Corporate Federation - Updates

[Kurt (OP)]

February 4, 2140:
The ships of the 1st Cruiser Group, reinforced with the Assault Ship Essex and two Tennessee class Jump Cruisers, departs orbit bound for the jump point to the San Francisco system.  They are escorted by the 1st and 2nd Frigate Groups.  They are towing thirteen pods of assorted types.  The Philadelphia Pacification Campaign has begun.   

February 11, 2140:
Three squadrons of Republican ships are assembled on the jump point to the San Francisco system.  Before jumping out of the Solar System, the assembled ships refuel from the UNREP ship that had been prepositioned on the jump point.  Once transiting through the jump gate to the San Francisco system, the pods release their tractor beams.  They will be left to guard the jump point back to the Solar System.  In addition, a North Carolina class jump ship is stationed at the jump point as a communication’s picket.  There had been considerable disagreements over the use of the pods.  Some of the younger and more aggressive commanders within the fleet wanted to forward deploy them at the jump point in the Philadelphia system, while the conservative older officers all agreed that it would be better to place them so as to defend the jump point to the solar system.  Because the older officers had the rank, they won the debate. 

A group of Republican freighters transporting twenty DSTS’s intended to establish a listening post on the San Francisco system’s second planet is held at the jump point to Sol, awaiting the resolution of the fleet’s mission. 

February 19, 2140:
The mission group is now assembled at the jump point to the Philadelphia system.  During the initial probing of this system the Federation survey ships discovered a large wreck orbiting one of Philadelphia’s planets and an alien jump gate on the Philadelphia side of the San Francisco-Philadelphia jump point.  The wreck was last seen orbiting the innermost planet, a type T planet with a thick oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere with too much oxygen for humans.  Fearing that either the Dregluk or the Obscura, or some other alien enemy was present, the survey commander ordered his ships to retreat and the Federation ordered the system to be interdicted.  Humanity is now returning in force as part of Admiral Law’s strategy of clearing Earth’s flanks before moving into the Washington system in force.  Before transiting into the system, though, the ships refuel from supply ships assembled on the jump point. 

Once refueled the jump-capable ships begin ferrying the other ships through the jump point.  There are no enemy ships within detection range of the jump point, but the ships do confirm the presence of an alien-built jump gate at the jump point.  The 1st and 2nd Frigate Groups are dispatched to probe the inner system, and in particular, the planet that the wreck is orbiting.   

February 22, 2140, 1552 hours:
The 1st and 2nd Frigate Groups are now 1.58 billion kilometers from the jump point and just crossing the orbit of the Philadelphia system’s fourth planet when contact alarms begin going off on the ships of the 1st Frigate Group.  The 2nd Frigate Group is 120 mkm’s to one side of the 1st, headed for the second planet, and thus is slightly farther from the contact.  The frigate’s search sensors have detected seven ships, all confirmed as Obscura.  Three are 8,500 tons, three are 9,000 tons, and one is 18,000 tons.  None of these ships match any of the ship classes identified before. 

Commander Moss, CO of the 1st Frigate Group, and Commander Swift, CO of the 2nd, quickly confer and agree to retreat to fallback point in between their two groups, observing the Obscura ships as they fall back.   Fortunately, it quickly becomes clear that none of the Obscura ships can catch the human warships.  The Obscura ships all have maximum speeds somewhere between 3910-3931 km/s, while the human frigates are all capable of moving at 6,000 km/s. 

Six hours later the two groups have regrouped, and the Obscura ships are now within range.  Unfortunately, the Obscura ships have ECM more advanced than the Republic’s, which means that the frigate’s targeting systems cannot lock on to the alien ships until they are approximately 207 mkm’s from the frigates.  The assembled human ships watch as the Obscura ships close on their position. 

Three hours later the frigate’s fire control systems were able to lock on to the incoming Obscura ships and the frigates launched one hundred and fifty Thunderbolt III missiles.  The missiles were divided equally between the six smaller Obscura ships. 

One hour and twenty-seven minutes later the missiles slammed into their targets.  None of the Obscura ships launched AMM’s, and none of the Obscura ships seemed to possess CIWS either.  Five of the Obscura ships were heavily damaged. Three of the damaged ships were slowed, but two were not and continued to forge ahead.  One of the Obscura ships suffered a series of internal explosions and was left a drifting wreck.  With their offensive missiles expended, the frigates began retreating towards the jump point, moving just faster than the pursuing Obscura ships, drawing them along. 

For 104 hours the frigates led the Obscura ships towards the jump point.  Several of the damaged ships fell behind, as did the largest ship, for some reason.  Eventually, though, the Obscura ships came within range of the jump point one by one, strung out in a long train due to the injuries suffered by some of the ships.  All but one had managed to restore full power, and were now closing on the jump point.    Now all of the human ships were back on the jump point and it was time to make the Obscura suffer, yet again. 

The only ships with the capability to engage the oncoming Obscura ships were the Essex and two Lake class Frigates.  The Mars’ fire controls were older and had a maximum range of only 45 mkm’s, leaving her out of the battle, at least for now.  The initial salvo from the human ships consisted of ten Thunderbolt III’s launched from a Lake FFG and targeted on the leading 8,950 ton ship.  The salvo was launched while the Obscura ship was 200 mkm’s from the human fleet. 

The next salvo was launched an hour later, and was composed of ten Thunderbolt III’s targeted on the 9,000 ton Obscura ship that was the next in line.  Thirty-three minutes later the first salvo intercepted the lead Obscura ship, heavily damaging it.   

One hour later, as the second salvo was approaching the second ship, the Essex launched its fifteen Bludgeon III’s at the 18,000 ton Obscura ship that was now in range.   

As the third salvo raced away from the human ships the second salvo savaged the second ship in line, but unlike the first it wasn’t slowed.   The fourth salvo was launching by the Ontario at another of the 9,000 ton ships closing on the jump point. 

The fifteen Bludgeon III’s hit the 18,000 ton Obscura ship, and as with the others it showed no signs of active defenses.  It weathered the strike stoically, and emerged from the fireballs apparently undamaged.  Another salvo of Thunderbolt III’s hit next, savaging another of the smaller Obscura ships. 

Before the last salvo of Thunderbolt III’s could be launched, a wave of five Obscura missiles were detected inbound.  The incoming Obscura missiles were detected disappointingly close to the fleet, at only 2,300,000 kilometers, but in spite of this Aegis V AMM’s proved more than capable of dealing with this threat.  No further Obscura missiles appeared. 

The last salvo of Thunderbolt III’s was launched next, at the second to the last smaller ship in line.  The final, most heavily damaged Obscura ship from the original encounter had appeared at this point, behind the 18,000 ship, and was closing on the jump point.  This was to be the last salvo of Thunderbolts from the frigates, which were now out of offensive missiles.   In fact, the only offensive missiles that remained were on board the Mars.   

The last salvo of Thunderbolts hit its target ninety minutes later, wiping the already damaged ship from space.  This left five Obscura ships still closing on the jump point.  Two of the smaller ships were at full speed, while the other two were had been forced to reduce speed because of the damage that they had received.  The big 18,000 ton ship was the slowest of the bunch, at only 1466 km/s.  The closest Obscura ship was 100 mkm’s from the human ships assembled on the jump point, while the farthest, the 18,000 ton ship, was 172 mkm’s farther back.  The other ships were strung out between those two ships. 

For five hours the fleet watched as the Obscura ships closed on the jump point.  Before entering Mars’ engagement range, the lead ship stopped.  Its engines were fully functional, but it stopped just under 100 mkm’s out and waited.  After waiting for six and a half hours the Obscura ship starts moving forward again.  An hour and a half after the closest Obscura ship started moving forward again, missiles were detected inbound, and once again Aegis V’s raced away from the human ships.   The entire attack consisted of seventy-seven size 3 missiles, coming in waves of seven.  None got closer than 2.5 million kilometers to the fleet.  Shortly after the last incoming missile was destroyed, the lead Obscura ship turned away and began retreating. 

Rear Admiral Bradshaw, mission commander, was left with a difficult decision.  His fleet was faster than even the Obscura ships which still had full engine power, and was sitting on the jump point, so withdrawal to the Solar System to rearm would be easy.  Given what appeared to be standard Obscura operating procedure, though, the most likely result would be that when the human fleet returned it would find the Obscura sitting on the jump point.  While the human fleet would almost certainly win any resulting battle, it would be possible that that Obscura would be able to damage some of the human ships, given the short range.  Just sitting on the jump point, though, didn’t seem to be a solution either.  Clearly the Obscura missiles had a maximum range of around 100 mkm’s, which meant that they would likely approach to that range and then turn away, long before the remaining human missiles could be brought to bear. 

After consulting with his staff, Admiral Bradshaw decided on a third course of action.  A few minutes later the jump ships begin shuttling the human ships out of the system.  Admiral Bradshaw planned to return when the Obscura ships had had enough time to close to within the Mars’ engagement range, allowing the human fleet to get one more strike in on the Obscura ships.  Twenty hours later the 1st Cruiser Group jumped back into the system.  Unfortunately, the situation was not as Admiral Bradshaw had hoped.  Two of the smaller 9,000 ton ships were within sensor range, as was the 18,000 ton ship.  They were 240 mkm’s away, though, not within 30 mkm’s as Bradshaw had calculated.  Apparently, they had come to a halt when the human ships left, rather than continuing towards the jump point.  That was enough for Bradshaw.  With only the Mars possessing offensive missiles, Bradshaw was in no mood to play games with the Obscura.  He ordered the Fleet to return to the Solar System to rearm.  For a time, Admiral Bradshaw considered detaching ships to guard the jump point to the Philadelphia system, as the jump point in Philadelphia has a jump gate, meaning the Obscura ships could jump into the San Francisco system.  They wouldn’t be able to jump back, though, and no Obscura ship had ever been recording leaving the system it had been discovered in.  Also, none of his ships have offensive missiles, so in the end he decides to leave the jump point unguarded.  There is nothing in the San Francisco system to defend, yet. 

The Fleet Support Ship stationed at the jump point to the Philadelphia system returned with the fleet to the Sol-San Francisco jump point. 

[Kurt (OP)]

March 1, 2140:
Salvage ships are done with their work in the Honolulu system.  Analysis of the systems recovered from the wreckage show that the Obscura are using magneto-plasma engines, which are outdated, but are ahead of the Republic in passive sensor technology, ammunition management technology, and ECM. 

March 12, 2140:
The first units of the new long-range missile boat class are launched.  The original missile boat class was intended to be dispatched from Earth-orbit as needed, and was never intended to remain in deep space for long periods of time.  The new LR version has its endurance increased from one month to twelve, and a slightly less powerful drive, which results in a lower speed but longer range. 

March 14, 2140: 
The 1st and 2nd Frigates Groups, and the 1st Cruiser Group, have refueled and rearmed on Earth, and are finally prepared for departure.  This time they will be escorted by the 1st Attack Group.   The assembled ships depart Earth, bound for the jump point.   

March 29, 2140, San Francisco system:
The fleet has reassembled at the jump point to the Philadelphia system.  There are at least five Obscura ships left in the Philadelphia system, and Admiral Bradshaw expects at least some of them to be waiting for them on the jump point.  Therefore, he orders the Essex to convey the 1st Attack Group through the jump point, escorted by an anti-missile frigate from the 1st Cruiser Group.  They materialized in the Philadelphia system to find the jump point and its surrounding space clear of Obscura ships.  The rest of the fleet jumped into the system, and then the 1st and the 2nd Frigate squadrons set out for the inner system again. 

April 1, 2140, 2027 hours:
The 1st and 2nd Frigate Groups are 1.13 billion kilometers from the jump point and headed in-system when their passive sensors detect two 9,000 ton Obscura ships just over a billion kilometers in-system of their location.  Commander Moss, the senior officer of the two frigate groups, sends word back to the jump point and orders her ships to pursue the Obscura ships. 

The Obscura ships seemed to welcome the coming engagement and obligingly set their course towards the human ships. 

April 2, 2140, 1740 hours:
The Obscura ships have entered active sensor range of the human frigates at 265 mkm’s.   Commander Moss is disturbed by the fact that the 18,000 ton Obscura ship suddenly appeared on her sensors at the same time, seemingly out of nowhere.  Obviously, the Obscura possess fairly good thermal masking technology.  The human ships will have to close to approximately 200 mkm’s before engaging due to the Obscura ECM. 

Two hours later the three Obscura were within range and the order to fire went out.  The CO’s of the two frigate groups conferred as to the size of the salvo to send against the incoming ships.  All three had been damaged in the earlier engagement, and they had no wish to exhaust their missile supply this early in their mission.  The Lake class frigates of the 2nd Frigate Group had the honor of engaging the Obscura ships.  Two of the frigates each launched ten Thunderbolt III missiles against each of the smaller ships, while the third frigate launched its entire completement of Thunderbolt III’s, twenty-five, against the 18,000 ton Obscura ship.   

One and a half hours later the missiles hit their targets.  The Obscura ships showed no sign of being aware that the missiles were approaching.  All forty-five missiles hit their targets, none were shot down, none missed.  The large Obscura ship was rocked by an internal explosion, but all three Obscura ships survived.  The large Obscura ship, and one of the smaller ones, were slowed, but all three continued on course towards the human ships, which had turned away to maintain the range.  Seconds later the 2nd Frigate Group launched its remaining missiles, divided evenly between the three ships.   

Just over an hour later the missiles hit.  All three Obscura ships survived, but it was clear all were heavily damaged.  The 18,000 ton ship had lost its active sensor and its engines, as had one of the 9,000 ton ships.  The other 9,000 ton ship was still capable of moving at 2,933 km/s, and still had its sensor on.  Commander Moss ordered a third strike, this time consisting of twenty missiles.  Five Thunderbolt III’s were targeted on each of the most damaged ships, while ten were targeted on the leading ship with its sensors still active. 

The third missile salvo did the trick.  One by one the scattered Obscura ships were wiped out.  As before they left no life pods in their wake.  Commander Moss ordered the 2nd Group to return to the jump point while the 1st continued on into the system.  There were two of the smaller Obscura ships left somewhere in the system. 

April 6, 2140, 1018 hours:
The 1st Frigate group detects two Obscura ships in orbit over Philadelphia A-I, orbiting with the wreck that had been observed by the original probe group.  Neither of these ships had been spotted by the first mission.  One is 17,900 tons, and the other is 17,800 tons.  The human ships continued to close for five hours, and the Obscura ships merely sat in orbit as they approached, not moving.  Two of the frigates each fired fifteen Thunderbolt III missiles at the Obscura ships.  An hour and a half later the missiles hit their targets.  Both Obscura ships were intact in the aftermath, showing no signs of damage.  The 1st Frigate group is forced to fire its last twenty-five Thunderbolt III’s to try to finish off the Obscura ships. 
 
An hour and a half later the missiles were closing on their targets.  Due to limitations related to the limited fire controls on board the frigates, the missiles had been launched in three waves composed of five, ten and ten Thunderbolt III’s targeted on the two orbiting ships.  The first wave of five slammed into one of the two ships, followed quickly by the second wave of ten which hit the other ship.  The last wave of ten arrived seconds later, but this wave was intercepted short of the two Obscura ships by massed energy weapon fire which wiped out the entire wave.  Both of the ships continued to orbit as the human frigates turned back towards the jump point.

Admiral Bradshaw was perturbed.  Two Obscura ships were still unaccounted for, and the two new ships encountered by the 1st were still in the inner system.  The Obscura infestation of this system was more extensive than it had been in either of the other systems they had been previously encountered in.  Worse, the entire operation would have to be delayed while the frigates returned to Earth to rearm.   

April 13, 2140:
The first of the Bureau of Relocation’s new colony ships is launched from the yards orbiting Earth.  These ships are larger and faster than the older models built by the Federation, and are intended to be the cornerstone of humanity’s interstellar colonization effort.     

[Kurt (OP)]

This is the map of known space, as of 2140:



Sol: Birthplace of Humanity, home of 99% of Humans
Washington: K3-V star with one semi-habitable planet.  Primary contact point with the Dregluk.  Dregluk primarily enter through the jump point to the Denver system, but have been known to use an unexplored jump point on the far side of the system as well.  Humanity's only extra-solar colony is located here - the fortress world known as Bastion. 
New York: G6-V star.  Interdicted by the Federation due to contact with the Obscura.  Not explored.  Cleared by Republican forces and picketed with a listening post and a picket ship. 
Los Angeles: G4-V star, no planets.  Picket ship assigned, no listening post due to lack of system bodies. 
San Francisco: Quaternary star system (2 stars are very distant).  Picketed with a listening post and a picket ship. 
Chicago: G0-V star.  Six type T planets.  Picketed with a listening post and a picket ship.
Boston: K0-V star.  Picketed with a listening post and picket ship. 
Denver: G3-IV star.  Four type T planets.  Dregluk presence is presumed. 
Seattle: D7-VII star.  Dregluk presence is presumed. 
Anchorage: T5-VII star.  No planets. 
Philadelphia: G0-V star.  One type T planet.  Interdicted by the Federation due to presence of a jump gate on the jump point to the San Francisco system and a wreck in orbit of the type T planet.  Clearance underway as of this date. 
Honolulu: K2-V star.  Two type T planets.  Interdicted by the Federation due to the presence of Obscura.  Cleared by the Republic.  Picketed by a listening post and a picket ship. 

