22nd August 1973
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Navy, issues new instructions for Kaigun-Taisho Nagata, commander of the combat forces of the Imperial Navy. The Scimitaran colony on the first moon of Scimitar II should be secured and used as a base for operations against the Scimitaran home world. Scimitar II has an eccentric orbit of 0.18, but that is far less than the 0.42 of Scimitar I and the temperature variance on the moon is only about forty degrees, which can be handled by humans with either infrastructure or terraforming. Establishing a base within the inner system will greatly improve the logistics for the overall campaign. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata delegates operational control to Kaigun-Taisa Kozu, commander of the Kido Butai.
The Main Force of the Kido Butai, stationed on the Scimitar IV Lagrange point, has been reinforced by Ise and Hyūga, although the light cruiser element has been reduced to three ships by the detachment of Agano, Kashima and Kuma. The Carrier Striking Force is still four days from the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point. Also on station with the Main Force is the 1st Hiko Sentai, ready for a strike mission into the inner system, and a Kawanishi H1K ‘Saiun’. The latter is ordered to jump to the Lagrange point of Scimitar I to check it is clear.
Kido Butai – Main Force
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashii, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Yūbari
The Lagrange point is clear, so the 1st Hiko Sentai also jumps and then sets course for the second planet to determine the opposing force and attack any target of opportunity, while the H1K remains on the Lagrange point as a sensor picket. The 1st Hiko Sentai moves within a million kilometres of the gas giant and its six moons, with no sign of any Scimitaran ships. Without passive sensors, there is no way to detect the colonies themselves. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu requests a landing force, which is passed up the chain of command. Three Sagami Maru class transports begin the process of loading three divisions and transporting them to the Scimitar system.
The 1st Hiko Sentai returns to the Scimitar I Lagrange point, while the Kawanishi H1K moves on a reciprocal course and takes up station in orbit of Scimitar II, so it can monitor the two Scimitaran colonies on the first and fourth moons, which have EM signatures of 365 and 1355 respectively. There are active emissions from the surface of the first moon, orbiting at 186,000 km, which indicates STO batteries, but there is no attack on the patrol craft.
26th August 1973
The survey cruisers Sagiri and Minekaze enter the Scimitar system and begin a gravitational survey. The 1st Hiko Sentai departs for Sol, as there are no targets available and Kaigun-Taisa Kozu does not wish to waste missiles against the defences of the Scimitar home world.
29th August 1973
The Kawanishi H1K in orbit of Scimitar II detects sensor emissions from two Solarhawks at a distance of thirty-two million kilometres. The Solarhawk is a 50,000 military-engined vessel, that is likely to be a Scimitaran battleship. In the outer system, the Carrier Striking Force has arrived at the Scimitar IV Lagrange point to rendezvous with the Main Force and is currently refuelling from the replenishment ship Kenyo Maru. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu does not want to miss a chance to engage the Scimitaran fleet in deep space, so he cancels the refuelling and orders the entire Kido Butai to jump to the Scimitar I Lagrange point.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki Yukimori
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Ryujo**, Soryu*, Zuiho
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao*
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashii, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Yūbari
With four battleships and six carriers, the Kido Butai has never been stronger. Immediately after transit, the fleet detects thirteen ships in orbit of the Scimitaran home world, including two 33,768-ton Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers, nine other ships of similar size and two Warbirds of 16,883 tons. The surface-based defences are unknown. Shortly thereafter, the Kawanishi H1K, having left orbit of Scimitar II, moves within its twenty million kilometres active sensor range of the Solarhawks and detects a huge Scimitaran fleet, comprising eight Solarhawk class battleships, seven Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers, four 33.755-ton Nightfalcons and thirteen ships of light cruiser size, totalling one million tons of warships.
Scimitar Home World
2x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
3x Sparrowhawk: 33,697 tons
3x Falconet: 33,642 tons
3x King Eagle: 33,449 tons
2x Warbird: 16,883 tons
Scimitaran Battle Fleet
8x BB Solarhawk: 50,654-tons
7x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
4x Nightfalcon: 33,755 tons
8x Warbird: 16,883 tons
1x Sunhawk: 16,855 tons
1x Harrier: 16,855 tons
3x Peregrine: 16,855 tons
The Kido Butai sets a course for Scimitar II, intending to interpose itself between the Scimitaran battle fleet and the home world defences. This will be the decisive battle of the campaign and probably the most important engagement in the history of the Imperial Navy. The battle starts with a loss, as a salvo of missiles from the Scimitaran fleet destroys the H1K. All contact with the Scimitaran fleet is lost. In response, the Kido Butai sends out three Aichi E1A3 scouts in an attempt to reacquire the contacts. Five hours later, the enemy fleet is detected on a heading for its home world. The Kido Butai splits, with the Carrier Striking Force maintaining range and the Main Force adopting an intercept course, despite being out-massed by almost three-to-one. All the fighters are launched and maintain close formation with the Main Force. For the moment, the Nakajima B1N ‘Ryūsei’ carrier strike craft remain on Junyō and Taihō.
