January 8th 2039: In the midst of general Naval reasignment, Duke Osbourn takes over command of the TES Leif Ericson personally, swapping places with Gene Moree. Some suspect the Geologists want greater control over exploration due to falling support. The faction now seems to to be banking on a platform of finding enough resources for a sustainable economy within the Sol system. While not the most sane of tactics, it will not take long to be proven either right or wrong, and thus could be a "quick fix" for the faction.
January 22nd 2039: TES Discovery arrives in the Neptune system and begins a survey.
February 10th 2039: Neptune's moons yield next to no resources. Unlike previous scans of the gas giants, the Navy totally rules out the location for development of any kind.
February 14th 2039: Almost on a whim Duke Osbourn decides to take the Leif Ericson out to aid in the nearly finished survey of the system. Some report the noble has been acting weird, and there are rumors of substance abuse problems.
April 30th 2039: The Leif Ericson arrives at Pluto. Because of the small mass of the planet and its moon the scans do not take long. No resources are found, dealing another blow to the Geologists.
July 20th 2039: Imperial Shipworks finishes retooling. With the Leif Ericson now away, the Emperor approves the construction of the TES Yuri Gagarin instead of modifying the existing vessel as had been planned. The Emperor expresses mild annoyance with the Duke as of late.
July 25th 2039: With the army overhaul procedding, the Militarists expand their program and successfully push for development of a new breed of missile that can take part in space combat. They insist on Earth having some limited defense if the Empire is to pursue jump points.
December 3rd 2039: Duke Raye announces he has finished designs for a jump drive. However, it will take some time not only to finish the design for a new jump scout vessel to use the engine, but for the Imperial Shipworks to be ready to process such designs. There is no rush, though, as no jump points can be found until TES Yuri Gagarin is finished.
January 5th 2040: The Militarists pull ahead in elections, but there's a large enough nonpartisan influence to make legislation uncertain.
Results
Council: 2 Geologists - 1 Militarists - 2 Apolitical
Senate: 1073 Geologists - 1076 Militarists - 6 Apolitical (Mil +3 adv)
February 26th 2040: With the increase in ship demand, a second naval complex is commissioned. While part of the Imperial Shipworks, the facility will not be physically linked to the existing two slipways, and thus will allow for two separate programs to be undertaken at once.
March 16th 2040: The TES Discovery hits the 30% fuel remaining line. While it could still operate without worry, it's been in space for 2 1/4 years. It is felt the tired crew deserve a rest and a well deserved homecomming.
June 3rd 2040: TES Discovery returns home. Captain Ismael Brule granted title Duke of Nigeria and granted a medal for exploration. Gives speech supporting the militarists and becomes a celebrity overnight. The Emperor is wary, though, as Brule shows the most outward ambition of any appointed noble. .
July 27th 2040: Due to the lack of tasks for a prospective jump scout, research funding is diverted to the Militarists missile projects.
October 20th 2040: TES Leif Ericson also hits 30% fuel, due to all unsurveyed bodies being relatively far from each other in the Kupier Belt. Reluctantly Duke Osbourn sets course for home.
November 20th 2040: Sufficient tech designed to build first two series of missiles. AAM larger then anticipated, but the Militarists do not see this as a downside.
M-AM-01A
Missile Size: 2 MSP (0.1 HS) Warhead: 1 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 12500 km/s Endurance: 60 minutes Range: 45.0m km
Cost Per Missile: 0.6667
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 125% 3k km/s 40% 5k km/s 25% 10k km/s 12.5%
Materials Required: 0.25x Tritanium 0.1667x Gallicite Fuel x1250
M-AS-01A
Missile Size: 4 MSP (0.2 HS) Warhead: 3 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 9400 km/s Endurance: 80 minutes Range: 45.1m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.375
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 94% 3k km/s 30% 5k km/s 18.8% 10k km/s 9.4%
Materials Required: 0.75x Tritanium 0.375x Gallicite Fuel x2500
December 15th 2040: Factories prepared to produce missiles. The Navy places and order for 800 M-AM-01A missiles.
December 30th 2040: Near disaster. A weakpoint in the fuel injection system for the engine on TES Leif Ericson ruptures, causing minor damage. Quick thinking averts causalties and well designed software shuts down the system. The damage is repaired within the day. The system design and engine design is determined to not be at fault.
January 5th 2041: With the recent failure of deep solar surveys to find substantial mineral deposits, support for the Geologists seems down for good. Oddly, in elections the gap narrows. Pundits cannot explain this beyond a stellar campaign run by die hard supporters of the Geologists.
Results
Council: 2 Geologists - 2 Militarists - 2 Apolitical
Senate: 1094 Geologists - 1096 Militarists - 4 Apolitical (Mil +2 adv)
