***
The warning klaxons blared their shrill incessant tone on the bridge of the Il'porrui-class starship /Clarity of Purpose/. Warning lights flickered haphazardly on the status console to the right of Kor'Vre Tau'n Viel as he unlatched himself from the acceleration couch restraints. He mentally tabulated the list of inoperative and non functional systems, cursing himself silently for underestimating the tenacity of the damaged Gue'la Tyrant-class cruiser that had just crippled his beloved flagship.What had been supposed to be a simple merchantile and diplomatic mission to the world of Tan'jung Primus was now periliously close to slipping into the Mont'au. The Lar'Shi-class cruiser /Worthy Cause/ was a cloud of debris heading on a circular one way trip around the system's star after bein...g boarded - boarded in space! - and set on fire by the aggressive Gue'la, while two Kir'qath escorts lay shattered in space, victims of the powerful broadside batteries of the enemy ships.
Not that his small force hadn't given back just as hard as it had taken. One of the hated Gue'la Lunar-class cruisers had been reduced to a drifting hulk after being savaged by multiple missile, railgun and ion cannon volleys. Another smaller Gue'la cruiser, a Dauntless-class, had taken a severe punishment after a gunnery duel with the Il'fannor-class merchant cruiser Satisfying Labour - the only other remaining Tau ship in the vicinity.
Still, a quick assessment of the situation told him that the balance was slowly tipping in favour of the enemy. While either side had two equivantly damaged ships left in the fight, the slow and ponderous /Satisfying Labour/ was out of position and would take many Rai'kors to wheel back to assist in the fight. In the meantime the /Clarity of Purpose/ was caught like a trapped ui't between the teeth of a predator.
Yet as the two enemy ships closed in, his experienced air-caste captain's eyes had noticed something: the Dauntless handled poorly, its reactions slower, its shot bracketing less than exact. Tau'n Viel's mouth broke into a vicious grin. To him, this was as clear as a sensor scan that its crew were at best an untried bunch. The /Clarity of Purpose/'s own were veterans. Time to even the odds.
"Helm, bring us around to bear on the cruiser on our starboard flank." His orders rang across the bridge. He smiled grimly as he saw the panicked shots from the Dauntless flash by several kilometers off target. "Let us show them that, even when broken, a sword may still cut."
***
by Aikshuen Chia
Wednesday night saw a clash between Imperial Naval forces led by Nicholas Lee and a Tau Fleet led by Chia Aikshuen (Cmdr Cash) for control of the Tan'jung Primus sector.
Battlefleet Gothic is a game of spaceship combat set during the Gothic War in the 41st millennium - a grim time when the Imperium of Mankind battles for survival in a hostile galaxy. Battlefleet Gothic allows you to command entire fleets of warships in deadly conflict among the stars, though whether as Mankind's saviour or its destroyer remains to be seen.
If you are as excited as I am about naval battles in space then feel free to contact PWGG to find out more.
