21st June 1906A Royal Navy task group that includes four battleships arrives in Berlin, joining the small force guarding the Madras jump point. HMS Eclipse recently joined the guard force after her survey of the nearby Lisbon system.
Berlin Expedition Order of Battle2x Majestic class BB: HMS Magnificent (flag), HMS Majestic
2x Royal Sovereign Mod 1 class BB: HMS Repulse, HMS Revenge
2x Diadem class CA: HMS Andromeda, HMS Argonaut
3x Town class CL: HMS Newcastle, HMS Nottingham, HMS York
3x Tribal class DD: HMS Amazon, HMS Maori, HMS Saracen
4x Avro Type 504 class Scout
Madras Jump Point Guard Force1x Alexandra class Scout Cruiser: HMS Alexandra
2x Eclipse class Survey Cruiser: HMS Eclipse, HMS Isis
2x River class DD: HMS Thames, HMS Tyne
Commanding the expedition from HMS Magnificent is Rear Admiral Jonathan Talbot; an insightful but methodical officer well-liked by his men. Rear Admiral Talbot attaches the two River class destroyers from the guard force to his own task group but leaves HMS Alexandra and the two survey cruisers at the jump point to watch his rear. The four battleships and two heavy cruisers are all armed with the Mark III Whitehead Torpedo, which has a speed of 32,000 km/s, while the magazines of HMS Eclipse and HMS Isis are loaded with the older Mark I, with a speed of 24,000 km/s. The slow speed of the survey cruisers and their slow torpedoes means they are not suited to operating with the battleships and heavy cruisers. HMS Alexandra is also slower than the capital ships and Rear Admiral Talbot does not believe her 20cm lasers will play a part in the coming battle.
23rd June 1906The Royal Navy task group moves within sensor range of Berlin II and detects the same four alien ships in orbit. Wherever the alien homeworld is, it does not appear to have dispatched any reinforcements at least. The expedition continues to close as the task group that made the first approach to the planet closed to less than sixty million kilometres without being attacked. At sixty-seven million kilometres from Berlin II, a small ground forces contact is detected on Berlin I, which is eleven million kilometres away from the Royal Navy force.
Rear Admiral Talbot decides to ignore the new contact for the moment and gives the order to fire a single volley at the alien fleet in orbit of Berlin II. Fifty-six Mark III Whitehead Torpedoes are launched by the four battleships and two heavy cruisers, all targeted on the smallest alien ship - the 8800 ton Suffren. The first defensive missiles hit two million kilometres from the planet, killing seventeen Royal Navy torpedoes. By the time the torpedoes are at 600,000 kilometres from their targets, only twenty remain. The 17,600 ton alien ship classified as Richelieu 001 departs the planet heading straight toward the Royal Navy ships and the oncoming torpedoes at 4089 km/s. The torpedoes flash past the alien ship, their numbers rapidly diminishing. Six survive the anti-missile fire but are destroyed by point blank point defence.
Richelieu 001 continues on course for the British task group. Rear Admiral Talbot waits until the ship is two million kilometres from Berlin II, placing it outside the defensive fire support umbrella of its sister ships, and orders two volleys targeted upon it. The ECM strength of the alien ship is even greater than the ECM detected emanating from Martian ships, which indicates the aliens could have a significant level of technology. The torpedoes approach to within one point six million kilometres of Richelieu 001 before seven of them are destroyed. At this point the torpedoes are eleven million kilometres from Berlin II so it seems unlikely the defensive fire came from the planet. More torpedoes are hit every few seconds. Fourteen torpedoes, a quarter of the original salvo, survive defensive fire. Two of them miss but the other twelve strike the target, inflicting strength-6 hits. There is no sign of any atmosphere streaming from the alien ship and it maintains its speed of 4089 km/s. Even as the first of the two waves reaches its target, the second wave is being hit by anti-missiles. Ten survive to strike the alien ship but once again it appears to be undamaged and continues on course.
Rear Admiral Talbot orders two more salvos to be fired at Richelieu 001. As before, the torpedoes are hit by alien missiles as they approach within two million kilometres of the alien ship. Although only six torpedoes from the first wave reach their target, the second wave results in twenty hits. The alien ship finally slows down, dropping to 3180 km/s. A fifth salvo is launched by the Royal Navy task group. Even battered and slowed, the alien ship continues to defend itself, shooting down forty-three of the fifty-six incoming torpedoes. The thirteen hits reduce its speed to 2045 km/s. A new salvo streaks away from the British ships. This time there is no defensive fire. Either Richelieu 001 has exhausted its ammunition or the fifth salvo destroyed vital systems such as missile fire controls. The entire sixth salvo slams into the crippled ship and blows it to pieces. There are no life pods and at no point was any atmosphere detected. Speculation grows that the alien ships are computer-controlled.
The destruction of Richelieu 001 required forty-two percent of the ordnance of the four battleships and almost fifty percent of the ordnance of the two heavy cruisers. Even that profligate expenditure was only sufficient because the alien vessel left orbit to attempt an engagement. Had it remained with its companion ships, it might well have survived. With little option but to attempt to destroy the remaining ships, regardless of their defensive capabilities, Rear Admiral Talbot decides to launch the remainder of his torpedoes. He also send a communication to the Admiralty, suggesting that ammunition ships should be constructed to support the fleet on distant deployments.
Any hopes that Richelieu 001 might have been the only ship armed with anti-missiles are dashed when thirteen torpedoes from the first wave are destroyed more than two million kilometres from Berlin II. Within the next ten seconds, a further twenty-four are hit. Even as the first wave is being massacred, the second starts taking losses at two million kilometres. Only two missiles from the first wave make it through the alien anti-missiles and both are destroyed by point blank point defence fire. The second wave suffers a similar fate. From the third wave onwards, more torpedoes penetrate the anti-missile fire, perhaps because one or more alien ships are running low on ordnance. Ten of the third wave reach the planet but all of them are destroyed by the formidable close-in defences of the alien ships. Finally, two of the fourth wave torpedoes and three each from the fifth and sixth waves strike Clemenceau 001. Unfortunately, every torpedo from the last four waves, three of which are weaker as the heavy cruisers ran out ordnance before the battleships, is destroyed before impact.
