SPOILER WARNING! This AAR contains information on some of the more dangerous aliens you may meet in Aurora. Don't read if you only want to find out about them in-game
7th January 2036
Five hundred million kilometers in-system from the Heintz-299 jump point, the Illustrious task group in Gliese 1 detects forty-eight 800 ton contacts at a range of one hundred and ninety-five million kilometers, closing at 10,000 km/s. They appear to be from the same alien race that destroyed the Spruance class destroyer escort Halsey in 82 Eridani, adjacent to Gorshkov, and crippled her sister ship Yamamoto. Thirteen hundred NATO crewmen were killed in the incident, which took place on 11th May 2034. There has been no subsequent attempt to enter 82 Eridani and the aliens have shown no desire to enter Gorshkov. Now it seems they are also present in Gliese 1. The engagement in 82 Eridani was very brief but NATO sensors logs showed the presence of one hundred and forty-eight alien ships of the same type that has now been detected in Gliese 1. The FAC-sized vessels were each armed with a single, low-damage energy weapon that could pass through armour.
Based on that information, Rear Admiral Majewski knows he cannot let the alien craft get close to his fragile carriers. The problem is that the alien FACs are actually faster than the F-24B Cobras carried by Invincible and Indomitable. Only the eighteen F-24C Cobras on Illustrious have a slight speed advantage. He does at least have the backup of the cruisers Texas and Tennessee, as well as three area defence cruisers and two destroyer escorts, including the Yamamoto. To test the alien susceptibility to missile attack he launches the F-24C squadron, which has a top speed of 10,816 km/s. The other fighters remain on their carriers for the moment.
Due to the small size of the alien FACs, the NATO fighters have to close to five million kilometers before their SN/APG-26 Missile Fire Control systems can achieve a lock-on. Each fighter launches its four AGM-1C Sabre anti-ship missiles at a different alien FAC. Sixteen of the eighteen targets are hit by one or more missiles. Three of the FACs start streaming fluid rather than atmosphere, almost as if they are trailing blood. None are completely destroyed, although two are left dead in space. The Cobras begin the long flight back to the carriers with the forty-six mobile FACs close behind. Shortly after the missile strike, an alien active sensor is detected in the inner system at a distance of one point four billion kilometers. The sensor must be extremely powerful to be detected a such a great distance. A similar active sensor was detected during the 82 Eridani incident, although the ship mounting the sensor was not directly detected. A few minutes after the active sensor is detected, a shield strength of 600 is detected in the same location. Even with NATO's limited knowledge of shields, such a high strength seems almost inconceivable.
Rear Admiral Majewski decides to let the alien FACs close in before launching his remaining fighters. As the top speed of the F-24Bs is 9795 km/s, he does not want to risk them being caught and destroyed by the FACs after they launch their missiles. The alien FACs are within twenty million kilometers when the older model Cobras finally launch. At this point the F-24Cs have still not reached the task group. The thirty-six F-24Bs launch at a range of five million kilometers from the aliens and turn to run for their carriers. As with their more modern sisters, each fighter targets a different FAC. The F-24Cs finally land while the missiles are in flight. Fifty-one of the one hundred and forty-four AGM-1Cs strike their targets. One FAC is destroyed, although there is no sign of wreckage. Fifteen begin steaming the fluid that would seem to indicate internal damage, six of which are left dead in space. Thirty-nine FACs continue to close on the NATO task group.
The F-24B Cobras land with the aliens four point seven million kilometers from the task group. The two Virginia class cruisers achieve a target lock when the FACs are at three point nine million kilometers and open fire with RGM-2A Scimitar anti-ship missiles. Each cruiser has only a single missile fire control system so they use only half of their eight launchers to avoid overkill. Two minutes after launch the first wave of Scimitars reaches the alien formation and all eight missiles fail to strike their targets. The Scimitars only have a speed of 24,000 km/s compared to 36,000 km/s for the AGM-1C Sabre anti-ship missile which makes it far harder for them to hit the fast moving alien ships. Three more waves of eight RGM-2As are already in flight. With the FACs now at three point two million kilometers and closing fast, Rear Admiral Majewski orders the two cruisers to use all eight launchers and the fifth wave of Scimitars comprises sixteen missiles. The second wave of Scimitars has more luck, scoring three hits. One FAC falls out of formation. Wave three is similarly effective. Wave four also scores three hits but no internal damage.
The sixteen missiles of the fifth wave arrive with the aliens at two point four million kilometers. Five hit and both targeted FACs are brought to a halt. Just before the estimated time of intercept for the sixth wave, Rear Admiral Majewski is informed that the F-24C Cobras have completed their re-arming. He orders their immediate launch, with instructions to open fire as soon as possible. The sixth wave of RGM-2As scores six hits on two FACs. Only one hit results in fluid loss. In addition to being slower than the fighter launched missiles, the Scimitars have a strength-5 warhead compared to strength-6 for the AGM-1C Sabre, although they do have a ninety million kilometer range compared to seventy-five million.
The rapid launch and immediate demand to fire causes some confusion among the pilots of the F-24C Cobras and some target FACs that are already dead in space. Even so, the addition of fifty-four AGM-1C Sabres to the outgoing missile firepower has a noticeable effect. Together with the next three waves of Scimitars they destroy fifteen FACs, including some of the existing cripples, and cripple two more. Of the original forty-eight alien ships, sixteen have been destroyed and nine crippled. Twenty-three continue to close on the task group and are at a range of one point two million kilometers. Rear Admiral Majewski orders the area defence cruiser Demon to begin launching her RIM-8A Stiletto anti-missiles. Although they have very small warheads, they are as fast as the AGM-1C Sabre, are designed to hit small fast, moving targets and Demon can launch twenty-five every ten seconds. Besides, some of the FACs already have internal damage and may not require much additional damage to put them out of action. The sudden hail of missiles from Demon proves decisive. Her hit rate is close to ninety percent, which makes her Stilettos deadly just in terms of their sheer numbers. She fires three hundred and fifty RIM-8As in two minutes and twenty seconds. The last mobile FAC is blown to pieces just three hundred thousand kilometers from the fragile carriers.
