(14) Rinse and repeat1916Early year was quiet for humans, though Austro-Hungarian mines got an efficiency boost thanks to new mining techniques and improved machinery. In March, German shipping capacity was expanded with Hansa 003 and 004. The German colony on Luna also surpassed 1 million souls. In April, the French launched two more Clemenceau class frigates, construction of which had been delayed by mineral shortages. Now that all three slipways at Florit Navy Yard were empty, the construction of the Gloire class could start - but at the last-minute Paris cancelled them. While there were some officers who believed that the range of the particle beams and their increased number would be enough to justify their construction. But the shortage of Corundium and the questionable worth of the Gloire class meant that they would not be built and instead the shipyard would be expanded while new research would be done. In the same month, German scientists managed to fuse extreme amounts of Duranium into a single-layer of armour creating High-Density Duranium Armour and, as a show of gracefulness, informed Italy on how to do regular Duranium Armour as they were the only power who had not yet figured it out. Timing of this was excellent as Italians were busy figuring out how to get desert-modified equipment for their soldiers and not having to research better armour will speed this process up significantly.
May brought two more Tribal troop transports for the Royal Navy and June saw the opening of Mckenzie Marine Shipyard. July had two more Blücher-class join the Kaiserliche Raummarine, more were immedately ordered by Berlin, and a new research complex in Vienna started work. In August, the German space port was expanded to level two, making it the largest on Earth, and France launched Berger Dockyard, a commercial shipyard, which soon started construction of French colony ships. At the end of the month, Jamestown, the American lunar base, officially opened with 100,000 colonists having been transported over courtesy of the Germans. September saw
Aisne, a Dunkerque-class troop transport, join the French fleet. In October, the Royal Navy gained three Achilles-class ships: the
Arrow, Aurora and
Bacchante but no more would be built. And the year ended with a Russian commercial shipyard opening and following the French example, it immediately started building the Buran-class colony ship.
During the year, American espionage revealed details of the Luna colonies of the other countries, information about the active sensors of the other powers, and Maintenance Support per Facility: 1250 Tons as well as Maximum Engine Size - 40 from the British, Gauss Cannon Launch Velocity 20,000 from the French, Terraforming Rate 0.00032 atm from the Japanese and Refuelling System: 60,000 LPH from the Austro-Hungarians.
1917In March SMS Montecuccoli, the first A-H troop transport, floats away from the Asztalos MGI yard and in May, Landzettel completes its fourth slipway and can finally start expanding, making Austro-Hungary one of the last major powers in the race to be able to build battleships, as the new ship concept has started to be called in press. However, since it does have four slipways, expansion is extremely slow so Vienna had, in good foresight, ordered the construction of a new naval yard which opens in June and will be faster to expand.
May also saw the opening of the third British commercial shipyard, Watts Space Group, though it needs to be expanded to 20,000 tons of capacity before it can start building the Empire-class passenger cruisers. Many British newspapers have asked why the vastly larger Burke Fabricators yard is expanding further instead of building the Empire, as Kirby Shipyard is busy with the Tribal-class troop transports, but the Prime Minister has successfully avoided the question in parliament so far but now he is happy to announce that Burke Fabricators has received a contract to build the Victory-class salvage ships, that will start the massive task of clearing the numerous wrecks in the inner system. The news does not go down well in other capitals, most of which have declared the wrecks as graves similar to how ship wrecks in the bottom of the seas are treated. Royal Navy assures them that remains of humans will be treated with utmost respect and they will be, when possible, brought back to Earth for proper burial. While this mollifies the public to large extent, other powers quietly increase the priority of researching salvage modules.
Victory class Salvager 43,722 tons 165 Crew 488.6 BP TCS 874 TH 63 EM 0
71 km/s Armour 1-110 Shields 0-0 HTK 39 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 6 Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Rolls-Royce Commercial Conventional Engine EP12.5 (5) Power 62.5 Fuel Use 8.94% Signature 12.5 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 11.4 billion km (1863 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
In June, the German Kolonieflotte, for the first time since its creation, stops ferrying passengers and colonists to Luna and Berlin is forced to admit that they have neglected to construct sufficient infrastructure. This has now been ordered but it will take some time before the situation is rectified, so Kolonieflotte reverses its route and starts ferrying people back to Earth to minimise overcrowding issues. Berlin is not willing to delay the completion of its next research complex and additional infrastructure will be constructed only after that is completed. By mid-August the crisis is over thanks to deliveries of infrastructure to Luna and returning colonists back to Earth. Around the same time, fifth and sixth Hansa-class ships finish construction but for the moment, Kolonieflotte will remain in Earth orbit.