Kurt

[Kurt (OP)]

May 25, 2140, Philadelphia System:
The Republic’s frigates are assembled on the jump point back to the San Francisco system, and for the third time they are ready to venture into the inner system.  This time all three of the Navy’s frigate groups are here and will make the voyage into the inner system. 

June 2, 2140, 1040 hours:
After a delay of several days to train up new crew members, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Frigate Groups are now within range of the two large Obscura ships that they had encountered several weeks ago.  Commander Moss orders a salvo of fifteen Thunderbolt III missiles to be launched at each of the Obscura ships.  The missiles race away from the human ships a few seconds later, and an hour after that they hit their targets, which continue to sit quietly in orbit, placidly absorbing everything the human ships can dish out.  Commander Moss orders a second strike, again composed of fifteen missiles targeted on each ship.  Once again, the enigmatic Obscura ships absorbed the punishment without reacting.  The one difference was that this time there was a rather large internal magazine explosion on one of the ships, but there was no other change.  Commander Moss ordered a third strike, this time composed of ten missiles targeted on each of the ships.  Once again, the Obscura ships absorbed the damage. 

Commander Moss is determined to continue pounding the Obscura ships, and while tempted, she does not want to expend all of her missiles in one huge salvo.  Therefore, she orders another set of ten missiles to be fired at the Obscura ships.   Commander Moss is growing concerned.  With this salvo, her four of her nine Lake class frigates have expended their missiles.  Fortunately, the results of this salvo are more satisfactory.  One of the two Obscura ships survives its pounding apparently unscathed, but the other ship exploded after the first missile hit it, leaving a hulk in orbit next to the wreck detected by the survey ship years ago.  Commander Moss orders another ten-missile salvo to be launched at the survivor.   This salvo was enough, even the Obscura ship couldn’t withstand that much punishment.  A third wreck was left orbiting the planet in the aftermath of the attack.  Commander Moss ordered the fleet to continue on to probe the planet at close range. 

After orbiting the innermost planet for an hour and probing both it and the wrecks that orbit it with her frigate’s limited sensors and detecting nothing, Commander Moss reports her results to Rear Admiral Bradshaw, aboard the Essex at the jump point.  After considering the situation, Admiral Bradshaw decides to bring the Essex into the inner system.  His ship has a much more capable sensor suite, and he wants to make sure that they examine the system very closely before departing.  In addition, there is still the matter of two unaccounted for Obscura ships, as well.

June 10, 2140:
The Essex has arrived at the first planet, but its sensors can detect no sign of an Obscura base or population on the planet.  Admiral Bradshaw orders the fleet to visit each of the planets in the system. 

June 27, 2140:
The Essex and her escorting frigates have returned to the jump point to the San Francisco system after visiting all five of the Philadelphia system’s planets.  They found no evidence of Obscura bases or populations in the system.  Neither did they find the two missing Obscura ships.  Admiral Bradshaw orders the fleet to return to the San Francisco system.  Once they are back in the San Francisco system, the thirsty frigates refuel from the waiting UNREP ships, and then he orders the 1st and 3rd Frigate groups to escort the Essex into the San Francisco system to search for the missing Obscura ships.  Although there is no record of Obscura ships transiting into other systems, there are still two Obscura ships unaccounted for, and they could have jumped into the San Francisco system through the jump gate on the Philadelphia side of the San Francisco-Philadelphia jump point pair while the human frigates returned to the solar system to rearm.     

July 9, 2140, 0357 hours, San Francisco System:
The Essex, escorted by two frigate groups, is approaching the planets of San Francisco’s primary star, having already finished probing the planets of “B” component of the quaternary system.  The “C” and “D” components, K5-V and K8-V stars respectively, orbit the primary at a mean distance of 6200 AU’s.  It would take the Republic’s frigates, which are capable of 6,000 km/s, over 1,780 days to reach the pair, meaning they are effectively out of reach.   

The 1st Cruiser Group, accompanied by the 1st Attack Group, are guarding the jump point to the Philadelphia system, while the pod group is guarding the jump point back to the Solar System.  In the early hours of the morning the two groups of Republican ships watching the jump point to the Philadelphia system are surprised when alarms begin ringing on the bridges of the frigates assigned to the two groups.  A ship had entered active detection range, 265 mkm’s out.  The ship massed 8,600 tons, was moving at 5,523 km/s, and was on a course that cut across their detection sphere.  It was not on an interception course for the jump point.  Perhaps most importantly, the ship’s signature made it clear that it was not Dregluk or Obscura.  A new race had entered the picture. 

Captain Harvey Webster, commander of the 1st Cruiser Group and senior officer at the jump point, was unsure of what action to take.  He knew very well what he wanted to do, which was to blow the alien ship out of space.  To his mind aliens were a threat, and nothing but a threat.  Still, there were standing orders for this sort of thing, orders that had been established during the days of the Federation and hadn’t been changed since.  After considering blowing the contact away anyway, Captain Webster ordered his comms officer to attempt to contact the new race.  He would follow his orders. 

Captain Webster’s reports caused a stir throughout the Solar System when they arrived at Earth.  The Consul’s immediate response was to dispatch two monitors to the jump point to the San Francisco system to reinforce the pods deployed there for the Philadelphia Pacification Campaign.  With the monitors on their way, the Consul sent an order to the Ministry of External Affairs to assign a diplomatic team to the communications attempts with the new race.  A debate began in the Senate that would last for weeks, off and on, about what form the Republic’s response would take.  The favored response from the first was in the form of a large missile barrage. 

Rear Admiral Bradshaw, for his part, decided he needed the listening post set up as soon as possible, to get a clearer picture of the system.  He ordered the freighter group, that had been holding at the jump point to the Solar System, to move into the San Francisco system and emplace its DSTS’s on the inner planet of the “B” star, now closest to the jump point.  He also ordered the 1st Cruiser Group, at the jump point to the Philadelphia system, to intercept the freighters and escort them into the inner system. 

By 1957 hours the alien ships have faded from the active sensors of the force at the Philadelphia jump point. 

July 12, 2140, 1655 hours, San Francisco system:
The Essex, escorted by two frigate groups, is approaching the planetary system of the primary G type star of the San Francisco quaternary system when its sensors detect two Obscura ships close to the orbit of the outermost planet.  The Essex’ crew quickly establishes that these two ships are the same ones that were missing from the Philadelphia system.  Admiral Bradshaw orders his fleet to change course and close on the Obscura ships. 

The Obscura ships charge straight towards the human ships.  Admiral Bradshaw gives the order to open fire at 150 mkm’s, and the Nairobi and the Sacramento almost immediately launch fifteen Thunderbolt III’s each at the two Obscura ships.  Admiral Bradshaw was tempted to order a full strike from the two frigates, but with unknown alien ships in the system he decides to conserve his offensive missiles. 

Just over an hour later the frigate’s missiles hit their targets.  As usual, the Obscura show no overt signs that they’ve been damaged, and both survive the strike, although one was slowed.  Admiral Bradshaw orders another fifteen-missile strike.    The second salvo was underway in seconds.  Shortly after the second salvo was launched, incoming Obscura missiles were detected.   The missiles were size 3, and each wave was composed of seven missiles and traveling at 18,615 km/s.  Aegis AMM’s began spilling from the frigates, racing towards the incoming missiles.  The Aegis V’s were designed to deal with Dregluk missiles, all of which were much faster and more maneuverable than the Obscura missiles.  The Aegis missiles had no trouble eliminating all of the incoming missiles before they got close to the human ships.

The Obscura attack took several minutes to resolve, and then it was time for the Republican counterstrike.  The Thunderbolt III missiles take out one of the Obscura ships, leaving the other one limping away.  Admiral Bradshaw orders one last strike to finish off the last Obscura ship, then resumes course for the two planets orbiting the primary.         

July 19, 2140, 1117 hours, San Francisco System:
The listening post finally goes online and immediately spots four alien ships, all out-system from the jump point to the Philadelphia system.  Three are the same size and class as the first ship to be spotted, while one is much slower and larger.  The smaller ships appear to be following a gravitic survey pattern.  Admiral Bradshaw and the Essex and its escorting frigates are on their way to a rendezvous with fuel tankers at the location of the new listening post, and from there they will head back to the Solar System.  His forces are at the edge of their ability to stay on station, fuel is low, and his mission objectives have been achieved.  It is time to return home. 

July 20, 2140:
As the fleet is assembling at the new listening post to refuel before heading back to the Solar System, the new listening post detects one of the alien ships transiting out of the San Francisco system through a previously undetected jump point gate.  The other two smaller ships are also headed for this jump point, while the larger, slower ship is headed towards the jump point to the Philadelphia system.   Admiral Bradshaw decides to recall the gate construction ship that is on its way to the jump point to the Philadelphia system.  The alien ship will get there first, and based on its size, and the fact that there is a gate at the newly discovered jump point, it is likely that the alien ship is a gate construction ship.  For the time being the Republic will allow the aliens to go about their business in the San Francisco system. 

[Kurt (OP)]

Philadelphia Pacification Campaign

Start Date: February 4, 2140
Projected End Date: April 30, 2140
Actual End Date: July 20, 2140

Campaign Goals:
Primary Goal – Probe the Philadelphia system and eliminate any and all Obscura or Dregluk presence in the system.
Secondary Goal – Probe the San Francisco and set up a listening post in the inner system. 

Initial Forces: Assault Ship Essex, 2xTennessee class Jump Cruisers, 1st Cruiser Group, 1st & 2nd Frigate Groups, 13xPods

Eventual Reinforcements: 3rd Frigate Group, 1st Attack Group

Support Forces: 1xUNREP ship, 2xFleet Support Ships, 1xNorth Carolina class jump ship (Sol-SF Picket)

The discovery of a total of nine (9) Obscura ships in the Philadelphia system changes the situation with regards to the behavior expected from Obscura encounters.  In the two previous encounters the Obscura have only been present in small numbers, and were using relatively small ships.  The presence of nine (9) Obscura ships in the Philadelphia system indicates that we do not understand the Obscura’s deployment doctrine, and, perhaps, indicates that the Philadelphia system is of particular importance to the Obscura.  In addition, the presence of three ships which were much larger than previously encountered designs indicate a much heavier investment in the Philadelphia system by the Obscura. 

In terms of combat, the fleet was capable of dealing with the Obscura threat.  During the second engagement in the Philadelphia system, and in the final engagement in the San Francisco system, the fleet came under missile attack from the Obscura and in both cases Aegis V missiles launched from fleet units were more than capable of dealing with the threat.  The engagements with the Obscura did reveal several weaknesses in the fleet’s current form.  The primary weakness was the fact that once the fleet’s primary offensive platforms, the Lake class frigates, expended their missiles they were required to return to the Earth to rearm.  The effort to eliminate the nine (9) Obscura ships required three separate sorties into the Philadelphia system, which greatly stretched out the time required to eliminate the threat.  This was only possible because all fleet units were capable of a higher speed than the Obscura ships, allowing us the luxury of breaking contact when desired, and because of the limited response pattern of the Obscura.  If the Obscura had pressed their attack through the jump point and across the San Francisco system towards the Solar system, then it would have been much more difficult to deal with them.  In short, our success was due in part to the limited tactical and strategic responses of the Obscura, rather than to our strengths. 

Recommendations:
1.   The Mars did not play a significant part in this campaign, and in fact was considered by on-scene commanders to be more a limiting factor rather than an asset.  Its maximum engagement range was only twenty percent that of the frigate force, and ten percent that of the long-range missile combatants, and its relatively slow maximum speed of 4,736 km/s made it unsuitable for frontline duties.  Therefore, this class should either be relegated to Sol system defense duties, scrapped, or upgraded. 
2.   The frigate force is the fleet’s frontline strike element.  The Lake and Brooklyn class frigates proved to be capable of holding their own against the Obscura in this campaign, and have proven effective against the Dregluk in previous engagements.  This campaign, however, exposed their critical weakness – the need to return to base to rearm their missile tubes.  If the fleet is going to be successful in forward deployments and power projection missions away from planetary support bases, a mobile platform capable of rearming Lake class frigates will be mission-critical. 
3.   The pods deployed to the San Francisco-Sol jump point provided a critical fallback position and security base for the forward-deployed fleet elements to return to while awaiting the return of the frigates after being rearmed by bases on Earth.  In addition, after the unexpected transit of Obscura ships from the Philadelphia system to the San Francisco system, the pods provided critical security to the Sol System as a whole.  The use of pods in this manner should be continued if not expanded.   

[Kurt (OP)]

July 24, 2140:
A Gull class DD is detected jumping into the Washington system.  A missile group is dispatched to the jump point to back up the monitor assigned to guard the jump point.  Several days later the Dregluk DD succumbed to a swarm of Bludgeon III’s launched from the monitor Waterloo. 

July 29, 2140:
The Republic’s fleet returns to the Solar System from the San Francisco system, leaving behind a picket ship at the jump point, and an UNREP ship that will refuel the monitors heading to the jump point, after which it will set out for Uranus and the refineries there to refuel. 

August, 10, 2140:
Work begins converting a military shipyard over Mars to produce the new Hero class Fleet Tenders.  This new class will be capable of rearming two Lake class frigates at a time, and at 27,550 tons it is the largest military ship ever built by humanity. 

September 16, 2140:
Salvage work on one of the Obscura ships destroyed in the San Francisco system is complete.  The salvage teams found evidence that the ship had a jump drive, which is interesting given the fact that generally Obscura ships have not been observed to move between systems.   

September 27, 2140:
A Vulture class DD jumps into the Washington system.  Three days later a swarm of Bludgeon III missiles from the 1st Missile Group wiped the Dregluk DD from space. 

October 4, 2140:
A Dregluk Colossus class BB jumps into the Washington system.  Three groups of ships are currently in-system of the jump point, a colony group returning to the jump point, two fleet support ships delivering missiles and fuel to Bastion, and a civilian freighter carrying infrastructure on contact.  The government-controlled ships go to station keeping when warned, but the civilian ship continued to head towards Bastion at full speed.  The Admiralty dispatches the 2nd Missile Group and the 1st Frigate Group to the jump point. 

Unfortunately, the Dregluk BB spots the freighter and sets out in pursuit.  By the time the Republican forces at the jump point realize that the Dregluk BB is headed in-system, the missile boat force is on-station with the monitors.  The missile boats can chase down the Dregluk BB, but they don’t have long-range sensors of their own.  The monitors are too slow to catch the Dregluk ship, but they have the advantage that the Dregluk ship is traveling across the system, not moving away from them.  They can cut across but even so won’t be able to catch it before it enters range of the freighter. 

Fortunately, the 1st Frigate Group arrives a few hours later, and immediately goes into pursuit of the Dregluk BB.  The frigates are capable of almost 1400 km/s overtake speed on the big Dregluk ship, and they will do their best to intercept.  In the inner system, the two missile defense bases on Bastion ready themselves for what might be their first test. 

Thirty-seven hours later the Dregluk BB was 1.2 billion kilometers from Bastion and closing on the human base and the freighter, which was now unloading infrastructure.  The 1st Frigate Group was 420 mkm’s from the Dregluk ship, and was in between it and the inner system.  Interception short of the inner system was assured, when the big Dregluk ship activated its sensors.  The Dregluk active sensors had a maximum detection range of 370 mkm’s, so the frigates were still outside of the Dregluk ship’s detection range, but that would change quickly.  If the Dregluk ship was carrying the Imperium’s best ASM’s, then the frigates would come under attack before they could launch their own Thunderbolt III’s. 

The range dropped rapidly as the Dregluk BB turned towards the human frigates.  One and a half hours later seventy-five Thunderbolt III’s raced from their tubes, targeted on the lone Dregluk BB.  This constituted the 1st Frigate Group’s entire offensive arsenal, but this was a Dregluk battleship.  This was no time for half measures, and Commander Moss, CO of the 1st, was quite willing to waste a few missiles in overkill to ensure the destruction of one of humanity’s hated enemies. 

