Author Topic: Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3  (Read 5439 times)

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Offline SteveAlt (OP)

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Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3
« on: October 21, 2008, 09:48:33 AM »
Western sensors on Mars could detect seven thermal signatures sixteen million kilometers from the planet. Although the ships could not be positively identified, it seemed very likely that the Japanese fleet was holding position outside what it believed was Western sensor range. The Japanese would have no way to know that deep space tracking stations were in operation on Mars. After consultation, the Western allies decided that given recent Japanese statements they had to act against the Japanese fleet or risk a future attack on their shipping routes between Earth and Mars. However, the two US Lexington class destroyers had only a six million kilometer range so it was likely they would have to fight within Japanese missile range. The two Arleigh Burkes and all three European ships had sensors and fire control systems with a twelve million kilometer range so it was more likely they would outrange their opponents, although actual Japanese capabilities remained unknown. Based on sensor emissions during the Indo-Islamic war, the Kongo class was known to have a sensor range of seven point five million kilometers but no Kongo II had ever been observed with active sensors. The second problem was that as soon as the fleet moved, the active sensor emissions of Admiral Lutjens would move as well and they were strong enough to be detected from Earth.

Therefore Admiral Lutjens remained at Mars while the rest of the allied ships pulled out of orbit and headed for the thermal contacts, keeping their own active sensors off to avoid revealing their position. The Japanese ships did not have active sensors either, presumably relying on stealth to avoid detection and attempting to track allied units by their sensor emissions. An hour later, the allied fleet was positioned ten million kilometers from the Japanese. Arleigh Burke, Mitscher, Charles de Gaulle and Giulio Cesare all began launching missiles under passive control in the direction of the Japanese ships. The two European destroyers launched twelve TNM-2s every ninety seconds while the two Arleigh Burkes fired eight Poseidon IIs every sixty seconds. After six minutes all four allied ships ceased fire. Sixty TNM-2s and one hundred and twelve Poseidon IIs sped toward the unsuspecting Japanese, with the faster European missiles quickly pulling ahead. While it would have been possible to fire the European missiles after the US Poseidon IIs to achieve a more concentrated salvo, the allied military commanders believed the Japanese would have little or no defence against the attack so concentration of force was not necessary. Besides, the European missiles were more accurate so it was more efficient to use them against undamaged ships. By the time the first US missiles arrived, they could be directed towards slower moving targets.

Fourteen minutes after the first launch, with the leading TNM-2s less than thirty seconds from their targets, Arleigh Burke and Charles de Gaulle engaged their active sensors. Four Kongo IIs and three Kongos were illuminated. The two Invincibles both targeted the same Kongo II and the first missile salvo homed in. There was no visible sign the Japanese even detected the missiles before all twelve smashed into their warship. The Kongo II survived but as the rest of the Japanese fleet got underway, it lagged behind, moving at just 416 km/s. Several Japanese active sensors lit up but none of them had a range of more than seven point five million kilometres, which presumably meant their fire control systems had a similar maximum range.

Unable to even pick up their attackers on active sensors, the Japanese fleet split into three sections. The three Kongos charged toward the allied sensor emissions at 1190 km/s while the undamaged Kongo IIs set a course for Earth at 1666 km/s, trying to get outside allied fire control range. The damaged Kongo II limped along in their wake. Well aware that they were in very serious trouble because of the range disadvantage, the Japanese were attempting to get their more modern ships out of allied fire control range and were prepared to sacrifice the older Kongos in an attempt to slow down any allied pursuit. As the Invincibles max speed was 1339 km/s and the Arleigh Burkes capable of 1470 km/s, the Kongo IIs were faster then any of the allied ships. It would still take them twenty minutes to get out of range if the allies did not pursue and if they did give chase, it would be closer to two hours.

Holding position for the moment, the European destroyers changed targets to one of the fleeing Kongo IIs, ignoring the cripple. Able to move at their maximum speed without the older Kongos to slow them down, the Kongo IIs were harder to hit. Nine missiles from the second salvo were on target and the wounded vessel fell out of formation, slowed to the speed of the other cripple. Once again, the Charles de Gaulle and the Giulio Cesare changed targets.

Back at Earth, all three involved governments monitored events unfolding near Mars. The Japanese cabinet was already in session when the fighting started as they were still discussing the implications of the destruction of the survey ship. As soon as news of the battle reached the cabinet, they demanded to know why the military was not fighting back. Tai-Sho Yamahata Takakazu, attending the meeting as an advisor to the defence minister, pointed out the Western ships apparently had longer ranged active sensors and fire control systems and the Japanese ships could even see their assailants. The commander on the scene, Dai-I Lana Fajardo Nazario, a Filipino officer commanding the Kongo, was attempting to save what ships she could.

Even as the desperate military situation was laid out for the cabinet, the battle continued. Seven missiles from the third wave struck another undamaged Kongo II, slowing it to 1250 km/s. The European destroyers maintained their lock on the damaged ship and the next salvo blew it to pieces. The fifth and final European salvo was directed against the last undamaged Kongo II, scoring eleven hits and leaving it dead in space. The Japanese forces now comprised three undamaged Kongos trying to get within range of the allied warships and three crippled Kongo IIs, two of which were capable of only 416 km/s while the third was motionless.  A fourth Kongo II had been destroyed. Although no more European missiles remained in flight, over a hundred slower American missiles were closing in.

