2 November 2026A civilian mining colony is established on Venus. Although it is still rather small, it is a start for the civilian sector.
22 November 2026The gravitational survey of the Sol system is nearly completed, and the gravitational survey ships have been ordered to return to Earth to refuel, resupply, and for shore leave. There are some grumblings among the Republic of Earth Navy (REN) since
San Antonio is overdue by almost a week. At most, the ship would have spent three days in orbit of Beijing-B III before returning home.
Concepcion is still well outside Neptune’s orbit and is the closest ship to the Beijing jump point. She is ordered to transit into the system to check in on the status of
San Antonio before she can come home for her shore leave and refueling. It will still take some time for
Concepcion to arrive at the jump point. Everyone onboard the ship is hoping that
San Antonio will show up before they have to make the transit.
Republic Naval Intelligence
17 December 2026
Beijing Incident – ADMIRAL RUSS MCCULLERS’ EYES ONLY
Magellan Mk. I vessel Concepcion transited Jump Point 4 into the Beijing system 16 December 2026 at exactly 09:30:31. Commander Charlie Her is the standing captain on the Concepcion and was manning the bridge at the time of transit.
Upon arriving in the Beijing system, sensors revealed the wreckage of the San Antonio in the orbit of Beijing-B III, the nearly habitable planet in the Beijing system. Scans revealed that the ship’s life pods had been launched, but that their life support systems had failed 27 October 2026.
A distress beacon along with a message was broadcast from the life pods on encrypted RNI channels, alerting all REN ships that enemy forces were present in the system. After several more scans to ensure Concepcion was not being tracked, Commander Charlie Her ordered the ship back into the Sol system in order to report his findings.
Standing orders are for Concepcion to immediately return to Earth under complete silence. She is expressly forbidden to contact any organization outside of the RNI while on her way back to Earth. Her crew will be debriefed by RNI officials as soon as the ship arrives in orbit.
19 December 2026The Consuls from each party have spent the last two days going over what little information they have. There is general agreement that there is a very real and present danger only one jump away from Earth. The problem comes when they try to decide how to handle the situation.
For now, the populace will remain uninformed, but a new bill will be forced through the Senate in order to prepare for any push made by the enemy forces. There is no military presence in space for the Republic, and the defense platforms are still four months away. Upon their construction, the populace will be informed of the situation.
Defense Emergency ActThe Defense Emergency Act completely changes up the current production schedule and focuses it entirely on military things. Along with this, grants will be shifted from construction research to projects dealing with the military.
• Design and construction of 10 supplemental beam defense platforms, capable of being constructed on Earth rather than through a shipyard. Temporary protection until the OWP are finished.
• Design and construction of an unnamed number of Area Defense Cruisers, capable of moving beyond Earth’s orbit. Lasers are required, as they are the most advanced weapons that the Republic has at this point in time.
• Research focusing on new military technologies. Specifically, missile technology is suggested, as it could provide the ability to strike from a distance.
Chainmail Mk. I class Beam Defence Base 475 tons 9 Crew 110. 6 BP TCS 9. 5 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 4-5 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 3
Maint Life 2. 52 Years MSP 15 AFR 18% IFR 0. 3% 1YR 3 5YR 49 Max Repair 38 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0. 5 months Spare Berths 3
10cm C3 Ultraviolet Laser (1) Range 120,000km TS: 4000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 4 ROF 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1
10cm Ultraviolet Laser (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 8000 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
GCFR PB-4. 5 (1) Total Power Output 4. 5 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Mirco-Eye AS 28-11 (1) GPS 14 Range 1. 5m km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
Aegis Mk. I class Area Defence Cruiser 8,000 tons 196 Crew 1561. 6 BP TCS 160 TH 480 EM 0
3000 km/s Armour 6-35 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 8 PPV 27. 12
Maint Life 5. 63 Years MSP 976 AFR 64% IFR 0. 9% 1YR 52 5YR 779 Max Repair 307 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 0
60 EP ID0. 6 (
Power 60 Fuel Use 57% Signature 60 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 905,000 Litres Range 35. 7 billion km (137 days at full power)
Twin 10cm C3 Ultraviolet Laser Turret (3x2) Range 120,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1
Twin 10cm Ultraviolet Laser Turret (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 16000 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
GCFR PB-9 (2) Total Power Output 18 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Close-Eye AS 28-11 (1) GPS 280 Range 30. 8m km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
28 December 2026 – 13:30:31The tracking stations located on Earth detect a transit from the Beijing system. Records are checked, and it is confirmed that this is no human ship, as
Concepcion is the only ship relatively close to the jump point. The mainly nonexistent REN is put on high alert, and all civilian ships are given a warning to return to Earth, although they are not told why.
