24th June 1909HMS Emerald opens the jump point for Beki Khoyor to transit into Suurin.
1st July 1909The Khaghan Federation launches its first pair of Temujin class Monitors. The Temujins are designed to spend long periods guarding jump points, proving both early warning and powerful short-range firepower. For many years, unarmed survey ships have been used as jump point pickets, a task for which they are completely unsuited. The Temujins will now fill that role. One is dispatched to the Kerait Ordos - Suurin jump point to guard against any British intrusion while the second will relieve the Zanabazar class survey ship picketing the Kerait Ordos - Tosokh jump point. It would be preferable to deploy the first monitor at the Suurin - Soltaniyeh jump point but the monitors are not jump-capable and there is no jump gate on the Kerait Ordos - Suurin jump point. The Aimak class jump cruisers are too small to escort the Temujins through a jump point.
Temujin class Monitor 10,000 tons 325 Crew 1374 BP TCS 200 TH 600 EM 0
3000 km/s Armour 6-41 Shields 0-0 Sensors 5/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 12 PPV 60
Maint Life 10.4 Years MSP 1030 AFR 66% IFR 0.9% 1YR 17 5YR 260 Max Repair 60 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 120 months Spare Berths 0
Cheren-120 Military Engine (5) Power 120 Fuel Use 63% Signature 120 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 7.1 billion km (27 days at full power)
12cm Railgun V2/C3 (12x4) Range 40,000km TS: 3000 km/s Power 6-3 RM 2 ROF 10
Jagun-1 Railgun Fire Control (2) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 3000 km/s
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (8) Total Power Output 36 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Tumen-1 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1000 Range 5.0m km Resolution 100
TH5 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 5m km
EM6 Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
17th July 1909RFA Aeolus completes a jump gate on the Rome - Istanbul jump point, linking Rome to the jump gate network.
11th August 1909The Khaghan construction ship sent into Kharkhorin completes its task and transits back into Darkhan through the newly constructed gate. Either the ship was not detected by the Khorin, or they left it alone for some other reason. Kharkhorin is now part of the jump gate network and accessible by all Federation ships.
17th August 1909Tianxia launches the first Huayuan class Terraformer, a vast ship of almost 160,000 tons equipped with five terraforming modules. The initial destination for the Huayuan will be the colony on Shanxi III, although once additional terraformers have been built, an entire biosphere will be established on Zhejiang-B II, which currently has only a trace atmosphere.
Huayuan class Terraformer 159,350 tons 768 Crew 3928 BP TCS 3187 TH 3840 EM 0
1204 km/s Armour 1-261 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 500 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Terraformer: 5 module(s) producing 0.0075 atm per annum
Tsien-320 Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (12) Power 320 Fuel Use 3.04% Signature 320 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 37.1 billion km (356 days at full power)
CIWS-200 (2x6) Range 1000 km TS: 20000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
28th August 1909Three new Chakhar class battleships join the Federation Navy. While T'mjn is sorely tempted to send the three ships to Sarai to combat the Cymru force in that system, once a chain of jump gates have been built, he is also aware that his leadership cannot stand another disaster on the scale of Kharkhorin. Instead, he begins devising a plan to support the battleships with a force of Kublai class FACs. Eighty-six of the original Kublais are in service, along with seventy-four Kublai IIs. While they are short-ranged and lack the crew accommodations for extended voyages, they could be based on Sarai I with a small number of maintenance facilities. The journey from Sol to Sarai, supported by the recently launched Yasa class tanker, would be hard on the morale of the crews and the systems of the FACs and they would not be in any fit shape to fight a battle en route. However, once they had rested and recovered on Sarai I, which now has a population of 440,000, they would be ready to take the fight to the Cymru with the battleships in support. T'mjn has a burning desire for vengeance against the Khorin but they have shown no desire to leave the Kharkhorin system while the Cymru are a clear and present danger to the long-term prospects of the Federation.
3rd September 1909Mars has run out of Gallicite, halting all shipbuilding and ship maintenance. The planned long-term source of Gallicite is Zhejiang-B II, which has a million tons at 0.9 accessibility, but the system is twelve billion kilometres from Mars, making the colonization process a slow one, especially as the planet has no atmosphere and a significant portion of the transport capacity to the system is used for infrastructure. The population of the colony is 4,320,000 and it supports forty-two manned mining complexes and sixty-nine automated mines. The asteroid mining colony in Sichuan that provided a temporary source of Gallicite has been abandoned after the deposits were exhausted. The two hundred automated mines in that system have been transported to Sichuan-B I, which will provide those minerals that will be in short supply on Zhejiang-B II. Unfortunately, Sichuan-B lacks any Gallicite deposits at all. Freighters are already en route to Zhejiang to collect 600 tons of recently mined Gallicite, along with other minerals, but the complete lack of Gallicite will be a problem for close to three months.
