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« Last post by Aloriel on December 20, 2023, 06:32:43 PM »
((I made it intentionally bad, as you can imagine))
Excerpts from the journal of LCDR Ellen Takahashi, captain of the Starliner Simak on the Earth-Mars run (great great grandmother of Laurel Takahashi from B5:The Gathering S1-Ep1)
February 23, 2161
It was announced today that our first jump gate builder has been commissioned. They named it after physics Nobel laureate Owen Willans Richardson. I had to look him up. Apparently, we have him to thank for Edison's eventual discovery of incandescent light bulbs, a technology that was abandoned about 150 years ago for being highly inefficient. We probably wouldn't have figured out better lighting systems if it wasn't for that, so thank you for lighting the way Mr. Richardson!
I am told that we shouldn't be too excited over the commissioning of this ship. It will still take a year to build the gate itself, plus travel time to the jump point. The ship is huge, so it doesn't move very fast. Government officials have announced that construction will begin on the third jump point that was found, out by Uranus. They say it is a safer bet to have more difficult access to Earth and Mars Colony just in case we meet aliens. Personally, I think they're just being paranoid and unintentionally delaying construction by forcing a long travel time of a slow ship.
June 19, 2161
Experts estimate 177 days until the first jump gate opens. IPX is champing at the bit to get their deep space survey vessel under construction, but their atmospheric shuttle design is still undergoing testing. Meanwhile, Earthforce has commissioned their three new Corvettes which are now undergoing space trials and COMPTUEX. I can't even imagine what they'll be used for. I've been making this run since the ship was commissioned four years ago, and the only issue we had was a meteor swarm that dinged up the outer hull a little. 10s of thousands of passengers safely moved from Earth to Mars or Mars to Earth.
Still, I guess it can't hurt to have some kind of defenses. Who knows what we'll find once the jump gate is finished?
July 25, 2161
I hear that Mitchell-Hyundyne finally nailed down the issues they were having with their multi-directional thruster system. That means that IPX's atmospheric shuttle should pass its next test. I suppose it is just a matter of days before they place yet another formal request for the construction of their ship. I managed to look up the updated specs last time I was on Earth. What is this? The fifth revision since the initial concept? Still, it's a nice looking ship! Maybe I'll put in a transfer order? It can get a little boring doing the same run of space over and over. Hey look! It's Mars again...
Argonaut class Deep Space Survey Ship 20,000 tons 255 Crew 967.1 BP TCS 400 TH 500 EM 0
1250 km/s Armour 1-65 Shields 0-0 HTK 97 Sensors 0/0/1/1 DCR 23-11 PPV 0
Maint Life 7.21 Years MSP 695 AFR 139% IFR 1.9% 1YR 23 5YR 352 Max Repair 100 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Troop Capacity 3,100 tons
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Flight Crew Berths 5 Morale Check Required
Mitchell-Hyundyne NRE Type C (EP62.5 25/50%/1.0L) (8) Power 500.0 Fuel Use 11.18% Signature 62.5 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 3,097,000 Litres Range 249.3 billion km (2308 days at full power)
Geological Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
Strike Group / Ground Forces
1x Helios Atmospheric Shuttle Speed: 4756 km/s Size: 4.99
1x Company, Construction Team
1x Company, Survey Team
1x Company, Xeno Team
1x Platoon, Ship Security
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes
Helios class Atmospheric Shuttle 250 tons 1 Crew 18.4 BP TCS 5 TH 24 EM 0
4756 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0
Maint Life 11.87 Years MSP 11 AFR 2% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 2 Max Repair 11.875 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.3 days Morale Check Required
Mitchell-Hyundyne NRE XS Multidirectional (EP23.75 3.8/125%/1.0L) (1) Power 23.8 Fuel Use 283.39% Signature 23.75 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,000 Litres Range 0.25 billion km (14 hours at full power)
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a None for auto-assignment purposes
December 15, 2161
The gate is open early! The captain of the Richardson must have had his crew working 24 hour shifts!
IPX must be seething. Their ships are still under construction. I've read that the Alíz Derekas has been given the honor of making the first jump, followed shortly by the gate builder.
March 23, 2162
The entire crew and passengers were all watching the ISN broadcast in silence. The gate activated in a stunning display of blue swirling light and the EAS Alíz Derekas engaged thrusters to enter the vortex. With a rather bizarre jolt, the ship appeared to be stretched to infinity and then disappeared. Dr. Kuliga said in a later interview that this was expected and that communications with the ship won't be possible until the gate on the other side is finished, and that we should send the gate builder through immediately to begin that process.
We won't know for a year what they've found! A year!
May 17, 2162
IPX finally launched their ships. The list of candidates didn't include my name. I would have liked that assignment, though I suppose my husband might not have. Years apart probably isn't good for a relationship. All for the best I suppose. They went through the gate despite not knowing if either the Derekas or the Richardson even made it to anywhere.
October 25, 2162
We have finally heard back from the other side of the gate. The image was distorted and the sound was bad, but the message is being played over and over again on ISN. It's from the captain of the Richardson, a lieutenant-commander Marvin Moats.
<<The log cuts to a video that is mostly static. Moats can be seen speaking in the clearer moments of the video>>
"Come in Earthdome. This is the Richa...n. Testing commu... ...stem. We ...fully compl... gate in Proxi... ...auri."
Not the most poetic words, but a significant achievement for all of humanity! We are now an interstellar species! Maybe I can snag a position doing a run to whatever worlds we decide to colonize there?
August 3, 2163
I was reading over the reports from Proxima Centauri now that there are some. It sounds like a mining colony is probably going to be formed on Proxima II. The place is nearly livable. Just needs to be warmed up and get a bit more oxygen balance. Should be quite a sight. I'm going to put my name in for the new route there.
Also, I've heard they've begun testing and training new pilots for our new fighter squadrons. Some sort of fancy single seat agile fighter craft. Very short range and very limited fighting ability. If we do meet anyone, I sure hope they aren't hostile because I can't see us winning a battle with one of these... Maybe if we had a hundred of them vs one of whatever they might have.
Katana class Starfury 500 tons 1 Crew 27.4 BP TCS 10 TH 24 EM 0
2376 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 3
Maint Life 2.07 Years MSP 3 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 1 5YR 14 Max Repair 11.875 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 days Morale Check Required
Mitchell-Hyundyne NRE XS Multidirectional (EP23.75 3.8/125%/1.0L) (1) Power 23.8 Fuel Use 283.39% Signature 23.75 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,000 Litres Range 0.25 billion km (29 hours at full power)
Copeland JC10 Pulse Discharge Cannon (1x4) Range 10,000km TS: 2,376 km/s Power 3-1 RM 10,000 km ROF 15
Mark I SR/TTS-20-5 (1) Max Range: 20,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-0 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Amtek PWR Plant Pro 1MJ (1) Total Power Output 1 Exp 7%
Mark I Micro ST/MSS-1-1.4 (1) GPS 2 Range 1.4m km MCR 124.4k km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a Fighter for auto-assignment purposes
July 11, 2164
And I thought Sol was a dry hole... Alpha Centauri, the next system over from Proxima, doesn't even have planets. Thankfully, what we have between Earth and all the various planets of Proxima should last us quite a while.
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