Concepcion has just passed the Washington jump point and is ordered to immediately halt, as it is most likely being followed.
After several seconds, it is determined that the alien ship can move at a speed of 4020 km/s, well outpacing any REN ship. Its course is roughly equal to that of the Concepcion, meaning it was on a course for Earth, and orders are given for the ship to jump into the Washington system in an attempt to divert the incoming hostile.
Panic begins to break out on Earth amongst the Consuls, as they are informed by Admiral Russ McCullers that only two Chainmail Mk. Is have been completed out of a planned 15.
1 January 2027 – 11:35:35Concepcion makes the transit into the Washington system and waits on the opposite side. The enemy ship has not yet reached the jump point.
2 January 2027 – 9:00:00By this time, it is clear that the enemy ship is not going to chase
Concepcion as it moves past the Washington jump point. Although there is some uncertainty, all signs seem to show that the ship is on a direct course for Earth.
5 January 2027The ship halts just outside the asteroid belt. This stuns all experts, although several opinions are offered. The military seems to believe that Earth has escaped detection, and that the alien was in fact following the
Concepcion, but because the geosurvey ship jumped into Washington, the alien ship has stopped.
Another possibility, not necessarily endorsed by the military, is that the aliens may be attempting to contact humanity, or make peace. There is the small chance that there was a misunderstanding in Beijing. Attempts at communication are launched, although the transmissions are sent through a proxy satellite in deep space to keep Earth hidden on the off chance that the military officials are right.
However, everyone knows that any reasonably intelligent alien force would recognize Earth as a relatively tame place suitable for life.
9 January 2027After four days, the enemy ship begins moving again, although its course has been altered. It appears to be heading towards Venus, although this is little consolation, as Venus is almost at its closest point to Earth. Only three Chainmail Mk. Is have been constructed, and their effectiveness in battle is questionable at best.
10 January 2027The enemy ship, now designated as “Alpha,” again halts, this time inside of the asteroid field.
4 February 2027The Alpha has been putting around in the asteroid field, as if unsure of what to do. Communication attempts have failed time and again, and the scientists are beginning to think that the chance to talk with these aliens will prove impossible.
Research has continued full steam into new military techs, specifically those dealing with missiles. The military has come to the conclusion that being able to strike the enemy from a far enough distance could be the key to victory, and thus funding has been poured into the relevant missile technologies.
18 February 2027Everyone who knows about the alien presence in the Sol system has been on the edge of their seat for the past month, and yet the ship has made no move towards Earth. In fact, it has stayed in the same place, moving closer and further away from the inner system while the RE has continued to attempt establishing contact with the vessel.
In the meantime, Earth’s industry has gone into overtime researching and constructing things necessary to provide defense. Four Chainmail Mk. Is have been completed while the regular industry has been converted to producing ship components that can then be assembled in the shipyards.
Along with this, designs for a new missile, and a fighter-bomber to carry this missile have been completed, and work has begun on building a stockpile of these weapons. Once the fifth Chainmail Mk. I is completed, the remaining ten will be halted in order to build a flight of Panthers armed with Katanas.
'Panther' F-4A class Fighter-bomber 263 tons 3 Crew 60. 4 BP TCS 5. 25 TH 36 EM 0
6857 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 1. 35
Maint Life 8. 94 Years MSP 14 AFR 5% IFR 0. 1% 1YR 0 5YR 5 Max Repair 28 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0. 5 months Spare Berths 3
Magazine 9
18 EP ID0. 6 (2) Power 18 Fuel Use 163. 69% Signature 18 Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres Range 4. 2 billion km (7 days at full power)
Size 3 Box Launcher (3) Missile Size 3 Hangar Reload 22. 5 minutes MF Reload 3. 7 hours
Katana ASM Fire Control (1) Range 92. 4m km Resolution 100
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
‘Katana’ ASM-1
Missile Size: 3 MSP (0. 15 HS) Warhead: 4 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 25200 km/s Engine Endurance: 47 minutes Range: 70. 9m km
Cost Per Missile: 1. 945
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 252% 3k km/s 80% 5k km/s 50. 4% 10k km/s 25. 2%
Materials Required: 1x Tritanium 0. 945x Gallicite Fuel x250
To complement the Panther’s, a dedicated fighter-scout has been designed in order to provide an active sensor required for missile-lock.