July brings
Allier, the third Dunkerque-class transport to the French navy and in October, the Japanese base on Luna, named Nantai-sha, becomes active. In the same month, Russian designers finalize their design for the Udaloy-class battleship. As there is no shipyard large enough to build her, the designers decide to wait if the science team figures out Visible Light Laser before the shipyard gets ready as the Navy is not convinced that six lasers with only 40,000 km range will be enough to defeat the Martian Menace.
Udaloy class Battleship 9,000 tons 217 Crew 625.8 BP TCS 180 TH 102 EM 0
566 km/s Armour 10-38 Shields 0-0 HTK 46 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 4 PPV 24
Maint Life 10.29 Years MSP 973 AFR 162% IFR 2.2% 1YR 17 5YR 251 Max Repair 36 MSP
Kapitan vtorogo ranga Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Morale Check Required
OKB Engine 102 (4) Power 102.0 Fuel Use 169.08% Signature 25.50 Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 363,000 Litres Range 4.3 billion km (87 days at full power)
Aksyonov Armata 12cm C2 Infrared Laser (6) Range 40,000km TS: 1,250 km/s Power 4-2 RM 10,000 km ROF 10
Pozharnyy Direktor R80-TS1250 (1) Max Range: 80,000 km TS: 1,250 km/s 27 23 20 16 12 8 4 0 0 0
Krivak Reactor (1) Total Power Output 12 Exp 7%
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The year ends with the first Russian Buran-class colony ship starting a regular ferry line between Earth and Luna as well as the opening of the Iberian Union Lunar colony.
During the year, American espionage pilfered technologies such as Geosurvey Equipment from Germans, Railgun Launch Velocity 20,000 from Austrians and Shipbuilding Rate 560 BP from the British, in addition to the usual inspection of diplomatic situation, sensor emissions, and size of the Lunar colonies.
1918The year begins with the British starting construction of their first Empire-class passenger cruiser,
Britannia.
Empire class Passenger Cruiser 18,880 tons 302 Crew 613.2 BP TCS 378 TH 75 EM 0
198 km/s Armour 1-63 Shields 0-0 HTK 45 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 20 Max Repair 100 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 20,000 Passengers 500
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Rolls-Royce Commercial Conventional Engine EP12.5 (6) Power 75.0 Fuel Use 8.94% Signature 12.5 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 5.3 billion km (310 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
Literally a day later, the French launch their first colony ship, the
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Loire class Colony Ship 9,971 tons 72 Crew 407.3 BP TCS 199 TH 25 EM 0
125 km/s Armour 1-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 22 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 25 Max Repair 100 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 24,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Capitaine de corvette Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Commercial Conventional Engine (2) Power 25.0 Fuel Use 10.06% Signature 12.5 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 44.7 billion km (4140 days at full power)
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
Unlike the Germans and the British, the French ship upholds the principles of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité as there are no first-class luxury cabins and instead every colonist gets the same cryogenic treatment.
Mid-January, the Rim Pact army starts training its first ground formation meant for Mars - Mekaniserade bataljonen. Unlike the other nations, the officers of the small countries making up the Rim Pact knew that their ravaged countries could not afford to build a large force for the eventual invasion of Mars, which is what the other powers have been doing, training first defensive infantry and supporting artillery and engineering battalions. So, after having built defensive STO units on Earth, they focused on creating a small but effective armoured force that will consist of three types of armoured vehicles called 'tanks' due to the first prototypes looking more like large water or fuel tanks than trucks or tractors. This was due to the requirement to have sufficiently large cabins so that they could be pressurized against the Martian atmosphere and allowing the small crew to live inside for extended periods of time. The actual models meant for combat are three variants of the L-16: Kommando version to act as battalion headquarters and to direct support fire from ships in orbit, the Öken-Alg version to deal with smaller Martian killing machines with its automatic cannon and machine gun, and the Öken-Björn version to handle the large Martian death machines with its high-velocity cannon using heavy, armour-piercing rounds. The Swedish influence is clear - as the one country in the Rim Pact that survived largely unscathed from the Martian attack, it has ended up dominating the Pact, somewhat to the chagrin of the other nations. It takes 21 months to construct the tanks and to train two battalions in their use, so the fact that the Pact does not have any troop transports yet is not much of a concern.
