First Timers Welcome

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Alena Reckar"]

Staring out at the empty void where the mock battle they would be conducting would be carried out, Dallen contemplated just how much empty space there really was in the galaxy and just how much of it was actually just not yet explored as a result of the dangers of hyperspace travel in uncharted regions. Not to mention the unfortunate time mapping out such regions took at sub-light speeds. Well, wondering of the great unknown aside there was much to do for the day. Carrying out a training exercise with the naval forces of the CSAF for example.

In all honesty Dallen felt very supportive of the civilian organization that tried to provide security and relief aid outside of the Republic's government. For one it was a step toward showing the Republic how much Planetary Defense Forces were necessary and military centralization was currently a harder pitch these days. After all they couldn't keep fleets over every world themselves, it was too costly. Not to mention their sector patrols could always just not be at the right place at the right time, even if sector garrisons had decent response times. Planetary Defense Forces wouldn't be as big as sector garrison's response unit of course, but it meant the number of reserve forces could be cut back overall and planet's could feel safe knowing they had their own defenses in place. The Sector Garrisons would still exist, but with world's paying for their own planetary forces it would give the Republic more units in totality while spending less with a smaller reserve force.

As he stood on the bridge of the 102nd Task Force's flagship, the Hammerhead Cruiser Testament, however, the Republic Commander snapped himself out of his musings as he turned to check that the Majestic and Dreadnought Heavy Cruisers had pulled into position. For the mock battle they were replacing the heavier Centurion and Republic Class destroyers, but it made sense to use simpler craft for a test engagement. Checking his chronometer when the two larger cruisers pulled ahead of the Hammerheads, Dallen nodded to his comm officer to open the channel while their ships spread out in preparation. "This is Commander Thayne to CSAF Lord Admiral Hessan, we are in position and ready to sync chronometers to begin the Countdown. Give us the count when your people are set." They both had the same exact capital ships so the majority of the battle would fall to the ability of the commanders and the skill of the crews. Until the countdown began though, Dallen held off on deploying fighter screens, seeing as they were the only ships different in each fleet. He wondered what the CSAF would bring.

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter x 5 (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
S250 Chela Heavy Fighter x 3 (from Majestic)

 

[Alena Reckar]

Lord Admiral Kharak Hessan stood at the bridge of the Majestic heavy cruiser on loan to CSAF from the Republic for the purposes of the exercise. The vessel was commissioned as the Lucid, though Hessan had redesignated the ship as CNF-Lucid. This would give the vessel an easy designation for communications and tracking. The three Hammerhead cruisers and the Dreadnought had been given the designations CNF-Firestoke, CNF-Fasthand, CNF-Branded, and CNF-Dogmeat, respectively. Hessan had arrayed the fleet into entry formation before making the jump into the region the exercise was taking place, with two Hammerheads on either side of CNF-Lucid and the third Hammerhead directly above. The Dreadnought was located just below and forward of the flagship. Spacing was set at roughly 4 kilometers, making for a rather tight formation.
Soon after preparations were complete, Hessan received a transmission from the Republic military leadership. ::This is Commander Thayne to CSAF Lord Admiral Hessan, we are in position and ready to sync chronometers to begin the Countdown. Give us the count when your people are set.:: Hessan keyed his commlink and responded. "Good to hear from you Commander, this is CSAF Lord Admiral Kharak Hessan, my exercise force is on standby, we are beginning the Countdown in five, four, three, two...one." Hessan lowered his commlink and spoke briefly with Tactical. "Increase spacing to eight kilometers and initiate movement. I want to take the fleet into advantageous position swiftly."
Tactical confirmed his orders and CSAF's vessels began to distance themselves further from one another as the fleet moved forward. With equal forces to engage one another, tactical finesse was the goal of the exercise. Hessan's plan currently consisted of isolating hostile vessels and focused fire tactics. It was a measure that had served him in the past, though he had never dealt with fleet vessels of this size before. Weapon banks were in greater abundance and variety, requiring more measured thought in their application. He would be relying heavily on the Weapons staff's abilities to coordinate amongst themselves and their officers.
"Deploy fighter screens and prepare the long range weaponry for fire, once in range focus on the Dreadnought." Hessan told Weapons. The crew officer confirmed the order and delegated the command. His Hammerheads began setting their aim-points and charging their weapons, ready to fire once within range. CSAF's fighter screens began to disperse themselves ahead of the fleet, with the T-70's taking point with three squadrons and trail with two. Between them the three squadrons of BTL-S8's deployed, protected by the accompanying fighters.
"Be at the ready, Countdown nearing completion." Hessan declared, looking down at the battlefield display before him. The ticker reached "Zero" and Hessan looked up to the bridge viewport. "Weapons free."


Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (CNF-Firestoke, Fasthand, Branded)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Lucid)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Dogmeat)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
T-70 X-wing Starfighter x 5 Squadrons Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, and Easy (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
BTL-S8 K-wing Bomber x 3 Squadrons Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel (from Majestic)

Spoiler: Action Summary

Fleet Position:
Lucid=Centerfield
Firestoke=Port to Lucid, 8 km
Fasthand=Starboard to Lucid, 8 km
Branded=Superior to Lucid, 8 km
Dogmeat=Inferior to Lucid, 8 km
Fighter screens:
T-70's= 5 squadrons Bow of Fleet, even dispersion
BTL-S8's= 3 squadrons Bow of Fleet, even dispersion between T-70's

[member=Dallen Thayne]​

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Marcus Solstice"]

Listening in as the CSAF's Lord Admiral came in over the comms, the Republic Commander stood impassively ahead of his command chair as the man began the synchronization countdown. "Good to hear from you Commander, this is CSAF Lord Admiral Kharak Hessan, my exercise force is on standby, we are beginning the Countdown in five, four, three, two...one." Nodding to the tactical station while motioning to comms to close the channel, Dallen brought the display on screen for the fleet as he gave his own orders. "Move the ships into position, bring the Testament to the right flank and have the Herald and Song of Serenno maintain six kilometer spread above and to the left of the Majestic IV and Defender of the Core." Dallen intended to keep his fleet closely knit, but apart enough for anyone to take drastic maneuvers if the situation changed mid battle.

With the Majestic and Dreadnought class heavy cruisers sitting in the center of the fleet, at five kilometers apart, while the Hammerhead Cruisers formed a sort of triangle around them. The formation was mostly a hopeful response to the CSAF's deployment, since the Republic officer had every belief the battle would close into close combat and he wanted his vessels more capable of passing around the enemy if necessary. Plus it would quickly allow a collapse into a wedge formation if he needed to drive through. "Helm, bring the fleet ahead at combat speed. Comms, alert alert Squadron Leaders to deploy in defensive screens, keep the squadrons ahead of their respective craft, but have the Majestic IV lend a pair of squadrons to the Dreadnought's defense. Weapons Control bring the main batteries online and order gunners aboard the frigates to prepare long range turbolasers for fire on the enemy Majestic Class."

