SFB - General War: First Battle in Kzinti Space

After nearly afour month lapse, we played the next battle in our Star Fleet battles campaign.  A Klingon attack on a Kzinti battle station near the center of the Klingon-Kzinti border, hex 1405 on the Federation & Empire map.

Kzinti defenses were minimal, consisting of two police corvettes, the base, and its minefield.

Klingon forces were more substantial, consisting of 10 ships as follows:

1x D7C
3x D7
1x D6V
1x D6D
1x D6M
1x F5V
1x F5S
1x E4
plus 18 fighters

A small, but capable force, featuring 7 heavy(ish) cruiser sized ships.

The Klingon plan was simple, fly up to a safe range of 12-15 hexes out, pummel the base with drones and disruptors, and declare the hex liberated from Kzinti oppression.

The Klingons (foreground), with drones in the lead, 

then ships, and most fighters launched and trailing.  

The Kzinti base is in the distance, next to a stack 

of six drones.

The Kzinti plan seemed to consist of delaying destruction long enough to at least damage something, and their plan half worked.  Between scatter pack shuttles, and a the few captor mines, Kzinti drones kept the Klingons moving, so it took six turns of fly up, shoot, run away from drones, repeat, before the base finally blew up.  

The Kzinti force simply wasn't able to cause enough damage to get through any Klingon shields, their drones largely being thinned by the fighters, though slow and tactically limiting, have two phasers to beat on the drones with.

The Klingon ships making their first(?) loop, the fighters are now 

moving between the ships and Kzinti drones to intercept them.

The scenario was essentially hopeless for the Kzinti, amounting only to whether or not they would be lucky enough to crack a Klingon shield and hurt something.  They weren't.

Turn 5: The Kzinti drones are expended, the base is 

significantly damaged, and the Klingons make their 

last loop before lining up on, and destroying the base.

The police ships have just started to disengage.

Our next battle is a similar Klingon attack on the Kzinti planet in (F&E) hex 1105.  Again, ten Klingon ships, though mostly lighter F5 hulls, against the planetary defenses of ground bases and fighters.