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Offline Kurt (OP)

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Humanity First: Story Posts
« on: June 09, 2024, 07:52:49 AM »
Trans-Newtonian and System Expansion Era Begins
The Terran Empire encompasses the entire world, and has been responsible for rebuilding civilization.  It is a constitutional monarchy, but one where the monarch has considerable power in narrowly defined areas.  These areas are mostly related to war and the defense of the Empire, while the democratically elected senate passes laws and budgets, which must be approved by the emperor, although an Imperial veto can be overridden by a vote of 60% of the senate. 


Emperor Charles the First

The public is united behind the emperor, who has promised to take humanity to the stars and hunt down those responsible for destroying the old world.  Both the senate and the military are strong supporters of the “shoot first and ask questions later” mindset that is the emperor’s approach to the search for aliens, and alien contact.  This mindset largely characterizes the Imperial Loyalist party, the largest party in the senate.  They have adopted the Alien Review Panel’s theory that the raids were caused by unrest and perhaps by civilizational collapse in the local area, and both fear that further raids are possible, and lust after the resources and territory that such unrest and collapse might have made available. 

Having said that, there are other factions.  The Terra First party is not against a strong defense, but prefers not to go looking for trouble.  They have been actively campaigning to limit expansion to the solar system, preferring to establish strong defenses in the system and let the aliens do whatever they want elsewhere.  The Co-Existence Party has adopted the theory that came out of the Alien Review Panel, but they come at it from a different perspective than the Imperial Loyalists.  They believe that the aliens that conducted the raids were forced into such actions by desperation caused un internal unrest or civilizational collapse, and therefore if we take the time to talk to them, and understand their problems, we can eventually development a mutually beneficial relationship that make humanity much stronger than going it alone.  Notably, they are pro-military and in favor of a strong defense.  There are no parties against the military in the Empire, not after the destruction of the old world and the death and disappearance of so many humans during the raids. 

Imperial Guard and Marine Corps
Both the guard and the marines use the following organization:
10,000 ton battalions
Brigade with HQ capable of commanding 50,000 tons.  Usually this means 4xBattalion with attachments
Division with HQ capable of commanding 250,000 tons, usually with 4xDivision with attachments
Corps with HQ capable of commanding 1,000,000 tons, usually with 3-4xDivision with attachments

Attachments include Log units and artillery of various types, and are usually 1,000 to 5,000 tons. 

STO units are built in sizes of 1,000 to 2,000 tons, and then usually combined up to 5,000 tons. 

July, 2095: The Empire’s first STO unit is deployed.  This is a 1st generation ten-centimeter laser point defense battery. 

July, 2096: Initial conversion of two hundred old factories into new construction facilities and mines is completed.  Construction capacity not devoted to building the Empire’s new orbital shipyards is set to building deep spaced detection stations and maintenance facilities. 

August, 2096: The Empire’s first naval shipyard is completed, and work begins enlarging the yard to 1800 tons to handle construction of a survey ship.  The survey ship is equipped with a nuclear radioisotope engine and is capable of 1460 km/s, has a range of 52.6 billion kilometers, and an endurance of twenty-four months. 

December, 2097: The first geo-survey ship is laid down in the orbital yards. 

August, 2098: The first geo-survey ship is launched and immediately heads for the moon to begin its survey efforts.  This upgraded design includes a nuclear thermal engine which gives it improved speed and endurance.  Work on a second unit is begun as the first heads out of orbit. 

February, 2099: A second slipway has been added to the Empire’s sole shipyard.  A third survey ship is laid down as work begins on enlarging the shipyard so it can handle larger hulls.  Unfortunately, the first survey ship has only found some minor deposits on some asteroids and one comet.  Aside from Venus the inner system has been surveyed and found to be singularly lacking in resources.  The survey of Venus was delayed due to its inconvenient positioning.  The second survey ship is launched, and work begins on a fourth. 

August, 2100: A survey ship suffers a maintenance failure while cruising in the outer solar system, beyond Pluto.  Because of the ship’s smaller maintenance facilities, it cannot repair the geological sensors without assistance.  After receiving the ship’s report, Survey Command decides to recall all five of the survey ships to Earth and end the efforts to survey the outer system. 

The survey of the solar system is complete, and the results are disappointing.  No planets or moons in the inner system contain TN resources.  Only a few scattered moons of the gas giants possess useable resources, although in limited quantities.  These results deal a heavy blow to the isolationists in the senate, who now have to admit that going to the stars is an inevitability. 

November 1, 2101: Work begins on deciphering the alien interstellar drive captured during the final raid. 

May, 2102: Work is completed on deciphering the alien interstellar drive information.  The emperor orders research to begin on the systems necessary to build a jump drive, and to begin preparations to survey the solar system for jump points. 

December, 2102: The Empire’s first warships are launched.  These are small, fast interceptors with a single fifteen-centimeter laser, intended to intercept targets relatively near Earth.  The have a range of ten billion kilometers, but have limited endurance and are intended to be deployed only when there are identified targets. 

January, 2103: The Empire’s first troop transport is laid down. 

October, 2103: The empire’s first cargo ships are launched.  They immediately set out for Io, which is the location of one of the few TN deposits in the solar system, as well as a suitable site for the Empire’s first off-world colony. 

January, 2104: The last of the old-style construction factories are converted to TN tech.

February, 2104: The Empire’s fist troop ship is launched.  It is immediately pressed into service transporting Guardsmen and planetary defense units to Io.

August, 2104: Grav survey ships find their first jump point in the solar system.  It is located 4.1 billion kilometers from the Sun, in between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. 

May, 2105: The survey of the solar system is complete.  Disappointingly, the system contains only one jump point.  The survey ships are recalled for rest and refit, while the first jump ship is under construction. 

June, 2105: The empire’s first colony ship is built.  The Empire’s first extra-planetary colony is established on Io.  100,000 colonists live there so far. 

Offline Kurt (OP)

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Humanity First, System Era Ship Designs
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2024, 07:59:23 AM »
Ship designs from the System Expansion era

Code: [Select]
Abductor class Survey Craft      1,712 tons       36 Crew       229.7 BP       TCS 34    TH 64    EM 0
1870 km/s      Armour 1-12       Shields 0-0       HTK 13      Sensors 6/6/0/1      DCR 1-5      PPV 0
Maint Life 4.47 Years     MSP 83    AFR 23%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 7    5YR 101    Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

Nuclear Thermal Engine (1)    Power 64    Fuel Use 80.0%    Signature 64    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 65.7 billion km (406 days at full power)

Basic Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 1200     Range 20.3m km    Resolution 100
Basic EM Sensor Mk II  (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

This design was in use by the end of the Solar System survey and expansion era. 
Code: [Select]
Abductor Flt III class Survey Craft      1,668 tons       36 Crew       247.5 BP       TCS 33    TH 100    EM 0
2998 km/s      Armour 1-12       Shields 0-0       HTK 13      Sensors 6/6/0/1      DCR 1-5      PPV 0
Maint Life 4.43 Years     MSP 92    AFR 22%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 8    5YR 114    Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

NGC Engine   (1)    Power 100    Fuel Use 70.0%    Signature 100    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 77.1 billion km (297 days at full power)

Basic Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 1200     Range 20.3m km    Resolution 100
Basic EM Sensor Mk II  (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

The grav-survey design is a direct copy of the geo-survey design, merely replacing the sensors. 
Code: [Select]
Abductor(Gr) Flt III class Gravitational Survey Craft      1,725 tons       37 Crew       260.8 BP       TCS 34    TH 100    EM 0
2900 km/s      Armour 1-12       Shields 0-0       HTK 13      Sensors 8/8/1/0      DCR 1-5      PPV 0
Maint Life 11.73 Years     MSP 594    AFR 24%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 8    5YR 119    Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

NGC Engine   (1)    Power 100    Fuel Use 70.0%    Signature 100    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 74.6 billion km (297 days at full power)

Basic Active Search Sensor Mk III (1)     GPS 1600     Range 25.7m km    Resolution 100
EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

The Interceptor design is intended to give the Empire some combat capability in space.  Although no firm data remains, it is suspected to be slower than most of the alien ships observed during the raids, but is considered a transitional design to be used until better engines are developed.  The Interceptor’s engine is an overpowered design, providing a high power output at the cost of efficiency. 
Code: [Select]
Aberration class Interceptor      1,968 tons       55 Crew       298.3 BP       TCS 39    TH 130    EM 0
3304 km/s      Armour 5-13       Shields 0-0       HTK 16      Sensors 18/18/0/0      DCR 0-0      PPV 5
Maint Life 1.79 Years     MSP 47    AFR 62%    IFR 0.9%    1YR 18    5YR 274    Max Repair 65 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 2 months    Morale Check Required   

Naval Power NGC Engine  (1)    Power 130    Fuel Use 134.88%    Signature 130    Explosion 13%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 10.2 billion km (35 days at full power)

15.0cm NUV Laser (1)    Range 96,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 30,000 km    ROF 10       
Laser Fire Control  (1)     Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 3,000 km/s    ECCM-0     67 59 52 44 36 28 20 12 5 0
Gaseous Fission Reactor 4K (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk II (1)     GPS 6400     Range 45.7m km    Resolution 200
Standard Thermal Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 18     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
Standard EM Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 18     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

Code: [Select]
Abomination class Troop Transport      19,574 tons       150 Crew       566.7 BP       TCS 391    TH 360    EM 0
919 km/s      Armour 1-64       Shields 0-0       HTK 53      Sensors 8/8/0/0      DCR 1-0      PPV 0
MSP 18    Max Repair 27 MSP
Troop Capacity 10,000 tons     Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months   

Commercial NGC Engine  (2)    Power 360    Fuel Use 1.41%    Signature 180    Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 32.6 billion km (410 days at full power)

EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Troop Transport for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: Start of Interstellar Exploration
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2024, 08:00:10 AM »

End of the System Expansion Era, Start of the Interstellar Exploration Era
July 19, 2106: A momentous occasion.  The Empire’s first jump ship leaves the solar system through its lone jump point and finds itself 7.86 light years from Terra in the Wolf 359 system.  The system has a red M6-V primary, orbited by a small rocky world seventeen million kilometers from the primary and three huge gas giants, each with numerous moons.  The rocky inner planet is icy and has no atmosphere.  Two of the gas giant moons are large enough to be considered worlds in their own right, but only one has an atmosphere and it is covered with a frigid blanket of hydrogen and helium.  There is no sign of habitation or system-exploitation. 

January, 2107: The geo-survey of Wolf 359 is complete.  The results are not as good as hoped, but there are several potential mining sites.  A large moon orbiting the outermost gas giant is probably the best, with four TN resources available at decent availability ratings in large quantities.  One of the moons of the innermost gas giant has over 800,000 units of sorium at 1.0 availability, making it a prime site for refueling if the sorium can be extracted.  Unfortunately, while there is at least one potential mining site, this system will not be able to provide the Empire the resources it needs to continue expanding. 

Late in the month the jump ship jumps out of Wolf 359 to Lacaille 9352.  The system contains two small rocky inner planets, a gas giant with ten moons, and asteroid belt.  The jump ship heads back to the jump point to the solar system to report the discovery and escort the survey ships back to the solar system to refuel and give their crews shore leave. 

On the 30th the grav survey is completed, finding a third jump point in the Wolf system. 

June, 2107: The jump ship probes the last jump point in the Wolf 359 system, discovering the Alpha Centauri system.  Alpha Centauri is a binary yellow/red star system.  The primary is orbited by a single small rocky planet, while the secondary red star has a frigid inner rocky planet with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a gas giant with twenty moons, and a massive asteroid belt. 

March 2106: Corbomite deposits have been mined out on Earth.  This is currently a low-usage resource, but is a harbinger of things to come. 

June, 2108: The geo survey of the Lacaille system is complete.  Three asteroids and a comet have TN resources, with only the comet being a worthwhile target for exploitation.  The second planet out from the star has vast deposits of TN resources, but five of the ten types are present at .1 availability levels.  The other four have availability levels ranging from .2 to .9, making it a worthwhile target for exploitation.  The planet has a nitrogen-ammonia atmosphere with an average temp of -50, and is covered by an extensive ice sheet.  It is a potential terraforming target, but the ammonia in the atmosphere will have to be removed before it can be colonized. 

August 2108: A jump ship jumps out of the Alpha Centauri system and discovers Groombridge 34, a binary system with two small red stars orbiting each other from 16.5 to 30. Billion kilometers apart.  The system primary has three rocky inner planets, one with a thin oxy-nitrogen atmosphere, as single gas giant with seven moons, and a large asteroid belt. 

August 27, 2108: The geo survey ships exploring the outer edge of the asteroid belt in the Groombridge system detect two ships with raised shields orbiting the second planet from the star.  This is the planet with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.  The Imperial ships immediately turn and race back to the jump point to rendezvous with the jump ship there. 

September 7, 2108: The five survey ships assigned to survey the planets and asteroids of the Groombridge system rendezvous with the jump ship at the jump point and they all jump out, headed back to the solar system and Terra. 

October, 2108: The terraforming of Io has begun. 

November, 2108: The survey group arrives from the Groombridge system with a warning about the aliens located there. 

The Emperor declares the Groombridge system off limits until the Imperial Navy can be built up to force levels sufficient for both defense and offense. 

State of the Imperial Military, December, 2108
Imperial Fleet (Rear Admiral St. Denis)
11xAberration Flight II class Interceptor
2xAbuser Flight II class Jump Ship
6xAbomination Flight II class Brigade Troop Transports

Survey Command (Captain Laverne Henriquez)
4xExplorer Flight IV Grav Survey Ships
5xSurveyor Flight IV Geo Survey Ships
2xAbuser Flight II class Jump Ship

Logistics Command (Captain Kenton Eisenbeisz)
20xFreighter Flight II class
3xColony Ship Flight II class
2xAbsolution Class Stabilization Ships
1xTerra Class Terraformer

The 2108 review ordered by the Emperor in light of the discovery of alien ships in the Groombridge system reveals a Navy much more capable than it was even a few years ago, but not yet capable of out-system operations.  The Navy’s only warships are short-duration interceptors not yet capable of operating at the level of the ships observed during the first incursion.  Worse, the Navy lacks a support structure that would give it out-system capabilities.  Tugs, fuel ships, maintenance support ships, and capable scouts would all be needed to support effective out-system operations.  In addition, larger, more capable ships would be necessary to project significant power beyond the solar system. 

Currently, the Navy possesses a mere four shipyards with five slipways, the largest of which is capable of building a 7,800 ton ship.  All four yards are being upgraded as rapidly as possible, but it will be some time before the planned 10,000 ton destroyer class can be deployed. 

