[center:rx159bk9]The Loss of Geo-Survey Group 4[/center:rx159bk9]
8th April 2095
Stellar Transporter completed the Gate into Ross 154 allowing the 2nd FAS Squadron to transit. After transit the sensors of Fleet Scout Cerberus lit up the entire system, the wreck of the Gagarin clearly evident. The Squadron moved to the site of the battle with the enemy FAC, as it approached the wrecks were revealed. There was no response from the inner system. All remained quite. Geo-Survey Squadron 3 entered the system to perform the planetary survey, while the FAC squadron proceeded to Ross 154-AVI to be in a position to respond to any threat rapidly.
As the Survey Group went about its business the was no other activity except for that of Salvage 0002 removing the wrecks of the Gagarin and enemy FAC. There was no new tech from the salvage and only one or two useful components.
Time dragged on, the Solar Union continued to develop its existing Outworld colonies, Kapteyns Star AI was to be developed as a main naval base capable of maintaining the largest of the navy’s ships. The Systems around Kapteyns Star were surveyed by the end of July and the probing of the remaining unexplored jump points in Kapteyns Star was begun. Kapteyns Star system was short in sorium so a local supply was needed.
21st September 2095
Retooling for Battle Mk I class completed at Northrop Grumman Avondale Shipyard on Earth. The first three units were laid down and a new slipway started construction.
9th November 2095
Protector, Warden and Vigilant, Fleet Scouts completed, ensuring all Grey class FAC squadrons have an attached fleet scout
Abel Tasman, Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut and Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (Pioneer Mk II class) built on Earth and assigned to the 4th Geo-Survey Group.
4th December 2095.
Stephanie Charlton – Governor of Earth found dead! “Partner assisting the authorities with their investigations”.
5th December. 2095.
Kane Bolton, Governor of Alpha Centauri-AIII takes over on a temporary basis, but the market is not happy and eight billion wiped of the wealth index.
7th December 2095.
Liam Chamberlin takes over as governor of Earth, the markets stabilise and within 48 hours have exceeded their previous record by over 11 billion. He was formerly Governor of Alpha Centauri-AII.
20th December 2095
Former partner of Stephanie Charlton charged with manslaughter.
27th December 2095 Ross 154
Geo-Survey Squadron 3 locates an uncharted thermal contact in the asteroid belt of Ross 154. Task Group Anzio called in.
1st January 2096
Ross 154
The 13th MI Battalion launch their attack on the enemy outpost. As before the outpost was unmanned and a single DSTS recovered.
Earth
The Lloyd-Werft Commercial ‘Yard completes retooling for the new Mauritania class colony ships.
24th February 2096
Geo-Survey Group 3 move on to survey Barnards Star to complete the full exploration of the systems so far probed in that sub-arm.
11th March 2096
Audacious, Triumph and Majestic (Furious Class CV) built on Earth.
15th June 2095
SUS Dauntless, CV completed, ensuring that 5/6 of FAC Squadrons had their own carriers.
Just before the summer break the House of Governors debated the next developments for the Solar Union. It was decided that further exploration would be minimal and centred around current or future colonies. There would be a drive to build up several of the colony cost 2 worlds currently known as well as another eight with colony costs <4. To this end fifteen Mauritania class colony ships would be authorised. The first new colony to be established was to be Gliese 205-AII as it was halfway down the arm to another colony site and would initially be a mining colony. It was acknowledged that Survey Command were using dated ships still equipped with composite armour, but it was proving difficult to free up sufficient mass to allow a meaningful combat capacity in the Assault Jump Cruiser design and it had a higher priority.
Geo-Survey Group 4, only recently completed was tasked with the planetary survey of Gliese 105, a system probed many years ago. The Group's craft were commercial built vessels. This, their first extended cruise was to fill in the planetary surveys for all systems in the important Alpha Centauri Arm and prepare for the colonisation of Glises 105.
15th July 2096 Gliese 105.
Geo-Survey Group 4 arrived in system without incident and began the system body survey.
15th October 2096.