Seventeen crippled alien vessels remain. Each one is picked off by the quad 20cm lasers of Texas and Tennessee, firing from outside the immobile FAC's effective energy range. None of the alien ships leaves any wreckage and a small minority of science officers on the NATO ships have a theory that the FACs may in fact may some form of space-dwelling creature and the fluid lost as a result of internal damage is actually their 'blood'. For the moment, within the task group the colloquial name of "The Swarm" is being applied to the mysterious aliens. Although the forty-eight small swarm ships have been eliminated, there is still the matter of the powerful sensor and shield reading emanating from a slow-moving contact within the inner system, over a billion kilometers away. Concerned there may be more of the small alien ships in the system and doubtful his task group would be able to overwhelm the shields of the undetected but presumably very large alien ship, Rear Admiral Majewski decides to leave the system and request further reinforcements to deal with the Swarm as well as the Golem bases in TW Piscis Austrini.
19th January 2036
A J-30B Vanguard from Illustrious probes the outermost jump point of the Heintz 299 system and enters EQ Pegasi, a binary of two red dwarf stars. In total, EQ Pegasi has ten planets, one of which has some long-term terraforming potential. The task group enters the system and begins a sweep of both planetary systems.
20th January 2036
A Soviet FAC in Gorshkov destroys a Goavelha construction ship en route from Gliese 908 to Kostinbrod. Interrogation of the survivors reveals information on a previously unknown star system. Gliese 63 is located two jumps from Kostinbrod via Wolf 46. The fact that this astrographic data has been gained from the Goavelha Host means their survey ships must have surveyed through the Kostinbrod system and into the systems beyond. The Kostinbrod - Goavelha conflict no doubt resulted from such an intrusion into Kostinbrod territory and this war very likely explains the bombardment damage to Kostinbrod Prime and the limited number of ships in the Kostinbrod Navy. Gliese 63 is an M3-V red dwarf with six planets, one of which is very close to being an ideal habitable world. All that is required is the addition of 0.02 atm of oxygen to the atmosphere.
16th February 2036
The NATO population on Earth falls below one billion, due entirely to the rate of emigration from Earth-based NATO powers to the Eridani Republic. Radiation levels on Earth continue to drop and the average growth rate has risen to 0.66%. The population of the Eridani Republic is now five hundred and twelve million, split between the five colony worlds of Roanoke, Jamestown, Bermuda, New Amsterdam and New Plymouth.
22nd February 2036
Further NATO reinforcements arrive in Heintz 299, including the light carriers Implacable and Indefatigable, the Virginia class cruisers Arkansas and Nevada, the Daring class area defence cruiser Duncan and the destroyer escort Jean Bart.
2nd March 2036
A 2350 ton ship of a previously unknown alien race is detected just seventeen million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime. The planet has no deep space tracking stations, presumably because they were all destroyed in the assumed planetary bombardment that took place before the Soviet - Kostinbrod war began, so no long range thermal detection was possible. The alien ship is actually detected by the Voskhod MR-1500 active sensor on the Soviet cruiser Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya. The senior officer in the system, Captain Semyonov of the Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, hails the alien ship and receives an immediate, although unintelligible response. The small ship approaches Kostinbrod Prime and moves into low orbit, despite repeated warnings not to approach. Each warning is met with a further response and the aliens seem willing to communicate. Semyonov is forced to assume the aliens cannot understand Russian any more than his linguists can understand the alien language and therefore they have interpreted his warnings as simple communication efforts. Fleet Headquarters, recently relocated from Ganymede to Alpha Centauri-B III, concurs with his reasoning and orders him to continue communication attempts and to monitor any future movements of the small alien vessel.
5th March 2036
Two more spacecraft, from yet another previously unknown alien race, are detected six hundred and seventy million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime. Captain Semyonov is starting to wonder if the Kostinbrod system is some form of galactic crossroads. These are a very different proposition from the small alien ship currently in orbit of Kostinbrod Prime. They are moving at 6400 km/s and their thermal signature is an incredible 16,000. In comparison the largest Soviet warships in service, the Project 1201 battlecruiser and Project 1206 aviation cruiser, have a thermal signature of 2400. They have been detected due to their close approach to a group of six freighters, from four different Soviet shipping lines, that are bringing trade goods to Kostinbrod Prime. The captain of a Project 1207B 'Antonov' class freighter from Rogulski Interstellar Shipping, hails the planet, reporting that the two alien vessels narrowly missed his ship and he believes it may have been a ramming attempt. Only the fast reaction of his helmsman avoided a collision. Captain Semyonov orders the cruiser Sevastopol to leave orbit and attempt to intercept the alien ships. He also informs Fleet Headquarters of the situation and requests urgent reinforcements.
The appearance of two new alien races, one of which seems ominously advanced and potentially hostile, comes at a inconvenient time for the Soviet Union. The aftermath of the Kostinbrod Conquest seemed an ideal time for the Soviet Navy to catch its breath, rearm and resupply. Therefore, two of the three Project 1201 battlecruisers and one of the two aviation cruisers were placed in overhaul, along with three cruisers and two of the captured Chinese Jiangweis. A fourth cruiser is being refitted. The available strength for major combatants of the Soviet Navy includes one battlecruiser, one aviation cruiser, twelve Soviet-built cruisers and two Chinese-built Jiangweis. Three cruisers are already in Kostinbrod, the battlecruiser Kalinin and the Project 1200 cruisers Admiral Nakhimov and Admiral Isachenkov are in Earth orbit. The aviation cruiser Kiev and seven cruisers, including the two Nevskys and the Project 1204B, are in orbit of Alpha Centauri-B III. Two Jiangweis are picketing the Sol - Gorshkov jump point as part of a joint Soviet - NATO force. Thirty Project 1202 Molniya class fast attack craft are in service, eighteen of which are being overhauled at either Kostinbrod Prime or Earth. Two have suffered engine failure and are forced to hold position with the Jiangweis at the Sol - Gorshkov jump point while the rest are in Alpha Centauri. All twenty-one of the Vidyut and Vidyut-B class FACs are operational. Six Vidyuts are picketing the Kostinbrod - Gorshkov jump point, seven Vidyut-Bs are picketing the Ross 154 - Wolf 922 jump point, six Vidyut-Bs are at Alpha Centauri-B III, a single Vidyut-B is in orbit of the captured Goavelha colony in Gorshkov and the last one is picketing the Sol - Alpha Centauri jump point. Admiral Melnikov orders Kalinin and her escorting cruisers to head for Kostinbrod. Three cruisers leave Alpha Centauri-B III for Earth to replace the departing squadron.