The hawkish members of the Japanese cabinet urged immediate action against allied ships close to Earth. Although the two Kongos undergoing overhaul were out of action, the Japanese Alliance had six missile bases that could fire anti-ship missiles instead of ICBMs and they had recently built three meson-armed planetary defence centres to counter the Chinese bases with similar armament. Possible allied targets included four survey ships and eight freighters in orbit, as well as the destroyers Saratoga,  Valley Forge and Invincible and the frigate Madrid which were undergoing overhaul. There were also two more European frigates orbiting at 150,000 kilometres but the only available Japanese active sensors were on the meson bases and had a maximum range of 50,000 kilometres. Tai-Sho Yamahata Takakazu urged restraint. While the fleet was in serious trouble, firing on Western ships in Earth orbit would launch a general war that the Japanese Alliance could not hope to win. While the loss of the fleet would be a heavy blow, Japanese industry would remain intact and a new fleet could be built. Starting a major war could result in the destruction of the Japanese economy if the Western allies retaliated against the Japanese bases and struck industrial targets.

The first American missiles reached the first generation Kongo class destroyers trying to get within range of the allied fleet. Nine missiles from the first wave of sixteen struck Kongo, lead ship of the class. The Kongos had twice the armour protection of the newer Kongo IIs and five hits failed to penetrate. The other four took out one of her two engines, half her missile launchers and most of her magazine capacity. Knowing her ships were getting destroyed with no chance of fighting back, Dai-I Lana Fajardo Nazario contacted ASN Headquarters and asked for permission to surrender. That request was immediately forwarded to the cabinet room. The waves of American missiles were only sixty seconds apart so a second Kongo was hit by ten missiles while the message was being relayed and suffered damage to its engines, weapons and electronic systems. Only one Japanese destroyer remained undamaged.

Argument raged within the cabinet, with the hawks accusing Tai-Sho Yamahata of cowardice for recommending that the Alliance accept defeat and the more cautious members urging an immediate cease-fire in an attempt to save lives rather than throw them away in a hopeless battle. Finally, in order to resolve the issue while there was still time, the Prime Minister called for a show of hands. The cabinet ministers were equally split, giving the Prime Minister the casting vote. Over the speakers in the cabinet room, Dai-I Nazario reported her last undamaged ship had been crippled by the latest salvo. Knowing full well that an all-out war against the Western Allies would be very hard to win and that even an unlikely victory would be pyrrhic if the Asian Federation moved in on a weakened Japan, the Prime Minister ordered Dai-I Nazario to surrender immediately.

Dai-I Nazario broadcast her surrender on all frequencies and all Japanese ships held position. Reacting quickly, the senior allied commander in the attacking fleet, Vice Admiral Roberta Armenta Rentería, ordered the US destroyers to redirect their missiles to a holding position just short of the Japanese fleet and requested urgent instructions from her superiors on Earth. She also instructed the Japanese ships to rescue survivors from the destroyed Kongo II and then move into a single group with all sensors deactivated.

The Western governments quickly agreed that Japan should not be treated too harshly, mainly because they did not want to weaken the Japanese Alliance to the point that the Asian Federation would launch an all-out attack on their neighbour. Conversely, they were determined to emphasise the consequences if Japan continued to threaten Western shipping routes to Mars. Therefore the two Presidents contacted the Japanese Prime Minister and informed him that the Kongos would be allowed to return to Japan for repair but the damaged Kongo IIs had to be turned over to the Western allies. With little choice in the matter, and surprised to retain even a portion of the Japanese fleet, the Prime Minister agreed to the terms. The brief conflict, which would be known to historians as the Mars Incident, was over.

The three damaged Kongos evacuated the crews from the Kongo IIs and headed for Earth at 595 km/s. With two more Kongos in overhaul, this left the Japanese Alliance with a functional, although far less capable, naval force. The three Kongo IIs left near Mars were in a sorry state. One had lost all four of its engines while the other two retained only a single engine each. One of the ships with an intact engine had lost all its fuel storage, which meant it couldn't move anyway. With no way to tow the two immobile ships they were scuttled and the damaged Kongo II was sent to Earth with a European prize crew on board.

On December 17th, the sole Japanese shipyard completed retooling and began to build two Kongo II-B destroyers. The new model was identical to the Kongo II with the exception of new fire control and active sensor systems which had double the range of their predecessors and 25% greater range than any American or European warship.

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Kongo II-B class Destroyer    3000 tons     318 Crew     301.5 BP      TCS 60  TH 100  EM 0
1666 km/s     Armour 1-18     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 15
Annual Failure Rate: 72%    IFR: 1%    Maintenance Capacity 63 MSP    Max Repair 30 MSP
Magazine 215    

Nuclear Thermal Engine (4)    Power 25    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 30.0 billion km   (208 days at full power)

S3B Missile Launcher  (5)    Missile Size 3    Rate of Fire 45
FC150 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 15.0m km    Resolution 50
Kaga-2 Bombardment Missile (10)  Speed: 5000 km/s   End 50m   Range 15m km   WH 6   Size 3
Kaga-3 Anti-Ship Missile (60)  Speed: 11700 km/s   End: 21.4m    Range: 15m km   WH 3   Size: 3

A150 Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1500     Range 15.0m km    Resolution 50
Later the same month, the Asian Federation began construction of a geosurvey ship in its secondary shipyard. The Xian was more a much more capable survey ship than any of its international rivals.

