Author Topic: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4  (Read 4961 times)

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Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« on: November 18, 2009, 05:28:53 AM »
In October 2074, the first of four Guadalcanal class Troop Transports was delivered to the Federation Navy. The Guadalcanal was based on the hull for the Atlas class Freighter, replacing the cargo holds with troop transport bays, a jump drive, a limited suite of sensors and the new CIWS-160. The close-in weapons system, or CIWS, was a fully integrated, fully automatic point defence system that consisted of a turreted dual half-size gauss cannon, a beam fire control and a short-range active sensor. Because the various components were integrated, they could not be used in conjunction with other systems on the ship. The CIWS-160 operated in autonomous mode, detecting and automatically engaging any missiles headed for the mounting unit. Due to its extremely short range it could not be used to protect other ships, which made it useless for escort vessels but ideal for providing a limited anti-missile capability to support vessels or warships primarily designed for an anti-ship role. As all the required electronics were built into the CIWS-160, the mounting ship did not need specialised anti-missile fire control systems and sensors.

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Guadalcanal class Troop Transport    45000 tons     614 Crew     1183.8 BP      TCS 900  TH 2250  EM 0
2500 km/s    JR 2-25(C)     Armour 1-112     Shields 0-0     Sensors 5/5/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maintenance Capacity 16 MSP    Max Repair 144 MSP
Troop Capacity: 5 Battalions    Cargo Handling Multiplier 5    

JC45K Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 45000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
NPO Energomash Commercial Ion Engine (15)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 50.0 billion km   (231 days at full power)

CIWS-160 (1x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
FN/SPN-5 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1280     Range 12.8m km    Resolution 80
FN/SQR-1 Thermal Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
FN/SLR-3 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
In early January of 2075, the first RLS-5A Large Sensor Buoys rolled off the Federation Nations production lines. The RLS-5A could be deployed by the Manxman class Minelayers and comprised one active and two passive sensors plus a reactor capable of powering the buoy for almost four years. The minelayer Douglas began a cruise around the Sol system on January 10th, positioning one RLS-5A within 200,000 kilometres of each of the eight jump points. Once that task was completed, she would repeat the process in Proxima and Alpha Centauri.

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FN/RLS-5A Large Sensor Buoy
Buoy Size: 16 MSP  (0.8 HS)     Armour: 0
Reactor Endurance: 45 months
Active Sensor Strength: 2.1    Resolution: 20    Maximum Range: 420,000 km    
Thermal Sensor Strength: 0.6    Detect Sig Strength 1000:  600,000 km
EM Sensor Strength: 0.5    Detect Sig Strength 1000:  500,000 km
Cost Per Buoy: 12.2
Materials Required:    9x Boronide   3.2x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 1220RP
On April 9th 2075, the Xenoarchaeology team on 70 Ophuichi II completed their investigation of the ruined alien settlement. They had deciphered the alien language and symbology, which would allow engineers to understand those installations and components that could be salvaged and begin the process of recovery. The alien race that built the crumbled city was known as the Kingdom of Lusaka and it soon became apparent that the smaller ruins on the third planet of 70 Ophuichi were also of Lusakan origin. Engineer Regiments were already in place on both worlds and they began work immediately.

The first success came in early July when the engineers of the Second Alien Recovery Regiment discovered ninety alien shield generators. The Federated Nations had neglected shield technology in favour of armour so rather than use the shield generators on new ships, they were disassembled in an attempt to gain the underlying technology. After taking apart seventy-five percent of the alien components, Federation scientists were confident they had learned enough to replicate them.

The Federation Navy continued to grow in size. By January 2076, three new Agincourts and three new Guardians had joined the Fleet. The Agincourt class destroyer El Alamein and the Guardian class escorts Shield and Cerberus were dispatched to join the Fourth Destroyer Squadron, the surviving two ships of which were still picketing the Ross 248 - Sol jump point. The rest formed the basis of a new Seventh Destroyer Squadron. Fourteen Agincourts and thirteen Guardians were in service but they would be the last of the original design. Due to advances in sensor technology, improvements in missile launcher reload rates and the introduction of a new magazine design with greater internal armour, a more efficient mechanism and an improved ejection system, Flight II versions of both ships were ready for production. The Guardian Flight II could engage incoming missiles at a thirty-five percent greater range than its predecessor, launch its own missiles every ten seconds instead of fifteen and had a fourteen percent greater magazine capacity.

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Guardian Flight II class Destroyer Escort    6000 tons     520 Crew     975.44 BP      TCS 120  TH 480  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 15
Annual Failure Rate: 82%    IFR: 1.1%    Maintenance Capacity 356 MSP    Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 495    

Rolls Royce Falcon Ion Engine (8)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 37.5 billion km   (108 days at full power)

Mk4 Guided Missile Launching System (15)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
FN/SPG-19 Anti-Missile Fire Control (3)     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
RIM-2A Sentinel (495)  Speed: 24,000 km/s   End: 1.6m    Range: 2.3m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 176 / 105 / 52

FN/SPD-18 Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 126     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
FN/SPN-5 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1280     Range 12.8m km    Resolution 80
While the Agincourt Flight II also improved its rate of fire and slightly increased magazine capacity, the most important enhancement was within its electronic systems. A combination of improved sensor technology and adapting the resolution of the electronics to the smallest alien ship types resulted in a fifty-five percent increase in fire control and sensor range. In addition, a newly developed ECCM-1 installation was fitted, albeit at the cost of a significant reduction in passive sensor capability. Even though the ECCM would only offset approximately 20% of the effectiveness of the alien electronic countermeasures, it would add ten million kilometres to the lock-on range of the FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control. The minimal passive sensors would reduce the solo deployment capability of the Agincourt - Flight II but as the ship was intended to operate in squadrons led by a Kongo class, which had the best sensors in the Fleet, this was an acceptable compromise. Even with the remaining forty percent reduction in performance due to the alien ECM systems, missile range would be over seventy million kilometres, providing a slight range advantage over the alien ships. To make use of the extra fire control range, the Agincourt - Flight II would carry the new RGM-1B Falchion anti-ship missile, already being deployed on some of the Flight I ships, which had an extra nine million kilometres of range compared to the A model. The first units in each of the two new classes would be ready by early 2077.  

