Gratuitous Federation & Empire

 Our battered forces regroup and withdraw to the Count's Starbase. Fortunately, Count R'rorash has survived the damage done to the CVS Sabre , and is in fine fettle as he supervises preparations and logistics for what we all expect to be a major showdown with the Lyrans at the Starbase itself. Reports are coming in of various battles that have been taking place all along the borders with the Lyrans and Klingons. We did quite well on our front, with Commodore C'Rorish being promoted to Constable of the Count's Marches after his excellent performance against the Lyrans at Battle Station One. Although his forces were eventually degraded to the point where he had no choice but to withdraw, he managed to evacuate the entire station before blowing it with demolition charges to prevent it falling into the claws of the Lyrans. Our own battle against the Red Claw himself went rather less according to plan, but between us and the unexpected success at Battle Station Three, we hav...

 This is how everything looks for the Kzinti after they get a chance to reorganise. Moving from left to right as you look at it, i.e. spinward to anti-spinward, you will see that here are no Battle Stations left on the Lyran Border. Here, the Count's fleet has amalgamated with several smaller forces to form a solid defence at the Count's Starbase. The planet immediately behind that has various auxiliaries plus the planet itself ready to send extra fighters to help with the expected attrition at the Starbase. To the south, or rimward, the Knight's Fleet and the Home Fleet have quite good defensive forces at the two Battle Stations that the Klingons were unable to reduce during their opening offensive. The same is true for the Prince's Fleet at the other end of the border. The Duke's Fleet has concentrated at the Duke's Starbase, and the detachment from the Marquis has garrisoned the important Kzinti planet in hex 1504. The Duke is not expecting the Klingons to at...

 The Klingons' initial offensive has ground to a halt with, it is fair to say, mixed results. Losses are as follows: Klingon vessels crippled: a C8 Dreadnought; a D7C Command Cruiser; four D7 Battlecruisers; two D6M Mauler Cruisers; a D6D Drone Cruiser; a D5C War Command Cruiser; three D5 War Cruisers; an F5C Frigate Leader; four F5 Frigates; and two E4 Escorts. Kzinti vessels crippled: two Destroyers; an Escort Light Cruiser; a Heavy Frigate; an FFK Frigate Leader two Escort Frigates; and three Police Corvettes. Klingons destroyed: a C8 Dreadnought; an F5J Penal Frigate; two F5C Frigate Leaders; four F5 Frigates; and an E4 Escort. Kzinti destroyed: two Destroyers; a Frigate; and two Escort Frigates. All in all, apart from the C8 Dreadnought, neither side actually lost any ships of importance destroyed, everything in fact being on the light side. The main disparity comes in the number of Klingons crippled, almost swamping Klingon logistics and support facilities, as can be seen in ...

 I am sub-commander Rubik, recent graduate of the Academy on Klinshai with highest honours. I have been assigned as Tactical Officer and second-in-command of the F5 Frigate Axe . This level of posting is traditionally the one made available to the best graduates, and I arrive just in time to join in the initial offensive that opens the war against the Kzinti in conjunction with our Lyran allies. We attack all along the border. My own part in this phase of the war is rather brief. Our ship is part of a standard Frigate Squadron on the anti-spinward side of the border, quite close to the junction between our territory, that of the Kzinti Marquis, and also that of the Federation. We are under strictest orders not to provoke the Flatheads, instead being ordered to form up as part of the famous Battle Group Blood in a probing action towards Kzinti Battle Station Seven. Let me explain. Battle Group Blood is the name assigned to an ad hoc  formation that is usually tasked with the mo...

 As expected, the final Klingon attack of their initial offensive of the war comes to a halt. Their last attack group is really only intended to pin Kzinti forces. Given the pattern of the battles that have taken place so far, this is not surprising. The Klingons tend to exchange ships (preferably light ones) for Kzinti fighters over several engagements before finally taking their objective, but this strategy requires the Klingons to have local superiority, something they do not have in their attack on Kzinti Battle Station Seven. The attackers make a single pass, exchanging an F5 and an E4 crippled, along with another E4 destroyed, plus severe damage to their Mauler Cruiser, for a bunch of Kzinti fighters. The Klingons then retire across the border, honour apparently satisfied.