Imperial Ground Forces
Terra
5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Guard Divisions – 11 Guard Infantry Brigades, 4 Guard Armored Brigades, all equipped with 2nd or 3rd generation armor and weapons
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Territorial Guard Divisions – 10 Guard Infantry Brigades + 1 independent Battalion, all equipped with 1st generation weapons and armor
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Guard Armored Brigades

1st Marine Division – 4 Marine Brigades, all equipped with 1st generation armor and weapons

27 12cm laser anti-orbit batteries
18 15cm laser anti-orbit batteries
54 20cm Plasma anti-orbit batteries
30 1st generation laser PD batteries
42 2nd generation laser PD batteries

Io
8th Territorial Guard Brigade, all equipped with 1st generation weapons and armor
12 12cm laser anti-orbit batteries
18 1st generation laser PD batteries
 
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Humanity First: Ship Designs, 2108
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2024, 08:16:35 AM »
The Flight II model Interceptor is 800 km/s faster than the base design, achieved by replacing the original nuclear gas-core engine with a hi-performance ion drive.  This is the only change in the design. 
Code: [Select]
Aberration Flt II class Interceptor      1,968 tons       55 Crew       326.6 BP       TCS 39    TH 163    EM 0
4130 km/s      Armour 5-13       Shields 0-0       HTK 16      Sensors 24/24/0/0      DCR 0-0      PPV 5
Maint Life 1.67 Years     MSP 51    AFR 62%    IFR 0.9%    1YR 22    5YR 326    Max Repair 81.3 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 2 months    Morale Check Required   

Hi Thrust Ion Drive  (1)    Power 162.5    Fuel Use 115.61%    Signature 162.5    Explosion 13%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 11.9 billion km (33 days at full power)

15.0cm NUV Laser (1)    Range 96,000km     TS: 4,130 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 30,000 km    ROF 10       
Laser Fire Control  (1)     Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 3,000 km/s    ECCM-0     67 59 52 44 36 28 20 12 5 0
Gaseous Fission Reactor 4K (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk II (1)     GPS 6400     Range 45.7m km    Resolution 200
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km
Standard EM Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Jump Scout was designed to primarily support survey operations.  To this end it is designed with a long-duration capability and large fuel tanks and refueling systems to support survey ships in the field.  It is also equipped with a 15cm laser to defend itself. 
Code: [Select]
Abuser Flt II class Jump Scout      5,000 tons       120 Crew       595.5 BP       TCS 100    TH 250    EM 0
2500 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 4-26       Shields 0-0       HTK 31      Sensors 24/24/0/0      DCR 2-4      PPV 5
Maint Life 5.95 Years     MSP 648    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 31    5YR 469    Max Repair 83.3 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months    Morale Check Required   

J5000(3-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 5000 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3

Ion Drive  (2)    Power 250    Fuel Use 60.0%    Signature 125    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,009,000 Litres    Range 60.5 billion km (280 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 20 hours

15.0cm NUV Laser (1)    Range 96,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 30,000 km    ROF 10       
Laser Fire Control  (1)     Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 3,000 km/s    ECCM-0     67 59 52 44 36 28 20 12 5 0
Gaseous Fission Reactor 4K (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk II (1)     GPS 6400     Range 45.7m km    Resolution 200
Standard EM Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Flight II model is just over 200 km/s faster than the original, but is unchanged otherwise.  The Abomination class is named for raid sites across Terra where alien invaders inflicted atrocities in the course of their raids. 
Code: [Select]
Abomination Flt II class Troop Transport      19,574 tons       150 Crew       580.2 BP       TCS 391    TH 450    EM 0
1149 km/s      Armour 1-64       Shields 0-0       HTK 53      Sensors 8/8/0/0      DCR 1-0      PPV 0
MSP 18    Max Repair 33.8 MSP
Troop Capacity 10,000 tons     Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months   

Commercial Ion Drive  (2)    Power 450    Fuel Use 1.21%    Signature 225    Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 38.1 billion km (383 days at full power)

EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Troop Transport for auto-assignment purposes

The Flight IV design for both the grav and geo designs replaces the nuclear gas-core engine with an improved ion engine, increasing the design’s speed by 725 km/s. 
Code: [Select]
Explorer Flt IV class Gravitational Survey Craft      1,725 tons       37 Crew       273.3 BP       TCS 34    TH 125    EM 0
3625 km/s      Armour 1-12       Shields 0-0       HTK 13      Sensors 8/8/1/0      DCR 1-5      PPV 0
Maint Life 11.16 Years     MSP 599    AFR 24%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 9    5YR 132    Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

Ion Drive  (1)    Power 125    Fuel Use 60.0%    Signature 125    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 87 billion km (277 days at full power)

Basic Active Search Sensor Mk III (1)     GPS 1600     Range 25.7m km    Resolution 100
EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

Code: [Select]
Surveyor Flt IV class Survey Craft      1,725 tons       37 Crew       273.3 BP       TCS 34    TH 125    EM 0
3625 km/s      Armour 1-12       Shields 0-0       HTK 13      Sensors 8/8/0/1      DCR 1-5      PPV 0
Maint Life 11.16 Years     MSP 599    AFR 24%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 9    5YR 132    Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

Ion Drive  (1)    Power 125    Fuel Use 60.0%    Signature 125    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 87 billion km (277 days at full power)

Basic Active Search Sensor Mk III (1)     GPS 1600     Range 25.7m km    Resolution 100
EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: 2109-2110, First Survey Effort
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2024, 10:55:09 AM »
May, 2109: An Imperial jump ship operating in the Lacaille system discovers the 61 Hydrae system through a newly discovered jump point.  The central star is a small brown dwarf orbited by a gas giant barely smaller than the brown dwarf.  The only other object in the system is a lonely comet in the inner system. 

June, 2109: The Imperial jump ship in the 61 Hydrae system discovers the V1216 Sagittarii system through the system’s second jump point.  The new system’s primary is a small red star orbited by two terrestrial class planets, two super Jovian giants, two gas giants, and two rocky outer planets.  The giants are orbited by fifty-nine moons, and there is an asteroid belt in between the inner super Jovian and the new gas giant outwards.  One of the rocky inner planets and several of the moons of the inner gas giants appear to be reasonable terraforming sites. 

January, 2110: the survey of the V1216 Sagittarii system is complete.  The survey turned out to be very disappointing.  TN resources on Earth are being depleted, with there being only seven left on Earth and those will be depleted within the next year.  Although the Empire has a large stockpile, sufficient for at least ten years at the current usage rates, so far there have been no large deposits found in or near the solar system.  With its plentiful planets and moons, hopes were high that the Sagittarii system would be a good mining site, however, only one moon and one asteroid have any deposits at all, these are minor in size and availability.  Three of the gas giants and super Jovian’s have large deposits of sorium in their atmospheres, which will make them good refueling sites in the future, but the system won’t alleviate the empire’s growing concerns about resources.  The imperial jump ship transits out through the systems one new jump point and discovers the Lalande 21185 system.  The primary is a small red star, orbited by two inner rocky planets, a gas giant and a super Jovian orbited by thirty-two moons, and two icy outer planets.  The system also contains an asteroid belt and several comets.  The survey ships spread out to begin their survey while the jump ships return to Terra to refuel. 

May, 2110: The geo-survey of the Lalande system is complete, and the results are outstanding.  Nine of the planets and moons have TN deposits, including the innermost planet that possesses an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.  The planet is too hot for unaided human habitation, but other than that it is a prime colony location.  Even better, the planet’s TN resources are present in large quantities at mostly good availability levels.  Several of the other moons and planets also have significant deposits, meaning this system is a prime target for Imperial exploitation. 

August, 2110: The grav-survey of the Lalande system is complete.  The system has two additional jump points.  The first leads to the Tau Ceti system.  The system primary is a yellow star much like Terra’s star.  Tau Ceti is orbited by two rocky inner planets and a gas giant with nineteen moons.  The star also possesses a small asteroid belt.  The second jump point leads to the Proxima Centauri system.  Proxima is a red star orbited by a small inner planet, two super Jovian’s with fifty-five moons between them, and two icy dwarf planets.  With this discovery the jump ship returns to Lalande to collect the survey ships assembled at the jump point and then they will return to Terra to rest and be refurbished.  The first stellar exploration effort is complete, and the empire will focus on exploiting the territory it has surveyed before beginning another survey effort. 

August 26, 2100, 4:11 pm: Ground based sensors on a corporate mining station on a comet just inside the orbit of Jupiter detect an alien ship, 826 mkm’s from Terra.  The ship was detected on thermal sensors, and it was observed moving at 5,639 km/s, much faster than the fastest Imperial ship.  A single jump ship, escorted by a trio of interceptors, are dispatched to meet the alien ship.  Imperial Naval Intelligence designates the alien race with the code name Archer, and the ship class Alpha, making the contact Archer Alpha-1. 

Six and a half hours later the contact disappears as it moves beyond the outpost’s sensor range.  The contact group is ordered to proceed to the contact’s last known position.  Several hours later the contact reappears.  Archer Alpha-1 is headed in-system, but is not headed towards any planet or even the sun. 

August 28, 2100: As the contact group maneuvers to get in between Archer Alpha-1 and the inner system, the alien ship turns away and begins moving out-system.  The alien ship was sixty-five mkm’s from the Imperial group, outside of active sensor range.  The Imperial contact group turns to follow, but is much slower.  Even detaching the interceptors only reduces the rate at which the alien ship is pulling away.  As with its course in-system, the alien ship’s course out-system doesn’t seem to point at anything in particular, and certainly not the system’s only jump point. 

August 29, 2110: The pursuit group has lost the alien ship beyond Jupiter.  For now, the group is ordered to hold position. 

September 2, 2110: The contact re-appears 324 mkm’s in-system from the pursuit group’s location, back on its original heading towards the inner system.  The pursuit group turns back, and a second group of interceptors is dispatched from Terra to get in front of the alien ship.  Once again, the alien ship turns away from the inner system, and the outer pursuit group is ordered to close on the alien ship.   

After much jockeying, the outer pursuit group manages to close to 30 mkm’s from the alien ship, which is in theory well within the interceptor’s active sensor range.  The alien ship remains stubbornly undetected by the active sensors, indicating that it is either much smaller than the sensors are designed to detect, or it is equipped with something that makes it difficult for the active sensors to lock on to. 

At 1245 hours, as the imperial ships continue to close on the contact, Archer Alpha-1 opens fire with four railguns at 150,000 kilometers range, just outside of the interceptor’s own range.  The weapons the alien is using appear to be at the limit of their range, they do only minor armor damage to one of the interceptors. 

Fifteen seconds later one of the interceptors fires its fifteen-centimeter NUV laser at the alien at the same second the alien fired its railguns.  The imperial laser hit the alien ship, and the alien ship scored one hit on the human ship, but as the Imperial laser penetrated the alien’s hull it was clear the Imperial attack ships had the advantage.  Five seconds later the second human interceptor fired its laser, punching through the alien ship’s thin hull and damaging its engines.  The alien ship turned away, but it has been slowed to just over half the speed of the human interceptors. 

The human interceptors commence to pummel the alien ship with their lasers.  After a series of hits the alien ship comes to a halt, now a sitting duck for the human ships.  Two more salvoes and the alien ship exploded, ending the threat. 

Although the alien threat was eliminated, the intrusion into the solar system was alarming.  The colonists on Io appeal to the imperial government for more protection, and the emperor directs the Guard to dispatch additional troops and STO units to the moon.  In addition, the navy must re-evaluate its design strategy.  Even the fast interceptors were too slow to catch the alien ship, and it only fell into their hands due to being out-maneuvered.  In addition, although it was destroyed in exchange for light armor damage to one interceptor, the Navy suspects that the alien ship was not a warship but rather a lightly armed survey ship.  Worse, the interceptor’s sensors only managed to get a lock at very close range.  Inspection of the wreckage shows that it was 7,328 tons, not the 732 tons the sensors insisted that it was.  Improvements in our sensor and engine tech are necessary, as is the development of a salvage vessel to recover the wreck.  The technology for the next generation magneto-plasma drive is already under development, but won’t be ready for application until mid-next year, so ships likely won’t be equipped with it until 2112.


Aliens designated "Archer" by Imperial Naval Intelligence
 
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Humanity First: Ship Designs, 2110
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2024, 10:56:59 AM »
The Imperial Jump Ship was designed as a jack-of-all-trades, intended to probe newly discovered jump points, picket critical jump points, escort survey craft, act as a refueling ship when necessary, and engage hostile ships.  Of course, while it could do all of those things, it really did none of them well.  Its sensors weren’t sensitive enough to qualify it as a scout, it didn’t carry enough fuel to really support survey operations, and its weaponry and defenses were minimal.  However, unlike any other ship in the Imperial fleet at the time, it could do all of those missions, making it indispensable. 
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Asteroid class Jump Ship      5,000 tons       120 Crew       570.5 BP       TCS 100    TH 200    EM 0
2000 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 4-26       Shields 0-0       HTK 31      Sensors 24/24/0/0      DCR 2-4      PPV 5
Maint Life 6.20 Years     MSP 642    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 29    5YR 429    Max Repair 83.3 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months    Morale Check Required   

J5000(3-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 5000 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3

NGC Engine   (2)    Power 200    Fuel Use 70.0%    Signature 100    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,009,000 Litres    Range 51.9 billion km (300 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 20 hours

15.0cm NUV Laser (1)    Range 96,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 30,000 km    ROF 10       
Laser Fire Control  (1)     Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 3,000 km/s    ECCM-0     67 59 52 44 36 28 20 12 5 0
Gaseous Fission Reactor 4K (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk II (1)     GPS 6400     Range 45.7m km    Resolution 200
Standard EM Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Flight II class interceptor includes a new ion drive that’s been modified to produce thirty percent more power at the cost of significantly increased fuel consumption.  In addition, the Flight II includes improved passive sensors. 
Code: [Select]
Aberration Flt II class Interceptor      1,968 tons       55 Crew       326.6 BP       TCS 39    TH 163    EM 0
4130 km/s      Armour 5-13       Shields 0-0       HTK 16      Sensors 24/24/0/0      DCR 0-0      PPV 5
Maint Life 1.67 Years     MSP 51    AFR 62%    IFR 0.9%    1YR 22    5YR 326    Max Repair 81.3 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 2 months    Morale Check Required   

Hi Thrust Ion Drive  (1)    Power 162.5    Fuel Use 115.61%    Signature 162.5    Explosion 13%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 11.9 billion km (33 days at full power)

15.0cm NUV Laser (1)    Range 96,000km     TS: 4,130 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 30,000 km    ROF 10       
Laser Fire Control  (1)     Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 3,000 km/s    ECCM-0     67 59 52 44 36 28 20 12 5 0
Gaseous Fission Reactor 4K (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk II (1)     GPS 6400     Range 45.7m km    Resolution 200
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km
Standard EM Sensor Mk II (1)     Sensitivity 24     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  38.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: System Map, 2109
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2024, 11:02:46 AM »
Results of the first survey effort by the Imperial Survey Service:



Note: This map was current as of 2109 and does not show the results of the survey effort beyond the V1216 Sagittarii system.
 
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Humanity First: 2110-2117
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2024, 10:51:21 AM »
Imperial Naval Intelligence Report, Encounter with “Archer” Aliens on September 2, 2110
Analysis of Alpha class Archer ship:
Actual tonnage: 7,300, apparent tonnage per active sensors - 730
Observed Speed: 5,639 km/s
Armament: 1xRaigun, ROF 15, max known range 158,000 km
Thermal Signature: 198
Armor: Light, potentially basic armor coverage

The Archer Alpha class does not appear to be a purpose-built warship.  It is lightly armed and has only minimal armor, which, given its size, indicates that it has another purpose, perhaps either a scout or survey vessel.  Additional analysis will be performed after the wreck is salvaged. 

November, 2110: The Guard position on Io has been reinforced to include a full Territorial Division, twenty-seven surface to orbit laser batteries, eighteen STO plasma batteries, and thirty-five point-defense laser batteries. 

September, 2111: Work is complete on the new magneto-plasma engines, but refits for the warship classes are delayed while new sensors are developed to improve detecting and targeting the alien ships. 

January, 2112: The Empire’s first orbital missile base has been deployed.  The Aggressor class is 9,813 tons, has heavy armor, and mounts fifty box launchers equipped with the newly developed Archer Anti-Ship Missile, and ten anti-missile missile launchers for the Shrike AMM.  The Archer ASM has a range of 71 mkm’s and a speed of 17,500 km/s.   

February 2112: The jump gate network to the V1216 Sagittarii system has been completed.  The stabilization ship has moved on to the Lalande system to complete the link there, but the Empire’s plans to establish a fueling and military base in the Sagittarii system can now move forward.  Troop ships are dispatched to the innermost moon of the system’s inner super Jovian to drop off STO units to protect the base and the fuel ships that will eventually be sent there. 

March, 2112: R&D is complete and the new ship designs are ready.  The shipyards will begin updating themselves, and once they are reconfigured, refits will begin.  The new interceptor design will increase their speed to 6,153 km/s, and replaces their older laser with a new 15 cm UV laser cannon, with the latest targeting systems as well.  The new Aggravator class destroyers get updated as well, increasing their speed to 5,280 km/s.  It will take time to reconfigure the yards, and more time to refit the fleet.  So far, no further alien ships have appeared. 

June, 2112: Freighters arrive over V-Sag, as the troops have taken to calling the new military outpost on the innermost moon of the super jovian planet selected as the empire’s first out-system fueling site.  The freighters are dropping off ten tracking stations, a mass driver, and a refueling station.  So far, fifteen anti-orbit laser batteries, six plasma batteries, and nineteen PD laser batteries have been deployed to the moon.  Soon two brigades of Imperial Guard troops will join them. 

August, 2112: Ten harvesters arrive over the super Jovian V-Sag orbits and begin filling their tanks. 

October, 2112: The alien wreck is salvaged, recovering various systems, including an aux control, EM sensor, what appears to be a decoy launcher, a fusion generator one generation behind our current tech, and some assorted wreckage with valuable TN resources. 

Naval Intelligence Evaluation, Archer Alpha Salvage Report
The recovery of systems from the wreckage revealed no new or startling technologies.  The breakdown of systems recovered from the Archer Alpha does show that the Archers are more advanced in terms of ECM and ECCM, however, their other tech appears to be at our current technology level, or even more primitive.  The recovery of a decoy launcher does indicate that the Archers are more advanced in their counter-missile technology, something that should be taken into account by the Aggressor Defense Base team.   

September, 2113: with the fueling outpost in Sagittarii set up and functioning, it is almost time to move into Lalande and begin exploiting the TN resources there.  Planning for the colony on the innermost nearly habitable planet begins, and when the troop transports are released from the refit docks, they will begin transferring Guard units to the planet.  For now, freighters will begin transferring infrastructure and tracking stations to the planet. 

