Aurora 4x
Fiction => Aurora => Cavgunner's Fiction => Topic started by: Cavgunner on March 25, 2019, 01:59:19 AM
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Hey all! Since my last game was corrupted, I've decided to start a new campaign. This time though I'd like to present a more blow-by-blow, AAR-type of commentary. With that in mind, I'm happy to present an alternate-universe account of humans in Aurora 4x: The Rise of the Terran Republic!
First, a few administrative notes:
*I'm posting this here in the design forum because although there will be an AAR-ish feel to my posts (or so I hope), the focus will be on the ships of the Republic and their deeds.
*Jumpgates are set to ON for all standard jump points. Therefore, jump drives are not necessary.
*Precursors and Star Swarm are set to ON. Invaders are currently set to OFF (this may change in the future).
*Somewhere in the depths of space lurk 3 pre-existing NPRs, in addition to any new ones that may be generated as the game goes along.
*The game started in 2025. Among other things, I used my starting tech points to boost to Level 6 capacitors and Magneto-Plasma drives. Why these two? Mag-plasma because I feel it's the lowest engine tech at which fighting ships are really competitive, and as for the capacitors, I really really wanted to start with 5 second 15cm lasers (personal preference).
*Most of the industrial effort in the first twenty years was spent doubling the amount of research lab capacity. Therefore, by 2047, the game's current date, the Republic is roughly a tech level 3 or 4 empire. However, some technologies remain underdeveloped (such as sensor tech) or have not yet been pursued at all (such as energy shielding).
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PROLOGUE
“Listen, are we helpless? Are we doomed to do it again and again and again? Have we no choice but to play the Phoenix in an unending sequence of rise and fall? Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Carthage, Rome, the Empires of Charlemagne and the Turk: Ground to dust and plowed with salt. Spain, France, Britain, America—burned into the oblivion of the centuries. And again and again and again. Are we doomed to it, Lord, chained to the pendulum of our own mad clockwork, helpless to halt its swing? This time, it will swing us clean to oblivion.”
– A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (1959).
Miller's vision of an apocalyptic world nearly became all too real when the Pan-Asian Union declared war on the Russian Confederation in 1996. Viewed through the lens of history, the specific reasons for this conflict, which we now call the Last War, now seem petty and spiteful. What remains clear is that both sides welcomed the war at first. Sadly, as weapons and armies of unparalleled destructive power were unleashed, the social and economic collapse of these regions resulted in a global economic depression. This, in turn, prompted many other countries to scramble for what resources they could, fanning many regional conflicts and much more bloodshed. Years of warfare including fallout from limited nuclear strikes proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the natural environment. As crops failed year after year due to nuclear winter and the oceans themselves yielded only a fraction of the sustenance they once did, millions, then hundreds of millions of people died due to starvation. Many hundreds of millions more died due to exposure or disease (particularly the gruesome Red Plague), or were preyed upon by military forces that had in many cases been reduced to roving bands of armed marauders. By 2006, when most of the combatant nations were so far shattered that no semblance of government remained, more than 6 billion people lay dead.
Had the damage been just a touch more destructive, humanity's recovery might very well have taken the hundreds of years that Mr. Miller had imagined in his story. Fortunately, pockets of civilization remained. In North America, California and Texas fared the best, as both states were too populous, too powerful, and too well-armed for most contenders to try and subdue. In the north, Alaska and the Northwest Territories emerged with some semblance of civilization due to their isolation. In Asia, Nepal shut its mountainous borders to all and no one dared to come take them. Island nations such as Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan also tended to fare better. Amazingly, both the British Isles and Japan survived with approximately 15% of their pre-war populations, a miracle in that age. In the Chinese industrial city of Guangzhou a warlord styling himself as a benevolent dictator ruled over two million ragged survivors. In Africa, the island of Madagascar survived nearly untouched; any boat that approached within 200 miles was sunk, any plane that approached their airspace was shot down. South America and the Middle East fared the worst, however, each having been reduced to a charnel house.
In the end, it took nearly twenty years for the remaining governments to resume a meaningful level of cooperation. Tired to no end of war, most of the world voluntarily banded together in a cooperative agreement that, by 2025, was formalized as the Terran Republic. The most notable concept of the Republic is the concept of Citizenship. While basic rights such as life, liberty, and freedom from persecution are granted to all, other rights must be earned. Full Citizenship is only granted after a long period of voluntary civic, military, or governmental service. This is not to say that Civilians can't enjoy fruitful lives or rise positions of prominence, quite the contrary. However, unlike Civilians, Citizens may vote in elections, run for public office, and may have more than two children, among many other privileges. It should be noted that a Military career, in particular, is pursued in conjunction with the ultimate goal of Citizenship. The path to Citizenship, although certainly not impossible, is highly challenging. Thus, roughly only 20% of the population can claim Citizenship at any given time.
Meanwhile, the damaged Earth has slowly recovered. Vast areas that had succumbed to rampant human habitation are now again overgrown wilderness, and the eerie, ruined cities are home to all manner of flora and fauna. Vast areas of farmland throughout the world have reverted to prairie or are being reclaimed by forest. In North America, the first great Bison migrations in nearly two hundred years have been observed.
Historians generally agree that only three good things resulted from the Last War.
First, there has been a general acceptance that humans are, under certain circumstances, selfish, short-sighted, and adversarial. This has prompted a widespead social awakening in regard to how each individual may overcome, or at least channel in a positive way, these primal behaviors. The popular view is that only in doing so may each person grow as an individual and thus also as a member of society. Most people are deeply vested in improving themselves in meaningful ways.
Second, most people now reject the view that humans have the right to simply take whatever they want from the natural environment with no regard for the future. Far from being lip service, participation in conservation and environmental restoration are viewed as important pursuits for Citizens and Civilians alike.
Thirdly, just before society ground to a halt, the military advancements of the Last War resulted in an entirely new area of science called Trans-Newtonian Theory. Intially developed with the goal of projecting missiles to targets on the other side of the globe in minutes rather than hours, Trans-Newtonian technologies thankfully never entered service during that conflict. However, decades of peacetime research have finally yielded amazing results: a simple Trans-Newtonian shuttlecraft can now reach the Moon in less time than it once took to fly a jetliner from Denver to Atlanta, while the most humble spacetug can make the trip to Mars in less than a day. Most importantly, it also granted humanity the technology needed to detect jump points.
By 2027 humanity had colonized Mars, and by 2035 the first extrasolar colony on Horizon had been founded. In 2047, the fledgling Terran Republic, just emerging from the ravages of the Last War, finds itself reaching out with a sense of newfound wonder and hope into a dark, mysterious cosmos.
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KNOWN SPACE: 2047
(https://i.imgur.com/u0Z62V1.jpg?1)
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Interesting start, will keep reading!
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The Worlds of the Terran Republic
In the year 2047 the Terran Republic is focused on exploration. In theory the Republic claims official dominion over all systems within 4 jumps of Earth. However, this claim is tenuous at best, since most of those systems have no Republic presence at all except perhaps for the sensor buoys that are occasionally dropped at Jump points by Republic scout ships. Nevertheless, new colonies are thriving on Mars in the Sol system, Horizon at Barnard's Star, and Outback at 82 Eridani.
The most important system, of course, is Sol itself.
Sol System
- Earth: 800 million. The homeworld and capital. Primary center of industry, shipbuilding, research, and finance. The Republic Citizen's Academy is also located here. The scars of the Last War remain highly visible, and many people alive today still vividly remember those dark times. After decades of work, a major expansion of the Republic's research capacity was recently completed. This doubled the number of research complexes from 20 to 40. It is quite telling that in this post-war age, the sciences are one of the most important sources of employment on Earth. Currently, the Republic is beginning to expand its shipbuilding capacity toward the goal of fielding the first combat-capable military ships, while also expanding capacity for a greater variety of civilian designs.
- Mars: 45.8 million. At present 5 million people are employed operating the terraforming facilities on Mars. These gigantic complexes are finally starting to have a telling effect on the Martian atmosphere. Increasing air pressure means that liquid water can now be retained on the surface, and small, gentle Martian seas have formed as a result of the polar ice caps melting. Recently, major rainstorms have been observed. It is expected that within less than a decade it will be possible for humans to breathe the atmosphere without special equipment, although the planet will likely remain quite chilly long after that. Aside from the terraforming project, all other activity on Mars is currently directed toward increasing its construction capacity.
- Venus: No permanent population. While the hellscape environment of Venus makes it totally unsuitable for habitation, it was found to have plentiful quantities of several types of T-N minerals. Hundreds of heavily reinforced auto-miner sites are now tasked with collecting these resources for Earth's increasingly voracious industries.
- Jupiter: No permanent population. Jupiter and its moon Callisto represent the most concentrated sources of Sorium controlled by the Republic. A single Kirby Transport Alliance Sorium harvester has been farming Jupiter for years. However, the first two government-operated Aquarius-class Sorium harvesters recently entered service. These slow, bulbous ships use their internal refineries to process atmospheric Sorium directly into raw fuel. This fuel is then stockpiled at nearby Callisto for later use. In contrast to Jupiter's atmospheric Sorium, Callisto is also a source of the concentrated mineral form of Sorium that is required in industry and shipbuilding. A small auto-miner facility on Callisto is tasked with sending mass driver packets of raw Sorium and Uridum back to Earth.
- Several bodies in the Solar System have become the sites of automated civilian mining complexes. These include Saturn's moon Hyperion, the comets Halley's Comet, Reinmuth, and Van Biesbrock, and the asteroid NT33.
Barnard's Star
- Horizon: 26 million. The first extra-solar colony. An earthlike planet, Horizon is very cold but its atmosphere required only a small amount of terraforming to make it breathable. Horizon has large, but rather inaccessible deposits of Duranium, Mercassium, and Sorium. A years-long geological survey is currently attempting to address this accessibility. It is anticipated that it will be many years before Horizon will possess meaningful industrial capacity. Worryingly, Horizon is only one jump away from Alpha Centauri and the unidentified hostile menace lurking there. The Republic is therefore highly keen on improving Horizon's defenses, which, at present, are virtually nonexistent.
82 Eridani
- Outback, 420,000. Located at the far end of the desolate Barren Stars jump-lane (also known as the Barren Twins), Outback is a young, rough colony on a desolate, Mars-sized moon. Outback orbits a stupendously large Super-Jovian gas giant which has blasted the moon clean of atmosphere and natural water deposits. This has made habitation here challenging to say the least. In time, it is hoped that resources will become available to terraform the moon and eventually unlock its variety of rich Trans-Newtonian deposits.
HIP 86961
- Currently uninhabited. The second planet of this system's second star has been identified as a treasure trove hosting every known T-N element. Unfortunately, with a gravity 2.62 times that of Earth and atmospheric pressure 149 times that of Earth, the planet is uninhabitable using currently available technologies.
61 Cygni
- Currently uninhabited. This system is of great interest to the Republic because it hosts 3 potentially habitable worlds, earning it the nickname "The Garden of Life." However the Pathfinder geosurvey mission here has yet to be completed.
Alpha Centauri
- Disputed due to Interdiction. Ten years ago a Republic Pathfinder and its shuttlecraft were attacked and destroyed by small, strange-looking spacecraft shortly after entering this system. All attempts to communicate with these aliens, for that is what they appear to be, have met with failure. Clearing the Alpha Centauri system of this potential threat has been designated as a Class I priority.
GJ 1207
- Disputed due to Interdiction. When a pair of Republic Pathfinders entered this system nine years ago, there was a great amount of excitement at long-range scans which indicated a habitable Earthlike planet in the system. This excitement turned to dismay aas both ships were destroyed by unidentified spacecraft using conventional energy weapons. However, unlike the engagement in Alpha Centauri, the Alexander MacKenzie's shuttlecraft was able to escape with 63 survivors including captain Kai Howe. As the shuttlecraft escaped it was able to observe the alien vessels at close range. The vessels exhibited strange design cues, but were clearly of a manufactured origin. It was also noted that the hulls of each vessel were heavily pitted, both from apparent battle damage as well as numerous micrometerorite strikes. These factors suggest that the vessels have been operating for a very, very long time. After analyzing the engagement in detail, our scientists believe that these vessels comprise some sort of leftover drone defense system from some long-ago alien race. Clearly, the drones were primarly concerned with defending the habitable planet in the system, but what might be found there remains a secret. Unfortunately, all efforts to communicate with or subvert the "Ancient Guardians" as they are now known have met with failure.
As the case with Alpha Centauri, clearing this system is also a Class I priority. The threats in Alpha Centauri and GJ 1207 have prompted the Republic to finally begin developing its first combat warships.
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THE FIRST STARSHIPS
The Union-class starfreighter was the first major starship to enter service. This is a simple, sturdy design with capacity to haul both goods and colonists. An updated version with salvaging equipment is being considered. Five vessels are currently in service: Union, Accord, Coalition, Concordat, and Alliance.
Union class Freighter 53 450 tons 350 Crew 1547.6 BP TCS 1069 TH 3600 EM 0
3367 km/s Armour 1-126 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 18 Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Cargo 25000 Cryogenic Berths 10000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 50
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (9) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750 000 Litres Range 57.1 billion km (196 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Pathfinder-class exploration ships are the first major vessels to be operated as components of the Republic Navy. These vessels are designed expressly for long-range, deep space exploration. As such, they accommodate sufficient crew facilities and self-maintenance capability to allow for fully independent operations of up to 5 years or even longer if needed.
The Pathfinder's twin primary drives are designed for efficiency and redundancy, not power, and thus it is not a particularly swift vessel. As designed, the Pathfinder is completely unarmed. It was intended that the Raytheon TSS 6 thermal sensor would be able to detect threats from a sufficient distance to allow the Pathfinder to escape undetected, however, the thermal sensor has proven to be inadequate for this task. Designers have suggested an alternative arrangement that would remove one of the Pathfinder's thrusters in order to fit a cloaking device. However, this plan is controversial since a single-drive ship would be stranded if unable to perform field repairs.
Despite its drawbacks the Pathfinder features good range, high reliability, high crew comfort, and it is well suited as a survey ship. The Pathfinder also features a simple launching device capable of deploying the ubiquitous Beagle active sensor buoy. Most jump routes heading back to Earth have been marked with Beagle buoys on both sides of the jump point. In this way, the Republic will, in theory, but able to identify the movement of any unidentified ships within the frontier. Given the active presence of hostile starships in two systems already, it is generally accepted that it is only a matter of time before the Republic encounters a civilization willing and able to communicate. The Pathfinder also features a small hangar capable of accommodating one or two Kiowa shuttlecraft. This capability has proven extremely useful, for the Kiowa can swiftly and easily be dispatched to explore new jump points, or as was the case with the loss of the Alexander Mackenzie and the Thor Heyerdahl in GJ 1207, act as a rescue ship if the Pathfinder itself should somehow be destroyed.
Assignment to a Pathfinder is considered demanding yet prestigious. Nine vessels of this class are currently in service: Pathfinder, Francisco Pizarro, Walter Raleigh, Yuri Gargarin, Henry Hudson, Leif Erikson, Alexander MacKenzie II, Marco Polo II, and Thor Heyerdahl II.
Pathfinder class Exploration Ship 9 850 tons 181 Crew 1417.3 BP TCS 197 TH 308 EM 0
4467 km/s Armour 1-40 Shields 0-0 Sensors 90/1/2/2 Damage Control Rating 8 PPV 1.5
Maint Life 2.81 Years MSP 719 AFR 97% IFR 1.3% 1YR 132 5YR 1984 Max Repair 211.75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Flight Crew Berths 0
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Magazine 150
General Dynamics 440 EP Magneto-plasma Exploration Drive (2) Power 440 Fuel Use 5.61% Signature 154 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750 000 Litres Range 244.3 billion km (633 days at full power)
Raytheon Buoy Launcher Size 6 Missile Launcher (25% Reduction) (1) Missile Size 6 Rate of Fire 18000
Beagle Size 6 Buoy (25) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 6 TH: 0/0/0
Raytheon TSS 6 Thermal Sensor TH15-90 (1) Sensitivity 90 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 90m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
Geological Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The ubiquitous Kiowa-class shuttle has earned its place as one of the most important assets in the fleet. This humble, simple craft features good speed, excellent range, low sensor visibility, and the ability to provide reasonable accommodation for up to 50 humans, including the pilot. The Kiowa's most important roles include scouting low-risk areas, performing search and rescue operations, and quickly and efficiently transporting VIPs from one site to another. As additional Navy vessels begin entering service it is envisioned that every major starship will be designed to accommodate at least one Kiowa.
Dozens of Kiowa shuttles are currently in service.
Kiowa class Shuttle 125 tons 1 Crew 28.4 BP TCS 2.5 TH 5.6 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 1-2 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 25% IFR 0.3% 1YR 2 5YR 35 Max Repair 14 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Spare Berths 49
General Dynamics 16 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 16 Fuel Use 49.5% Signature 5.6 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 5 000 Litres Range 14.5 billion km (26 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
The Aquarius-class Fuel Harvesters, also known as the Constellation-class, are designed to expand the Republic's strategic fuel generation capacity by exploiting Jupiter's vast reserves of atmospheric Sorium. The Aquarius-class accomplishes this by lowering hundred-kilometer-long carbon nanotube drogue lines directly into the very upper levels of Jupiter's atmosphere. An advanced filtering system separates pure Sorium from other gases, which is then processed on-site in the vessel's massive internal refinery. Once the bulbous external fuel tanks are filled the Aquarius makes the short trip to Callisto where it stockpiles the gathered fuel before heading back to Jupiter to repeat the process.
Because the Aquarius is designed solely to travel very short distances within the Sol system itself, a single General Dynamics 400 commercial thruster was viewed as sufficient to its design. The Aquarius is wholly unsuited for any notion of combat, but it is sturdy enough to survive a rough docking or the occasional impact from a micrometeorite. Two vessels are in service, the Aquarius and the Leo. Ten more vessels are planned, with two currently under construction.
Aquarius class Fuel Harvester 67 750 tons 285 Crew 1171.2 BP TCS 1355 TH 400 EM 0
295 km/s Armour 1-148 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 11 Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 2
Fuel Harvester: 25 modules producing 1000000 litres per annum
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1 000 000 Litres Range 60.1 billion km (2356 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Overlord-class troop transport is, to date, the largest vessel yet constructed. Weighing in at over 120,000 tons, the Overlord features the capacity to transport an entire Army Division in one lift. Furthermore, although it is not a dropship, the Overlord's advanced loading/unloading system is capable of delivering this firepower to the target location swiftly and efficiently. Detractors of this ship have pointed out that there is currently only one active division in service to begin with, the 1st Mobile Infantry Division, rendering these ships a needless extravagance. Despite this the Overlord is designed to remain in service for many more decades to come. Planners remain confident that in the future it will perform a greater range of services than simply shuttling Garrison PDFs to the Republic's current handful of small colonies. As a troopship the Overlord features a very respectable level of armor protection, and this factor combined with its sheer bulk would likely make it a tough nut to crack. At present the class is unarmed, but an upgrade featuring a pair of self-defense miniguns has been proposed. Two vessels are in service: Overlord and Subjugator.
Overlord class Troop Transport 120 250 tons 1015 Crew 5222 BP TCS 2405 TH 8000 EM 0
3326 km/s Armour 6-217 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 27 Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Spare Berths 3
Troop Capacity: 21 Battalions Cargo Handling Multiplier 150
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (20) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 2 000 000 Litres Range 67.7 billion km (235 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
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THE FIRST WARSHIP
November 24, 2048
/Vid start
"Welcome, friends. I'm Lieutenant Commander Louise Saunders, and this is your daily news feed. Let's get right to the most important story of the day. The Republic officially has a Navy. Yes you heard that right. Unless you've completely ignored the growing hype in the last 12 months, you were probably plugged in with everyone else at 0900 GMT this morning as the first three Akizuki class missile boats, the Akikaze, the Asayuki, and you guessed it, the Akizuki herself slipped from their orbital moorings. Wow. Just look at all those recessed missile pods. Aren't they something, folks? The perfectly-timed simultaneous launches were, by any measure, a smooth and brilliantly choreographed display. First Minister Edward Perkins was the guest of honor in attendance, along with representatives from the Great Assembly, various members from all the Armed Forces including the commanders of the new ships, employees of Mitsubishi and their families, and a veritable galaxy of artists, philosophers, scientists, and historians. Although the simultaneous launch went off without a hitch, oddsmakers on the Net were predicting that at least one of our new fighting ships would malfunction in its berth."
Hirokazu Nakamura, Mitsubishi CEO, stands at a podium in the foreman's observation dome of the Mitisubishi Orbital Dockyard. In front of him sit the many guests in attendance. Behind him, the viewing area of the vast observation dome offers an incredible vista of local space and the blue-green Earth below. Nakamura seems to pause while looking down at his notes, and then looks over his shoulder at the three shining, heavily armed vessels hovering in space approximately 300 meters beyond the viewing area. "Well," he says in perfect English as he turns back to the crowd with a knowing smile. "I suppose the CEO of General Dynamics owes me 500 credits." The audience laughs enthusiastically.
"First Minister Perkins, whose hair has famously turned gray in his first three months in office, for once seemed all smiles as he read a short prepared statement."
A tall, dark-skinned man with short, afro-textured gray hair now stands at the observatorium's podium. Makeup can only partially conceal the pronounced bags under his eyes. "It has become clear to us that there are forces in the Universe, unknown, and perhaps unknowable, that do not acknowledge the concept of peaceful coexistence with humanity. We do not seek the stars to relive the most terrible moments of human history. And yet, humans are, and always have been, willing to fight if we must. And rest assured, if we must fight, then our brave starmen will enter into battle with no less than the very best that the Republic can provide. These three ships are just the beginning!" The crowd claps and cheers enthusiastically as Perkins smiles graciously.
Well folks, there you have it. Now I'd like to show you a panning shot of the entire L-1 Military Shipyard Complex. Will you look at that. What you see here, dear viewers, are no less than five shipyards with a dozen slipways between them, and they are *all* running all full capacity. I'll say one thing- if you are seriously considering a petition for Citizenship, now is the time, because it looks like the Navy is hiring.
