This is the second of two posts today22nd December 1973A survey of the ancient construct on Takahama-B II reveals that it will improve research into defensive systems by up to forty percent.
8th January 1974The Covenant of Velsharoon is detected in Okami for the first time. Okami is a dim red dwarf that lies beyond Sol’s innermost jump point and is the most direct route, via Lalande and Yao, to the Hadano system. The Velsharoon have been steadily advancing their exploration ships into the Empire of Japan for several years. With the recent action against the Mizuchi and the battles against the Scimitar Empire, the ‘Hadano Problem’ has been pushed down the priority list. Now the Covenant is a single transit from Earth, that priority rises considerably. Ten Fukurokuju class orbital habitats, holding a population of two million, and a Yokosuka class maintenance base are in orbit of the chosen comet in the Hadano system. Seventeen financial centres, ten maintenance facilities, a refuelling station and a tracking station are on the surface. The light cruiser Noshiro is on permanent station.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi decides that several additional habitats are required before making a claim on the system, due to concerns that an unsuccessful claim could damage relations with the Covenant and the People’s Republic of Xiama. Takagi knows those relations will be extremely damaged at some point in the future, but he would prefer that to be at a time of the Empire’s choosing.
13th March 1974The recent development of Magneto-Plasma Drives, and several other new systems, has prompted the creation of updated designs for the major warship classes. Two Nagato class battleships, all four Takao class cruisers and five Nagara class light cruisers enter the shipyard for a year-long refit. This refit program will prevent any significant offensive operations until mid-1975, although there will be sufficient warships to cover an invasion of the Scimitar home world once the required ground forces have been assembled.
5th July 1974A 10,800-ton Bransk class ship of the Followers of Zharov enters Fiji, the first time this particular alien race has been detected in the system. The Covenant of Velsharoon has also been detected in Fiji in the past. With the Imperial Navy distracted by other events, plus the need to build up Takamatsu as the primary source of Gallicite, the project to claim Fiji and prevent the Zharovians from exploring the territory of the Empire of Japan has taken a back seat. There are too many competing priorities.
A colony of one point eight million has been established on the first moon of Fiji IV, a superjovian with twenty-eight million tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium, and a Yokosuka class maintenance base is in orbit, but the colony has not yet developed to the point where a claim is likely to succeed. Part of the problem is the colony cost of the moon, which requires 300 infrastructure units for each million colonists and is therefore a significant demand on the Empire’s lift capacity. Four Amateratsu class terraforming stations are in orbit to improve the environmental conditions, but it is a slow process. Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy has discovered a third Zharovian system, named Iturup, beyond the contact system of Sakhalin and the second system in the chain, Paramushir. There is still no sign of any Zharovian colonies.
12th September 1974The population of Hadano reaches two point eight million and the number of financial centres has increased to thirty-four. A claim of sovereignty is issued to the People’s Republic of Xiama, when one of their ships enters the system. The Xiamen accept the claim and withdraw. A similar demand will be made the next time a Covenant ship is detected in Hadano.
9th November 1974The Covenant of Velsharoon accepts Japanese sovereignty over the Hadano system. This should result in the recall of Covenant survey ships from the territory of the Empire of Japan and finally resolve the ‘Hadano Problem’.
15th November 1974Several years ago, an ancient construct was discovered on the first planet of Osaka-B. The M4-V star follows an eccentric orbit of Osaka-A that moves between fifteen and thirty-two billion kilometres during its orbital period of almost two thousand, four hundred years, and at the time of the survey was over twenty-two billion kilometres from the primary. Once the construct was surveyed and found to boost research into sensors by eighty percent, it became a priority for colonisation, although that was delayed by two factors. Firstly, Osaka-B I was a barren world with a surface temperature approaching three hundred degrees, although the effect on infrastructure requirements was reduced by tide-locking. The more significant problem was distance, as neither star in the Osaka system had a planet with a Lagrange point.