A second freighter, this time from Liu Container Services, reports a ramming attempt. Whoever, or whatever, is commanding the huge alien ships, seems to be insane. At least the ramming attempts indicate the ships either have no armament or lack ordnance. The ramming attempts continue and the convoy of civilian ships takes desperate avoiding action. The uneven contest cannot last long. The freighter from Liu Container Service is struck amidships and totally destroyed. Amazingly, the alien ship survives the collision and moment later smashes through a second freighter, this time from Buturlin Carrier Services. Again it lives to tell the tale. The armour of the alien ships must be substantially greater than any Soviet warship. The second alien ship carries out its first successful ram and destroys a third freighter. Within less than a minute it is over. All six freighters in the small convoy have been obliterated and the two alien ships disappear from sensors, apparently none the worse despite each ramming three thirty-five thousand ton freighters
The two alien ships, now classified as Ishkar class by Soviet tactical computers, reappear six hours later, still at maximum speed and closing on two more freighters. Thirty minutes later, two more wreck markers show up on Soviet tracking screens and contact with the alien ships is lost once again. Another six hours pass and the rampaging aliens move in on a third Soviet convoy, this time consisting of five freighters. Captain Semyonov ordered all freighters in the system to turn off their transponders immediately after the first attack but the alien ships are much faster than the freighters and their sensor capabilities are unknown. Sevastopol is racing to the rescue but the aliens are almost nine hundred million kilometers out from Kostinbrod Prime, preying on approaching convoys, while the Soviet cruiser is only one hundred and seventy-five million kilometers from the planet. Two of the five freighters are quickly destroyed, then a third. After the destruction of the third freighter in the convoy, Soviet sensors detecting atmospheric outgassing from Ishkar 001 and its thermal signature changes from 16,000 to 15,600. At least there is finally evidence the alien behemoths can be damaged. Unfortunately the remaining two freighters are both rammed and destroyed without any indication of further damage to the alien ships. Thirteen freighters owned by Soviet shipping lines have now been destroyed by the mystery ships. Seven more are in the outer system, two point five billion kilometers from the last convoy to be attacked. They have all reversed course and are heading for the Gorshkov jump point.
7th March 2036
Sevastopol begins picking up survivors from the destroyed freighters. There has been no new sighting of the alien Ishkar class ships in the past thirty-three hours. She rescues the crews of the first six to be destroyed and is en route to the next group of life pods when her active sensors detect the two alien vessels at one hundred and forty million kilometers, still lurking near the life pods of the last ship to be destroyed. Active sensors reveal the Ishkars to be 125,000 tons, four times larger than the Project 1201 battlecruisers and even twice as large as the mighty Soviet fuel harvesters in orbit of Jupiter. Normally, Captain Semyonov would believe that anything that large must be some form of commercial vessel, but the armour of the alien ships suggests otherwise. He would never even consider ordering the 13,500 ton Sevastopol to close in where it not for the fact the aliens appear to have no weapon systems. On Alpha Centauri-B III, Admiral Melnikov is monitoring the situation and approves of Captain Semyonov's actions. Semyonov's own ship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya and the third cruiser in Kostinbrod, Admiral Makarov, remain in orbit of Kostinbrod Prime, guarding the planet and monitoring the other recent alien intruder, although that ship is far less threatening and appears open to establishing communication.
Sevastopol is a Project 1204 'Atlant', armed with eighty P-505 Garpun-Cs, the very latest Soviet anti-ship missile, and three 200mm railguns. Her commander, Captain Varaza Khalfe, suggests to Captain Semyonov that he should to move to point blank range and open fire with railguns to conserve ordnance. However, Semyonov is concerned that given the alien propensity for ramming attacks, their high speed and their considerable armour belt, that may not be the wisest option. He instructs Khalfe to use his missiles from a range of forty million kilometers. The Garpun-C has a strength-9 warhead, a speed of 32,000 km/s, a range of ninety million kilometers and onboard active sensors. Sevastopol launches forty at each target.
As the missiles approach there is no sign they have been detected by the alien ships. There are no anti-missiles and no movement. Captain Khalfe counts down the seconds to impact, waiting with vengeful anticipation to celebrate the destruction of the aliens that have slaughtered so many merchant crewmen. Unbelievably, sixty-three missiles are shot down by a barrage of point blank point defence fire. Just nine missiles hit their targets and none penetrate the alien armour. Khalfe requests permission to close to energy range and is denied. Instead, Captain Semyonov orders him to maintain his current range and monitor the alien ships. There are still life pods from five freighters close to the location of the Ishkars but Semyonov, with the backing of Admiral Melnikov, has forbidden any rescue attempt until the alien ships move away or some way is found to destroy them.
11th March 2036
Six new alien ships appear in Kostinbrod, from the same race as the small ship in Kostinbrod orbit. They are detected at a range of one hundred and forty million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime by the active sensors of Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya. The small alien ship has been classified as the Bardiche class. The new arrivals are classified as two Montgisard class and four Crossbow class. All six ships are 19,800 tons and moving at 4848 km/s, making them a far more threatening prospect than the 2350 ton Bardiche. Captain Semyonov tries to explain to the aliens that they cannot approach the planet but communication has not yet been established. Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya is a Project 1204, like her sister ship Sevastopol, and also armed with P-505 Garpun-Cs, but Admiral Makarov is a Project 1200 'Berkut', designed primarily as an escort with limited anti-ship capability. If the new alien ships are hostile Semyonov can do little about it with his current forces. He has no option but to let them approach and hope they are friendly. Their direction of approach suggests they originated from the Wolf 46 jump point. Wolf 46 is known because of captured Kostinbrod survey data but no Soviet ship has ever visited the system. Meanwhile Sevastopol continues to monitor the two Ishkar, which haven't moved in the last four days. Eight hours after initial detection, the six new arrivals settle into orbit of Kostinbrod Prime. An hour later, they suddenly depart, apparently on course for the Kostinbrod - Gorshkov jump point, and soon disappear from sensors.
To avoid confusion the Soviets begin officially using colloquial names given to the two alien races by GRU officers based on Kostinbrod Prime. The ramming tactics and thick armour of the Ishkars caused them to be known as the Rhinos. The visual appearance of the second race, humanoid with a large bulbous head and orange skin, has resulted in the unfortunate nickname of the Tangos, a Western cultural reference which has mystified some senior members of the Soviet elite.
13th March 2036
Two days after the six Tango ships leave orbit of Kostinbrod they are detected by Sevastopol, on a direct heading for the two Ishkar class ships. Just as they are about to reach point blank range, Sevastopol detects five more Tango ships entering active sensor range. Four are 6600 tons, three of which are designated as the Clairvaux class and the fourth as the Morning Star. The fifth, designated as Bernard class, is 13,200 tons. They too are heading for the pair of Ishkar class ships at 4848 km/s. Kostinbrod is turning out to be a very busy system indeed. Despite considering the system to be their sovereign territory, the crews of the Soviet ships can do little but watch events unfold.
