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Posted by: Paul M
« on: March 24, 2020, 12:01:51 PM »

No one in the NCN thinks it will stop them...but they figure if they have two of them working together and a few CLE backing them up they have a chance to bring the rate of impacts down to something the shields and armour can deal with but still...they need a slightly better hit chance with counter missiles and a higher intercept chance but still...it is the best efforts of BuEng in terms of a ship that has a chance.  CLEs are just too fragile.  They will have a better idea after they try and wear out the missile in Wolf 359.  The R-class battleships are still waiting on several systems that need development:  a jump drive, anti-shipping lasers and missile launchers (size 9).   Both ships will get new engines that jump up two tech steps from Ion Drives, with 2 steps of enhanced fuel efficiency and likely in thermal reduction.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: March 22, 2020, 01:07:50 PM »

That's a lot of firepower  :o But yeah, to stop the salvos that spoilers can lob out, you need it.
Posted by: Paul M
« on: March 22, 2020, 06:51:30 AM »

Thanks for the comment!  It certainly helps keep the motivation up.  I may only do the write ups of OP Pinnacle and Retaliation and skip the usual details till they are over with...have to see how it goes...

As you commented on the ship before here is the pre-conceptual current technology version of the BBE Churchill Class

Code: [Select]
Churchill class Escort Battleship    36,000 tons     959 Crew     5746.8 BP      TCS 720  TH 540  EM 3060
1500 km/s     Armour 6-97     Shields 102-300     Sensors 33/33/0/0     Damage Control Rating 26     PPV 312.45
Maint Life 0.91 Years     MSP 599    AFR 1728%    IFR 24%    1YR 661    5YR 9921    Max Repair 90 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Flight Crew Berths 33   
Hangar Deck Capacity 1000 tons     Magazine 124   

Rolls Royce I E-M120L (9)    Power 120    Fuel Use 54%    Signature 60    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,500,000 Litres    Range 13.9 billion km   (107 days at full power)
GE Barrier D256 (41)   Total Fuel Cost  615 Litres per day

TorAr Defenceman II Laser Array (6x1)    Range 60,000km     TS: 24000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 2    ROF 5        3 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
TorAr Goalie II Twin Laser Array (27x2)    Range 30,000km     TS: 24000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 1    ROF 5        3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Grundig Hipshot Mk1-160/32X (2)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
Grundig Snapshot Mk3-160/16X (9)    Max Range: 32,000 km   TS: 16000 km/s     69 37 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SBT-1 Tokamak (8 MW) (23)     Total Power Output 184    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Nordion Parma CM Launch System (6)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Grumman SCMFC 82-50 (2)     Range 7.7m km    Resolution 1

Seimens SSS 113-3000 (1)     GPS 3780     Range 53.7m km    Resolution 60
Seimens Augur Prime 114-0050 (1)     GPS 84     Range 9.2m km    Resolution 1
Burns HiTeck Tracker 113-9000 (1)     GPS 11340     Range 93.0m km    Resolution 180
NorTEL IR Array 3-3 (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33m km
Bell Phased Array P3-33 (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33m km

ECCM-2 (7)         ECM 10

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

This is a proof of principle conceptual design as various technological improvements in armour, barriers, engines and sensors are expected before it goes to construction.  The lasers will also be hardened so that they do a far more consistent damage over their fire controls range.  The current IR and VIS series lasers while cheap to use and reliable are starting to look their age and to fulfil the Duel Purpose part of the DPPD more long range damage is requested.  The same is happening for the Starslayer's laser system.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: March 21, 2020, 05:24:19 PM »

Big update!
Posted by: Paul M
« on: March 21, 2020, 10:19:50 AM »

Operation Quarrel (September-December 2332)

Order of Battle
Initial Forces
4th Squadron
ES Middlesex (Squadron Flag) Commodore Jason Martin
ES Kent Lt. Cmdr Scott Turnbull
ES Glamorgan Lt. Cmdr LjufR Lokkison
FFH(G) Gargoyle Lt. Cmdr Edward Chamberlian
FFH(G) Mi-Go Lt. Cmdr Samuel Grant
TJ Purple Violet Cmdr Brandon Wyatt
TJ Wild Rose (Support Group Flag) Cmdr Johnathan Wascom
SV Stormness

Interstellar Survey I
SS Thomas Simpson Cmdr Bianka Hausmann
SC Pathfinder
GSV Annie Jump Cannon & Roger Penrose

Interstellar Survey II
SS James King Cmdr Charles Richardson
SC Scout
GSV Galileo Galilea & Karl Jansky

TF3 Reinforcements
TF3 Command
Task Force 3 CO:  RAdm Madison Jordan
Ops: Lt. Cmdr Burt Garron
Comm: Lt. Cmdr Ali von Mistscherlich

