January 12, 2011
Washington Times
?The Bureau of Colonization Welcomes Major Mining Interests on Mars?
The Minister of Colonization today announced the opening of Mars to Amazonian Mining Consolidated and Rocky Mountain Coal Inc., two major Alliance mining consortiums. The transshipment of mining installations to Mars will begin immediately.
March 3, 2011
Alliance Presidential Mansion, Houston, Texas
?Mr. President, I think we have a situation developing with the Japanese. Admiral McMann and Minister Galvan would like to speak with you immediately.?
The President leaned back in his chair and grimaced. ?If McMann and Dolores want to speak with me immediately, then it?s got to be urgent. Send them in.?
A few seconds later Admiral McMann and the Defense Minister entered the President?s office. ?Mr. President, thank you for meeting with us on such short notice. I know you don?t have much time these days.?
?Admiral McMann, if you think you have a situation, we?d best deal with it before it turns into a war. What have the Japanese done now??
?Well, Sir, this relates to the recent report from the IIA (International Intelligence Agency). Naval Intelligence agrees that the Japanese economy is stalled and that the reason is that they are short of duranium. While the shortage appears to be temporary, they appear to be taking it seriously, and as a sign of things to come. We have confirmed reports from the Orbital Surveillance Command that the Japanese have begun loading their new freighter with the components of an automated mining complex.?
?Damn.? The President, who had been sitting leaning forward over his desk, settled back with a contemplative look on his face. ?Any idea of their destination??
?Not for sure, no. After all, they don?t have a survey ship, yet, so they can?t know where resources can be found in the solar system.?
?Unless they managed to steal our survey results.? Galvan looked like she was sucking on a lemon as she said it. The leak of TN technology secrets had caused the resignation and near prosecution of an entire government. The consequences for a leak of that magnitude again would be dire.
?We don?t think that is what is going on, Sir. The Japanese, and for that matter the Russians and anyone else paying attention, couldn?t have helped noticing that both we and the Reich we are sending massive amounts of mining equipment to Mars and Venus. It is a safe bet that if we are doing that, there is something there to be mined. They may be trying to test our resolve by forcing the issue, and trying to establish some sort of claim by their presence. After all, once they have landed their equipment, it will be much harder to evict them.?
The President shook his head. ?The Russians and the Japanese both have been very vocal about what they are calling an illegal seizure by the Alliance and the Reich of solar system resources that belong to all mankind. This wouldn?t be out of character.?
The President assumed a thoughtful look. ?Have the Russians made any moves to prepare their ships??
?No, sir. There is no love lost between the Japanese and the Russians, and they do not appear to be cooperating in this venture.?
?So it is just the Japanese??
?Yes, Sir, as far as we can tell. This may also have something to do with the death of their Fleet Commander, Sho-sa Fukuda Sadako. There seems to be some sort of power struggle between competing interests within the Japanese military.?
?Can we intercept the Japanese ships if they do head towards Mars??
?Yes, Sir, we can. The Lexington Battle Group is currently on exercises in the inner system, fully loaded with missiles and their fuel is at 90%. I have no doubt that they can overtake the Japanese ship and force them to stop, if it is necessary.?
?Do the Japanese have anything that can stop the Lexington and her group??
?Short of their planetary missile launchers, they do not. The Lexington and her group can handle anything the Japanese or the Russians throw at them, short of a full launch by their ground based missile complement.?
?Will they stop, if we warn them that the alternative is destruction??
Now it was the admiral?s turn to look thoughtful. ?You never can tell with the Japanese. There is no doubt that that the ship is a transport, and it isn?t likely that it?ll be armed or armored. Japanese ship captains have been known to follow nonsensical orders before, though. If their government orders them to continue in the face of our warnings, their captains will likely do it, regardless of the threats we make.?
?It is possible that they are heading for Venus, though, which would make them the Reich?s problem, not ours??
?That is very possible, Mr. President.?
The President considered the situation for a few minutes, and then nodded to the Admiral. ?Admiral, I need to think about this, and consult with my advisors. How long until the Japanese launch??
?Approximately thirty six hours, sir.?
?Very well, recall the Lexington and have them stand by for action. We cannot allow the Japanese to land on Mars. The ruins there may still hold scientific secrets that would be very dangerous in the hands of the Russians. I?ll have specific orders for you by tomorrow.?
