Aurora 4x
C# Fiction => Steve's Fiction => Empire of the Stars => Topic started by: Steve Walmsley on June 25, 2024, 06:33:55 AM
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Background
Japan entered World War I on the side of the Allies in 1914, seizing the opportunity of Germany's distraction with the European War to expand its sphere of influence in China and the Pacific. Soon after Japan declared war on Germany on August 23, 1914, Japanese and allied British Empire forces moved to occupy Tsingtao fortress, the German East Asia Squadron base, German-leased territories in China's Shandong Province as well as the Marianas, Caroline, and Marshall Islands in the Pacific, which were part of German New Guinea. In 1916, the Imperial Japanese Navy made a detailed survey of Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands, with the intention of establishing a major naval base. During the survey, the Navy made a startling discovery: a massive, partially buried structure that was eventually determined to be a crashed alien spacecraft.
Within twelve months, under conditions of great secrecy, a group of top scientists from across the Empire of Japan had been assembled at Truk. The secure, isolated location allowed the Imperial Navy to maintain complete security for many years. Not even the Imperial Army was aware what was underway at Truk. At first, progress was glacially slow. As time passed and the scientists began to activate the remaining intact systems, the gradual flow of knowledge become a flood. An understanding of the Trans-Newtonian principles on which the spacecraft was based began to develop. The Imperial Navy’s scientists discovered that another dimension, which they named the Aether, existed alongside our own. The Aether had fluidic properties and was far more compressed in terms of distance between objects compared to ‘normal’ space. Eleven new elements were identified that existed primarily in the Aether but could be extracted and refined for construction purposes. Although the ramifications of these early discoveries were profound, it would take decades to fully realise their potential.
By 1926, ten years after the discovery, the Imperial Navy was testing primitive jet aircraft in the remote Marshall Islands and developing armoured vehicles for the Special Naval Landing Forces. In 1932, the Imperial Navy launched the first lunar probe from Bikini Atoll and two years later Kaigun-shōsa (lieutenant commander) Fuchida Mitsuo became the first man to walk on the Moon. The other major powers remained completely oblivious until the Imperial Navy finally acted in June 1939. Orbiting spacecraft launched a series of nuclear strikes against Soviet, Chinese, American, British, French and Dutch targets. Every major military base in the Pacific was struck and destroyed, along with numerous cities across the globe for ‘demonstration’ purposes. The other major powers of the time were incredulous at the apparently miraculous advancements in Japanese military technology. The Imperial Japanese Army was equally stunned and its influence rapidly diminished thereafter, effectively coming under the control of the navy.
Across the globe, valiant efforts were made to withstand the irresistible forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy, but they were in vain. Despite desperate and rapid strides in many fields of science, engineering and military technology, the lead of the Empire of Japan only increased as it took full advantage of the knowledge extracted from alien computers. By 1945, the wars were over and the Empire of Japan dominated the globe. The next fifteen years were spent consolidating the Empire’s gains and pacifying the conquered territories, while the Imperial Navy built up its forces for the next stage of Japanese expansion. A shortage of personnel to oversee a global domain resulted in the introduction of women into the Imperial Navy in the late 1940s and even non-Japanese by the late 1950s. By 1960 (Imperial year 2620), the Earth was firmly under control and the Empire of Japan looked outward, preparing to become an Empire of the Stars.
Scenario
• Starting population is two billion with standard TN setup.
• Normal starting RP and BP.
• Ruin chance is increased from 20% to 25%.
• All spoilers active except Rakhas.
• System Count is 30 for Raiders, 60 for Swarm and 100 for Invaders.
• 10 NPRs. 50-100 LY
• NPRs can generate other NPRs with a 10% chance.
• NPRs generate Precursors and Raiders
• Minor Races set to 100%
• Limited Research Admin
• Hostility Modifier +20
• Survey Speed 25%
• Sol has six jump points
Earth Survey Report
Duranium: 353,700 1.00
Neutronium: 246,200 1.00
Corbomite: 251,300 1.00
Tritanium: 112,700 0.40
Boronide: 91,900 0.70
Mercassium: 158,600 0.80
Vendarite: 296,000 0.70
Sorium: 335,450 0.80
Uridium: 127,200 0.90
Corundium: 358,800 0.50
Gallicite: 197,000 1.00
SJW Note: The following designation systems are inspired by the actual Imperial Navy or Imperial Army designation systems, but they have been adapted for Aurora and modified and/or simplified for easier understanding.
Small Craft Designation System
In the 1920s, the Empire developed the Military Aircraft Designation System to specify the intended function of the variety of aircraft developed at the time. This designation system was modified for the early interstellar era to cover any spacecraft design of 1000 tons or less and comprises four parts: the Small Craft Type, the Navy Design Request Number, the Manufacturer and the Variant. The Design Request Number is effectively an increment to the number of existing designs for small craft of that type.
For example, for a theoretical A6M2, the A represents a ‘Carrier-based fighter’, the 6 indicates this is the sixth type of carrier-based fighter to be designed, the M designates the manufacturer as Mitsubishi and the number indicates this is a second variant of that type. A ‘variant’ in this context will generally indicate an improvement to the design due to new technology, without changing the basic design principles or adding any new capabilities.
A longer version of the designation system includes the year of service expressed as ‘Type’, followed by the last two digits of the Imperial Year and often an official name. For example, the Mitsubishi A6M1 ‘Reisen’ Type 00 Carrier Based Fighter would have entered service in Imperial Year 2600 (1940).
Small Craft Type
A Carrier-based fighter
B Carrier-based missile attack
D Carrier-based energy attack
E Reconnaissance
F Observation
G Planet-based missile attack
H Long-Range Patrol
J Planet-based fighter
L Troop Transport
M Geological Survey
P Planet-based energy attack
R Gravitational Survey
X Experimental (used with other designations)
Manufacturer
A Aichi
D Showa
G Hitachi
H Hiro
K Kawanishi
M Mitsubishi
N Nakajima
Si Showa
W Watanabe/Kyushu
Y Yokosuka
Z Mizuno
Electronics Designation System
Electronics systems have a designation in the format Type x Go-Mark/Model-Variant. Type is a numeral that indicates the last two digits of the Imperial Year, Mark is the function of the sensor, Model is the general usage of the sensor and Variant indicates how many times the design has been updated. For example, a Type 12 Go-13B Navigation Sensor was originally designed in Imperial Year 2612 (1952) and will serve as an active search sensor for commercial shipping. The B indicates an update from the original design.
Mark 1: Active Search Sensor
Mark 2: Missile Detection Sensor
Mark 3: Energy Weapon Fire Control
Mark 4: Missile Fire Control
Mark 5: Thermal Detection
Mark 6: EM Detection
Mark 7: Fighter Detection
Model 1: Warships
Model 2: Capital Ships
Model 3: Commercial Vessels
Model 4: Small Craft
Model 5: Minimal operable size
Vehicle Naming System
Vehicle naming comprises three parts: a Type numeral that indicates the last two digits of the Imperial Year, a kana designation for size and a second kana designation for the number of incremental designs. For example A Type 14 Chi-Ro Battle Tank, is the second design of a medium vehicle and entered service in Imperial Year 2614 (1954). The Type 8 Ke-Ha Light Tank, is the third design of a light vehicle and entered service in Imperial Year 2608 (1948).
Ke: Light
Chi: Medium
Ju: Heavy
O: Super-heavy
Incremental Naming (Iroha) – First 12 Only.
I: 1st
Ro: 2nd
Ha 3rd
Ni: 4th
He: 5th
To: 6th
Chi: 7th
Ri: 8th
Nu: 9th
Ru: 10th
Wo: 11th
Wa: 12th
Notes on Historical Updates
1) This history is in the form of a diary, with incidents of note recorded in present tense at the time of their occurrence.
2) The first use of each Imperial ship name in this diary (beyond the original OOB) will be accompanied by an English translation.
3) Japanese names are presented as family name followed by given name.
4) Star systems will be assigned a Japanese name, except in cases where the existing name is already in general use by 1960
January 1st 1960 – State of the Imperial Japanese Navy
During the 1950s, Japan focused on the development of lasers, propulsion, armour and tracking systems, which led it to deploy warships with boosted gas core engines capable of 4000 km/s, protected by ceramic composite armour and armed with 20cm lasers for attack and 10cm railguns for defence. This approach did not include any research into missiles, shields and electronic warfare and allowed only minimal research into economic and logistics systems. These would be developed over time. While the existence of aliens remained theoretical at this point in Imperial history, there was sufficient concern about the potential threat to build a fleet on the assumption that the threat was real and immediate.
The main drawback of the energy-armed focus of the Imperial Navy was extreme short-range compared to a theoretical missile-armed opponent. As a result, the Akagi class carrier was designed to project power hundreds of millions of kilometres from the battle fleet. With that in mind, the design prioritised hangar space above all else, allowing the Akagi to carry sixty A1M1 ‘Raiden’ (Lightning Bolt) fighters and a pair of Aichi E1A class scouts. The Imperial shipwrights intended that once the Empire of Japan developed effective missiles, the strikegroup would be updated to include missile-capable strike craft and the carrier would be refitted with a magazine. Shown below is the Akagi design as of January 1960. The carrier lacks a jump drive, so requires either a stabilised jump point or a jump-capable escort, such as a Kongo-class battlecruiser.
Akagi class Carrier 36,000 tons 621 Crew 3,991.3 BP TCS 720 TH 2,880 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 2-97 Shields 0-0 HTK 158 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 21-5 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.68 Years MSP 4,340 AFR 494% IFR 6.9% 1YR 863 5YR 12,942 Max Repair 360 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 17,000 tons
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 340 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-720-B Gas-Core Drive (4) Power 2880 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 720 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 22.2 billion km (64 days at full power)
MK I Active Sensor (1) GPS 6480 Range 50.1m km Resolution 120
MK I Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 6 Range 3.4m km MCR 304.7k km Resolution 1
MK I Commercial Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
MK I Commercial EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Strike Group
60x Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’ Fighter Speed: 8001 km/s Size: 5.5
2x Aichi E1A Scout Speed: 6001 km/s Size: 5
The Kongo class battlecruiser is the only capital ship design of the Imperial Navy in service at the start of the interstellar era. With strong armour and twenty-four Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Lasers, the Kongo was designed for close combat with any potential alien threats. The battlecruiser is jump-capable, has a small hangar bay for a E1A scout and is equipped with four fixed launchers for Gekkō (Moonlight) Reconnaissance Drones.
Kongo class Battlecruiser 36,000 tons 1,191 Crew 5,586.5 BP TCS 720 TH 2,880 EM 0
4000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 8-97 Shields 0-0 HTK 230 Sensors 10/12/0/0 DCR 20-5 PPV 208.8
Maint Life 2.06 Years MSP 2,939 AFR 518% IFR 7.2% 1YR 923 5YR 13,838 Max Repair 450 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Magazine 32 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 5 Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-360 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 36000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-720-B Gas-Core Drive (4) Power 2880 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 720 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,425,000 Litres Range 15.8 billion km (45 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 256,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 10-3.5 ROF 15
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (20x4) Range 10,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 15 Go-31A Laser Fire Control (4) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
Type 12 Go-31A Railgun Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
R-40 Gaseous Fission Reactor (4) Total Power Output 160.4 Exp 5%
Fixed Drone Launcher (4) Missile Size: 8 Hangar Reload 141 minutes MF Reload 23 hours
Type 11 Go-41 Drone Guidance (1) Range 14.9m km Resolution 120
Type 12 Go-12A Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 17280 Range 81.8m km Resolution 120
Type 12 Go-21A Missile Detection (1) GPS 6 Range 3.4m km MCR 304.7k km Resolution 1
Type 10 Go-61A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Strike Group
1x Aichi E1A Scout Speed: 6001 km/s Size: 5
The Nagara class light cruiser serves as the workhorse of the Imperial Japanese Navy, intended to fill most day-to-day tasks and deployments, as the carriers and capital ships will only be deployed against significant threats. The main armament comprises twelve Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Lasers, supported by a secondary battery of railguns for point defence. The Nagara has a small hangar for an Aichi E1A scout and a 500-ton drop bay for a Naval Landing Force, used to capture disabled ships or unprotected alien outposts.
Nagara class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 595 Crew 2,604.4 BP TCS 360 TH 1,440 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 116 Sensors 10/12/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 2.21 Years MSP 1,404 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 386 5YR 5,797 Max Repair 360 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 5 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-720-B Gas-Core Drive (2) Power 1440 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 720 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 762,000 Litres Range 16.9 billion km (48 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 256,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 10-3.5 ROF 15
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (12x4) Range 10,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
MK I Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
MK I Railgun Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
R-40 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2) Total Power Output 80.2 Exp 5%
MK I Active Sensor (1) GPS 6480 Range 50.1m km Resolution 120
MK I Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 6 Range 3.4m km MCR 304.7k km Resolution 1
MK I EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
MK I Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Strike Group / Ground Forces
1x Aichi E1A Scout Speed: 6001 km/s Size: 5
1x Naval Landing Force
The Sendai class light cruiser is almost identical to the Nagara and can be constructed in the same shipyard. A jump drive has been added to the design in exchange for the drop bay, hangar bay and two railguns.
Sendai class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 610 Crew 2,780.8 BP TCS 360 TH 1,440 EM 0
4000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 115 Sensors 10/12/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 102
Maint Life 2.15 Years MSP 1,465 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 425 5YR 6,368 Max Repair 360 MSP
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-180 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-720-B Gas-Core Drive (2) Power 1440 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 720 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 757,000 Litres Range 16.8 billion km (48 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 256,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 10-3.5 ROF 15
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (10x4) Range 10,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
MK I Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
MK I Railgun Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s ECCM-0
R-40 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2) Total Power Output 80.2 Exp 5%
MK I Active Sensor (1) GPS 6480 Range 50.1m km Resolution 120
MK I Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 6 Range 3.4m km MCR 304.7k km Resolution 1
MK I EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
MK I Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Small Craft
The Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’ class fighter is the primary power projection asset of the Imperial Navy. Although it is lightly-armed, it is intended to be deployed en masse, overwhelming the enemy with numbers at point-blank range. The MK I cannon is a half-sized version of the Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun used by warships for point defence.
Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’ class Fighter 275 tons 1 Crew 47.1 BP TCS 5 TH 44 EM 0
8001 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 1.83 Years MSP 10 AFR 55% IFR 0.8% 1YR 4 5YR 56 Max Repair 22 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.3 days Morale Check Required
Kotobuki Ha-1 Gas-Core Engine (1) Power 44.0 Fuel Use 844.23% Signature 44.00 Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 7,600 Litres Range 0.59 billion km (20 hours at full power)
MK I Cannon (1x2) Range 10,000km TS: 8,001 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 ROF 5
MK I Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 8,000 km/s ECCM-0
R-1B Gaseous Fission Reactor (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 10%
MK I Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 2 Range 1.5m km MCR 136.2k km Resolution 1
The Aichi class scout is a ubiquitous design, used by almost all major warships for short-ranged reconnaissance operations.
Aichi E1A class Scout 250 tons 4 Crew 38.3 BP TCS 5 TH 30 EM 0
6001 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 2 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 49% IFR 0.7% 1YR 3 5YR 40 Max Repair 15 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-25 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 250 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-30-B Gas Core Drive (1) Power 30 Fuel Use 431.33% Signature 30 Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 31,000 Litres Range 5.2 billion km (9 days at full power)
MK I Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1440 Range 23.6m km Resolution 120
MK I Minimal EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6.1m km
MK I Minimal Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 5.6m km
Imperial Japanese Navy Order of Battle January 1960
4x Akagi class Carrier: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Soryu
4x Kongo class Battlecruiser: Haruna, Hiei, Kirishima, Kongo
12x Nagara class Light Cruiser: Abukuma, Isuzu, Kinu, Kiso, Kitakami, Kuma, Nagara, Natori, Tama, Tatsuta, Tenryu, Yura
6x Sendai class Light Cruiser: Jintsu, Naka, Niyodo, Oyodo, Sendai, Yubari
8x Asagiri class Survey Cruiser: Amagiri, Asagiri, Miyuki, Murakumo, Sagiri, Shinonome, Shirakumo, Yugiri
240x Mitsubishi A1M class Fighter
24x Aichi E1A class Scout
6x Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport: Kaimei Maru, Kumagawa Maru, Kumano Maru, Shinshu Maru, Nojima Maru, Sakito Maru
6x Akatsuki Maru class Replenishment Ship: Akatsuki Maru, Kenyo Maru, Kyokuto Maru, Nichiei Maru, Tatekawa Maru, Toho Maru
6x Chitose class Jump Tender: Chitose, Chiyoda, Kamoi, Mizuho, Nisshin, Notoro
5x Asama Maru class Colony Ship
10x Kansai Maru class Freighter
Imperial Army
4x Combat Division, each with three infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment. 100,000 tons each.
5x Shore Battery, each with eight lasers and twelve railguns.
2x Engineer Regiment
2x Geosurvey Regiment
2x Xenoarchaeology Regiment
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire002.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire003.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire004.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire005.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire001.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire006.png)
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22nd January 1960
The survey cruiser Murakumo (Gathering Clouds) discovers a jump point only fourteen million kilometres from Sol.
23rd January 1960
Shinonome (Morning Twilight) discovers a jump point just inside the orbit of Jupiter
26th February 1960
The survey of all inner planets and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn is complete. There are no significant mineral deposits.
5th March 1960
Murakumo discovers two new jump points, one in the asteroid belt and the other just outside the orbit of Saturn.
8th March 1960
Murakumo enters the outermost of the four known jump points and emerges two hundred and seventy million kilometres from Barnard’s Star, a planetless red dwarf. As this is a well-known star, the existing name will be retained.
16th March 1960
Murakumo enters the second of the four known jump points and discovers Proxima, another planetless red dwarf.
19th March 1960
Shinonome enters the innermost of the four known jump point and emerges in Wolf 359, a red dwarf with a single Venusian planet and a small asteroid belt. So far, the systems discovered have been underwhelming. The system nomenclature is due to Max Wolf, a German astronomer who created a star catalogue in 1919. Many of those catalogued stars still bear his name, including Wolf 359. As this is adjacent to Sol and only one of many systems from the catalogue, it is renamed Okami, which is Japanese for Wolf.
20th March 1960
Yugiri (Evening Mist) discovers 700,000 tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium on Neptune.
21st March 1960
Murakumo enters the third of the four known jump points. So far, all the jump points have connected to stars within a few light years of Sol. This time, she arrives a little over four hundred million kilometres from a K2-V orange star more than seventy light years from Sol. There are two terrestrial planets, both with atmospheres and liquid water. The first is 7800 km in diameter and has a nitrogen-methane atmosphere of 0.26 atm, with 9% hydro extent. The second is 16000km and has a carbon dioxide – nitrogen atmosphere of 0.69 atm, with 39% hydro extent. Both have a surface temperature of 27C. Murakumo launches a pair of Gekko (Moonlight) reconnaissance drones towards the two planets then follows in their wakes. The system is named Tsushima, the location of the great victory of Admiral Togo in 1905.
The drone approaching the first planet detects an alien ship in orbit, slightly smaller than a Nagara class light cruiser at 16,589 tons. Imperial Naval Intelligence (INI) assigns this ship the reporting name of Falcon. The aliens will be known as the Tsushima aliens until some form of contact can be established. The Imperial Navy will need more intelligence on the size and capability of the alien forces before an offensive strategy can be devised. In the meantime, the Sendai class light cruiser Jintsu (a river in Gifu and Toyama prefectures) is dispatched to the system to begin contact, while the Nagara class cruisers Abukuma (a river in the Tohoku region) and Tama (Mountain Top) picket the Sol – Tushima jump point. Murakumo continues in-system to begin her survey.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire007.png)
22nd March 1960
A second alien ship, designated as Red Kite, which is 7,333 tons and has military engines, joins the Falcon at the first planet.
24th March 1960
Communication attempts are underway, although Murakumo receives an unintelligible communication that appears to be some sort of demand.
3rd April 1960
The geological survey of Tsushima I reveals thirty million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium. This could be extremely valuable to the long-term prosperity of the Empire.
Tsushima I Survey Report
Duranium: 30,420,000 0.80
Corundium: 4,435,236 0.10
6th April 1960
A Kansai Maru class freighter delivers a deep space tracking station to Tsushima II. This planet was chosen as the location because it is mountainous and therefore easier to defend. The cruiser Jintsu has made minimal progress in translation attempts and the aliens seem to be increasingly agitated. As Murakumo is surveying the second planet, Jintsu has moved there to cover her. Plans are laid for a diplomatic ship to handle relations with the aliens, but it will be months before it can be built.
16th April 1960
Two shore batteries and the 10th Infantry regiment are delivered to Tsushima II.
21st April 1960
The Red Kite returns and along with the Falcon has moved into orbit of the small Imperial outpost on Tsushima II. More unintelligible communications are received.
26th April 1960
Murakumo completes the survey of Tsushima II. Her sister ship Amagiri (Mist in the Sky) arrives to assist with the ongoing survey of the system.
Tsushima II Survey Report
Duranium: 13,107,200 0.70
Neutronium: 12,960,000 0.10
Corbomite: 54,169,600 0.10
Tritanium: 3,097,600 0.10
Boronide: 28,729,600 0.10
Uridium: 44,089,600 0.10
Corundium: 22,278,400 0.10
10th May 1960
Four freighters and two colony ships travel into Tsushima to establish a small colony of 200,000 on Tsushima II. Two more shore batteries are delivered.
18th May 1960
The Akamatsu Carrier Corporation launches its first freighter
21st May 1960
The rest of the 4th Division is transported to Tsushima II. Over ten thousand infantry and two hundred tanks are now on the surface of the planet to support the shore batteries. Jintsu remains in orbit.
5th July 1960
The unintelligible messages every few days cease and the Falcon leaves orbit, disappearing into the outer system. Communication attempts have made some progress, but full comms have not been established.
21st July 1960
A second Falcon class ship of the Tsushima aliens appears in the inner system. Rather than move to the planet, it conducts a series of manoeuvres nearby, moving at 3677 km/s, then moves away out of sensor range.
15th August 1960
Falcon 001 returns and takes up position sixty million kilometres from the Imperial colony on Tsushima II, which has now reached 700,000.
28th August 1960
A fifth jump point is discovered in Sol by the survey ship Sagiri (Mist), close to the orbit of Neptune.
31st August 1960
Amagiri discovers a jump point in Tsushima. The light cruiser Kitakami (a river in Rikuchu province) is dispatched from Sol to investigate. She will picket the jump point while her Aichi E1A class scout conducts the transit.
1st September 1960
Full communication is finally established with the aliens. The aliens are known as the Scimitarans and their state is the Scimitar Empire. Visual contact is initiated and reveals the aliens are humanoid in shape, but vastly different to humanity. They are large and powerful, with gray, leathery skin, large recessed white eyes and bony protuberances on top and sides of their triangular shaped skulls. Despite being on board spacecraft, they wear metallic body armour. The overall impression is one of arrogant menace.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire008.png)
7th September 1960
Sagiri transits the recently discovered fifth jump point in Sol and arrives in the system of Groombridge 34, a red dwarf binary with eight planets, seventeen moons and an asteroid belt. Four rocky planets orbit the primary, including a terrestrial world, slightly larger than Earth, with a breathable atmosphere of 1.3 atm. The planet is entirely covered in frozen ocean, with the few islands dominated by boreal forest. The temperature is -46C, although that is near the planet’s aphelion of 49m km. The perihelion is at 35m, which will take the temperature to the upper end of human tolerance at 33C. As the orbital period is only 83 days, the conditions on the surface will be constantly changing. The planet is tide-locked so the maximum colony cost is only 0.31, but the maximum population is around thirty million. Terraforming, once the technology is available, could help in improving that situation.
The companion star at twenty-five billion kilometres has three terrestrial planets, a gas giant and an asteroid belt. The only planet of note is the third, which has an ice sheet and a thin nitrogen-methane atmosphere, but the surface temperature is -112C. Given the potential of the system, it is assigned the new Japanese name of Osaka. As the jump point is on the edge of the system, Sagiri moves sunward so she can launch a Gekko reconnaissance drone at the near-habitable world of Osaka-A III.
12th September 1960
Kitakami arrives at the new jump point in Tsushima. She launches her Aichi E1A, which immediately transits. On arrival the scout detects a huge fleet of Scimitar ships waiting on the jump point. Within seconds, a 33,777-ton ship designated as Raptor class destroys the scout in a hail of railgun fire.
1x Sabrehawk: 68,970 tons
4x Solarhawk: 50,654 tons
1x Raptor: 33,777 tons
5x Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
2x Nightfalcon: 33,755 tons
4x Warbird: 16,883 tons
1x Sunhawk: 16,855 tons
1x Harrier: 16,855 tons
2x Peregrine: 16,855 tons
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire009.png)
Imperial naval Intelligence estimates that if all the ships are military, and the commonality of tonnage around 16,850 tons and 33,750 tons suggest that could be the case, then that represents a jump point defence force with eight light cruisers and eight battlecruisers, plus five larger ships that could be some form of super-battleship. This defence force is comparable to the size of the entire Imperial Navy, excluding carriers.
The system itself is a G5-V yellow star, slightly less massive than Sol, with four planets and over sixty moons. The fourth moon of the first planet, which has a Mars-size Jungle world with a breathable atmosphere, is potentially the Scimitar home world. However the parent gas giant has a very eccentric orbit, which brings it from its current distance of one hundred and forty-six million kilometres to just sixty-one million, which will likely boil the oceans. The atmosphere already includes a significant amount of water vapour. Either the Scimitarans are extremely well-adapted to the periodically hellish conditions on their home world, or the parent gas giant has recently suffered some form of gravitational event that caused its orbit to radically shift. The second planet is a superjovian with twelve times the mass of Jupiter and just moving away from a close pass, so that could be a contributing factor.
In any event, the treacherous attack without warning and the close proximity of the Scimitar Empire makes this a grave situation for the Empire of Japan and for all of humanity. The powerful Scimitaran fleet cannot be allowed to enter Tsushima. On that basis, Kitakami is ordered to hold position and destroy anything transiting the jump point. The Nagara class light cruisers Tama and Abukuma, currently at the Sol – Tsushima jump point, are ordered to immediately transit and join her. At the same location is the Sendai class light cruiser Naka (a river in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures), which remains in place to provide jump-capability and to ensure no Scimitaran ships can enter the Sol system. Finally, the Kongo class battlecruisers Kirishima (a volcano on Kyushu) and Haruna (dormant stratovolcano in Gunma Prefecture) and the light cruiser Kuma (a river in Higo province) depart Earth orbit with orders to join the force being assembled on the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point.
Jintsu, still in orbit of Tsushima II, is ordered to pursue and destroy the Falcon class ship still holding position sixty-two million kilometres from the planet. Her speed of 4000 km/s gives her an advantage over the Falcon’s apparent maximum speed of 3677 km/s. Jintsu takes fifty-four hours to run down the fleeing Falcon. Once within weapon range, she discovers the alien ship has a jammer that affects her fire control systems. While accuracy is affected, the alien ship appears to be unarmed so the end result is not in doubt. Several volleys of laser fire are sufficient to penetrate the target’s weak armour, slow the Falcon and then destroy it. INI classifies the Falcon as a scout.
19th September 1960
Kitakami detects the second Falcon approaching the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point. She opens fire when the ship is within range and inflicts several penetrating hits. The ship continues its approach, trying to escape to its home system before Kitakami can inflict enough damage. The Japanese light cruiser sets a reciprocal course and a second volley at 15,000 km is enough to destroy the Scimitaran scout.
20th September 1960
A third, previously unknown, Falcon class scout approaches the Scimitar jump point. This time the alien ship retreats after being hit. Kitakami seeks permission to pursue, which is given, then chases down the scout, scoring numerous hits. After one devastating volley, with eight penetrating strength-4 hits, the Falcon is left dead in space. Instead of destroying the ship, Kitakami moves alongside the hull and begins a boarding attempt with the forty-two members of her naval landing force. After eight minutes of intense combat, the alien ship is secured without any Japanese losses.
The Falcon is more advanced in some areas than Japanese technology, such as her first generation sensor, missile and fire control jammers, but behind in others, such as nuclear pulse engines, which are a generation behind the Imperial Navy’s gas core drives. Forty-six percent of its mass is engines, which means that Scimitaran warships of similar technology, with presumably less engine mass than the scout, should be significantly slower than their Japanese equivalents. Unfortunately, until the Imperial Navy develops tractor beams, the captured scout will remain where it is. It has insufficient damage control capability to repair its own engines.
21st September 1960
A new Falcon class scout transits into Tsushima from Scimitar, appearing 38,000 km from Kitakami, then runs for the inner system. Kitakami gives chase and destroys the ship i[n two volleys.
22nd September 1960
A Gekko drone from Sagiri arrives at the near-habitable planet in the Osaka system, detecting a population of a new alien race, with a sensor signature approximately 1% that of Earth. The news causes great concern within Combined Fleet headquarters. Two alien races had now been detected adjacent to Sol. There was no sign of any shipping, so Sagiri was given the go-ahead to continue with her survey. The Nagara class light cruiser Kinu (a river flowing across the Kanto plain) was ordered to the Osaka system to provide cover, while the Sendai class light cruiser Niyodo (a major river on Shikoku) was ordered to picket the Sol – Osaka jump point. It was quickly becoming apparent that the Imperial Navy would need some form of long-term picket vessel to cover choke points instead of dispatching light cruisers to perform the role.
9th October 1960
The first Hosho class Diplomatic Ship is launched and ordered to Osaka to attempt communication with the alien race. There has been no contact from the aliens, unintelligible or otherwise, even though Kinu is in orbit.
2nd November 1960
Sagiri completes her survey of Osaka III and finds large, accessible deposits of all eleven Trans-Newtonian minerals; an extremely valuable discovery. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi Razan, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, issues an order for a colony to be established on the planet, testing the reaction of the silent aliens already in place.
Osaka-A III Survey Report
Duranium: 849,600 0.90
Neutronium: 257,400 0.60
Corbomite: 210,300 0.50
Tritanium: 167,400 0.70
Boronide: 458,100 0.60
Mercassium: 216,300 0.80
Vendarite: 591,000 0.70
Sorium: 513,900 0.70
Uridium: 397,800 0.50
Corundium: 181,800 0.90
Gallicite: 163,800 0.40
15th December 1960
Asagiri (Morning Mist) detects a sixth jump point in Sol, just inside the orbit of Neptune. She moves to investigate and discovers Alpha Centauri, a binary system with a G2-V primary, similar to Sol, and an orange K2-V companion. The primary has five rocky planets, including one with a small ice sheet and a thin oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. A single terrestrial world orbits the companion. She moves closer and launches a drone at the planet with an atmosphere and does not detect any sign of an alien presence.
12th February 1961
Two new troop transports, Sanka Maru and Tamahoko Maru, are constructed in Earth orbit.
23rd February 1961
Amagiri transits a newly discovered jump point in Tsushima to find Kagoshima, a large system with an F6-IV sub-giant primary and seven planets. The third planet, orbiting half a billion kilometres from the star, has a breathable atmosphere, a minimal amount of surface water and a temperature of 42C. The dominant terrain is mountainous desert. The entry jump point is within the inner system, at roughly the same distance as Kagoshima III, so the survey vessel immediately launches a Gekko drone.
On approach to the planet, the Gekko detects yet another alien race, this time in the form of a fleet of twenty ships, ranging in size from 9600 tons to 29,000 tons and massing approximately 350,000 tons in total. There is no sign of a population. This is the third alien race within two jumps of Sol. One point three million kilometres from the planet, the drone is destroyed by a missile, which suggests these new aliens are hostile. The light cruiser Yura (a river in Tango province) is dispatched from Earth to picket the Tsushima – Kagoshima jump point and a new diplomatic ship is laid down. As the system is large, Amagiri is ordered to continue her survey but remain several hundred million kilometres away from Kagoshima III.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire010.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire011.png)
The Imperial Navy is being stretched in many different directions and lacks the number of ships needed to maintain even its current deployments, when the need for overhauls and protecting Earth in taken into account. A major shipbuilding program is required.
8th March 1961
Shinonome completes its survey of Okami and enters the first of two new jump points and discovers Lalande 21185, a red dwarf with four unremarkable planets. The celestial coordinates of Lalande 21185 were first published in 1801 by French astronomer Jérôme Lalande of the Paris Observatory in the star catalogue Histoire céleste française. As this name has been in place for a hundred and sixty years and very few stars still bear his name, the system will be named Lalande and all future stars with the same nomenclature will be renamed.
16th April 1961
There is still no attempt at communication from the alien population on Osaka III and no sign of any alien ships, even though a small Japanese colony has been established on the planet. Imperial Naval Intelligence has theorised the aliens are primitive and do not have the ability to detect the Imperial ships, communicate or realistically defend themselves. The planet is extremely valuable, so that theory is enough to dictate the Empire’s course of action. The entire 2nd Division is on Osaka III and awaiting orders. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi gives the order to invade the alien colony.
There is no resistance and the aliens quickly surrender to the advancing Japanese forces. The population is approximately thirty-three million, comprised of amphibious creatures with long necks and large black eyes. While full commination has yet to be established, Imperial linguists have determined the alien species refer to themselves as the Rasheed. There is no industry, supporting the theory that they are at a pre-industrial stage of development. Even though the aliens are weak and dishonourable, they can still serve as labour for the Empire of Japan in its efforts to exploit their home world’s resources. One of the three alien threats has been removed, but the Scimitarans and the new Kagoshima aliens are likely to prove much harder to subdue.
31st May 1961
Murakumo, transferred from Tsushima after the completion of the survey in that system, enters the second unexplored jump point in Okami and emerges in a brown dwarf system. The system is named Waisei Ichi, which roughly translates into English as Dwarf One.
18th August 1961
Construction factories, engineers and minerals have been delivered to Osaka III, enabling the Empire to begin the creation of forced labour camps for the Rasheed.
30th September 1961
Shokaku (Crane Flying in Heaven), the fifth Akagi class carrier is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards. Her strikegroup of sixty Mitsubishi A1M fighters is still under construction.
21st January 1962
Two large Scimitaran ships transit into Tsushima; a 68,970-ton Sabrehawk, which has commercial engines and a 33,768-ton Gyrfalcon with military engines. This is the first Scimitaran activity since the last of their four Falcon class scouts was destroyed in Tsushima in September 1960. The aliens in the adjacent Kagoshima system remain quiescent and have shown no interest in entering Tsushima. The Imperial Navy maintains a strong jump point picket of two battlecruisers and three Nagara class cruisers, although the original picket ships have departed for overhauls in Sol and new ships have taken their places.
Scimitar JP Picket Squadron
Kongo class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kongo
Nagara class Light Cruiser: Nagara, Natori, Tenryū
5x Aichi E1A class Scout:
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire012.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga Suzu, captain of the battlecruiser Kongo (a mountain in Osaka Prefecture) and senior officer present, orders all his ships to fire on the Gyrfalcon. The battlecruiser Hiei (a mountain near Kyoto) and the light cruiser Nagara (one of the Three Rivers of the Nōbi Plain) open fire immediately, inflicting massive damage. The Gyrfalcon suffers thirty-five strength-10 laser hits and over a hundred railgun hits. Forty hit penetrate her armour. To the great surprise of the Imperial Navy crews, the Gyrfalcon survives, although it is dead in space. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga orders his ships to cease fire and instructs Nagara and Natori (a river in Miyagi prefecture) to begin boarding operations. He also orders the light cruiser Tenryu (Heaven’s Dragon – also a river) to disable the commercial engined vessel and board it.
The marines from Nagara and Natori find the crew of the badly damaged Gyrfalcon to be difficult opponents. Even though only armed with light personal weapons, the Scimitarans still kill twelve of the boarders before finally being overwhelmed. The Gyrfalcon is armed with sixty-six missile launchers that fire every ten seconds. While it appears to be designed to engage hostile missiles, it would prove a fearsome opponent in a close-range battle. Only the effects of jump shock and the fast reactions of the Japanese crews prevented any damage.
Gyrfalcon class Escort Cruiser 33,769 tons 694 Crew 3,781.7 BP TCS 675 TH 1,984 EM 0
2937 km/s Armour 6-93 Shields 0-0 HTK 201 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 16-4 PPV 66
Maint Life 0.90 Years MSP 1,119 AFR 570% IFR 7.9% 1YR 1,240 5YR 18,605 Max Repair 710.2 MSP
Magazine 2,167 / 172
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Nuclear Pulse Engine EP248 (8) Power 1984 Fuel Use 45.44% Signature 248 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,300,000 Litres Range 15.2 billion km (60 days at full power)
Size 43 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 43 Hangar Reload 327 minutes MF Reload 54 hours
Size 1 Missile Launcher (66) Missile Size: 1 Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC13-R1 (14) Range 13.2m km Resolution 1 ECCM-1
Active Search Sensor AS11-R1 (1) GPS 69 Range 11.4m km MCR 1m km Resolution 1
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 1 Fire Control 1 Missile 1
Fortunately, the Gyrfalcon can repair its own engines. Otherwise it would have to remain in place until tractor beams can be developed and deployed and they are at least three years away from deployment at the current rate of research. The Falcon captured eighteen months earlier is only being held together due to regular resupply and will fall apart soon. The technology in the Gyrfalcon, especially its missile launchers, is far more valuable and it must remain intact until it can be taken apart at Earth.
Tenryu slows the Sabrehawk to 463 km/s before launching her marines. Three are lost in the boarding attempt and a further six in the battle with the Scimitaran crew. The commercial-engined vessel is a construction ship, designed to stabilise jump points and allow non-jump-capable ships to transit. Similar technology is years away from development by the Empire of Japan, so if the ship could be repaired and put into service, it would be of great value. Due to the foresight of Tenryu’s captain, Kaigun-Chūsa Haruguchi Maya, one of the first female starship commanders, it still has engine power remaining so can be moved to Earth under its own power.
Sabrehawk class Construction Ship 68,971 tons 260 Crew 1,573.4 BP TCS 1,379 TH 1,024 EM 0
742 km/s Armour 1-149 Shields 0-0 HTK 72 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 1,000 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Jump Point Stabilisation: 180 days
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP128.0 (8) Power 1024 Fuel Use 4.05% Signature 128 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 200,000 Litres Range 12.9 billion km (201 days at full power)
CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12,000 km/s ROF 5
5th April 1962
Two new Asagiri class survey cruisers, Fubuki (Snowstorm) and Shirayuki (White Snow), are completed by the Sasebo Naval Dockyards.
26th April 1962
Three new Nagara class light cruisers, Kashima (a shrine in Hitachi province), Kashiwara (a city in Osaka prefecture) and Katori (a shrine founded by Jimmu Tenno, the divine first emperor), are completed by the Kure Naval Dockyards. This addition to the cruiser fleet will ease pressure on the Imperial Navy, as its tries to address its many commitments.
9th May 1962
Sagiri completes the survey of Osaka, finding two new jump points. She transits both, discovering Shōbara, a planetless M6-V red dwarf, and Tosa, a planetless M8-V red dwarf. She begins a survey of the latter.
13th June 1962
Yamashiro (a province that translates as Mountain Castle), the fifth Kongo class battlecruiser, is launched by the Maizuru Naval Dockyards.
27th June 1962
The survey of Proxima, located beyond Sol’s second jump point, is completed. The system has a total of six jump points. The survey cruisers Fubuki and Miyuki (Deep Snow), probe the five outward jump points, which lead to Epsilon Indi, Koga, Minato, Sirius and Aomori. There are four planets and fourteen moons in Sirius, all of which are barren and extremely hot, plus three planets in total in the other four systems, none of which are of any interest.
6th September 1962
A geological survey of Sirius I reveals substantial, accessible mineral deposits. Sirius I is a barren, tide-locked dwarf planet, orbiting less than seventy million kilometres from an A0-V primary with eighty times the luminosity of Sol. The surface temperature is 955C and the colony cost is 7.64. The Empire of Japan is close to developing terraforming technology and this planet seems an obvious candidate.
Sirius-A I Survey Report
Duranium: 691,488 0.80
Neutronium: 1,254,400 0.80
Corbomite: 112,896 0.70
Tritanium: 1,132,096 0.40
Mercassium: 432,964 1.00
Vendarite: 828,100 0.70
Sorium: 1,254,400 0.90
Uridium: 254,016 0.80
Corundium: 15,876 0.90
Gallicite: 802,816 0.30
27th June 1963
Zuikaku (Fortunate Crane), the sixth Akagi class carrier is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards. Her strikegroup comprises sixty Mitsubishi A1M2 fighters, a modification of the original A1M1 with greater range, plus two Aichi E1A scouts.
13th September 1963
Two Scimitaran ships of a new 7871-ton type, designated as Star Eagle, transit into Tsushima. The picket squadron is comprised of the same ships as the last transit eighteen months ago, except for the light cruiser Yura replacing the light cruiser Tenryu. Nagara and Natori open fire immediately, each targeting a different ships. The Star Eagles are each destroyed by twelve laser hits. Meanwhile in Kagoshima, the large alien fleet from the other known alien race is maintaining position and refusing to communicate.
Scimitar JP Picket Squadron
Kongo class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kongo
Nagara class Light Cruiser: Nagara, Natori, Yura
5x Aichi E1A class Scout:
23rd October 1963
Known space has grown to thirty-three systems, eighteen of which lack any planets and two are occupied by hostile aliens. The lack of habitable worlds is disappointing, although the conquest of Osaka III has offset that considerably. The most recently discovered system is a black hole, three transits from Earth via Barnard’s Star and Nagasaki, with a mass eighty times that of Sol.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire014.png)
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23rd December 1963
The Sabrehawk captured from the Scimitar Empire stabilises both sides of the Sol – Tsushima jump point. The Empire has now developed stabilisation technology, but is still in the process of retooling a shipyard before it can lay down the first Japanese-built ship.
18th April 1964
The first Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' (Iridescent Cloud) class Long Range Patrol craft is launched from the recently-constructed Kawanishi Naval Shipyard. The H1K will fill a variety of roles, including long-range reconnaissance, jump point picket and commerce raider, and can remain on deployment for up to three years. Its first task will be to deploy the newly developed Zuiun (Auspicious Cloud) Sensor Buoy at all of Sol’s jump points.
Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' class Long Range Patrol 1,000 tons 19 Crew 107.8 BP TCS 20 TH 60 EM 0
3000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 HTK 8 Sensors 1/1/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 4.58
Maint Life 4.76 Years MSP 41 AFR 32% IFR 0.4% 1YR 3 5YR 45 Max Repair 30 MSP
Magazine 24 / 0
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-100 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 1000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-60 Gas Core Drive (1) Power 60 Fuel Use 90.37% Signature 60 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 129,700 Litres Range 25.8 billion km (99 days at full power)
MK I Light Cannon (1) Range 10,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 0.75-0.75 ROF 5
Type 23 Go-34A Light Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 32,000 km TS: 3,000 km/s ECCM-1
MK I Light Cannon Power Plant (1) Total Power Output 0.8 Exp 10%
Type 23 Fixed Missile Launcher (2) Missile Size: 12 Hangar Reload 173 minutes MF Reload 28 hours
Type 23 Go-44 Missile Fire Control (1) Range 21.1m km Resolution 120 ECCM-1
Zuiun Sensor Buoy (2) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 0/0/0
Type 23 Go-14A Patrol Sensor (1) GPS 1008 Range 19.8m km Resolution 120
Type 23 Go-54A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 9.7m km
Type 23 Go-64A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 10.6m km
23rd April 1964
Three new ships are completed: the survey cruisers Oboro (Haziness Diffusing the Moonlight) and Usugumo (Thin Misty Clouds) and the light cruiser Sakawa (a river in Sagami province).
11th June 1964
Two Sendai class light cruisers, Noshiro (Large Passage Through a Plain - a river in Ugo Province) and Yahagi (arrow-maker –a river in Mikawa province), are launched from the Kure Naval Dockyards.
23rd September 1964
Two more Star Eagles transit into Tsushima from Scimitar. They are quickly destroyed by the battlecruiser Haruna and the light cruiser Kinu.
9th December 1964
The survey of the Mitaka system, three jumps from Sol via Proxima and Epsilon Indi, reveals a total of eight jump points, a record for a single system. Known space is now forty systems.
16th December 1964
Fuso (Land of Divine Mulberry Trees), the sixth and final Kongo class battlecruiser is launched.
4th February 1965
The survey cruiser Sagiri discovers two extremely valuable bodies in the Takamatsu system, six transits and eleven billion kilometres from Sol, using the shortest route. Takamatsu II is a barren dwarf planet two thousand kilometres in diameter with a stable orbit and a surface temperature of 43C. The sixth moon of Takamatsu III is even smaller, at eighteen hundred kilometres. It is also barren and much colder, ranging from -165C to -180C due to the orbit of its parent gas giant. Even so, both worlds will be relatively easy to terraform, once that capability is available. The first Amateratsu class terraforming station has already been constructed, but remains in Earth orbit until it is joined by the first Tug.
Takamatsu II Survey Report
Duranium: 1,548,800 0.80
Neutronium: 302,500 0.90
Tritanium: 313,600 0.80
Mercassium: 250,000 0.70
Vendarite: 476,100 0.60
Uridium: 220,900 0.60
Gallicite: 902,500 0.90
Takamatsu III - Moon 6 Survey Report
Duranium: 793,800 0.80
Tritanium: 2,025 0.80
Boronide: 385,641 0.90
Vendarite: 571,536 0.60
Uridium: 81 0.90
Corundium: 480,249 0.80
Gallicite: 492,804 0.60
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire016.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire015.png)
14th February 1965
The seventh Akagi class carrier, Ryujo (Dragon and Phoenix), is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards. The strikegroup of sixty Mitsubishi A1M2 'Raiden' class fighters and two Aichi E1A class scouts has already been completed by the Empires fighter factories.
4th April 1965
The Nagara class light cruiser Agano (a river mouth at Matsusasaki town) joins the Imperial Navy.
10th April 1965
A research team led by Nagata Masamori develops the technology for Ion Engines. This will initiate a new round of engine designs and subsequent refits for the Imperial Navy.
18th May 1965
The eighth Akagi class carrier, Zuiho (Auspicious Phoenix), is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards. There is no strikegroup available as fighter construction was halted in January 1965 in anticipation of Ion technology being available.
23rd May 1965
An Eikai Maru class tug, the first of two planned vessels in her class, is constructed in Earth orbit. The Eikai Maru is a temporary solution while the first of the 140,000-ton Shokai Maru class tugs is under construction. Four fuel harvesting stations and two terraforming stations are in Earth orbit awaiting deployment.
Eikai Maru class Tug 51,966 tons 410 Crew 1,184 BP TCS 1,039 TH 3,840 EM 0
3694 km/s Armour 1-124 Shields 0-0 HTK 135 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 100 MSP
Tractor Beam
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Koga-Murakama KC-240 Gas-Core Drive (16) Power 3840 Fuel Use 2.89% Signature 240 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 239.5 billion km (750 days at full power)
Type 12 Go-13A Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1440 Range 23.6m km Resolution 120
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Type 10 Go-63A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
28th August 1965
Koshu Maru and Amakusa Maru, the first Japanese-built stabilisation ships, are completed by the Otsu Marine Industries orbital shipyard. They join the captured Scimitaran stabilisation ship, which has already stabilised both sides of the jump points from Sol to Proxima and Osaka, in creating a stable pathway from Sol to Takamatsu.
6th September 1965
The survey cruiser Shirakumo (White Clouds) explores a jump point in Mitaka, three jumps from Sol via Proxima and Epsilon Indi, and finds Kochi, a red dwarf system with three terrestrial planets, four moons and a handful of asteroids. The second planet has a Nitrogen – Methane atmosphere and a small amount of surface ice, so the cruiser launches a Gekko reconnaissance drone to check for signs of life. The drone detects eight ships of the Kagoshima aliens; a 19,426-ton Terror, a 19,228-ton Devastator, two 9622-ton Avengers and four 9620-ton ships of a new type, designated as Raptor class. As the drone moves closer it detects a tiny strength-65 thermal signature, possibly indicating a few installations on the surface, but there is no sign of any settlement. Moments later the Gekko is intercepted and destroyed by an alien missile.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire017.png)
Until now, the Kagoshima aliens have not been detected anywhere apart from in orbit of Kagoshima III, a planet without any obvious population. This new sighting is also in orbit of a planet without a population. For some reasons, these aliens are guarding uninhabited worlds. There is no known path between Kagoshima and Kochi that does not pass through Sol. Kagoshima has been surveyed, with a single outward jump point leading to Sapporo, a system with a yellow-white F7-V primary, seven planets and almost five hundred asteroids. So far a survey of that system has not revealed any alien presence, so the Kagoshima aliens are not picketing the adjacent systems to their main fleet. Their motivations remain a mystery.
However, this new fleet in Kochi is much smaller than in Kagoshima, so it gives the Imperial Japanese Navy an opportunity to test their capabilities in battle. A fleet is assembled in Earth orbit comprising four Akagi class carriers, four Kongo class battlecruisers and eight light cruisers. The powerful fleet is given the designation of Kidō Butai, or Mobile Strike Force. In the absence of the Kidō Butai, Earth is covered by four carriers, one of which lacks fighters, and thirteen light cruisers. Two battlecruisers and two light cruisers are deployed at the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point and two more light cruisers are in orbit of Osaka III, home world of the Rasheed.
Kidō Butai
Akagi class Carrier: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Soryu
Kongo class Battlecruiser: Haruna, Hiei, Kirishima, Kongo
Nagara class Light Cruiser: Abukuma, Isuzu, Kinu, Kuma, Tama, Tatsuta, Tenryū, Yura
240x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden'
20x Aichi E1A
22nd September 1965
The Kidō Butai arrives in Kochi and moves toward the alien fleet in orbit of the second planet. In total, the fleet has one hundred and seventy-six railguns available for point defence, along with the cannon of the fighters if that becomes necessary. For offence, and emergency defence, the Kido Butai also has one hundred and ninety-two 20cm lasers. The Kido Butai is forty million kilometres from the planet when it comes under missile attack, with ten salvos of three missiles each travelling at 44,163 km/s
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire018.png)
Unfortunately, the alien missiles are laser torpedoes, which completely negates the Kidō Butai’s railgun point defence. Laser torpedoes have been discussed in a theoretical sense by Japanese scientists, but the technology has not been developed by the Empire. The alien design detonates its warhead over sixty thousand kilometres from the target, generating a laser that inflicts a strength-3 hit from that range. The fleet’s own laser weapons are able to intercept, but with reduced accuracy compared to a point-blank defence. Thirteen missiles are destroyed. The other seventeen all strike the battlecruiser Kongo. The laser hits penetrate through almost forty percent of her armour belt, with two in the same location penetrating to seventy-five percent.
The captain of the Kongo, Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga Suzu, is also the senior office in the Kido Butai. He orders the four carriers to launch their two hundred and forty Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' fighters, collectively known as the 1st Air Fleet for historical reasons, and station them sixty thousand kilometres in front of the fleet, where they can help to intercept any follow-up attack. An hour passes, and then a second, as the Kido Butai moves within ten million kilometres of Kochi II. The missile strike appears to have been a one-off, perhaps from fixed launchers that will take hours to reload. Even so, Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga decides to retain the fighter screen as the Kido Butai continues its approach.
When the planet comes within range of the Japanese high-resolution missile detection sensors, they detect ten 1000-ton craft, designated as Ghost class, that are invisible to long-range sensors, except at close range. It seems likely they were the origin of the laser torpedoes. They also detect a ground forces signature of 20,000 tons. Whatever the Kagoshima aliens are protecting, they are serious about it.
At one point three million kilometres from Kochi II, a missile launch is detected. These missiles are smaller than in the previous attack, with only one-sixth of the thermal signature of the earlier missile wave, but much faster at 77,200 km/s and in greater numbers, with ninety-one inbounds detected. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga orders the fighters to fall back to close protection of the fleet, believing the new missiles are too small to be laser torpedoes. Ten seconds after the first launch, an identical second wave is launched. The Imperial Japanese Navy is about to face its first real test in combat.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire019.png)
The A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters move into close defensive formation with the Kido Butai and destroy thirty-two of the inbound missiles. Twenty-four more are killed by the fleet’s railguns. The other thirty-five strike the battlecruiser Kongo with strength-1 warheads. One missile hits in the same location as the double laser hit over two hours earlier and almost penetrates the armour. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga authorises the use of the Kido Butai’s 20cm lasers, despite concern over the effect of the wear and tear of continuous fire on the fleet’s maintenance supplies. Even so, their rate of fire will mean they can only engage every other salvo.
The second wave inflicts thirty-eight strength-1 hits on the light cruiser Kinu. The 20cm lasers add only three missile kills, despite one hundred and ninety-two shots. The problem for the Kido Butai is that with so many missiles inbound, the number of shots that can be assigned to each target is limited. Often multiple shots hit the same missile, while other missiles escape unscathed. Adding the 20cm lasers is mainly increasing overkill.
With a steady stream of missiles approaching and more than a third of each wave penetrating the defences of the Kido Butai, Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga realises his carriers, with their thin armour, are extremely vulnerable. Despite the risk in sending them without escort, he orders all four to retreat toward the jump point, leaving the fighters with the rest of the fleet.
Thirty-one missiles from the third wave strike Kongo, with two penetrating the weak spot in her armour. One hit takes out her primary sensor and the other strikes crew quarters. Eighteen are killed; the first Japanese casualties since the Empire went into space. The Kido Butai is almost five minutes from the planet, with new waves arriving every ten seconds. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga considers sending his fighters ahead, as they can arrive in two and a half minutes, but decides to hold his force together for now, with the exception of the retreating carriers.
Thirty-two missiles from wave four hit Kinu, further damaging her armour but not yet penetrating, and thirty-eight missiles from wave five hit Kongo, fortunately missing the hole in her armour. By this point, the two ships have each lost twenty percent of their armour volume, but the battlecruiser has more weak spots due to the earlier laser torpedo attack. The Kagoshima aliens seem to be alternating attacks between the two ships.
That pattern holds true, with Kinu under attack from the sixth and eighth waves and Kongo from the seventh and ninth. Neither suffers any internal damage, but their armour is disintegrating under the constant bombardment. The Kido Butai is nine hundred and sixty thousand kilometres from Kochi II; four minutes from orbit and three minutes from maximum weapon range. The hostile missile waves continue to arrive every ten seconds.
After the tenth wave, Kinu is down to almost fifty percent armour and after the twelfth she has six separate holes straight through her armour belt. One missile each from the eleventh and thirteenth wave penetrates Kongo’s armour. She loses her boat bay, but otherwise the damage is minimal. With the fourteenth wave already inbound, and probably targeted on Kinu, Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga orders the light cruiser to hold formation until after that wave arrives, then Kinu and his own damaged Kongo will break formation and retreat to the jump point before suffering significant casualties.
Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga’s intuition is proved correct. Six missiles from the fourteenth wave penetrate the light cruiser’s armour, destroying two railguns and half of the troop transport bays, killing eight crewmen and twenty marines. Kinu and the battlecruiser Kongo reverse course and prepare to ride out yet another missile wave while the rest of the Kido Butai continues toward the planet. The two ships destroy only three missiles from the fifteenth wave, with the other eighty-eight detonating on Kongo’s battered armour. She loses two railguns, one of her four engines and thirty-two crewmen. As Kongo can now only make 3000 km/s, Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga orders Kinu to move ahead and both ships continue to retreat at their best speed.
Nobunaga hoped that by pulling the damaged ships back from the main fleet, and the protection afforded by massed point defence, that the aliens would change targets to a closer, undamaged target. That does not prove true for the sixteenth wave, which passes the main body of the Kido Butai and attacks Kinu once again. By this point, the lasers of the main body have recharged and manage to destroy ten of the attacking missiles from a hundred and fifty thousand kilometres. Kongo destroys one with her own lasers and Kinu’s railguns shoot down two more. Seventy-eight survive to reach the light cruiser.
Two of Kinu’s 20cm lasers are destroyed, along with a railgun, her boat bay, one of her two reactors and two-thirds of her fuel storage. The light cruiser’s crew quarters and engineering decks are also hit and seventy-five percent of her armour has been blasted away from the hull. Thirty-one crewmen are killed. Fortunately, both her engines remain intact, but her captain, Kaigun-Chusa Ishimura Kuri, is becoming concerned about his battered ship’s ability to withstand another attack.
Wave seventeen passes the fleet and heads for Kongo. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga considers ordering the 1st Air Fleet to leave the main body and provide cover, but it will take some time to arrive and even more time to move back if the aliens change their targeting. For the moment, he leaves it in place. Kongo is hit by eighty-seven missiles and loses several systems, including another engine. Her speed is down to 2000 km/s. In retrospect, keeping the ships with the rest of the fleet would have been the wiser choice, but Nobunaga believed the aliens would react to closer and larger threats. Their single-minded devotion to killing the two retreating ships was unexpected.
Wave eighteen breaks the pattern. Instead of the expected attack on Kinu, the missiles target Kongo with devastating effectiveness. Over twenty missiles penetrate her armour, destroying six of her lasers, two railguns and both of her remaining engines. The crippled battlecruiser is helpless and completely open to attack. Even if the 1st Air Fleet was directed to provide cover, it would take over thirty seconds to arrive. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga cannot sacrifice the protection of the fleet, so he orders the Kido Butai to press on and avenge his ship. Moments later another eighty-six missile slam into Kongo, followed ten seconds later by eighty-seven more. The gallant battlecruiser still manages to shoot down several of the inbounds, but the end is near.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire020.png)
Somehow, Kongo survives the twenty-first missile wave. Most of her weapons are gone and almost five hundred of her crew are dead, but she still has her missile detection sensor and five railguns, enabling her to shoot down three missiles. That defiant resistance ends with the loss of all four or her reactors, leaving her no way to recharge her weapons. All ninety-one missiles from the next wave strike the crippled battlecruiser and she explodes. One hundred and eighty-nine crew escape to the life pods, leaving over a thousand bodies in the wreck. Kaigun-Taisa Nobunaga chooses to perish with his ship, refusing to escape in a life pod.
Command of the Kido Butai passes to Kaigun-Taisa Akita Toshiro, commander of the battlecruiser Kirishima. His remaining force of three battlecruisers and seven light cruisers, escorted by the 1st Air Fleet, is 442,000 km from Kochi II. Another wave of ninety-one missiles launches from the alien fleet. As the crews prepare to see which ship will be the next target, the missiles flash past the Kido Butai and head for the damaged light cruiser Kinu, which is 1,140,000 km from the planet and heading for the jump point.
The twenty-fourth wave is targeted on the light cruiser Yura, within the main body, and arrives while the missiles of the previous wave are closing on Kinu. With most of the fleet’s point defence still intact, sixty-three missiles are hit and destroyed. The remaining twenty-eight inflict armour damage on Yura. Moments later, Kinu is struck by eighty-eight missiles, more than half of which penetrate the remnants of her armour belt. The damage is catastrophic, with more than a hundred of her crew killed in that single attack. One engine survives and she continues on course at 2000 km/s.
The aliens seem to lose interest in Kinu, or she is out of range, as waves twenty-five and twenty-six are both directed against the battlecruiser Hiei, without achieving even a fifty percent penetration of her armour. The Kido Butai is 280,000 km from Kochi II and about to enter weapon range. Kaigun-Taisa Akita orders all ships to reserve their lasers for offensive operations only.
The twenty-seventh missile wave also targets Hiei, scoring thirty-six hits. Simultaneously, the Kido Butai opens fire on the two largest alien ships: the 19,426-ton Terror and the 19,228-ton Devastator. The laser fire is at close to maximum range and significantly degraded by the aliens’ electronic warfare systems. Only eight strength-1 hits are registered.
When the Kido Butai reaches 220,000 km from the planet, the battle takes a very unsettling turn. The enemy possesses a devastating energy weapon, capable of inflicting strength-18 hits at long range that penetrate armour far more effectively than lasers. Even against undamaged battlecruiser armour, more than half of the weapon strength is directed against internal systems. The four Raptor class ships possess three weapons each and a further sixteen are located on the planet’s surface, for a total of twenty-eight. Hiei is hit twice, losing two of her four engines, a laser and two railguns. The previously undamaged Kirishima is struck nine times and suffers appalling damage. All four engines and the jump drive are destroyed, along with sixteen lasers and eight railguns. She is stationary and almost out of the fight.
The stunned Japanese tactical officers quickly identify the alien weapon as a particle lance, a technology that would likely takes decades for the Empire to develop from a standing start. In combination with the alien electronic warfare capability, this demonstrates just how out-matched the Imperial Navy is in terms of technology. With Kirishima disabled and Hiei badly damaged, any retreat under constant missile fire would likely cost the Empire those two ships. Besides, Kaigun-Taisa Akita Toshiro is not a commander who retreats. Informed by his tactical officer that the particle lance is likely to have constant damage across its range and a long recharge period, he orders every ship, including the fighters, to charge the enemy at their best speed. The fighters are ordered to target the Devastator, which has been identified as the source of the missiles, then the Raptors, while the ships target the surface-based weapons. The capabilities of the Terror and the two Avengers remain unknown.
Hiei continues to be the target of the missile waves and due to its separation from the rest of the Kido Butai due to engine damage, it cannot defend itself effectively. Eighty missiles hit, with two penetrating to cause minor damage. The Kido Butai opens fire on the planet, destroying four of the surface-based weapons. The four Raptors and two Avengers break orbit and move away at a speed of 5819 km/s, quickly passed by the ten small Ghosts moving at 8370 km/s. Hiei is hit again with eighty-two missiles, although none penetrate her armour.
Kaigun-Taisa Akita changes his orders. His fighters are the only option to catch the Avengers and prevent them from sniping at long-range against the Kido Butai, so he orders them to avoid the planet and pursue. His single intact battlecruiser Haruna and three of the light cruisers are ordered to target the aptly-named Devastator, to prevent its constant bombardment of Hiei.
As the fighters change course to move around the planet, they come under attack from seven particle lances on the surface, with one A1M ‘Raiden’ being hit and destroyed. This would represent a relatively fast recharge for the known particle lances, raising the possibility this is a second, shorter-ranged battery – especially considering the Raptors did not fire. That is confirmed when the sensor officers update their contacts. Hiei is targeted by another wave of missiles but for now her armour continues to absorb almost all the damage. Kirishima is still dead in space.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire021.png)
The light cruisers Abukuma, Tatsuta and Yura target the surface from 120,000 km, supported by Hiei at 180,000 km and Kirishima’s much-diminished laser battery at 220,000 km, without registering any hits. Moments later, the battlecruiser Haruna and the light cruisers Kuma and Tenryu, all in the rapidly shrinking main body of the Kido Butai, attack the Devastator, scoring seventeen strength-3 hits, one of which inflicts internal damage. That is not enough to prevent another wave of missiles being launched against Hiei. Several penetrate her armour and she loses a railgun. The light cruiser Isuzu hits one of the surface-based particle lances, but the Japanese crews begin to wonder when the remaining alien wonder weapons will fire again.
Hiei, Kirishima, Abukuma, Tatsuta and Yura fire again, destroying two more surface-based weapons, while the light cruiser Tama gets a hit through the armour of the Devastator. The targeting of the Devastator changes to the fast approaching Kido Butai and the battlecruiser Haruna receives her first hits of the battle. The change is too little too late. Haruna, Kuma and Tenryu open fire from 40,000 km, scoring thirty-two strength-9 hits, twenty-six of which penetrate the armour of the alien ship, although given its armament it is almost certainly an orbital base. Leaving the damaged base to the cruisers, Haruna changes her targeting to the planet. Meanwhile, the fighters are closing on the six 9600-ton alien ships that are moving away and outside weapon range of the Kido Butai.
The alien particle lances recharge and fire. The Raptors are too far away to target the Japanese ships, so they attack the fighters, destroying six. The seven surviving surface-based weapons from the first battery to fire target the relatively undamaged battlecruiser Haruna. Every shot hits and penetrate her armour. Suddenly Haruna vanishes in a colossal secondary explosion, almost certainly from one of her engines, that leaves nothing but drifting wreckage. The alien Devastator class base is finished off by the light cruiser Tama, but what would have been a satisfying blow against the enemy is completely overshadowed by the stunning loss of Haruna.
Kaigun-Taisa Akita, directing the battle from the crippled Kirishima, orders every remaining ship to fire on the planet. The Terror class ship, also probably a base, has still played no part in the battle so he is content to ignore it. The fighters are 48,000 km from the Raptors and will be in range within thirty seconds. Four more STOs are destroyed, then four survivors from the secondary STO battery open fire on the light cruiser Isuzu. Only two hit, but that is enough to take out both her engines, two lasers and two railguns.
The fighters close in on the six fleeing 9600-ton ships and open fire. Their combined firepower completely obliterates one the four Raptors. The two Avengers return fire with railguns, similar to those on ships of the Imperial Navy. Four A1Ms are lost. Kaigun-Taisa Akita gives the fighters the order to fire at will, so they all choose individual targets and close to point-blank range. The engagement turns into a brutal close-range, with the fighters constantly strafing the armour of the five remaining ships while the two Avengers wreak havoc with their massed railgun fire. A dozen fighters are destroyed before a second Raptor explodes, then eight more before the first Avenger is destroyed.
The aliens are in serious trouble by this point, with their armour reduced to remnants and their internal systems badly damaged. Another fighter is destroyed, and a second crippled, then both reaming Raptors explode simultaneously. The second Avenger kills two more fighters before it is overwhelmed. Thirty-five A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters have been destroyed in the pursuit, but all six of their targets have been eliminated. Combined with their defence of the Kido Butai during constant missile attack, the 1st Air Fleet has performed superbly.
At Kochi II, the survivors of the Kido Butai continue to bombard the surface, destroying the particle lances one by one until they are finally wiped out. The Kagoshima aliens still have the Terror class base, their ground forces and the ten small Ghosts, running too fast for the fighters to catch, but their threat is over. Kaigun-Taisa Akita considers an attempt to capture the last base, but dismisses it, instead ordering the fleet to obliterate it. It lasts ten seconds before exploding.
The Battle of Kochi has ended as a glorious victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy, but the cost is very high. Two of the four battlecruisers committed to the operation have been destroyed, a third is crippled and dead in space and the fourth has significant internal damage and is reduced to half speed. One light cruiser is disabled, a second is crippled and retreating and a third has armour damage. Thirty-five fighters have been lost. Almost three thousand crewmen, marines and pilots were killed. Only the carriers that pulled back early in the battle and five of the eight light cruisers escaped damaged. A new decoration, the Battle of Kochi Award, is bestowed on all officers who took part in the gallant action.
The light cruiser Tama rescues the four hundred survivors from the Haruna and the Kongo, then moves to picket the jump point from Mitaka. As Hiei is the only jump-capable ship in the system, due to the damage to Kirishima’s jump drive, she also begins the slow journey to the jump point at 2000 km/s. The remaining ships, including the carriers, maintain position near the cripples while they begin repairs to their internal systems using their remaining maintenance supplies. A pair of replenishment ships are en route from Earth.
Four hours after the battle, the ten Ghost class ships reappear on sensors heading for Kochi II, possibly in an attempt to rearm. Kaigun-Taisa Akita dispatches the 1st Air Fleet to intercept. The fighters destroy nine of the Ghosts as they pass, leaving a single ship still on course for planet. The light cruiser Abukuma is detached to intercept and scores two laser hits, disabling the Ghost’s engine and allowing the fighters to catch up and destroy it. The only remaining aliens in the system are on the surface of Kochi II. A ground invasion will be required.
Eight hours after the battle, Kirishima has managed to repair two of her damaged engines and the light cruiser Isuzu has repaired one of her engines, giving both ships a speed of 2000 km/s. Kaigun-Taisa Akita detaches the light cruisers Abukuma and Tatsuta to watch over Kochi II, then orders the Kido Butai to begin its journey back to Sol point at the speed of its slowest ships. Wrecks litter the system in its wake. The Empire of Japan does not have any salvage ships, although the technology has recently been developed. That will now be a priority.
-
2nd October 1965
Shinonome is conducting a geological survey of the Kyoto system, five transits from Sol, which has eight planets and a moderate-sized asteroid belt. The innermost planet is a barren terrestrial world similar in size and surface temperature to Mercury. Despite the unappealing conditions on the surface, Kyoto I proves to be a very attractive place, at least from a geological perspective. Shinonome discovers two and half million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium, substantial accessible deposits of Neutronium, Boronide, Mercassium and Uridium and small or low accessibility deposits of five other minerals. Combined with the discoveries in Takamatsu earlier in the year, the survey of Sirius I in 1962 and the conquest of the Rasheed home world, the Empire of Japan is building up a substantial potential resource. The challenge in the coming years will be to exploit those opportunities.
Kyoto I Survey Report
Duranium: 2,571,912 1.00
Neutronium: 1,285,956 0.60
Corbomite: 11,664 0.40
Tritanium: 2,205,225 0.10
Boronide: 352,836 0.90
Mercassium: 1,476,225 0.80
Vendarite: 531,441 0.20
Sorium: 72,900 0.30
Uridium: 210,681 0.70
Gallicite: 4,100,625 0.30
27th October 1965
The survey cruiser Shirakumo conducts an orbital survey of Kochi I and finds a Ruined Colony on the surface. The mineral deposits are minimal, so this ancient ruin is apparently what the Kagoshima aliens were guarding. During the recent battle, the Imperial Navy ships detected no atmosphere streaming from damaged alien ships and no sign of bodies. Based on this evidence, Imperial Naval Intelligence has theorised the aliens are the remaining robotic guardians of a dead civilization, With that in mind, INI has assigned them the reporting name of Zuijin; the warrior guardians of Shinto mythology.
3rd December 1965
The human population on Osaka III has surpassed that of the indigenous Rasheed, except for those in labour camps. Twenty-one million humans are on the planet, along with one hundred and forty construction factories and seventy-two mines transported from Earth. Approximately twenty million Rasheed have been conscripted to form one hundred and eighty-six forced labour mining camps and fifteen forced labour construction camps. A further twenty million Rasheed remain in the planet’s original towns and cities. They will all be put to work for the benefit of the Empire, once the necessary additional camps have been constructed. To celebrate this milestone, the planet is named New Osaka.
16th December 1965
The Third and Fifth Divisions land on Kochi II to confront the Zuijin ground forces. The total force includes over twenty thousand infantry, a thousand machine guns, two hundred and forty Type 14 Chi-Ro Battle Tanks and a similar number of Type 8 Ke-Ro light tanks. A variety of light howitzers, anti-tank guns and field guns provide support. The transport capacity for the entire force was 200,000 tons. The size and capability of the Zuijin forces is unknown except for a ground forces signature of 17,600 tons, which suggests a force in the 50,000 – 60,000 ton range.
As battle is joined, the Japanese infantry get their first real look at the Zuijin. Their forces are entirely robotic, with the bulk of the force comprised of humanoid robots over two metres tall, well-armoured and armed with machine guns. They are supported by much larger machines of three to four metres, armed with a variety of heavy weapons and armour similar to that of the Japanese battle tanks. The engagement is fierce with no quarter given on either side. The Zuijin have the technology edge, while the Japanese have numbers and determination.
The initial clashes result in heavy casualties on both sides, but the greater numbers of the Imperial Japanese Army soon begin to tell. Each robot or Mech destroyed hurts the Zuijin more than the loss of a Japanese infantryman or machinegun. After six days, every Zuijin has been hunted down and eliminated. Japanese casualties include almost two thousand infantry, two hundred machine guns and fifty tanks. With the planet secured, two Xenoarchaeology regiments are summoned from Earth to begin an investigation into the ruins.
9th February 1966
Kashii (a shrine on Hakuta Bay), the eighteenth Nagara class light cruiser, is launched from the Kure Naval Dockyards. This was the last Nagara under construction. The focus of the Kure dockyard will now shift to refitting the existing ships, once all the requisite technology is available.
14th March 1966
The survey cruiser Amagiri probes one of three remaining unexplored jump points in Mitaka and discovers Sakura, a red dwarf system with five planets, one of which has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere with 0.05 atm of oxygen and extensive ice sheets. Amagiri launches a drone at the planet, Sakura III, and detects a single 19,405-ton Vanquisher class ship of the Zuijin, the capabilities of which are unknown. Kochi, scene of the recent battle, is also adjacent to Mitaka. The drone is not intercepted and moves into orbit, where it also detects a 20,000-ton ground forces signature.
Kaigun-Taisho Nagata Tokimoto, commander of the combat forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy, considers an attack on this new Zuijin target. On the assumption the planet has surface-based particle lances, he believes the best option would be a fighter strike from long range. After the loss of Kongo and Haruna, there are only four Kongo class battlecruisers in service and only the Kongos have the jump drive required to escort the carriers into Sakura. However, Hiei and Kirishima have just been deployed to the picket of the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point, after completing repairs, while Fuso and Yamashiro have only recently returned to Sol and are in overhaul. An operation will be launched once at least one battlecruiser is available.
4th April 1966
The fuel stockpile on Earth has fallen below ten million litres, which is seriously hindering the operations of the Imperial Navy. Four hundred refineries on Earth are producing nineteen million litres per year, but that is only a fraction of the total fuel capacity of all Japanese ships, which is over one hundred and fifty million litres. Four fuel harvesting stations are in orbit of Neptune and produce a further nine million litres a year. Three more have been constructed but remain in Earth orbit, due to the time taken for Eikai Maru, the lone 52,000-ton tug currently in service, to tow the 130,000-ton stations to Neptune. A second Eikai Maru class will be available at the end of May and the first 140,000-ton Shokai Maru class tug will be completed in July.
7th May 1966
Yoshino (a town in Nara prefecture), the last of nine Sendai class light cruisers, is launched from the Kure Naval Dockyards. As part of the planned refit programme, all the Nagara and Sendai class ships will be refitted to a common upgraded design, that lacks a jump drive. A new jump drive-capable class will be designed to replace the Sendai class.
The first pair of Imperial Navy salvage ships, Kasashima Maru and Kasuga Maru, are also completed, along with the first five Kansai-Ro Maru class freighters. Two freighters are assigned to each of the salvage ships, which are dispatched to Tsushima and Kochi respectively.
25th July 1966
A much smaller version of the Kido Butai arrives in Sakura, under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi Shiro, captain of the carrier Shokaku. Four Akagi class carriers are escorted by the battlecruiser Yamashiro and the light cruisers Kashima and Sakawa. Two hundred and forty A1M and A1M2 ‘Raiden’ fighters are embarked.
Kido Butai
Akagi class Carrier: Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, Zuikaku
Kongo class Battlecruiser: Yamashiro
Nagara class Light Cruiser: Kashima, Sakawa
The Kido Butai moves across the system to within one hundred million kilometres of Sakura III and holds position while Yamashiro launches a Gekko reconnaissance drone to confirm the presence of the Zuijin Vanquisher and the ground forces. Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi orders all two hundred and forty fighters to conduct a strike mission. The target is the Vanquisher, plus any ground-based weapons. Three and a half hours later, the fighters are 250,000 km from the planet with no resistance so far.
At 227,000 km, they come under fire from sixteen surface-based particle lances. Four fighters are hit and destroyed. At 107,000 km, the Vanquisher launches forty size-11 missiles. The missiles move in the opposite direction to the oncoming fighters and detonate, unleashing laser beams from over a hundred thousand kilometres away. Fortunately only two fighters are targeted, probably due to the Vanquisher having a limited number of fire control systems. Both are destroyed. Another fighter is lost to a second battery of seven particle lances.
The ‘Raiden’ fighters close to point-blank range and open fire on the Vanquisher. Two volleys are sufficient to blow the 19,400-ton base to pieces. Their attention turns to the ground-based weapons. Within the space of thirty devastating seconds, the fighters streak across the icy landscape, strafing every particle lance emplacement they can find. Three are lost to hostile fire, but the surface is scoured clean of threats. The fortified Zuijin ground force is a much harder target and will require an invasion force. The fighters, minus ten of their number, head back to their carriers. Once again, the 1st Air Fleet has proven to be a highly effective force.
3rd October 1966
The ruins on Kochi II have been surveyed. Sixty-two sites of interest were discovered for the potential recovery of installations or resources.
4th November 1966
The 3rd and 5th Divisions land on Sakura II and engage the Zuijin ground force. The battle is just as brutal as on Kochi II. After six days, the planet is secured, albeit with the loss of three thousand infantry and numerous armoured vehicles.
25th November 1966
A colony of one point five million is established on Takamatsu II.
26th November 1966
The carriers Akagi and Kaga are refitted to the Akagi II class. The main changes in the updated design are new engines and active sensors.
Akagi II class Carrier 36,000 tons 621 Crew 4,379.3 BP TCS 720 TH 3,600 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 2-97 Shields 0-0 HTK 158 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 21-5 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.47 Years MSP 4,481 AFR 494% IFR 6.9% 1YR 1,015 5YR 15,225 Max Repair 450 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 17,000 tons
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 340 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (4) Power 3600 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 22.2 billion km (51 days at full power)
Type 25 Go-11B Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Type 10 Go-63A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Strike Group
60x Mitsubishi A1M2 'Raiden' Fighter Speed: 8001 km/s Size: 5.5
2x Aichi E1A Scout Speed: 6001 km/s Size: 5
30th November 1966
The light cruisers Nagara, Natori, Isuzu and Tenryu are refitted to the Nagara II class. The improved components include engines, reactors, fire control systems and sensors. The boat bay has been removed. Despite the recent development of 25cm far ultraviolet lasers, the Imperial Navy shipwrights decided to retain the existing armament to increase the speed at which the twenty-seven Nagara and Sendai class light cruisers can be updated.
Nagara II class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 600 Crew 2,825.1 BP TCS 360 TH 1,800 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 117 Sensors 10/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 2.05 Years MSP 1,480 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 471 5YR 7,066 Max Repair 450 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (2) Power 1800 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 789,500 Litres Range 17.5 billion km (40 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 256,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-3.5 ROF 15
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (12x4) Range 10,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 25 Go-31B Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-1
R-40 Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 80 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-11B Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Dete1ct Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 1 Missile 1
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
17th December 1966
The survey cruiser Amagiri discovers a ruined settlement on Sakura III, reinforcing the theory that the Zuijin are the automated remnants of a lost civilization. The troubling question for Imperial Naval Intelligence is who or what was powerful enough to destroy the technologically advanced Zuijin and where are they now?
7th March 1967
All available deposits of Boronide are exhausted on Earth and almost every other mineral is becoming harder to extract. It is increasingly urgent that substantial new sources of mineral are established before those on Earth run out entirely. New Osaka has one hundred and thirty-two mines, plus two hundred and three forced labour mining camps, but Earth is still home to sixteen hundred mines. The fuel situation is also critical, with just two million litres on Earth.
Earth Survey Report
Duranium: 142,580 0.83
Neutronium: 56,377 0.51
Corbomite: 59,857 0.53
Tritanium: 31,972 0.27
Mercassium: 21,347 0.29
Vendarite: 145,888 0.69
Sorium: 163,915 0.78
Uridium: 3,719 0.15
Corundium: 251,570 0.50
Gallicite: 26,910 0.35
8th May 1967
The survey of the ruins of Sakura III is complete. Twenty-seven sites of interest have been identified.
7th June 1967
The survey cruiser Asagiri discovers Takahama, a red dwarf binary four jumps from Sol via Proxima, Aomori and Kushiro. This is the fifty-ninth known system. The primary and companion have two and three planets respectively, with the second planet of each star having a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. Takahama-A II is a warm ocean world, larger than Earth, with about eight percent of the surface covering by mountainous islands and an atmosphere of 0.62, including just 0.01 atm of oxygen. Takahama-B II is a super-terrestrial planet, 24,000 km in diameter, with high gravity and a dense atmosphere of over 3 atm, including 0.51 atm of oxygen. Seventy percent of the surface is ocean. Vast rift valleys cover much of the land area. Asagiri launches reconnaissance drones at both.
Takahama-A II appears to be uninhabited, but the second drone detects Zuijin forces in orbit of Takahama-B II, comprising a Devastator class missile defence base, armed with ninety-one light missile launchers, a Terror class base, a 19,287-ton Ravager, and three ships of 9628-tons: a Hunter, Impaler and Razor. Apart from the Devastator, the capabilities of the Zuijin ships remains unknown. The drone is destroyed by missiles before anything else can be learned. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata Tokimoto, commander of the combat forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy, decides to wait until he has a substantial force of upgraded ships.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire022.png)
4th July 1967
The ongoing survey of Sirius, two jumps from Sol via Proxima, reveals a jump point that is probed immediately, resulting in the discovery of Kapteyn’s Star, an M0-V red dwarf with two planets. The inner planet, which has a thin nitrogen-carbon dioxide atmosphere and a few small lakes, is home to pair of Zuijin bases: a Devastator and a Terror. The Devastator would no doubt cause high casualties in the case of a fighter strike, similar to that in Sakura. However, a new fighter type, the A2M ‘Shinden’ (Magnificent Lightning), has recently began construction, so Kaigun-Taisho Nagata begins to consider a strike using the older A1M ‘Raiden’s, once the new fighters are in service in sufficient numbers.
Mitsubishi A2M 'Shinden' class Fighter 275 tons 1 Crew 62.7 BP TCS 5 TH 66 EM 0
12002 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 1.36 Years MSP 10 AFR 55% IFR 0.8% 1YR 6 5YR 87 Max Repair 33 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.3 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-66-DB Ion Engine (1) Power 66 Fuel Use 1331.73% Signature 66 Explosion 24%
Fuel Capacity 5,600 Litres Range 0.28 billion km (6 hours at full power)
MK I Cannon (1x2) Range 10,000km TS: 12,002 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 ROF 5
Type 25 Go-34A Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 51,200 km TS: 12,000 km/s ECCM-1
R-1B Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 10%
Type 25 Go-24B Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 2 Range 2m km MCR 181.7k km Resolution 1
24th October 1967
Another Zuijin outpost is detected in Sendai, three jumps from Sol via Proxima and Aomori. In orbit around the second planet, an Earth-sized world with an almost breathable atmosphere, are three bases: a Devastator, a Terror and a Vanquisher. There are now four active Zuijin systems, including Kagoshima. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata continues to wait, despite impatience from some of his senior officers, for more of the Imperial Navy to undergo refits.
13th March 1968
The 1st Hiko Sentai (air group), comprised of twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' (Storm Dragon) Long Range Strike craft becomes operational on Earth. This is the first Imperial Navy unit armed with missiles. Each G1M carries a pair of Rakurai (Lighting Strike) anti-ship missiles with strength-12 warheads and is designed for long-range attacks from planetary bases. In addition to its warhead, the Rakurai has ECCM, active terminal guidance and five decoys.
Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' class Long Range Strike 500 tons 3 Crew 64 BP TCS 10 TH 63 EM 0
6250 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 5 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 1.71 Years MSP 25 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 10 5YR 155 Max Repair 31.3 MSP
Magazine 24 / 0
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 18 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-62-B Gas Core Drive (1) Power 62.5 Fuel Use 193.35% Signature 62.5 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 58,400 Litres Range 10.9 billion km (20 days at full power)
Type 23 Fixed Missile Launcher (2) Missile Size: 12 Hangar Reload 173 minutes MF Reload 28 hours
Type 26 Go-44B Missile Fire Control (1) Range 19.9m km Resolution 120 ECCM-1
Rakurai Anti-ship Missile (2) Speed: 31,250 km/s End: 4.3m Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 26 Go-14B Strike Sensor (1) GPS 768 Range 19.9m km Resolution 120
1st June 1968
The first Sagami Maru class troop transport is completed. Due to the recent invasions and requirement to move survey and engineer regiments to various parts of the Empire, the ten Shinshu Maru class transports are overworked. The Sagami Maru has four times the capacity of its smaller sister and can carry an entire division.
Sagami Maru class Troop Transport 183,735 tons 896 Crew 3,594.9 BP TCS 3,675 TH 7,500 EM 0
2040 km/s Armour 1-287 Shields 0-0 HTK 298 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 12 Max Repair 320 MSP
Troop Capacity 100,000 tons Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Koga-Murakama KC-300 Ion Drive (25) Power 7500 Fuel Use 2.89% Signature 300 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 25.4 billion km (144 days at full power)
Type 12 Go-13A Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1440 Range 23.6m km Resolution 120
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Type 10 Go-63A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
12th June 1968
The battlecruisers Hiei and Kirishima have been refitted to the new Kongo II class. This is a much more extensive update compared to the light cruisers and includes new engines, reactors, sensors, fire controls and weapons. The Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser is a significant upgrade to the earlier Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser, albeit with a five second longer recharge time. Twenty-four of the older weapon have been replaced by sixteen KS-25As. The secondary railgun battery has been replaced by eight twin 12cm laser turrets, which provide point defence but can also contribute offensive firepower out to 200,000 km.
Kongo II class Battlecruiser 36,000 tons 1,134 Crew 6,837.9 BP TCS 720 TH 3,600 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 8-97 Shields 0-0 HTK 222 Sensors 10/16/0/0 DCR 20-5 PPV 215.04
Maint Life 1.91 Years MSP 3,374 AFR 518% IFR 7.2% 1YR 1,192 5YR 17,885 Max Repair 450 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-360 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 36000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (4) Power 3600 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,521,000 Litres Range 16.9 billion km (39 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (16) Range 256,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Turret (8x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 27 Go-31C Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (4) Total Power Output 143.1 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-12B Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 23040 Range 109.1m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 1 Missile 2
31st August 1968
Kasagi (named after Mount Kasagi - literally Conical Hat), the first in a new class of light cruisers, is constructed by the Matsuoka Marine Industries orbital shipyard. In broad terms, the Kasagi will replace the jump-capability of the older Sendai class, the remaining units of which of which will be converted to the Nagara II class. The Kasagi uses the same updated weapons as the Kongo II, but with an emphasis on defence, and is the first class to mount the Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection sensor.
Kasagi class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 546 Crew 3,382.3 BP TCS 360 TH 1,800 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 109 Sensors 10/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 97.28
Maint Life 2.32 Years MSP 2,174 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 550 5YR 8,251 Max Repair 450 MSP
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-180 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (2) Power 1800 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 787,500 Litres Range 17.5 billion km (40 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (4) Range 256,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 27 Go-31C Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 71.6 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-11B Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 1 Missile 2
11th November 1968
All eight Akagi class carriers have been refitted to the Akagi II class. Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu and Shokaku each have strikegroups of sixty A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters. Zuikaku and Ryujo have strikegroups of A1M2 ‘Raiden’ fighters, which have greater range. Akagi has sixty of the faster A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters. Zuiho lacks a strikegroup, but additional A2Ms are under construction.
19th February 1969
The fuel crisis is easing, due to the construction and deployment of eighteen fuel harvesters, six of which are a new, larger hull, but a new crisis has arisen; the Empire of Japan is running out of manpower. Only two million people out of Earth’s population of 2,254m are unemployed. The Mars colony has a population of ten million and they are entirely dedicated to running over a hundred financial centres. The human population on New Osaka has reached forty million, but with less than one million unemployed. The planet has over a hundred construction factories, two hundred and twenty mines and more than four hundred forced labour mining camps. The remaining ‘free’ Rasheed population is a little over two million.
The only other colonies of note are three million settlers on Tsushima I, a colony originally established to counter any territorial claim by the Scimitar Empire, plus two and a half million on Takamatsu II, which will eventually become a major mining colony. The lack of manpower will halt the Empire’s recent attempts to increase its research and shipbuilding capacities, to further improve the fleet, and to build financial centres to combat a growing wealth crisis.
-
22nd February 1969
With the refit programme well underway, Kaigun-Taisho Nagata decides to conduct a combat test of The 1st Hiko Sentai and its twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' Long Range Strike craft. The target is the Zuijin presence in Kapteyn’s Star, three transits from Sol via Proxima and Sirius, which consists of two bases; a Devastator class, armed with ninety-one light missiles, and a Terror class, the armament of which was unknown but suspected by Imperial Naval Intelligence to be focused on short-range point defence. The raid has two purposes: test the capabilities of the Rakurai anti-ship missile against Zuijin defences and determine the defensive capability of the Terror class. Destroying either base is considered highly unlikely, so the raid is primarily for intelligence gathering. The target is nine billion kilometres from Sol and the G1M has a range of eleven billion. Therefore, Kaigun-Taisho Nagata orders the forward deployment of Kenyo Maru, an Akatsuki Maru class Replenishment Ship, before the raid is launched. A Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' class Long Range Patrol craft is also dispatched to the Sirius – Kapteyn’s Star jump point to provide jump-capability for the G1Ms.
Akatsuki Maru class Replenishment Ship 30,000 tons 185 Crew 699.3 BP TCS 600 TH 1,200 EM 0
2000 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-86 Shields 0-0 HTK 64 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 10,014 Max Repair 75 MSP
Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Komatsu KMC-300 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 30000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KC-240 Gas-Core Drive (5) Power 1200 Fuel Use 2.89% Signature 240 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 9,654,000 Litres Range 2,003 billion km (11591 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 193 hours
Type 12 Go-13A Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1440 Range 23.6m km Resolution 120
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Type 10 Go-63A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Kenyo Maru arrives in Kapteyn’s Star and takes up position at the Sirius jump point, four billion kilometres from the inner system. Shortly after notifying Combined Fleet headquarters of her incident-free arrival, the ship detects a single strength-4 energy weapon impact less than a million kilometres from the location of the two Zuijin bases, in orbit of the first planet. That is followed almost immediately by eighty-one strength-1 warhead detonations, a strength-94 secondary explosion and the appearance of a 9,890-ton wreck of unknown origin. Someone, or something, is being engaged by the Zuijin. The raid suddenly takes on a completely new dimension. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata allows the strike craft to continue their mission, while reassembling the Kido Butai to mount a real attack and discover the identity of the new aliens.