February 2, 2114: The outpost on Lalande 21185 I detects an alien ship amongst the system’s asteroid belt.  The alien ship is the same class as the ship destroyed in the solar system.  This is a problem, as the outpost’s STO defenders are still embarked on their troops ships, headed in-system from the jump point.  Worse, the troop ships will pass relatively near the alien ship on its way to the outpost.  The outpost commander, Administrator Lacasse, is known as a dour and harsh boss, but he’s no one’s fool and not a coward.  He immediately sends a message to the troop ships informing them of the contact and suggesting they divert around the inner system and approach the outpost from the far side, away from the alien ship.  The troop ship commander agrees, and diverts away from the alien ship.  Unfortunately, the alien ship appears to be surveying the system’s planets and soon arrives over the innermost planet and the Terran outpost. 

Much to everyone’s relief, the alien ship moves on, headed out towards the third planet.  Soon the alien ship moves out of the inner system and the troop ships are given the all clear to head directly to the colony. 

By the thirteenth, the STO’s have been unloaded from the transports, which immediately head out-system, carrying a contact report that will cause much consternation once it arrives back home.  Even as the transports move away, the alien ship is detected once again moving towards the inner system.  This time the outpost is prepared, and the defenses are ready.  Oddly, the alien ship moves through the inner system, close to the sun, and then stops on the inner planet’s orbit, approximately 38 mkm’s from the outpost.  For nearly fifteen hours it sits in space, and then it turns towards the outpost. 

The alien ship plunges towards the planet, refusing all communications.  At 40,000 kilometers, the outposts 15 cm NUV laser batteries and 20 cm plasma batteries open fire, achieving multiple hits.  Five seconds later the outposts point defense laser batteries open fire, scoring more hits, slowing the alien ship to a crawl.  Five seconds after that the colony’s heavier lasers fired again, destroying the alien ship before it could reach orbit.  The combat report is sent to the retreating transports for relay to HQ.

March 28, 2114: The troop transports enter the solar system and send their reports off to Terra, causing consternation throughout the imperial government at the new evidence of alien encroachment. 

May 3, 2114: A new alien ship has been detected in the Solar system, in the asteroid belt 350 mkm’s from Terra.  It is quickly identified as another Archer Alpha class ship.  Unlike last time, the fleet has ships capable of responding in an effective manner.  Two groups are dispatched to intercept the alien, a group of two destroyers and a group of two interceptors.  The destroyers are 400 km/s slower than the alien, while the interceptors are 500 km/s faster.   The alien ship is moving across the asteroid belt, perhaps surveying the belt. 

The interceptors came up behind the alien ship, pushing it into fleeing directly into the destroyer group coming out of the inner system.  The destroyers began preparing to fire when the alien ship fired on them, hitting the lead destroyer with three low strength railgun hits.  The second destroyer got off shots next, firing its large lasers and plasma cannons at 60,000 kilometers, but missed across the board.  The same destroyer fired its 10 cm lasers next, getting three hits, which penetrated the alien ship’s armor.  The alien ship fired again, scoring four hits on the lead Imperial destroyer, causing serious armor damage as it was now at close range.  In exchange, the second destroyer fired again, scoring a hit with its 15 cm laser battery. 

The two Imperial destroyers closed to point blank range and the second destroyer continued pounding the alien ship with its light lasers.  The lead destroyer had finally worked out its problems and launched a devastating broadside at point blank range, gutting the alien ship with its plasma cannons.  The threat eliminated; the two groups turned back to Terra. 

With the number of alien ships entering the solar system seemingly increasing, the Navy decides it needs a picket posted at the jump point to control entry and egress from the system.  Therefore, design begins on the Aggressor Long-Duration variant, which will have an endurance and maintenance capability that will allow it to be stationed at remote locations like the jump point for long periods of time.   

November 30, 2116: Yet another Archer Alpha class ship is detected in the asteroid belt of the solar system.  The third destroyer group and the 1st interceptor group are ordered to pursue and destroy the alien ship.  The interceptors leap out ahead of the destroyers, and the three groups of ships race towards each other as the alien ship moves in-system on its enigmatic mission.  The interceptors reach nineteen mkm’s from the alien ship before it turns away, and the chase is on. 

It took hours, but finally the interceptors were closing in on their laser’s range, but before they could reach range the alien ship opened fire with its railguns, scoring several low-power hits on the lead interceptor.  The alien ship would fire four more times before the interceptors reached their range, doing moderate damage to the lead interceptor’s armor, but then the four interceptors opened fire on the alien ship.  The human ships missed across the board, but they were closing and their chance to hit would only improve.  The alien ship would fire twice more before the interceptors finally got hits. 

During the next salvo, the human interceptors got another hit, but the alien ship finally penetrated the lead interceptors’ armor, destroying the small ship’s search sensor.  The CO of the 1st Interceptor Group, Commander Erin Cauthon, ordered Interceptor 003 to drop out of the pursuit and retreat to avoid suffering further damage.  The alien ship shifted its fire to Interceptor 004, and the pursuit continued.  Ten seconds later, one of the Imperial interceptors scored a critical hit, taking out the one of the alien ship’s engines, slowing it by 50%.  Ten seconds later the next salvo cut deeply into the alien ship, knocking out its engines.  Even as the interceptor’s crews cheered, a group of two Archer Alpha class ships appeared on the ship’s sensors, six hundred and fifty million kilometers out-system of their location.  The DD group, coming up behind the interceptors, changed course to intercept the two alien ships. 

The new contact faded from the sensors even as the interceptors destroyed the crippled alien ship in front of them.  Ten seconds later the alien ships reappeared.  Commander Cauthon detached her ship, which had suffered damage during the battle, and ordered the last two interceptors of the 1st Group to join the destroyers instead of approaching the two alien ships alone. 

December 1, 2116: The 3rd Destroyer Group, bolstered by the two remaining interceptors, picks up the alien intruders on their active sensors 48 mkm’s from the Imperial force.  The active sensors pick up a new and unknown class of ship with the two Archer Alpha class ships.  The new class is designated the Archer Bravo class.  The active sensor signature is 732 tons, a tenth of the known mass of the Alpha class, possibly due to jamming or cloaking of some sort.  The three alien ships are headed in-system, directly towards the Imperial squadron. 

Twelve minutes later the alien ships turn away and begin moving out-system with the Terran squadron in pursuit.  Unfortunately, the destroyers are four hundred km/s too slow to catch them and begin falling behind.  Commander Asher, the CO of DD Group 3, considers detaching the interceptors to pursue the alien ships, but decides against it given there are only two with his squadron.  He does send a message back to Terra requesting additional interceptors, though.  Unfortunately, the bulk of the remaining interceptors are either in training or being overhauled. 

Seven hours later the alien ships pass beyond the 3rd DD Group’s sensor range and fade from view.  The Imperial ships are still 260 mkm’s from the point where the alien ships were first observed, and Commander Asher considers continuing on to that point, but in the end, worried about the alien ships slipping around him, he decides to come to a halt and hold position to watch for the alien ships attempting to return to the inner system.  Two days later HQ orders Commander Asher’s group to return to base. 

As a result of this encounter, the Navy requests that its scout ship project be moved up in priority, and that the planetary detection networks on Terra, Io, and the two out-system outposts be enlarged.  R&D efforts are diverted from economic projects to improve sensor capabilities before specific development of scout systems begins.   

December 8, 2116: The same three alien ships are detected entering the asteroid belt on the same vector as before.  The 3rd DD Group, along with the 1st and 3rd Interceptor Groups, are dispatched to intercept.  Four hours later the alien ships fade from sensors, and the intercepting groups are ordered to move to their last known location.  Two hours later a fourth alien ship appears on Terra’s sensors.  This one is 780 mkm’s farther out than the closer group, has commercial engines, and is moving at 1,830 km/s.  This new contact is designate as an Archer Charlie class ship.  Shortly after this, the interceptors of Interceptor Group 2 complete their overhauls and are dispatched to follow the other groups moving out towards the aliens. 

Nineteen hours later, the 1st and 3rd Interceptor Groups approach the last known location of the alien ships.  Their active sensors don’t pick up the alien ships, so the interceptors continue outwards, towards the Archer Charlie contact that is still moving in-system. 

December 10, 2116, 9:57 pm: The 1st and 3rd Interceptor Groups are close enough to pick up the Archer Charlie contact on active sensors.  The active sensors show that the Archer Charlie is 119,531 tons, and is escorted by an Archer Alpha and two Archer Bravo’s, none of which have been seen before, meaning that the prior contact of two Archer Alphas and an Archer Bravo is still out there somewhere.  The two Imperial interceptor groups tighten their formation and then charge forward.  By this time, the alien ships have turned away, but they are tied to the slow Archer Charlie and the interceptors are much faster. 

One and a half hours later the interceptors are approaching weapons range and they are hit by a massive volley of railgun projectiles, all aimed at two of the interceptors in the 1st Interceptor Group.  One of the interceptors merely loses a little armor, but the other is seriously damaged.  The damaged interceptor is detached to head back to Earth, while the remaining seven open fire.  All seven interceptors target the same ship, one of the Archer Bravo’s, as they are more heavily armed than the Archer Alpha. 

The interceptors are hit by another massive salvo of railgun projectiles, all targeted on the interceptor damaged in the earlier attack, causing serious damage.  The Archer Bravo is hit by six 15cm lasers from the interceptors, penetrating its armor with all six hits.  The alien ship continues with its squadron mates, while the damaged interceptor turns back, leaving six to pursue the alien ships.  The interceptors shift targeting to the second Archer Bravo while their lasers recharge, all except one interceptor that continues to target the first Archer Bravo. 

The interceptors are hit by another salvo of railgun projectiles five seconds later, targeting one of the remaining interceptors, which suffered internal damage.  The damaged interceptor is ordered to turn back, but its CO, Commander Rayford Harjo, hesitates.  His weapons are almost recharged, and the temptation to remain is nearly overwhelming.  After a second’s hesitation he relents and orders his ship to turn away.  Their armor is shredded, and while their internal damage is light, another salvo from the alien’s railguns would destroy his small ship.  The Imperial interceptor force is reduced to five ships now. 

Unfortunately, the aliens target the retreating interceptors, including Commander Harjo’s ship.  Harjo’s interceptor is hit by twenty-eight railgun slugs, half of which are absorbed by the already damaged armor.  The remaining slugs rip through the small ship, damaging more systems but leaving them motive power.  The other damaged interceptor is less lucky, loosing both its fuel tanks and its engine.  In exchange, the five intact interceptors get three hits in the next exchange of fire, two on the second Archer Bravo and one on the first.  All three hits penetrate, and both alien ships lose power and begin drifting.  The Imperial ships target the Archer Alpha and both damaged Bravos, while the damaged Imperials target one of the Archer Bravos. 

Rayford Harjo’s ship was targeted again by the damaged Archer Bravo’s, and suffered a catastrophic explosion, killing most of the crew and Commander Harjo.  Harjo’s ship got off one last shot, hitting the Bravo targeting his ship, but the laser didn’t do any apparent damage. 

The two remaining damaged interceptors are now beyond the Bravo’s range, so they shift fire to the intact interceptors, doing moderate armor damage to one and causing light internal damage.  In exchange, the Imperial ships get two hits on the Archer Alpha and one each on the damaged Bravo’s, which are falling behind the other ships.  The damaged interceptor, the last remaining ship from the 1st Interceptor Group, detaches and moves away from the battle, but instead of heading back to Terra, which would take it back towards the damaged Archer Bravos, it races ahead of the Archer Alpha and Archer Charlie, away from the damaged Bravos.  The four remaining interceptors remain with the Archer Charlie. 

The damaged interceptor is hit again by railguns from the Archer Alpha, while the lasers on the imperial ships recharge.  Five seconds later the interceptors pound the Archer Alpha with their 15 cm lasers, causing multiple penetrating hits, while the Alpha returns fire with railguns damaging one of the interceptors armor.  Ten seconds later the ships exchanged fire again, and this time the Archer Alpha lost its engines, falling behind the Archer Charlie.  Unfortunately, the Alpha targeted the retreating Interceptor that had moved ahead of the fleet, and one of its hits destroyed the fleeing interceptor’s engine.  Not willing to allow the Alpha to continue to fire on the crippled interceptor, Commander Taffe, the CO of Interceptor Group 3, ordered her ships to remain with the Alpha and destroy it. 

Fifteen seconds later, as the Archer Charlie continued to flee, the interceptors destroyed the crippled Alpha, which did not return fire.  They then turned to pursue the futilely fleeing Archer Charlie.  It took fifty-five seconds of continuous fire but finally the commercial ship was destroyed. 

With the last mobile ship destroyed, Commander Taffe ordered her ships turn back and approach to just within laser range of the damaged Archer Bravos.  Seven salvoes later, with no return fire from the Bravos, Commander Taffe ordered the squadron to close to 50,000 kilometers to improve their hit chance and damage.  This proved effective and the next salvo destroyed the Archer Bravo.  They then shifted fire to the last remaining Bravo and pounded it into scrap. 

In the aftermath of the battle the area was littered with wrecks, and two of the interceptors were still without power.  The 1st Interceptor Group moved in to pick up the survivors of the destroyed interceptor, and then remained on station while a tug and salvage ships were dispatched from the inner system.  The 3rd Destroyer Group was seven and a half hours away and racing to their location to reinforce the interceptors in case the other alien ships suspected to be in the system appeared.  Interceptor Group 2 was even closer, and would arrive on station in just over three hours. 

December 11, 2116, 2112 hours: The three alien ships that had been lost reappear on the destroyer group’s sensors.  Immediately the two interceptor groups race away, towards the aliens, followed by the slower destroyers.  The aliens immediately turn away and the chase is on.  The interceptors must bring the alien ships into their own sensor range before the aliens manage to move out of the destroyer’s sensor range, or they will be lost once again.  Two and a half hours later the interceptors are within range of their own sensors, long before the aliens manage to get out of the destroyer’s sensor range. 

At 0915 hours on December 12th, the contacts, which were at that point fifteen mkm’s in front of the pursuing interceptors, suddenly disappeared off of the sensors of the pursuing ships.  By everything the Terrans knew, there was no way for the ships to suddenly disappear while so far within their detection envelope.  The terran ships pushed on, closing on the area where the alien ships disappeared.  Forty-two minutes later the interceptors arrive and found nothing but empty space.  The aliens were gone. 

This development threw caused much consternation throughout the Navy.  There was no jump point detectable at the location where the alien ships disappeared.  The survey of the solar system had been exhaustive and hadn’t revealed any even potential jump points aside from the one to Wolf 359.  If the aliens had some other way of moving between stars, then the implications for the Empire were dire. 

December 25, 2116: The two interceptor groups are dispatched back to Terra, as they are not intended for long duration deployments.  The 1st DD Group will remain on station for now. 

January, 2117: The salvage of the wrecked Archer Charlie resulted in the recovery of several systems, including a cargo shuttle bay. 

March, 2117: The salvage ship and its attendant freighters returns to Terra and begins unloading their haul.  Subsequent examination of the recovered systems reveals little in the way of new technology, except the two active sensors recovered from the Archer Bravo wrecks.  These yield useful information on ECCM tech.  The rest is scrapped. 

Imperial Naval Intelligence Report on Archer Alien Incursion of 2116
The Archer Incursion in November-December 2116 consisted of three groups of ships:
Group 1: 1xArcher Alpha – destroyed
Group 2: 1xArcher Alpha, 2xArcher Bravo – lost contact
Group 3: 1xArcher Charlie, 1xArcher Alpha, 2xArcher Bravo – destroyed

Archer Bravo Class
Actual tonnage: 7,300, apparent tonnage per active sensors - 730
Observed Speed: 5,639 km/s
Armament: 5xRaigun, ROF 5, max known range 39,902 km
Thermal Signature: 198
Armor: Light, potentially basic armor coverage
The Bravo class appears to be a variant of the Alpha class.  Like the Alpha Class, it has light armor, but carries a much heavier armament of faster firing railguns, making it a formidable opponent. 

Archer Charlie Class:
Actual tonnage: 119,500
Observed Speed: 1,830 km/s
Armament: none
Thermal Signature: 4,375
Armor: None/light
The purpose of this class is currently unknown.  Analysis of the wreckage shows that it has a cargo shuttle bay, but no other systems that might reveal its purpose were recovered. 

Intelligence recommends that the Marine Boarding program be accelerated so that the next incursion can be countered by boarding any commercial craft encountered so that their capabilities and intentions can be determined. 

