Earth Mineral Survey
Duranium 600,000 Acc: 0.9
Neutronium 300,000 Acc: 0.6
Corbomite 200,000 Acc: 0.3
Tritanium 320,000 Acc: 1
Boronide 250,000 Acc: 0.4
Mercassium 350,000 Acc: 0.5
Vendarite 250,000 Acc: 0.2
Sorium 402,000 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 221,600 Acc: 0.4
Corundium 332,000 Acc: 0.6
Gallicite 295,200 Acc: 0.7
January 2100 - December 2101
In many ways the exploration of the Sol system reduced the tension between the five major powers as they concentrated their efforts on expansion rather than confrontation. Geological survey ships ventured to the edge of the system in search of the minerals that would replace Earth's gradually dwindling supplies, every power established off-world colonies, civilian shipping lines expanded to serve those colonies and civilian mining colonies were founded. Research teams concentrated their efforts on jump point theory so the race into interstellar space could begin.
The most important result of the geological survey effort was the discovery by the French survey ship Neptune of almost seven hundred million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium in the atmosphere of Jupiter. While this guaranteed the fuel needs of the Sol system into the distant future, it also provided a potential flashpoint for the future if any one nation should attempt to control this vital piece of orbital real estate. Further supplies of gaseous Sorium were located in the atmospheres of Saturn (36m tons at 0.8 acc) and Uranus (14m tons at 0.9 acc). The survey results for the rocky bodies of the Sol system were less promising.
Mars and Mercury were completely devoid of minerals while the only high accessibility minerals on Venus were Vendarite and Tritanium. The moons of the four gas giants were equally disappointing. Apart from four million tons of accessibility 0.7 Corundium on Ganymede, half a million tons of accessibility 0.7 Uridium on Iapetus and three different deposits on Miranda that came to a total of one hundred thousand tons, none of the moons had any deposits at all. With the exception of distant Haumea, with its 780,000 tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium, the Mars - Jupiter asteroids and the distant bodies of Kuiper Belt had extremely limited deposits. Even in the best cases there were several deposits in the low thousands of tons. While the comets were a better prospect most of their best deposits were in the region of tens of thousands of tons. Not enough to sustain five space-faring civilizations for long. Once Earth's mineral supplies ran out, there would be fierce competition for the remaining resources. Unless new sources of minerals could be located outside the Sol system, future conflict appeared to be inevitable.
Civilian mining companies sprung up to take advantage of those system bodies that did have meaningful mineral deposits. By the end of 2101, Japanese civilian mining colonies had been established on Haumea, three comets and an asteroid in the Kuiper Belt. French companies created colonies on Miranda and four comets while Spanish and German companies each set up a pair of comet mining operations. Only the Commonwealth lacked an off-world civilian colony.
In addition to the civilian outposts, each of the five powers created government-sponsored off-world settlements. Germany, Spain and the Commonwealth established colonies on Earth's moon in an effort to stimulate their civilian economies. Japan decided on the more prestigious option of a Martian colony, with the longer term aim in mind of creating a naval base that would provide more defensive options than operating directly from Earth. France responded by setting up its own Mars colony, although with less enthusiasm than Japan, and a second, smaller colony on Ganymede. While Ganymede had a substantial deposit of Corundium, the other powers were immediately concerned that the primary purpose of this second colony was to eventually establish a military presence on the moon in order to control the vast Sorium deposits of Jupiter.
Civilian shipping companies were formed to serve these colonies. Japan led the way with Aihara Shipping Limited and Takashi Logistics having fourteen ships totalling 517,000 tons in service by the end of 2101. Spain, Germany and the Commonwealth had nine, eight and eight ships respectively totalling approximately 350,000 tons each. France had five ships in service comprising 239,000 tons. In addition to providing colonists and infrastructure for the new settlements, the civilian shipping lines moved trade goods between the colonies and to other powers where a trade agreement existed.