In the meantime, we'll keep all our viewers updated as additional developments occur. We'll be right back after this brief public announcement.
/Pause feed
/Would you like to know more? Please select your viewing option.
/View publicly available specifications: Akizuki warship
Akizuki class Missile Boat 3 500 tons 54 Crew 532.8 BP TCS 70 TH 112 EM 0
4571 km/s Armour 1-20 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 3 PPV 22.5
Maint Life 3.4 Years MSP 238 AFR 39% IFR 0.5% 1YR 31 5YR 470 Max Repair 224 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 1
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons Magazine 150
General Dynamics 320 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 320 Fuel Use 21.47% Signature 112 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 260 000 Litres Range 62.3 billion km (157 days at full power)
Raytheon Size 5 Box Launcher (30) Missile Size 5 Hangar Reload 37.5 minutes MF Reload 6.2 hours
Raytheon Missile Fire Control FC129-R100 (1) Range 129.6m km Resolution 100
Javelin Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (30) Speed: 30 200 km/s End: 56.8m Range: 103m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 110/66/33
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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May 29, 2049
The first Luyang-class fleet support tankers (Luyang, Renhai) enter service. Swift and well-armored, they are also notable for being the first ships to support the automatic "Phalanx" close-in missile defense system.
Luyang class Tanker 29950 tons 178 Crew 1731.6 BP TCS 599 TH 2400 EM 0
4006 km/s Armour 7-85 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control 1 PPV 0
Maintenance Capacity 36 MSP
Spare Berths 4
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (6) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 000 Litres Range 1359.5 billion km (3927 days at full power)
Phalanx ROF 4 CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
This ship is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes
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October 6, 2049
- The 2nd Mobile Infantry Division has been formed on Earth. Four Construction Brigades will be mobilized next.
- A new colony has been founded on 36 Ophiuchi-C III. A warm world covered entirely in oceans, the nitrogen-rich atmosphere is tainted by ammonia. But as always, Republic planners are looking to the future. The planet holds vast deposits of every known T-N element, save Neutronium (although the deposits are not currently very accessible). If the ammonia gases can be replaced with oxygen, the planet would be the closest match to Earth yet encountered. In time, it could become a very, very productive colony.
- The first Broadsword-class corvettes, Broadsword and Arbalest, have entered service. They join the 7 Akizuki-class missile boats currently in service. Meanwhile, the first Luna-class destroyer is due for completion in approximately two months. While no new threats have been encountered, Republic military officials continue to monitor the jump points to Alpha Centauri and GJ 1207 with concern. While the Fleet is growing at a swift pace, if an enemy attacked now we simply wouldn't be ready.
Broadsword class Corvette 6 600 tons 132 Crew 1304.4 BP TCS 132 TH 224 EM 0
4848 km/s Armour 9-31 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 13 PPV 12
Maint Life 1.81 Years MSP 371 AFR 116% IFR 1.6% 1YR 142 5YR 2129 Max Repair 224 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 0
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons
General Dynamics 320 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (2) Power 320 Fuel Use 21.47% Signature 112 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 590 000 Litres Range 74.9 billion km (178 days at full power)
General Dynamics 15cm C6 Ultraviolet Laser (3) Range 192 000km TS: 4848 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 2 2
Raytheon 15cm Fire Control S03.5 96-5250 (1) Max Range: 192 000 km TS: 5250 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
General Dynamics "Slick 6" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (3) Total Power Output 18 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon Lynx Active Search Sensor MR1-R1 (1) GPS 17 Range 1 000k km MCR 109k km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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December 14, 2049
A historic day: the destroyer Luna, leader of her class, has joined the Fleet. With the presence of this ship the Navy can now claim to have a fully functional task force, albeit a small one.
Luna class Destroyer 20 850 tons 478 Crew 3625.6 BP TCS 417 TH 672 EM 0
4604 km/s Armour 8-67 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 22 PPV 60
Maint Life 1.56 Years MSP 1304 AFR 289% IFR 4% 1YR 618 5YR 9269 Max Repair 448 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 72
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Magazine 758
General Dynamics 640 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (3) Power 640 Fuel Use 14.31% Signature 224 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 1 050 000 Litres Range 63.3 billion km (159 days at full power)
General Dynamics 15cm C6 Ultraviolet Laser (2) Range 192 000km TS: 4604 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 2 2
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (4x4) Range 30 000km TS: 4604 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB 10cm Fire Control S01.3 36-5250 (1) Max Range: 72 000 km TS: 5250 km/s 86 72 58 44 31 17 3 0 0 0
Raytheon 15cm Fire Control S03.5 96-5250 (1) Max Range: 192 000 km TS: 5250 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
General Dynamics "Slick 6" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (4) Total Power Output 24 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon RL 4 Size 5 Missile Launcher (8) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 40
Raytheon Missile Fire Control FC129-R100 (1) Range 129.6m km Resolution 100
Raytheon AuxCon Missile Fire Control FC6-R10 (1) Range 6.8m km Resolution 10
Javelin Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (152) Speed: 30 200 km/s End: 56.8m Range: 103m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 110/66/33
Raytheon Lynx Active Search Sensor MR1-R1 (1) GPS 17 Range 1 000k km MCR 109k km Resolution 1
Raytheon Active Search Sensor MR108-R100 (1) GPS 18000 Range 108.0m km Resolution 100
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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December 28, 2049
The first of two planned Mercy-class hospital ships has entered service. The Mercy is unarmored and unarmed, but its small size helps it evade detection. The Navy intends to use this vessel to recover lifepods after, and if necessary, during a battle. While the Mercy is not usually assigned a shuttlecraft of its own, it does possess one launch bay in order to facilitate the swift transfer of casualties from other small craft such as Kiowa shuttles. The Mercy features 8 surgical operating theaters and 167 recovery beds. However, when necessary this small ship can accommodate up to four or five times that many wounded for short periods.
Mercy class Hospital Ship 1 000 tons 14 Crew 209.8 BP TCS 20 TH 33.6 EM 0
4800 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Maint Life 11.73 Years MSP 131 AFR 8% IFR 0.1% 1YR 2 5YR 26 Max Repair 84 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Spare Berths 175
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons
General Dynamics 96 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 96 Fuel Use 47% Signature 33.6 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 100 000 Litres Range 38.3 billion km (92 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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February 1, 2050
In a concerning turn of events, the supply of Gallicite on Earth has been exhausted. This is not yet a critical issue, as we still have large Gallicite stockpiles in reserve, and the mining operations on Mars and Halley's Comet continue to deliver significant amounts of this mineral. Nevertheless, this highlights the fact that it will be necessary to secure additional resources in the long term.
Meanwhile, our massive shipbuilding project has caused a significant problem: financial debt. The Republic has been running on negative income for the last year. New financial centers continue to be constructed, new theories in financial management continue to be researched, but money remains a problem. For now, there is nothing to do but try to power through it.
The area of space known to the Republic is expanding. However, only Earth currently possesses the ability to support large starship operations. As a result, our overworked Pathfinder exploration ships are now reaching the upper limit of their operational range. Opening up Alpha Centauri and GJ 1207 would provide new and less distant regions to explore.
(https://i.imgur.com/0JszbMf.png)
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April 11, 2050
The first Red Oak Victory-class Fleet Support Vessels enter the field: Red Oak Victory and China Victory. Although they are the largest military-grade ships yet produced, significantly more massive than the Luna class, they are not truly warships. Instead they will be used to ferry ammunition and maintenance supplies. With the ability to carry 500 Dart AMMs and 512 Javelin ASMs, this class can fully replenish the magazines of several friendly ships and still have ammunition left to spare.
The Red Oak Victory is visually similar to the Luyang class tanker, and in fact draws many design principles from it. However, it is not intended to be used as a primary fleet tanker, for its auxiliary fuel reserves are only sufficient to assist stranded ships if needed. And while this ship has a hanger bay, it is not intended to be used as a carrier either. Instead, the hangar bay is purpose-built to reload Akizuki-class missile boats in the field. This ability will drastically improve the utility of the Akizuki during extended operations.
The Red Oak Victory features enough armor protection to survive a rough pounding, and it carries a pair of Phalanx miniguns to give it a measure of point defense.
Two more ships in the class are planned, but construction is delayed due to a critical shortage of drive components.
Red Oak Victory class Fleet Support Vessel 30 000 tons 449 Crew 4024 BP TCS 600 TH 672 EM 0
3200 km/s Armour 6-86 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 38 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.94 Years MSP 5347 AFR 257% IFR 3.6% 1YR 364 5YR 5457 Max Repair 448 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 2
Hangar Deck Capacity 3750 tons Magazine 3060
General Dynamics 640 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (3) Power 640 Fuel Use 14.31% Signature 224 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 2 240 000 Litres Range 93.9 billion km (339 days at full power)
Phalanx ROF 4 CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Dart Size 1 Anti-missile Missile (500) Speed: 43 100 km/s End: 4.7m Range: 12.2m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 158/94/47
Javelin Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (512) Speed: 30 200 km/s End: 56.8m Range: 103m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 110/66/33
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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April 20, 2050
"Have you ever dreamt of floating away on the most gently rolling seas? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to lounge under the warmth of an orange sun? Then join us... on Darwin. With your help, we'll create a paradise, together! After all, it's simply... evolutionary. Habitation modules at all price points are available now, so apply for residency today! To inquire, please contact --- "
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring urgent breaking news. I'm Lieutenant Commander Louise Saunders. We've just received word of a major development in the 61 Cygni star system. With the gracious assistance of Central Command we have been authorized to disclose this information as it happens. Do we have that feed? Shen, do we have that feed to the Francisco Pizarro? No. Ok, let's try to get that back please. Viewers, there is about an 18-minute communication delay between Earth and 61 Cygni, so just stay with us while we try to get that signal back. Some of you may recall 61 Cygni by the nickname it earned after it was discovered four years ago, the "Garden of Life," three worlds with primitive ecosystems developing along entirely separate evolutionary paths, and a fourth, the one you are about to see, whose hydrosphere appears to have intentionally been burned away. We have it? Ok, run it."
A grainy, desaturated video feed can be seen. It appears to be local nighttime. A violent, sandy windstorm howls around the camera's point of view, further obscuring the picture. A blindingly powerful set of floodlights is barely piercing the dust-storm ahead. Shadowy, vague shapes loom in the distance. The camera point of view rocks uneasily; whatever small craft is shooting the feed appears to be hovering, but it is having a hard time maintaining position. A static-filled exchange between the scout and another vessel is occurring. "...structures. I repeat, structures. Dozens of them. My god, it looks like the ruins of Manhattan. Pizarro Actual, be advised, some of the structures appear to be pow-" The audio feed cuts out, but the video continues. As the camera moves closer, lines, corners, and other design elements of buildings become evident. Huge, strangely configured buildings, as large as any skyscrapers of old Earth. "....repeat. Power signatures, really faint, but there. Pilot, two o'clock low. Is that a landing pad? Pizzarro Actual, we're going to..." The feed cuts out again, video and audio both.
"Ok we lost the signal again. Viewers, while it would be premature for us to jump to conclusions, it appears that our brave starmen have discovered the ruins of some kind of settlement. It would seem... highly unlikely that this find is of human origin. We will return as soon as more information becomes available."
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August 6, 2050
After years of work, Commander Dominic Slater's geology team on Outback has finally finished their comprehensive mineral survey. The presence of Corundium has been confirmed on Outback for the first time, and the team also identified methods to improve the accessibility of Outback's extensive Duranium deposits.
Several new starships have launched this month. With the launches of the Ursa and the Draco, there are now 8 Aquarius-class fuel harvesters in service at Jupiter. The growing Sorium havesting operation there has already noticeably improved the Republic's strategic fuel reserve stockpile. New military ships include the second Luna-class destroyer, the Amalthea, the Broadsword-class corvette Scimitar, and the hospital ship Compassion. The 12th Akizuki-class missile boat, the Umigiri, has also been completed. No additional missile boats are planned for now, but there are sufficient stockpiles of components to build three or four more on short notice if needed.
Finally, the first Nakhimov-class command ship has also entered service. Because Trans-Newtonian theory allows for nearly simultaneous communication between two points within the same star system, it is no longer necessary to embed the commanding Fleet Admiral directly into a task force. The Nakhimov will allow the commanding Admiral to see every aspect of what his fleet sees, while still retaining the ability to relay orders instantaneously. Meanwhile, the vessel itself can remain safely undetected at the edge of the battlezone, freeing the Admiral from the distraction of having to fight the ship. Despite its small size the Nakhimov is equipped with the finest command and control technology available, and the Flag Bridge's holotank is a marvel of engineering.
Nakhimov class Command Ship 1 000 tons 38 Crew 332.8 BP TCS 20 TH 44.8 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Maint Life 8.04 Years MSP 208 AFR 8% IFR 0.1% 1YR 6 5YR 86 Max Repair 150 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Spare Berths 0
Flag Bridge
General Dynamics 128 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 128 Fuel Use 46% Signature 44.8 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 175 000 Litres Range 68.5 billion km (123 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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November 11, 2050
The atmosphere of Mars has become breathable. Consequently, most of the terraforming stations will now be moved offworld to facilitate terraforming efforts elsewhere. However a few terraformers will remain on Mars indefinitely to ensure continued stabilization of the atmosphere.
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November 19, 2050
The shuttle Prickett, attached to the Pathfinder Henry Hudson in LHS 249, has navigated through an unexplored jump lane. Upon arrival, the shuttle's computer analyzed known starmaps and identified the system location as star Hussey 644. Incredibly, sensors also detected the greatest collection of alien starship wrecks yet encountered. There are also four potentially habitable planets in the system, although each one would require significant levels of terraforming. Most worryingly, the "Zhuk" starship wrecks appear to be the same type as those belonging to the Ancient Guardians at GJ 1207. The Prickett will perform a close pass of each of these worlds in order to determine if there are any active threats in the system.
(https://i.imgur.com/PDmu5Fj.jpg)
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November 25, 2050
A powerful sensor ping sweeps across space. Well, we have our answer. Run, little shuttle!
(https://i.imgur.com/s7zOl46.jpg)
This is not good. The hostile is far faster than anything we have yet encountered, and it is firing missiles.
(https://i.imgur.com/7uOzSNn.jpg)
Captain Mellor has ejected, but unfortunately, no ships are available to safely mount a rescue. A lethal, but painless, dose of medication is available in Republic space suits for this exact situation, where capture and/or death appear certain. The dose is administered at the starman's sole discretion.
Godspeed, Captain.
(https://i.imgur.com/NOtU8r7.jpg)
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January 5, 2051
In a spot of bright news, the first Moray-class frigate has finally been completed. Construction of these ships has been slow going due to problems with the sensors and anti-missile fire control system. Even so the Navy has high hopes for this class, assuming that the bugs can be worked out.
Moray class Frigate 13 950 tons 306 Crew 2533.24 BP TCS 279 TH 448 EM 0
4587 km/s Armour 7-51 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 19 PPV 20
Maint Life 1.78 Years MSP 1021 AFR 172% IFR 2.4% 1YR 400 5YR 5996 Max Repair 448 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 15
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Magazine 486
General Dynamics 640 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (2) Power 640 Fuel Use 14.31% Signature 224 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 705 000 Litres Range 63.6 billion km (160 days at full power)
General Dynamics 15cm C6 Ultraviolet Laser (2) Range 192 000km TS: 4587 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 2 2
Raytheon 15cm Fire Control S03.5 96-5250 (1) Max Range: 192 000 km TS: 5250 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
General Dynamics "Slick 6" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (2) Total Power Output 12 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon RL 3 Size 1 Missile Launcher (12) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Raytheon Bullseye Missile Fire Control FC15-R1 (2) Range 15.1m km Resolution 1
Dart Size 1 Anti-missile Missile (486) Speed: 43 100 km/s End: 4.7m Range: 12.2m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 158/94/47
Raytheon X-Ray Active Search Sensor MR14-R1 (1) GPS 240 Range 14.4m km MCR 1.6m km Resolution 1
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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*taps microphone* Is this thing on?
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It is.
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Just checking... getting some views but ppl are quiet as mice in here.
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August 1, 2051
The Matthews Xenology team has disclosed their findings regarding the ruins at 61 Cygni-B III. After painstaking analysis of a partially intact computer memory core, it appears that the civilization that inhabited this world called itself the Empire of Corronis. The Corronians were omnivorous humanoid bipeds, quite similar to humans. Further analysis shows that the Corronians possessed a rich, peaceful, and advanced culture. Today they would be classified as a Level 5 civilization, making them somewhat more advanced overall than the Republic. As to whatever disaster befell their civilization, that is unclear. What seems certain is that their cataclysm happened quickly and without warning, for it is not even mentioned in their fragmented historical records. All that remains of their Empire now is the inhospitable, dust-scoured world of Corronis itself, and the stark, decaying ruins scattered across the planet. Colonel Matthews (whose promotion to Brigadier General is set to occur next week) estimates that the Corronians found their end some 800 years ago.
Despite the planetary devastation a single, partially intact city yet remains. Buried deep beneath this city lies the greatest remaining achievement of the Corronians, a massive research center of unparalleled efficiency. The Corronis Excavation Detachment, consisting of four Construction Brigades, is already en route to Corronis to continue the investigation of this facility, the city, and the surrounding ruins. Once Colonel Matthews receives the Golden Starburst and his promotion, he will continue to lead the exploration efforts on Corronis as commander of this new unit. From henceforth, 61 Cygni-B III will once again be known as Corronis. We hope that we may prove deserving of the gifts that the Corronians have left behind. May the ghosts of this world rest, knowing that their legacy has not entirely perished.
Meanwhile, the Republic's shipbuilding efforts continue apace. So many new ships have been built, or are currently under construction, that our reserve stocks of Duranium have been obliterated from over 70,000 units to barely 9,000 units. Access to the resource is not a problem; tapping those resources with additional mining capacity is. We very well could face a Duranium crunch in the near future.
Regardless, new ships continue to enter service nearly every month. This week saw the debut of the first Condor-class multifunction freighter. The Condor was originally conceived as an upgrade kit to the Union class. However, after the addition of a salvaging unit, a tractor beam, two Phalanx miniguns, three additional thrusters, and not to mention considerably enhanced operational range, it was decided to construct it as an entirely new vessel instead. The Condor can perform all the functions of the Union, but it can also tow damaged ships and perform salvaging operations. To the latter end, the Republic can now begin salvaging the known wrecks scattered across its sphere of influence.
Condor class Freighter 74000 tons 533 Crew 2439.2 BP TCS 1480 TH 4800 EM 0
3243 km/s Armour 1-157 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control 1 PPV 0
Maintenance Capacity 21 MSP
Cargo 25000 Spare Berths 6 Cryogenic Berths 10000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 50 Tractor Beam
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (12) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 2 000 000 Litres Range 110.1 billion km (392 days at full power)
Phalanx ROF 4 CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
This ship is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes
Player's note: Corronis has a 100% Logistics research anomaly along with 230 buildings to excavate.
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KNOWN SPACE: 2052
(https://i.imgur.com/4eEFUkt.png?1)
(corrected screenshot resolution issue)
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January 1, 2052
A ground-based survey team has discovered the presence of Sorium on Mars for the first time. This giant deposit consists of over 2 million units with decent accessibility (.6). Between this and the ongoing operations at Jupiter, it appears that access to fuel and Sorium will not be a problem for the Republic for the foreseeable future. On a related note, in addition to the 8 government-operated Aquarius-class fuel harvesters at Jupiter there are now a veritable swarm of 22 civilian fuel harvesters operating there as well. The skies above Jupiter are very busy indeed.
Meanwhile the last of six planned Luna-class destroyers, the Deimos, has entered service. This represents the final warship in the Republic's first round of military shipbuilding. Excluding the Pathfinder-class ships, the Navy now masses over 433,000 tons of combat warships. While several additional vessels could technically be produced from the wide variety of spare components on hand, this would exceed Earth's practical capacity to support such a large force. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, only 3100 units of Duranium remained in the strategic reserve when the Deimos slipped its moorings. The remaining cache of Duranium is now critically needed to expand our infrastructure. Secondly, Earth's ordnance factories have been running around the clock non-stop for over three years building Javelin ASMs and Dart AMMs, but despite this there still aren't enough missiles to fully equip the Fleet for a single operation, much less have a reserve stockpile. It will take several months for the missile factories to catch up to demand.
Meanwhile, the Condor-class salvaging ships have broken down the derelict in Struve 2398. In addition to some raw minerals, they obtained a small amount of data regarding the wreck's EM sensors.
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March 30, 2052
In the dark outer reaches of the Sol system floated the solitary asteroid 54598 Bienor. As asteroids go, Bienor was not impressively large, being a rather modest 208km in diameter. It did not possess any important mineral deposits, nor did its pockmarked features hide any secrets unique to it and it alone. It was simply one of the many discarded remnants left over from when the Sun had flared into life. Flung by the Sun's birth far into the depths of the young solar system, Bienor had eventually settled into an orbit just beyond that of Uranus. From here, the Sun was a just dim spark in the sky around which Bienor completed one slow revolution each 67 years. For hundreds of millions of such revolutions, apart from the occasional impact with another random piece of debris, it would not be completely unfair to say that nothing at all had happened on Bienor.
And yet, today was a very different day.
Today, the lonely asteroid was serving as the quiet audience to an event that had never occurred before in the Solar System's history. Not so long ago, one of the inner planets in the solar system, it seemed, had spawned life. Within the space of just fifty million of Bienor's slow, lonely revolutions, that simple, fragile life had evolved into a form that could learn how to hunt, how to use fire, and how to sing. Within the last hundred revolutions, that life had learned how to farm, how to build cities, and even how to write great plays. These new beings looked to the night skies and wondered.
And war... yes, they had learned that too. And though they had come close, so close to ending themselves, here they were. Earth's children had come to Bienor. Their shining, silver-on-red starships hung just nearby, glittering in the dim light. Dozens of them. Some, lean and sleek and dangerous. Others, massive and bristling with death. All twinkling, fleeting motes of dust compared to the silent, incomprehensibly ancient asteroid floating nearby.
