+++Entered by Master of the Log Cpl. Pouzet+++
We followed the co-ordinates given by Bilitas towards the Laurel System, in search of the boy Draykon Rense. We had assumed the Aquan foe had captured him, for they would not be foolish enough to let such a treasured prize slip.
Upon nearing our destination we were met by an Aquan fleet blockading our route. These ships did not meet the profile descriptions for the fleet we were expecting, and so Admiral Doumerc delivered a vox-comms message to request an audience with the Admiral of The Endless Wave, knowing that said ship was not present and hoping that bloodshed could be spared to allow our passing. Their response was silence.
The majority of our vessels assumed the ‘Mailed Fist’ formation while Sentinel Squadron probed from our starboard flank. The Aquans would not engage in a straight fight, instead working their way towards us under the cover of asteroid fields and gas clouds. They had chosen the battlefield that would suit them most and nullify our armaments. Admiral Doumerc regarded this as “a shrewd tactic”, one that he recognised and “admired”.
While we hurt our enemy it was The Legion d’Honneur who felt the most pain. The Terquai ships, allied with the Aqauns, proved formidable, our weapons for the most part unable to breach their armoured flanks. Never before had I seen such a fusillade unleashed as that which destroyed the Colossus in one terrible broadside; a ship of legend from the Age of Liberation, lost in an instant.
It appeared as though the loss of Colossus informed Admiral Doumerc’s decision to order a fleet-wide Fold Space Withdrawal, though it was plain to see that for many of our sister vessels it was too late. It was now imperative that The Ogre, the relic and beacon of hope that it is, escape while it’s crew still drew breath. The drives finished charging and we jumped, just as the logistics section of the bridge was destroyed with a vicious attack from the enemy flagship which would have surely sealed our fate. Admiral Doumerc was seriously injured in the attack, his lower left arm crushed by a console uprooted by the impact. We evacuated all crew from the bridge while the Hazard Team combated the fire.
We had managed to escape with The Ogre barely intact, but without any knowledge of where we had emerged and no idea as to the fate of the rest of the fleet. We drifted for days in this region of space toward what we could see as the nearest star system. The logistical servers were damaged beyond repair and all we could do was to continuously relay our distress beacons across all frequencies; Dindrenzi, Zenian, even resorting to Commonwealth frequencies. When we were finally alerted to an incoming signal it was with a feeling of trepidation, but by the grace of Dramos it became apparent that we found ourselves in the Ba’Kash-controlled Iaris System.
The Ba’Kash had sent scouts and salvage crews to the site of the battle with the Aquans. It became apparent that our enemy had left as soon as they had disabled all of our remaining ships, seemingly too preoccupied (or otherwise gracious in victory) so that they did not take prisoners nor undertake any barbaric deeds of execution. The rest of the fleet had transmitted beacons not only for rescue but also to find the whereabouts of The Ogre, fearful that it had not survived the fold space transit, where upon the Ba’Kash learning of our arrival had responded with affirmation and set about the rescue operation.
The Ogre was eventually rejoined with what remained of The Legion d’Honneur, where they moored in Ba’Kash shipyards for 10 months to undergo extensive repairs and refits. The Colossus was, as feared, completely destroyed, the catastrophic explosion taking Captain Sarrut and all her crew in an instant. We mourned their losses and for those of Boar, Sentinel and August Squadrons who had not returned. Admiral Doumerc issued a requisition order for all nearby Corsican fleets to send crew, ships and munitions to replenish what we had lost and bring us back to fighting strength. A response came from Commodore Losier of the Corsican 9th Storm Zone Fleet, who while currently engaged with Terrans in the Olympus Cluster understood the gravity of ensuring The Ogre had a full complement of accompanying ships. Again, his actions for the glory of our people is duly noted.
Our fleet had barely left the docks of Iaris before we were at battle stations once more. We were met by Sorylians, suspected to be Outriders for we believed them to have been gathering intelligence on the Ba’Kash territory, led by a ship on record as the Equinox Transcendent. Multiple incoming vox-comms alerts chimed, no doubt the fleet Captains requesting the order to engage and enact vengeance for what had befallen us 10 months previous, yet Admiral Doumerc once more offered a peaceful resolution to the enemy. Yet once more, the reply was silence.
Boar Squadron did great damage to the enemy flagship which The Bane of Tyrants duly finished off, while The Ogre viciously unleashed it’s newly forged weapons batteries to devastating effect across the field. The day was ours with minimal casualties, the Admiral’s strategy falling into place perfectly and leaving only one enemy ship operational; to return to it’s masters bearing the news and scars of defeat. With a great cheer of vented fury from all aboard The Ogre’s bridge, Admiral Doumerc opened the comms channels to address his fleet with the following message:
“Soldiers; there is not much more to say than that you have all acted with great courage and shown your strength of arms. It has been a relief for us all to avenge the losses we sustained and to right the wrongs of our humbling defeat, and today I am thankful to say that I have fought with you. Today, the Legion has regained it’s honour.”
A status report has been sent to Fleet Marshall Bilitas. For now, we set course to join forces with Commodore Losier and the 9th in the Olympus Cluster.
+++Report Ends+++
Guest Article written by Dan (August Doumerc on the forums)
Fantastic narrative wrap up of the results of August’s first two games of FSA! 1-1 is hardly a bad way to start an admiral’s career; pretty sure I was 0-5 until my first win….
Hoping to get a few more guest articles up from the likes of Eternal Ocean and Tibberg over the next few weeks detailing their exploits in the Firestorm Universe!
Until next time.
Into The Storm Zone 