Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: April 11, 2020, 04:49:56 AM »This is the last update for this campaign and doesn't include the combat covered in the videos. Its purpose has been served though in terms of testing Diplomacy and NPR vs NPR combat.
1st March 1896
British scientists complete their research into Ion Drives.
21st March 1896
Hercules class tugs begin moving the Ambrosia class fuel harvesters from Aeolis IV to Delta Pavonis II. The latter system is connected to Sigma Draconis and therefore much safer than Aeolis.
1st April 1896
Even after the end of the non-aggression pact, it was generally accepted that Sol and the immediately adjacent systems were neutral territory and that any attempt to claim them would lead to conflict. That mutual acceptance has now ended. Naval Intelligence reports that the Jovian population on Alpha Centauri-B III has been transferred to the Venusian Khanate, which probably means that the Jovians have accepted Venusian control of the system. The British colonies of Roanoke and Jamestown in Alpha Centauri receive messages from the Martian Empire, the Venusian Khanate and the Hegemony of Titan, requesting that British forces leave the system. The message from the Venusians is the least diplomatic. It is reasonable to assume that similar messages are also being sent between all the Solarian powers.
Most of the Empire’s assets in Alpha Centauri were removed in recent months. The two colonies each retain a tracking station and a few maintenance facilities and the respective populations are seventeen million for Jamestown and less than three million for Roanoke. A Leander second class cruiser is based at each colony for intelligence purposes. There is no appetite among the British leadership for a war over Alpha Centauri, so as colony ships become available they will be used to evacuate the populations. The focus will remain on Sigma Draconis, Andromeda and the systems beyond.
5th April 1896
A Hegemony survey ship transits into Sigma Draconis and immediately vanishes from sensors. This is the first sign of the Hegemony in the system, so a message will be transmitted claiming the system for the British Empire when the ship is detected again.
6th April 1896
HMS Albion and HMS Glory, the third and fourth Canopus class battleships, are completed. There will no further units of the class as new engines will be available within months, resulting in a new design. The Martian Empire, the Venusian Khanate and the Hegemony of Titan have sent new messages requesting that the British Empire pulls out of Alpha Centauri. With colony ships and freighters still on their existing missions, this will lead to increasing tension until the populations can be evacuated.
7th April 1896
HMS Pandora explores a new jump point in Rhodes, two jumps beyond Sigma Draconis. She discovers a star from the Vogel Catalogue that is named Megara. There are only two planets, a moon and nine asteroids in the system. The second planet is a colony cost 2.08 terrestrial world dominated by Tundra. The nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere is 0.3 atm, with 0.07 atm of oxygen, making the planet a very good terraforming candidate. Large lakes cover fifteen percent of the surface and the temperature is -60C.
20th May 1896
Tensions have continued to escalate. Merchant Navy ships are evacuating colonists and installations from Jamestown, but messages continue to arrive from alien powers. A group of thirteen Martian battleships and five cruisers is detected heading for the comet Whittle in the Sol system, the site of a Hegemony colony, while in Alpha Centauri a similar force breaks orbit of Alpha Centauri-B III, home to the Roanoke colony and colonies of all the other powers.
Suddenly, Martian ground forces on Alpha Centauri-B III open fire with surface-to-orbit weapons, destroying a Hegemony Hel class protected cruiser. Eighty-five strength-3 impacts are detected, along with forty-eight strength-1 impacts plus a strength-8 secondary explosion.
The Hegemony ships immediately break orbit, exchanging energy weapon fire with the Martian ground forces as they depart. Missiles launches follow shortly thereafter. Based on observation of the Hegemony ships by Roanoke and HMS Sirius in orbit, the 19,189-ton Gungnir class battleship has ten size-6 torpedo launchers, the 12,777-ton Asgard class battleship is armed with seventeen size-1 torpedo launchers, the 12,767-ton Garm class battleship is armed with twelve railguns, the 6390-ton Hel class protected cruiser is armed with three size-6 torpedo launchers and the 6356-ton Tyr class protected cruiser is armed with gauss cannon. A 9,200-ton Martian STO ground force signature is also detected.
