Chapter I: The Rise of the Terran Republic

[Cavgunner (OP)]

May 22, 2052

The survivors of the Francisco Pizarro were picked up a few days ago and are safely on their way back to Earth.

Our salvage flotilla in Alpha Centauri has made a disturbing, although perhaps not surprising discovery.  The mysterious Fang "wreck" at Asteroid 185 is not a wreck at all.  It is an egg chamber.

We burn it with fire.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

June 21, 2052

First launch of the Gaia-class terraforming ship.  The Gaia is a very large ship hull built around 3 terraforming modules.  These ships will become increasingly important over time.  By transferring production of terraforming capacity to orbital shipyards, our heavily stretched ground-based industries can focus on other projects.

The class leader Gaia has immediately been dispatched to Outback to assist with that world's ongoing atmospheric rehabilitation. 

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Gaia class Terraformer    105 950 tons     560 Crew     3331.2 BP      TCS 2119  TH 4000  EM 0
1887 km/s     Armour 1-199     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 20    Max Repair 500 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 1   
Terraformer: 3 module(s) producing 0.0045 atm per annum

General Dynamics 400 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (10)    Power 400    Fuel Use 4.42%    Signature 400    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 3 750 000 Litres    Range 144.1 billion km   (883 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes


[Cavgunner (OP)]

October 5, 2052

Research into Thermal Sensitivity- Strength 8 has been completed.  Active Grav Sensor Sensitivity-16 will be up next, followed by EM Sensitivity- 8.

The entire Fleet has been conducting training exercises for the last few months.  These exercises are slated to continue for some time.  Crew proficiency is increasing, albeit slowly.

We have completed mapping the Struve 2398 system.  Incredibly, it boasts 8 jump points.  The Yuri Gargarin and its shuttle will begin exploring these jump points immediately.  However, the ships will proceed with extreme caution given that the Francisco Pizarro was lost in a system linked to this very hub.

Construction has been completed on the first of six planned Great Lakes-class cargo barges, the Superior and the Michigan.  These ships are classified as barges, not freighters, because at 6,800 tons these humble vessels are only 1/10th the mass of traditional freighters such as the Union and Condor class.  Despite this, the ship's single cargo bay is still rated at 20% of what a "small" freighter can haul.  This means that for its tonnage, the Great Lakes is a far more efficient conveyance than a true freighter, especially in situations where speed is not necessarily an issue.

As the Republic's colonies grow, so will these worlds' output of, and need for, modest amounts of raw materials.  The Great Lakes barges will therefore fulfill the rising need for light, low-urgency haulage. 

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Great Lakes class Cargo Barge    6 800 tons     34 Crew     154 BP      TCS 136  TH 200  EM 0
1470 km/s     Armour 1-31     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 14    Max Repair 50 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 0   
Cargo 5000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 5   

General Dynamics 200 EP Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (1)    Power 200    Fuel Use 6.63%    Signature 200    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100 000 Litres    Range 39.9 billion km   (314 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes


[Cavgunner (OP)]

December 15, 2052

Aside from its unusually high number of jump points, Struve 2398 is an unremarkable system.  The system's two red dwarves barely illuminate the space around them.  The only other stellar bodies are a rocky Venus-like analogue orbiting in close proximity to the primary; an unremarkable dwarf planet orbiting somewhat further out; and a single unremarkable comet.  One ancient, unidentified starship wreck had been located here, but it had been harvested several months ago. 

As the Yuri Gargarin wrapped up its mission to lay sensor buoys at each jump point, there was no reason to believe that the system was anything but clear and empty. 

And then, just as it was passing by the system's primary red dwarf, the Pathfinder's thermal sensor picked up three new contacts matching Ancient Guardian signatures.  Just as quickly, the contacts were lost. 

Had these contacts slipped into the system before all the buoys had been laid down?  In 20 years we have never observed Ancient Guardian vessels leaving their "home" system before, but it didn't mean they couldn't, so it was certainly possible.  Or, perhaps these ships had been here the entire time and we'd just never detected them.  Were they intentionally avoiding contact?  Unarmed perhaps?  The latter possibility seemed increasingly likely as the Yuri Gargarin hurriedly proceeded out-system without being engaged.  We have certainly never known Ancient Guardians to ignore a possible target before. 

