A Run for Sol

[kks (OP)]

Space is big. The Milky Way has billions of stars. One in twenty of these has at least one planet with liquid water. And every fifth of these is stable enough to develop life. It usually takes a while, but almost every of these biosphere give rise to an intelligent civilisation. And each of these discovers the secrets of the aether, the non-newtonian riches which gave rise to life and superluminal flight in time. Which leads to the question:

Where are they all?

On a comet orbiting a dim M3-V class star, ancient but still sensitive antennas pick up the faint, discriminating signs of civilisation: radio waves, which modulation and periodicity reveal their artifical origin. Whether they come from television, SETI experiments or, as these are, large early warning radars, the old computer analysing it does not know. But it finds their origin some 50 light years away and detects the tell-tale signs of the atmospheric spectra, which confirm and betray the young civilisation on the third planet of the nameless G2-V star it orbits.
It is not the only listenig device to pick up this sign of people on the way to the stars. On a nearby G8-V star and a K0-IV subgiant similiar arcane machinery come to the same conclusions: This is something worth wakeing their masters.

The same M3-V star system, called Ascension by the makers of the listing post, has quite an interesting feature: A double planet orbiting inside the habitalbe zone. It's main component, White Orb, is covered in large swats of boreal forests, which lay dormant most of the year, only sprouting with life during the short days in which they are in the twilight zones of the slowly rotating planet, laying dormant for three weeks then. Much more interesting is it's companion , we'll call Bastion, of a slightly smaller mass and with a thrice as dense atmosphere. Large swamps and grassy plains cover the body and huge gastropods graze there. Large flying whale-like beings float through the emerald and saphhire skys.

But the serenity is disturbed as massive earthquakes shake the northern hemisphere and lava floods the plains. Through the crust massive ancient facilities rise to the moons surface and the gears within spring to life, waking the machinery and sleepers within: The Continuity of Eden has been woken again. And again it is their duty to find and cull a fledling civilisation, lest the newcomers inevitably awaken the great horrors living in the void between the stars.

Setup

Inspired by the fact, that we have not many non-Sol starts, brainstorming for community games, and by the superb Alastair Reynolds novels I decided to test a "Run-for-Sol" game.

The idea is to have several empires race for a certain star system, here Sol, and be the first to conquer the civilisation there. I therefore set up a chain of star systems leading to it. The original idea was to have three paths leading to Sol like spokes, but I have not yet meddled with DB editing needed for sane connecting of systems and so it is one way to Sol with a few arms branching off where the 2 NPCs as well as my starting point is located. The universe is largely cut off, but I and one NPC have one open JP in our chain each. The start systems are all customized to be a little bit nicer to look at. They each got an asteroid belt for instance.

Each empire starts with 500m pops, the races are generally more capable in research and industry, but take up quite a bit more planetary capacity. Starting RP are between 1.5m and 2m for each of us. It appears that we all have inertial fusion drives as starting techs from what I gathered until now. I do not expect to be much challenged by the NPCs, but that is not the aim of this game. All races have very high determination, militancy and xenophobia, so peacefull relations should be impossible.

The First Decade

Once awoken by their listening devices, the Continuity of Eden began preparations to find the fledling planet and secure their knowledge and resources before rivaling race managed to get there. Facilities and components hidden in dust belt on the systems fringes were reactivated. On their home planet Bastion mines refined the bounties of the last awakening and factories began producing supplies for the expected combats. Drones and Gliders were brought from storage and the ground troops began exercises to prepare the invasion of the newcomers planet.

The first years were uneventfull as the four "Xenoceratops" class Survey Cruisers mapped the local space. Early construction efforts were severly hampered be misscalculations when the Continuity last went to sleep around 2 million years ago. The maintenance of the stored ground units took a lot more of the industrial capacity than expected. As such the fabrication of new drones and combat gliders was put to a halt.

