Fiction Friday! On Wednesday I listed a few things that I think could help faction war by limiting LP farmers in their cloaked and warp core stabbed ships in Faction War. Here's the 'lore' behind some of the effects that I suggested such as the satellite must be targeted for the countdown to run and why you cannot cloak. The engagement that occurs actually happened to me recently. I was in the Thrasher of course. Trust in the rust!
There is an escape pod here to Vae Victis regarding the current state of drones if fiction makes you yawn!
Fall of the Outpost
Yanati sat at his console and ran the scan again. Whist the star system was generally busy there was nothing on short range scan from their Cormorant class destroyer. The ship was there to protect the small automated base from the marauding capsuleers who constantly threatened to capture the system. The tides of war had changed recently for the Caldari State, they were winning only a few months ago, but a massive push from the Gallente Militia had seen many systems fall. They still had control in this system, but the Gallente were getting a foothold.
"Still no sign of Heth."
Yanati look across at his colleague who was leant back in his chair with his feet upon the console reading a datapad.
"News says nobody knows even what region he's in. You'd have thought someone would have turned him in by now! The bounty that Mordu's Legion put on his head is still there. Lot of cash for simply turning in someone who is already wanted by the State."
"Hang on, a year ago you were Heths biggest fan boy! Anyway, he still has a lot of dodgy friends. He's probably hold up in a cave somewhere. You heard the rumours about his past. Probably in the same cave he used to live in when he was part of that terro...."
Whilst he was talking he was still running the scans. Yanati slammed a big red button next to his console.
"Destroyer on short range scan. Within 21 million K. Thrasher class, Matari origin. He's probably at the acceleration gate." he spoke calmly into his microphone.
Battlestations sounded on the Caldari destroyer.
-o0o-
The Thrasher class destroyer aligned alongside the massive acceleration gate that dwarfed the 271m long destroyer. Inside was a flurry of activity. Commands were being given by the capsuleer, both direct to the ships systems from his wet-wired pod and also to the various crew via a complex messaging system. No other capsuleer craft were on scan so he had ordered Titanium Sabot ammunition to be loaded. Whilst not as devastating as the more regularly used Republic Fleet EMP or phased plasma rounds, titanium sabot had a big kinetic kick and a long range. Caldari Navy ships had weak defences against such.
The capsuleer activated the acceleration gate and the ship was propelled at high-speed towards the outpost. The journey took only a few seconds.
On-board the Caldari Navy Cormorant orders were barked and the crew rushed around, although they realised they had no chance once the enemy Thrasher dropped out of warp. The capsuleer, wet-wired into his ships systems, was able to lock the Cormorant and fire two volleys from his powerful artillery cannons before the Navy ship, captained by a regular officer, could even achieve a target lock back. The battle was very one-sided and over quickly. The only good news for the Cormorants crew was the captain had given the order to abandon ship early seeing that the fight was pointless.
On board the Thrasher Ensign Petre worked the cryptology station on the bridge. The XO had stood behind her as they watched the capsuleer target the automated outpost.
"We have target lock sir. Initiating hack..... We're in. It'll take about 10 minutes to break through the firewall, another three minutes to isolate the command routines and then two minutes to upload the virus and capture the outpost."
"Excellent. Get to work Ensign."
-o0o-
On board the small two-man escape pod Yanati and his colleague sat strapped into their seats. Samo still had his datapad.
"Wow! I've still got a secure connection to the outpost on this. It is tracking the hostile. A Thrasher class destroyer piloted by a capsuleer. That's why we went down so fast. A fracking egger. Its Gallente Militia and they have established a lock on the outpost."
"Why lock the outpost? They cannot destroy it with that!" Yanati asked.
"They are hacking the systems. They need a target lock so they can interface with the computer. They are trying to turning the outpost against the State. Its all automated in there. These outposts serve as command and control relays for our system-wide forces. If they get through the firewall they can disable the command routines which will hurt our forces in the area. Finally they'll upload a virus which will take control of the outpost. Bang! The Gallente have a new outpost in the system and we lose our grip slightly."
Yanati unbuckled his belt and pushed off the chair towards a view-port. The tiny escape pod did not have artificial gravity so he was weightless. He peered out of the small window.
"Is they nothing we can do?"
"No." replied Samo glumly "The outpost will fight back in an electronic sense but these egger ships are too well equipped. They'll eventually swamp the firewall and take over. The only hope is that we get reinforcements. If they can break the Thrashers target lock or push the ship out of range during an engagement the systems will auto-repair over time. However, if they do not get uninterrupted, this outpost will be frog-side within 15 minutes."
Yanati continued to stare out of the window in silence.
-o0o-
"Sir. The capsuleer has ordered a change of ammunition." the weapons specialist on the bridge announced.
