Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: February 16, 2015, 12:24:56 PM »The first of a new Rigellian ship class, the Mikura class destroyer escort, was launched on October 26th Y229. The Mikura was the result of a long research program aimed at providing missile defence without the use of ordnance. Resource shortages were still preventing the Empire from utilising its full production potential, although the situation had improved in recent years. Even so, missile production was still a significant bottleneck and many major warships still lacked the latest missiles. A ship that could provide defence against hostile missile attack without expending valuable resources in the process would help ease the overall economic situation. The Mikura was armed with four twin gauss cannon turrets capable of firing almost four hundred rounds per minute. In combination with the latest beam fire control system, this would enable the Mikura to provide a protective anti-missile umbrella for ships in close formation. The first ship of the class was dispatched to Kawasaki to join the main body of the Second Carrier Striking Force,
Early January Y230 saw the appearance of another new ship class; the Ojima class tug. The Ojima was essentially a ship that was wrapped around fifteen of the Empire’s most powerful commercial engines and equipped with a tractor beam. Its role was to tow large, very slow ships such as fuel harvesters or terraforming ships when they had to move great distances. The requirement for such a ship was due to the situation developing at Rigel-C VI, which had been the primary source of fuel for the Rigellian Empire for almost twenty years. Sorium deposits in the gas giant’s atmosphere were running out and the accessibility had fallen from 1.0 to 0.89. The twenty Nenryo Habesuta class fuel harvesters in orbit would have to be moved in the near future and their maximum speed was only 645 km/s. Tugs would be required if they had to be moved any significant distance. There were four potential destinations:
1) Rigel-A III had twenty million tons of Sorium at accessibility 0.8. While this was lower accessibility than Rigel-C VI, that would soon change and Rigel-A III had the advantage of being at the centre of the Empire, which made distribution of the fuel much easier and allowed for naval forces based at Rigel to provide protection.
2) Kawasaki-B I had two hundred million tons of Sorium at accessibility 0.8, which was ten times the amount at Rigel-A III. Kawasaki was already a busy trade hub with populated colonies on Kawasaki-A V, Kawasaki-B II and Kawasaki-C III, totalling almost fifteen million settlers. However, the C component, an orange K0-V main sequence star, was more than five billion kilometers from the Osaka jump point, which was the entry point for traffic arriving from Rigel. While the additional deposits were useful, they were outweighed by the convenience of Rigel-A III
3) Kochi-B II had 248,000 tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium and was the only accessibility 1.0 gas giant in known space. A production rate twenty-five percent higher than Rigel-A III was very attractive but two factors were a concern. Firstly, the small amount of Sorium meant this could only be a temporary solution. Secondly, Kochi was located beyond Nagoya’s seventh and outermost jump point, six billion kilometers from the Nagoya – Rigel jump point, and had six unexplored jump points of its own. Until the systems beyond those jump points had been investigated, the security of Kochi could not be guaranteed, which presented an unacceptable risk given the huge industrial investment of the fuel harvesters.
4) Kumamoto V had six hundred million tons of accessibility 0.9 Sorium, which provided a virtually unlimited supply of fuel with 12.5% greater production than Rigel-A III. This was the furthest site from Rigel, with three transits via Osaka and Kawasaki and a total distance of fifteen billion kilometers. However, the gas giant was only four hundred million kilometers from the system primary and Kumamoto II was the site of the recently discovered partially intact alien city. Once the xenology team on the planet finished their work, Kumamoto II was likely to become a major colony and probable fleet base, especially as the terraforming fleet had reduced the planet’s colony cost to 1.20 and a population of over a million was already in place. Finally, a Himeji class PDC was being assembled on the surface. Given the proximity of the Kumamoto II colony, the importance of the system and the improving security situation, the decision was made to move the fuel harvesters to Kumamoto V. A destroyer squadron was dispatched immediately to provide initial security.
The first Fuel Harvester was delivered to Kumamoto V on March 14th Y230. The following day, a geological survey ship in Takamatsu detected a Mazoku outpost on the thirteenth moon of the fourth planet. The Gyoku-Ryodan, now based on Kumamoto II after its successful mission in Kure, was dispatched with orders to secure the new outpost.