'Hawk-Eye' E-5A class Fighter-Scout 445 tons 15 Crew 178. 8 BP TCS 8. 9 TH 36 EM 0
4044 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 11. 5 Years MSP 126 AFR 3% IFR 0% 1YR 2 5YR 26 Max Repair 140 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Spare Berths 0
18 EP ID0. 6 (2) Power 18 Fuel Use 163. 69% Signature 18 Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 25,000 Litres Range 6. 2 billion km (17 days at full power)
Hawk-Eye AS 28-11 (1) GPS 14000 Range 154. 0m km Resolution 100
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
4 April 2027The three Chang Cheng Mk. Is
North America,
Europe, and
Asia are completed and put on high alert. Although the Republic and humanity are clearly not out of harm’s way just yet, the presence of the giant orbital weapons platforms does serve to ease some of tension for those with knowledge of the situation.
True to their word, the Consul holds a press meeting that becomes the largest televised event in human history. Earnest Kwiatkowski of the Centrist Party makes the announcement.
“People of Earth. At some point around the 12th of October, Earth-time, the Republic of Earth Navy vessel San Antonio was attacked and destroyed by an unknown force while attempting to acquire information about the habitable planet in the Beijing system. Our thoughts and prayers go out to brave crew members that served on the ship, as well as their families.
As Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said,
The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. While our circumstances may be different, this still holds true — even more so in our situation. Measures have been taken and are currently being carried out to combat this menace. The absolute worst thing that could happen right now is to cave into our fears and fall apart. Humanity must present a united front or it might risk face dire consequences.
The human race is capable of great things, and it will continue to be capable of great things. ”
Immediately following the address, a number of cities report riots, although not in the numbers predicted. Police forces are quick to respond, keeping any damage done to a minimum.
There are a number of critics that attack Kwiatkowski for his brief speech and lack of information. At the same time, a number of supporters seem to believe that the brevity was a thing of brilliance. Overall results are mixed, but one thing becomes evident. The polls show a drastic shift in stances on the military as the population becomes more in favor of the actions undertaken by the Republic.
http://i.imgur.com/qPdr2uj.png(2027 Population Issue Stances)The interesting thing to note is that there was no mention of the enemy vessel that has been sitting inside the asteroid belt for the past four months. Its capabilities remain unknown, along with its intentions. Any attempts at making contact with the vessel have ended in failure.
4 July 2027 – 17:36Immediately upon completing the first ‘Hawk-Eye’ E-5A, it is given orders to approach the Alpha contact and remain at a distance of 100 million km, seeing as the tonnage of the vessel is unknown. However, it does have a thermal signature of 2303, well beyond any of the Republic ships currently in service.
The five constructed Panthers are given orders to follow the Hawk-Eye. Together the ships move off at half of their speed, just above 2000 km/s, as they are unsure of the contacts passive sensor ability. It will take several days for the strike-craft to cover the distance at this speed.
6 July 2027 – 22:38The Hawk-Eye has taken up position 100m km from the target, although its active sensor remains inactive. The Panther strike force separates and continues toward the target. Their standing orders are to follow the contact at 50m km. These orders are given because the contact has shown no sign that it knows the Panthers are on approach. By closing the distance, it cuts down on the time it will take for the missiles to reach their target, as well as giving the contact less time to react.
7 July 2027 – 04:38:10RNI - Radio Log of Panther Strike Group
[04:38:10 Panther 001] Panther 001 to Hawk-Eye. Strike force is in position and awaiting your light. Over.
[04:38:17 Hawk-Eye] Copy that, Panther 001. Turning on light. Over.
[04:38:20 Hawk-Eye] Light is on, repeat light is on! Do you have the feed? Over.
[04:38:25 Panther 001] Roger that, we have the feed. Reading a target of… 28,650 tons? Is that right?
[04:38:33 Hawk-Eye] Target is indeed 28,650 tons. Over.
[04:38:38 Panther 001] Panther 001 to strike force. Acquire missile lock on designated target, but do not fire until my mark! Understood? Over.
*Series of clicks affirming orders from Panther 002 through Panther 004*
[04:38:41 Hawk-Eye] Hawk-Eye to strike force. Active sensor emissions detected from contact. She knows we’re here. Get those missiles out as soon as possible. Over.
[04:38:49 Panther 001] Understood. Over.
[04:38:56 Panther 001] All Panthers are missile locked. Tally ho!
