It is 3 years after the Drakh attack on Earth and the Excalibur is nearing the end of her mission to find a cure to the plague the Drakh planted there. The ISA has rebuilt their shipyard and produced the first 2 new Victory Class Destroyers since the Excalibur and her late consort. The ISAS Phoenix and the ISAS Dragon are the pride of the fleet and set out to begin their working up trials when word comes in of a large Shadow fleet in Sector 81 by 2 by 14. Well, what better way to work out the bugs than by squashing them with massed fire from Improved Neutron Lasers?
So the Dragon and the Phoenix are deployed at the head of a significant task force. Supported by the ISAS Tara'Lin, first of her class, and a small representative force from ISA members Brakir and Narn, including 2 Brokados Carriers carrying full wings of Pikatos Heavy Fighters and a pair of Dag'Kar Missile Frigates, the fleet of 2 Victory Class Destroyers, 6 White Stars and 3 White Star Gunships, screened by 16 of the new Blue Stars, sets off to combat an old foe surprisingly encountered again.
Also surprisingly, the Shadows are not hard to find. Making a quick stop to get their bearings and contact HQ, the fleet jumps to normal space to find itself in the middle of the remains of the Shadows' latest victims, with the Shadows just preparing to leave the system. In yet another surprise, the Shadows neither disappear into hyperspace, nor do they come screaming into the teeth of what can only be fresh meat.
The advanced sensors of the ISA fleet identify an Ancient Shadow Ship, 4 Young Shadow Ships, 3 Shadow Stalkers and 10 Shadow Scouts skulking slowly closer to them. The ISA fleet deploys for battle and, in a move rarely seen in a White Star fleet, creeps toward their foe just as slowly; carefully jockeying for position.
Minutes later, a Young Shadow Ship misjudges and encroaches too closely. The Victories light their afterburners and rocket at twice their normal speed to reach the exact limit of their effective range and pour concentrated laser fire into the Shadow, pinning it with massive damage. As if that were the kick-off at a North American Earth football game, both fleets kick to full speed and come to grips moments later.
The Shadows had feinted to the left flank of the ISA fleet, where sat the Narn and a dozen Blue Stars, ready to splatter Shadow Scouts across the void. But at the last second, the majority of the Shadow Fleet screams away from this paltry force and into the teeth of the Victories, at the center of the ISA line, leaving only a single Scout and a single Young Shadow vessel to deal with those posers on the flank.
On the opposite side of the field, the Stalkers and most of the Scouts take up position in and around a dense field of debris: burned out hulks and large pieces of the Shadows' recent, unidentified sacrifice. Swooping down upon them come the rest of the Blue Stars and 2 thirds of the White Stars and Gunships (with the others supporting the Victories). At the very rear of the ISA fleet stand the Tara-Lin and the Brokados, surrounded by dozens of fighters, left behind in the mad dash to battle.
In moments, the incredibly fast and ferocious onslaught of the ISA fleet has wiped out a Stalker and 3 Scouts and dealt more damage to (but failing to hold the pin on) the injured Shadow Ship with the Tara-Lin chiming in with a long-range pinning of another Young Shadow Ship. But their defiance of their elders is not to be left unpunished. In a single shot, the Ancient Shadow Ship swats a Gunship from the sky, the vaunted ISA maneuverability doing naught to avoid the dreadful power of the Shadow Molecular Slicer Beam. The gunship is vaporised so quickly it doesn't even have time to explode.
Shocked by the sudden death of their fellows, the ISA renew their assault. 9 Blue Stars Pounce on the single Scout on the ISA's left flank, beating it to death with their outsized guns and judging the range exactly right to avoid the deadly Slicer Beam of the Young Shadow behind it. On the right, the ISA closes to point-blank range with those Shadows and pins several. And in the center, the Victories, with help from 2 White Stars and the Tara'Lin kill a Young Shadow, watching it curl up and wilt, and pin another, their secondary weapons nonchalantly swatting yet another Scout. At this same time, the fastest of the ISA's fighters finally reach the battle and engage and destroy several Shadow Fighters.
Finally! The Narn Dag'Kars have range! Too late. The Young Shadow Ship they were looking at has leapt right up their noses and crushes one of the 2 long-range ships. And does so with prejudice. The Blue Stars, not knowing what they can do to help their allies, leap upon the Ship's unprotected back and unload with everything they have, not knowing if it will even distract the immense and incredibly powerful vessel from its prey. In the Center, the Victories finish off a second Shadow Ship, while the Ancient one turns its focus on the White Stars on the right that have cleared the debris field, breaking 2 of them in half. And on the right, ISA fighters plunge into the debris field to seek out and pinpoint for their larger friends the Stalker and Scouts hiding in it. 2 of the puffed up Ranger pilots crash their Shials into the debris in their overconfidence.