On April 15th Y230, the Rigellian Empire launched its largest non-carrier warship to date; the Yamato class battleship. The Yamato was a 30,000 ton behemoth with twenty missile launchers for long range strikes, a pair of twin gauss cannon turrets for defence and four lasers for close combat, including a 25cm spinal laser. In concept, the new battleship was an scaled-up Kongo Mod 1 class battlecruiser with the addition of lasers from the Kagero class destroyer and gauss turrets from the Mikura class destroyer escort. Armour strength was significantly improved with forty percent greater thickness and one hundred and forty percent more armour overall. The Yamato was intended to complement the Akagi class carrier and provide a balanced Rigellian Navy, with the capability to fight a battle line action or jump point defence as well as to launch long-range fighter strikes. Two sister ships, the Musashi and the Shinano, were under construction but due to continuing resource shortages and the demands of other projects no more Yamatos would be laid down in the near future.
By the end of April Y230, the Third Carrier Striking Force, which included the carrier Hiryu, was fully equipped with the latest fighters and missiles. CV Hiryu had thirty-six A6M3 Reisen strikefighters embarked and had magazines filled with the Meteor II anti-ship missile. The battlecruisers Ise, Kotetsu and Tosa were also armed with the Meteor II, while the Matsukaze Mod 1 class escorts Minekaze, Tachikaze and Yakaze were loaded with the Nova III anti-missile missile. The other ships in the task group included the Kagero Mod 1 class destroyers Asashimo, Kuroshio and Murakumo, the Nagara Mod 1 class destroyer leader Isuzu and the scout destroyer Noshiro, all of which were armed with lasers. After the victories of the Second Carrier Striking Force in Kumamoto and Takamatsu, the only remaining known threat was in Tokushima, which lay beyond Nagoya’s sixth jump point. As the systems beyond the Rigel – Nagoya jump point had traditionally been the area of operation for the Third Carrier Striking Force, that fleet was now tasked with clearing the Tokushima system.
Tokushima had been investigated by a recon squadron of three ships in Y220. The squadron had failed to report back on schedule and a new squadron sent in after it had found only wreckage. At the time there was no sign of the attacking ships so the Rigellian force had withdrawn and a guard force was established at the Nagoya – Tokushima jump point. The assumption was that the Mazoku were responsible but that had never been confirmed. However, after years without any sign of alien ships emerging from Tokushima, the assumption had been accepted as fact, given the lack of aggressive counterattacks in line with Mazoku behaviour in Kumamoto and Takamatsu. Despite ten years without incident, the threat to the critical mining colony in Nagoya could not be ignored for ever. A destroyer squadron was in orbit of the mining colony and a Himeji class PDC was being assembled on the surface but the only sure way to protect it was to remove the threat.
On May 16th Y230, a reconnaissance squadron from the Third Carrier Striking Force, comprising DL Isuzu, DE Yakaze and DD Kuroshio and commanded by eighteenth Swordsman Katsukawa Nanako, transited into Tokushima. The three Rigellian wrecks from ten years earlier were still there, one point five billion kilometers in-system from the jump point, which itself was six billion kilometers from the yellow G4-V primary. There were also a large number of new wrecks that had appeared in the interim. Five wrecks of 2550 tons, possibly survey ships, were within one hundred and twenty-five million kilometres of the star. Ten more wrecks were further out but all within six hundred million kilometers of the primary. One was identified as an 8250 ton Amazonia Planitia class destroyer, confirming the presence of the Mazoku in Tokushima. The other wrecks included one of 16,700 tons, seven of 8350 tons and one of 8250 tons. While the battle that produced the wrecks could have happened at any point in the last ten years, the presence of life pods close to all the wrecks except the Amazonia Planitia and the other 8250 ton wreck suggested the battle had actually taken place within the last few days. In fact, as no Mazoku life pods had ever emerged from ships destroyed by the Imperial Rigellian Navy, that suggested that all the wrecks with accompanying life pods were likely to belong to a new alien race engaged in combat with the Mazoku.