A stabilisation ship was sent on the long journey to Osaka-B and spent a year stabilising a Lagrange point at the fourth planet, a Uranus-sized gas giant. Unfortunately, Osaka-A had only three terrestrial planets, including the Rasheed home world, now named New Osaka, and a dwarf planet. The largest was Osaka-A I, a Venusian world with an atmosphere of almost two hundred atm but more importantly a mass twice that of Earth. Even so, the task to stabilise the Lagrange required over three years. That task is now complete, so the colonisation and terraforming of Osaka-B I can begin.
1st December 1974A new Zuijin force has been discovered in the Sakata system, four jumps from Sol via Barnard’s Star, Nagasaki and Kama. A Gekko reconnaissance drone from the survey cruiser Sagiri detected the usual three bases, a Devastator, Terror and Vanquisher, plus a common grouping of three 9600-ton destroyer types – a Hunter, Impaler and Razor – and a Ravager escort cruiser. There are now six known Zuijin systems; Kagoshima and Beta Hydri, which contain powerful Zuijin fleets, Tarawa and Kwajalein, which are both adjacent to Makin in Xiamen territory, Matsuyama, which has three bases and a squadron of particle lance-armed Raptors, and now Sakata. Once the current refits are completed, new campaigns against the Zuijin will be launched.
4th December 1974The survey cruiser Usugumo probes a jump point in Uchigō, five transits from Sol via Proxima, Aomori, Sendai, and Yonago. She emerges three hundred million kilometres from an orange K5-V primary with four rocky planets one of which is a cold desert world with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 0.58 atm. As Usugumo is out of reconnaissance drones, she heads in-system to investigate directly. As she moves away from the jump point, Usugumo detects active emissions from an approaching Hunter class destroyer and immediately reverses course.
She is just over two million kilometres, and thirteen minutes, from the jump point when her thermal sensor detects eight inbound missiles. Usugumo has no point defence, so she can only hope to survive. All eight strike the survey cruiser with strength-3 laser warheads, causing significant damage. Fortunately, her sole engine remains intact. Unfortunately, her jump drive does not. She can run, but she cannot escape. She moves to the jump point anyway, with her crew desperately trying to fix the jump drive before another salvo of missiles arrives.
Thirty-four minutes later, another eight laser torpedoes arrive and inflict massive damage, destroying her engine, most of her survey sensors and the majority of her fuel storage. A third salvo arrives after another twenty-six minutes, but Usugumo still survives. Half her crew is dead and she has barely any functioning internal systems. There are still sufficient supplies to repair the jump drive and her manoeuvring thrusters will get her though the jump point so all is not lost. Her active sensor, one of the few operable systems, detects three destroyers and a Ravager class escort cruiser approaching her position. Her crew is still working frantically when a salvo of light missiles blows Usugumo to pieces. She will be avenged.
8th December 1974The chain of Zharovian systems, starting with Sakhalin and leading away from Fiji increases to four, with the probe of a jump point in Iturup. Kunashir has a yellow G0-V primary and a single rocky planet. A fleet of eleven Zharovian ships ranging from 8700 tons to 83,000 tons is stationed on the Kunashir – Iturup jump point – perhaps an indication that their home system is not far away.
29th December 1974The colony in Fuji reaches a population of two million, with twenty financial centres and six hundred units of infrastructure. The number of Zharovian ships in Fuji has steadily increased in recent weeks so Daigensui-Kaigun-Taishō Takagi takes the decision to claim sovereignty over the system. The Followers of Zharov accept that claim. With Hadano accepted as Japanese territory by the Velsharoon and Xiamen, Truk also accepted by the Velsharoon and now Fiji accepted by the Zharovians, the borders of the Empire of Japan are secure, at least in political terms. The only potential exception is the Sapporo aliens if they make it past the Zuijin in Kagoshima.