One hour and forty minutes later the missile swarm slammed into the battleship.  Eight missiles were destroyed by CIWS, the other sixty-seven slammed into the battleship, which absorbed the salvo and continued on towards the frigates without slowing or showing any other effects.  Commander Moss ordered her frigates to turn back towards the jump point, and the monitors and missile boats waiting there.  In addition, Commander Moss ordered her group to reduce speed to just faster than the Dregluk BB in the hopes of luring it into following her. 

The Dregluk battleship obligingly followed the retreating frigates right into the missile range of the units sitting on the jump point.  It took two salvoes of eighteen Bludgeon III’s to smash the intruder completely. 

As a result of this engagement the Admiralty decided to increase the number of Lake class FFG’s in each Frigate Group to four from three. 

October 9, 2140:
The Republic’s R&D teams have completed development work on various missile technologies, and begin work on developing successors to the missile types currently deployed on fleet vessels. 

October 20, 2140:
The Republic’s Army has gotten approval to strike at the Obscura listening post in the Honolulu system.  A full brigade will be sent to secure the facility.  The 1st Frigate Group will escort the transport into the Honolulu system.  Fleet support units will be prepositioned to refuel both the transport and the frigates before and after their mission into the Honolulu system. 

November 11, 2140:
Production has begun on the Aegis VI, the Thunderbolt IV, and the Bludgeon IV missiles.

Aegis VI:
Speed 62,500 km/s (+25%)
Range 15 mkm’s (+28%)
Agility 42 (+23%)

Thunderbolt IV:
Speed 50,000 km/s (+56%)
Range 241 mkm’s (no change)
Warhead 8 (+33%)
Agility 22 (-24%)
Note: To get the huge improvement in range for the Mark III model, the designers had to settle for a slower, more efficient engine to get the vastly increased range.  The Mark IV model is a return to a less efficient but faster engine, and so additional internal space had to be devoted to endurance, to maintain the range.  Therefore, agility suffered. 

Bludgeon IV:
Speed 39,100 km/s (+25%)
Range 411 mkm’s (+4%)
Warhead 25 (+25%)
Agility 16 (+7%
Armor 1 (no change)
ECM 20 (no change)
Active sensor 1.05 mkm’s (slight improvement)
 
November 23, 2140:
The 1st Frigate Group, while escorting a troop transport into the Honolulu system, detects a new jump gate at a previously unknown jump point almost directly between the jump point to the Boston system and the inner system of Honolulu.  Commander Moss decides to continue on their target in the inner system. 

November 28, 2140:
The 120th Brigade landed from orbit in good order.  They found exactly one Obscura deep space scanning station, and little else.  The station was secured and an extensive search of the planet was initiated to discover if there was any other Obscura presence. 

December 4, 2140:
A diplomatic team has been working tirelessly to establish contact with the aliens discovered in the San Francisco system.  Effective communication had been established last month, and the team discovered that the aliens called themselves the Symsonia Commonwealth.  The team pressed for more information about the Commonwealth, and informed the Commonwealth representatives that further intrusion in the San Francisco system would be problematic for the Republic.  The Symsonians, who appear to be oddly shaped and almost plant-like, consistently responded with platitudes and inanities.   The diplomatic team works tirelessly, but it’s beginning to look like humanity may always have difficulty understanding any alien race. 

December 17, 2140:
The Symsonian gate construction ship sitting at the jump point to the Philadelphia system starts up its engines and sets course for the unexplored jump point back to Symsonian space, its job finished.   A brand-new gate is now active on the jump point to the Philadelphia system. 

December 19, 2140:
The 1st Frigate Group returns to the Solar system after escorting the troop transport carrying the troops that secured the Obscura listening post in the Honolulu system.  With the troop transport safely back in the Solar System and headed towards Earth, the 1st refuels from the fleet support units waiting at the jump point and then sets course for the Earth and home.   

[Kurt (OP)]

The United Republic of Earth
December 31, 2140

Earth:
Population: 3.531 Billion
Shipyards/Slipways: 9/28
Industrial Facilities (All): 11,897
R&D Labs: 210
Environment: Average Temp -11.48 degrees from normal averages.  Radiation currently causing 20% drop in industrial efficiency. 
Estimated annual population decrease rate is -3.69%.

Earth’s population dropped almost 288 million during the last year.  Forty one percent of that drop is attributable to population transfers, while the rest is due to lingering radiation effects from Dregluk bombardment.  The ongoing transfer of shipyard complexes to Mars, coupled with the conversion of mining complexes to automation has combined to keep Earth’s need for workers under control. 

Luna:
Population: 28.14 million
Mines: 279
Automated Mines: 155

Luna’s population continues to be bolstered by people trying to escape from the increasingly fervent anti-alien attitudes of the masses on Earth and Mars.  The Lunar colonies were bombarded just as hard as the Earth was, and the Lunar surface is heavily irradiated, meaning that only the most desperate to escape the increasing fervor for war and anti-alien sentiment on Earth relocate to the Moon.   

Mars:
Population: 351,600,000
Shipyards/Slipways: 14/45
Maintenance Facilities: 82
Construction Factories: 228

The largest single employer on Mars continues to be the Republic Naval Yards, employing over fifty-three million Martian residents. 

Ganymede:
Population: 14,430,000
Mines: 108
Automated Mines: 168

The terraforming fleet has significantly increased the average temperature on Ganymede, reducing the colony’s dependence on infrastructure to support its population.   

System Defense Command
The System Defense Command is based on Earth and has as its primary mission the defense of Earth.  Its secondary mission is the defense of the Solar System, and then thirdly it is concerned with supporting the Fleet’s mission against the Dregluk by establishing fortifications on Bastion in the Washington system. 

With the discovery of the Symsonian Commonwealth ships in the San Francisco system the System Defense Command has received emergency funds from the Senate to enlarge defenses on both Earth and Mars to deal with a possible incursion.   

Defenses
Earth:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 5
Anti-missile bases (meson): 20
Anti-ship Bases (Sword): 4
Anti-ship bases (Final Line): 15

Luna:
Anti-missile bases (meson): 1

Mars:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 4
Anti-missile bases (meson): 4
Anti-ship Bases (Sword): 2
Anti-Ship Bases (Final Line): 5

Ganymede:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 2
Anti-ship bases (Final Line): 2

Bastion (Washington System):
Sensor Bases: 2
Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 2
Anti-Ship Bases (Final Line): 2

In addition to the fixed defenses, the SDC is also responsible for the Listening Posts that now guard most of the approaches to the Solar System.  Currently, there are listening posts in the Boston System, the Chicago System, the New York System, the San Francisco system, the Honolulu system, and the Washington System.  These listening posts are all composed of twenty DSTS’s, with the exception of the Washington listening post, which is composed of twenty-five, and the Honolulu system, which is composed of seven.  These listening posts watch for alien incursions, and if any alien ships are detected the incursions will be reported to a Fleet picket ship standing by at the jump point to the Solar System. 

To date, the only system adjacent to the solar System without listening posts is the Los Angeles system.  The Los Angeles system is problematic as it contains no planetary bodies to support a listening post, which means that picketing that system will be a Fleet responsibility.

The Republican Fleet
Based on the experience gained in the Philadelphia system, fleet construction is now focused on various support vessels. 

Republic Fleet:
Interceptor Group #1 (Earth): 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #2 (Earth): 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #3 (Mars): 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #4 (Mars): 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc

Missile Group #1 (Earth): 10xMissile Boat r3
Missile Group #2 (Earth): 10xMissile Boat r3
Missile Group #3 (Earth): 9xMissile Boat r3

Long Range Missile Group #1 (Mars): 8xMB r3(LR)

Frigate Group #1 (Earth), CO Commander Sophia Moss
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Birmingham, Boston
4xLake FFG: Nairobi, Sacramento, Singapore, Ladoga

Frigate Group #2 (Earth), CO Commander Matthew Swift
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Cairo, Chongqing
3xLake FFG: Erie, Huron, Michigan

Frigate Group #3 (Earth), CO Commander Joseph Miles
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Lagos, Lima
4xLake FFG: Baikai, Tanganyika, Vladivostok, Malawi

Attack Group #1 (Mars), CO Captain Robert Chan
3xEnterprise r4: Assistance, Endeavor, Intrepid
1xBrooklyn r5 FFG Delhi

Cruiser Group #1 (Earth), CO Rear Admiral Morgan Bradshaw
1xEssex Assault Ship: Essex
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Shanghai, Tokyo

Cruiser Group #2 (Earth), CO Rear Admiral Isobel Gilbert
1xEssex Assault Ship: Bismarck
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Karachi, Mumbai

Cruiser Group #3 (Earth), CO Rear Admiral Freya Wallace
1xEssex Assault Ship: Yamato
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Karachi, Mumbai

Unassigned units:
2xTennesse class Jump Ship: Bihar, Tennessee

Pod Reserve:
20xASM Pod
8xAMM Pod
7xSensor Pod

Ships in Refit:
1xPlanet r1 BC: Mars

System Defense Force
The System Defense Force is nominally under the Navy in terms of organization, but much like the Fleet Marines, it is a separate organization within the larger organization.  The System Defense Force’s mission is to defend the Solar System from all threats.  To this end it has the following forces:

Earth: (All available units have been deployed to the San Francisco-Sol jump point)
1xSaratoga R1 Monitor: Huai Hai (overhaul)
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Marathon (scheduled for overhaul, awaiting outcome of San Francisco situation)

San Francisco Jump Point Guard:
Interceptor Group #1: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #2: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #3: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #4: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
3xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Masada, Stalingrad, Tours
2xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Hastings, Tours (en route to SF-Sol jump point, ETA: 21 days)

Washington Jump Point Guard
2xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Antietam, Waterloo

Los Angeles Jump Point Guard
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Saratoga

[Kurt (OP)]

January 16, 2141, Sol System:
Admiral Law orders the Fleet to begin a massive fleet training exercise intended to last several months.  The training is being undertaken in preparation of an operation intended to secure the Washington system, planned for mid-year. 

February 17, 2141:
The Senate decides to begin moving forward on a massive program to increase the fortifications on all important Sol system settlements.  As the construction brigades will be busy on Bastion until sometime next year, construction of additional fortifications on Ganymede will require the relocation of construction facilities to that colony, and additional colonists to work in them.  Therefore, freighters are assigned to transport the necessary infrastructure, and colony transports are diverted from the Earth-Mars run.  Additional factories will be transferred to Mars to bolster that colony’s ability to construct fortifications as well.   

February 30, 2141:
Two Demon class CA’s are detected transiting into the Washington system.  This is the event that Admiral Law had been waiting for.  Orders were dispatched, and shortly after the orders were transferred by the picket ship at the jump point and then received on Bastion, the new fortress complex’s sensors went active for the first time.  Its stupendously powerful active sensors weren’t powerful enough to scan the two Dregluk CA’s directly, but if the Dregluk ship had EM sensors then they would see the sensor PDC’s clearly. 

Unfortunately, the Dregluk CA’s don’t take the bait and instead head for a civilian colony transport heading towards the jump point to the Solar System.  Admiral Law orders one of the newly returned missile groups to head to the Sol-Washington jump point. 

March 1, 2141:
The civilian colony ship targeted for pursuit by the pair of Dregluk cruisers jumps out of the Washington system and into the safety of the Solar System.  The Dregluk CA’s, deprived of their target, immediately came about and began heading for Bastion in the inner system. 

March 6, 2141, 1741 hours:
The Dregluk cruisers are now 192 mkm’s from Bastion, well within range of the fortress’s Bludgeon III missiles.   Lt. Commander Alex Bradshaw, CO of the offensive bases, ordered four of his PDC’s to open fire.  Seconds later sixty Bludgeon III missiles raced away from the fortress complex. 

Incoming Dregluk missiles were detected on thermal scanners while they were still 80 mkm’s out.  The fortress complex’s Bludgeon III’s were 82 mkm’s from their targets. 

The Dregluk missiles reached their targets first.  The fortress complex’s sensors acquired the incoming missiles while they were still 8 mkm’s out, and Aegis V’s began racing away from Bastion.   There were eight individual incoming salvoes each composed of twenty-one size 3 missiles, and in fifteen seconds one hundred and sixty-eight Aegis V AMM’s were racing towards them.  Sixty seconds later the Aegis V AMM’s began intercepting their targets and the Dregluk bombardment missiles began dying short of the planet.  The Aegis V’s achieved a 45% kill ratio, and the defensive bases adjusted their fire to compensate.  More Aegis V’s raced away from the planet.  The attack petered out several minutes later when the last incoming missile was intercepted just over two million kilometers from Bastion. 

By that time the Bludgeon III’s were just fourteen million kilometers from their targets and closing.  Just over nine minutes later the big human missiles slam into the two Dregluk cruisers.  When the explosions clear there is very little left of the two warships aside from scattered debris and a few life pods. 

March 7, 2141:
The Admiralty dispatches three salvage ships to the Philadelphia system to begin salvage work on the Obscura wrecks. 

March 16, 2141:
Three Dregluk BB’s are detected jumping into the Washington system.   They immediately set out for Bastion in the inner system.   The Admiralty is concerned that three Dregluk BB’s might be a bit much for Bastion’s offensive bases to handle, so the 3rd Cruiser Group, 2nd Frigate Group, and the 1st and 2nd Missile Groups are dispatched to the jump point to intercept the Dregluk if necessary.   This is basically every fleet unit available, as the remaining combat units are finishing up their overhauls. 

[Kurt (OP)]

March 22, 2141, Washington System
Rear Admiral Freya Wallace paced across her flag bridge with her eyes locked on the red icons on the plot, headed steadily inwards, towards the fortresses on Bastion.  She was tall and spare, her face too intense to be considered classically beautiful, but striking in her space force blues.  Now, though, her face was thunderous, and her staff went about their assignments quietly.  She was well liked by her subordinates, but when she was in a mood like this, they all knew to let her work it out. 

The object of her ire was the three Dregluk battleships headed in-system.  By all rights it should have been up to her ships to intercept and destroy the damned Dregluk, not the bases in the inner system.  For too many years humanity suffered under the bombardment of the never-to-be-sufficiently damned Dregluk, and now they finally had the capability to begin striking back and she was forced to sit here and watch!  Intolerable!  Her thoughts derailed as the flag ship’s AI chimed to signal a situation change, and a new red icon appeared in the Washington system, this one sitting on the jump point that the Dregluk traditionally used to enter the system.  Admiral Wallace leaned over the plot and gestured at the icon and, in response, the AI brought up specifics.  The new Dregluk force was composed of eight cruisers, six destroyers, and a new class of battleship!  The largest force to enter Washington in years!   Unnoticed, her hand slipped into one of her pockets and folded around a picture she kept there.  A wide grin spread across her face!  This was it.  She hit the comm button on the display in front of her. 

“Captain Harrison, the task force will prepare to intercept the new Dregluk force.  Departure in fifteen minutes.  Admiral Wallace out.”   Fifteen minutes later the task force left the jump point.  The 2nd Frigate Group led the way, followed by her flagship, the Assault Cruiser Yamato, with an anti-missile frigate in close escort.  The flagship was followed by the twenty missile boats of the 1st and 2nd Missile Groups.  They were significantly out-massed by the Dregluk force, but the Republic’s fighting crews didn’t care about that.  They were on the forefront of the defense of humanity, and the Dregluk scum were going to pay. 

Initially the Dregluk force set out for the inner system, but as soon as they detected Admiral Wallace’s force, they changed course to intercept the humans.  The fight was on. 

Three hours later, in the inner system…
Admiral Morgan Thornton and his staff had been watching the plot carefully, but now the time had come.  “We’ll go with Fire Plan Alpha.  Launch now!” 

Fire Plan Alpha called for a staggered launch of Bludgeon III’s against the incoming battleships.  In all, the fire plan called for ninety of the fortress complex’s one hundred missile launchers to be used against the incoming ships.  The thirty Bludgeon III’s targeted on each battleship should be overkill, but to meet the requirements of the plan they had launched nearly every offensive missile left on the planet.   They were supposed to have been resupplied, but the Munitions Ship had been on its way when the Dregluk BB’s appeared, and had been forced to turn back and shelter under the protection of the monitors at the jump point. 

The fortress complex’s personnel are forced to watch the plot with apprehension for the next three hours as the human missiles made their way towards the Dregluk ships.  Admiral Thornton and his staff all leaned towards the plot in the command base with expectation as the missile plots merged with the Dregluk ships and the command plot’s AI fuzzed out the area around the Dregluk ship’s due to distortion from the explosions.  The distortion cleared quickly though, and cheering broke out across the command deck and throughout the entire fortress complex as the plot showed that the three Dregluk BB’s, once feared bringers of death and destruction, were now just drifting debris with a few scattered life pods drifting in their wake. 