Now it is the Tara'Lin's turn. The Ancient Shadow and its Young wingman whip past the Victories at breakneck speed and pour their fire into her. When the remaining Young Shadow in front of the surviving Dag'Kar chimes in, the Tara'Lin vanishes in an eye-searing fireball with all hands. The raging of the Pikatos Fighters can do nothing. But the Tara'Lin does not go alone. The Blue Stars attacking that Shadow Ship strike through its shields and deep into its vitals, blasting it apart. On the right flank, in the meantime, it seems to have settled into a stalemate. While the White Stars jockey for better position and put more fire into the Shadows, dodging away before those they have not pinned can respond, the Shadows are quick enough to nova several Blue Stars.
The Victories turn toward that dogfight, giving voice to their opinion and backing it up with the powerful arguments of Improved Neutron Lasers, Heavy Pulse Canons and Fusion Canons. A crippled Gunship's captain gives the command to Ram the last Stalker and his crew promptly tosses him out an airlock. With the aid of the VCDs, the White Stars and their supporting fighters and Blue Stars eliminate the remaining Scouts and Stalker.
Meanwhile, the Ancient Shadow and its wingman have sunk their claws into the Brokados that have had the bad luck to finally reach combat. Another massive explosion and the crippled Brokados that survived the attack floats off without power. But the Blue Stars that leapt from their fresh victory over 1 of these monstrous vessels onto the Ancient and its final ally avoid damage and pour fire into them. It is not enough, and the remains of the Shadow fleet, an Ancient Ship and a Young Ship flee into Hyperspace.
It is a victory for the ISA. After reviewing their casualties, the ISA fleet is amazed to find they not only defeated the Shadows, but routed them. ISA losses were light: the Tara'Lin, a single Dag'Kar, 1 White Star Gunship, 1 Brokados Battle Carrier, 2 White Stars and a handful of Blue Stars and fighters lost, with 1 Brokados Carrier and 1 Gunship crippled and incapable of combat; whereas Shadow losses were almost complete -- only the Ancient and a single Young Ship escaped, neither undamaged.
Awards were given like candy to the crews of the Blue Stars for their incredible performance while the crews of the Phoenix and the Dragon filled with the pride and confidence of invincibility. What could possibly hope to stand against the might of the juggernauts they call their ships?
So the Dragon and the Phoenix are deployed at the head of a significant task force. Supported by the ISAS Tara'Lin, first of her class, and a small representative force from ISA members Brakir and Narn, including 2 Brokados Carriers carrying full wings of Pikatos Heavy Fighters and a pair of Dag'Kar Missile Frigates, the fleet of 2 Victory Class Destroyers, 6 White Stars and 3 White Star Gunships, screened by 16 of the new Blue Stars, sets off to combat an old foe surprisingly encountered again.
Also surprisingly, the Shadows are not hard to find. Making a quick stop to get their bearings and contact HQ, the fleet jumps to normal space to find itself in the middle of the remains of the Shadows' latest victims, with the Shadows just preparing to leave the system. In yet another surprise, the Shadows neither disappear into hyperspace, nor do they come screaming into the teeth of what can only be fresh meat.
The advanced sensors of the ISA fleet identify an Ancient Shadow Ship, 4 Young Shadow Ships, 3 Shadow Stalkers and 10 Shadow Scouts skulking slowly closer to them. The ISA fleet deploys for battle and, in a move rarely seen in a White Star fleet, creeps toward their foe just as slowly; carefully jockeying for position.
Minutes later, a Young Shadow Ship misjudges and encroaches too closely. The Victories light their afterburners and rocket at twice their normal speed to reach the exact limit of their effective range and pour concentrated laser fire into the Shadow, pinning it with massive damage. As if that were the kick-off at a North American Earth football game, both fleets kick to full speed and come to grips moments later.
The Shadows had feinted to the left flank of the ISA fleet, where sat the Narn and a dozen Blue Stars, ready to splatter Shadow Scouts across the void. But at the last second, the majority of the Shadow Fleet screams away from this paltry force and into the teeth of the Victories, at the center of the ISA line, leaving only a single Scout and a single Young Shadow vessel to deal with those posers on the flank.
