Corellian Conflict Campaign Narrative: Round 2

The Moff stared into the vastness of hyperspace.  He watched the fluid blues and whites and blacks of the altered space swirl all around the ship.  The tumultuous space he saw reflected his inner thoughts perfectly.  He had just finished retrieving supplies from Duro and was returning back to Corellia aboard his flag ship Unforgiving at the head of Task Force Zekkog.  His standing in the Empire had taken more of a hit than he had imagined for his last failure in defending Selonia from the rebel incursion.  This, combined with the victory by Admiral Motti had given the Admiral the idea that a show of force was needed in the region, and Motti was the man to lead it.  Tiaan was then left to perform the other tasks that were needed, like running errand boy in the sector.  At least his influence had been able to allow him to outfit his forces to more than the bare bones they had been previously.  Unforgiving had a new targeting scrambler installed, as well as an interesting gravity device.  It was intended to create a large gravity well near asteroids and other space debris and shift their positions.  A work of immense genius, he thought.  He had added better communications support to his Gozanti carriers as well, and had truly outfitted Obedience as true carrier, enhancing the command abilities and expanding its hangar bays.  He also had added some more teeth to the old girl along the center spine, with several more turbolasers.  

Tiaan was woken from his reverie as Unforgiving exited Hyper Space near New Plymto, to retrieve tapes from the Imperial Listening Station there. 

“Sir, we’re hearing nothing from the station.  Scans show a debris field where it had been at,” the sensors officer reported.  “It also looks like we’re getting engine signatures at long range as well, it appears to be a rebel group.  Should we launch a probe to see who it is?”

“Do so.  Quickly.  Signal the rest of the fleet to match speeds and to get into phalanx formation.  Order Obedience to prepare fighters for launch, as well as the Gozantis,” Tiaan commanded.  The only question now, he thought, was it pirates or Rebels that had committed this atrocity?  He’d soon have his answer.

“Getting back probe telemetry sir, it looks like a Rebel task force.  Four ships, a Corellian Corvette, a Nebulon B Escort Frigate, and Assault Frigate and an MC-80 Assault Cruiser.  The Assault Cruiser we got a good look at, it appears to be Home One” the sensor officer reported. 

The Moff reveled for a moment in the chance to redeem himself, until he remembered that all of his ships were laden with cargo and were therefore unable to maneuver as well.  “Fire up the Gravity Shift projector, and move those asteroids into a position to let us get through.  We cannot perform a serious engagement with the important cargo we’re carrying now.”  The Imperial scientist aboard moved quickly to follow orders, and the gravity well began to form near the small orbiting station and asteroids.  It was a marvel, a beautiful ballet of hard steel and cold space rocks.  A corridor formed for his forces to get through.  Just narrowly.  “Tell everyone to stay in formation, and get Khopesh to stay along side us to provide cover.”

Tense moments passed as both fleets began to pass by one another.  Tiaan recalled that Home One had been at the recent battle with Admiral Motti, and he had done severe damage to it.  It did not look so damaged anymore.  Fighters spilled out from Obedience, as the CAG commander ordered them to screen off the Rebel fighters from the capital ships. Both fleets seemed at ease to just trade some long range shots, until a group of TIE fighters and an elite group of Interceptors were able to spot a squadron of Xwings trying to move past some asteroids and attack Khopesh.  They obliterated the enemy, taking trivial losses in return.  However, Khopesh was reporting some structural damage from a  few bombs that had come through the screen.  Just need to keep everyone going, Tiaan thought.  The rebels didn't seem to be spoiling for a fight, but if we can put a little hurt on them all the better.