9th February 1975Matsukaze, one of the new Shimakaze class survey cruisers, is attacked and destroyed by Zuijin forces in the Kolombangara system, five transits from Hadano and three from Eniwetok, on the far side of known Xiamen territory. Kolombangara has seven planets and sixty moon, although none appeared even semi-habitable, so no reconnaissance drone was used. The attacking force comprised four Raptor class destroyers and two Avenger class escorts, one of which was damaged by a joint Rakurai strike from Matsukaze and her B1N ‘Ryusei’.
8th March 1975Abukuma and Niyodo complete their refits to become the first pair of Nagara III class light cruisers. In comparison to the preceding Nagara II-Ha class, they have new magneto-plasma drives, upgraded fire controls, longer-ranged point defence railguns and a third generation missile jammer. For now, they are the fastest warships in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Nagara III class Light Cruiser 18,000 tons 600 Crew 3,824.4 BP TCS 360 TH 2,304 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 6-61 Shields 0-0 HTK 116 Sensors 8/16/0/0 DCR 10-5 PPV 108
Maint Life 1.98 Years MSP 1,827 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 615 5YR 9,231 Max Repair 576 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Kaigun-Chūsa Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (2) Power 2304 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 756,500 Litres Range 16.8 billion km (30 days at full power)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-20B Far Ultraviolet Laser (12) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 10-5 ROF 10
Takashi Kinetics TK-10B Railgun (12x4) Range 30,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 3-3 ROF 5
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 3
Ground Forces
1x Naval Landing Force
10th April 1975The four Takao class heavy cruisers, Atago, Chōkai, Maya and Takao, complete their refit to the Takao II class. The upgrades include a more efficient jump drive, magneto-plasma drives, fire controls for the main armament and a third generation missile jammer. A combat information centre and a main engineering deck have been added to the design. Japanese shipwright chose not to introduce a new twin laser turret and associated fire control with 20,000 km/s tracking due to the cost and time involved, but these will be included in the next heavy cruiser design.
Takao II class Heavy Cruiser 27,000 tons 864 Crew 5,512.7 BP TCS 540 TH 3,456 EM 4,260
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 4-80 Shields 142-532 HTK 171 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 14-5 PPV 146
Maint Life 2.03 Years MSP 3,286 AFR 417% IFR 5.8% 1YR 1,064 5YR 15,959 Max Repair 576 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-270-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 27000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (3) Power 3456 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 1,100,000 Litres Range 16.3 billion km (29 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (2) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.3 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (10) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (6x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 107.3 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Fire Control 2 Missile 3
20th April 1975Nagato and Mutsu complete their refits to the Nagato II class. The new design includes the same upgrades as the Takao II class and the retention of the existing laser turrets. With two battleships and four heavy cruisers available, Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides the invasion of the Scimitaran home world can begin. The six ships reform the Main Force of the Kido Butai and head for the Scimitar system to eliminate any remaining surface defences.
Nagato II class Battleship 54,000 tons 1,719 Crew 10,598.8 BP TCS 1,080 TH 6,912 EM 10,650
6400 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 5-127 Shields 355-532 HTK 344 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 32-5 PPV 301
Maint Life 2.10 Years MSP 6,425 AFR 729% IFR 10.1% 1YR 1,950 5YR 29,244 Max Repair 576 MSP
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 10 months Morale Check Required
Komatsu KMJ-540-B Jump Drive Max Ship Size 54000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (6) Power 6912 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,258,000 Litres Range 16.7 billion km (30 days at full power)
Shīrudo-71A Shield Generator (5) Recharge Time 532 seconds (0.7 per second)
Kentaro-Sakura KS-25A Far Ultraviolet Laser (24) Range 320,000km TS: 6,400 km/s Power 16-4 ROF 20
Twin Kentaro-Sakura KS-12A Laser Turret (10x2) Range 200,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 8-8 ROF 5
Type 27 Go-31C Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
Type 32 Go-31E Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 320,000 km TS: 6,500 km/s ECCM-2
R-35B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (5) Total Power Output 178.9 Exp 5%
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 25 Go-12B Capital Ship Sensor (1) GPS 23040 Range 109.1m km Resolution 120
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-61B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Type 33 Go-51C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 31.6m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Sensor 2 Fire Control 2 Missile 3
26th April 1975Taihō and Junyō complete their refits to the Taihō II class, receiving new engines and a third generation missile jammer. In addition, their thirty-six Mitsubishi A2M3 'Shinden' fighters are replaced by thirty-six Mitsubishi A3M 'Hayabusa' (Peregrine Falcon) fighters. The A3M is faster than the A2M and has a longer-ranged cannon, although its range is seventeen percent less and it is three tons larger, which means that Taihō and Junyō have to sacrifice one of their two Aichi E1A3 scouts to create the necessary hangar space. The A2M will be passed on to the strikegroups of the older Akagi class carriers.
