Gravitational surveys of all eight known systems, including Kawasaki and Kobe, were completed by April Y219, revealing a number of new jump points. In total, the Rigellian Empire was faced with seventeen unexplored jump points; six in Nagoya, five in Kobe, four in Kawasaki and two in Kyoto. Nagoya connected directly to Rigel while the other three systems were all connected to Osaka, which itself linked to Rigel. Despite the alien wrecks and the abandoned and ruined colonies in Kawasaki, there had been no sign of any contemporary alien presence. The weight of scientific opinion was leaning toward a theory that one or more alien races had inhabited this area of the galaxy in ancient times but war or natural disasters had wiped them out. In any event, proof of the existence of aliens, regardless of when they existed, meant there was no longer any argument about the need for the Imperial Rigellian Navy. The Emperor gave permission for High Swordsman Takagi to resume expansion of the Empire’s borders.
By May Y219, the Imperial Rigellian Navy had the following warships and survey ships in service:
Akagi class CV (3):
Akagi, Kaga, SoryuKongo class BC (12):
Fuso, Haruna, Hiei, Hyuga, Ise, Kirishima, Kongo, Kotetsu, Mutsu, Nagato, Tosa, YamashiroNagara class DL (4):
Isuzu, Nagara, Natori, YuraKagero class DD (14):
Atasuki, Akigumo, Arashi, Asagumo, Asashimo, Inazuma, Kagero, Kasumi, Kurushio, Murakumo, Natsugumo, Oyashio, Usugumo, YamagumoMatsukaze class DE (9):
Asakaze, Harukaze, Kamikaze, Matsukaze, Minekaze, Numakaze, Shimakaze, Tachikaze, YakazeKashima class GSV (6):
Kashima, Katori, Kawachi, Mishima, Okinoshima, SagamiFuji class GEV (6):
Asahi, Fuji, Hatsuse, Mikasa, Shikishima, Yashima80x A6M Reisen – deployed on
Akagi and
KagaOne Akagi, four Kageros and three Matsukazes were under construction, along with two Sakawas, a new scout destroyer class. (PN: It may be of interest to the reader to understand the naming convention of the Matsukaze class. ‘Kaze’ is the Rigellian word for wind so each ship is named after a type of wind, such as Harukaze for Spring Wind, or Shimakaze for Island Wind). In addition, a large number of support ships had been built:
3x Azusa Maru class Tanker
9x Jeneshisu class Terraformer
20x Kamakuta Maru class Colony Ship
11x Kobyashi Maru class Freighter
20x Kobyashi Maru Mod 1 class Freighter
4x Kobyashi Maru Mod J2 class Freighter
6x Kochiku Suru class Construction Ship
10x Nenryo Habesuta class Fuel Harvester
With the addition of recent construction, the warships of the Imperial Rigellian Navy could now be split into three major task groups; the First, Second and Third Striking Forces. The Second and Third each comprised three battlecruisers, three Kageros, three Matsukazes and a Nagara, with the remaining ships in the First Striking Force. For the moment, the carrier arm of the navy, known as the Kido Butai, was not on active service. Due to a huge oversight in forward planning, the 36,000 ton carriers had been launched when the maintenance facilities on the Rigellian homeworld were only capable of supporting vessels up to 15,000 tons. A crash program was underway to increase those maintenance facilities but it would take some time and one of the key minerals needed for that program, Duranium, was in short supply. The Rigellian administrator who had been in charge of fleet maintenance was now eight hundred and forty billion kilometres from home, running the waste disposal facilities on a Rigellian mining colony located in the asteroid belt of Rigel-D. For the time being, the Kido Butai was on training exercises and would enter active service once the maintenance facilities were available and the carriers had been overhauled.
For now, the investigation of unexplored jump points and the protection of subsequent survey operations would be undertaken by the Second and Third Striking Forces without carrier support. The Second Striking Force completed an overhaul and headed back to Osaka while the Third Striking Force left Rigel orbit bound for Nagoya. As survey ships completed their own overhauls, they would be sent to investigate any promising new systems discovered by the Striking Forces. Jump gates had been built from Rigel to Osaka and Nagoya and to the systems adjacent to Osaka, allowing the Kongo class battlecruisers to accompany the smaller warships.