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Xian class Geosurvey Ship    2500 tons     234 Crew     474.5 BP      TCS 50  TH 100  EM 0
2000 km/s     Armour 1-16     Shields 0-0     Sensors 5/0/0/3     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 25%    IFR: 0.3%    Maintenance Capacity 237 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP

Nuclear Thermal Engine (4)    Power 25    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 108.0 billion km   (625 days at full power)

K120 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 1200     Range 12.0m km    Resolution 40
Thermal Sensor TH1-5/100 (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
Geological Survey Sensors (3)   3 Survey Points
In early January 2026, the United States built its first Trans-Newtonian Planetary Defence Centre. The Ticonderoga had fifty percent more launchers than the Arleigh Burke class destroyer and an enormous new active sensor with a forty million kilometer range. As the main concern of its designers was its vulnerability to the Asian meson bases, a prefabricated version was also being built that could be taken by freighters to other bodies in the Solar system, particularly Mars. Once the prefab parts were in position, they could be assembled by construction factories or by engineer units. As the Ticonderoga was beginning its operational life, the Asian Federation launched two more Jiangwei class cruisers and immediately began work on the fifth and sixth units of the class.

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Ticonderoga class PDC    4950 tons     380 Crew     430.8 BP      TCS 99  TH 0  EM 0
Armour 5-25     Sensors 1/100     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 24
Troop Capacity 1 Divisions    Magazine 274    

Standard II Missile Launcher  (12)    Missile Size 2    Rate of Fire 30
MFC-2 Missile Fire Control (2)     Range 12.0m km    Resolution 40
Poseidon II (137)  Speed: 7500 km/s   End: 50m    Range: 22.5m km   Warhead: 3    MR: 10    Size: 2
Guardian Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 4000     Range 40.0m km    Resolution 40
The Russian Federation launched its second Moskva class destroyer in February and completed the first of three planned Sovremenny class Planetary Defence Centres. The Sovremenny was a cheap meson-armed PDC designed to counter similarly armed bases in the Asian Federation.

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Sovremenny class PDC    950 tons     145 Crew     58.5 BP      TCS 19  TH 0  EM 0
Armour 5-8     Sensors 1/5     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 12

Meson Cannon (4)    Range 15,000km     TS: 1600 km/s     Power 3-1     RM 1.5    ROF
Cross Sword Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 32,000 km   TS: 2400 km/s     69 38 6 0
Pressurised Water Reactor  (2)     Total Power Output 4    Armour 0    Exp 5%
ICBM Detection Array (1)     GPS 5     Range 50k km    Resolution 1
By early March 2026 the European colony on Mars had become a fully functioning base. With the transfer of recovered research facilities to Earth, the population of almost nine million was sufficient to operate all of the restored installations, including maintenance facilities able to cope with ships of up to seven thousand tons. Small stockpiles of several minerals had been found on Mars and these were supplemented by mineral shipments from Earth, proving the colony with all it needed to maintain ships in orbit. Twenty-one construction factories were in operation, building infrastructure to supplement the restored alien habitation areas, as well as seventy mines, fifty of which were automated. The four Atlas class freighters were in the process of moving the remaining manned mines to Earth to reduce manning requirements on Mars. Two terraforming installations were working at full capacity and the pressure of the thin Martian atmosphere had been increased by fifteen percent by the addition of a safe greenhouse gas. Given the rate of gas production it would still be decades before any appreciable environmental change took place but the temperature was rising very gradually. Five deep space tracking stations had also been recovered, providing Mars with better passive sensor coverage than Earth. The two inactive European Montcalm class survey ships were redeployed to Mars orbit, along with the three small Bayern class frigates. In future, Mars would be the base of the European Space Force and would handle any necessary overhauls. Ships would be deployed into Earth orbit as required by security concerns.

On April 30th, the European archaeological team on Mars discovered technical data on advanced laser weaponry. The European Union had previously developed infrared wavelengths for lasers but none of the other powers had even gone that far. Laser weapons were a seriously under funded area of research. A week later, the ex-Japanese destroyer Amagiri arrived at Mars to join the main European fleet. Her damage had been completely repaired and she was equipped with the new European anti-ship missile, the Rapier-E. The Rapier-E used both nuclear pulse engine technology and recent improvements in fuel efficiency. While retaining the same warhead as its immediate predecessor, the TNM-2, the new missile was considerably faster than any rival missile and correspondingly more accurate. The Amagiri still suffered from the limited range of its Japanese-designed fire control and active sensors, putting it on a par with the older American Lexington class destroyer.

