Author Topic: Gothic Campaign Updates  (Read 5170 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Gothic Campaign Updates
« on: May 31, 2021, 06:00:49 AM »
This is a revised and upgraded version of a campaign I ran in 2019 while testing C# Aurora. I think it might also be the most detailed setup I've ever done for a single race.

Background
By the early 22nd Century, the nations of Earth had discovered Trans-Newtonian technology, explored more than two hundred star systems and established a number of large colonies. Without warning, human space was attacked by an aggressive alien race with a substantial technological advantage. Humanity fell back on all fronts. After the initial chaos, a global alliance was formed to fight the aliens. Scouting missions were sent into deep space to find the alien centres of production so they could be targeted by a counter-strike. Those missions either returned empty-handed or failed to return at all. The only discovery of note was a strange phenomenon described as an Aether Rift, which appeared as a vast, swirling disturbance in the Aether, more than a billion kilometres in diameter. The alien populations were assumed to be too distant, too well-defended to attack or, according to the speculations of a few fringe scientists, located beyond the rift. Humanity was left with no choice but to conduct a defensive war.

Despite gallant resistance, the human colonies fell one by one. The final defence of Earth inflicted considerable damage on the alien invaders but it was not enough. A ground invasion was accompanied by substantial orbital bombardment. Civilian casualties were catastrophic. When the final human resistance was overcome and the last of the Trans-Newtonian installations destroyed, the aliens boarded their ships and left, apparently more interested in devastating human worlds than in claiming them. Only pockets of humanity remained, living in near-medieval conditions in a cold, irradiated wasteland.

In the centuries that followed, some semblance of civilisation returned with the emergence of villages, towns and eventually small city states. Even though knowledge of the Fall was part of collective human memory in the form of myths and legends, humanity was fractured and small wars still broke out over territory or resources. One state, known as the Imperium, expanded as a result of conquering its neighbours with swift and effective military campaigns. Those campaigns were aided by propaganda from the Imperium claiming that humanity must unite and prepare for another alien attack. This was effective enough to bring some small powers into the fold without military action.

As The Imperium developed into the most powerful state on Earth, it became an economic, scientific and military powerhouse. Trans-Newtonian physics were re-discovered, leading to the construction of factories, research facilities and orbital shipyards. Spacecraft were built, although remained close to Earth to support combat on the ever-expanding Imperium frontiers. The leader of the Imperium, known only as The Emperor, did not wish to venture into space, even to the rest of the solar system, until humanity was ready. Concern was high that the aliens had left some form of monitoring system to alert them to humanity venturing forth from its home.

By the dawn of the forty-first century, almost two millennia after the alien attack, Earth was united under the banner of the recently renamed Terran Imperium. Earth itself was named Terra in High Gothic, a derivative of Latin that had become the official language of the Imperium. It was accepted wisdom across the globe that aliens were an existential threat and that the Imperium had to be ready for their return. Detailed pre-fall records, such as survey data, the location of extra-solar colonies and even the identity of the alien invaders, had been lost so a complete resurvey was necessary. On the symbolic date of January 1st 4000, the Emperor gave the order for the first survey frigates to leave orbit.

Campaign Notes
Unlike earlier semi-WH40k campaigns, this campaign will use the WH40k Imperium as a doctrinal guide. Ship classes will mirror the general capabilities of classes of the Imperial Navy, based on the type and number of weapons specified for the ship classes in the Battlefleet Gothic board game. For example, the Dauntless class light cruiser has three lance batteries, eight weapon batteries and one defence turret in Battlefleet Gothic, so it has the same in Aurora. The Lunar class cruiser has four lance batteries, twelve weapon batteries, six torpedo launchers and two defence turrets, which is also replicated in Aurora.

I have to make exceptions for jump-capable and survey ships, as they don’t exist in BFG, so I chose a design and reduced weapons to allow room for the drive and/or sensors. I also designed the carrier-hybrids, such as the Defiant and Dictator, as full carriers, because ‘fighters’ are relatively larger in Aurora vs WH40k and its is the ‘carrier’ aspect that distinguishes those ships. Finally, there is a much wider variety of non-warships in Aurora compared to BFG so I created most of those from scratch using names appropriate to the theme.

For the Battlefleet Gothic ship lists, I am primarily using the Expanded Revised edition, plus I may use the Additional Ships Compendium for roles not covered by the standard ship lists. Ground forces will be based on the equipment of Imperial Guard, Space Marines and other Imperial forces from the WH40k 8th edition codices. In order to utilise the nomenclature of the Imperial Navy, railguns of 12cm or more will be named weapon batteries, gauss turrets will become defence turrets, CIWS are commercial defence turrets, 10cm railguns on small craft will be lascannon, particle beams will be lance batteries, lasers will be bombardment cannon and missiles will become torpedoes. There are various attack craft in WH40k which will be harder to replicate exactly, but I will stay true to their intended roles.

To reflect the theme and to allow me to include all the listed weapons, I have ‘gone large’ with the ship design, with light cruisers at 18,750 tons and cruisers at 37,500 tons. This fleet doctrine and weapon mix will not produce ‘efficient’ ships, but good design is not the intention. This is a role-play campaign based on a WH40k Imperial Navy theme.

With all the above in mind, I made the following changes to the starting setup:
•   Starting population is two billion with standard installations for that population size.
•   Research Points are double normal to allow for the variety of starting weapons.
•   Starting Build Points are double normal, on the assumption the Imperium has been building up the largest fleet it can support before venturing into the galaxy.
•   Shipyards are customised for the ship classes. This results in a large number of shipyards, although the vast majority have only a single slipway. Also, the Imperium doesn’t have the resources to use them all.
•   With the extra shipyards, the Imperium is starting with its manufacturing population fully employed.
•   Ruin chance is increased from 20% to 25%.
•   All spoilers active. NPRs can activate Precursors and Raiders
•   3 NPRs. 40-75 LY
•   NPRs can generate other NPRs with a 10% chance.


Imperial Navy Ship Designs
The Sword class frigate is a workhorse for the Imperium, capable of independent operations, functioning as part of a frigate squadron or acting an escort for larger warships. The primary armament comprises four Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Batteries, with each battery firing four projectiles every fifteen seconds out to a range of 160,000 kilometres. The secondary armament is a short-ranged Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret, which fires six rounds every five seconds. The turret is designed to engage fast-moving targets such as torpedoes, although the weapon batteries can also function in a defensive mode, using volume of fire to compensate for slower tracking. Passive defences include armour and a single Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield. With a full suite of sensors, the Sword can locate hostile ships with her active augur array at fifty million kilometres, detect incoming torpedoes and conduct passive searches with both thermal and electromagnetic augur arrays.
 
Sword class Frigate      9,375 tons       284 Crew       1,483.4 BP       TCS 187    TH 750    EM 1,380
4000 km/s      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 63      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 6      PPV 44.32
Maint Life 2.79 Years     MSP 593    AFR 117%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 110    5YR 1,655    Max Repair 187.50 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-375B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 750.0    Fuel Use 70.60%   Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 586,000 Litres    Range 15.9 billion km (46 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (4x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R8 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 16.2    Exp 5%

MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Firestorm class frigate is a modification of the original Sword, replacing two of the four weapon batteries with a pair of V4-200 Lance Batteries. Although the Lances generate less raw damage than the weapons they replace, they reach out to 200,000 km and maintain their damage output across that range. Due to their similarity, the Firestorm can be constructed in the same shipyard as the Sword class frigate.

Firestorm class Frigate      9,375 tons       284 Crew       1,471.6 BP       TCS 187    TH 750    EM 1,380
4000 km/s      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 63      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 6      PPV 44.32
Maint Life 2.78 Years     MSP 588    AFR 117%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 110    5YR 1,647    Max Repair 187.50 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-375B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 750.0    Fuel Use 70.60%   Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 586,000 Litres    Range 15.9 billion km (46 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (2x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Valentinian Precision Armaments V4-200 Lance Battery (2)    Range 200,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R8 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 16.2    Exp 5%

MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Falchion class is a jump-capable ship based on a modified Sword hull. To create space for the 1575-ton Ravenor Drive Systems RM-945 Military Jump Drive, the defence turret and half the weapon batteries have been removed. The loss of firepower is made up by the tactical and strategic flexibility the Falchion provides to frigate squadrons. The Falchion also has a boat bay for an Aquila class lander,  providing a long-range scouting capability. The Falchion can be constructed in the same shipyard as the Sword class frigate.

Falchion class Frigate      9,375 tons       267 Crew       1,294.7 BP       TCS 187    TH 750    EM 1,380
4000 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 57      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 6      PPV 14
Maint Life 2.43 Years     MSP 517    AFR 117%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 120    5YR 1,805    Max Repair 187.50 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons     
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Flight Crew Berths 5    Morale Check Required   

RM-945 Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 9450 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-375B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 750.0    Fuel Use 70.60%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 575,000 Litres    Range 15.6 billion km (45 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (2x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R8 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 8.1    Exp 5%

MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Strike Group
1x Aquila Lander   Speed: 3007 km/s    Size: 4.99

The Cobra class Destroyer is yet another variant of the Sword-class hull. Imperial escort-class ships are divided into two sub-types; frigates and destroyers. Frigates have a pure energy-based armament while destroyers mount one or more torpedo launchers. Compared to the original Sword design, the Cobra removes the defence turret and three of the four weapon batteries. In their place are four torpedo launchers and sufficient magazine space for sixty-four standard torpedoes or variants. One of the two weapon battery fire controls is replaced with a torpedo fire control system. The standard torpedo has a powerful warhead, a speed of 24,000 km/s and a range of twenty-one million kilometres.

Cobra class Destroyer      9,375 tons       258 Crew       1,301.7 BP       TCS 187    TH 750    EM 1,380
4000 km/s      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 64      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 6      PPV 31
Maint Life 2.66 Years     MSP 520    AFR 117%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 104    5YR 1,563    Max Repair 187.50 MSP
Magazine 388   
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-375B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 750.0    Fuel Use 70.60%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 592,000 Litres    Range 16.1 billion km (46 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (1x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
MK I Single Energy Weapon Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R4 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 4    Exp 5%

Torpedo Launcher (4)     Missile Size: 6    Rate of Fire 25
MK I Torpedo Fire Control (1)     Range 51.7m km    Resolution 120
MK I Standard Torpedo (64)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 15m     Range: 21.6m km    WH: 9    Size: 6.0

MK I Small Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 6     Range 3.4m km    MCR 304.7k km    Resolution 1
MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Although the Tempest class survey frigate is based on the Sword hull, there is little similarity between the two ships. The Tempest has minimal armour and no weapons or shields. Instead, the interior hull space is dedicated to sensors, endurance and the same jump drive as the Falchion. With two gravitational survey sensors and two geological survey sensors, the frigate can handle either survey mission. The large passive arrays and the scout capability provided by an Aquila class lander increase the chance of avoiding hostile forces in unexplored space. Finally, the extensive crew accommodations, large engineering deck and considerable fuel capacity allow the Tempest to operate without support for up to five years.

Tempest class Survey Frigate      9,375 tons       252 Crew       1,245.6 BP       TCS 187    TH 450    EM 0
2400 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 1-39       Shields 0-0       HTK 61      Sensors 18/18/2/2      DCR 14      PPV 0
Maint Life 6.61 Years     MSP 1,162    AFR 50%    IFR 0.7%    1YR 46    5YR 689    Max Repair 168.7500 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons     
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months    Flight Crew Berths 5    Morale Check Required   

RM-945 Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 9450 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-450E Gas-Core Drive (1)    Power 450.0    Fuel Use 13.92%    Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 1,004,000 Litres    Range 138.5 billion km (667 days at full power)

MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
MK I Large Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points Per Hour
Geological Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points Per Hour

Strike Group
1x Aquila Lander   Speed: 3007 km/s    Size: 4.99

Imperial light cruisers lie halfway between true capital ships and the escort classes and are intended to form the core of a light task group. The Dauntless class is the ‘standard’ light cruiser class of the Imperial Navy and combines eight weapon batteries, three V4-200 Lance Batteries and a DV-2 Defence Turret with strong passive defences. The Dauntless has a more capable sensor suite than the escort classes plus a boat bay that houses an Aquila class Lander

Dauntless class Light Cruiser      18,750 tons       587 Crew       2,970.1 BP       TCS 375    TH 1,500    EM 2,760
4000 km/s      Armour 6-62       Shields 92-368       HTK 116      Sensors 18/6/0/0      DCR 12      PPV 93.32
Maint Life 2.04 Years     MSP 1,188    AFR 234%    IFR 3.3%    1YR 380    5YR 5,699    Max Repair 375 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons     
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 5    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 1500    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 872,000 Litres    Range 16.8 billion km (48 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (2)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.3 per second)

Valentinian Precision Armaments V4-200 Lance Battery (3)    Range 200,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5    ROF 15       
Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (8x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (4)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s     96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
R14 Gaseous Fission Reactor (3)     Total Power Output 43.2    Exp 5%

MK I Light Cruiser Active Augur Array  (1)     GPS 10080     Range 62.5m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The primary function of the Endeavour class light cruiser is to provide jump capability. The design is based on the Dauntless, with the lance batteries, half the weapon batteries and the boat bay removed to provide space for the drive. The armour, shield generators and the defence turret are all retained. The Endeavour is intended to operate as part of an expeditionary fleet or light cruiser squadron, so it would be rare to see one on independent operations.

Endeavour class Light Cruiser      18,750 tons       548 Crew       2,816.6 BP       TCS 375    TH 1,500    EM 2,760
4000 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 6-62       Shields 92-368       HTK 105      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 15      PPV 44.32
Maint Life 2.08 Years     MSP 1,408    AFR 187%    IFR 2.6%    1YR 434    5YR 6,506    Max Repair 427.1 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

RM-1875 Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 18750 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 1500    Fuel Use 49.92%    Signature 750    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 907,000 Litres    Range 17.4 billion km (50 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (2)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.3 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (4x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R8 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 16.2    Exp 5%

MK I Light Cruiser Active Augur Array  (1)     GPS 10080     Range 62.5m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Defiant class light carrier is based on the same hull as the Dauntless, but with massive internal changes. All the weapons have been removed, along with half the armour and shields. In their place is a large hangar bay, which holds a strike group of eight Starhawk bombers and four Fury interceptors, plus sufficient magazine storage to reload the bombers twice. The eight Starhawks are capable of launching ninety-six light torpedoes in a single salvo, while the interceptors can escort the bombers, provide anti-torpedo defences for the carrier or launch their own independent strikes against soft targets. The significant reduction in defences for the Defiant is based on a doctrine of operating at stand-off ranges.

Defiant class Light Cruiser      18,750 tons       356 Crew       2,297.4 BP       TCS 375    TH 1,500    EM 1,380
4000 km/s      Armour 3-62       Shields 46-368       HTK 93      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 15      PPV 0
Maint Life 2.18 Years     MSP 1,148    AFR 187%    IFR 2.6%    1YR 324    5YR 4,864    Max Repair 375 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 6,000 tons     Magazine 500   
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 120    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 1500    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 866,000 Litres    Range 16.7 billion km (48 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

MK I Light Torpedo (200)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 7.7m     Range: 11.1m km    WH: 4    Size: 2.50

MK I Light Cruiser Active Augur Array  (1)     GPS 10080     Range 62.5m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Strike Group
8x Starhawk Bomber   Speed: 7206 km/s    Size: 9.99
4x Fury Interceptor   Speed: 8007 km/s    Size: 9.99

The Lunar is the standard cruiser class of the Imperial Navy. With a hull twice the size of the Dauntless class, the Lunar has sufficient internal space to add a fourth lance battery, four more weapon batteries, a second DV-2 defence turret, six torpedo launchers and magazine space for almost a hundred standard torpedoes. Passive defences are substantially increased for the Lunar, with more than double the total armour volume of the Dauntless and the addition of a third shield generator. The MK I Cruiser Active Augur Array replaces the smaller active augur array on the Dauntless, extending sensor range by ten million kilometres. Finally, the fuel storage, engineering systems and reactors have all been upgraded in line with the larger hull.

Lunar class Cruiser      37,500 tons       1,102 Crew       5,611.9 BP       TCS 750    TH 3,000    EM 4,140
4000 km/s      Armour 8-99       Shields 138-368       HTK 224      Sensors 18/18/0/0      DCR 25      PPV 180.64
Maint Life 2.05 Years     MSP 2,343    AFR 450%    IFR 6.2%    1YR 743    5YR 11,147    Max Repair 375 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 1,000 tons     Magazine 582   
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 20    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (4)    Power 3000    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,585,000 Litres    Range 15.2 billion km (44 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (3)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.4 per second)

Valentinian Precision Armaments V4-200 Lance Battery (4)    Range 200,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5    ROF 15       
Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (12x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (2x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s    ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (4)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R20 Gaseous Fission Reactor (3)     Total Power Output 62.3    Exp 5%

Torpedo Launcher (6)     Missile Size: 6    Rate of Fire 25
MK I Torpedo Fire Control (2)     Range 51.7m km    Resolution 120
MK I Standard Torpedo (97)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 15m     Range: 21.6m km    WH: 9    Size: 6.0   

MK I Cruiser Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 12960     Range 70.8m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
MK I Large Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km

The Dominator class is a jump-capable conversion of the Lunar. To create space for the Ravenor Drive Systems RM-3750 Military Jump Drive, the torpedo launchers and lance batteries have been removed, along with a quarter of the armour. The twelve weapon batteries, two defence turrets and three shield generators are all retained. The huge jump drive, which provides the Imperial Navy with considerable strategic flexibility, has the same cost as a Sword class frigate.

Dominator class Cruiser      37,500 tons       1,184 Crew       6,296.7 BP       TCS 750    TH 3,000    EM 4,140
4000 km/s    JR 3-50     Armour 6-99      Shields 138-368      HTK 223      Sensors 18/6/0/0      DCR 38      PPV 116.64
Maint Life 2.07 Years     MSP 3,987    AFR 296%    IFR 4.1%    1YR 1,238    5YR 18,568    Max Repair 1487.2 MSP
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

RM-3750 Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 37500 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (4)    Power 3000    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,726,000 Litres    Range 16.6 billion km (48 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (3)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.4 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (12x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (2x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s    ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (4)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R16 Gaseous Fission Reactor (3)     Total Power Output 48.9    Exp 5%

MK I Cruiser Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 12960     Range 70.8m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18.00     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km

The Dictator class cruiser is another variant on the Lunar hull. All the weapons and one of the shield generators have been removed, while the armour has been reduced by half. The result is a scaled-up version of the Defiant class light carrier with a strikegroup of sixteen Starhawk bombers, eight Fury interceptors and a single Aquila lander. Sufficient ordnance is available for two full reloads of the bombers.

Dictator class Carrier      37,500 tons       691 Crew       4,527.7 BP       TCS 750    TH 3,000    EM 2,760
4000 km/s      Armour 4-99       Shields 92-368       HTK 180      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 30      PPV 0
Maint Life 2.15 Years     MSP 2,263    AFR 375%    IFR 5.2%    1YR 654    5YR 9,804    Max Repair 375 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 12,250 tons     Magazine 1,000   
Captain    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 245    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (4)    Power 3000    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,846,000 Litres    Range 17.7 billion km (51 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (2)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.3 per second)

MK I Light Torpedo (400)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 7.7m     Range: 11.1m km    WH: 4    Size: 2.50

MK I Cruiser Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 12960     Range 70.8m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Strike Group
16x Starhawk Bomber   Speed: 7206 km/s    Size: 9.99
8x Fury Interceptor   Speed: 8007 km/s    Size: 9.99
1x Aquila Lander   Speed: 3007 km/s    Size: 4.99

The vast capacity of the Cetaceous class Troop Transport provides the Imperial Navy with the means to transport and combat drop an entire Imperial Guard corps, including four full regiments and the corps assets. Given the high potential for hostile fire as it approaches the drop zone, the Cetaceous is well-armoured for a commercial-engined vessel and equipped with four commercial defence turrets. That capability comes at a price, as the construction cost of a Cetaceous is fifty percent more than a Lunar class cruiser.

Cetaceous class Troop Transport      230,427 tons       1,468 Crew       8,300.9 BP       TCS 4,609    TH 7,200    EM 0
1562 km/s      Armour 6-334       Shields 0-0       HTK 521      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 22    Max Repair 200 MSP
Troop Capacity 100,000 tons     Drop Capable    Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (30)    Power 7200    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,500,000 Litres    Range 40.5 billion km (300 days at full power)

Commercial Defence Turret (4x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16,000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

While the mainstay of the Imperium’s offensive troop lift capability is the Cetaceous class Troop Transport, the much smaller Orca is designed for transportation of garrison forces within Imperium space and has a transport capacity sufficient for a single infantry regiment of the Imperial Guard. The Orca has no drop capability and lacks any defence beyond its minimal armour, due to the lower priority of its primary task.

Orca class Troop Transport      43,017 tons       254 Crew       922.4 BP       TCS 860    TH 1,680    EM 0
1952 km/s      Armour 1-109       Shields 0-0       HTK 105      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 13    Max Repair 80 MSP
Troop Capacity 20,000 tons     Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (7)    Power 1680    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 50.6 billion km (300 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The third of the triumvirate of Imperial Navy troop transports is the Delphinus, similar in size to the Orca but exchanging half of the troop capacity for a jump drive. The Delphinus is intended to operate independently in frontier areas that lack stabilised jump points, transporting small formations, such as Ordo Xenos or Ordo Mineralis, to newly discovered systems.

Delphinus class Troop Transport      43,285 tons       265 Crew       823.2 BP       TCS 866    TH 1,680    EM 0
1940 km/s    JR 2-25(C)      Armour 1-109       Shields 0-0       HTK 89      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 11    Max Repair 80 MSP
Troop Capacity 10,000 tons     Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1   
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Ravenor RC-46 Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 46000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (7)    Power 1680    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 50.3 billion km (300 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Imperial Navy Attack Craft
The Starhawk class bomber is the primary long-range strike weapon of the Imperial Navy and is equipped with twelve launching tubes for light torpedoes. The Starhawk includes an integral active augur array and fire control system, allowing torpedo launch from up to fifteen million kilometres. The bomber’s endurance is sufficient to attack targets up to seven hundred million kilometres from its parent ship.

Starhawk class Bomber      500 tons       8 Crew       70.5 BP       TCS 10    TH 72    EM 0
7206 km/s      Armour 1-5       Shields 0-0       HTK 1      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 4.56
Maint Life 0.50 Years     MSP 5    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 10    5YR 150    Max Repair 36.00 MSP
Magazine 30   
Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 days    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems AC-72 Attack Craft Drive (1)    Power 72.0    Fuel Use 659.97%   Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 27,000 Litres    Range 1.47 billion km (56 hours at full power)

Starhawk Torpedo Launcher (12)     Missile Size: 2.5    Hangar Reload 79 minutes    MF Reload 13 hours
MK I Light Torpedo Fire Control (1)     Range 21.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Light Torpedo (12)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 7.7m     Range: 11.1m km    WH: 4    Size: 2.50
MK I Starhawk Augur Array (1)     GPS 576     Range 14.9m km    Resolution 120

The Fury class Interceptor has three different missions; long-range interception of hostile targets, providing an escort for bomber attacks and fleet defence against torpedo attack. The Fury is armed with the MK II Lascannon, a small but rapid-firing weapon, and is equipped with an augur array capable of detecting torpedoes.

Fury class Interceptor      500 tons       21 Crew       96.4 BP       TCS 10    TH 80    EM 0
8007 km/s      Armour 1-5       Shields 0-0       HTK 3      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 3
Maint Life 1.52 Years     MSP 30    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 15    5YR 222    Max Repair 40.00 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 days    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems AC-80 Attack Craft Drive (1)    Power 80.0    Fuel Use 626.10%   Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 27,000 Litres    Range 1.55 billion km (53 hours at full power)

MK II Lascannon (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 8,007 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
MK I Fury Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 8,000 km/s     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
R3 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 3    Exp 5%
MK I Fury Augur Array (1)     GPS 3     Range 2.1m km    MCR 192.7k km    Resolution 1

The Aquila class Lander is a workhorse small craft, used for transporting key personnel, scouting missions and even fleet defence in desperate situations. The Aquila is armed with a MK I Lascannon, capable of a single shot every five seconds. Many ships of light cruiser size and above carry the Aquila as a utility craft.

