Print Page - The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion

C# Fiction => NuclearSlurpee's Fiction => Topic started by: nuclearslurpee on February 13, 2021, 04:37:02 PM

Title: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 13, 2021, 04:37:02 PM

The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion

Restored and translated for the public record by the researchers of the Interplanetary Radioactive Frozen Beverage Academy

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A Brief History of the Duranium Legion to the Year 4000

Scraps of ancient records suggest that scientific minds of the XX and XXI centuries believed that whatever weapons the third world war was fought with, the fourth world war would be fought with primeval technology. Unfortunately for humanity, these scientific minds were incorrect. From the latter half of the XXI century on, not one but a series of apocalyptic world wars were fought. While surviving records are scarce, modern scholarly consensus indicates that the final of these wars, fought in the late XXIII century, culminated in a cataclysmic release of ionizing radiation which disabled nearly all planetary communications, causing the disintegration of civilization and the beginning of a new Dark Age.

Records from this period are scarce, but it is generally accepted that by the XXVI century a patchwork of reconstructed nation states had emerged, broadly clustered near the equator indicating that a nuclear ice age was occurring at the time. From then until the early XXXIII century, few records exist, but the nations which were well-established by this time once again began to practice formal archiving of records. From these archives it is apparent that any post-nuclear ice age had largely ended by this time, as the major nations of Earth had once again expanded north and south. The following centuries were broadly characterized by endless series of local wars for control of the remaining resource-rich areas of the planet, and by the dawn of the XXXVI century the world was dominated by roughly twenty regional powers which competed for domination over the human species.

As regional wars and complex alliances increasingly intertwined, the nation states of Earth transformed from economic and military unions to fanatical ideological blocs, likely in an effort to maintain war fervor amongst their populations. A series of interlocking regional wars in the late XXXVIII century finally exploded into a full-fledged world war, equally as devastating as those of the early XX centuries though fortunately stopping short of the complete collapse of civilization. Regardless, some two-thirds of the regional hegemonies were brought to ruin by the end of this world war, and out of their ashes rose many new nations.

Among these was a race of humans then known as the Iron Legion. Driven by pure ideology and hardened aggression, the Legion struggled for its survival like many others of these new nations, but rather than scraping together what subsistence economy they could, the Legion instead chose to ensure its own survival at the expense of the other nations. The first recorded war of conquest by the Iron Legion began in the year 3812, and these wars would continue unabated for most of that century, during which the Legion would expand to become the largest regional power in the world.. Finally, in the year 3897, Legion scientists made a discovery that would change the face of the Earth forever.

Spurred on by the newly-discovered Trans-Newtonian elements (TNEs, named after one of the few ancient scientists whose memory had survived through the millennia), the Iron Legion fought the last and greatest war in the history of Planet Earth - the Trans-Newtonian War. Standing alone against the combined might of all other nations, their unrivaled technology and aggression ultimately delivered hard-fought victory into the hands of the Legion after over two decades of global conflict. In the end, for the first time in history the peoples of Earth stood united under one banner - the banner of the Duranium Legion, now so-named by decree of the Emperor in honor of the TNEs which had won the war as well as in recognition that the Legion had evolved to become a new, all-encompassing race of mankind.

In the following decades, even the warlike Legion largely busied itself with the work of rebuilding global civilization, introducing the economic wonders of TNEs to the rest of mankind. Even so, various small states in remote regions as well as occasional organized revolts provided the aggressive soldiers of the Legion with sufficient opportunities to hone their combat prowess. Finally, in the last decade of the XL century, the Emperor decreed the construction of a fleet of space-borne warships, partly as a vehicle for continued economic recovery but more so to continue the inexorable expansion of the Legion through the vast reaches of the final frontier…

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Campaign Details

Known systems, 30% ruins chance
Two billion pop, 200k instant RP, 160k instant BP
3x NPR at 25-50 LY, all spoilers active
Rerolling and slight tonnage tweaking of shipyards to support a suitable set of starting classes

Mostly this campaign is intended to be a “quick” 1.12 campaign as I wanted to start writing something without a lot of narrative fuss while waiting for 1.13 to come out, at which point I have a few different ideas. I suspect these may be famous last words, but the Invaders are on so this just might be a quick one.

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The First Legion Navy

The Legion Navy of the year 4000 was technologically built upon the third iteration of Legion Trans-Newtonian (TN) technology in most respects, with the first iteration having fought the Trans-Newtonian War and the second iteration being largely restricted to prototypes and R&D work in the post-war period. The backbone of the Legion Navy at this time consisted of fast ion drive propulsion, robust and rapid-firing railgun batteries in multiple sizes, and ultra high-resolution uridium-based sensor technology powering targeting systems and fire controls in all Navy vessels.

The backbone of the Legion Navy was the Defiant-class Light Cruiser. Sporting an impressive array of 152 mm railgun batteries, while capable of modest point defense the real mission of a Defiant was to close with the enemy at speed and destroy them with bursted railgun fire, in true Legion style. While capable of this mission, Legion analysts complained that the class was based on too small a hull, and a future upgrade to perhaps 15,000 tons void displacement was a subject of active debate at Legion Navy headquarters.

Defiant class Light Cruiser 12,500 tons 371 Crew 1,783.9 BP TCS 250 TH 1,250 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-47 Shields 0-0 HTK 81 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 12 PPV 48
Maint Life 3.14 Years MSP 1,070 AFR 104% IFR 1.4% 1YR 163 5YR 2,448 Max Repair 312.5 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons
Captain Control Rating 3 BRG AUX ENG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 20 Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-625 Cruiser Engine 'Hydra' (2) Power 1250 Fuel Use 35.78% Signature 625 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 580,000 Litres Range 23.3 billion km (54 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 152 mm Medium Battery Mk III (8x4) Range 90,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 9-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 15
Arcadia Weapons Systems Medium Battery Director Mk III (2) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Strike Group
1x R-56 Recon Fighter Speed: 5008 km/s Size: 4.99

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

The Defiants additionally carried one R-56 Recon Fighter apiece to provide stealth and passive monitoring capability.

R-56 class Recon Fighter 250 tons 6 Crew 35.6 BP TCS 5 TH 25 EM 0
5008 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 3.34 Years MSP 20 AFR 50% IFR 0.7% 1YR 3 5YR 41 Max Repair 12.5 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 15,000 Litres Range 6 billion km (13 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction

Built on the same hull as the Defiants, the Grand Cross-class Light Jump Cruisers traded the entire armament for squadron jump capability. Thus, a squadron of three Defiants and a Grand Cross was in theory capable of prosecuting a campaign anywhere in the galaxy.

Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser 12,500 tons 325 Crew 1,771.5 BP TCS 250 TH 1,250 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 4-100 Armour 6-47 Shields 0-0 HTK 65 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 16 PPV 0
Maint Life 3.33 Years MSP 1,417 AFR 78% IFR 1.1% 1YR 194 5YR 2,907 Max Repair 371 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons
Captain Control Rating 3 BRG AUX ENG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 20 Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-250 Gravity Drive 'Supernova' Max Ship Size 12500 tons Distance 100k km Squadron Size 4

Hyperion Drive Yards H-625 Cruiser Engine 'Hydra' (2) Power 1250 Fuel Use 35.78% Signature 625 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 570,000 Litres Range 22.9 billion km (53 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Strike Group
1x R-56 Recon Fighter Speed: 5008 km/s Size: 4.99

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

If the Defiant class was the backbone of the Legion Navy, the Charybdis-class Destroyers were its workhorses. Equipped with a seemingly-limitless arsenal of 102 mm rapid-firing defense batteries, the Charybdis class provided a formidable point defense capability to supplement the offensive firepower of the Defiant cruisers.

Charybdis class Destroyer 10,000 tons 324 Crew 1,467 BP TCS 200 TH 1,000 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 4-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 68 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 8 PPV 48
Maint Life 3.06 Years MSP 733 AFR 100% IFR 1.4% 1YR 118 5YR 1,765 Max Repair 250 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-500 Destroyer Engine 'Cerberus' (2) Power 1000 Fuel Use 40.0% Signature 500 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 471,000 Litres Range 21.2 billion km (49 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (16x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (4) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (4) Total Power Output 48.4 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

As with the cruisers, several ships of a modified design were built on the same hull to provide a jump capability. The Furious-class Jump Destroyers thus ensured that the Legion’s cruiser squadrons would have adequate supporting fire no matter where in the galaxy they were fought. Unlike the Grand Crosses, these retained a small number of point defense batteries to further support their comrades in arms.

Furious class Jump Destroyer 10,000 tons 285 Crew 1,349.3 BP TCS 200 TH 1,000 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 4-100 Armour 4-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 60 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 10 PPV 12
Maint Life 3.07 Years MSP 883 AFR 80% IFR 1.1% 1YR 140 5YR 2,106 Max Repair 250 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-200 Gravity Drive 'Helios' Max Ship Size 10000 tons Distance 100k km Squadron Size 4

Hyperion Drive Yards H-500 Destroyer Engine 'Cerberus' (2) Power 1000 Fuel Use 40.0% Signature 500 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 471,000 Litres Range 21.2 billion km (49 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (4x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (1) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (1) Total Power Output 12.1 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

As every powerful fleet body needs eyes and ears, the Bellerophon-class Frigates were also deployed by the Legion alongside the larger ships. Unarmed except for a small point defense battery, the primary mission of the Bellerophons was to provide long-range passive detection and active target acquisition capability for the larger warships. While some in the Legion Navy questioned the tactical value of long-range sensors for a fleet armed with short-range weapons, the Legion high command generally kept to the opinion that battlefield intel could never be had in excess.

Bellerophon class Frigate 7,500 tons 211 Crew 1,237 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 3-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 40 Sensors 96/96/0/0 DCR 6 PPV 6
Maint Life 3.35 Years MSP 618 AFR 75% IFR 1.0% 1YR 83 5YR 1,251 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 432,000 Litres Range 22.4 billion km (51 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (2x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (1) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 6 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (1) Total Power Output 6.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Long-Range Array (1) GPS 14400 Range 83.1m km Resolution 150
Scamander Corporation Series XVI High-Resolution Array (1) GPS 1920 Range 42.4m km Resolution 20
Scamander Corporation Series XVI Missile Warning Array (1) GPS 96 Range 15.6m km MCR 1.4m km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Array (1) Sensitivity 96 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 77.5m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Array (1) Sensitivity 96 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 77.5m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

As with the larger warships, a jump-capable warship was based on the same hull as the Bellerophons. The Excelsior-class Jump Frigates mounted a squadron jump drive in the volume freed by removing the Bellerophons’ sensor suite, ensuring a mobile sensor capability for the Legion’s war fleets, in addition to an extra defense battery over the Bellerophons.

Excelsior class Jump Frigate 7,500 tons 217 Crew 972.7 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 4-100 Armour 3-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 46 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 7 PPV 9
Maint Life 3.33 Years MSP 567 AFR 64% IFR 0.9% 1YR 78 5YR 1,165 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-150 Gravity Drive 'Farscape' Max Ship Size 7500 tons Distance 100k km Squadron Size 4

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 420,000 Litres Range 21.8 billion km (50 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (3x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (1) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 9 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (1) Total Power Output 9.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Additionally, a third frigate design was based on the same hull. The Ars Magica-class Survey Frigates were actually the first iteration of this hull type to enter production, owing to the premium value placed on its capabilities by the Emperor himself. Equipped with a self-jump drive and a set of gravitic and geological survey sensors, the Ars Magicas had the crucial mission of finding new systems, resources, and most of all alien races for the Legion to conquer and exploit.

Ars Magica class Survey Frigate 7,500 tons 145 Crew 870.4 BP TCS 150 TH 225 EM 0
1500 km/s JR 1-25(C) Armour 2-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 42 Sensors 8/8/2/2 DCR 12 PPV 0
Maint Life 11.29 Years MSP 870 AFR 37% IFR 0.5% 1YR 13 5YR 188 Max Repair 100 MSP
Captain Control Rating 2 BRG SCI
Intended Deployment Time: 96 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LGC-150 Gravity Drive 'Argonaut' Max Ship Size 7500 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 1

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-225 Deep Space Engine 'Orpheon' (1) Power 225 Fuel Use 3.82% Signature 225 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 308,000 Litres Range 193.7 billion km (1494 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Legion Navy Order of Battle in 4000

All told, the Legion Navy in the year 4000 consisted of 382,000 tons of warships crewed by 10,800 of the Legion’s finest void sailors.

6x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Dauntless, Defenstrator, Defiant, Denouement, Devastator, Disruptor
2x Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser: Gothic, Grand Cross
12x Charybdis class Destroyer: Carronade, Catharsis, Centaur, Centurion, Chainsaw, Champion, Charon, Charybdis, Conqueror, Covenanter, Crushing Blow, Cry, Ye Wicked
4x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Fade To Black, Final Blow, Final Judgment, Furious
6x Bellerophon class Frigate: Barbette, Bat Country, Battery, Battleaxe, Bellerophon, Blastwave
2x Excelsior class Jump Frigate: Excelsior, Executor
8x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Adamant, Adjudicator, Aether Net, Archon, Archrival, Ardent Knight, Ars Magica, Avenging Wrath
8x R-56 class Recon Fighter

In addition to warships, the Legion had constructed an impressive array of unarmed vessels to assist in the exploitation of Sol and any new systems discovered by the survey fleet, and to support the fleet in operations far from Sol. This so-called Commercial Fleet displaced over 3.5 million void tons altogether, despite employing crews totaling only 18,300 Legion conscripts.

8x Phaeton class Freighter: 79,112 tons, 1,516 km/s, 50,000 cargo capacity
4x Typhon class Colony Ship: 79,389 tons, 1,511 km/s, 200,000 cryogenic berths
4x Dragon class Tanker: 86,116 tons, 1.393 km/s, 60 million litres fuel capacity
2x Salamander class Troop Transport: 63,996 tons, 1,406 km/s, 40,000 tons troop capacity
4x Libra class Fleet Tender: 39,971 tons, 1,501 km/s, 12,000 MSP, jump capable
2x Andromeda class Stabilisation Ship: 71,535 tons, 1,258 km/s, jump point stabilization 180 days
4x Ogre class Tug: 85,955 tons, 81,000 tons of engine capacity, tractor beam
6x Knossos class Fuel Harvester Platform: 111,847 tons, 40x fuel harvester modules
4x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform: 102,512 tons, 20x orbital miner modules
4x Achelous class Terraforming Platform: 101,284 tons, 4x terraformer modules
8x Warden class Traffic Monitor: 3,000 tons, 3,750 km/s, commercial active/EM/thermal sensor capability

Ground Forces of the Duranium Legion

While much-reduced in size since the Trans-Newtonian War, the Duranium Legion maintained an impressive force of active-duty ground forces arranged into large formations imaginatively called legions. The base units of each legion were the battalions of Mechanized, Tank, and Artillery types, which were combined into brigades of four battalions apiece. In contrast to most militaries in Earth’s known history, the brigade headquarters was not a separate formation but was embedded into one of the four combat battalions with no type preference in place of the usual battalion headquarters. This was done in accordance with Legion battlefield philosophy which placed high emphasis on leading from the front.

The Mechanized Infantry Battalions of the Legion were the most numerous. While largely based on foot soldiers and thus suitable as defensive units, as with all Legion ground forces the primary mission of the Infantry was offensive in nature and thus fortified emplacements were disdained in favor of mobile armored vehicles to support the riflemen in aggressive front-line assaults. As these assaults had proven costly even against the lightly-armed minor nations and rebels in the post-war era, Legion ground commanders sought room in their research budgets to develop heavy powered armor to improve their infantry survivability and battlefield staying power.

(https://i.imgur.com/26FlEX9.png)

The Tank Battalions of the Legion were considered the most prestigious of the three ground force services, owing to their premiere offensive firepower and maneuverability. While the Halberd main battle tanks were the pride of the Legion, the Devastator anti-infantry tanks were far more feared on the battlefield by the light infantry forces typically fought in the post-war era. Legion weapons scientists had submitted a number of proposals to develop heavier, more fearsome armored vehicles for use in the coming interstellar era of warfare.

(https://i.imgur.com/4MoiAT0.png)

Supporting the infantry and tank arms were the Mechanized Artillery Battalions, at the ratio of one artillery formation per brigade of either type. These were split into light and medium artillery, the former represented by the Arbalest mortar tanks while the medium bombardment role was filled by the Onager self-propelled guns. While Legion artillerists were familiar with heavier artillery weapons from prototype development during post-war conflicts, much work was needed before such guns would be ready for mass-production and mounting on armored fighting vehicles.

(https://i.imgur.com/r9lPNGZ.png)

Intermediate command and control was provided by Corps formations which were composed largely of logistical elements necessary to support the Legion’s brigades in an extended war of conquest. The terminal Legion headquarters followed the same template apart from expanded command facilities. While these were in theory distinct, rear-echelon formations, Corps and Legion commanders were frequently known to abandon their command posts to direct fighting from the front lines, a fact often used by Legion propagandists of the post-war era to enhance the fearsome reputation of the ground forces.

(https://i.imgur.com/2wAbHLF.png)

Ranks
SCD: Subcommandant
CDT: Commandant
LCD: Lord Commandant
LG: Lord General

And for the completionists in the audience…

Off-Topic: show

Legion Ground Forces Order of Battle in 4000

Active-duty Legion ground forces at this time totaled just over 60,000 highly-trained soldiers operating 519,000 transport tons of cutting-edge weapons and equipment.

Imperial Guard Legion
I. Imperial Guard Corps: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Imperial Guard Brigades
II. Imperial Guard Corps: 4th, 5th, 6th Imperial Guard Brigades
IV. Imperial Guard Corps: 7th, 8th, 9th Imperial Guard Brigades

Emperor’s Hand Legion
III. Armored Corps: 101st, 102nd, 103rd Tank Brigade
V. Armored Corps: 104th, 105th, 106th Tank brigade
VI. Mechanized Corps: 10th, 11th, 12th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

Imperial Guard and Mechanized Infantry Brigades: 3x Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 1x Mechanized Artillery Battalion
Tank Brigade: 3x Tank Battalion, 1x Mechanized Artillery Battalion
Brigade headquarters is embedded with one of the constituent battalions with no type preference

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(https://i.imgur.com/4nYhAfD.png)

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter I: Dawn of the XLI Century
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 13, 2021, 04:52:00 PM

1 January 4000

As the first day of the XLI century dawned, the Emperor ordered the Legion’s survey frigates out into the solar system to conduct a comprehensive geological survey. The setting off of these ships was done to much public fanfare and aplomb, privately however the Emperor and his senior Legion advisors were greatly concerned about the deteriorating mineral situation on Earth, which by that time was known as Duratus in official Legion records. Deposits of several key TNEs were predicted to run out within the next decade, most importantly gallicite which was projected to be completely mined out in less than four years, but also vendarite (4 years), neutronium (7 years), and duranium (9 years). Deposits of uridium and corundium, critical for military and industrial applications, would last through at least the present decade but were proving increasingly difficult to extract from the planet’s crust. Given these facts, the mission of the eight survey frigates was far more critical to the survival of the Legion than the public could ever be permitted to know.

Duratus
Duranium 174,900 Acc 1
Neutronium 82,200 Acc 0.6
Corbomite 95,200 Acc 1
Tritanium 137,700 Acc 0.8
Boronide 239,000 Acc 0.6
Mercassium 134,300 Acc 0.7
Vendarite 73,600 Acc 1
Sorium 197,700 Acc 0.8
Uridium 116,600 Acc 0.5
Corundium 79,500 Acc 0.4
Gallicite 62,500 Acc 0.9

Almost immediately, survey reports from the inner system were transmitted back to Duratus indicating a significant wealth of TNEs very nearby, including rich gallicite deposits on Luna and multiple abundant TNEs including duranium on both Mars and Mercury. The orbital survey of Venus proved difficult with many conflicting readings; while low-accessibility TNEs were discovered, Captain Achlys Tartarus of the Adamant recommended a ground-level survey be performed once the necessary equipment and training was available. In the short term, the Legion would establish colonies on Luna and Mars, prioritizing the latter once civilian shipping was established enough to supply the Luna colony on its own. The Terraforming Cluster would be sent to Mars for shakedown operations before being deployed to Mercury to prepare that world for long-term exploitation.

Mercury
Duranium 476,288 Acc 0.8
Neutronium 1,736,070 Acc 1
Tritanium 1,100,821 Acc 0.8
Boronide 3,529,889 Acc 0.6
Sorium 5,373,124 Acc 0.1

Venus
Duranium 1,648,202 Acc 0.2
Tritanium 2,289,169 Acc 0.1
Vendarite 5,288,896 Acc 0.1
Sorium 5,570,922 Acc 0.1
Ground Survey Potential: Low

Luna
Boronide 1,086,181 Acc 0.2
Gallicite 638,433 Acc 0.9

Mars
Duranium 17,099,552 Acc 0.8
Corbomite 722,500 Acc 0.8
Boronide 93,636 Acc 1
Mercassium 7,584,516 Acc 0.1
Sorium 1,040,400 Acc 0.1

The blessings of mineral wealth continued to fall upon the Legion, as Captain Caerus Elysium aboard the Aether Net transmitted a report to Legion high command revealing massive, high-accessibility quantities of gaseous sorium in the atmosphere of Jupiter which could readily be converted to ship fuel on-site. The Harvester Cluster was to be worked up and deployed to Jupiter as soon as possible along with sufficient tanker support to maintain the Duratus-Jupiter shipping route. It would soon turn out that this close-by source of Sorium was particularly valuable, as no other gas giant in the system contained even a trace of that TNE.

Jupiter
Sorium 6,435,000 Acc 0.8

As the geological survey of the solar system continued, more reports came into Legion high command detailing the mineral wealth of Sol. Of the bodies surveyed, a few were marked for immediate exploitation by Legion orbital miners, while the remaining bodies were left as targets for future mining colonies or other commercial ventures.

Borrelly
Duranium 28,735 Acc 1
Corbomite 23,294 Acc 1
Sorium 128,842 Acc 0.8
Uridium 67,056 Acc 0.9

Machholz
Duranium 41,401 Acc 1
Vendarite 54,677 Acc 1
Gallicite 157,491 Acc 0.8

Oumuamua
Neutronium 21,365 Acc 0.8
Tritanium 50,410 Acc 0.6
Mercassium 63,236 Acc 0.7
Sorium 11,293 Acc 0.8

Tempel 1
Neutronium 12,125 Acc 0.7
Mercassium 26,441 Acc 0.6
Sorium 8,465 Acc 0.8
Corundium 44,209 Acc 0.6

By the last months of the year 4000, the captains of the survey frigates began reporting that there were no more bodies available to be surveyed. Work thus began on the gravitational survey of Sol, with Legion high command optimistic that many new pathways of exploration and expansion would be revealed - with particularly good fortune, there would be enemies along these pathways to be defeated in glorious battle. This optimism was only slightly tempered by the sudden passing of Lord General Cronus Metis, second-in-command of the Legion Ground Forces, in a tragic accident on 17 October.

Any lasting mourning was soon dispelled when the Captain Perseus Abas of the Ardent Knight submitted an urgent report on 6 November - Jump Point Theory had been empirically confirmed, as the first jump point known to the Legion was found to exist between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. While exciting news, the Emperor himself intervened to urge caution, decreeing that the gravitational survey of Sol must be fully completed before the survey ships would be sent out into the rest of the galaxy. For now, the first of the Warden-class traffic monitors would be dispatched to this jump point, to monitor it for the potential of an incursion by extrasolar aliens, however slim the probability might have seemed at the time. These vessels had been designed in foresight with the sole purpose of monitoring jump points for unexpected traffic - although the potential use of these ships to also keep track of the Legion’s own civilian traffic was not lost on many in the Naval establishment.

Warden class Traffic Monitor 3,000 tons 36 Crew 161.4 BP TCS 60 TH 225 EM 0
3750 km/s Armour 1-18 Shields 0-0 HTK 14 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 33 Max Repair 45 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 1,000
Subcommander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-225 Deep Space Engine 'Orpheon' (1) Power 225 Fuel Use 3.82% Signature 225 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 79,000 Litres Range 124.2 billion km (383 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

As the year 4000 drew to an illustrious close, a second and third jump point were in rapid succession reported and found to be much closer to Duratus, halfway between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. While not as landmark of an event as the first jump point discovery, these were much more logistically-friendly positions and were thus viewed more positively by the Legion high command. The future was looking bright indeed for the Duranium Legion, though not without its challenges.

Year 4001

A number of promotions were issued at the beginning of the year as part of Legion high command efforts to restructure the ranks prior to setting out on interstellar missions. Most notably, Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance became the first Naval officer in Legion history to hold that high rank. To somewhat less fanfare, the promotion of Apheleia Porphyrion to Lord General to replace the departed Lord General Metis filled a crucial void in the high command.

The urgency of this command restructure quickly became apparent when a fourth jump point was discovered between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. To discover three jump points within a billion km of Sol was a better result than even the wildest dreams of Survey Fleet command, and the system survey had not even been completed yet. The fact that the gravitational survey was completed on 28 May with no further jump points discovered did little to dampen this enthusiasm. The Survey Fleet was ordered back to Duratus for a short overhaul period before being sent out through the jump points.

(https://i.imgur.com/meKAE3I.png)

System map of Sol showing locations of the discovered jump points in relation to planetary orbits. Body positions indicate that this map was produced on 10 September 4001. Jump Point #4 as labeled here was actually the first jump point to be discovered by the Legion’s Survey Fleet.

The first two survey frigates to complete their overhaul were sent out to the first jump point discovered. While it was the farthest away, Legion high command had decided to honor the captain and crew of Ardent Knight by granting them the inaugural passage through the jump point they had discovered, first in Legion history. Accompanied by her sister ship, Avenging Wrath, she arrived at the jump point on 10 September where she was greeted by the Warden-class traffic monitor on station. After a brief moment to reflect on the gravity of the occasion, Ardent Knight powered up her ion drives and disappeared in a dazzle of pulsating warp energy...

----

Shipbuilding

1x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Angel of Ares
3x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Salamander class Troop Transport
2x Libra class Fleet Tender
1x Andromeda class Stabilisation Ship

Research

Max Tracking Time for Bonus vs Missiles: 30 seconds (6%)
Max Tracking Time for Bonus vs Missiles: 45 seconds (9%)
Max Tracking Time for Bonus vs Missiles: 60 seconds (12%)
Mining Production 12 tons
Particle Beam Range 100,000 km
Particle Beam Strength 3
Research Rate 240
Terraforming Rate 0.00032 atm

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter II: Early Exploration
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 15, 2021, 10:50:27 PM

10 September 4001

After several tense minutes, reports from Ardent Knight began arriving back through the jump point, relayed to Legion high command from Avenging Wrath and the Warden-class traffic monitor which remained on the Sol side of the jump point. The system to which Ardent Knight had transited was known to Legion astronomers as Lalande 21185, named after an ancient astronomer according to historical records which had survived to that time. Captain Perseus Abas further reported that the system contained ten planets with sixty-six moons, including one in the near-habitable range with a thin nitrogen-CO2 atmosphere, though it was tidally locked and thus would only support a small maximum population if developed fully. As Lalande 21185 was a relatively small star, nine of the planets orbited fairly closely, but the tenth planet in the system orbited rather impractically at a more than 15 billion km radius. Ardent Knight was ordered to survey the near-habitable planet carefully, and then if no dangerous aliens were found she would proceed to survey the rest of the bodies in the system while Avenging Wrath would begin the gravitational survey. Due to the smaller size of the star, each survey location would take only 60% as long to survey compared to those in Sol, much to the pleasure of the Legion high command which was eager to begin extrasolar expansion in earnest.

(https://i.imgur.com/WFJ3Vn1.png)

Astrometric survey data from Lalande 21185 showing the distribution of planets in the system. For scale, note that Planet IX orbits at 3.2 billion km from the star. Not shown: Planet X at 15.7 billion km.

Two weeks later, the ground survey of the third planet had been completed without incident. While the initial results were mediocre, Ardent Knight reported severe magnetic field anomalies which had interfered with her sensors, thus necessitating that a ground survey be carried out in the future, though few if any additional TNEs were expected to be discovered. This aside, the Lalande survey frigates were in the clear to complete their assessment of the system with all due haste.

Lalande 21185-A III
Duranium 2,592 Acc 0.4
Neutronium 254,016 Acc 0.3
Vendarite 6,718,464 Acc 0.1
Sorium 5,143,824 Acc 1.0
Gallicite 685,584 Acc 0.1
Ground Survey Potential: Minimal

While the discovery of Lalande 21185 was momentous, the Legion survey command did not lose a single step back on Duratus. By the time Ardent Knight had transited, two more survey frigates had already moved into position at the jump point nearest to Sol and were ready to commence exploration of whatever system laid beyond it. The survey frigate Adamant was ordered to transit the jump point, backed up by the newly-built Angel of Ares which would follow her once the system was declared clear for surveying. Unfortunately, on transit Adamant reported the discovery of a planetless system, Ross 128, which was of little use for the Legion colonization machine; however, as Ross 128 was a smaller star than even Lalande 21185 the gravitational survey would proceed quite rapidly especially with two survey frigates on the job.

The remaining jump points in Sol were surveyed as the survey frigates came away from the overhaul yards. The survey frigate Archon transited the second-closest jump point to reach the system of EZ Aquarii, another bodiless system despite consisting of three stars, and was soon followed by her sister, Archrival. Almost immediately a new jump point was discovered, and Archrival was ordered to press onward, transiting into the binary star system of WX Ursae Majoris, while Archon remained in-system. Finally, as the year drew to a close, Ars Magica transited the final jump point in Sol and emerged in a system known as Luhman 16, a small binary system with a mix of planets, moons, and comets with none particularly habitable.

Year 4002

The Legion high command continued to review survey reports pouring in from Lalande 21185. In addition to the near-habitable third planet, The eighth moon of the seventh planet contained numerous kinds of TNEs and would make an excellent short-term automatic mining base, alongside other small moons of that planet which were easily mined from orbital platforms. Thus, the Legion would establish a colony in this system of perhaps ten million to support mining operations and potentially a minor naval station. As the first extrasolar colony of the Duranium Legion required a suitably momentous name, the system would be rechristened as Olympia - although privately some of the Lords Admiral wondered if such a grandiose name should be reserved for a more impressive system further afield. To support this effort, two Andromeda-class stabilisation ships would be assigned to the Sol-Olympia jump points; the task of these vessels would be completed soon enough, on 2 August, which would enable civilian shipping lines to service the new colony.

Olympia-A VII - Moon 8
Duranium 5,618 Acc 1.0
Neutronium 169 Acc 1.0
Boronide 5,329 Acc 1.0
Mercassium 2,704 Acc 1.0
Uridium 900 Acc 1.0
Corundium 7,569 Acc 1.0
Gallicite 2,500 Acc 1.0

After over two years of Legion-exclusive space operations, the Centaurus Mining Group was the first entity not under the Legion high command to be granted a license to operate off-world. Their license allowed them to establish an outpost of twenty civilian equivalents to the Legion automines on the Jovian moon Europa, with provisions for expansion based on performance. At least for the near term Centaurus would be subjected to heavy taxation, although some clauses in the license agreement provided for a future possibility of direct TNE purchases by the Legion high command at a reduced rate in exchange for tax exemptions. While Europa itself was a frankly mediocre choice for a civilian mining concern, from the perspective of Legion admirals, it was hoped that this agreement would pave the way for similar future licenses at more lucrative locations.

Europa
Duranium 414,063 Acc 0.9
Mercassium 1,994,021 Acc 1

Much of the year 4002 passed in relative obscurity, as events which were once remarkable were now considered routine operations by the restless crewmen of the Navy ships. The survey frigate Angel of Ares discovered a nearly-habitable planet in the system of GJ 1061, which turned out out to have a very poor distribution of TNEs but could be very rapidly terraformed despite being 50% greater than Duratus in diameter, as it had an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere with only slightly more oxygen than was safe for human habitation and otherwise was only a little bit on the chilly side. Hopefully the rest of the system would prove more enticing, allowing this planet to serve usefully as a base for system mining operations.

GJ 1061-A II
Boronide 65,545,216 Acc 0.2
Mercassium 17,139,600 Acc 0.1
Vendarite 46,348,864 Acc 0.2
Nitrogen 71.000% 0.901 atm
Oxygen 29.000% 0.368 atm
Surface Temp (K / C) 191.64 -81.36

On 10 December, the survey frigate Adjudicator reported that the geological survey of the Sol system was completed, as the last significant body had been surveyed, an asteroid labeled as 2009 YE7.

Year 4003

On 19 January, the survey frigate Aether Net transited the unexplored jump point in HH Andromedae and came upon the Alpha Centauri system, much to the delight of the Legion Navy public relations department which had been struggling to keep the population interested in exploration of systems with names like GJ 1061. The Alpha Centauri system was a binary star system, and the initial astrographic survey indicated the presence of an amazing five near-habitable bodies. The primary component star possessed the majority of these, two planets and a moon along with an additional moon around the second planet which was similarly suited for colonization aside from a very low surface gravity. The secondary component star only had two such bodies, but perhaps more intriguing was a large asteroid belt nestled directly in the star’s habitable zone. While most of these asteroids would still require low-gravity infrastructure to support human colonies, one asteroid along with the second planet of that star made up the remaining near-habitable bodies in the system, along with a low-gravity moon of the second planet.

While this was potentially an incredible bounty, Legion high command was wary of the high probability for alien contact within this system, as any one of the five near-ideal worlds might just meet another species’ definition of “ideal”. Therefore, orders were issued for the Warden-class traffic monitor from HH Andromedae to approach each of these bodies in turn ahead of Aether Net, as while both ship classes were equipped with similar passive sensors the Wardens were also equipped with small active sensors and were significantly smaller and faster than the lumbering Ars Magicas. Therefore it was hoped that the Warden would not only provide more intelligence on potential alien contacts but also would have a better chance of escape from any hostile encounter. The unspoken presumption that the loss of a Warden would be considered more tolerable than one of the survey frigates was left unsaid, and after all to die in battle was a fate far eclipsing any glory most traffic monitor crews could ever dream of.

Warden 4 would take seventeen days to arrive in the planetary system of Alpha Centauri A, detecting no alien contacts hostile or otherwise during her review of the system. From there, travel to the B component would take another eleven days, with the brief flyby proving equally uneventful. By 17 February, the Alpha Centauri system had been declared clear of alien presence, to mixed reception at Legion high command.

Unexpectedly, first contact for the Duranium Legion would come from an unlikely source, on the far side of the known galaxy...

----

Shipbuilding

2x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Deadly Poison, Domination
2x Charybdis class Destroyer: Calamitous, Creeping Death
1x Bellerophon class Frigate: Brutal Legend
1x Excelsior class Jump Frigate: Endless Night
2x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Typhon class Colony Ship
2x Libra class Fleet Tender
2x Ogre class Tug
1x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform

Research

Construction Rate 12 BP
Geosurvey Equipment
Maintenance Support Per Facility: 1250 Tons
Maximum Orbital Mining Diameter 125 km
Particle Beam Range 150,000 km
Planetary Sensor Strength 300
Powered Infantry Armour - ARM 1.5
Shipyard Operations: 5% Time/Cost Saving
Wealth Generation per Million TN Workers: 120

Systems Discovered (Year 4002 onward)

HH Andromedae: FS Aether Net, 17 February 4002
GJ 1061: FS Angel of Ares, 1 May 4002
Kruger 60: FS Ars Magica, 9 September 4002
AD Leonis: FS Archon, 8 November 4002
Alpha Centauri: FS Aether Net, 19 January 4003
Gliese 1: FS Adamant, 28 January 4003
Kuiper 79: FS Avenging Wrath, 9 February 4003
WISE 1738+2732: FS Ardent Knight, 19 February 4003

Duranium Legion Galaxy Map: 25 February 4003

(https://i.imgur.com/XGGL8JJ.png)

----

OOC: I just want to take a moment to say - feel free to comment on these posts! Writing about the game is a lot of fun, but so is having some interaction on the posts, and feedback might make its way into future posts to make the AAR hopefully that much more fun for you readers. If you're worried about breaking up the flow between posts, don't be - comment away, as I can ruin the flow of my posts just fine on my own. :P

I mention this now because, while the first couple of updates here are a bit more mundane, as you might expect from the ending above some more exciting bits are coming soon so I want to clear this up now rather than later. ;D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: liveware on February 16, 2021, 12:50:59 PM

Is there a program you use to generate those ground force org charts? Those are slick!

Looking forward to the next installment, I liked Steve's WH40k campaign and this one looks pretty good also.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 16, 2021, 01:14:23 PM

Quote from: liveware on February 16, 2021, 12:50:59 PM

Is there a program you use to generate those ground force org charts? Those are slick!

Looking forward to the next installment, I liked Steve's WH40k campaign and this one looks pretty good also.

I make them by hand in paint.net. The first couple times I made them it took a while, but once I figure out how to arrange things the way I want with spacing etc. it goes fairly quickly. I also have a template sheet of all the icons that I copy and paste from.

I too liked Steve's WH40K campaign, and while I'm not trying to emulate his work per se (the railguns are a coincidence, I swear!) I won't deny a certain measure of inspiration was taken.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Garfunkel on February 16, 2021, 02:10:38 PM

Interesting start, keep it up!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Erik L on February 16, 2021, 02:11:54 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on February 16, 2021, 01:14:23 PM

Quote from: liveware on February 16, 2021, 12:50:59 PM
Is there a program you use to generate those ground force org charts? Those are slick!

Looking forward to the next installment, I liked Steve's WH40k campaign and this one looks pretty good also.

I make them by hand in paint.net. The first couple times I made them it took a while, but once I figure out how to arrange things the way I want with spacing etc. it goes fairly quickly. I also have a template sheet of all the icons that I copy and paste from.

I too liked Steve's WH40K campaign, and while I'm not trying to emulate his work per se (the railguns are a coincidence, I swear!) I won't deny a certain measure of inspiration was taken.

Will you share your icon templates? :D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 16, 2021, 04:10:59 PM

Quote from: Erik L on February 16, 2021, 02:11:54 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on February 16, 2021, 01:14:23 PM
Quote from: liveware on February 16, 2021, 12:50:59 PM
Is there a program you use to generate those ground force org charts? Those are slick!

Looking forward to the next installment, I liked Steve's WH40k campaign and this one looks pretty good also.

I make them by hand in paint.net. The first couple times I made them it took a while, but once I figure out how to arrange things the way I want with spacing etc. it goes fairly quickly. I also have a template sheet of all the icons that I copy and paste from.

I too liked Steve's WH40K campaign, and while I'm not trying to emulate his work per se (the railguns are a coincidence, I swear!) I won't deny a certain measure of inspiration was taken.

Will you share your icon templates? :D

Sure. I'll post them up here for now but if there is more interest I can create a separate thread in the downloads forum which gives more detail and maybe some up-sized versions, as these are a bit small since I initially used them for more detailed OOB charts - for the lesser level of detail I have here I really could use 1.5x or even 2x size for legibility.

Attached are template PNGs in black and cream (same color as most of the text in Aurora) outlines. Most of the icons are fairly standard but a few are custom designs.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: liveware on February 16, 2021, 05:13:37 PM

Thanks for sharing :-)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter III: The Naval Battle of Gliese 1
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 19, 2021, 01:33:16 AM

25 February 4003

The second planet of the Gliese 1 system was nearly-habitable, though with a 72% CO2 atmosphere it was unlikely to be a prime location for future terraforming unless it held particularly enticing mineral deposits. As was routine for such discoveries, the survey frigate Adamant had proceeded in-system immediately to determine if this planet did in fact hold such TNE deposits. At 15:45 on 2 February, while still 3.5 million km out from the planet, Adamant picked up an unknown contact on her passive scanners.

(https://i.imgur.com/MtTIQ08.png)

This contact was found to originate from the planet surface, with a very small thermal and EM signature likely indicating a small sensor outpost. This conclusion was further supported by the fact that Adamant had apparently been detected on her approach, as almost immediately signatures from active sensors aboard two spaceborne contacts appeared on her EM scanner, designated “Genghis” and “Khan” after a mythical ancient emperor of pre-nuclear Duratus. Immediately, Captain Achlys Tartarus ordered the Adamant to come to a full stop, intending to wait and see how the alien ships responded. After 14 minutes had passed, Captain Tartarus ordered a cautious approach to within 3 million km, reasoning that the lack of response from the unknown contacts could provide an opportunity to gather additional intel about their capabilities before returning to inform Legion high command of this finding. With no response after an additional fifteen minutes, the Captain ordered repeated steps of half a million km each towards the planet until some response was detected or else new intelligence could be obtained from passive scanners. At 2.5 million km distance from the planet, thermal scanners were able to resolve waste heat emissions from both contacts placing them at an estimated 18,000 tons of void displacement each.

As Adamant approached to within 2 million km of the planet, her scanners suddenly registered the approach of forty-nine contacts traveling at 71,400 km/s, each estimated quite roughly at 2.8 tons void displacement. These were immediately taken as hostile weapons, and Captain Tartarus ordered an immediate hard-about and retreat to the entry jump point at full speed. Unfortunately, Adamant was not quick enough to outrun what turned out to be a spread of missiles, and bore the full brunt of the enemy attack. Thankfully, the missiles were quite weak despite their intimidating speed, and only thirteen penetrated her armor to deal internal damage. Damage assessment indicated that while her main engine had escaped damage - thus allowing Adamant to continue her hasty retreat - her gravity drive and both gravitational sensors had been taken offline in the attack. Captain Tartarus ordered immediate damage-control operations, prioritizing the gravity drive which would be necessary for Adamant to escape from the system and inform the Legion high command about the new threat in the cosmos.

(https://i.imgur.com/pgIWd5K.png)

All this might have been in vain, as a second volley of deadly nuclear missiles appeared on Adamant’s still-intact scanners. As the first volley had shredded her armor, Adamant would be unable to withstand another full attack. Fortune, however, was with Captain Tartarus and her crew, as the enemy missiles stopped just short of Adamant before suddenly disappearing from her scanners. Visual inspection indicated that the missiles had self-destructed harmlessly scarcely ten thousand km from her stern, with the officers aboard Adamant concluding that they must have exhausted their fuel cells and reached the limit of their useful range. Adamant would live to inform the Legion of the glorious battle to be had, much to the joy of her crew who would certainly be recognized on their return home as the first of a new breed of heroes of the Legion.

The enemy ships, of a race known for now as the Gliese 1 Aliens (in that great Legion creative tradition of naming things), were considered by the Legion crew to be orbital weapons stations of some sort with no self-propulsion, since they had not given chase as the Adamant fled the system. It would however be impossible to determine which of these stations had fired the missiles, and the moment it would be assumed that the second station mounted a similar mass of energy or kinetic weapons. While there was no hard proof of this it was the most dangerous possibility and thus the one Legion battle planners decided to account for. Adamant returned to the WX Ursae Majoris system on 26 March and immediately communicated an account of her experience via the jump point and traffic monitor network to the Legion high command on Duratus.

The Legion high command immediately began to plot their assault. While the very fast missiles of the Gliese 1 Aliens suggested a moderate technological advantage, the Duranium Legion Navy could easily have the advantage of overwhelming numbers against a mere two orbital stations, and the oversized sensor arrays of the Bellerophon-class frigates would offer insurance against the possibility of enemy reinforcements. Meanwhile, based on the observed performance of the enemy missiles in “battle”, Legion analysts estimated that two destroyer squadrons would be more than enough to provide complete point defense for a powerful cruiser squadron. The primary concern, then, would be the risk of leaving Duratus only lightly-defended against an alien flank attack if too large a force were sent. In the end, it was determined to send the First Fleet, currently idle in Duratus orbit, to launch the assault, followed by a small auxiliary train to provide post-battle refueling and resupply as well as transport capacity for a detached infantry battalion which could secure the planetside facilities. The Second Fleet, currently undergoing training exercises, would be called up to full active duty to form a planetary defense force in the meantime. This plan was quickly rubber-stamped through the high command offices and put into motion, and by 10 April the First Fleet had arrived in the Gliese 1 system, ready for battle.

First Fleet
Captain Niobe Chryson commanding
3x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Defiant, Denouement, Devastator
6x Charybdis class Destroyer: Carronade, Centurion, Chainsaw, Charon, Charybdis, Conqueror
2x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Fade To Black, Furious
2x Bellerophon class Frigate: Battleaxe, Bellerophon
3x R-56 class Recon Fighter

First Fleet Reserve
Captain Astraeus Valerii commanding
1x Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser: Grand Cross
1x Excelsior class Jump Frigate: Excelsior
1x Bellerophon class Frigate: Barbette
1x R-56 class Recon Fighter

Shortly after midnight, Duratus time, on 19 April, First Fleet arrived on station 50 million km from the second planet of Gliese 1. Having left a small detachment at the jump point consisting of the light jump cruiser Grand Cross and two frigates which were excess for the mission parameters, the First Fleet was under the nominal command of Captain Niobe Chryson aboard the light cruiser Devastator for this mission. The Captain ordered Bellerophon to activate her active sensing arrays, knowing that the two station classes would almost certainly be detectable at this range by the frigate’s powerful sensors. This was shown to be correct, and the follow-up order was given for the fleet to close to 5 million km to form up for the attack run. However, at 14 million km out from the planet, Bellerophon reported a ground force signature of nearly 10,000 tons which had not been previously detected by Adamant, and was certainly in excess of what a simple sensor outpost should be defended by. While suspicious, Captain Chryson saw no reason to abandon glorious battle based on a few thousand tons of ground formations, and ordered First Fleet to press onwards. At 02:35 the final attack run commenced.

As First Fleet approached 2 million km distance from the planet, the first wave of missiles was launched from the alien stations, although it still proved impossible to determine which station was firing them at this distance. Subsequent missile launches occurred at ten-second increments, and Captain Chryson ordered the Defiant-class cruisers to hold their fire and allow the destroyers to carry out the point defense work. As the first volley arrived on-target, the expectations of Legion battle planners were shockingly frustrated, as the destroyer point defense only achieved a 50% kill rate against the enemy missiles. The destroyer Charybdis suffered twenty-four hits, all of which fortunately failed to penetrate her armor. While heads were certain to roll at Legion high command for this grave miscalculation, First Fleet officers noted that even with a 50% success rate the fleet should be able to reach railgun range mostly intact, perhaps even with no losses if the enemy had decided to spread their fire among multiple vessels of First Fleet. Even so, Captain Chryson ordered the cruisers to contribute to the point defense fire until the fleet was nearly in range of the alien stations.

(https://i.imgur.com/mbF0kRZ.png)

The beginning of the enemy onslaught.

The optimistic assessment proved true, as the second wave saw seventeen missiles impact the destroyer Carronade, proving that the enemy had unwisely divided his fire. Seeing this, the fleet eagerly pressed onwards in the face of enemy fire, however after a third wave of missiles impacted a third destroyer, Conqueror, it soon became apparent that the enemy strategy was in fact to cycle their fire between only a few ships at a time. As Charybdis, Carronade, and Conqueror continued to take heavy armor damage from successive waves of enemy missiles, the commanders of First Fleet began to realize that the constant cycling between three targets would eventually result in critical damage. Sure enough, the thirteenth wave of missiles succeeded in penetrating Charybdis with two missiles out of twenty-one total hits. In a stroke of sheer misfortune, the bridge aboard Charybdis was eviscerated by one of the blasts, instantly killing Commander Ceraon Echetus and four other bridge crewmen. With First Fleet still 1,350,000 km distant from their targets, the likelihood of further casualties was now understood to be quite high.

Regardless of any momentary pause she may have felt about the risks, Captain Niobe Chryson ordered her fleet to stand firm in the face of enemy fire and press on. Waves of missiles continued to impact the destroyers of First Fleet, though now the enemy gunners were only focusing their fire on the two most vulnerable destroyers, Carronade and Charybdis. A minute later, a particularly devastating volley scored five penetrations against Carronade, taking out one of the destroyer’s engines and assuredly dooming it as it dropped out of the fleet formation. Nevertheless, Commander Scylla Chalcon ordered her crew to bravely press onward, hoping to be of what service she might before her ship inevitably was destroyed. The next volley impacted Charybdis again, scoring eight penetrating hits but fortunately dealing no damage to her engines. Finally, the twentieth volley of the battle fatally struck Carronade, destroying her remaining engine and sparking a cataclysmic secondary explosion that vaporized the ship; while about one-third of the crew managed to escape in the ship’s lifepods, Commander Scylla Chalcon was not among the survivors having nobly given her life to evacuate as many of her crew as possible. The sacrifice of Carronade was not in vain, as by now First Fleet had closed the range to within one million km of the hostile forces.

The next wave of missiles again impacted Charybdis dealing thirteen penetrating hits, knocking out one of her engines and causing her to drop out of formation. All aboard knew their fate, and while the following volley of missiles instead impacted Conqueror (scoring thirty-three hits including two penetrating, underscoring the reduced point defense capability of First Fleet), the following wave struck Charybdis directly on her engine sections and she disintegrated in another massive fireball. Subcommander Maya Argestes escaped the destruction of the ship she had briefly commanded, although with only a quarter of her crew surviving she would be marked with dishonor over her decision to save herself instead of evacuating more of her crew. Meanwhile, Conqueror had also lost an engine and fallen out of formation. Incredibly, the next wave of missiles failed to destroy her despite twenty penetrating hits, allowing her to perform a distinguished service by absorbing another wave of missiles which would otherwise have been fired at one of her yet-undamaged comrades. Ten seconds later, Conqueror too was reduced to plasma and scrap, although both her commander and executive officer had cravenly abandoned their posts instead of staying behind to save their crew members.

(https://i.imgur.com/c73LH4E.png)

The remaining ships of First Fleet continued their charge, with the next volley impacting the destroyer Centurion twenty-four times; as she was yet undamaged, she suffered only hits on her armor. However, by now the range had been closed sufficiently that the enemy gunners could see the results of their work before firing another salvo, thus their strategy had shifted to fully-focused fire and Centurion would be the subject of the next several waves, eventually knocking out her engines and causing her to drop out of formation. The next volley sealed her fate along with that of her entire command staff. By now, the remnant of First Fleet was half a million km from their targets, less than a minute and a half from firing range. At this point, the alien gunners changed their tactics; the next wave of missiles impacted the light cruiser Defiant rather than any of the remaining destroyers - potentially a fatal mistake for the enemy, as her six layers of composite armor would prove challenging for the alien missiles to penetrate.

Unfortunately, the much-reduced point defense capability of First Fleet saw a significantly-larger number of missiles from each wave impacting the armor of Defiant, putting to question just how many waves she could actually sustain before suffering critical hits. Following waves continued to arrive every ten seconds as First Fleet approached its target, steadily working down the armor of Defiant. Only three volleys later, she was buffeted by seven penetrating impacts which struck her engines and caused her to fall out of formation. The loss of a light cruiser would critically threaten the ability of First Fleet to bring sufficient firepower to bear against the enemy weapons platforms. The next wave scored nine penetrations, one of which took out her second engine and left her dead in space. The following volley once again failed to finish her off, giving her comrades another precious ten seconds to approach their targets. By this stage, Captain Chryson had reluctantly ordered the remaining cruisers to remove their railgun batteries from point defense duties, as they would need to be locked and loaded when the ragged First Fleet finally entered their own firing range. Ten seconds later, yet another wave of missiles failed to destroy Defiant, who had by now certainly lived up to her name even in defeat.

Finally, a wave of enemy missiles proved sufficient to obliterate Defiant in a hail of nuclear fire. However, the remaining cruisers of First Fleet were finally in range of the enemy and accordingly opened fire, landing twenty hits on the Genghis station and dealing minimal damage to its armor. At this stage, the destroyers and frigates remaining were also ordered to cease point defense fire and begin targeting the enemy stations, particularly since the remaining ships were yet undamaged and one or two more missile volleys were unlikely to kill any of them - therefore, Captain Chryson reasoned, maximum offensive firepower was needed.

Immediately, Captain Chryson’s intuition was proven wrong, as the next missile volley targeted and destroyed the frigate Bellerophon - along with energy weapons fire from the Khan station. Furious at her mistake, the Captain ordered her fleet to withdraw to just past 40,000 km hoping that this would exceed the range of the Khan’s short-ranged guns, ordering the short-ranged 102 mm railguns to resume point defense work. Nearly lost in this chaos was the fact that more than seventy hits had been landed in the Genghis, only one of which had penetrated its armor. Five seconds later, with the fleet safely out of energy weapons range, Devastator fired a salvo at the Genghis, once again scoring only a single penetration. Simultaneously, the next wave of missiles impacted the frigate Battleaxe; while Captain Chryson was certainly not thrilled by any of her vessels taking damage she was certainly grateful that enemy fire was not concentrated on her powerful light cruisers instead. The next salvo again struck Battleaxe, which miraculously survived despite being penetrated by nearly half of the incident missiles.

The cruisers fired back. Denouement landed four penetrations of the Genghis, finally accomplishing more than a single damaging shot. Unfortunately, Devastator was struck by fire control delays, and in the intervening time Battleaxe was destroyed by another missile salvo. Five seconds later, Devastator returned fire, exacting revenge by penetrating the Genghis seven more times. The Genghis launched another wave of missiles in response, but with only 40% of its launchers still operational it was clear that First Fleet was close to achieving a mission kill on the battle station. Only seven of these missiles struck the destroyer Charon, all on the armor - a welcome turn of fortune.

(https://i.imgur.com/H7tlBWo.png)

The decimation of enemy missile launch capabilities provided a welcome respite for the beleaguered First Fleet.

Having reloaded, Denouement fired back once again, inflicting another nine penetrations upon the Genghis. Five seconds later, an eerie calm overtook the sensor rooms of First Fleet, as no additional salvo launch was detected. As tired cheers went up on the bridges of the surviving vessels, Devastator fired again, reducing the Genghis missile defense station to mere hunks of orbital slag - in the heat of battle, it nearly escaped notice that no life pods were detected being ejected from the station, in retrospect a curious finding. With great relief, Captain Chryson ordered the two light cruisers to turn their fire on the helpless Khan point defense base, and one hundred seconds later it too was reduced to a smoldering wreck by the gun batteries of the light cruiser Denouement.

At 02:54, not twenty minutes after giving the order to begin the attack run, Captain Niobe Chryson ordered all of her guns to fall silent at last. The battle of Gliese 1 had been fought and won by the ships of the Duranium Legion, bringing great glory but at great cost. Nor was the work of battle yet completed, for there was still a ground assault to be mounted against the surface defenders of Gliese 1-A II.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Amalgam of the Void

Research

Wealth Generation per Million TN Workers: 140

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter IV: The Ground Invasion Battle of Gliese 1
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 21, 2021, 12:21:40 PM

19 April 4003

While the full impact of the Battle of Gliese 1 would take some time to be fully felt at the highest levels by the Legion Navy, in the immediate aftermath of the battle a flurry of orders had to be given. Of the surviving ships of First Fleet, only the destroyer Charon had taken damage, albeit not much more than a few paint scratches. Therefore, Destroyer Squadron 1 including Charon and the jump destroyer Furious was detached and ordered to return to Duratus for light repair work to be done. As they left the former combat zone they would also retrieve the lifepods from their less-fortunate comrade vessels. The reserve still stationed at the jump point would be ordered to rendezvous with the remaining First Fleet elements at Gliese 1-A II to provide broad sensor coverage and jump support for the surviving light cruisers. Meanwhile, reports of the battle had been relayed through the jump point by the reserve elements, and while there was great rejoicing in the halls of the Legion high command there was also concern about the size of the planet garrison. Therefore, the auxiliary fleet en route to Gliese 1 was recalled, to be augmented with a larger troop transport group carrying two Armored Corps. While the Legion still lacked drop transport capability at this time, once again battle planners would rely on overwhelming force to overcome a technical deficit.

(https://i.imgur.com/lsi2R9e.png)

In addition to the Red Skull of Gliese 1, awarded to all command officers who survived the Battle of Gliese 1 along with their ships, Captain Niobe Chryson received a number of decorations including initiation into the prestigious Order of the Legion for her boldness and valor in command of First Fleet.

Meanwhile, life carried on throughout the rest of the Legion. On 27 April the first of a new Gatekeeper-class of traffic monitoring ships was commissioned. The Gatekeepers would be 33% larger than the Wardens in order to mount a small gravity drive to provide jump capability, thus not relying on a fleet tender to reach its assigned station. The Wardens would of course remain in service for some time yet, but without this jump capability their days were clearly numbered.

Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor 4,000 tons 40 Crew 188.9 BP TCS 80 TH 225 EM 0
2813 km/s JR 1-25(C) Armour 1-22 Shields 0-0 HTK 18 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 29 Max Repair 45 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 600
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months

Legion Gravitic Corps LGC-80 Gravity Drive 'Gatehouse' Max Ship Size 4000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 1

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-225 Deep Space Engine 'Orpheon' (1) Power 225 Fuel Use 3.82% Signature 225 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 99,000 Litres Range 116.8 billion km (480 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series XVI Traffic Scanner (1) GPS 2400 Range 33.9m km Resolution 150
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

Further revelations from the Gliese 1 system soon began to make the lasting implications of that battle apparent. The survey frigate Archrival, sent to complete the job her sister Adamant had started, completed an orbital survey of Gliese 1-A II on 17 June. While the TNEs discovered were incredibly minimal despite the excellent potential for more to be located by a ground survey team, the Legion high command was most concerned by the discovery of alien ruins, estimated to be remnants from an ancient colony almost completely buried by sand and ice. This finally cleared up the mystery of the oversized garrison force - though given the apparent age of the ruins on the surface, this raised new questions as to just what these aliens were doing with those ruins and what consequences their activities might have if left unchecked. Immediately, Legion administrators began drawing up funding proposals and department structure for a new science division dedicated to the emergent science of xenoarcheology, though it would take some time for these efforts to bear fruit.

The Auxiliary Flotilla finally arrived in orbit of Gliese 1-A II on 3 August, and while the rest of the flotilla went about refuelling First Fleet the troop transports immediately began unloading operations on the planet surface. The first four tank battalions were disembarked shortly after midnight on 4 August, and immediately set off across the planet surface to seek and destroy the alien garrison forces. Four hours later, they were joined by four more tank battalions but had yet to locate the enemy forces. Fortunately, they did not have to search for much longer, as forward reconnaissance elements located the enemy positions around the ruined colony. Immediately, Legion commanders began drawing up battle plans. By mid-afternoon another eight battalions had been deployed from the transports, and the assault had begun in earnest.

III. Armored Corps
Lord Commandant Eleos Macaria commanding
3x Tank Brigade: 101st, 102nd, 103rd

V. Armored Corps
Lord Commandant Leto Constanza commanding
3x Tank Brigade: 104th, 105th, 106th

The Gliese 1 Invasion Force comprised in total: 15,376 personnel and 2,478 vehicles requiring a total of 159,500 tons transport capacity.

Legion reconnaissance squads had estimated the hostile force to consist of some 1,200 or 1,300 combat elements, noting that these seemed to be some form of armored infantry. As the first tank battalions reached the enemy lines, the reality was discovered to be far more shocking - before their eyes, hundreds of autonomous combat mechs rose up from their fortified positions and opened fire on the vanguard of the Legion. While shocking, this revelation was not nearly enough to dissuade the brave soldiers of the Legion from the glorious battle in front of them, and the tanks of the vanguard opened fire without hesitation. Despite the enemy’s fortifications, the fire of the Legion’s Halberd main battle tanks was accurate and deadly, and over one hundred of the enemy mechs were mowed down in the opening exchanges of the battle. The principal victims of the Legion gunners were the smallest mechs, dubbed “Centurions” for their distinctive and tactically-questionable plumage, which were easily destroyed despite their strong armor by concentrated M-20 chain gun fire from the Halberd MBTs and their supporting Devastator anti-infantry tanks. Several types of larger four-legged mechs proved to be heavily-armored and only somewhat vulnerable to the main guns of the Halberd MBTs; principally these were named Praetorians and Decurions in keeping with their smaller Centurion cousins. The former of these inflicted particularly heavy losses on the Legion vanguard. The 103rd and 109th Tank Battalions had led the assault and bore the brunt of opening losses, losing seventy-two tanks between them.

While the early ratios were certainly in favor of the Legion tankers, Commandant Midas Lycurgus of the 103rd Tank Brigade ordered the vanguard forces to withdraw, satisfied with the results of this initial probing attack but resolved to regroup and await further reinforcements - notably, neither of the Lords Commandant in command of the Armored Corps had yet arrived to the battlefield. However, the Gliese 1 defenders had other plans, and as afternoon turned to evening a counterattack was launched against the Legion’s left flank. Unfortunately for the alien robots, their flanking maneuver had been spotted by Legion scouts, and Subcommandant Gaius Thorne of the 106th Tank Battalion met the counterattack with a brilliant ambush, destroying nearly one hundred twenty of the Centurion mechs and a handful of their supporting elements, for the loss of only twenty-two tanks. Thus beaten, the Gliese robots discovered subroutines in their programming which enabled them to take a hint, and the Legion soldiers were left alone through the night to complete their disembarkation.

As dawn broke over Gliese 1-A II on 5 August, Lords Commandant Macaria and Constanza plotted an early assault against the fortified ruins. Spearheaded by the 110th and 118th Tank Battalions, the Legion tanks drove across the ice fields and struck the right flank of the enemy, taking advantage of the losses suffered by those formations in the previous evening’s misadventures. While another hundred of the enemy were efficiently atomized, the vanguard battalions did suffer heavy damage, and Subcommandant Europa Argus narrowly avoided a premature death when a high shot from a Praetorian sailed over her main tank force and struck the secondary battalion command tank. Undeterred, she and her fellow subcommandant led the 110th and 118th into the thick of the enemy lines, driving the enemy before them and opening their lines in several places. Three of these openings proved particularly wide and inviting for the ravenous Legion tankers, and the 101st, 111th, and 113th Tank Battalions all achieved crushing breakthroughs against the crumbling enemy flank. The end result of this masterstroke flank assault came out to nearly three hundred alien mechs rendered into scrap for the loss of only ninety-three Legion tanks, with the enemy flank thrown into a full retreat while the Legion tanks regrouped. Over one-third of these losses came from a failed breakthrough maneuver by the 102nd Tank Battalion, which had penetrated only to be blunted by hastily-erected defensive lines manned by the alien mechs’ battlefield reserve. This was the one black mark against an otherwise flawless offensive.

While the Legion commanders had declined to immediately pursue the retreating enemy, this was not done out of cowardice or caution but rather abundant opportunism. By late afternoon, Legion scouts had reported a number of weaknesses in the enemy position, induced as they moved an excess number of their reserves and flank guards to form a direct front against the Legion invaders. The enemy had clearly underestimated the mobility of the Legion battle machines, and the Lords Commandant were glad to correct this misconception in brutal fashion. Leaving only a handful of tank battalions to launch a frontal feint attack, the Legion commanders executed a devastating pincer maneuver which nearly enveloped the hapless defenders. Fourteen tank battalions smashed through the enemy flanks at all points, shredding another two hundred Centurions and more impressively fourteen of the imposing Praetorian combat mechs - nearly matching the total already destroyed prior to this point. A mere twenty-six Legion tanks were destroyed in the assault; by now, several had been taken out of commission not by the alien weapons but due to mechanical failures brought on by the stress of prolonged battle on the cold desert terrain. As darkness fell upon the planet, the Gliese 1 Aliens fell to pieces completely and all eighteen of the Legion’s tank battalions broke through the enemy ranks, driving enemy losses to truly unsustainable levels. However, in the darkness the alien mechs were able to retreat once again, this time to their final defensive positions just outside of the ruined colony. Meanwhile, despite minimal losses from enemy fire the Legion had become completely disorganized in their pursuit and had lost more than two dozen additional tanks to maintenance failures. Lords Commandant Macaria and Constanza therefore decided once again to pull back slightly, regroup, and plan another dawn offensive to complete the destruction of the enemy.

In contrast to the brilliant maneuvers of the previous day, the “dawn assault” of 6 August was delayed until late morning, a fact attributed to battle fatigue and maintenance difficulties in the harsh cold of the night. Fortunately, the enemy was even less prepared for battle, and the Legion’s tank onslaught continued unabated as all eighteen tank battalions again achieved penetration through the enemy lines. The tank battalions had proven unstoppable, due as much to sheer numbers as to tactical excellence, and in spite of their enemy’s technological superiority. Throughout the afternoon, Halberd MBT platoons surrounded Praetorian mechs, which had suddenly found themselves isolated in the chaotic retreat, and destroyed them with accurate focused fire. Meanwhile, the fearsome Devastator AIT companies mowed down the fleeing Centurion remnants. While some amongst the Legion ranks expressed confusion at why robotic soldiers would be so poorly programmed as to retreat in such a disorderly fashion, Lord Commandant Macaria had a different take on the matter: “This is only to be expected from the automatons,” he remarked, “for as mere things of plastic and metal they lack the honor of true soldiers.” Commandant Sharon Lycurgus of the 101st Tank Brigade had a different perspective on the matter: “This is what happens when you hire software developers to do a soldier’s job,” she was heard remarking to her executive officer.

Regardless of their poor battlefield performance, the remaining alien mechs had at least shown the tactical sense to now retreat into the ruins themselves. With defeat a certainty, the enemy had now determined that their best course of action was to inflict as many casualties as possible through bloody urban-style combat. Unfortunately for the enemy, the Legion had spent much of the past century battling rebels and guerilla forces in every manner of unconventional and asymmetric warfare, and they were extremely well-prepared for exactly this eventuality. Throughout the afternoon, Legion tank platoons executed dozens of seek-and-destroy missions to deadly effect, losing only six tanks to enemy action while decimating their enemies. While casualty rates among the Gliese mechs had fallen off since the chaotic mid-morning assault, this was due only to their reduced numbers - Legion tankers simply could not find large enough concentrations of their enemy at once to satisfy their own lust for battle. As afternoon turned to evening and then night, the hunt continued albeit at a slower pace. As darkness fell, the tank battalions took up night watch positions along the perimeter, sending only a few platoons at once into the ruins on a rotating schedule. Kill rates during the night were therefore much-reduced, although the number of Praetorians killed rose substantially as these were relatively easy to detect in the darkness.

Throughout the day of 7 August, the Legion hunter-killer platoons completed their work. By 17:00, the orbital targeting scanners of the frigate Barbette confirmed that no alien forces remained on the planet surface. The ruins of Gliese 1-A II belonged to the Duranium Legion. The III. and V. Armored Corps between themselves had lost around 15% of the force they had landed with, including 210 Halberd MBTs, 49 Devastator AITs, 35 Aegis Anti-Air Tanks, and three non-combat support tanks. Certainly the hardest-hit unit among the Legion battalions was the 109th Tank Battalion, which had been almost totally annihilated in repeated frontal assaults and retained only twelve tanks, nine of which were front-line combat vehicles, out of her original complement of eighty-two tanks. Several other battalions had been reduced below 60% strength, including the 102nd, 103rd, and 110th Tank Battalions, each of which had spearheaded multiple actions during the critical early phases of the invasion. In exchange, nearly 1,500 of the Gliese 1 alien mechs had been, in the words of one particularly eloquent tanker, “kinetically disassembled”.

Gliese 1-A II Garrison Force
1210x Centurion
120x Praetorian Combat Mech
2x Praetorian Leader
49x Decurion AA Mech
4x Construction Vehicle
91x Resupply Infantry

(https://i.imgur.com/Iq4wkfB.png)

As this was done for the Naval officers who fought against the Genghis and Khan months previously, the Ground Forces commanders present on Gliese 1-A II received an identical award save for the necessary replacement of Sailor Blue stripes with Soldier Orange ones.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Andromeda class Stabilisation Ship
1x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor

Research

Fuel Production 48,000 Litres
Fuel Storage - Very Large

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter V: Aftermath
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 23, 2021, 10:15:12 PM

8 August 4003

In the aftermath of the ground battle of Gliese 1-A II, closer inspection of the alien combat mechs raised several questions. One of these questions was readily resolved; scans of the wrecked battle stations by First Fleet confirmed the suspicion that there was no organic matter among the wreckage, however a large number of inert mechs were detected, similar to those on the planet surface but smaller and not heavily armed. Meanwhile, close inspection and reconnaissance on the surface revealed no trace of organic matter or any signs of life, save for the ancient ruins themselves which were judged to be millennia old. The inescapable conclusion was that both the orbital stations and the surface garrison had been placed here to defend the ruins from interlopers - but by whom? Particularly, if the automatons had been left in place by the original occupants of these ruins, who had been departed for millennia by now, how technologically-advanced had this society been to create such a long-enduring robot army? Most disturbing, many of the troops agreed, was the potential that this race with such advanced technology might be elsewhere in the galaxy, perhaps not even too far from the Gliese 1 system. Such grave concerns would only be answered, however, once the Legion could deploy properly-equipped Xenoarcheology teams to study the ruins and decipher the ancient language.

These questions aside, the work of the Legion was never done, and so life went on. The Armored Corps would be retrieved from Gliese 1-A II and returned to Duratus to be reinforced back to full strength, while a mechanized infantry brigade would be shipped to the Gliese 1 system to guard the ruins until a proper exploitation could be done. To provide further surveillance and warning capability, if not much in the way of actual defense, a deep space tracking station and Warden monitor would be deployed to Gliese 1-A II to provide basic passive and active detection capabilities in case the unknown alien race decided to return for their robots. On the economic side of things, the Legion high command had become increasingly concerned about the deteriorating gallicite reserves on Duratus, and had thus ordered that transport of mines off-world should begin as a preventative measure. For now, this meant that automines would be slowly relocated to the Olympia system while Luna would receive as many mines as her growing population, nearing ten million by this time, would be able to work. In the short term, gallicite scraps recovered from a stockpile of alien missiles on Gliese 1-A II would provide a useful buffer once these minerals were transported back to Duratus.

Year 4004

While various departments within the Legion high command continued analyzing the Battle of Gliese 1, the Emperor seeing the clear importance of this system to the future of the Legion issued an order officially re-designating that system as Mongolica, after the ancient empire ruled by the very Genghis Khan whose name had been immortalized in the recent battle. Left unspoken publicly was the implication that the Legion had defeated a great foe, comparable in might to this ancient empire. Briefly, a small schism broke out among Legion historians over whether to designate this important battle by the former name of the system, which was current at the time of the battle, or by the new name in keeping with the spirit of the Emperor’s decree. The eventual resolution of this schism is left as an exercise for the reader.

Otherwise, time progressed with no incidents and little of note. On 1 March, with the rechristened Mongolica Outpost defended by a brigade of Legion infantry, First Fleet was finally given the order to return to Duratus for resupply and overhaul. In the interest of setting some kind of deadline to motivate the Naval staff, the Legion high command announced that the preliminary assessment of the Battle of Gliese 1 would be released on the day of the Fleet’s return. Far more exciting to the newspaper readers of the Legion was the news on 9 March that the first orbital mining platform to be deployed beyond Sol, the OMP Amber Station, had been deployed over a small moon orbiting Olympia IX, supporting the growing mining industry in that system.

Olympia-A IX - Moon 2
Corbomite 2,209 Acc 1
Tritanium 3,969 Acc 1
Gallicite 9,801 Acc 1

On 25 March, First Fleet finally returned to Duratus having been deployed for nearly a year. However, as they had arrived at 22:00 on a Thursday night, the Legion high command instead determined to release what was becoming known as the Mongolica Report the following day at 17:00, to ensure wide media coverage so that all citizens of the Legion would be duly informed of the report committee’s conclusions. At 22:01 the report was leaked to the Legion media by an anonymous staff officer.

In general, the Gliese 1 Report broadly confirmed the soundness and success of Legion military doctrine and attributed any failures to poor-quality work by cowardly spreadsheet-makers in the battle planning department, some 12,000 of whom were sacked accordingly. Whether these self-aggrandizing conclusions would bear out as the Legion continued to expand across the galaxy would of course remain to be seen. In any case, despite the overly-positive tone of the report, the report committee had given several avenues for improvement of the Legion’s military forces, albeit these ideas were for the most part not new ones within the halls of the Legion high command. These ideas would be integrated into future Legion doctrine, to varying degrees, and the Legion would carry on as always.

The reader is referred to Appendix A for further details on the Battle of Gliese 1 Report and Assessment.

The next major milestone in Legion colonization efforts was reached on 27 June, as communications reached the Legion high command on Duratus from the stabilisation ship Andromeda, which along with her sister ship Sagitta had just completed a stable jump gate network reaching from Sol to Alpha Centauri. On receiving this report, the Legion high command hurriedly set about finalizing their plans for colonization of that system, of which several candidate versions had been drawn up. The decision was quickly made, by the standards of the Legion high command, and on 7 July the Alpha Centauri Convoy was launched from Duratus orbit with the mission of establishing a Legion base on Alpha Centauri A-II. This planet had been selected from several candidates principally for its ease of terraforming, as while it was rich in TNE deposits most of these were quite inaccessible. The expectation was that this planet would serve as a hub for extensive mining operations, particularly in the asteroid belt of the B-component in the system.

Alpha Centauri-A II
Duranium 38,158,848 Acc 0.1
Neutronium 3,504,384 Acc 0.1
Corbomite 1,440,000 Acc 0.1
Tritanium 7,225,344 Acc 0.1
Boronide 57,600 Acc 0.7
Mercassium 2,822,400 Acc 0.1
Vendarite 20,358,144 Acc 0.9
Sorium 8,856,576 Acc 0.9
Uridium 589,824 Acc 0.1
Corundium 4,064,256 Acc 0.1
Gallicite 22,127,616 Acc 0.1
Nitrogen 67.632% 0.535 atm
Oxygen 25.014% 0.198 atm
Carbon Dioxide 7.254% 0.057 atm
Water Vapour 0.100% 0.001 atm
Base Temp (K / C) 263.88 -9.17
Surface Temp (K / C) 341.80 68.80

Near-simultaneously, on 30 June the Legion Survey Command announced the activation of the Legion’s first Geosurvey Brigade, consisting of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Geosurvey Companies escorted by a mechanized infantry battalion containing the brigade headquarters. These would be deployed to Venus to clarify the anomalous readings made by the Adamant several years ago, a mission which would serve as training for the new surveyors as well as proof of concept for the skeptics in the Legion high command.

(https://i.imgur.com/fz18E3T.png)

Gorilla Mk I GSV
Transport Size (tons) 218 Cost 8.72 Armour 16 Hit Points 32
Annual Maintenance Cost 1.1 Resupply Cost 0
Geosurvey Equipment: Geo Survey Points 0.1
Geosurvey Equipment: Geo Survey Points 0.1
Non-Combat Class

The Geosurvey Brigade was quick to complete its first mission, reporting on 7 August that the amount of duranium contained within the crust of Venus was more than twelve times greater than had initially been reported. However, skeptics of the ground survey mission were quick to point out that this duranium was hardly any more accessible than the orbital survey had reported, so the actual usefulness of the ground survey results were quite limited. In any case, as the Geosurvey Brigade was already activated there was no point in letting it go to waste, so the Legion high command ordered the Brigade to study several other bodies in neighboring systems which had given unclear readings during orbital surveys. Once several more ground surveys had been carried out, the long-term future of the geosurvey division would be determined.

Venus
Duranium 20,576,882 Acc 0.3 (was 1,648,202 Acc 0.2)
Tritanium 2,289,169 Acc 0.1
Vendarite 5,288,896 Acc 0.1
Sorium 5,570,922 Acc 0.1

Another incremental milestone, characteristic of Legion economic progress since the initial rush of “firsts” had died down, was the commissioning of the first Olympia-class cargo shuttle on 15 August. These had been designed with the strict requirement that it be compatible with the slipways at the Haemus Shipyard which was responsible for Gatekeeper construction. Thus it had been designed on the basis of the Gatekeeper-class hull, with the commercial jump drive removed and the compartments replaced with cargo handling and storage facilities. The result was not a particularly impressive freighter, but for making of regular mineral shipments from her namesake system to Duratus she would be sufficient, so long as the Olympian mining operations did not grow extremely large.

Olympia class Cargo Shuttle 4,250 tons 44 Crew 155.9 BP TCS 85 TH 225 EM 0
2647 km/s Armour 1-23 Shields 0-0 HTK 13 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 22 Max Repair 45 MSP
Cargo 1,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Subcommander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-225 Deep Space Engine 'Orpheon' (1) Power 225 Fuel Use 3.82% Signature 225 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 88,000 Litres Range 97.7 billion km (427 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

----

Shipbuilding

1x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Dissolution
1x Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser: Garrote
1x Charybdis class Destroyer: Caliban
1x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Flayer
2x Bellerophon class Frigate: Bad Omen, Broken Wind
2x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Apollo, Athena
9x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Olympia class Cargo Shuttle
1x Salamander class Troop Transport
1x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform
1x Achelous class Terraforming Platform
3x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor

Research

Construction Rate 14 BP
Salvage Module 500
Shipbuilding Rate 560 BP
Shipyard Operations: 10% Time-Cost Saving
Terraforming Rate 0.0004 atm
Xenoarcheology Equipment

Systems Discovered

FL Virginis: FS Adamant, 25 August 4003
L 145-141: FS Ardent Knight, 18 December 4003
2M1540: FS Ars Magica, 22 February 4004
AX Microscopii: FS Archon, 11 April 4004
WD 1142-645: FS Amalgam of the Void, 17 April 4004
Wolf 359: FS Adjudicator, 20 June 4004
Wolf 358: FS Athena, 2 October 4004
Luyten 302-89: FS Apollo, 5 October 4004
Gliese 229: FS Adamant, 30 December 4004

----

State of the Duranium Legion in the Year 4005

As by this point the Duranium Legion had been engaged in spacefaring activities for fully five years, the Legion high command ordered an assessment and potential re-evaluation of the state of the Legion. Key excerpts from this assessment are included here for the benefit of the reader.

The most pressing challenge facing the Duranium Legion as the year 4005 began was the looming shortage of several key TNEs. While lunar mining operations had proven essential to address the gallicite shortage, the deposits remaining on Duratus were projected to last for not much longer than four months. In addition to Luna, automated mining operations on the Machholz and Whipple comets would have to be expanded. The other critical shortage looming on the horizon was a deficit of duranium despite generally good deposits on Duratus and at several other mining operations, which would likely have to be addressed through a curtailing of construction operations in some noncritical area. Other TNEs causing concern at Legion high command were corundium, necessary for mining operations and weapons development, and neutronium which was crucial for shipyard expansions. Across the board, TNE accessibilities at Duratus had fallen off in the past five years, but it remained the most productive mining operation out of all the Legion’s holdings, both in total and on a per-mine basis.

(https://i.imgur.com/0sjB3WL.png)

While the mineral situation was concerning, it existed only as a consequence of the Legion’s voracious appetite for interstellar expansion. In just five years, the Duranium Legion had established four populated colonies including two beyond the solar system housing nearly 4 four and a half million colonists. Other establishments included seven automated mining operations, with five located in Sol and two in the Olympia system, and the budding research outpost in the Mongolica system. These were supplemented by four civilian-owned mining operations in the Sol system, all of which provided their mineral outputs to the Legion for a modest annual fee.

Duratus Populated Colonies: Automated Mining Bases:
Population: 2135.03m
Naval Shipyard Capacity: 132,241 tons Mars Borrelly (20x Orbital Miner)
Commercial Shipyard Capacity: 1,278,160 tons Population: 47.94m Machholz (20x Orbital Miner)
Maintenance Capacity: 750,000 tons Financial Centre: 352 Oumuamua (20x Orbital Miner)
Research Facility: 57 Infrastructure: 9,520 Tempel 1 (20x Orbital Miner)
Ground Force Construction Complex: 10 Whipple (20x Orbital Miner)
Construction Factory: 1,800 Luna Olympia-A VII - Moon 8 (35x Automated Mine)
Ordnance Factory: 400 Population: 13.23m Olympia-A IX - Moon 2 (20x Orbital Miner)
Fighter Factory: 160 Mine: 136
Mine: 1,667 Mass Driver: 1
Automated Mine: 274 Infrastructure: 2,643
Fuel Refinery: 400 Civilian Mining Operations:
Maintenance Facility: 600 Olympia III
Financial Centre: 531 Population: 4.03m Centaurus Mining Group (4x CMC)
Deep Space Tracking Station: 9 Deep Space Tracking Station: 1 Aleus Mining Corporation (3x CMC)
Mass Driver: 5 Mass Driver: 1 Troy Group (3x CMC)
Military Academy: 5 Infrastructure: 806 Seelix Ventures Limited (2x CMC)
Naval Headquarters: 2
Spaceport: 1 Alpha Centauri-A II
Refuelling Station: 1 Population: 0.41m
Ordnance Transfer Station: 1 Deep Space Tracking Station: 1 Xenoarcheological Research Outpost:
Cargo Shuttle Station: 1 Infrastructure: 80
Infrastructure: 172 Mongolica Outpost
Low Gravity Infrastructure: 100 Deep Space Tracking Station: 1
Ordnance Transfer Station: 1

Despite the losses suffered in the Battle of Gliese 1, the Duranium Legion Navy had still grown in size during this five-year period by a bit more than 20%, with only the Charybdis-class destroyers numbering fewer than they had five years ago. The commercial or auxiliary elements of the fleet had by comparison exploded in volume, with an increase of around 60% in both tonnage and crew numbers as the auxiliaries had not been hindered by any combat losses. Combat losses did affect the ground forces, but not nearly as much as the Navy, as they still grew by 20% in numbers of personnel and vehicles with the primary limiting factor being a lack of facilities for new recruits to be trained and equipped. Both the Navy and Ground Forces considered their positions to be fairly strong, but had some concerns over a lack of relevant technological advancements made during the previous half-decade.

Duranium Legion Navy
8x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Dauntless, Deadly Poison, Defenstrator, Denouement, Devastator, Disruptor, Dissolution, Domination
3x Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser: Garrote, Gothic, Grand Cross
11x Charybdis class Destroyer: Calamitous, Caliban, Catharsis, Centaur, Chainsaw, Champion, Charon, Covenanter, Creeping Death, Crushing Blow, Cry, Ye Wicked
5x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Fade To Black, Final Blow, Final Judgment, Flayer, Furious
7x Bellerophon class Frigate: Bad Omen, Barbette, Bat Country, Battery, Blastwave, Broken Wind, Brutal Legend
3x Excelsior class Jump Frigate: Endless Night, Excelsior, Executor
12x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Adamant, Adjudicator, Aether Net, Amalgam of the Void, Angel of Ares, Apollo, Archon, Archrival, Ardent Knight, Ars Magica, Athena, Avenging Wrath
11x R-56 class Recon Fighter
Total: 465,250 tons, 12,866 personnel

Duranium Legion Auxiliary Fleet
6x Knossos class Fuel Harvester Platform
6x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform
5x Achelous class Terraforming Platform
4x Dragon class Tanker
6x Ogre class Tug
6x Typhon class Colony Ship
22x Phaeton class Freighter
4x Andromeda class Stabilisation Ship
5x Salamander class Troop Transport
8x Libra class Fleet Tender
2x Olympia class Cargo Shuttle
4x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor
8x Warden class Traffic Monitor
Total: 5,841,794 tons, 29,494 personnel

Duranium Legion Ground Forces
Imperial Guard Legion
I. Imperial Guard Corps: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Imperial Guard Brigade
II. Imperial Guard Corps: 4th, 5th, 6th Imperial Guard Brigade
IV. Imperial Guard Corps: 7th, 8th, 9th Imperial Guard Brigade
Emperor’s Hand Legion
III. Armored Corps: 101st, 102nd, 103rd Tank Brigade
V. Armored Corps: 104th, 105th, 106th Tank Brigade
VI. Mechanized Corps: 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
107th Tank Brigade
108th Tank Brigade (forming)
109th Tank Brigade (forming)
16th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (forming)
Geosurvey Brigade

Luna Garrison: 13th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Mars Garrison: 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Olympia Garrison: 15th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Alpha Centauri-A II Garrison: 11th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Mongolica Outpost Garrison: 12th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

Total: 72,058 personnel, 9,571 vehicles, 620,110 transport tons

(https://i.imgur.com/ZbhUXSK.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/ZoYvkWZ.png)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Appendix A: Battle of Gliese 1 Report
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 23, 2021, 10:23:43 PM

Heads-up so you don't miss it: this is the second of two updates tonight, so make sure you've read the previous post to stay up to date!

Appendix A: Battle of Gliese 1 Report and Assessment - Summary and Excerpts

The full Battle of Gliese 1 Report and Assessment added up to 27,249 pages across twenty-one volumes. As a full presentation would clearly be excessive, selected excerpts are quoted below which convey the gist of the report committee’s perspective.

Report of the Legion Battle Assessment Committee on Naval and Ground Force Performances at the Battle of Gliese 1: Table of Contents (abridged)

Volume I: Abstract, Outline, Summary, Synopsis, and Introduction
Volume II: An Historical Perspective on the Evolution of Duranium Legion Naval and Ground Combat Doctrines
Volume III: Operations-Focused Review of Duranium Legion Naval and Ground Combat Doctrines
Volume IV: Implementation of Duranium Legion Naval Combat Doctrine as the Battle Plan at Gliese 1: An Illuminating Case Study
Volume V: Comparative Assessment of Gliese 1 Alien Naval Combat Doctrine via Extrapolation from the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume VI: Comprehensive Assessment of Duranium Legion Naval Losses Suffered During the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume VII: Causative Assessment of Duranium Legion Naval Losses Suffered During the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume VIII: Exhaustive Review of Those Sacked for Assessed Roles in Causation of Duranium Legion Naval Combat Losses
Volume IX: Comprehensive Assessment of Gliese 1 Alien Naval Losses Suffered During the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume X: Comparative Analysis of Duranium Legion and Gliese 1 Alien Naval Warfare Technologies Present at the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume XI: Post-Facto Assessment and Validation of Duranium Legion Naval Combat Doctrine at the Battle of Gliese 1: Conclusions and Recommendations
Volume XII: Implementation of Duranium Legion Ground Combat Doctrine as the Battle Plan as Gliese 1: An Illuminating Case Study
Volume XIII: Comparative Assessment of Gliese 1 Alien Ground Combat Doctrine via Extrapolation from the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume XIV: After-Action Assessment of Ground Combat Battlefield Tactics and Causes of Losses During the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume XV: Comparative Analysis of Duranium Legion and Gliese 1 Alien Ground Warfare Technologies Present at the Battle of Gliese 1
Volume XVI: Post-Facto Assessment and Validation of Duranium Legion Ground Combat Doctrine at the Battle of Gliese 1: Conclusions and Recommendations
Volume XVII: Personnel Assessments Including Collected Personal Narratives, Interviews, and Medals Awarded
Volume XVIII: Conclusions, Summary, Restatement, and Closing Remarks
Volume XIX: Appendices
Volume XX: Endnotes and References
Volume XXI: Topical Index

Excerpts on overall assessment of the naval battle outcome

Volume I, Chapter I, Section XIII, Paragraph 487: “In light of this, while Legion Navy forces suffered greater losses in terms of raw tonnage, proper accounting will show that the Gliese 1 Aliens suffered greater losses in terms of effective tonnage.”

Volume III, Chapter XXIV, Section LII, Paragraph 4: “Duranium Legion Naval doctrine therefore considers an unknown class of enemy vessel to have dedicated fully one-half of its void tonnage to the propulsion its and ancillary systems, including engine crew berthing, structural and armoring materials for the engine mounts, ...”

Volume III, Chapter XXIV, Section LII, Paragraph 33: “An immobile space station, lacking self-propulsion, is therefore marked as equal to a self-propelled warship displacing twice the void tonnage of the station itself for the purposes of assessing an enemy fleet composed, wholly or in part, of unknown vessel classes.”

Volume VI, Chapter IV, Section IX, Paragraph 117: “Duranium Legion Navy ship losses therefore are assessed at a total of 67,500 void tons irrecoverable.”

Volume IX, Chapter VI, Section IX, Paragraph 42: “Gliese 1 Alien naval losses therefore are assessed at a raw total of 35,482 void tons irrecoverable once expended ordnance has been properly tallied… Under thus-cited Legion doctrine, Gliese 1 Alien naval losses therefore are assessed at a total of 70,864 effective void tons irrecoverable.”

Volume XVIII, Chapter III, Section I, Paragraph 6: “According to the most rigorous and objective application of Duranium Legion Naval combat doctrine, the committee finds that in terms of effective naval void tonnage rendered irrecoverable, the Duranium Legion Navy First Fleet achieved a modest, though significant, battlefield victory.”

Excerpts on Legion Navy losses and causes thereof

Volume IV, Chapter IV, Section XXXI, Paragraph 17: “Critical to the battle planning was a series of assessments by the Duranium Legion Department of Point Defense Computation, indicating that two full Charybdis-class destroyer squadrons would provide a sufficient and overwhelming volume of point defense fire.”

Volume VII, Chapter XIV, Section II, Paragraph 218: “Initial battlefield assessments supposed that the Gliese 1 Aliens had equipped their missiles with electronic counter-measures designed to interfere with the point defense fire control systems.”

Volume VII, Chapter XLIV, Section XXVII, Paragraph 47: “These computations had been erroneously conducted using simulated fire controls configured with 12,000 km/s tracking speeds, well in excess of the 5,000 km/s tracking speed which is standard for Duranium Legion Naval vessels.”

Volume VIII, Front Matter, Section VIII, Paragraph 1: “The number of those sacked includes 12,409 personnel formerly of the Duranium Legion Department of Point Defence Computation...”

Volume XI, Chapter II, Section XIX, Paragraph 4: “The reporting committee therefore recommends that future point defense computations be carried out using the correct fleet-standard fire control tracking speed, as defined in...”

----

Volume VII, Chapter XXI, Section XIV, Paragraph 1,148: “Greater caution in approaching the enemy contacts once within the firing range of the 152 mm medium batteries may have prevented the loss of the frigate Bellerophon.”

Volume VII, Chapter XXI, Section XIV, Paragraph 1,153: “However, given the obvious benefit of bringing the considerable mass of 102 mm defense batteries possessed by First Fleet to bear, the reporting committee is not, in good conscience, able to assign fault for this bold and aggressive maneuver.”

Excerpts on proposed recommendations for future Legion Navy doctrine and battle planning

Volume XI, Chapter LXXVII, Section II, Paragraph 98: “It is clear that a critical mass of point defense fire, principally delivered by 102 mm defense batteries, will be the single greatest multiplier of naval force in future engagements of the Duranium Legion Navy.”

Volume XVIII, Chapter XV, Section XXXIX, Paragraph 34: “To accomplish this most directly, the reporting committee advises the expansion of naval shipbuilding capacity for the Charybdis-class destroyer and its future follow-on classes to eight slipways, divided between two naval shipbuilding yards and capable of laying down hulls of up to 10,000 void tons displacement.”

----

Volume XI, Chapter C, Section IV, Paragraph 11: “An enlarged cruiser class displacing 15,000 void tons, while retaining the Light Cruiser designation, shall be able to mount an equal number of 152 mm and 102 mm weapon batteries, thus supplementing destroyer-based point defenses while maintaining independent striking power...”

----

Volume XI, Chapter XII, Section III, Paragraph 79: “The utility of including jump-capable warships organic to combat squadrons is seriously called into question in light of this demonstrated combat ineffectiveness in-theater.”

Volume IV, Chapter XXIV, Section I, Paragraph 3: “In fact, the expressed tendency of Duranium Legion Navy battle planners has been to overestimate the combat capabilities of squadrons composed with jump-capable vessels. Elimination of these vessels from the squadron composition would, it follows, eliminate this tendency...”

Volume XVIII, Chapter II, Section IX, Paragraph 80: “In spite of these concerns, the reporting committee readily concedes that further technological advancements are necessary to facilitate this proposed revision of fleet squadron doctrine.”

Excerpts on Duranium Legion Ground Forces composition

Volume XII, Chapter XIV, Section IV, Paragraph 30: “The Mark III Devastator Anti-Infantry Tank (AIT) therefore replaces the traditional foot infantry in this doctrine, eliminating the critical weakness of conventional combined arms tactics.”

Volume XIV, Chapter X, Section II, Paragraph 69: “The screening effect of the infantry, having fallen out of consideration with the introduction of AIT doctrine, is in the assessment of the reporting committee sorely missed.”

Volume XVI, Chapter LIV, Section XLV, Paragraph 23: “However, losses of hypothetical infantry elements would likely have outmassed those suffered in reality.”

Volume XVI, Chapter LXVII, Section III, Paragraph 21: “Transitioning the current mechanized infantry arm to a re-equipped heavy power armor infantry force will close this capability gap, and...”

Excerpts on Duranium Legion Tank Battalion battlefield tactics

Volume II, Chapter CIII, Section I, Paragraph 57: “The advent of uridium-based targeting systems revolutionized urban warfare tactics, granting heavy armor the capability of detecting stealthy anti-tank ambushes created by the light infantry guerilla forces.”

Volume XVIII, Chapter XXI, Section VII, Paragraph 1: “The doctrine of tank-based urban-style warfare was therefore completely vindicated on the field of battle.”

Excerpts on comparisons between Duranium Legion and Gliese 1 Alien technologies

Volume XV, Chapter XI, Section XII, Paragraph 16: “Metallurgical analysis indicates that the Gliese 1 Alien mechs were armored with a laminate material approximately two generations beyond current Duranium Legion materials science and technology.”

Volume XV, Chapter XII, Section III, Paragraph 2: “Several Praetorians wrecks included largely-undamaged weapons modules. Post-battle assessment indicated that there were probably electromagnetic radiation emitters of approximately 254 mm caliber...”

Volume X, Chapter VII, Section LVI, Paragraph 4: “This class of missiles is exceedingly quick.”