Everything went quiet. That could only mean one thing. He'd identified a threat on a short range scan.
"Ensign Jacque, what you got?" barked the XO.
The Ensign on the scanner console had already started review of the sensor logs. Unlike the capsuleer who was at one with the scanner systems, the Ensign needed to interpret the logs. There were always occasions when the capsuleer knew something was out there, but to the crew, the logs showed nothing.
"Sir. Confirmed. Two contacts. One Condor class frigate supported by a Talwar class destroyer. Sir, it looks like it might be a dual kite set-up!"
A dual kite set-up usually consisted of two ships that are fast an manoeuvrable with ranged weapons. The attack pattern usually involved a frigate with a warp disruptor and electronic warfare modules. Common ones included tracking disruptors or targeting range dampeners. The frigate would engage first and set up at range. Its warp disruptor would prevent the victim from being able to warp off and its electronic warfare systems would prevent the target from shooting back effectively by disrupting its turrets or scanners. Then the ship with the better damage would arrive and they both keep range from the victim who cannot fight back and was slowly destroy from range.
"Sir, thermal cut offs have been disabled on the 250mm artilleries!" came the report from the engineering station.
The XO knew what the capsuleer had in mind. The Destroyer stopped dead and the sound of the turrets turning resonated through the ship. It was time to fight. The 250mm 'scout' class artillary cannons had been loaded with EMP rounds supplied by the Republic Fleet. Against ships that relied on shields for defense they were deadly.
The Condor was indeed the first to arrive, propelled into the deadspace pocket by the same acceleration gate they had used a few minutes before. A sound like a clap of thunder vibrated through the ship as the seven cannons opened fire. The shields on the almost stationary Condor vanished. With the thermal cut-offs disabled the guns cycled quicker and another seven projectiles were loaded into the guns 20% faster than normal. This created a heat-build up inside the weapons system that would damage, and eventually disable the guns if left to continue. The Condor was just picking up speed trying to get way as the second volley ripped through its armour and it exploded in a fireball. 30 crew dying in an instant with no time to reach the escape pod. As the Condor exploded the Talwar landed. Usually the fast and manoeuvrable Condor class frigate would have got range and be using electronic warfare against the target which would allow the Talwar to get into position when he activated the gate a set time behind the Condor. Instead what greeted him was a fully functioning Thrasher with its guns trained directly at it. Three volleys later the Talwar erupted in flames and broke apart. Whilst the Talwar was able to return fire, its long ranged missiles scarified damaging power from the warhead for more fuel for increased range. At 10kms the Thrashers guns were significantly more powerful than the Talwars missiles. The fight was one-sided again.
-o0o-
Yanati and Samo watched the Talwar disintegrate from the small viewport. Samo looked back at his datapad.
"The outpost is still tracking the Thrasher. Those two militia pilots hardly scratched it."
Yanati pushed off the wall and floated back towards his seat.
"Firewall is down. The frogs are attacking the command and control subroutines now. Its all but over."
"Well, wake me when Navy search and rescue get here!" replied Yanati as he strapped himself back into his chair and closed his eyes.
The End
There is an escape pod here to Vae Victis regarding the current state of drones if fiction makes you yawn!
Fall of the Outpost
Yanati sat at his console and ran the scan again. Whist the star system was generally busy there was nothing on short range scan from their Cormorant class destroyer. The ship was there to protect the small automated base from the marauding capsuleers who constantly threatened to capture the system. The tides of war had changed recently for the Caldari State, they were winning only a few months ago, but a massive push from the Gallente Militia had seen many systems fall. They still had control in this system, but the Gallente were getting a foothold.
"Still no sign of Heth."
Yanati look across at his colleague who was leant back in his chair with his feet upon the console reading a datapad.
"News says nobody knows even what region he's in. You'd have thought someone would have turned him in by now! The bounty that Mordu's Legion put on his head is still there. Lot of cash for simply turning in someone who is already wanted by the State."
"Hang on, a year ago you were Heths biggest fan boy! Anyway, he still has a lot of dodgy friends. He's probably hold up in a cave somewhere. You heard the rumours about his past. Probably in the same cave he used to live in when he was part of that terro...."
Whilst he was talking he was still running the scans. Yanati slammed a big red button next to his console.
"Destroyer on short range scan. Within 21 million K. Thrasher class, Matari origin. He's probably at the acceleration gate." he spoke calmly into his microphone.
Battlestations sounded on the Caldari destroyer.
