Uh-oh. The 2nd Destroyer Squadron recently entered the Epsilon Indi system to investigate reports of a EM signature on the third planet. Proceeding in-system with sensors activated, the four Tigris II class destroyers registered a thermal contact of 7818 on Epsilon Indi III, and moments later 12 contacts estimated at 1000 tons, grouped together and proceeding at 2500km/s toward the squadron. Assuming that this is the maximum speed of the alien contacts, the Tigris II's have an approximate speed advantage of 530km/s, meaning that, barring any long-range capability, which seems unlikely on such small ships, they can outrun their enemies if the field turns against them.
Rear Admiral Munir Hadad, the squadron commander, orders his ships to close to 120 million kilometers, 30 million kilometers inside of their own maximum missile engagement range, due to his experiences combatting the Wolf 424 aliens, who had powerful ECM. He orders each of his ships to target seperate targets, as such small contacts seem unlikely to possess powerful PD systems. As the Tigris II was designed to be a versatile stopgap to fill the fleet until the next generation of designs, it is an entirely self-dependent class, equipped with 10 size-9 missile launchers, 2 fire control systems, 4 CIWS, and deep enough magazines to hold 13 volleys worth of missiles. As such, the combined weight of fire fielded by the four destroyers can be brought to bear against 8 of the 12 targets. However, their magazines were severely depleted after the bombardment of an alien outpost; Rear Admiral Hadad orders his ships to conserve ammunition, launching only 1 volley at each target. As the ships fire, they engage their shield systems. These are the first Federation ships equipped with the newly designed "Alpha Shields", and none of the captains are sure of their exact strength.
As the first volley strikes home, the sensors of DS2 detect the detonation of all missiles, as well as one strength-1 power system explosion. Multiple lifepod launches are detected. However, the Indus, Amazon, Nile and Yangtze have fired their last missiles. The remaining 4 ships are still closing.
Fortunately, at this point the two newly constructed additions to the 1st Destroyer Squadron, the Thames and the Mississippi, enter firing range. They are both fully stocked with Hermes-9a antiship missiles, and although their sisters Tigris and Euphrates are still in the yards being refitted for the second generation of their class, the Thames and Mississippi, like the other ships of their class, are equipped with twin fire control systems. They launch 4 seperate volleys of 5 missiles, one at each of the enemy contacts. Meanwhile, the Kobold is dispatched from Sol to salvage the wrecks.
The second volley strikes home, destroying all 4 enemy contacts. The combined forces move in to rescue survivors. As atmospheric plumes were detected prior to destruction, it is assumed that these are not the same robotic foes as the aliens in the Wolf 424 system. After recovery, the survivors will be transferred to the Kobold and returned to Earth for interrogation at the hands of an expert team. The Mississippi and Thames will move in to bombard the enemy world while DS2 returns to Tau Ceti III for resupply and refueling, before continuing on to Sol for rearmament.
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Topic: Aurora - The Dwarf Fortress of 4X Games (Read 2853803 times)