 The flight controllers on board Obedience also had directed their TIE Defenders to attack the Nebulon frigate that had strayed from the rest of the group.  They inflicted quite a bit of damage, while losing only a few fighters to the accompanying flak fire.  “Order those Defenders to continue there attack runs” Tiaan called out to his comm.'s teams, “we need to make sure the path is clear for us.  And to show these bastards all things come with a price”.  If he could bag a ship as well as get his cargo through, he might be able to get out from under the shadow of failure that had haunted him lately.  As he watched the battle unfold, Khopesh had begun straying slightly off course.  "Khopesh, you are beginning to stray off course.  What is going on?" the tactical officer said into the comm.  "Damage from the earlier attack run, we're attempting to compensate" came the reply from the Captain on the light cruiser.  The fixes never came though, as the assault frigate fired a volley from its massive side guns that brought down the shields.  Following behind it was several squadrons of B-Wing fighters that had been hiding in the asteroid field.  Khopesh was a sitting duck without the fighter screen, that Tiaan cursed himself for ordering attack runs instead of covering his ships.  Obedience's officers quickly rerouted all fighter wings within range back to defend the stricken cruiser.

The swarms of TIE fighters hastily drove to the aid of the endangered cruiser, raining death with them.  A squadron of Defenders broke off their attack run as well, moving into position to defend the vulnerable engines.  The rebel fighter were wiped out, but not before Khopesh was severely damaged. 

There wasn’t time for Unforgiving to use its enhanced shield capabilities to provide cover for the damaged cruiser, before they would have collided.  Jerjerrod knew what he had to do to even give it a chance at escape.  “Order Khopesh to drop cargo and make for escape velocity now!” The cargo spilled out onto the battle field, and  the light cruiser began to move again into a position to jump away from the battle.  It was too late though, as it was rocked by another rain of fire from Home One, who had just moved into firing range.  The Light Cruisers engines faded out and it began to float adrift, dead in space.  Tiaan called out to the other ships to get into a defensive position around Khopesh, to try to salvage what he could from the situation.  His fighters continued to get the best of their counterparts, but the Rebels had begun concentrating on salvaging the dumped cargo from Khopesh.  The crew had been able to get the light cruiser into the hull of Unforgiving, and the Moff ordered his fleet to jump away.  The tumult returned, and he knew this time it likely wouldn't stop.


Epilogue

Another battle, another loss for Tiaan's record.  The only reason it wasn't worse was the Empire had more trouble than they could deal with.  The rebel forces had rebuked Admiral Motti's force in stunning fashion, with his fleet being nearly wiped out before limping away, not having destroyed either of the station's they had attempted to.  In comparison, being able to get away with minimal losses and most of the cargo had been a victory.  It wasn't though, and Governor Tarkin had made sure to let everyone know just how close he was to personally coming to rectify the situation.  All of the Imperial officers at the meeting felt the fear of having the Governor come to the sector.  Tiaan set to work finishing outfitting his forces, knowing the Rebel presence in the sector had grown very strong.  And every battle going forward would be a grisly contest. 

NBA Power Rankings January 25th

The NBA continues to have a dominant set of teams playing in the West, despite the 8 seed likely going to a team that will finish sub .500.  The top heaviness of the West should likely mean we will get some outstanding second round matchups in the playoffs there.  The Clippers are the most likely to fall out of the top 10 going forward though, since losing Chris Paul for such an extended period has already shown up.  They've allowed more than 105 points in every game since his departure, going just 1-3 in that span.  In the East, the Cavs and Raptors remain the best two teams, although the Celtics could provide drama if they got off their most recent funk (3 losses this week, giving up more than 117 points in each loss).  The Cavs have had a lot written about their most recent struggles, but they are playing a very rough stint of their schedule.  I think they'll rebound this next week as they play three straight home games, and then travel to Dallas. 

Corellian Conflict Campaign Narrative: Round 1

My local Armada group has started playing through the campaign box, and so I'll be keeping a narrative of our group's play through.  We've got four players for this play through, and no extra fleets (although we had discussed it.  To set a little background, we've house ruled a few things for the campaign since the FAQ has yet to be updated for Wave 5.