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter VI: It's A Small Galaxy After All
Post by: nuclearslurpee on February 25, 2021, 03:42:57 PM

Year 4005

While many cultures throughout galactic history have assigned a certain ritual importance to the turning over of the calendar year, most people in the Duranium Legion considered such ritualism an archaic relic of the weak and foolish societies which had preceded the Legion. This belief was perhaps shaken for much of the Legion’s populace by the coincidental encounter of a new alien species barely eight hours into the new year, in the newly-discovered Gliese 229 system.

(https://i.imgur.com/rWALsFc.png)

First contact with the race then designated as the Gliese 229 Aliens was made by a passing survey frigate. It is to date unclear whether the Gliese 229 Aliens first detected this contact via planetary sensors or shipboard sensors on the contact shortly designated Moskva 1 by the Legion Naval Intelligence Division.

Gliese 229 was a fairly average system located four jumps away from Sol via the GJ 1061 branch of the galactic jump network. WIth a fairly extensive planetary system consisting of eight planets with 63 moons along with a handful of independent smaller bodies, Gliese 229 was considered a potential candidate for future exploitation but not an especially-promising one. However, the innermost planet in the system was almost perfectly-habitable, with the only serious limitation being a slight 0.007 atm excess of oxygen in the atmosphere placing the total concentration just beyond the upper range for human tolerance. On discovering the system, the survey frigate Adamant had immediately plotted a course for this planet, in keeping with Legion survey corps doctrine of investigating all easily-colonized bodies with top priority. Despite being Earth-sized, the actual planet was tidally-locked to its sun and had a surface more than 99% covered with liquid water. Therefore it could support only a small population of about 79 million, and the crew of Adamant had no reason to expect any large alien population to be present on the planet. In spite of this, the Legion had immediately marked the planet as a potential terraforming site given how easily it could be brought to full habitability.

Contrary to all expectations, however, not only had a new alien race been detected, but the EM wave signature emanating from Gliese 229-A I was almost 50% larger than that emitted from the surface of Duratus itself. Caught by surprise, it took Captain Achlys Tartarus aboard Adamant several moments to determine an appropriate course of action. The Moskva-class contact off her starboard stern was moving at 2,275 km/s, 50% greater than the top speed of Adamant, therefore any attempt to shadow the other ship would likely be fruitless. For now, Adamant would continue on to the alien planet to gather whatever intelligence she could, and telemetry data from the Moskva would be relayed to the Warden 2 at the entry jump point, which would attempt to intercept the alien vessel. Captain Tartarus noted in her orders that Warden 2 should make every effort not to be spotted on the jump point itself, so as to conceal its location from the aliens. She reasoned, of course, that had the aliens already discovered this jump point, they would have been encountered farther away from what was by all appearances their home system.

With her orders issued, Captain Tartarus spent the next eighteen and a half hours restless with anticipation as Adamant approached the alien planet. At 02:30, the momentary calm was broken by warnings from the RF scanner operator, calling out that Adamant was spotted on active sensors by a new contact, designated Krivak-class, and was furthermore receiving an unintelligible communication from the same source. While the tone of the message certainly did not sound friendly, the Captain ordered her ship to continue on-course, intending to judge the alien response in the next few hours. This intelligence-gathering procedure did not take long; two minutes later, three more Krivaks announced their presence by pinging Adamant with their targeting arrays. While cautious, Captain Tartarus was not interested in backing down too easily, and ordered her crew to bring Adamant to a full stop and hold position. As they did so, a fifth Krivak blinked into existence on the RF scanner tactical display. As the crew of the survey frigate waited with bated breath, the squadron of alien ships drew closer, giving no sign of stopping at any respectful distance. Finally, with the Krivaks 15.1 million km distant, the Adamant’s infrared scanners finally registered a signature for the alien vessels, confirming that they were in fact military ships with an approximate displacement of 7,600 void tons - collectively matching Adamant five times over, not that this would make any difference if the encounter turned hot. Captain Tartarus was glad to call the intelligence-gathering operation a success and ordered her ship back to the jump point - transmitting all sensor data to Warden 2 just in case things did not end as well as she hoped.

Not reacting to this change of orders, the Krivaks continued to close on Adamant, sending no further communication. Captain Tartarus and her crew braced themselves for the worst, only to be relieved as the Krivaks closed with, and then flew past, Adamant. Apparently, the Gliese 229 Aliens were not quite as hostile as the Gliese 1 Aliens had been. Encouraged by the apparent unimportance of her ship to the aliens, the Captain ordered her helmsman to once again proceed towards the planet, hoping to gather more intelligence under the guise of establishing diplomatic relations. Shortly after the Krivaks disappeared from the RF scanner, Warden 2 reported the original Moskva contact which appeared to be heading toward a gravitational survey location beyond the entry jump point, confirming its displacement as 8,568 tons. All signs indicated that the Legion ships had been detected transiting the jump point, although it was yet unclear how this could have occurred.

(https://i.imgur.com/uFf0Clr.png)

Status of the Gliese 229 survey mission at 20:45 on 2 January, following the second detection of the Moskva-class survey vessel.

As Adamant approached the planet, another new contact class appeared on her RF scanners, designated Kirov, which mounted the same sensor type as the Krivak class. Based on intelligence gathered from the previous encounter, Captain Tartarus believed that Adamant was detecting these contacts from beyond the range of their own active arrays, though this made little difference as the planetary sensor network assuredly was tracking Adamant regardless. In any case, continuing to press onwards was the clear choice in her mind, to gather as much information as possible regarding the alien capabilities.

Meanwhile, the Krivak squadron had arrived at the position of Warden 2 and seemed content to maintain a close formation around the small traffic monitor. Having already determined the displacement of these ships, Warden 2 obligingly powered down her active scanner to minimize any threat the alien ships might consider her to pose.

In contrast to the tense situation of first contact, Adamant’s approach to the alien home world proved uneventful. By 05:30 on 4 January, Adamant had reached orbit of Gliese 229-A I, detecting another twenty-one ship types on her approach. Many had been spotted first by her RF scanner as they activated their targeting sensors, which by now appeared to be standard operating procedure for the alien fleet; these contacts were classified as warships after analysis of their sensor signatures. Preliminary speculative analysis of the warship-type contacts suggested that the Gliese 229 Aliens operated at least 20 battlecruiser-size warships - all of the Kirov class - 89 cruiser-size warships split across three classes, 67 frigate or destroyer-size warships split across six classes, and 8 defense stations split across two classes. To members of the Legion high command who received this data some time later, two things were evident from this information: first, given the observed speeds of the ships detected thus far, Legion technology was likely to be superior to that of the aliens; second, the Duranium Legion Navy was horribly outnumbered.

(https://i.imgur.com/eWHXTL8.png)

Sensor log record of the Gliese 229 home fleet, as detected by the survey frigate Adamant on her initial approach to the planet.

In the present moment, having approached the planet without incident Captain Tartarus decided to see if she could complete a discreet geological survey of the planet without unduly annoying the alien fleet. While clearly a great gamble, Duranium Legion captains have historically been noted for their great boldness more than any other aspect of their neurological construction, so this decision was certainly not out of character for the Captain. Despite the danger, Adamant completed her mission with no difficulty, confirming that the alien homeworld had ample stocks of TNEs to support their powerful fleet. Thus emboldened, Captain Tartarus ordered her crew to plan a geological survey of the entire system, working from the inside out so as to leave detection range of the planetary sensor network before the aliens became too upset with her presence in their system. While such an operation certainly would not help diplomatic relations with the aliens, the intelligence gained would be critical for the war planners back home on Duratus.

Gliese 229-A I
Duranium 348,473 Acc 0.9
Neutronium 180,615 Acc 0.6
Corbomite 168,296 Acc 0.5
Tritanium 71,077 Acc 0.4
Boronide 73,892 Acc 1
Mercassium 95,454 Acc 0.8
Vendarite 110,454 Acc 0.8
Sorium 391,915 Acc 0.6
Uridium 261,554 Acc 0.8
Corundium 85,877 Acc 0.4
Gallicite 151,273 Acc 0.9

Unfortunately for the intrepid crew of the Adamant, a Minsk-class vessel, now designated as a geosurvey vessel class, was surveying the same planets. Angry-sounding messages thus continued to be broadcast towards Adamant at regular intervals.

Finally, on 22 February a sufficient number of garbled communiques had been received from the aliens that communication could be established between Warden 2 and an alien stabilization ship which had positioned itself at the jump point. The aliens identified themselves as the Republic of Belaire. Unfortunately for the bold Captain Tartarus, the jig was up as the Belaire fleet commander issued an ultimatum: leave the system or be fired upon. Having pushed her luck as far as it would go, the Captain reluctantly acquiesced and set a course for the jump point to escort Warden 2 out of the system. This escape was completed without incident, and with Warden 2 left to monitor the other side of the jump point, Adamant transmitted her complete sensor logs through the communications network back to the Legion high command at Duratus, and set out hoping to find greener pastures to survey. For ease of reference, the Gliese 229 system was renamed as Belaire after the alien race which resided there.

At the Legion high command on Duratus, the war planning department was considerably more flustered than Captain Achlys Tartarus had been. The existence of a rival navy which could overmatch the entire Legion Navy with the members of just one ship class, namely the twenty 23,000-ton Kirov-class battlecruisers, was nothing less than an existential threat. Amidst the panic, Legion war planners were quick to grasp the hope of superior technology compared to their rival, as evidenced by the relatively weak engine signatures detected by the post-named Belaire Expedition. Unfortunately, while they were highly effective weapons in many respects, the railgun batteries preferred by the Legion Navy were not suited to exploiting a speed advantage against a superior enemy fleet, therefore the Legion high command was forced to turn to projects under development in hopes that a new secret weapon might be found to even the odds. Fortunately, while it would take some time yet to bring to fruition, just such a project had been the subject of top-secret research for a significant part of the past five years.

In the present, however, the situation continued to develop poorly. On 17 March, a Krivak-class scout ship transited the jump point into Kuiper 79, immediately declaring that this system lay within the territory of the Republic of Belaire. While the Legion was certainly not in the habit of giving in to empty territorial demands, the Legion was also not in the business of starting wars it could not win. For the moment, no official response was sent to the Krivak, and the Legion continued its business in the system as usual. While Kuiper 79 was not overly impressive, it would have been decently well-suited as a mining base had the Legion not preferred more productive opportunities in other sectors of the galaxy, so in a pinch it could be quietly left alone with Legion monitoring craft stationed at opposite ends of each jump point in the system.

Meanwhile, some form of decisive action needed to be taken. The system of GJ 1061 had long been marked for future colonization due to the quite-hospitable second planet, which would require relatively little terraforming to be fully-habitable. The remaining bodies in the system, only half of which had been surveyed by this time, included multiple gas giants with high content of accessible sorium and an extensive Kuiper Belt with excellent mining prospects despite the distances involved. It would therefore make an excellent near-Sol fleet base for operations against the Republic of Belaire, with a good chance to become a self-sustaining network of colonies later on. For now, the Legion high command determined that it was of critical importance to establish the jump gate network needed to build up a base on this colony, preferably before the Belaire aliens laid a claim to the system. Meanwhile, some initial groundwork had to be laid, and a convoy was rapidly dispatched to the system. For ease of reference, and while left unsaid likely also for the sake of public relations materials, the GJ 1061 system was redesignated as Adamantine after the bold frigate which had repeatedly brushed with certain doom and survived to bring glory to the Legion.

Adamantine-A II
Boronide 65,545,216 Acc 0.2
Mercassium 17,139,600 Acc 0.1
Vendarite 46,348,864 Acc 0.2
Nitrogen 71.000% 0.901 atm
Oxygen 29.000% 0.368 atm
Base Temp (K / C) 202.46 -70.54
Surface Temp (K / C) 191.64 -81.36

The Republic of Belaire wasted no time putting pressure on the Legion high command to act. Within the first month after their arrival in Kuiper 79, An Udaloy-class and Moskva-class ship also transited into the system, reinforcing the persistent requests for the Legion to vacate the system. The Lords Admiral who had begun developing ulcers due to this stress were also not helped by the long-expected report that the gallicite deposits on Duratus had finally run out on 5 May, only adding to the list of problems which needed solving. With the gravitational survey of Kuiper 79 being completed on 9 May, it was decided to create some breathing room for the moment and Warden 2 was ordered to pull back to the Adamantine system along with Avenging Wrath, which would assist Angel of Ares in completing the geological survey of that system. Meanwhile, Belaire scouts were detected in Luyten 302-89 on 12 May; as this was a non-critical system it was hoped that the Belaire would send their survey ships in that direction, buying the Legion precious time to fortify Adamantine. In the short term, these hopes seemed to carry through, as Belaire activity within range of Legion sensors largely ceased aside from incidental contact in the Luyten 302-89 system.

The all-too-short period of relative silence was broken on 20 August by another Belaire Krivak-class scout arriving in the Adamantine system, followed some days later by an Udaloy. As Adamantine Base was still in its early stages the Belaire captain judged the Legion’s presence to be insufficient to justify their firm request to leave the system, much to the chagrin of the Legion high command. As the base in Adamantine was not yet sufficient to maintain even a cruiser squadron, the Legion admirals settled for dispatching another Gatekeeper to the system to maintain the jump point monitoring, while Warden 2 would shadow the Krivak as it explored the system. Once the planetary base was sufficiently developed, the newly-assembled Cruiser Squadron 3 would be dispatched to ensure a respectable Legion presence in the system when the “request” was reissued. An ancillary task for establishing the base was completed by 29 August, when the stabilisation ship Pisces reported completion of the jump gate network between Sol and Adamantine.

Over the course of the following four weeks, the Krivak would scout out the inner system of Adamantine to its apparent satisfaction before retiring to its entry jump point though still remaining in-system. On 17 September, a pair of Minsks entered the system; apparently the Belaire had judged it safe. While this presence caused consternation for the Legion high command, it did indicate that the Belaire did not view the Legion with great hostility, thus they might be afforded sufficient time to complete a naval build-up before war was declared. On 3 October, with a presence of 400,000 colonists now ensconced on the planet surface, the Legion reissued a request for the Belaire ships to vacate the system. Three days later, the Belaire response was received, and once again they rejected the Legion’s claim to the system.

Still uneasy about the Belaire refusal to respect Legion territorial claims, the Legion high command ordered the terraforming cluster currently in orbit of Mercury to be briefly relocated to Adamantine Base. As a fractional amount of excess oxygen to be removed was all that stood between this planet and easy (though not complete) habitability, the high command wished to accomplish this task before tensions with Belaire became too great and the terraforming mission too risky.

By 1 November, despite gallicite deposits being exhausted the maintenance supply factories on Duratus were reporting a shortage of duranium instead. As there were at least five years’ worth of supplies stockpiled on the planet surface, the Legion high command ordered that supply production would be shut down for the foreseeable future as a cost-saving measure. Legion planners anticipated that by the time production had to be resumed, systems such as Adamantine would be ready to take up the challenge.

Unfortunately for the blood pressure of the Legion’s admirals, the Belaire were not the only sentient species in the galaxy, and one ship’s crew in particular was about to be reminded of this inconvenient truth.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Double Edge
2x Charybdis class Destroyer: Char, Corrugator
2x Bellerophon class Frigate: Bloodsucker, Braggart
2x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Ascendant Might, Ariadne
2x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Typhon class Colony Ship
2x Salamander class Troop Transport
1x Achelous class Terraforming Platform
2x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform
3x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor

Research

Construction Equipment
Fuel Production 56,000 Litres
Ground Formation Construction Rate - 320
Mining Production 14 tons

Systems Discovered

NN 3378: FS Ars Magica, 17 March 4005
WISE 0350-5658: FS Adamant, 27 March 4005
Lacaille 9352: FS Adjudicator, 10 June 4005
WISE 1506+7027: FS Archrival, 9 July 4005
Struve 2398: FS Adamant, 9 July 4005
Groombridge 34: FS Ascendant Might, 7 October 4005
Eta Cassiopeiae: FS Ardent Knight, 12 November 4005

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter VII: Fun N' Games at the Final Frontier
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 01, 2021, 01:00:27 AM

13 November 4005

Many veterans of the Legion Navy considered the Ars Magica-class survey frigate Ardent Knight to be the first in her class, despite being the third-commissioned ship of the class. In large part, this was due to her unique fame not only as the discoverer of the first jump point but also as the first to bravely go where none had gone before. It was ironic, then, that she would become the first of her class to cross another kind of frontier entirely.

(https://i.imgur.com/0otq11z.png)

At 10:58 Duratus Galactic time on 13 November, sensor operators aboard Ardent Knight were shocked to discover a pair of new, yet strangely familiar, contacts appearing on her RF scanner display. While the contacts were of an alien ship class not yet encountered, the active sensor signatures being detected were unmistakably similar to those of the Mongolican battle stations discovered two and a half years ago. While similar, the sensor signatures were not identical to those aboard the Genghis and Khan, and Captain Eupheme Nikon initially held out hope that the similarities were purely coincidental. However, the computers and sensor technicians aboard Ardent Knight could offer no better explanation for the idiosyncratic waveforms being detected, and the Captain was reluctantly forced to accept the reality of her situation. Designating these contacts Ogadei, Captain Nikon transmitted her sensor logs to Warden 6 at the entry jump point, which would relay them back to Duratus, and set about determining how Ardent Knight should meet her fate. The two Ogadei-class ships were traveling at 5,033 km/s, more than three times the top speed of Ardent Knight, and were already less than 50 million km from the frigate which in turn was over 75 million km from her entry point. Escape was out of the question, therefore Ardent Knight’s final mission would be to disguise the location of her entry point and to lead the enemy away from Warden 6, which lacked self-jump capability to make its own escape. With this established, Captain Nikon ordered her crew to plot a course for a nearby comet, on a trajectory away from both the enemy ships and Warden 6.

Twenty-two minutes later, three groups of four small contacts each appeared on the thermal scanners of Ardent Knight, inbound at 34,566 km/s. Clearly these were missiles, but of a different type from those encountered in Mongolica. Ten seconds later, three more salvos appeared, followed by a seventh ten seconds after that. This limited onslaught was small comfort to the doomed crew of Ardent Knight. Despite the futility of doing so, Captain Nikon ordered all hands to brace for impact.

(https://i.imgur.com/Bnpu8tC.png)

R.I.P.

At 11:22:40 the first wave of missiles slammed into Ardent Knight, instantly shredding her into a small cloud of space junk. Of the 145 brave men and women on board, 109 perished instantly; the three dozen who escaped would be left to an uncertain, and quite probably worse, fate.

The Legion high command was not made up of men and women beholden to sentiment, and on receiving word of the events in Eta Cassiopeiae their first concern was to determine the intent and capabilities of this new - potentially Mongolican - threat. This would pose some difficulty, as the Legion could not spare a large fleet element to reconnoiter the enemy position due to ongoing tensions with the Republic of Belaire. In the end, Frigate Squadron 3 would be sent, closely followed by the newly-commissioned Gatekeeper 7 which would be responsible for rescuing Warden 6 if the latter vessel had not yet been detected and reduced to atoms. The frigate squadron would hopefully be able to at least manage a token point defense against the enemy missiles while making a swift escape if spotted, although with only nine 102 mm defense batteries across four ships even this would be a great deal to ask. The frigate squadron would require eighteen days to reach Eta Cassiopeiae, and Gatekeeper 7 a full month; understandably, the crew of Warden 6 would not be optimistic about their odds of survival. To make matters worse, the homing signals from the life pods of Ardent Knight went silent shortly after midnight on 15 November - an ominous portent.

Early on 1 December, Frigate Squadron 3 transited into Eta Cassiopeiae, immediately resolving on their powerful RF array a massive active sensor based on a new ship class, designated Kublai, detecting five contacts of that type in total - all in orbit around the second planet of the near component star. For the moment, Commander Agon Reza aboard the frigate Bad Omen ordered the squadron to hold position at the jump point. Sensor technicians estimated the range of the enemy sensor as more than 120 million km, with a resolution easily able to resolve the Bellerophon-class frigates. While the frigates could likely count on speed to help them escape detection, Commander Reza preferred to wait until Warden 6 was safely evacuated before commencing reconnaissance operations. In the meantime, a communication was sent back to the Legion high command on Duratus requesting that a jump cruiser be detached and sent to Eta Cassiopeiae, in order to deploy its R-56 reconnaissance fighter if an opportunity presented itself. To meet this request, First Fleet detached its light jump cruiser Grand Cross to the system.

A bit more than an hour later, a sixth Kublai contact was detected, approximately thirty million km from the planet and moving at 7,568 km/s along a heading towards the jump point. Commander Reza was disturbed by this development, but not unduly worried, though he did order Warden 6 to evacuate to a position some 135 million km stellar-south of the jump point, just in case. Even so, it seemed improbable at best for his squadron to have been spotted. This assessment was called into question, however, as the Kublai continued to approach, pulsing its active sensor roughly once every ten minutes. Finally, after forty minutes of this charade, it became apparent that Frigate Squadron 3 had in fact been made out, as another pair of Kublais appeared at 147 million km on the same direct course. Commander Reza resolved to remain on the jump point as long as possible, partly to gather intelligence before evacuating from the system but also to give Warden 6 as much time as possible to bravely run away.

Fifteen minutes later, a ninth Kublai pulsed its own active sensor, followed by a tenth after another fifteen minutes; clearly the alien ships were slowly revealing their strength in an attempt to intimidate the Legion scouting force. Twenty additional minutes passed, and just as Commander Reza began to think he had a full accounting of the enemy force, a new contact pulsed its actives. Designated Yuan, this contact was located all the way back at the alien planet; presumably, it was checking for any Legion stealth ships which might have evaded the Kublai squadron. Eighty seconds later, two new Kublai contacts were detected by the frigates’ RF arrays, and a mildly-annoyed Commander Reza grudgingly resumed his counting. As the Kublais continued to approach, still more new Kublai contacts made themselves known; by 08:30, Frigate Squadron 3 had tallied a total of 18 Kublais in addition to yet another class of contacts operating the same type of active sensor, designated as a pair of Timurads.

By now, the Mongolican squadrons were exhibiting an unusual behavior, as several Kublais appeared to be retreating back toward their planetary base, with one of the Kublais holding position at 116 million km just inside the presumed range of the large active sensor it carried. The Timurad pair appeared to be continuing to advance towards the frigates, suggesting that these were heavier warships while the Kublais were light frigates or scouts not equipped with heavy weapons. As the Timurads continued to advance, another pair pulsed their sensors and appeared on the RF arrays of Frigate Squadron 3, repeating the same intimidation tactics as the Kublais. Commander Agon Reza was by now thoroughly annoyed.

(https://i.imgur.com/HDOeRVw.png)

Few starship captains enjoy playing the sort of sensor games that the Mongolicans had apparently made a core component of their combat doctrine.

Fortunately - by some tenuous definitions, at least - for Commander Reza, the Timurads were similarly uninterested in playing games. As they barreled towards the frigate squadron, infrared arrays detected their engine exhaust, giving a displacement reading of around 26,700 tons each for the Timurads. Following this encounter, the size of these vessels would spawn several dozen schemes within the halls of the Legion high command based around somehow leading the Belaire and Mongolican battlecruisers to fight each other, all of which would be roundly rejected. In the present moment, however, Commander Reza was content to place such harebrained schemes far out of mind, instead waiting for the moment at which the Mongolican attack force would cross into his own active sensor range, allowing his technicians to finally get a good look at their foes. His anticipation was only heightened when the squadron’s thermal arrays resolved two additional 17,800-ton contacts at 104 million km, designated Hazara and unlike their comrades not running any active sensors which the Bellerophons could detect at that distance.

Finally, at 11:34 the Mongolican attack force had approached within active sensor range of Frigate Squadron 3. Commander Reza ordered the squadron to activate their sensor arrays, eager to see what the enemy was made of. Immediately, two additional classes of contacts were discovered, designated Aimak (8.874 tons) and Zanabazar (8,846 tons). Notably, none of the earlier Ogadei contacts were spotted, despite the fact that these were known to the Legion to be missile-armed warships after the ill-fated encounter of Ardent Knight. It was possible that these ships were smaller combatants, which the long-range arrays of the frigates could not resolve at this distance. Thus, Commander Reza decided to continue holding his position - also hoping to give Warden 6 more precious time to make her escape.

Finally, at 12:27, a wave of enemy missiles were spotted on the squadron’s thermal arrays, consisting of four salvos with fourteen missiles each. As a single salvo already contained more missiles than the frigate squadron had guns, Commander Reza wisely discerned that it was, at last, time to go. After holding position for three more minutes to collect accurate sensor data on the missiles, Frigate Squadron 3 quickly disappeared through the jump point, leaving the Mongolican missiles to self-destruct uselessly less than a million km from their targets. Warden 6 was now on its own for the foreseeable future.

Based on the speeds observed during the reconnaissance operation, Commander Reza estimated that the Mongolican attack fleet would be able to make the jump point in less than five hours, and as they had surely seen his squadron make its transit there could be no doubt about its location even if the aliens had somehow not surveyed their own system. Therefore, if the Mongolicans chose to pursue his squadron through the jump point, nothing could be done to stop them. On the other hand, if the aliens lacked jump capability, this would be valuable intelligence to bring home to the Legion high command, which would then rest assured that the Monglicans, though powerful, would not pose an offensive threat which would detract from efforts to deal with the Belaire situation. Thus, in the best interests of the mission Commander Reza elected to have his squadron remain on the opposite side of the jump point, monitoring it for any Mongolican incursion. By midnight, no Mongolican vessel had yet traversed the jump point, and Commander Reza could breathe a bit more easily as he transmitted his final report of the day to the Legion high command. The fate of Warden 6, however, would remain unknown for some time yet.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Charybdis class Destroyer: Chimera
1x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor

Systems Discovered

IRAS 21500+5903: FS Amalgam of the Void, 21 December 4005

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter VIII: Xenoarcheological Progress Goes "Pew"
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 05, 2021, 10:02:16 PM

Year 4006

After the tense encounter at Eta Cassiopeiae (which, in the case of Warden 6, had yet to be resolved), an eerie calm fell over the Duranium Legion. On 6 January, the survey frigate Archon traversed the only unexplored jump point in the AX Microscopii system, which was found to link back to a previously dormant jump point in the famous Olympia system. This completed the first loop in the galactic jump network which was known to the Duranium Legion, and was a source of mild fanfare in the news media organizations for some days following. With this, Warden 3 which had been monitoring the known jump point between AX Microscopii and AD Leonis was recalled to Sol, likely pending reassignment to the Adamantine sector. Archon was also sent to Earth for the time being, as she would soon need to refuel anyways.

(https://i.imgur.com/IEOphs2.png)

The eeriness of this period would prove more prophetic than the calm. On 13 January, the survey frigate Ars Magica detected a sensor signature in orbit of the third planet of the LHS 3508 system, clearly matching that of the Yuan-class contact first seen in Eta Cassiopeiae - another Mongolican fleet was lying in wait. Ars Magica immediately turned around and made for the jump point at full speed, not wishing to repeat the fate of Ardent Knight nor to invite the curse of being first in her class which had been visited upon Bellerophon, Charybdis, and Defiant three years ago. Unfortunately, the curse would claim another victim, as three salvos of Mongolican missiles were soon detected streaking toward Ars Magica. Her demise was as swift as it was certain. News of this shocking event would be carried back to the Legion high command by Gatekeeper 5 which had remained at the entry jump point; news of the first-in-class curse would be carried throughout the Legion Navy by word of mouth. Before leaving the system to deliver her report, however, Gatekeeper 5 remained at the jump point long enough to witness the expiration of Ars Magica’s life pods; the Mongolicans had not taken captives, a marked departure from their behavior in Eta Cassiopeiae, which suggested that there may only be orbital battle stations in this system - valuable information for the Legion’s battle planners.

Orders were issued: Frigate Squadron 3 was directed to relocate from its current position on the Eta Cassiopeiae jump point, which by now the Legion high command was quite certain the Mongolicans had no interest in breaching, to conduct reconnaissance of the LHS 3508 system, most importantly to confirm that the only forces present were orbital battle stations which could be engaged and defeated with fairly minimal effort - in relative terms, of course. As this would test the limits of the frigates’ fuel range, a tanker would be dispatched from Duratus after taking some time to load sufficient fuel to support the squadron. Gatekeeper 5 was ordered to remain in-system, at the entry jump point, and to observe any potential approach of hostile forces to the jump point before fleeing. Finally, as the existing designation of the system was rather tedious, the battle planning department recommended that the system be redesignated. Claiming that their reasoning was entirely due to an interesting parallel with mathematical shorthand, the department suggested the designation “Devils’ Hand”, which was grudgingly accepted by the Legion admirals when no alternative was suggested.

Frigate Squadron 3 arrived in Devil’s Hand early on 15 February. Not willing to risk his entire squadron on an excursion away from the jump point, Commander Agon Reza detached his own vessel, Bad Omen, and ordered her to approach within 83 million km of the third planet in the system. Having made this approach by 09:37 on 17 February, Bad Omen was able to resolve the Yuan-class contact as displacing 17,734 tons - nearly the same displacement as the Genghis and Khan stations previously engaged. At this range, the long-range sensor array aboard Bad Omen could resolve any vessel larger than 7,500 tons, smaller than every Mongolican ship detected to that point. With the primary mission accomplished, Commander Reza considered approaching closer to the target, knowing from the previous encounter that the Mongolican missiles had a maximum range of at least 76 million km. However, at this distance hardly anything smaller than 7,500 tons would be resolvable anyways, thus Commander Reza decided against this risky course of action. After remaining on station for an hour or so, in hopes of detecting some response from the enemy, Bad Omen set course back to the jump point.

(https://i.imgur.com/ChF07HZ.png)

The opportunity for the Legion Navy was blatantly obvious, with the only potential catch being that any fleet assets temporarily diverted to Devil’s Hand would be unavailable should the business with the Belaire go poorly. After ordering the railgun counters in the battle planning department to triple-check the point defense calculations, the Legion high command devised a two-component battle plan. On one hand, Cruiser Squadron 3 would depart for the Adamantine Base ahead of schedule, in hopes that this would provide some additional incentive for the Belaire to keep a fair distance and avoid any breakout of hostilities. Meanwhile, Second Fleet which had recently finished a set of overhauls would detach its frigate squadron, sail to Devil’s Hand with all haste, and take on Frigate Squadron 3 as its sensor wing. As the Yuan-class missile base had been observed to fire, at most, two salvos of eleven large missiles each in a single volley, and based on comparisons with the weapons of the Genghis station this was likely to be the full armament of the Yuan. It was expected that a single destroyer squadron would provide more than enough point defense for the fleet; however, in case the Yuan had been careful to hide its true strength the second destroyer squadron would be available. Second Fleet would arrive at Devil’s Hand in twenty-four days.

At 16:39 on 14 March, Second Fleet rendezvoused with Frigate Squadron 3 and transited to Devil’s Hand. Immediately, Captain Ceto Echetus aboard the light cruiser Defenestrator ordered the fleet to approach within 83 million km of the planet, as Bad Omen had done previously. This being done, active sensor arrays confirmed that the situation around the third planet was unchanged, and two minutes past midnight on 16 March, Second Fleet began their attack run against the Mongolicans.

Second Fleet
Captain Ceto Echetus commanding aboard CL Defenestrator
Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenestrator, Disruptor, Gothic, 4x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 3: Catharsis, Centaur, Crushing Blow, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4: Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgement
Frigate Squadron 3 (attached): Bad Omen, Broken Wind, Brutal Legend, Endless Night

(https://i.imgur.com/5T82oHQ.png)

Second Fleet preparing for the approach to Devil’s Hand III.

Captain Echetus ordered the fleet to first close to 42 million km, within range of the high-resolution arrays of the frigates. For the approach, only the destroyers would initially be ordered to participate in point defense final fire; Legion battle planners had assured Captain Echetus that one destroyer squadron’s worth of battery fire would be sufficient, and while the Captain certainly intended to test this theory she would have the second destroyer squadron ready to issue any empirically-determined corrections. The eager gunners of Second Fleet would however be disappointed, as the fleet closed to 42 million km without detecting any sign of even one missile launched in their direction. Irritated, Captain Echetus ordered the fleet to close to 15 million km, just within the maximum range of the missile warning arrays of Frigate Squadron 3. Again the break point was reached, and no enemy missiles had been detected. Now quite perplexed, the Captain ordered the fleet to close to two-and-a-quarter million km, just beyond the range of the fast missiles encountered by First Fleet in Mongolica. She did not expect the Yuan battle station to be armed with these, given that it was already known to be armed with enough launchers for the larger missiles as to constitute a full loadout, but Captain Echetus knew better than to rely on her expectations.

As Second Fleet continued to close in, small signatures appeared on the passive detection arrays of the frigates, corresponding to some kind of planetary structures and the waste heat emissions from the Yuan itself. Still, no missile launches had yet been detected. Now thoroughly annoyed at the complete waste of her time, Captain Echetus ordered the fleet to commence its final attack run. Finally, as Second Fleet closed to under 450,000 km, the Yuan finally seemed to take notice and began launching its missiles. Despite a handful of gunners aboard the destroyers having dozed off, the point defense work was fully effective, with all twenty-two incoming missiles destroyed easily, in fact only two destroyers even had the chance to fire their weapons before the interception was over. This would have been an excellent trap, Captain Echetus would later comment during a debriefing session, if only it had any chance of working at all. Instead, this would stand as yet another example proving that cowardly, poorly-programmed automatons ought never be used to do a real soldiers job.

(https://i.imgur.com/UN9NJJA.png)

Finally, something interesting happens.

Second Fleet continued to close, fending off another half-dozen impotent waves of missiles. Aside from some mild communications hiccups, the approach was perfectly smooth, and two volleys from the weapons batteries of Cruiser Squadron 2 were enough to reduce the Yuan to space rubble. Defenestrator, the flagship of Captain Ceto Echetus, claimed the kill. As Second Fleet entered orbit of the planet, active scans confirmed that there were no Mongolican ground forces present on the surface. With that, Captain Echetus declared the Battle of Devil’s Hand finished, claiming total victory for the Duranium Legion, and ordered Second Fleet to depart the system at once. The fleet would briefly rendezvous with the tanker en-route and then return to Duratus with all due haste, aiming to return before the Belaire might try anything untoward. The small Mongolican outpost would be left until some undetermined date in the future when a survey ship might get around to studying the planet.

With the brief interruption of Devil’s Hand out of the way, the attentions of the Lords Admiral returned to the situation in Eta Cassiopeiae, specifically the recovery of Warden 6 if she had indeed survived the past three months alone in a hostile system. Still on station at the jump point to Eta Cassiopeiae, the light jump cruiser Grand Cross launched her R-56 recon fighter into the jump point on 21 March, hoping the small craft would be small enough to evade detection and counting on the revolution of the Mongolican planet to have carried it out of range to detect the transit. Unfortunately, these hopes would prove unfounded; the R-56 would scarcely have the chance to send a panicked communication through the jump point before being eviscerated in a hail of gunfire. Clearly, the Mongolicans had positioned a substantial defense force at the jump point; thus, any chance of rescue for Warden 6, should she even have survived to this point, was minimal and most likely would require discovery of a second jump point leading into the system. Meanwhile, Grand Cross would return to Duratus empty-handed, leaving Gatekeeper 7 behind to monitor the jump point just in case the Mongolicans suddenly developed an urge to take the offensive.

After this, several months passed without serious incident. On 15 June, the first new naval ship class to be commissioned since the year 4000 came off the slipway, albeit as a refit rather than an entirely new class. The survey frigate Archon had been refitted to a Mk II modernization of the Ars Magica class, which was somewhat enlarged in order to fit a more powerful engine and a small active scanner to supplement the passive scanners; recent experiences had convinced the Lords Admiral that the survey fleet required a minimal active scanning capability to carry out reconnaissance missions, notably the ability to pulse an active scanner during the Belaire encounter would have provided valuable intelligence. Detractors of the modernized design criticized the reduced maintenance life and complained that the sensor suite had not been upgraded to match the increase in straight-line speed.

Ars Magica Mk II class Survey Frigate 8,500 tons 141 Crew 899.7 BP TCS 170 TH 375 EM 0
2205 km/s JR 1-25(C) Armour 2-37 Shields 0-0 HTK 41 Sensors 8/8/2/2 DCR 8 PPV 0
Maint Life 7.04 Years MSP 1,049 AFR 72% IFR 1.0% 1YR 37 5YR 556 Max Repair 100 MSP
Captain Control Rating 2 BRG SCI
Intended Deployment Time: 84 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-170 Gravity Drive 'Hermes' Max Ship Size 8500 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 1

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-375 Deep Space Engine 'Cyclops' (1) Power 375 Fuel Use 5.77% Signature 375 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 401,000 Litres Range 147 billion km (771 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Further good news came out the survey corps not long after this, with the announcement that the Legion’s first Xenoarcheology Brigade had been activated and would be deployed to Mongolica II. The brigade followed the same pattern as the Geosurvey Brigade, consisting of three xenoarcheology companies escorted by a mechanized infantry battalion with the brigade headquarters attached. The Legion high command expected this new brigade to make the next steps in understanding their mysterious Mongolican foes.

(https://i.imgur.com/v5Qdxof.png)

Styx Mk I XAV
Transport Size (tons) 218 Cost 8.72 Armour 16 Hit Points 32
Annual Maintenance Cost 1.1 Resupply Cost 0
Xenoarchaeology Equipment: Xenoarchaeology Points 0.5
Xenoarchaeology Equipment: Xenoarchaeology Points 0.5
Non-Combat Class

A parallel development was the commissioning of the Legion’s first salvage vessel. The Accatran-class salvager, soon to be accompanied by her sister Eyrie, would investigate the wrecks of the Genghis and Khan, to be followed in the near future by a study of the Yuan debris in Devil’s Hand. In addition to shedding further light on the origins of the Mongolicans, a wealth of minerals and technology was anticipated from the salvaging operations.

Accatran class Salvager 79,344 tons 423 Crew 1,395.5 BP TCS 1,587 TH 2,400 EM 0
1512 km/s Armour 1-164 Shields 0-0 HTK 93 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 10 Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 30,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 5
Subcommander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Salvager: 2 module(s) capable of salvaging 1000 tons per day

Hyperion Drive Yards HC-300 Auxiliary Engine 'Charon' (8) Power 2400 Fuel Use 3.30% Signature 300 Explosion 4%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 68.6 billion km (525 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

On 3 September, the newly-refitted Archon transmitted an intriguing report to Legion high command. As expected, another alien ruin had been detected during the survey of Devil’s Hand III, although this one was quite small and likely no more than an outpost of the civilization which had built them. More intriguing, however, was the discovery of a mysterious structure, or “construct” as Captain Thalia Skythes described it in her report to the Legion high command. The structure was clearly distinct from the ruined outpost, and in fact seemed to be in remarkably better condition, but its purpose was completely unclear from its shape and size. Captain Skythes recommended that the Xenoarcheology Brigade arrive to investigate the structure at the earliest possible time; she also noted that the planet would not be too difficult to terraform although it would take some time to be made fully habitable as there was no water present on the surface; if the construct turned out to be of interest, it would not be too difficult to establish a naval base on the planet. Intrigued by this possibility, the Legion high command took the somewhat risky step of ordering the stabilization fleet to create a jump gate network reaching to Devil’s Hand once the entire stabilization fleet had returned from their previous tasks.

“The earliest possible time” was not too long in coming, as by 28 October the Xenoarcheology Brigade had completed their study of the Mongolica II ruins. The ruins had been constructed by an ancient race whose name was best translated as the Khorramabad. While it was difficult to make out many details from the scraps of surviving record, the Khorramabad appeared to have constructed the automatons which the Legion had fought as a defense against a powerful foe. Judging from the lack of living Khorramabad, the Legion xenoarcheologists judged that they had probably been defeated by this foe - a chilling thought, considering the level of technology the Khorramabad had possessed. As best any member of the Brigade could tell, the automatons had been programmed to aggressively combat any ship or ground soldier which was not identified as a Khorramabad ship or soldier, which in large part explained the behavior of the automatons. Records on the design and construction or the automatons could not be found, nor could any information about the powerful foe. Most concerningly, the Legion xenoarchelogists could locate no records indicating how many programmers had been sacked for the obvious deficiencies in the combat routines of the automatons. However, despite their poor record-keeping the Khorramabad did appear to be excellent architects, as many of the buildings in the ruined colony had stood for an estimated 30 to 50 million years. Of these, the brigade had identified some three-and-a-half dozen or so which might be of some use to the Legion should they be excavated and reactivated by a well-equipped construction or engineering formation. The work of the xenoarcheologists, however, was completed, and therefore they were immediately reassigned to study the ruins and strange construct in Devil’s Hand.

Year 4007

The Xenoarcheology Brigade set foot on Devil’s Hand III on 4 May, finding no automated ground forces as expected and capturing a small listening post with a stock of anti-ship missiles. Setting a detachment from the escorting infantry battalion to the duty of scrapping the Mongolican ordnance, the xenoarcheologists eagerly turned to the ruins and more interestingly the unusual construct nearby. While the construct drew the most attention - and competition for assignments - those relegated to studying the ruins themselves made a finding that some at least in the Legion high command considered far more significant. The ruins themselves did not share many features in common with those in the Mongolica system, not least the writing found throughout was in a completely different language. After a month of perplexed puzzling, the researchers translated the language of the ruins to find that the builders were not Khorramabad at all, but in fact another race whose name translated, curiously enough, as the Actinium Commune. Unfortunately, these ruins were about one-third the size of the ones in Mongolica, thus even fewer records existed and none were found explaining the link between the Khorramabad and Actinium races. As at Mongolica, a few of the ruined structures seemed recoverable, and the brigade called back to Duratus to request engineering support once such formations were activated. Meanwhile, the Xenoarcheology Brigade continued to study the mysterious construct, hoping that it might contain the answers to these questions.

Back on Duratus, the Legion high command was tirelessly working to develop their answer to the dangerous Belaire fleet. Thus far, relations had been chilly but nonconfrontational, with neither side willing to make explicit concessions but both generally respecting each others’ territory. Unfortunately for the Belaire, the Duranium Legion was not a race characterized by respect for other sentient species, and as June turned to July the Legion Navy prepared to deploy their latest answer to the Belaire fleet.

----

Shipbuilding

3x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Damnation, Devourer, Direct Fire
2x Charybdis class Destroyer: Crusader, Chronomancer
2x Ars Magica class Survey Frigate: Aeryn Sun, Argumentative
2x Ars Magica II class Survey Frigate: Archon (refit), Aeryn Sun (refit), Aether Net (refit)
4x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Typhon class Colony Ship
2x Accatran class Salvager
2x Achelous Mk II Terraforming Station
2x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform
4x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor
2x Olympia class Cargo Shuttle

Research

Alien Autopsy = Mongolican
Capacitor Recharge Rate 4
Electronic Intelligence and Analysis Module - Strength 5
Maintenance Support per Facility: 1600 Tons
Particle Beam Range 200,000 km
Particle Beam Strength 4

Systems Discovered

LHS 3508 (Devil’s Hand): FS Ars Magica, 2 January 4006
EG 452: FS Athena, 11 January 4006
HIP 80436: FS Apollo, 16 May 4006
HIP 113296: FS Ariadne, 23 May 4006
DEN 0255-4700: FS Archrival, 7 June 4006
DEN 1048-3956: FS Adjudicator, 20 August 4006
Gliese 687: FS Aether Net, 29 August 4006
WISE 0359-5401: FS Amalgam of the Void, 13 December 4006
WISE 1405+5534: FS Archrival, 24 December 4006
WISE 1741+2553: FS Amalgam of the Void, 25 March 4007
GI 399.1: FS Aeryn Sun, 6 June 4007
LHS 288: FS Adamant, 13 June 4007
Kapteyn’s Star: FS Adamant, 14 June 4007
DEN 0817-6155: FS Adamant, 29 June 4007

The Galaxy According to the Duranium Legion: 1 July 4007

(https://i.imgur.com/q1pDols.png)

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OOC: Second page, hooray!! ;D

Next post should be a break from the usual updates, much fluffier and hopefully a good change of pace after 7 1/2 years of game time.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Spotlight #1: Particle Beam Development
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 09, 2021, 11:51:50 AM

Spotlight #1: Development of particle beam weapons and the Hellfire-class frigate

Following the encounter with Belaire, in March 4005 the Duranium Legion high command rapidly issued an open design specification for a long-range shipborne weapon and a ship to carry it. While the initial design specification for the latter was for a cruiser-sized warship, logistical limits - namely the I/J-class cruiser project - as well as the need to deploy the new weapons quickly, more so than effectively, led to downward revision of the specification so that a frigate-sized ship design was called for instead. The final result would turn out to be a trademark combination: on one hand, the ingenuity and engineering skill of the Legion’s finest scientific minds would be on display; on the other hand, the confusing whims of the Legion high command’s procurement process along with the demand for urgency more than efficiency would lead to a ship design with glaring weaknesses, albeit these could be rectified in the not too distant future.

Procuring the beam weapons of the future: A case study on physics and politics

Initially when the long-range shipborne weapon specification was issued, three principal candidate weapon types were considered to meet the requirements. Missiles were perhaps the most obvious candidate weapon, owing to their respectable performance in combat against the Legion previously. However these were fairly immediately eliminated from serious consideration, and even the early series of proposals from the Legion Navy’s design bureaus showed a compelling lack of volume of missile-based submissions compared to other weapon types. The key problem with missiles was one of an entirely different sort of volume, namely volume of fire. Simply put, the experience of the Legion had shown that massed missile fire could be devastating against an underprepared fleet, but an opposing fleet led by twenty battlecruisers could hardly be described as underprepared relative to the state of the Legion fleet at the time. The Republic of Belaire could be expected to put out an insurmountable volume of point defense fire even with relatively lower weapons tech compared to the Legion’s own vessels. To deploy an effective missile-based arm of the Navy would not only require such a volume of fire as could only be produced over several years, but to produce such a volume in any timely fashion could only be accomplished by cutting back production of the railgun-armed vessels which formed the core of the Legion Navy. This being quite unacceptable, the Legion high command turned their consideration to long-range beam weapons which could provide a suitable striking power even with relatively low total mass of fire, sufficient to win a battle of evasion and attrition against a larger Belaire fleet as long as the point defense vessels held up.

Thus initially the frontrunner for the open design specification was some form of laser weapon. In terms of fundamental physics, laser weapons posed an attractive option to supplement the close-range firepower of the Legion’s railguns, notably the ease of generating a lightspeed impact with high energy and rapid cycling was quite attractive for a fleet which needed to rapidly engineer a weapon rather than becoming bogged down in technical studies. A typical design study submitted to meet the specification would outline a laser with a 203 mm lens size focusing ultraviolet light tightly enough to target effectively at the upper limits of Legion fire control technology, beyond which empirical testing was not possible although theoretical calculations indicated maximum ranges on the order of 400,000 km. However, the numerous design studies submitted on laser weapons also revealed numerous flaws in the weapon. Chiefly, while limited in range by fire control technology, most designs were considered to show unacceptable damage falloff at longer ranges due to limitations in focal lens technology - limitations which would only be exacerbated by imperfect optics manufacturing processes of the era. While in theory any damage would be fine as long as range was kept open, Legion battle planners had no guarantee that the Belaire fire control technology was any more limited in range than existing Legion technology, which due to the reliance of the Navy on railgun batteries had not progressed as much as some would have hoped in recent years. There existed therefore a potential that damage outputs at maximum range between the two fleets would be roughly equal on a per-ship basis - a losing proposition for a navy with a marked inferiority in raw numbers. Less objectively, the idea of laser-based ships also met significant political opposition from the Legion Navy establishment, simply put many of the Lords Admiral saw potential for laser weapons to supplant their preferred railguns given sufficient investments, or at least to draw equal in overall capability and potentially cause a split between the Legion’s fleets. Thus internal political pressure pushed the Legion high command to prefer a weapon type which was more specialized than the lasers for long-range action, in addition to addressing the perceived key weaknesses of the laser-based approach.

This left the third option, and ultimately the one chosen, which was of course the particle beam concept. In the abstract, this would be an option comparable to laser weapons although with considerably more complex physics and engineering required to address the core problem of accelerating a dense flux of massive particles to nearly lightspeed. In practice, the engineering challenges would ultimately produce severe limitations, most pressingly the necessary energy density would be obtained only with a significantly reduced rate of fire compared to laser weapons. Given the superior propulsion technology of the Legion Navy against their probable opponents, this was considered to be an acceptable trade-off as an attrition-based strategy was not heavily reliant on rates of fire. Not noted in the official documentation produced by Legion Naval procurement offices was the fact that such a reduced rate of fire ensured that particle weapons would not be able to replace railgun batteries totally, and would remain a purely specialized weapon in the Legion arsenal. From among the various particle beam weapon design proposals, the Legion high command ultimately chose the submission by the famous Priapus Energetics Laboratory (PEL), headed by the esteemed Geryon Priapus. This selection was made less on purely technical grounds, though the technology of the proposal was in fairness found to be quite sound on initial review, but rather was largely based on the fact that the PEL had already been engaged in beam weapon development under highly-classified research and development contracts since the year 4000. In other words, the technology which PEL proposed to deliver to the Legion Navy was in relative terms a mature one. Critically, this should have meant a rapid time from acceptance to deployment on which the Legion high command placed a significant value out of pure pragmatism.

Out of the miscellaneous other weapons proposals submitted in response to the open design specification, a disturbing number of distinct proposals to weaponize asteroid-based mass drivers are recorded as having been officially rejected, though unofficially they were distributed to the Legion’s special operations departments. The ultimate fate of these proposals remains unknown to the present day.

Design and development of the Priapus particle beam

In principle, a particle beam weapon is a simple if expensive design, consisting of an ion source, a high-power particle accelerator, and a neutralizer at the muzzle to eliminate beam spreading. In practice, however, each of these components presented significant design hurdles which ultimately could only be fully resolved by the introduction of TNEs.

(https://i.imgur.com/HTJM70L.png)

High-level schematic of an early Priapus particle beam design incorporating basic TNE technology upgrades. While the upgrade to use TNE-based technology was critical and in fact was what enabled the design to function as a weapon at all, the design itself adhered closely to pre-TNE engineering concepts and thus served the primary purpose in practice of highlighting the numerous design inadequacies which the staff at Priapus were tasked with overcoming.

The initial proposal submitted by Priapus in mid-4005 was based on the same compact bilinear accelerator design as used on the early PX-200 series of prototypes. This design featured two 50-meter linear accelerators driven by ultraconducting corundium coils, a significant upgrade over conventional superconducting materials, connected by a 180-degree bend. While radiative losses through the bend connector meant the entire system was modestly less-powerful than a single 100-meter linear accelerator, this design was significantly more compact which was critical for spaceborne mounting. Even so, under optimal lab testing conditions the PX-200 series were able to deliver 2 TJ to test targets per neon beam pulse. In his submitted proposal, Geryon Priapus presented these results along with a guarantee that his research staff would be able to quickly double the damage delivery to 4 TJ. However, Dr. Priapus was quite vague about how exactly he proposed to accomplish this, and this vagueness would come back to haunt him as the Legion high command ultimately approved the proposal with a stipulation that the paired 50-meter accelerator geometry must be preserved, this being deemed necessary to allow the ship design bureaus to accommodate the weapons in their own plans. This stipulation was received with no small amount of consternation by the researchers at Priapus Energetics Laboratory, who had planned to simply double the length of the accelerators and pop off to the pub for pints. Rather, they found themselves in the unenviable position of having to do actual work.

In order to fulfill their promises and meet their deadline, the Priapus researchers were forced to use highly experimental technology to augment the EM fields of the accelerators. Specifically, having reached the limits of TN-boosted acceleration the researchers turned to the almost purely theoretical field of directed aether waves. This naturally meant that a partnership - with resulting reduction in share of profits, much to the chagrin of Geryon Priapus - with the Scamander Corporation research directorate had to be formed. While the Scamander engineers had a wealth of experience in both generation and detection of aether waves, the Legion Navy’s active scanners exclusively used isotropic rather than directed waves, and these while excellent for active scanning and targeting would be worse than useless for particle acceleration. Ultimately, fully one-half of the budget provided by the Legion high command would be dedicated to developing the first boronide-corundium aether wave directors, and while these were not nearly refined enough a technology to provide sole driving of a particle beam as initially hoped, resonance between EM and aether waves did allow tripling the net acceleration power. While the Priapus engineers were initially overjoyed to have exceeded their design goal so dramatically, their joy was soon tempered as they turned to the second problem, that of obtaining the long range necessary for a viable shipborne beam weapon.

Very early experiments with charged particle beams, initially an offshoot from a series of short-lived in-house plasma weapon projects, had shown that any charged beam would have a critically-limited range due to massive dispersion. Thus, all Priapus prototypes in the 2 TJ series included a capture module for the electron “exhaust” from the initial ionization chamber, which was injected into the muzzle to neutralize the beam. On one hand this proved sufficient to allow damage delivery up to 60,000 km ranges, however the muzzle recombination rate was extremely low and only increases in beam density provided sufficient neutralization to maintain 2 TJ damage energy after firing. With the development of the aether wave-enhanced accelerator column, the ion energies became so great that muzzle recombination could no longer appreciably neutralize the beam. The solution was simple enough; introduce a parallel accelerator setup in place of the PX-200 bilinear design to produce a high-energy electron beam which would merge with the ion beam to reach serviceable neutralization rates. While a simple solution, this did have the sad effect of reducing the raw power output of the particle beam by half; thus while the PX-300 series achieved triple efficiency over the PX-200 series, the resulting beam damage delivered was only 3 TJ, albeit at a far more impressive 150,000 km range.

(https://i.imgur.com/cZkQsoP.png)

High-level schematic of the PX-407 neon beam cannon design, which would be accepted by the Legion high command and redesignated as the PEL-4. In addition to the reconfiguration to parallel accelerators, the aether wave directors are clearly visible including the gravitic reactor which generates aether waves and the wave injectors placed to create resonance with the accelerator field. The modified neutralizing muzzle can also be seen, reconfigured to accept a 3 TeV neutralizing electron flux at 15° inclination.

With the basic design settled, unfortunately small refinements of the technology could only accomplish so much, thus Priapus requested that the Legion high command increase the maximum length permitted for the final weapon, a request grudgingly assented to by the admirals over vociferous protests from the ship design bureau. Contrary to expectations, this was not done with the aim of adding more accelerator cells to reach the 4 TJ mark but rather in order to merge the ion and electron beams at a milder 15° inclination rather than crosswise as in the PX-300 series designs. This improved neutralization efficiency sufficiently to close the gap on the 200,000 km range target, while the added caliber allowed for an increase in the number of accelerator cells to bring the damage yield up to 4 TJ, thus meeting both targets specified by the Legion high command whilst almost remaining on-brief - and, much to the delight of the Legion Navy’s budget department, on-budget. After several prototypes had been designed to work out the final odds and ends of the design, the PX-407 prototype was demonstrated and formally submitted to the Legion high command on 12 February 4007, and was shortly accepted for service as the PEL-4 neon beam cannon.

Design and development of the Hellfire-class beam frigate

The development history of the Hellfire-class frigate was, to phrase it kindly, plagued with confusion and contradiction. To begin with, the initial design specification for the Project H class of March 4005 had in fact called for a 15,000-ton beam cruiser design which was expected to mount a substantially larger weapon. While proposal submissions proceeded quite anemically compared to those for the new long-range weapon systems, several dozen proposals had been received by the Legion high command before a high-level decision was made in September of that year to reserve the first 15,000-ton slipways for the Project I and J class cruisers instead of the Project H class. The original project H specification was withdrawn and reissued as a 7,500-ton frigate design instead. By this time the Legion Navy procurement offices were deep in the selection process for the long-range weapon specification, thus the revised Project H specification was issued once again without a particular weapon type selected. Predictably, design submissions were extremely few, not helped by fatigue after the first round of proposals had been nullified.

By mid-December the Navy had settled on the Priapus proposal for a 4 TJ particle beam cannon, thus the Project H proposal was updated. At the time of this revision, the Legion high command had insisted to Geryon Priapus that the 50-meter length be strictly maintained, the complications this would cause being as of yet unknown. As the submissions were narrowed down to the most viable candidates, a proposal by Hyperion Drive Yards emerged as the clear front runner despite accusations of favoritism from some sore losers. However, as by this time Priapus had partnered with the Scamander Corporation to develop the directed aether wave technology, the Legion high command required that Hyperion bring in Scamander engineers to consult on aspects of the design which were relevant to this technology. In spite of initial outrage from the Hyperion executives over having to share the profits, this proved fortuitous when in October 4006 the Legion high command reluctantly approved the longer 80-meter dimension for the beam cannon. As Hyperion scrambled to adapt the design for the new dimensions, the Scamander consultants proved invaluable in providing technical details prior to the final acceptance and publication of the PEL-4 schematics, ultimately allowing Hyperion to begin retooling slipways even as the first PEL-4 rolled off the assembly line and was shipped to Duratus orbit for final fit adjustments. This rapid adjustment meant that the Hellfire design was accepted by the Legion high command on 7 February 4007, amusingly five days before the weapon to be mounted was similarly approved.

(https://i.imgur.com/FpVS1no.png)

High-level schematic of the Hellfire-class beam frigate, the end result of the Project H class as accepted for service by the Legion high command. Despite being classed as a frigate, the Hellfire class shares the three-segment body style with the larger Charybdis class of destroyers rather than the two-segment body style seen on the Bellerophon and Excelsior frigate classes. This led some Legion Navy crewmen to refer to the Hellfire class as a “pocket destroyer”, while many in the officer cadre and admiralty expected this to herald a shift away from lightly-armed sensor frigates in the Legion Navy of the future.

The resulting design was, on paper, a complete success in that it had met the requirements of the original solicitation, and in fact had exceeded the originally-expected weapon loadout - the Legion high command had expected only four large weapons to be mounted on such a small hull, but Hyperion had managed to cram six into their final design for a 50% increase in firepower. Otherwise, the Hellfire class met the fleet speed requirement and was equipped with the standard set of scanners just as any larger warship would be, meanwhile no compromise was made in performance aside from a planned reduction in engineering spaces compared to the Bellerophon class due to the lack of large, breakdown-prone sensor arrays. Accordingly, the Hellfire class was hailed as a brilliant success in a rambunctious commissioning ceremony for the eponymous first ship in the class on 1 July 4007.

However, detractors of the design found no shortage of criticisms, the majority of which centered on two quite salient weaknesses in the design. The first of these was the armor scheme, as despite being intended for line-of-battle combat the Hellfire class would in fact be more lightly-armored than the Bellerophons which had never been intended as front-line combat vessels. This design choice turned out to be due to the increase in beam cannon length from 50 to 80 meters, which Hyperion engineers had chosen to accommodate principally by lengthening the middle segment of the body, in the process reducing armor thickness by a third in order to come in under the required displacement of 7,500 tons. The second, and arguably more critical flaw noted by critics was the fire control. The Hellfire class would use the same director systems as the rest of the Legion Navy, however while the 192,000 km range of these systems was more than adequate for railgun fire it was in fact a shorter range than the 200,000 km maximum range of the PEL-4, greatly reducing the combat-effective range of these new weapons. Given that the primary impetus for the Hellfire class to be built was a need to outrange potential laser weapons of the Belaire fleet, this was seen by the detractors as a critical flaw that rendered the class essentially obsolete before the first member had yet come off her slip. While post-construction refits were not out of the question, these would represent even further delays in deploying effective weapons against the Republic of Belaire.

While these weaknesses were quickly noted, and in fact the limitations of the fire control systems had been known to the Legion high command well before the design had been accepted for service, ultimately the need to get any ship into space today was taken as more critical than the need to get a perfect ship into space in the unknown future. Whether this decision would prove prescient or foolish would only ever be known in hindsight.

Hellfire class Frigate 7,500 tons 258 Crew 1,192.1 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 2-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 55 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 4 PPV 42
Maint Life 2.74 Years MSP 577 AFR 112% IFR 1.6% 1YR 111 5YR 1,659 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 385,000 Litres Range 20 billion km (46 days at full power)

Priapus Energetics Laboratory PEL-4 Neon Beam Cannon (6) Range 192,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-4 ROF 15
Arcadia Weapons Systems Medium Battery Director Mk III (2) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on March 10, 2021, 04:52:15 AM

Hole shab that is some of the best sci fi i have ever read.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 10, 2021, 11:39:01 AM

Quote from: Warer on March 10, 2021, 04:52:15 AM

Hole shab that is some of the best sci fi i have ever read.

Well, shucks! Thanks for such high praise - you certainly know how to warm this writer's heart, friend. ;D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: liveware on March 10, 2021, 10:11:55 PM

I'm seriously enjoying this. It just so happens that my current game is utilizing a very similar tech structure to yours and I find it interesting how our ship designs differ. I guess I like small ships better... I should probably post an update to the Oblivion corvette thread.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 10, 2021, 11:14:09 PM

Quote from: liveware on March 10, 2021, 10:11:55 PM

I'm seriously enjoying this. It just so happens that my current game is utilizing a very similar tech structure to yours and I find it interesting how our ship designs differ. I guess I like small ships better... I should probably post an update to the Oblivion corvette thread.

Glad you like it! I often feel like my ship designs aren't anything terribly original by themselves, particularly since using railguns feels a bit cheap in some ways since they are a "do it all" weapon type, but it really tends to be the doctrine that distinguishes one navy from the next. In my case, I usually like to start with a CL/DD/FF class selection and grow in size over time both within classes and adding new high-end classes - CA, CVL, BC, BB, CV... to me it makes the growth of the navy feel more organic and evolutionary, where starting by spawning in 100,000-ton monstrosities makes for quick action but often rather iterative ship designs.

Part of me overarching plan for this campaign has been to integrate new tech systems over time, starting as you see here with the particle beams, and later adding at least missiles and potentially shields, cloaking tech, etc. in addition to new hulltypes. I'm not sure I'll go to quite the same lengths in terms of effort-posting as I just did with the Hellfire, but it was good fun to put together so if I can keep up a healthy posting buffer I just might.

I'd look forward to an update in your Oblivion thread especially if you've got some cool evolutionary design to show off! ;D

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter IX: Truly Alien Tactics
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 12, 2021, 11:42:05 AM

1 July 4007

To much pomp and circumstance, the beam frigate Hellfire was commissioned and immediately sent off with orders to join Cruiser Squadron 3 in the Adamantine system. As the first in her class of warships intended specifically to counter the expected capabilities of the Belaire fleet, all present at her commissioning held high hopes, disproportionate for a mere 7,500-ton vessel. Whether Hellfire and her sisters would prove able to fulfill these hopes would remain to be seen.

The morning of 7 July saw the Legion high command thrown into a tizzy by panicked reports arriving through the jump point network. Gatekeeper 3, on station in the Luyten 302-89 system at the Kuiper 79 jump point, had sent a frantic communication indicating that a large Belaire fleet of roughly 20 ships had approached her position and were not responding to hails. This was the last message heard from Gatekeeper 3, and as far as the Legion high command was concerned there was only one possible explanation. The Duranium Legion was now at war.

Immediately, orders were given. Cruiser Squadron 3, which was stationed in the Adamantine system, was immediately sent to intercept the Krivak scout which had been holding position off of the jump point to Kuiper 79, on the chance that its commander might not be in communication with his superiors and was yet unaware that hostilities had commenced. Meanwhile, First and Second Fleets would both be dispatched to the Adamantine system, with First Fleet assigned to secure the jump point while Second Fleet would take up station at the naval base in that system. Unfortunately, Adamantine Base was nowhere near prepared to support a defensive campaign of such magnitude, but the planetary governor, Europa Medusa, assured the Legion high command that her undersized facilities would give their very best effort to serve the Legion in any way possible.

Interception of the Krivak in Adamantine proved successful, as the Belaire scout stubbornly refused to approach the jump point until Cruiser Squadron 3 was nearly upon it - perhaps taking the Gatekeeper monitoring that jump point to be a warship. Whatever the reason, the captain of the Krivak certainly was aware that hostilities had commenced, as his crew attempted to execute evasive maneuvers while Cruiser Squadron 3 drew closer. This proved to be fruitless, and at 12:10 on 8 July the light cruiser Deadly Poison claimed the Duranium Legion’s first kill of the Belaire War. The deed done, Cruiser Squadron 3 retired to the jump point to await the arrival of First Fleet. While waiting, the light jump cruiser Garrote dispatched her R-56 recon fighter through the jump point, an ill-fated venture which yielded only panicked screams as the R-56 sent its final communication through the jump point before being brutally silenced. This was not taken as a good sign.

At 13:33 on 19 July, with First fleet still more than nineteen hours away from the Kuiper 79 jump point, Cruiser Squadron 3 was suddenly confronted by a substantial Belaire fleet which had jumped into the system. The Belaire assault force outmatched Cruiser Squadron 3 substantially, displacing more than five times the mass of the cruisers; however, the Belaire ships had emerged in a tight formation directly on the jump point, indicating that they had not performed a squadron jump and might be vulnerable for a nontrivial length of time. Captain Absolus Criasus was therefore determined to give as good an account as possible before the Belaire fleet opened fire, although as the enemy was expected to be armed partially with missiles there was rather less point in retreating than the superior speed of the Legion’s cruisers would suggest.

Cruiser Squadron 3
Captain Absolus Criasus commanding aboard CL Deadly Poison
3x Defiant class Light Cruiser: Deadly Poison, Domination, Double Edge
1x Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser: Garrote
3x R-56 class Recon Fighter

Republic of Belaire Assault Force
Designation and commander unknown
4x Kirov class Battlecruiser
3x Sovremenny class Cruiser
3x Kiev class Cruiser
4x Slava class Escort Cruiser (1 attached)
1x Skory class Destroyer Escort
5x Osa class Destroyer Escort (1 attached)
1x Svobodny class Stabilisation Ship (attached)

Cruiser Squadron 3’s first volley struck home, as despite fire control problems aboard Double Edge both Deadly Poison and Domination scored a full broadside on one of the exposed Belaire Sovremenny cruisers, penetrating it 25 times and likely crippling it. Double Edge soon sorted out her difficulties, delivering the killing blow to the crippled Sovremenny. Fifteen seconds later, a second Sovremenny shared the fate of its comrade, and after another fifteen seconds the third and final ship of that class was similarly torn to shreds. The Belaire fleet had yet to so much as move away from the jump point let alone return fire, indicating a clear and crippling effect from jump shock.

(https://i.imgur.com/OXI73T7.png)

Having already destroyed nearly his squadron’s displacement without a scratch, Captain Criasus ordered his squadron to bring weapons to bear on the nearest Kirov-class battlecruiser, hoping to at least heavily damage if not cripple the one or more of the behemoths before First Fleet arrived. The first volley clearly had an effect, shredding the Kirov’s armor and scoring 25 penetrations, and a second volley tore it to shreds. Domination, finding its target in the process of explosive decompression, took the lead in firing on the next-nearest Kirov, failing to penetrate but scoring her target badly enough for Deadly Poison to score a direct hit on the Kirov’s internal reactors, causing a massive secondary explosion. As this had likely crippled the battlecruiser, the cruisers changed targets again taking the third Kirov under their sights, which took only a single volley before brilliantly detonating in a spectacular double engine explosion. The fourth and final Kirov did at least manage to outperform its comrade, weathering an entire volley with “only” severe engine damage, but like its surviving sister was clearly crippled. Affecting an air of contempt, Captain Criasus ordered his squadron to divide its fire between the two surviving Kirovs, not intending to allow either of them a chance to conduct repairs or bring any intact weapons online. This contempt was well-founded, as in short order the entire Belaire Kirov force had been reduced to burning plasma and shredded duranium. Two minutes after jumping into the Adamantine system, the Belaire fleet still had yet to even respond to the presence of the Legion cruisers. Candidly, Captain Criasus suggested to his bridge crew that the Belaire must not have yet developed communications technology which could operate immediately following a jump transit, further proof of their inferiority to the far more advanced Duranium Legion.

Confident now in his superiority, and frankly half expecting the Belaire fleet to surrender the moment they restored communications, Captain Criasus ordered the cruisers to target the Kiev-class cruisers. Each of these did not even require a full volley, and the trio of Kievs were reduced to nothing in less than 30 seconds. The four Slava-class cruisers, believed to be anti-missile escorts, fared only slightly better, with one of their number being merely crippled after 34 penetrating hits rather than outright destroyed - a fate slightly better than that of its three comrades. Not even four minutes after jumping in, the Belaire assault force had been reduced to a half-dozen destroyers, a crippled Slava cruiser, and a 68,000-ton unarmed vessel believed to be a jump point stabilization vessel. The crews of the Legion cruisers eagerly looked forward to someday reaching the Belaire home system to discover how many thousands of battle planners would be fired for this complete and utter debacle.

Forty-five seconds later, not one Belaire combat vessel remained in the Adamantine system. Disgusted by the lack of effort displayed by his enemies - not least because his flawless victory was much less likely to be celebrated having been gained against such a hapless foe - Captain Criasus ordered all guns to turn on the Svobodny-class stabilization ship. Fifteen seconds later, the Great Adamantine Turkey Shoot was officially over.

(https://i.imgur.com/7QhL8S0.png)

Good Lord.

With the dirty business dispensed with, Captain Criasus ordered the nearby Warden 2 to collect the Belaire life pods and return to Sol with the prisoners, along with a request to dispatch the Salvage Flotilla to Adamantine to clean up the mess. While none among the crew of Cruiser Squadron 3 expected the salvage to be terribly educational, such was their low opinion of the enemy they had just “fought”, the TNEs to be collected would certainly bolster the struggling Duratus economy. Interestingly, Warden 2 reported that a few of the survivors had been more willing than others to talk, revealing the existence of a system designated by the Belaire as Arleux, identified on Legion star charts as the YZ Ceti system. Another group of survivors seemed to be scientifically-minded, and after relatively little interrogation gave up technological data which could improve ordnance transfer rates should the Legion Navy ever decide to add missile capability to its arsenal.

By 0900 on 20 July, First Fleet had arrived at the jump point, and given the previous day’s events the Legion commanders in Adamantine were fairly confident in declaring the system secure for the time being. Later that evening, the reconnaissance fighters which had been ordered to evacuate the jump point on detecting the Belaire fleet were safely recovered, and Captain Criasus decided to send another one through the jump point as he suspected that the fleet which had previously been in place there had been defending the stabilization ship rather than carrying out a picketing mission. Thankfully, this was indeed the case, and the R-56 was able to recover surviving crew from the fighter previously lost, who would be returned to Adamantine for a much-needed vacation.

Captain Criasus, now having merged his cruisers with and assumed command of First Fleet, ordered another R-56 fighter to maintain watch in Kuiper 79, and at 20:48 on 21 July a message was sent through the jump point from Subcommander Aion Palacios commanding the fighter, indicating that signatures of at least two more Belaire cruisers had been spotted inbound to the jump point. Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet’s frigate squadron to jump into Kuiper 79 with their active arrays at full power, aiming to discover the composition of the incoming enemy force. Frigate Squadron 1 reported back through the jump point that the Belaire force consisted of two cruiser-sized and three destroyer-sized vessels, all of different classes. Captain Criasus debated jumping into the system in hopes of gaining intelligence about the enemy weapons systems, which had yet to be observed in open combat. This could be risky if the enemy vessels were equipped with long-ranged beam weapons, but with only five enemy ships and a significant speed advantage Captain Criasus decided that the rewards outweighed the risk, not least the reward of boldly sallying forth to partially make up for the disappointing shooting gallery of the two days prior.

First Fleet (reinforced)
Captain Absolus Criasus commanding aboard CL Deadly Poison
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 4x R-56
Cruiser Squadron 3 (attached): Deadly Poison, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote, 2x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 1: Chainsaw, Char, Charon, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 5: Calamitous, Caliban, Creeping Death, Flayer
Frigate Squadron 1: Barbette, Bloodsucker, Braggart, Excelsior

Republic of Belaire Cruiser Squadron 1
Designation and commander unknown
1x Kiev class Cruiser
1x Slava class Escort Cruiser
1x Sverdlov class Destroyer
1x Kresta class Destroyer Escort
1x Skory class Destroyer Escort

Republic of Belaire Cruiser Squadron 2
Designation and commander unknown
4x Sovremenny class Cruiser
2x Slava class Escort Cruiser
1x Osa class Destroyer Escort

(https://i.imgur.com/oWGKZ3E.png)

Despite running active sensors on all five vessels, thus being clearly aware of the Legion fleet, the Belaire squadron continued to approach First Fleet, not yet having even fired missiles. At 22:03, as the initial group of contacts approached to within 6.1 million km, the frigates of First Fleet reported two active sensor contacts at 188 million km corresponding to a pair of Sovremenny-class cruisers, likely to be leading a second squadron including destroyer escorts. As these were completely out of range to affect the coming battle, Captain Criasus ordered that his frigates should continue to observe these contacts, but hold any further reports until the battle at hand had been decided. Finally, at 22:28 with the Belaire squadron closed to one million km, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to execute a full burn towards the targets, intending to intercept them before they could potentially reach their own range and begin sniping at his vessels. As range closed to under double the range of the 152 mm railgun batteries, the gunners of First Fleet began acquiring targets, planning to split their initial volleys between the two Belaire cruisers.

(https://i.imgur.com/14pcKxk.png)

The cruisers opened fire first at 53,000 km range, scoring a total of 140 hits but few penetrations. This did achieve the desired impact of softening up the enemy armor, as Destroyer Squadron 5 had no difficulty destroying the Slava in their followup volley, although the Kiev had taken engine damage and not yet come into range of Destroyer Squadron 1. Willing to let the Kiev go for the moment, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to first eliminate the three Belaire destroyers, with the Skory immediately falling to concentrated fire from the Legion destroyers. The Sverdlov suffered the same fate five seconds later, succumbing to a powerful volley from the light cruiser Devastator. The surviving Kresta desperately continued to flee, inexplicably towards the jump point rather than away, and was unceremoniously cut to pieces by the destroyer Chainsaw. With its escorts in shambles and its engines shot out, the Kiev could only await helplessly as Devastator lined up the killing salvo, claiming her second kill of the engagement. In less than a minute, the Belaire squadron had been reduced to ashes, yet once again they had declined to fire on the Legion fleet - this time without the excuse of jump shock to explain their tactical failures. Captain Criasus, along with his crew, was deeply confused by this turn of events, but was happy to add another five kills to the total scored under his command.

With the shooting finished, Frigate Squadron 1 reported that the pair of Sovremenny-class contacts continued to approach with their active sensors on, now at 181 million km and with no escorting vessels yet spotted. Captain Criasus ordered the fleet back to the jump point, content to await the next wave of foes while perhaps grabbing a short nap. Shortly after this, the two cruisers disappeared from the fleet’s passive arrays, though it could not be determined if they had retreated or simply turned off their active sensors.

At 0638, now on 22 July, this pressing question was conclusively answered, as a group of not two but four Sovremenny-class cruisers were detected on active arrays 82 million km out, flanked by two more of the Slava-class escort cruisers and an Osa-class destroyer escort. Clearly, whatever the Belaire had been attempting to do - poorly - so far, they had no intentions of giving up easily. Out of a combination of eagerness and desire not to let this larger Belaire squadron reach the jump point, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to make for the Belaire squadron at full speed. As the two battle groups approached, Captain Criasus ordered his cruisers to target the Sovremennys while the destroyers would engage the Slavas - a new tactic to be tried.

(https://i.imgur.com/UiwXtfC.png)

The cruisers opened fire at their maximum range, scoring 84 hits on a Sovremenny but only one penetration, which was somehow enough to reduce its speed to zero; as it was known from recent experience that a second full broadside was hardly needed, Captain Criasus ordered the majority of his cruisers to change targets while Denouement would attempt to claim the kill with her next salvo. Some stragglers among the cruisers had not yet fired due to fire control glitches; these were able to immediately fire at a new target, disabling a second Sovremenny with ease. The first kill, however, would go to the destroyers, as the jump destroyer Flayer lived up to her unlikely name by scoring the final blow against a Slava. Once again, however, this brilliant opening volley was tainted by a complete and confounding lack of return fire from the beleaguered Belaire ships.

Five seconds later, he destroyers again opened fire against the other Belaire Slava, though failing to destroy it this time due to a plague of fire control difficulties. Meanwhile, Devastator claimed her third kill of the campaign by obliterating the second crippled Sovremenny with a blinding broadside. By this point, the Belaire squadron was in complete disarray, and in the chaotic melee the destroyers of First Fleet claimed two more kills in a hail of 102 mm railgun fire. The last intact Sovremenny soon suffered the same fate, leaving only the light Osa destroyer escort to flee in a panic towards the Adamantine jump point. It would not survive, with the kill being claimed by the frigate Barbette in a mad race to open fire. Immediately after this, the light cruiser Denouement reported her first kill of the engagement, having been dispatched to wipe out the first Sovremenny to be fired upon. At this, the guns fell silent, and for the third time in four days the Legion stood victorious against a Belaire force which had refused to fire a single shot in retaliation. Even the top admirals of the Legion high command would be confused by this behavior for some time to come. In the meantime, with no other contacts appearing on the frigate squadron’s sensor arrays, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to regroup and once again return to the jump point. Cruiser Squadron 1 would be detached for a brief time to collect the Belaire survivors and return them to Sol for questioning.

A few of the recovered Belaire survivors proved susceptible to questioning, revealing gravitational survey data of the Belaire home system, but the survivors largely remained quiet and notably would not indicate why they had failed to open fire against the Legion forces. While there was always some hope that Legion intelligence officers on Duratus could gain more information, few officers among the command staff of First Fleet held out any serious expectations. The mysterious Belaire behavior would remain a mystery for some time yet.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Hellfire class Frigate: Hellfire
1x Ars Magica Mk III class Survey Frigate: Argumentative (refit)

Systems Discovered

YZ Ceti (ex. Arleux): Belaire interrogations, 20 July 4007

----

OOC: #AuroraWoes strikes again!

As best as I can tell, it looks like what happened was that the Belaire decided to shoot a few of my monitors, and then on a construction cycle tick not too much later revised their diplomatic opinion of the Legion to "neutral" (presumably relations had gone back over -100 after I shot up their scout ship), which I received an event notification about. This seems to be why for the five days following they refused to fire back at my ships despite being fired upon with wild abandon - clearly the Aurora AI has not yet learned that being shot at trumps however they may have felt about me two days ago. :o In any case, whatever the mechanical explanation, this will at a future date be resolved in-universe...somehow.

In any case, on the next construction tick this situation was resolved, and thankfully future encounters will prove much more exciting. I do apologize to the readers for the travesty that is this update; unfortunately, those responsible have not been shot. :P

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on March 13, 2021, 07:15:39 AM

That is freking hillarious.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter X: In Which a Return to Normalcy is Effected
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 13, 2021, 01:44:46 PM

OOC: While some might perhaps be aghast at this unusual, if brief, uptick in the rate of updatery, it is in the judgment of the author a good thing to wash out the taste of the previous bug-ridden update with all due haste, and what better way to accomplish this than with some right proper battling? Read on...

----

1 August 4007

A Krivak-class Belaire scout was detected approaching the position of First Fleet in the evening of 1 August. Not thinking too highly of the unarmed ship as a threat, Captain Criasus dispatched the light cruiser Double Edge to eliminate the enemy observer, which turned to flee on detecting the incoming threat. Six minutes after the Krivak had turned tail, Frigate Squadron 1 reported incoming active sensor signatures matching the Sovremenny-class cruisers. Not willing to take any chances even against such an anemic opposition, Double Edge was ordered to break off pursuit and rejoin the fleet. Five hours later, now in the earliest hours of 2 August, the incoming Belaire squadron was detected, formed with the same composition as the previous group. Captain Criasus expected them to meet the same fate as well, and ordered First Fleet to sally forth to meet and destroy the opposition, just as before. There was one small change to the plan: Frigate Squadron 1 was detached and ordered to hold position at the jump point, being both unnecessary in terms of combat ability and too valuable a fleet asset to be risked in battle yet again - the Belaire fleet would surely return fire at some point.

First Fleet
Captain Absolus Criasus commanding aboard CL Deadly Poison
Cruiser Squadron 3: Deadly Poison, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote, 3x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 1: Chainsaw, Char, Charon, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 5: Calamitous, Caliban, Creeping Death, Flayer
Frigate Squadron 1 (detached): Barbette, Bloodsucker, Braggart, Excelsior

Republic of Belaire Cruiser Squadron 3
Designation and commander unknown
4x Sovremenny class Cruiser
2x Slava class Escort Cruiser
1x Osa class Destroyer Escort

(https://i.imgur.com/8r5K7iZ.png)

Fleet dispositions prior to contact.

In fact, even better than returning fire, the Belaire squadron opened the proceedings, taking a clearly different approach by launching eight salvos of five missiles each. First detected on thermal scanners, the missiles were no larger than 3 tons in displacement and approached the Legion fleet at 35,000 km/s. At such a high speed these would be a challenge to deal with, but Captain Criasus was confident in the ability of his destroyer squadrons to defend the cruisers, removing the 152 mm batteries of the latter from point defense duties for the moment as a test of his expectations. Ten seconds later, a second barrage was detected as the first came into active scanning range, followed by a third after ten further seconds. First Fleet was in for a harrowing experience.

(https://i.imgur.com/1LJIOZp.png)

Pictured: a harrowing experience.

The harrowing nature of the experience was significantly thwarted as the first Belaire volley broke against the rock-solid destroyer squadrons of the Legion Navy. Every missile in the first wave was blown to bits before closing with their targets, with the destroyers of First Fleet not even having fired a full salvo from their collective railgun batteries. Filled with confidence, Captain Criasus ordered a revision of tactics; First Fleet would close to within 550,000 km of the Belaire squadron and hold that distance, aiming to keep the Belaire within the range at which their missiles could be resolved by active scanners while remaining safely out of range from any lasers or other long-ranged beam weapons until the enemy magazines had been expended. The Legion would thus exploit their considerable speed advantage over the Belaire fleet to effect divide-and-conquer tactics. The crews of First Fleet executed this change in orders with great zeal, eager for their first real battle against the hated foe.

Unfortunately for Captain Criasus, the hated foe was not as inept as initial encounters had led him to believe. After three ineffective volleys, the missile launchers of the Belaire squadron fell silent; apparently they had decided that firing additional missiles would be a waste against such a superior opponent. Even as First Fleet reached their designated holding range, the Belaire refused to continue firing. This presented Captain Criasus with a dilemma: on one hand, he had the option to close the range against an enemy which was likely to be heavily armed with beam weapons that outranged his railgun batteries; on the other hand, he had the option of retreating through the jump point to Adamantine, giving the best odds against the Belaire who would suffer jump shock to pursue First Fleet, but allowing the Belaire to instead occupy the Kuiper side of the jump lane and fortify it against the Legion. Notably factoring into the Captain’s assessment was that minus the frigate squadron, First Fleet massed only 30% greater displacement than their opponent, offering little margin for error should the enemy beam weapons prove particularly devastating.

Ultimately, Captain Criasus determined that a middle ground approach would prove most advantageous, issuing his orders at 0423. The bulk of First Fleet would fall back toward the jump point, while the frigate squadron would send a communication through to Adamantine before burning toward First Fleet. Second Fleet, currently based at Adamantine Base, would make for the Jump point to serve as backup in case the Belaire squadron emerged victorious - while they would not be able to arrive nearly in time to interdict a transit, they would be in position if the Belaire stopped to regroup before pressing into Adamantine.Once First Fleet had recovered the frigates, they would turn about and press the attack against the Belaire with their full advantage. Implicit, but for obvious reasons unspoken, in this plan was the fact that the frigates were essentially being used as ablative armor for the larger vessels, should they succeed in distracting the Belaire gunners. By 0545 the frigate squadron had rejoined First Fleet, which turned to once again confront their foe, and by 0602 the fleet again held the range at 550,000 km as Captain Criasus gave the order to charge boldly forward.

Not ten seconds later, as First Fleet had closed within 500,000 km of the Belaire, missile launches were again detected, now clearly identified as originating from the Slava-class escort cruisers. Taken aback, Captain Criasus gave the emergency order to hold the range at 400,000 km, hoping that the Belaire had changed their tactics and might again empty their magazines before First Fleet closed in. This seemed to in fact be the case, as another missile barrage was fired ten seconds after the previous just as before. Holding the range open, over the next eleven minutes the destroyers of First Fleet effortlessly shot down another 68 waves of the Belaire missiles, the final wave proving that the Belaire had exhausted their stocks as only 33 missiles were fired. While tactically the missile onslaught had been worse than useless for the Belaire, Captain Criasus did note that the aliens had managed to buy some precious time to get closer to the jump point. It thus became imperative that First Fleet mount a charge sooner than later, and the Captain gave the order at 0613 to resume the offensive accordingly.

As First Fleet closed to 190,000 km, the first energy weapons fire from the Belaire squadron was detected, in the form of one laser blast from each of the four Sovremenny-class cruisers, confirming that these were indeed beam combatants. As range was further closed to 150,000 km, each Sovremenny fired an additional seventeen lasers which were presumed to be of a smaller type judging by the shorter range, fifteen of which scored mild armor damage against Deadly Poison. Knowing that the lasers would only gain power at close range, Captain Criasus hoped to close the range for his own railguns before the Belaire lasers would recharge. With the primary enemy beam combatants clearly confirmed, each combat squadron of First Fleet was ordered to target a single Sovremenny, while Frigate Squadron 1 would harass the Osa-class escort. As First Fleet closed under 64,000 km, the cruisers holding their fire until nearly point-blank range, the Belaire heavy lasers fired again, this time scoring a single hit delivering an estimated 4 TJ to the armor of the frigate Barbette, enough to burn a hole through her armor but not to reach any internal components.

Five seconds later, all Hell broke loose.

(https://i.imgur.com/HpYNRRb.png)

Pictured: All Hell, having broken loose.

The four Sovremennys had split their fire between two of the Bellerophons, viciously shredding both Barbette and Bloodsucker. The Osa destroyer escort had fired ten shots of a light laser weapon type at Braggart, scoring through her armor with five hits but failing to deal internal damage. In exchange, First Fleet had given better than they received, with Cruiser Squadron 3 succeeding in obliterating the first of the four Sovremennys with Double Edge claiming the kill. The destroyer squadrons had fired on two other Sovremennys, failing to kill either but scoring a handful of penetrations against each; given the high rate of fire the 102 mm batteries could put out it was doubtful that these two Sovremennys would survive a second volley. Cruiser Squadron 3 took aim at the fourth and final Sovremenny as the gunners reloaded for a second salvo, though they would likely not fire in time to prevent their opponent from dealing further damage.

Five seconds later, the two opposing fleets had closed to point-blank range. Destroyer Squadron 5 succeeded in destroying their target, with Caliban claiming the fill. However Destroyer Squadron 1 amazingly failed to take out their own target, leaving one Sovremenny limping onward albeit at half speed, and they were thus temporarily detached from the main fleet formation to eliminate their target before its laser battery could be brought to bear. Destroyer Squadron 5 would turn their guns against the Osa, hoping to take out its fast-firing light lasers which were harassing the remnants of Frigate Squadron 1.

Destroyer Squadron 1 wasted no time finishing their task, shredding the Sovremenny with a third salvo even as it fired its heavy laser at the frigate Braggart. Braggart in turn suffered hits from the heavy lasers of both Sovremennys as well as a half-dozen strikes from the Osa, suffering significant internal damage including losing both of her engines and dropping out of formation with First Fleet. The Osa at least was made to suffer for its sins by concentrated fire from Destroyer Squadron 5, which scored several penetrations but did not appear to damage any vital components. Five seconds later, Cruiser Squadron 3 fired once again on the fourth and final Sovremenny, taking out the last of the Belaire beam cruisers. Unfortunately, this came half a second too late, as the villainous Belaire warship was able to fire off one last round of medium lasers against Braggart and eliminate the last sensor frigate of Frigate Squadron 1. The severity of this loss was only partially compensated, in the eyes of Captain Criasus, by the simultaneous destruction of the Osa as she succumbed to a hail of 102 mm railgun fire from the destroyers of First Fleet.

This left only the two now-disarmed Slavas, which were dispatched as a matter of course by the vengeful destroyer squadrons. The furious firefight had lasted scarcely a minute and a half, and had seen 100,000 tons of Belaire military vessels destroyed for the loss of only 22,500 tons of Legion vessels, albeit these being the valuable sensor frigates without which continuing to defend the jump point would be considerably more challenging. In any case, however, while the need for long-range firepower such as provided by the new Hellfire-class frigates had been dramatically reinforced, the battle was nevertheless a convincing Legion victory. As the cherry on top of this, Captain Criasus ordered the Double Edge detached to carry out its original mission: the destruction of the annoying Krivak scout which had been detected at the outset of the encounter. This was done with aplomb, and by 1015 no Belaire vessels remained within the admittedly reduced detection range of First Fleet.

In the aftermath of the battle, Cruiser Squadron 3 was detached to recover both friendly and enemy life pods and shuttle these to Duratus. As usual, the preliminary intake interrogations provided little of real value, notably as the surviving Belaire officers refused to comment on the earlier tactical malfeasance of their comrades in arms. However, a terrified science officer from one of the Slavas was persuaded to divulge the name and astrographic data of a system known to the Belaire as Alder Lake, adjacent to the Belaire system itself. Based on this data, Legion astrographers were able to identify the system as Giclas 9-38 according to Legion star charts. The reduced First Fleet, now consisting only of two destroyer squadrons and the jump frigate Excelsior, would remain at the jump point until relieved by Second Fleet to provide at least passable monitoring in the absence of a proper frigate squadron.

(https://i.imgur.com/ta30B7o.png)

In addition to the Belaire Campaign Ribbon already commissioned after the outbreak of hostilities on 7 July, the Kuiper Encounter Ribbon was commissioned to commemorate the first true battle of the conflict, though it was expected to see some reuse as the Belaire would not give up on their attempts to force the Kuiper 79-Adamantine jump point so easily.

----

Systems Discovered

Giclas 9-38: Belaire interrogations, 2 August 4007

----

OOC: Much better. ;D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on March 14, 2021, 12:01:33 AM

I am absolutely loving this! I love how you are mixing and blending different themes to create a really interesting story. Some Roman undertones and some 40k vibes on top, really puts me in mind of Caesar's Legion from Fallout New Vegas. Really hoping to see how your veteran officers develop and build their stories, and yours!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on March 14, 2021, 04:14:52 AM

I am enjoying this very much. Good story telling and interesting background for player race.

How do you identify original names of the systems from interrogations? Do you check the database?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 14, 2021, 11:45:50 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on March 14, 2021, 12:01:33 AM

I am absolutely loving this! I love how you are mixing and blending different themes to create a really interesting story. Some Roman undertones and some 40k vibes on top, really puts me in mind of Caesar's Legion from Fallout New Vegas. Really hoping to see how your veteran officers develop and build their stories, and yours!

Thanks mate! Glad you're enjoying. I definitely try to mix influences - you've got the obvious Greek, Roman, WH40K vibes (and props to Steve for the excellent Battlestar Greek naming theme which is absolutely buckets of fun to play with), as well as various influences in the writing style mixed in from other AARs from Aurora and some of the older Paradox games before they went new wave. :P

I'm going to have to think about how to develop my officers as characters since they eventually promote out of fleet commands into the ~~horrible nightmares~~ hallowed halls of the Legion high command bureaucracy. Plenty of options here though, flag bridges for starters but also eventually there can be admin commands in different systems and sectors which would give my best admirals important things to be in charge of. I might even have some of them take charge of a special project like the particle beams were, I'm sure Captain Criasus for example will come up with some great ideas in the coming months...

Quote from: Black on March 14, 2021, 04:14:52 AM

I am enjoying this very much. Good story telling and interesting background for player race.

How do you identify original names of the systems from interrogations? Do you check the database?

Glad to hear, thanks!

I do check the database for these discovered AI systems. It's not too hard as you only have to trace through 3 tables once you have the system name the AI assigned. Honestly I would prefer to keep the AI-assigned names for systems (probably with a DB edit to use a more flavorful naming scheme), but since the names are chosen alphabetically and I anticipate carrying out many more interrogations, discovering a dozen systems that all start with 'A' would annoy me more than it would add flavor to the game world... Thank Steve for 1.13 when it comes!

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XI: Expanding Operations and Mounting Tensions
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 16, 2021, 10:45:56 AM

3 August 4007

Second Fleet arrived in the Adamantine system at 0417 on 3 August. However, by this time new orders had come in from the Legion high command which was now apprised of the situation, and had recommended that First Fleet should transfer its destroyer squadrons to Second Fleet to act as a reserve in case the Belaire tried to send a heavier missile fleet to retake the system. Cruiser Squadron 3 and the remaining frigate Excelsior would be relieved and proceed to Adamantine Base to offload prisoners and undergo a short overhaul before things heated up too much more in the Kuiper 79 system.

Second Fleet would not have to wait long for things to heat up a bit, as Frigate Squadron 2 reported active sensor emissions from a pair of Kirov-class Belaire battlecruisers on 9 August. Captain Jocasta Gelanor, now commanding Second Fleet since the promotion of Lord Captain Ceto Echetus, received this report with some trepidation, knowing that while the Legion had previously destroyed four Kirovs in battle, these had been using the inexplicable tactic of not returning fire, which the Belaire had now learned was a poor strategy. The prospect of facing off against 23,000-ton flagships which actually fired their weapons was daunting, to say the least. Nevertheless, as Second Fleet was reinforced by two additional destroyer squadrons Captain Gelanor was confident in her fleet’s ability to defeat whatever the Belaire could throw at them.

