Today's patrol was... eventful. After being jumped in my transport by a pair of Hessians, I rejoined the local RM units in my Wraith, but found that they were already being called on other business. This business had to do with a rampaging group of Corsairs, who were apparently claiming the planet Nuremberg, and in fact the whole Munich System, as their own, the aim being "food for our hombres." In any case, all available Kriegsmarine units assembled, which amounted to four fighters and a gunboat. Our flight of four consisted of myself, Herr Major Voelkel, Herr Hauptfreiter Weissman, and Herr Flieger Putzkammer. Putzkammer had to RTB with engine trouble shortly before we arrived in Munich, cutting us down to three.
I was sent as advance patrol and detected the Corsairs, a group of four, near the nebula. Our group went to hold a perimeter on the fringes of the nebula while the gunship, which we had rendezvoused with en route, held position above Nuremberg. The Corsairs, consisting of some three heavy fighters and a very heavy fighter, wasted no time in engaging our group.
What ensued was, naturally, a furball. Most cohesion was lost immediately; while orders from Herr Voelkel were to target the heaviest fighter, and thus the easiest to hit, the other three Corsairs ganged up on individual Wraiths, prompting evasion.
Mid way through the scuffle, a group of four Red Hessian fighters showed up, making it known that they would fight off the "barbarians" along side us. A noble cause for them, I suppose, but no doubt it was a temporary truce.
By now the scanners were flooded with near equal proportions of Kriegsmarine, Hessian, and Corsair units, and the furball became more of a blender. Needless to say it was more than hazardous; the sheer volume of fire and mines (along with plenty of ionic interference) resulted in my ship hitting several closely-knit nuclear mines simultaneously. The Wraith is essentially ruined, and will need more than a simple maintenance check this time around; it might even be fit to head straight to the boneyard.
Upon return to the RNC Strausburg, I encountered a lone Hessian fighter (one which was not involved in the fighting) trying to pirate several civilian ships, in planet orbit no less. I took off in a reserve fighter and moved to intercept, with the gunboat Lausitz launching from planetside to support. I chased him down to the Ruhrfeld before he could do any damage to the civilian (who was running in that direction as well) and had the Hessian make an about face and engage me just off the tradelane. A short firefight ensued; the Hessian was near beat when he tried to engage cruise engines and escape. A Mosquito missile kept him right where we wanted him. The Lausitz caught up and unleashed a salvo, which was, by now, overkill, and the Hessian was duly terminated.
... Unfortunately after that we had a hell of a time. Two more Hessian fighters, along with a cruiser called the "Ulm" were sighted in-system. The Lausitz and I kept track on the Ulm while warning nearby civilian units, including a "Leviathan" ship which was in the middle of inspecting gates. That ship was ordered to hold by Neu Berlin until the threat was neutralized, but it disobeyed that order and continued. It was just as well; it destroyed one of the Hessian fighters along the way, without loss.
In the meantime, a reservist by the name of Reber appeared in a bomber, so the three of us took up station outside the Ruhrfeld where the Ulm was sitting silently. A freelancer by the name of "Luka", who was encountered in a previous engagement with myself, identified himself openly as an SCRA operative, and joined the Ulm in the field. The cruiser then powered up weapons and charged our formation. I took the fighter while the gunship and bomber tried to tackle the cruiser, but it was to no avail; another Hessian fighter appeared before I could destroy Luka, and the Ulm breached Lausitz' hull in critical areas. Reber and I disengaged, outnumbered and outgunned.
![[Image: rmreportimage.png]](http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8689/rmreportimage.png)