7th March 1969
The 1st Hiko Sentai is delayed from entering Kapteyn’s Star, due to the late arrival of the slow-moving Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun'. They finally begin their four-billion kilometres approach to the first planet, just as the Kido Butai enters the system. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata has assembled a fleet of four carriers, both Kongo II battlecruisers, the new Kasagi class light cruiser and six Nagara II-Ro class light cruisers. The II-Ro is a minor update of the Nagara II, with an improved missile jammer and second generation ECCM for its fire control systems. The Kido Butai is once again under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi Shiro, who led the fleet during the fighter strike on Sakura III. Haruguchi decides to wait on the result of the missile attack before moving his fleet deeper into the system.
Kido Butai
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Akagi II class Carrier: Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryu
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Jintsū, Kashii, Kashima, Kashiwara, Kuma, Sakawa
Kasagi class Light Cruiser: Kasagi
240x Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’ fighter
14th March 1969
The 1st Hiko Sentai moves to within five million kilometres of Kapteyn’s Star I, confirming the presence of the two Zuijin bases, without any sign of hostile action. Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi gives the attack order and the twenty-four G1Ms launch forty-eight Rakurai anti-ship missiles at the Devastator class base: the first missile attack in the history of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Eleven strength-1 detonations are detected a million kilometres from the target, but the hostile missiles only strike decoys. Fifteen more decoys are destroyed at 800,000 km, along with two Rakurai. As the decoys are destroyed, the missiles become easier targets and they start to vanish from Japanese tracking monitors. Even so, thirty-five make it through the defensive missile screen. Fourteen strength-1 energy impacts are registered as the Rakurai reach point-blank range. Thirty detonate their strength-12 warheads, seventeen of which destroy the Zuijin’s own decoys. Thirteen strike the Devastator and one penetrates the armour.
Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi regards the attack as a success and a great demonstration of the potential for further Rakurai attacks. He orders the 1st Hiko Sentai to return to Earth, reload and conduct a second raid before his own ships move in. Meanwhile, the Kido Butai will hold position and look for further evidence of the unknown alien race.
25th March 1969
Minato is a system only two transits from Sol, via Proxima, yet is has never been surveyed. The system primary is a planetless M4-V red dwarf, with only three small comets for company. Imperial Navy survey ships have bypassed Minato to focus on more promising candidates further from Sol. However, the four Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' class Long Range Patrol craft have been used to deploy Zuiun Sensor Buoys on both sides of every jump point within two transits of Sol. The senor buoy on the Minato – Proxima jump point detects an 9,336-ton ship from an unknown alien race, approaching at 3,735 km/s.
With the Kido Butai deployed in Kapteyn’s Star, this is not ideal timing. Minato is only three jumps from Kapteyn’s Star, but there are buoys in-between that would detect any ships moving between them, so this may be a second new race. A force comprising the carrier Ryujo and the Nagara II class light cruisers Kitakami and Niyodo is immediately dispatched from Sol to picket the Proxima – Minato jump point, although the squadron lacks jump capability and the jump point is not stabilised. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata orders Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi to detach a pair of light cruisers to remain in Kapteyn’s Star to monitor the second G1M strike and watch for aliens, then bring the rest of the Kido Butai to Proxima. Until the threat can be evaluated, the Imperial Japanese Navy must prepare for the worst.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire023.png)
Within an hour, the alien ship, designated as Medina class, transits into Proxima and is detected by the buoy on the far side. Proxima has six jump points, including Sol and Minato, and is a vital junction system at the heart of the Empire of Japan. The greater danger is that the alien ship is a single transit from Sol. A survey of Minato is now of the highest priority, but the closest survey ship is over a month away. After a day spent stationary on the jump point, the Medina transits back into Minato and moves out of range of the sensor buoy.
10th April 1969
A new 7,535-ton ship of the Minato aliens, designated as Tikatha class is detected approaching the Proxima jump point from the Minato side. Shortly thereafter, it transits into Proxima, where Ryujo, Kitakami and Niyodo are stationed on the Minato jump point, along with a Hosho class diplomatic ship. The Kido Butai is in Proxima, en route from the Sirius jump point to the Sol jump point. The aliens seem willing to attempt communication, so Kaigun-Taisho Nagata decides to hold all forces in place for the moment.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire024.png)
20th April 1969
The 1st Hiko Sentai returns to Sirius and launches a second strike against the Devastator class base. Twenty-two of the forty-eight Rakurai reach the target, with eight being distracted by decoys. Of the fourteen missiles that detonate on target, ten penetrate the armour. Imperial Naval Intelligence believes this may have seriously damaged the missile base, so Kaigun-Taisho Nagata orders the two light cruisers that remain in the system, Sakawa and Kashii, to approach the planet and test its defences, but to remain outside the estimated 240,000 km range of the Zuijin particle lance weapon.
29th April 1969
As Sakawa and Kashii move within four point five million kilometres of Kapteyn’s Star, they detect a ground forces signature of 4400 tons. Given the contact size, this is likely to be a surface particle lance battery, without the usual supporting ground force. They continue to close, closely monitoring the Devastator. At just over one point four million kilometres, they detect a launch of forty-eight light missiles. Both ships reverse course, as the Devastator still has half its launchers operational, and prepare to defend themselves. Only six missiles are hit by their point defence. Forty-one strike Sakawa, although her armour is not penetrated. There is no follow-up attack, so they pull back to the Sirius jump point.
24th May 1969
The survey cruiser Amagiri completes a survey of the Hadano system. Hadano is part of an eight system loop (Sol – Proxima – Epsilon Indi – Mitaka – Sakura – Hadano – Yao – Lalande – Okami – Sol) and is roughly equidistant from Sol in either direction. There is a small colony in the adjacent system of Sakura, created by the civilian shipping lines to take advantage of infrastructure found in the local Zuijin ruins. In addition to the known jump points to Sakura and Yao, Amagiri discovers a third, unexplored jump point. The new jump point is stable and it was not stabilised by the Empire of Japan. This could be another sign of the Minato aliens, as could the mysterious wreck in Kapteyn’s Star, or the Empire could have encountered three new alien races within three months.
As communication attempts are underway at the Proxima – Minato jump point and the survey cruiser Asagiri is at work in Minato without interference, Kaigun-Taisho Nagata recently ordered the Kido Butai back to Earth for a brief overhaul, leaving Ryujo, Kitakami and Niyodo as the Minato jump point picket. Sakawa and Kashii remain in Kapteyn’s Star. Hadano has no stable jump point to the rest of the Empire of Japan, so a jump-capable ship is required to enter the system. The two Kongo IIs and the single Kasagi are in overhaul, the two Kongo Is and five of the six remaining Sendai class light cruisers are undergoing refits and the next Kasagi will not be completed until August. The only available jump-capable ship is Yubari, an un-refitted Sendai. She is immediately dispatched to Hadano in the company of Abukuma, a Nagara II-Ro. Three Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' leave in their wake to deploy sensor buoys at the Hadano jump points. Amagiri heads for the new jump point to conduct a probe, but she is at the far side of the system and thirty days away at her top speed of 2100 km/s. Despite starting in Sol orbit, the warships will arrive first.
4th June 1969
Full communication is established with the Minato aliens, although disturbingly because they learn to understand Japanese before the Empire can decipher their language. The alien species refers to themselves as the Velsharoon, while their form of government is a theocracy, officially known as The Covenant of Velsharoon. In appearance, the Velsharoon are even more alien than the Scimitarans. Their heads are long and similar to that of a shark, while their bodies are bearlike and covered with long spines. That apparent strength will be useful once the necessary labour camps are established. For now, the Empire will focus on establishing their military strength, their level of technology and the location of their major populations. The Tikatha class is a diplomatic ship, so the Hosho will remain in place to maintain relations in the interim, covered by the three Imperial Navy warships.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire025.png)
6th June 1969
Two survey cruisers, Amagiri and Fubuki, are already at work in Minato. They are joined by Yugiri. So far, no jump points have been found.
19th June 1969
As the light cruisers Yubari and Abukuma draw close to the unexplored jump point in Hadano, they detect active emissions from a Covenant Tikatha class diplomatic ship apparently waiting for their arrival. While the aliens in Kapteyn’s Star have yet to be identified, Imperial Navy Intelligence is now confident that the aliens in Hadano and Minato are the same race. Somewhere, in unexplored space, there is be a connection between the two systems. The Imperial Navy must now find it.
Thirty minutes later, that comfortable conclusion is shattered when an 8,732-ton ship from a new alien race, designated as Hegu class, is detected on the same jump point. Somehow, two different alien races have found the jump point into Hadano and they are apparently allied, or at least not hostile. The cruisers continue onwards and take up position on the jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire026.png)
The Empire of Japan is faced with a grave situation. The Covenant of Velsharoon and the new alien race have access to the core of the Empire. There is potentially a third alien race probing the borders in Kapteyn’s Star and the Imperial Navy continues to guard the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point, just one transit from Sol, against the hostile Scimitar Empire. In addition, there are four Zuijin-occupied systems, although they do not seem to pose an offensive threat.
Daigensui-Kaigun- Taisho Takagi Razan, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, determines that the strategy of the Imperial Navy will be to explore the systems beyond the known points of contact, identify potential choke points, establish well-defended colonies in those systems and, if necessary, enforce its claim to that territory. to do that, The Imperial Japanese Navy must expand significantly. Unfortunately the Empire is simultaneously facing a wealth crisis, a manpower crisis and the exhaustion of the mineral resources on Earth. Existing resource stockpiles will last for a while, but unless New Osaka and the recently established Takamatsu colony can replace the supply of those resources, shipbuilding may soon be severely constrained.
20th June 1969
The new aliens in Hadano appear willing to attempt communication. The Hegu class ship is apparently a diplomatic ship, so it is possible that the Hadano aliens and the Velsharoon are also attempting communication and not already friendly powers.
26th June 1969
The survey cruiser Amagiri transits the unexplored jump point in Hadano and discovers Kaizu, a planetless red dwarf star. There is no immediate sign of any alien ships, so she begins a gravitational survey.
12th July 1969
The battlecruisers Fuso and Yamashiro are refitted to the Kongo II class.
23rd July 1969
Zuiho is assigned her full strikegroup of sixty Mitsubishi A2M2 ‘Shinden’ fighters and two Aichi E1A scouts. All eight carriers now have full strikegroups. With several ships completing refits recently and everything relatively quiet at the points of contact in Proxima and Hadano, Kaigun-Taisho Nagata decides to return to the unfinished business in Kapteyn’s Star. The 1st Hiko Sentai are dispatched on their 3rd mission, followed by the reconstituted Kido Butai.
Kido Butai
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Fuso, Yamashiro
Akagi II class Carrier: Hiryu, Kaga, Shokaku, Soryu
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashima, Kashiwara, Ōyodo, Sendai
240x Mitsubishi A1M Fighter
29th July 1969
Full communications are established with the Hadano aliens, which refer to themselves as the People's Republic of Xiama. As a species, they are known as the Xiamen. They are grey-skinned, hairless and humanoid in overall shape, with fangs in an elongated jaw, menacing yellow eyes and large ears. They have the overall appearance of a ferocious rodent. With a Hosho class diplomatic ship now on the scene, diplomatic relations are established. So far, the Xiamen have shown no inclination to leave the jump point or bring additional ships into Hadano, but that might change. There is an urgent need for more intelligence. In Sol, the second Kasagi class light cruiser, Takasago (literally High Sand, but also a famous play), joins the Imperial Japanese Navy.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire027.png)
6th August 1969
Two new ships from the Covenant of Velsharoon appear at the Minato – Proxima jump point: a 68,469-ton Dhamar with a commercial engines and a military-engined 16,270-ton Sidon. Imperial Navy Intelligence theorises that this may be a stabilisation ship with escort.
16th August 1969
With the Kido Butai at the Sirius jump point, the twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' long range strike craft launch their third attack on the Zuijin Devastator in Kapteyn’s Star. This time the defences are weakened and most of the Rakurai make it through the defensive missiles. Just before impact, Japanese sensors detect twenty-two strength-1 energy impacts, probably from the Terror class base, and two strength-18 energy impacts, confirming the presence of particle lances on the planet. The Devastator has no more decoys and is blown to pieces by thirty-six hits. With the Devastator eliminated, albeit at the cost of one hundred and forty-four anti-ship missiles with the same total build cost as a Nagara II light cruiser, the Kido Butai can move in much closer to the planet.
24th August 1969
A probe of a recently discovered jump point in Iwakura, five transits from Sol and two beyond Mitaka, reveals a connection to Yao, a system adjacent to Hadano. The galactic map is becoming ever more complex. On the positive side, the survey cruiser Sagiri can now move through Hadano into Kaizu and assist the search for Xiamen and Velsharoon systems.
25th August 1969
The Kido Butai moves within half a million kilometres of Kapteyn’s Star I without any resistance. According to Imperial Naval Intelligence, the known range of the Zuijin particle lances is 240,000 km, so Kaigun-Taisa Haruguchi orders two of his light cruisers move to 245,000 km and open fire on the Terror class base. The attack results in only a few strength-1 hits, but there is no return fire. Haruguchi orders the other two light cruisers and the two Kongo II class battlecruisers to join the attack. At the chosen range, the 25cm lasers of the Kongos inflict three times the damage of the 20cm lasers of the light cruisers.
The tactic is expensive in terms of maintenance supplies, needed to keep all their weapons firing, but far less expensive than risking warships inside the range of the deadly particle lances. The first armour penetration occurs after four minutes of continuous fire. A further eight minutes of fire is required before the Zuijini base finally explodes. The six warships have used between twenty and forty percent of their maintenance supplies. With the Terror eliminated, the carriers launch their two hundred and forty fighters to attack the surface-based particle lances.
Six fighters are lost as soon as they enter Zuijin weapon range and three more before the reach the planet. After that point, their vastly superior numbers and fire rate are decisive. Every single particle lance is strafed into oblivion before they can fire again. A small ground forces signature of 1600 tons remains: most likely a guard force for the surface-to-orbit weapons.
15th September 1969
With the survey of Minato almost complete, Fubuki finds a stable jump point three point five billion kilometres from the Proxima jump point. She transits and discovers an orange K0-V star with six planets, six moons and a scattering of asteroids. The third planet has a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere that is almost breathable. Liquid oceans cover fifty-eight percent of the surface. The surface temperature is -25C and the dominant terrain is Taiga. The jump point, devoid of any Velsharoon ships, is only one point seven billion kilometres from the star so Fubuki immediately launches a Gekko reconnaissance drone. There is no sign of life.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi Razan orders Kaigun-Taisho Nagata, commander of the Imperial Navy’s combat forces, to take and hold the near-habitable planet. Any required support ships, freighters and colony ships will be made available. The system is an ideal location for the choke point strategy devised by Takagi, so due to its importance it is named Truk, after the base that was the foundation of the modern Imperial Japanese Navy.
16th October 1969
The survey cruiser Yugiri locates a stable jump point in Truk and moves to investigate. The system beyond is a planetless K2-V star. Based on the naming of Truk, Imperial Naval Intelligence has decided that the nomenclature for all future systems in the chain will be Pacific islands. The empty system is named Palau. Yugiri returns to Truk to continue the survey there.
22nd November 1969
The survey cruiser Sagiri probes a jump point in the Kaizu system, beyond the contact system of Hadano. She enters a planetless white dwarf system and encounters a new type of Xiamen ship - 7714 tons and designated as Jinan class - stationed on the Kaizu jump point. As both Xiamen and Velsharoon ships were encountered in Hadano, Imperial Naval Intelligence decides to continue the Pacific island theme. The white dwarf system is named Makin. Sagiri begins to survey, leaving Amagiri to complete the survey in Kaizu.
11th December 1969
The conversion of New Osaka into a colony of the Empire of Japan is complete. All of the indigenous Rasheed are now at work in four hundred and seventy-four labour camps, fifteen of which are construction camps and the rest are mining camps. One hundred and fifty construction factories and two hundred and forty-two mines are also at the colony. The Japanese population is forty-seven million. New Osaka is an ocean world with only half a percent of the surface available to colonise. Therefore, three Amateratsu class terraforming stations are slowly removing water vapour from the atmosphere to increase the surface area.
24th December 1969
The 5th Division lands on Kapteyn’s Star I to eliminate the remaining Zuijin ground forces. There are approximately five hundred of the standard robotic troops, but only a limited number of the larger mechs. The battle lasts less than two days before all the Zuijin forces are wiped out. Six hundred Japanese troops are killed.
26th December 1969
A colony of one million is established on Truk III. The planet does not possess any mineral resources, but its strategic location on the only approach to Minato and Proxima is vital. An Imperial Navy base here can push the point of contact two transits further away from Sol. Truk III is near-habitable, so a terraforming station is already in orbit.
16th January 1970
A Medina class ship of the Covenant of Velsharoon is detected in Makin. Once again, Xiamen and Velsharoon ships are co-existing in a system, so it is difficult to tell the relationship between them, or who claims the system.
22nd January 1970
All light cruisers of the Nagara, Nagara II and Sendai classes, twenty-seven ships in total, have been refitted to the Nagara II-Ro class. A twenty-eighth ship, Niikata, is under construction. Many of the components being used to build the new ship were recovered from the wrecks of the two battlecruisers lost in the Battle of Kochi.
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 600 Crew 2,847.9 BP TCS 360 TH 1,800 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 117 Sensors 10/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 2.05 Years MSP 1,488 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 472 5YR 7,073 Max Repair 450 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (2) Power 1800 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 789,500 Litres Range 17.5 billion km (40 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 256,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-3.5 ROF 15
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (12x4) Range 10,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-40 Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 80 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-11B Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 1 Missile 2
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
5th February 1970
Amagiri finds a second new jump point in Kaizu and investigates. There is a Xiamen diplomatic ship on the Kaizu side of the jump point and a Velsharoon diplomatic ship on the far side, in a red dwarf system with a single Venusian world. There is still no way to determine the layout of their respective territories and no sign of a link between the systems beyond Hadano area and the systems around Truk, where only Velsharoon ships have bene detected. The system discovered by Amagiri is named Eniwetok.
15th February 1970
Newly emplaced sensor buoys on the Kaizu – Makin jump point detect two groups of Xiamen ships. The first comprises a Zhanjiang of 20,000 tons with commercial engines, escorted by a military-engined Han class of 16,565 tons. They are detected moving toward the Makin side, then transit into Kaizu and set course for the Eniwetok jump point. The second group arrives four hours later, following the first, and comprises a Ming class of 26,850 tons, a Nanchang of 18,000 tons and two Kaifeng class ships of 13,262 tons. Only the Nanchang has commercial engines. These are the first substantial Xiamen forces to be detected. Whether they are heading home or somewhere else is unknown, but both Makin and Eniwetok will be surveyed in due course.
19th February 1970
Fubuki probes a second stable jump point in Truk. She enters a binary of two yellow-white F7-V stars with a total of five planets. Three are Venusian worlds and the other two are barren, hot worlds. The system is named Samoa. There is still no sign of any Velsharoon populations.
11th March 1970
The survey cruiser Shirayuki discovers a ruined outpost on the ex-Zuijin planet Kapteyn’s Star I.
1st April 1970
A pair of Xiamen ships, a 13,262-ton Kaifeng and a commercial-engined, 68,855-ton Xian arrive at the Hadano – Yao jump point, detected by a recently-emplaced sensor buoy. INI designates the Xian as a possible stabilisation ship, which means the Xiamen have survey ships in Hadano that have identified the jump point. Yao is three jumps from Sol via Lalande and Okami. Unfortunately Hadano has no planets and neither does the first outward system, Kaizu, so there are no chokepoints in which to establish a base. The two routes inward from Hadano are Sakura, which has a small colony, and Yao, which is also planetless and has three further inward jump points to Lalande, Kobe and Iwakura, all of which eventually lead to Sol. Trying to establish large colonies to claim control over all the existing routes within Japanese space would be difficult and expensive and detract from the urgent need to establish mining colonies. The only realistic option is to find the core systems of the People’s Republic of Xiama and create a choke point closer to the source of their ships.
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2nd April 1970
Sagiri finds the first outward jump point in Makin. To avoid slowing the survey, the jump-capable light cruiser Kasagi is ordered to leave her picket position on the Hadano – Kaizu jump point, leaving the Nagara II-Ro class light cruiser Abukuma to monitor it alone, and proceed through Kaizu to Makin. As she approaches the new jump point, she detects emissions from two units of a new Xiamen class, designated as Zunyi, then from two units of a new Velsharoon class, designated as Ankara.
As she moves into active sensor range, she detects a total of four ships from the People’s Republic of Xiama and eight from the Covenant of Velsharoon. In addition to the two Zunyis, which are 26,500 tons, the Xiamen have a 26,850 ton Ming and a 13,262-ton Kaifeng. The eight Covenant ships include two 16,270-ton Sidon class, four 16,184-ton Ankara class and two 8147-ton Salt class. The Sidon and Ankara class ships have shields of strength-61 and strength-55 respectively, a technology yet to be deployed on Imperial warships. The gathering of such a large group of ships from the two alien races suggests the system beyond may be important.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire028.png)
Kasagi transits the jump point and arrives in a red dwarf system with six planets and almost fifty moons. The second planet is a huge, super-terrestrial world divided in equal proportions between oceans and jungle-covered mountains. The gravity of 2.4G is well above human tolerance, as is the 5.8 atm pressure of the nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere. The surface temperature is 71C. Four wrecks are scattered across the inner system, including a Xiamen Han class. The others are of unknown types between 8,000 and 10,000 tons. A fifth wreck, a Xiamen Houxin class of 13,287 tons, is on Kasagi’s entry jump point.
Of far more immediate importance is the squadron of four Zuijin warships at point-blank range, one of which is already launching missiles. All four types have previously been observed in Kagoshima and Takahama: a 19,287-ton Ravager with forty-two light missile launchers, and three smaller ships of the Impaler, Razor and Hunter classes, with unknown armament. Kasagi’s captain, Kaigun-Chusa Kido Hoshi, orders his helmsman to come about and transit as soon as jump shock wears off, then orders his tactical officer to target the Hunter with everything and fire as soon as possible. While that ignores the incoming light missiles, his natural inclination is toward offensive action and the Zuijin are at point-blank range.
Kasagi class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 546 Crew 3,382.3 BP TCS 360 TH 1,800 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 109 Sensors 10/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 97.28
Maint Life 2.32 Years MSP 2,174 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 550 5YR 8,251 Max Repair 450 MSP
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-180 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (2) Power 1800 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 787,500 Litres Range 17.5 billion km (40 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (4) Range 256,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 27 Go-31C Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 71.6 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-11B Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 8 Go-51A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 1 Missile 2
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire029.png)
Five seconds after transit, Kasagi is struck by thirty-nine light missiles. The deepest penetration is two-thirds of her armour. The Zuijin ships head away from the jump point at 5807 km/, with the other three ships still not firing. At fifteen seconds Kasagi is hit with forty more light missiles, but her armour continues to hold. She returns fire, hitting the Hunter with three 25cm lasers and six 12cm lasers at 87,000 km, albeit without armour penetration. Kasagi’s helmsman gleefully announces the jump engines are back online and the damaged light cruiser transits into Makin, with her crew surprised to have survived. With the excitement over, the new system is officially named Tarawa.
The gathering of ships from the People’s Republic and the Covenant is apparently due to hostilities with the Zuijin. In astrographic terms, it means that the Makin - Tarawa jump point is extremely unlikely to be the direction of either of their home systems, although the jump point is stable on both sides. After reporting the incident, Kaigun-Chusa Kido is ordered to maintain position until relieved, as Kaigun-Taisho Nagata wants as much intelligence as possible on the activities of all three alien races. Matushima (named after Matsushima Bay – literally Pine Island), the third Kasagi class light cruiser, will be launched in three weeks, and will take over the role of Kasagi in probing new jump points beyond Kaizu. The second Kasagi class, Takasago, is in Kapteyn’s Star, providing jump point capability until the jump point to Sirius can be stabilised.
5th April 1970
In Makin, another Xiamen squadron, comprising a Ming, Nanchang and two Kaifengs, approaches the Kaizu jump point. Their approach vector does not line up with the Tarawa jump point and system is planetless, so there is likely to be another jump point in Makin that is the source of the Xiamen ships. However, why Xiamen ships keep transiting from Makin and heading across Kaizu to Eniwetok remains a mystery.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire030.png)
6th April 1970
In Eniwetok, a sensor buoy recently emplaced by a Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' detects the largest fleet yet seen from the People’s Republic of Xiama: sixteen military-engined ships of 16,589-tons, split between three new classes – six Chongqing, six Huangwen and four Hainan. Eniwetok has a single planet, but its location does not match the fleet’s approach vector toward the jump point. The fleet transits into Kaizu and then transits back a day later. Alien activity in the systems beyond Hadano is rapidly increasing.
28th May 1970
Kagoshima is two transits from Sol via Tsushima and the first system in which the Zuijin were encountered. As this Zuijin fleet is by far the largest known, the Zuijin have a significant technological advantage and they seem content to remain in their own systems, Kagoshima has been left alone, except for a gravitational survey and a sensor buoy emplaced on the Tsushima jump point. The survey found a single outward jump point to Sapporo, an F-class star with seven planets, and beyond that system’s sole outward jump point, a black hole.
The sensor buoy detects six strength-3 energy impacts, outside the orbit of the fifth planet and in the general direction of the Sapporo jump point. The Zuijin are apparently engaged with an unknown opponent. The Tsushima – Kagoshima jump point has not been stabilised, so a jump-capable ship is required. All three Kasagi class ships are active elsewhere and the four battlecruisers are too large for this mission. Besides, the immediate need is intelligence not combat. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata orders that as soon as one of the four Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' patrol craft completes their current mission of deploying buoys in the area around Hadano, it should be armed with reconnaissance drones and dispatched to Kagoshima.
Twenty-five minutes later, seven more energy impacts are detected. After a further twenty-minutes, there are sixteen impacts and the wreck of a unknown ship of 9006 tons is detected. The wreck is almost on a direct line from the Zuijin planet to the Sapporo jump point. It would appear that yet another alien race is moving closer to Sol.
24th June 1970
A Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' arrives in Kagoshima and launches two Shusui (Autumn Water) Reconnaissance Drones, one at the third planet and the other at the wreck. This is the first test of the new drone, which is fifty percent larger than the Gekko and has increased range and improved capabilities. The first Shusui confirms the presence of the large Zuijin fleet detected nine years earlier. There are five bases: a Vanquisher missile base, two Devastator light missile bases and two Terror point defence bases. The ships include three 28,907-ton Vengeance class, two Ravager light missile cruisers, three Conquerors of 19,164 tons, seven smaller ships of approximately 9600 tons and four Ghost class fast attack craft. There will very likely be substantial ground forces present, but the drone is destroyed before it can detect them. For now, the Imperial Japanese Navy would find it very difficult to overcome such a powerful Zuijin fleet. The second drone finds nothing at the wreck site.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire031.png)
1st July 1970
The first pair of Omurosan Maru class freighters are constructed at the Ashikaga Shipyard. Each Omurosan Maru has five times the capacity of the existing Kansai Maru freighters and will greatly improve the ability of the Empire of Japan to build up its colonies.
Omurosan Maru class Freighter 231,264 tons 925 Crew 3,054.8 BP TCS 4,625 TH 9,300 EM 0
2010 km/s Armour 1-335 Shields 0-0 HTK 270 Sensors 5/8/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 8 Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 125,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 15
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Koga-Murakama KC-300 Ion Drive (31) Power 9300 Fuel Use 2.89% Signature 300 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 2,500,000 Litres Range 67.3 billion km (387 days at full power)
Type 27 Go-13C Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 31.5m km Resolution 120
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
7th July 1970
The gravitational survey of Truk is completed. The only outward jump points discovered are those to Palau and Samoa, neither of which has any populations. The three survey ships committed to this area split and move into the two systems. The colony on Truk III has reached a population of three point six million and can support up to 142,000 tons of warships, mainly through the deployment of two Yokosuka class maintenance bases. Two light cruisers are based at the colony. On the surface is the 7th Division and two shore battery formations with a total of sixteen 25cm lasers and twenty railguns. Like its historical namesake, Truk is developing into a key base for the Imperial Japanese Navy
Yokosuka class Maintenance Base 183,590 tons 1,816 Crew 4,200.6 BP TCS 3,672 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 237 Sensors 5/8/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 100 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Maintenance Modules: 36 module(s) capable of supporting ships of 57,600 tons
Type 27 Go-13C Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 31.5m km Resolution 120
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
17th July 1970
In Makin, which connects to Kaizu and the Zuijin system of Tarawa, Sagiri discovers another stable jump point. The Kasagi class light cruiser Matsushima has arrived in Makin to replace her damaged sister ship, so she moves to the new jump point and transits into a binary system, designated as Kwajalein. The primary is an F8-V yellow-white star orbited by four terrestrial planets and a small gas giant with three moons. The third planet and fifth planets, both about the size of Mars, have thin nitrogen – oxygen atmospheres and stable orbits. The former has oceans and a temperature of 74C, while the latter is much colder at -96C and has ice sheets covering a third of the surface.
The companion star is a red dwarf in a highly eccentric orbit, moving between two billion and forty billion kilometres from the primary during an orbital period of fifteen hundred years. It is currently at twenty billion kilometres. Orbiting the dwarf star are three terrestrial worlds, a gas giant, a superjovian with more than twice the mass of Jupiter, forty moons and almost five hundred asteroids. The innermost planet has a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere, a minimal hydrosphere and an eccentric orbit, moving between eight and forty million kilometres from its star every six weeks. The superjovian has a Lagrange point, but there is no matching Lagrange point orbiting the primary.
By far the most interesting object in the system is the wreck of a 7,758-ton Xining class ship of the People’s Republic of Xiama, located just outside the orbit of the primary’s fourth planet, in the generation direction of the jump point through which Matushima has just entered the system. Matsushima’s captain, Kaigun Chusa Masuko Machi, considers heading in-system to investigate, but suspects this may be another Zuijin-held system. He contacts Sagiri and requests that the survey ship enters Kwajalein to launch drones.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire032.png)
31st July 1970
Eniwetok is still the scene of significant Xiamen activity, with a sixteen ship fleet regularly entering and leaving the system via the Kaizu jump point. The survey cruiser Murakumo is conducting a gravitational survey and has discovered a single jump point so far. She moves to the jump point to conduct a probe, where she finds a Xiamen Jinan class on station. Murakumo transits, emerging over eight billion kilometres from a giant K5-III star two hundred and forty times brighter than Sol. Following the Pacific islands nomenclature for Xiamen and Velsharoon space, the new system is designated as Guadalcanal.
The giant star has seven planets, four of which have nitrogen-oxygen atmospheres. Guadalcanal III is almost a twin of Earth, with a stable orbit, a diameter of 12,000 km, gravity of 0.96G, temperature of 14.3C, oceans covering 61% of the surface and 0.22 atm of oxygen in the atmosphere. This is the first ideal habitable world discovered by Japanese explorers. Guadalcanal II is a hot desert world with minimal hydrosphere. The surface temperature of 98C will increase in the short term as it is moving towards its perihelion of a billion before its twelve-year orbit takes it out to one point six billion.
Guadalcanal IV and V are cold worlds dominated by rift valleys. They both have ice sheets covering seventy percent of their surfaces and their temperatures are -96C and -83C respectively. Guadalcanal IV has the denser atmosphere but with only trace amounts of oxygen. Guadalcanal V has an atmosphere that is close to breathable, except for 0.09 atm of sulphur dioxide currently frozen out on the surface. Murakumo temporarily abandons her survey of Eniwetok and heads in-system, surveying as she goes, with the intention of launching Gekko reconnaissance drones at the four planets with oxygen atmospheres.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire033.png)
3rd August 1970
Sagiri arrives in Kwajalein to rendezvous with Matsushima and launches a pair of Gekko reconnaissance drones at the third and fifth planets. The drone targeted on the third planet detects Devastator and Terror class bases in orbit, along with four ships: a 19287-ton Ravager class light missile cruiser, plus a Hunter, an Impaler and a Razor, all of which are 9,628 tons. There is no sign of life at the fifth planet. The presence of the Zuijin explains the Xiamen wrecks in Kwajalein, but also means that both outward jump points discovered in Makin so far lead to Zuijin-held system. Sagiri transits back into Makin to continue her survey.
12th August 1970
A Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' has deployed buoys at either side of the Kagoshima - Sapporo jump point, in an attempt to determine the origin of the ship recently destroyed by the Zuijin in Kagoshima. Only days after the buoys are emplaced, the one on the Sapporo side detects a 6,127-ton ship, designated as Sekhmet class, from a previously unknown alien race. This new race is less of an immediate threat than the Scimitar Empire, Covenant of Velsharoon or the People’s Republic of Xiama, because a powerful Zuijin fleet is occupying the Kagoshima system, the only route from Sapporo into the Empire of Japan. Even so, its strength and capabilities must be determined, so as soon as a survey ship can be made available, Sapporo will be resurveyed to check for any previously dormant jump points and a survey will be conducted in the Black Hole system beyond Sapporo. Eleven hours after being detected, the Sekhmet transits into Kagoshima and is detected by the buoy on the far side.
The Empire of Japan has now encountered six alien races – possibly seven if the wreck in Kapteyn’s Star did not belong to one of the known races. Of those six, the Rasheed have been subjugated, the Zuijin pose no offensive threat and the Scimitar Empire remain quiet behind the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point. No Scimitaran ship has transited into Tsushima for over seven years and the jump point picket has slowly been reduced, now standing at three light cruisers. The People’s Republic of Xiama has a single point of contact with the Empire in the Hadano system and has been detected in Kaizu, Makin and Eniwetok. The Covenant of Velsharoon has two points of contact, in Hadano and Proxima, and have been detected in the same systems as the Xiamen, plus Minato, Proxima and Truk. So far, the latter two races have maintained peaceful relations with the Empire of Japan.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire034.png)
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23rd August 1970
A second ship of the Sapporo aliens, 7,211 tons and designated as Thoth class, arrives at the Sapporo Kagoshima jump point
15th September 1970
With the detection of the new aliens in Sapporo, it seems very likely that the wreck in Kagoshima is one of their ships. Therefore, the salvage ship Kasashima Maru, accompanied by a freighter, transits into Kagoshima to salvage the wreck, with the intention of giving the Zuijin ships in orbit of Kagoshima III a wide berth. Unfortunately, the staff officers issuing the orders from Combined Fleet Headquarters overlook the orbit of Kagoshima III, which passes within twenty million kilometres of the Tsushima jump point. Although the Zuijin world is still three hundred and seventy million kilometres away, that is apparently close enough for planetary-based sensors to detect the transit. As Kasashima Maru moves away, the entire mobile Zuijin fleet in the system approaches the jump point. The sensor buoy that detected that approach is destroyed by the Zuijin.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire035.png)
Kasashima Maru and the freighter continue moving away, but detect sensor emissions in their wake. Just when it seems the Zuijin will catch them, the emissions begin moving away. The relief doesn’t last long as they detect missiles closing fast. The freighter is hit by eight laser torpedoes with strength-3 warheads and loses two engines. A second salvo twenty minutes later hits Kasashima Maru, damaging two of her four salvage modules. The two ships split up and try to run but they cannot escape. More salvos arrive every twenty minutes until both ships are reduced to tumbling debris.
28th September 1970
A Gekko reconnaissance drone from Murakumo enters orbit of Guadalcanal III, where it detects a very large population and a huge fleet of ships from the People’s Republic of Xiama. The population's thermal signature is almost fifty percent larger than Earth, there is a large shipyard complex in orbit and on the surface is a ground forces signature of 250,000-tons. Given the dominant terrain is forested mountain, the actual size of the ground force is likely to be several multiples of the signature. Guadalcanal III is almost certainly the Xiamen home world.
The fleet in orbit contains the following ships:
6x Changsha: 76,771 tons
16x Houjian: 39,884 tons
4x Luda: 33,359 tons
2x Song: 33,349 tons
4x Jianghu: 26,775 tons
4x Yinchuan: 26,740 tons
19x Ming: 26,580 tons, military engines
27x Xia: 19,782 tons
2x Nanchang: 18,063 tons, commercial engines
2x Han: 16,565 tons, military engines
18x Kaifeng: 13,262 tons, military engines
1x Zhuhai, 12,098 tons, military engines
12x Jiangwei: 956 tons
48x Taiyuan: 915 tons
Now that the location of the Xiamen home world is known, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi Razan can consider how to employ his choke-point strategy. Unfortunately, there are still no good candidate systems for a population sufficient to claim sovereignty. Eniwetok has a single Venusian world, and is adjacent to Guadalcanal, which would probably increase tension. Kaizu and Hadano are both planetless and beyond Hadano there are so many potential routes to Sol that as many as six systems would need substantial populations. Therefore, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi declares that the Empire of Japan must find a way to establish a population at one of the five small comets in Hadano. There is insufficient space on the surface of the comets, so the Empire will prioritise the development of orbital habitats.
29th September 1970
Gekko reconnaissance drones arrive at Guadalcanal II and IV. The former appears to be deserted. The latter has a fleet in orbit comprising six Qingdao class of 109,000 tons, eighteen Jinzhou at 82,000 tons and three Ming class with military engines at 26,580 tons. There is no population signature. Murakumo sets a course close to the star, with the intention of moving through the inner system undetected to get close enough to launch a drone at the sixth planet, which is seven billion kilometres away.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire036.png)
20th October 1970
Sagiri finds a fourth jump point in Makin. The other three lead to Kaizu and the Zuijin systems of Tarawa and Kwajalein. Sagiri puts her survey of Makin on hold and transits the new jump point. She emerges in the known system of Palau, adjacent to Truk and three transits from Proxima, where her sister ship Yugiri is at work. This new connection links the two areas of space in which the Covenant of Velsharoon has been encountered. Sagiri returns to Makin to complete her survey.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire037.png)
23rd October 1970
Asagiri transits a newly discovered jump point in Samoa, adjacent to Truk. She emerges in a system with an orange K0-V primary, eight planets, sixty-four moons and over three hundred asteroids. The third planet has a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere, liquid oceans and surface temperature of 14C. On the entry jump point, which is not stabilised, are two Velsharoon ships – a 68,489-ton commercial-engined Dhamar and a 16,270-ton Sidon with military engines. Given the Samoa side is stabilised and this is the second time the Dhamar/Sidon combination has been detected in a similar situation, Imperial Naval Intelligence designates them as a stabilisation ship and an escort cruiser. The new system, designated as Fiji, is unlikely to be in the direction of the Covenant home world as the stabilisation ship will very likely be moving away from it. Asagiri returns to Samoa to continue her survey in conjunction with her sister ship Fubuki.
26th October 1970
An Aichi E1A scout transits from Tsushima into Kagoshima to check if the Zuijin are still close to the jump point. The scout detects three 19,164-ton Conqueror class and one Avenger class escort on the jump point, plus an Impaler, a Razor and a Hunter at twenty million kilometres. The three Conquerors open fire with nine particle lances each, completely obliterating the small scout. This is the first time the Conquerors have been observed in action, so INI classifies them as light cruisers and issues a warning to all Imperial Navy ships to treat them as a deadly threat.
11th November 1970
New Osaka, adjacent to Sol and home world of the Rasheed, has a human population of fifty-four million. With two hundred and eighty mines and four hundred and fifty-nine forced labour mining camps, it has surpassed the mineral production of Earth. The home world of humanity faces rapidly dwindling mineral deposits and shortages of both Duranium and Gallicite. The Osaka system has three jump points, connecting to Earth, Tosa and Shōbara. Tosa is part of several different loops involving Earth, via Osaka, Hakodate or Sakai. Shōbara is the first in a chain of three systems, that includes Miyoshi and Sigma Draconis, and also has an unexplored jump point.
The survey cruiser Oboro is in Sigma Draconis, working its way around the system’s asteroid belt, when it detects thermal emissions from an alien ship of a new race. Oboro engages her active sensors and detects seven ships in total. A 20,903-ton Orca and an 11,130-ton Barracuda are five million kilometres away, in orbit of an asteroid. A further four million kilometres away are two more Barracudas and three 19,237-ton Hammerheads, opening the range to Oboro at 2112 km/s. The Barracuda and Hammerhead class ships have military engines. The Orca is not moving. This is the seventh alien race to be encountered in less than eleven years.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire038.png)
Oboro hails the alien ships but there is no answer, so she changes course to head back toward the jump point and requests backup from warships. This new encounter is of particular concern because it is only three jumps from Osaka, with nothing in-between. Earth and Osaka are the only systems that the Empire of Japan cannot afford to lose; the former because of the factories, shipyard and massive population and the latter because of its mines and labour camps. A pair of Nagara II-Ro class light cruisers are already in orbit of New Osaka, but they will remain as a guard force. Instead, the Kido Butai is reformed as a force of two battlecruisers, two carriers and four light cruisers and dispatched to Sigma Draconis
21st November 1970
A ship of the People’s Republic of Xiama transits into Yao from Hadano. The Xiamen are now three transits from Sol via Lalande and Okami. An appropriate solution to what has become known as the Hadano Problem is becoming more urgent.
22nd November 1970
Oboro arrives at the Sigma Draconis – Miyoshi jump point. She will remain there as a jump point picket until a more substantial force is available.
28th November 1970
Murakumo launches a drone at Guadalcanal V, the fourth and final planet in the Xiamen home system with an oxygen atmosphere. There is no sign of life. Murakumo starts working her way back to the Eniwetok jump point, surveying where she can.
29th November 1970
The carrier Taihō (Great Phoenix), the largest warship ever constructed by the Empire of Japan, is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards in Earth orbit. Her strikegroup comprises thirty-six Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' Fighters, thirty-six Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' (Shooting Star) Carrier Strike craft, a new design armed with a pair of fixed missile launchers, and a pair of Aichi E1A3 scouts. As well as being larger than the preceding Akagi class, Taihō is the first Japanese design with an internal magazine, which allows her to reload her Nakajima B1Ns. The Taiho class gives the Imperial Navy a long-range strike capability, beyond that provided by the planet-based Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu'.
Taihō class Carrier 54,000 tons 927 Crew 6,473.4 BP TCS 1,080 TH 5,400 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 1-127 Shields 0-0 HTK 237 Sensors 5/8/0/0 DCR 30-5 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.46 Years MSP 7,247 AFR 778% IFR 10.8% 1YR 1,649 5YR 24,739 Max Repair 450 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 24,000 tons Magazine 867 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 480 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (6) Power 5400 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,933,000 Litres Range 21.7 billion km (50 days at full power)
Rakurai Anti-ship Missile (72) Speed: 31,250 km/s Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 8 Go-53A Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Missile 2
Strike Group
36x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' Carrier Strike Speed: 10001 km/s Size: 7.5
36x Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' Fighter Speed: 12002 km/s Size: 5.5
2x Aichi E1A3 Scout Speed: 7502 km/s Size: 5
Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike 375 tons 1 Crew 61.3 BP TCS 7 TH 75 EM 0
10001 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 2.07 Years MSP 25 AFR 75% IFR 1.0% 1YR 8 5YR 117 Max Repair 37.5 MSP
Magazine 24 / 0
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.6 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-75-DB Ion Engine (1) Power 75 Fuel Use 722.96% Signature 75 Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 7,300 Litres Range 0.48 billion km (13 hours at full power)
Type 23 Fixed Missile Launcher (2) Missile Size: 12 Hangar Reload 173 minutes MF Reload 28 hours
Type 26 Go-44B Missile Fire Control (1) Range 19.9m km Resolution 120 ECCM-1
Rakurai Anti-ship Missile (2) Speed: 31,250 km/s End: 4.3m Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 28 Go-14B Small Strike Sensor (1) GPS 192 Range 10m km Resolution 120
12th December 1970
The Kido Butai arrives in Sigma Draconis and holds position at the Miyoshi jump point. An Aichi E1A scout is sent in-system to the last known location of the alien ships.
Kido Butai
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Fuso, Yamashiro
Akagi II class Carrier: Hiryu, Soryu
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashima, Kashiwara, Katori, Niyodo
120x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter:
4x Aichi E1A class Scout:
Meanwhile in Kagoshima, the recently emplaced sensor buoy on the Kagoshima – Sapporo jump point detects the approach of six Zuijin vessels, including three 28,907-ton Vengeance class ships. A small number of ships from the unknown alien race first detected in Sapporo have passed into Kagoshima, so it may have attracted the attention of the Zuijin, although the Sapporo jump point is almost seven billion kilometres from the star so detection at that range is highly unlikely. Perhaps, the recent activity of the Sapporo aliens and the Imperial Navy in Kagoshima have caused the Zuijin to deploy defence forces at both jump points. Once the Zuijin are within a million kilometres of the jump point, a pair of light missiles from a Ravager escort cruiser destroy the sensor buoy. The Empire of Japan is now blind to events in Kagoshima.
17th December 1970
The Aichi E1A scout from the Kido Butai arrives at the asteroid where the aliens were encountered several weeks earlier, finding the Orca and a single Barracuda still in orbit. As the scout moves closer to the aliens, the Barracuda opens fire with some form of laser weapon and destroys it.
The Kido Butai is under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura Hikaru, captain of the battlecruiser Fuso. He immediately orders his eight ships to head in-system to the location of the wrecked scout. Two days later, with the Kido Butai still one point five billion kilometres away, the wreck vanishes from sensors. Apparently, the aliens salvaged it almost immediately.
22nd December 1970
The Kido Butai moves within sensor range of the asteroid and finds the Orca and Barracuda moving away at 1944 km/s. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders the fleet to close within weapon range and open fire on the Barracuda.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire039.png)
The fleet closes to 180,000 km and opens fire; the battlecruisers with their 25cm main armament and secondary 12cm laser turrets and the four light cruisers with their 20cm lasers. The Barracuda has third generation jamming technology, which reduces the effectiveness of the Japanese fire control, but still receives twenty hits, none of which penetrate the armour. There is no return fire. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders his ships to close to 150,000 km. Unexpectedly, the Barracuda breaks formation and charges at the Kido Butai at 7317 km/s. Nakamura orders as immediate course reversal, as the battlecruisers’ 12cm laser turrets continue to blast away chunks of the alien ship’s armour.
As the range falls to 95,000 km/s, the four light cruisers fire again. In conjunction with the battlecruisers, they inflict sixteen strength-4 and fifteen strength-2 hits, seven of which penetrate the Barracuda’s armour. They obviously hit something vital as the ship is left dead in space. Moments later, the battlecruisers fire their 25cm lasers and the Barracuda disappears without leaving a wreck. Putting that mystery aside for now, the Kido Butai reverses course again and closes on the Orca. The Orca tries to close, but it is too slow. The fleet stands off and blows it to pieces. Once again there is no wreckage.
A deep analysis of the sensor records from the battle reveals that the alien ships were biological in origin. Either grown as ships, or perhaps some Aether-dwelling species. One they are destroyed, or die, they fall back deep into the Aether, rather than dropping into normal space. Imperial Naval Intelligence believes that communication is likely to be impossible. The new species is assigned the designation of Mizuchi, after a water dragon from Japanese mythology.
Oboro originally detected two more Barracudas and three 19,237-ton Hammerheads, so Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders a search of the asteroid belt. To increase sensor coverage, two of the light cruisers are deployed a hundred and fifty million kilometres either side of the main body. An Aichi scout is sent into the inner system. However, with only about a fifth of the asteroid belt searched, fuel is already becoming an issue. A replenishment ship is dispatched from Earth.
27th December 1970
An Aichi E1A scout from the Kido Butai detects a previously unknown Mizuchi ship in orbit of Sigma Draconis II. Designated as Moray class, the ship is 3,931 tons and capable of 4274 km/s. The E1A is faster, so Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders it to shadow the Moray while the Kido Butai moves to the inner system. Unexpectedly, the scout detects sensor emissions from two new ships, designated as Piranha and Stingray, at a range of only two point five million kilometres. The new ships must be very small for the scout not to detect them at ten percent of its maximum sensor range. They are closing at 8116 km/s and the E1A has a maximum speed of 6000 km/s.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire040.png)
Once within two million kilometres, the E1A can detect the thermal emissions from their drives. There are eight ships in total: one Stingray, three Piranhas and four of a new type designated as Manta class. The scout continues to run, but they close in. Just before they open fire, the scout picks them up on active sensors. The Stingray is 629 tons. The other two types are both 739 tons. The Manta has a single laser weapon, similar to that on the Barracuda, with a range of at least 120,000 km and a five second recharge time. Three volleys are enough to destroy the fragile scout. Within a day, the wreck has vanished. The Kido Butai sets course for Sigma Draconis II.
30th December 1970
The Kido Butai, with the two detached light cruisers now back in the main body, detects the Moray still in orbit of Sigma Draconis II. The Mizuchi ship makes no attempt to run and is destroyed in a single volley. There is no sign of the small attack craft and the Kido Butai is below half fuel, so Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura decides to hold position and request additional scout craft, while he sends out his two remaining E1As to search the system. Wary of the advanced technology of the Mizuchi, Kaigun-Taisho Nagata dispatches two additional carriers and two more light cruisers from Sol.
31st December 1970
An E1A scout detects a Mizuchi Barracuda close to Sigma Draconis V, six hundred million kilometres from the Kido Butai. The Barracuda begins to close and the scout detects emissions from two new types, a Mako and a Tiger Shark. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders the scout to run and orders the Kido Butai to proceed to Sigma Draconis V. The three Mizuchi ships follow the scout at 7217 km/s, then suddenly abandon the chase and reverse course. Emissions from the Stingray appear on sensors ahead of the scout, moving out of the moons of Sigma Draconis V. It is extremely disconcerting how easily the Mizuchi avoid Imperial Navy sensors. The same eight ships that destroyed the previous scout now claim another victim.
2nd January 1971
The Kido Butai arrives in orbit of Sigma Draconis V. There is no sign of the Mizuchi. Four of the ships are below 40% fuel, so Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura declares an end to chasing around the system. He decides to pull back to the jump point and wait for the replenishment ship. He also requests a freighter with a deep space tracking station, so that better sensor coverage can be established.
-
20th January 1971
Junyō (Wandering Falcon), the second Taiho class carrier, joins the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her strikegroup is still under construction.
15th February 1971
A ship of the Covenant of Velsharoon enters Sakura, adjacent to Hadano, for the first time. A week later, a Covenant ship enters Yao, also adjacent to Hadano. The technology for orbital habitats is being researched but will not be available until the end of the year. Once such habitats can be built, a population will be established in Hadano and a claim made on the system with both the Covenant and the People’s Republic of Xiama.
8th March 1971
The Kido Butai returns to Sigma Draconis after a brief visit to New Osaka for shore leave. The reinforcements sent by Kaigun-Taisho Nagata have been added to the fleet. Freighters are on en route to the system with a pair of deep space tracking systems that will be used to find the elusive Mizuchi. Once the freighters arrive, the Kido Butai will escort them in-system, leaving a single light cruiser on the jump point.
Kido Butai
Akagi II class Carrier: Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, Zuikaku
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Fuso, Yamashiro
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Abukuma, Kashima, Kashiwara, Katori, Niyodo, Sendai
240x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter:
5x Aichi E1A class Scout:
30th March 1971
As the Empire of Japan is in contact with six different alien races, the twelve survey cruisers of the Asagiri class no longer provide sufficient survey capability to determine the location of the alien population centres, while still expanding the Empire’s own boundaries and identifying potential mining colonies. This lack of capacity is solved in two ways. A new type of small craft, the Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' (White Chrysanthemum) class Geological Survey Craft, is intended to operate in systems with substantial numbers of moons or asteroids, freeing up the larger ships for gravitational surveys. Six are launched, with a further six planned.
Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' class Geological Survey Craft 1,000 tons 22 Crew 168.6 BP TCS 20 TH 30 EM 0
1500 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 HTK 9 Sensors 0/0/0/1 DCR 1-10 PPV 0
Maint Life 9.69 Years MSP 105 AFR 8% IFR 0.1% 1YR 2 5YR 30 Max Repair 100 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 80 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-100 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 1000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-30-E Ion Drive (1) Power 30 Fuel Use 17.86% Signature 30 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 180,000 Litres Range 181.4 billion km (1399 days at full power)
Type 25 Go-24B Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 2 Range 2m km MCR 181.7k km Resolution 1
Type 30 Go-55B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6.1m km
Type 10 Go-65B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.1m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour.
The Asagiri design is superseded by the new Shimakaze Survey Cruiser. Despite being twice as large, the Shimakaze retains the same survey capability as the Asagiri, devoting the extra hull space to additional capabilities. A reloadable missile launcher and a small magazine allows the Shimakaze to deploy up to seventeen missiles, drones or buoys. A small hangar deck contains the latest Aichi E1A3 scout, a pair of Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' fighters and a single 1x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' strike craft. The small but capable strikegroup provides a commerce-raiding capability, a minimal self-defence capability and the ability to conduct missile strikes or lay buoys without risking the ship itself. The sensor suite is similar to that of a Nagara class light cruiser. The first three ships of the class, Shimakaze (Island Wind), Matsukaze (Wind in the Pines) and Harukaze (Spring Wind), will be used to improve astrographic knowledge in Xiamen and Velsharoon space.
Shimakaze class Survey Cruiser 18,000 tons 407 Crew 2,629.7 BP TCS 360 TH 1,050 EM 0
2916 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 105 Sensors 12/16/5/5 DCR 24-13 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 5.83 Years MSP 2,191 AFR 108% IFR 1.5% 1YR 110 5YR 1,647 Max Repair 225 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 1,200 tons Magazine 216 / 0
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Flight Crew Berths 24 Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-180 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-525-E Ion Drive (2) Power 1050 Fuel Use 11.72% Signature 525 Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 2,491,000 Litres Range 212.6 billion km (843 days at full power)
Type 29 Reloadable Missile Launcher (1) Missile Size: 12 Rate of Fire 1390
Type 27 Go-44C Missile Fire Control (1) Range 19.9m km Resolution 120 ECCM-2
Shusui Reconnaissance Drone (3) Speed: 5,200 km/s End: 10d Range: 4500m km WH: 0 Size: 12
Rakurai Anti-ship Missile (8) Speed: 31,250 km/s End: 4.3m Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Zuiun-Ro Sensor Buoy (6) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 12
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 30 Go-51B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (5) 5 Survey Points Per Hour
Geological Survey Sensors (5) 5 Survey Points Per Hour
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 1
Strike Group
1x Aichi E1A3 Scout Speed: 7502 km/s Size: 5
2x Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' Fighter Speed: 12002 km/s Size: 5.5
1x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' Carrier Strike Speed: 10001 km/s Size: 7.5
14th April 1971
Ten freighters unload two deep space tracking stations, plus infrastructure, on the single moon of Sigma Draconis III. As the system has not undergone a geological survey, apart from a few asteroids, the moon was selected because it is only eleven hundred and fifty kilometres in diameter, making it easy to terraform in the future, unusually dense, resulting in gravity within human tolerance at 0.12G, and is also the body closest to the human temperature range at -37C. Unfortunately, that forethought and the effort involved in delivering the tracking stations does not pay off. There is still no sign of the Mizuchi ships.
As the last contact with the Mizuchi was near Sigma Draconis V, Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura, senior officer of the Kido Butai, decides to send nine of the freighters to the jump point, escorted by the light cruiser Abukuma, while the rest of the Kido Butai escorts a lone freighter transferring one of the deep space tracking stations to a moon of Sigma Draconis V. That plan has only been in motion for a few hours, with the freighter still preparing to take on its cargo, when the tracking stations detect thermal emissions from the Mizuchi Tiger Shark class moving toward the inner system. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura immediately abandons his plan and recalls the departing freighters. He also orders all ships to deactivate their active sensors, except for one light cruiser. If the Mizuchi are approaching the inner system, he does not want anything to dissuade them.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire041.png)
15th April 1971
As the Tiger Shark draws closer, the tracking stations also detect thermal emissions from a Mako and a Barracuda escorting the Tiger Shark. All three ships have a speed of 7217 km/s, so the Kido Butai can only engage them in energy combat if the Mizuchi cooperate. Even the A1M ‘Raiden fighters only have a speed of 8000 km/s, so they would have to close through that hostile fire for some time before being able to attack. Therefore, at one hundred and sixty million kilometres, Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura launches the entire 1st Air Fleet with orders to circle around the Mizuchi and get behind them.
At one hundred and twenty million kilometres, the Mizuchi suddenly reverse course, before the fighters can move past them. It is proving extremely difficult to force a decisive engagement. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura decides to revert to his earlier plan. If a similar situation can be engineered near Sigma Draconis V, he will launch fighters much earlier. The nine freighters leave once again and the tenth begins loading a tracking station. The fighters are recalled.
As soon as the fighters reverse course, so do the Mizuchi, heading for the planet once again. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders the fighters to attempt another loop around the Mizuchi and it quickly becomes apparent that the Mizuchi can detect the fighters, even at fifty million kilometres. They move away again, although this time their course bends away from a reciprocal heading, apparently due to the presence of the fighters.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire042.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura is concerned about the fuel state of the fighters, but decides to use them like a sheepdog, in an attempt to force the Mizuchi toward the Kido Butai. The tactic works for a short time, then the Mizuchi suddenly head directly for the fighters. Nakamura orders them to close head on and attack, targeting the fast-firing Barracuda first. Once within two million kilometres, the fighters can detect the Mizuchi ships on active sensors. The Mako is 22,528 tons, while the Tiger Shark is 33,661 tons. The first shots are fired by the Mako at 268,000 km, destroying two of the fighters. That weapon range is extremely worrying for Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura, as it means the Mizuchi have faster ships and longer ranged weapons than the Kido Butai. If the fighter attack is not successful, the Mako could theoretically destroy the entire Kido Butai by holding the range open and firing from beyond Japanese weapon range.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire043.png)
Four fighters are destroyed at 40,000 km by the Mako firing again, accompanied by the Barracuda. Based on the weapons fired so far, the Mako has eighteen 25cm lasers with a twenty second recharge time, plus one larger weapon, while the Barracuda has ten twin laser turrets firing every five secondx. At point blank range, the Tiger Shark adds to the defensive fire with fifteen twin laser turrets. Six more fighters are lost. Finally the A1Ms can return fire and the Barracuda suffers one hundred and seventy-five strength-1 impacts from the fighters’ cannon. Six penetrate the hull.
Fortunately for the 1st Air Fleet, the massed fire of the Mizuchi is constrained by their number of fire controls, which restricts how many targets they can engage simultaneously. Another four Japanese fighters explode, then the Barracuda disappears from sensors. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura designates the Tiger Shark as the next target. The number of active fighters continues to fall as the pilots bravely press their attacks to visual range. Two rounds of fire fail to penetrate the armour of the Tiger Shark, then suddenly during the third volley, it is ripped apart by a huge series of secondary explosions. The Mako runs for the outer system, with the fighters staying close and pouring fire into its hull. Two more fighters are hit and destroyed. After twenty-five seconds of constant fire, the Mako can take no more and vanishes from sensors.
Twenty-seven fighters have been lost, but they destroyed over sixty thousand tons of Mizuchi warships. Once again, the 1st Air Fleet has demonstrated its quality and its capabilities. The survivors head back to their carriers. Even so, despite this great victory, there are still a significant number of known Mizuchi ships that have not been found. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura resumes his plan to place a tracking station on one of the moons of Sigma Draconis V.
23rd April 1971
The tracking station is emplaced on the fourth moon of Sigma Draconis V. There is no sign of Mizuchi ships. Two more freighters carrying tracking stations enter the system and are directed to unload one each at the two existing tracking station sites.
30th April 1971
The 1st Hiko Sentai, with its twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' long-range strike craft arrives at Sigma Draconis V. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura requested their presence after the recent battle with the Mizuchi, so that his forces could benefit from a temporary missile capability. They refuelled at New Osaka and again from a replenishment ship at the Sigma Draconis – Miyoshi jump point and cannot remain for long, so the Kido Butai sends out three Aichi scouts to sweep the nearby asteroids. A single Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' (Purple Cloud) class Reconnaissance Craft has been added to the 1st Hiko Sentai, providing jump capability for the strike craft and carrying a single reconnaissance drone. The new Taiho class carriers do not have jump drives, so they are unable to reach Sigma Draconis.
Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' class Reconnaissance Craft 500 tons 4 Crew 64.9 BP TCS 10 TH 63 EM 0
6257 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 5 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.8
Maint Life 1.72 Years MSP 25 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 10 5YR 154 Max Repair 31.3 MSP
Magazine 12 / 0
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 18 days Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-50 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-62-B Gas Core Drive (1) Power 62.5 Fuel Use 193.35% Signature 62.5 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 81,400 Litres Range 15.2 billion km (28 days at full power)
Type 23 Fixed Missile Launcher (1) Missile Size: 12 Hangar Reload 173 minutes MF Reload 28 hours
Type 26 Go-44B Missile Fire Control (1) Range 19.9m km Resolution 120 ECCM-1
Gekkō Reconnaissance Drone (1) Speed: 6,250 km/s End: 5.5d Range: 2,992.4m km WH: 0 Size: 8
Type 26 Go-14B Strike Sensor (1) GPS 768 Range 19.9m km Resolution 120
3rd May 1971
After several days of searching asteroids without success, one of the E1A scouts detects a brief sensor emission from a Piranha and a Stingray near Sigma Draconis VI, over a billion kilometres from the Kido Butai, which is still close to Sigma Draconis V. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura orders the scout to return home and takes the Kido Butai, now comprising two battlecruisers, four carriers and four light cruisers, toward Sigma Draconis VI. Although the 1st Hiko Sentai remains at Sigma Draconis V, the Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' launches its recon drone ahead of the Kido Butai.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire044.png)
The drone moves within sensor range of Sigma Draconis VI while the Kido Butai is still almost three hundred million kilometres away and detects four of the Mako class, now designated as heavy cruisers and armed with longer-ranged lasers than the Kido Butai. Once the drone is within the orbit of the planet’s single moon, at 90,000 km, it detects a large number of the small attack craft. Five Stingrays, nine Mantas, eighteen Piranhas and fifteen of a new type designated as Starfish class.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire045.png)
Unlike the Zuijin, the Mizuchi completely ignore the drone, which confirms their position while the Kido Butai closes in, reaching a hundred and thirteen million kilometres from Sigma Draconis VI before one of the Makos engages its active sensors. Suddenly the Mizuchi ships begin moving. The four Makos and eight of the attack craft charge toward the Kido Butai. The remaining attack craft head out-system at 8116 km/s. When the range falls to ninety-five million kilometres, the Makos reverse course. Until that point, only one Japanese ship, a light cruiser, had active sensors engaged, so the Makos may have believed the Kido Butai was a smaller force. The Gekko drone is still active and tracks the ships as they move past Sigma Draconis VI and into the outer system. By the time the Kido Butai reaches the planet, the Mizuchi are well out of sensor range.
7th May 1971
The Kido Butai remains on station at Sigma Draconis VI, using only the active sensors of a single light cruiser. The Mako class heavy cruisers are lurking beyond sensor range, detected only by their sensor emissions as they move around. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura launches the 1st Air Fleet with orders to move around the general location of the Makos and try to get behind them. They manage to conduct the manoeuvre without any sign they have been detected. Once the fighters are in position and the Mako sensor emissions are detected at ninety million kilometres, Nakamura orders the battlecruiser Kirishima to activate her sensors. The Kido Butai leaves orbit and gives chase once more, but this time the fighters are waiting astride the likely retreat course of the Makos.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire046.png)
The Makos apparently detect the fighters as they reverse course again and begin heading toward the Kido Butai. They prevaricate, moving back and forth a few times, before deciding the fighters are the most immediate threat and heading in-system. The 1st Air Group gradually closes the range. With the Kido Butai thirty million kilometres from the four approaching Makos and the fighters two million kilometres behind them, it occurs to Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura that he does not want a stand up fight between the Makos and the Kido Butai while the fighters are out of range. Even though the Kido Butai has a sixty percent tonnage advantage, excluding the carriers, the Makos are much faster with considerably better fire control and electronic warfare capabilities.
On the other hand, if the fighters try to close in without support from the two Kongos and four Nagara class light cruisers, they will only close 15,000 km/s during the Makos’ weapons recharge cycle, which would allow the Mizuchi cruisers to fire about twenty times, potentially destroying the majority of the fighters before they can reach firing range. Therefore, Nakamura orders the fighters to close to 320,000 km and hold that range. His plan is to slowly close the range and as soon as the Makos target his ships, the Kido Butai will charge to point blank range and move through the Makos, hopefully dragging them into the fighters, which will also be closing. Even if that fails, the close pass should do enough damage to slow the targets for the fighters. Casualties are expected to be heavy. The main problem is the carriers, which are not designed for that type of close combat, so they are detached and ordered back to Sigma Draconis V. They are still in significant danger if the battle does not go well.
Nakamura assigns all the fighters to a single target. The Kido Butai takes two targets, with one battlecruiser and two light cruisers assigned to each. As soon as a target is destroyed, targeting will switch to the fourth Mizuchi cruiser. As the ships enter estimated weapon range of the Mizuchi, the fighters are ordered to close. The Mizuchi open fire on Yamashiro from 310,000 km, inflicting a strength-5 hit from one of their spinal weapons and a strength-2 hit from a 25cm laser. Nakamura orders his ships to close at maximum speed and open fire.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire047.png)
The Mizuchi pick that exact moment to reverse course once more and charge back toward the fighters, staying outside the weapon range of the Kido Butai, but allowing the fighters to close much more quickly. After five seconds, they change course again, perhaps torn between different courses of action, and continue toward the Kido Butai. As soon as they enter weapon range, the six Japanese ships open fire, scoring a total of fourteen hits, a mix of 25cm, 20cm and 12cm, on two of the Makos. The four Makos turn again, opening the distance to the Kido Butai to 208,000 km/s, outside 12cm range, and open fire, scoring thirty strength-3 hits on Yamashiro and penetrating through seventy-five percent of her armour in three places.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire048.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura realises the intent behind the seemingly indecisive manoeuvres. The Mizuchi are holding the range open to the Kido Butai, allowing to them to fight at ranges where they have superior firepower, while trying to avoid the approaching fighters. A straight approach to point blank range would be far better for the fast firing 12cm turrets on the Kongos and would also lessen the effects of the Mizuchi ECM. The Makos continue their rapid turns, taking fire from the Kido Butai as it closes, including seventeen strength-8 hits from the Kongos at 97,000 km. Nakamura takes a page from the Mizuchi playbook and orders a course reversal just before their lasers recharge. The Mizuchi fire again at 86,000 km.
The battlecruiser Yamashiro is struck by fifty-one strength-10 hits and four strength-21 hits. She disintegrates as an engine and a reactor suffer massive secondary explosions. Shocked by the loss of Yamashiro, Nakamura orders his ships to charge the enemy. The four Nagaras fire their 20cm lasers at 25,000 km and one of the Makos suffers its own secondary explosion and disappears from sensors. Another suffers minor internal damage. Moments later, the fighters arrive and begin strafing a third Mako at point-blank range.
The Mizuchi suddenly decide to run, moving perpendicular to their previous course, but only at 4511 km/s, and away from both the fighters and the Kido Butai. The fighters are faster and stay at point-blank range, while the Kido Butai moves to intercept, closing to just 6500 km, within the range of the light cruisers’ TK-10A point defence railguns. All three Makos take numerous hits from the railguns and the cannon of the fighters. The battlecruiser Fuso attacks the only undamaged Mako with her 25cm lasers, scoring fourteen strength-16 hits and penetrating its armour. All three surviving Mizuchi ships now have some degree of internal damage.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire049.png)
The next exchange of fire is at visual range. The Makos are still extremely dangerous and target Fuso, inflicting twenty-eight strength-16 hits from their 25cm lasers. The battlecruiser suffers the same fate as her sister, vanishing amid colossal secondary explosions. Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura Hikaru is killed on Fuso’s bridge. Two Makos are destroyed by 20cm laser fire from the light cruisers Sendai and Kashima. Only the Mako under fire from the fighters survives, but it takes at least fifty internal hits and is no longer moving. One more volley from the railguns of the light cruisers and the battle is over.
Once again the Imperial Japanese Navy has been victorious, but once again the cost was very high. Two Kongo class battlecruisers have been destroyed, with the loss of fifteen hundred officers and crew, including Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura. Eight hundred survivors are rescued from life pods. Four of the original six Kongos have now been lost and the Imperial Navy is reduced to two battlecruisers. For now, the carriers and their fighters will have to be the shield of the Empire.
Given the Mizuchi proclivity for salvaging wrecks, the Kido Butai remains near the wrecks of Yamashiro and Fuso and the carriers rejoin the light cruisers. The replenishment ship Kenyo Maru is summoned from the Miyoshi jump point. Somewhere in Sigma Draconis there is still a large formation of Mizuchi attack craft, a smaller attack craft group and a squadron of two Barracudas and three Hammerheads that was detected by Oboro in the first contact, but has not been seen since. The light cruiser Abukuma completes its mission of escorting nine freighters to the Miyoshi jump point and also moves to rejoin the Kido Butai.
Five hours after the battle the group of attack craft, comprising a Stingray, three Piranhas and four Mantas, that destroyed a E1A scout in December 1970, and have been detected a couple of times since, appear on thermal sensors passing just six million kilometres from the Kido Butai on a course toward the inner system. With their speed of 8116 km/s, they are too fast for the A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters to intercept. The new commander of the Kido Butai is Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki Yukimori, captain of the carrier Soryu. Concerned about the damage the Mizuchi attack craft could cause in the unprotected inner system, he orders the strikegroup of his own carrier, now down to forty-four A1Ms, to give chase and try to achieve and maintain contact. The Mizuchi turn and run as soon as they detect the fighters and are quickly out of sensor range. A few hours later they reappear at Sigma Draconis VI, fifty million kilometres from the Kido Butai and the battlecruiser wrecks, where the Gekko drone is still functioning. They remain for a few hours than vanish again.
Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki cannot allow the small Mizuchi force to roam around the inner system, but he is equally loathe to leave the wrecks of the battlecruisers. If the theories of Imperial Naval Intelligence are correct, the Mizuchi are living creatures that might consume Trans-Newtonian minerals as food, enabling them to reproduce. That cannot be allowed. Therefore, he takes the risky decision to leave half his force at the wrecks and take two carriers and two light cruisers back to the inner system, including his own ship, Soryu. He requests reinforcements from an increasingly stretched Combined Fleet in Earth orbit. As the in-system force passes Sigma Draconis VI, it detects the small Mizuchi fast attack group once again, which immediately moves away.
Kaigun-Taisho Nagata decides the Imperial Navy has to crush the Mizuchi quickly and return to its normal deployment, so he dispatches the two remaining Kongo class battlecruisers and the Akagi class carriers Akagi and Zuiho, which have strikegroups comprised of the Mitsubishi A2M ‘Shinden’, with a speed of 12,000 km/s, and two more light cruisers. That leaves Earth protected by four carriers, one without a full strikegroup, and eleven light cruisers, four of which are in overhaul.
8th May 1971
The half of the Kido Butai heading sunward, designated as the in-system force, is a hundred million kilometres past Sigma Draconis VI, when the eight Mizuchi attack craft are detected by the Gekko drone once again, still with eighteen hours of endurance remaining. Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki sees an opportunity and orders his force to move to a location opposite to that of the second half of the Kido Butai, designated as the guard force, with the Mizuchi in the centre. Then both forces will advance and trap the Mizuchi. That plan is barely underway, when the guard force detects sensor emissions eighty million kilometres further out-system from a pair of Stingrays. It appears the much larger force of forty-seven Mizuchi attack craft is making an appearance at a most inconvenient time.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire050.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki orders the guard force to run toward his own ships at their best speed. The Kido Butai must be reassembled before the larger Mizuchi force can overrun the two halves of the Kido Butai separately. Almost by accident, the original plan works, with the small Mizuchi force exhibiting the same behaviour as the Makos once it detects both approaching forces. The two halves of the Kido Butai close in from either side. For the moment, the larger force has vanished as the sensor emissions have ceased.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire051.png)
As the guard force enters weapon range, Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki orders all fighters launched from both halves of the Kido Butai. The first shots are fired by Kashima and Katori at 220,000 km, scoring one hit each. The Mizuchi attack craft end their dance back and forth and immediately charge toward the two light cruisers and the accompanying carriers. Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki considers ordering the guard force to reverse course to keep the range open, but that would take the in-system force out of the battle. The Mantas fire at the newly launched strike groups from Shokaku and Zuikaku at 126,000 km, outside their previously demonstrated maximum range, and destroy one of the A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters.
Five seconds later, the Mizuchi fire again. This time the Mantas target Kashima, inflicting two strength-1 hits while the three Piranhas fire a new weapon at the fighters. An A1M is hit twice and loses both its fire control and primary sensor, without taking any armour damage. The Mizuchi weapon is microwave-based and apparently disables electronic systems without the need to breach armour, making it deadly against even Japanese capital ships.
At 43,000 km, Kashima and Katori fire again, each destroying a Manta with their 20cm lasers. Kashima is hit simultaneously, suffering two strength-3 armour hits from the Mantas and pair of strength-2 hits from the Mizuchi microwave weapon that disable several of her electronic systems, including one of her two fire controls. The one hundred and thirteen Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters from Shokaku and Zuikaku reach point blank range and obliterate all three Piranhas and a third Manta in a hail of cannon fire. Kashima is hit again by the last Manta before the fighters destroy both it and the Stingray, which appears to be unarmed.
Kashima has three hits that penetrated halfway through her armour and has lost several electronic systems. One fighter has been lost and second has internal damage. All eight Mizuchi fast attack craft were destroyed. About thirty seconds after the last hit was taken, Kashima’s tactical officer reports the armour damage is increasing. Within a couple of minutes, the initial damage has doubled, leaving the light cruiser with three holes through her entire armour belt. The impact of the Mizuchi laser weapon apparently leaves behind some form of acidic residue that continues to cause damage after the initial hit – possibly connected to their biological origin.
The combination of the laser-acid weapon and the microwave weapon makes the small Mizuchi attack craft very dangerous. Therefore, Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki decides he has to keep the Kido Butai as a single force. The small force that was headed in-system has been destroyed, so he decides to hold his fleet at the battlecruiser wrecks and await the promised reinforcements. For the moment, there is no further sign of the larger attack craft group.
9th May 1971
The large Mizuchi attack craft group returns, appearing less than ten million kilometres from the diminished Kido Butai, but appears to be on a course in-system rather than attacking the Japanese fleet. With fifteen Piranhas, five Mantas and fifteen Starfish, a type that has not been observed in combat, Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki is concerned the previous strategy of dividing the fleet will not work. For the moment, he is more interested in avoiding combat until reinforced. The 1st Air Fleet would not be able to close the range alone and even if the Mizuchi cooperated, they are massively outranged by the fast-firing, deadly Mizuchi weapons. Instead, the Kido Butai holds position and prepares to defend itself if required. At five million kilometres, the Mizuchi force changes course to move directly away from the Kido Butai, not quite on a reciprocal heading. It seems that neither side is keen to engage.
12th May 1971
Abukuma joins the Kido Butai after completing its freighter escort mission.
14th May 1971
Emissions from two Stingray fast scouts are detected close to Sigma Draconis VI, about fifty million kilometres from the battlecruiser wrecks and the Kido Butai, which continues to hold its position.
22nd May 1971
A Kansai-Ro class freighter is moving toward the Kido Butai after deploying a second tracking station on the fourth moon of Sigma Draconis V. The freighter is intending to rendezvous with a salvage ship en route from Sol, which will salvage the battlecruisers and remove the need to guard the wrecks. The staff officer handling the orders forgot about the recent detection of the Mizuchi at Sigma Draconis VI and the freighter passes too close. The sensor emissions of the Stingrays are detected moving toward the freighter from the planet.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire052.png)
The freighter has a top speed of 1951 km/s and has no way to avoid the fast approaching Mizuchi. The Kido Butai is too far away. The armada of Mizuchi attack ships closes to point-bank range, but doesn’t fire. Instead, they shadow the freighter from a few thousand kilometres away. The surprising behaviour is explained when the crew of the freighter report they have been boarded. The alien boarders are hideous apparitions, multi-limbed, covered in a spiked exoskeleton and obviously bred for combat. They scuttle forward on a pair of hooved, backward-jointed legs; an upper pair of limbs serve as curved, bladed weapons, while smaller, secondary limbs disgorge bolts of acid. The freighter has a crew of less than two hundred, with only light personal weapons.
Even with limited resources, the crew are still part of the Imperial Japanese Navy and will not die easily. They swarm one of the attackers and manage to kill it with blades, despite losing thirty of their own number. Another three of the Mizuchi warriors are trapped in a cross-fire and killed with light firearms. Fourteen crew die in the exchange. An improved explosive device, delivered by a group of crewman in a suicidal charge kills four more. By the time the gallant crew is finally overcome, eleven alien bodies litter the corridors of the freighter. Six of the alien craft, all Starfish class, break away from the rest and head toward the inner system at 8847 km/s. They have never been observed firing a weapon, so it is possible they were the source of the alien boarding troops.
Seeing a potential opportunity, Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki orders the Kido Butai to approach the scene of the battle. As the Kansai-Ro class is much slower than the Japanese warships, they can either destroy it, to prevent it being consumed by the Mizuchi, or perhaps allow the 1st Air Fleet to close quickly on the Mizuchi attack craft if they are protecting the freighter. The freighter is quickly located and the Kido Butai closes in. Emissions from two Stingrays are in close proximity, but quickly move away as the Kido Butai approaches. Sendai destroys the freighter with her 20cm lasers and the Kido Butai returns to the battlecruiser wrecks. In their wake, the emissions from the Stingrays move back toward Sigma Draconis VI.
-
28th May 1971
The fourth and final Kasagi class light cruiser, Itsukushima (a sacred island in Hiroshima Prefecture), is completed in Earth orbit and joins the Combined Fleet.
7th June 1971
The six Mizuchi Starfish class attack craft that split from the main force near Sigma Draconis VI are detected by the tracking stations on the fourth moon of Sigma Draconis V as they pass within twenty million kilometres of the planet. Analysts at Imperial Naval Intelligence plotted the point at which the Starfish broke away and now use that as the origin point of a course. Combining that with the current contact puts them on a direct course for an asteroid on the far side of the system, designated as Asteroid #27. Once the battlecruiser wrecks are salvaged, that asteroid will be the destination of the Kido Butai.
13th June 1971
The Covenant of Velsharoon accepts Japanese sovereignty over the Sakura system, adjacent to the contact system of Hadano and home to a small colony of 600,000 on the site of an old Zuijin ruin.
2nd July 1971
Reinforcements from Earth arrive to join the Kido Butai, increasing its strength to six Akagi class carriers, two Kongo class battlecruisers and seven light cruisers. Command shifts to Kaigun-Taisa Kobayashi Saburo, captain of the carrier Zuiho, who orders Kashima to return home for armour repairs. The salvage vessel Kasuga Maru is a few days behind the reinforcements.
Kido Butai
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, Zuiho, Zuikaku
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Abukuma, Kashii, Katori, Niitaka, Niyodo, Sendai
212 Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter
120x Mitsubishi A2M 'Shinden' class Fighter
6x Aichi E1A class Scout
2x Aichi E1A2 class Scout
10th July 1971
With the salvage of the first battlecruiser wreck underway, Kaigun-Taisa Kobayashi dispatches one of his E1A2 scouts to check for the presence of the Mizuchi attack craft at Sigma Draconis VI. As it reaches five million kilometres, two Stingray sensors are activated. The situation for the Kido Butai is now a little different, with a hundred and twenty faster fighters and the presence of the battlecruisers. Kaigun-Taisa Kobayashi decides to take Akagi, his own Zuiho, both battlecruisers and two light cruisers and swing around the planet, trying once again to trap the Mizuchi between two forces. The remaining four carriers and four light cruisers will comprise the second force. Once in place, both fleets begin their approach to Sigma Draconis VI.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire054.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Kobayashi wants to fight the battle away from his ships, especially with fifteen Piranhas in the Mizuchi fleet, so he orders all fighters launched. The two halves of the Kido Butai follow at in their wake. The closest ships are still two million kilometres away when the first shots are fired.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire055.png)
One fighter is disabled and another damaged at long range, then the slower A1M ‘Raiden’ formation moves within weapon range, with the faster A2Ms still 40,000 km away. Three Japanese fighters are destroyed in the exchange of fire, and several more lose their fire controls, but they account for seven of the Piranhas. Five seconds later, the A2M ‘Shinden’ arrive and the carnage increases. Six more Piranhas, four Starfish, two Stingrays and a Manta are obliterated by massed cannon fire from over three hundred Japanese fighters. Another three A1Ms are lost.
Less than thirty seconds after the first shots are fired, there are no Mizuchi attack craft remaining. Although nine A1Ms have been destroyed, with numerous others suffering electronic damage, another Mizuchi threat has been eliminated. The fighters return to their carriers and the Kido Butai reforms. As several ships are below half fuel, Kaigun-Taisa Kobayashi decides to remain near the battlecruiser wrecks while salvage operations continue and await the arrival of another replenishment ship from Earth.
16th July 1971
The shortest route from Sol to Sigma Draconis passes through the key system of Osaka, then Shōbara and Miyoshi. Shōbara still has an unexplored jump point and there are no nearby survey ships, so one of the Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' Long Range Patrol craft is dispatched to probe it. The H1K emerges two billion kilometres from a red dwarf star, orbited by five planets and twenty-nine moons, which is named Matsuyama. The second planet is slightly larger than Earth and has a breathable atmosphere of 1.38 atm, including 0.18 atm of oxygen. A small ice sheet covers about twelve percent of the surface, with the remainder dominated by Tundra. The surface temperature is -61C.
After reporting the discovery, the commander of the 1000-ton vessel, Kaigun-Shōsa Hayashi Mitsukane, is ordered to deploy a sensor buoy on the Shōbara jump point, then head in-system and check for any signs of life. As the Kawanishi H1K moves within forty-four million kilometres of the planet, it detects emissions from a Zuijin Vanquisher class missile base. Kaigun-Shōsa Hayashi orders his helmsman to continue on course, counting on his vessel’s small size to avoid detection until it can reach sensor range.
At seventeen point five million kilometres, inside ninety percent of maximum range, the H1K activates its sensors and detects all three Zuijin base types – Vanquisher, Devastator and Terror - plus four Raptor class destroyers and two Avenger class escorts. Sensor emissions are detected from a pair of Ghost class FAC, which probably means there are more that remain undetected. Kaigun-Shōsa Hayashi orders the sensors deactivated and his ship runs for the jump point, escaping unharmed. For his bravery, Kaigun-Shōsa Hayashi is awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, a decoration for meritorious service for the Empire in the field of exploration. Only six have been awarded so far in the Interstellar Era.
The discovery of the Zuijin presence in Matsuyama takes the total of known Zuijin systems to six. Tarawa and Kwajalein are in Xiamen territory, while Kagoshima forms a boundary between the Empire of Japan and the mysterious Sapporo aliens. All three would be difficult to attack, due to the location of the first two and the powerful Zuijin defences in Kagoshima. Sendai and Takahama are three and four transits from Sol respectively, accessed via Proxima and Aomori (and also Kushiro for the latter). Given that the Empire is suffering from several resource issues and the Zuijin guard ruins that may contain such resources, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi, decides that once the Mizuchi threat is resolved, the Imperial Japanese Navy will plan for the conquest of Sendai, Takahama and Matsuyama.
2nd August 1971
An Asama-Ro class colony ship unloads 100,000 colonists on the sole moon of Sigma Draconis III. Infrastructure is already in place, along with two deep space tracking stations and a shore battery of eight 25cm lasers and ten TK-10A railguns. The colony will provide a shore leave location for ships of the Imperial Navy. Two light cruisers have been detached from the Kido Butai and are in orbit.
17th August 1971
The gravitational survey of Kapteyn’s Star is completed, without finding any other jump point except the entry from Sirius. An unknown alien ship was destroyed by the Zuijin in Kapteyn’s Star in February 1969 during a raid by the 1st Hiko Sentai. Imperial Naval Intelligence had assumed that alien ship had come from beyond Kapteyn’s Star but it appears it must have originated somewhere beyond one of the jumps in Sirius. Those systems now become a higher priority for survey.
14th September 1971
The Kido Butai is at the small colony on the moon of Sigma Draconis III. Shore leave is complete and the force is fully refuelled and resupplied. An Aichi E1A2 scout is dispatched to the suspected location of the missing Mizuchi ships at asteroid #27 but finds nothing. More scouts are sent into the asteroid belt to track them down. Of all the Mizuchi ships detected thus far, only two Barracudas, three Hammerheads and six Starfish remain unaccounted for.
25th September 1971
After a laborious search of the Sigma Draconis asteroid belt, there is still no sign of the missing Mizuchi ships. The Kido Butai cannot remain on station indefinitely so, after discussion with Kaigun Taisho Nagata, Kaigun-Taisa Kobyashi takes the bulk of the fleet back to Earth, leaving two carriers and four light cruisers in orbit of the small colony. Additional deep space tracking systems will be constructed and deployed in the system to aid a longer-term search.
3rd October 1971
The Maizuru Naval Dockyards in Earth orbit launch Nagato and Mutsu, the first battleships to be built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. They are armed with the same 25cm lasers and twin 12cm turrets as the smaller Kongos, albeit with more weapons in total, but their main advantage comes from two new technologies. Their Shīrudo-71A Shield Generators allow the ship to take considerable punishment without suffering armour damage and will recharge completely in less than nine minutes. The Kongos, which have demonstrated an unfortunate tendency to explode in combat, have less than eleven percent of their volume dedicated to armour. The Nagato class has over fifteen percent of its volume dedicated to a combination of shields and armour, making it more resilient to catastrophic damage. The Nagato is also the first ship to be equipped with the Type 30 Go-31D Laser Fire Control, extending weapon range from 256,000 km to 320,000 km.
Nagato class Battleship 54,000 tons 1,705 Crew 9,743.5 BP TCS 1,080 TH 5,400 EM 10,650
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-127 Shields 355-532 HTK 344 Sensors 12/16/0/0 DCR 32-5 PPV 301
Maint Life 1.85 Years MSP 4,608 AFR 729% IFR 10.1% 1YR 1,709 5YR 25,632 Max Repair 675 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-540 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 54000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (6) Power 5400 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,220,000 Litres Range 16.4 billion km (37 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (5) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.7 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 320,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (10x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 30 Go-31D Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (5) Total Power Output 178.9 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-12B Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 23040 Range 109.1m km Resolution 120
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 30 Go-51B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 2
17th November 1971
Survey and exploration operations around the territory of the Velsharoon and Xiamen continue apace. Beyond the contact points at Minato and Hadano, a total of sixteen systems have been discovered. Four are known Xiamen systems including their home world in Guadalcanal. Six are systems where a Velsharoon presence has been detected, but are outside both Japanese and Xiamen space, and two systems are home to Zuijin forces. The rest might be claimed by the two alien races, but so far there has been no sign of their ships.
The two contact systems are connected along the line Minato – Truk – Palau – Makin – Kaizu – Hadano. Truk is now home to a Japanese colony of four million, hosting a naval base with three light cruisers present and a survey cruiser undergoing overhaul. No claim has been made on the system so far, but that is likely to happen soon. Truk has a second outward jump point, besides the link to Palau, which leads to a group of five systems, only two of which are connected to the stable jump network. This seems to be an area in which the Covenant of Velsharoon is exploring, rather than consolidating. Covenant ships have been detected in the closest two systems, but no colonies. Once Truk is secured, this area should fall under control of the Empire of Japan.
Palau is a planetless system that links Truk to Makin and also has a jump point to Bikini. The latter is a red dwarf with two unremarkable planets, but it is also the first system in which the Covenant of Velsharoon has issued a territorial claim and a request for a Japanese ship, in this case the new survey cruiser Matsukaze, to depart. This request strongly suggests that the Velsharoon home world is beyond Bikini, possibly an adjacent system. The next system in the chain, Makin, connects to two Zuijin-held systems, Tarawa and Kwajalein and on to Kaizu.
Kaizu has activity from both Covenant and Xiamen ships exploring Hadano and the Japanese systems beyond that, such as Sakura and Yao, and also links to Eniwetok, which is a hub of activity for the People’s Republic of Xiama. That is not surprising as Eniwetok connects to the Xiamen home system, Guadalcanal, as well as Bougainville and Tulagi, both of which have numerous planets, moons and asteroids to explore. A total of eight survey cruisers of the Imperial Navy are deployed in the systems beyond Minato and Hadano, trying to determine the extent of Velsharoon and Xiamen space, locate any resources of interest and find the Covenant home world.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire056.png)
1st January 1972
Given the recent discovery that Kapteyn’s Star is a dead-end system, the survey cruiser Shirayuki has been assigned to survey the systems around Sirius. The ship’s initial task is to complete the survey of Sirius itself as two survey locations were overlooked in the original survey, the first of which reveals a previously unknown jump point connecting to a brown dwarf system, which is named Ōbu.