The first group of Tango ships and the two Ishkars begin maneuvering around each other at point blank range, the Ishkars presumably attempting to ram. Whether the Tangos are firing on the Rhinos is unclear but there are no missile explosions. One of the Ishkars and a Tango Montgisard suddenly vanish amid three large secondary power explosions, leaving wrecks of both ships in the same location. Moments later there are ten strength-5 nuclear detonations in close proximity to the second Ishkar. The complex dance between the Ishkar and the five remaining Tango ships continues. Forty seconds after the destruction of the first Ishkar there are two more huge explosions, one of which is plainly a catastrophic magazine failure, and the Ishkar and the second Montgisard are both destroyed.
Captain Khalfe of the Sevastopol requests permission to move to the scene of the battle and rescue the life pods from the destroyed freighters. Captain Semyonov agrees. The four Tango Crossbow class ships depart the scene of the battle after picking up the survivors of the own lost ships and head for a rendezvous with the second group of Tango ships. Sevastopol and the Crossbows pass very close to each other on reciprocal courses without incident. The combined Tango force then sets course for the Gorshkov jump point. Once the freighter survivors have been rescued, Sevastopol is ordered to shadow the nine Tango ships at a minimum distance of fifty million kilometers, although the Tangos have a 850 km/s speed advantage over the Soviet cruiser. Admiral Melnikov and the Soviet High Command are torn between gratitude toward the Tangos for the destruction of the two Ishkars which were wreaking havoc in Kostinbrod and concern over what appear to be a powerful Tango fleet roaming around the same system.
Just outside the orbit of Kostinbrod VI, nine hundred million kilometers from the primary, the Tango fleet suddenly reverses course and heads back toward Kostinbrod Prime. Meanwhile, the small Tango Bardiche class leaves orbit of Kostinbrod Prime and moves to Kostinbrod IV, an Earth-sized world almost covered by its polar ice caps that has a thin nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere and a surface temperature of -100C. Presumably this small ship is a geological survey vessel. Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya has been shadowing the small ship but Captain Semyonov believes it does not represent a threat and takes his ship back to Kostinbrod Prime to join Admiral Makarov.
16th March 2036
The Soviet Union launches Nikolayev and Petropavlovsk, the first and likely only two units of the Project 1220 'Nikolayev' class. The Project 1220 is the first jump-capable cruiser in the Soviet inventory and is also notable for the Voskhod-4600 Active Search Sensor, a much more capable sensor than the venerable Voskhod MR-1500 used by almost all existing major Soviet combatants. In keeping with the same philosophy as the Project 1221 'Nevsky' class, the Project 1220 has a purely railgun armament, although its primary role is as a support vessel rather than a main combatant. Petropavlovsk is immediately dispatched to Kostinbrod while Nikolayev heads for Alpha Centauri-B III.
Project 1220 'Nikolayev' class Kreyser 13,500 tons 1477 Crew 2522.4 BP TCS 270 TH 1440 EM 0
5333 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 4-50 Shields 0-0 Sensors 10/16/0/0 Damage Control Rating 12 PPV 42
Annual Failure Rate: 121% IFR: 1.7% Maint Capacity 1401 MSP Max Repair 506 MSP Est Time: 1.64 Years
NPO Energomash RD-1350 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 13500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Magneto-plasma Drive (18) Power 80 Fuel Use 70% Signature 80 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 450,000 Litres Range 85.7 billion km (186 days at full power)
200mm Railgun (6x4) Range 160,000km TS: 5333 km/s Power 12-3 RM 4 ROF 20 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1
MR-504 Podkat Railgun Fire Control (2) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 4000 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Gas-Cooled Reactor (4) Total Power Output 18 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Voskhod-4600 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 57600 Range 343.5m km Resolution 180
TH-10 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 10m km
Gurzhor-16 EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 16m km
ECM 20
17th March 2036
Rear Admiral Majewski's light carrier task group, now with a strength of five light carriers, four Virginia class cruisers, seven escorts and ninety fighters, returns to TW Piscis Austrini to cover a NATO salvage ship while it recovers the wrecks of the three destroyed Golem ships.
18th March 2036
The Tango fleet arrives back at Kostinbrod Prime and then departs again, this time following their survey ship to Kostinbrod IV. After a few hours at the planet they set a new course, once again heading for the Gorshkov jump point. Sevastopol is hard pressed to keep up with their movements, especially given the Tango speed advantage, and eventually loses them not far from the site of the battle against the Ishkars. Captain Semyonov recalls the cruiser to join his other two ships.
2nd April 2036
Petropavlovsk enters Kostinbrod and detects the fleet of nine Tango ships two hundred and fifty million kilometers from the Kostinbrod - Gorshkov jump point. She also detects a further six Tango ships seven million kilometers behind the main group. All six new arrivals are 6600 tons and comprise four different classes, designated as Solomon, Mace, Halberd and Battleaxe. With a top speed of 5333 km/s, Petropavlovsk now has the speed advantage over the Tangos. Vice Admiral Karen Kravchenko, who recently arrived in Kostinbrod aboard the battlecruiser Kalinin and took over from Captain Semyonov as senior officer in the system, orders the new cruiser to follow the Tango ships. The two groups of Tangos combine into a single task group and resume course for the Gorshkov jump point. When they arrive, the original group of nine remains in Kostinbrod and sets course for the Wolf 46 jump point while the recently detected six ships transit into Gorshkov. Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders Petropavlovsk to transit into Gorshkov to try and pick them up again and determine their heading. A fast attack craft is dispatched to the Kostinbrod - Wolf 46 jump point to detect any transit into that system. Petropavlovsk transits back into Gorshkov to find the six Tango ships have split into two groups of three and are holding position on opposite sides of the jump point, approximately 150,000 kilometers apart. One of the Vidyut class FACs on the far side of the jump point is ordered to jump into Gorshkov and monitor them while Petropavlovsk transits back into Kostinbrod to follow the larger group.
11th April 2036
NATO's 49th Engineer Brigade recovers an abandoned construction factory on New Plymouth. What makes this installation different to all the others that have been recovered is that it contains a wealth of detailed scientific information on the construction techniques of the Bahraich Enclave. This will be sufficient to increase production rates in NATO construction factories by twenty-five percent.