After the squadron had remained in Tokushima for several minutes with no sign of alien contact, which was not surprising given they were six billion kilometers out-system with relatively weak passive sensors, Swordsman Katsukawa ordered Isuzu to transit into Nagoya to inform Swordsman of Stars Tanaka of the situation and request instructions. Given the signs of recent heavy combat in Tokushima, Katsukawa was wary of moving any further into the system without express orders to do so. Tanaka decided to proceed cautiously for the moment, sending Isuzu back into Tokushima with orders for Swordsman Katsukawa to hold his position for a few days and monitor the situation from a very safe distance. The Sakawa class scout destroyer Noshiro, equipped with the powerful AS-1250 System Search Array, was part of the Third Carrier Striking Force. Her massive active sensor with its one and quarter billion kilometers range would provide greater security for the small recon squadron. However, Tanaka was concerned that sensor would also be a beacon to both warring parties, if they were still in Tokushima, and it didn’t necessarily follow that the enemy of the Rigellian Empire’s enemy would be a friend. Therefore, for the moment at least, Noshiro remained in Nagoya.
Seventeen hours after the Rigellian recon squadron transited, the three destroyers detected a dozen strength-7 warhead detonations and seven strength-1 energy weapon impacts all in the same location, three hundred seventy million kilometers from the system primary on a bearing almost opposite to their own. Obviously the battle was not over. Within the next minute a further thirty-two missile explosions were recorded, accompanied by twenty-four energy weapon impacts, presumably point defence fire and followed by two large secondary explosions. A new 16,700 ton wreck appeared. The warhead strength was the same as the Mazoku missiles used against Rigellian ships, which suggested the ship under fire was from the new, unknown alien race. The explosions resumed after a gap of sixty seconds, although fewer warhead detonations were detected simultaneously, perhaps due to smaller salvo sizes. During the next four minutes a total of twenty-three missile explosions and seventy energy weapon impacts were detected. There was no sign of any additional wrecks.
Three days after the brief engagement, the innermost planet in the system was struck by a fierce barrage of fire, including forty-two strength-12 detonations and over two hundred strength-1 detonations. Tokushima I was a terrestrial world with a thin atmosphere of ammonia and methane and a surface temperature of 69C. While it was hardly a garden world, the colony cost was only 2.00 so it was possible a settlement existed on the surface, or at least had existed before the devastating attack. Given the strength-12 warheads, the attacker was probably the new race.
A day later, combat erupted in space once again. Almost ninety strength-1 detonations were recorded in a narrow arc, perhaps two million kilometers in length, that lay between the second and third planets. They were accompanied by a single strength-7 detonation. It appeared the new aliens were successfully defending themselves against a new Mazoku attack. Four hours later the new aliens retaliated. Within the space of seventy seconds, forty strength-12 warheads struck a target more than a hundred million kilometers from the previous engagement. Twenty defensive energy weapon impacts were detected and there was no sign of wreckage. That changed after a pause of seventy-five minutes. Fifty-eight more strength-12 explosions were followed by four large secondary power explosions and two 16,500 ton wrecks appeared. After a further fifty minutes twenty-five missile detonations and another secondary explosion resulted in a third 16,500 ton wreck. Whoever the new aliens were, they were taking the fight to the Mazoku despite their earlier casualties.
On receiving news of the latest engagement, High Swordsman Takagi decided to assemble a force for potential salvage operations in Tokushima. Three of the four Torimodosu class salvage ships and ten freighters were ordered to rendezvous in Nagoya. Any such salvage operation would be extremely vulnerable without a substantial protection force so he also ordered a Kochiku Suru class construction ship to enter Tokushima and begin building a gate on the Tokushima side of the jump point. While that had the downside of opening up Nagoya to non-jump-capable alien ships, he believed the Third Carrier Striking Force would be a sufficiently powerful force to prevent that becoming a problem. Just to be on the safe side though, he also dispatched the Yamato from Rigel to support the Third. The Yamato’s sister ship Musashi had recently been completed and would remain with the First Striking Force.