15th January 1972
The probe of a newly discovered jump point in Sigma Draconis finds a connection to Atsugi, a known system two jumps beyond Sirius on the edge of known space. The route to Sigma Draconis from Earth via this new connection is a similar distance to that via Osaka, Shōbara and Miyoshi.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire057.png)
6th February 1972
Gallicite deposits on Earth have been exhausted. Only seven mineral types are still present on Earth and most of them are running out. The Empire of Japan faces shortages of Duranium and Boronide and a severe shortage of Gallicite that has significantly reduced shipbuilding output and temporarily ended production of maintenance supplies.
Earth Survey Report
Duranium: 61,599 0.41
Neutronium: 12,258 0.19
Corbomite: 13,928 0.20
Tritanium: 5,845 0.13
Vendarite: 73,665 0.40
Sorium: 82,613 0.44
Corundium: 183,707 0.50
Work is underway to transfer mines from Earth, but it is a slow process due to the distance of colonies with the necessary minerals. New Osaka has the bulk of the Empire’s mining output, but its Gallicite deposit is small and has limited accessibility. A comet in the Aomori system is the closest of the Gallicite mining colonies to Earth, with a ten billion kilometre round trip, but once again only has a small deposit, albeit at 0.7 accessibility. The long-term Gallicite supply for the Empire is currently Takamatsu II, which has 900,000 tons at 0.9 accessibility, but it is a twenty-two billion kilometre round trip from Earth, making colonization and deployment of mines a slow process. A hundred mines have also been deployed to Tsushima II, primarily because it is very close to Earth, but it only has Duranium above minimal accessibility and no Gallicite.
New Osaka Survey Report
Population 61m. 459 Mining Labour Camps, 298 Mines, 20 Automated Mines.
Duranium: 783,904 0.90
Neutronium: 213,603 0.60
Corbomite: 173,802 0.50
Tritanium: 116,303 0.70
Boronide: 414,303 0.60
Mercassium: 157,904 0.80
Vendarite: 539,903 0.70
Sorium: 462,803 0.70
Uridium: 361,302 0.50
Corundium: 116,104 0.90
Gallicite: 134,602 0.40
Aomori - Comet #3 Survey Report
277 Automated Mines.
Duranium: 172,425 1.00
Tritanium: 40,518 0.60
Boronide: 22,718 1.00
Corundium: 38,009 0.70
Gallicite: 146,812 0.70
Takamatsu II Survey Report
Population 14m. 157 Mines, 31 Automated Mines.
Duranium: 1,546,253 0.80
Neutronium: 299,634 0.90
Tritanium: 311,053 0.80
Mercassium: 247,771 0.70
Vendarite: 474,189 0.60
Uridium: 218,989 0.60
Gallicite: 899,634 0.90
Tsushima II Survey Report
Population 11m. 103 Mines.
Duranium: 13,105,355 0.70
Neutronium: 12,959,736 0.10
Corbomite: 54,169,336 0.10
Tritanium: 3,097,336 0.10
Boronide: 28,729,336 0.10
Uridium: 44,089,336 0.10
Corundium: 22,278,136 0.10
23rd March 1972
An Aichi E1A3 class scout from the survey cruiser Matsukaze probes a newly discovered stable jump point in Bikini. She emerges one point seven billion kilometres from a K4-III orange giant star with five planets, the fourth of which is close to an ideal habitable world. Given that the Covenant of Velsharoon issued requests for Imperial Navy ships to leave Bikini, this has a high probability of being the Velsharoon home world. The planet is comparable in size to Earth, with a similar atmospheric composition and a stable orbit. Oceans cover fifty-seven percent of the surface. Due to the temperature of -17C, the land area is dominated by Taiga, which would explain the physiology of the Velsharoon. To avoid a potential diplomatic incident, the scout returns to Bikini and sets a course for Matsukaze. The 18,000-ton survey cruiser heads for the new jump point.
26th March 1972
Several months ago, an ancient construct was discovered on Tonga III, two jumps beyond Truk and linked to the Covenant stable jump network. A Japanese xenoarchaeological regiment was deployed to the planet and has now completed its studies, revealing that the structure is dedicated to research into sensors and control systems and would likely boost such research on the planet by up to seventy percent. Tonga III is an Earth-sized world with a methane-ammonia atmosphere of 0.3 atm, so setting up a substantial research colony, especially in Covenant space, would be a challenge. However, a smaller colony might be enough to provide a small benefit to sensor research throughout the Empire.
27th March 1972
Matsukaze transits into the suspected Velsharoon home system and launches a Shusui reconnaissance drone at the fourth planet. Three hundred million kilometres from the target, the drone detects a new unit of the 8147-ton Salt class, plus four of a new type, the 68,184-ton Ashdod. There is no thermal detection, but the fleet is travelling at 439 km/s so the Ashdod almost certainly have commercial engines. As the drone approaches the planet, many more ships are detected, along with a huge population signature, fifty percent greater than Earth.
By the time the drone is in orbit, a vast fleet has been revealed in orbit of the fourth planet; two hundred and fifty-eight ships of twenty-three different classes, totalling almost six million tons. A large shipyard complex is in orbit and on the surface is a ground forces signature of half a million tons. There is no doubt this is the Covenant home world, so the system is named Velsharoon.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire058.png)
Velsharoon is three transits from the Japanese naval base at Truk, theoretically in Covenant space, and six from Sol. In the other direction, it is five transits from the contact system of Hadano, which is also three transits from the Xiamen home system of Guadalcanal. In the short-term, claiming the Truk system is the primary objective for the Empire of Japan, establishing a base close to key Velsharoon systems and cutting off six systems beyond the Truk – Samoa jump point from Covenant space.
5th April 1972
A colony of the People’s Republic of Xiama is detected on an asteroid in the Tulagi system
6th April 1972
There is still no sign of the Mizuchi in Sigma Draconis, despite searches of the asteroid belt and a full geological survey. Imperial Naval Intelligence believes it is possible the surviving Mizuchi have entered a different system and may take some time to locate. For now, two Akagi class carriers and four light cruisers remain in Sigma Draconis but they will soon have to return home due to maintenance concerns.
With the end of the immediate threat from the Mizuchi, the focus of Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi turns to his plans for the remaining Zuijin systems, starting with Sendai. The Kido Butai has been reformed and comprises the new Nagato class battleships, the two surviving Kongos, both new Taihō class carriers, two older Akagi class carriers and the first pair of refitted Nagara II-Ha class light cruisers. The II-Ha is a direct refit of the II-Ro, replacing the fire control, sensors and fire control jammer, but most importantly replacing the main armament with the new Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Laser, which has a ten second recharge instead of fifteen seconds for the older KS-20A. With an increased rate of fire and longer range, the Nagara II-Ha will be significantly more effective than the Nagara II-Ro.
Kido Butai
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Nagato class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Akagi II class Carrier: Shokaku, Zuikaku
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Kitakami, Tama
72x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike:
120x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter:
36x Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' class Fighter:
36x Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' class Fighter:
4x Aichi E1A class Scout:
4x Aichi E1A3 class Scout:
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 596 Crew 3,359.8 BP TCS 360 TH 1,800 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 117 Sensors 6/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 2.13 Years MSP 1,666 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 490 5YR 7,357 Max Repair 450 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (2) Power 1800 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 826,500 Litres Range 18.3 billion km (42 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 320,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-5 ROF 10
Takashi Kinetics TK-10A Railgun (12x4) Range 10,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 30 Go-31D Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 30 Go-53B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 2
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
After confirming the jump point is undefended, the Kido Butai moves in-system. The reported Zuijin forces in Sendai comprise three bases: a missile-armed Vanquisher, a light missile-armed Devastator and the Terror point defence base. For this operation, the Kido Butai is commanded by Kaigun-Taisa Akita Toshiro, captain of the battlecruiser Kirishima and veteran of the Battle of Kochi. Wary of the power of the Zuijin particle lances that are probably based on the surface of Sendai II, he plans to make full use of his battleships’ shields and increased weapon range from previous engagements. The Kido Butai will remain together when facing the missiles of the Vanquisher, but then the battleships will proceed alone with a fighter escort. If necessary, the Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' of the Taihō class carriers will deliver a missile strike.
A hundred million kilometres from Sendai II, the three bases are detected by the active sensors of the Imperial Navy capital ships. There is no sign of any other Zuijin ships. At fifty million kilometres, an incoming salvo of forty missiles is detected. All the fighters launch and take up defensive positions. Unfortunately, the inbound missiles are laser torpedoes that detonate over a hundred thousand kilometres from the fleet, which means that the only weapons that can engage them are the 25cm lasers of the Nagatos and Kongos and the 20cm lasers of the Nagaras. The 12cm laser turrets have the theoretical range, but are linked to fire controls dedicated to tracking speed rather than range. Only three missiles and eight decoys are hit by point defence. Twenty-seven strength-3 laser warheads hit the carrier Shokaku, causing considerable internal damage and disabling two of her four engines. Eighty-five of her crew are killed.
The warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy have faced laser torpedoes only once before, a single salvo during the initial stages of the Battle of Kochi, but their detonation range was less than sixty thousand kilometres. However, a hasty review of past actions by the tactical officers of the Kido Butai notes that attack was from Ghost class fast attack craft. There is also a single instance of a Vanquisher launching laser torpedoes, during a fighter raid on Sakura. Two fighters were destroyed at over a hundred thousand kilometres. That vital information was not included in the operational briefings for the attack on Sendai. Fortunately for the responsible staff officer in Imperial Naval Intelligence, ritual seppuku has never been a tradition in the Imperial Navy.
Kaigun-Taisa Akita orders all 12cm turrets linked to the fire controls for the larger weapons, then orders the four carriers to withdraw toward the jump point. Before departing, Taihō and Junyō launch their Nakajima B1N carrier strike craft, which will remain with the Kido Butai. The fighters are deployed ahead of the main body in a position where they might be able to intercept the laser torpedoes.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire059.png)
Ten minutes after the crippling damage to Shokaku, a new salvo of forty missiles size-11 is detected. Fortunately, it seems to be directed at the capital ships, rather than the fleeing carriers. The fighters are 110,000 km from the main body as the torpedoes detonate and are in position to kill fifteen of them. The ship-based lasers destroy only three more. The difficulty in destroying the missiles is due to the large number of decoys. Over eighty decoys were hit but only eighteen missiles. The battlecruiser Hiei suffers sixteen armour hits. Kaigun-Taisa Akita considers going on alone with the battleships and the fighter escort, but he needs the new fire controls of the light cruisers to help engage any surface-based weapons and the battlecruisers are helping to shield them. Besides, the Zuijin are likely to only have a limited number of salvos of their laser torpedoes, so the Kido Butai presses onward.
Akita orders the seventy-two Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' to move ahead of the formation and launch missiles at the Devastator in preparation for the next phase of the battle, knowing that they might also attract fire from the Vanquisher and therefore reduce the potential damage to his warships.
The third wave of laser torpedoes inflicts fourteen strength-3 hits on Kirishima, including two deep armour penetrations. The fourth wave bypasses the main body and pursues the wounded Shokaku, almost twenty million kilometres astern. All forty detonate on target and the carrier disintegrates. Kaigun-Taisa Akita is well aware that this is a loss that could have been avoided with better planning and intelligence.
Fourteen torpedoes from the fifth wave are absorbed by the shields of the battleship Mutsu. The sixth wave targets Hiei once again. Fourteen hits are absorbed by her armour. The fifteenth hit penetrates and disables one of her engines. Kaigun-Taisa Akita cannot leave her behind so the Kido Butai drops to a speed of 3750 km/s. What was supposed to be a simple operation with overwhelming force is turning into a debacle. The next salvo also focuses on Hiei, presumably because the loss of speed makes her an easier target. She is hit sixteen times, but suffers no internal damage.
The Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' strike craft move within range of the Rakurai anti-ship missiles and launch against the Devastator. One hundred and forty-four missiles streak toward the Zuijin base at 31,250 km/s. Detonations litter their wake as the Devastator launches light missiles but, like the Zuijin torpedoes, the Rakurai are well-equipped with decoys. As they reach point blank range, the Terror adds its short-range point defence. In total, thirty-one are destroyed by the Zuijin defences. Half of the remainder strike decoys launched by the Devastator. The rest obliterate the Zuijin base, avenging the loss of Shokaku.
The strike was far more effective than Kaigun-Taisa Akita expected, although the mass launch was three times larger that of the previous individual attacks by the 1st Hiko Sentai. The cost of the expended missiles was more than half the build cost of the lost Akagi II class carrier.
The Vanquisher has ceased fire, so the wounded Kido Butai can approach the planet without further attack. They pause at 275,000 km, out of range of any particle lances, but there is no sign of any ground force signature. Kaigun-Taisa Akita orders the fighters back to their carriers, then the six warships close to 60,000 km. As the Vanquisher cannot harm the Kido Butai without missiles, he considers ordering Kitakami and Tama to use their naval landing forces to board it. The Terror and its short-range armament stand in their way, so Akita orders the battlecruiser Hiei, which lost thirty-six of its crew to the laser torpedoes, to take revenge and obliterate the Zuijin base.
The first salvo does considerable damage to the Terror, then the Vanquisher launches thirty-one missiles, presumably all that were available midway through its reload cycle, that immediately detonate given the short-range. There are no longer any fighters to lessen the blow, but even if they were present it is unlikely they would have been in the right location. Twenty-seven bomb-pumped lasers strike Hiei, causing significant internal damage and killing another twenty-nine of her crew. She returns fire and destroyz the Terror. Kitakami and Tama move in and land their marines on the hull of the Vanquisher. They blast their way through the armour and confront the ‘crew’, which are a variant of the Zuijin ground forces. Despite forty percent casualties the naval landing forces overcome their robotics foes and secure the ship.
Vanquisher class Orbital Defence Base 19,405 tons 369 Crew 2,910.6 BP TCS 388 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 6-64 Shields 0-0 HTK 88 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 6-3 PPV 132
Maint Life 0.27 Years MSP 562 AFR 502% IFR 7.0% 1YR 2,044 5YR 30,657 Max Repair 857 MSP
Magazine 3,279 / 100
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Morale Check Required
Size 25 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 25 Hangar Reload 250 minutes MF Reload 41 hours
Size 11 Missile Launcher (30.0% Reduction) (40) Missile Size: 11 Rate of Fire 800
Missile Fire Control FC90-R126 (2) Range 90.5m km Resolution 126 ECCM-2
Active Search Sensor AS96-R126 (1) GPS 18144 Range 96m km Resolution 126
Thermal Sensor TH2-16 (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
EM Sensor EM2-16 (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 2
The Zuijin have been defeated and the system conquered, but the cost has been high. Shokaku is the first Japanese carrier lost in action and Hiei is badly damaged. Four hundred and thirty-six officers and crew have been killed. In future, no Imperial Navy carriers will be allowed within a hundred million kilometres of Zuijin warships or bases. Blaming himself for the loss of Shokaku and the damage to Hiei, Kaigun-Taisa Akita resigns his commission and retires to his estates.
Once Kitakami and Tama have recovered the surviving marines from the planet, they land them on the planet to secure a Zuijin deep space tracking station and an ordnance transfer station. Both ships remain in orbit to guard the planet and the captured Vanquisher against any hitherto undetected Zuijin ships. The rest of the Kido Butai sets course for home, with Hiei rescuing the survivors from Shokaku en route. The carrier Hiryu, escorted by a light cruiser, leaves its strikegroup in Earth orbit and departs for Sendai to recover Shokaku’s fighters.
-
14th June 1972
The survey cruiser Amagiri completes a survey of Delta Pavonis, three transits from Earth via Proxima and Koga, then moves to probe the single outward jump point. She discovers Beta Hydri, a yellow G2-IV sub-giant star with five times the brightness of Sol, orbited by seven planets, fifty-one moons and a small asteroid belt. Beta Hydri III is an Earth-sized world with a stable orbit, gravity of 1G, a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 1 atm and ice sheets covering almost half the surface. The atmosphere is just outside the breathable range, with 31% oxygen, and a small temperature rise from the current -28C would melt the ice sheets and improve the albedo, making this an ideal candidate for terraforming. A moon of the second planet, a superjovian, is a desert world with small seas and a nitrogen atmosphere of 0.45 atm, with minimal oxygen. The surface temperature is 89C.
Amagiri is almost six billion kilometres from the star, so she moves in-system until she is within range of her Gekko reconnaissance drones, then fires one at each of the two bodies. The moon is deserted. Beta Hydri III is home to a very large Zuijin fleet, including eight orbital bases and two new ship types. The orbital bases comprise three Devastators armed with light missiles, three Terror class point defence bases and two Vanquishers, armed with the deadly long-range laser torpedoes. Also in orbit are four 28,923-ton Obliterators, a type never seen before, a Ravager class escort cruiser, two 19,260-ton Decapitators, another new type, and five smaller ships of around 9600 tons. The number of bases and the large new types suggests this is probably a very important system for the Zuijin. Their total tonnage is 375,000
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire061.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire060.png)
12th July 1972
A geological survey of Sendai II finds a ruined outpost on the surface. This is a disappointing return considering the loss of Shokaku. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi Razan decides that the next attack on the Zuijin must be in a system where they have a greater force, which indicates a larger ruin, but approached with far greater caution than in Sendai.
16th July 1972
Three more Shimakaze class survey cruisers, Asakaze (wind from the sea after sunrise), Minekaze (summit wind) and Yamakaze (wind from the hills), are completed in Earth orbit.
18th July 1972
Five Fukurokuju class Orbital Habitats, with a total of one million colonists, have been placed in orbit around a comet in the Hadano system. This is the first step in laying a claim to the system, in order to deny the Xiamen and Velsharoon access to the Empire of Japan.
Fukurokuju class Orbital Habitat 501,566 tons 40 Crew 270.1 BP TCS 10,031 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 28 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 0 Max Repair 200 MSP
Colonist Berths 200,000
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
23rd August 1972
The first four Takao class heavy cruisers join the Imperial Japanese Navy. Atago, Chōkai, Maya and Takao, all of which are named after mountains, are fifty percent larger than the Nagara class light cruisers and based on the same weapons and technology as the Nagato class battleships, including shield generators. They are intended as offensive combatants, rather than the general role of the Nagaras, and will be mainly employed in supporting the Nagatos in attacks against the Zuijin.
Takao class Heavy Cruiser 27,000 tons 852 Crew 5,023.1 BP TCS 540 TH 2,700 EM 4,260
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 4-80 Shields 142-532 HTK 172 Sensors 12/16/0/0 DCR 15-5 PPV 145
Maint Life 2.09 Years MSP 2,744 AFR 389% IFR 5.4% 1YR 843 5YR 12,644 Max Repair 450 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-270 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 27000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-900-B Ion Drive (3) Power 2700 Fuel Use 45.08% Signature 900 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,074,000 Litres Range 15.9 billion km (36 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (2) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.3 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 320,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Far Ultraviolet Laser Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 30 Go-31D Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 30 Go-51B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 2
30th October 1972
A new operation is underway against the Zuijin. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi has ordered the Kido Butai to eliminate the Zuijin in the Takahama system, four jumps from Earth via Proxima, Aomori and Kushiro. For this operation, the Kido Butai is split into two parts. The main force, under Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara Kensaku on the battleship Mutsu, comprises both battleships, all four Takao class heavy cruisers and four Nagara II-Ha light cruisers. The carrier striking force, under Kaigun-Taisho Daishi Toru on the Junyō, comprises both Taihō class carriers, the Akagi class carriers Hiryu and Kaga and both remaining Kongo class battlecruisers. Overall command of the Kido Butai falls to Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira on the Taihō.
Kido Butai - Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira (Taihō)
Carrier Striking Force – Kaigun-Taisa Daishi Toru (Junyō)
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō*, Taihō**
Akagi II class Carrier: Hiryu, Kaga
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
72x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike
120x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter:
36x Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' class Fighter:
36x Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' class Fighter:
Main Force – Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara Kensaku (Mutsu)
Nagato class Battleship: Mutsu*, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Isuzu, Naka, Tenryū, Yura
The known Zuijin forces in Takahama were last seen in orbit of Takahama-B II and comprised a Devastator class missile defence base, armed with ninety-one light missile launchers, a Terror class point defence base, a 19,287-ton Ravager class escort cruiser, also armed with light missiles, and three ships of 9628-tons with unknown armament: a Hunter, Impaler and Razor. After the events in Sendai, Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto has strict instructions from both Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi and Kaigun-Taisho Nagata to keep the carrier striking force out of Zuijin missile range. As the Kongos have proved vulnerable to Zuijin weapons, they will be utilised as carrier escorts in case a previously unknown Zuijin force appears.
Once the Kido Butai reaches a hundred million kilometres from the planet, the carriers launch their strikegroups, then the carrier striking force is detached. The seventy-two Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class carrier strike craft move into close formation with the main force, while the one hundred and twenty Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' fighters and the seventy-two Mitsubishi A2M2 and A2M3 'Shinden' fighters take up station 110,000 km ahead of the main force. Under the shield of the 1st Air Fleet, Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara Kensaku orders the main force toward Takahama-B II.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire062.png)
As the main force approaches the planet, it detects active emissions from a pair of Ghost class FACs, which probably means there are more yet to be detected. The presence of the Ghosts means that the fleet will face at least one wave of laser torpedoes. A wave of eight size-11 missiles appears when the fleet reaches forty-seven million kilometres from the Zuijin ships. These turn out to be the same type of laser torpedoes as those launched by the Vengeance class, which suggests one of the smaller ships is the source. The 1st Air Fleet eliminates the threat with no hits on the fleet.
After two more waves of eight missiles, a much large wave of thirty appears, split into ten salvos of three. This wave is moving at 44,000 km/s compared to 30,000 km/s for the earlier waves. Based on the advice from his tactical and intelligence officers, Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara believes these missiles are probably from the suspected Ghost fast attack craft. The detonation point for these missiles is believed to closer to the target than those launched by the Vengeance, but data is limited. Sugawara decides to leave the fighter screen where it is and rely on ship-based weapons and shields.
The missiles detonate at approximately 68,000 km from the main force, leaving the fighters unable to contribute to point defence. The 25cm, 20cm and 12cm lasers on the ten warships kill thirteen between them and two miss. Fifteen lasers impact the shields of the battleship Mutsu, reducing them by thirteen percent. The smaller waves resume, with the fifth comprising eight missiles, but the sixth and subsequent waves increasing to sixteen. Over the next hour, Mutsu takes another fourteen shield hits.
As the armament of all the other Zuijin ships is already known, Imperial Naval Intelligence predicts the Hunter, Impaler and Razor are the source of the 8-missile salvos and designates all three as destroyers. For the eleventh wave, the Zuijin destroyers change tactics. Half the missiles detonate 110,000 km in front of the fighters, destroying a Mitsubishi A1M ‘Raiden’. The next three waves follow the same pattern, creating a trail of fighter wrecks in the wake of the Kido Butai.
By this point, the main force is five million kilometres from Takahama-B II, well within range of the Rakurai anti-ship missile. Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira, overall commander of the Kido Butai, gives the launch order. The seventy-two Nakajima B1Ns each launch a pair of Rakurai at the Devastator, repeating the tactic from the recent battle in Sendai. This time the defence is more capable due to the presence of the Ravager class escort cruiser. It is still not enough. Zuijin light missiles hit over a hundred missiles and decoys, following by a further fifty energy impacts at point blank range from the Terror class, but one hundred and five Rakurai reach the target and detonate, completely obliterating the Zuijin base.
The Nakajimas break away and head back to the carrier striking force, almost a hundred million kilometres astern. All one hundred and eighty-eight remaining fighters move into close formation with the main force and prepare to defend against light missiles from the Ravager, as the fleet continues its approach. Another wave of eight missiles appears, bypassing the main force and destroying a Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei'.
At one point four million kilometres, the first wave of forty-two light missiles launches from the Ravager, with more salvos following every ten seconds. The first two waves attack Mutsu, with only six from each wave impacting on the battleship’s shields. The Zuijin change their targeting for wave three, as five different fighters take armour damage. Wave four scores eleven hits on eight different fighters. The Zuijin have identified the 1st Air Fleet as the Kido Butai’s first line of defence, but also its weakest link.
Wave five continues the assault on the fighter screen, destroying one, disabling a second and damaging several others. The main force of the Kido Butai is still 1.15m kilometres from Takahama-B II. Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto briefly considers recalling the fighters to their carriers, then decides against it. They are destroying the bulk of the inbound light missiles and the Imperial Navy can afford to lose fighters more than capital ships. Besides, the recent loss of Shokaku and the preservation of her strikegroup has created a ready reserve to replace any losses.
By the time the fleet moves within a million kilometres of the planet, six fighters have been destroyed by light missiles and five more are dead in space. Another option for Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto is releasing the fighters to charge the planet. However, the hundred and five remaining A1Ms have a top speed of 8000 km/s, while the seventy-two A2Ms. although fifty percent faster, lack the numbers to take on the Ravager and the Terror alone. The speed edge of the A1Ms over the main force is not enough to justify splitting the fleet. The fighters’ task is to cover the fleet until they can move within weapon range. In hindsight, a second Rakurai attack might have been a better option in immediate tactical terms, but there are limited supplies of missiles and larger battles to come.
Fighters continue to explode every ten seconds as the range to Takahama-B II continues to fall. As the range drops to less than half a million kilometres, the total of destroyed A1Ms has risen to thirty-one. There are no A2M losses, probably because the Zuijin are focused on the easier targets. Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara orders the two battleships and four heavy cruisers to reserve their main armament for attacking the Ravager.
The main force opens fire at 300,000 km with 25cm lasers. A single hit is scored from eighty-eight shots. The Ravager and the three Zuijin destroyer immediately break orbit, holding the range open while the Ravager continues to launch light missiles. The Terror class base and ten Ghost class fast attack craft remain in orbit. A 6,200-ton ground forces signature has been detected, which is almost certainly one or more surface-based particle lance batteries.
Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto orders the seventy-two A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters to leave the fleet, bypass the planet and run down the Ravager. Without support from the Terror point defence base, the Ravager is more vulnerable. The seventy-four surviving A1M ‘Raiden’ fighters remain with the main force as it halts 260,000 kilometres from the planet. Fujimoto is hoping the particle lances fires on the A2Ms, allowing his ships to destroy them from outside their own range. The Zuijin counter that move as the Ravager and the destroyers reverse course, returning to the planet and the protection of the Terror class base. There is no STO fire against the A2Ms, even though they are well within range
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire063.png)
Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara detaches the four light cruisers from the main body and advances with his two battleships and four heavy cruisers, all of which are protected by shields. The A1Ms are released to attack, with all ships and fighters ordered to target the Terror point defence base, to reduce fighter losses at close range. The final phase of the battle is underway.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire064.png)
Light missiles from the Ravager start to slam into Mutsu’s shields, as she is now bereft of protection from the fighters and light cruisers and relying on the laser turrets of the main force. Moments later, the A2Ms reach point-blank range and exchange fire with the Terror, inflicting ninety-one armour hits from their cannon, but losing five of their own number. Simultaneously, another wave of light missiles strikes Mutsu. Five more fighters explode and the Terror is hit by thirty-two strength-5 hits from the main force, most of which penetrate its armour, plus another round of cannon fire from the A2Ms.
The damaged Terror manages to destroy another four fighters before it is finally overwhelmed and explodes. Attention turns to the Ravager, which has already reduced Mutsu’s shields to eighty percent with a continued barrage. The rate at which the battleship’s shields are dropping reassures Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto that holding the fighters with the fleet for the approach was the right decision. Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara halts the main force halts at 120,000 kilometres, as he is still not convinced the ground signature does not include particle lances. Although his ships are within range, their shields should provide good protection at that distance.
The A1Ms join the A2Ms in orbit of Takahama II and the Ravager is obliterated in a storm of cannon fire. Three destroyers and ten fast attack craft remain. Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto orders all ships and fighters to fire at will. The battleships and heavy cruisers change their laser turrets to offensive fire, while the fighters strafe every available target. Within thirty seconds, every Zuijin ship has been destroyed. They did not attempt to break orbit and flee.
Kaigun-Taisa Sugawara takes Nagato and Mutsu closer to the planet, finding it hard to believe any surface-based weapons have remained quiet while the Zuijin ships were massacred, but still not willing to approach closer within anything smaller than the two battleships. They move into orbit unmolested, so Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto finally declares the system secure, except for the Zuijin ground forces. While the Kido Butai has lost fifty-six fighters, including fourteen of the newer A2Ms, with several more damaged, and expended a hundred and forty-four Rakurai anti-ship missiles, none of the warships or carriers has suffered any damage and another system has been cleansed of Zuijin ships.
13th January 1973
The growing colony and naval base at Truk forms a bulwark against the Covenant of Velsharoon. The initial contact system between the Empire of Japan and the Covenant was Minato, located between Truk and Proxima. Both Minato and Proxima are planetless, while Truk is three jumps from the Velsharoon home world and in a position to cut off six other outward systems from Covenant control, making it an ideal candidate for Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi’s choke point strategy.
The focus of the Imperial Navy’s survey efforts has moved away from Palau and Bikini, which lie between Truk and the Velsharoon system, and into the systems beyond Samoa, which connects to Truk’s outermost jump point. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi has decided that henceforth any Covenant ship entering Truk will be asked to leave, so Samoa and the five systems outward from its two jump points are to be treated as the territory of the Empire of Japan. Whether the Covenant of Velsharoon will agree to that remains to be seen.
In Fiji, one transit out from Samoa, the survey cruiser Harukaze transits a newly discovered jump point, emerging two billion kilometres from a red dwarf star, orbited by a single unremarkable planet. Three alien ships from a previously unknown alien race are stationed on the jump point, which is already stabilised. The largest is 72,746 tons and designated as Kaluga class by Imperial Naval Intelligence. It is accompanied by a 17,344-ton Sverdlov and a 8669-ton Baku. The system is named Sakhalin, using the Pacific island theme used for Covenant and Xiamen territory, but moving to the north-west Pacific to distinguish the territory of a new alien race. Harukaze does not come under fire, so she remains in place and requests support.
The Fiji system, from where Harukaze transited into Sakhalin, has an orange K0-V primary, eight planets, sixty-four moons and over three hundred asteroids. Despite all that real estate, it is mineral poor, with one important exception. Fiji IV is a gas giant with twenty-eight million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium. There are only four other gas giants with similar accessibility. Sapporo IV, which lies beyond the Zuijin system of Kagoshima, has only 178,000 litres and is also in the territory of the mysterious Sapporo aliens. Neptune, in the Sol system, is the current fuel source of the Imperial Navy, but a third of the deposit has already been consumed and it is down to 474,000 tons. Soon, that accessibility will start to decrease.
Sendai III, in a recently conquered Zuijin system, has almost a million tons, while Gamagōri IV, four transits from Sol via Proxima, Epsilon Indi and Mitaka, has three million tons. Neither has a moon that might easily support a naval base to protect the harvesters. The first moon of Fiji IV has a gravity of 0.113G, a temperature of -94C and a diameter of 3600 km, making it relatively easy to terraform. While Sendai and Gamagōri have potential, Fiji IV is by far the best option for the long-term fuel supply of the Empire. On that basis, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi declares the first moon of Fiji IV a high priority colonization target, both to secure the fuel supply and cut-off any encroachment into Japanese territory from the new aliens.
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24th January 1973
A ship from the Covenant of Velsharoon is detected in Lalande for the first time. Lalande is only two jumps from Earth, via Okami, and two jumps inward from Hadano, via Yao. Development of the orbital comet colony in Hadano, to the point where the system can be claimed, is becoming ever more important.
7th March 1973
Deep space tracking system on Earth detect a ship from a new alien race within the Mars-Jupiter asteroid belt, heading in-system. As there are sensor buoys on all six Solarian jump points, either the ship has been in Sol since before they were emplaced, which seems extremely unlikely, or there is a seventh, previously dormant, jump point. Akagi and Soryu break out and a set a course for the contact, escorted by the two Kongo class battlecruisers.
The contact, designated as Incheon class, is moving sunward at 5162 km/s, slightly faster than the intercepting carriers and battlecruisers. When the range drops to one hundred and sixty million kilometres, Akagi launches six Mitsubishi A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters with orders to shadow the target. As the fighters move within sixty-five million kilometres, with the carriers still more than a hundred million kilometres away, the Incheon reverses course and heads out-system. The fighters have almost a 7000 km/s speed advantage, so they close in quickly.
Once within two million kilometres, the resolution-1 sensors of the A2Ms achieve an active contact of 989 tons. The Incheon continues retreating without any attempt at communication. While the fighters can shadow the alien ship for a while, they are already down to 1/3rd fuel. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi, overseeing the operation due to the potential threat to Sol, passes an order through the chain of command to continue shadowing until down to ten percent fuel, then move to point-blank range. Finding the new jump point is Takagi’s priority, but failing that he at least wants to know if the aliens are immediately hostile.
The fighters follow for three and a half hours, then move closer as their fuel drops below ten percent. The Incheon opens fire at 158,000 km with three railguns, destroying one fighter and damaging another. Imperial Naval Intelligence estimates the railguns to be 20cm calibre, which means the Incheon is far larger in reality than its active signature would suggest. The Empire of Japan does not possess any cloaking technology, but it seems the new aliens have an advanced cloaking capability. The surviving fighters back off to 250,000 km and resume their shadowing mission.
Less than a minute after the loss of the fighter, a new alien ship is detected. Designated as Jinhae class, it on roughly the same heading as the first ship, but much further out - at almost a billion kilometres from Sol – and has a thermal signature of 5000, compared to only 244 for the Incheon. Even though the Jinhae has commercial engines, such a large vessel represents a much greater potential threat than the Incheon, which initially appeared to be a scout. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi orders the immediate deployment of the recently operational 2nd Hiko Sentai, with twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M2 'Donryu' long-range strike craft, on a mission to strike the Jinhae. He also orders the dispatch of a second fleet, comprising the Nagato class battleships, the Taihō class carriers and four Nagara II-Ha class light cruisers, to support Akagi and Soryu.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire065.png)
Moments later, brief active emissions are detected from a second Incheon in company with the Jinhae. The threat is growing quickly. The five A2Ms shadowing the first Incheon maintain their course for another ninety minutes, then are forced to break off and wait for Akagi to pick them up. The Incheon disappears from sensors. After recovering the fighters, Akagi and Soryu, plus their battlecruiser escorts, set course for the location where the Jinhae appeared. The Jinhae itself is heading out-system and can still be detected by Earth-based tracking stations, which suggests its original location could be the jump point, although why the transit wasn’t detected remains a mystery.
After the carriers arrive at a point 250,000 km from the initial contact location, keeping their distance to avoid any surprises, the Jinhae reverses course and heads back toward them. An Aichi E1A2 dispatched from Akagi establishes an active contact, revealing its size as 124,782-tons, but continues closing to detect any cloaked escorts. At 800,000 km, the E1A2 confirms the presence of the second Incheon, along with two more ships of a new type, designated as Bucheon class, which, like the Incheon, register as 989 tons and are likely cloaked.
The 2nd Hiko Sentai moves past Akagi and Soryu and closes to within five million kilometres of the Jinhae and its escorts. The Mitsubishi G1M2 'Donryu' strike craft carry a total of forty-eight Rakurai-Ro anti-ship missiles. As the Jinhae is too slow to escape, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi orders the G1M2s to split their missiles between the Incheon and one of the Bucheon, in order to determine their defensive capabilities. They have to move within 400,000 kilometres of the targets to achieve a fire control lock.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire066.png)
There is no defensive light missile fire. Instead, two strength-4 and thirteen strength-1 energy weapon hits are registered on a mixture of missiles and decoys, which suggests the Bucheon is equipped with point defence railguns similar to those on the Nagaras. Thirty-five Rakurai reach their targets, eighteen of which strike decoys. The rest destroy the Bucheon and inflict six internal hits on the Incheon, leaving it dead in space. While the new aliens may have fast ships and cloaking technology, they do not seem to be well-protected. The Jinhae and the remaining Bucheon continue toward the Akagi/Soryu group. The E1A2 remains near the crippled Incheon to maintain a sensor contact, while the G1M2s of the 2nd Hiko Sentai return to Earth to celebrate their success. There were no life pods from the Bucheon, although the armour penetrating hits did release atmospheric gases. The crew could be robotic, like the Zuijin, but it is also possible their ships do not carry life pods to avoid their crews being captured.
Taihō, Junyō and their escorting battleships and light cruisers combine with the Akagi group near the arrival point of the Jinhae. Except for the light cruisers Tama and Kitakami, which are detached to swing around the approaching Jinhae and deal with the crippled Incheon, the fleet is officially designated as the Kido Butai. The formidable force is extreme overkill for the known alien ships, but there is the possibility that a much stronger fleet may exit the as-yet-undetected jump point.
Kido Butai
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Soryu
Nagato class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Isuzu, Yura
Tama and Kitakami reach the Incheon before the Jinhae is within range of the Kido Butai. Under orders to capture the damaged ship if possible, they move cautiously into its known weapon range without coming under fire, then close to point blank range and deploy their naval landing forces. Nine minutes of fierce combat is sufficient to capture the ship with the loss of nine marines. The aliens are tell, slender humanoids in gothic-style silver armour. The ship itself appears to be designed for raiding, given its cloak and minimal armour, and is comparable to Imperial technology, with the exception of its advanced cloaking device.
Incheon class Raider 9,891 tons 295 Crew 2,369.2 BP TCS 20 TH 244 EM 0
5138 km/s Armour 1-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 61 Sensors 24/8/0/0 DCR 4-4 PPV 21
Maint Life 1.01 Years MSP 598 AFR 196% IFR 2.7% 1YR 589 5YR 8,840 Max Repair 544.5 MSP
Magazine 0 / 100
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Morale Check Required
Ion Drive EP508.25 (2) Power 1016.5 Fuel Use 36.45% Signature 121.9800 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 700,000 Litres Range 34.9 billion km (78 days at full power)
20cm Railgun V40/C4 (3x4) Range 160,000km TS: 5,138 km/s Power 12-4 ROF 15
Beam Fire Control R256-TS5200 (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,200 km/s ECCM-2
Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor R4 (3) Total Power Output 12.8 Exp 5%
Size 25 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 25 Hangar Reload 250 minutes MF Reload 41 hours
Active Search Sensor AS54-R120 (1) GPS 5760 Range 54.5m km Resolution 120
Active Search Sensor AS9-R1 (1) GPS 32 Range 9m km MCR 812.4k km Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-24 (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 38.7m km
EM Sensor EM1-8 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Cloaking Device: Class cross-section reduced to 10.0% of normal
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 2
The Jinhae and its remaining Bucheon class escort continue to approach the suspected location of the previously dormant jump point. Once within four million kilometres, the light cruisers Yura and Isuzu move out to meet them, with orders to capture the larger ship. The rest of the Kido Butai remains on watch for additional transiting ships. Two volleys are sufficient to destroy the Bucheon, which seems just as fragile as the Incheon, then they begin firing a single laser each at the Jinhae, trying to slow it down. Every hit penetrates the armour, so it appears that minimal passive defences is a general design principle for these new aliens. The ship gradually slows under fire, probably due to having many small engines. Unfortunately, one of those hits causes a chain of secondary explosions that destroys the Jinhae. Yura and Isuzu rejoin the Kido Butai.
There are no alien ships remaining and there are no further transits through the suspected jump point. Having analysed all the data, Imperial Naval Intelligence suspect the aliens, designated as the Wokou Raiders, after pirates that raided China, Japan and Korea in the 14th to 16th centuries, may be using some other technology rather than jump drives. The arrival of the Jinhae was well within range of Earth’s planetary sensors, but no transit was detected. The Kido Butai will remain in place for now, but ships will be sent home for overhaul as the chance of a new arrival decrease. If INI is correct, the Wokou could appear in some other location within Sol, or another system in the Empire, so the Imperial Japanese Navy must be prepared to meet a more general threat.
28th March 1973
Full communications are established with the aliens in Sakhalin. They are known as Zharovians. Based on limited information from the initial diplomatic exchanges, their culture is dedicated to the teachings of a long-dead philosopher named Zharov, resulting in the official name of the state being the Followers of Zharov. The Zharovians are large, powerful humanoids with hairless, transparent skin, displaying their impressive musculature and a menacing array of teeth. A Hosho II diplomatic ship has arrived in Sakhalin, allowing Harukaze to begin a survey of the system.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire067.png)
4th April 1973
A ground invasion of Takahama II has eliminated the Zuijin defenders. The battle was hard fought by the 3rd, 6th and 8th divisions in very difficult, mountainous terrain. An orbital survey of Takahama II reveals a ruined settlement and an ancient construct. After the surface is secured, two Xenoarchaeological regiments are landed to begin their work.
28th April 1973
Forty-four recovery sites are identified on Takahama II. Study of the ancient construct continues.
18th June 1973
After three months with no sign of any further transit from the Wokou, most of the Kido Butai has returned to Earth, leaving both battlecruisers and two light cruisers at the initial detection point of the Jinhae.
20th June 1973
Harukaze discovers a jump point in Sakhalin and dispatches her Aichi E1A3 scout to investigate. As the scout approaches the jump point, it detects a Zharovian ship of 7714 tons, designated as Vorkuta class.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire068.png)
After transiting, the scout arrives two billion kilometres from a red dwarf star with five planets, twenty-one moons and two hundred and sixty-five asteroids, all within two hundred million kilometres of the primary. The system is named Paramushir, after an island in the north-west Pacific. Paramushir II has a thin nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and a small ice sheet, with the land area dominated by Tundra. With a maximum range of just over five billion kilometres, the scout cannot investigate and still make it back to Harukaze. Instead, a Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' that is surveying Sakhalin’s sole planet will move into Paramushir after its current task is completed.
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22nd June 1973
As the Scimitar Empire has not sent a ship into Tsushima for ten years, an old Aichi E1A with a volunteer crew is sent into the Scimitar system. Similar reconnaissance missions in recent years have not ended well. This time, there are no ships on the far side of the jump point. This presents an opportunity to deal with the closest alien threat to Earth, so the Kido Butai is reformed and dispatched immediately to join the scout. Only three light cruisers remain in the Tsushima – Scimitar picket force, so they will have to deal with any Scimitaran ships that appear before the Kido Butai arrives.
1st July 1973
The Kido Butai arrives at the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point, with no sign of any Scimitaran ships. Due to the size of the fleet, it is once again split into the carrier striking force, commanded by Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira on the Taiho and the Main Force, commanded by Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo, on the heavy cruiser Takao. Overall command of the Kido Butai is held by Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro on the carrier Ryujo.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhir¬¬a
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō*
Akagi II class Carrier: Ryujo**, Zuiho
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Nagato class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao*
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Agano, Kashii, Kashima, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Kuma, Yūbari
The fleet was rushed to the jump point to take advantage of the Scimitar Empire neglecting to guard the jump point, but with no sign of hostile warships, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu decides to take his time and prepare properly. There are still five carriers at Earth, with two close to completing overhauls. Therefore he decides to wait for those two extra carriers and use the time to move replenishment ships into position. In addition, the 1st Hiko Sentai is recalled from its current deployment on New Osaka and will be based at Earth along with the 2nd Hiko Sentai, so they can support the Kido Butai with long-range strikes. Four survey cruisers are recalled from operations in various parts of the Empire, so they can conduct survey operations in the Scimitar system, although it will be at least six weeks before the first one arrives.
22nd July 1973
A colony of 500,000 is established on the first moon of Fiji IV, the first step to ensuring the Followers of Zharov do not move beyond this system and to securing the vast Sorium reserves of the moon’s parent gas giant.
23rd July 1973
A Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' arrives in orbit of Paramushir II, one transit outward from the contact system of Sakhalin, and detects eight Zharovian ships in orbit, two 17,382-ton Saransk class and six 155,866-ton Dzerzinsk class, plus a 30,000-ton ground forces signature. There is no sign of a population.
31st July 1973
The Kido Butai is refuelled and replenishment ships are on station at the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point, along a salvage vessel and accompanying freighter. A Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' transits into Scimitar and launches a pair of Shūsui reconnaissance drones. One is targeted on the presumed home world of the Scimitar Empire, the fourth moon of the innermost planet, a superjovian with a highly eccentric orbit, which has a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere. The other drone is targeted on the second planet, another superjovian, which has a moon with a large ice sheet. The Scimitar home world is at its closest point to the G5-V primary, almost as close as Mercury in the Sol system, and the oceans are boiling into the atmosphere due to a surface temperature exceeding two hundred degrees. They will condense again as the parent superjovian moves away from the star.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire069.png)
The drone targeted on the second planet is the first to move within sensor range, detecting Scimitaran populations on the first and third moons, both with fleets in orbit. The first moon has nine ships in orbit, comprising two 166,508 ton Vultures, possibly commercial, and seven ships between 16,883 and 36,725 tons, which are probably military, although one – a Thunderhawk – is about ten percent larger than any of the others. The third moon has a single Demonhawk of 180,763 tons, eleven of the 36,725 Thunderhawks and five ships between 33,777-tons and 16,855 tons. Two ships orbiting each moon, Raptor and Gyrfalcon classes, are known warships. The population EM signatures are 355 and 1350 respectively. The drone is destroyed two million kilometres from the Scimitar colonies, which suggests the Scimitaran light missiles are longer-ranged than those of the Zuijin.
Scimitar II – Moon 1
2x Vulture: 166,508-tons
1x Thunderhawk: 36,725-tons
1x BC Raptor: 33,777-tons – armed with 24 railguns.
1x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons – armed with 61 light missile launchers
1x Merlin: 32,154-tons
2x Warbird: 16,883 tons
Scimitar II – Moon 3
1x Demonhawk: 180,763 tons
11x Thunderhawk: 36,725 tons
1x BC Raptor: 33,777-tons
1x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
1x Sunhawk: 16,855 tons
1x Harrier: 16,855 tons
1x Peregrine: 16,855 tons.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire070.png)
The second drone drove detects an EM signature of 114,000 as it approaches the fourth moon of the first planet, confirming this as the Scimitaran home world. This is approximately sixty percent of the EM signature of Earth. As it draws closer, a large fleet of fifty-six ships is detected, ranging in size from 7,333 tons to over 50,000 tons. There are also twelve War Eagle class ships in orbit of the superjovian, which are potentially fuel harvesters. Once again, the drone is destroyed two million kilometres from its target.
Scimitar I
12x War Eagle: 53,580-tons
Scimitar I – Moon 4
4x Solarhawk: 50,654-tons
2x Buzzard: 49,065 tons
5x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
2x Nightfalcon: 33,755 tons
3x Sparrowhawk: 33,697 tons
3x Falconet: 33,642 tons
3x King Eagle: 33,449 tons
2x Firehawk: 32,376 tons
3x Stormhawk: 32,376 tons
12x Flamehawk: 24,089 tons
2x Seahawk: 19,782 tons
3x Warhawk: 19,782 tons
6x Warbird: 16,883 tons
1x Peregrine: 16,855 tons.
1x Goshawk: 12,789-tons
4x Red Kite: 7,333 tons
4x Condor – no active contact.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire071.png)
The two superjovians with Scimitaran populations on their moons are two hundred and eighty-five million kilometres apart, which provides an opportunity for the Imperial Japanese Navy to defeat them in detail. If the Kido Butai can attack the moons of Scimitar II without interference from the main Scimitaran fleet close to Scimitar I, it would improve the situation before the final decisive battle. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro lays out his plans for his immediate superior, Kaigun-Taishō Nagata and the overall commander of the Imperial Navy, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi.
Takagi decides the plan can wait for a couple of weeks, as he has information that Kaigun-Taisa Kozu does not. The second pair of Nagato class battleships, Ise and Hyūga, will launch within a few days and can be added to the operation. In the meantime, the 1st and 2nd Hiko Sentai will launch raids to find out more about the Scimitaran defences.
15th August 1973
The 2nd Hiko Sentai launches the first raid, transiting into the Scimitar system, then conducting an intra-system jump from the Lagrange point of Scimitar IV to that of Scimitar I, before closing in on the moons of Scimitar II. As the twenty-four Mitsubishi G1M2 'Donryu' and a single Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' close on their target, they detect a single 36,725-ton Thunderhawk class ahead of them, moving at 871 km/s. This confirms the suspicions of INI that the Thunderhawk is not a warship and improves the odds a little more. Close behind the Thunderhawk is the Demonhawk seen in orbit of the third moon of Scimitar II, moving at 885 km/s, then a further eleven Thunderhawks. The 2nd Hiko Sentai gives the commercial shipping a wide berth to avoid revealing their position.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire072.png)
Seeing an opportunity, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders the light cruiser Kuma, one of two Nagara II-Ha class ships in the Kido Butai, to enter Scimitar and make the same Lagrange jump to the inner system as the 2nd Hiko Sentai. Her captain is Kaigun-Chusa Lewis Shaw, a native of Great Britain and one of the first non-Japanese warship commanders. His mission is simple. Destroy as much commercial shipping as possible and withdraw if confronted by Scimitaran warships.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Hiko Sentai moves within active sensor range of Scimitar II and discovers that the fleet that was in orbit of the third moon has vanished. Apart from the Thunderhawk detected moving away, the same ships remain in orbit of the first moon. Given the damage caused by the light missile ships of the Zuijin, the 2nd Hiko Sentai targets the Gyrfalcon, a known light missile ship of the Scimitar Empire, and launches its forty-eight Rakurai-Ro anti-ship missiles. The fleet in orbit begins moving away from the moon at 999 km/s, which is probably the maximum speed of the larger 166,000 ton Vultures. Light missiles begin hitting the Rakurai at just under 900,000 km. Possibly, the longer range interception of the Shūsui reconnaissance drones was due to their much slower speed compared to the Rakurai.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire073.png)
Very few Rakurai are hit by defensive missiles, compared to the hit rate of the Zuijin, which suggests the Scimitar Empire has significantly lower technology. There is some point-blank defensive fire from the Scimitaran fleet, with eleven strength-1 energy weapon impacts, although with limited effectiveness. Forty-one of the forty-eight missiles detonate their strength-12 warheads, fifteen of which strike decoys. Twenty-six hit the Gyrfalcon, with nine penetrating its armour. The ships continue away from the planet at 999 km/s, so if the Gyrfalcon suffered engine damage it was not sufficient to drop it below its previous speed.
As the 2nd Hiko Sentai withdraws, they detect the Demonhawk and the Thunderhawks once again. The Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' breaks away to shadow them while the Mitsubishi G1M2 'Donryu' head for home. If the E2M can maintain contact, it will make it much easier for the light cruiser Kuma to destroy them. Five hours later, with the rest of the 2nd Hiko Sentai out of danger, the E2M detects a large Scimitaran fleet ahead of the commercial ships on a reciprocal heading. The fleet of nineteen ships is moving at 2936 km/s and includes vessels from both the home world and force that was previously in orbit of the third moon of Scimitar II, which means those types are likely to be warships.
4x Solarhawk: 50,654-tons
1x BC Raptor: 33,777-tons
4x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
2x Nightfalcon: 33,755 tons
4x Warbird: 16,883 tons
1x Sunhawk: 16,855 tons
1x Harrier: 16,855 tons
2x Peregrine: 16,855 tons.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire074.png)
The E2M 'Shiun' moves on a perpendicular course to maintain contact while avoiding the approaching fleet. Without warning, it is struck by a missile with a strength-6 warhead that penetrates its armour and disables its engine. The Scimitaran fleet is still ten million kilometres away, which means the 500-ton E2M was detected and locked on with a fire control at a greater distance than the range of the Rakurai-Ro anti-ship missile, which has grave consequences for the likely success of missile strikes against Scimitaran ships. The E2M is armed with a single Gekko reconnaissance drone, which it fires at the Scimitaran home world to gain whatever intelligence is can.
Fourteen minutes later a second salvo destroys the ‘Shiun’, but the Gekko maintains contacts with all the alien ships, at least in the short term. The warships are apparently heading back to the home world, while the much slower commercial vessels seem to be on course for the Lagrange point of Scimitar I, the same place that Kuma plans to jump to. Based on their speed, they will arrive in a little under two days. At current speed Kuma will arrive in thirty-one hours so Kaigun-Chusa Shaw decides to wait for a few hours at the Lagrange point of Scimitar IV before jumping. The Gekko soon leaves the Scimitaran fleet behind and arrives at their home world a few hours later, confirming the much diminished fleet in orbit before being destroyed.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire075.png)
As Kuma heads out to the Lagrange point of Scimitar IV, she passes the returning 2nd Hiko Sentai on their return journey. Three hundred million kilometres from her destination, she detects four Red Kite class ships, apparently following in the wake of the Japanese strike craft at 2367 km/s. Little is known about this class, except that one ship was detected in orbit of Tsushima I in the days before hostilities broke out and was never seen again. On the assumption they are scouts or survey ships, rather than warships, Kaigun-Chusa Shaw gives the order to close and attack. Kuma is closing in when she detects a second ship in their wake: a Goshawk of 12,789-tons moving at 2001 km/s, slower than the warships that destroyed the E2M. Kuma is only seven million kilometres from the Red Kites, while the Goshawk is on the edge of sensor range of sixty-six million, so she continues on course.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire076.png)
Meanwhile in Tsushima, the Carrier Striking Force has moved to the orbit of the Imperial colony on Tsushima II. The Japanese carrier designs only have an endurance of three months, compared to twelve months for the combat vessels, so Kaigun-Taisa Kozu pulled them back for some shore leave. The plan was to wait for the reinforcements and the results of the raiding and scouting missions before rejoining the Main Force at the Scimitar jump point. With the Scimitar Empire showing signs of heading to the Tsushima jump point, the shore leave is cancelled with immediate effect. However, they are eight days away. In the meantime, the Main Force will have to fight any battles before they arrive.
Kuma opens fire on a Red Kite from 248,000 km. While she only scores a single strength-2 hit, that hit penetrates the armour, almost certainly proving the theory that the Red Kites are not warships. She continues to close and the second volley inflicts five hits, slowing the ship by half. Kuma changes targets and the second Red Kite disintegrates after two secondary explosions. Kuma disables the third ship with a single volley, leaving it dead in space, then destroys the fourth with two broadsides. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw considers using his naval landing force to attempt a boarding action on the disabled ship, but does not want to risk his marines with one and possibly more ships arriving. Two more salvos from Kuma’s 20cm lasers and the number of Scimitaran wrecks increases to four.
Kaigun-Chusa Shaw orders his helmsman to intercept the Goshawk, which is still on course for the Tsushima jump point. Kuma fires its first volley at 185,000 km, scoring eight strength-2 hits and slowing the alien ship by fifty percent. Ten seconds later, the follow-up attack disables its engines. There is still no sign of Scimitaran warships, so Shaw decides to capture the ship, as one important addition factor has entered the equation since the destruction of the four Red Kites. A pair of Imperial Navy tugs have arrived at the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point.
Kuma moves alongside the Goshawk and her naval landing force boards it, securing the ship within a few minutes without any losses. The ship is a tanker, with commercial-grade nuclear pulse engines. While it is obsolete compared to the latest Imperial Navy designs, it can be put into service moving fuel from Neptune to Earth. Kuma recovers her marines, then the tug Shokai Maru enters the Scimitar system to tow the Goshawk back to Earth.
Goshawk class Tanker 12,790 tons 109 Crew 355 BP TCS 256 TH 512 EM 0
2001 km/s Armour 1-48 Shields 0-0 HTK 51 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 17 Max Repair 52.9 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP128.0 (4) Power 512 Fuel Use 4.05% Signature 128 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 3,000,000 Litres Range 1,042.8 billion km (6031 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 60,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 50 hours
CIWS-120 (1x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12,000 km/s ROF 5
Thermal Sensor TH1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
EM Sensor EM1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Just two minutes after Kuma recovers her naval landing force, five more Scimitaran ships appear on her active sensors, on course from the Lagrange point of Scimitar IV to the Tsushima jump point. The three Warhawks and two Seahawks are 19,782-tons and travelling at 1516 km/s.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire077.png)
Given their speed, it seems unlikely they are warships, although these are the only known ships in the two classes and their speed and size are the only intelligence available. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw requests permission to close and attack on the basis that if they are warships, their fire control technology is unlikely to match the Nagara II-Ha’s maximum weapon range of 320,000 km. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives his aggressive young subordinate discretion to fight his ship as he sees fit. As Kuma moves toward the Scimitaran ships, a further twelve ships of the Flamehawk class, 24,089 tons and travelling at 1328 km/s, appear on the edge of sensor range.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire078.png)
The destination and intention of the Scimitaran ships is unknown, but as far as Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is concerned he was ordered to conduct a commerce raid, so his ship will carry out that mission until forced to retreat. The Warhawks and Seahawks both prove to have commercial engines, to Kuma blasts them all to pieces and heads for the twelve Flamehawks. A pair of Buzzard class ships of 49.065-tons, with a speed of 1302 km/s, have also entered sensor range.
Kuma moves to almost point-blank range of the Flamehawks, to reduce the number of shots necessary, and destroys each ship with a single salvo. She runs down the two Buzzards and quickly eliminates them both. On Kuma’s bridge, there is a sense of disbelief at the carnage wreaked by the light cruiser. Since entering the Scimitar system, she has destroyed twenty-three ships totalling more than half a million tons.
Kuma is now just one hundred and fifty million kilometres from the Scimitar IV Lagrange point. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is ready to make the jump and look for new targets in the inner system, but Kaigun-Taisa Kozu is wary of the large Scimitaran fleet that destroyed the E2M. Instead, he orders Kuma to move within sensor range of the Lagrange point, destroy any commercial shipping that tries to reach the Tsushima jump point and retreat in the face of any significant force of Scimitaran warships. While Kuma might prevail in an energy engagement against a larger, lower tech opponent, she is still vulnerable to a large-scale missile attack. Kozu wishes to move the entire Kido Butai into the inner system, but will not proceed until the carriers join his capital ships at the jump point.
En route to her picket location, Kuma encounters a fleet of two Firehawks and three Stormhawks. Both classes are 32,376-tons and have a speed of 926 km/s. She closes in for the kill. As the light cruiser moves within eleven million kilometres of her new targets, she detects a new contact at the edge of sensor range, heading in-system. The Strikehawk is 10,432 tons, with a speed of 3566 km/s and strong active sensor emissions. The Scimitaran Navy has finally made an appearance.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire079.png)
Kaigun-Chusa Shaw decides to eliminate the commercial ships ahead of him and then evaluate the situation. If no more warships arrive then, from his perspective, the Strikehawk does not constitute a ‘significant force’. With the Firehawks and Stormhawks just half a million kilometres away, the Kuma’s EM sensor detects emissions from two Condor class ships of unknown size moving at 4045 km/s at a range of forty-three million kilometres. As they are not on active sensors, they are likely small ships, or possibly cloaked, although nothing the Scimitar Empire has shown so far suggests they may have cloaking technology. The most likely scenario is a squadron of fast attack craft trying to launch a missile attack. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is not abandoning his approach when the targets are so close, so he decides to continue the attack, then reverse course to assess the situation.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire080.png)
The two Firehawks and three Stormhawks are destroyed as quickly as their predecessors. As the last one explodes, the emissions from the Condors reappear at forty-one million kilometres. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is faced with a dilemma. If there are only a few FACs, or the missiles are low tech, Kuma could probably ride out the attack and run the Condors down, but she is only one ship and a large missile wave could overwhelm her. If she is damaged and cannot run, the closest help is over eight hundred million kilometres away.
Just as Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is about to order ‘damn the torpedoes’ and go after the Strikehawk, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders him to pull back. Instead, the Main Force will not wait for the Carrier Striking Force or the second pair of Nagatos and instead will move to meet Kuma, eliminating any Scimitaran ships and securing the Scimitar IV Lagrange point. The carriers and the other two battleships will catch up as soon as they can.
Kido Butai – Main Force
Nagato class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Agano, Kashii, Kashima, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Yūbari
Kuma picks up the survivors from the most recently destroyed Scimitaran ships and starts moving back toward the Tsushima jump point, collecting other survivors as she retraces her previous course and pausing occasionally to monitor the pursuing Strikehawk and the emissions from the presumed fast attack craft. Unfortunately, the captured, disabled Goshawk class tanker has to be left behind as the tug is over a day away. By the time she picks up the life pods from the Red Kites, she has over seventeen hundred Scimitar prisoners on board, straining the life support systems intended for her crew of six hundred. A hundred million kilometres astern, and detected only by its sensor emissions, the Strikehawk passes close to the disabled Goshawk, but does not fire.
Twelve hours after destroying the Firehawks and Stormhawks, Kuma reverses course once again and takes her place in the Main Force of the Kido Butai as it heads for the Scimitar IV Lagrange point. Four hours later, the Main Force intercepts the Strikehawk, which still does not fire. In recognition of her recent stunning success, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives Kuma the honour of the kill. The Condor class ships are nowhere to be seen. The Strikehawk is designated as a scout.
What puzzles Kaigun-Taisa Kozu, and all the tactical and intelligence officers in the Kido Butai and at Combined Fleet Headquarters, is why the Scimitar Empire is sending so many commercial-engined and unarmed ships toward the Tsushima jump point, yet not deploying warships in that direction. It is almost as if the ships are trying to flee the system by any means necessary, which makes no sense at all.
When the main force reaches a hundred and eighty million kilometres from the jump point, it detects the 180,000 ton Demonhawk detected earlier in the inner system, moving at 885 km/s. Four million kilometres behind it are a dozen Thunderhawks, with commercial engines and a speed of 871 km/s. Fifty million kilometres beyond that are a dozen War Eagles with a speed of 358 km/s. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw, the commander most familiar with the suicidal charge of the Scimitar Empire, contacts Kaigun-Taisa Kozu on the carrier Ryujo in Tsushima, and points out that every subsequent wave of shipping, with the exception of the Strikehawk and the Condors, is slower than the previous wave. It is almost as if every commercial ship simultaneously decided to move to the Tsushima jump point at their best speed, regardless of whatever threat was in their way.
Ninety minutes after the detection of the War Eagles, a new formation is detected. Five Scimitar warships, including a 33,777-ton railgun-armed Raptor, a 33,768-ton Gyrfalcon with light missiles launchers, a Merlin of 32,154 tons and two Warbirds of 16,883 tons, are apparently escorting two 166,508-ton Vultures. The formation is moving at 999 km/s. This appears to be the same fleet attacked by the 2nd Hiko Sentai, so the Gyrfalcon may still have internal damage. There is no time to conduct boarding operations, so Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders the fleet to simply destroy everything in its path.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire081.png)
Remarkably, despite the entire fleet opening fire on the Demonhawk, the light cruiser Kuma delivers the killing blow. Fifteen minutes later, the Kido Butai charges through the formation of twelve Thunderhawks with all and there are plenty of kills to go around. The War Eagles meet the same fate, then the Main Force of the Kido Butai closes on the group of Scimitaran warships. At just over a million kilometres, the fleet detects fifty-four inbound light missiles with a speed of 23,000 km/s. The Scimitaran missiles are less than a third of the speed of the Zuijin equivalent and are all shot down by the Japanese point defence. There are no follow-up waves, possibly because the strike from the 2nd Hiko Sentai destroyed the Gyrfalcon’s magazine, so the missiles in the launchers were the only ones remaining.
The fleet closes to 175,000 km without encountering any hostile energy weapon fire. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo, commander of the Main Force, gives the order hold the range and open fire. The resulting ‘battle’ is a massacre, with none of the Scimitaran ships firing on their Imperial Navy counterparts. The lone survivor is a Vulture class troop transport that surrenders.
Vulture class Troop Transport 166,508 tons 892 Crew 6,512.9 BP TCS 3,330 TH 3,328 EM 0
999 km/s Armour 9-269 Shields 0-0 HTK 420 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 24 Max Repair 200 MSP
Troop Capacity 70,000 tons Drop Capable Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 2
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP128.0 (26) Power 3328 Fuel Use 4.05% Signature 128 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 6,750,000 Litres Range 180.2 billion km (2087 days at full power)
CIWS-120 (2x4) Range 1000 km TS: 12,000 km/s ROF 5
Thermal Sensor TH1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
EM Sensor EM1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
The Main Force of the Kido Butai arrives at the Scimitar IV Lagrange point and holds position. After the extraordinary sole mission of the light cruiser Kuma and the follow-up attack of the Main Force, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu wants to organise and replenish his forces and begin recovery of the wrecks. The new battleships Ise and Hyūga transit into Scimitar and head for the Main Force, followed by a replenishment ship. Two salvage vessels follow in the wake. Against the politely-expressed objections of Kaigun-Chusa Shaw, Kuma is ordered to withdraw to Tsushima and drop off her prisoners. A light cruiser from the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point picket is ordered to transit and pick up the survivors from the more recent engagements.
Including her actions as part of the Main Force, the light cruiser Kuma has destroyed thirty-three Scimitar ships, comprising over one point one million tons of shipping. Kaigun-Chusa Shaw is awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with Silver Rays. Only the second such award in the Interstellar Era.
Eight hours after the battle, the Main Force detects sixteen Condor class ships of 989 tons, a little over a million kilometres from the Scimitar IV Lagrange point. Shortly after detection, they reverse course and head away. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara detaches the light cruisers Agano and Kashima with orders to pursue. It seems unlikely the Condors are missile-armed, or have available missiles, or they would have fired before moving so close.
Agano and Kashima close to 100,000 km before opening fire and destroying two of the Condors. The rest each launch four size-10 missiles with a speed of 16,320 km/s. Why they did not launch while the light cruisers were approaching is a mystery, like much of the recent Scimitaran behaviour, but they have now lured Agano and Kashima into a potentially difficult situation. The two light cruisers are the older Nagara II-Ro model, with a fifteen second recharge for their 20cm lasers. The missiles arrive within ten seconds.
Despite their surprise, the Agano and Kashima score thirty-six hits with their TK-10A railguns, hitting nineteen decoys and destroying seventeen missiles. Thirteen of the remaining twenty-three missiles are on target and have strength-6 warheads. Fortunately, the FACs have split their fire, so eight missiles strike Agano and the others hit Kashima. Despite both ships suffering deep armour damage in at least one location, they are fully functional. The light cruisers run down the defenceless Condors and destroy them all. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders them to return to Earth for repairs, picking up all the remaining Scimitar life pods en route.
The Empire of Japan established communication with the Scimitar Empire before hostilities broke out, which makes a robust interrogation of the Scimitaran prisoners considerably easier. Initially, the prisoners reveal a few minor items, such as technical information on improving the squadron size for jump drives and details of a particular Scimitaran active sensor, before the interrogation team strike it lucky. One of the commercial ship commanders is a disgraced former geological survey ship captain, with a low pain threshold and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scimitar system’s mineral deposits. Consequently, the Imperial Japanese Navy gains the equivalent of a complete geological survey of the Scimitar system. The results are fascinating.
Scimitar I is a superjovian with over sixty million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium. Fiji IV is suddenly less of a priority. If the Scimitar system can be secured, the Empire of Japan will have at least a century’s worth of fuel just six billion kilometres from Earth. The fourth moon of Scimitar I, which is the Scimitaran home world, has one point three million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium, although the other deposits are much smaller, including 156,000 tons of Gallicite. Mining it would be challenging for humans, given the two hundred degree temperature at the perihelion of the moon’s parent superjovian, but that could be solved by Scimitaran labour camps if the planet is conquered.
Scimitar I Survey Report
Sorium: 61,942,631 1.00
Scimitar I - Moon 4 Survey Report (Scimitaran home world)
Duranium: 1,338,265 1.00
Neutronium: 159,272 0.80
Corbomite: 374,526 0.70
Tritanium: 345,879 0.60
Boronide: 220,186 0.40
Mercassium: 106,779 0.60
Vendarite: 622,179 0.60
Sorium: 326,222 0.80
Uridium: 154,486 0.40
Corundium: 117,433 0.50
Gallicite: 156,719 0.90
The first moon of the second planet, also a superjovian, has two million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium, which explains the Scimitar colony on that world. Scimitar III is a gas giant, with almost half a billion tons of accessibility 0.9 Sorium. It is hard to visualize a situation in which the Empire of Japan would ever need a source of fuel outside the Scimitar system. There are other bodies with minerals in the system, but none that would be mined in preference to those already listed.
Scimitar II - Moon 1 Survey Report
Duranium: 2,225,405 0.80
Tritanium: 3,496,292 0.10
Boronide: 1,917,954 0.50
Mercassium: 3,577,839 0.30
Corundium: 45,358 0.50
Scimitar III Survey Report
Sorium: 472,836,000 0.90
-
(this is the second of two posts today)
22nd August 1973
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Navy, issues new instructions for Kaigun-Taisho Nagata, commander of the combat forces of the Imperial Navy. The Scimitaran colony on the first moon of Scimitar II should be secured and used as a base for operations against the Scimitaran home world. Scimitar II has an eccentric orbit of 0.18, but that is far less than the 0.42 of Scimitar I and the temperature variance on the moon is only about forty degrees, which can be handled by humans with either infrastructure of terraforming. Establishing a base within the inner system will greatly improve the logistics for the overall campaign. Kaigun-Taisho Nagata delegates operational control to Kaigun-Taisa Kozu, commander of the Kido Butai.
The Main Force of the Kido Butai, stationed on the Scimitar IV Lagrange point, has been reinforced by Ise and Hyūga, although the light cruiser element has been reduced to three ships by the detachment of Agano, Kashima and Kuma. The Carrier Striking Force is still four days from the Tsushima – Scimitar jump point. Also on station with the Main Force is the 1st Hiko Sentai, ready for a strike mission into the inner system, and a Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun'. The latter is ordered to jump to the Lagrange point of Scimitar I to check it is clear.
Kido Butai – Main Force
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashii, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Yūbari
The Lagrange point is clear, so the 1st Hiko Sentai also jumps and then sets course for the second planet to determine the opposing force and attack any target of opportunity, while the H1K remains on the Lagrange point as a sensor picket. The 1st Hiko Sentai moves within a million kilometres of the gas giant and its six moons, with no sign of any Scimitaran ships. Without passive sensors, there is no way to detect the colonies themselves. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu requests a landing force, which is passed up the chain of command. Three Sagami Maru class transports begin the process of loading three divisions and transporting them to the Scimitar system.
The 1st Hiko Sentai returns to the Scimitar I Lagrange point, while the Kawanishi H1K moves on a reciprocal course and takes up station in orbit of Scimitar II, so it can monitor the two Scimitaran colonies on the first and fourth moons, which have EM signatures of 365 and 1355 respectively. There are active emissions from the surface of the first moon, orbiting at 186,000 km, which indicates STO batteries, but there is no attack on the patrol craft.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire082.png)
26th August 1973
The survey cruisers Sagiri and Minekaze enter the Scimitar system and begin a gravitational survey. The 1st Hiko Sentai departs for Sol, as there are no targets available and Kaigun-Taisa Kozu does not wish to waste missiles against the defences of the Scimitar home world.
29th August 1973
The Kawanishi H1K in orbit of Scimitar II detects sensor emissions from two Solarhawks at a distance of thirty-two million kilometres. The Solarhawk is a 50,000 military-engined vessel, that is likely to be a Scimitaran battleship. In the outer system, the Carrier Striking Force has arrived at the Scimitar IV Lagrange point to rendezvous with the Main Force and is currently refuelling from the replenishment ship Kenyo Maru. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu does not want to miss a chance to engage the Scimitaran fleet in deep space, so he cancels the refuelling and orders the entire Kido Butai to jump to the Scimitar I Lagrange point.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki Yukimori
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Ryujo**, Soryu*, Zuiho
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao*
Nagara II-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kashii, Niitaka
Nagara II-Ha class Light Cruiser: Yūbari
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire083.png)
With four battleships and six carriers, the Kido Butai has never been stronger. Immediately after transit, the fleet detects thirteen ships in orbit of the Scimitaran home world, including two 33,768-ton Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers, nine other ships of similar size and two Warbirds of 16,883 tons. The surface-based defences are unknown. Shortly thereafter, the Kawanishi H1K, having left orbit of Scimitar II, moves within its twenty million kilometres active sensor range of the Solarhawks and detects a huge Scimitaran fleet, comprising eight Solarhawk class battleships, seven Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers, four 33.755-ton Nightfalcons and thirteen ships of light cruiser size, totalling one million tons of warships.
Scimitar Home World
2x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
3x Sparrowhawk: 33,697 tons
3x Falconet: 33,642 tons
3x King Eagle: 33,449 tons
2x Warbird: 16,883 tons
Scimitaran Battle Fleet
8x BB Solarhawk: 50,654-tons
7x CLE Gyrfalcon: 33,768 tons
4x Nightfalcon: 33,755 tons
8x Warbird: 16,883 tons
1x Sunhawk: 16,855 tons
1x Harrier: 16,855 tons
3x Peregrine: 16,855 tons
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire084.png)
The Kido Butai sets a course for Scimitar II, intending to interpose itself between the Scimitaran battle fleet and the home world defences. This will be the decisive battle of the campaign and probably the most important engagement in the history of the Imperial Navy. The battle starts with a loss, as a salvo of missiles from the Scimitaran fleet destroys the H1K. All contact with the Scimitaran fleet is lost. In response, the Kido Butai sends out three Aichi E1A3 scouts in an attempt to reacquire the contacts. Five hours later, the enemy fleet is detected on a heading for its home world. The Kido Butai splits, with the Carrier Striking Force maintaining range and the Main Force adopting an intercept course, despite being out-massed by almost three-to-one. All the fighters are launched and maintain close formation with the Main Force. For the moment, the Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' carrier strike craft remain on Junyō and Taihō.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire085.png)
The Main Force of the Kido Butai is within twenty million kilometres of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet when it detects a wave of three hundred and ninety size-10 missiles on a reciprocal course. While the missiles are only travelling at 15,000 km/s, it is still almost four hundred missiles, probably equipped with decoys and the same strength-6 warheads used against the H1K. Every ship in the Main Force and every escorting fighter readies its weapons for point defence.
The 1st Fleet, with over three hundred fighters, destroys one hundred and nineteen missiles and over two hundred decoys. The Main Force itself accounts for a further seventy-three inbounds. Sixty percent of the surviving missiles miss their targets, which leaves seventy-seven. Fortunately, they are spread across multiple targets. Nagato and Mutsu are struck by thirty-three and thirty-two Scimitaran missiles respectively, dropping their shields to around forty-five percent. The light cruisers Yubari and Kashii suffer nine and three hits respectively. Despite the plainly low tech missiles, if the Scimitarans had focused their fire on a single target, or the Imperial Navy had attacked before the second pair of Nagatos was available, the situation would have been far more serious.
The Main Force continues to close, with Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara’s thoughts focused on the potential reload time of the Scimitaran missile launchers. After launching, the Scimitaran fleet reverses course, trying to hold the range open for as long as possible while the Main Force gains on them at 2000 km/s.
Twelve and a half minutes after the first missile, a second equally large wave arrives, which is fortunate as the battleships have a nine minute shield recharge time. The point defences are equally effective and only seventy-nine Scimitaran missiles detonate. They are mostly spread among the four Takao class cruisers, with Takao struck by twenty-two, reducing her shields to just seven percent, and the others by eighteen, sixteen and fifteen. Eight missiles hit the light cruiser Niitaka, damaging her armour. The range is fourteen million kilometres.
Wave three arrives while the fleets are still twelve million kilometres apart. Japanese point defence is less effective than the first two waves and more of the surviving missiles reach their targets. Nagato and Mutsu are hit by forty-five and forty missiles respectively, reducing Nagato’s shield strength to less than a quarter. All three light cruisers are also targeted. Kashii and Niitaka take eleven and four hits respectively, leaving each of them with a hole in their armour. Yubari suffers twenty-two hits, two of which penetrate and disable an engine. Her speed drops to 2500 km/s. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders the three light cruisers to leave the Main Force and head for the Scimitar I jump point. The four battleships and four heavy cruisers will continue with the 1st Air Fleet.
The fourth Scimitaran missile wave is split into two parts, with one hundred and forty missiles moving past the Kido Butai and pursuing the three light cruisers. Only thirty-eight missiles from the larger part of the wave impact on the shields of Nagato and Mutsu. To their credit, the light cruisers destroy twenty inbound missiles from the smaller half of the wave. Niitaka takes only four armour hits, while Kashii suffers minor internal damage after fourteen hits. Yubari is not so lucky and is destroyed by eighteen strength-6 detonations. She is the first light cruiser to be lost in action. Niitaka and Kashii pick up her life pods, then continue onward to the Lagrange point, assuming they are out of range of the Scimitaran missiles.
That assumption proves dangerous, as the fifth wave is also divided into two parts, with one hundred and twenty-five missiles on an intercept course for Niitaka and Kashii. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara briefly considers detaching the A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters from the 1st Air Fleet to attack the missiles targeted on the light cruisers as they pass, but ultimately the successful defeat of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet will depend on his battleships and heavy cruisers, so he leaves that thought unvoiced. The Main Force rides out the larger half of the missile wave with only shield damage. While the light cruisers prepare to defend themselves, the sixth wave arrives and is entirely targeted on the Main Force. Over a hundred Scimitaran missiles detonate their warheads. Even with the damage spread between two battleships and two heavy cruisers, Takao is still reduced to fifteen percent shield strength.
Eleven minutes later, the second half of the fifth wave catches up with Niitaka and Kashii. Somehow the two light cruisers destroy seventeen missiles, but that still leaves more than a hundred. Niitaka is hit eighteen times, suffering only a single internal hit, which is remarkable considering that over half her armour belt has been destroyed. Kashii suffers nineteen strength-6 hits and twelve penetrate the tattered remnants of her armour, inflicting massive damage. Her remaining engine is destroyed, along with four lasers, three railguns, half her troop transport bay and numerous electronic systems. One hundred and twenty-two crew and twenty marines are killed. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara immediately requests a tug to rescue to stricken ship.
Unexpectedly, the Scimitaran Battle fleet reverses course and begins heading toward the Main Force, or perhaps they are trying to get within missile range of the crippled Kashii. The Main Force closes to within three million kilometres of the Scimitaran Fleet and detects a seventh wave of missiles. One hundred and three detonate against the shields of Nagato, Mutsu, Takao and Atago.
Wary of the seven Gyrfalcon escort cruisers in the Scimitaran battle fleet, capable of launching four hundred and sixty-two light missiles in a single salvo, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu has already ordered a strike from the seventy-one Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' of the Carrier Strike Force, on the basis that the Main Force can hold outside light missile range once the current missile waves end. That strike has been en route for forty-five minutes, but is still an hour and forty minutes away. If the Scimitarans do still have anti-ship missiles remaining, that is too long for Kashii.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara requests permission to test the Main Force’s ability to withstand the firepower of the Scimitaran escort cruisers. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives his assent. After briefly holding the range open to recharge shields, the Main Force allows the range to drop to one point eight million kilometres before a wall of missiles of light missiles is detected. This attack is at a greater range than expected and not all the ships of the Main Force have full shields. Sakubara orders the Main Force to reverse course and move away at maximum speed, with the light missiles in pursuit. A second wave is detected ten seconds behind the first and third ten seconds after that. Unlike the anti-ship missiles, there will be no time for shield recharge between attacks, so Sakubara wants to know his fleet’s ability to withstand the assault before moving deep into hostile light missile range.
By the time the first salvo reaches the Main Force, there are over two thousand three hundred inbound light missiles in five waves. The 1st Air fleet shoots down two hundred and thirty-three missiles from the first wave, with a further seventy-four destroyed by the battleships and heavy cruisers. While the light missiles are faster, they lack decoys, making them easier to hit than the larger anti-ship missiles. The battleship Mutsu is struck by sixty-one Scimitaran missiles, dropping her shields by seventeen percent.
Nagato is hit by a similar number of missiles from the second wave, while Takao is hit fifty-one from the third. Her shields had not fully recovered from the recent anti-ship missile attack and are down to fifty percent. Each ship in the Main Force is targeted by a different wave of light missiles, with Maya the only ship to fall below fifty percent shields. After a gap of thirty seconds, a ninth and tenth wave strike Mutsu and Nagato respectively, then Japanese sensors are clear of missile contacts. The Main Force continues to increase the range while its shields recharge, heading toward the Scimitar home world. The Scimitaran Battle Fleet ignores the Main Force and sets a direct course for the crippled Kashii, less than forty million kilometres away.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire086.png)
At two point three million kilometres, the Main Force changes to an intercept course. The B1N strike is still ninety minutes away, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara plans to move within Scimitaran light missile range in an attempt to drain the magazines of the Gyrfalcons, without committing to a close approach. At one point eight million kilometres, the fleet detects multiple waves of light missiles ten seconds apart, with four hundred and sixty-two missiles in each wave. The Main Force changes course to head for Kashii, moving to interpose itself between the light cruiser and the Scimitaran Battle Fleet.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire087.png)
The first two waves target Mutsu and Nagato, dropping their shields by seventeen percent each. While defending against the missiles, an A2M3 ‘Shinden’ from the 1st Air Fleet suffers a failure of its cannon and has no maintenance supplies remaining, so it breaks away and heads back to its carrier. Given the level of defensive fire required, the lone fighter is likely to be joined by others in the near future. The ships of the Main Force are also consuming supplies rapidly, with the battleship Mutsu already below sixty percent.
Once again, every ship is targeted by a different wave, with the shields of the four heavy cruisers reduced to between fifty-five and sixty-five percent. After a thirty second break, a further seven waves arrive, hitting every ship except the battleship Ise. The Main Force is apparently out of range, which is just as well. Atago is down to thirty percent shields and Chōkai is not much better. Four more fighters have departed and Nagato has only thirty-eight percent of her maintenance supplies remaining. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders all ships to cease using their 25cm lasers for point defence.
The Main Force can dance in and out of light missile range to absorb Scimitaran attacks, but is damaging its long-term combat ability to do so and reducing the effectiveness of its fighter screen. Given the rate of shield depletion, it cannot close to energy range unless the Gyrfalcons run out of missiles and their magazine capacity is unknown. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to remain outside light missile range until after the strike from the Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei', then try again. Time is running out for Kashii.
Three minutes after the last attack, the Main Force detects an inbound wave of two hundred size-10 anti-ship missiles. This is a smaller attack than the previous wave of anti-ship missiles, so it may be the last Scimitaran attack of this type. It is fortunate that the Main Force was the target and not the virtually defenceless Kashii. Only twenty-six missiles reach their targets and are all expended against shields. For the moment, neither fleet can seriously threaten the other. That will change dramatically if the Scimitarans run out of missiles.
An hour after the missile attack, the seventy-one Nakajima B1Ns pass the Main Force and launch their Rakurai missiles, targeted on three Gyrfalcons. The first defensive missile detonations are 900,000 km. Given the range at which the Scimitaran fleet attacked the main force was in excess of two million kilometres, their defensive fire must be limited by the range of their anti-missile sensors or fire controls. A hundred and eleven light missile detonations are recorded, along with forty-one energy impacts at point-blank. One hundred and twenty Rakurai survive to detonate, although half of those strike decoys. The rest are distributed between the three targeted Gyrfalcons, with a total of nine causing internal damage. Two damaged Gyrfalcons drop to a speed of 2570 km/s and fall behind the Scimitaran Battle Fleet.
The Scimitaran fleet is still twenty-six million kilometres from Kashii, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to wait for a few minutes to allow the damaged ships to fall further behind, before once again taking the Main Force into range of the Scimitaran light missiles. At one point eight million kilometres, an inbound wave of three hundred and thirty light missiles is detected. By this point, the two damaged Gyrfalcons are 800,000 km astern of the main Scimitaran fleet so they can no longer contribute to the attacks. As before, additional waves follow the first, separated by ten second intervals.
Due to the reduced wave size, the numbers of missiles breaching the Japanese defences is reduced. The shields of Mutsu and Nagato fall by only ten percent, although another three fighters have to head back to the carriers, while Takao, Atago and Chōkai maintain their shields at eighty percent or higher. The sixth and final wave, directed against the heavy cruiser Maya, is only thirty-two missiles. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara believes the Scimitaran Battle Fleet may finally be out of missiles and requests permission to close to energy range. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu gives his assent.
As the range falls, the two trailing Gyrfalcons start launching light missiles, but there is nothing from the main body. The battleships and heavy cruisers of the Main Force leave the point defence to the fighters, several of which suffer cannon failures, to preserve their own maintenance supplies. There is no significant damage to shields. After the light missile waves cease, the Main Force closes to within 260,000 km of the Scimitaran Battle Fleet. There is no energy fire, which means the Main Force is faster and has longer-ranged weapons.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders a volley of 25cm laser fire from all eight ships. Mutsu and Hyūga fire first and one of the 50,000-ton Solarhawks suffers nine strength-3 hits. Unfortunately, it will take a long time to inflict serious damage and after the long point defence engagement, the Main Force may run out of maintenance supplies before it can achieve a victory. Therefore, he orders the fleet to close to 165,000 km to test the Scimitaran weapons capability. All eight Japanese ships fire on the approach, but there is still no return fire. At that range, the 25cm lasers are inflicting strength-4 hits. When Mutsu and Hyūga fire for the second time, they penetrate the armour of the Solarhawk, albeit without slowing it down.
The known range of the railguns on the single Raptor class battlecruiser in the Scimitaran fleet is 160,000 km, so Sakubara orders the Main Force to close to 155,000 km to test the weapons of the other Scimitaran ships. Once again, there is no incoming fire, possibly due to superior Japanese electronic warfare. The Solarhawk takes fifteen strength-5 hits from Takao and Chōkai and slows by a third, dropping out of the formation. Sakubara slows the Main Force, so the Scimitaran fleet gradually closes the range, then orders the fleet to concentrate fire on the Raptor, which is soon disabled and left behind by the Scimitarans.
With the range at just 128,000 km, the Scimitarans suffers their first loss, when a 33,755-ton Nightfalcon suffers a large secondary explosion and disintegrates. The Gyrfalcons are almost certainly out of light missiles and the 50,000-ton Solarhawks are assumed to be the source of the size-10 anti-ship missiles, so the Main Force is focused on the other ships in the fleet on the assumption that at least some of them must be energy-armed. At this point though, the main concern for Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara is dwindling maintenance supplies, rather than any serious threat from the Scimitaran Battle Fleet. Now their missiles have been expended, the Scimitaran ships are simply targets. The Main Force lacks Nagara class light cruisers, which means no boarding capability, which in turn means that destroying every enemy vessel is the only realistic option.
The range continues to fall, as the battle becomes a massacre. The three remaining Nightfalcons are destroyed, followed by the Sunhawk and Harrier, both of which are 16,855 tons. Even at 80,000 km, there is still no resistance from the Scimitarans. The Main Force of the Kido Butai closes to 45,000 km, allowing the 25cm lasers of the four battleships and four heavy cruisers to achieve their maximum strength-16 damage. Within ten minutes of the first shot being fired, nothing remains of the Scimitaran fleet except a long trail of wreckage and life pods. When the end finally came, it happened very quickly. Another glorious victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Niitaka, one of the light cruisers that accompanied the Main Force into the inner system, survived with only engine damage, so she is recalled from her flight toward the Lagrange point and ordered to pick up the Scimitaran life pods. It will be a severe strain on her life support systems, but she can drop them off at the Tsushima colony within a couple of weeks. The Main Force moves to cover the light cruiser Kashii until she can repair an engine, while the 1st Air Fleet heads for the Carrier Striking Force, also en route towards Kashii, to replenish maintenance supplies.
Within the next hour, all the fighters land and the Kido Butai reforms into a single fleet. Kashii repairs one of her engines and moves to assist Niitaka in recovering life pods. The replenishment ship Kenyo Maru jumps to the Scimitar I Lagrange point, so Kaigun-Taisa Kozu sets a rendezvous point en route to the Scimitaran home world, where Kenyo Maru can replenish the Kido Butai’s diminished maintenance supplies. Two hours later, sensor emissions are detected from a pair of Scimitaran King Eagles, 33,449 tons ships with unknown armament, midway between the Scimitaran home world and the Scimitar I jump point, moving toward the latter at 2937 km/s.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire088.png)
The Kido Butai is seven hours from the Lagrange point, but the King Eagles will be there in less than five. If the King Eagles jump to the outer system, they will be able to attack and destroy a pair of salvage ships working on the wrecks from the earlier battles. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders every available fighter to be launched with orders to prevent the Scimitaran fleet reaching the Lagrange point. The Kido Butai follows in their wake.
As the Kido Butai moves within the one hundred and ten million kilometre sensor range of the King Eagles, it detects several additional ships. The Scimitaran fleet comprises three King Eagles, two Gyrfalcon class escort cruisers and two 16,883-ton Warbirds. This is a difficult target for the 1st Air Fleet, especially as the Nakajima B1N strike craft have not yet reloaded, but if they do not attack, it is likely the salvage ships and their accompanying freighters will be destroyed. Without those salvage ships, the Empire of Japan cannot take advantage of the minerals contained within the many Scimitaran wrecks, which have the potential to ease the current resource crisis.
Meanwhile, Niitaka and Kashii are recovering Scimitaran survivors and conducting interrogations. Technical information is gained on improved fuel efficiency and thermal sensors, both of which were projects already underway. More importantly, the prisoners reveal that the Scimitar system only has a single jump point, leading to Tsushima. Apparently, the strains of being restricted to a single system, with what the Scimitarans viewed as a hostile alien race on the far side of the only jump point, caused severe tensions among the military forces and the civilian population. This tension was exacerbated by the regular cataclysmic climate changes on their home world, due to the extreme orbit of the parent superjovian. The suicidal ‘rush to the jump point’ after the initial Japanese attacks, was due to a total breakdown in the chain of command. The hardcode military elements, including the battle fleet, were loyal to the regime and prepared to stay and fight.