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Agincourt - Flight II class Destroyer    6000 tons     597 Crew     902.08 BP      TCS 120  TH 480  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/5/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 24
Annual Failure Rate: 96%    IFR: 1.3%    Maintenance Capacity 282 MSP    Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 384    

Rolls Royce Falcon Ion Engine (8)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 37.5 billion km   (108 days at full power)

Mk5 Guided Missile Launching System (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 40
FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
RGM-1B Falchion (96)  Speed: 20,000 km/s   End: 57.7m    Range: 69.3m km   WH: 5    Size: 4    TH: 66 / 40 / 20

FN/SPS-15 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 11970     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
FN/SLR-3 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
ECCM-1 (1)
No refits to the Flight II model were planned for the existing Agincourt class ships, primarily because the cost and time of such a refit would be two-thirds of the cost of a new ship. However, their severe lack of range against the advanced alien ships was a problem so a more modest upgrade was planned instead. In the Flight IA variant of the Agincourt, the new FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control replaced the older FN/SPG-8 and the same reduction in passive sensors as the Flight II allowed the installation of ECCM. They would still have the older Mk 1 GMLS, active sensors and magazines, which would mean a reduced combat capability compared to the Flight II and a greater chance of suffering a similar magazine explosion to the ones that destroyed Cerberus and Ramillies. Despite that, they at least stood a chance of engaging the alien ships in combat, even if the odds were against them. The main problem would be freeing up sufficient shipyard space for the Flight IA refits.

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Agincourt - Flight 1A class Destroyer    6000 tons     597 Crew     838.8 BP      TCS 120  TH 480  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/5/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 24
Annual Failure Rate: 96%    IFR: 1.3%    Maintenance Capacity 262 MSP    Max Repair 96 MSP
Magazine 360    

Rolls Royce Falcon Ion Engine (8)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 37.5 billion km   (108 days at full power)

Mk 1 Guided Missile Launching System (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 60
FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
RGM-1B Falchion (90)  Speed: 20,000 km/s   End: 57.7m    Range: 69.3m km   WH: 5    Size: 4    TH: 66 / 40 / 20

FN/SPS-7 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 7680     Range 76.8m km    Resolution 80
FN/SLR-3 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
ECCM-1 (1)
On June 1st 2076, the Swan Hunter Shipyard completed retooling for the new Victory class Missile Cruiser, a ship designed for both fleet combat and solo deployment. The offensive armament for the Victory comprised the same six Mk5 GMLS as the Agincourt Flight II, backed up by twelve Mk4 GMLS firing RIM-2A Sentinel anti-missiles and a pair of CIWS-160 point defence systems. Sensors and fire control systems matched those on the latest destroyers while the passives were as capable as those on the Agincourt Flight I. Her armour belt was one third thicker than the destroyers, both ECCM and a new ECM system were fitted and the Victory was the first Federation warship to feature the shield technology reverse engineered from the Lusakan shield generators discovered on 70 Ophuichi III. Three ships were laid down and were due for delivery in November 2077.

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Victory class Missile Cruiser    15000 tons     1288 Crew     2249.32 BP      TCS 300  TH 1200  EM 1200
4000 km/s     Armour 4-54     Shields 40-300     Sensors 10/10/0/0     Damage Control Rating 8     PPV 36
Annual Failure Rate: 225%    IFR: 3.1%    Maintenance Capacity 750 MSP    Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 876    

Rolls Royce Falcon Ion Engine (20)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 45.0 billion km   (130 days at full power)
Mk1 Shield Generator (16)   Total Fuel Cost  280 Litres per day

CIWS-160 (2x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
Mk5 Guided Missile Launching System (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 40
Mk4 Guided Missile Launching System (12)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
FN/SPG-19 Anti-Missile Fire Control (2)     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
RIM-2A Sentinel (404)  Speed: 24,000 km/s   End: 1.6m    Range: 2.3m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 176 / 105 / 52
RGM-1B Falchion (120)  Speed: 20,000 km/s   End: 57.7m    Range: 69.3m km   WH: 5    Size: 4    TH: 66 / 40 / 20

FN/SPD-18 Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 126     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
FN/SPS-15 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 11970     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
FN/SQR-2 Thermal Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 10     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  10m km
FN/SLR-4 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 10     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  10m km
ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 10

The first major achievement of the Federated Nations terraforming program came on December 21st 2076, when the atmosphere of Proxima II became breathable. The colony planet was still too cold to be ideal but the surface temperature of -17C would rise over time as carbon dioxide was pumped into the atmosphere. With the restrictions on movement outside the core systems since July 2074, the concentration of the civilian sector had been on expanding the colony worlds. Proxima II had recovered strongly from the destruction of the original colony. All the radiation was gone and the population had reached twenty-five million. With its ideal habitable conditions, Minerva was an even more popular destination and had forty-two-seven million inhabitants. Easily the largest and most important colony though was Mars, with a population of eighty-three million and twenty research facilities. 70 Ophuichi III was by far the smallest, with a population of just one point four million. Civilian mining colonies were in operation on eight bodies in the Sol system and two more in Alpha Centauri, both of which were on moons orbiting the same gas giant as Minerva. Thirty-six civilian-owned freighters and colony ships plied the spaceways between Earth's colonies.