*All 15 missiles are launched from strike force*
[04:39:00 Panther 001] All missiles have been launched. Repeat, all missiles have been launched. Maintain distance of 50m km until missiles have struck target. Over.
*What follows are 32 minutes and 56 seconds of silence as the missiles cover the distance*
[05:11:56 Hawk-Eye] Nuclear detonations detected! Panther strike force, pull back and return to Earth to refuel and reload. Over.
[05:12:06 Panther 001] Understood. Pulling back. Over and out.
*Hawk-Eye reported 7 missile hits on the Alpha out of the 15 launched. 1 missile was intercepted by point blank defense fire while the remainder missed their target. This was well below the 66% chance to hit. However, there were no signs of internal damage, as the contact remained in position the duration of the attack and continued to do so after Hawk-Eye turned off its active sensors. The scout remained in position, as she had a longer deployment period. She would wait while the Panther’s refueled and rearmed for another strike*7 July 2027 – 17:02:15Nine salvoes of 12 missiles each are detected heading towards Earth. The Earth Defense Force, consisting of the three Chang Cheng Mk. Is and five Chainmail Mk. Is immediately goes to battle stations and turn on their active sensors. The closest contact is over 9. 6m km away, but they are closing at a speed of 10,600 km/s. This is still slower than the Katana ASM-1, which travels at 25,200 km/s.
Eight minutes later, the number of salvoes increases to 21. The EDF will have its work cut out for them.
These appearances catch almost everyone off guard, as it destroys the hypothesis that the alien vessel didn’t know about Earth. This then raises the question of what “Alpha” was doing for the past seven months sitting in the asteroid field. It had the capability to strike all along, but refrained from doing so for unknown reasons.
Some people in the military question whether it is humanity that has started this conflict, as it appears that the alien ship is only firing in self-defense. While some officers might be thinking this, nothing is said as it appears that humanity could be facing extinction. The missing information is what actually happened in Beijing with
San Antonio.
7 July 2027 – 17:17:26The crews of the Orbital Weapons Platforms struggle to get their weapons activated and ready. Literally seconds before impact,
North America fires her weapons and destroys the entire first salvo of enemy missiles. A small ring of cheers is heard sporadically throughout the platforms, but it is short lived. There are still 20 more salvoes to contend with.
The second salvo is intercepted as well. The civilian ships in orbit around Earth begin to break away, finally following orders that were issued as soon as the incoming missiles were first detected.
All of the remaining salvoes were intercepted by
North America alone. When the last missile was destroyed the crews of all the vessels let out a cheer and there was general celebration before order was finally restored by the commanding officers. But there was reason to be happy. The Chang Cheng Mk. Is had done their job, and they had done their job well.
On Earth, the populace went about their daily lives, not knowing that nuclear devastation had threatened them and the human civilization.
22:46:10The Panther strike force reaches Earth and reloads their ordinance with orders to turn around immediately and head back to the Alpha target. However, over the past five hours, “Alpha” has set a course for Earth, moving at 4020 km/s and is now roughly 400m km away by the time the strike force is ready to go. Hawk-Eye continued to maintain a separation of 100m km, its engines just barely faster than the enemy contact.
8 July 2027 – 8:31:10Hawk-Eye activates her active sensor as the Panthers hold the distance open, this time at 60m km. There is a problem, though, as they realize the enemy has ECM which reduces the Panther’s lock on range to 55m km. They didn’t have to worry about this last time, because they had been set at 50m km away. The five fighter-bombers are order to close to 55m km, and then open fire. All the while, the Hawk-Eye keeps the active sensor on while “Alpha” continues to head for Earth.
It takes 25 precious seconds for the Panthers to launch their missiles in unison. 15 more Katanas streak across space towards “Alpha. ” Seven more hits are scored on the enemy vessel, although three are destroyed by point blank defenses this time. The strike force immediately turns around and heads for Earth once again in order to reload.
At this point in time, “Alpha” has been struck by 14 Katana missiles, each with warheads of size four. There is no sign that the enemy has been weakened, or even fazed by these strikes.
9 July 2027 – 01:28:26Because there are no dedicated hangars to service the Panthers, the reloading process takes much, much longer than it would otherwise. So by the time the Panthers are ready to launch their third salvo, “Alpha” has closed the distance between itself and Earth to only 16m km. 15 more missiles are launched after only 15 seconds this time, and the Panthers immediately begin the lengthy reloading process, although by the time they are finished, “Alpha” will be upon them.