The Scimitaran fleet and the 1st Air Fleet race toward the Lagrange point. The Japanese fighters are moving at 8000 km/s, the speed of the slower A1M ‘Raiden’. While the A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters, with a speed of 12,000 km/s, could arrive much sooner, the strength of the enemy fleet is too much of a deterrent to consider splitting the force. By now, the Kenyo Maru is out of danger, having been passed by the fighters, and is moving to meet the approaching Kido Butai.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire089.png)
The 1st Air Fleet arrives at the Lagrange point with the Scimitaran fleet less than four million kilometres away and due to arrive in twenty-two minutes. The Kido Butai is fifty million kilometres astern. Unwilling to let any hostile ship make the jump, Kaigun-Taisa Kozu orders the 1st Air Fleet to close, regardless of losses, and eliminate the enemy force. Three hundred and eleven Japanese fighters streak toward the Scimitaran fleet.
The first wave of one hundred and thirty-two light missiles, travelling at 23,000 km/s, attacks the fighters over a million kilometres from the enemy fleet. One hundred and seventeen are shot down by the fighters’ cannon. Seven fighters are targeted by the rest, with one destroyed, one disabled and three taking armour damage. New waves arrive every ten seconds, but the fighters prove adept at intercepting the Scimitaran missiles and the few that avoid the cannon fire find the fighters to be difficult targets. After facing eight waves, with over a thousand light missiles in total, only two fighters have been destroyed, with three more crippled and dead in space. Twenty-two fighters have varying degrees of armour damage. The range has fallen to 530,000 km.
By the time the range falls below 200,000 km, the total of destroyed and disabled fighters has risen to ten, with more than thirty damaged. A few missiles from each wave are bypassing the main body of the 1st Air Fleet and picking off the cripples in its wake. The distance to the Scimitaran fleet is dropping fast, with a closing speed close to 11,000 km/s. At 41,000 km, the fighters run into a wall of railgun fire from the King Eagles, with six exploding under heavy railgun fire. Moments later, as the two forces pass through each other, another four are destroyed by the Warbirds. Fortunately, the alien ships seem to be restricted by their number of fire controls, or the carnage would be far worse.
The Japanese fighters focus their attack on one of the Gyrfalcons, inflicting seventy-four internal hits, then the A2M ‘Shinden’ engage one of the Warbirds while the A1M ‘Raiden’ complete the destruction of the escort cruiser. Another four fighters blow up under fire from the Warbirds, which have a weapon recycle time of just five seconds, then ten more as the King Eagles, with a fifteen second recycle time for their larger railguns, fire again. One Warbird explodes, then the other. The surviving Gyrfalcon launches more light missiles into the fray. Fighter losses continue to mount. Simultaneously, the last Gyrfalcon, one of the King Eagles and six fighters are blown to pieces by intense fire, leaving just a pair of King Eagles in the Scimitaran force. There are still over two hundred and fifty fighters in the 1st Air Fleet, attacking the two remaining targets at point blank range. The King Eagles kill four more fighters before they are obliterated.
Over fifty fighters have been lost, but the Scimitaran fleet has been completely destroyed and will no longer threaten the salvage operations. Once again, the 1st Air Fleet has performed superbly. The surviving fighters head back to the Kido Butai, which is moving to resupply from the Kenyo Maru. Niikata has not yet jumped, so she moves to pick up the Scimitaran survivors. There are still six ships of approximately 33,700 tons in orbit of the Scimitaran home world, along with a large shipyard complex and presumably a substantial number of surface-based weapons. They will be the next major challenge for the Kido Butai.
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30th October 1973
It takes over two months to refuel and resupply the Kido Butai, as a second replenishment ship has to be sent from Earth. That time has not been wasted, as three Sagami Mary and three Shinshu Maru troop transports are now assembled in orbit of the sixth moon of Scimitar II, protected by the battlecruiser Kirishima. Salvage operations are also well underway in the outer system, now protected by the light cruiser Kuma, which has returned to action after dropping off its prisoners. Once at full fuel and maintenance supplies, the Kido Butai moves to Scimitar II to test the surface defences of the Scimitaran colonies on the first and third moons.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire090.png)
The third moon has a ground forces signature of 73,900 tons, but it is likely to be fortified, which means it could be anything from 200,000 to 400,000 tons in reality. The troop transports carry the 4th, 6th and 8th divisions, plus the first two tank regiments of the Imperial Army, each comprising one hundred and twenty Ju-I heavy tanks. A total ground force of over three hundred thousand tons. Before any landings can begin, the Main Force of the Kido Butai will have to clear any surface-based defences.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Taisa Kozu Kintaro
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Mazaki Yukimori¬¬
Taihō class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi II class Carrier: Akagi, Ryujo**, Soryu*, Zuiho
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Nagato class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao*
Transport Force – Kaigun-Taisa Natsume Ken
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Kirishima
Sagami Maru class Troop Transport: Keizan Maru, Sagami Maru, Tatukami Maru
Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport: Sakito Maru, Sanka Maru, Shinshu Maru
The Main Force closes to within 85,000 km before coming under fire. Three different battleships are struck by a total of fifty-nine strength-1 energy impacts. All eight ships return fire and within a couple of minutes, all the surface-based railguns are eliminated, although the EM Strength of the colony drops by about forty percent during the bombardment, indicating the destruction of numerous installations. The troop transports move in and unload the three divisions and two independent tank regiments, totalling over thirty thousand infantry and almost a thousand armoured vehicles.
The defenders number approximately fifteen to twenty thousand infantry, supported by hundreds of tanks and other weapons. Generally, the Scimitaran weapons and armour are inferior to the those of the Imperial Army, although there are a small number of more advanced units, suggesting the Scimitar Empire has recently upgraded its military technology. The moon has a gravity of 0.06G and a surface temperature of -57C, which will make combat conditions difficult for both the Imperial Army and the Scimitaran defenders. Initially, casualties are heavy on both sides, with over fifteen hundred Japanese infantry killed on the first day. Over time, a combination of Japanese elan and determination, supported by two hundred and forty heavy tanks that prove very resistant to hostile fire, gradually force an advantage.
Scimitaran casualties on the second day are close to double that of the Imperial Army and by the third day, they are triple. The battle is hard fought by the defenders, but a series of breakthroughs, especially on the fourth and fifth days, inflict significant losses on the Scimitaran. By day six the battle has become a rout. On day eight, the Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki (Sixteen-Ray Rising Sun Flag) is flying over the ex-Scimitaran colony. There are no alien settlers on the moon, most likely due to the low gravity. One hundred and eighty automated mines are secured by the Imperial Army. Japanese casualties were approximately sixteen percent of the engaged force, including the loss of five Ju-I heavy tanks.
The mineral deposits on the moon are disappointing, with only seventy thousand tons of Uridium and almost sixty thousand tons of Gallicite, both of which are at high accessibility. For now, the mines will remain on the surface as Gallicite is the most in-demand mineral for the Empire of Japan. A shore battery with eight 25cm lasers and ten railguns is unloaded on to the newly captured moon to provide protection. The assault troops begin the process of re-embarking on to their transports, ready for the attack on the third moon
Scimitar II - Moon 3 Survey Report
Uridium: 70,391 1.00
Gallicite: 58,150 0.90
10th November 1973
The Main Force of the Kido Butai approaches the first moon of Scimitar II and comes under railgun fire from the surface, albeit of limited effectiveness. Without even bothering to move back out of range, the battleships and heavy cruisers obliterate the railguns with a barrage of fire from their secondary armament.
16th November 1973
The survey cruiser Asakaze transits into the Inazawa system, which lies beyond the only outward jump point in Sigma Draconis, scene of the great battles against the Mizuchi. She detects a single Mizuchi ship, a new type designated as Gourami class, on the Inazawa side of the jump point. Asakaze engages her active sensors and launches her two A2M ‘Shinden’ fighters and her single B1N ‘Ryusei’ strike craft.
Initially the 4039-ton Gourami moves away, so Kaigun-Chusa Arakawa Nobuo, captain of the 18,000 ton Asakaze, orders the fighters and the B1N to attack and orders the launch of a Rakurai from Asakaze’s single launcher, while the survey cruiser opens the range. The Gourami reverses course and transits the jump point, so Asakaze returns to the jump point, allowing one of her fighters and the B1N to follow with orders to engage. Asakaze and other fighter remain in Inazawa in case the Gourami transits once again.
In Sigma Draconis, the Gourami runs sunward with the Mitsubishi A2Ms and the Nakajima B1N in pursuit. After two minutes the B1N recovers from jump shock and launches her two Rakurai anti-ship missiles. Both strike the Gourami, detonating their strength-12 warheads, and the Mizuchi ship vanishes, indicating it was destroyed.
The brief engagement confirms that assumption that one or more surviving Mizuchi ships left Sigma Draconis after the victory of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Nagara II-Ha light cruisers Sendai and Tama and the jump-capable Kasagi class light cruiser Itsukushima are dispatched from Sol to Sigma Draconis, initially to guard the small colony on the first moon of Sigma Draconis II, but also to probe into Inazawa once they have support from a replenishment ship. Asakaze recovers her fighters and leaves her Aichi E1A3 scout to picket the Inazawa – Sigma Draconis jump point, then begins a survey of Inazawa.
17th November 1973
The invasion of the first moon of Scimitar II is launched. The moon is similar in size to Mercury, with gravity of 0.31G, so the Imperial Army troops do not have to fight in a low gravity environment, although they have to endure the surface temperature of -74C. The Scimitaran force is approximately ten thousand infantry and a couple of hundred tanks and proves no match for the battle-hardened Japanese troops. The battle is over within three days, with a little more than two thousand Imperial Army casualties. Once again, there are no Scimitaran civilians on the moon. Thirty automated mines are captured.
This moon will serve as a forward base for the eventual ground assault on the Scimitaran home world. Far more than the three battered divisions will be required, so they will be left in place to recuperate, while the troop transports bring in two more divisions from Earth and one currently based at the colony in Kapteyn’s Star to combat a potential alien race that did not materialise as yet. Even that force is unlikely to suffice, so new divisions will be trained.
As that will take some time, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi issues an order for the Kido Butai to eliminate the Scimitaran shipyard complex in orbit of their home world, the fourth moon of Scimitar I, to prevent the Scimitar Empire from constructing additional ships. This will likely require eliminating the home world defences first. The Kido Butai moves within ten million kilometres of the Scimitaran home world without incident, then the Carrier Striking Force holds position, while the Main Force advances under cover of the 1st Air Fleet. In orbit of the moon are three 33,697-ton Sparrowhawks and three 33,642-ton Falconets, with unknown armament, possibly all that remains of the once mighty Scimitar Empire Navy.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire091.png)
As the Main Force reaches the orbit of the outermost moon of Scimitar I, it detects a ground forces signature of 33,600 on the fifteenth moon. The equivalent signature on the fourth moon is 210,300 tons. One point eight million kilometres from the target, three light missiles appear, moving toward the fleet at 48,200 km/s. The tiny salvo is easily shot down. The tactical officers of the Kido Butai puzzle over the significance of the attack, while the fleet continues closing. At just under one point seven million kilometres, they detect thermal signatures from a wave of two hundred and ninety-six light missiles, with a speed of 23,000 km/s, almost 900,000 km ahead.
The tactical officer on the Nagato, Kaigun-Shōsa Goto Yoshiko, informs her captain that based on the relative distances and travel times, the earlier three missile salvo travelling at 48,200 km/s was probably part of the same launch as the slower wave at 23,000 km/s, which means the Scimitar Empire has developed a much faster light missile but not yet deployed it in significant numbers. If the Empire of Japan had waited before attacking the Scimitar system, the result may have been quite different.
Five seconds behind the large wave is a smaller wave of one hundred and forty-five missiles, followed by several more waves alternating between two hundred and ninety nine and one hundred and forty-five. The slightly larger subsequent waves validate Kaigun-Shōsa Goto’s theory. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo orders the Main Force to reverse course, while he determines its ability to withstand the attack.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire092.png)
In total, twenty-fives waves of light missiles crash against Japanese defences before the Main Force retreats out of range. They follow the same pattern, except for the last wave, which is four hundred and forty-one missiles. The Scimitarans make a noticeable change to their tactics with multiple waves targeting the same ship in an attempt to batter down its shields. This would have been more effective if the two mini-waves pattern had been combined into a single wave, but it was still enough to drop one of the heavy cruisers below 50% shields. As in the engagement with the Scimitaran Battle Fleet, maintenance supplies are soon a concern, so the warships do not use their main armament for point defence, relying on the fighter cover and their twin 12cm laser turrets. Half a dozen fighters are at the point where they cannot repair another cannon failure, but only two warships are below eighty percent supplies.
After recharging shields, the Main Force approaches the Scimitaran home world once again. This time they are greeted with twenty-one of the faster Scimitaran light missile, followed by four hundred and twenty-one slower missiles. This pattern continues, with a total of sixteen large waves, interspersed with smaller twenty-one missile waves, also of the slower missile type, before the Main Force moves back out of range. The more concentrated Scimitaran attacks are more effective, with the heavy cruiser Atago reduced to ten percent shields. Six of the covering fighters have withdrawn due to cannon failures. While the Main Force is unable to penetrate deep into the Scimitaran missile defences, their attempts to do so are draining the ordnance of the Scimitaran bases, without any permanent damage to the Imperial Navy.
Once the shields of all the battleships and heavy cruisers are at 100%, the eight warships of the Main Force begin their third attempt to approach the Scimitaran home world. During the two previous ventures into the defensive envelope of the bases, the first light missiles were detected around one point eight million kilometres from the moon. This time, the fleet passes that point without detecting anything and Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara begins to consider the possibility they have exhausted their missiles . At one point six million kilometres, a wave of twenty-four faster missiles is detected and at one point five million, a wave of four hundred and twenty slower missiles, followed by a further twenty-four slow missiles, then another wave of four hundred and twenty.
Although the first twenty-four light missiles are easily dispatched, Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara is concerned by the change in Scimitaran tactics and decides to avoid any unnecessary risk by ordering a course reversal. However, the Main Force is closer to the Scimitaran home world than during the two previous incursions and therefore will take longer to move outside hostile missile range.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire093.png)
Several missile waves crash against the shields of the battleships Mutsu and Nagato, dropping them below fifty percent, but the attack is short-lived. With the Main Force still within one point eight million kilometres of the bases, the Japanese sensors are suddenly clear of missiles. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders another course reversal and the Main Force moves within a million kilometres of its target with no sign of further missile attacks. It appears that after refining their tactics to draw the Main Force well into light missile range before opening fire, the Scimitarans were unable to fully execute their plan because they ran out of ordnance.
The Main Force approaches the Scimitaran home world, and opens fire on the bases at two hundred and forty thousand kilometres. All the battleships and heavy cruisers still have approximately seventy percent of their maintenance supplies so that is not an immediate concern. They continue closing to 165,000 km, just beyond the longest range at which any Scimitaran energy weapon has fired, and systematically destroy all six bases.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara has no idea how surface-based weapons may be waiting for the Main Force, so he orders a very gradual advance toward the moon. The fleet finally comes under fire at 89,000 km, with one hundred and twenty-one strength-1 hits spread among the four battleships. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara pulls his ships back five thousand kilometres, then orders all ships to engage the surface weapons with 12cm secondary armament, to reduce collateral damage, and use their 25cm main armament against the orbital shipyard complex.
The surface is dominated by jungle, which makes locating the surface-based railguns a difficult task. A general bombardment of each suspected location is the only option, which leads to the destruction of nearby installations and significant civilian casualties. Even so, it is a large population so there should still be sufficient workers once the Scimitarans are conquered. The primary concern is the rapidly depleting maintenance supplies of the fleet. Destruction of the bases required almost six minutes of continuous fire from 25cm lasers, dropping most ships below sixty percent, and now the slow progress in eliminating the Scimitaran railguns, combined with the five second recycle time of the 12cm laser turrets, is draining them very quickly.
After seven minutes of targeting the surface, the heavy cruiser Atago suffers a maintenance failure in one of her twin 12cm laser turrets that cannot be repaired. Only half of the STO weapons have been eliminated and half of the shipyard complex. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders Atago to maintain fire with her other weapons. There are no reserve maintenance supplies in the Scimitar system, as the Kido Butai has exhausted those carried by the two available replenishment ships. Kenyo Maru has returned to Earth for resupply, but will not return to Scimitar for over three weeks. Every ship in the Main Force, with the exception of Maya, has less than twenty-five percent of their normal maintenance supply.
Within a minute, Atago loses a second turret and one of her 25cm lasers, so Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders her to leave the fleet and head back to Earth for repairs. The battleship Ise is the next ship to be affected, as one of her 25cm lasers fails. About thirty percent of the STOs remain, while the signature of the shipyard complex has been reduced to approximately twenty percent of its original value. There is also the possibility that the Scimitar home world has other STO batteries dedicated to point defence, which have not yet fired and therefore remain undetected.
Ise loses two more 25cm lasers, just as Nagato suffers a failure in one of her twin 12cm turrets. When Ise loses a fifth laser from her main armament and a laser turret, she too is ordered home. If there are still Scimitaran warships somewhere in the system, the Kido Butai cannot afford to have ships with no maintenance and most of their weapons disabled. Nagato is the next to depart, with half her laser turrets inoperable. Of the five ships remaining, three are out of maintenance supplies and the other two have only ten percent. Hyūga has lost a laser turret but is still firing.
Kaigun-Taisa Kozu, commanding the Kido Butai, orders the Main Force to cease fire, then orders the two Kongo class battlecruisers to leave the Carrier Striking Force and join the Main Force. Forty minutes later, Kirishima and Hiei resume the bombardment. After seven minutes of continuous fire, using forty percent of their maintenance supplies, the venerable battlecruisers destroy the shipyard complex and the remaining railguns, at least those that have been detected.
Although the Main Force has been rendered combat ineffective, the primary objective of the attack has been achieved. With the primary shipyard of the Scimitar Empire now destroyed, the threat of new ships being built has been removed. Kaigun-Taisa Kozu decides to take the Kido Butai back to Earth for resupply and overhaul, leaving Kirishima and Hiei to join the light cruiser Kuma in overseeing the ongoing salvage operations, just in case a hitherto undetected Scimitaran fleet makes an appearance. The main task now will be building up a sufficient ground force to launch an invasion of the Scimitaran home world.
That home world has suffered considerably as a result of the recent bombardment. The thermal signature of the population has fallen by forty percent and the EM signature has dropped by twenty percent, indicating significant damage and loss of life. The energy weapon impacts have thrown so much dust into the atmosphere that the surface temperature will be twenty degrees lower than normal, although with the vast temperature range during its orbit that will be less of a problem than for most species.
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This is the second of two posts today
22nd December 1973
A survey of the ancient construct on Takahama-B II reveals that it will improve research into defensive systems by up to forty percent.
8th January 1974
The Covenant of Velsharoon is detected in Okami for the first time. Okami is a dim red dwarf that lies beyond Sol’s innermost jump point and is the most direct route, via Lalande and Yao, to the Hadano system. The Velsharoon have been steadily advancing their exploration ships into the Empire of Japan for several years. With the recent action against the Mizuchi and the battles against the Scimitar Empire, the ‘Hadano Problem’ has been pushed down the priority list. Now the Covenant is a single transit from Earth, that priority rises considerably. Ten Fukurokuju class orbital habitats, holding a population of two million, and a Yokosuka class maintenance base are in orbit of the chosen comet in the Hadano system. Seventeen financial centres, ten maintenance facilities, a refuelling station and a tracking station are on the surface. The light cruiser Noshiro is on permanent station.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi decides that several additional habitats are required before making a claim on the system, due to concerns that an unsuccessful claim could damage relations with the Covenant and the People’s Republic of Xiama. Takagi knows those relations will be extremely damaged at some point in the future, but he would prefer that to be at a time of the Empire’s choosing.
13th March 1974
The recent development of Magneto-Plasma Drives, and several other new systems, has prompted the creation of updated designs for the major warship classes. Two Nagato class battleships, all four Takao class cruisers and five Nagara class light cruisers enter the shipyard for a year-long refit. This refit program will prevent any significant offensive operations until mid-1975, although there will be sufficient warships to cover an invasion of the Scimitar home world once the required ground forces have been assembled.
5th July 1974
A 10,800-ton Bransk class ship of the Followers of Zharov enters Fiji, the first time this particular alien race has been detected in the system. The Covenant of Velsharoon has also been detected in Fiji in the past. With the Imperial Navy distracted by other events, plus the need to build up Takamatsu as the primary source of Gallicite, the project to claim Fiji and prevent the Zharovians from exploring the territory of the Empire of Japan has taken a back seat. There are too many competing priorities.
A colony of one point eight million has been established on the first moon of Fiji IV, a superjovian with twenty-eight million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium, and a Yokosuka class maintenance base is in orbit, but the colony has not yet developed to the point where a claim is likely to succeed. Part of the problem is the colony cost of the moon, which requires 300 infrastructure units for each million colonists and is therefore a significant demand on the Empire’s lift capacity. Four Amateratsu class terraforming stations are in orbit to improve the environmental conditions, but it is a slow process. Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy has discovered a third Zharovian system, named Iturup, beyond the contact system of Sakhalin and the second system in the chain, Paramushir. There is still no sign of any Zharovian colonies.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire094.png)
12th September 1974
The population of Hadano reaches two point eight million and the number of financial centres has increased to thirty-four. A claim of sovereignty is issued to the People’s Republic of Xiama, when one of their ships enters the system. The Xiamen accept the claim and withdraw. A similar demand will be made the next time a Covenant ship is detected in Hadano.
9th November 1974
The Covenant of Velsharoon accepts Japanese sovereignty over the Hadano system. This should result in the recall of Covenant survey ships from the territory of the Empire of Japan and finally resolve the ‘Hadano Problem’.
15th November 1974
Several years ago, an ancient construct was discovered on the first planet of Osaka-B. The M4-V star follows an eccentric orbit of Osaka-A that moves between fifteen and thirty-two billion kilometres during its orbital period of almost two thousand, four hundred years, and at the time of the survey was over twenty-two billion kilometres from the primary. Once the construct was surveyed and found to boost research into sensors by eighty percent, it became a priority for colonisation, although that was delayed by two factors. Firstly, Osaka-B I was a barren world with a surface temperature approaching three hundred degrees, although the effect on infrastructure requirements was reduced by tide-locking. The more significant problem was distance, as neither star in the Osaka system had a planet with a Lagrange point.
A stabilisation ship was sent on the long journey to Osaka-B and spent a year stabilising a Lagrange point at the fourth planet, a Uranus-sized gas giant. Unfortunately, Osaka-A had only three terrestrial planets, including the Rasheed home world, now named New Osaka, and a dwarf planet. The largest was Osaka-A I, a Venusian world with an atmosphere of almost two hundred atm but more importantly a mass twice that of Earth. Even so, the task to stabilise the Lagrange required over three years. That task is now complete, so the colonisation and terraforming of Osaka-B I can begin.
1st December 1974
A new Zuijin force has been discovered in the Sakata system, four jumps from Sol via Barnard’s Star, Nagasaki and Kama. A Gekko reconnaissance drone from the survey cruiser Sagiri detected the usual three bases, a Devastator, Terror and Vanquisher, plus a common grouping of three 9600-ton destroyer types – a Hunter, Impaler and Razor – and a Ravager escort cruiser. There are now six known Zuijin systems; Kagoshima and Beta Hydri, which contain powerful Zuijin fleets, Tarawa and Kwajalein, which are both adjacent to Makin in Xiamen territory, Matsuyama, which has three bases and a squadron of particle lance-armed Raptors, and now Sakata. Once the current refits are completed, new campaigns against the Zuijin will be launched.
4th December 1974
The survey cruiser Usugumo probes a jump point in Uchigō, five transits from Sol via Proxima, Aomori, Sendai, and Yonago. She emerges three hundred million kilometres from an orange K5-V primary with four rocky planets one of which is a cold desert world with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 0.58 atm. As Usugumo is out of reconnaissance drones, she heads in-system to investigate directly. As she moves away from the jump point, Usugumo detects active emissions from an approaching Hunter class destroyer and immediately reverses course.
She is just over two million kilometres, and thirteen minutes, from the jump point when her thermal sensor detects eight inbound missiles. Usugumo has no point defence, so she can only hope to survive. All eight strike the survey cruiser with strength-3 laser warheads, causing significant damage. Fortunately, her sole engine remains intact. Unfortunately, her jump drive does not. She can run, but she cannot escape. She moves to the jump point anyway, with her crew desperately trying to fix the jump drive before another salvo of missiles arrives.
Thirty-four minutes later, another eight laser torpedoes arrive and inflict massive damage, destroying her engine, most of her survey sensors and the majority of her fuel storage. A third salvo arrives after another twenty-six minutes, but Usugumo still survives. Half her crew is dead and she has barely any functioning internal systems. There are still sufficient supplies to repair the jump drive and her manoeuvring thrusters will get her though the jump point so all is not lost. Her active sensor, one of the few operable systems, detects three destroyers and a Ravager class escort cruiser approaching her position. Her crew is still working frantically when a salvo of light missiles blows Usugumo to pieces. She will be avenged.
8th December 1974
The chain of Zharovian systems, starting with Sakhalin and leading away from Fiji increases to four, with the probe of a jump point in Iturup. Kunashir has a yellow G0-V primary and a single rocky planet. A fleet of eleven Zharovian ships ranging from 8700 tons to 83,000 tons is stationed on the Kunashir – Iturup jump point – perhaps an indication that their home system is not far away.
29th December 1974
The colony in Fuji reaches a population of two million, with twenty financial centres and six hundred units of infrastructure. The number of Zharovian ships in Fuji has steadily increased in recent weeks so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi takes the decision to claim sovereignty over the system. The Followers of Zharov accept that claim. With Hadano accepted as Japanese territory by the Velsharoon and Xiamen, Truk also accepted by the Velsharoon and now Fiji accepted by the Zharovians, the borders of the Empire of Japan are secure, at least in political terms. The only potential exception is the Sapporo aliens if they make it past the Zuijin in Kagoshima.
9th February 1975
Matsukaze, one of the new Shimakaze class survey cruisers, is attacked and destroyed by Zuijin forces in the Kolombangara system, five transits from Hadano and three from Eniwetok, on the far side of known Xiamen territory. Kolombangara has seven planets and sixty moon, although none appeared even semi-habitable, so no reconnaissance drone was used. The attacking force comprised four Raptor class destroyers and two Avenger class escorts, one of which was damaged by a joint Rakurai strike from Matsukaze and her B1N ‘Ryusei’.
8th March 1975
Abukuma and Niyodo complete their refits to become the first pair of Nagara III class light cruisers. In comparison to the preceding Nagara II-Ha class, they have new magneto-plasma drives, upgraded fire controls, longer-ranged point defence railguns and a third generation missile jammer. For now, they are the fastest warships in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Nagara III class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 600 Crew 3,824.4 BP TCS 360 TH 2,304 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 116 Sensors 8/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 1.98 Years MSP 1,827 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 615 5YR 9,231 Max Repair 576 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (2) Power 2304 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 756,500 Litres Range 16.8 billion km (30 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 10-5 ROF 10
Takashi Kinetics TK-10B Railgun (12x4) Range 30,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 3
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
10th April 1975
The four Takao class heavy cruisers, Atago, Chōkai, Maya and Takao, complete their refit to the Takao II class. The upgrades include a more efficient jump drive, magneto-plasma drives, fire controls for the main armament and a third generation missile jammer. A combat information centre and a main engineering deck have been added to the design. Japanese shipwright chose not to introduce a new twin laser turret and associated fire control with 20,000 km/s tracking due to the cost and time involved, but these will be included in the next heavy cruiser design.
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser 27,000 tons 864 Crew 5,512.7 BP TCS 540 TH 3,456 EM 4,260
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 4-80 Shields 142-532 HTK 171 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 14-5 PPV 146
Maint Life 2.03 Years MSP 3,286 AFR 417% IFR 5.8% 1YR 1,064 5YR 15,959 Max Repair 576 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-270-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 27000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (3) Power 3456 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,100,000 Litres Range 16.3 billion km (29 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (2) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.3 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 3
20th April 1975
Nagato and Mutsu complete their refits to the Nagato II class. The new design includes the same upgrades as the Takao II class and the retention of the existing laser turrets. With two battleships and four heavy cruisers available, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides the invasion of the Scimitaran home world can begin. The six ships reform the Main Force of the Kido Butai and head for the Scimitar system to eliminate any remaining surface defences.
Nagato II class Battleship 54,000 tons 1,719 Crew 10,598.8 BP TCS 1,080 TH 6,912 EM 10,650
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-127 Shields 355-532 HTK 344 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 32-5 PPV 301
Maint Life 2.10 Years MSP 6,425 AFR 729% IFR 10.1% 1YR 1,950 5YR 29,244 Max Repair 576 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-540-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 54000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (6) Power 6912 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,258,000 Litres Range 16.7 billion km (30 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (5) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.7 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (10x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (5) Total Power Output 178.9 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-12B Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 23040 Range 109.1m km Resolution 120
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 3
26th April 1975
Taihō and Junyō complete their refits to the Taihō II class, receiving new engines and a third generation missile jammer. In addition, their thirty-six Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' fighters are replaced by thirty-six Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' (Peregrine Falcon) fighters. The A3M is faster than the A2M and has a longer-ranged cannon, although its range is seventeen percent less and it is three tons larger, which means that Taihō and Junyō have to sacrifice one of their two Aichi E1A3 scouts to create the necessary hangar space. The A2M will be passed on to the strikegroups of the older Akagi class carriers.
Taihō II class Carrier 54,000 tons 917 Crew 7,378.9 BP TCS 1,080 TH 6,912 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 1-127 Shields 0-0 HTK 242 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 26-4 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.53 Years MSP 4,720 AFR 897% IFR 12.5% 1YR 2,286 5YR 34,291 Max Repair 576 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 24,000 tons Magazine 867 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 3 BRG AUX PFC
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 480 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (6) Power 6912 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,673,000 Litres Range 19.8 billion km (35 days at full power)
Rakurai-Ro Anti-ship Missile (72) Speed: 31,250 km/s Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Missile 3
Strike Group
36x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' Carrier Strike Speed: 10001 km/s Size: 7.5
36x Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa’ Fighter Speed: 15829 km/s Size: 5.56
1x Aichi E1A3 Scout Speed: 7502 km/s Size: 5
Mitsubishi A3M ' Hayabusa' class Fighter 278 tons 1 Crew 91.5 BP TCS 6 TH 88 EM 0
15829 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 1.99 Years MSP 25 AFR 56% IFR 0.8% 1YR 8 5YR 126 Max Repair 44 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.2 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-88-DB Ion Engine (1) Power 88 Fuel Use 1474.81% Signature 88 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 8,000 Litres Range 0.35 billion km (6 hours at full power)
MK III Cannon (1x2) Range 30,000km TS: 15,829 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 ROF 5
Type 33 Go-34E Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-1B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 10%
Type 25 Go-24B Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 2 Range 2m km MCR 181.7k km Resolution 1
1st May 1975
The Main Force, once again under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo, moves within 90,000 km of the fourth moon of Scimitar I, otherwise known as the Scimitaran home world, and comes under fire from numerous surface-to-orbit weapons, receiving one hundred and thirty-four strength-1 hits. The Scimitar Empire has been busy since the last bombardment in November 1973, as the Main Force detects an STO signature of more than nine thousand tons as it pulls back out of range and. The total ground force signature has increased to three hundred and fifty thousand tons, which is likely to be well over one million tons once fortifications are taken into account.
Main Force
Nagato II class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Fortunately, the orbit of the moon¬’ parent superjovian has reached a point where jungle terrain that made the previous bombardment difficult has died back, leaving savanna as the dominant terrain and exposing the positions of the surface-based weapons. The increase in detected ground force tonnage is partly due to the improved visibility from orbit. In addition, Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara has ordered his ships to only use their main armament, which will use less maintenance supplies than the twin turrets and generate more overall damage, albeit against one target rather than two.
After ten minutes of bombardment, all the known surface-to-orbit weapons are eliminated, so the Main Force advances once again and comes under fire at 60,000 km, prompting a further twelve minutes of bombardment before the Main Force can move unhindered into orbit. By this point, there is sufficient dust in the atmosphere to drop the temperature by thirty-six degrees, about forty percent of which remained from the bombardment in November 1973. The Main Force moves to the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I to eliminate a small STO force guarding that colony, while the Japanese troop transport fleet begins moving ground forces from their assembly point at the small Japanese colony the first moon of Scimitar II, to a temporary holding area on the first moon of Scimitar I. The Imperial Army force is too large for a single drop, so the holding area is to minimise the delay before the second wave arrives.
1st June 1975
The invasion of the Scimitaran home world begins. The first wave comprises the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th divisions, each with three infantry regiment and one cavalry (medium tank) regiment, plus the 3rd (Armoured) Division, which has four heavy tank regiments. The total force size is 450,000 tons and includes over fifty thousand infantrymen and almost a thousand medium and heavy tanks. They are heavily outnumbered by the fortified Scimitaran defenders. Fifteen hundred infantry are killed within a few hours of landing and casualties on the first day are close to five thousand infantry and twenty-five tanks.
3rd June 1975
The conditions on the moon are worsening, with the surface temperature rising to almost one hundred degrees. The invasion did not take full account of the intense climate conditions, leaving the Imperial Army fighting an opponent adapted for his environment, while lacking the training and equipment to combat them effectively. Daily losses rise to almost fifteen thousand, while the casualties inflicted on the enemy are approximately one third of that.
June 4th 1975
Three fresh divisions land on the Scimitaran home world. Every combat division in the Imperial Army is now on the surface of the Scimitaran home world. The first wave has taken substantial losses, with two of the five divisions broken up to replace the losses in the strongest three divisions. Now there are five infantry divisions and the 3rd (Armoured) Division, which has taken on the two cavalry regiments from the lost divisions to replace one of the four heavy tank regiments, which has also been distributed to the others to replace losses. The total force size is 560,000 tons, which is one quarter more than the initial landing. The ground-signature size of the Scimitaran defenders has fallen to 280,000 tons, compared to 330,000 tons when the invasion began.
The Scimitaran ground forces include construction and other utility vehicles, plus the Scimitarans are suffering disproportionate losses among their armoured forces, which may soon begin to influence the battle. On the negative side, it appears the Scimitarans have deployed a significant number of updated units since the ground engagements eighteen months ago, which are a much closer match for the Imperial Army, and there will be no further landing waves. For now, there are no plans for evacuating the landing force as Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi wishes to see how the reinforcements affect the battle.
6th June 1975
Losses continue to mount. One of the five infantry divisions is broken up to reinforce the other four, with some tanks going to the armoured division. Even with the restructure, the remaining divisions are understrength, with the total size of the Imperial Army force at 410,000 tons. The Scimitar Empire is also finally suffering heavy losses too, with many of the Japanese tank and cavalry regiments making breakthroughs. While the Scimitarans are still numerous, their organization is very disrupted. The total Scimitar casualties are approximately half of their original force.
10th June 1975
Another division is broken up to reinforce the remaining four. Despite massive Japanese losses, the tide has finally turned, with Scimitaran losses significantly exceeding those of the Imperial Army. The Scimitar Empire is almost entirely out of armour, while the 3rd (Armoured) Division exceeds it starting size due to the addition of remnants from different cavalry regiments, orphaned by the dissolution of the parent divisions.
14th June 1975
All remaining Scimitaran forces have been eliminated and the population has surrendered to the victorious Japanese forces. Despite sixty percent casualties among all the combat divisions of the Imperial Army, this glorious victory is the most significant in the history of the Empire of Japan.
The Scimitaran population is almost one point three billion, or about half of the total Japanese population, which creates an enormous pool of potential future labour. This population was probably considerably larger before the two periods of heavy planetary bombardment. The Scimitarans have very different environmental tolerances, with an oxygen range of 0.104 atm to 0.415 atm, gravity between 0.31G and 0.93G and a remarkable temperature range between 13.6C and 181C, due to the eccentric orbit of the home world’s parent gas giant. The Scimitarans can be used to man installations on worlds that would be inhospitable to Japanese settlers.
A large number of installations remain intact, including thirty-five research facilities, seven hundred construction factories and eight hundred mines. These will be very useful in the long-term, but for now the ongoing manpower crises continues, so very few can be utilised immediately. It may prove necessary to retain some ‘free’ Scimitarans, if they demonstrate sufficient discipline and their respect for the Empire of Japan. The technological gains are minimal, due to the superior Japanese scientific knowledge, but include better ground-to-orbit shuttles, improved refuelling speed and a science department for survey ships. The equivalent of sixty thousand wealth is added to the Empire’s reserves.
Intact Installations
Research Facility: 35
Ground Force Construction Complex: 8
Construction Factory: 701
Ordnance Factory: 254
Mine: 802
Fuel Refinery: 171
Maintenance Facility: 253
Financial Centre: 354
Deep Space Tracking Station: 4
Mass Driver: 1
Military Academy: 2
Naval Headquarters: 1
Spaceport: 1
Refuelling Station: 1
Ordnance Transfer Station: 1
Cargo Shuttle Station: 1
Infrastructure: 4,286
Low Gravity Infrastructure: 84
The moon has substantial deposits of accessibility 1.0 Duranium, plus moderate deposits of all the remaining Trans-Newtonian minerals at medium to high accessibility. The Gallicite deposit in particular, while limited in size at 142,000 tons, will be useful for a while due to its high accessibility. However, the greatest short-term benefit of the conquest of the Scimitarans is the mineral stockpile on their home world, including one hundred and thirty thousand tons of Duranium and one hundred and twenty thousand tons of Gallicite.
Scimitar I - Moon 4 Survey Report
Duranium: 1,321,721 1.00
Neutronium: 146,037 0.80
Corbomite: 362,945 0.70
Tritanium: 335,953 0.60
Boronide: 213,568 0.40
Mercassium: 96,853 0.60
Vendarite: 612,253 0.60
Sorium: 312,987 0.80
Uridium: 147,868 0.40
Corundium: 109,160 0.50
Gallicite: 141,829 0.90
Shipbuilding on Earth, with the exception of the recent refits, has been minimal for almost a year. The Gallicite from the salvage operations in Scimitar, around twelve thousand tons, helped at first, but after that ran out the warship refits, new fighters and production of maintenance supplies were given priority. Even then, there were shipbuilding pauses when the Gallicite stockpile on Earth reached zero. The fresh injection of Gallicite, and eventually significant production from the Scimitar home world, will ease that problem significantly and allow a full shipbuilding program once again.
The Scimitaran fuel and maintenance stockpiles will also ease any short-term concerns in those areas, more than doubling the existing Imperial stockpile on Earth. In the long-term, access to the vast Sorium reserves of Scimitar I, the superjovian around which the Scimitaran home world orbits, will secure the fuel supply of the Empire. Neptune, which has been the home of the Imperial Navy’s harvester fleet since the dawn of the Interstellar Era, has limited supplies and its accessibility has started to fall.
Despite the famous victory, the work of the Imperial Army is not yet complete. There is a Scimitaran ground force on the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I that must be eliminated before the entire system can be deemed secure. All the remaining ground forces are loaded on to transports for one more battle. Once that moon is secure, the surviving infantry regiments will form the basis for the Imperial garrison on the Scimitaran home world.
24th June 1975
The Scimitaran ground forces on the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I are wiped out. Due to the fighting and the earlier bombardment of the surface-based railguns, there is nothing left of the colony they were defending. The Imperial Army took heavy casualties once again and now comprises just three understrength divisions, one of which is a polyglot of different armoured formations. Rebuilding the Imperial Army will be a major task for the Empire of Japan over the next few years.
23rd August 1975
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides that the small Japanese colony on the first moon of Scimitar II, used as the assembly area during the year prior to the invasion, will remain the primary Japanese base in the Scimitar system. While the home world of the Scimitarans is heavily populated and the system’s primary source of industry and mining, it is not suitable for a large Japanese colony due to its extreme orbit. Terraforming would not solve the hundred and fifty degree temperature range and could kill a substantial number of Scimitarans, reducing the potential pool of labour.
A large ground combat force will be maintained on the Scimitaran home world, but the minerals, fuel and supplies produced by that moon will be transported to first moon of Scimitar II, which henceforth will be known as the Scimitar Naval Base. Infrastructure to support the necessary population will be moved from the Scimitaran home world, where it was built to counteract the freezing temperatures caused by dust from the recent bombardments. This may result in some Scimitaran deaths at the aphelion of their parent superjovian’s orbit, but there are well over a billion Scimitarans and the most extreme situation is only a colony cost of 0.27, so the relative loss will be minor. Over time, as the dust settles, the effect will decrease.
20th September 1975
A civilian mining company from Germany, Forster Ores, gains access to the geological survey data on the Scimitar system and decides to establish a mining colony on the eighteen moon of Scimitar III. As the data was obtained via the interrogation of Scimitaran prisoners, no Imperial Navy ship has actually visited Scimitar III or Scimitar IV and their combined thirty-eight moons.
As soon as the two civilian mining complexes are unloaded, along with a small garrison force of six hundred infantry and a few anti-tank teams, they come under attack from Scimitaran ground forces already in place on the moon. All the Imperial Navy troop transports have left the Scimitar system, so there is no immediate relief force. A single transport, Shinshu Maru, begins loading the newly trained 5th Tank Regiment from Earth, while the larger Sagami Maru heads back to the Scimitaran home world, now renamed Scimitar Prime, to load the 3rd (Armoured) Division should that prove necessary. The light cruiser Tenryu, one of two in orbit of the Scimitar Naval Base, moves to Scimitar III to assess the situation.
The opposing Scimitaran ground force consists of approximately five thousand infantry and supporting elements of the latest Scimitaran designs, so the combat is one-sided. By the time Tenryu arrives, the battle is almost over, with barely a hundred surviving garrison troops. As she moves into orbit of Scimitar III, she detects a ground forces signature on the eighteenth moon of 6800 tons, including some sensor emissions that suggest surface-based railguns may be present, plus a small population signature. There is also a ground forces signature of 6000 tons in orbit of the fifteenth moon. It appears the battle for the Scimitar system is not yet over.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi orders the Main Force reformed and sent to Scimitar and instructs Tenryu to check the moons of Scimitar IV for any further holdout Scimitaran colonies. She finds nothing, so the Imperial Army can focus on the two colonies around Scimitar III. The Forster Ores mining colony cannot be saved in time and the remaining troops are overrun.
3rd October 1975
The Main Force eliminates the Scimitaran railguns on the surface of the eighteenth moon of Scimitar III, entirely destroying the small colony in the process. There are now two small Scimitaran ground force signatures of 6000 and 5000 tons respectively on the fifteenth and eighteenth moons. The Main Force heads for home, leaving the moons to the Imperial Army.
3rd November 1975
The 3rd (Armoured) Division defeats both of the small Scimitaran ground forces with minimal losses. The system is finally clear of Scimitaran populations.
-
13th December 1975
On the Scimitaran home world, there is considerable resistance to the occupation and unrest is rapidly increasing. While there were sufficient ground forces to force the original surrender, they are insufficient to quell rebellion among the populace. The environmental problems caused by the Imperial Navy bombardments are exacerbating the situation. In the days after the invasion, Imperial Naval Intelligence estimated that the productivity of the population would be approximately twenty percent of normal in the subsequent months and would potentially require many years to return to its pre-war level. INI now estimates that productivity to be only five percent of normal due to the widespread unrest and it is continuing to fall. It is proving extremely difficult to construct labour camps with such minimal construction capacity, especially when the building of the camps seems to further infuriate the population.
The Imperial Army was crippled by the successful invasion of the Scimitaran home world and is likely to take many years to rebuild. Even dedicating every new regiment to the Scimitaran occupation will not solve the problem quickly. A new solution is required. There is an existing organization within the Empire of Japan, known as the Kempeitai, that fulfils the military police function of the Imperial Japanese Army and civilian secret police duties. While its methods can be distasteful to some within the Imperial Japanese Navy, it has proved undeniably effective. Therefore, after consultation with the Emperor, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides to expand the role of the Kempeitai to include suppression of the rebels on the Scimitaran home world and any other conquered alien worlds.
A new type of formation, designated as the Kempeitai Occupation Force, will be trained for counter-insurgency operations. Comprising eight thousand personnel armed with light personal weapons, it will require the same transport capacity as an Imperial Army regiment, yet it will be thirty percent cheaper to train and should be twice as effective in suppressing unrest. In pure cost terms, it will be almost three times more effective compared to the deployment of Imperial Army units. Training of the first Kempeitai Occupation Force will begin immediately.
29th December 1975
Takamatsu II, an ideal habitable world that produces more than forty percent of the Gallicite used by the Empire of Japan, has reached its maximum population capacity. The tide-locked dwarf planet is 2000 km in diameter and can only sustain a population of sixty million before overcrowding becomes a problem. Four hundred and sixty mines and two hundred and thirty-five automated mines are in operation on the surface. Future colonisation efforts in the system will focus on the sixth moon of Takamatsu III, which has already been terraformed. While the moon does not have the same accessibility of Gallicite, it does have a substantial accessible deposit of Boronide, the supply of which is becoming a concern for the Empire.
Takamatsu II Survey Report
Duranium: 1,518,042 0.80
Neutronium: 267,897 0.90
Tritanium: 282,842 0.80
Mercassium: 223,086 0.70
Vendarite: 453,031 0.60
Uridium: 197,831 0.60
Gallicite: 867,897 0.90
Takamatsu II
Population: 60.26m
Construction Factory: 34
Mine: 460
Automated Mine: 235
Maintenance Facility: 5
Deep Space Tracking Station: 1
Refuelling Station: 1
Ordnance Transfer Station: 1
Cargo Shuttle Station: 1
Takamatsu III - Moon 6 Survey Report
Duranium: 793,800 0.80
Tritanium: 2,025 0.80
Boronide: 385,641 0.90
Vendarite: 571,536 0.60
Uridium: 81 0.90
Corundium: 480,249 0.80
Gallicite: 492,804 0.60
29th January 1976
The survey cruiser Harukaze, returning home after conducting surveying operations within the chain of systems containing the Followers of Zharov, detects a massive Zharovian fleet on the Iturup – Kharimkhotan jump point. There are forty-six ships, ranging in size from 5,238 tons to 83,772 tons, with a single outlier at 180,267 tons. Four of the ships, two Sverdlovs at 17,344 tons and two Bakus at 8,669 tons have active shields.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire095.png)
There was nothing in the survey of Kharimkhotan to suggest such importance to the Followers of Zharov, with just two asteroids, two comets and a pair of stable outward jump points, yet to be explored by the Imperial Navy. The older survey cruiser Fubuki is still in Kharimkhotan, finishing the last two survey locations before probing the jump points. Harukaze leaves her last sensor buoy on the jump point before heading home for resupply and overhaul.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire096.png)
25th April 1976
Hyūga and Ise are refitted to the Nagato II class. All four battleships have now completed their modernisation, along with the four Takao class heavy cruisers and the two Taiho class carriers. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi considers sending this force to begin eliminating Zuijin-held systems but decides to wait until sufficient Akagi class carriers are upgraded with magneto-plasma drives. Besides, the Empire of Japan is currently focused on subduing the Scimitaran home world and absorbing its resources.
13th May 1976
The survey cruiser Fubuki probes the two stable, outward jump points in Kharimkhotan. The first leads to Shikotan, a red dwarf system with five unremarkable planets, over eighty moons and a large asteroid belt. The second connects to Atlasov, which has an orange K1-V primary, nine planets and over a hundred moons. Atlasov III is a large, high gravity terrestrial world with a dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of over 3 atm and a surface temperature of -50C. Fubuki’s commander, Kaigun-Chusa Tsujimoto Masakatsu, believes this could be the Zharovian home world, so he orders the launch of a Gekkō reconnaissance drone.
The drone discovers eleven ships in orbit of Atlasov III, but they are Zuijin, not Zharovian. The fleet comprises Devastator and Terror class bases, two Ravager class escort cruisers, three 28,907-ton Vengeance class ships, detected only in Kagoshima prior to this point, a 22,318-ton Intimidator and three 59,785-ton Retributions. The latter two types have never been seen before. The entry jump point is stable, but there is no wreckage in the system or any other sign of combat. Fubuki begins a gravitational survey.
18th June 1976
A Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' arrives in Shikotan to conduct a geological survey and detects a fleet of Zharovian ships on the Kharimkhotan jump point. Seventeen are 83,772-ton Breznev class, which are probably some form of commercial vessel. They are escorted by two 17,344-ton Sverdlovs and a single Baku at 8,669 tons, all of which have shield emissions. Moments after arrival, the fleet asks the M1W to leave the system. Instead, she proceeds in-system, keen to discover what the Zharovians wish to protect.
27th October 1976
A substantial Zuijin fleet of almost three hundred and fifty thousand tons is discovered in the Ōmagari system, six transits from Sol in the Mitaka Cluster, an area of space surrounding the Mitaka system and its eight jump points. Unlike the other large Zuijin forces in Kagoshima and Beta Hydri, this force is primarily mobile, with only two bases. There are now ten known Zuijin systems, but Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi continues to wait for refits and a series of new ships before launching any assaults.
29th November 1976
The Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' in Shikotan detects a large fleet of twenty-seven 56,900-ton Jakutsk class ships in orbit of Shikotan IV, accompanied by a single 13,263-ton Vyborg. Both are new types and given their location in orbit of a gas giant, they are likely to be fuel harvesters with a warship escort. This may be why the jump point force was asking the small Imperial Navy vessel to leave the system several months earlier. A similar request is made now that the M1W is on Zharovian sensors again. As more exploration is conducted in Zharovian space, Imperial Naval Intelligence continues to increase their estimate of the Zharovian fleet size and economy. There are no signs of the Followers home world, or any major colonies.
20th December 1976
Two jumps outward from New Osaka is the Zuijin-occupied Matsuyama system. The survey cruiser Asakaze is exploring beyond Matsuyama’s outward jump point and has so far discovered a chain of four systems, the last of which is Ashikaga, a red dwarf with two terrestrial planets. As the second planet has liquid oceans, albeit with an atmosphere of CO2 and nitrogen, she launches a Shūsui Reconnaissance Drone from her internal magazine to check for signs of life. The drone finds the largest Zuijin fleet encountered to date, with four hundred and fifty thousand tons of warships, including eight orbital bases.
3x Vengeance class Heavy Cruiser (armament unknown). 28,907 tons.
3x Terror class Orbital Defence Base (75 Railguns). 19,426 tons.
3x Devastator class Missile Defence Base (91 Light Missile Launchers). 19,228 tons.
2x Vanquisher class Orbital Missile Platform (40 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 19,405 tons
1x Ravager class Escort Cruiser (42 Light Missile Launchers). 19,287 tons.
3x Conqueror class Light Cruiser (9 Particle Lances). 19,164 tons.
2x Enforcer class Destroyer (armament unknown). 9,649 tons
4x Raptor class Destroyer (3 Particle Beams). 9,620 tons.
4x Avenger class Escort (16 Railguns). 9,622 tons
4x Ghost class FAC - emissions contact only.
As the Empire of Japan expands known space, it is discovering an increasing number of Zuijin system with a total fleet size and level of technology that dwarfs the recently conquered Scimitar Empire. It is fortunate for humanity that the Zuijin seem tied to their planets and their ancient ruins. What increasingly concerns Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi, is the nature of the cataclysm that overwhelmed what was almost certainly the galaxy’s dominant civilization. The younger races, such as humanity, the Velsharoon, the Zharovians and the Xiamen, appeared to have risen among the ashes of that fallen civilization, probably explaining why they are now meeting on relatively equal terms.
The nightmare scenario for Takagi, is that the Zuijin were defeated by an even more powerful race and that enemy could return one day. Some Japanese scientists theorise it was the Mizuchi and their living ships and that the Empire of Japan has not yet seen their full power, or the briefly encountered Wokou Raiders, but Takagi does not believe either poses an existential threat. There is the unknown race lurking in Sapporo, beyond the Zuijin-held Kagoshima system, but if they were the ancient enemy of the Zuijin, the fleet in Kagoshima would not stop them. For now, the Imperial Japanese Navy can only remain watchful. while Takagi hopes the Zuijin civilization collapsed amid some internal conflict and his worst fears will not be realised.
16th January 1977
The deployment of six Kempeitai occupation forces to the Scimitar home world, along with a temporary pause in the construction of new labour camps, has improved the situation considerably. The rebels, rioters, dissidents and general malcontents have all been either silenced or eliminated. Imperial Naval Intelligence estimates that productivity has risen to forty percent of the pre-war level and the population can be judged as subjugated, rather than simply conquered. Labour camp construction can now resume.
21st January 1977
The Taiho class carrier Hiyō (a falcon flying away) is launched from the Yokosuka Dockyards orbital shipyard. Hiyō has several improvements over the Taiho II class, including more fuel efficient engines, a sensor jammer and an upgraded sensor suite. She is the first new carrier to be constructed in six years. Her strikegroup includes the first thirty-six Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' (heavenly mountain) Carrier Strike craft, designed as a replacement for the B1Ns on the Taihō and Junyō.
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier 54,000 tons 922 Crew 7,438.6 BP TCS 1,080 TH 6,912 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 1-127 Shields 0-0 HTK 242 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 26-4 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.54 Years MSP 4,738 AFR 897% IFR 12.5% 1YR 2,281 5YR 34,221 Max Repair 576 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 24,000 tons Magazine 867 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 3 BRG AUX PFC
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 480 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-BE Magneto-Plasma Drive (6) Power 6912 Fuel Use 38% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,619,000 Litres Range 22.6 billion km (40 days at full power)
Rakurai Anti-ship Missile (72) Speed: 31,250 km/s Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 35 Go-71D Fighter Detection (1) GPS 210 Range 18.5m km Resolution 10
Type 35 Go-21D Missile Detection (1) GPS 11 Range 6.1m km MCR 545.7k km Resolution 1
Type 35 Go-11D Search Sensor (1) GPS 11340 Range 89.7m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 35 Go-63C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Missile 3
Strike Group
1x Aichi E1A3 Scout Speed: 7502 km/s Size: 5
36x Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' Fighter Speed: 15829 km/s Size: 5.56
36x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' Carrier Strike Speed: 12801 km/s Size: 7.5
Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike 375 tons 1 Crew 73.2 BP TCS 7 TH 96 EM 0
12801 km/s Armour 1-4 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 1.80 Years MSP 25 AFR 75% IFR 1.0% 1YR 10 5YR 144 Max Repair 48 MSP
Magazine 24 / 0
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.6 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-96-DB Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 96 Fuel Use 620% Signature 96 Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 7,300 Litres Range 0.57 billion km (12 hours at full power)
Type 23 Fixed Missile Launcher (2) Missile Size: 12 Hangar Reload 173 minutes MF Reload 28 hours
Type 36 Go-44D Missile Fire Control (1) Range 26.7m km Resolution 120 ECCM-2
Rakurai-Ro Anti-ship Missile (2) Speed: 31,250 km/s Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 36 Go-14D Small Strike Sensor (1) GPS 252 Range 13.4m km Resolution 120
6th February 1977
The survey cruiser Fubuki is halfway through her survey of the Zuijin system of Atlasov, deep in Zharovian space, when she detects a jump point close to her position. Kaigun-Chusa Tsujimoto decides to investigate immediately, rather than waiting until the survey is complete. Fubuki transits and detects a fleet of fifteen Zharovian ships stationed on her exit jump point. All the alien ships have active shields and are between 8,669 tons and 17,382 tons.
The system comprises a yellow G8-V primary, orbited by nine planets and eighty-six moons. The fourth planet is an ideal habitable world with a stable orbit. Larger than Earth at 15,000 km, it has gravity of 0.98G, a surface temperature of 19C and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 0.8 atm, with 0.15 atm of oxygen. Oceans cover half the surface and the rest is dominated by Steppe. The third planet also has liquid oceans and a thin nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. Eight wrecks of unknown origin, four each of 971 tons and 73,109 tons, are located in a single group between the orbits of the fourth and fifth planets. Given the strong potential for an alien presence, Fubuki holds position on the jump point and launches a pair of reconnaissance drones.
The first drone is targeted on the habitable planet, which has a Zharovian population with thermal signature of almost 80,000, twenty percent greater than Earth, plus a large orbital shipyard and a ground forces contact of 300,000 tons. This is almost certainly the Zharovian home world. Another population is present on the third planet with has a large ground forces contact and a thermal signature similar to the Japanese Takamatsu II colony, which has a population of sixty million and seven hundred mines. The two planets have twenty-one and fifteen ships in orbit respectively, which is fairly low given the obvious importance of the system, but there are fifteen more ships on the entry jump point and many more previously detected throughout Zharovian space.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire097.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire098.png)
With the location of the Zharovian home world now identified, Fubuki returns to her survey of Atlasov to avoid a major diplomatic incident. It is very interesting to Imperial Naval Intelligence that a Zuijin system lies between the home world and a large area of Zharovian territory, yet there are no wrecks in Atlasov. This is especially puzzling considering that the Zharov and Kharimkhotan jump points are located on opposite sides of the system, which would result in any direct course passing close to the Zuijin fleet. Perhaps the Zharovians have found a different route past Atlasov. There is also the mystery of the wrecks in Zharov, which do not match any known Zuijin or Zharovian classes.
Once the many higher priorities are addressed, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi intends to build up the Fiji colony as a major base to support significant survey, reconnaissance and, if necessary, military operations in Zharovian territory. It is also time for the Imperial Navy to develop a stealthy scout ship to monitor events in alien systems while minimising the risk of detection and any associated diplomatic difficulties.
19th May 1977
The Aichi E1A scout and its variants are being replaced by the new Aichi E2A, which has improved sensors and more than twice the range. One E2A will be deployed on each carrier and Shimakaze class survey cruiser.
Aichi E2A class Scout 250 tons 3 Crew 56.7 BP TCS 5 TH 40 EM 0
8002 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 2 Sensors 0/1/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 49% IFR 0.7% 1YR 4 5YR 53 Max Repair 25.2 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMS-25-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 250 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-40-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 40 Fuel Use 234% Signature 40 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 44,200 Litres Range 13.6 billion km (19 days at full power)
Type 35 Go-13D Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 42.3m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-55C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.1m km
Type 35 Go-65C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.1 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8.3m km
13th June 1977
The carrier Zuiho delivers sixty Mitsubishi A2M2 'Shinden' fighters and a single Aichi E2A scout to the Truk Naval base, on the edge of Covenant space. This force will be stationed permanently at the base and known as the ‘Truk Kōkūtai’, or Truk Air Group. This is the first in a series of deployments to make use of older, but still effective, air groups as they are replaced on their carriers by the Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa'. Most of the older A1M ‘Raiden’ models will be scrapped.
10th July 1977
Japanese scientists and engineers have combined to develop a new kind of warrior, known as the Kazuma Raiden (true thunder and lightning). Each Kazuma Raiden is genetically enhanced, protected by power armour, equipped with a weapon equivalent to the Nambu Type 36 Machine Gun and trained in boarding combat. They will be formed into squadrons of forty, known as Raiden Sentai (thunder and lightning squadron), led by a Raiden Shōsa, and deployed on Nagara class light cruisers as they complete their refits to the Nagara III design, replacing the existing naval landing forces.
31st July 1977
All seven Akagi class carriers have been refitted to the Akagi III design, replacing the ion engines with magneto-plasma drives and upgrading the sensor suites.
5th August 1977
Chūyō (sea hawk), the fourth Taihō class carrier, joins the Imperial Navy. There are now eleven carriers in service with over seven hundred fighters and strike craft embarked.
Taihō II class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō
Akagi III class Carrier: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Ryujo, Soryu, Zuiho, Zuikaku
16th August 1977
The Takao II-Ro class heavy cruisers Ashigara, Haguro, Myōkō and Nachi are completed in Earth orbit, doubling the number of heavy cruisers in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Ro variant of the Takao II has more fuel efficient engines, laminate composite armour, faster tracking laser turrets and improved sensors. There are no plans to refit the four Takao IIs to this design due to the limited combat benefits relative to the high refit cost. The new heavy cruisers will be used on combat operations against the Zuijin, which will begin in early 1978.
Takao II-Ro class Heavy Cruiser 27,000 tons 864 Crew 5,702.5 BP TCS 540 TH 3,456 EM 4,260
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-80 Shields 142-532 HTK 169 Sensors 16/22/0/0 DCR 14-5 PPV 145
Maint Life 2.05 Years MSP 3,348 AFR 417% IFR 5.8% 1YR 1,066 5YR 15,994 Max Repair 576 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-270-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 27000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-BE Magneto-Plasma Drive (3) Power 3456 Fuel Use 38% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,033,000 Litres Range 17.8 billion km (32 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (2) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.3 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12B Laser Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 20000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 80,000 km TS: 20,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 35 Go-21D Missile Detection (1) GPS 11 Range 6.1m km MCR 545.7k km Resolution 1
Type 35 Go-11D Search Sensor (1) GPS 11340 Range 89.7m km Resolution 120
Type 35 Go-71D Fighter Detection (1) GPS 210 Range 18.5m km Resolution 10
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 35 Go-61C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 22 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 37.1m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 3
10th September 1977
A Kyushu M1W ‘Shiragiku’ is conducting a survey of Beta Hydri, four transits from Sol via Proxima, Koga and Delta Pavonis, while trying to avoid the huge Zuijin fleet in orbit of the third planet. Unexpectedly, she discovers four Ravager class escort cruisers, a 22,128-ton Intimidator class and six 59,785-ton Retribution class ships in orbit of the first planet – a moonless superjovian. Based on this report, sent just before the M1W was struck by a salvo of light missiles and contact was lost, Imperial Naval Intelligence classifies the Retribution as a fuel harvester. This is the first indication that the Zuijin conduct non-combat operations beyond the orbit of their protected worlds.
5th October 1977
The survey cruiser Yugiri is conducting a survey of Onekotan, deep in Zharovian territory and five transits out from Fiji, the closest Imperial system, via Sakhalin, Paramushir, Iturup and Kunashir. Onekotan is also five transits from the Zharovian home world, which is reached via a different route from Iturup. This is the first system discovered in Zharovian space that is not yet connected to the Followers stable jump network. Onekotan is unremarkable, except for an unusually large asteroid belt between one and two billion kilometres from the G8-V primary.
Yugiri moves toward the inner system, where there also a scattering of asteroids within the orbit of the first of five planets, and detects active emissions from the two Basra class ships of the Covenant of Velsharoon in orbit of one of the asteroids. She investigates and finds two groups of Covenant ships. The smaller group comprises a Sidon class escort cruiser of 16,270 tons and three other types of unknown capability, one of a similar size and two of 8,140 tons. The other group is larger, with three Sidons, four 8,147 ton Salt class, a Dubai of 16,295 tons and seven Basra class ships of 24,419 tons.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire099.png)
None of the Covenant ships have ever been observed in motion, so it is unknown whether they have military or commercial engines. However, given that Imperial Naval Intelligence has previously classed the Sidon as a warship and the ships are relatively small compared to normal commercial design, they are probably all military vessels. The burning question is what this force, which appears to be a Covenant battle fleet, is doing deep in Zharovian space, especially as no Velsharoon ships have ever been detected in the systems along the route between Fiji and Onekotan. Imperial Naval Intelligence believes the most likely explanation is a connection from Onekotan to the rest of Covenant space and therefore a border between the Covenant and the Followers of Zharov. Determining the situation and the relations between the two alien powers is give a high priority for the survey forces of the Imperial Navy.
In the meantime, Yugiri abandons her immediate survey to do a check of other bodies in the system. Within a few hours she detects two Zarqa class ships of 34,251 tons and a Sur class of 35,153 tons, all motionless in different locations, but not in orbit of any asteroids. Their motivations are unknown.
9th October 1977
Yugiri detects a Velsharoon ground forces signature of 1800 tons on one of the inner system asteroids, then moves to the asteroids with the two warship groups and detects signatures of 37,900 tons on both, including emissions from probable surface-to-orbit weapons. This appears to be a Velsharoon system, rather than a long-range battle fleet deployment, further reinforcing the theory of an unknown connection to Covenant space.
13th October 1977
The size of the Zuijin armada continues to grow, with the discovery of a massive fleet in the Takeda system, seven transits from Sol at the end of the Aomori Chain. There are ten orbital bases and fifteen Obliterator class heavy cruisers of 28,923 tons, supported by twenty-six other warships and twenty Ghost fast attack craft. The total tonnage is over nine hundred thousand tons, more than double that of any other Zuijin fleet. Whatever this immense force is guarding, it must be extremely important to the Zuijin.
15x Obliterator class Heavy Cruiser (armament unknown). 28,923 tons.
4x Terror class Orbital Defence Base (75 Railguns). 19,426 tons.
4x Devastator class Missile Defence Base (91 Light Missile Launchers). 19,228 tons.
2x Vanquisher class Orbital Missile Platform (40 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 19,405 tons
2x Ravager class Escort Cruiser (42 Light Missile Launchers). 19,287 tons.
7x Decapitator Light Cruiser (armament unknown). 19,260 tons
3x Conqueror class Light Cruiser (9 Particle Lances). 19,164 tons.
7x Enforcer class Destroyer (armament unknown). 9,649 tons
2x Impaler class Destroyer (8 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 9,628 tons.
2x Razor class Destroyer (8 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 9,628 tons.
2x Hunter class Destroyer (8 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 9,628 tons.
1x Avenger class Escort (16 Railguns). 9,622 tons
20x Ghost class FAC.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire100.png)
25th November 1977
The Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' in Shikotan discovers a small Zharovian colony on an asteroid. Once again, the Followers send a request for the survey vessel to leave the system.
24th January 1978
The battleship Yamato joins the Imperial Japanese Navy. Yamato is the largest and most expensive ship ever constructed by the Empire of Japan and the first ship to be armed with 30cm lasers. As well as the twenty-four lasers of her main armament, she has a single 45cm spinal laser and twelve twin 12cm laser turrets. Yamato is one third larger than the preceding Nagato class, but has sixty percent greater shield strength and seventy percent more armour volume. She also has flag accommodations so command of the fleet will no longer fall to the senior ship commander. With her sister ship Musashi, which will be completed in mid-February, Yamato will serve at the heart of the Kido Butai when its sets out on its mission to eliminate every Zuijin fleet in the Empire of Japan.
Yamato class Battleship 72,000 tons 2,280 Crew 15,175 BP TCS 1,440 TH 9,216 EM 17,040
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 7-154 Shields 568-532 HTK 451 Sensors 16/22/0/0 DCR 42-5 PPV 385
Maint Life 1.93 Years MSP 8,032 AFR 987% IFR 13.7% 1YR 2,807 5YR 42,110 Max Repair 720 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 5 BRG AUX ENG CIC FLG
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-720-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 72000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-BE Magneto-Plasma Drive (8) Power 9216 Fuel Use 38% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,721,000 Litres Range 17.6 billion km (31 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (8) Recharge Time 532 seconds (1.1 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-45A Spinal Laser (1) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 53-5 ROF 55
Kentaro-Sakura KS-30A Far Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 24-5 ROF 25
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12B Laser Turret (12x2) Range 200,000km TS: 20000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 32 Go-31E Turret Fire Control (3) Max Range: 80,000 km TS: 20,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (3) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (7) Total Power Output 250.5 Exp 5%
Type 35 Go-12D Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 30240 Range 146.5m km Resolution 120
Type 35 Go-21D Missile Detection (1) GPS 11 Range 6.1m km MCR 545.7k km Resolution 1
Type 35 Go-71D Fighter Detection (1) GPS 210 Range 18.5m km Resolution 10
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 35 Go-61C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 22 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 37.1m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 3
-
7th March 1978
The Fleet Support Vessel Hayasui is the first of two planned ships that will support the campaign of the Kido Butai against the Zuijin. Each ship carries twenty-one million litres of fuel, twenty thousand maintenance supplies and a hundred and fifty Rakurai anti-ship missiles. The Hayasui, which is also equipped with ten thousand cryogenic berths to house prisoners recovered from life pods, will join salvage ships, freighters and eventually a repair ship in a new Support Fleet that will form part of the Kido Butai, enabling more sustained operations.
Hayasui class Fleet Support Vessel 90,000 tons 571 Crew 2,662.7 BP TCS 1,800 TH 5,760 EM 0
3200 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-178 Shields 0-0 HTK 167 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 20,018 Max Repair 180 MSP
Magazine 1,800 / 0 Cryogenic Berths 10,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 8
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Komatsu KMC-900-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 90000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KC-384-B Magneto-plasma Drive (15) Power 5760 Fuel Use 2.48% Signature 384 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 21,009,000 Litres Range 1,695.2 billion km (6131 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 60,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 350 hours
Rakurai-Ha Anti-ship Missile (150) Speed: 40,000 km/s End: 3.3m Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size:
Type 35 Go-13D Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 42.3m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 35 Go-63C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
13th March 1978
In the past, the Kido Butai (mobile force) has been a fleet formed for each individual operation and then disbanded afterwards. With the availability of new ships, built with the resources gained from the Scimitaran Conquest, the Kido Butai will now become a permanent formation, assigned the task of attacking and destroying those Zuijin fleets and ground forces to which the Empire of Japan has direct access. To enable more sustained operations, the Kido Butai is organised into four different formations, each with its own commander, while the overall fleet is commanded by Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai from the flag bridge of the Yamato.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai
Main Force – Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Yamato class Battleship: Musashi*, Yamato**
Nagato II class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Takao II-Ro class Heavy Cruiser: Ashigara, Haguro, Myōkō, Nachi
Carrier Striking Force – Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira
Taihō II class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō*
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō
Akagi III class Carrier: Kaga, Zuikaku
Nagara III-Ro class Light Cruiser: Kiso, Nagara, Yahagi, Yoshino
72x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike:
72x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike:
264x Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class Fighter:
7x Aichi E2A class Scout:
Occupation Force – Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Kirishima*
Sagami Maru class Troop Transport: Keizan Maru, Sagami Maru, Tatukami Maru
Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport: Mayasan Maru, Tamatsu Maru
2nd Division, 3rd (Armoured) Division, 6th Division
2x Xenoarchaeological Regiment
Support Force - Kaigun-Taisa Suzuki Saya
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei*,
Hayasui class Fleet Support Vessel: Hayasui
Akatsuki Maru class Replenishment Ship: Kenyo Maru, Toho Maru
Shokai-Ro Maru class Tug: Seikai Maru
Kasashima-Ro class Salvager: Kamakura Maru, Kasuga Maru
4x Kansai Maru class Freighter
** Fleet Flag, * Force Flag
Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa’s first senior assignment was in 1962, as executive officer of the 9000-ton survey cruiser Fubuki with the rank of Kaigun-Shōsa. In 1966, he was given his first command – a 1000 ton Kawanishi H1K ‘Saiun’ patrol craft. After four years on long-range deployments, mostly involving the deployment of sensor buoys, he was promoted to Kaigun-Chūsa and served with distinction as executive officer of the battlecruiser Kirishima before being given command of the light cruiser Jintsū in 1971. Two years later, he was promoted to Kaigun-Taisa and entrusted with the brand new battleship Hyūga. In 1973, he was responsible for the destruction of seven enemy warships in the battle of Scimitar, totalling over 200,000 tons, and the elimination of five hundred inbound missiles. As a result he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with Silver Rays. In 1975, he was promoted to Kaigun-Shōshō and assigned to the Osaka Area Fleet, his first administrative command. Finally, on March 1st 1978, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa was informed that he had been given the great honour of commanding the Kido Butai from the flag bridge of the Yamato.
The Main Force of the Kido Butai is responsible for direct combat and has is almost doubled in size from previous operations, with the addition of four heavy cruisers and both Yamato class battleships. Once again, it is under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo, although instead of his beloved heavy cruiser Takao, which he has captained for five years and declined promotion twice during that time, he will command the Main Force from the 72,000-ton battleship Musashi – a prize that finally tempted Kaigun-Taisa away from Takao.
The Carrier Striking Force, now with four 54,000-ton Taihō class carriers and two smaller 36,000-ton Akagi class, is under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto Kinhira, a position he has held intermittently since 1970 when he took command of the Taihō after serving as executive officer on the Shokaku. The promotion proved doubly fortunate as the Shokaku remains the only carrier lost on combat operations. Kaigun-Taisa Fujimoto commanded the entire Kido Butai during the Takahama operation, during which fifty-six fighters were lost due to the Zuijin focusing their light missile fire on the fighter screen. Since he took command of the Taiho, its strikegroup has destroyed almost two and a half thousand missiles and destroyed 70,000 tons of warships.
For the first time, the Carrier Striking Force is assigned a permanent screen of light cruisers, with four Nagara III-Ro serving in that role initially. The two Kongo class battlecruisers, which protected the carrier striking force during the battles in the Scimitar system, have not been refitted, so they cannot maintain the 6400 km/s speed of the upgraded carriers. Instead, one battlecruiser is assigned to protect each of the other two forces. Kirishima will maintain guard over the Occupation Force and its five troop transports, containing the three divisions that finally conquered Scimitar Prime, plus two Xenoarchaeological regiments. Hiei is assigned to the Support Force, which comprises the new fleet support vessel Hayasui, two older replenishment ships, a tug, the salvage ships Kamakura Maru and Kasuga Maru and four Kansai Maru class freighters.
The captains of the two battlecruisers, Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi and Kaigun-Taisa Suzuki Saya respectively, will be in command of the Occupation and Support forces. Kaigun-Taisa Kido began his career as a fighter pilot in 1962, flying an Mitsubishi A1M2 ‘Raiden’. In 1967 he was promoted to Kaigun-Chūsa and moved into the battle fleet. As with Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa, he served for a year as executive officer of the Kirishima, before being given his own command: the jump-capable light cruiser Kasagi. In 1970, he had the most exciting moments of his career during what became known as the Tarawa incident. Kasagi transited a newly discovered jump point in Xiamen space and found fifty thousand tons of Zuijin warships stationed on the jump point and already launching missiles. Instead of running or assigning point defence, Kaigun-Taisa Kido opened fire on the Zuijin with every available weapon. Despite being hit by eighty missiles and suffering massive armour damage, the Kasagi damaged one of the Zuijin ships and escaped through the jump point to Makin when her jump shock wore off. Since then, Kaigun-Taisa Kido has found it difficult to buy his own drinks. As a result of his actions, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure with Silver Rays. He returned to the Kirishima in 1972 as her commanding officer.
In comparison to some of the other force commanders, Kaigun-Taisa Suzuki Saya had had a relatively quiet career, except for two distinguishing characteristics. She is female and only twenty-six years old. She initially served as commander of an Aichi E3A scout craft, but her exceptional leadership skills were quickly noted and she received a swift promotion to Kaigun-Chūsa, serving as executive officer on the battleship Hyūga while Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa was in command. On his recommendation, she was assigned to command his old ship, the light cruiser Jintsu, which meant she missed the action in the Scimitar system by only three weeks. After an exemplary two years on the Jintsu, she took command of the Hiei, making her the only female commander of a capital ship, and one of the youngest Kaigun-Taisas in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Despite her impressive progress and the deep respect of her crew, she is still to be tested in combat.
There are twelve known Zuijin systems, three of which - Kolombangara, Kwajalein and Tarawa - are beyond the territory of the People’s Republic of Xiama and a fourth, Atlasov, is in Zharovian space. The initial contact system of Kagoshima lies between the Empire of Japan and the Sapporo aliens, so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō decides that will continue as a buffer system, at least for now. Of the seven remaining system, Ashikaga, Beta Hydri and Ōmagari have substantial Zuijin fleets between 350,000 and 450,000 tons while Takeda has an immense force close to a million tons. Matsuyama and Sakata both have all three orbital bases, plus a small fleet in the 50-60,000 -tons range. Finally, a Zuijin fleet of three destroyers and an escort cruiser destroyed the survey cruiser Usugumo near the entry jump point to the Kokura system, but the inner system forces are unknown.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō designates Matsuyama as the first target. Lying two transits out from Osaka, Matsuyama has one of the smallest Zuijin fleets and is the second closest to Earth, after Kokura, plus eliminating the Zuijin will provide a forward base for a subsequent attack on the much larger fleet in Ashikaga, three transits further out along the same chain of systems. Due to their much slower speed, the Support Force and Occupation force depart first and will arrive at the Shōbara - Matsuyama jump point in fifty-five days.
12th May 1978
The Kido Butai arrives in Matsuyama, where the Main Force and the Carrier Striking Force refuel from the fleet support vessel Hayasui before heading in-system. The Support Force and the Occupation force remain at the Shōbara jump point, guarded by Kirishima and Hiei. Kenyo Maru and Toho Maru begin transferring their fuel to Hayasui so they can return home for resupply.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire101.png)
The Zuijin planet, the second of five orbiting the M2-V red dwarf primary, has a breathable atmosphere, but is a cold world, dominated by tundra and with small ice caps. The warships of the Kido Butai jump from the Lagrange point of the fifth planet to the third, placing them just under a hundred million from Matsuyama II, where they detect the Zuijin fleet. As expected, there are Terror, Vanquisher and Devastator class bases, plus a force of four Raptor class destroyers armed with particle beam and a pair of Avenger class escorts. The overwhelming might of the new Kido Butai should easily crush the Zuijin, but overconfidence resulted in the loss of the carrier Shokaku, so Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa is determined not to repeat past failures. The Main Force sets a course directly for the Zuijin force in orbit of Matsuyama II. The six carriers of the Striking Force hold position and launch their Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' fighters, which take up station a hundred thousand kilometres ahead of the Main Force.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire102.png)
The first wave of forty laser torpedoes from the Vanquisher missile base arrives with the Main Force still forty-three million kilometres from the planet. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara is under orders from Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa to avoid wearing out his fleet’s weapon unless necessary, so he leaves the defence against this wave to the fighter screen. Only seven torpedoes survive to detonate and only two of those score hits, easily absorbed by the shields of the battleship Mutsu. The A3M ‘Hayabusa’ is twice as fast the A1M ‘Raiden’, which formed the majority of the fighter screen in previous engagements, and one third faster than the more recent A2M ‘Shinden’, making it far more effective in the point defence role.
The second wave is equally ineffective. A third wave of only thirty missiles bypasses the fighter screen and detonates at 65,000 km. The warships of the Main Force are not setup for point defence, except for the main armament of the Mutsu, Nagato and Takao, which shoot down eight missiles between them. Mutsu is struck by fifteen strength-3 laser torpedo hits. Even that momentary lapse is not critical, as her shields are still at eighty-seven percent. The source of the third wave was likely a squadron of Ghost class fast attack craft, which are known to use a different type of laser torpedo. A further five waves arrive every few minutes, none of which seriously threaten the Main Force.
As the fleet moves within two million kilometres of Matsuyama II, the fighters move into close formation with the battleships and heavy cruisers and await the onslaught of light missiles from the Devastator. At one point two million kilometres, the Devastator launches its first wave of ninety-one missiles. This is a noticeably shorter distance for the opening salvo than in previous engagements, and ensures that the Main Force cannot easily repeat its previous tactic of moving in and out of light missile range. As his force is much stronger now, Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to press on toward the planet.
The Zuijin focus the first missile wave on the screen, perhaps to reduce the fleet’s point defence strength. Fifty-three missiles are shot down by the fighters. Three of the A3Ms suffer internal damage and drop out of formation. Six more suffer armour damage. Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders his ships to use their 12cm laser turrets to support the fighter screen, as consuming maintenance is cheaper than losing fighters. All the subsequent waves focus on the Mutsu, trying to wear down her shields. However, with the addition of the laser turrets, the number of hits scored from each wave is between five and ten, which is barely enough to beat the shield recharge rate of the battleship. The rate of closure is higher than in previous engagements, due to the 6400 km/s speed of the Main Force, and the bases opening fire at a shorter range than before, to prevent the Main Force from soaking up fire and retreating. By the time the fleet enters weapon range, it has faced only fifteen waves of light missiles and Mutsu’s shields are still at ninety-three percent.
At 296,000 km, the Main Force opens fire on the Devastator and Vanquisher, scoring fourteen strength-2 hits from 25cm lasers and three strength-4 hits from the 30cm lasers of Musashi. Yamato fires a few seconds later than the other battleships, inflicting six strength-4 hits, one of which penetrate the armour of the Devastator. The fleet halts at 245,000 km, remaining outside the range of the particle lances of the Raptor class destroyers and any surface-based batteries. Another wave of light missiles arrives, this time numbering only fifty-three, and inflicts three shields hits on the Yamato. Plainly, the single internal hit from Yamato did considerable damage to the Devastator. The Vanquisher launches a partial salvo of twenty-six laser torpedoes, which is not attacked by point defence, and achieves twelve strength-3 hits on Yamato. The battleship’s impressive shields are at ninety-four percent.
The Main Force fires again, inflicting multiple internal hits on the Devastator, which ceases fire. A third salvo blows it to pieces. The once feared Vanquisher and Devastator, at least when encountered alone, are no longer a match for the Kido Butai. The heavy cruisers continue firing on the Vanquisher, while the battleships engage the four Raptor class destroyers, causing them to charge and attack. The Kido Butai is now faster than the Zuijin ships and outranges them, but Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara decides to hold his position. The Main Force absorbs the particle beam hits on shields and returns fire on the Raptors as the range falls, rapidly destroying all four. From that point on, the battle is simply a massacre, as the main force wipes out the remaining Zuijin ships.
The Main Force moves closer to Matsuyama II and comes under fire from sixteen surface-based particle lances. Musashi takes two strength-18 shield hits. The fleet returns fire and quickly eliminates the STO weapons before they can fire again. A second lance battery opens fire at 90,000 km and is also swiftly wiped out. The Main Force moves into orbit of Matsuyama II after a textbook operation. The Zuijin defenders were simply outclassed and overwhelmed. Once the planet is secured, the Kido Butai will continue down the chain to the significantly more difficult target of Ashikaga, defended by the second largest Zuijin fleet in known space.
15th May 1978
A Kawanishi H1K ‘Saiun’ patrol craft deploys a sensor buoy at the Zharov – Atlasov jump point, allowing the Empire of Japan to maintain a watch on the Zharov system, without causing a diplomatic incident. There is a fleet of twenty-two Zharovian ships on the jump point to the Zuijin-occupied Atlasov system, including seven encountered for the first time. Of far more immediate interest, is the increased number of wrecks at a location near the inner system, accompanied by a single life pod that suggests very recent combat. Given that the twenty-five wrecks are unknown types and all in the same location, Imperial Naval Intelligence concludes this is likely the location of a jump point through which a hostile, unknown alien race is attempting to attack the Zharov system.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire103.png)
The current survey focus near Zharovian territory is on Onekotan, which appears to be part of the Covenant of Velsharoon. Once the link between that system and known Covenant territory is established, the Imperial Navy will attempt to covertly survey the Zharov system and gain some sensor coverage of the events near the inner system.
25th May 1978
The Occupation Force of the Kido Butai unloads the 2nd Division, 3rd (Armoured) Division and 6th Division on the surface of Matsuyama II. The Zuijin ground force comprises approximately two and a half thousand robots and mechs of various types. After two days of intense combat, the Zuijin are annihilated, with the Imperial Army losing a thousand infantry and nine medium tanks. A subsequent survey of Matsuyama II discovers a ruined colony and, more importantly, vast deposits of accessible Duranium and Gallicite. While the Gallicite accessibility at 0.7 is not as high as Takamatsu II, there are almost nine million tons, which will supply the Empire of Japan for many decades, and the planet can support a population of over two billion. Terraforming will be required to increase the temperature and increase the hydro extent from twelve percent, but the atmosphere is already breathable. There is also scope for a ground survey that could reveal additional deposits.
Matsuyama II Survey Report
Duranium: 14,644,872 0.90
Neutronium: 25,826,724 0.10
Corbomite: 16,208,676 0.10
Tritanium: 18,404,100 0.10
Mercassium: 627,264 0.10
Vendarite: 28,579,716 1.00
Sorium: 39,312,900 0.20
Uridium: 15,681,600 0.10
Gallicite: 8,820,900 0.70
4th June 1978
After the Main Force and the Carrier Striking Force have been fully refuelled and resupplied by Hayasui, the warships of the Kido Butai break orbit of Matsuyama II and head for Ashikaga, with Hayasui following in their wake. Unfortunately, the Occupation Force cannot follow as its three Sagami Maru troop transports are not jump capable and the Empire of Japan does not possess a vessel with a jump drive large enough escort them. Now this oversight has come to life, it will be correctly as soon as possible. In the meantime, the salvage ships of the Support Force are recovering the wreckage of the Zuijin ships, under the watchful eyes of Hiei and Kirishima.
22nd June 1978
The two Xenoarchaeology Regiments from the Occupation Force complete their survey of the ruins on Matsuyama II and find seventy-six sites of interest.
9th July 1978
After refuelling once more from Hayasui at the entry jump point in Ashikaga, the Kido Butai heads in-system to confront the Zuijin fleet, two point five billion kilometres away in orbit of Ashikaga II. The known force, based on sensor contacts established by the survey cruiser Asakaze in December 1976, comprises eight orbital bases, including two Vanquishers and three Devastators, three 29,000 ton heavy cruisers, four ships of 19,000 tons and ten destroyers of approximately 9600 tons.
Zuijin ships detected by Asakaze in December 1976
3x Vengeance class Heavy Cruiser (armament unknown). 28,907 tons.
3x Terror class Orbital Defence Base (75 Railguns). 19,426 tons.
3x Devastator class Missile Defence Base (91 Light Missile Launchers). 19,228 tons.
2x Vanquisher class Orbital Missile Platform (40 Laser Torpedo Launchers). 19,405 tons
1x Ravager class Escort Cruiser (42 Light Missile Launchers). 19,287 tons.
3x Conqueror class Light Cruiser (9 Particle Lances). 19,164 tons.
2x Enforcer class Destroyer (armament unknown). 9,649 tons
4x Raptor class Destroyer (3 Particle Beams). 9,620 tons.
4x Avenger class Escort (16 Railguns). 9,622 tons
4x Ghost class FAC - emissions contact only.
The Main Force and the Carrier Striking Force are still seven hundred and fifty million kilometres from Ashikaga II when they detect two Enforcer class ships entering sensor range. The armament of the Enforcer is unknown, but based on size it was previously classified as a destroyer by Imperial Naval Intelligence. When the two Zuijin ships retreat at 8700 km/s, they are reclassified as scouts.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire104.png)
Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the launch of a dozen A3M2 ‘Hayabusa’ fighters, with orders to run down the Zuijin ships. It is not a straightforward task as the Enforcers are already one hundred and twenty-five million kilometres away and move out of shipboard sensor range within three hours. The A3Ms continue toward the planet and manage to reacquire contact after a further two hours, finding the Enforcers on a slightly divergent course. Five strafing runs are sufficient to destroy both ships.
10th July 1978
The Kido Butai halts eighty million kilometres from Ashikaga II. Active sensors confirm the same number and type of Zuijin ships reported by Asakaze. The Carrier Striking Force holds position and the six carriers launch their entire strikegroups. The two hundred and sixty-four A3M ‘Hayabusa’ fighters will screen the Main Force as it moves toward the planet, while the one hundred and forty-four carrier strike craft – a mix of B1N ‘Ryusei’ and B2N ‘Tenzan’ - will accompany the Main Force until they are close enough to launch their Rakurai-Ro anti-ship missiles.
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Forty-five million kilometres from the planet, the Main Force detects an inbound wave of one hundred and fifty-eight laser torpedoes, each of which has multiple decoys. This will be a serious test for the Kido Butai, even with its improved point defence. All six battleship and eight heavy cruisers link their laser turrets to their long-range fire control systems, rather than the short-range point defence fire controls. While this reduces their tracking speed, it enables them to engage missile targets at over one hundred thousand kilometres. As the laser torpedoes draw closer, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa notes in his log that the next generation of Imperial Navy designs should include a fire control that has both long range and high tracking speed, despite the increased size and cost of such a system.
Two and hundred and thirty-nine hits are registered by the Japanese point defence fire, although only sixty-four missiles are destroyed. Almost all the hits were by the fighter screen, positioned a hundred thousand kilometres ahead of the fleet, with the ship-mounted laser turrets accounting for just three. The remaining hits were on decoys. Ninety-four laser warheads detonate, inflicting thirty-four hits on Mutsu, dropping her shields by thirty percent and six on Nagato. The Main Force has endured the large salvo remarkably well, thanks to the defensive capabilities of the Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa, plus the increasing speed and electronic warfare capabilities of Japanese warships.
The second and third wave of laser torpedoes achieve similar results. A fourth wave of sixty torpedoes, arriving less than a minute after the third and almost certainly launched by a group of twenty Ghost fast attack craft, detonates at sixty thousand kilometres, bypassing the fighter screen, and scores sixteen hits on Hyūga. The fifth wave, once again a hundred and fifty-eight laser torpedoes, unexpectedly closes to 82,500 km before detonating. Fortunately, that is still within range of the fighters’ cannon but their accuracy is reduced. Fifty-eight torpedoes strike Nagato and Hyūga and their damage is increased to strength-4 due to the reduced range. Nagato’s shields are down to almost half strength. If the attack had been focused on one of the heavy cruisers, the damage would have been considerable. Somehow, the Zuijin have modified their torpedoes to detonate at varying ranges. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the fighters to drop to 90,000 km ahead of the Main Force.