The increase in naval strength continued throughout 2077 and the first half of 2078. By July 2078, the Federation Navy was preparing to take the offensive. All seven destroyer squadrons were at full strength and each comprised a Kongo class jump cruiser, two Agincourt Flight IAs and two Guardian class escorts. A new formation, designated as Battle Fleet, contained all the recent construction with the exception of a single Guardian Flight II that was assigned to the Seventh Destroyer Squadron. Its order of battle consisted of the first three Victory class missile cruisers, four Agincourt Flight IIs and five Guardian Flight IIs. Battle Fleet would provide the primary striking power for the Fleet when it advanced into Lacaille 9352. In addition to the warships, a pair of Caernarvon II planetary defences had been built on Minerva and a second pair on Proxima II. All four were constructed deep within mountain ranges and would be very difficult for an attacker to destroy. Unlike the original Caernarvon PDCs that were built on Earth, the updated design had PDC-specific missile launchers with double the rate of fire of their shipboard equivalents.

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Caernarvon II class Planetary Defence Centre    10100 tons     582 Crew     1283.8 BP      TCS 202  TH 0  EM 0
Armour 10-41     Sensors 1/126     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 36
Troop Capacity: 1 Battalion    Magazine 936    

Mk7 PDC Guided Missile Launching System (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 20
Mk6 PDC Guided Missile Launching System (12)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 5
FN/SPG-19 Anti-Missile Fire Control (2)     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
FN/SPG-16 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
RIM-2A Sentinel (456)  Speed: 24,000 km/s   End: 1.6m    Range: 2.3m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 176 / 105 / 52
RGM-1B Falchion (120)  Speed: 20,000 km/s   End: 57.7m    Range: 69.3m km   WH: 5    Size: 4    TH: 66 / 40 / 20

FN/SPD-18 Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 126     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1
FN/SPS-15 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 11970     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
ECCM-1 (1)  
On July 4th, the first two Phoenix class Salvagers launched from the Nagasaki Shipyard. The Phoenix was intended to clear up after the offensive, recovering raw materials and intact components from wrecked ships and possibly even new technology from the wrecks of alien ships. The jump capable salvage vessels would be accompanied by Atlas class freighters during operations which would carry away any recovered materials.

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Phoenix class Salvager    45000 tons     812 Crew     1279.8 BP      TCS 900  TH 2550  EM 0
2833 km/s    JR 2-25(C)     Armour 1-112     Shields 0-0     Sensors 5/5/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maintenance Capacity 18 MSP    Max Repair 200 MSP
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day

JC45K Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 45000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
NPO Energomash Commercial Ion Engine (17)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 200,000 Litres    Range 100.0 billion km   (408 days at full power)

CIWS-160 (1x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
FN/SPN-5 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1280     Range 12.8m km    Resolution 80
FN/SQR-1 Thermal Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
FN/SLR-3 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  5m km
As well as planning for the investigation of alien wreckage, the Federation Navy considered the possibility of planetary landings and even boarding actions. Although the Guadalcanal class troop transports could each carry an entire brigade, they could not deploy them quickly or attempt a boarding action so a new type of ship was required. The resulting design was the Heinlein class Dropship. The Heinlein was powered by the new Rolls Royce Kestrel engine, making it the fastest ship in the Fleet, and was capable of instantly deploying a full battalion from its combat drop modules. The drawbacks to the new high-powered engine were its exceptionally high fuel consumption and a general instability that prevented more than one engine per hull, which made the new drop ship extremely short-ranged compared to a full sized starship. As a combat drop module was only suitable for carrying troops for short periods due to its cramped, claustrophobic interior, this was not as significant a problem as it first appeared. For the purposes of the forthcoming operation in Lacaille, the Heinleins would operate from Proxima II as it was conveniently located close to the Lacaille 9352 jump point. Suitable maintenance facilities and fuel were already in place on the colony and the 1st Marine Regiment with its four attached battalions was forward deployed.

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Heinlein class Dropship    1000 tons     41 Crew     132.6 BP      TCS 20  TH 120  EM 0
6000 km/s     Armour 2-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 8%    IFR: 0.1%    Maintenance Capacity 83 MSP    Max Repair 60 MSP
Drop Capacity: 1 Battalion    

Rolls Royce Kestrel Ion Engine (1)    Power 120    Fuel Use 700%    Signature 120    Armour 0    Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 12.9 billion km   (24 days at full power)
As future ground force and Marine targets were unlikely to be located close to Federation colonies, a more long-distance option was required for the future. This would be provided by the Rodger Young class Assault Carrier. A group of five Heinleins and a single Rico class command dropship would be transported by each assault carrier, which would operate in conjunction with a Guadalcanal class troop transport. The Heinleins would launch from the carrier, pick up their troops from a Guadalcanal at a safe distance from the target and then move in to make the assault at high speed. The Rico class command dropship, which was  not yet in service due to a lack of suitable shipyard space, would accompany the troop carrying dropships and provide the same sensor coverage as a Victory class missile cruiser. The first two Rodger Youngs were only laid down in July 2078 and therefore would not be available in time for the Lacaille operation.

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Rodger Young class Assault Carrier    12000 tons     645 Crew     1370.6 BP      TCS 240  TH 960  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 2-46     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 5     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 230%    IFR: 3.2%    Maintenance Capacity 357 MSP    Max Repair 36 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 6000 tons    

Rolls Royce Falcon Ion Engine (16)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 200,000 Litres    Range 37.5 billion km   (108 days at full power)

CIWS-160 (1x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
FN/SPN-5 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1280     Range 12.8m km    Resolution 80

Rico class Command Dropship    1000 tons     90 Crew     223.6 BP      TCS 20  TH 120  EM 0
6000 km/s     Armour 2-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 10/10/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 8%    IFR: 0.1%    Maintenance Capacity 140 MSP    Max Repair 126 MSP

Rolls Royce Kestrel Ion Engine (1)    Power 120    Fuel Use 700%    Signature 120    Armour 0    Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 12.9 billion km   (24 days at full power)

FN/SPS-15 Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 11970     Range 119.7m km    Resolution 95
FN/SQR-2 Thermal Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 10     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  10m km
FN/SLR-4 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 10     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  10m km
The final preparatory action before the Fleet entered Lacaille was the creation of a minefield around the Proxima - Lacaille 9352 jump point to cover any withdrawal. The minelayer Douglas laid an inner ring of captor mines at 400-500k, an outer ring at approximately one million kilometres and a third group between two and three million kilometres from the jump point in the direction of Proxima II.