The biggest ship or the ship at the center of one's fleet was almost always the command craft. When the biggest ship was also the one in the middle of a battlegroup it made it an even more appealing target. Sometimes it was a feint, as was the case with Dallen himself. The Testament was simply a small cruiser, and most Commanders would ignore the smaller frigate craft to score a kill on the bigger target in an attempt to take out the Admiral. After all, once a Commander was removed there was a higher likelihood of chaos within the fleet as the loss of a chain of command left individuals Captains unable to coordinate quickly enough. Sometimes even conflicting orders as each tried to assume leadership.

Of course, the only problem here was if the good Lord Admiral knew which vessel Dallen was attached to. For all intents and purposes even if he did know, he could assume Dallen had changed where his command seat was for the exercise. The sort of cat and mouse game this created was actually a thrill for the Republic Commander. If Hessen did know he was normally on the Testament then he might attack the Hammerheads first. However, there was no good way to know which Hammerhead was the Testament either. And he might second guess himself entirely with his targets simply because of the chance Dallen had moved aboard the Majestic of Dreadnought Heavy Cruisers. On the other hand, Dallen had no idea which ship the CSAF Admiral was aboard, so he merely had to take the most logical route of taking out the biggest ship quite conveniently placed in the center of the CSAF formation.

"Squadrons deployed Commander. Sensors have detected enemy fighters have launched as well and assuming their own defensive screens. Database recognizes them as T-70 X-Wings and BTL K-Wings. Their weapons are spiking on the readouts as well, their powering up!" Sitting in his seat finally, Dallen looked out the Bridge's viewport as he watched the ships to the left of the Testament move in sync, fighters twinkling as they spread out ahead of their respective craft while the fleet began moving forward. "Eyes on the countdown. Lieutenant Vanquo keep us abreast of sensor reports and relay information to weapons control and fighter coordinators so we can make judgements as quickly as possible." When it came down to it, Dallen didn't think he could ask for a better bridge officer than the Lieutenant.

Still, part of him worried that the Chela might not be up to snuff. They certainly were much faster than the CSAF's K-Wings, even able to supplement fighter support against the X-Wings, but they definitely didn't have the firepower against capital ships. Not many craft could compete with the K-Wings in that regard. They would have to utilize the Chela and Aureks extreme speed advantage to take out the enemy bomber squadrons. The Aureks were capable of keeping up with the X-Wings and even keeping ahead with their slight speed advantage as well so he was less worried about a head to head between fighters. "Prepare all stations, have the Majestic and Dreadnought hold weapons fire until we're within range of the enemy fleet unless they deploy fighters ahead of their formation. Order all Hammerhead gunners to target the enemy's Majestic, we'll take out their command so Hessen can't give orders."

Watching the readouts as the distance between their forces closed while the countdown closed to zero, Dallen pushed his glasses up as the glare of the bridge's overhead lights reflected off them, an emotionless look on his face as he waited for the first flares of turbolaser fire to be exchanged between their fleets.

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (Testament, Herald, Song of Serenno)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Majestic IV)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Defender of the Core)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter x 5 (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
S250 Chela Heavy Fighter x 3 (from Majestic)

Actions

Spoiler

Majestic IV and Defender 5 kilometers apart at center of the fleet
Hammerheads six Kilometers to the left, right, and above the central heavy cruisers (Testament right, Herald above, Song left)

Fighter Squadrons: Aurek squadron ahead of each Hammerhead evenly spread. Aurek and 2 Chela Squadrons ahead of Majestic, Aurek and Chela ahead of Dreadnought, evenly spread.

Orders: Move ahead combat speed, Majestic and Dreadnought on standby fire until in range, Hammerheads targeting Majestic with long range when in range/countdown ends.

 

[Alena Reckar]

Lord Admiral Hessan's tactical approach was simple enough to understand: Systemic destruction. Throughout his previous experience serving in naval positions, he learned that incapacitating numerous enemy vessels systematically more greatly affected their fleet's performance than the tactical targeting of ships. Unless a specific vessel type was wrecking havoc on his forces, Hessan's approach was more geared towards overall damage. Few vessels could survive a focused onslaught unless they were equipped with the speed and defense necessary to mitigate and escape damage. Considering the even composition of their fleets, Hessan did not see this as being an issue.
The approaching Republic fighters boasted a speed advantage over his own, to be sure, though the shielding and defense systems of their T-70's and BTL-S8's exceeded those of their opponent's. He expected much of the outcome of this exercise to rely on application of force, rather than the objective measure of it.
Without needing to issue orders, CSAF's foremost T-70's began to segregate by squadron and focus their attention on defending the K-wing assault bombers under their charge. The paired squadrons separated evenly around the Republic Dreadnought Defender of the Core, the T-70's keeping their eyes on the enemy Aurek's deployed in screens in front of their home ships. Their approach would be obvious, and once the shooting started, and the Dreadnought was made the clear target, they expected swift resistance. The starfighters accelerated to attack speed, the K-wings right behind them. The rearmost squadrons of T-70's kept pace, but distanced themselves from the forward squadrons, giving them the breathing room they would need to close in on enemy starfighters. Even if the K-wings failed in their mission to harass the opposing capital vessels, the T-70's themselves were capable of picking up the slack as well-balanced snubfighters.
Hessan checked the battlefield display, glancing sideward at the Republic naval commander standing with him on the bridge, Commander Solstice. "Well Commander, are you excited?" The dark-skinned man smiled curtly, "We'll see. That depends on your performance, Lord Admiral." Hessan clasped his hands together before him. "Indeed, we shall see."
He looked back to the display, the fleet was nearly in range. His fleet maintained a 2 kilometer dispersion over Commander Thayne's, which would provide them the advantage of more variable firing fields, though it would increase their fleet's reformation time in the event they needed to adapt to a sudden shift in Thayne's deployment strategy. Hessan thought quietly for a moment, attempting to gauge what the man might be planning.
"Lord Admiral, their Hammerheads have targeted the Lucid." Came a call from the Sensors Pit. Hessan nodded, he'd expected as much. Flagships were common primary targets, considering they traditionally housed the highest levels of command staff. The Republic, however, was clearly unused to CSAF's training ideology. Each one of his vessel's captains was trained, experience, and more than capable of taking on the burden of Admiralty in the event of his demise, and such contingencies had already been established were this to become the case. The Fasthand's Captain, Barimore Craffin, was first in the line of succession, though this line was malleable depending on the tactical situation at the time.
He was pleased to see Thayne's formation more or less mirror his own, the only variation being the bedside placement of their Dreadnought to the Majestic IV. "Cut speed by one-quarter and double forward shield strength," Hessan ordered. Solstice gave him a sideward glance, which prompted Hessan to explain. "This vessel and the Dreadnought are broadside heavy, whereas our compliment Hammerheads feature forward-firing primary weapons. I will need to partition the fleet so that our Hammerheads can focus their forward firepower at close range, while remaining capable of engaging with their lateral weaponry. Decreasing our speed provides us with that maneuverability advantage over our adversaries"
Solstice nodded, "And what of our own Dreadnought, our heavy cruiser?" The Commander's inquiries were evaluative, not borne of ignorance.
Hessan dipped his horned head. "The Lucid will be responsible for demolishing their flagship. I intend to rotate the vessel to allow a broadside early."
"But you'll be facing a narrowed vessel profile, that presents more focused shield strength and a greater margin of targeting error," Solstice countered. Hessan nodded, "Indeed, but the power we'll be able to apply is well worth it. And once under fire, I did not expect their Majestic to remain on the defensive long. They will want to engage with their own lateral weaponry." The Republic commander seemed assuaged for the time being, the strategy was sound.
Hessan returned his attention to the display, where the Republic fleet was just coming into range. After a brief moment, the three Hammeread cruisers released their preliminary volleys, focused on the Dreadnought Defender of the Core. The low-powered long range shots cut through the black of space, surpassing the approaching CSAF fighter squadrons and striking for their opponent.
It would be some time before the Lucid and the Dogmeat were within range, which gave Hessan time to adjust their overall formation. The Lucid painted targeting solutions on the Defender of the Core for its three bow-mounted concussion missile tubes; the vessel was similarly prepared for rotation when ordered. It's anti-missile octets powered up as well in anticipation of a counter strike. The Dogmeat closed distance to the Lucid, bringing its own weapon batteries to bear on the Republic Dreadnought, acquiring targeting solutions and preparing to fire.
Hessan's dispersed positioning would allow his vessels to maintain more accurate and lasting fields of fire on the Republic warships. In response, the Thayne would be required to maintain his formation and take a beating, or disperse his own vessels at the cost of unified offensive capabilities. Sometimes the best offense was a good defense indeed.