The first great assemblage of naval starships in humanity's history slowed to a halt within Bienor's tenuous gravity well... and they waited.
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April 3, 2052
Although the Alpha Centauri system is two jumps away from the Sol System, the actual travel time to Alpha Centauri is much, much shorter than their actual stellar positions might suggest. In the Sol System, the Barnard's Star jumpgate is 3.7 billion kilometers from Earth, just beyond the asteroid 54598 Bienor. However, once a ship transits that jump gate, it is only another 500 million kilometers to the Alpha Centauri jumpgate. In other words, a stone's throw in interstellar terms.
In light of the highly aggressive nature of the threat in Alpha Centauri, clearing that system is of utmost strategic importance. If any threat emerged from Alpha Centauri into the Barnard's Star system, the colony on Horizon would be under severe threat- as indeed would Earth itself.
And so what, exactly, are these hostile aliens of Alpha Centauri? Almost nothing is known. Before it was destroyed, the Thor Heryerdahl (I) managed to obtain a limited amount of data. The craft that destroyed it were extremely fast, armed with meson-based weaponry, and they were evidently rather small, perhaps 1,000 tons each or less. Strangely, it also appeared that the attack patterns of these craft, while effective, seemed rather single-minded and crude.
For now, these hostiles have been designated as the Stalkers, and their small spacecraft are designated as the Fang-class. Further analysis has concluded that while the Fang fightercraft utilized active sensors once they closed to point blank range, they had been running "dark" until they were nearly on top of the Thor Heyerdahl. This would suggest that another, separate class of ship that we have not yet observed was using powerful, long-range passive sensors to direct the craft to the target. Alternatively the Stalkers may have passive listening capacity on one or more worlds in the system. However, our analysts are uncertain if the the Stalkers comprise a true interstellar civilization, since even the most rudimentary attempts at communication have been met with silence.
Clearly, more intelligence is needed. At first, a ship using Stealth technology was considered. The Republic has been tinkering with Stealth technology for years, so such a vessel would certainly be feasible. However, our modestly-sized Pathfinder, with its equally modest thermal signature, had been detected at a range at which the theoretical directing command ship had not even been observed. Therefore it is uncertain that a ship in the 5,000 to 10,000 ton range would be able to remain undetected, even with Stealth technology and even with the largest thermal sensor currently available. Compounding this problem is the fact that the Republic's currently available sensor technology is, to put it charitably, not very good. Given current technologies, a medium-sized stealth ship would likely be seen well before it could detect the small Fang fightercraft being directed to it, at which point it would be too late to evade anyway. For now, the idea of a stealth ship has been discarded.
Enter the Outrider-class Fleet Scout. The Outrider blurs the line between a fighter and an assault boat, and it is not designed for stealth. Instead, it is hoped that this class will solve the problem of scouting Alpha Centauri in a very direct way: it will simply outrun any ship that the Republic has yet observed. Meanwhile, the onboard active sensor is just powerful enough to perform close-range scans of pursuing ships. Assuming that the pilots of the Fang fightercraft are as single-minded as we hope, it is believed that the Outrider-class will be able to bait them into chasing the Outrider back to the Fleet where they can be destroyed at leisure. The downside to the Outrider's extraordinary speed is its extremely short operational duration. In order to save weight, it possesses sufficient fuel tankage for a 2-week deployment at most. Its crew facilities are similarly limited, and it completely lacks any self-repair ability. For all these reasons the Outrider must be deployed to the target system by a friendly carrier. Finally, while it is unarmed, if the Outrider comes under attack it can (in theory) simply evade most direct-fire weapons and even missiles. However, any hit more powerful than a glancing blow would probably incapacitate or destroy the ship.
Outrider class Fleet Scout 750 tons 10 Crew 191.2 BP TCS 15 TH 224 EM 0
14933 km/s Armour 1-7 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 150% IFR 2.1% 1YR 79 5YR 1189 Max Repair 112 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.5 months Spare Berths 2
Freeman Megacorp 224 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 224 Fuel Use 186.36% Signature 224 Exp 17%
Fuel Capacity 145 000 Litres Range 18.7 billion km (14 days at full power)
Raytheon "Scout" Active Search Sensor MR21-R100 (1) GPS 3600 Range 21.6m km Resolution 100
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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Just checking... getting some views but ppl are quiet as mice in here.
That's really common here. People are generally pretty quiet.
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"Overkill is best kill." -Cavgunner, circa 2019
April 4, 2052
After assembling at 54598 Bienor and taking on a few last minute items, the First Fleet passes through the Barnard's star jumpgate. A few days later, a final fleet assembly check is conducted on the Republic's side of the Alpha Centauri jumpgate. A Hurst freighter running the trade route from Earth to Horizon signals a salute to the assembled Fleet.
First Fleet Expeditionary Force - Order of Battle
Command Element
- Nakhimov, Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Sophia Conway commanding.
Battlegroup One
- Destroyers: Luna, Amalthea, Ariel, Callisto, Calypso, Deimos
- Frigates: Moray, Barracuda, Mako, Manta
- Corvettes: Broadsword, Arbalest, Battleaxe, Dagger, Sabre, Scimitar
- Missile Boats: Akizuki, Akikaze, Asayuki, Chikugo, Chitose, Hamagiri, Hamayuki, Isoyuki, Kirisame, Kurama, Matsuyuki, Umigiri
Fleet Support Group
- Ordnance, Logistics, and small craft support: Red Oak Victory, China Victory, Atlantic Victory, Pacific Victory
- Refueling Element: Luyang, Renhai
- Medical Element: Mercy, Compassion
- Reconnaissance Element: Outrider, Vaquero, Driver
- Fleet Fighter Arm: 16x Starhawk-class
- Auxiliary support: 10x Kiowa-class
(https://i.imgur.com/93Rrt1c.png?1)
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I've enjoyed this so far! It gets to the interesting stuff very quickly, which I like a lot.
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You might want to ask Eric to move this to a fiction forum instead of under Bureau of Ship Design. I had a heck of a time finding it again.
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That's probably a good idea.
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April 4, 2052: Alpha Centauri
At the coreward edge of the Alpha Centauri system, the jump portal to Barnard's Star was marked by the presence of a single Beagle sensor buoy. The six-ton mini-satellite dutifully scanned local space around it, just as it had for the last ten years. For all that time, it had been the only Republic presence in Alpha Centauri.
Viewed with the naked eye, a jump portal is invisible, blending seamlessly into the inky darkness of space around it. And yet, if a sufficiently advanced civilization knew how to apply pressure to that point in space, it was possible to travel across trillions of kilometers of space in an instant. At such a point, traveling between star systems was no more difficult than driving a groundcar through a short tunnel. One moment, you were in one place. Move a few meters forward, and in the very next moment, aside from a disconcerting, disorienting sense that you had just left a place where time had been stretched into infinity, you were instantaneously somewhere else.
In an area of space twenty kilometers from the buoy, a blinding flash of white light pulsed as the Universe forced a vessel to return to the bounds of Einsteinian law. Then another. Then two dozen more in rapid succession. The Republic Navy had arrived to Alpha Centauri.
On the bridge of the command boat Nakhimov, Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Sophia Conway gritted her teeth as the after-effects of the jump forced a dagger-tipped migraine into her skull. Conway was a tall, stern woman with long brown hair currently tied into a bun. At 45 she was arguably rather young to be commanding a starfleet, but then again, the Republic's fleet was also rather young. Regardless, she was the Republic's most senior naval commander for a reason. When she was just 15 years old Conway had served as an ensign on the Royal Navy's last surviving Daring-class blue-water destroyer, the Defender. While fighting the rogue forces of the so-called "General" Craig Welker off the coast of New York, the Defender's bridge was struck by a Harpoon-II missile. The explosion killed the Western Alliance task force commanders and nearly everyone else on the bridge except Ensign Conway. In that moment Conway, herself injured from shrapnel buried in her neck and lower jaw, and covered in blood that wasn't just her own, took command of the ship. Listening to the near-panicked comm chatter of the task force, Conway immediately grasped that the patchwork multinational battlegroup would come apart at the seams if they believed that Admiral De Vries had been killed. And so, for the next hour and a half, a 15-year-old girl with steely calm impersonated an Admiral while leading a disparate, rag-tag collection of military forces to victory over the most genocidal madman history has ever known.
Most historians mark the Battle of Westchester as the true end of the Last War. In the light of victory, Conway's chain-of-command transgressions were quickly overlooked. In the following years she swiftly rose through the ranks of the remnant Royal Navy, then the briefly-constituted United Earth bluewater navy, and finally the Terran Republic Space Command. Due to her toughness, reputation, and the faint scars visible on her jaw and neck, Conway was known by the starmen of the Fleet as "Bag Of Nails," but never to her face.
In the present, most of the Nakhimov's bridge crew was swiftly shaking off the shock of the jump, though a few were vomiting into emesis bags. Just a few, though, Conway noted with some satisfaction. Her first order cut through the background noise of the bridge with authority. "Give me Fleet status."
Nearby, Captain Sheldrup (for it was actually his ship, not the Admiral's) waited a moment for the various sections to report in via his earpiece. "Ma'am, we've cleared the gate. All shipwide systems operational. All vessels of the battlegroup are reporting green status. Our scouts are already moving out in a screen, per orders. No contact. Ma'am, we just received an update from the sensor buoy. The wreck of the Thor Heyerdahl was no longer visible on sensors as of about four hours ago. However, we are still detecting what appears to be the wreck of a Fang in the system's main asteroid belt."
"Very good, we were expecting our wreck to be broken up eventually. Hail all commands. Condition Yellow. Execute Attack Plan Manifest Destiny. Combat elements, proceed in formation to that Fang at 3200 km/s. Sensors up. If the Stalkers so much as whisper I want to hear what they are saying."
(https://i.imgur.com/SDDSMTJ.png?1)
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April 8, 2052: Alpha Centauri
Approximately 40 million kilometers ahead of the main task force, the Fleet Scout Outrider advanced at a leisurely speed of 3200 km/s. The boat's CO, Lieutenant Commander Fedor Belov, had very specific instructions: locate the enemy's Fang-class fightercraft. In truth, Belov knew that he and his ship were bait. His small ship's onboard sensor array was just powerful enough to pick up a Fang fighter far enough away so that his ship might be able to evade. However, the sensors were too short-ranged to give a clear view of local space. Currently, the Outrider was running with its sensors on active sweep. This was not so that Outrider could detect a possible target. Like holding a torch at night in a dark forest, it was instead so that possible targets would see Outrider, and come to it.
These thoughts did little to console Belov. For the hundredth time, he checked the seals on his pressure seat and glanced at each of the crew manning Outrider's snug, cockpit-like bridge. He noticed the Sensors officer straighten up suddenly. "Commander!" the man called over internal comms. "I have contacts! Sending to your station!"
Belov tapped into his console and viewed the real-time sensor report. At once, his heart sank. Years ago, the Thor Heyerdahl had been destroyed by five Fang-class ships. No one had any idea what if any capacity the Stalkers might have to produce more.
In real time, the readout in front of him showed 32 Fang fightercraft approaching Outrider at high speed. Outrider's sensors had worked... barely. Now Belov realized that he and his crew had only a few seconds to react, because if they didn't, in the very next moment the enemy ships would be dancing on top of Outrider's hull.
"HELM! 180 degrees and full burn, double quick! Now! NOW!"
As a credit to the ship's training, the helmsman responded almost instantly. Belov was pushed back into his command couch as the ship spun on its axis. Half a moment later, the powerful drive thruster flared fully into life. In the space of a few heartbeats, the ship had accelerated to a speed of nearly 15,000 km/s on an opposite heading. Although the ship was depressurized, Belov could still hear, and certainly feel, the engine's power being transmitted through the vibrations of the deck-plating under his pressure boots. As Outrider shot away like a jackrabbit breaking cover, sensors detected a volley of energy spikes from the enemy ships. In the same instant, one of Outrider's redundant fuel tanks took a catastrophic hit and vented into space. A second hit struck the main thruster, but somehow it remained intact. The ship shuddered and groaned, but it didn't stop accelerating.
For the next several seconds, there was no sound on the bridge comm-net, just anxious silence as the crew watched their instruments with dread. A second volley didn't come. Outrider was pulling away.
Belov finally released the death-grip he'd had on the armrests as he took a moment to compose himself. "Oh f***. F*** f*** f***. I was safer in Ukraine."
Finally, he keyed his mic. "Helm, continue speed and course until I don't say so. Communications, send to commander Nakhimov. We have made contact with the Stalkers."
(https://i.imgur.com/7JvtmeO.png?1)
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April 8, 2052
Over the next half hour Admiral Conway's fleet methodically cut the Fang fighter-boats to ribbons. At first, just the Moray-class frigates could obtain a target lock. The frigates' sensors and fire control possessed the resolution to detect such small craft at range. Unfortunately, the "Dart" Anti-Missile Missiles were performing below expectation. On one hand, the Fangs appeared to be quite heavily armored for their size (level 3 estimated). The Dart missiles were not meant to engage well armored opponents, so that factor could be forgiven. However, on the other hand, the supposedly fast and manueverable Darts were experiencing a high rate of misses. As a result, on average it was taking 3 or 4 full volleys of 36-48 missiles to ensure a kill on one Fang. This was not acceptable. Fortunately, the Moray frigates boasted deep ammo wells. Maintaining continuous fire was not a problem.
(https://i.imgur.com/R96XIG5.png?1)
As the two opposing forces moved closer, the narrow-band auxiliary fire controls on the Luna destroyers began to achieve target locks. The Javelin anti-ship missiles used by the destroyers proved to be more spectaular on their targets, if not necessarily more efficient. While there were still an unacceptably high percentage of misses, 2 Javelin hits seemed to guarantee an incapacitation on a Fang, and sometimes killed it. Without exception, 3 Javelin hits ensured a 100% kill.
Despite the high amount of wastage, by the time the Fangs closed to within close-combat range, only a few of them remained. Throughout this first stage of the battle, the Akizuki missile boats held their fire. Admiral Conway strongly suspected that the force her fleet was engaging was just a screen, so she wanted to keep her alpha strike power in reserve.
(https://i.imgur.com/APgIuJx.png?1)
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April 8, 2052
The command boat Nakhimov hung quietly in space a few million kilometers behind the Fleet. From this distance, occasionally a small, bright flash of light would appear as one or more nuclear weapons detonated on a target. The interior of the Nakhimov's command bridge, however, was not nearly so peaceful.
"OPS! What is taking so long? Why is no one firing? I want those ships turned into dust NOW!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am," responded Lieutenant Commander Christopher Butler, Conway's young and harried operations officer. "Our crews are having a hard time re-engaging new targets at this short distance."
Conway frowned. "Bollocks. What you mean is that the Fleet's training for this type of short-ranged combat was insufficient."
"Ah... yes, ma'am," responded Butler, as he nervously turned his attention back to his terminal.
At last, the corvette Battleaxe opened fire at a Fang passing a few hundred kilometers in front of it. Miraculously, all three 15cm lasers hit, burning three plate-sized holes clean through the small craft and out the other side. The Fang didn't explode, exactly. It simply seemed to... deflate, and go limp. Viscous fluid expelled from the craft.
"Is it just me, or do these things seem more organic than mechanical?" Conway asked aloud.
"Ma'am?"
"I don't think these ships are piloted by aliens. I think they are the aliens."
"That would be incredible, ma'am. And very disconcerting."
"Butler, if there were a few more of them, we'd be getting ripped apart here. So get my ships firing or I'll skin you alive here on the bridge. "
Butler knew that she wasn't joking. "Yes, ma'am."
Despite the kill of a few moments ago, Conway once again grimaced as the ship's holotank displayed a single Fang enthusiastically strafing the destroyer Amalthea, scoring some hits. Conway used the ship's sensors to magnify the image of the small craft. The little ship, or whatever it was, certainly looked unlike anything a sane human would produce: a madman's cross of an armored crustacean and a squid. The Fang seemed to flex its body as it maneuvered around the Amalthea, like it was swimming in a current. What on Earth was it using as a thruster? Whatever equivalent it possessed seem to have as much thrust as anything used by humans.
(https://i.imgur.com/kbdOpux.png?1)
Conway shook away such thoughts. Reflection could wait for the post-battle analysis. "Well, this has gone on long enough. Send in our Starhawks. We'll see what they can do while the rest of this Fleet gets its s*** together."
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The Starhawk-class space superiority fighter is a limited-production prototype series intended to test the Republic's starfighter technologies under actual combat conditions. Intended solely to operate in a vacuum, the Starhawk is not what one would call an "attractive" vessel. Instead of the sleek lines of atmospheric fighters, the Starhawk possesses a blocky, hexagonal form built around a quick-firing 10cm railgun and studded with maneuvering thrusters. The Starhawk is strictly designed for short-ranged deployment in the vicinity of its parent fleet. While it possesses enough fuel for up to a 5-day operation, any duration over 3 days would become increasingly unpleasant for the 4-man crew due to the extremely spartan (some would say non-existent) facilities onboard the craft.
The Starhawk is envisioned as something of a last-ditch dogfighting counter to the Fang. It is also hoped that they might be able to lend some point defense against opponents using missiles, but that latter capability remains untested in combat. Sixteen Starhawks are in service. Since the class is mainly being used to refine starfighter theory, no more are planned at this time.
Starhawk class Fighter 432 tons 4 Crew 129.7 BP TCS 8.64 TH 29.4 EM 0
9722 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 3
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 86% IFR 1.2% 1YR 21 5YR 319 Max Repair 73.5 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 months Spare Berths 0
General Dynamics Starfury 84 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 84 Fuel Use 196.49% Signature 29.4 Exp 17%
Fuel Capacity 20 000 Litres Range 4.2 billion km (5 days at full power)
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (1x4) Range 30 000km TS: 9722 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB "Talon" Fire Control S00.7 36-3000 (FTR) (1) Max Range: 72 000 km TS: 12000 km/s 86 72 58 44 31 17 3 0 0 0
General Dynamics "Triple Three" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1) Total Power Output 3 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon Microglass Active Search Sensor MR0-R10 (1) GPS 48 Range 910k km Resolution 10
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
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Got to say, this is about as clean a Swarm fight as I've ever seen without a specialized fleet. Also, the play by play is great! Really enjoy the little snippets of the captains and commanders.
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April 8, 2052
The last two Fang fighter-boats did not go down quietly. Slightly faster and slightly more manueverable than the Starhawk fighters pursuing them, the Stalker soldier-ships twisted, dodged, and spat death at their pursuers like cornered, enraged animals. In contrast to the unnaturally maneuverable Fangs, the Starhawks used power and brute force to muscle through space.
The Starhawk's main advantage over the Fang was in firepower. The 10cm railgun, although shorter-ranged than the Fang's meson blaster, possessed an extremely high rate of fire.
In the end, the Fangs had nowhere to run. A hailstorm of armor-piercing projectiles ended each of them.
(https://i.imgur.com/O4gNL57.png?1)
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Can't recall if I've ever seen anyone using beam fighters to fight Swarm soldiers before. So thanks for that!
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April 15, 2052
Bathed in the light of Alpha Centauri's primary star, Mother shepherded her remaining children out of the system. She could no longer sense those she had sent to slow the creatures that were now infesting this place. Mother knew about humans, of course, though she did not call them by that name. One of her workers had recently cracked open the shell that her children had caught some cycles ago. Mother had not felt surprise, exactly, at what her worker had found, because her intellect worked in ways that a short-lived human mind would be unable to comprehend. But what she had learned was, well, unexpected. The shell had not been alive at all. It was merely a conveyance for the tiny, ridiculously frail creatures within it. Unusual, yes, but not unprecedented. She had encountered such things before, long ago.
This star was no longer safe. She would find a home for her children elsewhere. She had endured for a long, long time, and would continue to do so. Her vast bulk had the scars to prove it.
What was that?
The soldiers swarming around Mother stirred uneasily, sensing that she had detected something. She directed her attention to a point in the distance. Something was moving there. Many somethings.
Those creatures. She'd been discovered. They had thrown a swarm of their grotesque weapons at her.
Mother knew that she would not survive this. In these last moments her vast, alien intellect felt no anger or self-pity, but there was a sensation not unlike a twinge of regret. She would never again see gamma rays, or hear x-rays, or smell dark matter. She would never again feel the solar wind of a supernova flowing over her. And her children... her beautiful, loyal children. They would not-
(https://i.imgur.com/PA37jXP.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y0r2Ltk.png?1)
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April 15, 2052
The Fleet's missile boats had expended their entire complement of missiles. Out of 360 Javelins fired, it took approximately 240 to kill the Stalker command-carrier. It was, by several orders of magnitude, the single greatest application of firepower in human history.
"It was the only way to be sure," Admiral Conway commented later.
The surviving warheads immediately began tracking secondary targets via their on-board thermal sensors. 4 more Fangs died in the shadow of the command-carrier's expanding fireball.
(https://i.imgur.com/zl13xgZ.png?1)
In a repeat of the events from a few days earlier, the Fleet once again began picking the surviving Fangs apart at range. This time, however, the Fleet demonstrated much greater proficiency in destroying them all before any could come closer than a few million kilometers.
(https://i.imgur.com/KzLvy2m.png?1)
In the battle's last act, the Fleet detected six medium-sized Stalker ships hovering around the same asteroid where the single Fang wreck was located.
(https://i.imgur.com/PHkAC2t.png?1)
Since the Fleet was running low on ammunition, Admiral Conway directed each destroyer to fire one, and only one, salvo of missiles at each one of these targets.
The medium Stalker ships made no attempt to evade. Evidently lightly armored and slow, the Javelin missiles proved more than adequate to kill each target in 2 or 3 hits.
(https://i.imgur.com/yJay5O7.png?1)
The Battle of Alpha Centauri was over. The star system now belonged to humanity.
Final Totals:
Terran Republic
Own ships lost: 0
Own ships damaged: 4
Casualties: 11
Stalkers
Own ships lost: 59*
*Presumed to be individual lifeforms. No further units detected.
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I've enjoyed this so far! It gets to the interesting stuff very quickly, which I like a lot.
