1st January 2010
Five years earlier, during a deep mining operation, a small quantity of unknown mineral was found by the Commonwealth. After years of study the scientific community finally presented a paper with theory about the find. The potential of this new discovery – one of the newly named Trans-Newtonian elements, duranium – was staggering, although it will take enormous amount of work to turn the theory into practice. All major powers begun work.
All eleven postulated minerals were found on Earth, fortunately, albeit at relatively low quantities. It was almost certain that more will be needed – meaning a search among the planets of the solar system.
6th June 2010
The Commonwealth is the first do develop practical uses for the TN elements. The nation begins to transform it's industry immediately.
13th September 2010
The Alliance is the second power block to develop TN industry, at least conceptually. They also begun to transform it's industry, but they are also using a small amount of it to build a naval yard. It will be necessary for the geological survey of the solar system.
4th December 2010
Russia is another nation to find practical application for the TN elements.
22nd December 2010
The Federation is the fourth power block to conceptually develop TN industry.
3rd March 2011
Japan is the fifth nation to find practical use for the TN elements. Aware they are lagging significantly behind other powers, they decide to improve their research establishment, while transforming their industry. While this will likely make them fall behind in the short term, it should pay-off in the long term.
12th April 2011
The Confederation is the last power block to join the TN club. It is obvious they are far behind other powers, but there is nothing that can be done about it.
This also means, that while their competitors are likely working on TN spacecraft, the Confeds can't hope to join that space race. They have to focus on transforming their industry at the exclusion of everything else if they hope to compete in the long term.
Because of this they decide to do two things. First, to begin developing some kind of TN ground forces as soon as possible, since ground forces will be their only defence. Second, they will research technologies, others may use, but are unlikely to consider them priority, like fuel efficiency with the hopes of trading them.
23rd July 2012
Japanese espionage team managed to infiltrate civilian laboratory contracted by the government to help develop a new propulsion. Thanks to that, the Empire obtained pressurised water reactor technology, which will hasten their development of spacecraft significantly.
1st August 2012
The Confederation develops an entire line of Trans-Newtonian based weaponry. While their gear is very effective it is also very bulky, useful practically only for defending. Even so, they are the first to develop something like this and they already begun training their first unit – popularly named garrison battalion – equipped with this new gear.
24th October 2012
The Alliance have developed a series of nuclear thermal engines for both military and civilian use. However, they do not yet have military shipyard, and production of one will take several more years. They could however, begin constructing freighters. Of course, there is hardly any use for them, and likely won't be for several more years, but at least they would have some on hand, if needed.
In the end, they decide to wait for better cargo handling technologies before laying down one, followed by duranium armour to decrease the size of their vessels and then geological survey sensors. With any luck, by that time they will be able to actually build some survey vessels.
26th October 2012
Barely two days after the Alliance, the Commonwealth develops it's own series of nuclear thermal engines. However, the Poles already have geological sensors, so they can develop their spacecraft immediately. Three of the Domeyko class have been laid down in Gdansk Yard with delivery date of August 2013. They will now concentrate their research on supporting civilian technologies.
2nd August 2013
The first three human build Trans-Newtonian vessels, Ignacy Domeyko, Pawel Edmunt Strzelecki and Benedykt Polak are launched from the Gdansk Yard. The launch is surrounded by enormous publicity with the politicians playing the event for all it's worth. In fact, the constant speeches, showing the ships off, interviews with their crews and geology team attached to one of the ships delay the beginning of the geological survey by nearly two weeks.
No more ships of this class are planned.
15th September 2013
The Commonwealth completes design of a freighter and a colony ship. Not only that, but the first data from Mars have been coming in, and it have been very encouraging. The planet possesses a significant amount of duranium, neutronium and corundium, which will be essential to the functioning of the Commonwealth industry.
There are two important decisions to be made however. The first is: what to develop now? The Commonwealth is small, and it always relied on it's technological and qualitative superiority to compete with other, bigger power blocks, which is why many argue of pursuing only industrial research, at least for the time being. Others argue, that space will soon become the most important battlefield, and so the Commonwealth have to develop military technology if it is to be truly competitive.