Aquila class Lander      250 tons       8 Crew       36.3 BP       TCS 5    TH 15    EM 0
3007 km/s      Armour 1-3       Shields 0-0       HTK 1      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0.98
Maint Life 4.69 Years     MSP 25    AFR 50%    IFR 0.7%    1YR 2    5YR 28    Max Repair 10 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 1 months    Morale Check Required   

Shuttle Engine (1)    Power 15.0    Fuel Use 180.74%    Signature 15.00    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 33,000 Litres    Range 13.2 billion km (50 days at full power)

MK I Lascannon (1)    Range 40,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 0.75-1     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
MK I Aquila Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
R1 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 1    Exp 5%

MK I Shuttle Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 864     Range 18.3m km    Resolution 120

Imperial Navy Starting Forces
4x Lunar class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath, Iron Duke, Retribution
2x Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Rhadamanthine
2x Dominator class Cruiser: Ferrum Aeterna, Ultima Praetor
12x Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Advocate, Aegis, Bellerophon, Bloodhawk, Cerberus, Dauntless, Divine Crusade, Guardian, Hammer of Truth, Luxor, Ravenor, Unbroken Vow
4x Endeavour class Light Cruiser: Endeavour, Leonid, Sacrament of Judgement, Sanctis Legate
4x Defiant class Light Carrier: Archangel, Bellator Stoicus, Defiant, Imperial Ghost
12x Sword class Frigate: Destiny's Hand, Excalibur, Final Silence, Heroic Endeavour, Order Absolute, Pegasus, Raven's Spear, Rubicon, Silent Fire, Strident Virtue, Triumph of Juno, Valiant
6x Firestorm class Frigate: Cape Wrath, Firestorm, Kraken, Medusa, Vengeful, Vortex
6x Cobra class Destroyer: Honoured Prophecy, Implacable, Omnis Arcanum, Valour Eternal, Veritas, Zealous
6x Falchion class Frigate: Claymore, Falchion, Gladius, Katana, Khopesh, Scimitar
Tempest class Survey Frigate: Acta Sanctorum, Ascension, Covenant, Emperor's Light, Evening Star, Tempest
4x Cetaceous class Troop Transport: Cetaceous Andromedae, Cetaceous Aurigae, Cetaceous Draconis, Cetaceous Leonis
4x Delphinus class Troop Transport: Delphinus Tropicalis, Delphinus Capensis, Delphinus Delphis, Cephalorhynchus Eutropia
4x Orca class Troop Transport: Orcinus Orca, Feresa Attenuata, Grampus Griseus, Pseudorca Crassidens
32x Fury class Interceptor:
64x Starhawk class Bomber:
16x Aquila class Lander:

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2021, 06:01:17 AM »
Imperial Guard
The primary ground combat forces of the Imperium are known as the Imperial Guard, or more formally as the Astra Militarum. There are several different types of Imperial Guard formation, the largest and most numerous of which is the Imperial Guard Infantry Regiment. The standard infantry regiment requires 20,000 tons of transport capacity and comprises two thousand four hundred guardsman armed with lasguns, two hundred and forty Chimeras (light vehicles armed with crew-served anti-personnel weapons), four Vox Caster squads for liaison with orbital fire support, twenty-four supply vehicles and the Regimental HQ. When multiple regiments are deployed together, they are organised into Corps formations. Each corps consists of up to four regiments plus corps-level assets including one hundred and twenty Heavy Mortars, one hundred and fifty supply vehicles, twelve Land Crawler construction vehicles and the Corps HQ. The corps assets require similar transport capacity to a regiment.

Some Imperial Guard formations are specialised to fight in certain types of terrain. The four regiments of the Tallarn Desert Raiders, organised into a single corps, have desert training, while the regiments of the Catachan Jungle Fighters and the Phantine Skyborne are specialised in Jungle and Mountain warfare respectively. The hardest training is reserved for the regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg, which are trained in both low gravity and extreme temperature combat. In total, the Imperial Guard in January 4000 has six infantry corps, each of four regiments. In addition to the four corps mentioned above are two ‘standard’ corps; the Cadian Shock Troops and the Elysian Drop Troops.

These large infantry-based formations are supported by two types of armoured regiment, both of which have transport requirements of approximately ten thousand tons. The Light Armour Regiment  comprises one hundred and eighty Hellhound Anti-Infantry Tanks, two Salamander Command Vehicles and twelve supply vehicles. The Heavy Armour Regiment comprises seventy-two Leman Russ Battle Tanks, twenty-four Hellhounds, two Salamander Command Vehicles and twenty-four supply vehicles. Armoured regiments are usually ‘standard’ formations, as their vehicles are not suitable for specialisation in jungle or mountain terrain and they are very effective in desert terrain anyway as their potential opponents will lack substantial fortifications. The one exception is the Death Korps 1st Armoured Regiment, which is a heavy armour formation specialised for both low gravity and extreme temperature and intended to operate with the Death Korps infantry regiments. As of January 4000, there are six light armour regiments and six heavy armour regiments.

The final combat formation is the Planetary Defence Regiment, intended to guard colonies against hostile torpedo attack or bombardment by energy-armed warships. This formation comprises four Hydra Planetary Defence Batteries, eight Medusa Planetary Weapon Batteries, one hundred and twenty guardsmen and twelve Chimeras. The defence batteries are based on the DV-2 turrets of Imperial warship classes while the weapon batteries use the tried and tested Valentinian Precision Armaments V4-200 Lance Battery. Eight regiments are in service.

In addition to the combat forces, there are three other Imperial Guard formations; the Ordo Xenos, the Ordo Mineralis and the Ordo Machinum. The Ordo Xenos is intended to investigate any alien artefacts or ruins that are discovered during the re-survey of the galaxy. The Ordo Machinum comprises thirty Land Crawler construction vehicles for various tasks, including recovery of any alien installations identified by the Ordo Xenos. Finally, the Ordo Mineralis will conduct ground-based geological surveys where the orbital survey finds evidence to suggest further mineral deposits may be located. Four formations of each type are available in January 4000.

Imperial Guard Starting Forces
6x Imperial Guard Corps (each with 4x Infantry Regiment): Cadian Shock Troops, Catachan Jungle Fighters, Death Korps of Krieg, Elysian Drop Troops, Phantine Skyborne, Tallarn Desert Raiders.
6x Heavy Armour Regiment: Death Korps 1st Armoured Regiment, Jantine Patricians, Konig Armoured Regiment, Teutonian Armoured Regiment, Vitrian Dragoons, Vostroyan Firstborn
6x Light Armour Regiment: Attilan Rough Riders, Drusus Hussars, Grey Lancers, Hesperan Lancers, Kataran Lancers, Tupelov Lancers
8x Planetary Defence Regiment: Hyperion Guard, Iron Tower Regiment, Janus Regiment, Mycenean Regiment, Teryaskian Red Guard, Thracian Guard, Vandeen Guard, Volcania Regiment
4x Ordo Machinum
4x Ordo Xenos
4x Ordo Mineralis

Space Marine Ship Designs
In addition to the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard, the Imperium maintains an elite force known as the Space Marines, which operates outside the naval chain of command. The Space Marines use their own ships and ground forces, including specialist assault forces for boarding combat, highly capable ground forces and bombardment cannon for their warships. The highest level Space Marine organization is the Chapter, which includes three companies dedicated to boarding assault, six for planetary assault and one for planetary defence. The specialised boarding companies each comprise six officers and one hundred and twenty space marines, divided into three Assault Forces. The first and second companies are assigned to Thunderhawk assault transports on board strike cruisers, while the third company is assigned to Nova class frigates. The fourth through ninth companies, each of which comprises one hundred space marines and twelve Land Raider main battle tanks, are intended for planetary assault and are assigned to the Chapter’s battle barge. The tenth company, used for planetary defence, comprises four Hydra Planetary Defence Batteries, four Medusa Planetary Weapon Batteries, four Surface-based Bombardment Cannon and forty space marines.

The Nova class frigate is the standard escort class of the Space Marine naval forces. The design is based on a Sword class hull, with two of the weapon batteries replaced by a bombardment cannon and a 500-ton capacity troop transport bay with boarding capabilities. A Space Marine Assault Force of the parent Chapter’s third company will be assigned to the ship. The Nova has only half the speed of the specialised Thunderhawk assault transport so any boarding actions will have to be against slow-moving or disabled ships. The Nova can also be deployed for independent planetary assault missions where a small unit action is sufficient.

Nova class Frigate      9,375 tons       263 Crew       1,385.5 BP       TCS 187    TH 750    EM 1,380
4000 km/s      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 61      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 5      PPV 36.32
Maint Life 2.19 Years     MSP 461    AFR 141%    IFR 2.0%    1YR 129    5YR 1,940    Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons     Boarding Capable   
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-375B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 750    Fuel Use 70.60%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 656,000 Litres    Range 17.8 billion km (51 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Gothicus-Agna GA-20 Bombardment Cannon (1)    Range 256,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5     ROF 15       
Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (2x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4     ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R5 Gaseous Fission Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 11.9    Exp 5%

MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 6480     Range 50.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Vanguard class Strike Cruiser, which is midway between a light cruiser and a cruiser in size, transports a single Space Marine boarding assault company, along with its three Thunderhawks and a single Stormbird attack craft. The strike cruiser is also a capable ship-to-ship combatant, with similar armament and defences to the Dauntless class light cruiser. The main difference is the replacement of the three lance batteries with three bombardment cannons.

Vanguard class Strike Cruiser      28,125 tons       740 Crew       4,119 BP       TCS 562    TH 2,250    EM 2,760
4000 km/s      Armour 7-82       Shields 92-368       HTK 159      Sensors 18/6/0/0      DCR 20      PPV 90.32
Maint Life 2.14 Years     MSP 1,830    AFR 316%    IFR 4.4%    1YR 536    5YR 8,044    Max Repair 375 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 4,000 tons     Magazine 65   
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Flight Crew Berths 80    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (3)    Power 2250    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,343,000 Litres    Range 17.2 billion km (49 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (2)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.3 per second)

Gothicus-Agna GA-20 Bombardment Cannon (3)    Range 256,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5    ROF 15       
Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (8x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s    ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (4)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s
R14 Gaseous Fission Reactor (3)     Total Power Output 43.2    Exp 5%

MK I Light Cruiser Active Augur Array  (1)     GPS 10080     Range 62.5m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km

Strike Group
3x Thunderhawk Assault Transport   Speed: 7603 km/s    Size: 19.99
1x Stormbird Attack Craft   Speed: 8007 km/s    Size: 19.98

The Aeternus class Battle Barge, by far the largest warship built by the Imperium, carries the six ground-assault companies of a Space Marine Chapter. Its mission is simple; deliver its troops to a planetary target while either destroying the defences or absorbing their fire. Unlike all other Imperial Navy and Space Marine warships, the Battle Barge lacks void shields, with the tonnage devoted to weapons and armour instead. This is based on the assumption the ship will take heavy fire in a short period, rather than over an extended engagement, and therefore void shields would be less effective due to the limited recharge time. In comparison to the Strike Cruiser, the Battle Barge gains five more bombardment cannon, a second defence turret, improved sensors, almost triple the total armour volume and twenty thousand tons of drop-capable troop transport capacity. It lacks the hangar bay and shields of the Vanguard.  The main disadvantage of the Aeternus is that it is too large for any Imperial jump drive, so it can only operate within the stabilised jump network, at least until a sufficiently large jump drive is developed and deployed.

Aeternus class Battle Barge      75,000 tons       1,523 Crew       8,501.7 BP       TCS 1,500    TH 6,000    EM 0
4000 km/s      Armour 10-158       Shields 0-0       HTK 327      Sensors 18/18/0/0      DCR 67      PPV 136.64
Maint Life 2.10 Years     MSP 4,746    AFR 672%    IFR 9.3%    1YR 1,438    5YR 21,574    Max Repair 375 MSP
Troop Capacity 20,000 tons     Drop Capable   
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (8)    Power 6000    Fuel Use 49.92%    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 3,366,000 Litres    Range 16.2 billion km (46 days at full power)

Gothicus-Agna GA-20 Bombardment Cannon (8)    Range 256,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 10-3.5    ROF 15       
Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (8x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,000 km/s     Power 12-4    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (2x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s    ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
MK I Energy Weapon Fire Control (4)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,000 km/s     96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
R15 Gaseous Fission Reactor (4)     Total Power Output 61.4    Exp 5%

MK I Cruiser Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 12960     Range 70.8m km    Resolution 120
MK I Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 24     Range 6.8m km    MCR 609.3k km    Resolution 1
MK I Large Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km
MK I Large Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 18     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  33.5m km

The Eternal Faith class Support Vessel provides jump capability and logistics support to Space Marine operations. Unlike the slower-moving Brigantine class tankers that support the Imperial Navy, the Eternal Faith has military grade engines, enabling it to operate alongside Space Marine combat forces.

Eternal Faith class Support Vessel      18,750 tons       488 Crew       2,325.6 BP       TCS 375    TH 1,500    EM 0
4000 km/s    JR 3-50      Armour 1-62       Shields 0-0       HTK 98      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 20      PPV 0
Maint Life 4.06 Years     MSP 5,050    AFR 141%    IFR 2.0%    1YR 491    5YR 7,370    Max Repair 890.4 MSP
Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1   
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor RM-2820 Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 28200 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drive (2)    Power 1500    Fuel Use 49.92%   Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 4,015,000 Litres    Range 77.2 billion km (223 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 80 hours

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Balaenoptera is an upgraded version of the Imperial Navy’s Delphinus class and is used for low priority transport missions where no combat is expected and the Chapter’s warships are not available for transport duties. Each Chapter has a single Balaenoptera, which is usually assigned to the Chapter’s tenth company, responsible for planetary defence.

Balaenoptera class Troop Transport      49,611 tons       310 Crew       1,220.4 BP       TCS 992    TH 1,920    EM 0
1935 km/s    JR 2-25(C)      Armour 3-120       Shields 0-0       HTK 101      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 15    Max Repair 80 MSP
Troop Capacity 10,000 tons     Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1   
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Ravenor RC-52 Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 52000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (8)    Power 1920    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 43.9 billion km (262 days at full power)

Commercial Defence Turret (2x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16,000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Space Marine Attack Craft
The Stormbird class attack craft, used only by the Space Marines, combines the capabilities of the Starhawk bomber, the Fury interceptor and the Aquila lander. The Stormbird is carried by strike cruisers and used to escort assault transports, launch independent strikes, conduct scouting missions and protect its mothership.

Stormbird class Attack Craft      1,000 tons       30 Crew       168.5 BP       TCS 20    TH 160    EM 0
8007 km/s      Armour 1-8       Shields 0-0       HTK 3      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 7.56
Maint Life 0.90 Years     MSP 50    AFR 200%    IFR 2.8%    1YR 55    5YR 831    Max Repair 80.00 MSP
Magazine 30   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 days    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems AC-160 Attack Craft Drive (1)    Power 160.0    Fuel Use 442.72%    Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 35,000 Litres    Range 1.42 billion km (49 hours at full power)

MK II Lascannon (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 8,007 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
MK I Lascannon Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 8,000 km/s
R3 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 3    Exp 5%

Light Torpedo Launcher (12)     Missile Size: 2.5    Hangar Reload 79 minutes    MF Reload 13 hours
MK I Light Torpedo Fire Control (1)     Range 21.1m km    Resolution 120
MK I Light Torpedo (15)    Speed: 24,000 km/s    End: 7.7m     Range: 11.1m km    WH: 4    Size: 2.5    TH: 80/48/24

MK I Attack Craft Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 3     Range 2.1m km    MCR 192.7k km    Resolution 1
MK I Shuttle Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 864     Range 18.3m km    Resolution 120
MK I Shuttle Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 0.6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  6.1m km

The Thunderhawk class Assault Transport, used by Space Marine boarding assault companies, is a 1000-ton vessel designed to launch a Space Marine Assault Force against hostile ships. Even with a speed of 7600 km/s, the Thunderhawk is not fast enough to successfully assault warships with similar speeds to Imperial designs, at least not without heavy casualties among the boarding parties, so the ideal target ship is a lower moving commercial vessel or a damaged warship.

Thunderhawk class Assault Transport      1,000 tons       24 Crew       106.7 BP       TCS 20    TH 152    EM 0
7603 km/s      Armour 1-8       Shields 0-0       HTK 4      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
Maint Life 0.23 Years     MSP 6    AFR 80%    IFR 1.1%    1YR 26    5YR 387    Max Repair 76.00 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons     Boarding Capable   
Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 0.3 days    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems AC-152 Attack Craft Drive (1)    Power 152.0    Fuel Use 454.22%    Signature 152.00    Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres    Range 0.4 billion km (14 hours at full power)

Dark Angels Space Marine Chapter
1x Battle Barge: Aeternus
2x Vanguard class Strike Cruiser: Dread Argent, Eternal Defiance
3x Nova class Frigate: Eclipse, Meteor, Nebula
1x Eternal Faith class Support Vessel: Manifest Destiny
1x Balaenoptera class Troop Transport: Balaenoptera Borealis
2x Stormbird Attack Craft: Stormbird Defiance, Stormbird Dread
6x Thunderhawk class Assault Transport
1024x Space Marine
72x Land Raider
4x Surface-Based Bombardment Cannon
4x Medusa Planetary Weapon Battery
4x Hydra Planetary Defence Battery
84x Supply Vehicle

Raven Guard Space Marine Chapter
1x Battle Barge: Spear of Vengeance
2x Vanguard class Strike Cruiser: Angelica Mortis, Covenant of Blood
3x Nova class Frigate: Nova, Pulsar, Quasar
1x Eternal Faith class Support Vessel: Eternal Faith
1x Balaenoptera class Troop Transport: Balaenoptera Edeni
2x Stormbird Attack Craft: Stormbird Covenant, Stormbird Mortis
6x Thunderhawk class Assault Transport
1024x Space Marine
72x Land Raider
4x Surface-Based Bombardment Cannon
4x Medusa Planetary Weapon Battery
4x Hydra Planetary Defence Battery
84x Supply Vehicle

Commercial Ship Designs
The Jericho class colony ships provide the means by which the Imperium will re-colonise the galaxy. It is capable of transporting half a million colonists and is equipped with a full commercial sensor suite. The Jericho is more expensive to construct than even cruiser-class warships.

Jericho class Colony Ship      219,230 tons       1,288 Crew       7,323.9 BP       TCS 4,385    TH 6,720    EM 0
1532 km/s      Armour 1-323       Shields 0-0       HTK 304      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 20    Max Repair 100 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 500,000    Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (28)    Power 6720    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,500,000 Litres    Range 42.6 billion km (321 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Universe class Mass Conveyor is the primary cargo transport of the Imperium. It is capable of transporting up to five factories or mines over considerable distances.

Universe class Mass Conveyor      218,541 tons       813 Crew       2,436.2 BP       TCS 4,371    TH 6,720    EM 0
1537 km/s      Armour 1-323       Shields 0-0       HTK 245      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 6    Max Repair 50 MSP
Cargo 125,000    Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 10   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (28)    Power 6720    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,500,000 Litres    Range 42.7 billion km (321 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Carrack class freighter is the much smaller companion to the Universe class and is used for tasks where the vast capacity of the mass conveyor is not, such as transporting minerals or establishing sensor outposts.
 
Carrack class Freighter      45,337 tons       185 Crew       604.3 BP       TCS 907    TH 1,440    EM 0
1588 km/s      Armour 1-113       Shields 0-0       HTK 56      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 8    Max Repair 50 MSP
Cargo 25,000    Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 2   
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (6)    Power 1440    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres    Range 34.3 billion km (250 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Empyrean class Jump Tender provides jump support for the Imperium’s large, commercial-engined craft, such as the Cetaceous, Universe and Jericho classes. It can also function as a tanker, although this is generally for emergency use only. As the Empyrean may be used in expedition fleets and encounter hostile forces, it is equipped with a pair of commercial defence turrets and has double the armour of most commercial-engined vessels.

Empyrean class Jump Tender      118,172 tons       706 Crew       2,913.9 BP       TCS 2,363    TH 4,320    EM 0
1827 km/s    JR 2-25(C)      Armour 2-214       Shields 0-0       HTK 194      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 15    Max Repair 1200.9 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

RC-250 Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 250000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (18)    Power 4320    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 4,000,000 Litres    Range 210.6 billion km (1334 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 80 hours

Commercial Defence Turret (2x6)    Range 1000 km     TS: 16,000 km/s     ROF 5       
MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6.0     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Gateway class is intended to stabilise jump points within Imperium space, opening up systems to colonisation and mining and providing access to civilian shipping.

Gateway class Stabilisation Ship      85,414 tons       380 Crew       1,879.8 BP       TCS 1,708    TH 2,640    EM 0
1545 km/s      Armour 1-172       Shields 0-0       HTK 100      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 13    Max Repair 1000 MSP
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   
Jump Point Stabilisation: 180 days

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (11)    Power 2640    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres    Range 54.6 billion km (409 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Gaia class terraforming station has been designed and built on the premise that the Imperium will find worlds that are not immediately ideal for human habitation, but could be transformed over time. The Gaia will be towed into place by the Atlas class tug.

Gaia class Terraforming Station      126,507 tons       514 Crew       2,702.2 BP       TCS 2,530    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      No Armour       Shields 0-0     HTK 68      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 13    Max Repair 500 MSP
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   
Terraformer: 5 modules producing 0.002 atm per annum

MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Ambrosia class Fuel Harvester Stations have been constructed to refine fuel from the atmospheres of gas giants. While the Sol system has yet to be surveyed, Imperial scientists are hopeful that at least one of the four gas giants in the system will contain gaseous Sorium. If not, there will be many other gas giants in the galaxy that could serve as the Imperium’s long-term source of fuel.

Ambrosia class Fuel Harvester Station      129,546 tons       534 Crew       1,768.4 BP       TCS 2,591    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      No Armour       Shields 0-0     HTK 280      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 8    Max Repair 30 MSP
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   
Fuel Harvester: 50 modules producing 2,400,000 litres per annum

Fuel Capacity 2,500,000 Litres    Range N/A
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 50 hours

MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Atlas class Tug was constructed to tow the Gaia and Ambrosia class stations, plus any future Imperial stations that may be designed and built.

Atlas class Tug      125,291 tons       986 Crew       2,622 BP       TCS 2,506    TH 9,600    EM 0
3831 km/s      Armour 1-223       Shields 0-0       HTK 326      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 13    Max Repair 100 MSP
Tractor Beam     
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (40)    Power 9600    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres    Range 99.4 billion km (300 days at full power)

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The Brigantine class provides jump-capable logistics support to the Imperial Navy, as well as transporting fuel and maintenance supplies from colonies and harvesting stations.

Brigantine class Replenishment Ship      51,830 tons       316 Crew       1,082.4 BP       TCS 1,037    TH 2,160    EM 0
2083 km/s    JR 2-25(C)      Armour 1-123       Shields 0-0       HTK 127      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 1      PPV 0
MSP 10,013    Max Repair 70.6 MSP
Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1   
Commander    Control Rating 1   BRG   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

JC52K Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 52000 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine (9)    Power 2160    Fuel Use 2.89%    Signature 240    Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 10,000,000 Litres    Range 1,200.5 billion km (6670 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour     Complete Refuel 200 hours

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

Commercial Shipping
4x Empyrean class Jump Tender: Empyrean Maelstrom, Empyrean Storm, Empyrean Tempest, Empyrean Vortex
4x Gateway class Stabilisation Ship: Arch of Constantine, Arch of Titus, Golden Gate, Meridian Gate
4x Brigantine class Replenishment Ship: Brigantine Amethyst, Brigantine Diamond, Brigantine Emerald, Brigantine Sapphire
4x Atlas class Tug: Atlas, Cronus, Hyperion, Tethys
5x Universe class Mass Conveyor
5x Jericho class Colony Ship
5x Carrack class Freighter
5x Gaia class Terraforming Station
6x Ambrosia class Fuel Harvester
 
The following users thanked this post: Shinanygnz, Garfunkel, Neophyte, Black, Vandermeer, BAGrimm, Warer, BigBacon, Migi, nuclearslurpee

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2021, 07:20:19 AM »
The first task of the Imperial Navy was a full survey of the Sol system. The geological survey revealed a million tons of accessibility 0.7 Duranium on Io, along with large accessible deposits of both Boronide and Corundium. Mercury had three million tons of accessibility 0.6 Duranium plus four other minerals. Colonies were established on both worlds and a terraforming operation was established in orbit of Io. The search for gaseous Sorium was less successful, with the best result being twenty-one million tons of accessibility 0.4 Sorium in the atmosphere of Uranus.