Sixty-eight strength-1 missile warheads detonate on the surface of Alpha Centauri-B III as size-1 Hegemony torpedoes are targeted against the Martian STO units, plus they suffer further energy weapon attack. As the planet is primarily desert terrain, there are limited fortification options for the STO units, which makes them vulnerable to the ship-based attack. A wave of fifty-three size-6 torpedoes flies past the planet toward the Martian fleet that departed orbit earlier and is eighteen million kilometres away. Presumably the distant Martian fleet is also launching missiles.
Despite the incoming barrage, the Martian STO units are still in the fight. The large calibre weapons fire again, inflicting fifty-four strength-3 hits and destroying a 65,750-ton Hodur class. The function of the Hodur is unknown. There are six known Hodur class ships, including the one just destroyed, and are usually detected alone. They may be a large freighter or colony ship. The Hegemony responds to its destruction with another ferocious bombardment of the Martian STO units. Sixty-eight strength-1 detonations and seventy strength-3 energy weapon impacts are recorded. The collateral damage to the Martian colony is considerable. Almost half of the original population of twelve million has been killed and perhaps forty mines destroyed. While the colony was not under direct attack, it suffered collateral damage from the Hegemony attack on the surface-to-orbit units.
A third salvo of Hegemony size-1 missiles strikes the planet and the Martian STO units are silenced. Based on the intelligence data being constantly updated by Naval Intelligence, the remaining Martian population is approximately four point seven million. One hundred and forty installations remain from a pre-bombardment total of almost two hundred. Sufficient dust has been blasted into the atmosphere to lower the temperature by two point three degrees, while radiation effects will slow growth and reduce production by approximately two percent. The impact on the other inhabitants of Alpha Centauri-B III is minimal compared to the devastation inflicted on the Martian colony, at least so far.
Another wave of larger missiles is launched by the Hegemony warships, most of which heads away from the planet toward a group of six Martian ships that seem to on course for the Sol jump point. Five of the ships are 84,000-ton Xining class terraformers. Naval Intelligence notes the reload time for the Gungnir and Hel classes is twenty-five seconds. A third wave heads for the main Martian fleet.
1st March 1896
British scientists complete their research into Ion Drives.
21st March 1896
Hercules class tugs begin moving the Ambrosia class fuel harvesters from Aeolis IV to Delta Pavonis II. The latter system is connected to Sigma Draconis and therefore much safer than Aeolis.
1st April 1896
Even after the end of the non-aggression pact, it was generally accepted that Sol and the immediately adjacent systems were neutral territory and that any attempt to claim them would lead to conflict. That mutual acceptance has now ended. Naval Intelligence reports that the Jovian population on Alpha Centauri-B III has been transferred to the Venusian Khanate, which probably means that the Jovians have accepted Venusian control of the system. The British colonies of Roanoke and Jamestown in Alpha Centauri receive messages from the Martian Empire, the Venusian Khanate and the Hegemony of Titan, requesting that British forces leave the system. The message from the Venusians is the least diplomatic. It is reasonable to assume that similar messages are also being sent between all the Solarian powers.
Most of the Empire’s assets in Alpha Centauri were removed in recent months. The two colonies each retain a tracking station and a few maintenance facilities and the respective populations are seventeen million for Jamestown and less than three million for Roanoke. A Leander second class cruiser is based at each colony for intelligence purposes. There is no appetite among the British leadership for a war over Alpha Centauri, so as colony ships become available they will be used to evacuate the populations. The focus will remain on Sigma Draconis, Andromeda and the systems beyond.
5th April 1896
A Hegemony survey ship transits into Sigma Draconis and immediately vanishes from sensors. This is the first sign of the Hegemony in the system, so a message will be transmitted claiming the system for the British Empire when the ship is detected again.
6th April 1896
HMS Albion and HMS Glory, the third and fourth Canopus class battleships, are completed. There will no further units of the class as new engines will be available within months, resulting in a new design. The Martian Empire, the Venusian Khanate and the Hegemony of Titan have sent new messages requesting that the British Empire pulls out of Alpha Centauri. With colony ships and freighters still on their existing missions, this will lead to increasing tension until the populations can be evacuated.
