How hard would it be to implement a game-start option to scaled the research cost for ship components by the Research Speed setting.
That way, we would have the option to play a game where theoretical research takes longer, but component design research isn't such a pain point.

More tedious than difficult. I would just have to find every place in the code where a component is designed and add the modifier. However, I suspect not everyone would want the components at a different rate, so it would probably be an additional global modifier set at the same level.

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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.

Box launcher reloading! Does the maintenance location need to have enough capacity to match the tonnage of the ship(s) being reloaded or simply being a maintenance location is good enough?

Per the changes post:

For C# Aurora, box launchers can only be reloaded in a hangar, or at an Ordnance Transfer Point (a Spaceport, Ordnance Transfer Station or Ordnance Transfer Hub). Reloading at an Ordnance Transfer Point is 10x slower than in a hangar (similar to the penalty for maintenance facilities in VB6 Aurora).

Yeah, I was hoping for more like some sort of diplomatic action with another empire so that you would treat their population as a colonist source, and could set up colonies of their population in your empire, or something along those lines.

Alas, it means I get to do fun dumb things instead involving colonies and SMing population numbers around.

I seem to be laboring under a misconception.  In conducting a jump assault, I thought it went this way:

Turn 1: Attacking fleet jumps in, can't target because doesn't know what's there.  Defending fleet can't target or fire either.
Turn 2: Attacking fleet suffers jump shock and may or may not be able to fire.  Defending fleet can fire.

But, based on an experiment I just ran (I'm calling it that), it seems that the defenders can fire as soon as the attacking fleet appears, i.e., on turn one.  Is this right?

I ended up developing a doctrine of sending in a carrier wing or two for scouting/fire absorption before sending in my main assault force partially because of this issue.