The sixth wave detonates at 105,000 km, closer to the fighter screen. There is sufficient time between waves for the battleships’ shields to recharge, so thirty-six hits on Mutsu only reduces her shields by a third. Wave seven reaches 65,000 km before detonating and achieves fifty strength-5 hits. The previous generation of Imperial Navy warships would be in serious trouble at this point. However, third generation missile jammers are very likely reducing the accuracy of the Zuijin torpedoes, as Zuijin wreckage has contained only second generation ECCM, while the introduction of magneto-plasma drives has made the Japanese warships harder to hit.
Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara orders his ships to transfer their laser turrets from long-range to fast-tracking fire controls. This will prevent them from targeting the inbound torpedoes at long-range, but considerably improves their accuracy at short-range, where the torpedoes are more dangerous and the fighters are less effective. Wave eight detonates at 80,000 km, close to the fighter screen, and drops Mutsu’s shields to half strength. There is no ninth wave. Despite several concerning moments, the Main Force appears to have come through the laser torpedo envelope unscathed.
The three Devastator class bases and the single Ravager class escort cruiser can generates waves of over three hundred light missiles every ten seconds, which is a frightening prospect. Therefore, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa authorises a strike against the Devastators by the one hundred and forty-four strike craft accompanying the Main Force. Ninety-six Rakurai-Ro anti-ship missiles are targeted on each base. As the Rakurai close on their targets at 31,250 km/s, they are intercepted by wave after wave of light missiles. Almost three hundred and fifty strength-1 detonations are recorded by Japanese sensors, along with a hundred energy weapon impacts at point-blank range. Even with all that defensive firepower, only eighty-two Rakurai are destroyed. A further one hundred and eight are distracted by decoys launched by the three bases.
The surviving missiles reach their targets and detonate their strength-12 warheads. One Devastator is completely destroyed. The other two suffer eight and fifteen internal hits respectively. While the missile strike is a success, the Kido Butai just expended enough wealth and resources to build a heavy cruiser. The B1N ‘Ryusei’ and B2N ‘Tenzan’ strike craft head back to their carriers to reload, while the Main Force advances on the planet with the A3M ‘Hayabusa’ fighters in close formation. A wave of eighty laser torpedoes, presumably from a partial reload, is fired soon after the strike, but achieves only seventeen shield hits.
At one point two million kilometres, the fleet is attacked by a wave of one hundred and fifty-five light missiles, which is targeted on the fighter screen. Almost a hundred are shot down, but the remainder destroy two fighters, disable three more and inflict armour damage on nine others. The follow-up waves are just forty-two missiles each, presumably from the Ravager escort cruiser, and are easily handled by the Main Force’s defences. The most likely explanation is that the two damaged Devastators lost their magazines in the missile strike and could only use the missiles already loaded into their remaining undamaged launchers.
The fleet closes to 245,000 km, just outside Zuijin particle lance range, and focuses fire on the Ravager, which is quickly destroyed. After eliminating the damaged Devastators, Japanese attention turns to the three Conqueror class light cruisers and four Raptor class destroyers, all of which are armed with particle lances. As they start to take hits, they charge the Main Force, scoring several long-range hits on Yamato with particle lances but not seriously troubling the battleship’s shields. They do not get chance to fire again. Within thirty seconds, all seven ships are obliterated by a hail of laser fire. The once-feared particle lances are no longer a major threat, as they are out-ranged by Japanese lasers and the Zuijin ships mounting the weapons are too slow to close the range unless the Imperial Navy allows it. Even those that do hit are absorbed by shields, rather than penetrating armour.
The Main Force of the Kido Butai systematically wipes out every remaining Zuijin ship and base. The four Avenger class escorts attempt to close and even the missile-armed Vengeance class heavy cruisers break orbit, possibly in an attempt to ram, but the firepower of over half a million tons of Imperial Navy battleships and heavy cruisers is overwhelming. The Zuijin ships are blown to pieces.
With orbital space filled only by wreckage, the Main Force closes to within particle lance range of the planet. Forty-eight surface-based particle lances, three times the normal amount, open fire and score eight strength-18 hits on Musashi. Her powerful shields are still at seventy-five percent. The fleet returns fire and wipes out the particle lances in less than two minutes. Yamato and Musashi close on the planet, checking for the existence of a second, shorter-ranged battery. Twenty-four additional particle lances fire at 90,000 km, targeting Musashi once more, with similar results. The new battery is swiftly eliminated by a second surface bombardment.
The swift elimination of two different Zuijin fleets in the same operation is a significant victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy, especially given the size of the fleet in Ashikaga, and bodes well for the clearance of the remaining Zuijin-held systems. Although only two fighters have been lost, two hundred and eighty-eight anti-ship missiles were expended and almost a hundred million litres of fuel will have been consumed by the time the Kido Butai returns to Earth. Those numbers are not sustainable over the long-term unless both ordnance and fuel production are increased. Except for two light cruisers left in orbit of Ashikaga to protect salvage operations, the Main Force and the Carrier Striking Force move to the Waisei Yon jump point, where they await the arrival of replenishment ships before setting course for home. The Occupation Force will remain in orbit of the recently conquered Matsuyama II, until the jump points between Matsuyama and Ashikaga can be stabilised.
30th September 1978
The Kido Butai returns to Earth, except for Yamato and Musashi which remain in Matsuyama awaiting the arrival of an additional replenishment ship. After refuelling, there are only thirty million litres of fuel remaining in the Earth-based stockpile. A further thirty million litres remain on the Scimitaran home world and over a hundred million litres are stored at the rapidly-growing Japanese colony on the first moon of Scimitar II, known as the Scimitar Naval Base. All forty-four Imperial Navy fuel harvesters are in orbit of Scimitar I, having been transferred from Neptune. The captured Scimitaran Goshawk class tanker is on a continuous cycle between the fuel harvesters and the naval base, building up a stockpile that can be transferred to Earth.
There are other fuel depots throughout the Empire of Japan, with twenty million litres on New Osaka, twenty-five million at the Truk Naval Base and fifteen million litres each at Fiji and Takamatsu. In total, the amount of fuel stored at colonies is three hundred million litres. However, five of the nine replenishment ships currently in service, including Hayasui, are currently empty and two more are at forty percent fuel. Another seventy million litres will be required to refuel them. There are currently ninety freighters and sixty-two colony ships of less than 50,000 tons and twenty-one freighters and six colony ships of 230,000 tons, with a combined total fuel storage of one hundred and forty-three million tons. Most of these ships are currently in transit and have less then maximum fuel. In short, while the Empire of Japan appears to have a reasonable fuel stockpile, it is being consumed rapidly and is only sufficient to fill seventy-five percent of the fuel capacity of the entire fleet, excluding fuel harvesters.
The Main Force and the Carrier Striking Force require approximately two point five million litres of fuel for every billion kilometres travelled, so maintaining the campaign against the Zuijin with current force levels is going to make the situation worse, especially against more distant targets. Either the current use of freighters and colony ships is curtailed, which does not make economic sense given the large number of installations still on the surface of Scimitar Prime and the recent discovery of vast Duranium and Gallicite deposits on Matsuyama II, or the deployment of the Kido Butai will have to be managed around available fuel supplies.
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14th October 1978
An Aichi E2A scout with a volunteer crew is dispatched to the Zuijin-held Kagoshima to check if the Tsushima jump point is now clear. Several such reconnaissance missions have been mounted over the last few years and all have ended badly for the scout crews. On this occasion, the scout transits into Kagoshima system without incident and finds there are several new wrecks, four of which are on the Sapporo jump point, with two closer to the inner system. Five of the six are known designs of the Sapporo aliens, based on previous detections by a sensor buoy on the Sapporo – Kagoshima jump point. A Kawanishi H1K ‘Saiun’ is dispatched to Kagoshima to emplace a sensor buoy on the Tsushima jump point.
19th October 1978
Earth is out of fuel. A combination of refuelling replenishment ships and commercial vessels, plus new freighter construction, has exhausted the remaining stockpile. The replenishment ships currently at Earth will unload their fuel for emergency use.
30th October 1978
The situation on Scimitar Prime is now relatively stable, with the population productivity at sixty percent of normal. Nine Kempeitai Occupation Forces are on the moon, along with two full Imperial Army divisions. One hundred and seventy-four labour camps have been constructed, forty-three of which are construction camps.
16th November 1978
The survey cruiser Harukaze discovers a jump point in Onekotan, a system on the far side of Zharovian territory that has ships and small colonies from the Covenant of Velsharoon. An E2A scout from Harukaze probes the stable jump point and emerges in the Covenant home system of Velsharoon. Zharovian ships have been detected in Onekotan, so this is an active border between the Covenant and the Followers. It will be interesting to see how that situation develops, given the proximity to the Velsharoon home world. The Covenant also has borders with the People’s Republic of Xiama and the Empire of Japan, with the latter located at the Palau – Truk jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire106.png)
21st November 1978
The survey cruiser Shirakumo completes a survey of Ashikaga II and discovers a deserted but intact colony on the surface. Apart from ground forces and minimal installations to support the orbital fleet, this is the first time that anything other than a ruin has been found on the surface of a Zuijin planet, which probably explains the size of the defending force. There is also an ancient construct on the surface, the fourth such object to be discovered so far. Detailed analysis by Imperial Naval Intelligence has revealed that the constructs are much older than the remains of the Zuijin colonies and were most likely built by an even earlier civilization. Japanese research colonies have been established at the construct sites on Takahama-B II and Osaka-B I, with eight research facilities in operation at each colony, so it seems likely the Zuijin established their own settlements at the sites for similar reasons. A surface survey of the Zuijin colony and the construct will not be possible until the Zuijin ground forces, with a signature of 40,000 tons, have been removed. A ground invasion will take place once the necessary jump points have been stabilised.
25th January 1979
Koshu Maru, a stabilisation ship is midway through stabilising the jump point from Kokura, a Zuijin system where the survey cruiser Usugumo was destroyed, to the adjacent system of Uchigō. This preparation is to avoid any further issues with the Sagami Maru class troop transports being too large for the jump drives of the Chitose class tenders. There is still no confirmation of the total forces in this system, as Usugumo was destroyed close to the jump point by a Ravager class escort cruiser and three destroyers.
Unfortunately, Koshu Maru draws the attention of the Zuijin and detects the approach of three Conqueror class light cruisers and a pair of Vengeance class missile cruisers. Plainly, Kokura is home to a more significant Zuijin fleet than the previous encounter suggested. Koshu Maru cannot run, because she has no jump drive and her work is not complete. Her crew can only watch as the thermal signatures from an inbound salvo of twenty-six Zuijin laser torpedoes close on the jump point. They detonate at just 53,000 km, generating numerous strength-6 hits that completely destroy the ship.
4th February 1979
A ground survey of Matsuyama II increases the accessibility of Duranium and Neutronium to 1.0 and 0.2 respectively and reveals four million tons of Mercassium, albeit at minimal accessibility. A colony of four million has already been established on the planet and terraforming operations are underway.
Matsuyama II Survey Report
Duranium: 14,644,868 1.00
Neutronium: 25,826,723 0.20
Corbomite: 16,208,676 0.10
Tritanium: 18,404,100 0.10
Mercassium: 4,460,544 0.10
Vendarite: 28,579,711 1.00
Sorium: 39,312,899 0.20
Uridium: 15,681,600 0.10
Gallicite: 8,820,897 0.70
12th February 1979
A survey of the Fomalhaut system, four transits from Sol via Bernard’s Star, Tamba and Shibetsu, reveals a total of nine jump points, a record for a single system. Fomalhaut also has almost five hundred asteroids, many of which are potential sites for small mining colonies, orbital mining or civilian outposts. One of the asteroids, less than a thousand kilometres in diameter, has sufficient gravity for humans, so a small base will be established to aid future expansion in the system.
14th February 1979
The first pair of Yasukuni Maru class troop transports are completed in Earth orbit. This is a larger vessel than the Sagami Maru, albeit with the same troop capacity, and is designed for rapid troop deployment using its drop bays. This will allow the Imperial Navy to deploy multiple waves to a planet more quickly than before.
Yasukuni Maru class Troop Transport 214,507 tons 1,148 Crew 6,285 BP TCS 4,290 TH 10,752 EM 0
2506 km/s Armour 1-319 Shields 0-0 HTK 342 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 18 Max Repair 800 MSP
Troop Capacity 100,000 tons Drop Capable Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 20
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Koga-Murakama KC-384-B Magneto-plasma Drive (28) Power 10752 Fuel Use 2.48% Signature 384 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 67.7 billion km (312 days at full power)
Type 25 Go-13B Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 31.5m km Resolution 120
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
18th March 1979
Hoshi Maru and Hikari Maru are launched from the Kotara Graving Dock orbital shipyard. The 22,246-ton ships are jump tenders equipped with the new Komatsu KMC-2400-B jump drive, which has sufficient capacity to allow commercial-engined ships of up to 240,000 tons to transits. Hikari Maru is immediately dispatched to Matsuyama to rendezvous with the Occupation Force of the Kido Butai.
Hoshi Maru class Jump Tender 22,436 tons 185 Crew 996.3 BP TCS 449 TH 1,536 EM 0
3423 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-70 Shields 0-0 HTK 46 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 27 Max Repair 480 MSP
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Komatsu KMC-2400-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 240000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KC-384-B Magneto-plasma Drive (4) Power 1536 Fuel Use 2.48% Signature 384 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 161.8 billion km (547 days at full power)
Type 35 Go-13D Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 42.3m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 35 Go-63C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
21st March 1979
The sensor buoy deployed in the Zharov system detects numerous weapon impacts near the location of the existing wrecks. There are twenty-five wrecks in the same location, all of unknown type, totalling over a million tons. Separately, there is a single wreck of an Incheon class ship of the Wokou Raiders. Imperial Naval Intelligence requests that additional intelligence gathering assets be deployed to the Zharov system, as close as possible to the location of the wrecks.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire107.png)
29th March 1979
On the edge of known space, seven transits from Sol in the Amateratsu system, a small Zuijin ruin was discovered several months ago, without any guardian fleet. The troop transport Kaimei Maru brought a Xenoarchaeological regiment to investigate and has remained in orbit while the survey was conducted. Kaimei Maru detects thermal emissions from an Incheon class raider and attempts to run, to no avail. The raider rapidly closes the range and destroys the transport in a hail of railgun fire. A second transport, Sakito Maru, left the planet only a day earlier carrying a geosurvey regiment. As she heads to the jump point, Sakito Maru observes the life pods disappearing. After a couple of weeks, the wreck vanishes too. Apparently, the Wokou raiders have salvage vessels.
10th April 1979
The survey cruiser Amagiri transits an unexplored jump point in Fomalhaut and discovers the Kashima system, comprising an orange K5-V primary and a single barren world with a surface temperature of a thousand degrees. Approximately a billion kilometres from the primary, and a similar distance from the jump point, is a strange phenomenon, appearing as a great rift in space ten million kilometres in diameter. There is nothing else like it in known space. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi raises the priority of the planned outpost in Fomalhaut as he wishes to maintain an observation of the rift.
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11th April 1979
As the Zuijin have ignored the Aichi E2A scout deployed on the Kagoshima - Tsushima jump point, and the Zuijin planet is on the far side of the primary, four further Imperial Navy ships have entered the Kagoshima system. A diplomatic ship, escorted by a jump tender, is moving in a wide circle around the inner system in an attempt to reach Sapporo and make contact with the aliens encountered in that system. Meanwhile, the salvage ship Kimikawa Maru and a Kansai-Ha class freighters have already salvaged their counterparts lost during a previous incursion and one of the Sapporo alien ships, designated as Pasht class. The recovered components include geological survey sensors, an EM sensor comparable to current Japanese technology and a thermal sensor that is one generation ahead.
2nd May 1979
A Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' geosurvey craft is conducting a survey of Moriguchi, seven transits from Sol in an area of space known as the Koga Chain – a group of twenty systems beyond Proxima’s second jump point. The 1000-ton survey craft is closing on Moriguchi I, a superjovian with ten moons, when it detects active emissions from numerous alien ships of a previously unknown race. It takes only moment for the tactical computer on the M1W to classify the ships as biological, similar in general form to the Mizuchi, but different enough to be classified as a new species.
Three different ship types are initially identified. Twelve Orchids, seven designated as Huntsman class and a single Crab Spider. Two of the Orchids head directly for the M1W 'Shiragiku' at the disturbing speed of 14,385 km/s, Even the fastest Mizuchi ship only had a speed of 8800 km/s. The M1W reverses course and runs, but it is designed for long-range survey, not speed. As the Orchids move within active sensor range, a further seven ships are identified in the same group - three Tarantulas and four Wolf Spiders, all of which are 834 tons. The Orchid is 667 tons. The Wolf Spiders open fire from 200,000 with the same acid-laser weapons as the Mizuchi. They are joined at 70,000 km by the Tarantulas, firing microwave weapons. The small survey ship has no chance and is quickly destroyed.
This new, apparently higher technology, species of the Mizuchi is designated as the Mizuchi-Ro. They are not an immediate threat, as there are no Imperial colonies in the Koga Chain and the only route to Earth passes through Beta Hydri, which is occupied by a sizeable Zuijin fleet of 375,000 tons, including eight orbital bases. Even so, that threat may grow, so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi adds yet another high priority task for the Imperial Japanese Navy; assess the capabilities of the Mizuchi-Ro, identify a suitable place to attack them and establish the necessary basing facilities and logistical support for that attack.
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8th May 1979
A Hosho class diplomatic ship transits from Kagoshima into Sapporo, with the aid of Kamoi, a jump tender. There are no ships of the Sapporo aliens within sensor range. Kamoi will move to the only outward jump point, which leads to a black hole, in an effort to locate them.
10th May 1979
The People’s Republic of Xiama enters Truk for the first time from Palau, which lies in Covenant space. After a request to leave, they accept Imperial sovereignty over Truk. Both the Xiamen and the Covenant have recently expressed a desire for friendly relations and a trade agreement. While the Empire of Japan is not yet prepared to issue a declaration of friendship to any alien race, it has agreed to trade relations. Trading will improve intelligence on both Empires, helping to prepare the ground for an eventual invasion.
1st June 1979
After entering the system with the assistance of the new jump tender Hikari Maru, the Occupation Force of the Kido Butai unloads the 2nd Division, 3rd (Armoured) Division and 6th Division on the surface of Ashikaga II. The battle is extremely fierce, with more defending Zuijin robots and mechs than in any previous engagement. Almost two thousand infantry and fifty tanks are lost within the first eight hours. By end of the first day, that total has reached five thousand and one hundred and fifty respectively, including sixty Ju-I heavy tanks. Two regiments are so badly mauled, they are broken up to provide replacement for other units. In response, a thousand Zuijin warrior bots and a hundred and seventy of the larger Mechs have been destroyed by Japanese forces. For the veterans of the Imperial Army, the combat is reminiscent of the worst days of the invasion of Scimitar Prime.
June 2nd 1979
On the second day of the invasion, the Imperial Army loses another seven thousand infantry. Armoured losses are lighter at sixty-two tanks, including fourteen Ju-I. More regiments are broken up and the force is consolidated into two divisions, with a comparable drop in overall strength. Zuijin losses are estimated at nine hundred bots and a hundred mechs, with perhaps forty percent losses overall.
June 4th 1979
By the fourth day, Imperial Army losses have finally started to ease, although fighting strength has been reduced to approximately half of the initial invasion force. The Zuijin are stubbornly, but steadily, retreating, with Imperial armoured formations achieving local breakthroughs.
9th June 1979
The Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki is raised over Ashikaga II. Every last Zuijin mech has been hunted down and destroyed, allowing three Xenoarchaeology regiments to land and begin work on the ruins and the dormant construct. Casualties among the Imperial Army units were extremely heavy. The remnants of the engaged regiments have been formed into a new, slightly-oversized division, designated as the ‘Scimitar Division’ and comprising what remains of the eight Imperial Army Divisions that conquered Scimitar Prime, Matsuyama II and now Ashikaga II. The soldiers of the Scimitar Division are the only survivors from every Imperial Army unit trained before 1975.
Since 1975, a new divisional structure has been used, comprising three infantry regiments and a single heavy tank regiment. The infantrymen have been equipped with powered armour and upgraded rifles, while the anti-tank guns and light howitzers were replaced by additional machine guns, giving a regimental strength of 3600 infantry, 360 machine guns and 180 supply sections, plus the regimental HQ. The 1975-model tank regiment comprises one hundred and twenty Ju-Ro heavy tanks, with a larger calibre cannon than the Ju-I, plus eighty supply sections and a Chi-Ha command tank.
In 1976, the development of laminate composite armour resulted in a new round of upgrades and the deployment of the 1976-model division, which had the same structure but with updated armour for the infantry units and the introduction of the Ju-Ha heavy tank. Two 1975-model divisions have been trained, and are currently based on Scimitar Prime, while a single 1976-model division is on Earth. A second 1976-model division is currently being trained. This new-model Imperial Army will fight the majority of future battles, although given the success of the Ju series heavy tank, an even heavier design is planned.
Due to its history and composition, the Scimitar Division has been given a unique organization. All two hundred and twenty-one remaining Ju-I heavy tanks have been assigned to the 1st Heavy Tank Brigade. The surviving medium and light tanks, comprising four hundred and thirty-five Chi-Ro and Chi-Ha battle tanks and five hundred and fifty Ke-Ro and Ke-Ha light tanks, have been grouped into the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades, with the older model tanks in the 1st Brigade. Finally, the four and a half thousand infantry, plus nineteen 72mm anti-tank guns, form the Scimitar Infantry Regiment. With the divisional assets, that creates a force requiring a transport capacity of 110,000 tons, about 12,000 tons more than the new model divisions and with a much higher density of armour, albeit with less capable designs.
9th July 1979
Study of the ancient construct on Ashikaga II suggests it will improve power and propulsion research conducted at the colony by up to thirty percent.
14th July 1979
The sensor buoy in the Zharov system detects over a hundred energy weapon impacts near the wreckage field, about forty percent of which are strength-10. A new wreck appears, along with life pods. Weapon fire continues with strength-1 impacts for another ten seconds, before another wreck appears and the fighting ceases. There is still no clue as to the identity of the hostile race attempting to enter Zharov.
16th September 1979
The recently emplaced sensor buoys in Kagoshima detect explosions and energy weapon impacts in deep space, over a hundred and fifty billion kilometres from the star, followed by the appearance of a wreck of a Bastet class from the Sapporo aliens. Imperial Naval Intelligence can only theorise what has happened. The Bastet class is capable of 6,865 km/s, based on the recent observation of a ship entering Sapporo, although that cannot be the same ship that was destroyed, given the time elapsed. Assuming the Bastet ran and the Zuijin pursued, despite not being fast enough to catch, it may eventually have run out of fuel, or failed to detect the Zuijin before they launched. The cause will likely remain a mystery, but it shows the determination of the Zuijin when they detect an intruder and likely explains why recent Imperial Navy activity in Kagoshima has proceeded without incident. The salvage ship Kimikawa Maru has now returned to Earth after salvaging several wrecks from the Sapporo aliens, albeit without learning anything of consequence.
The brief engagement also means that a Zuijin force is in deep space and will take approximately ten months to return to the inner system. If the Kido Butai wishes to move against Kagoshima, there will never be a better time. However, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi has been using the Zuijin as a buffer against the Sapporo aliens while the Imperial Navy focuses on building up the colony in Matsuyama, establishing a base in Fomalhaut, exploiting the ruins in Ashikaga - once they have been surveyed - and increasing the size of the research colonies in Osaka and Takahama, not to mention survey and reconnaissance operations in Zharovian and Covenant space and protecting all the existing colonies. Setting up and defending another colony in Kagoshima, in order to claim the system before the Sapporo aliens could exploit it, would further stretch the Imperial Navy’s limited resources.
In any event, the Occupation Force is still in Matsuyama awaiting a replenishment ship, so an invasion cannot be mounted until the troop transports return to Earth. Takagi decides to reassess the situation once all the necessary assets are available. In the meantime, the Imperial Navy will take advantage of the Zuijin’s distraction to send one or more survey cruisers into Sapporo and beyond in an attempt to find the home world of the Sapporo aliens.
21st September 1979
The Taihō II-Ro class carriers Shinyō and Unryū are completed by the Yokosuka Dockyards in Earth orbit. There are now six Taiho-series carriers in the Imperial Japanese Navy, along with seven Akagi III class. Shinyō and Unryū will replace the two Akagi class carriers currently assigned to the Kido Butai, making them available for general operations. Each new carrier has a Kōkūtai (strikegroup) of thirty-six Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan’ class strike craft, thirty-six Mitsubishi A3M2 'Hayabusa' class fighters and two Aichi E2A class scouts.
19th December 1979
The survey cruiser Minekaze enters Kagoshima, taking advantage of the Zuijin absence from the jump point, to cross the system and join Shirayuki in surveying the black hole beyond Sapporo. As she travel, Minekaze launches a Shusei reconnaissance drone to check on Kagoshima III. Compared to the initial contact, three destroyers and a Ravager class escort cruiser are missing, which are probably the ships involved in the recent distant conflict, but almost three hundred thousand tons of ships and bases remain in orbit.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire110.png)
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Map of the Empire - 3rd January 1980
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire111.png)
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In January 1980, twenty years after the Empire first ventured into space, known space extends to one hundred and ninety-five systems, including the territory currently occupied by the Zuijin, the People’s Republic of Xiama, the Followers of Zharov, the Covenant of Velsharoon, the Sapporo aliens and the Mizuchi-Ro. The total population of the Empire is two point eight billion humans, plus one point three billion Scimitarans, spread across twenty inhabited planets, moons and asteroids. A hundred and thirty-two research facilities are in operation, along with seven thousand mines and factories of various types and over eight hundred labour camps. The current distribution of industrial and mining operations is not ideally suited to the needs of the Empire, so a considerable transportation operation is underway to remedy that problem.
The Imperial Japanese Navy has never been stronger, with thirteen carriers, six battleships, two battlecruisers, eight heavy cruisers, thirty-one light cruisers and almost twelve hundred combat craft. They are supported by sixteen survey cruisers, fourteen troop transports, two hundred commercial-engined ships of various types and over a hundred orbital stations. Seventeen light cruisers are stationed outside the Sol system, guarding various colonies. A detailed breakdown of the colonies of the Empire of Japan and the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy is shown below.
Earth
Population: 2.38 billion
Naval Shipyard Capacity: 573,928 tons
Commercial Shipyard Capacity: 3,427,600 tons
Repair Yard Capacity: 162,000 tons
Maintenance Capacity: 1,792,000 tons
Research Facility: 111
Ground Force Construction Complex: 21
Construction Factory: 1893
Fighter Factory: 551
Ordnance Factory: 424
Mines: 292
Automated Mine: 50
Financial Centre: 220
Earth Survey Report
Duranium: 25,116 0.23
Vendarite: 36,495 0.25
Sorium: 41,409 0.27
Corundium: 131,220 0.39
Mars
Population: 21.5m
Financial Centre: 192
Luna
Population: 8.48m
Scimitar Prime
Population: 1.27 billion (Scimitaran)
Naval Shipyard Capacity: 2,000 tons
Commercial Shipyard Capacity: 260,000 tons
Repair Yard Capacity: 35,265 tons
Maintenance Capacity: 248,400 tons
Construction Factory: 420
Ordnance Factory: 239
Mine: 772
Fuel Refinery: 622
Financial Centre: 434
Forced Labour Construction Camp: 125
Forced Labour Mining Camp: 230
Note: 60% production
Scimitar Prime Survey Report
Duranium: 1,295,437 1.00
Neutronium: 125,041 0.78
Corbomite: 344,546 0.70
Tritanium: 320,182 0.60
Boronide: 203,055 0.40
Mercassium: 81,425 0.55
Vendarite: 596,482 0.60
Sorium: 291,960 0.80
Uridium: 137,355 0.40
Corundium: 96,018 0.50
Gallicite: 118,878 0.81
Scimitar Naval Base
Population: 65.6m
Maintenance Capacity: 88,000 tons
Financial Centre: 572
Scimitar II - Moon 3
Automated Mine: 115
Scimitar II - Moon 3 Survey Report
Uridium: 44,597 0.91
Gallicite: 35,255 0.77
New Osaka:
Population: 88m
Maintenance Capacity: 80,000 tons
Construction Factory: 180
Forced Labour Construction Camp: 15
Forced Labour Mining Camp: 459
Mine: 350
Automated Mine: 60
Fuel Refinery: 29
New Osaka Survey Report
Duranium: 646,721 0.90
Neutronium: 122,274 0.58
Corbomite: 97,795 0.47
Tritanium: 31,732 0.33
Boronide: 322,847 0.60
Mercassium: 53,432 0.45
Vendarite: 433,205 0.70
Sorium: 356,105 0.70
Uridium: 285,089 0.50
Corundium: 22,800 0.30
Gallicite: 73,935 0.37
Osaka-B I
Population: 25.3m
Research Facility: 12
Takamatsu II
Population: 60.3m
Maintenance Capacity: 82,000 tons
Construction Factory: 40
Mine: 500
Automated Mine: 265
Takamatsu II Survey Report
Duranium: 1,462,360 0.80
Neutronium: 205,255 0.90
Tritanium: 227,160 0.80
Mercassium: 174,365 0.70
Vendarite: 411,270 0.60
Uridium: 156,070 0.60
Gallicite: 805,255 0.90
Takamatsu III - Moon 6
Population: 17.7m
Mine: 60
Takamatsu III - Moon 6 Survey Report
Duranium: 791,899 0.80
Tritanium: 389 0.37
Boronide: 383,503 0.90
Vendarite: 570,111 0.60
Corundium: 478,348 0.80
Gallicite: 491,379 0.60
Tsushima II
Population: 42.63m
Mine: 281
Tsushima II Survey Report
Duranium: 13,080,902 0.70
Neutronium: 12,956,243 0.10
Corbomite: 54,165,843 0.10
Tritanium: 3,093,843 0.10
Boronide: 28,725,843 0.10
Uridium: 44,085,843 0.10
Corundium: 22,274,643 0.10
Matsuyama II
Population: 23.6m
Maintenance Capacity: 88,000 tons
Mine: 248
Automated Mine: 74
Matsuyama II Survey Report
Duranium: 14,641,516 1.00
Neutronium: 25,826,053 0.20
Corbomite: 16,208,340 0.10
Tritanium: 18,403,764 0.10
Mercassium: 4,460,209 0.10
Vendarite: 28,576,360 1.00
Sorium: 39,312,229 0.20
Uridium: 15,681,264 0.10
Gallicite: 8,818,551 0.70
Takahama-B II
Population: 19.8m
Maintenance Capacity: 74,000 tons
Research Facility: 9
Truk Naval Base
Population: 18.67m
Maintenance Capacity: 178,000 tons
Financial Centre: 131
Fiji Naval Base
Population: 4.03m
Maintenance Capacity: 146,000 tons
Financial Centre: 23
Hadano Naval Base
Population: 3m
Maintenance Capacity: 92,000 tons
Financial Centre: 34
Comet #3 - Aomori
Automated Mine: 257
Comet #3 Survey Report
Duranium: 129,047 1.00
Tritanium: 15,662 0.44
Boronide: 443 0.13
Corundium: 11,041 0.40
Gallicite: 116,447 0.70
Minor Colonies
Sakura III: 3.0m
Sirius-A I: 2.9m
Kapteyn’s Star I: 2.6m
Draconis Naval Base: 1.4m
Imperial Japanese Navy
Carriers
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō, Unryū
Taihō II class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
Akagi III class Carrier: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, Ryujo, Soryu, Zuiho, Zuikaku
Capital Ships
Yamato class Battleship: Musashi, Yamato
Nagato II class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei, Kirishima
Cruisers
Takao II-Ro class Heavy Cruiser: Ashigara, Haguro, Myōkō, Nachi
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Nagara III-Ha class Light Cruiser: Jintsū, Kinu, Kiso, Kitakami, Naka
Nagara III-Ro class Light Cruiser: Nagara, Natori, Noshiro, Ōyodo, Sendai, Tama, Tatsuta, Tenryū, Yahagi, Yoshino, Yura
Nagara III class Light Cruiser: Abukuma, Agano, Isuzu, Kashii, Kashima, Kashiwara, Katori, Kuma, Niitaka, Niyodo, Sakawa
Kasagi class Light Cruiser: Itsukushima, Kasagi, Matsushima, Takasago
Survey Cruisers
Shimakaze class Survey Cruiser: Asakaze, Harukaze, Minekaze, Shimakaze, Yamakaze
Asagiri II class Survey Cruiser: Amagiri, Asagiri, Fubuki, Miyuki, Murakumo, Oboro, Sagiri, Shinonome, Shirakumo, Shirayuki, Yugiri
Fighters and Strike Craft – all numbers include variants
556x Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class Fighter
234x Mitsubishi A2M 'Shinden' class Fighter
120x Mitsubishi A1M 'Raiden' class Fighter
144x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike
77x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike
48x Mitsubishi G1M 'Donryu' class Long Range Strike
3x Nakajima J1N 'Toryu' class Interceptor
Utility Craft
26x Aichi E2A class Scout
4x Aichi E1A class Scout
2x Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku' class Long Range Patrol
2x Kawanishi H1K 'Saiun' class Long Range Patrol
4x Kyushu M1W 'Shiragiku' class Geological Survey Craft
1x Mitsubishi E2M 'Shiun' class Reconnaissance Craft
Troop Transports
2x Yasukuni Maru class Troop Transport
3x Sagami Maru class Troop Transport
9x Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport
Freighters
18x Omurosan-Ro Maru class Freighter
6x Omurosan Maru class Freighter
36x Kansai-Ha Maru class Freighter
32x Kansai-Ro Maru class Freighter
30x Kansai Maru class Freighter
Colony Ships
4x Hikawa-Ro Maru class Colony Ship
2x Hikawa Maru class Colony Ship
12x Asama-Ha Maru class Colony Ship
30x Asama-Ro Maru class Colony Ship
20x Asama Maru class Colony Ship
Orbital Stations
15x Fukurokuju class Orbital Habitat
18x Okuninushi-Ro class Fuel Harvester
38x Okuninushi class Fuel Harvester
11x Yokosuka class Maintenance Base
42x Amateratsu class Terraforming Station
Support Ships
2x Shokai-Ha Maru class Tug
2x Shokai-Ro Maru class Tug
2x Shokai Maru class Tug
2x Eikai Maru class Tug
2x Hayasui class Fleet Support Vessel
2x Akatsuki-Ro Maru class Replenishment Ship
6x Akatsuki Maru class Replenishment Ship
1x Goshawk class Tanker
5x Koshu-Ro Maru class Stabilisation Ship
1x Koshu Maru class Stabilisation Ship
3x Kasashima-Ro class Salvager
2x Hoshi Maru class Jump Tender
6x Chitose class Jump Tender
2x Hosho II class Diplomatic Ship
2x Hosho class Diplomatic Ship
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9th January 1980
A survey of the deserted colony on Ashikaga II identifies five hundred and seventy-six locations of interest, which is far more than at any previous Zuijin outpost. Recovery work begins immediately.
30th January 1980
Six F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' (Crowned Bird) Observer craft are completed in Earth orbit. They are designed to monitor alien populations without being detected, allowing the Empire of Japan to learn more about those alien races that are not immediately hostile. In addition to their small size, they have thermal suppression on their engines. Three F1Ms depart immediately, heading for the capital systems of the Covenant, the People’s Republic and the Followers, although the latter will require support from a replenishment ship due to the distance involved.
F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' class Observer 2,000 tons 55 Crew 456.7 BP TCS 40 TH 34 EM 0
2400 km/s Armour 1-14 Shields 0-0 HTK 20 Sensors 8/12/0/0 DCR 2-10 PPV 0
Maint Life 6.54 Years MSP 285 AFR 16% IFR 0.2% 1YR 11 5YR 172 Max Repair 120 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-96-T Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 96 Fuel Use 77.46% Signature 33.6 Expl 10%
Fuel Capacity 206,000 Litres Range 23.9 billion km (115 days at full power)
Type 35 Go-13D Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 42.3m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
ELINT Module (2) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
27th February 1980
Another substantial engagement takes places in the Zharov system. The total number of wrecks at the suspected jump point has risen to twenty-nine.
16th April 1980
An F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' observer craft transits into Guadalcanal, home system of the Xiamen, and detects a diplomacy ship of the Covenant of Velsharoon on the Eniwetok jump point, along with five Xiamen ships. The presence of the Velsharoon ship in Guadalcanal suggests a close relationship between the two alien races.
28th June 1980
The Yamato-Ro class battleships Katsuragi and Shinano are launched in Earth orbit. The class is a minor update to the Yamato, adding third generation fire control jammers, tokamak fusion reactors and an extra shield generator. Yamato and Musashi will be refitted to the same specification.
12th July 1980
A newly discovered connection between Fomalhaut and Kobe transforms the map of known space, placing Fomalhaut and its nine jump points just two transits from Mitaka and its eight jump points. More worryingly, it brings the mysterious rift in Kashima much closer to the heart of the Empire and only four transits from the colonies in Takamatsu, Hadano and Sakura.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire112.png)
30th August 1980
The survey cruiser Yugiri transits a jump point in Espiritu Santo, one transit out from the Fiji Naval Base, and emerges in the Velsharoon home system. As there have been no sightings of Velsharoon ships in Espiritu Santo, it is possible this was a dormant jump point and the Covenant is unaware of its existence, which makes it potentially very valuable in the event of a decision to attack the system.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire113.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire114.png)
30th September 1980
Intelligence gained by the F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' in Velsharoon provides complete gravitational data for the system. There is a single unexplored jump point, in addition to the known jump points to Bikini, Espiritu Santo and Onekotan. The survey cruiser Yugiri is already in the system, attempting a stealthy survey so she immediately heads for the new jump point and discovers a connection to Rota, a known Covenant system. In addition to the survey data, the study of the Velsharoon home world estimates the population at 3.94 billion, sixty percent greater than Earth, with nine thousand installations.
31st October 1980
The F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' in Guadalcanal, home system of the People’s Republic of Xiama, gains technical data on the latest Xiamen terraformer design, revealing that they have Inertial Fusion Drives, a propulsion technology that is two generations ahead of the Magneto-plasma drives used by the Imperial Japanese Navy. This is an extremely serious situation and elevates the People’s Republic to the greatest current threat to the Empire of Japan. Analysis of the Xiamen home world estimates the population at three point six billion with eight thousand installations.
30th November 1980
The survey cruiser Fubuki, operating discreetly in the Zharov system, confirms the presence of a jump point at the site of the wrecks and conducts a probe. She emerges in a system with a yellow G5-V primary, five planets and a small asteroid belt. Two moons of the second planet have nitrogen-oxygen atmospheres, one of which is breathable. Both have substantial ice sheets and surface temperatures of -50C and -120C respectively. Twenty-four wrecks are scattered around the orbit of the second planet, many of which are known Zharovian designs. Fubuki is five billion kilometres from the two moons, so she heads in-system to launch recon drones. The system is named Mauritius. Subsequent systems in the chain will follow a nomenclature of Indian Ocean islands.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire115.png)
2nd December 1980
During the efforts to locate the jump point and support surveying beyond it, the replenishment ship Kyokuto Maru transited across the Zharov system, resulting in two separate communications from the Followers demanding the ship leave their home system immediately. There was no threat of force, so diplomatic relations appear to be intact, although perhaps significantly weakened. Kyokuto Maru is now in Mauritius to provide support to Fubuki and any other Imperial Navy ships that make it this far. The Zharov – Mauritius jump point is forty-five billion kilometres from Sol and thirty billion from the Fiji Naval Base, which is the closest Japanese system. A second replenishment ship will be required somewhere along the route, within Zharovian territory, if exploration of this area is to be sustained. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi authorises the deployment of Akatsuki Maru to an asteroid in the Kharimkotan system, roughly equidistant from Fiji and Mauritius, where she will act as a covert refuelling point.
19th December 1980
In Mauritius, Fubuki is surveying as she moves sunward, making the most efficient use of her fuel. One of the wrecks in the inner system suddenly disappears, meaning there are active alien ships in the system, or this is another Mizuchi system. Finding out becomes more urgent than saving fuel.
January 1st 1980
A Gekko reconnaissance drone from Fubuki detects a large alien population on the third moon of Mauritius II, with a thermal signature slightly larger than Earth. A large shipyard complex is in orbit, along with twelve ships between 20.875 tons and 26,151 tons in size. This is plainly another major alien race, with its home world in an adjacent system to the Followers of Zharov. Another wreck was salvaged while Fubuki was moving into drone range, so the current wrecks in Zharov and Mauritius are unlikely to represent the full extent of the battles so far. Fubuki will have to tread carefully, as the Mauritius aliens will not welcome an intruding alien ship in their home system. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi begins to consider the possibilities for attacking the Zharovians while they are distracted by the current war. Before that happens, he decides to eliminate the Zuijin in Kagoshima and determine the status of the Sapporo aliens before committing to any major operations against the Followers of Zharov.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire116.png)
8th January 1981
The Kido Butai arrives at the Tsushima – Kagoshima jump point. As the jump point on the Kagoshima side is only a hundred million kilometres from the Zuijin fleet in orbit of Kagoshima III, there is no need for the Carrier Striking Force or the Occupation Force to transit into the system until the engagement is over. The Support Force is not needed as the target is only six billion kilometres from Earth. The Main Force transits, along with the fighters and strike craft of the six Taiho class carriers, and heads for the planet.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Yamato-Ro class Battleship: Katsuragi, Musashi*, Shinano, Yamato**
Nagato II class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser: Atago, Chōkai, Maya, Takao
Takao II-Ro class Heavy Cruiser: Ashigara, Haguro, Myōkō, Nachi
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Daishi Toru
Taihō II class Carrier: Junyō*, Taihō
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō, Unryū
72x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' class Carrier Strike:
144x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike:
216x Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class Fighter:
8x Aichi E2A class Scout:
Occupation Force – Kaigun Taisa Kido Hoshi
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Kirishima*
Yasukuni Maru class Troop Transport: Hachiman Maru, Yasukuni Maru
Sagami Maru class Troop Transport: Keizan Maru, Sagami Maru, Tatukami Maru
Shinshu Maru class Troop Transport: Mayasan Maru
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire117.png)
The Zuijin fleet comprises five bases – two Devastators, two Terrors and a Vanquisher – plus three Vengeance class missile cruisers, three Conqueror class light cruisers armed with particle beams, two Ravager escort cruisers, three destroyers, two escorts and two scouts. The scouts, the destroyers and one Ravager break orbit and head directly toward the Main Force.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire118.png)
Two small waves of laser torpedoes are shot down, then Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa dispatches six A3M ‘Hayabusa’ fighters to deal with the two Enforcers. Both are quickly eliminated. Several more waves of sixteen missiles arrive, presumably from the approaching destroyers, with minimal hits on the Japanese shields, then a wave of twenty-four arrives, a third of which attack and destroy a B1N ‘Ryusei’. Kurosawa orders a dozen strike craft to launch against the Ravager escorting the destroyers, as soon as they move within range. Twelve armour hits are achieved, so Kurosawa orders a second, similar attack. The Ravager suffers multiple armour penetration and disintegrates amid two large secondary explosions. Twelve A3Ms are released to accelerate and attack the Zuijin destroyers.
The destroyers, one each of the Hunter, Impaler and Razor classes, try to run as the fighters approach, but the A3Ms have a 10,000 km/s speed advantage. They close to point-blank range and open fire. All three Zuijin ships are overwhelmed before they can launch again. With the initial skirmishes over, and the Zuijin losing six ships in exchange for forty-eight Rakurai-Ha missiles and a B1N strike craft, the path to the planet is open for the Main Force.
A new, far larger wave of one hundred and eighteen laser torpedoes approaches, most likely launched by the Vanquisher and the three Vengeance class missile cruisers. The fighters shoot down fifty-two, along with a hundred and forty-three decoys. Mutsu is struck by thirty-seven lasers, reducing her shields to sixty percent. Two further waves arrive, with all hits absorbed by shields. The fourth large wave is preceded by a faster wave of sixty missiles, which means twenty Ghost class FACs are also in Kagoshima. Mutsu drops to fifty percent shields but is in no real danger. Three further waves are either shot down or absorbed before the Zuijin cease fire.
Once within five million kilometres of Kagoshima III, the one hundred and forty-four B2N ‘Renzan’ strike craft of the 1st Air Fleet take the next step of what is becoming a well-rehearsed dance for the Kido Butai, launching their anti-ship missiles at both Devastators and the remaining Ravager. The remaining forty-seven B1N ‘Ryusei’ retain their missiles for now. Only fifty-four missiles fail to reach their targets. The rest destroy both Devastator class light missile bases and inflict seven internal hits on the Ravager. In response, the Vanquisher and the Vengeance class cruisers launch a partial laser torpedo wave of seventy-four missiles. Twenty-seven strike Mutsu’s shields.
The fighter screen moves into close formation for the final approach to Kagoshima III. At one point two million kilometres, the damaged Ravager launches thirty-six light missiles, so Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders nine of the remaining B1N ‘Ryusei’ to return fire. The light missiles are targeted on the launching strike craft, but they get their own missiles away before three are hit and take armour damage. There is no further launch from the Ravager, which is destroyed by the small Japanese missile wave.
The Main Force halts 245,000 km from the planet and opens fire on the three Conqueror class light cruisers. The Conquerors and the Vengeance class cruisers charge the Main Force with predictable results. The Japanese heavy cruisers and battleship massacre the remaining Zuijin orbital forces, then move closer and engage the ground defences, with the same outcome. The twenty Ghost class FACs attempt to run, but do not get far. Apart from the Zuijin ground forces on Kagoshima III, the system is secure. A remarkably straightforward victory for the Kido Butai.
14th January 1981
Two Bransk class ships of the Followers of Zharov transit into Mauritius. The Bransk is 10,000 tons and capable of 9000 km/s, so it is probably some form of scout, although that is not yet confirmed.
21st January 1981
All five Imperial Army divisions, including the Scimitar Division, land on Kagoshima III. The Zuijin defending force is the standard combination of warrior bots and mechs and is well fortified in the planet’s desert mountains. The invading force is more numerous than during the recent bloodbath on Ashikaga II, has both improved armour protection and more advanced weapons and includes a higher density of armoured vehicles. Despite their defensive advantages, the Zuijin defenders are completely overwhelmed within twenty-four hours. Japanese casualties are seven hundred infantry and a handful of tanks. The challenge now will be to quickly secure the planet and the system before the Sapporo aliens can exploit the absence of the Zuijin.
4th February 1981
The survey cruiser Murakumo discovers a partially intact, but deserted, Zuijin colony on Kagoshima III.
10th February 1981
The survey cruiser Asagiri detects two Zuijin bases, a Devastator and a Terror, in orbit of Suzuka II, one transit outward from the rift in the Kashima system.
2nd March 1981
Wrecks continue to disappear from sensors in both Zharov and Mauritius.
3rd March 1981
Before the attack on Kagoshima, fuel reserves on Earth had been increased to almost a hundred million litres, mainly by stripping Scimitar Prime and Scimitar Naval Base of all reserves. With the Kido Butai now refuelled after its relatively short-range operation, except for four heavy cruisers that remain as a guard force in Kagoshima, the reserve is down to fifty million litres. The constant demands of freighters and colony ships are restricting military operations, so further commercial construction will be halted until the fuel supply situation improves.
14th March 1981
The partially intact colony on Kagoshima III has been surveyed. Three hundred and nineteen sites of interest have been identified. The task now is to establish communications with the Sapporo aliens, build up a significant population on Kagoshima III and claim the system, before the Sapporo aliens explore though Tsushima and discover both Sol and Scimitar.
22nd March 1981
Analysis of emissions from the Zharovian home world indicate it has a population of two point eight billion and has seven thousand installations.
24th March 1981
A Pasht class geosurvey ship of the Sapporo aliens begins a survey of Kagoshima III. Attempts at communication are underway, but with no success thus far.
25th March 1981
Exploration of a jump point in Santa Isabel, two jumps outward from Fiji, reveals a connection to the Sapporo system, one jump outward from Kagoshima, completely transforming the map of known space. The Fiji Naval Base is now just over four billion kilometres from the centre of the Sapporo system and ten from the black hole system one jump further out. Earth is eighteen and twenty-five respectively, while even Kagoshima III is twelve and twenty respectively. While Fiji itself is sixteen billion kilometres from Earth, it does provide an existing naval base close to the frontier with the new race. In addition, Sapporo is now only three jumps from the Velsharoon home world, via Santa Isabel and Espiritu Santo, and four from Zharovian territory via the same two systems plus Fiji. Astropolitics just became considerably more complex.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire119.png)
23rd April 1981
A Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku' makes the long journey from Sol to Fiji and onward from there to Zharov, refuelled en route by a pre-placed replenishment ship in Kharimkotan. The H2K emplaces a sensor buoy on both sides of the Zharov – Mauritius jump point, before being refuelled again, this time by Kyokuto Maru, which is positioned on the Mauritius side of the jump point. Next, the H2K moves in-system to a jump point discovered by Fubuki and places a third buoy, before transiting that jump point to discover a binary system of two K-class stars, with three terrestrial planets orbiting each component. The system is designated as Réunion.
The second and third planets of Réunion-B have nitrogen-oxygen atmospheres and liquid oceans, with the latter very close to breathable. There are ten wrecks of unknown type in orbit of Réunion-B II, ranging in size between 81,000 and 111,000 tons, with a single outlier at 16,236 tons. The H2K 'Seiku' places its last buoy on the entry jump point, which immediately detects two ships of the Mauritius aliens only five million kilometres away. Both ships are 16,243 tons, very close in size to the smallest of the unknown wrecks.
As the companion system is only three hundred million kilometres away, the H1K heads directly toward it, with the intention of moving within range of its small active sensor. The alien ships, designated as Eurasian Lynx and Serval classes, remain stationary. As the Japanese patrol craft reaches two hundred million kilometres from the jump point, a Bransk class ship of the Followers of Zharov transits into Réunion. The two Mauritian ships do not react, which is extremely odd given the number of wrecks littering both their home systems. In fact, after scanning the new Mauritian designs, five of the wrecks on the Zharov-Mauritius jump point are identified as those two classes. After a few minutes, the Bransk transits back into Mauritius.
The Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku' moves to Réunion-B II and detects a Zharovian population with a thermal signature just under five percent of Earth, plus 10,000 tons of ground forces, including surface-to-orbit weapons. A second, smaller Zharovian population is on Réunion-B III, along with a further twenty-five thousand tons of ground forces. The Followers of Zharov are not having a great deal of astrographic fortune, with the Zuijin system of Atlasov adjacent to their home world, separating them a large part of their territory, and now a major alien race beyond another jump point from their home world, separating them from their Réunion colonies.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire120.png)
30th April 1981
An Incheon class ship of the Wokou Raiders appears in Tsushima at the worst possible time. The system is full of commercial shipping travelling between Sol and Kagoshima, including freighters, colony ships, troop transports and salvage ships. Civilian traffic is en route to Scimitar, along with a tug towing a new fuel harvester. There is no military presence, except for two old shore batteries at the colony on Tsushima II.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire121.png)
Combined Fleet Headquarters on Earth immediately dispatches the carrier Akagi and two light cruisers, but they will not be in the system for 24 hours. All commercial traffic is ordered to head away from the inner system and toward the Scimitar jump point, except for the tug Kokai Maru which turns back toward Sol. The raider disappears from an hour, then reappears on a direct course for the colony on Tsushima II. The two shore batteries comprise a total of sixteen Kentaro-Sakura KS-20A ultraviolet lasers and twenty Takashi Kinetics TK-10A railguns, the latter with only a 10,000 km range. The surface-based lasers attempt to engage the raider at just under 300,000 km, albeit without success. They fire again at 220,000 and score three strength-1 armour hits.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire122.png)
The raider continues to close on Tsushima II, which is home to forty-three million settlers and two hundred and eighty manned mining complexes. At 145,000 km, the shore batteries fire for the third time, inflicting three hits of strength-2, all of which penetrate armour. Unfortunately, the Incheon fires its railguns at the same moment. All twelve shots hit the colony, missing the laser batteries but killing four thousand civilians and damaging the planet’s infrastructure. The Japanese lasers recycle before the Wokou railguns and fire at 68,000 km/s. Multiple strength-5 impacts are followed by a strength-65 secondary explosion, completely obliterating the Incheon.
Despite the destruction of the raider, this is the first time that Japanese civilians have been killed by aliens. The resulting outcry leads to a decision to increase the defences of all colonies, which will require additional shore batteries and the permanent assignment of warships. Currently, Ashikaga, Fomalhaut and Hadano are guarded by a single Nagara-series light cruiser, while Matsuyama, Osaka, Scimitar, Takahama and Takamatsu have a pair of cruisers. Fiji and Truk each have three, including a jump-capable Kasagi class. Planetary Kōkūtai, usually older fighters that have been replaced on carriers, are present at Fomalhaut, Osaka, Scimitar and Truk, while the 1st and 2nd Hiko Sentai are based at Osaka and Truk respectively. Several major colonies have shore batteries, but not all.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō orders the construction of additional shore batteries, even in preference to new Imperial Army divisions, and orders the establishment of bases at colonies that currently lack mobile protection. Akagi and her escorts continue onward to Tsushima, in case further Wokou raiders appear.
1st May 1981
In Reunion, the H1K checks the planets of the primary and discovers a small colony of the Mauritius aliens, which means the two opposing alien races both have colonies in the same system – perhaps the cause of their mutual antagonism.
22nd August 1981
A Tikatha class diplomatic ship of the Covenant of Velsharoon is destroyed on the Guadalcanal – Eniwetok jump point in the home system of the People’s Republic of Xiama. A F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' Observer craft monitoring the Xiamen home world detects the simultaneous missile detonations and energy weapon impacts, suggesting a laser torpedo salvo. Unfortunately, there is no sensor buoy on the jump point so the assailant cannot be determined. However, if the Tikatha was indeed destroyed by the Xiamen, these could be the first shots in a catastrophic war for both sides. If that war happens, the Imperial Japanese Navy must take full advantage. Initially through observation of the combatants and salvaging any wrecks, and eventually perhaps taking advantage of any resulting weakness from either side.
24th August 1981
The survey cruiser Harukaze discovers multiple Velsharoon populations in the Saipan system, two jumps outward from the Covenant home world. An asteroid colony has twenty commercial ships in orbit, most likely miners, totalling one point five million tons, escorting by seven warships, including a pair of Sidon escort cruisers. A second asteroid colony has a third Sidon, plus five other ships, while the inner planet of the system has fifteen probable warships.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire123.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire124.png)
31st August 1981
ELINT data gained from the Velsharoon home world reveals the existence of a system named Foxglove, which comprises a planetless K0-V star and two jump points. Its location is unknown.
20th September 1981
A 5,238-ton Novgorod class ship of the Followers of Zharov is destroyed in orbit of a comet in Reunion, presumably by the Mauritius aliens.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire125.png)
3rd November 1981
Since the destruction of the Covenant diplomatic ship in Guadalcanal, there have been no further signs of conflict between the two alien races, although the ships of both races have yet to be detected in the same locations, despite both being present at different times in several systems. A series of sensor buoys have been emplaced in systems close to Guadalcanal, and in the Xiamen home system, to monitor for further signs of conflict. Salvage ships and fleet support vessels, under the protection of the battlecruiser Hiei, have been forward deployed to the Hadano Naval Base, the only colony in the Empire where the population is housed in orbital habitats.
11th November 1981
Four military-engined Xiamen ships are on a jump point in the Eniwetok system, adjacent to Guadalcanal, with a Covenant diplomatic ship only 40,000 km away. There is no sign of hostilities. Given that a Covenant ship was destroyed less than three months ago, it seems unlikely that neither side would react to the presence of the other, unless some unknown third party destroyed the Tikatha in Guadalcanal. It is a complete mystery to Imperial Naval Intelligence. In an attempt to gain more information, two survey cruisers are dispatched to Guadalcanal to discreetly survey the home system of the People’s Republic.
14th November 1981
An Aichi E2A scout from the survey cruiser Shimakaze probes a jump point in Santa Isabel, a system that was recently connected to Sapporo and is only two jumps from Kagoshima, the Fiji Naval Base and the Velsharoon home world. The system itself, named Vanikoro, is unremarkable: a planetless red dwarf orbited by sixteen comets. However, it is home to another rift, similar to that in Kashima.
Japanese scientists have named the phenomenon an Aether Rift, as they believe it creates a hole, or perhaps a passageway, through the Aether to another dimension. The new rift is ten million kilometres in diameter, the same size as the rift in Kashima when it was discovered April 1979. Since its discovery, the Kashima rift has grown by twenty-five percent. For now, the scientists cannot determine the cause or effect of the Aether Rift, or even whether they are natural or artificial. The colony in Fomalhaut provides a base from which to monitor the Kashima rift. Kagoshima and Fiji will fulfil the same function for the rift in Vanikoro.
16th November 1981
The survey cruiser Yamakaze probes the only outward jump point in Sigma Tucanae, one jump out from Fomalhaut, and discovers the system of Ryūgasaki. The orange K7-V primary has five moonless planets, two of which are close to being ideal habitable worlds. Ryūgasaki IV has a breathable atmosphere, a surface temperature of 1C and small seas covering sixteen percent of the surface, giving it a colony cost of just 0.4. Ryūgasaki III is colder at -9C, has an atmosphere that would become breathable with the addition of 0.01 atm of oxygen and has liquid oceans covering just over a fifth of its surface area. The two planets are dominated by cold steppe and boreal forest respectively.
As Yamakaze is out of reconnaissance drones, she dispatches her E1A3 scout to investigate the two planets. Both appear to be uninhabited. As the scout is about to head back to Yamakaze, still in the outer system, she detects the approach of a 3,549-ton ship travelling at 10,280 km/s. Sensors quickly identify it as another new species of Mizuchi, designated as the Mizuchi-Ha. The scout immediately disengages its active sensor and runs for the jump point.
Imperial Navy Intelligence is confident the original Mizuchi are no longer a strategic threat, even though some ships remain at large near Sigma Draconis. The second species, the Mizuchi-Ro, is on the fringes of known space in Moriguchi, seven transits from Sol. While they appear to be significantly more advanced than the Mizuchi, they are also far away, with the Zuijin system of Beta Hydri between them and all colonies of the Empire of Japan. However, the Mizuchi-Ha, which are of unknown size and capability, are two jumps from the key naval base of Fomalhaut, established to guard against any threat from the Aether Rift in the adjacent Kashima system and provide a survey base for exploration of the seven outward jump points. If Fomalhaut falls, they would break out via the two inward jump points to Kobe and Shibetsu and soon thereafter become a threat to half of known space.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō orders the Kido Butai to deploy to Fomalhaut, ignoring for now the strange situation between the Xiamen and the Velsharoon. Two Yamato class battleships and four heavy cruisers are undergoing refits to add new fire controls and upgraded laser turrets, while two more heavy cruisers are still in Kagoshima. The rest of the fleet will proceed without them. The fleet support vessels currently in Hadano will remain in place and replenishment ships will transport fuel and maintenance supplies to Fomalhaut.
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Note: This is the 1st of 4 posts today
3rd December 1981
The Aichi E1A3 scout running to the jump point in Ryūgasaki runs out of fuel. Yamakaze’s captain, Kaigun-Chusa Onohara Sadako, was executive officer of the carrier Hiryu during the Kido Butai’s battle against the Mizuchi in Sigma Draconis and refuses to leave the scout behind. He takes Yamakaze in-system until the scout can enter the survey cruiser’s hangar using only manoeuvring thrusters. As there is no sign of Mizuchi-Ha ships and Yamakaze is near a survey location, he decides to survey it en route back to the jump point. As Yamakaze moves within range, she detects a Mizuchi-Ha ship at the same location, designated as Python class. Apparently, the Mizuchi need to conduct gravitational surveys to locate jump points, which is a useful item of intelligence.
Kaigun-Chusa Onohara orders Yamakaze’s pair of Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' fighters to launch and attempt to engage the Python. Simultaneously, the survey cruiser launches a Rakurai anti-ship missile from its internal launcher. Two energy impacts are registered close to the Mizuchi ship and the missile vanishes. The fighters follow up and begin strafing the Python without any defensive fire, so the missile was probably destroyed by some form of close-in weapon system. The Python attempts to run, but has a maximum speed of 4500 km/s and is soon destroyed by the fighters. Yamakaze immediately recovers her fighters and sets a course for the outer system.
12th January 1982
A Zharovian commercial-engined Moskva class of 17,600 ton is destroyed by light missiles, two million kilometres from the home world of the Mauritius aliens. A few hours later, the Followers of Zharov detect an Imperial Navy salvage ship crossing their home system en route to Mauritius, and issue a demand for it to leave immediately.
5th February 1982
Intelligence gained from the ELINT craft monitoring the home world of the People’s Republic of Xiama reveals the Xiamen have a negative, but not hostile, relationship with the Covenant of Velsharoon. Based on this new information, Imperial Naval Intelligence believes that the Covenant diplomatic ship was destroyed by the Xiamen, as previously thought, but the two races have managed to improve relations sufficiently from that low point to avoid an all-out war. It was likely a fortunate happenstance that neither side had any additional ships in close contact at the moment of the diplomatic ship’s destruction, giving them time to negotiate a truce.
7th February 1982
After refuelling at the Fomalhaut Naval Base, the Kido Butai arrives in Ryūgasaki. The survey cruiser Yamakaze is still in the outer system, conducting a gravitational survey. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai orders a trio of Aichi E2A scouts to probe the planets, moons and comets of the inner system in search of the Mizuchi-Ha. Meanwhile, the Support Force has been diverted from Hadano and is holding position in Sigma Tucanae at the Ryūgasaki jump point.
Kido Butai – Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai
Main Force - Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo
Yamato-Ro class Battleship: Musashi*, Yamato**
Nagato II class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser: Chōkai, Maya
Carrier Striking Force - Kaigun-Taisa Daishi Toru
Taihō II class Carrier: Junyō*, Taihō
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō, Unryū
Akagi III class Carrier: Soryu
216x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike
216 Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class Fighter
3x Nakajima J1N 'Toryu' class Interceptor
40x Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' class Fighter:
9x Aichi E2A class Scout
Support Force – Kaigun Taisa Suzuki Saya
Kongo II class Battlecruiser: Hiei*
Hayasui class Fleet Support Vessel: Harutsuyu, Hayashio, Hayasui
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire126.png)
12th February 1982
As an E2A scout approaches Ryūgasaki V, it detects eight Mizuchi-Ha ships in orbit. Four are 11,293-tons and designated as Krait class. Three more designated as Mamba class and a single ship designated as Anaconda class are only detected by their powerful active sensor emissions. Two groups of seven ships, each consisting of three Sidewinders and three Rattlesnakes, all of 787 tons, plus a 667-ton Widowmaker, have closed on the scout from behind at 15,243 km/s, which is only fractionally slower than the Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa’. The Sidewinders open fire at 178,000 km, damaging the scout.
As the Mizuchi-Ha attack craft have a much greater weapon range than Japanese fighters, trying to pursue them with A3Ms would be very ill-advised. Due to the minimal speed advantage, they would be under constant fire for over three minutes before they could return fire. The Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan’ carrier strike craft are slower and would quickly be run down and destroyed. If the alien attack craft cannot be lured into range, faster fighter and strike craft designs will be required.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire128.png)
The E2A is destroyed by a second volley without being able to determine anything further about the larger Mizuchi ships in orbit of Ryūgasaki V. The nightmare scenario for Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa is for the alien warships to be faster than his own battleships and possess longer-ranged weapons. Given the obvious high technology of the Mizuchi attack craft, that is a very real possibility. The other two E2As in the inner system are given the task of determining the size and speed of the Mamba and Anaconda classes, as they probe the other bodies in Ryūgasaki.
Two hours after the destruction of the first scout, an E2A detects two more Krait class ships and two 20,950-ton ships of a new type, designated as Diamondback class, in orbit of a comet over a billion kilometres from the primary. The scout stays well clear of the comet and heads in-system toward its next target.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire129.png)
Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the Kido Butai in-system on a course for the Kraits and Diamondbacks. To avoid interception in deep space, Kurosawa instructs all ships to deactivate shields and active sensors. Three E2A scouts with active sensors are deployed in an ninety-degree arc, forty-five million kilometres ahead of the fleet.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire130.png)
14th February 1982
An E2A scout approaching Ryūgasaki III detects the same 3,549-ton Viper class ship that was originally detected by Yamakaze’s E1A3 in November 1981. The Viper is tentatively classed as a geological survey vessel. After moving past the alien ships, the E2A heads for Ryūgasaki I. En route, it detects active emissions from two new Widowmaker class attack craft on an intercept course at 15,243 km/s. The scout deactivates its sensor and runs.
The other remaining E2A has scouted Ryūgasaki II and is approaching Ryūgasaki V from the direction of the primary, attempting to learn more about the Mambas and Anaconda when it detects a further two Widowmakers, so it adopts the same strategy. Both scouts manage to evade their pursuers, then circle back to approach Ryūgasaki V from two different directions, trying to get within range before using their active sensors.
15th February 1982
One E2A engages its active sensor and attracts the attention of the same Widowmakers, but manages to get close enough to Ryūgasaki V to achieve an active contact on the Mambas, which are 22,260 tons. They remain in orbit so there is no way to determine their speed. There is no sign of the Anaconda.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire131.png)
The first scout turns to run, while the second continues toward the planet from a different direction with sensors offline, finally engaging them at twenty million kilometres and finding the Mambas and the Widowmakers in orbit. With no sign the Mambas are going to leave their position, both scouts retreat and begin working their way back to the Kido Butai. A few hours later, the wreck of the E2A destroyed the previous day vanishes, which suggests that the Anaconda was the ship carrying out the salvage.
16th February 1982
The ELINT vessel operating in the Covenant home system gains complete intelligence on a Velsharoon missile destroyer class, including the capability of its missiles. While smaller than Imperial Navy ships, the El Dorado III appears to be extremely capable. The engine design is a generation ahead of Japanese technology, while the jammers are comparable to the most up-to-date Japanese designs . It is equipped with both shields and decoys and armed with twelve missile launches for Vindicator Anti-Ship Missiles. The Vindicator is faster than the latest Imperial Navy missile, the Rakurai-Ho, and has a much longer range.
El Dorado III class Missile Destroyer 11,601 tons 218 Crew 2,189.2 BP TCS 232 TH 1,760 EM 1,590
7585 km/s Armour 4-45 Shields 53-331 HTK 63 Sensors 11/0/0/0 DCR 3-2 PPV 32.4
Maint Life 0.44 Years MSP 353 AFR 359% IFR 5.0% 1YR 810 5YR 12,150 Max Repair 440 MSP
Magazine 746 / 84
Sheikh Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magnetic Fusion Drive EP880 (2) Power 1760 Fuel Use 19.07% Signature 880 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 450,000 Litres Range 36.6 billion km (55 days at full power)
Theta S53 / R331 Shields (1) Recharge Time 331 seconds (0.2 per second)
Size 21 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 21 Hangar Reload 229 minutes MF Reload 38 hours
Size 9 Missile Launcher (30.0% Reduction) (12) Missile Size: 9 Rate of Fire 720
Missile Fire Control FC116-R112 (2) Range 116.9m km Resolution 112 ECCM-3
Devastator Ship Decoy (4) Signature: 4200 tons ECM-3 Size: 21
Vindicator Anti-Ship Missile (82) Speed: 42,400 km/s Range: 94.1m km WH: 9.001 Size: 9 TH: 186/111/55
Active Search Sensor AS101-R112 (1) GPS 14112 Range 101.2m km Resolution 112
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 3 Missile 3
18th February 1982
In Ryūgasaki, the E2A preceding the Kido Butai detects the two Krait and two Diamondback class ships, running away from the comet where they were detected a few days previously at a speed of 2,982 km/s. This is so much slower than any other Mizuchi-Ha ship that Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa believes the Diamondbacks may be some form of Mizuchi commercial vessel. Based on the size of the Krait and its appearance in both fleets detected so far, he suspects it is an escort vessel, similar to the Barracuda class of the original Mizuchi, which had only short-range weapons.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire132.png)
The Kido Butai splits into two, with the Main Force closing on the fleeing Mizuchi ships and the Carrier Striking Force falling half a million kilometres astern. At 320,000 km, the Main Force opens fire on the two Kraits. The inaccuracy of that initial fire reveals the Mizuchi-Ha have fourth generation fire control jammers. One Krait suffers two strength-2 hits and immediately breaks formation to charge toward the Kido Butai at 10,875 km/s. The speed of its approach confirms Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa’s concerns about the danger posed by this new species of Mizuchi.
Kurosawa orders a course reversal to reduce the rate of closure, while all ships focus on the single Krait class. With the entire Main Force firing, it is blown to pieces by two salvos, with the second at a range of 140,000 km. At no point did the Krait open fire, which reinforces Kurosawa’s belief it is an escort vessel. The fleet reverses course once again and closes on the three remaining Mizuchi ships. The second Krait also reacts by breaking formation and survives long enough to open fire at 114,000 km, scoring four strength-1 hits on Yamato. It is destroyed by simultaneous fire from the same battleship. With both escorts eliminated, the two Diamondbacks are easily run down and destroyed, without any sign of defensive fire.
Given the fourth-generation jammers and high speed of the Kraits, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa believes the chance of a being attacked by Mizuchi-Ha warships that can outrun and outrange his own battleships is significant. However, the Kido Butai has both fighters and carrier strike craft which could engage such enemies if they move within range. Also, with the fuel shortages plaguing the Empire of Japan, Kurosawa does not wish to expend precious resources without confronting the threat. Therefore, he decides to take the Kido Butai to Ryūgasaki V and attempt to engage the Mizuchi force near that planet. As before, the fleet will proceed with inactive sensors and shields, relying on the E2As to provide sensor readings.
19th February 1982
With the Kido Butai still over half a billion kilometres away, an E2A sneaks within twenty-five million kilometres of Ryūgasaki V and activates its sensors. The Anaconda has returned and the Mizuchi fleet has grown to four Kraits of 11,293 tons, five Mambas of 22,660 tons, plus the single Anaconda of 67,782 tons, almost as large as the Yamato class. Given the similarity of the Mizuchi-Ha Kraits to the Mizuchi Barracuda, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa believes the Mambas may fulfil the same role as the Mizuchi Mako, which was armed with nineteen long-range acid-lasers.
All the Mizuchi warships suddenly break orbit, moving away at 10,839 km/s, while active emissions begin from two Widowmakers. The E2A disengages its sensors and runs, before circling around to approach the planet from the opposite direction. Twelve hours after the previous activation, the scout conducts another brief sensor sweep and finds that all the Mizuchi ships are back in orbit. Apparently they moved away from a potential threat, but returned once the threat vanished. The E2A slips away again and takes up a position sixty million kilometres away.
Taking a calculated risk, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the three E2As preceding the Kido Butai to disengage their sensors. Two are dispatched ahead to positions surrounding the planet, while the third drops back into the main formation. Meanwhile, the entire Kido Butai proceeds blindly toward Ryūgasaki V. With the fleet less than two hundred million kilometres away, sensor emissions from the Anaconda are detected moving toward the lurking scout.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire133.png)
The scout attempts to move out of the way, but is slower than the approaching ships. Shortly thereafter, the emissions of the Widowmakers return. They are considerably closer and on an intercept course. This time, the scout cannot escape. A large fleet of attack craft, comprising twenty Rattlesnakes, eleven Sidewinders, four Widowmakers and fourteen of a new type, designated as Asp class, are detected via their thermal emissions, less than four million kilometres away. They close in an destroy the fragile E2A with a single volley.
The Kido Butai arrives at Ryūgasaki V, where Yamato briefly activates her active sensor. There is no sign of any Mizuchi ships. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa takes the fleet to the wreck of the scout to rescue the sole surviving crew member, then the Kido Butai sets course for the jump point. Just like in Sigma Draconis, the Mizuchi will not be lured or forced into an engagement. On this occasion, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa does not want to replicate the tactics of Kaigun-Taisa Nakamura eleven years earlier, when he split the Kido Butai and attacked the Mizuchi from two directions. The Mizuchi-Ha are considerably more advanced, their attack craft are almost as fast as the Japanese fighters and the Kido Butai is missing two Yamato class battleships and six cruisers.
The Imperial Japanese Navy needs to develop new ships and tactics to counter the Mizuchi-Ha. In the meantime, the Fomalhaut Naval Base will be reinforced to deal with any Mizuchi-Ha that move from Ryūgasaki through Sigma Tucanae into Fomalhaut.
15th March 1982
A population of the Mauritius aliens is detected on a comet in the Reunion system. There are now two known colonies of the Mauritius aliens in the system, plus two Zharovian colonies.
16th March 1982
The first Fukuju class Repair Ship is completed in Earth orbit. The Fukuju will allow the repair of ships up to 54,000 tons at forward bases and will become part of the Support Force of the Kido Butai.
Fukuju class Repair Ship 175,524 tons 3,196 Crew 9,311.5 BP TCS 3,510 TH 7,680 EM 0
2187 km/s Armour 1-279 Shields 0-0 HTK 294 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 33 Max Repair 120 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Repair Capacity: 54000 tons
Koga-Murakama KC-384-B Magneto-plasma Drive (20) Power 7680 Fuel Use 2.48% Signature 384 Exp 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,500,000 Litres Range 62 billion km (328 days at full power)
Type 35 Go-13D Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2520 Range 42.3m km Resolution 120
Type 35 Go-63C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
26th April 1982
The survey cruiser Oboro transits a newly discovered jump point in Guadalcanal, the home system of the People’s Republic of Xiama, and discovers Rua Sura, a system comprising a red dwarf star, two unremarkable planets and a scattering of asteroids.
27th April 1982
A significant exchange of fire is detected close to the home world of the Mauritius aliens, with almost a thousand energy weapon impacts detected within a few seconds. A number of Zharovian ships were detected entering Mauritius from both Zharov and Reunion within the past few days, but there is no sign of either a wreck or life pods, which is unexpected after such a fierce engagement. The observing ship is Kimikawa Maru, a Japanese salvage ship accompanied by two freighters, which has been testing the limits of the planet’s detection capabilities. It is currently waiting out of sensor range until the planet orbits far enough away to allow salvage of four Zharovian wrecks left behind from a previous engagement.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire134.png)
Within a few seconds of the first exchange of fire, a further seven hundred energy weapon impacts are detected, along with thirteen hundred strength-1 detonations. There are still no life pods. Finally, after yet another thousand detonations and several hundred impacts, the 165,880 ton wreck of a Zharovian Stavropol class ship appears, along with accompanying life pods. Given its size, the amount of punishment it was able to take and previous observation of its commercial engines, it is possible the Stavropol is a large, armoured troop transport. If so, it may have successfully landed ground forces on the Mauritian home world.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire135.png)
Explosions and energy weapon impacts continue, but moving away from the planet. After a minute of sustained fire, four more Stavropol wrecks have appeared, each one further from the planet than the previous wrecks. If they were troop transports, they are likely to have already delivered their cargo. As the planet orbits away from the scene of the battle, Kimikawa Maru dispatches one of her freighters to pick up the Zharovian life pods.
As a result of questioning the Zharovian survivors, intelligence is gained on the Chefornak III class troop transport. Once again, an alien race has superior engine technology to the Empire of Japan. In addition, if the larger Stavropol is indeed a troop transport, this could even be an obsolete design.
Chefornak III class Troop Transport 128,797 tons 680 Crew 5,501.3 BP TCS 2,576 TH 5,400 EM 0
2096 km/s Armour 8-227 Shields 0-0 HTK 303 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 26 Max Repair 200 MSP
Troop Capacity 60,000 tons Drop Capable Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 4
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Commercial Magnetic Fusion Drive EP360.0 (15) Power 5400 Fuel Use 0.80% Signature 360 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 1,250,000 Litres Range 217 billion km (1198 days at full power)
CIWS-200 (2x10) Range 1000 km TS: 20,000 km/s ROF 5
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
EM Sensor EM1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
13th May 1982
Full communications are established with the Mauritius aliens, due to the work of a diplomatic ship orbiting an one of their colonies in the Reunion system. The aliens are humanoid in shape, resembling lean, but muscular felines with dark skin and orange fur and refer to themselves as the Bloodclaw, with the name of their polity being the Bloodclaw Dominion. Their demeanour is arrogant and aggressive, despite suffering attacks on their home world by the Followers of Zharov. Before communications were established, the diplomatic ship received several unintelligible communications, which were interpreted as demands to leave the Reunion system. Two similar communications were received by Kimikawa Maru in Mauritius.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire136.png)
26th May 1982
The survey cruiser Miyuki transits a jump point in New Georgia, four transits out from Hadano on the far side of known Xiamen space, and discovers the Rabaul system. The yellow G8-V primary is orbited by seven planets, two of which have breathable atmospheres and liquid water. Miyuki investigates. While she finds no sign of life and no significant mineral deposits, she does discover an ancient construct on Rabaul II. A pair of troop transports with Xenoarchaeological regiments depart Earth orbit on a seven month journey to the system.
20th June 1982
Once again, Kimikawa Maru attempts to salvage Zharovian wrecks in Mauritius. She receives a communication from the Bloodclaw Dominion to leave the system or be fired upon. As there has been no recent sign of Bloodclaw ships, outside the orbit of their home world, she is given permission to continue with the salvage. The potential technology gains from the Zharovian wrecks is greater than the threat from an alien race well outside Japanese territory. The diplomatic ship in the adjacent Reunion system moves to a safe distance from the Bloodclaw colony, while three Nagara III-Ni class light cruisers are dispatched from Sol to Fiji, on the first leg of a journey through Zharovian space to support the salvage operation.
26th July 1982
Intelligence gained from ELINT observation of the Zharovian home world provides gravitational survey data on Ekarma, a system six jumps outward from Fiji with six jump points. The survey cruiser Asakaze was already at work in the system, so she immediately begins probing the new jump points.
9th September 1982
ELINT data gained from the home world of the Bloodclaw Dominion reveals the existence of a system named Lancia, which has an ideal habitable world and several wrecks. It’s location is unknown. The data also provides information on the home world itself, which had a population of 2.13 million and 4700 installations, smaller than the home worlds of the other known major alien powers.
10th September 1982
A survey of the ancient construct in the Naha system, two jumps out from Fomalhaut, reveals it will boost research into sensor systems by up to ninety percent. There is already an ancient construct on Osaka-B I with an eighty percent boost and twenty research facilities in operations. Given the distance of Naha, it is not worth the logistical challenges to relocate from Osaka, but a small colony will be established to activate the construct, which will add a small boost to sensor research across the Empire.
22nd September 1982
The light cruisers Nagara, Naka and Yura arrive in the Mauritius system, after refuelling three times en route; once at Fiji and twice at pre-positioned replenishment ships. The Bloodclaw Dominion ceased demands to withdraw several weeks ago, despite Kimikawa Maru salvaging nine Zharovian wrecks within sensor range of their home world, which suggests they already regard the Empire of Japan as a hostile power. The three light cruisers close in on two Bloodclaw ships, designated as Serval and European Lynx classes, recently detected near the Reunion jump point. Both ships have been moving at only 1 km/s for some time, suggesting they are badly damaged. All three cruisers launch their boarding troops, comprising two Raiden Sentai and a Naval Landing Force, against the Lynx, but they find the armour to be undamaged. After blasting through it with breaching charges, boarding combat begins. If the Bloodclaw Dominion didn’t previously view itself as being at war with the Empire of Japan, it does now.
The ship is secured four minutes after the armour is breached, with the loss of three marines and one of the Kazuma Raiden. There is no apparent damage except for the breached armour, but the ship is entirely out of fuel. Fortunately, Kyokuto Maru, a Japanese replenishment ship already in Mauritius, supporting the salvage operation at extreme range from Earth. The Eurasian Lynx is a 16,244 ton missile ship with magneto-plasma drives that has expended all its ordnance, presumably against the Followers of Zharov. Once refuelled, it will travel to Earth for dismantling.
Eurasian Lynx class Missile Destroyer 16,244 tons 301 Crew 2,444.8 BP TCS 325 TH 1,696 EM 0
5220 km/s Armour 5-57 Shields 0-0 HTK 89 Sensors 8/0/0/0 DCR 5-3 PPV 69.3
Maint Life 0.47 Years MSP 470 AFR 422% IFR 5.9% 1YR 1,004 5YR 15,061 Max Repair 424 MSP
Magazine 1,362 / 52
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magneto-plasma Drive EP848 (2) Power 1696 Fuel Use 21.72% Signature 848 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 600,000 Litres Range 30.6 billion km (67 days at full power)
Size 26 Decoy Launcher (2) Decoy Size: 26 Hangar Reload 255 minutes MF Reload 42 hours
Size 7 Missile Launcher (30.0% Reduction) (33) Missile Size: 7 Rate of Fire 795
Missile Fire Control FC89-R120 (1) Range 89.1m km Resolution 120 ECCM-2
Active Search Sensor AS77-R120 (1) GPS 11520 Range 77.1m km Resolution 120
Thermal Sensor TH1-8 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 2
The three light cruisers recover their boarding troops and launch a new assault on the Serval. This time, they find easy access through the armour as the ship is badly damaged. Four marines and three Kazuma Raiden are lost in action before the ship is secured. The Serval is also a missile ship, but with a fire control and active sensor designed to detect and engage fighters. As with the Lynx, all its fuel and ordnance has been expended, along with its maintenance supplies. The damage is extensive, with both engines disabled and two thirds of the missile launchers inoperative. The Bloodclaw Dominion may appear to be losing its war against the Followers of Zharov, but it is not going down without a fight.
Serval class Missile Destroyer 16,244 tons 301 Crew 2,444.8 BP TCS 325 TH 1,696 EM 0
5220 km/s Armour 5-57 Shields 0-0 HTK 89 Sensors 8/0/0/0 DCR 5-3 PPV 69.3
Maint Life 0.47 Years MSP 470 AFR 422% IFR 5.9% 1YR 1,004 5YR 15,061 Max Repair 424 MSP
Magazine 1,362 / 52
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magneto-plasma Drive EP848 (2) Power 1696 Fuel Use 21.72% Signature 848 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 600,000 Litres Range 30.6 billion km (67 days at full power)
Size 26 Decoy Launcher (2) Decoy Size: 26 Hangar Reload 255 minutes MF Reload 42 hours
Size 7 Missile Launcher (30.0% Reduction) (33) Missile Size: 7 Rate of Fire 795
Missile Fire Control FC30-R5 (1) Range 30.9m km Resolution 5 ECCM-2
Active Search Sensor AS26-R5 (1) GPS 480 Range 26.7m km Resolution 5
Thermal Sensor TH1-8 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 2
While Kyokuto Maru can provide fuel and maintenance, the Serval cannot repair its own engines, so a tug will be required to conduct a hundred billion kilometre round trip to bring the Serval back to Earth. Given the recent developments in Mauritius, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi decides that if a tug is going to be heading there anyway, it may as well bring a maintenance base to establish a permanent outpost, either in the system or nearby. He also orders the Akagi class carrier Zuiho and the repair ship Fukuju to be forward deployed to Fiji.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire137.png)
1st January 1983
A large battle near the home world of the Bloodclaw Dominion has resulted in the destruction of seven Zharovian ships; two 155,866-ton, commercial-engined Dzerzinsk class, two 17,382 Saransk class and three 13,523-ton Bratsk class. The salvage ship Kimikawa Maru has no accompanying freighters as both are en route to Fiji to deliver minerals and ship components from previous salvage operations. New freighters are en route to Mauritius, along with the salvage ship Kasuga Maru. Additional freighters and a colony ship are transporting infrastructure and colonists to establish a small colony on Mauritius I, while the Occupation Force of the Kido Butai is moving through Zharovian territory with ground forces, surface to orbit weapon batteries and several engineer regiments. The Imperial Japanese Navy will soon be able to establish a permanent presence in the Mauritius system.
8th January 1983
Another battle takes place at the Bloodclaw Dominion home world, with the Zharovians losing two more Dzerzinsk class and a pair of 21,674 ton Archangelsk class ships. If the Dzerzinsk are troop transports, like the Stavropol class ships destroyed in April 1982, the Followers of Zharov are making a serious effort to land ground forces. The defences appear to be primarily light missile armed bases, backed by short-range energy weapons. While the Zharovians are taking heavy losses, the Dominion may eventually run out of ordnance.
The Japanese diplomatic ship in Mauritius rescues the survivors of the battle, once the planet has moved away. Interrogations reveal that the two jump points discovered in the Zharov system by a partial survey are the only two that exist, removing any need to risk a diplomatic incident by completing the survey.
4th March 1983
Two new commercial-engined ships of the Bloodclaw Dominion, a 19,000-ton Jungle Cat and a 32,000-ton Sri Lankan Leopard, are launched from its home world and head straight for the Reunion system. As soon as they enter, they are both destroyed by a group of Zharovian warships waiting on the far side of the jump point.
25th March 1983
There has been no sign of any ships from the Sapporo aliens for some time. The black hole system beyond Sapporo has been surveyed and four outward jump points explored. There has been no sign of colonies, ships or even stable jump points. Therefore, a resurvey of Sapporo is authorised to check for the presence of a previously dormant jump point.
8th May 1983
The survey cruiser Fubuki has been destroyed by the Bloodclaw Dominion in the Reunion system. Fubuki, along with the larger survey cruiser Asakaze, was conducting a survey of the system and encountered a Bloodclaw colony on a comet. Surface-to-orbit weapons based at the colony opened fire and destroyed the Imperial Navy ship. Until this point, the limit of the Bloodclaw’s aggression was harsh language. Now their actual hostility is confirmed, the Dominion colonies in Reunion will be attacked, once the Imperial Navy base in their home system is established. Twenty-four hours later, Asakaze narrowly avoids a similar fate when she detects another Dominion population as she approaches a different comet.
4th June 1983
The tug Rokkai Maru arrives at Mauritius I to deliver a Yokosuka class maintenance base, completing a fifty-four billion kilometre journey from Earth, most of which was through Zharovian territory, including their home system. Other vessels that made the long journey, refuelling at Fiji and again at a covert refuelling point in the Kharimkotan system, include a dozen freighters, a colony ship, three large troop transports, two replenishment ships, the fleet support vessel Hayasui, two salvage ships and the old battlecruiser Kirishima. Three Nagara class light cruisers and a diplomatic ship were already in place. The Followers of Zharov issued several warnings as the various ships transited their home system en route to Mauritius, instructing them to leave immediately.
Mauritius I now supports a population of 500,000 and has a maintenance capacity of 90,000 tons – sufficient for Kirishima and the light cruisers. The freighters also brought minerals so that four engineer regiments can construct additional infrastructure. Four surface-to-orbit batteries were delivered, comprising a total of twenty-four 30cm lasers and twenty-four quick-firing 20cm lasers. The Imperial Navy now has a solid presence in the Dominion home system and a base from which it can launch raids against Bloodclaw shipping and Dominion colonies in the adjacent Reunion system. The Bloodclaw home world is the third moon of Mauritius II and is sufficiently close to Mauritius I for an F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' ELINT craft to monitor it while remaining in orbit of the new base.
26th June 1983
Two troop transports and ten freighters cross the Zharov system on their way back to Earth from Mauritius. They receive a warning to leave immediately, or be fired upon. This threat of hostile action is new and indicates that relations with the Followers have reached a new low, no doubt due to repeated Japanese violations of their territory. While the Imperial Japanese Navy will deal with the Followers at the appropriate time, that time is not now, so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi places a temporary ban on entry to the Zharov system. For the moment, the Imperial Navy forces in the Mauritius system are on their own.
A Zharovian salvage ship is competing with Kimikawa Maru in Mauritius to salvage the wrecks in that system and is requesting that the Japanese salvage ship leave the system. This was upgraded from a suggestion to a request at the same time as the threat in the Zharov system. This will be ignored unless the warning becomes more strident, but is another indication that the situation in Zharovian space is deteriorating.
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This is the 2nd of 4 posts today.
21st July 1983
A sensor buoy stationed on the Ryūgasaki jump point in Sigma Tucanae, a single jump from Fomalhaut, detects a Python class survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha transiting into the system. Also stationed on the jump point is a single Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' (Demon Slayer) class Long Range Patrol craft. The function of the Shoki is long-range, long-term deployment as a picket or raider, targeting unarmed hostile ships. Only twelve have been constructed, of which six are based at Fomalhaut Naval Base, including the picket in Sigma Tucanae and a second picket on the Fomalhaut- Kashima jump point, watching for anything that might emerge from the rift in Kashima and attempt to enter Fomalhaut.
Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' class Long Range Patrol 500 tons 12 Crew 100.7 BP TCS 10 TH 80 EM 0
8001 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 4 Sensors 0/1/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0.98
Maint Life 5.30 Years MSP 37 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 2 5YR 33 Max Repair 40 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-50-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-80-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 80 Fuel Use 165% Signature 80 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 90,300 Litres Range 19.6 billion km (28 days at full power)
MK II Light Cannon (1) Range 20,000km TS: 8,001 km/s Power 0.75-0.75 ROF 5
Type 42 Go-34F Patrol Craft Fire Control (1) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 8,125 km/s ECCM-3
R-0B Tokamak Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 0.8 Exp 15%
Type 42 Go-14E Small Strike Sensor (1) GPS 336 Range 17.4m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-24E Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
Type 35 Go-65C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.1 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8.3m km
Type 33 Go-55C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.1m km
The Python is capable of 9000 km/s, faster than the H3K by 1000 km/s. Even so the H3K pursues, attempting to damage the Mizuchi ship while still in range. As soon as the 4000-ton Python is struck, it turns on its pursuer and makes continuous attempts to ram the much smaller vessel. The H3k maintains fire for over three minutes, first slowing the Python and eventually destroying it, then returns to its picket position. The Imperial Navy is waiting on new engine technology to be available before confronting the advanced ships of the Mizuchi-Ha, so the destruction of the Python buys a little more time before the Mizuchi can survey Sigma Tucanae and advance into the key Fomalhaut system.
