NATO vs Soviets: Part 9

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

A fairly long update this time and there are one or two events of note. The new forum has a smaller maximum post size so I have split the report into three sections.

22nd October 2032
A colony is founded on the seventh moon of Tau Ceti IV, a hot, low gravity world with a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen that is the location of a partially intact but abandoned alien colony. A NATO xenology team has been investigating the ruins since April 2030 without making any significant progress in deciphering the alien language or symbology.

7th November 2032
The last of the automated mining complexes on Titan is moved to the mining colony on the fourth moon of Tau Ceti IX. Titan, once the hub of NATO naval activity and its primary fleet base, is now mostly abandoned, with only the Okinawa maintenance bases, a single Cheyenne class PDC and three deep space tracking stations remaining on the moon. The Virginia class cruiser Arizona is the only warship still on station.

26th November 2032
The Soviet geological survey ship Akademik Golitsyn is still picketing the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point. No Soviet task group has been dispatched to investigate the alien colony in Luyten 726-8 because the Soviet Union is still rebuilding its missile stocks. The bomber force on Ganymede has been totally stripped of missiles just to get the major Soviet warships somewhere close to their full ordnance load, the carriers are seriously short of missiles for their fighters and two of the Project 1204 Atlants still lack anti-ship missiles. Golitsyn suddenly detects a huge 72,000 ton alien ship transiting into Sol and immediately notifies Soviet Fleet Headquarters on Ganymede, causing something close to panic. The alien ship completely ignores Golitsyn and begin constructing a jump gate. Under instructions from Admiral Melnikov, the commander of the survey ship attempts to communicate with the alien construction ship, which responds in a totally unintelligible language.

The Politburo holds an emergency meeting to discuss the arrival of the alien ship. There is no sign of any response from NATO and both the KGB and GRU believe NATO is unaware of its presence. The jump point is five point six billion kilometers from Sol, placing it well outside the likely range of NATO tracking stations on Earth, and is of no interest to NATO, so its unlikely any NATO ships are nearby. The questions at hand are firstly whether to inform NATO of the alien arrival and secondly whether to attempt to establish relations with the unknown alien race or to destroy the construction ship before it can finish its work. Even before that discussion begins, the Politburo agrees to Admiral Melnikov's recommendation to dispatch a Project 1205 Vishnaya class Intelligence Ship to support Akademik Golitsyn and provide better sensor coverage of the jump point.

Arguments rage for hours, with conflicting points of view on both major issues but eventually an agreement of sorts is reached. The consensus is that a jump gate on the Sol side of the jump point is not necessarily a major threat as it will only allow alien ships out of the system rather than allowing them to enter. However, unless the aliens are building jump-capable construction ships, it seems likely a jump gate has been constructed on the far side of the jump point and that is the dangerous one. It is also too late to do anything about it. As the Soviet Union does not have its own jump gate construction ships or any jump-capable ships larger than 4000 tons, the Politburo agrees to leave the alien ship to complete its task, which will give the Soviet Fleet access to Luyten 726-8. While construction is underway, attempts at communication will continue and the Soviet ordnance factories will continue to build missiles. If any further alien ships arrive then the situation will be reassessed. Plans will also be drawn up for a new warship armed only with railguns, to offset the munition shortage, and for a 13,500 ton jump-capable warship that can escort the Project 1201 Berkuts and Project 1204 Atlants. A suitable jump drive is already available as the Sino-Soviet war and the subsequent loss of Soviet shipyards interrupted an earlier project along the same lines. For the moment, NATO will not be informed as there is a chance that favourable relations with the aliens might result in a significant advantage over NATO.

27th November 2032
NATO completes the survey of Heintz 299. Any hopes that the system could safely be ignored are dashed as the survey reveals a total of eight jump points. For the moment though they will remain unexplored until naval forces can be made available.

6th December 2032
The Soviet Union begins retooling one of the captured Chinese shipyards to build the Project 1222 'Vidyut' class Raketnyy Kater, or Missile Boat. Unlike its predecessor, the Project 1202 Molniya class Raketnyy Kater, which relied entirely on missiles, the Project 1222 is armed with a pair of 100mm railguns, capable of eight shots every five seconds. While the Vidyut will have to close to point blank range to be effective, it has high speed and will not run out of ordnance. It has been designed with endurance in mind and has sufficient engineering capability to remain on station for years if necessary, making it ideal for jump point defence. The inclusion of a short-ranged resolution 1 sensor also allows the Project 1222 to function as a point defence escort, or to defend itself against missile attack.

Project 1222 'Vidyut' class Raketnyy Kater   1,000 tons     122 Crew     188.6 BP      TCS 20  TH 120  EM 0
6000 km/s     Armour 2-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 6
Annual Failure Rate: 8%    IFR: 0.1%    Maint Capacity 118 MSP    Max Repair 30 MSP    Est Time: 9.42 Years

RK-120 Ion Engine (1)    Power 120    Fuel Use 800%    Signature 120    Armour 0    Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 60,000 Litres    Range 13.5 billion km   (26 days at full power)

100mm Railgun (2x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 6000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 4    ROF 5        1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
MR-502 Podkat Railgun Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 96,000 km   TS: 4000 km/s     90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Stellarator Fusion Reactor (1)     Total Power Output 6    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Voskhod-1 SR Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 16     Range 1.3m km    Resolution 1

10th December 2032
Three NATO freighters complete their mission of collecting the deep space tracking stations on Titan and returning them to Earth. Once they are integrated into the Earth's sensor network, the supervising technicians run a series of tests to check the improved performance of the network and detect a strange anomaly. According to their sensors, they are picking up a large thermal signature from an unknown alien ship on the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point, plus the EM signature from the active sensor of a Soviet geosurvey ship in the same location and a further EM signature from a Soviet intelligence ship closing on the other two contacts. Despite being convinced this is some type of sensor glitch resulting from the addition of the new tracking stations, they follow procedure and forward the information to NATO Fleet Headquarters on Jamestown.

Admiral Thorn immediately orders the command ship Richelieu and the Virginia class cruiser New Mexico, both of which are picketing the Sol - Epsilon Eridani jump point, to move to the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point and confirm the sensor reading. The carriers Independence and Akagi and their respective escort groups are carrying out training exercises in Epsilon Eridani while the carrier Ark Royal is in Earth orbit receiving new F-24B fighters. Admiral Thorn cancels the training exercises and orders both carriers in Epsilon Eridani to move to the Sol jump point. Ark Royal is ordered to leave Earth orbit and join them immediately. The rest of her new fighters will have to wait. Next he attempts to contact Admiral Melnikov, his opposite number on Ganymede, but for several hours the head of the Soviet Navy is 'unavailable'. Communications between NATO and the Soviet Union are tense over the following days and all Admiral Melnikov will admit is that the Soviet Union also detected the alien vessel and sent its own ships to investigate, the first of which to arrive was the geological survey ship on the jump point

20th December 2032
Given the appearance of a large alien ship in Sol, Admiral Thorn is keen to resolve the situation in Gliese 87 so that Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin can return to Epsilon Eridani. He orders Rear Admiral Bethea to take his task group into Gliese 105 and on to the Gliese 87 jump point, even though the gate back to TZ Arietis is two months from completion. The gate from Gliese 105 to Gliese 87 will be finished within thirty days and Admiral Thorn wants the carriers on hand as soon as it is available.

25th December 2032
Richelieu and New Mexico move close enough to the alien ship in Sol to determine its size as 72,100 tons. By this time the Soviet Intelligence ship has also arrived and is located close to the jump point. Captain Sophia Griffin, C.O. of the Richelieu, is ordered to attempt to contact the alien ship and establish communication. The Soviet ships refuse to divulge anything they have learned so it becomes a race to decipher the alien language and the Soviets have a significant head start. The crew of the alien ship, their appearance still unknown, seem content to accept human attempts to establish communications as long as there is no interference with the construction of the jump gate.

30th December 2032
The Soviet xenology team on the second moon of Alpha Centauri-B V deciphers the language and symbology of the ruined alien city that was discovered on the moon's equator in February 2030. Despite the state of the ruins, the team estimates that over one hundred alien installations or other items of interest may be recoverable. The two Soviet Engineer Regiments will be transported to the moon as soon as possible. The xenology team will be transported to the site of a ruined alien colony on the third planet of Wolf 1061-A, two jumps further out from Sol.

9th January 2033
The first four NATO fast attack craft are produced by the Fairfield Shipbuilding Shipyard in orbit of Roanoke. The Valhalla class FAC is armed with fifteen box launchers for AGM-1C Sabre anti-ship missiles and has two separate fire control systems for engaging both full-size warships and hostile fast attack craft. It has good endurance for a fast attack craft, both in terms of fuel and maintenance and is powered by a newly designed magneto-plasma engine. However, it lacks any internal active sensor and will have to rely on other units for the detection of its targets. A sensor-focused FAC to complement the Valhalla is currently in the design stage.

