Sirius Business - a C# Aurora forum game. v2.5

[blue emu]

Our Carriers continue to gradually catch up with the action... now less than 700 million km from Red 2.

The maximum (one-way) range of the Fighters varies from around 300 million to around 600 million km depending on the Fighter model.

 

[blue emu]

The Carriers have closed up nicely on the PD Fleet, and are now near enough to Red 2 that they could actually hit them with a few dozen Fighters from here... although only the most modern models could participate, and even they would have no fuel left to return to the Carriers.

Since the opponent continues to just swan back and forth, we'll continue to concentrate all of our forces forward at the line of contact.

We'll have to keep an eye on Red 3.

 

[blue emu]

We'll move the Gunships across to Waypoint 22 in order to get in front of Red 3.

I'll be happy to engage that enemy squadron... but not within Red 2's missile range.

Note the Intel ship ESN Mata Hari positioned off to the flank among the wrecks.

Those stealthed Intel ships are very handy in an actual battle.

 

[blue emu]

As our Gunships side-step to block Red 3's path into our rear, Red 3 responds by switching to Plan B and heading for a link-up with Red 2.

That's not a problem, since they bring little combat power to the table... their missile load-outs are either completely gone or nearly gone.

 

[blue emu]

The Carriers are now close enough to Red 2 to put 175 missiles on target.

But if the enemy is just going to swan around aimlessly, there's no point in rushing it and launching only half an airstrike.

The PD fire we face will be the same whether we're hitting them with 175 missiles at once or with 1,000 missiles.

The Carriers will continue to close in, in order to bring more of their 400+ Fighters into strike range.

 

[blue emu]

I'd actually like to save enough Fighter reloads to take out their shipyards (back home on Mechanus) with a Fighter strike.

That would mean that we didn't have to bring the fleet too close to their planet.

 

[blue emu]

Satisfied that the Carriers are now entering the battlespace proper, our PD Fleet resumes closing in on the enemy Red 2 fleet.

Now 380 million km away.

 

[blue emu]

So...

Plan A (get him to waste his missiles on a ship sitting on a jump point) failed.
Plan B (get him to chase us through a jump point and ambush him while he's in jump shock) also failed.
Plan C (get him to use up all of his missiles on civvies) was a partial success, but not decisive.

So do we go with Plan D (tank the salvos with our PD fleet) or with Plan E (first hit him with a Fighter strike and THEN tank whatever is left with our PD fleet)?

I'm tempted to try Plan E, the Fighter strike. On the other hand, it's also tempting to go with Plan D and let the PD fleet try its luck.

 

[Wagonlitz]

over 14,000 kps for the Gunships (and 16,700 kps for the Emotions and Phalanxes alone)

I thought the Gunships just was Emotions and phalanxes.

The Tender carrying the Boarding Shuttles (a slow 5,600 kps ship) is still over a billion km away from Red 2... but this speed and coordination problem was forseen and the shuttles have a maximum range of 1.2 billion km.

Tbeybcan do their top speed for 1.2 bil km?

 

[randakar]

I'm perfectly fine with either plan.
We'll have fun and see some explosions either way.

Which one is better entirely depends on how many missiles we have in stock and how effective our PD screen is, and I'm not sure of either.

 

[randakar]

Tbeybcan do their top speed for 1.2 bil km?

Yup. There is no fuel efficiency gain for slowing down.
And those shuttles are ridiculous.

 

[Wagonlitz]

Those stealthed Intel ships are very handy in an actual battle.

Definitely good we made them.

The Carriers are now close enough to Red 2 to put 175 missiles on target.

But if the enemy is just going to swan around aimlessly, there's no point in rushing it and launching only half an airstrike.

The PD fire we face will be the same whether we're hitting them with 175 missiles at once or with 1,000 missiles.

The Carriers will continue to close in, in order to bring more of their 400+ Fighters into strike range.

Sounds good.

I'd actually like to save enough Fighter reloads to take out their shipyards (back home on Mechanus) with a Fighter strike.

That would mean that we didn't have to bring the fleet too close to their planet.

Do.we have any full tenders left for reloading before Mechanus?

tempted to try Plan E, the Fighter strike. On the other hand, it's also tempting to go with Plan D and let the PD fleet try its luck.

I say plan D.
We need to know how we'll out PD works.
Plus you just said you need missiles for Mechamjs.

 

[Wagonlitz]

Yup. There is no fuel efficiency gain for slowing down.
And those shuttles are ridiculous.

Oh, so no matter thebspeed you do, it costs the same amount of fuel?

 

[blue emu]

I thought the Gunships just was Emotions and phalanxes.

They used to be, correct.

But for this particular operation, I've added everything that's not a Sabre and is faster than our opponents.

I expect the Emotions and Phalanxes to break formation and charge in, with the other (non-shielded) ships following behind.

Tbeybcan do their top speed for 1.2 bil km?

Yes, but that runs them dry and strands them right where they are, until someone comes along to pick them up.

 

[blue emu]

Oh, so no matter thebspeed you do, it costs the same amount of fuel?

No, the same fuel efficiency.

The same km-per-litre.

Slowing down doesn't save (or cost) you any fuel compared to full speed. It just means the trip takes longer.

That said, there are often tactical reasons for slowing down, such as reducing your Thermal signature or synchronizing your movements with another approaching fleet.

 

[blue emu]

We've got enough missiles in the Carriers' magazines to re-arm all of the Fighters once (more or less).

We've got enough missiles sitting inside Tenders just on the far side of the Harmony => Lernea jump point (guarded by Sabres and three Fighter squadrons) to launch maybe eight full-up Fighter strikes. Most of them are older model missiles, though, but perfectly suitable for planetary bombardment.

 

[Wagonlitz]

They used to be, correct.

But for this particular operation, I've added everything that's not a Sabre and is faster than our opponents.

I expect the Emotions and Phalanxes to break formation and charge in, with the other (non-shielded) ships following behind.

What ships do we have faster than him?
Any grnerals left?

but perfectly suitable for planetary bombardment.

I thiguht we wanted to use energy weapons for the actual compartment, though, to avoid dust.

 

[son of liberty]

I would go with plan D imo
I actually agree with Wagon about testing our PD.

 

[blue emu]

What ships do we have faster than him?
Any grnerals left?

Two Generals. And an Agent (a stealthed AWACS Intel ship). Plus the Emotions and Phalanxes.

I thiguht we wanted to use energy weapons for the actual compartment, though, to avoid dust.

In the current situation I'm more concerned about the Bork than I am about the planetary dust level.

I'd like to end this war as rapidly as possible so we can send the fleet home, rest the crews and overhaul it. We may need it for the Bork.

The Bork seem cooperative enough at the moment, but it only took the Modrons a month or two to escalate from "suggestions" to war.

 

[Avernite]

Let us move in and shoot down the msisiles. It's why we have a PD fleet!