24th July 1983
In Ryūgasaki, a fleet of eighty-eight Mizuchi-Ha attack craft arrives on the Sigma Tucanae jump point and destroys a Zuiun-Ro sensor buoy. The H3K stationed on the Sigma Tucanae side is ordered to retreat to a new picket position on the Fomalhaut – Sigma Tucanae jump point, leaving only a sensor buoy to track any further transits by the attack craft.
5th August 1983
The survey of Reunion has revealed one jump point so far, leading to the planetless Amirante system, which was probed by Asakaze in early July. ELINT data from the Zharovian home world reveals that Amirante has two outward jump points, so Asakaze temporarily abandons her survey in Reunion to investigate them.
16th September 1983
The survey cruiser Minekaze finds a previously undetected jump point during the resurvey of Sapporo, probably confirming the theory that the Sapporo aliens, with whom communication has yet to be established, arrived in the system via a dormant jump point. Minekaze conducts a probe and discovers a red dwarf system with four unremarkable planets. There is no sign of any alien presence. The system is named Ascension, based on the newly designated nomenclature of Atlantic islands for all discoveries beyond the new Sapporo jump point.
8th October 1983
While recent attention has been focused on the Mizuchi-Ha, the second species of Mizuchi to be discovered, the Mizuchi-Ro, have been present in the Koga Chain for over four years. The Mizuchi-Ro were originally discovered in the Moriguchi system, but were ignored as they were seven transits from Earth, which was the nearest Japanese population to their location, plus they would first encounter the large Zuijin fleet in Beta Hydri, three jumps from Moriguchi, on their route to Sol.
To monitor their expansion, several H3K 'Shoki' long range patrol craft are dispatched past Beta Hydri, supported by Shinzan Maru, a specialised tender ship designed to support a small force of small craft. The tender provides maintenance support, refuelling and resupply, plus spare buoys and drones for those small craft equipped with launch rails. One H3K is stationed at the Beta Hydri – Kariya jump point and a second at the Kariya – Katagami jump point. After a third H3K performs a sweep of the inner system in Katagami, directly adjacent to Moriguchi, Shinzan Maru enters that system.
Shinzan Maru class Small Craft Tender 60,000 tons 534 Crew 1,999.7 BP TCS 1,200 TH 3,072 EM 0
2560 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-136 Shields 0-0 HTK 118 Sensors 8/14/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 10,020 Max Repair 120 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 2,000 tons Magazine 500 / 0 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 3
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 40
Maintenance Modules: 4 module(s) capable of supporting ships of 10,000 tons
Komatsu KCJ-600-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 60000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KC-384-B Magneto-plasma Drive (8) Power 3072 Fuel Use 2.48% Signature 384 Expl 4%
Fuel Capacity 2,926,000 Litres Range 354.1 billion km (1601 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 60,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 48 hours
Zuiun-Ha Sensor Buoy (32) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 12
Shūsui Reconnaissance Drone (8) Speed: 5,200 km/s End: 10d Range: 4,499.2m km WH: 0 Size: 12
Ordnance Transfer Rate: 40 MSP per hour Complete Transfer 12.5 hours
Type 42 Go-13E Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 3360 Range 55.1m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 42 Go-63D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
The captain of Shinzan Maru, Kaigun-Chusa Shirahata Toshiharu, orders the H3K in Katagami is to probe the other two jump points in the system before transiting into Moriguchi. The H3K transits into Nu Reticuli, a planetless brown dwarf system, and discovers a 2,591-ton Mizuchi-Ro ship of a new type, designated as Redback class. As it is suffering from jump shock, the H3K is unable to fire immediately, but pursues the Redback anyway. After running for a short time, the Redback doubles back and transits into Katagami, where it moves away at 9264 km/s, faster than the pursuing H3K, in the general direction of the Kariya jump point. The H3K maintains the pursuit until the Redback moves out of sensor range, then sets course for Kariya. Shinzan Maru, currently heading toward the Katagami inner system, reverses courses and heads back to the Kariya jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire138.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire139.png)
16th October 1983
Shinzan Maru return safely to Kariya and takes up position in orbit of a comet, which is the only body in the entire system. The H3K sees no further sign of the Mizuchi-Ro ship before also arriving in Kariya and taking up station at the Kariya – Nabari jump point, in case the Mizuchi have already moved through Kariya and are present in other areas of the Koga Chain. Once a suitable ship or patrol craft is available, sensor buoys will be laid throughout the area to determine the extent of the Mizuchi-Ro penetration into known space.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire140.png)
23rd October 1983
The People’s Republic of Xiama occasionally passes on geological survey data to demonstrate their desire for peaceful relations, although this is not too common as Imperial Naval Intelligence believes their survey ships have moved out beyond known space. On this occasion however, an item of survey data regarding minimal deposits on a tiny moon, has far wider implications. The moon is in Tarawa, a Zuijin system adjacent to Makin - which is on the border between the Xiamen and Velsharoon - and three jumps from both the Truk and Hadano naval bases.
Imperial Naval Intelligence requests an update on the system, which is provided by an E2A scout operating from Truk. The Imperial Navy’s previous visit to Tarawa was in 1970 by the light cruiser Kasagi, commanded by Kaigun-Chusa Kido Hoshi, which ran into a Zuijin squadron on the Makin jump point and managed to escape after a brief engagement. Kido, now a Kaigun-Taisa, is currently commanding the battlecruiser Kirishima at the base in the Bloodclaw home system of Mauritius.
The E2A finds the orbit of Tarawa II littered with Zuijin wrecks, including Devastator and Terror class base, three destroyers, a Ravager escort cruiser and ten Ghost fast attack craft. Also present are two Xiamen wrecks and a single Velsharoon wreck. The scout heads in-system to check for any surviving Zuijin ships. The salvage vessel Kamakura Maru is already in Hadano, due to the recent tension between the Xiamen and Velsharoon, and is immediately dispatched to Tarawa. Two survey ships, one recently overhauled in Fomalhaut and a second currently operating in Xiamen space, are ordered to abandon their current assignments and head to Tarawa, although they will take several months to arrive.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire141.png)
The E2A proceeds in-system and finds no sign of any Zuijin ships. A single 10,000-ton Nanjing class ship of the People’s Republic of Xiama is in orbit of Tarawa II, while a small Zuijin ground force remains on the surface, with a signature of only 3,100 tons. The presence of the ground force strongly suggests that neither the Xiamen nor the Velsharoon have surveyed any ruins that might lie on the surface, providing a opportunity for the Imperial Navy to gain an advantage over its alien rivals.
15th November 1983
The People’s Republic of Xiama provides survey data for Tarawa II, including the existence of a ruined colony on the surface, plus a hundred and eighty million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium. Although Tarawa II has a gravity of 2.4G, making it unsuitable for human colonisation, the ground forces of the Imperial Army are able to operate in almost any environment. Three Sagami class troop transports, escorted by the light cruiser Jintsu, are already en route to Truk, where they will refuel before proceeding to Tarawa.
The Nanjing class ship that was in orbit of Tarawa II departed just before the survey information was received, so Imperial Naval Intelligence designates the ship as a geological survey vessel. It has a speed of over 10,000 km/s, once again demonstrating the considerable advantage of the Xiamen in the field of propulsion research.
Tarawa II Survey Report
Duranium: 185,281,250 0.80
Tritanium: 56,250,000 0.10
Boronide: 156,250,000 0.10
Mercassium: 10,562,500 0.80
Sorium: 132,250,000 0.10
Uridium: 2,250,000 0.10
Corundium: 43,890,625 0.10
16th November 1983
An E1A3 scout from Minekaze probes a jump point in Ascension, adjacent to Sapporo, and discovers Saint Helena, a system with a yellow-white F8-V primary, eight planets, almost sixty moons and a moderate-sized asteroid belt. The second planet is a mountainous super-terrestrial world with a dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. There are two identical groups of unknown wrecks within the inner system, outside the orbits of the second and fourth planets respectively. Each group comprises two wrecks over 150,000 tons, plus several smaller wrecks between 7,000 and 31,000 tons. There is also a single identifiable wreck: a 7,211 ton Thoth class of the Sapporo aliens.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire142.png)
Minekaze transits into Saint Helena and launches a Shūsui Reconnaissance Drone at the second planet, which reveals a large Zuijin fleet in orbit, massing over a quarter of a million tons. If this system does lie on the direct route between the Empire of Japan and the territory of the Sapporo aliens, it would explain why there has been only minimal contact so far. However, it also presents an opportunity. If this Zuijin fleet could be eliminated and the planet secured, it would serve as an excellent forward base for the Imperial Navy. The timing is far from ideal, as fusion drives have recently been developed, the Kido Butai is about to commence a round of refits, most of the large troop transports are either returning from Mauritius, or heading to Tarawa, plus there are numerous other threats and commitments. Even so, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi orders planning for an operation to secure Saint Helena as soon as the necessary resources are available.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire143.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire144.png)
23rd November 1983
The wreck of a Zuijin destroyer vanishes in Tarawa. The E2A in orbit of Tarawa II moves to investigate and find three Xiamen ships at the site: a commercial-engined Nanchang class, which is likely a salvage vessel, and two military-engined Kaifeng class ships of 13,000 tons. Kamakura Maru is still two weeks away from Tarawa and the only other two Imperial Navy salvage ships have been stuck in Mauritius since the ban on transiting the Zharov system, so with wrecks in both Tarawa and Saint Helena available for salvage, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi authorises Kasuga Maru and two accompanying freighters to make a run through Zharov. She is threatened with being fired upon, but no actual hostile act takes place.
1st December 1983
Asakaze discovers a small Bloodclaw colony on a comet in the Socotra system, two jumps outward from Reunion and three from the Dominion home system in Mauritius. Meanwhile, at the Imperial Navy base at Mauritius I, the three Nagara class light cruisers and the battlecruiser Kirishima have taken turns to conduct overhauls. Now these are complete, they will begin a series of assaults on the Bloodclaw colonies in Reunion and eventually at the newly discovered comet colony in Socotra.
17th December 1983
The Nagara III-Ni class light cruisers Nagara, Naka and Yura move within 360,000 km of the Bloodclaw Dominion’s comet-based colony in Reunion, which used surface-to-orbit weapons to destroy the Imperial Navy survey cruiser Fubuki six months earlier. Remaining outside of STO weapon range, the light cruisers use their fast-firing Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Lasers to eliminate the ground-based weapons, then move into orbit to await Kirishima and the troop transport Yasukuni Maru.
30th December 1983
Yasukuni Maru combat drops the 1st Kurogane (Black Iron) Samurai division on to the Bloodclaw colony. This is the combat debut of an entirely new Imperial Army ground force, comprising two regiments of Kaenryu (Blazing Dragon) Combat Mechs and two regiments of Gekiryū (Furious Dragon) Combat Mechs. The Kaenryu is fifteen metres tall and armed with a super-heavy cannon, plus two heavy autocannon. The Gekiryū is smaller, at eleven metres, and armed with three heavy anti-infantry weapons. Seventy-two Kaenryu or one hundred and twenty Gekiryū comprise one regiment, so the entire Kurogane Samurai division includes three hundred and eighty-eight mechs, plus sixty 180mm artillery pieces at the divisional level.
The Bloodclaw ground force has a signature of 5200 tons, so even accounting for the effects of fortification on detection, they are severely out-massed. Within the first few hours of combat, it becomes obvious the defenders are mainly an infantry force, supported by a few tanks and with limited anti-armour capability. The powerful Kaenryu combat mechs are overkill against such light targets, so the Gekiryū are employed in hunting down the elusive infantry. The minimal gravity and extreme cold are more of a problem than the defensive fire, affecting targeting sensors and generally reducing the combat effectiveness of both sides.
13th January 1984
Ground combat has been underway on the Reunion comet colony for two weeks, with most of the Bloodclaw force destroyed. Perhaps a quarter still survives and is evading the Imperial Army mechs. The Kaenryu and Gekiryū have proven extremely effective from a survival point of view, with no mechs lost in combat. What is lacking is an ability to rapidly eliminate a large number of weak targets that is commensurate with their cost, although the conditions on the comet are not ideal. Gekiryū and Kaenryu regiments cost as much as five and six infantry regiments respectively. On the plus side, the Kurogane Samurai division is a survivable and effective formation, when time is not a factor, that can travel on a single troop transport, making them ideal for employment in situations where limited lift capability is a factor, such as at Mauritius Base. The combat experience in Reunion suggests that a complementary formation is required. More capable and survivable than normal infantry, but with a greater output of anti-personnel fire than the equivalent mass of combat mechs.
While combat continues, the battlecruiser Kirishima moves to the known Dominion colony on Reunion-A III. While the battlecruiser is larger than the light cruisers, it has not been refitted for some time and is still equipped with ion engines and fire controls with a maximum range of 256,000 tons. It will use its advantage of greater armour mass to draw fire, so the light cruisers can target any defences from long-range.
Kirishima comes under fire at 128,000 km, suffering nine strength-4 hits. She immediately reverses course and returns fire, halting at 185,000 km where she appears to be out of range, but can still engage with both her primary armament of 25cm lasers and her secondary 12cm turrets. Once those STOs that can be detected have been eliminated, she moves closer to the planet and takes a barrage of fire at 15,000 kms, which inflicts forty-eight strength-1 hits. Kirishima opens the range and begins firing once again, swiftly eliminating the new threat. Her armour is damaged, but not critical, with only a single penetration deeper than forty percent of her armour belt.
20th January 1984
The comet colony falls to the Kurogane Samurai division, without the loss of any combat mechs, although the regiments have exhausted their supplies.
25th January 1984
As one invasion ends, another begins. The 2nd Kurogane Samurai division, the only other combat mech formation in the Imperial Army, is unloaded on Tarawa II to confront the Zuijin defenders. Although the Xiamen may have eliminated the Zuijin fleet in Tarawa, the real prize is on the surface. The opposing force appears to be relatively small, with a signature of 3,100 tons. However, the dominant terrain is jungle-covered mountains, making this a difficult environment in which to fight and one in which an well-fortified opponent is well-concealed, both from detection and targeting scanners. The real size of the Zuijin ground force is likely to be many times larger.
The environment proves as difficult as feared. Within the first twenty-four hours, the invading force fails to destroy a single Zuijin bot or mech, while losing a Kaenryu combat mech to hostile fire. There are four infantry divisions that could support the assault on Tarawa, but two are already en route to the Saint Helena system to support a planned attack by the Kido Butai. The other two are available, but restricted by a lack of transport capacity.
The Imperial Japanese Navy has six large troop transports capable of transporting a division: three drop-capable Yasukuni class and three older Sagami Maru class. One Yasukuni is in Reunion, after transporting the 1st Kurogane Samurai Division to the Bloodclaw comet colony, and the other two are transporting the two divisions en route to Saint Helena. The three Sagami Maru class ships are already in Tarawa: one transported the 2nd Kurogane Samurai Division and the other two still holding three engineer regiments, three xenoarchaeology regiments and two shore batteries for deployment on Tarawa II after it is secured.
There is also the Shinshu Maru class of nine small troop transports, which have capacity for a single regiment, but are still equipped with gas core drives and capable of only 1500 km/s. They are used for lower priority tasks, such as delivering shore batteries or geosurvey regiments. Five are in Earth orbit, with the other four already assigned to various tasks. These five ships are ordered to load the 2nd Infantry Division, plus additional logistics units, and proceed to Tarawa, but will not arrive for four months. Two of the three Sagami Maru ships in Tarawa are ordered to drop off their transported formations to a temporary base on Tarawa III and return to Earth. One will remain in case a decision is made to withdraw the 2nd Kurogane Samurai Division.
Meanwhile, salvage operations have been underway in the Tarawa system, with Kamakura Maru competing with a much smaller Xiamen vessel. Three larger wrecks and several Ghost class FACs have been salvaged by the Xiamen ship, while Kamakura Maru has salvaged the rest, including two Xiamen ships and a single Covenant wreck, albeit of older technology.
26th January 1984
Asakaze investigates a jump point in Amirante, one transit outward from Reunion. As the Bloodclaw Dominion is hostile and Asakaze does not have an Aichi scout in her hangar, a A2M3 ‘Shinden’ fighter conducts the transit, while Asakaze holds the jump point open. The fighter emerges in a system with a planetless F5-V star, designated as Zanzibar, and discovers a large fleet of over thirty Bloodclaw ships stationed on the jump point, ranging in size from 34,000 tons to 180,000 tons, plus a single ship of 9,100 tons, designated as Indochinese Leopard class. There is no immediate hostile fire,, so assuming that the 9000-ton ship is the only likely warship, the fighter locks on target and waits for jump shock to wear off.
Moments later the entire Dominion fleet transits into Amirante. Asakaze launches her other fighter and her single Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' with orders to attack the Leopard, while requesting help from the adjacent Reunion system. All three Nagara light cruisers break orbit of the recently captured comet colony and set a course for the Amirante jump point. The Bloodclaw ships cannot re-transit due to jump shock, so they run, with the Indochinese Leopard leading the way at 5583 km/s. It is the only ship with military engines and presumably a missile ship that is out of ordnance, or perhaps a scout design.
The second A2M3 gives chase, while the first cannot yet return due to jump shock. The B1N launches a pair of first generation Rakurai anti-ship missiles, one of which inflicts a strength-12 hit on the Leopard, penetrating its armour and reducing its speed by a third. The ease with which the ship was damaged, suggests it is more likely a scout than a missile combatant. The pursuing A2M3 ‘Shinden’ continues to fire on the Leopard. The other A2M3 finally recovers from jump shock and transits into Amirante, choosing a 36,518-ton Bornean Bay class as its target, due to the fact it is the fastest of the commercial-engined ships, although it cannot yet fire due to new jump shock effects.
Both the Indochinese Leopard and the Bornean Bay reverse course, attempting to return to the Zanzibar system. Neither makes it. The Indochinese Leopard suffers a large secondary explosion and disintegrates, while the Bornean Bay surrenders after coming under attack. After the loss of the Leopard, every Dominion ship changes course and heads back toward Zanzibar
Bornean Bay class Freighter 36,518 tons 105 Crew 435 BP TCS 730 TH 1,000 EM 0
1369 km/s Armour 1-98 Shields 0-0 HTK 40 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 7 Max Repair 50 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 3
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Dafor P200.00 Civilian Drive (5) Power 1000 Fuel Use 3.04% Signature 200 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 24.4 billion km (205 days at full power)
The two fighters do their best to slow the progress of the Bloodclaw ships, but they have limited firepower and every remaining ship manages to transit. One A2M3 transits into Zanzibar, while the other remains in Amirante. They will remain in their respective systems to avoid further issues with jump shock while they try to damage as many ships as they can while their weapons hold out. The three light cruisers from Reunion are nine days away.
The fighter in Zanzibar destroys a 36,000 ton Cheetah class ship before it runs out of maintenance supplies and is forced to return to Amirante and land on Asakaze. The other fighter transits into Zanzibar and continues the attack, achieving the destruction of a 66,000 ton Cougar before suffering a weapon failure and also returning to Asakaze. For some reason, possibly the destruction of their comrades in Amirante, the Bloodclaw ships do not attempt another transit and instead runs into the depths of the Zanzibar system.
After repairing their weapons in Asakaze’s small hangar bay and replenishing their maintenance supplies, the two fighters conduct another attack, destroying two ships before resupplying once. This cycle continues, moving further from the jump point, until all but fourteen Cougar class ships of 66,000 tons remains. The Cougars are fleeing at only 363 km/s, except for one crippled vessel near the jump point, which suggest they may be some type of resource-gathering ship, Asakaze monitors their position, but they are otherwise left alone until the light cruisers arrive, as they have boarding capability.
4th February 1984
The light cruisers Nagara, Naka and Yura arrive in Zanzibar. Two have Raiden Sentai detachments, comprising forty Kazuma Raiden boarding troops, equipped with powered armour and the Nambu Type 36 Machine Gun. Nagara has a detachment of unarmoured marines, with older weapons, which she dispatches to board the damaged Cougar near the jump point, while the other two ships head after the thirteen Cougars still fleeing the area.
Resistance to the marines is unexpectedly heavy. The detachment was understrength anyway, with only thirty-four personnel. Within three minutes of boarding the Bloodclaw vessel, fifteen are dead and so are sixty-one of the crew. The other two light cruisers reverse course and head back to assist. By the time the Kazuma Raiden join the marines, there are only eleven remaining.
The arrival of the two Raiden Sentai detachment completely transforms the boarding operation. Within two minutes of arriving, they have killed two hundred crew and captured the ship without suffering a single loss. The Cougar turns out to be a small civilian fuel harvester. As the forces at Mauritius Base are effectively cut-off from the rest of the Empire of Japan, due to deteriorating relations with the Followers of Zharov, the securing of a local fuel production capability will be extremely welcome, although as yet no suitable gas giant in the area has been discovered. The Raiden Sentai return to Naka and Yura and prepare for a series of further boarding actions to secure the undamaged Cougars. As Nagara no longer possesses an effective boarding detachment, she returns to Reunion to provide support for the planned assault on the Bloodclaw colony on Reunion-A III. Asakaze also heads for Reunion to continue her gravitational and geological surveys.
5th February 1984
Boarding operations have been underway for several hours, with two more harvesters captured for the loss of six Kazuma Raiden, when events in the Zanzibar system take an unexpected turn. Sensor emissions are detected from an alien ship of a previously unknown race, located approximately equidistant from the jump point and the boarding operations. The ship, designated as Sigurd class, is travelling at 6000 km/s on a direct course for the Amirante jump point. Nagara, already in the Amirante system, reverses course and heads back to the Zanzibar jump point. Asakaze is heading for the same jump point from the Zanzibar side and is just over a hundred million kilometres from the alien ship. She launches one of her fighters on an intercept course.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire145.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire146.png)
Despite initial occasional contact, the alien ship vanishes for several hours and the fighter is unable to locate it, so it moves to the jump point and waits. Eventually, ten hours after initial contact, the Sigurd class ship moves within the fighter’s limited sensor range as it closes on the jump point. In that time, Naka and Yura have captured a further four Bloodclaw fuel harvesters. Asakaze and Nagara are still heading to the jump point from either side, but neither is in sensor range yet. After remaining on the jump point for approximately ninety minutes, the Sigurd transits into Amirante, where it is detected by a buoy left by Asakaze.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire147.png)
Six hours after transiting, the Sigurd class ship departs the jump point on an apparent course for the Reunion jump point. By this point, Nagara is within active sensor range, so she begins shadowing the alien ship. Meanwhile, in Zanzibar, Naka and Yura complete the capture of the remaining ships, although the Raiden Sentai suffer forty percent casualties in total during the many boarding actions. Both light cruisers head for the Amirante jump point, while the survey cruiser Asakaze begin a survey of Zanzibar to locate the entry jump point of the Sigurd. The Reunion survey will be resumed afterwards. The captured fuel harvesters are all out of fuel, so will have to remain in Zanzibar until the replenishment ship Kyokuto Maru arrives from Mauritius Base.
A few hours later, the Sigurd reaches the position of the captured Bornean Bay class freighter, then reverses course and heads back to the Zanzibar jump point. It appears that rather than moving to the Reunion jump point, the alien ship was investigating the freighter, which happened to be on a course to Reunion. This suggests the alien ship is a scout and Amirante might be the furthest point to which the new alien race has explored. If they do find Reunion, that will put them in contact with both the Bloodclaw Dominion and the Followers of Zharov, both of which have colonies in the system, although the ownership of the Dominion colonies may change in the near future.
10th February 1984
The Sigurd returns to Zanzibar and moves to the captured harvesters, presumably continuing its investigation of recent sensor contacts. Nagara continues to shadow the alien ships, but is down to fifty percent fuel so will not be able to maintain the pursuit indefinitely. While the aliens have shown willingness to attempt communication with the Japanese light cruiser, progress has been extremely limited.
20th February 1984
Due to concerns over fuel, Nagara lost contact with the Sigurd several days ago and took up station on the Zanzibar – Amirante jump point. A second ship of the Zanzibar aliens, designated as Edda class, is detected in Zanzibar on a heading for the Amirante jump point. The Edda, 6,100 tons and moving at 5,527 km/s, appeared from the same direction as the initial contact with the Sigurd. Asakaze is attempting to locate their entry jump point. The Edda transits into Amirante and holds position on the jump point.
21st February 1984
The Kido Butai arrives in the Saint Helena system and sets course for the Zuijin fleet in orbit of the second planet. Due to refits and other commitments, no heavy cruisers are available and the Akagi class carriers Kaga and Zuikaku have replaced the Taihō and Junyō, reducing the number of strike craft by a third but adding an extra forty-eight Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class fighters. The fleet has refuelled twice en route to reach Saint Helena. All fourteen ships proceed to within a hundred million kilometres of the planet, then the Carrier Striking Force holds position while the Main Force proceeds onwards, escorted by the carrier strikegroups.
Main Force
Yamato-Ha class Battleship: Katsuragi, Musashi, Shinano, Yamato
Nagato II class Battleship: Hyūga, Ise, Mutsu, Nagato
Carrier Striking Force
Taihō II-Ro class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō, Unryū
Akagi III class Carrier: Kaga, Zuikaku
144x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike
264x Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' class Fighter
8x Aichi E2A class Scout
On approach, the Main Force deals with several waves of sixteen laser torpedoes and a single wave of thirty. Once within five million kilometres, the B2N ‘Tenzan’ strike craft launch two hundred and eighty-eight Rakurai anti-ship missiles, targeting a Devastator class base and a Ravager escort cruiser, which are the only Zuijin ships armed with light missiles. Both targets are blown to pieces. The B2Ns head back to their carriers, while the Main Force closes on the Zuijin fleet.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire148.png)
Although the Zuijin defenders are theoretically powerful, with over 200,000 tons of warships, their missile ships cannot effectively penetrate the Kido Butai’s point defence, their light missile ships have been eliminated and their energy-weapon combatants are slower and have shorter range weapons. The Zuijin attempt to attack the Japanese battleships, but unlike the early days of Japanese expansion, they are now completely outclassed. The battle is a massacre. Once every last Zuijin warship has been hunted down and destroyed, the Main Force wipes out the surface-to-orbit weapons on Saint Helena II, leaving the planet open to ground assault.
26th February 1984
ELINT data from the Xiamen home world reveals that the People’s Republic is at war within the Sapporo aliens. This is very surprising as the two races are at least six transits apart, based on known detections, and the available routes pass through either the Velsharoon home world or via both Fiji and Truk. Either the systems beyond Saint Helena and Ascension connect to Xiamen space, or there is some other unknown route. The resurvey of the Sapporo system was abandoned after the Ascension jump point was located, but that survey will be completed to ensure there are no more back doors into the Empire of Japan.
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This is the 3rd of 4 posts today
2nd March 1984
Asakaze discovers a jump point in Zanzibar, close to the F5-V primary. It is not in the area from which the two ships of the Zanzibar aliens appeared, so she continues her survey while the light cruiser Yura, recently refuelled in Amirante by Kyokuto Maru, moves to the new jump point. Although Yura does not have a jump drive, the jump point is stable, so she transits with the hope that the far side is also stable and she doesn’t require the assistance of Asakaze in returning to Zanzibar.
Yura emerges two billion kilometres from a planetless, orange K3-V star, designated as Svalbard. A warning blares on the bridge as her sensors detect two hostile contacts at point-blank range. Fortunately, they are both commercial-engined ships of the Bloodclaw Dominion: a 36-500-ton Amur Leopard class, seven of which were destroyed by Asakaze’s fighters in Zanzibar, plus a 180,000-ton Lion class, a type not previously seen. Yura launches her Raiden Sentai, albeit severely reduced in strength, against the Amur Leopard and targets the Lion. As soon as her weapons recover from jump shock, the Lion is destroyed by a single salvo. The Kazuma Raiden capture the Leopard, apparently a civilian freighter, without loss. This brief action was conducted at the furthest point from Sol that the Imperial Japanese Navy has reached: sixteen transits and almost sixty-five billion kilometres.
Amur Leopard class Freighter 36,518 tons 105 Crew 395 BP TCS 730 TH 800 EM 0
1095 km/s Armour 1-98 Shields 0-0 HTK 40 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 6 Max Repair 50 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 3
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
T’plar P160.0 Civilian Drive (5) Power 800 Fuel Use 3.54% Signature 160 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 20.9 billion km (220 days at full power)
3rd March 1984
A Hosho III diplomatic ship that was originally deployed to Mauritius to negotiate with the Bloodclaw Dominion arrives at the Amirante – Zanzibar jump point, where the Edda class ship of the Zanzibar aliens has remained since transiting into the system. Kaigun-Taisa Kimiyama Masago is in command of the Hosho, a linguistics expert that previously commanded the battleship Hyūga in two engagements against the Zuijin before being seconded to the Diplomatic Corps.
In the adjacent Reunion system, the 1st Kurogane Samurai division is dropped on the Bloodclaw colony on the third planet and immediately engages the defenders. Once again the defenders are mostly infantry, perhaps 2500 in total, but with a gravity of 0.6G and cold but tolerable temperatures, the Kaenryu and Gekiryū combat mechs find it far easier to locate and eliminate targets than during the recent comet battle.. Both Kurogane Samurai divisions are now engaged simultaneously, as the low-level combat still continues on Tarawa II with minimal losses on both sides.
6th March 1984
The Bloodclaw defenders are annihilated in less than four days of fighting. Due to the orbital bombardment of the shore batteries and subsequent collateral damage from the ground fighting, any original Dominion population has apparently been wiped out, leaving a few installations and sufficient infrastructure to support 900,000 colonists. The installations are an eclectic mix, including one each of construction, fighter and ordnance factories, several mines and maintenance facilities, a financial centre and an ordnance transfer station. There is also a stockpile of twenty-four million litres of fuel, without a way to access it, and six thousand maintenance supplies. Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi, overseeing the invasion from the battlecruiser Kirishima, suspects this was once a Zuijin outpost and the scattered installations were recovered from ruins. An orbital survey could confirm that theory, if anything of the original Zuijin ruin remains.
10th March 1984
Two of the original three Dominion colonies in Reunion have now fallen to the Empire of Japan. Kirishima approaches a comet that holds the third to engage the surface defences. Fortunately, some have already been exposed, probably due to a previous engagement, so she opens fire from beyond their maximum range. Once those are eliminated, Kirishima moves closer and encounters a second, shorter-ranged battery that opens fire at 90,000 km and inflicts several strength-4 hits on her armour. She pulls back and destroys them, before advancing once again and coming under fire at 19,000 km. Kirishima’s armour suffers another thirty-nine hits, leading to a seventy-five percent penetration in one location and moderate damage across the whole belt.
The third and final battery suffers the same fate as the first two, although Kirishima is close to weapon failure with only five percent of her maintenance supplies remaining. Kirishima heads for Reunion-A III to resupply from the recently captured maintenance stockpile. Her commander, Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi is awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with Silver Rays for his actions in Reunion.
15th March 1984
The troop transport Yasukuni Maru drops the 1st Kurogane Samurai division on the Bloodclaw colony. This will be a far more difficult battle, as the ground force signature is 33,500-tons, six times larger than the forces on the other two colonies in Reunion. In fact, the attacking force is likely out-massed and the defenders are well-fortified but there are no other Imperial Army formations within fifty billion kilometres. The Kaenryu and Gekiryū combat mechs will have to rely on quality, not quantity.
16th March 1984
Within twenty-four hours of landing, the 1st Kurogane Samurai division has identified approximately a hundred Dominion tanks of various types and up to ten thousand infantry and other troops. Combat is difficult for both sides due to the minimal gravity and temperatures of minus two hundred degrees. Three days after landing, a decisive engagement takes place, when half the Bloodclaw armour is destroyed by Kaenryu combat mechs within eight hours of fighting, significantly reducing the Dominion’s ability to defeat the Imperial Army mechs.
20th March 1984
The survey cruiser Shirayuki finds another dormant jump point in Sapporo. The original survey discovered only two jump points, the entry point from Kagoshima and an outward jump point to a black hole. Since then, a jump point in Santa Isabel, two jumps from Fiji, connected to a dormant jump point in Sapporo, then a resurvey found a second dormant jump point leading to Ascension. After the news that the Sapporo aliens were at war with the Xiamen, the resurvey continued and has now found a third previously dormant jump point.
Shirayuki probes the new jump point and discovers Bermuda, a G5-IV sub-giant star orbited by four terrestrial worlds. Bermuda III, a cold desert world with small seas and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, would be an ideal habitable world, if not for 0.06 atm of carbon dioxide. The survey cruiser launches a reconnaissance drone and finds no sign of life.
8th April 1984
The survey cruiser Minekaze completes a geological survey of the four planets and fifteen moons in Ascension and heads for the Saint Helena jump point to survey the Zuijin planet in that system. As she is leaving orbit of Ascension II, she detects the transit of a Pasht class geosurvey ship of the Sapporo aliens through a previously unknown jump point, less than twenty million kilometres away.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire149.png)
Minekaze transits the new jump point and discovers a huge black hole with a hundred and twenty solar masses. Over thirty billion kilometres away on the far side of the system are ten Xiamen wrecks, including eight 160,000-ton commercial-engined Zhangzhou class. This system could be the link between the Sapporo aliens and the territory of the People’s Republic of Xiama. Minekaze lays her last two sensor buoys either side of the new jump point then returns to Ascension, transits into Saint Helena and heads for the Zuijin world.
10th April 1984
Full communication is established with the alien race recently encountered in Zanzibar. They are known as the Helgrim Protectorate and are humanoid in general appearance, although their true form is unknown as they wear suits of ornate metal armour, including full helms. While ancient in appearance, the armour is presumably of modern construction and ceremonial in nature. Only two small ships have been encountered so far, so the technology and military strength of the enigmatic Helgrim remains a mystery.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire150.png)
25th April 1984
The 1st Kurogane Samurai division completes the conquest of the Bloodclaw comet colony. The only loss was a single Gekiryū Combat Mech, although the division has consumed all its supplies and there are no replacements available. Fifty automated mines are captured.
28th April 1984
Full communication is finally established with the mysterious alien race that has been occasionally encountered in the systems around Sapporo for the last fourteen years. The aliens, which are tall, thin humanoids, with grey skin, very large black eyes and triangular-shaped bony heads, refer to themselves as Capellans and their polity as the Capella Imperium. A total of twenty-one Capellan ships have been detected over the years, all of which have military engines and mass less than ten thousand tons. As with the Helgrim Protectorate, the strength of the Capella Imperium and the extent of their territory is unknown.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire151.png)
4th May 1984
Ground combat between the 2nd Kurogane Samurai division and the Zuijin defenders hidden in the jungle-covered mountains of Tarawa II has been underway for over four months. Five Kaenryu combat mechs have been lost and less than ten percent of the Zuijin force has been eliminated. Approximately eleven hundred Zuijin bots and over a hundred larger mechs are estimated to remain somewhere in the dense foliage. The reconstituted 2nd Division of the Imperial Army, comprising ten thousand infantry and one hundred and twenty Ju-Ro heavy tanks, is unloaded on the planet to provide assistance. While the infantry is nowhere near as powerful as the huge Kaenryu and Gekiryū combat mechs, it significantly increases the number of units and weapons available to hunt down the Zuijin.
9th May 1984
Ten transits from Tarawa, the 3rd and 4th Divisions of the Imperial Army are dropped on Saint Helena II, another Zuijin planet. This planet also has mountains, but they are not covered in jungle. In orbit are the battleships Hyūga and Ise, left behind to protect the planet after the rest of the Kido Butai departed, the survey cruiser Minekaze, conducting a geological survey of the planet and searching for ruins, and a Pasht class geosurvey ship of the Capella Imperium. The presence of the Capellan ship could soon lead to a rival ground force competing for whatever ruins are located on Saint Helena II.
16th May 1984
The Zuijin defenders of Saint Helena II are eliminated after a week of intense combat. Imperial Army losses are relatively light, with approximately seven hundred infantry killed and six tanks destroyed. Unfortunately, due to the extreme shortage of troop transport capacity, it will be almost three months before a pair of Xenoarchaeological regiments arrive to study whatever ruins are found by the orbital survey. As the two divisions that secured the planet are fully combat effective, they will be transported to Tarawa II to join the epic struggle on that world.
28th May 1984
Minekaze finds a ruined colony on Saint Helena II. There are no mineral deposits worthy of note.
3rd June 1984
A buoy emplaced in the recently discovered black hole system adjacent to Ascension detects weapons fire near the ten Xiamen wrecks in the system. There is no sign of further wrecks or life pods.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire152.png)
28th June 1984
The 1st Division of the Imperial Army is unloaded on Tarawa II, joining the 2nd Division and the 2nd Kurogane Samurai. The conflict has lasted six months and a little more than half of the original Zuijin force remains. The addition of the 2nd Division in early May helped considerably, with the infantry able to operate more effectively than the huge combat mechs in the steep jungle terrain. The arrival of the 1st Division will double the infantry force. The two divisions from the recent battle in Saint Helena are en route but several months away.
12th July 1984
Three 966-ton Bloodclaw Dominion ships of a new type, designated as Bobcat class, transit into Reunion from Mauritius. All three are instantly destroyed by the Zharovian picket squadron on the jump point, which comprises three ships totalling 85,000 tons. Two Magadan class ships of 21,300 tons are detected firing 20cm lasers and a single 25cm laser. The same Zharovian squadron occasionally issues requests to leave the system when any Imperial Navy ship is nearby.
The salvage operations in Zanzibar are complete and Kimikawa Maru has returned to Mauritius Base, as have Kirishima, the troop transport Yasukuni Maru and the 1st Kurogane Samurai division. The captured fuel harvesters have recently transited from Amirante into Reunion and are making their way very slowly across the latter system. There is still no ultimate destination, as a suitable gas giant has not been found, but they will eventually arrive at Mauritius base where they will be easier to protect. One of the three light cruisers remains in Zanzibar, in contact with an Edda class ship of the Helgrim, a second is at the captured Bloodclaw colony in Reunion and the third is being overhauled at Mauritius Base. The survey cruisers Harukaze and Asakaze are conducting surveys of Reunion and Zanzibar respectively. All of this activity is a long way from the nearest naval base in the Fiji system and with the ban on transiting the Zharov system, there is no further help for Mauritius Base or its assigned forces for the foreseeable future.
16th July 1984
Emissions from two more of the new Bobcat class are detected a hundred and forty million kilometres from Mauritius Base, moving at almost 13,000 km/s. The old Kongo II class battlecruiser Kirishima and the Nagara III-Ni light cruiser Yura are at the base, but even the latter has less than half the speed of the Bloodclaw ships. Given their size and speed, they could be some form of missile platform, or maybe even a large attack craft similar to those of the Mizuchi. Fortunately, they appear to be on a course for the Zharov jump point, rather than moving to attack the Japanese base. Upon hearing the news regarding the activity of the Bloodclaw, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi considers that a new run through Zharov might be required to reinforce the most distant outpost of the Empire.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire153.png)
The Bobcats reappear a few hours later on approach to the Reunion jump point, after presumably changing course somewhere beyond the detection range of the tracking station at Mauritius Base, but now detected by a sensor buoy on the jump point. There are three Bobcats in total, which ignore the buoy and transit into Reunion where they are obliterated by the Zharovian ships. Kimikawa Maru transits into Reunion and salvages the wreckage, finding several fixed missile launchers and a missile fire control.
25th July 1984
Asakaze probes a newly discovered jump point in Zanzibar, located in the general direction from which the only two known ships of the Helgrim Protectorate approached the Zanzibar – Amirante jump point. She discovers a white dwarf system with an unmarkable dwarf planet, orbited by a tiny moon. The system is named Havelock, following the theme of Indian Ocean islands for systems beyond the Zharovian home world, the first of which is Mauritius, home system of the Bloodclaw Dominion.
27th July 1984
A Viper class geological survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha enters Sigma Tucanae from Ryūgasaki, detected by a sensor buoy emplaced on the jump point. The Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' that was previously picketing the jump point was withdrawn to Fomalhaut due to the arrival of a large force of Mizuchi-Ha attack craft on the Ryūgasaki side. A second H3K is dispatched from Fomalhaut Naval Base, with orders to locate the Viper during its survey mission and eliminate it.
Ninety minutes later that order is rescinded when a force of seven Mizuchi warships, totalling over 150,000 tons and including the 68,000 ton Anaconda class, follows the Viper into Sigma Tucanae, placing them a single transit from Fomalhaut. They destroy the sensor buoy before heading in-system. Based on the buoy readings just before its destruction, the two 22,660-ton Mamba class ships in the Mizuchi-Ha force are each armed with fifteen 35cm acid-lasers and a single 52cm acid-laser, giving them formidable firepower. The Anaconda also has a 52cm acid-laser, plus almost fifty twin turrets, while the four 11,293-ton Kraits each have ten twin turrets.
The forces on station at the Fomalhaut Naval Base include the light cruiser Tenryu, sixty A3M2 ‘Hayabusa’ fighters, forty A2M3 ‘Shinden’ fighters, three experimental Nakajima J1N 'Toryu’ (Dragonslayer) interceptors, which are the only craft of their type in existence, and three Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' patrol craft. Three further H3Ks are deployed at nearby jump points. Two shore batteries are present on the surface, comprising a dozen 30cm lasers and an equal number of 20cm lasers.
Nakajima J1N 'Toryu' class Interceptor 2,000 tons 27 Crew 615.4 BP TCS 40 TH 499 EM 0
12480 km/s Armour 1-14 Shields 0-0 HTK 14 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 15
Maint Life 1.98 Years MSP 598 AFR 128% IFR 1.8% 1YR 202 5YR 3,037 Max Repair 249.6 MSP
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 2.1 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-500-DB Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 499.2 Fuel Use 252% Signature 499 Exp 19%
Fuel Capacity 53,700 Litres Range 1.92 billion km (42 hours at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-45A Spinal Laser (1) Range 320,000km TS: 12,480 km/s Power 53-5 ROF 55
Type 34 Go-34E Laser Fire Control (1) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 12,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-5B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 5.1 Exp 10%
Type 33 Go-74B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 16 Range 4.3m km Resolution 10
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire154.png)
With the deadly, high-tech Mizuchi-Ha encroaching on the territory of the Empire of Japan, the Fomalhaut naval base requires urgent reinforcement. The light cruiser Kuma, recently upgraded to the new Nagara IV class with fusion drives, longer-ranged railguns and improved sensors, is dispatched from the nearby Hadano system, on the border of Xiamen space, leaving behind the old light cruiser Kasagi to provide a tripwire defence should the Xiamen suddenly turn hostile. The battleships Nagato and Mutsu, not yet scheduled for an upgrade to the latest technology, are dispatched from Sol. Together, these ships comprise the maximum size of force that the base can support until its maintenance capacity is improved.
Nagara IV class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 618 Crew 4,669.8 BP TCS 360 TH 2,880 EM 0
8000 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 122 Sensors 16/28/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 1.91 Years MSP 2,121 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 754 5YR 11,303 Max Repair 720 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 3 BRG AUX CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 15 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1440-B Fusion Drive (2) Power 2880 Fuel Use 32.20% Signature 1440 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 695,400 Litres Range 21.6 billion km (31 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 384,000km TS: 8,000 km/s Power 10-5 ROF 10
Takashi Kinetics TK-10C Railgun (12x4) Range 50,000km TS: 8,000 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 41 Go-31F Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 384,000 km TS: 8,125 km/s ECCM-3
R-50 Tokamak Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 100.3 Exp 5%
Type 42 Go-21E Missile Detection (1) GPS 14 Range 7.9m km MCR 710.9k km Resolution 1
Type 42 Go-11E Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 116.9m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-61D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 28 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 41.8m km
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 3 Missile 4
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
15th August 1984
The Zuijin forces on Tarawa II are finally defeated after nine months of combat across the planet’s jungle-covered mountains. Three full divisions, including the combat mechs of the 2nd Kurogane Samurai, were required to hunt down the Zuijin bots and mechs in an extremely difficult environment. With the planet now clear of hostile forces, two Xenoarchaeological regiments are landed to begin a survey of the ruined colony. While the combat was underway, a gravitational survey of the system was completed without revealing any outward jump points.
18th August 1984
The tracking station at Mauritius Base detects a new class of Bloodclaw ship, designated as Javan Leopard class, moving away from the Dominion home world. As the ship has commercial engines and a speed of 1400 km/s, the light cruiser Yura moves to intercept. She uses a single railgun to attack the ship until it slows by fifty percent, then sends her Raiden Sentai to board it. Despite being understrength, the Sentai quickly captures the ship, a small civilian freighter, without any losses.
19th August 1984
Sapporo has an F7-V primary, with higher mass than Sol, which makes a full re-survey a substantial task. Nevertheless, given that three dormant jump point have been found since the original survey, completing the resurvey is still a priority task, despite the belief of many Imperial Navy officers that the entry point of the Capella Imperium into Sapporo has already been located and the focus should be on surveying the surrounding systems. Those doubters are proven incorrect when Shirayuki, one of three 10,000-ton Asagiri II class survey cruisers in Sapporo, discovers a fourth dormant jump point. Why this particular system seems to attract so many dormant jump point is a mystery, but it only reinforces the need to complete the resurvey. Shirayuki moves to the new jump point while her sister ships Sagiri and Murakumo continue the task in Sapporo.
25th August 1984
Shirayuki transits the new jump point and finds herself in the same black hole system that was discovered four months earlier from Ascension, which itself is adjacent to Sapporo. This new connection supports the idea that the colossal black hole system, which has an outer survey ring sixty billion kilometres in diameter, may be the direction from which the Sapporo aliens first appeared. The new jump point is only eighteen billion kilometres from the Xiamen wrecks, compared to thirty-two billion kilometres from the Ascension jump point. Given the recent combat activity at the wreck location, it is likely a jump point to Xiamen space, so Shirayuki begins a survey of the area near the wrecks, trying to locate the jump point. Due to the number of jumps points, presence of the Capella Imperium and the proximity of the Aether Rift in the Vanikoro system three transits away, Sapporo I will be developed into a new naval base.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire155.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire156.png)
23rd September 1984
The survey of the ruined colony on Tarawa II is complete. Fifty-one sites of interest have been identified.
10rd October 1984
The survey of the ruined colony on Saint Helena II is complete. Sixty-two sites of interest have been identified.
18th November 1984
Asakaze discovers two new jump points close to the star in the Zanzibar system, three jumps out from Mauritius. The first leads to Nicobar, a red dwarf system with three terrestrial planets, the second of which is Mars-sized and has liquid water and a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere, although no mineral deposits. The other jump point connects to Madagascar, a far more substantial system, with an orange K2-V primary, six planets, forty-eight moons and almost two hundred asteroids. A moon of the third planet has similar characteristics to Nicobar II, albeit without a geological survey at this point.
There are twenty-nine wrecks in Madagascar, ranging from 7000 tons to 180,000 tons, all of which are unknown types. While most are scattered between the orbits of the first and second planets, a hot barren rock and a Venusian world respectively, there are nine wrecks further out, in the same general area beyond the sixth planet, a gas giant with sixteen moons. It is possible the wrecks are from ships of the Helgrim Protectorate, as only two of their ships have been encountered, or it could be an entirely new race.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire157.png)
Asakaze is out of both buoys and drone and lacks a scout, so she moves in-system to a point where she can launch her B1N ‘Ryusei’ strike craft, so it can scout the inner system using its small strike sensor. The B1N detects a new 7,482-ton ship type of the Helgrim Protectorate, designated as Gefjon class, in orbit of a moon of Madagascar III, but no other sign of life in the inner system. Asakaze moves in behind the strike craft to have a closer look.
3rd December 1984
A ground force of the Capella Imperium is detected on Saint Helena IV, a frozen world slightly larger than Earth, with a helium-hydrogen atmosphere, ice sheets covering half the surface and a surface temperature of -96C. A geological survey finds large deposits of several minerals but only at minimal accessibility. What the Capellans could find interesting about this desolate wasteland is unknown. Imperial Army recovery operations are still in progress at the Zuijin ruins on Saint Helena II.
5th December 1984
The delivery of maintenance facilities and two Yokosuka class orbital maintenance stations to Fomalhaut Naval Base has increased its maintenance capacity to almost half a million tons. This allows the deployment of two Takao III class heavy cruisers, Ashigara and Myōkō, to bolster the forces stationed at Fomalhaut to counter the growing threat from the Mizuchi-Ha. Seventy-one Nakajima B1N ‘Ryusei’ strike craft, delivered by the carriers Taihō and Junyō, are added to the Fomalhaut Kōkūtai. The B1N was superseded in carrier kōkūtai from 1979 onwards by the Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan’, but can still provide the base with a useful strike capability. The carriers also delivered sufficient Rakurai II anti-ship missiles for a full reload before heading back to Earth. Further forces will be allocated to Fomalhaut as they become available.
Fomalhaut Squadron
Nagato II class Battleship: Mutsu, Nagato
Takao III class Heavy Cruiser: Ashigara, Myōkō
Nagara IV class Light Cruiser: Kashima, Kuma
Fomalhaut Kōkūtai
3x Nakajima J1N 'Toryu' Interceptor
3x Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' Long Range Patrol
71x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' Carrier Strike
60x Mitsubishi A3M2 'Hayabusa' Fighter
40x Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' Fighter
2x Aichi E2A class Scout:
Takao III class Heavy Cruiser 27,000 tons 865 Crew 6,640.7 BP TCS 540 TH 4,320 EM 4,260
8000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-80 Shields 142-532 HTK 169 Sensors 16/28/0/0 DCR 14-5 PPV 145.28
Maint Life 1.91 Years MSP 3,652 AFR 417% IFR 5.8% 1YR 1,293 5YR 19,391 Max Repair 720 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-270-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 27000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1440-B Fusion Drive (3) Power 4320 Fuel Use 32.20% Signature 1440 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,016,000 Litres Range 21 billion km (30 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (2) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.3 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 384,000km TS: 8,000 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12C Laser Turret (6x2) Range 240,000km TS: 25000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 41 Go-31F Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 384,000 km TS: 8,125 km/s ECCM-3
Type 41 Go-31F Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 25,000 km/s ECCM-3
R-50 Tokamak Fusion Reactor (2) Total Power Output 100.3 Exp 5%
Type 42 Go-21E Missile Detection (1) GPS 14 Range 7.9m km MCR 710.9k km Resolution 1
Type 42 Go-71E Fighter Detection (1) GPS 280 Range 24.1m km Resolution 10
Type 42 Go-11E Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 116.9m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 42 Go-61D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 28 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 41.8m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 3 Missile 4
16th December 1984
Intelligence gathered via ELINT data from the home world of the Xiamen, confirms that the People’s Republic of Xiama is still at war with the Capella Imperium, formerly known as the Sapporo aliens. This conflict was first reported in February and the presence of Xiamen wrecks in the larger of the two black hole systems connected to Sapporo suggests the war is ongoing in that system, but, apart from energy impacts and explosions, no actual combat has been observed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Based on the evidence gathered so far, the People’s Republic presents a formidable opponent with a substantial population, high levels of technology and a presence in numerous systems. Relations between the Empire of Japan and the People’s Republic are cordial, with a trade treaty in place. With so many threats to the Empire, this is an acceptable state of affairs, at least for the moment. The Capella Imperium remains a mystery, with only small, military-engined ships encountered so far, in the systems around Sapporo, plus the ground force signature on Saint Helena IV.
26th December 1984
ELINT data from the Bloodclaw home world reveals extremely disconcerting information, in the form of a Bloodclaw heavy cruiser design. Until now, given that the Dominion is plainly losing its war against the Followers of Zharov, and taking losses from the small Japanese force at Mauritius Base, plus its relatively smaller home world population and the low technology of captured ships, Imperial Naval Intelligence had assumed the Bloodclaw Dominion had a lower level of technology than the Empire of Japan.
The ‘heavy cruiser’ design crushes that assumption. The Simone Schiaffino V class is fifty percent larger than the eight Imperial Navy heavy cruisers and has an Inertial Fusion drive, which is a generation ahead of the Imperial Navy’s Magnetic Fusion drive, which has only recently been developed. The Imperial Navy is in the early stages of a refit program, with only four of thirteen carriers having received the new drives and none of the eight battleships, although the majority of light and heavy cruisers have been refitted. Furthermore, the Bloodclaw class mounts the same deadly particle lances as the Zuijin and has the necessary speed to get within range. Only in fire controls and electronic warfare does the Imperial Navy have an advantage, and that is mainly due to the large research colony on Osaka-B I, home to an ancient construct that adds eighty percent to sensor research.
Simone Schiaffino V class Heavy Cruiser 42,594 tons 1,497 Crew 16,485.8 BP TCS 852 TH 6,900 EM 0
8099 km/s Armour 7-108 Shields 0-0 HTK 307 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 10-2 PPV 348
Maint Life 0.36 Years MSP 2,419 AFR 1451% IFR 20.2% 1YR 6,649 5YR 99,737 Max Repair 862.5 MSP
Magazine 0 / 104
Line Captain Control Rating 3 BRG AUX CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Inertial Fusion Drive EP1725 (4) Power 6900 Fuel Use 11.42% Signature 1725 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,150,000 Litres Range 42.5 billion km (60 days at full power)
Particle Lance-18 (29) Range 240,000km TS: 8,099 km/s Power 55-5 ROF 55
Beam Fire Control R320-TS8500 (3) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 8,500 km/s ECCM-3
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor R6 (29) Total Power Output 169.9 Exp 5%
Size 26 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 26 Hangar Reload 255 minutes MF Reload 42 hours
Justicar Ship Decoy (4) Signature: 5200 tons ECM-3 Size: 26
Active Search Sensor AS103-R120 (1) GPS 15120 Range 103.6m km Resolution 120
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
EM Sensor EM1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3 Fire Control 3 Missile 3
This new information has both positive and negative implications. The obvious negative is that if the Dominion manages to build one or more of these ships, they will pose a significant threat to Mauritius Base. The three light cruisers based at the colony are powered by magneto-plasma drives, while the old battlecruiser Kirishima still has ion engines. The rest of their technology is in line with their engines, apart from sensors and fire controls, so they are unlikely to prevail in such a conflict.
The positive implication is due to the fact the Dominion has apparently suffered heavily against the Followers of Zharov and appears to be mainly confirmed to their home world, building only occasional commercial-engined ships that are destroyed if they try to leave the system. The Zharovians have made several attempts to attack the Dominion home world, but have been defeated by the orbital defences. If the Dominion really is weak and its home world has suffered damage, it might be possible to launch an attack to capture it and gain access to the latest Bloodclaw technology. While the Imperial Navy has the advantage of an existing base in the system, it is still relatively small and over fifty billion kilometres from Earth. Two thirds of that distance is via the territory of the Followers of Zharov.
A repair vessel is already en route to Mauritius, to enable a more sustainable presence in the system, plus a tug is towing a second Yokosuka class maintenance base, although the decision about when to make the run through the Zharov system, with the attendant risks of war with the Zharovians, is yet to be made. In the meantime, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi sets a new objective for the Imperial Navy; build up the forces in Mauritius, to the point where an assault on the Bloodclaw home world is possible, without causing a war with the Followers of Zharov, or weakening the Empire’s ability to deal with the Mizuchi-Ha.
As a first step, the light cruiser Naka moves within sensor range of the Bloodclaw home world to check its current status. She detects twelve ships of three different types, ranging from 20,787 tons to 26,151 tons, which are possibly orbital bases. At least one type is armed with light missiles, given the barrage suffered by Zharovian ships attacking the planet. There is also a large shipyard complex, which the Zharovians have plainly failed to destroy. Capturing that intact would be extremely useful, especially so far from Earth.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire158.png)
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This is the 4th of 4 posts today
8th January 1985
The survey cruiser Asakaze detects emissions from what appears to be a shore battery of the Helgrim Protectorate on the second moon of Madagascar II, which is orbited by the previously detected Gefjon class ship. Shortly thereafter, the Gefjon requests that Asakaze leaves the Madagascar system. That request will be ignored for the moment.
11th January 1985
Combat is detected in the larger of the two black hole systems connected to Sapporo, at the site of the existing Xiamen wrecks. Life pods from a Xiamen Kaifeng class appear, along with a new wreck. The survey cruisers Sagiri and Shirayuki are already in the system, along with the salvage ship Kasuga Maru. The latter is moving toward the wrecks from the Sapporo jump point but due to the distances involved in the vast system will not arrive for over three months.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire159.png)
31st January 1985
Sensor emissions from an Incheon class ship of the Wokou Raiders are detected in Kariya, one jump outward from the Zuijin system of Beta Hydri and one inward from Katagami, where the Mizuchi-Ro have recently been detected. Shinzan Maru, a 60,000-ton small craft tender, is orbiting a comet in the system, where a deep space tracking station has been emplaced, and supporting a small group of Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' long range patrol craft that are picketing the two outward jump points, plus a single Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku’ that is laying sensor buoys. Shinzan Maru sets a course for the nearest jump point, as Japanese scientists have determined the Wokou use a different method of entering systems and may not be able to use jump points. The H3Ks are fast enough to outrun the raider should it approach. Their light cannon would be no much for the railguns of the Incheon.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire160.png)
Shinzan Maru is fifty million kilometres from the Katagami jump point when it detects the thermal emissions from the Incheon at seven million kilometres on an intercept course. The raider has a speed of 5128 km/s, compared to only 2560 km/s for the tender. As the H2K is in Shinzan Maru’s hangar bay to reload sensor buoys, it immediately launches and heads for the nearby jump point at 4800 km/s. The raider pursues the small craft, so Shinzan Maru reverses course in an attempt to get out of range.
The Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku’ is less than 800,000 km from the jump point when the raider gets into range and opens fire from 154,000 km, scoring three hits and disabling one of its four fixed missile launchers. Two more volleys are sufficient to destroy the 1000-ton craft, destroying it just 650,000 km from safety. The Incheon, observed by a sensor buoy on the jump point, picks up four surviving crew members from the life pods. Less than an hour later, a new Wokou ship type, designated as Jeju class, appears at the same location as the original Incheon contact. Shinzan Maru is eighty million kilometres from the jump point and still moving away.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire161.png)
The Incheon reverses course and moves out of the buoy’s sensor range, while the Jeju ceases its active emissions. After a further six hours, a Jinhae class ship, known from previous encounters to be 124,000 tons and equipped with commercial engines, appears in the same location as the previous two ships, detected by its strength-5000 thermal signature. The location where the Wokou ships are appearing is likely to be their entry point into Kariya. The Jinhae sets a course for the wreck of the H2K, moving at 2000 km/s.
The nearest Imperial Navy warships are twelve billion kilometres away in the Sol system and will take sixteen days to arrive, even with the new fusion drives. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi authorises the dispatch of the Takao III class heavy cruisers Atago and Takao, with the fleet support ship Harutsuyu following in their wake so they will have sufficient fuel to return home.
Ninety minutes after the appearance of the Jinhae, the Incheon reappears, closing quickly on the fleeing Shinzan Maru. This time there is no escape and she is quickly destroyed with the loss of four hundred crew, plus over thirty buoys and drones in her magazine. One hundred and twenty-six crew escape to the life pods. The Incheon picks them up, then returns to the Katagami jump point and destroys the Japanese sensor buoy. The H3K ‘Shoki’ that was picketing the jump point has already transited into Katagami. Meanwhile, the Jinhae has changed course toward the wreck of Shinzan Maru, possibly indicating it is a salvage ship.
As the Jinhae passes by the tracking station on the system’s lone comet, where three H3K ‘Shoki’ remain in orbit, three additional ships are detected in formation; a second Incheon and two Bucheon class. A third Bucheon was detected in company with the Jeju class ship, which moved toward the Shinzan life pods until the Incheon picked them up. After ceasing movement, the Jeju vanished from sensors due to the lack of thermal emissions, while the Bucheon continues to radiate active emissions.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire162.png)
6th February 1985
The wreck of the Shinzan Maru vanishes in Kariya. Given the last known location of the Jinhae was at the wreck, Imperial Naval Intelligence classifies it as a salvage ship. A day later, the wreck of the Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku’ also disappears.
12th February 1985
A second ground forces signature of the Capella Imperium is detected in Saint Helena, on the fifth moon of Saint Helena V.
18th February 1985
The heavy cruisers Atago and Takao arrive in Kariya and move to the location at which the Wokou ships appeared in the system. The Bucheon that accompanied the Jeju is near the comet and still being detected by the tracking station. All the other Wokou ships have vanished, most likely due to remaining stationary after completing their tasks, which would place the Jinhae near the Katagami jump point. If it moves, it will likely be detected by the tracking station. The two cruisers have proceeded this far without shields or active sensors so they are unlikely to have been detected by the Wokou Raiders.
Atago remains near the suspected Wokou entry point while Takao moves toward the Katagami jump point. Meanwhile, one of the three Kawanishi H3Ks in orbit of the comet heads for the Bucheon and establishes an active lock on both the Bucheon and the Jeju that it is escorting. While the smaller Wokou Raider ships have cloaks, the H3K has a secondary resolution-1 active sensor with a range of three million kilometres, enabling it to track any of the hostile ships while remaining outside weapon range due to its superior speed. However, it is unable to attack due to its extremely light armament, which is intended for use against unarmed opponents. The two Wokou ships ignore the nearby patrol craft.
Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' class Long Range Patrol 500 tons 12 Crew 100.7 BP TCS 10 TH 80 EM 0
8001 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 4 Sensors 0/1/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0.98
Maint Life 5.30 Years MSP 37 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 2 5YR 33 Max Repair 40 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-50-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-80-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 80 Fuel Use 165.73% Signature 80 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 90,300 Litres Range 19.6 billion km (28 days at full power)
MK II Light Cannon (1) Range 20,000km TS: 8,001 km/s Power 0.75-0.75 ROF 5
Type 42 Go-34F Patrol Craft Fire Control (1) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 8,125 km/s ECCM-3
R-0B Tokamak Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 0.8 Exp 15%
Type 42 Go-14E Small Strike Sensor (1) GPS 336 Range 17.4m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-24E Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
Type 35 Go-65C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.1 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 8.3m km
Type 33 Go-55C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.1m km
When Takao is eighty million kilometres from the Katagami jump point, she engages active sensors and detects the Jinhae class salvage ship. As soon as she does so, the Jinhae runs in the opposite direction and the Jeju runs for the Wokou arrival location, shadowed by the H3K ‘Shoki’. Takao is four times faster than the Jinhae and quickly closes the range, detecting an escort of one Incheon and two Bucheon as she moves within twenty-four million kilometres due to her Type 42 Go-71E Fighter Detection sensor.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire163.png)
Once within range, Takao opens fire on the Incheon class raider with its ten 25cm lasers and six twin 12cm turrets, quickly destroying it from outside the range at which it can reply. The Wokou ships are completely outclassed, with a lower top speed and short-ranged weapons. Both Bucheons and the Jinhae are rapidly blown to pieces. Takao initially moves to the Katagami jump point, to prevent any Mizuchi-Ro entering the system and salvaging the wrecks, then the original Incheon class raider is detected, moving from the location where Shinzan Maru was destroyed toward the Wokou arrival location, so Takao disengages sensors and shields and sets an intercept course. By the time the Incheon realises the 27,000-ton heavy cruiser is nearby, it is too late.
Meanwhile, the Jeju and its Bucheon escort continue to head directly toward the waiting Atago. When the heavy cruiser engages sensors and shields, they try to run past it and reach their exit point, with predictable results. The Wokou Raiders have paid for their attack on Shinzan Maru with the loss of seven ships, which should give them pause before trying to raid the Empire of Japan in the future. Unfortunately, their attack has disrupted the Imperial Navy’s effort to track the progress of the Mizuchi-Ro using only light forces, so the two heavy cruisers will remain in Kariya for several months until the status quo can be restored.
25th February 1985
The repair ship Fukuju arrives at Mauritius Base after passing through the Zharov system and incurring a warning to leave immediately. Its first task is to repair the armour of the battlecruiser Kirishima.
7th March 1985
The light cruiser Yura makes a sensor pass close to the Dominion home world, the third moon of Mauritius III, in an attempt to determine the size of the Bloodclaw ground forces using her missile detection sensor, which has a range of six million kilometres. Fortunately, the defending forces do not appear to have any long-range weapons and she accomplishes her mission, finding a ground forces contact of over six hundred thousand tons. In reality, that is likely to be at least two million tons when accounting for fortifications, although at least the dominant terrain on the icy moon is Tundra, which does not lend the Dominion ground forces any significant defensive advantages.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire164.png)
Three Bloodclaw ships of a new type, in excess of 100,000 tons and equipped with commercial engines, are ten million kilometres from the moon, so Yura changes course to intercept. As they are travelling at only 213 km/s, she launches a boarding action with her understrength Raiden Sentai. Only eighteen Kazuma Raiden remain from the original forty, but given their equipment and training they are confident of victory. That confidence is misplaced. Although they kill over a hundred and fifty crew members, the Bloodclaw are aggressive and use their natural close-quarters advantages. During twenty-five minutes of brutal combat, all eighteen Kazuma Raiden are killed. The loss of the elite boarding troops to Bloodclaw crew with light personal weapons does not bode well for a successful invasion of their home world. Yura takes swift revenge by obliterating all three ships within forty seconds. While the Nagara-series light cruisers may lack shields and powerful long-range weapons, their point-blank firepower is considerable.
12th March 1985
The survey cruiser Asakaze, surveying the inner system of Madagascar before returning to Mauritius Base for an overdue overhaul, detects five commercial-engined ships of the Helgrim Protectorate passing close to her position in orbit of Madagascar IV. Until now, only a handful of small, military-engined Protectorate ships have been detected. Madagascar, four transits from Mauritius via Réunion, Amirante and Zanzibar, is home to a total of twenty-nine wrecks, all of which are unknown types except for three Helgrim 7,482-ton Gefjon class ships. Despite her need for urgent maintenance, Asakaze conducted a sweep of the inner system to find the other party involved, or a reason for the conflict, but so far has found nothing. The first appearance of larger Protectorate ships with commercial engines suggests a more substantial Helgrim presence nearby.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire165.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire166.png)
Meanwhile, twenty transits away from Madagascar, a sensor buoy on the Katagami – Kariya jump point detects the approach of two Mizuchi-Ro ships; a Bolas of 20,149 tons and a Scorpion-Tail of 9.057 tons travelling at 3,215 km/s, suggesting that one of the pair is a non-combat vessel. The Mizuchi-Ro are considered a lesser threat than the Mizuchi-Ha near Fomalhaut, partly due to their slightly lower estimated level of technology, but also due to their distance from any Japanese colonies and the presence of a Zuijin fleet in Beta Hydri, which is why the Shinzan Maru and several H3K long-range patrol craft were deployed as a trip-wire force. However, the recent destruction of Shinzan Maru by the Wokou Raiders and the retaliatory attack by Atago and Takao, means that a heavy cruiser now awaits the Mizuchi beyond the Kariya jump point.
Atago is still deployed near the Wokou entry location, so Takao will have to face the Mizuchi ships alone. She takes up position 200,000 km from the jump point and waits. In Katagami, the ships move within 120,000 km before the Scorpion-Tail destroys the buoy with an acid-laser turret, which suggests the ship fulfils the same role as the Mizuchi Barracuda or Mizuchi-Ha Krait. Thirty-five seconds later, both ships transit into Kariya. Takao closes to 180,000 km and opens fire, targeting the Scorpion-Tail and scoring eleven hits, six of which are strength-4 and the others strength-1. The Scorpion-Tail immediately breaks formation and charges toward Takao at an astonishing 14,309 km/s while the Bolas moves away.
The assumption that the Mizuchi-Ro were lower tech than the Mizuchi-Ha was based on the relative speed of their attack craft, with the laser-armed Mizuchi-Ro Wolf Spider capable of 14,385 km/s, while the equivalent Mizuchi-Ha attack craft, the Sidewinder, has a top speed of 15,243 km/s. However, the Mizuchi-Ha Krait class escort has a speed less than 11,000 km/s, which is considerably slower than the Scorpion-Tail. The threat-assessment for the Mizuchi-Ro just increased significantly.
Takao runs for the centre of the system, while the H3K that was also close to the jump point sets a diverging course for the system’s sole comet. The Scorpion-Tail rapidly closes the range on Takao, with the two ships exchanging fire at 95,000 km/s. The larger Bolas reverses course and heads for the jump point to Katagami. Takao takes a pair of strength-2 hits that are easily absorbed by her shields, but she has yet to penetrate the armour of the Mizuchi-Ro ship.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire167.png)
The Scorpion-Tail has eight twin acid-laser turrets firing every five seconds and can inflict massive damage at close range, while Takao has ten 25cm lasers firing every twenty-seconds, with a secondary armament of six twin 12cm laser turrets. Five seconds after the initial exchange of fire, Takao takes eight strength-3 hits, dropping her shields to eighty percent. A third volley from the Scorpion-Tail drops them to fifty-seven percent. Takao’s 25cm Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Lasers return fire at just 31,000 km, scoring four strength-16 hits, accompanied by five more hits from her 12cm lasers. Even with so much damage, only two hits penetrate the formidable armour of the alien ship.
Twelve strength-3 impacts reduce Takao’s shields to one-third strength. Her 12cm turrets continue returning fire, scoring nine strength-4 hits, one of which inflicts internal damage and drops the alien ship’s speed to 10,731 km/s, still faster than the 8000 km/s of Takao but at least a sign it can be hurt. The range continues to fall as nine further acid-laser bolts smash into Takao’s faltering shields, now at fourteen percent, from a distance of eight thousand kilometres. Just as the heavy cruiser appears to be in serious trouble, four of ten 12cm laser hits penetrate the Mizuchi-Ro’s armour and it is suddenly dead in space. Another volley and the Scorpion-Tail vanishes from sensors, scoring a last defiant hit before it is destroyed. Takao’s shields stabilise at twelve percent.
Considering the alien ship was plainly intended as an escort design, not a primary combatant, and was only one third the size of Takao, the brief engagement was a sobering experience for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until this point, the Mizuchi-Ro have been viewed as a lesser danger than the more immediately-threatening Mizuchi-Ha, but that perspective must now change. However, despite a new appreciation of their capabilities, there is little the Imperial Navy can do to address the threat in the short-term.
The current priorities for the Empire are building up Fomalhaut Naval Base to withstand an attack by the Mizuchi-Ha, refitting the fleet to fusion drives and other recently-developed technologies, establishing a naval base in Sapporo to support exploration of the surrounding systems and finding a way to substantially reinforce Mauritius Base until it can support an invasion of the home world of the Bloodclaw Dominion. Added to that list will be the development of ships and tactics specifically designed to fight all Mizuchi species.
If it were not for the seven Wokou wrecks in Kariya, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi would consider pulling back two systems to Delta Pavonis and let the Zuijin fight the Mizuchi in the intervening Beta Hydri system. Leaving the wrecks for the Mizuchi to absorb would only increase their numbers and threat-level. Unfortunately, there are only three salvage ships in service. Kimikawa Maru is in Madagascar, salvaging the Helgrim and unknown wrecks, while Kasuga Maru is in one of the black hole systems adjacent to Sapporo, salvaging Xiamen wrecks. Kamakura Maru has finished her task in Saint Helena and is heading back to Earth, but that journey will take four months, plus two more to reach Kariya.
The best option is actually two new salvage ships under construction at Earth that will be ready in July, so Takao and Atago, plus any reinforcements sent to support them, will have to hold the system for at least five months until the wrecks can be removed from Kariya. If they try and fail, their own wreckage will be added to that of the Wokou and make the situation even worse. In the meantime, Takao transits into Katagami, eliminates the fleeing Bolas, then returns to Kariya and takes up station near the jump point. Atago moves to join her, while one of the H3Ks transits into Katagami to act as a picket to replace the buoy.
25th March 1985
The survey cruiser Shirayuki detects a jump point near the Xiamen wrecks in the black hole system adjacent to Sapporo. Due to the system now regularly appearing in update reports, Imperial Naval Intelligence decides to assign both it and the other black hole system connecting to Sapporo official names, rather than referring to them by the mass of their black holes, which is in this case is one hundred and twenty and forty solar masses respectively. Given some latitude in deciding suitable nomenclature, the analyst assigned the task decides to name black hole systems after mythological creatures. The more massive system is named Orochi's Maw, based on the eight-headed serpent of Japanese mythology, while the smaller system is named Yatagarasu, after the legendary three-legged crow.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire168.png)
As Shirayuki approaches the jump point, she detects a pair of 19,835-ton Hangzhou class ships emerging. Despite being only ten percent larger than a Nagara class light cruiser, the two ships have shield signatures of strength-194, about a third stronger than the Imperial Navy’s 27,000-ton Takao III class heavy cruiser. The Empire of Japan appears to be falling behind other major powers in the technology race, despite the recent development of fusion drives. There is no sign of whatever force destroyed the previous Xiamen ships that transited into Orochi's Maw.
Shirayuki transits the jump point and finds herself in a large system, with a yellow G0-V star, slightly larger than Sol and orbited by two gas giants, a dwarf planet, thirty-six moons and a moderate-sized asteroid belt. A line of twenty-four wrecks, many of which are identifiable as Xiamen, stretch in a line across with the system. Whatever the power and technology of the People’s Republic of Xiama, it appears it is losing a war against an even more fearsome opponent. The only other race encountered in the area is the Capella Imperium, an Empire on which Imperial Naval Intelligence has only minimal information. ELINT data gathered from the Xiamen home world in both February and December 1984 stated the two powers were at war, although no direct combat between the two powers has been observed by Imperial Navy ships, so it is possible a third race is involved. In keeping with the nomenclature of Atlantic islands for the systems beyond Sapporo (black hole naming aside), the G0-V system is named Faroe.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire169.png)
3rd April 1985
Kimikawa Maru salvages the wreck of a Helgrim Gefjon class ship in Madagascar and finds a missile launcher in the wreckage. The 7,482-ton ship is classified as a destroyer.
In Katagami, the H3K monitoring the Kariya jump point, detects the approach of another Bolas, escorted by a Scorpion-Tail. When they are 560,000 km away, the H3K transits and runs for the Beta Hydri jump point. Three minutes later the two Mizuchi-Ro ships transit into Kariya and find both Atago and Takao positioned 320,000 km away. They open fire with their 25cm lasers, but the Scorpion-Tail proves a difficult target and all twenty shots miss. As the Mizuchi-Ro ships move away at 3200 km/s, they start to close the range and fire again at 255,000, inflicting four strength-3 hits.
As before, the Scorpion-Tail immediately breaks formation and charges, but this time there are two heavy cruisers and they are starting the action further away. Despite those advantages, Atago and Takao find it difficult to penetrate the Scorpion-Tail’s armour and it closes the range very quickly. It is finally destroyed at a range of eight thousand kilometres, with Takao’s shields at nine percent. Takao’s commander, Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa Senshi, realises his ship was fortunate to prevail in the first engagement. The two cruisers run down and destroy the Bolas, then resume their picket position.
After reviewing the details of the second battle against the Mizuchi-Ro, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides to pull back the heavy cruisers, despite the presence of the Wokou wrecks. They have struggled to defeat a single escort ship of 10,000 tons, so any serious assault by the Mizuchi-Ro would result in the destruction of both ships. The alternative is to strongly reinforce the system, and the Imperial Japanese Navy does not have enough ships to do that without sacrificing other commitments. Instead, it will trade territory for time, hoping the Zuijin in Beta Hydri can cause problems for the Mizuchi-Ro, without gifting them additional wrecks. The H3Ks will remain for the moment, to monitor progress.
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This is the 1st of 5 posts today
7th April 1985
Amatsukaze, the first new survey cruiser to be constructed in thirteen years, is launched from the Saromi Systems shipyard in Earth orbit. Due to the size of known space and the many demands on the fifteen existing survey cruisers, additional ships are required. The Shimakaze II design is an evolution of the original Shimakaze class built between March 1971 and July 1972, five of which remain from the original class of six, with the engines, jump drive and sensors suite replaced by modern equivalents. The hangar bay has been reduced slightly in size and the B1N strike craft of the Shimakaze replaced with a second E2A scout, while the ordnance loadout has more buoys and fewer anti-ship missiles.
Shimakaze II class Survey Cruiser 18,000 tons 425 Crew 3,114.5 BP TCS 360 TH 1,680 EM 0
4666 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 107 Sensors 16/28/5/5 DCR 26-14 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 5.95 Years MSP 2,811 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 136 5YR 2,035 Max Repair 294 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 1,050 tons Magazine 216 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG SCI
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Flight Crew Berths 21 Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-180-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-840-E Fusion Drive (2) Power 1680 Fuel Use 8.37% Signature 840 Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 2,508,000 Litres Range 299.7 billion km (743 days at full power)
Type 29 Reloadable Missile Launcher (1) Missile Size: 12 Rate of Fire 1390
Type 43 Go-44E Missile Fire Control (1) Range 34.8m km Resolution 120 ECCM-3
Zuiun-Ha Sensor Buoy (8) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 0/0/0
Shūsui-Ro Reconnaissance Drone (6) Speed: 8,000 km/s End: 9.7d Range: 6,683m km WH: 0 Size: 12
Rakurai II (4) Speed: 50,000 km/s End: 4.2m Range: 12.7m km WH: 20 Size: 12 TH: 220/132/66
Type 45 Go-11F Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 116.9m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 42 Go-61D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 28 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 41.8m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (5) 5 Survey Points Per Hour
Geological Survey Sensors (5) 5 Survey Points Per Hour
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3
Strike Group
2x Aichi E2A Scout Speed: 8002 km/s Size: 5
2x Mitsubishi A3M2 'Hayabusa' Fighter Speed: 16000 km/s Size: 5.5
29th April 1985
The survey cruiser Sagiri, one of ten ships of the 10,000-ton Asagiri II class, transits a recently discovered jump point in Orochi’s Maw. On arrival, the new system, comprising an orange K5-V star orbited by a lone comet, is of only incidental interest compared to the massive Capellan fleet stationed on the entry jump point. There are seventy ships of twenty-four different types, ranging in size from 7,238 tons to over 180,000 tons, half of which have active shields. Until now, only a limited number of small Capellan ships have been encountered.
The presence of such a large force partially explains the large number of Xiamen wrecks in Orochi’s Maw and the adjacent Faroe system. It also presents a significant threat to the new colony and naval base in Sapporo, which connects directly to Orochi’s Maw and also indirectly via Ascension. Increasing the defences of Sapporo moves up the list of many competing priorities for the Imperial Navy. From an exploration perspective, the new system, designated as Andoya, represents the best chance of locating the home world of the Capellan Imperium, so Sagiri abandons the survey of Orochi’s Maw and begins a survey of Andoya.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire170.png)
25th May 1985
A third Bolas, escorted by a Scorpion-Tail, enters Kariya. An H3K long-range patrol craft on the jump point shadows the two ships as they move to the closest Wokou wrecks.
2nd June 1985
Shirayuki, surveying in the Faroe system along the line of wrecks, finds a new stable jump point. She transits and enters Orkney, a system with a K-class primary and an unremarkable collection of planets, moons and asteroids. There are four unknown wrecks on the Faroe jump point. Despite the presence of Xiamen wrecks in Orochi’s Maw and Faroe, plus these new wrecks, there is still no sign of a link between the systems around Sapporo and the main area of Xiamen territory.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire171.png)
10th June 1985
Most of the exploration around Mauritius, including the encounters with the Helgrim Protectorate, has taken placed beyond the Mauritius-Reunion jump point, where a total of ten systems have been discovered. Mauritius has a second outward jump point to Comoros, where a partial survey revealed a connection to the Andaman system. ELINT data from the Bloodclaw Dominion and the Followers of Zharov provided full gravitational survey data on both systems, revealing an additional jump point in Comoros and two outward jump points in Andaman, As a result, the survey cruiser Harukaze has been reassigned from Reunion, which still does not have a complete survey, to investigate the new jump points.
Due to the potential for hostile Bloodclaw warships, Harukaze sends her Aichi E2A scout through the jump point in Comoros. She discovers Chagos, an unremarkable binary with three planets, plus a scattering of moons and asteroids. There are four Bloodclaw ships stationed on the entry jump point, all of which are previously unseen types: two Clouded Leopards of 10,756 tons, a Highland Wildcat of 10,894 tons and a Margray of 23,830 tons. Given their size, they are likely to be military ships, but the scout does not come under fire.
The four ships jump into Comoros, so Harukaze launches both of her Mitsubishi A2M3 ‘Shinden’ fighters and her Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' with orders to attack the Highland Wildcat. All four Bloodclaw ships run, revealing that the Margray has commercial engines and a top speed of 2684 km/s, while the Clouded Leopards are military and have a speed of 7495 km/s. The Highland Wildcat briefly has a speed of 3979 km/s, until the B1N launches a pair of Rakurai-Ho anti-ship missiles, both of which detonate their strength-15 warheads on target, after which it drops to 1326 km/s. The best guess of Harukaze’s commander, Kaigun-Chusa Devayani Mohapatra, one of the rare non-Japanese female ship captains, is that the Clouded Leopards are probably scouts, given their speed, while the Highland Wildcat was an escort, likely missile-armed, for the Margray.
The fighters strafe the wounded Wildcat until it explodes, then close in on the Margray, which reverses course, attempting, but failing, to reach the jump point. With the slower ships destroyed, the fighters chase the faster Clouded Leopards. Twelve minutes later, the two Bloodclaw ships have been eliminated, although the fighters are both close to weapon failure. They return to Harukaze for resupply, while the survey cruiser deploys sensor buoys either side of the jump point, rescues the Bloodclaw survivors then heads for Andaman to explore its two outward jump points.
11th June 1985
Atago and Takao return to Kariya. There have been no further transits from Mizuchi-Ro ships and the H3K has been able to maintain contact with the Bolas and Scorpion-Tail while the former is at work on the wrecks. When the cruisers move within thirty million kilometres of the two alien ships, they activate shields and sensors, which causes the Bolas to run, accompanied by the Scorpion-Tail. As yet, none of the wrecks have been salvaged by the Bolas.
The battle follows the same pattern as the previous two, with the Scorpion-Tail charging the cruisers as soon as it is attacked. Once again the alien escort reaches eight thousand kilometres from the Japanese warships before it is destroyed. Takao’s shields are reduced to twenty-three percent. The cruisers destroy the Bolas then pull back halfway to the Beta Hydri jump point. Rather than abandoning the system entirely as they did in early April, the cruisers will now remain far enough from the jump point to escape if needed, but close enough to attack targets detected by the H3Ks.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire172.png)
18th June 1985
The six Engineer regiments at Mauritius Base, with the assistance of two construction factories retrieved from the captured Bloodclaw colony in Reunion, construct a refuelling station, which will allow replenishment ships to make a run from Earth to establish a fuel stockpile in Mauritius. As part of the plan to build up the base to allow an assault on the Bloodclaw home world, including the necessary replenishment ships, a new route has been scouted through the Zharov system that takes shipping on a circuitous path around the outer system to avoid getting too close to the Zharovian home world, before a quick dash through the Zharov – Mauritius jump point. As transports and colony ships are already en route through the six Zharovian systems that lie between Fiji and Mauritius, it is vital that they can pass through Zharov without triggering a war.
20th June 1985
A Kawanishi H3K 'Shoki' patrol craft stationed on the Katagami – Kariya jump point detects the approach of a Bolas class salvage ship without the usual Scorpion-Tail escort. This is exactly the type of target the H3K was designed to intercept, so it moves away from the jump point and engages the approaching ship. The Bolas reverses course as the H3K fires continuously into its armour belt, with one shot every five seconds. The first armour penetration happens after twenty-nine minutes, with the Bolas immediately dropping to half speed. The second requires a further nine minutes. After that, the armour penetration happens more frequently, but it still requires fifty-three minutes and eleven weapon failures for the H3K to finally destroy the 20,000-ton salvage ship. Fortunately, due to its function as a long-range patrol craft, the H3K still retains sixty percent of its maintenance supplies, but this is not a sustainable tactic. All the ships of the Mizuchi-Ro appear to have extremely durable passive defences.
27th June 1985
At the far side of known space, a Python class survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha transits into Ube, adjacent to Sigma Tucanae and two jumps from the original Mizuchi-Ha contact system of Ryūgasaki. The Sigma Tucanae – Ube jump point is less than forty million kilometres from the Sigma Tucanae – Fomalhaut jump point, which is why an H3K 'Shoki' is picketing the former jump point in order to provide a potential warning about the latter. There is nothing of value in Ube, except its use as a tripwire warning. Nevertheless, the H3K takes the opportunity to attack and eliminate the unarmed 4000-ton Python, which proves much easier to destroy than the Mizuchi-Ro Bolas in Katagami.
As a result of the brief engagement, the Akagi III class carrier Soryu and the Nagara IV light cruisers Kashima and Kuma break orbit of Fomalhaut Naval Base en route to a picket position near the Fomalhaut – Sigma Tucanae jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire173.png)
1st July 1985
Two commercial-engined ships of the Capella Imperium, a new type designated as Ogdoad class, transit into Orochi’s Maw from Faroe. Two Hangzhou class ships of the People’s Republic of Xiama are already on the jump point and immediately open fire. The Imperial Navy salvage ship Kasuga Maru is also on the jump point, salvaging a Xiamen wreck but does not have active sensors engaged, so she while can detect ninety-six energy weapon impacts at strength-5, she cannot determine the weapons used by the Xiamen ships. By the time her sensors come online and classify the new Capellan ships as 120,000 tons, the two Xiamen warships have transited into Faroe. The People’s Republic must really be concerned about the Capella Imperium if their warships are running from commercial-engined ships.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire174.png)
En route to the Faroe jump point is the buoy deployment ship Takumisora (Artisan's Sky). Takumisora and her sister ship Miyabikaze (Graceful Wind) were constructed in late 1984 to enable large-scale buoy deployment across multiple systems. Previously, this was handled on a small scale by the Kawanishi H2K 'Seiku' long range patrol craft, which has four fixed launchers, but the logistics became difficult as known space expanded and all but one of the original four H2Ks have been lost in action. Miyabikaze is currently returning from a mission to seed buoys throughout seventeen Xiamen systems that lie beyond the Eniwetok – Tulagi and Eniwetok – Bougainville jump points. Takumisora will focus on the systems around Sapporo.
Takumisora class Buoy Deployment Craft 4,000 tons 74 Crew 576.3 BP TCS 80 TH 400 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-22 Shields 0-0 HTK 27 Sensors 8/14/0/0 DCR 3-7 PPV 3.6
Maint Life 3.70 Years MSP 270 AFR 43% IFR 0.6% 1YR 31 5YR 461 Max Repair 200 MSP
Magazine 420 / 0
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-40-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 4000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-400 Fusion Drive (1) Power 400 Fuel Use 35.36% Signature 400 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 673,000 Litres Range 85.7 billion km (198 days at full power)
Type 29 Reloadable Missile Launcher (1) Missile Size: 12 Rate of Fire 1390
Type 43 Go-44E Missile Fire Control (1) Range 34.8m km Resolution 120 ECCM-3
Zuiun-Ha Sensor Buoy (35) Speed: 0 km/s End: 0m Range: 0m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 0/0/0
Type 42 Go-13E Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 3360 Range 55.1m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-63D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
15th July 1985
The light cruiser Arakawa is constructed in Earth orbit. This is the first new light cruiser to be built since 1971 and the first warship since 1980, when the battleships Katsuragi and Shinano joined the fleet. Arakawa is the first step in increasing the size of the Imperial Japanese Navy, allowing it to guard the growing number of Japanese colonies spread across known space while retaining the option of offensive operations.
6th August 1985
The buoys recently deployed by Takumisora detect several skirmishes between the People’s Republic of Xiama and the Capella Imperium in the Faroe and Orkney systems.
31st August 1985
The survey cruiser Harukaze transits one of the two unexplored jump points in Andaman and discovers Mayotte, a system with a G5-V primary, similar to Sol, orbited by a hot barren terrestrial world, an airless dwarf planet and a gas giant with fifteen moons. Given the relatively limited number of bodies, Harukaze begins a geological survey, during which she encounters a small Bloodclaw colony on the dwarf planet, including active emissions from surface-to-orbit weapons and a ground forces signature of 6000 tons. Fortunately, the colony is detected before Harukaze moves within weapon range. She gives the planet a wide berth for now, but it will be worthy of further investigation, most likely by an invasion force.
25th September 1985
Protected by Atago and Takao, the new salvage ship Kochi Maru completes the recovery of all seven Wokou wrecks from Kariya, then retreats back to Sol, followed by the heavy cruisers. With all the wrecks cleared, there is no need to maintain a substantial presence, so the only Imperial Navy vessels remaining in the system are two H3K ‘Shoki’ patrol craft.
18th October 1985
A research facility is delivered to Mauritius Base, although there is insufficient population to operate it, at least for the moment. A second facility has recently been delivered to Sapporo Base. In both cases, the lone research facility is to allow disassembly of salvaged components that have potential to aid research, rather than having to transport them all the way back to Earth, or a research colony. In the case of Mauritius, that transport could take around nine months with the most common freighters, although new faster freighters are under construction. The facilities have to be fully staffed to conduct the disassembly, but additional colonists are en route to Mauritius Base, using the recently mapped circuitous route through the Zharov system.
