January 2265
The Council is focusing on the ongoing resource and financial shortages. In a way, the two shortages have actually helped to resolve each other, in that factories and slipways closed down because of budget shortcomings do not consume resources, thus alleviating one problem by dealing with the other problem. Overall, though, the situation is unacceptable, and once the financial problem is resolved, the resource problem will remain.
Currently, the Allied Principalities (AP) obtains all of its resources from three different sources, Strug Home, The Sister, and First Colony, all of which are in the Home System. The problem with this is that none of these sources are sufficient in and of themselves to supply the demands of AP industrial concerns. The deposits on Strug Home are limited to duranium and three other resources, and are limited in quantity and of moderate availability, and will be exhausted in a matter of years if a significant number of mines are emplaced on Strug Home to extract them. The Sister contains stupendous quantities of all eleven resources, at moderate to low availability levels. Unfortunately, the persistent radiation in the atmosphere has been either killing off the Colonists or motivating them to leave for The Redoubt in Psenamy’s System, meaning that the Council has been forced to steadily relocate or replace the crewed mining plants on The Sister with automated mines capable of producing without support from a population. Worse, the low availability levels of all of the resources means that mines deployed to The Sister have a lower productivity level there then they might elsewhere. There is no other location known to the AP that has as many different types of resources concentrated into one location, though.
May 15, 2265
The Survey Group has completed the grav survey of the Hastor system, and has determined that the system has no additional warp points. This means that the only outlet for further expansion is the Kar Komak system, which has links to two additional unexplored systems. Neither of these systems has been probed by the Navy, and exploration operations will not commence until they have been cleared. The Navy, however, is currently awaiting a decision by the Council on further expansion. The Council is undecided at this point, as none of the systems beyond Psenamy’s system have been exploited as of yet, and they do not want the exploration groups to get too far ahead of the systems actually controlled by the Allied Principalities Navy.
June 20, 2265
A cargo group completes off-loading six deep space tracking systems on one of the moons of Kab Kadja A-X, establishing Alien Watch Base One. A troop transport is en route as well, and will deliver a mobile infantry brigade in a matter of months.
July 12, 2265
The geo-survey of the Hastor system is complete. Hastor C-II, a Strug Home type planet, has large deposits of two resource types, including duranium, and smaller deposits of three more. All are present at moderate availability levels, making this planet a potential mining site, but nothing to get too excited about. Aside from a few asteroids with useful deposits, there is nothing else of interest in the system.
January 8, 2266
With Alien Watch Base One up and running, the scout that has been hovering off of the jump point to Lothar, watching the alien ship for the last year or so, shuts down its sensors and heads back to Psenamy’s system for overhaul.
March 11, 2266
The jump gate network to the Dusar system is complete. Troop transports begin loading engineer regiments on The Redoubt for deployment to exploit the ruins on Dusar A-IV.
June 6, 2266
The Strugforming efforts on Psenamy’s System VI is complete, and the planet is ready for the emplacement of a Strug population. The group immediately sets out for the Home System, where it will be assigned to complete the strugforming of Colony One.
November 15, 2266
The 71st Engineering Regiment recovers seven advanced geological sensor systems from the ruins on Dusar A-IV.
January 8, 2267
First Colony, in the Home System, is now completely Strugformed. The strugformer ships will refuel at Strug Home, then depart one of the moons of Home VI, an inner gas giant. The moon will be strugformed and then colonized, although the Council hasn’t decided yet as to the purpose of the colony.
January 23, 2267
The two engineer regiments on Dusar A-IV complete their restoration work. They have recovered seven maintenance facilities, an automated mine, six tracking stations, and seven advanced geo-sensors. While not a treasure trove, the effort was worthwhile and the installations will be helpful in the ongoing effort to establish an Allied Principalities presence beyond Psenamy’s system.
April 29, 2267
The Fast Cargo Group completes its mission to deactivate the archeological outpost in the Dusar system. All ship’s systems and installations recovered from the ruins have been off-loaded on The Redoubt.
June 25, 2267
The population of The Sister is down to 7.5 million, and the evacuation is continuing. The Council has ordered the steady replacement of crewed mining facilities on The Sister with automated installations, to avoid worker shortages as the population drops. With the population so low, the Council orders the final relocation of all crewed mining complexes.
August 19, 2267
The population of The Sister is down to 6 million, and all crewed mining complexes have been removed.
October 30, 2267
The Allied Principalities is facing significant shortages of gallicite. Nearly two-thirds of the shipyards are idled, and the Council is considering other ways to reduce consumption.
December 30, 2267
Kadar Ankhnesmeryre, Military Commandant of The Redoubt, dispatches approximately one half of his fleet strength to the Kab Kadja system, with orders to approach the warp point to the Lothar system and determine the intentions of the alien ship.
Update, December 2267
The Allied Principalities is struggling with a serious and continuing resource shortage. In particular, gallicite is in critically short supply, followed closely by duranium. Currently, the AP’s only supply of gallicite are found on The Sister, where it is present at low availability levels, two mining colonies in the Issus system, and a new mining colony in the Kar Komak system. The AP is focusing almost completely on building new mines and transporting and emplacing them in the Issus and Kar Komak systems.
In part, the resource shortage has been caused by the exhaustion of resources on Mining 001, the first mining colony established on one of the inner planets of the Home System. The AP freighter fleet is currently shifting mines from Mining 001 to The Sister, and then from there to Psenamy’s system where they will eventually be relocated to either Issus or Kar Komak.
Almost all AP Council planning is focused on alleviating the resource shortages, and the anticipated funding shortfalls once industries and shipyards can be brought fully online.
The Sister has been almost completely evacuated. The final population transfers will take place in the upcoming year, at which time the planet will become little more than a mining outpost with hundreds of automated mines. Once the evacuation is complete the colony fleet will be shifted to transporting Strug colonists to Psenamy’s system.
So far the aliens discovered in the Kab Kadja system have remained in their own system. The ship first encountered at the warp point to Lothar has not moved. Contact has been maintained, although little has been learned to date.
The military presence in Psenamy’s System has been drastically increased. At this point the fleet presence in The Home system has been reduced to one squadron, with the rest of the fleet stationed forward in Psenamy’s system.
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Author's Note: Just a small update this time. Unfortunately, this campaign will have to be put on hold for now, until I can resolve the persistent 30 minute update problem.
Kurt