Taihō II class Carrier 54,000 tons 917 Crew 7,378.9 BP TCS 1,080 TH 6,912 EM 0
6400 km/s Armour 1-127 Shields 0-0 HTK 242 Sensors 8/8/0/0 DCR 26-4 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.53 Years MSP 4,720 AFR 897% IFR 12.5% 1YR 2,286 5YR 34,291 Max Repair 576 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 24,000 tons Magazine 867 / 0
Kaigun-Taisa Control Rating 3 BRG AUX PFC
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Flight Crew Berths 480 Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-1152-B Magneto-Plasma Drive (6) Power 6912 Fuel Use 45% Signature 1152 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 2,673,000 Litres Range 19.8 billion km (35 days at full power)
Rakurai-Ro Anti-ship Missile (72) Speed: 31,250 km/s Range: 8m km WH: 12 Size: 12 TH: 125/75/37
Type 28 Go-71B Fighter Detection (1) GPS 160 Range 13.8m km Resolution 10
Type 25 Go-21B Missile Detection (1) GPS 8 Range 4.5m km MCR 406.2k km Resolution 1
Type 27 Go-11C Search Sensor (1) GPS 8640 Range 66.8m km Resolution 120
Type 26 Go-63B Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Type 33 Go-53C Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
Electronic Warfare Jammers: Missile 3
Strike Group
36x Nakajima B1N 'Ryūsei' Carrier Strike Speed: 10001 km/s Size: 7.5
36x Mitsubishi A3M ‘Hayabusa’ Fighter Speed: 15829 km/s Size: 5.56
1x Aichi E1A3 Scout Speed: 7502 km/s Size: 5
Mitsubishi A3M ' Hayabusa' class Fighter 278 tons 1 Crew 91.5 BP TCS 6 TH 88 EM 0
15829 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.65
Maint Life 1.99 Years MSP 25 AFR 56% IFR 0.8% 1YR 8 5YR 126 Max Repair 44 MSP
Kaigun-Shōsa Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.2 days Morale Check Required
Koga-Murakama KM-88-DB Ion Engine (1) Power 88 Fuel Use 1474.81% Signature 88 Explosion 25%
Fuel Capacity 8,000 Litres Range 0.35 billion km (6 hours at full power)
MK III Cannon (1x2) Range 30,000km TS: 15,829 km/s Power 1.5-1.5 ROF 5
Type 33 Go-34E Cannon Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s ECCM-2
R-1B Stellarator Fusion Reactor (1) Total Power Output 1.5 Exp 10%
Type 25 Go-24B Fighter Sensor (1) GPS 2 Range 2m km MCR 181.7k km Resolution 1
1st May 1975The Main Force, once again under the command of Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara Kogo, moves within 90,000 km of the fourth moon of Scimitar I, otherwise known as the Scimitaran home world, and comes under fire from numerous surface-to-orbit weapons, receiving one hundred and thirty-four strength-1 hits. The Scimitar Empire has been busy since the last bombardment in November 1973, as the Main Force detects an STO signature of more than nine thousand tons as it pulls back out of range and. The total ground force signature has increased to three hundred and fifty thousand tons, which is likely to be well over one million tons once fortifications are taken into account.