12th April 2036
The Soviet Union establishes communication with the alien race previously referred to as the Tangos. They identify themselves as the Houma Empire. The Soviet bureaucracy now faces an uphill struggle to ensure the Soviet armed forces use the correct name in all future communications. There is still very limited information on the Houma, apart from the fact they appear to have a significant number of ships in and around the Kostinbrod system. Their nine-ship task group is still en route to the Wolf 46 jump point, shadowed by the Petropavlovsk.
14th April 2036
An alien active sensor is detected in Kostinbrod, very close to the stable wormhole discovered by the first Soviet and NATO ships to enter the system over two years ago. The signature of the sensor suggests it belongs to the same alien race as the two Ishkar class ships that destroyed thirteen Soviet freighters and two Houma ships. The location of the contact also suggests that the wormhole might be the source of the Rhino ships. The active sensor signature is two hundred million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime and heading directly for the planet at 10,000 km/s. Vice Admiral Karen Kravchenko breaks orbit with a force comprising Kalinin, the Project 1204 cruisers Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya and Sevastopol, the Project 1200 escort cruisers Admiral Isachenkov and Admiral Makarov, five Molniya class FACs and a Molniya-S fast scout. A third Project 1200 is deployed at the site of the battle with the Ishkars, covering the operations of a Soviet salvage ship, and Petropavlovsk is en route to Wolf 46 with the Houma task group.
One hour after initial contact, Soviet EM sensors detect two shield signatures in the same location as the active sensor, both of which are strength-300. There are apparently two Rhino ships heading for Kostinbrod Prime, only one of which is radiating sensor emissions. Four minutes later the two ships move within sensor range of the Soviet task group, allowing Soviet tactical officers to determine their size as 12,800 tons, slightly smaller than the Soviet cruisers and only one tenth the size of the Ishkar class. They are designated as Ordianum class. The fact that cruiser-sized warships are capable of 10,000 km/s, faster than the Soviet Union FACs and fighters, and have such powerful shields is cause for great concern. This alien race is plainly far more advanced than any encountered before.
Given the strength of the Rhino shields and the incredible effectiveness of the point defence on the Ishkars, Vice Admiral Kravchenko finds herself in a difficult position, especially as the anti-ship firepower of her ships is not homogeneous. Kalinin has one hundred and twenty Garpun-Bs with a speed of 24,000 km/s while Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya has eighty Garpun-C, which have a speed of 32,000 km/s. Sevastopol's missile tubes are empty. Admiral Isachenkov has twenty-four Palash-B, with a speed of 32,000 km/s while Admiral Makarov has twenty-four Palash-A, with a speed of 24,000 km/s. The five Molniyas each have twelve Palash-As. All her major combatants also have railguns. She decides to launch two salvos, each one using missiles of the same speed and each targeted on a different ship. Although the faster salvo will be smaller, each missile will have a greater chance of a hit. If the missile attack fails, she will attempt to close to railgun range, although that will only happen if the much faster aliens allow it.
Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders the first launch at eighty million kilometers. When Soviet tactical officers attempt to lock their fire controls on to the alien ships they find the alien ECM is so powerful that the fire controls will only lock-on at forty percent of their maximum range, approximately thirty-three million kilometers. The Admiral orders her task group to close to the necessary range. All point defence crews stand ready. Tense minutes pass with excruciating slowness for the Soviet crews but eventually the task group moves within effective range. The first salvo, launched from Kalinin, Admiral Makarov, and the Molniyas, comprises one hundred and twenty P-504 Garpun-B and eighty-four Palash-A. Four minutes later, with the task group running back toward Kostinbrod Prime, Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya and Admiral Isachenkov launch eighty Garpun-C and twenty-four Palash-B.
By the time the missile salvos arrive, the faster missiles have passed their slower sisters and lead them by approximately 600,000 kilometers. Twelve Garpun-Cs are destroyed by point blank defence fire. Thirty-one strike their target, along with thirteen Palash-Bs. The Garpun-C has a strength-9 warhead while the Palash-B has a strength-8 warhead. Despite all of that firepower being directed against the alien cruiser, there is no sign of armour penetration and its speed remains at 10,000 km/s. In fact, the shield strength remains constant at three hundred and the shields immediately begin radiating energy into space. These are plainly not normal shields. Fifteen seconds later, the slower but larger salvo arrives. Forty-seven Garpun-B and twenty-five Palash-A detonate on target. Three of the seventy-two hits penetrate the alien armour and the alien ship is reduced in speed to 9375 km/s. The two cruiser-sized alien ships have taken the best shot of a powerful Soviet task group and shrugged it aside with only a slight reduction in speed. They are now twenty-six million kilometers from the task group and only seventy million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime.
Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders her task group to turn ninety degrees and try to draw the alien ships away from the planet. It soon becomes apparent that despite the relative proximity of the Soviet warships, the two alien ships are maintaining their course for Kostinbrod Prime. She is about to order an interception course in a last and probably futile attempt to save the planet when Admiral Melnikov, monitoring events from Soviet Fleet Headquarters via the jump gate network, intervenes. He orders Vice Admiral Kravchenko to save her ships if at all possible. Kravchenko argues that these ships may lack armament, just as the Ishkars did, and a railgun attack may succeed. Given their speed and obvious intent, Melnikov believes these are Rhino warships and probably mount a close range armament that matches their other technology. Any attempt to engage them at energy ranges would be suicidal. He repeats his order and the Soviet task group maintains a course perpendicular to that of the alien ships. Ten Soviet freighters and a Hegu class troop transport have also left Kostinbrod orbit in an attempt to escape. Six FACs undergoing overhaul are unable to leave. During all of this activity, the nine Houma ships have maintained their course toward Wolf 46.
The two Rhino cruisers pass ten million kilometers astern of the Soviet task group on an unwavering course toward Kostinbrod Prime. As the faster ship reaches four point five million kilometers from the planet, one of the FACs in orbit is hit by ten small missiles, each with a strength-1 warhead. Its armour absorbs the impacts but loses over sixty percent of its mass in the process. Forty-five seconds later a second FAC is hit, this time by ten strength-2 missile detonations, and explodes. The difference in warhead size between the two salvos is difficult to explain, although Soviet tactical officers guess that perhaps the alien ships are carrying different versions of missiles due to supply constraints. At intervals of forty-five seconds, a second and third FAC are destroyed, this time by ten strength-3 warheads, and then a fourth by strength-4 warheads. The alien missile warheads are gaining in strength as the Rhino cruisers get closer to their targets. Back at Fleet Headquarters, Soviet analysts are trying to explain the strange behaviour of the Rhino missiles. They speculate that perhaps the Rhino weapon is some type of guided, long range energy weapon rather than a short range missile, which would explain the change in destructive power. The last two FACs are blown to pieces by strength-5 and strength-6 warheads. Vice Admiral Kravchenko finds herself unusually grateful to Admiral Melnikov for his refusal to allow her task group to seek a close-range action.