Thanks, I decided to cut directly to the point where the Republic had grown to a reasonable size and was starting to encounter problems it had to overcome. I figured that 20 game-years worth of "Oh hey look we unlocked another construction tech" would not have been very exciting.
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May 14, 2052
Excerpt from official log, Sophia Conway, Rear Admiral, Terran Republic Space Command
9. Closing statements:
I would caution against the tendency to frame the engagement at Alpha Centauri as a great victory. A victory it was, yes. But let us not forget that we outmassed our adversary by over four times, and brought at least a corresponding amount of firepower to bear. Furthermore, the enemy seemed to possess no long-range attack capability whatsoever. The Ancient Guardians have demonstrated long-range attack capability. This is a factor that we must bear in mind as the Fleet's eye is turned to GJ 1207.
How, then, would our navy perform against a comparable foe? At present, I would have serious doubts. The Fleet is new, and still green. Alpha Centauri was just the first taste of combat, so in this instance our brilliant plan to simply stampede the enemy with overwhelming brute force was enough. However, in the future a much more flexible touch will be needed. Namely, I personally observed several instances where simple orders from my command boat to other ships in the task force took nearly a minute to execute. Imagine then, if you will, a situation in which our Fleet- or heaven forbid, a single ship- is ambushed at point-blank range, such as when exiting a jump point. In such a scenario, orders MUST be executed swiftly, otherwise a significantly inferior force would be able to exact a deadly toll before a response can be delivered. Put simply, when our starmen are not at war, they must be training, and damn the expense.
Our sensor technology is inadequate across the board. I would much prefer the ability to see the enemy at a distance, even if I am not able to hit him yet. Continued research in this area MUST be a priority.
Aside from that, from a pure design standpoint our ships performed to expectation. However, our missiles are inadequate. The next generation of missiles must be more nimble, faster, and much smarter while retaining at least the current level of destructive capacity. Until then, I would predict that our Moray frigates, in particular, will continue to demonstrate mediocre performance. An improvement in range in our missile types would also be welcome.
Since it has specifically been requested that I comment on the performance of our Starhawk squadrons, I will simply say this. A smaller, faster, slightly longer-legged design would probably have more utility. Also, while the onboard active sensor might be useful in rare situations, I think starfighters would, in general, be better off relying on other units for active sensor coverage.
I would also like to state that the Nakhimov performed to expectation. However, I feel that it is, in principle, highly undignified to command a battlefleet from a glorified bathtub.
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May 14, 2052: literally a few minutes later...
(https://i.imgur.com/qnlZ7ts.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/PayzRlB.jpg)
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May 14, 2052
The Francisco Pizarro, famed for its discovery of the extinct Corronis civilization in 2050, is now the 4th Pathfinder to be lost in the course of exploration. Since the formation of the Terran Republic Space Command, the Exploration Corps has suffered the most casualties of all service branches.
The strength-12 torpedoes of the Zhuk fast attack craft easily overcame the Pizarro's light armor. Lieutenant Commander Mitchell Riley was last seen on the bridge directing his ship's evacuation effort. He went down with his ship, but thanks to his efforts, half of his crew survived.
The Pizarro's shuttle was able to disengage. It will wait a few days at the Struve 2398 jumpgate before returning to pick up the survivors.
Only 8 Pathfinders now remain in service. While the Navy could direct an existing shipyard to resume production, that would not be desirable. While the Pathfinder is fantastic for mapping "safe" systems, it is completely unequipped to avoid, evade, or overcome potential threats.
It seems that an entirely new exploration ship is needed.
(https://i.imgur.com/bbXjM9z.png?1)
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May 22, 2052
The survivors of the Francisco Pizarro were picked up a few days ago and are safely on their way back to Earth.
Our salvage flotilla in Alpha Centauri has made a disturbing, although perhaps not surprising discovery. The mysterious Fang "wreck" at Asteroid 185 is not a wreck at all. It is an egg chamber.
We burn it with fire.
(https://i.imgur.com/2luiuhu.png?1)
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June 21, 2052
First launch of the Gaia-class terraforming ship. The Gaia is a very large ship hull built around 3 terraforming modules. These ships will become increasingly important over time. By transferring production of terraforming capacity to orbital shipyards, our heavily stretched ground-based industries can focus on other projects.
The class leader Gaia has immediately been dispatched to Outback to assist with that world's ongoing atmospheric rehabilitation.
Gaia class Terraformer 105 950 tons 560 Crew 3331.2 BP TCS 2119 TH 4000 EM 0
1887 km/s Armour 1-199 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 20 Max Repair 500 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Terraformer: 3 module(s) producing 0.0045 atm per annum
General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (10) Power 400 Fuel Use 4.42% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 3 750 000 Litres Range 144.1 billion km (883 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
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October 5, 2052
Research into Thermal Sensitivity- Strength 8 has been completed. Active Grav Sensor Sensitivity-16 will be up next, followed by EM Sensitivity- 8.
The entire Fleet has been conducting training exercises for the last few months. These exercises are slated to continue for some time. Crew proficiency is increasing, albeit slowly.
We have completed mapping the Struve 2398 system. Incredibly, it boasts 8 jump points. The Yuri Gargarin and its shuttle will begin exploring these jump points immediately. However, the ships will proceed with extreme caution given that the Francisco Pizarro was lost in a system linked to this very hub.
Construction has been completed on the first of six planned Great Lakes-class cargo barges, the Superior and the Michigan. These ships are classified as barges, not freighters, because at 6,800 tons these humble vessels are only 1/10th the mass of traditional freighters such as the Union and Condor class. Despite this, the ship's single cargo bay is still rated at 20% of what a "small" freighter can haul. This means that for its tonnage, the Great Lakes is a far more efficient conveyance than a true freighter, especially in situations where speed is not necessarily an issue.
As the Republic's colonies grow, so will these worlds' output of, and need for, modest amounts of raw materials. The Great Lakes barges will therefore fulfill the rising need for light, low-urgency haulage.
Great Lakes class Cargo Barge 6 800 tons 34 Crew 154 BP TCS 136 TH 200 EM 0
1470 km/s Armour 1-31 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 50 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Cargo 5000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
General Dynamics 200 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (1) Power 200 Fuel Use 6.63% Signature 200 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100 000 Litres Range 39.9 billion km (314 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
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December 15, 2052
Aside from its unusually high number of jump points, Struve 2398 is an unremarkable system. The system's two red dwarves barely illuminate the space around them. The only other stellar bodies are a rocky Venus-like analogue orbiting in close proximity to the primary; an unremarkable dwarf planet orbiting somewhat further out; and a single unremarkable comet. One ancient, unidentified starship wreck had been located here, but it had been harvested several months ago.
As the Yuri Gargarin wrapped up its mission to lay sensor buoys at each jump point, there was no reason to believe that the system was anything but clear and empty.
And then, just as it was passing by the system's primary red dwarf, the Pathfinder's thermal sensor picked up three new contacts matching Ancient Guardian signatures. Just as quickly, the contacts were lost.
Had these contacts slipped into the system before all the buoys had been laid down? In 20 years we have never observed Ancient Guardian vessels leaving their "home" system before, but it didn't mean they couldn't, so it was certainly possible. Or, perhaps these ships had been here the entire time and we'd just never detected them. Were they intentionally avoiding contact? Unarmed perhaps? The latter possibility seemed increasingly likely as the Yuri Gargarin hurriedly proceeded out-system without being engaged. We have certainly never known Ancient Guardians to ignore a possible target before.
The Fleet will be tasked to clear this system, but only after GJ 1207 is pacified. For now, our sensor buoys are all in place. We will certainly be aware if there is any movement in or out of this system's jumpgates.
(https://i.imgur.com/QE03bzt.png?1)
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KNOWN SPACE: 2053
(https://i.imgur.com/nZ6Wfw7.png?1)
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March 5, 2053
Clearing GJ 1207 has been a prime goal of the Republic for years. The Ancient Guardian presence there represents a threat, and the Republic is highly interested in the habitable world they appear to be protecting. The system also represents an opportunity to map additional jump routes.
On March 5, the Fleet has arrives at GJ 1207. No contacts are detected, aside from the old wreck of the Alexander MacKenzie. Admiral Sophia Conway once again commands the Republic force.
(https://i.imgur.com/5dX16qk.png?1)
Four Zhuk attack boats sally out to meet the Fleet. These are the very same ships that destroyed the Alexander MacKenzie years ago. They are quickly handled by the Moray frigates.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZBcWQfX.png?1) (https://imgur.com/ZBcWQfX)
The Fleet advances further in-system.
(https://i.imgur.com/hDPIpH7.png?1)
The Fleet is being engaged by a single missile destroyer in the 16,800 ton range. This new ship is designated as the Delta 80 class. The missiles being fired are only size 3, and they are rather slow by Republic standards. However the barrage size is formidable at 29 missiles per wave. The enemy appears to be focusing on the Atlantic Victory.
(https://i.imgur.com/UrJ4vUI.png?1)
For the first time the Moray frigates are being used in their intended anti-missile role. The AMM hit rate on the enemy warheads averages about 30%.
(https://i.imgur.com/1YVKUVO.png?1)
Those missiles not intercepted by AMMs are swatted out of space by a fusillade of railgun and CIWS fire. Over the course of the exchange not a single Ancient Guardian missile is able to get through the anti-missile shield. At one point in the fight the destroyer Callisto knocks down ten missiles by herself.
(https://i.imgur.com/RL2wkk5.png?1)
Its missiles expended, the enemy destroyer appears to be moving toward one of the system's asteroids, presumably so it can rearm. The Fleet's Starhawks are able to run down the enemy destroyer just before it leaves sensor range. Admiral Conway later comments, "The thought of disabling the Delta 80 was tempting, but in the very best scenario it would have taken us months to mount an expedition to recover it. The self-repair capability of the Ancient Guardians was also unknown. Better to ensure that the system was secure than to leave a potential threat alive."
(https://i.imgur.com/JXOttLa.png?1)
By the end of March the Ancient Guardian resupply base and listening post on Asteroid #92 has been occupied by the 1st Mobile Infantry Division. No further Ancient Guardian presence is detected. GJ 1207 is now fully under the control of the Republic. The Condor salvaging task group immediately begins the task of recovering the many wrecks in the system. The exploration ship Pathfinder also enters the system and heads straight to the long-coveted world of GJ 1207-A II. This world is found to be a treasure trove of minerals. It is immediately slated for colonization. In a play on its history, the new colony is named Cerberus.
(https://i.imgur.com/TMdy02U.png?1)
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July 3, 2053
A swarm of fully-booked colony ships are heading to Cerberus.
(https://i.imgur.com/2e53EKg.png?1)
A "typical" day showing space-traffic near Earth, Mars and Jupiter. Meanwhile, the Condor salvage task group has returned. Numerous valuable components were recovered, including a nearly priceless example of an Ancient Guardian internal confinement drive.
(https://i.imgur.com/AQeHVYv.png?1)
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Damn that's a lot of civvies. How's your performance?
Also, congrats on a successful combat! The beam PD appears to be performing very very well indeed.
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Performance is ok so far. And yes, I too was pleased with the performance of the "beam weapon" railguns. Granted, it was only one ship opposing me though.
Unfortunately the ratio of colony ships to freighters is weighted FAR too heavily towards colony ships, and that is kinda becoming a problem. Doesn't help to move 2 million colonists at a time if they're all going to die because the tiny ice-locked colony they were dropped off at only has 50 infrastructure.
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July 5, 2053
Central Command
London, Earth
By the end of the Last War most pre-war countries had fractured into smaller, regional components or had simply devolved into lawlessness. The United Kingdom had been nearly unique in that it had survived more or less as an intact country. As a result, the UK had been the only real choice for the seat of the new worldwide government (much to the chagrin of Japan and the Texas Republic). It was for this reason that Admiral Sophia Conway now found herself in the entrance hall of the First Minister's offices on 10 Downing Street. Conway was resplendent in her silver-on-red Navy uniform (matching beret tucked neatly in the crook of her arm) as she patiently waited for the Republic Guardsman to verify her identity. The Guardsman and his partner were all business as they waved her through the internal checkpoint. A young woman in impeccable business attire and holding an electronic tablet stepped forward to greet Conway.
"Good evening, ma'am," the young woman stated cheerfully in a posh English accent. "The First Minister is waiting. If you'd like to fol-"
"Thank you," Conway responded in her light Scottish brogue. "I know the way to his office."
Conway's long strides quickly ate the distance to the First Minister's chambers. The shorter young woman double-stepped behind Conway at a discreet distance, but said nothing further. A second set of heavily equipped guards were stationed at the ornate hardwood chamber doors, but this time they did not stop her as Conway marched through the door without knocking.
First Minister Perkins was standing in front of his ornate desk, speaking to someone via a wireless. He looked at Conway and motioned her in, not that she needed the prompt. "Yes. Yes. Ok, we'll talk about that later. She's here." He ended the connection. "Aaaaah, Sophia! Welcome. You must be exhausted." Perkins looked past Conway to the young woman standing in the entryway. "Missy, thank you. We're fine. Please close the door." The young woman nodded and quietly shut the heavy wooden door on her way out.
Conway raised an accusing eyebrow. "Missy?"
Perkins shrugged as he stepped toward his private liquor cabinet, "Until Missy," Perkins gestured with a pair of air quotes, "I had been burning through an exec every two months." He retrieved a pair of glasses from the cabinet. "So far, she's the only one that refuses to go away. She's good, and she seems to believe in what we're doing. Pretty good with a Glock, too. Drink?"
"Yes. Whiskey, neat," she said.
Perkins nodded. "Okay, let's make it two then." Perkins poured them each a generous snifter of rare Kentucky and handed her one of the glasses. He raised his. "Never again," he said. Conway raised her glass to his and they clinked. "Never again," she answered. She downed her drink quickly. Perkins took a moment more to savor his. "Ah, good. I think we may need some more of this before the evening is over." Perkins took the whole bottle from the cabinet and motioned to the plush leather chairs nearby. "Let's sit, shall we?" Conway placed her red beret on an adjacent lamp table and eased into one of the huge, ancient leather chairs- it felt like the thing was going to swallow her- and Perkins took the one next to her. He poured them each another drink, to which she didn't object.
"You look better, Ed."
"Thank you," he said. His unrushed Alabama accent had lulled many a political adversary to underestimate him, but all had come to regret it. "The treatments are helping. And, I've been able to sleep lately. That has a lot to do with you. Knowing that there is a real boogeyman in the closet is one thing. Knowing that we can beat him to a pulp is a whole other thing entirely."
Sophia turned away at that comment, and pretended to look at the rows of old books shelved on the nearby wall. "Ed, I know why you called me here. Can you just cut to it?"
Perkins nodded, set down his drink and folded his hands. He regarded Conway quietly for a moment. "Sophia, your service to this Republic has been unparalleled. We need you, and we're going to keep needing you. But right now, I cannot give you any more warships."
The dangerous glint in Conway's narrowed eyes warned Perkins that his guest was about to go on one of her famously foul-mouthed tirades. "And... why not?" she asked slowly.
Perkins maintained his eye contact with her. "It's simple. We're spent. Building that fleet used up a 20-year stock of Duranium. Crewing it nearly depleted our manpower. And I shouldn't have to tell you that we don't even have enough qualified command-level officers to staff all the ships we've got now." Perkins reached again for his drink and took another taste. "And, there's the fact that we've been operating on a budget deficit for the last five years. Spaceships are expensive, or so I'm told."
Conway was quiet for a moment as she tapped her fingers on her knee. "Ed, you bring me here and you talk about boogeymen. The thing is, I'm not worried about the boogeyman we know about. I'm worried about the one we don't know about. We have no idea what's out there."
"I know," Perkins nodded, "And I agree. But... the Council of Ministers doesn't." Conway let out a derisive snort, but Perkins continued. "Sophia, from their perspective, and a lot of people think the same way, it sure seems like we're alone out here. Look, what have we found, really? The Stalkers? Ok, but not nearly the threat we thought they would be. Alpha Centauri wasn't a battle. It was a damn live fire exercise, you said so yourself. And the Ancient Guardians? A handful of castoff relics from a dead civilization that can no longer threaten us. GJ 1207 wasn't even a speed bump for you."
Conway gave him a sour look. "Glad I could be useful."
It was Perkins' turn to look annoyed. "Don't twist my words now, Soph. Thanks in major part to you, Earth has enough room to expand into for the next century. By then, what could possibly oppose us? More importantly, for the first time in a long time, our people have hope for the future. Real hope. But I can't give you any more warships."
Conway stood up, hands clenched. "Ed. You have got to get the Council to change their minds. The Ancient Guardians- the real Ancient Guardians, not these robots they've left behind- they didn't just walk off and go on holiday. They were exterminated. Does the Council get that? A mature empire that probably filled up this whole quadrant was snuffed out. So along comes humanity, and oh look, we're trying to build the very same thing from inside the very same crime scene and we have no idea where the murderer went. One battlegroup is not enough!"
Perkins looked his friend straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Soph. The decision was made two hours ago. There is to be a moratorium on new warship construction for the next two years, at which time the issue will be reviewed."
Conway visibly fumed. For a moment Perkins thought she'd throw her glass at the wall... but she didn't. Instead she sat back down with a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead with one hand.
After a quiet pause, Perkins dared speak. "Wow, Soph. You must be getting mellow in your old age."
"So are you, to let the Council step all over you like that."
Perkins gave her a look, and she softened. "I'm sorry, Ed. That was uncalled for."
"No. Closer to the truth than you know. We all have to pick our battles, Soph."
A few minutes passed as they sat in the plush room in silence.
Perkins spoke first. "I've missed you, Soph."
She rolled her eyes. "As always, your sense of timing is terrible, Ed."
"Maybe. But you're just about the only person who has always been honest with me, no matter what."
"Ed..."
"No. I mean that. And I want you to know, Soph, that while I don't win all my battles, I was able to convince the Council into granting a concession or two."
"What, the Planetary Defence project? Good to have, but wars are not won on the defence."
"Not just that. Better."
Conway visibly perked up at this. "Farsight?"
Perkins smiled and nodded. "Yes. Farsight. But first we have to figure out how to cram a Luna into a Pathfinder."
For most of the rest of the evening, they discussed that very thing.
-
January 13, 2054
Despite the Republic's impressive ability to generate fuel, the Fleet possesses a nearly equal ability to consume it. In the first major operation of the year the Fleet travels to Struve 2398 to clear the Ancient Guardian vessels lurking there. Struve is six jump away from Earth, making this the furthest deployment of the Fleet yet. It also ensures that approximately 20 million liters of fuel are expended by the Fleet just to travel there and back.
Upon arrival at Struve, the three Ancient Guardian ships are detected in precisely the same location where they had been spotted by the Yuri Gargarin. At 8300 tons these Nyati-class ships are somewhere in between what the Navy would classify as a corvette and a frigate.
(https://i.imgur.com/ckxoKEx.png?1)
Surprisingly, these vessels are decidedly NOT unarmed. It is unclear why, then, the Yuri Gargarin was allowed to escape. Either the Pathfinder's thermal sensor actually worked and it barely escaped detection, or the robotic drone-ships are operating with programming limitations that are not yet understood.
Regardless, the three ships each put up an impressive 14-missile barrage using the same Size 3 delivery platforms that we've encountered before. In the first moments of the battle a pair of warheads manage to penetrate the Fleet's anti-missile screen and detonate on the destroyer Amalthea. These strikes occur simultaneously near the destroyer's port missile battery, creating a rippling shock effect despite the vessel's thick armor. One of the missile launchers is turned into fragments, resulting in four casualties (two KIA). After this, however, every missile in every following wave is shot down. The alien drone-ships are eliminated in short order.
For the second time, the Amalthea is the only heavy ship in the fleet to sustain casualties during an engagement. It is beginning to earn a reputation as a tough, but hard-luck ship.
So far, all of the Republic's victories have centered around the application of overwhelming mass and firepower. Although this fact somewhat unfairly overshadows Admiral Conway's true talent as a leader, some military analysts quietly begin to wonder how the Fleet would fare if pitted against a foe that could match the Fleet ship for ship.
(https://i.imgur.com/6QRLIF6.png?1)
The first phase of the operation now complete, Admiral Conway directs her fleet to the adjacent system of HIP 103096. This was one of several new systems that had been logged by the Yuri Gargarin while mapping Struve's jumpgates. A habitable world had been noted among the system's handful of planetary bodies. However, our Pathfinder did not investigate for fear that such a jewel would certainly be concealing yet another hostile presence.
Fortunately, that turns out not to be the case. Despite its isolation and despite the fact that it hasn't even been surveyed yet the Republic can hardly resist the temptation to colonize such a world. A colony expedition is launched from Corronis immediately. As Corronis itself is not even close to being established yet, the men and women who volunteer for this expedition can truly be described as the toughest, most independent pioneer-minded people that the Republic has to offer.
And tough they must be. This new world is the closest natural match for human habitation yet encountered, but "closest natural match" is a relative term. While it boasts a breathable atmosphere and .97g gravity, this is a stifling, at times dangerously hot place. This is because the planet rotates at such a close distance to its dim red star that it has become tidally locked. Since one side always faces the star, that half of the world never cools off. The sunward side is therefore a sun-baked hell where even the nearly-boiling oceans can cause fatal wounds. For these reasons nearly all settlement is slated for the cooler "dark" side of the world or the thin strip of permanent twilight that separates it from the sunward side. Eventually the Republic's growing Terraformer fleet will attempt to moderate the world's environment, but that won't be for several years at least. For some obscure reason the planet is named Mordia.
(https://i.imgur.com/AcS32km.png?1)
-
July-August, 2054
The geology team on Darwin has significantly enhanced that world's potential as a mining center. Darwin now boasts a nearly unlimited amount of every known T-N mineral, including the largest high-accessibility supply of Vendarite that has been discovered anywhere. Neutronium has also been discovered on Darwin for the first time. While most of these deposits remain low in accessibility, with enough mining effort they will ensure that Darwin will not only be self-sufficient but that it will also supply other Republic worlds in the future.