The first jump point probe in the second wave of Rigellian expansion took place in Nagoya. The main body of the Third Striking Force remained in orbit of the small Rigellian colony on Nagoya I while a detached squadron comprising DL Natori, DD Arashi and DE Harukaze transited the system’s innermost jump point. The system which they entered, Kagoshima, was a disappointment with a red dwarf star and three planets, the best of which had a colony cost of 6.01. The small squadron checked the planets just in case and confirmed the system was uninhabited. The second jump point in Nagoya led to Nagasaki, a system that was remarkable only because none of its eight planets were gas giants or superjovians. Although two of those planets were colony cost 2.00, one lacked an atmosphere and the other had a 0.61 atm atmosphere that was 80% methane and 20% nitrogen. Both planets would require a huge amount of effort to terraform. Meanwhile, across known space, the Second Striking Force sent a similar squadron to investigate the two unexplored jump points in Kyoto. DL Nagara, DD Akigumo and DE Asakaze discovered the unremarkable systems of Miyazaki and Fukuoka.
A new Rigellian ship class was launched in early August Y219. The Torimodosu class Salvager was designed to recover intact systems, technology and raw materials from the wreckage of destroyed ships. Its first mission would be to recover the two alien wrecks in the Kawasaki system.
Torimodosu class Salvager 44,300 tons 399 Crew 1394.2 BP TCS 886 TH 2700 EM 0
3047 km/s Armour 1-111 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 20 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Salvager: 2 module(s) capable of salvaging 1000 tons per day
Commercial Ion Drive (9) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 19.7 billion km (74 days at full power)
Nagumo Engineering Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 25.3m km Resolution 120
Muso-Murakami EM-11 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m km
On August 16th , the exploration squadron from the Third Striking Force transited a third jump point in Nagoya, finding the most interesting system of the second wave of expansion so far. Sapporo was a binary with an orange K6-V primary and a brown dwarf companion, orbiting at one hundred and fifty billion kilometers. Both stars had solar systems and both solar systems possessed Masaki points, making the distant companion star easily accessible. In total, Sapporo had twelve planets, nine of which orbited the primary, and one hundred and twenty-four moons. Sapporo-A II had a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere that was close to breathable but the surface temperature was -89C. However, seventy percent of the planet was covered by an ice sheet and there was a limited amount of frozen carbon dioxide on the surface. Given the rapid temperature rise that would result from the melting of the ice sheet and the release of the carbon dioxide, a terraforming effort might not be as difficult as the low temperature might suggest.
The Second Striking Force moved into Kawasaki and detached its exploration squadron. The three destroyer-sized warships first transited Kawasaki’s second jump point and discovered Kitakyushu, a planetless A4-IV white sub-giant almost six million kilometres in diameter. Given the mass of the huge star, a gravitational survey would have to cover a much larger area than normal. Four days later, the squadron investigated the innermost jump point and entered the system of Kumamoto, a binary comprising a yellow G2-V primary and a planetless red dwarf companion. Kumamoto-A had a solar system of ten planets, split equally between rocky worlds and gas giants, two of which were of particular interest. Kumamoto-A II had a breathable atmosphere, albeit accompanied by a surface temperature of 84C. Kumamoto-A IV was even more promising, with a surface temperature of 9C, ideal for Rigellian physiology, and a nitrogen – oxygen that was close to breathable – a perfect candidate for terraforming. However, the system contained three alien wrecks, two of 16,500 tons and one of 64,000 tons. Given that the wrecks in Kawasaki had not proven to be evidence of an alien presence, the exploration squadron set a course for the inner system of Kumamoto with less trepidation than during the exploration of Kawasaki. Even so, the main body of the Second Striking Force left its station at the Kawasaki – Osaka jump point and moved toward the Kawasaki – Kumamoto jump point in case the squadron ran into any trouble.