Admiral Thornton turned to his communications officer.  “Send to Admiral Wallace.  We’ve eliminated the threat here.  Good hunting!”

Four hours later…
“Status change.”  The voice of the flag bridge’s AI drew Admiral Wallace’s eyes to the central plot from the readiness report she had been studying.  On the plot the Dregluk fleet’s course began to change, bending from the intercept course it had been following to one headed in-system, towards the fortress complex of Bastion. 

Admiral Wallace frowned.  Her ships were faster than the Dregluk force, but this change would ensure it took longer to intercept them, and would draw them farther into the system.  “Communications, send the following to Admiral Thornton on Bastion: Admiral, the Dregluk have changed course towards you.  I wish to intercept them in the outer system.  Please deactivate your sensors as they may be drawing the Dregluk force towards you.  Admiral Wallace out.”  The message was on its way seconds later. 

Long before Admiral Thornton could have received the message the fortresses on Bastion deactivated their sensors.  Admiral Thornton had seen exactly what Admiral Wallace had, and he knew what it meant as well as she.  Unfortunately, turning off the base’s sensors made no difference.  The Dregluk were still doggedly headed in-system.   Admiral Wallace’s force had changed course to intercept them, and would long before they got in-system, but it would put them further in-system than Wallace really wanted to be. 

Thirty-four hours later…
“We are within range, Admiral.”

Admiral Wallace glared at the plot.  The Dregluk had finally turned towards her task group and were trying to close with her.  She checked the range.  They were 375 mkm’s out and her fleet and the Dregluk closing at a combined speed of over 10,000 km/s at this point.  She brought up the Yamato’s bridge on the pane in front of her.  Captain Harrison, the CO of the Yamato, turned his head towards her and said, “Yes, Admiral?” 

“Captain Harrison, engage the enemy.  Targeting plan Bravo-1.  Launch at will.”  A flicker passed across Harrison’s face, but it was gone almost before she caught it and there was nothing amiss in his voice as he nodded. 

“Yes ma’am.  Targeting Plan Bravo-1.  They are on the way!”  The pane minimized as almost immediately loud “chunks” began echoing throughout the flagship as the big Bludgeon III missiles were thrown clear of their box launchers.  Admiral Wallace smiled as a speckling of light blue icons appeared on the plot as Bludgeon III’s raced away from the Yamato and the missile boats.   That something that she had almost seen in Harrisons face was disappointment, she was sure of it.  He had so wanted to launch on the Dregluk battleship, and had argued vociferously for one of the Alpha fire plans, as that would have allowed him to target the big Dregluk brute.  In the end, though, she had opted for Bravo, which targeted the cruisers in the Dregluk force.  There was only one battleship over there, but there were eight cruisers and they were obviously the heart of the force.  A vicious grin spread across her face as she watched the Bludgeon III’s speed away.  While she wanted to destroy the entire force, she’d settle for ripping the heart out of it.  She brought up the communication’s pane to the bridge again.  “Captain, once we’ve closed to 350 mkm’s maintain our separation.  No sense in letting them get too close.” 

Captain Harrison nodded and the pane closed, leaving her to study the plot with anticipation.  Once again, her hand had slipped into her pocket unnoticed, and when she realized she was stroking the small picture located there she jerked her hand out and set it firmly on the console in front of her. 

Two hours passed as the anticipation on the ships of the task group grew, and then finally the out-going missile icons merged with the Dregluk fleet.  Admiral Wallace settled back in her combat cradle with satisfaction as the icons for no less than six Dregluk cruisers changed from active to destroyed.  The icon for the seventh Dregluk CA was blinking to indicate that it had suffered damage during the attack but had survived.  Cheers broke out across the fleet at the results of their attack, and then redoubled when five seconds later the surviving missiles from the attack acquired new targets with their onboard sensors and obliterated another cruiser and four destroyers. 

An unabashed grin spread across Admiral Wallace’s face but she wrestled it down quickly, lest she appear less than professional in front of her crew.  She let them cheer, though.  She leaned forward and inspected the plot.  The Dregluk force had been reduced to one battleship, one damaged cruiser, and two destroyers.  Not bad.  She keyed the communications tab for the task group commanders.  In a few seconds small panes opened on her display, showing Captain Oliver Harper, CO of the 2nd Frigate Group, and Lt. Commander Robert Glover and Commander George Franklin, CO’s of the 1st and 2nd Missile Groups. 

“Congratulations, gentlemen.  That was, by any measure, a very successful strike.  Let your crews know that I am very happy with them, and I’m sure that the Admiralty will feel the same.”  She could see the stoic face of Captain Harper watching her intently, and she relented.  “Yes, Oliver, we are going to close on them.  Your turn is coming.  But first, George and Bob, I’m detaching your task groups.  You are to head home and re-arm.  Once you are away, we’ll come about and close with the enemy until we are within Thunderbolt III range.  Understood?”

The three CO’s nodded, and Captain Harper broke out into a big grin.  They were going hunting!

For forty minutes the two groups closed on each other, and then finally they were in range of the human force’s remaining offensive missiles.  Admiral Wallace gave the order, and seconds later the four Lake class Frigates in the 2nd Frigate Group launched one hundred Thunderbolt III ASM’s, all targeted on the Dregluk Battleship.  The crew on the flag bridge of the Yamato watched, almost holding their breath, as the Thunderbolt icons merged with the Dregluk fleet and dissipated.  There was a feeling of disappointment as the battleship’s icon remained on the board, although it was flashing, indicating it had taken some damage.  It, and its escorts, had slowed to 4,327 km/s.  Later analysis would show that most of the Thunderbolt III’s hit, but Dregluk BB’s were tough customers, and this one was soldiering on.   

Twelve minutes later, as Admiral Wallace was going over the strike analysis with Captain Harper prior to deciding on their next course of action, alarms began ringing across the fleet.  Admiral Wallace’s eyes were drawn to the plot, where a bloodred stream of missile icons had appeared, headed directly for her task force.  She turned back to the open pane to Captain Harper, who had just turned back to her from his plot.  “Good luck, Oliver.”  He nodded at her as she closed the window on her pane.  There was little for her to do now but watch as her missile defense teams went into action. 

Aegis V’s began spilling into space from the six frigates leading the Yamato by 100,000 kilometers.  The outcome was never in doubt, as over the years of war the Republic’s spacers had grown confident in their missile defense capabilities.  By the end of the attack the number of incoming missiles had grown to one hundred and fifty, but the Aegis V’s had dealt with them easily, and none got closer than 1.5 mkm’s of the fleet.   

Throughout the attack Admiral Wallace had watched the icons for the Dregluk ships with her hand in her pocket, stroking her picture, contemplating their next course of action.  Her team was used to the Admiral’s absent-minded habit, and accepted it, but there was much speculation about just what exactly she kept in her pocket.  Her task force had expended their offensive missiles, but she didn’t want those Dregluk ships to escape.  Once the missile attack died out, she opened windows to both the commander of the Yamato and Captain Harper.  “Gentlemen, I’m going to try to lure the remaining Dregluk ships into range of the monitors waiting at the jump point.  The fleet is to set a course for the jump point, but we are going to reduce our speed to 4,600 km/s.  Hopefully that will entice the Dregluk into pursuing us to the jump point.” 

Both captains acknowledged her order, and the human ships came about and headed for the jump point to the Solar System.  One hour and thirteen minutes later a second Dregluk missile attack materialized, but this attack was composed of only eleven missiles and a single wave of Aegis V’s was enough to eliminate the threat. 

Admiral Wallace was watching the plot when the Dregluk force split.  The flag ship’s AI announced “Status change”, and the plot updated to show that the Dregluk battleship had split off of the main group.  She watched as the Dregluk BB’s course curved until it was on course for its entry point.  The remaining three Dregluk ships continued their pursuit of her force.  Admiral Wallace watched the Dregluk BB retreat with burning eyes.  She really wanted that battleship, but there was little she could do at this point.  Her force had no more missiles, and there were three Dregluk ships still pursuing her.  First, she had to deal with them. 

Forty-four hours later…
Admiral Wallace was finally sleeping when her comm chimed and pulled her from her slumber.  She was awake in seconds and palmed the ‘voice-only’ comm channel on her nightstand.  “Yes?”

“Admiral, the Dregluk have turned back towards the inner system.”  The disembodied voice of her chief of staff sounded grim. 

Admiral Wallace glanced at the time display on the nightstand, and then closed her eyes for a second, thinking.  By this time her task force would be deep within the missile envelope of the monitors on the jump point, but the Dregluk would still be approximately 50 mkm’s outside that envelope.  She knew that the monitors wouldn’t be in range yet because she had set her alarm to wake her long before they’d be in range.  “I’ll be on the flag bridge momentarily.”

True to her word, she was pacing on the flag bridge in front of the plot within minutes.  Sure enough the Dregluk were outside the monitor’s range, and had turned back towards the inner system.  She eyed the plot.  The Dregluk were not headed directly away from her or the monitors.  Instead, they were in a course that took them past the jump point and her force and the monitors.  They would not come any closer to the jump point, but they weren’t receding either, not yet.  For a few minutes she played with the plot’s navigation routines and then stepped back in thought.  After a minute or so she turned to her station and brought up a comm window to the bridge on her pane.  “Captain, I’m going to order the monitors on the jump point to pursue the Dregluk force.  I want you to set a course to intercept the monitors.  We will escort them during their interception attempt.”

“Yes Admiral.”  Captain Harrison frowned in thought.  “Can the monitors bring the Dregluk into engagement range?” 

Admiral Wallace shook her head.   “Unlikely.  But, if the Dregluk see them coming out to meet them, maybe they’ll turn back towards us and come within range on their own.”

Captain Harrison had a dubious look on his face.  “Maybe.”  His face cleared and he grinned.  “You never know what the damned Dregluk are going to do, so its worth a shot!  We’ll come about shortly.” 

The window closed and Admiral Wallace composed her orders for the monitors on the jump point.  Technically they weren’t under her direct command, but her orders gave her jurisdiction over military assets in this system, and if she knew the commanders and crews of the monitors, they’d jump at getting a chance to blow some Dregluk away. 

The message was sent to the monitors seconds later, and sure enough the monitors began moving away from the jump point with commendable alacrity and zero complaints or prevarications soon thereafter. 

Three hours later two things became abundantly clear.  First, the Dregluk were steadily pulling away from the monitors, and it would only get worse as the angle the human force had on them decreased.  The monitors, with their top speed of 720 km/s, would never be able to force the Dregluk into range.  Second, in the last hour their plot of the Dregluk ship’s course had been refined.  They were not headed for Bastion in the inner system as she had thought.  They were headed for Colony Transport-031, a civilian transport that had ignored her shelter in-place orders for the system and had departed Bastion bound for the jump point. 

 “Message to the monitors: They are to return to the jump point.”   Admiral Wallace closed the comm channel without waiting for an acknowledgement and leaned over the holographic plot.  Once again, her hand slipped into her pocket and began rubbing the picture she kept there as she considered the Dregluk force.  She wanted those Dregluk ships.  Badly.  Her eyes strayed to the colony transport coming out of the inner system.  Fortunately, it had dropped off its colonists, but there were still 200 crewers on that ship.  Her mission, her sworn duty, was to protect those humans from Dregluk depredations. 

She suddenly stopped pacing as she realized her hand was in her pocket yet again.  Her mind in turmoil, she slowly pulled her hand out of her pocket, along with the picture it so obstinately clutched.  She reluctantly looked down at the picture she had so assiduously avoided for so long.  Her heart clutched as she saw Michael and the twins depicted so heartbreakingly clearly in the image.  They had been gone for years now, but it seemed like the wound in her heart never really healed.  Her heart broke all over again as she looked into Michael’s eyes.  He had been so wise and caring, so different from her.  And the twins, Sara and Zoe, five years old and so full of promise and energy.  And unfettered joy that they managed to infect her with every time she was around them.  Again, so unlike her.  Her hand closed over the image, blocking it from view as her heart hardened.  Once again, her gaze settled on the red icons depicting the Dregluk ships.  The Dregluk had taken them from her, carelessly wiping them from the universe without a thought or care.  The Dregluk missile had vaporized the entire area around her old neighborhood.  Nothing was left to bury, or to say goodbye to.  Nothing of her old life survived, except this one image that she had always kept with her to remind her of the good things in her life.  She had sworn then that the Dregluk would pay, and pay, and pay.  She wanted those Dregluk ships, but if she went in after them there would be casualties.  There were reserves waiting on the far side of the jump point to the Solar System, and she could call them forward, but if she lost them, or suffered serious losses in her attack, all to assuage the emptiness inside her, then…her thoughts derailed at that point.  If she ever lost her position, her ability to strike back, there would be nothing left for her.  Nothing at all. 

Her eyes shifted again to the colony transport coming out of the inner system.  The colony transport that she was duty-bound to protect.  A slow grin spread across her face.  If she let the Dregluk go they would destroy that transport, as sure as she stood here looking at the plot.  She stabbed the comms button on the plot table, and a window to the command ship’s communication’s officer appeared in front of her. 

“Yes, Admiral?”

“Dispatch my situation report to the Admiralty via the picket ship at the jump point and inform them that I am calling forward the reserves at the jump point.  We will advance and engage the enemy before they can attack the colony transport.  Once that is off, send off my orders for the reserve group at the jump point.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  The window closed as Admiral Wallace entered her orders for the reserve group.  She would have Dregluk blood, but who could say whether it was the blood she wanted, or to save the crew of the transport?  Who, that is, aside from her?

The orders were sent off and Admiral Wallace settled in to wait.  Admiral Rear Admiral Chan, commanding the reserve group on the Solar System side of the jump point, was junior to her, but also wasn’t technically within her remit to draw upon the military resources of the Washington system as they were in the Solar System.  And, while his orders did give him some leeway, his orders were clear that his primary responsibility was to guard the jump point against any incursion.  That would give him an out, if he wanted one.  She knew Admiral Chan though, and she doubted he would hesitate to engage the Dregluk.  The Admiralty didn’t put the faint of heart in command of its Hunter-Killers, or HuK’s as they had become known, and she was pretty sure that Chan would jump at the chance to go toe-to-toe with the Dregluk.  Although it was a minor thing in the scheme of things, she was glad that the Admiralty had changed the designation of Chan’s ships from the old Federation class designation of Patrol Cruisers to the new HuK designation.  Chan’s ships were designed for one thing, and that was to go in close to Dregluk ships and pick them apart, not patrolling. 

Sure enough, within minutes of the picket ship jumping through to the Solar System, Admiral Chan’s Attack Group #1 jumped into the Washington System, followed by the twenty-two interceptors of the 1st and 3rd Interceptor Groups.  Two and a half minutes later a comm window from Admiral Chan appeared on her pane.  “Admiral Wallace!  I thought you’d never let us get in on the fun.  I have detached the Delhi and we are headed towards your position at maximum speed.  We’ll be there in just over an hour and a half.  Then we can go Dregluk hunting.”  The window closed and Admiral Wallace smiled.  The hunt was on.  She thought briefly of ordering Chan to bring his anti-missile frigate, but then decided to let him make the decision.  His HuK’s and the interceptors were almost 50% faster than the anti-missile frigate, and he clearly wanted to get into action as fast as possible.  She could sympathize. 

Twenty-three hours later…
The combined human task force was now 175 mkm’s from the Dregluk force, which was maneuvering to maintain its position between the human ships and the inner system.  Admiral Wallace tried to lure the Dregluk into following her force back to the jump point and the monitors waiting there, but the Dregluk refused to take the bait and merely returned to their chase of the colony transport coming out of the inner system.  When it became clear that the Dregluk were not going to pursue her force, Admiral Wallace ordered her task force to pursue the Dregluk at their maximum task force speed.  As her flagship is the slowest ship in the force, they are limited to 5,806 km/s.  That gives them an overtake speed of only 1,200 km/s, but fortunately, given the Dregluk determination to intercept the colony transport, they were able to cut across the Dregluk course and close faster than they would have otherwise.  They will be able to intercept well short of the colony transport. 

Seven hours later…
The flagship’s AI announced “Status change” and Admiral Wallace immediately looked at the Dregluk force.  Sure enough they were coming about, closing with her task force.  They were now 39 mkm’s apart, and that range would drop quickly now that the two groups of ships were heading towards each other. 