With his primary missile striking power gone, Rear Admiral Talbot decides to move closer in an attempt to use the point defence torpedoes of the Town class light cruisers in offensive mode. While HMS Minerva was destroyed by waves of point defence missiles, Talbot hopes the alien ships may be running out of ammunition. As the expeditionary force reaches thirty-eight million kilometres from Berlin II, the 8800 ton Suffren 001 suddenly breaks orbit and heads directly away from the oncoming Royal Navy task group. At thirty-five million kilometres from the planet, fifty-four small incoming missiles are detected, moving at 34,600 km/s. Rather than use the Mark IV Whitehead Anti-torpedo Torpedoes carried the Town class, Rear Admiral Talbot decides to reserve them for his own attack and use only the point defence lasers on the Tribal and River class destroyers for defence. His battleships and cruisers have strong armour and they are probably going to need it.
Further incoming salvos are detected five seconds apart. Five have fifty-four missiles in each while the sixth has only seven; a possible sign the aliens have run of missiles. Twenty-two of the first wave are destroyed by the lasers of the five destroyers. The other thirty-two all strike HMS Majestic, inflicting minor damage to her armour. The destroyers perform at a similar level against every salvo, stopping approximately forty percent of the inbounds. In total, HMS Majestic is hit by one hundred and sixty-seven strength-1 warheads. She loses about a quarter of her armour, with penetration more than halfway through the armour in several locations.
With the alien onslaught over, the expedition continues on course for Berlin II. Clemenceau 001 and Dunkerque 001 remain in orbit while Suffren 001 heads away from the inner system with no obvious destination in sight. Two hours pass with no further attack, confirming Rear Admiral Talbot's belief that the alien ships have run out of missiles. In fact, the combination of their apparent ordnance shortage and the departure of Suffren 001, leads Rear Admiral Talbot to deduce that Clemenceau 001 and Dunkerque 001 are more likely to be some form of orbital weapon platforms, rather than ships. He decides to close to half a million kilometres, outside likely energy range but close enough that missile attacks can be carried out soon after assessing the results of previous attacks.
The Royal Navy ships arrive at a point 500,000 kilometres from Berlin II without further incident. HMS Newcastle, HMS Nottingham and HMS York begin launching salvos of forty-five Mark IV Whitehead Anti-torpedo Torpedoes ten seconds apart, targeted on Clemenceau 001. Amazingly, every single missile from the first three salvos is destroyed by the alien point defence. Rear Admiral Talbot orders his light cruisers to cease fire. He orders HMS Alexandra, HMS Isis and HMS Eclipse to leave the Madras jump point and join his force, regretting his earlier decision to leave them behind and now hoping that the 20cm lasers of HMS Alexandra might be the key to the battle. While they are en route, he detaches the Town class light cruisers and orders them to swing around the planet and pursue Suffren 001. With a 900 km/s speed advantage, they should have no trouble closing the fifty million kilometre range, even if it takes a while.
Twelve hours after their failed attack on the Clemenceau, the Royal Navy light cruisers open fire on Suffren 001. Five salvos are fired initially, at a range of seven point five million kilometres. Nine missiles from their first salvo of forty-five are destroyed by point defence. The other thirty-six all strike their target. The Mark IVs have a speed of 48,000 km/s and enhanced agility, allowing them to intercept hostile missiles. The relatively slow-moving alien ship is an easy target. Waves two through four suffer similar point defence losses but inflict enough damage to slow Suffren 001 to 3580 km/s. Other critical systems were obviously hit as wave five smashes into the alien ship unmolested by any defensive fire. Suffren 001 drops to 900 km/s. The Towns launch a sixth wave, which leaves the alien ship a barely moving cripple. Rather than waste another full salvo from all three ships, HMS Newcastle launches a single volley to finish her off. Their mission complete, the light cruisers head back to the main body.
HMS Alexandra, HMS Isis and HMS Eclipse join the task group on June 27th, three days after the destruction of Suffren 001. The entire force moves to 184,000 kilometres from Berlin II, inside extreme range for HMS Alexandra but outside the assumed maximum range of the alien bases. Unfortunately, the ECM of the bases is so strong that her fire control cannot lock on to their signature. The task group closes once again, this time to 142,000 kilometres, but prepared to pull back if they move within hostile weapon range. HMS Alexandra's fire control burns through the jamming and she begins to score hits. Only about one in six shots is on target but there is no return fire. While she continues to fire, Rear Admiral Talbot takes his flagship, HMS Magnificent, to 100,000 kilometres to test the alien response, When there is none, the task group moves forward to join him, increasing the effectiveness of HMS Alexandra's weapons.
The destruction of the bases is now only a matter of time. HMS Alexandra continues to snipe at Clemenceau 001, gradually reducing her armour, and the aliens have no way to return fire. Rear Admiral Talbot demands their surrender but there is no response. After over an hour of constant laser fire both bases are smashed into wreckage. The Admiral sends an after action report to the Admiralty, praising his crews and pointing out that despite all the missile firepower available to the Royal Navy, it was the limited laser armament of a scout cruiser that proved decisive in the end. He recommends that the current design philosophy of missile-only capital ships should be amended to add the flexibility and durability of lasers.
HMS Isis and HMS Eclipse resume the geological survey of the system that was interrupted by the destruction of HMS Minerva in September 1905. HMS Alexandra remains to provide support. The rest of the task group heads for home via Madras, Proxima, Bombay and Victoria, avoiding the shorter route through the Proxima - Sol jump point to avoid revealing the connection of Proxima to the British-controlled systems. In the meantime, a Justicia class troop transport is dispatched from Earth with the 1st Cavalry Brigade on board and orders to secure Berlin I, where an enemy ground forces contact was detected. HMS Alexandra has also detected a small thermal signature so the assault troops of the 1st Cavalry Brigade (shown below) have been instructed to take any alien installations intact.
1st Cavalry Brigade HQ
2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales) Dragoon Guards
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
12th (Prince of Wales Royal) Lancers
2nd July 1906HMS Isis discovers a ruined alien outpost on Berlin II. Rear Admiral Talbot, currently on HMS Magnificent in the Madras system, receives the news and theorises to his chief of staff this was once a population of the same race as the alien ships, although that raises the question of why the aliens would die in defence of a ruin. His chief of staff suggests that if the suspicion that the alien ships did not have crews proves to be correct, it might explain why the ships remained once the population was gone.