For the first years after wakeup the void navy was composed mostly of the carrier group with the "Give the Devil His Due" and its 20 fighters and 40 bombers. The destroyer "Unto the Breach" and its newly build cousins "Fifth Winter" and "Say My Name" guarded the carrier group against enemy missile attacks. The only other combat vessel combat ready was the frigate "Saanich", an fast ship specialised to take down enemy beam combatants with its fearsome battery of lance weapons. The "Ontomyia" patrol vessel dutifully laid watcher class bouys at every jumppoint and sweeped newly found star systems.

The Battle of Lambda Trianguli Australis

In the beginning of the 10th year after being woken, a transit from the Stein system into Lambda Trianguli Australis was detected by a sensor bouy. Soon after two "Albert Steptoe" stabilisation ships and another "Violett Hacket" scout transited into the system. There was no doubt these belonged to a rivaling sleeping empire and sought the radio source and exploit its riches for themselves. The carrier group was dispatched to destroy these vessels of a rivaling empire and hamper their effort to reach it first.

This was seen as a welcome exercise for the void navy and a test for the carriers old systems and its strike craft. The "Give the Devil His Due", accompanied by the three destroyers and the fleet support vessel "Foregone Conclusion" were sent to meet the rivals. The enemy shipping was swiftly destroyed by the bombers and fighters of the "Give the Devil His Due", hopefully sending a message to the alien empire. The carrier group stays in system in case an enemy response force show up.


Indeed some days later two 16kt enemy ships jump into the system and destroy the bouy on the jump point. Earl Ketill Gausson orders the bombers to attack the enemy. Bomber Wing A launches 40 Breacher II missiles to test the enemy defenses. 20 missiles survive the AMM fire and their 40 warheads detonate. Only 23 of these hit the "George Norris 002", the others miss or are deceived by the decoys. The 23 strength 8 hits barely deplete the shields and only one warhead scratches the enemy armour.

Since bomber wing B would likely not far much better it is decided to wait for wing A to rearm. Two days later all 40 Bambiraptors are in position again and launch their attack. The attack consists of two salvos of 40 missiles each and 20s apart, as the bomber wings did not sync their fire with each other. The attack fares much better and 37 warheads of the first salvo detonate on the "George Harris 002", disabling its shields and breaching its armour. A further 20 detonate in nearby space, distracted by decoys. 20s later the 80 warheads of the second wave obliterate the enemy vessel.

A shortcoming of the "Give the Devil His Due" are the small magazines which can only hold missiles for one and a half strikes of the bombers. Only enough for one wing is left on the carrier and as it has been shown not to be enough, the accompanying fleet support vessel is ordered to resupply the carrier. The "Foregone Conclusion" carries 800 AAMs as well as 320 Breacher II ASMs, enough for four full carrier strikes. Thankfully the carrier group is hidden far from the enemy, as the inexperienced crews of the fleet urgently need the training. Only after one and a half weeks is the carrier and its strikegroup rearmed.
This time, both wings manage to launch their salvos simultaneously and there is no enemy AAM fire. The "Needy Swales 003" is obliterated by 54 hits as a further 74 hit its decoys, proving the need for such large salvos again.

The carrier group returns to Bastion to rearm and refuel, while those participating are awarded the Lambda Trianguli Australis ribbon.

After overhauling and an extended shore leave, the carrier group returns to the battle field to cover the freighter Talos as it salvages the wrecks in the system. The enemy is confirmed to use the same class of drives as the Continuity. Furthermore the "George Norris" is confirmed to have at least 4 Size 2.5 AAM launchers and a science department is found on the destroyed "Violett Hacket" class, which was already suspected to be some kind of exploration vessel.

