CMDR Adrella//SJCS Artemis//3310-12-10 - Battle of 61 Cygni A 4
09 Dec 2024Adrella
Having arrived in 61 Cygni battered from my encounter with a Thargoid Interceptor on the way into the system, I headed to Broglie Terminal for repairs. Upon docking, I left the techs to their work on the SJCS Artemis and met up with the Aegis representative, Verity Ying, attempting to coordinate the counterattack.Upon registering, she made a note of my lack of AX experience. She told me she knew a spot where I could cut my teeth and gain some valuable experience about fighting the Thargoids.
The Battle of 61 Cygni A 4 had been raging since Titan Cocijo arrived in Sol and the remaining Thargoid invasion forces had attempted to secure the systems around Sol. It wasn't as high-value as some of the other battlegrounds in the system, but it still warranted contesting.
Verity said a new wave of reinforcements was being sent out to bolster those currently fighting a few Interceptors and their escorting Scouts in mid-orbit around the planet. I decided to join them, hoping this would give me some true combat experience.
-----THE FIGHT-----
We headed out to A 4 as fast as possible, as the forces holding the line reported additional Thargoid ships were entering the fray. Dropping into the fight, I deployed my weapons and started tabbing through the targets. I quickly learned that my new binding layout was incredibly flawed and would need a comprehensive review.
I left the Interceptors to the AX corvettes, focusing initially on the Thargoid Scouts instead. My first few kills showed me the dangers of flying straight at the Scouts, as when they died, they left a caustic cloud, which I flew through a few times. Luckily, allied forces were able to deploy decontamination limpets to clear the corrosive residue, and my own caustic sinks could do the job as well.
After I'd cleared out the Scouts, I moved to support the fight against the Interceptor, using the AX MCs to take out the hearts and the thermal beams to stay cool and knock out its shields. I did fall victim to a shutdown field, which left me defenseless at some key moments. Because of this, I took damage I should have avoided, as I had a neutraliser but didn't trigger it in time.
Additional waves of Scouts and Interceptors arrived in the fight, and I had to duck out briefly to repair my module reinforcements and repair some damage. Had I kept a closer eye, I would have been able to keep my modules in better condition, so that's another learning for me.
I also ran out of ammo in one of my MCs, showing my weapon fire groups were also a mistake. I thought having an MC attached to the beams would make sense, but it caused more trouble. All-in-all, I learned a lot from this fight, so I'm glad I listened to Verity and headed here instead of diving into the more volitile battles.
In the end, we managed to push the Thargoids back, but the other AX pilots said this had happened before, and a new wave would likely contest the space soon. I limped back to Broglie Terminal with huge cracks in my viewport, malfunctioning modules, no heat or caustic sinks, a depleted AMFU, and only 4% hull integrity. I had to be extra careful putting it down on the landing pad, as an error would likely have cost me the Artemis.
While utterly battered, I'd survived. Verity met me at the hanger, commending me on making it back in almost one piece. It had been a hard fight, but it had taught me a lot. Next time, I'm hoping to come back with the ship in slightly better shape. My final kill count was 32 Scouts and 2 Interceptors.
- I need to use my thrusters to fire at the enemy without flying straight at them, otherwise I'll fly through their caustic clouds when they die
- I need to rebind my controls for more efficient use in combat. I have a rough idea, I just need to implement it
- Keeping an eye on my MRPs is key - when they go down, I start taking meaningful damage to vital components
- My weapon groups need adjusting, so I can more readily fight, scan and launch caustic sinks
- Might be worth replacing the heat sink launcher with an ECM module to avoid caustic missiles
- Thargoid weapon parts are a must - without them, I wasn't able to synthesise more ammo for the AX MCs
The efforts of the AX forces and independent CMDRs have cleared the 61 Cygni system, so now, it's time to move to a new system and start the fight again.