The first nation to complete its research into jump point theory was Japan, with a team led by Kurmochi Shizuka making the final breakthrough on May 24th 2100. The Commonwealth and Germany followed in July and France in August. Spain suffered from a lack of expertise in the area of power and propulsion and did not complete its own research until February 2101. A few days after the Spanish success, the Empire of Japan constructed its first Yokosuka E14Y class Survey Craft, a small gravitational survey ship that could be built in the Empire's fighter factories, rather than in a shipyard. It was the first ship of any nation that had the ability to search for jump points. A Japanese gravitational survey of Sol began immediately.
Yokosuka E14Y class Survey Craft 500 tons 15 Crew 141.6 BP TCS 10 TH 24 EM 0
2400 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/1/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 10.34 Years MSP 88 AFR 4% IFR 0.1% 1YR 1 5YR 22 Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 0
Mitsubishi SE-24 Shuttle Engine (1) Power 24 Fuel Use 68.6% Signature 24 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 55,000 Litres Range 28.9 billion km (139 days at full power)
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
On May 11th 2101, a Yokosuka E14Y Survey Craft located a jump point just outside the orbit of Saturn. Two days later Japan completed construction of its first Kawanishi H8K class Recon Craft, a long-range jump-capable scout craft which immediately left Earth's atmosphere bound for the new jump point. On May 17th the age of human interstellar travel finally dawned as the Kawanishi H8K entered the recently discovered jump point. High expectations of habitable worlds and vast mineral wealth were dashed when it emerged in the planetless red dwarf system of Lalande 21185.
Kawanishi H8K class Recon Craft 500 tons 12 Crew 79.6 BP TCS 10 TH 48 EM 0
4800 km/s JR 1-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 6 5YR 90 Max Repair 16 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Fighter Jump Drive Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 1
Mitsubishi SE-24 Shuttle Engine (2) Power 24 Fuel Use 68.6% Signature 24 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 45,000 Litres Range 23.6 billion km (56 days at full power)
OPS-35 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
NOLQ-39 EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
With the other powers still in the early stages of developing jump-capable survey ships, the Japanese jump point survey and exploration efforts continued apace. On July 2nd 2101, the Kawanishi H8K discovered Barnard's Star, a red dwarf, that was orbited by a hot rocky world smaller than Mercury and a planetless gas giant. Five days later, the small craft entered the innermost jump point to be discovered so far and appeared less than a billion kilometres from Proxima Centauri, another planetless red dwarf. Thus far, interstellar travel had been a huge disappointment.
On July 15th the recon craft explored Sol's fourth jump point and finally discovered a system with significant real estate. Alpha Centauri was a binary with a G-class primary similar to Sol and an orange K-class companion orbiting at three point five billion kilometres. A freezing terrestrial world, a gas giant with seventeen moons and a sparse asteroid belt orbited the system primary. Four terrestrial worlds and a gas giant with a total of twenty moons between them orbited the companion star. Alpha Centauri-B III had Earth-like gravity and a breathable nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere but a surface temperature of -100C, giving it a colony cost of 3.75. It was also almost six billion kilometres from the jump point, making it less than ideal for colonization. A decision on whether to establish a colony, once the necessary technology was available to do so, would largely depend on the results of a mineral survey.
In early August the system of 61 Cygni, a binary with two K-class stars, was discovered beyond Sol's sixth jump point. The third planet of the primary had gravity of 0.79G, temperature of 28C and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere that was very close to breathable. With minimal terraforming, this would become an ideal habitable world. Seven more planets with a total of fifty-three moons also orbited the primary, although none were of significant interest. A single terrestrial world and an asteroid belt orbited the distant companion star. Japanese shipwrights and scientists began looking at the options for a jump-capable freighter that could escort other freighters and colony ships into the system.
On November 1st 2101 the Kawanishi H8K recon craft entered jump point five and emerged in Epsilon Eridani, a system comprising a K-class primary, nine planets, sixty-four moons and three hundred and sixty-five asteroids. While none of the system bodies were serious colonization candidates, Epsilon Eridani had something of even greater interest. The wrecks of six alien ships, ranging in size from 2750 to 67,000 tons, were located within three hundred million kilometres of the star. The discovery that the other four human powers were not the only threat to Japanese domination of the stars sent shockwaves through the Imperial Navy's General Staff. However, they also sensed an opportunity. If Japan could salvage the wrecks and learn their secrets, it might give the Imperial Navy a significant edge over its rivals. Research into salvage technology began immediately.