[attachment=7:iutiiqzc]minefield.GIF[/attachment:iutiiqzc]
With that task was complete, the long-awaited offensive against the Lacaille aliens could begin. The order of battle for the  Federation assault force, led by Rear Admiral Cornelius Hilgendorf, was as follows:

Battle Fleet - Rear Admiral Cornelius Hilgendorf
3x CG Victory: Africa, Agamemnon (Fleet Flag), Ajax
4x DDG Agincourt Flight II: Aboukir Bay, Cape Matapan, Copenhagen, Trafalgar
5x DE Guardian Flight II: Balrog, Basilisk, Chimera, Cyclops, Daemon

1st Destroyer Squadron - Rear Admiral Stanizlov Kazakov
1x CJ Kongo: Kirishima
2x DDG Agincourt Flight IA: Agincourt (TG flag), Blenheim
2x DE Guardian Flight I: Guardian, Watchman

2nd Destroyer Squadron - Commodore Robert Rowley
1x CJ Kongo: Kongo
2x DDG Agincourt Flight IA: Salamanca (TG flag), Waterloo
2x DE Guardian Flight I: Protector, Safeguard

Support Group - Commander Alexei Sokolov
2x Guadalcanal TT: Alexander Vandergrift, Tulagi
3x ML Manxman: Douglas, Manxman, Ramsey (TG Flag)
5x DS Heinlein: Heinlein 001 - 005
1st Marine Regiment, 1st Heavy Assault Brigade, 7th Heavy Assault Brigade

Construction Ship
1x JCS Sydney Harbour: Sydney Harbour

First into Lacaille 9352 was the First Destroyer Squadron, with the mission of assessing any immediate threat near the jump point. Active sensors recovered from jump shock within fifteen seconds and detected a 64,000 ton wreck in close proximity, almost certainly the construction ship Golden Gate which was given up as missing, presumed lost in October 2072. There was no sign of alien contacts within the two hundred and forty million kilometer range of Kirishima's SPY-11 Area Search Sensor so she jumped back into Proxima to summon the rest of the fleet. The construction ship Sydney Harbour remained in Proxima and would be summoned forward to build a jump gate in the Lacaille side once the system was secure.

Once the fleet was assembled in Lacaille 9352, the two destroyer squadrons were deployed twenty degrees either side of the line of advance for the Battle Fleet at a distance of five million kilometres. The sensors on the Kongo class jump cruisers leading each squadron were the most powerful in the entire Federation force and would provide sufficient warning of any alien ships. The support group followed two million kilometres astern. Due to the slow speed of the troop transports, the rate of advance was 2500 km/s. During the previous two visits to Lacaille 9352 by Federation forces, alien ships were observed withdrawing toward the system's fifth planet, a gas giant with thirty-five moons. The largest of those moons was 5800 km in diameter but had no atmosphere and showed no sign of habitation. However, it was possible that some type of military installation or resupply node was on one of the moons. The other point of interest was the third planet, a terrestrial size body with a very thin nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere and a surface temperature of -61C. While hardly ideal for humans, it could very well be a vacation spot for the Lacaille aliens as nothing was known about their species' environmental tolerances. As Lacaille 9352-V currently lay between the Proxima jump point and the third planet, that was the initial target for the Federation fleet.

[attachment=6:iutiiqzc]Lacaille005.GIF[/attachment:iutiiqzc]
[attachment=5:iutiiqzc]Lacaille006.GIF[/attachment:iutiiqzc]
Fourteen hours after entering the system, the first alien contact was made. The two Apollo class and four Achilles class warships that originally raided Proxima and Alpha Centauri were detected at maximum sensor range. The direction of their approach appeared to be from empty space rather than a specific system body. The fleet continued on course and allowed the alien ships to close the range. An hour after the initial contact, the three smaller Odysseus and Menelaus class ships that took part in the destruction of the Proxima II colony in September 2072 appeared eleven million kilometres astern of the Apollos. Every known vessel of the Lacaille aliens was now within Federation sensor range. For the moment, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf retained his original formation, with the intention of pulling the destroyer squadrons back toward the main body once they reached alien missile range. At 16:55 on July 19th, with the closest alien vessel almost one hundred and forty million kilometres away, two hitherto unknown 1000 ton alien ships were detected just nine point six million kilometres from the closest destroyer squadron and moving at 8000 km/s. Designated as the Zeus class, the aliens were much smaller than 5000 ton or larger ships the SPY-11 was designed to detect, explaining why they were only picked up at four percent of maximum sensor range.

[attachment=4:iutiiqzc]Lacaille007.GIF[/attachment:iutiiqzc]
Unfortunately, none of the Federation fire control systems, which were also intended for use against larger ships, could lock up the two Zeus class, so Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered the First Destroyer Squadron to close the range until they could achieve a lock-on and then destroy them. Forty seconds after they were first detected, the small alien ships began moving away and active sensor contact was lost, although passive contact was retained as one of the Zeus had activated an active sensor shortly after they were detected and the emissions of that sensor were picked up by Federation EM sensors. The behaviour of the alien ships suggested a missile attack so all tactical officers in the Federation fleet began paying particularly close attention to their missile detection sensors. Eight minutes after initial detection of the two ships, just as everyone began to suspect it was a false alarm, sixteen incoming missiles were detected by the Second Destroyer Squadron, five million kilometres from the First.

