our command ship and repair ship to the right of the line. They would have to engage the satellites as their orbits brought them around. The hope was that the shields would hold reducing damage as casualties. That would maximize the firepower unleashed on the planet.
The plan worked. We lost the assault shuttle and two more torpedo boats, but the last shots of our fleet silenced the planet. Our lost fleet was avenged.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
© Talk Strategy 2004-2006