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Kongo II class Destroyer (EU Variant)  3000 tons     318 Crew     301.5 BP    TCS 60  TH 100  EM 0
1666 km/s     Armour 1-18     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 15
Annual Failure Rate: 72%    IFR: 1%    Maintenance Capacity 63 MSP    Max Repair 30 MSP
Magazine 215    

Nuclear Thermal Engine (4)    Power 25    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 30.0 billion km   (208 days at full power)

S3B Missile Launcher  (5)    Missile Size 3    Rate of Fire 45
FC75 Missile Fire Control  (1)     Range 7.5m km    Resolution 25
Rapier-E (70)  Speed: 18700 km/s   End: 14.9m    Range: 16.7m km   Warhead: 3    MR: 10    Size: 3
A75 Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 750     Range 7.5m km    Resolution 25
In late May the Union of South American Nations finally laid down its first spacecraft. The Sao Paulo class cruiser was an attempt to squeeze several functions into a single hull, including geological survey and missile defence. With a limited shipbuilding capacity and a desire to restrict retooling as much as possible, the USAN designers decided to build an armed geological survey vessel that could fight in an emergency and serve as a guardian against missile attack once its survey duties were completed.

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Sao Paulo class Cruiser    2500 tons     214 Crew     365.5 BP      TCS 50  TH 75  EM 0
1500 km/s     Armour 1-16     Shields 0-0     Sensors 5/0/0/2     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 10
Annual Failure Rate: 25%    IFR: 0.3%    Maintenance Capacity 183 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP

Nuclear Thermal Engine  (3)    Power 25    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 36.0 billion km   (277 days at full power)

Triple Gauss Gun Turret (2x3)  Range 10,000km   TS: 6400 km/s     Power 0-0     RM 1    ROF 5
Hi-Speed Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 20,000 km   TS: 4000 km/s     50

Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 400     Range 4.0m km    Resolution 40
Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 5     Range 50k km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
Geological Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points
The United States completed research into Levitated-Pit Implosion Warheads in June 2026, increasing the warhead yield for new missile designs by a third. As the European Union had pulled ahead in propulsion technology the two allies carried out a series of technology exchanges. The United States gained Pebble Bed Reactors and Nuclear Pulse Drives for both spacecraft and missiles while the European Union received technical information on the new US warheads, faster missile launcher reload rates and improvements in railgun technology. Both nations began designs for a variety of new systems based on their newly acquired technologies.

The first American ship design to incorporate their new engine technology was the Alaska class colony ship. Impressed by the security benefits of the European base on Mars, the United States decided that it too should have such a base and the first step was the building of a colony ship. The Alaska, based on the Portland class freighter, was far larger and more expensive than the European Santa Maria and had five times the colonist capacity. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard began work on the first unit of the class, with delivery expected in early 2028. Construction also began on a second slipway at the shipyard so that two Alaskas could be built simultaneously, although that would not be completed until the end of 2028.

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Alaska class Colony Ship    3750 tons     148 Crew     626.5 BP      TCS 75  TH 120  EM 0
1600 km/s     Armour 1-21     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 750%    IFR: 10.4%    Maintenance Capacity 0 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP
Colonists 50000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 5    

Nuclear Pulse Engine (3)    Power 40    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 40    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 24.0 billion km   (173 days at full power)
In August 2026, the Russian Federation completed the rearming of all fifteen of its missile bases with the SS-29 Satan II ICBM. The Trans-Newtonian missile had a speed of 6900 km/s and a strength-10 warhead. With one hundred and fifty SS-29 Satan IIs at its disposal, all of which could be launched simultaneously, the Russian Federation was capable of inflicting cataclysmic damage on any opponent. During the same month, the United States launched Farragut and Halsey, the third and fourth units of the Arleigh Burke class. The new ships were equipped with an improved launcher with a thirty second reload time, compared to sixty seconds for the Arleigh Burke and the Mitscher. Not enough Poseidon II missiles were available to fill their magazines so Halsey took on board a full load of 133 Poseidon IIs while Farragut carried only 55 plus 78 older Poseidons. Eventually all the Poseidons of both types would be replaced by the new Trident missile, just entering production, which had a speed of 12,000 km/s and strength-4 warhead. Plans for further Arleigh Burkes were put on hold for a few weeks until new electronic systems could be developed with a longer range. A upgraded design with new engines and the updated electronics would then be put into production.

On August 5th 2026, scientists of the European Union made the most important breakthrough since the discovery of Trans-Newtonian Physics. The British scientist Edward Hammond had carried out the original theoretical work with a small team at Cambridge University before persuading the European scientific authorities of the significance of his discoveries. The entire European research establishment was then devoted to the task of fully understanding the ramifications of Jump Point Theory. Finally, they could report that the theory was sound and that it was almost certain that wormholes were threaded throughout space, connecting between the gravity well of stars. Detecting these wormholes, which quickly became known as jump points, would require ships equipped with gravitational survey sensors to visit around thirty different locations within a star system, the coordinates of which would vary considerably depending on the mass of the system primary, and take gravimetric readings. A comparison of these readings would then highlight the position of the jump points. According to the theory the number of jump points could vary from zero, if there were no suitable stellar gravity wells within range, to ten or more, although smaller numbers would be far more common. Entering a jump point would be impossible without a special engine designed to open the jump point and keep it stable while the ship equipped with the "jump engine", and perhaps one or two companions, passed through. Before jump engines could be developed though the first task for the European scientific community was to develop the necessary gravitational sensors.