(https://i.imgur.com/uNJuEmJ.png?2)
Meanwhile, on Corronis the 83rd Construction Brigade has unearthed an amazing cache of nine fully intact Internal Confinement Fusion Drives. These drive units are immediately shipped to earth. The vast head start that this gives our researchers prompts a change in priorities, and 45 research labs are allocated toward further research in this technology.
A variety of components from the wrecks at Struve 2398 have also been analyzed. Due to these efforts as well as ongoing research in general, the Republic's sensor technology is finally nearing a point where it would make sense to perform minor refits on existing designs.
(https://i.imgur.com/qY4ncFI.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6ihmQiy.png?1)
-
The Farsight-class High Endurance Frigate is the result of a compromise between the Terran Republic Space Command and the Republic's Council of Ministers. Construction of the Fleet has drained the Republic's resources and manpower, and these areas have not yet recovered. The Council has therefore been wary of authorizing another large main-line ship such as the Luna destroyer. There has also been a growing awareness that the Navy's aging Pathfinder-class exploration ships are now inadequate for anything other than laying nav buoys or exploring peaceful systems. The Farsight was seen as a way to fill the exploration gap while also ensuring that the Fleet's "exploration" ships are still useful in combat.
The Farsight has suffered a convoluted design path, and the first iterations were not armed at all. The first proposal was for a 5000-ton design using Stealth technology. While promising, this design was very slow due to the mass of the proposed cloaking device. The vessel also would have faced a similar problem as the Pathfinder, in that it lacked functionality as anything but a scout. Next was a proposal for a bare-bones light carrier in the 7,000-ton range. This ship would have held station in a "cleared" system while deploying a flotilla of small survey boats to map nearby systems. This proposal was more attractive, but again, the design was frail, unarmed, and unsuited for combat. The Navy desired a ship with more functionality.
The final design proposal that evolved into the Farsight was designed, in part, with guidance from Admiral Conway and First Minister Perkins. The Farsight takes the light carrier proposal and greatly expands upon it to include modest weaponry and military-grade components.
The Farsight's most notable technology is the inclusion of the newest generation of Raytheon active sensors. This new suite has nearly double the detection range of the old system currently in use on the Luna, while also weighing in at less than half the mass. The upgraded missile fire controls are similarly more efficient. These sensor and fire control designs will eventually find their way to other ship classes, becoming the standard.
The Farsight's launchers, guns, and magazines are intended to be drawn from existing equipment stockpiles. These include three Raytheon Type 5 missile launchers and three 10cm Bofors railguns. Meanwhile the single Type 165 magazine can house 36 Javelin anti-ship missiles. The Farsight's weaponry, while modest, will thus allow it to execute its exploration and patrol function with confidence. Most exploration losses have occurred because the Republic ship was run down by small numbers of fast attack boats. The Farsight would have an easy time handling such opponents.
In addition, the Farsight's hull armor consists of an entirely new type of ceramic-composite. This armor is considerably lighter than previous materials. As a result, the Farsight's respectable Level 6 armor comprises only 10.9% of the vessel's mass, compared to 16.2% on the marginally tougher Moray-class.
Another new defensive innovation is the Freeman Megacorp 2 Gigawatt Energy Shield Projector. In a first for the Republic, this system is capable of generating a bubble of protective energy around the ship. While this system can absorb only a mild amount of weapons fire, it regenerates fairly quickly. It is therefore hoped that the shield generators will be able to take the sharp edge off of hits that manage to strike the ship.
The Farsight's most easily observed feature, of course, is the ventrally mounted hangar bay. This hanger can house up to four survey boats of various types. Alternatively the Farsight might replace one or more of these boats with starfighters or other small craft, depending on the mission profile. There is also a very generous amount of spare berthing to accommodate flight crew or long-range rescue missions. Finally, the Farsight's generous reserves of fuel and spare components enhance the capabilities of its attached craft while also allowing the ship to perform extended solo patrols in distant systems.
Despite its lighter armor and miniaturized sensor systems, the addition of so much other equipment means the Farsight is still about 900 tons over its ideal tonnage. Its thrust profile as designed is therefore a rather sedate 4295 km/s. This is not viewed as a serious issue, however. It is expected that within the next two years the Navy will begin replacing its ships' Magneto-Plasma Drives with much more powerful Internal Confinement Drives. The Farsight and any other sister ships in service by that time will be the first to receive these drives as a pre-planned refit. Once equipped with these drives it is believed that the Farsight will be able to simply disengage from warships it can't destroy alone, such as the Ancient Guardian Delta 80.
Far from being a mere scout, the Farsight is a true warship designed to include an exploration and patrol function. As such, during any major war these ships would be called upon to stand in the line of battle with the rest of the Fleet. Thankfully, this seems like an unlikely scenario at present.
One Farsight-class frigate is in construction, the Farsight herself. These ships will eventually replace the Pathfinders on a one-for-one basis. Production will likely continue beyond that, but the Council has not yet committed to this.
Farsight class High-Endurance Frigate 14 900 tons 314 Crew 2555.74 BP TCS 298 TH 448 EM 180
4295 km/s Armour 6-53 Shields 6-300 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 25 PPV 24
Maint Life 3.2 Years MSP 1635 AFR 116% IFR 1.6% 1YR 240 5YR 3603 Max Repair 448 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months Flight Crew Berths 54
Hangar Deck Capacity 2000 tons Magazine 180
General Dynamics 640 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (2) Power 640 Fuel Use 14.31% Signature 224 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 1 250 000 Litres Range 105.5 billion km (284 days at full power)
Freeman Megacorp 2 Gigawatt Gamma R300/240 Shields (3) Total Fuel Cost 30 Litres per hour (720 per day)
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (3x4) Range 30 000km TS: 4295 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB 10cm Fire Control S01.3 36-5250 (1) Max Range: 72 000 km TS: 5250 km/s 86 72 58 44 31 17 3 0 0 0
General Dynamics "Triple Three" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (3) Total Power Output 9 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon RL 4 Size 5 Missile Launcher (3) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 40
Raytheon "Longbow" Missile Fire Control FC173-R100 (1) Range 173.3m km Resolution 100
Raytheon AuxCon II Missile Fire Control FC6-R1 (1) Range 6.9m km Resolution 1
Javelin Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (36) Speed: 30 200 km/s End: 56.8m Range: 103m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 110/66/33
Raytheon Lynx II Active Search Sensor MR3-R1 (1) GPS 30 Range 3.2m km MCR 352k km Resolution 1
Raytheon "Clear Sky" Active Search Sensor MR161-R100 (1) GPS 14700 Range 161.7m km Resolution 100
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
-
Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.
-
Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.
Given that the Pathfinders themsleves aren't actually capable of survey work, I would dispute that. They are fairly ordinary light carriers relying entirely on their parasites for surveying.
-
July 13, 2054
Following the Fleet's successful mission at Struve 2398 it returned to Earth for a routine rest and refit. Admiral Conway was reviewing crew assessments in her London office. Crew readiness was slowly improving, she noted, but was still not satisfactory. A cough at her door caught her attention, and she looked up. Her operations officer, Commander (formerly Lieutenant Commander) Christopher Butler stood in the entryway holding a tablet. He seemed to be searching for something to say, but couldn't find the words.
"Yes, Chris?" she asked. "Good grief man. Come on then, spit it out. What is it?"
Butler stepped forward, and placed the tablet on her desk. "Ah... ma'am, I- you'd better just take a look at this."
The color drained away from Conway's face as she read the words on the screen. "No..."
Conway flew out of the office, Butler close behind her.
(https://i.imgur.com/NZX56e7.png?1)
-
Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.
Thanks, but I assume you mean Farsight? The Pathfinders are the old, unarmed exploration ships that the Farsight frigates will replace. :)
-
They are fairly ordinary light carriers relying entirely on their parasites for surveying.
That's true. However, much like the Hoff, they are a big deal in the Republic.
-
July 31, 2054
The funeral of First Minister Edward Perkins was the largest state event in the young Republic's history. Over one million mourners crammed London's streets to observe the funeral procession. The service at St. Paul's Cathedral was attended by a veritable who's-who of dignitaries from Earth and its young colonies, and was watched live by hundreds of millions more via the Net. The First Minister's ashes will be spread in an undisclosed location, per his will. The First Minister is survived by his son, Daniel.
The First Minister died on July 13 after a recreational vehicle accident near his home of Bayou Le Batre, Gulf Coast District. Foul play is not suspected. Councilwoman Shapa Akkineni has been appointed minister pro-tem pending a formal ratification.
**********************
A woman and a small boy embraced each other on a pristine piece of shoreline overlooking a shimmering stretch of the Gulf of Mexico. There were no VIPs here, no security detail, no reporters, no news-drones. Just the waves lapping lazily at the shore, and the orange sun dipping into the west. Its blazing reflection transformed the water into a sea of silver and gold. Far in the distance, a returning shrimper sounded its horn.
Sophia looked down at the boy huddled up against her, and clutched his small hand more tightly. All of seven years old. By the time she retired, if she lived that long, he'd be a grown man. His exhausted sobs had died down to an occasional, silent shudder against her body.
"I'm sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry about your dad. He- we didn't quite get along all of the time. But the one thing we always agreed on is that we both loved you more than anything." Sophia sighed deeply, enjoying his warmth against her. "I know I haven't been around very much. And I'm afraid that it's going to be a while yet before I have the freedom to see you as much as I'd like to. Do you understand that?"
The boy brushed his tears away with his sleeve. "It's okay," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for crying."
Sophia held him even closer, if that was possible. "Danny, you never need to apologize to anyone for that. Not ever." She stood up and held out her hand. "Come then. There is one more thing we have to do for him."
With her other hand Sophia opened the leather satchel slung on her shoulder, retrieving the simple urn it contained. Together they walked barefoot in the warm sand toward the edge of the water.
-
Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.
Given that the Pathfinders themsleves aren't actually capable of survey work, I would dispute that. They are fairly ordinary light carriers relying entirely on their parasites for surveying.
Yes, I meant that players rarely bother arming them that way or at all - survey carriers in themselves are not a new or novel concept. In a way it's closer to those Star Trek Enterprise designs people have built. And yes, I meant Farsight, got the two mixed up.
-
January - December, 2055
2055 has been a relatively peaceful year. The only major fleet action was at Wolf 359. Upon entering the system, the Fleet encountered two Zhuk attack boats, and no other ships. These hostiles were swiftly eliminated.
(https://i.imgur.com/x3bcFaH.png?1)
With Wolf 359 cleared, the only remaining known Ancient Guardian presense is at Hussey 644, aka "The Boneyard." Because the system is so far from Earth - eighteen jumps, round trip - an assault against this stronghold has not yet been authorized. Although the frontier seems quiet at the moment, in truth there are a large number of outlying systems that are totally unexplored.
The Republic's economy has been a mixed bag. On one hand, the government is finally running a consistent budget surplus. For the first time in years, credit is in good supply. On the other hand, Earth's industries have been experiencing a mild Duranium crunch. This has been partially alleviated by modest shipments of Duranium from the colonies, but even so, this resource is being consumed considerably faster than it is being produced.
The most important news of the year occurred on December 19, with the development of the Internal Confinement Fusion Drive. The Republic versions of this system are directly descended from Ancient Guardian and Corronian propulsion units and design theory. The "ICFD" system represents a 25% increase in power, per ton, over comparable Magneto-Plasma drives. Although the large ship-based engines will take several more months to design and enter production in quantity, a number of systems for fighter-based craft were developed almost immediately.
The Starhawk Mk Ib space superiority fighter is an improved version of the prototype Starhawk (aka MK I). The Mk Ib is considerably faster than its predecessor, being able to outpace and outmaneuver the Fang fighter-boat. The railgun targeting system is a more compact model, and the active sensor has also been miniaturized to the smallest possible size. As a result of these changes, the crew requirement has dropped to only 3: the pilot, copilot/navigator, and electronics operator. Range remains limited, but has nevertheless been improved by approximately 500 million kilometers. The inclusion of the active probe remains controversial, but military planners contend that it is necessary so that Starhawk squadrons stationed in remote regions will be able to work in conjunction with planetary-based passive sensor arrays. The Mk Ib was intentionally kept to less than 400 tons so that a Farsight-class frigate could accommodate up to five of them, if necessary. With these improvements the Starhawk is not only a useful short-range strike weapon but also a highly effective tool for anti-missile defense.
Starhawk Mk Ib class Fighter 397 tons 3 Crew 132.775 BP TCS 7.94 TH 32.55 EM 0
11712 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 3
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 79% IFR 1.1% 1YR 19 5YR 288 Max Repair 81.375 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 months Spare Berths 1
General Dynamics 93 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 93 Fuel Use 145.07% Signature 32.55 Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 15 000 Litres Range 4.7 billion km (4 days at full power)
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (1x4) Range 30 000km TS: 11712 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors Starhawk Fire Control S00.5 32-3000 (FTR) (1) Max Range: 64 000 km TS: 12000 km/s 84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
General Dynamics "Triple Three" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1) Total Power Output 3 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon Microglass II Active Search Sensor MR0-R10 (1) GPS 21 Range 730k km Resolution 10
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
The Lewis-class Geological Survey Vessels and the Clark-class Gravitational Survey Vessels represent the next stage in the Fleet's exploration mission. Relatively short-ranged, these ships are meant to operate from a nearby carrier ship such as the Farsight-class. Due to their improved survey sensors these tiny craft are a far more efficient alternative to the aging Pathfinder-class exploration ships. In design these ships are essentially identical to each other, except for the survey units they operate. The inclusion of an Internal Confinement Fusion Drive means that these ships can, if needed, just barely outrun the larger Ancient Guardian ships that the Republic has encountered.
Accompanying the Lewis and Clark survey ships is the Sacagawea-class Buoy Tender. Smaller and somewhat slower than its compatriots, this vessel is exclusively designed to replace the Pathfinder in the buoy deployment role. The Sacagawea deploys a size 2 buoy, designated the Terrier. Despite the tiny size of this buoy its active sensor radius is superior to that of the size 6 Beagle. The compactness of the Terrier also means that an impressive load of 35 units can be carried within the Sacagawea's magazine.
When performing their exploration mission the Farsight frigates will generally operate two each of the Lewis and Clark, and one Sacagawea.
Lewis class Geological Survey Vessel 410 tons 13 Crew 199 BP TCS 8.2 TH 14 EM 0
4878 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/2 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.09 Years MSP 30 AFR 13% IFR 0.2% 1YR 9 5YR 138 Max Repair 150 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3.6 months Spare Berths 0
General Dynamics 40 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 40 Fuel Use 49% Signature 14 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 Litres Range 9.0 billion km (21 days at full power)
Improved Geological Sensors (1) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
Clark class Gravitational Survey Vessel 410 tons 13 Crew 199 BP TCS 8.2 TH 14 EM 0
4878 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/2/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.09 Years MSP 30 AFR 13% IFR 0.2% 1YR 9 5YR 138 Max Repair 150 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3.6 months Spare Berths 0
General Dynamics 40 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 40 Fuel Use 49% Signature 14 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 Litres Range 9.0 billion km (21 days at full power)
Improved Gravitational Sensors (1) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
Sacagawea class Buoy Tender 328 tons 6 Crew 52 BP TCS 6.55 TH 7 EM 0
3053 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0.5
Maint Life 12.26 Years MSP 25 AFR 3% IFR 0% 1YR 0 5YR 5 Max Repair 17.5 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Magazine 70
General Dynamics 20 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 20 Fuel Use 49.5% Signature 7 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 Litres Range 11.1 billion km (42 days at full power)
Raytheon Buoy Launcher Size 2 Missile Launcher (25% Reduction) (1) Missile Size 2 Rate of Fire 6000
Terrier Size 2 Buoy (35) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 2 TH: 0/0/0
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
-
KNOWN SPACE: 2056
(https://i.imgur.com/eD1D3AB.png?1)
-
October 19, 2057
The Republic has experienced nearly two years of peace. Even though the borders of known space continue to be slowly pushed back, humanity has yet to encounter another spacefaring civilization.
With no real outside threats to contend with, the Republic has focused on growth and consolidation. The colonies are for the most part vibrant and healthy, and they are already making meaningful contributions to the wider Republic. The "mild" Duranium crunch of 2056 nearly became a full-on disaster that was averted only because some of the colonies, particularly Darwin, were producing just enough Duranium to prevent Earth's industries from grinding to a complete halt. Duranium stocks are currently hovering around 2300 units, and seem to be increasing slowly as mining capacity is enhanced. Gallicite stocks have also been nearly exhausted by starship drive and missile construction, so an eye is being kept on those reserves as well.
As noted earlier, the ocean-world of Darwin is well on its way to becoming a major mining center. Great pains are being taken to ensure that the environment is not unduly impacted by these efforts. Darwin is also notable for being the first Republic world to have fully completed its terraforming regimen. The last traces of atmospheric ammonia were extracted about a year ago, and the oxygen level became Earth-compatible about a month ago. Darwin has finally become the warm and gentle ocean paradise that the Republic has long promised.
At present, most ships in the Fleet are either undergoing or awaiting refits to upgrade their drive units, armor belts, sensors, and targeting systems. A new series of missiles has also been introduced. The size-1 Flash is an upgrade to the Dart, while the size-5 Harpoon is derived from the Javelin. Compared to their predecessors both missiles are faster, longer ranged, and more maneuverable. It will, however, be at least a few years before these weapons are available in enough quantity to equip the entire Fleet.
"Flash" AMM (Dart series)
Missile Size: 1 MSP (0.05 HS) Warhead: 1 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 11
Speed: 52500 km/s Engine Endurance: 8 minutes Range: 24.9m km
Cost Per Missile: 0.9264
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 577.5% 3k km/s 187% 5k km/s 115.5% 10k km/s 57.7%
Materials Required: 0.25x Tritanium 0.6764x Gallicite Fuel x72.5
Development Cost for Project: 93RP
"Harpoon" medium ASM (Javelin series)
Missile Size: 5 MSP (0.25 HS) Warhead: 9 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 11
Speed: 36400 km/s Engine Endurance: 79 minutes Range: 172.9m km
Thermal Sensor Strength: 0.0302 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 30 200 km
Cost Per Missile: 4.6692
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 400.4% 3k km/s 132% 5k km/s 80.1% 10k km/s 40%
Materials Required: 2.25x Tritanium 0.018x Boronide 0.0302x Uridium 2.371x Gallicite Fuel x1075
Development Cost for Project: 467RP
Once the Republic's Duranium stocks return to sustainability Space Command has bold plans to introduce a series of new planetary defense bases. Foremost among these is the Cheyenne Mountain-class planetary missile base. As the colonies have grown their requests for local protection have become increasingly vociferous. To meet this growing need for local planetary defense the Cheyenne Mountain bases will be prefabricated on Earth and shipped to the colonies in sections, who will then assemble them on-site.
Initially the Cheyenne Mountain was conceived as a platform for deploying massive, very long ranged MIRV-capable missiles. While promising, in order to avoid designing a whole host of new technologies it was decided that for now the base should be able to utilize existing stocks of warheads. The anti-ship barrage that this base can throw into space is still rather fearsome, comparatively speaking. The base also provides surrounding space with a reasonable measure of anti-warhead and anti-small-craft defense. A trio of Phalanx CIWS arrays provide a last-ditch screen in the event that the anti-missile systems are insufficient. As a PDC the armor protection of the Cheyenne Mountain is exceptionally thick. In theory, it could sustain dozens of direct fusion strikes and remain fully operational. Furthermore the massive reinforced ammunition bay, second only to that of a Red Oak Victory collier, allows for extended barrages to overcome the point defense of any target. Finally, since the Cheyenne Mountain is designed as a planet's main (and perhaps only) armed planetary base, it features a Flag Bridge to effectively coordinate all local operations. The Republic plans to field at least one of these bases on each major world, and in time, to seed asteroids and other planetary bodies near jump points with these units as well.
Cheyenne Mountain class Missile Base 25 000 tons 460 Crew 4471.4 BP TCS 500 TH 0 EM 0
Armour 32-76 Sensors 1/210 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 93
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Flag Bridge Magazine 1965
Phalanx ROF 4 CIWS-120 (3x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Raytheon RL 20 PDC Size 5 Missile Launcher (15) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 20
Raytheon RL 5 PDC Size 1 Missile Launcher (18) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 5
Raytheon "Longbow" Missile Fire Control FC173-R100 (1) Range 173.3m km Resolution 100
Raytheon "Bullseye II" Missile Fire Control FC24-R1 (3) Range 24.2m km Resolution 1
Harpoon Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (321) Speed: 36 400 km/s End: 79.1m Range: 172.9m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 133/80/40
Flash Size 1 Anti-missile Missile (360) Speed: 52 500 km/s End: 7.9m Range: 24.9m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 192/115/57
Raytheon "UV" Active Search Sensor MR23-R1 (1) GPS 210 Range 23.1m km MCR 2.5m km Resolution 1
Raytheon "Clear Sky" Active Search Sensor MR161-R100 (1) GPS 14700 Range 161.7m km Resolution 100
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Planetary Defence Centre and can be pre-fabricated in 10 sections
The Offutt-class fighter base will be a vast improvement over the old Hickam-class (which was essentially just a lightly armored hangar). The Offutt features integral refueling and maintenance capability for its squadrons. The dual Phalanx systems provide a small measure of self-defense ability, but the base's true defense lies in its heavy armor protection. Although not nearly as tough as the Cheyenne Mountain-class, the Offutt-class can still take a beating and remain functional. Because the Offutt is relatively simple, small, and compact it can be locally produced on nearly any colony world, or it can be prefabricated for deployment to remote locations. The Offutt-class will be the key ingredient toward Space Command's long-delayed dream of seeding strategically important sites with starfighter garrisons.