[member=Dallen Thayne]​

Spoiler: Action Summary

Maneuvers:

Starfighters
1) T-70's:
a) 3 squadrons separate to form up around Republic Dreadnought Defender of the Core. Targeting solutions drawn on Dreadnought.
b) 2 squadrons distance from the rear to assault engaging Republic Aureks. Targeting solutions drawn on Dreadnought.

2) BTL-S8's:
a) 3 squadrons separate to form up around Republic Dreadnought Defender of the Core.

Fleet
1) Whole fleet reduces to 3/4ths combat speed, forward shield strength doubled.
2) CSAF Majestic Lucid draws concussion missile solutions on Defender of the Core.
3) CSAF Dreadnought Dogmeat decreases distance to Lucid to 3 kilometers. Draws firing solutions on Defender of the Core.
4) CSAF Hammerheads maintain 8 kilometer dispersion in relation to Lucid.

Fires:

1) 3 CSAF Hammerheads fire long range heavy dual turbolaser volley at Defender of the Core.

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Marcus Solstice"]

As the flashes of light erupted in the distance, the sparkling glow of turbolaser fire arced between both fleets, Dallen taking in the brilliant exchange of light passed between the closing ships as he eyed the tactical readouts while trying to keep up with the inflow of information and reports. "Commander enemy fleet has slowed their approach speed, with the rise in environmental energy from the turbolasers its hard to gauge whether anything else has changed for the time being. Enemy Squadrons appear to be forming up in attack formation three-fourths of their fighters have moved ahead of the rest." So it was an aggressive attack then, or perhaps not quite? The Republic Commander had to take into account the CSAF's slowed approach to account for a defensive measure while the racing starfighters were likely only a temporary tactic.

Tapping his finger against the display as he determined just how far the gap between the forward attacking fighters were and their rearguard squadrons, Dallen came to a decision with a nod as he prepared his orders. "Have the squadrons ahead of the Majestic begin moving forward and have the Aureks from the Song of Serenno sweep over to link up with them. Have the fighters arrayed around the Defender pull back and then spin about to move and engage to incoming enemy unit. Send the Herald's fighters to curve above the enemy and strike down on them from above while our own screen swings in from the right. Have them be forced to engage in that position or fall into the squadrons on the left we deploy forward as a ward against their rearguard. if they try to fall back they'll hit them and the other squadrons can give chase. Our superior speed comes in here. The enemy can't turn to flee without being chased down after they've committed a certain distance. We'll take advantage of that to force them into the enclosing net."

In regards to everything else though. "Sir, sensors picking up their firing arcs and attack pattern targeting the Dreadnought." It was more a matter of seeing how things went. "Have the Defender divert power from their weapons to their forward shields. Keep only minimal weapons online to engage their fighters if they continue closing for self defense. Lieutenant Ree pass communications to the fleet to push engines to full combat speed, reduce power in all non essential systems, make the crew quarters dark and the kitchens quiet give us that little extra boost! Lieutenant Sella keep all cruisers targeting the enemy Majestic still."

Watching as the fighters ahead of the Testament began to move away, their engines trails soon all his eyes could follow, Dallen adjusted his glasses as he watched the display. The enemy had slowed down, but both fleets would be able to fire all their weapons soon enough. However, there was a difference in the situation now that would hopefully hold for a while still. At long range firepower was weaker at max range than it was at close range for ion cannons and turbolasers, and despite their greater accuracy at max ranges compared to normal weaponry, they were still prone to miss at further distances. One's speed also remained a factor in that, as the gunners and targeting computers had to track said ships as they moved. A ship moving faster then, even as it grew closer, was harder to hit.

The good Lord Admiral's decision to slow down, in favor of whatever plans he had, would come with a price. For while shots landed on the 102nd's Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser, its narrow profile and greater speed supported in its defense, and its reduced power to weapons in favor of shields was hardly a hamper since it wasn't within firing range itself yet. However, the CSAF Majestic class had dropped in speed, making tracking and targeting solution prediction easier, and thus would afford their gunners more hits. Dallen expected the slowed approach to either be a trick that would result in sudden speed and a change in formation, or an attempt to divert power to weapons or shields. Regardless, it better suited the tactic of clustering one's ships so that they might move in front of each other, constantly swapping positions to take hits for one another while their sister vessels briefly recharged their shields a bit to effectively lower overall damage to the fleet.

Something the Republic Commander had in mind with the dreadnought and Majestic by keeping them so close if he needed to. Still, the enemy would have the initiative to begin a broadside with their heavy cruisers and that was what Dallen felt he had to be the most cautious for responding to with his direct approach. "Lieutenant Vanquo keep me abreast of the damage reports for the simulation as we incur casualties. We'll likely see damage on both sides when the fighters clash and we reach typical weapons range. And bring the Defender closer to the Majestic."

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (Testament, Herald, Song of Serenno)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Majestic IV)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Defender of the Core)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter x 5 (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
S250 Chela Heavy Fighter x 3 (from Majestic)

Actions

Spoiler

Majestic IV and Defender 4 kilometers apart at center of the fleet
Hammerheads six Kilometers to the left, right, and above the central heavy cruisers (Testament right, Herald above, Song left)

Fighter Squadrons: 2 Aurek & 2 Chela Squadrons move ahead and left of approaching CSAF Fighters. 1 Aurek & 1 Chela reform a scattered formation ahead of CSAF Fighters. 1 Aurek Squadron Moving above CSAF Fighters and 1 Aurek Squadron Sweeping to come from the right of CSAF Fighters.

Orders: Fire on the Lucid from Hammerheads. Dreadnought, Defender of the Core, diverts power from weapons to shields. All ships divert non-essential power to engines. Majestic IV locked on Lucid when in range.

