[ooc]in attempting to save my work...I ended up destroying it...so this took a bit longer than it should. Some minor details I need to check later today.[/ooc]
AD 2282 July 1 to December 30 The Day the Universe Changes
The main issue for the first part of these six months for BIC and the NCC was simply where to expand outward from Forge. There was no clear canditate world and opinion tended to sway back and forth; ease of settlement competed with mineral wealth competed with necessary lift and fuel costing. As there was still a survey going on in FL Virginis the committee decided to wait until the end of the year, as the survey ships from IS IV were exepected back in the fall, to make its final recommendation incorporating any new information for that system. The Navy was also planning during this time as it was seeing a light at the end of its upgrade plans. The modern ships were nearly finished construction: all battlegroups would be at full strength by the end of the year. Equally important the politically mandated upgrades to Earth's forts were nearing completion. Commadore Frazier asked for long range strategic planning to cover the next 4-5 years budgets. The Navy and NCC was also in negotiation over research facilities as the Navy had decided on a broad approach to the issue of technological inferiority with the Wolvers. The wanted centres of excellence established for propulsion, offense, defence and sensors, this would produce sufficient new technology to make it possible for refits to be done on a more sensible schedule. The NCC didn't object as the Navy agreed to their terms on the need for fundamental and auxillary research that the NCC felt was an absolute must and both sides ended the meeting happy with the outcome.
On September 10 the nearing completion of 3 Gryphon's and a Tribal are clearly going to stress the fuel farm. The fuel level drop for the initial bunkering is predicted to be leave the farm below the mandated 1 million litre mark and the NCCFB wishes to declare an emergency but Commisioner Buxtdorf interceeds and using his executive authority over-rules the board, telling them to use the strategic reserves on the Petrocan tankers and refuel from the existing civillian harvesters, he later extending this to the ships of FHG VII, delaying their outsystem deployment. He is called before the Assembly on the 24th when the full state of the situation becomes clear to the politicians and defends his position vigorously. The problem was the unexpected overlap of new construction, there is over 2 million litres of fuel in the outsystem farms and the demands on the current fuel will be met with internal production inside of a few months. "There is no reason to panic" is his basic message. He further states, "A demand that would have flatlined the farm only 5 years ago we can now handle." The main outcome is a change in the construction schedule for the Edinburough class Supply Ships. They will now start sequentially with a new ship being laid down when the previous ship is 50% complete. This is to reduce the demand on the farm as they are completed. The Government expect the Opposition to blast the stituation, but outside of calls for more accountablity from the political wilderness (largely the more radical Assembly members) the Opposition's questions though sharp, do not develop into anything that can be exploited. They refuse to give the Government grounds for claiming that the Government policies were right by suggesting the Commissioners analysis is wrong.
In this same period all members of the Assembly are busy as the horse trading over budgets for the next four or more years is in full swing. The question of settlement past Forge is still the main issue. One thing the Members from the Solar Colonies make clear is that they won't loose out on their required infrastructure developments. Included in this are Terraformers, mines, factories and enhanced defences. The arrival in mid November of the ships of Interstellar Survey IV with the confirmation of alien ruins upsets everyone's plans. The discovery of ruins has a much bigger effect then the Wolver ships to the world at large. Almost overnight there is a huge resurgence in "Ancient Alien" theories. The lack of settlements found in systems with Wolver ships had puzzled humanity as a whole, while the existance of ruins spoke to something deep in human nature. The NCC committee was suddenly put under intense pressure, and it suprised few people that in late December an announcement was made that "Rosetta" would be colonized first. Two ICGs are scheduled to bring 40,000 colonists to the remote system of Gliese 526. While, additionally, the FL Virginis system would be colonized to facilitate the whole process. At a round trip time of nearly 2 years to Rosetta the pace of the colonization would be slow. The Army was directed to deploy defensive troops there as soon as practicable. A Xenoarcheology team would accompany the first-in colony group. The departure time was scheduled for early in January 2283. To support colonization effort the NCC authorises the formation of additional Fuel Harvester Groups: FHG IX, FHG X, FHG XI and FHG XII.
A major sticking point was the Kingston and Whisky classes. The NCC Committee recomends strongly that at least two groups of them be constructed. At 1.5 million litres per group to bunker they represent a factor of 2 increase in fuel footprint but clearly they are the only way to move things like terraformers outside of Sol.
On August 24, the re-survey of Syliva is complete with no new resources found on that asteriod. The team moves to Lutetia arriving there on the Upholder 4 days later.
On the 7th of October 2nd Squadron Battlegroup replaces 3rd Squadron Battlegroup at the jump point watch. Even though the fuel crisis is ongoing the Navy is authorised to allow 3rd Squadron training excersizes to start on the 8th of October. On October 19, an accident claims the life of Cmdr Thomas Swift. He was the CO of the FT(J) Monumental and during a routine inspection tour of the ships engine space died when a valve burst flooded the compartment with deadly mix of gases. His breathing mask shattering when he fell down a ladder during the evacuation. This marked the first time a CO was lost during routine operations in Earth Orbit. 3rd Squadron Battlegroups training excersizes are completed on Novemeber 18 and the ships are back in Earth orbit for the start of their overhaul two days later.