Io Survey Report
Duranium:   1,114,853   0.70
Boronide:   1,966,081   0.40
Corundium:   2,868,044   0.70

Mercury Survey Report
Duranium:   2,858,919   0.60
Neutronium:   609,649   0.70
Corbomite:   3,906,157   0.30
Tritanium:   14,884   0.90
Vendarite:   648,347   0.90

Uranus Survey Report
Sorium:   21,853,800   0.40

The gravitational survey revealed four jump points, leading to the systems of Proxima, Alpha Centauri, Bernard’s Star and Hesperus. In total, the four systems had twelve planets and fifty moons, all of which were generally unremarkable. A geological survey found just one deposit of note - three point six million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium on a dark, frozen moon in Proxima – but it was less useful than Mercury or Io due to the colony cost of 8.5.

Proxima Centauri-A III - Moon 4 Survey Report (Colony Cost 8.5)
Duranium:   3,601,928   0.80
Mercassium:   495,616   0.10
Vendarite:   1,464,100   0.70
Sorium:   698,896   0.20

The systems surrounding Sol did have one virtue however: plenty of outward jump points. Alpha Centauri had a remarkable seven jump points, including the connection to Sol, while Proxima had five in total and even the small brown dwarf binary of Hesperus had four. Bernard’s Star was the only exception with a single outward jump point.

The exploration of those systems two transits from Sol began with the jump points in Proxima. A squadron of three frigates, comprising a Sword, Firestorm and Falchion, probed each one in turn. The innermost jump point led to Sol, so the second-closest jump point to the primary was the first objective. The squadron transited into Damocles, a system with a red dwarf primary and a single terrestrial world orbiting at fifteen million kilometres. The planet was large, at 18,000 km, and almost entirely covered with frozen oceans. Despite the temperature of -98C, the planet had a colony cost of only 0.73 due to the breathable nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere of 1.12 atm and a tide-lock with the star that reduced the effect of the low temperatures. Even with the tide-locking and islands covering only three percent of the surface, the planet could still support a population of half a billion.

A geological survey was disappointing in terms of mineral resources, but revealed a dormant alien construct of unknown origin that was soon theorised to be some form of research centre. Two Ordo Xenos formations were dispatched from Terra to investigate, along with a regiment of the Elysian Drop Troops. A colony of two million was established shortly thereafter and a Sword class frigate was assigned to a permanent station in orbit of the planet.

Damocles-A I Survey Report
Duranium:   4,147,200   0.30
Mercassium:   7,290,000   0.20
Vendarite:   21,902,400   0.10

The second outward jump point to be explored in Proxima led to a cold, planetless brown dwarf system that was appropriately named Stygia. The third probe mission was much more interesting. Claymore, Cape Wrath and Destiny's Hand transited into Nocturne, a red dwarf binary with a lone terrestrial world orbiting the M2-V primary. The 10,000 km diameter planet had liquid oceans covering thirty percent of the surface, a nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere of 0.39 atm, including 0.11 atm of oxygen, and a temperature of 37.6C. The terrain was primarily open Savannah, similar to large parts of Africa. The planet would have been an ideal habitable world, except for trace amounts of chlorine in the atmosphere. Only minimal terraforming would be required to correct that deficiency.

Following standing operating procedure for new system exploration, the senior officer of the squadron,  Commander Celestine Gothicus of Destiny’s Hand, ordered the Falchion class frigate Claymore to dispatch her Aquila class lander to scout the planet, six hundred and thirty million kilometres from the jump point. One hundred and thirty million kilometres from its destination, the Aquila detected an alien ship of 9,068 tons on an intercept course at almost 7939 km/s, almost double the speed of Imperium warships.

Commander Gothicus ordered the Aquila to continue on course and attempt communication. The lander had a maximum speed of 3000km/s so no escape was possible and intelligence was urgently needed. The alien ship, designated as Spyder class, approached within 250,000 km, then reversed course and held station with the Aquila as it continued toward the planet. Forty-five minutes later the lander was struck by six torpedoes with strength-6 warheads and utterly destroyed. Whether the Spyder or a second, undetected ship had attacked was unknown. Claymore briefly transited into Proxima to send word to Terra via the stabilised Proxima – Sol jump point.

While the Emperor was head of state, the day to day governance of the Imperium fell to the Lords of Terra. The Lords were designated by the Emperor and their numbers changed over time. In 4001, they included Vigo Horst, the governor of Terra itself, Solar Admiral Barachiel Endymion, the head of the Imperial Navy, Kor Aurelius, the senior Chapter Master of the Adeptus Astartes, otherwise known as the Space Marines, Lord-General Regulus Vulkan of the Imperial Guard, and Jovian Septimus of the Adeptus Scientifica, representing the scientists of the Imperium.

The Lords of Terra quickly reached a decision to send a powerful fleet, designated as Battlefleet Nocturne and headed by the Lunar class cruiser Imperial Wrath, to hunt down and destroy the hostile aliens. Once in Nocturne, the battlefleet absorbed the first destroyer squadron, giving it a total of sixteen warships, including three cruiser hulls, four light cruiser hulls and nine frigates. Three ships were jump-capable, which reduced their combat capability, and two were unarmed carriers with a total of thirty-six attack craft.

Battlefleet Nocturne
Lunar class Cruiser: Imperial Wrath
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort
Dominator class Cruiser: Ferrum Aeterna
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Advocate, Bellerophon
Endeavour class Light Cruiser: Endeavour
Defiant class Light Carrier: Defiant
Falchion class Frigate: Claymore
Firestorm class Frigate: Cape Wrath, Vengeful, Vortex
Sword class Frigate: Destiny's Hand, Silent Fire, Strident Virtue, Triumph of Juno, Valiant
12x Fury class Interceptor:
24x Starhawk class Bomber:
2x Aquila class Lander:

Captain Dante Belisarius, leading the Battlefleet from the Ferrum Aeterna, ordered his ships to activate all shields and sensors in an attempt to draw out any defenders. Five days later, with no sign of hostile force, he ordered Battlefleet Nocturne to approach the lone planet. At seventy million kilometres, eighteen alien ships, roughly equivalent in tonnage to the Imperium fleet, were detected in orbit. Captain Belisarius was unwilling to risk an attack given the balance of forces, especially considering the aliens’ apparently superior engine technology, so he ordered the fleet to pull back to the jump point. The alien fleet remained in orbit, apparently adopting an equally cautious strategy.

Alien Forces in Nocturne
4x Reaper. 27,282 tons.
2x Shroud. 18,153 tons.
1x Scythe. 18,159 tons.
1x Cairn. 18,095 tons.
1x Khopesh. 18,092 tons.
2x Dirge. 9,091 tons.
2x Spyder. 9,068 tons.
2x Cartouche. 9,053 tons.
1x Catacomb. 9,047 tons.
2x Jackal. 9,047 tons.



As Battlefleet Nocturne moved out to eighty million kilometres from the planet, it detected a wave of one hundred and sixteen inbound torpedoes, travelling at a speed of 31,360 km/s. The size-5 alien torpedoes were almost a third faster than the Imperium equivalent and had massively greater range. Every Imperium ship prepared to engage the mass torpedo wave, including a dozen Fury class interceptors that were hastily launched to provide additional defensive fire. Seven additional waves were detected at approximately fifteen second intervals beyond the first. Each wave comprised eight separate salvos; four of nineteen, two of fourteen and two of six. Battlefleet Nocturne’s tactical officers determined the four largest alien ships, the 27,282-ton Reaper class, were likely to be the source of the four large salvos and therefore they were classified as torpedo cruisers.



Point defence fire from defence turrets, weapon  batteries, Fury lascannon and even lance batteries killed eighty-six torpedoes from the first wave. Twenty-six of the surviving thirty torpedoes struck the cruiser Imperial Wrath, taking down her shields and inflicting three hits on her armour belt. Fourteen torpedoes from the second wave penetrated Imperium defences and reduced the shields of Ferrum Aeterna by sixty percent. The third wave was targeted on the carrier Archon Kort, which had weaker passive defence than the other cruiser hulls. Twenty torpedoes were enough to take down her shields and score five strength-6 hits on her armour, each of which penetrated half way to the hull.

The alien waves attacked the Imperial ships in sequence, targeting the largest first and moving down in size. The fourth and fifth waves each attacked two targets, inflicting significant damage to the shields of cthe light carrier Defiant, the light jump cruiser Endeavour and the Dauntless class light cruisers Advocate and Bellerophon. The final three waves targeted the frigates Cape Wrath, Claymore, Destiny's Hand, Silent Fire, Triumph of Juno and Vengeful, all of which lost their shields and suffered armour damage. Triumph of Juno suffered an internal hit that fortunately did not cause any damage.

There was no follow-up attack and no signs of pursuit, so Battlefleet Nocturne arrived at the Proxima jump point without further incident. Claymore, Silent Fire and Triumph of Juno were sent home for repairs due to the extent of their armour damage. Archon Kort’s armour was also a cause for concern, but Battlefleet Nocturne needed her bombers and there was no shipyard of sufficient size available for repair.

News of the alien armada and the brief engagement was relayed to Terra via a Brigantine class replenishment ship on the Proxima jump point while Battlefleet Nocturne was still withdrawing from the planet. The Lords of Terra were shocked to discover such a large hostile alien force within two jumps of Terra. In terms of actual distance travelled, the alien world was as close to Terra as Uranus. Further reinforcements, including all four of the Imperial Navy’s remaining carriers, a second Lunar, all six Cobras and four more Dauntless class light cruisers, were dispatched immediately, along with two strike cruisers and three frigates from the Dark Angels Chapter of the Space Marines. The Lords were not expecting to fight such a critical battle so early in the Imperium’s expansion into space and its success or failure would weigh heavily on the future of the Imperium

In mid-April 4001, the reinforcements joined Battlefleet Nocturne, creating a fleet of over six hundred thousand tons, more than double the fleet’s tonnage in the previous battle and close to half of the entire warship tonnage available to the Imperium. Captain Dante Belisarius, retaining command of the reinforced battlefleet, ordered his force to a point 100m km from the planet. The two Dictator class carriers and four Defiant class light carriers launched their attack craft, then held station while the remaining ships, along with the newly launched bombers and interceptors, headed for the planet. Captain Belisarius intended to absorb the hostile missile fire, launch the bomber torpedoes and then close to energy range.

Battlefleet Nocturne (648,000 tons)
Lunar class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Rhadamanthine
Dominator class Cruiser: Ferrum Aeterna
Vanguard class Strike Cruiser: Dread Argent, Eternal Defiance
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Advocate, Aegis, Bellerophon, Bloodhawk, Cerberus, Dauntless
Endeavour class Light Cruiser: Endeavour
Defiant class Light Carrier: Archangel, Bellator Stoicus, Defiant, Imperial Ghost
Cobra class Destroyer: Honoured Prophecy, Implacable, Omnis Arcanum, Valour Eternal, Veritas, Zealous
Nova class Frigate: Eclipse, Meteor, Nebula
Firestorm class Frigate: Cape Wrath, Vengeful, Vortex
Sword class Frigate: Destiny's Hand, Strident Virtue, Valiant
32x Fury class Interceptor:
64x Starhawk class Bomber:
6x Aquila class Lander:

There was no repeat of the missile attack on the approach, possibly because the defending aliens estimated it would be ineffective against the larger Imperium fleet. Battlefleet Nocturne halted eight million kilometres from the planet. The sixty-four Starhawk bombers were able to launch seven hundred and sixty-eight light torpedoes in a single wave. The two Lunar class cruisers and six Cobra class destroyers could add a further thirty-six standard torpedoes. Such a wave would be devastating if it were launched against Battlefleet Nocturne, but Belisarius had no frame of reference for the potential anti-torpedo defences of the aliens, beyond their apparently higher level of technology.

Belisarius considered targeting all the torpedoes against the four largest alien ships, assumed to be torpedo-armed, but then rejected the idea because he believed the increased point defence of his own force was capable of withstanding their attacks. His real fear was energy-armed ships that had longer-ranged weapons and were faster than his own ships. Therefore, he decided to focus his fire on the five light cruiser-sized hulls in the alien fleet; two Shroud, a Scythe, a Cairn and a Khopesh. The eight Imperium torpedo-armed warships would target the Khopesh, while sixteen bombers would target each of the other four ships.

The eight hundred and four torpedoes sped toward the alien fleet at 24,000 km/s. One point eight million kilometres from the planet, twenty-nine of the torpedoes were destroyed in strength-1 detonations. The aliens apparently possessed some form of anti-torpedo torpedoes, quickly abbreviated to ATTs by Imperium tactical officers. Further detonations took place every ten seconds as more ATTs intercepted the Imperium torpedoes. Two hundred and eighty-three were destroyed before the torpedo wave reached the planet and a further one hundred and eighty-five were destroyed by point-blank point defence.

Two hundred and seventeen light torpedoes, twenty-seven percent of the original wave, struck four targets. The Scythe, Cairn and one of the Shrouds received seventy-two, sixty-two and sixty-nine hits respectively, with about a third of those hits penetrating the armour. The second Shroud was hit fourteen times without any armour penetration. The Khopesh escaped damage as all the standard torpedoes were destroyed by the alien point defence. In summary, three mid-sized alien ships had suffered substantial internal damage in exchange for an expenditure of torpedoes equal to six months of production. Intelligence gained during the attack showed that the Khopesh was an orbital defence platform with sixteen defence turrets, each with ten shots every five seconds. The two Cartouche class ships were frigate-sized escorts, with three defence turrets each.

Captain Belisarius considered his next move. The Starhawks could only be reloaded at the carriers, waiting ninety million kilometres away with two full reloads, so he had to pull Battlefleet Nocturne back to that point or continue toward the planet for an energy-range engagement. Sending the bombers back alone would open them up to targeting by the alien long-range torpedoes. He noted that sixty percent of the Imperium torpedoes shot down by the aliens were destroyed during the last two million kilometres of their approach, so a closer-range launch, well within two million kilometres but outside energy-range, would result in far fewer losses to point defence. Therefore, he decided to pull back and re-arm the bombers.

As Battlefleet Nocturne moved away from the planet, the alien forces launched a new torpedo attack. The first wave comprised one hundred and twenty-three torpedoes, split into eleven separate salvos. The same four salvos of nineteen torpedoes were replicated from the earlier attack, but the remainder were different; two salvos of fourteen and two of six were replaced by five salvos of six torpedoes and single salvos of eight and nine. It appeared that new ships were firing, plus it was possible the ships firing the previous salvos of fourteen were among those damaged in the Imperium attack. Multiple waves followed behind the first, but the third wave onward only included the four salvos of nineteen torpedoes and the five salvos of six.

Nineteen waves, totaling over two thousand torpedoes, attacked Battlefleet Nocturne over a period of five minutes. Every single alien torpedo was destroyed by Battlefleet Nocturne’s point defence. The nineteenth alien torpedo wave was smaller than the rest, suggesting the launching ships had exhausted their magazines, so Captain Belisarius decided to change his plan and ordered the fleet to reverse course. Battlefleet Nocturne could be within energy range in forty-five minutes and the alien ships would still be reloading their magazines. He ordered the Starhawks to break off and head for their carriers, as the enemy would have no missiles to fire at them.

As Battlefleet Nocturne moved closer to the planet, a ground forces signature of 18,900 tons was detected, along with a minimal population signature, perhaps indicating a small number of structures. At one point four million kilometres, a launch of twelve torpedoes was detected. The two salvos of six were probably from smaller alien ships that had loaded enough torpedoes for a single attack. Belisarius expected his fleet’s point defence to easily brush aside the torpedoes, but they flew past Battlefleet Nocturne in the direction of the retreating Starhawks, which were twenty-seven million kilometres from the planet.



At a range of 480,000 km, fifteen size-5 and seventy-seven size-1 torpedoes were launched by the alien fleet. Three frigate-sized ships, the Catacomb and two Dirge, were the source of the anti-ship torpedoes, while the small size-1 torpedoes, which had a speed of 69,400 km/s and were presumably the ATTs used to shoot down Imperium torpedoes, came from the Scythe and the two Shrouds, all of which were light cruiser hulls. Captain Belisarius ordered the two Lunar class cruisers and six destroyers to launch their own torpedoes in an attempt to draw the fire of the ATTs.

The ATTs were much harder for point defence to intercept, due to their speed. Twenty from the first wave struck Imperial Wrath, reducing her shields by fourteen percent. The anti-ship torpedoes arrived five seconds later and were easily destroyed. A second wave of ATTs was launched, which ignored the Imperium torpedoes and targeted the fleet once more. The aliens were obviously confident enough in their energy-based point defence to focus the ATTs on Battlefleet Nocturne. Imperial Wrath was hit by twenty-two ATTs from the second wave.

At 380,000 km, the light cruiser Advocate was attacked by fourteen surface-based energy weapons, suffering a single strength-4 hit. The damage at such long range was extremely concerning for the Imperial tactical officers. The alien weapons would be capable of inflicting considerable damage as the range shortened. The ships of Battlefleet Nocturne had already been assigned targets, so Captain Belisarius instructed any ship that destroyed its primary target to attack the alien surface-based weapons.

The next five waves of ATTs had only sixty-seven torpedoes in each wave. Three waves were entirely eliminated by the Imperium point defence, with the other two waves inflicting a total of thirty-three strength-1 hits on Imperial Wrath. The success of the point defence depended on the availability of the weapon batteries, but they required fifteen seconds to recharge and the waves were arriving every ten seconds. There had been no further launches of the larger torpedoes after the fifteen that accompanied the first ATT wave.

The alien surface-based energy weapons fired again after forty seconds, with the rage at 220,000 kilometres, scoring three strength-8 hits on the Dominator class cruiser Ferrum Aeterna. The five Space Marine warships, the strike cruisers Dread Argent and Eternal Defiance and the Nova class frigates Eclipse, Meteor and Nebula, returned fire with their bombardment cannon. The chance to hit was minimal, but a single hit was scored on the Scythe class orbital defence platform.

The eighth wave of ATTs was accompanied by thirty of the larger torpedoes. Presumably the aliens had reloaded enough missiles to warrant a new attack. Thirty of the ATTs impacted Imperial Wrath’s shields, which were reduced to forty-two percent. At 180,000 km Battlefleet Nocturne was within range of its lance batteries, which, despite the long range, scored strength-4 hits on a Shroud and a Spyder. Captain Belisarius gave the order for all ships to dedicate weapon batteries to offensive fire, reserving only the defence turrets and the Fury class interceptors for point defence fire.

The tenth ATT wave inflicted a further twenty-one hits on Imperial Wrath and her shield strength dropped below thirty percent. However, the range had fallen to 140,000 km and Battlefleet Nocturne was close enough for its AK-20 weapon batteries. A hail of fire battered the alien fleet, with one hundred and forty-seven strength – 1 hits recorded across eleven different targets. One of the two Shroud class escort cruisers exploded under fire from Imperial Wrath. Suddenly, most of the alien fleet broke orbit and headed straight for Battlefleet Nocturne at 5278 km/s, leaving behind the Scythe and Khopesh class bases, both Spyders, which were assumed to be scouts given their much higher speed than the other alien ships, and a Cairn class, which had been identified as a destroyer with six torpedo launchers but appeared to be crippled. Captain Belisarius was happy to close the range, given that his fleet was armed primarily with energy weapons.

The closing fleets exchanged fire at just 20,000 km, with Belisarius suddenly realising he had let the Cartouche class escorts into defence turret range. They both hammered Ferrum Aeterna, reducing her shields to half. The return fire was devastating, with over three hundred separate strikes on alien warships. The Scythe class orbital base and one of the Dirge destroyers blew up and eight other ships suffered internal damage. Captain Belisarius ordered an immediate course reversal and ordered those ships that had no target to focus their fire on the two  Cartouches. So far, the defence turret-armed escorts and the large Reaper class torpedo cruisers and had been ignored, the former due to their short-range and the latter because of their almost empty magazines.



The main alien fleet stopped moving toward Battlefleet Nocturne, possibly because of engine damage to many ships, but the Cartouche continued to fire as the range opened to 40,000 km, reducing the shields of Ferrum Aeterna to twenty-eight percent. The situation was far worse for Imperial Wrath, which was targeted by the surface-to-orbit weapons at a range of 100,000 km and suffered seven strength-18 impacts. Her shields were instantly knocked down and her armour took five massive hits. One penetrated the hull and knocked out a weapon battery, killing fifteen crew, and three of the other hits only left a thin sliver of armour in place. The cruiser’s return fire knocked out one of the ground-based weapons.

The alien force continued to fragment, as the remaining Shroud class escort cruiser broke away from the main body to pursue Battlefleet Nocturne, launching eighteen ATTs, while the two Spyder class ships at the planet broke orbit and headed away from the action. The escort cruiser was only moving at 2644 km/s, while the rest of the main alien fleet continued to hold position 60,000 km from the planet. Battlefleet Nocturne opened the range and continued firing. The crippled Cairn class exploded under fire from Ferrum Aeterna, leaving only the Khopesh class base in orbit of the planet, then the second Dirge was destroyed by the light cruiser Aegis. Imperial Wrath continued to fire on the surface, destroying two more energy weapons.

The pursuing Shroud took fifty hits from the Lunar class cruiser Agrippa and disintegrated, then the light cruiser Bloodhawk destroyed a Jackal class destroyer. There was no more torpedo fire from the alien fleet and their ships were either stationary or at low speed. Both Cartouches were blown apart, the result of heavy fire on the only two ships to inflict energy damage on Battlefleet Nocturne. All that remained of the alien force were the four Reaper class torpedo cruisers, as yet untouched by Imperium fire, two crippled destroyers, the Khopesh class base and the surface-to-orbit weapons.

Captain Belisarius ordered Imperial Wrath and Ferrum Aeterna to break off and move away from the planet, while the rest of the fleet moved closer to eliminate the remaining alien ships and bombard the surface-to-orbit weapons. Those same ground-based weapons fired on Imperial Wrath as she withdrew, scoring eleven strength-15 hits. Three penetrated her armour and disabled one of her four Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-750B Gas-Core Drives. The two crippled alien destroyers exploded and all four of the Reapers began taking damage.

Belisarius considered boarded the remaining cruisers. With no ammunition, they could not fire on any other ships that were captured. He was about to order a more targeted attack to slow them down, when one Reaper vanished in a strength-103 secondary explosion and two more suffered significant internal damage. Belisarius ordered all fire to cease against the most damaged Reaper and requested that the Dark Angels assault that ship. He authorised limited fire only against the other two Reapers and the Khopesh, while all other fire was directed against the surface-based energy weapons.

Seven Space Marines from the first company of the Dark Angels were lost in the boarding attempt, as the damaged Reaper was still capable of 1759 km/s. The other two Reapers, one at its maximum speed of 5278 km/s and one at half speed, pursued Battlefleet Nocturne in an apparent attempt to ram while three frigates fired upon them, trying to slow them down without destroying them. The Khopesh was still in orbit and had taken substantial internal damage, so the cruiser Agrippa fired a single torpedo at the base and found at least some of the defence turrets were still operational, which made a boarding attempt suicidal. The Space Marine frigates fired another volley at the Khopesh and it exploded. Both Spyder class scouts were still running from the battle, so the six Cobra class destroyers launched a wave of twenty-four torpedoes at each ship. Meanwhile, the heavy pounding of the planet by most of the Imperium warships finally silenced the surface-to-orbit weapons.

A Reaper was left dead in space by a volley from the frigates Valiant and Vortex. Two Thunderhawk assault transports were launched from the strike cruiser Eternal Defiance, carrying two assault forces from the second company of the Dark Angels. A few seconds later, the remaining Reaper was slowed to 1759 km/s so both strike cruisers each sent a single Thunderhawk with an assault forces. The first and second companies of the Dark Angels were now fully engaged. Away from the main area of the battle, torpedoes from the Cobras obliterated both fleeing Spyders. Only the three damaged Reapers remained, with boarding combat underway on all three.

Despite the arrival of the Dark Angels on each ship at different times, the boarding combat on all the Reapers concluded within ten seconds of each other, which avoid any complications with the aliens trying to ram their own captured ships. The Reaper class cruisers were similar to strike cruisers in size, with the armament entirely dedicated to torpedo launchers. Unlike the more flexible Imperium warships, the Reapers could only fulfil a single role and, as proven in the battle, were shockingly vulnerable once their ordnance was exhausted. Their technology was superior to the Imperium, with engines two generations ahead of the Gas Core drive and much longer ranged sensors. All three ships were crippled, so it would take require some repairs before they could make the journey back to Terra.

Reaper class Torpedo Cruiser      27,282 tons       659 Crew       4,324.6 BP       TCS 546    TH 2,880    EM 0
5278 km/s      Armour 6-80       Shields 0-0       HTK 144      Sensors 11/33/0/0      DCR 9      PPV 95
Maint Life 0.68 Years     MSP 891    AFR 662%    IFR 9.2%    1YR 1,315    5YR 19,725    Max Repair 505.2 MSP
Magazine 1,787   
Captain    Control Rating 4   BRG   AUX   ENG   CIC   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   
   
Magneto-plasma Drive  EP480 (6)    Power 2880    Fuel Use 57.74%    Signature 480    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 2,450,000 Litres    Range 28 billion km (61 days at full power)

Size 5 Missile Launcher (19)     Missile Size: 5    Rate of Fire 15
Missile Fire Control FC114-R105 (3)     Range 114.4m km    Resolution 105

Active Search Sensor AS121-R105 (1)     GPS 19845     Range 121.4m km    Resolution 105
Active Search Sensor AS57-R20 (1)     GPS 2520     Range 57m km    Resolution 20
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  26.2m km
EM Sensor EM3-33 (1)     Sensitivity 33     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  45.4m km
ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 10

The Imperium had won a great victory, especially when considering the size and technological advantages of the alien fleet, and had done so without losing a single ship. Imperial Wrath required substantial repairs and half a dozen frigates needed repairs to their armour. In terms of personnel, thirty-two Dark Angels had been killed in the three boarding actions and fifty-six crew were lost on Imperial Wrath. Captain Dante Belisarius was awarded the Crimson Skull, the Imperium’s third highest honour, for his leadership and tactical acumen. Ten Eagle Ordinaries were awarded for various acts of valour during the battle. Every Imperial Navy and Space Marine officer who participated in the battle received the newly-minted Nocturne Campaign Medal.

There was still an alien ground force on the planet, so the Lords of Terra began preparations for an invasion force, with the assumption that the technology dap would be similar for ground combat. Two full Imperial Guard Corps, the Cadian Shock Troops and the Tallarn Desert Raiders, would take part, along with three Heavy Armour and three Light Armour regiments. The total invasion force would comprise twenty thousand Guardsmen, two thousand Chimera light tanks, almost six hundred Hellhound medium anti-infantry tanks and over two hundred Leman Russ heavy battle tanks. Most of the ships of Battlefleet Nocturne returned to Terra for refuel and resupply, leaving the Lunar class cruiser Agrippa, six Dauntless class light cruisers and four Sword class frigates to support the armoured spearhead of the ground forces.

The orbital drop was carried out successfully without interference from the alien ground forces and the Imperium came face to face with its foe. To the considerable shock of the Imperial Guard forces, the enemy was comprised entirely of combat mechs of various types. The most common was designated as the Warrior, a humanoid sized robot armed with the equivalent of the crew-served anti-personnel weapon used on the Chimera and the Hellhound, albeit with twenty percent greater penetration and damage. More fearsome was the Immortal, a huge walking tank with two arm-mounted weapons: a heavy anti-vehicle cannon and a heavier version of the Warriors’ weapon. In function it was similar to the Leman Russ Battle Tank, with more powerful weapons but less durable armour. There were two variants of the Immortal; one armed with a just the anti-vehicle weapon, designated as the Praetorian and possibly functioning as some form of command mech, and the Cryptek, which was armed with two medium anti-air weapons. With the overall strength of the alien weapons, the Cryptek was highly effective against ground targets as well. The aliens also possessed a static artillery unit that was much more powerful than the Imperial heavy mortar. In addition to the combat forces, there was a Warrior-sized robot without any weapons that probably served a logistics function, and a large unarmed vehicle used for construction. The landing force estimated the alien strength at fourteen hundred Warriors, supported by approximately one hundred and thirty Immortals, seventy Crypteks and forty static artillery pieces. Only four of the leader types had been observed and the number of construction vehicles and supply bots was unknown as they seemed to be generally held in rear areas.

Despite the heavy defences, an all-out armour attack by the three heavy and three light armoured regiments yielded a breakthrough by the Teutonian Armoured Regiment and the Vostroyan Firstborn. The Leman Russ Battle Tanks of the Vostroyan Firstborn did particularly well, destroying twenty Warriors, five Immortals and a Cryptek, all without loss. The Konig Armoured Regiment ran into an ambush, losing twenty-two of its seventy-two Leman Russ battle tanks and six of its twenty-four Hellhound medium tanks. Alien losses in the first few hours of combat were estimated at two hundred Warriors and a dozen larger mechs.

The alien mechs launched a  counter-attack that lasted for the rest of the day, focusing their assault on the section of the Imperium line held by the 2nd and 4th Cadian Shock Troops. More than a thousand Guardsmen were lost, along with seventy Chimeras and the HQ of the 2nd Cadian, but the line held. Three hundred and eighty alien mechs were destroyed by the defenders, including twenty of the larger types. On the second day of the battle, initiative returned to the Imperial Guard with an armoured thrust led by the Konig and Teutonian Armoured Regiments. Twenty-six Leman Russ tanks and six Hellhounds were destroyed, plus two hundred and fifty Guardsmen of the 1st Cadian providing infantry support were killed. Enemy losses were in excess of five hundred mechs.

Despite the alien technology advantages, the human forces were prevailing through sheer weight of numbers. The guardsmen alone outnumbered the alien mechs by ten-to-one and they were supported by nearly three thousand armoured vehicles, although more than two thirds were Chimeras. There were no major attacks on the third day by either side, but the Imperium used its numerical advantage to grind down its enemy all along the frontline. Imperial losses were four hundred and fifty guardsmen and thirty-six Chimeras, compared to three hundred warriors, twenty-four Immortals and seventeen Crypteks.

On the fourth day, the Imperial Guard armour formations went on the offensive again, breaking through the alien lines in several places. It was the beginning of the end. The aliens were unable to regroup as a coherent formation and the combat dissolved into several fragmented battles. It required a further two days to surround and destroy the last of the alien mechs, with the planet finally secured by nightfall on the sixth day.

The Cadian Corps suffered the majority of the Imperium losses, with eighteen hundred Guardsmen killed, mainly in the 2nd and 4th regiments, and one hundred and sixteen Chimeras destroyed. The Tallarn Desert Raiders lost two hundred and twenty Guardsman and thirteen Chimeras. The Konig and Teutonian Armoured Regiments lost a total of fifty-four Leman Russ Battle Tanks and thirteen Hellhounds. The fighting was not entirely confined to the front lines, as evidenced by the loss of two Regimental HQs and eight Heavy Mortars. The Cadian Corps remained on the planet, designated as Nocturne Prime, as a guard force. The other ground forces were loaded on Cetaceous class troop transports and moved back to Terra.

With the alien presence removed from the system, a geological survey of Nocturne Prime was carried out, revealing a dormant construct similar to that in the Damocles system, plus the ruins of an ancient alien colony. There were no mineral deposits. Why the aliens forces were guarding a dead city, or necropolis, was unknown, but it led to them being designated as Necrons. Three terraforming stations were moved from the operation at Io to remove Chlorine from the atmosphere of Nocturne Prime, which transformed the planet into an ideal habitable world by the end of 4001.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2021, 07:24:00 AM by Steve Walmsley »
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2021, 12:01:52 PM »
The discovery of hostile aliens so close to Sol promoted the construction of a series of small space stations to monitor jump point traffic. While the Hermes class sensor platform was smaller than an Aquila class lander and had only commercial-grade sensors, it was more than sufficient to provide early warning of an alien presence. That warning would probably be the last act of the eight crew on the station, so the personnel of the Hermes program were all volunteers, albeit sometimes volunteering to avoid an even worse fate. The initial plan was to station a Hermes at every outward jump point in Sol and the adjacent systems.

Hermes class Sensor Platform      185 tons       8 Crew       29.6 BP       TCS 4    TH 0    EM 0
1 km/s      No Armour       Shields 0-0     HTK 3      Sensors 6/6/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
MSP 25    Max Repair 12 MSP
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months   

MK I Commercial Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 1440     Range 23.6m km    Resolution 120
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK I Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km

The survey program gained momentum in July 4001 with the launch of Constantia and Red Dawn, the seventh and eighth Tempest class survey frigates. The focus was on exploring and surveying all systems within two transits of Sol, before exploring any further out. All the actual jump point explorations were conducted by the three frigates of the First Frigate Squadron: a Falchion, a Firestorm and a Sword. The Falchion provided jump capability and an Aquila class lander for inner system probes, while the Firestorm and Sword added combat capability in case of a hostile encounter.

The fourth and last outward jump point in Proxima led to Tau Ceti, a yellow G8-V main sequence star orbited by three small asteroids, while the sole outward jump point in Bernard’s Star connected to Lavantia, a planetless red dwarf binary. That left three outward jump points from Hesperus and six from Alpha Centauri.

The systems surrounding Alpha Centauri were generally unremarkable. Luther and Obsidia were both planetless, while the brown dwarf system of Solstice had a gas giant and four frozen dwarf planets. Anvilus and Equinox both had M6-V red dwarf primaries. The former was orbited by a single small, terrestrial world similar to Mercury, lacking water, air and minerals. The latter had eight planets and forty-six moons, none of which were remotely close to habitable. The final system beyond Alpha Centauri was Gryphonne, a red dwarf binary with seven planets, two of which orbited the companion star. The only body of note was Gryphonne-A II, a small, airless terrestrial world with an ice sheet covering seventy-five percent of the surface. A geological survey revealed ten million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium, but no other minerals.

The outward jump points from Hesperus, a brown dwarf system that lay beyond Sol’s outermost jump point, connected to Aeolus, Orpheus and Prospero. Aeolus was a red dwarf trinary system with five planets, three of which orbited the B component. Aeolus-B I, a small and barren terrestrial world, had deposits of nine different minerals of variable accessibility, including five million tons of accessibility 0.5 Sorium and three million tons of accessibility 0.8 Gallicite. The planet was less than a million kilometres from its parent star, a dim M7-V dwarf, and had a temperature of 371C, although the colony cost was only 2.78 due to tide-locking. With no water or atmosphere, Aeolus-B I would be a significant effort to terraform.

Aeolus-B I Survey Report
Duranium:   5,458,208   0.50
Neutronium:   176,400   0.80
Corbomite:   802,816   0.90
Tritanium:   5,017,600   0.10
Boronide:   6,927,424   0.20
Mercassium:   200,704   0.40
Sorium:   1,073,296   0.50
Uridium:   705,600   0.60
Gallicite:   3,625,216   0.80

A much better prospect was revealed with the geological survey of Orpheus, which had an orange K2-V primary,  eleven planets and over a hundred moons. Orpheus II, a terrestrial world slightly larger than Earth, had a breathable nitrogen – oxygen atmosphere of 0.84 and a temperature of 73C, although it was entirely devoid of water. All eleven Trans-Newtonian minerals were present. While most were at minimal accessibility, the deposits included two million tons of accessibility 0.8 Duranium, two million tons of accessibility 0.7 Gallicite and substantial, accessible deposits of Tritanium and Vendarite. The focus of the Imperium terraforming effort was changed to Orpheus II, to add water and bring down the temperature.

Orpheus II Survey Report
Duranium:   1,920,800   0.80
Neutronium:   21,996,100   0.10
Corbomite:   17,056,900   0.10
Tritanium:   1,768,900   0.90
Boronide:   10,824,100   0.10
Mercassium:   9,922,500   0.10
Vendarite:   46,104,100   0.70
Sorium:   24,700,900   0.10
Uridium:   1,254,400   0.10
Corundium:   43,296,400   0.10
Gallicite:   2,371,600   0.70

The seventh planet of the Orpheus system was a gas giant with sixty million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium. The Imperium had been struggling to find gaseous Sorium and was still reliant on the low accessibility deposits in the atmosphere of Uranus. Orpheus VII represented the future fuel supply of the Imperium for decades to come. Given the high value of Orpheus, a naval base was established on Orpheus II to serve as the home of a new battlefleet. In the short term, Battlefleet Orpheus would include a Defiant class light carrier, two Dauntless class light cruisers and two Sword class frigates at the base, with a third Dauntless detached to guard the harvesters.

Orpheus VII Survey Report
Sorium:   61,181,623   1.00

The third outward jump point from Hesperus led to Prospero, a red dwarf binary with seventeen planets, ninety moons and a small asteroid belt. Three terrestrial worlds, one of which orbited the companion star, were colony cost 2.00. All three had extensive ice sheets and atmospheres, although the atmosphere of the third planet of the primary was Helium-Hydrogen. Prospero-A II and Prospero-B II were both decent terraforming prospects that only required the addition of 0.07 atm and 0.05 atm of oxygen respectively, plus enough Aestusium to raise their temperatures from -51C and -68C. However, neither had substantial mineral deposits so they would be low priority in the short term.

On July 5th 4002, an alien ship from a new race appeared close to the sensor outpost on the innermost planet of Proxima, which lay beyond Sol’s first jump point. Hermes sensor outposts were in place on all four of Proxima’s jump point, so it seemed likely the alien had been in the system for several months. The ship was travelling at 6715 km/s and was only detected on passive sensors so its size was unknown. The automated sensor outpost was the only planet-based Imperium presence in Proxima, although there was some shipping traffic. The survey frigate Covenant was heading for Tau Ceti from the direction of the Damocles jump point while the stabilisation ship Golden Gate was stationed on the Stygia jump point. The survey frigate Constantia was in Damocles and about to enter Proxima to follow Covenant.  She was ordered to hold at the jump point.

The adjacent systems of Nocturne and Damocles, now potentially cut off from Sol, both had populations over five million. Damocles Prime, the only planet in the system, had a small naval base that was home to the Dauntless class light cruiser Guardian and the Sword class frigate Final Silence. A infantry regiment of the Elysian Drop Troopers and the Hyperion Guard planetary defence regiment were based on the surface to protect the colony. The ancient alien construct discovered on the planet had been surveyed by the Ordo Xenos and identified as a research station that would double the output of any defensive systems research. A single Imperium research facility had been moved to the planet for that purpose.

Nocturne Prime, also the only planet in its system, had its own ancient construct, the purpose of which was still unknown, plus a ruined alien colony. Given the potential discoveries that awaited Imperium researchers in the ruins, the system had a larger garrison force, with the light cruisers Divine Crusade and Unbroken Vow, the frigates Heroic Endeavour and Order Absolute, the Cadian Corps and the Iron Tower planetary defence regiment. Six Jericho class colony ships were also in Nocturne, along with their escort, the Dauntless class cruiser Luxor, en route to the planet with three million new colonists. They were ordered to hold at the planet after unloading.

Battlefleet Nocturne
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Divine Crusade, Unbroken Vow
Sword class Frigate: Heroic Endeavour, Order Absolute
1x Aquila class Lander:

Battlefleet Damocles
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Guardian
Sword class Frigate: Final Silence
1x Aquila class Lander:

Given the high speed of the alien, designated as Corsair class, the Lords of Terra dispatched a reaction force from Terra comprising the carrier Archon Kort, three Dauntless class light cruisers and all six Cobra class destroyers. The attack craft on the carrier and the torpedo-armed destroyers would allow attacks against the faster alien ship, while the Dauntless light cruisers provided close-in protection. The forces in Damocles and Nocturne were ordered to hold position and protect their respective colonies.

The Corsair class moved into orbit of the outpost then headed away again on course for the second planet and then to the third, disappearing from the outpost’s sensors. It wasn’t staying long enough to survey the planets, so it appeared to be on some form of scouting mission. Three days later it re-appeared near the first planet. The reaction force from Terra was eighty million kilometres away, just outside sensor range. The lone alien ship did not give them time to move into range, as it broke orbit once again. Captain Marcus Merrick of the Archon Kort dispatched one of his Fury class interceptors in an attempt to catch up with the wandering alien, which was ignoring all hailing attempts, but the Fury only had a 1300 km/s speed advantage.

Fortunately, the alien reversed course for a few minutes on two separate occasions, briefly bringing it into range of the Archon Kort’s primary sensor - where its tonnage was determined to be 9,531 tons - and allowing the Fury to eventually bring it within range of its own onboard sensor. As the Fury drew closer, the alien ship suddenly opened fire with weapon batteries similar to those of the Imperium, albeit with greater power. The Fury suffered nineteen strength-5 hits and disintegrated.

The hostile nature of the alien race was confirmed. However, it had moved so far away from the sensor outpost and the reaction force that only its own active sensor emissions gave away its position. Archon Kort launched her Starhawks anyway. The Corsair continued moving away and the Starhawks had less of a speed advantage than the ill-fated Fury. Thirty minutes after launch, the contact vanished and the Starhawks headed back to the carrier.

Captain Merrick detached the light cruisers Aegis and Advocate with orders to take up station forty million kilometres to his port and starboard, then followed the last course of the alien, hoping his wide sensor net would find it. A Carrack class freighter was dispatched from Sol with a tracking station that would be emplaced on a moon of Proxima III to improve sensor coverage. All four jump points in Proxima had Hermes class sensor outposts, so the alien ship could not leave the system without being detected. The Corsair appeared near the orbit of Proxima III as it conducted another course reversal before moving away once again. Merrick decided not to waste another Starhawk launch until he was sure contact could be maintained.



After twice more finding the alien ship, only for it to move away, Captain Merrick decided to try a new tactic. He launched his Starhawks, but ordered them to remain stationary with no active emissions, while his ships moved back toward the inner system. Over the next few hours, the alien sensor emissions were detected several times by the sensor outpost on Proxima I as the Corsair continued its manoeuvres. The Starhawks, relying on their small size to avoid detection, continually edged closer and tried to anticipate the location of the Corsair’s next appearance. Their efforts paid off when the alien sensor emissions appeared just within their weapon range and between the bombers and the primary. Given the high speed of the alien, the chance of a successful attack was marginal if the Corsair ran from the torpedoes, so they tried to move behind it at twenty percent normal speed to achieve a closer intercept if it reversed course.



The Starhawks apparently remained undetected and the range dropped to only seven million kilometres, well inside their eleven million kilometre weapon range. Captain Merrick ordered them to engage active sensors, accelerate to maximum speed and launch their torpedoes. The sixteen bombers carried a total of one hundred and ninety-two torpedoes, which seemed like overkill. However, the alien was fast, well-armed and apparently had more advanced technology than the Imperium. Merrick decided he would rather risk wasting torpedoes than send too few and waste the chance he had created. The alien vessel destroyed six of the torpedoes with short-range point defence. The other one hundred and eighty-six all missed the target.

The tactical officers of the Imperial Navy task group were stunned. A review of the data revealed that the alien vessel had a high level of electronic countermeasures. Combined with its speed of 6,715 km/s versus the 24,000 km/s of the light torpedoes, that was sufficient to evade the inbounds. That discovery put the Imperium in a very difficult situation. The strength of the alien armament suggested it could outrange all Imperium weapons except for the bombardment cannon of the Space Marines and it could outrun every Imperial warship. It was also apparently impervious to the current generation of torpedoes. The only option seemed to be a mass attack by Fury class interceptors, but they would take huge casualties as they slowly closed to a range where they might be effective.

Captain Merrick conferred with his superiors in the Imperial Navy and advised a strategy of containment until the Imperium could devise a solution to its technological problems. The alien seemed keen to avoid combat with the much larger Imperium force, and was probably unaware of its own advantages in energy-range combat, so Merrick proposed his force push it away from the inner system. Otherwise, traffic between the Imperium and its two most important colonies in Nocturne and Damocles would cease. With any luck, the alien would run to the jump point from which it entered, with the likely candidates being Stygia and Tau Ceti, allowing the Hermes class platforms at the jump point to detect it, albeit briefly. After being referred to the Lords of Terra, given the seriousness of the situation, permission was given. The task group moved back toward the intruder while the Starhawks took a circuitous route back to Archon Kort.

The light cruisers Aegis and Advocate were deployed once more to create a much wider sensor net. For several days, the task group pushed the Corsair away from the inner system, as it danced in and out of sensor range, using its own active sensors intermittently. Each time it appeared on a different heading, as if it was trying to move around the task group. Solar Admiral Barachiel Endymion ordered the colony ships in Nocturne to head for home, moving across Proxima behind the shield provided by the Imperial Navy. Suddenly, the Corsair appeared once again, moving straight across the path of the task group instead of the previous cautious manoeuvring. Its high speed took it past the Imperium warships, which suddenly found themselves playing catch-up.



The Lords of Terra asked the Raven Guard Space Marine Chapter to provide support. Its ships broke Terra orbit immediately, trying to reach the inner system of Proxima before the lone raider. That support became more urgent when the Imperial Navy task group lost contact with the alien. The last known position was half a billion kilometres from the primary, between the task group and the inner system. Contact was briefly re-established when the Corsair activated its sensors less than three hundred million kilometres from the star, apparently on course for the Proxima III Lagrange Point. Another short-lived detection occurred a few hours later as it passed close by the Trojan asteroids around the Lagrange Point, on a course that had no obvious destination but would eventually pass within a hundred million kilometres of the Sol jump point.



Six hours after the last detection, the warships of the Raven Guard, under the command of Captain Alvarex Corvus, transited into Proxima from Sol. The Battle Barge Spear of Vengeance was accompanied by the strike cruisers Angelica Mortis and Covenant of Blood and the Nova class frigates Nova, Pulsar and Quasar. The Raven Guard moved on to the last known course of the Corsair and detected its sensor emissions seven hours later at a range of one hundred million kilometres. The Imperial Navy task group centred on Archon Kort was half a billion kilometres away but altered its own course to intercept. As soon as the Raven Guard set its own intercept course, the Corsair reversed course and ceased its active emissions. The single alien ship was proving to be extremely troublesome. Almost three hundred thousand tons of Imperium warships were engaged in trying to catch a single, elusive 9500-ton alien ship. However, as the Corsair continued to run away from the Raven Guard, it headed straight for the Imperial Navy task group, creating an opportunity for the two fleets.



The Corsair seemed unsure what to do, reversing course multiple times as the two Imperium forces closed in. The alien was plainly keen to avoid combat, which was understandable given the weight of forces. However, Captain Merrick was concerned about his own force actually catching the Corsair. His carrier was unarmed and his six destroyers had a single weapon battery each to support their torpedo launchers. That left the light cruiser Bellerophon as his only effective combatant, along with the seven remaining Fury class interceptors on Archon Kort. The light cruisers Advocate and Aegis were well astern of the main body after their detachment as sensor pickets. The Space Marine force was in much better shape, as all six warships had bombardment cannon to support their weapon  batteries.



Finally, the Corsair was trapped between the two forces with nowhere to run. The alien ship opened fire on Archon Kort at 240,000 km, scoring five strength-1 hits on her shields. Captain Merrick had decided to leave the Furies in their hangar bay as the Space Marines had more than enough firepower to destroy the Corsair once they were close enough to overcome the jamming. The Raven Guard ships moved into their theoretical maximum weapon range but could not lock on due to the powerful alien electronic counter-measures. The Corsair fired again after fifteen seconds, targeting Archon Kort again with similar results. The range for the Space Marine warships dropped below 100,000 kilometres and they could still not achieve a lock. The Imperial Navy ship were at 186,000 kilometres when the Corsair fired for the third time. Archon Kort was struck twelve times but her shields were still holding.