On May 29th, nine days after the last engagement in Tokushima, a Himeji class PDC was assembled on the twelfth moon of Nagoya VII, site of the Rigellian Empire’s largest mining colony and only two point five billion kilometers from the Nagoya – Tokushima jump point. The carrier Akagi was sent from Rigel to deliver twenty A6M2 fighters plus additional ordnance while the destroyer escort Shimakaze delivered Nova II anti-missile missiles for the Himeji’s AMM launchers. Twelve construction brigades that had assembled the Himeji would be transported to Kumamoto II to await the start of recovery operations, once the xenology team had finished their work in the alien city. On June 25th, a Kochiku Suru transited into Tokushima to begin construction of the Tokushima – Nagoya jump gate. A Kobyashi Maru Mod 2J Jump Freighter was in position on the Nagoya side of the jump point in case the Kochiku Suru was forced to withdraw before the gate was completed.
to be continued...
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Mikura class Destroyer Escort 9,000 tons 217 Crew 1847.6 BP TCS 180 TH 1260 EM 0
7000 km/s Armour 4-38 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 6 PPV 66.24
Maint Life 2.82 Years MSP 770 AFR 108% IFR 1.5% 1YR 141 5YR 2115 Max Repair 210 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Flight Crew Berths 1
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons
Sakurai Drive Systems SDS-420 Fusion Drive (3) Power 420 Fuel Use 45.19% Signature 420 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 22.1 billion km (36 days at full power)
Twin Kagawa-Morita KM-5 Gauss Cannon Turret (4x8) Range 30,000km TS: 25000 km/s RM 3 ROF 5
Katsumata Design Bureau KDB-25M Beam Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 25000 km/s
Muso-Murakami MM-75 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 7560 Range 75.9m km Resolution 120
Muso-Murakami EM-11 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m km
Strike Group
1x Kyumei Boto Lifeboat Speed: 8750 km/s Size: 2.4
Early January Y230 saw the appearance of another new ship class; the Ojima class tug. The Ojima was essentially a ship that was wrapped around fifteen of the Empire’s most powerful commercial engines and equipped with a tractor beam. Its role was to tow large, very slow ships such as fuel harvesters or terraforming ships when they had to move great distances. The requirement for such a ship was due to the situation developing at Rigel-C VI, which had been the primary source of fuel for the Rigellian Empire for almost twenty years. Sorium deposits in the gas giant’s atmosphere were running out and the accessibility had fallen from 1.0 to 0.89. The twenty Nenryo Habesuta class fuel harvesters in orbit would have to be moved in the near future and their maximum speed was only 645 km/s. Tugs would be required if they had to be moved any significant distance. There were four potential destinations:
1) Rigel-A III had twenty million tons of Sorium at accessibility 0.8. While this was lower accessibility than Rigel-C VI, that would soon change and Rigel-A III had the advantage of being at the centre of the Empire, which made distribution of the fuel much easier and allowed for naval forces based at Rigel to provide protection.
2) Kawasaki-B I had two hundred million tons of Sorium at accessibility 0.8, which was ten times the amount at Rigel-A III. Kawasaki was already a busy trade hub with populated colonies on Kawasaki-A V, Kawasaki-B II and Kawasaki-C III, totalling almost fifteen million settlers. However, the C component, an orange K0-V main sequence star, was more than five billion kilometers from the Osaka jump point, which was the entry point for traffic arriving from Rigel. While the additional deposits were useful, they were outweighed by the convenience of Rigel-A III
3) Kochi-B II had 248,000 tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium and was the only accessibility 1.0 gas giant in known space. A production rate twenty-five percent higher than Rigel-A III was very attractive but two factors were a concern. Firstly, the small amount of Sorium meant this could only be a temporary solution. Secondly, Kochi was located beyond Nagoya’s seventh and outermost jump point, six billion kilometers from the Nagoya – Rigel jump point, and had six unexplored jump points of its own. Until the systems beyond those jump points had been investigated, the security of Kochi could not be guaranteed, which presented an unacceptable risk given the huge industrial investment of the fuel harvesters.