Interestingly, however, the sensor contact from the Kirovs disappeared, only to reappear in the same position eight hours later, apparently holding position 123 million km from the jump point. As this was nearly double the suspected range of the active sensors carried by the Kirov class, Captain Gelanor suspected that the Belaire were sensing the active sensor emissions from her frigate squadron and maintaining a healthy distance. This appeared to be the case, as the pattern repeated again eight hours later and for some time thereafter. For now, Second Fleet would tolerate this state of affairs, as the Kirovs were completely out of range to detect anything but the frigates and thus could not gather any useful intel at their present position. In the meantime, while Captain Gelanor did consider mounting an offensive, ultimately it would be best to wait for Cruiser Squadron 1 to return to the zone of operations to ensure that the Legion had ample forces on hand to deal with any unexpected surprises.

However, the Captain was more than a little anxious to do something besides watching a blip on her radar, and thus authorized a small reconnaissance maneuver to try and ascertain the composition of the enemy formation. Quietly, the frigate Battery powered down her active sensors and advanced at one-eighth speed to a waypoint 42 million km from the jump point, directly between Second Fleet and the position of the Belaire battlecruisers. This would put her just inside of the range for her active arrays to detect the Kirovs and their presumed escorts, allowing Second Fleet to at least be aware of the force opposing them. This went off without a hitch, and Battery reported a Belaire fleet composition very similar to the one which had previously “attacked” Adamantine on 19 July while escorting a stabilization ship - four Kirovs, three each of three cruiser classes, and five destroyer escorts of two types, all totaling in excess of 260,000 tons of warships. Despite being detected by what was obviously a very loud sensor, the Belaire fleet made no move to retreat out of active sensor range, apparently no longer interested in trying to conceal their true strength from the prying eyes of the Legion. Doubling down on the advanced monitoring position, Captain Gelanor ordered the remaining “reserve” of Second Fleet forward to rendezvous with Battery, expecting the two destroyer squadrons to provide sufficient defense against any long-range missiles the Belaire might decide to throw at the annoying frigates. As this hardly qualified as a “reserve” mission, these ships were redesignated as the Second Fleet scouting force for the duration of the operation. Second Fleet itself, the bulk of the force by a slim margin, would remain at the jump point for the time being.

Cruiser Squadron 1 reentered the area of operations on 17 August, attaching to Second Fleet which remained under the overall command of Captain Gelanor. After this, an uneasy stalemate descended upon the Kuiper 79 system.

26 September saw the arrival of a new tool in the Legion Navy’s arsenal, albeit not a well-heralded one, as the first flight of four AR-56 recon fighters transited the jump point to Kuiper 79. The AR-56 had been, in blunt terms, a hack job, having been rapidly designed on the basis of the R-56 hull for compatibility with the existing boat bays on the Legion’s cruisers. The infrared and RF scanners of the R-56 were torn out and replaced: the former with various essentials to extend the mission range of the fighter, and the latter with the Series XVI traffic scanner usually found in the Gatekeeper-class vessels. The result was a rather slapdash long-range active reconnaissance fighter - crew complaints regarding the externally-mounted auxiliary fuel tanks, where once the thermal scanner had been mounted, were frequently countered by superior officers with insinuations that the AR-56 had not nearly enough armor to worry about such trifles. Crew attitudes aside, the AR-56 would serve well enough to cover the gap in small craft reconnaissance left by the short-range, passive-only configuration of the R-56.

AR-56 class Recon Fighter 250 tons 6 Crew 39.5 BP TCS 5 TH 25 EM 0
5008 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 18.15 Years MSP 24 AFR 2% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 2 Max Repair 16 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 20.2 billion km (46 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Traffic Scanner (1) GPS 2400 Range 33.9m km Resolution 150

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction

To accommodate the new arrivals, four of Second Fleet’s older R-56 craft were dispatched to Adamantine Base to take up station there. After sorting out hangar assignments and refuelling, the first two of the AR-56 fighters were deployed on a mission considered by the Legion high command to be of vital importance.

(https://i.imgur.com/qS4duZ2.png)

Legion star chart of the systems beyond Adamantine, dated 26 September 4007. Belaire presence had been previously detected in each of the marked systems, which now presented an existential threat to two survey frigates and their associated Warden and Gatekeeper traffic monitors, the status of which at this time was unknown.

The first AR-56, designated “Eagle” and commanded by five-year Navy veteran Subcommander Cassiopeia Zephyrus, would plot a course around the sensor range of the Belaire fleet and make a stealth approach into the Kuiper 79 system to check the planets of each star for evidence of a Belaire fleet base. After this, Recon Fighter Eagle would probe the gated jump point to Luyten 302-89, hoping to discover a clear path to recover the survey frigate Apollo if it still survived. Simultaneously, a second AR-56, designated “Osprey” and commanded by six-year veteran Subcommander Thetis Hyperion, would evade the Belaire fleet and make for the gated jump point to WISE 0350-5658, hoping to find a similar escape route for the far-afield Adamant. This latter mission was privately considered the highest priority by the Lords Admiral, given the great prestige and propaganda value attached to Adamant.

Recon Fighter Eagle was the first to reach her designated target, approaching within 25 million km of Kuiper 79-B II on 8 October. Pulsing her active sensors for a full minute and finding nothing, Eagle resumed stealth operation and proceeded towards Kuiper 79-A II to repeat the procedure. In the intervening period, Recon Fighter Osprey approached within 25 million km of the WISE 0350-5658 jump point at 0134 on 9 October, executing the same active scanning procedure as her sister ship had done. Also like her sister ship, Osprey detected no Belaire vessels within 34 million km, and with this assurance began to approach the jump point for transit. Ninety-one minutes later, Subcommander Hyperion bid Second Fleet farewell and disappeared through the gated jump point. Her fate would not be known for some time following - indeed, if ever.

Ten and a half hours later, Recon Fighter Eagle reported no detectable Belaire presence around Kuiper 79-A II, either. It thus appeared that the Belaire had yet to attempt to colonize the system, a positive result for the Legion which would therefore not be required to conduct operations against planetside forces in this system. With the first phase of her mission complete, Eagle set a course for the jump point to the Luyton 302-89 system, with a similar if less fraught mission description to that of the recently-departed Osprey. For the third time, Eagle pulsed her active scanner and detected no Belaire signatures in range. This constituted an all-clear signal, and Subcommander Hyperion reluctantly gave the order for her crew to approach the jump gate. At 0732 hours on 10 October, Recon Fighter Eagle transited the jump gate into Luyten 302-89.

Recon Fighter Eagle would never be heard from again.

Meanwhile, under the persistent specter of cold war the various operations of the Legion continued as ever. On 1 November, the Salvage Flotilla transmitted a mildly interesting report to the Legion high command. Having arrived in the Adamantine system some week prior, the salvagers had begun to process the numerous wrecks littering the Adamantine side of the jump point to Kuiper 79, beginning with the 70,000-ton Svobodny-class jump stabilization ship. Inspection of the salvage indicated that the Republic of Belaire ships were in fact equipped with improved nuclear pulse drive technology, this raised a few eyebrows at the Legion high command which had taken the low fleet speed of the Belaire units to indicate a rather more basic level of that technology.

3 November proved to be a slightly auspicious day for the Legion. Most relevant to the military situation in Kuiper 79 of course was the commissioning of the frigate Harrier, second in the Hellfire class of beamships. After a brief working up she would join her older sister in Adamantine, where Legion battle planners would begin plotting for a potential attack against the Belaire fleet guarding the Kuiper 79 jump point. As important as the Harrier would likely prove, it was the official activation of the Legion’s new Combat Engineers Brigade which drew the most attention on this date. Composed of three newly-raised engineering companies brigaded with and escorted by a mechanized infantry battalion in following the tradition of the previous special brigades, this newest brigade was equipped with the heavy, military-grade construction equipment necessary to begin excavating the alien ruins in Mongolica and Devil’s Hand. Finally, Legion observers hoped, the mystery of the aggressive combat mechs and their missile-armed battle stations would be solved. In service of this aim, the Combat Engineers Brigade was immediately shipped to the Mongolica system, a process which would require approximately three months before the excavations could begin in earnest.

(https://i.imgur.com/RCUczBa.png)

Approved organization for the Legion Ground Forces combat engineering company. By this time, others in the Legion high command had begun to tire of the uncreative organizations by the Legion Orders of Battle Directorate, however the latter continued to tout the “benefits of modular organizations” as their primary, if not sole, counterargument. In spite of this ongoing row between the administrative commands, there were some differences from the similar Geosurvey and Xenoarcheology companies, notably both the headquarters unit and the combat engineer vehicles (CEVs) themselves were more heavily armed than those of the previous special company types as the engineering companies were expected to see battlefield service.

Mammoth Mk I CEV
Transport Size (tons) 208 Cost 16.64 Armour 32 Hit Points 32
Annual Maintenance Cost 2.1 Resupply Cost 8
Construction Equipment: Construction Factory Equivalent 0.05
Medium Anti-Aircraft: Shots 1 Penetration 16 Damage 32 AA Value 4
Non-Combat Class

Salvage operations in Adamantine continued at a rapid pace. Processing of the first Sovremenny wreck indicated, much to the dismay if not surprise of the Legion admirals, that the Belaire fire control technology was on par with that of the Legion, if lacking in accuracy due to the relative difference in fleet speeds between the two navies. This would in theory have thrown a severe wrench into emergent plans to use the new Hellfire-class frigates against the Belaire fleet; in practice, however, the weapons range of the Belaire fleet was already known from the previous engagement, and Legion battle planners had been working on solutions to this problem for some months by this point in time.

On 19 November, Frigate Squadron 4 consisting of Hellfire and Harrier transited into Kuiper 79, taking up positions alongside Second Fleet and awaiting the arrival of Cruiser Squadron 3, carrying the flag of First Fleet, which followed on 20 November. By now, the Legion was beginning to tire of the persistent Belaire presence in what was clearly Legion territory, and had constructed a reconnaissance-in-force type of operation to test the capabilities of the new Hellfire class. Accordingly, First Fleet under the command of Captain Absolus Criasus would sally forth once again, this time representing the largest concentration of Legion Navy firepower in a single engagement to date. As First Fleet formed up at the position of the Second Fleet’s scouting detachment, the infrared signature of the Belaire fleet suddenly flared up. The Belaire forces having discerned the Legion's movements were now moving to engage the Legion Navy in what was unexpectedly shaping up to be a titanic clash.

(https://i.imgur.com/pJDwlUq.png)

The battlefield situation in Kuiper 79 at 1003 on 20 November 4007.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Charybdis class Destroyer: Cobalt
1x Hellfire class Frigate: Harrier
8x AR-56 class Recon Fighter
2x JR-1014 Jump Scout
2x Phaeton class Freighter
1x Bastion class Barracks Station

Research

20cm Railgun
Improved Command and Control

Systems Discovered

EQ Pegasi: FS Adjudicator, 28 August 4007
WISE 1804+3117: FS Amalgam of the Void, 6 September 4007
NN 3667: FS Athena, 20 November 4007

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on March 17, 2021, 05:55:20 PM

Well this is clearly magnificent and I am glad you shared the link to tempt me back over here. The pacing is terrifying of course, but I suppose allowances must be made

I would say Spotlight #1 on weapon development was a particular highlight, some might even say it was an excessively baroque level of detail and all the better for it. ;) That said every update has been scattered with wonderful little gems and nice turns of phrase, it was indeed a treat to read.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 17, 2021, 06:22:23 PM

Quote from: El Pip on March 17, 2021, 05:55:20 PM

Well this is clearly magnificent and I am glad you shared the link to tempt me back over here. The pacing is terrifying of course, but I suppose allowances must be made

I would say Spotlight #1 on weapon development was a particular highlight, some might even say it was an excessively baroque level of detail and all the better for it. ;) That said every update has been scattered with wonderful little gems and nice turns of phrase, it was indeed a treat to read.

I am similarly glad that you found your way back over here, and I do hope you stick around. Any worries about being tempted to play again are unfounded, as the terrifying new pace of the high-performance C# version, certainly it is faster than real time even, should scare you away quite effectively.

Spotlight #1 was certainly a favorite and not entirely uninspired by Butterfly Effect, to those who would characterize it as "excessively baroque" I would say that one out of two is not bad. :P Perhaps my other personal favorite is Chapter IV, which clearly reflects my character as a Man of Tanks.

To make the terrifying pacing even worse the next chapter shall be the longest yet, aside from the obligatory introductory materials, although it shall not be posted for a couple more days so yourself and the rest have ample time to brace yourselves. Further comfort can be found in the fact that time shall be advanced by less than 24 hours thus we shall briefly lapse into slower-than-real time and enjoy the majesty of such a pace.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XII: The Second Battle of Kuiper 79
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM

1003 hours, 20 November 4007

As the massive battle fleets of the Duranium Legion and the Republic of Belaire continued to close with one another, Captain Absolus Criasus set about issuing orders for the coming battle. On one hand, he could be certain that his opponents were armed with both light missiles and a variety of laser weapons, the latter selection limited to less than 200,000 km in range as recently confirmed by the salvage operations in Adamantine. On the other hand, three of the Belaire warship classes arrayed against First Fleet carried unknown weapon loadouts, most prominently the formidable Kirov-class battlecruisers. Summing this up, the conclusion facing Captain Criasus was that he simply did not have enough intelligence to form a proper plan for the battle ahead. While he had initially intended to make a reconnaissance-in-force to probe the enemy defenses, the fact that the Belaire had chosen the same moment to mount a full-bore charge towards the jump point would force his hand prematurely. Considering all of this, Captain Criasus determined that falling back to tried and true tactics would serve as well as any course of action, thus ordering First Fleet to close to within 450,000 km of the Belaire battle fleet with the intention as before of exhausting the Belaire missile stocks before closing in to engage with beam and railgun batteries.

First Fleet
Captain Absolus Criasus commanding aboard CL Deadly Poison
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 2x R-56, 1x AR-56
Cruiser Squadron 3: Deadly Poison, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote, 3x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 1: Chainsaw, Char, Charon, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 3 (attached): Catharsis, Centaur, Crushing Blow, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4 (attached): Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgment
Destroyer Squadron 5: Calamitous, Caliban, Creeping Death, Flayer
Frigate Squadron 4: Harrier, Hellfire
Totaling 275,000 tons displacement with 8,456 crew complement

Reserve Forces
Second Fleet, Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenestrator, Disruptor, Gothic, 2x R-56, 1x AR-56
Second Fleet Scouting Force, Frigate Squadron 2: Bat Country, Battery, Blastwave, Executor
Totaling 80,000 tons displacement with 2,306 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Battle Fleet 2
Designation and commander unknown
4x Kirov class Battlecruiser
3x Kiev class Cruiser
3x Sovremenny class Cruiser
3x Slava class Escort Cruiser
4x Osa class Destroyer Escort
1x Skory class Destroyer Escort
Totaling 265,000 tons displacement with unknown crew complement

As the gap between the fleets had closed to under 16 million km, at 1225 the Belaire battle fleet demonstrated a new combat tactic heretofore unknown to the Duranium Legion, in other words turning tail and running away. While certainly proud to have intimidated his opponents to such a degree, Captain Criasus was nevertheless disconcerted at this latest development in Belaire military science and harbored some suspicion of a trap being set. Hoping to counteract any potential trap, the Second Fleet scouting force consisting of Frigate Squadron 2 was ordered to pursue and trail the Belaire fleet at a distance of 42 million km, ensuring that the Belaire would be kept comfortably within active range as First Fleet closed in as well as allowing the long-range arrays of the frigates to detect any trap well before the Belaire or First Fleet would come too close for comfort. In any case, whether there was a trap or not the Belaire could not possibly hope to outrun the Legion warships, and for the next three hours a thrilling stern chase commenced.

Finally, at 1505 as First Fleet closed to under 450,000 km from the Belaire battle fleet, alarms began sounding on ships throughout the fleet as an incredible twenty-five missile salvos were detected. Of these, twelve salvos totaling sixty light missiles had been launched from the Slavas as anticipated, while thirteen salvos totaling eighty-two heavier missiles, displacing around 10 tons and traveling at 21,200 km/s, had been launched from the four Kirovs and the Skory class, the latter of which was shortly reclassified as a missile destroyer. Fortunately, the outdated propulsion technology of these missiles led the fire control computers aboard Deadly Poison to inform Captain Criasus that the four destroyer squadrons of First Fleet could mass just enough volume of fire to destroy the entire volley of missiles. However, as the margin for error was quite thin the Captain ordered both cruiser squadrons to contribute as much to the point defense effort as their slow-firing weapon batteries would permit.

(https://i.imgur.com/uvwGkEp.png)

The stern chase reaches a climax at 1505 as the Belaire battle fleet opens fire with all missile tubes. While Cruiser Squadrons 1 and 3 were diverted to assist with the point defense efforts, the Hellfire-class frigates were ordered to still hold their fire, to avoid giving away useful tactical information before the Belaire could discover that information through armor-enabled intelligence operations.

Fortunately for First Fleet, the Belaire rapidly demonstrated once more that they were not considered as the galaxy’s preeminent tacticians for good reason, as the lack of time-on-target battery tactics used by the Belaire gunners ensured that each type of missile would be dealt with separately. This was indeed the case, as the Legion gunners accurately shot down every missile from the first volley in the space of ten seconds. However, there would be no respite as a second wave of light missiles was already arriving on the heels of the first, thus the point defense action devolved from a series of coordinated volleys to a chaotic swirl of continual fire punctuated with brief moments of calm. In an example of what those unfamiliar with battle would describe as irony, these brief moments of calm proved the worst moments of the battle for the gunners of First Fleet, as these moments often portended the simultaneous arrival of both missile types in a full 25-salvo storm. The first of these instances occurred thirty-five seconds after the first missile launches had been detected and, despite causing Captain Criasus to briefly experience what according to shipboard vital sign monitoring was a Navy-record spike in blood pressure, was handily dispatched with only two-thirds of the Charybdis-class destroyers even needing to fire. In the aftermath of this, Captain Criasus briefly considered ordering the cruisers to cease fire, but ultimately decided against this as the crews could always use the gunnery practice and the reverberations from the 152 mm weapons batteries firing repeatedly were judged to be excellent for crew morale.

Aside from blood pressure spikes which gradually decreased in magnitude, the pursuit continued in much the same manner, with the Belaire frantically firing every missile they could to evade pursuit while the expert gunners of the Legion shot down every one with minimal effort - aside from the periodic instances when both types of missiles arrived simultaneously, at which points slightly more effort was expended. Seven minutes after the Belaire bombardment had commenced, Legion sensor technicians reported that the nineteenth volley of larger missiles showed significantly fewer launches from both the Kirovs and the Skory, indicating that both classes of ships had likely exhausted their magazines. Curiously, this coincided with a sudden course change by the Belaire battle fleet ten seconds later, which Captain Criasus assessed to most likely be an attempt to take evasive action. Thirty seconds later, the Belaire were confirmed to have run out of 10-ton missiles as no additional salvos had been launched. After this point, the pursuit continued, now with only the consistent rhythm of light missile salvos arriving every ten seconds. With the enemy capabilities so reduced, Captain Criasus finally ordered the cruiser squadrons to stand down, if only to save wear and tear on the 152 mm gun barrels.

(https://i.imgur.com/43jVTln.png)

Progress of the battle by 1510, at which time the Belaire battle fleet executed a course change which may have been an attempt to undertake evasive maneuvers, but did little to change the overall complexion of the engagement.

It took First Fleet another seven minutes to shoot down every last missile the Belaire battle fleet could fire, at by 1517 the full seventy-one volleys carried by each Slava-class escort cruiser had been expended. By this time, Frigate Squadron 2 had closed to 42 million km as ordered, and could assure Captain Criasus that no additional Belaire vessels were lying in wait anywhere within 41 million km of the Belaire fleet being pursued. Secure in this knowledge, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to begin the next phase of the battle, closing to the extreme range of the Hellfire-class frigates in order to conduct the first operational demonstration of their exotic new weapons.

(https://i.imgur.com/WFkQpfu.png)

Extended view of the battle zone at 1518, showing the relative position of and sensor coverage provided by the Frigate Squadron 2. The vector between First Fleet and the Belaire force relative to the position of Frigate Squadron 2 shows the evasive course change enacted by the Belaire.

As First Fleet closed to just over 180,000 km, judged to be outside the range of all Belaire beam weapons save the heaviest lasers of the Sovremenny class, three blasts from those heavy lasers lanced out from the Belaire battle group, missing Deadly Poison by a considerable margin. Unfortunately, holding the range precisely proved more difficult than anticipated, and First Fleet accidentally closed to 178,000 km allowing the Sovremennys to fire a full barrage of medium laser beams, scoring two hits on the armor of Deadly Poison. It took only a few more seconds for the fire control systems aboard Hellfire and Harrier to find their targets, and at 1520 the two frigates fired their PEL-4 neon beam cannons for the first time in operational conditions. The results were mixed; on one hand, only two hits were scored, both by Hellfire, due to the extreme range and insufficient fire controls; on the other hand, both hits struck the Sovremenny for full damage despite the extreme range, easily outperforming the lackluster lasers of the Belaire fleet. On the whole, compared to running a gauntlet of massed laser fire while conducting a stern chase, Captain Criasus judged these initial results to be adequate for the purpose at hand.

More concerning to Captain Criasus was the inability of his fleet to maintain the ordered minimum distance, with the range slipping to 162,000 km as the Sovremennys fired their heavy lasers again - fortunately, to no effect. Given this, the Captain revised his previous orders so that First Fleet would nominally hold position at 192,000 km. While this was the maximum range of the fire controls aboard the Hellfire-class frigates, Captain Criasus was content to allow his frigates to fire at the intervals when the fleet accidentally dropped the range, preferring to ensure a small buffer for the helm officers of First Fleet to do their own jobs in relative safety. The next volley from the Hellfires put this order to question, as all twelve shots from the beam cannons missed by several kilometers.

Further putting this new order to question, First Fleet once again creeped closer to their quarry, once again crossing the extreme range of the Sovremennys, which despite the distance managed to land a glancing blow on the armor of Hellfire. Clearly, the Belaire commanders had identified the new threat and given it the highest targeting priority. Perhaps more frustratingly, First Fleet managed to withdraw back to 192,000 km just before the Hellfires fired their third volley, and at such an extreme range it was not even possible for a hit to be scored. Clearly, a new tactic was necessary, and it fell to Captain Criasus to devise it. After briefly consulting with his bridge officers as well as Commander Acheron Tartarus, the senior commander among the destroyer officers, Captain Criasus gave the order to reduce speed to 3,500 km/s. This would make First Fleet somewhat easier targets for the Belaire heavy lasers, but would make it easier for the Legion helm officers to maintain the specified minimum distance and avoid the mass of medium lasers - so long as the Belaire did not catch on to this new tactic too quickly and start varying their own speeds to manipulate the range.

As First Fleet again closed the range, more cautiously this time, the Hellfires and Sovremennys continued to fire their long-ranged weapons at each other to minimal effect. Finally, as she closed under 181,500 km, Harrier scored a trio of hits along the armor belt of her target. As First Fleet continued to barely overtake the Belaire vessels, Captain Criasus ordered a second speed reduction to match the Belaire exactly, at 3,398 km/s, hoping this would prevent his ships from slipping into Belaire medium laser range once again. This seemed to work well, as First Fleet held the range just under 180,500 km while Harrier scored another hit on the targeted Sovremenny. While First Fleet had yet to penetrate the armor of any ship in the Belaire fleet, it seemed apparent that the bold new Hellfire would have an outsized impact in favor of the Legion.

The tense gunnery duel continued for some time, with particle beams of the two Hellfires slowly wearing through the armor of the lead Sovremenny, while the heavy lasers of the Belaire lacked both range and volume of fire to effectively reply in kind, only able to land occasional glancing blows on the armor of Hellfire. Finally, after two hundred twenty-five long seconds Harrier scored a trio of hits including one which penetrated the armor of the Sovremenny. Elated, the gunnery crews of both frigates pressed the attack with vigor, scoring several more armor hits before Harrier succeeded in scoring a second penetration two minutes and fifteen seconds later. Compared to the rapid pace of the previous engagement in which the railgun batteries had played the decisive role, the drawn-out tension of this gunnery duel was not a welcome change of pace for the frayed nerves of the First Fleet ship crews. Hellfire finally scored a penetrating hit of her own only forty-five seconds later, the increasing pace of internal damage being dealt to the Belaire beam cruiser indicating that its armor had been worn through quite thoroughly. Further proof of this was found when Hellfire evened the score against her sister ship on the very next volley with a fourth penetration. The rate of penetrations continued, with nearly every hit by this point causing the lead Sovremenny to stream even more atmosphere, and the two Hellfires entered into an unspoken competition to land the first visibly critical hit on their prey.

Finally, eight minutes and fifteen seconds after the beam duel had begun, a beam cannon blast from Hellfire excoriated the port engine of the lead Sovremenny, causing it to drop to three-quarter speed and fall out of formation with the rest of the Belaire fleet. While cheers went up from the crew of Hellfire, this was a critical moment and Captain Criasus knew it. The Sovremenny had taken heavy damage by this stage, but he had no way of knowing how many of its guns, if any, remained intact to threaten the fragile Hellfires. With great urgency, the Captain barked an order for First Fleet to slow down immediately to match the speed of the wounded vessel, momentarily allowing the rest of the Belaire battle fleet to open the range. As if to confirm the wisdom of his order, the damaged cruiser shot back at First Fleet with its heavy laser, making the point that it was still well-armed - if not entirely dangerous as once again it had missed completely.

The next volley from Harrier saw another engine shot out from the enemy cruiser, dropping it to half speed which First Fleet again matched immediately. The next few volleys had little apparent effect, although sensors indicated a mix of hits on the remaining armor as well as internal compartments of the Sovremenny. At 1530, however, disaster struck: despite having received to that point only six hits on her armor, Hellfire was hit by a laser blast which inexplicably managed to penetrate through one of two existing holes in her armor and take out her starboard engine, dropping her to half maximum speed. While this would not be immediately fatal to Hellfire, notably as the crippled Sovremenny was itself limited to half its own maximum speed which Hellfire could easily match, she would not be able to keep up with the rest of First Fleet when they resumed the pursuit.

(https://i.imgur.com/zeGg2iL.png)

Graphic representation (actual armor scheme remains classified to this day) of the damage done to the armor of Hellfire immediately prior to the shooting-out of her starboard engine at 1530. The incredible shot placement of the Belaire heavy laser gunners even at long range led many in the Legion high command to suspect an idiosyncratic flaw in the armor scheme of the Hellfire class. However, extensive post-battle analysis could find no better explanation for the impressive result achieved by the Belaire gunners besides incredibly good luck.

With this shocking development the continuation of the ongoing gunnery duel became tactically untenable, as with only one combat-capable frigate remaining in-theater it was deemed probable that Harrier would suffer a similar fate before the remaining pair of Sovremennys could be eliminated. The question now facing Captain Criasus was whether or not the entire pursuit operation should be called off. Fortunately, for the first time in this battle the Captain would have ample time to consider his options, as the wounded Sovremenny would have to be eliminated in any case before the rest of First Fleet could resume their full-speed chase. This pursuit, at least, continued unabated, and forty seconds after the critical hit to Hellfire the pair of frigates exacted their revenge, scoring an incredible five penetrating hits out of twelve shots in the volley at extreme range and dropping the speed of their crippled foe to zero. Despite its crippled state, the Sovremenny showed no signs of degradation in its gunnery abilities, landing yet another hit on the wounded Hellfire - though fortunately this hit only glanced off of her armor albeit dangerously near to the penetration in her starboard stern. The exchange of long-range fire continued for several minutes, with Hellfire suffering another hit on her armor but no further internal damage, until finally, fifteen seconds after 1534, the heavy laser aboard the Sovremenny was finally silenced. Incredibly, the Belaire cruiser was still intact despite the damage suffered.

By this point, the rest of the Belaire fleet had managed to retreat more than 1.1 million km from First Fleet and showed no signs of slowing down. Captain Criasus therefore ordered Frigate Squadron 4 to be detached from First Fleet; the two frigates would finish off the Sovremenny before retreating to the jump point for resupply and internal repair work. The remainder of First Fleet, the Captain judged, would be more than sufficient to eliminate the Belaire battle group which was now deprived of its entire missile complement. While some losses would be taken due to the lasers on the remaining two Sovremennys as well as the four Osas escorting the fleet, the opportunity to eliminate another 245,000 tons of Belaire warships for a fraction of that in losses was far too good an opportunity for First Fleet to pass up. After issuing orders to briefly detour around the crippled Belaire beam cruiser, on the assumption that it still had enough medium lasers operational to make several holes in the armor of a passing destroyer, Captain Criasus ordered the bulk of First Fleet to proceed ahead at full speed.

(https://i.imgur.com/5nfbbtP.png)

Fleet positions at 1534, immediately prior to the detachment of Frigate Squadron 4 from First Fleet. Indicated on the map are Captain Criasus’ orders issued to the bulk of First Fleet to evade the crippled Sovremenny and resume pursuit of the main Belaire battle group.

Finally, at 1537 and a full three minutes after First Fleet had detached the frigate squadron to pursue the rest of the Belaire battle fleet, Hellfire landed two final shots along the keel of the disabled Sovremenny, finally destroying it as the Belaire cruiser lost all structural integrity and began to disintegrate in a storm of plasma fires and electrical arcs. It had taken the two frigates thirty-two minutes to get the better of the Sovremenny in a protracted gunnery duel, and in the process both ships had been rendered, if not combat-incapable, certainly not battle-ready. The status of Hellfire was the more obvious quandary, as her destroyed engine would take significant time and engineering work to repair, however Harrier was scarcely better off as she had exhausted most of her maintenance stores to keep her weapons operational and was down to only 12% of her rated supply capacity. Thus, after briefly stopping to collect prisoners from the Sovremenny life pods, the two frigates set their course to the Adamantine jump point to resupply and conduct the needed repairs. In spite of the condition of Hellfire’s armor both frigates would need to be kept on station for some months yet until reinforcements could be commissioned and deployed to Kuiper 79.

Further afield, the battle continued as First Fleet moved to close in on the fleeing Belaire fleet. Just before the shipboard clocks ticked over to 1546, a pair of heavy laser shots narrowly missed Deadly Poison, indicating that battle had once again been joined. Captain Criasus wasted no time in ordering First Fleet to close to nearly minimum range at full speed, though he elected to maintain 35,000 km of distance between First Fleet and the opposition until the armament of the Kiev class could be determined. Unfortunately, while First Fleet was more than quick enough to close the distance it would take a minute and a half to close to the ordered range, although the cruisers would be able to open fire well before the range had been closed. Emphasizing this point, the two remaining Sovremennys opened fire on Deadly Poison with their medium lasers as First Fleet crossed the 180,000 km range, landing four glancing hits on her armor. The next Belaire volley went identically, with both heavy lasers missing badly while the medium laser batteries scored another four hits on Deadly Poison, with First Fleet closing only 24,000 km of range in the space between volleys. The next volley proceeded similarly, with the only difference being a hit landed by one of the heavy lasers, while the following volley saw both heavy lasers miss while seven medium laser blasts grazed the armor of Deadly Poison. By this stage, the armor integrity of Deadly Poison was rated at 87%, but having seen the absurd good luck of the Legion gunners displayed against Hellfire Captain Criasus had understandably developed yet another acute case of hypertension.

The next volley from the Belaire displayed a curious change of tactics, albeit a good one from the perspective of Captain Criasus’ blood pressure, as the Sovremennys attacked the destroyer Charon with their heavy lasers and scored two hits with no penetrations. By this time the Legion cruisers had reached the edge of their own maximum range and opened fire on both Sovremennys, scoring several dozen low-damage hits across the armor belts of both vessels. At this, the Belaire fleet once again changed course, heading towards First Fleet at an oblique angle, simultaneously firing laser batteries aboard both the Sovremennys and the Osas and scoring sixteen hits on Charon including three penetrations which knocked a quarter of her gun batteries offline. Seeing the change in Belaire tactics, First Fleet came about and began to pull back to maintain the 35,000 km range as ordered.

(https://i.imgur.com/3Vz6ohm.png)

The Belaire abruptly shifted their tactics at 1547, seemingly aiming to close with First Fleet to bring the laser batteries of the four Osa-class destroyer escorts to bear. However, this tactic allowed First Fleet to close the range quite rapidly, allowing Captain Criasus to transform the battle from a series of volleys at range into a swirling melee in which the Legion’s railguns held the advantage.

Seeing this change in tactics, Captain Criasus decided to take the initiative, wishing for First Fleet to be the party creating a surprise for once. As the 152 mm batteries of the cruisers finished reloading, the Captain ordered First Fleet to close to under 30,000 km, allowing the destroyer squadrons to open fire on the pesky Osas simultaneously with the cruisers firing on the Sovremennys. This sudden reversal proved devastating to the Belaire: both remaining Sovremennys were blown to scrap by the Legion cruiser squadrons, suffering nearly three dozen internal hits each before crumbling apart with Double Edge and Dissolution each claiming a kill, while the Osas were torn asunder by the cumulative effect of six hundred fifty 102 mm projectile impacts, with two Osas destroyed outright and the remaining pair severely maimed including one which suffered a devastating engine explosion. Both surviving Osas quickly fell out of formation with the fleet they had been escorting. Noting that no fire had been taken from the trio of Kievs, Captain Criasus ordered his ships to maintain the range under 30,000 km, matching speed with the Belaire ships. Unfortunately, while brilliant his maneuver had come at a cost, as Charon had suffered heavy damage including the loss of both engines, all but two of her 102 mm railguns, and some 60% of her armor belt.

Fortunately for Charon, her sitting duck status would not prove to be fatal as the remaining two Osas were handily dispatched by the Legion destroyers, along with the Skory-class missile destroyer. With the entire laser-armed section of the Belaire fleet lying in ruin, the remaining missile ships would be easy prey for First Fleet, however even at this juncture Captain Criasus issued precise orders: while the rest of the Belaire fleet would be destroyed, a single Kirov and Kiev apiece would be left intact for the moment, and later closed with to point blank range to determine if either possessed any extremely short-range armaments - if not, the Legion could close to point blank range against these vessels in the future with no concerns.

First Fleet set about these orders with great enthusiasm, knowing that victory was all but theirs. Within ten seconds, all three Slavas and two of the Kievs were nothing more than wreckage tumbling through space, joined in death by the first Kirov five seconds later and a second Kirov shortly after. The third Kirov was ripped apart by concentrated 152 mm battery fire with Deadly Poison adding yet another kill to her impressive resume, leaving as per the Captain’s orders a single Kirov and Kiev each. Rather less in accordance with the Captain’s orders, in the excitement of the chase First Fleet found themselves having accidentally closed to 15,000 km yet receiving no fire from the remaining pair of Belaire vessels. Thankful for his good fortune in this regard, Captain Criasus ordered First Fleet to close to point blank range with all guns firing, and five seconds later the battle was over. After forty-two minutes and a few spare seconds, the Duranium Legion had emerged victorious from this titanic battle after weathering a missile barrage, carrying out multiple stern chases, engaging in a thrilling gunnery duel, and at last closing for a final chaotic melee in which the mighty railgun batteries of the Legion had carried the day. Incredibly, despite teething problems with the new Hellfire-class beam frigates, First Fleet had managed to destroy 265,000 void tons of Belaire warships without the loss of a single Legion ship, easily the most dominant combat result in the admittedly short history of the Legion Navy.

(https://i.imgur.com/RS1la7F.png)

Final state of the battlefield at 1547 on 20 November. The concluding melee combat action proceeded from right to left relative to the figure orientation. Note that DD Charon had been disabled early in the fight and was detached from First Fleet shortly after the initial collision between the two battle fleets.

Great victory or no, the celebrations on board the ships of First Fleet could be only momentary before once more orders had to be given. First Fleet itself would first move to cover the crippled Charon until her engineering crews could restore her engines, before proceeding back to the jump point to regroup. Frigate Squadron 2 would rejoin Destroyer Squadrons 3 and 4 and resume overwatch duties at their previous forward position. Finally, Gatekeeper 6 which was in-system would recover the Belaire life pods and transport the prisoners to secure Legion space for interrogation. While it would take them some time to reach the site, the Salvage Flotilla would certainly have their work cut out for them when they did arrive in-system.

(https://i.imgur.com/ESSECah.png)

For his exemplary command of First Fleet during the Second Battle of Kuiper 79, Captain Absolus Criasus received the Bronze Star of the Legion as well as personal assurance from the Emperor himself that he would be the next man in line for promotion to Lord Captain.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XII: The Second Battle of Kuiper 79
Post by: El Pip on March 20, 2021, 03:33:58 AM

Battles are much more exciting when the enemy actually shoots back. Who knew? Do we have another selection of summaries from an exhaustive and over-detailed Battle Report to look forward to, clearly there are lessons one could learn from the first major battle which wasn't a one-sided massacre, but are the Legion in the mood to learn?

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM

Destroyer Squadron 4 (attached): Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgment

As always my first reaction is to think that Cry, Ye Wicked is two separate ships, one of which has a mildly annoyed crew.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM

Second Fleet Scouting Force, Frigate Squadron 2: Bat Country, Battery, Blastwave, Executor

Bat Country remains a very interesting name for a ship.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM

reverberations from the 152 mm weapons batteries firing repeatedly were judged to be excellent for crew morale.

It is good to see that even in the 5th millennium people are still using odd numbers because they correspond to how big something would be in imperial units. Standards must be maintained. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XII: The Second Battle of Kuiper 79
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 20, 2021, 11:22:16 AM

Quote from: El Pip on March 20, 2021, 03:33:58 AM

Battles are much more exciting when the enemy actually shoots back. Who knew? Do we have another selection of summaries from an exhaustive and over-detailed Battle Report to look forward to, clearly there are lessons one could learn from the first major battle which wasn't a one-sided massacre, but are the Legion in the mood to learn?

It's not out of the question, certainly there are several thousand officers in the Legion Battle Reporting Department who are in need of justification for their jobs, however as writing excerpts from what could be termed excessively baroque reports written by military bureaucrats is both time-consuming and likely to get old quickly if overdone I suspect what will end up being reported on will be some form of campaign summary. Certainly there is much to pontificate about, at any rate.

Likewise I am these days always musing over the topic for the next Spotlight segment. The next major warship class to be commissioned is not so revolutionary as to fill out an entire update of that nature, so it will be some time yet coming, but clearly something will be called for sooner or later.

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM
Destroyer Squadron 4 (attached): Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgment
As always my first reaction is to think that Cry, Ye Wicked is two separate ships, one of which has a mildly annoyed crew.

The conventions of grammar are sadly unable to keep up with the nonconventions of Legion ship-naming habits. Though aside Cry, Ye Wicked is one of my favorite names I've come up with, as it possesses that sort of "Judgment Day and trumpets sound" sort of élan any good warship ought to sail into battle with.

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM
Second Fleet Scouting Force, Frigate Squadron 2: Bat Country, Battery, Blastwave, Executor
Bat Country remains a very interesting name for a ship.

There is little point in naming ships oneself if one cannot occasionally slip in a cultural reference or two. ;D

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on March 19, 2021, 02:41:07 PM
reverberations from the 152 mm weapons batteries firing repeatedly were judged to be excellent for crew morale.
It is good to see that even in the 5th millennium people are still using odd numbers because they correspond to how big something would be in imperial units. Standards must be maintained. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

When conquering a galaxy there is no better standard, one's choice of units must reflect one's cultural imperatives after all. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XIII: The Horrid Specter of Economics
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 22, 2021, 12:59:59 PM

21 November 4007

As usual, while the Belaire captives were largely uninterested in talking with their Legion captors, a few prisoners did show some interest in making their futures a slight bit less distressing and shared some small amounts of information with Legion intelligence officers accordingly. Notably, a nervous sensor technician confirmed previous intelligence regarding the long-range sensors mounted by the Kiev and Sovremenny cruisers, confirming the range and resolution of those sensors and providing some basic technical specifications. Less useful from a tactical perspective, though intriguing to Legion special operations officers, was the provision of a technical summary for a class of Belaire civilian spaceliners. This information had been provided by a rather cantankerous engineering officer formerly aboard one of the Kirovs, whose words and behavior further suggested a certain dissatisfaction with the present state of the Belaire Navy. Notably, the fact that the Belaire upper class cruised through space in luxury while their navy sailors suffered such horrifying losses under incompetent command did not bear well with this particular officer. If these sentiments were in fact widespread among the Belaire rank and file, especially following their most recent crushing defeat, the resulting morale problems could be a significant aid to the Legion’s efforts.

Meanwhile, economics proved far more difficult for the Legion than warfare. On 24 November, a sudden flood of reports reached the Legion shipbuilding department indicating that nearly every shipyard was facing a critical duranium shortage, inhibiting the production of the very ships the Legion would need to prosecute the war against the Belaire. In a frantic rush of orders, various shipyard expansion projects and ship construction orders were halted, attempting to give priority to the most critical warships, while in the planetside factories on Duratus duranium-intensive projects were shifted to lower-priority slots to conserve the critical resource. Internally, Legion economic planners began to seriously consider the possibility of initiating an expensive project to convert many of Duratus’ mines to automated facilities, which could be deployed without the need to wait for colonial infrastructure and population to be established. While in the short term these efforts seemed to stabilize the situation, this was unsustainable and it was clear that the logistical strain of fighting an unexpected war had done significant damage to the Legion’s mining efforts which would take significant time to correct.

11 December saw the arrival in Kuiper 79 of reinforcements in the form of the light cruiser Devourer escorted by the destroyer Chronomancer, both having been dispatched from Duratus to relieve the damaged ships of First Fleet. To much acclaim from the crews under his command, Captain Absolus Criasus departed aboard his trusted Deadly Poison, escorted by the badly-damaged Charon, to undertake repairs at Duratus. In his absence, Captain Felix Tegyrios of Cruiser Squadron 1 would assume command of First Fleet; rumors abounded that this would become a permanent assignment for Captain Tegyrios, with Captain Criasus likely to receive a much-deserved promotion before returning to Kuiper 79.

Year 4008

New Year’s Day of 4008, while not marked as an especial day by most citizens of the Legion who had little use for such superstitious observations, was marked by the Legion high command as an excellent point in time at which to review the overall position of the Legion in the galaxy. After a brief, largely perfunctory session ending with an unanimous agreement that the Duranium Legion was indisputably in the top position of the galaxy, the Lords Admiral sat down to conduct the bulk of their review in somewhat more enlightening depth. In short, the Legion found itself in a position of military ascendancy but trending towards economic despondency, a term chosen to avoid the uncomfortable connotations of the phrase “economic depression”. Thus, the problem placed before the Lords Admiral as the Legion entered its ninth year as a galactic power would be to recover from economic troubles while maintaining enough focus and resource allocation for the military arms of the Legion.

Quickly it became apparent to the Lords Admiral, despite the fact that all of them had been educated principally in naval matters rather than economic ones - indeed this may even have been an aid to them here - that the economic struggles of the Legion would not quickly be resolved. The chief problem turned out to be one of population, simply put despite long-running convoys to several colonies there were no out-system populations large enough to support a rapid migration of mining capacity from Duratus. This meant that the Legion would be forced in the short and frankly medium terms to rely on automated capabilities, of which there were not nearly enough available. Essentially this meant that the vast number of mines on Duratus, in excess of 1,600, were rapidly becoming useless, but there would be nowhere better to relocate them for several years at the minimum.

(https://i.imgur.com/7kzopbo.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/Fasohpp.png)

Overview of the Duranium Legion economic situation on Duratus specifically and empire-wide. In addition to the somewhat ironic duranium crisis, given the polity affected, stockpiles of critical TNEs such as gallicite and most pressingly corundium were also showing signs of being severely impacted by the, to say the least, disappointing mining situation on Duratus. While sources of duranium would take top priority in Legion economic planning efforts, an eye would have to be kept to the near future to avoid similarly catastrophic shortages of these other critical minerals.

Ultimately, the Legion high command would announce at the conclusion of their conference a three-phase plan to stabilize the Legion economy. In the short term, hoping to both resolve the duranium crisis and to preclude a corundium crisis which would scuttle the following phases, the orbital mining platforms (OMPs) scattered throughout the Sol system would be redistributed to address the most pressing needs. The two OMPs stationed over the comet Whipple would be relocated to Machholz, providing not only an increase in duranium extraction but also that of gallicite which could be mined out somewhat more easily than from the deposits on Whipple. Meanwhile, the OMPs presently located at Oumuamua and Tempel 1 would be relocated to Chernykh, a reshuffling which could potentially impact the Legion’s neutronium stockpiles but would provide a strong source of corundium. This was deemed a necessary tradeoff to ensure continued production not only of mining infrastructure but also the important particle beam weapons considered necessary for continued operations against the Republic of Belaire.

Chernykh
Corbomite 1,522 Acc 1
Sorium 37,846 Acc 0.7
Corundium 54,865 Acc 0.9

The second phase of the plan was arguably the most ambitious, representing a major shift away from manned mining infrastructure. Aside from brief work orders to finish final assembly of nearly-completed units, wholesale production of both manned and automated mines would be immediately ceased, to be replaced respectively with planetside production of additional OMPs and with conversions of manned mining installations to automated types which would be principally deployed to Mars and Mercury. This latter element would prove particularly controversial, in part due to concerns over unemployment which would prove to be largely unfounded as most workers simply transitioned to private industries, but largely due to concerns that a lack of manned infrastructure would end up crippling the Legion later on once large colonial populations had been established. However, in practice most in the Legion high command noted that the majority of good mining prospects would be found on asteroids, comets, and distant moons which would be difficult to colonize anyways, thus a large concentration of automated infrastructure would always be advantageous even if manned mines could be produced in greater volumes.

The final phase of the plan, as announced, was quite hazily defined and amounted to building up sufficient colonial, convoy, and mining infrastructure in the Adamantine and Alpha Centauri systems. Both of these systems, while posing logistical challenges to fully exploit, were important long-term prospects albeit for entirely different reasons. Adamantine of course represented a major fleet base for the Legion Navy and was anticipated to eventually contain not only fleet maintenance facilities but also a selection of naval shipyards which could be supplied from the vast Kuiper belt encircling that system. As the name implies, the Adamantine asteroid belt was quite distant with the nearest asteroids exceeding 20 billion km from the parent star, however the belt was quite dense and contained numerous asteroids rich in TNEs which orbital mining operations would find no end to their joy in exploiting once established. Ultimately, Legion economic planners anticipated that a dense network of OMPs and mass drivers would render the great distances to be traversed while initially establishing mining operations relatively unimportant.

The Alpha Centauri system, on the other hand, contained several nearly-habitable bodies and was envisioned by many to be a future “Sol II” type of system. The ‘A’ component star was not flush with mining opportunities, aside from plentiful sodium reserves which could make up for the lack of high-accessibility gas giant deposits in-system, but did contain three large bodies which would not be too challenging to terraform to full habitability particularly with future technological advances. The inner system was thus envisioned as a robust industrial and financial hub for the Legion which would be supplied from mining operations around the ‘B’ component. This latter component star was orbited by only one nearly-habitable planet, albeit one with a breathable atmosphere which would only require some greenhouse gas to reach full habitability. However, the plentiful asteroid belt in the zone 40 to 80 million km from the ‘B’ star was not only rich in TNEs but consisted of nearly-habitable bodies which could be inhabited easily given an injection of atmosphere and the presence of low-gravity infrastructure, meaning that manned asteroid mining operations were likely to be established here in the not-too-distant future.

As economic struggles were the most pressing problem facing the Legion at this time, the bulk of the Lords Admiral’s conference was focused on these matters. However, some brief attention was given to the military situation in Kuiper 79 and beyond, if only in a half-hearted attempt to prevent the taking-root of inertia and malaise. Two principal outcomes emerged from these discussions: the first, simple enough, was to continue the run of Hellfire-class frigates currently on order, and in fact doubling the size of that order from four to eight to ensure an adequate reserve, particularly as refitting of the fire controls would be necessary as soon as new systems could be developed and trialed. The second outcome was while military in presentation largely political in origination, simply put the Legion Navy was possessed of a growing roster of junior flag officers without portfolios, and was further expecting to soon see multiple decorated heroes joining those ranks including the famous Captain Absolus Criasus. There was therefore a desire among the Lords Admiral to give their most decorated and publicly-visible flag officers a similarly visible assignment to raise morale as well as to further enhance the public prestige of the Legion Navy. Initially an afterthought mentioned idly in passing, it soon became apparent that the solution would be best served if it accomplished a military objective as well. To this end, cursory plans were drawn up for an operation to decisively take control of the Kuiper 79 system, an operation which would be spearheaded by several such officers including Captain Criasus, and which would have the ultimate aim of establishing a secondary Navy headquarters in that system which would direct future operations in the Belaire War.

These decisions having been made and duly announced to the rank and file as well as the broader public, the Legion high command adjourned their conference and resumed going about the work of actually running a galactic empire as was officially their collective job description.

----

As the hard-working crews of the Legion Navy and auxiliary fleets set about putting these plans into action, a strange report reached the Legion Survey Command. On 16 January, the survey frigate Ariadne had transited an unexplored jump point and emerged in a new star system located three jumps beyond the Mongolica research outpost. Astrographic sensors had quickly identified the system as Gliese 382, noting the existence of a single planet in the system which was reasonably close to human habitability though lacking both atmosphere and a water table. However, Captain Xeno Lycurgus had enclosed as an appendix to the astrographic report a brief analysis of some strange signals picked up by the astrographic sensors. These had been initially dismissed as sensor noise caused by an antenna out of alignment, however the mysterious signals had persisted even after a close inspection of all sensor systems. While the science officers aboard Ariadne were utterly confused, a tentative consensus was expressed in the appendix that the readings could imply a sort of localized tearing of the aether. The Captain concluded his appendix by stating that he intended to carefully investigate this phenomenon as Ariadne’s assigned survey duties carried her close enough to take more detailed readings. At the time, this report was considered a mild curiosity by the Legion surveyors, but otherwise to be of little importance.

(https://i.imgur.com/KBkttq0.png)

System map attached to the Gliese 382 astrographic report by Captain Xeno Lycurgus, indicating the approximate location from which the unusual readings originated.

9 February saw the arrival in Kuiper 79 of yet another Legion reconnaissance project, namely the JR-1014 jump scout which had been designed for the purpose of carrying out deep space reconnaissance missions without the necessity for a supporting combat fleet. Unlike the other recent addition to the Legion’s reconnaissance capabilities, the JR-1014 was an entirely new construction, thus in theory it should have been fairly well-optimized. In practice, while broadly suited for its designed mission, the craft suffered severely from overloading as the dual requirement to mount both a full sensor suite as well as a self-contained gravity drive could only be met by installing an underpowered propulsion suite. This meant that the JR-1014 included the same propulsion section as the R-56 despite being twice the size, ultimately limiting the former class to only half the speed of the latter, a mere 2,500 km/s. While this would be adequate to get the jump scout to where it needed to be, any questions from junior crew members about escaping if detected were roundly ignored by commanding officers.

JR-1014 class Jump Scout 500 tons 14 Crew 73.2 BP TCS 10 TH 25 EM 0
2504 km/s JR 1-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 6 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 13.39 Years MSP 58 AFR 10% IFR 0.1% 1YR 1 5YR 9 Max Repair 16 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-10 Gravity Drive 'Dart' Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 1

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 64,000 Litres Range 12.9 billion km (59 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Traffic Scanner (1) GPS 2400 Range 33.9m km Resolution 150
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction

In any case, the first mission assigned to the jump scouts was not anticipated to be particularly endangering. As four JR-1014s had arrived in the Kuiper 79 system, three of them were assigned to proceed to each of the three jump points not controlled by the Legion, while the fourth would proceed to the inner system of each star and once again sweep for Belaire presence before establishing a semi-permanent watch over the second planet of the ‘A’ component star. With all four of these critical locations under close monitoring, the Legion Navy would be free to move into the system to establish a permanent occupation base although nothing as large as the planned Adamantine Base would be.

While these plans were put into motion, the stabilization ship Andromeda reported on 5 March that the jump network from Sol to Devil’s Hand had been fully stabilized, allowing the research outpost there to be expanded once auxiliary shipping tonnage became available.

(https://i.imgur.com/YoT6WYr.png)

The extent of the Duranium Legion stabilized jump point network as of 5 March 4008. In addition to forming natural trade links between emergent colonies and xenoarcheological sites, the stable jump point network would also improve the defensibility of Legion-controlled space as future shipbuilding orders would not need to include large numbers of jump-capable vessels to provide jump capability for the Navy’s defensive and rapid-response forces.

From 5 to 11 March the JR-1014 jump scouts reached their assigned observation posts without incident, saving for a minor navigation error by one of the crews. With the system thus confirmed to be clear of Belaire presence, First and Second Fleets along with attendant auxiliaries immediately set course towards the A-II planet to secure the area ahead of a freighter convoy which would bring components to establish a naval headquarters on the planet. The logistics of the operation would take some time, but ultimately would allow the Legion battle fleets to begin a proper offensive against the Belaire home system. The two main fleets would arrive on 20 March, with the Second Fleet Scouting Force detached to a position 70 million km from the Belaire jump point to supplement the active monitoring of the nearby JR-1014. The detachment arrived at this position on 23 March.

Closer to home, 27 April saw the formation of Third Fleet following the commissioning of the Furious-class jump destroyer Flatline Fakhoury. Third Fleet followed the same “standard” Legion Navy fleet composition of one cruiser, two destroyer, and one frigate squadron which had been in use since the year 4000. However, due to monopolization of large shipyards for more forward-reaching projects, Cruiser Squadron 4 lacked a Grand Cross-class jump cruiser, limiting the ability of Third Fleet to project power beyond the jump-stabilized borders of Legion space. In other words, Third Fleet would primarily serve as the main defensive bulwark against any potential threats which might arise from any direction besides that of the Republic of Belaire. This was not, at the time, anticipated to be a terribly glamorous posting. Nevertheless, the Legion high command would henceforth breathe easier while focusing the bulk of their attention toward their hated opponents.

----

Shipbuilding

3x Charybdis class Destroyer: Carnivore, Chu Ko Nu, Cretaceous
1x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Flatline Fakhoury
1x Hellfire class Frigate: Heavy Metal
2x Ars Magica II class Survey Frigate: Archrival (refit), Amalgam of the Void (refit)
2x JR-1014 class Jump Scout
2x Phaeton class Freighter
2x Libra class Fleet Tender
2x Achelous Mk II class Terraforming Platform
1x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor

Research

Beam Fire Control Speed Rating 4000 km/s

Systems Discovered

Gliese 382: FS Ariadne, 16 January 4008
Gliese 218: FS Amalgam of the Void, 17 January 4008
WISE 0713-2917: FS Amalgam of the Void, 26 January 4008
WISE 1639-6847: FS Argumentative, 12 February 4008
GJ 1119: FS Archon, 25 February 4008
Luyten 97-12: FS Aether Net, 13 May 4008
82 Eridani: FS Ascendant Might, 26 June 4008

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on March 25, 2021, 06:31:04 PM

An Aether Rift seems.. bad? I've not read up on the C# changes in detail to avoid tempting myself back in, but it does seem ominous by name alone.

The traditional economic crunch has been maintained I see, a few years of tightened belts and shuffling bits about until balance is restored to the mining industry.

The JR-1014s do seem a little bit suicide scout, aside from speed the lack of name is a solid clue. If you don't care enough to give something a name you will either have huge number of them, or you don't expect them to last long enough to get attached to them.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 25, 2021, 09:44:58 PM

Quote from: El Pip on March 25, 2021, 06:31:04 PM

An Aether Rift seems.. bad? I've not read up on the C# changes in detail to avoid tempting myself back in, but it does seem ominous by name alone.

Oh good. You get to join me on a journey of discovery. ;D

Not to spoil too much, but they were added in the 1.10 patch and I haven't yet actually gotten to play with one for various reasons, so we'll see how this goes.

Quote

The traditional economic crunch has been maintained I see, a few years of tightened belts and shuffling bits about until balance is restored to the mining industry.

The belt-tightening is not going too badly. This may or may not have anything to do with my suddenly discovering I'd neglected to place mass drivers at multiple mining colonies, which was a rather easier fix than expected though the nature of the economic struggle does remain to be addressed as indicated.

Quote

The JR-1014s do seem a little bit suicide scout, aside from speed the lack of name is a solid clue. If you don't care enough to give something a name you will either have huge number of them, or you don't expect them to last long enough to get attached to them.

The fighters have to earn their names by surviving the fires of combat, as men once did. This is perhaps a problem for unarmed craft intended to fly into unknown but probably hostile territory, but I do not make the rules I merely enforce them.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XIV: Digressions on Modern Galactic Topography
Post by: nuclearslurpee on March 29, 2021, 01:29:14 PM

27 June 4008

This date marked a significant advance in the Legion Navy’s combat capabilities as the first two of the Invincible-class light cruisers were commissioned in Duratus orbit. Invincible and her sister ship Imperator, completed at the same time in a minor feat of project management, displaced 15,000 void tons each and immediately became the largest warships in the Legion Navy thus dethroning the venerable Defiant-class light cruisers which had served the Legion well in the past decade. Less noteworthy, yet noted all the same by some observers, the Invincible class represented a tangible advancement in Legion combat capabilities rather than being yet another reconnaissance fighter.

Invincible class Light Cruiser 15,000 tons 470 Crew 2,122 BP TCS 300 TH 1,500 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 6-54 Shields 0-0 HTK 95 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 12 PPV 72
Maint Life 2.31 Years MSP 1,061 AFR 150% IFR 2.1% 1YR 271 5YR 4,062 Max Repair 375 MSP
Captain Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-750 Cruiser Engine 'Minotaur' (2) Power 1500 Fuel Use 32.66% Signature 750 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 568,000 Litres Range 20.9 billion km (48 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 152 mm Medium Battery Mk III (8x4) Range 90,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 9-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 15
Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (8x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Medium Battery Director Mk III (2) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (2) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (4) Total Power Output 48.4 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Despite being the largest class of warships in the Legion Navy, the Invincibles were still classified as light cruisers as they retained the 152 mm railgun batteries as their primary armament, thus while representing a marked increase in capability over the Defiants they would serve in essentially the same roles. Officially the class had been developed in response to recommendations made in the well-circulated Report of the Legion Battle Assessment Committee on Naval and Ground Force Performances at the Battle of Gliese 1, which had among other conclusions made the case for 15,000-ton cruisers equipped with point defense as well as main weapon batteries. Unofficially, however, the concept had been floating around the hallways of the Legion high command since before the first Defiant had even been commissioned, thus by the time the Report Committee had published their recommendations there was broad agreement on what such a warship should look like and consequently the design process had proceeded quite rapidly, certainly the Invincibles had none of the tortured development history as, say, the Hellfire class was known for.

In spite of this idyllic design process, the resulting Invincible class was not without design curiosities when the first two ships were commissioned on 27 June. Some observers noted the lack of improvement in the armor thickness compared to the Defiants, a comment generally lacking teeth as thus far the earlier class of cruisers had proven to be if anything over-armored. Others complained about the reliance on 12 TW induction drive cells to power the weapon batteries, when more efficient 16 or 24 TW cells could have been introduced, however even fierce critics would concede that this was a quibble at most as any tonnage lost to the smaller reactors was not particularly missed. In fact, the most glaring flaw of the Invincible class was the omission of boat bays for reconnaissance craft, considered essential after recent experience in the Belaire War as no one in the Legion Navy was terribly thrilled about the idea of relying on the extremely slow JR-1014s as workhouse scouts. This flaw, while inarguable, is entirely explicable, as the I/J project which had culminated in the Invincible class had been originally intended to fight against the Mongolicans particularly in heavily-fortified systems such as Eta Cassiopeiae, in which scenarios the Bellerophon-class sensor frigates had proven largely adequate as reconnaissance craft. In any case, given the large numbers of Defiant and Grand Cross-class cruisers still in service, there would be ample time to address this concern before it became pressing - a sentiment which was judged by the Lords Admiral as unlikely to become in the future a well-known final statement.

For the time being, the two Invincibles would remain at Duratus for working-up activities and crew training, having been judged non-essential for operations against the Belaire at present.

----

5 July brought disturbing news to the Legion high command, as a report transmitted from Gatekeeper 1 was received detailing the destruction of the survey frigate Ascendant Might in the 82 Eridani system at the hands of none other than the hated Mongolicans. While initially disturbing, as the loss of a survey vessel was never received well at the Legion high command, a sort of morbid curiosity soon overtook grief and rage. Sensor readings transmitted to Gatekeeper 1 from Ascendant Might in the seconds before the demise of the latter suggested that the Mongolicans had fired energy weapons rather than their usual missile barrage. Furthermore, no sensor signatures from any warships had been detected in the system, leading the Legion high command to conclude that the energy weapons had most likely been fired by ground-based facilities on the planet 82 Eridani II, a capability unknown to that point. While the lack of mobile defenses in-system would in theory make an assault on the Mongolicans rather easy to pull off, as the bulk of the Legion Navy was otherwise occupied this would be postponed until a more opportune moment in the future. Meanwhile, Gatekeeper 1 was ordered to recover the life pods from Ascendant Might as the planet would pass out of range due to its natural revolution about the star. Gatekeeper 1 would report back to the Legion high command on 16 July that these orders had been carried out with no difficulty.

As preparations for the campaign against the Belaire home world continued, a pair of exceptional events involving the Survey Fleet briefly captured the attention of the Legion high command. The first of these occurred on 30 August, when the survey Frigate Argumentative transited a jump point leading out from the nondescript WISE 1639-6847 system, and found herself in the familiar, if equally nondescript, system of WISE 1506+7027. This therefore created a second loop in the Legion galactic map, twice as long as the five-system Olympia Loop as it included ten unique star systems. This would require a significant re-drawing of the maps adorning the walls of the Legion Navy’s headquarters offices, and furthermore indicated that the Mongolica system would hold significant strategic value in addition to its archeological wealth.

(https://i.imgur.com/6cyhhSh.png)

Highlight of the soon to be named “Mongolica Loop” discovered on 30 August 4008, shown prior to the reconstruction of the Legion’s stellar maps as a result of this finding. While Legion Naval officers were quite eager for the map to be redrawn to make future operational planning less visually-challenging, significant opposition to the map redrawing directive was found from the schoolteacher’s guilds, which loathed the prospect of having to purchase all-new maps and textbooks. This led to vociferous street protests which were only ended once the Legion high command promised to subsidize purchases of the new materials, along with quietly directing the allocation of additional future funding to equip schools with electronic media which could be more cheaply kept up to date.

Shortly after this, at 0734 on 1 September alarms went off throughout the Kuiper 79 system and the fleets stationed there, as the JR-1014 stationed at the WISE 0350-5658 jump point reported a transit into the Kuiper 79 system. Fortunately for the fleets, and indeed the Duranium Legion at large, these alarms were rapidly silenced as the transiting contact turned out to be none other than the famous survey frigate Adamant, captained as always by the interminable Captain Achlys Tartarus and escorted by Recon Fighter Osprey. This was nothing less than a major propaganda coup for the Legion Navy, played to full effect across all imperial media services even if the reality of Adamant’s escape had been somewhat less than the harrowing drama it was portrayed as. Immediately, however, both Adamant and her ad-hoc escort reported very low fuel stores, and as such were recommended to proceed without delay to the fleet headquarters at Kuiper 79-A II to refuel, after which Adamant would depart for Duratus to receive a heroine’s welcome.

----

The evening of 22 September saw the final shipment of materials needed for the new fleet headquarters unloaded on the surface of Kuiper 79-A II. The new Kuiper 79 Base facility was formally commissioned by now-Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus, who had in a rare feat been promoted directly from captaincy to the admiralty at the behest of the Emperor - and with much support from his superiors - expressly for the purpose of commanding the new headquarters. Lord Admiral Criasus was now charged with conceiving and executing an ambitious operation which would see the Legion Navy strike into the heart of the Republic of Belaire to deal a crippling blow to their hated foes. Following a brief ceremony to commission the new Kuiper 79 naval headquarters facility, Lord Admiral Criasus turned his attention to the task at hand.

Under his command were First and Second Fleets, both reinforced with additional squadrons from previous engagements, as well as several auxiliary groups including the JR-1014 jump scouts currently monitoring each outgoing jump point. To manage these forces, the Kuiper 79 Naval Corps headed by the Lord Admiral possessed three subordinate departments. The majority of forces were presently held under the Naval Base Department commanded by another recently-promoted flag officer, Lord Captain Damon Tegyrios who was another hero of the previous battles in Kuiper 79. In fact, Lord Captain Tegyrios was the only officer in the entire Legion Navy up to that time to have been granted Battle Lordship by virtue of having commanded Double Edge to the sinking of an impressive 250,000 tons of Belaire warships. This hallowed title had conferred Lordship on its recipient even prior to his promotion to Lord Captain, marking the bearer of that title as a man to not lightly be reckoned with.

(https://i.imgur.com/Spr65Ug.png)

Lord Captain Damon Tegyrios was arguably even more highly-decorated than his superior, Lord Admiral Criasus, leading some observers to question the promotion of the latter above the former. However, despite his hard-won prestige the Lord Captain lacked command experience beyond a single cruiser, thus the assignment to oversee the Kuiper 79 naval base operations department was seen by the Legion high command as a necessary stepping stone to a future place in the high command itself, albeit a place all but assured.

The Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department, which was assigned responsibility for jump point monitoring as well as any future missions out-of-system, was initially commanded by Lord Captain Epimetheus Gelos, a career veteran of the Legion Navy battle planning division, but he was soon replaced by another newly-promoted Lord Captain, Selene Styx, on 8 November. Another well-decorated veteran of the Kuiper 79 battles, Lord Captain Styx would take charge of devising the battle plan for the immediate jump point assault into the Belaire system. Most importantly she would develop a system of event chains which would enable commanders and crews to react as quickly as possible to the developing and highly-dangerous situation immediately after transiting the jump point. At present, however, the Mission Control Department only held command over the JR-1014s and Frigate Squadron 3 which was on-station near the Belaire jump point.

Finally, the Fleet Auxiliary Department was headed up by Lord Captain Emily Seelix, a career logistics officer with a reputation for quickly adapting to new situations. While the Department controlled quite few resources, namely a motley three-ship auxiliary flotilla along with the 100,000-ton behemoth barracks station Bastion 1, the Lords Admiral anticipated her posting to Kuiper 79 to be a precursor to a long-term, more prestigious posting at the expanding Adamantine fleet base.

Turning to the actual resources at hand, Lord Admiral Criasus initially estimated that it would take about three months before an offensive could be launched. This was due primarily to a number of overhauls keeping the majority of First Fleet out of action, the latest of which would see Destroyer Squadron 5 reactivated at Duratus in early December. While somewhat of an annoyance, given that time was of the essence in launching a critical strike before the Belaire could rebuild their fleets, the Lord Admiral was determined to make the most of the intervening time. The first order issued from the new fleet headquarters was therefore to detach the frigate Hellfire from Frigate Squadron 4, which was now up to full strength with four of the Hellfire class on active duty. Hellfire would briefly travel to Duratus for armor repairs before rejoining First Fleet. Additionally, after reviewing the situation and consulting with Lord Captain Gelos, the Lord Admiral sent a request to the Legion procurement office seeking new solutions for the problem of reconnoitering the far side of the jump point without risking a (slightly) valuable reconnaissance craft.

With these and other initial orders issued and the chain of command established, Lord Admiral Criasus and his senior staff turned to the problem of a battle plan to defeat the Belaire Navy. While the string of successes to date had been devastating, the Republic still possessed at least a dozen each of the Kirov and Sovremenny classes along with nearly three dozen each of the Slava and Osa escort types. These would potentially pose a significant threat if massed against the Legion fleets, most importantly the missile throw weight of the Slavas would likely overwhelm even several destroyer squadrons and cause a repeat of the Battle of Gliese 1 in the best case. On the other hand, the Legion retained a significant speed advantage, and should the Belaire split their forces or be found to have scattered their forces throughout multiple bases or systems a defeat in detail would be a not-unlikely outcome. These and other questions continued to occupy the staff of the Kuiper 79 Naval Corps as they set about their duties.

----

As battle planning began in earnest, further buoying of morale occurred as the out-of-contact survey frigate Apollo transited into the Kuiper 79 system from Luyten 302-89. Her journey back had been largely uneventful, aside from an amusing anecdote in which the unarmed survey frigate, plodding through space at 1,500 km/s, had managed to scare a Belaire stabilization ship squadron away from a jump point, despite her Slava and probable Osa escorts easily outmatching Apollo. Artistic renditions of this encounter quickly became circulated on officer’s mess bulletin boards fleet-wide, although senior officers ineffectually tried to discourage this for fear of overconfidence in the ranks. Less happily, Apollo reported coming across the wreckage of the erstwhile Recon Fighter Eagle, a fact quietly glossed over in the official public relations release.

(https://i.imgur.com/mUvCP2Q.png)

One early artistic rendition of the “Bold Charge of the Apollo”, reconstructed from sensor logs as the survey frigate approached the jump point leading back to Legion space.

Shortly after this, on 18 October the Salvage Flotilla reported that every wreck in Adamantine and Kuiper 79, save for the large cluster of wreckage left after the climactic Second Battle of Kuiper 79, had been recovered, and the flotilla’s salvage ship holds were at nearly full capacity. The flotilla would therefore return to Duratus to unload their cargo before returning to Kuiper 79 to clean up the wreckage from the most recent battle. While the lengthy list of recovered components and modest data store of technological findings would prove interesting to Legion research crews, the most eagerly-awaited cargo was easily the 45,000 tons of salvaged TNEs, most prominently 12,500 tons each of duranium and gallicite that would go a long way towards addressing the persistent economic struggles of the Legion in the short term. These would be offloaded at Duratus by 30 November, arresting what had been another developing duranium crunch for the planetary industry and buying more precious time for new mining infrastructure to be constructed and deployed. The salvaged Belaire components would also prove to be surprisingly useful to Legion researchers; most notably, discoveries made from dissembling the Belaire missile launchers immediately led to drawing-up of possible future Legion launcher designs which would fire at triple the speed previously thought possible, though these designs were of largely theoretical interest at the present time.

Author’s Note: students of historical Duranium Legion economics should be aware of the conversion factor: one Trans-Newtonian Unit (TNU) of any given TNE displaces the equivalent of approximately 2 void tons.

Tragedy struck the Kuiper 79 Naval Base on 14 November, when while conducting a routine inspection Lord Captain Emily Seelix was struck by an unsecured crate of replacement parts for the gravity wave generators of the PEL-4 cannons, which had been overloaded and unwisely stacked on a high shelf. Lacking quality logistics officers, Lord Admiral Criasus reluctantly tapped Lord Captain Phobos Pandia as the replacement commander for the Kuiper 79 Auxiliary Department. A quick-thinking officer who had come up through the Legion’s economic and industrial espionage division, Lord Captain Pandia was considered knowledgeable, but not particularly skillful, when it came to logistics operations. The Lord Captain himself was hardly interested in the posting, considering it little more than a stepping stone to a more permanent posting in charge of a mining corps in Adamantine or Alpha Centauri.

While not immediately relevant to operations against the Belaire, sailors across the whole Legion Navy were cheered by news on 5 December that the lead ship of the Judgment Day-class light jump cruisers had been commissioned. There were the jump-capable compliment to the mighty Invincible class, and unlike the preceding Grand Cross class these were equipped with a full armament of 102 mm railgun batteries for point defense, thus ensuring that the ships of this class would not be dead weight in an engagement. However, with only half the armor of a fully-equipped Invincible the Judgment Day class would not be well served in a close beam encounter. Making up for this limitation, the class did include hangar space for an AR-56 Osprey recon fighter, providing a modicum of independent reconnaissance capacity for the Legion’s most modern cruiser squadrons.

Judgment Day class Light Jump Cruiser 15,000 tons 449 Crew 2,150.3 BP TCS 300 TH 1,500 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 4-100 Armour 3-54 Shields 0-0 HTK 84 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 15 PPV 24
Maint Life 2.29 Years MSP 1,343 AFR 120% IFR 1.7% 1YR 348 5YR 5,215 Max Repair 514.4 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons
Captain Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 20 Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-300 Gravity Drive 'Calypso' Max Ship Size 15000 tons Distance 100k km Squadron Size 4

Hyperion Drive Yards H-750 Cruiser Engine 'Minotaur' (2) Power 1500 Fuel Use 32.66% Signature 750 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 594,000 Litres Range 21.8 billion km (50 days at full power)

Arcadia Weapons Systems 102 mm Defense Battery Mk III (8x4) Range 30,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III (2) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 5,100 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Strike Group
1x AR-56 Osprey Recon Fighter Speed: 5008 km/s Size: 4.99

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

By 5 December, all vessels were assembled at Kuiper 79-A II or the vicinity thereof which would be assigned to the offensive against the Belaire home system. Final refueling and resupply commenced, and by 12 December this had been completed and Lord Admiral Criasus gave the order to take up final staging positions on and around the Belaire jump point.

On 13 December, these plans were suddenly and rudely interrupted by a motley collection of familiar characters.

(https://i.imgur.com/ck3ev3T.png)

----

Shipbuilding

2x Invincible class Light Cruiser: Invincible, Imperator
1x Judgment Day class Light Jump Cruiser: Judgment Day
1x Charybdis class Destroyer: Credulous Counsel
1x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Felstalker
1x Hellfire class Frigate: Halberd
1x Salamander class Troop Transport
2x Obsidian class Orbital Mining Platform
1x Obsidian Mk II class Orbital Mining Platform
3x Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor
2x B-108 class Buoy Layer
12x Scamander Type I class Probe

Research

Alien Autopsy = Belaire
Boat Bay - Small
Railgun Launch Velocity 40,000

Systems Discovered

HIP 14754: FS Apollo, 21 July 4008
Gliese 257: FS Apollo, 1 August 4008
GJ 1123: FS Amalgam of the Void, 30 August 4008
WISE 0146+4234: FS Argumentative, 1 September 4008
Gliese 798: FS Aeryn Sun, 5 October 4008
Gliese 588: FS Argumentative, 30 November 4008

----

The Galaxy According to the Duranium Legion: 22 September 4008

(https://i.imgur.com/u29Wz03.png)

Not shown are the pair of systems discovered between 22 September and 13 December 4008, namely Gliese 798 branching off from GI 339.1 and Gliese 588 branching off from WISE 0146+4234.

----

OOC Note: In addition to the above events, it is slightly worthy of note that I did encounter a base of Rakhas in Gliese 588, fortunately on active sensors at a safe distance so that I did not lose a survey frigate to STO fire. However as this is 1.12 and Rakhas are bugged, I saved and reloaded to continue rather than deal with the extra micromanagement of trying to survey around their planet. That is all.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Spotlight #2: Operation Osprey
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 02, 2021, 11:50:11 AM

Spotlight #2: Operation Osprey

Operational Objective
Location of the survey frigate Adamant in deep Belaire space and recovery back to safety in Legion space if possible.

Operational Assets
Ars Magica class Survey Frigate Adamant, Captain Achlys Tartarus commanding
AR-56 class Recon Fighter 002 “Osprey”: Subcommander Thetis Hyperion commanding

Recon Fighter Osprey transited the jump point from Kuiper 79 to WISE 0350-5658 on 9 October 4007, fortunately emerging on the other side to empty space with no Belaire vessels in sight. As there was only one other jump point leading out of that system, namely to the intersectional system of Struve 2398, Osprey immediately proceeded towards this jump point in search of Adamant. However, knowing that any Belaire fleet traffic through the system would almost certainly be traveling between the two jump points, there being no other bodies present besides the star itself from which a fleet might operate, Subcommander Hyperion ordered her crew to set a course parallel to the line of flight between the two jump points at a 34 million km offset. Osprey arrived at this position without incident, having spotted no Belaire vessels traveling along the direct line of flight while traversing the system.

(https://i.imgur.com/DJF9KAo.png)

At this stage, while most fighter captains would have proceeded through the apparently unmonitored jump point, Subcommander Hyperion ordered her crew to hold position. Prior to the onset of war with the Belaire, Legion intelligence had confirmed that the Belaire had deployed a number of escorted stabilization ships across their budding jump point network, and as the Republic had only recently started expanding beyond their home system any stabilization fleets were likely to still be in the vicinity of the jump point terminus. Therefore, having no way of knowing how recently the WISE 0350-5658 side of the jump point had been stabilized, Osprey would hold her position and wait, in the end, over seven months before risking the transit into Struve 2398.

Finally, on 10 June 4008 the by now quite restless crew of Recon Fighter Osprey fired up her engines and bravely transited into Struve 2398. Subcommander Hyperion’s guess had seemingly paid off, as while there were once again no Belaire vessels there was quite ominously a floating wreck several hundred thousand km from the jump point which was quickly identified as the charred remains of Warden 7. This had been the traffic monitoring vessel assigned to support Adamant during her survey work, but fortunately deep space scans of the system found no sign of similar wreckage belonging to Adamant herself. At the time, the crew of Recon Fighter Osprey considered this ominous wreck to be a sign that the decision of their Subcommander to wait behind the jump point for so many months was well-justified, though from later debriefing it seems this idea was first suggested by the Subcommander herself. Later cross-referencing with the logs of Adamant herself would indicate that Warden 7 had been destroyed in the first days of the war, and the jump point was likely stabilized by January 4008 at the latest, five months before Recon Fighter Osprey would transit the jump point.

In any case, as the wreckage of Warden 7 had not been salvaged by the Belaire, the Osprey crew were able to recover data logs from the wreckage which included gravitational survey data of the system which had been transmitted from Adamant. Using this data, Osprey carefully approached each other jump point in the Struve 2398 system in turn, first detouring to a nearby comet (labeled #3 in the system map below) to avoid being caught by a patrol fleet on a direct lane between two jump points. Having surveyed each jump point, the Osprey crew further determined that the third jump point, marked by Adamant as leading to a system labeled as DEN 0817-6155, had been stabilized by the Belaire. At this point, the Osprey no longer had enough fuel to explore any further into unknown space, and further her crew had no way of knowing which jump point Adamant had fled through to escape from the hostilities. However, it was at the very least clear that the Belaire would have a presence within or beyond the DEN 0817-6155 system, therefore Subcommander Hyperion determined that her crew would remain on this jump point to monitor it for any Belaire activity which might give clues as to the whereabouts of Adamant for as long as she was able.

(https://i.imgur.com/OLGKHdk.png)

Around the same time, in early June 4008, Adamant herself began to run low on fuel, and despite the danger Captain Achlys Tartarus ordered her crew to plot a careful course back to Legion space, hoping that by now the Belaire had either been defeated or at least motivated to withdraw any armed forces from this sector of space. Adamant had in fact fled through the jump point to a system identified as Kapteyn’s Star, after having witnessed the unceremonious destruction of her Warden-class escort. This was not a small system to survey, and throughout June and July Adamant carefully made her way back to her entry jump point, carefully avoiding any bodies in the system where Belaire scouts might be lurking. In the early days of August, Adamant made her final approach to the Struve 2398 jump point, fortunately detecting no Belaire signatures on her meager passive scanners, and on 9 August transited into the system creating a pleasant surprise for the crew of Recon Fighter Osprey. After a joyous reunion, Osprey formed up as an escort to Adamant and the mismatched pair set a course back to Kuiper 79. Notably, at this time neither ship’s crew had any idea how the war situation had changed since they had lost contact with the Legion at large, and thus the crews of both ships were cautious of any Belaire patrols or convoys as they followed their return course.

Thankfully for the Legion public relations department, and also the crews of the two vessels, Adamant and her unlikely escort arrived in Kuiper 79 on 1 September, the crews greatly shocked to find that the Legion had in fact occupied the system and was in the process of establishing a fleet headquarters to conduct their breakthrough assault. This was particularly fortuitous for Subcommander Hyperion, whose fighter likely would have lacked sufficient fuel to reach the Adamantine jump point had the strategic situation remained unchanged.

In the aftermath of this bold operation, the commanders and crew of both Osprey and Adamant were awarded the Belaire Campaign Ribbons for their bravery. Subcommander Thetis Hyperion was awarded the Adamantine Medal as well, appropriately enough, while the Adamant and her crew were also awarded the Bronze Star for her intrepidity deep behind enemy lines. Given the propagandized version of her exploits which soon began circulating in the Duratus media, some critics claimed - though not loudly - that this award had been largely for appearances’ sake rather than any actual bravery exhibited by the crew of Adamant. In any case, regardless of how thrilling her actual return journey may have been, in the end the return of Adamant served most usefully as a needed morale boost for Legion Navy sailors.

As a last footnote, after this date the Legion high command designated the AR-56 class of recon fighters as Ospreys, seeking to capitalize on the excellent publicity of recent events as well as instilling pride in the fighter crews. The venerable R-56 class, having not been involved in this operation, remained without a callsign.

----

OOC Note: A short spotlight, not as detailed as the previous, but hopefully a welcome addition of flavor to the universe. If any single ship deserves a Spotlight surely it is the Adamant. Any and all accusations of this entry being “filler” to “buy time to finish the next update” are of course utter rubbish and will be categorically denied.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XV: The Gathering Storm
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 05, 2021, 02:07:17 PM

13 December 4008

As alarms sounded throughout the vessels of First and Second Fleets, the Belaire squadron which had just entered Kuiper 79 turned away from their home jump point and set a course in the direction of the WISE 0350-5658 jump point. This presented Lord Admiral Criasus with a choice: on one hand, the Legion warships could easily overtake the Belaire squadron, and First Fleet with four Hellfire-class frigates could engage in a sniper duel with the Sovremennys at favorable odds; on the other hand, allowing the Belaire squadron to run away unassailed would preserve the strength of the Legion fleets for their main operational goal, which they could now pursue knowing that the Belaire had seven fewer ships to defend themselves with. Ultimately, the Lord Admiral decided to hedge his bets, ordering First Fleet to pursue the Belaire squadron at least for the moment, supported by Frigate Squadron 3 for reconnaissance and spotting, while Second Fleet secured the jump point against any further incursions. Depending on how reconnaissance of the jump point proceeded, First Fleet might press their pursuit home or rejoin the main fleet body for the main assault.

(https://i.imgur.com/2cMeFtT.png)

Positions of the relevant fleet units at 0300 on 14 December, eight hours after Lord Admiral Criasus issued his initial orders.

As the long-distance pursuit continued, Second Fleet reached the jump point into the Belaire home system. In the early planning stages of the invasion, Lord Admiral Criasus and his senior staff had quickly realized that they faced three major hurdles. The first of these, of course, was the overwhelming size of the Belaire Navy, which could only be addressed by forcing and winning a series of bloody battles. The second issue, working backwards, was that of forcing the jump point, the task of solving this having been assigned to the Mission Control Department headed originally by Lord Captain Gelos though most of the actual work had been accomplished by Lord Captain Styx. The final issue, and the one which presently concerns us, was in fact the starting point of the operation: how to reconnoiter the far side of the jump point. This was in fact one of the first concerns the Lord Admiral had raised in his initial correspondence with the Legion high command, and the Legion procurement specialists had once again devised a clever, at least in theory, solution to the problem.

Accompanying Second Fleet was the Legion Navy’s latest top-secret project, the B-108 buoy layer.

B-108 class Buoy Layer 500 tons 8 Crew 62.2 BP TCS 10 TH 50 EM 0
5009 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.37 Years MSP 7 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 2 5YR 26 Max Repair 18 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Flight Crew Berths 20 Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (2) Power 50 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 64,000 Litres Range 12.9 billion km (29 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction

By itself hardly anything special, in fact the key to this plan was the cargo transported by the buoy layer, a trio of small unmanned probes fast-tracked into service by the Scamander Corporation.

Scamander Type I class Probe 35 tons 0 Crew 6.8 BP TCS 1 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
MSP 0 AFR 6% IFR 0.1% Max Repair 3.2 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Automatic Scanner (1) GPS 4 Range 2.9m km MCR 256.9k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Antenna (1) Sensitivity 1.6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 10m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Antenna (1) Sensitivity 1.6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 10m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Space Station for construction purposes

The plan was ingeniously simple: aided by any ship with a suitable gravity drive, such as that mounted on a Warden or Gatekeeper-class vessel, the probe would be pushed through a jump point and immediately send telemetry back to the push-er. The fully-automated nature of the probe not only ensured no loss of valuable crew members in case of immediate destruction, but in fact eliminated the slow reaction time of human sensor operators who had proven too easily distracted by their imminent doom to send sensor telemetry through jump points, e.g., as demonstrated at Eta Cassiopeiae.

The results of the reconnaissance proved illuminating.

(https://i.imgur.com/LvkCID9.png)

While most members of the Legion Navy were by now quite annoyed by the overnumerousness of "top-secret" projects which turned out to be yet another reconnaissance vehicle, in this particular case the fighter pilots of the Legion were exceedingly glad that this particular project had been approved and deployed in a timely manner.

Based on the fraction of a second’s worth of telemetry received from the first probe, Second Fleet could confidently report that the Belaire fleet on the opposite side of the jump point displaced around 320,000 tons in total, only slightly less than the combined displacement of First and Second Fleets combined. Given this finding, Lord Admiral Criasus and his staff quickly concluded that an immediate assault on the jump point would be too great of a risk, and that even with First Fleet recalled from their pursuit mission additional reinforcements would be needed from Duratus. In fact, it now seemed likely that the new Invincible-class light cruisers would be needed against the Belaire after all. In the meantime, given that it would take any reinforcements from Duratus around a month to arrive at the staging area, First Fleet was ordered to continue their pursuit operation until the Belaire cruiser squadron had been eliminated.

At 1059 on 17 December, First Fleet closed to within 500,000 km of the Belaire cruiser squadron, which in response began launching their light missiles in self-defense. At this stage, Frigate Squadron 3 was ordered to pull back to the jump point staging area, their long-range sensor capabilities no longer needed.

First Fleet
Captain Felix Tegyrios commanding aboard CL Dissolution
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 2x AR-56 Osprey, 2x R-56
Cruiser Squadron 3: Devourer, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote, 1x AR-56 Osprey, 3x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 1: Chainsaw, Char, Chronomancer, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 5: Calamitous, Caliban, Creeping Death, Flayer
Frigate Squadron 4: Halberd, Harrier, Heavy Metal, Hellfire
Totaling 210,000 tons displacement with 6.470 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Cruiser Squadron 4
Designation and commander unknown
4x Sovremenny class Cruiser
2x Slava class Escort Cruiser
1x Osa class Destroyer Escort
Totaling 99,000 tons displacement with unknown crew complement

By now a set of standard tactics was being adopted by Legion Naval commanders for engaging typical Belaire formations such as this, and Captain Felix Tegyrios was not one to go against the wisdom of his superiors and thus was not looking to innovate during this encounter. As the Belaire had begun firing their light missiles, First Fleet would remain at 400,000 km while the destroyer squadrons conducted point defense operations, then once the enemy missile stocks had been exhausted the fleet would close to just over 180,000 km and engage in a long-range gunnery duel with the four Sovremennys. With four Hellfires at his disposal and a better institutional understanding of pursuit tactics from the previous battle, Captain Tegyrios had full confidence in the ability of his forces to win a sniper duel quite decisively. This left the eight light cruisers of First Fleet as glorified escorts for the purposes of this mission.

As point defense against Belaire missile volleys was by now a routine duty for the Legion Navy’s destroyer crews, the first stage of the engagement proceeded unremarkably aside from scattered crew complaints aboard one of the destroyers regarding a gunnery officer who had chosen an unfortunate moment to pass gas. After twelve minutes the Slavas had exhausted their magazines and Captain Tegyrios ordered First Fleet to close the range to just beyond 180,000 km and open fire with the mighty PEL-4 beam cannons. This order was followed directly, and ten seconds past 1113 the Sovremennys opened fire ineffectually with their heavy lasers, scoring four misses and no hits.

Five seconds later, Frigate Squadron 4 began to return fire, with Harrier and Hellfire the first to line up their targets but unfortunately scoring no hits. Even more unfortunately, the helm officers of First Fleet had slightly overshot their target holding position, and Hellfire passed just within the edge of firing range for the medium lasers of the Sovremennys, taking two grazing hits on her just-repaired armor belt. The good news was that these hits were at least on two different locations thus leaving the armor belt without any holes, though with the legendary luck of the Belaire gunners this came as a mild surprise to her captain, Commander Aion Styx. In any case, the error was quickly rectified, and within ten seconds First Fleet had opened the range back over 180,000 km as both Hellfire and Heavy Metal exchanged fire with the Belaire heavy lasers, with no hits scored by either side. Five seconds later, Harrier scored the first hit for the Legion forces.

(https://i.imgur.com/2hifqVZ.png)

Fleet positions at 1113 on 17 December, following the expenditure of the Belaire light missiles and after the initial exchanges of beam weapon fire. By this point First Fleet had settled into a comfortable holding position in accordance with Captain Tegyrios’ orders.

Following some brief delays due to confusing targeting orders, at 1114 the four Hellfire-class frigates fired in sync, scoring a second hit on the targeted Sovremenny, continuing to dodge fire from the heavy lasers with little difficulty. As the gunnery duel continued, it became clear that the Hellfires were getting the better of their opponents, easily racking up more hits with every salvo while the Sovremennys returned fire ineffectually. After another 105 seconds of alternative volleys, Heavy Metal and Halberd scored three penetrating hits on the lead Sovremenny between themselves, causing their quarry to begin streaming atmosphere although its speed remained unaffected. The next volley from the Hellfire squadron missed widely, being answered by a third heavy laser hit on Hellfire herself which scored another segment of her armor belt, but the following salvo saw two more penetrations through the hull of the lead Sovremenny, though again its engine section had escaped damage.

It took another three full volleys before Heavy Metal managed to inject a high flux of 4 TeV neon atoms directly into one of the Sovremenny’s engines at precisely 1117. While as usual the engine failed to explode, this was sufficient to reduce the Sovremenny’s speed by one-quarter, causing it to drop out of formation. In keeping with recent doctrinal developments, First Fleet matched speed accordingly, as Captain Tegyrios intended to see the wounded Belaire warship either destroyed or dead in space before resuming pursuit of the remaining fleet elements. As it quickly fell out of range of the rest of its squadron, the wounded Sovremenny soon lost the heavy laser support of its comrade vessels, and with only a single inaccurate heavy laser to battle against the frigates of First Fleet its fate was all but assured. It took only 45 seconds and two more penetrations for the Sovremenny to lose a second engine, however the Sovremennys were clearly built to take large amounts of damage and another twenty-one penetrations were required to take its remaining pair of engines out of commission - during which time the Sovremenny managed to score not one but three hits against the armor of Hellfire. Fortunately, one of the penetrations preceding the engine destruction had taken out the heavy laser of the Sovremenny, which would at least keep Hellfire from suffering any additional damage until the Sovremenny was eliminated as a viable threat.

By this stage, as Lord Admiral Criasus had before him Captain Tegyrios was forced to decide between holding position to eliminate the disabled Sovremenny, or routing First Fleet around it to continue the pursuit. Ultimately, however, the decision was largely out of the Captain’s hands, as Frigate Squadron 4 was once again running low on the critical supplies needed to keep the complex PEL-4 cannons operational, notably Halberd had only 22% of her allotted maintenance supplies remaining. Thus, Captain Tegyrios reluctantly ordered the frigates to finish off their target, after which First Fleet would break off their pursuit. While disappointing, this was hardly a defeat for the Legion Navy, indeed the Belaire squadron would find itself not only short by one cruiser from their original order of battle but also without any additional missiles meaning that the pair of Slavas were effectively out of action. Such a reduced force would be fairly easy to dispose of in a future operation, once the more important business at hand had been dealt with.

At 1123 precisely, the contact designated Sovremenny 5 was destroyed, fittingly enough by a killing shot from Hellfire herself. Frigate Squadron 4 would be detached to recover the latest complement of Belaire prisoners and return them to the Kuiper 79 naval headquarters for internment before rejoining First Fleet. The rest of the fleet would return to the Belaire jump point to await the arrival of necessary reinforcements before beginning the invasion of the Belaire home system.

Year 4009

6 January marked the arrival of the misleadingly-named Fourth Fleet, consisting only of Cruiser Squadron 4 and the recently-assembled Destroyer Squadron 7. However this fleet would have to serve as sufficient reinforcements for the planned invasion of Belaire, and if nothing else the arrival of the Invincible-class light cruisers in the area of operations was a welcome boost to morale ahead of the dangerous jump point assault. The fleet would remain in orbit of Kuiper 79-A II for a week to allow the crews some time on the Bastion 1 barracks station before setting out to the jump point, with 19 January at 0800 being set as the final launch date for the invasion of Belaire.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Hellfire class Frigate: Hellion
2x Accatran class Salvager

----

OOC: Admittedly, not the most exciting battle to be fought in the Kuiper 79 system, but now the preliminaries are all out of the way and the next update should be packed with action! Also packed with action are the halls of the Legion high command, raging as they are with fierce debate about the future of the particle beam endeavor, which some are now terming a "misadventure" while others claim it as a "proof of concept". The stage may be set for a dramatic political showdown amongst the Lords Admiral - will the upcoming invasion of Belaire resolve these questions decisively, or only add more fuel to the fire?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on April 06, 2021, 05:42:43 PM

Loving this :) Would love to see a 'State of the Navy' type post. Maybe like a breakdown of all the ships you have along with their class and assignments. What does the admiralty think looking back on the first ten years of the trans-newtonian navy and what are their plans for the next ten! Partly I just want to give you ideas for easier posts so I have more to read so I can get my fix! ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 06, 2021, 07:12:03 PM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on April 06, 2021, 05:42:43 PM

Loving this :) Would love to see a 'State of the Navy' type post. Maybe like a breakdown of all the ships you have along with their class and assignments. What does the admiralty think looking back on the first ten years of the trans-newtonian navy and what are their plans for the next ten! Partly I just want to give you ideas for easier posts so I have more to read so I can get my fix! ;)

I've got rough plans for something like this come the actual 10-year point. If anything, the troublesome bit will be that there's far more material to write about than I could sensibly cover, as sooner or later I must advance the plot in the midst of everything. I could cover the Navy, the economy, the politics of the Lord Admiralty, and many more things without clicking the "5 Day" button even once! :o However certainly an update on the Navy will be called for, not least due to popular demand now.