Several hours later she was still standing over the plot, watching as the two groups of ships steadily moved towards each other.  She and Admiral Chan had spent copious amounts of time discussing the likely armaments of the Dregluk ships ahead of them, and the poor quality of information available from Fleet Intelligence.  Of course, ever since the Bludgeon ASM’s became available no one had been particularly worried about the armament of the Dregluk ships, as the Bludgeon outranged them by a significant margin.  Now, though, they were charging into the teeth of a Dregluk force, and while her force both outnumbered and out-massed the enemy, the Dregluk were difficult opponents and never seemed to give up.  The opposing force had obviously expended its long-range missiles, but equally obviously had something up its sleeve, or it would have withdrawn with the battleship.  All of their questions and plotting was resolved when alarms began ringing in the flag bridge and a stream of red icons representing Dregluk missiles appeared on the plot.  The two forces were now 33 mkm’s apart and closing, and the plot was speckled with incoming missile icons.  The plot AI sifted through information being refined by the ship’s CIC and quickly put up ID tags on the incoming missiles.  The Dregluk missiles were size 1, and were in groups of forty-five to forty-nine missiles approaching at 28,000 km/s.  Even as Admiral Wallace watched the plot the Yamato began expelling Aegis V AMM’s along with the rest of her consorts.  The Dregluk missiles were obviously AMM’s being used in offensive mode, and were much slower than the Aegis V’s rushing out to meet them, so her defensive missiles would likely perform well against the Dregluk missiles.  Admiral Wallace frowned as she watched the plot.  There were a lot of incoming missiles, and, as she checked the icons for her missile-defense frigates, she realized that they likely weren’t going to have enough Aegis V’s.  Fortunately, they had the meson cannons of the Interceptor Groups and the lasers of the HuK’s to intercept anything that got through the AM’s, but this was likely going to get dicey. 

After watching the plot for a few seconds Admiral Wallace keyed open a comms window on the plot table in front of her.  The window opened to show the Yamato’s bridge and Captain Harrison.  As was typical for her flagship, the bridge was calm and under control as the captain and crew dealt with the incoming missile threat.  After a few seconds Captain Harrison turned to the comm pickup.  “Yes, Admiral?”

“Captain, these are obviously anti-missile missiles, and may have limited range.  Bring the fleet about and set a course directly away from the incoming missile stream.  Let’s see if we can run them out of fuel.”

Captain Harrison gave a brief smile.  “Yes, ma’am.  Its worth a shot.” 

She waved the window closed and returned her attention to the plot.  The Aegis V’s had begun their interceptions, and were achieving a 73% kill ratio, but even more incoming missile salvoes had appeared.  She could see the munitions status indicators for her frigates dropping as she watched.  Tension began to grow on the flag bridge and across the fleet. 

The first AMM frigate to run out of missiles was the Seoul, the Yamato’s escort, fifty seconds into the engagement.   Eighty-five seconds later the two AMM frigates of the 2nd Frigate Group ran out of missiles as well, leaving only the four Lake class ASM frigate with AMM’s left.  Many Dregluk missiles had been destroyed during this time, and there had been no leakers, but Admiral Wallace knew that that was about to change.   She opened a channel to the entire task force.  “This is Admiral Wallace.  In a few minutes we will run out of defensive missiles.  It appears that the Dregluk have more missiles than we do.”  She paused, letting that sink in.  “That is something that we are used to.  We’re Human!  The Dregluk have been firing missiles at us for years and here we are!  Taking the war to them.  We’ve already destroyed most their fleet here in the Washington system.  Now there are just a few ships left, and they are desperately trying to prevent us from getting to them.  It isn’t going to work!  We’ve lived through every bombardment the Dregluk have thrown at us, and they can’t stop us.  We will weather this storm, and then we will bring the storm to them.  Then it will be their turn, and they will regret ever starting this war, because we will make them pay.  They tried to kill us, but they failed.  When we bring the war home to them, we will not fail!  First, we survive, then we destroy them!  Forever!”  She closed the channel, but before she did, she could hear cheering coming from every ship in the task force. 

Less than two minutes later the AMM’s ran out.  Even before the last AMM left its launcher some Dregluk missiles had been getting through to the fleet, but so far, every one had been destroyed by massed meson and laser fire. 

The last AMM was launched from the frigate Huron, and after that missile defense was going to be in the hands of the lasers of the HuK’s and the meson cannons of the interceptors.  There were still twenty Aegis V AMM’s in flight towards the approaching Dregluk missiles, but there were four hundred and forty incoming Dregluk missiles on the plot, and almost surely more beyond them that had yet to appear. 

The first few salvoes of Dregluk missiles that approached the task force were small, composed of leakers that had avoided the Aegis V’s launched earlier.  The numbers soon grew, though, and the human ships began taking hits.  The Yamato was the first, suffering several hits to her shields, but she was far from the last.  Soon after full salvoes each composed of forty-nine Dregluk AMM’s were approaching the task force, unreduced by defensive AMM fire.  To oppose these salvoes the human task force had forty-two meson cannons, three 250mm spinal lasers, six 200 mm lasers, and three gauss cannon turrets. 

Admiral Wallace and her flag bridge crew watched as the first full salvo of Dregluk missiles approached.  As the icons merged with the fleet there was a flurry of defensive fire, but before they could evaluate the effectiveness of the fire the Dregluk missiles hit the Huron, one of the AMM frigates.  The defensive fire destroyed about one third of the incoming missiles, an interception ratio that would remain consistent throughout the battle.  The Dregluk missile salvoes were arriving every ten seconds or so, and for the next several minutes the entire battle turned into a blur of defensive fire, missile impacts, and the wailing of alarms from damaged ships. 

Admiral Wallace frowned as the next three salvoes savaged the AMM frigate Chongqing’s armor, with the last salvo penetrating her armor and causing interior damage, including knocking out an engine.  As the damaged frigate began falling behind the main force, Admiral Wallace opened her mouth to order the fleet to match the speed of the damaged frigate, but then closed her mouth and settled back in her chair.  She had to consider what was best for the entire task force, and for maintaining as much of her offensive power as possible.  The Chongqing was on its own. 

The HuK Assistance was next, but the Dregluk AMM’s merely managed to reduce her shielding.  The HuK’s had the strongest shielding in her task force, and Wallace felt at least a little relief that the missiles were targeting her ships that were best able to deal with it.  That relief was short-lived, though, as the next missile salvoes continued to target the HuK and knocked down her shields.  The three HuK’s were her strongest offensive ships at this point, and if they were damaged, or destroyed, her offensive strength would be severely curtailed.  She would be dependent on the Interceptors, and the thin-skinned small ships were very vulnerable to this kind of bombardment.  Her attention returned to the plot, to see that the bombardment of the Assistance continued.  The HuK’s armor was thinner than the other ships, and her armor was soon penetrated in several places.  Fortunately, Dregluk targeting shifted before any further damage was done to the Assistance.   After targeting one of the ASM frigates, the Dregluk targeting returned to the Assistance, and this time she suffered internal damage that included the loss of an engine.  Fortunately, the HuK’s were fast enough that even with an engine out she could still keep up with the rest of the task force. 

Dregluk targeting then shifted to the Yamato.  Captain Harrison’s voice came across the intercom system: “All crew brace.  Damage control teams prepare for breaches!”  The first salvo knocked down the Yamato’s shields with a crash, and then, as the next several salvoes hit the big ship, the crew could hear an increasing patter as the small missiles ate away at her defensive armor. 

Through this Admiral Wallace sat silently, a confident smile on her face.  Inside she was concerned, wondering if her drive for vengeance had led her to destruction, instead, but outwardly she appeared as if everything was proceeding according to her plan.  The ship shuddered once, and then again, as breaches appeared in her armor, but then then the patter of missiles hitting her armor fell away as the Dregluk targeting shifted.  The Yamato had survived.  Throughout the attack Admiral Wallace had appeared supremely confident, and word spread throughout the fleet of the Admiral’s fearlessness and obvious belief that they would weather the attack. 

Having weathered the storm, Admiral Wallace checked the status indicators for the task force ships.  Her flagship’ shields were down and her armor was greatly reduced and holed in several places.    Of the three HuK’s, the Assistance and the Intrepid both have had their shields reduced to around 16%, and the Assistance has taken serious armor damage and some internal damage. Of the three anti-missile frigates, the Chongqing has taken heavy internal damage and fallen behind, while the Cairo and the Seoul have both taken heavy armor damage.  The four anti-ship frigates are in a better position, so far, with only the Huron taking moderate armor damage.  None of the Interceptors have been targeted, so far. 

In the meantime, the Dregluk missiles continued to pelt the human force.  As Admiral Wallace was determining the task force’s status, the HuK Intrepid came under fire, penetrating her shields and then taking out a lot of her armor.  After several armor breaches the HuK lost a crew quarters, but she was still in the fight.  The next several minutes became a blur for most of the task force’s personnel as the Dregluk missiles seemingly randomly shifted between ships, sometimes breaching armor only to shift away for one salvo only to suddenly shift back when the crew thought they were safe. 

The last several salvoes were focused on Interceptors, which had relatively thin armor.  The very last salvo savages an interceptor, leaving it drifting in space and barely functional.  Admiral Wallace looked at the time on her display.  The last salvo hit at 2000 hours on the 27th.  They had survived. 

Before speaking with her commanders, Admiral Wallace called up a display showing the status of her task force:

Yamato (Assault Cruiser) – Heavy armor damage, two breaches. 
Assistance (HuK) – Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, significant internal damage including loss of an engine.
Endeavour (HuK) - Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, significant internal damage including loss of three engines (50%). 
Intrepid (HuK) - Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, internal damage.
 Cairo (AM frigate) – Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, light internal damage. 
Chongqing (AM frigate) – Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, moderate internal damage, including an engine. 
Seoul (AM Frigate) – – Heavy armor damage, multiple breaches, light internal damage.
Eire (ASM Frigate) – No damage
Huron (ASM Frigate) – Minor armor damage.
Michigan (ASM Frigate) – No damage.
Ontario (ASM Frigate) – Heavy armor damage.
Falcon-002 (Interceptor) – heavy damage, speed reduced by 16%.
Falcon-003 (Interceptor) – heavy damage, speed reduced by 50%.
Falcon-006 (Interceptor) – heavy damage, speed reduced by 50%
Falcon-008 (Interceptor) – Heavy damage, speed reduced by 16%.
Falcon-033 (Interceptor) – Heavy damage, speed reduced to 0. Engineering destroyed, no chance to repair. 
17xInterceptors – Undamaged

Next, she focused on the icons for the Dregluk force, expecting to see them heading away now that they had expended the last of their AMM’s.  She frowned when she realized that they were still heading towards her task force.  After considering her options, she made her decision.  Punching in the codes, she called up a conference of her ship commanders. 

“We’ve survived.  But, some of our ships are damaged and slowed, and the enemy is still approaching, indicating that there is likely at least one more missile attack on the way.  Therefore, this is what we are going to do.  I’m dividing the task force into three groups.  The main group will be under my command, and will consist of the Yamato, the Assistance, and the Intrepid, escorted by the seventeen undamaged Interceptors.  I’m putting the second group under you, Alfie.  You will have your ship, the Endeavor, along with the Chongqing and the two most heavily damaged interceptors.  You will set out at your best speed, which should be around 4,000 km/s, for the jump point.  The third group will consist of all of the ASM frigates, the two least damaged AM frigates - the Cairo and the Seoul, and the three damaged Interceptors capable of 6,000 km/s speed.  This force will be under Commander Green aboard the Cairo.  You also will head for the jump point at your best speed.  Meanwhile, the main force will move in between your forces and the Dregluk ships and attempt to intercept any missiles headed for your groups.  Interceptor-033, there is nothing we can do for you right now.  I’ve already sent a message for a fleet tug to come assist with your recovery, but you have my permission to abandon ship if any Dregluk missiles are detected headed towards you.  Any questions?”  Admiral Wallace settled back into her chair.  This was a desperation move, and they all knew it.  She would try, but given the limited range of their meson cannons it was unlikely that her force would be able to intercept any of the missiles headed for the other groups.  What she had left unsaid was that their only real hope of avoiding the next attack was for the two groups of damaged ships to outrun the suspected incoming missiles and force them to expend their fuel.  Given that the Dregluk were attacking with AMM’s there was at least a chance that they could do it, but it hadn’t worked so far.   What Admiral Wallace had also left unsaid was her hope that her flagship, as the largest ship in the task force, would draw Dregluk missile fire away from the other ships. 

The Captains and Commanders on the conference all looked at each other and shook their heads, remaining silent.  Admiral Wallace’s heart swelled with pride. Her officers were the result of nearly a decade of war against a brutal enemy that had almost destroyed their home.  They would not waiver.  “Very good.  Let’s get to it.”  She waived the comm window closed, but immediately opened a window to Captain Harrison.  “Captain, get the other ships in our group organized.  We’ll continue heading away from the Dregluk, but will fall back to interpose ourselves between the Dregluk and the other groups.  Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.  We’ll do it.”  She waived the window closed and turned back to the plot.   Her task force had shaken itself out, and separated into four groups.  Two of the groups, containing the most damaged ships and the missile ships with empty magazines, were headed away at 4,000 and 6,000 km/s respectively.  One group, composed of the lone Interceptor-033, sat dead in space as the other groups moved away.  The last group, her force, fell behind the other two as it moved at 3,750 km/s to interpose itself between the two other groups and the Dregluk. 

The minutes passed stressfully, as the four groups of ships became separated by more and more space.  Everyone on board all of the ships were on the edges of their seats waiting for more missiles to appear on their sensors, and finally it happened, nine minutes after they separated.  It soon became clear, though, that this attack would be lighter than the previous attack.  The first incoming salvo was composed of forty-nine missiles, just like the previous attack, but all of the subsequent salvoes were smaller, and as more salvoes appeared on the sensors it became clear that this was the last gasp of the Dregluk ships as they emptied their magazines.  The lead salvoes, to Admiral Wallace’s relief, were targeted on her main group, which had the most anti-missile defenses. 

The first salvo reached Admiral Wallace’s group at 2011 hours, and by then several salvoes had been detected headed towards the two groups of damaged ships as well.  The first, and largest salvo, targeted an Interceptor in Admiral Wallace’s group and severely damaged it.  The second salvo, composed of twenty-one missiles, also targeted an interceptor, but the task force’s meson and laser cannons reduced the salvo by half and the interceptor merely suffered armor damage.  The even smaller salvoes following after either failed to penetrate the defensive fire or did minimal damage if they did penetrate. 

The missile salvoes closing on the damaged group did better.  Although they were small, the damaged group had little in the way of defenses.  The leading salvoes were targeted on the ASM frigate Michigan, and her armor was steadily worn away.  The Dregluk had it in for the ASM frigate as wave after wave of missiles swept in on the Michigan, wearing away her armor, then causing hull breaches, then finally internal damage.  As the rest of the task force watches the unfortunate ship is hit again and again.  The only thing that saves her is the fact that each successive salvo of missiles is smaller and smaller.  Finally, as the ship is reduced in speed and limping along with heavy internal damage, the last several salvoes capriciously shift targets and hit the Eire, slightly damaging her armor.  The attack is over. 

Admiral Wallace sagged in relief as the last incoming missile hit the Eire, sparing the poor Michigan.   She gambled and lost by dividing her force.  Her most damaged units had been left defenseless, while her least damaged units also had the best protection.  That could have been disastrous, but fortunately, due to the last gasp nature of the recent Dregluk attack, they had weathered it with only a little more damage. 

Looking up from her self-recriminations, Admiral Wallace saw that the Dregluk ships were now retreating away from her force, towards their jump point.  Based on all previous behavior, that meant that they had expended all of their missiles and were retiring.  After checking the status indicators again, she came to a decision.  She opened the conference window to all of the commanders again, and once they were all present, she smiled at them. 

“It’s our turn, ladies and gentlemen!  The Dregluk are retreating and I believe that they have expended their missiles.  I’m going to detach the fourteen undamaged interceptors, along with the Intrepid, to make an attack on those Dregluk ships before they can retreat.  Captain Tyler, is your ship up to it?”

Commander Tyler smiled, the expression spreading across her face slowly.  “We are ready, Admiral.  We have minor internal damage only, and five casualties.  All weapons are fully functional, as are the engines.  We’ll take care of them for you.”

“Very good.  Set out at your best speed immediately.”  Fifteen of the inset windows for Commander Tyler and the commanders of the intact Interceptors winked out, and Admiral Wallace turned to the next matter.  “Captain Gould, what is the status of the Michigan?”

Commander Gould, the CO of the Michigan, was normally combative and had a well-deserved reputation for rudeness.  In addition to that she was an aggressive combat commander who had been awarded the Victory Medal, and her ship was directly responsible for the destruction of several large Dregluk warships.  Now, though, she had a large gash down one side of her face, and her bridge behind her was obviously damaged.  “We’ve suffered serious internal damage, and most of my armor is gone.  Speed is reduced by 50%, and we’ve lost several launchers, not that that matters given my empty magazines.”  She paused and looked down at her displays for a second and she seemed to sag a bit, before straightening and looking back at the pickup.  “We have twenty-four casualties, eighteen of them fatal.”