• Rapid Launch Bays are #TeamOrange
• Snipe is not affected by Flight Controllers, and is limited by engagement
• We have a 500 point cap for whats on the table, but you can buy as much stuff as you want
• Squads are limited to 1/3 of your total available points, not your fleet cost
• Nebula Outskirts leaves 1 command ships with a dial

Here is an image of our Conflict Map at the start of the game

And now without further ado, the narrative of the battle

Grand Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod stood upon the command bridge of the Unforgiving, a newly commissioned Interdictor class Star Destroyer, and his flagship of the newly formed task force Zekkog of the 69th fleet. His first mission within the new group was to patrol Selonia, a small system within the Corellian sector. There had been word of a rebel incursion and command thought it appropriate to let Unforgiving run through a shake down cruise while inspecting. Such a dubious claim, he thought, rebels hiding in the sector. All this mynock chasing was putting him out from the real fight and allowing Admiral Motti a chance to seize glory. He thought to himself, At least I'm getting this ship.  A wonder of design, something I might have come up with had I not been able to secure a position higher up. Although he had been told it was yet to have its truly experimental upgrades installed, the Unforgiving had been outfitted with enhanced shielding that allowed it to extend to nearby ships. And he had been given two new wings of TIE Defenders. Perhaps the Emperor's favor was upon him already.

"Sir, our advanced probes have spotted rebel ships ahead!"  Jerjerrod woke from his musings with a start. "Where!??!"  "On the far side of this asteroid outcropping. We couldn't pick them up before because of the Solar Corona thats on going" the head of the sensor team said. "They appear to be setting up some sort of presence. Lots of construction going on. "

A whole construction operation?  This close to Corellia?  How had the ISB missed such a large presence?  We're not truly prepared for this size of an an engagement, but I can't just turn and run, the Emperor will assuredly be displeased, the Moff thought. "Prepare to engage he said. Move along near the Corona, and use it to our advantage. Launch fighter wings."

To his left, the Obedience moved into position and began launching it's fighter groups. An older Victory I design. Dependable carriers, but poor engine design made them a liability these days. Luckily, Tiaan himself had overseen some engine modifications to make sure all the ships under him were more agile to deal with smaller, faster rebel ships. He also knew that trying to get into position would be the light cruiser Khopesh, returning to a firing position from its picket duty nearest the Corona. He ordered his small flotilla of Gozanti class carers to launch their TIE fighters and move behind the fleet, out of range of the rebel guns. A small Raider class vessel, Halberd, was positioned behind Unforgiving, ready to jump upon any enemy squadrons with the flechette Torpedoes it was stocked with. 

"Enemy profiles coming in sir: One MC80 liberty class attack cruiser, and two Nebulon-B support frigates. A small handful of Gr75 transports are amongst them as well, and they have a lot of fighters with them" the tactical officer reported.

They do have quite a few fighters Tiaan thought.  And an MC80?  This is a much larger incursion than he could have imagined.  None of his ships were in true fighting shape, all having been in dry dock refitting or newly off the line, ready only for a slight engagement with a small rebel scout force.  We need to close quickly if we're to have a chance at getting out of this.  

"Order the fighters forward to counter those A-Wings, and tell Halberd to get forward to engage any survivors" the Moff called to his subordinates.  Remain calm he told himself. 

The asteroids in this system had forced him to slow Unforgiving to a crawl, and he'd have to stay there to get around them.  He could only watch as his fighters began to engage the forward elements of the Rebel forces.  It was not going well, despite the extra flight controllers he'd been able to requisition prior to leaving Corellia.  The Defenders were picking A Wings out quickly, but taking some staggering losses.  The new design just wasn't holding up to some the more veteran Rebel Pilots.  And with the Defenders getting beaten back, it had allowed a rogue group of XWings to jump into the fray as well.  The fight lasted as more TIE Fighters spilled forward from Obedience, but just as many XWings it seemed moved in to devour them.

"Is Obedience in firing range yet of that MC80?  What the hell is taking it so long" he asked the Captain of the Obedience.  Just as he finished speaking, Obedience's turbolasers opened fire.  The fire had some effect, but the Liberty class was just too far out to take the full brunt of the Victories guns, and far out of range of any of the missiles it carried.

