[Starhawk]

Sacrifice Brave and True

Alarms blared and Klaxons hooted throughout the entire 10th fleet as the enemy fleet came into sensor range. Somehow 49 enemy warships all top of the line Dreadnoughts and bigger had slipped past the Imperial detection network and entered the Adin system through the ungaurded jump point.

Admiral Tyler was already monitoring the situation from the bridge of his flagship, the super monitor Rights of Conquest and his look was grim, 49 top of the line enemy ships and already 3 dreadnoughts had seperated from that fleet and were headed towards 2 worlds in the Adin system. Tyler's teeth were grinding as he realized he could not dispatch even a single one of his warships to intercept those stray vessels as he would need every bit of firepower he had against the oncoming enemy ships.

"Sir we are two hours intercept, enemy fleet is closing and three enemy dreadnoughts are breaking formation, their destination is unknown at this time. Should I order some of our ships to intercept?" Captain Bright was a seasoned officer and looked at his Admiral frowning, he was asking for the record even though he knew fulwell they could not dispatch support to the doomed worlds.
"Captain Bright, please tell all commands to ready for full scale fleet engagement." Tyler's voice was hollow as Bright gave a sympathetic nod and issued the necessary orders to all the captains and commanders of the fleet 60 vessels of the 10th.

Two hours later the 10th fleet and the Manticore fleet had finally closed into weapons range, the Manticore managed to fire first and several new stars lit the sky briefly as several Imperial warships were destroyed by the powerful weapons of the enemy dreadnoughts and super dreadnoughts. The Imperial fleet was spread out over 2 light minutes and the "left" flank had just engaged the enemy, the right had already lost several warships including a dreadnought and super dreadnought and the enemy was still advancing along that flank.

"All batteries loose fire at will!" Admiral Tyler barked as his ships closed range with the Manticore warships, space lit up as the Imperial warships opened fire, beams silently connected Imperial warships to their targets as every ship in the fleet brought their considerable firepower to bare.
"Target destroyed!" Captain Bright announced as the super dreadnought the Rights of Conquest had targeted broke apart on the vid screen and left an expanding ball of plasma. The flagship rocked as two enemy dreadnoughts closed in on her and fired their outdated Phased Polaron weapons, all of the enemy fire from those two dreadnoughts simply glanced off the shields of the massive super dreadnought.

Meanwhile on the left flank another Imperial warship died but it was soon avenged as three Imperial Dreadnoughts picked out an enemy super dreadnought and soon reduced it to slag, the Super Monitors of the Left flank had still not reached weapons range and if they did not arrive soon the left flank would be lost, more stars were born as the Imperial gunners managed to destroy several more enemy dreadnoughts, the fighting was heavy as both fleets closed to point blank, and at that range even the most powerful of warships would only Last for a matter of minutes under such savage firepower.

"Sir! The Saber is going down, damnit!" The tactical officer announced as the super monitor INSS Saber was overwhelmed by a squadron of enemy Super Dreads, Tyler grimmaced and a sudden resolve took over him as he watched his tactical display and noted that he had four other Super Monitor class vessels right next to his.
"Captain Bright order the other Super Monitors to join us, form a flying wedge we are going to plow through their flank, I want our ships in position to support the left as soon as possible." Tyler's voice was inspirational and to the young crewmen and women around him it sounded as though the Admiral was sure that there was no way his fleet would lose and for the first time in the battle confidence swelled in the Imperials and they undertook their task with a renewed vigor.

The five Super Monitors that Tyler commanded personally led the way, bLasting through enemy warships, crippling or destroying a dozen vessels by themselves as they closed on the left flank to provide support. The Imperial capital ships on the left had suffered heavily, many were crippled and those that weren't were hard pressed by the superior numbers of the Manticore as they continued to stay at point blank range and blaze away at one another.
"Sir! Their lines are broken the rest of the right flank have destroyed all enemy ships and are slamming into the left flank, several enemy ships are withdrawing from the field, your orders?" Captain Bright was on the verge of breaking down in tears of joy as the tactical display showed a handful of enemy ships withdrawing from the battle. With a nod from the Admiral, Bright ordered the marines aboard ever super monitor in the fleet to prepare to grapple and board with the enemy.

Two hours after it had begun in a blaze of fire and death it ended, several Manticore dreadnoughts and super dreadnoughts had been taken, and Admiral Tyler dispatched the Last Super dreadnought in his fleet the INSS Shadowblade to intercept one of the enemy dreadnoughts which had broken formation with the Manticore fleet, but alas the Warship arrived too late and Adin VI lay in ruins, 30 million Imperial citizens died and the enemy dreadnought sat in orbit triumphant.

The commander of the Imperial Super dreadnought did not let this disaster go unavenged and brought his warship into a successful engagement with the enemy, a super monitor soon arrived and captured the enemy vessel and the crew was executed for crimes against the Empire.

Only a month later however a larger fleet number 79 enemy vessels exited the warp point and engaged the badly mauled 10th fleet, 33 Imperial ships died valiently against the enemy fleet and somehow managed to acheive victory against all odds even though what was left of the 10th fleet was no longer a combat viable unit for the time being.

Casualties of the First Battle for Adin

INSS Cobra 0020
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS Saber
Class: Super Monitor
Crew: 10,000
Status Destroyed

INSS Pitbull
Class: Cruiser
Crew: 500
Status: Destroyed

INSS Carpathia
Class: Super Dreadnought
Crew: 3,200
Status: Destroyed

INSS Cobra 0001
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS Cobra 0005
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS 0017
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS 0018
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS Cobra 0023
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

INSS Deathbringer
Class: Super Monitor
Crew: 10,000
Status: Destroyed

INSS Graph Spee
Class: Super Dreadnought
Crew: 3,200
Status: destroyed

Adin VI

total Losses: 20,27,200 dead (27,200 fleet personell)

Casualties from the Second Battle for Adin:
33 ships (unknown as yet their size and crew losses)
Adin I (1 billion dead)


The same month that the second battle for adin took place a battle between Imperial 4th fleet and a 36 ship Manticore fleet took place, the Manticore were defeated and several of their starships were captured leading to the end of the Manticore offensive against the Empire at this time, the losses to both Imperial navy and citizenry however have been high, and due to such heavy losses the Imperial 1st fleet was reasigned from Sparta to the Adin system to hold that system until the 10th can be brought back up to strenght.

OOC: So there you have it the first 3 major space battles took place between my empire and the Manticore, my 10th fleet was devestated and most of it's surviving ships are crippled some have 0 components left intact and their crews are considered to be abondoned ship or dead.
I lost Adin I which was a vital shipyard in that system and Adin VI which was a major inteligence base for my entire empire.
Even though I won the overall engagement it will take at least two years to replace all that was lost.