The Corsair’s indecision came to an end and it continued closing on the Space Marine fleet, which finally opened fire at 47,000 kilometres. In total, they fired seventeen shots from their bombardment cannon and one hundred and twenty from their weapon batteries, scoring one strength-8 and eight strength-3 hits respectively. Three hits penetrated the apparently fragile armour of the Corsair and its speed dropped by fifty percent. Captain Corvus saw an opportunity to learn more about the alien and ordered his three capital ships to cease fire. The Nova class frigates continued firing in an effort to cripple the alien ship and allow a boarding attack.

The Corsair repaid the magnanimity of the Space Marines by inflicting sixteen strength-5 hits on the armour of Spear of Vengeance. The number of shots from the alien suggested that one of its five weapon batteries was out of action. The Space Marine frigates returned fire, scoring nine hits, five of which penetrated the armour but did not slow the alien ship. Whatever counter-measures the Corsair had been using had evidently been disabled by the Space Marines initial salvo. Captain Corvus ordered two of the frigates to cease fire as he intended to capture the Corsair intact and did not want to risk destroying it.

The Corsair fired on Spear of Vengeance again, still with four active weapon batteries, and caused an eighty percent penetration of her armour. Captain Marcus had been using his flagship’s armour to save the lives of the Space Marines that would be lost in a boarding action again the Corsair, while it was still travelling at 3357 km/s, but he was not prepared to risk any serious damage to the Chapter’s battle barge. The frigate Nova would fire once more, then the Second Company would launch their Thunderhawks and attack.

Nova fired, without penetrating the alien ship’s armour, then three Thunderhawks from Angelica Mortis conducted a boarding assault, losing more than half their number in their attempt to land on the Corsair’s hull. The Space Marine warships started opening the range, but were still subject to attack from the alien weapon batteries as they pulled away. Spear of Vengeance was hit by seven more salvos before moving out or range. Fortunately, the colossal battle barge was designed to absorb punishment and did not suffer any internal damage.

Despite its losses, the Second Company of the Raven Guard secured the Corsair within four minutes, losing only a single Space Marine in the actual combat. The elimination of the alien threat cost the lives of sixty-eight Space Marines and eighteen Imperial Navy personnel, as well as substantial armour damage to Spear of Vengeance, the loss of a Fury interceptor and the expenditure of almost two hundred light torpedoes, not to mention the disruption of all Imperium traffic around the Proxima system for almost ten days while major Imperial Navy and Space Marine forces hunted down a single, frigate-sized alien ship.

The Corsair itself seemed to have technology comparable to that of the Necrons, with the exception of their high level of advancement in electronic countermeasures. The engine technology was two generations of that employed on current Imperium warships, although the recent development of Ion Drive technology by the Adeptus Scientifica would reduce that gap in the near-future. The design of the Corsair was focused on speed and evasion, with forty-two percent of the hull volume dedicated to engines at the expense of passive protection. The shields and armour of a Sword class frigate accounted for sixteen percent of its tonnage, versus only six percent for the Corsair. With long-range sensors, high speed and substantial fuel reserves, the Corsair was ideal as a raider, designed to prey on commercial traffic rather than fight warships.

Corsair class Raider      9,531 tons       298 Crew       2,025.3 BP       TCS 191    TH 1,280    EM 0
6715 km/s      Armour 3-40       Shields 0-0       HTK 71      Sensors 11/11/0/0      DCR 4      PPV 40
Maint Life 1.34 Years     MSP 531    AFR 182%    IFR 2.5%    1YR 316    5YR 4,743    Max Repair 320 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Morale Check Required   

Magneto-plasma Drive  EP640 (2)    Power 1280    Fuel Use 50.0%    Signature 640    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 790,000 Litres    Range 29.8 billion km (51 days at full power)

25cm Weapon Battery (5x4)    Range 250,000km     TS: 6,715 km/s     Power 15-5     RM 50,000 km    ROF 15       
Beam Fire Control R320-TS6750 (2)     Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 6,750 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor R5 (5)     Total Power Output 27.3    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor AS100-R109 (1)     GPS 13734     Range 100.3m km    Resolution 109
Active Search Sensor AS12-R1 (1)     GPS 42     Range 12.1m km    MCR 1.1m km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  26.2m km
EM Sensor EM1-11 (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  26.2m km
ECCM-4 (1)         ECM 40

The alien corpses were tall, thin humanoids with alabaster skin, wearing light armour that was almost Gothic in design. The stretched nature of their features, including pointed ears, led to an initial comparison with the elves of ancient Terra myth and eventually the official adoption of an early colloquial name for the aliens: the Dark Eldar. The origin of the ship itself was unknown. It could have arrived though one of the existing jump points before the Hermes platforms were in place, or it may have arrived via a previously dormant jump point. A full resurvey of Proxima was authorised to check the latter possibility.

In the adjacent system of Nocturne, the Ordo Xenos completed their work on the alien ruins and the ancient construct. As in Damocles, the ancient structure was devoted to research, in this providing a boost to Energy Weapon research of up to seventy percent. The ruins of the alien colony, perhaps created by a long-dead race to study the construct, contained fifty-two locations designated for further investigation by the Ordo Machinum.

In March 4003, a complete gravitational resurvey of Proxima was completed without detecting any new jump points. The origin of the Dark Eldar remained a mystery. By August, most of the systems within two transits of Sol were fully surveyed, so the Lords of Terra ordered the Imperial Navy, including the survey ships of the Adeptus Astronomica, to begin the third phase of exploration, with the systems around Proxima given priority. Damocles, Tai Ceti and Stygia each had a single outward jump point while Nocturne had three. All six jump points led to unremarkable dwarf star systems.

By the end of 4003, only three more jump points had been explored; one from Equinox, a system beyond Alpha Centauri, which led to an unremarkable brown dwarf system, and two from the critical system of Orpheus. The first led to the planetless system of Graildark and the second to Avalon, an M4-V red dwarf. Avalon had eight planets and almost eighty moons. Avalon I was a terrestrial world, larger than Earth with gravity of 1.08G and a breathable nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 1.15 atm. The temperature was -85C and ninety-eight percent of the surface was covered in ice sheets. As the world was tide-locked, the colony cost was only 0.63. The geological survey was disappointing though. Eight minerals were present in vast quantities, but mainly low accessibilities.

On December 20th 4003, a Dark Eldar Corsair was detected in Damocles, a system adjacent to Proxima that was home to a colony of seven million with a research facility, twenty maintenance facilities and a tracking station. The planet was also the site of an ancient construct dedicated to defence research. The Dauntless class light cruiser Guardian, the Sword class frigate Final Silence and the replenishment ship Brigantine Sapphire were in orbit of the colony. The senior officer in Damocles was Commander Azrael Endymion, nephew of Barachiel Endymion. The First Regiment of the Elysian Drop Troops, an Imperial Guard infantry regiment, and the Hyperion Guard, a planetary defence regiment, were on the surface.

The aliens had not entered through the Proxima jump point, because a Hermes class Sensor Platform was stationed on the Proxima side. The only other potential entry point was the jump point from the recently discovered Sicarius system, which was less than fifty million kilometres for the primary and therefore well within sensor range of the tracking station on Damocles Prime. Sicarius itself was home to two planets, thirty-odd moons and an asteroid belt, all of which were barely thirty degrees above absolute zero. The question of the alien’s origin point would have to wait though as the alien ship was on a direct course for the Imperium colony.



Given the difficulty in running down the Corsair in Proxima and a desire to avoid a mass fleet deployment every time a single ship was encountered, the Lords of Terra decided on a strategy of containment. The light cruisers Cerberus and Dauntless and the Firestorm class frigates Kraken and Medusa were dispatched from Terra with orders to picket the Damocles – Proxima jump point, which would prevent the Corsair moving toward the rest of the Imperium. The two warships in orbit of Damocles Prime, designated as Battlefleet Damocles, were ordered to remain close to the planet and coordinate their efforts with the Hyperion Guard regiment, which had eight Medusa surface-based lance batteries and four Hydra point defence batteries. Commander Azrael Endymion ordered the replenishment ship Brigantine Sapphire to break orbit and move away in the opposite direction.



Once the Corsair was within 250,000 km, Guardian and Final Silence began to back away, trying to draw the Corsair close to the planet where the surface-based weapons could engage. The Corsair opened fire on Guardian at 238,000 km, scoring five strength-1 hits on her shields. A few seconds later, the lance batteries of the Hyperion Guard returned fire at 185,000 km, missing with all eight shots. The Corsair fired once more at 197,000 km from Battlefleet Damocles and 118,000 km from the planet, scoring a further eleven strength-1 hits on Guardian. Even though the light cruiser’s shields were still at eighty-seven percent, the long-range accuracy of the Corsair was concerning. Moments later the planetary batteries fired and missed again, even though the range had fallen to 84,000 km.

Guardian and Final Silence could not even achieve a weapon lock, so Commander Endymion ordered both ships to reverse course, trying to close the range enough to open fire while the alien ship was close to the planet. Both sides exchanged fire with the Corsair 21,000 km from Damocles Prime and 77,000 km from Battlefleet Damocles. Guardian and Final Silence had three lance batteries and twelve weapon batteries between them, with a total of fifty-one shots. They scored a single hit from a weapon battery. In return, Guardian suffered fourteen strength-3 impacts, reducing her shields to forty-five percent. However, the Dark Eldar ship had strayed close enough to the planet to bring it within range of the four Hydra planetary defence batteries, each of which had the equivalent of a warship defence turret. The Corsair took ten strength-1 hits.



Either dissuaded by the surface-based weapons or trying to keep the range open, the Corsair reversed course away from the planet. The eight Medusas fired again without success. Knowing his own ships would be outclassed if they chased the Dark Eldar away from Damocles Prime, Commander Endymion ordered them to pull back, keeping the planet between them and the Corsair. The alien ship gave chase, moving within 23,000 km of Damocles Prime and opening fire on Guardian at 98,000 km, inflicting twelve strength-2 hits. The light cruiser’s shields fell to less than a quarter strength. Commander Endymion’s efforts to draw fire were successful though as the Hydra point defence batteries scored five strength-1 hits, one of which caused atmosphere to stream from a wound in the side of the alien ship. The Corsair was fast and difficult to hit, but it could not take much punishment.

The Corsair moved away again, but this time only at half speed. The single hit that penetrated its armour had apparently knocked out an engine. While its ECM was still active, the slower speed of the Corsair increased the Imperium ships’ chance to hit. The eight Medusa lance batteries fired for the fourth time and scored two strength-4 hits. Commander Endymion tried to entice the alien ship back toward the planet, but it had abandoned its manoeuvres and was plainly running. With the two sides moving apart, the range from the Corsair to Battlefleet Damocles had opened to 149,000 km. Too far from the Imperium ships to achieve a lock, even with the reduced speed of the enemy ship, but close enough for the Corsair to hit Guardian seven times.

Battlefleet Damocles gave chase. Guardian and Final Silence had a speed advantage of 643 km/s, so it would take some time to move within effective weapon range, The alien had only moved to 86,000 km from Damocles Prime though, allowing the Medusa lance batteries to inflict three more strength-4 hits.



A running battle began. Guardian and Final Silence started to score occasional strength-1 hits from the point they passed the planet, still 136,000 km from the Corsair. The Corsair retained all its weapon batteries, which became increasingly effective as the range fell. Guardian’s shield strength was worn away by multiple strength-1 hits, then her armour suffered multiple impacts as a barrage of fifteen strength-2 hits blasted through the remnants of her shields at 120,000 km. Moments later, Guardian achieved two strength-4 lance hits on the Corsair, both of which penetrated its armour. The planet-based weapon batteries had achieved a single further hit before they were out of range.

All five of the alien weapon batteries remained in operation. At 110,000 km/s, Guardian took another battering, with fourteen strength-2 hits resulting in multiple deep armour penetrations. The punishment taken by Guardian was deemed acceptable by Commander Endymion, as his ships’ inferior weapons and fire control were becoming more effective as the range fell. Twenty percent of the shots from their next volley struck the alien, albeit without any apparent damage to engines or weapons. The weight of damage though was still firmly in favour of the Dark Eldar. After two more alien volleys, Guardian’s armour was completely penetrated in four locations, although she had yet to suffer internal damage.

While Guardian’s armour was disintegrating under the alien assault, the frigate Final Silence was outperforming her larger companion, achieving more hits than the light cruiser in two consecutive volleys, despite having less than half the armament. Finally, with the range at 87,000 km, both Imperium ships combined to deliver a devastating blow. The Corsair was staggered by two strength-4 and twenty strength-1 impacts, over half of which penetrated her armour, leaving the Dark Eldar ship dead in space.

Commander Endymion on the Guardian pulled his own ship back and ordered Final Silence to close in for the kill. The frigate’s shields were intact, while the light cruiser was likely to be badly damaged by another alien volley. Final Silence moved to 47,000 km. Only two alien weapon batteries were still operating, but they were still enough for a last, defiant salvo that reduced the frigate’s shields to thirteen percent, before Final Silence lived up to her name and left nothing but debris drifting silently in the void. Guardian, Final Silence and the replenishment ship Brigantine Sapphire all headed back to Damocles Prime. Once the four warships originally intended to picket the Proxima jump point arrived in Damocles, Commander Endymion would take his ship back to Terra for repairs.



Thirty-two hours after the destruction of the Corsair, the tracking station on Damocles Prime detected two new Dark Eldar contacts, both of a new type designated as Raptor class. Their speed was 6711 km/s and their thermal signature was double that of the Corsair, suggesting they were twice as large. Once again, there was no indication of their origin. Given that the single Corsair had proved so difficult to destroy, it seemed very unlikely that Guardian and Final Silence could destroy two larger Dark Eldar vessels. The four warships initially sent to guard the Damocles – Proxima jump point were still two and a half days away and they would be probably be insufficient in any event. A new fleet was assembled from Battlefleet Terra, comprising two Lunar class cruisers, two Dictator class carriers, two light cruisers and six frigates, and dispatched to Damocles.

Two hours after the initial contact, five further Dark Eldar vessels were detected in company with the two Raptors. Four were Corsairs and the last was a new type, designated as Venom class, that had the same thermal signature as the Corsair. This new force was assumed to have approximately ten times the combat capability of a single Corsair class raider, which made it extremely dangerous despite being less than ninety thousand tons in total. The Lords of Terra asked the Raven Guard Space Marine Chapter to join the force heading for Damocles. The Chapter Master, Kor Aurelius, agreed to the request, with the proviso that his Chapter would be delayed for a few days while they loaded their entire ground force for transport to Damocles Prime.



Meanwhile in Damocles, Commander Endymion and the crews of his two ships prepared for a battle they could not possibly win. The replenishment ship Brigantine Sapphire was jump capable so he ordered it to retreat into the Sicarius system and move far from the jump point in an attempt to hide. Guardian and Final Silence did not have that option and Commander Endymion planned to stand with the planetary defences even if they did. His bravery was overruled by Vice Admiral Uziel Gaunt, commander of the Battlefleets of the Imperial Navy. The alien ships were still a hundred and forty million kilometres from the planet, so he ordered Commander Endymion to retreat away from the approaching Dark Eldar fleet in an attempt to hide in the outer system.

Commander Endymion pointed out that the Corsair had a known sensor range of a hundred million kilometres. Even if his own ships ran, the alien fleet would be within that sensor range in four hours, while still en route to the planet. That was assuming the larger ships did not have more capable sensors and were already in range. Given his ships would very likely be run down and destroyed anyway, Endymion stated his desire to support the Hyperion Guard instead. With reluctance, Vice Admiral Gaunt gave his permission.

Battlefleet Damocles adopted the same tactic as the previous engagement; withdrawing behind the planet in an attempt to draw the alien ships close to the surface-to-orbit batteries before engaging. The Dark Eldar fleet ignored the two warships and the Raptors and Corsairs opened fire on Damocles Prime from 236,000 km. The Raptors were armed with twelve weapon batteries, compared to the five of the Corsair. The Venom did not fire. One hundred and sixty-eight shots were recorded, resulting in the destruction of two of the eight Medusa lance batteries and one of the four Hydra defence batteries. Thirty-two thousand civilians were killed as a result of the heavy bombardment.

Commander Endymion immediately ordered his ships forward to engage. The lance batteries on the surface returned fire at 168,000 km, without success. The Dark Eldar fired a second volley from 135,000 km, destroying a third Medusa and all three of the remaining Hydras. A further sixty-eight thousand civilians were killed. The lance batteries responded, scoring two hits on one of the Corsairs. Battlefleet Damocles moved within 150,000 km of the Dark Eldar, at which point the alien fleet reversed course and fired on Guardian, blasting down her shields with a single volley. Neither of the Imperium warships could achieve a weapon lock at that range.



Commander Endymion ordered a course reversal, trying to draw the alien fleet back toward the planet. The Dark Eldar gave chase, allowing the five remaining Medusa lance batteries another shot, which they missed. The Raptors and Corsairs fired on Guardian with devastating effect against her already compromised armour. The light cruiser lost both engines and both shield generators. The ninth Dark Eldar ship, designated as Venom class, fired on Damocles Prime with fifteen light weapon batteries, destroying two Medusas and killing another twenty-eight thousand civilians. The battle was going even worse for the Imperium than Endymion had feared.

Final Silence had no option but to charge the Dark Eldar and hope they allowed her into range. The Dark Eldar simply reversed course again and kept her at 155,000 km, where she could not achieve a weapon lock. The alien warship ignored the charging, but ineffective frigate, and fired again on Guardian at 235,000km, scoring forty-four strength-1 hits and disabling a weapon battery, a lance battery and her primary sensor.

The three remaining Medusas continued firing, but still with no effect. Final Silence reversed course, as pursuing the faster aliens was futile. All she could hope to do was draw them into range of the Medusas and hope for a lucky hit. The Dark Eldar also reversed course and continued to pound the helpless Guardian. The light cruiser absorbed another two full salvos, but almost all her systems were wrecked. Commander Azrael Endymion was killed by a direct hit on his bridge. Another Medusa was destroyed as the Venom fired on Damocles Prime.

Guardian exploded under heavy fire. Commander Lucian Thule, captain of the Final Silence, knew there was nothing his ship could do against the Dark Eldar, so he gave the order to run in the faint hope that the aliens would remain near the planet. The Venom hit Damocles Prime with two further volleys, wiping out the last surface-to-orbit weapons of the Hyperion Guard, then the whole fleet moved in pursuit of Final Silence. Three full volleys reduced the gallant frigate to tumbling wreckage.

The Imperium had lost a Dauntless class light cruiser, a Sword class frigate and a dozen surface-based weapons. Civilian casualties on Damocles Prime exceeded two hundred thousand, although the Dark Eldar showed no interest in bombarding the surface once the weapons of the Hyperion Guard were silenced and instead set off in pursuit of Brigantine Sapphire, which was closing on the Sicarius jump point. As soon as the replenishment ship transited, the Dark Eldar lost interest and headed back to Damocles Prime, picking up the Imperium life pods en route. The tracking station on the surface was still operational and sending sensor information to Terra via the stable jump network.

The ease with which the Dark Eldar fleet had destroyed the two Imperial Navy warships and the surface-to-orbit weapons was very concerning for the Lords of Terra, especially as it was done while sustaining only two minor hits. A powerful Imperial Navy fleet was en route to Damocles, with support following from the Raven Guard Space Marine Chapter, but the Lords were reluctant to engage the Dark Eldar in deep space regardless of the balance of force. The Eldar had much faster ships and their huge advantage in electronic warfare also gave them a considerable range advantage. The Imperium needed to counter the Eldar jamming or to improve the effectiveness of its torpedoes.

The colonies in Orpheus and Nocturne each had a single planetary defence regiment - the Janus regiment and the Iron Tower regiment respectively – so were also vulnerable to a Dark Eldar attack. The Lords dispatched two more planetary defence regiments to each colony, leaving only one on Terra. The home of mankind was guarded by formidable forces, so the planetary defence forces were better employed protecting the colonies.

Three days after the battle, the first reinforcements, two Dauntless class light cruisers and two Firestorm class frigates designated as the new Battlefleet Damocles, arrived in the system and took up station on the Proxima jump point. The Eldar ships remained in orbit of Damocles Prime, almost a billion kilometres away. Eight hours after their arrival, a new Eldar ship appeared. The new arrival, detected by the tracking station on the planet and designated as Dying Sun class, appeared to be commercial-engined and had a thermal signature almost as large as a Cetaceous class troop transport. The immediate fear for the Lords of Terra was the similarity might be more than just engine size. The Dark Eldar could have refrained from bombarding the planet because they intended to capture it. The Dying Sun only had a speed of 2530 km/s, but was much closer to the planet than the jump point, Even with their speed advantage, the Imperium ships would not be able to intercept before it arrived.



As the Dying Sun approached Damocles Prime, the tracking station detected the emissions from two Venom class ships, escorting the larger vessel. Meanwhile, the rest of the Imperial Navy reinforcements arrived in the system. Battlefleet Damocles now had a strength of two carriers, two cruisers, four light cruisers and eight frigates and was commanded by Captain Logan Macharius, a flexible and pragmatic commander who was greatly respected by those under his command.

Battlefleet Damocles
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Rhadamanthine
Lunar class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Cerberus, Dauntless, Hammer of Truth, Ravenor
Firestorm class Frigate: Kraken, Medusa, Vengeful, Vortex
Sword class Frigate: Absolution, Achilles, Avenger, Mariatus
15x Fury class Interceptor:
32x Starhawk class Bomber:
6x Aquila class Lander:

Despite the apparently imminent invasion of Damocles Prime, Captain Macharius had no intention of becoming engaged in a deep space battle with the Dark Eldar. In the cold calculus of war, his fleet was worth more to the Imperium than the seven million civilians on the planet, so he would guard the jump point and prevent the Dark Eldar from gaining access to the rest of the Imperium. Privately, he was beginning to wonder if the Eldar had a method of interstellar travel that did not involve jump points. As it arrived in the inner system, the Dying Sun moved to the wreck of the Dark Eldar Corsair and began a salvage operation, rather than an invasion. The population of Damocles Prime remained safe for the moment.

Five days later, the Raven Guard arrived in Damocles to boost the Imperium presence at the jump point. Between Captain Macharius of the Imperial Navy and Captain Corvus of the Raven Guard, they commanded over half a million tons of warships and faced a Dark Eldar force that was barely over a hundred thousand tons. Even so, they remained chained to the jump point, unable to risk a battle against faster ships with a longer effective range. Instead, they held their station and waited for an opportunity.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2021, 12:41:42 PM by Steve Walmsley »
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2021, 06:48:10 AM »
Galactic Map May 4004

 
The following users thanked this post: Shinanygnz, Tarran, hostergaard, Neophyte, Black, BAGrimm, Warer, BigBacon, Migi

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2021, 06:41:04 AM »
By early January 4004, the Dying Sun had salvaged all the wrecks in Damocles, but remained near Damocles Prime where the main Dark Eldar fleet was still in orbit. The standoff continued for a further five months, with the Dark Eldar controlling the inner system, but refraining from attacking the colony on Damocles Prime. On June 5th 4004, a new Dark Eldar ship, designated as Falling Moon class, was detected two hundred and thirty million kilometres from the planet, arriving from the same direction as all previous Dark Eldar forces. The system had only recently been surveyed, so a jump point in the area would have been detected. Captain Macharius, commanding Battlefleet Damocles, requested the development of passive sensor buoys, so he could seed the area in an attempt to determine the arrival point of the Dark Eldar.



The Falling Moon had a commercial drive with an energy signature of 3500, slightly more than half that of the Dying Sun salvage vessel. It headed straight for Damocles Prime. A hundred million kilometres from the planet, two military-engined vessels were detected escorting the Falling Moon. They were a new type, designated as Obsidian Rose. There were now thirteen Dark Eldar ships in Damocles, included the commercial-engined Dying Sun and Falling Moon. The three new ships arrived in orbit of the planet to join the original attack force.

Eight hours after their arrival, the 1st Regiment of the Elysian Drop Troops came under attack from a Dark Eldar ground force, which appeared to be entirely infantry-based. Approximately eight hundred of the alien troops were designated as Eldar Raiders, equipped with heavy powered armour and armed with a weapon that was similar to the bolter used by the Space Marines, but with a higher penetration value. The relatively small number of Eldar Reavers, perhaps forty, were similarly armoured and equipped with a single heavy weapon, probably intended for use against armoured vehicles. There were also a small number of unarmoured units that appeared to be from a different species and were providing resupply.