13th September 1909HMS Dreadnought is launched from the Portsmouth Dockyard. The 38,400 ton battleship is the largest warship in the Sol system and causes some consternation within the leadership of the other two powers. The Imperial Fleet, confident in its superiority over the naval forces of the two Barbarian races, is suddenly second best, at least in terms of the size of its capital ships. While the Imperial officers assume that the technology of their own ships is still superior, Martian pride has been dented. The Imperial Shipyard, the largest shipbuilding facility in orbit of Mars, with two slipways of 32,000 ton capacity, is not even capable of building such a large vessel. Emperor Guangxu orders an immediate increase in capacity and demands the Imperial Fleet begin planning for a new, larger capital ship. The Khaghan Federation has increased the size of the Gerelgin Shipyard to three slipways of 26,000 tons and further expansion is already underway. T'mjn is already consulting his shipwrights on a design for an improved Chakhar class battleship and research into new railguns is ongoing. The size of the new Royal Navy warship is a surprise but does not affect the long-term plans of the Federation.
14th September 1909The Imperial survey ships Louyang and Mianyang complete a survey of the Zhejiang system without finding any new jump points. As Zhejiang is such a vital system for Tianxia, this is welcome news.
24th September 1909A geological survey team operating on Sarai-A I has found huge new deposits of Neutronium, increasing the available supply from half a million tons to over five million tons. In addition, the accessibility of Gallicite is increased from 0.1 to 0.3.
Sarai-A I Updated Mineral SurveyDuranium 9,999,387 Acc: 0.6
Neutronium 5,593,225 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 4,439,449 Acc: 0.1
Tritanium 5,798,464 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 1,449,611 Acc: 0.7
Mercassium 149,768 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 5,193,841 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 3,108,161 Acc: 1
Uridium 6,880,129 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 6,656,400 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 14,645,930 Acc: 0.3
5th October 1909Terraforming efforts on Berlin IV have been underway for some time, with three terraforming installations on the surface and eleven terraforming ships in orbit. The first priority was to make the atmosphere breathable, after which the focus was on increasing the temperature. That process has now been given a huge boost by the melting of the substantial ice caps. Within a few weeks the temperature has risen from -28C to 6C, bringing it well within human tolerance and making Berlin IV, or New Berlin as it is known by its inhabitants, an ideal habitable world. The terraformers break orbit and head for the adjacent system of Munich to begin work on its innermost world, a key source of future minerals for the Empire. The infrastructure that was in use by the colonists on New Berlin will be transported to Munich I.
21st November 1909HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus complete a survey of the Barbados system, three jumps out from Berlin via Munich and Chicago, and find one new jump point. HMS Alexandra transits the jump point and emerges in a trinary system of two yellow-white F-class stars and a yellow G2-V similar to Sol. The brighter F-class stars orbit at two point two billion kilometres with the G2-V at twelve billion. In total the system has seventeen planets, eighty-two moons and sixty asteroids and is unusually rich in terms of terraforming candidates.
The innermost planet of the primary and the second planet of the B component both have breathable atmospheres and acceptable gravity but their surface temperatures are 135C and 109C respectively. The fourth planet of the B component has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 1.57 atm with an oxygen content just above human tolerance. Gravity is 1.25G and the surface temperature is -68C. In addition, there are a further twelve planets and moons with colony costs lower than 3.00, most of which do not have an atmosphere. As the system is young, perhaps on the order of 300 million years, there will also be a higher chance of significant mineral deposits.
However, despite all of the good news, there is one item of concern. The fourth planet of the C component has eight wrecked ships in orbit, some of which can be identified as known Automata classes. Two of the wrecks are 26,400 tons and 64,750 tons, which are larger than any Automata vessel seen so far. Commander Matthew Storey, C.O. of HMS Alexandra, names the system Jamaica, then orders his helmsman to take the ship into the Barbados jump point and across that system to Chicago, which is on the jump gate network. HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus, still heading in-system after the completion of the survey, are directed to take up position on the Barbados - Jamaica jump point to watch for the transit of any Automata ships.
23rd November 1909Supplies of Gallicite finally arrive on Mars, although the delivery is only 730 tons. Even so, it will be sufficient to run the Martian maintenance facilities for several months. All shipbuilding will have to remain on hold for the moment.
28th November 1909HMS Alexandra arrives in Chicago and reports the discovery of the Jamaica system. After consulting with the Prime Minister, Admiral Sir John Fisher decides to mount an expedition to the system. The launch of HMS Dreadnought will make the other powers think twice about any possible attack on Earth and her sister ship HMS Bellerophon will be launched within two weeks. Therefore reducing the fleet strength around Earth should be safe enough for a while. A task group is formed comprising four Royal Sovereign class battleships, a jump-capable Majestic class battleship, three Town class light cruisers and three Tribal class destroyers, none of which have the very latest technology but are still very capable warships.
The mission of the task group is to establish control of the Jamaica system, eliminate any Automata presence and protect the geological survey and salvage ships that will follow the expedition into Jamaica. The system is almost eighteen billion kilometres from Earth and the wrecks are twelve billion kilometres from the entry point, which means a total voyage of almost sixty billion kilometres. Multiple refuellings of the task group will be required, firstly in the Berlin system where a small fuel depot has been established and thereafter by tankers. Nine freighters and two salvage ships will be assigned to the expedition, as well as the two Devonshire class geological survey ships once they complete their current missions.