On October 14th Y219, the exploration squadron of the Second Striking Force was nine hundred million kilometres from the Kumamoto - Kawasaki jump point when it detected sensor emissions from an alien ship seven hundred million kilometres ahead. This was the first evidence of actual living aliens, rather than wrecks or ancient ruins, so the squadron’s senior officer, Swordsman Morita Juro, immediately ordered a course reversal. The Rigellian tactical computers assigned the new contact the reporting name of the Boreum Planum class. At first it followed at 3363 km/s, giving the Rigellian crews confidence they could outrun it if necessary, before speeding up to 4763 km/s and then slowing down again. The Boreum Planum appeared to be pacing the Rigellian squadron rather than attempting to close in.
As the squadron neared the jump point, emissions from a second alien ship, designated as Von Karman class, were detected almost a hundred million kilometres closer than the emissions from the Boreum Planum. As the sensors on the two alien ships were the same strength, it appeared the Von Karman had just activated its sensors. Swordsman Morita decided to remain in Kumamoto to avoid giving away the position of the jump point and to attempt communication with the aliens. Rigellian hails went unanswered for several hours while the squadron sat on the jump point. The Von Karman continued to close at the startling speed of 7575 km/s, almost twice the 4000 km/s maximum of the Rigellian ships, while the Boreum Planum held position at seven hundred million kilometres.
Suddenly, a third sensor was detected, even closer than the other two. The new ship, a Cerberus Rupes class, was at two hundred and twenty-seven million kilometres and also closing at 7575 km/s. This strength of this sensor was weaker than the others which explained why it had not been detected until it was closer. Still the aliens refused to respond to communication attempts. The Von Karman halted at three hundred and twenty million kilometres while the previously stationary Boreum Planum began heading for the jump point at 11,363 km/s, considerably faster than even Rigellian fighters. Obviously the aliens had far superior engine technology, which was a serious concern should they prove to be hostile. The Cerberus reached one hundred and fifty million kilometres from the jump point, maximum range for Nagara’s sensors, which allowed the Rigellian squadron to determine it was 8250 tons. Nagara also detected three additional ships of 8250 tons in the same location, all of which were of a new class designated as Xanthe Terra. Six alien ships had now been detected in total. Given their high technology and charge toward the jump point Swordsman Morita was becoming increasingly nervous about the situation. He decided to hold his ground but warned all three ships to be ready to jump at short notice.
Asakaze detected inbound missiles at two million kilometres. Each salvo was of six class three missiles approximately fifteen seconds apart. She began launching anti-missiles immediately without waiting for orders from Swordsman Morita on the Akigumo. As soon as Swordsman Morita was made aware of the attack he ordered all ships to transit immediately. However, the ships were not used to operating as a squadron in such a stressful situation and it took time to organize the jump. The first fifteen outbound anti-missiles from Asakaze attempted to intercept the inbound missiles, which were traveling at 27,000 km/s. All fifteen missed. Fortunately, subsequent salvos were more effective, destroying eleven of the missiles from the first two salvos, albeit with hits rates of around sixteen percent. The remaining inbound narrowly missed Akigumo. Concentrating all efforts on the first two waves had allowed the third to approach to within two hundred thousand kilometres without being engaged and several more salvos were following in its wake. The Rigellian squadron finally organised itself and transited with alien missiles only seconds away.
Now the immediate threat of death was removed, Swordsman Morita had time to consider the implications of the brief engagement. It was unclear which alien ships were launching the anti-ship missiles but given they were in single salvos it seemed unlikely to be the three Xanthe Terra class ships, which left the Cerberus or the Von Karman. The latter ship was more than three hundred million kilometres from the jump point but given the technological level indicated by the high speed of the alien ships it could not be ruled out, especially as it was holding position while the Cerberus continued to close. It was also clear that the squadron had been saved serious damage by the presence of Asakaze, fully validating the decision to include an anti-missile escort in the exploration squadron. The squadron refuelled from an Azusa Maru class tanker waiting for them on the jump point then both the squadron and the tanker headed out-system to meet the approaching main body of the Second Striking Force. During the ten hours in which the retreating squadron remained in active sensor range of the Kumamoto jump point, there was no sign of pursuit.
