The battle for the first Epic Bloom

This is the battle for the first ever Epic Bloom. It starts when Blooms were only hinted at, with a punitive expedition in the depths of space, in a silent and empty system.

Go 948

The Turtle class Buckle and the Evo class Witch of the Shaman are on a punitive mission to slaughter the Razornicks Trade Gate in Phiaskernix. This tide our attack drones are unleashed.

Go 949

And the bombardment continues

Go 950

And continues, stripping thick segments of armour from the gate.

Go 951

The Razornicks send in the Majka, a mauler class monster from the darkness. It is some distance off but fires a mighty attack drone at the Buckle.

Go 952

Still pummelling the Trade gates massed armour. Meanwhile, the Majka's drone is incoming.

Go 953

The Majka has launched a beholder, a lockdown and another attack drone at the Evo Witch this time. In return the Buckle and Witch launch against the Majka.

The first of the Majka's attack drones smashes into the Buckle, destroying sections of armour, and seeping into the ship.

One hit from a Mauler has dented the heavy cruisers armour...

Go 954

The Majka's beholder lights up the Buckle. It's attack drone is still homing on the Witch. Meanwhile we have 4 attack drones chasing the Majka north.

Go 955

More drones fly. The Majka alternates targets. Meanwhile the Buckle is still taking damage from that first drone. Crew die, subsumed by deadly attack nano.

Our first drone also gouges into the Majka, destroying two habs and seeding it with attack nano - a small nick into the massive mauler.

Go 956

The Buckle flees South, venting from the single Majka drone, and now hit by a second, and chased by a third. The Evo Witch starts moving towards the lockdown drone, itself hit by the Masjka's multi warhead attack drone.

The Majka moves slowly North, still getting hit, but still a very nasty ship.

Go 957

Two Razornick Fifi class Frigates move into view. One launches at the slightly damaged Evo Witch which is repairing, and hits it in the same turn. The other fires off a Gravstar to split the battle field. In return the Buckle targets it.

The Majka is hit by two more warheads and turns to hide behind the gravity well of Phiaskernix XII.

Go 958

The Majka launches 3 mimics! Sadly it also launches an accidental beholder which allows my two remaining attack drones to maintain lock.

The Buckle's slower attack drone hits one of the Fifi Frigates. So it targets the other this turn. The small frigates are easily driven from the fight, unable to deal with much damage - or at least that is the plan. The Fifi gravstar's are also confusing space between the enemy frigates and the Shaman vessels.

The Witch also notices another very nasty attack drone from the Majka, which it fired last tide, but which was not noticed.

The Shaman need reinforcements if they are to win this conflict. The lockdown drone fired early in the battle must be killed.

Go 959

The Buckle takes evasive action - fleeing to the other side of the Gravstar field, hoping to use up the enemy drones burn. It has to work as well, as the remaining Spindizzies are now discharged.

The Evo Witch is hit by the Majka drone, and deploys antibodies to counter the offensive nano.

The Majka is hit by the last Shaman attack drones. It is starting to look hurt, and perhaps less threatening.

The Fifi's use similar tactics to the Buckle, skimming their own Gravstar field to put a deep field between them and the Shaman. The small frigates are feeling vulnerable.

One of the Fifi's also fires an ECM at their own lockdown! Shaman's own wishes are being fulfilled by the enemy.

Go 960

The lockdown drone is destroyed and the system is open for Shaman reinforcements! The Fifi's both mill about looking confused, and the Majka drops from scan, silently repairing her damage no doubt.

The Evo Witch decides to hide as well, escaping view by leaving the passive scan of the still surviving Trade Gate. The Buckle is still taking damage, unable to kill off the offensive nano aboard, and chased by two Fifi drones.

Both fleets are licking their wounds.

Go 961

One of the Fifi drones smashes into the Buckle. It hits just forward of midships - an area already heavily damaged. This drone could cut the ship in two, disabling all forwards systems on the Cruiser. The Fifi's must both smell blood as they power towards the damaged vessel. They seem to have forgotten the Evo Witch, which is repairing and invisible (silent running). There is no sign of the Majka, probably also repairing.

The call goes out to the Galactic for Shaman reinforcements, and they are on their way!

Go 962

An Epic Bloom appears! The stakes are raised.

To the North the Majka reappears, launching another lockdown drone. This could well mean they have gated in more ships, or maybe they made a mistake. The Shaman have no way of knowing.

The damaged Fifi has dropped from scan, presumably repairing, while the Fifi IV launches a beholder to try and locate the Shaman fleet who are both in silent running and out of passive scan.

The two Shaman vessels crawl towards each other, perhaps the Evo Witch can repair the Buckle enough to let it repair itself.

Go 963

The first Shaman reinforcement arrives! Another Evo class cruiser - the Evo Grit. The captain of the Grit immediately sets to, firing an attack drone at one Fifi, and a repair drone at the Buckle. The Evo Witch also fires a salvo at the same Fifi - caught in their own beholder illumination like a rabbit in headlights. Time to remove these light Frigates from the battle.

To the North the Majka's lockdown goes active (just off the map) - locking their own fleet out right away, but leaving the Shaman 2 turns for more reinforcements to arrive. The mighty Majka also fires another ship killing drone down at the Shaman fleet, the target not yet clear.

