The Defence of 61 Hydrae and the Heroic Guerriera Special
18 June 1973 — The first contact appears on 61 Hydrae’s sensors in the early hours. One Niobe, then two Ontarios, a Magnificent and three more Niobes. Seven raider ships enter the system.
Tension rises in the colony’s sensor control room. An attack on this scale is rare, and the mining outpost is home to the Empire’s largest fleet of fuel-harvesting stations. Losing them means a serious blow to the fuel supply that keeps Axis fleets operational.
Only a handful of warships stand in the way: the frigate Guerriera S. 001, fresh from overhaul and looking almost brand new, and the three Karlstad of Îł Squadron: 007, under Lieutenant Stefano Ferretti; 008, under Lieutenant Niels Bay; and 020, under Lieutenant Roland Uhlemann.
At 11:25, Lieutenant Julietta D’Alessio takes command of Guerriera Special (an old vessel of 1938 but still valuable). She is twenty-eight, a graduate of the New Delhi Academy, and her recent reassignment reflects High Command’s confidence in her tactical judgement and gunnery skills. Now the fate of Hydrae rests on how she uses them.
Her ship carries two 40 cm railguns and three alien particle beams. The alien weapons come from the Procyon ruins, with their recovery dating back some thirty years. At 6,337 km/s, Guerriera can outrun the raiders, which move at around 5,830–5,850 km/s. The advantage is small, but it gives her control over the engagement distance.
D’Alessio’s plan is to keep moving, keep firing and draw the enemy apart: kiting.
“Karlstad γ, this is Guerriera. I’ll work on their engines. Once they slow down, finish whatever you can with your missiles.”
“Understood,” Uhlemann replies. “Concentrate our salvos. No torpedoes against fast targets—we need better odds.”
The Karlstads carry a mix of Torpedo 6 and Torpedo 6-ET missiles. The newer 6-ETs feature ECCM 2 and a 25% terminal guidance bonus.
18–19 June: The First Wave
After a long sensor search and pursuit, the three Karlstad reach firing range first and open up on the Ontarios.
Torpedoes streak towards the enemy, but the raiders intercept many of them. A few get through. Most of the attack achieves little, and the enemy formation keeps coming.
“Uhlemann, shot slow targets only,” D’Alessio snaps over the radio. “While they stay together, their point defence tears our torpedoes apart.”
The Karlstads score a few hits, but no serious damage. Their magazines are already empty.
“Damn it!” Uhlemann smash his fists on the ship desk.
While Karlstads retreat to colony in Hydrae to refill the magazines. D’Alessio takes her ship along the edge of the enemy formation, alternating attack runs with turns away. At around 160,000 kilometres, the railguns and alien beams begin to find their targets. Many shots miss, but a hit in the right compartment can cripple an engine and leave a raider trailing behind.
At 11:34, Ontario 007 slows almost to a standstill. Niobe 049 follows soon after.
Guerriera keeps manoeuvring, but her helmsman pushes the approach too far. The distance to the stationary Niobe drops below 80,000 kilometres.
The raider cannot chase her. It can still shoot.
Enemy fire hammers the shields: thirty per cent, four per cent, then zero. Another hit strikes the armour.
“Shields down! Armour damage!”
“Engines?”
“Full power.”
“Then open the range. Bay, keep me updated on your ammunition.”
The armour holds. D’Alessio pulls clear with the first scar on her ship’s hull. A crippled raider is still dangerous.
The sustained firing also puts Guerriera’s weapons under strain. Alien particle beams suffer repeated failures, then a railgun breaks down. Repairing that gun alone costs 336 MSP.
This is where the design earns its keep. Guerriera carries 2,193 maintenance supply points, enough to repair her weapons during the fight and keep them firing. Even after hundreds of shots and several repairs, she still has around 67% of her supplies.
At 12:36, Niobe 047 breaks apart. At 13:05, Ontario 008 explodes. At 13:22, a railgun salvo finishes Magnificent 011.
Cheers fill Guerriera’s bridge. On the Karlstads, each kill report lifts morale.
Three kills for Guerriera. So far.
The hunt continues through the night. After replenishing their magazines, the Karlstads return and concentrate on Niobe 046.
“Guerriera, Lieutenant Ferretti here. Penetrating hits. The target is losing propulsion.”
“Uhlemann, can you confirm?”
“Confirmed. Lieutenant Bay, she’s yours.”
At 03:57 on 19 June, Karlstad 008 launches eight torpedoes at the immobilised raider. All eight hit.
“Target destroyed,” Niels Bay reports.
His first kill.
Three disabled ships remain from the first wave: Ontario 007, Niobe 048 and Niobe 049. The Balbo-class cruiser Agordat is on her way from Sol to carry out the boarding operations. Meanwhile, the defenders receive orders to return to Outpost 61 for fuel, ammunition and maintenance supplies.