28th August 1906The first Cavalry Brigade lands on Berlin II and launches an assault on the alien ground forces. The enemy appears to be comprised of armed robots in battalion strength.
8th September 1906HMS Resolution and HMS Ramillies complete their refit to the Royal Sovereign Mod 1 class.
28th September 1906The first Cavalry Brigade destroys the hostile ground force on Berlin II, secures an alien deep space tracking station and recovers a stockpile of almost six thousand anti-missiles. The alien missiles are slower than the Mark IV Whitehead anti-torpedoes used by the Royal Navy's Town class but have a range of forty-seven million kilometres compared to just eighteen million for the Mark IV and have slightly greater agility.
3rd November 1906The mineral shortage on Mars is reaching a crisis point. The stockpile of Gallicite is at 3,645 tons and reducing at approximately 20 tons per day. Stockpiles of Boronide, Mercassium and Uridium are between 4,000 and 7,000 tons with no more being mined, although they are reducing more slowly. Martian factories lie idle and new ship construction has been halted. There are two hundred and eighty automated mines on the comet Chiang but the remaining Gallicite will be mined out within a few months.
Mars Mineral SurveyDuranium 76,000 Acc: 0.92
Neutronium 129,825 Acc: 0.7
Tritanium 31,618 Acc: 0.2
Vendarite 20,133 Acc: 0.27
Sorium 3,802 Acc: 0.2
Chiang Mineral SurveyNeutronium 209 Acc: 0.8
Tritanium 5,496 Acc: 1
Mercassium 5,511 Acc: 0.7
Sorium 11,940 Acc: 0.7
Corundium 6,172 Acc: 0.7
Gallicite 2,307 Acc: 0.7
Mars Mineral StockpilesDuranium 26,982
Neutronium 50,809
Corbomite 28,164
Tritanium 26,564
Boronide 4,021
Mercassium 6,598
Vendarite 32,136
Sorium 23,686
Uridium 5,738
Corundium 19,230
Gallicite 3,645
Within three weeks, there will be a jump gate route through Tianjin into Sichuan, where Sichuan-B I has been identified as a good site for automated mines and will cover all those minerals for which there is a shortage, except Gallicite. Unfortunately, Gallicite is the greatest problem at the moment.
Sichuan-B I Mineral SurveyDuranium 41,472 Acc: 1
Tritanium 200,704 Acc: 0.7
Boronide 135,424 Acc: 0.9
Mercassium 69,696 Acc: 0.6
Sorium 379,456 Acc: 0.6
Uridium 553,536 Acc: 0.7
Corundium 73,984 Acc: 0.9
Eventually mines will be based on Zhejiang-B II, which will support a hostile environment colony, and between this planet and Sichuan-B I, the mineral needs of Tianxia should be satisfied for the foreseeable future. However it will be some time before that system is accessible due to the need to build jump gates in the intervening systems. In the meantime, a temporary source of Gallicite is required. One of the asteroids in the Sichuan system has over nine thousand tons of accessibility 1.0 Gallicite and there are several other similar deposits in the same system. Therefore, automated mines will be transferred to the asteroid from Comet Chiang. Once Zhejiang is on the jump gate network and Gallicite is more freely available, the mines from the asteroid can be easily moved to Sichuan-B I.
Zhejiang-B II Mineral SurveyDuranium 279,752 Acc: 0.8
Neutronium 559,504 Acc: 0.8
Corbomite 915,849 Acc: 0.9
Tritanium 543,169 Acc: 0.5
Boronide 39,204 Acc: 0.7
Mercassium 680,625 Acc: 0.5
Vendarite 165,649 Acc: 0.8
Sorium 1,089 Acc: 0.6
Uridium 7,744 Acc: 0.7
Corundium 23,716 Acc: 0.9
Gallicite 1,046,529 Acc: 0.9
Sichuan-A Asteroid #4Neutronium 4,928 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 21,258 Acc: 1
Tritanium 8,100 Acc: 1
Boronide 14,113 Acc: 1
Uridium 13 Acc: 1
Corundium 1,296 Acc: 1
Gallicite 9,101 Acc: 1
16th November 1906The Khaghan Federation continues to explore, although due to the discovery of alien races in Kharkhorin and Tosokh, the only routes open are the planetless systems of Tenduk and Suurin, both of which are reached through Darkhan and Kerait Ordos. A survey of Tenduk reveals three new jump points. The first two lead to the red dwarf system of Tsagaan Balgas and the blinding white A1-V primary of Tataryn Kherem, with its ten planets, five of which have scorching temperatures and dense atmospheres of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
The third jump point connects to Sarai, a quadruple system of two G-class stars and two red dwarfs, with a total of sixteen planets, one hundred and thirty-nine moons and almost five hundred asteroids spread between three belts around the primary, a fourth around the B component and Trojan asteroids in the Lagrange points of Sarai-C III. The innermost planet of the five orbiting the primary has acceptable gravity, a surface temperature just inside the upper limit of tolerance for the Khaghan and an atmosphere that is very close to breathable. The removal of the sulphur dioxide that comprises 3.1% of the atmosphere and an increase in oxygen from 0.15 atm to 0.154 atm would make this an ideal habitable world.
The B component orbits the primary at four billion kilometres and also has five planets, four of which are super-jovians or gas giants with sufficient mass to support intra-system jumps from their Lagrange points. The second and fourth moons of Sarai-B III are good terraforming candidates. The C component orbits at twenty-one billion and is itself orbited by the D component at four hundred and fifty million kilometres. Sarai-C III has the fifth jump-capable Lagrange point in the system, allowing easy travel between the inner two stars and the distant C and D components, each of which has three planets. Sarai-D III has a sixth Lagrange point and thirty-four moons. Given the huge amount of real estate and the near-habitable planet, Sarai is a very valuable discovery for the Khaghan Federation.
3rd December 1906The Formidable class battleships HMS Irresistible and HMS Prince of Wales are launched by Portsmouth Dockyard, the Royal Navy's largest orbital Naval Shipyard. The 22,400 ton ships are the third and fourth of their class and take the Royal Navy's battleship strength to twelve.