The attack by the alien race in Kumamoto caused serious concern on the Rigellian homeworld, especially given the apparent technological superiority of the aliens. Research into the next proposed engine technology, the Magneto-plasma drive, was given the highest research priority. Unfortunately the issue of insufficient maintenance facilities for the carriers, which now included the recently constructed Hiryu, was not resolved and the Empire was still suffering a shortage of Duranium. Other minerals, particularly Gallicite and Mercassium, was also running low and the automated mines that would be needed soon had not been built because of the need to construct maintenance facilities. For the moment, the Rigellian Empire would have to defend with the forces it already possessed. The Second Striking Force was ordered to guard the Kawasaki – Kumamoto jump point and all investigations of jump points in the systems beyond Osaka were put on hold. The Third Striking Force was allowed to complete its investigation of the unexplored jump points in Nagoya but any newly discovered jump points in the surrounding systems would be left untouched. The aliens were named the Mazoku after an evil race in Rigellian mythology. (PN: Literally ‘Race of Devils’, from the Rigellian ‘Ma’ for Devil or Demon and ‘Zoku’ for Race)
The exploration squadron of the Second Striking Force re-joined the main body. After refuelling from the retreating tanker, the Second Striking Force took up position at the Kumamoto jump point. The three battlecruisers were stationed at one million kilometers, the escorts at two hundred thousand and the laser-armed Nagara and Kageros at point blank range. A Kochiku Suru class construction ship was brought forward to build a jump gate on the Kawasaki side, allowing the battlecruisers to enter Kumamoto if required.
In Nagoya, the Third Striking Force continued its exploration of the jump points in that system. The main body remained in orbit of the colony on Nagoya I while the detached exploration squadron entered jump point seven to discover a binary of two red stars, one of which was a dwarf. Each star had two planets and each of the four planets had a Masaki point. The companion star also had a large asteroid belt, making the system of interest for geological purposes even if none of the planets or moons were habitable. The exploration squadron moved on to jump point six, beyond which lay the system of Tokushima. Tokushima had two, almost identical, G4-V class stars five hundred and forty billion kilometres apart. There were no Masaki points in the system so the nine planets and three asteroid belts of the B component were inaccessible. Six planets orbited the primary, one of which had an atmosphere that was close to breathable and a surface temperature of -38C; a potential terraforming candidate. Rigellian Survey Command was finding a number of terraforming opportunities but the emphasis on using the limited amount of available Duranium for military purposes meant that only nine terraforming ships were in service and any terraforming operation would have to proceed relatively slowly. For the moment those ships were adding oxygen to the atmosphere of Osaka-IV, home to a Rigellian population of two point seven million.
In Tokushima, the three ships of the exploration squadron, DL Natori, DD Arashi and DE Harukaze headed in-system from the Nagoya jump point, located five point six billion kilometers from the primary, to scan the planetary system. As they reached one point seven billion kilometers from the jump point they detected emissions from a Mazoku ship, designated as Olympus Mons class, at a distance of five hundred and sixty million kilometres. The squadron immediately reversed course to run and the Olympus Mons pursued at 7575 km/s. Tokushima was five transits from the other encounter with the Mazoku in Kumamoto, which suggested they were a large multi-system Empire.
The alien ship closed in rapidly but they was still more than three hundred million kilometres astern when Harukaze detected a wave of thirty missiles in three salvos of ten, indicating at least two more undetected alien ships. She began launching her AMM-2 Nova antimissiles in salvos of fifteen. The first eight salvos of AMM-2s, totalling one hundred and twenty missiles, destroyed only nineteen inbounds. Arashi hit another with one of her 20cm lasers. Four missed and the remaining six all struck Arashi. Their strength-7 warheads caused some minor shock damage but did not penetrate her armour. Unfortunately, by now there were five more salvos on sensor, each comprising thirty alien missiles. With no other option Harukaze had concentrated her fire on the first wave which allowed the second wave to get very close to the Rigellian squadron before it was engaged. Only three inbounds from the second wave were struck by anti-missiles and two more by lasers. Arashi suffered a further eighteen hits and was badly damaged, losing two of her three engines.