The Minister for Defense and Admiral McMann left in a hurry. Both had much to do.
On March 5th the Japanese ship completed loading and lifted off. It didn?t hesitate in orbit but continued outwards on a course that would take it directly to Mars. The pair of Reich warships hovering close to their orbital yards, which had increased their readiness as the Japanese ship?s launch date approached, now stood down, apparently content to see the Japanese ship heading away from their colony and towards the Alliance?s.
The Japanese ship was crawling along at 1159 kps, roughly a third of the maximum speed of the Alliance task force, even at the 80% cap. The surprising thing, the thing that caught everyone off guard, was that it wasn?t alone. Accompanying the freighter was a small ship that had just been launched from the Japanese orbital yards. Alliance Intelligence had previously identified this ship class as either a survey unit or a light warship of some sort. In any case, the freighter wasn?t alone and this unanticipated fact increased the alert levels throughout the Alliance military.
Admiral McMann, acting on the direct orders of the President of the Alliance, ordered the Lexington Battle Group to deploy to Mars, and to intercept the Japanese ships short of the planet. The Lexington and her consorts would reach Mars two days before the Japanese ships, and would have plenty of time to prepare.
Commodore Carmelita Laducer, CO of the Lexington and senior officer of the battle group, ordered her ships to await the Japanese ships nine million kilometers from Mars, one million kilometers short of the exclusion zone around Mars established by the Alliance Ministerial Council.
There was a tense period of time aboard the Alliance warships as the Japanese ships dropped off of their active sensor screens, and the passive detection systems on both Mars and Earth, but the Japanese ships reappeared right on schedule, headed towards Mars as anticipated.
At 1259 hours, March 8th, the Japanese ships crossed the demarcation line and into the exclusion zone. Commodore Laducer?s response was immediate. ?Imperial ship, you have crossed into the Alliance Martian Exclusion Zone. Withdraw immediately or you will be fired upon.?
The seconds ticked by, with tensions increasing throughout the squadron. After ten seconds had passed, more than enough time for their message to reach the Japanese, and for a reply to come back, Commodore Laducer tried again. ?Japanese ships, you will not be permitted to land on Mars. Turn back immediately, or you will be fired upon. This is your last warning.? As soon as the message was off, Commodore Laducer turned to her weapons officer. ?Ready a full spread of missiles. Target the freighter. If they stop, or turn back, I want the missiles diverted to a holding pattern until they either run out of fuel or the Japanese make a nuisance of themselves again.? She turned to her comm. officer. ?Contact our escorts and tell them to charge their weapons and stand ready for missile defense, just in case the Japanese have something we didn?t anticipate.?
By the time the orders had gone out it was clear that the Japanese weren?t going to stop. They had broken the exclusion zone and had closed to within 920,000 km?s of the battle group. Laducer watched for few seconds, knowing she had no choice. Finally, she decided. ?Launch.?
A loud ?thump? sounded throughout the Lexington as three Standard Missiles were ejected from their launch tubes. The missiles, spat out of their tubes near the centerline of the ship, far back amidships, stabilized themselves on their pre-programmed headings and activated their engines, blurring into motion at 12,000 kps.
The missiles took seventy-five seconds to cross the space between the Alliance Battle Group and the oncoming Japanese ships. Laducer?s people watched vigilantly for the slightest sign that the Japanese were going to stop or turn back, but the oncoming ships never deviated from their course. Neither did the three missiles. The missiles ran straight and true, and the slow moving freighter was a sitting duck. All three missiles slammed into the bulky ship. The first missile scoured the freighter?s hull and took out its cargo hold, along with its cargo. The second missile slammed into the aft area of the damaged Japanese ship, taking out two thirds of the ship?s engines. The last missile finished the job, taking out the last engine and the ship?s fuel tankage.
?Heavy damage registered on the target, Ma?am. Sensors show atmosphere and wreckage separating from the target, which has come to a complete stop.?
?What about the other ship?? Commodore Laducer?s face showed nothing but complete concentration.
?The other ship has turned back and is closing on the damaged ship.?
?Ma?am, message incoming from the Japanese ship.?
Very well, put it up on the monitor.?