One hundred and eleven of the Empire of Japan’s research facilities are based on Earth. Thirty-two are located on Osaka-B I, which has an ancient construct with an eighty percent boost to Sensor research, with a further thirteen at Takahama II, which has a construct that adds forty percent to defence research. Ashikaga II, three jumps outward from Matsuyama, at the end of a dead-end chain, is home to eleven facilities and a propulsion construct, with a thirty percent boost. The second planet of the Naha system, two jumps out from Fomalhaut, has a ninety percent sensor construct and is home to two research facilities that were recovered from Zuijin ruins on the planet. No further facilities have been sent due to the threat of the Mizuchi-Ha attacking or cutting off Fomalhaut.
30th November 1985
An newly discovered jump point in Bermuda, probed by the survey cruiser Murakumo, leads to a planetless system named Cayman. A day later, the survey cruiser Shirayuki transits an unexplored jump point near the centre of Orochi’s Maw and finds herself in the same system, with a substantial Xiamen fleet on her arrival jump point. Sapporo now connects to Orochi’s Maw via three routes; directly, via Ascension and via Bermuda and Cayman. Despite the ongoing survey efforts, the link to known Xiamen space has not been discovered.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire175.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire176.png)
6th December 1985
Sensor buoys either side of the Mauritius – Comoros jump point have detected several Bloodclaw ships transiting the jump point over a period of several weeks, including ships with military engines. In Comoros itself, there are Zharovian warships on the Comoros – Andaman jump point, but the Dominion ships seems to be heading to the Chagos system. A sensor buoy on the Chagos – Comoros jump point has a current contact with three 11,646 ton Bay Cat class ships, with military engines, and a single 32,000-ton Iriomote class, which has commercial engines.
The light cruiser Nagara, which left orbit of Mauritius Base several days ago with orders to investigate, is seven hundred million kilometres from the Mauritius – Comoros jump point when she detects a Javan Leopard class freighter on a converging course. Closer to the jump point, the sensor buoy detects an approaching Tiger class ship of 19,954 tons. The Tiger has commercial engines but its function remains unknown. Nagara changes course to intercept the freighter, destroying it in a single volley, then pursues the Tiger, which has transited into Andaman and disappeared from sensors.
Nagara heads for the Chagos jump point, on the assumed route of the Tiger, and soon detects the fleeing ship. Sixteen hours after transit, she destroys the Tiger then continues outward to conduct her secondary mission; providing protection for Kimikawa Maru while she salvages the wrecks of the four Bloodclaw ships that were destroyed by Harukaze’s fighters near the Comoros - Chagos jump point.
12th December 1985
Harukaze sends her E2A scout through the second unexplored jump point in Andaman, while she emplaces a sensor buoy on the Andaman side. Two Bloodclaw ships, a 59,344-ton Leopard Cat and a 16,236-ton Lynx class, both of which are new types, are stationed on the far side. As soon as the scout arrives, they transit into Andaman. Harukaze finds herself facing the two ships at point-blank range, so she launches both her fighters and follows the scout through the jump point. The new system, named Silhouette, comprises an orange K5-V star orbited by four planets and sixteen moons. One of the moons orbiting Silhouette III, a superjovian, has a nitrogen – CO2 atmosphere and an ice sheet covering half the surface. Two unknown wrecks are close to the orbit of the third planet with four wrecks of the Wokou Raiders in a group half a billion kilometres further out.
In Andaman, the two Bloodclaw ships move away from the jump point at 505 km/s with the fighters in pursuit and firing on the Lynx, which has military engines. For forty-five seconds, the fighters strafe the alien ship’s armour without penetrating, then they are instantly obliterated when it opens fire with seven twin gauss cannon turrets, presumably after recovering from jump shock. As the alien ships are only 25,000 km from the Andaman – Silhouette jump point, Harukaze dare not transit back into Andaman, so she begins a survey of Silhouette while calling for assistance. Nagara is already in Comoros, adjacent to Andaman, to provide cover for future salvage operations. While she waits for Kimikawa Maru, she diverts into Andaman to search for the Lynx.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire177.png)
22nd December 1985
Nagara arrives at the Andaman – Silhouette jump point, after moving around to approach from the opposite direction to prevent any attempt to enter the latter system. There is no sign of the Lynx or Leopard Cat. Harukaze dispatches her scout to the Silhouette side to check if they have transited, but the jump point is deserted. As the jump point is secure, Harukaze launches a reconnaissance drone at Silhouette III to check for signs of life and starts heading back to the Andaman jump point.
The drone detects a very large Zuijin fleet orbiting the first moon of Silhouette III, comprising five orbital bases, nine 29,000-ton Vengeance class missile cruisers, four Ravager class escort cruisers and sixteen other vessels, totalling six hundred thousand tons. Fifteen Retribution class fuel harvesters and ten more Ravager escort cruisers are in orbit of Silhouette III itself. This is the second largest Zuijin force ever detected, which explains the wrecks in the system.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire178.png)
24th December 1985
All six Taihō-series carriers have been refitted to the Taihō III class, which includes magnetic fusion drives and the latest sensor suite. The thirty-six Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa’ fighters in each Kōkūtai (strike group) have been replaced by thirty-six Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' (Dragon God) fighters, which have a top speed of 24,000 km/s, which should be sufficient to combat the swift Mizuchi attack craft, as well as providing an effective missile shield for the Kido Butai.
Taihō III class Carrier 54,000 tons 922 Crew 8,449.5 BP TCS 1,080 TH 8,640 EM 0
8000 km/s Armour 1-127 Shields 0-0 HTK 242 Sensors 8/14/0/0 DCR 26-4 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.43 Years MSP 5,042 AFR 897% IFR 12.5% 1YR 2,720 5YR 40,794 Max Repair 720 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 24,000 tons Magazine 867 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 3 BRG AUX PFC
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 480 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1440-B Fusion Drive (6) Power 8640 Fuel Use 32.20% Signature 1440 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,619,000 Litres Range 27.1 billion km (39 days at full power)
Rakurai-Ho Anti-ship Missile (72) Speed: 40,000 km/s End: 4.4m Range: 10.6m km WH: 15 Size: 12
Type 45 Go-11F Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 116.9m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-21E Missile Detection (1) GPS 14 Range 7.9m km MCR 710.9k km Resolution 1
Type 42 Go-71E Fighter Detection (1) GPS 280 Range 24.1m km Resolution 10
Type 42 Go-63D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3 Missile 4
Strike Group
36x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' Carrier Strike Speed: 12801 km/s Size: 7.5
36x Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' Fighter Speed: 24000 km/s Size: 5.5
2x Aichi E2A Scout Speed: 8002 km/s Size: 5
Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' class Fighter 275 tons 1 Crew 137.9 BP TCS 5 TH 132 EM 0
24000 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 1.59 Years MSP 25 AFR 55% IFR 0.8% 1YR 11 5YR 172 Max Repair 66 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-132-DB Fusion Drive (1) Power 132 Fuel Use 1661.74% Signature 132 Explosion 30%
Fuel Capacity 9,300 Litres Range 0.37 billion km (4 hours at full power)
MK III Cannon (1x2) Range 30,000km TS: 24,000 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 ROF 5
Type 43 Go-34F Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 68,160 km TS: 24,000 km/s ECCM-3
R-1B Tokamak Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 15%
Type 42 Go-24E Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
3rd January 1986
The third buoy deployment ship, Yamabiko, has replaced the buoys around the Kariya system that were destroyed during the recent engagements with the Mizuchi-Ro. Preceded by a Kawanishi H3K, she moves into Katagami, first emplacing a buoy on the Katagami – Kariya jump point, before moving to the Nu Reticuli jump point. The H3K enters Nu Reticuli, where she finds the same 2591-ton Redback that was encountered in October 1983. As before, it runs at 9,264 km/s, faster than the H3K. Yamabiko enters the system and places a buoy, then moves on to the Katagami – Yashio jump point.
5th January 1986
Nagara, heading back to Mayotte from the Silhouette jump point, encounters the Lynx and Leopard Cat ahead of her on a similar course. She closes in, avenges the two fighters by destroying the Lynx from well outside the range of its gauss cannon, before moving to point-blank range and firing on the Leopard Cat, which disintegrates due to a large secondary explosion. She picks up the survivors then continues on to Comoros.
13th January 1986
The H3K scouting for Yamabiko transits into Moriguchi, the original contact system for the Mizuchi-Ro, and is instantly destroyed. Waiting on the jump point were eight Scorpion-Tail escorts, six 18,105-ton Huntsman class and thirty-six attack craft of various types. Yamabiko, en route to the same jump point, immediately reverses course and heads back to Kariya.
14th January 1986
The Takao III-Ro class heavy cruisers Chōkai and Maya arrive at Mauritius Base as part of a gradual build-up with the ultimate aim of invading the Bloodclaw home world. The old battlecruiser Kirishima is already at the planet, along with the light cruiser Naka. The light cruisers Nagara and Yura are deployed in the adjacent system of Comoros, attempting to locate and destroy Bloodclaw shipping and protect subsequent salvage operations. Mauritius Base has now reached a population of five million and has thirty construction factories, plus a research facility. Freighters and colony ships continue to use the circuitous route through Zharov, which is avoiding any threats of hostile action from the Zharovians.
15th January 1986
Kitsune, the first in a class of stealthy scouts, transits from Fomalhaut into Sigma Tucanae, which is the last point of contact with the Mizuchi-Ha and adjacent to the initial contact system of Ryugasaki. The Kitsune class has the first Japanese cloaking device, which reduces its signature from 3750 tons to just 750 tons, or about the size of a Mizuchi attack craft, while the thermal output of its engines has been reduced by sixty-five percent. Even when moving at full speed, the Kitsune has a lower thermal signature than most fighters. Finally, a third generation sensor jammer will make the ship harder to detect for hostile sensors that lack the necessary ECCM. One third of the hull space is dedicated to two large passive arrays, for both EM and thermal detection, allowing the Kitsune to act as a stealthy, mobile tracking station. On this occasion, its mission is to locate and monitor any Mizuchi-Ha activity in the system.
Kitsune class Stealth Scout 3,750 tons 124 Crew 777.4 BP TCS 15 TH 63 EM 0
2400 km/s Armour 1-21 Shields 0-0 HTK 22 Sensors 132/168/0/0 DCR 5-13 PPV 0
Maint Life 7.36 Years MSP 647 AFR 22% IFR 0.3% 1YR 21 5YR 314 Max Repair 168 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-180-TR Fusion Drive (1) Power 180 Fuel Use 52.70% Signature 63.00 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 580,000 Litres Range 52.8 billion km (254 days at full power)
Type 42 Go-13E Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 3360 Range 55.1m km Resolution 120
Type 44 Go-66D EM Array (1) Sensitivity 168 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 102.5m km
Type 44 Go-56C Thermal Array (1) Sensitivity 132 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 90.8m km
Cloaking Device: Class cross-section reduced to 20.0% of normal
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3
18th January 1986
The Mizuchi-Ro Redback that was encountered in Nu Reticuli approaches the Katagami – Kariya jump point. On the two occasions when this ship was detected previously, it outran a pursuing H3K. This time, it will not escape so easily. A brand new Kawanishi H4K ‘Kumo’ (Cloud) patrol craft is stationed on the jump point and it is capable of 10,000 km/s, over 700 km/s faster than the elusive Redback. Realising it cannot escape, the Mizuchi-Ro ship attempts to ram, so the H4K holds the range open and destroys the Redback with three minutes of continuous fire.
Kawanishi H4K 'Kumo' class Long Range Patrol 500 tons 12 Crew 111 BP TCS 10 TH 100 EM 0
10001 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 4 Sensors 0/1/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0.98
Maint Life 4.89 Years MSP 38 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 3 5YR 39 Max Repair 50 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KSJ-50-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-100-B Fusion Drive (1) Power 100 Fuel Use 138.11% Signature 100 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 90,300 Litres Range 23.5 billion km (27 days at full power)
MK II Light Cannon (1) Range 20,000km TS: 10,001 km/s Power 0.75-0.75 ROF 5
Type 42 Go-34F Patrol Craft Fire Control (1) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 8,125 km/s ECCM-3
R-0B Tokamak Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 0.8 Exp 15%
Type 42 Go-14E Small Strike Sensor (1) GPS 336 Range 17.4m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-24E Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
Type 33 Go-55C Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 0.8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.1m km
Type 43 Go-65D Minimal Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 1.4 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 9.4m km
29th January 1986
The diplomatic ship Heiwa, stationed in the Madagascar system where she occasionally encounters ships of the Helgrim Protectorate, detects thirty-six strength-1 detonations and eighteen strength-1 energy weapon impacts close to an asteroid within the system’s main belt. A similar amount of weapon fire happens every fifteen seconds for five minutes, interspersed with the appearance of the wrecks of three Helgrim Lofn class ships. Little is known about the Lofn except that it has commercial engines, based on a previous passive contact. The wrecks are 39,546 tons. Weapon fire continues after the loss of the third ship, then ceases, so presumably some Helgrim ships survived to move outside weapon range. The identify of the assailant is unknown, so the diplomatic ship heads in-system in an attempt to make contact. When Madagascar was first discovered, it contained twenty-nine wrecks, including three Helgrim destroyers. Kimikawa Maru salvaged all the wrecks but did not encounter any non-Helgrim forces during her time in the system.
3rd February 1986
The Followers of Zharov have sent a message to the troop transport Keizan Maru, requesting that it leave the Paramushir system, which is two jumps out from Fiji Naval Base on the route to Mauritius. This is the first time any such request has been made with regard to Paramushir, which is four transits from the Zharovian home system, suggesting the Followers may have established a colony. In 1973, a Zharovian ground force was detected on Paramushir II, but there was no colony. A reconnaissance mission will be launched to investigate. If the Zharovians become difficult regarding Paramushir, it will further complicate efforts to reinforce Mauritius Base.
In Madagascar, the diplomatic ship encounters six Helgrim Lofn class ships on a reciprocal course, escorted by a single military-engined Vali class of 7,130-tons. If this was the Helgrim fleet that was attacked, it is possible the Vali was the source of the strength-1 energy weapon impacts. A few hours later, another Lofn is detected, moving at approximately seventy-five percent speed – probably the ship that was under fire when the Helgrim moved out of range.
5th February 1986
Heiwa moves within ten million kilometres of the asteroid where the recent combat occurred and finds a crippled Vali class ship 700,000 km from the wrecks. There are no sensor contacts on the asteroid, which has moved on in its orbit, although Heiwa’s sensors will not detect ground forces at range. Her commander, Kaigun-Taisa Kimiyama Masago, decides to move closer and eventually takes his ship into orbit, but there is no sign of whatever, or whoever, attacked the Helgrim ships.
6th February 1986
Heiwa moves to the inner system to look for any more signs of life. Her active sensor detects a stable jump point just thirty million kilometres from the star, so she moves to investigate. Normally, a diplomatic ship would not engage in exploration or scouting activity, but there are no other Imperial Navy ships between Madagascar and Mauritius, four transits away. Besides, Kaigun-Taisa Kimiyama once commanded the battleship Hyūga before being transferred to the diplomatic corps, so he is eager for a little adventure.
Heiwa transits into a red dwarf system with six planets and almost fifty moons, none of which are of immediate interest. There are twenty-seven wrecks on the jump point, including a Vali and three Gefjons of the Helgrim Protectorate. A further six wrecks stretch out in a million kilometre line away from the jump point and there are three more close to the orbit of the sixth planet. The system is named Sri Lanka, following the Indian Ocean islands nomenclature for this area of known space.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire179.png)
Seven hours after Heiwa arrives in Sri Lanka, a force of five Helgrim ships appears, comprising a Vali, two 14,276-ton Aegir class and two 14,137-ton Hermod class. The Aegir and Hermod are new ship types. Detecting them allows Heiwa to identify five of the wrecks on the jump point as an Aegir and four Hermods. They close on the jump point at 4728 km/s and transit into Madagascar. Heiwa follows and finds them on a course in the general direction of the Zanzibar jump point, but not on an exact course. Despite his ship being 500 km/s slower, Kaigun-Taisa Kimiyama decides to follow as far as he can. Once contact is lost, Heiwa maintains the same course.
8th February 1986
Heiwa detects another stable jump point in Madagascar, directly ahead on the course she is following. She transits to discover a G5-V star with eight planets and thirty-five moons, which is designated as Fregate. The third planet is entirely covered in an ice sheet and has a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere of 0.94 atm, although only 0.03 atm of oxygen. The surface temperature is -99C, so it is unlikely to be inhabited. A fleet of thirteen Helgrim ships is on the jump point, including several new types, plus a single unidentifiable wreck. The four largest ships are a Magni class, at 21,406 tons, followed by a Hymir of 14,973 tons and three Aegirs of 14,276 tons. The five remaining ships, all of which are approximately 7100 tons, include three Valis, a Skadi and a Buri. None of the ships have been previously detected. Heiwa head in-system to check Fregate III for signs of life.
9th February 1986
After Kitsune confirmed the Sigma Tucanae – Ryugasaki jump point was clear, an H4K ‘Kumo’ took up a picket position. A Mizuchi-Ha Python class survey ships transits into Sigma Tucanae and is swiftly run down by the H4K.
Four days later, Kitsune, which is positioned twenty-five million kilometres from the Ryugasaki jump point, detects another Python seventy-five million kilometres away on a course for the jump point. The H4K intercepts and the Mizuchi-Ha lose another survey ship.
17th February 1986
A large fleet of the Capella Imperium transits into Orochi’s Maw from Andoya, then splits up and moves away in six different directions. Three of the smaller forces comprise a commercial-engined Hathor class of 68,855-tons, escorted by two Horus class ships of 7,238 tons. Two more forces comprise a single Hathor. The last group comprises a Sebek of 35,351 tons, a Hepi of 179,672 tons, a Khnum of 179,909 tons and four Khonsu class at 36,518 tons. All seven ships are heading in the same direction at slightly different speed, ranging from 1,369 km/s to 1,490 km/s.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire180.png)
Three of the Hathor groups appear to be heading for the Cayman, Faroe and Ascension jump points respectively, which suggests the other groups maybe on course for other, as-yet-undiscovered jump points. An hour after the arrival of the first fleet, a second smaller one transits into Orochi’s Maw, comprising two Khonsu, a Khnum, a 36,518-ton Chem and a 179,672-ton Busiris. They follow the staggered group from the first fleet. The sudden Capellan activity in Orochi’s Maw is concerning, especially as it connects directly to the key Sapporo system and two of the other jump points connect indirectly to Sapporo via other systems. However, a few hours later, all the Capellan ships reverse course and return to Andoya.
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This is the 2nd of 5 posts today
19th February 1986
An H3K stationed on the Ube – Sigma Tucanae jump point has destroyed two Viper class geosurvey ships of the Mizuchi-Ha within twenty-four hours. In both cases, the Vipers initially tried to run and would have succeeded due to their superior speed, except that as soon as they suffered a single hit, they reversed course and attempted to ram. The continual attrition of Mizuchi-Ha and Mizuchi-Ro survey ships by the H3K ‘Shoki’ and H4K ‘Kumo’ patrol craft is helping to contain the hostile space-dwelling species at minimal cost, giving the Imperial Navy time to improve its technology and ship designs.
21st March 1986
In August 1985, the survey cruiser Harukaze discovered a small Bloodclaw colony on Mayotte II, three transits from Mauritius via Comoros and Andaman, along with active emissions from surface-to-orbit weapons and a ground forces signature of 6000 tons. With the arrival of additional ships and ground units in Mauritius, there is now sufficient force to mount an invasion. The heavy cruisers Chōkai and Maya escort the troop transports Yasukuni Maru and Reimei Maru to within fifty million kilometres of the target, then proceed alone to engage the defences.
The two ships come under fire at 115,000 km, suffering minor shield damage, after which they withdraw to twice that distance and open fire. In the process of eliminating the surface-based weapons, the small EM and thermal signature of the colony falls to zero. All that remains is a ground forces contact of 4400 tons. The two transports move in and drop the 1st and 2nd Kurogane Samurai divisions, which annihilate the Bloodclaw defenders in twenty-four hours without losing a single combat mech. There is nothing left on the surface, but the removal of the Dominion population will allow a survey of the planet to discover what interested the Bloodclaw enough to create the colony in the first place.
22nd March 1986
The light cruiser Yura is picketing the Comoros – Mauritius jump point, so she can eliminate any ships from the Bloodclaw home world that transit into Comoros. She has already eliminated a commercial-engined Tiger class. The sensor buoy on the Mauritius side detects the approach of three Bobcat class ships, which are small missile combatants of 966 tons. As soon as they enter Comoros, Yura opens fire, eliminating all three targets before they recover from jump shock and launch.
8th April 1986
A sensor buoy in the Chagos system, two transits from Mauritius via Comoros has detected four Bloodclaw ships: a 32,000-ton commercial-engined Iriomote class and three military-engined 11,646-ton Bay Cats. Little is known about the Bay Cat class, except for its speed of 12,590 km/s. The Bloodclaw Dominion is known to have Inertial Fusion technology, so it is possibly a warship, but could also be some form of scout. The light cruiser Nagara has been stationed on the Comoros side of the jump point for two weeks, waiting to transit. However, given the limited number of ships available at Mauritius Base, an E2A scout from Harukaze is sent through first. When the scout arrives without any hostile action, Nagara transits into Chagos.
She opens fire as soon as she arrives, immediately crippling one of the Bay Cats. A second surrenders after being fired on, while the third manages to open the range to 200,000 km before its engines are disabled. Unfortunately, Nagara does not have boarding forces due to earlier losses, so she is forced to fire on the cripples. Once the Bay Cats have been eliminated, she attacks the Iriomote which promptly surrenders too. Prize crews find that the Bay Cat is a geological survey ship, while the Iriomote is a civilian freighter. Both have a pair of Inertial Fusion drives, which will be disassembled for research data once the two ships are scrapped.
11th April 1986
ELINT data gained from the Bloodclaw home world reveals that have a neutral relationship with an alien race that is not known to the Empire of Japan. Additional survey ships will be transferred to Mauritius Base when they become available, although it is a long journey through Zharovian space from Fiji Naval Base, located in the nearest Imperial system to Mauritius.
28th April 1986
All four Yamato class battleships have been refitted to the Yamato II design, which includes a 3000-ton increase in size to 75,000-tons in order to accommodate a larger engine design than all the other Imperial Navy warships. The 5000-ton Koga-Murakama KM-2000-B Fusion Drive has improved fuel efficiency compared to the standard 3000-ton Koga-Murakama KM-1440-B Fusion Drive. As well as complete replacement of the fire controls and sensors, the new design also incorporates larger shield generators and eleven percent more hull space dedicated to shields overall, resulting in a fifty percent increase in shield strength while decreasing the total regeneration time. The Yamato II will be able to withstand considerable firepower without taking damage.
Yamato II class Battleship 75,000 tons 2,364 Crew 18,572.6 BP TCS 1,500 TH 12,000 EM 28,560
8000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 6-158 Shields 952-476 HTK 460 Sensors 16/28/0/0 DCR 46-6 PPV 385
Maint Life 1.44 Years MSP 9,619 AFR 978% IFR 13.6% 1YR 5,095 5YR 76,428 Max Repair 1,200 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 1,000 tons
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 5 BRG AUX ENG CIC FLG
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Flight Crew Berths 20 Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-750-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 75000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-2000-B Fusion Drive (5) Power 12000 Fuel Use 24.94% Signature 2400 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,146,000 Litres Range 20.6 billion km (29 days at full power)
Shīrudo-119A Shield Generator (8) Recharge Time 476 seconds (2 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-45A Spinal Laser (1) Range 384,000km TS: 8,000 km/s Power 53-5 ROF 55
Kentaro-Sakura KS-30A Far Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 384,000km TS: 8,000 km/s Power 24-5 ROF 25
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12C Laser Turret (12x2) Range 240,000km TS: 25000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 45 Go-31G Turret Fire Control (3) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 25,000 km/s ECCM-4
Type 45 Go-31G Laser Fire Control (3) Max Range: 384,000 km TS: 8,000 km/s ECCM-4
R-75 Tokamak Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 225.3 Exp 5%
Type 42 Go-21E Missile Detection (1) GPS 14 Range 7.9m km MCR 710.9k km Resolution 1
Type 42 Go-71E Fighter Detection (1) GPS 280 Range 24.1m km Resolution 10
Type 45 Go-12E Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 40320 Range 190.9m km Resolution 120
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 42 Go-61D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 28 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 41.8m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3 Fire Control 4 Missile 4
Strike Group
1x Showa L1D 'Raikō' Assault Transport Speed: 23402 km/s Size: 20
6th May 1986
As a test for the updated Yamato design, all four battleships are dispatched to Kokura, the closest Zuijin system to Sol, along with the carriers Taihō and Junyō. Kokura, six transits away but only six billion kilometres in actual distance, has an orange K5-V primary and four rocky planets, none of which have moons. The suspected location of the Zuijin is Kokura III, which has a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere but the Asagiri class survey ship Usugumo was destroyed in December 1974 by three Zuijin destroyers and an escort cruiser before it could detect any colonies or bases. Four years later, the stabilisation ship Koshu Maru was attacked by three Conqueror class light cruisers and a pair of Vengeance class missile cruisers. Both incidents took place near the jump point so the total Zuijin force in Kokura is unknown.
Kido Butai - Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai
Yamato II class Battleship: Katsuragi, Musashi, Shinano, Yamato
Taihō III class Carrier: Junyō, Taihō
72x Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan class Carrier Strike
72x Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' class Fighter
4x Aichi E3A class Scout:
An E3A scout transits into Kokura from Uchigō, confirming the jump point is clear. Since the Imperial Navy last visited Kokura, the wreck of a Jinhae class of the Wokou Raiders has been added to the two Japanese wrecks. As past transits have attracted attention, due to the jump point being only three hundred million kilometres from the primary, the E3A holds position. Within a few hours an Enforcer class scout appears to check the new arrival. When the scout is close to the jump point, six A4M 'Ryūjin' fighters transit, wait for jump shock to clear and then attack. Three volleys are sufficient to trigger a secondary explosion that destroys the scout. The fighters return to their carrier. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa decides to hold his force in Uchigō to see if any more Zuijin ships appear.
Ninety minutes later, three Conqueror class light cruisers, armed with particle lances, and an Avenger class escort approach the jump point – the same ships that destroyed Koshu Maru. Sixteen minutes later, two more forces appear: the escort cruiser and three destroyers that attacked Usugumo, plus a significantly larger fleet with six Vengeance class missile cruisers, three more Ravager escort cruisers, two Conquerors and four Avengers. Plainly, Kokura is a far more substantial Zuijin system than previously believed. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa requests the other four Taihō class carriers from Earth, in case even more Zuijin appear, then takes his battleships into Kokura, accompanied by the strikegroups of the two carriers.
When the battleships transit, their active sensors detect a further three Vengeance missile cruisers, escorted by a Ravager and an Avenger, at a hundred and eighty million kilometres. The previously detected Zuijin ships are all within twenty-five million kilometres. Kurosawa considered waiting until they were closer, but did not want to risk undergoing missile attack while still suffering from jump shock. The four Yamato IIs face twenty-eight Zuijin warships with a combined tonnage of over half a million tons and that does not include any further ships or bases that lie ahead within the inner system.
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As the battleships reach four million kilometres from the jump point, they detect an inbound wave of one hundred and fifty-six laser torpedoes moving at just under 30,000 km/s, trailed by a smaller wave of sixteen. The seventy-two A4M 'Ryūjin' are deployed ninety thousand kilometres ahead of the main body, while the B2M strike craft remain in close formation, awaiting a decision on potential targets.
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The primary wave attacks from approximately 95,000 km ahead of the battleships, placing it close to the fighters, which manage to kill thirty-six missiles and eighty-four decoys – an extremely good hit rate out of one hundred and forty-four shots, but at extreme range for the lasers turrets on the battleships, which do not hit anything. Fortunately, the Yamato II class has a speed of 8000 km/s and fourth-generation missile jammers, making them difficult targets for missiles with only second generation ECCM. Yamato suffers thirty-nine hits, each of strength 6.7, which reduces her formidable shields by just fifteen percent. The small secondary wave is eliminated by the fighters.
A second missile wave arrives seven minutes later, at the same time that three Conqueror class light cruisers are approaching weapon range. Leaving the fighters ahead of the battleships will leave them open to attack, so Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders them back into the main formation, preserving them at the potential cost of more significant shield damage, while allowing the fleet to engage the Conquerors.
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None of the inbound torpedoes are shot down, but Yamato absorbs the damage without difficulty. The four battleships hold the range open, to avoid particle beam fire, and blast the approaching cruisers into wreckage. With rapidly growing confidence in the power of his upgraded battleships, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the fighters and the strike craft to return to their carriers in Uchigō, seeing no point in risking the fragile craft when he may need them for an attack on strong orbital defences. Yamato withstands a new wave of one hundred and eighty laser torpedoes by the simple expedient of letting them detonate and absorbing the damage. Eight further missiles move past the battleships, in pursuit of the withdrawing fighters and strike craft. One A4M is destroyed by multiple hits.
The main force of Zuijin warships continues to approach, despite the destruction of their outriders. At a million kilometres, four Ravager class escort begin launching waves of one hundred and sixty-eight light missiles every ten seconds. The battleships plough through them, destroying perhaps a quarter with their laser turrets while generating a bow wave of strength-1 explosions on their shields. Many of the light missiles miss their targets entirely due to the unfavourable electronic warfare environment. The resulting shield damage is so ineffectual that after the first few waves, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders his ships to cease point defence fire to preserve maintenance supplies.
Once within weapon range, they focus fire on the Ravagers while keeping the range at 245,000 km, outside the range of the Conquerors’ particle lances. Despite the continual hail of light missiles and occasionally the large laser torpedoes, the Zuijin cannot generate anywhere near enough firepower to seriously threaten the shields of the battleships, while their energy-armed ships cannot get within weapon range. With the Ravagers soon destroyed, the battle quickly becomes a massacre. The Yamatos ruthlessly and systematically obliterate every Zuijin ship in the main body, then set a course for the trailing group, which is in retreat toward Kokura III. Taihō and Junyō transit into Kokura, recover their Kōkūtai and follow the battleships.
Once within range of Kokura III, the battleships detect three Devastator class bases, armed with light missiles, three Terror class point defence bases and a single Vanquisher missile base, that will no doubt add its firepower to that of the three surviving missile cruisers. Each Devastator can launch ninety-one missiles, so an attack by the three bases plus the remaining Ravager will be twice as powerful as the earlier massed attack by four Ravagers. Erring on the side of caution, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders his seventy-two B2Ns to accompany the battleships and conduct a strike against the Devastators as soon as they are within range. The fighters will once again proceed ahead of the fleet to defend against laser torpedoes.
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On approach, the four battleships come under attack from several waves of laser torpedoes from the Vanquisher and the Vengeance class cruisers. These fare no better than similar attacks earlier in the battle. Once within five million kilometres of the planet, the Nakajima B2N ‘Tenzan’ strike craft launch their one hundred and forty-four Rakurai-Ni anti-ship missiles at two of the Devastators. The Rakurai-Ni model has a speed of 40,000 km/s, five third generation decoys, second generation ECCM, terminal guidance and a strength-12 warhead. It is one of the older models in service, which is one reason why Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa is prepared to expend them. In comparison, the Rakurai II-Ro, which has recently entered production, has a speed of 50,000 km/s, fourth generation decoys and ECCM and a strength-20 warhead.
The first interceptions by the Zuijin light missiles take place a million kilometres from the planet and there are many defensive missiles. Even so, one hundred and ten missiles reach their targets, although more than half strike decoys. The two Devastators are struck by eighteen and twenty-five Rakurai, with four and nine respectively penetrating the armour. Neither is destroyed, but the attack should reduce their effectiveness. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the fighters and strike craft back to the carriers, while the battleships advance on Kokura III.
When the battleships move within a million kilometres, they are confronted with a wave of two hundred and ninety-four light missiles travelling at 77,000 km/s. Twenty-nine are shot down by the battleship’s laser turrets and more than two hundred miss their targets – mainly due to the effect of fourth generation missile jammers. The light missiles are too small to carry even the second generation Zuijin ECCM. While the Empire of Japan might be falling behind alien powers, such as the People Republic, in term of propulsion, it is a galaxy-leader in sensor and electronic warfare technology due to the research colony on Osaka-B I. Fifty-nine light missiles strike Yamato, reducing her shields by six percent.
The second and subsequent waves comprise only two hundred and sixteen light missiles, so it is likely one of the damaged Devastator class bases lost its magazine storage and could only fire the missiles in its launchers. All the waves focus on Yamato and her shield strength slowly falls, although not fast enough for the Zuijin to prevail. At 245,000 km, outside the range of any surface-based particle lances, the four battleships fire a total of ninety-six 30cm lasers at the three Devastators, inflicting multiple strength-4 penetrating hits on two of them.
After two further salvos, one of the Devastators explodes and the Ravager is added to the target list. While Yamato continues to take hits, her shield strength is at seventy percent and the number of incoming missiles is falling rapidly. By the time all three Devastators and the Ravager have been eliminated, it is at eighty-five percent. The only concern for Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa is that the battleships have used a third of the maintenance supplies due to the length of the combat. To avoid any concerns over shortages, he decides to deal with the surface defences before attacking the remaining ships, even though some may still fire additional waves of laser torpedoes.
Thirty-two particle lances fire when the battleships move closer. None of them hit. The Yamatos continue closing and open fire on the planet with their 30cm lasers and quick-firing 12cm turrets. The effect is devastating. Every STO weapon is eliminated within sixty seconds. The remaining ships, three Vengeance class cruiser, four scouts and ten fast attack craft, break orbit and run. Targeting changes to the Terror class bases, which are blown apart within twenty seconds, then to a second battery of particle lances that reveal themselves at 95,000 km and finally the Vanquisher missile base. With the planet cleared of defences, the battleship give chase to the missile cruisers while Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa recalls the fighters to chase the FACs and scouts.
Once every last Zuijin ship in the system has been hunted down and eliminated, the Kido Butai regroups and heads back to Sol, leaving behind nothing but a sea of wreckage and a ground forces contact of 38,000 tons on Kokura III. The follow-up invasion will not take place for some time because all eight of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s large troop transports are either en route to Mauritius Base, or have already arrived, in preparation for the eventual invasion of the home world of the Bloodclaw Dominion.
Additional transports are under construction in a shipyard orbiting Scimitar Prime. Several shipyards have been moved to that world, to free up workers on Earth, and are operated by the Scimitar subject race, which has been fully assimilated into the Empire. Fourteen hundred forced labour mining and construction camps are also in operation on the planet, along with a large number of financial centres, ordnance factories and fuel refineries. All the original Scimitaran construction factories and fighter factories, plus most of the mining complexes, have been moved to Earth or other colonies. The ground force construction complexes, along with those from Earth, have been transported to Luna, which is now the Empire’s primary ground forces training facility. Once a new troop transport is completed in orbit of Scimitar Prime, it will pick up an Arashi Division from Luna and conduct the invasion of Kokura III.
The Arashi Divisions, four of which are now in service, are a new combat formation intended to support the Kurogane Samurai in offensive operations. Each division comprises two brigades and a divisional element, with a total of six thousand, four hundred genetically-enhanced Arashi (storm), armed with the Nambu Type 36 Machine Gun and protected by heavy powered armour. They are far superior to regular infantry, although more expensive to train and equip, and are intended to maximise combat power in situations where available transport capacity is limited, without the limitations of the Kurogane Samurai in engaging large numbers of light forces. The two forces, Arashi and Kurogane Samurai, are designed to work in concert during planetary invasions.
19th May 1986
Mauritius Base produces its first fighter – a Kawanishi H4K ‘Kumo’ long-range patrol craft. Eleven fighter factories are in place at the colony.
23rd May 1986
Two ships of the Capella Imperium, a 120,000-ton Ogdoad and a 110,000-ton Bakha, are detected on approach by a buoy on the Orochi’s Maw – Sapporo jump point. While the Capellans were detected in Sapporo several years ago, they have not entered the system since the foundation of the Japanese colony on Sapporo I. The two ships transit, where they are detected by the buoy on the opposite side, then head in-system and disappear from sensors.
1st June 1986
The buoy deployment ship Miyabikaze transits into Sri Lanka, a system that is five jumps outward from Mauritius via Reunion, Amirante, Zanzibar and Madagascar, and home to large number of wrecks that were discovered four months earlier, most of which were subsequently identified as belonging to the Helgrim Protectorate. There are eight Bloodclaw ships stationed on the jump point, all of which are new types. In keeping with the nomenclature assigned to the Dominion by Imperial Naval Intelligence, five 44,620-ton ships are designated as Arabian Leopards, a single 20,774-ton ship is designated as Black-footed Cat class and the two 10,361-ton ships are Fishing Cat class. While the smaller ships are most likely military-engined, Miyabikaze does not come under fire and the eight ships immediately transit into Madagascar and set a course in the approximate direction of the Fregate jump point.
Sri Lanka is fourteen billion kilometres from Mauritius, so any deployment of the limited warship strength of Mauritius Base will require tanker support. The only permanently assigned replenishment ship is Kyokuto Maru and she is currently supporting operations around Comoros and Andaman. However, Yamabuki Maru has recently visited Mauritius Base to supply fuel and is heading for the Zharov jump point. She is recalled, so she may be refuelled and sent to Madagascar. The light cruiser Naka leaves immediately, relying on Yamabuki Maru to provide the fuel she will need to return.
9th June 1986
Two concerning diplomatic events occur on the same day. The Followers of Zharov detect the survey cruiser Yugiri passing through their home system en route to Mauritius Base and issue a warning to leave immediately. The recent success in moving ships through Zharov resulted in overconfidence and an attempt to shorten the route around the home world, with unfortunate results.
A more serious incident occurred in Sapporo, where the Ogdoad and Bakha class ships of the Capella Imperium re-appeared close to the important Sapporo colony. They were asked to leave due to the significant Japanese presence in the system, which includes a population of eleven million, a spaceport, a research facility and over eighty factories, mines and maintenance facilities. The colony has two Yokosuka maintenance bases and twenty-one Amateratsu class terraforming stations in orbit plus a permanent squadron of two Nagara-series light cruisers and an old Kasagi class light cruiser. Sapporo also serves as a vital forward base and is currently overhauling two survey cruisers. The Capella Imperium rejected the request to leave and stated that Sapporo was an important system for their own interests and they were prepared to defend it.
The Imperial Japanese Navy finds itself with yet another major commitment. All major colonies already have a pair of Nagara-series cruisers, with one light cruiser deployed at smaller colonies. Fomalhaut, facing the threat of the Mizuchi-Ha, also has a an Akagi IV carrier, two Nagato II class battleships and, two Takao III-Ro heavy cruisers. Two further heavy cruisers have been deployed to support Kirishima and three Nagara III-Ni light cruisers at Mauritius Base, while an Akagi IV class carrier is currently en route to Mauritius. The battlecruiser Hiei has been forward deployed to Fiji Naval Base.
Based at Earth are the four Yamato class battleships, the other two Nagatos, six Taiho III carriers, five Akagi-series carriers and four Takao III class heavy cruisers. Both Nagatos are currently being refitted to the Nagato III design, with fusion drives and other upgrades, two Akagi IIIs are also being refitted with fusion drives and two of the heavy cruisers are being upgraded with improved electronics. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi regards the Yamato class battleships and the Taihō class carriers as his offensive force, which he refuses to deploy on guard duties, especially as they will be deployed against the Bloodclaw home world once sufficient logistical support is in place for them to be refuelled three times in each direction and resupplied as necessary.
He is prepared to deploy the two Nagatos once their refit is completed, but they are already earmarked to replace their sister ships in Fomalhaut while they undergo the same refit. The three available Akagi class carriers are effectively a shield for Earth when the larger ships are absent, along with a group of light cruisers – although all eight light cruisers in Earth orbit are currently in refit. That leaves only the two available heavy cruisers, which are also scheduled for the electronics refit. Fortunately, two new Takao III-Ro heavy cruisers are close to completion, so they can be deployed to Sapporo as soon as they are available. That is only a temporary solution as no further warships are under construction, so the strategic situation is in danger of swiftly deteriorating if any more threats appear.
The massive commitment to establish and maintain a base in Mauritius has had a significant effect on both the Empire of Japan and the Imperial Navy. Mauritius Base is over fifty billion kilometres from Earth, two-thirds of which is via Zharovian space and the Zuijin system of Atlasov. The base itself orbits the same star as the home world of a hostile power and is adjacent to the home world system of a near-hostile power. A large portion of the Empire’s transport lift capacity has been out of regular service for almost eighteen months and the amount of fuel and other logistical support required to sustain that effort has been considerable. The ultimate goal is to access the technology of the Bloodclaw Dominion, especially next generation fusion drives, via a successful invasion of the Dominion home world. Given how much effort has already been invested in that objective, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi refuses to abandon it now.
Therefore, he decides that rather than deploy a large warship force to Sapporo, the existing force of Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa’ fighters will be transported to Sapporo as the replacement Mitsubishi A4M ‘Ryūjin' fighters become available. Any available shore batteries will also be moved to the colony. With those reinforcements, plus the two new heavy cruisers, Takagi hopes that will secure the colony against anything but an all-out attack, although one short-term flaw in that plan is a lack of troop transports to move the shore batteries. Even the nine small Shinshu Maru class are unavailable, as five of them are transporting an infantry division to Mauritius and the other four are transporting xenoarchaeological and engineer regiments to Kokura in lieu of the planned ground assault. The next few months may prove to be interesting times for the Empire of Japan.
10th June 1986
The two Capellan ships close to the Sapporo colony move into orbit and deploy a ground force that includes surface-to-orbit weapons. There is now a direct threat to the ships in orbit above the colony, but no overt hostile act takes place. The arrival of the Capellans highlights a new problem. Sapporo does not have defending ground forces, so even if the planned reinforcements can hold off a space-based attack, it cannot hold the colony against ground attack. The need for at least one division to be deployed to Sapporo is added to the demands on the Imperial Navy.
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This is the 3rd of 5 posts today
Full Galactic Map
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This is the 4th of 5 posts today
20th June 1986
A survey of Kokura III by the brand-new survey cruiser Tachikaze (Wind From a Sword Stroke) reveals a deserted, but intact Zuijin colony. She also finds vast quantities of accessible Duranium and Gallicite, along with deposits of all other Trans-Newtonian minerals with varying quantities and accessibility. From the perspective of mining Gallicite, currently the Empire’s most in-demand mineral, this is an even better geological discovery than the Empire’s primary mining colony on Matsuyama II, which has a population of almost two hundred million and over eighteen hundred mines and automated mines. Kokura III has an atmosphere that is almost breathable, a stable orbit and a temperature of -27C, although it lacks surface water. Eliminating the Zuijin ground forces just became even higher priority than before.
Kokura III Survey Report
Duranium: 16,715,762 0.80
Neutronium: 6,744,409 0.10
Corbomite: 866,761 0.10
Tritanium: 2,160,900 0.90
Boronide: 3,467,044 0.10
Mercassium: 4,036,081 0.20
Vendarite: 20,322,064 0.90
Sorium: 16,540,489 0.10
Uridium: 153,664 0.10
Corundium: 6,492,304 0.30
Gallicite: 10,458,756 0.80
Matsuyama II Survey Report
Duranium: 14,426,142 1.00
Neutronium: 25,782,978 0.20
Corbomite: 16,186,803 0.10
Tritanium: 18,382,227 0.10
Mercassium: 4,438,671 0.10
Vendarite: 28,360,986 1.00
Sorium: 39,269,154 0.20
Uridium: 15,659,727 0.10
Gallicite: 8,667,789 0.70
21st June 1986
Construction of the Takao III-Ro heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma is completed in Earth orbit. Both are dispatched to the Sapporo colony.
26th June 1986
Naka arrives in Sri Lanka and confronts the eight Bloodclaw ships. They immediately transit into Madagascar, so she pursues, then opens fire when she recovers from jump shock, destroying one of the two 10,361-ton Fishing Cat ships. Naka launches her understrength Raiden Sentai against the 20,774-ton Black-footed Cat, then begins to eliminate the other ships one by one. The eighteen Kazuma Raiden are overwhelmed by the Bloodclaw crew, so she is forced to destroy that ship as well. After picking up the survivors, she heads to the Zanzibar jump point to wait for Yamabuki Maru.
12th July 1986
The fourth Arashi Division is combat dropped on Kokura III by the new troop transport Togakushi Maru. The Zuijin ground forces signature is 38,000 tons, which suggests more than 100,000 tons in reality and indicates perhaps double the normal ground force, presumably because of the importance of the ruins. While it would be preferable to drop multiple divisions, Togakushi Maru is the only transport is available. This will be a difficult first combat for the Arashi.
14th July 1986
The fourth Arashi Division is evacuated from Kokura III after suffering fifty percent casualties in only forty hours of combat. While the Arashi initially fared well against the Zuijin bots, the larger mechs proved difficult for the Arashi machine guns to destroy and the combat soon turned against them. The Zuijin forces comprised several thousand bots and several hundred mechs. Approximately thirty percent were destroyed, with the losses much lighter among the mechs. Togakushi Maru lands the remaining brigade on Kokura I and returns to Sol, where she will load reinforcements.
The combat demonstrates the Arashi cannot stand against heavy forces without support and also causes concerns about the chances of success against the Bloodclaw, who are much higher tech than the Zuijin. Eight divisions are currently in Mauritius, or en route, including three Arashi, three Kurogane Samurai and two older infantry divisions. That will not be enough. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi orders the four transports at Mauritius Base to return to Earth so that more divisions can be trained and transported to Mauritius. That decision will delay the invasion of the Bloodclaw home world by eighteen months, which is the time required for the return journey.
The four transports currently in Atlasov, the Zuijin system two jumps from Mauritius via Zharov, are ordered to hold position. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi is considering a change to his strategy by attacking the Zuijin in that system to provide an additional base that can be used as a source of logistical support, assuming any ruins can be surveyed and potential recovery sites identified. Given the performance of the Yamatos in Kokura, Takagi believes the four battleships can handle the Zuijin in Atlasov without carrier support, which simplifies the initial logistics, and there is a ready-made invasion force on the scene.
1st August 1986
An H3K ‘Shoki’ patrol craft stationed at the Beta Hydri – Kariya jump point as a secondary picket, in case any Mizuchi-Ha ships entered Kariya, suffers an engine explosion due to a maintenance failure. The H3K survives, although it is unable to move. A few day later, a Zuijin Enforcer class scout moves into sensor range, presumably attracted by the explosion, and takes up station on the jump point. Beta Hydri is home to a Zuijin fleet which has been left in place to serve as a defence against any Mizuchi incursion.
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12th August 1986
Tracking stations at Mauritius Base detect a new ship type of the Dominion leaving the Bloodclaw home world. The Balkan Lynx has military engines and a speed of 15,612 km/s, with a thermal signature of 3,450. At first, it appears to be on a course for the Reunion jump point, so given its obvious level of technology, it is monitored but not intercepted, as a Zharovian squadron is waiting in Reunion.
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When it becomes apparent the Balkan Lynx is going to bypass that jump point and head for the Zharov jump point, potentially passing close to several unarmed Imperial Navy ships, the carrier Hiryu and the heavy cruisers Chōkai and Maya attempt an emergency intercept. Although they are unable catch the Bloodclaw ship before it passes, Hiryu launches thirty-two Mitsubishi A3M2 ‘Hayabusa’ fighters, which have a slight speed edge of less than 400 km/s. They move within range and open fire. Four strength-1 hits penetrate the armour and the Balkan Cat vanishes in a huge secondary explosion. The lack of defensive fire suggests this was a scout or survey ship.
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22nd August 1986
Three more Bloodclaw ships appear on a similar course, designated as Caucasian Lynx. They have a similar thermal signature to the Balkan Lynx but only half the speed, suggesting they may be twice as large. Hiryu, Chōkai and Maya break orbit much earlier to intercept, but the Lynx retreat to their home world. A few hours later, three Golden Cat class ships also depart, this time heading for Reunion. The Golden Cat is known to be a terraformer, so the Imperial Navy Squadron moves into close range, where Hiryu launches the first combat mission of the Showa L1D 'Raikō' (Lightning Flash) class Assault Transport.
Until now, boarding actions have been conducted by the Nagara-series light cruisers. The L1D is designed to be carrier-based and perform short-range, high speed intercept. Each ‘Raiko’ carries a Raiden Sentai, similar to those of the Nagaras. Hiryu has a reduced number of fighters in order to carry seven L1Ds and a pair of H3Ks. Two each are launched against the three Golden Cats. All three targets are secured within six minutes, with the loss of five Kazuma Raiden. The terraformers will be moved to Mauritius Base by Ryokai Maru, a tug permanently stationed at the base. They are too large to be scrapped by Fukuju, the repair ship stationed at the base, so they will begin terraforming the planet
Showa L1D 'Raikō' class Assault Transport 1,000 tons 2 Crew 266.2 BP TCS 20 TH 468 EM 0
23402 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 HTK 4 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 199% IFR 2.8% 1YR 165 5YR 2,469 Max Repair 234 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-468-DB Fusion Drive (1) Power 468 Fuel Use 882.52% Signature 468 Explosion 30%
Fuel Capacity 13,800 Litres Range 0.28 billion km (3 hours at full power)
Type 42 Go-24E Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 3 Range 3.5m km MCR 317.9k km Resolution 1
Golden Cat class Terraformer 105,383 tons 444 Crew 2,561 BP TCS 2,108 TH 450 EM 0
213 km/s Armour 1-198 Shields 0-0 HTK 65 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 500 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Terraformer: 4 modules producing 0.0019 atm per annum
Commercial Inertial Fusion Drive EP450.0 (1) Power 450 Fuel Use 0.60% Signature 450 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres Range 5.6 billion km (306 days at full power)
CIWS-200 (2x10) Range 1000 km TS: 20,000 km/s ROF 5
26th August 1986
Togakushi Maru drops the 2nd Infantry Division on Kokura III, then moves to Kokura I to load the Arashi brigade. The 2nd division includes almost twelve thousand infantry and machine guns, plus one hundred and eighteen Ju-Ro heavy tanks of the 2nd Tank Regiment. Over a thousand infantry are killed in the first eight hours, then the tank regiment is outflanked and suffers the loss of fifty-six tanks. Even though the losses are heavy, the Imperial Army units manage to kill five hundred bots and eighty combat mechs.
Twenty hours after the start of the battle, the 8th Arashi Brigade arrives from Kokura I to reinforce the 2nd Division, which swings the balance of forces against the Zuijin. On the morning of the second day, more Zuijin bots and mechs are killed than infantrymen and Arashi. After that point, Imperial Army losses decrease rapidly and the battle becomes a mopping up operation.
29th August 1986
The Zuijin forces on Kokura III are defeated. While the battle is a great victory, especially after the initial failed invasion, losses are considerable. The 4th Arashi Division is now an understrength brigade, while an infantry regiment and the tank regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division are barely above half-strength. All the involved forces will be returned to Earth for replenishment and reinforcement, before eventually being transported to Mauritius or Sapporo.
3rd September 1986
The Caucasian Lynx class ships, now numbering five, venture from the Bloodclaw home world once again, this time on a heading for the Comoros jump point. After waiting for them to move within a hundred million kilometres of Mauritius Base, Hiryu, Chōkai and Maya move out to intercept. The alien ships are 21,259-tons and have military engines, so they seem to be too large for survey ships or scout. They may present a significant potential threat. As soon as the Imperial Navy ships leave orbit, the Caucasian Lynxes reverse course. With a speed of 8114 km/s, they are too fast for even the latest Japanese warships, so Hiryu launches her fighters in pursuit.
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The fighters are twenty-five million kilometres from the five Bloodclaw ships when they detect an inbound wave of two hundred and thirty-five size-7 missiles moving at 52,000 km/s. They immediately run for home, as do Hiryu, Chōkai and Maya, who are not capable of defending against such an attack. Fortunately, only five fighters are hit and destroyed, probably due to a limited number of fire controls, leaving twenty-seven in the Kōkūtai.
The senior officer in the Mauritius system is Kaigun-Taisa Kido Hoshi, captain of the battlecruiser Kirishima, who has had an interesting career, winning three medals for gallantry. He is the second-most senior of seventy-six Kaigun-Taisa in the Imperial Japanese Navy, so he overrides Kaigun-Taisa Mizuno Shingen, captain of the Hiryu, and orders the fighters to continue the chase. Each of the Caucasian Lynx ships launched forty-seven missiles, so they almost certainly are armed with reduced-size launchers with a long reload time. The fighters can close the range in less than an hour, so he sees a potential opportunity to get a few fighters close enough to repeatedly strafe the alien ships, assuming the reload time is long enough and they only target five fighters per salvo.
The pilots eagerly accept the orders and reverse course to pursue the Bloodclaw warships. However, they only close the range by five million kilometres before they lose five more of their number. Reluctantly, Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders them to abort and run for Mauritius Base. It appears the Caucasian Lynx has a reload time of about nine minutes. Given their speed and salvo size, they present an extreme danger to Mauritius Base and all the ships in orbit. In addition, the Bloodclaw home world has been produced ships very quickly in recent weeks, so they might only be the first of many such threats. Reinforcing Mauritius Base has suddenly become extremely urgent.
4th September 1986
The five Caucasian Lynx depart orbit of the Bloodclaw home world once again. As before, they seem to be on course for the Comoros jump point and there are numerous Imperial Navy ships in their path. The light cruiser Yura is returning home from a long mission beyond the Comoros jump point and has exceeded her normal deployment time, leading to some morale issues. The replenishment ship Kyokuto Maru is on a similar course, so both will run into the Bloodclaw ships if they maintain their course. Closer to Comoros are two ex-Bloodclaw fuel harvesters who surrendered when fired up on by the light cruiser Nagara, which has since arrived in Comoros and took up a picket position on the Mauritius jump point. The salvage ships Kamakura Maru and two freighters are nearby, working on the wrecks of three harvesters that didn’t surrender. Finally, the tug Ryokai Maru is en route to the fuel harvesters to bring them back to Mauritius Base.
Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders Kyokuto Maru to change course and move away from the threat, while Yura is ordered back into Comoros, despite her lower-than-normal effectiveness, where she will join Nagara on the Mauritius jump point. If the Bloodclaw missile cruisers transit, the two light cruisers will have an opportunity to engage them at point-blank range. Kamakura Maru and the freighters are ordered to finish their current task and also retreat into Comoros. Ryokai Maru will not reach the surrendered harvesters in time, so she is ordered to attempt escape by travelling perpendicular to her current course.
Finally Kido orders the heavy cruiser Chōkai to break orbit of Mauritius Base and run for the Comoros jump point, where she will join the light cruisers in an attempted ambush, if given the opportunity. It is a risk to reduce the defensive capabilities of the colony, but the Caucasian Lynx do not appear to be on an attack course, although that could change if they detect targets as they pass by. There is considerable relief when the five Dominion missile cruisers appear to ignore Mauritius Base, even though they pass within seventy million kilometres, but then they change course to pursue Chōkai. The heavy cruiser has a one hundred and twenty-five million kilometre head start and the Caucasian Lynxes only have a 118 km/s advantage, but it is a week to the jump point. Whether Chōkai is attacked will depend on the range of the Bloodclaw missiles.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire190.png)
7th September 1986
The deserted intact colony on Kokura III has been fully surveyed, revealing over five hundred potential recovery sites. It is very welcome news during a challenging period for the Empire of Japan.
Meanwhile in Mauritius, the five Caucasian Lynx class ships that were closing in Chōkai suddenly vanish from sensors approximately halfway to the Comoros jump point. Chōkai was holding an active contact, so it was not that they moved out of planetary sensor range. The only explanation is that they reversed course for some reason, possibly after detecting the replenishment ship Kyokuto Maru, which is moving away from the area in which the Bloodclaw ships vanished. Chōkai reverses course and heads for Kyokuto Maru in an attempt to locate the Lynxes, and detects them several hours later on a converging course. Chōkai changes course once again, moving back toward the Comoros jump point. The Caucasian Lynx resume pursuit.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire191.png)
The pursuit does not last. The Lynx move back toward the replenishment ship, while Chōkai tries to distract them, dancing around the edge of sensor range but unwilling to get too close and risk the missile cruisers getting within launch range. A dozen times, the Lynx react to the heavy cruiser before moving back toward Kyokuto Maru. Eventually, Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders Chōkai to resume her original mission and head for the jump point. The build cost of the replenishment ship was a tenth that of the Chōkai and in the grim calculus of the current situation, the heavy cruiser cannot put itself at risk in an increasingly unlikely rescue attempt. Besides, the Bloodclaw warships are not heading directly for Kyokuto Maru, but rather a location she occupied some time ago, so it is possible she may still escape.
In the meantime, two Golden Cat class terraformers have departed the Bloodclaw home world bound for the Reunion jump point, so with the missile cruisers several days away, Hiryu breaks orbit and uses her Showa L1D 'Raikō' Assault Transports to board and capture both ships before returning to Mauritius Base
11th September 1986
The five Caucasian Lynx missile cruisers reappear in the inner system, less than six hundred million kilometres from Mauritius Base. Chōkai is three billion kilometres away and hopelessly out of position, while Nagara and Yura are in Comoros. Kyokuto Maru is twice as far out and untouched. The Bloodclaw warships appear to be on a direct course to their home world that will take them very close to Mauritius Base. The only ships available to defend the colony are the heavy cruiser Maya, the light cruiser Naka, the virtually obsolete battlecruiser Kirishima, twenty-two A3M2 fighters from Hiryu and three surface-to-orbit batteries intended for ant-ship combat.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire192.png)
Given the desperate situation, Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders a captured alien freighter and a pair of H3K ‘Shoki’ patrol craft to move away from Mauritius Base, in an effort to lure the Lynxes on to a different course; the former due its size and the latter due to its speed. For some reason, the Dominion does not seem to want to engage Mauritius Base directly, perhaps because they believe the four Yokosuka class stations may be military ships, so Kido wishes to avoid any accidental engagements due to simple proximity. The distraction works, as the Caucasian Lynx move to investigate the contacts, but still has a cost. One of the H3Ks is struck by a salvo of missiles at a range of thirty-four million kilometres. The other makes it to the Reunion jump point, where it can transit if attacked. The freighter, a Javan Leopard with a volunteer crew, is capable of only 1400 km/s, so it is a suicide mission, but in a very good cause.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire193.png)
Meanwhile, the Bloodclaw home world,, on the third moon of Mauritius II, launches another three military-engined ships of a new type, designated as Chinese Mountain Cat. Strangely, they move into orbit of the first moon, which is not known to be a Bloodclaw colony. The Caucasian Lynxes pursue the decoy freighter, but for some reason do not close the range, or attack it. It seems unlikely they are out of ordnance, so perhaps the fact the ship was originally one of their own is causing confusion or hesitation. Kaigun-Taisa Kido will take whatever time he is given to get Chōkai, and possibly Yura, back to Mauritius Base.
13th September 1986
The Bloodclaw home world launches another five ships, this time a new commercial design designated as Marbled Cat. Given the Dominion’s astonishing rate of recent ship production, especially of new types, Imperial Naval Intelligence is soon going to run out of feline nomenclature. While the Marbled Cats head for the Reunion jump point, the Caucasian Lynx missile cruisers decide to ignore the captured freighter and suddenly streak across the inner system, perhaps in response to the distant approach of Kyokuto Maru, which is seven hundred kilometres from Mauritius Base and trying to reach home. Kaigun-Taisa Kido begins to suspect the Bloodclaw home world has an extremely long-range tracking capability, which combined with the deadly missile cruisers, is going to make life around Mauritius Base extremely difficult. It appears that the Empire of Japan may have waited too long before sending a significant military force to Mauritius.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire194.png)
Kyokuto Maru changes course, while the H3K near the Reunion jump point attempts to cause a distraction, albeit without success. It soon becomes apparent that the Bloodclaw missile cruisers are actually on a course for Chōkai, which is much further out and reinforces the concerns about long-range detection. Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders her to change course and deactivate both shields and active sensors, to reduce her passive signature. As soon as she does so, the Caucasian Lynxes reverse course and head back to the inner system.
Suddenly, the captured freighter, a Javan Leopard, is blown apart by strength-7 missiles. It is over four hundred million kilometres from the Caucasian Lynxes, but only a hundred million kilometres from the Dominion home world. Either the assailant is a ship that has yet to be detected, one of the orbital bases has long-range missiles or the Chinese Mountain Cat class is also a missile combatant. Meanwhile, the Marbled Cats continue toward the Reunion jump point. Kaigun-Taisa Kido decides to let them proceed in the hope that an attack by the Zharovians in Reunion will attract the attention of the Dominion missile cruisers.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire195.png)
After the destruction of the freighter, the Caucasian Lynxes move toward the two recently captured Golden Cat terraformers, that are very slowly making their way toward Mauritius Base. Once again, the chosen course will take the ships close to Mauritius Base. Following his strategy of distraction rather than confrontation, Kido orders Chōkai to engage sensors and shields once again and attempt to pull the Lynxes out of the inner system. This tactic has a time limit because Chōkai cannot get past the enemy ships to Mauritius Base, due to their superior speed, and cannot run forever as she is down to two-thirds fuel. She also has to be careful not to draw the cruisers close to Kyokuto Maru, which lies between them, as that will result in the destruction of the replenishment ships, and she cannot lead the cruisers in a direction that places Mauritius Base between them and their home world.
The first Marbled Cat enters Reunion and immediately comes under fire from a Zharovian squadron on the jump point, comprising two light cruisers, an escort cruiser and two escorts, with a total mass of 80,000 tons. Chōkai disengages her shields and sensors so that the pursuing cruisers might investigate the events in Reunion without distraction. In Reunion, the Marbled Cat withstands a massive amount of damage from the Zharovians before it is finally destroyed. Given it has commercial engines, it may be some form of armoured troop transport. Unfortunately, it’s loss does not interest the Caucasian Lynxes, which set a direct course for Mauritius Base, or possibly their home world, as the two are now aligned. Chōkai is forced to resume her distraction efforts, which causes the Lynxes to head out-system and disappear from Japanese sensors.
15th September 1986
Chōkai reaches a point in the sparse asteroid belt that will provide a clear run to the Bloodclaw home world if the Caucasian Lynxes have followed her. Unfortunately, they are no longer on sensors. She needs to reduce her emissions to disappear from the sensors on the Bloodclaw home world, but remaining motionless and deactivating both shields and active sensors would render her completely helpless if the missile cruisers are able to locate her and attack. As a compromise, she deactivates sensors and moves further out-system. Her active sensor has three times the passive signature of her shields and engines, so he hopes that is enough to make her vanish, without completely sacrificing her defences. Meanwhile, the other two Marbled Cats, having seen their sister ship destroyed in Reunion, change course toward the Comoros jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire194.png)
17th September 1986
The Caucasian Lynxes reappear five hundred and fifty million kilometres from Mauritius Base, on course toward the Reunion jump point, or possibly toward Kyokuto Maru, which has almost made it home. Chōkai is over two billion kilometres away in the outer system. It appears her distraction worked for a time but now the missile cruisers have returned to the inner system. Kaigun-Taisa Kido orders Kyokuto Maru to move to the Reunion jump point, where she can escape if necessary and Chōkai to head home.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire197.png)
Meanwhile, two transits away in Atlasov, the four Yamato class battleships are approaching the Zuijin-held planet in the system, followed by four troop transports. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi ordered them to the system in July. Since that decision, they have refuelled at both Fiji Naval Base and the temporary base in Kharimkotan before arriving in Atlasov. He now considers ignoring the Zuijin and sending the battleships to the relief of Mauritius Base, but the Zuijin are close to the direct course anyway so the attack goes ahead.
The defending force in orbit of Atlasov III comprises Devastator and Terror class bases, three Vengeance missile cruisers, two Ravager escort cruisers and ten Ghost class fast attack craft, plus three fuel harvesters and a tanker. Surprisingly, there are no long-range missile strikes from the Vengeance class ships or the FACs, possibly because the Zuijin have calculated they would be futile.
The first Zuijin attack comprises one hundred and seventy-five light missiles, launched from the Devastator and the two Ravagers, followed by further salvos every ten seconds. The battleships do not even bother to activate point defence, using shields and electronic warfare alone to defeat the attack. Even when the Yamatos close to half a million kilometres, there is still no launch from the Vengeance missile cruisers. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai, commanding the battleships from the flag bridge on the Yamato, begins to suspect the Zuijin have expended all their missile stocks in prior combat against the Followers of Zharov.
The battleships halt at 245,000 km and open fire on the Devastator and the Ravagers, initially reducing their fire and then destroying them. After picking off the Ghosts before they can, they move closer and engage the surface defences, at which point the surviving ships break orbit and flee. The particle lances on the planet are rapidly obliterated, the Terror class base is annihilated in a single salvo and the remaining ships are quickly caught and eliminated. In destroying what would once have been a significant target for the early Imperial Navy, the four Yamato class battleships paused only briefly as they swept past the planet and wiped out its defences. They head for the Zharov jump point while the troop transports move up in their wake.
An hour after the destruction of the Zuijin, a large fleet of commercial-engined Zharovian that have been stationed at the Kharimkotan – Atlasov jump point for a considerable period of time, all transit into Kharimkotan and set a course for their home system at their best speed. In aiding the logistics for the potential invasion of the Bloodclaw home world, the Imperial Japanese Navy appears to have inadvertently assisted the Followers of Zharov.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire198.png)
In Mauritius, the Caucasian Lynxes abandon their approach to the Reunion jump point and set course for home, which always seems to result in a course that will pass close to Mauritius Base. Chōkai switches on her active sensor, which attracts the attention of the alien cruisers, pulling them further from that course. Her fuel is down to fifty percent.
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This is the 5th of 5 posts today
19th September 1986
Against all odds, the replenishment ship Kyokuto Maru arrives at Mauritius Base.
23rd September 1986
The heavy cruiser Chōkai continues to play hide and seek with the Bloodclaw missile cruisers in the system’s sparse asteroid belt, which has allowed the light cruiser Yura to make it back to Mauritius Base, slightly boosting the planet’s defences. Her sister ship Nagara remains in Comoros, acting as a jump point picket, while the tug Ryokai Maru has towed both captured fuel harvesters into Comoros, so they can be shielded by Nagara. The two captured terraformers continue to make glacial progress toward Mauritius Base.
25th September 1986
The 3rd Kurogane Samuri Division, the 3rd Arashi Division and three infantry divisions are delivered to Atlasov III by four large transports and five small Shinshu Maru class transports. The planet is a cold high gravity world, dominated by vast rift valleys that are entirely covered in ice. It is not an ideal combat environment, but for once the Imperial Army has a significant numerical advantage. The Zuijin defenders are completely overwhelmed, killing less than two hundred Japanese infantry before they are wiped out in less than thirty-six hours. The transports begin loading the five divisions for transport to Mauritius Base.
The swift victory cannot be quickly followed up due to a lack of xenoarchaeological regiments to survey the ruins. Two of the Empire’s five regiments are still on Kokura. A third is on Earth. The final two, plus two engineer regiments, are on board the new troop transport Suwa Maru, which is in Proxima, having recently departed Earth en route to Atlasov. It will arrive in four and a half months, so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi hopes that the Followers of Zharov will not launch their own expedition to whatever ruins are present during that time.
27th September 1986
The Caucasian Lynxes reappear from the general direction of Chōkai, but this time on a direct course for their home world that does not take them anywhere near Mauritius Base. The four Yamato class battleships are already in the system, running without sensors or shields and one hundred hours away. Chōkai takes the opportunity to head for safety, still with her sensors inactive, but the missile cruisers reverse course and try to intercept. It seems that beyond a certain point, around one point two billion kilometres from the Bloodclaw home world, she can only be detected by her active emissions. Any closer and her engine and shield emissions reveal her position. However, with the Yamatos moving closer, Kaigun-Chusa Kido is happy to have the Lynxes out of the way so he instructs Chōkai to keep their attention, despite her worsening fuel situation.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire199.png)
29th September 1986
The Bloodclaw missile cruisers are out of contact, once again trying to pin down Chōkai’s location, while the four Yamatos are still fifty-three hours from Mauritius Base. The Dominion dispatches seven ships toward the Reunion jump point. Leading the way are four are Chinese Mountain Cats, a design with the same size and speed as the Caucasian Lynx, but unknown armament. Following at a slower speed are two commercial-engined designs; two 78,557-ton Marbled Cats and a single 22,600-ton Pampas Cat. While both have been previously detected, their functions are unknown. Kaigun-Chusa Kido decides to leave them alone and let the Zharovians handle it.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire200.png)
The Mountain Cats are within a hundred million kilometres of the jump point when their course deviates to their starboard by about forty degrees, in the general direction of the distant Comoros jump point. Suddenly, without warning, the two recently captured Golden Cat terraformers explode, amid ninety-one strength-7 detonations. They are a hundred million kilometres from the Chinese Mountain Cats, which is the same distance as the Javan Leopard was from the Dominion home world. There is now no doubt the new design is also a missile cruiser, which has grave implications for Mauritius Base. The Yamatos have travelled over fifty billion kilometres to reach their current location, but they are still over a billion kilometres away and unable to intervene.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire201.png)
Rather than immediately launch against Mauritius Base, the Chinese Mountain Cats continue toward the Comoros jump point. The salvage ship Kimikawa Maru and two freighters are directly in their path, although over two billion kilometres away. The commercial-engined Marbled Cats and Pampas Cat follow the course of the missile cruisers, although much more slowly.
1st October 1986
The four Chinese Mountain Cats have moved beyond the tracking capabilities of Mauritius Base, while the three commercial-engined ships are still within two hundred kilometres. The Yamatos are only eight hours from the base, so they engage both shields and sensors and set a course for the Pampas Cat, announcing their presence in an effort to draw in the Chinese Mountain Cats and the still-absent Caucasian Lynxes. The missile cruisers engage active sensors, confirming their position, but ignore the battleships and continue on course to the Comoros jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire202.png)
The Imperial Navy battleships close to point-blank range and blast the Pampas Cat into wreckage, then change course to intercept the two Marbled Cats, which are suspected troop ships. They run for the Reunion jump point, but cannot escape. After destroying both, the Yamatos finally head to Mauritius Base, arriving to a heroes’ welcome. While they do not guarantee the safety of the base, the situation has improved considerably. None of the nine Bloodclaw missile cruisers, five Caucasian Lynxes and four Chinese Mountain Cats, are currently on sensors. The former are still suspected to be hunting for Chōkai, while the latter are presumably still en route to Comoros.
While the battleships refuel, Chōkai engages her active sensors, then leaves the asteroid belt and begins heading for Mauritius Base. In the past, this inward movement has attracted the attention of the Caucasian Lynx class ships, but on this occasion there is no sign of them. Their location remains a mystery. Two days later, Chōkai finally returns home.
6th October 1986
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi considers ordering the four Yamato class battleships to test the defences of the Bloodclaw home world. In orbit, there are three Snow Leopards of 20,787 tons, three Jaguars of 20,875 tons and six 26,151-ton Caracals. Little is known about the three classes, except that they all have resolution-1 sensors, which suggests they are intended for defence against missiles and therefore are likely armed with light missiles and short-range, fast-firing weapons. In April 1982, the Zharovians moved within weapon range and their ships were hit with over thirteen hundred strength-1 detonations in a single attack. Considering the Zharovians have a similar or greater level of technology to the Empire of Japan and those detonations were only the missiles that actually hit, Takagi decides to exercise caution.
Four of the six Taiho class carriers are already en route to Mauritius and have recently refuelled at Fiji. Four hundred anti-ship missiles have already been stockpiled at Mauritius Base and the carriers will bring almost six hundred more. Once those missiles have been used to test the defences, Takagi will have considerably more information on which to base a plan of attack. In the meantime, the priority task for the Yamatos and the new system commander, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai, will be to eliminate the existing missile cruisers, if they can be located, and destroy any further ships launched by the Bloodclaw home world.
Less than one hour after that decision is reached, the five Caucasian Lynxes are detected on approach to the Comoros jump point. This is the exact scenario for which Nagara and Yura were positioned on the Comoros side and Chōkai was dispatched to reinforce. Unfortunately, only Nagara remains on the jump point, along with one of the two captured fuel harvesters. The other is being towed to a gas giant in Andaman by Ryokai Maru. Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa considers dispatching two of the Yamatos, but the jump point is five billion kilometres away, which means a two-week return trip, and the Yamatos are slightly slower than the Bloodclaw missile cruisers. Given the strategic situation, they will be better used protecting Mauritius Base until the carrier arrive. Instead he dispatches the heavy cruisers Maya and Chōkai. For the next few days though, Nagara is on her own.
The Caucasian Lynxes transit into Comoros. They will suffer some degree of jump shock, so Nagara immediately opens fire with her twelve Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Lasers and twelve Takashi Kinetics TK-10B Railguns, inflicting a dozen strength-10 hits and forty-seven strength-1s, several of which penetrate the armour of her target. All five ships move away from the jump point at 8114 km/s. Nagara is only capable of 6400 km/s but her captain, Kaigun-Taisa Nishihara Kintaro, is aggressive and has no intention of wasting the opportunity of attacking the temporarily helpless missile cruisers, so he pursues.
Nagara’s railguns, despite their short-range and limited damage, have a high rate of fire but her main damage output is from the 20cm lasers firing every ten seconds. The second laser volley destroys the targeted Bloodclaw warship, so Nagara changes target and keeps firing. A second target is hit by two more laser volleys and blows up. Forty seconds have passed since transit and the missile cruisers have opened the gap beyond both railgun range and the range at which the lasers inflict maximum damage. Kaigun-Taisa Nishihara orders a course reversal and Nagara runs for the jump point. The missile cruisers change course by about a hundred and sixty degrees, not quite following Nagara.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire204.png)
Their proximity allows Nagara to target a third ship with her lasers, achieving ten strength-10 hits, once of which penetrates the armour and reduces the Caucasian Lynx to half speed. The damaged ship moves away, so Nagara fires on her fourth target, one of two ships that now parallel her course. The missile cruiser vanishes in a colossal strength-350 secondary explosion. The remaining undamaged Bloodclaw warship reverses course and moves away from Nagara.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire205.png)
Nagara could risk a pursuit, but the Caucasian Lynx is already over a hundred thousand kilometres away, so she continues toward the jump point and transits into Mauritius, having destroyed three Bloodclaw missile cruisers and damaged a fourth. Almost at the same moment she transits, the damaged Caucasian Lynx launches forty-seven missiles at the captured Andean Mountain Cat fuel harvester, utterly destroying it. The same ship continues moving in-system, toward the Andaman jump point, while the undamaged Lynx moves back toward the Mauritius jump point and takes up a picket position.
With the engagement over, at least for the moment, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa has time to address a longer-term issue. While Mauritius base has four Yokosuka maintenance bases and seven maintenance facilities, that is insufficient for the large force now stationed at the base. To reduce that burden, Hiryu launches her Kōkūtai then heads for the Zharov jump point. Four of her seven Showa L1D 'Raikō' class Assault Transports are transferred to the four battleships, each of which has a 1000-ton capacity hangar bay. The other three, plus her surviving H3K and twenty-two A3M2 ‘Hayabusa’ fighters, will be stationed at Mauritius Base. Kaigun-Taisa Kido’s ship, the old battlecruiser Kirishima, is dispatched to the Reunion jump point to adopt a picket position. She can remain on station for twelve months, which should be enough time to resolve the assault on the Bloodclaw home world, one way or another. There is still insufficient capacity, but the two deployments will ease the situation.
Even after Nagara’s heroics, another concern is troubling Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa. When the two groups of missile cruisers vanished, it was the Chinese Mountain Cats, not the Caucasian Lynxes that were heading for the Comoros jump point. The latter were presumed to be searching for Chōkai. Which leads to the question of where the four Chinese Mountain Cats are now. If they also approach the Comoros jump point, Nagara cannot transit as the undamaged Caucasian Lynx is waiting on the far side. Equally, Hiryu could encounter them en route to the Zharov jump point, or Kimikawa Maru and her freighters, which are still trying to make it back to Mauritius Base, or a pair of colony ships that recently entered Mauritius via the Zharov jump point. Unfortunately, operations cannot cease entirely due to the unknown location of the four missile cruisers. Even so, Kurosawa decides to split the heavy cruisers, with Chōkai continuing toward Comoros, while Maya moves to protect Kimikawa Maru.
11th October 1986
The four missing Chinese Mountain Cats are detected by a sensor buoy on the Mauritius – Zharov jump point. The first three Kuroshio Maru class colony ships recently transited and are less than two hundred million kilometres away, albeit on a different vector than the Bloodclaw approach. Further out, at one point two and one point seven billion kilometres respectively are the fleet support vessel Hayasui and the carrier Hiryu, the first heading toward Mauritius Base and the other toward Zharov. Both ships change course, as they lie between the Bloodclaw missile cruisers and their home world.
Kuroshio Maru class Fast Colony Ship 88,970 tons 506 Crew 3,816.9 BP TCS 1,779 TH 7,000 EM 0
3933 km/s Armour 1-177 Shields 0-0 HTK 97 Sensors 8/14/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 26 Max Repair 400 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 200,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 6
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Koga-Murakama KC-1000 Fusion Drive (7) Power 7000 Fuel Use 2.80% Signature 1000 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,250,000 Litres Range 90.5 billion km (266 days at full power)
Type 42 Go-13E Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 3360 Range 55.1m km Resolution 120
Type 42 Go-63D Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Moments after initial contact, the Chinese Mountain Cats disappear from sensors. The three colony ships cease movement, as they cannot escape anyway if already detected, in the hope that a lack of thermal emissions may avoid pursuit. After a few minutes, the Mountain Cats reappear and transit into Zharov without further hesitation. A fleet of fourteen Zharovian warships is stationed on the far side, ranging in size from 10,000 tons to 26,000 tons and all equipped with shields. One Mountain Cat explodes within five seconds of transit. Two more are destroyed within a further twenty seconds. The fourth manages to escape outside energy-weapon range and the Zharovians are not fast enough to catch it.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire207.png)
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire208.png)
Once recovered from jump shock, the surviving Chinese Mountain Cat launches a salvo of forty-six missiles at its pursuers. The target is a 26,089-ton Soci class with shields of strength-110. It is struck by forty-one missiles and heavily damaged, with its speed falling from 4645 km/s to 774 km/s. Seven ships continue pursuit of the Bloodclaw missile cruiser while the others head back to the jump point. The damaged Soci transits into Mauritius to avoid being attacked by a second salvo. The next two volleys from the Mountain Cat focus on one of the pursuing ships, a 10,811-ton Andropov class. The first has no obvious effect beyond reducing the shield strength to zero; the second destroys it.
By the time the fourth salvo arrives, thirty-four minutes after transit, the Japanese sensor buoy can no longer detect the shields on the Zharovian ships, but a second Andropov falls out of formation at half speed. The original pursuers fall back to the jump point and the other group of ships takes up the chase. A Soci is damaged by two salvos, dropping to two-thirds speed, before firing ceases. Despite destroying three of the four Mountain Cats near the jump point, the Zharovians have lost one ship with three more damaged. All three damaged ships take up temporary residence in Mauritius, while five ships remain in pursuit of the Mountain Cat, which has left sensor range of the buoy.
Close-range observation of the combat has revealed the armament of two Zharovian designs. The 26,089-ton Soci is armed with eighteen 20cm lasers and a single 25cm laser and is classified as a heavy cruiser, while the 10,811-ton Andropov is armed with seven 20cm lasers. As the designation of ‘destroyer’ has generally been given to small, missile-armed ships, the Andropov is classed as a frigate.
An hour after the combat in the Zharov system, the three damaged Zharovian ships, two Soci and an Andropov, leave the Mauritius – Zharov jump point in the direction of the Comoros jump point. Meanwhile, with six of the known nine Bloodclaw missile cruisers destroyed, three by Nagara and three by the Followers of Zharov, and the other three blocked from Mauritius by the same forces, every unarmed Imperial Navy vessel ends their careful manoeuvres and heads straight for their destinations. Six hours after the battle, the undamaged Caucasian Lynx transits into Mauritius from Comoros. Nagara is waiting. Two volleys are sufficient to trigger a strength-228 secondary explosion and the number of remaining Dominion missile cruisers falls to two.
12th October 1986
Having somehow eluded the five ships that were in pursuit, the last Chinese Mountain Cat moves back into sensor range of the buoy on the Zharov – Mauritius jump point. Five Zharovian ships remain on the jump point itself; two Andropov class frigates armed with lasers, plus three Kazan class escorts armed with gauss cannon. The Mountain Cat takes a pair of strength-1 hits at 218,000 km, then six strength-4 hits fifteen seconds later, providing Imperial Naval Intelligence with useful data on the Andropov’s range and rate of fire, although it is deemed to be an out-of-date design. The Kazans fire at 16,000 km, scoring fifty-two strength-1 hits, and then the Mountain Cat transits into Mauritius before the Andropovs can fire again. Despite the damage inflicted by the Zharovians, it emerges at full speed and sets a course for home. There is no threat to Japanese shipping as it is evidently out of missiles. The challenge will be locating and destroying it before it can reload.
15th October 1986
Chōkai joins Nagara on the Mauritius – Comoros jump point. Unlike the smaller light cruiser, Chōkai has a jump drive, which means she will suffer far shorter jump shock using her own drive than relying on the stabilised jump point. The buoy on the far side cannot detect the damaged Caucasian Lynx, so she transits, relying on her ability to return before any missile salvo can reach her. Instead of the Bloodclaw missile cruiser, she finds six Zharovian warships, which appear to have picked up the life pods from the Bloodclaw wrecks and the captured Harvester. Chōkai remains near the jump point, allowing Nagara to head home for well-earned shore leave. The Zharovians depart on a heading for the Comoros primary and its two dwarf planets.
17th October 1986
Chōkai transits into Mauritius to destroy a pair of Marbled Cat troop transports approaching the Comoros jump point, then returns to Comoros. A few hours later, the missing Chinese Mountain Cat transits into Comoros and runs for the Andaman jump point. Chōkai pursues and opens fire, inflicting massive damage with two salvos. Unexpectedly, the missile cruiser surrenders before it is destroyed. The ship is barely holding together after the damage inflicted by both Chōkai and the Zharovians and has lost both engines and three quarters of its launchers. The tug Ryokai Maru is in the adjacent Andaman system, where she has placed the captured fuel harvester in orbit of Andaman. However, there is still a missing Caucasian Lynx somewhere between Ryokai Maru and Chōkai.
Chinese Mountain Cat class Missile Cruiser 21,254 tons 389 Crew 4,126.8 BP TCS 425 TH 3,450 EM 0
8116 km/s Armour 6-68 Shields 0-0 HTK 115 Sensors 11/0/0/0 DCR 5-2 PPV 96.6
Maint Life 0.19 Years MSP 606 AFR 723% IFR 10.0% 1YR 3,117 5YR 46,752 Max Repair 862.5 MSP
Magazine 1,939 / 104
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Inertial Fusion Drive EP1725 (2) Power 3450 Fuel Use 11.42% Signature 1725 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 37.1 billion km (52 days at full power)
Size 26 Decoy Launcher (4) Decoy Size: 26 Hangar Reload 255 minutes MF Reload 42 hours
Size 7 Missile Launcher (30.0% Reduction) (46) Missile Size: 7 Rate of Fire 635
Missile Fire Control FC119-R120 (2) Range 119.6m km Resolution 120 ECCM-3
Active Search Sensor AS103-R120 (1) GPS 15120 Range 103.6m km Resolution 120
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 3 Fire Control 3 Missile 3
22nd October 1986
The salvage ship Kimikawa Maru and her accompanying freighters finally arrive at Mauritius Base, escorted by the heavy cruiser Maya. She will now begin the task of clearing some of the wrecks littering the inner system, while Maya remains as close escort.
27th October 1986
The damaged Caucasian Lynx is detected by a sensor buoy at the Comoros – Chagos jump point, which is seven billion kilometres from the Comoros – Mauritius jump point. The ship will not pose a threat for the foreseeable future. Chagos has yet to be surveyed, so it is possible it is host to a Dominion colony. The tug Ryokai Maru, which has been moving through Comoros expecting to be attacked at any moment, tractors the crippled Mountain Cat and heads for Mauritius Base.
9th November 1986
Five Shinshu Maru class troop transports trying to move through Zharov are detected by the Zharovians, who issue a demand for them to leave immediately. While careful travel through the system has significantly reduced the number of warning issue, there are still occasional problems, any one of which could be the trigger that leads to war with the Followers of Zharov.
14th November 1986
The relationship between the Empire of Japan and the Followers of Zharov appears to be deteriorating rapidly. In Mauritius, a group of Zharovian warships at the Zharov jump point demand that a pair of Japanese colony ships should leave the system as a matter of urgency. Simultaneously in Atlasov, the four carriers en route to Mauritius are ordered to leave the system immediately. In retrospect, eliminating the Zuijin from Atlasov may prove to have been a mistake.
With demands issued in the connected systems of Mauritius, Zharov and Atlasov, it is difficult to see how Mauritius Base can be maintained without causing a war with the Followers of Zharov. It would be extremely unfortunate if that war were to start while the carriers were travelling without escorts. In addition, tensions are rising in Sapporo with the Capella Imperium so the Empire of Japan faces a possible war on four fronts; against the Bloodclaw Dominion, the Followers of Zharov, the Capella Imperium and the Mizuchi-Ha. While the Mizuchi-Ro, the Wokou Raiders and the Zuijin are also hostile powers, they present less of an immediate threat.
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This is the 1st of 4 posts today
15th November 1986
Five new ships depart the Bloodclaw home world. Two are a new type, designated as Sand Cat class, which have a speed of 16,224 km/s and a thermal signature double that of the Caucasian Lynx. The other three are Angelo Bassini V escorts, the design of which was obtained by ELINT data. It is armed with ten twin gauss turrets and has a speed of 8107 km/s. All five ships seem to be on a course toward the Comoros jump point. The battleship Katsuragi breaks orbit to intercept the escorts, while the twenty-two A3M fighters left behind by Hiryu try to intercept the Sand Cats. In both cases, the intercepting vessels are slower. The Sand Cats retreat, while the Angelo Bassinis attempt to evade Katsuragi. Those efforts are unsuccessful. The battleship picks up the survivors and heads back to Mauritius Base.
A few hours later, the Sand Cats try again. This time the fighters take up position in their path and disengage their active sensors. As the Sand Cats approach, they attempt a head-on intercept, but again the Bloodclaw ships reverse course and run for home. The fighters back off and the Sand Cats resume their course toward Comoros. With fuel running low, the fighters split into two group, one running ahead of the Sand Cats while the other circles around behind them, then both groups converge. The Sand Cats manoeuvre to escape both groups and succeed, with the nearest fighter group closing to less than 70,000 km before the range begins to open again. After evading, they resume their course toward Comoros.
19th November 1986
The two Sand Cats change course, transit into Zharov and are destroyed by the Zharovian fleet on the jump point.
20th November 1986
A Pampas Cat class launches from the Bloodclaw home world and heads for the Comoros jump point. A pair of Showa L1D 'Raikō' class assault transports from Mauritius Base, operating with refuelling support from Kyokuto Maru, intercept and capture the ship, which turns out to be a civilian colony vessel. Ryokai Maru tows it back to the colony, so that the repair ship Fukuju can scrap it and its engines can be disassembled.
22nd November 1986
The last Caucasian Lynx missile cruiser is detected moving from Comoros into Andaman. It is still moving at half speed.
23rd November 1986
Kiso, a Nagara IV-Ro light cruiser, arrives at Mauritius Base. Naka, one of the three long-serving Nagara III-Ni light cruisers operating from Mauritius Base, along with Nagara and Yura, begins the long journey back to Earth for a refit.
29th November 1986
The carriers Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō and Unryū, plus the light cruiser Jintsū, all arrive at Mauritius Base. Fortunately, the Zharovian forces picketing the various jump points in the area did not stay in contact long enough to raise an objection to the carriers. Jintsu was intended to picket the recently conquered Zuijin planet in Atlasov until the arrival of xenoarchaeological regiments, but given the tension with the Followers of Zharov, it was decided she would leave the system and provide an escort for the carriers. The Kido Butai is reformed, comprising the four battleships and four carriers and under the command of Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai. Their first mission in Mauritius is a missile attack on the Bloodclaw home world to test its defences.
Kido Butai - Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa Rai
Yamato II class Battleship: Katsuragi, Musashi, Shinano, Yamato*
Taihō III class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Shinyō, Unryū
4x Showa L1D 'Raikō' class Assault Transport
72x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike
72x Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan class Carrier Strike
144x Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' class Fighter
8x Aichi E3A class Scout
In orbit of the Bloodclaw home world, the third moon of Mauritius II, there are three Snow Leopards of 20,787 tons, three Jaguars of 20,875 tons and six 26,151-ton Caracals, all of which are assumed to be orbital bases. Given the volume of fire against Zharovian attacks in the past, including thirteen hundred strength-1 detonations in a single attack, Imperial Naval Intelligence estimates that at least half must be armed with light missiles and possibly more. When the Zuijin recently launched light missiles against Imperial Navy battleships, only a small portion hit their targets, mainly due to jamming. So many light missiles hit the Zharovians, who are a high tech race that would also have modern jammers, that there are only three possibilities: the bases launched far more than thirteen hundred missiles, the Zharovians were using old, out of date ships, or the Dominion light missiles have modern ECCM. The first or last possibilities would be very serious indeed if the Yamatos moved within range with the Bloodclaw defences at full strength.