The lead Ordianum class cruiser turns its attention to the Soviet ground forces on the planet. The 7th and 274th Motor-Rifle Regiments and the divisional headquarters of the 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Division plus the 13th Tank Regiment and 423rd Guards Yampolsky Motor Rifle Regiment of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division are on the surface of Kostinbrod Prime. Another Tank Regiment is on board a Hegu class transport that is only ten million kilometers away. Devastating explosions march across the surface of Kostinbrod Prime, inflicting heavy casualties on Soviet forces but also destroying factories, refineries and mining complexes. Three million Kostinbrod are killed by the initial salvo. The nature of the explosions indicates some form of unstable plasma rather than nuclear or anti-matter warheads, which lends credence to the theory that the Rhino 'missiles' are in fact some unknown form of energy weapon. There is a small amount of residual radiation, with each strength-6 plasma warhead causing the amount of radiation as a strength-1 nuclear warhead.
The 147th Motor Rifle Battalion and the 55th Heavy Assault Battalion are the first ground units to be destroyed. They are not the last. Despite pleas and offers of surrender from the Soviet administration and the indigenous Kostinbrod population, the bombardment is merciless. Smaller strength-1 explosions begin to appear, indicating the slightly damaged second cruiser has moved within maximum weapon range. Five minutes after the start of the planetary bombardment, every single Soviet ground unit has been wiped out. An entire division lost. Many valuable installations have been destroyed by collateral damage and millions of Kostinbrod have been killed. Next, the aliens turn their attention to the shipyard and blow it to pieces. The two cruisers join up and hold position two million kilometers from Kostinbrod Prime, concentrating their fire on the planetary industry and population centres. As the endless bombardment continues, there is no sign of the cruisers running out of ordnance. Soviet cruisers of that size, using regular rather than box launchers, would have exhausted their missiles long before. Soviet analysts believe that if the Rhino 'missiles' are in fact an energy weapon they may be able to produce them indefinitely. An extremely worrying prospect. Despite his horror at the cataclysmic events unfolding in the Kostinbrod system, Admiral Melnikov knows his duty is to save as much as possible from the disaster. He orders Admiral Kravchenko to get every Soviet unit out of the system as quickly as possible and to disengage all but anti-missile sensors in order to avoid giving away their position.
After an hour of sustained bombardment, Kostinbrod Prime has been rendered virtually uninhabitable. No living thing remains on the surface and every structure has been obliterated. Seven hundred and fifty million Kostinbrod have been killed. Despite the much smaller residual radiation than would be expected from a nuclear bombardment of similar magnitude, the explosions have thrown a huge amount of dust into the atmosphere and the surface temperature will drop by an estimated eighty degrees Celsius within a few days. Leaving the devastated planet behind them, the two Rhino cruisers head for a Hegu class troop transport and ten freighters fifteen million kilometers away. The slow moving ships cannot escape and they are ruthlessly massacred by the two cruisers. Leaving the drifting wreckage astern, the Rhinos turn to pursue Vice Admiral Kravchenko's task group, which is ninety million kilometers away. Although the task group is under emissions control, the Rhino cruisers can be tracked by their own active sensor emissions.
For a while, Vice Admiral Kravchenko believed her ships might escape. That faint hope has now been crushed. The lead alien cruiser rapidly closes in, with her consort trailing astern. All the Soviet ships ready their railguns in defensive mode. With the enemy ship at four point seven million kilometers, ten missile contacts are detected, moving at an incredible 80,000 km/s. Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders her Project 1200 Berkuts to use their anti-missile fire control in 1v1 mode to test the chances of their 9K50 Strela-25 anti-missiles intercepting the inbounds. If the chance is too low, she intends to use the point defence missiles in offensive mode if the enemy cruiser moves within range.
The first salvo of ten anti-missiles intercepts the Rhino missiles and fails to score any hits. Two of the second wave of Strela-25s do hit their fast-moving targets but fail to destroy them. With such a low chance of intercept and the apparent ineffectiveness of the anti-missiles that did hit, Vice Admiral Kravchenko decides not to waste any more. Her fleet will have to rely on railguns for defensive fire. Unfortunately the railguns also do not fare well. Just one railgun round is on target, although it does detonate the missile warhead. The other nine inbounds strike Kalinin with strength-1 warheads. Kravchenko orders her fleet to reverse course in an attempt to inflict at least some damage, even though this will reduce the range more quickly and increase the strength of the alien missile warheads.
The task group has better luck against the second wave of Rhino missiles, destroying five with point blank railgun fire. The rest inflict strength-2 hits on Kalinin. Some Soviet tactical officers have begun to refer to the Rhino weapons as Plasma Torpedoes, due to their plasma-based warheads and their performance characteristics that differ significantly from conventional missiles. The name quickly catches on. Once within four million kilometers of Ordianum 001, Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders her flagship and the two Project 1200s to launch their Strela-25s at the enemy ship. Between them they can launch salvos of forty missiles. She also attempts to get the fleet turned around and heading for the jump point once again, although a lack of fleet training makes this a slow process.
Six missiles from the third wave of plasma torpedoes strike Kalinin with strength-3 warheads. So far, her armour is easily withstanding the assault. Given that the plasma torpedoes are relatively slow-firing, with approximately a fifty-second reload time, Kravchenko suggests to Admiral Melnikov that future Soviet designs should consider shields with as fast a recharge time as possible. Perhaps a ship can be designed to withstand the amount of damage that the Rhino ships can deliver over time. The Soviet anti-missile launchers certainly do not suffer from a slow reload time and further waves of Strela-25s are launched every ten seconds. The fourth wave of plasma torpedoes inflicts seven strength-3 hits. Before the fifth wave can arrive, the leading volley of Soviet missiles reaches Ordianum 001. Fourteen are destroyed by point blank point defence fire. Twenty-two strike their target. Even though they only have strength-1 warheads, Vice Admiral Kravchenko hopes that enough small stings might slow down even the powerful Rhino cruiser. It is admittedly a faint hope. By the time the fifth wave of plasma torpedoes scores eight strength-3 hits on Kalinin, a further seventy-nine Soviet anti-missiles have exploded on target.
