January 1, 2015
After Action Report, Battle of Titan, USSR
Internal Military Report, Prepared by the GRU for the People’s Space Navy
The action off of Titan resulted in the loss of four Kirov class cruisers, design specifics noted below:
Kirov class Cruiser 6000 tons 479 Crew 740.2 BP TCS 120 TH 400 EM 0
3333 km/s Armour 8-29 Shields 0-0 Sensors 32/0/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 18
Annual Failure Rate: 288% IFR: 4% Maintenance Capacity 77 MSP
Nuclear Pulse Engine (10) Power 40 Efficiency 0.80 Signature 40 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 18.7 billion km (65 days at full power)
Twin Gauss Cannon R2-17 Turret (2x4) Range 20,000km TS: 9600 km/s Power 0-0 RM 2 ROF 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12cm Railgun V3/C2 (2x4) Range 60,000km TS: 3333 km/s Power 6-2 RM 3 ROF 15 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
DP Fire Control S02 48-2400 (3) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 2400 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Pebble Bed Reactor (2) Total Power Output 6 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Active Search Sensor S80-R20/100 (1) GPS 1600 Range 16.0m km Resolution 20
Lg Thermal Sensor TH4-32/100 (1) Sensitivity 32 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 32m km
The initial phase of the battle began when the Japanese fleet launched missiles at long range. Analysis of the data from the battle indicates that the Japanese missiles were launched at least at 15,000,000 kilometers, had a maximum speed of 10,700 kps, and had a warhead strength of three on the standard WH strength scale. The Japanese fleet launched a total of one hundred and twenty eight missiles from two ships, divided into eight salvoes.
The Japanese missile salvo was ineffective in damaging the cruisers in any meaningful way. The Japanese missiles were very inaccurate, and that inaccuracy combined with point defense fire and the heavy armor of the Kirov class cruisers rendered their missile fire ineffective.
The missile barrage’s ineffectiveness was in spite of the failure of the cruiser’s main weaponry when fired in the point defense mode. As per standard procedures, the commanding officers of the cruisers used their main weapons, the dual mount 120 mm rail guns, slaved to the ship’s point defense tracking systems. The rail guns discharged against the first missile salvo with great effect, however, after discharging the power transfer systems suffered a catastrophic failure, rendering the rail guns inoperable. Damage control efforts were of limited effect, and it became clear that a fundamental design flaw in the power transfer systems had caused the problem and could not be remedied short of a shipyard. The commanding officers of the cruisers ordered their engineers to do anything they could to get the weapons operating again, up to and including further damaging other systems in the ship to repair the weapons.
At this point the commanding officers petitioned Podpolkhovnik Petrenko, the commanding officer/commissar of the squadron, for permission to disengage to effect repairs. It was noted that the People’s Fleet enjoyed a speed advantage of at least 1,300 kps, and that the enemy had apparently expended its entire supply of long-range weapons. Podpolkhovnik Petrenko denied the petition, noting that his orders required a complete interdiction of Titan, and that any retreat would allow the Japanese to land reinforcements. Podpolkhovnik Petrenko then issued orders to advance on the Japanese fleet, and for repairs to be carried out on the main weapons.
The second phase of the battle began when the two fleets entered close range (less than 100,000 kilometers). The Japanese ships, two cruiser class units and four smaller destroyer class units, opened fire with laser weaponry. Later analysis determined that the Japanese cruisers were equipped with 12 cm lasers in two triple turrets, while the smaller destroyers were equipped with a single triple turret with 12 cm lasers. Two Japanese cruisers remained out of range launching missiles, and based on their observed performance capability it is apparent that it was these two cruisers that launched the earlier long range barrage.
The Japanese lasers gained in effectiveness as they closed range. Unfortunately, the jury-rigged repairs that had been carried out on the main weapons of our cruisers during the approach failed on all four ships when they attempted to engage their weapons. Thereafter our ships were able to effect repairs only sporadically, destroying one enemy destroyer and damaging another.
Conclusion: Podpolkhovnik Petrenko’s decision to continue advancing on the enemy in spite of the inoperable condition of his weapons directly led to the loss of his fleet and ultimately to the loss of the Titan mining complex. While he was correct in his interpretation of his orders and the implication of a failure to stop the Japanese fleet, pressing on without his main weapons in a functional condition merely meant that not only was the mining complex lost, but that the fleet was lost as well.
