Predator or Prey?

Mission:	Predator or Prey?
Location:	Inside the Atlantian Molecular Cloud
Date:	190.04.23
The TTS Ephemeral was en-route from the Tri-Tachyon military base on Culann to reinforce the blockade of the Valhalla system when news of the lifting of the siege of Raesvelg was received. This was a shock even to the Strategic Predictor, which could only offer "human factors" as an explanation for the oversight. Nonetheless, the Predictor had created a contingency plan for this result case and placed it in sealed orders for the Captain-Director of the Ephemeral. The Ephemeral reduces engine output to avoid detection and makes an abrupt course reversal. By pure chance, a Hegemony long-range patrol detected the Ephemeral just before it re-entered the Atlantian Molecular Cloud. The patrol's leader is Baikal Daud, who climbed his way up to a Hegemony command rank from the hive-slums of Chicomoztoc, is tenacious. He makes a gamble and plots an intercept course using the Ephemeral's last known trajectory as a guide for, in the words of the after-action report, "where *not* to look for the TriTach carrier". Thinking Daud's patrol will be easy prey for his advanced vessels, the Captain-Director of the Ephemeral orders systems powered-up for combat maneuvers and deployment of all fighter wings. The distinctive high-energy sensor pattern of the mighty Astral carrier emerges suddenly from a bank of the molecular cloud on a course headed straight for the Hegemony patrol. It's time for a boy from the bottom of Chicomoztoc to show these shiny corporate princelings how to fight.
Tactical Briefing
-Defeat the enemy forces -Retreating enemy fighters will lead you to their carrier -Time your advance against the rhythm of enemy torpedo attacks
Your Flagship
Name:	HSS Shogun
Type:	Dominator-class

Order of Battle
Attacking	1x Dominator 1x Lasher 1x Condor 1x Hound	Attacking	1x Astral 3x Dagger 1x Longbow 2x Broadsword
Hegemony patrol		Tri-Tachyon carrier detachment