Due to shortening range, the warhead strength of the plasma torpedoes increases to four for the sixth and seventh waves and to strength-5 for the eighth wave. Kalinin's armour is penetrated in one location and very weak in three others. To make matters worse, the magazines of the battlecruiser and the two escort cruisers finally run dry after launching over a thousand Strela-25s between them. Almost six hundred have hit the Rhino cruiser but there is still no indication of armour penetration. The advanced alien cruisers seem almost indestructible. The ninth wave of plasma torpedoes scores nine strength-6 hits and Kalinin suffers internal damage, losing two of her missile launchers. Vice Admiral Kravchenko orders yet another course change toward the alien cruiser, trying to get within railgun range. The alien ship reverses course and maintains a two million kilometer separation.
Every torpedo in the next wave smashes into Kalinin and she loses an engine, slowing to 3900 km/s. Kravchenko orders the battlecruiser to head for the jump point, trying to get the alien cruiser to chase her and allow the other Soviet ships within railgun range. Instead of pursuing, the Ordianum keeps the range open and targets Admiral Makarov instead. Running out of options, the Vice Admiral orders her task group to scatter in the hope that some might escape. She curses herself for not ordering her force to scatter hours ago, before the alien cruisers started the pursuit.
The next five torpedo salvos destroy five of the Molniya class FACs then the Rhino cruiser turns its attention to Sevastopol. The second Rhino cruiser has not even opened fire yet as it is five million kilometers behind its sister ship. Sevastopol is destroyed by five full strength volleys and is soon followed into destruction by Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya. Captain Semyonov makes it to a life pod, along with almost three hundred of his crew. Their chances of rescue are virtually zero. The Project 1200 'Berkut' class escort cruiser Admiral Isachenkov is the next to die and then both Rhino cruisers close in on the wounded Kalinin. The mighty battlecruiser withstands a fearful pounding but eventually she succumbs to the inevitable. Vice Admiral Kravchenko does not survive her destruction. Admiral Makarov is run down and destroyed and then the last survivor of the task group, a Molniya-S class scout FAC, is blown to pieces less than fifteen million kilometers from the point at which the scatter order was given.
The system of Kostinbrod is littered with the wreckage of thirty-nine Soviet ships, including some of the finest warships in the Soviet Navy. An entire planetary population and its industry have been exterminated. A catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, almost all of which was caused by two cruiser-sized vessels. Thirteen Soviet ships remain in the system and are running for their lives. The jump cruiser Petropavlovsk has abandoned its shadowing of the Houma fleet but is over four billion kilometers from the Gorshkov jump point. On the same course is a Vidyut class FAC that was picketing the Wolf 46 jump point. The Project 1200 cruiser Admiral Nakhimov was guarding a salvage ship and its accompanying six freighters as they attempted to recover data and components from the wrecks of the two Ishkars. Those eight ships, located six hundred and fifty million kilometers from the destruction of the Soviet task group and four billion from the jump point, are each making their best speed to safety. Finally, three old Kostinbrod freighters that surrendered to Soviet control are a third of the distance from their home world to the Gorshkov jump point. Contact has been lost with the two Rhino cruisers and none of the fleeing ships dare turn on their active sensors.
19th April 2036
The NATO salvage ship in TW Piscis Austrini completes the salvage of all three Golem wrecks. While his task group is in the system, Rear Admiral Majewski decides to have another crack at the two Golem bases in orbit of the second planet. As the task group moves within sensor range, the Archimedes class ship damaged during a previous engagement is confirmed as still in orbit with the bases. The previous attempt at attacking the bases involved a launch from fifty-four fighters. This time Majewski has ninety fighters and four Virginia class cruisers. Rather than a long range strike, he decides to move in as close as possible and try to combine a fighter based launch with missiles from the cruisers,
23rd April 2036
In Kostinbrod, a trio of Chinese-built Xian II class freighters running for the Gorshkov jump point detects the active sensors of the two Ordianum class cruisers at a range of eleven million kilometers. The freighters are still almost three billion kilometers from the jump point, further than any of the other Soviet ships trying to reach safety, and their maximum speed is just 1504 km/s. All three are destroyed within twenty-five minutes of the initial contact. The closest Soviet ships to the site of the attack are the three Kostinbrod-built freighters four hundred million kilometers closer to the jump point.
24th April 2036
The Soviet jump cruiser Petropavlovsk transits from Kostinbrod into Gorshkov and sets course for the Gorshkov - Sol jump point. Sixteen hours after the cruiser leaves the system, the three Kostinbrod-built freighters detect the active sensor emissions of the Rhino cruisers at nine million kilometers. Seventeen minutes later, all that remains of the freighters is drifting debris. Two hours after their destruction a further three freighters, all modern Project 1207B Antonovs, are caught and destroyed.
25th April 2036
When the NATO task group in TW Piscis Austrini moves within forty million kilometers of the second planet, the Archimedes class cruiser breaks orbit and comes out to meet them. Rear Admiral Majewski orders the light carrier Implacable to launch its eighteen fighters, armed with AGM-1C Sabres, against the Golem warship. Twenty-five missiles strike the Archimedes, each with a strength-6 warhead. The missile detonations are swiftly followed by a strength-25 secondary explosion and the alien cruiser blows up. The fighters land and reload while the task group moves to the wreck of the Archimedes, ten million kilometers from the two bases orbiting TW Piscis Austrini II. There is no sign of any Golem missile launch so the task group edges closer, halting at five point five million kilometers. This places the Golem bases within range of the SA-N-34 Gargoyle anti-missile carried by the Daring Mod 1 area defence cruisers Diana and Dauntless II. The Gargoyle is actually a Golem-built missile, stocks of which were recovered from two Golem sensor outposts. Rear Admiral Majewski is concerned that the reverse is also true and the Golem bases will be able to fire on his ships with their own Gargoyles. However, he intends to give them something to occupy their launchers in defensive mode. He orders the four Virginias to open fire. Between them they can launch thirty-two RGM-2A Scimitar anti-ship missiles every forty seconds. The Scimitars are old missiles, capable of only 24,000 km/s, and Majewski does not believe any of them will penetrate Golem defences but they will tie up point defence missile launchers.
Next, he orders all five carriers to launch their fighters. The ninety fighters, eighteen of which are F-24C Cobras and the rest F-24Bs, can launch three hundred and sixty missiles in a single wave. As soon as the SN/SPS-30 Missile Detection Sensors on the Daring Mod 1s detect defensive missiles from the bases, presumably launched against the Scimitars, Rear Admiral Majewski orders the fighters to launch their AGM-1C anti-ship missiles and orders Diana and Dauntless II to begin launching their SA-N-34 Gargoyle anti-missiles in offensive mode. The Gargoyles have a speed of 65,000 km/s.