Offutt class Fighter Base 12 450 tons 123 Crew 1601.8 BP TCS 249 TH 0 EM 0
Armour 20-47 Sensors 1/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 1
Hangar Deck Capacity 6000 tons Magazine 234
Fuel Capacity 250 000 Litres Range N/A
Phalanx ROF 4 CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
This design is classed as a Planetary Defence Centre and can be pre-fabricated in 5 sections
Although the Fleet has proven very effective at annihilating potential threats to the Republic, it is also very expensive to operate. Over the last few years military planners have come to realize that the Republic would benefit from having a second-line spacefaring security force equivalent to the old Coast Guards of the Chinese and American navies. The ships of this force would be small, modestly armed, and short-legged. However they would be far better suited for low-intensity tasks such as convoy escort, customs work, and peacetime planetary security. They would also ensure that important systems would always have some level of mobile fighting capability in the event of an unforeseeable calamity.
Enter the Mellor-class Insystem Patrol Cutter. By Republic standards the Mellor-class is quite small at 4,800 tons. It is also relatively slow at 4166 km/s, even with an Internal Confinement drive. However, this speed is still more than enough to overtake all civilian commercial designs currently in service. For main firepower the cutter utilizes a trio of Raytheon Size 5 missile launchers. These launchers, the active sensors, and the targeting systems are all common to designs now entering use across the Fleet. For point defense the cutter mounts a pair of surplus Bofors AB 10cm railguns.
Because the Mellor-class is designed primarily to operate from within the confines of its home system, it is not really suited for the extremely long-ranged combat patrols that the Fleet is famous for undertaking. However, because it uses compatible weaponry, in an emergency the Mellor could stand in battle alongside the Fleet if absolutely required.
No ships of this class are in service, but production is slated to begin soon. The class leader will be named after Captain Sebastian Mellor, who gave his life while exploring the Hussey 644 system in 2050.
Mellor class Insystem Patrol Cutter 4 800 tons 138 Crew 1012.74 BP TCS 96 TH 140 EM 0
4166 km/s Armour 5-25 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 2 PPV 21
Maint Life 1.95 Years MSP 297 AFR 81% IFR 1.1% 1YR 103 5YR 1540 Max Repair 280 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 0
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons Magazine 180
General Dynamics 400 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 400 Fuel Use 21.47% Signature 140 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 155 000 Litres Range 27.1 billion km (75 days at full power)
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (2x4) Range 30 000km TS: 4166 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB 10cm Railgun Fire Control S01 32-6000 (1) Max Range: 64 000 km TS: 6000 km/s 84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
General Dynamics "Slick 6" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1) Total Power Output 6 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon RL 4 Size 5 Missile Launcher (3) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 40
Raytheon AuxCon II Missile Fire Control FC6-R1 (1) Range 6.9m km Resolution 1
Raytheon "Longbow" Missile Fire Control FC173-R100 (1) Range 173.3m km Resolution 100
Harpoon Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (36) Speed: 36 400 km/s End: 79.1m Range: 172.9m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 133/80/40
Raytheon Lynx II Active Search Sensor MR3-R1 (1) GPS 30 Range 3.2m km MCR 352k km Resolution 1
Raytheon "Clear Sky" Active Search Sensor MR161-R100 (1) GPS 14700 Range 161.7m km Resolution 100
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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Those PDCs will require an horde of construction brigades to assemble! But it's certainly fearsome.
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January 14, 2058
In 2058 the Republic suffered its most significant starship loss while combating a previously undiscovered Ancient Guardian force, and also endured its longest battle. The opening moves of this fight occurred when the high-endurance frigate Oracle, 3rd in the Farsight-class, entered the Wolf 636 system while on its maiden voyage. Shortly after entering the system, the Oracle detected the largest concentration of Ancient Guardian forces yet encountered. This appeared to include two corvette-sized ships, two major destroyer equivalents, and two planetary defense installations.
(https://i.imgur.com/HD24IEL.png?1)
Demonstrating extreme overconfidence in his new warship's abilities, Captain Fabian Giacomini attempted to pick off one of the smaller Ancient Guardian ships rather than immediately withdraw. Unfortunately, a formidable anti-ship barrage intercepted the Oracle while its own missiles were still enroute.
(https://i.imgur.com/SexovTJ.png?1)
The Oracle was only able to shoot down 3 missiles with its point defense, but to its credit, the frigate was able to sustain 23 size-12 missile strikes before finally losing structural integrity. The Oracle's survey craft, launched just moments before the ship's destruction, picked up 93 surviving crewmembers before withdrawing to the Gliese 673 system. Captain Giacomini was not among the survivors.
(https://i.imgur.com/RwutAjM.png?1)
Despite the destruction of the ship, the Oracle's new Harpoon missiles continued to home in on their target, and managed to inflict some damage, including an apparent engine hit.
(https://i.imgur.com/zclvjOq.png?1)
Lacking the range to make way to the nearest outpost, the Oracle's survivors endured highly unpleasant conditions for nearly ten weeks until the Farsight-class frigate Stargazer arrived to pick them up. The Stargazer then posted at the Wolf 636 jumpgate, awaiting the arrival of the Fleet.
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June 23, 2058: The Battle of Wolf 636
Space Command estimated that such a large collection of Ancient Guardian firepower meant that there must be an equally valuable prize to be found on Wolf 636-A III. Deployment of the Fleet was delayed somewhat as some of the Fleet's major combatants were still completing upgrades. By June 22, however, the gathered units included:
6 Luna-class destroyers
4 Moray-class frigates
2 Farsight-class frigates
6 Broadsword-class corvettes
12 Akizuki-class missile boats
4 Red Oak Victory-class fleet support vessels
1 Ropucha-class dropship
1 Nakhimov-class command boat
2 Mercy-class medical boats
3 Outrider-class fleet scouts
8 Starhawk fighters
8 Starhawk Mk Ib fighters
2 Luyang-class tankers
5 Condor-class salvaging ships
The Fleet announces its arrival by unleasing a massive volley at the planetary installations on Wolf 636-A III.
(https://i.imgur.com/srpoPFc.png?1)
The Fleet's anti-missile screen remains effective, but occasionally a few warheads manage to slip through. The Luna and the Callisto both take some hits, but remain fully operational.
(https://i.imgur.com/E31buPx.png?2)
(https://i.imgur.com/bamI83O.png?1)
The installation at Wolf 636-A III is proving to be extremely proficient at shooting down our missiles. Over 600 of our first-wave Javelin missiles are intercepted, and not one of them gets through. The planetary bases remain untouched. The only bright spot is that the smaller Nyryat-class ship, previously damaged by the Oracle, now seems to be mostly disabled.
Since this single expenditure of missiles represents over a years' worth of production, it is a blow to the Fleet's fighting capacity nearly as signficant as the loss of a ship.
(https://i.imgur.com/9008NH9.png?1)
Undaunted, and knowing that the fleet colliers still have ammunition available nearby, Admiral Conway directs the Luna-class destroyers to empty their magazines at the defense installations. Soon enough, this strategy pays off; it appears that the Ancient Guardian bases expended most of their anti-missile capacity shooting down the first large wave.
(https://i.imgur.com/cOo53Vt.png?1)
A few minutes later both installations have been destroyed, but with only a few missiles to spare.
(https://i.imgur.com/otuMG5Y.png?2)
Despite the destruction of these bases, the two large Ancient Guardian Matsilo-class destroyers have replenished their magazines from somewhere, and have resumed firing. The Callisto, Calypso, and Ariel are hit 3-5 times each by strength 12 warheads. Thanks in part to the ships' upgraded armor and shielding, no casualties are reported. However, if not for the excellent point defense being provided by the Fleet's Starhawk fighters, this damage would certainly have been much worse.
(http://i.imgur.com/NW7YusL.png?1) (https://imgur.com/NW7YusL)
Having been reloaded by the its support ships, the Fleet resumes firing at the two Matsilo destroyers. Both hostiles are destroyed during an apparent attempt to reload on one of the system's planets. The Mamba-class fast attack corvette has also been eliminated.
(https://i.imgur.com/LVHiCMB.png?1)
An Ancient Guardian Nyryat-class corvette is the sole remaining hostile. The dropship Ropucha is directed to seize this vessel. The Ancient Guardian AIs appear to be attempting repairs, so a single Starhawk is dispatched to fire a few rounds into the ship each time it starts moving. This boarding action is successful, and the 113th Marine Battalion takes the battered ship with no casualties. A handful of AI drones are recovered, but they do not respond to communication. Within less than an hour the Marine's engineering team has managed to restore one of the ship's engines. It slowly begins making its way to Earth under assistance from Atlantic Victory and Pacific Victory.
(https://i.imgur.com/SRf1Ewc.png?1)
After a brief battle between the 2nd Mobile Infantry Division and a detachment of robotic warrior drones on Wolf 636-A II, the battle for Wolf 636 is officially over. As the Fleet heads home the Stargazer's survey scouts get to work. A massive number of ruined complexes are discovered on Wolf 636-A III, as well as a Power-Propulsion research center (70%). The world is also discovered to be fairly rich in high-accessibility minerals. A colony mission is dispatched immediately, and additional Xenology and Geology teams are deployed to the world.
(https://i.imgur.com/vQYzgDz.png?1)
-
The first capture of an intact Ancient Guardian ship represents the most important technological find since the discovery of the ruins at Corronis. Formerly designated by Space Command as the Nyryat-class, it appears that the Ancient Guardians referred to this type of ship as the Reaper-class jump destroyer (although it would be classified as a large corvette by Republic standards). Alluding to its name this ship contains a very odd piece of technology, a quantum-based Jump Drive. Why the Ancient Guardians would need such a piece of technology is unknown, since nearly all known jump points are highly stable and thus can be traversed without the use of this device. Perhaps the Ancient Guardians existed in a time when this ease of travel was not yet known.
This mystery aside, analysis of the ship captured at Wolf 636 has confirmed many of our other assumptions about Ancient Guardian technology. The vessel uses a quartet of small but very advanced Magnetic Confinement Fusion Drive thrusters, giving it modest speed. These engines remain considerably more advanced than the Republic's current generation of Internal Confinement Fusion Drives. The Reaper's armor protection is also modest, and as a result the ship seems to rely heavily on its highly advanced sensors and ECM/ECCM gear. This particular class is a laser gunboat. The five absurdly large 30cm lasers are considerably more advanced and far more powerful than anything the Republic is currently capable of producing. Indeed, a single combined volley from these weapons would severely damage any ship in the Republic's inventory. However, like all other Ancient Guardian ships, this design lacks energy shielding. It is unknown why the Ancient Guardians did not utilize this technology.
The interior of this ship was clearly designed for a living crew, and its arrangement follows a pattern not unlike our own: Bridge, engineering areas, living quarters, etcetera. However the ship's only occupants were a handful of AI repair drones. Inside and out the ship presents a well-maintained, but extremely well-worn appearance. It is likely hundreds of years old, if not more.
Upon arrival at Earth the Reaper will be broken down and studied for further analysis.
Reaper-J class Jump Destroyer 8 300 tons 275 Crew 2402 BP TCS 166 TH 800 EM 0
4819 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-36 Shields 0-0 Sensors 18/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 3 PPV 45
Maint Life 2 Years MSP 543 AFR 183% IFR 2.6% 1YR 182 5YR 2724 Max Repair 252 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Spare Berths 0
J8500(3-50) Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 8500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
200 EP Magnetic Fusion Drive (4) Power 200 Fuel Use 46% Signature 200 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 600 000 Litres Range 28.3 billion km (67 days at full power)
30cm C6 Soft X-ray Laser (5) Range 384 000km TS: 6250 km/s Power 24-6 RM 6 ROF 20 24 24 24 24 24 24 20 18 16 14
CIWS-250 (1x2) Range 1000 km TS: 25000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Fire Control S02 192-6250 (1) Max Range: 384 000 km TS: 6250 km/s 97 95 92 90 87 84 82 79 77 74
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (3) Total Power Output 30 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Active Search Sensor MR432-R91 (1) GPS 22932 Range 432.7m km Resolution 91
Thermal Sensor TH1-18 (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 18m km
ECCM-3 (1) ECM 30
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Ropucha-class dropship was designed solely to conduct boarding actions against hostile ships. Over the years the Fleet has occasionally disabled Ancient Guardian ships, but was unable to capture them because no mechanism to board them was available. The tiny Ropucha fills this need by using its great speed to overtake crippled ships before delivering an entire battalion of Star Marines. The first deployment of the Ropucha was during the battle of Wolf 636, when it successfully deployed the 113th Marine Battalion onto a Reaper-class vessel, which resulted in that ship's capture.
The Ropucha relies mainly on its speed and small size to avoid enemy fire, but it also has enough armor to take a few hits if necessary. The Ropucha has no weaponry other than the Marines it carries.
Ropucha class Dropship 2 500 tons 40 Crew 484 BP TCS 50 TH 140 EM 0
8000 km/s Armour 5-16 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0.38 Years MSP 60 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 159 5YR 2381 Max Repair 280 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Spare Berths 1
Drop Capacity: 1 Battalion Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
General Dynamics 400 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 400 Fuel Use 21.47% Signature 140 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 90 000 Litres Range 30.2 billion km (43 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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Just wanted to pop in and say this is fantastic. I've just started playing Aurora and your level of skill is well beyond what I'm capable of (and I say this as someone who loves hardcore strategy). But I'm even more impressed by your writing - anyone who's sufficiently OCD can play Aurora and do an AAR - I built these ships, I mined these asteroids, etc. Yours is the only AAR I've seen on here that's really great at combining gameplay and storytelling. I'm actually enjoying reading about the fledgling Republic's efforts to build a fleet, its first battle (a bit overkill, but better safe than sorry, and still thrilling), the Prime Minister's death, the drama. I'd love to read anything else you've written.
Also - if anyone can point me to other fiction of comparable quality, I'll check that out.
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Yeah, this is honestly one of the best AARs I've seen, and I've read a few. I hope you end up doing one for C#!
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Thank you both; I consider myself a passable writer at best so this is generous feedback. Most of the story-writing I've ever done has been in small chunks and not for public viewing (such as backstory for a Rogue Trader RPG character here, or a unit history for a Warhammer 40k Imperial Guard unit there). Most of what I have written in public recently is in my post history here in the Aurora forums. Years ago I did submit a AAR for the 4x game Distant Worlds, over on the Matrix Games forums. To my surprise it ended up being one of the most viewed AARs on that forum, and can be found here: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2757007&mpage=1&key=&
In terms of pointing you toward Aurora fiction that has been updated recently, there is Steve's fiction of course, and his Suns Never Set campaign. Steve's Solarian Empires campaign was also fun to read. Kurt's Corporate Federation campaign is also quite outstanding. Unlike my Republic which has been lucky enough to have time to grow, Kurt's Corporate Federation finds itself in a brutal death-match almost from the beginning. Definitely worth a look.
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Ive had a blast reading this AAR! I hope to get better at this kind of writing.
Keep going man!
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September-December, 2058
The closing months of 2058 are witness to several important events.
In September, a stellar anomaly is discovered in the Mu Herculis system, two jumps away from Wolf 636. Republic scientists believe that the unusual stellar radiation at Mu Herculis-A I can be used to enhance research in sensor and fire control systems (90%). Unfortunately, Mu Herculis-A I is a dead planet bereft of resources, and survey efforts have yielded only a few mediocre mining sites. However, the system's primary star is joined by two additional red dwarves orbiting around each other at a distance of 40 billion kilometers from the primary; these two dwarves do have a number of additional planets and asteroids orbiting them. The frigate Stargazer has been dispatched to assess the potential of these distant bodies for remote mining sites. Even if this expedition is unsuccessful the Republic will eventually settle Mu Herculis-A I anyway, but that effort is not likely to occur for at least a year or two unless additional resources are found in the system.
In October and December, respectively, continued terraforming efforts caused the ice sheets of Horizon and Cerberus to melt. Both worlds are now cool, pleasant environments dominated by vast oceans (Horizon 97% hydrosphere, Cerberus 89% hydrosphere). Unfortunately this environmental change also caused significant unemployment as the vast indoor environmental and agricultural infrastructures are no longer strictly necessary. The Gaia terraformer fleet has been dispatched to Corronis, while Horizon's ground-based terraforming facitilies will be transferred to Outback.
On December 20 the Reaper-J 003 was scrapped at Earth. For just a moment in history the fully repaired Reaper was the first 100% functional Ancient Guardian ship in the Republic's inventory. After the ship was broken up its components were analyzed in detail. These efforts yielded a treasure trove of research data.
(https://i.imgur.com/AxfjjWf.png?1)
The partially intact colony at Wolf 636-A III has been analyzed. The civilization there called itself the Kar Komak Aristocracy. Although the Kar possessed a rudimentary knowledge of Trans-Newtonian technology, there is evidence to suggest that they were associated with the Corronians, as well as several other races. Our Xenologists are beginning to believe that the true face of the Ancient Guardians consisted of not just one species, but many different races bound together in some form of federation. The colony is renamed Kar Komak in recognition of the race that once lived there.
(https://i.imgur.com/ktFIxOO.png?1)
For the last eight years the construction brigades on Corronis have continued to excavate the ruins there. Most of their findings have consisted of salvageable installations, along with occasional deposits of fuel, minerals, or precious metals. Occasionally, however, a technological insight is uncovered, such as what led to last year's great leap in terraforming technology. On December 30, the 85th Contruction Brigade uncovered the formula for Laminate Composite armor. This new armor formula is even lighter and stronger than the Ceramic Composite armor that was recently introduced to the Fleet. Any new starship designs that enter service in the future will make use of this armor.
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KNOWN SPACE: 2059
(https://i.imgur.com/BiqZ1Br.png?1)
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Just a quick out-of-character update. I've belatedly noticed that the world of Mu Herculis-A I, with its wonderful 90% Sensor/Fire Control research anomaly, is a wannabe Venus with a surface temp of nearly 950 C. Fortunately, there are only nine atmospheres of pressure, so terraforming here is still feasible... eventually.
Unfortunately, because of its environment, lack of resources, and because it's so far from anywhere else, it will be some time before this world will be colonized and become useful.
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May-July, 2059
All deposits of Boronide on Earth have been exhausted, and the remaining deposits of Boronide elsewhere in the Sol system are highly limited. Even so, this is not considered a serious issue. Vast, highly accessible deposits can still be found on Outback (and eventually, Kar Komak).
GJ 1230 is one of the many systems linked to Struve 2398. Planetary survey of GJ 1230-A II has revealed a small abandoned outpost that once supported a biogenetics research facility (60%). This world also has plentiful deposits of most T-N minerals, so it is marked for colonization.
The Condor salvage squadron has returned to Earth. Further analysis of alien components salvaged from the battle at Wolf 636 has flooded the research facilities with vast amounts of data.
(https://i.imgur.com/1Tkd9LY.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZssjWMC.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/HrMfLb6.png?1)
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July 5, 2059
Central Command
London, Earth
Less than a century ago it would have been impossible to conceive of a scenario in which a 27-year-old Hindu woman from Mumbai had become the effective leader of all humankind.
These were far from ordinary times, however.
Shapa Akkineni looked like a child behind the huge, ornate hardwood desk in the First Minister's office, especially when compared to the tall, steel-eyed admiral sitting across from her.
Admiral Conway knew better than anyone that such appearances could be deceiving.
"Thank you for coming, Admiral," said the young First Minister with a polite smile. "I regret that I have not personally been able to thank you for your service at Wolf 636 until now. I understand little of military theory. What I do understand is that once again you returned all our boys and girls home without a single casualty. Amazing, if I may say so."
"I appreciate your kind words, First Minister," said Admiral Conway. "I cannot take the credit. I have incredible people working alongside me, and that makes all the difference."
"Yes, of course." The First Minister smiled again, then her face took a serious tone. "Admiral, I regret ending your leave of absence prematurely, but the Council has authorized the Fleet to undertake another mission."
"I see. May I assume that you are referring to The Boneyard?"
"Yes," the First Minister replied gravely. "You may. As you know, the Technologists have a great deal of leverage these days when it comes to political matters. It seems that your success in recovering technology from Wolf 636 has awakened their desire for more. Admiral, our researchers are on the verge of a number of military breakthroughs that would make our current technologies, new as they are, seem quaint. Another haul like the one we just had could make all the difference. And there is... one other thing."
Admiral Conway considered that for a moment. "So it's true. The Council is finally getting worried."
"Very insightful, Admiral. Yes, that is so. We have charted hundreds of worlds. With only a few exceptions, nearly all the best colonization candidates exhibit signs of severe orbital bombardment that occurred about 800 years ago. This is a pattern that no learned person can ignore. And for all their other faults, the Council is full of learned people. We still don't have any idea who destroyed the Ancient Guardians. Only that someone did. And if there was some kind of trigger for that event, the day is not far off when our civilization will be at the same level that theirs was when it fell. We should have listened to you. We should have listened to Edward while he was still alive. For years, he tried to warn us. "
The mention of Edward's name caused a momentary pang of regret in Admiral Conway's chest. She pushed it away. "We'll need ships. Lots of them. Larger and much more capable than what we have now. Much larger."
The First Minister nodded. "Then we agree. Admiral, I need you to understand that for the short term, our production rates will be less than ideal. We simply don't have enough infrastructure, manpower, or raw resources to go around. But that doesn't mean that we can't get started while those areas gear up." She paused. "Your immediate task is to take the Fleet to Hussey 644 and destroy whatever hostiles you find there. Recover their secrets and come back safely once again. In the meantime, I'm giving you some light reading material for your journey." The First Minister smiled again as she slid a dataslate across the table. "Take a look. Let us know what you think. By the time you retire in seven or eight years, we'd like to have a few of each of these in service... and to have doubled the Fleet in size, if we can manage it. Mind you, these are just design proposals. We'd like to see what you bring back before starting actual production."
Admiral Conway picked up the slate and regarded the data it contained. The first proposal looked promising as a pure support ship, but the second one...
For the first time in the meeting, Conway smiled. "Yes, First Minister. That will do."