The Fleet will be tasked to clear this system, but only after GJ 1207 is pacified.  For now, our sensor buoys are all in place.  We will certainly be aware if there is any movement in or out of this system's jumpgates.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

KNOWN SPACE:  2053

[Cavgunner (OP)]

March 5, 2053

Clearing GJ 1207 has been a prime goal of the Republic for years.  The Ancient Guardian presence there represents a threat, and the Republic is highly interested in the habitable world they appear to be protecting.  The system also represents an opportunity to map additional jump routes.

On March 5, the Fleet has arrives at GJ 1207.  No contacts are detected, aside from the old wreck of the Alexander MacKenzie.  Admiral Sophia Conway once again commands the Republic force.





Four Zhuk attack boats sally out to meet the Fleet.  These are the very same ships that destroyed the Alexander MacKenzie years ago.  They are quickly handled by the Moray frigates.





The Fleet advances further in-system. 





The Fleet is being engaged by a single missile destroyer in the 16,800 ton range.  This new ship is designated as the Delta 80 class.  The missiles being fired are only size 3, and they are rather slow by Republic standards.  However the barrage size is formidable at 29 missiles per wave.  The enemy appears to be focusing on the Atlantic Victory.





For the first time the Moray frigates are being used in their intended anti-missile role.  The AMM hit rate on the enemy warheads averages about 30%. 





Those missiles not intercepted by AMMs are swatted out of space by a fusillade of railgun and CIWS fire.  Over the course of the exchange not a single Ancient Guardian missile is able to get through the anti-missile shield.  At one point in the fight the destroyer Callisto knocks down ten missiles by herself.





Its missiles expended, the enemy destroyer appears to be moving toward one of the system's asteroids, presumably so it can rearm.  The Fleet's Starhawks are able to run down the enemy destroyer just before it leaves sensor range.  Admiral Conway later comments,  "The thought of disabling the Delta 80 was tempting, but in the very best scenario it would have taken us months to mount an expedition to recover it.  The self-repair capability of the Ancient Guardians was also unknown.  Better to ensure that the system was secure than to leave a potential threat alive."





By the end of March the Ancient Guardian resupply base and listening post on Asteroid #92 has been occupied by the 1st Mobile Infantry Division.  No further Ancient Guardian presence is detected.  GJ 1207 is now fully under the control of the Republic.  The Condor salvaging task group immediately begins the task of recovering the many wrecks in the system.  The exploration ship Pathfinder also enters the system and heads straight to the long-coveted world of GJ 1207-A II.  This world is found to be a treasure trove of minerals.  It is immediately slated for colonization.  In a play on its history, the new colony is named Cerberus. 

[Cavgunner (OP)]

July 3, 2053

A swarm of fully-booked colony ships are heading to Cerberus.





A "typical" day showing space-traffic near Earth, Mars and Jupiter.  Meanwhile, the Condor salvage task group has returned.  Numerous valuable components were recovered, including a nearly priceless example of an Ancient Guardian internal confinement drive.

[JustAnotherDude]

Damn that's a lot of civvies. How's your performance?

Also, congrats on a successful combat! The beam PD appears to be performing very very well indeed.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

Performance is ok so far.  And yes, I too was pleased with the performance of the "beam weapon" railguns.  Granted, it was only one ship opposing me though.

Unfortunately the ratio of colony ships to freighters is weighted FAR too heavily towards colony ships, and that is kinda becoming a problem.  Doesn't help to move 2 million colonists at a time if they're all going to die because the tiny ice-locked colony they were dropped off at only has 50 infrastructure.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

July 5, 2053
Central Command
London, Earth


By the end of the Last War most pre-war countries had fractured into smaller, regional components or had simply devolved into lawlessness.  The United Kingdom had been nearly unique in that it had survived more or less as an intact country.  As a result, the UK had been the only real choice for the seat of the new worldwide government (much to the chagrin of Japan and the Texas Republic).  It was for this reason that Admiral Sophia Conway now found herself in the entrance hall of the First Minister's offices on 10 Downing Street.  Conway was resplendent in her silver-on-red Navy uniform (matching beret tucked neatly in the crook of her arm) as she patiently waited for the Republic Guardsman to verify her identity.  The Guardsman and his partner were all business as they waved her through the internal checkpoint.    A young woman in impeccable business attire and holding an electronic tablet stepped forward to greet Conway. 

"Good evening, ma'am," the young woman stated cheerfully in a posh English accent.  "The First Minister is waiting.  If you'd like to fol-"

"Thank you," Conway responded in her light Scottish brogue.  "I know the way to his office." 