[attachment=3:iutiiqzc]Lacaille008.GIF[/attachment:iutiiqzc]
Protector and Safeguard, the two Guardian class escorts in the Second Destroyer Squadron, immediately began launching RIM-2A Sentinel anti-missiles. Each escort had fifteen Mk2 Guided Missile Launching Systems that recycled every fifteen seconds. The Mk4 GMLS on the more modern Guardian Flight IIs recycled every ten seconds but no refit had been planned for the older ships due to economic considerations. To give the Guardians more time to engage the inbounds, Commodore Rowley ordered his squadron away from the alien missiles to reduce their overtake speed. Unfortunately, the five ships in the squadron had not spent enough time training together and they were slow to respond to the course change. They were still on their original heading when the last incoming missile was destroyed just seventy thousand kilometres from the squadron. Sixty-four Sentinels were expended by the two escorts, which was approximately seven percent of their total loadout.

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Meanwhile, realising that the First Destroyer Squadron was not going to catch the fleeing Zeus class ships, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered it to abandon pursuit before it was drawn too far from the other Federation ships. Two hours later, with the main alien force seventy-seven million kilometres away, he detached the support group and sent it toward the rear while the two destroyer squadrons pulled back to within 300,000 kilometres of the main body, so they could offer mutual anti-missile support. Instead of being positioned along the line of advance, they now held station twenty degrees either side of the threat axis, which for the purposes of formation keeping was designated as Achilles 001. The main body changed course to head back toward the jump point so their missiles would be travelling 'down hill' toward the alien fleet while any alien anti-ship missiles would have a slower rate of overtake and therefore a shorter effective range. With having to worry about the support group, the fleet increased speed to 4000 km/s, still slower than the 5800 km/s of the higher technology Lacaille aliens but far better in terms of avoiding incoming fire speed than 2500 km/s.

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Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2009, 05:50:48 AM »
At seventy million kilometres, the FN/SPG-16 Fire Controls of the Federation Victory class missile cruisers and both flights of Agincourt class destroyers achieved lock-on. As eleven Federation ships were armed with anti-ship missiles, each of the four Achilles and one of the Apollos was targeted by two Federation ships while the eleventh Federation vessel targeted the second Apollo. For the moment, the three smaller alien ships were ignored. The launching of the Federation missiles was ragged, with the last ship firing twenty seconds after the first. Rear Admiral Hilgendorf winced but with limited time for training exercises before the operation his ships were still not used to working together. In any event, the launchers on the Victorys and Agincourt Flight IIs had a forty second reload time compared to sixty second for the four Agincourt Flight Is so a coordinated attack was impossible.

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Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered a cease-fire when a total of seven hundred and eight RGM-1B Falchion anti-missiles had been fired, leaving four hundred and sixty-two in the fleet's magazines for a second attack. Two hundred and sixty-four older RGM-1A Falchions were in the magazines of two Manxman class minelayers in the support group, being pressed in service as ammunition colliers for this operation. Flight time for the missiles was forty-five minutes, with the first wave arriving while the closest alien ships were still sixty-three million kilometres away and therefore outside their previously observed missile range.

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In the last few seconds before the Falchion reached their targets, the activation of several alien active sensors was picked up by Federation EM sensors, possibly because they had spotted the incoming missiles on their own thermal sensors. No sign of anti-missile fire was detected. Waves of forty-two missiles, each of which was split into two groups five seconds apart, arrived at the four Achilles class ships every forty seconds. The first wave hit at 20:32:50. Achilles 001 was hit six times, Achilles 002 twice, Achilles 003 ten times and Achilles 004 three times. A hit rate of fifty percent, which was higher than pre-battle expectations. However, none of the damaged ships showed any atmosphere loss and they all maintained speed and formation, which suggested their armour had withstood the initial attack. The second wave of forty-two scored sixteen hits and still the alien ships appeared undamaged, even though Achilles 003 had suffered seventeen hits in total.

Waves of twenty-four RGM-1B Falchions reached the two Apollo class ships, trailing the Achilles by 2.2 million kilometres, every sixty seconds. The first wave of these missiles arrived at the same time as the third wave targeted on the Achilles. Seven hit Apollo 001 and six struck Apollo 002. Both ships started streaming atmosphere and the speed of Apollo 002 dropped to 5000 km/s. This reinforced previous observations that the Apollos had considerably lighter armour than the Achilles. The third wave of missiles to reach the Achilles scored thirteen hits, including four against Achilles 003 which finally began losing atmosphere and slowed to 5445 km/s. It was taking the combined fire of eleven Federation ships to wear them down but the aliens were finally starting to take some damage.

At 20:34:45, Apollo 001 received seven hits, followed immediately by a large secondary explosion from her engines. Suddenly she vanished in a blinding flash, leaving nothing but tumbling wreckage. A warship of the Lacaille Aliens had finally been destroyed, providing a small measure of revenge six years after they destroyed seven Federation ships in a series of skirmishes and wiped out 700,000 colonists. Apollo 002 took five more hits and suffered two small internal explosions. Her speed fell to 3750 km/s. The remaining missiles targeted on Apollo 001 lost tracking and, as they had no onboard sensors with which to search for new targets, they self-destructed. The Achilles continued to take hits, although only Achilles 003 showed signs of internal damage with her speed now down to 4600 km/s. As she slowed, she became an easier target for the next wave of anti-ship missiles.