10th Squadron
CA Sirocco (Sqadron Flag/TF Flag) Captain Robert Herbert
CA Tornado Captain Isolfr Vadison
CLE Justicar Lt. Cmdr Kate Nixon
DD Ojibwe Lt. Cmdr Madeleine Roberts
DD Paunee Cmdr Camelo Byrne
CO Bandoleer Lt. Cmdr Charlie Woodward

7th Squadron
CL Reece Booth (Squadron Flag) Commodore Rebecca Gardiner
CL Peter Morganrot Cmdr Susi Buckwalter
CL Michael Wells Cmdr Elliot Boyle
CLE Sentinal Lt. Cmdr Cameron Walton
CLE Preserver Cmdr Josue Pleasant
JS Rigel (Support Group Flag) Captain Amber Andrews
JS Altair Cmdr Michael Davidson
CO Quiver II Lt. Cmdr Victoria Perry
CO Magazine II Lt. Cmdr Elliot Pickering

1st Auxillary Carrier Squadron
CV (Aux) Phobos (Squadron Flag) Cmdr Oscar Little
CV (Aux) Luna Lt. Cmdr Callum Allen
JS Witch Cmdr Allen Tamblyn
FFH(G) Gryphon Lt. Cmdr Marianne Schenker
CT Sylvan Lake Lt. Cmdr Guäfriär Gismundrson
CT Tegensee Lt. Cmdr Michell Perkins

4th FAC Squadron
Starslayer 019 (Squardon CO/1st Flight Leader) Lt. Cmdr Victoria Holt
Starslayer 022 (2nd Flight Leader) Lt. Cmdr Frakki Hranison

Groombridge 34
The jumppoint to this system is located at 4.2b km from Sol.  It lies just outside the orbit of Neptune and at this time the planet itself is nearby.  It is a binary star the main star being a M2-V and the companion a M4-V orbiting 157 AU from the primary.  The primary has a sorium rich super jovian, two terrestrial worlds and a small asteroid belt in the same orbit as the super jovian.  One terrestrial world though having no significant transnewton materials would be easily colonizable after terraforming its atmosphere to remove the methane and ammonia present.  The companion star has six worlds orbiting it.  The first four are terrestrial, followed by a gas giant with easily harvestable sorium and twenty moons and finally a dwarf planet and its moon.  The second terrestrial world has a nearly breathable atmosphere but its water is locked in an ice sheet, so again terraforming would be required.  It has an abundance of hard to recover transnewton minerals excepting Gallicite.  Three exit jumppoints were found during the survey.  Its connecting jumppoint has comm/sensor buoys on both sides and nothing has registered on the Sol side since it was established.

BuSurvey takes note of the distance to this system not being that much greater than to systems now under exploitation decides that it is the next candidate system for survey as the 4th squadron has just completed its refits.  As the system is so close to Sol it is decided to send IS I and II with the 4th to speed up the survey of the systems connecting to the unexplored jump points of the system.

The first jumppoint probed on June 10 reveals it connects to 61 Cygni and the binary system is a major find.  Orbiting the primary K5-V star is a gas giant, 3 Terrestrial worlds, a super jovian with 23 moons and two asteroid belts.  One of the three Terrestrial worlds is colonizable with a breathable atmosphere and water present but still needs terraforming due to the low levels of oxygen.  The other lacks water and its mean temperature is a bit on the cool side at nearly -12°C Colony Cost 0.07 but could be colonized without terraforming.  The companion K7-V star orbiting at 708 AU though an insystem jump is possible to it from the primary making it more accessible then the distance normally would allow.  It has 4 terrestrial worlds one of which could be terraformed but lacks water, and one with water but too high a gravity for colonization and an atmosphere that would require modification anyway.  Two dwarf worlds follow, then a gas giant, two more dwarf worlds, a super jovian and another gas giant.  The three gas giants are surrounded by over 70 moons and hundreds of asteroids orbit the system after the first gas giant.

IS I has completed a probe of the system and Pathfinder is performing a Geosurvey of the companion star system while the other ships conduct a standard grav survey.  The probe group of TJ Purple Violet and ES Kent have left the system to do the first-in-scout of then next unexplored jumppoint in Groombridge 34.

Gliese 908 Jumppoint 1 (tentative) September 21, 2332

=== 0637 ===

TJ Purple Violet and ES Kent arrive in system.  The ships are haloed by actinic discharges as they adjust to the local space environment, invisible gravitons surge as the ships potential energy difference with respect to the centre of the galaxy is removed.  An unremarkable single M2-V red star with 3 Terrestrial worlds, two super jovians and two gas giants orbited by 92 moons, plus the evidence of several asteroid belts greets them.

"Astro is reporting, all cameras are collecting data."
Commander Brandon Wyatt, a veteran of Operation Mars, looked over the bridge of the Purple Violet as the ship recovered from the jump into the new system.  This was only his second first-in experience.

"We came through close Captain, only 48m kilometers from the primary. Planet three is 51m km from us, working on its orbit now, looking good at the moment as a possible habitable."

"We have five minutes, let engineering know to start spindling the drive, start working up a course..."

