[GZG] [GZG Fiction] Battle of the Two Moons - 3 of 4

The Second Moon

With the order to open the fight given, the destroyer squadrons formed
up together and covered the new incoming fighter waves. The Simmons and
Chiba squadrons joined the remnants of the main squadron and thrusted
slowly to starboard, keeping the enemy on to port. In pursuance of the
strategic plan laid down prior to the battle, this strike force
proceeded to menace the iteki vessels forming the flank, keeping their
gunners attention while the new fighter and missile strikes burned in on
their rear. According to statements subsequently made by pilots and
gunners alike, the torpedo, missile and fighter attack was indescribably
fierce. The AI fighters in particular closing so rapidly and so close
that it was impossible for the enemy to deal with them. Their surprise
appearance from the moonbase, arriving at such short range and from the
rear and belly of the alien warship's meant that few of their guns could
cover them. Their large foreguns in particular could not depress
sufficiently to aim at them even as they closed on the more forward
components of the enemy fleet. What is more the iteki had exhausted
their disposable counter measures and defensive scatterguns against the
first waves from Deimos, they had little but their thick armoured hulls
to save them from the attack from Phobos. 

As our fighters struck the cruisers Emden, Hansa, Erzherzog Max,
D'Entrecasteaux, Rurik and Hatsuyuki  working together in line, reached
the enemy's rear cruiser squadron. Thrusting in an opposite direction to
the alien's course, our cruisers engaged the iteki cruisers, gradually
passing round their rear, and emerging on to their starboard side, where
the attack was renewed on parallel courses. We expected the iteki to
make use of their superior speed, but by then they were worn down by the
new ordinance strike and our squadrons were able to change their arc at
their own convenience, sometimes engaging the enemy on the port side,
sometimes on the starboard. After 18 minutes of this zig-zag engagement
the enemy's rear section was badly mauled, gradually falling into
disorder; two Kermits and four Kestrels having been rendered ineffective
or totally destroyed. At a little after 05:00 the remaining Katsumi left
the enemy's rank and thrusted straight for our flagship, Sol. It was a
close run thing, as she brought down intense fire on the already damaged
flagship. Settsu swung around the Katsumi from above. The Emden, Hansa
and Erzherzog Max bore in from its portside; and the Blanc,
D'Entrecasteaux and Rurik from starboard. Meanwhile, the Sol held its
position off the Katsumi's bow. Thus as the fire thickened our craft
closed in on the alien battleship from three sides. Apparently alarmed
by this hostile and enveloping onset, the enemy slowed its approach, but
never slowed its fire. For the next quarter of an hour the various
sections of the combined human fleet hovered about the long and deadly
arms of the iteki monster ship, keeping up a continuous attack at close
quarters. Ultimately the Katsumi could not face the combined fire of the
big guns on the Sol and Settsu, the later having survived to this point
relatively unscathed and with all batteries in full working order.
Severely injured by our heavy fire, the Katsumi fell back and the
pressure on the flagship was released. Again, at 05.23, three of the
enemy's remaining cruisers sallied out to attack us, renewing the
pressure on the Sol, Settsu and the Rurik and Ojus del Salado, which had
come in to support our two remaining super-ships. Much as before this
iteki attack was repulsed without accomplishing anything of note.

The result of these combined attacks by the human fleet and the almost
suicidal gestures of the apparently enraged or desperate alien forces
was that by 05:33 there had been a marked development in the situation.
The enemy's rear had been thrown completely into disorder and its
forward line was little better off - though if truth be known ours was
little better with no vessel untouched. Ships in all quarters had fallen
out of their formation; all had suffered more or less injury, and a
significant number were obviously unmanageable.

At about 05:41, the combined cruiser squadron, formed from the Chiba and
Simmons squadron, with the destroyers Paramatta, Amokura and Tzayad in
support, seeing one of the enemy's Kimono carriers had become isolated,
bore down on her. The fight put forward by our various ships was
vehement and most resolute, resulting in the Kimono being hulled and
forced from the battle. This combined human force also fired heavily on
the other Kimono, though she held up disappointingly well and was not so
very badly damaged as far as we could discern.

About this time our destroyers pulled down below our bigger ships so
they could more easily join up with our refueled and revitalized fighter
groups - that had flown back to Phobos and had now returned. Working
together, they pursued and dogged the enemy's disordered cruiser
squadrons and smaller ships. While this was in progress, two of the
enemy's warships (the two Kermit's that had been the lead scouts all
those hours ago), which had been forced a little way up and off from the
main fight thrust back into action; sweeping down by our main squadron,
thrusting into a lower orbit so they could rejoin the bulk of the alien
force. Thus their destroyer and lighter cruiser sections became engaged
with our first destroyer squadron. This contest quickly grew into a
quite intense engagement, the two sides passing with in incredibly short
range for a time. All suffered more or less, with the Kemal-Reis and
Lady Grey the worst off for us, but fortunately their injuries were not
too serious and they survived the encounter without serious loss of
life.

Previously to this the Blanc, flagship of the Simmon squadron, had been
hit in her port cargo bunkers. Captain Simmons had pushed her hard so as
not to weaken our attack, but eventually the structural damage and
stress of the fight began to take its toll. Simmons voluntarily took her
from the line with the purpose of effecting temporary repairs, but it
became obvious that she would not rejoin the fight that day so at 06:11
he transferred his flag to the Ojus del Salado and rejoined our
remaining ships so as to take part in the pursuit of then splintering
Kra'Vak fleet.

