Persei-Aries War Resumes
British spearhead the invasion of 72 Hercules - Is the end in sight?
FROM: ADVISORY OFFICE, UN HERCULES SCS REGIONAL COLONIAL CENTER
17:10 SOL GMT, 12 JUNE 2522
BREAKAUTH: 181072.18J
CLEARANCE: NATIONAL COMMAND AUTHORITY
SUBJ: BATTLE OF STANTSIYA GORIZONT (Horizon Station, 72 Hercules)
The long-awaited Renkei Alliance invasion of the 72 Hercules trinary star system, spearheaded by the British Royal Navy and supported by the Arab League and Japanese Empire, is finally underway. This system is home of the “Kransnaya Nadhezda” (Red Hope) colonies, colonial capital of the Holy Russian Empire, last real enemy of the Renkei Alliance in the Third Hercules War. As such, a successful assault into 72 Hercules and capitulation of Krasnaya Nadhezda is anticipated to at last force the Russians to the negotiation table, put a final end to the so-called “Coalition of Eagles,” and close the Third Hercules War.
So evident is the importance of 72 Hercules, in fact, that the Russians have tried for months to throw every possible obstacle, impediment, and distraction against the mounting of such an invasion. Division among British allies, spoiling attacks into neighboring star systems, and counter-invasions against the Arab League at the Khaizan’s Haven caliphate, all frantic plays for time while the Russians scrambled to build new defenses or call in reinforcements.
Now the time has come to put said defenses to the test. The British have finally stabilized their rear at places like 99 Hercules and forced the New Romans out of the war, the Japanese have recovered from defeats at the hands of the Americans, and the Arab League has ejected the Russian beachhead from their Khaizan’s Haven colonies. All three allied powers are thus poised to invade 72 Hercules, and now that offensive has begun.
The primary terrestrial world of 72 Hercules, Red Hope itself (72 Hercules A/4.1), is protected by a gigantic series of orbital installations. Given the defensive capabilities of these installations (and the tens of thousands of civilians who live on them), the British Admiralty is hoping for force a decision without a direct assault on Red Hope, sure to be an apocalyptic bloodbath.
Rather, the orders for Task Force Agamemnon (Lord Commodore Edward Cavendish) are to establish a foothold in the outer reaches of 72 Hercules. The specific target is Gorizont Stantsiya (Horizon Station), a powerful defensive and fleet support base installation in the outer debris disc (i.e., Kuiper Belt) of the largest of the three 72 Hercules stars. From this base, the British hope to either compel the Russians to come to terms, or stage the next phase of a massive invasion toward the core of this massive triple star system.
Cavendish’s mission is not an easy one. Gorizont Stantsiya (Horizon Station) is a beast of an installation, with a mass rivaling most battleships, massive quadruple turrets of 15-teravolt EPCs, double turrets of 14-gigawatt rail guns (again the caliber normally found on a battleship), bristling mass driver defenses, and an aerospace strike group rivaling those carried aboard most classes of fleet carrier. On top of that, it’s protected by the Admiral Lazarev task force, commanded by the veteran Captain Piotr Myshaga (light cruiser Admiral Lazarev, destroyers Syekyra and Rusalka).
Adding still more danger is the battlespace itself, where huge floes of ice, proto-comets, and planetary debris drift in the eternal abyss, detritus left over from the formation of the 72 Hercules star system. The “Kuiper Belt” of 72 Hercules is thicker than most, probably because the competing gravity of the three 72 Hercules stars preventing the collapse and formation of more outer ice giants or gas giants. Astrophysics aside, this debris now poses a very real collision hazard for any warships engaged in battle around Horizon Station. But if the British and their Renkei Alliance partners hope to crack 72 Hercules and finally end this war, they have to start here.
UNITED KINGDOM: Damon
HOLY RUSSIAN EMPIRE: Oriskany
ASSAULT VICTORY CONDITIONS (561 points)
The general situation of the Third Hercules War in early June, 2522. The Russians more or less stand alone - their former allies in the “Coalition of Eagles” (the United States and New Roman Alliance) having been forced out of the war. The Russians have been playing for time with divisive politics and spoiling attacks, but now at last ... time has run out. The Japanese, Arab League, and British are all poised for simultaneous assaults into the 72 Hercules star system, home of the Krasnaya Nadhezda (Red Hope) colonies - “capital” of Russian holdings here on the Hercules Rim. Now the British are spearheading what is hoped to be the final invasion of this conflict. Is the Third Hercules War finally drawing to a close?