With victory secure and damage light, celebrations begin aboard the ships and continue through the following day.
21–22 June: Eight More Contacts
Guerriera reaches the outpost at dawn on 21 June.
That evening, at 22:21, another alarm sounds.
Again?
Eight hostile contacts. Six Niobes and two Magnificents. A second raider formation enters the system. Red tracks return to Guerriera’s tactical display. The crew rushes to battle stations. Maintenance supplies are back at full capacity, but the scars in her armour remain.
“Karlstad γ, this is D’Alessio. Here we go again. Same procedure.”
Ferretti answers first.
“007 ready.”
“008 ready,” Bay adds.
“020 ready,” Uhlemann confirms. “This time we know what it takes.”
Guerriera resumes the fight at 163,000 kilometres, just 3,000 kilometres beyond the raiders’ railgun range. D’Alessio switches from target to target, trying to break up the formation before it closes around her.
At 22:38, she destroys Niobe 052. Two minutes later, her alien beams finish Niobe 053. Other raiders lose speed, giving the Karlstads better targets.
Then the attack run against Magnificent 012 goes dangerously close.
The raider loses propulsion, but Guerriera passes within just 17,225 kilometres. At that distance, the enemy guns land twenty-three hits: fifteen against the shields and eight against the armour.
Alarms drown out the radio.
“Shields at zero! Armour at ninety-three per cent!”
Cadet Alexey Medvedev, her executive officer, checks the damage reports.
“Propulsion intact. No engine damage. We can make it.”
“Maximum speed,” D’Alessio orders. “Ferretti, keep your distance from the Magnificent. Keep firing.”
“Understood. We’ll stay on the slow targets.”
Guerriera pulls away. Her armour absorbs another punishing attack, but the engines remain intact. Every mistake in judging the range carries a price.
At 23:03, D’Alessio destroys Magnificent 013. At 23:17, Ferretti finishes Niobe 051: four torpedo hits, target destroyed.
The Karlstads also suffer launcher failures, but their crews repair them immediately. Aboard Guerriera, the alien beams repeatedly cycle through breakdown, repair and return to action.
The fight continues past midnight. Niobe 054 loses half her speed, then almost all propulsion. Niobe 055 also comes to a halt.
Ontario 007, still in the system from the first wave, continues firing. D’Alessio engages her again, taking more hits on the shields before her railguns bring the raider to a standstill.
At last, neither enemy formation can continue the attack.
Eight wrecks and seven disabled raider ships now drift through Hydrae.
2–4 July: The Prizes of Hydrae
The Agordat, a Balbo-class cruiser, arrives from Earth with Sergeant Valeria Klimov’s 1st Assalitori BOA 1000 after 12 days of travel (no more cube in it).
The first target is Ontario 007, a warship of more than 21,000 tons. The assault troops meet resistance, take losses and fight their way through the hull.
At 17:48 on 2 July, the ship falls under Imperial control.
The Empire now holds its first Ontario—a valuable prize for the teams eager to study her systems and components.
That evening, Magnificent 012 also falls. On 3 July, the assault unit takes Niobes 050, 054, 055 and 048. At 05:51 on 4 July, Niobe 049 becomes the final ship to fall under Axis control.
Seven successful boardings in less than two days.
D’Alessio’s personal tally stands at six ships and 73,692 tons of military shipping. Bay and Ferretti account for the other two kills. Uhlemann and his Karlstad contribute to the missile attacks and pursuit. Klimov completes the victory with the capture of all seven surviving hulls.
The participants receive decorations. Julietta D’Alessio and Alexey Medvedev earn recognition for their heroic action and both anti-raider operations. Klimov receives honours for her boarding successes.
On 5 July, tug Ciclope II 004 reaches Outpost 61. The tugs sent to Hydrae begin collecting the captured ships for transfer to the scrap yards.
Minerals, alien components and new research opportunities await the Empire. Guerriera S. returns to port with scars across her armour and a commander whose name is now a legend: Julietta D’Alessio, an Axis hero and an example to military personnel and civilians alike.
Final Battle Report — 61 Hydrae, 18 June – 4 July 1973
Five Axis ships defeat two raider waves totalling fifteen warships: eight enemy ships are destroyed and seven are captured, with no Axis warships lost.
| Axis Empire | Raiders | |
|---|---|---|
| Ships committed | 5 | 15 |
| Composition | Guerriera Special | 10 Niobes, 3 Magnificents, 2 Ontarios |
| Ships destroyed | 0 | 8 |
| Ships captured by the enemy | 0 | 7 |
| Outcome | Decisive victory — Hydrae secure | Both attack waves eliminated |
Guerriera accounts for six kills, Karlstad 007 and 008 for one each. Agordat deploys the 1st Assalitori BOA 1000, which captures all seven surviving raider ships.