Recommendations: The design flaw in the Kirov’s main weaponry has already been addressed, and alterations have already been made in the units under construction to eliminate the flaw. Analysis of the battle data indicate that when the rail guns were functional they performed well, striking with significant accuracy and doing significant amounts of damage.
Extensive analysis of the effectiveness of the Kirov’s point defense weaponry has revealed several weaknesses. The Kirov’s two twin gauss cannon turrets are rated for 9,600 kps targeting capacity; however, due to considerations for available space and expense reasons, the Kirov’s dual-purpose tracking systems only have a maximum tracking speed of 2,400 kps. Based on the design team’s notes it is apparent that they hoped that at some point in the future an upgraded tracking system capable of fully utilizing the turret’s high tracking speed would become available. It is recommended that a new, high-speed tracking system be developed, or that the turrets be removed and replaced with limited-traverse hull mounts. The limited-traverse mounts are less expensive and consume less space on the ship, allowing approximately twice as many weapons to be mounted in the same space.
One further weakness was identified. The Kirov class cruiser’s sensors did not detect the Japanese missiles until they were on their terminal attack runs. This was not considered important at first, as their anti-missile weaponry was of limited range and could not have engaged the missiles even if they had been detected further out. While this is true, the capability to detect incoming missiles at a significant range would be very important to have under most conceivable situations, therefore, the authors recommend the inclusion of dedicated missile detection systems in the next cruiser design.
January 1, 2015
After Action Report, Battle of Titan, Imperial Japanese Navy
Conclusion: The apparent confusion of the Russian commanders and the ineffectiveness of their weapons led directly to the destruction of their fleet and their loss of Titan. Their rail gun weapons, when functioning, were longer-ranged than our lasers and their effective use, coupled with the Russian ship’s faster speed, could have been devastating.
Recommendations: The Standard Missile has been revealed as less than effective. Due to the fact that the enemy ships could not be detected until the fleet had approached to less than 15 million kilometers, their full range of 50 million kilometers could not be used effectively. In addition, they proved to be relatively inaccurate when targeted on the Russian ships, which revealed speed in excess of 3,300 kps. Recommend new missiles be developed to replace the Standard Missile as soon as possible.
Standard Missile:
Missile Size: 3 MSP (0.15 HS) Warhead: 3 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 10700 km/s Endurance: 78 minutes Range: 50.2m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.0333
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 107% 3k km/s 30% 5k km/s 21.4% 10k km/s 10.7%
Materials Required: 0.75x Tritanium 0.2833x Gallicite Fuel x2500
Long Lance Missile (Proposed Design)
Missile Size: 3 MSP (0.15 HS) Warhead: 3 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 18700 km/s Endurance: 15 minutes Range: 16.7m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.4333
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 187% 3k km/s 60% 5k km/s 37.4% 10k km/s 18.7%
Materials Required: 0.75x Tritanium 0.6833x Gallicite Fuel x625
In addition to improved missiles, more advanced missile tactics should be developed to perfect the Fleet’s use of the existing missiles.
Analysis of the battle data clearly showed that the Russian rail guns were effective over a much longer range than our 12 cm lasers. Therefore, research should be conducted to develop lasers with a longer range, so as to reduce or eliminate the Russian range advantage.
Finally, the current engine improvement research project should be accelerated, to reduce or eliminate the current Russian speed advantage.
January 2, 2015
The Alliance Navy, which closely observed the action off of Titan, has put forward a new design proposal for their City class cruisers. The Alliance Navy observers noted that the Japanese long-range missile engagement against the Russian cruisers was inconclusive. The Alliance Navy has long been ambivalent about the missile weaponry of the City class, and the evidence that ships equipped with 266% greater launch capacity were ineffective has tipped the scales towards eliminating the cruiser class’ missiles in favor of more beam weaponry.