The Main Force of the Kido Butai is within twenty million kilometres of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet when it detects a wave of three hundred and ninety size-10 missiles on a reciprocal course. While the missiles are only travelling at 15,000 km/s, it is still almost four hundred missiles, probably equipped with decoys and the same strength-6 warheads used against the H1K. Every ship in the Main Force and every escorting fighter readies its weapons for point defence.
The 1st Air Fleet, with over three hundred fighters, destroys one hundred and nineteen missiles and over two hundred decoys. The Main Force itself accounts for a further seventy-three inbounds. Sixty percent of the surviving missiles miss their targets, which leaves seventy-seven. Fortunately, they are spread across multiple targets. Nagato and Mutsu are struck by thirty-three and thirty-two Scimitaran missiles respectively, dropping their shields to around forty-five percent. The light cruisers Yubari and Kashii suffer nine and three hits respectively. Despite the plainly low tech missiles, if the Scimitarans had focused their fire on a single target, or the Imperial Navy had attacked before the second pair of Nagatos was available, the situation would have been far more serious.
The Main Force continues to close, with Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara’s thoughts focused on the potential reload time of the Scimitaran missile launchers. After launching, the Scimitaran fleet reverses course, trying to hold the range open for as long as possible while the Main Force gains on them at 2000 km/s.
Twelve and a half minutes after the first missile, a second equally large wave arrives, which is fortunate as the battleships have a nine minute shield recharge time. The point defences are equally effective and only seventy-nine Scimitaran missiles detonate. They are mostly spread among the four Takao class cruisers, with Takao struck by twenty-two, reducing her shields to just seven percent, and the others by eighteen, sixteen and fifteen. Eight missiles hit the light cruiser Niitaka, damaging her armour. The range is fourteen million kilometres.
Wave three arrives while the fleets are still twelve million kilometres apart. Japanese point defence is less effective than the first two waves and more of the surviving missiles reach their targets. Nagato and Mutsu are hit by forty-five and forty missiles respectively, reducing Nagato’s shield strength to less than a quarter. All three light cruisers are also targeted. Kashii and Niitaka take eleven and four hits respectively, leaving each of them with a hole in their armour. Yubari suffers twenty-two hits, two of which penetrate and disable an engine. Her speed drops to 2500 km/s. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders the three light cruisers to leave the Main Force and head for the Scimitar I jump point. The four battleships and four heavy cruisers will continue with the 1st Air Fleet.
The fourth Scimitaran missile wave is split into two parts, with one hundred and forty missiles moving past the Kido Butai and pursuing the three light cruisers. Only thirty-eight missiles from the larger part of the wave impact on the shields of Nagato and Mutsu. To their credit, the light cruisers destroy twenty inbound missiles from the smaller half of the wave. Niitaka takes only four armour hits, while Kashii suffers minor internal damage after fourteen hits. Yubari is not so lucky and is destroyed by eighteen strength-6 detonations. She is the first light cruiser to be lost in action. Niitaka and Kashii pick up her life pods, then continue onward to the Lagrange point, assuming they are out of range of the Scimitaran missiles.
That assumption proves dangerous, as the fifth wave is also divided into two parts, with one hundred and twenty-five missiles on an intercept course for Niitaka and Kashii. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara briefly considers detaching the A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters from the 1st Air Fleet to attack the missiles targeted on the light cruisers as they pass, but ultimately the successful defeat of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet will depend on his battleships and heavy cruisers, so he leaves that thought unvoiced. The Main Force rides out the larger half of the missile wave with only shield damage. While the light cruisers prepare to defend themselves, the sixth wave arrives and is entirely targeted on the Main Force. Over a hundred Scimitaran missiles detonate their warheads. Even with the damage spread between two battleships and two heavy cruisers, Takao is still reduced to fifteen percent shield strength.
Eleven minutes later, the second half of the fifth wave catches up with Niitaka and Kashii. Somehow the two light cruisers destroy seventeen missiles, but that still leaves more than a hundred. Niitaka is hit eighteen times, suffering only a single internal hit, which is remarkable considering that over half her armour belt has been destroyed. Kashii suffers nineteen strength-6 hits and twelve penetrate the tattered remnants of her armour, inflicting massive damage. Her remaining engine is destroyed, along with four lasers, three railguns, half her troop transport bay and numerous electronic systems. One hundred and twenty-two crew and twenty marines are killed. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara immediately requests a tug to rescue to stricken ship.
Unexpectedly, the Scimitaran Battle fleet reverses course and begins heading toward the Main Force, or perhaps they are trying to get within missile range of the crippled Kashii. The Main Force closes to within three million kilometres of the Scimitaran Fleet and detects a seventh wave of missiles. One hundred and three detonate against the shields of Nagato, Mutsu, Takao and Atago.