First, let’s take a terrifying look at the Warships Record Sheet of Horizon Station. This city in space can serve as the permanent base for a complete task force, or a temporary base for full battle fleet. It weighs more than some battleships, boasts the 14-gigawatt rail gun battery of a battleship, and carries more fighters and bombers than some fleet carriers. It mounts shielding that makes most heavy cruisers or even battleships green with envy, and enough mass drivers to make virtually any aerospace or torpedo attack a virtual suicide charge. The only problem, it doesn’t move. It’s a helpless stationary target. If it takes damage to one side, it can’t maneuver, roll to protect its wounds, or even retire. As Patton allegedly said, “fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man” ... but of course he never had to assault one of these bad boys.
The engagement begins. The Russian approach is uncharacteristically slow, preferring to stay under the cover of the big guns of Horizon Station. Usually the Russians, particularly Captain Myshaga, rushes enemy battlegroups at high approach rates, hoping to get his large (but slow) torpedo attacks, EPCs, and especially plasma accelerators right into enemy engines and reactors. But here, he’s got the disadvantage that two-thirds of his firepower is immobile, so he’ll have to take his time and force the British to come to him. It doesn’t work, at least initially, as Cavendish instead starts launching his aerospace group in hopes of knocking at least one of Myshaga’s ships down before closing into a more general engagement. For now both sides fling long-range broadsides at each other’s destroyers, the HMS Sheffield and CPK Syekyra taking the worst of it.
Both sides execute port standard turns, coming about to present starboard bows to each other for closer broadsides delivered at 1600 kilometers. Cavendish’s stand-off engagement plan isn’t really working ... while his enhanced shielding and electronic warfare suites is making his ships very hard to hit, the sheer weight of Russian firepower is starting to tell. The HMS Sheffield is hammered wide open but while her skipper (Commander Howard Bowen) maintains power, he’s compelled to break off the engagement. The Syekyra (Captain Ekaterina Alexyevna Duranov) is also forced to break off, but that massive Russian aerospace strike is now howling in, and the British just don’t have enough mass driver defense to fend of that sheer number of warheads. 
At last the moment arrives. Like many Darkstar games, the Battle of Horizon Station comes begins with feints, postures, and maneuvers, until finally coming down to a more or single smash somewhere on the table. The trick is to influence the conditions of that collision to maximize your strengths while minimizing your shortcomings for best chance of success. Here, the break almost completely falls in the British favor. The mass Russian fighter strike on HMS Sheffield (hoping to finish her off so she doesn’t linger in the 72 Hercules Kuiper Belt) is almost a complete failure, especially with her “Resolute Crew” battle upgrade repairing her burning bridge and keeping the ship on her feet long after she should have gone dark. The even bigger Russian torpedo and missile strike on the stern of the light cruiser HMS Retribution (Captain Helena Seacole) does a little better, but her double-enhanced shielding and excellent mass driver defense of HMS Vindictive and Agamemnon makes this impact far less lethal than it should have been. The real disappointment comes with the guns of the station, which practically all miss on HMS Retribution. The point-blank broadsides of the Rusalka and Admiral Lazarev do far better, but even this Retribution survives. Myshaga has also made a critical mistake here, throwing away the benefits his “Gunnery Accuracy” and especially “Gunnery Impact” upgrades to close the range to just three hexes, where the forward batteries of HMS Agamemnon and Retribution could tear him apart in return. He’s ventured out from under the protection of those heavy guns, and pays the price. The aerospace strike from the carrier HMS Vindictive (Commander Alfred Carpenter), combined with Cavendish’s own gunnery of the Agamemnon, cripples both the Admiral Lazarev and Rusalka.
Now we’re at a curious moment. With the whole Russian fleet either crippled or driven off, all that remains is the bloody assault on the “castle” of Horizon Station. But does Cavendish really have to assault the station at all? Rather, he pivots behind the Kuiper Belt debris so the station cannot hit him. In game terms, he’s running out the clock. He has more points on the table than the Russians and so long as the Russians cannot hit him, he wins the game. The only chances here are if the Russians can launch another aerospace strike to cripple the Retribution ... 