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At 20:35:25, Achilles 002 was hit eight times, began streaming atmosphere from two holes in her armour and fell out of formation with her speed reduced to 5445 km/s. Achilles 003 took four more missile hits and continued to lose speed. RGM-1B Falchions continued to streak into the attack, battering all five remaining alien targets. Apollo 002 and Achilles 003 were obviously severely damaged and it seemed only a matter of time before they joined Apollo 001. Achilles 001 began streaming air at 20:36:30, leaving Achilles 004 as the only large alien ship without internal damage, which was not surprising as she was targeted by only half as many missiles.

Achilles 003 was wracked by a dozen simultaneous hits at 20:36:45 and disintegrated in an colossal explosion. Twenty-five seconds later Apollo 002 blew up and Achilles 004 finally started trailing atmosphere. Achilles 002 took hit after hit, struggling onward through a storm of nuclear detonations until at 20:37:55 two of her engines suffered catastrophic containment failures and exploded, taking the rest of the ship with them. Only Achilles 001 and Achilles 004 remained, both of which had internal damage. Two more waves of Federation missiles were still inbound. At 20:38:25, Achilles 001 was ripped apart by a cataclysmic magazine explosion. Achilles 004 survived, the last few Falchions scoring two internal hits but still failing to slow her down. In six minutes of furious action, the fleet of the Lacaille aliens had been torn to pieces.

Fourteen million kilometres astern of the wounded Achilles 004, the three smaller 4800 ton alien ships had reversed course and were running at 5800 km/s. The Achilles continued resolutely onward, still trying to bring the Federation fleet within missile range. Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered the four Agincourt Flight Is in the two destroyer squadrons to fire two more waves of missiles, forty-eight in all. Forty-two minutes after their launch, twenty-five impacts staggered the alien cruiser but still it ploughed on, albeit at only 1675 km/s and with its active sensor apparently offline. Amazed both by the toughness of the cruiser and the determination of its crew, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered one more launch of twelve missiles by Salamanca and Waterloo. With the alien ship moving so slowly, the Falchions would find it an easy target.

Faced only by one crippled ship and three small 4800 ton vessels, Hilgendorf reversed the course of his fleet, heading back toward the inner system. The Odysseus and the two Menelaus also reversed course, closing the range once again. At 22:13, the missiles arrived and Achilles 004 was finally destroyed. Now the smaller alien ships became the focus of the fleet's attention. Agincourt, Salamanca and Waterloo were ordered to expend the remainder of their anti-ship missiles. No sooner had they launched than the alien ships reversed course yet again. Perhaps because they had launched their own missiles, although Rear Admiral Hilgendorf was beginning to suspect their commander was simply indecisive.

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With the alien ships running at 5833 km/s, the RGM-1B Falchions were reduced to an overtake of 14167 km/s, which was going to cause problems due to their maximum flight time of fifty-eight minutes. The first six Falchions arrived with only thirty seconds to spare and were promptly destroyed by point blank point defence fire. The next twelve arrived in two waves of six, five seconds apart, and with only twenty-five seconds of endurance. They too were eliminated by defensive fire. This time the staggered Federation missile launches were causing a real problem as the aliens could concentrate on one wave at a time. Hilgendorf shuddered at the thought that had the aliens come in together as one combined fleet, the smaller vessels would probably have seriously weakened the attack on the larger ships. The next fifty-four missiles to arrive, several of which had less than ten seconds on their clocks, were all destroyed short of their targets. The last eighteen missiles ran out of fuel. Obviously, such an ill-coordinated attack had no chance of penetrating the alien defences.

With the aliens continuing to run and no other targets on sensors, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf slowed his fleet and recalled the support group. The three missile cruisers refilled their magazines with RGM-1A Falchions and the four Agincourt Flight II received sixteen RGM-1As each to add to the thirty RGM-1Bs in their magazines. Within the two destroyer squadrons, only Blenheim had any anti-ship missiles remaining so these were distributed among the Flight IIs and the destroyer squadrons, along with two empty minelayers but excluding the jump cruiser Kirishima, were sent back to Proxima. Due to her powerful sensors Kirishima was attached to the Battle Fleet, which resumed its original course for Lacaille 9352-V with the support group trailing 500,000 kilometres astern

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Contact with the three retreating alien ships was lost at 11:00 on July 20th. At 14:53, the destroyer squadrons and the two empty minelayers reached the Proxima jump point. The jump cruiser Kongo remained at the Lacaille side of the jump point, protected by a pair of Guardians, so she could maintain sensor coverage. The rest of the ships headed for the jump point to Sol and resupply on Earth. At 20:27, with the Battle Fleet approximately 120 million kilometres from Lacaille 9352-V, a new active sensor contact was detected heading for the fleet at 8000 km/s. It was almost certainly the two fast-moving Zeus class ships returning for another attack. As before, sixteen missiles arrived in a single wave and were easily dealt with by the five Guardian Flight II escorts then the active sensor contact sped away toward the innermost planet

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As the fleet continued to advance toward the inner system, four new wreck contacts were picked up seventy million kilometres from the system primary. Two were 4800 tons, the size of the small alien ships, one was 9600 tons, the same size as the alien Apollo and Achilles class ships, while the other was 14,400 tons. Federation forces certainly hadn't caused those wrecks so it appeared that someone else had been fighting the Lacaille aliens. At 10:00 on July 21st, the fleet arrived in orbit of the gas giant Lacaille 9352-V.  Nothing was immediately detected but the gas giant's system of moons extended out to over twenty million kilometres. Before proceeding any further, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf decided that every of those moons had to be checked.  The destroyers Aboukir Bay and Cape Matapan were detached and sent on a round tour. Over the next nine hours, every moon was searched. Nothing was found so the fleet headed for the third planet with its thin nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. With the gas giant fifty million kilometres astern and the inner system within active sensor range, the Odysseus and the two Menelaus class ships were detected in orbit of the fleet's destination.