As for giving you more to read, rest assured that my planned-for posting schedule is twice-weekly, occasionally falling to once in a week as things come up both in and out of the game. The "narrative" updates are actually the easiest thing to write as I can just play the game and write about anything interesting that happens. The fluff and analysis posts, on the other hand, while great fun to write and in some cases illustrate do take more time - so be careful what you wish for! ;) Rest assured however that the second post of this week will arrive roughly on schedule.

All that having been said any reader is welcome to make any request, while as the author I reserve the right to accept or reject any such requests on a whim I do aim to please my audience - it's the only one I've got, after all.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on April 09, 2021, 03:30:34 AM

I was supposed to have an alert to ping me about new updates on this thread. It failed miserably to work so apologies for missing the last few chapters.

The Hellfires continue to underwhelm, the maintenance requirements on the weapon seem to be crippling it's long-ranged sniping concept. I do look forward to the political fight inside the Legion about this design, there is a case to be made each way. Is the answer a refit with one less gun and the space saved used for larger maintenance storage?

The Osprey-class earning it's name was a ~~nice little bit of filler~~ valuable and useful spotlight, so more of that would be good. As would something on the Legion's underwhelming (and fighter obsessed) Secret Projects division.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 06, 2021, 07:12:03 PM

as sooner or later I must advance the plot in the midst of everything.

You really don't. Have the confidence to focus on the good stuff instead of wasting time on such trivial inanities as "plot". ;) :D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 09, 2021, 10:20:20 AM

Quote from: El Pip on April 09, 2021, 03:30:34 AM

I was supposed to have an alert to ping me about new updates on this thread. It failed miserably to work so apologies for missing the last few chapters.

One of these days, they shall invent a forum software that works, right after some lucky 4x game dev invents an AI that challenges human players. Until then we muddle about in good humor all the same.

Quote

The Hellfires continue to underwhelm, the maintenance requirements on the weapon seem to be crippling it's long-ranged sniping concept. I do look forward to the political fight inside the Legion about this design, there is a case to be made each way. Is the answer a refit with one less gun and the space saved used for larger maintenance storage?

Funny that you should mention political fights... is all I'll say about that for now.

There is certainly a refit coming, however I don't suspect that the Hellfire proponents will be willing to reduce firepower so the designers will have to look carefully at what else might be sacrificial. Engines, perhaps? This would allow mounting twice as many guns thus could not possibly go wrong.

Quote

The Osprey-class earning it's name was a ~~nice little bit of filler~~ valuable and useful spotlight, so more of that would be good. As would something on the Legion's underwhelming (and fighter obsessed) Secret Projects division.

Are they fighter obsessed? Or are the fighters just the best of a bad batch or several? Clearly as you suggest this requires investigative reporting to find out.

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 06, 2021, 07:12:03 PM
as sooner or later I must advance the plot in the midst of everything.
You really don't. Have the confidence to focus on the good stuff instead of wasting time on such trivial inanities as "plot". ;) :D

whynotboth.jpg

And on this note...

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVI: Assault on Belaire
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 09, 2021, 10:23:39 AM

19 January 4009

Time: 0800 hours
Location: Kuiper 79 system, JP2: Belaire

Many fictional alien races which have been portrayed throughout millennia of science-fiction writing, perhaps for example portrayed as a race not too different from humans but with ridged foreheads and long hair, would consider the day and the hour of an invasion of hostile space to be the exact instant at which an overwhelming assault would be launched. The Duranium Legion, however, has two great advantages over such fictional races. First, the average soldier of the Duranium Legion is far more deadly in battle than such fictional races. Second, the captains and admirals of the Duranium Legion Navy understand the value of conducting thorough and proper reconnaissance prior to launching the overwhelming assault.

To wit, at 0800 on 19 January, Lord Captain Selene Styx acting in her role as senior commander of the Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department and thus responsible for directing the invasion of the Belaire system, ordered the second of three Type I probes to be sent through the jump point, to verify the presence and composition of the Belaire defense fleet. This served solely to confirm that the Belaire defense fleet had not changed its composition nor moved one kilometer in the previous month. This second advantage of the Legion Navy having been displayed, it thus was now the time when the first advantage of the Legion Navy would come into play. Forty seconds later, after some brief maneuvering of First Fleet elements into new attack positions, the Duranium Legion Navy invaded the Belaire system with, it was thought, overwhelming force.

Duranium Legion Navy Order of Battle
Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus in overall command at Kuiper 79 Naval Corps headquarters
Lord Captain Selene Styx in operational command at Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department headquarters
Lord Captain Damon Tegyrios in command of the fleet reserve at Kuiper 79 Naval Base Department headquarters
Lord Captain Phobos Pandia in command of the fleet auxiliary at Kuiper 79 Fleet Auxiliary Department headquarters
Totaling 590,837 tons displacement (425,000 forward) with 15,306 crew complement (11,838 forward)

First Fleet
Captain Felix Tegyrios commanding aboard CL Dissolution
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross
Cruiser Squadron 3: Devourer, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote
Destroyer Squadron 1: Chainsaw, Char, Chronomancer, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 5: Calamitous, Caliban, Creeping Death, Flayer
Totaling 180,000 tons displacement with 5,390 crew complement

Second Fleet
Captain Jocasta Gelanor commanding aboard CL Disruptor
Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenestrator, Disruptor, Gothic
Destroyer Squadron 3: Catharsis, Centaur, Crushing Blow, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4: Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye WIcked, Final Judgment
Frigate Squadron 2: Bat Country, Battery, Blastwave, Executor
Totaling 160,000 tons displacement with 4,802 crew complement

Fourth Fleet
Captain Selene Zephyrus commanding aboard CL Imperator
Cruiser Squadron 5: Imperator, Invincible, Judgment Day
Destroyer Squadron 7: Carnivore, Chu Ko Nu, Cretaceous, Felstalker
Totaling 85,000 tons displacement with 2,646 crew complement

Fleet Reserve
Frigate Squadron 3 (detached): Bad Omen, Broken Wind, Brutal Legend, Endless Night
Frigate Squadron 4 (detached): Halberd, Harrier, Heavy Metal, Hellfire
Reconnaissance flights, detached: 6x AR-56 Osprey, 7x R-56
Totaling 63,250 tons displacement with 1,960 crew complement

Fleet Auxiliary
Commander Aella Lampkin commanding aboard TF Volans
1x Fleet Tender: Volans
1x Tanker: Dragon
1x Traffic Warden: Warden 1
1x B-108 Buoy Layer + 1x Type I Probe
Totaling 129,587 tons displacement with 508 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Battle Fleet 3
Designation and commander unknown
4x Kirov class Battlecruiser
4x Kiev class Jump Cruiser
4x Slava class Escort Cruiser
3x Sovremenny class Cruiser
1x Kresta class Missile Destroyer
4x Osa class Destroyer Escort
2x Skory class Missile Destroyer
1x Sverdlov class Missile Destroyer
Totaling 320,000 tons displacement with unknown crew complement

(https://i.imgur.com/2vEgPu0.png)

Initial dispositions of the Legion and Belaire battle fleets immediately after the Legion Navy executed a set of squadron jumps into the Belaire system. While the scattered initial positions of the Legion Navy were far from ideal, leaving individual squadrons vulnerable to punishing missile barrages, this was considered a necessary concession by Lord Captain Selene Styx and her battle planning staff, as the squadron jump tactic would enable the Legion vessels to engage in a railgun brawl within seconds, rather than minutes, of their entry into the Belaire system.

While the Legion commanders had expected some number of losses on jumping into the Belaire system, the actual losses suffered were somewhat surprising, as the Belaire Sovremenny and Osa beam ships focused their fire on the three Bellerophon-class frigates. Blastwave and Bat Country were quickly blown to pieces, while Battery took only a single volley from an Osa and suffered mild internal damage to her fuel storage section. While on one hand this laser focus on destroying the small sensor ships might make some sense for the Belaire, in the sense that firing upon the smallest vessels was the most likely way to remove Legion firepower from the battle, this tactic nevertheless struck the Legion captains as unsound as it left the powerful cruisers and crucial point defense destroyers undamaged while the sensor capability of the Bellerophons would hardly be missed.

This aside, despite the crippling effect of the jump transit on the sensors and fire controls of the Legion Navy warships the many Captains and Commanders of the fleet immediately began to execute their battle plan. In simple terms, Lord Captain Styx and her staff had quickly realized that despite the likelihood of suffering heavy initial losses, the Legion Navy would have the greatest advantage at point-blank range, thus the initial plan of battle was simple: charge up to the Belaire defenders and open fire as soon as possible. The key would be target selection, in other words identifying and eliminating the most dangerous threats first. It was obvious to all but the newest crew members that the greatest threat was of course the trio of laser-armed Sovremennys, and thus Cruiser Squadrons 1, 2, and 3 were each assigned to close with and destroy one of these vital targets as quickly as possible. Less apparent was the fact that the second-greatest threats were not the laser-armed Osas but rather the four trigger-happy Slavas which could launch eighty fast missiles every ten seconds, which were far more difficult to defend against than the slower missiles launched by, e.g., the Kirov class. Thus, each Slava would be targeted by a destroyer squadron and rapidly eliminated. Finally, remaining firepower would be allocated to the Osas which were still strong close-range beam combatants if left undisturbed for too long.

Immediately, the Belaire fleet committed a serious tactical error, as every missile which had been launched on sighting the Legion invasion force had been targeted on the beleaguered Battery. This had been extreme overkill, even by Legion standards, and critically meant that the significant initial volume of fire was not even partially directed against any Legion warship which could actually threaten the Belaire fleet with meaningful firepower. Simultaneously, the Belaire battle fleet committed, if not a second tactical error, a grievous faux pas of the highest order, immediately retreating from the converging Legion fleet instead of standing and fighting as proper soldiers.

(https://i.imgur.com/Sgy5UpS.png)

State of the battlefield five seconds after the initial Legion squadron transit and Belaire opening volley. Despite the hasty retreat of the Belaire fleet, several Legion battle squadrons were already in range, and none would be unduly pressed to close the range even from the rear direction.

The first Legion shots of the invasion were fired by two destroyers of Squadrons 1 and 4, with Chainsaw mauling the armor of the lead Slava cruiser and scoring a single penetrating hit while Cry, Ye Wicked landed a full barrage of 102 mm railgun fire on the hull of the third Slava in the Belaire formation, though failing to penetrate its armor. With Legion warships already beginning to overcome the effects of so-called “jump shock” only ten seconds after entering the Belaire system, it was clear that the fate of the Belaire defense fleet was all but assured. However, the end had not yet been written, as the crew of Chainsaw were reminded when a virulent barrage of laser fire from the Osas shredded her armor, dealing significant internal damage including knocking both of the destroyer’s engines offline and leaving her adrift in space. She would be unceremoniously removed from existence only seconds later by a swarm of light missiles fired by the Belaire Slava flotilla

As more Legion vessels brought their weapon systems online, the field of battle was rapidly consumed by chaos. The initial Legion response to the destruction of Chainsaw was swiftly announced by the destroyers Champion and Final Judgment, which opened fire on the same Slava previously struck by Cry, Ye Wicked and scored a modest nine penetrations between themselves. However, the major agents of this chaos were the first mighty volleys of 152 mm railgun fire from the powerful Defiant-class cruisers: Devastator and Denouement landed full salvos from their weapons batteries on the overmatched lead Sovremenny, scoring twenty-one penetrating hits and reducing their target to only half speed, easy prey for their sister ship Dissolution; the three light cruisers of Squadron 2 coordinated their fire against a second Sovremenny to devastating effect, failing to destroy their target but making an impressive four dozen penetrating blows and leaving it dead in space for later janitorial work; finally, Cruiser Squadron 3 also managed to coordinate their fire against the third and final Sovremenny of the trio, however due to extreme range the only damage was significant scoring of the Belaire cruiser’s armor - a second volley from closer range would likely finish the job, if the Sovremenny survived that long. Adding to this chaos, two other destroyers opened fire at this juncture, not having much immediate effect beyond increasing the volume of railgun ammunition flying through the Belaire fleet formation.

Chaos, however, was not the sole dominion of the Legion Navy. By this time the deadly lasers of the Sovremennys had recharged, and had not yet been torn to shreds by Legion railguns, thus the lasers lanced out at Destroyer Squadron 5. While Calamitous took the brunt of the Belaire fire, suffering an incredible amount of armor and internal damage including the loss of both her engines, Creeping Death received the worst as several laser blasts from the trailing Sovremenny in the Belaire formation ripped through her engine room, causing a massive explosion which rendered the destroyer into twisted scraps of duranium and gallicite. Adding to the chaos, the Belaire fleet also at this stage executed a sudden turn to starboard, a maneuver considered most likely to be an attempt at evasive action as the Legion battle squadrons closed in. This would not be an effective tactic.

(https://i.imgur.com/gnFhNgZ.png)

Battlefield situation and fleet dispositions at 0801 precisely. Despite the best efforts of the Belaire fleet, evasive action had proven largely insufficient to escape from the closing Legion squadrons, although two cruiser squadrons remained at peripheral range.

Compounding their ineffective tactics, the Belaire fleet finished off the disabled Calamitous at a once again excessive cost, expending an entire salvo of missiles from the Kirov flotilla to eliminate one more crippled destroyer - while the missiles apparently could not be re-targeted once launched, Legion tacticians continued to be astounded by the Belaire inability to properly allocate ordnance to multiple targets. In a far more efficient expenditure of ammunition, Dissolution successfully finished off the lead Sovremenny of the Belaire fleet, significantly reducing the volume of laser fire the Legion fleets would have to face from the following volley. This task being accomplished, Cruiser Squadron 1 took the cue from the pre-planned targeting directives and prepared to divide the fire of its three Defiant-class cruisers against the Slavas, omitting the third of these from their targeting solutions as it had been crippled by concentrated fire from Destroyer Squadron 4 and fallen out of the Belaire formation. Otherwise, as the numerous destroyers of the Legion Navy had by now almost fully recovered from jump shock and closed with the Belaire battle fleet, 102 mm ammunition flew unabated toward the Belaire warships, striking all four Slavas as well as the trailing Osa and by now scoring numerous penetrating hits through the hole-riddled armor of the Belaire escorts. Furthermore, this moment heralded the first combat test of weapons for the Invincible-class cruisers, as Invincible along with her close cousin Judgment Day fired upon two more Osas, scoring fifteen and two penetrating hits on their respective targets.

As is the iron law of warfare, the impressive amount of damage dealt to the Belaire fleet was not unanswered as the destroyer Caliban became the latest Legion vessel to be crippled and left for missile target practice by a concerted volley from the Belaire Osa flotilla. Even this iron law proved bittersweet for the Belaire fleet, as only fifteen light missiles were detected being launched from the Slava flotilla - a clear indication that battle damage had heavily reduced the combat ability of these vessels. At this stage, not more than twenty seconds after the initial assault jump by the Legion fleets, in exchange for their first kill the Legion had lost all three Bellerophon-class frigates of Frigate Squadron 2 along with three destroyers, a total of 52,500 tons displacement lost prior to the destruction of the 15,000-ton Sovremenny-class beam cruiser. This left the Legion invasion force with a commanding lead in tonnage in-theater, with 372,500 tons displacement, nearly fully operational at this point, against some 305,000 tons of Belaire vessels, many by now heavily damaged. It was quickly becoming clear to even the most cynical Legion Captain that the Invasion of the Belaire System was all but destined to succeed.

The heavy damage dealt to the Belaire Slavas proved fortuitous for the crippled Caliban, as every one of the merely fifteen light missiles aimed at her were smartly intercepted by railgun fire, with Champion in particular proving her mettle by destroying an impressive two-thirds of the missiles by herself. Not only this, but Champion simultaneously succeeded in dividing her fire to also strike, and destroy, the third Slava-class escort which had already suffered so many hits. For this impressive display of gunnery, Commander Hecuba Aetna and her crew would be honored with the Legion Combat Award. The leading Slava pair fared no better, falling to pieces under withering fire from Destroyer Squadrons 1 and 3 with Catharsis and Chronomancer each earning the kills. Refusing to let her compatriots have all the fun, Chu Ko Nu of Destroyer Squadron 7 brought all guns to bear against the trailing Osa, tearing it apart despite several near misses due to the 22,000 km range. Despite - or perhaps due to - not only losing four ships in close succession, but suffering further crippling damage to their remaining escorts, the Belaire fleet did not immediately return fire, clearly having lost their appetite for the exacting of revenge.

(https://i.imgur.com/V8YkHL9.png)

The Legion Combat Award, seen here fourth from the right, was commissioned at the birth of the Duranium Legion Navy, to be awarded to any Legion Naval officer who had distinguished themselves in combat. Curiously, despite a number of prior combat operations and multiple awardings of the Bronze Star, the awarding of this medal to the commanders and crew of the destroyer Champion marked the first awarding of this seemingly innocuous medal in Legion Naval history.

Having wreaked such devastation upon the Belaire fleet, the Legion Navy required a brief moment to re-target the majority of their vessels. The Belaire attempted to use this brief window wisely, but once again continued to be plagued by the tactical ineptitude of their senior officers who ordered all guns aboard the intact Sovremenny to fire on the crippled destroyer Caliban. While this proved more than sufficient to destroy the assigned target, the choice of target assignment and what this implied about the Belaire captains’ ability to correctly perceive threats continued to perplex the Legion Navy officers. However, as there was indeed still a battle to be fought the Legion commanders chose not to fixate on this oddity at that time, rather directing the considerably more effective fire of their own vessels against the Belaire fleet. The next kill scored by the Legion vessels would be the lead Osa-class escort, unceremoniously shattered to pieces by the impressive Champion. The remaining Slava proved wholly unable to withstand the hail of fire from the Legion destroyers, finally being confirmed as destroyed after a final accurate salvo from Catharsis, which was rapidly making a name for herself in this stage of the battle. At the same time, both remaining Sovremennys including the intact vessel which had just destroyed Caliban were reduced to plasmonic ashes by the cruisers Dauntless and Devastator, eliminating any threat of long-range beam fire from the Belaire fleet. Almost as an afterthought, though certainly still a crucial development given the priority of the target, the destroyer Cretaceous laid a fatal broadside into one of the remaining Osa-class destroyer escorts, claiming the first kill of her own nascent career.

This left only a single damaged Osa to threaten the Legion forces, as the remaining Belaire vessels were all armed with the slower heavy missiles that would be easily deflected by massed point defense fire. As such, Captain Felix Tegyrios in command of Cruiser Squadron 1 issued an order to all active squadrons to collect into a single unified fleet for missile defense, primarily with the intention of extending point defense coverage to Cruiser Squadron 3 which had remained separated from the rest of the fleet even to this point. Tragically, while executing this maneuver several destroyers crossed the point defense firing arcs of the others, thus only the light cruiser Invincible was able to fire in defense of the gathering fleet elements as a wave of Belaire heavy missiles approached their targets. The destroyer Char took the brunt of the damage, being struck by eighteen missiles and suffering light internal damage to her stern weapons batteries though her engines remained intact. Crushing Blow also suffered light armor scoring from a stray missile hit, seemingly which had been intended for Char but lost its own target in the chaos of the Legion fleet maneuver. Unfazed by all this commotion, Dissolution managed to draw a clear line of fire to the surviving Belaire Osa, easily destroying it despite the increasing range. As long as the Legion fleet could settle into a suitable formation for point defense fire, at this point there was nothing the Belaire battle fleet could do to save themselves from certain doom - unless they suddenly discovered the classic battle tactic of surrendering.

(https://i.imgur.com/7h48oGt.png)

Battlefield situation and fleet dispositions at 20 seconds past 0801. Despite the quite clear orders regarding fleet headings and recombination, helmsmanship at this point in time continued to be a notable weakness for the Legion Navy, and the fleet headings plotted to meet the order requirements proved rather less than suitable.

With the immediate threat largely dealt with, a several seconds of maneuvering followed. While the destroyers had now been ordered to refrain from firing at the remaining Belaire ships, reserving their ammunition for point defense duties, the 102 mm batteries of Invincible and Imperator were under no such restrictions, and peppered the Belaire battlecruisers with opportunistic fire as the various fleet squadrons completed their maneuvers. Seeing this, the Belaire commanders finally made an intelligent, if futile, tactical decision, effecting a near-180 degrees course change away from the Legion fleet as they formed up. However, this was insufficient to carry the Belaire away from the close range preferred by the Legion, as the Defiants came about and opened fire on the Belaire Kirov-class battlecruisers, scoring penetrating hits on all four targets even as the Belaire fleet launched another wave of heavy missiles. The slow missiles were easily dispatched, with gunnery officers aboard the Legion destroyers reporting roughly one-in-four hit rates against the Belaire salvos. Meanwhile, Invincible tore into the trailing Kirov with her 152 mm railgun batteries, tearing it apart in a spectacular display as its engine rooms overloaded from the damage taken.

(https://i.imgur.com/cVns4IS.png)

Battlefield status and fleet dispositions at 35 seconds past 0801, by which point the Belaire fleet was coming apart at the seams as a coherent formation. Images like this would lead the Legion high command to evaluate future protocols to demand enemy surrender, if only to secure intact enemy vessels as part of the spoils of victory.

Ten seconds later, the remaining three Kirovs were destroyed, nearly simultaneously, falling to pieces under withering fire from the Legion’s mighty 152 mm railgun batteries. Denouement claimed one of these kills, while both Captain Gaius Hadrian aboard Defenestrator and Captain Leto Styx aboard Domination claimed the first ship destructions of their respective careers. With the Belaire flagships reduced to mere wreckage, the Legion cruisers turned their guns against the remaining missile destroyers of the Belaire fleet - despite being categorized as three distinct ship classes, by this time Legion tactical officers had determined that these ships were almost identical save for the active sensor resolution mounted on each hull, an intriguing idea for Legion procurement officers searching for a less casualty-prone alternative to the troubled Bellerophon-class sensor frigates.

Remarkably, the Belaire officers had one more trick up their sleeves, perhaps indicating that the junior officers had somewhat more tactical acumen than their superiors who had perished aboard the Kirov battlecruisers. Splitting their fleet, the Belaire sent three Kievs and a Skory through the jump point to Kuiper 79, executing a squadron jump, while the remaining Kiev escorted by the remaining Skory and the Kresta turned hard to port in another evasive maneuver. This however was not enough to faze the seasoned Legion commanders, as Cruiser Squadron 5 containing the point defense-capable Invincibles and Judgment Day were detached to pursue the Belaire jump force while the rest of the Legion fleet pursued the remaining in-system Belaire vessels. This plan proved highly effective, with Dauntless immediately excoriating the Skory, while Devastator ran down the helpless Kresta as it fled from the triumphant Legion battle fleet. The remaining Kiev took two volleys of 152 mm fire before being brought down by Devourer, ending the battle in the Belaire system itself.

(https://i.imgur.com/NXpyCbC.png)

Positions of the Belaire and Legion fleet elements following the squadron jump into Kuiper 79 of Cruiser Squadron 5 at 0802 precisely. Not lost on Legion analysts was the distance from the jump point at which the Belaire squadron had emerged, some 250,000 km. This indicated that despite superior Legion technology in many areas, Belaire jump drive technology was quite far advanced compared to the Legion versions of the same basic devices.

Having spotted Cruiser Squadron 5 in pursuit, the fleeing Belaire squadron in Kuiper 79 fired a single salvo of six missiles, which were effortlessly swatted from space by the point defense batteries of Judgment Day. A short stern chase ensued as the Belaire ships appeared to be attempting to flee to the WISE-0350-5658 system, with Invincible firing the first shots at extreme range against the leading Kiev-class cruiser. As Cruiser Squadron 5 closed in on their helpless prey, continuing to effortlessly swat missile salvos without a second thought, the Belaire would-be escapees suffered salvo after salvo from the powerful Legion flagships. Imperator scored the first kill of this pursuit action, ripping apart the lead Kiev in a hail of 102 mm railgun blasts, while Invincible chose to follow up in style by pulverizing the second Kiev with her far more impressive 152 mm batteries. The flawless pursuit was briefly marred when over-eager gunners manning the 102 mm batteries neglected their point defense duties to line up shots against the Skory, causing Judgment Day to suffer a trio of missile hits on her armor, none of which penetrated to deal internal damage. Ten seconds later, the last remnant of the Belaire battle fleet came to an ignominious end, as Imperator again shredded the final Kiev with prodigious 102 mm battery fire, while Invincible delivered the final blow in style as her 152 mm railguns fired one last time to reduce the crippled Skory to atoms. At 0803 and 20 seconds, the last guns of the Legion fell silent.

In a scarce three minutes and twenty seconds, and while somehow fitting a stern chase through two systems into that time, the Duranium Legion Navy had decisively seized control of the Belaire jump point for the loss of only three frigates and four destroyers, a mere 62,500 tons in exchange for an entire Belaire battle fleet. The invasion of the Belaire system had started off more successfully than even Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus himself had dared to hope. Even so, the work of conquering an alien people had only just begun, and the Republic of Belaire still possessed numerous additional warships which would have to be defeated before the conquest was completed.

(https://i.imgur.com/OB6kXXS.png)

Full ship roster of Legion Navy warships which had survived the initial jump point assault into the Belaire system, less Cruiser Squadron 5. Captain Jocasta Gelanor, commander of Second Fleet, had by this point assumed nominal tactical command of the combined battle fleet, subordinate of course to Lord Captain Selene Styx who retained operational command of all Legion Duranium Navy forces in-theater.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVII: Seeking Opportunity
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 12, 2021, 11:25:40 AM

As word of the Legion Navy’s triumph against the Republic of Belaire reached the offices of the Legion high command, an ongoing debate which had been simmering for some time almost immediately boiled over into a furious row, with reports leaking to the Legion media outlets within hours that Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria in fact came to blows with Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron. The subject to cause such contention amongst the usually reserved and sensible Lords Admiral, particularly at a moment which ought to have provoked an outburst of joyful celebration if anything, was the always-controversial topic of particle beams and the Hellfire-class frigates.

The origin of this spirited discussion, specifically, was the quite enigmatic service record of the class, still regarded by most of the Lords Admiral as an experimental weapon rather than a mainstay of the Legion Navy. On one hand, supporters of the class, with Lord Grand Admiral Argyron as their foremost advocate, correctly pointed out that the class had met its mission profile to the letter, successfully engaging Belaire beam cruisers in long-range gunnery duels - always at a tonnage disadvantage, these supporters were quick to point out - and clearly outperforming their opposing numbers in the process of destroying some 30,000 tons of Belaire cruiser tonnage without suffering any losses of their own. In the eyes of the pro-Hellfire faction, then, the only serious problem with the class was that there simply were not enough of them. Superior numbers, along with of course necessary minor refits to address the few slight weaknesses of the first-generation design, would carry the day against future Belaire opponents.

On the other hand, detractors led by Lord High Admiral Macaria criticized the Hellfire class, and indeed the entire concept of a particle beam-armed warship, as a criminally-expensive red herring and a supreme waste of resources - principally, resources which could be used to expand a perfectly capable railgun-armed Navy with tried and true designs. The chief accusation leveled at the Hellfire class was that of being a glass cannon, a cardinal sin in a Navy which strongly preferred its warships to be strong, solid duranium cannons upon which their foes would be broken. Leaving aside the problem of the thin armor which had cost Hellfire her engine in her first combat action, the particle beams themselves simply burned through ammunition far too quickly and broke down in battle conditions far too readily to satisfy the needs of the galaxy’s most powerful Navy, detractors claimed. For all this, however, the most strident complaint made by the anti-Hellfire faction was that the particle beams were simply not powerful enough, putting out only one-third of the damage output of an equivalent 152 mm railgun battery and even more damning one-quarter of the expected damage output the planned 203 mm heavy batteries would be capable of dealing. The final nail in the coffin for the Hellfire, in the minds of the detractors, had been the dominant performance of the all-railgun assault fleet at the Belaire jump point - a situation which the lightly-armored Hellfire class had been woefully unsuited for, to boot. Clearly, they said, the Hellfires were unnecessary for the Legion Navy of the future and this served only to waste valuable duranium and corundium on third-class vessels, at best.

Against these complaints, of course, the pro-Hellfire faction mounted a vigorous defense. Chiefly, two angles of counterattack were taken by these supporters: first, the entirely valid point was raised repeatedly that many of the issues for which the Hellfire class was so heavily criticized could be addressed with simple refits once the Legion’s science directorate could produce the needed solutions. Notably, improved fire control technology would not only provide the Hellfires with sufficient firing range and accuracy to completely obsolete the Belaire Sovremennys as a serious threat, but would free up enough space in the hull to install additional maintenance and engineering facilities which would keep the heavy guns firing for a longer engagement. The second counterargument, and by far the most controversial assertion made by Hellfire supporters, was that the solution to an apparent lack of firepower was quite simply to build bigger guns, and mount them on bigger ships. Specifically, particle beam advocates had submitted several sets of preliminary design plans for 15,000 and even 20,000-ton heavy beam cruisers intended to combine even heavier particle beam cannons - with some designs calling for “super” cannons displacing 800 void tons apiece - with armor even thicker than that of the Defiant and Invincible classes, intending to produce an invulnerable heavy sniper which would shred entire Belaire fleets with impunity. Needless to say, the faction which saw the existing particle beam frigate concept as a waste of resources did not take kindly to these proposals.

As is usual with such hotly-contested debates, the matter was at this time settled not by logic, reason, or even thoughtful discussion among equals, but by violence. Officially, Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria was reprimanded and lost significant political capital within the Legion high command for committing the purported cardinal sin of assaulting a superior officer. Unofficially - though not unreported by the less reputable Legion media outlets - the reprimanding and humiliation of Lord High Admiral Macaria was due to his commission of the true, and far graver, cardinal sin of being soundly defeated in the ensuing episode of fisticuffs by his superior, Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron, who had not after all been promoted to Lord Grand Admiral on the basis of her charm and good looks.

In any case, in the moment this brief row dealt a significant blow to the anti-beam faction, though hardly a crippling one. Indeed, the virulence and violence of the escalating debate forced the pro-Hellfire Lord Grand Admiral to temper her own enthusiasm for the continuing particle beam project, which was already consuming an increasing share of the Legion Navy’s research and development budget in addition to its shipbuilding resources. Ultimately, while particle beams would remain a central component of the Legion Navy’s research efforts for the foreseeable future, the anti-beam officers would win an important concession as any plans for beam-armed cruisers would be shelved for several years yet - ensuring that the next evolution of the Legion’s heavy warships would be a railgun-armed flag vessel rather than an “experimental mutant child” to quote one particularly colorful Lord Captain.

Of course, while this debate was flaring up and then winding back down again, business carried on as usual in the Kuiper 79 and Belaire systems, for an ever-evolving definition of “usual”.

----

19 January 4009

While the Belaire jump point assault had been convincingly won, the Legion fleets were in no position to let their guard down. The original numbered fleets were ordered to form up again on the jump point, with Cruiser Squadron 5 returning once again to the Belaire system. The exception to this would be Frigate “Squadron” 2, now reduced to the jump frigate Executor and three piles of duranium dust, which would return to the Kuiper 79 base after collecting the survivors from the Kiev squadron which had been hunted down by Cruiser Squadron 5. Finally, Frigate Squadrons 3 and 4 along with the fleet auxiliaries would be ordered to transit into the Belaire system to support the battle-weary combat fleets. Beside giving out orders, Lord Admiral Criasus also saw fit to announce the awarding of the Belaire Campaign Ribbon to all officers and crews who had served under the Kuiper 79 headquarters for this operation, and further granted the newly-commissioned Belaire Assault Ribbon to Lord Captain Selene Styx and all who had served under her operational command during the battle.

(https://i.imgur.com/bJ3rKsz.png)

The Belaire Assault Ribbon was perhaps most notable for being a color besides blue.

Intriguingly, survivors from the Belaire warships collected in the aftermath of the battle seemed unusually well-motivated by their recent defeat to share useful information with Legion intelligence officers. Perhaps most notably, a squad of ordnance technicians who had escaped the destruction of one of the Kirov-class battlecruisers proved unusually eager to divulge technical details of their magazine feed systems in exchange for promises of slightly larger cells with slightly thicker mattresses on internment at Kuiper 79. This new technology did indeed generate some small amount of idle discussion amongst the Legion flag officers regarding the potential merits of missile-armed combat vessels. Less immediately useful, though of strategic interest, was the turning over of Belaire star charts which once deciphered provided complete jump survey data on the DEN 0817-6155 system previously discovered by Adamant.

With the survivors of the battle recovered and sent to Kuiper 79 for processing, the Legion Navy turned its attention to the siege of the Belaire system. Frigate Squadron 3, now in-system to provide long-range monitoring capability, would be split up to carry out several missions. Bad Omen would be sent out alone, trusting on her speed to outrun any Belaire patrols she might encounter, to scout the outlying eighth planet in the system as well as the distant jump point to Giclas 9-38 for any Belaire presence. Meanwhile, Broken Wind was seconded to Fourth Fleet, which would also exchange Destroyer Squadron 7 with First Fleet in exchange for Cruiser Squadron 3, as the destroyers were crucially needed to strengthen the jump point defense against Belaire missile attack in light of recent losses. The reconstituted Fourth Fleet would use the sensors of Broken Wind to scout out the four gas giants in the system as well as the sole comet, and raid any Belaire sorium harvesting or mining operations they might come across. Finally, Brutal Legend would remain at the jump point to provide necessary sensor coverage for the main fleets.

Beginning at 1106 on 21 January, while en-route to Belaire VIII, Bad Omen began detecting intermittent active sensor pulses from multiple Belaire vessels. As these were well outside of her own active sensor range, Commander Hera Thrace ordered her crew to maintain their course unless the Belaire were detected crossing the 83 million km active sensor range of Bad Omen.

(https://i.imgur.com/7jTdXrI.png)

Positions of the Legion reconnaissance forces as well as intermittent Belaire active sensor contacts, recorded at 1221 on 21 January.

In fact, the Belaire ships appeared to be in the area as a pure coincidence, on a direct course for the Giclas 9-38 jump point. In any case, Bad Omen crossed the course of the Belaire vessels well in advance of them and proceeded toward Belaire VIII unhindered.

Far more threatening was the detection of active sensor emissions and thermal radiation from a group of four Kirov-class battlecruisers approaching Fourth Fleet at 1725 on 24 January. While a credible threat, even discounting any additional ships not yet detected, Captan Phoebe Anaxagoras in command of Fourth Fleet judged that her trajectory was sufficient to remain outside of the Belaire fleet’s weapons range, at least until Fourth Fleet arrived within 20 million km of Belaire IV. Having successfully reached this objective at 2037, Captain Anaxagoras then gave the order to continue on towards Belaire V, a trajectory which would initially send off the cruiser fleet at a right angle to the present Belaire trajectory with a distance of only 93 million km between the two fleets. While the Legion cruisers could certainly outrun the Belaire ships even along this trajectory, the real gamble Captain Anaxagoras was taking was that the Belaire missile range would not be sufficient to threaten Fourth Fleet before they could re-open the range.

(https://i.imgur.com/zLRia8x.png)

Position of Kirov-class battlecruiser formation detected on an intercept course for Fourth Fleet at 1725 on 24 January. Already a significant threat to the cruiser fleet by themselves, though likely survivable, the presence of Belaire capital ships assuredly implied the presence of the numerous cruisers and escorts typically observed accompanying the battlecruisers. Belaire V, the next destination of Fourth Fleet, is visible at bottom-right.

One hour and nine minutes later, the Belaire fleet crossed into active sensor range of Broken Wind, revealing the complete composition, specifically the four Kirovs were escorted by nine cruisers (3x Kiev, 3x Slava, 3x Sovremenny) and five destroyers (4x Osa, 1x Skory), this of course being a fairly standard Belaire battle fleet albeit short by a few ships from the fleet engaged at the jump point five days previously. By 0230 on 25 January, Fourth Fleet had successfully crossed the course of the Belaire battle fleet, which had failed to approach any nearer than 67 million km and in fact had underperformed the expectations of Captain Anaxagoras, whose tactical officer had given a worst-case projection of 55 million km for the distance of closest approach. By 1742 the Belaire fleet had fallen off of the Legion scanners entirely.

(https://i.imgur.com/cJbHPzN.png)

Relative positions of Fourth Fleet, en route to Belaire V, and the Belaire battle fleet sent to intercept, as of 0230 on 25 January by which point Fourth Fleet had completely evaded the Belaire pursuit.

By 0248 on 28 January, Fourth Fleet had arrived at Belaire VII, the fourth and final gas giant in the system, having located no Belaire fuel harvester operations around any of the four planets. As the fleet still had plenty of fuel to use for evasive actions, Lord Captain Styx transmitted a revised order to the fleet posting them to Belaire V, from which fighter-based reconnaissance missions could be launched. On arrival at Belaire V, however, Fourth Fleet once again picked up the sensor signatures of the Belaire battle fleet, which had managed to sneak up on them and close to 55 million km. Regrettably, Fourth Fleet was forced to abandon their new mission and plot a roundabout course back to the entry jump point.

Meanwhile, Bad Omen reached the Giclas 9-38 jump point on 29 January, detecting no Belaire vessels in the vicinity. As she was hardly needed elsewhere, Bad Omen was ordered to take up watch duties some 40 million km from the jump point, positioned obliquely to the trajectory from the jump point to the inner Belaire system.

Given the sticky situation facing Fourth Fleet, weighed against the strong desire to gain intelligence on the Belaire home system and encouraged by the fact that the Belaire defense fleet was apparently a fair distance from their home base, one each of the R-56 and AR-56 Osprey fighters were dispatched from Second Fleet to attempt a stealth approach to Belaire Prime.

(https://i.imgur.com/AIhqFGZ.png)

Legion and Belaire fleet dispositions within the Belaire planetary system on 30 January 4009. Recon Flight Prime, consisting of one each R-56 and AR-56 Osprey, were designated to make a stealth approach to Belaire Prime while Fourth Fleet occupied the attention of the Belaire defense fleet.

At 1923 the same day, Bad Omen reported the approach of a Kiev and a Slava towards the Giclas 9-38 jump point. These made no aggressive moves toward the frigate, which therefore remained at her present position. At 0205 on the following day, Bad Omen also reported reacquiring the Udaloy-class destroyer detected several days prior traveling along the same heading - along with its twin, which had not been detected previously. The pair of Belaire cruisers reached the jump point and transited it at 0226, while the slower Udaloys would take until 2130 on 31 January to do the same.

At 1928 on 31 January, Recon Flight Prime arrived at a holding position 30 million km from Belaire Prime, at which time Osprey 8 activated her active scanners. As hoped for, no ships of any kind were detected by active scans, only four each of the Grisha and Gordi defense platforms as well as shipyard complexes estimated at a total of 1.5 million tons capacity. Encouraged by this, the Recon Flight inched closer to the planet, carefully monitoring their sensor displays for any evidence of active sensors aboard the defense platforms which might target the fighters. Only once 7.3 million km distant did the R-56 report RF emissions from the platforms, indicating that they mounted the lowest-resolution sensors used by the Belaire and were most likely armed with short-range weapons rather than long-range anti-ship missiles. Recalling previous experience against the Mongolican light missiles, which were judged to be generally superior to those of the Belaire, the Recon Flight was granted permission to approach as near as 2 million km, but no closer. Even at this distance, no ground force signatures could be detected, although the Legion was certain that the Belaire would not have left their home world undefended against an invasion. Nevertheless, Legion analysts predicted that the largest ground army which could be safely deployed on the planet surface without being detected would be roughly 125,000 soldiers - a considerable force, which would in fact outnumber the entire Legion Ground Forces by more than 25%.

With their mission complete, and while less revealing than hoped for nevertheless a success, Recon Flight Prime set a return course for the entry jump point, not willing to wait around to be ambushed by the deadly Belaire Kirovs. By the morning of 3 February, the recon fighters as well as Fourth Fleet were re-assembled at the jump point with Fourth Fleet re-formed to its original composition. Fourth Fleet, however, had observed active sensor signatures from the Kirovs while returning to the jump point, suggesting that the Belaire were still set on attempting to intercept and engage the Legion vessels. However any such threat failed to materialize, and as such Cruiser Squadron 5 was shifted into reserve along with the jump destroyer Flayer on 9 February for the purpose of providing crew leave time at Bastion 1.

At this time, the thoughts of Lord Admiral Criasus and his command staff at Kuiper 79 turned towards continuing the offensive while the Legion still held the advantage. As he could stand fairly well assured that no additional Belaire vessels lay in wait beyond one battle fleet, a reinforced version of which could not even hold a jump point against the might of the Legion, the Lord Admiral was determined to seize control of the system while the opportunity was ripe.

----

Shipbuilding

2x Andromeda class Stabilisation Ship
1x Achelous Mk II class Terraforming Platform
1x Obsidian Mk II class Orbital Mining Platform

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on April 13, 2021, 05:32:32 AM

Such barbarism is unfit the flag officers of Duranium Legion, it is clear that such issue should have been decided by duel with swords or pistols

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on April 13, 2021, 09:15:42 AM

@nuclearslurpee Great update as usual! I am watching with great interest to rise to prominence of the Styx family, between Lord Captain Selene Styx and her growing accolades earned in a high command position, Captain Leto Styx commanding Domination to great effect in the Battle of the Belaire Jump Point and Commander Aion Styx in command of oft argued over Hellfire. Based on that last assignment I suspect that the Styx family may well be highly placed in the pro-Hellfire faction and with their growing influence they are probably lending it considerable political weight. As for the anti-Hellfire faction, if they keep up these antics then I believe a purge of the officer corp may be in order! ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 13, 2021, 09:29:25 AM

Quote from: Black on April 13, 2021, 05:32:32 AM

Such barbarism is unfit the flag officers of Duranium Legion, it is clear that such issue should have been decided by duel with swords or pistols

Nonsense. In this enlightened era, the proper form of combat between flag officers is to order their subordinates to prepare increasingly detailed after-action reports to prove their own side superior to the other! :P

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on April 13, 2021, 09:15:42 AM

Great update as usual! I am watching with great interest to rise to prominence of the Styx family, between Lord Captain Selene Styx and her growing accolades earned in a high command position, Captain Leto Styx commanding Domination to great effect in the Battle of the Belaire Jump Point and Commander Aion Styx in command of oft argued over Hellfire. Based on that last assignment I suspect that the Styx family may well be highly placed in the pro-Hellfire faction and with their growing influence they are probably lending it considerable political weight.

Funny you should say that, as the Hellfire debate will show no signs of cooling down after the next update - tune in this weekend as usual - and the Styx family are likely to find themselves in the center of things sooner rather than later!

Quote

As for the anti-Hellfire faction, if they keep up these antics then I believe a purge of the officer corp may be in order! ;)

This is not entirely impossible, certainly there are many potential narrative hooks endemic to this particular plot arc. Which hooks these are and which might be taken, I for one shall not be saying! :-X

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: misanthropope on April 13, 2021, 01:21:50 PM

the factionalism within the general staff is dangerously close to degenerating into a hockey league.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on April 13, 2021, 02:54:10 PM

Your pace continues to be unseemly, if the quality were not so high I would pen a sternly worded parchment of complaint.

That aside the latest round of the Hellfire debate was adroitly handled, the Staff and the Admirals far from the front need someway to stay in touch with the realities of combat, what better way than gratuitous physical violence between the senior officers while their staff write increasingly verbose and elaborate reports?

I believe the correct balance has been struck (literally in the case of Admiral Macaria), continue to research particle beams as a long term project while heading for the 203mm rail gun for the next generation. That said I wonder if the Hellfire debate is actually distracting from the real issue with the Legion's fleets - the Bellerophons. The operations in Belaire proved the value of a long ranged sensor, so the capability is valuable, but it is clearly one that the enemy fully understands and targets as a priority. Just on a practical level it is going to get expensive building so many new ships to replace all the losses, so should ship design and building efforts not be focused on either a new improved variant or a wholesale replacement?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on April 13, 2021, 05:16:51 PM

Quote from: El Pip link=topic=12445. msg150361#msg150361 date=1618343650

I believe the correct balance has been struck (literally in the case of Admiral Macaria), continue to research particle beams as a long term project while heading for the 203mm rail gun for the next generation. That said I wonder if the Hellfire debate is actually distracting from the real issue with the Legion's fleets - the Bellerophons. The operations in Belaire proved the value of a long ranged sensor, so the capability is valuable, but it is clearly one that the enemy fully understands and targets as a priority. Just on a practical level it is going to get expensive building so many new ships to replace all the losses, so should ship design and building efforts not be focused on either a new improved variant or a wholesale replacement?

I have no way of knowing for sure, but I suspect that it will come out some ways down the line that the members of the high command who are the most vehemently anti-Hellfire, secured their promotions for work that they did designing the Bellerophons when they were junior officers. If so, then they are trying to distract from their own failure to equip it with sufficient defensive systems. Although I am reading this chronicle at the same pace as everyone else and so am not an expert, if I have correctly understood the philosophy of the Legion, then these actions have only compounded the failure, as although personal valor and glory is important, victory or defeat only truly matters when measured as part of the whole. First they failed in their task but far worse was when they then failed in their duty, for when they realized that they had introduced a weakness to the Legion, instead of admitting it and working to correct it they tried to conceal it and their involvement. In so doing they would have knowingly allowed a weakness to remain in the Legion and that is likely unforgivable.

I could be completely wrong or have misunderstood the philosophy of the Legion in some way but I do think that the above explanation is, at the very least, a distinct possibility. Or maybe it will just be an un-provable narrative that the pro-Hellfire faction will use to justify purging their enemies in the officer corps! ;)

I guess we will just have to wait and see if I at least came close. ;D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 13, 2021, 08:40:28 PM

I am quite happy to see such high levels of interest and engagement along the lines of matters of Naval procurement and ship design policy. Such discussions are usually reserved for the Lords Admiralty, but I can see that the readership here has a similar level of sophistication and technical interest as those estimable individuals.

Hopefully the readership does not also share the violent tendencies of the same. :o

Quote from: misanthropope on April 13, 2021, 01:21:50 PM

the factionalism within the general staff is dangerously close to degenerating into a hockey league.

Were this to happen it would only exacerbate the factionalism tenfold, as you might guess from the proclivity for detailed reports full of statistics and analysis the Legion high command is already a baseball league in all except the sport played. The fighting over precisely which league sport they do not actually play may just tear apart the Legion where lesser debates have failed.

Quote from: El Pip on April 13, 2021, 02:54:10 PM

That aside the latest round of the Hellfire debate was adroitly handled, the Staff and the Admirals far from the front need someway to stay in touch with the realities of combat, what better way than gratuitous physical violence between the senior officers while their staff write increasingly verbose and elaborate reports?

If nothing else it is a certain way to get things done. Idly shouting across the hall in between procurement meetings whilst the staff twiddle their thumbs has thus far seemed less effective at getting things done, although some would say that this is indeed the point. Unfortunately for yourself, none of those latter sort people are in the Update Writing and Proofreading department.

Quote

I believe the correct balance has been struck (literally in the case of Admiral Macaria), continue to research particle beams as a long term project while heading for the 203mm rail gun for the next generation. That said I wonder if the Hellfire debate is actually distracting from the real issue with the Legion's fleets - the Bellerophons. The operations in Belaire proved the value of a long ranged sensor, so the capability is valuable, but it is clearly one that the enemy fully understands and targets as a priority. Just on a practical level it is going to get expensive building so many new ships to replace all the losses, so should ship design and building efforts not be focused on either a new improved variant or a wholesale replacement?

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on April 13, 2021, 05:16:51 PM

I have no way of knowing for sure, but I suspect that it will come out some ways down the line that the members of the high command who are the most vehemently anti-Hellfire, secured their promotions for work that they did designing the Bellerophons when they were junior officers. If so, then they are trying to distract from their own failure to equip it with sufficient defensive systems. Although I am reading this chronicle at the same pace as everyone else and so am not an expert, if I have correctly understood the philosophy of the Legion, then these actions have only compounded the failure, as although personal valor and glory is important, victory or defeat only truly matters when measured as part of the whole. First they failed in their task but far worse was when they then failed in their duty, for when they realized that they had introduced a weakness to the Legion, instead of admitting it and working to correct it they tried to conceal it and their involvement. In so doing they would have knowingly allowed a weakness to remain in the Legion and that is likely unforgivable.

This is another brewing debate, although thus far it has not risen to the level of "newsworthiness" a word which here means "fisticuffs".

A key point on which much of the thus far low-level discussion (of the aforementioned shouting across the hall variety) pivots is the question of whether the ships themselves are flawed, or the doctrine which has thus far employed and perhaps mis-employed the ships? It is worth noting that the losses of the class thus far have been split between the Battle of Gliese 1, an early test of the Legion Navy's abilities or lack thereof particularly in the bean-counting and spreadsheet-making department, and at the Belaire jump point assault where one can argue that they acted as cannon fodder to preserve the more valuable destroyers. At the same time, while it is nice to have cannon fodder which is relatively uncared-about, it is less than ideal for an offensive fleet to be left without its long-range sensor capability in the aftermath of another glorious victory.

There are certainly some ideas on how to approach this question, and the events of the next chapter will in fact bring further interest and complication to the debate.

Quote

I could be completely wrong or have misunderstood the philosophy of the Legion in some way but I do think that the above explanation is, at the very least, a distinct possibility. Or maybe it will just be an un-provable narrative that the pro-Hellfire faction will use to justify purging their enemies in the officer corps! ;)

I will neither confirm nor deny that the Duranium Legion Navy has, will now, or will ever in the future carry out a purge of those utterly stupid nincompoops across the hall. ;)

Quote

I guess we will just have to wait and see if I at least came close. ;D

This is always the best path forward, for it always reaps a reward.

~~Unless the author abandons the AAR due to some combination of tiredness, real-life business, arrival of 1.13, total ineptitude, or loss of interest~~ Always, I say. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

I do of course encourage anyone else to throw their own two cents into the discussion. While I likely won't let on too often and risk spoiling the future for the readership, points raised in these discussions have a habit of working their way into the actual updates in a surprisingly high fraction of cases. Also it is fun to watch ~~the thread turn into a hockey league~~ the erudite and insightful discussion which takes place on forums such as these. :D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on April 14, 2021, 03:09:26 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 13, 2021, 08:40:28 PM

Were this to happen it would only exacerbate the factionalism tenfold, as you might guess from the proclivity for detailed reports full of statistics and analysis the Legion high command is already a baseball league in all except the sport played. The fighting over precisely which league sport they do not actually play may just tear apart the Legion where lesser debates have failed.

If only they were a Cricket league, same ridiculous amounts of statistics but a more majestic pace. As an added advantage the fights amongst senior officers would be conducted under Queensbury Rules so there would be fewer permanent casualties.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: mtm84 on April 14, 2021, 10:25:45 PM

Perhaps a game of brockian ultra cricket?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 02:42:11 PM

Quote from: El Pip on April 14, 2021, 03:09:26 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 13, 2021, 08:40:28 PM
Were this to happen it would only exacerbate the factionalism tenfold, as you might guess from the proclivity for detailed reports full of statistics and analysis the Legion high command is already a baseball league in all except the sport played. The fighting over precisely which league sport they do not actually play may just tear apart the Legion where lesser debates have failed.
If only they were a Cricket league, same ridiculous amounts of statistics but a more majestic pace. As an added advantage the fights amongst senior officers would be conducted under Queensbury Rules so there would be fewer permanent casualties.

Quote from: mtm84 on April 14, 2021, 10:25:45 PM

Perhaps a game of brockian ultra cricket?

For my money blernsball is where it would be at, not only does this satisfy the copious statistics requirement but these statistics would be utterly impossible to interpret, indeed half of the numbers are likely made up, thus it is the perfect sport to not be played by flag officers of really any navy.

And on the topic of made-up statistics it is time once again for the author to pad his posting count with meaningless prattle and interminable verbiage, in other words another update is nigh upon us.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVIII: Of Which Hellfire Hath No Fury Like
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

14 February 4009

On the morning of 14 February, with the elements of First and Second Fleets fully refuelled and resupplied from the fleet auxiliaries, Lord Captain Selene Styx ordered the two fleets to advance to Belaire II, aiming to draw out and destroy the Belaire battle fleet defending the system. Without the disadvantage of making a jump point assault, and with the Belaire fleet known to be several ships smaller than that which had defended the jump point, the Lord Captain was confident that two battle fleets would prove sufficient to destroy the Belaire forces even without the assistance of the 15,000-ton Invincibles. The fleets arrived in orbit of Belaire II at 1526 on 15 February, noting that the situation around Belaire Prime had not changed and thus the whereabouts of the Belaire fleet remained unknown. This was a cause of some concern, but Lord Captain Styx was confident that the Belaire fleet would return to defend their vulnerable home planet in due time. Regardless, each Cruiser Squadron was ordered to launch a reconnaissance flight to attempt to detect the Belaire fleet as soon as possible.

While this was continuing, Bad Omen reported from her surveillance position near the Giclas 9-38 jump point the detection of a new Belaire ship class, matching the technical description of the civilian spaceliner previously described to Legion intelligence officers by Belaire survivors from the Battle of Kuiper 79.

(https://i.imgur.com/ZO7Pjfd.png)

After briefly being amazed that such seemingly-superfluous information had actually been useful in some small capacity, Lord Captain Styx ordered Bad Omen to intercept and destroy the vessel. These orders were promptly followed, and despite being armed with only a pair of 102 mm railgun batteries Bad Omen effortlessly dispatched the unarmed civilian vessel by 0044 on 16 February, after which she resumed her watch post near the jump point. Commander Hera Thrace made a note in her report suggesting that the use of boarding marines to commit acts of piracy could be a lucrative source of material rewards for the Legion in future conflicts, perhaps preferable to outright destruction and salvage of civilian vessels.

The efforts of the various reconnaissance flights sent out by the cruiser squadrons proved to be rather less than essential, as at 1225 the frigate Broken Wind sent out an urgent report announcing the detection of the Belaire battle fleet on a direct course for the Kuiper 79 jump point - and the vulnerable fleet auxiliaries on station. While the Legion commanders naturally approved of this nakedly aggressive action, as it was well-known that the best defense is a good offense after all, this did nevertheless present said commanders with some difficulties which would have to be resolved. Immediately, First and Second Fleets fired up their engines and made for the jump point with all haste, ordering the dispersed reconnaissance flights to hold positions in orbit of nearby planets until the crisis was resolved. The auxiliaries were evacuated through the jump point, carrying the alert back to Kuiper 79, while Broken Wind would remain on the jump point to delay or distract the Belaire fleet as long as possible, finally evacuating away from, rather than through, the jump point at 1548 after the Belaire fleet had crossed to within 40 million km. Broken Wind’s maneuver appeared to be effective, as the Belaire battle fleet veered away from the jump point on an apparent pursuit course. With the fleet auxiliaries likely saved from certain doom, Broken Wind set out on a course that would hold the attention of the Belaire fleet, keeping her at the edge of their sensor range, while leading them directly into a confrontation with the bulk of First and Second Fleets.

(https://i.imgur.com/Wkq17vF.png)

Approximate course headings of each stage along which Broken Wind planned to evade the Belaire battle fleet. The combined First and Second Fleets would approach from the lower-right, rendezvousing with Broken Wind before counterattacking the Belaire warships.

Due to some miscalculations by the helm officer of Broken Wind, an immediate evasive course change had to be made as she approached the Gamma point to prevent the Belaire fleet from closing into heavy missile range. By the time the frigate could turn towards the incoming Legion fleets she had been forced some 85 million km off of her planned course, though in spite of this the Belaire missile gunners had failed to secure a target lock on their slippery quarry. In spite of this the plan succeeded brilliantly as distraction and to bait the Belaire fleet towards the approaching First and Second Fleets. Thus, Broken Wind set her course to rejoin her Legion comrades who were eagerly awaiting another chance to shed Belaire blood in glorious battle.

(https://i.imgur.com/YgWOlsg.png)

Here it can be clearly seen just how far off-course Broken Wind was driven due to admittedly poor helmsmanship, the greatest enemy of the Legion or at least its most successful opponent. Even so, the decoy tactic of Broken Wind had been a clear success in spirit if not in execution.

At 1322 on 17 February, after more than 24 hours of playing the prey, Broken Wind rejoined Second Fleet and prepared to once again play as the predator. By this point, the Belaire battle fleet had detected the threat looming at the edge of their sensor range, and had turned to flee back toward the jump point. First and Second Fleets were ordered to pursue the hated foe, closing to 400,000 km and preparing for the inevitable missile barrage. While there was some concern that the Belaire might reach the jump point ahead of the Legion fleets, placing the Legion in the rather confusing position of having to launch a jump point assault against their own system, at 1950 the Belaire commanders once again showed evidence of a severe allergy to making good decisions, having not even made half the distance to the jump point before veering sixty degrees off-course in a futile attempt at evasive action. Victory for the Legion was all but assured.

Duranium Legion Navy Combined Reconnassaince Fleet
Lord Captain Selene Styx in operational command at Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department headquarters
Captain Jocasta Gelanor in tactical command aboard CL Disruptor
Totaling 363,000 tons displacement with 10,992 crew complement

First Fleet
Captain Felix Tegyrios commanding aboard CL Dissolution
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 1x R-56, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Cruiser Squadron 3: Devourer, Domination, Double Edge, Garrote, 2x R-56
Destroyer Squadron 1: Char, Chronomancer, Furious
Destroyer Squadron 7: Carnivore, Chu Ko Nu, Cretaceous, Felstalker
Frigate Squadron 4 (detached): Halberd, Harrier, Heavy Metal, Hellfire
Totaling 200,000 tons displacement with 6,130 crew complement

Second Fleet
Captain Jocasta Gelanor commanding aboard CL Disruptor
Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenestrator, Disruptor, Gothic, 1x R-56, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Destroyer Squadron 3: Catharsis, Centaur, Crushing Blow, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4: Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye WIcked, Final Judgment
Frigate Squadron 3: Broken Wind, Brutal Legend, Endless Night
Totaling 152,500 tons displacement with 4,603 crew complement

Dispersed Reconnaissance Forces
1x Bellerophon class Frigate: Bad Omen
3x R-56 class Reconnaissance Fighter
3x AR-56 Osprey class Reconnaissance Fighter
Totaling 10,500 tons displacement with 259 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Battle Fleet 4
Designation and commander unknown
4x Kirov class Battlecruiser
3x Kiev class Jump Cruiser
3x Slava class Escort Cruiser
3x Sovremenny class Cruiser
4x Osa class Destroyer Escort
1x Skory class Missile Destroyer
Totaling 265,000 tons displacement with unknown crew complement

As was by now the tradition, a pursuit action commenced. At 2202, as the Legion fleets closed to under 400,000 km from the Belaire fleet, the first wave of missiles was detected at launch and Captain Jocasta Gelanor settled in for the also-traditional twelve-minute concert of railgun reverberations which would characterize the Legion’s point defense work at this stage of the proceedings. Her reverie would only be mildly disturbed by the report from her tactical officer that the Belaire had changed course, back in the rough direction of the jump point, at 2207 as they ran out of heavy missiles. Finally, at ten seconds past 2214, the last Belaire light missiles had been destroyed, and the Captains of the Legion fleet grudgingly awoke from their power naps and gave the order to their helm officers to begin the most difficult part of the encounter: closing to Hellfire range.

(https://i.imgur.com/mRdwuZJ.png)

It is said that there are times when a picture is worth a thousand words. This was not one of those times.

At 2216 plus 25 seconds, the Sovremennys and Hellfires exchanged their initial volleys at extreme range, collectively scoring no hits. Captain Gelanor ordered her fleets to reduce speed, aiming to close to just around 181,000 km without crossing the 180,000 km range of the Sovremennys’ medium laser batteries. Ten seconds later, this was accomplished and the fleets reduced their speeds to match that of the Belaire fleet. This was a mildly momentous occasion, as for the first time in Legion Navy history this maneuver had been successfully executed without crossing into range of the Belaire medium lasers.

While some navies might have celebrated this audacious occasion by popping champagne, the Legion Navy preferred a different sort of celebration, as the four Hellfire-class frigates popped off their second salvo of the duel, scoring two hits against none by their opponents. This pattern was repeated on the third volley, and continued for some time as the Legion frigates scored some 28 hits including 5 penetrations without taking a single hit from the Sovremennys. This fifth penetration succeeded in taking out an engine of the lead Sovremenny, causing it to drop out of formation, ripe for the kill. The Legion fleets slowed to match their wounded target, still wary of facing the wrath of the Belaire medium laser batteries, while the Hellfires continued to fire on their vulnerable target. Despite its vulnerability, the Sovremenny proved once again to be of sturdy build, requiring a full four minutes of beam sniping to take out its second engine, though the third was destroyed in the following volley and the final engine in the volley after that. Two and a half minutes later, the former lead Sovremenny of the Belaire fleet was destroyed with Harrier claiming the kill, and the two Legion fleets resumed their pursuit of the remaining Belaire vessels.

Once again, the fleet closed to a precise distance with no errors at 2249, an accomplishment which was likely to earn Captain Gelanor some measure of honors for her prowess in commanding the famously fickle helm officers of the Legion Navy. No less of an accomplishment, albeit for the other side, was had as one of the remaining Sovremennys finally succeeded in scoring a hit against a Legion vessel, adding another gash to the armor of Hellfire. The beam frigate squadron responded in kind, landing three hits on the armor of the offending Sovremenny. After three and a half minutes of exchanging fire, during which the greatest damage was done to Legion vessels not by the Belaire but rather by simple malfunctions. Particularly, Hellfire had run out of maintenance supplies in a valiant effort to keep her unreliable guns firing, ultimately leading to one of her starboard weapons being completely disabled. For her troubles Hellfire scored a pair of penetrating hits on the targeted Sovremenny, not only disabling one of its engines but causing a massive explosion which crippled the ship and left it stranded in open space. At this, Captain Gelanor ordered her two frigate squadrons to halt, while her heavier destroyers and cruisers pressed the attack against the crippled vessel, being careful to remain out of range of the remaining Belaire fleet. This tactic was proven correct as the Legion cruisers and destroyers approached their prey, which offered a meager four laser shots in response to the attack. The second Sovremenny perished in a hail of 152 mm railgun fire, with Captain Gelanor herself claiming the kill aboard her trusted Disruptor. As the fleet had lost no distance on the remaining Belaire vessels in this brief aside, the Legion fleets resumed the pursuit without interruption.

As the frigate squadrons were rejoining their parent fleets, an unfortunate miscommunication between the helm officers of the various squadrons led to several destroyers accidentally closing to 172,000 km of the Belaire fleet. The surviving Sovremenny thus had the good fortune of scoring a penetrating hit through the battered armor of the destroyer Char, not yet repaired from the jump point assault. Fortunately, no internal components were in fact damaged by this hit, and the Hellfires replied in anger but were unable to score any hits in revenge. Half a minute past 2254, Halberd and Harrier did manage to score a trio of hits between themselves, the first hits made against the third and final Sovremenny. This initial success proved a false herald of things to come, as it took a full seven minutes before Halberd finally managed to knock out one of the Sovremenny’s engines with a well-aimed shot. After this, it appeared that the Sovremenny had lost much of its maneuvering ability as hits became far more frequent, with Heavy Metal blowing apart its second engine only twenty seconds later. The length of the battle began to take its toll on the rest of the fleet as well, scarcely 30 seconds later the Sovremenny managed to score another penetrating hit on Char which this time succeeded in destroying one of her weapons batteries. In reply, Halberd added a second engine to her list of struck components, reducing the Sovremenny to one-quarter speed. She would add a third to this list at 2305, disabling the Sovremenny after a long and grueling gunnery duel. As this was the final Sovremenny, Captain Gelanor ordered the fleet to hold the range open and allow the Hellfires to claim their kill, preferring not to risk any additional hits from medium laser fire against the wounded Char - particularly as the Belaire ship was still firing its heavy laser in spite of what was surely massive damage taken to that point. Finally, at 2309 precisely, Harrier claimed the kill, ending a fourteen-and-a-half minute endeavor and allowing the fleets to once again fire their engines back up to speed and resume the pursuit of the now nearly-defenseless Belaire fleet. By this stage, all four Hellfires had run out of maintenance stores, and three of the four had at least one beam cannon out of commission with Harrier proving the lone exception. As the Belaire only possessed four Osas as remaining combat-capable vessels, Captain Gelanor was content to allow the frigates and destroyers to avoid combat, ordering her cruisers to burn towards the Belaire fleet at full speed and target the Osas.

The devastation was swift and brutal - though Domination did receive a single penetrating hit which failed to damage any internal systems.

(https://i.imgur.com/bCvbk1F.png)

Despite superficial damage taken while closing the range, the Legion cruisers effortlessly dispatched all four Belaire Osas in a single salvo from their 152 mm railguns.

The trio of Slavas followed, again eradicated in a single volley. The following two salvos eliminated two Kirovs apiece, along with the sole Skory of the Belaire formation, though the two Kirovs targeted in the second salvo remained technically intact but were clearly mission-killed. After this, the unarmed Kievs stood no chance, and after being afforded fifteen seconds to signal their surrender were obliterated in the final salvo. A brief turnaround to mop up the two crippled Kirovs was no trouble at all for the Legion Captains, and at 2324 plus 40 seconds victory once again belonged to the Duranium Legion.

The immediate strategic impact of the battle was obvious: with their last remaining defensive fleet reduced to nothing, the Belaire had no hope of regaining control over their home system, although cracking the defenses of Belaire Prime would prove a difficult task even for the battle-hardened Legion Navy. Less immediately obvious, though with far longer-lasting implications for the future of the Legion Navy, was the effect of the strong showing put forth by the Hellfire-class frigate squadron, which had despite being pushed beyond the limits of their endurance by the demanding Captain Gelanor had succeeded in destroying all three Sovremennys of the Belaire fleet - a resounding vindication of the particle beam concept. This had been a deliberate move on the part of the Captain, who herself was a strong supporter of the Hellfire experiment and had been eager to demonstrate to her superiors how effective they could be when pushed beyond the limits of conservative doctrinal practices. This move would win her many powerful friends in the Legion high command - and no fewer powerful opponents.

----

18 February 4009

Upon receiving the report of Captain Jocasta Gelanor detailing the events of the decisive battle of 17 February, Lord Captain Selene Styx’s first reaction was not, as one would expect, joyful celebration. Rather, the Lord Captain immediately attempted to file express paperwork to issue a mark of censure against the Captain, this being halted only by the intervention of her superior, Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus. Officially, the reason given for this punitive act on the filed paperwork was “reckless disregard for the safety of Duranium Legion Navy ships and personnel”, specifically Lord Captain Styx claimed that Captain Gelanor had pushed her Hellfire squadron well beyond their doctrinal limits to the point of near-total breakdown, in a fight which the Legion Navy could have won comfortably without taking such extreme risks. This was of course spurious grounds for censure at best, a massive overreach of the Lord Captain’s command authority at worst, and certainly disingenuous in any case. Naturally, the unofficial reason was once again closely tied to the simmering political feud ongoing throughout the Legion Navy officer cohort regarding the controversial Hellfire class, in reality the Lord Captain as a staunch opponent of the beam frigate concept felt personally embarrassed that her chief subordinate had gone to such lengths to demonstrate the full potential of the Hellfires. Indeed, the only reason a second outbreak of fisticuffs was not had was the equally staunch neutrality of the Lord Admiral, who sharply criticized his subordinate for clear overreach without taking any position on the subject.

Increasingly, it was becoming clear by this point that questions of fleet doctrine and procurement could no longer be quietly ignored in hopes that this would all blow over. In the immediate short term, of course, the battlefield remained the highest priority, and after a brief period to refuel and resupply First and Second Fleets would be ordered to the Giclas 9-38 jump point to interdict any potential Belaire relief efforts. Both frigate squadrons would be detached from the fleets, with Frigate Squadron 3 being split up to monitor the Kuiper 79 jump point (Broken Wind) and Belaire Prime, from a safe distance (Brutal Legend), while Frigate Squadron 4 would be dispatched to Adamantine Base to carry out more extensive repairs. It was well understood that this monitoring operation would place significant demands on the Legion Navy’s logistical capabilities, particularly as rear area defenses remained necessary to defend Legion space against the scattered Belaire formations beyond Kuiper 79. Nevertheless, Lord Admiral Criasus was determined to hold the territory he had taken, lest the hard work and sacrifice of the sailors under his command come to naught.

This was not to say that the political tensions would go unaddressed, rather once the Legion fleets had taken up and secured these new positions, a series of “temporary” personnel transfers would be effected with the aim of collecting the most prominent Legion Naval officers on both sides of the Hellfire debate for a conference to settle the question once and for all. Nor would the question of particle beams be the only item on the agenda for this upcoming Naval Conference, indeed questions of doctrine and fleet design patterns were numerous and there were serious concerns even beyond the factional extremists that the Legion Navy was in the process of doctrinal stagnation. Perhaps the most pressing concern of many in the halls of the Legion high command was the question of the Navy’s scouting and reconnaissance capabilities, currently in the hands of the venerable but troubled Bellerophon-class frigates and a few dozen reconnaissance “fighters” considered to be capable, but woefully under-equipped for the needs of the Legion Navy - and, some officers quipped, even more woefully under-equipped to carry the designation of “fighter”. A third concern of many was the proliferation of lightly-armed (or in the case of the Grand Cross class, unarmed) jump vessels which accompanied almost every squadron in the Legion Navy. As these represented significant dead weight on the battlefield the nature of the concern was hardly controversial, however as no two Lords Admiral could agree on a single solution it was clear that a frank and earnest discussion of the subject was badly overdue. While the precise date was to be determined, as always the realities of war would render any attempt at scheduling in advance quite fruitless, certainly the date would eventually arrive when these matters could be settled conclusively.

Until then, as always, the business of the Legion Navy would carry on as usual.

----

OOC Notes: as promised this update certainly complicates the picture as far as fleet doctrine is concerned. Not to be lost in the tumult of the ongoing Hellfire debate is the surprising efficacy of the Bellerophon class as a commerce raider, as we all know from history of course the idea of an effective commerce raiding warship always holds an allure for certain segments of the naval officership. Assuredly there are many possibilities to be discussed at the upcoming Naval Conference.

In other news, expect a shift towards a slightly more majestic posting schedule in the short term as I shall plan only one update midweek next, largely to allow reconstruction of a posting buffer as we will soon turn to the eagerly anticipated Naval Conference which promises to draw great interest from many quarters.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on April 17, 2021, 09:38:54 AM

Another great update and another great victory for the Legion!

I think that this engagement soundly proves that the Hellfires are fully up to the task that they were designed for, namely countering any hostile beam ships that out range the Legions main line combatants. It also goes a long way towards proving that the difficulty they suffered in earlier engagements was down to the fact that the squadron was not up to full strength at the time. On the other hand, the battle did further confirm that the current design is lacking in two specific areas, armor and sufficient storage of spare parts and ammunition. Even a marginal increase in both would lead them being far more effective in their intended roll of performing long range gunnery duels.

I am quite surprised by Lord Captain Selene Styx's position on the Hellfire debate. It makes me wonder if she is the black sheep in her family or if that might be her relative, Commander Aion Styx. I also hope that her choice in faction wont wind up being a lodestone around the neck of this rising star!

I am indeed eagerly anticipating the upcoming Naval Conference. Not only what conclusions might be reached but indeed, what changes might be proposed! Perhaps the current generation of jump ships will be replaced with ones with dedicated point defense batteries to free up space for more fire power on the Legions main line ships? Maybe they will try to kill two birds with one stone, moving the large sensors into the jump ships thus freeing the smaller frigates to focus more on what ships of their size are best at, low intensity combat and convoy raiding. Perhaps a parallel line of sensor picket destroyers to work alongside the Charybdis class? Will the conclusions reached point to purely doctrinal and conceptual reform? They may decide that the Bellerophons should be detached from the fleet and be held well back before any major engagement. Or maybe a new standing order instructing Bellerophon captains to turn off their ships active sensors once within engagement range so as to not present such an obvious target. Should the jump ships be disarmed entirely and reclassified as mobile jump gates, following the combat ships when moving around in Legion space but staying on the secure side of hostile jump points? As for the Hellfire debate, maybe the anti-Hellfire faction can be placated by more clearly defining the class as specialist support ships, meant to be brought in when their unique capabilities are called for and not main line combatants?

So many possibilities!

@nuclearslurpee I love this fiction so much! Thank you for writing it. Is there any chance of it continuing even after 1. 13 comes out? Even if means you reboot it for the new patch I would love to read The Official Chronicle of the Second Duranium Legion!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 17, 2021, 10:56:37 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on April 17, 2021, 09:38:54 AM

I think that this engagement soundly proves that the Hellfires are fully up to the task that they were designed for, namely countering any hostile beam ships that out range the Legions main line combatants. It also goes a long way towards proving that the difficulty they suffered in earlier engagements was down to the fact that the squadron was not up to full strength at the time. On the other hand, the battle did further confirm that the current design is lacking in two specific areas, armor and sufficient storage of spare parts and ammunition. Even a marginal increase in both would lead them being far more effective in their intended roll of performing long range gunnery duels.

Like it or not it sill be difficult for any Hellfire opponents to claim that the class is not capable of accomplishing its mission, indeed the proponents now have strong evidence that the class in spite of weaknesses having performed admirably, a properly tweaked Mk II variant would be a strong component of the Legion Navy arsenal. That being said, many questions remain as far as the class as well as the wider development of particle beams, on which I shan't comment too closely lest the word of the author be taken as law! :o

Quote

I am quite surprised by Lord Captain Selene Styx's position on the Hellfire debate. It makes me wonder if she is the black sheep in her family or if that might be her relative, Commander Aion Styx. I also hope that her choice in faction wont wind up being a lodestone around the neck of this rising star!

Family disagreements happen in real life just as in fiction, after all. So long as no one (else!) does anything he or she might regret after the matter is settled, I would not imagine that career ramifications will be too great for merely having taken the "wrong side", particularly in the case of a decorated officer such as Lord Captain Styx. As shall be seen, there are enough key figures in the Lords Admiralty that maintain an air of fairness and neutrality, to prevent factionalism from too badly impacting the careers of promising young officers.

This of course presumes that no one (else!) does anything regrettable, which is far from a guarantee.

Quote

I am indeed eagerly anticipating the upcoming Naval Conference. Not only what conclusions might be reached but indeed, what changes might be proposed! Perhaps the current generation of jump ships will be replaced with ones with dedicated point defense batteries to free up space for more fire power on the Legions main line ships? Maybe they will try to kill two birds with one stone, moving the large sensors into the jump ships thus freeing the smaller frigates to focus more on what ships of their size are best at, low intensity combat and convoy raiding. Perhaps a parallel line of sensor picket destroyers to work alongside the Charybdis class? Will the conclusions reached point to purely doctrinal and conceptual reform?

Quote

Should the jump ships be disarmed entirely and reclassified as mobile jump gates, following the combat ships when moving around in Legion space but staying on the secure side of hostile jump points?

These are all strong possibilities. I must note that a significant problem with the jump vessels has been a lack of tonnage to allocate to anything else, notably the Grand Cross class at 12,500 tons have no weapons at all unlike the smaller jump classes. This could be taken as an axiom, or used to motivate technological investments.

Another consideration, which may also impact the Bellerophon discussions, is now that two distinct use cases have emerged, these being general fleet transport versus jump point assaults which require squadron jumps. Original Legion Navy doctrine was clearly based on the latter case, however in most engagements a jump assault has been unnecessary and tonnage spent on jump ships has not contributed to combat efficiency. There may be a significant push towards developing two types of jump classes, which may have very different designs thus opening up some of the options you've astutely pointed out above.

Quote

They may decide that the Bellerophons should be detached from the fleet and be held well back before any major engagement. Or maybe a new standing order instructing Bellerophon captains to turn off their ships active sensors once within engagement range so as to not present such an obvious target.

One important consideration, perhaps not as much against the Belaire but certainly against the Mongolicans (remember those guys?), is missile defense. Having the massive active sensors of the Bellerophons helps to generate more accurate targeting solutions against incoming salvos, thus having a Bellerophon along for the ride is beneficial in those situations where they can be reasonably protected. However, in such cases, is a full squadron really necessary? There is also a question of armament particularly as while the next generation of sensor frigates, should they be approved and procured, may not be expected to contribute to a fleet firing line, however some armament for independent operations is worth consideration.

Quote

As for the Hellfire debate, maybe the anti-Hellfire faction can be placated by more clearly defining the class as specialist support ships, meant to be brought in when their unique capabilities are called for and not main line combatants?

Certainly a reasonable take, and not one left unconsidered by the cooler heads of the Lords Admiralty.

Quote

So many possibilities!

Indeed. It will be a long meeting, I suspect.

Quote

@nuclearslurpee I love this fiction so much! Thank you for writing it. Is there any chance of it continuing even after 1. 13 comes out? Even if means you reboot it for the new patch I would love to read The Official Chronicle of the Second Duranium Legion!

My first plan for 1.13 is to look into the possibility of converting the DB. Obviously this would preclude me submitting any bug reports when things inevitably go sideways and will earn me the side eye of doom from Steve, but I think it will be worth it for the planned changes, most importantly SQRT research costs for large components as the jump drives are not going to get any cheaper as the fleet expands with now 20,000-ton ships on the horizon. If such a conversion is not feasible I will likely continue along with 1.12 as long as I enjoy the campaign.

That being said, I do have several other ideas rattling around for 1.13 and beyond, I'm simply not willing to attempt two AARs at once which would likely be the death of me. ;)

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVIII: Of Which Hellfire Hath No Fury Like
Post by: El Pip on April 18, 2021, 08:55:32 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

After briefly being amazed that such seemingly-superfluous information had actually been useful in some small capacity,

That is indeed one of the most amazing thing to have occured thus far in the story.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

Commander Hera Thrace made a note in her report suggesting that the use of boarding marines to commit acts of piracy could be a lucrative source of material rewards for the Legion in future conflicts, perhaps preferable to outright destruction and salvage of civilian vessels.

As you note later, piratical raiding will always be popular amongst some.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

Here it can be clearly seen just how far off-course Broken Wind was driven due to admittedly poor helmsmanship, the greatest enemy of the Legion or at least its most successful opponent.

If only the Legion would devote a fraction of the effort they spend on fighting about Hellfire frigates to training their helm officers all of this could be avoided. But where would the honour, glory or indeed fun be in that course of action?

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

It is said that there are times when a picture is worth a thousand words. This was not one of those times.

Excellent word choice. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

Once again, the fleet closed to a precise distance with no errors at 2249, an accomplishment which was likely to earn Captain Gelanor some measure of honors for her prowess in commanding the famously fickle helm officers of the Legion Navy.

This seems to be tempting fate.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

As the frigate squadrons were rejoining their parent fleets, an unfortunate miscommunication between the helm officers of the various squadrons led to several destroyers accidentally closing to 172,000 km of the Belaire fleet.

Told you it was tempting fate.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

Indeed, the only reason a second outbreak of fisticuffs was not had was the equally staunch neutrality of the Lord Admiral, who sharply criticized his subordinate for clear overreach without taking any position on the subject.

Disappointing decision by the Lord Admiral. He could have kept his neutrality on the subject while still allowing the fist fight to go ahead.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM

In other news, expect a shift towards a slightly more majestic posting schedule in the short term as I shall plan only one update midweek next, largely to allow reconstruction of a posting buffer as we will soon turn to the eagerly anticipated Naval Conference which promises to draw great interest from many quarters.

Who could possibly object to a more majestically paced schedule being adopted?

This recent conflict has indeed shifted the terms on the Hellfire debate somewhat, perhaps enough to sway a few waverers though I feel sure the diehards on both sides are far too entrenched at this point to let something as trivial as 'facts' change the opinion. I do look forward to the debate. And by debate I mean fight, ideally a knife fight on a Flash Gordon style spike-covered spinning table while Brian Blessed cheers them on.

On the Bellerophons I would argue that a full squadron is generally an advantage, partly because it allows more space to be covered when there is a need for some recon and partly because they do tend to die alarmingly quickly. At some point the materials saved by squeezing the sensors into a frigate hull will be more than offset by the cost of building so many new ships. Same sensor outfit on a Charybdis sized hull would allow more armour and a few more self defence guns. It would also allow the Excelsior class to be repurposed as independent raiders for hunting down and capturing enemy ships (or just disposed of if the pirate idea does not find favour).

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVIII: Of Which Hellfire Hath No Fury Like
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 22, 2021, 09:46:03 PM

I must regretfully inform the readership, with the exception of the immediately above poster who will be thrilled by this news, that the next update will be delayed by a few more days. I would be disingenuous not to concede that this is partially due to the encroachments of real life into the territory of far more important things, however the chief reason is that the pesky Belaire insist on interrupting my attempts to advance the plot by offering and losing yet another battle against overwhelming odds. I am sure this comes as a surprise to none of you, but it does make the game drag on a bit in pace.

As not to leave everyone hanging I shall at least endeavor to address the latest commentary:

Quote from: El Pip on April 18, 2021, 08:55:32 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM
Commander Hera Thrace made a note in her report suggesting that the use of boarding marines to commit acts of piracy could be a lucrative source of material rewards for the Legion in future conflicts, perhaps preferable to outright destruction and salvage of civilian vessels.
As you note later, piratical raiding will always be popular amongst some.

Who among us, from the greatest Lord Admiral to the lowest Belaire conscript, can resist the allure of a sexy eyepatch, a shiny cutlass, and excessive amounts of swashing and buckling?

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM
Here it can be clearly seen just how far off-course Broken Wind was driven due to admittedly poor helmsmanship, the greatest enemy of the Legion or at least its most successful opponent.
If only the Legion would devote a fraction of the effort they spend on fighting about Hellfire frigates to training their helm officers all of this could be avoided. But where would the honour, glory or indeed fun be in that course of action?

In helmsman school, the helm officers learn about such important concepts, indeed fundamental building blocks of civilization itself, as "right on red". This has caused some understandable confusion when facing the Belaire lasers, as well as some less than understandable confusion among the command officers as to why helm officers abruptly turning to starboard somehow advances the fleet 5,000 km closer to their targets.

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Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM
Once again, the fleet closed to a precise distance with no errors at 2249, an accomplishment which was likely to earn Captain Gelanor some measure of honors for her prowess in commanding the famously fickle helm officers of the Legion Navy.
This seems to be tempting fate.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM
As the frigate squadrons were rejoining their parent fleets, an unfortunate miscommunication between the helm officers of the various squadrons led to several destroyers accidentally closing to 172,000 km of the Belaire fleet.
Told you it was tempting fate.

Really, how could I not? It is, after all, for the readership.

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Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 16, 2021, 03:04:18 PM
In other news, expect a shift towards a slightly more majestic posting schedule in the short term as I shall plan only one update midweek next, largely to allow reconstruction of a posting buffer as we will soon turn to the eagerly anticipated Naval Conference which promises to draw great interest from many quarters.
Who could possibly object to a more majestically paced schedule being adopted?

Any objections from the floor? No? Motion carried!

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This recent conflict has indeed shifted the terms on the Hellfire debate somewhat, perhaps enough to sway a few waverers though I feel sure the diehards on both sides are far too entrenched at this point to let something as trivial as 'facts' change the opinion. I do look forward to the debate. And by debate I mean fight, ideally a knife fight on a Flash Gordon style spike-covered spinning table while Brian Blessed cheers them on.

Diehards aside, anyone rational will be hard-pressed to argue that the particle beam concept is not clearly capable, though the key thing is whether more capable than a fleet of railgun cruisers on balance. To answer this question will require either: astute and careful analysis of past and projected future engagements to weigh relative benefits and weaknesses; or, violence. Perhaps even both? How the answer is arrived at shall remain to be seen.

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On the Bellerophons I would argue that a full squadron is generally an advantage, partly because it allows more space to be covered when there is a need for some recon and partly because they do tend to die alarmingly quickly. At some point the materials saved by squeezing the sensors into a frigate hull will be more than offset by the cost of building so many new ships. Same sensor outfit on a Charybdis sized hull would allow more armour and a few more self defence guns. It would also allow the Excelsior class to be repurposed as independent raiders for hunting down and capturing enemy ships (or just disposed of if the pirate idea does not find favour).

I really have nothing to add without giving away everything I have totally planned out and absolutely will not make up on the spot when I go to write that particular update. However I would feel bad not acknowledging such astute analysis, thus you receive this comment in return.

And on that note, we return to...waiting patiently for the next update, in a few days' time.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVIII: Of Which Hellfire Hath No Fury Like
Post by: kingflute on April 23, 2021, 04:16:13 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 22, 2021, 09:46:03 PM

In helmsman school, the helm officers learn about such important concepts, indeed fundamental building blocks of civilization itself, as "right on red". This has caused some understandable confusion when facing the Belaire lasers, as well as some less than understandable confusion among the command officers as to why helm officers abruptly turning to starboard somehow advances the fleet 5,000 km closer to their targets.

I wish to suggest that the CO of the navigation school be named Leslie "Left Hand Down a Bit" Phillips, after the infamously poor navigator and hazard to shipping from the Navy Lark.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XVIII: Of Which Hellfire Hath No Fury Like
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 25, 2021, 09:56:13 AM

Quote from: kingflute on April 23, 2021, 04:16:13 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 22, 2021, 09:46:03 PM

In helmsman school, the helm officers learn about such important concepts, indeed fundamental building blocks of civilization itself, as "right on red". This has caused some understandable confusion when facing the Belaire lasers, as well as some less than understandable confusion among the command officers as to why helm officers abruptly turning to starboard somehow advances the fleet 5,000 km closer to their targets.

I wish to suggest that the CO of the navigation school be named Leslie "Left Hand Down a Bit" Phillips, after the infamously poor navigator and hazard to shipping from the Navy Lark.

There is tempting fate, and then there is something like this which is waving a double 'V' in the face of Fate whilst insulting its mother and daring it to respond in kind. Which is not to say that the latter ought never be done, but perhaps it is best done from the deck of a large dreadnought with several dozen layers of armor and antimatter, if not photonic, drive technology, in other words such absurdities will be some time yet in coming.

However, such a time will one day arrive, and to hasten the arrival of that day let us now proceed to another update in which time advances slowly, yet surely.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XIX: Commerce Raiding
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 25, 2021, 09:56:46 AM

19 February 4009

As the fleet auxiliaries arrived back in the Belaire system, relieved not to have been blown apart by the latest Belaire battle fleet, recovery of the Belaire survivors could proceed and with this the usual occasional bits of intelligence gathering. Proving true once again the stereotype of the unreliable helm officer, the navigator of the first Sovremenny destroyed in the battle was easily persuaded to provide star charts for a system known to the officer as Algoma, which was soon identified as Tau Ceti, not too far from Duratus in light-years but rather distant along the jump network being reachable from Giclas 9-38. Of somewhat more practical use were sensor schematics provided by a sensor technician recovered from the wreckage of a Kiev, although the specifications provided did not match any sensor the Legion had yet seen in battle and was thus presumed to be a design intended for auxiliary craft. Finally, pulling off a rare hat trick a team of Legion intelligence officers managed to persuade a Belaire lieutenant, apparently recently promoted out of the Belaire survey corps into his role on a Kirov-class battlecruiser, to provide detailed mineral survey information from the Giclas 9-38 system. This turned out to be particularly useful, as it clearly indicated the presence of vast sorium deposits in the atmosphere of the third planet of the B-component star in that system, a massive gas giant. Legion commanders hoped this would prove a ripe target for a raiding action in the near future.

By the night of 23 February, First and Second Fleets had completed their rearmament and set out for the Giclas 9-38 jump point, transmitting a message back to Kuiper 79 requesting the B-108 buoy layer along with its third Type I probe be sent to perform reconnaissance of the far side of that jump point. This request was of course immediately granted. As the fleets set off, some slight shuffling of the order of battle occurred, such that Destroyer Squadron 1 contained the two damaged Charybdis-class ships as well as the light cruiser Domination, all of which would return to the Duratus shipyards for needed armor repairs.

On 25 February, while maneuvering through the Belaire inner system to take up watch over Belaire Prime, Brutal Legend reported resolving ground force sensor signatures on the planet surface. While the signatures could not be resolved into individual units, the intensity of emissions reflected a total of roughly 180,000 to 400,000 soldiers, depending on the composition of the Belaire forces as well as how well-fortified individual units were. As the Legion’s Ground Forces at this time could only boast of having some 97,000 soldiers under arms, this was a serious concern for the Legion high command as an invasion of the planet itself would not be feasible in the near future. Therefore, a multi-year siege would likely be required even after the orbital defenses of Belaire Prime had been eliminated, hardly an enticing prospect for the Lords Admiral who much preferred to list devastating victories in open battle on their service records.

From her monitoring position near the jump point to Giclas 9-38, Bad Omen reported detecting active sensor emissions from a lone Belaire Kiev on 2 March, as First and Second Fleets were closing in on the jump point. While the Kiev did not maintain its active sensors long enough for Bad Omen to determine its course, Commander Hera Thrace offered her opinion that the Kiev was likely attempting to recover the life pods of the spaceliner destroyed by Bad Omen two weeks earlier. This assumption was put to question eight hours later, as Bad Omen also reported detecting engine waste heat signatures from a pair of Borodino-class auxiliary vessels. By this time, First and Second Fleets had nearly pulled up even with the position of the Belaire contacts, albeit on a parallel trajectory, and thus First Fleet under Captain Felix Tegyrios was dispatched to investigate and likely interrupt what appeared to be some form of salvage operation.

(https://i.imgur.com/ZNbXWuq.png)

Fleet and contact positions at 1724 on 2 March 4009, as Bad Omen reported detection of two Borodino-class contacts. While the Legion commanders had formed a working assumption that these vessels were carrying out a salvage operation, emissions analysis would estimate these vessels as displacing 170,000 void tons each, which was in retrospect rather a large size for a salvage vessel and certainly larger than even the Legion Navy’s most voluminous space stations, the 152,000-ton Achelous Mk III-class Terraforming Platforms.

As First Fleet approached the Belaire vessels, they were further able to resolve engine emissions from a Bodry-class vessel, estimated at 72,000 void tons displacement, before finally resolving not only the Kievs but a pair of escorting Slavas at a 12 million km distance. An additional trio of Osas were further resolved as First Fleet closed to under nine million km, at which point the Belaire squadron finally appeared to take notice of their Legion pursuers. Noting that the escorts, while unimpressive, would be able to break through the point defenses of First Fleet which presently had only one destroyer squadron attached, Second Fleet was ordered to join the pursuit formation while First Fleet held position at a six million km distance from their targets. By 2324 this maneuver had been completed, with Captain Jocasta Gelanor once again assuming command, due to seniority if not due to being favored by her immediate superior officer. Captain Gelanor immediately ordered her fleets to close with the Belaire convoy, without bothering to wait for the Slavas to exhaust their missile stores.

Duranium Legion Navy Combined Attack Fleet
Captain Jocasta Gelanor commanding aboard CL Disruptor
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 2x R-56, 2x AR-56 Osprey
Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenstrator, Disruptor, Gothic, 2x R-56, 2x AR-56 Osprey
Cruiser Squadron 3: Devourer, Double Edge, Garrote, 2x R-56, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Destroyer Squadron 3: Catharsis, Centaur, Chronomancer, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4: Champion, Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgment
Destroyer Squadron 7: Carnivore, Chu Ko Nu, Cretaceous, Felstalker
1x Bellerophon class Frigate (detached): Bad Omen
Totaling 265,000 tons displacement with 7,991 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Auxiliary Convoy 1
Designation and commander unknown
1x Kiev class Jump Cruiser
2x Slava class Escort Cruiser
3x Osa class Destroyer Escort
2x Borodino class Auxiliary Vessel
1x Bodry class Auxiliary Vessel
Totaling 480,000 tons displacement (69,000 tons military) with unknown crew complement

The encounter could be described by any number of words, but “battle” would not be among them. As the Belaire convoy could only make 891 km/s due to the slow auxiliary vessels, the Legion fleets closed from six million km to point-blank range in only twenty-two minutes. While the point defense work was in large part more than sufficient to deal with the output from just two Slavas, a number of inexplicable fire control mishaps aboard the fleets’ destroyers occurred as the cruisers prepared to fire, causing Champion to suffer hits from eleven missiles in addition to receiving a number of laser hits from the Osas, suffering internal damage to a number of components before all three Osas were destroyed in a thoroughly-uncoordinated volley of fire from the Defiants. While the display of gunnery had been, stated generously, appallingly unprofessional, with the three Osas destroyed there remained no threat to the Legion warships and the remaining Belaire vessels were summarily dismissed from their duties with extreme prejudice. This was in spite of a futile and frankly amusing attempt at retreating once the Osas had been eliminated, as the Belaire convoy plodding back toward Belaire Prime at 891 km/s could hardly be called a proper attempt at withdrawal.

Interestingly, the massive Borodinos appeared to have multiple layers of armor, as the 152 mm railgun blasts failed to penetrate the armor of either vessel on the initial salvos. Based on this, Legion intelligence officers would tentatively designate this class as a heavy assault transport for carrying out planetary invasions, largely as Legion intelligence officers could think of no other reason to armor a large auxiliary vessel so heavily. In any case, armored or not the Borodinos could not put up any resistance beyond dogged persistence, and by 2348 the space around the jump point had been cleared of any Belaire presence save for nine smoldering wrecks. The wounded Champion was detached to collect the Belaire survivors and return them to Kuiper 79 for debriefing before setting her course for Duratus to receive armor repairs. While questioning these survivors, Legion intelligence officers were able to persuade a nervous Belaire sensor technician to confirm technical specifications of the large active sensors mounted on the Kirov-class battlecruisers, a minor coup though hardly groundbreaking.