In the past, ships have approached within five million kilometres without being engaged, so Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa takes the Kido Butai to that range and launches his one hundred and forty-four strike craft. They target four different bases, two Caracals, a Snow Leopard and a Jaguar, with seventy-two missiles each, equally split between Rakurai-Ni and Rakurai-Ho variants, with the latter having strength-15 warheads compared to strength-12 for the former, but otherwise identical.
Two point two million kilometres from the planet, the missile wave is intercepted by the first defensive missiles, with two hundred and forty-one detonations detected. Detonations continue as the missiles move closer to the planet, with almost a thousand in total. That is sufficient to destroy two-thirds of the Japanese missiles. Strangely, there is no point-blank defensive fire, so ninety-five missiles detonate, thirty-six of which strike decoys. All four targets are hit, with each suffering between two and five penetrating hits. While no targets have been destroyed, the attack has at least proven that the defences can be penetrated. Back on Earth, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi regrets not sending all six Taiho class carriers, but he was not prepared to send every strike carrier in the Imperial Navy fifty billion kilometres from Earth, behind potentially hostile territory. For now, the strike craft land and begin re-arming with Rakurai II missiles, which have a speed of 50,000 km/s, improved ECM and a strength-20 warhead.
Two hours later, they launch a second strike. The four damaged bases are each targeted by thirty-six missiles while two undamaged bases, a Jaguar and a Snow Leopard, are targeted by seventy-two missiles each. This time the results are more dramatic. One hundred and forty Rakurai II reach their targets, forty-six of which strike decoys. Four bases explode, including one of those newly targeted. A Caracal attacked by the first wave suffers a further six internal hits, while three detonations penetrate the armour of a previously undamaged Jaguar. The defences now comprises six intact and two damaged bases. Once again there is no point-blank energy fire, so it possible that all twelve bases were armed with light missiles.
The Kido Butai pulls back to Mauritius Base to reload missiles. There are one hundred and fifty Rakurai II and three hundred and ninety-two Rakurai-Ho at the colony, which is enough for one full strike and a second at around three quarters strength. Given the past volume of missile fire from the Bloodclaw home world, Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa is keen to reduce the defences further before sending the battleships in to mop up the survivors.
30th November 1986
The 1st Infantry Division is delivered to Sapporo by the transport Togakushi Maru, finally providing some ground defence for the colony.
In Mauritius, a fleet of eight Zharovian warships, comprising a Saransk of 17,382 tons, four Sverdlov of 17,344 tons and three Baku of 8,669 tons, transits into Comoros. This is the second significant fleet to transit in the last two weeks.
1st December 1986
The Kido Butai launches a third strike against the Dominion home world, this time comprising two hundred and eighty-eight Rakurai-Ho anti-ship missiles, equally targeted on the four undamaged Caracal class bases. Six hundred and thirty-seven interceptions are detected before the missiles reach their targets, achieving a total of one hundred and forty-eight strength-15 detonations, sixty-eight of which hit decoys. None of the targets are destroyed, with one, three, six and twelve armour penetrations recorded respectively. There are now six damaged bases, five of which are the larger Caracals, and two intact bases; a Jaguar and a Snow Leopard.
Two hours later, the fourth and final strike is launched, comprising one hundred and forty-four Rakurai II missiles, directed against the five damaged Caracals, plus one hundred and four Rakurai-Ho, split between the damaged Jaguar and an undamaged Snow Leopard. One intact Jaguar remains untargeted. Because the strike includes missiles with different speeds, 50,000 km/s and 40,000 km/s respectively, the strike craft close to two point six million kilometres before launching. The two waves of missile, slowly separating as they travel, head toward the moon.
Oddly, compared to previous waves, there are no interceptions until one point one million kilometres, and even then only thirty-one detonations. In total, one hundred and twelve interceptions are detected before the Rakurai II reach their targets, with the loss of only eighteen missiles. The rest completely destroy the five targeted Caracals. The following wave of Rakurai-Ho hits ten seconds later, after minimal interceptions, destroying the undamaged Snow Leopard and inflicting eight more internal hits on the damaged Jaguar. For the expenditure of eleven hundred missiles, comprising two years of ordnance production and sufficient wealth and materials to build three Taiho class carriers, the Imperial Japanese Navy has shattered the orbital defences of the Bloodclaw home world. All that remains are two Jaguar class bases, one of which has significant damage.
Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa orders the four battleships to advance, eliminate the remaining bases and deal with any surface-based defences. The Yamatos close to 320,000 km, without taking any fire from the Jaguars or the surface, so they open fire on the existing 34,000-ton signature of surface-based weapons, revealed by their attack on Zharovian ships four years earlier. They gradually move to 280,000 km and then 240,000 km to improve the damage of their 30cm lasers, still without receiving hostile fire.
After thirty-four minutes of constant bombardment, every known STO weapon has been eliminated. Imperial Naval Intelligence estimates that the collateral damage killed thirteen million civilians and destroyed one hundred and seventy installations of various types. Enough dust has been thrown up into the atmosphere to lower the global temperature by nine degrees. Due to the wear and tear on their weapons from continuous firing, all four battleships have less than half of their maintenance supplies remaining. There are still surface-based sensor emissions, so the battleships gradually move closer.
At two hundred thousand kilometres, they come under attack. One hundred and thirty-five STO weapons open fire, scoring just nine strength-6 hits on the battleships’ shields. A new ground forces signature of 13,300-tons is detected, so the four Yamatos resume their bombardment for a further fifteen minutes, eliminating the attacking weapons. They target the two Jaguars as they resume their approach, destroying both before encountering additional surface-to-orbit weapons at just 15,000 km/s. The battleships receive over a hundred strength-1 hits, but it does not trouble their shields. They withdraw and attack the new contact, registering over 22,000 tons.
By the time the last of the surface defences have finally eliminated, the four battleships are all below thirty percent maintenance supplies, with Yamato at fourteen percent. The toll of collateral damage is twenty million dead and close to three hundred installations destroyed, with enough dust in the atmosphere to drop the temperature by fourteen degrees. There is still a sizeable shipyard complex in orbit and a ground forces signature of over half a million tons on the surface, which probably indicates a force of triple that size. Given how well Bloodclaw crews have fought with light personal weapons in recent boarding actions, that planetary defence force is likely to be formidable.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi had hoped the Empire of Japan could capture the shipyard complex, following a successful invasion of the Bloodclaw home world. However, that invasion could be at least a year away. There are five divisions already at Mauritius Base, including two Arashi divisions and all three Kurogane Samurai divisions. A third Arashi division and three infantry divisions are on troop transports in the Mauritius system, en route from the Zharov jump point. Even with nine divisions, totalling 900,000 tons, they would be outnumbered and facing a fortified enemy. There are no more divisions currently in transit from Sol. Five large troop transports are in various systems heading home to Sol and more are under construction. Two Arashi divisions are available on Luna, with a third being trained. The only other available formation is the Scimitar Division, which comprises the last of the old Imperial Army formations that took part in the invasion of Scimitar Prime.
Either the invasion is launched immediately, or postponed until the transports heading home can load more divisions, once they have been trained on Luna, and return to Mauritius. A one way trip is nine months for most of the existing transports and six months even for the new Yasukuni-Ro Maru class, so postponing will mean a delay of between twelve and eighteen months. Having achieved so much to this point, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi is not willing a risk an understrength invasion that could, if it ended in failure, end any hope of conquering the Bloodclaw home world for several years. Therefore he decides to wait.
The immediate consequence of that decision is that the Dominion shipyard complex has to be destroyed. Unless the Imperial Navy maintains a very strong force in Mauritius, the complex could build additional ships that might overwhelm Mauritius base and it defenders, so that risk must be eliminated. The Yamatos open fire once again. With ninety-six 30cm lasers firing from point-blank range, the damage is catastrophic. The entire shipyard complex is obliterated in less than three minutes. Over the course of only three days, the Kido Butai has changed the status of the Bloodclaw Dominion from a major spacefaring power to one mainly restricted to its home world, although it could rebuild given sufficient time.
One minor task remains: removal of the small outpost on the first moon, which has a ground forces signature of 4300 tons and sensor emissions from surface-to-orbit weapons. The battle is one-sided and brief, although Yamato has to cease fire due to a lack of maintenance supplies and the other three battleships are not in much better shape. Once all STO weapons have been eliminated, a small ground forces contact of 1900 tons remains. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi orders the capture of the moon, which orbits two point five million kilometres closer to its parent superjovian than the Bloodclaw home world and will make an ideal forward observation post for monitoring the Dominion.
2nd December 1986
Two new jump points have recently been discovered in Orochi’s Maw. The first, a planetless red dwarf system named Baffin, was discovered by the Asagiri class survey cruiser Shinonome, which is currently conducting a survey. No survey cruiser was available to probe the second so the Diplomatic ship Kizuna was dispatched from the Ascension jump point. She enters the system to find a yellow-white F6-V primary with seven planets and sixteen moons. A Mars-sized moon of the fifth planet, a gas giant, is an ideal habitable world. The planet is cold and dominated by Tundra, but has small seas, an atmosphere almost identical to Earth and a temperature of -3C.
A second moon of the same planet is near habitable, with a breathable atmosphere and am ice sheet covering a third of the surface. The temperature is -48C. The parent gas giant has an eccentricity of 0.19 and is close to perihelion, so the temperature of both moons will fall between 40 and 50C at aphelion. Even so, both could be made into permanent ideal worlds with suitable terraforming. The fourth planet, dominated by coniferous forests and with liquid oceans, also has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, with the oxygen content slightly too high to be breathable by humans. This would become an ideal world with minimal terraforming. As there is no survey cruiser available, Kizuna heads in-system to investigate.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire209.png)
4th December 1986
The troop transport Takami Maru combat drops the 2nd Arashi Division on the first moon of Mauritius II. The defending forces comprise a thousand infantry with light anti-tank weapons and are completely outclassed. The moon is secured within twenty-four hours with the loss of twenty-two Arashi. One of the captured Dominion freighters moves a tracking station from Mauritius Base to the moon, then Takami Maru transports the 2nd Arashi Division back to Mauritius Base and returns with one of the colony’s three shore batteries.
9th December 1986
While Kimikawa Maru continues to salvage wrecks in Mauritius, her sister ship Kamakura Maru is in Sri Lanka, five transits outward from Mauritius Base, via Reunion, Amirante, Zanzibar and Madagascar, salvaging the large number of wrecks in that system, mainly from the Helgrim Protectorate. Combat has been previously observed between the Helgrim and an undetected opponent, plus ELINT data from the Bloodclaw Dominion revealed they were aware of a race unknown to the Empire of Japan. That mystery race is potentially revealed when an unknown alien ship approaches Kamakura Maru close to the Madagascar jump point. The ship, designated as Rodan class, is 34,351 tons and travelling at 1490 km/s. It ignores Kamakura Maru and transits into Madagascar, where it moves away in a direction that does not correspond to any known jump point.
13th December 1986
Kizuna moves into orbit of Iceland IV and detects a small colony of the Capella Imperium. There are thermal and EM signatures of approximately strength-300, a ground forces contact of 3500 tons and six ships in orbit: five Pasht class geosurvey vessels and a Sekhmet of 6,127 tons. She breaks orbit and heads across the inner system toward the fifth planet on the far side of the star. Half way to her destination, she detects an extremely strong Capellan EM signature on the planet’s eleventh moon, an ideal habitable world, almost fifty percent greater than the EM signature of Earth. This is almost certainly the home world of the Capella Imperium, which places it just two transits from Sapporo, via Orochi’s Maw. Kizuna reverses course, trying to stay out of Capellan sensor range, and detects another small population on Iceland III as she passes close by.
14th December 1986
All four Taiho class carriers, plus the battleships Katsuragi and Shinano, depart Mauritius Base en route for the Zharov jump point, the first leg on their long voyage back to Earth. Yamato and Musashi will remain at Mauritius Base for now to deal with any threats that appear before the invasion of the Bloodclaw home world can begin. A few hours later, a colony ship approaching the Mauritius – Zharov jump point is confronted by a Zharovian squadron on the jump point and ordered to leave the system as a matter of urgency.
16th December 1986
An Incheon class ship of the Wokou Raiders is detected in Paramushir, a system two jumps outward from Fiji and on the direct route to Mauritius. Three Imperial Navy ships are in the system; an Asuka Maru fast freighter, the troop transport Suwa Maru, which is carrying two xenoarchaeological regiments and two engineer regiments to Atlasov, and the replenishment ship Tatekawa Maru, which is heading home after several months stationed at the temporary refuelling location in Kharimkotan. The Incheon appears within eight million kilometres of the replenishment ship, which attempts to run but cannot escape. Tatekawa Maru is destroyed forty minutes after the Incheon is detected.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire210.png)
The fast freighter, five hundred million kilometres away and carrying two tracking stations for use in Mauritius, continues on course to the Iturup jump point. Suwa Maru, four hundred million kilometres away in the opposite direction, reverses course back toward the Sakhalin jump point. In addition to the Imperial Navy ships, there are seven Zharovian ships on the Iturup jump point, six with commercial engines plus a Zagorsk class diplomatic ship.
17th December 1986
The Imperial Navy diplomatic ship Heiwa enters Madagascar, moves to the Sri Lanka jump point, then follows the course of the recently-detected Rodan. She finds the ship in orbit of an asteroid with a small population of the new alien race. Ground forces are also present, including emissions from shore batteries. Heiwa moves into orbit to begin communication attempts, but can make no progress. She starts receiving unintelligible messages that seem to be unrelated to establishing communications, so she withdraws to Zanzibar.
18th December 1986
The Incheon class raider in Paramushir is destroyed close to the second planet of the system by energy-weapon fire, presumably from a Zharovian ship or colony.
31st December 1986
Kamakura Maru detects five 34,470-ton Thorn class ships of the Sri Lanka aliens transiting into Madagascar at 1160 km/s. Meanwhile in Sapporo, a steady stream of commercial vessels from the Capella Imperium are transiting into system from Orochi’s Maw, although their destination has not yet been determined.
4th January 1987
The first military-engined ship of the Sri Lanka aliens, an 8500-ton Cloudfire with a speed of 7000 km/s, approaches the Sri Lanka – Madagascar jump point.
10th January 1987
Salvage of a Caracal wreck in orbit of the Dominion home world reveals that its missile launchers were double the size of the light missiles used by the Zuijin. The increased size probably indicates the Bloodclaw light missiles have ECCM or multiple warheads, or perhaps both, making them far more dangerous.
23rd January 1987
The heavy cruiser Chōkai, on a mission to hunt down the final Caucasian Lynx, finally locates and destroys the Bloodclaw ship near the Andaman – Silhouette jump point.
31st January 1987
The long-delayed survey of the Reunion system, adjacent to Mauritius, is completed, revealing a third jump point. Asakaze transits and discovers Cartier, a system with an orange K0-V star and a single, dwarf planet. She begins a survey of the new system.
4th February 1987
The Followers of Zharov continue to issue warnings to Imperial Navy ships in the Atlasov system, ordering them to leave as a matter of urgency. A deep space tracking station has been emplaced on Atlasov III in preparation for the arrival of xenoarchaeological and engineer regiments, which will potentially cause further tension if it is detected.
Meanwhile, in the Sri Lanka system, Kamakura Maru is salvaging a wreck when a new ship of the Sri Lanka aliens transits a previously undetected jump point at the same location. Two of the three freighters accompanying Kamakura Maru are waiting at the jump point in case the aliens turn hostile. When the salvage is complete, the third freighter enters the stable jump point, making it the first freighter in the history of the Imperial Japanese Navy to be used in an exploration role.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire211.png)
The freighter discovers a giant K5-III star with three planets, the second of which has an ice sheet and a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere, and twenty-eight moons. The wreck of a Helgrim Frigga class ship of 14,785 tons if located on the jump point, with another wreck of unknown type approximately five billion kilometres away. The system is named Sumatra. Kamakura Maru enters Sumatra to salvage the Frigga, while the detached freighters are ordered to head home to Mauritius Base.
9th February 1987
The battleships Katsuragi and Shinano, plus the four Taiho class carriers deployed to Mauritius, arrive at Fiji Naval Base. Both battleships remain at Fiji for now, along with the battlecruiser Hiei and two light cruisers that were already deployed to the colony, in case tensions with the Followers of Zharov turn into open hostility. All four carriers head for Earth to reload ordnance.
20th February 1987
A Japanese colony ship in Paramushir, two jumps outward from Fiji, is ordered to leave the system immediately by a Zharovian ship. Warnings of varying severity have been issued by the Followers in recent weeks in Paramushir, Atlasov, Zharov and Mauritius, all of which are part of the logistics chain between Fiji and Mauritius Base. War between the Empire of Japan and the Followers of Zharov does not seem far away. All Japanese colonies and fleets are placed on high alert. In Mauritius, the battleship Yamato is ordered to move toward the Zharov jump point.
3rd March 1987
The Followers of Zharov issue warnings to Yamato, positioned a hundred and fifty million kilometres from the Mauritius – Zharov jump point, and a survey ship in Atlasov that they must leave both systems immediately or be fired upon. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi believes that war with the Followers of Zharov is inevitable and could begin within days. With that in mind, he begins considering a plan for the Empire of Japan to strike first. At least the threat from the Bloodclaw Dominion has been significantly reduced after the recent attack on their home world, so Mauritius Base will not face a war on two fronts.
In preparation for hostilities, Yamato is ordered to move within twenty thousand kilometres of the seven Zharovian warships currently stationed on the Mauritius – Zharov jump point. She is out-massed by two-to-one, but three of the ships, comprising a third of the total tonnage, are escorts with short-ranged weapons. The other four are Soci class heavy cruisers armed with eighteen 20cm lasers and one 25cm spinal laser. The Zharovian ships have shields, strength-110 for the Soci and strength-105 for the Saransk, but even in total they are weaker than Yamato’s strength-953 shields. Yamato’s sister ship Musashi is undergoing overhaul at Mauritius Base, along with the heavy cruiser Chōkai. Both ships should be available in two to three weeks. Chōkai’s sister ship Maya is in orbit of the Bloodclaw home world, protecting the salvage ship Kimikawa Maru.
The other two jump points from Mauritius, to Reunion and Comoros, are picketed by the battlecruiser Kirishima and the Nagara IV-Ro class light cruiser Kiso respectively. The main threat to the latter is a known Zharovian fleet two transits from Mauritius in Andaman, which comprises three 21,000-ton Magadan class cruisers armed with sixteen 20cm lasers each, an Archangelsk class escort cruiser and three 13,000-ton Kirovs, which have a speed of 6000 km/s and unknown armament. Once Chōkai is available, she will move to support Kiso.
The Asagiri class survey cruiser Yugiri is in Reunion and the larger Shimakaze class survey cruiser Asakaze is one transit further out in Cartier. Two freighters, full of minerals and ship components from the salvage operations in Sri Lanka, are in Zanzibar, three jumps from Mauritius via Reunion and Amirante. In the event of hostilities, their route home is blocked by three Zharovian Andropov class frigates on the Amirante – Reunion jump point. The salvage ship Kamakura Maru and a third freighter are three transits further out in Sumatra. The only immediately available warships at Mauritius are the Nagara III light cruisers Nagara and Yura and the Nagara IV-Ro light cruiser Jintsu. Given that Mauritius Base may be cut off for some time, the almost 20,000 tons of minerals in the freighters would be extremely useful, so Nagara and Yura are ordered to rescue them, if that is possible without excessive risk.
Seven transits away In Fiji, the heavy cruisers Atago and Takao are approaching the Sakhalin jump point, which is the border between the Empire of the Japan and the Followers of Zharov. Takagi orders them to ignore two Zagorsk class diplomatic ships on the jump point, transit into Sakhalin and, in the event of hostilities, secure the Sakhalin - Paramushir jump point, which is currently occupied by three Zharovian commercial ships with a 7700-ton Vorkuta as escort. Securing Paramushir itself, which has a small Zharovian colony, and the Paramushir - Iturup jump point would be a key objective in the early stages of any war with the Followers, as it is a choke point through which any Zharovian attack on the Empire of Japan would have to pass.
The battlecruiser Hiei is following in the wake of the two cruisers wake and will reach the Fiji - Sakhalin jump point in four days. Her job will be to eliminate the diplomatic ships, then support Atago and Takao. The Yamato class battleships Katsuragi and Shinano are at Fiji Naval Base and would form the core of any offensive push beyond Paramushir through Iturup and Kharimkotan and into Atlasov, site of the Zuijin ruins and directly adjacent to the Zharov home system. Iturup and Kharimkotan each have a third jump point, leading to different parts of Zharovian territory. These two jump points would have to be picketed during a Japanese offensive, probably by Atago and Takao, to prevent flanking attacks on the drive toward Atlasov.
Already in Atlasov is the light cruiser Kitakami, the only defence for the unarmed Imperial Navy ships in the system, including the new salvage ship Kochi Maru and her attached 235,000-ton Omurosan-Ha Maru class freighter, the survey cruiser Shirakumo, the fleet support vessel Harukumo and the tug Nihonkai Maru, which is towing a Yokosuka class maintenance base for a planned colony at the Zuijin ruins. The new tanker Natsugumo Maru, which is carrying fifty million litres of fuel for Mauritius Base, is about to transit into the Atlasov – Zharov jump point.
Between Atlasov and Fiji are several other unarmed Imperial Navy vessels, including two replenishment ships and a fleet support vessel at the temporary replenishment base in Kharimkotan. They, along with a troop transport and two ELINT vessels in the system, are ordered to move into deep space and attempt to avoid contact. If the replenishment ships can survive they will be extremely valuable in providing logistical support for the battleships if they make it as far as Kharimkotan.
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A few hours after Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi issues the war preparation orders, a Viper class survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha transits from Ryugasaki into Sigma Tucanae. A Kawanishi H4K 'Kumo' picketing the jump point engages and destroys the Mizuchi ship. This would not be a good time for the Mizuchi-Ha to start sending ships through Sigma Tucanae into the key Fomalhaut system.
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This is the 2nd of 4 posts today
7th March 1987
Natsugumo Maru and her fifty million litres of fuel transit safely into Mauritius and move away from the jump point. In Fiji, Hiei has taken up a picket position at the Sakhalin jump point, close to the two Zharovian diplomatic ships, while Katsuragi and Shinano are a day away from joining her. The various support ships in Atlasov have gathered under the protection of Kitakami, in orbit of the third planet, which is home to the Zuijin ruins. A Zharovian Murmansk class, 7150 tons and equipped with commercial engines is also in orbit. The Taihō-series class carriers Taihō and Junyō and the Akagi-series carrier Soryu, escorted by the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myōkō, have left Earth for Fiji and will arrive in nineteen days. Two more Taihō-series class carriers, Hiyō and Chūyō, have been quickly turned around after their return from Mauritius and, despite their lack of overhaul, are three days behind their sister ships.
Despite the Imperial Navy being scattered across known space and only three ships in position to take immediate offensive action, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi gives the order to commence hostilities against the Followers of Zharov. The alternative is cede the initiative to an aggressive alien empire that seems determined to provoke a war. The overriding objective of the war will be to link Mauritius to the rest of the Empire of Japan before it is overwhelmed by the Followers of Zharov. Given that six Zharovian systems stand between Fiji and Mauritius, the last of which is the Zharovian home system itself, this will not be an easy task.
The first, and by far the most important, engagement takes place at the Mauritius – Zharov jump point, where Yamato faces four 26,000-ton Soci class heavy cruisers and three 17,400-ton Saransk class escorts. There is a second Zharovian fleet on the far side of the jump point, comprising two Soci cruisers, three Saransk escorts, two smaller Kazan class escorts and three 10,800-ton Andropov class frigates. In combination, the two Zharovian fleets out-mass Yamato by four to one. She targets two of the Soci class cruisers and opens fire. One is instantly destroyed by a large secondary explosion; the other is crippled. Moments later, Hiei destroys the two diplomatic ships in Fiji, while Kitakami eliminates the Murmansk with a single volley.
Yamato moves away from the jump point, opening the range to 40,000 km to avoid gauss cannon fire from the Saransk class escorts. Her shields suffer twelve strength-10 impacts from the two intact Soci class heavy cruisers, and a single hit from their heavily-damaged sister, which is destroyed in response by Yamato’s 12cm laser turrets. Even while Yamato’s main 30cm armament is recharging, the Followers of Zharov begin to dismantle the buoy network of the Empire of Japan.
The Zharov – Mauritius buoy is destroyed by the Zharovian jump point defence force. In Iturup, three jumps from Fiji via Sakhalin and Paramushir, a Sverdlov class light cruiser and a Baku class escort eliminate the buoy on the Kharimkotan jump point. In Shikotan, the first in a side chain of nine systems connected to Kharimkotan, two more Sverdlovs and a Baku class escort eliminate the buoy on the Kharimkotan jump point. Before the buoy was destroyed, it was also tracking seventeen 84,000-ton Brezhnev class ships, equipped with commercial engines and of unknown function. The two warships in Iturup will be a near-term target for the Japanese advance from Fiji, while the three warships in Shikotan present a flanking threat to any Japanese advance through Kharimkotan to Atlasov. In Kharimkotan itself, where six unarmed Imperial Navy ships are moving to hide in deep space, the buoys on the Iturup, Shikotan and Atlasov jump points remain intact. The latter retains a sensor contact with eight commercial-engined Zharovian ships of various types which begin moving from their position on the Atlasov jump point toward the Shikotan jump point, presumably to seek safety under cover of the Zharovian squadron in that system.
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Two transits from Mauritius, the Andaman – Comoros buoy is eliminated by a group of seven Zharovian warships, comprising three Magadan class light cruisers, an Archangelsk escort cruiser and three Kirov class escorts. The armament of the Kirov was unknown until it fired on the buoy with gauss cannon. Prior to hostilities, this fleet was believed to present the main danger to Kiso on the Comoros – Mauritius jump point. However, in orbit of Andaman II, a captured Bloodclaw fuel harvester, which lacks sensor capability, comes under gauss cannon fire from an unknown assailant, which means there are additional Zharovian forces of unknown strength in Andaman. As a result, defending the Mauritius – Comoros jump point moves up the list of Imperial Navy priorities.
In Reunion, adjacent to Mauritius, three Andropov class frigates and four Zharovian survey ships transit into the system via the Almirante jump point, and set course for the Mauritius jump point. The H4K ‘Kumo’ patrol craft picketing the Almirante jump point cannot fight three 10,800-ton warships, so it tries to open the range before the Zharovians recover from jump shock and open fire. Two Nagara III-Ni light cruisers, Nagara and Yura, are already moving across Reunion from the Mauritius jump point and will need to confront the Andropovs to secure a safe return home for the salvage ship Kamakura Maru and three freighters full of minerals and ship components.
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The battle in Mauritius continues, as Yamato moves further from the jump point with the five Zharovian warships in pursuit. Follow-up salvos from the Yamato’s 12cm turrets strike the shields of the two remaining Soci class cruisers. Both Zharovian cruisers return fire and Yamato takes a further eleven strength-10 hits, reducing her shields to eighty percent. Yamato has a speed advantage and could open the range to reduce damage but Kaigun-Shōshō Kurosawa wishes to finish the battle as quickly as possible, before the remaining ships decide to transit into Zharov or Zharovian reinforcements arrive.
Yamato fires her main armament for the second time. Her fast-firing 12cm lasers have already removed the shields of the two Soci cruisers, so the broadside of twenty-four 30cm lasers at 40,000 km completely obliterates both ships, leaving only the three Saransk class escorts. Yamato splits her fire between all targets, which cannot respond due to their short-ranged gauss cannon armament. Four twin 12cm lasers turrets target each Saransk, quickly battering down their shields and damaging the armour before Yamato fires her main armament and destroys all three ships simultaneously. Yamato returns to the Zharov jump point to guard against any attempt by the Followers to enter Mauritius, while the tanker Natsugumo Maru returns to the area to pick up the Zharovian survivors and drop them off at Mauritius Base.
In Andaman, the assault against the captured Bloodclaw fuel harvester continues until it explodes. Only ninety-two survive from a crew of four hundred and fifty. In Sakhalin, adjacent to Fiji, three 23,800-ton commercial-engined Bernaul class ships and a Vorkuta class escort transit into Paramushir, possibly heading to safer systems after the destruction of the diplomatic ships in Fiji. In Reunion, the three Andropov class frigates suddenly reverse course and move back into Amirante, followed a few minutes later by the four survey ships. As soon as they recover from jump shock, the Andropovs eliminate the nearby sensor buoy. In Kharimkotan, three Saransk class escorts transit into the system from Shikotan. These ships are new additions to the three known warships in the latter system. The six unarmed Japanese ships in Kharimkotan will be in significant danger until the warships of the Imperial Navy arrive.
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9th March 1987
A pair of commercial-engined, 34,000-ton Vladivostok class ships are detected by a sensor buoy approaching and transiting the Kharimkotan - Shikotan jump point from the general direction of the Atlasov jump point. A few hours later, the heavy cruisers Atago and Takao transit from Sakhalin into Paramushir. Already in the system is Shinobi, a Kitsune class stealth scout in orbit of Paramushir I. Four 84,000-ton Zharovian Brezhnev class ships are in orbit of the second planet, which is known to have ground forces and surface-to-orbit batteries. Atago heads for the planet while Takao sets a more direct course to the Iturup jump point, looking for any ships retreating across the system.
Less than three hours after the cruisers transit, thermal emissions from the Vorkuta class escort that entered Paramushir with three commercial-engined ships are detected by Shinobi, on a direct course for Paramushir II. Back in Sakhalin, a Bransk class ship that was somehow missed by the cruisers during their journey across the system, approaches the Paramushir jump point at almost 9000 km/s. Takao reverses course but is still fifty million kilometres from the jump point when the Bransk transits and immediately flees into the outer system. Based on its speed and behaviour, the Bransk is most likely a scout ship.
As soon as Takao is detected by the Bransk, the four Brezhnev class ships break orbit of Paramushir and run for the Iturup jump point. Their maximum speed is 358 km/s, so they will not reach it before Atago, which declines a futile pursuit of the Bransk in favour of cutting off any escape any into Iturup. The Vorkuta, still fifty million kilometres from the planet, also changes course for the Iturup jump point and is considerably faster at 8,379 kms/. The previous assumption the Vorkuta was an escort design may be in error given its speed.
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In Comoros, adjacent to Mauritius, two Saransk class escorts transit into the system from Andaman to join a small, commercial-engined Voronez already stationed on the jump point, then head straight for the light cruiser Kiso on the Mauritius jump point.
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10th March 1987
Two Magadan class light cruisers and an Archangelsk class escort cruiser are detected moving toward the Sakhalin - Paramushir jump point. Closer examination of their course suggests it may have originated at Sakhalin’s sole planet, a barren, Mercury-like world, which would explain why the three warships and the Bransk class scout were missed by Atago and Takao. Takao reverses course yet again toward the Paramushir – Sakhalin jump point, although she is now half a billion kilometres away. This time though, she has a speed advantage so she will able to catch three Zharovian warships if she can detect them. The battleships Katsuragi and Shinano are almost half way across Sakhalin and have just passed the old battlecruiser Hiei, which is directed to investigate the planet.
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The Magadans and the Archangelsk transit into Paramushir and set a course for the Iturup jump point, placing them on an opposing course to Takao. Meanwhile Atago, on course for Paramushir II, encounters the three Bernaul class ships that fled Sakhalin three days earlier and moves in to attack.
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As Takao moves toward the Sakhalin jump point, she encounters the Bransk, which attempts to move past her en route to the Paramushir jump point. It seems that every Zharovian ship close to Japanese territory is running for home. The first shots from Takao impact the shields of the 10,800-ton Bransk and it promptly surrenders. It is confirmed as a scout ship, thirteen years old and equipped with magneto-plasma drives. Takao leaves a prize crew on the ship and continues on course. Two hours later, Atago destroys the three Bernauls then resumes her approach to Paramushir II.
11th March 1987
Takao detects the Magadans and the Archangelsk and closes to 325,000 before opening fire. Her Type 45 Go-31G Laser Fire Control has a range of 384,000 km, which her captain, Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa Senshi, believes will be superior to the slower, and therefore probably lower-tech, Magadan class light cruisers. That assumption proves to be correct, as there is no answering fire, but the Magadans have shields of strength-100 and the occasional hit from long-range cannot overcome their recharge rate. Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa orders his ship to close to 235,000 km, where Takao’s six twin 12cm laser turrets can support her ten 25cm lasers.
She comes under fire at 255,000 km from a total of thirty-two 20cm lasers and two 25cm laser. No hits are scored. At 235,000 km, her fast-firing 12cm lasers begin reducing the Zharovian shields, bolstered every twenty seconds by several strength-3 hits from her main armament. Her own shields take occasional hits in response, but not enough to trouble her recharge rate. Emboldened by the relative ineffectiveness of the Zharovian fire, Miyazawa orders another range drop to 180,000 km. The incoming fire starts to reduce Takao’s shields, but not enough to concern Miyazawa, especially as the shorter-range increases the accuracy of all Takao’s weapons and the damage of her 25cm lasers.
The targeted Magadan loses its shields and start taking armour damage, followed by the first penetrating hits. Three minutes into the battle, it has dropped to half speed and is falling behind the other two Zharovian ships, so Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa orders a change of target to the undamaged Magadan and a reduction in range to 120,000 km, where her 12cm lasers will inflict twice as much damage. Takao’s shields are at seventy-six percent and the reduction in range will be offset to some extent by the reduction in enemy fire. At the closer range, the second Magadan is hammered by Takao, although it continues to fight and inflicts enough damage to reduce the shields of the Japanese heavy cruiser to less than half. That brave defiance is ended by a colossal secondary explosion.
With the damaged Magadan trailing well behind, Takao closes to within 40,000 km of the Archangelsk, where the escort cruiser’s deadly but extremely short-ranged gauss cannon are ineffective, and rapidly blows it to pieces. With only one damaged enemy vessel remaining, Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa resorts to simple brute force, accepting increased shield damage to end the battle quickly. When it over, Takao picks up the life pods and resumes her course for the Iturup jump point. The only point of concern for Miyazawa is the use of almost thirty percent of Takao’s maintenance supplies during the brief engagement.
12th March 1987
On the fifth day of the war, a Soci class heavy cruiser transits from Andaman into Comoros and destroys the sensor buoy on the Comoros – Andaman jump point, removing any further warning of Zharovian ships entering Comoros. Kiso remains on the Comoros – Mauritius jump point, awaiting the potential arrival of two Saransk class escorts that entered Comoros three days earlier.
In Paramushir, the Vorkuta reappears and transits into Iturup. A few hours later, Atago engages multiples batteries of surface-to-orbit weapons on Paramushir II, with a total ground forces signature of over seven thousand tons, eliminating the threat at the cost of half of her maintenance supplies. A further five thousand tons of ground forces remain, but they have no way to affect anything in orbit or beyond. The planet does have significant, accessible deposits of several minerals, but nothing that would be worthy of diverting any mines from the current Japanese colonies.
Paramushir II Survey Report
Duranium: 12,610,242 0.50
Corbomite: 656,100 0.90
Tritanium: 455,625 0.10
Boronide: 893,025 0.40
Mercassium: 35,721 0.10
Vendarite: 385,641 0.90
Sorium: 46,656 0.60
Uridium: 186,624 0.50
Corundium: 4,901,796 0.80
Gallicite: 4,901,796 0.10
Atago leaves Paramushir II behind, quickly closes the range on the slow-moving Breznevs and destroys all four, then moves toward the Iturup jump point. In Sakhalin, the battlecruiser Hiei moves into orbit of the sole planet, finding no evidence of any Zharovian presence. The Imperial Navy is rapidly clearing those systems closest to the Empire of Japan.
13th March 1987
A Viper geological survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha transits into Sigma Tucanae from Ryugasaki. An H4K ‘Kumo’ picketing the jump point open fire and scores a hit, then the 3,549-ton Viper rams the 500-ton patrol craft, completely destroying it. The Mizuchi-Ha have attempting ramming attacks in the past, but without success. The stealth scout Kitsune is stationed twenty-five million kilometres away and detects the Viper moving in-system at half its normal speed, probably due to damage suffered in the attack.
15th March 1987
The light cruisers Nagara and Yura arrive at the Reunion – Amirante jump point. In Amirante are two Japanese freighters, hiding away from the main shipping routes, that have twenty thousand tons of minerals and ship components from the salvage operation in Sri Lanka. Three Zharovian Andropov class frigates transited into Reunion a week ago and shortly thereafter returned to Amirante, destroying the sensor buoy on that side. They could still be picketing the jump point, in which case a transit by Nagara and Yura would be a suicide mission, as they would have to transit via the jump gate and be unable to respond to an attack for several minutes. The H4 ‘Kumo’ that has been monitoring the Reunion side is sent through instead and finds the three frigates and four Zharovian survey craft less than 15,000 km away. It has only a moment to send a message before it is destroyed. For now, Nagara and Yura will have to remain as jump point defenders.
Atago and Takao transit from Paramushir into Iturup without any sign of resistance. They split up, with Atago heading for the Kunashir jump point to guard against any flank attack while Takao sets course for the key system of Kharimkotan. Both are below fifty percent fuel so they are relying on the rescue of the replenishment ships Kōgetsu Maru and Kōrin Maru and the fleet support vessel Harusame, which are hiding away from the shipping routes in Kharimkotan. The battleships Katsuragi and Shinano are three days behind them. A Japanese colony ship and a freighter that were trapped in Iturup by the outbreak of hostilities break orbit of the comet where they had taken refuge and move toward the Paramushir jump point, on the first leg of their long voyage home.
16th March 1987
The Viper class survey ship of the Mizuchi-Ha that recently destroyed the H4K at the Sigma Tucanae – Ryugasaki jump point transits from Sigma Tucanae into Ube, a system that is yet to be explored. An older H3K ‘Shoki’ is on picket duty because the Sigma Tucanae – Ube jump point is within forty million kilometres of the Sigma Tucanae – Fomalhaut jump point and therefore acts as an early warning of Mizuchi-Ha activity. Unfortunately, the Viper has repaired its engine and vanishes into the depths of the system before the H3K can score a hit.
A day later it reappears on course for the Sigma Tucanae jump point and the H3K successfully intercepts it. After several penetrating hits, the Viper repeats its ramming tactic and destroys the H3K, this time causing so much self-inflicted damage, it is left dead in space and within sensor range of the jump point buoy. An H4K ‘Kumo’ that is picketing the Fomalhaut – Sigma Tucanae jump point moves through the latter system into Ube, finishes the Viper with a single shot and then returns to its original station. Another H3K ‘Shoki’, dispatched from Fomalhaut, takes up the picket position in Ube.
17th March 1987
A Sverdlov class light cruiser and a Baku class escort, the same ships that destroyed a buoy on the Kharimkotan – Iturup jump point, transit from Iturup into Kunashir. Several commercial-engined ships have preceded them into the system.
In Comoros, two 21,000-ton Magadan class light cruisers, an Archangelsk class escort cruiser and two Kazan class escorts approach the Mauritius jump point. The 18,000-ton Nagara IV-Ro light cruiser Kiso moves out to meet them and the five Zharovian ships retreat. Kiso has a 2000 km/s speed advantage, so she gives chase. Fourteen hours later, with the range at 260,000 km, she opens fire on one of the Magadans. While she scores multiple strength-1 hits with her 20cm lasers, she is barely able to overcome the regeneration rate of the target’s shields. Unfortunately, the Nagara class light cruisers do not have any shields, so moving closer, within the fire control range of the Zharovian light cruisers, will expose her to armour damage while she can only reduce the enemy shield strength.
Kiso closes the range to 250,000 km, which increases the damage of her 20cm lasers, while making herself a difficult target, despite being inside extreme range of the 20cm lasers on the Magadans. Once again, the Imperial Navy benefits from the fire control advantages provided by the Osaka-B research colony. Kiso suffers occasional strength-1 hits to her armour, but the enemy shields steadily reduce until the targeted light cruiser begins to suffer armour hits. Eventually, armour-penetrating hits disable an engine and the Magadan falls out of formation. Kiso maintains her 250,000 km distance to the damaged Magadan, scoring an increasing number of internal hits until it suddenly disintegrates amid two huge secondary explosions.
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Kiso picks up the survivors, then closes to within 250,000 km of the second Magadan and continues firing. While the tactic is working, as Kiso inflicts far more damage over time than she receives, it is a gradual process, which places a strain on her maintenance resources. Once they drop below twenty-five percent, she closes the range, accepting more damaging hits in order to finish the attack quickly. The Magadan inflicts several strength-4 and strength-5 hits on Kiso before it is finally destroyed.
With only twenty percent maintenance remaining and significant armour damage in three locations, one of which penetrates through two-thirds of her armour belt, Kiso moves in on the three escort ships. They are armed with gauss weapons, which means that Kiso can close to 40,000 km, where her 20cm lasers will inflict maximum damage, before opening fire. All three Zharovian ships are quickly destroyed, but Kiso drops to just thirteen percent of her normal maintenance supply level. Kiso rescues the survivors and retreats to the Mauritius jump point. While five more Zharovian warships have been eliminated, Kiso cannot fight another similar battle.
18th March 1987
The battleship Musashi completes its overhaul at Mauritius base and is sent into Reunion, first to deal with the known Zharov colonies on the second and third planets of Reunion-B and then to assault the Reunion - Amirante jump point. Musashi approaches Reunion-B II and detects a population with thermal and EM signatures of 2800 and 3500 respectively, plus a 10,000-ton ground forces signature, including surface-to-orbit weapons. She moves within weapon range and eliminates the shore battery without difficulty. Reunion-B III hosts a much smaller Zharovian colony. Musashi detects a 24,000-ton ground forces signature, but reaches orbit without any weapon fire from the surface. With both colonies now open to invasion by ground forces from Mauritius Base, Musashi heads for the Amirante jump point to confront the three Andropov class frigates on the far side.
21st March 1987
The 27,000-ton heavy cruiser Takao, on approach to the Iturup – Kharimkotan jump point, detects a fleet of eight Zharovian ships, comprising four 17.344-ton Sverdlov light cruisers, a 17,382-ton Saransk class escort and three 8,669-ton Baku class escorts. Due to her long journey and previous combat, Takao has only twenty-seven percent fuel and seventy-two percent maintenance supplies. Replenishment ships await in Kharimkotan if the Zharovian fleet can be eliminated.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire221.png)
Recent combat has demonstrated that Imperial Navy warships have a qualitative edge over the Zharovian laser-armed warships and gauss-armed escorts, at least those that have been encountered so far. The Sverdlov, based on its size, speed and lower shield strength, appears to be an older version of the Magadan, so it should not present Takao with any difficulty, assuming that she can keep her weapons operational. With that in mind, her captain, Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa Senshi, decides to move within Zharovian weapon range and repeat the tactics of Kiso in Comoros, although as Takao has shields she can risk combat at closer range.
Takao moves to 200,000 km, then 160,000 km and finally 120,000 km, destroying a different Sverdlov at each range bracket, while maintaining her shields above fifty percent. The remaining ships finally abandon the jump point and charge toward her, so Takao retreats, keeping the range open and maintaining fire. One by one the Zharovian ships are blown to pieces until nothing remains except wrecks and life pods. Once the survivors are on board, interrogations are conducted. One of the prisoners is an expert in shield technology who proves to be very talkative when persuaded. He reveals sufficient technical information to provide the Empire of Japan with Theta-level shield technology.
As a result of his recent actions, Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa Senshi becomes only the ninth recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Stars. While in command of Takao, his ship has destroyed over three hundred thousand tons of military shipping and a hundred and twenty thousand tons of commercial shipping. Takao had already destroyed sixty thousand tons of military shipping prior to Kaigun-Taisa Miyazawa taking command, making her the most successful cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Only four of the eight battleships have a better record.
Takao enters the key Kharimkotan system and secures the jump point. One of the replenishment ships waiting away from the main shipping lanes heads for the Iturup jump point, along with a troop transport. A fleet support vessel and a second replenishment ship remain in hiding until they are certain the route is clear. Katsuragi and Shinano will arrive in the system in three days.
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22nd March 1987
In Iturup, the heavy cruiser Atago intercepts and destroys three 16,000-ton, commercial-engined Volgograd class ships near the Kunashir jump point, then takes up picket position at the jump point to prevent any flanking attack against the advance of the Imperial Navy toward the Zharov home system.
In Sapporo, the Kasagi class light cruiser Takasago, an old jump-capable design with ion engines, has been tracking a steady procession of Capellan commercial-shipping as it moves across Sapporo from the Orochi’s Maw jump point to the Ascension system. Perhaps the reason for the Capella Imperium’s rejection of the Empire’s claim on Sapporo is because it provides access to an important colony somewhere beyond Ascension. The traffic pattern also suggests that the Imperium has not yet discovered the direct jump point connection between Ascension and Orochi’s Maw.
26th March 1987
In Sumatra, Kamakura Maru, accompanied by a lone freighter, has ventured five billion kilometres from her entry jump point to salvage the wreck of an unknown ship. On arriving at the site, her active sensor detects a stable jump point. Once the salvage is complete, the freighter probes the jump points to find a planetless red dwarf, with a group of ten wrecks approximately one point five billion kilometres from the jump point, five of which are known Helgrim designs. The system is named Komodo.
29th March 1987
An orbital survey of Atlasov III reveals a ruined city on the surface. Two xenoarchaeology regiments and two engineer regiments are on the surface, so the planet should eventually yield supplies to support a move on the adjacent Zharov system, if the Imperial Navy can reach the planet in time to relieve the single light cruiser currently in orbit. In Reunion, the battleship Musashi transits into Amirante and finds the three Andropov class frigates on the jump point, along with two Magnitogorsk gravitational survey ships and two Kaliningrad geological survey ships.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire223.png)
Musashi moves away, trying to open the range until she can recover from jump shock. The frigates, each of which is armed with seven 20cm lasers, give chase and open fire, scoring seven strength-8 hits. The Magnitogorsks and Kaliningrads transit into Reunion to escape and run straight into Nagara and Yura. All four survey ships are blown to pieces simultaneously by a single volley from the light cruisers. Fifteen seconds after Musashi transits, her fire controls come back online and she replicates the feat of the cruisers by destroying all three frigates with her first attack.
With the blocking force removes, the two Japanese freighters hiding in Amirante can bring their 20,000 tons of minerals through Reunion and into Mauritius. Musashi rescues all the Zharovian survivors and heads back to Mauritius Base, leaving the light cruisers to guard the freighters. Meanwhile, In the Matua system, two jumps from Iturup via Kunashir, a Sverdlov cruiser and a Baku escort eliminate the Japanese sensor buoy on the Kunashir jump point.
31st March 1987
The heavy cruiser Chōkai, fresh from overhaul at Mauritius Base, relieves the light cruiser Kiso at the Comoros – Mauritius jump point, so the latter can resupply, undergo armour repairs and begin its own overhaul.
1st April 1987
The battleships Katsuragi and Shinano rendezvous with the fleet support vessel Harusame at an asteroid in Kharimkotan that has been used as a temporary refuelling location for several years. A deep space tracking station was emplaced on the asteroid to provide early warning for any unarmed vessels at the location. Now that Imperial Navy warships are in the system, the temporary base in back in business, with the support ships returned from hiding in the outer system. After refuelling, Katsuragi heads for Atlasov and the Zuijin ruin, while Shinano moves to the Kharimkotan - Shikotan jump point, where a sensor buoy has registered lot of activity in recent days from commercial-engined shipping apparently seeking refuge in Shikotan.
In the adjacent Atlasov system, a Zharovian Izevsk class geosurvey ship with a speed of 7000 km/s is detected in the inner system by the survey cruiser Shirakumo, one of the older Asagiri class ships that lacks any offensive capability. In orbit of Atlasov III is the light cruiser Kitakami, which has a speed of 8000 km/s and could catch the Zharovian ship, but that would leave several support ships unprotected. Initially, she remains on guard duty. Rather than set a direct course for the Zharov jump point, the Izevsk continues to move in and out of range, so eventually Kitakami breaks orbit and pursues the Zharovian ship. After the first salvo, it surrenders.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire224.png)
2nd April 1987
The 1st Kurogane Samurai Division and the 1st and 2nd Arashi Divisions are unloaded at the Zharovian colony on Reunion-B II by three Sagami Maru troop transports that remained at Mauritius Base while the faster Yasukuni class ships returned to Sol. The defending force, approximately four thousand infantry with light anti-tank weapons, is completely overwhelmed by the Imperial Army force of over twelve thousand Arashi and almost four hundred combat mechs. The battle lasts less than forty hours, with only twenty-five Arashi lost on the Japanese side.
The conquered colony has a population of eleven million, but they are Bloodclaw, not Zharovian. It appears that the Bloodclaw Dominion founded the colony, which was then invaded and captured by the Followers of Zharov. About thirty factories and mines are at the colony, plus two research facilities. The planet has an ancient construct which boosts missile research by thirty percent, which is almost certainly the reason it was established in the first place as there are only two low accessibility mineral deposits. The 6th Infantry Division will be transported from Mauritius to act as a garrison, so the assault divisions can move on to the second, smaller Zharovian colony on Reunion-B III.
9th April 1987
In Madagascar, a Cloudfire class ship of the Sri Lanka aliens, with whom contact has not yet been established, is destroyed by a dozen strength-8 explosions. The ship was two billion kilometres from the star and nowhere near any of the bodies in the system.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire225.png)
A few hours later, the battleship Shinano, on approach to the Kharimkotan – Shikotan jump point, detects and destroys a commercial-engined Petrozavodsk class of 32,000 tons, then transits into Shikotan. Stationed on the far side is a Sverdlov class light cruiser and five 83,772-ton Brezhnev class ships of unknown function.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire226.png)
Before Shinano can overcome jump shock and open fire, all six Zharovian ships transit into Kharimkotan. After fifteen seconds, Shinano follows them through. As she has her own jump drive and the alien ships apparently used the stable jump point, she recovers far quickly. A single volley takes out the Sverdlov, then Shinano destroys each Brezhnev with a pair of laser turrets to avoid overkill. Shikotan has a single outward jump point to Ekarma, so Shinano sets a course. Ekarma has five outward jump points, so the Japanese advance in this area will stop at that system until more ships are available.
11th April 1987
The troop transport Reimei Maru drops the 6th Arashi Division on Paramushir II to confront the Zharovian ground force. The defending force is similar to that on Reunion-B II and does not last long. Twenty-eight Arashi are killed during the twenty-four hour battle for the planet. There are no installations or other signs of a Zharovian presence so the 6th Arashi Division returns to the transport.
Katsuragi arrives at the Zuijin ruins on Atlasov III and refuels from the fleet support vessel Harukumo, which is already in orbit. With no sign of hostile activity in the system, she heads for the Atlasov – Zharov jump point to blockade the home system of the Followers.
13th April 1987
As Shinano travels from the Shikotan – Kharimkotan jump point to the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point, she encounters numerous Zharovian commercial ships trying to flee the area. She destroys each contact as she passes, usually with a single volley from a pair of 30cm lasers. The last target she encounters, a 16,114 ton Volgograd class tanker, survives and immediately surrenders. Although it is immobile due to the loss of its engines, the Volgograd still has its refuelling capability and most of its fuel storage, so Shinano takes the opportunity to refuel before moving to the Ekarma jump point.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire227.png)
14th April 1987
Shinano jumps into Ekarma, where a single 32,000-ton, commercial-engined Petrozavodsk is stationed on the Shikotan jump point. Rather than destroy the ship, Shinano launches her Showa L1D 'Raikō' assault transport, which conducts a boarding action. The Raiden Sentai captures the alien ship, a civilian freighter, without loss. This is as far as Shinano will venture from the main advance. Ekarma has five outward jump points, so it is more important to protect the flank than continue raiding Zharovian commerce. Takao will eventually relieve Shinano, so the battleship can join her sisters when the time comes to enter the Zharov home system.
15th April 1987
The 1st Kurogane Samurai Division and the 1st and 2nd Arashi Divisions are unloaded at the smaller Zharovian colony on Reunion-B III. The defending force is more substantial than on Reunion-B II, comprising at least ten thousand infantry with support weapons, plus several hundred of a new type of Zharovian ground unt, classified as heavy infantry. Almost four hundred Arashi are killed before they are finally subdued. The colony is also Bloodclaw in origin, although the population has been reduced to 370,000 by the fighting. A dozen factories and mines are on the surface, along with two research facilities. These will eventually be transferred to Reunion-B III, which has an ancient construct, once sufficient Japanese colonists are available to use them.
16th April 1987
Katsuragi, en route to the Atlasov – Zharov jump point, intercepts a pair of small Zharovian civilian fuel harvesters, both of which are already damaged. She uses her L1D 'Raikō' to capture both ships. A few hours later she detects an Archangelsk class escort cruiser and ten 74,000-ton Novosibirsk class ships heading slowly toward Zharov at 244 km/s. Katsuragi closes in, destroys the cruiser and begins boarding operations against the commercial-engined ships, which are also fuel harvesters. Eight Novosibirsk are captured before the Raiden Sentai has to cease operations due to losing thirty-two of its forty Kazuma Raiden. A ninth surrenders after receiving heavy damage and the tenth is destroyed.
So far, apart from a few early engagements, the ‘war’ against the Followers of Zharov seems mainly to consist of the Imperial Japanese Navy advancing through Zharovian systems, eliminating or capturing commercial shipping and outclassing the few warships that attempt to intervene. It is quickly becoming apparent the Followers are something of an paper tiger, possibly due to losses suffered in an extended war against the Bloodclaw Dominion. That may change when the Imperial Navy has to confront their home system defences.
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This is the 3rd of 4 posts today
17th April 1987
A Sverdlov light cruiser, three Saransk escort cruisers and a Baku escort transit from Shikotan into Kharimkotan, where they are briefly detected by a buoy on the jump point before it is destroyed. Given that Shinano recently left a trail of destruction in her wake during her journey from that same jump point to her current position at the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point, it seems that the five Zharovian warships must have been somewhere else in Shikotan – perhaps at a colony. They are now inside the Imperial Navy perimeter and no longer on sensors. Shinano leaves her picket position and begins the four-day voyage back to Kharimkotan. Takao is near the centre of Kharimkotan, dropping off prisoners at a holding area on the same asteroid as the temporary refuelling point.
18th April 1987
The ruined city on Atlasov III has been fully surveyed. One hundred and sixty-one locations of interest have been identified. In Madagascar, two more ships of the Sri Lanka aliens are destroyed by missiles. The identity of the attacker remains unknown.
20th April 1987
The battleship Katsuragi arrives at the Atlasov – Zharov jump point. The Japanese sensor buoy on the Zharov side is still intact and reports no contacts so Katsuragi transits into the Zharovian home system. In Mauritius, Musashi has joined Yamato on the Zharov jump point, but the buoy on the far side was destroyed on the first day of the war, so there is no intelligence available on any defending force. Throughout the conflict, a small F1M 'Kanmuri Tori' class Observer craft has remained undetected in orbit of Zharov II, gathering ELINT data on the Zharovian home world, Zharov IV, and occasionally on a colony on Zharov III when the orbits are aligned. Katsuragi heads in-system to join the F1M in orbit of Zharov II, from where she can assess the home world defences before moving to the Mauritius jump point to assess the defences.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire229.png)
In Atlasov, the light cruiser Kitakami intercepts a pair of Chefornak III class troop transports attempting to reach Zharov. They both surrender when fired upon. The captured ships have a transport capacity of 60,000 tons and are heavily armoured, making them suitable for an opposed landing – a capability that is not currently available for the Empire of Japan due to the focus on total transport capacity.
Chefornak III class Troop Transport 128,797 tons 680 Crew 5,501.3 BP TCS 2,576 TH 5,400 EM 0
2096 km/s Armour 8-227 Shields 0-0 HTK 303 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 26 Max Repair 200 MSP
Troop Capacity 60,000 tons Drop Capable Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 6
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Commercial Magnetic Fusion Drive EP360.0 (15) Power 5400 Fuel Use 0.80% Signature 360 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 1,250,000 Litres Range 217 billion km (1198 days at full power)
CIWS-200 (2x10) Range 1000 km TS: 20,000 km/s ROF 5
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
EM Sensor EM1-11 (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
21st April 1987
Three Zharovian ships, a Sverdlov light cruiser, a Baku escort and a commercial-engined Kaluga class ship of 74,000 tons, are detected by a Japanese sensor buoy as they approach the Ekarma – Shikotan jump point. They transit into Shikotan and head directly for the Kharimkotan jump point, which places the recently captured Petrozavodsk class freighter directly in their path.
Shinano has left the area and recently arrived at the Shikotan – Kharimkotan jump point, ready to confront the five warships on the far side. On the Kharimkotan side, a Kitsune ELINT stealth ship has crept close enough to verify their presence. Shinano transits into Kharimkotan, arriving 36,000 km from a Sverdlov, three Saransk escorts and a Baku. She immediately comes under fire from the Sverdlov, but is already outside gauss range of the other four ships and able to set the range. Once jump shock wears off, the battle is brief and one-sided.
22nd April 1987
Katsuragi moves through the Zharov system, detecting everything that moves within a radius of almost two hundred million kilometres. Eventually, she reaches a location where she can observe the Zharovian home world, the Mauritius jump point and everything in-between. Zharov IV, the home world, which has a population in excess of three billion, is orbited by twelve Sverdlovsk class of 17,400 tons and ten Tomsk class of 21,532 tons. Both types are likely to be defensive bases.
Zharov III has a population of twenty-seven million and no ships in orbit. Three groups of ships are moving away from Zharov III toward the Mauritius jump point, presumably because that is more appealing option than facing a 75,000-ton Imperial Navy battleship. The slowest group, and therefore closest to the planet, comprises two Magadan class light cruisers, five Krasnojarsk class of 107,000 tons and five Gorki class of 130,000 tons. Ahead of them is another Magadan and five more Krasnojarsk. Halfway to the jump point are eight Petropavlovsk class fuel harvesters. On the Mauritius jump point itself are two Soci class heavy cruisers, three Saransk escort cruisers, three Andropov class frigates and three Kazan class escorts.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire230.png)
Katsuragi intercepts the slowest group, charging straight to point-blank range with no attempt at subtlety and accepting shield damage to destroy the two Magadans as quickly as possible. While Katsuragi’s Raiden Sentai is down to just eight Kazuma Raiden, Yamato and Musashi are on the far side of the Mauritius jump point and may be able to capture several of the commercial-engined ships, so Katsuragi ignores them for now. After eliminating the Magadan guarding the second group of fleeing ships, Katsuragi turns her attention to the jump point defence force.
The eleven Zharovian warships are no match for Katsuragi. She is faster, with longer-ranged weapons and can only be attacked if she chooses to enter their weapon range, which she does in order to increase the speed of their demise. Seven minutes after she opens fire, all eleven have been destroyed, clearing the jump point for Yamato and Musashi to enter Zharov. Direct contact has been re-established with the Mauritius system. The three Imperial Navy battleships form a squadron, move toward the unprotected commercial shipping and prepare to conduct boarding operations.
Meanwhile in Shikotan, the Sverdlov, Baku and Kaluga class ships that entered the system a day earlier return to Ekarma and destroy the buoy on the Shikotan jump point. Even with the war against the Followers of Zharov going well, there will need to be a significant effort to track down the likely substantial number of Zharovian ships in the systems away from the direct route from Fiji to Mauritius. There are eight known systems beyond Shikotan, all of which have stable jump points, which means there are likely to be many more further out. Kunashir, which connects to Iturup, has one jump point leading to Velsharoon space and a second to Matua and however many more system lie beyond. Zharovian and Bloodclaw ships still lurk in the systems that lie outward from Mauritius, twenty-three of which have been found so far.
23rd April 1987
The Raiden Sentai from Yamato and Musashi, supported by the eight remaining Kazuma Raiden from Katsuragi, capture all eight Petropavlovsk fuel harvesters in the Zharov system, with relatively minor losses. When they assault the first Krasnojarsk class ship, which turns out to be a terraformer, they lose four Kazuma Raiden in a single assault. The total force is now small enough to be loaded onto two L1D assault transports instead of three.
Krasnojarsk class Terraformer 106,684 tons 460 Crew 2,585 BP TCS 2,134 TH 512 EM 0
239 km/s Armour 1-200 Shields 0-0 HTK 73 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 500 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Terraformer: 4 modules producing 0.0019 atm per annum
Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive EP256.0 (2) Power 512 Fuel Use 2.53% Signature 256 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 6.6 billion km (321 days at full power)
CIWS-160 (2x8) Range 1000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ROF 5
In Orochi’s Maw, the colossal black hole system adjacent to Sapporo, a Japanese scout ship is asked to leave the system by a ship of the Capella Imperium. Given the importance of Orochi’s Maw, which already has seven known jump points, despite the survey only being half-complete, the Empire of Japan will not be abandoning the system.
April 24th 1987
The Raiden Sentai capture the ten Krasnojarsk and five Gorki class ships, all of which are terraformers. Their heroic performance has come at a cost, with a single assault transport now sufficient for the remaining Kazuma Raiden. After the boarding operations are complete, Katsuragi moves within five million kilometres of Zharov III, which, via ELINT data, is known to have a population of twenty-seven million. Once within range of her missile detection sensor, Katsuragi can determine there is a ground forces signature of 36,000 tons. As the planet is mostly barren, albeit with liquid water and a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere, it would make an ideal staging base for an attack on Zharov IV, home world of the Followers
Katsuragi conducts a similar scan of Zharov IV, which is an ideal habitable world dominated by Steppe, and detects 314,000 tons of ground forces, which is a smaller ground force than on the Bloodclaw home world. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi alters the overall strategic direction of the Empire of Japan and decides that the Zharovian home world will be invaded first, before an assault on the home world of the Bloodclaw Dominion. The ground forces already at Mauritius Base, and those en route from Earth, will capture Zharov III first in preparation for the main landings. Yamato and Musashi move to the Atlasov and Mauritius jump points respectively, to secure the system, while Katsuragi heads for Mauritius Base to drop off prisoners rescued from Zharovian life pods and conduct an overhaul.
27th April 1987
The heavy cruiser Takao arrives at the Kharimkotan – Shikotan jump point, taking over picket duty from Shinano and allowing the battleship to enter Shikotan and sweep the inner system. Shinano eliminates a pair of Chefornak class troop transports on the far side, then heads in-system. Two hours later, an Andropov class frigate transits into Shikotan from the Ekarma jump point, then closes in on the crippled Volgograd class tanker that surrendered to Shinano two weeks ago and destroys it.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire231.png)
One day later, four Soci heavy cruisers and two Archangelsk escort cruisers follow the frigate into Shikotan. After a further eight hours, a captured civilian freighter is destroyed, probably by the Andropov. The Shikotan system has been the scene of significant Zharovian activity, so it will be a priority to send light forces into the systems beyond, once the situation in the area is stable.
1st May 1987
Shinano discovers a tiny population contact and a 1500-tom ground forces contact on the eighth moon of Shikotan II. There are no surface-to-orbit weapons. She conducts a sweep of the first four planets and their moons, plus a comet, then heads back to the Kharimkotan jump point. The fifth planet is ignored for now as it is a long way out, but will be checked when suitable light forces are available.
Before Shinano reaches the jump point, she detects a group of twelve 84,000-ton Breznev class ships ahead of her. The type has been detected before, and several destroyed, but its function remains unknown, so Shinano dispatches her Showa L1D ‘Raiko’ assault transport, carrying a full strength Raiden Sentai of forty Kazuma Raiden, with a Raiden Shōsa in command. The target ship is captured, although three Kazuma Raiden are lost in the assault, revealing that is a terraformer. Three generations of terraforming ships are in service with the Followers of Zharov, with the Breznev being the smallest and oldest, equipped with ion engines and three terraforming modules. The Krasnojarsk has magneto-plasma drives and four modules, while the Gorki has fusion drives and five modules.
Breznev class Terraformer 83,772 tons 378 Crew 2,050.7 BP TCS 1,675 TH 600 EM 0
358 km/s Armour 1-170 Shields 0-0 HTK 68 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 500 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Terraformer: 3 modules producing 0.0014 atm per annum
Commercial Ion Drive EP200.00 (3) Power 600 Fuel Use 3.04% Signature 200 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 7.1 billion km (228 days at full power)
CIWS-160 (2x6) Range 1000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ROF 5
The crews of almost four hundred prove tenacious, so the single Raiden Sentai continues to take losses as more ships are captured. By the time the eighth terraformer is secure, only three Kazuma Raiden remain. Shinano destroys the other four, then resumes her course for the Kharimkotan jump point. When she moves within sensor range, she detects all the Zharovian warships that recently entered Shikotan, including four Soci heavy cruisers, two Archangelsk escorts and the Andropov class frigate, all stationed on the jump point. Takao is picketing the far side, but would have to handle six times her own mass if the Zharovians transit before Shinano arrives.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire232.png)
Fortunately, the Zharovian fleet remains on the jump point until Shinano moves within weapon range and opens fire on three of the heavy cruisers, as she continues to close on the jump point. She fires the second volley from her main 30cm armament at just 57,000 km, inflicting massive internal damage on all three Soci. The damaged ships escape into Kharimkotan and find themselves at point-blank range from Takao. Shinano, still at ninety percent shields, changes targets to the remaining Soci, the Andropov and a Saransk. Forty-five seconds after the cruisers transit, every Zharovian warship, on both sides of the jump point, has been reduced to debris. The system of Shikotan, and the area around the Kharimkotan – Shikotan jump point, have become a graveyard for Zharovian shipping, with forty-nine wrecks between them.
Takao transfers her prisoners to Shinano, then resumes picket duty at the jump point. Shinano moves though Kharimkotan to Atlasov, where she will refuel from a fleet support ship, before transiting the Zharov system for a rendezvous with the Carrier Striking Force, which has been travelling through the systems cleared by the heavy cruisers and battleships.
23rd May 1987
A ship of the Capella Imperium is detected in Kagoshima, adjacent to Sapporo and two jumps from Sol. It is asked to leave. Unlike in Sapporo, the Imperium accepts Japanese sovereignty over the system and withdraws. While the large Capellan fleets close to Sapporo remain a concern, at least their advance toward Sol has been halted.
24th May 1987
The Carrier Striking Force, comprising the Taihō III class carriers Chūyō, Hiyō, Junyō, and Taihō, the Akagi IV class carrier Soryu and the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myōkō arrives in Zharov for a rendezvous for the battleships Yamato, Musashi and Shinano. Katsuragi is at Mauritius Base undergoing overhaul. Their mission is to test the defences of the Zharovian home world, which has twenty-two orbital bases. Ten are Tomsk class, which are 21,532 tons and have strength-273 shields, while the other twelve are Sverdlovsk class of 17,400 tons with strength-183 shields. Unless the shields are penetrated, any attack will be wasted. Despite the ease with which the Imperial Japanese Navy has brushed aside the Zharovian Navy, the defences of their home world appear to be formidable, especially if the bases are all armed with light missiles.
Kido Butai
Yamato II class Battleship: Musashi, Shinano, Yamato
Taihō III class Carrier: Chūyō, Hiyō, Junyō, Taihō
Akagi IV class Carrier: Soryu
Takao III-Ro class Heavy Cruiser: Ashigara, Myōkō
3x Showa L1D 'Raikō' class Assault Transport
72x Nakajima B2N 'Tenzan' class Carrier Strike
72x Nakajima B2N2 'Tenzan class Carrier Strike
203x Mitsubishi A4M 'Ryūjin' class Fighter
8x Aichi E3A class Scout
2x Aichi E2A class Scout
As with the Bloodclaw home world, the first strike is a missile attack. Two hundred and eighty-eight Rakurai-Ho anti-ship missiles are split equally between four different targets: two Tomsk and two Sverdlovsk. The primary aim of the attack is the determine the strength of the defences. Any destroyed bases will be a bonus. The Rakurai-Ho has a speed of 40,000 km/s, a strength-15 warhead and five third generation decoys.
Surprisingly, there are no light missile interceptions. It appears that the Followers of Zharov have eschewed missile warfare entirely. Their point-blank defences are nonetheless effective, taking out more than half the missiles in a single burst of defensive fire. The rest are all expended against either decoys or shields, except for ten missiles than inflict armour and internal damage on one of the smaller Sverdlovsks. Despite the limited tactical success of the strike, the intelligence gained is extremely valuable. The battleships will able to close on the planet without coming under light missile fire, allowing them to directly engage the defensive bases and any surface-based weapons. Yamato, Musashi and Shinano advance on Zharov IV, testing the strength of the latter.
At 400,000 km, the battleships come under from one hundred and sixty surface-based lasers, although no hits are scored due to the extreme range. Yamato, Musashi and Shinano close to 320,000 km and open fire, killing two of the STO weapons. With reduced range, the defensive fire becomes more effective and inflicts strength-2 hits, but not enough to trouble the shields of the battleships. After twenty minutes of continuous fire, every identified STO is eliminated. There are still active emissions from the surface, so the battleships begin closing once again.
At 280,000 km, they come under fire from a further one hundred and twenty-eight 20cm lasers, presumably older batteries constructed when Zharovian fire control systems had shorter range. The second engagement is a mirror of the first, with the only concern for the Imperial Navy being the rate of maintenance supply consumption due to the extended period of combat. The surface emissions continue but there is no further incoming fire as Yamato, Musashi and Shinano move within 40,000 km of the planet. Any further STO weapons, plus the armament of the orbital bases, are likely to be gauss cannon, which is the favoured defensive option for the Followers of Zharov.
The battleships rapidly massacre all twenty-two orbital bases, from what is effectively point-blank range, then move into orbit to confront any remaining STO batteries. Over thirteen hundred shots are fired from the surface, resulting in more than four hundred strength-1 hits shield hits. The battleships pull back out of range and return fire. The ground forces signature for the defensive batteries is over fifty thousand tons, more than double that of the combined 25cm batteries, although they are larger individual weapons so that signature drops more rapidly. Even so, when the surface is finally clear of contacts, all three battleships have less than twenty percent of their maintenance supplies.
Considering the battleships have been bombarding the surface for almost an hour, the collateral damage is relatively light. Less than one percent of the population has been killed and less than two hundred installations destroyed. Sufficient dust has been thrown into the atmosphere to lower the temperature by six degrees. Part of the reason for the lower damage is that the battleships attacked from the maximum range that would still ensure the destruction of their surface targets. The orbital shipyards are not attacked, as landing operations will begin in a few months and they will be a valuable prize.
Shinano picks up the life pods and heads for Mauritius Base to drop off the Zharovian survivors. The Taihō class carriers begin the long journey back to Earth, in case the situation with the Capella Imperium deteriorates. Yamato, Musashi and the Akagi class carrier Soryu will remain to support operations in Zharov and the surrounding systems. The two heavy cruisers that escorted the carriers move to support Takao and begin the investigation of the systems beyond Shikotan.
(http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/Empire233.png)
30th May 1987
Kamakura Maru, accompanied by a lone freighter, has salvaged all the wrecks in the Komodo system, which is seven transits outward beyond Mauritius and eighteen transits from Sol. During the salvage, a ship of the Sri Lanka aliens appeared through a nearby jump point. With her primary task complete, Kamakura Maru transits the new jump point. There is a massive field of debris on the far side, with seventy-six identifiable wrecks, two-thirds of which are known designs of the Helgrim Protectorate. The system itself, designated as Java, has a K0-V primary, less than a billion kilometres from the jump point, orbited by six planets and sixty moons. Java II has an ice sheet and a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere.
The freighter accompanying Kamakura Maru has very little space remaining, so it is dispatched toward Mauritius. The salvage ship remains in the new system and requests new freighters. Two freighters that accompanied her earlier in her current mission have recently returned to Mauritius Base, so one of those is sent, along with an Asuka Maru fast freighter that has just delivered additional tracking stations from Earth. A few hours later, three Thorn class ships of the Sri Lanka aliens approach the Java – Komodo jump point and transit.
1st June 1987
Yamato moves to Zharov III to clear any surface weapons before an invasion to secure the small colony as a staging ground for the assault on Zharov IV, the Zharovian home world. She engages one battery of sixteen 25cm lasers and a gauss cannon battery. Due to her lack of maintenance supplies, six of her twenty-four 30cm lasers are damaged and will not be repaired until she can take on new supplies.
3rd June 1987
The 1st and 2nd Kurogane Samurai divisions, the 1st and 2nd Arashi divisions and the 3rd Infantry Division are landed on Zharov III, a barren world with a thin nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere and a population of twenty-six million. The ground forces signature of the Zharovian defenders is 33,000 tons. Once battle commences, it becomes obvious that the defending force is under-armed for its size, with a few thousand infantry with light anti-tank weapons covering a large number of construction vehicles and some xenoarchaeology vehicles. Evidently, Zharov III was once a Zuijin world.
The battle is over in less than two days, with only minimal casualties for the Imperial Army. The colony has seventy factories, mines and other installations, including a naval headquarters that will be transported to Mauritius, plus thirty million litres of fuel, forty thousand maintenance supplies and seventy thousand tons of minerals., although no refuelling station. The variety of installations and resources supports the conclusion that the planet once had a Zuijin ruin.
4th June 1987
Kamakura Maru receives an unintelligible communication from a ship of the Sri Lanka aliens in Java.
28th June 1987
Two 54,000-ton ships of unknown origin are destroyed in the Madagascar system, four transits out from Mauritius. In recent weeks, five Helgrim ships have been destroyed in the same area of the system, so these new vessels could be ships of their mystery opponents or simply unknown Helgrim types. Imperial Naval Intelligence believes the Sir Lanka aliens might be fighting the Helgrim, but no direct combat has been observed – only distant explosions, energy impacts and wreckage.
1st July 1987
The diplomatic ship Heiwa has entered the recently discovered Java system in search of ships, or preferably colonies, of the Sri Lanka aliens with which to establish communication. As Kamakura was recently contacted by a ship close to the fourth planet, a gas giant with thirty-three moons, she moves to that area and detects a small population on the thirteenth moon, a frozen world about the size of Ganymede with a thin nitrogen – methane atmosphere. Six 30,000-ton warships and four 12,000-ton warships of five different types, all from the Sri Lanka aliens, are in orbit, all of which have shields. The identification of the new ships reveals that some of the unknown wrecks on the Java – Komodo jump point are actually Sri Lanka warships, which strongly suggest they are at war with the Helgrim Protectorate. For now, the Sri Lanka aliens appear content to attempt communication with Heiwa.
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4th July 1987
A battle is underway in the Silhouette system, three transits from Mauritius via Comoros and Andaman, between the Zuijin and the Wokou Raiders. When the Zuijin-occupied system was discovered in December 1985, there was already a group of Wokou wrecks. Now they have returned to try again. An Incheon class Raider was destroyed first, followed about six hours later by a Zuijin Enforcer class scout.
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Combat resumes two days later, with a hundred energy weapon impacts. The Wokou lose another raider, two Bucheon class escort and a Jinhae salvage ship in exchange for another Zuijin scout.
7th July 1987
After escorting the Carrier Striking Force to Zharov, the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Myōkō moved through Atlasov and Kharimkotan to Shikotan, where they relieved Takao. While the latter headed for Mauritius Base for well-needed shore leave, Myōkō took up a position at the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point, allowing Ashigara to move into Ekarma to begin probing its five outward jump points. After Ashigara had checked four without incident, she paused to allow the replenishment ship Kōrin Maru to catch up and conduct refuelling. While Ashigara waited, the buoy deployment ship Miyabikaze followed in her wake and used the last of her sensor buoys to replace the destroyed buoys either side of the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point and deploy new buoys on the inward side of the four jump points checked by Ashigara.
As Miyabikaze is heading back to the Shikotan jump point and Kōrin Maru is approaching Ashigara, four 70,000-ton Commercial-engined Krasnodar class ships of unknown function and two Baku escorts enter Ekarma from the Tanaga jump point and a set a direct course for the Shikotan jump point. Ashigara does not have sufficient fuel to chase them, but Myōkō is waiting if they transit. Once refuelled, Ashigara will investigate the Tanaga system.
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12th July 1987
En route to Tanaga, Ashigara detects, runs down and destroy a Bransk class scout. She transits into Tanaga a few hours later and detects two Baku escorting five more Krasnodar class ships toward the jump point. She quickly closes the range, obliterates the two escorts with a single volley and lightly damages the commercial ships to encourage a surrender. When they continue to run, Ashigara destroys them without further delay.
18th July 1987
After sweeping the inner system without finding anything, Ashigara heads outward to the fifth planet, a gas giant with twenty-four moons. Three hundred million kilometres from the planet, she detect twenty 57,000-ton Jakutsk class ships moving at 527 km/s. Seventy million kilometres beyond those are sixteen 70,000-ton Pskov class ships, accompanied by three Saransk escort cruisers and beyond those three more Jakutsk and a pair of Novosibirsk class fuel harvesters. It appears that Tanaga is an important system for the Followers of Zharov.
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The only warships amid the large enemy fleets are slower than Ashigara and have shorter-ranged weapons. She carves ruthlessly through the Zharovians, destroying all forty-four ships. In doing so, Ashigara becomes the most accomplished commerce raider in the entire Imperial Navy, with almost three million tons of commercial shipping destroyed. The only ships with more than a million commercial tons destroyed are the battleship Shinano, with almost two million, and the famous light cruiser Kuma, with one point one million tons.
Ashigara confirms there are no more ships near Tanaga V then conducts a sweep of the scattered asteroids between the fourth and fifth planets. While she is doing so, five more Krasnodar class ships and two Baku class escorts transit into Ekarma from Tanaga. Ashigara abandons her search and transits into Ekarma, quickly locating and destroying the seven Zharovian ships. Although Ashigara has transferred most of her prisoners to Kōrin Maru, picking up so many Zharovian survivors has strained her life support systems, so she sets a course to Atlasov III, where a small Japanese colony has just been established amid the Zuijin ruins. Myōkō remains on picket duty at the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point. Once additional ships are available, exploration of the system around Ekarma will resume.
26th July 1987
Full communication has been established with the Sri Lanka aliens. They are a humanoid reptilian species, with large black eyes, slim bodies clad in form-fitting silver armour and a long tail. Their empire is known as the Scytherion Khanate.
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The number of known alien races has now grown to twelve, three of which were immediately hostile and have refused all communication attempts and three more that proved hostile subsequent to their initial contact with the Empire of Japan. The implacably hostile races include the Zuijin, which are still present in eight of the twenty systems in which they have been encountered, the Wokou Raiders, which have used their unique interstellar travel capability to enter five Japanese systems so far, and the Mizuchi, three sub-species of which have appeared in widely-separated locations. The original Mizuchi were largely destroyed in Sigma Draconis, but the main forces of the Mizuchi-Ro and Mizuchi-Ha reside in Moriguchi and Ryugasaki respectively, with smaller groups of ships attempting to penetrate deeper into the Empire of Japan.
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Early in interstellar history, the Empire of Japan conquered the Rasheed, a small pre-industrial population of less than forty million, which is now entirely employed in labour camps on New Osaka. Around the same time, the Scimitar Empire was encountered in Tsushima, a system which lay between Sol and their home system. The close proximity of the two home worlds quickly led to war, although after the Imperial Navy conquered the Tsushima system and blockaded the jump point to the Scimitaran home world, the conflict became a cold war for over a decade. Finally, in the early seventies, the defences were breached and the Scimitaran home world conquered in 1975. One hundred and sixty million Scimitarans are in labour camps. The rest of the Scimitaran race, almost one point four billion and exorcized of their most troublesome members, are now productive citizens of the Empire of Japan.
The Covenant of Velsharoon and the People’s Republic of Xiama were both encountered in 1969, in relatively close proximity to each other. The early years were tense, as both races intruded deeply into known space. Eventually, the establishment of Japanese colonies in Truk and Hadano, the only two points of access to the Empire of Japan, led to the Velsharoon and Xiamen accepting Japanese sovereignty over both systems, effectively creating a fixed border. Since then relations have been cordial and trade agreements have been signed. While the Empire ultimately reserves the right to move those borders if necessary, they are the least threatening of the alien races. The Velsharoon have been detected in thirty-four different systems and the Xiamen in twenty-three. Both their naval forces appear to employ more advanced technology than the Imperial Navy.
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The Capella Imperium was first detected in 1970 in the Sapporo system, three jumps from Sol via Tsushima and the Zuijin system of Kagoshima. Due to the Zuijin presence and a lack of Imperial Navy exploration in the area, the Capellans were rarely encountered. Full communication was only established fourteen years later, in 1984. In the meantime, the Zuijin in Kagoshima were eliminated and a small Japanese outpost in Sapporo was expanded into a significant colony and naval base. Sapporo has six jump points, including one to Kagoshima and a second that connects inward via Santa Isabel and Espiritu Santo to Fiji and its important naval base. The four outward jump points connects to two black hole systems, Yatagarasu and Orochi’s Maw, with the final two jump points leading to systems that also connect to Orochi’s Maw, as well as to new chains branching off. In total, there are twenty-three systems outward from Sapporo.
The web of systems around Orochi’s Maw, which has eight known jump points and an ongoing survey, includes Iceland, the home system of the Capella Imperium, which is two transits from Sapporo. The Capellans have refused to recognise Japanese sovereignty over Sapporo, although they have accepted it in Kagoshima, and continue to send a large number of ships via Orochi’s Maw and Sapporo into Ascension. Perhaps when they discover the direct link between Orochi’s Maw and Ascension, that difficulty in relations can be resolved. The most interesting and unresolved aspect of the area is the appearance of ships from the People’s Republic of Xiama, which has no known connections from its territory to Orochi’s Maw, and the ongoing conflict between the Xiamen and the Capellans. Imperial Navy survey ships continue to search for the origin of the Xiamen ships.
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In 1973, contact was made with the Followers of Zharov in the Sakhalin system, six transits from Earth. Full communications were established shortly thereafter. A small colony was established in Fiji, one jump point inwards, to establish sovereignty over the system and prevent the advance of the Zharovians toward Sol. In the last fourteen years, due to the exploration of more than forty systems beyond Fiji and the events that transpired within them, that small colony has become one of the most important naval bases in the Empire. In 1977, the home system of the Followers, named simply Zharov, was discovered five transits from Fiji. Three years later, after a surreptitious survey of Zharov, a single outward jump point was discovered to Mauritius, the home system of the Bloodclaw Dominion, although communications with the latter were not established until 1982. It quickly became apparent that the Followers of Zharov and the Bloodclaw Dominion were engaged in an ongoing and bloody conflict, both within their respective home systems, and throughout many other systems beyond the two outward jump points of Mauritius. To date, the Followers have been detected in nineteen different systems and the Dominion in fourteen.
Due to the many wrecks created by this war, the necessary logistics to support a long-range salvage operation were established within Zharovian and Bloodclaw space. Those operations led to tension with the Zharovians and outright threats from the Dominion, so a small base was created on the first planet of the Mauritius system, allowing several light cruisers of the Imperial Navy to provide protection for the salvage ships. This development eventually led to conflict with the Dominion, which was already severely damaged from its existing war. In turn, this conflict resulted in the need for more substantial Imperial Navy forces at Mauritius Base and a significant colony to support them, which initially caused a severe diplomatic rift with the Zharovians, as the logistics for that build up required the constant use of their territory, and eventually outright war. Due to the damage inflicted on each other, neither the Followers nor the Dominion were capable of fighting the Imperial Japanese Navy and now both their home worlds lie open to invasion.
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In 1984, combat between the Imperial Navy and the Bloodclaw Dominion took place in the Zanzibar system, three transits outward from Mauritius via Reunion and Amirante, which resulted in boarding operations to capture several Bloodclaw fuel harvesters. While those operations were underway, contact was made with a new alien race, known as the Helgrim Protectorate. Even now, despite communication being established, little is known about the Protectorate or the extent of its territory or capabilities. Only a single, small population has been encountered so far, located in Madagascar, one transit outward from Zanzibar. Helgrim ships have been detected in eight different systems, although none have been detected closer than two transits outward from Mauritius.
Helgrim wrecks were detected in many systems in the area, along with other wrecks of unknown origin. At first, it seemed that the Protectorate was at war with the Dominion, until the Imperial Navy salvage operations in those systems led to the discovery of another alien race even further out, which we now know as the Scytherion Khanate. Khanate forces have been detected in five systems so far, with a tiny population in Madagascar being the closest contact to Mauritius. Combat between the Protectorate and the Khanate is ongoing, with Madagascar apparently a particular point of contention. Neither race seems to pose any immediate threat to the Empire of Japan, although that may change as territorial borders expand. Once Imperial Navy survey ships are available, an attempt will be made to locate their respective home worlds.
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27th July 1987
In Kharimkotan, a system that was believed to be secure and safe for commercial traffic, a force of two Kirov class escorts and four 93,000-ton, commercial-engined Vladimir class ships of the Followers of Zharov is detected close to the Shikotan jump point, on a course from the inner system. The heavy cruiser Ashigara has just transited into Kharimkotan from Shikotan, en route to Atlasov III for shore leave, so she is dispatched to intercept and destroy the intruders.
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11th September 1987
The buoy deployment ship Yamabiko has been destroyed in the Kiska system. Yamabiko was laying buoys in the chain of nine systems beyond the Kharimkotan – Shikotan jump point, where many Zharovian ships have been discovered since the attack on their home world. Yamabiko laid a buoy at the Ekarma – Kiska jump point then transited to lay a matching buoy on the far side. A Zharovian fleet, comprising four Sverdlov light cruisers, four Baku escorts, a Kazan escort and six commercial ships, was waiting on the far side. Within seconds of transit, Yamabiko was blown to pieces by more than a hundred energy weapon impacts. The closest Imperial Navy warship is the heavy cruiser Myōkō, stationed on the Shikotan – Ekarma jump point, but she will need support before a jump point assault against nine warships.
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25th September 1987
The invasion of the Zharov home world begins. Three Kurogane Samurai divisions, five Arashi divisions and a single infantry division are unloaded on to Zharov IV. Two additional infantry divisions, currently on Zharov III, will follow in a second wave once they can be loaded. The entire force is just over a million tons. Two further Arashi divisions are en route, with the first thirty days away. Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi had hoped to wait for those extra divisions but the Zharovian ground force is growing rapidly and has reached a signature of 360,000 tons, which is likely in excess of a million tons in reality and has the advantages of fortifications.
During the first eight hours of the invasion, losses are considerable. Two thousand five hundred Arashi are killed, along with a thousand infantry and thirteen combat mechs. Those losses pale in comparison to the catastrophic casualties inflicted on the defenders. The Zharovian forces are primarily infantry, numbering over a hundred thousand with outdated weapons and armour, supported by two thousand tanks and approximately four thousand light anti-tank weapons. The Japanese forces are almost entirely modern, due to the rebuilding of the Imperial Army following the invasion of Scimitar Prime, and smash their way through the defensive lines in over a dozen places. At least thirty thousand Zharovian infantry are killed and perhaps eight hundred tanks destroyed.
29th September 1987
Just four days after the start of the invasion, the Zharovian home world surrenders. The entire ground force of the Followers has been annihilated. Imperial Army casualties include five thousand Arashi, equal to about eighty percent of a division, two thousand infantry and three dozen combat mechs. The victory has been far swifter and with significantly less casualties than the most optimistic pre-invasion projections.
Zharov IV has a population of three billion, more than any other planet or system in the Empire of Japan, and brings huge material benefits. The fuel stockpile is almost four hundred million litres, ending any concerns about fuel supplies for the area, and there are over two million tons of minerals, although the planet itself has been almost entirely mined out. Installations include eighty-two research facilities, seventeen ground construction complexes and over six thousand factories, mines, refineries and financial centres. Transporting those facilities and manning them will be a huge problem, so it may be many years before they can be fully employed.
In terms of research, the Followers of Zharov were ahead of the Empire in only a few areas, but the fall of their home world provides improvements in fuel efficiency, shield recharge rate and gauss cannon firing rate plus the technical details of Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactors, which were within a few months of being developed anyway. The wealth added to the Imperial coffers as a result of the conquest would fund a dozen Yamato class battleships. As the orbital shipyards were not attacked when the planetary defences were eliminated, they now fall into Japanese hands. There are ten naval and six commercial shipyards, with capacities of one million and four million tons respectively, greater than on Earth, although the highest military slipway size is only 29,000-tons.
The fall of the Zharovian home world will have a massive impact on the future direction of the Empire. While it may take many years to pacify the population, the creation of a major industrial centre eleven transits and forty-five billion kilometres from Earth will give the Empire of Japan a strategic breadth no other known race can match. Perhaps the most starting impact is on the demographics of the Empire. Zharovians will now comprise almost forty percent of the population, compared to forty-two point five percent for humans and just under eighteen percent for Scimitarans.
Although some Zharovians will be assigned to labour camps, there will be a point in the future when the remainder may become loyal subjects and therefore a potential source of colonization for the area around Zharov, rather than transporting humans all the way from Earth. This was never a factor for the Scimitarans as they are in a cul-de-sac system and so the contentious subject of non-human colonization was never raised. In years to come, that subject will likely become the source of fierce debate, especially as humans and Zharovians have very similar environmental tolerances. For now though, the focus will be on pacification and the relocation of key industrial assets, plus the redeployment of ground forces, when possible, for an invasion of the Bloodclaw home world in the adjacent Mauritius system.
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This is the 4th of 4 posts today
The complete galactic map, as of December 30th 1987.
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