After a few seconds the monitor cleared to show a young officer bearing the insignia of a Dai-i, a rank approximately commensurate with Laducer?s. The Japanese officer?s face was blank, but Laducer thought that she could detect the fury that she was sure lurked beneath the surface. After a few seconds the officer began to speak.
?Cease fire. We are turning back to go to the assistance of our freighter. We have no weapons. This illegal act, this act of piracy, will be addressed at the highest levels. You will not be allowed to steal resources that belong to the entire race.?
?Dai-i, I have my orders. You will not be allowed to approach any closer to Mars. I will allow you to render what aide is necessary to the freighter, but then you will leave. Do you understand??
Once the message reached the Japanese ship, the bitterness became obvious on the other officer?s face. ?We will leave. But this is not over.? The screen blanked.
One hour later life pods sped away from the freighter and the ship self-destructed. The Japanese survey ship chased down the pods, then turned away from Mars. The survey ship accelerated to 2857 kps and headed back to Earth. The 1st Alliance Battle Group shadowed them all the way back, keeping a watchful eye, or in this case, set of sensors, on the Japanese ship.
Once back on Earth the Japanese ship refueled and dropped off the survivors from the freighter, and then set out for Mercury, presumably to begin surveying the solar system?s planets and moons for resources. The Japanese government protested what they called the Alliance?s high-handed and piratical actions, and tensions increased all across the world. For a short time it appeared that the Japanese were preparing to launch missiles from their ground based launchers at the 1st BG, but in the end they decided not to.
Commodore Laducer was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for her actions during the Japanese Incursion, and the Lexington?s crew was awarded a unit citation. In May, Commodore Laducer would be promoted to Rear Admiral in the WASF. The Japanese survey ship returned to Earth and dropped off the survivors of the freighter, then set out for Mercury to begin a methodical survey of the Solar System?s planets.
April 22, 2011
NBS Nightly News
The news show opens with the anchor, a dignified older man, sitting in front of graphic showing a large building somewhere in Europe. ?Nigel Hardwicke, Alliance Foreign Minister, announced today the completion of negotiations with the Reich in Berne. Minister Hardwicke held a press conference on the steps of the Bundeshaus, where the meetings took place.?
The scene cuts away to show the Alliance Foreign Minister on the steps of the building pictured in the graphic behind the anchor. ?We have signed a momentous agreement with the Reich today, one that will secure our position on Mars and theirs on Venus for all time. The Reich has agreed to recognize our claim on Mars, in return for our recognition for their claim on Venus. We both have agreed to support each other?s claim against any other nation, or combination of nations, that may attempt to disrupt our legitimate operations in our legally recognized territory. Hopefully, this agreement will mean that there will be no more incidents like the recent Mars Incursion, and no more loss of life.?
The camera cut back to the anchor. ?Reaction from the other nations has ranged from indifference to open hostility. The Japanese and Russian governments have both characterized this treaty as a ?land grab? and illegal. The Indian government?s spokeswoman merely stated that she hoped that this agreement would reduce tensions between the nations, while the Confederation?s Foreign Minister claimed that the agreement was further proof of the exploitation of the poor by the rich.?
May, 2011
Confidential
Report to the President of the Alliance
Intelligence reports confirm the original information. The survey report by the Japanese Geology Team is correct, the amount of Corbomite in Earth?s core has been seriously underestimated, perhaps by a factor of 1,000. Unfortunately, their further conclusions also appear to be correct, and have been verified by independent sources. Earth?s resources have now been completely mapped; no further deposits remain to be found.
December, 2011
Most Secret
Prepared for the Alliance Council of Ministers
Intelligence Appreciation of the current situation
European Reich
The Raumarine currently comprises one cruiser class ship and four destroyer class ships, all approximately similar in size to our own cruiser and destroyer class units. Very little is known about their capabilities. Public statements by Raumarine officers and the Reich government indicate that the Raumarine depends completely on missiles for both offense and defense, and this is consistent with the observed configuration of their ships. Current intelligence evaluations indicate that the Reich?s missile technology is in advance of the Alliance.
The Reich has also deployed three freighters and two colony ships, all of which are currently occupied expanding their Venusian colony. Finally, the Reich has a single survey ship, currently surveying the outer system.