Conway's long strides quickly ate the distance to the First Minister's chambers.  The shorter young woman double-stepped behind Conway at a discreet distance, but said nothing further.  A second set of heavily equipped guards were stationed at the ornate hardwood chamber doors, but this time they did not stop her as Conway marched through the door without knocking. 

First Minister Perkins was standing in front of his ornate desk, speaking to someone via a wireless.  He looked at Conway and motioned her in, not that she needed the prompt.  "Yes. Yes.  Ok, we'll talk about that later.  She's here."  He ended the connection.  "Aaaaah, Sophia!  Welcome.  You must be exhausted."  Perkins looked past Conway to the young woman standing in the entryway.  "Missy, thank you.  We're fine.  Please close the door."  The young woman nodded and quietly shut the heavy wooden door on her way out.

Conway raised an accusing eyebrow.  "Missy?"

Perkins shrugged as he stepped toward his private liquor cabinet,  "Until Missy," Perkins gestured with a pair of air quotes,  "I had been burning through an exec every two months."  He retrieved a pair of glasses from the cabinet.  "So far, she's the only one that refuses to go away.  She's good, and she seems to believe in what we're doing.  Pretty good with a Glock, too.  Drink?"

"Yes.  Whiskey, neat," she said. 

Perkins nodded.  "Okay, let's make it two then."  Perkins poured them each a generous snifter of rare Kentucky and handed her one of the glasses.  He raised his.  "Never again," he said.  Conway raised her glass to his and they clinked.  "Never again," she answered.  She downed her drink quickly.  Perkins took a moment more to savor his.  "Ah, good.  I think we may need some more of this before the evening is over."  Perkins took the whole bottle from the cabinet and motioned to the plush leather chairs nearby.  "Let's sit, shall we?"  Conway placed her red beret on an adjacent lamp table and eased into one of the huge, ancient leather chairs- it felt like the thing was going to swallow her- and Perkins took the one next to her.  He poured them each another drink, to which she didn't object.

"You look better, Ed." 

"Thank you," he said.  His unrushed Alabama accent had lulled many a political adversary to underestimate him, but all had come to regret it.  "The treatments are helping.  And, I've been able to sleep lately.  That has a lot to do with you.  Knowing that there is a real boogeyman in the closet is one thing.  Knowing that we can beat him to a pulp is a whole other thing entirely."

Sophia turned away at that comment, and pretended to look at the rows of old books shelved on the nearby wall.  "Ed, I know why you called me here.  Can you just cut to it?"

Perkins nodded, set down his drink and folded his hands.  He regarded Conway quietly for a moment.  "Sophia, your service to this Republic has been unparalleled.  We need you, and we're going to keep needing you.  But right now, I cannot give you any more warships."

The dangerous glint in Conway's narrowed eyes warned Perkins that his guest was about to go on one of her famously foul-mouthed tirades.  "And... why not?" she asked slowly.

Perkins maintained his eye contact with her.  "It's simple.  We're spent.  Building that fleet used up a 20-year stock of Duranium.  Crewing it nearly depleted our manpower.  And I shouldn't have to tell you that we don't even have enough qualified command-level officers to staff all the ships we've got now."  Perkins reached again for his drink and took another taste.  "And, there's the fact that we've been operating on a budget deficit for the last five years.   Spaceships are expensive, or so I'm told."

Conway was quiet for a moment as she tapped her fingers on her knee.  "Ed, you bring me here and you talk about boogeymen.  The thing is, I'm not worried about the boogeyman we know about.  I'm worried about the one we don't know about.  We have no idea what's out there."

"I know," Perkins nodded, "And I agree.  But... the Council of Ministers doesn't."  Conway let out a derisive snort, but Perkins continued.  "Sophia, from their perspective, and a lot of people think the same way, it sure seems like we're alone out here.  Look, what have we found, really?  The Stalkers?  Ok, but not nearly the threat we thought they would be.  Alpha Centauri wasn't a battle.  It was a damn live fire exercise, you said so yourself.  And the Ancient Guardians?  A handful of castoff relics from a dead civilization that can no longer threaten us.  GJ 1207 wasn't even a speed bump for you." 

Conway gave him a sour look.  "Glad I could be useful."