 The day after our forces and government have been dismissed by Klingon Commodore Uklik, I receive a surprise visit. I am somewhat at a loss because of the sudden capture of our beloved home world, even though it is only to be expected in the midst of a Great War between the Kzinti and their Coalition enemies. Former Council Member Zriewk, sister of the deceased pilot Sqiath, calls on me. She is the youngest person ever to be elected to our Democratic Council, and her sheer ability led to her being tipped by many as a future Leader. All that, of course, is now a dream at best. She has an interesting proposal for me - two, in fact. "I'll get down to business," she says, in the straightforward manner of our people. "I mourn Sqiath, but I am also realistic. I have been approached by a representative of the Daven Cartel. They are offering places to any of our personnel who might like to become mercenaries against the Coalition and, perhaps, the Kzinti."  "I mus...

 A few days after the Kzinti leave, the Klingons arrive. To be honest, I am surprised that they did not immediately take over our beloved home world, but when they do turn up it quickly becomes apparent that someone has been putting a lot of thought into their occupation. Our military, such as it is, have decided unanimously to present ourselves in full dress uniform, massed in parade in front of the dais on which is gathered our Democratic Council. The first Klingon to set foot on the soil of Zursk is the Klingon Commodore himself, Uklik. He is followed by a seemingly unending procession of shuttles carrying an entire marine force. There must be more than two thousand of them, disembarking from several troopships in space over our heads. They are accompanied by 200 elite Klingon personnel, and I know enough to realise that this signifies the presence of one of their famous commando cruisers. We wait in silence. Once the Klingons forces have arranged themselves into a parade ground...

 I am Kooth, Birdman of the planet Zursk. I have the distinction of being the only one of our aviators to have kept to his fighter throughout the three space battles in the skies above our planet. The long-expected war of the Lyrans and Klingons in alliance against the Kzinti Tiger-Men finally began with a pair of probes by the Lyrans towards two Kzinti Battle Stations, followed by all-out assaults by both of the Coalition powers. As expected, the Klingons moved a substantial force under old Admiral Or'ok towards us. We know that they have long coveted our planet because its strategic location in the Neutral Zone between Kzinti and Klingon space will provide either power with a useful staging point for further attacks. Our ruling democratic council chose wisely in buying Kzinti defensive fighters, because this means that our munitions and supplies are compatible with the substantial detachment the Tiger-Men send to help us from their Marquis' Fleet further to anti-spinward near...

 I've decided to put this one together as a full mini-campaign report, as opposed to individual battles. I hope this will help it make more sense as a narrative of the Klingon campaign to take an important neutral planet. The ageing Klingon Admiral Or'ok leads a major expedition to secure the independent planet of Zursk as a major stepping stone against Kzinti territory. This is one of six Klingon attacks that are taking place in this period; the others are against the Kzinti themselves. Is is fair to say that at this point the Klingon offensive is seeing mixed success. However, Or'ok has quite an impressive list of assets to deploy, including marine transports and commando vessels, as you can see from the force list above. He leads from his favourite C8 Dreadnought and makes his initial attack with a CV Tug plus escorts; a single D6V Carrier, fronted by an F5J Penal Cruiser; a D7 Battlecruiser; a D6M Mauler Cruiser; a D6D Drone/Scout Cruiser; and a squadron of D5 War Cruis...

I'm not even going to bother posting pictures of this one. The dice were not kind to the Klingons, and their admiral made some very poor moves as a result. They had two F5 Frigates and a C8 Dreadnought crippled. The one piece of 'good' news is that the fleet's second-in-command sacrificed an F5J penal frigate to clear a path through a large drone wave (basically, it went BANG!!!), which allowed the D7C to vaporise a Kzinti Destroyer.