Even though six jump points had already been discovered, the Japanese gravitational survey of Sol was still underway in December. Two additional jump points, one of which had a jump gate, was discovered close to the orbit of Neptune. Not only was the gate was further proof that humanity was not alone in the galaxy, it also proved that aliens had visited the Sol system at some point in the past. Whether the gate was of recent construction or the remnant of an ancient civilization was unknown but it further increased the desire of the Japanese leadership to build a strong military. A debate took place within the General Staff as to whether larger, armed survey craft were necessary. Eventually it was decided that continuing to use small craft was the best option. They were harder to detect and easy to replace.
Exploration of the two new jump points revealed the systems of Wolf 359 and Groombridge 34. The jump gate led to Wolf 359, a red dwarf system with nine planets, none of which were suitable colony sites, plus a second gate on the Wolf 359 side of the jump point. Five of the planets were gas giants or super-jovians with a total of one hundred and thirty-six moons and eighty Trojan asteroids between them. Groombridge 34 was a binary of two red dwarfs, a planetless M2-V primary and a distant companion with five unremarkable planets and an asteroid belt. There was little chance of any survey mission to the companion in the near future given its distance of twenty-four billion kilometres from the jump point.
All five powers continued with their warship construction programs during 2100 and 2101. By this end of this period, at least two more units had been added to every existing warship class - four units in the case of the Spanish Torquemada class Strike Cruiser - and further ships were under construction. Additional colony ships and freighters were built, as well as the first fuel harvesters from France, Japan and the Commonwealth.
La Galissonniere class Fuel Harvester 105,000 tons 435 Crew 1709 BP TCS 2100 TH 300 EM 0
142 km/s Armour 1-198 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 10 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Fuel Harvester: 40 modules producing 960000 litres per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (1) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 20.6 billion km (1682 days at full power)
Taigei class Fuel Harvester 69,000 tons 301 Crew 1394 BP TCS 1380 TH 300 EM 0
217 km/s Armour 2-149 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 13 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Fuel Harvester: 25 modules producing 600000 litres per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (1) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 31.6 billion km (1682 days at full power)
CIWS-160 (2x6) Range 1000 km TS: 16000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Colossus class Fuel Harvester 95,950 tons 411 Crew 1643.4 BP TCS 1919 TH 300 EM 0
156 km/s Armour 1-186 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 11 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 5
Fuel Harvester: 36 modules producing 864000 litres per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (1) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 22.7 billion km (1682 days at full power)
CIWS-160 (2x6) Range 1000 km TS: 16000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
State of the Nations 1st January 2102
Commonwealth
Population: 845m
Research Facilities: 31
Shipyard Capacity: 92,000 / 540,000
Factories: 1289
Mines: 598
Automated Mines: 170
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 340,000
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes: 0 / 0
Wealth Last 12 Months: 33,768
Mineral Stockpile: 91,000 tons
Empire of Japan
Population: 1252m
Research Facilities: 32
Shipyard Capacity: 128,500 / 576,000
Factories: 1948
Mines: 952
Automated Mines: 220
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 517,000
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes: 5 / 16
Wealth Last 12 Months: 35,424
Mineral Stockpile: 184,000 tons
Greater Germany
Population: 846m
Research Facilities: 32
Shipyard Capacity: 90,200 / 490,000
Factories: 1288
Mines: 618
Automated Mines: 150
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 357,000
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 2 / 2
Wealth Last 12 Months: 23,394
Mineral Stockpile: 100,000 tons
Spanish Theocracy
Population: 634m
Research Facilities: 30
Shipyard Capacity: 74,000 / 410,000
Factories: 996
Mines: 456
Automated Mines: 120
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 353,600
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 2 / 5
Wealth Last 12 Months: 28,484
Mineral Stockpile: 81,000 tons
Third French Empire
Population: 1252m
Research Facilities: 33
Shipyard Capacity: 111,000 / 641,000
Factories: 1944
Mines: 892
Automated Mines: 260
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 238,650
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 5 / 13
Wealth Last 12 Months: 42,105
Mineral Stockpile: 157,000 tons
to be continued...