23rd December 1906The Khaghan Federation launches the first four Subutei Fast Scout Craft. They are primarily intended to operate with the Kublai class FACs, as the Kublais do not have their own onboard sensors, although they have a greater operating range than other Khaghan FACs so they could also be used for solo reconnaissance.
Subutei class Fast Scout Craft 1,000 tons 14 Crew 231.8 BP TCS 20 TH 144 EM 0
7200 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 200% IFR 2.8% 1YR 160 5YR 2400 Max Repair 128 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.5 months Spare Berths 4
Gurban-144 FAC Engine (1) Power 144 Fuel Use 177.47% Signature 144 Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 10.1 billion km (16 days at full power)
FAC Detection Sensor (1) GPS 2560 Range 28.6m km Resolution 20
17th January 1907The Royal Navy survey effort in finding a way out of the Victoria chain has finally borne fruit. Apart from the Bombay - Proxima link, which is not ideal for reasons already mentioned, the only current route out of human space is via the Toronto system. Toronto has four jump points, two of which lead back towards Sol via the Paris and St Petersburg systems, while the other two connect to Columbo and Boston. Columbo has been surveyed and has a single jump point connecting to Delhi, which is currently being surveyed by HMS Adventure and HMS Foresight. The survey of Boston is virtually complete and so far five new jump points have been located. At last, a system has been discovered that is not a dead-end, or has only two or three jump points. There are high hopes that these five jump points will finally allow the British Empire to expand without further restriction.
HMS Perseus and HMS Prometheus are completing the survey in Boston while HMS Amethyst is en route to one of the new jump points. HMS Juno is also in the system approaching the two planets orbiting the primary, one of which is a gas giant with thirty-four moons. Five hundred and sixty million kilometres from her destination, she detects five strength-720 thermal contacts at point blank range. Counter to recent standing orders, HMS Juno was running with active sensors off and her thermal sensors are extremely limited. She engages her active sensors and identifies five 8800 ton ships of the same race that was encountered in the Berlin system, now known to the Naval Intelligence Department of the Royal Navy as the Automata. The Automata ships are a new class, designated as the Normandie.
Commodore Andrew Stephenson, C.O. of HMS Juno, gives the order to open fire but his crew is slow to respond. The other Royal Navy vessels in Boston head for her position but they are all billions of kilometres away. Fifteen seconds after the initial contact HMS Juno is struck by ten missiles with strength-9 warheads. Huge holes are gouged in her armour but no damage penetrates to her internal systems. Ten seconds later she returns fire, launching four Mark I Whitehead torpedoes. By this time, the five Normandie class have opened the range to 90,000 kilometres and continue to head away at 4089 km/s. The torpedoes are all destroyed by point blank defensive fire. A second salvo strikes the survey cruiser, inflicting massive internal damage. Both engines, three of her torpedo launchers, her sensors and her magazines are all destroyed. Commodore Stephenson gives the order to abandon ship. One hundred and three of the two hundred and twenty-six crew escape before the scuttling charges blow. The senior Royal Navy officer in the system is now Commander Oliver Allen, captain of HMS Prometheus. He orders the other two ships in Boston to give the inner system a wide berth and rendezvous at the Toronto jump point.
18th January 1907The ten Martian Xia class Fuel Harvesters complete a long journey from Sol through Tianjin to the Shanxi system, which has recently been connected to the Martian jump gate network. Shanxi-V has five million tons of accessibility 0.9 Sorium, which is a lower accessibility than the 1.0 of Jupiter but the harvesters are now far less vulnerable to attack. The Shanxi system is a way station between Sol and the planned mining colony in the Zhejiang system (Sol - Tianjin - Shanxi - Shandong - Zhejiang) and Shanxi-III is a good terraforming candidate that will soon be the site of the first populated Martian colony.
30th January 1907HMS Amethyst, still two point five billion kilometres from the Boston - Toronto jump point, detects emissions from an active sensor three hundred and thirty million kilometres astern and closing. Commander Allen, concerned that the Automata are using HMS Amethyst's own sensor emissions to detect her, orders the scout cruiser to switch off her sensors and change course. His own ship and HMS Perseus do the same. Three minutes after the course change, the alien sensor emissions vanish, although whether that was due to HMS Amethyst moving out of range of her own EM sensor or the Automata disengaging their own sensors is unknown.
11th February 1907HMS Amethyst arrives safely at the Boston - Toronto jump point. She jumps into Toronto from where she can send a message via the jump gate network to Earth then transits back into Boston to await HMS Perseus and HMS Prometheus. This new encounter with the Automata so far from the first contact in Berlin is of great concern to the Admiralty as it implies the Automata are a multi-system Empire, rather than a few ships guarding a long-dead world. As Boston is not accessible via a jump gate, there is no way to send capital ships to the system. Any thoughts of Boston being the route for the expansion of the Empire are on hold until it can be cleared.
5th March 1907Tianxia establishes its first off-world settlement on Shanxi-III. The eight Han class Martian colony ships that have remained in Martian orbit since they were constructed complete their maiden voyage by unloading 800,000 colonists.
6th March 1907HMS Perseus and HMS Prometheus make good their escape from Boston and set course for Sol. Their crews have been away from home for almost three years. HMS Amethyst transits into Toronto and remains behind to picket the Boston jump point.
13th April 1907HMS Royal Oak and HMS Royal Sovereign complete their engine refits. All six Royal Sovereigns are now equipped with the Parsons PN4 Magneto-plasma Drive, giving them a top speed of 5000 km/s.
14th July 1907HMS Adventure and HMS Foresight complete the gravitational survey of the Delhi system, six transits from Sol, finding seven new jump points. The scout cruiser HMS Diamond is ordered to investigate. Her first transit is though jump point eight, the closest to the entry point from Columbo. She emerges in Vienna, a system with a G5-V primary, twelve planets, a hundred moons and over two hundred asteroids. The fourth planet is a huge terrestrial world with a diameter of 29,000 km, gravity of 1.56G, surface temperature of -30C and a nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere of 2.42 atm. Almost half the oxygen would have to be removed from the atmosphere to render it safe for humans. Even more interesting than Vienna IV itself are the three wrecked ships in orbit. One is 8800 tons and the others are 26,400 tons. While the class of these ships is unknown, two of the Automata ship classes were 8800 tons, which seems unlikely to be a coincidence. If these are Automata wrecks then a third party is also fighting them. If they aren't, then that would mean two mutually hostile races could be in the vicinity. HMS Diamond leaves Vienna as soon as her jump drive is back online.