Main ForceNagato II class Battleship:
Mutsu, NagatoTakao II class Heavy Cruiser:
Atago, Chōkai, Maya, TakaoFortunately, the orbit of the moon¬’ parent superjovian has reached a point where jungle terrain that made the previous bombardment difficult has died back, leaving savanna as the dominant terrain and exposing the positions of the surface-based weapons. The increase in detected ground force tonnage is partly due to the improved visibility from orbit. In addition, Kaigun-Taisa Sakubara has ordered his ships to only use their main armament, which will use less maintenance supplies than the twin turrets and generate more overall damage, albeit against one target rather than two.
After ten minutes of bombardment, all the known surface-to-orbit weapons are eliminated, so the Main Force advances once again and comes under fire at 60,000 km, prompting a further twelve minutes of bombardment before the Main Force can move unhindered into orbit. By this point, there is sufficient dust in the atmosphere to drop the temperature by thirty-six degrees, about forty percent of which remained from the bombardment in November 1973. The Main Force moves to the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I to eliminate a small STO force guarding that colony, while the Japanese troop transport fleet begins moving ground forces from their assembly point at the small Japanese colony the first moon of Scimitar II, to a temporary holding area on the first moon of Scimitar I. The Imperial Army force is too large for a single drop, so the holding area is to minimise the delay before the second wave arrives.
1st June 1975The invasion of the Scimitaran home world begins. The first wave comprises the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th divisions, each with three infantry regiment and one cavalry (medium tank) regiment, plus the 3rd (Armoured) Division, which has four heavy tank regiments. The total force size is 450,000 tons and includes over fifty thousand infantrymen and almost a thousand medium and heavy tanks. They are heavily outnumbered by the fortified Scimitaran defenders. Fifteen hundred infantry are killed within a few hours of landing and casualties on the first day are close to five thousand infantry and twenty-five tanks.
3rd June 1975The conditions on the moon are worsening, with the surface temperature rising to almost one hundred degrees. The invasion did not take full account of the intense climate conditions, leaving the Imperial Army fighting an opponent adapted for his environment, while lacking the training and equipment to combat them effectively. Daily losses rise to almost fifteen thousand, while the casualties inflicted on the enemy are approximately one third of that.
June 4th 1975Three fresh divisions land on the Scimitaran home world. Every combat division in the Imperial Army is now on the surface of the Scimitaran home world. The first wave has taken substantial losses, with two of the five divisions broken up to replace the losses in the strongest three divisions. Now there are five infantry divisions and the 3rd (Armoured) Division, which has taken on the two cavalry regiments from the lost divisions to replace one of the four heavy tank regiments, which has also been distributed to the others to replace losses. The total force size is 560,000 tons, which is one quarter more than the initial landing. The ground-signature size of the Scimitaran defenders has fallen to 280,000 tons, compared to 330,000 tons when the invasion began.
The Scimitaran ground forces include construction and other utility vehicles, plus the Scimitarans are suffering disproportionate losses among their armoured forces, which may soon begin to influence the battle. On the negative side, it appears the Scimitarans have deployed a significant number of updated units since the ground engagements eighteen months ago, which are a much closer match for the Imperial Army, and there will be no further landing waves. For now, there are no plans for evacuating the landing force as Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi wishes to see how the reinforcements affect the battle.
6th June 1975Losses continue to mount. One of the five infantry divisions is broken up to reinforce the other four, with some tanks going to the armoured division. Even with the restructure, the remaining divisions are understrength, with the total size of the Imperial Army force at 410,000 tons. The Scimitar Empire is also finally suffering heavy losses too, with many of the Japanese tank and cavalry regiments making breakthroughs. While the Scimitarans are still numerous, their organization is very disrupted. The total Scimitar casualties are approximately half of their original force.
10th June 1975Another division is broken up to reinforce the remaining four. Despite massive Japanese losses, the tide has finally turned, with Scimitaran losses significantly exceeding those of the Imperial Army. The Scimitar Empire is almost entirely out of armour, while the 3rd (Armoured) Division exceeds it starting size due to the addition of remnants from different cavalry regiments, orphaned by the dissolution of the parent divisions.