City R2 class Cruiser 6500 tons 629 Crew 1046 BP TCS 130 TH 480 EM 1140
3692 km/s Armour 3-31 Shields 38-375 Sensors 44/0/0/0 Damage Control Rating 13 PPV 26
Annual Failure Rate: 112% IFR: 1.6% Maintenance Capacity 302 MSP
Rolls Royce Ion Engine (8) Power 60 Efficiency 0.70 Signature 60 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 59.3 billion km (186 days at full power)
Republic DS Delta Class Shields (15) Total Fuel Cost 263 Litres per day
15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser (2) Range 180,000km TS: 3692 km/s Power 6-3 RM 3 ROF 10 6 6 6 4 3 3 2 2 2 1
Twin 10cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser Turret (2x2) Range 90,000km TS: 12800 km/s Power 6-6 RM 3 ROF 5 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 0
Gerard Systems PD Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 12800 km/s 84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
Cyberdyne MB Fire Control (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 3200 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
Thiesen GC Fast Reactor (2) Total Power Output 18 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Cyberdyne Class A Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 3360 Range 33.6m km Resolution 40
Cyberdyne Class A Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 44 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 44m km
The R2 version replaces the missile launchers, magazine capacity, and missile tracking systems with an additional 15 cm laser, 10 cm PD turret, and a second generator to power them.
January 21, 2015, 1022 hours
The Indian ships had been hovering off of their comet base since shortly after the Sino-Soviet conflict heated up. No one in the Indian government could think of a reason why any of the other nations would want to attack them, but the potential loss to the Republic if the prize buried under the comet’s surface was lost was too great to take a chance on.
Still, the Japanese and the Soviets were talking now, if not amicably, and tensions seemed to be decreasing, so the Indian crews hoped that they would get to go home soon. Things weren’t going to work out quite like they thought, though.
Even as the Indian crews went about their routine business, three ships creeping along at barely 50 kps were just 1.85 million kilometers away, and they could finally see their targets on their thermal sensors. Unfortunately, thermal sensor contacts weren’t good enough to refine their targeting solutions, so they were forced to activate their sensors to localize the Indian ships. Fortunately for them the Indian ships didn’t have EM sensors, so the sudden increase in energy output didn’t give away their presence.
The active sensors gave them the data they needed, and each of the three ships began launching missiles. The each launched eight missiles, and then every forty seconds later they launched another eight, for a total of sixteen missiles per ship. The missiles proceeded approximately 30,000 kilometers towards the comet and then came to a halt. Finally all forty eight missiles were orbiting 1.82 million kilometers from the comet, waiting. In the meantime, the three ships had turned ninety degrees from their original course towards the comet and boosted their speed to 500 kps. The increased speed was a risk, as it boosted their thermal signature by a factor of ten, but the mission planners had information that the Indian thermal sensors weren’t much better than theirs, and thus felt confident that the Indian ships wouldn’t be able to pick up the ships as they moved away from the launch area.
For twenty five minutes the ships stealthily moved away from their launch point, while still maintaining their target within detection range. Finally, after achieving a good separation from their missile salvo, they transmitted new targeting information to the orbiting missiles.
Instantly, the forty-eight missiles turned towards the comet and its orbiting umbrella of defensive warships. One hundred and fifty five seconds later the orbiting Indian warships, all of whom had their active sensors sweeping the skies, finally saw the incoming missiles. The missiles were just 270,000 kilometers out at that point, giving the Indians just twenty seven seconds to react. Outwardly there was no reaction, but inside the Indian ships were hives of activity as their crews raced to their stations.
Twenty-six seconds later the Indian ships went into action and their large turrets began spitting out mesons. There was no visible fire coming from the ships, but even so missiles began exploding. Thirteen out of the forty-eight missiles exploded short of their targets, but that left thirty-five missiles still racing towards the surprised ships. In an incredible feat of accuracy thirty out of thirty-five missiles hit their targets. Each missile proved to have a small warhead, but each of the three Indian warships targeted was hit by multiple missiles.
The Indian warships were lightly built, essentially open frames holding the ship’s components together with a thin skin over the resulting assembly more for meteor protection than anything else. The ships did not mount shields or real armor. The lead ship gained the most benefit from the point defense fire, and was hit by only six missiles, receiving damage to one engine. The second targeted ship was hit by nine missiles, and suffered much more serious damage, losing both its reactor and its turret, along with its thermal sensors. The third ship was the hardest hit, being struck by fifteen missiles. This ship lost three engines, one of its two crew quarters, and all of its sensors.
The missile attack was over, leaving the Indians in a quandary. They didn’t see the incoming missiles until they were very close, and they still couldn’t see the attacking ships. While the Indian commanders tried to decide what to do, the attacking ships were launching missiles again. This time they launched two salvoes of ten and nine missiles respectively, all targeted on the same empty patch of space that the first salvos had been targeted on. One hundred and five seconds later (including some delay for the launch orders to be received and understood), the fifty seven missiles of the second attack wave were all on their way towards the assembly point.