 
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Humanity First: Designs 2110-2117
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2024, 10:52:02 AM »
Imperial Naval Designs, 2110-2117

The Flight III upgrades include, most importantly, a new engine based on the recently developed magneto-plasma drive technology.  The Hi-Thrust magneto-plasma drive was developed specifically for the interceptor class and has its base power boosted by 50%, at the cost of fuel efficiency and a somewhat higher chance of explosion should the drive unit be damaged.  The new drives give the interceptor a speed of 6,153 km/s, higher than the speed of all known Archer ships.  The interceptor’s fuel tankage has not been increased, meaning that its range has been reduced by approximately 20%, a trade-off seen as acceptable given its short endurance and defensive missions. 

In addition, this design includes an upgraded laser main armament and improved sensors, including an active sensor designed specifically to detect the low-profile Archer ships encountered to date. 
Code: [Select]
Aberration Flt III class Interceptor      1,951 tons       45 Crew       446.1 BP       TCS 39    TH 240    EM 0
6153 km/s      Armour 5-13       Shields 0-0       HTK 17      Sensors 33/33/0/0      DCR 1-5      PPV 5
Maint Life 5.93 Years     MSP 214    AFR 20%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 10    5YR 156    Max Repair 120 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months    Morale Check Required   

Hi-Thrust Magneto-plasma Drive   (1)    Power 240    Fuel Use 165.34%    Signature 240    Explosion 15%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 8.4 billion km (15 days at full power)

15.0cm Ultraviolet Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,153 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 10       
EW Fire Control Mk II (1)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Stellarator Fusion Reactor  (1)     Total Power Output 6.4    Exp 5%

Interceptor Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 784     Range 33.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Flight II upgrades to the destroyer class include the newly developed magneto-plasma drives, boosting its speed to near parity to the known Archer classes.  In addition, the upgrades added significantly to the class maintenance capability, ensuring that it can continue to operate in difficult conditions.  Much like the smaller interceptors, the destroyers receive an upgraded sensor package, including an active sensor designed specifically to detect low-profile Archer ships. 
Code: [Select]
Aggravator Flight II class Destroyer      10,000 tons       252 Crew       1,691.8 BP       TCS 200    TH 1,056    EM 0
5280 km/s      Armour 5-41       Shields 0-0       HTK 68      Sensors 33/33/0/0      DCR 3-3      PPV 36
Maint Life 2.99 Years     MSP 1,217    AFR 267%    IFR 3.7%    1YR 204    5YR 3,056    Max Repair 176 MSP
Tractor Beam     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months    Morale Check Required   

Magneto-plasma Drive (3)    Power 1056    Fuel Use 53.84%    Signature 352    Explosion 11%
Fuel Capacity 1,553,000 Litres    Range 51.9 billion km (113 days at full power)

25.0cm Plasma Carronade (3)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 16-4     RM 10,000 km    ROF 20       
15.0cm Ultraviolet Laser (3)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 10       
10cm Ultraviolet Laser (3)    Range 120,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
EW Fire Control Mk II (3)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (6)     Total Power Output 30    Exp 5%

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Aggressor class missile base is intended to provide heavy-standoff firepower to augment planetary defenses.  The Empire has little experience with missile combat, and this design is their first attempt at a missile-combatant. 
Code: [Select]
Aggressor class Missile Base      9,813 tons       111 Crew       1,648.4 BP       TCS 196    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      Armour 15-40       Shields 0-0       HTK 87      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 2-2      PPV 70
Maint Life 2.07 Years     MSP 262    AFR 308%    IFR 4.3%    1YR 81    5YR 1,220    Max Repair 105 MSP
Magazine 835 / 0    Tractor Beam     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range N/A

Standard Box Launcher (50)     Missile Size: 8    Hangar Reload 141 minutes    MF Reload 23 hours
AM Missile Launcher (10)     Missile Size: 1    Rate of Fire 10
AM Missile Fire Control  (2)     Range 29.7m km    Resolution 1
Missile Fire Control  (1)     Range 79.6m km    Resolution 100
Archer Anti-Ship Missile (50)    Speed: 17,500 km/s    End: 27.3m     Range: 28.7m km    WH: 12    Size: 8    TH: 67/40/20
Shrike AMM (435)    Speed: 35,000 km/s    End: 2.6m     Range: 5.5m km    WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 116/70/35

Active Search Sensor Mdm Ship Mk III (1)     GPS 8400     Range 70.9m km    Resolution 200
Lg Active Search Sensor Sm Ship (1)     GPS 10500     Range 75.9m km    Resolution 100
AM Active Search Sensor (1)     GPS 105     Range 19.2m km    MCR 1.7m km    Resolution 1

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
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

Designed after the second alien incursion into the solar system, the Long Duration variant of the standard missile base has reduced armor in exchange for increasing the unit’s endurance to ten years, and increasing its box launchers by 26%. 
Code: [Select]
Aggressor Long Duration class Missile Base      9,928 tons       139 Crew       1,657.9 BP       TCS 199    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      Armour 10-41       Shields 0-0       HTK 111      Sensors 33/33/0/0      DCR 8-8      PPV 85.6
Maint Life 10.17 Years     MSP 1,335    AFR 99%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 23    5YR 352    Max Repair 140 MSP
Magazine 769 / 0    Tractor Beam     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 120 months    Morale Check Required   

Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range N/A

Standard Box Launcher (63)     Missile Size: 8    Hangar Reload 141 minutes    MF Reload 23 hours
AM Missile Launcher (10)     Missile Size: 1    Rate of Fire 10
AM Missile Fire Control  (2)     Range 29.7m km    Resolution 1
Missile Fire Control  (1)     Range 79.6m km    Resolution 100
Archer Anti-Ship Missile (63)    Speed: 17,500 km/s    End: 27.3m     Range: 28.7m km    WH: 12    Size: 8    TH: 67/40/20
Shrike AMM (265)    Speed: 35,000 km/s    End: 2.6m     Range: 5.5m km    WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 116/70/35

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
AM Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 140     Range 22.1m km    MCR 2m km    Resolution 1
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km

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
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: 2117 to 2125
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2024, 10:15:21 AM »
April, 2117: The first Long Duration Missile Base is launched.  Originally intended to be stationed on the jump point into the solar system, it will now be towed to the point where the alien ships disappeared from the solar system in an attempt to prevent future raids. 

Once the missile base is on station the DD group stationed in the area will be withdrawn to Terra for overhaul. 

May, 2117: Two orbital yards are being retooled to build the new Planet class battlecruiser and Annihilator class jump cruiser.  These ships are 20,000 tons, the empire’s largest warships to date. 

June, 2117: A second long duration missile base is completed and will be towed to the jump point to secure the solar system’s entry point. 

The senate approves a measure to end terraforming efforts on Io and to transfer the terraforming fleet, now twenty-two ships strong, to the Lalande system to begin work on the colony there.  The decision is controversial, as the terraforming of Io, which was hailed as an Imperial commitment to its citizens, is only partially complete.  This decision was made due to the relative value of the two colonies.  The Empire’s critical need for TN resources, which are available on Lalande Prime, and the need to jump start the colony in the Lalande system, far outweighs any possible argument for the terraforming of Io.  The first step will be to send fuel ships to Io to refuel the terraformers, before they set out on the long trip to the Lalande system.  The empire’s five tugs will be detailed to tow some of the terraformers to Lalande to speed the process up, because while the terraformers are officially classified as “mobile” they are very slow. 

The empire’s plans for Io have not ended.  Instead, the moon’s capacity to support its population will be augmented by large orbital constructs which are being designed right now and will be built by Terra’s industrial might. 

On June 17, the massive terraformers lift ponderously out of orbit over Io and begin their trip.  It will take the older terraformers over a year to reach Lalande, although the assignment of the tugs to assist them will reduce this time considerably. 

August, 2117: R&D is complete on a new generation of laser weaponry.  The new weapons are more powerful than previous generations, and are based on new far ultraviolet technology recently developed.  In addition, they incorporate the latest in capacitor tech, making them faster firing as well as more powerful.  The newly developed 15cm laser, which is the mainstay of the fleet, can fire twice as fast as the older 15cm UV laser.  In addition, a new 20cm FUV laser mount will be deployed to the fleet, as will a 25cm spinal mount laser.  Although no refits are scheduled, all newly built ships will incorporate these systems, designated as (b) models. 

September, 2117: The tug group drops off five older terraforming ships over Lalande I and turns back to rendezvous with the plodding terraformer groups and get the next batch.  Both terraforming groups are still in the solar system, slowly heading towards the jump point. 

June 11, 2118: A new alien ship, Archer Alpha class, has appeared in sol.  The ship was detected 460 mkm’s from Terra, in the asteroid belt.  Disturbingly, the ship appears on almost the diametrically opposite side of the solar system from the area where the other Archer ships appeared and disappeared.  A destroyer group and two interceptor groups are dispatched to the area. 

The alien ship continues on course in-system, until the interceptors close to 17 mkm’s, at which point the alien ship turns away. 

June 12, 2118, 1833 hours: The two interceptor groups are nearing their maximum weapons range when the Archer Alpha opens fire with its railgun, scoring hits on one of the interceptors.  The interceptors open fire at 110,000 kilometers with their 15cm UV lasers, getting one hit.  Two more salvoes and the Alpha was drifting.  One more salvo left the Alpha a wreck.  The interceptors turned back to base.  Intercepting Archer Alphas is becoming routine for the interceptors of the Solar Defense Group. 

With the Solar system secure and the fleet growing, HQ feels secure enough to dispatch the survey ships to survey the two systems beyond the Lalande system.  They will stop at V-Sag base to refuel before continuing on. 

August, 2118: The tug group has been diverted from the terraforming group to transport the newly built habs from Terra to Io.  They arrive over Io late in the month with five orbital habitats capable of sustaining one million colonists each.  The habs immediately begin unloading some of their colonists to the colony below to free up space on the orbital habitats. 

September, 2118: The Emperor meets with senate leaders and they agree to impose a moratorium on new construction except as needed in emergency situations.  Terra’s TN resources are almost exhausted, and in several critical instances, such as gallicite, the stored stocks will run out within a year at current usage rates.   The massive buildup of the Imperial navy will have to end, at least until the Lalande system can be fully exploited. 

By mid-month a maintenance base has been established on Lalande Prime capable of supporting 35,000 tons of naval shipping.  The 4th Interceptor Group is assigned to Lalande Prime as the primary defense force for the colony.  The group departs Terra on this date, and will stop at V-Sag base to refuel before continuing on to Lalande Prime. 

October, 2118: R&D on sensor systems for a fleet scout is complete, and the design is finalized.  Acting on priorities approved by the senate, the Navy high command authorizes the conversion of a shipyard and the diversion of resources sufficient for two fleet scouts to be constructed. 

Elsewhere, an Imperial Territorial Guard unit is embarked, along with an older laser STO unit, for transfer to a new mining site in the Lalande system. 

October, 2118: The geo-survey of the Tau Ceti system is complete.  One of the inner planets and several moons and asteroids possess deposits of TN resources, but none are prime mining sites. 

Later in the month the survey ships complete their survey of Proxima Centauri.  The system contains a number of valuable mining sites.  Several moons possess multiple hi-availability deposits, but with low total quantities, but one terrestrial class moon has seven TN resources in large quantities at availabilities ranging from .1 to .6, making it a prime base site.  This moon possesses an atmosphere of hydrogen-helium at a pressure of .94 and an ice sheet covering approximately 27% of its surface.

December, 2118: The grav survey of Proxima Centauri is complete.  The system contains two new jump points.  The survey group will probe the two jump points and begin their survey of the most promising system. 

While probing the first unexplored jump point in the Proxima Centauri system, the group discovers that the jump point leads back to the already known 61 Hydrae system.  After reassembling the group, they set out for the second new jump point in the Proxima Centauri system. 

January 2, 2119: The survey group working out of Proxima Centauri probes the second new jump point, discovering the V577 Monoceri System.  This is a binary system with two small red stars.  The system primary is orbited by three lonely comets, but the secondary star is more promising.  This star is orbited by a terrestrial class planet with an ice sheet and a thin oxygen nitrogen atmosphere.  In addition, there are two gas giants, one of which is orbited by twenty-one moons, and a small asteroid belt. 

Later in the month a survey group completes its grav survey of the Tau Ceti system, discovering one new jump point. 

March, 2119: The survey group operating in the Tau Ceti system jumps through the unexplored jump point, discovering the 55 Bootis system.  This system is a single-star system with a red primary orbited by two terrestrial class planets, a super-Jovian with thirty-six moons, and a moderate sized asteroid belt and a few comets. 

April, 2119: The Mark IV Guardsman weapons and armor are now available.  The Mark IV equipment means the standard guardsman will be four times as tough and resilient as a trooper equipped with Mk I armor, and deal out twice as much damage.  Mk II equipped Guard units will be redesignated as Reserve Territorial Guard, joining Mk I equipped units.   

May, 2119: The grav-survey of the V577 Monoceri system is complete.  Two new jump points were found. 

June, 2119: The survey group operating out of the Monoceri system probes the innermost new jump point, discovering Van Biesbroeck’s Star.  This is a binary system with pair of red stars.  The primary is orbited by five rocky planets, one of which is Venusian, and two gas giants, along with a small asteroid belt.  The secondary red star is orbited by a pair of rocky planets and a moon-less gas giant.   

July, 2119: The survey group in the Monoceri system probes the second new jump point, discovering Barnard’s Star.  The system primary is a red star with no planets, asteroids, or moons. 

August, 2119: the gravitational survey of 55 Bootis is complete and one new jump point has been found. 

The development of Mk IV Marine equipment is complete.  Mark IV equipment includes heavy powered infantry armor, heavy crew served anti-personnel weapons, and improved genetic enhancements that make the Imperial Marine a fearsome opponent on the battlefield. 

The survey group in 55 Bootis probes the single new jump point found in the system and discovers the Sigma Eridani system.  The system primary is a brown dwarf with no planets or asteroids.  The survey group sets out for home.   

August, 2119: Three Planet class battlecruisers are launched.  Along with their jump cruiser sisters, these ships were the last laid down before the building moratorium was declared.  These twenty-thousand ton behemoths are as fast as the smaller destroyers and mount a fearsome broadside of five plasma cannons, a 25cm spinal laser, a 20cm laser, five 15cm lasers, and two 10cm laser turrets for missile defense.  The BC’s have a range of nearly 48 billion kilometers and an endurance of one year in deep space. 

October, 2119: The first two jump cruisers are launched.  These are the same size as the battlecruisers, but mount jump drives at the expense of some weaponry. 

December, 2119: The Imperial Navy makes the decision to discontinue the watch station where the aliens were believed to be entering the system.  The missile base towed to the location has not spotted any alien ships in the two and half years since it was stationed there, and there has been an incursion since, which apparently came from elsewhere.  A base will continue to be stationed on the jump point into and out of the solar system. 

January, 2120: The extensive shipyard facilities over Terra have largely been shut down due to resource shortages.  There are four ships currently being built, a jump cruiser and three fleet scouts. 

The fleet’s three battlecruisers and two jump cruisers are training in the inner system and several deficiencies in their designs have come to light.  In particular, their maintenance facilities are a clear problem.  In spite of being out for less than half their designed endurance time, one of the jump cruisers has depleted 68% of their maintenance supplies, and the battlecruiser’s maintenance supply use, while better, calls into question their ability to sustain long-duration engagements where their equipment will be stressed by heavy use.  The next refit will remedy this situation. 

There are now thirty-three terraformer ships over Lalande Prime, each mounting three terraforming modules.  One additional terraformer is en route from the solar system, brining the total of modules over Lalande Prime to 102 when it arrives.  The terraformers have succeeded in reducing the carbon dioxide in Lalande Prime’s atmosphere to a trace, and have now begun lowering the planet’s temperature to bearable levels. 

February, 2120: The survey of Van Biesbroeck’s Star is complete.  The system contains one additional jump point, and several mining sites of minor interest.  The survey group will probe the new jump point before returning home for rest for the crews and overhauls for the ships.

Late in the month the survey group probes the jump point and discovers the Procyon system.  The system is binary, with a hot F5 subgiant primary orbited by two planets, a hot gas giant orbiting 93 mkm’s from the primary, and a terrestrial class planet with a thin nitrogen-methane atmosphere and a surprisingly balmy temperature of 21.4 C.  The secondary star is a lonely white dwarf orbiting 2.4 billion kilometers from the primary. 

March, 2120: The Wesley Marchman R&D team completes development of magnetic fusion drive technology.  Development of engine designs begin immediately, and plans are made to begin overhauling all fleet units as soon as possible.  The new engine designs will finally give the Imperial navy parity with or superiority over observed alien performance. 