Wary of the seven Gyrfalcon escort cruisers in the Scimitaran battle fleet, capable of launching four hundred and sixty-two light missiles in a single salvo, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu has already ordered a strike from the seventy-one Nakajima B1N ‘Ryūsei’ of the Carrier Strike Force, on the basis that the Main Force can hold outside light missile range once the current missile waves end. That strike has been en route for forty-five minutes, but is still an hour and forty minutes away. If the Scimitarans do still have anti-ship missiles remaining, that is too long for Kashii.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara requests permission to test the Main Force’s ability to withstand the firepower of the Scimitaran escort cruisers. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives his assent. After briefly holding the range open to recharge shields, the Main Force allows the range to drop to one point eight million kilometres before a wall of missiles of light missiles is detected. This attack is at a greater range than expected and not all the ships of the Main Force have full shields. Sakubara orders the Main Force to reverse course and move away at maximum speed, with the light missiles in pursuit. A second wave is detected ten seconds behind the first and third ten seconds after that. Unlike the anti-ship missiles, there will be no time for shield recharge between attacks, so Sakubara wants to know his fleet’s ability to withstand the assault before moving deep into hostile light missile range.
By the time the first salvo reaches the Main Force, there are over two thousand three hundred inbound light missiles in five waves. The 1st Air fleet shoots down two hundred and thirty-three missiles from the first wave, with a further seventy-four destroyed by the battleships and heavy cruisers. While the light missiles are faster, they lack decoys, making them easier to hit than the larger anti-ship missiles. The battleship Mutsu is struck by sixty-one Scimitaran missiles, dropping her shields by seventeen percent.
Nagato is hit by a similar number of missiles from the second wave, while Takao is hit fifty-one from the third. Her shields had not fully recovered from the recent anti-ship missile attack and are down to fifty percent. Each ship in the Main Force is targeted by a different wave of light missiles, with Maya the only ship to fall below fifty percent shields. After a gap of thirty seconds, a ninth and tenth wave strike Mutsu and Nagato respectively, then Japanese sensors are clear of missile contacts. The Main Force continues to increase the range while its shields recharge, heading toward the Scimitar home world. The Scimitaran Battle Fleet ignores the Main Force and sets a direct course for the crippled Kashii, less than forty million kilometres away.
At two point three million kilometres, the Main Force changes to an intercept course. The B1N strike is still ninety minutes away, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara plans to move within Scimitaran light missile range in an attempt to drain the magazines of the Gyrfalcons, without committing to a close approach. At one point eight million kilometres, the fleet detects multiple waves of light missiles ten seconds apart, with four hundred and sixty-two missiles in each wave. The Main Force changes course to head for Kashii, moving to interpose itself between the light cruiser and the Scimitaran Battle Fleet.
The first two waves target Mutsu and Nagato, dropping their shields by seventeen percent each. While defending against the missiles, an A2M3 ‘Shinden’ from the 1st Air Fleet suffers a failure of its cannon and has no maintenance supplies remaining, so it breaks away and heads back to its carrier. Given the level of defensive fire required, the lone fighter is likely to be joined by others in the near future. The ships of the Main Force are also consuming supplies rapidly, with the battleship Mutsu already below sixty percent.
Once again, every ship is targeted by a different wave, with the shields of the four heavy cruisers reduced to between fifty-five and sixty-five percent. After a thirty second break, a further seven waves arrive, hitting every ship except the battleship Ise. The Main Force is apparently out of range, which is just as well. Atago is down to thirty percent shields and Chōkai is not much better. Four more fighters have departed and Nagato has only thirty-eight percent of her maintenance supplies remaining. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders all ships to cease using their 25cm lasers for point defence.
The Main Force can dance in and out of light missile range to absorb Scimitaran attacks, but is damaging its long-term combat ability to do so and reducing the effectiveness of its fighter screen. Given the rate of shield depletion, it cannot close to energy range unless the Gyrfalcons run out of missiles and their magazine capacity is unknown. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to remain outside light missile range until after the strike from the Nakajima B1N ‘Ryūsei’, then try again. Time is running out for Kashii.
Three minutes after the last attack, the Main Force detects an inbound wave of two hundred size-10 anti-ship missiles. This is a smaller attack than the previous wave of anti-ship missiles, so it may be the last Scimitaran attack of this type. It is fortunate that the Main Force was the target and not the virtually defenceless Kashii. Only twenty-six missiles reach their targets and are all expended against shields. For the moment, neither fleet can seriously threaten the other. That will change dramatically if the Scimitarans run out of missiles.
An hour after the missile attack, the seventy-one Nakajima B1Ns pass the Main Force and launch their Rakurai missiles, targeted on three Gyrfalcons. The first defensive missile detonations are 900,000 km. Given the range at which the Scimitaran fleet attacked the main force was in excess of two million kilometres, their defensive fire must be limited by the range of their anti-missile sensors or fire controls. A hundred and eleven light missile detonations are recorded, along with forty-one energy impacts at point-blank. One hundred and twenty Rakurai survive to detonate, although half of those strike decoys. The rest are distributed between the three targeted Gyrfalcons, with a total of nine causing internal damage. Two damaged Gyrfalcons drop to a speed of 2570 km/s and fall behind the Scimitaran Battle Fleet.
