Sorry for the delay on the journals, and I'll search thru the videos for some good screen shots later.
Ella 1
As soon as we arrive here, we launch in Panther fighters due to additional alien resistance. The bugs at this area are in Moray fighters, and we get to work on whittling them down. I shoot down four of the Morays before Zero pitches in with a kill of his own. I get one more of the alien fighters, and our group takes down the last Moray. We head off to the second nav point with the Cerberus, and there are Mantas along with Morays attacking. That Manta soon becomes space dust, and Stiletto scores a kill. Another Moray falls to my fighter, and Amazon gets in on the action with her own kill. I wipe out another alien, and the final fighter falls from the firepower of our wing. Spyder tells us of news that a lot of civilians are searching the Kilrah system for alien debris. It’s become a highly profitable enterprise, and Zero hopes that Disease Control will take a look at the debris in case of a bacterial threat. We head off for the third nav point, and this time there are Stingrays along with the Morays. I select a Stingray to shatter, and it’s swiftly scattered to the void of space. I let three of the Morays have the same fate as the Stingray, and I attack and destroy a Stingray fairly close to the Cerberus. There is a Manta left to deal with, but against an entire wing of fighters it is quickly fried. When we arrive at the fourth nav point, I make it a priority to look for Mantas. I take one out of action, but another of the Mantas shoots down Zero’s fighter and he has to eject. I handle that Manta, and pounce on another one with my Panther. The Cerberus calls for help, and I see some Stingrays close to it. Three of them must have linked up, so I shift my focus to that threat. I have to take care of two close Morays before I can close on the Stingray. I get a little careless and let that clustered Stingray open fire with its plasma cannon on my fighter. Fortunately, the aim is errant and I break the cluster apart. I squish one of the Stingrays, and our group easily handles the other two. We move onwards to a fifth nav point, and there are more Mantas with Moray support. I quickly destroy a Manta with a missile and guns, and the other fighters on our wing wax a Devil Ray fighter. I eliminate a Manta I’m pursuing, and then a Moray fighter follows it into the void. Two more of the Mantas are pulverized by my Panther, and Amazon shoots down the last Moray.
Ella 2
Due to the unknown amount of alien resistance, we’re to head out on a patrol to get a gauge on the strength of the aliens around this area. At the first nav point, it’s another mix of Mantas and Morays. I quickly handle one of the Mantas, but another shoots down Zero’s fighter. I take out that Manta as well, and then take some damage from a frontal attack of two fighters. I deal out deadly damage to one Moray, and am forced to use a missile to finish off a second due to a Manta on my tail. I turn on the Manta and shoot it down, and then eliminate two more Morays before we move on to the next nav point. There are enough Stingrays to cluster together, so I head for the nearest one. It’s combined into a cluster by the time I reach it, but I let loose with the firepower of my Panther and eliminate one of the Stingrays. A Moray does a bit of damage to my ship, and I get on its tail. That Moray is taken down, and another Moray follows the fall of its friends. I take out the trash of that last Moray fighter, and we move onward for our patrol. At the third nav point there are Confed Excaliburs here so I use my afterburners to engage the Mantas. One Manta is quickly quarantined, and I notice a clustered Stingray attacking. I swiftly shoot down a Manta I’m pursuing, and head for the nearest Stingray. The bugs are trying to link together into another cluster, but this makes them an easy target. I scatter into space two of the stationary Stingrays attempting to link up. Due to the small profile of the Stingray as well as its quick speed, I have to use a missile to take down a third. The last Moray fighter is handled by our wing. When we arrive at the next nav point, there is a Devil Ray and more of the Stingrays. I pursue and pummel the Devil Ray with a missile and gun combination. I then have to help break a Stingray cluster apart, and shoot down one of the Stingrays with a missile. I get a second easily due its attempts to link up, and put a missile up the tailpipe of a third. I then finish off the last two Morays, and we head back for the Cerberus.