Profile – Io Colony, 2120   
Gravity: 0.183
Diameter: 3,642 km
Temp: -48.8 C
Atmospheric Pressure: 0.87
Atmospheric Composition: Aestusium – 100%
Hydrographic Composition: 20% Ice Sheet
Terrain: Cold Desert, Mountainous
Population: 64.3 million
Resources: Duranium 4,130,352(0.7), Mercasium 553,685(0.3)
The Io colony is an example of the Empire’s first tentative steps to create an off-world presence.  The moon has been partly terraformed, with the atmosphere’s harmful elements removed and the temperature partially remediated, but the terraforming effort was abandoned when the Empire shifted its focus to the resource rich Lalande system.  In place of the terraforming effort, the Empire began constructing massive orbital population centers, five of which were towed into orbit over the moon, but then this effort was abandoned as well when the resource shortages became critical.

The moon’s population is primarily employed in the extensive financial sector that has grown rapidly due to favorable laws passed by the senate, in the moon’s spaceport, and in the moon’s mines.  Io currently has a large population of potential workers (unemployed), and the Imperial government is considering the best utilization of the colony.  There are currently proposals to relocate some or most of the orbital shipyards there, or speed up the growth of the financial sector on the moon.  No decision has been made so far. 

April, 2120: The new commercial magnetic fusion drive is ready for deployment.  The government authorizes the retooling of the yards to begin, although refits will be delayed until the naval force is refitted and the cost in TN resources can be properly evaluated. 

May, 2121: The Imperial Navy’s three fleet scouts are launched from the orbital yards.  These scouts mount the same low-profile engines the survey ships use, and are equipped with a jump drive and very large active sensor and thermals sensor, along with an ELINT module.  The active sensor will be able to detect 700 ton alien ships at up to 130 mkm’s, and the large thermal sensor should be able to detect the alien ships even farther out.  Two of the three scouts immediately return to the yards for refits.  The third will be sent to the Groombridge system to probe the planet there where alien ships were detected during the initial survey effort.  A jump ship will follow the scout and picket the jump point back to the rest of the empire to observe. 

July, 2121: The fleet scout jumps into the Groombridge system.  The jump point is almost 3.5 billion kilometers from the location the alien ships were last seen, so it isn’t a surprise when nothing is detected, however, a wreck of an Archer Alpha class ship is detected in the inner system.  The scout sets out for the inner system. 

The scout moves to 600 mkm’s from the target planet without detecting anything new, and so continues moving in-system.  Thirty hours later it is 300 mkm’s with nothing new detected, so it continues.  On the 29th of July it reaches a point 92 mkm’s from the planet, and goes to low power to reduce its sensor profile.  The planet will eventually move closer to the scout’s location, approaching to its closest point at 37 mkm’s. 

By August 13th, the planet has reached its closest point, and still nothing new has been detected.  After some debate with his second in command, Commander Luis Framer orders the ship’s powerful active sensors to be powered up.  The scout’s powerful active sensors immediately pick up the same two contacts in orbit over planet 2 as were detected all those years ago.  Both are over 17,000 tons, but have a very low thermal profile, explaining why the scout’s sensitive thermal sensors didn’t see them.  The scout’s CO orders the active sensors powered down, and the scout goes quiet again.  Interestingly, the scout’s sensors do not detect any populations on the planet. 

Groombridge A-II
Terrestrial, Gravity .433
Hydrosphere: Liquid water covers thirty five percent of the surface
Atmosphere: Oxygen-Nitrogen, pressure 0.189
Temperature: 4.32  C
A-II is within human tolerances for colonization in terms of hydrosphere and temperature.  The atmosphere is too thin and contains too little oxygen to be considered breathable.  In addition, the planet has an eccentricity of 0.25, and its average temp varies from 4.32 at a high to -38.86 at a low.  The planet’s resources are unknown, as the constructs orbiting the planet prevented the survey ships from completing their survey of the system. 

Commander Framer orders his ship to relocate to a new position ahead of the planet to distance himself from the spot where they activated their sensors. 

The scout ship slowly creeps closer to the orbital track of A-II, positioning itself so that at the planet’s closest approach the scout will be just over 12 mkm’s from the planet.  On the 23rd the planet its at its closest approach and the scout’s sensors confirm that only the two previously detected ships are in orbit over the planet, but now they can see a weak thermal contact on the planet as well.  The contact is strength 30, which is much smaller than ever the smallest mining outposts in the solar system, but no details can be resolved. 

Under orders from Naval HQ, Commander Framer begins attempting to communicate with the aliens.  The aliens seem at least somewhat willing to learn how to talk to humans, but after five days the aliens abruptly shut down all comms attempts. 

July, 2122: The Sampson R&D team, working out of the newly established Io research complex, completes development of theoretical cloaking technology.  The Io R&D facility is being used by the Imperial Navy to research highly classified tech, as the remote location and limited access makes security controls much easier to enforce.

January, 2124: Lalande Prime reaches zero colony cost as a result of the efforts of the terraforming fleet orbiting overhead.  The fleet will continue to work for some time as the planet’s eccentric orbit means that the temps must be brought down even more to ensure it stays within the habitable band for humans. 

May, 2124: A forward base on Alpha Centauri A-I is established.  Alpha Base is garrisoned by three brigades of Guards from the 6th Guards Division on Terra.  Eventually, marine units will join the Guards and STO’s will be deployed to protect the base.   Alpha base will be used as a forward staging area for the eventually invasion of Alpha Centauri.

Alpha Centauri A-I is an atmosphere-less dwarf planet orbiting 75 mkm’s from the yellow primary star and has very little aside from location to recommend it. 

April 2125: The Empire’s first six courier ships are launched.  They are immediately dispatched to the mining colonies in the Wolf 359 system, the military refueling base in the V1216 Sagittarii system, and two to the vital colony in the Lalande system.  These ships will orbit their assigned locations and be available to rapidly return to the Solar System with contact reports or incursion warnings. 

May, 2125: Demonstrating its commitment to defend out-system populations, the Navy dispatches the 9th Destroyer Group, composed of two Flight III destroyers, to the Lalande system. 
 
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Humanity First: Ship Designs as of 2125
« Reply #10 on: June 27, 2024, 10:16:31 AM »
After a long debate in the Senate, the Aggravator class destroyers were renamed the Hero of Terra class.  This was largely a public relations effort, as the names of the individual ships weren’t changed, and neither was the intent of the naming scheme, just the framing.  Originally, the destroyer class was named under the Imperial Navy’s original aggressive naming scheme, and it was named for persons who had ‘aggravated’ the alien raiders during humanity’s long fight before the Empire achieved effective space flight.  Changing the class naming scheme represents the Imperial government’s attempt to highlight the heroes that defended humanity in its most dire times, linking the current fleet to the heroism that came before. 

The Flight III refits for the destroyer class adds magnetic fusion drives to the destroyer design, increasing its overall speed to 6,000 km/s, making it faster than the fastest observed alien ships and increasing its range significantly.  In addition, new armor materials have allowed designers to increase the class’s armor protection slightly.  The laser armament has been upgraded to more powerful far UV laser designs. 

A small boat bay has been added to the class with the intent to eventually provide small fast scouts or fighters to augment the destroyer force.
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Hero of Terra Flight III class Destroyer      10,000 tons       245 Crew       2,031.1 BP       TCS 200    TH 1,200    EM 0
6000 km/s      Armour 6-41       Shields 0-0       HTK 63      Sensors 42/33/0/0      DCR 3-3      PPV 36
Maint Life 2.79 Years     MSP 1,280    AFR 267%    IFR 3.7%    1YR 238    5YR 3,567    Max Repair 200 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 150 tons     Tractor Beam     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months    Flight Crew Berths 3    Morale Check Required   

Magnetic Fusion Drive   (3)    Power 1200    Fuel Use 35.36%    Signature 400    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,511,000 Litres    Range 76.9 billion km (148 days at full power)

25.0cm Plasma Carronade (3)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,000 km/s     Power 16-4     RM 10,000 km    ROF 20       
15cmFUV Laser (3)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
10cm FUV Laser (3)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
EW Fire Control Mk II (3)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Capital Tokamak Fusion Reactor  (1)     Total Power Output 41.6    Exp 5%
Tokamak Fusion Reactor  (1)     Total Power Output 8    Exp 5%

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  51.2m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Planet class BC is intended to be the pride and the backbone of the fleet.  The original Flight I design was replaced by this Flight Ib variant while the first units were still in the yards, and all three battlecruisers were immediately refitted to this design after launch.  This class is the first in the Empire to utilize shield tech and electronic warfare tech.  The initial training cruise for the three units of this class highlighted the meager maintenance capabilities of this design, a weakness that will be remedied in the next refit. 
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Planet Flight Ib class Battlecruiser      20,000 tons       496 Crew       3,501.3 BP       TCS 400    TH 2,112    EM 1,890
5280 km/s      Armour 6-65       Shields 63-216       HTK 136      Sensors 33/33/0/0      DCR 14-7      PPV 78.84
Maint Life 1.22 Years     MSP 937    AFR 800%    IFR 11.1%    1YR 648    5YR 9,721    Max Repair 176 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Magneto-plasma Drive (6)    Power 2112    Fuel Use 53.84%    Signature 352    Explosion 11%
Fuel Capacity 2,861,000 Litres    Range 47.8 billion km (104 days at full power)
Delta Shield Gen (7)     Recharge Time 216 seconds (0.3 per second)

25.0cm Plasma Carronade Mk II (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 10,000 km    ROF 15       
25.00cm Spinal FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 15       
20cm FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 10-5     RM 50,000 km    ROF 10       
15cmFUV Laser (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,280 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
Twin 10cm UV Laser Turret (2x2)    Range 120,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
Laser Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s    ECCM-0     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
EW Fire Control Mk II (3)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Stellarator Fusion Reactor  (13)     Total Power Output 83.2    Exp 5%

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km

Electronic Warfare Jammers:   Sensor 1    Fire Control 1    Missile 1   

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Annihilator class is designed to convey the battlecruisers or any other fleet ships to systems not served by stabilized jump points.  The design gives up speed to be able to mount a jump drive, a design decision that has been very controversial and is still being debated. 
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Annihilator Flight Ib class Jump Cruiser      20,000 tons       537 Crew       3,735.1 BP       TCS 400    TH 1,760    EM 1,890
4400 km/s    JR 4-100      Armour 6-65       Shields 63-216       HTK 137      Sensors 33/33/0/0      DCR 14-7      PPV 78.84
Maint Life 1.07 Years     MSP 966    AFR 800%    IFR 11.1%    1YR 853    5YR 12,799    Max Repair 403.3 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

J20000(4-100) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 20000 tons    Distance 100k km     Squadron Size 4

Magneto-plasma Drive (5)    Power 1760    Fuel Use 53.84%    Signature 352    Explosion 11%
Fuel Capacity 2,195,000 Litres    Range 36.7 billion km (96 days at full power)
Delta Shield Gen (7)     Recharge Time 216 seconds (0.3 per second)

25.0cm Plasma Carronade Mk II (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,000 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 10,000 km    ROF 15       
25.00cm Spinal FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,000 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 15       
20cm FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,000 km/s     Power 10-5     RM 50,000 km    ROF 10       
15cmFUV Laser (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 5,000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
Twin 10cm UV Laser Turret (2x2)    Range 120,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
Laser Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s    ECCM-0     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
EW Fire Control Mk II (3)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Stellarator Fusion Reactor  (13)     Total Power Output 83.2    Exp 5%

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km

Electronic Warfare Jammers:   Sensor 1    Fire Control 1    Missile 1   

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Avenger class is intended to be the fleet’s early warning system, scouting ahead of an advancing fleet or watching over critical locations.  Design tradeoffs mean that this design is much slower than the fleet’s standard speed, however the large sensor arrays and the inclusion of a jump drive meant that only so much space could be devoted to the engines.  The low-profile engines have significantly reduced the scout’s thermal profile, making it much harder to detect. 
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Avenger class Fleet Scout      10,000 tons       291 Crew       2,557.2 BP       TCS 200    TH 256    EM 0
2560 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 1-41       Shields 0-0       HTK 53      Sensors 700/33/0/0      DCR 7-7      PPV 0
Maint Life 2.33 Years     MSP 1,618    AFR 114%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 406    5YR 6,094    Max Repair 924 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Morale Check Required   

J10000(3-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 10000 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3

Survey LP Magneto-plasma Drive   (4)    Power 512    Fuel Use 34.35%    Signature 64.0    Explosion 8%
Fuel Capacity 950,000 Litres    Range 49.8 billion km (225 days at full power)

Scout Clk Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 11760     Range 130.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Scout Thermal Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 700     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  209.2m km
ELINT Module (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  17.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Intelligence Ship for auto-assignment purposes

The Flight II design was developed while the new-build Flight I scouts were still being built.  Two of the three scouts were turned around and put into the yards for refit immediately upon being built.  The new magnetic fusion drives boosted the scout’s speed and range significantly, and its maintenance capability was improved as well. 
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Avenger Flt II class Fleet Scout      10,000 tons       290 Crew       2,630.1 BP       TCS 200    TH 210    EM 0
3000 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 1-41       Shields 0-0       HTK 53      Sensors 700/33/0/0      DCR 8-8      PPV 0
Maint Life 2.75 Years     MSP 1,815    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 347    5YR 5,198    Max Repair 924 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 150 tons     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Flight Crew Berths 3    Morale Check Required   

J10000(3-50) Military Jump Drive Mk II     Max Ship Size 10000 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3

Survey LP Magnetic Fusion Drive   (4)    Power 600    Fuel Use 24.36%    Signature 52.50    Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 967,000 Litres    Range 71.5 billion km (275 days at full power)

Scout Clk Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 11760     Range 130.7m km    Resolution 14
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Scout Thermal Sensor  (1)     Sensitivity 700     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  209.2m km
ELINT Module (1)     Sensitivity 5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  17.7m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Intelligence Ship for auto-assignment purposes

Six orbital habitats of this design were built before the construction moratorium was announced.  All six are in orbit over Io. 
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Orbital Hab class Orbital Habitat      2,504,453 tons       160 Crew       1,159.6 BP       TCS 50,089    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      No Armour       Shields 0-0     HTK 131      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 1-0      PPV 0
MSP 0    Max Repair 200 MSP
Colonist Berths 1,000,000   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres    Range N/A

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Space Station for construction purposes
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: 2125-2127 More Raider Attacks
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2024, 10:57:37 AM »
July, 2125: A stabilization ship completes work on Neptune’s LaGrange point, creating a new in-system jump point in the solar system. 

September, 2125: In preparation for the Empire’s advance into the Groombridge system, a stabilization ship jumps into the system to begin work on the jump point back to Alpha Centauri.  The stabilization ship’s minimal sensor suite detects multiple combat signs in the inner system over the second planet, and two new wrecks of Archer Alpha class ships, bringing the total of wrecks in-system to three.  The stabilization ship jumps back and reports this new development before beginning its mission.  When the message reaches the base in the inner system it is relayed to one of the orbiting couriers, which immediately departs for the solar system. 

The battle in the Groombridge system continues for some time and several massive nuclear strikes are detected, but the stabilization ship cannot determine whether the nuclear explosions are coming from the Groombridge aliens or the Archers. 

Once the courier arrives in the Solar System Fleet Command will dispatch a scout to probe the Groombridge system to determine what is happening in the inner system. 

After the second wave of 100 plus nuclear detonations over the second planet a new Archer Alpha wreck is detected.  And then a third after a third wave of explosions.  Four more waves of explosions and an unknown wreck massing 14,679 tons is detected.  This is larger than any known Archer combat class, and smaller than the two known Groombridge contacts.  Another wave of explosions sees the appearance of the wreckage of an Archer Bravo class.  This appears to signal the end of the combat. 

November, 2125
Alpha Base
Alpha Centauri I – Rocky Dwarf, average temp 103C, gravity .245,, no atmo, tidally locked to primary.
Installations: 10xDeep Space Tracking Stations, 1xRefueling Station
Stores: 1,022 Maintenance Supplies, 17,982,624 liters of fuel
Troops
1st,2nd, 3rd, and 4th Marine Divisions – 14xMarine Brigades, including attachments
22nd, 25th, and 39th Guard Brigades – 12xGuard Brigades, including attachments 
29th Anti-Orbit Laser Battery – 7xLaser Emplacements (various types)
21st Anti-Orbit Plasma Batter – 16x25cm Plasma Emplacements
32nd Point Defense Laser Battery – 19x3rd Generation Laser PD Emplacements

All told, 710,000 tons of combat units
Note: This was to be the invasion force for Groombridge II, however, in light of the combat taking place in the Groombridge system, the Emperor has decided that the invasion will be a ‘maximum effort’, and so an additional Guard Corps will be staged on Alpha Base before the effort to take Groombridge II begins.  The deployment of the 1st Guard Corps from Earth will mean that another 600,000 tons of combat power will be available for the invasion. 