9th December 1909Six 8800 ton Automata ships of a previously unknown type transit into Barbados. HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus are picketing the jump point, but not really expecting to face a hostile force. Both ships run for the Chicago jump point while trying to get their four torpedo launchers online. Unfortunately, they have not visited Earth since the battle in Madrid in January 1908 so each survey cruiser has only sixteen anti-ship missiles in its magazines. The six Automata vessels, designated as Rubis class, have all arrived in different locations and initially charge inward toward the British cruisers before reversing course and heading away at 8636 km/s, much faster than any previously observed Automata class.
Twenty-five seconds after the alien ships appear, HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus launch their first torpedo salvo. Even though there is no point defence fire, the fast moving ships are difficult targets and only two torpedoes hit. The targeted ship slows to 8180 km/s, indicating the loss of an engine. As the torpedoes are Mark IIIs with strength-6 warheads, that suggests the Rubis class has minimal armour. Seventy seconds after initial contact the survey cruisers start moving, still surrounded by the enemy ships. So far there is no return fire. The second torpedo salvo results in one hit with no apparent effect on the target. Two torpedoes hit from the third salvo and their detonations are followed by a strength-20 secondary explosion. The Automata vessel slows to 4544 km/s. The slower speed makes its an easier target and five torpedoes from the fourth and final wave explode in close proximity. Another secondary explosion rips through the ship and it blows up. The Automata have now been in the system for four minutes and have yet to retaliate.
As more time passes, the crews of HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus begin to breathe again. Remarkably, it seems the Automata ships are unarmed. Given their high speed and minimal armour it is possible they are some form of scout. All five continue to head away from the survey cruisers in all directions. Even though the immediate threat has receded, Commander Oliver Allen of HMS Prometheus, the senior officer in Barbados, decides to continue heading for the Chicago jump point. While the Rubis are apparently unarmed, there may be slower moving Automata warships yet to transit and both Royal Navy survey cruisers have expended their limited ordnance. Three and a half hours after the brief engagement, the Automata ships have left active sensor range but they can still be pinpointed by their powerful sensor emissions.
14th December 1909Once the Automata ships have moved to a range of five hundred million kilometres from HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus, they reverse course and shadow the two survey cruisers all the way to the Barbados - Chicago jump point.
5th January 1910As of January 1910, the industrial strengths of the three Solarian powers are as follows (with changes from January 1899 shown in parentheses)
TianxiaPopulation: 1267m (+267)
Factories: 1240 (+40)
Refineries: 400
Mines: 615 (-185)
Automated Mines: 373 (+213)
Research Facilities: 38 (+18)
Shipyard Capacity: 172,000 Naval (+59,000), 1,180,000 Commercial (+484,000)
British EmpirePopulation: 1796m (+296)
Factories: 1800
Refineries: 601 (+1)
Mines: 881 (-319)
Automated Mines: 571 (+331)
Research Facilities: 79 (+19)
Shipyard Capacity: 302,000 Naval (+172,000), 1,294,000 Commercial (+704,000)
Khaghan FederationPopulation: 2345m (+345)
Factories: 2350
Refineries: 800
Mines: 1290 (-310)
Automated Mines: 605 (+405)
Research Facilities: 68 (+38)
Shipyard Capacity: 160,000 Naval (+106,000), 932,800 Commercial (+932,800)
15th January 1910The Royal Navy Jamaica Expedition arrives in Barbados to find the two survey cruisers at the jump point and five Rubis class Automata scouts watching from five hundred million kilometres away. The Expedition has no ship fast enough to catching the scouts and no missiles with enough range to strike them so Rear Admiral Andrew Mellor, commanding the Expedition from HMS Magnificent, decides to ignore them and head for the Jamaica jump point. One of the Automata scouts precedes the task group while the other four move aside then fall in behind it, all the while maintaining their distance.
19th January 1910With the five Automata scouts watching every move, the Expedition begins its entry into Jamaica. HMS Magnificent, HMS Ramillies and HMS Repulse go through first in a squadron transit. Once they confirm the area around the jump point is clear, HMS Magnificent opens the jump point for the rest of the Expedition to make a standard transit. The first objective is to check the planets of the primary star, which is one point five billion kilometres from the jump point. Twenty-five hours later, sensors emissions from four of the Rubis class scouts are detected by the two survey cruisers at the Barbados - Chicago jump point.
23rd January 1910The Expedition reaches Jamaica-A I, a planet with a breathable atmosphere and a surface temperature of 135 Celsius, with no sign of any Automata presence. As the fleet is at the end of a long supply line, Rear Admiral Mellor decides to use the Avro Type 504 scout craft housed in the boat bays of the battleships to investigate the other worlds orbiting the A and B components rather than using valuable fuel to take his ships to every planet. Three days of searching reveal a small thermal population contact and a small ground force contact on Jamaica-B I. Otherwise, the two solar systems are clear. The Expedition breaks orbit and heads for the distant solar system of the C component where the Automata wrecks are located. A single Avro is left at the Barbados jump point to watch for any transits.