It was Perkins' turn to look annoyed.  "Don't twist my words now, Soph.  Thanks in major part to you, Earth has enough room to expand into for the next century.  By then, what could possibly oppose us?  More importantly, for the first time in a long time, our people have hope for the future.  Real hope.  But I can't give you any more warships."

Conway stood up, hands clenched.  "Ed.  You have got to get the Council to change their minds.  The Ancient Guardians- the real Ancient Guardians, not these robots they've left behind- they didn't just walk off and go on holiday.  They were exterminated.  Does the Council get that?  A mature empire that probably filled up this whole quadrant was snuffed out.  So along comes humanity, and oh look, we're trying to build the very same thing from inside the very same crime scene and we have no idea where the murderer went.  One battlegroup is not enough!" 

Perkins looked his friend straight in the eye.  "I'm sorry, Soph.  The decision was made two hours ago.  There is to be a moratorium on new warship construction for the next two years, at which time the issue will be reviewed."

Conway visibly fumed.  For a moment Perkins thought she'd throw her glass at the wall... but she didn't.  Instead she sat back down with a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead with one hand.

After a quiet pause, Perkins dared speak.  "Wow, Soph.  You must be getting mellow in your old age." 

"So are you, to let the Council step all over you like that."

Perkins gave her a look, and she softened.  "I'm sorry, Ed.  That was uncalled for."   

"No.  Closer to the truth than you know.  We all have to pick our battles, Soph."

A few minutes passed as they sat in the plush room in silence. 

Perkins spoke first.  "I've missed you, Soph."

She rolled her eyes.  "As always, your sense of timing is terrible, Ed." 

"Maybe.  But you're just about the only person who has always been honest with me, no matter what." 

"Ed..."

"No.  I mean that.  And I want you to know, Soph, that while I don't win all my battles, I was able to convince the Council into granting a concession or two."

"What, the Planetary Defence project?  Good to have, but wars are not won on the defence."

"Not just that.  Better."

Conway visibly perked up at this.  "Farsight?"

Perkins smiled and nodded.  "Yes.  Farsight.  But first we have to figure out how to cram a Luna into a Pathfinder."

For most of the rest of the evening, they discussed that very thing.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

January 13, 2054

Despite the Republic's impressive ability to generate fuel, the Fleet possesses a nearly equal ability to consume it.  In the first major operation of the year the Fleet travels to Struve 2398 to clear the Ancient Guardian vessels lurking there.  Struve is six jump away from Earth, making this the furthest deployment of the Fleet yet.   It also ensures that approximately 20 million liters of fuel are expended by the Fleet just to travel there and back. 

Upon arrival at Struve, the three Ancient Guardian ships are detected in precisely the same location where they had been spotted by the Yuri Gargarin.  At 8300 tons these Nyati-class ships are somewhere in between what the Navy would classify as a corvette and a frigate.





Surprisingly, these vessels are decidedly NOT unarmed.  It is unclear why, then, the Yuri Gargarin was allowed to escape.  Either the Pathfinder's thermal sensor actually worked and it barely escaped detection, or the robotic drone-ships are operating with programming limitations that are not yet understood.

Regardless, the three ships each put up an impressive 14-missile barrage using the same Size 3 delivery platforms that we've encountered before.  In the first moments of the battle a pair of warheads manage to penetrate the Fleet's anti-missile screen and detonate on the destroyer Amalthea.  These strikes occur simultaneously near the destroyer's port missile battery, creating a rippling shock effect despite the vessel's thick armor.  One of the missile launchers is turned into fragments, resulting in four casualties (two KIA).  After this, however, every missile in every following wave is shot down.  The alien drone-ships are eliminated in short order. 

For the second time, the Amalthea is the only heavy ship in the fleet to sustain casualties during an engagement.  It is beginning to earn a reputation as a tough, but hard-luck ship.

So far, all of the Republic's victories have centered around the application of overwhelming mass and firepower.  Although this fact somewhat unfairly overshadows Admiral Conway's true talent as a leader, some military analysts quietly begin to wonder how the Fleet would fare if pitted against a foe that could match the Fleet ship for ship.





The first phase of the operation now complete, Admiral Conway directs her fleet to the adjacent system of HIP 103096.  This was one of several new systems that had been logged by the Yuri Gargarin while mapping Struve's jumpgates.  A habitable world had been noted among the system's handful of planetary bodies.  However, our Pathfinder did not investigate for fear that such a jewel would certainly be concealing yet another hostile presence.