Status after ten years

The Continuity has now completed its first decade. About twenty systems have already been charted and the surveyors are optimistic that a way to the G2-V star can be found in the next 20 or 30 years. The void navy has been slightly expanded and already two new destroyers are being laid down and the first drafts of a new class of cruiser designs are being finished. While the economic crisis is not yet resolved, the establishment of a colony on the parent planet of Bastion, White Spot, is expected to provide some much needed capacities. Refined mineral stockpiles are stable, although the first few depots are running dry. As the Continuity was not successfull in securing stockpiles during the last two raids after it was woken, finding new mineral deposits is a top priority. However, there is still enough in stock to allow for a slight expansion of the navy in the next decade.

[Garfunkel]

What a fascinating setup and an explosive start!

[kks (OP)]

Thank you for your kind words, Garfunkel.

As it is my first writing of such kind and I'm no native speaker I hope it is still quite readable. I will try to put up some screenshots in further posts to aid the imagination of the reader. But I'm still figuring out how to post them besides attachments.

I might also do a post showing the different designs next. However, here is the writeup of the largest battle fought yet by the Continuity Void Navy. I attached some images below, but they kind of spoil the result of the battle.

The Battle of Stein

Preparations for the assault

Briefly into the second decade after the awakening, the patrol vessel "Ontomyia" finds a new way into the Stein system, which is located directly after Lambda Trianguli Australis and the system the rival alien race has first been detected. Surveyors explore the system, finding two stabilised jump points in the inner system, as well as an alien mining outpost on a moon of the Gas Giant Stein A-I, the only planet of the A component. As the aliens might guard the Lambda Trianguli Australis - Stein jump point, it is decided to conquer Stein by an attack via the newly found connection. However, first the carrier group is to undergo intensive training sessions and reinforcements.
Around the turn over from 12 AA to 13 AA, two new destroyers complement the task force. "Fair Weather" is the fourth "Unto the Breach"-class AAM-Destroyer while the new "Day of Jubilation" class leader is a destroyer armed with 52 Breacher II ASMs and guidance systems capable of targeting enemy small crafts up to 40m km away. The task force is then submitted to three intensive training runs over the course of two years, depleting the empires fuel stockpiles by 60%.
Meanwhile the first "Three-legged Crow"-class light cruiser is under construction. While the new class is designed for independent small operations against enemy unarmed or lightly armed vessels, it also is capable of providing a carrier group with jump capability. Until now only fleet support vessels did that, but they slow down the group considerably. Still, no operation is performed without on of these vessels nearby, as they can provide much needed missiles, supplies and fuel to the warships.

Planning the liberation of Stein

Finally, in 15 AA the operation "Stein Liberation" is ready to commence.
Its goal are:
a) to clear the Stein system of enemy forces
b) to probe the jump points in the inner system, leading further into alien space
c) to conquer the mining colony on Stein A-I Moon 8, which has substantial deposits of some million tons of minerals at a total accessibility of 6.1.

To accomplish this goal, the Void Navy has commited most of its forces:
The Carrier Group Alpha, compromised of:
CVS-01 "Give the Devil His Due", with its 20 fighters and 40 bombers as the offensive component.
4 DD "Unto the Breach","Fifth Winter","Say My Name" and "Fair Weather" provide AAM coverage.
DDG-01 "Day of Jubilation" provides the group with short-range offensive capabilites and coverage against small craft.
CL-01 "Three legged Crow" provides jump capability.
FSV-01 "Foregone Conclusion" is supposed to stax in the neighbouring Chi Pavonis system and provides supplies when needed.

The PV-01 "Ontomyia" provides sensor coverage, will probe the jump points and lay down bouys there.

Also two mighty assault transports, "Pillbox" and "Rampart", carry two glider wings and an associated HQ. They are designed to withstand STO-lance weapons with their extreme aroured belt and can carry up to 50kt of combat units.

Stein-A I orbits the white dwarf once every 27 years a little bit over 1 billion km away. During time of the operation, the trailing trojans and the LP of Stein-A I are almost exactly half way between the former star and the entry jump point of the task force. As such, Stein-A 1 is a billion km from both the LP and the central star, but over 1.5b km from the entry point. The JPs to explore are within some million km of the white dwarf. It is decided to station the main force at the LP of Stein-A I, so it is in a central position and has several escape routes.