"The MC80 has stopped to try to stay out of range of Obedience and us.  We're not going to get a firing solution it seems" the Gunnery captain reported.  Tiaan moved towards the tactical output, to watch  the battle unfolding.  His squadrons were melting under the Rebel air superiority, and all of his ships had been out of place to move and engage a rebel force that had clearly been prepared for an Imperial counterstrike.  As he watched the holographic display, the Unforgiving was given a jolt, as Halberd took a strike from the MC80 that sent the forward shields crashing down, and Unforgiving took peppering of fire from the nearest Nebulon B steaming towards it.  "Reinforce Halberd now with those Shields, and return fire on that damn ship" he ordered.  Unforgving's shield generators hummed  with life, and the advanced shield experts had stabilized the shields to both ships.  These generators are amazing, Jerjerrod thought.  He was not so impressed by his gunners though, who missed widely against the Frigate charging at them.

A moment later, Khopesh entered the battle field, and fired its dual turbolasers into the side of the MC80, bringing the shields down.  His own ion cannons were able to also hit the Friagte that had turned hard to avoid a collision.  Things are finally turning our way, Tiaan saw.  We just need to keep their fighters off of us.  But that hope vanished a moment later, as the battle indicators showed the last remnants of his fighter wings hurrying back, completely routed from the field.  A few flechette torpedoes from Halberd helped cover their retreat, but the Moff knew he needed to get back to Correlia now.  Without fighters and Halberd in range of the MC80, he'd soon lose any real fighter cover.  He ordered Khopesh to open fire hard into the rear of the MC80, to cover a retreat.  He did not want to face the Emperor back on Corellia, but he wanted even less to have to slink back after having his whole task force obliterated. 

Epilogue

Having returned to Corellia, Tiaan had taken a stern rebuke from his superiors, but was quietly told that the true blame had fallen on the ISB for missing such a large group.  His spirits were lightened a bit, but not so much, as Admiral Motti had been able to win a huge victory at Polanis against a rebel fleet, destroying several ships and squadrons.  The Empire had quickly established a base there, to guard against further incursion.  The Moff brooded for several days, before he began overseeing the work to finish installing the other retrofits to Unforgiving, and making sure that the Obedience was further outfitted with more powerful turbolasers to help it do damage at range.  His fighters were repaired, and re-staffed.  He'd be prepared for the next engagement, ready to strike back at the Rebels and win himself some accolades.

Broncos Predictions, Looking back

Before the season I had 4 predictions about Some Denver Broncos Rookies.  Its a time to take a look back, and see how we did.

1. Paxton Lynch will have a start by Week 10, but will have no more than 3 starts this season.  I think Lynch is extremely raw, and would greatly benefit from having a season holding the clipboard.  However, I think the pull to start a rookie first rounder will have such a strong appeal for Kubes, and Mark Sanchez might not be able to play up to keeping him on the bench.

I had this one right, but for the wrong reasons.  The Sanchize didn't even end up making the team, and Gary played Trevor Siemian all season, except in the case of injury.  Lynch did look very raw in his starts, and will certainly have been improved from having a year to soak up the NFL life.

2. Riley Dixon will win the punting job, but will post numbers similar to Colquit last season.  Rookie punters tend to average about 43 yards a punt, and they tend to struggle overall.

Dixon was better than I thought  He was about 6 yards per punt better than Colquit last year, and averaged over 45 yards per.  His net average though was just a yard better than Colquit, with some of Riley's increased distance coming from being deeper in Denver territory.  This one was a wash.

3. Will Parks leads the team in Special Teams tackles with 12.  He's a super athletic player that will likely replace David Bruton's production as a special teams ace, and I think he'll beat out the new FB who played well at Nebraska in that role. 

That's a whiff.  Parks had only a pair, but I was close to picking the team leader's number of 11.  Dekoda Watson, a linebacker ended up leading the team.  Parks ended up playing a much more active role on defense, recording a tackle in 12 games this season.

4. Devontae Booker will get only 45 carries or fewer this season.  Most Broncos fans are very down on Ronnie Hillman.  I think he ends up leading the team in rushing this year, and he and CJ form a fantastic tandem. This will lead to only a few touches for the very talented former Utah Ute, who I think could use a season of little wear and tear after a ton of touches in college.