 

[Marcus Solstice]

Marcus narrowed his eyes as he looked out over the battlefield display. The Devaronian Lord Admiral had not spoken or issued any orders in some time as the fleets closed distance, leaving Solstice the impression the man had a plan. As he watched the battle develop, he attempted to determine what the Devaronian's gambit might be. The fleet's reduced speed made them easier targets but increased their maneuverability, allowing them to more easily adapt to changes in the Republic attack plan. Similarly, at the current range, the only Republic vessels capable of firing were the three Hammerheads. Thus the sacrifice would yield little during the first volleys. The speed decrease did also help maintain the fleet's targeting accuracy, as it compensated for the increased speed of the incoming Republic warships.
"Lord Admiral, if I may ask...what have you planned?" Solstice asked suddenly as the Republic Hammerheads fired their long-range weapons. The readouts along the various Staff Pits began to flash as the on-board simulator servers calculated the effects of the pseudo-strike. The Dogmeat began to rotate its bow to starboard, providing it with a wide enough angle to engage the Defender of the Core once it reached weapons range. The Devaronian turned his horned head and smiled slightly, showing the tips of rather sharp, pointed teeth. The expression, however, was not unfriendly. "I'm learning, Commander." He asked. Marcus looked back to the display, his brow furrowed in thought. It was clear Hessan intended to initiate the first broadside attacks of the battle from the Lucid, and their starfighter deployment, while not without its deficiencies, was designed with a purpose in mind. Hessan pointed to the Republic fleet on the display. "Note the acceleration of speed. They want to be swift, they want to cut here, then there, then there, never being in one place for long. They want to be unpredictable, untouchable." Hessan shook his head, "Their excesses will cost them. Our speed reduction was minor, providing us a productive balance of speed and maneuverability. But we shall see how things play out. Such speed allows a vessel to make gross adjustments swiftly, but not precise ones. They can enact their primary plan quickly, but on-the-spot corrections will be difficult at speed."

Marcus' eyes caught a flash on the display as the attacking CSAF squadrons reached firing range of the Defender of the Core. The T-70's ahead of the bombers loosened their formation and began to break away, one squadron to the approaching Republic Aureks on the right, and two to match the three squadrons of Aureks coming in from the left and above. One of the rearguard T-70's squadrons broke in two and accelerated to engage the incoming pair of Chela squadrons from the left with the Aureks. The other rearguard T-70 squadron banked upward, cutting toward the Aurek squadron dropping in on them from above. Once within range, the escort T-70's harassed the incoming fighters with a flurry of low-powered linked cannon fire, maintaining their relative escort distance to the K-wings that were on approach toward the Dreadnought, Defender of the Core. The tactic formed a screen around the K-wings that would require enemy ships to pass through the focused fire of the entire squadron; this was intended primarily to discourage a direct assault on the bombers. The X-wings focused on hit and fade tactics, cycling in and out of the protection of the squadron in pairs and forcing the Republic's starfighters to constantly alter their speeds in order to keep the nimble fighters in their sights. The Aureks and Chelas were faster than the CSAF starfighters, but sacrificed maneuverability when at speed and were less adequate for engaging capital ships, which was Hessan's distinct focus.

The incoming K-wing formation tightened significantly and struck dead on for the Dreadnought's bow. For the most part they escaped the firing arcs of the Defender's weaponry due to the direct profile of their formation in relation to the larger vessel's nose. This took extreme concentration and the ability to maintain a tight formation on behalf of the pilots. The bombers accelerated to attack speed and set their shields to double-front as they paired off, launching volleys of four deflector shield-specific dummy T-33 Plasma Torpedoes into the Dreadnought's nose. The pairs broke left and down as they each completed their attack run, focusing their medium-range twin laser cannons on the Aurek and Chela squadrons looping around to meet them in an attempt to hold the less defended fighters at bay. The K-wings continued their trajectory, rebalancing their shields and heading for the belly of the Majestic IV.

As the K-wing's attack run began, the Lucid fired three concussion missiles from its bow tubes, targeting the nose of the Dreadnought Defender of the Core, even as the display signaled the fire of a second volley of long-range turbolaser fire from the three Hammerheads. The Lucid prepared for its maneuver, maintaining its engine and shield strength. To the Republic, nothing will appear to have changed. The Dogmeat however, now within range of the Defender of the Core, loosed a volley from three of its bow-mounted turbolasers, and five from it's port side. CSAF's Weapons crews silently hoped the K-wings had been successful in softening up the Dreadnought's shields for the combined onslaught.


Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (CNF-Firestoke, Fasthand, Branded)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Lucid)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Dogmeat)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
T-70 X-wing Starfighter x 5 Squadrons Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, and Easy (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
BTL-S8 K-wing Bomber x 3 Squadrons Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel (from Majestic)

Spoiler: Action Summary

T-70's:
Squadrons focus in on Dreadnought's bow, remaining hidden from its fields of fire, shields double front. T-70's separate early and engage incoming fighter craft, providing cover for K-wing's to launch weapons and break away, shields returning to balance.

K-wings:
Squadrons pair up and angle in at the Dreadnought's nose, loosing T-33 shield-buster missiles at the Defender of the Core. Then they break off and fend off Aurek and Chela squadrons with laser cannons while striking for the belly of the Majestic IV.

Fleet:
Fleet vessels maintain speed, letting Republic ships come into stable and predictable fields of fire. Hammerheads launch another long range volley, focusing fire into the bow section of the Defender of the Core. The Dogmeat and Lucid come into range, and focus firepower on Defender of the Core. Conserved engine power diverted to shields as they receive fire, then returned to weapons for second volleys. (Dogmeat = 8 Heavy Turbolasers, Lucid = 3 Concussion Missiles)

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Marcus Solstice"]

As Dallen watched the CSAF Fighters split off to engage his own Squadrons split up to catch the opposition's pilots in a pincer crossfire and had to give the Lord Admiral credit where credit was due for his positioning of his rearguard as it was a sufficient position to move forward and cut off his left flank. However, he felt a tad disappointed that his counterpart was underestimating the use of an interceptor like the Aurek Class. Much like the A-Wing the Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter was faster than its contemporaries, and as such with both their forces approaching one another, the interceptors were going to hound his forces before the excessively slow bombers reached firing range. In fact if one paid attention the Aurek was much faster than even the standard A-Wing, while the K-Wing his X-Wings had to slow down to keep a perimeter around were a full four hundred kilometers per hour slower than the Aurek's themselves, two hundred kilometers slower than the Chela. The X-Wings would have to speed up for their attack maneuvers, not that they were much faster than the K-Wings anyway.

As such the Republic Commander was content to watch as his three squadrons on the left closed the gap even more quickly than the CSAF's rearguard could move forward to intercept them. The T-70s were certainly advanced, accurate, powerful, and versatile, but firing what shots they could at max speed Aureks wasn't going to slow the strike fighters as Dallen was content to let them speed past the X-Wings to lance towards the K-Wings sides. "Lieutenant Ree, comm the Chelas on the left flank to engage the CSAF's X-Wings and prevent their pursuit of the Aurek Squadron." While he let her give out the orders the Commander pushed his glasses further up his face as he evaluated the other positions.