The operation begins

First, "Ontomyia" transits into the system. Its massive thermal sensors detect several commercial ships, transiting between the unexplored JP2 and the mining colony. A sweep of the B-component, best reached through the langrange points, shows no enemys. Therefore, it is decided to probe JP1 while the carrier moves into position on the LP. The patrol vessel exits in the rather unremarkable system of Delta Pavonis and no alien contacts are found there.

Before the JP2 is probed, the enemy mining colony is to be conquered, to draw out enemy combat forces from their territory and as it is feared they would fortify the far side of the jump point if they discovered contacts there. As such, the patrol vessel is sent towards the colony. Meanwhile the assault transports transit into the system and heads for Stein-A I.

Enemy vessels are spotted

To the surprise of the intelligence officers, when "Ontomyia" is about 100m km from Stein-A I, it detects four military vessels in orbit of the mining outpost. Two 24kt Gareth Banner and two 17kt Glen Collins class vessels. Both have not yet been sighted. Earl Ubeinn Foxson, commander of the carrier group and the "Give the Devil His Due", orders the bombers to launch and the ships to raise their shields. Meanwhile, relying on its small signature, "Ontomyia" approaches further. This proves fatal for the distinguished exploration and patrol vessel, as the 9kkms fast enemy ships break orbit and head towards it. The patrol vessel is obliterated by missiles, making it the first casuality of the Continuity.

Several hour later the Elopteryx class scout, providing sensor data for the bombers, detects the enemy halfway between the wreck and the mining station. It shadows the enemy, while the bombers organize at the wreckage and prepare for a run towards the enemy. 40 Bambiraptor class bomber armed with 80 Breacher II missiles depart the wrecked vessel on course towards the enemy at around 4am on November, 29th.

The bombers arrive...

However, at 4:21:45, disaster strikes: 1 bomber is obliterated while several others are left dead in space by a sudden missile strikes on bomber wing A. The investigation showed that the Commander, Air Group of "Give the Devil His Due" was not aware the enemy ships changed course and were flying towards the scout and bombers, which, not having been given the exact location data of the enemy, flyed past it and within range of the enemy AAMs.
The wing commanders react immediately and order all bombers to launch their missiles at Gareth Banner 001. While the Breacher II ASMs are being launched and swarm towards the enemy, further explosions destroy several bombers. Only 60 ASMs manage to reach the enemy and detonate on the enemy cruiser. The over 73 exploding warheads, manage do disrupt the shields and breach the armour in several places and the enemy vessel speed is cut in half. The bombers, meanwhile have no option but to run. Fate is however not with them and over the course of the next minutes all 40 Bambiraptors are slowly reduced to dust and the survivors picked up by the enemy ships. The commanding officers can do nothing but watch in silence.

The situation is assessed

Earl Ubeinn Foxson, however, does prove his merit and immediatly calls for a meeting regarding the situation and further action. After a luxurious meal provided by the chef of "Give the Devil His Due", the situation is assessed:
The carrier group has lost all 20kt of its bombers and has no long-range strike capability left. It still consists of 220kt of warships. It has 2000 AAMs left, but these are totally ineffective against enemy shipping. The carrier and DDs are armed with one lance weapon each, the Cl with two, for a total of seven lance weapons, capable of doing 7x24=168dmg in each volley, but having atrocious long recharging times. Without the help of the 42 Microraptor fighters, the enemy shields can't be pierced. A further 52 Breacher II pods on "Day of Jubilation" would probably be insufficent to take down an enemy vessel. The fighters alone might be able to take down the damaged enemy vessel, but their range is not enough to reach it so the whole fleet would need to move in.
While it would be an option to assault the enemy with the fighters and destroyers, Earl Foxson decides to abort the operation.  The mighty fleet is countered by four alien vessels of just a third the tonnage.