 Third time lucky for the Klingons under Admiral Ulorf, all nice and snug in his favourite Battle Tug: Although Zelkrat has been defended effectively by the Kzinti at a considerable cost in Klingon ships, the invaders now have the upper hand, with a large fleet and near-parity in fighters. If Ulorf doesn't take the planet this time around, he will be forced to withdraw because he won't really have enough left to continue with this campaign. However, the canny Klingon commander knows exactly what he has been doing by trading mostly lighter ships for Kzinti fighters, and his assault force roars into the system. I've tried to show the relative fleet deployments in the following photo: In the foreground at the centre left is the Kzinti CVS Carrier group. Just to their right and behind the planet is the remainder of the planetary defence fighters, plus a Battlecruiser and Drone Cruiser. A bit more to their right is the Dreadnought, and then at the bottom right of the picture is ...

 Klingon Admiral Ulorf's force regroups, while a lighter contingent led by a D7C Command Cruiser tries to busy the Kzinti forces stationed at Zelkrat: I'm not going to go into this one in detail, because it was an easy Kzinti victory. Again there was a trade between Kzinti fighters and Klingon light ships, except this time the toll on the attackers was much higher. The Klingons lost an entire F5 squadron destroyed, together with a lone F5C Frigate leader. The Kzinti Dreadnought finished the battle by closing in fast on the D7C and crippling it with a flurry of disruptors, phaser-1s and phaser-3s just before the remaining attackers warped out to safety. The Kzinti only lost eight fighters. But that might be enough. Ulorf charges back in again with the heavy ships from his own force plus some of those that have just retreated. Although he has lost a large number of lighter vessels over two engagements, he now has the stronger fleet. By carefully husbanding his resources, he even ...

Zelkrat is the name of an important Kzinti planet at the western end of the their border with the Klingons, and it is only to be expected that the Boneheads will move on it with considerable force. Major elements of the Kzinti Home Fleet have been tasked with its defence, led by the venerable Chamberlain of the Patriarch's Household, Lord Mr'iarr, who last saw combat in one of the interminable civil wars that eventually ended with the father of the current Patriarch occupying the throne. He is a safe pair of paws in political terms, but isn't exactly a combat-savvy veteran. He is opposed by the famous Klingon Admiral Ulorf, who specialises in combat with the Kzinti. Like the Lyran Red Claw Duke, Ulorf rose to prominence during the Four Powers' War, and has been honoured as the choice to lead the attack on this target. Forces: Ulorf leads from a Battle Tug. His fleet comprises a D7 Cruiser Squadron; 2xD6 Cruisers; a D6D Drone Cruiser; a D6V Carrier Group; an F5V Light Ca...

 Six Klingon forces have descended upon various battle stations and planets all along the border with the Kzinti - apart, that is, from the easternmost one, which is a bit too close to the Federation for comfort. The Klingons don't want to fight the flatheads (yet), so there is no point in giving them an excuse to help the Kzinti. Several of these attacks are really just meant to pin some of the Kzinti in place, and this first battle is one of those. The Klingons don't have enough assets to force the issue at the westernmost battle station, although of course they will seize an opportunity should it come their way. Force compositions:  The main Klingon fleet is strong enough to give the Kzinti a headache, if not to threaten the station itself. The Klingons are led by a D7C Command Cruiser. They have a D6M Mauler Cruiser; a D6D Scout/Drone Cruiser; a D5C War Cruiser Leader; 5xD5 War Cruisers; and an F5 Frigate Squadron. The defending Kzinti fleet is led by a Battle Tug. As well...

 I still have to play the various Klingon attacks on the Kzinti southern front, but here is their western situation after the three Lyran attacks have been resolved: The Red Claw and Pelt Hunter fleets are combining at the main Lyran Starbase that supports the offensive. Several crippled ships need repairing, but once those are paid for, the bad-tempered felines will amalgamate all of their forces on this front and drive on the Kzinti Starbase - it lies underneath the stack of counters just behind their fleets.  In total across all three battles, Lyran losses are considerable. The Kzinti have destroyed a War Destroyer Leader; a War Destroyer; 3xDestroyers; 4xLight Cruisers; and 3xHeavy Cruisers. They have also crippled a Dreadnought; 2xHeavy Cruisers; a Light Cruiser; a Scout Destroyer; a Destroyer; and a Frigate. In return, the Lyrans have destroyed a Battlecruiser; a Drone Frigate and an Escort Frigate. They have also crippled a Strike Carrier; an Escort Light Cruiser; an Es...