The other question is: how soon should the Commonwealth colonise Mars? They should be able to start the process in between two and four years, if they start immediately. While there is little value in that – at least for the time being – in the long term, a quick start may prove decisive. Not only that, but if someone else, like Russia for example, gets there first, they may try to claim the whole planet for themselves.
After several days of heated discussion a decision is reached. Mars will be colonised as soon as possible. The government will try to push international space treaty opening colonisation and development of any body in the solar system to everyone, to prevent fighting over resources. Technology of garrison battalion will be bought from the Confederation in exchange for technology of cryogenic transport. And the research budget will be split between missile and industrial technologies.
Soon, the first of the Pionier class colonisation ships is laid down in the Rotterdamche Droogdok with delivery expected in 2015, although it won't be able to start work until a freighter is completed.
24th October 2013
The Confederation have completed their work on improved fuel efficiency and they trade this technology – alongside their ground combat technology – to the Alliance in exchange for pressurised water reactor and duranium armour. However, the transfer come with a stipulation that the two Atlantic technologies cannot be traded further
While the Confeds are considering secretly trading the technologies anyway, neither the Federation nor the Japanese have the technology they want – nuclear thermal engine.
4th May 2014
The Alliance finally constructed their first naval yard, but they need to wait for the geological survey sensors before they can lay down their first ship there.
They did however laid down their first freighter in lake Washington Shipyard.
13th June 2014
The Alliance lays down it's first geological survey ship. To avoid political storm over naming, a neutral name of Ruby was chosen. The ships is expected to enter service in March 2015.
26th August 2014
Russia lays down it's first survey vessel. Due to lack of TN armour, the ship is much bigger, slower and shorter ranged that those of the Commonwealth and the Alliance. The Empire will now concentrate on ground combat technologies.
17th December 2014
The Federation develops nuclear thermal engine, although they do not yet posses the geological survey sensors. They offer the technology to the Confederation in exchange for cryogenic transport, garrison battalion and improved fuel efficiency. While the three technologies, combined, are more expensive to develop, the Federation is adamant that it's the best deal they can offer. Since the Confeds have very poor research establishment, and must rely on trade, they have little choice but to accept.
3rd January 2015
The Alliance have completed it's first Atlas class freighter. It's also the first commercial ship on Earth to enter service. Since the yard is expanding, and no retooling is possible, another have been laid down. After expansion is complete, the shipyard will retool for a colonisation ship.
14th March 2015
The Ruby have been launched and the Alliance ship begins work almost immediately. While there are still quite few ceremonies and speeches, the fact that the Atlantic ship was launched nearly two years after Poles means this isn't as a big event as the previous one.
Another ships of this class, Amethyst, have been laid down.
21st June 2015
The first Polish colony ship is complete. Retooling now begun for the freighters.
2nd July 2015
After painstaking negotiations, lasting nearly two years, a Stockholm Agreement is signed. The Agreement decrees, that all Solar System bodies are open to colonisation and exploitation by any power. And, surprisingly, all the power blocks signed it.
The Commonwealth had no choice. While it's in the forefront of space exploration, it's small nation. If they tried to grab Mars or any other body for themselves, they would be overrun. Without the agreement on the other hand, they may end up sharing the planet with Russia and no one else. This way they had guarantee, that there will be some semblance of power balance on Mars and elsewhere.
The Confederation, and to a lesser extent the Federation have seen the agreement as the only way to get a piece of the pie, and they favoured it from the very beginning. Being far behind other powers – especially the Commonwealth and the Alliance – it was very possible that one of the other nations, or a powerful group of nations, would establish themselves on best locations and deny access to everyone else.
Japan was pretty much in the same position, although their primary concern was that the Alliance was likely to do whatever they could to deny access for the Empire if not for the agreement.
Russia would like nothing else then to get Mars – or other good body – for themselves, but they recognised that they were behind far enough for that to be unlikely.