The Aureks on the right flank were in the worst spot. The X-Wings ahead of the K-Wings were in a ripe position to turn and intercept them unlike those on the left that had the support of the Chelas to prevent the X-Wings from looping around. It pained him especially as those Aureks were from the Testament themselves. "Comms order Green Squadron to engage the enemy X-Wings intercepting them and leave the K-Wings to the other Squadrons, let Squadron Leader Lehon know I'm sorry for their bad draw." Indeed Green Squadron would turn their attention to the X-Wings coming to meet them, exchanging their two heavy laser cannon fire with the four linked laser cannons of their opponents. The battle between them would come down to skill, as the Aureks vastly were faster than the X-Wings, but the X-Wings undoubtedly had better shielding to speak of.

Still, Green Squadron held the advantage in that the X-Wings had to move based on their actions. With their speed at any moment they could supposedly look to break for the K-Wings and aim to outpace the T-70s, and unlike the TIEs that X-Wings once engaged against, one clean shot wouldn't be enough as the Aureks were shielded unlike those poorly designed fighters of time past. Meanwhile the squadrons on the left engaged in their own dogfights soon were also interesting. Again the Chelas were more maneuverable than the X-Wings, and shielded, but they were better shielded than the strike fighters, making them the more menacing opponent for the T-70s given their higher turn rate over the Aurek as well.

It was the Aureks above the CSAF Squadrons that actually left Dallen the most underwhelmed with the CSAF as he crossed his arms, watching the tactical display as hit scores began to ring up as dogfights began, but the Aureks above the K-Wings suffered the least amount of damage before they passed by the X-Wings and carried on their attack against the K-Wings, their heavy laser cannons splashing over the top of the slow craft. Unlike attacks from the side, the CSAF needed to account for the fact that the Aureks in the upper plane of space had already been moving at a faster speed to close a distance and would be diving as they rose, and they would have to curve backwards to hit the strike fighters stabbing straight down toward the K-Wings top. That meant bad angles for their laser cannons and a smaller amount of time to get in the shots. The hits that did manage to take out an Aurek before their sweep would come from the rearguard squadron that would come forward.

After that though the CSAF X-Wings if they wanted to pursue the Aureks coming in from the left and above would have to get involved in a mess as the strike fighters changed their tactics to tight turns to keep in close and around the exposed bottom of the K-Wings, using them as psuedo shields against the T-70s with the intention of using their speed to keep around the K-Wings and prevent the X-Wings from a clear pass. Though they would be far outnumbered anyway as the fighters that looped around to come in from the front would risk the medium laser cannons of the K-Wings to stab into the heart of the bomber formation, Heavy Laser Cannons from the Aureks and Chelas lancing into the K-Wings as they exchanged fire and moved to join the successful strike fighters in harassing the K-Wings up close.

Still, even if the bombers took hits and casualties a number would reach their launch zone and the number of plasma torpedos was certainly not encouraging as Dallen watched the K-Wings begin their pass hounded by his squadrons as they were. "Contact the captain of the Defender and the Majestic IV, order them to close their ranks and have the Dreadnought slow enough so it dips beneath the Majestic." Rather than adjust his glasses the Republic Commander wanted to rub his eyes. The fighters were in the thick of it now and it would come down to pilot ability more than his orders anymore. The battle could very well come down to who had fighters left when the dogfights settled.

Though there was no reason to discount the efforts of the capital ships either as the Republic Commander listened as his bridge crew reported new information coming in. "Second salvo from enemy cruisers incoming sir! We're within range of normal weapons fire, expected trajectories will be accurate. Their heavy cruisers are turning to fire, their Majestic has launched missiles." He had expected this and he supposed now was the time to kick things into gear as he watched damage reports on the display when the dummy plasma torpedos hit their mark from whatever K-Wings survived the run. As they moved on the screen toward the Majestic that had moved closer, Dallen wondered how many would be left to strike the second heavy cruiser and how many of the torpedos from those survivors would hit their mark since the Majestic Class had several anti-missile octets that could be fired to knock out the dummy missiles.

Still, the simulated damaged was done to the Defender and it was being focused on by the enemy Dreadnought itself now. "Right, keep focused on our momentum and have the Majestic overlap the Defender of the Core for a few moments. Keep all fire focused on the CSAF's Majestic Cruiser, the only exception is the Majestic IV's missile banks, get solutions for the nearest Hammerhead and fire on their bridge." Sitting back as his officers went about transferring his commands, Dallen watched with furrowed brows as his heavy cruisers were much closer than before, enough so that the Majestic blocked shots from the CSAF's Hammerhead on the right flank, on the Dreadnought's left side, easing some of the incoming damage while the Republic Fleet's guns trained on the Lucid.

"Lieutenant Ree order the Dreadnought to begin its swing down and to the right, have them begin a forty degree clockwise spin. Adjust direction shields appropriately. Have our frigates on the left and right rise by a kilometer at three quarters normal weapon range and turn on the Lucid. Bring the Testament about and bring us closer to the Herald." Now as the two fleets gap grew smaller and smaller Dallen let his maneuver become clear. While the Majestic IV blocked more of the angles from the CSAF's right flank on the Defender of the Core the Dreadnought itself twisted on its side and dipped down, the heavy cruisers beginning to split again as they got closer. The Majestic Class aiming to slide between the Lucid and turned about Dogmeat while the Dreadnought slid beneath to fire on both's bellies, a position mostly picked as a result of the heavy cruiser's heavy damage suffered in the forward approach. Meanwhile the Hammerheads would rise and close ranks while firing onto the Majestic Class from above, the Republic ships aiming to take and settle into positions and try and adjust depending on the CSAF's movements.

If the CSAF tried to move forward and avoid a direct broadside confrontation then the Majestic could swing or turn and fire on it from the rear, while the Dreadnought did the same from below while the frigates could move forward to prevent from being surrounded if the CSAF attempted to move together to focus on them. What the fighters did Dallen would try his best to keep up with, but his was rather certain the CSAF would rather dogfight it out. They couldn't outrun his squadrons and the K-Wings were far too vulnerable without the X-Wings around so they would have to awkwardly cooridnate their regrouping maneuvers base on the sluggish K-Wings. If they went all out with the Dogfighting the starfighters could go either way, though the K-Wings would be a liability and give the Republic pilots and advantage, especially with their successful first pass on the bomber formation.

"The battle has just begun, but already clear signs of advantages and disadvantages are visible. If they act well they could disable the Defender, but at this stage I believe they have lost the battle of fighter support. You were too bold with your attack with them, the K-Wings were the wrong choice in the end. B-Wings would have served you far better and still been very effective against our capital ships. Still, if the good Lord Admiral does take our dreadnought, we'll have to see if our fighter pilots can make up the difference with runs on their light cruisers."

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (Testament, Herald, Song of Serenno)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Majestic IV)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Defender of the Core)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter x 5 (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
S250 Chela Heavy Fighter x 3 (from Majestic)

Actions

Spoiler

Majestic IV and Defender 1.5 kilometers apart at center of the fleet. Majestic blocking fire on the Dreadnought's left flank.

Hammerheads six Kilometers to the left, right, and above the central heavy cruisers. (Testament right, Herald above, Song left) Testament and Song rising to Herald's level and closing to 6 kilometers apart from each other. All target the Majestic from multiple angles firing down.

