On the attack with Astyanax

 It is now Autumn Y175, and our forces are ready to go onto the offensive. It has taken three years, but all vessels have now been repaired and the Old Colonies shipyard re-established. At on point we will be able to aim for the Klingon forces occupying our capital, but at the moment we need to make a demonstration in force. My friend the Bird-man Kooth has been busy gathering intelligence on the Lyran fleet dispositions in his cloaked Orion Heavy Cruiser Deathblow, and he joins the fleet as we bear down on the Lyrans at Phthaa III, their main forward base in our territories. The Deathblow is heavily damaged in the initial exchanges, and then it is my turn as Captain of the Traveller Cruiser Entangler, a Hellbore ship, as we reach towards the planet itself.

My first engagement is very successful. The Entangler leads two Horseman Cruisers in close proximity to a Destroyer flotilla. Our main enemy is a War Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Group based on their War Cruiser hulls. Two of our Destroyers are vaporized along with almost all of our fighters, but we destroy two War Cruiser Escorts and cripple a War Destroyer; their Carrier is forced to leave due to high damage. The Lyrans retire on Phthaa III itself. Although I was very busy in my previous Destroyer command in the battles in our home regions, this is the first time I have led the Entangler in combat, having been kept in the small fleet reserve as Hydrax itself finally fell to the Coalition. I am well satisfied with both ship and crew.

The next battle takes place at Phthaa III itself. Once again I lead a Light Cruisers squadron, and again we are in concert with a Destroyer flotilla. This time, however, we are facing the heaviest Lyran ships, which of course means that our heavies are facing their lighter vessels. This will be a classic case of who does most damage the most quickly; the battle goes our way. And just in time too, because we lose a Horseman crippled and another destroyed along with a Destroyer; the enemy heavies are about to finish us when they warp out instead. A quick recap shows the complete destruction of six Lyran ships on the other side of Phthaa III by our carrier group, cruisers and dreadnought - all very impressive. We stay in orbit long enough to beam down away teams to destroy the military installations the Lyrans have been building planetside and then the fleet departs, satisfied with a job well done. Those bases were almost operational.

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