Surprisingly, the most opposed to the notion, for a long time, was the Alliance. They were quickly expanding their commercial shipping and they hoped to be the first to colonise Mars, and claim it whole. However, they realised that without navy – which they couldn't hope to build soon enough – they could never actually enforce other nations to leave Mars alone. Besides, the Commonwealth may very well be first after all.
The treaty also stipulated, that the entire system is a free travel zone and no one had any right to interfere with traffic.
12th August 2015
The Japanese espionage team managed to infiltrate one of the Alliance shipyards and acquire blueprints for geological survey sensors. That will significantly speed up their production of their own survey vessel, as they are researching nuclear thermal drive already, but they were still lacking those sensors.
23rd August 2015
The Japanese lay down it's first two survey vessels, of the Akagi class. The class is – unbeknownst to them – almost identical to the Russian ship, with similar limitations due to lack of modern armour.
4th March 2016
The Alliance lays down it's first two Cleisthenes class colony ships, named after father of Athenian democracy.
Five days later, the Asian Federation lays down it's first three survey vessels, identical to those of Japanese and Russians.
27th March 2016
The Confederation further refined their fuel efficiency technology and they trade it to the Alliance in exchange for geological survey sensors and cargo handling system. They are trying to trade it to the Commonwealth in exchange for some of their research, but the Poles do not seem to be interested.
17th May 2016
The Russian Empire begins the survey of the Sol system, the third power to do so.
13th June 2016
The Japanese begins the survey of the Solar System, becoming the fourth nation to operate major spacecraft.
2nd July 2016
The Commonwealth have completed a series of research, that, with just a little more work, would allow them to develop a viable missile-armed warship. However, there is a lot of discussion whether or not a fleet is needed at that time. Only two other human powers even operate spacecraft at all, and, according to intelligence, their main competitor – the Russia – seems to concentrate on ground combat technologies for the moment.
However, as others point out, while the Commonwealth is not hostile towards the Alliance, the Alliance is hostile towards the Commonwealth, a relic of the Great War. That means, that the Atlantics may develop warships and use them against the Poles. While the Stockholm Agreement guarantees free access to everyone to every body of the Sol System, if the Alliance teamed up with the Russians and managed to buy off someone else as well, they could make that treaty irrelevant.
Somewhat regrettably, considering the costs, the government gives it's military a green light to proceed with the development.
14th November 2016
The first two Polish freighters are complete. They are loaded with infrastructure, that will allow humans to live on Mars. The colony ship will follow few days later.
22nd November 2016
The first fifty thousand colonists land on Mars. The event is watched by over two billion people worldwide and is fraught with political speeches and other spectacle.
19th December 2016
The Federation launches it's three survey vessels, becoming fifth power to reach the stars. It is likely, that for a long time, they will be last, as the Confederation have yet to even build a yard, much less a ship.
17th April 2017
Japanese intelligence continues it's streak of successes by stealing – and then duplicating – some of the Alliance ground force equipment, allowing them to train mobile infantry battalions.
30th April 2017
The Commonwealth develops it's first warship, a twenty five hundred tonnes corvette. Retooling begun in the Gdansk Yard. Three are planned, Poznan, Praga and Wilno. While the low rate of fire will likely be a problem, there is – for the time being – no solution to that problem.
The research, that was up until now tied in military R&D, will now be used to develop a new, better space drive.
Poznan class Corvette 2,450 tons 248 Crew 264.5 BP TCS 49 TH 50 EM 0
1020 km/s Armour 2-16 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 2 PPV 12
Maint Life 8.59 Years MSP 135 AFR 24% IFR 0.3% 1YR 3 5YR 49 Max Repair 40 MSP
Magazine 147
Kosmiczna Energia WNT - 10 Engine (2) Power 25 Fuel Use 100% Signature 25 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 36.7 billion km (416 days at full power)
Size 3 Missile Launcher (4) Missile Size 3 Rate of Fire 90
Missile Fire Control FC21-R50 (1) Range 21.2m km Resolution 50
RPO-NN-1 (49) Speed: 6,700 km/s End: 30m Range: 12.1m km WH: 4 Size: 3 TH: 22 / 13 / 6
Active Search Sensor MR14-R50 (1) GPS 2000 Range 14.1m km Resolution 50
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
17th June 2017
The Confederation sells improvements to fuel efficiency and ground combat gear to the Commonwealth in exchange for improvements to industrial production techniques. While again, this is not exactly a fair deal, the Confeds have little choice.