24th July 1907The first Orpheus class salvage ship joins the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. RFA Orpheus will be dispatched to the Berlin system to recover the wrecks of the Automata ships, which should provide some insight into their level of technology.
Orpheus class Salvager 24,000 tons 219 Crew 928.4 BP TCS 480 TH 2000 EM 0
4166 km/s Armour 1-74 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 24 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 2
Cryogenic Berths 2000
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (5) Power 400 Fuel Use 5.3% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 35.4 billion km (98 days at full power)
25th July 1907HMS Diamond transits into Columbo from Delhi and alerts the Empire to the presence of the wrecks in Vienna. Admiral Sir John Fisher, the First Space Lord, requests a meeting with the Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, to discuss the future priorities for British expansion. Sir John is concerned that the current focus on the Victoria chain is not in the long term interests of the Empire. Although two systems, Boston and Delhi, have finally been discovered with multiple jump points, they are fifteen billion and sixteen billion kilometres from Sol respectively. Boston has an active Automata presence and the only explored system beyond Delhi apparently has Automata wreckage. Defeating the Automata will require a commitment of ships a great distance from Sol. Even assuming that operation is successful, any new systems discovered beyond Boston and Delhi will be so far from Sol they may not be economically viable to exploit.
Instead, Sir John recommends that the focus for expansion should be shifted to the Proxima chain. A gate should be built on the Sol - Proxima jump point and Proxima should be claimed for the Empire, avoiding the current roundabout route via Victoria and Bombay. Berlin should be colonised immediately as it has three good terraforming candidates and is only six billion kilometres from Sol and the three jump points in Lisbon, adjacent to Proxima, should be explored. A picket force should be established in Toronto, which guards the approaches to Sol from both Boston and Delhi, in case any alien force originates from either of those systems. Sir Henry sees the sense in the proposal although he is concerned about the reaction of Tianxia and the Khaghan Federation to the British Empire claiming a second jump point. Sir John points out that both alien races seem to be fixated on a single jump point each and have no apparent interest in Proxima, so it seems unlikely they would risk a devastating war on a point of principle.
After a cabinet meeting and a visit to Queen Victoria, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman informs T'mjn and Emperor Guangxu that the British Empire is claiming the Proxima system and any systems beyond. He points out that their respective nations have shown no interest in the Proxima system and therefore he hopes this will not cause any discord. Content with the Imperial claims beyond Tianjin and with no interest in a war with the barbarians, Emperor Guangxu responds by claiming the Procyon system. There are still an number of alien installations awaiting recovery from the alien outpost in Sirius, which lies beyond Procyon. By claiming the system Emperor Guangxu avoids the loss of face that might result from not responding to a second territorial claim by the impudent humans and ensures the other two races will not stumble upon the prize in Sirius. T'mjn and his council agree that eventually the humans and the Martians will be dealt with but the Federation is not yet in a position to do that. Therefore, no response is made at all.
7th September 1907HMS Alexandra probes the three jump points in Lisbon and discovers Madrid, Barcelona and Oporto. Oporto is a planetless K-class star while Madrid and Barcelona are unremarkable red dwarf systems without any habitable worlds or good terraforming candidates. Between the two systems, they do have sixteen planets, sixty moons and over one hundred and fifty asteroids so they may still provide valuable mineral deposits.
23rd September 1907A British colony of 200,000 is established on Berlin IV. The planet does not have any mineral deposits but will eventually act as a forward base for exploration. Berlin III has 740,000 tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium but will be much harder to terraform due to its atmosphere of ammonia and methane.
Berlin III Survey ReportDuranium 739,328 Acc: 0.8
Corbomite 9,241,600 Acc: 0.8
Tritanium 116,964 Acc: 0.5
Boronide 3,755,844 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 577,600 Acc: 0.1
Sorium 13,307,900 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 8,561,476 Acc: 1
28th September 1907The Khaghan geological survey ship Ogadei Khoyor has been engaged in the survey of Tataryn Kherem for over nine months. The A1-V primary is almost three times the mass of Sol and more than sixty times as bright, which has resulted in a very large system. Ogadei Khoyor is one hundred and twenty million kilometres from the moon system of the eighth planet, orbiting ten billion kilometres from the star, when her limited EM sensors detect active sensor emissions from ten million kilometres ahead. The alien ship is moving at over 4000 km/s and is on an intercept course. Ogadei Khoyor is alone in the vast system as the two Aimak class jump ships are in great demand and unable to remain on station while the survey is underway. She turns and tries to run for the jump point.
The contact gives chase. At 700,000 kilometres, Ogadei Khoyor's equally limited thermal sensors detect three strength-720 signatures, only one of which has active sensors engaged. At 200,000 kilometres, the survey ship is struck three times by strength-12 hits from some type of energy weapon. Her engine is hit and explodes, tearing the small ship apart. Thirty of her crew make it to the life pods but there is no hope of rescue unless the aliens pick them up. No one in the Federation will even know their fate until a jump ship arrives to check on their progress. Minghunchi Dampildorggiin Chatagi was killed by a hit on the bridge.
4th October 1907The Imperial Fleet receives the first three Kaifeng-B war cruisers. The Kaifeng-B is 50% larger than the original Kaifeng and mounts six newly developed 25cm Far Ultraviolet Lasers, giving it far more punch then its predecessor. Two laser fire controls have been installed for redundancy, ECCM has been added and the issues of short-range and vulnerability of fuel storage have been resolved by tripling fuel capacity and storing it within three separate compartments. However, further construction of the Kaifeng-B is now on hold due to resource problems. The stockpile of Gallicite on Mars is less than 400 tons.