Running the game forward through one more turn, we realize that even this won’t work. The Russian bombers are only so fast, and by the time they land on Turn 5, rearm on Turn 6, re-launch on Turn 7, and fly back across thousands of kilometers of space to re-engage on Turn 7 or 8, the game will be over (assault games are limited to eight turns). Even if they did cripple the Retribution, the British still win (although by a more slender margin). Conversely, A second British aerospace strike will never get through the station’s heavy defenses. Engaging the station in a gunnery slugging match will probably shake out in a British win, but will never allow a MAJOR win as the British will lose AT LEAST one more ship, probably the horribly damaged HMS Retribution. Barring some truly remarkable dice one way or another, the Russians cannot win, they cannot force a draw, and the British cannot enhance the margin of victory they already have. The battle is basically already decided. Cavendish thus makes the call and runs out the clock. Not the most cinematic finish, but one that a real naval commander would probably make (saving hundreds of lives and billions of pounds’ worth of starships). In game terms, he basically lays siege to the station, ready to engage with a VERY powerful force any relief force the Russians may try to send to New Horizon. Meanwhile the rest of the British invasion fleet would arrives (mostly carriers and troop ships), and would EVENTUALLY grind the station down with mass torpedo strikes if nothing else. More likely the local Russian commander comes to terms, realizing help will never reach him with Cavendish’s cruiser lurking out among those asteroids and comets.
So that’s the end of the battle. By playing smart, reserved, and cautious, Damon has won the final victory needed to push the United Kingdom up over the “8” campaign threshold score. The British are now able to cut a deal with the Russians, an Anglo-Russian cease fire will be declared. The British parliament, Admiralty, and crown are all able to declare victory in the Third Hercules War. ASSUMING ... and here’s the onion ... that the Arab League or Japanese battles (taking place at the same time in this simultaneous three-way invasion) win at least one more victory against the Japanese. Note that while the British have EXCEEDED their threshold of +/-8 with a campaign score with a +10 ... the Russians have NOT capitulated (i.e., they have not yet been knocked to their own threshold of +/-9 with a campaign score of -7). Either the Japanese or the Arab League have to win to finally shove the Russians down to -9, only then will the Third Hercules War truly be over. Still, for now the British, especially Lord Commodore Edward Cavendish, can rest on their laurels. Even if the Russians mount a comeback, the diplomats are already drawing up papers, the British have well and truly won their part in this war. Damon has fought FOURTEEN Darkstar battles (8 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses) over the last nine months (his first game in this war was October 26, 2019), battled his way back from the brink of absolute defeat TWICE, to carry the war to ultimate victory. It’s the biggest Darkstar effort I’ve seen from a player in years, and really deserves the community’s congratulations. Well done! 
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1000 times…I Hate Stations
Yeah, they can be tough from a scenario design perspective as well. If the “attackers” can separate the defending fleet from the station (kind of how @damon did here) more or less dissects the defending fleet. Conversely, if the defender makes the “right” move and just lingers by the station, the game becomes a straight-out unmoving, immobile slugging match. Legitimate … but boring. But … because this campaign is winding down, and this was an “Overlord” attack into a Russian “Atlantic Wall” … I wanted to try an installation at least once more. We’ll see if @muakhah can wrap this… Read more »
I definitely had a ‘got away with it’ feeling after this game, the poor Russian airstrike and station shooting on the same turn really swung things, I was expecting to loose two ships that turn and was thinking I would be lucky to get a draw.
It’s been a blast playing this campaign, especially as it’s the only gaming I’ve got in during the lockdown for the last couple of months. Thanks Jim, I really appreciate it
No worries at all @damon – but seriously, you’ve been in this thing almost nine months of real time (almost 2 years in game time) fourteen games in all, and have easily built the most powerful task force currently active in the Darkstar ‘verse. As for me, it just feels amazing to wrap up a completed campaign (granted we’re not qui-i-i-i-ite there yet). Too many times wargame and RPG campaigns just kind of “fizzle out” when they run too long or players can’t stick the course. So thanks to EVERYONE who’s been participating and supporting this campaign all this time.… Read more »
Congratulations Damon and Oriskany. Great result and a very entertaining series. Look forward to more.
Thanks very much, @gremlin. We’re almost through, one more battle, maybe two if the Russians pull off a win this weekend.
Then … it’s on to the next campaign? Maybe a break for just the occasional pick-up game for a while?
Good game! It looks like the campaign is coming to a nice climactic finish.
Let’s hope we can wrap it up successfully with the upcoming game!
I would also like to thank Jim for running so many good games which were much needed for war gaming morale purposes the half year gone by.
@muakhah – Don’t thank me yet.
You haven’t seen what you and @rasmus are up against tomorrow … 😀
Well done @damon – did the combined fleet stop Holy Russian reinforcements – from coming in with a full Battlecruiser/Battleship …