[Phoenix-D]

Phoenix-D vs Grandpakim, turn 65:

After a series of attacks by me, destroying all but one of his colonies in the NW contact point, I got a nasty surprise. I had gotten overconfident and sent my biggest fleet farther north to attack. It found a target, but ran low on supply and had to return. Just as it hit its Last target, Grankpakim burst into the NW system with a force of 20+ ships, obliterating my picket force of 4 LCs and capturing one. I made several attempts to kill the captured LC to keep its secrets out of his hands, but to no avail.

On SE side, my offensive stalled when the first warp point assult went sour. Three valuable LCs captured..they had APB, he had only used DUCs. Can we say "ka ching?"

In the NW, I went into panic crash build mode. Weapons platforms were thrown up, shipyard unions were canceled and the workers put to overtime. He destroyed my colony in the NW contact point, then moved to the west, a heavily settled system he hadn't seen yet. Double panic mode! Said system has 9 colonies, 4 of those breathable and 2 of -those- huge.

My hastily thrown together defense is smashed, damaging only a few ships. The colonists look to the sky in dread as his fleet, 19 strong, bears down on them. But its one sector too slow, and my ships gather above a world. The frigates, destroyers and light cruisers look like death itself, arrowed at the nearest defenseless colony..

..and turn away, toward the northern warp point. Just as they make transit, my recalled attack fleet arrives on the other side. 39 strong, all light cruisers. He may be a Beskerer, he may have the racial attack/defense edge, but I have better ships and more of them. Still, its a pitched and bloody battle.

By the time the gas cools, his fleet is gone, and I've lost 10 ships, with another so badly damaged it had to be destroyed. Only 18 ships from the original force are undamaged, thanks to my reliance on heavy armor rather than shields.

[ September 25, 2003, 02:27: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]