1st February 1910Three point six billion kilometres from the jump point, active sensor emissions are detected from another new Automata class designated as the Colbert. The contact is off the port quarter one hundred and fifty million kilometres away, which is outside active sensor range of the Royal Navy ships, and moving at 4090 km/s. As his force is capable of 5000 km/s, Rear Admiral Mellor gives the order to come about and try to bring the target within sensor range. The Automata ship adopts a reciprocal course and the range falls quickly.
As the range to the Colbert's sensor emissions falls to one hundred and thirty-five million kilometres, the Automata ship reverses course and heads away from the Royal Navy task group. The Expedition continues to close and brings the ship within active sensor range. The Colbert is 8800 tons and is accompanied by two more ships, designated as Narwal class, that are also 8800 tons. The Mark III Whitehead Torpedoes carried by the Royal Navy battleships have a range of 114m kilometres and against a target moving away at 4090 km/s that range will be reduced to less than 100m, so the task group continues to close. Three hours after the initial contact a salvo of incoming missiles is detected. The twelve size 5 missiles are only moving at 9600 km/s and should be easy targets for the Tribal class destroyers so Rear Admiral Mellor orders the Town class light cruisers to hold fire and conserve their anti-ship missiles. Further salvos are detected behind the first, approximately twenty-five seconds apart. The slow-moving missiles, two hundred and forty in all, are massacred by the Tribals. The Automata do not appear to present much of a threat in terms of missile warfare.
(SM Note: v6.30 includes improvements to NPR missile design so I re-ran the design code for all Precursor missiles at this point as they were created under the older code)The three Automata ships continue to head away from the Expedition, heading toward either the solar system of the primary or the B component beyond it. Slowly, the Expedition overhauls the fleeing ships. ECM prevent a fire control lock until eighty-eight million kilometres, at which point Rear Admiral Mellor orders this four Royal Sovereign class battleships to target the two Narwals and fire a single salvo. Forty Mark III Whitehead Torpedoes streak away from the British task group. Fifty minutes later they overhaul the Automata. There is no point defence fire and only two missiles fail to hit. However, even after the impact of nineteen torpedoes with strength-6 warheads on each target they are not even slowed. A second salvo is launched with far more devastating results. Thirty torpedoes strike the two ships and they are engulfed by a dozen secondary explosions. Both ships blow up, leaving the Colbert running alone. All four Royal Sovereign launch a salvo and every missile hits. The Colbert slows to 1817 km/s. HMS Magnificent launches a follow-up salvo of eight torpedoes, which is sufficient to finish her off. With the immediate threat removed, the Expedition resumes its course toward the solar system of the C component.
9th February 1910The Expedition is still seven point five billion kilometres from Jamaica-C IV, the planet with multiple wrecks in orbit, and the fleet is beginning to run low on fuel. A refuelling stop was made in Berlin and the fleet was also refuelled by a tanker at the Munich - Barbados jump point. That was some time ago however and the battleships are being forced to transfer fuel to the short-legged Tribal class destroyers. Rear Admiral Mellor decides to advance another two billion kilometres and dispatch his Avro class scouts toward the planet. Their range of eleven point two billion kilometres will allow them to make a return trip. The tanker RFA Acanthus is already en route to refuel the Expedition but she is several weeks away.
Only an hour after Rear Admiral Mellor reaches his decision, a new contact appears ahead of the Expedition. Active sensor emissions from a new Automata class, the Montcalm, are detected at a range of five hundred million kilometres and closing. Rear Admiral Mellor halts his fleet, waiting to learn more before pressing deeper into the system. When the ship enters sensor range the British active sensors determine its size as 26,400 tons, far larger than the 16,000 ton Royal Sovereigns. The Expedition holds position as the Automata battleship moves in. At eighty-eight million kilometres the British fire controls achieve lock on and all five Royal Navy battleships open fire. After firing two salvos, they cease fire and await the results.
Fifteen of the first wave of forty-eight torpedoes are destroyed by close-range point defence fire and a single torpedo misses. The other thirty-two strike the Montcalm and its speed falls from 4090 km/s to 3938 km/s. Only eight of the second wave are shot down and the rest smash into the battleship, causing three separate secondary explosions and its speed falls to 900 km/s. Aware that his ordnance will not be replenished before his force returns to Earth, Rear Admiral Mellor orders HMS Majestic to fire a single salvo of eight torpedoes. At some of the battleship's point defence is still operational and six are shot down. HMS Ramillies and HMS Repulse launch a salvo of twenty Mark IIIs, which is enough to destroy the enemy warship. The Expedition resumes its course toward the solar system of Jamaica-C
19th February 1910An Avro Type 504 class scout approaching Jamaica-C IV is destroyed by a salvo of missiles with strength-1 warheads twenty-five million kilometres short of the planet. Unfortunately, its small active sensor only has a range of fourteen million kilometres so the identity of its attacker is unknown. The Expedition is holding position five and a half billion kilometres away, the battleships and light cruisers are down to 30% of their fuel and the three Tribals are at 20%. Rear Admiral Mellor decides to wait for the tanker to arrive. There are obviously hostile forces in the solar system ahead and he does not want to engage a battle from which he cannot withdraw if required.