14th June 1975All remaining Scimitaran forces have been eliminated and the population has surrendered to the victorious Japanese forces. Despite sixty percent casualties among all the combat divisions of the Imperial Army, this glorious victory is the most significant in the history of the Empire of Japan.
The Scimitaran population is almost one point three billion, or about half of the total Japanese population, which creates an enormous pool of potential future labour. This population was probably considerably larger before the two periods of heavy planetary bombardment. The Scimitarans have very different environmental tolerances, with an oxygen range of 0.104 atm to 0.415 atm, gravity between 0.31G and 0.93G and a remarkable temperature range between 13.6C and 181C, due to the eccentric orbit of the home world’s parent gas giant. The Scimitarans can be used to man installations on worlds that would be inhospitable to Japanese settlers.
A large number of installations remain intact, including thirty-five research facilities, seven hundred construction factories and eight hundred mines. These will be very useful in the long-term, but for now the ongoing manpower crises continues, so very few can be utilised immediately. It may prove necessary to retain some ‘free’ Scimitarans, if they demonstrate sufficient discipline and their respect for the Empire of Japan. The technological gains are minimal, due to the superior Japanese scientific knowledge, but include better ground-to-orbit shuttles, improved refuelling speed and a science department for survey ships. The equivalent of sixty thousand wealth is added to the Empire’s reserves.
Intact InstallationsResearch Facility: 35
Ground Force Construction Complex: 8
Construction Factory: 701
Ordnance Factory: 254
Mine: 802
Fuel Refinery: 171
Maintenance Facility: 253
Financial Centre: 354
Deep Space Tracking Station: 4
Mass Driver: 1
Military Academy: 2
Naval Headquarters: 1
Spaceport: 1
Refuelling Station: 1
Ordnance Transfer Station: 1
Cargo Shuttle Station: 1
Infrastructure: 4,286
Low Gravity Infrastructure: 84
The moon has substantial deposits of accessibility 1.0 Duranium, plus moderate deposits of all the remaining Trans-Newtonian minerals at medium to high accessibility. The Gallicite deposit in particular, while limited in size at 142,000 tons, will be useful for a while due to its high accessibility. However, the greatest short-term benefit of the conquest of the Scimitarans is the mineral stockpile on their home world, including one hundred and thirty thousand tons of Duranium and one hundred and twenty thousand tons of Gallicite.
Scimitar I - Moon 4 Survey ReportDuranium: 1,321,721 1.00
Neutronium: 146,037 0.80
Corbomite: 362,945 0.70
Tritanium: 335,953 0.60
Boronide: 213,568 0.40
Mercassium: 96,853 0.60
Vendarite: 612,253 0.60
Sorium: 312,987 0.80
Uridium: 147,868 0.40
Corundium: 109,160 0.50
Gallicite: 141,829 0.90
Shipbuilding on Earth, with the exception of the recent refits, has been minimal for almost a year. The Gallicite from the salvage operations in Scimitar, around twelve thousand tons, helped at first, but after that ran out the warship refits, new fighters and production of maintenance supplies were given priority. Even then, there were shipbuilding pauses when the Gallicite stockpile on Earth reached zero. The fresh injection of Gallicite, and eventually significant production from the Scimitar home world, will ease that problem significantly and allow a full shipbuilding program once again.
The Scimitaran fuel and maintenance stockpiles will also ease any short-term concerns in those areas, more than doubling the existing Imperial stockpile on Earth. In the long-term, access to the vast Sorium reserves of Scimitar I, the superjovian around which the Scimitaran home world orbits, will secure the fuel supply of the Empire. Neptune, which has been the home of the Imperial Navy’s harvester fleet since the dawn of the Interstellar Era, has limited supplies and its accessibility has started to fall.
Despite the famous victory, the work of the Imperial Army is not yet complete. There is a Scimitaran ground force on the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I that must be eliminated before the entire system can be deemed secure. All the remaining ground forces are loaded on to transports for one more battle. Once that moon is secure, the surviving infantry regiments will form the basis for the Imperial garrison on the Scimitaran home world.
