Bear's Den (Individual Black Lion-class WarShip)
Sarna News
| Bear's Den | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Profile | |
| Type | WarShip |
| Class | Black Lion |
History
As at 3061 the Black Lion-class battlecruiser Bear's Den was serving as the CGB Bear's Den within the Clan Ghost Bear touman,[1] having long since recovered from the damage inflicted during Operation Revival, when it had been struck by an asteroid during a jump to Damian,[2] and was attached to Beta Galaxy, often serving as the Ghost Bear flag vessel during naval engagements.[1] The Bear's Den remained an active part of the Ghost Bear touman for the next six years;[3] in May 3067 the Bear's Den was involved in the second naval battle for Alshain, a Trial of Possession initiated by forces from Clan Nova Cat for the Leviathan-class battleship CGB Rasalhague, which was undergoing construction in the Alshain shipyards at the time.[4]
The Trial was devastating for both sides, with half the Ghost Bear fleet destroyed and similar losses on the part of the Nova Cats; the Trial was initiated by the Nova cat Transcendent Naval Star, but the local commanding officer of the Ghost Bear naval forces refused the Nova cat batchall and ordered an immediate attack.[4]
As the battle began a second Nova Cat Star, the Vision Naval Star arrived, while a second force of heavy Ghost Bear WarShips including the Bear's Den began moving to support the Nightlord-class battleship CGB Ursa Major and her four-strong destroyer group. Star Admiral Leroux of the Transcendent Naval Star managed to convince the commander of the second Ghost Bear force that the Trial was a legitimate and honorable trial, effectively splitting the Trial into two seperate naval engagements; as a result, the Trial didn't degenerate into a mass brawl, but it still devastated both the Ghost Bear and Nova Cat fleets.[4]
The Bear's Den was responsible for destroying the Nova cat flagship during the Trail, the Congress-class frigate SLS True Vision, but not before the True Vision and her attached AeroSpace Fighters and DropShips had destroyed both the Fredasa-class corvette CGB Black Ghost and the York-class destroyer CGB Ursa Minor. After destroying the True Vision the Bear's Den found itself locked in a duel with the Aegis-class heavy cruiser SLS Blood Oath, each ship supported by various DropShips - including two new Nekohono'o-class DropShips in the case of the Blood Oath.[4]
Even as the heavier armor and weapons of the Bear's Den crippled the Blood Oath, another Nova cat WarShip intervened, the Lola III-class destroyer SLS Faithful, which had just survived a duel with the Cameron-class battlecruiser CGB Dieron's Run that had claimed the Blood Oath's sister ship SLS Bond. The crew of the Bear's Den were intent on finishing the Blood Oath, and failed to spot the Faithful until it was too late; the Faithful lashed the Bear's Den with a broadside whilst launching battle taxis and a pair of DropShips, the SLS Dragon's Heart and SLS Enlightenment's Truth for an attempted boarding action of the Bear's Den. Ghost Bear fighters were able to destroy the Faithful, but not before fourteen battle taxis full of Elementals had managed to board the Bear's Den, resulting in a titanic battle for control of the ship. As the boarding action raged, the Bear's Den's ammunition magazine exploded; whether the explosion was a result of the boarding action or a final volley from the dying Blood Oath, the result was the same. The blast consumed the Bear's Den, the Dragon's Heart and the Enlightenment's Truth, destroying all three vessels.[4]
The Ghost Bears were the victors in the Trial, but the losses taken on both parts made the victory a pyrrhic one at best.[4]