March brought two Tribals for the Royal Navy,
Ben Lomond and
Ben Nevis. In June, American shipwrights finalize the design for their Alabama-class battleship:
Alabama class Battleship 10,000 tons 238 Crew 852.9 BP TCS 200 TH 90 EM 0
450 km/s Armour 12-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 41 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 6 PPV 32
Maint Life 8.06 Years MSP 739 AFR 133% IFR 1.9% 1YR 20 5YR 303 Max Repair 72.3 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months Morale Check Required
Allison Turbocharged Conventional Engine E30S20 (3) Power 90.0 Fuel Use 155.88% Signature 30.00 Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 310,000 Litres Range 3.6 billion km (92 days at full power)
Space Gun Factory 4.7" Laser Gun Model-1915 (4) Range 80,000km TS: 2,000 km/s Power 6-3 RM 20,000 km ROF 10
Space Gun Factory 4" Laser Gun Model-1915 (4) Range 60,000km TS: 2,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 20,000 km ROF 5
Ford Fire Computer Mark 1 (2) Max Range: 80,000 km TS: 625 km/s 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 0
Enterprise IPW Reactor (1) Total Power Output 24.1 Exp 7%
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
Not only is it the largest warship ever designed, it has the thickest armour by a wide margin. With eight laser guns, it should have no trouble bringing pain to the Martians. However, it is barely capable of reaching of Mars and returning. US Void Force planners need to be careful on when to launch operations. Construction can hopefully start next year, once one of the two naval shipyards gets sufficiently large.
June also saw French scientists figure out how to extend the range of particle beams out to 150,000 kilometres. As a gesture of goodwill, France shared the knowledge of 100,000-kilometre range with all other Earth powers - it turned out that nobody else had focused on them. This information caused an uproar in Moscow, where the military had pushed the scientists to give them a longer-range weapon. Now that particle beams were achievable, focus on lasers seemed like folly. However, researching Strength-2 beams would take until 1920 so the focus was kept on lasers.
Rim Pact opened their Luna colony in July. In honour of the Dutch contingent of the pact, it was named Fort Orange. Italy finally got their first commercial shipyard up and running, though it would have to be expanded before it could begin construction of their passenger cruiser. But this allowed Italian industry to build infrastructure so that they could open their Luna base, as the last nation to do so. Almost as if to mock their southern neighbours, Germans opened their third commercial shipyard the next day. In August, British scientists refined their plasma carronade technology to 30cm size and, following the French example, provided 25cm Carronade to the rest though Americans already had stolen the knowledge and Japan had already researched it. British scientists then had to turn to inventing better capacitors because the Royal Navy ship designers categorically refused to accept a weapon with a 60 second recharge time.
September caused tensions on Earth rise as Royal Navy commissioned its first two salvage ships. Due to orbital position of Mars, so close to the wrecks that it would be risky to work on them, the Salvage Force was instead sent to the wreck of the American scout that lie in completely different direction. This caused significant alarm in Washington as it was possible that the Brits would find their spying equipment onboard. But aside from launching a surprise attack against the Royal Navy, there wasn't much US could do. They did issue a strongly worded letter to leave American ships alone but London didn't even bother to respond. It wasn't until November when the Salvage Force reported to London that they only recovered small amount of minerals. In Washington, a collective sigh of relief was let out as Royal Navy brought them few mostly empty zinc coffins instead of an ultimatum.
November also saw a second Buran join the Russian colony fleet, though soon after almost all projects had to be put on hold as the country ran out of Neutronium. And in December, Austro-Hungary opened its second commercial yard, called Péter Shipbuilding. As soon as it expanded to 20,000 tons, it would start building the Péter-class colony ships. Like the French, the Austro-Hungarians had decided that their colony ship would have no frills - perhaps because they intended to send primarily ethnic minorities from the Balkans to Luna, in addition to those deemed subversive and unreliable by the Austrian or Hungarian State Police, like communists and anarchists.
In December, Buran 3 joined the Russian colony fleet. No more would be built at this stage as the Russian moon colony was almost full and the Colony Fleet currently remained idle. On Boxing Day, Great-Britain received its first Empire-class passenger cruiser
Britannia which immediately started ferrying colonists to Luna.
And like always, American espionage brought all sorts of information to Washington DC, including Construction Rate 12 BP from Russians and Mining Production 12 tons from Austrians.
Comparison of the human nations at the end of 1918: