Prologue

Commander Jenks paced nervously across the bridge of the Terran cruiser San Francisco. His cruiser had just shunted in to the Maybach system, along with the rest of Task Group 22.1, which at the moment included  the other  two ships  Cruiser Squadron (CruRon) 47, the frigates of Patrol Squadron 214, and the impressive Razorthorn-class battleship Indiana. TG 22.1 had come to Maybach with the goal of conducting a recon in force. The system was immediately adjacent to the Equinox system, where Task Force 22 had just established a forward operating base from which to interdict reported Zenian Leauge activity in the area. Maybach boasted a well-developed colony, which would undoubtedly attract the attention of their enemies. 

As soon as the shunt-related interference cleared from the scope, it began to populate with contacts… their size and vector was all wrong for civilian traffic. Which could only mean…”Identify those bogeies!” Jenks ordered, trying not to show the tension he felt. The sensor operator scrutinized his display, and Jenks watched as her expression drew taught. “5..no, 7 enemy ships. Configuration and energy signatures indicate they are Directorate, sir” she reported. “Well, that didn’t take long,” Jenks commented, half to himself. “Signal from the flagship!” announced the comms officer. “Indiana is directing us to close and engage.” “Very well,” Jenks replied. Send our acknowledgment to the flagship with my compliments. Helm, lay in a course for the enemy!” And with that, the action that would come to be known as the First Battle of Maybach had begun.  

A New Campaign

As you may remember, I recently put together a campaign system for Firestorm Armada, based on the Battlefleet Gothic system. My friend Terry has graciously agreed to help me playtest these rules by running a campaign with them. We are going to be using the Storm Zone map I created:

Overview

Terry will be running the Directorate, while I will be running my Terrans. For our starting systems, I will be operating from Equinox, while the Directorate will be based out of Iron Fall. We have played one learning game that was a bit outside of the normal campaign set-up (hence the “Prolouge” above). We are planning on getting together for our first real game under the system soon; when I do, you can bet there will be another post here to chronicle the event!

The First Blow

A small console exploded in the back of the San Francisco’s bridge as another salvo of Directorate torpedoes struck home. Jenks shielded himself from the shower of sparks and debris as the sensor operator screamed out in pain. “Damage report!” he bellowed. “Ventral sensors are down, and decks 5 through 8 are open to space” came the reply from the engineer. “No other major system damage.” Jenks acknowledge the report. “Damn,” he thought, “how did this go so wrong?” TG 22.1 had been handled very roughly indeed. Indiana had gone silent, and the frigates of PatRon 214 were destroyed. The fight had not been completely one-sided though; the Directorate frigates and cruisers had been wiped out as well. However, only the San Francisco and her sister Houston remained combat effective. “Sir, Houston reports that the Directorate battleship is breaking off!” Jenks spun around to look at his display, not believing what his eyes were telling him. but it was true…it looks like the Corporatists had had enough. “Alright, signal the Houston. Rescue what survivors they can. We are pulling out of here too.” And with that, the First Battle of Equinox had come to an inconclusive end. The fighting had been sharp, but it was clear that this was but the beginning of yet another conflict in the Storm Zone.