Kaifeng-B class War Cruiser 9,600 tons 290 Crew 1913 BP TCS 192 TH 960 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-40 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 5 PPV 48
Maint Life 2.46 Years MSP 623 AFR 147% IFR 2% 1YR 142 5YR 2131 Max Repair 160 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 0
Cryogenic Berths 200
Xiang-320 Magneto-plasma Drive (3) Power 320 Fuel Use 48% Signature 320 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 29.3 billion km (67 days at full power)
25cm C4 Far Ultraviolet Laser (6) Range 256,000km TS: 5000 km/s Power 16-4 RM 5 ROF 20
Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5000 km/s
Stellarator Fusion Reactor (6) Total Power Output 36 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Tsang-80 Active Sensor (1) GPS 11760 Range 79.5m km Resolution 140
ECCM-2 (1) ECM 20
12th October 1907A ninth Jianghu-B class battlecruiser joins the Imperial Fleet, along with two Leizhou class jump freighters. The Leizhou serves as a tanker, a freighter and a rescue ship and is large enough to escort all existing commercial Martian ships, except the Xia class Fuel Harvesters, through a jump point.
Leizhou class Jump Freighter 79,000 tons 361 Crew 1627 BP TCS 1580 TH 3840 EM 0
2430 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-164 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 13 Max Repair 150 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Cargo 25000 Cryogenic Berths 3000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 15
JC79K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 79000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Tsien-320 Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (12) Power 320 Fuel Use 3.04% Signature 320 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 4,000,000 Litres Range 299.8 billion km (1427 days at full power)
The Leizhous will be dispatched to Zhejiang and Jiangxi to add a temporary bridge to the chains of jump gates being constructed toward those systems, allowing colonization of the ideal habitable world in Jiangxi and the establishment of a hostile environment mining colony on Zhejiang-B II. The latter is the highest priority for Tianxia given the resource situation.
13th October 1907The Khaghan Federation launches its first fuel harvester. At almost one hundred thousand tons, The Mongka is larger and more productive than the Braemer class harvesters of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The new vessel heads for Jupiter as the Federation has yet to find a suitable gas giant within its sphere of influence.
Mongka class Fuel Harvester 99,000 tons 444 Crew 1773.5 BP TCS 1980 TH 1050 EM 0
530 km/s Armour 1-190 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 11 Max Repair 37.5 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 6
Fuel Harvester: 35 modules producing 980000 litres per annum
Ghazan-150 Commercial Ion Drive (7) Power 150 Fuel Use 9.28% Signature 150 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 19.6 billion km (427 days at full power)
27th October 1907Aimak Khoyor transits into Tataryn Kherem to check on the progress of Ogadei Khoyor. She finds only the wreckage of the survey ship twelve billion kilometres from the jump point, near the eighth planet. The jump cruiser returns to the Tenduk system and heads for home to warn the Federation.
4th November 1907HMS Adventure and HMS Foresight are currently engaged in a survey of Munich, the only system beyond Berlin, after being recalled from the Victoria chain. So far a single new jump point has been located and HMS Amethyst transits to investigate. She emerges in a system known to astronomers as Xi Bootis, but which is named Istanbul in accordance with the current naming convention of the British Empire. Istanbul is a binary, with a G8-V yellow star and K4-V orange star orbiting each other at five billion kilometres. The system has a total of only seven planets, twelve moons and a scattering of asteroids. Istanbul-A III has a breathable atmosphere of 0.94 atm, the first found outside Sol by the British Empire, and gravity of 0.97G. Surface temperature is on the low side at -42C but this is a very good terraforming candidate with a current colony cost of 1.33. Istanbul-B II has a thin nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere of 0.17 atm but the temperature is even lower at -65C, making this a colony cost 2.30 world.
5th November 1907The Khaghan Federation launches Hulaga, its first jump gate construction ship. So far the only jump gates to which the Federation has had access are the pair linking Sol to Darkhan, which were constructed by the British Empire. Hulaga's first task will be to connect Darkhan to Kerait Ordos, a key system through which all Khaghan ships must pass to reach the rest of the galaxy, at least until Kharkhorin can be cleansed of the aliens that destroyed a survey ship in that system. The Khaghan Federation Navy (KFN) also gains its third Mughal class jump freighter. By stationing the three Mughals along the route Darkhan - Kerait Ordos - Tenduk - Sarai, Federation colony ships and freighters will be able to reach the near-habitable world in the Sarai system.
Hulaga class Construction Ship 64,400 tons 230 Crew 1695 BP TCS 1288 TH 1500 EM 0
1164 km/s Armour 1-143 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 16 Max Repair 37.5 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 2
Jump Gate Construction Ship: 180 days
Ghazan-150 Commercial Ion Drive (10) Power 150 Fuel Use 9.28% Signature 150 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 22.6 billion km (224 days at full power)
15th November 1907Aimak Khoyor transits into Kerait Ordos. Normally, she would have to travel all the way to Darkhan to deliver her warning but one of the Mughal class jump freighters is on that jump point and able to relay a message. The Federation now faces alien threats on three fronts, in Kharkhorin, Tosokh and Tataryn Kherem, although only two alien races have actually initiated hostile action. T'mjn convenes the Council to discuss options. The three Chakhar class battleships are less than two months from completion so at least some offensive action will soon be possible. However, the attack in Tataryn Kherem took place beyond the operating range of even the Chakhars, unless they refuel en route. A large tanker is under construction but will not be ready until August 1909. In the meantime, the Kharkhorin and Tosokh jump points are picketed by an Ogadei and a Zanabazar class survey ship respectively, leaving only one Ogadei and two Zanabazar available for actual survey duty. Not to mention that unarmed survey ships are hardly ideal for picketing jump points to hostile alien races.
The Council agrees that some form of ship designed for long-term defensive operation is necessary, in order to guard those jump points leading to alien threats which have not yet been neutralised. This will not be an immediate solution however, as a new class will have to be designed and a suitable shipyard will have to be increased to the necessary size and retooled. Apart from the Gerelgin Shipyard that is constructing the Chakhars, Federation shipbuilding capacity is still not on a par with the other Solarian powers. The second largest yard is the Qioyor Shipyard, which has two slipways of 8000 tons. This will be upgraded to 10,000 tons by April 1908. The shipyard is currently building two Aimak II class jump cruisers, a version of the existing Aimak with ion engines, which will also be completed in April 1908. Therefore, at that point this shipyard will be retooled to build the new ship class. T'mjn declares that in the meantime operations in unaffected systems will continue. The Khaghan Federation will not cower at home because of the loss of two survey ships and a fleeting alien contact in Tosokh. If the picket ships detect any alien vessels emerging from the affected systems, priorities will be reassessed.