Fortunately, the enemy seems to be unaware of the carrier groups location and the approaching assault transports and all vessels are ordered to assemble at the jumppoint and return back to bastion.

In total 26kt were lost, with replacing the bombers being the main problem. It is estimated to take two years of continuous production to replace the strike group.

Investigations into the disaster

Home at Bastion, a comitee led by Prince Vaerfittr Lokkrson (married to Aenaldia Foxson) is tasked with investigating the disasterous operation and finding who is at fault for the errors made.
Its report is finished a year after the battle and it finds the CAG, Count Rhydderch Courseume, as the main perpetrator. Not only did he send the bombers on the way towards the planet instead of the enemy, but he also did present an preposterous declaration, blaming his incompetence on some unreasonable concepts of discrete turns of time and the automatic progression thereof. He was promptly released from service in the navy and was transfered to the complaint desk of housing unit 12 of the research division.
The Tactial Officier, Baron Owain Herbard was found to not have relaid the information concerning the enemy position and own bombers to the CO and CAG. He was demoted to Knight. The Executive Officer, Count Llamrei Couci, was demoted to Baron, as he failed in his duty to instruct and observe the other officers.
Earl Ubeinn Foxson, Commanding Officer of the operation was relieved of all accusations, as he is believed to have been misled by the CAG about the situation. He was applauded for his quick decision to abandon the operation, thereby migitating the risks of losing further valuable assets needed to reach the newly spacefaring civilisation.

Another blow for Continuity morale was the detection of an unknown alien vessel by a sensor bouy just two days after the retreat was ordered. The vessel transited into the Sigma Eridani system, located on the frontier of explored space next to a black hole system, valued for its promising amount of JPs. The signature of the alien vessel indicates another competitor, which has been tentatively declared "Beta Rivals".

A small post-battle skirmish

Two months after the battle in Stein, the damaged Gareth Banner 001, now 7kkms fast, was spotted in the neighbouring Lambda Trianguli Australis system, where the first contact battle five years earlier was fought. The cruiser "Three-legged Crow" was dispatched, hoping to disable the enemy ship thereby lessening the loss of the bombers.
The cruiser quickly spotted the enemy vessel and approached it. "Three-legged Crow" spooted 15 incoming enemy ASMs and launched its two Microraptor fighters to supplement its defenses. The missiles detonated, reducing the cruisers shield to 15%. As the enemy was not expected to launch another volley soon, the "Three-legged Crow" is virtually immune to these missile attacks.
The Continuity cruiser chased down the enemy and no second volley was spotted until the ships made contact. "Three-legged Crow" took position 250kkm from the enemy and began discharging its two lance weapons. However, the enemy shields did regenerate faster than the slow firing lances could deplete it, so the fighters were ordered to attack the enemy. The Gareth Banner class does not seem to possess any beam weapons and tried desperate ramming manouvers to damage the nimble fighters.
The two Microraptors slowly began to whittle down the enemy shields, helped by the lance weapons every few minutes. After six and a half minutes a lance strike finally took down the shields and a minute later the fighters blew the enemy ship to pieces.

"Three-legged Crow" stayed in system to protect the freighter tasked with salavaging the wreck. As the enemy "Gareth Banner" class was found to only posses ASM launchers it was classified as an Missile Cruiser for future engagements.
As both vessels (barely) couldn't hurt each other much, the Continuity decides, that the navy needs more offensive firepower. A second carrier is thus under consideration to supplement operations with more fire power.

The Next Years

The next years, the continuity will have to recover its losses. Further cruisers are planned for small operation on the fringes of space as well as the construction of another carrier and strike group. New "Ontomyia"-class vessels are also planned and mines for them to lay down at strategic points are in development. The economic situation is expected to improve over the next years, as new installations to coordinate industrial efforts and maintain various expenditures are planned. However, minerals, especially Corbomite and Boronide are expected to be in short supply in the near future. The next operation into the Stein system is thus planned to take place in the mid 20s.