March, 2126: The Terran scout approaches to 30 mkm’s range of Groombridge II and then activates its sensors.  The two known Groombridge contacts are still present, as is the ground contact.  All appears peaceful at the current time.  Deactivating its sensor, the scout settles in to watch the aliens. 

December, 2126: The jump point out of the Groombridge system is stabilized, and the route for the Imperial Navy to move into the system is clear.  The force dispatched to probe the system and force contact with the aliens at the second planet will be composed of:

Contact Fleet (VAdm Tony Shatswell)
1st Battlecruiser Squadron: 3xPlanet Flt II BC’s, Terra, Mars, Jupiter (Commodore Reynaldo Naraine)
1st Destroyer Group: 3xHero Flt III class DD’s, Aydan Calligaris, Victor Aita, Victoria Konecny (Captain Pierre Cadena)
2nd Destroyer Group: 3xHero Flt III class DD’s, Chandra Graf, Iris Hennig, Cord Gotti (Captain Cordelia Hodgens)
3rd Destroyer Group:  3xHero Flt III class DD’s, Wei Zhao, Jun Hsu, Shu Ko (Captain Vernon Newel)
4th Destroyer Group: 3xHero Flt III class DD’s, Sashi Patil, Yeong-Ja Rhee, Ryosuke Kamiya (Captain Heidi Kehrer)
5th Destroyer Group: 3xHero Flt III class DD’s, Megan Edwards, Femke Janzen, Ganna Shvets (Captain Kyle Peifer)

All told, 210,000 tons of warships

Note: as of 2125, the destroyer class has been renamed the Hero of Terra class, and is named for notable people who fought against the alien incursions before the Empire took humanity to the stars. 

December 25, 2126: The Contact Fleet has arrived at Alpha Base and refueled.  It will now set out for the Groombridge system, where it will join the fleet scout already in the system. 

January 6th, 2127: The Contact Fleet has arrived at the fleet scout’s location, 18 mkm’s from Groombridge II, and the two alien ships/bases orbiting there.  Thirty minutes later they had approached to 9 mkm’s from the planet without any response from the orbiting units.  Meeting no resistance they continued to advance.  At 7:36 pm the Contact Fleet is 4.2 mkm’s from the target.  Six minutes later they were at 2 mkm’s range.  At this point the fleet received an incomprehensible message from the aliens. The message was accompanied by a visual which showed what appeared at first to be a heavily armored suit, but which on closer examination was clearly some sort of bipedal robotic unit, or an armored bipedal alien with an extremely small head.     

Regardless of the true nature of the alien/robot, it was enough for the commander of the Contact Fleet. 
Vice Admiral Shatswell, acting on orders from the Emperor himself, ordered his battlecruisers to raise their shields, and for the fleet to advance on the alien fleet and engage them.  The alien visible in the transmission matched aliens ID’d in two separate raids on Terra, and that could not be forgiven. 

Five minutes later, as the fleet reached 1.7 mkm’s, one of the alien ships, designated Groombridge Bravo-01, launched fifty-two very small missiles at the human fleet.  The missiles were moving at the incredible speed of 60,300 km/s.  Vice Admiral Shatswell ordered all lasers in the fleet to be set for point defense and ordered them to continue to advance.  Ten seconds later the Bravo-01 contact launched another fifty-two missiles.  Every ten seconds another salvo launched. 

In total the fleet had the following weapons available for its defense:
3x25cm Spinal Laser
60x25cm Plasma Cannon
15x20cm laser
45x15cm Laser
45x10cm laser
6xDual 10cm Laser turret

The defensive fire destroyed just ten incoming missiles.  The remaining missiles stripped the Terra’s shields and damaged her armor.  At this point Vice Admiral Shatswell decided that they would not be able to survive the alien missile fire and ordered his ships to retreat.   The next two salvoes targeted the other two battlecruisers, stripping their shields as well. 

The aliens rotated their targeting through each of the battlecruisers.  One minute and thirty seconds after the first missile was launched, the human fleet had retreated to 1.8 mkm’s from the planet, and while there had been no armor penetrations, the Terra’s armor was down to 62%, while the Jupiter’s was at 82% and the Mars was at 77%.  One more missile salvo arrived, further damaging the Mars’ armor, but then the missile salvoes started self-destructing.  Apparently, the fleet had moved beyond their range at 2 mkm’s. 

Vice Admiral Shatswell ordered the fleet to return to Terra for repairs, and to report this development.  The fleet’s inability to defend itself from the alien missile fire was alarming, and would be examined by the fleet’s intelligence units, design teams, and strategic and tactical planners. 

February 11, 2127: The fleet returns from Groombridge.  The battlecruisers are rushed into the yards for repair, while several of the destroyer groups go into overhaul status and the rest refuel and resupply.  The Terra will be in the yards for nearly a month, while her two sister ships will require somewhat less time for repair. 

By this point, Fleet Command has a plan: The Sparrow ASM.  This small missile is designed for one purpose, to be launched from outside the Groombridge alien’s range and bombard them until they cannot fire back.  With a speed of 30,000 km/s and a range of 2.8 mkm’s, any unit equipped with this missile will be able to engage the aliens with impunity, or so it is hoped. 

May, 2127: The first cargo fleet carrying resources from Lalande arrives over Terra.  The cargo group is carrying two hundred and forty thousand units of TN resources for the hungry industries of Terra.  The imperial government begins loosening restrictions on construction, but new build ships and ground construction are still limited to those determined to be necessary.   

Late in the month construction starts on the Empire’s first 40,000 ton battleship, the Sol. 

On the 22nd, an Archer Alpha is detected in the solar system, just outside of Jupiter’s orbit, 280 mkm’s from the Io colony.  The Io colony’s defenses go to high alert, and the 1st and 3rd Interceptor Groups are dispatched to intercept, with the 1st BC Group following behind as backup.  There is concern on Io, as the Archer Alpha is headed directly for Jupiter. 

Nearly seven hours later the Archer Alpha is now 144 mkm’s from Io and approaching, while the interceptors are still 28 hours away. 

Six hours and fifty-seven minutes later the Archer Alpha is approaching the maximum range of the 15cm NUV Laser emplacements on Io.  To everyone’s relief, the Archer Alpha is alone, and Io’s STO’s should be more than sufficient to deal with it.  Ten seconds later both sides opened fire.  The archer Alpha got three hits on one of the orbiting habs, while the 1st anti-orbit laser battery fired back, completely missing their target.  Ten seconds later the 1st anti-orbit plasma battery scored several hits on the Archer Alpha’s thin armor. 

Five seconds later the alien was 69,000 kilometers from Io and scored four railgun hits on one of the orbiting habs, while the Archer Alpha was hit by two 12cm laser emplacements.  Ten seconds later the Archer Alpha was within range of all of the STO emplacements on Io, and it was hit by a barrage of close-range laser and plasma fire.  The Alpha was hit by seven lasers of various types and three plasma cannons, leaving it drifting.  There was no return fire from the Alpha.  The next salvo of fire from the STO’s destroyed the alien ship. 

The warships turned back to Terra, and a salvage ship was dispatched to examine the wreck. 

The alien raid roiled politics in the solar system.  Coming on the heels of the failed attack into the Groombridge system, the Imperial Navy’s image took significant damage.  Several hundred thousand Io colonists living in the orbital habs died when the Archer Alpha targeted one of the orbital habs, and the ground batteries were apparently incapable of stopping them in time and the navy was a day away.  The public demanded heads, and Brigadier General Brosey, CO of Io Defense Forces, was the first to pay.  In the aftermath of the raid, General Brosey was relieved of command and recalled to Guard HQ on Terra for an inquiry.  General Brosey had acted decisively in defense of Io, and presented evidence that her ground batteries did the best that could be expected, given their outdated nature.  In fact, her ground batteries were all first or second-generation weapons, far behind the current Imperial standard, but during the hearings General Brosey made the mistake of appearing uncaring about the civilian casualties. Under normal circumstances this might not have mattered, but, in an attempt at transparency and to quell public unrest, the hearings had been made public.  The general’s uncaring attitude put Guard HQ in an untenable position.  In the end, the General was cleared of direct responsibility for the civilian deaths, but was reprimanded for her force’s response after the attack, and demoted. Several months later General Brosey would quietly retire, and upon her retirement she was given a promotion to her old rank. 

The second senior officer to fall was Admiral Von Whitlach, commanding officer of Sol Battle Fleet.  As CO Battle Fleet, Admiral Whitlach was responsible for solar deployments, and thus directly responsible for the lack of a naval presence over Io.  In the aftermath of General Brosey’s retirement, Admiral Von Whitlach’s position became precarious.  Already in bad health, Admiral Von Whitlach took full responsibility for the Io disaster and retired seven days after the raid.  Two days later, on the recommendation of the Emperor, Admiral Shatswell was promoted to full admiral and given command of Battle Fleet.  Soon after taking office Admiral Shatswell announced that no human colony will be left unguarded by the Navy. 

The Navy wasted no time rectifying the situation.  A new maintenance base was established on Io, and fuel and maintenance supplies were stockpiled at the base in anticipation of naval ships being stationed there. 

June 1, 2127: The 1st Interceptor Group arrives over Io, much to the relief of the colonists.  The 8th Destroyer Group will arrive in another 22 hours, bolstering the colony’s defenses with two destroyers.   
 
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Humanity First: Ship Designs 2127
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2024, 10:58:43 AM »
The Star class battleship is the Empire’s largest warship design, and is intended to act as a fleet flagship in extra-solar deployments.  This design has heavier shields and armor than the Planet class battlecruiser, the same speed and range, but slightly worse station-keeping ability. 
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Star class Battleship      40,000 tons       957 Crew       7,610.1 BP       TCS 800    TH 4,800    EM 8,100
6000 km/s      Armour 8-104       Shields 270-216       HTK 251      Sensors 14/11/0/0      DCR 23-5      PPV 122.08
Maint Life 1.16 Years     MSP 2,045    AFR 985%    IFR 13.7%    1YR 1,541    5YR 23,117    Max Repair 400 MSP
Commodore    Control Rating 5   BRG   AUX   ENG   CIC   FLG   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Capital Magnetic Fusion Drive   (6)    Power 4800    Fuel Use 25.00%    Signature 800    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 5,028,000 Litres    Range 90.5 billion km (174 days at full power)
Delta Shield Gen (30)     Recharge Time 216 seconds (1.3 per second)

25.00cm Spinal FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 15       
25.0cm Plasma Carronade Mk II (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 10,000 km    ROF 15       
20cm FUV Laser (10)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 10-5     RM 50,000 km    ROF 10       
Twin 10cm FUV Laser Turret (4x2)    Range 128,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
Laser Turret Fire Control Mk II (2)     Max Range: 80,000 km   TS: 20,000 km/s    ECCM-2     88 75 62 50 38 25 12 0 0 0
EW Fire Control Mk II (4)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Capital Tokamak Fusion Reactor  (5)     Total Power Output 207.9    Exp 5%

AM Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 140     Range 22.1m km    MCR 2m km    Resolution 1
Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
Basic Thermal Sensor  Mk V (1)     Sensitivity 14     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  29.6m km
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  26.2m km

Electronic Warfare Jammers:   Sensor 3    Fire Control 3    Missile 3   

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The flight II variant of the Planet class has upgraded magnetic fusion drives, increasing her speed to 6.000 km/s, which will be the new fleet-standard speed.  In addition, the larger redesigned capital drives give the class a larger range due to increased fuel efficiency.  In addition, the laser broadside armament has been optimized, eliminating the older 15cm lasers in favor of 25cm lasers, and the electronic warfare suite has been improved across the board. 
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Planet Flight II class Battlecruiser      20,000 tons       506 Crew       3,923.8 BP       TCS 400    TH 2,400    EM 2,160
6000 km/s      Armour 7-65       Shields 72-216       HTK 126      Sensors 42/33/0/0      DCR 18-9      PPV 75.04
Maint Life 2.05 Years     MSP 1,980    AFR 400%    IFR 5.6%    1YR 629    5YR 9,429    Max Repair 400 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 150 tons     
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 3    Morale Check Required   

Capital Magnetic Fusion Drive   (3)    Power 2400    Fuel Use 25.00%    Signature 800    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 2,518,000 Litres    Range 90.6 billion km (174 days at full power)
Delta Shield Gen (8)     Recharge Time 216 seconds (0.3 per second)

25.0cm Plasma Carronade Mk II (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 10,000 km    ROF 15       
25.00cm Spinal FUV Laser (1)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 16-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 15       
20cm FUV Laser (5)    Range 128,000km     TS: 6,250 km/s     Power 10-5     RM 50,000 km    ROF 10       
Twin 10cm FUV Laser Turret (2x2)    Range 128,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 50,000 km    ROF 5       
Laser Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s    ECCM-0     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
EW Fire Control Mk II (3)     Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 5,000 km/s    ECCM-0     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 38 30 22
Capital Tokamak Fusion Reactor  (2)     Total Power Output 83.1    Exp 5%

Destroyer Active Search Sensor  (1)     GPS 1568     Range 47.7m km    Resolution 14
AM Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 140     Range 22.1m km    MCR 2m km    Resolution 1
Standard EM Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
Standard Thermal Sensor Mk III (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  51.2m km

Electronic Warfare Jammers:   Sensor 2    Fire Control 2    Missile 2   

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes

The Siege class missile base is the proposed resolution to the overwhelming missile salvoes launched by the Groombridge aliens.  The base is small and easily constructed, even under current resource constraints, and will be towed into range of the target.  In addition, the base can be used to bolster the defenses of any inhabited world, providing intermediate range missile capability to bases or colonies. 
Code: [Select]
Siege class Missile Base      3,351 tons       31 Crew       548.2 BP       TCS 67    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      Armour 5-19       Shields 0-0       HTK 7      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 2-5      PPV 45
Maint Life 6.83 Years     MSP 204    AFR 45%    IFR 0.6%    1YR 8    5YR 114    Max Repair 140 MSP
Magazine 300 / 0   
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months    Morale Check Required   

Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres    Range N/A

Sparrow ASM Box Launcher (100)     Missile Size: 3    Hangar Reload 86 minutes    MF Reload 14 hours
AM Missile Fire Control  (1)     Range 29.7m km    Resolution 1
Sparrow ASM (100)    Speed: 30,000 km/s    End: 1.6m     Range: 2.9m km    WH: 4    Size: 3    TH: 120/72/36

AM Active Search Sensor Mk II (1)     GPS 140     Range 22.1m km    MCR 2m km    Resolution 1

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
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes
 
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Humanity First: Attack on Groombridge
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2024, 11:23:10 AM »
September 8, 2127: An Archer Alpha class ship is detected in the Alpha Centauri system, 240 mkm’s from Alpha Base.  Both couriers are dispatched back to the jump point to the Wolf system, and the two fleet scouts, along with the troop transports in orbit over Alpha are ordered to remain at the base, under the guns of the ground batteries.   

September, 9, 2127: Eleven hours and twenty-nine minutes later the Archer Alpha was a mere 9 mkm’s from the base when an additional two Alpha class and a Bravo class appeared on the Base’s sensors 260 mkm’s out and closing.  Twenty-six minutes later the closest Archer Alpha entered weapons range of the 25cm laser ground emplacements, which immediately opened fire, missing completely.  Fifteen seconds later the Alpha was in range of the 15cm laser ground emplacements, which joined the 25cm lasers in firing on the intruder.  The lasers scored two hits, for no appreciable damage.  Fifteen seconds later the 25cm lasers fired again, this time joined by the 25cm plasma cannon emplacements.  The plasma cannons got one hit, and the big lasers got three, damaging the Alpha and slowing it.  The Alpha opened fire at this point, hitting one of the orbiting transports, but its armor was thick and the damage negligible.  The Alpha turned away at this point, trying to open the range, but it was slowed to half its original speed.  The 15cm lasers got off another salvo, but only got one hit, but five seconds later the heavy plasma cannons and lasers fired again, getting two hits between them. 

The Alpha retreated out of plasma cannon range, but the heavy lasers continued targeting it.  Another salvo from the heavy lasers reduced the Alpha’s speed to zero before it could get out of range, and five more salvoes destroyed it.  The Alpha only got one shot off against the orbiting transports. 

The second group continued closing, and at 2000 hours on the 9th, it entered heavy laser range of the base.  The three ships plunged forward, directly towards the base, taking fire from the ground batteries as they closed.  The three ships targeted the same assault transport as the first had, getting hits immediately, but the transport’s thick armor shrugged off the long-range railgun fire.  By this point the alien ships had closed to 140,000 kilometers from the base, and were within range of all ground emplacements except the point defense lasers.  It was at this point that the Bravo class took multiple plasma and heavy laser hits and came to a halt, seriously injured. 