Barely three hours later, yet another Belaire auxiliary vessel was detected between First and Second Fleets and the Giclas 9-38 jump point, this time of the Kanin class displacing only around 34,000 void tons. Fortunately for the Legion crews, who were by now getting slightly annoyed at having to slaughter random unarmed passers-by just because there was a war on rather than conserving their ammunition for glorious battles with proper enemy battle fleets, the Kanin was unescorted. The ship also proved to be unarmored, being destroyed with only 49 hits with Captain Tegyrios and Dissolution claiming the kill. No further Belaire vessels were encountered along the path to the jump point, granting the Legion crews some questionably-deserved rest.

First and Second Fleets arrived at the Giclas 9-38 jump point by 0942 on 3 March, at which time the B-108 buoy layer which had already arrived launched its third and final Type I probe through the stabilized jump point. Even by Legion Naval standards, the returned telemetry from the probe proved quite illuminating, and in fact highly surprising.

(https://i.imgur.com/f3D0Ja1.png)

Initial sensor telemetry from the Type I probe sent through the Giclas 9-38 jump point. While the Legion Navy may have been prepared for any number of possibilities, detecting a fleet of 31 undefended Belaire auxiliary vessels directly at the jump point was decidedly not on that list.

Not one to pass up an opportunity to easily destroy a large fraction of the Belaire auxiliary fleet, Captain Gelanor ordered First and Second Fleets through the jump point to ambush and destroy the fleet of Azovs. The destroyers Covenanter and Cry, Ye Wicked were detached to intercept the two Udaloy-class destroyer-size vessels, which appeared to be unarmed in spite of their provisional hull type designation, while the rest of the Fleets intercepted the fleeing Azovs. While the Fleets easily overtook their slower targets, it did take about two minutes before the fire control systems on the Legion vessels had recovered from the jump transit and could line up shots in the hapless Belaire ships. In the ensuing slaughter, two of the vessels briefly signaled their surrender to the Legion forces, but this surrender was apparently not supported by the entire crew and in an unclear sequence of events a number of rogue crew members managed to destroy the engines of both vessels, causing each to explode spectacularly as roughly one-third of their crews escaped in life pods. The rescued Belaire crew members would later confirm that the Azov class were in fact small civilian-operated colony ships, which had been gathered about the jump point awaiting a signal from the Belaire Navy that their home system was safe to traverse.

Far more tragically, one of the Udaloys began frantically signaling Cry, Ye Wicked, protesting that the vessel was a diplomatic ship and requesting that the destroyer cease firing. Unfortunately, the diplomat had displayed even worse tactical aptitude than a typical Belaire Naval officer, and signaling the diplomatic status of his vessel while it was being fired upon proved to be far too late to save the Udaloy.

Once the unarmed Belaire colony fleet had been neutralized, the light cruiser Disruptor was detached to collect the survivors and return them to Kuiper 79, bringing with her Captain Gelanor who would be in attendance at the upcoming Naval Conference. Disappointingly, though not unexpected from a fleet of largely civilian crews, no useful intelligence was gathered from the non-surrendering survivors. As Disruptor returned to the Belaire system, she transmitted orders to Bad Omen ordering the frigate to transit to Giclas 9-38 to provide long-range sensor coverage for the Legion fleets on the jump point. While crossing the Belaire system to the Kuiper 79 jump point, Disruptor detected active sensor emissions from yet another Belaire Kiev, apparently fleeing the system. However, as the Kiev could be accompanied by any number of escort vessels, Captain Gelanor contented herself with sending a message of warning back to the Legion fleets assembled in Giclas 9-38, alerting them to the incoming traffic and sending best wishes for good hunting.

These best wishes apparently had some effect, as when the Belaire convoy was detected jumping into Giclas 9-38 on 7 March the Legion officers were delighted to discover that the escort consisted of three Osas but no Slavas. Not even thirty seconds later, another Belaire convoy had been reduced to trans-Newtonian waste, with the greatest problem confronting the Legion fleets being that of prisoner transfer to Kuiper 79. As the jump point was stabilized and the Grand Cross class contributed no firepower to the cruiser squadrons, it was determined to use the jump cruisers as prisoner transports in the absence of more suitable vessels such as the traffic monitor classes. Little useful intelligence was gained from these prisoners, perhaps the most notable finding being confirmation of sensor specifications for the midrange sensors used by the Belaire Sverdlov and Kirov classes.

(https://i.imgur.com/RXqxEgY.png)

Sensor readings showing the composition of the seven-ship convoy destroyed by the Legion on 7 March.

After this, a period of relative calm settled across the Belaire war zone, to be broken at 0305 on 20 March by an urgent report from Warden 2 that a pair of Kirov sensor signatures had been detected in Kuiper 79. As Warden 2 had recently arrived at the jump point to WISE 0350-5658, this was suspected to be a Belaire battle fleet returning to its home system, which had only just now chosen to pulse its active sensors. However, on initial detection it was not yet clear what course the Belaire fleet had set, and the sensor pulse proved to be transient as the Kirovs disappeared from the scanners of Warden 2 as quickly as they had first appeared. At this stage, the Belaire battle fleet was estimated to be roughly 2.2 billion km from the Belaire jump point, which could be traversed by the Belaire in about seven and a half days. First and Second Fleets, on the other hand, could travel the 3.16 billion km from the Giclas 9-38 jump point to the Kuiper 79 jump point across the Belaire system in just under seven days and eight hours. Lord Captain Selene Styx immediately sent out an order for First and Second Fleets to set their course for the Kuiper 79 jump point with all due haste, hoping to set an ambush for what may have been the last remaining group of Kirov-class battlecruisers.

These hopes would soon be dashed as the Kirovs were reacquired by Warden 2, on a direct course towards the WISE 0350-5658 jump point. Disappointed, Lord Captain Styx ordered First and Second Fleets back to their previous locations while Warden 2 retreated from the jump point. Oddly enough, the Kirovs appeared to detect Warden 2 as they approached the jump point, retreating from the traffic monitor as if her presence heralded an entire Legion battle fleet lurking in the void. While the Legion crew was gratified to be held in such high regard by their enemy, it was rather less appreciated to have an undetected Belaire battle fleet traversing Legion space undetected. To get eyes on the targets, Broken Wind was detached from her surveillance position in the Belaire system and ordered to travel along the line from the Kuiper 79 jump point to the WISE 0350-5658 jump point, hoping to spot the Belaire fleet and shadow them if possible. First and Second Fleets were once again ordered to Kuiper 79 to provide security against the potential threat, over protests from the crews who were rather put out by the constant back-and-forth of life in the Legion Navy.

This put out-ness would not be helped as the Belaire fleet detected once again by Warden 2 at 1429, at the instant before they passed through the jump point to WISE 0350-5658. As the various Legion Navy elements were once again ordered back to their previous positions, crews and commanders alike pondered the inscrutable nature of the Belaire fleet actions. Adding to the confusion, Warden 2 reported the re-arrival of the Belaire forces at 1829, although they immediately disappeared through the jump point once again. This was repeated again at 2312, and again at 0742 and at 0757 the next day.

Despite the fact that the Belaire fleet was being kept at bay by an apparent and overblown fear of a 3,000-ton traffic monitor, Lord Admiral Criasus was not comfortable with the presence of a Belaire battle fleet behind his front lines so near to Kuiper 79. To resolve the situation, Cruiser Squadron 5, consisting of the two Invincibles and Judgment Day which had recently completed their allotted shore leave periods, were dispatched to Giclas 9-38 to maintain an anti-commerce presence at that jump point. This would free up First and Second Fleets to commence an offensive action against the Belaire battle fleet. Without the Hellfires the fleets would be likely to suffer some losses against the Sovremennys and their laser batteries, however this would be an acceptable price to pay for comprehensively eliminating the last substantial Belaire combat presence from this sector of the galaxy. To facilitate this, Warden 2 was ordered to move away from the WISE 0350-5658 jump point to remove herself from Belaire active sensor range, counting on her RF scanner to pick up the Belaire sensor signature at this distance.

The Belaire fleet captains apparently had spotted the Legion Navy’s fleet movements, as on 25 March a third pair of Borodinos were detected making a break for the Giclas 9-38 jump point. While they were only approaching at just over 600 km/s, Cruiser Squadron 5 remained seven days away from the jump point and thus would have to give pursuit of the ambling Belaire convoy, aided by Bad Omen on station in the Giclas 9-38 system. Interestingly, as the convoy closed in on the jump point, probe telemetry indicated that there were no escorts of either Slava or Osa class, simply a Kiev-class jump cruiser which would be unarmed. Clearly, the Belaire Navy was running out of even their most numerous escort-class vessels. Shortly after this, Bad Omen reported that the Belaire convoy was sitting immobile at the jump point in Giclas 9-38, at which point the convoy remained for several hours before returning to the Belaire system on 26 March and setting a return course for Belaire Prime - at which point Cruiser Squadron 5 was diverted towards an intercept point along with Gatekeeper 7 which happened to be passing through the system.

(https://i.imgur.com/KBEVexW.png)

Fleet positions as of 1647 on 26 March, at which time First and Second Fleets were passing Cruiser Squadron 5 as each traveled to their respective new positions. The #2 labeled waypoint on the map indicates the planned interception position from which Cruiser Squadron 5 and Gatekeeper 7 would attempt to ambush the Belaire troop convoy.

At 0547 on 2 April, the active sensor signature of the escorting Kiev was detected, on a clear evasive course away from Cruiser Squadron 5. Continued evasion proved fruitless for the Belaire ships, which were efficiently destroyed by 0959. This marked the final pair of Borodino-class armored assault transports, as well as the last known example of the Bodry class which had been provisionally designated as a large auxiliary jump tender. Interrogation of the survivors provided no useful information, although Legion xenobiologists continued to be fascinated at the wide range of colors to which a Belaire could be turned given appropriate external stimuli.

(https://i.imgur.com/SKKahBT.png)

Sensor report from Gatekeeper 7 at 0547+50 on 2 April, as the active sensors of the fleeing Kiev-class jump cruiser gave away the position of the Belaire convoy.

----

Shipbuilding

1x Furious class Jump Destroyer: Fight Fire With Fire
1x Ars Magica Mk II class Survey Frigate: Adamant (refit)
2x Phaeton class Freighter

Research

Flag Bridge
Particle Beam Strength 6

Systems Discovered

Tau Ceti (ex. Algoma): Belaire interrogations, 19 February 4009

----

OOC: And thus another update is upon us, though I admit I had hoped to cover all the ground up to the planned Naval Conference. However, as the Belaire persist in their delusional attempts to challenge the Legion Navy another update shall be required to reach this point, unfortunately this means the Naval Conference will not have a nice, neat chapter number such as XX but such is life.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited 1.13 update is upon us at last. As previously stated I have no intention of abandoning this campaign for such a trivial reason as to keep up with the frantic pace of modern technological progress. However once the Naval Conference has started I intend to take the opportunity to determine if I can in fact transfer the save over to the new DB format. If I can, huzzah! - although I will maintain a separate DB/install folder as this process is not unlikely to produce bugs. If I cannot, then the campaign will proceed in 1.12 anyways which will be no great trouble as I am maintaining a separate DB either way.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on April 26, 2021, 03:13:47 AM

Another great update as usual! A bit light on the political side but I imagine everyone is on best behavior at the moment and playing their hand close to the chest so that they remain invited too and can lay all their cards down at the Naval Conference. I suspect that soon another round of ammunition will be added to the Hellfire debate, one side claiming that a battle commander saw a need for their capabilities but none were available and that the only solution is to order additional hulls, the other that their lack of staying power has proven that the experiment has failed.

One thing that is beyond doubt is that the Legions officer corp will at least agree that a new, dedicated commerce raider is of vital importance. The line officers will be adamant that such tasks are beneath them or at the very least, not worth the deployment of the mighty warships that they command, ships meant for battle and glory not poking holes in freighters. The flag officers and the high command will likely realize that it was a minor miracle, combined with the ineptitude of the Belaire navy leadership that the enemy wasn't able to capitalize of the Legions main battle fleets being out of position, distracted by unarmed auxiliaries. If the high command is clever they will also realize that it was not the fault of the fleet commanders that they were out of position, they saw an opportunity to hurt the enemy and seized it like any good Legion officer should. If however, the legion had a small force of dedicated commerce raiders then the opportunity would not have been missed and the main fleets would not have had a reason to be out of position at all.

I do wonder what doctrine will win out for any forth coming raider fleet. Lone hunters? Wolf packs? Higher speed or more stealth? Fewer, more powerful units or smaller but more numerous ones? Will they be designed with powerful sensors so that they can be the navy's next generation of eyes and ears, maybe even replacing the Bellerophons? Only time will tell!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on April 30, 2021, 05:31:54 AM

You have taken some unpromising material (blowing up several auxiliary convoys) and made something enjoyable out of it, so good work there.

I think the Commerce Raider debate could get at least as heated as the Hellfire discussions. It is a similar situation in some ways, do you want more standard fleet units or some situationally useful specialists. The 'standard' fleet units are more than capable of serving as ad hoc commerce raiders so it is arguable all the Fleets really need is more ships, having a spare squadron they can despatch to run down such units without compromising the abilities of the rest of the fleet. Specialist raiders can't stand up in the line of battle, or at least not as well, so will have to be carefully managed and held back at some points.

The counter-argument is that a specialist commerce raider would do a better job, it could be faster and with better endurance so it could run down enemy convoys faster and have the speed to escape any hostile fleets. Add in a capability to launch probes through Jump Points and maybe they even could go raiding deep into enemy territory (if the enemy co-operates by not defending their JPs).

Dedicated raiders that could capture enemy ships and drag them home might be the clinching argument. You would not need many of them, most commerce destruction would still be done by the regular fleets, but a single squadron of 'ship snatchers' sounds a useful capability.

In any event, bring on the political infighting for which the Legion is justly famed.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 30, 2021, 12:40:38 PM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on April 26, 2021, 03:13:47 AM

Another great update as usual! A bit light on the political side but I imagine everyone is on best behavior at the moment and playing their hand close to the chest so that they remain invited too and can lay all their cards down at the Naval Conference. I suspect that soon another round of ammunition will be added to the Hellfire debate, one side claiming that a battle commander saw a need for their capabilities but none were available and that the only solution is to order additional hulls, the other that their lack of staying power has proven that the experiment has failed.

It is a good thing that we shall not have to wait too much longer to find out. By this I of course mean several more updates, not out of writerly contrivance of course but simply as it will take several updates to work through the rather busy agenda of the Naval Conference.

At risk of tipping my own hand, I must observe that thus far no commentator has yet made what can be considered a rather crucial observation regarding the future of the particle beam concept, which at least one member of the Lords Admiralty has however noted and shall make public knowledge in due course. Beyond this, I shall in the meantime leave the precise nature of this piece of information as an exercise for the readership. ;)

Quote

One thing that is beyond doubt is that the Legions officer corp will at least agree that a new, dedicated commerce raider is of vital importance.

One should never place too much faith in the ability of the Legion high command to be considered beyond doubt on any matter.

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The line officers will be adamant that such tasks are beneath them or at the very least, not worth the deployment of the mighty warships that they command, ships meant for battle and glory not poking holes in freighters. The flag officers and the high command will likely realize that it was a minor miracle, combined with the ineptitude of the Belaire navy leadership that the enemy wasn't able to capitalize of the Legions main battle fleets being out of position, distracted by unarmed auxiliaries. If the high command is clever they will also realize that it was not the fault of the fleet commanders that they were out of position, they saw an opportunity to hurt the enemy and seized it like any good Legion officer should. If however, the legion had a small force of dedicated commerce raiders then the opportunity would not have been missed and the main fleets would not have had a reason to be out of position at all.

In defense, after a fashion, of the Legion Naval officers, all involved were quite certain that the remaining Belaire heavy warships were located beyond Belaire, in Giclas 9-38 or further afield, believing that there was no conceivable reason why the Belaire would have stationed their battle fleet beyond Kuiper 79 yet failed to bring it in-theater before now. Laboring as they were under this belief, the Legion fleets were not believed to be in any sense out of position but in fact in the proper position to engage the last Belaire fleet as it returned to defend its home world. Thus the Legion Navy has learned once again that one should never place too much faith in the ability of the Belaire high command to be considered tactically competent on any matter.

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I do wonder what doctrine will win out for any forth coming raider fleet. Lone hunters? Wolf packs? Higher speed or more stealth? Fewer, more powerful units or smaller but more numerous ones? Will they be designed with powerful sensors so that they can be the navy's next generation of eyes and ears, maybe even replacing the Bellerophons? Only time will tell!

Certainly there are many options available. Perhaps one point to keep in mind, though, is that while the likely outcome of the Naval Conference will be at least a partial blueprint for the next generation of Legion Navy vessels and doctrine, this must be built on top of the existing fleet particularly as the necessary technologies for a full upgrade across the board may be some time in coming. Thus a conservative approach is likely to be the order of the day, and the question will be how drastic of a change can be pushed through by the more forward-thinking Lords Admiral?

Quote from: El Pip on April 30, 2021, 05:31:54 AM

You have taken some unpromising material (blowing up several auxiliary convoys) and made something enjoyable out of it, so good work there.

I am glad someone appreciates such things, particularly as in my admitted haste to progress the plot I neglected to include an aside on the debate between using duranium vendaride versus neutronium tricorbomite as the primary material in the TNE alloys used to make the bolts holding the 102 mm railguns together. It is good to know that in spite of my omission, a suitably presentable product was produced.

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I think the Commerce Raider debate could get at least as heated as the Hellfire discussions. It is a similar situation in some ways, do you want more standard fleet units or some situationally useful specialists. The 'standard' fleet units are more than capable of serving as ad hoc commerce raiders so it is arguable all the Fleets really need is more ships, having a spare squadron they can despatch to run down such units without compromising the abilities of the rest of the fleet. Specialist raiders can't stand up in the line of battle, or at least not as well, so will have to be carefully managed and held back at some points.

The counter-argument is that a specialist commerce raider would do a better job, it could be faster and with better endurance so it could run down enemy convoys faster and have the speed to escape any hostile fleets. Add in a capability to launch probes through Jump Points and maybe they even could go raiding deep into enemy territory (if the enemy co-operates by not defending their JPs).

Dedicated raiders that could capture enemy ships and drag them home might be the clinching argument. You would not need many of them, most commerce destruction would still be done by the regular fleets, but a single squadron of 'ship snatchers' sounds a useful capability.

Excellent points raised. As there are excellent points on all sides the inevitable conclusion is that an unsatisfying compromise will be reached which shall please no one, but may still lead to a serviceable vessel. Of course, this being the Legion high command it is perhaps equally probable that the matter shall be settled by way of fatalities, in which case a more satisfying conclusion is possible.

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In any event, bring on the political infighting for which the Legion is justly famed.

Were I any other author, I would happily inform you that your wish is my command. As it is, however, you shall have to settle for what follows.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XX: Denouement
Post by: nuclearslurpee on April 30, 2021, 12:46:23 PM

9 April 4009

On 9 April, Warden 2 was given orders to proceed back to her original posting on the WISE 0350-5658 jump point, having spotted not a single Belaire warship in two weeks. This proved to be a moment of some coincidence, as she had been on station for not even two minutes when the Belaire battle fleet jumped into the system - and immediately jumped out yet again. Clearly, forcing the Belaire to give battle would be somewhat trickier than previously thought, and with this in mind Lord Admiral Criasus ordered First and Second Fleets to proceed to the jump point at full speed with the aim of ambushing the slippery Belaire fleet at the earliest opportunity. As the fleets carried out their orders, the Belaire fleet gymnastics exercise continued at irregular intervals, until at last the fleets arrived on the jump point to WISE 0350-5658 late in the evening of 14 April. Dutifully, the Belaire battle fleet jumped into the system only 15 minutes later, however at this point the Legion crews discovered a new source of frustration as the Belaire fleet immediately jumped back out of the system before a single shot could be fired. Legion science officers were universal in voicing their amazement at this, noting that even the finest Legion technology could not permit a vessel to jump through a jump point twice in such an infinitesimal time period.

This posed some difficulty for the Captains of First and Second Fleets. A jump point assault may have been necessary, but would be a dicey prospect given the reduced orders of battle for each fleet, and thus would be considered only as a last resort. Ultimately, it was decided to send a pair of reconnaissance fighters through the jump point at the next instance of a Belaire double-jump, taking advantage of the jump shock effects to protect the fighters from weapons fire long enough to evade the Belaire fleet and perhaps frighten them into jumping back to Kuiper 79. Implicit in this plan was the clear opinion of the Legion Navy officers regarding the stiffness of Belaire spinal anatomy.

Rather concerningly, this plan proved rather flawed, as the Belaire in fact seemed to have reinforcements beyond the jump point. At least, this was the supposition made based on the panicked screams transmitted through the jump point by the fighter crews. In any case, it immediately became clear that a second plan would be called for. After a brief and informal conference, the Captains of the fleets determined that since the traditional approach of offering battle and expecting the opponent to join it had failed, due to the Belaire being utter cowards, deception would be tried instead. The bulk of First and Second Fleets would move back towards the jump point to Belaire, leaving behind a second pair of recon fighters which would monitor the jump point from just outside of Belaire sensor range. The fighters would keep their active scanners off so as to maintain secrecy, hopefully giving the Legion fleets sufficient notice of the Belaire approach to spring a trap once the Belaire had moved far enough away from the jump point that no further shenanigans would be possible.

(https://i.imgur.com/NzTVHb0.png)

Schematic showing elements of the Legion deception plan devised and executed on 16 April. Warden 2 was not essential to the plan, but as her station was at the jump point during normal times she would retire a safe distance away to watch the battle - should one occur - unfold.

Barely 15 minutes after Warden 2 had reached her designated holding position, some 53 million km from the jump point, the Belaire battle fleet re-entered the system. By this time the Legion fleets had only proceeded some 77 million km from the jump point, and apparently was still detectable on the Belaire sensors - likely due to the fleets’ large thermal signatures - as the enemy fleet promptly exited once again. Curiously, this process was again repeated at noon on 17 April, despite the Legion fleets being well out of range by that time, perhaps indicating excessive caution on the part of the Belaire fleet. Finally, on 18 April the Belaire fleet once again appeared in the Kuiper 79 system and cautiously set their course for the Belaire jump point - unbeknownst to them, while observed by Recon Flight 2.

At 1731 on 24 April, the passive sensor arrays of Broken Wind detected active sensor emissions from a Kirov-class cruiser approaching the Belaire jump point, roughly 200 million km distant. At this, First and Second Fleet immediately powered up their engines and set out to give chase, acquiring the Belaire fleet on active sensors at 1358 the following day. By this time the Belaire had retreated to 450 million km from the jump point, clearly having spotted the incoming Legion fleet and now attempting to make a futile escape.

First Fleet
Captain Felix Tegyrios commanding aboard CL Dissolution
Cruiser Squadron 1: Denouement, Devastator, Dissolution, Grand Cross, 2x R-56, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Cruiser Squadron 3: Devourer, Double Edge, Garrote, 1x R-56, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Destroyer Squadron 7: Carnivore, Chu Ko Nu, Cretaceous, Felstalker
Totaling 127,500 tons displacement with 3,792 crew complement

Second Fleet
Captain Alastair Pleiades commanding aboard CL Dauntless
Cruiser Squadron 2: Dauntless, Defenestrator, Gothic, 1x AR-56 Osprey
Destroyer Squadron 3: Catharsis, Centaur, Chronomancer, Final Blow
Destroyer Squadron 4: Covenanter, Cry, Ye Wicked, Final Judgment
Frigate Squadron 3 (attached): Broken Wind, Endless Night
Totaling 122,500 tons displacement with 3,691 crew complement

Republic of Belaire Battle Fleet 5
Commander and designation unknown
4x Kirov class Battlecruiser
3x Kiev class Jump Cruiser
3x Sovremenny class Cruiser
3x Slava class Escort Cruiser
1x Skory class Missile Destroyer
4x Osa class Destroyer Escort
Totaling 267,000 tons displacement with unknown crew complement

Author’s Note: While the Legion captains remained certain of victory due to their technological, tactical, and doctrinal superiority, it should be noted here that the Belaire fleet actually outmassed the combined Legion fleets by a slight margin. This is indicative of the by now battle-worn character of the Legion fleets by this stage of the Belaire War, despite suffering relatively minimal losses the Legion Navy was now seeing effects of attrition nevertheless. Notably, the resulting reduction in point defense capabilities had potential to prove concerning for the Legion fleets in the coming engagement.

(https://i.imgur.com/0xZr1gi.png)

Initial positions immediately after the Belaire fleet was detected by the active sensor array of Broken Wind at 1358 on 25 April, at which point the full composition of the battle fleet could be verified.

Immediately, the crews of First and Second Fleets leapt into action, executing the by now tried-and-true practice of closing to 400,000 km (actually amended to 450,000 km by the Captaincy in-theater, opting to grant the helm officers slightly more range to work with). At 0336 on 26 April, the range was closed to under 500,000 km and the Belaire fleet began firing its missiles at the Legion ships, as was tradition. Far less traditionally, several Belaire missiles were able to leak through the Legion point defense each time the heavy and light missiles arrived on-target simultaneously, with the first set of heavy missile impacts including one hit on Devastator and half a dozen explosions against the armor of Denouement. While this was worrisome, the fleet Captains elected to press onward, knowing that the Belaire had only a limited number of heavy missiles in their magazines and deeming even the loss of a light cruiser an acceptable price to destroy the last known Belaire battle fleet - particularly as long as the crucial destroyers survived to provide sufficient defense against the far more numerous light missiles launched from the Slava-class escorts. Thus, the pursuit and desperate defense continued.

This bold decision was seemingly proven correct, as the second instance of simultaneous arrival of both Belaire missile classes failed to score a single hit on the Legion cruisers. This pattern held true for the next two such occurrences as well, before Devastator suffered another pair of large explosive hits on her armor, two minutes after the first. By now, Legion sensor officers had been able to determine the approximate explosive yield of the Belaire heavy weapons, announcing to their Captains that the Belaire missiles detonated with a strength of five megatons - a number which would be reported to the Legion media outlets as 5,000 kilotons for a more appropriate dramatic effect.

Devastator would suffer a fourth 5,000-kiloton impact ninety seconds later, still receiving only superficial armor damage for her trouble. At this stage, the Legion Captains were perhaps becoming a bit overconfident, and the Legion railgunners perhaps a tad less attentive to their duties. Whatever the circumstance, thirty seconds later any such illusory overconfidence was shattered by an impressive series of ten heavy missile explosions, with a trio of missiles creating further dents in the armor of Devastator while the remaining seven rocked her sister Double Edge, failing to penetrate her armor. Despite the shocking development in this instant, Legion tactical officers still could not help but comment on the rather awkward target selection of the Belaire missile gunnery crews, as by now the Legion cruisers had been on the receiving end of twenty large nuclear explosions without losing a single internal component, let alone any of their resilient light cruisers. Had these explosions been directed against a single target, perhaps the Belaire gunners would have experienced better luck, inconsequential though it might have been in the end.

As it was, the Belaire had by this stage completely exhausted their supply of heavy missiles, and the Legion point defense gunners would not struggle to deal with the remaining few dozen waves of light missiles over the next several minutes. Finally, at 0348 the final light missile salvo had been destroyed, and the Legion crews turned their attention to the more interesting phase of the battle.

(https://i.imgur.com/6mb5K7G.png)

Missile damage suffered to the armor of the three Defiant-class light cruisers on which the Belaire managed to score hits. In the post-battle analysis, most experts would agree that the Belaire gunners would have accomplished a greater effect by concentrating their fire on a single cruiser, most notably Devastator which may have been opened to vacuum by one or two further strikes on her stern section.

As the Legion fleets were unsupported by Hellfires in this battle, the Captains ordered a direct charge towards the Belaire vessels, steeling themselves to receive fire from the Belaire laser batteries. The initial salvo at 0351 from the Sovremennys scored only two glancing hits on Double Edge at extreme range, followed by 32 more out of the next three salvos, all failing to penetrate the cruiser’s armor. From the opening shots, the Legion cruisers required only sixty seconds to close to their own firing range, scoring 150 hits split between the three Sovremennys which due to the long range only caused superficial damage to the Belaire cruisers. Curiously, at this stage the Sovremennys suddenly changed their target and fired their heavy lasers at Broken Wind which had remained with Second Fleet throughout the pursuit. Realizing his mistake, Captain Alastair Pleiades hurriedly ordered Frigate Squadron 3 to break away from the fleet before the Belaire medium lasers could recharge and fire on the frigates, and while this order came too late to prevent the Belaire from targeting the smaller vessel the frigates did succeed in opening the range far enough that only minimal damage to the armor of Broken Wind was suffered.

Having lost their preferred target, the Sovremennys turned their fire on the destroyer Covenanter, scoring a preliminary hit with a heavy laser before landing 26 hits from their medium lasers including eight penetrations. These penetrations caused modest internal damage to the destroyer, however this damage included the loss of an engine and Commander Hephaestus Valerii was ordered to withdraw from the battlefield as a result. In response, the Legion cruisers fired their second salvo of 152 mm rounds, scoring another 180 hits but only a few penetrations as the range was still fairly open at 65,000 km. One of these penetrating hits did succeed in knocking out an engine aboard the lead Sovremenny, which fell out of formation with its escorting vessels.

As the range between the two fleets dipped below 45,000 km, the Osa-class escorts finally opened fire, targeting the destroyer Centaur which suffered five hits to her armor belt. Meanwhile continuing to display an impressive grasp of focused-fire tactics - that is to say, no grasp at all - the Sovremennys fired their heavy lasers at the fleeing Covenanter, scoring no hits. For the lead Sovremenny which had already lost an engine, this would prove to be her final shot as Denouement immediately blew her target to dust with thirty-two well-placed 152 mm rounds. Another 120 shots found their targets against the remaining Sovremennys, dealing heavy internal damage including knocking out several engines and causing the Belaire formation to unravel. As the Sovremennys fell behind the main Belaire fleet, the Legion destroyers were able to take aim. Chu Ko Nu claimed the second of the Sovremennys, which had lost three of its four engines and was quickly overtaken by the Legion fleets, while Centaur eliminated the final cruiser of the trio. In their dying moments, the Sovremennys fired a final salvo from their medium laser batteries, ineffectually grazing the armor of the withdrawing Covenanter.

In a rare case of a Belaire fleet actually exacting revenge for their lost comrades, the Osas fired a concerted broadside at Centaur, crippling her engines and leaving her dead in space. By now, however, the entire Belaire fleet was well within range of the rapid-firing 102 mm railguns of the Legion’s destroyers, and within ten seconds the Osas had been permanently silenced.

With no laser-armed vessels remaining, the Belaire battle fleet stood no chance against the powerful Legion railguns. Even so, the Legion Captains ordered that each remaining Belaire vessel should be targeted by only one Legion ship, hoping that by minimizing the damage done per salvo some of the remaining ships might be persuaded to surrender - hopefully to better effect than their comrades aboard the Azovs had experienced a month prior. This approach proved effective, with one of the large Kirov-class battlecruisers becoming the first Belaire vessel to surrender to the Duranium Legion Navy (and survive intact). Sadly, the self-preserving crew of Kirov 17 could only watch as their comrades chose to fight to the death - for a loose definition of the term “fight”. At 0354 on 26 April, the fifth and final Belaire battle fleet ceased to exist as a naval formation.

By this stage, the Legion intelligence analysts had pieced together a more or less complete picture of the Kirov-class capabilities, thus initial inspection of the captured vessel did not prove terribly informative. Of mild interest was the fact that, according to the surrendering Belaire Captain, the class was properly designated as a “Strike Cruiser” rather than the more evocative “battlecruiser” term used by the Legion Navy to signify a capital ship. Despite the eagerness of the surrendered crew to serve under a more competent chain of command, the Kirov 17 was likely to be scrapped for minerals and research purposes, as the Legion lacked any ability to reequip the vessel with appropriate ordnance, or indeed any ordnance at all.

Off-Topic: Belaire Kirov-class Strike Cruiser • show

As the surrendered Kirov was out of fuel as well as ammunition, having suffered an unfortunate accident during the battle which had precipitated her surrender although her fuel tanks remained physically intact, the tanker Dragon was dispatched from the Belaire system, and would take over five days to arrive. In the meantime, the remaining Legion vessels would form up on the wounded Centaur as she effected post-battle repairs to her engines, with the jump cruiser Grand Cross detached to collect the Belaire survivors who had not been wise enough to proffer their own surrenders. Faced with their own insignificance and impending mortality, several of the Belaire survivors had the good sense to strike deals with their Legion Intelligence inquisitors to procure slightly larger prison cells containing not only beds but pillows as well. Most interestingly, several of these volunteers informed their captors that the Republic of Belaire was in fact at war with a second alien race, one not known to the Legion and the Belaire name for which could not be translated. Given that the Legion Navy had faced the overwhelming majority of the Belaire Navy’s battle capabilities, all involved agreed that it was astounding that the Legion Navy had seized control of the Belaire home system well before this unknown race had even come close to mounting their own offensive. Otherwise, however, no new intelligence was gained, albeit less due to the reluctance of the Belaire captives and more due to the fact that the information volunteered had already been provided by previous captives in the process of making similar bargains for themselves.

(https://i.imgur.com/NUeoqKB.png)

Pictured: Devastation.

While the necessary post-battle regrouping process continued, Lord Admiral Criasus and his command staff on Kuiper 79-A II determined to their satisfaction that the Belaire Front was completely under Legion control. Of the original Belaire fleet roster determined by Adamant some years ago, beyond which no new Belaire warships had been identified, only three Sovremennys remained unaccounted for along with three Kievs which posed no threat to the Legion fleets. All twenty Kirovs had been either destroyed or in the most recent case had surrendered, and only half a dozen Belaire missile destroyers remained at large. While the Belaire Navy still operated a considerable force of three dozen Slava and Osa-class escort vessels, without any major fleet units to escort these were almost certainly scattered about the galaxy and unable to pose any threat to the Legion as a massed fleet. While the Belaire War was far from over, after all there remained a home planet to be subjugated and looted at some time in the future, the Lord Admiral and his subordinates were confident in declaring that the bulk of their work as fleet commanders had been accomplished, and a certain measure of breathing more easily could be had.

Of course, this did not mean that the actual work of being a Legion Navy Lord Admiral would cease even for a moment, thus Lord Admiral Criasus found himself along with Lord Captain Selene Styx boarding the light cruiser Disruptor, captained by the now-infamous Captain Jocasta Gelanor, which would along with an ad-hoc escort group ferry these commanding officers to Duratus to participate in the long-anticipated Naval Conference. The Disruptor group would make a brief stop at Adamantine Base, where Commander Aion Styx aboard the Hellfire would join the procession, before proceeding to Duratus at full speed so as not to try the patience of the Legion high command any longer than necessary.

While the Lord Admiral and his entourage were in transit, First and Second Fleets reordered themselves, such that all of the damaged ships from the most recent battle were now grouped under First Fleet while Second Fleet would be the “full-strength” fleet in-theater for the time being. First Fleet was left under orders to proceed to Duratus after refuelling from the incoming tanker Dragon, where necessary armor repairs would be carried out and fresh reinforcements dispatched to Kuiper 79 to relieve Second Fleet.

While the majority of the Legion Navy dealt with the vagaries of logistics, Gatekeeper 7 in the Belaire system reported another convoy approaching the Giclas 9-38 jump point on 12 May, consisting of ten Zhdanov-class 68,000-ton auxiliaries escorted by a pair of Osas. These would prove to be an easy target of opportunity for Cruiser Squadron 5, which transited back to the Belaire system and immediately gave pursuit, being careful to remain beyond 50,000 km range until the short-ranged Osas had been eliminated. With their escorts eliminated, a full five Zhdanovs surrendered to the Legion raiders - an incredibly boon, as these vessels in fact turned out to be Belaire orbital mining ships which would be greatly appreciated by the Legion economic planners on Duratus. A flotilla of space tugs was immediately dispatched to the Belaire system to recover the lumbering behemoths and relocate them to the Sol system.

(https://i.imgur.com/qzsmCh2.png)

The lightly-escorted Zhdanov-class convoy to be intercepted by Cruiser Squadron 5 on 12 May. The speed of the Zhdanov-class mining ships made them the slowest Belaire class yet detected, suggesting that the convoy had been in flight from Belaire Prime for nearly four months, likely having fled after the jump point assault of 19 January.

----

19 May 4009

00:38 Legion Galactic Time
Duratus spacedocks

In the earliest hour of 19 May, Disruptor arrived at Duratus carrying her precious cargo of Legion Navy flag officers, escorted by the destroyers Champion and Flayer as well as the frigates Executor and Hellfire. While the appearance to onlookers at the Duratus spacedocks would be that of an honor guard escorting Lord Admiral Criasus and his retinue, in practice the collection of escorts had been assembled from a mix of damaged combat vessels and jump ships which no longer had an intact battle squadron to accompany. In each case, the crews of these vessels had been at war against the Belaire for some time now, in some cases several years with only occasional shore leave and certainly no vacation time, thus all aboard were eagerly awaiting their arrival on Duratus. For the Lord Admiral and selected other officers aboard the flotilla, awaited with greater eagerness was the commencement of the Naval Conference set for noon of that day, after allowing time for rest and debriefing.

It was against the backdrop of this relaxed mood that the events of 19 May would transpire. At 0038 the flotilla made their final approach to the spacedocks. Below is a transcript of the radio communications between the spacedock traffic control center and the helm officer aboard Disruptor:

[00:38:01] TRANSMISSION BEGINS
[00:38:02] OPERATOR: “Disruptor, you are clear to dock at station Beta-Two, I repeat, Beta-Two, over.”
[00:38:05] DISRUPTOR: “Roger, Traffic Control, Disruptor clear to dock at Beta-Two. Proceeding now at twenty-five meters per second, over.”
[00:38:13] OPERATOR: “Roger, Disruptor.”
[SILENCE]
[00:38:33] OPERATOR: “Disruptor, we do not detect movement of your vessel. Is there trouble with your engines? Please report, over.”
[SILENCE]
[00:38:48] OPERATOR: “Disruptor, are you in distress? Please report, over!”
[00:38:51] DISRUPTOR: static “Just a moment, Traffic Control.” agitated voices can be heard in the background but no words can be made out
[00:38:55] OPERATOR: “Do you need assistance? Station vessels can be dispatched to your position--”
[00:39:01] DISRUPTOR: agitated voices continue to be heard, increasing in volume. After several seconds, the voice of Disruptor’s helm officer is clearly audible. “They did what??” a single loud, agitated voice is heard in the background “OH SHI--”
[00:39:12] DISRUPTOR: the sound of a loud explosion is heard, which rapidly increases in volume
[00:39:14] TRANSMISSION ENDED

----

Shipbuilding

1x Charybdis class Destroyer: Charitable Donation
2x Hellfire class Frigate: Harbinger, Homunculus

----

OOC Note: Yes, finally we have arrived at the long-awaited Naval Conference, albeit not in the manner anyone expected I should think. As we prepare ourselves for several updates of fierce debate, mundane technical intricacies, and pointless pontification, what better way to transition to such matters than with a sudden plot twist which is likely to hang over our heads unresolved for the entire duration, driving the readership to demand plot advancement and resolution whilst the author steadfastly insists on writing a political drama spinoff? Then again, perhaps the readership by know expects such things from an author who regularly leaves plot threads hanging while writing about convoy raids and mineral economics, thus this latest development is perhaps not so unexpected as it might first appear? We can only wait and see what the future holds...

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: kingflute on April 30, 2021, 02:34:14 PM

Looks like one side of the Hellfire debate has decided that they werent making their points loud enough...

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XX: Denouement
Post by: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 01:32:07 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on April 30, 2021, 12:46:23 PM

OOC Note: Yes, finally we have arrived at the long-awaited Naval Conference, albeit not in the manner anyone expected I should think. As we prepare ourselves for several updates of fierce debate, mundane technical intricacies, and pointless pontification, what better way to transition to such matters than with a sudden plot twist which is likely to hang over our heads unresolved for the entire duration, driving the readership to demand plot advancement and resolution whilst the author steadfastly insists on writing a political drama spinoff? Then again, perhaps the readership by know expects such things from an author who regularly leaves plot threads hanging while writing about convoy raids and mineral economics, thus this latest development is perhaps not so unexpected as it might first appear? We can only wait and see what the future holds...

A masterful use of the Butterfly Effect approach to writing. Lots of people do plot, far too few focus on technical intricacies and mineral economics, so how could I possibly complain about such a correct approach to priorities?

That said you have no forfeited any right to complain about plot advancement (or the lack thereof) and I will remind you of it. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 01, 2021, 10:59:54 AM

Quote from: kingflute on April 30, 2021, 02:34:14 PM

Looks like one side of the Hellfire debate has decided that they werent making their points loud enough...

Perhaps - ah, but which side then? Disruptor is a railgun cruiser, perhaps suggesting something, but then again aboard the Disruptor we have (had?) Captain Gelanor, a known Hellfire advocate, Lord Captain Styx who is a fierce opponent, and Lord Admiral Criasus who is a staunch neutralist and is respected by all. Quite a mix here, and thus far no clear way to tell who, if anyone, was targeted - and who, if anyone, was caught in the crossfire. Clearly, much additional speculation and debate is required. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Quote from: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 01:32:07 AM

A masterful use of the Butterfly Effect approach to writing. Lots of people do plot, far too few focus on technical intricacies and mineral economics, so how could I possibly complain about such a correct approach to priorities?

That said you have no forfeited any right to complain about plot advancement (or the lack thereof) and I will remind you of it. ;)

It is fortunate for me then that I have never found cause to exercise such right. Comments, perhaps, but never complaints have been issued from my department. A wise reader after all knows better than to doubt the mystical and wondrous working of such a unique creature as Butterfly.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 02:40:24 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 01, 2021, 10:59:54 AM

Perhaps - ah, but which side then? Disruptor is a railgun cruiser, perhaps suggesting something, but then again aboard the Disruptor we have (had?) Captain Gelanor, a known Hellfire advocate, Lord Captain Styx who is a fierce opponent, and Lord Admiral Criasus who is a staunch neutralist and is respected by all. Quite a mix here, and thus far no clear way to tell who, if anyone, was targeted - and who, if anyone, was caught in the crossfire. Clearly, much additional speculation and debate is required.

Clearly this is the work of the Carrier Strike faction.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: kingflute on May 01, 2021, 02:54:17 PM

Quote from: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 02:40:24 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 01, 2021, 10:59:54 AM
Perhaps - ah, but which side then? Disruptor is a railgun cruiser, perhaps suggesting something, but then again aboard the Disruptor we have (had?) Captain Gelanor, a known Hellfire advocate, Lord Captain Styx who is a fierce opponent, and Lord Admiral Criasus who is a staunch neutralist and is respected by all. Quite a mix here, and thus far no clear way to tell who, if anyone, was targeted - and who, if anyone, was caught in the crossfire. Clearly, much additional speculation and debate is required.
Clearly this is the work of the Carrier Strike faction.

Or its a double-bluff by someone

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 03:16:07 PM

Quote from: kingflute on May 01, 2021, 02:54:17 PM

Quote from: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 02:40:24 PM
Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 01, 2021, 10:59:54 AM
Perhaps - ah, but which side then? Disruptor is a railgun cruiser, perhaps suggesting something, but then again aboard the Disruptor we have (had?) Captain Gelanor, a known Hellfire advocate, Lord Captain Styx who is a fierce opponent, and Lord Admiral Criasus who is a staunch neutralist and is respected by all. Quite a mix here, and thus far no clear way to tell who, if anyone, was targeted - and who, if anyone, was caught in the crossfire. Clearly, much additional speculation and debate is required.
Clearly this is the work of the Carrier Strike faction.
Or its a double-bluff by someone

Of course! This is clearly the Railgun faction, pretending to be the Hellfire faction, making a false flag attack by dressing up as the Carrier Strike faction while blaming it all on the Missile faction. Their cunning plan being to discredit all other possible factions in one elaborate move. It is most cunning.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 05, 2021, 07:39:20 AM

Quote from: El Pip on May 01, 2021, 03:16:07 PM

Of course! This is clearly the Railgun faction, pretending to be the Hellfire faction, making a false flag attack by dressing up as the Carrier Strike faction while blaming it all on the Missile faction. Their cunning plan being to discredit all other possible factions in one elaborate move. It is most cunning.

Obviously it is this one. ;)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 1: The Naval Conference Begins
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 05, 2021, 07:39:38 AM

Prelude: An Explosive Entrance

The light cruiser Disruptor and her four escorts arrived at Duratus in the first hour of 19 May, being granted clearance to dock at 0038 by spacedock traffic control operators. However, Disruptor herself failed to respond to this clearance, apparently holding position 5 km from her assigned berthing and failing to answer repeated hails from the traffic control station. Corroborating later reports from the traffic control operator on duty of agitation at the bridge of Disruptor, sensor readings from spacedock monitoring posts as well as passive scanner readings from Champion, Flayer, and Executor had indicated significant commotion taking place aboard Disruptor in her aft sections. Shortly after this, after a panicked exchange between her helm officer and the traffic control operator, Disruptor experienced a colossal explosion at 0039 originating from the vicinity of her engine room, consuming the ship in a horrendous nuclear fireball although her thick TNE-composite armor contained the major force of the explosion, saving the other ships in her formation from sharing her fate. Among the surviving crew members who had escaped to life pods were Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus and Lord Captain Selene Styx, having been escorted to safety by a junior officer just prior to the explosion. Captain Jocasta Gelanor, along with her senior bridge officers, were recorded as missing and presumed lost in the explosion.

Approximately twenty-five seconds later, with most ship and spacedock crews still stunned by the destruction of Disruptor, the traffic control station received an emergency hail from Commander Aion Styx aboard Hellfire reporting that an apparent mutiny was in progress. This transmission was abruptly cut off by a second massive explosion, roughly two-thirds the size of the first and originating from the aft section of Hellfire. The ship was completely destroyed, with only forty crew members escaping to life pods, with Commander Styx among them. Despite the weaker armor of Hellfire compared to Disruptor the smaller explosion was again contained well enough to prevent damage to the remaining escorts in the flotilla.

The destruction of two Legion Naval vessels in less than a minute, by what could only be assumed to be an act of sabotage, not only shocked all onlookers but would in fact rock the Legion high command establishment to its core. In the immediate aftermath, the three remaining escorts were ordered to an emergency halt, with the commanders of each ship ordering immediate security sweeps to secure the engine rooms, reactors, and other vital components aboard each vessel. Once this was done, out of an abundance of caution the crews were evacuated by spacedock shuttles, and the ships carefully inspected by spacedock security teams before being towed to their berths. The damage was fortunately limited to only the two vessels already destroyed, and by 0245 the remaining three ships had been taken into the docks without further incident.

----

19 May 4009

The Legion high command was immediately notified of the events which had transpired, convening an emergency midnight meeting of the Lords Admiral to address the developing situation. An ad-hoc investigatory committee was commissioned, with Lord Captain Enzo Iaso tapped to command the investigation due to his extensive background as a fleet intelligence officer. As his first officer Lord Captain Iaso selected an old coworker from his fleet intelligence days, Commander Menoetius Cabeiri, who would primarily handle the logistics and administration duties of the investigation committee while the Lord Captain would take a hands-on approach to his command. The remaining ships and crew of the Disruptor’s escort flotilla were immediately remanded to the committee, along with the salvage ship Accatran which would be needed to salvage the wreckage of Disruptor and Hellfire before the investigation could be considered complete. As Accatran was twelve days distant from Duratus this would impose a necessary delay on the pace of the investigation, a serious concern as the trail of any surviving perpetrators would likely go cold after such a long time.

To facilitate this investigation, particularly the lengthy process of interviewing the nearly 200 survivors of the catastrophe, the Naval Conference was delayed until 21 May, with the planned 0900 start time amended to noon to allow for a memorial service prior to the official opening of the Conference.

----

20 May 4009

In an oral report delivered to the Legion high command on the evening of 20 May, the contents of which would be kept highly confidential until well after the investigation had officially concluded, Lord Captain Enzo Iaso summarized the initial results of his investigation based on interviews with the survivors of the Disruptor and Hellfire explosions. These results were, in the Lord Captain’s own words, “profoundly disturbing”.

As expected, most of the crewmen aboard both ships had been only vaguely aware of the situation until the actual explosions, and as in both cases the explosions had originated from the engine sections of the ships no survivors had escaped from those sections, thus no firsthand accounts of the events could be obtained. However, surviving members of the Disruptor bridge crew had reported being in communication with shipboard security forces and other crew in and near the engine section prior to the explosion, providing secondhand information which while sparse and occasionally contradictory was the best information available to the investigatory commission. Based on this, Lord Captain Iaso and his staff had pieced together a timeline strongly indicating that a shipboard mutiny had taken place centered around the port engine room of Disruptor. The mutineers had mounted a seemingly suicidal charge on the engine room, overwhelming the unarmed engineering crew on duty, and deliberately set the engines to overload. Other interviews indicated that several small fire teams of mutineers had opened fire throughout the ship, apparently in a concerted effort to cause mass confusion and hinder any response to the attack on the engine room. One survivor of the Disruptor bridge crew was able to report that Captain Jocasta Gelanor had apparently left the bridge to take command of the security response around the engine room, perhaps a questionable command decision but nevertheless one reflecting boldness on the Captain’s part along with concern for her crew - a fact which the Legion high command was much gratified to be informed of.

The interview of Commander Aion Styx, ex-Hellfire, was along with three survivors from his bridge crew able to confirm that a similar sequence of events had occurred aboard Hellfire. In this case, however, the mutineers had been too few in number to mount the concerted disruption effort as was done aboard Disruptor, thus they had focused all of their manpower on assaulting and securing the engine section.

In a few cases, interviewed crew members from both ships had been able to identify individual seditionists by name, though this was again secondhand information and subject to significant human error as the names had been heard from intercom reports from panicking crew members close to the action. Nevertheless, the investigatory commission had immediately begun working through the personal files and data of the named crew members, seeking any motive or connection to some other nefarious actor. The greatest breakthrough thus far, the Lord Captain had reported, had been the junior officer who had escorted Lord Admiral Criasus and Lord Captain Styx to an escape pod well before the actual explosion had occurred. This seeming foreknowledge of events had appeared suspicious, and under heated questioning the junior officer had broken down and admitted to having been part of the mutinous plan before experiencing a change of heart when realizing that the much-beloved Lord Admiral would likely perish in the explosion. In spite of this, the officer had still appeared to believe in whatever misguided cause had driven the mutiny, and was at that time proving resistant to further interrogation, notably refusing to confirm the names of any suspected saboteurs.

Strikingly, not a single report by any interviewed crew member had indicated that any demands had been made nor agendas announced by the mutineers. Thus at this time, the destruction of two Legion Navy vessels appeared to have been instigated by a disgruntled cadre of junior officers with no apparent political or other motive, and no overarching leadership could be identified which could have planned such a devastating act of terror. This lack of clarity would haunt the Legion high command, in spite of the admittedly promising progress of the investigatory commission up to this point.

----

21 May 4009: The Naval Conference Begins

0900: Memorial Service for the Lost Crew of Disruptor and Hellfire

The memorial service was attended by some 2,000 members of the Legion Navy and associated organizations, including all sixteen members of the Lords Admiralty, some hundred and twenty commanding officers presently assigned to Duratus, and nearly four dozen other Legion leaders and dignitaries. For those in the Navy currently outside of the solar system the proceedings were also broadcast throughout the stabilized jump point network, notably for the benefit of those in Kuiper 79 and Belaire many of whom had lost valued comrades and friends in the tragedy. While most of the men and women in the Legion Navy had of course seen comrades fall in battle, a clear darkness in the atmosphere was felt by all present with the understanding that for brave officers and crews to suffer death in the skies of their home world was unnatural even for the warlike culture of the Duranium Legion. Underscoring the gravity of the occasion, while not present in person due to ongoing security concerns the Emperor himself addressed the assembled mourners via remote broadcast.

In total, four hundred forty-five officers and crew had perished in the events of 19 May, thus it would not be possible in only a few hours to eulogize every individual honored dead. Nevertheless, mixed in with the somewhat generic eulogies delivered by senior members of the Lords Admiralty were a few heartfelt tributes to particularly well-loved senior officers. As commander in chief of the Legion Navy, Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance made certain to honor each late member of the command staff aboard both vessels by name with a brief moment of praise, no doubt drawn from personal interviews with survivors who had served with these officers. However, arguably the most impactful eulogy of the morning was delivered by Lord Captain Selene Styx, who herself had survived the destruction of Disruptor. Despite her well-known ideological feud with the oft-impulsive Captain Jocasta Gelanor, the Lord Captain spoke glowingly of her former subordinate, praising her bravery and creative command presence in the recent battles against the Belaire. Among the ranks of a Legion Navy officership which had been on the verge of permanent division due to the raging Hellfire debate, this moment of reconciliation did much to soften attitudes and promote unity between opponents - a much-needed effect as the Naval Conference was set to begin only hours later.

On the whole, despite the tragic nature of the morning’s event, ultimately the Legion high command left the memorial having regained in some small sense an institutional unity of purpose. All in attendance had been reminded that the ultimate point of their efforts was not to settle an argument in their favor for personal gain, but rather to come together and determine the best way to advance and protect the best interests of the Duranium Legion in a cold and hostile galaxy.

----

1200: Opening Ceremony of the Duranium Legion Naval Conference

As the Naval Conference opened on 21 May, twenty-five officers and other assorted dignitaries were present. The chief membership of the Conference was of course the assembled Lords Admiralty, sixteen in number:

Imperator of the Conference: Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance, C.I.C. Duranium Legion Navy
Speaker of the Assembly: Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus, Kuiper 79 Naval Corps

The Lords Admiral Assembled
Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus, Training High Command
Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron, Fleet High Command

Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, Survey Command
Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon, Industrial Command
Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria, Home Fleet Command
Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon, Training Command

Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus, Mining Corps
Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus, Training Corps
Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon, Survey Corps
Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, Construction Corps
Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra, Terraforming Corps
Lord Admiral Glycon Limos, Duratus Naval Corps
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, Logistics Corps
Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus, Cmdt. Duratus Military Academy

Honored Guests of the Assembly
Lord Captain Selene Styx, Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department
Captain Jocasta Gelanor, C.O. ex-Disruptor, in absentia
Commander Aion Styx, C.O. ex-Hellfire

Honored Guests of the Imperator
Lord Imperator Helena Palacios, Sol Sector Command
Lord Imperator Daedalus Poseidon, Governor of Duratus
Oracle Geryon Priapus, subject matter expert: beam weapons
Oracle Xeno Sangarius, subject matter expert: battery director systems
Lady Imperator Ellen Scamander, Scamander Corporation

Honored Captains of the Imperial Guard
Lord General Jocasta Lyceia, Imperial Guard Legion
Lord General Aphaleia Porphyrion, Emperor’s Hand Legion

As this was indeed the first Naval Conference in the admittedly-short history of the Duranium Legion Navy, the format of the Conference was closely modeled after the storied tradition of Imperial Conferences well known to contemporary students of Legion political history. For the modern student, then, a brief review of the Imperial Conference tradition is here in order:

Historically, the Imperial Conference had been not an occasional event but in fact the primary vehicle of Legion governance dating back to the mid-3700s if not earlier. The Conference consisted of the assembled Lords of the Legion and was presided over by the Emperor, in fact historically the entirety of the Emperor’s power was derived from this presiding role. Specifically, the Emperor was granted three powers over the assembly of Lords: first, the sole power to open a session of the Imperial Conference, which could then be closed only by a vote of the full assembly; second, to veto any motion passed by the assembly; third and lastly, to unilaterally expel any member of the assembly from the Imperial Conference, an act optionally but nearly always accompanied by revocation of Lordship. Outside of performing these three duties, the Emperor was not even permitted by the Law of the Legion to speak during a session of the Imperial Conference, instead appointing a Speaker to officiate the proceedings, an ability considered by many students of early Legion politics to be an unspoken fourth power of the Emperor. These powers thus ensured that the Emperor wielded significant governing power, yet would be unable to act without the express consent of the Lords; to balance this significant power, any act of the Emperor could be summarily overridden by a three-quarters supermajority vote of the assembly, indeed even the act of being Emperor could be overridden in this manner and this was the primary means by which transitions of Imperial power were effected historically.

While in practice this structure had since evolved and eventually been left behind entirely by the Legion offices of government, the Emperor legally retaining and occasionally exercising these powers but by and large not requiring the formal structure of the Conference to do so, the Legion high command considered a revival of this great tradition a fitting implementation of the inaugural Naval Conference. Lord Admiral Imperator Valance naturally stepped into the role of Imperator, echoing the canonical office of the Emperor, and appointed as her speaker the esteemed Lord Admiral Criasus, well-regarded by all not only for his wealth of battlefield experience but also his steadfast commitment to objectivity and nuanced rationality, particularly where matters such as the Hellfire debate were concerned. The remaining fourteen Lords Admiral took their seats in the Conference chamber and awaited the Imperator’s opening remarks.

Joining the Lords Admiral were a number of special guests, these representing a slight break from Imperial tradition in a repurposing of original designations. Honored Guests of the Assembly had originally been those special attendees of an Imperial Conference invited by a Lord to give testimony before the assembly; for the purposes of the Naval Conference, these attendees were considered to be those “of the assembly” in other words invited Navy officers. By contrast, the Honored Guests of the Emperor canonically were exactly that, however for the purposes of the Naval Conference this designation (amended to “of the Imperator”) was granted to civilian attendees regardless of the nature of their invitation. One tradition eagerly kept to was the presence of an Imperial Guard detachment, consisting of two sections of the 1st Imperial Guard Battalion each commanded by one of the Legion’s two Lords General. While historically the Guard detachment had been raised for the purpose of providing security, very quickly the far more important role of these troops in preventing violent brawls between the assembled Lords had become apparent, and the Legion high command took this lesson to heart by explicitly designating the Guards as in-chamber maintainers of order with no security responsibilities whatsoever.

With the attendance of the Naval Conference thus assembled, all attention turned to Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance as she delivered her opening remarks:

“Honored Lords of the Legion, this Naval Conference is now in session.”

The Lord Admiral Imperator was roundly applauded for adhering so closely to Imperial tradition.

As Speaker, it now fell to Lord Admiral Criasus to deliver introductory remarks to the assembled Lords Admiral:

“My fellow Lords Admiral and honored guests:

“We have all stood in battle and triumphed over our foes. I need not belabor to you the nature nor the importance of the task at hand. I shall therefore aspire to be brief.

“We now face a mighty task, and the consequences of our success or failure will determine not only one battle, nor only one war, but in fact the very future of our great Legion. This task is no less than to define what shall be the Navy of the future. Success in this endeavor shall mean decades, if not centuries, of domination across our galaxy. Failure in this endeavor - whether through ignorance, cowardice, or partisanship - shall cause our glorious Legion to be relegated to the dust bins of history at the hands of powerful enemies which suffer none of these faults. To all present I therefore urge: we must balance upon a knife’s edge those twin virtues of caution and boldness if indeed we are to succeed.

“We stand amidst turbulent times. Unto the Navy we have all together come up from have been bestowed new technologies, some practical and some still theoretical, the full impacts of which not a Lord among us yet knows. These we must wisely judge the use of against foes known and unknown. We must not allow fear of the unknown, whether within or without, to drive us to obstinate reactionism. Indeed, though many among our ranks harbor deep differences with their fellows, we must all reach out beyond our own differences to reach not compromise but collaboration. This only will ensure our success.

“Indeed, while our divisions are often deep, I myself hold naught but the utmost hope and assurance in our success. After all, this is not the first time in our history - whether our short history as a Navy or our long history as a great Legion - in which ourselves and those before us have set aside our differences for the good of our crews, our Navy, and our beloved Legion herself. Did fear of the great nations of Duratus prevent our forefathers from waging war across a planet? I tell you, most certainly not! Did ignorance of the great unknown void hold us back from exploring and expanding throughout our great galaxy? I tell you once again, in no way! Did discord and dissent creep into our ranks and destroy the cohesion of our Navy as we fought against the hateful Belaire? I tell you once more, no! And thus I tell you with utmost confidence that as we gather here to determine the future of our Navy and ultimately of our entire people, I expect nothing but more of the same from each and every one of us.

“May we strive to honor the memories of all who have fought and died before us, and may we all be borne on wings of victory through this inaugural Naval Conference. My friends: we serve the Legion!”

After pausing briefly for the resulting applause to subside, neither the duration nor the intensity of which has been recorded in the meeting notes for this occasion, the Lord Admiral announced the broad itinerary for the Naval Conference, which is reproduced in abridged form below:

21 May
0900: Memorial service for the victims of the Disruptor and Hellfire incidents
1200: Opening Ceremony of the Naval Conference
1330: Review of the Legion Navy

22 May
All day: Session on Fleet and Naval Doctrine

23 May
0800: Session on Performance and Assessment of the Hellfire class
1300: Session on Future Directions for Particle Beam Weapons

24 May
0800: Session on Jump Vessel Assessment and Future Prospects
1300: Conference Outing to Hyperion Naval Yards

25 May
0800: Session on Performance and Assessment of the Bellerophon class
1300: Session on Future Directions for the Fleet Scouting Role

26 May
0800: Session for Miscellaneous Business
1300: Session on Future Fleet Design and Development (1 of 2)
1800: Conference State Dinner with High Lords of the Legion

27 May
0800: Session on Future Fleet Design and Development (2 of 2)
1200: Conference Review and Closing Statements

After this the Naval Conference was adjourned for a light luncheon.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on May 05, 2021, 04:16:20 PM

I see the Legion's junior officers are taking inspiration from the famously loyal and calm Imperial Japanese junior officers. This seems a poor choice of tradition to keep, I would recommend their Lordships stamp it out now before things get out of hand.

A nice touch on the Imperial Guard essentially being crowd control for this meeting, this is a positive sign and I hope they are regularly called into action to settle particularly physical disagreements over naval technology policy.

The agenda for the Conference looks mouthwatering, I look forward with great interest to seeing how it unfolds. I am also flagging up the conference ~~junket~~ ~~school trip~~ visit to the dockyards as being a massive security risk, I'll be mildly surprised if all the attendees survive that and nothing blows up. I confess to being less sure about the State Dinner, it has got 'poisoning opportunity' written all over it but do Legion officers go in for poisoning? My feeling is that it will be something looked down upon and condemned, while actually quite a few people are more than happy to do a spot of poisoning of rivals, as long as they don't get caught. We shall perhaps find out when we get to that point of the conference. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on May 06, 2021, 09:47:35 AM

Quote from: El Pip on May 05, 2021, 04:16:20 PM

The agenda for the Conference looks mouthwatering, I look forward with great interest to seeing how it unfolds. I am also flagging up the conference ~~junket~~ ~~school trip~~ visit to the dockyards as being a massive security risk, I'll be mildly surprised if all the attendees survive that and nothing blows up.

Yeah this one seems a bit too risky after previous trouble. I wonder how many lord admirals will survive that trip :D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 06, 2021, 10:52:59 AM

On the one hand, certainly any gathering of the entire Legion high command in one place is a nontrivial risk, indeed one wonders if the entire idea of this Conference is perhaps ill-timed given recent events. However, there are a few points to consider:

Security is likely to be beefed up across the board, with all forces on elevated alert status. This is particularly true at the Hyperion yard which is the site at which the Invincible class are built, presently the closest thing to a capital ship the Legion operates and thus worthy of the utmost watchfulness.
More importantly, the Legion high command are concerned with a public display of their boldness and refusal to cower in fear in the face of any threat.
Most importantly, one simply cannot have a conference and not have an outing, such a thing is simply not done. :P

One notes in passing that perhaps not all of these reasons are necessarily in keeping with the traditions of wisdom and discretion.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Zap0 on May 06, 2021, 11:48:04 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 06, 2021, 10:52:59 AM

One notes in passing that perhaps not all of these reasons are necessarily in keeping with the traditions of wisdom and discretion.

And it is left as an exercise to the reader to figure out which ones?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 06, 2021, 12:48:18 PM

Quote from: Zap0 on May 06, 2021, 11:48:04 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 06, 2021, 10:52:59 AM
One notes in passing that perhaps not all of these reasons are necessarily in keeping with the traditions of wisdom and discretion.

And it is left as an exercise to the reader to figure out which ones?

Naturally. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Stormtrooper on May 08, 2021, 05:28:54 PM

Ok so I finally went through all of this... And I have a bunch of stuff to say.

Firstly, you put a lot of heart into this and it shows. That's some quality of work right there and it's only 10 years of gameplay that you wrote 5 bloody pages (well maybe a bit less if you cut out the comments :D) about, something I'd never been able to do myself and do not understand how you did it but you did it.

Also loved the particle beam stuff, that was some top-tier technobabble and on top of that illustrated with cool pictures I can only dream of having the patience and talent to draw. Why there wasn't more of this? The second spotlight honestly felt underwhelming after this one. I defnitely care more about awesomeness of technological development than whether it was 6 or 8 missiles that impacted against the armor and how the commander of this ship was called, so personally wouldn't mind if less work would go to battle reports and more into things like this in the future.

Speaking of which... You made, rather boring after having done it several times, precursor outpost assault something interesting to read about which was a neat surprise. On the other hand, sometimes your reports felt overdetailed and I struggled to keep track of what was actually happening between all those exact numbers of hits, ranges, amount of ships and commanders listed. If you insist of keeping the detail level the same, at least you could make some of these up to save yourself time and stamina on keeping track of all these details to write about cooler stuff like particle beams or whatever tech comes next, it's not like I'm going to break into your computer and check whether those 6 missiles were indeed 6 and not 10 and then hate on you for lying ;) (unless that's what you are already doing 8))

The one thing I am missing from this AAR, though (and I'm sure it won't come as a surprise for you, you already know my approach well ;)) is more roleplay in terms of how the society of the Legion is shaped and how it evolves and is shaped by the interstellar era, what the aliens it fights actually are and what they want, why are we suffering, from where we came, where are we going, what is the meaning of life (ok maybe it doesn't have to be that extensive... maybe 8)). The conference (as well as some previous debates mentioned for example the never ending drama with particle beams) was a very pleasant surprise and definitely a step in the right direction IMO, loved that part, but it's all about the military forces again, meanwhile I can't help but wonder how the society is shaped, how does the life of an average citizen looks like, what are popular opinions and beliefs, is the population happy with Legion's xenocidal approach or are there rebels opposing it, how Belaire even look like and how their civilisation and morals are shaped, what are Mongolians and what purpose did their ruins serve... (I'm sure xenoarcheologists came up with some conclusions, right?)

If navy is your main focus and point of interest then of course it is fine, we all like different things, but a few spotlights about the topics I listed here and there would be awesome. To close on this, certain aspects of your AAR remind me of "Remembrances of Earth's past" trilogy (from which I've ~~stolen~~ borrowed ~~a lot~~ some concepts ::)), in the sense that it also had its conferences, politics, famous commanders, naval business (I swear Legion's conference strongly resembles that part from the Dark Forest book when humanity organises space forces and tries to come up with doctrines that'd shape its future for decades to come), but at the same time it had its sociological and philosophical issues and cosmic mysteries to solve, something I am missing here.

All in all, keep up the good work, if you follow my suggestions that's awesome, if not I'm still going to read and enjoy it anyways, currently awaiting the conference to actually happen and I'm kinda hyped I guess.

Side note: found it interesting that the Legion also kinda looks like the one from New Vegas which everyone hates, except this time seems like it went with gender equality so the Caesar's Legion's vibes were weakened a bit, one less reason to hate it but come on, everyone knows NCR is superior and in aurora terms it looks like Invaders might resemble them in this campaign metaphorically - able to throw endless waves of soldiers everywhere and have long-ranged guns compared to Legion's railgun CQB.

So, that's all from me, awaiting new updates. :)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 12, 2021, 10:19:30 AM

Quote from: Stormtrooper on May 08, 2021, 05:28:54 PM

Ok so I finally went through all of this... And I have a bunch of stuff to say.

Firstly, you put a lot of heart into this and it shows. That's some quality of work right there and it's only 10 years of gameplay that you wrote 5 bloody pages (well maybe a bit less if you cut out the comments :D) about, something I'd never been able to do myself and do not understand how you did it but you did it.

I am much gratified for your appreciation. ;D

Quote

Also loved the particle beam stuff, that was some top-tier technobabble and on top of that illustrated with cool pictures I can only dream of having the patience and talent to draw.

I assure you, I myself have only got the patience. ;)

Quote

Why there wasn't more of this? The second spotlight honestly felt underwhelming after this one.

Because it takes a lot of time and work to make such an art post. I do want to do similar things in the future but it is an investment and as such I prefer to reserve such efforts for suitably impactful moments in the narrative.

The second spotlight did have the unfortunate job of following up to the first, despite the fact that I had been planning it for some time it seems in the end it will mainly serve to make the next spotlight, whatever it may be, look better by comparison. I can't say I mind this too much, after all not every update can be a masterpiece and I accept this reality.

Quote

I defnitely care more about awesomeness of technological development than whether it was 6 or 8 missiles that impacted against the armor and how the commander of this ship was called, so personally wouldn't mind if less work would go to battle reports and more into things like this in the future.

Speaking of which... You made, rather boring after having done it several times, precursor outpost assault something interesting to read about which was a neat surprise. On the other hand, sometimes your reports felt overdetailed and I struggled to keep track of what was actually happening between all those exact numbers of hits, ranges, amount of ships and commanders listed. If you insist of keeping the detail level the same, at least you could make some of these up to save yourself time and stamina on keeping track of all these details to write about cooler stuff like particle beams or whatever tech comes next, it's not like I'm going to break into your computer and check whether those 6 missiles were indeed 6 and not 10 and then hate on you for lying ;) (unless that's what you are already doing 8))

While I do strive to stay close to the game, being as much a narrative choice as anything as I personally like to follow how the "real situation" influences the responding tactics, I do think after this Naval Conference extravaganza there shall be a shift in how I approach the battle narratives as they will only become larger and more frequent. Of course the trademark degree of detail shall remain, but at which level I think shall be shifted upwards.

Quote

The one thing I am missing from this AAR, though (and I'm sure it won't come as a surprise for you, you already know my approach well ;)) is more roleplay in terms of how the society of the Legion is shaped and how it evolves and is shaped by the interstellar era, what the aliens it fights actually are and what they want, why are we suffering, from where we came, where are we going, what is the meaning of life (ok maybe it doesn't have to be that extensive... maybe 8)). The conference (as well as some previous debates mentioned for example the never ending drama with particle beams) was a very pleasant surprise and definitely a step in the right direction IMO, loved that part, but it's all about the military forces again, meanwhile I can't help but wonder how the society is shaped, how does the life of an average citizen looks like, what are popular opinions and beliefs, is the population happy with Legion's xenocidal approach or are there rebels opposing it, how Belaire even look like and how their civilisation and morals are shaped, what are Mongolians and what purpose did their ruins serve... (I'm sure xenoarcheologists came up with some conclusions, right?)

If navy is your main focus and point of interest then of course it is fine, we all like different things, but a few spotlights about the topics I listed here and there would be awesome. To close on this, certain aspects of your AAR remind me of "Remembrances of Earth's past" trilogy (from which I've ~~stolen~~ borrowed ~~a lot~~ some concepts ::)), in the sense that it also had its conferences, politics, famous commanders, naval business (I swear Legion's conference strongly resembles that part from the Dark Forest book when humanity organises space forces and tries to come up with doctrines that'd shape its future for decades to come), but at the same time it had its sociological and philosophical issues and cosmic mysteries to solve, something I am missing here.

As you note this is a naval AAR at heart, in fact originally I had intended hardly anything more than this expecting to relatively quickly start shooting at things and writing about it while awaiting 1.13, instead now we have this as El Pip has put it rather baroque work. While I'm certainly not opposed at all to at some point getting down to the view of the common folk of the Legion, I am wary of expanding the scope beyond that which I enjoy writing about at any given time - as I tell other authors, the most successful AAR after all is the one which gets written!

Thus while I would never say never, I will note that an umprompted divergence into common life is improbable. However, were this to become of relevance to the plot, e.g., an origin factor leading to domestic agitation or colonial revolt, it would be more likely to see something like this being written as it becomes central to the driving narrative.

This being said I will assure you that looks at both the Belaire and Mongolican mysteries I do intend to resolve, in fact for both I have particular narrative breakpoints at which ~~all~~ some will be revealed, which we simply have not yet reached. All in good time, and such mysteries once revealed may or may not serve as a mirror into which the Legion gazes... ;)

Quote

All in all, keep up the good work, if you follow my suggestions that's awesome, if not I'm still going to read and enjoy it anyways, currently awaiting the conference to actually happen and I'm kinda hyped I guess.

Side note: found it interesting that the Legion also kinda looks like the one from New Vegas which everyone hates, except this time seems like it went with gender equality so the Caesar's Legion's vibes were weakened a bit, one less reason to hate it but come on, everyone knows NCR is superior and in aurora terms it looks like Invaders might resemble them in this campaign metaphorically - able to throw endless waves of soldiers everywhere and have long-ranged guns compared to Legion's railgun CQB.

So, that's all from me, awaiting new updates. :)

At the risk of scandalizing the readership I must confess being woefully unfamiliar with the Fallout series, New Vegas included.

This aside, your selection of references will be noted for future investigations, and aside from that I am nothing but pleased to have another reader aboard. While the enthusiasm some demonstrate for my work is surprising to say the least, I for one shall not complain and aim only to provide more of it.

On which note, let us now return to a rather less amicable forum and see how our Lords Admiral are getting on, shall we?

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 2: The Review of the Legion Navy (1/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 12, 2021, 10:26:20 AM

Lord Admiral Glycon Limos was first to take the floor, noting that the ratio of destroyers (eight) to cruisers (four) had been set largely for the purposes of ensuring adequate point defense capability for a Legion Navy battle fleet facing a missile-armed opponent of similar strength. However, while this had been a necessary concession due to the lack of point defense armament on the Defiant-class light cruisers the new Invincible-class light cruisers now mounted a point defense battery which could reduce, though not eliminate, the need for destroyers.
Lord Admiral Criasus responded, noting the validity of his colleague’s points in a general sense, but pointing out that battlefield experience had shown that a squadron of three Charybdis-class destroyers (plus jump vessel) was necessary to counterbalance the volume of light missile fire from a Belaire Slava-class escort cruiser. The same capability would require five or six Invincibles, three times the displacement of the destroyers to accomplish the same purpose. The assembly at large accepted the points of both Lords Admiral as valid considerations.
Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, famously the victor of the Battle of Gliese 1, raised a strong argument against the existing squadron composition requiring a jump-capable vessel in every squadron, noting that the Legion Navy fleets in practice fielded only about 80% of the firepower that their fleet tonnages would imply as a consequence of this doctrine. The Grand Cross-class light jump cruisers came under particular criticism, with an unfavorable comparison drawn with the much-maligned Belaire Kiev-class jump cruisers.
Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron concurred with the judgment of her subordinate, but noted for the benefit of the assembly that squadron-based jump tactics had been essential for the conquest of the Belaire home system, cautioning against rash, reactive action and advising that a measured, considered solution be sought.

Following the advice given at the beginning of the session, specific complaints about the Bellerophons, Hellfires, or any other specific ship classes were held for later sessions. With discussion points made to the satisfaction of the assembly, Lord High Admiral Macaria resumed his briefing, turning now to the discussion of each major warship class which had to date seen service with the Legion Navy:

On the Defiant-class Light Cruisers: “The primary battle role of the Defiant-class light cruiser is to close with the enemy and destroy them with an overwhelming volume of medium-caliber firepower. Its heavy armor enables a light cruiser squadron to serve as the spearpoint for an assault, escorted by destroyers and other support vessels.”

“As a light cruiser, the Defiant class is intended to be capable of independent operations against internal agitators as well as external raiding forces. To support this goal, the Defiants have been equipped with R-56 and more recently AR-56 reconnaissance craft to provide long-range scouting support. However, battle experience has shown that the point defense capability of the 152 mm railgun batteries is insufficient for truly independent cruiser operations.”

“As has been noted by Lord Admiral Chryson and others, the complete lack of armament aboard a Grand Cross-class jump cruiser represents a severe deficiency in the organization of our light cruiser squadrons.”

“The Defiant and Grand Cross classes are slated for replacement by the Invincible and Judgment Day classes, which address these deficiencies while increasing overall firepower which can be brought to bear.”

Aside from a few questions requesting clarification from the Lord High Admiral, no significant points of discussion were raised by the assembly regarding the Defiant class.

Off-Topic: Defiant class Light Cruiser • show

Off-Topic: Grand Cross class Light Jump Cruiser • show

Author’s Note: The ship design summaries presented in this chapter are reproduced from those in previous chapters, for the convenience of the reader, and no new technical data is presented.

On the various Reconnaissance Craft projects: The assembly did, on the other hand, have several comments on the efficacy of the various reconnaissance craft projects which had seen service in the field:

Several Lords Admiral successively expressed the opinion that while the R-56 and its derivatives were quite capable craft, opportunities to use them had been in practice quite limited, particularly prior to a battle as a fleet reconnaissance unit.
A severe split of opinion developed as to whether the passive sensor-equipped R-56 or the active sensor-equipped AR-56 Osprey class should be considered the primary reconnaissance craft of the Legion for practical purposes. Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, speaking for Survey Command, was of the opinion that the AR-56 had proven its versatility in the case of Operation Osprey which had led to the recovery of the survey frigate Adamant.
On the other hand, Lord Admiral Limos pointed out that the active sensor capabilities of the AR-56 were of no use in a combat situation, as the Legion Navy did not mount indirect fire capabilities on any class of warships.
At this, Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon of the Survey Corps interjected out of turn to inform Lord Admiral Limos that there were more naval operation types which a fleet should be capable of besides grand battle.
Lord Admiral Limos replied that while this was a true statement, the discussion at hand pertained to a battle fleet, and furthermore stated without citations that it was considered rude to interrupt a fellow officer while they had the floor.
Lord Admiral Agamemnon at this stage requested additional information regarding what Lord Admiral Limos intended to do about this.

At this point, the record indicates that several members of the Imperial Guard detachment were briefly engaged in maintaining order among the assembly. Following this, Lord Admiral Criasus announced a closure of the topic, indicating that the professional differences of opinion on the matter clearly indicated that the question was one of doctrinal review, and thus to be reserved for a later session.

An informal floor vote confirmed that the unanimous opinion of the Lords Admiral - this being a truly rare occurrence - was that the JR-1014 jump scouts were frankly terrible, strictly inferior to the Gatekeeper-class traffic monitors, and ought to be sold off for scrap. Eager to end on a positive note, Lord High Admiral Macaria quickly closed the discussion and moved on to the next segment of his briefing.

Off-Topic: Legion Navy Reconnaissance Craft • show

R-56 class Recon Fighter 250 tons 6 Crew 35.6 BP TCS 5 TH 25 EM 0
5008 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 3.34 Years MSP 20 AFR 50% IFR 0.7% 1YR 3 5YR 41 Max Repair 12.5 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 15,000 Litres Range 6 billion km (13 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

AR-56 Osprey class Recon Fighter 250 tons 6 Crew 39.5 BP TCS 5 TH 25 EM 0
5008 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 3 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 18.15 Years MSP 24 AFR 2% IFR 0.0% 1YR 0 5YR 2 Max Repair 16 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres Range 20.2 billion km (46 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Traffic Scanner (1) GPS 2400 Range 33.9m km Resolution 150

JR-1014 class Jump Scout 500 tons 14 Crew 73.2 BP TCS 10 TH 25 EM 0
2504 km/s JR 1-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 6 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 13.39 Years MSP 58 AFR 10% IFR 0.1% 1YR 1 5YR 9 Max Repair 16 MSP
Subcommander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Legion Gravitic Corps LG-10 Gravity Drive 'Dart' Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 1

Hyperion Drive Yards HF-25 Fighter Engine 'Erinys' (1) Power 25 Fuel Use 178.89% Signature 25 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 64,000 Litres Range 12.9 billion km (59 days at full power)

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Traffic Scanner (1) GPS 2400 Range 33.9m km Resolution 150
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

On the Charybdis-class Destroyers: “The primary battle role of the Charybdis-class destroyer is to escort a squadron of light cruisers, or any future class of heavier vessels, providing point defense fire to protect the primary firepower vessels from missile attack until the distance to the enemy has been closed. The defense batteries of this class are also capable of disabling or destroying smaller enemy vessels by sustained rapid fire, and as such may be used to intercept enemy light attack craft while serving in the escort role.”

“As previously noted by Lord Admiral Criasus, battle experience against a comparable enemy such as the Republic of Belaire Navy (the meeting minutes make note of derisive scoffing at this juncture) a squadron of three Charybdis are sufficient to defend against light missile fire from a single Slava-class escort cruiser, or against heavy missile fire from a pair of Kirov-class strike cruisers.”

Aside from clarifying questions, the only noteworthy comment brought to the floor at this juncture was made by Lord Admiral Chryson, who wished to point out that despite an armor thickness only two-thirds that of the Defiant class, the Charybdis class had proven remarkably survivable, able to receive hits from over one hundred light missile or a full laser broadside from the Belaire Sovremenny class and remain structurally intact. In general, the consensus from the assembly was that in spite of several battle losses the class had proven entirely successful compared to its design basis.

Off-Topic: Charybdis class Destroyer • show

Off-Topic: Furious class Jump Destroyer • show

On the Bellerophon-class Frigates: “The primary battle role of the Bellerophon-class frigate is to provide long-range sensor intelligence and support to a battle fleet based around a squadron of light cruisers or any future class of heavier vessels. In addition to general signals intelligence gathering, the Bellerophon class fills a key secondary role of providing long-range missile detection to provide enhanced targeting solutions to the point defense battery directors of Charybdis and other point defense-capable vessels in the fleet.”

“It has not escaped the notice of the Lords Admiral among others that the Bellerophon class has suffered by far the greatest rate of casualties out of all classes currently in Legion Naval service. It is the common opinion of the Lords Admiral and Captain that the Bellerophon class is undersized and under-armored relative to its intended role in the line of battle. This being noted, it is also the opinion of our battlefield commanders that the operational and tactical intelligence and support provided by the Bellerophon class has proven essential in numerous engagements and operations.”

“This class is not at this time slated for replacement, if for no other reason than the salient lack of any suitable replacement for its capabilities. However, it is considered clear and common knowledge that the doctrine which justifies the existence of the Bellerophon class must be at the very least significantly revised, if not rewritten in its entirety.”

As the reader might expect, despite the reservation of most discussion about this class for a future session there were a number of comments on the topic:

Lord Admiral Chryson once again submitted a comment to the assembly, suggesting that the Bellerophon class had been targeted primarily due to its small size and light armor, representing the easiest target to destroy for light weapons such as the magnetic defense cannons encountered in the Battle of Gliese 1. She noted that during that battle, Bellerophon was only targeted once she crossed into range of these light weapons, which would likely have been unable to destroy any larger or more heavily-armored target.
Notably, Lord Admiral Criasus granted special dispensation for Lord Captain Selene Styx to take the floor, being recognized as a subject matter expert. The Lord Captain pointed out two mitigating factors in response to Lord Admiral Chryson’s comment: first, that the firepower removed from battle by taking out a Bellerophon was minimal, and the Belaire Navy would have realized this after their first few defeats and adjusted their targeting accordingly, which they did not; second, that despite ample opportunities to do so the Belaire had never targeted an Excelsior-class jump frigate of the same tonnage class, even though the Excelsiors mounted an additional 102 mm railgun battery apiece compared to the Bellerophons and were arguably (slightly) more dangerous. Lord Captain Styx then drew the conclusion that the Bellerophons were targeted principally due to their large active sensors by enemies hoping to reduce the targeting ability of a Legion battle fleet.
Lord Admiral Criasus himself noted that while the battle record of the Bellerophon class was spotty, losses of that class had occurred chiefly due to (1) poor battle planning at the Battle of Gliese 1, which had seen heavy losses suffered across the entire battle fleet, and (2) deployment as part of a jump point assault fleet, a role which the class lacked sufficient armor to adequately fulfill. Losses in Kuiper 79, when the class had accompanied the fleet for anti-missile work and not been detached prior to entering beam range of the Belaire Sovremennys was noted as a tactical error rather than a failing of the class itself. He thus put forth the conjecture that a fleet role could remain for the Bellerophon class or a close successor, but this role would necessarily have to be limited if not outright restrictive to preserve the vessels.
As this last comment had pushed into topics reserved for a future session, Lord High Admiral Macaria stated that further comments along the line of inquiry raised by Lord Admiral Criasus should be held at the present time.
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, based on her adjacent expertise as commander of the Logistics Corps, made note that Bad Omen had accounted for some losses of Belaire auxiliary vessels while serving in a surveillance role, indicating that the Bellerophon class had some capability in a commerce raiding role when relying on its powerful sensors to detect enemy convoy routes. No comment was made at this time about possible doctrinal implications of this, in deference to Lord High Admiral Macaria’s previous statement.
Once comments from the assembly had been exhausted, Lord Admiral Criasus recognized the Lady Imperator Ellen Scamander as a subject matter expert. The Lady Imperator summarized for the assembly how the design of the passive sensor arrays had been optimized to counter-detect alien vessels from beyond the range of their own active sensors. Scamander Corporation research engineers had determined based on the alien technologies encountered thus far that these sensors were not only capable of this, but in fact were over-powered by about one-third compared to what was necessary to defeat any known alien sensor types. Some flexibility therefore would exist for any hypothetical “Mark II” design of the Bellerophon class.

Off-Topic: Bellerophon class Frigate • show

Off-Topic: Excelsior class Jump Frigate • show

On the Hellfire-class Frigates: Prior to the presentation of this briefing segment, Lord Admiral Criasus exercised his authority as Speaker of the Assembly to rule that no comments, save questions for clarification, would be permitted during this segment due to the inflammatory nature of the subject. This ruling having been given, Lord High Admiral Macaria then gave his summary of the doctrinal role of the class:

“The primary battle role Hellfire-class frigate is to provide long-range gunnery support to a Legion Navy battle fleet engaged against an opponent with similarly long-ranged direct fire weapons, such as would otherwise preclude a full-speed charge into railgun range.”

As this was the entire summary, several members of the assembly immediately presented verbal accusations of partisanship and dereliction of duty, which cries were only silenced by an extended sequence of gavel-banging and threats of expulsion from the Speaker.

The comment period proceeded hardly much better:

Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus requested clarification as to whether battlefield circumstances had ever in fact precluded a full-speed charge into railgun range, to which Lord High Admiral Macaria replied, “Not to my knowledge, no.” At this the previous slate of accusations were once again presented by members of the assembly in a less formal fashion, this presentation carrying on for several minutes over the loud objections of the Speaker. Fortunately, a follow-on sequence of more muted objections from members of the Imperial Guard detachment had the desired effect.
The subsequent questioner, whose name has strangely been stricken from the record, requested clarification on why the class was named Hellfire rather than the arguably more appropriate name of Half-Ass. This request for clarification was not answered.
At this juncture, Lord Admiral Criasus declared the clarification period completed and requested that Lord High Admiral Macaria proceed to the next segment of his briefing.

Off-Topic: Hellfire class Frigate • show

On the Invincible-class Light Cruisers: “The Invincible-class light cruiser is intended as a direct upgrade and replacement of the Defiant class, and thus the former fills the same doctrinal role as the latter. Based on battlefield experience with the Defiant class, the Invincible class is armed with secondary batteries for point defense, enabling truly independent cruiser squadron operations against probable missile-wielding threats.”

“Of note, the Invincible class does not incorporate a fighter bay and therefore does not carry a R-56 or AR-56 reconnaissance fighter as part of its mission payload. Minimal fighter reconnaissance capability is provided by the Judgment Day-class light jump cruiser.”

“The Judgment Day class itself is armed with point defense batteries, thus rectifying a particular long-standing embarrassment. However, to accomplish this it has been necessary to reduce the armor thickness of the class by half compared to the Invincible class. Initial experience against the Republic of Belaire Navy has suggested that this is not a severe handicap in a jump point assault scenario, but this has not yet been established as a matter of conclusive fact.”

As the Invincible class had to this point seen limited combat action, few of the Lords Admiral had particular opinions to express during the discussion period - much to the relief of the Speaker of the Assembly:

Lord Admiral Chryson noted that the point defense battery armament of the class, while useful, would not be sufficient for a full cruiser squadron to defend itself from even one Slava-class escort cruiser, let alone a squadron of them, and therefore the concept of “independent operations” remained doubtful.
Lord Admiral Priapus raised the counter-point that while complete protection would not be possible with point defense batteries alone, contributions from the main 152 mm batteries along with the heavy armor of the class would allow an Invincible squadron to close the range with minimal damage against a Slava, affecting a net battlefield victory.
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, adjacent to both of these points, noted that while independent operations against a strong enemy fleet would be dangerous at best, convoy raiding against enemy flanks could prove a valuable service and would require sufficiently heavy armament to deal with light escorts, a role the Invincible class was therefore well-suited to.

Off-Topic: Invincible class Light Cruiser • show

Off-Topic: Judgment Day class Light Jump Cruiser • show

With this, the review of the Legion Navy proper was concluded, and a weary Lord Admiral Criasus ordered that the session be briefly adjourned for light refreshments.

----

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 2: The Review of the Legion Navy (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 12, 2021, 10:27:07 AM

Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, as commander of the Survey Fleet, was the next flag officer to brief the assembly, naturally on the status of Legion surveying efforts and doctrine. While this had hardly been the most anticipated briefing of the session, at this stage many of the Lords Admiral welcomed the presentation of what was expected to be a far from contentious subject, after the excitement of earlier discussions. Once again, excerpts are presented below:

On Legion Survey Fleet doctrine: “The Duranium Legion Survey Fleet seeks to accomplish three principal objectives. The first of these objectives is to discover the topography of the galactic jump point network, in particular the routes of travel between our own holdings and those of alien polities. The second of these objectives is to locate new rich sources of trans-Newtonian elements to support and grow the economy of the Legion. The third and final of these objectives is to maintain the security of the Legion’s borders through the detection of incursions made by vessels belonging to alien polities.”

“The Legion Survey Fleet operates two types of vessels to accomplish its objectives. The first two of these objectives are assigned to the Ars Magica classes of multi-purpose survey frigates. The third of these objectives is assigned to the Gatekeeper, and formerly Warden, classes of deep space traffic monitoring vessels.”

In a brief comment period, Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron noted that several survey vessels had been attacked and destroyed by hostile powers, and inquired candidly whether closer cooperation with the Legion Navy proper for reconnaissance and border defense could improve survey fleet effectiveness and reduce casualty rates. Lord High Admiral Antilochus was noncommittal in her response, noting that the Legion Navy after all had more than enough work to do as things presently stood.

On the Ars Magica-class Survey Frigates: “With regard to survey operations, the primary role of the Ars Magica-class survey frigate is twofold: one one hand, to carry out gravitational survey operations in unexplored star systems with the objective of uncovering new jump points in these systems; on the other hand, to carry out orbital mineral surveys of system bodies allowing the Legion high command to assess the industrial value of each system. The Ars Magica class therefore is designed to a multipurpose mission profile, and is equipped with both gravitational and geological survey sensor suites.”

“Operational experience in first contact situations has revealed that the lack of active sensing capabilities aboard the original Ars Magica class led to deficient intelligence-gathering capabilities, a formerly neglected component of the survey mission. The Mark II design has addressed this in addition to a general upgrade of the class propulsion systems to accelerate survey efforts and to improve the ability of the class to flee from hostile contacts.”

As the upgrade of the Ars Magica class was well-understood from previous discussions, few comments were offered at this juncture. However, the comments that were raised followed a common theme, stated first by Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus from the viewpoint of the Duratus Mining Corps who frankly inquired as to why multipurpose survey vessels were preferable to operating two specialized classes which might perform each task more efficiently. In a well-reasoned reply, Lord High Admiral Antilochus asserted that while specialized vessels could be more efficient once in-system, not every system required both missions to be performed, and the logistics of moving assets to where they were actually needed would in fact be less efficient in the grand scheme. A multipurpose vessel, she argued, was perhaps less efficient but always certain to be useful, thus being logistically efficient. The assembly at large concurred with the wisdom of the assessment, though some of the Lords Admiral remained unconvinced but did not choose to press the Lord High Admiral on this matter.

Off-Topic: Ars Magica Mk II class Survey Frigate • show

On the Gatekeeper-class Traffic Wardens: “With regard to survey operations, the primary role of the traffic warden vessel type is to provide active and passive monitoring of unsecured frontier jump points, most importantly providing early warning of hostile incursion to the Legion high command.”

“In practice, these vessels have served in a variety of roles beyond the intended mission profile, including reconnaissance, intelligence, and fleet auxiliary support roles. While this in some cases can be considered to detract from the intended mission as a survey fleet vessel, the good service given by these classes cannot be denied.”

“The Gatekeeper class in particular has been designed to rectify shortcomings of the original Warden-class design, including mounting a long-range active sensor in place of the targeting scanner used by the Warden class. More importantly, as the original Warden class required jump escort by the Ars Magica frigates, practical experience quickly showed that self-jump capability was necessary for logistical flexibility and this has been installed on the Gatekeeper-class traffic monitors.”

There were surprisingly a number of comments from the assembly:

Lord Admiral Limos, among a few others, noted that the displacement of the Gatekeeper class was one-third again over that of the preceding Warden class. A smaller vessel, he posited, ought to be able to maintain a similar performance profile while being less vulnerable to detection by enemy sensors.
On the other hand, Lord Admiral Chryson complained of the inherent limitations of an auxiliary-type scout vessel in terms of sensor payload and lack of electronic intelligence-gathering capability. While Lord High Admiral Antilochus pointed out in response that the traffic monitors were not, in fact, scout craft, further comments from the assembly made it clear that many in the Lords Admiralty held the opinion that they certainly ought to be scout craft at any rate.
Lord Admiral Agamemnon noted that the onboard cryogenic capacity of the traffic monitors had proven useful in both fleet and rescue operations, for the benefit of the assembly.
After a word of caution from Lord Admiral Criasus to refrain from discussing matters of doctrinal evolution, the comment period shortly came to a close.