2nd September 2017
The elusive, and very successful Japanese intelligence team have been killed trying to sneak into General Dynamics research facility. Unbeknownst to them, it was a carefully laid trap.
Meanwhile the Federation completes it's first commercial yard, while the Japanese approach the Confederation with an offer to trade the stolen plans for mobile infantry. In exchange they gain improvements to the ground forces strength and increased fuel efficiency.
While recently, the technology trade dealings are less and less fair, the Confederation is becoming a hub of technology trading, thanks to researching what others consider to be low priority and thanks to being de facto neutral. Almost all other powers have grievances with each other. The Commonwealth is in a state of cold war with the Russia and they aren't exactly fans of the Japanese. The Federation literally hates the Russia – mainly because they still occupie parts of India, with nearly three hundred million of them being under oppressive, Imperial rule – and is in a stand-off with the Japanese. The Alliance is composed of nations that have long-standing hostility towards the Japanese and the Commonwealth.
That is, surprisingly, a good thing, at least to certain extent. This guarantees a balance of power on Earth, potentially being the only thing preventing a nuclear conflict. If there ever emerges a stable alliance of three or more nations, the other one will likely go under.
2nd January 2018
The first hundred thousand Alliance colonists arrive on Mars. By now, the Commonwealth population on the planet is eight hundred fifty thousand.
7th February 2018
The Commonwealth have officially completed their survey of the Sol system. The three ships are recalled to Earth. Two will be scrapped, with the third functioning as a transport for geological team.
14th April 2018
The Confederation is the first power to completely transform it's industry to TN one. That however, have been accomplished at the expanse of space expansion.
While the government intends to continue expanding it's industry as a priority, they will now also spend a small amount of this on building shipyards.
22nd July 2018
The first privately owned spaceship was launched by Guerreiro Limited, a Spanish (Alliance) based company.
Meanwhile the Federation lays down it's first colony ship. However, their shipyard is currently too small to build freighters, so it will be some time yet, before they can begin colonisation of Mars. In addition their intelligence successfully obtained examples of Japanese infantry equipment, allowing them to construct mobile infantry battalions. They also trade this technology to the Commonwealth in exchange for improved fuel efficiency and duranium armour.
3rd August 2018
The first three Commonwealth warships enter service. Russia and the Alliance launch a huge media campaign against them and their 'militarisation of space'. However, Russians at least, are secretly grateful, as this gives them excuse to build their own force.
For now, the Commonwealth does not intend to build more warships.
25th October 2018
The first civilian mining complex is established on Titania by an American company.
23rd April 2019
The Commonwealth is the second nation to complete it's industrial transformation.
11th December 2019
The Alliance develops new type of planetary defence fortress, equipped with missiles and barracks for two battalions.
There was some discussion whether a PDC or a ship should be designed. The industry was heavily engaged in it's transformation, while the naval yard stood idle. However, the yard could only build ships up to two thousand tonnes, which was deemed too small. In the end a small part of the industry will be used for construction, which won't begin until March 2020.
Fortress class Planetary Defence Centre 8,700 tons 285 Crew 465.5 BP TCS 174 TH 0 EM 0
Armour 8-37 Sensors 1/60 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 20
Troop Capacity: 2 Battalions Magazine 200
Size 4 Missile Launcher (5) Missile Size 4 Rate of Fire 120
Missile Fire Control FC26-R50 (1) Range 26.5m km Resolution 50
MAS-NTE-1 Stinger (50) Speed: 3,700 km/s End: 100m Range: 22.2m km WH: 6 Size: 4 TH: 12 / 7 / 3
Active Search Sensor MR21-R50 (1) GPS 3000 Range 21.2m km Resolution 50
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Planetary Defence Centre and can be pre-fabricated in 4 sections