24th June 1975The Scimitaran ground forces on the fifteenth moon of Scimitar I are wiped out. Due to the fighting and the earlier bombardment of the surface-based railguns, there is nothing left of the colony they were defending. The Imperial Army took heavy casualties once again and now comprises just three understrength divisions, one of which is a polyglot of different armoured formations. Rebuilding the Imperial Army will be a major task for the Empire of Japan over the next few years.
23rd August 1975Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi decides that the small Japanese colony on the first moon of Scimitar II, used as the assembly area during the year prior to the invasion, will remain the primary Japanese base in the Scimitar system. While the home world of the Scimitarans is heavily populated and the system’s primary source of industry and mining, it is not suitable for a large Japanese colony due to its extreme orbit. Terraforming would not solve the hundred and fifty degree temperature range and could kill a substantial number of Scimitarans, reducing the potential pool of labour.
A large ground combat force will be maintained on the Scimitaran home world, but the minerals, fuel and supplies produced by that moon will be transported to first moon of Scimitar II, which henceforth will be known as the Scimitar Naval Base. Infrastructure to support the necessary population will be moved from the Scimitaran home world, where it was built to counteract the freezing temperatures caused by dust from the recent bombardments. This may result in some Scimitaran deaths at the aphelion of their parent superjovian’s orbit, but there are well over a billion Scimitarans and the most extreme situation is only a colony cost of 0.27, so the relative loss will be minor. Over time, as the dust settles, the effect will decrease.
20th September 1975A civilian mining company from Germany, Forster Ores, gains access to the geological survey data on the Scimitar system and decides to establish a mining colony on the eighteen moon of Scimitar III. As the data was obtained via the interrogation of Scimitaran prisoners, no Imperial Navy ship has actually visited Scimitar III or Scimitar IV and their combined thirty-eight moons.
As soon as the two civilian mining complexes are unloaded, along with a small garrison force of six hundred infantry and a few anti-tank teams, they come under attack from Scimitaran ground forces already in place on the moon. All the Imperial Navy troop transports have left the Scimitar system, so there is no immediate relief force. A single transport, Shinshu Maru, begins loading the newly trained 5th Tank Regiment from Earth, while the larger Sagami Maru heads back to the Scimitaran home world, now renamed Scimitar Prime, to load the 3rd (Armoured) Division should that prove necessary. The light cruiser Tenryu, one of two in orbit of the Scimitar Naval Base, moves to Scimitar III to assess the situation.
The opposing Scimitaran ground force consists of approximately five thousand infantry and supporting elements of the latest Scimitaran designs, so the combat is one-sided. By the time Tenryu arrives, the battle is almost over, with barely a hundred surviving garrison troops. As she moves into orbit of Scimitar III, she detects a ground forces signature on the eighteenth moon of 6800 tons, including some sensor emissions that suggest surface-based railguns may be present, plus a small population signature. There is also a ground forces signature of 6000 tons in orbit of the fifteenth moon. It appears the battle for the Scimitar system is not yet over.
Daigensui-Kaigun-Taisho Takagi orders the Main Force reformed and sent to Scimitar and instructs Tenryu to check the moons of Scimitar IV for any further holdout Scimitaran colonies. She finds nothing, so the Imperial Army can focus on the two colonies around Scimitar III. The Forster Ores mining colony cannot be saved in time and the remaining troops are overrun.
3rd October 1975The Main Force eliminates the Scimitaran railguns on the surface of the eighteenth moon of Scimitar III, entirely destroying the small colony in the process. There are now two small Scimitaran ground force signatures of 6000 and 5000 tons respectively on the fifteenth and eighteenth moons. The Main Force heads for home, leaving the moons to the Imperial Army.
3rd November 1975The 3rd (Armoured) Division defeats both of the small Scimitaran ground forces with minimal losses. The system is finally clear of Scimitaran populations.