The Elysian Drop Troops were a standard Imperial Guard infantry regiment with two thousand four hundred Guardsmen armed with lasguns and two hundred and forty Chimera light tanks armed with rapid-fire, anti-personnel weapons. A company of a hundred Guardsman and a dozen Chimeras had been guarding the Medusas and Hydras of the Hyperion Guard, so they were added to the ranks of the Elysians. The Imperial Guardsmen had fortified themselves as best they could among the ice fields of Damocles Prime, but they lacked the heavy equipment required for deep bunkers.

Despite outnumbering the Dark Eldar three-to-one, the Imperial Guard were badly outgunned by the well-equipped alien raiders. The Eldar apparently had a similar philosophy to the Space Marines, using high quality forces to make the best possible use of available transport capacity. A hundred and seventy Guardsman and thirty Chimeras were lost in repelling the initial assault. Approximately thirty Dark Eldar were killed. The only advantage the Guardsman had was their fortifications, so they remained in place, stubbornly resisting the alien attack.

The Dark Eldar assaults were continuous, probing or attacking the Imperium lines every few hours, searching for weaknesses. They were held back, but only at great cost. By the end of the fourth day, the Elysians were below half strength and their commander, Colonel Cyrene Lupercal, had been killed. While the Guardsmen were fighting hard to protect the seven million civilians of Damocles Prime, the Imperial Navy remained on the Proxima jump point, unable to intervene, even though six of the frigates had been replaced by the first four refitted Sword IIs and the first two refitted Firestorm IIs. The upgraded frigates had improved sensors, fire control and range, plus an increase in speed to 4800 km/s. While the new systems would close some of the technology gap between the Imperium and the Dark Eldar, it was still not enough to risk a deep space engagement with such a powerful force.

Sword II class Frigate      9,375 tons       284 Crew       1,571 BP       TCS 187    TH 900    EM 1,380
4800 km/s      Armour 4-39       Shields 46-368       HTK 64      Sensors 6/8/0/0      DCR 6      PPV 44.32
Maint Life 2.65 Years     MSP 628    AFR 117%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 127    5YR 1,902    Max Repair 225 MSP
Commander    Control Rating 2   BRG   AUX   
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-450B Ion Drive (2)    Power 900    Fuel Use 63.75%    Signature 450    Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 656,000 Litres    Range 19.8 billion km (47 days at full power)
Valentinian-Stern VS-46 Void Shield  (1)     Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.1 per second)

Astaroth Kinetics AK-20 Weapons Battery (4x4)    Range 160,000km     TS: 4,800 km/s     Power 12-4 km    ROF 15       
Dominus-Varnus Defence Systems DV-2 Defence Turret (1x6)    Range 30,000km     TS: 16000 km/s    ROF 5       
MK I Defence Turret Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 16,000 km/s
MK II Energy Weapon Fire Control (2)     Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4,800 km/s
R-8 Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 16.6    Exp 5%

MK II Frigate Active Augur Array (1)     GPS 8640     Range 66.8m km    Resolution 120
MK II Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 32     Range 9m km    MCR 812.4k km    Resolution 1
MK I Thermal Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  19.4m km
MK II Electromagnetic Augur Array (1)     Sensitivity 8     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  22.4m km

Despite the superior technology of their enemy, the Guardsman were not going down easily. The Eldar had suffered perhaps thirty percent casualties during their attacks. However, the balance of forces was very much in the favour of the Eldar and their advantage was increasing. A week after landing, the First Regiment of the Elysian Drop Troops numbered around five hundred Guardsmen and fifty Chimeras. The troops that remained were veterans though and refused to give in. On day nine, the Eldar substantially reduced the frequency of their attacks; possibly because they had sustained over forty percent casualties, but more likely they had run out of supply. There had been no sign of the alien supply units in the previous three days.

As day ten dawned, less than three hundred Guardsmen remained. With so few defenders, it was hard to hold back the Eldar, but they continued to pick off the armoured infantry whenever they could. The gallant Guardsmen conducted a guerrilla war for another full week, but the battle ended when the last Elysian platoon and its four Chimeras were finally cornered and wiped out. Damocles Prime fell to the Eldar on June 22nd 4004. With the loss of the tracking station on the surface, all contact with Eldar forces in the system ceased immediately. The Imperium would need to somehow track the Dark Eldar, or operate entirely blind.

On July 4th, twelve days after the fall of Damocles Prime, the Cobra class destroyer Omnis Arcanum arrived in Damocles. Her magazines contained sixteen thermal sensor buoys, eight thermal sensor probes and forty MK II Standard Torpedoes. Her first act was to fire one of the probes at Damocles Prime. She then moved away from the jump point, with the intention of dropping sensor buoys in the general area in which the Dark Eldar ship approaching Damocles were first detected. Captain Macharius sent Omnis Arcanum on the mission alone, for he feared that if she was detected, any escort might only add to the losses. Two days later, the thermal probe confirmed that all known ships, except the Dying Sun and its escorts, were still in orbit of the planet. Omnis Arcanum continued her efforts to build a sensor grid.



The drone reached orbit without being intercepted and remained there while its endurance lasted. As Omnis Arcanum reached its closest point to the Damocles Prime, approximately four hundred million kilometres, the group of seven Eldar warships that had destroyed Guardian and Final Silence suddenly broke orbit on course for the destroyer. The Eldar had apparently gained control of the tracking station on the planet. Omnis Arcanum dropped another buoy and headed in the general direction of the jump point. The Eldar quickly vanished from the limited sensor of the drone, so there was no way to know their location. They re-appeared sixteen hours later, detected by one of the thermal buoys. They were two hundred million kilometres from Omnis Arcanum, which had taken a dogleg course to drop more buoys. The destroyer ran straight for the jump point, abandoning any thoughts of risk vs reward.



Within an hour, the Eldar reversed course and headed back to the planet. They were detected entering orbit by the still-functioning thermal probe. Omnis Arcanum returned to her original mission to fill in the gaps in the grid, now aware of the probable detection range of the Eldar forces. While the grid had many gaps, due to the amount of space covered, Captain Macharius hoped it would be enough to spot any further movement of Dark Eldar ships and perhaps identify where they were entering the system.

On August 7th, the Dictator class carrier Fortitude arrived in Damocles, relieving her sister ship Archon Kort which headed home to Terra. Fortitude brought with her two new innovations to aid the fight against the Dark Eldar. Her eight, brand-new Fury II class interceptors were powered by the Ravenor Drive Systems AC-125 Attack Craft Drive, based on Ion technology and with a higher maximum boost than the AC-80 engine of the Fury I. With a speed of over 12,000 km/s, the Fury II would be able to close on Eldar ships five times more quickly than its predecessor and then engage them with a more capable fire control system. The downside was much shorter range, but that was deemed an acceptable compromise given the technological advantages of the Dark Eldar.

Fury II class Interceptor      500 tons       23 Crew       125.3 BP       TCS 10    TH 125    EM 0
12511 km/s      Armour 1-5       Shields 0-0       HTK 3      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 3
Maint Life 1.15 Years     MSP 30    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 23    5YR 348    Max Repair 62.5 MSP
Lieutenant Commander    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 6 days    Morale Check Required   

Ravenor Drive Systems AC-125 Attack Craft Drive (1)    Power 125    Fuel Use 1093.75%    Signature 125   Exp 25%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres    Range 0.66 billion km (14 hours at full power)

MK II Lascannon (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 12,511 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 40,000 km    ROF 5       
MK II Lascannon Fire Control (1)     Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 12,000 km/s     84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
R-3 Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 3.1    Exp 5%
MK II Attack Craft Torpedo Detection Array (1)     GPS 4     Range 2.9m km    MCR 256.9k km    Resolution 1

The second innovation on board Fortitude was the MK III Light Torpedo, with almost six hundred available for the sixteen Starhawk bombers. The MK III was designed specifically for use against the Dark Eldar, with a range of only three million kilometres, but a speed of 40,000 km/s. That was still not enough to take on the whole Eldar fleet, but it would begin to tip the balance in smaller engagements.

On September 3rd, the sensor grid finally bore fruit. A new Eldar ship, designated as Bleak Soul, was detected close to one of the buoys. It was another commercial engined ship, although with the smallest thermal signature so far at strength-1600. If the Bleak Soul followed the pattern of the other Eldar commercial engined vessels, it would be escorted by a pair of frigate-sized ships with light weapon batteries. The ship was half a billion kilometres from the jump point and travelling at 3174 km/s, so it would be difficult to intercept without straying into detection range of Damocles Prime. However, it provided even more evidence that the Dark Eldar were consistently appearing along the same bearing.



As it passed closer to the buoy, the expected Venom class ships were detected. They were known to have short-ranged weapons, while the Bleak Soul was slower than the Imperial warships. The three Eldar ships vanished from sensors for six hours, before they were briefly picked up again on the same course by another buoy. Omnis Arcanum fired another thermal probe toward Damocles Prime to see if they were in orbit. Once that was confirmed, Captain Logan Macharius decided it was time for an offensive move. He ordered four of his newly refitted frigates to move to a point between the two locations where the Bleak Soul was detected and shut down their shields, engines and active sensors. They would lie in wait for any more Commercial-engined Dark Eldar ships on the same bearing. He requested one of the Raven Guard frigates, which had boarding capability, to join the force. Captain Alvarex Corvus approved the plan and was happy to assist.



On September 8th, the Bleak Soul and the two Venoms broke orbit and headed back on a reciprocal course, albeit slightly offset due to the orbital movement of Damocles Prime. The small Imperium ambush force lay in wait. The Bleak Soul was detected again two days later as it moved within range of a thermal buoy that had not detected it on the way in. The Dark Eldar ship disappeared for a tense eight hours, avoiding detection by one of the buoys that detected it on its journey to the planet before moving into passive sensor range of the five Imperium frigates at twenty-four million kilometres. Commander Exalta Amon, captain of the Sword class frigate Pegasus and senior officer of the detached force, was content to wait for the approaching Dark Eldar, like a spider at the centre of its web.



With the Bleak Soul at just under twenty-one million kilometres from the frigates, the large Dark Eldar raiding force suddenly broke orbit of Damocles Prime and headed straight for the frigates. The game was plainly up. Commander Amon ordered her ships to close and engage, before the main force, six hundred million kilometres away, could intervene. The Sword II class frigates Pegasus and Strident Virtue and the Firestorm class frigates Cape Wrath and Firestorm, all pulled ahead of the Space Marine frigate Pulsar, as the latter was still equipped with gas core engines, rather than the newer Ion engines of the Imperial Navy ships. Pulsar was included in the force for her boarding capabilities, so that was tactically acceptable to Commander Amon.

The Bleak Soul and its escorts tried to run past the waiting frigates, presumably aware they could not run back to the planet in time. Their final destination remained a mystery. Commander Amon ordered her ships to maintain a range to the targets of at least sixty thousand kilometres, as the known maximum range of the light weapon batteries on the Venom class was fifty thousand. The priority was the escorts, with all four Imperial Navy frigates focused on a single target. The squadron opened fire at 80,000 km, scoring eight strength-2 hits from weapon batteries, none of which penetrated armour The increased speed of the frigates, and a corresponding increase in fire control tracking, had increased the maximum engagement range.



The two Venom class escorts suddenly abandoned the larger commercial vessel and began closing on the frigates at 6711 km/s. The frigates were focused on maintaining range to the Bleak Soul, which allowed the Venoms to move within 57,000 km/s.



Five seconds later, the range fell to 48,000 km/s and the Venoms opened fire, scoring eighty-seven strength-1 hits on Pegasus. The frigate’s shields were flattened and a quarter of her armour blasted away. Simultaneously, the four frigates fired again on the Venom with armour damage. Ten strength-3 hits from weapon batteries, plus a strength-4 lance battery hit from Cape Wrath, caused atmospheric streaming from multiple armour penetrations and halved the Venom’s speed to 3355 km/s. Commander Amon ordered all ships to change targeting to the other Venom. The frigates would quickly move out of range of the damaged ship, so the intact Venom became the priority.

The Venom’s light weapon batteries could fire every five seconds, compared to fifteen seconds for the weapon and lance batteries of the Imperium frigates, which allowed it to produce an incredible volume of fire at short range. The damaged Eldar was beyond its maximum range when its batteries recycled, but the intact Venom fired again at 40,000 km, scoring forty-eight hits. Pegasus’ armour was ground away and one of her weapon batteries was disabled. The Imperial frigates turned sharply, managing to outwit the faster Eldar ship and opened the range to 47,000 km. Pegasus suffered a further forty-two hits, but somehow managed to keep both of her Ravenor Drive Systems RDS-450B Ion Drives operational. Her armour was in tatters, with only a quarter of its original volume remaining.



The frigates fired again, achieving four strength-3 and one strength 4 hits on the pursuing Venom, one of which penetrated its armour. In return, Pegasus was hit forty-four times. Her armour was shredded and she suffered considerable internal damage, including a weapon battery, her defence turret and one engine. Her speed fell to 2400 km/s. The other three frigates were prepared to charge the Venom, in an attempt to distract it from their crippled sibling, but Commander Exalta Amon, on board the Pegasus, ordered them to keep moving. The Venom would fire three more times before their weapon and lance batteries would recharge and it was deadly at close range. Five seconds later the Venom fired again and Pegasus exploded, killing the gallant Commander Amon.

Command now fell to Commander Marcus Justinian, captain of the Cape Wrath. He ordered his squadron to maintain course and keep the range as open as possible. The Venom closed to 30,000 km and continued firing. Strident Virtue was the target. Her shields held, but were down to seven percent. While the two sides were locked in combat, the Bleak Soul and the second Venom, only capable of 3355 km/s, were back on their original course. Both sides exchanged fire again at 21,500 km. Strident Virtue suffered a further forty-seven hits, none of which penetrated her armour. The Venom was battered by sixteen strength-4 hits and three strength-1 hits, the latter coming from the frigates’ defence turrets, and left dead in space.

The frigates kept moving, trying to get out of weapon range. The Venom was able to fire once more, reducing Strident Virtue to half of her original armour before they were finally safe from attack. They halted 70,000 km from the crippled Dark Eldar ship and blew it to pieces with a single volley. Commander Amon was avenged. The three remaining frigates paused to rescue over a hundred survivors from Pegasus, then closed in on the second Venom. Their first volley resulted in a strength-17 secondary explosion that crippled the ship. Two more volleys were sufficient to destroy it, leaving just the Bleak Soul.

Commander Justinian ordered the two Firestorm class ship ships, including his own Cape Wrath, to cease fire, then ordered Strident Virtue to fire on the Bleak Soul with a single weapon battery in order to slow it down without destroying it. The Space Marine frigate Pulsar was half a million kilometres from the battle and closing fast. After six minutes of careful fire from a hundred thousand kilometres, the Bleak Soul had been reduced to 793 km/s. Pulsar moved to point-blank range and launched the Second Assault Force of the Third Company of the Raven Guard.

The Space Marines boarded and secured the Bleak Soul without taking any casualties. What they found was sickening. The Bleak Soul was a slave transport, carrying away an estimated fifty thousand citizens of Damocles Prime to an unknown destination. To the horror of her crew, the steady fire from Strident Virtue had destroyed the slave quarters and killed all of the colonists. Pulsar moved in collect her boarding force, then the four frigates headed for the jump point before the main Dark Eldar fleet arrived. A skeleton crew of volunteers went aboard the Dark Eldar ship in an attempt to move out of the danger zone in time. That attempt appeared to be in vain as less than a day after the battle, the two Raptor class light cruisers were detected at the edge of the field of sensor buoys.



The smaller Corsair and Venom class ships were detected a few minutes later. The Bleak Soul ran for the next four hours, but was travelling at less than 100 km/s when the Eldar ships moved into range and annihilated it with a single volley. The Dark Eldar force was detected again as it moved back toward Damocles Prime, allowing the four surviving frigates to arrive safely at the jump point. Strident Virtue was dispatched back to Terra for repairs and to drop off the survivors from Pegasus. Cape Wrath and Firestorm re-joined the main body of Battlefleet Damocles and Pulsar took up station with the rest of the Raven Guard warships.

For the first time, the Imperium had taken the offensive against the more advanced Dark Eldar and achieved a victory. The loss of Pegasus was more than outweighed by the destruction of the two Venom class escorts and the Bleak Soul slave transport. However, the discovery of the slave ship had put a very different perspective on the occupation of Damocles Prime. It was now obvious why the Eldar had not bombarded the surface after destroying the surface-to-orbit weapons of the Hyperion Guard. They saw the population as a source of slaves.

Less than a day after the frigates returned to the jump point, a second Bleak Soul escorted by two more Venoms was detected by the sensor grid. The ships were en route to the planet and had almost passed completely through the field of buoys without being detected. The destroyer Valour Eternal had recently arrived in Damocles with a further sixteen thermal buoys so Captain Macharius dispatched her to deploy them along the known route of the alien ships.



Sixteen hours later, with Valour Eternal only halfway to her destination, the Dying Sun class salvage ship was detected entering the buoy field, probably to salvage the new wrecks. The destroyer alone would not be able to take on the as-yet-undetected escorts. Instead, Captain Macharius ordered the destroyer to move ahead of the Dark Eldar squadron and continue its original mission. Cape Wrath and Firestorm were once again detached from the main body, along with the remaining Sword II class frigates Destiny’s Hand and Triumph of Juno. While Macharius considered sending his four Dauntless class light cruisers, or even one of the two Lunars, the four frigates were only ships with the new engines and fire controls, which made them more effective against the Eldar in close combat.  Instead, he added the carrier Fortitude to the detached squadron. While she was slower and much easier to detect on thermal sensors, she could also hang back and launch her Starhawks and Furies from a safe distance. Besides, Macharius was keen to test the new light torpedoes in action.
 


The squadron moved to a point sixty million kilometres from the wrecks in the direction of Damocles Prime, then began to close in, detecting the Dying Sun on passive sensors at just under fifty million. The alien ship was salvaging the wreck of Pegasus. As the Imperium ships closed within thirty-five million kilometres, the Dying Sun abandoned its work and began running in the direction of Valour Eternal, which was further out from the star placing a new field of sensor buoys. Captain Cato Titus of the Fortitude, in command of the small Imperium force, ordered his Starhawks to launch and pursue the aliens. He also ordered Valour Eternal to drop one more buoy then head back to the Proxima jump point.



The MK III light torpedo only had a range of three million kilometres, so the Starhawks closed to one point five million before launching their one hundred and ninety-two torpedoes, evenly divided between the two Venoms. With a speed of 40,000 km/s, the torpedoes required only forty seconds to catch their targets. Twenty torpedoes were destroyed by the light weapon batteries of the Venoms and a hundred and forty-one missed. The remaining thirty-one struck the two escorts. One vanished in a blinding strength-127 secondary explosion. The other Venom was hit thirteen times by the strength-4 warheads, five of which penetrated its armour, and ceased all movement. The Dying Sun moved on, leaving the stationary Venom in its wake.

Fortitude headed for the jump point, with her Starhawks moving to intercept her, leaving the four frigates to finish off the Venom and the Dying Sun. Valour Eternal reversed course, as she was in a better position to intercept the fleeing salvage ship now that the escorts were no longer a threat. The frigates halted seventy thousand kilometres from the crippled Venom and the two Firestorms opened fire. Four volleys were enough to destroy the Dark Eldar escort. A minute later, thirty million kilometres from the frigates, Valour Eternal launched four MK II standard torpedoes with strength-9 warheads at the Dying Sun. All four hit and penetrated the armour. The salvage ship slowed slightly as a result, dropping her thermal signature from 6400 to 6200.

While the frigates would catch and destroy the Dying Sun, all the Imperium ships were keen to leave the area as quickly as possible before the main Dark Eldar fleet arrived. Valour Eternal launched three more waves of torpedoes. All twelve hit and the Dying Sun’s speed dropped to 1739 km/s, allowing the frigates to gain more quickly. Valour Eternal launched another eight torpedoes, then dropped another sensor buoy before heading for the jump point. The first wave of the new torpedoes caused a secondary explosion that ripped apart the Dying Sun. The four frigates joined Fortitude and Valour Eternal in setting course for the main body of Battlefleet Damocles. They were halfway to their destination, and therefore well out of range, when the seven Dark Eldar warships from Damocles Prime arrived at the edge of the buoy field.

Another Dark Eldar force had been defeated, this time without loss except for the expenditure of one hundred and ninety-two light torpedoes and twenty-four standard torpedoes. While the hit rate of the torpedoes against the Venoms was less than twenty percent, that was still a huge improvement on the previous torpedo engagement, plus the Dark Eldar ships were lightly armoured so a small number of hits could inflict meaningful damage. It would take time though to build up a stockpile of the new ordnance. The only deployed MK III light torpedoes were with Fortitude and the stockpile on Terra was one hundred and sixty-two, less than the amount expended by the Starhawks in their recent attack.

While the attack on the Dying Sun was underway, Omnis Arcanum had fired a thermal probe at Damocles Prime to check which Eldar ships were in orbit. That probe detected the arrival of the second Bleak Soul slave transport. Macharius was determined to halt the Dark Eldar slave trade, but he didn’t yet have the forces necessary to eliminate the main Eldar force. He did, however, request the use of the Eldar Corsair class ship that was captured in Proxima. It was now fully repaired and renamed Endymion, in honour of the fallen Commander. The Endymion had the speed and weapons to defeat the Venom class escorts without entering their range.

Two days later, the Bleak Soul left orbit of Damocles Prime on the usual Eldar course. The main Eldar fleet was not at the planet but had been headed in that direction when it left the buoy field twelve hours earlier. Captain Macharius dispatched the same force to intercept - the carrier Fortitude plus the frigates Cape Wrath, Destiny’s Hand, Firestorm and Triumph of Juno – with the addition of the Raven Guard strike cruiser Covenant of Blood. Her Thunderhawks would attempt to capture the ship after a more limited attack, in an attempt to save some of the colonists. Their initial destination would be the new buoy field laid by Valour Eternal, where they would lie in wait for the slave transport. Fourteen hours after their departed, the main Eldar fleet moved into orbit of Damocles Prime, detected by Omnis Arcanum’s thermal probe.

The Bleak Soul was detected entering the original buoy field on September 19th at 9am. The Imperium ambush force was two hundred million kilometres away, waiting on the slave transport’s probable course. Shortly after the detection, Endymion arrived in Damocles along with the tug Tethys. Both ships were sent immediately to join the ambush force. Captain Macharius had requested the tug so that future captured ships could be towed to safety. Thirteen hours passed before the Bleak Soul was detected again, as it passed through the field of wrecks from the previous engagements. Endymion was still nine hours away.



As Captain Macharius wanted to preserve the limited supply of MK III light torpedoes, he ordered the ambush force to pull back and give Endymion time to arrive. They were retreating through the new buoy field laid by Valour Eternal so they had room and time for manoeuvre. The Bleak Soul continued onward, apparently oblivious to the presence of the Imperium forces. Endymion arrived on the scene while the Eldar ships were still within the corridor of sensor buoys and moved in to attack. As she moved within thirty-four million kilometres, the main Eldar fleet broke orbit of Damocles Prime. Endymion ended her stealthy approach and engaged her powerful active sensor.

Captain Varro Prometheus was the commander of the Imperium’s most advanced warship, even though a frigate-sized vessel normally warranted a captain of Commander rank. Prometheus was aggressive and well-liked by his crews. Unlike the Imperial ships, Endymion had a counter-measures system that completely negated the electronic warfare systems of the two Venoms. Captain Prometheus ordered his gunners to open fire at 246,000 km. They kept firing as Endymion closed the range until the first Venom exploded. The other Venom was equally helpless; it couldn’t move closer to Endymion and its weapons were out-ranged. The Bleak Soul soon had a second Venom wreck in its wake.

Endymion engaged the slave transport from long range, trying to reduce its speed it with strength-1 hits, so the Thunderhawks could land their assault forces. Captain Alvarex Corvus, commanding the Raven Guard forces in Damocles, wanted to save the civilians on the ship, but launching against the Bleak Soul at full speed would result in heavy casualties during the boarding attempt. He was not prepared to sacrifice many Space Marine lives to save civilians who would be lost anyway if the ship was not stopped. Instead, he offered to launch a Thunderhawk once the slave transport was slowed to 2000 km/s or less. Endymion fired several volleys before the Bleak Soul dropped to 1984 km/s.