"Thermal Signature Captain; bearing on Planet 3!"
"Signal from Kent, they have a contact on passives, Sir!"

The recent upgrade to both ships passive systems had just paid for itself.

"Navigation, start a plot to take us out of here!  Spindel the drive, tell Kent to prepare to transit back."  Maybe they could get out before being detected.

"Thermal signature reads as Wolver.  Warbook is calling it Yamato 1.  Strength is twice the usual Wolver ship."

The vibration of the jump core began to become a tickling sensation as the focal rod's rotation began to accelerate.

"Active Sensors Detected! They have seen us for sure!  Spectrum analysis indicates another ship...matches a Taiho class...but the other is massive Sir.  Minimum range is over 130m km they have us dead to rights.  Even without the Shoe-correction."

"Yamato's thermal is dopplering they are going into Boost."

"Send to Kent, go active." It was time to see what the new ship was like, the upgrade that let them know the Wolver ship was there had also updated the active sensors so that the planet was in range, if just.

On board the ES Kent, Lt. Commander Scott Turnbull was listening to his crew report the same information.  Freshly promoted and on his first posting as a Captain, the current situation was both exciting and terrifying. 

"Captain, Pee-Vee says to go active."
"Acknowledge it and bring up the suite."  He was strapped in as ship was in combat ready state without gravity so there was no leaning over the junior officer as they brought the active system up.

"Hostile Contacts!  Multiple Hostile Contacts, getting good returns from all of them.  Yamato is heavy cruiser weight.  Plus we have a Taiho, a X-ship and...oh smeg...two orbital bases...the K's are there too."

The only other ship that heavy the NCN knew of was the Wolver troop ship, but it was very unlikely a troop ship would be Boosting for them at 8k km/s.  The refit had seriously paid for itself.  The pair of orbiting bases meant Super Salvoes of Magic missiles.

"Send the data to Pee-Vee."  The Wolvers were still over an hour and half away but still this was not good...but without those upgrades they would likely have only detected the one ship.

"Oh smeg."  Commander Wyatt cursed watching the data scroll up his screen.  Three hostile Wolvers, the Taiho was a minimal threat but the Mikuma (X-ship in NCN parlance) would make a battle complex, while the only thing known about the Yamato was it was big and heading their way.  The Kaga and Kirishima bases meant that the orbital position of planet three would play a role in any planning as showing up in super salvo range was likely unhealthy.  Time to get out of here.

"Send to Kent we are preparing for transit.  They are lead."  A shadowy circle was starting to form in front of the two vessels as the jump drive fed energy into the local space-time, resonating with curled strings.

Less than a minute later the pair of NCN ships vanished from Gliese 908 and the onrushing Wolver ships sensors.

=== 0638 ===

"Sir, probe is back."  Commodore Jason Martin glanced over.  He was a survey veteran, but was also on his first posting with the 4th after having commanded the support group of 9th Squadron.  "They are early..."

"I'm detecting active barriers sir."
"Purple Violet is sending...Wolvers! They say they have found an infestation and that three wolver ships are around 90 min behind them."

The bridge of the Middlesex went suddenly quiet...three Escorts and their area defense ship was all that was available.  "What have they found?"  He was a bit surprised how calm he sounded. 

"On your screen Captain."

"Well...ok....right."  The single new contact outweighed the sum of his combat ships.  "Comm, send to all ships....Action Stations.  Bring up barriers."  He looked at the plot of the area around the jumppoint, and began re-arranging his force into a combat readier formation.  "Send an update to the Support Group, tell them to send the Second (survey mission) back to Sol...and send the courier to get the first out, tell them to stop what they are doing and get out of there ASAP."  The second survey mission's command ship, the James King, was one he had commanded for nearly a year and half back in 2324.

"Aye aye Captain."

"This will have to do."  The Escorts formed a triangle and the area defense frigate was deployed further back but close enough to use its missile while the arriving targets would be sensor blind.  "Send to the Purple Violet...download to us and then head off to the Sol jumppoint."  The jump tender would add little to the battle...and it had the best data except for the Kent.  And he needed every one of his combat ships.

"Set up an all ships conference in my office in 15 min."  He would see if there was any other ideas for the battle that might be happening in less than 100 minutes.

=== 0800 ===

It would take the signal 81 minutes to reach the Support Group on the jumppoint to Sol.  At about the time the Wolver ships should be arriving the Paper Pusher courier went into Boost heading for the jumppoint to 61 Cygni carrying a warning and instructions for the Survey mission there.  The other survey mission, which had been waiting impatiently to do their job, transited back into Sol and made use of the Comm/Sensor buoy's better communications gear to send a message to Earth.

For the ships waiting at jumppoint 2, the clock reaching zero and then an ever increasing negative number was a huge relief.