The Scimitaran fleet is still twenty-six million kilometres from Kashii, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to wait for a few minutes to allow the damaged ships to fall further behind, before once again taking the Main Force into range of the Scimitaran light missiles. At one point eight million kilometres, an inbound wave of three hundred and thirty light missiles is detected. By this point, the two damaged Gyrfalcons are 800,000 km astern of the main Scimitaran fleet so they can no longer contribute to the attacks. As before, additional waves follow the first, separated by ten second intervals.
Due to the reduced wave size, the numbers of missiles breaching the Japanese defences is reduced. The shields of Mutsu and Nagato fall by only ten percent, although another three fighters have to head back to the carriers, while Takao, Atago and Chōkai maintain their shields at eighty percent or higher. The sixth and final wave, directed against the heavy cruiser Maya, is only thirty-two missiles. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara believes the Scimitaran Battle Fleet may finally be out of missiles and requests permission to close to energy range. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives his assent.
As the range falls, the two trailing Gyrfalcons start launching light missiles, but there is nothing from the main body. The battleships and heavy cruisers of the Main Force leave the point defence to the fighters, several of which suffer cannon failures, to preserve their own maintenance supplies. There is no significant damage to shields. After the light missile waves cease, the Main Force closes to within 260,000 km of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet. There is no energy fire, which means the Main Force is faster and has longer-ranged weapons.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders a volley of 25cm laser fire from all eight ships. Mutsu and Hyūga fire first and one of the 50,000-ton Solarhawks suffers nine strength-3 hits. Unfortunately, it will take a long time to inflict serious damage and after the long point defence engagement, the Main Force may run out of maintenance supplies before it can achieve a victory. Therefore, he orders the fleet to close to 165,000 km to test the Scimitaran weapons capability. All eight Japanese ships fire on the approach, but there is still no return fire. At that range, the 25cm lasers are inflicting strength-4 hits. When Mutsu and Hyūga fire for the second time, they penetrate the armour of the Solarhawk, albeit without slowing it down.
The known range of the railguns on the single Raptor class battlecruiser in the Scimitaran fleet is 160,000 km, so Sakubara orders the Main Force to close to 155,000 km to test the weapons of the other Scimitaran ships. Once again, there is no incoming fire, possibly due to superior Japanese electronic warfare. The Solarhawk takes fifteen strength-5 hits from Takao and Chōkai and slows by a third, dropping out of the formation. Sakubara slows the Main Force, so the Scimitaran fleet gradually closes the range, then orders the fleet to concentrate fire on the Raptor, which is soon disabled and left behind by the Scimitarans.
With the range at just 128,000 km, the Scimitarans suffers their first loss, when a 33,755-ton Nightfalcon suffers a large secondary explosion and disintegrates. The Gyrfalcons are almost certainly out of light missiles and the 50,000-ton Solarhawks are assumed to be the source of the size-10 anti-ship missiles, so the Main Force is focused on the other ships in the fleet on the assumption that at least some of them must be energy-armed. At this point though, the main concern for Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara is dwindling maintenance supplies, rather than any serious threat from the Scimitaran Battle Fleet. Now their missiles have been expended, the Scimitaran ships are simply targets. The Main Force lacks Nagara class light cruisers, which means no boarding capability, which in turn means that destroying every enemy vessel is the only realistic option.
The range continues to fall, as the battle becomes a massacre. The three remaining Nightfalcons are destroyed, followed by the Sunhawk and Harrier, both of which are 16,855 tons. Even at 80,000 km, there is still no resistance from the Scimitarans. The Main Force of the Kido Butai closes to 45,000 km, allowing the 25cm lasers of the four battleships and four heavy cruisers to achieve their maximum strength-16 damage. Within ten minutes of the first shot being fired, nothing remains of the Scimitaran fleet except a long trail of wreckage and life pods. When the end finally came, it happened very quickly. Another glorious victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Niitaka, one of the light cruisers that accompanied the Main Force into the inner system, survived with only engine damage, so she is recalled from her flight toward the Lagrange point and ordered to pick up the Scimitaran life pods. It will be a severe strain on her life support systems, but she can drop them off at the Tsushima colony within a couple of weeks. The Main Force moves to cover the light cruiser Kashii until she can repair an engine, while the 1st Air Fleet heads for the Carrier Striking Force, also en route towards Kashii, to replenish maintenance supplies.
Within the next hour, all the fighters land and the Kido Butai reforms into a single fleet. Kashii repairs one of her engines and moves to assist Niitaka in recovering life pods. The replenishment ship Kenyo Maru jumps to the Scimitar I Lagrange point, so Kaigun-Taisa Kozu sets a rendezvous point en route to the Scimitaran home world, where Kenyo Maru can replenish the Kido Butai’s diminished maintenance supplies. Two hours later, sensor emissions are detected from a pair of Scimitaran King Eagles, 33,449 tons ships with unknown armament, midway between the Scimitaran home world and the Scimitar I jump point, moving toward the latter at 2937 km/s.
The Kido Butai is seven hours from the Lagrange point, but the King Eagles will be there in less than five. If the King Eagles jump to the outer system, they will be able to attack and destroy a pair of salvage ships working on the wrecks from the earlier battles. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders every available fighter to be launched with orders to prevent the Scimitaran fleet reaching the Lagrange point. The Kido Butai follows in their wake.