Industrial Efforts, Earth, Sol
Primary Industrial Tasks
Ongoing construction of the new research complex
Secondary Industrial Tasks
AD 2282 (July 29) Conversion of an existing Mine to telepresence operated is finished.
AD 2282 (September 9) Construction of Infrastructure [ooc]x24[/ooc] for BIC outsystem colonies is completed
AD 2282 (December 15) A new Fuel Refinery is added to bringing the yearly fuel production up to 3.76 million litres per year.
AD 2282 (December 15) Construction of Infrastructure [ooc]x24[/ooc] for BIC outsystem colonies begins
Missiles and Fighters
AD 2282 (October 29) Construction of Hawk IIB Counter Missiles for the latest ship construction ends. The older Hawk II's are offloaded from the Gargoyle classes and replaced with the more capable IIBs.
AD 2282 (November 20) Construction of Javelin IIIA Anti-ship Missile is finished.
AD 2282 (December 25) Construction of Hawk IIB Counter Missile ends; there is now a small reserve of the missiles. This is expected to be the last production run for this series of missiles.
AD 2282 (December 25) Construction of Javelin IIIA Anti-ship Missile begins and marks the last expected production run of the Javelin series of missiles.
AD 2282 (July 19) Fairmile B2(EW) 020 is completed.
AD 2282 (December 10) Fairmile B2(EW) 021 is completed. This is the last pinnance of the B2 flight and the next pinnace produced will be the first of the B3 flight.
Research Developments
AD 2282 (September 9) Dr. Stephanie Rees's team completes research into enhanced fuel efficiency for engines (Fuel Consumption: 0.7 Litres per Engine Power Hour) and begins research into improved on mount energy storage systems (Capacitor Recharge Rate 2) and transfers two research complexes to her junior collegue Dr. VíkingR Hœkillson to being development of more efficient engines, he begins with the development of the Bombadier Backboard NPM1-150 pinnance engine.
AD 2282 (October 9) Dr. VíkingR Hœkillson's team finishes the prototype for the Bombadier Backboard NPM1-150 engine and working with engineers from Rolls Royce starts design of the NP E-M28Si engine for BuSurvey and the NCN's auxillaries.
AD 2282 (November 20) Dr. VíkingR Hœkillson's team turns over the plans for the Rolls Royce NP E-M28Si engine and starts on the backbone commercial engine with MAN engineers (MAN NP CE-100i engine).
AD 2282 (December 10) Dr. Christine Alter joins your scientific establishment. Her field of specialization is Power and Propulsion but due to her training in Xenology she has been assigned to the NCC Xenoarcheology team for investigating the ruins found on Rosetta.
Naval Yard: Deschimag A.G. Weser, Sol
AD 2282 (September 14) Sarcee (Tribal class) completes her builders trials and is dispatched to join the 4th Squadron at the jump point to Wolf 359. She arrives on the 18th and brings the squadron to its full authorized complement of 4 Tribals. The Yard is still in the process of construction of a 3rd slip so the Enchanter class of Jump Ship will not be in production before the end of 2283.
Naval Yard: Victorias-Esquimalt Graving Yard, Sol
AD 2282 (September 19) Harpy and Gryphon (Gargoyle class) complete their shakedown and are assigned to the 5th and 6th Squadron Support Groups.
AD 2282 (September 24) Wyvern (Gargoyle class) finishes construction and is assigned to the Troop Transport Squadron.
AD 2282 (December 10) Retooling of the Yard for the Edinbourgh Mod1 class is completed. The last three authorised Edinbourgh's will be built to this standard while the two under construction will be refit to it once complete. The Mod1 change is the use of the Rolls Royce NP E-M28Si engines giving the ships greater fuel econonmy and hence range.
Civillian Yard: Robert Napier and Son's Ltd., Sol
AD 2282 (July 29) Marsh (Loch (HP) class) exits the yard and starts for Jupiter as the lead ship in Fuel Harvester Group VIII. It arrives on the 15th of August to begin harvesting operations.
AD 2282 (August 4) Nitrous (Petrol (HP) class) is completed and dispatched for Jupiter to join FHG VII arriving on the 20th of August to complete the complement of Petrol class vessels in the FHG.
Northern Coalition Army
AD 2282 (November 9) The Ganymede Peacekeeper Detachment finishes its training in Camp Wainwright and Colonel H. Álfrimsson and his men take the maglev train to Victoria for embarkation on the TT Ceylon for transport to Ganymede. The ship completes its mission and returns to Earth to rejoin the Transport Squadron on the 12th of December. Training starts for the first of three units authorised for deployment to the Faewald: the Faewald Peacekeeper Detachment.
