tidewater Darkstar

[Campaign Day 12, Gl.432, outer asteroid belt]

Previously, the Canadian Battlegroup Sable was stopped cold at Gliese 432, with Oakville being forced back under tow to 442 to begin repairs at a new secret facility expected to become operational by the time of her arrival.  Frontenac was retained, while Sault Ste. Marie was sent back.  Huron arrived with Niagara, bringing the total Canadian deployment in the outskirts of Gliese 432 up to 3, with Battlegroup Wolverine’s hybrid carrier and destroyer assisted by Sable’s frigate.  While the Japanese would not commit the heavily damaged Narikei, other ships were assigned to a military convoy to deliver the first components for a repair base.

I hastily improvised a scenario by going off of the entry in the rulebook, and upped the “hit points” for just 2 transports, starting just on the board, moving across the diagonal, and adjusted their speed so that we would have about 4 turns to stop them (at the start of the 5th they would move off).  As I remember, destroying all transports would earn an extra point on top, while saving all would earn that side a bonus, as well as killing escorts and attackers…

From an image taken just before the battle, it seems that the Japanese 2nd Advance Group may have been used in its entirety, probably because the crippled frigate was either deemed so lightly damaged it could be repaired, or we thought a replacement was alright given that it might have been lost in the interim (he lost quite a few, and it was hard to keep track when names were not always written in).

Again, records are incomplete, and while 1 transport was struck down, it looked like by the last turn, not much fire could be brought to bear on the remaining one, and losses on both sides pointed to a draw.  We know of atleast 1 Japanese ship, probably a strike frigate, being lost, and possibly a second.  For the narrative, the base would be established but with some delays.  The expeditionary cruiser Huron and the frigate Frontenac would be all that was left to keep up the pressure on the Japanese.