The two Alphas left their damaged mate behind and continued closing.  After ten seconds the Bravo restored half speed and began limping away.  The ground emplacements continued bombarding the approaching Alphas, with the point defense lasers now joining in.  The Alpha’s continued targeting the same transport. 

Five seconds later, with the Alpha’s now 25,000 kilometers from the base, the heavy lasers and plasma cannons score multiple hits on both Alphas, bringing one to a halt.  The one remaining mobile Alpha turned away, attempting to open the range, but was hit by five point-defense lasers, halving its speed.  The alien ships continue targeting the same transport. 

The fleeing Alpha is hit by the point defense lasers as it flees, further damaging it, and the crippled Alpha is completed destroyed by the heavy laser batteries.  By this time the last Archer Alpha class ship is out of point defense laser range, but continues to be targeted by the base’s larger lasers.  Two more salvoes from the heavy lasers and the plasma cannons destroy the Archer as it flees.  By this point the Bravo class ship is 265,000 kilometers out and retreating, only within range of the base’s heavy lasers.  The heavy lasers only get one more shot off before the alien ship leaves their range, and they miss.  Almost a day later the Bravo disappears from the base’s scanners, 265 mkm’s away.  The scouts are dispatched to probe the area.  The lone transport targeted by the aliens suffered 2% armor damage. 

September 11, 2127, 0557 hours: The fleet scout advancing out of Alpha Base detects the Archer Bravo class ship that escaped from the attack on Alpha.  It is hanging in space, motionless, 251 mkm’s from the base.  The scout closes to 70 mkm’s and comes to a halt, its sensors probing the alien ship. 

September 21, 2127: Alpha Base’s courier ships reach the jump point that leads back to the solar system, through the Wolf 359 system.  One of the couriers remains on the jump point, while the other jumps out to carry word back to HQ. 

September 29, 2127: The Alpha Base courier jumps into the solar system and immediately beams its message packets to the inner system.  Once Naval HQ receives them a destroyer group and a salvage ship are dispatched to Alpha Centauri. 

October 22, 2127: The 1st Destroyer Group, under Captain Cadena, arrives over Alpha Base.  After refueling they head towards the Archer Bravo class ship which is still dead in space.  Two hours later the three destroyers are racing towards the apparently crippled Archer Bravo, and are now 14 mkm’s from the alien ship.  Suddenly, and without fanfare, the alien ship disappears from both their active and passive sensors.  One second it was there and the next it was gone.  The scout confirmed the destroyer’s sensor readings.  The destroyers closed on the alien’s last known position, but it was gone, and there was nothing there to show it had ever been there.  When the destroyer group returned to Terra its sensor logs were transferred to Naval Intelligence and the crew was sworn to secrecy.  The idea that the raiders had an unknown method of traveling between the stars was unsettling, and would only panic the public to no good end. 

November 4, 2127:
Senator Bucannon entered the small study and found the Emperor sitting at his desk.  As he entered, the Emperor gestured to one of the chairs across the desk from where he sat. 

“Grumpy today?”

The emperor sent a dark look at the senator.  “It depends.  Are you going to give me a hard time?” 

For a few seconds the two looked at each other, then the emperor burst out laughing.  “Damn it George!”  He said it with a laugh, for all of the forbidding look on his face.  “I’ve got enough troubles as it is.  I don’t need you here stirring things up.”

Senator Bucannon sat for a few seconds, looking at his old friend.  “I’m the head of the peace party, really, it’s my job to give you troubles.”

“Well, you don’t need to be so good at it!” 

Senator Bucannon shook his head.  “We barely control a quarter of the seats in the Senate.  I couldn’t give you trouble if I tried.”

The emperor shook his head.  “You gained seats in the last election.  It’s been over sixty years since the last raid.  The young people don’t remember, and more and more of the old people are forgetting what happened.” 

The two paused and considered the situation for a second, then the emperor shook his head.  “Don’t tell me you are here to try to get me to communicate with the robots in Groombridge?”

Bucannon shook his head.  “No, no.  Not that.”  He sighed.  “Even if I wanted to, you wouldn’t and if I somehow did convince you the people would tear us apart.  You say public sentiment towards aliens is weakening, and maybe so, a bit, but we both know that any alien identified as taking part in the Raids is going to be seen as an enemy for a long time.  And those bastards were some of the worst.”

They both thought back to their youth, spent fighting the aliens that had been left behind by the various raids.  The early raids had been professional and methodical, but as time went on the raiders turned more haphazard and crueler.  More than once the raiders left some of the number behind, either out of sloppiness or fear, or perhaps to establish a base against their eventual return.  Some of those left behind established petty kingdoms that had to be eliminated, others turned brigand and had to be hunted down.  The robots from the Groombridge system had been among the worst.  They were merciless, killing anyone and anything that got in their way, or who even looked like they might possibly be a problem in the future.  Women, children, pets, livestock, it didn’t matter to them, and they could not be negotiated with at all.  No one knew if they acted on their own volition or were tools for another race.  Large groups of their ground units had been left behind when their ships left Terra, and they had been very difficult to destroy.  Too this day schools taught children to fear them, and over time they had become known as Reapers. There would be no quarter given to the Reapers. 

After a few seconds the Emperor shook himself.  For all that George Bucannon was a political enemy, he was an old friend, and their friendship had been forged in the fires of battle against an implacable enemy.  He smiled.  “Well, if you’re not hear to badger me, what can I do for you?”

Bucannon smiled.  “I didn’t say I wasn’t here to badger you.  Just not about the Reapers.  To hell with them, and if some in my party aren’t happy with that they can go straight to hell.  No, it’s about the next aliens we meet.  Our ships are pushing farther out.  We need to establish a contact protocol.  Something aside from shoot first and learn to communicate when we examine the remnants of their databases.”

The emperor peered at his old friend for a few seconds.  “Do you really think there are peaceful aliens out there?”

Bucannon shook his head.  “I know you subscribe to the collapse theory.  That there is or was some sort of multi-species alien empire or federation out there, which collapsed causing a waive of raiders and refugees moving away from the chaos into the outer areas of the galaxy.  Our area.  We have no evidence one way or another.  It may be true, or not.  I don’t know.”  He left unsaid that he didn’t think anyone, including the emperor, knew.  “But what I do believe, is that no matter what is actually going on, there are aliens out there that are just as much victims of this situation as we are.  They are just as afraid, just as determined to defend themselves as we are.  And if we approach them as enemies, then they certainly will be our enemies.  What if, instead, we approach them and try to talk first?  Maybe we can find allies in this mess, instead of just more enemies.” 

The emperor was silent for a time.  Finally, he nodded.  “Navy will be difficult about this.  As you know, their attitude is that the best alien is a dead alien.  I suppose it comes from training all of their officers in their officer’s school outside of the ruins of Beijing.  If I make a policy pronouncement, they will do their best to undermine it.  But what I can do is ask them to establish some standards and procedures for the scouts and their officers.   The scouts are unarmed and likely will be sent into any system suspected of having an alien presence.  If the officers are carefully selected, I think we can establish the de facto policy that you want.”

Senator Bucannon smiled.  “The navy brass is going to be pissed if they find out you’ve been meddling in their bailiwick, especially if it’s at my request.”

The emperor grinned, and then his face settled into a look that was all to familiar to Bucannon.  Many of the Emperor’s enemies had found themselves on the wrong side of that look, and none had survived it.  “They’ll suck it up and do their jobs, or I’ll find someone that can.  The Navy serves the Empire, not the other way around.”

Bucannon shivered a bit.  They had fought together, but there was a ruthlessness in Charles that had led him to the throne while others had burned out or retired to civilian life when the actual fighting ended.  “I’m glad to see that while we may be on opposite sides of the politics occasionally, I and my faction still serve the empire.”

The emperor’s eyes softened.  “You serve the empire, and humanity.  I know that.  I’m not so sure about some of those in your party though.”

Bucannon shook his head.  “We both have our burdens to bear.  Aakster and her rabble are a trial for me at times, but they are nothing but a fringe group, and have no real power.” 

The emperor grimaced at the mention of Anika Aakster.  She led a group called “Peace Now!” who believed a conspiracy theory that had somehow grown during the Raids.  The theory was that humanity had actually caused the Raids by mistreating the aliens who had peacefully visited them before the Raids, to the point that the aliens had launched reprisal raids that were, of course, all humanity’s fault.  Anika and her followers believed that to achieve peace with the alien races humanity must apologize and promise reparations.  It was ridiculous, of course, but there were those who would always blame humanity first.  Naval Intelligence kept a careful watch on her group, as they were suspected of having taken direct extra-legal action more than once in the past to hinder military efforts, although nothing had ever been proven. 

“I suppose you’re referring to the Humanity Only people.”  The emperor shook his head.  “They hold rallies, but that’s it.  They have no real power.”

“They want all aliens wiped out, and that’s pretty close to the Navy’s stance.  Too close for me.  You know that more than a few of the navy’s officers give the group at least tacit support.”

The emperor shook his head.  “They make good fighters.  A lot of the Guard’s recruits come from their ranks.”

“That’s going to be trouble, should you ever decide to form a peaceful relationship with an alien race.”

The emperor shook his head.  “As much as I like to consider the possibility, how likely is that given our previous experience with aliens?”

Bucannon shook his head, and they moved on to more personal matters, like the health of their respective families, and their vacation plans. 

In the following weeks, the Emperor established a proposed training and selection plan for scout ship commanders, one which emphasized diplomatic preparation over other command capabilities.  And the preparations for the campaign into the Groombridge system went forward with all of the unstoppable inertia that a massive bureaucracy could give it.   

February 17, 2128: The Bombardment Bases are complete and tugs tractor five of them and set out for Alpha Centauri, following the Contact Fleet. 

February 22, 2128: The Io research facility completes development of advanced genetic enhancement, and the Marines initiate development of the Mark V armor, enhancement, and weapons package.  Genetic enhancement is a well-kept secret, and the government has been careful to portray the fact that the Imperial average marine is larger, faster, and stronger than an average human as merely the result of a careful selection program and secret training methods.  Indeed, with the latest enhancements a standard marine is twice as hard to kill as a baseline human. 

March 20, 2128: The fleet has assembled over Alpha Base.  After refueling and resupplying, the fleet and the tugs set out for the assembly point in the Groombridge system.

April 7, 2128: The fleet is assembled 15 mkm’s from Groombridge II and its orbiting defenders.  The fleet now advances to a point 2.7 mkm’s from the planet, out of the known range of the two orbiting object’s missiles.  Forty minutes later, with the fleet in position, the tugs move towards the assembly point.  Once on station, the operation began.  The five missile barges towed by the tugs established themselves, set up targeting solutions, and then flushed their box launchers with a five hundred missile alpha strike, all aimed at Bravo class known to be equipped with missile launchers. 

When the alpha strike missiles reached 1.3 mkm’s from the alien ships/bases, the Bravo class launched fifty missiles at the incoming strike.  A second alien salvo was headed towards the alpha strike when the first hit, taking out thirteen missiles.  The second wave of AAM’s took out seventeen, the third twenty-two.  The fourth took out eighteen.  The fifth took out sixteen, but that was the last salvo of defensive missiles, because the remaining human missiles had reached their targets.  In a massive orgy of overkill, the missiles completely wiped out the orbiting base.  Eighty-six were destroyed short of the base by defensive missiles, forty-nine wiped out the base’s shields, thirty-three were absorbed by the base’s armor, and a whopping one hundred and ten were decoyed, but there were so many missiles that the alien base couldn’t survive.  When the explosions cleared there was only drifting wreckage.   

With the missile base gone, Rear Admiral Muro ordered his fleet to advance on the remaining base.  The Terran fleet approached to the edge of its fire control range and opened fire at just over 100,000 kilometers range.  The alien base took twenty-seven long-range hits to its shields, but did not return
fire.  The Terran fleet continued advancing, firing as it came.  The third salvo from the human ships took out the alien base’s shields and began eating into its armor.  Admiral Muro ordered the fleet to come to a halt at 42,000 kilometers, as the base hadn’t fired back and he didn’t want to find out if it had powerful short-ranged weapons the hard way.  The next salvo destroyed the base completely.  It had never fired back. 

With space clear, Admiral Muro ordered his battlecruisers into orbit over Groombridge II.  It was the hard way to find out if there were ground based batteries present, but he had no desire to send in troop transports without first probing for ground emplacements.  The battlecruisers made orbit without incident and without encountering any resistance.  The ground contact was small, consistent with a sensor base or something similar.  After probing the surface for a short time, Admiral Muro ordered the rest of the fleet into orbit, except the 1st DD Group, which was to head for the jump point and relay a message to the troop transports waiting in the Alpha Centauri system.  It was their turn. 

June, 2, 2128: Two survey groups arrive in the Groombridge system to begin surveying the system. 

June 21, 2128: The assault fleet has arrived over Lalande II.  For the last two months the Contact Fleet has been making attempts to establish communications with the alien base, but so far they have ignored the Terran ships.  They will no longer have that luxury. 

At 1310 hours the 4th Marine Division begins its drop.  The marines of the 4th are equipped with fourth gen armor, weapons, and mods, and no deployed battalions are equipped better.  The 4th is a light division, with only two brigades of four battalions each, but it has been reinforced with two artillery detachments.  There is no fight to be had.  The ground base is actually a lone deep space tracking station, with no crew or ground support personnel.  There is an abandoned installation nearby.  The 4th marines will be left on station, while the bulk of the fleet returns to Terra, along with the rest of the embarked troops. 

July, 2128: A geo-survey ship completes its survey of Groombridge A-II.  The results are as follows:
Terrestrial Class, temp 1.16C, Gravity 0.433, diameter 9,400 km, Atmo Nitrogen-Oxygen, pressure 0.189, hydrosphere water 34.7%.
Current Colony cost: 1.8
Duranium:   34,212,992   0.90
Corbomite:   15,586,704   0.10
Boronide:   1,857,769   0.10
Vendarite:   2,553,604   0.10
The survey ship, with assistance from the 4th Marines, confirmed the presence of what appears to be a destroyed alien outpost. 

On the 30th, the 1st Destroyer Group arrives in the solar system with the battle report.  Based on the discovery of the alien ruins, high command decides to move Alpha Base to Groombridge A-II to protect the ruins and the survey base that will be established there. 

August, 2128: Salvage of the Groombridge Alpha class is complete.  An intact beam fire control was recovered, indicating it had some sort of non-missile weaponry, however, it was never observed to have fired during the engagement.  After action analysis has pointed out the possibility that the Alpha was damaged by prior engagements with Archer Alphas and Bravos, the wreckage of which are strewn about the system. 

The survey of the Groombridge primary star system is complete.  In addition to the TN resources found on II, additional finds were as follows:
Groombridge 34-A I Survey Report
Duranium:   5,814,050   0.50
Corbomite:   2,598,544   0.60
Tritanium:   1,315,609   0.10
Boronide:   6,943,225   0.10
Mercassium:   4,443,664   0.10
Vendarite:   423,801   0.10
Sorium:   2,699,449   0.40
Uridium:   346,921   1.00
Corundium:   8,856,576   0.10

Groombridge 34-A IV - Moon 4 Survey Report
Uridium:   25,600   0.50
Corundium:   614,656   0.90

Groombridge 34-A IV - Moon 5 Survey Report
Uridium:   4,761   1.00
Corundium:   7,225   1.00

In addition, a whopping forty-seven asteroids have TN deposits.  The survey group is now heading to the B component to survey that system. 

The decision has been made that Groombridge II will not be colonized.  While initially tempting due to its oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, the planet’s eccentricity is such that it cannot be brought to a 0.0 colonization rating with current technology. 
 
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Humanity First: 2128 to 2130
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2024, 11:49:34 AM »
September, 2128: The grav survey of Groombridge is complete.  The survey ships have found one new jump point, which like the first is located between the two stars of the system.  The grav survey group will move to that jump point and probe it as soon as the group is assembled. 

On the 22nd, the grav survey group jumps out and discovers the Beta Antliae system, a disappointing M8-V star with no planets.  The group begins its survey of the system. 

October, 2128: The grav survey group completes its efforts in the Beta Antliae system, discovering two new jump points. 

November, 2128: Troop transports land STO batteries on Groombridge A-II, along with xeno-study teams assigned to survey the wrecked base on the planet.  With defenses in place, the Contact Fleet is given clearance to return to Terra to reduce the strain on their maintenance departments. 

December, 2128: The first Star class battleship, the Pride of Sol, is launched from the yards on the 3rd.  The ship immediately begins a training cruise to shake down. 