Just one week after the European breakthrough, the President of the EU was contacted by the President of the United States, who informed him the Aguirre Archaeological Team on Mars had made an astounding discovery. Despite some within his administration who had counseled secrecy regardless of the Mars Treaty, the President had decided that the Western Powers needed to maintain their solidarity during a dangerous period in human history. Therefore he explained to the European President the implications of Jump Point Theory, gleaned from an ancient database in a recently restored section of the alien city. The EU President didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The entire European research effort for an entire year had been focused on a technology that the Americans had discovered in an alien laboratory just a few days after the European had completed their Herculean task. He thanked the US President for his honourable conduct in revealing such a vital piece of information and explained that European scientists had just completed their work on the Jump Point Theory project.

As no subsequent research work had been started by either power, the two governments decided to split the effort. The European propulsion experts would start work on developing jump engines while the United States devoted its efforts to gravitational sensors. As soon as the sensors were available, both nations would build gravitational survey ships and start a survey of the Sol system.

On August 20th, the European Union built the Trafalgar, the first purpose built escort and the largest and fastest European spacecraft to be constructed up to that date. She sailed for the fleet base on Mars within twenty-four hours. A second Trafalgar class was laid down. A month later the design for the new Arleigh Burke was finalised. The Flight III had nuclear pulse engines, longer ranged active sensors and fire control system and greater endurance due to increases in fuel storage and engineering spaces. Because of the hull space requirements for the improvements, the armour thickness was reduced by twenty-five percent. She would be equipped with the new Trident missile which, combined with the new electronics suite, would give her an effective weapon range of over twenty million kilometers. Retooling the Bath Iron Works shipyard to build the newer design would require three months, after which two destroyers would be laid down.

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Arleigh Burke - Flight III class DDG    4250 tons     396 Crew     485 BP      TCS 85  TH 200  EM 0
2352 km/s     Armour 3-23     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 16
Annual Failure Rate: 48%    IFR: 0.7%    Maintenance Capacity 214 MSP    Max Repair 50 MSP
Magazine 266    

Nuclear Pulse Engine (5)    Power 40    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 40    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 42.3 billion km   (208 days at full power)

Standard II Missile Launcher  (8)    Missile Size 2    Rate of Fire 30
MFC-3 Missile Fire Control  (1)     Range 27.0m km    Resolution 45
Trident (133)  Speed: 12000 km/s   End: 31.2m    Range: 22.5m km   Warhead: 4   MR: 10    Size: 2

AGS-3 Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 2250     Range 22.5m km    Resolution 45
In late November, the European Union completed the design of a new warship that overshadowed even the latest American design. The Scharnhorst class cruiser was designed around the new European Sabre anti-ship missile, which carried a strength-4 warhead thirty million kilometers at 16,000 km/s. The Scharnhorst was equipped with eight launchers and carried over a hundred missiles. Its fire control and sensor systems were the most capable ever designed for a warship while its engines were a new fuel efficient design. Armour protection was equal to the Flight III Arleigh Burkes. Except for a short time after the launch of the first Invincible, the European Union had never been in the forefront of warship design. With the Scharnhorst, at last it had a ship that would set the standard for future designs. As it would take over eight months just to retool the BAE Systems Shipyard, the design of the Scharnhorst was kept a closely guarded secret to ensure no one would suspect the creation of a such a formidable warship. The same month saw the launch of the third Russian Moskva class destroyer and two more Asian Jiangwei class cruisers, taking the total number of Asian Federation warships to twelve.

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Scharnhorst class Cruiser    5600 tons     564 Crew     649 BP      TCS 112  TH 280  EM 0
2500 km/s     Armour 3-28     Shields 0-0     Sensors 5/5/0/0     Damage Control Rating 4     PPV 24
Annual Failure Rate: 62%    IFR: 0.9%    Maintenance Capacity 290 MSP    Max Repair 60 MSP
Magazine 324    

E90 Nuclear Pulse Engine (7)    Power 40    Efficiency 0.90    Signature 40    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 53.6 billion km   (248 days at full power)

S3/R45 Missile Launcher (8)    Missile Size 3    Rate of Fire 45
F300-50 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 30.0m km    Resolution 50
Sabre (108)  Speed: 16000 km/s   End: 34.7 minutes    Range: 33.3m km   Warhead: 4   MR: 10  Size: 3

S300-50 Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 3000     Range 30.0m km    Resolution 50
Thermal Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
EM Detection Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
Economic and Military situation January 5th 2027

United States - Vice Admiral Rolf Purdom (Research 35%, Mining 15%, Shipbuilding 15%)
Population: 546m
Wealth: 10930
Shipyards: 2 Slipways of 5600 tons, 1 Slipway of 4300 tons, 2 Slipways of 1600 tons
Research Facilities: 15
Construction Factories: 550
Mines: 559
Automated Mines: 20
Ordnance Factories: 63
Fuel Refineries: 61
Maintenance Facilities: 28
GFTF: 2

4x DD Arleigh Burke, 4x DD Lexington, 4x FT Portland, 2x GEO Spruance, 25x Missile Base, 1x PDC Ticonderoga

European Union - Fleet Admiral Eva Tellez Pelayo (Res 30%, Prod 15%, Ship 10%, Growth 10%)
Population: 679m
Wealth: 13572
Shipyard: 2 Slipways of 5600 tons, 1 Slipway of 5300 tons, 2 Slipways of 1600 tons
Research Facilities: 17
Construction Factories: 560
Mines: 656
Ordnance Factories: 64
Fuel Refineries: 40
Maintenance Facilities: 14

1x DE Trafalgar, 4x DD Invincible, 1x DD Kongo II, 1x FF Bayern II, 2x FF Bayern, 8x FT Atlas, 4x COL Santa Maria, 2x GEO Montcalm, 1x PDC Vanguard, 10x Missile Base.