The enemy salvos were coming in every fifteen seconds and the Rigellian squadron was out of time. Harukaze was seriously damaged after being struck by eighteen missiles from the third salvo. Critically, her missile detection sensor was damaged which meant the squadron could no longer see, or engage, the incoming missiles. Harukaze exploded as she was hit twenty-four times by the fourth wave. The fifth and sixth waves destroyed the Nagara class destroyer leader Natori. The onslaught ceased, allowing the crippled Arashi to rescue the survivors from the other two ships and head for the jump point at 1333 km/s, although with Natori destroyed she had no way to transit into Nagoya. That became a moot point three hours later when a new salvo arrived, obliterating Arashi with no warning.
The Third Striking Force was not expecting the squadron to return for some time so several weeks passed before growing concern reached the point where its commander, Swordsman of Worlds Tanaka Izumi, requested a jump capable Nagara class from the First Striking Force. He also ordered the Third Striking Force to leave orbit of the Rigellian colony on Nagoya I and take up position at the Tokushima jump point. When DL Isuzu arrived on March 30th Y220 Swordsman of Worlds Tanaka assigned DD Asashimo and DE Yakaze to join her in a new exploration squadron. They transited into Tokushima, saw the wrecks of the Natori, Arashi and Harukaze and immediately transited back into Nagoya to warn the Empire. High Swordsman Takagi ordered DL Isuzu to remain with the Third Striking Force and dispatched a Kagero class destroyer and a Matsukaze class escort from Rigel to replace the Striking Force’s losses. The Third Striking Force would stand on the defensive at the Nagoya – Tokushima jump point in the same way as the Second was defending the Kawasaki – Kumamoto jump point. Once again the Emperor placed a moratorium on all future jump point exploration, which would remain in place until the aliens in Tokushima and Kumamoto were eliminated. For the moment, the Empire was unaware that the Mazoku were responsible for the loss of the three ships in Tokushima.
On May 9th, the first two Sakawa class scout destroyers were launched from the Numata Orbital Shipyard. The Sakawas were a conversion from a Kagero class destroyer, with most of the armament removed in order to accommodate a truly enormous active sensor. The Nagumo Engineering AS-1250 System Search Array had an active sensor range of over one and a quarter billion kilometers, at least against ships of 6000 tons or greater. With the Rigellian Empire temporarily on the strategic defensive, High Swordsman Takagi decide to station one in orbital of the Rigellian homeworld and a second in orbit of the colony on Rigel-A II. This would provide active sensor coverage for the heart of the Rigel-A and Rigel-C solar systems. Two more Sakawas were laid down, with the intention that they would be used in future exploration squadrons, where they could provide a much greater warning of alien warships.
Sakawa class Scout Destroyer 9,000 tons 268 Crew 2085 BP TCS 180 TH 720 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 3-38 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 11 PPV 12
Maint Life 3.34 Years MSP 1593 AFR 58% IFR 0.8% 1YR 217 5YR 3253 Max Repair 1050 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 34 months Spare Berths 0
Sakurai Drive Systems SDS-240 Ion Drive (3) Power 240 Fuel Use 56% Signature 240 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 17.9 billion km (51 days at full power)
Tamura Weapon Systems 20cm C4 Ultraviolet Laser (2) Range 256,000km TS: 4000 km/s Power 10-4 RM 4 ROF 15
Katsumata Design Bureau KDB-128R Beam Fire Control (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4000 km/s
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (2) Total Power Output 9 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Nagumo Engineering AS-1250 System Search Array (1) GPS 126000 Range 1,265.2m km Resolution 120
By mid-May the maintenance facilities of Rigel were finally capable of supporting ships up to 36,000 tons. The four Akagi class carriers of the Kido Butai, Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu, finally went into overhaul.
The first Rigellian troop transport was launched in June Y220. The first mission of the Taisho Maru class would be to deliver four newly trained construction brigades to Kawasaki-B II, site of the ruined alien colony and now home to a small Rigellian settlement. The construction brigades would attempt recovery of the seventy-one installations identified by the xenology team.
