Gratuitous Federation & Empire

 Although our combined Coalition forces were unable to reach the Hydran capital itself, the Klingons were able to destroy the last remaining major installation, the Hydran Starbase. This means they have no real repair capacity in the region, which is confined by our fleet sensors showing a steady stream of crippled ships heading towards the Hydrans' staging point to their Old Colonies, a newly constructed Starbase.  After regrouping, we go in again, and I am in the thick of it right from the outset. High Command has agreed with the Klingons that our vessels will lead the assault as we have better anti-fighter capability due to our ESGs. The usual strategy will be in place: degrade their fighters and hopefully take out some ships as well, or at least do enough damage to remove them from consideration.  The Hydrans are determined to make us pay for every parsec, and engage us as soon as they can at the approaches to the planet. They want to delay our arrival at the capital ...

 It is finally time to strike directly at the Hydran home planets. The Klingons have amassed more ships than us, basically because we took out two Hydran Starbases while they destroyed one. So they are heading directly for the capital. Our fleets are tasked with the two other main Hydran systems, Anthraxan and Hydramax. As Captain of the War Destroyer Dark Fury , I am assigned to the forces tasked with reducing Hydramax. I see no action during the approach battles to the region, but I soon find myself in the thick of it in the vicinity of the second planet in our target area, Hypnokerm. Our initial assault is beaten off, albeit at the cost of large numbers of Hydran fighters. We should have the edge in attrition, though, because we have many light vessels. Due to losses in the war so far, our cruisers have taken a pounding, but like most Lyran fleets, we have extra command ships. This means that our fleets will be somewhat imbalanced in action, comprising whatever we can put togeth...

 It is now time to have a Lyran hero in the campaign. Meet M'rrr'shann, the rather evenly-tempered (for a Lyran!) Weapons Claw of the War Destroyer Dark Fury  (Far Stars clan): I am M'rrr'shann, scion of a minor aristocratic family from the Far Stars colonies of the Lyran Star Empire.  Recently commissioned, I have been assigned as Weapons Claw (i.e. First Officer) of one of the first of the new generation of vessels to be assigned to our Duchy. The War Destroyer Dark Fury  caused some comment when it first arrived along with a companion War Cruiser, mostly because the tri-hulls are under-powered when compared with our older, well-trusted vessels. However, the addition of a battery pack has helped solve this problem, and our leadership is curious to see how the new designs fare in combat. We warp towards the southern part of Lyran space, to work in concert with the Enemy's Blood fleet. Now that the joint Lyran-Klingon Coalition has started to make inroads against th...