A single Thunderhawk leapt from the hangar bay of Covenant of Blood and headed for the damaged transport at 7600 km/s. While the Thunderhawk was in flight, all the Imperium warships except Endymion changed course for the Proxima jump point. Captain Prometheus kept his ship near the Bleak Soul to maintain a sensor lock. The Thunderhawk moved into close formation and the Space Marines launched their boarding attempt. Three missed their landing and were killed. The rest secured the Bleak Soul within four minutes. Unfortunately, the slave quarters were once again completely wrecked and all the colonists were dead, even though only three out of eight engines had been destroyed. The Thunderhawk moved into pick up the Raven Guard assault force and a small skeleton crew was transferred from Endymion to the Bleak Soul. The tug Tethys was still twelve hours away, so it would be a race against the main Eldar fleet.

Sixteen hours later, Tethys was clearing the battle area with no sign of the main Eldar fleet when another Bleak Soul arrived at the end of the corridor of sensor buoys furthest from the planet. This slave transport was apparently just entering the system and would have no slaves onboard. Although Endymion was almost at the jump point, she was the obvious candidate to destroy the ship and its escort, so Captain Macharius ordered her to reverse course and destroy all the Eldar ships. The challenge would be doing so before the main Eldar fleet arrived.



Eight hours later, with Endymion halfway back to the void field, the two Raptor light cruisers were detected by the buoys, closing on the approaching slave transports. Less than an hour later, another Dying Sun class salvage ship appeared at the edge of the buoy field, heading in-system. It seemed the Dark Eldar were committing substantial forces to transport the population of Damocles Prime and salvage the growing number of wrecks. Captain Macharius ordered Endymion to remain in the general area, out of sensor range of the known Eldar forces, and look for opportunities to attack the Bleak Soul or Dying Sun.



Endymion moved to a point well ahead of the course of the Bleak Soul. The main Eldar fleet was headed in the opposite direction so Captain Prometheus intended to move in and destroy the slave transport squadron and then head back to the jump point. As the Bleak Soul exited the long corridor of sensor buoys laid by Valour Eternal and moved into the dispersed field laid by Omnis Arcanum, contact was lost for several hours. Even when Endymion reached the estimated interception point, there was no sign of the transport and its escorts.

Suddenly, the two Raptors, four Corsairs and the single Venom that comprised the Dark Eldar main body appeared again, charging straight for Endymion along the buoy corridor. The alien ships were still almost two hundred million kilometres away, so Prometheus risked a brief scan from his active sensors. The Bleak Soul was fifty million kilometres away and plainly avoiding his own ship. There was not enough time for a successful pursuit before the main fleet would arrive so, after a brief consultation with Macharius, Captain Prometheus ordered his ship back to the jump point. The Imperium could not afford to lose Endymion, so the commercial-engined ships would be ignored until the main Dark Eldar force was back at Damocles Prime.

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2021, 12:11:05 PM »
In late September, Endymion conducted two further interceptions in Damocles, destroying the Dying Sun class salvage ship and a Bleak Soul slave transport, along with four Venom class escorts. The Dark Eldar escorts were unable to catch Endymion and were outranged by her weapon batteries, while the main Eldar fleet was unable to guard the planet and the commercial traffic simultaneously. The destruction wreaked by the captured vessel was sufficient to halt further Eldar incursions for several months.

The Imperial Navy took advantage of the pause to extend the corridor of thermal buoys out-system and to mount its own salvage operation. Two Raven class salvage stations had been constructed in October 4003 to salvage the Necron wrecks in Nocturne. The two stations were towed into Damocles by the tugs Atlas and Cronus, accompanied by five Carrack class freighters. All the Dark Eldar wrecks in the buoy field, along with the wreck of the Sword class frigate Pegasus, were salvaged by January 4005, with the components and minerals taken to Terra. The disassembly of those components enabled the imperium to advance its knowledge in several areas of sensor technology and to develop Stellarator reactors, which were an essential pre-requisite for the next generation of engines.

With no activity from the Dark Eldar, other than guarding the occupied colony on Damocles Prime, the Imperium presence at the jump point was gradually reduced over time. The Raven Guard headed back to Terra in January 4005, along with several ships from Battlefleet Damocles. By February 4005, the fleet comprised a carrier, a cruiser, a light cruiser and four frigates.

Battlefleet Damocles
Dictator class Carrier: Fortitude
Lunar II class Cruiser: Iron Duke
Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Unbroken Vow
Firestorm II class Frigate: Cape Wrath, Firestorm
Sword II class Frigate: Destiny's Hand, Triumph of Juno
8x Fury II class Interceptor:
16x Starhawk class Bomber:

In the rest of the Imperium, a program to extend explored space to four transits from Terra was well underway. Aexe Cardinal, a trinary system with nineteen planets, was discovered two transits beyond the key system of Orpheus. The orange K1-V primary had ten planets including Aexe Cardinal-A III, a super-terrestoid world 28,000 kilometres in diameter, with gravity of 1.81 G and an atmosphere that would be breathable with the addition of just 0.016 atm of oxygen. With a surface temperature of -35C and ice sheets covering only seven percent of the surface, additional terraforming would be required beyond the required oxygen, but once completed the planet would support a potential population of fifty-eight billion.

Aexe Cardinal-A II, a dwarf planet with similar temperature but no atmosphere or water, appeared to be far less appealing than its massive neighbour, at least until the respective orbital surveys were completed. The larger world had over a hundred million tons of accessibility 0.6 Gallicite, but only three other minerals at minimal accessibility. Aexe Cardinal-A II had one point five million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium and mid-to-high accessibility deposits of seven other minerals, making it one of the best mining locations in the Imperium. A colony was established soon thereafter and plans were put in place to begin terraforming. Given the threat of the Eldar, the new colony was given a substantial ground force, comprising the entire Mordian Iron Guard Corps, three planetary defence regiments and the Hesperan Lancers light armoured regiment.

Aexe Cardinal-A II Survey Report
Duranium:   1,548,800   1.00
Neutronium:   2,166,784   0.60
Corbomite:   473,344   0.70
Tritanium:   1,115,136   0.70
Boronide:   541,696   0.90
Vendarite:   350,464   0.40
Sorium:   112,896   1.00
Uridium:   256   0.60
Corundium:   891,136   0.80
Gallicite:   30,976   0.20

Aexe Cardinal-B was a white dwarf with a single planet, orbiting the primary at sixty-three billion kilometres. The third star in the system, orbiting the B component at five billion kilometres, was a red dwarf with eight planets, three of which had Lagrange points that allowed a connection to the Lagrange points of the primary. Aexe Cardinal-C II, a terrestrial ocean world with an atmosphere of ammonia, was home to a destroyed alien outpost. The tiny ruin yielded several mines and a ancient terraforming installation that were still operational. As a whole, the system had several other promising mining locations, including a gas giant with forty-four million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium.

Aexe Cardinal-A VII Survey Report (Gas Giant)
Sorium:   44,872,000   1.00

Aexe Cardinal-A IX Survey Report
Duranium:   247,808   1.00
Neutronium:   774,400   0.50
Corbomite:   2,073,600   0.50
Tritanium:   802,816   0.50

Aexe Cardinal-C IV - Moon 16 Survey Report
Duranium:   296,450   0.80
Neutronium:   543,169   0.70
Mercassium:   495,616   1.00
Gallicite:   184,041   0.80

Aexe Cardinal-C VIII - Moon 17 Survey Report
Duranium:   2,865,618   0.90
Corbomite:   225,625   0.70
Sorium:   369,664   0.80

The discovery of new mineral sources to complement those on Orpheus II was most welcome, as the deposits on Terra were running out. In February 4005, the accessibility of Duranium began to decrease, joining seven other deposits that were gradually becoming harder to mine. Given the difficulty in transporting more than sixteen hundred manned mining complexes, plus the necessary population, and over three hundred automated mines to Orpheus and even further out to Aexe Cardinal, the short term solution was to place mines on Mercury and Io. Even in those cases, the two bodies had colony costs of 3.21 and 3.14 respectively, the latter due to an Aestusium atmosphere of 0.6 atm. The dispersal of Terran mines to new sites would be the greatest strategic challenge for the Imperium in the coming years.

Terra Survey Report
Duranium:   145,350   0.89
Neutronium:   28,189   0.75
Corbomite:   14,187   0.31
Tritanium:   25,691   0.30
Boronide:   14,726   0.29
Mercassium:   34,958   0.32
Vendarite:   32,995   0.31
Sorium:   15,634   0.33
Uridium:   130,695   0.60
Corundium:   74,995   0.60
Gallicite:   88,230   0.62

Orpheus II Survey Report
Duranium:   1,920,663   0.80
Neutronium:   21,996,083   0.10
Corbomite:   17,056,883   0.10
Tritanium:   1,768,745   0.90
Boronide:   10,824,083   0.10
Mercassium:   9,922,483   0.10
Vendarite:   46,103,980   0.70
Sorium:   24,700,883   0.10
Uridium:   1,254,383   0.10
Corundium:   43,296,383   0.10
Gallicite:   2,371,480   0.70

Mercury Survey Report
Duranium:   2,858,840   0.60
Neutronium:   609,556   0.70
Corbomite:   3,906,117   0.30
Tritanium:   14,765   0.90
Vendarite:   648,228   0.90

Io Survey Report
Duranium:   1,114,793   0.70
Boronide:   1,966,046   0.40
Corundium:   2,867,984   0.70

The future mining potential of the Imperium was improved further in April 4005 by the survey of Cerix Magnus, a system three transits from Sol via Alpha Centauri and Solstice. The fifth moon of Cerix Magnus IV was a terrestrial-sized body with forty million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium and twenty million tons of accessibility 1.0 Gallicite. The moon had a nitrogen atmosphere of 0.4 atm with small amounts of cardon dioxide and oxygen plus an ice sheet covering two thirds of the surface. The temperature of -90 resulted in a colony cost of 3.32. As the moon was only slightly smaller than Earth, the terraforming effort would be considerable but ultimately worthwhile. Most of the Imperium’s Gaia class terraforming platforms were in orbit of Io, with four assigned to Aexe Cardinal. Cerix Magnus would be the destination of the Io platforms once their work was complete. In the meantime, with Gallicite supplies fast running out, the priority for the Adeptus Logisticae would be the transfer of automated mines to the fifth moon of Cerix Magnus IV.

Cerix Magnus-A IV - Moon 5 Survey Report
Duranium:   39,072,800   1.00
Corbomite:   4,112,784   0.70
Tritanium:   456,976   0.10
Gallicite:   19,998,784   1.00

The situation in Damocles remained quiet and the number of ships assigned to Battlefleet Damocles continued to reduce accordingly throughout 4005. In mid-December, the main Eldar force, comprising two Raptor class light cruisers, four Corsair class raiders and a single Venom class escort, was detecting entering the buoy field. Battlefleet Damocles comprised the carrier Archon Kort, the Dauntless II class light cruisers Divine Crusade, Havock and Uziel and the Cobra II class destroyer Honoured Prophecy. The captured Eldar vessel Endymion had returned to Terra for an overhaul and was en route back to Damocles.

The Eldar fleet was monitored as it passed through the entire buoy field before moving out of detection range. The prevailing theory among the Adeptus Scientifica was that the Dark Eldar did not use jump points and had some other method of interstellar travel, although no direct observation of this had taken place. A day after the disappearance of the main fleet, the Falling Moon troop transport and its two Obsidian Rose escorts were detected entering the buoy field on the same course. on the same course. Nine hours later, Endymion arrived in Damocles and immediately set an intercept course, racing to catch the troop transport before it moved out of detection range.



Endymion made the interception close to the out-system edge of the buoy field. At 230,000 km, she opened fire on one of the two 10,918-ton Obsidian Rose class ships that were accompanying the Falling Moon, scoring three strength-1 hits. The Obsidian Rose had not been observed in combat, but given its escort role it was assumed to have similar capabilities to the Venom class. That proved to be a dangerous assumption when both Obsidian Roses broke formation and pursued Endymion at 8426 km/s, giving them a speed advantage of 1700 km/s.

Captain Varro Prometheus, commander of the Endymion, quickly realised the threat to this ship. If the Obsidian Rose was an upgraded version of the Venom, the two enemy vessels would have fast-firing weapons that would tear Endymion apart if they were allowed into range. He ordered his helmsman to run. Endymion’s weapon batteries fired at 183,000 km, 157,000 km and 132,000 km, focused on a single ship but only inflicting strength-1 armour hits. Finally, at 106,000 km, the targeted Obsidian Rose suffered seventeen strength-2 hits, six of which penetrated the armour. Fortunately for Endymion, one of those hits disabled an engine and the damaged ship dropped to 4213 km/s. Captain Prometheus ordered his gunners to target the other ship. Eleven strength-3 hits at 80,000 km failed to penetrate armour, leaving only a single volley before the Obsidian Rose was in range, assuming of course that weapon range had not increased in line with the speed.

At 55,000 kilometres, Endymion inflicted a devastating fifteen strength-4 hits, nine of which smashed through the armour. The Obsidian Rose ceased all movement. Endymion was now faster than the two crippled escorts and the troop transport, so the battle was effectively over. Within two minutes, all three Dark Eldar ships were reduced to drifting wreckage. However, despite his latest defeat of the Eldar, Captain Prometheus knew his run of easy victories was over.

Honoured Prophecy launched a thermal drone towards Damocles Prime, which revealed there were no longer any ships in orbit. With the planet apparently undefended, a relief force was quickly assembled. The entire Hyrkan Imperial Guard Corps and two armoured regiments were loaded on to a pair of troop transports and dispatched to Damocles. The carrier Fortitude, the cruiser Imperial Wrath and two frigates provided an escort until the fleet joined up with Battlefleet Damocles.

Battlefleet Damocles
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Fortitude
Lunar II class Cruiser: Imperial Wrath
Dauntless II class Light Cruiser: Divine Crusade, Havock, Uziel
Cobra II class Destroyer: Honoured Prophecy
Sword II class Frigate: Absolution, Destiny's Hand
Cetaceous class Troop Transport: Cetaceous Aurigae
Orca class Troop Transport: Feresa Attenuata
32x Starhawk class Bomber:
16x Fury II class Interceptor:
2x Aquila class Lander:

The landing on Damocles Prime was completed on January 13th 4006. Soon thereafter, the armoured formations launched their attack. Orbital fire support was withheld to reduce collateral damage. The defenders, comprising approximately five hundred Dark Eldar Raiders and Reavers, were massively outgunned by ten thousand Guardsmen and over a thousand armoured vehicles, including a hundred and forty-four Leman Russ Battle Tanks. The battle was over within twenty-four hours with minimal Imperium casualties. For now at least, the Dark Eldar incursion into Imperium space was over. Salvage of the latest Dark Eldar wrecks revealed evidence of magnetic fusion drives and tokamak reactors. The engines were two generations ahead of Imperium technology, although research into magneto-plasma drives was underway. If further Eldar incursions were to be defeated, the Imperium had to win the technology race.

Over seven million civilians were liberated after an occupation of eighteen months and the research facility and twenty maintenance facilities on the surface of Damocles Prime were still intact. With the planet secure, the two armoured regiments were transported back to Terra while the Hyrkan Corps remained as a garrison force. Unfortunately, no planetary defence regiments were immediately available so they would be dispatched to Damocles once trained. The replenishment ship Brigantine Sapphire was found intact beyond the Sicarius jump point, which reinforced the belief that the Dark Eldar did not use jump points.

Exploration continued, with the boundaries of the Imperium being pushed out to four transits in most directions during 4006. Two new ruin sites were discovered, although without any sign of Necron defenders. The first was a destroyed outpost in Greyshroud, two jumps out from Nocturne. A dormant alien construct was also present on the surface.  Greyshroud III was a mountainous super-terrestrial world 22,000 km in diameter, with a dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. The oxygen content was double the maximum pressure tolerance for humans, so the world could not be terraformed within any realistic timeframe. A ruined outpost was found on Taros III, an even larger mountainous world four jumps from Sol via Hesperus, Aeolus and Endymion, with similar terraforming challenges. Neither world had any accessible mineral deposits, so temporary colonies would be setup to exploit the ruins and perhaps the construct, depending on its function. Ordo Xenos formations were sent to both planets.

By June 4006, the Gallicite stockpile on Terra was below three thousand tons and supplies were fast running out. The large-scale refits of the fleet to ion technology plus the constant torpedo production had drained Gallicite supplies far faster than they could be replenished by the rapidly-depleting deposit on Terra. Production of both torpedoes and maintenance supplies had been halted, with the latter resulting in severe maintenance shortages. Maintenance production would have to be restarted soon in order to avoid widespread failures across the Imperial Navy, so all shipbuilding was halted except for colony ships and freighters

Orpheus II and the fifth moon of Cerix Magnus IV remained the best options for Gallicite mining, but required nineteen and fifteen billion kilometres round-trips respectively, plus the need to emplace infrastructure for manned mining. Orpheus II had received limited terraforming to reduce the colony cost to 1.91, but at 14,000 km it was more difficult to terraform than Terra. The Cerix Magnus colony was not much better at 10.400 km and had a colony cost of 3.28. For the moment, the terraforming focus was still on Io, despite the lack of Gallicite, as it was a nearby destination that would at least allow the manned mines on Terra to produce Duranium, Boronide and Corundium. All available automated mines were being transported to Cerix Magnus.

By March 4007, the situation had eased a little. Almost two hundred automated mines were at the Cerix Magnus colony and fifty manned mines were in operation on Orpheus II, providing enough Gallicite for the production of maintenance supplies. A further two hundred mines were based on Io and Mercury. Shipbuilding remained on hold, although the recent development of magneto-plasma drives meant that most shipyards would be retooling to new designs over the forthcoming twelve to fifteen months.

Imperium Colonies – March 4007

Nocturne Prime
Population: 42m
Financial Centre: 252
Maintenance Facility: 46
Research Facility: 1

Orpheus-A II
Population: 14.8m
Maintenance Facility: 59
Mine: 49
Construction Factory: 40

Io
Population: 12m
Mine: 111

Mercury
Population: 10.5m
Mine: 98

Damocles Prime
Population: 8.1m
Maintenance Facility: 30
Research Facility: 1

Aexe Cardinal-A II
Population: 0.77m
Automated Mine: 10

Cerix Magnus Colony
Automated Mine: 194

On March 22nd 4007, a Dark Eldar Corsair was detected by the Imperium sensor outpost in Proxima. The alien ship was just outside the orbit of the third planet, moving in-system. The Corsair was one of the original Dark Eldar designs, without the upgraded engines, so it could be taken out by a Starhawk strike. The Defiant class light carrier Imperial Ghost, escorted by the Sword class frigates Excalibur and Immortal, was dispatched to Proxima from Terra.



Meanwhile, at the far side of the Imperium from Proxima, the Falchion class jump frigate Scimitar had just discovered Ullanor, a binary system four transits from Sol, via Alpha Centauri, Equinox and Peregrim, with five bodies at colony cost 2.00. The G0-V primary, slightly larger than Sol, had only two planets. The first was a Mars-sized desert world with nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 0.31 atm, including just 0.01 atm of oxygen. The second planet was a superjovian with ten moons, the first of which was another Mars-sized body, this time with an atmosphere that was very close to breathable, a temperature just below human tolerance and large lakes covering sixteen percent of the surface. Only minimal terraforming would be required to transform the moon into an ideal habitable world. Two more moons were colony cost 2.00, albeit without water or atmosphere. The other colony cost 2.00 body was the second planet of seven orbiting Ullanor-B, a dim red dwarf, but it was a frozen, high gravity world with a dense atmosphere.

Scimitar dispatched her Aquila class lander to scout the near-habitable moon and check for signs of life. As the 250-ton craft pulled into orbit, its active sensor detected a 3500-ton ground forces signature on the surface. There was no thermal or EM signature indicating a population or installations and no sign of alien ships. The lander hailed the planet to begin communication efforts. The Lords of Terra dispatched the Endeavour class jump cruiser Sacrament of Judgement and the Dauntless class light cruisers Bloodhawk and Luxor to Ullanor to Ullanor to monitor the situation. None of the ships had been refitted and still had the original gas core engines, but for the moment the Lords wanted to demonstrate a presence in the system without risking more modern ships. The discovery of the new alien race within twenty-four hours of the second Dark Eldar incursion into Proxima gave the Imperium two simultaneous alien threats to confront while still trying to deal with severe, ongoing economic issues.



Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

  • Aurora Designer
  • Star Marshal
  • S
  • Posts: 11649
  • Thanked: 20349 times
Re: Gothic Campaign Updates
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2021, 07:33:20 AM »
The Imperial Ghost and her escort arrived in Proxima on March 23rd, by which time the Dark Eldar ship had vanished from sensors. The light carrier set course for the sensor outpost on an asteroid in the inner system. Three days later the Corsair reappeared near the Lagrange point of the first planet, close to a passenger liner from the Vetriano shipping line but forty-five million kilometres from Imperial Ghost. The liner was en route to Damocles Prime, taking visitors to the recently liberated world to see the effects of the occupation. Commander Severus Hector of the frigate Excalibur was the senior officer in the small carrier force and ordered Imperial Ghost to launch her eight Starhawk bombers. The Corsair headed straight for the helpless passenger liner.



Within five minutes of the detection of the Corsair, the sensor outpost detected sensor emissions from the two Raptor class ships that had been in Damocles fifteen months earlier. They had definitely not passed though the Damocles – Proxima jump point as it was picketed by a Hermes class Sensor Platform. They also appeared well within the detection range of the outpost and just over a hundred million kilometres from the Sol jump point. It was possible they had been in the system all along and only just activated their sensors. However, given the timing, it seemed far more likely they had responded to the Corsair detecting the Imperial warships and were arriving to help. In that case, they had just transited into the system using something other than a jump point. The location of their detection was marked for further investigation.

The Lords of Terra responded immediately, because the presence of the main Dark Eldar fleet in Proxima cut off Nocturne Prime, the largest colony in the Imperium, and Damocles Prime. Unlike the engagement in Damocles, where a single carrier had the new torpedoes, the MK III light torpedo was now deployed on the carriers Archon Kort and Fortitude and the light carriers Ad Liberis, Bellator Stoicus, Defiant and Imperial Ghost. Unfortunately those carriers were scattered throughout the Imperium. Archon Kort and Defiant were both in Terra orbit, Fortitude was at Damocles Prime, Imperial Ghost was in Proxima trying to intercept the original Corsair, Ad Liberis was at the Cerix Magnus colony and Bellator Stoicus was in Aexe Cardinal.

Solar Admiral Barachiel Endymion, head of the Imperial navy, was determined to eliminate the threat and avenge his nephew, but not without concentrating his force first. He ordered Imperial Ghost to complete its strike against the lone Corsair and then head for the Damocles jump point to rendezvous with Fortitude and her escorts. Ad Liberis and Bellator Stoicus were ordered to return to Terra and rendezvous with Archon Kort and Defiant at the Sol – Proxima jump point.

Eight minutes after the detection of the Raptors, the lone Corsair intercepted the passenger liner, destroying it with two volleys from its weapon batteries. Twelve hundred and fifty passengers and almost six hundred crew were killed – just the latest Dark Eldar atrocity. The Corsair set a course out-system, presumably to rendezvous with the newly arrived fleet. The Starhawks set an intercept course but at 7200 km/s, they were barely faster than their target so it became a stern chase. Five hours after leaving Imperial Ghost, they closed to a million kilometres and launched a total of ninety-six MK III Light Torpedoes. Six were destroyed by the Corsair’s weapon batteries and seventy-six missed their target. Fourteen struck the Eldar ship with strength-4 warheads and two penetrated the armour, unfortunately without damaging the engines.