Fighter Squadrons: 2 Chela Squadrons engaging the T-70s on the left flank. 4 Aurek & 1 Chela Lancing into and pass the K-Wings and now hugging them to engage them and the X-Wings from above and the Rearguard (several Aureks damaged in passes through enemy fire). 1 Aurek Squadron on the right that changed focus to dogfight the CSAF X-Wings.

Majestic anti-octets targeting incoming missiles. Majestic intends to slide between CSAF Majestic and Dreadnought. Defender aims to slide beneath and turn forty degrees and fire on CSAF Majestic Belly. Majestic's missile launchers lock onto Branded and fire.

 

[Marcus Solstice]

Commander Solstice frowned as the Republic starfighters joined in battle with their opponents. Three of the speedy Aurek squadrons closed the distance between themselves and the K-wings before the T-70's were able to intercept them. At first, Solstice saw this as a grave disadvantage, as it prevented those T-70's from providing the escort protection they were intended for. However, this did put the T-70's at the Aureks' backs, allowing them to launch salvos of proton torpedoes at their opponents. Missile locks would sound and the Aureks would be forced to choose between completing their attack run and breaking away early to avoid losing too many fighters. The T-70's then widened their firing angles in an attempt to keep the Aureks pinned between them and the bombers. Solstice wondered if the Aureks speed would allow them to slip out of this net, however his concern was assuaged as the K-wings took control of their own self-defense.

The bombers initiated boosts from their tertiary engines, decreasing the speed difference between them and the Aureks to stabilize their firing solutions. They banked on an axis and focused their laser cannon and turbolaser turrets on the passing Republic fighters, blistering their formations with a fury of mid-range fire. The K-wing pilots continued their attack run on the Majestic IV, launching Conner Nets at the defending anti-missile octets to destabilize the targeting systems of these local areas of the vessel in preparation for the incoming salvo of missiles. Despite such a furious response to the Republic's Aureks, several K-wings were damaged by the attack run. Two lost their primary shields, leaving them vulnerable to any follow-up fire, and another pair lost power to their port and starboard engines, respectively. The latter of the group fell out of formation due to the loss of speed, leaving them immediately vulnerable as the simulation system both sides were employing did not allow for self-diagnostic and repair actions. All damage was permanent damage as a result.

The T-70's engaging the Republic's Green Squadron held their own, splitting into fighter pairs to maintain a modicum of tactical maneuverability over their opponents. The T-70's strategic focus became operating in groups of four; two fighters to draw tails, and two more to take Republic starfighters from the rear when they moved to engage. The T-70's more durable shields allowed them to turn most of the damage taken from the Republic fighters, and their linked cannon fire was augmented by proton torpedoes loosed once targeting locks were attained. CSAF's fighters were outmatched for speed, but this also allowed them to control the location of the battlespace; the Republic's tactical movement was limited to the space in which the T-70's operated in order to reduce their dead space movement (time and space that is wasted while not engaging the enemy). Thus, the T-70's kept the dogfights relative to the K-wing bombers, moving the battle along with them toward the Majestic IV. Even so, the T-70's suffered unfortunate losses; a handful of fighter craft were disabled in the battle's initial joining, taking them out of commission for the remainder of the fight.

Returning his attention to the bigger picture, Marcus caught Lord Admiral Hessan in quiet conversation with the Navigation Officer. He looked back to the battle display and noted the change in positions the two fleets were in the middle of making. The Lucid and Dogmeat had slowed back to 3/4 of combat speed, maintaining superior maneuverability as they allowed the Republic vessels to overtake them. The Republic's Hammerheads collapsed in on their fleet, and CSAF's own frigates followed them inward to 3 kilometers, increasing their speed and closing distance quickly. The two Hammerheads to the Republic's left maintained their sectors of fire on the Defender of the Core even as it shifted position, loosing another long-range turbolaser volley at the Dreadnought, this time from much closer range due to the decreased distance between the two fleets.

As the Defender of the Core moved in with the Majestic IV to slip in between the Dogmeat and the Lucid, the CSAF vessels initiated the maneuvers they had been preparing for. The Dogmeat began to roll starboard on its longitudinal axis, bringing the bulk of its port weaponry to bear on the passing Defender even as it redistributed shield strength from the bow toward the port side of the ship. At close range, the slower moving CSAF vessel unleashed a high output volley of turbolaser and ion cannon fire at the Defender of the Core, dropping its speed to 1/2 of combat speed and adjusting its latitudinal axis as the Defender began to pass, allowing it to increase its effective firing time.
In time with the Dogmeat, the Lucid completed its own maneuver, dipping its bow toward the Majestic IV and turning 45º to port as it similarly rolled to starboard, a maneuver it had prepared for in the early moments of the battle by decreasing its speed. The vessel reallocated its shield strength as well to defend against the expected lines of fire coming from the Majestic IV. The maneuver brought the Lucid's starboard and bow weaponry into firing line with the Republic cruiser, facing it with 15 of the Lucid's heavy turbolasers, 10 each of its laser and ion cannons, and 5 of its concussion missiles. The maneuver also brought the Lucid's belly away from the Republic's immediate line of fire as they attempted to slip in beneath the CSAF flagship. The Lucid would continue this angle of rotation as the Majestic IV continued forward below it.

As CSAF's vessels attained their targeting solutions and began their torrent of cannon fire, CSAF's Hammerheads initiated their next attack. The lone Fasthand, whose line of fire on the Defender of the Core had been blocked by the Majestic IV's maneuver, shifted fire to the Hammerhead on its side of the battle space, the Song. The long-range weapons tracked swiftly and loosed a volley at the Republic frigate, focusing on its fire on the Song's aft end, where its engines rested. The Fasthand's Captain was hoping the Republic ship had maintained more of its shield strength toward the fore of the ship, leaving the rear end more vulnerable.

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (CNF-Firestoke, Fasthand, Branded)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Lucid)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Dogmeat)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
T-70 X-wing Starfighter x 5 Squadrons Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, and Easy (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
BTL-S8 K-wing Bomber x 3 Squadrons Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel (from Majestic)

Spoiler: Action Summary

T-70's:
X-wings split into pairs, working in groups of four to isolate Republic Aureks and Chelas, working through them with lead-trail fire tactics.

BTL-S8's:
1) K-wing pilots engage engine boosters to match Aurek speeds and gunners orient turret weaponry to fire on attacking Republic fighters.
2) K-wing co-pilots launch Conner Nets at Majestic IV's defending anti-missile octets to disorient attempts to intercept bomber's missile volley.

Lucid:
Turns port 45º, rotates starboard, bringing bow and starboard weapons to bear on Majestic IV. Fires initial volley as Majestic IV comes into range and attempts to cut under Lucid's belly.

Dogmeat:
Rolls on longitudinal axis to bring port weapons to bear on Defender of the Core. Fires initial volley.

Fasthand:
1) Target's Republic Hammerhead Song.
2) Fires long-range turbolasers at 3 kilometer range, targeting Song's engine sections.

Branded:
1) Maintains targeting solutions on Defender of the Core.
2) Fires long-range turbolasers at 3 kilometer range.
3) With decreased range, lighter forward weapon opens fire on Defender of the Core.