Meanwhile, back on the Indian warships, a debate raged among the commanders of the Indian Fleet. One hundred and forty five people had been killed in the first attack, and they had no way of knowing if another was on its way. Some of the commanders wanted to go out and look for the attacking ships, while others wanted to maximize their strength by remaining together in orbit. Dividing the fleet would be a necessity if they wished to advance, given that the hardest hit ship was reduced to less than half speed.
While they debated, the second missile strike approached. It took under two minutes for the missiles to assemble at the way-point, and then they turned inwards after having received their final targeting information. By that point Vice Admiral Paramjit Singh had decided that the fleet would remain close to the comet, to protect the colony below. Singh was a respected leader, and if the officers and crews of his ships thought he was a little bit too cautious at times, they also respected the depth of his knowledge of and commitment to the Navy. The fact that he was a deeply religious man helped as well.
Ninety five seconds later the second attack wave materialized on the Indian ship’s sensor screens. The crews were at their stations and they had all been expecting it, so there was no confusion as the new wave of missiles roared towards the Indian ships. Still, the tension mounted. There were more missiles in this wave than the last, and they had lost one of their defensive turrets in the first wave. Everyone knew this would be a hard blow.
Twenty seven seconds later the missiles struck. Nine missiles were shot down on approach, and then the rest flashed in and struck their targets, the three warships left undamaged after the first wave. The T-005 was hit by no less than eighteen missiles and left a wreck without any engines, weapons or fuel. The T-004 benefited from the squadron’s point defense fire and was only hit by ten missiles, losing its weapons, reactor, sensors, and an engine. The T-006 was hit by seventeen missiles, one less than the T-005, but it suffered several secondary explosions in its engines and was completely destroyed. Forty four crew members out of three hundred and fifty manage to make it to the escape pods. The captain was killed on the bridge.
In the seconds after the raid the commander of the T-005, Commodore Kaur, concerned that another attack wave was inbound, ordered her crew to abandon ship. The remaining four ships of the Indian squadron waited, their crews tense, but no other attacks materialized. Two ships were gone, and hundreds of crewmembers were dead, and they had never seen their attackers.
The Indian squadron stayed on station for another five days and then set out for Earth. At their reduced speed it would take the damaged ships over 71 days to make earth orbit. Before they left the least damaged ship delicately lowered itself onto the surface of the comet near the location of the Indian ground base. The ship remained there for six hours, and then lifted off again with the bulk of the Indian survey crews aboard. The ship also picked up a cargo from something that the Indians had found buried deep within the ice. The Indians had originally planned to study their find out here, far from prying eyes, but the attack had made it apparent that their position on the comet wasn’t secure.
An hour after the ships left a nuclear weapon detonated deep within the comet. It didn’t harm the automated mining complexes the Indians left behind, and as the blast was contained deep within the comet it was undetectable at any distance from the comet.
February 2, 2015
The Japanese Fleet returned to Earth orbit. The Imperial Fleet came in with full shields and sensors active. The Russian bases went active themselves, but took no other action. Aside from minor skirmishes along the Japanese/Russian border the 2nd Sino-Soviet war appears to have guttered out.
February, 2015
The first Alliance Battlecruiser, the Virginia, is launched from the orbital yards. The Virginia is the largest warship in the Solar System, and is greeted by much pomp and circumstance upon its launch. After the celebrations the Virginia is taken out on a shakedown and training cruise along with its two brand new Admiral class escorts.
April 6, 2015
Four battered Indian warships limp into Earth orbit. Fleets of shuttles meet the warships and begin offloading the survivors and equipment. The incoming ships are escorted in by two brand new warships just launched from the Indian orbital yards. The survivors of the fleet are greeted by parades and fanfares in the major Indian cities, but the joy at the crew’s return is short lived. The citizens are upset and uneasy at the fact that the government let the disaster happen in the first place, and that no other nation has been named as the culprit.
Under cover of the frenzied repair and recovery efforts, none of the other nations notice that much of the activity around the newly arrived ships is concentrated on the least damaged unit.
The Indian government announces to their own citizens and to the world that their fleet was damaged in an unprovoked attack while in orbit over internationally recognized Indian territory by what they called a “rogue nation”. The Indian government also pledges to do its utmost to determine the identity of the nation that attacked them and swears that it will take “All appropriate action” once the identity is known.