As the Kido Butai moves within the one hundred and ten million kilometre sensor range of the King Eagles, it detects several additional ships. The Scimitaran fleet comprises three King Eagles, two Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers and two 16,883-ton Warbirds. This is a difficult target for the 1st Air Fleet, especially as the Nakajima B1N strike craft have not yet reloaded, but if they do not attack, it is likely the salvage ships and their accompanying freighters will be destroyed. Without those salvage ships, the Empire of Japan cannot take advantage of the minerals contained within the many Scimitaran wrecks, which have the potential to ease the current resource crisis.
Meanwhile, Niitaka and Kashii are recovering Scimitaran survivors and conducting interrogations. Technical information is gained on improved fuel efficiency and thermal sensors, both of which were projects already underway. More importantly, the prisoners reveal that the Scimitar system only has a single jump point, leading to Tsushima. Apparently, the strains of being restricted to a single system, with what the Scimitarans viewed as a hostile alien race on the far side of the only jump point, caused severe tensions among the military forces and the civilian population. This tension was exacerbated by the regular cataclysmic climate changes on their home world, due to the extreme orbit of the parent superjovian. The suicidal ‘rush to the jump point’ after the initial Japanese attacks, was due to a total breakdown in the chain of command. The hardcore military elements, including the battle fleet, were loyal to the regime and prepared to stay and fight.
The Scimitaran fleet and the 1st Air Fleet race toward the Lagrange point. The Japanese fighters are moving at 8000 km/s, the speed of the slower A1M ‘Raiden’. While the A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters, with a speed of 12,000 km/s, could arrive much sooner, the strength of the enemy fleet is too much of a deterrent to consider splitting the force. By now, the Kenyo Maru is out of danger, having been passed by the fighters, and is moving to meet the approaching Kido Butai.
The 1st Air Fleet arrives at the Lagrange point with the Scimitaran fleet less than four million kilometres away and due to arrive in twenty-two minutes. The Kido Butai is fifty million kilometres astern. Unwilling to let any hostile ship make the jump, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders the 1st Air Fleet to close, regardless of losses, and eliminate the enemy force. Three hundred and eleven Japanese fighters streak toward the Scimitaran fleet.
The first wave of one hundred and thirty-two light missiles, travelling at 23,000 km/s, attacks the fighters over a million kilometres from the enemy fleet. One hundred and seventeen are shot down by the fighters’ cannon. Seven fighters are targeted by the rest, with one destroyed, one disabled and three taking armour damage. New waves arrive every ten seconds, but the fighters prove adept at intercepting the Scimitaran missiles and the few that avoid the cannon fire find the fighters to be difficult targets. After facing eight waves, with over a thousand light missiles in total, only two fighters have been destroyed, with three more crippled and dead in space. Twenty-two fighters have varying degrees of armour damage. The range has fallen to 530,000 km.
By the time the range falls below 200,000 km, the total of destroyed and disabled fighters has risen to ten, with more than thirty damaged. A few missiles from each wave are bypassing the main body of the 1st Air Fleet and picking off the cripples in its wake. The distance to the Scimitaran fleet is dropping fast, with a closing speed close to 11,000 km/s. At 41,000 km, the fighters run into a wall of railgun fire from the King Eagles, with six exploding in rapid succession. Moments later, as the two forces pass through each other, another four are destroyed by the Warbirds. Fortunately, the alien ships seem to be restricted by their number of fire controls, or the carnage would be far worse.
The Japanese fighters focus their attack on one of the Gyrfalcons, inflicting seventy-four internal hits, then the A2M ‘Shinden’ engage one of the Warbirds while the A1M ‘Raiden’ complete the destruction of the escort cruiser. Another four fighters blow up under fire from the Warbirds, which have a weapon recycle time of just five seconds, then ten more as the King Eagles, with a fifteen second recycle time for their larger railguns, fire again. One Warbird explodes, then the other. The surviving Gyrfalcon launches more light missiles into the fray. Fighter losses continue to mount. Simultaneously, the last Gyrfalcon, one of the King Eagles and six fighters are blown to pieces by intense fire, leaving just a pair of King Eagles in the Scimitaran force. There are still over two hundred and fifty fighters in the 1st Air Fleet, attacking the two remaining targets at point blank range. The King Eagles kill four more fighters before they are obliterated.
Over fifty fighters have been lost, but the Scimitaran fleet has been completely destroyed and will no longer threaten the salvage operations. Once again, the 1st Air Fleet has performed superbly. The surviving fighters head back to the Kido Butai, which is moving to resupply from the Kenyo Maru. Niikata has not yet jumped, so she moves to pick up the Scimitaran survivors. There are still six ships of approximately 33,700 tons in orbit of the Scimitaran home world, along with a large shipyard complex and presumably a substantial number of surface-based weapons. They will be the next major challenge for the Kido Butai.