16th November 1907The Majestic class battleships HMS Magnificent and HMS Majestic complete a refit that replaces their six Parsons PN2 Naval Ion Drives with Parsons PN4 Magneto-plasma Drives, increasing their speed from 3750 km/s to 5000 km/s. All twelve of the Royal Navy's battleships, comprising the six Royal Sovereigns, two Majestics and four Formidables, are now capable of 5000 km/s. A further two Formidables are under construction and are expected to join the Fleet in May 1908.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary takes delivery of the first two Dracon class maintenance vessels. The Dracon is designed to act as a forward base, enabling ships to be maintained and overhauled without the need for a supporting population. Multiple Dracons will be combined to enable larger ships to be overhauled. Five are planned in total to support survey operations, although they are expensive and require almost two years for construction so it will be some time before they are used on active service.
Dracon class Maintenance Vessel 59,750 tons 589 Crew 2710 BP TCS 1195 TH 1200 EM 0
1004 km/s Armour 1-136 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/8/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 28 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Maintenance Modules: 10 module(s) capable of supporting ships of 2000 tons
Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (3) Power 400 Fuel Use 5.3% Signature 400 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 28.4 billion km (327 days at full power)
Type 4 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 14.0m km Resolution 120
EM8 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8m km
1st December 1907HMS Isis, heading sunward in Madrid from the Lisbon jump point, detects the thermal signatures of two Automata ships at close range. One is a Normandie, the same class encountered in Vienna, while the second is a new class, the Requin. She engages her active sensors and detects three more Automata ships, designated as Courbet class, at ninety million kilometres. All five ships are 8800 tons. The Automata also engage their active sensors and twenty seconds after initial contact HMS Isis is struck by four missiles with strength-9 warheads. Moments later she launches four Mark I torpedoes, targeting the Normandie. All four are destroyed by point-blank defensive fire. HMS Alexandra is at the jump point, one point six billion kilometres away, but unable to assist in time.
Three more Automata salvos arrive, inflicting ten more hits but failing to penetrate the survey cruiser's armour. HMS Isis launches two more of her own salvos but all her torpedoes are shot down. She launches her fourth salvo at the Requin class ship, just as two more Automata missiles explode against her armour, this time causing minor damage to her crew accommodations. The Requin proves equally impervious to the British torpedoes. A sixth wave of alien missiles scores three hits, destroying HMS Isis' fire control system, along with a magazine and one of her survey sensors. A seventh salvo inflicts massive internal damage, including one of her two engines. Her captain has no option but to order abandon ship. HMS Isis is the third Eclipse class Survey Cruiser to be lost to the Automata. Only the lead ship of the class now remains in service. After watching the result of the brief engagement, HMS Alexandra transits into Lisbon and heads for the Proxima jump point to inform the Admiralty of yet another encounter with the Automata.
11th December 1907HMS Alexandra is still more than one and half billion kilometres from the Lisbon - Proxima jump point when six Royal Navy ships transit in the opposite direction. Her sister ship HMS Sapphire, four Prometheus class survey cruisers and the last geological survey cruiser HMS Eclipse, have been ordered to move through Lisbon to survey Madrid, Oporto and Barcelona. HMS Alexandra informs them of the events in Madrid and HMS Sapphire transits back into Proxima where she can communicate with the Admiralty via the jump gate network.
Admiral Sir John Fisher orders three Town class light cruisers and three Tribal class destroyers to leave Earth orbit and rendezvous with HMS Sapphire at the Proxima jump point, from where she will escort them through Lisbon to Madrid. The survey ships in Lisbon, along with HMS Alexandra, are ordered to wait for the escorts at the Lisbon - Madrid jump point. It will be eighty days before jump gates will be in place between Proxima and Madrid and another year before Lisbon could be connected to the jump gate network. Rather than wait, Sir John decides to use his survey cruisers as an offensive force with the Towns and Tribals providing cover against missile attack., While a similar strategy failed in Berlin during the first encounter with the Automata, that was against ships designed to defend against missile attack. The five Automata ships in Madrid are smaller and at least one is apparently armed with anti-ship missiles. In the longer-term a solution will have to be found that allows battleships to operate outside the jump gate network.
30th December 1907The Khaghan Federation launches its first three Chakhar class battleships. The 20,000 ton ships are the first Khaghan warships capable of projecting power outside the Sol system and mark a significant point in the growth of the Federation Navy. Eighty-six Kublai and twenty-eight Kublai II class FACs are also in service. The Chakhars will be restricted by the jump gate network so their first mission, to destroy the aliens in Kharkhorin, will have to wait until a jump gate has been built on the Darkhan - Kharkhorin jump point.
10th January 1908A Royal Navy task group under the command of Commodore Zachary Thompson has assembled at the Lisbon - Madrid jump point. The order of battle for the task group is as follows:
2x Alexandra class Scout Cruiser: HMS Alexandra, HMS Sapphire
4x Prometheus class Survey Cruiser: HMS Fearless, HMS Pathfinder, HMS Perseus, HMS Prometheus
1x Eclipse class Survey Cruiser: HMS Eclipse
3x Town class Light Cruiser: HMS Belfast (flag), HMS Edinburgh, HMS Sheffield
3x Tribal class Destroyer: HMS Gurkha, HMS Mohawk, HMS Zulu
The task group transits into Madrid and sets course for the wreck of HMS Isis at 2520 km/s. Three days later, with the wreck still a billion kilometres away, the three Automata Courbet class ships are detected at the end of sensor range. Due to the ECM of the Automata, the British ships have to close to eight-eighty million kilometres before the fire controls of the five survey cruisers will lock on to their target. Before leaving Sol, the survey cruisers were each loaded with fifty-two Mark III Whitehead torpedoes, allowing a total of thirteen salvos from their four torpedo launchers. Three salvos are fired at Courbet 002 before the task group ceases fire to observe the results. The Mark IIIs close on their target at 32,000 km/s, one third faster than the older Mark I with which the cruisers were previously equipped. There is no defensive fire at all, not even from close-in point defence.
