After-Action Report: Escape from Hoth feature

Four transports against a Star Destroyer? The Alliance takes on an Imperator class in the March 1st Community Game.

The Battle of Hoth is about to begin in the snowy wastes below, and 'the first catch of the day' makes for the blockading Star Destroyer Tyrant as the ion cannon's bombardment is initiated*. With the mighty ship crippled, the first transport slips away!

Even with heavy planetary artillery, however, one cannot simply knock out an Imperial Star Destroyer. The ship's emergency power supply comes online and allows her to remain in orbit as well as power her weapons and launch her complement of battle-ready TIE Fighters and Bombers.

These fighters will be sorely needed. The Tyrant is a formidable warship, but as most of the other cruisers of her age, she is designed to combat other star ships, and the Alliance relies on small, fast and well-armed snubfighters. The loss of the Death Star sent tremors through the Imperator crews' sense of invincibility, and even now, a flight group of Y-Wings fast approach on a surgical strike mission, their proton torpedoes destined for the ship's heavy gun batteries. The Tyrant's ability to stop the transports is in grave danger, and the Imperials know it.

Gold Group reaches its target and begins its first attack run, and soon the Tyrant's heavy batteries are no more. With her firepower significantly reduced, she now relies on her TIE Bombers to take out the fleeing transports.

Having taken down the guns, the Y-Wings, joined by X-Wing fighters, turn their attention on the Imperial TIEs, and a furball begins.

Meanwhile, three more transports are leaving Hoth, two of them in a group. Stray laser bolts from the dogfight ahead fly ominously past the fleeing ships.

As the two ships approach the fight ahead, the second transport in the group experiences engine problems. The decision is made for her to abort her escape run and instead turn 90 degrees to starboard to form on another transport entering the combat area a few clicks off her starboard side. A very short time later, the green laser bolts are no longer stray shots - the lead transport is under TIE attack. Blue space bombs mix with the emerald lasers as the Bombers make their first attack runs. Soon the site of the dogfight has shifted from the Star Destroyer to the fleeing cargo vessel. Her sister ship is ignored as she makes for her new rendezvous point.

The third transport arrives on the scene with an X-Wing escort. Her crew is within visual range of the shootout, which looks intense even from this distance.

The first transport to face the TIEs succumbs in a fiery explosion, and soon the space bombs are exploding like flak around the remaining two ships, which close in on each others, and their jump point, at flank speed.

At long last, the freighters meet up. The combined firepower of the two ships, as well as the help of the Rebel starfighters, may just be enough to get them both through.

Soon the lights and sounds of battle rage again, as the transports approach the Star Destroyer and their hyperspace point.

The Rebels fight valiantly, but then a TIE Bomber scores a lucky hit, and the transport is ripped apart by a fireball.

As the blast dies out, however, the surviving transport makes for her hyperspace point. The Imps, having concentrated their fire on her sister ship, fail to stop her from making the jump to safety.

One more transport has yet to escape - she, too, eventually faces destruction when she is downed by the Tyrant's remaining gun batteries. With no more transports coming from the surface of Hoth, the surviving snubfighter pilots cut their losses and run.

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*Archive image is an older screenshot, not from the March 1st CG