14th March 1910The tanker RFA Acanthus arrives at the Barbados - Jamaica jump point and runs into a problem that should have been foreseen. She has no jump drive and there is no jump gate on the jump point. The Expedition is eight billion kilometres from the jump point on the far side, sixty percent of the way to Jamaica-C. The jump-capable construction ship RFA Aphrodite is also in Barbados but is partway through building a jump gate at the Barbados - Chicago jump point, two billion kilometres away, and still has have seventy-three days of construction work left. She could abandon her task and begin again after a trip to the Jamaica jump point to escort RFA Acanthus but Rear Admiral Mellor elects to allow her to finish her task. His Expedition is no immediate danger and building a chain of jump gates will allow more freedom of movement within the Chicago chain.
21st March 1910A geological survey team from the Khaghan Federation finds previously undetected deposits of Corbomite and Corundium on the sixth moon of Sarai-B III and additional deposits of Vendarite. There are already fifteen automated mines on the moon with more en route. Sarai-B is more than two billion kilometres from the area near the Tsagaan Baishin jump point where an Aimak II class jump cruiser and an Ogadei class geological survey ships were destroyed
Sarai-B III - Moon 6 Updated Mineral SurveyDuranium 776,188 Acc: 0.9
Neutronium 379,386 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 142,884 Acc: 0.7
Tritanium 345,674 Acc: 0.9
Boronide 170,515 Acc: 0.7
Mercassium 132,442 Acc: 0.7
Vendarite 108,241 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 353,955 Acc: 0.9
Corundium 290,521 Acc: 0.9
Gallicite 470,534 Acc: 0.8
10th April 1910Five maintenance facilities are now in place on Sarai-A I so the Khaghan Federation is attempting to relocate Kublai class fast attack craft from Venus to Sarai. Thirty Kublais and a pair of Subutei class scouts are travelling in company with a Yasa class tanker as their own range is less than three billion kilometres. Five billion kilometres into the journey, one of the Kublais suffers a problem with its engine. There is no engineering department on the small attack craft as they are only intended for short duration missions, so there is no one to prevent complete engine failure. The Gurban-96 FAC Engine is an over-boosted engine, which is more prone to instability than the engines on the larger warship, and the failure results in a catastrophic explosion that rips the small FAC apart.
2nd May 1910The twenty-nine surviving Kublai class FACs and the Subutei class scouts arrive at Sarai-A I and begin a welcome shore leave. The Yasa class tankers refuels all the FACS for the fifth time and unloads a further four million litres at the colony before heading back to Sol. Despite the loss of one Kublai en route, the relocation of the FACs is deemed a success. Once the tanker returns to Venus to refuel, a second wave of FACs will be dispatched. The Cymru ships are assumed to be still in the Sarai system but so far have only attacked vessels that have approached the Tsagaan Baishin jump point, which is a billion kilometres from the direct route between the Tenduk jump point and Sarai-A.
7th May 1910The Swan Hunter Shipyard, in orbit of the Victoria Colony, launches the Tribal Mod 1 destroyer HMS Crusader. She is the first of her class and the first Royal Navy ship to be constructed outside the Sol system. Designed to operate with the Dreadnought class battleships and Town Mod 1 class light cruisers, the Tribal Mod 1 is a significant improvement on the original Tribal. In addition to greater speed, she has greater endurance, an ECM system, more modern lasers and reactors and faster-tracking fire control systems.
Tribal Mod 1 class Destroyer 8,000 tons 226 Crew 1690.6 BP TCS 160 TH 1000 EM 0
6250 km/s Armour 5-35 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 3 PPV 49.68
Maint Life 2.16 Years MSP 396 AFR 170% IFR 2.4% 1YR 114 5YR 1709 Max Repair 100 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 1
Parsons PN10C Compact Drive (5) Power 200 Fuel Use 45% Signature 200 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 15.0 billion km (27 days at full power)
Twin 10cm C3 Ultraviolet Laser Turret (6x2) Range 64,000km TS: 20000 km/s Power 6-6 RM 4 ROF 5
Barr and Stroud FX-6 PD Laser Fire Control (3) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 20000 km/s
Tokamak Fusion Reactor (5) Total Power Output 40 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Type 2 Active Sensor (1) GPS 32 Range 2.6m km MCR 279k km Resolution 1
Type 7 Active Sensor (1) GPS 7560 Range 75.9m km Resolution 120
ECM 20
9th May 1910A ground-based geological survey of the Martian colony on Zhejiang-B II has resulted in increased accessibility of Tritanium, Boronide and Gallicite. The population of the colony has now reached six million. Sixty-four manned mines and one hundred and fifty-three automated mines are in operation on the surface and their output is finally beginning to ease the Gallicite shortage on Mars.