Fortunately, that turns out not to be the case.  Despite its isolation and despite the fact that it hasn't even been surveyed yet the Republic can hardly resist the temptation to colonize such a world.   A colony expedition is launched from Corronis immediately.  As Corronis itself is not even close to being established yet, the men and women who volunteer for this expedition can truly be described as the toughest, most independent pioneer-minded people that the Republic has to offer.

And tough they must be.  This new world is the closest natural match for human habitation yet encountered, but "closest natural match" is a relative term.  While it boasts a breathable atmosphere and .97g gravity, this is a stifling, at times dangerously hot place.  This is because the planet rotates at such a close distance to its dim red star that it has become tidally locked.   Since one side always faces the star, that half of the world never cools off.  The sunward side is therefore a sun-baked hell where even the nearly-boiling oceans can cause fatal wounds.  For these reasons nearly all settlement is slated for the cooler "dark" side of the world or the thin strip of permanent twilight that separates it from the sunward side.  Eventually the Republic's growing Terraformer fleet will attempt to moderate the world's environment, but that won't be for several years at least.  For some obscure reason the planet is named Mordia.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

July-August, 2054

The geology team on Darwin has significantly enhanced that world's potential as a mining center.  Darwin now boasts a nearly unlimited amount of every known T-N mineral, including the largest high-accessibility supply of Vendarite that has been discovered anywhere.  Neutronium has also been discovered on Darwin for the first time.  While most of these deposits remain low in accessibility, with enough mining effort they will ensure that Darwin will not only be self-sufficient but that it will also supply other Republic worlds in the future.





Meanwhile, on Corronis the 83rd Construction Brigade has unearthed an amazing cache of nine fully intact Internal Confinement Fusion Drives.  These drive units are immediately shipped to earth.  The vast head start that this gives our researchers prompts a change in priorities, and 45 research labs are allocated toward further research in this technology. 

A variety of components from the wrecks at Struve 2398 have also been analyzed.  Due to these efforts as well as ongoing research in general, the Republic's sensor technology is finally nearing a point where it would make sense to perform minor refits on existing designs.

[Cavgunner (OP)]

The Farsight-class High Endurance Frigate is the result of a compromise between the Terran Republic Space Command and the Republic's Council of Ministers.  Construction of the Fleet has drained the Republic's resources and manpower, and these areas have not yet recovered.  The Council has therefore been wary of authorizing another large main-line ship such as the Luna destroyer.  There has also been a growing awareness that the Navy's aging Pathfinder-class exploration ships are now inadequate for anything other than laying nav buoys or exploring peaceful systems.  The Farsight was seen as a way to fill the exploration gap while also ensuring that the Fleet's "exploration" ships are still useful in combat.

The Farsight has suffered a convoluted design path, and the first iterations were not armed at all.   The first proposal was for a 5000-ton design using Stealth technology.  While promising, this design was very slow due to the mass of the proposed cloaking device.  The vessel also would have faced a similar problem as the Pathfinder, in that it lacked functionality as anything but a scout.  Next was a proposal for a bare-bones light carrier in the 7,000-ton range.  This ship would have held station in a "cleared" system while deploying a flotilla of small survey boats to map nearby systems.  This proposal was more attractive, but again, the design was frail, unarmed, and unsuited for combat.  The Navy desired a ship with more functionality. 

The final design proposal that evolved into the Farsight was designed, in part, with guidance from Admiral Conway and First Minister Perkins.  The Farsight takes the light carrier proposal and greatly expands upon it to include modest weaponry and military-grade components. 

The Farsight's most notable technology is the inclusion of the newest generation of Raytheon active sensors.  This new suite has nearly double the detection range of the old system currently in use on the Luna, while also weighing in at less than half the mass.  The upgraded missile fire controls are similarly more efficient.  These sensor and fire control designs will eventually find their way to other ship classes, becoming the standard.

The Farsight's launchers, guns, and magazines are intended to be drawn from existing equipment stockpiles.  These include three Raytheon Type 5 missile launchers and three 10cm Bofors railguns.  Meanwhile the single Type 165 magazine can house 36 Javelin anti-ship missiles.  The Farsight's weaponry, while modest, will thus allow it to execute its exploration and patrol function with confidence.  Most exploration losses have occurred because the Republic ship was run down by small numbers of fast attack boats.  The Farsight would have an easy time handling such opponents.