30th October 1973
It takes over two months to refuel and resupply the Kido Butai, as a second replenishment ship has to be sent from Earth. That time has not been wasted, as three Sagami Mary and three Shinshu Maru troop transports are now assembled in orbit of the sixth moon of Scimitar II, protected by the battlecruiser Kirishima. Salvage operations are also well underway in the outer system, now protected by the light cruiser Kuma, which has returned to action after dropping off its prisoners. Once at full fuel and maintenance supplies, the Kido Butai moves to Scimitar II to test the surface defences of the Scimitaran colonies on the first and third moons.
The third moon has a ground forces signature of 73,900 tons, but it is likely to be fortified, which means it could be anything from 200,000 to 400,000 tons in reality. The troop transports carry the 4th, 6th and 8th divisions, plus the first two tank regiments of the Imperial Army, each comprising one hundred and twenty Ju-I heavy tanks. A total ground force of over three hundred thousand tons. Before any landings can begin, the Main Force of the Kido Butai will have to clear any surface-based defences.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki Yukimori¬¬
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Ryujo**, Soryu*, Zuiho
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao*
Transport Force – Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Kirishima
Sagami Maru class Troop Transport: Keizan Maru, Sagami Maru, Tatukami Maru
Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport: Sakito Maru, Sanka Maru, Shinshu Maru
The Main Force closes to within 85,000 km before coming under fire. Three different battleships are struck by a total of fifty-nine strength-1 energy impacts. All eight ships return fire and within a couple of minutes, all the surface-based railguns are eliminated, although the EM Strength of the colony drops by about forty percent during the bombardment, indicating the destruction of numerous installations. The troop transports move in and unload the three divisions and two independent tank regiments, totalling over thirty thousand infantry and almost a thousand armoured vehicles.
The defenders number approximately fifteen to twenty thousand infantry, supported by hundreds of tanks and other weapons. Generally, the Scimitaran weapons and armour are inferior to the those of the Imperial Army, although there are a small number of more advanced units, suggesting the Scimitar Empire has recently upgraded its military technology. The moon has a gravity of 0.06G and a surface temperature of -57C, which will make combat conditions difficult for both the Imperial Army and the Scimitaran defenders. Initially, casualties are heavy on both sides, with over fifteen hundred Japanese infantry killed on the first day. Over time, a combination of Japanese elan and determination, supported by two hundred and forty heavy tanks that prove very resistant to hostile fire, gradually force an advantage.
Scimitaran casualties on the second day are close to double that of the Imperial Army and by the third day, they are triple. The battle is hard fought by the defenders, but a series of breakthroughs, especially on the fourth and fifth days, inflict significant losses on the Scimitaran. By day six the battle has become a rout. On day eight, the Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki (Sixteen-Ray Rising Sun Flag) is flying over the ex-Scimitaran colony. There are no alien settlers on the moon, most likely due to the low gravity. One hundred and eighty automated mines are secured by the Imperial Army. Japanese casualties were approximately sixteen percent of the engaged force, including the loss of five Ju-I heavy tanks.
The mineral deposits on the moon are disappointing, with only seventy thousand tons of Uridium and almost sixty thousand tons of Gallicite, both of which are at high accessibility. For now, the mines will remain on the surface as Gallicite is the most in-demand mineral for the Empire of Japan. A shore battery with eight 25cm lasers and ten railguns is unloaded on to the newly captured moon to provide protection. The assault troops begin the process of re-embarking on to their transports, ready for the attack on the third moon
Scimitar II - Moon 3 Survey Report
Uridium: 70,391 1.00
Gallicite: 58,150 0.90
10th November 1973
The Main Force of the Kido Butai approaches the first moon of Scimitar II and comes under railgun fire from the surface, albeit of limited effectiveness. Without even bothering to move back out of range, the battleships and heavy cruisers obliterate the railguns with a barrage of fire from their secondary armament.
16th November 1973
The survey cruiser Asakaze transits into the Inazawa system, which lies beyond the only outward jump point in Sigma Draconis, scene of the great battles against the Mizuchi. She detects a single Mizuchi ship, a new type designated as Gourami class, on the Inazawa side of the jump point. Asakaze engages her active sensors and launches her two A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters and her single B1N ‘Ryusei’ strike craft.
Initially the 4039-ton Gourami moves away, so Kaigun-Chusa Arakawa Nobuo, captain of the 18,000 ton Asakaze, orders the fighters and the B1N to attack and orders the launch of a Rakurai from Asakaze’s single launcher, while the survey cruiser opens the range. The Gourami reverses course and transits the jump point, so Asakaze returns to the jump point, allowing one of her fighters and the B1N to follow with orders to engage. Asakaze and the other fighter remain in Inazawa in case the Gourami transits once again.
In Sigma Draconis, the Gourami runs sunward with the Mitsubishi A2Ms and the Nakajima B1N in pursuit. After two minutes the B1N recovers from jump shock and launches her two Rakurai anti-ship missiles. Both strike the Gourami, detonating their strength-12 warheads, and the Mizuchi ship vanishes, indicating it was destroyed.
