Art Monday

Every Monday, I share a piece of art, either in progress or complete!

To kick off this series, check out these sortie diagrams from Book 2: The State of Vesta Fortuna!

Let’s start with the first space combat scene in the book and the first proper ship-to-ship in the series: the fight between the NVF and Tressel forces in the (no longer) neutral Koltak System (ISY-KT). This is a straightforward engagement so far as tactics are concerned, as it takes place well away from any planets.

What do all the icons mean? The x’s indicate a missile launched, and the o’s around them indicate a successful hit, not a kill. Splashed bandits are double crossed out. Thin lines trace missile flight paths for important shots.

Things heat up later in the book when the same NVF squadron finds themselves in a low orbit of Eins (TAE-EI) facing down a much more formidable enemy. This one is still a work in progress, but hopefully the looming planet indicates how difficult this fight will be.

Here, in the low orbits of Eins, gravity is now a far more formidable force. Lose too much speed and suddenly you’re falling into the atmosphere. Gain too much speed and now you’re on course for the moon. Every burn of the main thrusters changes your place in the battle in often unintuitive ways.

That’s all for this Art Monday! Check in Wednesday for a (nearly) unfiltered WIP. See you then!