In addition, the Farsight's hull armor consists of an entirely new type of ceramic-composite.  This armor is considerably lighter than previous materials.  As a result, the Farsight's respectable Level 6 armor comprises only 10.9% of the vessel's mass, compared to 16.2% on the marginally tougher Moray-class. 

Another new defensive innovation is the Freeman Megacorp 2 Gigawatt Energy Shield Projector.  In a first for the Republic, this system is capable of generating a bubble of protective energy around the ship.  While this system can absorb only a mild amount of weapons fire, it regenerates fairly quickly.  It is therefore hoped that the shield generators will be able to take the sharp edge off of hits that manage to strike the ship.   

The Farsight's most easily observed feature, of course, is the ventrally mounted hangar bay.  This hanger can house up to four survey boats of various types.  Alternatively the Farsight might replace one or more of these boats with starfighters or other small craft, depending on the mission profile.  There is also a very generous amount of spare berthing to accommodate flight crew or long-range rescue missions.  Finally, the Farsight's generous reserves of fuel and spare components enhance the capabilities of its attached craft while also allowing the ship to perform extended solo patrols in distant systems.

Despite its lighter armor and miniaturized sensor systems, the addition of so much other equipment means the Farsight is still about 900 tons over its ideal tonnage.  Its thrust profile as designed is therefore a rather sedate 4295 km/s.  This is not viewed as a serious issue, however.  It is expected that within the next two years the Navy will begin replacing its ships' Magneto-Plasma Drives with much more powerful Internal Confinement Drives.  The Farsight and any other sister ships in service by that time will be the first to receive these drives as a pre-planned refit.  Once equipped with these drives it is believed that the Farsight will be able to simply disengage from warships it can't destroy alone, such as the Ancient Guardian Delta 80.     

Far from being a mere scout, the Farsight is a true warship designed to include an exploration and patrol function.  As such, during any major war these ships would be called upon to stand in the line of battle with the rest of the Fleet.  Thankfully, this seems like an unlikely scenario at present.

One Farsight-class frigate is in construction, the Farsight herself.  These ships will eventually replace the Pathfinders on a one-for-one basis.  Production will likely continue beyond that, but the Council has not yet committed to this.

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Farsight class High-Endurance Frigate    14 900 tons     314 Crew     2555.74 BP      TCS 298  TH 448  EM 180
4295 km/s     Armour 6-53     Shields 6-300     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 25     PPV 24
Maint Life 3.2 Years     MSP 1635    AFR 116%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 240    5YR 3603    Max Repair 448 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months    Flight Crew Berths 54   
Hangar Deck Capacity 2000 tons     Magazine 180   

General Dynamics 640 EP Magneto-plasma Drive (2)    Power 640    Fuel Use 14.31%    Signature 224    Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 1 250 000 Litres    Range 105.5 billion km   (284 days at full power)
Freeman Megacorp 2 Gigawatt Gamma R300/240 Shields (3)   Total Fuel Cost  30 Litres per hour  (720 per day)

Bofors AB 10cm Railgun V3/C3 (3x4)    Range 30 000km     TS: 4295 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bofors AB 10cm Fire Control S01.3 36-5250 (1)    Max Range: 72 000 km   TS: 5250 km/s     86 72 58 44 31 17 3 0 0 0
General Dynamics "Triple Three" Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (3)     Total Power Output 9    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Raytheon RL 4 Size 5 Missile Launcher (3)    Missile Size 5    Rate of Fire 40
Raytheon "Longbow" Missile Fire Control FC173-R100 (1)     Range 173.3m km    Resolution 100
Raytheon AuxCon II Missile Fire Control FC6-R1 (1)     Range 6.9m km    Resolution 1
Javelin Size 5 Anti-ship Missile (36)  Speed: 30 200 km/s   End: 56.8m    Range: 103m km   WH: 9    Size: 5    TH: 110/66/33

Raytheon Lynx II Active Search Sensor MR3-R1 (1)     GPS 30     Range 3.2m km    MCR 352k km    Resolution 1
Raytheon "Clear Sky" Active Search Sensor MR161-R100 (1)     GPS 14700     Range 161.7m km    Resolution 100

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

[Garfunkel]

Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.

[Father Tim]

Pathfinder is certainly an interesting approach to survey work.

Given that the Pathfinders themsleves aren't actually capable of survey work, I would dispute that.  They are fairly ordinary light carriers relying entirely on their parasites for surveying.