Firestoke:
1) Maintains targeting solutions on Defender of the Core.
2) Fires long-range turbolasers at 3 kilometer range.
3) With decreased range, lighter forward weapon opens fire on Defender of the Core.

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Marcus Solstice"]

The CSAF's decision to dedicate their attention to the Aurek Squadrons brought a forwn to the Republic Commander's face
Not for his own forces though, rather. . . he was disappointed in the Lord Admiral's choices in regards to the fighter combat. The X-Wings turned to give chase to the Aureks and in turn left themselves wide open to the Chela S250s at their backs. The X-Wings that had moved away from their formation to engage the Aureks and now took a chance to spend time on a missile lock facing the weren't going to go by with such actions without consequence. The Chelas were still faster than the T-70s and had honed in on the snubfighters rather than target the bombers like their counterparts once the X-Wings had deployed earlier, so it was simply a matter of sense that the X-Wings would face laser fire lancing in at their backs as the Chela S250s settled in behind the T-70s and slowed down to maintain their locks on the CSAF Squadrons' backs.

No orders were needed from Dallen for what they needed to do, the Squadron leaders had been given their orders to take out the X-Wings on the left flank. And they would do so diligently. The X-Wings Pilots would hear their equipment ring in response to missile locks on their own craft as well, but unlike the Aureks, they would not gain any distance on the Republic Chelas on their tails, the CSAF would find a good number of their pilots dropping out of the mock battle by choosing to make their push on the Aureks. They did not even have the fortune of a risky tactic to employ to evade the warheads either that the Aurek pilots were graced with. That being the fact that the torpedos locked onto them had to catch up to them, and while evading the simulation's dummy rockets was next to impossible if they left it to the last second, they could certainly try and exploit the situation though.

The K-Wings speed boost did catch some of the Strike Fighters by surprise though, and the Republic Commander had to give the CSAF a nob to their use of the ships abilities. Between the K-Wing fire and torpedos a half dozen Aureks would indeed go dark on the tactical readouts as they suffered too much simulated damage. However, several more K-Wings would find themselves knocked out as well, as the Aurek pilots attempted to pull off as tight of a close call as they could, passing right past the front the larger and slower K-Wings as the X-Wings torpedos trailed them, and slammed into the bombers. Once through the hurdle the Aureks would keep on the K-Wings with no intention of letting any make it through another pass. If the CSAF Bombers wanted to commit to their attack runs then fine, Dallen was content to sacrifice some of himself for the sake of wiping the enemy starfighters from their mock battle.

Although, he was most interested in the state of the right flank in terms of the fighter combat while he kept an eye on the changing positions of the fleets. Green Squadron had responded aptly to the T-70s initial change in formation, as the X-Wings slipped into pairs Green Leader was quick to do something similar though making more use of the strike fighter's interceptor role. The Aureks would split into pairs with the aim of one playing the role of bait to lure an X-Wing duo onto their tail while their wingmate would slip behind them. However, the further movements of the X-Wings to put their pairs into groups of fair with the same intention posed a problem. With the advantage over the pilots in the form of a fuller view of the overarching battle, Dallen was able to provide the best input he could for Green Squadron and the Chelas as they began to dogfight it out with the CSAF's X-Wings. "Order all Squadron Leaders engaging the X-Wings to maintain their current tactics. One fighter to lure their first pair while the second lines up behind them. Once the CSAF's second pairing comes behind our fighters have another set of wingmates come in behind those. This will be a tangled web for the fighters, but let's have faith in their abilities."

"Commander, enemy fleet has begun movements. Their Hammerhead Cruisers are moving closer but maintaining a perimeter, their heavy cruisers are turning." Looking at the display, Dallen would nod as he cut his hand to the officer at the helm. "Lieutenant Marlow cut speed by half. Lieutenant Ree, pass orders to captains to follow suit. Sella divert the free power to shields. Have all ships redistribute shielding in response to the enemy targeting solutions. Lieutenant Vanquo keep me abreast of the fighters situation. Bring all weapons to bear on the Lucid. . . . .All turbolasers fire!" Watching the flurry of activity on his bridge, Dallen watched as the anti-missile octets aboard the Majestic IV in the distance fired on several of the bomber's torpedos before the conner nets hit, the dots of explosions noting that the K-Wing's pass wasn't quite as effective as it was on the Defender between the loss of K-Wings and the torpedos shot down before the conner nets hit their target.

The Republic Commander took a breathe as the rest played out. The 102nd's full force cutting their speed, allowing momentum and what little engine power they still used to propel them into the enemy fleet's formation. Now it would come down to the matter of who chose the better targets. The Defender appeared to be the main focus as the Dogmeat and two CSAF Hammerheads on their right flank fired on the heavy cruiser, while the Defender itself fired its guns toward the Lucid, its own turbolaser batteries rattling off salvos as the Majestic IV used its maneuvering thrusters to turn and bring its weapons to bear on the Lucid as it brought its weapons to bear in a similar fashion. As shields were distributed in regards to incoming fire Dallen wondered which decisions would come out best. The Defender had certainly taken more damage per hit, and the bombers had made a dent to be noted. However, more fire had hit the CSAF's Lucid so depending on where its defenses sat, it was still taking the full focused fire of the Republic Fleet, the Hammerheads [Song of Serenno, Herald, and Testament] all putting their long range heavy turbolaser turrets to work at their much closer range now, pounding away at the Lucid's shields along with the combined batteries of the Defender and Majestic IV.

Meanwhile the good Lord Admiral seemed to be diverging fire now, with the Lucid turning on the Majestic IV, the Fasthand firing on the Song, and his remaining ships firing on the Defender. At this rate Dallen suspected he would lose the Dreadnought, but Hessen had to be aware that it would last about as long as his Lucid with all things considered. "Sir, the Song reports the enemy targeting their shields." Every little motion mattered, Dallen suspected the CSAF must be aiming to cripple the engines right after they broke through the shields to gain more of a long term advantage. "Divert their shields from their right ventral flank. The enemy isn't above and behind them so we can spare the section there. Have the Defender do the same. They're the furthest below everyone they have no one to worry about firing on their starboard side."

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (Testament, Herald, Song of Serenno)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Majestic IV)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (Defender of the Core)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
Aurek Tactical Strike Fighter x 5 (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
S250 Chela Heavy Fighter x 3 (from Majestic)

Actions

Spoiler

Majestic IV: anti-missile octets targeting incoming missiles initially, several impact after conner nets hits. Turns starboard 45º and rotates port, mirroring the Lucid and firing in the same manner.

Defender: turns on its axis to bring port guns to bear on the Lucid firing a salvo of its batteries. Shunting starboard shields to port as its Starboard side is angled where no enemies are present.

Hammerheads: (Testament right, Herald above, Song left) all target the Lucid from multiple angles firing down with heavy turbolaser salvos on the CSAF flagship. 2.7 kilometer range. Song of Serenno diverts power from starboard ventral flank to its port shields.

Aureks: All except Green Squadron engage the K-Wings. Suffered casualties from K-Wing turrets and X-Wing Dummy Rockets. Carried several trailing 'torpedos' to hit the K-Wings in their pass along with their own fire.