Off-Topic: Gatekeeper class Traffic Monitor • show

To conclude her briefing, Lord High Admiral Antilochus provided the assembly with an overview of the Legion’s survey efforts to date:

Supplementary Material: Legion Galactic Map as of 21 May 4009 (https://i.imgur.com/tXvAuTY.png)

----

To conclude the Naval Review session, Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon briefed the assembly on the state of the Legion Industrial Command, responsible for colonization, logistical support, and resource extraction operations. As this was after all a Naval Conference, rather than an economic summit, Lord High Admiral Chalcon opted to forego a review of the numerous auxiliary and industrial ship classes currently in operation, a decision much lauded by his fellow Lords Admiral.

A man of few words, the Lord High Admiral briefly described an auxiliary fleet which had pursued a policy of steady, measured growth, most apparent in the increasing size of the Achelous and Obsidian classes of orbital platforms as available shipyard tonnage had expanded over time. In the near future, he said, the Legion would transition away from the current 80,000-ton standard for freighters and similar classes to a larger 120,000-ton standard allowing for 75,000 tons of cargo capacity per vessel.

The chief challenge faced by the Legion Industrial Command, according to the Lord High Admiral, was that of balancing the need for greater shipping speed against the need to conserve fuel stockpiles by using high-efficiency propulsion systems. Despite a concerted and heavy investment in extrasolar colonies, including multiple convoys servicing both Adamantine and Alpha Centauri colonies, no extrasolar Legion colony had yet eclipsed a population of ten million, chiefly attributed to the long distances these convoys had to traverse. As quicker engines would demand more fuel than the Legion’s present fragile equilibrium could provide, expansion of the fuel harvesting operation at Jupiter would be a necessary prerequisite to support further colonial expansion.

Having said all of this, once again the Lord High Admiral was forced to concede that this was after all a Naval Conference, and that the Lords Admiral at hand were chiefly concerned not with the minutiae of Industrial Command assets but rather the importance of these to Naval operations. To this end, Lord High Admiral Chalcon had also provided an annotated map of the Legion’s current colonial operations each of which would eventually require a sufficient frontier defense to be provided by the Legion Navy at large.

(https://i.imgur.com/7sL09BW.png)

In lieu of a more formal comment period, Lord Admiral Criasus opened the floor to a more open-ended discussion, seeking for the assembly to determine the tangible importance of the Legion’s logistical footprint. At this stage the discussion largely took on the form of identifying long-term potential challenges, which would be addressed in the later doctrinal sessions as considerations for the overall fleet organization and deployment:

Broadly, the Lords Admiral readily agreed that the extent of Legion territory which had to be defended was centered around, but not limited to, the Mongolica Loop as discovered in August of the previous year.
While one “end” of the Loop would be readily secured by expansion of the base in the Mongolica system itself, a large gap remained between Alpha Centauri and Devil’s Hand which left Sol itself somewhat open to potential enemy incursions. This was recognized to leave Devil’s Hand in particular vulnerable to being cut off logistically - a severe concern, given the as-yet undeciphered construct in that system which could yet prove to be of great value to the Legion.
The colonies in both Alpha Centauri and Adamantine served well to secure other chief access routes to both the Mongolica Loop and to Sol itself, and thus should continue to be expanded and fortified as feasible.
A group of Lords Admiral championed by Lord High Admiral Antilochus were strongly in favor of establishing a “Kuiper-style” command post in the Kruger 60 system to secure the gap in the Mongolica Loop and to control the supply route to Devil’s Hand. While this struck many among the assembly as a reasonable plan, some members of the assembly expressed concerns as to the logistical feasibility of establishing yet another operational base, although even these conceded that such a base would be a useful point from which to launch an offensive against the Eta Cassiopeiae Mongolicans.

Carefully avoided in all discussions amongst the assembly was the topic of the pressing economic struggle still afflicting the Duranium Legion. Most pressingly, while supplies of duranium and gallicite had been comfortably augmented by salvage recovery from Belaire shipwrecks, corundium supplies continued to be scarce which severely limited the ability of the Legion economic planners to construct additional mining infrastructure with which to solve this conundrum. Ultimately, a solution to this problem would not be forthcoming from the Lords Admiralty at least for the time being.

With the quite exhaustive business of the Naval Review thus completed, Lord Admiral Criasus dismissed the assembly for the day, after issuing a stern word of caution against instigating any bar fights over the Hellfire class or indeed any other subject of contention. Perhaps due to the strenuous nature of the day’s session, to say nothing of the solemn ceremony which had preceded it, the Lords Admiral for once did not greatly struggle to follow such an order. Thus concluded the first day of the Naval Conference.

----

OOC Notes: Finally we have a full review of the Legion Navy as it stands having recently defeated the last major Belaire fleet and seized control of the Belaire home system. I hope you are all satisfied, at over 9,000 words requiring two posts to fully present this should meet any demand for exacting detail and hubristic Lords Admiral commentary the readership could possibly make of me - though as I have been known to be wrong on occasion, I shall endeavor to satisfy any additional specific request which is within the realm of reason. Granted, some 3,000 of those words are buried in the statblocks, but even so this remains the wordiest update to date.

As an aside I will note the change in presentation of the statblocks, while some do enjoy perusing the ship designs I do hope collapsing these under the off-topic tags helps with the overall flow of the post and perhaps preserves the scroll wheels of your mice.

With this out of the way, everything is in place to begin several days of well-reasoned, professional, and utmostly respectful debate about the future of the Legion Navy. Surely nothing will go wrong.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: kingflute on May 12, 2021, 11:06:40 AM

Should I be imagining the Legion high command's members as being akin to Blackadder's General Melchit?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on May 12, 2021, 03:54:09 PM

Well written and formated posts. Organizational chart (nice icons representing the ships) and clear galactic map are welcomed additions. Overall very enjoyable and I am looking forward to continuation of the Naval Conference.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 12, 2021, 10:53:09 PM

Quote from: kingflute on May 12, 2021, 11:06:40 AM

Should I be imagining the Legion high command's members as being akin to Blackadder's General Melchit?

You certainly may. I say this regrettably being unaware of who this is, exactly, but being fairly certain that he must be an apt point of reference by the very mention.

Quote from: Black on May 12, 2021, 03:54:09 PM

Well written and formated posts. Organizational chart (nice icons representing the ships) and clear galactic map are welcomed additions. Overall very enjoyable and I am looking forward to continuation of the Naval Conference.

Amidst the sea of those clamoring for violence and drama, it is nice to encounter readers who admire that which is truly important in life, this being the sublime pleasures of organizational minutiae. Your approval is thus much appreciated.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on May 14, 2021, 01:22:58 AM

Truly a comprehensive pair of updates to cover a most interesting first day of the conference and that is not a phrase you hear often, certainly not sincerely.

I am now deeply suspicious of Lord Captain Criasus, he appears to be a fan of future-space-PowerPoint and to have views on the tastefulness, or otherwise, of aspect ratios. A man to watch, but only from a safe distance.

Quote

Tellingly, none of the Legion’s three currently-active battle fleets was actually organized in this manner at the time of the Naval Conference.

I would have been more shocked if anyone was actually following the Legion doctrine manual.

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Lord Admiral Agamemnon at this stage requested additional information regarding what Lord Admiral Limos intended to do about this.

This entire exchange was just wonderful.

Mildly surprised the JR-1014s are getting scrapped, surely hurling them through jump points so they at least gather knowledge would be more in keeping with Legion thinking. Yes it is a suicide mission for the crews, but it is not like anyone in the Admiralty has cared about such things before.

The discussion around the Bellerophon was somewhat limited, I suppose changes in tactics and doctrine could improve their chances of survival but just adds more staff work for the fleet officers trying to use the things. I must also express my concern that a Mk.II with smaller sensors would be a mistake, extra detection range is always valuable and we cannot expect alien technology to stand still or for future foes to have the same technology as our current opponents. A destroyer sized vessel with the same sensors and the extra space devoted to armour and more rail guns remains the best medium term solution.

Some excellent "clarifications" in the Hellfire debate, I await the full discussion with interest.

The dream of independent cruiser squadron operations appears to remain a dream, the ongoing discussion of raiding also appears a hard idea to kill. Both ideas seem to rely on the enemy leaving key Jump Points un-guarded so the Legion can break into rear areas and wreak havoc, as I see it there are two problems with this. 1. It does rely on the enemy being very co-operative and making basic mistakes. 2. If the key jump points are un-guarded, why not just send in a main fleet? Something for discussion in the doctrine sessions I suggest.

I am sure that Admiral Antilochus' indifference to her survey crew's chances of survival have made her deeply popular in the Survey Fleet. I am slashing the odds on her being the next senior Legion officer to have a tragic accident.

Some excellent industrial ostriching from the Legion towards the end, managing to avoid discussion on any of the mineral problems facing the Empire. If nothing else the problems with fuel and gallicite supply should influence doctrinal discussion - if those factors are the limit then does the Legion want a few fast ships or a greater number of slower ships. Yet through great skill they have avoided facing such hard questions so they have more time to argue about the Hellfire. Top work.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 16, 2021, 09:16:54 AM

Quote from: El Pip on May 14, 2021, 01:22:58 AM

I am now deeply suspicious of Lord Captain Criasus, he appears to be a fan of future-space-PowerPoint and to have views on the tastefulness, or otherwise, of aspect ratios. A man to watch, but only from a safe distance.

Indeed, this is why I always sit in the back rows at conferences, myself. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

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Mildly surprised the JR-1014s are getting scrapped, surely hurling them through jump points so they at least gather knowledge would be more in keeping with Legion thinking. Yes it is a suicide mission for the crews, but it is not like anyone in the Admiralty has cared about such things before.

The Lords Admiral to whom your comment has been forwarded are confused. What else could be meant by "scrapping"? :P

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The discussion around the Bellerophon was somewhat limited, I suppose changes in tactics and doctrine could improve their chances of survival but just adds more staff work for the fleet officers trying to use the things. I must also express my concern that a Mk.II with smaller sensors would be a mistake, extra detection range is always valuable and we cannot expect alien technology to stand still or for future foes to have the same technology as our current opponents. A destroyer sized vessel with the same sensors and the extra space devoted to armour and more rail guns remains the best medium term solution.

Speaking as the estimable historian, it would appear that the Bellerophon debate being considerably less contentious the major part of the Lords Admiral were content to save the major part of the ~~mudslinging~~ ~~fistfighting~~ discussion for the appropriate session

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The dream of independent cruiser squadron operations appears to remain a dream, the ongoing discussion of raiding also appears a hard idea to kill. Both ideas seem to rely on the enemy leaving key Jump Points un-guarded so the Legion can break into rear areas and wreak havoc, as I see it there are two problems with this. 1. It does rely on the enemy being very co-operative and making basic mistakes. 2. If the key jump points are un-guarded, why not just send in a main fleet? Something for discussion in the doctrine sessions I suggest.

This I shall not comment on, save to observe in a coincidental manner how fortunate it is that the very next session is a doctrinal session.

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I am sure that Admiral Antilochus' indifference to her survey crew's chances of survival have made her deeply popular in the Survey Fleet. I am slashing the odds on her being the next senior Legion officer to have a tragic accident.

Lord High Admiral Antilochus would perhaps phrase it not as indifference, but rather as turf protection. The survey role may be dangerous but whose who perform it also see it as glorious, certainly the exploits of famous survey frigates such as Adamant make for excellent recruitment material. Allowing the unwashed masses of "normal" Navy men to share in this glory could certainly be said to be intolerable. Intolerable to whom? the rank and file survey fleet crew members might ask.

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Some excellent industrial ostriching from the Legion towards the end, managing to avoid discussion on any of the mineral problems facing the Empire. If nothing else the problems with fuel and gallicite supply should influence doctrinal discussion - if those factors are the limit then does the Legion want a few fast ships or a greater number of slower ships. Yet through great skill they have avoided facing such hard questions so they have more time to argue about the Hellfire. Top work.

It is always important to have the correct priorities. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 3: Session on New Naval Doctrine (1/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 27, 2021, 11:10:11 AM

The transition to Invincible-class light cruisers forced a reduction of the fighter complement from four to one, with the AR-56 Osprey selected to replace the venerable R-56 in this fleet organization. Were this doctrinal approach to be maintained, the loss of fighter reconnaissance would likely not be too deeply felt, due to the long-ranged sensor capabilities of the Bellerophon class (likely a Mk II variant).
Doctrinally, the detachment of the frigate squadron in any close-range beam combat scenario would be formalized to preserve the numbers of Bellerophons in service.
Similarly, the existing policy of Hellfire squadron attachment as specialist units rather than regular fleet units would be formalized as well, this being in addition to the de facto status quo a compromise position between the Hellfire advocates (who wished the class to continue in service as a Mk II variant) and the opposition (who wished to limit the role of the class so as not to supplant railgun-centric doctrines).
The effect of transitioning to the Invincible class would improve point defense, but not offensive firepower in terms of the number of 152 mm batteries brought to bear. Thus, the Mark II plan would offer no meaningful increase in firepower over the original fleet organization of 1 Jan 4000.
As a thought experiment, a “Mark II-B” plan consisting of two light cruiser squadrons escorted by a single destroyer squadron and the same frigate squadron could be proposed. The main idea of such a concept, the Lord Admiral explained, was to show that the same point defense capability could be maintained for a single fleet while doubling offensive firepower. In practice, of course, this ratio of light cruisers to destroyers would be entirely impractical, and the plan was not to be seriously considered.

Little discussion was raised from the assembly, as of course all present were familiar with existing Legion Naval doctrine and the various teams were more eager to finalize their own proposals than spend time discussing the doctrinal relics of the past. Therefore, from 0830 to 0945 team meetings were held to finalize proposals, followed by a brief break during which light refreshments were served ahead of the actual presentations.

----

1000: Presentations of Initial-Stage Legion Navy Doctrinal Proposals

As the members of the assembly resumed their session having been suitably refreshed, Lord Admiral Criasus called the assembly to order and issued instructions for the upcoming presentations. Each team in turn would briefly present their proposed doctrine and fleet organization, summarizing the key elements and any particularly noteworthy divergences from existing doctrine. After this a brief comment period would be allowed, similarly to how the previous day’s session had proceeded. Lord Admiral Criasus was quite emphatic, given the strong opinions regarding certain classes of vessel, that the comment period was to be restricted to broad doctrinal topics without any assessment of the value of individual ship classes. These would be considered in the following days, after which a final session would see the finalization of the future Naval doctrine incorporating the results of those sessions.

The first team to present their initial doctrinal proposal consisted of:

Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus, Training High Command
Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, Survey Command
Lord Admiral Glycon Limos, Duratus Naval Corps
Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus, Cmdt. Duratus Military Academy

These four Lords Admiral collectively represented the most conservative elements of the Legion Navy, and as such presented a doctrinal proposal aimed at addressing the most salient concerns raised in the previous day’s Naval Review session, but otherwise diverging as little as possible from established Navy practices which had after all proven quite successful.

(https://i.imgur.com/pmPuAY8.png)

The so-called Conservative Team highlighted several points to demonstrate that serious thought had gone into their proposal besides determining how to do the least amount of work:

By replacing the Bellerophon squadron with a second light cruiser squadron, overall fleet firepower was increased compared to the original fleet organization of 1 Jan 4000. Due to the introduction of the versatile Invincible class, this was accomplished with an improvement in point defense capability as well.
The pair of destroyer squadrons would be maintained as previously, having proven eminently capable and quite necessary against large missile-armed fleets.
It had been noted in the discussion on fighter reconnaissance during the Naval Review that while the fighters were useful in theory - and admittedly in practice - opportunities for their use had proven elusive and in most cases the tonnage used to mount fighter bays on the Defiant class could have been better used. As only the Judgment Day class possessed such facilities, the pair of cruiser squadrons ensured that both passive and active reconnaissance capability would be present, without compromising the combat ability of the Invincible class.
Both the Bellerophon and Hellfire classes were to be relegated to attachment-only roles, with no designated place in the standard fleet organization. This would ensure that the basic Legion battle fleet was optimized for combat ability, while maintaining the frigate squadrons as supporting forces when necessary during a given campaign.
The 3+1 formula of combat and jump ships was maintained from existing doctrine. This was done primarily to ensure operational flexibility, i.e., to ensure that a Legion battle fleet could transit a jump point regardless of whether it had been previously stabilized. Lord Admiral Limos noted that this would have a secondary benefit of ensuring as seamless of a transition as possible between the old and new doctrines, as the change could be affected in practice by simply replacing the frigate squadrons (these barely being extant in any case) with new cruiser squadrons as they were commissioned.

This proposal being rather far from groundbreaking, the discussion of the comment period was not particularly extensive, certainly the following proposals would generate considerably more interest. In the main, the remaining Lords Admiral of the assembly expressed the general sense that the proposal was sound enough, and certainly addressed the most pressing failures of previous battles, but was otherwise uninspiring and hardly even an evolutionary step for the Legion Navy. Among others, Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron questioned whether this proposal might encourage stagnation of the Legion Naval establishment, this being a salient concern for many among the assembly who feared to be found resting on their laurels by a future opponent.

Not unnoticed, however, was a crucial change made in a proposal which had otherwise abhored change, this being the realignment of the Hellfire squadrons to include organic jump capability, thus reducing the actual beam firepower of the squadrons. Leading the objections was Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus, who noted that the full firepower of four Hellfires had been proven crucial in previous engagements to fully overpower the Belaire beam cruisers, and that reducing this firepower would likely have caused greater damage and even losses of railgun-armed vessels to the surviving Sovremennys. Lord Admiral Priapus countered this comment rather less than diplomatically, stating that as every other ship class in the Legion Navy had been successful while fighting in jump-capable squadrons, the Hellfire class ought to be held to the same standards. At this, both Lord Admiral Abderus as well as Lord Grand Admiral Argyron retorted with sincere questions regarding the fitness of Lord Admiral Priapus for his rank. Seeking to pacify the quarrelsome factionalists, Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus interjected, noting that while the opinion of his colleague was not entirely without rational basis, the intention had been to bring the Hellfire squadrons into line with existing doctrine with regards to jump capability and the resulting operational flexibility, noting that an updated version of the class would likely address any firepower concerns derived from previous experiences. At this, Lord Admiral Criasus thanked the Lord Grand Admiral for his statesmanlike composure and instructed the assembly to move along.

Taking a tangent to the previous discussion, Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson questioned whether the addition of a cruiser squadron was sufficient to make up for the firepower deficit incurred by an adherence to jump-capable squadron doctrine. Lord Admiral Limos suggested that this was likely to be the case, given that previous Legion fleets had certainly not felt a lack of firepower. Additionally, commenting from the assembly Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia noted that the point defense fire available from the Judgment Day class would ensure that it was not dead weight in a battle, unlike the Grand Cross class of which Lord Admiral Chryson’s hatred was well known.

Aside from a few final requests for clarification, this concluded the presentation of the first initial doctrinal proposal. Lord Admiral Criasus thus instructed that the assembly move on to consider the second proposal, presented by the firebrand team of:

Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria, Home Fleet Command
Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon, Industrial Command
Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, Construction Corps

From this team certainly a bombastic idea was expected, and the presented proposal did not disappoint. While not differing in spirit too greatly from the conservative doctrine proposed by the previous team, this proposal sought to address the question of sufficient firepower by means of introducing the first capital ship class in Legion Naval history, a 20,000-ton heavy cruiser class which would be armed with 203 mm railgun batteries to easily overpower any opponent the Legion Navy could conceive of fighting.

(https://i.imgur.com/AO3JZJN.png)

Author’s Note: The label “ex.” here indicates an “experimental” ship class, which at this time would not have even begun development beyond conceptual sketches (the designation as “experimental” in this case may be considered optimistic), and as such would not have yet received a formal letter designation from which ship names could be taken.

Appropriately, this team would become known as the Capital Ship Team after the centerpiece of their doctrinal proposal. The Capital Ship Team highlighted a number of further points they considered relevant, notably in contrast to the preceding proposal of the Conservative Team:

The key distinction, naturally, would be the squadron of 20,000-ton heavy cruisers (plus jump cruiser) forming the core of the battle fleet. These would be competitive with ships similar to the Belaire Kirov-class strike cruiser, though still a bit undersized compared to the 27,000-ton Mongolican Timurad-class battlecruisers.
Aside from heavy firepower, the major impact of the heavy cruiser squadron would be to redefine the roles of the Invincible-class light cruisers. While these would still maintain independent operational capabilities and deliver significant close-range firepower in battle, the light cruiser role in a full battle fleet would be that of a heavy escort to preserve the superior heavy cruisers.
The destroyer squadron role would not change much in the positive sense, however under the capital ship doctrine the role would be formally constrained to an escort and point defense role, whereas light cruiser squadrons would be formally considered a detachable asset to carry out secondary missions such as commerce raiding.
As an additional doctrinal change, the proposed 20,000-ton class of jump cruisers would be commanded by a Lord Captain, making clear the overall command of a battle fleet as the number of Captain-commanded cruisers doubled and also providing opportunities for Lord Captains to lead from the front lines rather than in administrative roles as had been the case for the Invasion of Belaire.

Naturally, as the heavy cruiser concept was not only a new ship design but an entirely new class, many of the assembly members were curious as to how such a ship might look. This interest had been anticipated, and Lord Admiral Chryson presented an abstracted conceptual design suggesting what the key characteristics might be:

Experimental Heavy Cruiser Proposal
20,000 tons 600 crew 1016 mm (8x127 mm) Composite Armor Captain, Executive Officer
4000-ton Heavy Cruiser Engine (2) 5000 km/s Range 20 billion km
203 mm Heavy Weapons Battery (10x4) Range 160,000 km ROF 15 sec
102 mm Defense Battery Mk IV (10x4) Range 40,000 km ROF 5 sec

Shockingly, at least to the members of the capital ship team, there was significant pushback from the Lords Admiral against this new concept of a heavy cruiser class. This pushback was roughly delineated, albeit not chronologically during the comment period, into three generalized categories of, speaking politely, feedback:

First and least concerningly, several comments were made concerning the design proposal itself, which were by far the most welcomed parts of the larger discussion. Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia expressed some concern regarding the number and size of engines proposed, suggesting that while mounting more smaller engines might be less fuel and therefore space-efficient the benefits of smaller explosion risks and generally an increase in redundant capability in battle would improve the practical battle record of the class. Other Lords Admiral readily concurred, as while this point had not been considered to date the loss of half a ship’s propulsion from a single penetrating shot had often hampered the Legion Navy in battles. Several other Lords Admiral disagreed as to the number and type of guns which should be mounted, with most recommending an increase in heavy batteries at the expense of the defense batteries or vice versa. Notably, Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus suggested that the promise of “heavy firepower” would better be suited by using half-size 152 mm batteries in place of the 102 mm defence guns, which would permit the rapid fire necessary for point defense while providing an overall far more powerful secondary battery. While intriguing to some, this idea was broadly panned with Lord High Admiral Macaria accusing Lord Admiral Abderus of completely misunderstanding how “point defense” was supposed to work.

The second, and by far most numerous, category of comments were however those dismissing the idea of a heavy cruiser class entirely. The comments made by Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron can be considered representative of this sentiment; a larger ship class would be expensive, time-consuming to build, logistically-demanding particularly in terms of shipyard and maintenance requirements, and did not seem to offer any tangible advantages over a light cruiser-sized hull, which had already proven highly survivable in the face of enemy fire. If more firepower was truly necessary, there was no reason why heavier weapons could not be mounted on an Invincible-type hull instead. Against this comment particularly, Lord High Admiral Macaria fired back, observing that the objective of the Legion Navy was not merely to be “survivable” but rather to achieve total dominance in battle. In his view, a heavy, well-protected capital ship would be capable of bringing that dominance to the battlefield, particularly against a more capable opponent than the hapless Belaire Navy had been. After the Lord Grand Admiral had retorted by accusing her subordinate of being more concerned about phallic symbology than practical performance, Lord Admiral Criasus was forced to step in and end this line of discussion, which nevertheless resurfaced several more times throughout the comment period - usually with a more subdued tone being taken.

A final set of viewpoints expressed on the heavy cruiser proposal were those of a minority who questioned whether the 203 mm railgun batteries truly represented “heavy firepower” being only an incremental upgrade over the 152 mm batteries in terms of damage output. Particularly, a trio of Lords Admiral, led in spirit by Lord Grand Admiral Argyron and including Lords Admiral Abderus and Hydra, expressed the opinion that a true heavy weapon would be an upgraded particle beam cannon of some sort. Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra put forth one of the more well-reasoned arguments along these lines, noting that if the railgun-armed destroyers and light cruisers were to serve in an escort role it would make sense for the capital ships of a fleet to deliver long-range firepower to cripple an enemy force, preserving the escorts until mopping-up duty was called for. Lord High Admiral Macaria’s response to this logic, not fit for printing, was it suffices to say on the opposite end of the rationality scale. Seeking as much to prevent a brawl on the Conference floor as to provide a rational counterpoint, Lord Admiral Chryson interjected ostensibly seeking to “clarify” her superior officer’s comments. On one hand, she noted, the particle beam concept was still while not untested considered unproven by the major part of the Lords Admiralty, and the inaugural capital ship class of the Legion Navy should be reliant on well-proven technologies. On the other hand, the core fighting doctrine of the Legion Navy called for closure to close range, an approach notably well-suited for challenging jump point assaults into the teeth of the enemy, and particle beams were at the present time considered ancillary, at most, to this central doctrine. At this, Lord Admiral Criasus hurriedly thanked his comrade in arms for her valuable contribution, and recommended that the comment session proceed towards another topic.

This recommendation was taken by Lord Grand Admiral Argyron, but not in the manner which the Speaker had hoped. Following from the previous discussion, though assuredly on a separate tack, the Lord Grand Admiral inquired as to the conspicuous absence of Hellfire squadrons in the selection of attachment-only squadron types which was thus limited to Bellerophon squadrons only. Once again, Lord High Admiral Macaria responded, stating that while the Hellfire class had proven occasionally useful in combat, it was certainly not necessary and the advent of a heavy cruiser class which could confidently advance against enemy beam fire would render the Hellfire unnecessary in any case. After the Lord Grand Admiral replied indicating that she could hardly see how a 20,000-ton phallic symbol was anything but unnecessary, the Lord High Admiral offered to assist his superior officer by demonstrating the necessity of a phallic symbol, at which point the record appears to indicate that a brief period of unrest among the assembly was settled by the peacekeeping actions of the Imperial Guard detachment.

Following these peacekeeping actions, Lord Admiral Criasus called the comment session to a close and invited the next team to present their initial doctrinal proposal. Based on the roster for the next team to present, the reader can understand why this was not expected to go well:

Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron, Fleet High Command
Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus, Mining Corps
Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra, Terraforming Corps

This team in fact consisted of the Legion Navy’s foremost particle beam advocates, and thus the basis of their doctrinal proposal, though couched in weaseling terms of “mixed armaments”, surprised absolutely no members of the assembly.

(https://i.imgur.com/Rsdpzb0.png)

While this team would likely have preferred to be known as the “Mixed Armaments Team”, in practice they quickly picked up the more controversial moniker of the “Beam Team”, along with one or two less savory names once again not fit for print. Despite vociferous opposition to the unveiling of their beam-centric doctrinal plan, the Beam Team soldiered onward, attempting to provide additional points of emphasis for the consideration of the less rabidly-opposed members of the assembly:

From the outset, Lord Admiral Abderus attempted to head off the harshest dissenters by indicating that, while her team strongly believed in the doctrinal concept being proposed, the controversial position of the Hellfire class in the present-day Legion Navy establishment was well known, and the proposal being presented was intended to provide an alternative viewpoint for consideration in the later discussions rather than as a thorough upending of Legion Naval tradition.
Lord Admiral Hydra additionally noted that the proposed battle fleet organization was not a novel contribution, as in fact First Fleet had fought at least one major engagement using the same basic configuration aside from the type of light cruiser used in the battle.
The bulk of the presentation duties fell to Lord Grand Admiral Argyron, herself by now no stranger to the limelight of controversy. The chief rationale behind formalizing a particle beam-based doctrine, she stated, was to ensure that a Legion battle fleet was prepared to fight any enemy at a moment’s notice, whereas the present Bellerophon-including fleet pattern retained a weakness against enemy long-ranged beam firepower. Future enemies, she pointed out, could not be presumed to have only a few beam cruisers mixed among missile-armed ships, and the capability to counter a beam-heavy enemy fleet without having to retreat towards reinforcements was critical to hold frontier systems.
Additionally, the Lord Grand Admiral brought attention to a proposed new class of specialized warships, the beam monitor class. These would be cruiser-sized warships mounting the heaviest particle beams the Priapus Energetics Laboratory could design, with the aim of providing heavy beam fire support on a heavily-armored hull against particularly challenging targets. In contrast to the heavy cruisers of the previous proposal, she noted, these monitors would represent an actual new capability rather than simply a bigger gun on a bigger hull.
Finally, noting that particle beam warships were not well-suited to a jump point assault, the Beam Team had designed the Hellfire and beam monitor squadrons without a dedicated jump vessel, as outside of a jump point assault mission these ships would be adequately transported through jump points by a Judgment Day-class jump cruiser or similar.

As the Beam Team concluded their presentation, Lord Admiral Criasus quickly raised a point of interest, hoping to lead by example and set a positive tone for the comment period. He noted that the proposed beam monitor class, aside from any other uses, would likely be of great help in assaulting a heavily-defended planet such as Belaire Prime, since it could be used to eliminate surface-based gun emplacements without closing to point-blank range and risking effective return fire.

Surprisingly, the Conference records indicate that the reaction of the assembly at large to this proposal was markedly subdued, with relatively few heated objections raised. The records also rather conspicuously note the presence of the Imperial Guard detachment in close quarters among the assembly, likely a preemptive deployment wisely ordered by the Lords General commanding the detachment. Amusingly, Lord High Admiral Macaria is recorded at having stood and prepared to deliver a particularly bombastic comment, but is only recorded as having thanked the Beam Team for their interesting proposal; it seems likely that the Lord High Admiral had noticed the positioning of the Imperial Guards and chose to revise his comment in the moment.

This is not to say that no substantial comments were made. Lord Admiral Chryson noted, perhaps with tongue in cheek, that the suggested beam monitor class would likely be expensive, time-consuming to build, logistically-demanding particularly in terms of shipyard space which would be diverted from building main-line light cruisers at the same tonnage mark, and did not seem to offer any tangible advantages over a frigate-sized hull. Lord Grand Admiral Argyron responded by pointing out that the monitor squadron would be an optional attachment used only for special mission profiles, thus would require a far lesser investment of resources than, for example, a large heavy cruiser fleet. At this juncture, Lord Admiral Criasus noted the subtext of this exchange and recommended that the points raised by both speakers be considered in the later discussions and proposals.

Perhaps the most insightful comment was received from Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia of the Logistics Corps, who first inquired as to whether this proposal, appearing to call for a four-Hellfire squadron in every battle fleet, would require a significant increase in Hellfire production. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, she pointed out that particle beam weapons required a nontrivial mass of corundium to produce, this being currently the most stressed resource stockpile for the Legion economy, and attempting to massively increase Hellfire production while also building up a beam monitor force would likely stress these stockpiles beyond the current mining capacity of the Legion. Lord Admiral Abderus, despite being an originator of the mixed armaments plan, was forced to concede this point as commander of the Mining Corps, marking a rare moment of humility amidst the chaos and controversy of the day’s debates.

On this note, Lord Admiral Criasus was glad to order the fourth and final doctrinal proposal team to present their ideas, confident that nothing could be more controversial than a Hellfire-based proposal. This confidence was unfounded.

The fourth doctrinal team consisted of:

Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon, Training Command
Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon, Survey Corps
Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus, Training Corps
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, Logistics Corps

These four proposed what would turn out to be the most drastic revision of Legion Naval doctrine yet presented. In fact, the very concept of a doctrinal fleet organization would be completely eschewed in favor of a so-called “modular fleet system”, under which a battle fleet would consist of no permanent organization except for a command squadron providing command, control, and reconnaissance capabilities, while every other squadron-level asset would be hand-selected for the specific mission at hand. It would take several minutes for the uproar among the assembly to be calmed down, fortunately only requiring the threat of Imperial Guard intervention as motivation.

(https://i.imgur.com/PsR479Y.png)

With order restored, the team quickly set about offering justification and defense for their highly novel modular fleet concept:

The modular fleet doctrine, explained by Lord High Admiral Makedon, had two principal goals. The first of these was to reflect the way Legion Navy battle fleets had been organized and used in practice, rather than trying to prescribe a new doctrinal organization which may or may not actually be followed in practice. As in practice, Legion Navy fleets had seen their composition varied based on mission profile and ship availability, formalizing this variance in doctrine seemed a good, adaptive solution.
The second goal was to address the weakness of jump vessels in squadron composition. To this end, the modular fleet doctrine would collect jump-capable assets in a separate pool of ships to be assigned to a fleet as necessary to carry out a jump point assault. For normal jump transit into uncontested space, the new command cruiser class would provide standard jump transit capability for the fleet.
This brought up the new class, which was presented chiefly by Lord Admiral Agamemnon. The concept of the Command and Control Squadron was to serve as the permanent “core” of a battle fleet, providing not only jump capability but also long-range sensor capabilities and reconnaissance assets, which could be deployed or held in reserve depending on the mission requirements - notably, this would explicitly encode in Legion Naval doctrine the Bellerophon class as a reconnaissance asset which should not be engaged in a pitched battle, preventing the sort of losses seen in previous encounters. The command cruiser class itself was roughly sketched out as follows:

Experimental Command Cruiser Proposal
20,000 tons 500 crew 762 mm (6x127 mm) Composite Armor
Hangar Deck Capacity 500 tons
Captain, Executive Officer, Chief Engineer, Flag Officer
2000-ton Fleet Cruiser Engine (4) 5000 km/s Range 20 billion km
Fleet Gravity Drive Max Ship Size 20000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Fleet Long-Range Array Range 102m km Resolution 7500 tons
Fleet High-Resolution Array Range 41.3m km Resolution 500 tons
Fleet Missile Warning Array Range 19.1m km Resolution 50 tons Missile Detection Range 1,723k km
Fleet RF Wave Array Nominal Range 67.1m km
Fleet Infrared Array Nominal Range 67.1m km

An additional impetus for the design of a command cruiser class was to provide a platform for Lord Captains to command fleets in battle at the tactical level, in a similar manner to the proposed heavy jump cruiser class advocated by the Capital Ship Doctrine but on a considerably less incapable platform.
Lord Admiral Pandia briefly discussed the logistics of the proposal. On one hand, the Legion Navy’s stock of jump-capable ships would need to be upgraded to be capable of jumping four combat vessels in a squadron transit to carry out jump point assaults, although in the near term this could be handled by temporarily disrupting the squadron organization to create ad-hoc groups of three combat ships.
On the other hand, the modular fleet team had anticipated some pushback against the lack of organic jump-capable assets in a battle fleet. Lord Admiral Pandia noted that in practice, the Legion Navy had never - and was unlikely to have ever - conducted a jump point assault without an extended planning and preparation period, which would in practice allow ample time to redeploy jump assets as needed for these rare and special missions. As the command cruiser provided standard fleet jump capabilities, fleet mobility would in practice be unhindered in any realistic tactical situation.
Finally, Lord Admiral Aleus presented an additional major advantage of the modular fleet doctrine, pertaining to fleet training. Previously, Legion Navy practice had been to engage in fleet training exercises on the fleet level only, leading to disparate outcomes where come ship crews would be fully-trained while other crews on more recently-commissioned vessels would require much additional training. The modular fleet doctrine would allow training exercises to be run chiefly on the squadron level, ensuring that ship crews would have much more uniform levels of experience across the fleet while not wasting time over-training experienced crews aboard older vessels.

The fourth and final team had clearly anticipated many counterarguments to their highly novel proposal, and their presentation had been easily the longest and most rigorous of the morning session. Even so, the members of the assembly had no difficulty finding areas of commentary to explore in a stimulating discussion period.

Surprisingly, the Lords Admiral were generally approving of the command cruiser concept, in large part due to the abiding interest in placing the Lords Captain closer to the front from where it was believed they would be more effective commanders than behind a desk in Kuiper 79. Notably, Lord High Admiral Macaria noted that the command cruiser was likely a better answer to this particular question than the heavy jump cruisers his own team had proposed, not least as the optics of placing a commanding officer on a third-rate warship were problematic to say not too much on the subject. Other Lords Admiral noted that the command cruiser would neatly solve the Bellerophon problem, providing the same long-range sensor capabilities on a far more durable hull.

Less well-received was the central role afforded to the Bellerophon class itself, forming the remainder of the four-ship command squadron with ships of such a controversial class would of course not be taken well. For many of the Lords Admiral, the doctrinal role of the ships as explicitly-detachable assets in the face of pitched battle had been rather lost, notably Lord Admiral Chryson objected to including such a fragile, combat-incapable vessel as central to the otherwise modular fleet. Amidst a sea of critical voices, Lord Admiral Pandia replied by reinforcing the detachable nature of these assets, and particularly noting that the Bellerophons could be detached outside of battle, in-theater, to provide not only distant reconnaissance but also to open up opportunities for commerce raiding. By giving a practical example, the Lord Admiral did help some among the assembly to comprehend the detachable aspect of the new Bellerophon doctrine, and while the assembly remained overall divided over the role of the class the dissension was somewhat muted after this point.

As no new objections were raised regarding the inclusion of Hellfire-class frigates in the proposal, it suffices for the reader to be made aware that the same old objections were repeated and countered with renewed vigor, to the point where Lord Grand Admiral Argyron and Lord High Admiral Macaria were briefly escorted from the Conference chamber by members of the Imperial Guard detachment, albeit temporarily having not yet been formally ejected by Lord Admiral Imperator Valance.

Far more edifying discussions were held on the subject of the inorganic jump assets concept. Lord Admiral Glycon Limos argued that while a full-scale jump point assault required months of preparation, the capability to immediately execute a jump point assault against an inferior force as part of a pursuit operation should not be neglected. Several of his fellow Lords Admiral agreed, voicing the opinion that it would be illogical to remove this option from those available to a commanding officer in the midst of a battle or operation. Lord High Admiral Makedon attempted to defend against this argument, noting that jump-capable assets could certainly be forward-deployed to an active theater of operations. The assembly found this counter-argument to be quite weak, as even waiting several hours for a jump ship detachment to reach a jump point could be sufficient to render any pursuit operation infeasible. Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus noted an additional weakness in the inorganic jump assets plan: as the jump-capable vessels would see only rare combat action, they would be seen as even less prestigious postings than they already were, likely causing discontent amongst the lower command officer ranks and morale deficiencies more broadly among the crews.

Upon her return to the chamber, however, Lord Grand Admiral Argyron had perhaps the most insightful objection yet raised to the modular fleet doctrine. On a basic level, she argued, the modular system would reduce fleet flexibility compared to any other approach which attempted to design a general-purpose battle fleet. A fleet designed for a particular mission, if confronted with a different tactical or operational situation in the field, would be less adaptable, particularly if composed of specialized ships such as Hellfires and Bellerophons, to say nothing of any exotic designs which might be added to the Legion Navy ship roster in the future. Lord Admiral Aleus attempted to make a counter-argument to this, claiming that since the core of a fleet would likely be made up of relatively flexible ships such as the Invincible and Charybdis class, concerns about a loss of flexibility were overblown. However, Lord Grand Admiral Argyron replied, if this was the case why not formalize these ships as the core of a flexible battle fleet and treat specialized ships as optional attachments - exactly what the previous three proposals attempted to do? This rhetoric gained the Lord Grand Admiral much support from the assembly, despite further efforts from the modular fleet team to justify their own approach.

----

As the final comment period of the morning session finally petered out, Lord Admiral Criasus offered a brief summary of the various proposals. While there were many disagreements, the Speaker sought to identify the common ground shared by each proposal to provide a basis for cooperative work in the afternoon session. All four proposals, he noted, had enshrined the squadron as the basis of fleet composition, affirming years of Legion Naval tradition. Furthermore, it was clear that the destroyer and light cruiser classes would continue to serve as the major basis and workhorse hull types for battle fleets for the foreseeable future. While each proposal had been distinct from every other, Lord Admiral Criasus emphasized that every proposal had given some idea which many, perhaps the majority, of the assembly had received positively, in spite of the sometimes acrimonious debates which had dominated the session. The Lord Admiral therefore urged his fellow Lords Admiral to consider these positive ideas carefully during the break to follow, before coming back to the afternoon session ready to work together to determine a cohesive doctrine for the future of the Legion Navy.

After this the Naval Conference was adjourned for a light luncheon.

----

OOC Notes: And the next update is finally published! My original plan to publish the entire session in a single chapter has perhaps rather predictably been frustrated, and rather than wait to publish the full session as a two-part update I have decided to publish this first half separately. If nothing else this provides the readership with something to read in their spare time, and any additional thoughts on the proposed doctrines may have a non-zero chance of being considered in the second part of this session. As for this offering, I do worry that perhaps I have finally gotten too wordy and self-indulgent for my own good, but we shall see what the readership thinks as thus far such wordiness has been well-received.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Icekiller on May 28, 2021, 02:51:16 PM

Reading through this just now and I'm loving it so far, but one question. What is a TAC Tank or a TACV? I'm looking at your ground forces org table and you've got 2 of those in pretty much every template, but I have no idea what that could even be!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Stormtrooper on May 28, 2021, 02:57:07 PM

Why does this conference has to give me more and more flashbacks from primary school? ~~Childish~~ vigorous fights over ~~some random bullsmeg~~ very important matter, everyone hating group assignments (or each other in general), presentations and lectures that are boring yet the discussions afterwards are always a good excuse to start a fight, an impression that some just wanted to do their task cheaply, everyone having their own vision and struggle to compromise... To think one might have to serve on a ship designed by people with that mindset is terrifying to me. :P

Also, particle beams. More particle beams. They're OP, so bring more of them, I tell you.

And one more thing: with Legion being full of "go CQB be close to battle this is time to glory not to hide behind the safety of particle beam range" I'm surprised to this day nobody has thought about trying boarding. Maybe it's because the Legion command only pretends to be so brave while every officer of theirs would smeg their pants at the mere thought of participating in a CQB firefight on board enemy ships? ::)

Anyways, thanks for updates that bring some more roleplay into this.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Albacore on May 28, 2021, 03:17:41 PM

Quote from: Icekiller link=topic=12445. msg152257#msg152257 date=1622231476

Reading through this just now and I'm loving it so far, but one question. What is a TAC Tank or a TACV? I'm looking at your ground forces org table and you've got 2 of those in pretty much every template, but I have no idea what that could even be!

I believe those are command vehicles.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Icekiller on May 28, 2021, 03:19:38 PM

Quote from: Albacore on May 28, 2021, 03:17:41 PM

Quote from: Icekiller link=topic=12445. msg152257#msg152257 date=1622231476
Reading through this just now and I'm loving it so far, but one question. What is a TAC Tank or a TACV? I'm looking at your ground forces org table and you've got 2 of those in pretty much every template, but I have no idea what that could even be!

I believe those are command vehicles.

What is the difference then between the CV and the TACV? Because they both exist in the mechanized formations.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 28, 2021, 03:33:19 PM

Quote from: Icekiller on May 28, 2021, 03:19:38 PM

Quote from: Albacore on May 28, 2021, 03:17:41 PM
Quote from: Icekiller link=topic=12445. msg152257#msg152257 date=1622231476
Reading through this just now and I'm loving it so far, but one question. What is a TAC Tank or a TACV? I'm looking at your ground forces org table and you've got 2 of those in pretty much every template, but I have no idea what that could even be!

I believe those are command vehicles.

What is the difference then between the CV and the TACV? Because they both exist in the mechanized formations.

TACT/TACV are Tactical Air Control Tank/Vehicle, which are my terms for the FFD elements as "Forward Fire Direction" is frankly a terrible name for that component. CV is simply Command Vehicle and carried the HQ component.

As always I am glad to have another couple of readers aboard as well. :)

Quote from: Stormtrooper on May 28, 2021, 02:57:07 PM

Why does this conference has to give me more and more flashbacks from primary school? ~~Childish~~ vigorous fights over ~~some random bullsmeg~~ very important matter, everyone hating group assignments (or each other in general), presentations and lectures that are boring yet the discussions afterwards are always a good excuse to start a fight, an impression that some just wanted to do their task cheaply, everyone having their own vision and struggle to compromise... To think one might have to serve on a ship designed by people with that mindset is terrifying to me. :P

Also, particle beams. More particle beams. They're OP, so bring more of them, I tell you.

And one more thing: with Legion being full of "go CQB be close to battle this is time to glory not to hide behind the safety of particle beam range" I'm surprised to this day nobody has thought about trying boarding. Maybe it's because the Legion command only pretends to be so brave while every officer of theirs would smeg their pants at the mere thought of participating in a CQB firefight on board enemy ships? ::)

Anyways, thanks for updates that bring some more roleplay into this.

Just wait until you learn about the people who design military equipment in real life... :o

I must note, one thing I've found to be good fun going through this process has been that my own intentions for the fleet, when filtered through the whims and personalities of the Lords Admiralty, end up only being partly fulfilled. When I first started working on the Naval Conference I drew up a set of plans for the next generation of fleet classes which included a 20,000-ton particle beam strike cruiser among other fun toys, however in working through the views of the Lords Admiral I realized this was simply not going to happen as there is not the political will to make it happen - yet! This is the fun in roleplaying for me as I write this AAR.

Boarding has been thought of by a few in the Legion high command and may yet come up in future sessions, however to call boarding combat an experimental tactic at this stage would be frankly generous, which is to say that its place is not in the discussions of broad doctrinal questions just yet. If it does come up later, then we shall see what the Lords Admiral think of the idea. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on May 29, 2021, 07:45:06 PM

These updates continue to be top notch!

It is impressive that all the proposals put forward have some merit. Some have more and some have less but all of them address something that the others don't. I do feel that the capital ship doctrine is the least sound overall. Its main failing is that it seeks to eliminate a capability, long range gunnery, rather than adding a new one. Even so the arguments against it seem fairly weak. LGAdm Argyron's argument that the heavy cruisers would amount to little more than a phallic symbol seems, if you will pardon the imagery, flaccid, given that in nearly the same breath her team proposes a ship of identical size but possessing an even larger armament. That being said the mixed armaments doctrine strangely seems to be the least adaptable given its over reliance on long range gunnery being decisive and also the hardest to implement given the state of Legion resources and existing hulls.

However, one thing that both of those teams address that the others did not is that, in order to grow, the Legion needs to lay the ground work for larger combatant ships. It is interesting that it is these two teams, as hostile as they are to each other, that have correctly identified and filled this need in their plans. If the members of those two teams can come together in pushing for a large combat ship in general they could form a strong voting block. It is also worth noting how widespread the support was for the command cruiser and in particular from LHAdm Macaria who said that it was a better solution than his own teams proposal.

Here is my suggestion/proposal. Both the capital ship team and the mixed armaments team know that they lack enough support to get their plans approved but both feel that a large combat ship is necessary moving forward. Members of both teams soon fixate on the assembly's broad support for the command cruiser concept. They both state that they would tentatively support the modular fleet system with modifications. First and foremost, they will not support building such a large and logistically taxing ship if it lacks capital grade armament. They also point out that the modular fleet proposal is the only one to retain a full squadron of sensor frigates as a permanent part of the fleet and that all other proposals concluded that four full combat squadrons was preferable and that frigate squadrons should be assigned 'as needed'. In this way they might be able to bring the conservative faction on side. If the conservative faction is brought into the discussion then all all three of the teams will likely agree that, as the core of a supposedly flexible fleet system, the command squadron would be more effective and survivable if it were instead composed of one of the new command cruisers, two light cruisers and a single sensor frigate. The frigate being retained for redundancy and to be detached ether to raid or to cast a wider sensor net. The light cruisers being added to ensure that, at a minimum, the command cruiser had some form of heavy point defense and when combined with the command cruiser, the squadron would have a decent amount of offensive firepower. With some or all of these concessions I feel a consensus would be reachable, even by the fractious and factional High Lords.

Some additional considerations that might be added to the discussion. Given that the command cruisers purpose is to be the centerpiece and will have escorts at all times, combined with tonnage considerations and the new mandate to arm it with heavy guns, arming it with its own point defense guns would be unnecessary. Additionally, when it comes to what type of heavy guns the command cruiser should be armed with, I propose the following compromise. The command cruiser will be armed with particle lances but that the next large combatant ship design must be armed with traditional railguns. The pro-particle lance faction will like it because not only is it a new particle lance ship but they will be the the most prestigious ships to date, literally the flagships of the new-model battle fleets. The pro-railgun faction will like it because these command cruisers will have a vary limited run, five or six at that most. The next large ship however, will be more general purpose and form the backbone of the navy going forward and they will have it in writing that it will be armed with railguns!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on May 30, 2021, 03:12:04 AM

Idea of command cruiser is very sound and such ship would be valuable addition to the Legion Navy, but I think that arming it with particle beams would never by allowed as there is too strong opposition to existence of light combatant armed with this kind of weapon. I believe most reasonable would be armament of 102mm batteries to increase survivability of the ship and fleet commander. But arming it with 152mm batteries seem more likely as that will allow Lord Captains to gain glory in direct combat.

I have to say that I am bit surprised by reluctance of many Lord Admirals to accept capital ship design in situation where Legion faced such ships in battle. I suppose that poor performance of Belair Navy gave many Legion officers too much confidence.

I believe that some variant of Conservative Doctrine variant will be approved at the end. I would personally like variant of Capital Ship Doctrine to be approved, but that seems unlikely.

I wonder if some kind of scout cruiser would be acceptable for Legion officers as replacement for the scout frigate. Scout cruiser would have better armament that would allow it to participate in battle and increased armour belt would increase its survivability as well.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on May 30, 2021, 07:36:00 AM

Quote from: Black on May 30, 2021, 03:12:04 AM

I think that arming it with particle beams would never by allowed as there is too strong opposition to existence of light combatant armed with this kind of weapon.

The thing is, in the scenario I described, the pro-railgun faction see arming the cruiser with particle lances as the best possible outcome. If they had their way then all the hellfires would be scraped and the Legion would never touch particle lances again but they are now keenly aware that they will not get it their way. So now their goal is to keep the number of particle lance armed ships to an absolute minimum and in their eyes this command cruiser is the perfect sacrificial lamb. The number produced will be extremely limited and given the tonnage considerations, the number of capital grade weapons that could be mounted would also be limited, hence weapons that rely on volume of fire like railguns wouldn't be feasible anyway. The best part from the pro-railgun position is that letting it be armed with particle lances maximizes their goal of minimizing the number of ships armed with particle lances and also gives them enough political capital to make a demand as unreasonable as 'the next large combat ship MUST be armed with railguns!'.

It also seems that the anti-particle lance hard liners are far fewer in number and influence than we previously thought. In essence, an extreme minority, just an extremely vocal one.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 30, 2021, 10:10:21 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on May 29, 2021, 07:45:06 PM

It is impressive that all the proposals put forward have some merit. Some have more and some have less but all of them address something that the others don't.

This was exactly the intention and I am pleased that this has not been lost on the readers. The afternoon session faces the task of reconciling these proposals and attempting to take the best from each one and fit them all together. Of course, there are fourteen different views on what is "best".

Quote

However, one thing that both of those teams address that the others did not is that, in order to grow, the Legion needs to lay the ground work for larger combatant ships. It is interesting that it is these two teams, as hostile as they are to each other, that have correctly identified and filled this need in their plans. If the members of those two teams can come together in pushing for a large combat ship in general they could form a strong voting block. It is also worth noting how widespread the support was for the command cruiser and in particular from LHAdm Macaria who said that it was a better solution than his own teams proposal.

Once against a very insightful observation. Indeed, the general trend does seem to be towards larger ships being a part of the Navy, but there is "some" disagreement as to how a larger ship ought to look.

Quote

Here is my suggestion/proposal. [...]

Quote from: Black on May 30, 2021, 03:12:04 AM

Idea of command cruiser is very sound and such ship would be valuable addition to the Legion Navy, but I think that arming it with particle beams would never by allowed as there is too strong opposition to existence of light combatant armed with this kind of weapon. I believe most reasonable would be armament of 102mm batteries to increase survivability of the ship and fleet commander. But arming it with 152mm batteries seem more likely as that will allow Lord Captains to gain glory in direct combat.

Both well-reasoned proposals, however I do feel obligated to point out that the proposed design sketch for the command cruiser does not specify any armament. This is not to say that it could not have any armament, but considering the displacement of propulsion, sensor package, and jump drive on the initial proposal it is an open question whether any tonnage will be left for weapons on this hull. Of course this is not to get too far ahead of ourselves, after all the design itself must be debated in the open assembly at the appropriate session as well, so much can yet change.

Quote

I have to say that I am bit surprised by reluctance of many Lord Admirals to accept capital ship design in situation where Legion faced such ships in battle. I suppose that poor performance of Belair Navy gave many Legion officers too much confidence.

As Mr. Foxxonius has noted the reluctance is not so clear-cut, many of the Lords Admiral do want a large ship just of their own preferred design. However you are almost certainly correct that the war against the Belaire has given many officers perhaps more confidence than they ought to possess.

Quote

I wonder if some kind of scout cruiser would be acceptable for Legion officers as replacement for the scout frigate. Scout cruiser would have better armament that would allow it to participate in battle and increased armour belt would increase its survivability as well.

There is still time for such a proposal to be made, as the sessions on the Bellerophon class and more generally the role and design of a fleet scout are indeed upcoming.

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on May 30, 2021, 07:36:00 AM

It also seems that the anti-particle lance hard liners are far fewer in number and influence than we previously thought. In essence, an extreme minority, just an extremely vocal one.

Quite correct. Despite the vociferousness of the hardliners on both sides many of the Lords Admiral on this and frankly most debates tend to occupy the position of a conservative faction of skeptics, rather than opponents, to any new or controversial ideas. This dynamic shall come out in the next afternoon session as the most vocal voices on the extremes are tempered somewhat - but only somewhat - by the perhaps more sensible work of those in the middle.

Excellent discussion all around, and I do hope to see it continue so long as insightful ideas are to be had. I cannot in good conscience encourage rising to the level of fisticuffs, but should this be what happens I shall not discourage it. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on May 30, 2021, 09:18:15 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 30, 2021, 10:10:21 AM

Quote
However, one thing that both of those teams address that the others did not is that, in order to grow, the Legion needs to lay the ground work for larger combatant ships. It is interesting that it is these two teams, as hostile as they are to each other, that have correctly identified and filled this need in their plans. If the members of those two teams can come together in pushing for a large combat ship in general they could form a strong voting block. It is also worth noting how widespread the support was for the command cruiser and in particular from LHAdm Macaria who said that it was a better solution than his own teams proposal.

Once against a very insightful observation. Indeed, the general trend does seem to be towards larger ships being a part of the Navy, but there is "some" disagreement as to how a larger ship ought to look.

Quote
Here is my suggestion/proposal. [...]
Quote from: Black on May 30, 2021, 03:12:04 AM
Idea of command cruiser is very sound and such ship would be valuable addition to the Legion Navy, but I think that arming it with particle beams would never by allowed as there is too strong opposition to existence of light combatant armed with this kind of weapon. I believe most reasonable would be armament of 102mm batteries to increase survivability of the ship and fleet commander. But arming it with 152mm batteries seem more likely as that will allow Lord Captains to gain glory in direct combat.

Both well-reasoned proposals, however I do feel obligated to point out that the proposed design sketch for the command cruiser does not specify any armament. This is not to say that it could not have any armament, but considering the displacement of propulsion, sensor package, and jump drive on the initial proposal it is an open question whether any tonnage will be left for weapons on this hull. Of course this is not to get too far ahead of ourselves, after all the design itself must be debated in the open assembly at the appropriate session as well, so much can yet change.

Quote
I have to say that I am bit surprised by reluctance of many Lord Admirals to accept capital ship design in situation where Legion faced such ships in battle. I suppose that poor performance of Belair Navy gave many Legion officers too much confidence.

As Mr. Foxxonius has noted the reluctance is not so clear-cut, many of the Lords Admiral do want a large ship just of their own preferred design. However you are almost certainly correct that the war against the Belaire has given many officers perhaps more confidence than they ought to possess.

I still feel like I have not been able to put into words the best argument for my proposed compromise. I will attempt to do so now.

At this stage of the conference, enough people have put enough of their cards on the table to form a much better idea of what type of hand they are each playing. The biggest revelation that I have come too is that the true goals of the railgun and particle lance factions are not necessarily in opposition to each other, even though members of both sides might still think that they are. The main goal of the railgun faction, in my eyes, is to ensure that the railgun remains the Legions primary naval weapon system and to ensure that particle lances do not supplant them in that capacity. They put forward the capital ship doctrine, and its complete lack of particle lance armed ships, so that the proponents of those ships would be eager to agree to even a small compromise such as re-adding beam squadrons as optional attachments. What they have yet to fully comprehend is that the particle lance factions true goal has never been to replace railguns as the navy's mainstay weapon system. The goal of the particle lance faction is to prevent this new and relatively underdeveloped technology from being killed in its crib, thus depriving the Legion of the critical new capability of long range gunnery. They seek to achieve this but ensuring, at a minimum, that the naval design board is allowed to iterate on the Hellfire design in order to address its short comings, or possibly even getting an entirely new particle lance armed ship class approved. In so doing, guarantee that particle lances continue to have a place in naval thinking in order to secure continued R&D funding so that the technology can mature into an effective and reliable compliment to the main line railgun ships, not replace them. Like the railgun faction, they submitted a doctrine that went farther than what they actually wanted but to a far greater degree. The aim was to scare the railgun hardliners enough that they would jump at the chance to give them a relatively modest concession in order to prevent the “mixed armaments doctrine” from being seriously considered.

The two sides have agreed to play chicken with each other but have yet to realize that they are lined up in the same direction.

I have a few further points to make, including a plausible and dare I say it, canny reason for the railgun faction to put forward a motion to modestly increase the tonnage of the proposed command cruiser so that the particle lances can be fitted. However it is getting late and I want to make sure that at least these points can be seen well before the next update, so I will post what I have now and come back to it later.

Keep up the great work!
Long live the Duranium Legion!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 31, 2021, 10:14:07 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on May 30, 2021, 09:18:15 PM

I still feel like I have not been able to put into words the best argument for my proposed compromise. I will attempt to do so now.

At this stage of the conference, enough people have put enough of their cards on the table to form a much better idea of what type of hand they are each playing. The biggest revelation that I have come too is that the true goals of the railgun and particle lance factions are not necessarily in opposition to each other, even though members of both sides might still think that they are. The main goal of the railgun faction, in my eyes, is to ensure that the railgun remains the Legions primary naval weapon system and to ensure that particle lances do not supplant them in that capacity. They put forward the capital ship doctrine, and its complete lack of particle lance armed ships, so that the proponents of those ships would be eager to agree to even a small compromise such as re-adding beam squadrons as optional attachments. What they have yet to fully comprehend is that the particle lance factions true goal has never been to replace railguns as the navy's mainstay weapon system. The goal of the particle lance faction is to prevent this new and relatively underdeveloped technology from being killed in its crib, thus depriving the Legion of the critical new capability of long range gunnery. They seek to achieve this but ensuring, at a minimum, that the naval design board is allowed to iterate on the Hellfire design in order to address its short comings, or possibly even getting an entirely new particle lance armed ship class approved. In so doing, guarantee that particle lances continue to have a place in naval thinking in order to secure continued R&D funding so that the technology can mature into an effective and reliable compliment to the main line railgun ships, not replace them. Like the railgun faction, they submitted a doctrine that went farther than what they actually wanted but to a far greater degree. The aim was to scare the railgun hardliners enough that they would jump at the chance to give them a relatively modest concession in order to prevent the “mixed armaments doctrine” from being seriously considered.

The two sides have agreed to play chicken with each other but have yet to realize that they are lined up in the same direction.

I don't want to say too much, but I think the next update on the afternoon doctrinal session will be to your liking. ;)

Though I must note, while your arguments are eminently and applaudably rational, we must be careful not to forget that the Lords Admiral are emotional creatures and not only rational, in many cases tensions run high and reputations are tied up in winning these debates rather than reaching effective compromises. That is not to say that such compromises are impossible, only that they are not as easy to come by as some in the assembly might prefer.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on May 31, 2021, 11:07:46 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on May 30, 2021, 09:18:15 PM

I have a few further points to make, including a plausible and dare I say it, canny reason for the railgun faction to put forward a motion to modestly increase the tonnage of the proposed command cruiser so that the particle lances can be fitted. However it is getting late and I want to make sure that at least these points can be seen well before the next update, so I will post what I have now and come back to it later.

I wanted to make sure I did, in fact, get back to those additional points.

Firstly I just wanted to go over some differences between the positions of the two factions. The differences come in three categories, namely consequences, scope and what they are willing to give up to avoid the consequences of failing to achieve the factions goals. I have no doubt that there are members of both sides that hold views far more polarized and extreme then what I suggest here but will, unless I missed the mark, take their ques from their factions moderates.

As I stated in my last post the railgun factions goal, as I see it, is to prevent particle lances from supplanting railguns as the navy's main weapon. In their mind, the consequences of failure would be nothing less than the doom of the Legion. The scope of their goal is quite large and could be said to be as large as the Legion navy as a whole. Given what they perceive the consequences to be and how how large the scope of their goal is, they would likely to be willing to give up quite a lot in order to guarantee what they see as the survival of the Legion, although naturally they would prefer to give up as little as possible.

By contrast, the particle lance faction would see the consequences for the failure of their faction as large but not nearly as dire. From their perspective, if particle lances were withdrawn from naval service, the Legion would still endure and continue claiming ultimate victory in any future war but that doing so might be far more costly, both in terms of lost hulls and lost personnel, without the ability to conduct long range gunnery. The scope of their goals are comparatively small, simply that particle lances continue to be a tool in the Legions arsenal and that they be allowed to continue developing the technology, designs and doctrine to make them more effective. For the particle lance faction the consequences of failure are still quite large but because the scope of their goals are comparatively small they would willing to give up far less, if anything at all. They simply have less to give up to begin with.

The railgun faction likely sees the adoption of a railgun armed heavy cruiser as the best way to ensure that railguns continue to be the navy's main weapon system for decades to come, but have also come to the conclusion that confirming that adoption during this conference is unlikely at best and impossible at worst. They still believe that they can make progress however and that, in order to do so they will have to make some sort of concession. This is why the broad support enjoyed by the command cruiser concept is so vital. The railgun faction would have an incentive to try to leverage the one thing that both factions agree on, that a large combat ship is the way forward, to get the particle lance faction to join them in supporting the command cruiser concept on the condition that it be armed. The incentive is that, if it is built and armed, it can be a sacrificial lamb. From the perspective of the railgun faction, the creation of a large combat ship armed with railguns is important, but insisting on arming this command cruiser with them might actually hurt their position more than it would help as it might make a future push for a particle lance armed ship more likely to succeed. If instead they allow or even support arming the command cruiser with particle lances they might be able to get everything they want. Doing so would generate a huge amount of political capital, it would make them seem magnanimous, bi-partison and to be the side of unity. Because of how limited the production run would be, combined with the main purpose of the command cruiser being second line in nature anyway, allowing it to be armed with particle lances would be a concession of the smallest order but one that the particle lance faction might scramble to get a hold of.

The above paragraph is something I feel confident could be worked out by an up and coming junior officer on the staff of one of the pro-railgun Admirals during the lunch break. Such posts have a tendency to be filled by promising and brilliant officers who are not senior enough to be widely known about or fully appreciated. Once these observations are brought to their superiors however, a game plan might emerge like this.

If we say that we would support the command cruiser on the condition that it be armed, the particle lance faction would likely back it.
If we allow it to be armed with particle lances, we lose almost nothing but are then in a position to make demands that will likely be agreed to.
We then acknowledge that it would be too difficult to fit the armament into a 20kt hull and so motion that the design be afforded an additional 2kt to make room for them.
By doing this, our demands go from being likely agreed to, to uncontestable and solidifies our influence over future doctrine.

At this point they could go nuts. That the next large combat ship would be armed with railguns would be a given. They could argue that since a particle lance armed ship would be a guaranteed part of every fleet, additional beam frigate squadrons are less necessary and should be de-prioritized. Even if they can't get that fully agreed to, they still might be able to get the assembly to agree to some sort of limit on the number of particle lance armed ships as a percentage of the navy's total hulls or tonnage. Given how conciliatory they would appear for backing a particle lance armed command cruiser they would have the political equivalent of a blank check. Even if someone from the particle lance faction worked all this out on the fly, I still think they would agree to it given that the aims and scope of the goals of the two factions are not the same as each other. In this scenario, not only does everyone get what they want, but they all get to feel like they are the ones who came out ahead.

All that being said these are just my musings and I am sure there is plenty about the situation that I don't know. Whether some or any of these things come to pass, I am supper excited to see what the next update brings!

Anyway, this post got stupidly long. I think it is also apparent at this point that I might be a bit over invested in this timeline, given how much time I am spending thinking and writing about it. It just goes to show you how good a job you are doing Nuclearslurpee!

Long live the Duranium Legion!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 31, 2021, 11:54:28 AM

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on May 31, 2021, 11:07:46 AM

All that being said these are just my musings and I am sure there is plenty about the situation that I don't know. Whether some or any of these things come to pass, I am supper excited to see what the next update brings!

Indeed, there is much that any reader - and perhaps even the author? - do not yet know. However I value such comments nevertheless as they provide useful insights which often can make their way into, or at least influence, following updates. In this case while your line of thought may or may not be a viable solution to the conflicts between the Lords Admiral, I will say that it has given me some ideas as far as resolving a minor conundrum which had come up in the narrative, though I need to consider just how such resolution could be accomplished.

Quote

Anyway, this post got stupidly long. I think it is also apparent at this point that I might be a bit over invested in this timeline, given how much time I am spending thinking and writing about it. It just goes to show you how good a job you are doing Nuclearslurpee!

Long live the Duranium Legion!

As a famous cartoonist once quipped, "There is no 'over-invested'. There is only 'open AAR' and 'I need to re-read'." ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on June 01, 2021, 03:11:28 AM

An impressively verbose summary of the Doctrinal options facing the Legion, it is more variations on a theme than radical change though I doubt those involved see it as such. But the fact remains that no-one proposed carrier strike forces, missiles, massive mine fields, stealth ships equipped with hi-radiation population busting bombs or super dreadnoughts.

I am disgusted by Lord Admiral Pandai stooping so low as to actually mention resource constraints, some blows are too low even for a naval doctrine conference. Next thing people will be asking about the gallcite requirements of the "Charge at high speed into short range" and other such heresies. Where will it end?

As has been hinted a degree of compromise involving bits of all options seems best. I will not repeat the Capital Ship discussion as I think some sort of 20kT ship is both likely to happen and be a good start. If pressed I would go with Team Modular, maybe not the exact details but the general concept of fleets having a 'Core' with various add-ons seems sound and a better reflection of how the Legion actually fights.

On which point a bit of firming up thinking around Jump Point Assaults should also be a priority, I am sympathetic to giving commanders extra options by making all squadrons jump capable but it is a lot of tonnage for a capability that has thus far never been required. I think a good compromise would be to discuss the questions does every fleet in the Legion need to be capable of making a Jump Point assault? If nothing else it should provoke some lively 'discussions' and colourful metaphors.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on June 03, 2021, 03:27:32 PM

Quote from: El Pip on June 01, 2021, 03:11:28 AM

On which point a bit of firming up thinking around Jump Point Assaults should also be a priority, I am sympathetic to giving commanders extra options by making all squadrons jump capable but it is a lot of tonnage for a capability that has thus far never been required. I think a good compromise would be to discuss the questions does every fleet in the Legion need to be capable of making a Jump Point assault? If nothing else it should provoke some lively 'discussions' and colourful metaphors.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 31, 2021, 11:54:28 AM

As a famous cartoonist once quipped, "There is no 'over-invested'. There is only 'open AAR' and 'I need to re-read'." ;)

So I just re-read the chronicle as it currently stands. I actually read it a few times just to double check a few things.

One of the things that needed confirmation was the state of the Legions knowledge surrounding Jump Point Theory, both theoretical and practical. Having poured over research budgets, the allocation of scientists to state approved projects and the announcements of new discoveries, I noticed something odd. It will likely be critical both to the discussion about the doctrine of organic jump capability after the assembly returns from lunch and for the upcoming Session on Jump Vessel Assessment and Future Prospects, set to take place the following day.

Unless I have missed something, all current Legion jump drives have an efficiency factor of five or lower.

It is widely accepted that an efficiency factor of four is considered the minimum for what would be a research prototype, a proof of concept, fit for lab experiments of perhaps fitting on the first extra solar exploration ship. An efficiency factor of five amounts to a production prototype, worth building a class or two around but still not mature enough for widespread deployment. If my findings are accurate, it entirely explains why the Legions current jump ships are under so much scrutiny and why some rightfully question it they should be included at the squadron level at all. Having crunched some numbers I suspect that nearly every Legion jump drive is at least one thousand void tons larger than they need to be and some are even more overweight than that! With even a modest, if immediate, investment in the appropriate research and development, the next generation of jump ships could drastically reduce the so called "dead weight" in the Legions battle-fleets. There are a few avenues that are possible.

Increasing the supported squadron size is the fastest as the research required would be cheap and straightforward. I will use the Grand Cross as an example. I estimate that its equipped jump drive displaces approximately 2,900 void tons and supports a squadron size of four, they could be reequipped with an upgraded jump drive that could support a squadron size of five that would displace no more than 3,150 void tons. This would require cutting about 250 tons worth of systems, likely fuel or maintenance reserves, but as a result could support an entire extra 12,500 ton ship. If we extrapolate to the entire fleet I estimate that the Legion could field an additional 155,000 void tons of combatant ships without any additional jump ships.

The second avenue to explore is an increase in jump drive efficiency. For this I will continue to use the Grand Cross class as an example. By increasing jump drive efficiency from five to six, the displacement of the jump drive can be reduced by approximately 425 void tons. By increasing jump drive efficiency to eight, it can be reduced by over one thousand tons. I have had much more difficulty in estimating the tonnage requirements for the Legions weapon systems but with that kind of weight savings the jump ships might reasonably be turned into useful combat ships. The problem is that this would be much harder to implement as a refit from the existing hulls and would likely require entirely new designs.

The last and most interesting option that I will put forth numbers for is combining the previous two. Again using the Grand Cross class as our example. If we assume a jump drive efficiency of eight, supporting a squadron of five ships of 12,500 void tons each, the required drive would come in just shy of 2,000 void tons displacement. That is still a savings of approximately 900 tons that could be used for arming this new generation of jump ships and it could carry an additional ship on top of that!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 03, 2021, 08:10:39 PM

Quote from: El Pip on June 01, 2021, 03:11:28 AM

An impressively verbose summary of the Doctrinal options facing the Legion, it is more variations on a theme than radical change though I doubt those involved see it as such. But the fact remains that no-one proposed carrier strike forces, missiles, massive mine fields, stealth ships equipped with hi-radiation population busting bombs or super dreadnoughts.

We must save something for the future Conferences after all, otherwise there would be no reason to hold any more and we just cannot have that.

Quote

As has been hinted a degree of compromise involving bits of all options seems best. I will not repeat the Capital Ship discussion as I think some sort of 20kT ship is both likely to happen and be a good start. If pressed I would go with Team Modular, maybe not the exact details but the general concept of fleets having a 'Core' with various add-ons seems sound and a better reflection of how the Legion actually fights.

This is to be fair the essence of most of the other proposals, aside from the Capital Ship proposal which was a bit afflicted by Lord High Admiral Macaria's well-known distaste for the Hellfire class

Quote

On which point a bit of firming up thinking around Jump Point Assaults should also be a priority, I am sympathetic to giving commanders extra options by making all squadrons jump capable but it is a lot of tonnage for a capability that has thus far never been required. I think a good compromise would be to discuss the questions does every fleet in the Legion need to be capable of making a Jump Point assault? If nothing else it should provoke some lively 'discussions' and colourful metaphors.

I would quibble on the assertion that it has never been required, as Cruiser Squadron 5 did execute an unplanned squadron jump at the end of the Belaire jump point assault to pursue a fleeing squadron into Kuiper 79, although of course this has the caveat that the unplanned squadron jump did follow a planned one and is obviously exceptional in that regard.

The general feeling seems to be that squadron jump capability has two uses aside from large planned JP assaults. One of these of course is a general pursuit of a lesser foe through a jump point, in which case an unplanned series of squadron jumps allows the fleet to catch their quarry without having to sit around waiting for reconnaissance assets and approval from the Lords Admiral to go kill something. The other is the ideal of independent operations at the squadron level which is perhaps annoyingly persistent.

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on June 03, 2021, 03:27:32 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 31, 2021, 11:54:28 AM
As a famous cartoonist once quipped, "There is no 'over-invested'. There is only 'open AAR' and 'I need to re-read'." ;)

So I just re-read the chronicle as it currently stands. I actually read it a few times just to double check a few things.

While I heartily approve I do feel obligated to state for the record that I meant that comment as a joke/reference rather than good life advice, though I certainly cannot say that it is bad life advice. :P

Quote

Unless I have missed something, all current Legion jump drives have an efficiency factor of five or lower.

This is correct. Usually at game start it is quite prohibitive to research beyond this with the starting RPs if one desires ion drives and otherwise competitive levels of weapons and sensors/FC technologies. Since that point as we are less than ten years into the game I have not yet advanced the jump tech significantly, indeed the Legion scientists are presently working their ways through the various 8k/10k RP techs considered to be of importance including those relevant to jump drive development. Naturally this information will feature in the relevant session.

Quote

Increasing the supported squadron size is the fastest as the research required would be cheap and straightforward.

This is essential for the Modular Fleet Doctrine plan, although as a short-term measure they did note that existing jump ships could be adequate albeit in greater numbers and with disruption of the fleet OOB.

Quote

The second avenue to explore is an increase in jump drive efficiency.

It is important to balance this out with the fact that tonnage gained from efficiency techs is likely to be put back into the design in the form of improved squadron jump distances, the oft-neglected third member of the jump tech triad. Against an opponent with better weapons and competence than the Belaire, jumping in-theater outside of the enemy's lethal range can be considered quite essential, although "can be" is an indeterminately far cry from "is".

In any case, for such an EffortPost™ and really a series of them I should award you a medal, so rummaging around in my medals cabinet I have found a spare Citation by the Legion Academy I had lying around after I swiped it from a scientist who still hasn't noticed. It is awarded "to researchers who make notable contributions to Legion science and engineering" and I do believe re-reading this lengthy tome qualifies as a sort of research and thus I believe the award conditions are met.

(https://i.imgur.com/5PvDrtD.png)

Please enjoy your medal ~~and pay no attention to the questionable stains.~~ :)

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 3: Session on New Naval Doctrine (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 07, 2021, 11:13:55 AM

Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus, Training High Command (Conservative Team)
Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria, Home Fleet Command (Capital Ship Team)
Lord Admiral Pohos Aleus, Training Corps (Modular Fleet Team)
Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra, Terraforming Corps (Mixed Armaments Team)
Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus, Cmdt. Duratus Military Academy (Conservative Team)

(https://i.imgur.com/Et4phYv.png)

The proposal, being largely a straightforward amalgamation of the morning’s Conservative and Capital Ship proposals with the addition of a command cruiser, required little in the way of additional exposition. Quite surprisingly, however, it elicited significant criticism from the members of the assembly, principally focusing on the placement of the command cruiser in the fleet organization.

Most pressingly, many of the Lords Admiral (records show fully half of the assembly raising some variation of this objection) sharply objected the the dual role of the command cruiser as both a command-and-control ship and as a squadron jump assault vessel, arguing that there was no way current or even projected near-future technologies would enable so many functions to be crammed into a single 20,000-ton hull. Lord Admiral Glycon Limos pointed out that not only would splitting the focus of the class limit its capabilities in either role, but a jump assault cruiser would require significantly more armor, up to 33% more, than the original concept design from the Modular Fleet proposal, significantly compounding the problem. The principal, and in fact entire, rebuttal against this objection was made by Lord High Admiral Macaria, who noted that in his view this design would not represent a compromise but rather a correct sense of purpose, as a fleet command ship needed to be capable of accompanying the fleet into any battle situation to command that fleet effectively - including in a jump point assault situation. The command and control elements, including the flag bridge and sensor package, therefore should only exist alongside that capability rather than in replacement of it.

This argument, perhaps in spite of the polarizing nature of its presenter, turned out to be quite persuasive as a number of Lords Admiral were noted as giving credence to its logic. This number was however less than the total number of Lords Admiral present and thus further discussion was had. Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia was particularly critical of the fact that the “Macaria Variant”, as she called it, would remove from the Legion battle fleets the full array of long-range threat detection capability provided at present by the Bellerophon class. While the frigate class had proven infamously vulnerable and unworthy of main-combatant status, it seemed short-sighted to eliminate those capabilities entirely, particularly since the command cruiser concept had been intended to provide those capabilities. Against this objection two members of the proposal team noted countervailing considerations: Lord Admiral Priapus noted that not every fleet mission would require such extensive detection capabilities, and those missions which did would naturally be allocated a squadron of Bellerophons or their successor class; following from this point, Lord Admiral Aleus noted that delegating the distant reconnaissance and surveillance roles to a frigate squadron would also prevent unnecessary duplication of capabilities in the case of multiple-fleet operations, such as that which had recently taken control of the Belaire system.

The final significant objection - which is to say, an objection which rose above the level of name-calling and petty factionalism - was raised by none other than Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon, the chief originator of the command cruiser in its original conception. The intended purpose of the command cruiser, he stated, had been to provide a fleet-wide jump capability allowing a fleet to operate without reliance on inefficient jump assault ships outside of special circumstances. The Lord Admiral therefore expressed concern that this proposal did not represent a suitably evolutionary perspective on the future growth of the Legion Navy and would only serve to set the Navy in its ways rather than allowing flexibility of development. Lord High Admiral Macaria, rather patronizingly, replied by informing the Lord Admiral that any good idea could certainly have room for improvement and the command cruiser was no exception, having been much improved in this proposal. While other members of the proposal team did attempt to make more diplomatic responses in an effort to reduce the tensions caused by their poor-tempered colleague, ultimately the distinction was philosophical rather than technical and thus little progress was made by these discussions towards common ground. Finally, Lord Admiral Criasus requested that the topic be considered closed, and as no further points of substance were raised by the assembly ordered that the next team prepare their own presentation.

The next team to present also consisted of five members, with the duplicate membership in this case being two of the morning’s Modular Fleet Team members:

Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, Survey Command (Conservative Team)
Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon, Training Command (Modular Fleet Team)
Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus, Mining Corps (Mixed Armaments Team)
Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, Construction Corps (Capital Ship Team)
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, Logistics Corps (Modular Fleet Team)

While the overall modular fleet concept had been received quite negatively, with Lord Grand Admiral Argyron’s deconstruction of the concept and its poor standing in relation to the core fleet + attachments framework of the other proposals having found broad acceptance by the members of the assembly, there were still other concepts from that proposal beyond the command cruiser which were ripe for discussion. Under the quite forward and persuasive influence of Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, the resulting doctrinal proposal despite its eclectic flair had a clear and dominant focus on delivering overwhelming firepower to an opposing battle fleet.

(https://i.imgur.com/C7tUwcj.png)

From first glance it was immediately apparent that this proposal was by far the most complicated doctrine yet advanced, and as such would require at least a superficial explanation. As an expert in delivering instructions to clueless officers, this task fell to Lord High Admiral Makedon who explained the proposal as follows:

As was by now the de facto standard, the core of a battle fleet would be two cruiser squadrons - one heavy, one light - and two destroyer squadrons led by a command cruiser. Each combat squadron would consist of four combat vessels and no jump vessels, to maximize delivery of firepower. Under standard operational conditions, in other words when no jump point assault was being conducted, the command cruiser would provide sufficient jump capability to transport the fleet.
Frigate squadrons would remain as optional attachments depending on the mission profile, again consisting of four combat frigates with no organic jump frigates.
The jump assault squadron would be dispatched from Duratus or another local command center if a jump point assault was necessary. In contrast to the Modular Fleet proposal from the morning session, the composition of the jump assault squadron would be fixed rather than variable, streamlining logistics.
While optional jump frigate assets could be attached to allow the frigate squadrons present in-theater to contribute to a jump assault, Lord High Admiral Makedon emphasized that as the frigate classes were poorly suited to jump assaults this was unlikely to be a useful capability; if anything, the jump frigates were likely to be retained only to enable independent operations such as deep space reconnaissance in regions where no Legion Navy battle fleets were presently operating.
This arrangement would necessarily prevent the command cruiser from participating in a jump assault, at least in theory, due to the lack of a jump escort for that ship. The Lord High Admiral emphasized that this was not a serious drawback, as the fleet after executing squadron jumps was not collected in a single location anyways and thus could not be commanded by a single ship. However, through clever use of communications buoys or probes it would be possible for the main fleet to signal the command cruiser when it could safely traverse the jump point and rejoin its fleet to command the continuing attack, if necessary.

As the Lord High Admiral concluded his explanation, he also acknowledged that additional jump drive technology would be necessary to equip the proposed jump assault squadrons, and in the meantime an ad-hoc organization would be necessary to conduct any jump assaults.

Once the remaining Lords Admiral had wrapped their heads around the complexity of this proposal, the ensuing discussion was as always lively and vigorous. Naturally, the central debate revolved around the use of a separate jump assault squadron in place of the traditional “3+1” squadron structure presently in use. By and large this debate rehashed the same points which had been raised in the morning session, however the proposing team had taken advantage of the previous few hours to develop much stronger responses to these lines of attack:

Against the repeated charge that removing organic jump capability from the Legion’s combat squadrons would reduce tactical flexibility, Lord Admiral Chryson took the offensive. She observed that not only were suggested hypothetical situations, such as a pursuit operation in the vicinity of a jump point, exceedingly rare in Legion Naval history (outside of jump point assault battles, during which the point would be entirely moot), but in all cases executing an unplanned squadron jump would be dangerous at best and devastating at worst. After all, without knowing what lay beyond a jump point it would be all too easy to jump into a devious enemy trap, and therefore any jump operation would require at a minimum proper reconnaissance by fighters or probes. In fact, she noted, while the proposed organization called for additional reconnaissance fighters to be ferried aboard the jump cruiser classes, these could easily be replaced by unmanned probes to better suit the jump assault role. The fiery Lord Admiral had stopped just short of calling her opponents poor tacticians, likely having received a stern glance from the Speaker before she could carry too far along, but clearly the insinuation was recognized as few among the Lords Admiral found the stomach to continue this line of debate.

After this, the chief opponents of this plan turned their focus to a prior objection from the morning session, raised once more by Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus who had originated the objection. This was of course the worrisome claim that the jump assault ships would be considered less than prestigious assignments, leading to poor morale aboard those vessels which could translate into catastrophically poor performance in combat situations. Here Lord High Admiral Makedon was able to outline a plan to mitigate such concerns, drawing on his expertise as the head of Training Command. In short, he envisioned the jump assault squadrons as not only specialized combat formations but also training formations, which would therefore see regular rotations of both crew and junior officers to gain experience in conducting a jump assault while the main fleets were on active duty. Thus while the assignments might not be seen as highly prestigious, all members of the Legion Navy would clearly see these assignments as valuable and specialized combat training rather than dead-end placements. As jump point assaults were among the most glorious operations the Navy could conduct, this training would certainly be taken seriously by the majority of its crews and officers. This well-considered plan won over several supporters among the assembly, as even the Lord Grand Admiral himself expressed his appreciation for such a thoughtful reply.

Finally, some residual complaints remained, largely from a fairly predictable quarter of the assembly, regarding the separation of the command cruiser from its fleet during a jump point assault. Lord High Admiral Macaria, not known for giving up easily on his own ideas, inquired as to why the command cruiser could not be included into the heavy cruiser squadron, with the jump assault squadron reduced to three vessels to transit the remaining combat squadrons. This suggestion proved entirely susceptible to counterattack. Lord Admiral Pandia reminded the members of the assembly that, after executing a squadron jump, the fleet would find itself scattered throughout the vicinity of the jump point, thus the command capabilities of the command cruiser would be very limited, particularly as its large sensors and lack of heavy weapons would telegraph to a defending force that it was a priority target. Lord High Admiral Makedon helpfully pointed out that the lack of a heavy jump cruiser would limit the ability to train heavy cruiser crews on jump point tactics, reducing the effectiveness of the proposal significantly. Finally, Lord Admiral Chryson added that replacing one-quarter of the top-end firepower of a Legion battle fleet with the command cruiser was a serious compromise in terms of the ability to deal a crippling blow to the enemy in the opening stages of a close-range railgun brawl, and firepower would prove more valuable than a cripplied command capability in nearly every circumstance in which the Legion Navy might find itself.

Perhaps the most sensible objection raised, and thus naturally the one paid least attention to by the majority of the Lords Admiral despite the lack of a strong rebuttal, was that brought up by Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra, who noted that the necessity to design and build three 20,000-ton ship classes rather than two would be somewhat challenging for the Legion Navy to pull off in the short term. The best reply was made by Lord Admiral Pandia, who noted that the Legion shipbuilders had not struggled to manage this with the previous ship classes, and thus it would certainly be achievable with the heavy cruiser classes as well. As the majority of the Lords Admiral preferred to minimize discussion of logistics-related topics, the matter was not pressed by the remainder of the assembly.

Thus, the discussion eventually died down once again, and Lord Admiral Criasus announced that the third and final proposal team would now take the floor. Noting the roster for this team, audible sighs were heard from the assembly, many of whom knew full well by now precisely which member of the team had almost certainly dominated the discussions and bent the proposal to her own personal preferences. To whom this might refer is left as an exercise for the reader:

Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron, Fleet High Command (Mixed Armaments Team)
Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon, Industrial Command (Capital Ship Team)
Lord Admiral Glycon Limos, Duratus Naval Corps (Conservative Team)
Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon, Survey Corps (Modular Fleet Team)

Predictably, the resulting proposal took on a heavy slant towards beam weapon warships. Whereas the presence of Mixed Armaments Team members on the other two afternoon teams had led to the Hellfire class remaining present in the proposed doctrines as an optional attachment squadron, thus simply maintaining the existing role of the class, Lord Grand Admiral Argyron had refused to settle for this and had insisted on pushing for greater inclusion of the class in Legion Naval doctrinal plans, likely over the objections of her fellow team members.

Here it is perhaps most illuminating for the reader to be able to follow the short development history of this proposal. At the beginning of the afternoon breakout session, the Lord Grand Admiral had metaphorically (if, one hopes, not literally) placed a doctrinal outline on the table and informed her teammates that this was to be their plan:

(https://i.imgur.com/iRo9Edv.png)

Had the remaining members of the team accepted the words of their superior officer, the result would have been quite a disastrous proposal, as can be readily seen. Fortunately, this was not the case, as Lord Admiral Glycon Limos was hardly a weak personality in his own right and was certainly not one to let pass the opportunity to address his superior officer as an equal - a right granted to all Lords Admiral within the limits of the Naval Conference, after all. He therefore confronted Lord Grand Admiral Argyron regarding the clear flaws in her proposed plan, and succeeded in rallying the remaining team members about him who then contributed their own assessments. Now in the minority and without the trappings of rank to fall back on so long as the Naval Conference continued, the Lord Grand Admiral relented and allowed for some revisions to be made, albeit contentiously.

The Lord Grand Admiral’s draft, to choose a term politely, had three main flaws among the others highlighted by he colleagues, each stemming from the unfortunate inclusion of a fifth Hellfire squadron alongside the fairly standard pairs of cruiser and destroyer squadrons. The first objection was the most obvious: adding a fifth main squadron would introduce a significant additional command burden, as while an optionally-attached squadron would be attached to a fleet with a clear mission and thus could operate relatively independently within the chain of command, an additional main squadron would not have this clarity of mission and would be completely dependent on the commanding officer of the fleet for orders and control, increasing the mental load on that officer by an additional 25% which few if any of the Lord Captains had been trained for. A second serious flaw would be found in the severe logistical demands a mandatory Hellfire squadron would place on the Legion Navy, not only in terms of the scarce corundium required to build enough Hellfires to outfit the entire Navy but also in the overall diversion of shipbuilding effort to construct each individual battle fleet, reducing the total number of fleets which could be fielded. This was simply put not an acceptable limitation on a Legion Navy which was already beginning to be stretched quite thin across multiple fronts. Finally, the inclusion of organic jump capability in the beam squadron was frankly ridiculous as the Hellfire class was entirely unsuited to conducting a jump point assault against any target more dangerous than an unarmed sensor probe. While this objection could be given a “quick fix” by replacing the Excelsior with a fourth Hellfire, the resulting organization would only exacerbate the other issues while greatly complicating the process of deploying the fleet for combat operations.

With these and other objections made clear to the Lord Grand Admiral in no uncertain terms, the proposal team set about attempting to rectify the worst of these. Ultimately, it was the member from the former Modular Fleet Team, Lord Admiral Adrien Agamemnon, who managed to suggest a compromise which found some purchase from his teammates, incorporating the Hellfires into the command squadron as one of several possible attachment options which would at least simplify the chain of command while preserving some flexibility in the mission-planning stages prior to fleet deployment. Even with this compromise finding acceptance, Lord Grand Admiral Argyron still insisted on taking the opportunity to push her pet beam monitor concept into the plan, if only to emphasize her own intentions for the resulting proposal:

(https://i.imgur.com/wosqmhC.png)

It was this version of the proposal which was finalized and presented to the assembly, to which this historical narrative now returns.

It will come as no surprise to the reader that this proposal was, while perhaps better in construction than many members of the assembly had feared, nevertheless received quite critically. This being said, the proposal in its final form was in large part quite conventional, consisting of the command squadron alongside the typical four combat squadrons on which the Lords Admiral had quite unintentionally managed to agree during this afternoon. While the question of fleet jump doctrine remained quite open, as the previous proposal had aptly demonstrated, few in the assembly cared to continue that discussion, not least the members of the “firepower slant” team who were content to rest on their laurels as far as the jump doctrine debate was concerned. Thus, the only serious avenue for objections to be raised was the proposed makeup of the command squadron.

Immediately, before even getting into the specific objections, the position of the proposal team was severely dented by one of its own members, as Lord Admiral Agamemnon quickly divested himself from the debate by stating that, in his view, this fleet composition respected the intended role of the command cruiser only slightly more than the proposal by Lord High Admiral Macaria and his associates, and that the proposal at hand was the product of necessary compromise rather than fundamental understanding of the role each ship should play in a Legion battle fleet. While he did not say so overtly, by omission it was clear that the Lord Admiral supported the remaining proposal which had included a separate jump assault squadron, though some among the Lords Admiral whispered disparagingly among themselves that this was more due to brown-nosing towards his Survey Command superior, Lord High Admiral Antilochus, rather than a truly principled stand.

As for the specific objections, so as not to fatigue the reader by repetition of prior arguments it suffices to note that, while significant overlap existed, the factions which were opposed to the Hellfire class and to the Bellerophon class were distinct in membership, and both of these factions naturally objected to the inclusion of those classes in the command squadron, even as theoretically “optional” packages. Indeed, as Lord Grand Admiral Argyron clarified, the intention was that every command squadron should have some selection of these assets, with no fleet sallying forth with a “naked” command cruiser in its organization. This clarification chiefly confirmed that a significant fraction of the Lords Admiral would be dissatisfied no matter which option was taken, thus the concept as a whole largely failed to find any popularity.

The beam monitor class, clearly a pet project as any member of the Lords Admiral could immediately tell for themselves, similarly was not well-received. However, here the primary objection as with the frigate classes seemed to be the inclusion of a highly experimental class as a viable component of the command squadron. Indeed, among the less vitriolic Lords Admiral there was some interest in the concept, with Lords Admiral Hydra and Abderus both suggesting that the beam monitor class ought to be trialed on such an experimental basis, perhaps as a single specialist squadron, before being seriously considered as a major fleet element. As both had been members of the morning’s Mixed Armaments Team, this commentary was perhaps not entirely without self-interest, but as a purported middle ground compared to the proposal at hand other members of the assembly were not disinterested in the idea. Thus, in hindsight it might be considered that Lord Grand Admiral Argyron had, in spite of the considerable flak she received over the course of the afternoon, succeeded in her goal to advance the cause of beam warfare, as while many Lords Admiral still held serious reservations the beam monitor concept had gained significant ground towards acceptance even as the Lord Grand Admiral herself was forced to scale back her own ambitions.

After this, the final doctrinal proposal of the day was completed, and a short break was allowed for the members of the assembly to recover from the grueling ordeal before they would gather once more for closing words from the Speaker. Regrettably, light refreshments were not served.

----

1700: Closing Vote Period, Session on Fleet and Naval Doctrine

As the Lords Admiral gathered to close out the session, Lord Admiral Criasus was admittedly less than satisfied with the results of the day’s work, though this was not to say that his expectations had not been exceeded. On one hand, the second-stage doctrinal proposals had not converged towards a common solution with only slight differences to be briefly debated and voted upon. On the other hand, while the proposals did differ starkly, a core fleet composition had become apparent, with the combat forces of the next-generation battle fleet proving a point of remarkable agreement. With this in mind, the remaining points of contention could be addressed in future sessions quite amenably: the various frigate-related questions could not only be handled in their own sessions, but as long as the frigate squadrons remained as optional attachments could be debated without causing knock-on effects on the primary fleet doctrine. This left the question of jump doctrine, which would be somewhat thornier to navigate but could ultimately be “wrapped around” the core fleet doctrine without requiring too many changes in any case. At least, this was what Lord Admiral Criasus hoped as he announced the concluding vote for the day’s session.