=== 1205 ===

The communication from Commander Richardson arrives at NCN Naval Command Churchill...setting off a minor bomb.  RAdm Cameron Iqbal is briefed on what ships are available.  Unfortunately, the planning for OP Pinnacle is well advanced and the 9th Squadron's escort cruisers are undergoing refit, 11th Squadron is undergoing shakedown training and is not ready for combat, and 8th Squadron's replacement ships are also still training up. That leaves the 7th Squadron and the 10th Squadron plus the 1st Auxiliary Carrier Squadron as the other is refitting their Starslayers.

Leaves are immediately cancelled for all ships of the 3 ready squadrons, final munition transfers are expedited and the ships are cut orders to break orbit and head to the jump point in Groombridge 34 and secure it.  A bit of luck is that although no mines are currently in stock, missile construction is between planned works so changing the production is "easy."  48 new Mark II mines are ordered, they will be loaded on two mine layers and sent to support the ships when they are completed.

It takes 8 hours for the three squadrons to be readied.  At 2020 they break orbit heading for the jumppoint at their best speeds.  Pinnaces will catch them over the next days as crew that could not make it back in time are ferried out.  Every effort though had been made to harmonise the ships ordinance.

The name Operation Quarrel is given to this deployment.

Ten hours after sending its message, IS II receives a reply and is ordered to head to Ganymede, to wait out the storm there.  They arrive on the 16th of October.

===

A distance of over 4 billion kilometers can't be bridged instantly and so it takes 7th Squadron until the 9th of October to arrive at the jumppoint out of Sol.  10th Squadron arrives on the 12th, while the 1st Aux. Carrier Squadron takes till the 24th.

In 61 Cygni the ships of the dispersed survey mission are still making their way back to the jumppoint, they will not be assembled and ready to leave the system until the 4th of November.  They exit the Groombridge 34 system on the 12th and join IS II at Ganymede on the 6th of December.

The arrival of the 7th Squadron at Groombridge 34's second jumppoint on the 14th of October is a huge relief to the personnel of the 4th Squadron.  The crews had been on a modified version of action stations for 3 weeks, with at any one time only one ship under spin gravity.  7th Squadron slotted itself into the defenses and 5 days later 10th Squadron arrived.  While the ships of 4th Squadron remained close to the jumppoint, 10th Squadron deployed "north" of it and 7th Squadron to the "south."  On the 5th of November the 1st Aux. Carrier Squadron arrived to take up station further way from the jumppoint on a vector to the Sol jump point. Minelayer Missions I & II arrived at the Gliese 908 jumppoint on November 28 and started deploying a minefield of 48 Mark II mines in 12 groups of 4.  They exited the system on the 21st of December.

===

OP Quarrel
Mission Objectives:
1.  Destruction of Wolver vessels in Gliese 908
2.  Gather intel on Yamato class capabilities
3.  Test ordinance and evaluate current NCN capabilities
4.  Minimize casualties

Mission Restrictions:
Gliese 408 III has two Wolver bases, no NCN ship is to approach closer than 45m km.

Under no circumstances allow a Wolver vessel to enter the Sol system.

The last instructions came not from NCN HQ but from the Assembly.  The Privy Council did not want another Taiho Incident.  It was impossible to hide the sudden departure of the NCN's combat ready force, but the current leadership certainly didn't want to have to answer to the increasingly restless southern nations on why they were being endangered.


Gliese 908 Jumppoint 1 (tentative) December 21, 2332

=== 0305 ===

At five separate locations the NCN ships of TF3 arrived in system.  Electrical and gravitational surge blinding them.

On board the Sirocco, RAdm Madison Jordan waited with her staff for the sensor updates to arrive.  The tactical problem she was dealing with was not trivial.  Her ships were slower than the Wolvers, except for the Starslayers.   But the Magic Missiles on the X-Class ship would destroy them long before they could close to engage.   She had waited till the planet III and its two Wolver orbital forts was on the other side of the star from the jumppoint.  This took them out of the equation.  But it was obvious that destruction of the X-class ship had to be her first priority.  Yet it was known to carry enough missiles to destroy most of the ready missiles her task force had, so first she had to convince it to bombard them.  Then depending on the distances involved she could release the Starslayer squadron to run it down and destroy it.   Regardless, she wanted to engage the Wolver Yamato in her minefield as that maximized her firepower so the plan was to establish the 10th and 7th Squadron near the jumppoint and hopefully damage it sufficiently before withdrawing that a close range engagement would be in the NCNs favor.

"No Wolvers near the jumppoint, Admiral." 
"Alright, Ali, send to all ships of 10th and 7th squadron to form up at waypoint 1, the carriers are to go to waypoint 2.  Formation is L1.  Tell the Sentinel to go active when they can."