In the days after the disaster the Indian government had appointed a committee composed of military officers, government officials, and leading citizens to investigate the disaster. After examining all of the information the committee announced that it had to wait until the fleet returned to continue its investigation. Now, with the fleet back, the committee on the Comet Disaster, as it’s become known, goes into high gear. The committee has unlimited access to all departments of the Indian government, including the Navy.
The Indian people want to know who was responsible for the death of so many men and women, but unfortunately, even a month after the fleet returns the committee is still unable to make that determination. The Fleet had no data on the attackers, aside from their missiles, and the missiles matched no known missile. An analysis of the movement of the ships of the various nations is fruitless as well. Every single nation had multiple ships away from Earth at the time of the attack, and many had been away more than long enough to make the voyage to the comet. It seemed likely to the committee that the Russians were unlikely to be involved, given the fact that their entire fleet was destroyed at Titan before the Battle of the Comet. Equally, the Japanese Fleet was hovering over Titan when the attack at the comet took place.
Those facts seemed to clear the Japanese and the Russians, however, naval designers pointed out that it would be relatively easy to mount missile launchers and magazines on ships that outwardly appeared to be freighters, thus any of the several dozen freighters on various missions around the system could have been the culprit. Neither of the two nations had any known reason to attack, though, and it seemed logical that neither would want a new enemy at a time when they were engaged in an active war with each other.
Both the Alliance and the Reich had naval squadrons out of detection range of the Earth at the time of the attack, but both vehemently denied being involved in the attack, and neither had any real reason to attack the Republic. That left the African Confederation, but they seemed even more unlikely to attack. The African Confederation had no off-world interests, and had paid very little attention to events off-world. They, like every one else, had sortied their navy when the fighting started on Titan, so they were a suspect along with everyone else. In response, the Africans claimed that their navy was in the Saturnian moon system during the attack, observing the battle between the Russians and the Japanese. Both the Reich and the Alliance confirmed several sightings of African ships in and around the moons of Saturn. And then, of course, there were all of the numerous freighters that belonged to the various nations, many of which were out of sensor range of Earth at the time of the battle.
All of this left the Indian Republic with no where to focus its anger and distrust. Finally, the President of the Republic gave a speech stating that the Republic would never forgive, and never give up looking for the culprits, but that they had to move on to more productive pursuits. During this time the committee had been looking at other issues as well, and now its other findings came to the fore. The committee determined that regardless of the identity of the attackers, the fault for the disaster laid squarely at the feet of those behind the initial Indian Naval buildup. Because of political, economic, and military pressures the architects of the Indian Navy decided to build and deploy deeply flawed warships that were completely incapable of even defending themselves, much less taking any effective action against an enemy. The report was scathing, and as a result, many Parliamentarians, government officials, and naval officers are forced to retire or resign, including Admiral Indu Tilak, head of the Indian Navy.
In an attempt to rebuild its reputation the Navy announces that it will completely reassess its needs and begin designing a new navy from scratch.
The Battle of the Comet and its political aftermath does much to sour the international atmosphere with fear and distrust. The four nations with mining complexes or colonies elsewhere in the solar system have had a demonstration of just how easy it would be for an attacker to launch a devastating attack sight-unseen, and the fact that someone has done just that and apparently gotten away with it has done much to spread distrust among the nations.
June, 2015
The world thought that the 2nd Sino-Soviet war had ended with the destruction of the Soviet fleet off of Titan. Tensions had risen when the Japanese fleet returned to Earth orbit, but then, when the Russians took no action, things slowly returned to normal. Both the Alliance and the Reich sent the bulk of their fleets out on maneuvers in late April, and when things remained quiet they resumed cargo transport to their colonies on Venus and Mars.
During the months after the battle at Titan, the war between the USSR and Japan smoldered and sputtered. There were several pitched air battles over Soviet or Japanese territory, with neither side claiming a clear victory. There were also several clashes at see, and an almost constant skirmishing along the USSR’s border with the Japanese Empire’s China Territories. Pressure from the other nations kept the lid on things, or at least it had until now.
Both sides had become frustrated by the inconclusive nature of the low-level combat, and in the end field grade officers on both sides took matters into their own hands and escalated the conflict along the border. Before either high command knew what was happening the conflict had widened to include elements from eleven infantry and marine divisions.