The Corsair reversed course and headed straight for Imperial Ghost and her two frigate escorts. The Starhawks ran ahead of the alien ship, trying to land and re-arm before it could intercept. Commander Hector knew the Corsair would run down his force in open space and he estimated that the re-arming process would not be completed in time. However, he saw a chance to even the odds. He ordered his small squadron to use the Proxima I Lagrange Point to jump to the Proxima III point, where the frigates and the four Fury class interceptors took up position. The unarmed light carrier ran for the Damocles jump point. Thirty minutes later, the eight bombers also made the intra-system jump and set off in pursuit of the carrier. If the Corsair followed, it would arrive at point blank range from Excalibur, Immortal and the Furies.

The sensor outpost monitored the Corsair as it moved straight toward the Proxima I Lagrange point. Just as it was about to jump, it reversed course instead, moving toward the approaching Eldar fleet. Unwilling to miss the opportunity, Commander Hector ordered his ships to jump and attack. Both sides opened fire within seconds of the jump, with the frigates at 37,000 km and the Furies at point-blank range. Excalibur was staggered by twenty strength-5 hits that blasted down her shields, wiped away a third of her armour and inflicted internal damage that disabled an engine and a weapon battery. The two frigates achieved six strength-4 hits between them, while the four Fury II class interceptors added eleven strength-1 hits. Only four hits penetrated the Corsair’s armour, which was insufficient to slow it down.



Commander Hector ordered Excalibur to return to the Lagrange point while Immortal and the Furies continued the engagement. The interceptors could fire every five seconds, so they had time for two volleys with a total of fifteen strength-1 hits before Immortal and the Corsair could fire again. The Corsair continued to maintain its maximum speed, so the gap to Immortal had opened to 65,000 km when the two sides exchanged fire again. Two strength-2 hits on the Eldar ship were answered with twenty strength-3 hits. Immortal lost her shields and ten percent of her armour. The Corsair dropped to 3357 km/s.

As the four Furies were causing more damage than Immortal, Hector ordered the frigate to return to the Lagrange point while the interceptors continued their high rate of fire from point-blank range. The frigates had served their purpose by drawing fire. Two more volleys from the Furies apparently caused some significant internal damage, as the Corsair ceased all fire and movement. The Dark Eldar was a sitting duck for the agile interceptors and their next attack blew it to pieces. The interceptors conducted an intra-system jump point and raced after their retreating carrier.

Excalibur was in need of repair and had a top speed of only 2400 km/s. Immortal was in much better shape and despite some armour damage was still combat capable. Both ships followed Imperial Ghost as she headed for the Damocles jump point. The Starhawks and Furies both landed successfully. The main Eldar fleet, still only detected by the intermittent sensor emissions of the two Raptors, continued toward the inner system. The presence of the Venom and the four Corsairs that accompanied the fleet in Damocles was confirmed when they moved within thermal detection range of the sensor outpost.



The Eldar fleet moved to the Lagrange point of Proxima I and jumped to the Proxima III Lagrange point, bringing the alien ships within a hundred and thirty million kilometres of the crippled Excalibur. To the great relief of everyone on the frigate, the Eldar jumped back within a few moments. After moving around the inner system for several hours, the fleet moved into orbit of Proxima I where it remained. Two days after the destruction of the Corsair, Imperial Ghost, Excalibur and Immortal had all arrived at the Damocles jump point. Excalibur headed for the relative safety of Damocles Prime while Imperial Ghost and Immortal remained on station and awaited the arrival of the carrier Fortitude and her escorts: the Sword II class frigates Absolution and Destiny’s Hand.

Once the reconstituted Battlefleet Damocles was assembled on the Proxima – Damocles jump point, it took a circuitous route to the Proxima – Sol jump point to rendezvous with the other carriers arriving from across the Imperium. Two cruisers and two light cruisers were dispatched from Terra to provide both close escort and a tactical option for finishing off crippled Eldar warships. Some of the carriers only had a single reload of MK III light torpedoes, but in total Battlefleet Damocles had over two thousand MK IIIs, more than ninety percent of the Imperium stockpile.

Battlefleet Damocles
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Fortitude
Lunar II class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath
Dauntless II class Light Cruiser: Unbroken Vow, Uziel
Defiant II class Light Carrier: Ad Liberis, Bellator Stoicus, Defiant, Imperial Ghost
Sword II class Frigate: Absolution, Destiny's Hand, Immortal
32x Fury II class Interceptor:
64x Starhawk class Bomber:
1x Aquila class Lander:

Captain Cato Titus of the Fortitude was the senior office of Battlefleet Damocles. Learning from the desperate battle of Imperial Ghost’s escorts, he decided to limit the fleet’s movements to areas from which it could retreat to the Sol jump point without fear of being caught by the Dark Eldar fleet. While the sixty-four Starhawk bombers in Battlefleet Damocles could launch a strike from their current position, half a billion kilometres from the Eldar, that also limited the ability of the fleet to launch follow-up attacks before the Eldar could repair damaged systems. Therefore he decided to move within two hundred and twenty million kilometres of the target. The two Dictator class carriers were equipped with gas core engines and had a maximum speed of 4000 km/s, while the rest of the fleet had ion engines and a speed of 4800 km/s.

Once in position, the fleet launched sixty-four Starhawks, armed with a total of seven hundred and sixty-eight MK III Light Torpedoes. As the moved within twenty million kilometres of Proxima I, the Eldar broke orbit and headed straight for the bombers. The range fell rapidly with a closing speed of over 13,000 km/s. The ninety-six torpedoes launched by the strikegroup of Imperial Ghost had been insufficient to slow the targeted Corsair, so Captain Cato Titus took that into consideration when assigning targets for the Starhawks. He ordered the bombers to split their attack between three Corsairs and the Venom, assigning one hundred and ninety-two torpedoes to each. While that could result in overkill, the Eldar fleet had proven to be a very difficult opponent for the Imperium and he wanted to ensure the success of the strike.

The Starhawks launched at one point two million kilometres, then turned for home. One hundred and sixty-two MK IIIs hit the Dark Eldar warships, accompanied by several huge secondary explosions. All four targets were obliterated. The Eldar fleet now comprised the two Raptor class light cruisers and a single Corsair. While the destruction of the four frigate-sized Eldar ships represented a welcome victory for the Imperium, the expended ordnance cost almost as much as a Dauntless class light cruiser. Even so, that was a very favourable exchange considering the technological advantages and limited numbers of the alien ships.



The three remaining Dark Eldar ships continued their pursuit of the bombers, so Battlefleet Damocles began running for the jump point. The Starhawks still had the necessary range to catch-up and land. However, the situation become considerably more complex when sensor emissions from two Eldar Corsairs were detected near the original detection location of the Raptors and within a hundred million kilometres of the Sol jump point. Battlefleet Damocles now had an Eldar force of unknown size in its path of retreat and was in serious trouble.



Battlefleet Damocles could not halt its approach to the jump point, or the pursuing force would catch it. Therefore, the fleet continued onward while Captain Titus requested help from Terra. Battlefleet Terra was three hundred and forty million kilometres from the Proxima jump point, while Battlefleet Damocles was approximately three hundred million kilometres from the Proxima side of the same jump point. However, even if the faster, refitted Imperium ships made it to Proxima, they would be unable to catch the second Eldar force as it closed on the Battlefleet Damocles and would be outranged by its weapons. The only available light torpedoes were already in Proxima.

Regardless of their ability to fight the Eldar, additional ships might serve as a distraction so a force of two Lunar II class cruisers and six refitted frigates was immediately dispatched to Proxima. Unfortunately, the Imperial Navy was becoming extremely stretched, so a call went to the Space Marines. The recently-formed Space Wolves chapter had the most ion-engined ships, so it sent a battle barge, two strike cruisers and two Nova class frigates to Proxima. Finally, while the Imperial Navy did not have many space ships, it did have a large number of interceptors and bombers, albeit mostly of first generation design and with older torpedoes. Sixty-seven Fury class interceptors, sixteen of which were Fury IIs, and thirty-two Starhawk bombers with MK II light torpedoes sped away from Terra at varying speeds.

Battlefleet Damocles disengaged all sensors and deactivated shields, then took a slightly dog-leg course to the jump point, hoping to avoid the new Eldar force while trying to still reach the jump point before the pursuing force. The new arrivals continued to appear and disappear as their sensors turned on and off, but it seemed that they were on an intercept course for Battlefleet Damocles, even with the new course.



Suddenly, Captain Titus realised that the approaching Corsairs might actually be trying to intercept the distant Starhawks, rather than his carriers, unless the Eldar sensor range exceeded two hundred million kilometres. He ordered the sixty-four bombers to adopt a new course away from the fleet while the carriers and their escort veered even further off their original course. The Corsair vanished once again and a tense four hours ensured until they reappeared on a intercept course for the Starhawks.



Nine hours after the detection of the second Eldar force, sixteen Starhawk II bombers transited into Proxima. With a speed of 11,260 km/s, compared to only 7200 km/s for the Starhawk I, they were much faster than the Eldar ships and could more easily evade them. However, that speed came at the expense of much shorter range. They were accompanied by sixteen Fury IIs, with a speed of 12,500 km/s. The newer Eldar force had disengaged sensors for the moment, so there were no targets to attack. Two hours after the arrival of the Imperium attack craft, the main Eldar force ceased its pursuit of the Starhawks, which had opened up a gap of almost fifty million kilometres, and were possibly beyond Eldar sensor range, and headed back toward the inner system.



Captain Titus ordered the Starhawk strike force to head directly for the Sol jump point. Four hours later, the second Eldar force began active emissions, allowing the Imperium to pinpoint its location. Somehow, the returning Starhawks had crossed its path without being detected and the Corsairs were now closer to the planet than the bombers. They disappeared once more, but the Imperium forces could now reach the jump point without fear of being caught. The second Eldar force reappeared as it moved close enough to the sensor outpost for a third Corsair and a Venom to be detected on thermal sensors. The composition of this force was identical to the losses suffered by the main force, which had vanished from sensors during the previous hour.

With Battlefleet Damocles safe, Captain Titus thanked the Starhawk and Fury crews that had rushed to aid them and ordered them to return to Terra or their motherships. They were not designed for extended deployment and the fleet’s own attack craft were on final approach. The relief force from Battlefleet Terra and the detachment from the Space Wolves remained at the Proxima – Sol jump point to provide support. While there was still a significant Eldar presence in Proxima, the situation appeared to be back under control. At least until a urgent call for help arrived from Hesperus. A colony ship from the Qruze Container Line had been destroyed by twenty-four strength-5 energy weapon impacts from an unknown assailant.

Hesperus lay beyond Sol’s outermost jump point and was a vital link to the systems of Orpheus and Aexe Cardinal. With Proxima also under threat, every populated colony was effectively cut-off from non-military traffic. Solar Admiral Endymion ordered Captain Titus to clear Proxima using whatever means necessary. The carriers and their attack craft represented the Imperium’s best option to fight the Dark Eldar, even if supplies of their most effective weapon were fast running out and the Gallicite required to build replacement torpedoes was also in extremely short supply. Endymion did not want to split the carrier force, so Proxima would be their focus before moving to Hesperus. Of course, that assumed that the attack in Hesperus was carried out by the Eldar and not by another hostile race. The destroyer Honoured Prophecy was dispatched to Hesperus to launch thermal probes to key locations.

In Proxima, the Starhawks were rearmed and Battlefleet Damocles headed in-system to launch another strike. The relief forces from the Space Wolves and Battlefleet Terra remained to guard the jump point. Captain Titus had considered launching the strike from the jump point, but this time he wanted the option of following up the attack with his Fury class interceptors and they didn’t have the necessary range. Once Battlefleet Damocles was in position, the sixty-four Starhawks and thirty-two Fury IIs were launched as a single wave toward the inner system. As they approached Proxima I they detected all of the Dark Eldar ships in orbit; two Raptors, four Corsairs and a single Venom.

As the attack moved within seven million kilometres, the Eldar ships broke orbit and moved away, creating a stern chase in which the Starhawks only had a 500 km/s advantage. Two hours later, the gap had been reduced by half, but the attack craft were fifty million kilometres beyond their planned point of attack and range was becoming an issue for the Furies. Finally, with the Furies on fifty-five precent fuel, the attack craft moved within a million kilometres of the target and the Starhawks launched their MK III light torpedoes. Given the apparent overkill of their previous attack, Captain Titus had decided to select both Raptors and the Venom as the targets. The Raptors were twice as large as the Corsairs so the tonnage of the targeted ships was twenty-five percent greater than in the previous attack. If this attack was successful, the Furies would close in to attack the four Corsairs. Twenty-six Starhawks were allocated to each Raptor and twelve to the Venom.

The two Raptors and the Venom were struck by fifty, fifty-six and twenty-one torpedoes respectively, around half of which penetrated armour. There were no secondary explosions and all three ships survived, although both Raptors were dead in space. Somehow, the Venom maintained maximum speed and continued running, along with the Corsairs, leaving the Raptors in its wake. Titus ordered the Starhawks to head back to their carriers. The thirty-two Fury IIs were ordered to attack the crippled Raptors then, depending on losses, pursue the other five ships.

The Furies charged the Raptors at 12,500 km/s. At 250,000 km, one of the Raptors opened fire on the approaching interceptors. Twelve shots were fired, with no hits. The attack craft had closed to 62,000 km by the time the Eldar weapons recycled and destroyed a single Fury. The other thirty-one interceptors closed to point-blank range. Both Raptors were torn apart by two volleys of massed lascannon fire without any further loss to the Furies. Captain Titus ordered them to pursue and destroy the other five ships. While it would result in significant casualties and perhaps the loss of the entire force, he did not want to Eldar to move out of sensor range. With a new threat in Hesperus, he had to deal with the situation in Proxima quickly.

The Dark Eldar ships were travelling at 6700 km/s, so the Furies would have to endure much more significant fire on the approach. That changed when the Eldar suddenly reversed course, perhaps seeing the retreat of two thirds of the attack craft to be an opportunity to attack the remaining force. The Eldar opened fire at 163,000 km, targeting four different interceptors. One was destroyed outright, two were crippled due to the loss of their engine and fuel reserves respectively and the fourth lost its weapons capability.

Ten seconds later, the Furies were within weapon range and opened fire on the damaged Venom, which was the most dangerous Dark Eldar vessel at short range. Two Furies were destroyed by the Venom, which suffered fifty-eight strength-1 hits in return, most of which penetrated its armour. A second volley was sufficient to destroy the Venom, but the Corsairs fired again and destroyed four interceptors, two of which were already crippled. The twenty-four surviving Furies changed target to one of the Corsairs, although they were all inexperienced crews so it took some time for them to adjust.

By the time the Corsairs’ weapons recycled, the targeted ship had taken ninety-seven strength-1 hits, nine of which penetrated its armour. Four more interceptors blew up as they are engaged by heavy weapon batteries at point-blank range. The damaged Corsair was reduced to half speed, so the interceptors stayed close to it as the other ships moved away. After two more volleys from the interceptors the Corsair exploded. The Furies chased after the remaining ships. Three were destroyed as they approached, leaving seventeen, barely half the original force, in action.

With so few interceptors and with inexperienced crews, the situation was desperate. The first three attacks on the targeted Corsair resulted in fourteen, nine and nineteen strength-1 hits respectively, none of which penetrated the armour. The Corsairs fired simultaneously with the fourth volley, destroying three more interceptors. In return, the Furies inflicted seven more armour hits followed by a single penetrating shot. The Corsair disintegrated amid a strength-106 secondary explosion; an extremely well-timed, lucky hit. Two Corsairs and fourteen Furies remained in the battle.

The Furies continued to attack from point blank range, harrying the last two Dark Eldar ships, while the Eldar tried to fight off their small but deadly assailants. Two more Furies exploded, then two more, leaving just ten. One of the Corsairs,  battered by forty seconds of constant lascannon fire, was finally blown apart, leaving just a single Eldar ship. There was no escape for the last Corsair, as the Furies continued their determined attacks. Four of their number were lost before the raider was finally destroyed, leaving the system free of Dark Eldar warships. Only six Furies, one of which had a disabled lascannon, survived from the original force of thirty-two, but they had killed five Eldar warships with a total tonnage far exceeding their own losses. A resounding, morale-boosting victory for the Imperial Navy.

With the Dark Eldar defeated in Proxima, a new fleet was assembled within days to confront the new threat in Hesperus. Battlefleet Hesperus included three carriers and a light carrier and contained seven hundred MK III light torpedoes, which comprised the Imperium’s entire remaining stockpile, and eighteen of the remaining twenty-two Fury II class interceptors. A further thousand MK II light torpedoes were available, but they were far less effective. Two cruisers and two frigates provided an escort. The light cruiser Unbroken Vow and two frigates were assigned to guard the Damocles system. They would be reinforced once the situation in Hesperus was resolved.

Battlefleet Hesperus
Dictator II class Carrier: Inviolate Conqueror
Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Fortitude
Lunar II class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath
Defiant II class Light Carrier: Bellator Stoicus
Sword II class Frigate: Mariatus, Raven's Spear
18x Fury II class Interceptor:
40x Starhawk class Bomber:
10x Fury class Interceptor:
16x Starhawk II class Bomber:
1x Aquila class Lander:

On May 11th, Honoured Prophecy arrived in Hesperus, moved to the Orpheus jump point, which was between the Sol jump point and the inner system, and then launched a thermal probe toward the system’s lone planet. A single Dark Eldar ship of a new type, designated as Marauder class, was in orbit. Eight days later, Battlefleet Hesperus joined the destroyer at the Orpheus jump point, two hundred million kilometres from Hesperus I. Honoured Prophecy launched a second probe to confirm the Marauder was still in orbit.

Captain Cato Titus, victor of Proxima, was in command of Battlefleet Hesperus. Given that lone Corsairs had always preceded the arrival of larger Dark Eldar forces and that upgraded escorts had already been encountered in Damocles, Titus believed the Marauder could be an upgraded Corsair with Magnetic Fusion Drives. In that case, it would be faster than the Starhawk bombers. Fortunately, Battlefleet Hesperus had sixteen Starhawk II bombers on the carrier Inviolate Conqueror, the only MK II models produced so far, which had a speed of 11,260 km/s. Captain Titus’ other concern was how well the few remaining MK III light torpedoes would fare against the potentially faster ship.

The Starhawk IIs launched with a total of one hundred and eighty-nine MK IIIs. One bomber had only nine torpedoes due to the supply shortage. Titus ordered them to launch everything once in range. Eighteen Fury IIs accompanied the bombers, ready to close in and attack if the torpedoes were not sufficient. As they approached the planet, the Marauder broke orbit and attempted to run at 8438 km/s, confirming the suspicions of Captain Titus. The Imperium attack craft closed in and launched their torpedoes at one point three million kilometres.

Only twelve torpedoes, just six percent of those launched, struck the target and only one of those penetrated the armour. It appeared that the MK III light torpedo was ineffective against the latest generation of Dark Eldar ships. Captain Titus ordered the Furies to close and attack, while the Starhawks headed back to Inviolate Conqueror. The Fury IIs would face a much longer approach to the target compared to Proxima, as their speed advantage was reduced to 4000 km/s and the Marauder continued to run, rather than attack as the larger Eldar force had done in the recent battle. The only minor advantage was that the chase was at a slight angle rather than from directly behind, so the effective closing speed was around 4400 km/s.

A Fury took four strength-1 hits at 233,000 km, losing its fuel storage and immediately coming to a halt. A second Fury was less fortunate at 166,000 km, blown apart by a secondary explosion. Two more Furies died at 100,000 km/s and 32,000 km, but the fourteen survivors were now within weapon range. Massed lascannon fire raked the hull of the Marauder, grinding away the armour and starting to penetrate in several locations. Another Fury blew up as the Eldar weapon batteries recycled, then the Marauder suffered a strength-30 internal explosion that disabled its engines. Two more volleys were sufficient to destroy the ship.

Four Furies had been destroyed and a fifth crippled. The thirteen intact Fury IIs headed for their motherships. Given the limited success of the MK III light torpedoes, Captain Titus believed the interceptors might represent the best option against the Dark Eldar in the future. A MK IV light torpedo with a speed of 51,000 km/s had recently been designed, based on the recently-developed magneto-plasma drive, but less than a hundred had been produced so far. It would take considerable time to build up sufficient stocks for a large engagement, especially with the ongoing Gallicite crisis. An MK III version of the Fury was also being designed, although a suitable new engine had to yet be to be developed.

For the moment though, all Dark Eldar incursions had been crushed, even if it did cost the Imperium almost all of its MK III light torpedoes and Fury II class interceptors. The Lords of Terra could only hope for a respite to resolve the Gallicite shortages and rebuild its attack craft wings. The original Starhawk bombers would also have to be replaced, as they were slower than the new Dark Eldar warships. Meanwhile in Ullanor, an Emissary class Diplomatic Station had been towed into orbit of the alien-occupied moon in an attempt to establish communications. The alien ground force continued to ignore all hails, so the Death Korps of Krieg was on en route to the planet to encourage a response.

Terran Imperium Naval Forces – May 4007
Different versions of the same ship types are shown together. For example, Dauntless I and Dauntless II light cruisers are shown together as Dauntless light cruisers.

Warships
3x Aeternus class: Battle Barge: Aeternus, Spear of Vengeance, Ultimate Vengeance
4x Dictator class Carrier: Archon Kort, Fortitude, Inviolate Conqueror, Rhadamanthine
5x Lunar class Cruiser: Agrippa, Imperial Wrath, Iron Duke, Justicar, Retribution
2x Dominator class Cruiser: Ferrum Aeterna, Ultima Praetor
6x Vanguard class Strike Cruiser: Angelica Mortis, Covenant of Blood, Dread Argent, Eternal Defiance, Holy Execution, Stormwolf
3x Reaper class Torpedo Cruiser: Nocturne Victory, Proxima Victory, Damocles Victory
5x Defiant class Light Carrier: Ad Liberis, Archangel, Bellator Stoicus, Defiant, Imperial Ghost
13x Dauntless class Light Cruiser: Advocate, Aegis, Bellerophon, Bloodhawk, Cerberus, Dauntless, Divine Crusade, Hammer of Truth, Havock, Luxor, Ravenor, Unbroken Vow, Uziel
4x Endeavour class Light Cruiser: Endeavour, Leonid, Sacrament of Judgement, Sanctis Legate
1x Corsair class Raider: Endymion
6x Cobra class Destroyer: Honoured Prophecy, Implacable, Omnis Arcanum, Valour Eternal, Veritas, Zealous
6x Falchion class Frigate: Claymore, Falchion, Gladius, Katana, Khopesh, Scimitar
10x Tempest class Survey Frigate: Acta Sanctorum, Ascension, Constantia, Covenant, Emperor's Light, Evening Star, Morning Star, Red Dawn, Tempest, Vita Brevis
9x Nova class Frigate: Aurora, Celestial, Comet, Eclipse, Meteor, Nebula, Nova, Pulsar, Quasar
6x Firestorm class Frigate: Cape Wrath, Firestorm, Kraken, Medusa, Vengeful, Vortex
16x Sword class Frigate: Absolution, Achilles, Avenger, Destiny's Hand, Excalibur, Heroic Endeavour, Immortal, Mariatus, Night Stalker, Order Absolute, Raven's Spear, Rubicon, Silent Fire, Strident Virtue, Triumph of Juno, Valiant
4x Eternal Faith class Support Vessel: Argus, Eternal Faith, Manifest Destiny, Perseverance

Support Ships
6x Brigantine class Replenishment Ship
6x Cetaceous class Troop Transport
4x Balaenoptera class Troop Transport
4x Orca class Troop Transport
4x Delphinus class Troop Transport
7x Jericho class Colony Ship
1x Bleak Soul class Colony Ship
20x Universe class Mass Conveyor
5x Carrack class Freighter
5x Atlas class Tug
5x Empyrean class Jump Tender
5x Gateway class Stabilisation Ship

Space Stations
19x Ambrosia class Fuel Harvester Station
22x Gaia class Terraforming Station
2x Raven class Salvage Station
1x Emissary class Diplomatic Station
18x Hermes class Sensor Platform

Attack Craft
24x Thunderhawk class Assault Transport
5x Stormbird class Attack Craft
18x Fury II class Interceptor
16x Starhawk II class Bomber
88x Starhawk class Bomber
55x Fury class Interceptor
20x Aquila class Lander
« Last Edit: July 12, 2021, 08:04:20 AM by Steve Walmsley »