4) Kumamoto V had six hundred million tons of accessibility 0.9 Sorium, which provided a virtually unlimited supply of fuel with 12.5% greater production than Rigel-A III. This was the furthest site from Rigel, with three transits via Osaka and Kawasaki and a total distance of fifteen billion kilometers. However, the gas giant was only four hundred million kilometers from the system primary and Kumamoto II was the site of the recently discovered partially intact alien city. Once the xenology team on the planet finished their work, Kumamoto II was likely to become a major colony and probable fleet base, especially as the terraforming fleet had reduced the planet’s colony cost to 1.20 and a population of over a million was already in place. Finally, a Himeji class PDC was being assembled on the surface. Given the proximity of the Kumamoto II colony, the importance of the system and the improving security situation, the decision was made to move the fuel harvesters to Kumamoto V. A destroyer squadron was dispatched immediately to provide initial security.
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Ojima class Tug 41,350 tons 399 Crew 2390 BP TCS 827 TH 7500 EM 0
9068 km/s Armour 1-106 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 36 Max Repair 125 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Tractor Beam
C500 Commercial Internal Fusion Drive (15) Power 500 Fuel Use 4.42% Signature 500 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 197.0 billion km (251 days at full power)
Nagumo Engineering Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 25.3m km Resolution 120
Muso-Murakami EM-11 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m km
The first Fuel Harvester was delivered to Kumamoto V on March 14th Y230. The following day, a geological survey ship in Takamatsu detected a Mazoku outpost on the thirteenth moon of the fourth planet. The Gyoku-Ryodan, now based on Kumamoto II after its successful mission in Kure, was dispatched with orders to secure the new outpost.
On April 15th Y230, the Rigellian Empire launched its largest non-carrier warship to date; the Yamato class battleship. The Yamato was a 30,000 ton behemoth with twenty missile launchers for long range strikes, a pair of twin gauss cannon turrets for defence and four lasers for close combat, including a 25cm spinal laser. In concept, the new battleship was an scaled-up Kongo Mod 1 class battlecruiser with the addition of lasers from the Kagero class destroyer and gauss turrets from the Mikura class destroyer escort. Armour strength was significantly improved with forty percent greater thickness and one hundred and forty percent more armour overall. The Yamato was intended to complement the Akagi class carrier and provide a balanced Rigellian Navy, with the capability to fight a battle line action or jump point defence as well as to launch long-range fighter strikes. Two sister ships, the Musashi and the Shinano, were under construction but due to continuing resource shortages and the demands of other projects no more Yamatos would be laid down in the near future.
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Yamato class Battleship 30,000 tons 852 Crew 5603.4 BP TCS 600 TH 4200 EM 0
7000 km/s Armour 7-86 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/33/0/0 Damage Control Rating 21 PPV 159.12
Maint Life 2.26 Years MSP 2510 AFR 334% IFR 4.7% 1YR 663 5YR 9943 Max Repair 420 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 1
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Magazine 1400
Sakurai Drive Systems SDS-840 Fusion Drive (5) Power 840 Fuel Use 33.89% Signature 840 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,250,000 Litres Range 22.1 billion km (36 days at full power)
Tamura 25cm C4 Ultraviolet Spinal Laser (1) Range 256,000km TS: 7000 km/s Power 16-4 RM 4 ROF 20
Tamura 20cm C4 Ultraviolet Laser (3) Range 256,000km TS: 7000 km/s Power 10-4 RM 4 ROF 15
Twin Kagawa-Morita KM-5 Gauss Cannon Turret (2x8) Range 30,000km TS: 25000 km/s Power 0-0 RM 3 ROF 5 Katsumata Design Bureau KDB-128-7B Beam Fire Control (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 7812 km/s
Katsumata Design Bureau KDB-25M Beam Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 25000 km/s
Tokamak Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 16 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Tamuro-Soga Heavy Industries Dragon-5 Missile Launch System (20) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 40
Nagumo Engineering FC-150 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 151.8m km Resolution 120
ASM-5 Meteor II (280) Speed: 45,000 km/s End: 54.1m Range: 146.2m km WH: 9 Size: 5 TH: 150/90/45
Nagumo Engineering AS-150 Area Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 151.8m km Resolution 120
Muso-Murakami EM-33 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 33 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33m km
By the end of April Y230, the Third Carrier Striking Force, which included the carrier Hiryu, was fully equipped with the latest fighters and missiles. CV Hiryu had thirty-six A6M3 Reisen strikefighters embarked and had magazines filled with the Meteor II anti-ship missile. The battlecruisers Ise, Kotetsu and Tosa were also armed with the Meteor II, while the Matsukaze Mod 1 class escorts Minekaze, Tachikaze and Yakaze were loaded with the Nova III anti-missile missile. The other ships in the task group included the Kagero Mod 1 class destroyers Asashimo, Kuroshio and Murakumo, the Nagara Mod 1 class destroyer leader Isuzu and the scout destroyer Noshiro, all of which were armed with lasers. After the victories of the Second Carrier Striking Force in Kumamoto and Takamatsu, the only remaining known threat was in Tokushima, which lay beyond Nagoya’s sixth jump point. As the systems beyond the Rigel – Nagoya jump point had traditionally been the area of operation for the Third Carrier Striking Force, that fleet was now tasked with clearing the Tokushima system.