The ships detect the active scans from the Yamato class ship.  They have been seen, while the Sentinel's sensors don't have the reach to see the Wolvers.  However, it shows up on the fleets passive sensors.
"Dopplering is being reported Admiral, it is Boosting."
"Thanks Ali."  Her attention was focused on the display as the ships of task force 3 moved to their positions.  They formed a line of battle with the heavy cruisers on the left flank and the light cruisers on the right.  The CLEs Sentinel and Justicar were ahead of the line and the remaining ships were behind it. The carriers were a diamond shaped formation, the area defense frigate being the bottom tip of the diamond and the jump ship the top.  DPPD turret ranges overlapped giving the formation significant interdiction.





She looked around the flag bridge at her staff, "We now have to wait and see what they do."  The inbound icon of the Wolver heavy was unlikely to be alone, and she felt suddenly the realization that she had it amazingly easy compared to the commanders in the past who rarely could see the Wolvers, and whose first indication of their existence was often the lead missiles of a bombardment.  Her intelligence, at least in terms of numbers, was perfect.  And while she had her doubts about the old data on the Taiho class she at least knew something about it.  "Alright people, lets look at the simulations again, see if there is something we missed."


"Admiral, the Taiho's sensors are being picked up."  Two of the three accounted for.  It was 0358 and the Wolvers were still closing.

"Admiral, they have crossed Sentinel's sensor envelope.  Solid reads on a Yamato and Mikuma class."  The clock stood at 0405 when RAdm Jordan looked at it.  It was around 10 minutes later that the thermal arrays picked up the Mikuma's engine signature.  At 04:46 the Taiho's strangely reluctant movement brought it also into the sensor envelope of Sentinel.

"Admiral, the Taiho has stopped closing."  Lt. Cmdr Garron spoke up.  "Based on previous engagements, I'd say it has started to bombard us."  It was long range but more than possible based on what examination of the Wolver systems recovered from wrecks had shown.



What were they doing...the pair of Wolvers kept closing.  So long as the Mikuma had its 180 Magic's on board a missile bombardment was hopeless.  She needed them to launch on her ships, but so far nothing.

"Give me some options here, people."  Her staff looked over the situation, comparing missile stocks and eventually a worst case "plan" developed.  "We have just enough missiles to exhaust the Magic's onboard the X-ship...it will leave us with 2 volleys from the heavies on each target."  Barely enough to scratch the paint but enough to get some information about the two targets.  While X-ships had been in combat with NCN forces before nothing much was known about them besides the carried 3 launchers and some 180 Magics.  It was suspected they had a large high resolution sensor.  It was hardly a good plan, but RAdm Jordan transmitted it to her ships.  They would start the bombardment at 25m km.

As it turned out...



"Inbound Vampires!  Warbook says Magics, trio...target unclear but likely the Sentinel...range 330k km."  "Looks like the original plan is back."  Madison could not help but grin even as the ship shuddered through a combat launch of a trio of Dart Counter Missiles.  "Ali, ask Robert to bring the Sirocco's actives up."  Data flooded in as the cruisers sensors localized the two orbital bases and the more powerful counter missile sensor array picked up the steady stream of inbound magics.  "Launch the pinnaces Admiral?"  They could extend the engagement range but it was already at the limit of the Darts.  "Tell them to wait, lets see how we do."

At 0449 the Darts and Magic's mingled and a Magic was destroyed by a close range nuclear blast but the other two slid through all the laser fire directed on them and detonated near Sentinel reducing its barrier strength.

"Target confirmed to be Sentinel.  They are shifting the A battery to self only defense from area engagement."

Madison kept her eyes on the feeds from Sentinel, but the ship was bringing its quenched coils of the barrier system back on line while the Dart's did there work.  Though the number of kills was smaller, and certainly the best showing had been achieved by a trio of Goshawks the reality was they weren't being avoided.  And the Sentinel had found its stride, laser fire weaving a wall of photons around the ship.  She extended her ships missile engagement range to 1m km.  Dart launches were continuous, the faster reloading time plus that only a single counter missile per inbound Magic meant she could keep up a constant steady fire.  Each Wolver volley was subjected to winnowing fire, and the Sentinel's barriers recovered to full strength and held there.

"Send to Justicar and Preserver to form on Sentinel."  The magazines of her ships were starting to dry up for Darts.  But they had clearly worked as intended except for the Batch 1's.  They were just too slow, all others were faster than the inbounds and there was no reports of them self destructing.  The higher batches worked better but no loosing missiles to self destruction was a clear victory for BuEng.

"That is 180 missiles...but we still see salvo's inbound."  Lt. Cmdr Garron didn't sound terribly surprised but it meant their cobbled together plan would not have worked as they had wanted.  Warbook will need an update.

At 0454:58 the last salvo is destroyed by the Justicar supporting the Sentinel.  In total 85 salvo's had been engaged and 255 Magic missiles destroyed, the Sentinel's barriers were at full strength.  It was clear the counter missile fire had not been required but it had given the NCN a chance to test how this worked in a real world situation.

"Ali, send to all ships, target is Mikuma.  One salvo on it."  The computer gave a poor chance any missiles would catch the apparently fleeing Wolver, the current range was 29m km.  That was a lot of ground to make up but she didn't know what it would do.  But it clearly wasn't staying with the Yamato.  She wanted to launch her Starslayers after it as well but the chance they managed to engage the Wolver before it could shelter under the forts was non-existent.