Ella 3
We are now in transmission range of the Ella starbase, and have received a report of a destroyer in the area. I’m launching in the ‘Black’ Shrike for this mission, and it has a compliment of the Wasp’s Dust Cannon along with plasma particle guns. At the first nav point, I head after a Manta within range and notice that the Shrike does not quite have enough energy to take down aliens like the Wasp can with its cannons. I’m able to finish off the Manta, and another alien falls to the Dust Cannon of my bomber. I assist on the kill of another fighter, and then switch to the plasma guns. With the three plasma guns, the Shrike is almost like the old Confed Broadsword with the exception of afterburners on this bomber. The Cerberus warns us that the Ella station is under attack, and that we must prevent any of the alien bombers from reaching it. As soon as we arrive at the next nav point, I notice three Manta bombers. I’m able to quickly trash one of the Mantas with help from our fighters, and a second is also rapidly shot down. The third one is trying to make a break for it, and I ask for our fighters to attack this target. I don’t see an immediate pursuit, so I let two missiles make mincemeat of the Manta. I let the plasma particle guns take care of three of the Morays. Our fighters take down the last Moray, and we head for the alien capital ships. They’re protected by Mantas and Morays, and I’m able to take down one of the Mantas along with a Moray. One of the aliens has me in his sights, and my Shrike is seriously damaged. I check the damage, and the afterburners of the Shrike are gone. I take some more damage to my bomber, but I’m able to handle two of the Mantas. Our fighters help out on the last alien fighter, and it’s going to be a slow run to attack the capital ships. The other bombers in our group do damage to the capital ships with their torpedoes, and I see some Thunderbolts expend a lot of missiles against the hull of Triton in a failed attempt to trash its rear turret. I finally get within gun range of a Triton transport, and it takes many hits before that rear turret is down. I hit the engines of the Triton with a torpedo, and then make sure I have a clear shot at the bridge to finish the transport off. The closest cap ship is the destroyer, and I target its badly damaged engines. I let loose with the torpedo at long range, and hope that its turrets don’t see it coming. One of the Thunderbolt bombers goes down from turret fire before that destroyer is put out of action by my successful torpedo hit. There is just one Triton transport left, and my bomber takes a bit of additional damage before I can take out its rear turret. Another torpedo lets me finish off the transport, and thankfully there are no aliens to deal with on our return to the Cerberus. Upon approach, the Captain of the Cerberus says that the Ella starbase is our next stop. We’ll see if we can get replacement parts along with fighters and food. I know that this Shrike is on the menu for being replaced due to its damage.
Ella 4
The TCS Tereshkova Plunkett cruiser along with two Murphy destroyers will be jumping in from Vespus. Our fighters are to patrol the path between Cerberus and the jump point where the Confed reinforcements are arriving. At the first nav point is the standard reception of Mantas and Morays. Three of the Mantas and two of the Morays are gunned down by my Panther with just one decoy deployed to avoid an enemy missile. At the next nav point, there are Morays and a few Skate segments. Our wing accounts for two of the aliens while my ship handles the rest. We reach the point where the Confed cap ships are to arrive. The bugs bring in a surprise with some Devil Rays, Mantas, and Stingrays. I take out two of the Devil Rays, but my Panther took a lot of damage from the return fire. I then down two of the Stingrays to keep any clustering from happening, and turn my attention on the Mantas. I deal with one of the Mantas, and another one mocks us for fragile craft after eliminating an Excalibur. I make five of the Mantas pay for that poor remark, and our group makes it back to the Cerberus without additional aliens attacking. I make a mental note to fly better so that badly damaged ships don’t become a regular occurrence for me.
Ella 5
We’re to protect the Cerberus as she approaches the Cygnus jump point. At our first nav point, there are a few Mantas and Morays to handle. I take out the Mantas first due to their torpedo threats to the Cerberus. I make a Moray turn into molecules, and assist in shooting down a second. The other fighters on our wing handle the last Moray, and we head onward. The next nav point has multiple Stingrays and Morays. I take out three of the Stingrays with missiles and guns, and assist in helping a Moray take a multiple missile hit. I again make an assist on the final alien fighter, and we head for the third nav point. More Mantas, Morays, and Stingrays are here to greet us. I take out a Manta first, and then trash two of the Morays. I turn my attention to the straggler Stingrays and let one succumb to a missile. Our fighter wing handles the rest of the Stingrays, and our group heads for the fourth nav point. Meanwhile, on the far edge of the Ella system Confed reinforcements jump in from Calimachius. Another group of Mantas, Morays, and Stingrays is waiting for us. I take out the threat of a Manta, and then trash three of the Morays. Our fighter wing eliminates the final Stingray, and I land on the Cerberus with only some ship armor damage.
Ella 6
The Cerberus will try to jump into the Cygnus. The bugs are in pursuit, and it will be a race to reach the jump point before more of the alien fleet arrives. Our fighter wing has to handle alien opposition as soon as we launch, and I go after the Mantas so that their torpedoes are not targeted to the engines of the Cerberus. I get one of the Mantas, but another is opening up on the defenses of the Cerberus. I’m asked to help out, and I fill the Manta attacking the Cerberus with holes. I use a missile to get a Manta off Stiletto’s tail, and finish off that alien. I make a mess of another Manta, and the Captain of the Cerberus tells us that we’ve been cut off from the Cygnus jump point. We’ll have to fall back to Talos, but there is the more immediate issue of addressing the aliens still around. I bring down two of the Manta bombers, and make two Morays experience the vacuum of space. I sight and shoot down another Manta, and fry three of the Moray fighters before this nav point is cleared. On our way to the fallback position, more Stingrays and Morays are around as well as a lone Devil Ray. I singe three of the Stingrays, and the Devil Ray decides to try to take me down. It takes two Friend or Foe missiles and multiple hits from my guns to destroy that alien. I then send the pilot of a Stingray into space, and a Moray pilot soon shares the same fate. I make an assisted kill on the final alien fighter, and the Captain of the Cerberus congratulates me on my work. The Cerberus then makes its jump into Talos as soon as our fighter wing lands.