Asian Federation - Fleet Admiral Lai Cui Zhen (Research 35%, Wealth 20%, Growth 10%, Shipbuilding 5%, Mining 5%)
Population: 3007m
Wealth: 36083
Shipyard: 2 Slipways of 5000 tons, 1 Slipway of 2600 tons, 2 Slipways of 1000 tons
Research Facilities: 11
Construction Factories: 530
Mines: 512
Automated Mines: 27
Ordnance Factories: 49
Fuel Refineries: 45
Maintenance Facilities: 18
GFTF: 2

6x CA Jiangwei, 6x DD Luda, 2x PDC Houjian, 6x PDC Jianghu, 12x Missile Base

Japan – Tai-Sho Yamahata Takakazu (Research 30%, Shipbuilding 15%, Pop Growth 10%)
Population: 490m
Wealth: 4904
Shipyard: 2 Slipways of 5400 tons, 1 Slipway of 1400 tons.
Research Facilities: 5
Construction Factories: 220
Mines: 295
Ordnance Factories: 40
Fuel Refineries: 30
Maintenance Facilities: 11

2x DD Kongo II-B, 5x DD Kongo, 3x PDC Soryu, 6x Missile Base

USAN – Almirante Luzia Alcoforado (Research 25%, Prod 20%, Wealth 15%, Pop Growth 15%)
Population: 563m
Wealth: 6472
Shipyard: 2 Slipway of 2600 ton capacity
Research Facilities: 4
Construction Factories: 130
Mines: 177
Automated Mines: 3
Fuel Refineries: 15
Maintenance Facilities: 10

3x Missile Base

Russian Federation – Marshal Helen Belkin (Research 30%, Prod 20%, Growth 20%, Shipbuilding 10%, Wealth 5%)
Population: 312m
Wealth: 6556
Shipyard: 1 Slipway of 3700 ton capacity
Research Facilities: 5
Construction Factories: 150
Mines: 158
Automated Mines: 7
Fuel Refineries: 5
Maintenance Facilities: 6

3x DD Moskva, 1x GEO Udaloy, 3x MDS Kirov, 2x RS Krivak, 15x Missile Base

Islamic Alliance – Caliph Barakah Abbas (Shipbuilding 25%, Mining 20%, Growth 20%, Wealth 5%)
Population: 686m
Wealth: 7205
Shipyard: 1 Slipway of 1500 ton capacity
Construction Factories: 34
Ordnance Factories: 10
Mines: 40
Maintenance Facilities: 1

1x PDC Hufuf, 3x Missile Base   

Early in the new year, a private sector consortium in the Russian Federation followed the example of their counterparts in the Far East and India by building a civilian space centre. Eager to support this new private venture, the Russian government trading improved active sensor technology to the Asian Federation in exchange for cargo handing systems and cryogenic technology, knowledge that would be vital in the design of  colony ships and freighters.

NB: Espionage rules are now in effect.

On February 10th 2027, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation uncovered an Asian espionage team operating on American territory. Unfortunately for the FBI, all five of the spies were killed in a shootout so no counter-intelligence information was gained. The blatant attempt by Chinese agents to steal Western secrets promoted a response by Washington and Brussels. Teams from the Central Intelligence Agency and the European Intelligence Service were dispatched into Asian territory.

The United States completed its research into gravitational sensors in March and immediately passed on the information to the European Union, which had already forwarded the results of the first phase of jump drive research to the US. Both nations collaborated on a design for a gravitational survey ship that could be built in their smallest shipyards, each of which had a capacity of 1600 tons. The only difference between the designs was that the European version, the Dunkerque class, had more fuel efficient engines than the US Baltimore class, which gave it a slightly greater operating range. Even with their small size, the ships were expensive and would take over a year to build.

Code: [Select]
Dunkerque class Gravsurvey Ship    1600 tons     151 Crew     327 BP      TCS 32  TH 120  EM 0
3750 km/s     Armour 1-12     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/2/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 20%    IFR: 0.3%    Maintenance Capacity 128 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP

E90 Nuclear Pulse Engine (3)    Power 40    Efficiency 0.90    Signature 40    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 125.0 billion km   (385 days at full power)
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points
Code: [Select]
Baltimore class Gravsurvey Ship    1600 tons     151 Crew     327 BP      TCS 32  TH 120  EM 0
3750 km/s     Armour 1-12     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/0/2/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 20%    IFR: 0.3%    Maintenance Capacity 128 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP

Nuclear Pulse Engine (3)    Power 40    Efficiency 1.00    Signature 40    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 112.5 billion km   (347 days at full power)
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points
In April, the Russian Federation completed work on beam fire control technology with a base tracking speed of 2400 km/s, at least fifty percent higher than the tracking technology of any other nation. As in the past, the Russians attempted to trade the new technology to other powers in order to compensate for their limited number of research facilities. However they began to run into difficulties. The Union of South American Nations and the Islamic Alliance had no technology that was not already possessed by the Russian Federation while the Asian Federation was only prepared to exchange improved capacitor recharge technology, which was an easier technology to develop than the new tracking system. The Asian Federation did have technology beyond that of the Russians, particularly in the areas of meson weapons and research efficiency, but they regarded these as sensitive and with the Russians' reputation as technology brokers, they were especially reluctant to trade them. The Japanese were prepared to trade improved missile launcher reload technology but this presented the same problem as the offer from the Asian Federation. Although the Japanese had also developed smaller launchers, like their neighbours did not want the technology to be freely available on the world market.  The European Union and the United States possessed a plethora of new technologies but were very wary of the Russian brokering and were only prepared to trade the same improved capacitor recharge technology as the Asian Federation.

Despite the general coolness of their reception, the Russian negotiators did not give up easily. If they couldn't get technology they would accept a different form of trade; one which would not cause any concern in terms of brokering. From the Asian Federation they received the capacitor recharge technology, ten construction factories and a thousand tons of Duranium. The Asian Federation could easily replace the factories and had over twelve thousand tons of Duranium stockpiled. The Japanese Alliance supplied faster reload technology and ten mining complexes. The United States and the European Union negotiated jointly but their positions were undermined by the fact the technology was already in the hands of Japan and China and neither of those two powers were likely to trade it to the Western allies. Eventually they handed over a total of ten mining complexes, ten construction factories and one thousand tons of Duranium, split equally between the two powers. The Russians had found a new way to benefit from their electronics expertise and began planning their next research project.

On May 15th 2027, Fleet Admiral Eva Tellez Pelayo of the European Union was forced to retire due to ill health at the age of 71. She had led the European Space Force for over twelve years and was a dominating presence throughout that time. She had taken on much of the responsibility for coordinating Europe's industrial and scientific effort during the drive to establish a Trans-Newtonian economy and her engineering background had provided her with the skills necessary to get the best out of the Union's propulsion experts. Her retirement was a severe blow. Her immediate deputy until 2022 had been Admiral Harrison Tyler but he had been killed in shuttle accident and never replaced, which meant the senior European officer was now Vice-Admiral Roberta Armenta Rentería, a Spaniard who was commander of allied forces during the Mars Incident. She was the only officer senior enough to take on Fleet Admiral Pelayo's duties and while she would perform them to the best of her abilities, her ability to motivate the scientific community would not be as great as her predecessor. Her own familiarity was with the field of missiles and kinetic weaponry and that would be the area in which she would concentrate her resources. The days of the European Union leading the world in propulsion research were over.

To ensure the commander of all European military forces had the seniority due her new position, the EU President overrode the normal military promotion procedure and promoted the Vice-Admiral two grades to Fleet Admiral. Rafaele Perti, the senior of the two active Rear Admirals and Head of Fleet Operations was also promoted two full grades so at least one officer was at the grade of Admiral, while the junior Rear Admiral, Catherine Horton, was promoted to the vacant rank of Vice Admiral. The President left the normal promotion process to fill the Rear Admiral positions and handle the inevitable shuffling of lower ranks. The number of officers in the European Space Force was lower than either the United States Navy or the Asian Federation Space Fleet, partly due to the number of officers detached for other duties such as forming Cybernetic or Archaeological teams. With the lack of senior officers it was important to bolster the officer corps so plans were made to increase the size of the Naval Academy by fifty percent.

The bad news for the European Union continued two weeks later with a report from the European and United States archaeological teams on Mars that concluded that no more technological information was going to be found on the red planet. Every alien facility had been examined, several times over in some cases. The final two scientific discoveries, one made by each team during the previous three months, were an improved shield technology and a harvester module that could extract fuel from gaseous Sorium in the atmosphere of gas giants. The archaeological teams were out of work for the time being but lived in hope that if the Sol system did have jump points, other alien ruins might be discovered in the depths of space

On June 20th the Asian Federation launched its first Xian class geosurvey ship. After surveying the moon, it headed for Venus and then Mercury. The Western allies monitored the ship closely on thermal sensors and many military officers heaved a considerable sign of relief when the Xian set course for the asteroid belt, ignoring Mars completely. Two months later the Union of South American Nations launched its two Sao Paulo class cruisers and they too abided by the US/EU exclusion zone around Mars. For the moment at least it appeared no one wanted to challenge the Western hold on Mars. Western intelligence analysts believed that the Asian Federation and others were awaiting the results of their geological surveys before deciding if the assumed mineral deposits on Mars were worth fighting over. The Asian Federation launched two freighters on August 30th which remained in near Earth orbit. Given their recent shipbuilding priorities, it appeared to the West that the Chinese were preparing to setup an off-world mining colony. The Federation continued its research strategy of improving the efficiency of its industry. It already had research facilities that generated twenty percent more output than any of its rivals and in October 2027 its shipyards received a similar technological boost, increasing their rate of construction by forty percent.

In November 2027, a Japanese espionage team operating in the European Union managed to steal technical information on missile agility, closing the gap between Japanese and Western missile technology. Later the same month the European Union completed the last of the three research projects required for jump drive development and passed the information on the United States. Both nations began work on prototype jump drives.