Observation of Venus, coupled with analysis of the activity of the Reich?s freighters and colony ships, indicates that the Reich?s Venusian colony has a population approximately twice that of the Alliance?s Mars colony, perhaps six to seven million. The reports also estimate that the Reich has not been able to move as much of their mining capacity to Venus as the Alliance has to Mars due to their smaller lift capacity.
Reich security around their ongoing efforts to excavate and exploit the ruins they have found is very tight, and Alliance Intelligence Agencies have made very little progress towards penetrating that security. In May of this year the Raumarine diverted their 1st Flotilla from exercises in the inner system back to Earth, where their cruiser, the Blucher, unloaded what appeared to be its entire missile complement. The Flotilla then set out for Venus, where something was loaded into the Blucher?s missile magazines and then transported back to Earth. The Blucher and her Flotilla made a total of three trips to Earth, and something was unloaded from the Blucher?s magazines each time. Attempts to determine what was going on have run into dead ends, although it is almost certain that the Reich?s explorers have discovered something on Venus.
USSR
The People?s Space Navy is composed of a single cruiser class unit launched this year. The capabilities of this ship are currently unknown, however, analysis of visual scans indicate that the ship is equipped with two turrets. Preliminary analysis seems to indicate that the Russians are not using laser weaponry, and may be using either rail guns or gauss cannons.
In addition, the USSR has fielded two freighters and a survey ship. There are indications that the Russians had planned to make use of their freighters this year, however, their plans appear to have been cancelled after the destruction of the Japanese freighter in the Mars Incursion. The IIA has evidence that there have been high-level meetings between the Russians and the Japanese, possibly in response to the Berne Treaty.
Japanese Empire
The Imperial Space Navy is composed of one cruiser class unit. Naval Intelligence has not been able to determine the armament or capabilities of this class, but current estimates are that, given the generally lower level of Japanese technology in general, their cruisers will not be as capable as ours.
The Japanese have also launched two freighters and an exploration ship. Aside from their attempt to colonize Mars, they have made no other attempts to establish a colony in the solar system.
Indian Republic
The Indian government has launched four freighters and a survey ship. Like the other governments, they have not yet established a colony elsewhere in the solar system.
African Confederation
The Confederation has deployed a survey ship and a freighter, but has made no attempts to establish an off-world colony.
Alliance
The WASF has grown to five ships, one City class cruiser and four Admiral class destroyers. A second City class cruiser is under construction, as are two additional destroyers. In addition, two Invasion class troop transports have been laid down, and should be completed in mid-2012. Finally, the WASF has fielded a single exploration ship, the Magellan.
The civilian fleet has grown to comprise eight freighters and one colony ship, all of which are occupied expanding the colony on Mars. This is not expected to change during the coming year.
The events surrounding the Mars Incursion have convinced the Alliance government that Mars must be fortified and able to withstand attacks on its own. Therefore, the Invasion class troop transport was designed to carry troops to Mars both to defend it and to build PDC?s. The ship is unarmed but carries substantial passive defenses.
The Mars Colony has grown to 3.25 million people, and has thirty seven mines and one hundred and fifty two automated mines working to provide resources for Alliance industries on Earth. This is a substantial portion of the mining capacity of the entire Alliance, and this fact has played a substantial role in motivating the Council to provide defenses for Mars.
Project Blue Gorgon, the salvage effort at Cydonia on Mars, has made a significant discovery. The Mulch Cybernetic Team managed to unlock one of the vaults found beneath the Martian colony. Previous vaults have yielded factories or mining equipment, however, this vault contained something different. In this vault they found fifteen large pieces of machinery. These appear to be components of a much larger construct, although the teams have not been able to determine exact what it is or what the components do. Each component is large enough to fill the holds of a standard General Systems Freighter, and arrangements are being made to bring the components back to Earth for study.
Invasion class Troop Transport 5000 tons 309 Crew 624.2 BP TCS 100 TH 420 EM 900
4200 km/s Armour 5-26 Shields 30-375 Sensors 66/0/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 200% IFR: 2.8% Maintenance Capacity 78 MSP
Troop Capacity 1 Divisions
Rolls Royce Ion Engine (7) Power 60 Efficiency 0.70 Signature 60 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 25.7 billion km (70 days at full power)
Republic DS Delta Class Shields (12) Total Fuel Cost 210 Litres per day
Cyberdyne Class C Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 66 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 66m km