7th April 1896
HMS Pandora explores a new jump point in Rhodes, two jumps beyond Sigma Draconis. She discovers a star from the Vogel Catalogue that is named Megara. There are only two planets, a moon and nine asteroids in the system. The second planet is a colony cost 2.08 terrestrial world dominated by Tundra. The nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere is 0.3 atm, with 0.07 atm of oxygen, making the planet a very good terraforming candidate. Large lakes cover fifteen percent of the surface and the temperature is -60C.
20th May 1896
Tensions have continued to escalate. Merchant Navy ships are evacuating colonists and installations from Jamestown, but messages continue to arrive from alien powers. A group of thirteen Martian battleships and five cruisers is detected heading for the comet Whittle in the Sol system, the site of a Hegemony colony, while in Alpha Centauri a similar force breaks orbit of Alpha Centauri-B III, home to the Roanoke colony and colonies of all the other powers.
Suddenly, Martian ground forces on Alpha Centauri-B III open fire with surface-to-orbit weapons, destroying a Hegemony Hel class protected cruiser. Eighty-five strength-3 impacts are detected, along with forty-eight strength-1 impacts plus a strength-8 secondary explosion.
The Hegemony ships immediately break orbit, exchanging energy weapon fire with the Martian ground forces as they depart. Missiles launches follow shortly thereafter. Based on observation of the Hegemony ships by Roanoke and HMS Sirius in orbit, the 19,189-ton Gungnir class battleship has ten size-6 torpedo launchers, the 12,777-ton Asgard class battleship is armed with seventeen size-1 torpedo launchers, the 12,767-ton Garm class battleship is armed with twelve railguns, the 6390-ton Hel class protected cruiser is armed with three size-6 torpedo launchers and the 6356-ton Tyr class protected cruiser is armed with gauss cannon. A 9,200-ton Martian STO ground force signature is also detected.
Sixty-eight strength-1 missile warheads detonate on the surface of Alpha Centauri-B III as size-1 Hegemony torpedoes are targeted against the Martian STO units, plus they suffer further energy weapon attack. As the planet is primarily desert terrain, there are limited fortification options for the STO units, which makes them vulnerable to the ship-based attack. A wave of fifty-three size-6 torpedoes flies past the planet toward the Martian fleet that departed orbit earlier and is eighteen million kilometres away. Presumably the distant Martian fleet is also launching missiles.
Despite the incoming barrage, the Martian STO units are still in the fight. The large calibre weapons fire again, inflicting fifty-four strength-3 hits and destroying a 65,750-ton Hodur class. The function of the Hodur is unknown. There are six known Hodur class ships, including the one just destroyed, and are usually detected alone. They may be a large freighter or colony ship. The Hegemony responds to its destruction with another ferocious bombardment of the Martian STO units. Sixty-eight strength-1 detonations and seventy strength-3 energy weapon impacts are recorded. The collateral damage to the Martian colony is considerable. Almost half of the original population of twelve million has been killed and perhaps forty mines destroyed. While the colony was not under direct attack, it suffered collateral damage from the Hegemony attack on the surface-to-orbit units.
A third salvo of Hegemony size-1 missiles strikes the planet and the Martian STO units are silenced. Based on the intelligence data being constantly updated by Naval Intelligence, the remaining Martian population is approximately four point seven million. One hundred and forty installations remain from a pre-bombardment total of almost two hundred. Sufficient dust has been blasted into the atmosphere to lower the temperature by two point three degrees, while radiation effects will slow growth and reduce production by approximately two percent. The impact on the other inhabitants of Alpha Centauri-B III is minimal compared to the devastation inflicted on the Martian colony, at least so far.
Another wave of larger missiles is launched by the Hegemony warships, most of which heads away from the planet toward a group of six Martian ships that seem to on course for the Sol jump point. Five of the ships are 84,000-ton Xining class terraformers. Naval Intelligence notes the reload time for the Gungnir and Hel classes is twenty-five seconds. A third wave heads for the main Martian fleet.