PRELUDE TO BATTLE

The Invasion of Hoyle

Just over a year after the official outbreak of hostilities between the Union and the Dakota, epitomized by the fiasco that was the Battle of Van Gaal VI, the Union launched its first major offensive – Operation Hammer Fall on 10^th November 2297 into the Hoyle System – the target was Hoyle Prime and was taken in a matter of hours. The next step would be the neighboring Reinager System.

The Secret Mission

During September 2299 long range scanners from Hoyle discovered a possible wormhole in the Reinager system. Union High Command had already been devising ways to theoretically manipulate wormholes with the goal to use them to go wherever they wanted instantly.

The U.S.S. Asimov (SDX-6152) was dispatched on a classified mission to analyze the wormhole for possible military usage – a possibly direct door to the Dakota home world. On October 3^rd all contact was lost with the Asimov.

A Ruse

Union Naval High Command for the moths of August and September 2299 had been conducting massive fleet movements all along the frontlines, leading the Dakota to believe an invasion would be most likely elsewhere along the front, leaving the real target seemingly forgotten about.

Time to Strike

After the loss of contact High Command decided it was time to strike – the primary objective being to secure the only habitable planet in the system Toyr’diablo and the secondary objective, to locate any survivors of information regarding the Asimov and her mission.

Commodore Arthur Greene was appointed to command the Reinager Invasion Group consisting of forty-two vessels with the U.S.S. Canberra (SCG-2008) as his command ship, it was expected this would be more than enough to secure a backwater Dakota system that had been left undefended. This invasion group would carry the entire 5^th Infantry Division to their target.

FIRST BATTLE OF TOYR’DIABLO

Part of Operation Red Dirt in the Terran-Dakota War

BELLIGERANTS

STRENGTH

2 Escort Carriers

2 Auxiliary Carriers

10 Destroyers

12 Frigates

15 Gunboats

125 Carrier Aircraft

4 Cruisers

22 Destroyers

35 Frigates

200+ Dreadnought Aircraft

30 Planet Based Aircraft

Planetary Artillery

LOSSES

1 Escort Carrier

2 Auxiliary Carriers

7 Destroyers

10 Frigates

15 Gunboats

113 Carrier Aircraft

8 Frigates

73 Dreadnought Aircraft

30 Planet Based Aircraft

Greene took the Invasion Group to rendezvous in orbit of Fiersis in the Graneedee System with its last additional ships in the early morning of October 7^th before jumping out to Toyr’diablo.

BATTLE

Planetary Bombardment

The two fleets meet

The fleet jumped into the system at 1643 hours Zulu Time on 7^th October, Greene immediately ordered his carriers to launch all fighters and bombers, to run CAP and possible ship assault.

After arriving, Greene realized the system was free of Dakota ships, however as his fleet approached Toyr’diablo they came under concentrated bombardment from the planet itself.

While the fire was unguided and misdirected, it did claim the U.S.S. Dallas (SDD-1088) which had the bad luck of straying in front of one such blast. The bombardment stopped, which obviously meant Dakota fighters were on their way.

The First Fighters

Knowing incoming fighters or possibly even capital ships was imminent Greene quickly ordered the landing beacon to be launched, it touched down on target.

However a wave of thirty Dakota Space Superiority Fighters from the planet surface had arrived, and in order to protect the very vulnerable carryalls that were sitting ready for launch, all Union fighters were ordered to engage.

Amidst the initial dogfight, all carryalls were launched and the invasion officially commenced.

Within fifteen minutes all Dakota fighters were destroyed with only a loss of five Union fighters.

With the troops down to the surface, Union fighters were sent on long-range CAP missions.

Unknown Object

At 2128 hours Zulu, an unknown object appeared on radar, Greene knowing this could be to do with the Asimov, dispatched the U.S.S. Hammer (SDD-1114) to investigate. This meant the Invasion Group was now down two destroyers.

Dakota Counterattack

At 0142 hours Zulu on 8^th October fifty-eight Dakota warships from ‘Strike Force Reinager’ jumped into the system, accidentally right on-top of the Union ships.

For a brief moment there was shocked and stunned silence as the two opposing fleets slowly passed each other, Greene then ordered all ships to open fire.

The Dakota Dreadnought launches its fighters

The initial barrage of the two fleets was so intense that at least four Union and two or three Dakota vessels were lost in the first minute of battle. However the Union ships were already outnumbered and outgunned due to the presence of a Dakota Dreadnought amongst the enemy ships.

Greene ordered the Canberra right into the thick of the battle with all guns firing, by this time the Dakota Dreadnought was launching all of its fighters and bombers, Union fighters engaged as well.

At this point a massive flaw became obvious in Union ship design, many ships were lost to Dakota laser fire hitting the reactor vents on the sides of the vessels. An example of this was the fate of the U.S.S. Jersey (SFG-830). Another weakness was the fact that all long-range missiles onboard the Union ships were immediately useless due to the close proximity of the Dakota ships.

However strengths were also acknowledged – the Dakota Supercannons that had so devastated the Union ships at the Battle of Van Gaal VI were no longer as affective due to new Union ship armor, this was demonstrated when the U.S.S. Patton (SCA-703) was attacked and survived, she even was able to cripple the attacking destroyer.

U.S.S. Jersey (SFG-830) takes a broadside from a Dakota Destroyer

During the engagement the Canberra had become separated, being the obvious command ship she was targeted by Dakota Torpedo Bombers and one lucky shot penetrated deep into the Canberra’s Plasma Armament Reactor Room, igniting the plasma which ran all through the ship to each of the laser turrets, the entire ship was ripped in two and vaporized.

Chaos

With the loss of the command ship, chaos set in amongst the remaining Union vessels, this was not helped by some ships captains ordering a retreat while others refused. The chaos culminated with the collision of some retreating Union ships into the ones staying.

At this point the Union fleet rapidly broke down, the only saving grace was the actions of the U.S.S. Hazen Dunfee (SCE-544) which made an attempt to rescue as many friendly fighters as possible before jumping out along with the only other surviving Union ships the U.S.S. Banting (SDD-1125), Astoria (SDD-1085), Stirling (SFG-826) and Moray (SFG-844).

AFTERMATH

U.S.S. Galloway (SFG-840) collides into the U.S.S. Custer (SDD-1072)

Cut Off

The Dakota now controlled the space around Toyr’diablo, leaving the Union troops on the surface entirely cut off with no option of resupply or reinforcements.

The fate of the U.S.S. Hammer which was sent to investigate the unknown object remains also in doubt.

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