United States
The USA has continued steady expansion over the last two years, increasing the size of the American Arm to thirty-seven systems. The discovery of an ideal world in the Orlando system and near-ideal worlds in Minneapolis, Charlotte, New Orleans and Milwaukee has increased the advantage of the American Arm in terms of habitable planets, although the USA has not created any new colonies over the last few years, concentrating instead on building up the industry of Lincoln in the Washington system. Research has boosted the USA?s wealth production but its main focus has been improving propulsion technology, primarily because several of its most talented scientific leaders have expertise in this area. The Magneto-Plasma Drive and improved missile and fighter propulsion systems have given the US an edge over its rivals in terms of speed. Four new fighter bases have been constructed, split between Earth and Lincoln, to allow the USA to deploy more fighter squadrons
The colonies of the USA are as follows:
Earth
Vice Admiral Willis Reetz: Research 30%, Production 15%, Growth 15%
Population 1053m / Wealth 40047 / Trade 12
SY 20 / RL 40 / SP 1 / NA 4 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 520 / OF 200 / FF 200 / FR 400 / MN 850 / GTF 10
MS 100 / FB 7 / DST 4
Fuel 12.3m
Lincoln
Rear Admiral Christy Killman: Mining 30%
Population 237m / Wealth 9038 / Trade 12
SY 5 / SP 1 / NA 1 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 402 / OF 50 / FF 50 / FR 100 / MN 175 / GTF 2
MS 15 / FB 3 / DST 2
Fuel 6.5m
Jefferson
Commodore Lorraine Delfavero: Research 30%, Production 15%
Population: 47.7m / Wealth 1810
RL 10
CF 60 / MN 60
MS 5 / DST 1
Fuel 0.2m
Madison
Captain Angela Skowron: Production 20%, Growth 20%, Shipbuilding 15%
Population: 7.24m / Wealth 275
DST 1
Jackson
Commodore Brenda Bascom: Mining 20%, Shipbuilding 25%
Population: 6.78m / Wealth 258
DST 1
Carter Mining Colony
Captain Porter Legrone: Mining 30%, Research 10%, Production 5%
Population 0m
AM 200
Manchurian Empire
With only one ideal world, New Beijing, within the thirty-eight systems of the Manchurian Arm, the overriding priority of the Manchurian Empire is to find new habitable planets. So far Manilla-III, a colony cost 1.9 world five jumps from Earth, is the sum total of their efforts. Partly because of the lack of usuable real estate and partly because of the recent confrontation with the Commonwealth, the Empire is building more large warships than either of its rivals, using the shipyards hidden away in the Beijing system. However, the Commonwealth survey ships appeared in that very system, which resulted in an aggressive Manchurian response, fearful that the Commonwealth ships would gain detailed sensor reports of their only major extra-solar colony. To this day, the Manchurians still have no idea how much information was gained by the ?spy ships?, although in reality the survey ships had such limited sensors they didn?t even detect the existence of a colony. Despite their agreement to make Mukden a neutrol zone between the Commonwealth and the Empire, Manchurian admirals are planning the eventual campaign to take and hold Mukden and the systems beyond its two other jump points. Their problem, which is shared by the other powers, is that the majority of their population and industry is still on Earth and any conflict that included mutual devastating ICBM strikes would set them back decades. Until New Beijing can be built up to the point where the loss of Earth would be survivable, any plans for war are on hold. Unfortunately for the Empire, New Beijing is further from Earth than the capital planets of the other two powers and its industry on Earth now exceeds that of its rivals. Recently two ruin sites were discovered, one of which held an intact alien installation. The Empire is hoping that these ruins might reveal new technology to give them an edge over the USA and the Commonwealth. Manchurian colonies are as follows:
Earth
Fleet Admiral Long Shan De: Shipbuilding 15%, Production 15%, Pop Growth 10%
Population 1058m / Wealth 31757 / Trade 12
SY 20 / RL 40 / SP 1 / NA 4 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 692 / OF 200 / FF 200 / FR 400 / MN 1000 / AM 10 / GTF 10
MS 100 / FB 5 / DST 6
Fuel 13.2m
New Beijing
Rear Admiral Tsien Qiao Wen: Production 30%, Shipbuilding 20%
Population 281.6m / Wealth 8449 / Trade 12
SY 5 / RL 10 / SP 1 / NA 1 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 318 / OF 50 / FF 50 / FR 100 / MN 220 / AM 200 / GTF 2
MS 30 / FB 1 / DST 4
Fuel 8.6m
Commonwealth
With only twenty-eight systems, the Commonwealth Arm remains the smallest of the three national territories by a considerable margin. The Commonwealth has not restricted exploration but the Manchurians have been finding more jump points per system and the USA has more survey ships. Although no new ideal worlds have discovered, the recent exploration of the Samarkand system revealed a world with almost perfect conditions, except for an oxygen content slightly below human tolerance. As only a little effort is needed to change this into an ideal world, the Commonwealth?s terraforming fleet has been redeployed from its assigned task in Thessalonica and is now en route to Samarkand.
