Message to: RHA
Comm ID: Conrad Egon
Location: LWB base, Stuttgart
We faced the Corsairs today, in the form of a force composed of the LDDLG and TBH gunboats and Nephthys VHFs. I may have my numbers wrong, but here is what I recall:
4x Corsair Gunboat (armed with Cerberus turrets)
3x Nephthys Order VHF (armed with Nomad blasters)
Vs.
3x RM Wrath VHFs
1x RLB Ravens Talon VHF
3x RHA Sabre or Talon VHF
1x RHA Marauder HF (not only that, my ship was short two weapons when I launched. I had two Skyblast Bs, and two Advanced Debilitators. That was alland my ship cannot mount a torp)
The thing of it was that the Corsairs were all there at once, while our own forces (with the exception of the RM) arrived in bits and pieces. I was the last one to join the fight, but was also the most lightly armed and armored. As our newest Rekrut had just been taken down by LDDLG Garfield, I chose him as my first target. I downed his shields several times, but before I could take down his hull, he fled the battle.
For my next target, I chose the affiliated fighter called loren. This one was more skilled than Garfield, but was still unable to land more than a couple of salvoes on me, in spite of the Marauders poor agility. She lasted for a good while, but this time with the help of a pair of RM fighters her shields were down and she was at half-hull when she fled the battle as well.
With no fighters left to attack, I was left with the unhappy options of attacking the gunboats or fleeing. I fought. One of the RM pilots chose one of the gunboats as his target, and I joined him in the attack. Our combined fire quickly downed his shields, but had greater trouble piercing the thick armor. Fortunately, he wasnt as good a gunner as he was pilot, and he never landed more than one salvo on me. Also fortunately, when my shields go down, the Marauder becomes a much more difficult target.
This went on for quite some time, with other pilots falling as I wove between the enemy gunboats, strafing and thrusting to keep the enemys heavy guns from coming to bear. I brought down the gunboats shields more than twice, but lacked the firepower to do serious harmeventually, the only Rheinlanders left were Lukas and myself. I was out of batteries, low on bots, and knew that the battle was lost. Had I thought there to be any chance whatsoever of taking down a gunboat, Id have stayed, but I simply didnt have the firepower.
So, I fled. They had destroyed my CM dropper, so it was fortunate that they didnt launch any disruptors my way. Lukas fled soon after that, and the battle was over.
Mostly.
I quickly left the solar plane, then changed course for the Dresden jump hole only to find it blockaded by at least three gunboats. I never couldve known my mapping runs would pay off so soonI made for the Stuttgart jump gate, and entered the Stuttgart system without further incident. At last, I landed at the LWB base there to begin repairs to my fighter.
I later received word that a Corsair gunboat was waiting outside Vogtland. Obviously they expected me to flee therefools. We at the RHA have not survived this long by operating solely out of a single base. But their underestimation of our resources worked to my benefit, and the survival of myself and the allied pilots I had picked up from the battle.
I am proud of our brothers; they fought bravely.
-Leutnant Egon
PS: I think we might make a proposal to the RM: whenever Corsair forces are present, we temporarily set aside our differences and repel them. It may be the only way to defend the Fatherland.
OOC: that was awesome. Well done, everyone! Yes, that includes your Corsair bastards. =P First big battle I've been a part of)