Sixteen torpedoes with strength-6 warheads strike Courbet 002. There is no sign of atmosphere loss but that is normal for the Automata. More telling in terms of penetrating damage is a drop in speed from 4089 km/s to 3635 km/s. Fifteen more hit from the second wave and the alien ship slows down significantly. Every torpedo in the third wave smashes into Courbet 002 and she blows up spectacularly. Commodore Thompson orders six more salvos, with three targeted on each of the two remaining Automata ships. Both are destroyed. The survey cruisers have finally extracted some measure of revenge for the losses of the sister ships.
The task group presses on, passing the wreckage of the enemy ships, although the survey cruisers have only enough ordnance for four more salvos. Seventeen hours after the destruction of the Courbets, two new contacts are detected at one hundred and twenty-six million kilometres. The Normandie and the Requin that destroyed HMS Isis. Based on the engagement that preceded the loss of HMS Isis, one or both of the enemy ships have some form of close-range point defence. Therefore, Commodore Thompson decides to launch all his remaining torpedoes at the Normandie and then attempt to destroy the Requin using either the Mark IV point defence torpedoes of his Town class light cruisers or the lasers of his scout cruisers and destroyers.
Before he can give the order to fire, the task group will have to close to a range where their fire control can lock on. As his own force is slower than the enemy, that will rely on the Automata cooperating in closing the range. Unfortunately they aren't in a cooperative mood and twelve minutes after the initial contact, the Normandie and the Requin move out of active sensor range, although the active emissions of the Normandie are still being picked up. Commodore Thompson instructs the escorts to prepare for missile attack. Almost three hours pass after the initial contact with no sign of enemy missiles and Thompson has just about convinced himself that his concerns were unfounded. Suddenly nine missiles are detected at one point two million kilometres but they are only moving at 9604 km/s. Rather than waste his Mark IVs, he orders the Town class light cruisers to hold fire and relies on the laser turrets of the three Tribals to deal with the attack. In total there are twenty-one waves of the relatively slow-moving Automata missiles. Every single one is destroyed by the Tribals.
Well aware that the active sensor emissions from the Normandie are steadily moving away from his own force and that he will soon lose contact, Commodore Thompson detaches the Towns and Tribals, including his own HMS Belfast, and gives chase at 5000 km/s. The maximum sensor range of the escorts is only forty-six million kilometres and their EM sensors are far more limited than the survey and scout cruisers so they need to get within range of those sensors before the Automata move outside the range of the slower moving cruisers. Fortunately contact is maintained until the escorts move within sensor range. As the hostile ships are apparently missile armed, Thompson is content to preserve his torpedoes and get within the range of the 10cm lasers on his destroyers. There is no defensive fire on the approach and once within 25,000 kilometres the rapid firing lasers, twelve on each destroyer, simply rip the Automata ships to pieces.
23rd January 1908The Royal Navy task group completes a sweep of the planets in the Madrid system without finding any further sign of an Automata presence. HMS Eclipse, HMS Fearless and HMS Pathfinder begin a survey of Madrid and HMS Sapphire remains in the system to investigate any new jump points. The other ships head for the Lisbon jump point.
26th January 1908RFA Orpheus completes the salvage of the Automata ships in the Berlin system. Her disappointingly limited haul includes an ECM-3 system, two fire controls, ten size-1 missile launchers, three magazines and a small amount of data on active sensors.
13th March 1908Construction ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary complete jump gates on either side of the Sol - Proxima jump point, providing direct access to the Proxima chain without the need to move through Victoria and Bombay.
14th March 1908Tianxia completes a chain of jump gates leading from Sol to the Zhejiang system and the mineral resources of Zhejiang-B II.
23rd March 1908The first Haizhui class escort cruiser joins the Imperial Fleet. The Haizhui is intended to operate with the Imperial war cruisers, providing defence against hostile missiles without the need for a logistical tail. A second Haizhui will be available within a month but no other Martian warships are under construction due to the Gallicite shortage.
Haizhui class Escort Cruiser 9,600 tons 222 Crew 1652 BP TCS 192 TH 960 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 5-40 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 5 PPV 66.24
Maint Life 2.15 Years MSP 538 AFR 147% IFR 2% 1YR 156 5YR 2335 Max Repair 160 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 0
Xiang-320 Magneto-plasma Drive (3) Power 320 Fuel Use 48% Signature 320 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 550,000 Litres Range 21.5 billion km (49 days at full power)
Twin Gauss Cannon R3-100 Turret (4x6) Range 30,000km TS: 20000 km/s Power 0-0 RM 3 ROF 5
Point Defence Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 20000 km/s 84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
Missile Warning Sensor (1) GPS 63 Range 5.0m km MCR 549k km Resolution 1
Tsang-80 Active Sensor (1) GPS 11760 Range 79.5m km Resolution 140
ECM 20
9th May 1908To address the continuing problems of deploying battleships outside the jump gate network the Royal Navy has carried out a second refit of the two Majestic class battleships. The Majestic Mod 2J sacrifices one third of its armament and magazine space and its EM sensor to accommodate the newly developed MJD-192 Military Jump Drive. The Majestics and all six of the smaller Royal Sovereign Mod 1s will now be able to operate outside the network, allowing a much more powerful response to any alien threats. The Formidable class battleships are too large at 22,400 tons to be escorted by the Majestics and refitting one or more Formidables instead was considered. However, the Royal Navy's designers decided that it was highly unlikely that all the battleships would be on long-range deployment at once so they opted for developing a smaller jump drive and modifying the Majestics.
Majestic Mod 2J class Battleship 19,200 tons 440 Crew 3003.4 BP TCS 384 TH 1920 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 11-63 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 9 PPV 40
Maint Life 1.59 Years MSP 880 AFR 327% IFR 4.6% 1YR 405 5YR 6080 Max Repair 266 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 1
Magazine 680
MJD-192 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 19200 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Parsons PN4 Magneto-plasma Drive (6) Power 320 Fuel Use 48% Signature 320 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 19.5 billion km (45 days at full power)
MK 1 Torpedo Launcher (8) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 50
Barr and Stroud FT-1 Torpedo Fire Control (2) Range 126.2m km Resolution 120
Mark III Whitehead Torpedo (136) Speed: 32,000 km/s Range: 114.8m km WH: 6 Size: 5 TH: 106/64/32
Type 1 Active Sensor (1) GPS 17280 Range 126.2m km Resolution 120
to be continued...