"All birds in space."  The launch of the Sirocco's four Harpoon's was unmistakable as the ships thrusters fired to stabilize it.  In total 8 Harpoon Anti-ship Missiles (Batch 2) and 16 Arrow L Anti-ship missiles (Batch 5) are launched on the now withdrawing X-class Wolver.

Now the Yamato was alone, the Taiho was still at some 50m km, the Mikuma was withdrawing.  "Update the firing plan.  Keep the L's back fire the rest."  She watched as the missiles converged on the onrushing Wolver.

The Harpoons would arrive first at 0516 some 8 minutes after the last volley had been fired.  The 8 Harpoons were destroyed by the Wolvers Close Defense Array.  "Hell..."  Lt. Cmdr Garron swore softly, but it had been considered doubtful the ship didn't have one...or as events bore out at a minimum two.  In total 6 Harpoon-A Anti-ship missiles and 22 Arrow Anti-ship missiles would strike the Wolver.  Far too many Harpoons missed, and it was noted in the report.  The concept that the current generation of missile avionics was sufficient to the task had just been shown to be incorrect.  If the missiles had to survive this kind of close defense every missile not stopped HAD to hit.  The Harpoons scored well below the expected number of hits. Still the Wolvers armour belt had been compromised with every overlapping hit location driving deeper into it.



At 0525 the Harpoon's chasing the X-class Wolver exhaust their onboard fuel several million km short of the Wolver, which appears to be headed towards Planet II and not Planet III as expected.  16 Arrow-L's are still chasing it but they will not reach it before it reaches planet II; if that is indeed its destination.

At 0548 the Yamato is now 2.2m km from the NCN force.  It is inside the range of the Goshawks and Falcon's the ships carry.

"Send to all ships, commence bombardment."
"Let's see how they like their own damned tactic."  The NCN considered using Counter Missiles in Anti-shipping mode, inefficient but knew from experience that in sufficient numbers they overwhelmed active and passive defenses.  They had in TF3 more than sufficient numbers.

The flood of missiles in flight was stunning.  At the same time the X-class ship having orbited Planet II reversed course heading back toward the still closing Arrow-L missiles.  Three of them vanish just before the first wave of NCN missile reach the Yamato.  Of those missiles some are destroyed but still the Wolver is struck by seven nuclear fireballs.



"Thermal signature change, an engine is down!"  It was 0549 and a total of 51 counter missiles had just struck the Wolver.  Nor was that the first such heavy blow it had suffered.  The next blow was 60, then 53, after which the active array is no longer operational, followed by the loss of two more engines.  Another 10 missiles and yet another engine signature is lost.  It seems like one of the close defense arrays is also not working as fewer missiles are destroyed short of the objective.  A 54 missile strike staggers the Wolver as it looses another engine, leaving it with 5.  12 missiles strike it with no losses so whatever close defenses it had are now out of action, and another engine is lost.  The Wolver alters course attempting to pull away but it barely manages to yaw around when 36 missiles slam into it and the ship comes apart at 05:49:43.  Over 100 counter missiles suicide as they loose a target, the cease fire command having been given ten seconds too late.  Lost in the middle of this all was the destruction of the remaining Arrow-L missiles targeted on the Mikuma.

Cheering erupts spontaneously in the Flag bridge and throughout the fleet.  The wreck of the Wolver was 1.5m km from the NCN ships.  Though no information on its offensive capacity had been discovered it was no longer a threat.

"Ali, send to all ships, form on their jump ships and return to the jumppoint, we are leaving the system."  She needed to re-munition her ships and if the Taiho had been firing on her, there was no reason not to just let the still travelling missiles suicide for lack of targets.

At 0551 the last NCN ship, the Sirocco jumps out of the system.

Groombridge 34 (Near Jumppoint 2) 0952

The ships had maneuver back into their original pre-assault positions and then dropped their barriers as colliers and jumpships, which have a secondary mission as colliers closed with the ships and began the process of transferring missiles.  RAdm Jordan is frankly a bit amazed at how successful the re-munitioning is in returning her CLs to nearly full magazines.  The 10th Squadron's CAs have 40% of a full load, her DDs are at 60% and the CLE is at 33%.  In 7th Squadron with 2 support ships and 2 jump ships the CLs are back at 97% and the CLEs are 33%.  The Pound class is definitely necessary as the lone Quiver is not up to the task of re-munitioning two CAs.  The process had taken some 4 hours and she was just starting to prepare her force to return to Gliese 908.

"ACTION STATIONS!  ACTION STATIONS!   ACTION STATIONS!  THIS! IS! NOT! A! DRILL!"  The sudden announcement cut through the discussion in the Flag bridge.