The fighting was devastating as tactical nukes were used from the start. ECM, laser point defenses, and in particular armor had increased in effectiveness to the point where ultra-clean tac sub-nuke munitions were standard issue down to the platoon level. In spite of their rating as ultra-clean, these munitions were only relatively clean and in five day’s fighting enough radioactivity and dust was kicked into the atmosphere to affect the entire world.
Neither side escaped unscathed. Both sides lost heavily in terms of ground units assigned to the battle. The USSR lost four infantry divisions and an engineer unit, which had been pressed into service during the battle. The Japanese losses were slightly lighter, with two infantry and two garrison units lost in the fighting in China.
While the Japanese Empire’s military losses were lighter than the Russians, the same wasn’t true for their economic losses. The reason for the Russian’s heavier military losses was that at the outset of the fighting, they had made a concerted push to attack the Japanese Empire’s extensive shipbuilding industry in China. In spite of their losses, their attacks were successful in destroying approximately 20% of the Empire’s shipyard capacity in China, most of which was concentrated on building the Empire’s cruiser class warships. The Russians didn’t escape unscathed as Japanese air strikes, conducted under cover of the fighting in northern China, destroyed the USSR’s only commercial service facility, crippling the USSR’s ability to service and maintain its freighters.
Both the Alliance and the Reich, which are under extreme amounts of pressure from their own citizens who are concerned about the radioactivity and dust in the atmosphere, threaten the two warring governments with all out war if they do not stop fighting. The USSR and the Empire, both of which are shocked at their military and economic losses, agree to a ceasefire and negotiations led and mediated by the two major nations.
September, 2015
The USSR and the Japanese Empire agree to terms that will end their abortive war. In essence the negotiations have recognized the status quo, with the Empire maintaining possession of Titan and both sides reducing the readiness level of the troops facing each other along the Russian-Chinese border.
October, 2015
Persistent rumors have been reaching Alliance Intelligence; all pointing to the fact that the Reich has made a breakthrough in magneto-plasma drive technology. These rumors appear to be confirmed when the Reich begins bringing in its ships for refit. Orbital surveillance confirms that the refit work appears to be centered on the ship’s engine spaces.
The Alliance Navy considers this to be a very serious technology gap, as the Alliance is still at least eighteen months from fielding a working MP drive.
November, 2015
The USSR announces a new extra-planetary resource exploitation effort. The USSR declines to state the location of the new mining colonies, but both major powers shadow their freighters and discover that the Russians are colonizing an asteroid with moderate resource deposits and Oberon, a moon of Uranus.
December, 2015
The Indian Navy announces the completion of the design process for its new cruiser, the Raiput. Although its exact specifications are a secret, the Navy spokesperson states that the new ship is well protected and much more capable than the older Tabar class warships that fought in the Battle of the Comet.
The Indian research establishment has been largely occupied since the Battle of the Comet with developing new systems for the Raiput. Now that that work is done, their attention turns to reverse-engineering the ancient machine brought back from the Comet. This work is done in utter secrecy, with the most extreme security precautions that the Indian Republic can bring to bear.
Intelligence Report, December 2015
Alliance
The Alliance’s Mars Colony has now reached a population of 26.5 million colonists. The colony supports over two hundred and sixty seven mining complexes, both manned and unmanned, and eight mass driver installations. The colony is guarded by three colonial defense stations, and the 1st Colonial Army is currently working on assembling a planetary missile defense station.
The resource situation is not yet serious, but continues to be of concern to the Alliance Council. The rate of depletion of the Earth’s resources has slowed somewhat, primarily because the major powers have shifted a significant percentage of their mining capacity to Venus and Mars.
The Alliance Navy consists of five Battle Groups and an Escort Group, including two State class battlecruisers, six City class cruisers, and twenty Admiral class destroyers. Two City class cruisers are undergoing refit to the City R2 standard, and a cruiser and six destroyers are in overhaul status at the current time.
The European Reich
The Reich’s Venus colony has almost 33.6 million residents. Very little is known at this point about the industrial strength of the Venus colony, except that the Reich has established both mining and construction complexes on Venus.
Analysis of orbital surveillance has shown that the Reich’s construction and mining capacity is slightly behind that of the Alliance, however, that is likely due to the fact that the Reich has sent a larger portion of their capacity to their colony than the Alliance.
Relative Ship Strengths:
Battlecruisers
Reich: 0
Alliance: 2
Cruisers
Reich: 6
Alliance: 6
Destroyers
Reich: 15
Alliance: 20
Survey Ships (one each)
Freighters
Reich: 15
Alliance: 12
Colony Ships
Reich: 4
Alliance: 1
Troop Transports
Reich: 2
Alliance: 2
One cruiser is being refitted in the Reich’s orbital yards and two destroyers are in overhaul status.