 This is the last of the fights at Kzinti Battle Stations on the border with the Lyrans. Forces as follows: The Lyran force is considerable, although they don't really have enough for a full second wave of ships. Their admiral is sub-standard, so I am rationalising him as the rather foppish and incompetent son of the fiery Red Claw Duke. One thing you may notice here is the presence of a couple of Lyran Jagdpanther experimental modular cruisers. These are supposed to be the first results of the development programme that will go on later to produce the Heavy War Destroyers. The Lyrans are only allowed to have two Jagdpanthers until Y181, so I have made both of them light carriers and put them together. This means that for the first time in the campaign, the Lyrans will have some fighter cover - finally. These are also good ships in and of themselves, so they make a fine addition to any field force. The opposing Kzinti are stretched as always, but the fleet values are still roughly ...

 The powerful Lyran assault force begins to move in towards their traditional Kzinti enemies. The Kzinti left wing evens up a little. We now have six fighters in advance of a Light Cruiser; an Escort Frigate; an Escort Carrier; and a Scout Frigate. They are facing two Lyran Heavy Cruisers to their front, with a Battle Tug and Destroyer Scout to their right. The Kzinti fighters do the logical thing when faced by a superior enemy force and stay well out of range of point defence phasers and ESG force fields. Basically, this part of the Kzinti fleet is just going to do a little dance to tie up the opposition here, while hoping to survive. Many drone missiles start to be chucked, but these Lyrans have a lot of defensive power against that sort of thing. They also do quite a bit of damage to the fighter wing with phasers and disruptors. In the main part of the battle, the Kzinti fighter squadrons and Strike Carrier Group have advanced towards their Lyran enemies. You should be able to m...

 These are the deployments for the second battle of Spring Y169, a Lyran assault on a Kzinti Battle Station.  The Kzinti deploy in two zones. This is the first, well off to the left of the position of their Battle Station. Here they have concentrated a CVE Escort Carrier with accompanying Escort Frigate, followed by the CL Mystic  and a Scout Frigate. I decided to put the two latter ships together to try to increase the Scout's chances of survival. My Kzin hero Meerclaw is the no.6 pilot in the CVE's fighter wing. The Battle Station is glinting in the sunlight at the top centre of the photo above, with two pairs of admin shuttles deployed. Immediately behind is the station's fighter squadron. Behind and to the left is a CV Strike Carrier Group, and to the right is a squadron of three Battlecruisers. There is nothing further to the right of this lot - that's all the Kzinti have here. The right wing of the attacking Lyran force is comprised of two Heavy Cruisers and a Bat...

The Lyran Red Claw is about to launch a grand assault on Kzinti Battle Station No.2: The Combat Value of the attacking force is over 100 points, which makes this the strongest fleet I have seen in action during the campaign so far. But then, it's not entirely surprising given the force composition: a Battle Tug; a Command Cruiser, four Heavy Cruisers, a Fast Heavy Cruiser; a War Cruiser Squadron, three Light Cruisers and a Destroyer Scout. Nasty. The defending Kzinti have a Strike Carrier Group, together with a supporting Escort Carrier Group, three Battlecruisers, a Light Cruiser and a Scout Frigate. Their combat value is 10 points lower than the Lyrans, and that includes the Battle Station and all of the fighters. This is the fleet to which my Kzin protagonist Meerclaw belongs, so it's going to be fun writing about what transpires from his viewpoint. He is currently the no.6 pilot in the CVE fighter contingent. He might be getting promoted after this fight... I rolled very we...