As the fleet moved across the inner system, the three alien ships in orbit of Lacaille 9352-III finally reacted and moved toward the Federation ships. In the earlier engagement with these ships, the Federation missile attack proved ineffective due to the staggered launches from ships reacting at different speeds to the Admiral's orders. This time, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf told all his commanders to wait until every ship with anti-missiles was ready before firing. Twenty-five seconds after he gave the order to open fire, three Victory class cruisers and four Agincourt Flight IIs launched a simultaneous wave of forty-two missiles. Only moments after his ships opened fire, the active sensor contact from the two alien fast attack craft reappeared on an intercept course. The Guardian class escorts stood ready to defend against another wave of missiles from the two Zeus. Meanwhile, at intervals of forty seconds, four more volleys were launched at the destroyer-sized alien vessels. With his destroyers down to just four more salvos, only one of which was the newer RGM-1B Falchions, and the cruisers also running low on the latest missiles, Hilgendorf ceased fire.

Sure enough another salvo of sixteen alien missiles appeared at noon on July 22nd. The Guardians opened fire, using a ratio of three RIM-2A Sentinels against each incoming missiles. This time however one slipped through and streaked toward the troop transport Tulagi. Fortunately, its single CIWS-160 mount was up to the task and destroyed the missile at point blank range. As before, once the FACs had finished guiding their missiles into the attack, they turned and headed for the closest planet to the star. As that planet was closer to his fleet than Lacaille 9352-III, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf decided to head there first and deal with the supply source for the Zeus. Meanwhile, more than two hundred Falchions continued toward their targets.

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With the missiles a third of the way to their targets, the three small warships unexpectedly turned and headed back toward Lacaille 9352-III. Hilgendorf had fired his missiles at close to maximum range based on the assumption the aliens would continue closing. This proved to be a serious error as the missiles ran out of fuel two million kilometres from their targets. The Federation fleet was down to three hundred and sixty anti-ship missiles, only a hundred of which were the more modern RGM-1B. Based on their active sensor emission, the FACs remained in orbit of Lacaille 9352-I long enough to re-arm and then set a source back toward the fleet. Once the FACs moved back within their sensor range, the three 4800 ton warships reversed course once again, making it obvious their movements were based on contacts gained by the FACs' active sensors. The Menelaus and Odysseus class ship appeared to lack their own active sensors.

On this occasion there was no apparent missile attack. Instead the FACs matched speed with the Federation fleet and maintained a distance of eighteen point four million kilometres, preceding them as they drew closer to the innermost planet. This allowed the three alien warships to keep track of the fleet as they approached. When the FACs arrived back in the vicinity of Lacaille 9352-I, the Odysseus and the two Menelaus were twenty-seven million kilometres away, well inside Federation missile range. Rear Admiral Hilgendorf gave the order to open fire on the warships, well aware that there was no way the aliens could escape missile range this time. Twenty-five seconds after the order was given, all seven firing ships confirmed their readiness and launched simultaneously. Four salvos were launched in total, exhausting the magazines of the four Agincourt Flight IIs and using up the last of the cruisers' Falchion-Bs. While the salvos from the destroyers were a mixture of A and B model missiles, their speed was identical so they could fired as part of the same volley and still remain together.

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At 16:11 hours, with the Federation missiles halfway to their targets, a new wave of sixteen missiles came in from the FACs, which had moved almost two million kilometres beyond Lacaille 9352-I. All sixteen were destroyed at over 350,000 kilometres. The FACs reversed course and moved back to the planet, presumably to reload once more, and then resumed their original heading, accelerating to open the range. The first wave of forty-two Falchions reached the three alien warships at 16:19. Eighteen were destroyed by point blank point defence fire and fifteen more missed due to the high speed of the targets. Four struck Menelaus 001 and the other five exploded against the armour of Menelaus 002. In neither case was there any sign of atmosphere loss. The second wave scored seven hits, three of which were against Odysseus 001. She streamed atmosphere from a hole in her armour inflicted by the second hit and her speed dropped to 5000 km/s. Wave three lost eighteen to point defence fire and fourteen missed. Menelaus 002 was hit four times and one appeared to cause internal damage, although her speed remained 5832 km/s. Odysseus 001 suffered six hits, every one of which was accompanied by atmosphere loss. She slowed to 2500 km/s, obviously severely damaged. The fourth and final missile wave completed the destruction of Odysseus 001 and scored a pair of armour hits on Menelaus 001. The two surviving alien warships continued closing on the Federation fleet.

As the four Agincourt Flight IIs were out of ammunition and could serve no further useful purpose, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf detached them and sent them back toward the jump point. His fleet now comprised the three Victory class cruisers, each of which had sixty-six RGM-1A Falchions and a full load of three hundred and ninety-six RIM-2A Sentinels, five Guardian Flight II escorts with ninety percent of their normal loadout of Sentinels, the jump cruiser Kirishima, the minelayer Ramsey, carrying captor mines and sensor buoys, two Guadalcanal class troop transports and six Heinlein class dropships. The fleet was fifteen point five million kilometres from Lacaille 9352-I, eighteen point two million from the two approaching Menelaus class ships and eighteen million from the two Zeus, which had moved past the planet. Hilgendorf considered attacking the larger ships with his cruisers but was concerned about their very effective point defence reducing his eighteen-missile salvos to impotence. Instead, he maintained course for the innermost planet, determined to drop his Marines and secure whatever facilities were providing ordnance for the FACs.