The other commanders winced.  That was about 20% of her crew, dead or seriously wounded.  Admiral Wallace’s face hardened.  “Very well.  All other ships will fall in around the Michigan, and we’ll set our course for the jump point at our best speed.  The task force will remain together.”  The conference window closed as the various ship commanders moved to comply, and to deal with the damage that their ships had suffered. 

As the damaged ships began limping back towards the jump point, Admiral Wallace ordered the AM frigate Delhi, sitting at the jump point where it had been waiting since it had been detached from the 1st Attack Group as it made its high-speed run to join her force, to move forward and join her group.  Although it was unlikely that the three Dregluk ships had any more missiles, and there were no other Dregluk ships in the system, Admiral Wallace was disinclined to take any more risks with her damaged ships.  The Delhi had a full load of Aegis V’s, and would provide at least some coverage once she joined the task force. 

The detached attack force roared towards the fleeing Dregluk ships at the Intrepid’s maximum speed of 8,181 km/s, nearly twice the speed of the retreating Dregluk force.    Two hours and fifteen minutes later, with the damaged ships far astern and limping back to the jump point, the pursuit force had closed to laser range of the three Dregluk ships.  The Dregluk ships, two destroyers and a lone cruiser, are separated into two groups, with the destroyers positioned in between the human ships and the cruiser, with 1.4 mkm’s separating them.  Commander Tyler ordered the interceptors to pursue the cruiser, while his Hunter-Killer concentrated on the destroyers.  Laser fire from the Intrepid began scoring one of the DD’s armor as the Interceptors raced ahead, eager to come to grips with the big Dregluk cruiser.  The Dregluk ships stolidly continued on towards the jump point, ignoring the human ships as they bored in. 

The Intrepid spat laser fire at the destroyers as it closed, and by the time it had closed to point blank range the HuK’s big spinal laser had punched through one of the DD’s armor, causing a spurt of atmosphere and debris.  After another round of laser fire, the DD fell out of formation with its sister ship and began falling behind.  The Interceptor group, which had fallen behind while it got itself organized for the pursuit, roared past the Dregluk destroyer group as the Intrepid’s spinal laser punched a hole all the way through the faltering Dregluk ship and it exploded.  The Intrepid then turned her attentions on the last DD, which came apart in a flash of fire after a minute of punishment from the HuK’s lasers. 

Five minutes after the destruction of the destroyers, the Interceptors caught up with the Dregluk cruiser, which had been damaged earlier in the missile battle.  The interceptors closed to point blank range and began cycling their meson cannons, pumping a salvo into the cruiser every five seconds.  The crews of the interceptors, tense after being first forced to watch helpless as the bigger ships exchanged missile salvoes, and then even more helplessly watch as their fellow ships staggered under the Dregluk AMM barrage, now howled with glee as the big Dregluk cruiser staggered as their meson fire ate the enemy ship from the inside.  After only fifteen seconds of fire the Dregluk ship came apart in a massive internal explosion.  The last Dregluk ship was gone. 

On March 29, 2141, at 1700 hours Admiral Wallace’s task force was reassembled on the jump point to the Solar System.  Extensive repairs had been carried out by the engineers aboard most of the ships of the force, but significant damage remained.  After resupplying from the Fleet Support ship standing by at the jump point, the force jumped back home. 

Assault Cruiser Yamato: armor damage
HuK – Assistance: armor damage, 7 casualties
HuK Endeavor: armor damage, serious internal damage, 55 casualties
HuK Intrepid: armor damage, 5 casualties
Frigate (AM) Chongqing: armor damage, internal damage, 14 casualties
Frigate (AM) Cairo: armor damage, 1 casualty
Frigate (AM) Seoul: armor damage, internal damage, 4 casualties
Frigate (ASM) Michigan: armor damage, serious internal damage, 24 casualties
Frigate (ASM) Eire: armor damage
Frigate (ASM) Huron: armor damage
Frigate (ASM) Michigan: armor damage, serious internal damage, 24 casualties
Frigate (ASM) Ontario: armor damage
7xInterceptors: armor damage, varying amounts of internal damage, 52 casualties
1xInterceptor: crippled, awaiting tow, 12 casualties

Total casualties: 198

The first group of damaged ships arrives over Earth on the 30th, and most of them immediately move into the yards for repairs. 

The Fleet is welcomed home as heroes, to massive celebrations across the planet.  Opinion is sharply divided, although that is not apparent at first.  The general public on Earth, Mars, and Ganymede are exuberant in their celebrations and there are large scale outpourings of support and sympathy for the families of the fallen heroes.  On the Lunar Colony the reaction is muted.  There, the general population finds Admiral Wallace’s bloodthirstiness and single-minded focus on destroying the Dregluk force at any cost distasteful and disturbing, and their representatives in the Senate view the Admiral’s actions as a threat to their Peace Initiative.  For over a year the Lunar Senators have been putting together a coalition to oppose the War Faction and pushing for a mission to talk to the Dregluk, instead of shooting at them.  They have faced a steep uphill battle, though, and dramatic battles such as Admiral Wallace’s desperate fight in Washington are not helping their cause. 

In the Senate, the dominant War Faction wholeheartedly supports Admiral Wallace and their propaganda machine is already turning her into a hero.  Behind closed doors the faction welcomes the battle and even the casualties as proof that they are right and that war with the Dregluk is inevitable and will continue to the bitter end.  The Fiscal Responsibility Faction, meanwhile, is uncomfortable with the damage done to the fleet, and the fact that Admiral Wallace almost lost numerous ships that were paid for with blood, sweat, and tears by the tireless workers of Mars and Earth.  They also fear the War Faction gaining even more power.  Neither the War Faction or the Fiscal Responsibility Faction care or understand about Admiral Wallace’s strategies, tactics, or reasons for doing what she did, they merely care about how this event will affect their positions and how they can use it.  The Conservative Faction, as usual, is divided in its reaction to this battle, with some backing the War Faction and their adulation of Admiral Wallace and her crews, and others calling Admiral Wallace’s judgement into question, albeit quietly given the public’s nearly unanimous support of the admiral. 

The Admiralty is divided as well.  The more aggressive officers, almost uniformly young up-and-comers, almost unanimously support the Admiral’s aggressive action.  This is not surprising as they typically support the most aggressive response to the Dregluk possible.   Many of those in the senior ranks are less supportive of the Admiral, and question the risks that she took in the recent engagement.  Admiral Law and Consul Foster are publicly supportive of Admiral Wallace, but privately are concerned about her aggressive tendencies.  The public’s adulation and the support of the War Faction in the Senate will make it difficult for them to do anything about it at this time.  Both Law and Foster support a more moderate and reasoned approach to the Dregluk, and support finding an eventual path to peace with the aliens, and oppose feeding the public’s apparent need for aggression is making it increasingly difficult to find a path to that end.   

Perhaps the most significant result of the aftermath of the battle is the founding of the Lunar Separatist Movement days after the fleet returns. 

[Kurt (OP)]

April 3, 2141
The Falcon class Interceptor-003 arrives under tow over Earth to a resounding celebration.  The remaining crew is welcomed home and all are awarded medals and citations. 

New Unit: Raptor Class Area Denial Unit:
The Area Denial Unit was a result of the recent battle in the Washington system.  The fortress complex on Bastion has sensors capable of detecting enemy units past one billion kilometers, but its long-range missiles can only reach out to 400 mkm’s.  A unit like the Area Denial Unit will be able to extend the reach of the fortress complex significantly.  Unfortunately, this unit will face considerable delays in construction.  The Republic currently has no fighter construction factories, and is facing a severe worker shortage on Earth.  This worker shortage has caused the Republic to divert its construction capacity towards converting mines to automated mines to reduce demand on the existing workers, but this is just a stop gap measure, as people continue to be transferred to Mars and the population continues to suffer from radiation sickness. 

Rear Admiral Bradshaw is seriously ill.  The Admiralty announces that the hero of the Defense of Earth will be recovering from a recent bout of influenza at the Naval Hospital in Quito.   

April 8, 2141
The Sledgehammer JPAM Developed for Essex class Assault Cruisers.  This missile is a variant of the Bludgeon IV, with the range reduced to 7.6 mkm’s.  In exchange, the missile’s armor is doubled and the warhead size is increase by over 50%.  This missile is intended for jump point assault actions. 

Sledgehammer Jump-Point Assault Missile Stats:
Size: 16
Speed: 46,9000 km/s
Range: 7.6 mkm’s
Warhead: 39
Active Sensor: Yes
ECM: 2
Armor: 2

The Admiralty Design Bureau finalizes the design for the Brooklyn(F) fast missile defense frigate.  This design is a variant of the Brooklyn r5 anti-missile frigate, with new engines based on the latest magnetic confinement fusion technology.  The design also sacrifices the original version’s CIWS, but has a range more than two and a half times that of the previous AM frigate designs.  In addition, reacting to the recent battle in the Washington system, this class has increased magazine space.  This class is intended to escort fast forces, such as the Interceptor groups, and the HuK’s.  Unfortunately, there are no yards available currently to begin construction, so it will have to wait for yard space to be freed up. 

April 9, 2141
A Buzzard class DD jumps into the Washington system.  A missile group is sent to the jump point to support the monitors stationed there, and the defenses of Bastion are prepared. 

April 12, 2141
Thirty Bludgeon III ASM’s launched by units from the 1st Missile Boat wipe the Buzzard class DD from space.  The 1st returns to the Solar System. 

May 10, 2141
A Goliath class BB jumps into the Washington system.  The 1st Missile Group is dispatched to the jump point again. 

May 12, 2141
The Dregluk Goliath is not headed in-system, or directly towards the jump point to the Solar System.  Instead, it appears to be headed towards the wrecks of several Banshee class destroyers floating approximately 100 mkm’s outside the range of the monitors on the jump point. 

May 13, 2141
The Goliath has come to a halt 827 mkm’s from the jump point.  Lt. Commander Glover, CO of the 1st Missile Group, sends word back to the Admiralty of the strange behavior of the Dregluk ship.  The Admiralty dispatches Admiral Wallace aboard the newly repaired Yamato, to lead the 1st Long Range Missile Group against the Dregluk battleship.   

May 15, 2141, 710 hours
Admiral Wallace’s force was now within range of its Bludgeon III missiles, and the Dregluk battleship had turned towards them and was closing.  Admiral Wallace gave the order, and shortly thereafter missiles roared away from her flagship and three of the nearby missile boats.  Three hours later the missiles wiped the Dregluk taint from the universe.  Admiral Wallace orders her ships to return home. 

May 22, 2141
Salvage units complete the salvage of the unknown wreck in the Philadelphia system.  Unfortunately, no ship’s systems are recovered, only resources.   There is nothing to hint at the ship’s origin, unfortunately. 

June 22, 2141
The first two units of the Far Seer(S) scout class have been launched from the orbital yards.  One of the two immediately sets out to join the picket ship in the Los Angeles system. 

June 27, 2141
Far Seer-01 has transited into the Los Angeles System.  The scout can detect Dregluk BB’s 1.8 billion kilometers out, and rather than wait at the jump point it will move in-system to a point nearly equidistant between the system’s three jump points.  This way it will be able to detect anything moving between any of the jump points and warn the picket ship and the monitor waiting at the jump point to the Solar System.   

August 2, 2141
The first three of the Republic’s new geo-survey ships are launched.  These ships are equipped with the Republic’s best stealth technology, meaning that their thermal profile is 25% that of any other ship their size, and their cross section is that of a much smaller ship.  These ships are dispatched to the formerly Obscura dominated New York system, where they will determine the suitability of the system for exploitation.   

August 11,2 141
The salvage effort of the Obscura wrecks in Philadelphia is complete and the salvage ships have offloaded their salvaged systems and data to Earth.  The salvage effort has proved to be extremely valuable.  Data was recovered that advanced research on thermal sensors, ECM, and magazine feed systems.  In addition, study of the systems returned to Earth has advanced research in EM sensors, ECM and ECCM, and laser technology. 

August 16, 2141
The Mars emerges from the orbital yards nearly completely remade and is christened as the flagship of the fleet. 

September 9, 2141
The FSV-001 is launched from the Martian yards.  The FSV-001 has been refitted to FSV r2 standards, and is the first of the fleet’s new-technology support ships. 

[Kurt (OP)]

In the aftermath of the recent Battle of the Washington System, Admiral Wallace was most adamant that a more complete analysis of Dregluk ship class capabilities be made available to task force commanders.  Fleet Intelligence had been remiss in this area, largely because the fleet was so consistently destroying the Dregluk warships from long range. 

Naval Intelligence set to this task with a will, combining information from every battle that had been fought to date with all salvage information from all of the Dregluk hulks recovered to date. 

Dregluk Ship Class Breakdown

Goliath class Battleship
Mass: 28,650 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 9
Armament:
16xSize 5 missile launchers
CIWS
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 tons at 486 mkm’s
*Equipped with jump drive

Colossus class Battleship
Mass: 28,650 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 9
Armament:
22xParticle Beam Emplacements
CIWS
Sensors:
Capable of detecting 3,500 ton ships at 485 mkm’s and 1,000 ton ships at 142 mkm’s

Mammoth class Battleship
Mass: 28,650 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 8
Armament:
23xSize 5 missile launcher
CIWS
Extensive magazine capacity
Sensors:
Capable of detecting 3,500 ton ships at 485 mkm’s and 1,000 ton ships at 142 mkm’s

Vrock class Cruiser
Mass: 19,100 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s (Jump Capacity)
Armor: 8
Armament:
13xSize 3 missile launcher
CIWS
Significant magazine capacity
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 ton ships at 485 mkm’s
*Has jump drive

Demon class Cruiser
Mass: 19,100 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 8
Armament:
21xSize 3 missile launcher
CIWS
Extensive magazine capacity
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 ton ships at 485 mkm’s and 1,000 ton ships at 142 mkm’s

Fiend class Cruiser
Mass: 19,100 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 6
Armament:
32xSize 1 missile launcher
Extensive magazine capacity
Sensors: AM sensors only, range 47.5 mkm’s

Banshee class Cruiser
Mass: 19,100 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 6
Armament:
25xSize 1 missile launcher
Extensive magazine capacity
Sensors: AM sensors only, range 47.5 mkm’s
*Jump drive

Vulture class Destroyer
Mass: 9,500 tons
Speed: 4,631 km/s
Armor: 7
Armament:
12xSize 3 missile launcher
Significant magazine capacity
Sensors: Capable of detecting 1,000 ton units at 141.7 mkm’s

Buzzard Class Destroyer
Mass: 9,550 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 9
Armament:
6xParticle Beam Emplacements
CIWS
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,550 ton units at 265 mkm’s

Gull class Destroyer
Mass: 9,550 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 7
Armament:
6xSize 3 missile launchers
CIWS
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 ton units at 44.2 mkm’s and detecting 200 ton units at range 21.1 mkm’s

Raven class Destroyer
Mass: 9,550 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 6
Armament:
12xSize 1 missile launchers
Significant magazine capacity
Sensors: AM sensors only, range 47.5 mkm’s

Crow class Destroyer
Mass: 9,550 tons
Speed: 4,607 km/s
Armor: 6
Armament:
12xSize 3 missile launchers
Significant magazine capacity
CIWS
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 ton units at 44.2 mkm’s and detecting 200 ton units at range 21.1 mkm’s

Harpy class Destroyer
Mass: 9,500 tons
Speed: 4,631 km/s
Armor: 7
Armament:
12xSize 3 missile launchers
Significant magazine capacity
Sensors: Capable of detecting 3,500 ton ships at range 265 mkm’s

[Kurt (OP)]

September 14, 2141
Admiral Law orders the initiation of Operation Secure Washington.  This fleet operation will utilize the bulk of the fleet, and will finally secure the Washington system for continued Republic operations.  The massive fleet sets out for the jump point within an hour.  Many of the ships are towing pods that will be deployed at strategic points in the Washington system and adjacent points to add to the security of the system. 

September 15, 2141
The fleet is assembled on the Washington side of the Sol-Washington jump point, and has taken the time to refuel from the UNREP ships waiting there for them.  It is time.  The fleet splits into three portions.  Two more-or-less equal groups head towards the jump point to the Denver system and the unexplored jump point on the far side of the system.  The Dregluk have used both to enter the system, and both are to be secured.  A smaller force sets out for Bastion, to serve as a reserve group for the operation.  Two monitors followed each group heading towards the jump points, and a fifth monitor headed inwards towards Bastion.  The first task force to arrive would be Admiral Wallace’s force, assigned to the jump point to Denver. 

