The Truth Is Out There... an Aurora 4X C# Forum game, version 1.13

[blue emu]

The slower enemy squadron is still chugging towards us.

Five of the twelve enemy ships have been wrecked, and most of the others heavily damaged. We still have about 2/3rds of our ready ammunition left in the Carriers, plus full magazines in the Heavy Cruisers, and over 3,000 extra rounds (mostly of obsolete types) in the Ammunition Tenders back at the jump point.

I'm going to take an hour or so break, to eat. Continuing later today.

 

[Capt. Kiwi]

Is salvaging enemy wrecks for tech still a thing? We know their ECM is better than ours for starters.

 

[nuclearslurpee]

Is salvaging enemy wrecks for tech still a thing? We know their ECM is better than ours for starters.

Yes. You can actually double-dip to some extent; sometimes your salvagers will recover tech points directly, however you can also transport any recovered components back to base and disassemble them for tech points - or scrap them for minerals if there is no research value.

 

[blue emu]

ESN Gemini and ESN Hercules have recovered their strike groups. The ESN Cephus strike (Lt.Cdr Kiwi) landed earlier, since it is equipped with the considerably faster Streak II model. The ESN Andromeda strike is still incoming.

The other five strike groups press on toward the slower Rascal ships, still doggedly approaching us.

 

[blue emu]

The strike groups from the ESN Bootes, Cassiopeia, Draco, Eridanus and Fornax have all reached 61 m-km from the oncoming enemy formation. Five of them, five of us. Each strike group will select a target and squadron-fire at it.

(five seconds later) Missiles away!

 

[blue emu]

Our missiles were detected at 3.13 m-km from the target.

Two more Rascal ships destroyed (for a running total of seven out of twelve), two with internal hits... and one still shrugging off our attacks. Twenty-one hits on Ad Gloriam 001, and we still haven't breached its armor!

 

[Baron Jukaga]

Could the Ad Gloriam class be some Rascal equivalent to the classic Rock design?

 

[blue emu]

The Bootes, Cassiopeia, Draco, Eridanus and Fornax strikes are heading back to the Carriers.

Another 45 minutes before the other four strikes (Andromeda, Cephus, Gemini and Hercules) will be rearmed and refueled.

 

[blue emu]

Could the Ad Gloriam class be some Rascal equivalent to the classic Rock design?

It's certainly tough! We'll take it down, though. We have four strike groups less than an hour from launch, and can send two against the relatively intact one and one each against the others. It might not even require that much firepower.

 

[blue emu]

The three surviving Ad Gloriams have turned around and are running!

They have boosted speed to 4,303 kps which is only marginally faster than our own fleet speed of 3,750 kps. Not much chance that they'll get away.

Our next strike will need to move in closer before firing, though, because an up-the-kilt shot must account for the extra distance that the opponent will travel while the missiles are still en route to the target.

This time we'll close in to about 50 m-km before firing.

 

[blue emu]

The Ad Gloriams are fleeing for the edge of our RADAR umbrella (beyond which we cannot paint them for an attack), but I'm sure our next strike can catch them before they reach it.

 

[blue emu]

The Bootes, Cassiopeia, Draco, Eridanus and Fornax strike groups have landed on, and are now refueling and rearming.

The Andromeda, Cephus, Gemini and Hercules strike groups are pursuing the fleeing enemy ships. Our Fighters are twice as fast as the enemy, and we are confident that we can catch them and stop them before they reach the edge of our RADAR coverage.

 

[blue emu]

Tactical:

The red dots at the far left just indicate the position where we lost track of the fleeing Adamants, hours earlier. The Ad Gloriams are running for the edge of our RADAR coverage (the light blue dashed arc) but we will catch them before they reach it. They are moving at 4,303 kps. Our BMVs are following them at 3,750 kps, so the edge of the RADAR coverage is advancing out ahead of them almost as fast as the Rascals are approaching it. Our Fighters are moving twice as fast as the enemy fleet... 8,960 kps.

 

[blue emu]

The fleeing enemy fleet is now technically within range (62 m-km away), but because they are running down-range we must close in enough that they cannot run our missiles out of fuel. A firing range of 50 m-km ought to do it.

 

[blue emu]

Since Jukaga got to pick off the cripples last time, Kiwi get a shot at them this time.

Jukaga's strike fires 28 missiles at the relatively undamaged Ad Gloriam 001, while Kiwi splits his fire between the two crippled ships, Ad Gloriam 002 and 003.

Missiles away!

 

[blue emu]

Jeeze... 53 total hits, 31 of them penetrating hits... and all three ships are still going!

These Ad Gloriams are TOUGH!

Only the Andromeda and Cephus strike groups fired that time. Gemini and Hercules are still fully armed.

We'll hit them again. Same set-up.

 

[Capt. Kiwi]

More penetrating than armour hits on the two crippled ships says they're close to dead, at least.

 

[blue emu]

Targets destroyed.

Now there's only the two Adamants that fled earlier... plus anything that might be hiding in the system.

... but before we go after them, we'll rendezvous with the Ammunition Tenders and re-munition. These missile battles use up THOUSANDS of missiles.

 

[blue emu]

As mentioned above, the remaining red dot just indicates the spot where we lost track of the fleeing Adamants, early in the battle.

We'll pull back to the jump point and then bring the Fleet Train into the system. The place isn't quite secure, but I figure it's close enough for Fleet work.

 

[blue emu]

The 1st Striking Force and the 1st Fleet Train have rendezvoused on the jump point, and we can begin replenishment.