Hi all, I was bored at work today and wrote up a narrative battle report of a game I played against a clubmate last weekend. I was running Dual ISDs with Vader against his Raddus Profundity fleet. Our lists were:

Me:

[199] ISD II: vader, brunson, gunnery team, ECM, HIE, QBT, devastator
[137] ISD Kuat Refit: pryce, boarding troopers, ECM, external racks, avenger
[29] Gozanti Cruisers: comms net, suppressor
[16] TIE Fighter x 2
381 TOTAL

vs

Him:

[134] MC75 Ordnance: lando, caitken & shollan, ECM, external racks, ACM, profundity
[87] CR90 A: raddus, engine techs, TRC, jaina's light
[59] CR90 A: engine techs, TRC
[49] CR90 B: engine techs, MS-1
[21] GR-75 Transports: comms net, quantum storm
[16] YT-2400
[14] Rogue Squadron
380 TOTAL

He outbid me by 1 point! Anyway, here's the story:

Darth Vader's fleet had tracked the fleeing Rebels to the Anoat system where they had finally forced the small force to turn and fight near the system's sun. As Vader's flagship, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Devastator dropped out of hyperspace, the Dark Lord of the Sith surveyed the battlefield. The Rebels were scattered apart, presumably to increase their chances of escape, and consisted of two CR90 Corvettes and a flotilla of Medium Transports. To the Devastator 's port, the Star Destroyer Avenger dropped in along with a flotilla of Gozanti support cruisers. The Avenger was an older model ISD I, recently refit with new defensive systems and additional ordnance by the Imperial engineers in the Kuat system; this was her first battle since leaving the Drive Yards.

A young deck officer approached Vader's platform in the center of the bridge and spoke up, "The fleet is ready Lord Vader, but we cannot detect any signs of the Rebel flagship. Admiral Raddus may have continued his retreat and left this force behind in an attempt to slow us down."

Vader's gaze remained locked on the nearest Corvette, positioned to face his fleet from the opposite side of an asteroid field; he replied in an even tone, "I think not Lieutenant. Raddus is aboard that ship, I can sense his presence. He is trying to lead us into a trap." The astonished Imperial Officer began to interrupt, but Vader raised a hand and the breath caught in the young man's throat as the Dark Lord continued, "Have the Avenger plot a course for the transports and move us around those asteroids toward the Corvette. The Admiral will not escape us this time."

Finding the air return to his lungs, the Imperial Officer sputtered out an affirmative before sending the fleet into action. Squadrons of TIE Fighters issued forth from the Star Destroyers' hangers and the sub-light engines of the massive ships flared to life and began moving the Imperials toward the Rebel fleet. Vader watched as Raddus' Corvette kept itself just outside range of the Devastator 's guns, skirting around the asteroids and attempting to maneuver around the flank of the much larger ship.

As the Avenger was drawing within striking distance of the Rebel Transports, a hyperspace alarm klaxon went off, warning of a new ship entering the battle. The bridge was abuzz with activity, but the Dark Lord remained perfectly calm amidst the confusion as an MC75 Mon-Calamari Cruiser and another Corellian Corvette dropped out of hyperspace off the Avenger 's port bow. Vader pressed a comm-button on the bridge controls and a shimmering blue hologram of the Avenger 's captain appeared before him. "Captain Essex," Vader's voice boomed over the din of the bridge crew, "Send your boarding troopers to the flotilla of transports and destroy it. Once it is dealt with, turn hard to starboard and lead the Rebels away."

The Avenger 's captain, a heavyset man with a flowing moustache, chafed at the order and replied brusquely, "But that will leave our ship vulnerable to that Cruiser! My Lord, surely you must realize - " His response was cut short as his neck twisted sharply to the side and he collapsed on the deck. Vader lowered his fist and inclined his head toward another officer on the edge of the holocam, "Commander Needa. Take command of the Avenger and carry out my orders, without delay." Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Commander stepped into the frame nervously and gave a curt nod before turning to issue the commands. Vader watched on the viewer as the transport ships exploded, one by one, and the Star Destroyer moved away under fire from the advancing Cruiser and its escort.

Suddenly, Raddus' Corvette accelerated out from behind the asteroids and a hail of turbolaser fire cascaded across the Devastator 's forward shields. The nimble Corvette flew past the Star Destroyer's main guns, but not fast enough to evade the concentrated firepower of the Devastator 's quad laser batteries which sprang to life, tracking a row of explosions across the CR90's hull until the smaller ship erupted into a fireball off the Devastator 's starboard flank as the Imperial flagship maneuvered away. Admiral Raddus was dead, but the Profundity remained and was approaching ordnance range of the Avenger 's stern. Sure enough, a stream of missiles erupted from the Cruiser's racks and rocked the Avenger with explosions, but the Star Destroyer remained operational and responded with a volley of its own ordnance into the chasing Cruiser before hurrying off at maximum speed out of range of the Profundity 's missiles.

As the damaged Cruiser listed forward, the Devastator loomed ahead and rained down a hail of long range turbolaser fire, cascading explosions across the Profundity 's hull and catching another Rebel Corvette in the crossfire to create a blinding fireball as the ship's reactor went critical. Secondary explosions rocked the MC75's hull as an incoming message flashed across Lord Vader's viewscreen. Another shimmering blue hologram appeared as Vader accepted the communication, but this time a haggard looking Rebel Captain stood on the other side. "We offer our surrender!" he yelled out over the static, "Please, stop firing! We surrender!!!"

Vader fixed the Rebel in his gaze and responded calmly, "You are mistaken Captain, there can be no surrender. Now, you die." On cue, the Devastator 's forward batteries unleashed a tempest of firepower into the crippled Cruiser. Turbolaser and heavy ion fire ripped through the Profundity 's hull in a fury of green and blue light until the Cruiser could take no more and exploded in a massive burst that lit up the void. The battle complete, Vader turned and walked off the bridge to leave the Devastator 's crew the task of mopping up the remaining Rebel Corvette. There could be no escape from the might of the Empire, of this he was certain.