On December 10th 2027, the civilian space centre in the Russian Federation constructed an Udaloy class geological survey ship, based on the single Russian military geosurvey vessel launched in 2021. Fortunately this civilian ship abided by the Mars exclusion zone and headed for Saturn as the original Udaloy, currently in overhaul, had already surveyed all the inner planets and the asteroid belt. The location of the Russian civilian survey ship was easily tracked as it was broadcasting a transponder signal. The Asian Xian class geosurvey ship, the two South American Sao Paulos and the two American Spruance class geosurvey ships were all still carrying out a survey of the Sol system and none of them were detectable by the sensors of the other powers.

In January of 2028, an espionage team from the Russian Federation penetrated the security of the European Fleet Operations Centre and accessed the primary geological survey database. In addition to survey data on every planet, moon and asteroid in the Sol system, as well as several comets, it contained a report on the discovery of alien ruins on Mars in 2018.

to be continued...

Steve
 

Offline TrueZuluwiz

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Re: Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2008, 01:06:58 AM »
Ah, espionage! Maximum coolness. Perhaps a listing of the various agencies involved would be useful. For the Japanese, it would be the Kempei-Tai, obviously. For the US, the FBofI in the counterintelligence role, and the CIA in the intelligence gathering role. For the Europeans......hmmm, so many to choose from. I'd guess Interpol for the counterintel role, and an amalgamation of the various agencies for the intel role. For the Russians, either the NKVD or the KGB (or both!). Not sure what the Chinese would call their agency, but the South Americans would probably call theirs the Inquisition (didn't expect that, did you?)
Expecting the Spanish Inquisition
 

Offline Michael Sandy

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Re: Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2008, 03:50:45 PM »
I really like these pre-Jump Theory campaigns.  They provide a lot of insight into reasonable mixes of weapons, ships and bases in other civilizations that have not yet developed Jump Theory.

Some basic ideas for almost any civilization that had multiple powers with Transuranic tech for a while.

The homeworld will have missile defenses.  Possibly obsolete satellites, but something.  The longer the rivalry went on, the greater the investment in being able to intercept and/or protect civilian purposed shipping.  If there was an incident decided by sensor range, one could expect some oversized sensors for some ships.

The other really cool thing for me, is the wide variety of LIMITED conflicts we have seen in the stories.  I am glad we are moving away from a Total War theory, and having more of an Age of Sail model.

And of course, Japan has discovered that building up to match one Great Power is not anywhere near enough when challenging TWO Great Powers without backup.  :)
 

Offline rmcrowe

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Re: Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2008, 12:29:18 PM »
As predicted, the Japanese found out how good their Kongo's were.  Answer: not very.

robert
 

Offline SteveAlt (OP)

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Re: Trans-Newtonian Campaign - Part 3
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2008, 09:23:39 AM »
Quote from: "TrueZuluwiz"
Ah, espionage! Maximum coolness. Perhaps a listing of the various agencies involved would be useful. For the Japanese, it would be the Kempei-Tai, obviously. For the US, the FBofI in the counterintelligence role, and the CIA in the intelligence gathering role. For the Europeans......hmmm, so many to choose from. I'd guess Interpol for the counterintel role, and an amalgamation of the various agencies for the intel role. For the Russians, either the NKVD or the KGB (or both!). Not sure what the Chinese would call their agency, but the South Americans would probably call theirs the Inquisition (didn't expect that, did you?)
I have been naming the agencies as I need them. So far the US has the CIA for foreign intelligence and the FBI for counter-intelligence, the Europeans have the European Intelligence Service (invented for this campaign), of which Section V handles counter-intelligence and Section VI handles foreign intelligence. For China, the Ministry of State Security handles CI while overseas operations are under the jurisdiction of the Second Department of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (might need a snappier title for that). Russian has the Foreign Intelligence Service (?????? ??????? ???????? or SVR), which is the successor to the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and for CI the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (???, ???????????? ??????? ????????????? or FSB). The intials are for the romanised Russian names.

I think the Kempeitai was actually the military police, although it performed a counter-intelligence role. It was disbanded in 1945 and succeeded by the Keimutai. (This next section quoted verbatim from a website I found) Japan's central intelligence agency is the Naicho, or Cabinet Research Office. Only 100 personnel, all members of the Office of the Prime Minister, staff the agency. Naicho operations focus on the collection and analysis of foreign intelligence information, including that which is gathered by other national civilian and military intelligence forces. The agency coordinates inter-agency intelligence operations and acts as liaison between the intelligence community and the government, reporting to the prime minister and legislature when necessary. The Bureau of Defense Policy, the government ministry which drafts Japan's defense policy and coordinates defense efforts, maintains the Jouhou Honbu, Defense Intelligence Office (DIO). The DIO is divided into two operational sections, the First and Second Intelligence Divisions. The First Intelligence Division, now known simply as the Intelligence Division, conducts domestic intelligence and security operations. Its general mission is to procure and process information relating to threats to Japan's national security. The division employs its own counterintelligence and anti-terrorism experts. The Second Intelligence Division is responsible for foreign intelligence information, and is now known as the International Planning Division.

There are no Pan South American intelligence services so I guess we get to invent one and I really like the idea of the Inquisition :)

Steve