The Speaker therefore put forth to the assembly a concluding motion, to be voted on by the remaining fourteen Lords Admiral present, drawn up in the form of two separate articles:

I. That the core doctrinal concept of the future Legion Navy battle fleet should consist of:

One (1) heavy cruiser squadron, to be populated by one or more classes to be designed by the appropriate department of the Legion high command;
One (1) light cruiser squadron, to be populated by Invincible-class and, if necessary, Judgment Day-class vessels;
Two (2) destroyer squadrons, to be populated by Charybdis-class and, if necessary, Furious-class vessels; and
One (1) command cruiser, of a class to be designed by the appropriate department of the Legion high command, according to a design pattern and doctrine to be determined by a later session of the Naval Conference.

II. That the following key questions would be reserved for future discussion and eventual resolution in the appropriate following sessions of the Naval Conference, preceding a final doctrinal vote at the conclusion of the Conference:

The question of jump ship doctrine as it relates to squadron composition in the future Legion Navy battle fleets;
The future role and design of the Bellerophon-class frigates or a suitable successor class; and
The future role and design of the Hellfire-class frigates, or a suitable successor class, along with any potential beam-armed classes derived on the basis of the Hellfire class or otherwise.

The first article of this motion passed by a 13-1 vote, with the lone dissension from Lord High Admiral Macaria, who stated for the record that he would prefer to confirm the command cruiser as a member of the heavy cruiser squadron, and that his vote was therefore a protest vote as much as anything. The second article of this motion passed by an 11-3 vote, with Lord High Admiral Macaria joined in dissent by Lord Admiral Agamemnon (objecting to the lack of closure regarding jump ship doctrine) and Lord Admiral Chryson (insisting that the language guarantee a Bellerophon successor class with no possibility of retaining the existing frigates). While both margins ensured that any attempted veto by Lord Admiral Imperator Valance would be overridden, this was likely unnecessary in any case as she had shown no inclination towards objection.

With the motion thus passed, the Naval Conference was again adjourned, as in spite of the Conference attendees themselves another productive day had finally come to a close.

----

OOC Notes: Thus concludes the all-day session on doctrine, indeed it has been a thrilling if not harrowing ride but all good things must come to an end. While I had been worried that writing out lengthy debates on doctrinal minutiae would be perhaps a bit much for the readership, the previous update seems to have been one of the best-received and thus it is clear that the readership demands more of this sort of thing. To you all I can only say to be careful what you wish for... ;)

As alluded to previously, even I must admit to being surprised by some of the outcomes, while my initial plan may have involved building a lot of particle beam cruisers and letting HADM Macaria deal with it in the officer's lounge after-hours, the process of constructing arguments for and against each proposal forced me to rethink many details. Whether the resulting Legion Naval doctrine will be better for it, I cannot say, and no member of the assembly will have gotten everything that he or she wanted, but the resulting doctrine will certainly have been thoroughly-explored in any case.

I do owe a small debt of gratitude to certain members of the readership who have provided food for thought particularly relating to the beam weapons conundrum. As some might guess the final doctrinal proposal took quite some time to devise in a satisfactory manner, ultimately the use of the doctrinal proposal as a political maneuver as much as a proper proposal in its own right I think was the way to go and we shall see in later sessions how this works out.

Up next is the Hellfire and particle beams discussion...oh dear...

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: HighTemplar on June 13, 2021, 08:11:40 AM

I love the story so far, although I haven't ever tried playing with no missiles, one long ranged enemy with greater speed and your screwed.

I do have a question on the appropriations process though. Is the entire budget in the hands of the military, or is there some sort of legislature, imperial treasury etc? Because if the military controls the budget I can see some problems down the line (the stuff from the conference gets built exactly as ordered but the budget is probably heavily skewed towards military spending at the expense of civilian expenditures (healthcare, education etc)), and if it is controlled by non-military sources then the civvies get a say in what is being built and we get another round of politicking (yay). In either case I can see a bunch of horse trading over defense contracts going on (e.g. the beam faction quietly promising to build beam ships in a dockyard part owned by a wavering admiral's brother or the imperial undersecretary for the treasury being a silent partner in a firm with an interest in railgun research), really the possibilities are endless (which helps you justify stuff in universe if you really want to build something)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 13, 2021, 07:41:09 PM

Quote from: HighTemplar on June 13, 2021, 08:11:40 AM

I love the story so far, although I haven't ever tried playing with no missiles, one long ranged enemy with greater speed and your screwed.

It is at times a harrowing existence, but certainly one which had thus far brought great rewards to the Legion Navy. I am gratified that you appreciate it all the same.

Quote

I do have a question on the appropriations process though. Is the entire budget in the hands of the military, or is there some sort of legislature, imperial treasury etc? Because if the military controls the budget I can see some problems down the line (the stuff from the conference gets built exactly as ordered but the budget is probably heavily skewed towards military spending at the expense of civilian expenditures (healthcare, education etc)), and if it is controlled by non-military sources then the civvies get a say in what is being built and we get another round of politicking (yay). In either case I can see a bunch of horse trading over defense contracts going on (e.g. the beam faction quietly promising to build beam ships in a dockyard part owned by a wavering admiral's brother or the imperial undersecretary for the treasury being a silent partner in a firm with an interest in railgun research), really the possibilities are endless (which helps you justify stuff in universe if you really want to build something)

This is an excellent question, and candidly one which I have to date avoided getting too deeply into. Indeed some might accuse me of deliberately leaving such things vague so as to get away with doing whatever I want, but this is of course utter balderdash and we shall hear no such accusations in this thread. ;)

To begin a relatively short answer: As alluded to in the first part of Chapter XXI, the Naval Conference takes as precedent the historical Imperial Conference which served as the highest level of government apparatus, namely the assembly of Lords of the Legion and the Emperor. While this tradition has as stated been largely abandoned as a formalism, the underlying cultural basis remains intact and governance is a cross between an oligarchy and monarchy in most salient ways. Notably, as implied by the title and the emphasis placed upon it the Lords Admiral are one segment of the Lords of the Legion; other segments would include the Lords General (few in number though they be at present) and any Lordships conferred as special honors (in-game, medals tied to the highest achievements in several categories). The major part of the Lords of course would be the more traditional oligarchs, many of whom might be familiar as the names behind military components, shipyards, or small craft design such as Hyperion or Scamander.

Knowing that the Lords Admiral make up a significant part of the ruling elite, though not a majority and certainly not with so much power as to call the Legion a military government, it follows that the Legion Navy has a relatively large degree of autonomy as the Lords of the Legion are generally not too much in the business of telling each other how to do their jobs at the governmental level. In broad terms the Legion Navy would be given a mandate and a budget and expected to go do things that the Lords broadly agree would be beneficial for the Legion and their own interests, notably if the budget gets funneled back into the coffers of Scamander, Hyperion, et al then all parties involved are happy with the arrangement (again, in broad terms...). Whether the Scamander Series XVI sensor is going into a railgun cruiser or beam frigate really doesn't concern the Scamander accounting department very much.

Naturally such a system would be ripe for all kinds of exciting corruption and intrigues albeit exciting in a way that the crews on the front lines are for some reason would not be happy about. To this point a few factors would have kept such things in check aside from the honor system (itself a not insignificant consideration): first, peer pressure, simply put if an enterprising Lord Admiral tried to sneak an extra Hellfire onto the procuration lists his coworkers would not be happy to find their carefully-balanced build orders modified in such a way, meanwhile if some enterprising corporation officer were to go along with such a scheme this would raise the ire of other corporate Lords who would stand to lose their own shipbuilding contracts from such a scheme; secondly, the Emperor himself with the power to expel a Lord from the Conference (and most likely also stripping them of their title) while certainly not incorruptible acts as a check on such things; finally and perhaps most relevant for the audience, when economic times are good and everyone involved is profiting wildly while budget and TNE allotments flow freely, there is little necessity for such intrigues. However, should the Legion, hypothetically, be facing difficulties in procuring the necessary economic resources to, hypothetically, embark on a program of Naval modernization and expansion, suddenly the possibilities might hypothetically materialize as if from thin air.

This I hope answers your questions while tying back to previous posts without adding too much in-universe information to a non-canon comment, ~~and remains sufficiently vague for the author to continue justifying all manner of narratve contrivance~~.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 3: Session on New Naval Doctrine (2/2)
Post by: El Pip on June 16, 2021, 05:21:13 PM

It has taken longer than I hoped to reply to this, but it is partly your fault for writing such involved and detailed chapters. It is also partly your fault for dragging me back into this black-hole-for-free-time, I've started a new game and am even plotting out an Aurora story. So taking these two things together, it is very clearly your fault.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 07, 2021, 11:13:55 AM

The Lords Admiral, now quite put out at the prospect of doing even more group work, nevertheless grudgingly set about the task at hand, being not entirely acrimonious towards one another.

In fairness, no-one likes group work.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 07, 2021, 11:13:55 AM

Perhaps the most sensible objection raised, and thus naturally the one paid least attention to by the majority of the Lords Admiral despite the lack of a strong rebuttal, was that brought up by Lord Admiral Agamemnon Hydra, who noted that the necessity to design and build three 20,000-ton ship classes rather than two would be somewhat challenging for the Legion Navy to pull off in the short term. The best reply was made by Lord Admiral Pandia, who noted that the Legion shipbuilders had not struggled to manage this with the previous ship classes, and thus it would certainly be achievable with the heavy cruiser classes as well. As the majority of the Lords Admiral preferred to minimize discussion of logistics-related topics, the matter was not pressed by the remainder of the assembly.

I am sure this absolute contempt for logistics, shipbuilding limits, mining outputs and general industrial capacity will never come back to bite them in any way.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 07, 2021, 11:13:55 AM

Regrettably, light refreshments were not served.

What fresh barbarism is this? Mark my words this is the thin end of the wedge, it'll be the end of civilisation next.

It is good that the Legion is sticking with Railguns, I say this not out of any particular knowledge of the game but just because they are absolutely the correct weapon system for the personalities and general organisation of the Legion. And that's organisation in the broader society sense, the Legion is robust in it's argument, bordering even on direct, but has honour and integrity, it also revels in violence and bloodshed (Hence why Jump Point assaults are the most 'glorious' thing they can conceive of). Sniping away at a distance with Particles beams against an enemy who cannot shoot back is almost the complete anti-thesis of that way of warfare, only missiles would be a worse fit, so of course they must stick with Railguns. The only better option would be energy weapon fighters, which I understand don't really work in the game-meta but do seem incredibly Legion - a chance to whizz around at high speed and shoot the enemy right in the face, huge losses, lots of explosions (mainly of fighters) and the 'honour and glory' of an individual pilot (or small crew) doing the fighting.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 3: Session on New Naval Doctrine (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 16, 2021, 08:17:54 PM

Quote from: El Pip on June 16, 2021, 05:21:13 PM

It has taken longer than I hoped to reply to this,

I expect nothing less than the finest in slower-than-real-time commentary from yourself, thus if anything I am surprised by your usual brisk pace and encouraged by this recent development.

Quote

but it is partly your fault for writing such involved and detailed chapters. It is also partly your fault for dragging me back into this black-hole-for-free-time, I've started a new game and am even plotting out an Aurora story. So taking these two things together, it is very clearly your fault.

There are few pleasures in life greater than being a bad influence on someone, thus I am quite pleased by these developments and also intrigued by the prospect of a slower-than-real-time Aurora AAR which many would claim to be impossible to pull off.

Quote

I am sure this absolute contempt for logistics, shipbuilding limits, mining outputs and general industrial capacity will never come back to bite them in any way.

Of course not. This is not WWII-era Germany after all, thus the expansionist and militaristic leadership cannot be anything but correct in their presumption that economics are of tertiary importance.

Quote

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 07, 2021, 11:13:55 AM
Regrettably, light refreshments were not served.
What fresh barbarism is this? Mark my words this is the thin end of the wedge, it'll be the end of civilisation next.

In fairness it must be noted that the break occurred not more than half an hour before the assembly would have been let out for dinner, and the Lords Admiral having been demonstrably proven to be utter children it falls to the catering staff to control the appetites of their wards through active denial of snacks.

Quote

It is good that the Legion is sticking with Railguns, I say this not out of any particular knowledge of the game but just because they are absolutely the correct weapon system for the personalities and general organisation of the Legion. And that's organisation in the broader society sense, the Legion is robust in it's argument, bordering even on direct, but has honour and integrity, it also revels in violence and bloodshed (Hence why Jump Point assaults are the most 'glorious' thing they can conceive of). Sniping away at a distance with Particles beams against an enemy who cannot shoot back is almost the complete anti-thesis of that way of warfare, only missiles would be a worse fit, so of course they must stick with Railguns. The only better option would be energy weapon fighters, which I understand don't really work in the game-meta but do seem incredibly Legion - a chance to whizz around at high speed and shoot the enemy right in the face, huge losses, lots of explosions (mainly of fighters) and the 'honour and glory' of an individual pilot (or small crew) doing the fighting.

When you put it this way it can only reinforce that there was never any doubt, surely railguns were always the future, although as will be seen in the next update the ~~particle beams~~ self-preservation faction may have some valid points for the consideration of the more open-minded members of the Lords Admiralty.

Though on this aside I admit that you may have piqued my curiosity, as we all know Aurora really is not suited for the kind of one-man fighters we usually see in science fiction but while many have tried to design extremely small fighters in bold defiance of Steve I have yet to see any study of feasible one-man fighters or otherwise reducing the crew numbers as much as possible. Thus I have decided to conduct such a study, as to remain on the thread topic we will say this is an unofficial project of the Secret Projects Division or some such.

As it turns out, one always needs a crew member to work the engine for some reason, so the largest engine we can build requiring only one crew member is the one for which the product of engine size (in HS) and EP boost modifier (which I'll take as 2.0x, on par with current Legion technology) rounds down to 1. A bit of tweaking indicates that the best 1-crew engine available at this tech level is an 18.5 EP drive of size 0.8 with a 1.85x boost, clearly a good deal as we get that extra 0.05x without the corresponding increase in explosion rate.

The bad news is that the railguns let us down rather sadly, as the smallest possible railgun (10 cm, single-shot) still requires 3 crewmen. "Fortunately", beam fire controls can be built to require zero crew if you don't particularly want to hit anything with them, which of course we do not as hitting targets is vastly overrated, as may power plants if we limit them to 0.25 HS or less. With slight adjustments to obtain a nice, round tonnage value we can obtain the following admittedly sad story for the low, low price of four warm bodies - saldy our Lone Wolf hero pilots must share the little glory they will win in such saddening machines.

F-34 class Superdreadnought (P) 135 tons 4 Crew 21.7 BP TCS 3 TH 19 EM 0
6853 km/s Armour 1-2 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0.98
Maint Life 6.21 Years MSP 15 AFR 27% IFR 0.4% 1YR 1 5YR 10 Max Repair 10 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 days Morale Check Required

Ion Drive EP18.50 (1) Power 18.5 Fuel Use 1316.66% Signature 18.50 Explosion 18%
Fuel Capacity 3,000 Litres Range 0.3 billion km (12 hours at full power)

10cm Railgun V30/C1/S1 (1) Range 30,000km TS: 6,853 km/s Power 0.75-1 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Beam Fire Control R32-TS4000 (SW) (1) Max Range: 32,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s 69 38 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor R1 (2) Total Power Output 1 Exp 5%

Thus if our fighter pilots wish to agitate for greater glory they must demand the advent of missile bombers, as both missile FCs and box launchers can be built with no crew requirements, allowing for the far more glorious (with a heaping side helping of self-preserving) design below:

B-21 class Superdreadnought (P) 100 tons 1 Crew 19 BP TCS 2 TH 19 EM 0
9340 km/s Armour 1-1 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0.6
Maint Life 7.40 Years MSP 15 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 0 5YR 7 Max Repair 10 MSP
Magazine 4
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 days Morale Check Required

Ion Drive EP18.50 (1) Power 18.5 Fuel Use 1316.66% Signature 18.50 Explosion 18%
Fuel Capacity 6,000 Litres Range 0.83 billion km (24 hours at full power)

Size 4.0 Box Launcher (1) Missile Size: 4.0 Hangar Reload 100 minutes MF Reload 16 hours
Missile Fire Control FC40-R150 (1) Range 40.8m km Resolution 150

I note that at the cost of near immobility it is possible to balloon this concept up to 500 tons by bolting additional launchers haphazardly to every free surface, though it may be advisable to reluctantly allow for a copilot as the price for a second engine. This would not be all bad as said copilot would no doubt provide endless witty banter during climactic battle scenes.

As I am sure many among the readership are now concerned that the author will seriously attempt to justify the development of missile fighters on the grounds of only requiring one glory-hogging crew member to pilot, I shall offer no reassurances and instead shall leave this as a reminder to them as to what dark horrors said author may be capable of if pressed too far.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 3: Session on New Naval Doctrine (2/2)
Post by: El Pip on June 17, 2021, 10:18:19 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 16, 2021, 08:17:54 PM

There are few pleasures in life greater than being a bad influence on someone, thus I am quite pleased by these developments and also intrigued by the prospect of a slower-than-real-time Aurora AAR which many would claim to be impossible to pull off.

I am pondering tricks to get around this. Or I might just not do an AAR but something lest constrained by the limitations of linear time.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 16, 2021, 08:17:54 PM

Though on this aside I admit that you may have piqued my curiosity, as we all know Aurora really is not suited for the kind of one-man fighters we usually see in science fiction but while many have tried to design extremely small fighters in bold defiance of Steve I have yet to see any study of feasible one-man fighters or otherwise reducing the crew numbers as much as possible. Thus I have decided to conduct such a study, as to remain on the thread topic we will say this is an unofficial project of the Secret Projects Division or some such.

As it turns out, one always needs a crew member to work the engine for some reason, so the largest engine we can build requiring only one crew member is the one for which the product of engine size (in HS) and EP boost modifier (which I'll take as 2.0x, on par with current Legion technology) rounds down to 1. A bit of tweaking indicates that the best 1-crew engine available at this tech level is an 18.5 EP drive of size 0.8 with a 1.85x boost, clearly a good deal as we get that extra 0.05x without the corresponding increase in explosion rate.

The bad news is that the railguns let us down rather sadly, as the smallest possible railgun (10 cm, single-shot) still requires 3 crewmen. "Fortunately", beam fire controls can be built to require zero crew if you don't particularly want to hit anything with them, which of course we do not as hitting targets is vastly overrated, as may power plants if we limit them to 0.25 HS or less. With slight adjustments to obtain a nice, round tonnage value we can obtain the following admittedly sad story for the low, low price of four warm bodies - saldy our Lone Wolf hero pilots must share the little glory they will win in such saddening machines.

Excellent research, even if the results are disappointing.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 16, 2021, 08:17:54 PM

Thus if our fighter pilots wish to agitate for greater glory they must demand the advent of missile bombers, as both missile FCs and box launchers can be built with no crew requirements, allowing for the far more glorious (with a heaping side helping of self-preserving) design below:

B-21 class Superdreadnought (P) 100 tons 1 Crew 19 BP TCS 2 TH 19 EM 0
9340 km/s Armour 1-1 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0.6
Maint Life 7.40 Years MSP 15 AFR 20% IFR 0.3% 1YR 0 5YR 7 Max Repair 10 MSP
Magazine 4
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 3 days Morale Check Required

Ion Drive EP18.50 (1) Power 18.5 Fuel Use 1316.66% Signature 18.50 Explosion 18%
Fuel Capacity 6,000 Litres Range 0.83 billion km (24 hours at full power)

Size 4.0 Box Launcher (1) Missile Size: 4.0 Hangar Reload 100 minutes MF Reload 16 hours
Missile Fire Control FC40-R150 (1) Range 40.8m km Resolution 150

I note that at the cost of near immobility it is possible to balloon this concept up to 500 tons by bolting additional launchers haphazardly to every free surface, though it may be advisable to reluctantly allow for a copilot as the price for a second engine. This would not be all bad as said copilot would no doubt provide endless witty banter during climactic battle scenes.

As I am sure many among the readership are now concerned that the author will seriously attempt to justify the development of missile fighters on the grounds of only requiring one glory-hogging crew member to pilot, I shall offer no reassurances and instead shall leave this as a reminder to them as to what dark horrors said author may be capable of if pressed too far.

Some excellent work from the Secret Projects Division. For the record this is not a dark horror but a wonderful vision of the Legion's future. Yes missiles have a certain not-shooting-in-the-face quality, but as I understand it box launchers have a chance to explode in the new version. So utterly covering the B-21s with box launchers would vastly increase the odds of the launchers exploding, thus providing the requisite amount of risk, danger and thus glory. A larger engine/co-pilot option may be acceptable, provided the probability of a box launcher explosion remains sufficiently high.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 4: Review of the Hellfire Class (1/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 22, 2021, 11:25:24 AM

OOC Note: As a reminder for the benefit of the reader, the agenda and attendance for the Naval Conference can be found in the first post of Chapter XXI (http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=12445.msg151157#msg151157) and may be of some use to keep track of the various personalities involved as well as to be apprised of upcoming topics of discussion - about which speculation is as always encouraged!

----

23 May 4009

0800: Session on Performance and Assessment of the Hellfire class, Duranium Legion Naval Conference

It is no doubt indicative of how most of the Lords Admiral expected the day’s session to proceed that Lord Admiral Absolus Criasus amusingly turned up decked out in a full suit of experimental power armor then being trialed by the Imperial Guard. While a member of the Legion Navy certainly was not supposed to be traipsing about in Ground Forces research and development materiel, certainly no one would fault the watch team on duty at 0700 that morning at the Legion Projects Armory for following the orders of an admittedly imposing Lord Admiral, regardless of interservice boundaries. This aside, while the humorous side of the Lord Admiral’s stunt was appreciated by his colleagues, whether said stunt would have the far more desired effect of moderating tensions in what was sure to be the most heated session to date would remain to be seen.

In any case, regardless of any personal reluctance he may have felt the Lord Admiral was nothing if not dutiful and thus set about the business of the day. After delivering the usual exhortations for his colleagues not to behave like schoolchildren - or, failing that, not to behave any worse than schoolchildren - Lord Admiral Criasus outlined the schedule for the morning session. He himself would open the proceedings with a summary of the service record of the Hellfire-class beam frigates, seeking to provide a basis of objective facts for the following discussions. After this, expert testimony would be heard from Lord Captain Selene Styx, Captain Jocasta Gelanor (in absentia, to be delivered from prepared remarks by the Speaker), and Commander Aion Styx, with each (living) expert responding to questions from the assembly as able. Finally, with this being done individual Lords Admiral would be invited to present their own brief assessments for the consideration of the assembly, as always permitting for comment periods in each instance. This would, Lord Admiral Criasus hoped, provide a comprehensive and useful basis for the afternoon session on the future of particle beam weapons in the Legion Navy.

To begin his own purely factual summary, Lord Admiral Criasus began with the first battle of Kuiper 79, which had been fought immediately prior to the deployment of the Hellfire class, noting that First Fleet under his own command had lost some 22,500 tons of warships in the ensuing victory. By contrast, the second battle of Kuiper 79 had featured the first two Hellfire examples, and despite significant teething problems for the frigates this battle had been won with no Legion Navy losses and with Hellfire herself claiming a Sovremenny as her first kill. The Lord Admiral continued his narrative by discussing the battles fought as part of the Invasion of Belaire, noting that while the Hellfires had not been present for the jump point assault itself, their presence in battles immediately preceding and following the assault had produced some 45,000 tons of Belaire casualties - plus another 15,000 tons in the form of a Sovremenny cruiser which had been crippled and left for Disruptor to finish off. The jump point assault itself, on the other hand, had seen some 62,500 tons of Legion Navy losses, some no doubt due to the nature of the assault itself but others likely avoidable had the assault fleets been able to pull back and engage the Belaire cruisers at extreme range. Altogether, whatever might be said about the efficacy of the Hellfire class itself, the fact remained that the Legion Navy had suffered 85,000 tons of losses (averaging 10% of engaged forces) in battles fought against the Belaire without Hellfire support, and zero losses when fighting with that support. All possible explanations and excuses aside, the correlation if nothing else was certainly compelling.

(https://i.imgur.com/0zgBZif.png)

Fastidious as ever, Lord Admiral Criasus also provided a helpful visual aid for those in his audience who might otherwise not pay much attention to his admittedly ruminous words. “Battles” prior to 2 August 4007 are not included for good reason; the reader will recall that prior to 2 August 4007 the Belaire Navy seemingly had not yet learned how to fire their weapons.

This had been, quite easily, the most opinionated statement the Speaker had made throughout the Conference, and had his claims not been backed by comprehensive numerical analysis the Lord Admiral’s claim to staunch neutrality would certainly have been in jeopardy. As it was, this display of opinion was seen by many of the Lords Admiral as indicating the potential to obtain a committal statement on the Hellfire debate from the Speaker, potential which proved to be entirely nonexistent. Notably, when asked by Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron whether the Hellfire class was an effective weapon and should see its use expanded, Lord Admiral Criasus flatly responded "Perhaps"; when this was followed by insinuations from Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria that this response implied that the Hellfire class should not see its use expanded, Lord Admiral Criasus replied in the same manner. In retrospect, the lack of insightful questioning was likely due not only to the proclivities of the Lords Admiral towards political infighting, but also due to an apparent lack of preparation for the contents of the Speaker’s presentation. Curiously for a high command which prided itself on exhaustive reporting and publication of reams upon reams of pedantic statistics, few if any among the Lords Admiral had yet assessed the quantitative effects of the Hellfire class on Legion Navy fleet performances. As such only Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, predictably, raised any questions of a quantitative nature, although Lord Admiral Criasus remained noncommittal as his colleague pressed him on the relative attribution of ship losses in the Belaire jump point assault to the innate dangers of such an operation versus the lack of Hellfire support.

----

As continued questioning of the Lord Admiral failed to score any meaningful political points due to his quite impenetrable stonewalling, the discussion surrounding this presentation died down rather quickly. With the discussion shortly concluded, Lord Admiral Criasus gladly offered the floor to Lord Captain Styx, eager to move the proceedings along.

As the commander of the Kuiper 79 Mission Control Department during the Invasion of Belaire, Lord Captain Selene Styx could provide a valuable operational perspective on the use of the Hellfires. She began her remarks, however, by announcing quite candidly that she disagreed with the interpretation of statistics given by her superior, noting that while the basic observations were correct, significant uncertainty existed when so few engagements could be considered as data points, with close calls on either side that might have gone badly any other day. As an example of this, the Lord Captain recalled the recent defeat of the Belaire Home Fleet, during which battle Captain Gelanor had pushed her Hellfire squadron beyond their breaking points to destroy the Belaire Sovremenny squadron before the rest of her fleet closed to point-blank range. The Lord Captain noted that while this maneuver had been successful, the damage suffered by the Hellfires due to weapons malfunctions could easily have proven fatal, notably the exhaustion of engineering supplies and manpower to keep the weapons operational could well have led to a catastrophic failure in the engine rooms or other critical components which could not have been addressed in time to save the ships and their crews. Thus while the Legion had in the end suffered no losses from the battle, this was due to supremely excellent luck as much as tactical superiority, and the Lord Captain emphasized that the Hellfire class could not continue to rely on luck to keep themselves intact.

This said, Lord Captain Styx turned her attention to the abortive pursuit attempt against Belaire Cruiser Squadron 4. Here she offered a thoroughly operational perspective, noting that while the pursuit had been tactically a success albeit only a small one, it had also had the effect of delaying the launching of the jump point assault by several weeks as the dispersed assault fleet assets were forced to regroup. While the ultimate impact of this delay had been minimal in any negative sense, and perhaps even positive given the reinforcements from Fourth Fleet which had bolstered the assault, the Lord Captain made it a point of emphasis that the opportunities which could be opened up by the use of Hellfire squadrons were not necessarily as valuable as they might appear from a raw numerical perspective if they interfered with operational execution. Particularly, based on the extreme maintenance requirements of the class she anticipated that the presence of Hellfires on long, far-reaching campaigns across several systems would ultimately drag down the rest of the fleet due to these extreme logistical requirements, or else be limited to judiciously-chosen engagements rather than general fleet operations.

In short, Lord Captain Styx summarized her position thusly: while the Hellfire had undoubtedly proven itself as a tactical weapon, which if nothing else did justify its place in the Legion Naval arsenal, it was of questionable utility as an operational asset, and in the Lord Captain’s opinion the Hellfire squadrons would see little practical use as attached assets in the new fleet doctrinal plan as fleet commanders realized these limitations and declined to deal with them.

It will be no surprise to learn that the Lord Captain’s statement was taken by the assembly as somewhat controversial. While much of the quite spirited debate which followed was both less than edifying and unfit for printing, notably Lord High Admiral Macaria and Lord Grand Admiral Argyron were both escorted from the Conference chamber by the Imperial Guards to enjoy an early lunch, a few points of some interest were raised. Lord Admiral Pandia, displaying her usual head for the unglamorous realm of logistics, requested the Lord Captain’s opinion as to what measures, if any, could be taken to render the Hellfire class or a future successor tenable for fleet operations from a supply and maintenance perspective. While qualifying her reply by emphasizing her lack of logistical or ship-design expertise, Lord Captain Styx did suggest that a reduction of armament, perhaps to four guns as originally planned, would allow for additional munitions to be carried as well as additional armor plating to be mounted on the hull. While some among the more fanatical Hellfire supporters took umbrage at this suggestion, fearing that reduction of armament would mean an unacceptable reduction of combat ability, the more moderate members of the assembly noted approvingly this rare attempt at a constructive suggestion rather than maudlin mud-slinging.

Another constructive exchange, albeit tangential, was had with Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, who sought Lord Captain Styx’s speculative opinion as to whether the Legion Navy might have seen overall better combat results had the Hellfire class taken the place of the Bellerophons during the recent battles. The Lord Captain’s opinion was mixed, as while she readily conceded that the Hellfire class would have proven tactically superior to the Bellerophons, operationally the long-range surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the latter class had proven invaluable, not only for fleet operations but also as the catalyst for the commerce raiding which had occurred from 16 February onward. While Lord Admiral Chryson had no doubt hoped for a more conclusive answer, as her dislike of the Bellerophon class was well-known, publicly she only expressed her concurrence with the tactical assessment of her junior officer.

As the questioning of Lord Captain Styx drew to its conclusion, multiple Lords Admiral inquired as to how, in her opinion as the operational commander, the Hellfire class might have been used to reduce Legion casualties during the Belaire jump point assault. Here the Lord Captain was entirely committal, stating that no tactical gains would have been possible, in simple terms all Legion Naval losses had been suffered while the Belaire had remained within 90,000 km of the jump point, well within both Belaire laser and Legion 152 mm battery firing ranges. This being said, she did concede that had the Belaire fleet chosen to immediately open the range to take advantage of their voluminous missile fire, it may have been possible for the Hellfire squadron to jump into the system and assist in a pursuit action, but this certainly could not have been planned for particularly since the Belaire had not used this tactic in any case. Despite some obligatory objections from certain members of the assembly, this operationally-sound answer generally satisfied the Lords Admiral, and the discussion was wrapped up shortly thereafter.

----

As the next speaker would have been the late Captain Jocasta Gelanor, who had commanded the defense of the Belaire jump point on 17 February, Lord Admiral Criasus instead would read from her prepared remarks making some allowances for their obvious draft form. As such, the Lord Admiral informed the assembly that no questions would be taken save for pure clarifications of fact, as he himself could certainly not claim to speak on the late Captain’s behalf.

In summary, Captain Gelanor had dedicated the bulk of her remarks to explaining and defending her decisions during the aforementioned battle, fully aware that this was the primary reason why she had been summoned to the Naval Conference. From the outset, she emphasized that while she had been under no illusions regarding the impact her decisions would have on the developing Hellfire debate - indeed, the reader will recall that this battle had directly precipitated the Naval Conference itself in its aftermath - her first and only concern during the battle had been to maximize the advantage of her own fleet while minimizing losses of ships and crews. Her order to the Hellfire squadron to continue firing even as their weapons failed in rapid succession had been driven by a firm belief that the Hellfire was a highly effective weapon even in its frankly underdeveloped present form, and not by any interest in making a point to her superior officers.

In her assessment of the results, the Captain had predictably been quite glowing with regards to the frigates, including stating in no uncertain terms that it would be disingenuous of her to allow Disruptor to claim the Sovremenny kill which she had made as the work had clearly been done by the Hellfire squadron. Interestingly, she also expressed near certainty that her fleets would have suffered some losses, however sustainable, had the Belaire laser cruisers not been eliminated prior to the final closing action; she emphasized at this point that many of the vessels in her fleet had already suffered battle damage to their armor belts, in some cases with bare structural elements exposed to enemy fire. Even the Belaire, Captain Gelanor claimed, would not have failed to target the most vulnerable of these vessels, particularly destroyers such as Char which as it was had taken nontrivial internal damage during the battle.

In conclusion, Captain Gelanor had offered a few suggestions for improvement, which while strictly out of scope for the present session were read out anyways as a concession to the Captain’s unfortunate lateness. Predictably, she identified a lack of munitions and maintenance stores as the chief limitation of the class, with fire control range a secondary consideration. Insightfully, however, rather than recommending a reduction in weapons loadout the Captain suggested that additional space could be found for needed stores with future advancements in fire control technology, which might reduce the needed size of the hardware even as performance and targeting range improved. In her concluding remarks, Captain Gelanor expressed her earnest hopes that such a second-generation improvement of the class would pave the way for particle beam weapons to become a crucial, if secondary, mainstay of the Legion Navy. While there is no doubt that many of the Lords Admiral would have objected to this final sentiment, of course no such objections could be raised nor by this time was Lord High Admiral Macaria present to request any thinly-veiled “clarifications” to such an effect.

In any case, the recent loss of the honored Captain was still a fresh wound for many members of the assembly, and hearing in a sense her final words had been a moving experience for these individuals. Thus, after a moment of silence Lord Admiral Criasus ordered that the session be adjourned briefly, with light refreshments to be served so as to lift the spirits of the Lords Admiral before they would continue their work.

----

Once the Lords Admiral had returned from their short break and once again taken their seats in the Conference chamber, Lord Admiral Criasus called the session back to order and gave the floor to the final scheduled speaker for that morning, Commander Aion Styx. As the one and only captain of the erstwhile Hellfire herself, the Commander’s personal perspective was eagerly awaited by the assembly, albeit perhaps for different reasons depending on which member of the assembly was queried.

(https://i.imgur.com/vE8kkZY.png)

In addition to his famous command, Commander Aion Styx was a well-decorated officer in his own right even despite having survived the explosion of Hellfire. While not yet seen as the future replacement for Captain Jocasta Gelanor due to his relative youth and inexperience, certainly the Commander could expect a promotion in the not too distant future.

Commander Styx began his remarks by reflecting on the numerous teething problems faced by the class in the earliest days of its operation. Some of these of course were well-known, for example the Commander recounted the experience of his helm officer during the second battle of Kuiper 79 during which attempts to evade fire from the Belaire Sovremennys had caused the frigate squadron to pass in and out of its own limited fire control range. Other anecdotes were not so well-known and in fact few if any of the Lords Admiral had heard these stories; for example while the chronic lack of sufficient munitions stores was well-known, the Commander recounted from personal experience how the haphazard placement of these storage sections - as one unfortunate consequence of the rushed design process had been a poorly thought through internal layout - frequently hampered his engineering crew’s best efforts to keep the guns firing during battles. The amusing account of how firing the Hellfire’s starboard gun battery had also caused the Commander’s private toilet to flush unexpectedly due to ill-planned wiring layouts was particularly well-received, although curiously none of the Lords Admiral thought to interrogate the Commander as to why exactly he had been in a position to notice this particular interaction. On the whole, Commander Styx stated, the Hellfire was utterly symptomatic of a ship which had been the product of a rushed design and construction process, compounded by conflicting and ever-changing requirements from the Legion Navy procurement offices.

In spite of this, however, Commander Styx could give nothing but praise when it came to his ship’s capabilities in battle, as while the pace of a sniper’s duel between Hellfire and Sovremenny squadrons might be a bit slow for the taste of many Legion Naval officers, the Hellfire had proven more than a match against ships twice her size, destroying four times her own displacement in enemy tonnage during her all-too-brief career. Astutely, the Commander noted that if the threat and value of the Hellfire class was not apparent to the Legion high command, it was certainly apparent to the Belaire Navy which had repeatedly prioritized the frigates over larger Legion targets during each engagement - a targeting priority the Commander could personally attest to, having lost an engine in the second battle of Kuiper 79.

While his personal insights were certainly valued, indeed being the primary purpose for his attendance that morning, the Commander further sought to present a quantitative assessment of the Hellfire class performance, hoping to validate his own informed opinions by grounding them upon objective facts. In contrast to the numerical narrative presented by Lord Admiral Criasus earlier in the session, which had sought to produce a fleet-wide operational picture of the Hellfire class impact, Commander Styx instead attempted to produce tactical-level evidence that the Hellfire itself was not only a strategic asset but in fact a highly-efficient weapons system in its own right. To emphasize this point, he drew the attention of the assembly to two principal results: first, that the Hellfires had on average made up 9% of the total displacement of the fleets they had been components of during a battle; second, that Hellfire gunnery had directly accounted for 11% of the Belaire losses suffered during these battles - a number which, for the sake of a conservative estimate, dismissed the additional Sovremenny kill claimed by Disruptor in the last of these engagements. In conclusion, despite its own issues the Hellfire class had outperformed expectations in combat against the enemy, or so the Commander claimed.

(https://i.imgur.com/r0EOGlN.png)

While unintentionally so, in presenting his own visual aid Commander Styx unwittingly imitated his far superior officer, Lord Admiral Criasus. As imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Commander inadvertently opened himself up to accusations of brown-nosing, although fortunately for himself any such thoughts were not voiced during the ensuing discussion period.

As was by this point tradition, the claims advanced by the Commander were not received passively by the Lords Admiral, with the anti-beams faction being particularly irritated at being in their view lectured by an extremely junior officer. Amidst the many rather rude retorts directed at the Commander, which if nothing else certainly put to the test the ideal of the Naval Conference as a discussion among equals, Lord Admiral Glycon Limos raised an important question of data interpretation. While the data as presented did suggest the efficacy of the Hellfire frigates, he conceded, the data did neglect to consider that a significant fraction of the fleet displacement in each case would be occupied by jump-capable warships which were certainly not expected to serve as primary combatants. Therefore, the Lord Admiral wished to know whether the analysis would change if the fraction of primary combatant tonnage made up by the Hellfires were considered rather than the fraction of total tonnage. Commander Styx clearly had not anticipated a statistical rather than egotistical challenge to his hard numbers and objective facts, and to be blunt fumbled in his response, claiming that he couldn’t be certain but the tonnage ratio wouldn’t rise significantly enough to make a difference in his analysis. Helpfully, at this point Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon spoke up to rescue the junior officer from his plight, noting that while the Hellfire tonnage ratio of primary combatants might rise up to perhaps 12% or so, this would likely be something of a wash were the fifth Sovremenny kill claimed by Disruptor factored into the analysis, and the central claim of the analysis was unlikely to be significantly altered.

Later, as the major part of the questioning had passed and the assembly was beginning to settle down, Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus took a speculative tact towards Commander Styx, asking how the Commander viewed the Hellfire class from the perspective of Legion Naval philosophy which emphasized close-range encounters with heavily-armored warships. The Commander’s reply proved insightful and illuminating; while he acknowledged that the reality of Hellfire combat was that of long-range sniping and gunnery dueling, he also noted that the role of the class was wholly offensive. In contrast, he pointed out, the other major ship classes of the Legion Navy were increasingly trending towards a dual role of both offensive and defensive functions, exemplified by the mixed 152 mm and 102 mm batteries equipped on the Invincible-class light cruisers. In contrast to this increasing complexity, Commander Styx concluded, there was a certain primal joy to be found in commanding a ship with a singular and destructive mission within the larger fleet, even though that aggression was only manifested at long range.

While this last response from the Commander was certainly not out of character for a Legion Naval officer, for many of the Lords Admiral who had come up through the ranks in command of railgun-only vessels and fleets, this perspective proved hard to digest. Some would later note that Commander Aion Styx was not only a junior officer, but also of a newer breed of officers, having only been promoted to the flag officer ranks less than four years ago. Many of the Lords Admiral therefore took his words as being perhaps reflective of the thinking of a new, younger and less conservative breed of Legion commanders; whether this indicated optimism or pessimism for the future of the Legion Navy of course would vary from one Lord Admiral to the next.

----

As Commander Styx had said all that he could say on the subject, he yielded the floor back to the Speaker, who in turn opened the floor for any additional comments from members of the assembly. Surprisingly, relatively few of the Lords Admiral present seemed interested in making additional remarks, a fact due in part to the volume of debate expressed in the preceding question and answer sessions, but no doubt due in equal or larger part to the conspicuous absence of two particular Lords Admiral from the Conference chamber. Nevertheless, a few final salient points were raised.

Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus, speaking from his experience as commandant of the Legion military academy, noted that the rushed deployment of the Hellfire had caused significant trouble for the academy staff as well. Critically, the lack of even draft forms of new training and doctrinal manuals on which to base a curriculum had forced the instructors at the academy to scramble madly in efforts to piece together some coherent educational plan for the crews and officers expected to serve on the new class. This disruption had led to pronounced effects even now, nearly two years later, as while a curriculum had been largely developed by this time the strain on staff resources to maintain two essentially separate programs of study had proven taxing for the academy staff, and it was likely that further expansion of the beam weapons program would only increase this strain. In response to this, Lord High Admiral Makedon noted that one possible solution would be to increase the size of the academy staff and facilities, an option which likely would be in line with other goals of the Legion high command in any case.

Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon noted that while the relative tactical ability of the Hellfire class remained a topic of debate, its relatively small size as only a frigate-rated warship meant that it was relatively little burden for the Legion’s naval maintenance facilities, particularly those in Adamantine which were still underdeveloped. He further noted that this perhaps would counterbalance the points raised earlier by Lord Captain Styx regarding the logistical burden of the particle beam weapons. Lord Admiral Pandia voiced her concurrence, as well as her relief that someone besides herself for once had thought about logistics.

Aside from these and a few comments giving general opinions as to whether the class was good or bad, with no real substance offered, it seemed by this time that the Lords Admiral were finally tired of this endless Hellfire debate. As such, Lord Admiral Criasus issued brief closing remarks thanking the Lords Admiral for their dedication, earnestness, and relatively civil behavior.

After this the Naval Conference was adjourned for a light luncheon.

----

OOC Notes: And thus the Naval Conference, seemingly interminable, progresses slowly but surely. Shockingly the Hellfire debate has begun in earnest and yet not one incident of fisticuffs, dueling, or brawling has occurred, with only two members of the assembly having been removed by the Guards for poor behavior thus far. Surely this is better than anyone had rightfully expected. Now we can only hope that this relatively good behavior continues into the afternoon session as the discussion turns to technical proposals about the future of the beam weapon classes, Hellfire and otherwise.

The update itself had perhaps the most fitful germination period of any so far, with a large swathe completely rewritten and generally made more concise. Yes, I know, "more concise" - such words are heresy in this thread, but it is the truth. The result though I think is suitable, while perhaps not too much new information has been revealed it has been presented in a manner that the Lords Admiral can consider in a relative fair and objective manner as they seek some agreement on the future of the particle beam in the Legion Navy.

And of course, El Pip will be pleased to note that the light refreshments have made their expected return, and all is now right in the world of the Naval Conference once more. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on June 22, 2021, 02:01:29 PM

I must admit that I was certainly surprised, that all participants of the debate survived without any physical harm. And I have to wonder if perhaps provided refreshment was "enhanced" with some additives with calming effects. ;D But it was most likely presence of such seasoned officer as Lord Admiral Criasus that calmed the participants. I had to look at some previous posts to check on the esteemed officer and I was bit surprised that he is supposed to be intolerant and delusional. :P I also realized that he was demoted in report from 21 May 4009, certainly a clerical error and not an effort to discredit him.

I will certainly watch with interest career of young commander Styx. Let it be long and beneficial for the Duranium Legion.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 22, 2021, 02:44:11 PM

Quote from: Black on June 22, 2021, 02:01:29 PM

I had to look at some previous posts to check on the esteemed officer and I was bit surprised that he is supposed to be intolerant and delusional. :P I also realized that he was demoted in report from 21 May 4009, certainly a clerical error and not an effort to discredit him.

As a rule I've largely ignored the listed personality traits for the commanders, really I should go back and blank out those parts of the images to avoid confusion as I really only use them to show service records and medals.

Meanwhile the clerical errors have been rectified, I think. The Lord Admiral expresses his sincere thanks for your keen eye and concern for his august reputation. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on June 23, 2021, 06:03:45 PM

That was all disgustingly polite. If only two Lord Admirals got themselves kicked out you have to wonder if the rest really care?

Lord Admiral Pandia is fast becoming my spirit animal in the Legion. Her valiant efforts to raise vitally important but utterly unglamorous points make her very much the secret unappreciated hero of the piece. Maybe not hero, that would imply success, it's more Cassandra-esque; utterly correct warnings that are completely ignored.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 22, 2021, 11:25:24 AM

The update itself had perhaps the most fitful germination period of any so far, with a large swathe completely rewritten and generally made more concise. Yes, I know, "more concise" - such words are heresy in this thread, but it is the truth.

The mind boggles at what the un-concise version looked like. Perhaps a thing too beautiful for this fallen world.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 22, 2021, 11:25:24 AM

The result though I think is suitable, while perhaps not too much new information has been revealed it has been presented in a manner that the Lords Admiral can consider in a relative fair and objective manner as they seek some agreement on the future of the particle beam in the Legion Navy.

It appears that the Particle Beam is heading towards the 'useful, but not always' box. Perhaps to be promoted up to the 'always useful' as technology advances and the next generation of officers rise up the ranks.

This seems reasonable, but it does presuppose the next generation of officers maintain their current views as they age, which is far from certain.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 22, 2021, 11:25:24 AM

And of course, El Pip will be pleased to note that the light refreshments have made their expected return, and all is now right in the world of the Naval Conference once more.[/i] ;)

This is indeed the most important things. We are not savages. (https://i.imgur.com/Z3wSg01.gif)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 23, 2021, 07:11:56 PM

Quote from: El Pip on June 23, 2021, 06:03:45 PM

The mind boggles at what the un-concise version looked like. Perhaps a thing too beautiful for this fallen world.

In short: in the review of the Hellfire service record, instead of one paragraph summarizing all six battles under consideration imagine a paragraph per battle, and you have a rough idea of what might have been.

Ultimately I had to scrap it for a few reasons: one being it was too ponderous even for this work; another being that this led to far too much content being weighted towards the Lord Admiral, which to balance with the other speakers would have required generating much additional material that frankly was not there at least in substantive terms; and finally the overall length does need to be kept to only the mostly-unreadable realm, as much longer would have the ghosts of Tolkien and Joyce haunting me for crimes against verbosity. Among others, I am certain.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Stormtrooper on July 01, 2021, 02:36:32 PM

These updates make me feel really happy about not being a part of Legion Navy, let alone a Lord Admiral. Although I've said it before I obviously have to reiterate through it once again, because you continue to torture me with reminding absolutely all the worst things from primary school. First there was a group work and now we had a group work where the ~~teacher~~ Lord Admiral Criasus assigns everyone as he pleases and on top of it puts everyone with whom they hate the most. :-X

As if the trauma from primary school wasn't intense enough at this point, we see another typical school group assignment in case of the beam slant: someone does all the work for the entire group and misses the entire point of a group project. When pressed agains the wall, agrees to change some stuff, except not much is actually changed.
Also how ironic given my favourite idea turned out to be the most "primary school group project" one. Because in all seriousness, particle beams are the true meaning of life and one has lived until experiencing blasting hapless enemies at max range while still maintaining full damage potential. 8)

Also why they eat only "light luncheons"? Come on, everyone knows that a good conference needs an unlimited amount of free food for all the attendants. Although on the other hand I guess this fits with the "flashbacks from primary school" theme, because it gives impression their food is in low amount and poor quality... Just like the cafeteria in my primary school served it... :P

Quote

After delivering the usual exhortations for his colleagues not to behave like schoolchildren - or, failing that, not to behave any worse than schoolchildren

Suuuurreeeee...

And I thought power armor was quite excessive for a mere conference, but on the other hand, if hell was to start spitting its fires then I guess integrated climate control might help. ::)

Speaking of, to be fair I didn't get the "was not supposed to be traipsing about in Ground Forces research" part. Like, by wearing it he... did not? He just used an already developed product. Does it mean Lord Admirals are all homeless because they are "not supposed to be traipsing about in Construction research"? Well, at least they can live on their ships I guess, though I fear to ask what they eat in order to avoid messing with agriculture research... ???

Quote

provide a basis of objective facts

Just like in primary school, I supposed in the Legion facts also can be subjective, so it's important to be precise. And of course these were "subjective facts" in the end, who would have guessed. But particle beams are op either way and that's certainly an objective fact.

Quote

were both escorted from the Conference chamber by the Imperial Guards to enjoy an early lunch

Okay, so I guess the conference is actually superior to primary school if getting into trouble gets you food instead of, well, trouble.

Anyways, thanks for the update, really liked to see from all the data how op particle beams are 8) and yet how some of the ~~primary school kids~~ Lord Admirals struggle to get it. And as for the problems with maintenance that caused so much controversy... Almost as if not giving a smeg about logistics came back to haunt Lord Admirals, but of course they won't admit it and instead blame it on particle beams themselves. :D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on July 01, 2021, 11:40:52 PM

Quote from: Stormtrooper on July 01, 2021, 02:36:32 PM

First there was a group work and now we had a group work where the ~~teacher~~ Lord Admiral Criasus assigns everyone as he pleases and on top of it puts everyone with whom they hate the most. :-X

Here I must protest, as the good Lord Admiral did his best to keep mortal enemies well separated. It is not his fault that most of the Lords Admiral hate most of the Lords Admiral to some degree or another... ::)

Quote

Also why they eat only "light luncheons"?

It is the mark of a civilized people, or so they will tell you if you ask.

Quote

Speaking of, to be fair I didn't get the "was not supposed to be traipsing about in Ground Forces research" part. Like, by wearing it he... did not? He just used an already developed product. Does it mean Lord Admirals are all homeless because they are "not supposed to be traipsing about in Construction research"? Well, at least they can live on their ships I guess, though I fear to ask what they eat in order to avoid messing with agriculture research... ???

"Ground Forces Research" here is better understood as the name of a department which has facilities, in which the Lord Admiral traipsed about to locate and equip a suit of experimental power armor. While some research into the technology has been done since a good while ago, no usable prototypes (read: ground unit classes) have been developed yet. The Lords General occasionally complain about Legion research priorities and they may have some points, but thus far no one cares to listen to them.

Quote

Anyways, thanks for the update, really liked to see from all the data how op particle beams are 8) and yet how some of the ~~primary school kids~~ Lord Admirals struggle to get it. And as for the problems with maintenance that caused so much controversy... Almost as if not giving a smeg about logistics came back to haunt Lord Admirals, but of course they won't admit it and instead blame it on particle beams themselves. :D

Of course they won't. Nevertheless, as we shall see in the next update, there may be some grudging concessions made quietly to the reality of the situation.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 4: Future of the Hellfire Class (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 04, 2021, 06:46:51 PM

OOC Note: As a reminder for the benefit of the reader, the agenda and attendance for the Naval Conference can be found in the first post of Chapter XXI (http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=12445.msg151157#msg151157) and may be of some use to keep track of the various personalities involved as well as to be apprised of upcoming topics of discussion - about which speculation is as always encouraged!

----

23 May 4009

1300: Session on Future Directions for Particle Beam Weapons, Duranium Legion Naval Conference

As the Lords Admiral filed back into the Conference chamber following their luncheon, they were greeted not by Lord Admiral Criasus, though he did occupy his usual place at the front of the Conference chamber, but rather by Oracle Xeno Sangarius, the chief researcher of the Legion for fire control systems. At first glance, many of the Lords Admiral may have been confused by this, strange as it seemed to have a session on particle beams and warships armed with such weapons be opened by a sensor technology expert. However this circumstance should not have been surprising to any Conference attendees who were properly informed about the Hellfire class and its shortcomings, as opposed to those who formed their opinions based only on the accusations of questionable merit which had formed the basis for much of the morning’s debate. Specifically, as one of the chief limitations of the Hellfire class had been their under-performant fire controls, to those in the know it would have been obvious that Oracle Sangarius intended to address the Conference to present a technological solution to this problem.

(https://i.imgur.com/84x0AKx.png)

While not by this time in Legion history as well-known as Geryon Priapus, as he had not invented a controversial weapon system as his better-esteemed colleague had, Oracle Xeno Sangarius was an accomplished researcher in his own right with numerous industrial contacts in both the Arcadia and Scamander corporations. The reader will note that “Oracle” despite sounding perhaps a bit mystical was in fact the second junior rank for a member of the Legion Academy, one level above the Initiate rank. The reader may also note that “Oracle” sounds perhaps a tad pretentious choice of title for a non-Lord researcher to take upon him or herself; the reader may be correct.

Indeed, this was precisely what transpired, as the Oracle issued brief opening remarks and then immediately dove into the technical details to begin with, he presented a compare-and-contrast discussion of present Legion Navy fire control technology with the new systems presently being developed under his attentive eyes. First, the existing fire control systems were described for the benefit of the Lords Admiral, as while these systems had been in wide use for the past decade it would perhaps be too much to ask those in attendance to recall from memory the fine details of this technology.

Arcadia Weapons Systems Medium Battery Director Mk III
Max Range 192,000 km
Tracking Speed 5,100 km/s
Size 170 tons Crew 14

Arcadia Weapons Systems Defense Battery Director Mk III
Max Range 96,000 km
Tracking Speed 5,100 km/s
Size 85 tons Crew 7

By contrast, the prototypes for what the lead researcher had humbly designated as the Sangarius Directors Mk IV yielded equal or better performance with far lower tonnage demands, with the main weapons variant offering a one-third improvement in maximum range on top of a one-quarter reduction in size while the defense battery variant offered the same performance as existing technology, but required only a bit more than half of the tonnage to accomplish this.

Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV
Max Range 256,000 km
Tracking Speed 5,000 km/s
Size 125 tons Crew 10

Sangarius Systems Defense Battery Director Mk IV
Max Range 96,000 km
Tracking Speed 5,000 km/s
Size 47 tons Crew 4

This had been accomplished by two major breakthroughs, which Oracle Sangarius proceeded to expound upon in some detail over the loud objections of several less technically-minded members of the assembly. On one hand, while the tracking speed of the fire directors was effectively the same with the new technology, the size of the computing system necessary to achieve this tracking speed had been significantly reduced by, curiously enough, breaking the problem down and using two computers to lead targets rather than one. The following explanation for this unintuitive result, using such terms as “coarse and fine-grained problems”, was of little use to even the more mathematically-inclined members of the Lords Admiralty, prompting a gentle reminder from Lord Admiral Criasus that the Oracle should be mindful of the time. This reminder was taken accordingly, and Oracle Sangarius shifted into a stimulating discussion of the improvements in fire control range technology, which were even at the present time being achieved largely due to cross-pollination with the particle beam projects of Priapus Energetics and the Scamander Corporation. Particularly, the developments in directed aether beam technology had been adapted for fire direction and was the primary driver behind the improved maximum targeting range - or in the case of the smaller defense battery directors, the more efficient targeting at shorter ranges. To their credit, many among the Lords Admiral did manage to follow some parts of this latter discussion, if only because the relation of these concepts to the particle beam development history sounded vaguely familiar to this segment of the audience.

Having concluded his thrilling scientific treatise on recent technological advances, Oracle Sangarius next attempted to briefly venture into the dark and confusing world of warship design. Based on his new fire control system designs, he claimed, the major difficulties with the Hellfire class could be resolved quite neatly:

Hellfire Mk II - Sangarius Variant class Frigate 7,500 tons 252 Crew 1,227.5 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 2-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 55 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 4 PPV 42
Maint Life 4.57 Years MSP 1,409 AFR 112% IFR 1.6% 1YR 110 5YR 1,647 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 388,000 Litres Range 20.2 billion km (46 days at full power)

Priapus Energetics Laboratory PEL-4 Neon Beam Cannon (6) Range 200,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-4 ROF 15
Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Historical documents recently acquired from the archives of the Legion Naval procurement offices indicate that around this time period, a proposal to introduce a new naming series for ships of this class beginning with “Sangarius” was summarily rejected, officially on the grounds that the ‘S’ class was not yet under consideration for introduction as a naming series. Officially.

Indeed, at face value this proposed design represented a strict improvement over the present Hellfire class in service. Not only did the pair of upgraded fire control systems address the significant long-range accuracy limitations of the class, but the efficient use of space by these new systems would also free up sufficient tonnage for additional maintenance storage bays to be retrofitted in the now-empty adjacent volumes. This latter element of the revision would neatly address the problem of keeping the unreliable particle beams themselves operational over the course of a protracted engagement at long range, although certainly the improved hit rates which could be realized by the improved fire control systems would also contribute towards this end. In spite of these inarguable improvements, as the reader must by now expect the Lords Admiral had no difficulty in finding faults with this revised design.

The objections from the Lords Admiral can be broadly divided into three camps along ideological lines. The first of these camps, which later commentators have tended to dub as the Reactionary Faction, was predictably led by Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria and objected to the revision of the Hellfire class design largely on the principle of objecting to the Hellfire class in general terms. Whether honestly or for the sake of appearing to make a gracious concession, the Reactionaries accepted the premise that the Hellfire class was, based on previous discussions, here to stay as a permanent fixture of the Legion Navy. However, they argued that as the class had such a narrow utility, and was nearly useless outside of this narrow mission profile, the time and resources which would be spent on upgrades that did little to change this state of affairs would be better spent on the more important ships of the Legion Navy. The gist of the argument is perhaps best summarized by Lord High Admiral Macaria’s comment to the effect of “why invest in these pitiful six-shooter Hellfires instead of powerful cruisers bristling with railguns?” While insubstantial (and wholly unsubstantiated), the retort by Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron that this was “six more shooters than you have” elicited great uproar, necessitated the intervention of the Imperial Guard detachment, and earned the Lord High Admiral the alternately emblematic or derogatory epithet of “Six-Shooter Macaria”.

The second camp of objectors, in essence led by Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon and Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus, were those who considered the proposed revision as not going far enough towards addressing the weaknesses of the original Hellfire design. Specifically, this faction considered the thin armor of the Hellfires to be another critical weakness which had been exposed to nearly catastrophic effect in the first combat action of the class, when Hellfire herself had lost an engine due to the good fortune of a since-erstwhile Belaire gunner. Of course, the Lords Admiral of the so-called Armor Faction recognized that any up-armoring of the class must come at the expense of some other capability, given the tonnage-tight nature of the Hellfire design - and naturally, they had opinions on which capabilities ought to be placed on the chopping block:

Hellfire Mk II - Armored Variant (A) class Frigate 7,500 tons 237 Crew 1,180 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 3-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 52 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 3 PPV 42
Maint Life 3.66 Years MSP 1,294 AFR 150% IFR 2.1% 1YR 150 5YR 2,250 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 385,000 Litres Range 20 billion km (46 days at full power)

Priapus Energetics Laboratory PEL-4 Neon Beam Cannon (6) Range 200,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-4 ROF 15
Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Once the rest of the assembly had taken the chance to glance over the proposed design specification, objections quickly mounted. From the historical record, it does appear that the majority of the Lords Admiral were most upset about the removal of the redundant second fire control system, which was generally seen as threatening the reliability of the class in the face of battle damage, and Lord Admiral Abderus’ assertions that the whole point of up-armoring the Hellfires was to prevent such damage in the first place was not generally accepted as a strong counterargument. A second objection, given much less weight by the majority of the assembly but in retrospect probably the more substantive complaint, was raised by Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia who stressed that the reduction of shipboard engineering capacity by one-quarter would lead to increased maintenance strain on the ship, crew, and most importantly fleet logistics tail. This would render the Hellfires even more difficult to deploy and to keep in the field than they already were, according to the Lord Admiral. Admittedly, this argument may have held more persuasive power had not Lord High Admiral Macaria interjected to ask why this should be considered a bad thing, once again disrupting the proceedings by means of a brief fracas.

Returning to the primary objection, by volume if not by import, Lord High Admiral Chalcon suggested an alternative design which might at least resolve the fire control issue raised by so many members of the assembly:

Hellfire Mk II - Armored Variant (B) class Frigate 7,500 tons 242 Crew 1,228.3 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 3-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 52 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 3 PPV 42
Maint Life 3.11 Years MSP 987 AFR 150% IFR 2.1% 1YR 153 5YR 2,301 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 390,000 Litres Range 20.3 billion km (46 days at full power)

Priapus Energetics Laboratory PEL-4 Neon Beam Cannon (6) Range 200,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-4 ROF 15
Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1

While this strangely is not recorded in the official meeting minutes, other contemporary accounts indicate that Lord Admiral Pandia experienced a sudden fainting spell and required brief medical attention on seeing that this proposal removed even more critically necessary maintenance supplies in the name of tactical efficiency. The primary proponent for logistically-sane fleet doctrine being thus temporarily indisposed, the bulk of the ensuing debate focused primarily on the question of whether removing passive sensors from a Legion Navy warship was a greater or lesser sin than removing a redundant fire control, with the result being entirely inconclusive.

In any case, it seemed clear that the concept of an up-armored Hellfire class was unlikely to see much purchase given the present mood of the Naval Conference, and therefore Lord Admiral Criasus finally intervened to put an end to the fruitless debate. The Speaker was by this point clearly worn down and tired after multiple days of corralling the pugnacious Lords Admiral, or at least there is no better explanation for why he immediately committed the grave error of asking if anyone else had a further comment on the topic of the Hellfire revisions. Predictably, this inquiry received an affirmative answer.

With an eagerness bordering on naïveté, a third camp of objectors to the original Sangarius revision demanded to be heard, headed by Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson and Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus. In fact, the reader should here note that the phrase “headed by” is more accurately understood to mean “consisting in its entirety of”. To a certain extent, this pair of Lords Admiral echoed the concerns of the Reactionaries, but where the previous objectors had asked “why bother at all?”, this third camp instead objected on the grounds of “why bother with such a small change?” The result of this line of thinking was, for most of the other Conference attendees, a profoundly disconcerting design proposal:

Hellfire Mk II - Hybrid Variant class Frigate 7,500 tons 233 Crew 1,292.9 BP TCS 150 TH 750 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 2-34 Shields 0-0 HTK 50 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 4 PPV 28
Maint Life 6.78 Years MSP 3,011 AFR 112% IFR 1.6% 1YR 114 5YR 1,705 Max Repair 187.5 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

Hyperion Drive Yards H-375 Frigate Engine 'Gryphon' (2) Power 750 Fuel Use 46.19% Signature 375 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 385,000 Litres Range 20 billion km (46 days at full power)

Priapus Energetics Laboratory PEL-4 Neon Beam Cannon (4) Range 200,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 10-4 ROF 15
Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Long-Range Array (1) GPS 14400 Range 83.1m km Resolution 150
Scamander Corporation Series XVI Missile Warning Array (1) GPS 96 Range 15.6m km MCR 1.4m km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

Over raucous cries from the assembly, the two members of the so-called Hybridization Faction frantically sought to explain themselves. Officially, the justification given by these two Lords Admiral was that the hybrid variant of the Hellfire class would maintain the core capability of the class while also subsuming the reconnaissance and surveillance roles of the Bellerophon class. This would allow the Legion Navy to operate only a single frigate class which would be useful in a range of operational and tactical scenarios, rather than having to juggle two highly-specialized classes for increasingly distant missions. While this justification is admittedly sound, at least by Lord Admiralty standards, the unofficial explanations are far more illuminating with regards to the true purpose of the proposal. For Lord Admiral Chryson, a known fierce opponent of the Bellerophon class which she viewed as a massive tactical liability and waste of valuable Legion crew members, this proposal represented a serious attempt to eliminate the class from the Legion Naval register once and for all, while preserving the essential capabilities of the class on a hull with actual tactical usefulness. Lord High Admiral Antilochus, on the other hand, was also a fierce opponent of the Bellerophon class, if not so noteworthy as her faction co-member, but on quite different grounds. In her view, the capabilities of the Bellerophon class represented a potential threat to the autonomy of the Legion Navy survey command, as several Lords Admiral had in the past suggested that the frigates could serve as fast scouts in advance of the survey frigates, hoping to avoid further first-contact losses. This blurring of cross-command lines would inevitably, in Lord High Admiral Antilochus’ mind, lead to attempts by the main fleet commanders to encroach upon her own command, and thus a proposal which could lead to the elimination of the Bellerophon or any similar follow-on class certainly deserved her enthusiastic support.

Unfortunately for the undersized Hybridization Faction, this would be the only source of enthusiastic support, indeed any support at all, which would be received by this unusual proposal. The Reactionaries, already opposed to even a relatively minor refit which would divert attention from more important fleet elements, certainly could not countenance a major redesign which would only compound their own objections. Lord High Admiral Macaria notably argued that replacing not one but two battle-tested, if controversial, ship classes (and even he had to admit that the Hellfire class had been battle-tested, though he was quick to add a comment about “better the devil we know” to protect his reputation) with an experimental-at-best concept class that sought to do two jobs half as well was almost sure to be a recipe for disaster. Even Lord Grand Admiral Argyron concurred with this assessment, thus the Hybridization Faction had achieved the seemingly impossible task of fostering peace in the middle of the Lord Admiralty, though this was small comfort if any to the two members of that faction. The Armor Faction of course objected to an alternative proposal which could upstage their own ideas, to say nothing of the fact that this proposal made the Hellfire class even less combat-capable by not only failing to improve its protection but by reducing its armament to boot.

In what was perhaps the most embarrassing objection yet raised, Lord Imperator Daedalus Poseidon, the planetary governor of Duratus, requested permission to take the floor. This was an unusual step for a non-Lord Admiral member of the assembly, but nevertheless permission was granted by Lord Admiral Criasus. Thus recognized, the Lord Imperator simply noted that the proposed design, due to the large active sensors, would not be buildable in the existing shipyard slipways currently tooled for either the Hellfire or Bellerophon classes according to his undersecretaries for shipbuilding. Therefore, any refit program would have to be delayed for several additional months even once the required fire control systems upgrades had been introduced into Legion Naval service. While this particular limitation was certainly not insurmountable, the spectacle of two Legion Navy Lords Admiral being countered by a civilian official at a Naval Conference was absolutely the death knell for the hybrid frigate proposal, and after this point the discussion quickly wound down as none of the Lords Admiral present could raise any stronger objections than this, at least for grandstanding purposes.

Seeing the discussion once again settling down, and resolving not to make the same mistake twice, Lord Admiral Criasus hurriedly called the Conference to a vote to determine which design proposal should serve as the basis for the imminent Hellfire refit program - with the precise details of the Uparmored variant to be determined by further work by the Legion Naval ship design offices in the near future. The Lords Admiral, by now feeling perhaps a bit more than peckish, assented to this motion. Following the first roll call, the vote stood at six each for the Sangarius and Uparmored refit proposals, and two predictable votes for the Hybrid proposal, and Lord Admira Criasus therefore announced a runoff vote with the Hybrid proposal removed from consideration.

This second vote would prove contentious. Lord Admiral Chryson was quick to cast her own vote for the Uparmored variant, preferring the most combat-capable design as she perceived matters. With that, the choice fell to Lord High Admiral Antilochus whether to decide the vote or force a tiebreaker. Ultimately, she would cast her vote in favor of the Sangarius variant, causing a 7-7 deadlock and forcing Lord Admiral Criasus to cast the deciding vote. This placed the Speaker in a most unenviable situation, as a vote in either direction would likely make him seven instant enemies in uncomfortably close quarters. It seems likely that Lord High Admiral Antilochus had intended this exact situation, counting on the Speaker’s reluctance to choose a side in this heated debate to deadlock the proceedings as some measure of revenge for the poor reception the Hybrid proposal had received. It appears that this plan, if such it was, nearly worked as Lord Admiral Criasus deliberated inconclusively for several minutes while the rest of the assembly waited with bated breath.

In the end, the deadlock was resolved not by the Speaker but by the Imperator of the Conference herself, Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance. In a rare display of her executive powers, the Imperator declared that she was preemptively vetoing the action chosen by the assembly, as it would clearly cause irresolvable tensions that would likely scuttle the remainder of the Conference. Thus, seeking to honor the results of the split vote as closely as possible, the Hellfire refit program would be split between the Sangarius and Uparmored variants, as both could be constructed from the same shipyard as the original Hellfire class, and the ultimate decision on a final design direction would be made for a future generation of the class based on further battlefield experience. While there was some uproar over the Lord Admiral Imperator’s application of her powers, which were arguably beyond the stated bounds of the Naval Conference regulations, it quickly became clear that a voice vote would not even come close to overriding what had essentially been a glorified veto, and thus the decree of the Lord Admiral Imperator would stand as delivered.

With matters settled, such as they were, the Conference was briefly adjourned and light afternoon refreshments were served.

----

As the Lords Admiral filed back into the Conference chamber following their light refreshments, they were once again greeted not by Lord Admiral Criasus, though he did continue to occupy his usual place at the front of the Conference chamber, but rather by another civilian face, this time that of the famous Oracle Geryon Priapus of particle beam fame. Given the subject matter of the proceedings, this could not honestly be considered surprising to the Lords Admiral present, but nevertheless much curiosity was aroused as to why the famous researcher would be addressing the assembly at this admittedly late juncture of the afternoon session. This curiosity was significantly enhanced by the conspicuous placement of a film projector in front of a pull-down screen suspended from the ceiling of the Conference chamber, the bottom of which had been secured (for a loose definition of “secure”) to the floor by means of a frayed rope tied to what appeared to be a spare 102 mm railgun barrel. Clearly, the Conference budget planners had neglected to allocate funding for certain necessary presentation infrastructure.

Budgetary concerns aside, Oracle Priapus was eager to begin once the assembly had been re-seated. In short order, he introduced himself, posited that many of those present might be wondering why he was addressing them today, and announced that he was pleased to present the latest technological developments in energy weapons from the Priapus Energetics Laboratory. Having done so, the Oracle clicked a button on a handheld remote and turned expectantly towards the screen. Seeing that nothing had happened, the Oracle then muttered to himself, pressed several more buttons, and finally managed to decipher the correct combination as a recorded video began to play on the screen. Recovering his composure, Oracle Priapus called for the lights in the Conference chamber to be dimmed for optimal visibility, and proceeded to narrate the video for the benefit of his captive audience.

Shown in the recording was, according to Oracle Priapus, a PEL weapons testing range in orbit of Luna, with the camera focusing on a test-firing target rack to which a pair of 508 mm armor plates of the type used in manufacturing the Charybdis-class destroyers had been securely fastened in series. For the benefit of the assembly, Oracle Priapus noted that this total thickness of armor, in excess of one meter, was the same as the proposed armor thickness for the upcoming class(es) of heavy cruisers, and that even the heaviest Belaire lasers known to the Legion would not be able to penetrate this armor in a single shot, although the heavy spinal lasers of the Sovremennys would at least be able to punch a noticeable hole in the underlying plate. The assembly was urged to keep this in mind as the weapons test being shown that day played out.

As the video continued to play, a bright beam suddenly lanced through the camera field of view, impacting on and penetrating the armored target. To the shock and amazement of all present, not only was a significant amount of debris visibly ejected from the back side of the target assembly, but the brilliant beam could clearly be seen to continue beyond the target, albeit at much-reduced intensity, and impacting on a presumably unpopulated part of the lunar surface below. The Lords Admiral were immediately thrown into a great uproar at this demonstration of a weapon which could slice through a solid meter of duranium composite armor as if it was merely a few sheets of paper. The initial reaction of the Lords Admiral was, naturally, excitement over the potential to deploy and use such a powerful weapon. However, this reaction was quickly matched by fear and panic over the possibility that such a weapon might render even the most heavily-armored cruisers of the Legion Navy utterly defenseless. In the midst of this, Oracle Geryon Priapus stood at the front of the chamber smugly, waiting for the uproar to subside so as to resume his own presentation. Eventually, curiosity overtook blind panic, and the Lords Admiral returned their attention to the presenter who clicked another sequence of buttons on his handheld remote, at least some of which were necessary, to show a new proposed class of weapon on the screen:

PZ-1202-L Neutron Lance Proposal
Beam Strength 12 Rate of Fire 50 seconds Maximum Range 200,000 km
Particle Beam Size 16 HS (800 tons) HTK 8
Power Requirement 37 Recharge Rate 4

The "neutron lance", as Oracle Priapus presently explained, was an evolution of the original particle beam concept which used gravitic directors exclusively, rather than superconducting electronics as in a typical beam cannon. By using neutrons as the beam payload rather than neutralized ions, tremendous penetration could be achieved, such that the neutron lance did not so much impact the armor of a ship as much as it drilled straight through the armor. The Oracle claimed that the particle lance could enter a Belaire Kirov-class strike cruiser through the bow, excoriate the entire ship, and exit from the stern armor section with power to spare. While this claim seemed perhaps a bit dubious, none among the assembly dared attempt to contradict it.

What the Lords Admiral did dare to ask, as they regained their wits following this impressive display of firepower, was why such a powerful weapon was not already in service. At this question, Oracle Priapus muttered something about “gravitic instability” and informed the Lords Admiral that the weapon was not yet entirely stable under testing conditions. Particularly, the weapon which had been fired in the presented test had actually imploded immediately after firing due to a loss of gravitic containment, an event which had been strategically not shown in the promotional material. Maintaining both stability and weapon power remained the primary research task facing the PEL staff scientists, although if the Oracle’s associated funding requests were granted the work could be completed in less than thirty months by his own estimation.

In any case, while the technology was not yet mature enough for deployment with the fleets of the Legion Navy, Oracle Priapus had wanted to present his work in progress to the Conference to stimulate their imaginations regarding the future of particle beam weapons. To this end, he also presented a tentative design proposal for a neutron lance-armed heavy cruiser which could accompany the fleets of the Legion to provide massive anti-ship first strike capabilities, likely functioning as a capital ship killer in its own right:

Priapus Proposal class Heavy Beam Cruiser 20,000 tons 587 Crew 3,529.7 BP TCS 400 TH 2,000 EM 0
5000 km/s Armour 8-65 Shields 0-0 HTK 121 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 18 PPV 96
Maint Life 4.07 Years MSP 5,505 AFR 178% IFR 2.5% 1YR 533 5YR 7,997 Max Repair 500 MSP
Captain Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required

X-1000 Heavy Cruiser Engine (2) Power 2000 Fuel Use 24.75% Signature 1000 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 553,000 Litres Range 20.1 billion km (46 days at full power)

PZ-1202-L Neutron Lance (6) Range 200,000km TS: 5,000 km/s Power 37-4 ROF 50
Sangarius Systems Beam Weapon Director Mk IV (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 5,000 km/s
Chryson Dynamics 12 TW Induction Drive Cell Mk VI (2) Total Power Output 24.2 Exp 5%

Scamander Corporation Series XVI Onboard Targeting System (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km Resolution 1
Scamander Corporation Series VIII Infrared Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Scamander Corporation Series VIII RF Wave Scanner (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km

The Oracle was quick to note that he was of course a weapons developer, not a ship designer, and as such the design was sure to be flawed in many ways and was only presented as an example of what could be possible with this shocking new weapons technology. Seizing on this, Lord Admiral Criasus quickly announced that no comment period or debate would be held regarding the details of the proposed design, although general discussion of the proposed neutron lance weapon could proceed as usual. For once, such a restriction was hardly necessary as most of the Lords Admiral remained shell-shocked by the raw killing power they had seen that afternoon. The notable exception to this was Lord Grand Admiral Argyron, who in contrast to her peers in the assembly was quite nearly gloating with exuberance and took the opportunity to declare that afternoon’s presentation as a watershed moment for particle beam weapons. While surely many members of the assembly took exception to the Lord Grand Admiral’s boastful attitude, no exception could be taken with the substance of her statements; indeed, even Lord High Admiral Macaria concurred that this neutron lance technology certainly merited further development given the impressive power which had been displayed that day.

Fortunately for the traditionalists among the Lords Admiral, it did not take too long for a proper debate to break out, as Oracle Priapus’ request for further research funding required close and contentious consideration before it could be answered. At one extreme was the Lord Grand Admiral Tethys Argyron Faction, consisting of a single member, which advocated for the maximum possible funding to be granted and a heavy beam cruiser class to be laid down within thirty months. Despite having considerable political pull, this faction curiously failed to produce more than a single vote.

Towards the middle of the debate, a more moderate faction consisted of the less extreme pro-particle beam Lords Admiral, including Lords Admiral Abderus and Hydra, as well as some of the Modular Fleet supporters from the previous day, including Lord High Admiral Makedon and Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus. These officers advocated for a five-year plan, anticipating that a beam cruiser class might be laid down by the beginning of the year 4015. While the neutron lance concept was intriguing, these faction members argued, it was unproven in battle and the Legion Navy could not afford to overfund such speculative research at the expense of other critical needs. This faction saw considerably better success, procuring five votes with modest support from Lord Admiral Chryson who considered the potential for a new capital ship class worth the investment.

However, the majority of the Lords Admiral ultimately sided with the most conservative faction, vocally led by Lord High Admiral Macaria with Lord Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus throwing his considerable political weight behind this proposal. In practical terms, not only from a research and development perspective but also from a ship construction and refit perspective, the Legion Navy simply had too much to accomplish in the next several years as it currently stood, these supporters argued. Thus, as impressive as the neutron lance appeared to be from these tests, in realistic terms it would be most likely to see deployment in a following round of upgrades and refits. Given that the Legion Navy was approaching ten years of interplanetary service and was just now preparing to undergo such an upgrade program, this next round of upgrades could conceivably require anywhere from ten to twenty years to take place. Thus, the funding package which ultimately gained majority support would fund the PEL neutron lance department over a ten-year period, at which point the technology would be either ready for implementation or else considered non-viable for battlefield use.

As this had been decided, and the afternoon session began to wind down, a somewhat tangential question was raised by Lord Admiral Glycon Limos who suggested that perhaps some parallel work ought to be done to determine some means of countering this terrifying weapon. After all, he postulated, if the Legion research establishment had developed a workable prototype of such a weapon, it was not unthinkable that some alien race might also have stumbled upon the concept. While the Lord Admiral admitted candidly that he had no idea what kind of technology might counter such a powerful weapon, he certainly believed that some effort to investigate whatever possibilities could be conceived of would be a worthwhile activity. By voice vote, the assembly was found to be broadly in favor of this, and a note was made in the Conference record to open a new department within the Legion Naval Research and Development Corps to begin investigating such possibilities.

With matters thus settled, the third day of the Naval Conference came to a close - but over dinner and in many cases drinks that evening, many of the Conference attendees speculated in muted tones about how the following day’s session might proceed.

----

OOC Notes: And with this, we are back, not that I imagine anyone had particularly noticed that we had left, such is the slow pace of life during the Naval Conference. For those who had noticed, I will reassure you that the delay in this update was entirely necessary, as in the intervening time period I have pursued a small side project and as a result am now a doctor of the academic inclination. As far as a doctor of what subject, I shall leave this open to speculation save to note that history would be an incorrect answer.

Meanwhile this about wraps up the discussion of Hellfires and particle beams, for the duration of the Naval Conference anyways, although I cannot guarantee that the subject will not be brought up again at a convenient moment should some particular Lord Admiral feel the need to grandstand once more. Otherwise, we now turn our attention to jump ship doctrine and the closely-related topic of command ship design, which should prove stimulating and exciting to the sort of person who still reads the ponderous tripe I call an update. Following this I do have something special planned for the conference outing to the the Hyperion shipyard, which I think a slightly different sort of person will appreciate. Let it never be said that this author does not pander to all audiences. It may be true, but let it not be said anyways.

And most importantly, this also marks the return of the much-loved light refreshments. Truly there is no better mark of an excellent AAR than prodigious mention of light refreshments, and as an author seeking to produce excellent work I must take advantage of every trick in the book including this one. We shall see how well it has worked.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on August 04, 2021, 08:44:01 PM

Tea and biscuits the true fuel of the Duraniam Legion
-Brought to you by BritCo Light Refreshments Incorporated

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on August 05, 2021, 05:18:56 AM

I have to admit that I was developing slight withdrawal symptoms. :D And of course congratulation for your personal success Dr. nuclearslurpee.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 05, 2021, 09:13:39 AM

Quote from: Warer on August 04, 2021, 08:44:01 PM

Tea and biscuits the true fuel of the Duraniam Legion
-Brought to you by BritCo Light Refreshments Incorporated

It is truly amazing just how far the British have managed to infiltrate into this futuristic society so long after Britain itself has ostensibly ceased to exist. It is, of course, for the best. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Quote from: Black on August 05, 2021, 05:18:56 AM

I have to admit that I was developing slight withdrawal symptoms. :D And of course congratulation for your personal success Dr. nuclearslurpee.

You and me both! And thank you for your congratulations. ;D

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: misanthropope on August 05, 2021, 09:28:38 AM

the important thing is; every PhD is a PhD in Light Refreshments, if you play your cards right

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on August 05, 2021, 04:47:14 PM

My word that was quite the monstrous update, congratulations indeed. You achievement of becoming an academic doctor was unquestionably well deserved if you poured anything like the same effort into it.

I'll be honest I feel somewhat overwhelmed by it, it absolutely deserves a detailed quote-reply fest to highlight and probe it's wonders. But it's 6,500 words and the Pipettes are determined to deny me sleep so it all seems too much. Some small highlights;

Medals as a way of doing Scientist/Academic ranks, I am stealing that idea it is most clever
Some excellent pretentious titles
This trend of scientist trying to get into design will end badly, because it always does. They are not engineers and should not attempt it
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia remains a favourite as she fights the good fight to no noticeable impact
Lord Imperator Daedalus Poseidon is an incredible name in all respects.
As noted the return of light refreshments raised the tone considerably. And it is inconceivable the Legion could be so successful if they had not been fuelled by tea
It is pleasing the Legion has enough spare 4" rail gun barrels to use them as props
"In the grim darkness of the far future there is only Imperial measurements haphazardly converted to metric"
I remain disappointed the Reactors are quoted in Terrawatts and not GigaBTU/sec
Proper many year plans are being made, adds a nice touch of verisimilitude to events

There are doubtless many more things I could (and should) have pulled out and admired, alas this meagre gesture will have to suffice.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 06, 2021, 10:23:59 AM

Quote from: misanthropope on August 05, 2021, 09:28:38 AM

the important thing is; every PhD is a PhD in Light Refreshments, if you play your cards right

Indeed, else there is no reason to bother.

Quote from: El Pip on August 05, 2021, 04:47:14 PM

My word that was quite the monstrous update, congratulations indeed. You achievement of becoming an academic doctor was unquestionably well deserved if you poured anything like the same effort into it.

I'll be honest I feel somewhat overwhelmed by it, it absolutely deserves a detailed quote-reply fest to highlight and probe it's wonders. But it's 6,500 words and the Pipettes are determined to deny me sleep so it all seems too much. Some small highlights;

Medals as a way of doing Scientist/Academic ranks, I am stealing that idea it is most clever
Some excellent pretentious titles
This trend of scientist trying to get into design will end badly, because it always does. They are not engineers and should not attempt it
Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia remains a favourite as she fights the good fight to no noticeable impact
Lord Imperator Daedalus Poseidon is an incredible name in all respects.
As noted the return of light refreshments raised the tone considerably. And it is inconceivable the Legion could be so successful if they had not been fuelled by tea
It is pleasing the Legion has enough spare 4" rail gun barrels to use them as props
"In the grim darkness of the far future there is only Imperial measurements haphazardly converted to metric"
I remain disappointed the Reactors are quoted in Terrawatts and not GigaBTU/sec
Proper many year plans are being made, adds a nice touch of verisimilitude to events

There are doubtless many more things I could (and should) have pulled out and admired, alas this meagre gesture will have to suffice.

I for one shall consider this sufficient. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif) Though I do note that while I would never recommend such a colossal use of time, one can always re-read the work should one feel the urge to produce additional comments. However in the case of Pipettes I suspect that this is even less recommended than usual.

I really did consider splitting this update at the refreshments break, and perhaps I should have, but at the same time I do have a reputation to uphold and more importantly must remain on ever-vigilant guard against the tendency to increasingly salami-slice the updates.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 5: The Command Cruiser Debate
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 26, 2021, 12:54:18 PM

Off-Topic: Agamemnon Variant class Command Cruiser • show

To begin, Lord Admiral Agamemnon noted for his audience that any proposed command cruiser class would require scientific improvements in the field of jump drive construction, as more efficient drive technology would be needed to fit both a jump drive and the necessary sensor suite, etc. onboard such a ship. Much to the relief of the assembly, the Lord Admiral did not immediately launch into a lengthy technical exposition on the subject, but simply proceeded onwards with the main elements of his presentation.

In Lord Admiral Agamemnon’s view, the command cruiser filled three principal doctrinal roles. The first of these was of course the fleet command role, which was accommodated by introducing a new flag bridge component into the ship design, which was distinct from the ship’s bridge and from which a flag officer could direct the entire fleet separately from the cruiser’s captain. The second role was to provide comprehensive sensor coverage for a fleet, effectively replacing the Bellerophon class in this role. While simply emplacing the Bellerophon sensor suite into the new class would be adequate, Lord Admiral Agamemnon instead proposed a revised suite of five new sensors, each of 450 tons displacement, with the major intention of matching the similar-sized sensors discovered on both Belaire and Mongolican vessels to ensure that the Legion Navy did not fall behind its opponents in sensor capabilities. Finally, and most controversially, the command cruiser would serve as a fleet jump tender, able to transit an entire fleet of heavy cruisers and smaller by itself but not equipped to carry out jump point assaults except in truly emergency circumstances. This would necessitate a specialized jumpship squadron to carry out such an assault, but would otherwise retain the strategic mobility so essential for Legion fleet operations.

As these three distinct roles demanded a significant fraction of the ship’s displacement, not even a point defense armament would be mounted and the armor, while adequate, would be a small compromise being only as thick as that of the Invincible-class light cruisers rather than that of the planned heavy cruisers. As the very thick armor of the latter ship class was expected to only be of great importance in a jump point assault or a similar close-range railgun brawling scenario, this small compromise could be considered acceptable given the impressive capabilities of the proposed command cruiser class. Lord Admiral Agamemnon was optimistic that future technological development would eventually allow the armor compromise to be rescinded, and even a point defense railgun suite to be mounted given longer-term research developments.

In a break from the tradition of recent sessions, Lord Admiral Criasus made an immediate proclamation as his colleague finished his presentation, to the effect that no immediate discussion of the specific ship proposal would be had at this juncture. Instead, the open floor discussion would take place only after both proposals had been presented for consideration, and would focus on the doctrinal approach to be taken rather than the mundane details of the ship designs, which after all were not themselves even detailed enough to receive a Z-type planning designation from the procurement offices. Having proclaimed thusly, the Speaker recognized, with barely-concealed trepidation, Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria who would present the second major command carrier proposal under consideration that morning. This design proposal is, as with the previous one, reproduced below for the benefit of the reader:

Off-Topic: Macaria Variant class Command Cruiser • show

As with the previous proposal, the “Macaria variant” also fulfilled three principal doctrinal roles, however one of these was fulfilled in quite a different manner and another was entirely different from the role considered by Lord Admiral Agamemnon. The first role, providing fleet command capabilities, was largely unchanged and was accomplished identically to the earlier proposal, this being the most necessary and straightforward role for the class to fill in any case. The second role, provision of sensor coverage for fleet operations, was in principle the same but was accomplished quite differently. Rather than slightly expanding the sensor suite as Lord Admiral Agamemnon’s proposal had done, Lord High Admiral Macaria’s proposal called for a significant reduction of the sensor suite, by a factor of two-thirds compared to its predecessor on the Bellerophon class, and notably excising the high-resolution sensor array entirely. While the Lord High Admiral claimed that this had been done because this sensor type had proven unnecessary in battlefield operations, it was clear to all present that this decision had truly been made in service of the third design role of the class. This role was, of course, to provide not only fleet jump capability but in fact jump assault capability for a squadron of heavy cruisers, thus a significantly greater amount of space was necessary compared to the “Agamemnon variant” for the jump drive machinery of the class.

While the component type was superficially similar, the true divergence of this latter role was in its implications for the rest of a Legion Navy battle fleet. In Lord High Admiral Macaria’s vision, a fleet would retain full, organic jump assault capability and the command cruiser would be the leading element of this capability, providing not only strategic but also tactical mobility. The price to be paid for this mobility, of course, would be not only the reduced sensor capabilities of the proposed design but also the necessity for a substantial fraction of a fleet to remain as low-threat jump ships rather than high-threat railgun warships - a price many among the Lords Admiral were hesitant at best to pay. Nevertheless, this approach had been Legion Navy tradition for the past decade and such a tradition had led to many great successes, thus to continue in this direction was an attractive prospect to equally many of the Lords Admiral. To break this deadlock was the present task facing the assembly, and it was in full awareness of this (and, doubtless, with no optimism regarding the accomplishment of this task) that Lord Admiral Criasus now opened the floor for discussion, debate, and ideally few if any punching matches.

In the following hours, reams upon reams of wholly insubstantial rhetoric was hurled across the Conference chamber. In the midst of this gratuitous mudslinging, occasional nuggets of useful thought were found which eventually could lead to some form of meaningful conclusion, and it is to these latter moments that the attention of the reader is now directed.

In favor of the sensor-heavy Agamemnon variant, several arguments emerged in addition to the supposed increase in fleet combat power as previously described. Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus of the Training Corps repeated an earlier point of his, noting that the doctrine of separate jump assault squadrons would allow crews and officers to receive specialized training in squadron jump tactics rather than being occupied by full-time fleet operations. Besides the natural ability to take leadership in jump assault operations, the crews and officers with this training would surely spread throughout the rest of the fleet over time, providing a source of institutional knowledge. A second and perhaps questionable argument was raised quite vocally by Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, who noted that the weak sensors of the Macaria variant class would provide a compelling case for continued widespread deployment of the fatally-flawed Bellerophon class. As this would be, of course, intolerable, Lord Admiral Chryson was all but forced to support the far more sensible proposal of Lord Admiral Agamemnon. This argument, along with the fact that the originator of the proposal was her own subordinate, persuaded Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus to support this variant as well, the elimination of the sensor frigate class from the Legion Navy being a high priority of her own as well. A tertiary benefit was noted by Lord Admiral Caerus Priapus, who observed that the jump drive technology required for Lord Admiral Agamemnon’s proposal would place considerably lower demands on the Legion’s scientific establishment, doubtless allowing for far more rapid deployment of the command cruiser class. This last argument was somewhat dampened when other members of the assembly asserted that the required shipyard expansion time would likely prove a greater limitation than the required research and development period, although the astute student of history should note that this was by no means a certain basis for refutation.

Those arguing in favor of the assault-capable Macaria variant were similarly industrious, a phrase here indicating that amidst the cacophony a similarly small but important number of salient advantages were highlighted. Lord Admiral Glycon Limos, in particular, proved stridently insistent on pointing out that the Macaria variant class offered the ability for a Lord Captain to command a jump point assault, a role not only of (arguable - as several Lords Admiral were not shy in noting) importance for a fleet but also which would bring great glory to such brave leaders of the Legion Navy. Careful analysis of the Conference meeting notes indicates that at one point, Lord Admiral Limos asserted that Lord Captains who commanded a jump point assault from a “safe distance” were inherently less valorous than those who led from the front, raising the ire of, and several choice expletives from, Lord Captain Selene Styx in the Honored Guests gallery. A second key point in favor was raised in reply to the assertions of Lord Admiral Aleus, as his immediate superior Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon on multiple occasions rebutted said assertions by emphasizing that the broader doctrine for jump-capable forces espoused by the Macaria plan would ensure that jump ship crews and officers were experienced in training and operating with their better-armed compatriots, with unit cooperation arguably a stronger intangible benefit than jump operations-specific expertise.

While this was considered a reasonably good point by the members of the assembly, arguably the strongest point was raised by the beleaguered Lord Admiral Pandia, who is recorded as having interrupted the debate at a particularly energetic peak by loudly shouting “I HAVE A COMMENT!” from her distant corner, shocking her fellow Lords Admiral with the audacity of her directness. The Lord Admiral is then recorded as having proceeded sotto voce, noting that the shipbuilding logistics of the command cruiser would be immensely complicated by the Agamemnon plan, which would require three distinct classes of 20,000-ton vessels which would not be buildable out of fewer than three shipyards, given the increased cost of both the jump drives and 203 mm railgun batteries required. By reducing the future fleet register to only two classes of this size, not only would the shipyards of Duratus be sufficient for the tasks at hand but the overall building-up of the fleet could proceed perhaps 25% more rapidly. Having made her traditional logistics-oriented comment for the morning, the Lord Admiral finished her interjection by kindly requesting that the lights in the Conference chamber be dimmed, a request which was duly granted.

The dimming of lights appeared to have a similar effect on the Lords Admiral, as the arguments soon died down to a few loud murmurs, no doubt to the great relief of Lord Admiral Pandia. Sensing the mood of the room, Lord Admiral Criasus quickly called the assembly to a vote, an act which proved predictably futile as despite having spent multiple hours arguing until hoarse the Lords Admiral had made no headway in actually resolving the issue at hand. Thus for the second session in a row, the decision fell to Lord Admiral Criasus who was by now thoroughly over being the only mature adult in the chamber. Or it would have, had not Lord Admiral Imperator Aurai Valance interrupted for the second session in a row with a preemptive veto, denouncing the divisiveness of the assembly and strongly recommending that the bickering Lords Admiral develop some form of compromise which all present could be equally dissatisfied with.