Green Squadron & Chela S250s: Engage the initial T-70s pairs with bait and hunter pairs of their own. At X-Wing double pair tactics implementation Republic Fighters continue a bait and hunter pair (Bait catching the attention of the first X-Wing pair while the Hunter that would normally slip behind the first x-wing pair being bait actually for the second that would come behind them), with a secondary pair of fighters prepared to boost in behind the X-Wing's trailing rear as the new 'hunters'

 

[Marcus Solstice]

Marcus made a note quietly on his datapad as the exercise continued. The Republic's Chelas relied too much on their speed, and were outmaneuvered by the deftness of CSAF's T-70's. The X-wings capitalized on this, targeting the Republic's Aureks for torpedoes locks before breaking. Their shields held against the peppering spray of fire from the Chelas at their rear as they moved to engage the slowing Republic fighters, taking advantage of their nimble capabilities to make sudden maneuvers and deploying countermeasures as they did so. CSAF's pilots continued to work in teams of four, segregating Republic fighters from their cohorts and isolating them for attack, leading and trailing targets as a group. Roughly half of the engaged X-wings held their attention on the Aureks, pestering them adamantly enough to dissuade full on strikes against the K-wing bombers. They flitted in and out of their escort positions, adapting fluidly to changes in the tactical scenario as the battle began to shift closer toward the Majestic IV.
As the starfighter battle continued, CSAF's squadrons noted the Republic's adoption of their own technique. Pairs of X-wings were able to maintain their defenses long enough to ruin the Republic fighters they isolated even as they picked up tails. As they began taking fire from rear attackers, the pairs splintered, forcing their Republic followers to isolate a target or split their own teams. Either choice left the X-wings with an advantage. As they split, the isolated X-wing's wingmate was able to perform loops around on the attackers, catching them on their flanks before rejoining their partner. The battle was pitched neither way however, and as casualties mounted rather evenly, Marcus diverted his attention to the greater fleet battle.

The K-wings, for the time being left to their own devices, looped around the Majestic IV and focused their attention on the flagging Defender of the Core. They came around the belly of the Majestic IV, focusing their fire on the newly exposed port side of the Dreadnought. The three squadrons broke their linear formation and spread out from one another, forcing the following Aureks to widen their own dispersion. The bombers' gunners continued harassing their attacking Aureks with cannon fire, fending off further losses for the time being. They slowed their advance, diverting power to shields as they launched their second salvo of T-33 torpedoes on the port side of the Defender, where its shields were weakest for the moment. The use of Connor Nets was not necessary against the Dreadnought, as it lacked anti-missile systems, and the bombers used their engine boosters to pull away after their attack run and reposition as quickly as possible on the Majestic IV.

By now, the Republic's Majestic IV and Defender of the Core were pinned between Hessan's Lucid and Dogmeat, which continued their rotations to maintain effective bulk fire on the two starships. The Lucid was able to bring some weaponry to bear on the Defender as the vessel slowed its movement forward, and the Dogmeat was able to apply some of its forward fire on the closing Hammerhead on that side of the battlespace.
The Lucid was taking the majority of the battle's fire at the moment, though it was also the largest and most ardently defended vessel of CSAF's fleet. It would outlast the Defender of the Core, with ample time to readjust its positioning before danger struck. Its rolling maneuvers kept its primary bulk fire on the Majestic IV, which included another quintet of concussion missiles that targeted the side of the vessel the K-wing bombers had harassed with Connor Nets.
Hessan ordered for a slight adjustment in acceleration, and as the Lucid rolled onto its spine, putting its dorsal side to the Republic's Majestic IV, it tipped its nose upward on its own plane, initiating a loop around the other ship that would take some time to complete. Most immediately, this would bring the Lucid around the Majestic IV's starboard flank, and bring the vessel out of the Song of Serreno's firing arc and cut the vessel's profile in the sights of the other two Hammerheads.
The Dogmeat kept its guns on the Defender, performing a similar maneuver around the opposing Dreadnought, but on the port side. The two CSAF vessels, barring any further decrease in distance between the Defender and the Majestic IV, would bring themselves between the two Republic warships, allowing them to engage both primary weapon banks on their enemies.

In conjunction with this maneuver, CSAF's Hammerheads accelerated from their outward angles to converge on the central contest. The Fasthand maintained its 3 kilometer distance from the Song of Serreno's, remaining outside the Hammerhead's long-range turbolaser's firing arcs, and loosed another high-powered volley at the ship. This time, the weapons targeted the dorsal midship; the Fasthand's Captain had anticipated a flux in shield allocation and was adapting so as to focus fire on weaker shielding areas. The only countermeasure to this the Song could employ would be to maintain balanced shields and attempt to continually maneuver out of the Fasthand's primary firing arcs. This would be difficult, however, as the Fasthand maintained a more malleable firing position.
The Firestoke and Branded loosed another wave of long-range turbolaser fire on the Defender of the Core from their 3 kilometer flank positions, striking for the vessel's bolstered shields on that side. While firing, the two Hammerheads continued to move in conjunction with the center of the fleet battle, maintaining positions on the flanks of the Herald and the Testament, keeping the two frigates outside of the Republic's primary firing arcs. This would give them an advantage if the two Hammerheads decided to shift their focus of fire, and keep them prepared to rotate out

Commander Solstice surveyed the battle from the projection before him, somewhat surprised at Hessan's maneuvers. They were not foreign, though neither were they orthodox by his experience in university or command. "This is proving to be a rather interesting engagement, Lord Commander," he remarked. The Devaronian glanced at him and nodded. "Indeed. The Republic commander is knowledgeable, to be certain, though somewhat rigid in his tactical application." Marcus silently agreed, though added in his reply, "Orthodoxy has its strengths." Hessan nodded absentmindedly, his focus on the battlefield display.

Fleet
Hammerhead Cruisers x 3 (CNF-Firestoke, Fasthand, Branded)
Majestic Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Lucid)
Dreadnought Heavy Cruiser x 1 (CNF-Dogmeat)

Squadrons
(1 per Hammerhead, 5 from majestic, 8 total)
T-70 X-wing Starfighter x 5 Squadrons Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, and Easy (3 from Hammerheads, 2 from Majestic)
BTL-S8 K-wing Bomber x 3 Squadrons Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel (from Majestic)

Spoiler: Action Summary

X-wings
Continues to run escort against Aureks, some break away to target rearmost Chelas. Battlespace contained to areas of K-wing movement.

K-wings
Loop around the Lucid and perform an attack run on the Defender of the Core. Boosts away for repositioning against the Majestic IV.

Lucid
Continues to roll, dipping around the Majestic IV's flank, in a spiral-like maneuver. Continues barrages from most primary weaponry, including 5 concussion missiles that target the Majestic IV's side with weakened anti-missile octets.

Dogmeat
Continues to roll, dipping around the Defender of the Core's flank, in a spiral-like maneuver.

Fasthand
Refocuses long-range turbolaser fire on areas of reduced shields on the Song of Serreno, maintaining position outside of Song's firing arcs.

Firestoke
Maintains long-range turbolaser fire on the Defender of the Core, repositioning in conjunction with the center of the battle.

Branded
Maintains long-range turbolaser fire on the Defender of the Core, repositioning in conjunction with the center of the battle.