Sept., 2082
The gravitic survey squadron completed its survey of the EV Lacertae system, discovering two additional jump points. Two of the squadron’s ships set out for the new jump points while the third hung back, awaiting the results.
On the 9th of September the 1st Fleet returns to Mars. The Council is shocked at the defeat that the Fleet suffered in the 40 Eridani system and an agreement is reached to refit the fleet to the latest technology before sending it out again.
Analysis of the sensor records from the 1st Fleet indicates that there are two separate alien races in the 40 Eridani system. Fleet Intelligence analysts seem relatively certain that the aliens on the third planet of 40 Eridani-A are insectoids that do not possess TN technology, while the aliens controlling the unknown starships that the 1st Fleet engaged are humanoid, although none of the transmissions from the ships ever showed the aliens without their distinctive red armor. It is certainly possible that the two alien races are involved with each other in some way, but Fleet Intel cannot be certain at this point.
Midway through the month the Vasco de Gama jumps out of the EV Lacertae system into the HP 103096 system. This is a red dwarf star system with three rocky planets and two gas giants. The innermost planet has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, although it is very thin. The de Gama jumps back to EV Lacertae to report to its fellow ships then jumps back to probe the innermost planet.
On the 25th the Walter Raleigh jumps out of the EV Lacertae system into the V1581 Cygni system. This system is a binary system with two red dwarves. The two stars have numerous planets and moons orbiting them, but none of the planets have oxygen-nitrogen atmospheres.
Dec., 2083
The terraforming of Struve B-II is complete. The terraforming fleet sets out for Earth for rest and overhaul.
The Federation is undergoing a serious fuel crisis. The rapid expansion of the fleet, which has relatively wasteful engines, and the expansion of the civilian fleet have consumed the reserves. The Council has ordered that additional fuel refineries be built and orbital fuel extraction and refineries are being built over Mars.
July 8, 2084
The Federation’s 1st Fleet sets out for 40 Eridani. The fleet is composed of the following units:
BCJ Belknap (Rear Admiral Isabell Maurais) (Belknap Mod 2B)
BCJ Josephus Daniels (Belknap Mod 2B)
FSC Arleigh Burke, John Paul Jones (Arleigh Burke Mod 2) (2x GB Squadrons, each with 8xForrestal class BG’s, 1xForrestal(S) class scout GB, and 1xForrestal(AMM) anti-missile GB)
BC Clark, Duncan, McInerney, Oliver H Perry (Oliver H Perry Mod B)
BC Wadsworth (Oliver H Perry)
CP Bejing, London, Portland, New York, Seattle, Yorkshire (Portland Mod C)
Note: See post #7 for ship designs.
The fleet has taken on virtually all of the Federation’s fuel and all of the most advanced missiles. A small squadron is left behind to protect the home planet.
July 19, 2084
The fleet has entered the 40 Eridani system. Admiral Maurais orders shields and sensors activated, and as before she detaches the Josephus Daniels and the Patrol Cruiser New York to guard the jump point.
Almost immediately the fleet’s sensors detect six alien ships 536 mkm’s away, hovering near where the gunboat force was massacred during the last attack. Admiral Maurais ordered the fleet to close with the alien ships. Shortly after the fleet began moving towards the aliens, the alien ships began closing with the fleet at 6655 kps.
Just over thirteen hours later the two forces had closed to 48.8 mkms. Admiral Maurais ordered her flagship to attempt to launch on the alien ships in an effort to test the effectiveness of the new electronic counter-countermeasures installed on the larger ships during the last refit. The attempt failed, as expected, but the new ECCM systems had increased the engagement range from 30 mkm’s to 36 mkm’s. Admiral Maurais ordered her fleet to continue to close. Almost immediately the alien ships turned away from the Human fleet. Knowing that this meant that they were launching missiles, Admiral Maurais ordered all missile defenses readied.
Twenty one minutes later thirty six alien missiles appeared on the human ship’s sensors. One hundred and eight Shrike Mod 2 missiles raced away from the Federation ships to intercept the incoming missiles. Unlike last time, the Shrike Mod 2’s were faster than the alien missiles and the Admiral had high hopes for their effectiveness. To draw out the engagement time, Admiral Maurais ordered the fleet to reverse course.
As before the alien missiles sailed right past the Human interceptor missiles, but this time the Human AMM’s were faster than their targets. The interceptor missiles rapidly caught up to their quarry and obliterated them in an orgy of overkill. After analyzing her AMM’s effectiveness, Admiral Maurais ordered her ships to change their strategy to only launch two AMM’s against each enemy missile, instead of three.
For the next four minutes enemy missile salvoes appeared every thirty seconds. Not one missile reached attack range of the Federation fleet, but by the time the eighth salvo died Admiral Maurais began to worry about how quickly their stocks of AMM’s were being drained.
One minute later, with enemy salvoes still arriving like clock-work, Admiral Maurais ordered her ships to reduce the number of AM’s they launched to 1-1, to conserve missiles. Even if a few leaked, she reasoned, it would be better than running out of AMM’s before the enemy ran out of offensive missiles.
Admiral Maurais was right, at least about there being leakers. Three missiles from the next salvo made it through all of the fleet’s defenses and hit the John Paul Jones, causing minor internal damage from the shock. The damage to the John Paul Jones forced Admiral Maurais to change her mind, and she increased the AMM launch ratio back to 2-1. Damage that was easily survivable for her battle cruisers would gut the two carriers. They would just have to hope that the AMM’s would hold out. Rear Admiral Moehrle, in command of the fleet’s two carriers, ordered both to launch their gunboats to avoid losing them in their bays if the carriers suffered additional damage.