Unexpectedly, the first wave of Gargoyles launched by the Golem bases ignores the first wave of Scimitars and closes on the task group. Rear Admiral Majewski orders his two older Daring class area defence cruisers to begin launching RIM-8A Stiletto anti-missiles, although with a speed of only 35,000 km/s they may be of little use against the much faster Gargoyles. He also switches Diana and Dauntless II to defensive fire after they have launched two offensive salvos. Finally he orders both the fighters and the task group to pull away from the planet, attempting to move outside the missile range of the bases. The fighters cannot land as they need to maintain a fire control lock on their targets. In the confusion of battle, the area defence cruisers don't act on their orders fast enough and the first wave of hostile missiles close on the jump cruiser Belisarius. The point blank defences of the task group destroy seven missiles. The other forty-one detonate on target. Fortunately they only have strength-1 warheads and the cruiser's armour is not penetrated. However, the incoming salvos are only five seconds apart and forty-six more missiles slam into Belisarius before the first NATO anti-missiles are finally launched. Her armour is penetrated and her SN/SLR-22 EM Detection sensor damaged.
Even though some of the NATO anti-missiles intercept the third incoming wave of Gargoyles, none score hits on the fast moving targets. The task group's close range defences perform exceptionally well though and destroy eighteen inbounds. The other thirty strike Belisarius and take out her jump drive. Repairs begin immediately. There are still five more salvos of forty-eight missiles heading for the task group but Golem targeting for the ninth and subsequent waves changes to defensive mode, trying to take out the NATO anti-ship missiles targeted on the two bases. Wave four of offensively-launched Golem missiles hits Belisarius again and this time it inflicts considerable internal damage, taking out four engines, both active sensors, her ECM and both CIWS. She falls out of formation and is struck hard by the fifth wave. Her armour belt is virtually gone and half her engines are out of action. Wave six leaves her almost dead in space with barely any functional systems. The seventh wave of Golem Gargoyle missiles finally ends her torment. The eighth and final wave is targeted on the light carrier Illustrious. Not a single incoming missile is taken out by point defence and Illustrious suffers forty-eight hits. Her armour is penetrated in one location but there is no internal damage.
The sacrifice of the jump cruiser is not entirely in vain. The eighty NATO-launched Gargoyle missiles have been tying up Golem point defence and so far no defensive fire has been directed against the wave of AGM-1C Sabres. The Sabres move within two point five million kilometers before they suffer any losses. Freed of their defensive responsibilities, Diana and Dauntless II launch more missiles in offensive mode to support the fighter-launched missiles, although they will not arrive in time to distract Golem point defence. The wave of Sabres finally begins to melt away under heavy fire but the Golem bases cannot destroy them fast enough. Just over a hundred survive long enough to reach their targets, which is sufficient to completely destroy both bases. TW Piscis Austrini has been secured. Unfortunately, the task group will have to remain in the system until a new jump cruiser arrives or a jump gate can be built.
Leonidas is the only Alexander class jump cruiser remaining within the NATO naval forces. Her sister ships Alexander and Belisarius have both been destroyed by the Golems. Leonidas, currently taking part in a training exercise in Epsilon Eridani, is ordered to move to TW Piscis Austrini, via Teegarden's Star, TZ Arietis, GJ 1002 and Heintz 299. The journey will require over a month. In the meantime, the light carrier task group will cover a NATO salvage ship while it recovers the wreck of Belisarius and the wrecks of the three destroyed Golem units.
27th April 2036
The Soviet cruiser Admiral Nakhimov transits from Kostinbrod into Gorshkov, along with a Vidyut class FAC. Both ships head for Sol at their best speed. Admiral Nakhimov engages her active sensor to check on the six Houma ships that entered Gorshkov four weeks earlier. There is no sign of them. They could have moved elsewhere in Gorshkov, or they may have re-entered Kostinbrod during the last few days when neither side of the jump point was covered by Soviet pickets or sensors. Since the Rhino attack on Kostinbrod Prime the situation has been chaotic to say the least.
The only Soviet ship remaining in Kostinbrod is a salvage ship. The six freighters that were originally accompanying the ship as it tried to salvage the wrecks of the two Ishkars have already been caught and destroyed. However, its top speed of 2877 km/s was higher than the freighters it left in its wake and so far it has escaped destruction. It is still one point one billion kilometers from the Gorshkov jump point. The ship receives transmissions from several of the Soviet life pods scattered across the system, reporting the survivors, including Captain Semyonov, are being picked up by Houma ships. While it is good news for the Soviet Union that their surviving officers and crewmen will not die in deep space, it is bad news from an intelligence perspective as the Houma Empire may learn a considerable amount about the Soviet Union by interviewing or interrogating those survivors.
28th April 2036
The Soviet salvage ship in Kostinbrod is caught and destroyed by the Rhino cruisers a billion kilometers from the jump point. The Soviet Union now has no operational salvage ships and no government-owned freighters. There are no Soviet ships remaining in Kostinbrod and therefore the Soviet Union has no way to monitor events in the system.
3rd May 2036
The Soviet Project 1204 'Atlant' class cruiser Slava is refitted to the Project 1204B design, increasing her maximum speed from 4000 km/s to 5333 km/s
13th May 2036
The NATO carrier Ark Royal completes a refit to the Enterprise Mod 1 class. All six of NATO's fleet carriers are now capable of 5000 km/s
15th May 2036
There is considerable debate among the upper echelons of the Soviet leadership with regard to informing NATO of the events in the Kostinbrod system. Some argue that the Rhinos pose a serious danger to humanity as a whole, rather than just to the Soviet Union, but the majority do not want to advertise Soviet weakness in case it invites a NATO attack. For the moment, the events will remain a state secret. The primary objective of the Soviet Union is now to transfer as much industry and population into Alpha Centauri as possible and to fortify that system. This will prove a difficult task due to the loss of every government-owned freighter and heavy losses among civilian shipping. The Soviet Union lacks a tug that can tow shipyards from Earth to Alpha Centauri-B III. This is being remedied urgently. A ship to ship tractor beam has been developed and a tug designed. A shipyard is already being retooled.
The name of the new alien race is revisited as well. While Rhinos seemed appropriate given the ramming tactics used by the Ishkars, it is deemed unsuitable now the aliens pose such a deadly threat. Given that they appear through wormholes that a majority of Soviet scientists now believe are artificially generated, they are officially renamed the Invaders; a far more menacing nomenclature in line with their advanced capabilities and genocidal intentions.
to be continued...
