Empty the Exchequer (SL353)

## Empty the *Exchequer*Part of General War

As Hydran forces pressed inexorably towards liberation of the homeworld in Y180, a series of brutal attrition battles drained Coalition combat power. With the Klingons and Lyrans hard pressed by Kzinti and Federation offensives, Coalition reinforcements for the Hydran front slowed to an inadequate trickle. This was not enough to hold the Hydrans back permanently, let alone change the tide of the campaign. Local Coalition commanders were frantic to exploit any weak point in the Hydran lines, looking to strike an unexpected blow and slow down the Hydran drive to overrun the Firewall and retake their capital.

Fortunately, the Klingon Galactic Research Unit scored an intelligence coup by correctly predicting the shape of the final enemy plan for retaking Hydrax. The Hydran fleet would make a three-pronged advance. The coreward flank of the attack would be centered around the *Fourth Independent Strike Wing*, a mixed squadron led by the Hydran CVA Exchequer and her huge fighter complement, which the Coalition considered a serious threat and
a high-priority target.

Coalition staff planners devised a plan to "assassinate" the carrier by luring it into a trap. The plan was complex. A fast light cruiser, a penal ship, and one of the RKL Sparrowhawk cruisers would be used as bait, with another squadron led by the Division Control Ship *lntegrator* and a newly commissioned Lyran mauler ready to strike the killing blow. Destroying the *Exchequer* (or at least damging it and depleting its fighter group) would, it was hoped, disrupt the coreward pincer of the Hydran advance and buy time for more reinforcements to arrive.

Unfortunately, while the GRU correctly assessed the operat1onal shape of the Hydran advance, they failed to accurately predict the timing: the Hydrans attacked six days sooner than expected, before the Klingon task forces had fully massed.

Even worse, Hydran intelligence had scored a coup of its own: Exile Race spies revealed that the Klingons were establishing a rally point near the colony in the Otnarat system 10 light years from Hydrax. The Klingon commander designated Otnarat as the rendezvous and refueling location for the forces gathering to attack the *Exchequer*. Although the Hydrans were not fully aware of what the Klingons were planning, the *Fourth Independent*
Strike Wing *moved in to attack the Otnarat system while the Coalition force was still gathering, spoiling the trap that had been laid for the* Exchequer*.*

## Aftermath

In a wild melee, both sides lost heavily in attrition units. The Hydrans finally retreated when the Lyran squadron arrived. The Hydrans lost the *Liberty* and the *Faithful*, while *Exchequer* was damaged (but not crippled) and had to withdraw for repairs. When she returned to service later in the year she was equipped with heavy fighters in the "Steel Chancellor" configuration. *lntegrator* was crippled, while most of the ground bases, *Exorcism*, and *War Agony* all were destroyed. Despite the damage to the *Exchequer* and her fighter wing, the Hydran advance was only delayed a few weeks, at most.

## References

1. ↑ Various (21 June 2019). *Captain's Log 53*. Edited by Stephen V. Cole. (Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.), pp. pp. 56–58.
2. ↑ Various (21 June 2019). *Captain's Log 53*. Edited by Stephen V. Cole. (Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.), pp. pp. 56–58.
3. ↑ Various (21 June 2019). *Captain's Log 53*. Edited by Stephen V. Cole. (Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.), pp. pp. 56–58.