The brief engagement confirms that assumption that one or more surviving Mizuchi ships left Sigma Draconis after the victory of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Nagara II-Ha light cruisers Sendai and Tama and the jump-capable Kasagi class light cruiser Itsukushima are dispatched from Sol to Sigma Draconis, initially to guard the small colony on the first moon of Sigma Draconis II, but also to probe into Inazawa once they have support from a replenishment ship. Asakaze recovers her fighters and leaves her Aichi E1A3 scout to picket the Inazawa – Sigma Draconis jump point, then begins a survey of Inazawa.
17th November 1973
The invasion of the first moon of Scimitar II is launched. The moon is similar in size to Mercury, with gravity of 0.31G, so the Imperial Army troops do not have to fight in a low gravity environment, although they have to endure the surface temperature of -74C. The Scimitaran force is approximately ten thousand infantry and a couple of hundred tanks and proves no match for the battle-hardened Japanese troops. The battle is over within three days, with a little more than two thousand Imperial Army casualties. Once again, there are no Scimitaran civilians on the moon. Thirty automated mines are captured.
This moon will serve as a forward base for the eventual ground assault on the Scimitaran home world. Far more than the three battered divisions will be required, so they will be left in place to recuperate, while the troop transports bring in two more divisions from Earth and one currently based at the colony in Kapteyn’s Star to combat a potential alien race that did not materialise as yet. Even that force is unlikely to suffice, so new divisions will be trained.
As that will take some time, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi issues an order for the Kido Butai to eliminate the Scimitaran shipyard complex in orbit of their home world, the fourth moon of Scimitar I, to prevent the Scimitar Empire from constructing additional ships. This will likely require eliminating the home world defences first. The Kido Butai moves within ten million kilometres of the Scimitaran home world without incident, then the Carrier Striking Force holds position, while the Main Force advances under cover of the 1st Air Fleet. In orbit of the moon are three 33,697-ton Sparrowhawks and three 33,642-ton Falconets, with unknown armament, possibly all that remains of the once mighty Scimitar Empire Navy.
As the Main Force reaches the orbit of the outermost moon of Scimitar I, it detects a ground forces signature of 33,600 on the fifteenth moon. The equivalent signature on the fourth moon is 210,300 tons. One point eight million kilometres from the target, three light missiles appear, moving toward the fleet at 48,200 km/s. The tiny salvo is easily shot down. The tactical officers of the Kido Butai puzzle over the significance of the attack, while the fleet continues closing. At just under one point seven million kilometres, they detect thermal signatures from a wave of two hundred and ninety-six light missiles, with a speed of 23,000 km/s, almost 900,000 km ahead.
The tactical officer on the Nagato, Kaigun-Shōsa Goto Yoshiko, informs her captain that based on the relative distances and travel times, the earlier three missile salvo travelling at 48,200 km/s was probably part of the same launch as the slower wave at 23,000 km/s, which means the Scimitar Empire has developed a much faster light missile but not yet deployed it in significant numbers. If the Empire of Japan had waited before attacking the Scimitar system, the result may have been quite different.
Five seconds behind the large wave is a smaller wave of one hundred and forty-five missiles, followed by several more waves alternating between two hundred and ninety nine and one hundred and forty-five. The slightly larger subsequent waves validate Kaigun-Shōsa Goto’s theory. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo orders the Main Force to reverse course, while he determines its ability to withstand the attack.
In total, twenty-fives waves of light missiles crash against Japanese defences before the Main Force retreats out of range. They follow the same pattern, except for the last wave, which is four hundred and forty-one missiles. The Scimitarans make a noticeable change to their tactics with multiple waves targeting the same ship in an attempt to batter down its shields. This would have been more effective if the two mini-waves pattern had been combined into a single wave, but it was still enough to drop one of the heavy cruisers below 50% shields. As in the engagement with the Scimitaran Battle Fleet, maintenance supplies are soon a concern, so the warships do not use their main armament for point defence, relying on the fighter cover and their twin 12cm laser turrets. Half a dozen fighters are at the point where they cannot repair another cannon failure, but only two warships are below eighty percent supplies.
After recharging shields, the Main Force approaches the Scimitaran home world once again. This time they are greeted with twenty-one of the faster Scimitaran light missile, followed by four hundred and twenty-one slower missiles. This pattern continues, with a total of sixteen large waves, interspersed with smaller twenty-one missile waves, also of the slower missile type, before the Main Force moves back out of range. The more concentrated Scimitaran attacks are more effective, with the heavy cruiser Atago reduced to ten percent shields. Six of the covering fighters have withdrawn due to cannon failures. While the Main Force is unable to penetrate deep into the Scimitaran missile defences, their attempts to do so are draining the ordnance of the Scimitaran bases, without any permanent damage to the Imperial Navy.
Once the shields of all the battleships and heavy cruisers are at 100%, the eight warships of the Main Force begin their third attempt to approach the Scimitaran home world. During the two previous ventures into the defensive envelope of the bases, the first light missiles were detected around one point eight million kilometres from the moon. This time, the fleet passes that point without detecting anything and Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara begins to consider the possibility they have exhausted their missiles . At one point six million kilometres, a wave of twenty-four faster missiles is detected and at one point five million, a wave of four hundred and twenty slower missiles, followed by a further twenty-four slow missiles, then another wave of four hundred and twenty.