The Thrasher class destroyer aligned alongside the massive acceleration gate that dwarfed the 271m long destroyer. Inside was a flurry of activity. Commands were being given by the capsuleer, both direct to the ships systems from his wet-wired pod and also to the various crew via a complex messaging system. No other capsuleer craft were on scan so he had ordered Titanium Sabot ammunition to be loaded. Whilst not as devastating as the more regularly used Republic Fleet EMP or phased plasma rounds, titanium sabot had a big kinetic kick and a long range. Caldari Navy ships had weak defences against such.
The capsuleer activated the acceleration gate and the ship was propelled at high-speed towards the outpost. The journey took only a few seconds.
On-board the Caldari Navy Cormorant orders were barked and the crew rushed around, although they realised they had no chance once the enemy Thrasher dropped out of warp. The capsuleer, wet-wired into his ships systems, was able to lock the Cormorant and fire two volleys from his powerful artillery cannons before the Navy ship, captained by a regular officer, could even achieve a target lock back. The battle was very one-sided and over quickly. The only good news for the Cormorants crew was the captain had given the order to abandon ship early seeing that the fight was pointless.
On board the Thrasher Ensign Petre worked the cryptology station on the bridge. The XO had stood behind her as they watched the capsuleer target the automated outpost.
"We have target lock sir. Initiating hack..... We're in. It'll take about 10 minutes to break through the firewall, another three minutes to isolate the command routines and then two minutes to upload the virus and capture the outpost."
"Excellent. Get to work Ensign."
-o0o-
On board the small two-man escape pod Yanati and his colleague sat strapped into their seats. Samo still had his datapad.
"Wow! I've still got a secure connection to the outpost on this. It is tracking the hostile. A Thrasher class destroyer piloted by a capsuleer. That's why we went down so fast. A fracking egger. Its Gallente Militia and they have established a lock on the outpost."
"Why lock the outpost? They cannot destroy it with that!" Yanati asked.
"They are hacking the systems. They need a target lock so they can interface with the computer. They are trying to turning the outpost against the State. Its all automated in there. These outposts serve as command and control relays for our system-wide forces. If they get through the firewall they can disable the command routines which will hurt our forces in the area. Finally they'll upload a virus which will take control of the outpost. Bang! The Gallente have a new outpost in the system and we lose our grip slightly."
Yanati unbuckled his belt and pushed off the chair towards a view-port. The tiny escape pod did not have artificial gravity so he was weightless. He peered out of the small window.
"No." replied Samo glumly "The outpost will fight back in an electronic sense but these egger ships are too well equipped. They'll eventually swamp the firewall and take over. The only hope is that we get reinforcements. If they can break the Thrashers target lock or push the ship out of range during an engagement the systems will auto-repair over time. However, if they do not get uninterrupted, this outpost will be frog-side within 15 minutes."
Yanati continued to stare out of the window in silence.
-o0o-
"Sir. The capsuleer has ordered a change of ammunition." the weapons specialist on the bridge announced.
Everything went quiet. That could only mean one thing. He'd identified a threat on a short range scan.
"Ensign Jacque, what you got?" barked the XO.
The Ensign on the scanner console had already started review of the sensor logs. Unlike the capsuleer who was at one with the scanner systems, the Ensign needed to interpret the logs. There were always occasions when the capsuleer knew something was out there, but to the crew, the logs showed nothing.
"Sir. Confirmed. Two contacts. One Condor class frigate supported by a Talwar class destroyer. Sir, it looks like it might be a dual kite set-up!"
A dual kite set-up usually consisted of two ships that are fast an manoeuvrable with ranged weapons. The attack pattern usually involved a frigate with a warp disruptor and electronic warfare modules. Common ones included tracking disruptors or targeting range dampeners. The frigate would engage first and set up at range. Its warp disruptor would prevent the victim from being able to warp off and its electronic warfare systems would prevent the target from shooting back effectively by disrupting its turrets or scanners. Then the ship with the better damage would arrive and they both keep range from the victim who cannot fight back and was slowly destroy from range.
"Sir, thermal cut offs have been disabled on the 250mm artilleries!" came the report from the engineering station.
The XO knew what the capsuleer had in mind. The Destroyer stopped dead and the sound of the turrets turning resonated through the ship. It was time to fight. The 250mm 'scout' class artillary cannons had been loaded with EMP rounds supplied by the Republic Fleet. Against ships that relied on shields for defense they were deadly.
-o0o-
Yanati and Samo watched the Talwar disintegrate from the small viewport. Samo looked back at his datapad.
"The outpost is still tracking the Thrasher. Those two militia pilots hardly scratched it."
Yanati pushed off the wall and floated back towards his seat.
"Firewall is down. The frogs are attacking the command and control subroutines now. Its all but over."
"Well, wake me when Navy search and rescue get here!" replied Yanati as he strapped himself back into his chair and closed his eyes.
The End
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