On the 5th, the salvage group operating the in the Groombridge system completes its salvage of the Groombridge Bravo class orbital base.  This base was the unit that fired large volleys of missiles at the Contact Fleet driving it off during its first attempt to approach the planet.  Tech information was obtained that will assist researchers working on missile launcher reload rates, as well as several missile launchers and a decoy launcher.  The salvage group will now move on to the last wreck, an unknown ship massing 14,679 tons drifting in the orbit of A-II.  It is not known currently if the wreck is an Archer unit, or Groombridge, or a third alien race yet to be encountered. 

December, 2128: The grav survey group working in the Beta Antliae system jumps out of the first newly discovered jump point, into a planet-less single star system designated as the HH Andromedae system.  The group jumps back out and moves on to the second new jump point.  Five days later they jump through the second jump point, finding another planet-less system, this one known as the 68 Andromedae system.  This means that all three systems found beyond Groombridge are planet-less.  The survey group turns for home for rest and overhaul. 

Meanwhile, in the Groombridge system, the survey of the B star’s planets and moons is complete.  The results are very good! 
Groombridge 34-B I Survey Report
Duranium:   16,657,992   0.20
Corbomite:   5,094,049   0.50
Tritanium:   6,517,809   0.10
Boronide:   3,286,969   1.00
Mercassium:   10,361,961   0.10
Vendarite:   49,284   0.10
Sorium:   2,650,384   0.10
Uridium:   10,601,536   0.10
Corundium:   494,209   0.10
Gallicite:   11,088,900   0.60

Groombridge 34-B II Survey Report
Duranium:   170,755,200   1.00
Neutronium:   106,915,600   0.10
Corbomite:   3,097,600   0.10
Tritanium:   77,440,000   0.40
Boronide:   13,176,900   0.10
Mercassium:   10,176,100   0.10
Vendarite:   15,681,600   0.10
Sorium:   27,878,400   0.10
Uridium:   8,820,900   0.10
Corundium:   3,496,900   0.10
Gallicite:   3,097,600   0.10

Groombridge 34-B III - Moon 11 Survey Report
Neutronium:   197,136   0.70
Corbomite:   627,264   0.60
Tritanium:   1,296   0.70
Sorium:   2,304   0.70
Uridium:   1,140,624   0.90

Groombridge 34-B III - Moon 17 Survey Report
Duranium:   654,368   0.60
Corbomite:   2,172,676   1.00
Tritanium:   1,982,464   0.90
Boronide:   1,800,964   0.70
Mercassium:   4,276,624   0.50
Corundium:   4,008,004   0.40

Groombridge 34-B VII - Moon 1 Survey Report
Duranium:   270,848   0.40
Corbomite:   4,096,576   0.90
Tritanium:   52,900   0.10
Boronide:   12,222,016   0.90
Mercassium:   304,704   0.90
Vendarite:   8,133,904   0.10
Sorium:   8,133,904   0.10
Uridium:   14,930,496   0.10
Corundium:   18,301,284   0.10
Gallicite:   2,304,324   0.60

In addition, there are a number of other smaller deposits on the various moons of the system, making it a fantastic mining site.  The two resource-rich inner planets are both Venusian, and so poor colonization candidates, but several of the innermost gas giants’ moons, B-III 11 and 17, are classed as large moon or small terrestrial planets, and are potential colonization targets, if necessary.  Unfortunately, A-II, the location of the existing base, is not considered a good candidate for terraforming as its orbit is too eccentric. 

At the end of the month, the salvage group in Groombridge finished work on the wreck of the unknown ship.  Several systems were recovered, and some of those systems were identical to systems recovered from Archer alien ships, meaning this ship is likely one of theirs, or possibly related to their ships in some way.

February, 2129: At long last the terraforming effort on Lalande Prime is complete and the world is temperate the year around.  The planet’s eccentricity made it difficult to fine tune the terraforming, but it is finally complete.  The terraforming group will now relocate to the terraforming target.  As before the tug group is dispatched to speed the process along. 

June, 2129: The salvage group arrives over Terra and unloads its salvaged systems.  Tech teams immediately set to work examining them.  For the most part Terran technology has exceeded that of the Archer and Groombridge aliens, however, the Groombridge missile launchers and the Archer rail guns prove superior to human tech and the teams set to disassembling them to learn their secrets.     

October, 2129: Sorium refining stops on Terra due to raw sorium shortages.  Fortunately, V-Sag Base has a large fuel stockpile.  This situation has government planners uneasy.  Currently, out of the sixteen systems humanity has explored, only two, V1216 Sagittarii and Proxima Centauri, have gas giants with substantial sorium deposits, and the deposit in Proxima Centauri are present at low availability levels.  Fortunately, V1216 Sagittarii has three gas giants with large deposits at good availability, but until new deposits can be found V-Sag Base will be critical to humanity’s continued expansion. 

Terran Empire, 2130
With the conquest of Groombridge 34 A-II and the exploration of the three systems beyond Groombridge, the Empire is now turning its focus to the systems beyond Proxima Centauri.  The reorientation will mean a massive shift of assets from the Alpha Base/Groombridge A-II axis to the Lalande Prime/Proxima Centauri axis in the coming years. 

Terra
Population: 5.6 billion
Shipyards/Slipways: 12/56
R&D: 63
Ground Force Construction: 33
Construction Factory: 2,050
Ordnance Factory: 300
Fighter Factory: 100
Mine: 648
Fuel Refinery: 500
Maintenance Fac: 445
Financial Center: 2,870
DSTS: 38
Mil Academy: 8
Naval HQ: 2
Sector Command: 17
Space Port: 1
Terra is the heart of the Empire.  Although the bulk of Terra’s resources have been exhausted, and most of her mines moved off-planet, Terra remains the center of the Empire.  There are sixteen private mining locations scattered around the solar system, all at sites considered low priority for extraction by the Empire due to the limited size of the deposits, limited availability, or limited # of TN resources present.  The Empire is currently buying all of the resources extracted from these sites. 

Io
Population: 334.6 million
R&D: 32
Mine: 55
Maintenance Fac: 20
Financial Center: 30
DSTS: 15
Space Port: 1
The bulk of Io’s population work in the R&D stations transferred here several years ago.  As there continues to be a surplus population the Empire will likely transfer more of Terra’s R&D stations here in the future.  Io is strongly in the “Alien Annihilation” camp, especially since the last attack killed hundreds of thousands of colonists living on the orbital habs. 

Lalande Prime
Population: 54.7 million
Mine: 546
Auto Mine: 18
Maintenance Fac: 25
DSTS: 35
Space Port: 1
Lalande Prime is a verdant mountainous planet with oceans somewhat larger than Terra’s and an average temperature slightly higher than Terra-norm.  Ever since it was certified by the Terraforming Commission, colonists have been coming here in droves to settle this fresh new world.  The bulk of the population works in the mines, and in fact there is a shortage of workers the Empire is struggling to correct.  Once the worker shortage is corrected more of Terra’s mines will be transferred here, as its massive resource deposits are desperately needed by Terra’s industries and shipyards.  There are currently two mining outposts established in the system, one on a moon of III, the innermost gas giant, and one on a moon of IV, the outer gas giant.  Between them the two mining stations boast 398 automated mines, and all of their mined resources are sent to Lalande Prime via mass drivers. 

Mining Outposts
The Empire has mining outposts in the Wolf and Lacaille systems, with a total of one hundred and thirty-four automated mines working to extract resources.  The Lacaille mining site is being considered for terraforming.  Establishing a population on a 0.0 cost world in this system would help the navy secure the route to the critical Lalande system and V1216 Sagittarii systems, and would also make it easier to exploit the resources on this planet.   

Bases
The Imperial Navy and Guards have several bases in Imperial Territory, aside from the populated planets and moons mentioned above.

Victory Base, Groombridge-34
This planet was taken from the Groombridge aliens, and contains ruins currently being exploited by Imperial Guard construction units.  As the planet has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a significant hydrosphere, there was some initial excitement that the planet could be terraformed into a 0.0 cost environment for a new colony.  However, initial excitement cooled upon further examination when it was discovered that the planet’s significant eccentricity would make a 0.0 terraforming effort impossible.  In addition, recent exploration efforts have shown that there is no alien presence in the adjacent systems.  In fact, the system adjacent to Groombridge, and the two adjacent to that, are all planet-less systems.  This has caused the Navy and Guard to reclassify this system from their Primary Forward Expansion Base to a scientific study site.  The terraformers and the bulk of the Guard and marine units on the planet will be redeployed elsewhere. 

Alpha Base, Alpha Centauri
Alpha Base acted as a stepping stone to support attacks into the Groombridge system, but has no other inherent value.  The base is located on Alpha Centauri A-1, the lone planet of the primary star.  This planet is a small rock, barely qualifying as a dwarf planet, and has no atmosphere or resources.  The secondary star has a larger planetary system, including a terrestrial class planet with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and thick ice sheet.  This planet has larger quantities of duranium and sorium, but it’s buried deep and will be difficult to extract.  The large asteroid belt does have several mining sites of interest, including an asteroid 800 km in diameter with relatively larger deposits of four TN resources.  Once the current resource shortage eases the Empire is studying various methods for exploiting resources found in the various asteroid belts over the last decade. 

In any case, when Groombridge A-II fell to Naval and Marine forces, the reason for Alpha Base’s existence went away, and the base is being shut down. 

V-Sag Base
This base is located on the innermost moon of V1216 Sagittarii A-III, an enormous Super Jovian planet with approximately five times that of Jupiter.  The moon V-Sag base is located on is uninteresting, except that it is close to III, which is the location of the largest sorium deposits found by Terran explorers.  The base acts as a repository for the fuel refined by the harvester fleet orbiting III, and as a defensible shelter should Alpha raiders appear.  The base boasts 20 DSTS’s to detect alien ships headed towards the base and the harvesters, and a large ground defensive force.  Should aliens be detected headed in towards the harvester fleet or the base, the harvester group will withdraw to the base and shelter under the protection of its STO batteries until the aliens leave or are destroyed. 

Located on the path to the Empire’s most important out-system mining sites in the Lalande system, this base is critical to the survival of the Empire.  The Navy is currently making plans to expand the base with a local population capable of supporting maintenance facilities for its ships, so that a destroyer squadron can be relocated to this position to secure not only the base but also the system. 

Imperial Navy
The Imperial Navy has undergone a reorganization recently, resulting in the creation of three battle groups centered on the fleet’s three battlecruisers.  Each battle group contains one battlecruiser and two destroyers.  The remaining destroyers are deployed in two or three ship destroyer groups.  The fleet’s jump cruisers cannot meet fleet speeds, so they are considered independent support units and not assigned to line units except upon need.  The fleet’s lone battleship, the Pride of Sol, is currently in training status.  Current plans are to deploy it as a fleet flagship for any extra-solar deployments and will likely be deployed with a destroyer group as an escort. 

Battle Fleet, HQ Terra, CO Admiral Tony Shatwell
Battle Group Terra (Commodore Reinaldo Naraine) – orbiting Terra
1xBC Planet Flt II, 2xDD Hero Flt III

Battle Group Mars (Commodore Kim Kelm) – Orbiting Terra
1xBC Planet Flt II, 2xDD Hero Flt III

Battle Group Jupiter (Commodore Luis Wesby) – Orbiting Terra
1xBC Planet Flt II, 2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 1 (Capt Loretta Swor) – Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 2 (Capt Cordellia Hodgens) – Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 3 (Capt Daryl Tambum) – Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 4 (Capt Oren Peppard) – Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 5 (Capt Vernon Nevel) – Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 6 (Capt Sandy Moulds) - Orbiting Terra
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 7 (Capt Efrain Curry) – Orbiting Terra
3xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 8 (Capt Wilson Rochon) – Orbiting Io Colony
2xDD Hero Flt III

Destroyer Group 9 (Capt Donnie Belleau) – Orbiting Lalande Prime
2xDD Hero Flt III

Interceptor Group Io (Commander Charles Cuppermell)
6xInterceptor Flt IV

Interceptor Group Lalande (Commander John Holtkamp)
5xInterceptor Flt IV

Interceptor Group Terra CO (Captain Cassandra Koen)
25xinterceptor Flt IV

Jump Cruiser Group, Terra (Captain Mohamed Bostrom)
3xAnnihilator Flt II Jump Cruisers

Scout Group, Terra (Commander Lon Pecinovsky)
3xAvenger Flt II class scouts

Fortress Command, Terra (Rear Admiral Charles Cuppernell)
Bombardment Group, Terra (Commander Jerrod Budreau)
6xSiege Class Missile Base

Orbital Defenses, Terra (Commander Roxann Fridley)
6xAgressor Class Missile Base
7xAgressor Long Duration Class Missile Base

Training Command, Terra (Rear Admiral Bert Seidler)
1xStar Class Battleship

Ground Force Deployments
Terra
1st Guard Corps - 4xGuard Divisions – 16xGuard Brigades - 39xGuard Infantry Battalion, 25xGuard Armored Battalion, 4xMed Artillery Detachment, 3xConstruction Group, 2xHvy Armor Detachment, 3xHvy Artillery Detachment, 2xLong Range Artillery Detachment, 4xLogististics Detachment

1st Guard Division – 4xGuard Brigade – 12xInfantry Battalion, 4xArmored Battalion

1st Territorial Division – 4xInfantry Brigades – 16xInfantry Battalions
2nd Territorial Division – 4xInfantry Brigades – 16xInfantry Battalions
45th Territorial Guard Battalion

1st Marine Division – 4xMarine Brigade – 16xMarine Battalion, 2x Construction Group, 2xHvy Armor Detachment, 1xHvy Arty Detachment, 1xLR Arty Detachment, 1xMed Arty Detachment, 2xLog Detachment

2nd Marine Division – 4xMarine Brigade – 16xMarine Battalion, 2x Construction Group, 1xHvy Armor Detachment, 1xHvy Arty Detachment, 2xLog Detachment

3rd Marine Division – 4xMarine Brigade – 16xMarine Battalion, 1x Construction Group, 1xHvy Armor Detachment, 1xHvy Arty Detachment, 2xLog Detachment

Io Colony
3rd Territorial Division – 4xTerritorial Brigades – 16xTerritorial Battalions

Victory Forward Base, Groombridge 34
2nd Guard Corps – 4xGuard Divisions – 16xGuard Brigades – 10xGuard Infantry Battalion, 6xGuard Armored Battalion, 4xMed Arty Detachment, 3xConstruction Group, 2xHvy Armor Detachment, 3xHvy Arty Detachment, 2xLR Arty Detachment, 2xLog Detachment

4th Marine Division – 8xMarine Battalion, 2xLogisitics Detachments

V-Sag Base, V1216 Sagittarii
32nd Guard Brigade – 4xInfantry Battalion
7th Territorial Guard Brigade – 4xTerritorial Guard Battalion

Lalande Prime, Lalande 21185 System
8th Territorial Guard Brigade – 4xTerritorial Guard Battalion

Lalande 3/2 Defense Group, Lalande Planet III, Moon II, Lalande 21185
5th Territorial Guard Brigade – 4xTerritorial Guard Battalion

Wolf 4/3, Wolf 359, Planet IV, Moon III
20th Territorial Guard Brigade – 4xTerritorial Guard Battalion

Plaentary Defense Command
Terra Defense Group, Terra
3xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery, 3xAnti-Orbit Plasma Battery, 3xPoint Defense Battery

Io Colony Defense Group, Io
2xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery
1xAnti-Orbit Plasma Battery
2xPoint Defense Battery

Lalande Defense Group, Lalande Prime, Lalande 21185
1xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery
1xAnti-Orbit Plasma Battery
1xPoint Defense Battery

Lalande 3/2 Defense Group, Lalande Planet III, Moon II, Lalande 21185
1xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery

Victory Forward Base, Groombridge 34
1xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery
2xAnti-Orbit Plasma Battery
2xPoint Defense Battery

V-Sag Base, V1216 Sagittarii
1xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery
1xAnti-Orbit Plasma Battery
1xPoint Defense Battery

Wolf 4/3, Wolf 359, Planet IV, Moon III
1xAnti-Orbit Laser Battery
1xPoint Defense Battery

April 30, 2130: Imperial Naval Intelligence Report, Groombridge A-II
Analysis of the ruined outpost on A-II is complete.  The listening post was established by Reapers as a forward operating base in this area of the galaxy.  The listening post, protected by the two orbiting bases, was intended to be a foothold in this area to support future expansion, however, for an unknown reason this expansion never happened.  No further information was found relating to the Reapers or their intentions.  It is unknown if this base supported the raids on Terra.  Nine potentially recoverable installations were discovered in the ruined outpost.   
 
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