Across the sky the enemy's whole fleet was in disorder, and the fighting
whole was smashed, having fallen into a pitiably broken condition. At
06:30 those of the enemy that could fled the scene. The Katsumi  and
Kimono were pursued by the Sol, Settsu, Emden and Hatsuyuki to the jump
horizon before they slipped away out of the system. The smaller human
ships, led by Simmons on the Ojus del Salado formed a group that howled
after the smaller iteki, which had opted to stay in system and link up
with the force in siege of Earth. The human cruisers and destroyers made
a intrepid attempt to destroy their quarry, but were forced to turn back
as they approached the bulk of that cloud of horror patrolling then
route to Earth. Thus ended the battle of the two moons. 

The above are the results of the battle, which continued from the
evening of May 30th 2196 till the following morning, ships time.
Subsequently, the fleet rendezvoused and split. One part to keep a hold
on the rains of the new liberated skies of Kasei and the other conducted
a search in the mid and outer system. Watching for the return of the
alien monsters chased off, but not a sign was seen of any of the enemy's
ships in the following three weeks that the patrol remained in those
colder reaches of the system. Thirty three enemy vessels had been among
the enemy's Kasei fleet at the beginning of the battle. Of these the
ships that I believe to have escaped destruction or salvage at our hands
were limited to a few cruisers, destroyers, a single badly damaged
battleship and a light carrier. Our own looses were also tellingly
heavy. All of our vessels sustained more or less injury and many of them
were unfortunately incapacitated for future service. In detail the Sol,
Blanc, Idzumo, Tokiwa, Paramatta, Amokura, Kemal-Reis and Lady Grey were
moderately heavily damaged; the Dante Alighieri, Euphrates, Elbrus,
Desaix, Mikasa, Taku, Ying Jui and Khivinetz crippled; worse still the
Szamos, Cressy, Bayan was destroyed; but the Settsu, Emden, Hansa,
Erzherzog Max, D'Entrecateaux, Ojus del Salado, Hatsuyuki,
Muin-I-Zaffer, Sultan-Hisar, Yillman, and Tzayad were only lightly to
moderately injured. Our casualties throughout the whole fleet were 267
killed and 638 wounded.

To my mind there was no great difference in the strengths of the
opposing forces in this action. The fighters and missiles were a master
stroke for our side but they hardly made the battle a walk over. I
consider that the enemy fought with the utmost energy and intrepidity on
their species behalf. Nevertheless, our combined squadrons won a victory
that will be well noted in the books of the future. This remarkable
success will be recorded as resulting from the tenacious spirit and the
virtues of humanity. While I personally lay my thanks at the feet of my
divine Emperor and ancestor, owing nothing to  any human prowess of my
own, I respect the beliefs of all those that have served with me and who
rightly deserve to claim their own honours on this bloody day. I must
note however, that when all was done and we once more had time to
discuss what had passed, everyone (our officers and ratings
together),who fought so valiantly and so stoutly found their tongues
wanting, with no language to express their astonishment at what we had
accomplished. We have opened the door for Kasei's freedom. 

****

Formal Order of Battle - Kassen Kasei Ni Tsuki (Battle of the Two Moons)

Iteki Fleet
2 x Kite class destroyers
6 x Kerf class heavy destroyers
4 x Kestrel class light cruisers
4 x Kermit class escort cruisers
6 x Kylie class strike cruisers
3 x Kontos class heavy cruisers
2 x Kenny class battlecruisers
2 x Katsumi class battleships
1 x Katana class battledreadnaught - crippled
1 x Kickback class superdreadnaught - destroyed
2 x Kimono class light carriers
24 x Kip fighters
36 x Kart heavy fighters

Combined human fleet
Main squadran (Admiral Miyake commanding)
  UNS - Sol superdreadnaught
  IJN - Settsu battleship
  VFE - Dante Alighieri battleship
  KRS - Szamos battleship
Chiba squadron
  KRS - Emden heavy cruiser
  KRS - Hansa strike cruiser
  KRS - Erzherzog Max light cruiser
  IJN - Mikasa assault cruiser
  IJN - Idzumo strike cruiser
  IJN - Tokiwa light cruiser
Simmons squadron
  UNS - Euphrates heavy cruiser
  UNS - Elbrus light cruiser
  UNS - Blanc light cruiser
  UNS - Ojos del Salado light cruiser
  VFE - Desaix escort cruiser
  VFE - D'Entrecasteaux light cruiser
Chuikov squadron
  VKK - Bayan battlecruiser
  VKK - Rurik heavy cruiser
  VKK - Taku escort cruiser
  VKK - Ying Jui light cruiser
  VKK - Khivinetz light cruiser 
First squadron
  IJN - Hatsuyuki strike cruiser
  IJN - Yubari light cruiser
  BII - Muin-I-Zaffer heavy destroyer
  BII - Sultan-Hisar heavy destroyer
  BII - Kemal-Reis heavy destroyer
  RNS - Tillman destroyer
  RNS - Lady Grey destroyer
Second squadron   
  RNS - Antrim destroyer
  RNS - Cressy heavy destroyer
  ATI - Tzayad destroyer
  OUDFS - Paramatta
  OUDFS - Amokura
36 x AI Interceptors
48 x AI Attack fighters
24 x Human crewed heavy fighters

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