The Federation fleet was under fire for seventeen minutes, with alien missile salvoes composed of thirty six missiles appearing like clockwork every thirty seconds. After Admiral Maurais restored the AMM ratio to 2-1, no alien missiles survived to attack any of the Federation ships. By the time that the last alien missiles died short of the fleet the six alien ships were 59 mkm’s away and pulling away with a speed that was nearly twice that of the Federation fleet. After consulting with her captains Admiral Maurais detached her City class patrol cruisers and the gunboats and ordered them to close with and destroy the enemy force. The gunboats would have been able to catch up to the fleeing aliens quicker, but the wreckage of the last gunboat force to try that were floating in front of them as they advanced. Admiral Maurais opted for the slower, but surer route.
Seven minutes after the Federation ships began pursuing the aliens the fleeing alien ships turned away the inner system. Both groups of Federation ships maintained their pursuit. Seventeen hours later the Federation patrol cruisers and gunboats had closed to 16 mkm’s. Captain Eliopoulos, commander of the Patrol Cruiser Seattle and the senior officer of the detachment, gave the order for the gunboats to open fire. Twenty seconds later six Forrestal class gunboats each launched twenty-five Phoenix Mod 2 ASM’s.
Fourteen minutes and thirty five seconds later the Federation missiles reached their targets. The alien ships apparently had no active defenses as the missiles reached their targets without being molested. Captain Eliopoulos was pleased to note that the missiles achieved an 86% hit ratio. Overall the results of the strike were disappointing, though. The alien ships emerged from the explosions apparently unscathed, meaning that they were likely heavily armored. Captain Eliopoulos ordered a second strike, and shortly thereafter another six gunboats launched their missiles.
The results of the second salvo were similar to the first. The Federation missiles impacted their targets with no sign of active defenses, but once again the alien ships emerged from the fireballs apparently unscathed. Captain Eliopoulos ordered his last six gunboats to launch their missiles. Once again the missiles slammed into their targets, and once again the alien ships emerged from the fireballs, but this time the results were different. This time only one of the alien ships emerged from the engagement unscathed, while the speed of the other five had dropped. Not substantially, but it had dropped. Cheers broke out on the Federation ships as their crews realized that the aliens were not invulnerable after all.
Captain Eliopoulos ordered the gunboats to return to their carriers and ordered her ships to continue their pursuit. The Patrol Cruisers were still the only ships capable of catching the alien ships, even though they had been slowed down.
Just over two hours later the patrol cruisers had closed to 34,000 kilometers of the trailing alien ship, well within range of their lasers. Captain Eliopoulos gave the order for the five cruisers to engage the alien ship independently. Almost immediately all five ships opened fire with their two triple laser turrets. All five ships missed, as the range was still long for the 10cm lasers. Shortly after that, though, the Federation ships began scoring hits. Fifteen seconds after opening fire the alien ship was reduced to a wreck and the Federation ships began their pursuit of the next closest alien ship. One by one the vengeful Federation ships tracked down the fleeing alien ships and pounded them into scrap. None of the alien ships asked for quarter or did anything but try to escape. The alien ship’s course would have taken them across the system and would have eventually intersected with a comet orbiting 8.3 billion kilometers from the primary. It was possible that the aliens had a base there, but Captain Eliopoulos thought it unlikely given how far from the system primary the comet orbited. After the last alien ship exploded the Federation ships turned and accelerated towards their distant fleet. The pursuit had taken them nineteen hours and fifteen minutes from rendezvous.
Once the fleet was reunited, Admiral Maurais ordered the fleet to move to the location where the gunboats had been destroyed in the first battle. Once there, the fleet rebalanced its fuel and missile stocks, then set out for the inner system.
The first planet to be probed was #4, a super Jovian with eight moons. The giant planet’s system of moons proved to be uninteresting and the fleet set out for planet #2, a rocky planet with 17% of the Earth’s gravity and a trace atmosphere. Finally, the fleet probed the first planet, a rock with half of Earth’s gravity and Venus-like conditions. The tertiary star’s planets were too distant, as it would take the fleet seven months to reach them. Planet #3, with its population, was avoided as Admiral Maurais had orders to leave the population alone at this point. The Federation Council was deeply divided on the future of the aliens, and until they could decide no action would be taken. The fleet did pass close enough to determine that a small shipyard orbited the planet. Its survey complete, the fleet set its course for home.
August 3, 2084
The 1st Fleet enters Earth orbit to a hero’s welcome and Admiral Maurais makes her report to the Council. The Council’s jubilation at her victory is tempered by her warning that there aren’t enough fuel or reserve missile stocks to replenish her fleet. Worse, Admiral Maurais reminds the Councilors that there is still an unknown threat in the Kruger 60 system.
After excusing Admiral Maurais the Council goes into closed session to discuss the situation. It has become obvious that the support structure for the Navy is woefully inadequate, and the Federation’s policy towards the aliens in 40 Eridani must be resolved. The hardliners on the Council are for invading and conquering the aliens, and they have corporate support. The younger Councilors are more hesitant to take a hardline stance towards the aliens and most are ambivalent at best towards the military. Many of them are for sending a diplomatic mission to the aliens to develop a more peaceful relationship. The meeting stretches for six hours and in the end nothing is resolved.
In the aftermath of the meeting while the younger Councilors scatter to their homes, or to consult with their advisors and constituents, the hardliners, a strong minority of the Council, meet in secret. They feel that the aimlessness of the Federation in general, and the weakness of the younger Councilors specifically, will mean disaster for the Federation now that it has expanded onto the interstellar stage. The hardliners agree amongst themselves and begin calling in supporters from the military and corporate world. Among the first they call is Major General Jennie Wireman, CO of the 1st Council Guards, the force assigned to protect the Capital and the Council. General Wireman was known as a professional, but she was also a politician, and had gone out of her way to cultivate relationships with several Councilors in the hardliner coalition.