Civillian Operations in Sol
AD 2282 (September 29) The civilian mining colony on Neujmin has been expanded to 7 civilian mining complexes
AD 2282 (October 4) The supply of Neutronium on Neujmin has been exhausted
BIC Operations in Alpha Centauri
The last six months see the population growing faster than local industry can add to the colonies stressed lifesupport, even though enough material is produced for an additional 40,000 people [ooc]infrastructure x12[/ooc]. The situation is getting more and more critical and urgent requests are sent back to BIC with the departing freighters of ICG III re-itterating the need for more construction materials and more heavy industry modules. The crews of FHG II complete their shore leave on the 19th of July and the three ships head back to the gas giant arriving there on the 30th of that month and re-commencing harvesting operations. On the 24th of July the crews of ICG III have completed shore leave and depart for Earth. Although the population crisis is acute the situation doesn't look unsolvable though it will take an extra ICG dispatched each year with a full load of construction materials, plus a concentration on additonal heavy industry for the colonies industrial park. The fuel farm on Faewald ends the year at nearly 370K litres which is sufficient to refuel the ships of the inbound ICG I, which has an teleoperated mine for the planet II, plus construction materials for Faewald.
BIC Operations in AD Leonis
Forge traffic control is busy duriing this time period with scheduling. Three FHG's are kept harvesting while the crews of the last FHG take shore leave. This results in nearly the maximum amount of fuel being added to the Farm at Forge with each newly arriving FHG. The ships of FHG VI arrive on the 9th of August and depart on the 25th of September, that same day (due to only a 13 hour trip between Forge and the gas giant) the ships of FHG IV are in Forge orbit with their crews being released for shore leave. On Novemeber 15 FHG IV is replaced by FHG III, whose ships crews get to spend Christmas on Forge. The ships of Interstellar Survey I rebunker from the farm on the 19th of August on their way to relieve IS IV. The two ships of IS IV stop in at Forge for refueling in early November on their way back to Earth with their explosive news. The year ends with the farm on Forge holding 2.23 million litres of fuel.
Outsystem Survey Efforts and Naval Operations
FL Virginis
The NCN explores JP3 on July 1 finding the system of Gliese 526. Alpha and Beta grav survey missions finish the survey of the system on the September 18. 1st Squadron Support Group's jump ship brings them into Gliese 526 on the 7th of October.
AD 2282 (July 1) An exploration of a jump point in the FL Virginis system has revealed the new system of Gliese 526
AD 2282 (September 18) Gravitational Survey completed in the FL Virginis system. The system has a total of 3 jump points
LHS 292
On its way to relieve Interstellar Survey IV the ships of IS I detour to comet #6 as it is just off their course for the jump point to FL Virginis and they do a rapid mineral survey of the small body.
AD 2282 (September 16) Minerals Discovered on LHS 292-A Comet #6: Duranium 24,120 (1) Corbomite 17,866 (0.9) Boronide 44,901 (0.8 ) Sorium 7,993 (0.7) Gallicite 4,789 (0.7)
Gliese 526
The ships of 1st Squadron Battlegroup wait on the jump point from the 1st to the 4th when IS IV jumps in system. They remain at the jump point while Lt. Cmdr B. Wong and the crew of the Trail Blazer determine that no hostile aliens are present in the system (early August). The Franklin is surveying for jump points and when it has completed the survey of 4 standard locations proceeds to the jump point to FL Virginis where it is joined by the Trail Blazer on the 26th of September. Three days later the pair of ships making up Interstellar Survey I arrives and IS IV starts the journey for home. The Path Finder is dispached to do a mineral survey of the planets, moons and asteroids of the system while the George Vancouver starts on the grav surveys of the last 5 inner system locations leaving the outer 22 remaining to the two Oberons. The Path Finder completes the system mineral survey on the 22nd of December. By the end of the year no new jump points have been found with most of the standard survey locations surveyed and there is a general feeling in the survey force that it is likely that there is but a single one in this system. Discussion begin between Cmdr Katherine Evans (CO of the George Vancouver/BuSurvey) and Cpt Aaron Benson on where best next to go.
AD 2282 (August 16) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A II: Duranium 42,744,260 (0.5) Corundium 39,425,840 (0.1)
AD 2282 (August 16) Ruined City found on Gliese 526-A II
AD 2282 (August 27) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A IV: Sorium 69,808,200 (0.3)
AD 2282 (September 7) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A V: Sorium 225,000 (0.3)
AD 2282 (October 27) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A VI: Sorium 340,000 (0.6)
AD 2282 (December 7) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A I: Neutronium 12,390,400 (0.6) Corbomite 2,073,600 (0.3) Tritanium 10,758,400 (1) Gallicite 846,400 (0.1)
AD 2282 (December 17) Minerals Discovered on Gliese 526-A V - Moon 22: Tritanium 419,904 (0.2)