Hawk-Eye has maintained its distance, and is now well beyond Earth. Her active sensor remains on, but it is clear that “Alpha” is heading towards Earth and the active sensor emissions of the Chang Cheng Mk. Is.
Soon, the orbital weapons platforms may have to enter the fray again.
01:38:00Ten hits are scored on “Alpha” by the missiles, with only one being intercepted. While the lower interception rate may point to damage on the ship, many are doubtful. If the Chang Cheng Mk. Is have 11 layers of armor, it would not be hard to imagine that this 28,000 ton behemoth has the same or more.
02:34:00“Alpha” has just crossed within Luna’s orbit, still on a direct course for Earth. Her range is 380k km and closing. The crews that had just been celebrating the victory against the missiles are now nervous as they are unsure of the “Alpha’s” close range abilities.
02:35:05The orbital weapons platforms open fire as “Alpha” is only 118k km away. However, this is the extreme range of the 10cm lasers, and there are more misses than hits. Six lasers pockmark the hull of the “Alpha” as she continues to close.
At 98k km, the platforms fire again, scoring six hits. There are no signs the enemy contact is slowing down.
At 78k km, ten more hits are scored.
At 58k km, 34 points of damage are dealt as “Alpha” enters a more effective range of the 10cm lasers.
At 38k km, 42 points of damage are dealt.
At 18k km, 54 points of damage are dealt, as the lasers begin to penetrate deeper and deeper into the ship’s armor belt. Still, there are no signs that any of this has actually damaged the ship internally.
At 2:35:35, on the 9th of July, the alien ship, codenamed “Alpha,” rams into
North America completely obliterating both of the ships.
North America’s armor, although extensive, is no match for the 28,600 ton juggernaut that slams into the orbital weapons platform at over 4000 km/s.
Luckily, given the time of day and the position of the Earth, most of the debris shoots off into space. A spectacular display of light brightens the night sky for people in the Americas. A giant secondary explosion followed by a lesser one and then an even smaller one add to the light show for those people lucky enough to be outside at 9:30 PM EST. In the moments following the explosions, videos from Brazil to Canada explode all over the internet, denying the government any chance at being able to cover up what has happened.
12:00:00Earnest Kwiatkowski informs the public of the situation, stating that an alien ship had been detected transiting from Beijing into Sol, and that it had done so over seven months ago. There is general outrage at this announcement, mainly over the fact that the public was kept in the dark on the issue.
Kwiatkowski then informs the public that the enemy ship attempted to destroy the orbital weapons platforms from long range, but that the Earth Defense Force served its purpose and was able to destroy every incoming missile. The alien ship, sensing its inability to effectively cause damage to the stations, then proceeded to ram the station in a reckless manner. This course of action caught the EDF unawares and it was unable to stop the destruction of
North America. 36 of the 50 crew managed to make it to the life pods before its destruction.
There is a general smegstorm of public dismay following the announcement. While some recognize that the REN has managed to hold off an alien force, many more are angry that the aliens were even able to get close enough to Earth to threaten humanity.
Along with this, everyone seems to be mad that the Republic has seen fit to withhold certain information from the public. The major argument that crops up across the different countries is the fact that there is no longer any real need for secrecy. All of humanity is now on the same team fighting against aliens. Beyond the initial consideration that Earth may descend into chaos after the announcement of first contact, there is reason to withhold information from this point forward.
This stirs up some sentiment in the Senate, especially with the Commune and Republic party members. For the military officers, there is still a strong belief that the public doesn’t need to know everything. In the back of their minds, civilians don’t truly grasp the situation at hand.
For now, the situation remains the same, as the Republic gears up its military and better prepares itself for whatever danger lies in Beijing and beyond.
[ooc]OOC: Wow, this one took me by surprise. Full disclosure, when I saw the enemy ship transit into Sol, I started to panic. For a moment, I thought I was about to have to reset the game so the story wouldn't end three updates in and look like a giant fool to the Aurora community. The only Fast OB that I did was to get two of the Chainmails into orbit over Earth, even though I seriously doubted they would be able to do anything besides attract a missile salvo or two if it came to that.
When the ship just started to hover around in the asteroid field, I was at a loss as to what it was doing. I got even more confused when, upon being attacked, the ship immediately launched its magazine directly at Earth, when it could have done this long before I had the OWPs constructed.
I am happy with how it turned out though, cause I think it's making a good story. Plenty more to come! I just have to revise a lot of it before posting it. [/ooc]