Tokushima had been investigated by a recon squadron of three ships in Y220. The squadron had failed to report back on schedule and a new squadron sent in after it had found only wreckage. At the time there was no sign of the attacking ships so the Rigellian force had withdrawn and a guard force was established at the Nagoya – Tokushima jump point. The assumption was that the Mazoku were responsible but that had never been confirmed. However, after years without any sign of alien ships emerging from Tokushima, the assumption had been accepted as fact, given the lack of aggressive counterattacks in line with Mazoku behaviour in Kumamoto and Takamatsu. Despite ten years without incident, the threat to the critical mining colony in Nagoya could not be ignored for ever. A destroyer squadron was in orbit of the mining colony and a Himeji class PDC was being assembled on the surface but the only sure way to protect it was to remove the threat.
On May 16th Y230, a reconnaissance squadron from the Third Carrier Striking Force, comprising DL Isuzu, DE Yakaze and DD Kuroshio and commanded by eighteenth Swordsman Katsukawa Nanako, transited into Tokushima. The three Rigellian wrecks from ten years earlier were still there, one point five billion kilometers in-system from the jump point, which itself was six billion kilometers from the yellow G4-V primary. There were also a large number of new wrecks that had appeared in the interim. Five wrecks of 2550 tons, possibly survey ships, were within one hundred and twenty-five million kilometres of the star. Ten more wrecks were further out but all within six hundred million kilometers of the primary. One was identified as an 8250 ton Amazonia Planitia class destroyer, confirming the presence of the Mazoku in Tokushima. The other wrecks included one of 16,700 tons, seven of 8350 tons and one of 8250 tons. While the battle that produced the wrecks could have happened at any point in the last ten years, the presence of life pods close to all the wrecks except the Amazonia Planitia and the other 8250 ton wreck suggested the battle had actually taken place within the last few days. In fact, as no Mazoku life pods had ever emerged from ships destroyed by the Imperial Rigellian Navy, that suggested that all the wrecks with accompanying life pods were likely to belong to a new alien race engaged in combat with the Mazoku.
After the squadron had remained in Tokushima for several minutes with no sign of alien contact, which was not surprising given they were six billion kilometers out-system with relatively weak passive sensors, Swordsman Katsukawa ordered Isuzu to transit into Nagoya to inform Swordsman of Stars Tanaka of the situation and request instructions. Given the signs of recent heavy combat in Tokushima, Katsukawa was wary of moving any further into the system without express orders to do so. Tanaka decided to proceed cautiously for the moment, sending Isuzu back into Tokushima with orders for Swordsman Katsukawa to hold his position for a few days and monitor the situation from a very safe distance. The Sakawa class scout destroyer Noshiro, equipped with the powerful AS-1250 System Search Array, was part of the Third Carrier Striking Force. Her massive active sensor with its one and quarter billion kilometers range would provide greater security for the small recon squadron. However, Tanaka was concerned that sensor would also be a beacon to both warring parties, if they were still in Tokushima, and it didn’t necessarily follow that the enemy of the Rigellian Empire’s enemy would be a friend. Therefore, for the moment at least, Noshiro remained in Nagoya.