Nautilus class Missile Boat 3 500 tons 81 Crew 850.5 BP TCS 70 TH 140 EM 0
5714 km/s Armour 5-20 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 2 PPV 4
Maint Life 2.74 Years MSP 342 AFR 43% IFR 0.6% 1YR 66 5YR 983 Max Repair 280 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 2
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons Magazine 72
General Dynamics 400 EP Internal Fusion Drive (1) Power 400 Fuel Use 21.47% Signature 140 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 270 000 Litres Range 64.7 billion km (130 days at full power)
Raytheon RL 3 Size 1 Missile Launcher (4) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Raytheon "Bullseye II" Missile Fire Control FC24-R1 (1) Range 24.2m km Resolution 1
Flash Size 1 Anti-missile Missile (124) Speed: 52 500 km/s End: 7.9m Range: 24.9m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 192/115/57
Raytheon "UV" Active Search Sensor MR23-R1 (1) GPS 210 Range 23.1m km MCR 2.5m km Resolution 1
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
Mars class Cruiser 43 400 tons 967 Crew 8955.4 BP TCS 868 TH 1680 EM 1200
5529 km/s Armour 15-110 Shields 40-300 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 35 PPV 142
Maint Life 1.49 Years MSP 3224 AFR 602% IFR 8.4% 1YR 1624 5YR 24354 Max Repair 560 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 23
Flag Bridge Hangar Deck Capacity 1000 tons Magazine 1496 Tractor Beam
General Dynamics 800 EP Internal Fusion Drive (6) Power 800 Fuel Use 14.31% Signature 280 Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 2 250 000 Litres Range 65.2 billion km (136 days at full power)
Freeman Megacorp 2 Gigawatt Gamma R300/240 Shields (20) Total Fuel Cost 200 Litres per hour (4 800 per day)
General Dynamics 15cm C6 Ultraviolet Laser (4) Range 240 000km TS: 5529 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 2 2
Bofors AB 12cm Railgun V3/C6 (4x4) Range 60 000km TS: 5529 km/s Power 6-6 RM 3 ROF 5 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB 12cm Fire Control S02 64-6000 (1) Max Range: 128 000 km TS: 6000 km/s 92 84 77 69 61 53 45 37 30 22
Raytheon 15cm Fire Control S04 128-6000 (1) Max Range: 256 000 km TS: 6000 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
General Dynamics "Terrible Twenty Four" Tokamak Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (2) Total Power Output 48 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Raytheon RL 3 Size 1 Missile Launcher (6) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Raytheon RL 5 Size 20 Torpedo Launcher (50% Reduction) (4) Missile Size 20 Rate of Fire 600
Raytheon RL 4 Size 5 Missile Launcher (12) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 40
Raytheon "Longbow" Missile Fire Control FC173-R100 (1) Range 173.3m km Resolution 100
Raytheon "Bullseye II" Missile Fire Control FC24-R1 (2) Range 24.2m km Resolution 1
Harpoon Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (228) Speed: 36 400 km/s End: 79.1m Range: 172.9m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 133/80/40
Flash Size 1 Anti-missile Missile (116) Speed: 52 500 km/s End: 7.9m Range: 24.9m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 192/115/57
Sunstrike Size 20 Torpedo (12) Speed: 35 000 km/s End: 12m Range: 25.1m km WH: 36 Size: 20 TH: 128/77/38
Raytheon "UV" Active Search Sensor MR23-R1 (1) GPS 210 Range 23.1m km MCR 2.5m km Resolution 1
Raytheon "Clear Sky" Active Search Sensor MR161-R100 (1) GPS 14700 Range 161.7m km Resolution 100
ECCM-2 (1) ECM 20
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
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August 15, 2059
The Fleet gathers prior to entering Hussey 644, aka "The Boneyard."
(https://i.imgur.com/TtLNXRK.png?1)
The warships of the Fleet enter the system, accompanied by 3 Starhawk squadrons. As the Fleet moves into the system no contact is made for nearly 24 hours. But suddenly, nearly the entire Ancient Guardian force is detected at once...
(https://i.imgur.com/XoCT04n.png?1)
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August 15, 2059
The Battle at the Boneyard
The ships of the Ancient Guardians are significantly more technologically advanced than those of the Republic. However, the ancient drone-ships suffer from a number of serious design flaws that the Fleet has learned to exploit. Firstly, their sensor and fire control systems are often not well matched to each other, harming the drones' overall efficiency in target acquisition. Secondly, their missile systems, while formidable, tend to have moderate range at best. Thirdly, aside from their dedicated missile-defense ships, most Ancient Guardian drones have little or no integral point defense. Fourthly and most importantly, the Republic has closed the gap in propulsion tech to the point that most Republic warships are now much faster than their Ancient Guardian counterparts, even though Republic drives remain less advanced.
Admiral Conway uses these factors to full advantage over the course of a running battle lasting an entire week. In the opening hours the Fleet matches the speed of the enemy units while also making its way back to the jump point. The Ancient Guardian drones, due to their limited programming, predictably pursue. Each of the closer, isolated drones are granted a barrage of the new Harpoon missiles fired from maximum acquistion range (approximately 121 million kilometers, due to ECM). The Custer-class (formerly Mamba) fast corvette is destroyed first, followed in quick succession by two Reaper-J's, a FAC-killer-J, a Fighter-Killer-J, and a Msl-Sentinel-J.
(https://i.imgur.com/CbREDvz.png?1)
In most cases, every Harpoon missile that can engage its target successfully does so. In contrast to the older Javelin ASMs, very few Harpoons are lost due to misses.
(https://i.imgur.com/REm6rC5.png?1)
Shortly after the Ancient Guardian vanguard ships are destroyed, a pair of 16,600 ton destroyers are detected a few light-minutes behind their missile ships. This Bardiche is a new class, and we have zero intelligence on what weaponry they may have.
(https://i.imgur.com/imAyvpN.png?1)
Admiral Conway orders the Fleet's Luna-class destroyers to empty their magazines at the Ancient Guardian anti-missile ships. At first, not one Harpoon is able to penetrate the anti-missile screen...
(https://i.imgur.com/Cyjd23M.png?1)
The enemy's supply of anti-missile warheads seems to have exhausted at the very moment the Fleet's last salvo of Harpoon missiles were homing in. The larger anti-missile destroyer goes up in flames.
(https://i.imgur.com/PMU1aQx.png?1)
The Fleet increases speed to outpace the Ancient Guardian ships and withdraws so that the Luna destroyers can reload from the colliers waiting on the other side of the jumpgate. Unfortunately, no additional Harpoon missiles are available. All reloads consist of the older Javelin missiles.
Contact is lost with the Ancient Guardian ships as the Fleet outpaces them.
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August 19, 2059
The Battle at the Boneyard, part 2
The Fleet once again pushes in-system, only much further this time. Sensors finally detect all remaining Ancient Guardian ships in orbit of their base at Hussey 644-B II. Presumably, they rallied there to rearm.
(https://i.imgur.com/KKIjZCM.png?1)
The Fleet engages the enemy with full force. The Missile Boat squadron targets the planetary defense bases, while the Luna destroyers designate 2-3 volleys toward each remaining Ancient Guardian ship. Based on past experience most of the Javelin missiles will probably be shot down, but this is now a battle of missile attrition. The Fleet once again empties its magazines, sending 1,332 Javelin missiles downrange.
(https://i.imgur.com/YFad0fO.png?1)
As before a grievous number of Javelin missiles are shot down: first dozens, and then hundreds. The big missile blob fired from the missile boat squadron takes the brunt of the damage.
(https://i.imgur.com/BuA5Dwu.png?1)
Despite this tally the Ancient Guardian ships once again run out of anti-missile warheads, only this time, several waves of Javelin missiles are still homing in on them. The outcome is inevitable.
(https://i.imgur.com/7p8Hh5E.png?1)
The Bardiche-class destroyers seem to have decent point defense capability, but this is of little benefit when the ships are being struck by huge volleys out in the open. They too fall. In short order all remaining Ancient Guardian warships have been destroyed.
(https://i.imgur.com/LoY9yoA.png?1)
The Fleet withdraws to the jump point a second time to reload. This time, only the Luna destroyers are topped off. The Ancient Guardian planetary bases expended a significant number of missiles shooting down the remaining missiles from the missile boat squadron's alpha strike wave. Admiral Conway correctly guesses that a final sustained barrage from the Luna destroyers should be enough to finish the the bases off. The Ancient Guardian bases are tough and they are capable of shooting down a considerable number of missiles even after their AMM stocks run out. Even so, the swarms of Javelin missiles overcome them too.
(https://i.imgur.com/uGEiPv3.png?1)
With both planetary bases destroyed, the Battle of the Boneyard ends on August 22, 2059. Hussey 644 has truly earned its nickname. A total of 20 wrecks litter the system. The salvage squadron immediately gets to work; it will take months to collect all the wrecks. The frigate Discovery arrives a few days after the Fleet has departed and gets to work mapping the system. Hussey 644-B II is found to be home to yet another abandoned, partially intact colony, and an incredible 100% Power/Propulsion research center. Like most Ancient Guardian worlds the planet boasts rich mineral deposits, but the cool environment and thin atmosphere are clear signs that this world was subjected to severe planetary bombardment.
Although the Fleet has once again suffered no loss in life or ships, a total of 3,138 missiles were expended, representing over five years' worth of production. Most of these were obsolete Javelin ASMs, but also expended were nearly the entire stock of Harpoon ASMs. There are now only some 3,000 size 5 missiles remaining in the strategic reserve on Earth, and only 135 of these are the new Harpoons. Hopes remain high that this expenditure of firepower will be worth the effort in the long run, but for now it will be at least another year before the Fleet can even consider another major operation.
(https://i.imgur.com/Igp4sTZ.png?1)
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That missile expenditure issue is why I have moved away from long ranged missiles. I maintain a few volleys worth on my missile ships for the purpose of taking out scouts or shooting fast bombers that would otherwise escape out of range, but primarily I resort to using beam point defense to deal with enemy missiles.
Then, my missiles only need to take out the enemy beam ships, and my own beam ships can efficiently wipe out the empty missile ships.
If you want a high tempo, you need a strategy that doesn't rely on missiles, especially long ranged missiles, for your kills. My current missiles have a range of about 5 million km. They have heavier warheads as a result, and therefore do more damage per BP of missile.
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Congratulations on the nice victory!
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March 30, 2060
The atmosphere of Corronis has become breathable. Without any oceans, this planet remains barren, cold, and desolate with an average seasonal temperature of -27 C. Still, "cold and desolate" is preferable to "fatal within moments." The amount of population that can be supported by the planet's existing infrastructure has more than doubled (74 infrastructure per million pop). The handful of terraforming installations that have been salvaged from the ruins here will continue to stabilize the environment for years to come. In the meantime, the terraforming fleet has been dispatched to Hussey 644-B II.
While the terraforming ships are en route the ruins at Hussey 644-B II are deciphered. The 188 installations remaining there belonged to the Fresnillo Imperium. Since the Fresnillo were only a TL 1 civilization, it appears that they were a protectorate of the wider Ancient Guardian empire.
Meanwhile the ruins at Corronis are still being unlocked as well. One recent cache contained 47 100 EP Commercial Internal Confinement Fusion Drives, which were immediately scrapped. Another excavation site revealed a cache of 28,000 tons of Duranium. This is nearly triple the amount of stockpiled Duranium that is available on Earth. This amazing find has greatly relieved the Republic's ongoing shortage of Duranium.
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June 19, 2060
Seven jumps away from Earth in the Gliese 588 system, Captain Ajibana Masamura quietly sipped a cup of green tea from the captain's chair of the frigate Farsight. The air of the bridge crew around him was similarly calm, punctuated by an occasional murmur as the bridge officers communicated with their back-end staff teams. Captain Masamura's impeccable silver-on-red uniform displayed citations for the Battle of Alpha Centauri and Pacification of GJ 1207. In both engagements he had commanded the corvette Broadsword with distinction. He even led the Broadsword to a Fang kill at Alpha Centauri in 2052 at a moment when most of the rest of the fleet was struggling to change targets. Afterward he rose quickly to the rank of Captain. In 2054 he was granted command of the destroyer Amalthea, and was briefly in command of the Luna in 2056. in 2057 he was the obvious choice to command the navy's first Farsight-class frigate. While some officers might have viewed that assignment as a downgrade, Masamura knew that the Farsight frigates would be taking on the most dangerous and difficult mission that Space Command had to offer: solo exploration. Fortunately, Masamura was arguably the Republic's most highly skilled mid-level command officer. As he was enjoying his tea's aroma Masamura noticed the shoulders of his tactical officer tense.
"Captain,' the young man said, "the Terrier buoy that we just dropped at the WD 1142 jump point is reporting a hostile transit." The junior officer turned in his seat to face his captain. "Contact's signature is a definite match for an Aggie Fighter-Killer, 8300 tons."
Masamura nodded and set down his cup. "Thank you, Tactical. Sensors, shut down the active array. Helm, full stop. Let's see if he sees us."
A few minutes passed as the Farsight hung in space several hundred million kilometers from the hostile.
"Science," said the captain, "Unless my memory fails me, and it doesn't, WD 1142 appeared to be a most unlikely site for past or present habitation."
"Yes, sir," responded the science officer. "A single red star, four dwarf planets, a pair moons between them, and one comet. No atmospheres on any of the planetary bodies. Far from the profile of a typical Aggie system."
"Captain," the tactical officer spoke again, "The contact just departed the jump point at maximum known thrust. It appears to be heading on a bearing toward this system's 3rd planet."
"Good," responded Masamura. "He knows we're here somewhere, but he's heading in the wrong direction. He can't see us or the buoy tender. Men, we are about to validate the very reason for which this class of ship was constructed. We will keep this system clear. Helm, set a course to bring us to within 200 million kilometers of that Aggie's projected destination. Comms, inform our buoy tender to continue to their destination as planned. Tactical, keep a close eye on that jump point. Sensors and shields remain offline until my order."
(https://i.imgur.com/rXhEkdc.png?1)
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June 21, 2060
Over the next two days the Farsight crawls quietly toward the inner system of Gliese 588. At 200 million kilometers from the system's third planet the Farsight's sensors and shields are brought up. Nothing is detected right away, but three hours later, the Ancient Guardian warship is spotted on sensors. Captain Masamura's guess was correct. Of course, the Ancient Guardian ship now sees Farsight as well.
(https://i.imgur.com/2jfAEBb.png?1)
Masamura knows that most Ancient Guardian ships of this tonnage can sustain 15-21 Javelin-series missile hits before breaking up. Closing to 121 million kilometers, the Farsight launches 5 salvoes of 3 missiles each at the target. As the Ancient Guardian ship was now attempting to pursue, Masamura orders the helmsman to match speed and put the target to stern.
"Good luck catching us, a**hole," mutters the helmsman under his breath.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ds1iFHp.png?1)
All 15 missiles in the first volley hit. The target is damaged, but not destroyed. Masamura then orders 3 more salvoes totaling 9 missiles at the target.
(https://i.imgur.com/wU8DgQY.png?1)
The Ancient Guardian ship stubbornly holds on until the very end. The 8th salvo ignites some kind of detonation and it finally breaks in two. At this sight the Farsight's crew breaks into a rousing cheer. Masamura smiles as his crew has their moment.
Farsight has 12 missiles remaining. The combat over, the victorious ship continues its mission to map Gliese 588's jump points.
(https://i.imgur.com/xVbPN9D.png?1)
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August 8, 2060
The Salvage and Support squadron has returned from Hussey 644 to Earth. The nearly-overflowing holds of the five-ship squadron bear a mountain of recovered data and technology, including:
16,000 research points for Magnetic Confinement Fusion Drive
1,040 research points for Fire Control Speed rating 4000 km/s
2,400 research points for ECM 3
600 research points for Thermal Sensor Sensitivity 14
750 research points for Active Grav Sensor strength 28
4,650 research points for EM Sensor Sensitivity 14
1,440 research points for Magazine Ejection System - 93%
7 Magnetic Confinement Fusion Drives yielding 12,800 points
12 Magnetic Confinement Fusion Reactors yielding 15,750 points
5 ECM-3's yielding 3,600 points
10 ECCM-3's yielding 5,600 points
10 missile fire controls of various types yielding 5,250 points for EM Sensitivity 14 and 3,900 points for Active Grav Sensor Sensitivity 14
1 active search sensor yielding 450 points for EM Sensitivity 14 and 600 points for Active Grav Sensor Sensitivity 14
2 beam fire controls yielding 1,600 points in Fire Control Range 40,000 and 640 points in Fire Control Speed 4000 km/s
19 size 3 and 25 size 1 missile launchers yielding 23,700 points in Launcher Reload Rate 6, completing this technology. 12 remaining launchers are scrapped due to no more research being available.
3 magazines, yielding 1,200 points in Magazine Feed Efficiency 92%, and 640 points in Magazine Ejection System 93%
8 Thermal sensors yielding 3,600 points in Thermal Sensitivity 14
2 EM sensors yielding 1350 points in EM Sensor Sensitivity 14, completing this tech with 900 remaining points applied toward EM Sensitivity 18.
1 complete twin 10cm C6 Soft X-ray laser turret yielding 160 points for Far Ultraviolet Laser and 400 points for Turret Tracking Speed 5000 km/s (rather disappointing).
1 CIWS-250 yielding 400 points in Turret Tracking Speed 5000 km/s, 480 points in Beam Fire Control Range 40,000, 400 points in Fire Control Speed Rating 4000 km/s, 450 points for Active Grav Sensor Strength 28, 240 points for Turret Tracking Speed 5000 km/s, and 1,000 points for ECM 3.
3047 Duranium
214 Neutronium
242 Corbomite
1203 Tritanium
1284 Boronide
447 Mercassium
11 Vendarite
177 Sorium
3745 Uridium
1106 Corundium
2539 Gallicite
The entire scientific community on Earth erupts in celebration over the vast advancements brought about by these discoveries. Aside from the techs that were advanced to the next level immediately, several more now stand within close range of completion.
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Yeah that's a nice haul.
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I really enjoy the little fight with the fighter killer, Aurora doesn't encourage independent action a lot and in AARs it usually gets glossed over. Your play be play was very entertaining, reminds me of the better parts of Honor Harrington.
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KNOWN SPACE: 2061
(https://i.imgur.com/8sJ9PGR.png?1)
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April 10, 2061
The atmosphere on Fresnillo in the Hussey 644 system has become breathable and pleasantly cool. This prompts a colony rush that increases the world from 11,000 colonists to nearly ten million in the space of six months. The terraforming fleet will make the long journey to Kar Komak in Wolf 636 next, to be tentatively followed by the site of the Stellar Anomaly in Mu Herculis.
Far out on the coreward frontier, a perfectly habitable planet has been detected in the newly discovered Gliese 745 system. Unfortunately, Gliese 745-B II's position around the system's secondary star puts it nearly 140 billion kilometers from the inner system. On the offhand chance that the planet might contain ruins or even a living civilization, the Pathfinder Henry Hudson is dispatched to investigate. However, even the famously long-legged Pathfinder lacks the range to make a complete return trip. A tanker will have to meet it on the way back.
Because this world is so far from the system's jumpgate most ships would run out of fuel before they got even halfway there. As such, colonization does not seem strategically feasible.
(https://i.imgur.com/XvfAkdK.png?1)
The amount of relative distance moved after a 5-day increment:
(https://i.imgur.com/OQxRpsf.png?1)
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June 25, 2061
The single Ancient Guardian Fighter-Killer that had entered Gliese 588 from WD 1142-645 turned out to be an anomaly. In the weeks following that encounter, the Farsight quietly and carefully entered 1142-645 in order to perform a close-range scan of each of that system's bodies. All that it found was a single small automated outpost on the system's second planet. No further ships were detected.
Captain Masamura was then directed to take the Farsight to the Lacaille 8760 jumpgate in Luyten 347-14, to rendezvous with the 1st Fleet. The Stargazer had detected some Ancient Guardian ships in Lacaille 8760 some months earlier, and had barely escaped through the jump point ahead of a swarm of missiles fired from a flotilla of Pegasus-class attack boats.
As the 1st Fleet pulled into formation alongside his ship, they were close enough to be seen without magnification. Captain Masamura could not help but stare at the cruiser dwarfing all the other ships in the formation. "My god, that's a big girl," he whispered quietly to himself.
On the flag bridge of the cruiser Mars, Admiral Conway felt a sense of long-delayed satisfaction. Here, at last, was a ship that could take anything the universe could throw at it. Nor could she deny that she had hated commanding from the Nakhimov, skulking in the back like a ghost. Damn the practicality of it, it just didn't feel right. Riding a 43,000 ton beast into battle? Yes, this was much better.
For this operation the Fleet had brought along the Mars and three new Nautilus-class missile boats, but had left the Akizuki-class missile boats, the fighters, and the slower fleet support vessels back at home.
Lacaille 8760 was quickly cleared. The Mars sustained about a dozen missile hits, but easily shrugged them off.
(https://i.imgur.com/xwzcmFP.png?1)
A few weeks later the Fleet was clearing the AD Leonis system. A few more ships opposed the Fleet than at Lacaille 8760, but they were disposed of just the same.
(https://i.imgur.com/KJwOg5z.png?1)
WD 1142-645, AD Leonis, and Lacaille 8760 were now open for salvage and exploration. Furthermore, the debut of the Mars-class cruiser had proven to be successful. It had easily soaked up a light battering that would have destroyed a lesser vessel. Its self-defense anti-missile missiles had proven to be fairly effective. Furthermore its powerful secondary missile targeting systems had been very useful in allowing it to acquire small ships with size-5 missiles at a distance beyond what other ships were capable of. In the words of Admiral Conway, it was a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, the impending completion of the second ship in the class, the Terra, would leave virtually no trained crewmen in the Republic's pool of available manpower.
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August 25, 2062
The number of systems known to the Republic has gradually expanded. It is now a foregone conclusion that wherever exploration takes humanity, a certain percentage of new systems will be occupied by Ancient Guardian drones. Over the course of the past several months the Fleet, bolstered by its two Mars-class cruisers, has cleared out four systems.
The most significant of these engagements occurred in distant Groombridge 1618, where the frigate Discovery engaged and destroyed a single Ancient Guardian Custer-class ship that was loitering near the Gliese 445 jump point. Notably, once the hostile had been crippled by missiles the Discovery finished it off with guns. Per standard procedure, the Discovery exited the system pending the arrival of the Fleet.