Relations between the Reich and the Alliance continue to be good. Relations deteriorated for a period of time during 2015, during which the Alliance suspected that the Reich was in league with the Russians and Japanese. In light of the Sino-Soviet war, Alliance Intelligence now believes that the Reich had a clandestine operation active on Titan, and may in fact be responsible for the deterioration of the relationship between the Japanese and the Russians that ultimately led to the war.
The international situation is strained at the current time. No one knows who launched the attack on the Indians, except for the perpetrators themselves, and the suspicion is poisoning international relations. In particular, differences between the Reich and the Indian Republic over the Reich Indian Territories seem to be flaring up, possibly because of the worsening international situation.
USSR
The USSR has been stripped of its mining complexes after losing the fleet action off of Titan. In December of 2015 the USSR established two new off-world mining operations, one on an asteroid and the other on Oberon. The setback on Titan was a heavy blow, and it will take some time for the Russians to regain their original position.
Alliance orbital surveillance of the USSR has revealed the following information concerning their economy/military strength in relation to the Alliance’s:
Construction Capacity: 64%
Mining Capacity: 65%
Shipyards: 2/6 compared to 4/10
Divisions: 28 compared to 28 Alliance divisions
The USSR People’s Space Navy is currently composed of two 6,000 ton cruisers, three 3,500 ton troop transports, two colony ships, six freighters, and one survey ship. The cruiser’s armament is now known to be rail guns and gauss cannons, and the cruisers are known to be heavily armored. One of the two cruisers is currently in the yards being refitted, presumably to remedy problems discovered in the Battle of Titan.
Relations between the USSR and the Japanese Empire are poor, but active fighting has stopped. The USSR resents the fact that the major powers intervened in its war against Japan, and blames them for allowing Japan to strip its Titan mining operation away. Relations between the USSR and the Indian Republic have warmed considerably in the last several months.
Japanese Empire
The Japanese Empire now controls all of the mining complexes on Titan, and has warned all other nations to remain at least five million kilometers out or risk attack.
Alliance orbital surveillance of the Empire has revealed the following information concerning their economy/military strength in relation to the Alliance’s:
Construction Capacity: 50%
Mining Capacity: 60% *Does not include Titan
Shipyards: 2/4 compared to 4/10
Divisions: 23 compared to 28 Alliance divisions
The Imperial Japanese Space Navy comprises five 6,000 ton cruisers, five 3,500 ton destroyers, two 3,500 ton troop transports, three freighters, one colony ship, and one survey ship. There appear to be two different classes of Japanese cruisers, with the most recent class armed with two triple laser turrets and the second design armed with missiles (based on data from Titan). The smaller escorts are armed with a single triple laser turret similar to the turrets mounted on the larger cruiser.
The Japanese Empire’s relations with the USSR continue to be strained, and it suffered heavy damage during the short war on Earth, but on the whole it came out ahead in the war, gaining sole control of Titan.
Indian Republic
The Indian Republic has suffered a devastating attack on its Navy, which was guarding its comet base, and as a result it has lost two of its six warships, and has grounded its remaining ships.
Alliance orbital surveillance of the Republic has revealed the following information concerning their economy/military strength in relation to the Alliance’s:
Construction Capacity: 25%
Mining Capacity: 26%
Shipyards: 2/4 compared to 4/10
Divisions: 21 compared to 28 Alliance divisions
The Republic has space fleet now consists of six warships, one troop transport, eleven freighters, and one survey ship. The warships are each armed with one turret equipped with unknown weaponry.
Because there is no evidence to allow them to determine which nation was guilty of the attack, the Indians have been very suspicious of all other nations, with the sole exception of the USSR.
African Union
The Union has shown no signs of desiring to plant a colony anywhere else in the solar system. Instead, the Union has been focusing on internal matters and building up its military.
Alliance orbital surveillance of the Union has revealed the following information concerning their economy/military strength in relation to the Alliance’s:
Construction Capacity: 22%
Mining Capacity: 37%
Shipyards: 2/4 compared to 4/10
Divisions: 39 compared to 28 Alliance divisions
The African Union has fielded seven 3,000 ton warships and a survey ship. The armament of the warships is unknown.
