Meerclaw at Zamyan

 It's all a bit of a fizzle, really, at least where I am concerned.  Along with the other pilots on the CVL Tempest, I watch as the Lyrans overpower our forward lines and then sweep in towards the planet in multiple waves. Our ships give them a hard time as usual as we try to fend them off, with especially high casualties among the pilots.

As has been the case in previous positions, the superior numbers of the Lyran force eventually grinds us down, and we have to commit carriers as cruiser equivalents. Our turn comes, and the fleet is deployed in a relatively wide formation; our admiral the Count is obviously intent on following his orders to preserve the carriers as much as possible. Our own position is at the far end of the port wing of the formation, which can best described as a loose line abreast. The Lyrans, however, really mean business this time, as they come in almost entirely together on a heading directly for the planet. 

Our squadron turns in towards the planet behind the faster main ships. It feels nice and safe tucked in behind the carriers and cruisers, but it does mean that we are reduced to the role of medium-range missile platforms. In terms of preserving the carriers, the formation works well, but the cost to our lighter ships and centrally-deployed fighters is immense. The Lyrans' closeness works on this occasion to their advantage, because it gives them overlapping defences against our drone missiles. They even manage to destroy the CVS Sabre's entire fighter squadron with ESGs. We cannot withstand this sort of hammering without risking the carriers directly, so the Count reluctantly sounds the withdrawal. The Tempest picks us up; my last backwards glance shows the Lyrans closing on Zamyan and the auxiliary vessels that will be too slow to escape.

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