Zhejiang-B II Updated Mineral SurveyDuranium 276,028 Acc: 0.8
Neutronium 555,780 Acc: 0.8
Corbomite 911,659 Acc: 0.9
Tritanium 540,842 Acc: 0.8
Boronide 366,025 Acc: 0.9
Mercassium 678,298 Acc: 0.5
Vendarite 161,925 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 4,486 Acc: 0.7
Corundium 19,527 Acc: 0.9
Gallicite 1,042,339 Acc: 1
12th May 1910HMS Hector and HMS Musashi are launched from the Vickers Shipyard in Earth orbit. Both are Warrior Mod 1 class heavy cruisers, a more modern version of the original Warrior class with upgraded engines, weapons and electronic systems. The decision of the Royal Navy to name the first ship HMS Hector passed almost without comment, as there have been nine previous Royal Navy ships of that name. HMS Musashi however provoked serious debate. While even those who argued against the naming were prepared to admit that Miyamoto Musashi was a warrior of renown, they did not believe it was an appropriate name for a Royal Navy warship. In fact the only previous warship named Musashi was a Japanese vessel that fought, briefly, against the British Empire during the campaign to unite the nations of the Earth under a single flag.
Those in favour successfully argued that the Royal Navy was effectively a global Navy and the naming of its ships should begin to reflect the changing nature of the British Empire. By 1910, the Earth has been united under one government for almost thirty years, with remarkably little resistance or rebellion. While the Royal Navy's ability to launch nuclear strikes from orbit makes rebellion a tricky proposition at best, a more significant factor is the rapid rise in living standards due to the impact of Trans-Newtonian technology on domestic life. A large proportion of the Earth's population has spent their entire lives under British rule and while the older generation still have some resentment, that is far less of an issue for the young. They regard themselves as citizens of Earth as much as any particular country. The presence of heavily armed alien warships in the Sol system also serves to forge a bond among those who live under the potential threat of alien attack or invasion. In 1910, officer cadets at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth include, among others, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Germans, Americans, Japanese and Russians.
Warrior Mod 1 class Heavy Cruiser 12,800 tons 374 Crew 2657.2 BP TCS 256 TH 1600 EM 0
6250 km/s Armour 10-48 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/8/0/0 Damage Control Rating 11 PPV 60
Maint Life 4.35 Years MSP 1427 AFR 119% IFR 1.7% 1YR 121 5YR 1820 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months Spare Berths 0
Parson PN8 Internal Fusion Drive (4) Power 400 Fuel Use 40% Signature 400 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 26.4 billion km (48 days at full power)
20cm C4 Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 256,000km TS: 6250 km/s Power 10-4 RM 4 ROF 15
Barr and Stroud FX-5 Primary Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5000 km/s
Tokamak Fusion Reactor (5) Total Power Output 40 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Type 7 Active Sensor (1) GPS 7560 Range 75.9m km Resolution 120
EM8 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8m km
ECCM-1 (1) ECM 20
23rd May 1910While the Expedition in Jamaica awaits fuel, several Royal Navy survey ships enter the system. HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus begin a gravitational survey while HMS Devonshire begins a geological survey of the solar system of Jamaica-A. A survey of Jamaica-A II reveals substantial, and in most cases accessible, deposits of all eleven minerals. The planet has acceptable gravity and temperature but no atmosphere. Even so, it is a better long term prospect than Munich-A I, which is currently the favoured eventual location for the manned mining complexes of Earth. The major problem with Jamaica-A II is its distance from Earth; seven jumps and eighteen billion kilometres.
Jamaica-A II Mineral SurveyDuranium 4,464,072 Acc: 0.9
Neutronium 2,683,044 Acc: 0.7
Corbomite 2,566,404 Acc: 0.3
Tritanium 1,633,284 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 2,452,356 Acc: 0.7
Mercassium 1,822,500 Acc: 0.4
Vendarite 2,985,984 Acc: 0.8
Sorium 2,924,100 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 171,396 Acc: 0.9
Corundium 1,368,900 Acc: 0.7
Gallicite 374,544 Acc: 0.6
2nd June 1910A team led by the Martian scientist Kang Mei Song completes research into Internal Fusion Drive technology. Work begins on the development of new engines based on this technology.
5th June 1910The Khaghan Federation completes a chain of jump gates from Sol to Sarai, via Darkhan, Kerait Ordos and Tenduk. opening up the system to the Federation's only civilian shipping line, the Tumen Transport Alliance. Tumen has grown quickly, fed by the profits of the short trip from Venus to Darkhan II and now has fifty-two ships of various types, with a total tonnage of almost two point five million tons. It is by far the largest private shipping company in the Sol system. T'mjn declares that with Sarai now open to civilian shipping, there is no longer any need to expand Darkhan II, which has a population of sixty-five million. The Federation has less protection for private industry than the Tianxia or the British Empire, so the investors in the Tumen Transport Alliance decide to abide by the wishes of T'mjn and the Council.