Go 964

The Majka realises their mistake, firing an EMP to knockout their own lockdown (again!)

Epic Blooms are new to the universe and little understood by other than God. The Majka's ship killer attack drone from last tide was targeted at the Bloom! And the Fifi also fires upon the Bloom. Both shots are wasted, for Blooms are invulnerable.

This brief respite gives the Shaman an advantage, More repair drones are sent to the Buckle, and another attack fired upon the same Fifi (the Fifi III) as last turn. It's damage is mounting!

Go 965

The Majka crawls South, massive but slow without spindizzies. The Fifi III runs North, so the Shaman send a beholder to chase it. When it comes to rest we want to see it!

The Fifi IV is targeted by the Evo Witch and the Buckle's repairs this turn will reconnect the front of the ship and bring the Buckle back into the fight.

Go 966

The Shaman fleet continues with it's plans, repairing the Buckle and deploying another Beholder to enlighten the field of battle. The Fifi IV realises it is on it's own and again flees, chased by nano death.

The Majka and Fifi III are invisible - but the Beholder's should soon reveal them.

Go 967

No sign of the Fifi III! Dang. So the Evo Witch exchanges fire with the Fifi IV, and the Majka appears on scan again firing another ship killer at the Shaman vessels.

The Evo Grit continues nursing the Buckle back to health.

Go 968

At last, the Shaman fleet proper gates in. The Apt Volga and Law of Ether are both destroyers, but fine new designs with lots of armour. The Razornicks will soon die!

All vessels that can now launch against the Fifi IV - a ship already in trouble and at risk of explosive death, attack nano right next to it's only habs.

Go 969

The Fifi IV dies! The Evo Grit is flag and so claims their DarkLight.

The Shaman fleet know they will be victorious, and so we launch our own lockdown, behind our line. The Buckle is still being repaired, and the Apt Volga and Evo Witch move north towards the ripening Epic Bloom. The Shaman also fire off another beholder, having the upper hand means that the more of the system that is illuminated the better.

Go 970

That Majka drone fired two tides ago impacts on the Evo Witch, loaded to the gills with attack nano the Witch shudders and the admiral orders her to withdraw to the Buckle, to undergo repairs.

The Law of Ether and Apt Volga both advance to position the Shaman with the Bloom. For good measure we take a pot shot at the Razornicks Trade Gate - a huge but damaged construct. During the battle the Razornicks have been adding armour to it.

Go 971

While the Witch and Buckle hang back repairing, the rest of the fleet open up on the Majka! Three attack drones to smash the Mauler.

Go 972

More Razornicks ships appear. They must have gated in during those previous tides without lockdown. Unlike the Shaman ships which jumped into the battle, these Razornicks must have appeared far from the conflict and burnt their way accross the system to get into combat.

The Dvotocnik 2 is a lightly armoured destroyer. The Brzatelj6 is an even smaller destroyer design. The Shaman admiral smiles, neither vessel is likely to turn the battle.

Go 973

At last the Buckle is back online and powers North back to the center of the conflict. The Evo Grit remains repairing, both ships had slight contact with the Mauler Majka and suffered for it.

Two Shaman vessels fire upon the Dvotocnik, driving it off. The other sets off a drone to create a screen to the North West of the Epic Bloom. In return the Razornik destroyers both target the Apt Volga, and a Majka drone is almost about to slam into it too.

The Majka itself fires off an ECM which captures 3 of the 4 Shaman attack drone homing in on it - destroying them and ensuring the Majka's safety.

The objective of this battle is the Epic Bloom - only two tides until the bloom enlivens. The Shaman own the bloom and feel confident they can keep it.

Go 974

The Apt Volga suffers three impacts and moves toward the Razornick trade gate with vague plans to hijack it's goods. The Shaman's Law of Ether burns after the Dvotocnik and fires off another mine. The Buckle repairs some less important systems and joins the other captains in celebrating their impening victory! The Evo Grit takes hits from the Razernik's destroyers and from the distant Majka.

The Dvotocnik is indeed driven off - but it moves so fast it easily outdistances the Shaman drones chasing it. The Majka to the far North uses it's mighty resources to blast attack drones into the Shaman fleet from afar. The tiny Brzatelj bravely races to sit within the Epic Blooms enlivening field - blocking the Shaman from harvesting the Epic level. But, it's brave charge drives through the mine screen and it is hit.

Go 975

The Epic Bloom is enlivened, and the tiny Brzatelj of the Razorniks arrived just too late! The Shaman flagship is the Evo Grit and so it now has Epic Status.

The Shaman fleet brutally lay into the tiny alien destroyer - it's pitiful crew will soon die!

The rest of the Shaman must start to think about the aftermath of the battle. The Apt Volga is seriously damaged - the 3 attack drones are still eating the ship alive. The Law of Ether has no hope of catching the Dvotocnik and so fires off a beholder to light up that part of the system. The Evo Grit has also taken hits and continues to suffer damage.

The Majka by comparison is hale and hearty. So is the Dvotocnik. There is no sign of any remaining Fifi...

The battle is won, but the war continues...

This conflict will continue, the damaged Shaman fleeing the beholder field to repair, or leave the system to the Razorniks. Perhaps another Bloom will appear, and the fight will resume, this time the healthy Razornik's fleet would have an edge...