This was a huge whiff,  no excuses.  Hillman I thought had run well during the preseason, but was cut to clear space for Kapri Bibbs and thin out the roster at the position a bit.  CJ Anderson was hurt most of the year, and Booker ended up with 174 attempts.  Booker wore down considerably as the season went on though, picking up less than 3.5 yards per carry in 7 of the last 9 games.  I really hope we can get CJ back next season to split carries, and ease the load a bit on the now second year player. 

So, right on one, wrong on two, pushed on one.  Not the best, but not too shabby.  Injuries helped push Parks out of some special teams play, and Booker showed more than had been anticipated, although the running game might not have been as dreadful had Denver held onto Hillman and used Booker in more reserve action/kept CJ fresher early on. I'm eagerly anticipating this year's NFL draft and the new crop of rookies.

NBA Power Rankings January 18th

Another week, another small set of changes in the league.  The Cavs drop a little due to playing on the road, and getting blown out by the Warriors there at the end of it.  They clearly were being affected by the end of the trip, with their last three games seeing a 4% drop in eFG% on offense, and opponents shooting 2% better.  A team that we will need to watch to see a potential slide though in the top 10 is the Clippers.  Losing Chris Paul for 8 weeks is a real bitter pill to swallow.  Without Paul in the lineup, the Clippers will be seeing a lot more Austin Rivers, who has a True Shooting Percentage about 10 points lower than Paul's.  Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford will also see an uptick in playing time, with the possibility of Felton being the man since he's been a very efficient guard during his career. 

NBA Power Rankings January 11th

This week a pair teams in the West make a move upwards as Houston has won 5 straight over the week while the Cavs and Raptors both had a few setbacks. It's really very close between all the teams at the top. 

NFL Playoff Predictions

So we begin the final march to the Super Bowl with my beloved Denver Broncos sitting at home.  There will be still reason to watch of course, as the opening weekend gives us some very intriguing matchups, especially in the NFC.  In the table below I have the odds for each team to advance through  each weekend upcoming, and chances to win the conference.





In the AFC, its predicting an inevitable Patriots trip to the Super Bowl, and its tough to see why not.  Brady has been exceptional again this season, and the run defense is actually one of the most efficient in the game by DVOA (-23.7%), which is key when you've got home field in a likely very cold and snowy Massachusetts.   The Chiefs are the intriguing team here though, because I definitely would not pick them over the Steelers going by my own thoughts.  They don't defend the run well enough to hold up against Bell, but their variance in efficiency on offense ranks 31st, at a whopping 10.6%.  I am very skeptical about the Raiders getting past the Texans without David Carr or Matt Mcgloin.  Connor Cook making his first start ever against what is a pretty darn tough Texans team causes concern.  But maybe the complete ineptitude of Houston's offense makes up for it. 

In the NFC, we have a surprise pick with the Falcons getting past the Cowboys.  The program tends to approve more of offensive teams, which the Falcons are.  They're number 1 in offensive DVOA, against the Cowboys 3rd ranked unit.  Its in the variability though that the Falcons have such a strong edge, where they were within 2.8% for the season, to the Cowboys 7.2%.  The key though will be which defense gets a stop.  Neither one is truly elite, and both struggle against the other team;s strength (ATlanta vs the run, Dallas vs the Pass).   The Packers could play spoiler here since they've been so hot down the stretch, but I still think Atlanta has the weapons to outduel them, or the Cowboys have the superior offensive line to grind down a defense that was one of the worst in rushing situations. 

NBA PowerRankings January 3rd

SO another week and the top teams continue to be playing at a high level, with just the Rockets and the Spurs jockeying for position in the West.  In the East though, the Raptors continue to stay ahead of the Cavs.  Both teams have nearly identical True Shooting Rates (57.6 and 57.2 respectively), but the Raptors have been much better on the road so far.  In 4 more games, their Offensive rating is nearly 5 points higher, and their defensive ratings are pretty much identical.  The Raptors losses have also seen them shoot far better than the Cavs, who have just a 96 O Rating when they lose.  That could be a big sign of things to come if the two need to jockey for positioning in the East.