September 19, 2141, 0724 hours, Washington System, jump point to Denver
Admiral Wallace’s task force has assembled, and the Fleet Support ship has arrived.  The ships of the task force refuel, and FSV-001 exchanges missiles with the Yamato.  This is to be the first test of the Republic’s new JPAM’s, or Jump Point Assault Missiles.  The JPAM is a modified Bludgeon III, with most of the endurance removed and that space devoted to a bigger warhead, larger sensor, and more armor.  The resulting missile, designated the Sledgehammer, has a maximum range of 7.6 mkm’s, but if the Yamato encounters anything sitting on the jump point, they’ll be able to make them regret it. 

The Yamato will lead an assault into the Denver system, conveying the anti-ship frigate Eire, the HuK’s Assistance and Endeavor, and the missile defense frigate Chongqing through the jump point.  The rest of 2nd Frigate Group, the 2nd Long Range Missile Group, and the Mars will remain behind in the Washington system for now. 

Admiral Wallace gives the order and the Yamato leads the other ships through the jump point.  The Yamato materializes on the far side of the jump to find…nothing.  The system had been probed during the Federation’s period of exploration prior to encountering the Dregluk, and everything appears unchanged, except two previously undetected jump points are marked by new Dregluk jump gates.  The system is apparently empty, although admittedly the Yamato’s sensors don’t penetrate very far compared to the immensity of an average star system. 

Admiral Wallace orders the Yamato back through the jump point and orders the 2nd Missile Group forward.  They, along with the pods, which will be deployed on this side of the jump point, will now provide the first line of defense for the Washington system.  Or they will until the monitors, which are coming up slowly from the jump point to the Solar System, can reach the jump point and take up station.  Once back in the Washington system she sends her report back to the picket ship on the Sol-Washington jump point and then settles in to wait. 

When Admiral Wallace’s message arrives at the jump point it is carried back to the Solar System by the picket ship stationed there, and then dispatched to the Admiralty.  Once it arrives on Earth the next phase is activated.  Cargo ships begin loading DSTS for a planned listening post in the Denver system, and a picket ship is dispatched to take up station on the jump point from Washington to the Denver system. 

September 22, 2141, New York System
The geo-survey units assigned to evaluate the New York system make a discovery.  One of the asteroids in the inner system houses an Obscura listening post.  The survey ship sends an urgent message back to the picket waiting at the jump point, and it returns to the Solar System and forwards the message on to the Admiralty.  In response, a troop ship with a battalion of Republic infantry sets out for the listening post.     

September 24, 2141:
Ten cargo ships join Admiral Wallace’s task group on the Denver side of the Denver-Washington jump point.  Once all of the cargo ships are in the system Admiral Wallace orders her cruiser group, along with the 2nd Frigate Group, to escort the cargo ships to the system primary’s fourth planet.  This planet was chosen both because it has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, making it a possible colonization choice, and because both of the unexplored jump points in this system are in the inner-system.  Putting the listening post on any of the other planets closer to the central star would have put it too close to the jump points it was to watch.  The voyage will take seven days. 

September 26, 2141, 0458 hours, Washington system
Admiral Bradshaw’s task force has gathered on the unexplored jump point in the Washington system, and his command ship, the Essex, has exchanged its long-range missiles for JPAM’s.  Admiral Bradshaw orders his ship to lead the task force through the jump point. 

They find themselves in a K5-V star system with a single gas giant.  There is nothing else on active sensors and no other system bodies or jump points.  Admiral Bradshaw finds this very puzzling.  Dregluk warships had been observed entering the Washington system through this jump point on several occasions, including the force that bombarded Earth the first time.  But yet, there were no other jump gates detected, at least so far.  Worse, there were no system bodies available to set up a listening post. 

He ordered one of the frigates to jump back to Washington and bring the rest of the task force forward, and attached a message to be sent back to the admiralty.  The Admiralty will eventually decide to designate this system as Detroit. 

September 29, 2141
The 2nd Republic Infantry Battalion lands on Asteroid #69 in the New York system.  They immediately begin securing their landing area and scouting out the Obscura installation.  There is no immediate resistance. 

By the 1st of October the 2nd Battalion has secured the DSTS left there by the Obscura.  While the battalion begins boarding its transport a cargo ship begins loading the DSTS for transfer to Earth. 

October 1, 2141:
Admiral Wallace’s task force is 232 mkm’s from the Denver system’s fourth planet when the Yamato’s sensors detected a Dregluk Crow class DD in-system of their location, headed towards the jump point to the Washington system.  Based on the destroyer’s course it originated at the system’s second jump point, located between the system’s third and fourth planets.  Admiral Wallace’s immediate impulse is to detach her warships from the cargo group and attack the destroyer, but after some consideration she realizes that she cannot leave the cargo ships uncovered.  Either the Dregluk ship will come for her force or continue on towards the jump point, but either way it will be dealt with. 

As the human task force continues towards the fourth planet, they watch the Dregluk ship continue on towards the jump point towards the Washington system.  As the Dregluk ship’s sensors aren’t active it is possible that it hasn’t detected the human fleet.  Admiral Wallace sends a warning and an ETA back to the forces at the jump point.  It will take the Dregluk ship almost six days to reach the jump point. 

In the New York system, the Geo-Survey Group completes its survey of the system.  In addition to the Obscura outpost, the group has identified several very good mining sites, including the system’s best colonization spot, a Type T planet with a colony cost of 1.8. 

October 2, 2141, Denver System
The cargo ships escorted by Admiral Wallace’s task force begin unloading their DSTS’s on the fourth planet and almost immediately contact is re-established with the Dregluk destroyer.  It is still headed out-system towards the jump point to Washington and the human forces waiting there.  The newly established listening post sends a contact report to the jump point.   

October 7, 2141
Eighteen Bludgeon III missiles from the LR Missile Boats stationed on the Denver-Washington jump point obliterate the Dregluk DD approaching their location.  A missile group is dispatched from Bastion to replace the LR Missile Group at the jump point. 

Back in the Solar System, three new Hero class Fleet Docks are launched from the Martian Yards.  This class is named for Federation Militia crew members that died in the early days of the war with the Dregluk, either fighting them in space or trying to help mitigate the damage on the ground.  They are part of the “New Technology Support Ship Program”, and are equipped with the latest magnetic confinement fusion engines that will allow them to keep up with the bulk of the fleet.  They immediately set out for Earth, where the Adela Sachs and the Debora Hasek will load missiles and then depart to join the forward deployed forces in the Detroit and Denver systems.  The Surayya Medved will remain in Earth orbit, in reserve. 

With the listening post in place in the Denver system and the cargo ships on their way back to the safety of the Washington system, Admiral Wallace orders her task force to rendezvous on the jump point that the Dregluk used to enter the system. 

October 17, 2141
Admiral Wallace orders her flagship to jump through the jump point to the unexplored system that the Dregluk Destroyer entered the Denver system from.  The Yamato is accompanied by the Assistance and the Endeavor, and the anti-missile frigate Chongqing. 

They materialize in a system with an M8-V central star.  The system contains the usual assortment of planets, including two type T planets, one of which has a nitrogen-methane atmosphere and could be a target for colonization.  The Yamato’s sensors detect no other jump gates in the system.  Admiral Wallace orders her task group to return to the Denver system and then to proceed to the innermost jump point in the system.  The new system is given the designation Miami.

October 18, 2141, Denver system
Admiral Wallace and her task force jump through the innermost jump point to discover a K4-V system with the usual assortment of planets and asteroids.  The second and third planets are type T and have oxygen-nitrogen atmospheres.  Both are too cold and their atmospheres are too thin, but could be good colonization targets.  The system is given the designation San Diego.  Admiral Wallace orders her task force back to Denver.

October 24, 2141
Having cleared the Denver system and probed the two previously unexplored jump points, Admiral Wallace orders her fleet to return to Bastion to refuel and to give the crews some R&R at the colony. 

November 21, 2141
Two monitors arrive at the jump point from Washington to Detroit.  After refueling from the Fleet Support Vessel waiting there, the monitors jump through to Detroit.  Soon after, the forces under Rear Admiral Bradshaw jump back to the Washington system and set out for Detroit. 

December 5, 2141, Denver System
The listening post in the inner system detects a Dregluk Harpy class DD entering the system through the jump point to the Miami system and sends off a contact report to the ships stationed at the jump point to the Washington system.  The message is then forwarded back to Bastion and the fleet stationed there. 

December 6,2 141, Philadelphia system
Once the newly deployed survey group had finished with its resource survey of New York, it returned to Earth to refuel and to give its crews some R&R.  Once that was complete it was joined by one of the Navy’s new Survey Jump Scouts, and the four ships set out for the Philadelphia system.  The Admiralty was particularly interested close examinations systems formerly under the control of the Obscura.  The Survey Group had been in the Philadelphia system for over ten days conducting its resource survey when one of the survey ships made a momentous discovery.  The innermost planet of the Philadelphia system contains an intact but apparently abandoned alien city.  In addition, the planet itself is a major source of TN resources.  The survey ship commander immediately dispatches word back to the Survey Scout at the jump point, and it then relays the message back to the picket ship at the jump point back to the Solar System. 

December 7, 2141, Earth
The news from the Philadelphia system has electrified both the Admiralty and the Senate.  The government immediately puts together a Xenology team and dispatches it to the Philadelphia system aboard a picket ship, but after that there is little agreement over the proper course of action.  Some in the Senate want to put major defenses in both the San Francisco and the Philadelphia system in preparation for a major effort to exploit the alien city.  Other in Senate agree with the effort, but want to focus more on colonization of Philadelphia A-1.  Still others want to avoid a major effort in that direction now, as they view the effort against the Dregluk as more important, especially as the fleet has confirmed that the Dregluk are coming from beyond the Miami system.  The Consul has not taken a position as of yet and it doesn’t look as if the debate will die down any time soon. 

Late in the day word arrives from Philadelphia that the survey ships have found two asteroids with Obscura listening posts on them.  The Senate approves a military mission to the system to seize the Obscura DSTS’s and to set up a permanent military base and listening post on the innermost planet.  A troop transport begins loading the 2nd Brigade on the 8th. 

December 9, 2141
The survey of the Philadelphia system is complete.  Several significant deposits of resources were found, in addition to the resources on the innermost planet, making this system a likely target for exploitation.  The Survey Group will move on to the Honolulu system, the last known site of Obscura infestation.       

December 10, 2141
With the fleet reassembled at Bastion, the listening post established in the Denver system, and the blocking forces in place to interdict any Dregluk attempt to enter the Washington System, Admiral Law declares Operation Secure Washington to be complete.  Planning for Operation Tracker goes into high gear. 

December 12, 2141, Denver System
The Dregluk Harpy class destroyer ran into a salvo of eighteen Bludgeon III missiles and disintegrated.  Just like the early destroyer, this one did not have its sensors activated and did not seem to be worried about its safety in this formerly secure system.   With the threat eliminated, the 1st LR Missile Group jumps out, to return to Bastion and refuel and rearm. 

Even as the 1st LR Missile Group jumps out, a group of ships jump into the Denver system from Washington.  The group consists of the six frigates of the 1st Frigate Group, and a scout ship.  The scout is bound for the Miami system, where it will lay in wait, hoping to catch sight of the next Dregluk ship that jumps into the system and thus pinpoint its entry point into the Miami system.  The 1st Frigate Group will escort the scout to the jump point to the Miami system and protect it from any Dregluk ships that might appear. 

December 19, 2141, Denver system
The 1st Frigate Group and the scout ship reached the jump point to the Miami system and the frigates immediately jumped through to clear the far side of the jump point.  They find nothing on the far side and send back a frigate to bring the scout forward.  The scout jumps through and immediately sets out for the fifth planet, where it will go to station-keeping speed.  The 1st Frigate Group will remain on station until it arrives. 

December 20, 2141, Miami system
The scout is in place, so the 1st Frigate Group turns back towards Bastion.  It will need to refuel upon jumping back into the Washington system as it doesn’t have enough fuel to make it all the way back, but that is anticipated and there is a hero class support ship waiting at the jump point in the Washington system. 

December 21, 2141
The Xenology team is dropped off on Philadelphia-A I and begins work. 

[Kurt (OP)]

The Republic’s Government brings you another installment of “A Day in the Life”.  Today, a day in the life of a Martian shipyard worker, Grigori Valentin.

Grigori Valentin was born in the Moscow Prefecture on Earth.  He was very fortunate in that when the Dregluk attacked the Earth in 2134 he, and his entire family, were on vacation at a Black Sea resort when Dregluk missiles wiped out Moscow during the Bombardment.  Subsequently, as a displaced person, Grigori put in for, and received, training in orbital construction techniques for himself and his family.  The Valentin family was one of the first families to emigrate to Mars when the government began relocating citizens to Mars to escape the pervasive radiation on Earth, but for Grigori, relocating his family was a matter of pride and service.  The Republic had already announced that it would begin relocating the military shipyards from Earth to Mars, and Grigori wanted to serve Humanity.

Grigori Valentin is a large, hard looking man, but, as he looks into the holo pickups, his face is brightened by a smile that doesn’t seem to want to go away.  He is a happy man, and he wants everyone to know it.  The meeting between Grigori and the Interviewer, who, as is standard for the “A Day in the Like” series, was never seen on camera, took place in Marineris Park, part of the immense Navy Yards settlement outside the Martian Capital of Valles Marineris.   

Interviewer: Relocating your family to Mars meant hardships, didn’t it?

Grigori: Yes, at first.  Things on Mars were difficult, in the early days.  The Dregluk attack on Mars in December of 2134 virtually destroyed the government here, and it took quite a while before the Republic was able to restore order.  When we arrived, in February 2136, it was very basic here.  Even compared to the DP camps on Earth.  On Earth, even in a Displaced Person camp, you have fresh air and plenty of food.  On Mars, when we arrived, the atmosphere was too thin to breathe and everyone had to live in underground tunnels.  And the food, well, it’s best left unsaid.

Interviewer: But things got better, right?

Grigori: Yes, definitely.  The Mars terraforming project was a wonderful thing!  We were able to move out of the tunnels into a hab complex on the surface!  A real community, you know.  And walking outside in your shirtsleeves, well, if you weren’t here in the early days you wouldn’t understand. 

Interviewer: Is that why so many people are out right now?  Even though its winter?

Grigori: Sure!  We all spent so much time underground, or, for those recently from Earth, afraid of the radiation, that being outside is just so…special, you know. 

Interviewer: What about your job at the yards?  Do you like working there?

Grigori: Like working there?  I love it!  (Grigori pauses here and looks around, not furtively, but rather as if looking for support) I’m a part of a team, here, you know?  Back home in Moscow, before the war, there was no real feeling of community.  No real sense of mission.  Everyone talks about the old days as if they were some sort of golden age, and sure, the Dregluk Bombardment was horrible, but here, we all know what needs to be done and we are doing it.  Together.  We are a team, and we are working together to protect and defend humanity.

Interviewer: And what are you doing?  What is your job?

Grigori: (He visibly swells with pride) I am the lead foreman for Republic Yard #10.  I lead a crew of eighteen.  We wrangle the robots that actually do all the work at the yard.  The robots, they aren’t very bright, and they need supervision.  That’s where we come in.  We have to assign pre-determined tasks, and then make sure that the robots are actually doing what we want them to. 

Interviewer: And what is your yard working on?  Ah, that is, if you can tell us.

Grigori: It’s not a secret. (Grigori again swells with pride) My yard is being converted to begin building the new Star class battleships.  They say that these ships will take the war to the Dregluk, and finish it, once and for all.  (Grigori’s face darkens for the first time) And that’s a good thing!  I don’t care what those Lunik’s say, the Fleet can kill every one of those monsters, as far as I care!  They wiped out everyone we knew, everything we had.  They… (Grigori trails off, a lost look on his face)

Interviewer: What about your family?  Do they work in the yards too?

Grigori: (Brightens) Yes!  Almost my whole family.  My wife, Valentina, she is an executive at the HQ here in Marineris.  My older son works in Yard #2, making frigates for the fleet.  And my daughter, well, she is part of the onsite engineering staff for yard #6, in orbit.  We are all doing what we can to protect humanity and wipe out the Dregluk!

Interviewer: What about your youngest son, Alexi?

Grigori: (He straightens and smiles tremulously) My Alexi, he wanted more than working in the yards.  He is training with the Republic’s new assault marines.  When humanity takes back the stars, he will be there, in the lead.  (He looks down) My wife is worried, but proud.  We all are. 