The Commonwealth benefits from a capital planet closer to Earth than either the USA or the Empire and has therefore moved more industry and population into its territory than its rivals. Earth?s Commonwealth population has actually fallen slightly in the last two years as Commonwealth colony ships have started to outpace population growth. With more Botany Bay class ships under construction, this situation will only intensify over time. The short distance between Earth and Leonidas has also resulted in rapid redeployment of industry and Leonidas has more construction factories than Earth. Although in recent months the transfer of industry has slowed because even with the ready supply of colonists, the population cannot handle the amount of industry that could be delivered. Instead, Commonwealth freighters have moved industry to other colonies, including five research labs to Corinth, taking the total to fifteen, and two more to Troy. These two colonies are specialising in Electronic Warfare and Energy Weapons respectively, providing maximum use of the available scientific leadership.
A major feature of the Commonwealth Arm, compared to the other national territories, is the alien ruins and abandoned installations found therein. Three sites have so far been discovered, and although the technological possibilities of Delphi-III have been exhausted, cybernetic teams at all three sites continue to reactivate old factories and mines. The archaeological teams investigating the ruins have found several new technologies, by far the most useful of which were increases in the rates of research and shipbuilding. Another area in which the Commonwealth is leading the way is in the construction of jump gates. Nine gates are already in operation with two more under construction. This compares to six jump gates for the USA and none for the Empire, although the Empire has two Jump Gate ships under construction and has already stockpiled jump gate components.
A recently recognised problem for the Commonwealth is a shortage of fuel. Both of its rival powers have gas giant mining operations using fleets of fuel harvesters while the Commonwealth has relied on the sorium extracted from planetary bodies. As Leonidas is almost out of fuel and Earth?s supplies are barely keeping pace, it has become obvious that a greater mining and refining capacity is required. Therefore six fuel harvesters have been laid down and Earth has begun construction of additional refineries.
Earth
Vice Admiral Joel Cooke: Mining 30%, Shipbuilding 30%, Production 10%
Population 1001m / Wealth 38050 / Trade 28
SY 18 / RL 33 / SP 2 / NA 4 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 436 / OF 200 / FF 251 / FR 400 / MN 842 / GTF 10
MS 100 / FB 5 / DST 4
Fuel 8.2m
Leonidas
Rear Admiral Zoe Berry: Mining 30%, Shipbuilding 25%, Production 10%
Population 282m / Wealth 10725 / Trade 28
SY 7 / SP 2 / NA 1 / MF 2 / CFF
CF 487 / OF 54 / FR 100 / MN 205 / GTF 2
MS 30 / FB 1 / DST 4
Fuel 0.2m
Corinth II
Commodore Matthew Turner: Research 30%, Production 20%, Growth 15%, Wealth 10%
Population: 51.9m / Wealth 2171
RL 16
CF 100 / FR 2 / MN 64 / AM 4
MS 5 / DST 1
Troy III
Captain Mason Cooper: Research 30%
Population: 7.17m / Wealth 273
RL 2
DST 1
Athens IV
Commander Olivia Willis: Pop Growth 30%
Population: 7.2m / Wealth 274
DST 1
Alexandria IV
Commander Joseph Pritchard: Growth 30%, Mining 10%
Population: 0.8m / Wealth 30
MF 1
CF 1 / OF 2 / FF 4 / FR 3 / MN 3 / AM 3
MS 8 / DST 1
Pylos II Mining Colony
Commodore Henry Brady: Mining 30%, Production 10%
Population 0m
AM 208
Income and Expenditure Comparison during 2152
United States
Income
Populations: 47,166
Trade: 1750
Total 48,916
Expenditure
Shipbuilding 4677
Research 23500
Construction 8116
Ordnance 1271
Maintenance 1276
Total 38,840
Manchurian Empire
Income
Populations: 39,727
Trade: 0
Total 39,727
Expenditure
Shipbuilding 9065
Research 13,990
Construction 9520
Ordnance 1492
Maintenance 1013
Total 35,080
Commonwealth
Income
Populations: 50,800
Trade: 4120
Total 54,920
Expenditure
Shipbuilding 12,253
Research 25,277
Construction 14,585
Ordnance 1783
Maintenance 1240
Total 55,140
Steve