Seventeen hours after the Rigellian recon squadron transited, the three destroyers detected a dozen strength-7 warhead detonations and seven strength-1 energy weapon impacts all in the same location, three hundred seventy million kilometers from the system primary on a bearing almost opposite to their own. Obviously the battle was not over. Within the next minute a further thirty-two missile explosions were recorded, accompanied by twenty-four energy weapon impacts, presumably point defence fire and followed by two large secondary explosions. A new 16,700 ton wreck appeared. The warhead strength was the same as the Mazoku missiles used against Rigellian ships, which suggested the ship under fire was from the new, unknown alien race. The explosions resumed after a gap of sixty seconds, although fewer warhead detonations were detected simultaneously, perhaps due to smaller salvo sizes. During the next four minutes a total of twenty-three missile explosions and seventy energy weapon impacts were detected. There was no sign of any additional wrecks.
Three days after the brief engagement, the innermost planet in the system was struck by a fierce barrage of fire, including forty-two strength-12 detonations and over two hundred strength-1 detonations. Tokushima I was a terrestrial world with a thin atmosphere of ammonia and methane and a surface temperature of 69C. While it was hardly a garden world, the colony cost was only 2.00 so it was possible a settlement existed on the surface, or at least had existed before the devastating attack. Given the strength-12 warheads, the attacker was probably the new race.
A day later, combat erupted in space once again. Almost ninety strength-1 detonations were recorded in a narrow arc, perhaps two million kilometers in length, that lay between the second and third planets. They were accompanied by a single strength-7 detonation. It appeared the new aliens were successfully defending themselves against a new Mazoku attack. Four hours later the new aliens retaliated. Within the space of seventy seconds, forty strength-12 warheads struck a target more than a hundred million kilometers from the previous engagement. Twenty defensive energy weapon impacts were detected and there was no sign of wreckage. That changed after a pause of seventy-five minutes. Fifty-eight more strength-12 explosions were followed by four large secondary power explosions and two 16,500 ton wrecks appeared. After a further fifty minutes twenty-five missile detonations and another secondary explosion resulted in a third 16,500 ton wreck. Whoever the new aliens were, they were taking the fight to the Mazoku despite their earlier casualties.
On receiving news of the latest engagement, High Swordsman Takagi decided to assemble a force for potential salvage operations in Tokushima. Three of the four Torimodosu class salvage ships and ten freighters were ordered to rendezvous in Nagoya. Any such salvage operation would be extremely vulnerable without a substantial protection force so he also ordered a Kochiku Suru class construction ship to enter Tokushima and begin building a gate on the Tokushima side of the jump point. While that had the downside of opening up Nagoya to non-jump-capable alien ships, he believed the Third Carrier Striking Force would be a sufficiently powerful force to prevent that becoming a problem. Just to be on the safe side though, he also dispatched the Yamato from Rigel to support the Third. The Yamato’s sister ship Musashi had recently been completed and would remain with the First Striking Force.
On May 29th, nine days after the last engagement in Tokushima, a Himeji class PDC was assembled on the twelfth moon of Nagoya VII, site of the Rigellian Empire’s largest mining colony and only two point five billion kilometers from the Nagoya – Tokushima jump point. The carrier Akagi was sent from Rigel to deliver twenty A6M2 fighters plus additional ordnance while the destroyer escort Shimakaze delivered Nova II anti-missile missiles for the Himeji’s AMM launchers. Twelve construction brigades that had assembled the Himeji would be transported to Kumamoto II to await the start of recovery operations, once the xenology team had finished their work in the alien city. On June 25th, a Kochiku Suru transited into Tokushima to begin construction of the Tokushima – Nagoya jump gate. A Kobyashi Maru Mod 2J Jump Freighter was in position on the Nagoya side of the jump point in case the Kochiku Suru was forced to withdraw before the gate was completed.
to be continued...