And now for something completely different. In format. This is actually a modified version a mission script I wrote when I still entertained hope of this being a real campaign.
The Return
Comms Transcript, GTD Messana, Operation Landfall.
Fully Italics are Messana transmissions.
“Fifty seconds. Tighten up. Fighters move up to your jump points.”
“Give a ready report by squadron.”
“Blue Lions, ready.”
“Avenging Angels are ready.”
“Suicide Kings ready.”
“Novas ready.”
“Raptors ready for jump.”
“Twenty seconds. Gate is active. Meson bomb is in transit.”
“Ten seconds. We have confirmed bomb detonation.”
“Five seconds. We’re go.”
“Jump.”
“Messana this is Actium. Multiple contacts, multiple vectors. Some of them read as Terran.”
“That’s a Diana-class. Blue Lions, Avenging Angels, move in, protect that ship!”
“Unknown ships, unknown ships, this is the GTC Black Prince. State your affiliation.”
“Black Prince, this is the GTD Messana. Recommend you clear our range.”
“Messana, we are unable to manuver and are preparing to abandon ship.”
“Copy Black Prince, hold tight. We’ll get you out of this.”
“Messana, Memphis is on station. Dispatching Steadfast and Vengence to assist the Diana. Gunnery control reports firing solution achieved.”
“All ships open fire.”
“Command this is Ertanax, break out the black paint, we've got a destroyer silhouette that needs adding!”
“Target is negated. Commencing full deck launch.”
“Contacts, multiple contacts, bearing two-zero-seven neg twenty-five range nine point five. Single destroyer battlegroup. Power spikes, power spikes, contacts are firing weapons!"
“All Messana fighters, move in at maximum burn and suppress those ships!”
“Malta is hit, Malta is hit. Ejecting flak magazines. Messana we’re going to have to pull out, we have multiple penetrations of the gun and engineering decks from port.”
“Actium here, first hull penetration in one area. No significant damage.”
“Messana this is Command, say your damage.”
“Portside weapons are down. We have two penetrations of the outermost hull armor but nothing serious. Actium is damaged but still able to engage. Malta reports numerous penetrations to critical systems and is withdrawing.”
“Sirona and Aquitaine are en route, close with those ships and engage.”
“Copy Command. All ships, all ships, closing course. We didn’t come all this way to get kicked out. Unengaged fighters move in.”
“Power spikes!”
“Fortune is hit! Her magazines just detonated!”
“Actium here. No penetration. Frontal weapons still operational. They have a lot of guns but they’re not much punch individually.”
“Raptors, Novas, we need those beams out of action now!”
“Sirona has arrived. Chimera, Stormhawk, with us. Invincible, Shigure, Dhonburi, move to screen the Diana. Charge forward beams for long-range fire and fire as you enter range.”
“Aquitaine has arrived. Commencing full deck launch.”
“Scratch one corvette, good shooting Sirona!”
“Enemy comms chatter just tripled. They’re spooling up subspace drives.”
“Aquitaine to all ships, I want at least one of those ships disabled before it jumps!”
“Roger. Chimera and Stormhawk, fire for the aft on a cruiser.”
“Copy, firing.”
“Firing.”
“Good hits, good hits…dammit it couldn’t take that kind of punishment.”
“Raptor Lead here, we have a cruiser out of it on the far side of their formation.”
“Good job Raptor Lead. Sit on him.”
“Enemy ships are jumping out.”
Engagement concluded.