A team on Earth led by Fidel Pratico has completed research into Jump Drive Efficiency 6. However it was thought Jump Drive Efficiency 8 would be required for the Assault Jump Cruiser to cope with the squadron size of five and 200,000 kilometre distance off the jump point.
28th December 2096
Geo-Survey Group 4 complete surveying Gliese 105 just before midnight transmitted their findings via the Gate network and proceeded to their second target, Gliese 109 where it was hoped quantities of sorium would be found to supplement the low amounts found in Gliese 105
17th January 2097 10:09:32, Teegardens Star.
As the SUS Abel Tasman of Geo-Survey Group 4 was making passage once more through Teegardens Star system and only about 960k kilometres from the Gate to Gliese 109, the thermal sensor suddenly sprang to life, there were eight strength 15 thermal contacts at 50,000 kilometres closing fast. The only thing in the data base similar was the Berserker ASMs of the Gliese 832 aliens. The captain of the Abel Tasman, Lieutenant Commander Trishna Lal broadcast what information she had and a Mayday to Fleet HQ and her companion survey ships as she awaited the inevitable. Seconds later the ship was covered in 7 kiloton detonations. The captain and 165 crew made it to the life pods.
In Gliese 109 Lieutenant Commander Pierre Pointkawski, captain of the Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut heard the mayday and ordered his ship to return to the Gate, intent on doing what he could to rescue the survivors. He had been a midshipman when the news of the Yuri Gagarin came through. He was determined that the late arrival of the Naval Task Group wouldn’t condemn his colleagues to death. He planned to wait at the Gate for several days before sallying into Teegardens Star rescuing the survivors and returning to Gliese 109 to hide out. His fellow captain Lieutenant Commander Qian Shi Yong would in the meantime carry on with the survey of Gliese 109 while he carried out the daring rescue.
The hammer blow fell at 15:39:37, the Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld detected four new strength 200 thermal contacts closing as it was about to begin a survey of Gliese 109-IV! Lieutenant Commader Qian Shi Yong turned his ship to run for the Gate, but it was nearly 62 million kilometres away and stood no chance. Five seconds later an active search sensor S28/R65 lit up the ship, the same as carried by the enemies Silent Death FAC. The existence of the Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld was now measured in seconds. Then suddenly the four contacts reversed course and sped off at 10,000 k/s, the crew dared to hope.
At 15:39:52 The Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut detected ten 9 kiloton explosions as the Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld perished in a nuclear firestorm. The Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut looked on helplessly, it was now alone. It was at 23:09:52 that the sensor tech aboard the Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut detected two strength 200 thermal contacts closing on their position, two Silent Death FAC. Thirty seconds later the two contacts reversed course. The Kneph ship killers were on their way! They had another thirty seconds tops left in this universe when the space between the gate rippled, Lieutenant Commander Pierre Pointkawski had the Pilot apply full thrust and the ship shot through the Gate into Teegardens Star, making transit seconds before the missiles would have slammed into the ship.
The trick now was to cross Teegardens Star and escape. The problem Lieutenant Commander Pierre Pointkawski had now was it was 3 billion kilometres to the YZ Ceti Gate, there were only 2 planets in Teegardens Star system with only AII having a deposit of mercassium at 0.1 availability. There was nothing else of value in the system. Could the the Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut reduce its thermal signature enough to escape detection by travelling at 500 k/s? Unfortunately it would have to travel blind not daring to use its myopic S28/R100 active sensor.
17th January 2097 23:25:57.
The life pods from the Abel Tasman were bright points of light on the sensor screen aboard the Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battut. Travelling at 500 k/s the ship crawled towards them trying to minimise their thermal signature. An hour later the survivors of the Abel Tasman were aboard and the ship continued its crawl across the system. Then without warning the end was signalled. Eight strength 15 thermal contacts were detected closing fast on the ship at 00:42:57 on the 18th January, Lieutenant Commander Pierre Pointkawski futilely ordered the ship to make for the Gate at full thrust, knowing full well there was no chance of escape.
18th January 2097 00:43:02
Lieutenant Commander Pierre Pointkawski stared blankly at the bulkhead of the life pod, he fully realised rescue could not come before the air ran out for his crew and himself.