Although the first twenty-four light missiles are easily dispatched, Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara is concerned by the change in Scimitaran tactics and decides to avoid any unnecessary risk by ordering a course reversal. However, the Main Force is closer to the Scimitaran home world than during the two previous incursions and therefore will take longer to move outside hostile missile range.
Several missile waves crash against the shields of the battleships Mutsu and Nagato, dropping them below fifty percent, but the attack is short-lived. With the Main Force still within one point eight million kilometres of the bases, the Japanese sensors are suddenly clear of missiles. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders another course reversal and the Main Force moves within a million kilometres of its target with no sign of further missile attacks. It appears that after refining their tactics to draw the Main Force well into light missile range before opening fire, the Scimitarans were unable to fully execute their plan because they ran out of ordnance.
The Main Force approaches the Scimitaran home world, and opens fire on the bases at two hundred and forty thousand kilometres. All the battleships and heavy cruisers still have approximately seventy percent of their maintenance supplies so that is not an immediate concern. They continue closing to 165,000 km, just beyond the longest range at which any Scimitaran energy weapon has fired, and systematically destroy all six bases.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara has no idea how surface-based weapons may be waiting for the Main Force, so he orders a very gradual advance toward the moon. The fleet finally comes under fire at 89,000 km, with one hundred and twenty-one strength-1 hits spread among the four battleships. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara pulls his ships back five thousand kilometres, then orders all ships to engage the surface weapons with 12cm secondary armament, to reduce collateral damage, and use their 25cm main armament against the orbital shipyard complex.
The surface is dominated by jungle, which makes locating the surface-based railguns a difficult task. A general bombardment of each suspected location is the only option, which leads to the destruction of nearby installations and significant civilian casualties. Even so, it is a large population so there should still be sufficient workers once the Scimitarans are conquered. The primary concern is the rapidly depleting maintenance supplies of the fleet. Destruction of the bases required almost six minutes of continuous fire from 25cm lasers, dropping most ships below sixty percent, and now the slow progress in eliminating the Scimitaran railguns, combined with the five second recycle time of the 12cm laser turrets, is draining them very quickly.
After seven minutes of targeting the surface, the heavy cruiser Atago suffers a maintenance failure in one of her twin 12cm laser turrets that cannot be repaired. Only half of the STO weapons have been eliminated and half of the shipyard complex. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders Atago to maintain fire with her other weapons. There are no reserve maintenance supplies in the Scimitar system, as the Kido Butai has exhausted those carried by the two available replenishment ships. Kenyo Maru has returned to Earth for resupply, but will not return to Scimitar for over three weeks. Every ship in the Main Force, with the exception of Maya, has less than twenty-five percent of their normal maintenance supply.
Within a minute, Atago loses a second turret and one of her 25cm lasers, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders her to leave the fleet and head back to Earth for repairs. The battleship Ise is the next ship to be affected, as one of her 25cm lasers fails. About thirty percent of the STOs remain, while the signature of the shipyard complex has been reduced to approximately twenty percent of its original value. There is also the possibility that the Scimitar home world has other STO batteries dedicated to point defence, which have not yet fired and therefore remain undetected.
Ise loses two more 25cm lasers, just as Nagato suffers a failure in one of her twin 12cm turrets. When Ise loses a fifth laser from her main armament and a laser turret, she too is ordered home. If there are still Scimitaran warships somewhere in the system, the Kido Butai cannot afford to have ships with no maintenance and most of their weapons disabled. Nagato is the next to depart, with half her laser turrets inoperable. Of the five ships remaining, three are out of maintenance supplies and the other two have only ten percent. Hyūga has lost a laser turret but is still firing.
Kaigun-Taisa Kozu, commanding the Kido Butai, orders the Main Force to cease fire, then orders the two Kongo class battlecruisers to leave the Carrier Striking Force and join the Main Force. Forty minutes later, Kirishima and Hiei resume the bombardment. After seven minutes of continuous fire, using forty percent of their maintenance supplies, the venerable battlecruisers destroy the shipyard complex and the remaining railguns, at least those that have been detected.
Although the Main Force has been rendered combat ineffective, the primary objective of the attack has been achieved. With the primary shipyard of the Scimitar Empire now destroyed, the threat of new ships being built has been removed. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu decides to take the Kido Butai back to Earth for resupply and overhaul, leaving Kirishima and Hiei to join the light cruiser Kuma in overseeing the ongoing salvage operations, just in case a hitherto undetected Scimitaran fleet makes an appearance. The main task now will be building up a sufficient ground force to launch an invasion of the Scimitaran home world.
That home world has suffered considerably as a result of the recent bombardment. The thermal signature of the population has fallen by forty percent and the EM signature has dropped by twenty percent, indicating significant damage and loss of life. The energy weapon impacts have thrown so much dust into the atmosphere that the surface temperature will be twenty degrees lower than normal, although with the vast temperature range during its orbit that will be less of a problem than for most species.