On the opposite side of the field, the Stalkers and most of the Scouts take up position in and around a dense field of debris: burned out hulks and large pieces of the Shadows' recent, unidentified sacrifice. Swooping down upon them come the rest of the Blue Stars and 2 thirds of the White Stars and Gunships (with the others supporting the Victories). At the very rear of the ISA fleet stand the Tara-Lin and the Brokados, surrounded by dozens of fighters, left behind in the mad dash to battle.
In moments, the incredibly fast and ferocious onslaught of the ISA fleet has wiped out a Stalker and 3 Scouts and dealt more damage to (but failing to hold the pin on) the injured Shadow Ship with the Tara-Lin chiming in with a long-range pinning of another Young Shadow Ship. But their defiance of their elders is not to be left unpunished. In a single shot, the Ancient Shadow Ship swats a Gunship from the sky, the vaunted ISA maneuverability doing naught to avoid the dreadful power of the Shadow Molecular Slicer Beam. The gunship is vaporised so quickly it doesn't even have time to explode.
Shocked by the sudden death of their fellows, the ISA renew their assault. 9 Blue Stars Pounce on the single Scout on the ISA's left flank, beating it to death with their outsized guns and judging the range exactly right to avoid the deadly Slicer Beam of the Young Shadow behind it. On the right, the ISA closes to point-blank range with those Shadows and pins several. And in the center, the Victories, with help from 2 White Stars and the Tara'Lin kill a Young Shadow, watching it curl up and wilt, and pin another, their secondary weapons nonchalantly swatting yet another Scout. At this same time, the fastest of the ISA's fighters finally reach the battle and engage and destroy several Shadow Fighters.
Finally! The Narn Dag'Kars have range! Too late. The Young Shadow Ship they were looking at has leapt right up their noses and crushes one of the 2 long-range ships. And does so with prejudice. The Blue Stars, not knowing what they can do to help their allies, leap upon the Ship's unprotected back and unload with everything they have, not knowing if it will even distract the immense and incredibly powerful vessel from its prey. In the Center, the Victories finish off a second Shadow Ship, while the Ancient one turns its focus on the White Stars on the right that have cleared the debris field, breaking 2 of them in half. And on the right, ISA fighters plunge into the debris field to seek out and pinpoint for their larger friends the Stalker and Scouts hiding in it. 2 of the puffed up Ranger pilots crash their Shials into the debris in their overconfidence.
Now it is the Tara'Lin's turn. The Ancient Shadow and its Young wingman whip past the Victories at breakneck speed and pour their fire into her. When the remaining Young Shadow in front of the surviving Dag'Kar chimes in, the Tara'Lin vanishes in an eye-searing fireball with all hands. The raging of the Pikatos Fighters can do nothing. But the Tara'Lin does not go alone. The Blue Stars attacking that Shadow Ship strike through its shields and deep into its vitals, blasting it apart. On the right flank, in the meantime, it seems to have settled into a stalemate. While the White Stars jockey for better position and put more fire into the Shadows, dodging away before those they have not pinned can respond, the Shadows are quick enough to nova several Blue Stars.
The Victories turn toward that dogfight, giving voice to their opinion and backing it up with the powerful arguments of Improved Neutron Lasers, Heavy Pulse Canons and Fusion Canons. A crippled Gunship's captain gives the command to Ram the last Stalker and his crew promptly tosses him out an airlock. With the aid of the VCDs, the White Stars and their supporting fighters and Blue Stars eliminate the remaining Scouts and Stalker.
Meanwhile, the Ancient Shadow and its wingman have sunk their claws into the Brokados that have had the bad luck to finally reach combat. Another massive explosion and the crippled Brokados that survived the attack floats off without power. But the Blue Stars that leapt from their fresh victory over 1 of these monstrous vessels onto the Ancient and its final ally avoid damage and pour fire into them. It is not enough, and the remains of the Shadow fleet, an Ancient Ship and a Young Ship flee into Hyperspace.
It is a victory for the ISA. After reviewing their casualties, the ISA fleet is amazed to find they not only defeated the Shadows, but routed them. ISA losses were light: the Tara'Lin, a single Dag'Kar, 1 White Star Gunship, 1 Brokados Battle Carrier, 2 White Stars and a handful of Blue Stars and fighters lost, with 1 Brokados Carrier and 1 Gunship crippled and incapable of combat; whereas Shadow losses were almost complete -- only the Ancient and a single Young Ship escaped, neither undamaged.
Awards were given like candy to the crews of the Blue Stars for their incredible performance while the crews of the Phoenix and the Dragon filled with the pride and confidence of invincibility. What could possibly hope to stand against the might of the juggernauts they call their ships?
sounds like fun 8) 