20th June 1910After a delay of almost three months, RFA Aphrodite arrives at the Barbados - Jamaica jump point, allowing the tanker RFA Acanthus to transit into the system and head for the Expedition eight billion kilometres away. Additional forces have also arrived to support the Expedition, including two salvage ships, nine freighters and a troop transport, escorted by four old River class destroyers and a single Diadem class heavy cruiser. RFA Aphrodite transits into Jamaica and begins constructing a gate at the Jamaica - Barbados jump point. RFA Apollo, an older class of construction ship that lacks a jump drive, is already constructing a gate on the Barbados - Jamaica jump point.
24th June 1910A few days after the arrival of RFA Aphrodite and the transit of a number of British ships into Jamaica, the five Rubis class scouts of the Automata transit into the system, presumably because there is no longer anything to observe in Barbados. While the River class destroyers and the Diadem class heavy cruiser have moved deeper into Jamaica, to escort the salvage forces and the troop transport respectively, the scout cruiser HMS Alexandra is still on the jump point. Unfortunately, she is unable to react quickly enough to hit any of the fast moving scouts before they leave laser range.
1st July 1910Thirty-five additional Kublai class FACs arrive at Sarai-A I. One FAC was lost en route due to maintenance failure.
2nd July 1910The 2nd Cavalry Brigade is unloaded on the fourth moon of Jamaica-A III, where an Automata outpost has been detected. Past outposts have been sensor stations guarded by robotic combat forces. The four battalions that make up the 2nd Cavalry Brigade are as follows:
2nd Cavalry Brigade2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)
4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards
9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
23rd July 1910By late July 1910, the Royal Navy's operations in Jamaica are spread across the whole system. The Expedition still holds position five billion kilometres from Jamaica-C, waiting for the tanker RFA Acanthus to arrive. HMS Prometheus and HMS Perseus continue their gravitational survey while HMS Devonshire conducts geological surveys in the solar system of Jamaica-B. A Justicia class Troop Transport and the heavy cruiser HMS Argonaut are in orbit of the fourth moon of Jamaica-A III while the 2nd Cavalry Brigade fights robotic defenders on the surface. Two separate salvage groups comprising the salvage ships RFA Oberon and RFA Oracle and nine Castle class freighters are salvaging the Automata ships that were destroyed during the initial incursion into the system. They are escorted by the River class destroyers HMS Severn, HMS Thames, HMS Trent and HMS Tyne. The scout cruiser HMS Alexandra protects the construction ship RFA Aphrodite while she builds a jump gate on the Barbados jump point. The Automata Rubis class scouts observe the Royal Navy activity but make no effort to interfere.
3rd August 1910Two deep space tracking stations and a supply of minerals are delivered to Sarai-A I. Due to a shortage of Tritanium, a further two Kublai class FACs have suffered the loss of an engine due to maintenance failure. Seventy-two Kublais and four Subutei class fast scouts remain operational at the planet and there are now sufficient mineral supplies for the planet's maintenance facilities to support them. The three Chakhar class battleships are en route to join them.
6th August 1910The Expedition is refuelled and finally resumes its approach to the Jamaica-C solar system.
17th August 1910The Khaghan Federation launches a second pair of Temujin class monitors.
19th August 1910The Royal Navy Expedition moves within active sensor range of Jamaica-C IV and detects two Automata bases in orbit; a Clemenceau and a Dunkerque. The last two time these two classes were encountered was in Berlin and they proved very difficult to defeat. After resisting heavy torpedo attack, they were finally defeated by the 20cm lasers of a scout cruiser which was able to enter firing range after the bases ran out of defensive missiles. On this occasion, none of the members of the task force has any significant offensive laser armament, although the Tribal class destroyers have 10cm point defence lasers. In Berlin, the bases were guarding the ruins of an alien outpost, so it is possible something similar exists on the planet below.
The scout cruiser HMS Alexandra is in the system but she is thirteen billion kilometres away. Even so, Rear Admiral Mellor calls her forward in case she is needed. In addition, he summons the four River class destroyers escorting the salvage groups as their lasers may prove useful in defending against missiles from the bases. The crews of the Expedition ships are growing restless as they have already been away from home for nine months and now they will have to wait almost seven weeks for HMS Alexandra to join them.
27th August 1910The Khaghan Federation's three Chakhar class battleships arrive at Sarai-A I to rendezvous with the Kublai FACs and Subutei class fast scouts. The two deep space tracking stations on the colony have yet to detect the Cymru warships in the system so a pair of the Subuteis are dispatched to the Tsagaan Baishin and Arlyn Balgas jump points in an attempt to locate them. The range of the Subutei active sensor is less than thirty million kilometres so finding the Cymru will not be easy.
29th August 1910Both scouts arrive at their destinations without incident. The Subutei at the Tsagaan Baishin jump point remains in place while the second begins searching the nearby asteroid belt. Suddenly, a small freighter of the Tumen Transport Alliance travelling from the Tenduk jump point to Sarai-A I is struck by fifty-two small missiles with strength-1 warheads. The freighter is only seven hundred and fifty million kilometres from the jump point and over three billion from the Khaghan force assembled in orbit of Sarai-A I. The battleships and FACs break orbit immediately to try confront the elusive intruders but they are a great distance away. The two Subuteis also head in the general direction of the attack.