In saying this, the Imperator of the Conference succeeded where no man nor woman had done before, that is to say the Lords Admiral were rendered speechless for multiple minutes. After a prolonged, uncomfortable silence, Lord Captain Styx quietly requested the floor, and as none of the Lords Admiral mustered any objection to this the Speaker was satisfied to grant this request. Having been granted the floor, the Lord Captain addressed the Assembly with a simple question: “Why not both?”

Much to the Lord Captain’s apparent surprise, this simple question threw the assembly into a sudden fit of incredulity, culminating in Lord Admiral Limos inquiring as to how exactly building four ship classes instead of three was supposed to be any kind of feasible compromise. Realizing her misstep, the Lord Captain hastily clarified that this was not what she had meant, rather her idea was to combine both proposed classes, and more broadly proposed doctrines, into a single compromise class which could perform both roles adequately. This was a bold proposal, sufficient to pique the interest of even Lord Admiral Pandia from the rear wall of the chamber. Seeing that she had her audience’s attention, Lord Captain Styx quickly began to sketch out on a convenient nearby whiteboard something similar to the design proposal reproduced below:

Off-Topic: Styx Compromise Variant class Command Cruiser • show

This compromise proposal did appear to lean towards the Macaria variant at first glance, preserving the assault-capable jump engine and armor layout. However, it soon became apparent that Lord Captain Styx’s rough design sketch succeeded in preserving the most essential sensor capabilities of the Agamemnon variant, omitting only the high-resolution sensor which most of the Lords Admiral did admittedly agree had proven rather superfluous, and keeping only a minimal infrared scanner more out of adherence to traditional Legion Navy doctrine than any felt practical need. The key development had been the removal of the hangar space for R-56 and AR-56 reconnaissance craft, which had until this point been considered essential. While several of the Lords Admiral, upon realizing this, raised objections, Lord Captain Styx offered her assurances that she had considered this and that her justification fell under a broader doctrinal framework.

This brought to the forefront the second key problem facing the Lords Admiral: how to reach a tolerable compromise on jump warfare doctrine. As a solution, Lord Captain Styx presented a time-honored traditional solution to the problem, namely the idiomatic solution of kicking the can down the road. In practice, she said, any change in fleet doctrine would take several years to fully implement, not only in construction of new warships but also in terms of upgrading other classes with new technology and reorganizing the various Legion Navy battle fleets. This was a process she had been witnessing in the field with the introduction of the Hellfire and Invincible classes, and thus this was a process she was well acquainted with.

Therefore, her recommendation was to begin the Legion Navy doctrinal transformation by maintaining the existing “3+1” squadron organization and introducing the heavy cruiser squadrons as soon as this was feasible. However, as the technology was developed to support larger jump assault squadrons and thus construct improved classes of jump warships, some fleet units should be converted to non-assault-capable fleets in line with the Agamemnon proposal. Since not every fleet would be upgraded at once, this would allow a trial period in which the two competing doctrines could be compared against each other through field operations and respective fleet battle records, thus allowing a more informed and final decision to be made at an indeterminate future date. Finally, she noted, as a knock-on effect of this transition process the Defiant and Grand Cross light cruisers could be repurposed as optional attachment squadrons to bring reconnaissance craft as well as additional supporting firepower and armor when necessary to augment a battle fleet. While this would be a marked shift in reconnaissance fighter doctrine, the Lord Captain pointed out that the small craft were really specialized assets and were not necessary for every operation, much like the Bellerophon or Hellfire class in this way.

The proposal of Lord Captain Styx was a compromise in the truest sense, as none of the Lords Admiral were satisfied with it. However, the proposal did have three major factors in its favor. First, while none among the assembly were satisfied with the outcome, most present could honestly agree that it would be a tolerable outcome. Second, while the actual compromise was not satisfying in its content, it was satisfying in its essence, in other words the Lords Admiral were admittedly glad that they might not be forced to make a firm decision when instead they could table the matter for future review, given a larger body of evidence and more importantly a new group of Lords Admiral upon whom to foist the decision-making responsibilities. Third, and arguably most importantly, the Lords Admiral were getting hungry.

Thus, while it was not unanimous an informal voice vote confirmed that the majority of the Lords Admiral would support the compromise proposal of Lord Captain Styx, the Agamemnon supporters accepting that some doctrinal progress would be made while the Macaria supporters were content that only some doctrinal progress would be forced upon them. With the matter thus settled, the Naval Conference was adjourned for a light luncheon.

----

OOC Notes: Thus has the command cruiser question been resolved, the design is almost certain to be a compromise not only in the literal sense but also on the battlefield, but a command cruiser class will be constructed and that is what matters. The presentation for this update has been shortened, assuredly as a service to the readership and not at all because the author is eagerly anticipating a light luncheon of his own.

Any readers who experience distress at the complete lack of images in the preceding update may rest assured that the following part will be much more closely aligned with their tastes.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on August 27, 2021, 08:14:23 AM

(https://i.ibb.co/PZtp4C7/Great-Light-Refreshments.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/w44vc88/British-Light-Refreshments.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Great Light Refreshments 3 and British Light Refreshments 3 2199 both part of BritCo`s new 3rd Millenia Classics line of products, a marketing push attempting to recoup the losses of recent years and once more revitalize the nearly two millennia* year old company.
*BritCo claims decent from one of the last corporations founded in the True Republic of the British Isles, a successor state to the United Kingdom through a surprisingly complex line of noble and corporate linage that`s truly quite bizzare.

(Or I wanted to practice a bit of pixel art and this seemed like a fun idea, really proud of the GLR3 logo to be honest)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 27, 2021, 03:59:34 PM

I am honored to now be among that elite company of AAR authors who have spawned fan art. ;D

Bonus points for excellent flavor. I cannot place my finger on what exactly it is, but the art itself also hits just the right spot somehow. I may have to take this as inspiration for a future Spotlight.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on August 27, 2021, 04:48:55 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on August 27, 2021, 03:59:34 PM

I am honored to now be among that elite company of AAR authors who have spawned fan art. ;D

Bonus points for excellent flavor. I cannot place my finger on what exactly it is, but the art itself also hits just the right spot somehow. I may have to take this as inspiration for a future Spotlight.

:-[
<~< Well hadn`t expected that positive of a response so here get my interpretation of the flag of the Duranium Legion, if it`s been described earlier and I`ve just forgotten sorry, and please point me to it. And yeah geometric designs just seem like they`d be something the Legion would like.

(https://i.ibb.co/JpXpJXV/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion.png) (https://imgbb.com/)

[Fringed in Light Grey that represents Steel, the legacy of the Legions first forging in Iron before the discovery of the TransNewtonian minerals that would give it rise and name, honoring when it was one of but two colors.

Fields of Near-Black Grey and Bright Blood Red represent the metal-like spirit of the Legion, as strong or stronger than the armor of its mighty void ships, and the willingness of its soldiers to give their blood for its Glory and Honor in service of the Emperor.

Finally, the green and blue circled in Steel grey, to forever honor the brave founders, and split by the Imperial Scepter of Office (an ornate but surprisingly functional halberd) that represents the Legion's unification of Duratus (Earth) and rule overall its land, sea, and skies. ]

And if your that happy with it feel free to give my DA a check since it`s up there as well, it`s on imgbb because it gives me a url usable in BBcode https://www.deviantart.com/warerq/art/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Fanart-890097634?ga_submit_new=10%3A1630100650&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1

In addition just to say I considered going with a Brown-Red color scheme, on the assumption duranium is brown and I suppose it could also represent the unyielding spirit of the Legionaries in the face of the Blood and Mud of the battlefield. Forgot to add this here but GLR came about by accident I got the idea for the image and drew it before my brain caught up with me and asked "Heyyy wait a minute this isn`t BLR", which is why it`s the second image ironically.

The 3 in both names is on account of the whole 3rd millennia throwback gimmick and to represent the passage of time and the powerful legacy of BritCo and it`s many products, or in other words, my thought had been that between that first founding back in the 2100/2200 hundred that there was another major corparation that fell and is the one modern BritCo draws it`s linage from like it did for the 1st company.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 27, 2021, 09:54:56 PM

More excellent work and much appreciated.

The first post of the AAR does actually have a flag, which is custom-made by myself albeit since I am lazy it is simply a recoloring of an existing flag (#0011 if curious). Reproduced below:

(https://i.imgur.com/PPOHJMI.jpg)

The color scheme in turn is basically cribbed from the Iron Legion banner (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/d/d2/Iron_Legion_Banner.jpg) from Guild Wars 2, though not identical. The dusty blue is more or less the official color of the Duranium Legion now as I am quite attached to it and is RGB (24,32,72). The cream color is the same as is used in Aurora C# for text, etc. and is RGB (255,255,192).

Turning to your vexillological exercise, I must say I am a fan of ornate yet surprisingly functional halberds, and while the Legion itself has a flag already this would be a fitting emblem for, e.g., the Imperial Guard Legion (ground forces formation) or similar, perhaps with a bit of retouching to show the official color as well.

While we are on the subject, I can provide some other colors which are used in medals and etc. which you or anyone else can feel free to take inspiration from at your leisure:

Legion dusty blue: (24,32,72)
Cream: (255,255,192)
Bone: (232,224,184)
Legion gold: (255,255,0)
Legion silver: (224,224,224)
Legion bronze: (128,128,0)
Sailor blue: (0,128,255), secondary (128,192,255)
Soldier orange: (255,128,0), secondary (255,192,128)
Surveyor violet: (128,0,128), secondary (192,128,255)
Surveyor pink: (255,128,255), secondary (128,0,64)
Academic green: (128,255,128), secondary (0,128,64)
Civilian yellow: (255,255,128), secondary (128,128,64)

It is not a terribly imaginative palette, mostly being taken from default colors in the ribbon maker program as I am not much of a colorist, but it is what it is.

Against my better judgment I also provide forbidden knowledge:

Off-Topic: FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE • show

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on August 28, 2021, 08:15:23 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on August 27, 2021, 09:54:56 PM

More excellent work and much appreciated.

The first post of the AAR does actually have a flag, which is custom-made by myself albeit since I am lazy it is simply a recoloring of an existing flag (#0011 if curious). Reproduced below:

<.< Well that`s a bit embarrassing to have forgotten XD, as a mild apology, and tottaly not because I couldn`t decide nuh uh here`s a few "proposals" for the flag of the Imperail Guard
(https://i.ibb.co/qr5hMDC/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-d.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[The simplest of the proposed flags is a simple color change, Iron Blue representing the pure fighting spirit of the Legion along with Dark Blood Red the unwavering devotion to Duty and Glory]
(https://i.ibb.co/jWBcTpY/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-c.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Recolor of the sphere, the cream represents the Emperors power over not just Earth or Sol, but all the stars that fall under the dominion of the Legion]
(https://i.ibb.co/sm0hRCR/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-g.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Simple recolor with the sphere`s colors and orientation switched to represent the mutually supporting natures of Iron and Blood]
(https://i.ibb.co/yF5MjXy/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-b.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[The above given a more complex border, Red on Cream on Blue and Blue on Cream on Red, the Cream representing the all-encompassing light and majesty of Imperial Might]
(https://i.ibb.co/L1Zcs6N/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Re-Recolor of the sphere, the cream represents the Emperors power over not just Earth or Sol, but all the stars that fall under the dominion of the Legion, the colors of Secpter and Star switched, with a complex border]
(https://i.ibb.co/Vq7m105/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-e.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Simple border, but the desgin switched to the Legion Tri-color, the sphere now representing the Iron Blood Crown and the basis of past bloodshed that is the foundation of the Emperor's power]
(https://i.ibb.co/z5b4ms5/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-h.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Above variant with complex border, though only Red on Cream on Blue and Cream]

Maybe Forbiden Knowledge

Off-Topic: show

https://war-love.imgbb.com/ Here`s the link to all of them plus some other stuff.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on August 28, 2021, 10:54:24 AM

Given this necessary and vital discussion on vexillology and heraldry it seems somewhat out of place to actually discuss Chapter XXI Part 5, yet as I have little to add artistically I am forced to do so.

I continue to root for Lord Admiral Pandia, there is little doubt the Legion would be infinitely stronger if she was a Lord Grand Admiral. Which may be a bit ambitious, but surely someone could kick Chalcon out of a quiet airlock (honestly, who would miss him?) and promote Pandia in his place to run Industrial Command. I mean they are going off on their ~~jolly~~, ~~school trip~~ outing to the Naval Yards after lunch, so that is the ideal time and place for a "tragic" industrial accident.

I suggest this because what is required is someone to promote the idea of getting the designers to consider inter-buildability, sacrificing a bit of the mono-manical focus on the best individual ship and considering the fleet as a whole. If the Agamemnon Plan was for three very closely related designs of 20kT cruiser (Jump, Command and 'standard' variants) which could all be built from the same shipyard, a whole host of problems and objections would surely vanish? Indeed even if the 'Jump' variant proved impossible to inter-build due to the cost/size of the jump drive, the two other variants could surely be inter-buildable. As none of the Lord Admirals from the 'combat' branches would ever lower themselves to consider such base matters it falls to the 'Support' side to make this suggestion and frankly beyond Pandia I have very little faith in any of them.

That said the Styx variant does indeed appear to be a reasonable compromise, though part of me wishes the Lord Imperator had not laid down the law and some abdominal horror had emerged instead. Not that I wish the Legion ill you understand, but because I think it would be interesting.

Speaking of ill-starred ideas, I note the Bellerophons continue to be the spectre at the fleet. I am wondering if the the upcoming session on that particular design, and the follow up session on Fleet Scouting, may provoke more heated discussion than Lord Admiral Criasus can reasonably be expected to tolerate.

In any event it was pleasing that this ended on a double high of both promised artwork and a light luncheon, always important to end on a high note. :)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 28, 2021, 12:09:14 PM

Quote from: Warer on August 28, 2021, 08:15:23 AM

(https://i.ibb.co/qr5hMDC/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-d.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[The simplest of the proposed flags is a simple color change, Iron Blue representing the pure fighting spirit of the Legion along with Dark Blood Red the unwavering devotion to Duty and Glory]

This one is I think my favorite candidate. It keeps all the rest of the original symbology but adds that oh-so-fetching Legion Blue.

Quote

(https://i.ibb.co/z5b4ms5/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-h.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
[Above variant with complex border, though only Red on Cream on Blue and Cream]

This one is also quite attractive. Perhaps an Imperial banner of some sort, it looks a bit more stoic and brutalist which is good for official government purposes.

Quote

Maybe Forbiden Knowledge

Some interesting ideas in this one as well. I am not sure whether it would see acceptance by the Legion high command vexillology office, but in fairness this is because we have not yet actually taken Belaire Prime and so the circumstances of ~~occupation~~ liberation remain too vague to settle on a banner I think.

Quote from: El Pip on August 28, 2021, 10:54:24 AM

Given this necessary and vital discussion on vexillology and heraldry it seems somewhat out of place to actually discuss Chapter XXI Part 5, yet as I have little to add artistically I am forced to do so.

It is quite curious how these things work out, a mundane argument about jump warship doctrine and command ship design somehow leads to prodigious flagchat. Of course none can complain about the wondrously mysterious workings of the universe when the results are as such.

Quote

I continue to root for Lord Admiral Pandia, there is little doubt the Legion would be infinitely stronger if she was a Lord Grand Admiral. Which may be a bit ambitious, but surely someone could kick Chalcon out of a quiet airlock (honestly, who would miss him?) and promote Pandia in his place to run Industrial Command. I mean they are going off on their ~~jolly~~, ~~school trip~~ outing to the Naval Yards after lunch, so that is the ideal time and place for a "tragic" industrial accident.

HADM Chalcon's 20% Mining bonus would be sorely missed, although as this is the Naval Conference and not the Mining Conference it is understandable if this has not been conveyed effectively to the readership.

Quote

I suggest this because what is required is someone to promote the idea of getting the designers to consider inter-buildability, sacrificing a bit of the mono-manical focus on the best individual ship and considering the fleet as a whole. If the Agamemnon Plan was for three very closely related designs of 20kT cruiser (Jump, Command and 'standard' variants) which could all be built from the same shipyard, a whole host of problems and objections would surely vanish? Indeed even if the 'Jump' variant proved impossible to inter-build due to the cost/size of the jump drive, the two other variants could surely be inter-buildable. As none of the Lord Admirals from the 'combat' branches would ever lower themselves to consider such base matters it falls to the 'Support' side to make this suggestion and frankly beyond Pandia I have very little faith in any of them.

Mechanically, it should be noted that despite my best efforts behind the scenes it has proven challenging at best to design inter-buildable variants at this size, as the expense of the components needed has grown rather too large to work with Aurora's refit/interbuild mechanics in C#. If it were possible, say, to build both the 203 mm railgun-armed heavy cruiser and its associated jump cruiser class out of the same yard the discussion may have been quite different. I suspect we may see more shipyard discussion in a later session.

Quote

That said the Styx variant does indeed appear to be a reasonable compromise, though part of me wishes the Lord Imperator had not laid down the law and some abdominal horror had emerged instead. Not that I wish the Legion ill you understand, but because I think it would be interesting.

The laying down of the law has been a political necessity. While in practice Lord Admiral Criasus has the right as Speaker to break any tie vote, in this Conference he has staked his reputation on the air of impartiality and breaking any tie vote would assuredly torpedo this reputation, and likely shortly after the rest of the Conference. Thus, abdominal horrors are an unfortunate victim of political expediency.

Though I do note with some amusement that the resulting design has been a compromise between a quality, efficient design and an abomination, thus all readers who would have preferred one or the other are equally dissatisfied. Truly this is an effective compromise, therefore. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

Quote

Speaking of ill-starred ideas, I note the Bellerophons continue to be the spectre at the fleet. I am wondering if the the upcoming session on that particular design, and the follow up session on Fleet Scouting, may provoke more heated discussion than Lord Admiral Criasus can reasonably be expected to tolerate.

There are certainly a few flashpoints which could ignite at any point in the upcoming sessions. However, an unfortunate knock-on effect of this latest session will be the opening of a new role for the Bellerophon class or its replacements which may serve to temper the debate somewhat. By "unfortunate" I mean of course from the perspective of that section of the readership which has been rooting for a hockey league to break out.

Quote

In any event it was pleasing that this ended on a double high of both promised artwork and a light luncheon, always important to end on a high note. :)

Always and indeed. (https://i.imgur.com/Z3wSg01.gif)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on August 30, 2021, 12:39:25 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on August 28, 2021, 12:09:14 PM

This one is I think my favorite candidate. It keeps all the rest of the original symbology but adds that oh-so-fetching Legion Blue.

This one is also quite attractive. Perhaps an Imperial banner of some sort, it looks a bit more stoic and brutalist which is good for official government purposes.

Some interesting ideas in this one as well. I am not sure whether it would see acceptance by the Legion high command vexillology office, but in fairness this is because we have not yet actually taken Belaire Prime and so the circumstances of ~~occupation~~ liberation remain too vague to settle on a banner I think.

It is quite curious how these things work out, a mundane argument about jump warship doctrine and command ship design somehow leads to prodigious flagchat. Of course none can complain about the wondrously mysterious workings of the universe when the results are as such.

Always and indeed. (https://i.imgur.com/Z3wSg01.gif)

That Blue is indeed quite fetching~ mayhaps the banner of Imperial Military Court? Representing the supreme nature of Imperial justice and authority.

Sad to say due to ~~someone's obsession with talking about slapfights~~ a perfectly fair length description upon what boat should we build and how to use it to ~~kill~~ liberate people and earn glory doing so meant I could naught but ~~ahh totally forget we hadn`t done that yet~~ get ahead of myself with enthusiasm for the Legions inevitable liberation of our Belaire fellows from the oppression of their democratic system of government.

Quote from: El Pip on August 28, 2021, 10:54:24 AM

Given this necessary and vital discussion on vexillology and heraldry it seems somewhat out of place to actually discuss Chapter XXI Part 5, yet as I have little to add artistically I am forced to do so.

In any event it was pleasing that this ended on a double high of both promised artwork and a light luncheon, always important to end on a high note. :)

Indeed vexillology and the discussion of the heraldry of our glorious Legion and Empire can not be over stated~ buuut I suppose we may talk about what those boorish admirals were up to as well, I mean they haven`t even ~~conquered~~ liberated a single other intelligent species yet~ ~~definitely not salty because i lost some cash in an office betting pool over that Belaire flag business~~ If they`d just get around to inducting our Belaire siblings into the fold I could get to designing their new flag already.

On a more serious note yeah I had not anticipated making quite so many flags but I hardly mind XD and indeed only BritCo products are of the superlative quality to be served at such an event ~~any implication they`re there because we dumped prices and my brother in law was doing the catering are slander!~~

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on August 31, 2021, 12:07:57 AM

Quote from: Warer on August 30, 2021, 12:39:25 PM

That Blue is indeed quite fetching~ mayhaps the banner of Imperial Military Court? Representing the supreme nature of Imperial justice and authority.

scribbles note to self

In seriousness I must make a note of this idea because it would be an excellent bit of fluff accompanying later developments of a particular plot thread. Yes, remember, this AAR does have some kind of plot as a backdrop for the squabbling, which will eventually be advanced if only out of necessity to get us to the next bout of squabbling. ;)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 01, 2021, 10:48:29 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on August 31, 2021, 12:07:57 AM

Quote from: Warer on August 30, 2021, 12:39:25 PM
That Blue is indeed quite fetching~ mayhaps the banner of Imperial Military Court? Representing the supreme nature of Imperial justice and authority.

scribbles note to self

In seriousness I must make a note of this idea because it would be an excellent bit of fluff accompanying later developments of a particular plot thread. Yes, remember, this AAR does have some kind of plot as a backdrop for the squabbling, which will eventually be advanced if only out of necessity to get us to the next bout of squabbling. ;)

""""<.<'"""" Well I suppouse those admirals are paid to do something every once in a while.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 03, 2021, 05:50:57 AM

Okay honestly I just drew some stuff XD Come pick the ones you like the most and or tell me what you want to get drawn and i`ll come up with some Vexi~

(https://i.ibb.co/qRfTSYb/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/qpvW8rC/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j1.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/gZCdr9z/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j2.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/ZVMC2yY/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j3.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/0f6crHL/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j4.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/7G1F6Q8/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j5.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/bgKcBJC/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j6.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/VVKwnmd/Flag-of-the-Duranium-Legion-Imperal-Guard-j7.png) (https://imgbb.com/)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on September 03, 2021, 11:24:53 AM

Quote from: Warer on September 03, 2021, 05:50:57 AM

Okay honestly I just drew some stuff XD Come pick the ones you like the most and or tell me what you want to get drawn and i`ll come up with some Vexi~

There are some interesting designs here, however I will need to hold further comment until the next update has been published for reasons that will become clear in due time.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 03, 2021, 01:29:58 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on September 03, 2021, 11:24:53 AM

Quote from: Warer on September 03, 2021, 05:50:57 AM
Okay honestly I just drew some stuff XD Come pick the ones you like the most and or tell me what you want to get drawn and i`ll come up with some Vexi~

There are some interesting designs here, however I will need to hold further comment until the next update has been published for reasons that will become clear in due time.

Fair enough~ can`t wait.........XD So while im doing that I may have went and made a few more flags

A few more flags

Off-Topic: show

And two more

Off-Topic: show

Title: The Duranium Legion - Spotlight #3: Conference Outing to Hyperion Drive Yards
Post by: nuclearslurpee on October 05, 2021, 10:14:08 PM

Spotlight #3: Conference Outing to Hyperion Drive Yards, Duranium Legion Naval Conference

24 May 4009, 1300 hours

As the Lords Admiralty and guests disembarked from their shuttle at Hyperion Drive Yards, they were greeted by the famous Lord Cetus Hyperion himself, who would be guiding the Conference attendees on their tour of his flagship facility. As Lord Hyperion escorted his honored guests through the entry halls of the shipyard, he related for their benefit a brief history of Hyperion Drive Yards.

While the Hyperion noble family had owned and operated an extensive array of wet naval shipyards and propulsion system manufacturing assets for several centuries, the Drive Yards themselves had been founded by Lord Cetus Hyperion in 3978, preceding the Emperor’s order announcing the formation of the Legion Navy by over a decade. Indeed, political and financial pressure from the Hyperion family had played a key role in precipitating this historic edict, albeit the meteoric success of the venture provided plenty of justification for this Imperial favor in any case. The moment of triumph for Hyperion Drive Yards arrived in 3981, with the launching of the first Typhon-class Mars orbiter powered by the H-40 ‘Mercury’ thermal engine. In the years following this, a number of other shipbuilding enterprises established themselves, having the potential to crowd the market and severely limit the Hyperion Drive Yards profit margins. Rather than attempt to establish a monopoly by force, however, Lord Hyperion had the foresight to recognize that such a burgeoning industry would be a powerful political force in the Imperial Conference with himself at the head. Thus, instead the Hyperion family reoriented their naval propulsion assets towards the design and construction of powerful spacecraft engines, cornering the market before their competitors had gotten off the ground* and ensuring that every major Legion space vessel would have a Hyperion hand in its construction no matter which shipyard won the contract. This would be starkly apparent during the Legion Navy buildup prior to the year 4000, as while the Hyperion Drive Yards won the most prestigious contract for construction of the eight original Defiant and Grand Cross light cruisers, over half of their actual business came in the form of contractor appointments at every other major orbital shipyard.

*Heh.

At this point in the tour, the Conference attendees emerged from yet another long, winding hallway onto a spacious concourse with a close-up view of the partially completed Indomitable. Here, Lord Hyperion expressed his profound pleasure that his audience had arrived just in time to observe the installation of one of the eight side-mounted 152 mm weapons batteries into the hull of Indomitable. As the Lords Admiral watched with rapt attention, the massive dockyard cranes slowly maneuvered the 300-ton gun mount into position before pressing it into the ship’s hull. Despite the lack of sound in space, the floor of the concourse shook as the weapons battery connected with the hull mounting ring. This dramatic spectacle being completed, Lord Hyperion resumed his narration, describing in grandiose terms the major components and capabilities of the Invincible class to his listeners while technicians in EVA suits scuttered about the hull, quickly securing the 152 mm railgun battery to the hull. While much of this information was hardly news to the Lords Admiral, most of whom remained far more interested in the view from the concourse windows, the reader of this work may find these details considerably more enlightening.

The Invincible-class Light Cruiser

The Invincible-class light cruiser had its genesis in the back rooms of the Legion Navy procurement offices, even before the first of the Defiant-class light cruisers had come off the ways. At this time, a minor debate had sprung up regarding the wisdom of building 12,500-ton cruisers, considered by many on the Legion Navy to be undersized for a fleet-leading class of warships, with several officers advocating for upscaling the design to 15,000 tons along with increasing the armament by 50% to twelve 152 mm batteries. In practice, while this proposal did circulate through the back rooms at Hyperion Drive Yards as well as the Legion Navy offices, it never left those back rooms for the simple reason that the Drive Yards were not equipped to build such a large ship class, and could not become so equipped in time to meet the year 4000 deadline to deliver the first eight cruisers to the Legion Navy.

The 15,000-ton light cruiser idea was thus only resurrected in the aftermath of the Battle of Gliese 1, which had exposed the severe deficiencies in the Legion Navy battle planning department as well as the minor lack of point defense capabilities in Legion Navy battle fleets of the time. While the eight-battery armament of the Defiant class had proven entirely adequate in this and following battles, including those fought against the Republic of Belaire, the idea of upscaling the light cruiser arm of the Navy to mount a secondary point defense armament attracted considerable interest. By this time, Hyperion Drive Yards had expanded sufficiently to handle the construction of such large vessels, and as such a design proposal quietly passed from the aforementioned back rooms up to the Legion high command, which readily approved the design with only a few weeks of cursory debate for appearances’ sake.

Despite this rather pedestrian design history, and in spite of (perhaps even because of) taking nearly all of its design elements from the existing Defiant and Charybdis classes, the Invincible class is well worth a close look as it exemplifies not only Legion Navy shipbuilding practices in the general sense, but particularly the new directions and design philosophies which would exemplify Legion ship design into the 4010s. As such, a graphical representation of the Invincible herself is provided below for the benefit of the reader, which has in large part been reproduced based on contemporary Hyperion Drive Yards promotional materials.

(https://i.imgur.com/SM4zBdQ.png)

In addition to the vital statistics reproduced in the graphic, the following information may assist the reader in understanding contemporary Legion Navy shipbuilding practices and philosophy:

Propulsion: The beating heart of the Invincible-class light cruisers were the pair of massive H-750 ‘Minotaur’ cruiser engines manufactured in-house by Hyperion Drive Yards. Displacing 3,000 tons each, internal Hyperion documents from this period indicate that the ‘Minotaur’ engines approached, or perhaps reached, the limits of engine designs derived from previous Hyperion engines used on the Bellerophon, Charybdis, and Defiant classes (and close relatives). While the ion drive technology on which these engines were based was, by modern standards, relatively primitive, the major technological limitations were primarily related to the cooling of the engines by conducting waste heat to external surfaces, such that larger engines would require a completely new design even while using the same basic propulsion technology. While the H-750 engine like its predecessors was optimized to provide massive forward thrust for a daring charge into the teeth of the enemy, impressive maneuverability and evasion was conferred by a combination of ±7° traverse for the exit jets and twenty-four articulating nozzle plates.

Protection: Most of the armored faces of the Invincible-class light cruisers, as with any other Legion Navy vessel of this era, were protected by composite armor tiles providing approximately eight times the protection per unit mass as common steel armor. As Legion Navy armor schemes of this era frequently eschewed simple angles, leading to rather complex arrangements of the armored faces, there was no uniform size for the armored tiles once mounted. For ease of construction and repair, composite armor tiles were usually manufactured as 6.0 × 1.5 m² slabs of the required thickness which could be cut down to fit in a specific position. However, in many cases specialized tiles were necessary which were attached to larger component assemblies to ensure a proper fitting of external elements.

A few exceptions to the general tiling approach can be observed. The engine housing and turret roof plates were required to be manufactured as large assemblies due to the inclusion of integrated coolant flow systems. In these cases large sheets were used instead of smaller tiles as no benefit was found from the modular nature of the latter. It should also be noted that the various viewports along the frontal section were not unarmored, but were backed by smaller armored plates which were automatically lowered into position prior to the beginning of any combat operations.

Armament: The Arcadia Weapon Systems 152 mm and 102 mm railgun batteries appear on visual inspection to have been twin mounts. However, each individual railgun was in fact a dual-charge weapon, capable of launching two shots per charge, with one pair of opposing rails carrying the charge for the first projectile while the second pair stabilized the particle, and vice versa for the second projectile fired a second later. This means that each battery mount was capable of firing four shots per full capacitor charge, with a severe downside that the high energy output necessary to fire all four shots required a dedicated battery cooling system including coolant tanks and vapor vents attached to the main weapon mount.

It is a common misconception among students of Legion Navy history that the Arcadia weapons batteries on the Invincible and other classes functioned as turrets, similar to those mounted by some alien races fought by the Legion Navy. This is incorrect, as the resemblance was superficial and each battery mount offered only a limited traversal range allowing gunnery crews to maintain a target lock as their vessel made slight course changes to evade enemy fire. The turret-like mounting of the guns was also necessary to permit the superfiring arrangement allowing full fire forward as a battle fleet closed on its quarry.

Accommodations: Legion Navy shipbuilding tradition of this era always located the crew quarters in the forward section of the ship, and the Invincible class was no exception to this rule. From the relative sizes and placements of the armor-backed viewports, it may be surmised that the ship’s officers were quartered in the forward sections, alongside various crew support facilities such as the mess halls, while enlisted crewmen were housed further back in this forward segment. It should be emphasized that contrary to popular belief, the large viewports at the front of the ship were not the position of the main or auxiliary bridges, both of which were located far more securely in the center-rear of the forward segment. Rather it appears that these were large observation decks used for recreational space and occasional formal events such as post-battle medal awarding ceremonies.

Other Components: While available sources on the subject generally indicate that the forward position of the sensors was in part intended to provide an advantageous field of view, the primary rationale for this placement was the relative ease of connecting each sensor system, including the operator stations, to the main and auxiliary bridges nestled deep inside the ship.

Besides the components listed above, the astute observer may note the presence of radiative cooling arrays along several otherwise unadorned armored faces. A number of access ports for transfer of fuel and fluid coolant can also be seen, as well as a trio of docking grips just forward of the propulsion section.

----
OOC Notes: And now for something completely different! It has certainly been a long time in coming, and has it goes without saying been something of an endeavor, thus I hope it will not be completely unappreciated. While this is certainly not a “hard sci-fi” style of ship design, I have attempted to maintain some semblance of naval realism in the design decisions made which I hope comes through fairly well, as well as some nods to practical necessities such as cooling systems where feasible to do so.

Up next, the Lords Admiral shall reconvene to discuss El Pip's third-favorite topic, after mining and logistics. I speak of course of the Bellerophon class and its own troubled history - and future, if any. While this promises to be a thrilling and stimulating debate at every intellectual level, the lower ones anyways, for now we shall content ourselves with the rather fluffier proceedings above.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: El Pip on October 06, 2021, 03:43:43 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on October 05, 2021, 10:14:08 PM

*Heh.

When only the narrator laughs, that is not a good sign.

Quote

as such a design proposal quietly passed from the aforementioned back rooms up to the Legion high command, which readily approved the design with only a few weeks of cursory debate for appearances’ sake.

The appearance being of a body that prizes arbitrary delays and paperwork over actually getting something done?

Quote

In addition to the vital statistics reproduced in the graphic, the following information may assist the reader in understanding contemporary Legion Navy shipbuilding practices and philosophy:

A most pretty picture. My congratulations to the artist.

Quote

the major technological limitations were primarily related to the cooling of the engines by conducting waste heat to external surfaces, such that larger engines would require a completely new design even while using the same basic propulsion technology.

A discussion on engine cooling, truly the sign of a great writing project. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

The remainder of the technical review is also excellent.

Quote

Up next, the Lords Admiral shall reconvene to discuss El Pip's third-favorite topic, after mining and logistics. I speak of course of the Bellerophon class and its own troubled history - and future, if any.

5th favourite topic actually. 3rd is light refreshments, 4th is 'vigorous debate between senior officers' (i.e. fisticuffs). However the threat of an extended discussion on the Bellerophon-class is indeed a tantalising prospect.

Though to return to 3rd and 4th, I note with sadness that despite the lack of calming light refreshments there was no outbreak of 'discussion' between the rival factions and it appears everyone survived the ~~school trip~~ conference outing unharmed. This is disappointing, but perhaps they are just saving their rage for the next days 'debate'.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Black on October 07, 2021, 06:22:34 AM

I have to agree with my esteemed colleague El Pip, the fact that Lord Hyperion did not prepare some form of light refreshment is grave disgrace for the whole Hyperion family. Such affront to conferences members cannot be overlooked.

The Invincible is relatively conservative design so I am not too surprised by the lack of heated discussion between conference members. I am however surprised that no conference member protested the lack of light refreshment. Most likely such protests were removed from official documents by elements of Legion bureaucratic apparatus aligned with Hyperion family to hide it from future generations.

I was confused when I first looked at the graphical representation of the railgun armament, so provided explanation was appreciated. The picture is of course great and I am always happy to see representation of various ships so I can see how other people imagine their warships.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on October 07, 2021, 01:31:26 PM

I must confess my profound disappointment in the readership, which has assumed that just because light refreshments have not been mentioned by the author of this historical text, who understandably if misguidedly had placed his attention on other matters, that Lord Cetus Hyperion of all people would ever even dream of not serving light refreshments to his honored guests.

In fact, a cursory course of light refreshments had been served on the shuttle ride from the surface of Duratus to the orbital yards, and further light refreshments were made available to the guests at the conclusion of the tour in a lavish display of traditional Legion hospitality. At least, this is what has been stated in interviews with present-day members of the Hyperion family, and their word is of course utterly unimpeachable. (https://i.imgur.com/Z3wSg01.gif)

I will concede that the lack of fisticuffs is indeed distressing, however.

Quote from: El Pip on October 06, 2021, 03:43:43 PM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on October 05, 2021, 10:14:08 PM
*Heh.
When only the narrator laughs, that is not a good sign.

The narrator has earned the right to make the readership suffer through terrible puns, particularly those among the readership who have inflicted the double blow of terrible puns and ridiculous acronyms upon his own readership. Anyone noting that the narrator has "earned" such a right only in the judgment of the narrator shall be roundly ignored. :P

Quote

A most pretty picture. My congratulations to the artist.

Quote from: Black on October 07, 2021, 06:22:34 AM

I was confused when I first looked at the graphical representation of the railgun armament, so provided explanation was appreciated. The picture is of course great and I am always happy to see representation of various ships so I can see how other people imagine their warships.

I am gratified by the enjoyment of the readership. Any claims by the narrator that this was "a lot of work" should not be taken too seriously as he assuredly enjoyed the process.

Quote

A discussion on engine cooling, truly the sign of a great writing project.

Given that cooling is one of the significant engineering challenges for spaceflight it seemed only fitting.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: hostergaard on October 07, 2021, 01:39:46 PM

Absolutely lovely writing that I enjoyed a lot! An inspiration that I hope more of will come soon! Well done.

How where the illustration made? They are fantastic and help spur the imagination.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on October 07, 2021, 01:47:28 PM

Quote from: hostergaard on October 07, 2021, 01:39:46 PM

Absolutely lovely writing that I enjoyed a lot! An inspiration that I hope more of will come soon! Well done.

How where the illustration made? They are fantastic and help spur the imagination.

The secret ingredient is ~~crime~~ Paint.net and patience. Generally I follow loosely the guidelines of Shipbucket, etc. with regards to line work, shading, etc. Other than that, it is a lot of manual work with the pencil, line, fill tools and good old Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. And Ctrl+Z of course.

I will say that Paint.net is excellent for pixel art work with its very useful layers tool for keeping different elements out of each others' way.

As far as more art, I make no promises. I enjoy doing such things so it is more probable than not, but the time investment is considerable and I also enjoy things like writing updates and occasionally playing the game, so there is a balance to be struck. I will say that I do have some ideas for a next possible art post, not too far in the future I should hope. Until then there will be the usual diet of snazzy OOB graphics as usual. ;D

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 6: A Fracas About Frigates (1/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

While her overall contribution to the Legion’s commerce raiding efforts had been minimal, the frigate Bad Omen certainly deserved some credit for demonstrating the feasibility and value of this tactic from her initial interception of a Belaire Burrows-class spaceliner.
The long-range sensor capabilities of the Bellerophon class had proven essential to find and fix commercial targets, even if the frigates had not usually participated in the destruction of those targets. Strategically, these capabilities should be considered essential for identification of enemy shipping lanes in the general case.
While much of the destroyed auxiliary and civilian tonnage was attributed to larger vessels, such missions should be considered frankly beneath the station of a Legion Navy battle fleet when one or several frigates would be more than adequate for the task, ideally as a detached duty.

Lord Admiral Pandia had been quite strategic in her presentation, as this last point in particular played well to the assembled Lords Admiral who quite appreciated the sentiment of detaching a few small, irrelevant ships to conduct such raids while their main fleets could continue to seek glory in battle. Thusly placated, the majority of Lords Admiral present were willing to concede the validity of the arguments presented, if not necessarily the thesis these arguments had been raised in support of, and under most circumstances the stage would have been set for a calm, rational discussion of commerce raiding doctrine and its place in Legion Naval theory.

Nevertheless, as was Legion Naval tradition at least one strident and likely irrational objection would have to be raised, and as Lord Admiral Chryson appeared to be still slightly concussed at this time (Author’s Note: it remains unclear why this observation was entered into the official Conference minutes) it fell to Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus to perform this sacred duty. The Lord High Admiral astutely noted that while it may perhaps be beneath the station of a full battle fleet to engage in such side actions, in the several cases of escorted auxiliary convoys the Bellerophon class had clearly lacked the protection and firepower to engage the convoy escorts, which had after all been able to inflict minor damage even against the Combined Attack Fleet on 2 March. Thus, the commerce raiding role would require at least a squadron of light cruisers, which would have sufficient protection to minimize potential damage from convoy escorts while bringing sufficient firepower to bear that said escorts would be unable to exchange fire with the Legion cruisers. Thus, Lord High Admiral Antilochus concluded, the Bellerophon class was entirely unnecessary to the success of the Legion Navy and had frankly been proven as such time and again.

This tirade, as blatantly one-sided and logically underdeveloped as it was, nevertheless marked a strong tactic on the part of the Lord High Admiral. While several obvious counter-arguments could be made, any Lord Admiral raising such an argument would in doing so mark themselves as a Bellerophon proponent. While of course few among the Lords Admiral were vehemently opposed to the class, indeed most members of the assembly would readily concede some degree of viability and even necessary for the class, even fewer of them were willing to tie their own political capital to a project with such a mixed service record and uncertain future.

Nevertheless, “fewer” is not zero, and as some counter-arguments were simply too obvious to be ignored entirely it fell to Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus, commander of the Training Corps, to delicately lay out the strongest of these by inquiring how, in the absence of a Bellerophon squadron, a commerce raiding force would deploy long-range sensors to find and fix vulnerable enemy traffic. The initial response to this inquiry was given by Lord Admiral Agamemnon of the Survey Corps, who was perhaps in hindsight attempting to forestall whatever assuredly hot-tempered rejoinder his superior officer had planned. The latter Lord Admiral pointed out that the long-range sensors necessary for these and other sorts of operations would be mounted on the planned command cruiser class, which though it would inevitably be of a compromise design would provide more than adequate capability to replace a Bellerophon squadron. Lord Admiral Aleus, in turn, agreed that the new command cruisers would be more than adequate replacements in the course of most naval operations, but noted that perhaps detaching a valuable command cruiser from a battle fleet to seek out secondary targets would perhaps not be the best use of resources, thus returning to the previous question. Not one to be denied twice, Lord High Admiral Antilochus leapt at this second chance to address the question, perhaps too eagerly as her response could be classified as little else but a serious political blunder:

“We don’t need the bloody sensors!”

While the Lord High Admiral could perhaps be commended for her rhetorical astuteness, having successfully composed a reply which failed to contain any logic fallacy - albeit by containing no logic whatsoever - such commendations must be tertiary at best compared to the egregious slight she had committed. The implications were immediately made explicit, as the Lady Imperator Ellen Scamander promptly rose from her rather prominent chair at the head of the honored guest section and exited the Conference chamber, followed by a column of decidedly uneasy-looking aides. As the head of the famous Scamander Corporation, sole provider of all active and passive electronic systems to the Legion Navy, the Lady Scamander while generally characterized by a rarified air of elegant indifference was quite opinionated on the subject of whether or not the Legion Navy did, in fact, need the bloody sensors. As such, while the official Scamander public relations department would later claim that the Lady Imperator had been regrettably forced to step away from the Naval Conference on urgent Corporation business, in reality the implications of the act were clear, most especially those implications most relevant to Lord High Admiral Antilochus’ career aspirations.

As such, a motion was hastily prepared and a voice vote rapidly held, establishing to the tune of thirteen assents and one abstention that the Legion Navy did, indeed, need the bloody sensors.

With the pivotal role of the Bellerophon class, or one not too much unlike it, to Legion Naval doctrine thus clarified, the discussion throughout the remainder of the Conference session would proceed with a less adversarial tone, if only slightly so. This being said, pivotal or not the members of the assembly readily agreed that the Bellerophon class had clearly underperformed in that role, with the remaining part of the problem being to determine which flaw(s) in the class had contributed to render it such a disappointment. Thus-satisfied with the morning’s accomplishments so far, the Naval Conference was briefly adjourned and light refreshments served.

----

As the morning session resumed following the well-deserved break, the attendees of the Naval Conference set about the challenging task of determining why the Bellerophon class was so terrible. While many objections and more than a few pejoratives were raised about the class, for the sake of the historical record three principal lines of objection were brought most sharply into focus: misconstruction of the class’s doctrinal role, insufficient armor protection, and inadequate offensive capability.

The topic of the Bellerophon class role was perhaps unexpectedly broached by Lord Admiral Criasus, “unexpected” here referring not as much to the topic in and of itself but rather to the surprising vitriol which the topic engendered among the assembly. The fault of the Lord Admiral in this matter was quite innocent, as in the interest of rational and fact-based discussion he had highlighted that of the eight Bellerophons lost to enemy action, six of these had been lost in close-range beam engagements against Belaire fleets, which naturally could be taken to suggest that the class would perform much better in practice if simply withheld from such encounters, while remaining in battle fleet service for anti-missile defense work. On the surface this was an entirely sensible case, certainly not one made with any sense of partisanship on the part of the Speaker, and indeed similar points had been brought up in a more tangential manner in previous Conference sessions. By this stage, however, certain hostilities among the Lords Admiral towards doctrinal evolution had boiled over and it was Lord Admiral Criasus’s misfortune to remove the lid from this particular pot.

The chief opposition arose from the rather large portion of hardline conservative members of the assembly, in a perhaps confusing twist these were not the doctrinal conservatives of previous debates but rather the cultural conservatives of the Legion Navy who saw this seemingly innocent proposal as a threat to centuries of glorious Legion military tradition. Grand Admiral Thanatos Adrastus, as the ranking member of this considerable faction, laid out the crux of this reactionary position. In essence, he argued that enshrining in doctrine that a certain class of warship should explicitly not engage the enemy in battle ran contrary to the core ethos of the Legion Navy, this being boldly sailing forth to engage the enemy head-on in glorious battle at point-blank range like proper men and women. As controversial as the Hellfire class had been, given its role as an attritional sniping specialist rather than a traditional frontal attack combatant, from a cultural perspective the Hellfires were clearly designed and deployed with the sole purpose of engaging and destroying enemies of the Legion in open battle. To codify in official doctrine that the Bellerophon class, or any like it, was explicitly to avoid battle would remove any illusion of traditional Legion military values associated with the class. How, then, could any self-respecting void sailor of the Legion Navy be asked, let alone expected, to follow such an - the Lord Grand Admiral emphasized that he did not choose his next word lightly - emasculating doctrinal imperative?

As there could only be two real resolutions to this problem, it fell to Lord Admiral Chryson, by now apparently recovered from her concussive symptoms, to exposit the first. In a set of surprisingly brief (once edited for content) remarks, she asserted that Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus was completely correct in his interpretation of Legion Naval doctrine and tradition, namely that a Legion Naval warship must be a capable combatant to be worth fielding at all. Equally certain, she stated, was the fact that the Bellerophon class was in no way a capable combatant nor was it likely to be rendered such by any sort of iterative design changes. Thus, she concluded, as a sensor-bearing class of ships was still necessary, for reasons previously established, the only acceptable solution would be to design an entirely new class of sensor-bearing ships which could also function as capable front-line combatants. While left unsaid at this time, it was clear that Lord Admiral Chryson was implying that a larger class, with at least a destroyer if not cruiser-sized hull, would be necessary to meet this criterion - certainly, her own preference for larger warships was not unknown to the members of the assembly.

Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus, ever one to advise against rash judgments, immediately moved to counter this argument, urging caution while advancing the second possible resolution to the problem he himself had raised. Specifically, he argued that while it was unconscionable for Legion Naval doctrine to instruct any ship class to flee from battle, it was entirely wise and practical to provide for certain ship classes not to encounter a battle which they would be unsuited to win. To wit, turning to a projector-and-screen setup which had heretofore gone unnoticed by the members of the assembly, the Lord Grand Admiral asked his colleagues to recall the agreed-upon revised doctrine from an earlier session:

(https://i.imgur.com/OyEluVO.png)
The nominally agreed-upon organization for the future Legion Navy battle fleet, based on doctrinal agreements and other discussions up until the Conference sessions of 25 May. Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus was quick to emphasize that this was not a finalized organization, and would still be subject to the final vote at the conclusion of the Conference, but would here serve as a suitable illustrative aid. Notably, while the assignment of the command cruiser as the jump cruiser for the heavy squadron was established in a prior session, at this time neither the fighter loadout of the Judgment Day-class cruiser nor the final composition of the Beam Squadron had been settled, albeit neither matter was anticipated to lead to any undue quarreling.

Given the visual aid, the Lord Grand Admiral considered his solution quite obvious; as an optional attachment, the Bellerophons or any successor class would simply not be assigned to any fleet which could expect to do battle on terms unfavorable to the class. This improvement in class utilization would be enabled only by the presence of the new command cruiser class, which would ensure that every battle fleet had organic long-range sensor capabilities even without a Bellerophon attachment.

At this, the reader will be unsurprised to learn, two closely related objections were raised. The first, raised by several Lords Admiral familiar with the combat record of the class including Lord Admiral Criasus himself, was that in the past, the Bellerophons had frequently found themselves engaged in battles they were ill-suited for regardless of any preceding hope or intention. Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus readily conceded this point; however, he noted, the Bellerophons had always heretofore been considered an essential component of a battle fleet, rather than an optional mission specialist unit. Prior doctrine, he correctly assessed, had not properly allowed for the detachment of a frigate squadron when not called for - in large part, he added, because the frigate squadron was always called for by any fleet otherwise lacking long-range sensor coverage.

A closely following objection was raised by the eminently predictable Lord Admiral Chryson, who complained that while “doctrine” was all well and good, battlefield reality was such that a Bellerophon squadron would inevitably find itself hurled into an unexpected and unfavorable combat situation. Any class which could not handle such a twist of fate simply did not deserve to be listed on any Legion Navy roster, save perhaps that of the local scrapping yard. Once again, Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus did concede the point raised - the Bellerophon class as it currently stood was a nightmare of poor survivability and some revision was undoubtedly called for. Whether this necessitated a mere revision of the class or a completely new type was a matter for the afternoon session; the Lord Grand Admiral despite his advocacy to this point would certainly not be sticking his neck out for the class any more than any one of his colleagues would. His essential point, then, was simply that a “combat-capable” class was not strictly necessary to fulfill the sensor-bearing role, rather a less demanding designation of “combat-survivable” should be sufficient in the worst cases given the proper doctrinal approach already agreed upon in the previous sessions.

As this was followed by a comparative dearth of further objections and counter-objections, it quickly became apparent that the assembly by and large could accept or at least tolerate this line of reasoning. If nothing else, the logic laid down by Lord Grand Admiral Adrastus served the self-interests of the Lords Admiral, these being that on one hand the major problems with the Bellerophon class could be resolved with work already done previously on the subject of doctrine, thus no further work on such an egregious and tiresome subject would be necessary, and on the other hand that some improvements to the class remained clearly necessary and thus with a modicum of further discussion the Conference attendees would be able to point to some superficial changes and claim that they had made progress to solve the Navy’s problems. With this attitude, the Lords Admiral eagerly turned their attention towards the simpler, more concrete, and surely less acrimonious topic of the actual specifications of the Bellerophon class, seeking to establish in as few words as possible, for a loose definition of “few”, which changes might be necessary to correct the by now rather minimized failings of the actual design.

Following from the newly-defined requirement of “combat-survivable”, the discussion naturally turned first to the armor protection of the Bellerophons. Each frigate was protected by 381 mm of composite armor plating, this being three-quarters as thick as the armor of the Legion’s destroyer classes or half as thick as the armor on a Legion Navy light cruiser. In the original design documents prior to the year 4000, this armor thickness had been stated as a requirement as it would provide protection against nuclear missile warheads up to 15,000 kilotons in strength, a value considered well beyond any reasonable enemy capability. In practice, damage from stray missiles had been a rare consideration, with the notable exception of the understrength Cruiser Squadron 5 during the pursuit of fleeing Belaire fleet elements after the jump point assault of 19 January, and under usual circumstances the answer to stray missiles had been not to allow any by laying down an impenetrable wall of point defense fire. While Lord Admiral Chryson was quick to point out the obvious example of the Battle of Gliese 1, when this doctrine had failed rather spectacularly, others among the assembly were quick to point out that the doctrinal failure had led to more than a few stray missiles, and in any case the problem had been resolved through the sacking of those responsible.

Thus, administrative miscalculations aside, the greatest threat to the survival of the Bellerophon class had been the powerful laser weapons of the Belaire Sovremenny-class cruisers. This was for once acknowledged by all present without debate, however the solution to the problem was far less clear. Much of this unclear nature was due to a lack of facts in evidence: while the Belaire light lasers were known to (barely) lack capability to penetrate even the armor of a Bellerophon at point-blank range, the medium lasers suffered from no such problem and for these the limiting case had been the 508 mm armor plating of the Charybdis-class destroyers. Naively, this would suggest that a simple up-armoring of Legion frigate classes to match the destroyer armor scheme should solve the problem neatly. However, the maximum penetration capacity of the Belaire heavy lasers remained unclear, although it was clearly sufficient to deal internal damage to a Legion destroyer on the first volley of fire. As such, even a one-third increase in the armor thickness of the frigates would not guarantee survival against point-blank heavy laser fire, thus the merit of adding extra armor remained open to question. Ultimately, the question would come down to whether sufficient sensor capabilities would be retained in the face of an up-armoring program, as it would make little sense to design a “combat-survivable” class which was not useful enough to ever risk being near combat in any case. In the grand tradition of Legion Navy ship design, the Lords Admiral settled on the most familiar and conventional solution available, this being to punt the question to the afternoon session.

This left only one remaining question, at least as far as those present would admit, which was the question of the class’ armament. While offensive weaponry would almost surely have crossed the line of “combat-survivable”, the contribution of the frigate classes to fleet point defense was a crucial element of Legion Naval defensive doctrine and thus merited at least a cursory treatment. The treatment was indeed cursory; Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus was the latest member of the assembly to continue the disturbing trend of coming prepared for the discussion, and presented a numerical analysis performed by experts at the Duratus Naval Academy. To summarize, the experts concluded that had the pair of Bellerophons present at the Battle of Gliese 1 been armed with twice as many railgun batteries (i.e., four apiece rather than two), only one or perhaps two more Mongolican missiles would have been shot down per volley on average. This would have made virtually no contribution to the outcome of the battle, and thus the natural conclusion was that additional armament for the frigate class would be entirely superfluous and make no contribution to either the primary mission nor the doctrinal requirement of combat survivability.

In something of a last-ditch attempt to salvage some gains from the morning session, Lord Admiral Chryson pointed out that while additional weapons would not contribute to the existing primary mission of the Bellerophon class, there was no reason that the mission profile could not be extended as part of a class redesign or (ideally, in her view) replacement. For example, a light raider role could be a natural fit for a class which already excelled at finding and fixing vulnerable targets, and would make the class just slightly less useless on balance. While this suggestion was naturally met with skepticism from the rest of the Lords Admiral, sufficient merit could be seen in Lord Admiral Chryson’s arguments that she could not be dismissed out of hand. For this reason, as well as a general feeling of peckishness which was starting to overtake the members of the assembly, the grand tradition of punting was once again invoked, this time by Lord Admiral Criasus himself who stated that the discussion of new roles for the class or its replacement properly fell under the purview of the afternoon session, which was after all denoted on the Conference agenda as the “Session on Future Directions for the Fleet Scouting Role”. As there could be no argument against this unimpeachable logic, or more precisely there was no one present who cared to raise such an argument, the matter was officially marked as punted.

After this the Naval Conference was adjourned for a light luncheon.

----

It could here be noted, candidly, that there is a strong tendency among students of history to seek assignment of “winners” and “losers” arising from a particularly vigorous debate in the historical record. In the vast majority of cases, such tendencies are, to use a diplomatic phrase, misguided oversimplifications, the historical reality being nearly always far too complex to be reduced to “one-nil”. Nevertheless, as this particular morning session of the Naval Conference concluded, a rare case of an unambiguous winner was found in the person of Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia. Herself being frankly indifferent to the eventual fate of the Bellerophon class, her session-opening remarks ostensibly in defense of the class had been in fact a clever and highly successful misdirection ploy. By immediately driving the members of the assembly to debate the efficacy of the Bellerophon class for commerce raiding, Lord Admiral Pandia had caused her colleagues, consciously or (far more likely) not, to accept the validity of commerce raiding as a viable and central element of Legion Naval doctrine, which had of course been her own key interest all along. While this would of course have an immediate impact for the afternoon session of the Conference, the full ramifications of this seemingly subtle doctrinal shift on Legion Naval history would require far longer to work out.

----

OOC Notes: Suffice to say, rumors of this AAR's death have been greatly exaggerated. :P While I have worked hard to keep to the traditional nature of this AAR by producing an intimidating wall of text to frighten away those faint of heart, I have at least been merciful and provided a picture in the middle to brighten the collective day of the readership. Or darken it, as the prevailing opinion might be.

That being said, I will admit that aside from the general business of life this update has been much-delayed in part due to the great difficulty in constructing it, with some parts undergoing as many as four drafts before I found something that could 'stick' and not be terrible. At least this is my opinion, but if anyone else finds this terrible anyways I am afraid that I cannot take responsibility for that.

Up next we turn once more to the chief attraction of this work, I speak of course of ship design discussions ad nauseum. This should prove considerably more straightforward of an update to write, though I make no promises as to the hour of its arrival.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on May 04, 2022, 04:31:43 PM

<!< Whats this?! This is far to quick! Next you'll tell me you'll update again before 2023! Far to fast!
XD

Good luck man, gotta read this now. Onward to ~~glorious battle~~ tea and crumpets over a discussion of the doctrinal role of ~~a particle beam frigates,~~ recon frigates or lack their off.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 6: A Fracas About Frigates (1/2)
Post by: El Pip on May 12, 2022, 04:25:49 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

Thus, the morning session began with remarks from Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia

Hurrah! Good old Pandia bringing some sense to proceedings.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

Not one to be denied twice, Lord High Admiral Antilochus leapt at this second chance to address the question, perhaps too eagerly as her response could be classified as little else but a serious political blunder:

“We don’t need the bloody sensors!”

As a matter of doctrine Antilochus is probably correct, as mentioned later the Legion just charge as fast as they can at the objective and then shoot the enemy point blank in the face. They are not ones for subtlety or grand manoeuvrers, they are the IJA and not the IJN in this metaphor. Long range sensors may be nice to have, they would certainly make clearing up later easier, but they are not actually needed by the battle fleet.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

As such, a motion was hastily prepared and a voice vote rapidly held, establishing to the tune of thirteen assents and one abstention that the Legion Navy did, indeed, need the bloody sensors.

Cowards.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

Thus-satisfied with the morning’s accomplishments so far, the Naval Conference was briefly adjourned and light refreshments served.

Thus we are reassured that the Legion has not descended into barbarism. (https://i.imgur.com/DYAEiOu.gif)

The discussions on why the Bellerophon class was so terrible were informing, though we must keep an eye on Adrastus. Any man who confidently reaches for a projection and screen setup in the midst of such heated debate is at best suspicious. This is proved by his ideas about something being 'combat survivable', which frankly strays dangerously close to heresy. And as will come up later, Pothos Aleus was also suspiciously well prepared as well, the idea of doing statistical analysis and assessment seems very contradictory to the "Fly closer so I can shoot them in the face" doctrine of the Legion.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

others among the assembly were quick to point out that the doctrinal failure had led to more than a few stray missiles, and in any case the problem had been resolved through the sacking of those responsible.

This sort of 'problem solving' never goes wrong and I am pleased the Lord Admirals are still citing it as a success.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

In the grand tradition of Legion Navy ship design, the Lords Admiral settled on the most familiar and conventional solution available, this being to punt the question to the afternoon session.

The efforts they will go to in order to avoid just making the Bellerophon replacement a destroyer sized ship is impressive. Despite her unfortunate start with the Imperial Guard I feel Chryson has the best of the argument here, skepticism from the rest notwithstanding. At best I think they designers will be able to manage a properly armoured, decent sensor, but no weapon ship for the redesign, that seems fairly 'emasculating' to use the words of the conference. The other permutations (not armoured enough or too small a sensor) are also unacceptable to Legion doctrine. So just bite the bullet and make it a decent size ship, one which can pick up an auxiliary role when not required by the battle fleet.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on May 04, 2022, 04:05:46 PM

Nevertheless, as this particular morning session of the Naval Conference concluded, a rare case of an unambiguous winner was found in the person of Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia.

Of course, because she's amazing. (https://i.imgur.com/Z3wSg01.gif)

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:22 PM

Quote from: Warer on May 04, 2022, 04:31:43 PM

<!< Whats this?! This is far to quick! Next you'll tell me you'll update again before 2023! Far to fast!
XD

I apologize, for I am about to continue to disappoint you. ;)

Quote from: El Pip on May 12, 2022, 04:25:49 AM

Hurrah! Good old Pandia bringing some sense to proceedings.

Someone has to, and the other thirteen are too far gone to be trusted with the task - is what Lord Admiral Pandia would tell you at the pub while she drowns her work-related sorrows.

Quote

As a matter of doctrine Antilochus is probably correct, as mentioned later the Legion just charge as fast as they can at the objective and then shoot the enemy point blank in the face. They are not ones for subtlety or grand manoeuvrers, they are the IJA and not the IJN in this metaphor. Long range sensors may be nice to have, they would certainly make clearing up later easier, but they are not actually needed by the battle fleet.

Ah, but without sensors, how would we find enemy fleets to charge straight at? Assaulting jump points is one way and certainly a popular one, hence reducing the scout frigates to an optiona squadron attachment rather than mandatory, but it is not enough on its own.

Quote

Cowards.

Indeed.

Quote

the idea of doing statistical analysis and assessment seems very contradictory to the "Fly closer so I can shoot them in the face" doctrine of the Legion.

It is important to have some way to know who is the very best at shooting them in the face, for promotion purposes. The implications of this statement are left as an exercise for the reader.

----

On this note, let us return to our ~~intrepid heroes~~ characters and see if any of them might score some promotion points, for another update is nigh upon us.

Title: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 6: A Fracas About Frigates (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

Off-Topic: Bellerophon Mk II Standard Upgrade class Frigate • show

As the Lord Grand Admiral prepared to expound upon the virtues of this surely impressive piece of design work, a loud objection was raised from the floor, as Lord High Admiral Jack Macaria demanded to know why the design specifications being presented by his colleague just so happened to be exactly the same as those he was scheduled to present immediately thereafter. Lord Grand Admiral Argyron, sensing the clear implication, vociferously insisted that the design was original work, developed “in conjunction with” the ship design offices as she had previously stated, and was certainly not in any way plagiarized from anyone, least of all her esteemed colleague. Lord High Admiral Macaria was quick on the draw, insisting with equal fervor that this was funny to hear, considering that the exact same statement was true of the design specifications he held in his hands.

Fortunately, Lord Admiral Criasus had the presence of mind to discern that a certain measure of subterfuge may have occurred, and suggested to the two quarreling officers that the question could be resolved by consulting the head of the ship design offices to ascertain the facts of the case. This suggestion sufficed to prevent an imminent exchange of blows, largely as both would-be combatants were quite eager to know the truth of the matter themselves. A fire team of the Imperial Guard detachment was dispatched, and returned after a tense thirty minutes escorting the head of the ship design offices with great haste and all due respect. Sheepishly, and more than a bit rattled, the man quickly clarified that his staff had enlisted the support of both Lords Admiral for the same design, developed by his own offices well ahead of the Conference, and had apparently made a small oversight in communicating to those Lords Admiral. Lord Grand Admiral Argyron and Lord High Admiral Macaria were, of course, still rather put out at this sequence of events, but at least the immediate tension had been resolved and there was no risk of body blows in the very transient present moment.

At this point, the reader could be forgiven for attributing this as a heinous blunder on the part of the ship design staff. Indeed, failing to inform the chosen candidates about each other’s involvement was an oversight with no rational nor strategic basis, and the head of the ship design offices could not expect much in the way of future career advancement. However, the general thrust of the plan remained valid, as having once been put on the spot neither Lord Grand Admiral Argyron nor Lord High Admiral Macaria were willing to back down and admit error, thus both continued to express their support for the class, however reluctantly and however secretly glowering over having been forced to agree with one another by unforeseen circumstances. Similarly, many among the assembly took notice of this unlikely alliance, which would be a key factor in their own decision-making processes.

The design itself was certainly solid and deserving of support, as would be expected from a ship class not designed by a harebrained Lord Admiral. In exchange for the high-resolution sensor array, considered superfluous by most of the Naval establishment, the armor thickness had been increased by 33%. Additionally, the combination of space efficiency savings and fire control system improvements would allow for an increase in fuel loading and a corresponding 50% increase in range, a useful capability for the fleet scouting role of the class. Otherwise, pre-existing capabilities had been maintained, with the designers trusting in improved armor and doctrinal manuals to do most of the heavy lifting. The Conference attendees generally agreed on this, and while some minor discussions were had over the potential value of increasing the fuel load even more, and possibly the crew accommodations to support longer deployment times, might prove more beneficial than up-armoring the class, ultimately the design was found generally agreeable by those in attendance.

This is not to say, of course, that alternatives were not explored by the Conference nevertheless. Perhaps the most compelling revision was presented by Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, who advocated for a Bellerophon variant which was better-suited for the critical commerce raiding role:

Off-Topic: Bellerophon Mk II Raider class Frigate • show

The key feature distinguishing this design from the more conservative upgrade preferred by the ship design offices was the upgunned pair of 127 mm light railgun batteries, which if adopted would be the first Legion Navy weapons of this caliber. The justification for this upgrade, Lord Admiral Pandia was quick to remark, was not so much a vain attempt to improve combat firepower, but rather to arm the frigates with weapons which could penetrate the thin armor typically seen on civilian and auxiliary vessels, in hopes of cripping enemy vessels and coercing quick surrenders by inflicting internal damage in the first volley of fire. To accomplish this upgunning, Lord Admiral Pandia proposed replacing the large missile warning array with the smaller onboard targeting system deployed on most other Legion Navy vessels. This was justified, in her view, by the fact that the command cruisers at the heart of every battle fleet would provide anti-missile sensor capability already, thus there was no need to duplicate this capability in a class of ships which were, after all, doctrinally optional. Otherwise, she emphasized, most of the other improvements in the previous Mark II proposal were maintained, including the increased armor thickness and fuel load.

As the ‘raider’ design in most respects hewed close to the previous proposal, quite accidentally, and as the Lords Admiral had expressed few great reservations about the latter, criticism of the former centered principally on the lack of anti-missile sensor capability. Lord Admiral Glycon Limos, commander of the Duratus Naval Corps, raised the point that removing anti-missile capability from the Bellerophons would make them much less flexible and valuable as attached squadron elements, whereas their current loadout would enable them to provide backup anti-missile sensor support in case of misfortune befalling the command cruiser of a battle fleet. Furthermore, refitting the existing Bellerophons to the proposed variant would leave the Legion Navy without any dedicated anti-missile sensor elements until the command cruisers were finally deployed, which would require several years to accomplish even with best estimates. Perhaps, the Lord Admiral suggested, the production of dedicated commerce raiders should wait at least until the rest of the fleet was properly equipped to support such an endeavor.

On the other hand, some among the Lords Admiral were less inclined to place so much value on the anti-missile capabilities of the Bellerophon class. Perhaps the most vocal proponent of this view was, predictably, Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, who held that the improved 127 mm armament of the ‘Raider’ variant enabled the frigates to make a meaningful contribution in battle, something which had not been possible to date. While the previous session had established that the 102 mm railguns of the existing class made no serious contribution to fleet point defense, Lord Admiral Chryson went further and claimed that the long-range anti-missile sensor arrays had no appreciable impact either. While ostensibly the long range gave a battle fleet superior missile tracking and thus accuracy of defensive fire, in practice the nominal 10% or 12% improvement in accuracy had proven simply unnecessary - point defense work against the Belaire had never required the full weight of fire provided by the available destroyer squadrons - or else woefully insufficient to prevent heavy losses, as against the Mongolicans in the Battle of Gliese 1. Lord Admiral Chryson was eagerly supported in her claims by Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus, who wisely left unspoken her obvious preference for this more specialized redesign which would preclude attempts by the Home Fleet Command to deploy its frigates on Survey Command types of missions.

While these and other points of debate were raised, ultimately few others of the Lords Admiral were particularly invested in the topic, with most having already made up their minds along the lines laid out by Lord Admiral Limos. As such, the discussion of the ‘Raider’ variant died down after not too much time, and Lord Admiral Criasus opened the floor for any other proposals. Taking this cue, Lord High Admiral Geras Makedon took center stage, presenting perhaps the most novel and unique proposal for a Legion warship yet seen throughout the Naval Conference to this point:

Off-Topic: Bellerophon Mk II Carrier class Frigate • show

The key feature of the design, immediately apparent to all present, was the pair of 250-ton capacity boat bays and associated reconnaissance fighter complement. While the concept of mounting a single boat bay for the purpose of carrying scout craft was not new in Legion Naval doctrine, doing so for such a small ship as a frigate was unheard of, let alone doubling the traditional carrying capacity. Further, to accommodate the reconnaissance wing, the large active sensor array traditionally mounted on the Bellerophon-class frigates had been removed entirely, in addition to reducing the missile warning array to a smaller onboard targeting system. By gutting the class’s innate active sensor capabilities, Lord High Admiral Makedon - with the assistance of his subordinate, Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus - had devised the first primary-carrier-role ship class in Legion Naval history. Perhaps acutely aware of his precarious standing in doing this, Lord High Admiral Makedon was quick to emphasize that this proposal was not necessarily meant to replace the Bellerophons as a mainline fleet scout frigate, but could perhaps be considered as an experimental proposal meriting a squadron’s worth of ships to be constructed as a proof of concept.

Criticism was immediate and harsh, perhaps even more so than would usually be expected for an “experimental” class proposal. Much fuss was made about the fact that the ‘Carrier’ variant had made even greater sacrifices of actual fleet scouting capability than the previous ‘Raider’ variant, which had already been roundly lambasted for such deficiencies. Lord Admiral Aleus was quick to counter this, arguing that the long-range active sensor capability was secondary compared to the passive sensor capability, since no Legion weapon system functioned at ranges beyond 200,000 km anyways. In cases where active detection against a target was necessary for any reason, the fighter loadout of the class would be adequate to accomplish the task. Most of the Lords Admiral did not find this line of reasoning persuasive, although Lord Admiral Pandia did note that a passive sensor-only scouting doctrine could be effective in a commerce-raiding role, though even she would have preferred to keep the flexibility of active detection capabilities as well.

In the realm of well-considered and specific criticisms, Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus of the Mining Corps noted that the fuel loading of the ‘Carrier’ variant was quite bare. At a mere 35,000 liters increase over the original Bellerophon design, this variant would only have enough fuel to barely travel 20 billion km and refuel each of its parasite craft once from empty. Logistically, this seemed incredibly limiting compared to the extended range being proposed for other variants, which would allow a degree of independence while still supporting battle fleet operations. Lord High Admiral Makedon attempted to justify this by noting that the combined range of the frigate and AR-56 parasite came out to over 40 billion km, but even he was forced to concede that the R-56 passive scout lacked similar range and thus the overall package represented a significant dip in passive scouting capabilities, compared to the other variants under consideration.

Curiously, perhaps the most thought-provoking comment came from Lord Admiral Chryson, who observed that the AR-56 Osprey class of recon fighters possessed the same 20 billion km range as any other Legion Naval vessel, and thus raised the question of why an entire frigate with minimal combat utility was needed when a fleet of recon fighters could do the same job with much less fuss and far fewer catastrophic losses. This observation was followed by a period of uncomfortable silence, which was only resolved by Lord Admiral Criasus, who noted that while his colleague’s question held substantive merit for discussion, it would have properly been raised in that morning’s session, and thus the session would regrettably be forced to move on towards more relevant topics. Thus, the Lords Admiralty were once again saved from the introspective horror of feeling a bit silly about themselves by the minutiae of procedure.

This is not to say that no Lords Admiral were made to feel silly about themselves at another time during the session, as several designs were proposed by various members of the assembly which were clearly far-fetched and meant to primarily show off whatever passed for “creative thinking” among the Lords Admiralty rather than as serious proposals. An outlier all its own, however, was the rather perplexing suggestion of a ‘Deep Space’ variant made by Lord Admiral Limos:

Off-Topic: Bellerophon Mk II Deep Space Scout class Frigate • show

With a top speed of only 3,750 km/s and an incredible fuel range of 85 billion km, this design was clearly not intended as a mainline fleet scout, and Lord Admiral Limos stated as much upfront. Rather, this design was intended as a supplementary proposal once the refit or replacement of the mainline Bellerophons was completed. The ‘Deep Space’ variant would augment the Legion Navy’s capabilities by providing for deep space scouting and long-range patrol roles. As such, he explained, the standard H-375 ‘Gryphon’ engines would be replaced with a pair of high-efficiency engines allowing a substantial increase in range, and the anti-missile sensor capability would be reduced as the class would not be expected to operate in close connection with a battle fleet. The reader might be surprised to learn that, according to the Conference minutes, no substantive discussion of this proposal was held, in fact not even a cursory dismissal of the proposal was advanced. In hindsight, however, it is clear that Lord Admiral Limos’ actual intent with this proposal had been in large part to devise a class which could encroach into the mandate of the Survey Command, thus angering the hot-tempered Lord High Admiral Hilaera Antilochus. This goal was accomplished successfully, followed shortly by the additional accomplishment of once again justifying the presence of the Imperial Guard detachment in the Conference chamber.

Once the pair of would-be combatants had been escorted out of the chamber, Lord Admiral Criasus called the session back to order. As the hour was growing late, and the members of the assembly peckish, the next proposal to be presented was certain to mark the conclusion of the day’s events. This dubious honor fell to none other than Lord Admiral Niobe Chryson, who presented perhaps the most predictable replacement for the Bellerophons yet, given its author:

Off-Topic: Chryson Proposal class Scout Destroyer • show

This was in fact a remarkably restrained presentation from the mercurial Lord Admiral. Indeed, the weapon batteries remained as 102 mm rather than the heavier 152 mm batteries one might have expected to see, and the hull type was merely destroyer-sized rather than cruiser-sized. The proposal even included a modest increase of 56,000 liters of fuel providing a useful range improvement for minor scouting missions.

Unfortunately, the Lords Admiral were not known for celebrating restraint. Both Lord Admiral Palaestra Abderus and Lord High Admiral Aeneas Chalcon, as experts on Legion industrial concerns, roundly criticized the heftier build cost of the ‘Chryson’ destroyer design, providing the same essential capacities as the ‘Standard’ Bellerophon Mk II design proposed by the ship design offices, but at a one-third markup accounting for additional armor, amenities, and point defense emplacements. The point defense capabilities were further criticized by Lord Admiral Aleus, who complained that the class tried to accomplish too much when purpose-built Charybdis-class destroyers had proven more than adequate in the fleet defense role. Lord Admiral Chryson tried to counter this criticism by noting that, as a reasonably capable destroyer-sized hull, her proposed design could easily fit into a typical destroyer squadron to provide sensor coverage, even on detached duties. This valiant attempt at a defense was soundly eviscerated by the assembly at large, which took severe issue with Lord Admiral Chryson’s apparent attempts to circumvent the doctrines being established at this very Naval Conference to suit her own preferences.

Notably, however, no real objections were raised to the concept of a destroyer-sized fleet scout equipped with adequate point defense batteries. Rather, the complaints were related principally to the design itself and its severe additional expense for minimal gains over the better proposals for Bellerophon Mk II variants. Additionally, Lord Admiral Abderus noted that the frigate-sized proposals had shown better fuel performance and total range, a clear advantage over the overwrought destroyer-sized class. Finally, Lord High Admiral Chalcon stated for the record that the proposed hull type would not be compatible with the same shipyard as the Charybdis class or a similar future variant, owing to the hefty cost of the sensor suite, and that even if compatibility were not an issue, yard space would be as destroyer hulls were easily the most in-demand hull type for the Legion Navy at that time given the ubiquitous need for heavy point defense capabilities on all fronts.

With Lord Admiral Chryson left to feel silly about herself, or perhaps more likely to glower in a corner plotting some measure of revenge, the Speaker of the Assembly called for motions put to a vote so the session might reach its conclusion. The votes proceeded at an unsurprisingly quick pace, given the hour of day and the desire of the Conference attendees to satisfy their appetites after such a long, hard day of work. The results are briefly summarized below:

The ‘Standard Upgrade’ Mk II variant, as proposed by the ship design staff and supported by Lord Grand Admiral Argyron and Lord High Admiral Macaria, was accepted as the primary replacement for the Bellerophon class by a vote of 12 to 2, with Lords Admiral Chryson and Pandia dissenting.
In a divisive decision, the ‘Raider’ Mk II variant, proposed by Lord Admiral Pandia, was accepted on a trial basis, to form a separate squadron of standard 3+1 composition, the ships of which would be constructed only once the entire existing Bellerophon roster had been refitted to Mk II standards. The vote passed in a confusing manner, with one vote (Lord Admiral Pandia) in favor of immediate construction, 6 votes in favor of the given result, 5 votes dissenting, and two members abstaining.
The ‘Carrier’ Mk II variant was rejected entirely in a 12-2 decision, with Lord High Admiral Makedon and Lord Admiral Aleus the sole supporters.
Various proposals taken less seriously, including Lord Admiral Limos’ ‘Deep Space’ variant, were not considered for a vote, over occasional objections.
The ‘Chryson’ destroyer-size proposal was officially “Not Accepted”, with Lord Admiral Chryson voting in favor of acceptance, 5 Lords Admiral voting for outright rejection, and the remainder voting for the less-harsh measure of non-acceptance. Notably, this indicated that at least some members of the assembly considered the use of larger hull types for fleet scouts a worthwhile future consideration, but the current design was at this time clearly considered unworkable.

With this, the fifth day of the Naval Conference came to a close, leaving only three more sessions before the official closing statements in which to finish the comprehensive redesign of the Legion Navy.

----

OOC Notes: And thus, the fleet scout question is resolved. Mostly. And has been overcomplicated with a second variant. Some doors have been slammed shut, but one door has been left wide open - and at some point in time we can only expect that the question of independent recon fighters will be revisited with interest. Really, we could not expect anything else from this bunch of Lords Admiral, I think.

Next up will be the session on Miscellaneous Business, truly a wildcard meeting in which anything might happen! Or at least it will not be more shipchat™, we will have that going for us at least. Given the current rate of posting I think we can be optimistic about hearing this part of the story sooner than later. Maybe. Perhaps. It is not impossible. At any rate, with only three sessions left plus the closing remarks, there is perhaps some light now at the end of the tunnel? We shall see.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 6: A Fracas About Frigates (2/2)
Post by: El Pip on July 07, 2022, 03:12:29 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

N.B. Comment replies on the bottom of the preceding page, for all two of you who care.[/i] ;)

As one of that select and venerated elite, I can assure it was appreciated.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

some members of the Legion Navy had been sounding the alarm for a good deal longer than others (most curiously, the earliest proponents of such a rework had originated from the Mining Department of all places).

The traditional home of all excellent engineers who's fate is to be overlooked by political types. Though given the terrible consequences of being the subject of political attention being overlooked is often the best option, as the Legion Design Office will doubtless agree.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

shipyard spaces were freed on the commissioning of Bad Intentions and Blatant Insult.

Legion ship naming policy remains on-point and culturally appropriate.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

At this point, the reader could be forgiven for attributing this as a heinous blunder on the part of the ship design staff. Indeed, failing to inform the chosen candidates about each other’s involvement was an oversight with no rational nor strategic basis, and the head of the ship design offices could not expect much in the way of future career advancement.

Did he even want career advancement is the question? What better way to avoid unwanted promotion into the political shark pit than this?

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

neither Lord Grand Admiral Argyron nor Lord High Admiral Macaria were willing to back down and admit error, thus both continued to express their support for the class, however reluctantly and however secretly glowering over having been forced to agree with one another by unforeseen circumstances.

Legion Doctrine is clear here - one must continue to blindly and violently support one's original plan, even once it has become apparent it is a bad idea.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

This is not to say, of course, that alternatives were not explored by the Conference nevertheless. Perhaps the most compelling revision was presented by Lord Admiral Gaia Pandia, who advocated for a Bellerophon variant which was better-suited for the critical commerce raiding role:

I admire the shear gumption in calling the commerce raiding role critical and not even admitting the possiblity that such an outrageous suggestion needs anything as boring or prosaic as evidence.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

Lord High Admiral Makedon - with the assistance of his subordinate, Lord Admiral Pothos Aleus - had devised the first primary-carrier-role ship class in Legion Naval history. Perhaps acutely aware of his precarious standing in doing this, Lord High Admiral Makedon was quick to emphasize that this proposal was not necessarily meant to replace the Bellerophons as a mainline fleet scout frigate, but could perhaps be considered as an experimental proposal meriting a squadron’s worth of ships to be constructed as a proof of concept.

It does indeed resemble an experimental carrier being too small, with far too few aircraft, a lack of proper facilities and so on. He should have stuck it all on a destroyer sized hull, which would also be too small but would at least address the worst of the criticisms and concerns.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

This observation was followed by a period of uncomfortable silence, which was only resolved by Lord Admiral Criasus, who noted that while his colleague’s question held substantive merit for discussion, it would have properly been raised in that morning’s session, and thus the session would regrettably be forced to move on towards more relevant topics. Thus, the Lords Admiralty were once again saved from the introspective horror of feeling a bit silly about themselves by the minutiae of procedure.

If the Legion ever find a way to weaponise bureaucracy and use it against their external enemies (instead of their internal rivals) they will conqueror the galaxy in a couple of weeks.

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on June 30, 2022, 10:58:34 PM

At any rate, with only three sessions left plus the closing remarks, there is perhaps some light now at the end of the tunnel? We shall see.

Traditionally the light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train. But in deference to our setting, perhaps the light is an opening Aether Rift?

As you noted this is probably the best outcome that was possible given the calibre of the assembled leadership, which is admittedly a fairly low bar to clear. Are the Standard and Raider variants inter-buildable? Look like they might be close, its a BFC, guns and one sensor swap so maybe? A small detail I suppose. Interesting the preference is for upgrades and not new builds, there were other options there (new build Standard IIs for the fleet and refit the older Is into Raider variants for instance) not pursued. The conference is thinking upgrade to their existing fleet and not expansion of the number of available squadrons.

Title: Re: The Duranium Legion - Chapter XXI, Part 6: A Fracas About Frigates (2/2)
Post by: nuclearslurpee on July 07, 2022, 08:33:26 AM

Quote from: El Pip on July 07, 2022, 03:12:29 AM

Did he even want career advancement is the question? What better way to avoid unwanted promotion into the political shark pit than this?

On the other hand, one can always promote into the political shark pit and then sit quietly at the edge of the pit, letting everything be someone else's problem. Or dive directly into the fracas, doing the same.

Quote

I admire the shear gumption in calling the commerce raiding role critical and not even admitting the possiblity that such an outrageous suggestion needs anything as boring or prosaic as evidence.

We did in fairness have a previous half-chapter of evidence given, already well beyond the standards of Legion Naval debate as it was. Of course, it is understandable if the readership does not recall such things offhand, certainly one wonders if any of the Lords Admiral bother to recall such things in which case we do indeed return to the mystifying lack of evidence presented.

Quote

It does indeed resemble an experimental carrier being too small, with far too few aircraft, a lack of proper facilities and so on. He should have stuck it all on a destroyer sized hull, which would also be too small but would at least address the worst of the criticisms and concerns.

One suspects that some amongst the readership would prefer to solve all of our problems by sticking them onto destroyer-sized hulls. Command cruisers? Too big and expensive! Make it a command destroyer, the enemy will never see it coming!

Quote

As you noted this is probably the best outcome that was possible given the calibre of the assembled leadership, which is admittedly a fairly low bar to clear. Are the Standard and Raider variants inter-buildable? Look like they might be close, its a BFC, guns and one sensor swap so maybe? A small detail I suppose. Interesting the preference is for upgrades and not new builds, there were other options there (new build Standard IIs for the fleet and refit the older Is into Raider variants for instance) not pursued. The conference is thinking upgrade to their existing fleet and not expansion of the number of available squadrons.

It's been a while since I checked all the variants in-game but I believe most of them were interbuildable from the existing frigate yard (currently tooled for Mk I Bellerophon+Excelsior classes).

As far as upgrades versus new builds, the idea is to ensure that existing (a word loosely defined) capabilities are preserved before branching out, and the Standard variant Mk IIs are the ones which preserve the large anti-missile arrays. Once the refits + replacements are taken care of, the more experimental Raider variants can be built for trial purposes, frigates are soon to be optional attachments after all so it should in theory be trivial to just send these to an appropriate theater, place them nominally under the command of some Captain, and wish them good hunting. Of course, those of us not in leadership positions know that battlefield theory rarely ever meets battlefield practice.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Andrew on July 07, 2022, 09:56:59 AM

What we really need is the menu for the refreshments , lunches and other meals of the conference, possibly with recipes. This is after all the real purpose of a conference good free meals at public expense

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on July 07, 2022, 10:46:36 AM

Quote from: Andrew on July 07, 2022, 09:56:59 AM

What we really need is the menu for the refreshments , lunches and other meals of the conference, possibly with recipes. This is after all the real purpose of a conference good free meals at public expense

If this AAR turns into a sci-fi recipe blog, will something have gone very wrong, or very right?

Probably the latter, if it is done in the style of Danger 5.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on September 03, 2022, 06:57:11 PM

ANNOUNCEMENT:

As one might guess from the conspicuous relocation of this thread to this new subforum, I am intending to move on to another project. This one may or may not have run its course, notably the Naval Conference I would still like to complete someday if only for posterity, but to be frank ~~2.0~~ 2.1 is out and I want to publish something about it.

I would like to pose one question to the readers, regarding future thread formats: Personally, I always liked the all-in-one-thread format as it preserves the comments alongside the updates and in theory promotes a robust discussion. However, with the Aurora forums being a bit quieter than other AAR forums I frequent, maybe this is not the best approach? What do the readers think? Is this format good, do people prefer to separate each update into its own thread with comments, or to have parallel update and comment threads as Steve and Kurt do? All opinions are welcome and in fact are actively solicited as it will be a little while until I have anything publishable on the new work.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: lumporr on September 04, 2022, 01:34:32 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on September 03, 2022, 06:57:11 PM

ANNOUNCEMENT:

As one might guess from the conspicuous relocation of this thread to this new subforum, I am intending to move on to another project. This one may or may not have run its course, notably the Naval Conference I would still like to complete someday if only for posterity, but to be frank ~~2.0~~ 2.1 is out and I want to publish something about it.

I would like to pose one question to the readers, regarding future thread formats: Personally, I always liked the all-in-one-thread format as it preserves the comments alongside the updates and in theory promotes a robust discussion. However, with the Aurora forums being a bit quieter than other AAR forums I frequent, maybe this is not the best approach? What do the readers think? Is this format good, do people prefer to separate each update into its own thread with comments, or to have parallel update and comment threads as Steve and Kurt do? All opinions are welcome and in fact are actively solicited as it will be a little while until I have anything publishable on the new work.

Only since you are actively soliciting...

As a reader primarily of Steve's fiction and Kurt's long-running Starfire campaign, I prefer to have the comments separated so I can just scroll and follow along like a book. Then again, I also nearly never feel the need to comment, and only occasionally look at the companion threads.

I will also say that I can't really follow along with many stories at once, and with how long AARs tend to be (and my current backlog), I only lightly follow along with the ones I see posted regularly. This might also contribute to the lack of reader response, if I had to guess.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: StarshipCactus on September 04, 2022, 02:45:18 AM

I personally prefer the comments and story seperate. It's not too much of an issue though.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Foxxonius Augustus on September 04, 2022, 12:24:56 PM

If I'm honest, I prefer a combined thread as it preserves context better than separate threads. The main AAR posts tend to stand out enough to catch my eye. I just want to add that I am sad to see this story coming to an end, I understand why, but I am still sad. More than any other I have seen, this AAR really made me believe it if that makes sense. Full of action and intrigue and dramatis personae. I loved every post.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 06, 2022, 06:57:03 PM

Either or I guess. Sadly this site lacks thread marks ala space battles and sufficient velocity so you can't have both but oh well.

Sad to hear this coming to a close but it happens. Hope you have fun with your new project, looking foreward to it!

Also if I could ask what other sites are host AAR content like this?

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on September 09, 2022, 07:09:52 PM

Quote from: lumporr on September 04, 2022, 01:34:32 AM

I will also say that I can't really follow along with many stories at once, and with how long AARs tend to be (and my current backlog), I only lightly follow along with the ones I see posted regularly. This might also contribute to the lack of reader response, if I had to guess.

I've actually been quite pleasantly surprised by the reader response to this work, I think it is only behind Steve and Kurt among modern authors in terms of reader commentary. There is at least one full page (15 posts) of comments with no update, I'm rather proud of this. ;D

That said, it did take nearly a full page of updates to start really generating comments, so there is a definite lag time and update frequency definitely affects reader involvement.

Quote from: StarshipCactus on September 04, 2022, 02:45:18 AM

I personally prefer the comments and story seperate. It's not too much of an issue though.

I think this will be the model for the new work, at least I think we will try it and see.

Quote from: Foxxonius Augustus on September 04, 2022, 12:24:56 PM

If I'm honest, I prefer a combined thread as it preserves context better than separate threads. The main AAR posts tend to stand out enough to catch my eye. I just want to add that I am sad to see this story coming to an end, I understand why, but I am still sad. More than any other I have seen, this AAR really made me believe it if that makes sense. Full of action and intrigue and dramatis personae. I loved every post.

I thank you profusely for your high praise, and I do think you will be particularly happy with the new work. :)

Quote from: Warer on September 06, 2022, 06:57:03 PM

Either or I guess. Sadly this site lacks thread marks ala space battles and sufficient velocity so you can't have both but oh well.

Sad to hear this coming to a close but it happens. Hope you have fun with your new project, looking foreward to it!

Also if I could ask what other sites are host AAR content like this?

Lack of threadmarks is indeed saddening, although a table of contents can help alleviate the need in theory and I will be trying this out for the next work.

The Paradox AAR forums host a great deal of high-quality work. The culture tends to vary by subforum, I mostly hang out in the HoI3 section which has a very dedicated, active, and close-knit community for such an old title. In the newer game sections it usually pays to follow authors rather than an entire section as the quality of work varies more wildly for the more popular titles. In a different section of the forums you can find Blue Emu's Aurora LPs as well which tend to have a rather laid-back style.

The Something Awful forums also host a number of Let's Plays for Aurora written over the years, and I suppose other games as well. There they have sometimes the opposite problem, the reader response may be so great that there are several pages between updates, which often devolve into a mix of questionable spam and even more questionable fanfiction efforts. Still, the audience engagement at SA has allowed authors to do some very cool concepts beyond even what the community games on this forum or Discord usually can pull off.

----

Planning to put out the pre-update material this weekend, and then possibly the first update depending on how much playtime I get this weekend and what kind of action evolves. Thanks all for the comments above to clarify the format of the next work!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 10, 2022, 05:27:43 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on September 09, 2022, 07:09:52 PM

Lack of threadmarks is indeed saddening, although a table of contents can help alleviate the need in theory and I will be trying this out for the next work.

The Paradox AAR forums host a great deal of high-quality work. The culture tends to vary by subforum, I mostly hang out in the HoI3 section which has a very dedicated, active, and close-knit community for such an old title. In the newer game sections it usually pays to follow authors rather than an entire section as the quality of work varies more wildly for the more popular titles. In a different section of the forums you can find Blue Emu's Aurora LPs as well which tend to have a rather laid-back style.

The Something Awful forums also host a number of Let's Plays for Aurora written over the years, and I suppose other games as well. There they have sometimes the opposite problem, the reader response may be so great that there are several pages between updates, which often devolve into a mix of questionable spam and even more questionable fanfiction efforts. Still, the audience engagement at SA has allowed authors to do some very cool concepts beyond even what the community games on this forum or Discord usually can pull off.

Thanks for the response. Sadly Something Awful has cut off access to anons so I can no longer read all the LPs on there, oh well. Good luck!

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on September 10, 2022, 09:58:15 AM

Quote from: Warer on September 10, 2022, 05:27:43 AM

Thanks for the response. Sadly Something Awful has cut off access to anons so I can no longer read all the LPs on there, oh well. Good luck!

I've noticed they seem to do that around this time of year for no good reason. Usually comes back in a couple of months.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Warer on September 10, 2022, 10:31:55 AM

Quote from: nuclearslurpee on September 10, 2022, 09:58:15 AM

Quote from: Warer on September 10, 2022, 05:27:43 AM
Thanks for the response. Sadly Something Awful has cut off access to anons so I can no longer read all the LPs on there, oh well. Good luck!

I've noticed they seem to do that around this time of year for no good reason. Usually comes back in a couple of months.

...Well thats rather bizzare. My guess is trying to encourage people to buy a membership and or chase off people who aren't going to get one? But thats besides the point, thanks for the info.

Good luck with Duranium Legion 2 Uridium Boggloo

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: Garfunkel on October 03, 2022, 07:06:39 AM

Hot damn dude, half of the thread length is this naval conference! That's amazing 🤩

Anyway, sorry for not commenting earlier, always something came in the way of reading this thread. But you've really spun a lovely story here so congratulations and I'm eagerly looking forward for.the next installment.

Title: Re: The Official Chronicle of the Duranium Legion
Post by: nuclearslurpee on October 03, 2022, 07:41:59 AM

Quote from: Garfunkel on October 03, 2022, 07:06:39 AM

Hot damn dude, half of the thread length is this naval conference! That's amazing 🤩

Anyway, sorry for not commenting earlier, always something came in the way of reading this thread. But you've really spun a lovely story here so congratulations and I'm eagerly looking forward for.the next installment.

If you have not already noticed, the next installment is a new AAR currently ongoing though off to a slow start...notably the update which should have been this weekend will be regrettably delayed, not due to lack of effort mind you.

I do still have a minor pipe dream to finish the naval conference, and possibly even "finish" this AAR in the very distant future as it now has a semi-definite end date in the chronology. However I would not bet money on this actually happening. ;)

Aurora 4x

C# Fiction => NuclearSlurpee's Fiction => Topic started by: nuclearslurpee on February 13, 2021, 04:37:02 PM