A glance at the display showed the reason.  A hostile contact icon hung near the jump point.  The shudder of missile fire and flicker of lights as the cruisers anti-shipping lasers fire punctuated the moment.

"What have ..." She had barely started to ask as the data started updating, it was the Taiho.  The Escorts of 4th squadron were already maneuvering to engage it as were the 2 flights of 4th squadron.  Not all ships had fired their missiles.

"Check fire on counter missiles except for the Gryphon and Mi-Go Ali." No need to waste her missiles...she had her Starslayers.  Upgraded they could easily keep pace with the Wolver.

"What is up with the mines?"  There was no evidence any had fired on the Wolver sitting in the middle of the field, barely 25k km from the jumppoint itself.  "Get someone on that!"  "Ali, all ships to maneuver to rake!"



The area around the jump point was a scrum, the NCN Escorts were charging at the Wolver, the area missile defense frigates were staying put and launching 12 missiles at the Wolver, and the heavy and light cruiser groups were moving away from their positions to also charge the Wolver.  That ship ran one way and then another and then towards the carriers in the direction of the Sol jumppoint chased by the NCN ships and protected by its Fire Confusion Systems.  Still the Starslayers were able to slide into their optimal attack position of 5 km astern the Wolver.

"All right people, its zoom and zap! Keep it tight!"  Lt. Cmdr Victoria Holt led her squadron in the first of many firing passes, flashing past the Wolver while her gunner tried to score hits against the highly effective fire confusion system that was now working.

Missiles were shot down but more slammed into the Wolver, but they were intended mainly to open breaches in the armour belt for the lasers to penetrate and beyond the one salvo of ship killers they no longer were a factor, largely as the fight was over before they could reload.  Even though it was deep in the engagement range of the NCN anti-shipping lasers the same fire confusion system that blunted the attacks of the Starslayers reduced most of that firepower to a light show around the fleeing Wolver.

"No counter fire seen so far."  Madison nods at her operations officers statement.  This was a lot like the pervious Taiho incident in Sol.  The why of that or THIS escaped her.  But this was a gift she was in no hurry to look at the teeth of.

4th Squadron keep up a steady straffing of the Wolver, counter missiles launched by the two area defense frigates slammed into it as well.  The first indication of internal damage is at 25 seconds as its high resolution sensor system goes offline.  At 35 seconds into the engagement the fire confusion system is no longer operational.  10 seconds later the first engine fails and the Taiho's apparent velocity is now low enough to not degrade the Starslayers onboard targeting systems.  5 seconds later an internal explosion is detected in the Wolvers as another engine is lost. At 09:54:13 4th Squadron's fire breaches several frames and the Taiho becomes a tumbling mass of wreckage.

"4th Squadron to Flag, Splash one Wolf!"  The squadron loops around and heads back towards the warships.

The combination of its significant speed advantage and fire confusion system had enabled it to escape the warships but not the Starslayers.  And they meant that the Escorts had started to close the range until at the end they were 150k km behind it.


"Ali send to all ships to rendezvous at their jumpships on the jumppoint, lets go see if the X-class is there."

Gliese 908 Jumppoint 1 (tentative) December 21 1004

The NCN's ships returned to the system appearing up to nearly 100k km from the jumppoint on various vectors.  10th and 7th Squadron headed for Waypoint 1 while the carriers of 1st Aux Carrier Squadron launched their Starslayers and headed to the jumpoint with their area defense frigate and jump ship.  No Wolvers were present and the two squadrons shook themselves into their tactical formation.

Looking at the system on the display, RAdm Jordan selects a new point some 46m km from Planet III.   She would love to have a better look at planet II but the risk is too high.  The Magic missiles can reach the recon bird before it can see anything of significance on the planet.  Another time when the planetary alignment allows it.

"Designate that as waypoint 3.  Ali, send to all ships we are advancing to there.  Lets see if the X-class ship will come out and play."  Sirocco's sensors were active and the ship in question was sheltering with the forts orbiting planet III.

TF3 arrives at waypoint 3 at 1323 but the Wolver mobile asset remains in orbit.

"Fine. Ali, send to all ships, we are withdrawing."  She sighed, it had been a long shot anyway that it would attack them.  But if it didn't leave with them this close to the bases she was fairly certain it would not be assaulting Sol or interfering with operations in Groombridge 34.

She had not achieved all her mission goals but she had no chance against those bases.  She had a plan for the bases in Wolf 359.  And if that worked she would be back.

OP Quarrel was officially over.