(https://i.imgur.com/nTCJ8PV.png?1)
After the Fleet arrived, it passed through a Lagrange Point linked to Groombridge 1618's inner system. Unfortunately, that transit put it less than 20 million kilometers away from a major Ancient Guardian naval base. Sensors immediately detected three destroyer-sized ships, a beam defense base, and a missile defense base. The Fleet was already well within the hostile missile base's known firing envelope. Most worryingly, in order to cover the most space as quickly as possible, the Fleet's support ships had been left behind. No Starhawks were accompanying the Fleet on this mission.
(https://i.imgur.com/HrVkbxy.png?1)
Over the next several minutes the Ancient Guardian missile base and at least one other ship flung wave after wave of anti-missile volleys at the Fleet. While a single Size 1 anti-missile warhead is no threat to any ship, several hundred of them can sandblast the toughest ship into oblivion. As the enemy missile swarms entered detection range, the Fleet sent its own anti-missiles out to intercept them.
(https://i.imgur.com/v9WB9Le.png?1)
Wave after wave of missiles crashed into the Fleet. While most of these were shot down by anti-missiles or by the Fleet's own guns, significant numbers of them were getting through. The Strength-40 shields of the Mars held up... for a time.
(https://i.imgur.com/ax7unXB.png?1)
As the Fleet was getting pelted, its own missiles were homing in on the Ancient Guardian ships and bases.
(https://i.imgur.com/lalNXPF.png?1)
The Ancient Guardian missile barrages finally petered out just before the Fleet's Moray-class frigates ran out of ammo. The Flash anti-missile warheads had proven to be reasonably successful, with a 20% hit rate against the AG anti-missiles.
Without an anti-missile screen, the AG bases and ships were swiftly eliminated.
(https://i.imgur.com/wWAQSut.png?1)
Although the Fleet didn't lose any ships, it was a close run thing. Both cruisers, all six destroyers, and two of the frigates had sustained significant damage. The Terra and the Ariel were hit particularly hard, with the latter escaping destruction by an uncomfortably narrow margin.
(https://i.imgur.com/nvre4DJ.png?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/TiY9M4c.png?1)
In the aftermath of this battle it becomes painfully clear that a dedicated carrier with the range and speed to keep up with the Fleet is needed. In the meantime, the Fleet returned to Earth for repairs and another round of sensor and fire control upgrades.
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October 14, 2062
Twelve years after it was first discovered, the ruins on Corronis in 61-Cygni have finally been fully explored. In addition to the recovery of several valuable technologies, these efforts put many dozens of mines, factories, and other installations back into service. These included 11 Research Facilities, 3 genetic modification facilities, and enough maintenance facilities to accommodate ships up to 17,000 tons. Also recovered were over 36 million liters of fuel, vast amounts of wealth, and tens of thousands of tons worth of minerals. Corronis has taken its place as a major colony and the Republic's most important research center for Logistics/Ground Combat technologies, due to the ancient alien installation present there (100% bonus).
The Pathfinder Henry Hudson has discovered an abandoned city on the distant, isolated earthlike world in the Gliese 745 system. This world was home to a TL3 civilization calling itself the Federal Republic of Lampeter. Despite the 60% power/production research facility located here, it is unlikely that the Republic will ever colonize this world. It would take most civilian vessels over a year to travel from Gliese 745's inner system to its B star, where Lampeter is located. Colonization of this world is simply unfeasible.
Its work done, the Henry Hudson turns around and starts the long journey back in-system.
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August 28, 2063
The atmosphere on Kar Komak has become breathable, albeit just a hint on the cool side (20 infrastructure needed per million pop). The Gaia terraforming fleet departs for The Anomaly in the Mu Herculis system.
The Salvage and Support task group has returned to Earth from Groombridge 1618. Another large haul of data has been recovered, including further advancement toward Magnetic Confinement Fusion Drives, EM Sensor Sensitivity 18, and Thermal Sensor Sensitivity 18.
Meanwhile, the dutiful but utterly antiquated Pathfinder-class exploration ships are finally returning to Earth for the breaker's yard. The crews of these ships include some of the most experienced starmen in the Fleet. This experience is put to good use training a new generation of academy graduates.* The Pathfinder class will be replaced by the new and highly advanced Kepler-class. The Farsight-class frigates, having met with some moderate success, will continue to serve in parallel with the Kepler for now. Once enough Keplers are in service, the remaining Farsights will gradually transition to long-range patrol and first response rather than exploration.
In recognition of her historical significance, Pathfinder herself will not be scrapped. Instead, she will remain in Earth orbit as a living museum, staffed by a rotating crew of academy trainees.
On Earth, in addition to the first two Kepler-class exploration ships, construction also begins on the first two Ark Royal-class light carriers.**
*In game terms, each Pathfinder has a crew of 181. However, it seemed that I was getting considerably more than this added back into my pool of crewmen each time a Pathfinder was scrapped.
**Please note that going forward, new designs will be posted in the corresponding ship thread instead of here.
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August 28, 2063
*In game terms, each Pathfinder has a crew of 181. However, it seemed that I was getting considerably more than this added back into my pool of crewmen each time a Pathfinder was scrapped.
If your crew grade for the ship being scrapped is above the racial crew grade then you get proportionally more equivalents back to the crew pool, if its less for some reason (eg. it was a conscript ship, or you ran out of trained crew when it was built, and it hasn't yet trained up to the racial average) then you get less.
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May 15, 2064
Ancient Guardian bases are occasionally garrisoned by 1-3 battalions of surface combat drones. These formations typically consist of a variety of armored vehicles using articulated legs for propulsion. Like their ships, these Ancient Guardian combat drones are technologically advanced, but their limited programming hinders their effectiveness in combat. Despite facing off against three such battalions, the four battalions of the 108th Assault Infantry Brigade are able to take the supply base at Groombridge 1618-A I with limited casualties.
The aftermath of the ground battle reveals some spoils of war. Firstly, the two ground tracking stations there will also be moved to Groombridge 1618-A II. Secondly, within the supply base is found a cache of nearly 5,300 "Terrible" anti-missile missiles. Because these weapons have proven to be superior to the Republic's own Dart and Flash systems, they are highly regarded. A pair of Fleet Support Vessels are dispatched to deliver these weapons to Earth, increasing the number stockpiled there to 10,484. These weapons form a valuable part of the Republic's missile reserve, especially since most missile production is currently dedicated toward the Harpoon. Incidentally, there are also 1,270 AG "Janse van Rensburg" anti-ship missiles stockpiled on Earth as well. However, these weapons are all size 3, and the Republic does not use a launcher of that type. Because these weapons are known to have a very powerful strength-12 warhead there is some talk of designing a fighter-bomber capable of delivering them, but for now these weapons remain a curiosity.
Meanwhile, the main AG colony on Groombridge 1618-A II has been surveyed by our Xenology team. This world was home to the Kingdom of Pitkin, another primitive TL 1 client-state of the greater Ancient Guardian Empire. Of greater note is the fact that this world was host to an Ancient Guardian Sensor/Fire Control research facility (90%). The discovery of this facility makes renders the terraforming effort at The Anomaly in Mu Herculis rather meaningless, since both worlds provide the same research bonus.
Now known as Pitkin, this world orbits its dim red star at an incredibly close proximity of 32 million kilometers. Despite having an oven-hot average temperature of 67C, this tidally locked world still boasts an earthlike liquid ocean and an atmosphere that could be rehabilitated with just a small amount of terraforming. The terraforming fleet is therefore directed to leave Mu Herculis and make way to Tars Tarkas first (the biology research bonus there can help unlock further terraforming tech). After Tars Tarkas has been terraformed, the terraformers will go to Pitkin.
(https://i.imgur.com/J4PItiO.png?3)
Elsewhere in the Republic, all worlds with a population above 25 million now have some form of local system defense capability. This typically consists either of a fighter base and one or two Starhawk squadrons, a pair of Mellor-class cutters, a Cheyenne Mountain-class missile base, or some combination of these three main elements. Additional types of defensive units are also being evaluated, but for now the colonies are satisfied that they are adequately protected.
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June 24, 2064
Over many years of exploration it had become apparent that the majority of worlds with a habitable biosphere were guarded by some form of Ancient Guardian naval presence. In an effort to avert unnecessary loss of life, and with the Kepler-class exploration ships not yet in common service, it was standard practice to withdraw upon finding such a system until the Fleet could arrive and certify that it was clear.
One such system was SFT 1321, the last system to be logged by the Pathfinder Thor Heyerdahl prior to is decommissioning. This system was five jumps from Sol on the anti-spinward frontier, in an area of space where exploration had been delayed until after 2054 due to the Stalkers that had been preventing travel through Alpha Centauri. This was a binary star system with one potentially habitable planet orbiting the primary orange star, and three more candidates orbiting the distant red dwarf secondary star, some 13 billion kilometers from the primary. The candidate orbiting the primary star was particularly notable, for while it was relatively warm it also had oceans covering just over half of its surface, as well as an intact nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. Per procedure, upon noting the high number of potentially habitable worlds in this system the Thor Heyerdahl dropped a buoy at the jump point on the way out and proceeded on its final journey to Earth. The Fleet arrived at the SFT 1321 jump point in WX Ursae Majoris a few weeks later, on June 24.
Onboard the cruiser Mars, newly promoted Vice-Admiral Sophia Conway stretched her back in her high-g command couch. She grimaced as the effort yielded little relief. She had always been a tall woman, and in a profession dominated by men it certainly hadn't hurt that she rarely had to look upwards at anyone. It hurt now, though. Thought she was still as fit and trim as any highly athletic woman half her age, after a lifetime of demanding military service her back had gotten into the bad habit of constantly reminding her that she was now 58 years old.
Getting old was exceedingly irritating, she thought to herself.
In the command pit of the flag bridge the holotank displayed a timer counting down for the jump to the SFT 1321 system. Over the command net the cool voice of a male crewman accompanied the countdown. After many, many years of tearing apart Ancient Guardian ships Conway was not worried. Even so, as the timer counted down to zero there was a tiny bit of uncertainty that gave rise to a rush of adrenaline. She relished it. If the Aggies had any ships there, she'd dispose of them too, just like all the others before.
"...Three. Two. One. JUMP!"
This feeling never became familiar. Conway's vision warped as the bridge around her turned into a mush of unintelligible shapes. Closing her eyes didn't help. She felt her consciousness being stretched into infinity as Mars was unceremoniously removed from one point in the universe and forced back into existence in another. This single moment seemed to go on forever; no, it HAD been going on forever, and always would be.
And then, it wasn't.
Mars emerged with a flash of light into the SFT 1321 system. Over two dozen more flashes followed as the rest of the task force arrived behind her.
"...jump complete. All ships accounted for," announced the same voice over the net.
A few minutes passed as the ships of the task force recovered and got their bearings. Unexpectedly, one of the other ships hailed Mars. "Command priority. Fleet actual, this is Ark Royal actual. Admiral, we're detecting an EM signature of unprecedented strength emanating from the second planet of this system's primary. Are you seeing this as well?"
"Ark Royal actual, Fleet actual. One moment." Conway's heart soared as she reviewed the data coming in from Mars' own less powerful EM sensor. Could it be? As the Sensor team began to separate the massive amount of noise for her, clear patterns began to emerge. Transmissions. Broadcasts. And was that... music? These were not the long-dead echoes of some ancient race. This was happening now.
"My god," she said.
In that sublime moment she didn't hear the crew cheering around her.
(https://i.imgur.com/TPlKZfB.png?1)
-
10th day of Khar, 1276 G.C.E.
Deep-Space Observatory
Ra Prime
Sub-altern Voq'ox was asleep. This was a dereliction of duty, of course. Dereliction of duty was the very reason that he had been assigned to this post in the first place.
And so, stretched in a comfortable reclining pose at his station, he slept. No one cared, or noticed. His bodysuit's augmitters, mounted just under his mandible, projected a slight burbling sound as he snored.
The long-range passive scanner display blinked. A line of text was appended to the new contact. Attention, unscheduled inbound jump at Gamma Gate.
Voq'ox continued to snore.
The computer cross-checked the incoming signatures against all known friendly and hostile profiles in its database. No known match. This prompted a very loud, insistent alarm to begin bleating. Not even Voq'ox, regarded by his mates as being exceptionally difficult to rouse, could sleep through such a racket. He woke with a start.
"Whu--what? What is it, Sentinel?" He focused his bodysuit's optics on the scanner display. "What is going on?"
"Attention, Sub-altern. I apologize for waking you again." The calm, synthesized comment carried a hint of reproach. "However, it appears that an unidentified fleet has just made transit at the Gamma jump gate."
"What?! Damn you, you infernal machine! This is no time for more of your jokes!"
"I do not jest, Sub-altern. The deep-space array is reporting thirty-nine drive contacts exiting Gamma gate at this very moment. These contacts do not match any known profiles."
Voq'ox shot to his feet. "By the Makers. Sentinel... can... can you attempt to resolve these contacts?"
"I already have, Sub-altern. The contacts are consistent with military signatures, but are not, as I mentioned, consistent with any signatures previously known to the Union. I estimate the largest units to displace over 40,000 kilomarks each. I further estimate total displacement of all observed units to be over 700,000 kilomarks. Do you wish to alert Altern Vaar'eil?"
Voq'ox felt himself gripped by icy vertigo. With trembling digits he reviewed the estimated profiles of the unknown ships. They were powerful. Far too powerful and too numerous to stand against. His mind raced. Aliens? They must be. Where had they come from? There was only one answer. They had come from beyond the system of Parallax, home of the Devourers. Clearly, they had destroyed the Devourers and ventured forth, toward Ra. Now they were here. This was not a scouting force. It was a warfleet designed to scour systems clean. The handful of ships and defense bases orbiting Ra would not be enough. The homeworld would die today.
"Sub-altern?"
Voq'ox said nothing. The room spun around him.
"Sub-altern?"
"Damn you, Sentinel. Do you not perceive with your own processors? Yes, summon Altern Vaar'eil. But unless the Makers deliver us a miracle, this is the end of everything."
"But Sub-altern, the vessels have all come to a dead stop. The largest one also appears to be hailing us."
-
May 3, 2064
Terran Republic Cruiser Mars
Vice Admiral Conway felt more excited than she had in years as the shuttle bay beyond the airlock pressurized. This was the Fleet's moment. It was humanity's moment. Soon, she and her team would meet face-to-face with the inhabitants of another civilization.
She turned to the cluster of officers nearby, resplendent in their red and silver dress uniforms. Lieutenant Commander Ino Fuyuuji, her communications officer, appeared to be reciting a prayer to himself. Her loyal and long-serving communications officer, Captain Christopher Butler, regarded her with a nod and a confident smile. Her intelligence officer, young Bai Wing Wan, was developing beads of sweat on his face despite his stony expression. Also present was stern-faced Commodore Ajibana Masamura, commander of the Mars. Behind them were a pair of public relations techs, working a set of camera-drones. Behind them were a half dozen fully armed and armored Marines.
In a glaring oversight, and despite Conway's objections, no Xenos officer had been assigned to the Fleet when it had departed Earth several weeks ago. Therefore, the responsibility of first contact fell to the Admiral herself.
The airlock hissed. A green light indicated pressurization. "Ladies and gentlemen, words fail to capture the importance of these next few minutes. Whatever happens, I trust that no one here will tarnish the Fleet's honor by fainting." The group laughed, but they knew she meant it too. "Now if you will all follow me and take your places."
Conway led the group of humans into the cool air of the bay. In front of them, the strangely designed alien shuttle pinged and clicked as its hull warmed to the atmosphere. Her officers formed a loose row to the left and right of her. The Marines took positions between the officers and the shuttle, three to a side, and came to perfect attention.
With a hiss the ramp of the shuttle lowered. Four figures emerged.
They were tall, all of them, the shortest standing over six feet tall. They were inscrutable in their armored suits. Each suit contained similar overall design elements, but individually, they were as different from each other in their colors and strange tatoo-like patterns as any personalized heirloom. Not a single piece of skin or flesh was visible, if the creatures possessed such things. The group paused at the foot of the ramp. One of them, the largest, took a few strides forward.
Conway didn't need need her years of experience to tell her that this was a warrior. It was obvious. The towering specimen was nearly seven feet tall, clad in gleaming interlocked armor of a light green hue. Yet this was no musclebound freak; it was as lean and powerful as a hunting dog. It wielded a vicious yet ornate bladed pike with confident ease. The warrior paused to regard the group for a moment, particularly the armed Marines standing nearby. Seemingly satisfied, it stood aside, and stamped its pike to the deck twice. It blurted a short stream of hard consonant and vowel sounds that, to Conway's ears, seemed completely unintelligible.
The remaining three aliens did not move immediately. They seemed to be having an animated discussion amongst themselves, but all Conway could hear was a series of intermittent clicks. She surmised that they were using private channels to speak to each other directly. The smallest, clad in red, seemed to be discussing, no, arguing, with the other two. As the clicking sounds continued it shook its head. The universal expression for "No." It gestured toward the humans. The alien in the most ornate armor, a suit of shining silver, made a sharp cutting gesture with its hand. The clicking of its compatriots fell silent. The entire exchange lasted less than four seconds.
Conway took all this in, but kept her expression carefully neutral. Assuming her expression mattered to them.
Order restored, the aliens approached, Red lagging behind with noticeable reluctance. Silver stopped three paces away from Conway.
Conway took her cue and bowed. "On behalf of the Terran Republic and the human race, I extend the warmest greetings to our new friends from the Union of Ra. I am Admiral Sophia T. Conway. To my right is Commodore Ajibana Masamura, commander of this vessel, the Terran Republic ship Mars. Also present are members of my command staff and crew of this vessel. We welcome you aboard in the spirit in peace and friendship."
Silver bowed. Its voice was slurred, heavily accented and synthesized, as if through a speaker. "Ad-mural. I em Visarch Thra'vull. We acceep your speerit. I em forst deeplomat to Union uf Ra. Also heere are they who fund your sheeps. One, is Altern Vaar'eil." The alien in gold bowed at Thra'vull's gesture. Two, is Sub-altern-"
A heavy thudding sound and crashing of metal interrupted Thra'vull. Red was lying prone on its back on the floor.
Conway raised her eyebrow. Good lord, had it just... fainted? Nearby, the stoic green warrior clenched its pike even more tightly. Thra'vull's shoulders seemed to slump in disappointment.
"Visarch Thra'vull," Conway said, "Is your comrade ill? I earnestly hope our appearance does not offend you."
"Is not bad," intoned Thra'vull with a hint of disappointment as he gestured toward the unconscious form on the shuttle bay floor. "Is Sub-altern Vo'qox."
-
Dossier: The Union of Ra
Over the last several months the Terran Republic and the Union of Ra have continued to engage in polite, cautious diplomacy. Many within the Republic were overjoyed to learn that humanity wasn't alone amidst a cosmic graveyard of extinct civilizations. Officially, the Union is seen as being far enough away from Republic space that it isn't a serious threat, and yet close enough that it could become a valuable ally and trading partner. Most negotiations have focused on the latter issue.
Unofficially, the Republic Intelligence Service would like to get their hands on any unique technologies known to the Union. Rah'tok personal armor and small arms, in particular, seem far in advance of anything that the Republic has even considered. However, the Union fleet appears to be small and somewhat primitive compared to the Republic Navy. For their part the Rah'tok immediately recognized this disparity from the moment of first contact, and they were greatly alarmed by the appearance of such a large and powerful battlefleet in their space. This caution has colored their interactions every since. As a consequence nothing at all is known about the power and extent of the Union's empire, or even if Ra itself is their only territory. So far, the Rah'tok are tight-lipped about their capabilities.
No Rah'tok has been seen without its armor. Far more than just being protection from Ra's hostile, radiation-baked environment, a Rah'tok's armor appears to have deep personal and spiritual significance. However, the Rah'tok have politely evaded all specific questions about their armor or their actual appearance. Compared to humans the shortest Rah'tok is six feet tall and lean. It has often been remarked that at first glance, a Rah'tok could pass for a human in armor. The Rah'tok have not commented on the similarity in body structure other than to say that the two races are very different. Individually the Rah'tok are intelligent, insightful, and intuitive, yet as different from each other in particular traits as any two humans might be.
The Rah'tok do not appear to have an open-access information network in the same way that the Republic does. While some information and entertainment-related transmissions do occur freely and in the open, any data of importance is secure and encrypted; in other words, almost everything. Therefore, not only are Rah'tok a mystery in their appearance, almost nothing is known of their deeper culture or history, aside from their music.
Rah'tok music has been a sensation on Earth. It has been described by Citizen Jan Nowicky, conductor of the famed Polish National Symphony and Orchestra as, "...haunting and mysterious. Their works call to mind the grandeur and vastness of an unknown universe experienced through adventure, loss, and hope. Is this what Bruckner or Wagner might have composed, had they been born under a harsh, distant sun? The notes, structures, and melodies are unlike anything ever written on Earth, yet recognizable just the same. In past decades human entertainers sang about shallow emotion, about possessions, about fleeting gratification, and even baser things. The Rah'tok sing about the stars."
On March 1, 2065, the Union of Ra formally signed a trade treaty with the Terran Republic. A few weeks later human freighters stuffed to the gills with cargo began cycling through Ra's orbital trade-docks. All cargo transfer was performed remotely; no humans were allowed to leave their ships. These cargo ships then returned with vast amounts of rare, high-quality precious metals.
And as to the cargo that the human freighters arrived with? Ground vehicles. Thousands upon thousands of ground vehicles, along with smaller amounts of specialized machinery. These vehicle exports have consisted of everything from pickup trucks and dune-quads to luxury vehicles and performance cars, and even the latest gyro-stabilized unibikes. Evidently, most indigenous Rah'tok ground vehicles are rather dour and utilitarian. Much like the way their music has affected the Republic, the Rah'tok looked upon the endless variety of personal vehicles available in the Republic and realized an obsession that they had not previously been aware of.
Contact with the Rah'tok has, to this point, been limited exclusively to their diplomatic teams. No humans have been allowed to interact with the general Rah'tok civilian populace.
(https://i.imgur.com/yFe7o7K.png?3)