Taisho Maru class Troop Transport 82,500 tons 517 Crew 2105 BP TCS 1650 TH 3300 EM 0
2000 km/s Armour 1-168 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 16 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Troop Capacity: 21 Battalions Cargo Handling Multiplier 10
Commercial Ion Drive (11) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 550,000 Litres Range 19.4 billion km (112 days at full power)
Muso-Murakami EM-11 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m km
By October Y220, the ships of the Second and Third Carrier Striking Forces were in serious need of overhaul. As the aliens in Kumamoto and Tokushima had shown no desire to enter Kawasaki and Nagoya respectively, the Emperor allowed High Swordsman Takagi to replace them with picket squadrons of Kagero class destroyers, fresh from Rigel. In November Y220, a breakthrough was made in propulsion technology, allowing the development of magneto-plasma drives. However, as the Rigellian Empire was suffering resource shortages and the resources that were available were needed to covert manned mines to automation, the navy could not yet take advantage of the new technology. Therefore, High Swordsman Takagi instructed his scientific advisors to turn a necessity into a virtue and begin immediate research into internal confinement fusion drives.
In December Y220 the Empire was struck a considerable blow by the death of Doi Reiko, one of the greatest scientists in Rigellian history. His research into construction and production technology laid much of the foundation of the Rigellian economy at the dawn of the Trans-Dimensional Age. Six months later, another even more critical figure passed away. Kuga Mamoru was the senior administrator of Rigel for almost twenty years, bringing his huge expertise to significantly boost almost every area of industry and the planetary economy. The loss of these two almost legendary Rigellians would have a serious impact on the current and future productivity of the Empire.
The lull in Rigellian naval activity continued throughout Y221 and into Y222. The only item of note during this period was the emergence of alien combat robots from an underground bunker on Kawasaki-B II. They were apparently disturbed by the efforts of seven construction brigades on the planet to restore damaged alien installations to working order. A Rigellian infantry brigade based on the colony, known as the Gyoku-Ryodan (PN: Jade Brigade), fought off the alien assault then launched a counter-attack that annihilated their mechanical foes. Rigellian tradition was that ground forces had a formal designation, in this case the 5th Infantry Brigade, plus an informal but commonly used ‘call-sign’, such as Gyoku-Ryodan. In May Y222, a team led by Tsushima Kintada completed research into Internal Confinement Fusion Drive technology. After consultation with the Emperor, High Swordsman Takagi decided to delay still further the upgrade of the fleet until Tsushima could complete a new project to improve fuel efficiency, which meant it would be Y223 before new engines could be developed and shipyards retooled.
High Swordsman Takagi intended for the future upgrades to be primarily based on engines; partly because sensor and weapon technology had not significantly changed in the previous few years but mainly because the projected cost of engine upgrades was very high. Making extensive changes, such as replacing the composite armour of early designs with more modern ceramic composite, would make the cost prohibitive. However, recent events had driven Takagi to insist on one major change to Rigellian design philosophy that would be included in many of the proposed refits. Each warship would be given a small hangar for one or more lifeboats, giving the crew a much better chance to survive the destruction of their ship than simply waiting for rescue in their life pods. A larger than normal lifeboat with jump capability would be assigned to survey vessels in order to improve their chances of reaching home with a warning if they were attacked.
In April Y223, the last of the alien installations on Kawasaki-B II were recovered. Some had proven beyond repair and some were only storehouses for minerals, fuel or wealth. The rest were a mixture of small installations, including factories, mines and fuel refineries. Most were transported to Rigel on freighters, except for automated mines which were sent to a recently established mining colony on the twelfth moon of Nagoya VII. While only four minerals were present on the planet, three of them, Duranium, Mercassium and Gallicite, were in short supply on Rigel. The deposits of Mercassium were relatively small but 200,000 tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium and almost a million tons of accessibility 0.9 Gallicite would ease those shortages. The single Taisho Maru class troop transport began transferring the available construction brigades to the site of the abandoned alien colony in Kawasaki, located on the twenty-second moon of Kawasaki-C I, which had six times as many installations identified for potential recovery.