The Menelaus continued to close and would intercept well before the Federation fleet reached orbit. On the assumption they were beam armed and probably had a range of perhaps two or three hundred thousand kilometres, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered all his escorts and cruisers to prepare their Sentinels for anti-ship fire. Each Guardian Flight II had fifteen Mk4 GMLS and the Victory class cruisers had twelve MK4 GMLS to back up the six Mk5 GMLS that fired anti-ship missiles. The Sentinel had a range of two point three million kilometres and could be launched at that distance by the cruisers using their FN/SPG-16 Fire Control Systems. The escorts were specialised for anti-missile warfare and their FN/SPG-16 Fire Controls had a maximum range of one point three million kilometres.

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To try and provide at least some protection for the non-combatants, Hilgendorf turned his fleet away from the Menelaus class ships and slowed to allow the troops transports and other auxiliaries to move ahead of the warships, albeit at their limited speed of 2500 km/s. As the enemy ships drew closer, an active sensor with a resolution of one and a range of one point seven million just was detected, confirming their suspected role as beam-armed escorts. When they reached a point just outside Sentinel range, Hilgendorf gave the order for his cruisers to open fire, concentrating on one target. Twenty-five seconds later, the three ships confirmed readiness and launched, just as the Menelaus entered range. Eighteen RGM-1A Falchions and thirty-six RIM-2A Sentinels streaked away toward the alien destroyers.

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A further thirty-six Sentinels launched every ten seconds, with the Falchions launching every forty seconds. Once two Falchion salvos and five Sentinel salvos were in space, the cruisers switched target to the second Menelaus. As the two missile types had different speeds, their approach to the alien ships was uncoordinated and the Sentinels arrived first. Twelve were destroyed by point defence but twenty-three out of the remaining twenty-four hit their target. The RIM-2A Sentinel was a fast, agile missile designed to intercept other missiles. In comparison, the alien destroyers were slow and lumbering. Seven of the hits caused loss of atmosphere. The second wave of Sentinels scored similar damage, grinding away the Menelaus' armour with small but numerous explosions. It fell out of formation, which disrupted the aliens hitherto coordinated point defence just as the first wave of Falchions arrived. Six were shot down by the damaged Menelaus and nine missed. Three solid hits were scored, one of which  caused an secondary explosion in the destroyer's power systems. Moments later the alien ship disintegrated due to structural failure. With eighteen more Falchions and over two hundred Sentinels already in flight toward the other Menelaus, Rear Admiral Hilgendorf ordered his cruisers to hold their fire. The second destroyer took over one hundred hits from the small anti-missiles before it finally succumbed to the onslaught and blew up. Only the two elusive Zeus class fast attack craft remained. The Federation fleet resumed its course for Lacaille 9352-I.

to be continued...
 

Offline waresky

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2009, 09:57:46 AM »
Steve,srry for post here: r an "alternative" post for discuss ur history,tactics events and alien counter-tactics?

ty (AWESOME history,i love "this smeg":D..)
 

Offline sloanjh

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2009, 11:15:50 PM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
This would be provided by the Rodger Young class Assault Carrier. A group of five Heinleins and a single Rico class command dropship would be transported by each assault carrier,

LOL - read any good books lately? :-)

John

PS - I usually name my troop transport class Rodger Young.
 

Offline Beersatron

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2009, 09:00:01 AM »
Roughnecks!

I was kind of hopping that you would have to retreat Steve, I wanted to see a mine field in action  :)
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2009, 09:48:00 AM »
Quote from: "Beersatron"
Roughnecks!

I was kind of hopping that you would have to retreat Steve, I wanted to see a mine field in action  :)
I am sure you will get much more experience with minefields in the next version (evil laugh).

Steve
 

Offline Beersatron

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2009, 12:29:35 PM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Beersatron"
Roughnecks!

I was kind of hopping that you would have to retreat Steve, I wanted to see a mine field in action  :)
I am sure you will get much more experience with minefields in the next version (evil laugh).

Steve

NPR minefields? Saweet!

Just as I typed that I thought about Precursor mine fields, but then that wouldn't be realistic as they have an endurance of only a couple of years at most - even with the Precursor uber-Tech.

But, what about Precursor OWPs at JPs? The same code that generates the ancient JGs could also generate a random number of OWPs from say 0-6. stands to reason that if the Precursors built a JG it must have been an important route so why not build static defenses? Or, they don't need to be super tough bases but maybe just armed customs stations - wouldn't want to make it to hard to take them down.
 

Offline welchbloke

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2009, 02:53:31 PM »
Quote from: "Beersatron"
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Beersatron"
Roughnecks!

I was kind of hopping that you would have to retreat Steve, I wanted to see a mine field in action  :D  Seriously, I really like the way things have been going recently, thanks for all the hard work Steve.
Welchbloke
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2009, 06:31:25 AM »
Quote from: "Beersatron"
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
I am sure you will get much more experience with minefields in the next version (evil laugh).
NPR minefields? Saweet!

Just as I typed that I thought about Precursor mine fields, but then that wouldn't be realistic as they have an endurance of only a couple of years at most - even with the Precursor uber-Tech.

But, what about Precursor OWPs at JPs? The same code that generates the ancient JGs could also generate a random number of OWPs from say 0-6. stands to reason that if the Precursors built a JG it must have been an important route so why not build static defenses? Or, they don't need to be super tough bases but maybe just armed customs stations - wouldn't want to make it to hard to take them down.
At the moment I am just trying it for the precursors to see how it works out, as they are a lot easier to manage than a full NPR. I am assuming some type of long-term reactor tech. If it adds to the game, I will start adding the necessary code to have NPRs start laying minefields with more realistic timespans.

Steve
 

Offline TrueZuluwiz

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Re: Federated Nations Campaign - Part 4
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2009, 01:14:19 PM »
Just have a large sensor array with self-repair capabilities (and cloak) and a swarm of mines in stasis fields. Put the sensor a long ways from the WP. If it has replication facilities, so much the better. A core tap might be needed to power all this. Starting to sound familiar?
Expecting the Spanish Inquisition