Interviewer: Thank you, Grigori.  Is there anything else you’d like to say to the people on Earth?

Grigori: Yes.  Come to Mars.  There are jobs here, enough for everyone.  And room, plenty of room.  You can be a part of Humanity’s defense here, and there is no radiation.  Here you can be a part of the future.

[Kurt (OP)]

The United Republic of Earth
December 31, 2141

Earth:
Population: 3.279 Billion (-7.2%)
Shipyards/Slipways: 9/29
Industrial Facilities (All): 11,192 (-6%)
R&D Labs: 210
Environment: Average Temp -8.98 degrees from normal averages.  Radiation currently causing 19% drop in industrial efficiency. 
Estimated annual population decrease rate is -3.40%.

Earth is currently suffering under a significant worker shortage, caused in part by the continuing population decline from radiation and exacerbated by the Republic’s ongoing efforts to relocate as many people as possible.  The entire fuel refinery industry was shut down years ago, which put off the effects of impending worker shortages, and the transfer of the military shipyards to Mars helped as well.  For most of this past year the Republic has devoted the bulk of its industry on Earth to converting mines to automation to reduce demand for workers in that industry, but due to worker shortages and the ongoing need for construction capacity to be devoted to military efforts progress has been slow.   Planned transfers of industrial complexes to other human populations throughout the Solar System will help with the worker shortage, but will not eliminate it, especially as population transfers continue.   

Morale on Earth continues to be high as the military pushes the Dregluk farther and farther from the Earth. 

Luna:
Population: 48.19 million (71% increase)
Mines: 317 (+13%)
Automated Mines: 155 (no change)

Luna’s population continues to be bolstered by people trying to escape from the increasingly fervent anti-alien attitudes of the masses on Earth and Mars.  The Lunar colonies were bombarded just as hard as the Earth was, and the Lunar surface is heavily irradiated, meaning that only the most desperate to escape the increasing fervor for war and anti-alien sentiment on Earth relocate to the Moon.   

The Lunar colonies currently have unassigned workers, and the Republic’s government is planning on transferring construction factories to the Moon from the Earth.  These factories will be assigned to improve the colony’s defenses, and will have the additional benefit of reducing worker demand on Earth. 

The Senate has grown increasingly concerned about the Lunar Colony’s steadfast objection to what they view as the growing extremism on Earth, Mars, and Ganymede.  Therefore, the new defenses will be limited to meson defense bases incapable of targeting Earth, and a brigade of troops will be transferred to the Moon to ensure that the Republic retains control of the colony. 

Mars:
Population: 442.34 million (+25%)
Shipyards/Slipways: 14/47 (Increase of two slipways)
Maintenance Facilities: 82
Construction Factories: 228 (no change)
Ordnance Factories: 279 (all transferred to Mars this year)
Financial Centers: 30 (I gamemastered this transfer as there is currently no way to do it in the game)

The largest single employer on Mars continues to be the Republic Naval Yards, employing over fifty-five million Martian residents.  The Martians are fervent supporters of the Republic’s war effort, and almost twenty percent of the Martian population is directly employed by the military or the military-industrial complex.  The bulk of the rest of the population is indirectly involved in the war effort as well. 

Mars has a worker surplus at this time, so cargo ships are transferring additional ordinance factories from Earth to Mars.   

Ganymede:
Population: 53.9 million (+373%)
Construction Factories: 110 (All transferred this year)
Mines: 108 (no change)
Automated Mines: 168 (no change)

The terraforming fleet continues to significantly increase the average temperature on Ganymede, reducing the colony’s dependence on infrastructure to support its population.   As the terraforming project continues, the Republic’s BuReLoc has shifted its focus from Mars to the Ganymede colony, easily tripling its population in one year. 

The construction factories relocated to Ganymede are currently devoted to refitting the sensor PDC’s assigned to protect the colony.  Once this project is completed the factories will begin constructing additional offensive and defensive bases.  Ganymede currently has a worker surplus, and additional construction factories are being shipped in to bolster the colony’s productivity. 

Bastion:
Population: 10.21 million
Construction Factories: 38 (All transferred this year)
Maintenance Facilities: 82 (All transferred in this year)

Bastion is the leading edge of the Republic, and the first line of defense against continued Dregluk depredations.  The entire population is devoted to supporting the fortress complex that is the colony’s reason for existence.  There is currently a worker shortage on Bastion, causing an 8% drop in productivity, however, because BuReLoc is focused primarily on relocating citizens away from the radiation on Earth Bastion has a lower priority for personnel transfers due to its distance from Earth.  Civilian colony transports are currently the only assets assigned to increase Bastion’s population. 

There is some talk of reassigning the Terraforming ships to Bastion when they complete their efforts at Ganymede, as Bastion already has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and temperate climate.  The atmosphere is too thin to breathe without technological assistance, though. 

Venus:
Automated Mines: 741 (no change)

Wolf-Harrington (Comet):
Automated Mines: 111 (no change)
This mining outpost is slated to be shut down in two years when the last of the resources present on the comet have been mined out. 

Whipple (Comet):
Automated Mines: 50 (no change)

Swift-Tuttle (Comet):
Automated Mines: 25 (no change)

Puck (Moon of Uranus):
This outpost is intended solely as a fuel dump for the refineries working in Uranus orbit.  Currently the fuel dump is empty, as ongoing fleet operations in and around the Washington system have drained all available fuel.  While there are considerable reserves on Earth and Mars, the fuel refineries in orbit over Uranus constitute the Republic’s entire fuel refinery capability as the ground-based refineries on Earth have been shut down due to worker and financial shortages, a situation that is unlikely to change at any point in the near or medium future. 

System Defense Command
The System Defense Command is based on Earth and has as its primary mission the defense of Earth.  Its secondary mission is the defense of the Solar System, and then thirdly it is concerned with supporting the Fleet’s mission against the Dregluk by maintaining fortifications on Bastion in the Washington system. 

System Defense Command Emplacements
Earth:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 8 (+60% increase)
Anti-missile bases (meson): 20
Anti-ship Bases (Sword): 4
Anti-ship bases (Final Line): 15

Luna:
Anti-missile bases (meson): 1

Mars:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 5 (25% increase)
Anti-missile bases (meson): 5 (25% increase)
Anti-ship Bases (Sword): 2
Anti-Ship Bases (Final Line): 5

Ganymede:
Sensor Bases: 2
 Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 2
Anti-ship bases (Final Line): 2

Bastion (Washington System):
Sensor Bases: 2
Anti-Missile Bases (Aegis): 3 (50% increase)
Anti-Ship Bases (Final Line): 7 (350% increase)
Anti-missile bases (Meson): 10 (all assembled this year)

In addition to the fixed defenses, the SDC is also responsible for the Listening Posts that now guard most of the approaches to the Solar System.  Currently, there are listening posts in the Boston System, the Chicago System, the New York System, the San Francisco system, the Honolulu system, the Denver system, and the Washington System.  These listening posts are all composed of twenty DSTS’s, with the exception of the Washington listening post, which is composed of twenty-five, and the Honolulu system, which is composed of seven.  These listening posts watch for alien incursions, and if any alien ships are detected the incursions will be reported to a Fleet picket ship standing by at the jump point to the Solar System. 

To date, the only system adjacent to the solar System without listening posts is the Los Angeles system.  The Los Angeles system is problematic as it contains no planetary bodies to support a listening post, which means that picketing that system will be a Fleet responsibility.  Currently the Fleet has assigned a picket ship and a Fleet Scout to the system as an early warning tripwire. 

The Republican Fleet
As more and more support vessels come online, the Fleet’s construction priorities are shifting to new-tech combat units such as the Fast Frigate and the new Star class Battleship. 

With the large-scale move into the Washington system, the Admiralty is considering a massive reorganization of the Fleet which will likely take place in early 2142.   

Republic Fleet:
Missile Group #1 (Bastion): 10xMissile Boat r3
Missile Group #2 (Bastion): 9xMissile Boat r3
Missile Group #3 (Earth): 10xMissile Boat r3

Long Range Missile Group #1 (Bastion): 1xMB r3(LRS), 10xMB r3(LR)
Long Range Missile Group #2 (Bastion): 1xMB r3(LRS), 10xMB r3(LR)
Long Range Missile Group #3 (Mars): 1xMB r3(LRS), 10xMB r3(LR)

Frigate Group #1 (Bastion), CO Captain Abigail Palmer
1xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Boston
4xLake FFG: Nairobi, Malawi, Ladoga, Baikai

Frigate Group #2 (Bastion), CO Captain Oliver Harper
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Cairo, Seoul
4xLake FFG: Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario

Frigate Group #3 (Bastion), CO Commander Joseph Miles
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Lagos, Lima
4xLake FFG: Tanganyika, Vladivostok, Sacramento, Singapore

Frigate Group #4 (Earth), CO Commander Sophia Moss
1xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Birmingham
4xLake FFG: Victoria, Vostok, Winnipeg, Balkhash

Attack Group #1 (Bastion), CO Captain Robert Chan
3xEnterprise r4: Assistance, Endeavor, Intrepid
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Delhi, Shanghai

Cruiser Group #1 (Bastion), CO Rear Admiral Morgan Bradshaw
2xEssex class Assault Ship: Essex, Ark Royal
1xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Tokyo

Cruiser Group #2 (Earth), CO Rear Admiral Isobel Gilbert
2xEssex class Assault Ship: Bismarck, Warspite
2xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Karachi, Mumbai

Cruiser Group #3 (Bastion), CO Rear Admiral Freya Wallace
2xEssex class Assault Ship: Yamato, Prince of Wales
1xPlanet class Battlecruiser: Mars
1xBrooklyn r5 FFG: Chongqing

Unassigned units:
2xTennesse class Jump Ship: Bihar, Tennessee
1xNorth Carolina r2 class Jump Tender: Madrid
*Note: These units are outmoded and are scheduled to be scrapped pending yard availability. 

Pod Reserve (Earth):
19xASM Pod
7xAMM Pod
7xSensor Pod

Pod Group #1 (Denver system, JP to Washington):
5xASM Pod
3xAMM Pod
1xSensor Pod

Pod Group #2 (Detroit system, JP to Washington):
5xASM Pod
3xAMM Pod
1xSensor Pod

Pod Group #3 (Bastion, Washington system):
5xASM Pod
3xAMM Pod
1xSensor Pod

Fleet Support Units:
Bastion:
1xFleet Support(Munitions) r2
2xHero class Fleet Dock
2xUNREP

Earth:
2xFleet Support (Munitions) r2
1xHero class Fleet Dock

Ships in Refit:
3xUNREP
1xFleet Support (Munitions)

Survey Command

1st Survey Group
1xJump Scout
3xGeo Survey Ship

Survey Reserve (Earth)
2xJump Scout

System Defense Force
The System Defense Force is nominally under the Navy in terms of organization, but much like the Fleet Marines, it is a separate organization within the larger organization.  The System Defense Force’s mission is to defend the Solar System from all threats.  To this end it has the following forces:

Earth:
1xSaratoga R1 Monitor: Saratoga (overhaul)
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Waterloo
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Stalingrad (overhaul)

System Defense Force (Earth):
Interceptor Group #1: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #2: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #3: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc
Interceptor Group #4: 10xFalcon r4 Interceptor, 1xFalcon r4Sc

Denver system, JP to Washington:
2xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Masada, Antietam

Detroit System, JP to Washington
2xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Huai Hai, Marathon

San Francisco System, JP to the Solar System
2xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Metaurus Tours

Los Angeles System, JP to the Solar System
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Cajamarca

Forward Deployed to Bastion:
1xSaratoga r1 Monitor: Hastings

Ships currently under construction (Mars):
3xStar class BB
2xPlanet r2(C) class battlecruisers
9xMB r3(LR)
3xMB r3(LRS)
5xPod (AMM)
8xPod (ASM)
1xPod (Sensor)
3xHero class Fleet Docks
2xFar Seer class Scout
2xFleet Support (Munitions)
3xDeep Space Survey ships
3xGeo Surveyors

[Kurt (OP)]

January 7, 2142, Miami system:
The scout positioned in the Miami system observes two Dregluk Colossus class BB’s jump into the system through a jump point with a gate positioned 1.135 billion kilometers almost directly out-system from the jump point to the Denver system.  It will take the Dregluk BB’s almost three days to reach the jump point to the Denver system.  The scout will observe their progress and remain hidden. 

Consul Foster and Admiral Law announce a major re-organization of the Fleet.  The Republic’s Fleet will now be divided into two fleets, the Home Fleet under Admiral Law and the 1st Fleet under newly promoted Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Freya Wallace.  The 1st Fleet will be based on Bastion and will have primary responsibility for finding and destroying the Dregluk threat.  Both Admiral Law and Consul Foster have reservations about Admiral Wallace, but given her support by War Faction in the Senate she was the only possible candidate after Admiral Bradshaw declined the command due to his poor health. 

In addition to creating multiple fleets, the fleet reorganization will also entail the elimination of the formal task groups.  Instead, fleet units will be put into task groups based on mission need rather than a rigid pre-determination of task group organization. 

January 9, 2142
The Dregluk BB’s jump out of the Miami system right on schedule.  They are detected in the Denver system as soon as they appear by the listening post in the inner system, and word is sent to the jump point to the Washington system.  When the messages finally get back to Bastion, it causes excitement on Bastion.  The next link in the chain has been discovered!  Although the scout has not reported in yet, it almost certainly observed the entry of the two battleships into the Miami system.  This will be exploited, putting the Republic one step closer to the Dregluk. 

January 16, 2142, 2104 hours
Twelve LR missile boats launch a total of seventy-two Bludgeon III LRASM’s at the incoming battleships.  Three hours later the salvo reaches the two battleships and the big ships are surrounded by explosions.  A single battleship emerges from the explosions, crippled, trailing atmosphere and debris, while the other does not.  Two more missile boats launch their missiles at the last BB.  In the meantime, the Fleet Docks that had accompanied the missile boat task groups moved forward and each of the two docks took five missile boats that expended their missiles into their bays to begin rearming them.   

Two hours later the two Fleet Docks began launching their docked missile boats, which all moved away towards the ammunition ship waiting for them.  The remaining four missile boats that had expended their missiles moved into the Docks to be rearmed.  One hour after that the twelve missiles launched by the two missile boats slammed into the last remaining BB.  It only took four hits before the battleship blew up. 

One hour later the four missile boats were rearmed and the task groups were ready for action.  The entire force, two LR Missile Groups and the 1st Attack Group, accompanied by three support ships, set out for the jump point to the Miami system to check in with the scout.  The human ships broadcast taunts at the Dregluk life pods floating near the wrecked battleships as they pass by. 

January 17, 2142
Republic ground troops storm two Obscura listening posts in the Philadelphia system.  Unlike all of the other installations found to date, they immediately meet resistance from automated defenses.  Additional troops are landed at both locations, bringing the number of troops assigned to each asteroid up to two battalions. 

January 22, 2142
The jump scout attached to the 1st Survey Group jumps through the jump gate found in the Honolulu system to probe the far side.  The ship materializes 240 mkm’s from an M3-V star which is orbited by seven planets and a massive asteroid belt.  After watching the system for a short time, the scout jumps back to the Honolulu system and the 1st prepares to return to the Solar System. 

While no ruins were found in the Honolulu system, several large deposits of TN resources were found. 

Late in the day, in the Denver system, the 1st and 2nd LR Missile Groups, and the 1st Attack Group, reached the jump point to the Miami system and jumped through.  Several hours later the scout posted in the inner system sent its contact report and the location of the Dregluk entry point into the system.  With that in hand the LR Missile Groups and the 1st Attack Group set out for the new jump point, leaving their support ships behind. 

January 25, 2142, Miami system
The HuK’s of the 1st Attack Group jump through the unexplored jump point.  The group appears 970 mkm’s from a D9-VII star with no planets or other bodies orbiting it.  They designate the system the Portland system and call forward the scout stationed in Miami.  Once the scout arrives, it jumps into the Portland system and moves to a waypoint in between the star and the jump point and goes to station-keeping speed.  Everyone settles in to wait. 

Because the Republic currently has no gravitic survey ships, and won’t until the first three are launched in mid-2143, Admiral Law developed the strategy currently being followed by 1st Fleet.  A fleet scout will be positioned along the Dregluk warship’s path to the Washington system, and will detect their entry point into that system.  Once the Dregluk warships have been dealt with, the scout and its accompanying warships will move forward and probe the newly revealed jump point, and then set up in the new system and do it again.  It promises to be a very slow way to advance, given the irregular schedule of Dregluk warships, but currently there is no other way to advance into Dregluk space.