A second salvo strikes the freighter, leaving it crippled but still moving. The senior Federation commander in the system, Tumenchi Bektergiin Qorin, issues a general order that no civilian freighter should use its transponder in Sarai. Thirteen minutes after the initial attack, a third missile salvo arrives and destroys the Tumen ship.
31st August 1910A second Tumen vessel is attacked in Sarai, this time just three hundred million kilometres from the Tenduk jump point. The 65,000 ton freighter is hit by twenty-seven small missiles and one of its engines fails catastrophically. The resulting explosion blows the ship to pieces. A tanker and a salvage ship that were holding position on the jump point have already pulled back into Tenduk but now begin to move away from the Tenduk - Sarai jump point. Because of the distance of the attack from Sarai-A I, Tumenchi Qorin decides to detach the Kublais and orders them to return to the planet. They will requiring refuelling before they even reach the Tenduk jump point and their crews will be in no state for battle after a long journey in cramped conditions. The three battleships proceed alone. Not an ideal situation but the one in which the Tumenchi finds himself.
4th September 1910One of the Subutei class scouts from Sarai-A I arrives at the Tenduk jump point without encountering any Cymru ships. Another Tumen freighter has arrived in the system, passed the small scout and is over three hundred million kilometres into the system, en route to Sarai-A I with a cargo of infrastructure.
5th September 1910The recently arrived freighter is hit by a new salvo of the small missiles. Both Subuteis in the general area frantically search for the Cymru warships but without success. The battleships are still much too far away to intervene. The size of the warheads suggest these are anti-missile missiles being used in offensive mode, which means the attacking ships may not be far away. Follow-up salvos arrive and a third civilian freighter is destroyed in Sarai. Twelve hours after the attack, Subutei Khoyor finally locates the enemy force fifty million kilometres from the wreckage of the last freighter to be attacked and begins shadowing them at twenty-five million kilometres. Unfortunately that doesn't last long as a volley of missiles reduces the scout to scrap metal.
6th September 1910The situation in Sarai is rapidly deteriorating. The Cymru fleet that was only attacking ships that approached the Tsagaan Baishin jump point is now roaming the system, attacking targets of opportunity. They are proving difficult to locate and even if the battleships do find them, they are at a speed disadvantage so are unlikely to be able to force an engagement. The FACs at Sarai-A I, which could catch the alien raiders, are too far away from the current area of activity to intervene. The Federation has little option but to abandon operations in Sarai entirely until a more effective force can be assembled. All the freighters heading for the system are ordered to turn around and head back to Sol. The remaining non-combatants in Sarai and in the system of Origiin Ord, which lies beyond Sarai's fourth jump point, are ordered to evacuate if possible and return home.
This new humiliation is too much for the Council. A delegation of clan chiefs approaches T'mjn and asks him to step aside for the good of the Federation. While he could be forcibly removed, the resulting inter-clan warfare would tear the Federation apart. The Council promises that stepping aside would allow T'mjn to enjoy an honourable retirement to his estates. Forced to choose between abandoning his personal quest to make the Federation the pre-eminent power in the galaxy or plunging the Federation into a devastating civil war, T'mjn decides the preservation of the Khaghan Federation has to be his priority. Amid great ceremony, T'mjn announces his abdication and names the Council's chosen successor, Jagun Juchin of the Kalmyk Clan. The new leader is more pragmatic than T'mjn and decides that the Federation must grow in strength before embarking on any more interstellar adventures. The most immediate issue is to establish supplies of key minerals as stockpiles are diminishing to critical levels. Causing particular concern are Gallicite, Mercassium and Tritanium.
Venus Mineral Survey (Stockpile in parentheses)
Duranium 8,293 Acc: 0.17 (36,223)
Neutronium 18,642 Acc: 0.15 (4,684)
Corbomite 3,742 Acc: 0.12 (124,225)
Boronide 32,117 Acc: 0.17 (46,908)
Uridium 79,905 Acc: 0.28 (80,884)
Corundium 4,737 Acc: 0.14 (128,814)
Gallicite 6,807 Acc: 0.12 (658)
Stockpiles of Depleted MineralsTritanium 3,087
Mercassium 2,811
Vendarite 110,548
Sorium 9,169
Consulting the records of past survey missions, Jagun identifies a comet in the Ondorkhan system, known to the British Empire as Wolf 359, which lies beyond Sol's third jump point. The system has no other jump points and is much closer than Sarai. Limited but accessible supplies of all three minerals are available on the comet and will address the immediate shortages until a longer term solution can be found.
Ondorkhan Comet #11 Survey ReportNeutronium 958 Acc: 0.7
Corbomite 111 Acc: 0.7
Tritanium 191,900 Acc: 0.8
Boronide 9,676 Acc: 0.8
Mercassium 11,153 Acc: 0.7
Sorium 210 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 1,492 Acc: 1
Gallicite 16,708 Acc: 0.8