Posted by: Paul M
« on: February 13, 2020, 10:50:54 AM »

So I deleted the ship as I could see no way to fix the morale issue and now the turn is progressing at my speed!
Excellent news that you got there in the end and that this can continue. :)

Thanks for the suggestion, it has been over a month in game and no issue have shown up so the bullet has been well and truly dodged.  It is going a bit slow as I am doing a first-in scout which takes time due to visiting each planet and making sure the ship ends up in close proximity to each world to have its passive sensors have a good look at it.  Otherwise I'm finding that I forgot a few things due to distractions but things are more or less back on track.   
Posted by: El Pip
« on: February 09, 2020, 09:22:26 AM »

So I deleted the ship as I could see no way to fix the morale issue and now the turn is progressing at my speed!
Excellent news that you got there in the end and that this can continue. :)
Posted by: Paul M
« on: February 08, 2020, 01:15:12 AM »

I have sent Steve a message about this...*crosses fingers it can be fixed*

Added in Edit:
Steve has replied...I have used the magical mode of designing...I can now confidently say that "race A" had a ship 60k from "race B" and A's weapon had 0 chance to hit...so A sat there attempting to shoot for the last 5 hours...I have given the ship orders to move closer....and am waiting for them to acknowledge them and change the chance to hit to something other than 0.   I hope this minimal intervention solves the issue...if I see damage I will just exit the MMoD and hopefully this will continue to a short conclusion...

Thanks again Steve!  "Steve! Saviour of the universe!"

Added in Edit 2:
It was more complicated...A's ship for some reason had 0 morale...so after I sorted it into range it still could not hit...so I deleted the ship as I could see no way to fix the morale issue and now the turn is progressing at my speed!
Posted by: El Pip
« on: February 07, 2020, 07:43:48 AM »

Going into Designer mode would allow you to take control of the NPR in question and fix the matter (destroy the ship, force it into range of the other, whatever).
Posted by: Paul M
« on: February 06, 2020, 04:29:07 PM »

Update to the update:
I have looked under SM...I had a previous bout of combat...that time 2 1 day turns were set up to do fleet intercepts then I immediately see reduced to 5s due to imminent action and in firing range.  That combat lasted about 30 min.

This time (some 5 or so days after the last one) I see again 2 1 days turns set up to fleet intercepts then again I see reduced to 5s due to imminent action...then I have 5 hours (so far) of "imminent action"...this looks like short range weapon armed ship with insufficient initiative so it can't close the range to where its weapon can fire as I never see "in firing range" or else I don't know: two fleets without missiles?  I have no idea what is going on ...I'll keep letting it run under auto turns to something over 6 hours....just to see if the situation fixes itself...but after this many turns I'm not sure what could "fix" the situation and get me out of this...   Does anyone have any ideas what I can do?

note: my computer takes around 1 min to do the 5s turn...
Posted by: Paul M
« on: January 28, 2020, 02:18:42 PM »

My plan is to do something completely new so a non-Earth start...with random stars sorta thing, or whatever options go in that direction in the new version.   Though I may wait for a few releases to let the bug situation stabilize so it is likely this will continue for a while after release.  I've been thinking of a plasma carronade race...yeah I like a challenge...

It has been a lot of "auto turns" click "30 seconds" and look for those times to show up...I have no idea what the NPRs are doing...and why now.  But I spent like 3 days over the holidays getting through the last one....this new one has already gone on longer... 

Added in Edit:
Wow...it is now over 3 in-game hours worth of 5 second turns...at this point I'm utterly baffled by what is going on...this is like the equivalent on one starslayer killing the entire civilian fleet...I have no idea how a battle can extend to 3 in game hours....as the SM event still says ships are maneuvering in weapons range...I am keeping on with the auto turns...hopefully this ends soon!
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: January 28, 2020, 11:53:58 AM »

I hear you - nothing like 5sec hell for couple of hours to make one despair!

Just out of curiosity, will you stick with this campaign even after C# comes out or will you try to recreate it or perhaps do something completely new?
Posted by: Paul M
« on: January 28, 2020, 11:28:23 AM »

Just a short update...basically turn progress has been slow due to the usual suspects for this time of year...my Christmas vacation, jet lag and recovery from the jet lag.  Additionally, the NPRs have had 3 battles the last of which is still ongoing after 30 min worth of 5 s turns and this only half way through the game year...I'm very unsure how long the rest of the year will end up taking at this point since I've never seen this level of NPR combat.  Something major is going down somewhere is the best I can say.  I can say that the NCN will not be launching any offensive op's this year as ships are still being refit, but depending on how things go, the next ingame year could be intensive from my point of view.   At the moment; however, I'm stuck with trying to get past the NPRs fighting each other.
Posted by: Paul M
« on: December 18, 2019, 08:07:07 AM »

Looking forward to Operation Pinnacle!

There may be 3 operations in fairly rapid* succession...it depends first on how Pinnacle goes in terms of ship losses and then how the heavily armoured missiles perform against the super salvos of Magic's.   But all the ships needed for Quatloo are built...and if it works then after rebuilding stockpiles of missiles Remise will repeat the attack on the bases in the other system they have been so far found.   But the NCN wants to eliminate the mobile assets they know of.  Then deal with the fixed defenses.

*for Aurora anyway...I'm not sure how long it will take to make 500 of the armoured missiles...that will be the rate determining step
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: December 17, 2019, 07:52:26 AM »

Looking forward to Operation Pinnacle!