Valhalla class Fast Attack Craft   1,000 tons     46 Crew     176 BP      TCS 20  TH 160  EM 0
8000 km/s     Armour 2-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 9
Annual Failure Rate: 16%    IFR: 0.2%    Maint Capacity 55 MSP    Max Repair 40 MSP    Est Time: 3.65 Years
Magazine 60    

GB Magneto-plasma Drive (1)    Power 160    Fuel Use 600%    Signature 160    Armour 0    Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 70,000 Litres    Range 21.0 billion km   (30 days at full power)

Mk3 Box Launcher (15)    Missile Size 4    Hangar Reload 30 minutes    MF Reload 5 hours
SN/SPS-36 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 52.6m km    Resolution 20
SN/SPG-29 Missile Fire Control (1)     Range 128.8m km    Resolution 120
AGM-1C Sabre Anti-Ship Missile (15)  Speed: 36,000 km/s   End: 34.7m    Range: 75m km   WH: 6    Size: 4    TH: 120 / 72 / 36

11th January 2033
Two Soviet cruisers, a Project 1200 Berkut and a Project 1204 Atlant, join the Soviet intelligence ship near the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point. The geosurvey ship Akademik Golitsyn heads back to Earth. Admiral Melnikov informs Admiral Thorn that the Soviet cruisers have been deployed in response to the two NATO ships near the jump point and suggests that both NATO and the Soviet Union refrain from sending additional ships to avoid any further rise in tension. Both sides continue communication attempts with the alien construction ship.

21st January 2033
The jump gate at the Gliese 105 - Gliese 87 jump point is completed. Belisarius, escorted by the Daring class area defence cruisers Daring, Dartmouth and Dragon and the destroyer escort Spruance, jumps into Gliese 87 to check on the location of the alien ships. There is no sign of any large ships within five hundred million kilometers or FACs within three hundred million so she notifies the survivors of the Alexander task group, which begin moving toward the jump point from their safe haven one point eight billion kilometers further from the star. Six hours after Belisarius arrives in the system, the six Socrates class FAC are detected at 300 million kilometers, heading for the jump point at 10,000 km/s. The NATO fighters on board the two Enterprise class carriers are faced with the same dilemma as those on the two light carriers; their fire control systems are designed to engage ships rather than FACs. The SN/APG-1 Missile Fire Control of the F-24A can target FACs at a maximum of two point five million kilometers while the SN/APG-5 Missile Fire Control of the A-28A Python can only lock on at 400,000 kilometers. In fact, the fighter with the best fire control range is the F-25A Viper, as its SN/APG-2 Missile Fire Control has a range of four point eight million kilometers against all targets. Unfortunately, it can only launch RIM-8A Stilettos which have a max range of two point six million. This particular problem will feature significantly in the design discussion for the next NATO fighter.

In any event, the FACs cannot be allowed into missile range so Rear Admiral Bethea decides to send in a strong force of F-24As to deal with them as far from the jump point as possible. He just hopes the FACs will have as much trouble targeting the fighters as they do targeting the FACs. Thirty-six Cobras use the jump gate to enter Gliese 87 and set course for the oncoming Socrates. Six Cobras, each with four AGM-1A or AGM-1B Sabre anti-ship missiles, are assigned to each FAC. As the FACs are assumed to have no point defence, each fighter is cleared to fire independently as soon as it is in range. The first salvos are fired as the fighters reach two point four million kilometers from their targets and immediately reverse course. The alien fast attack craft have a 2800 km/s speed advantage so they start to overhaul the fighters while the missiles are in flight.

Because of the 30,000 km/s speed of the NATO missiles, they have a thirty percent chance of intercepting the FACs. There are twenty-four missiles targeting each Socrates and it doesn't require many hits to cause serious damage to something as small as a fast attack craft. As the missiles arrive, the FACs start to explode, some of them spectacularly. Several secondary explosions are detected, including a strength-42 power explosion. None of the FACs survive the onslaught. The fighters come about and head back to the jump point so Belisarius can escort them back into Gliese 105 where their carriers are waiting. Thirteen hours after the destruction of the alien FACs, with the survivors of the Alexander task group still almost one point five billion kilometers from safety, the three alien cruisers appear from a very unexpected direction; approaching the jump point at 6975 km/s from the outer system.

(see attachment #1)

Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin launch all seventy-two of their F-24A Cobras, fully loaded with AGM-1B Sabres. The carriers then restock their magazines from the colliers McKinley and Mont Blanc. The new strike enters Gliese 87 and sets a head-on course for the Patroclus class cruisers. At thirty-million kilometers, they launch a wave of two hundred and eighty-eight AGM-1Bs, split equally between the three cruisers. Thirty-two missiles are destroyed by point blank point defence and over half the remainder miss the fast moving alien ships. One hundred and twelve detonate on target in a cataclysmic fireworks show. To the amazement of the fighter pilots, the three alien cruisers emerge from the ocean of thermonuclear fire. All three show signs of damage though, with their speeds reduced to 5812 km/s, 3487 km/s and 3100 km/s respectively. The Cobras begin the long trek back to the jump point while Rear Admiral Bethea plans his next attack.

Twenty-four A-28A Pythons launch from Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin, armed with AGM-3A Katana anti-ship missiles. The Katana is a larger but shorter-ranged missile than the AGM-1B Sabre, with a strength-12 warhead, a speed of 28,000 km/s and a range of thirty-four million kilometers. A newer version has been developed with higher speed and greater range but is not yet in service. The Pythons transit into Gliese 87 and head out to meet the damaged alien cruisers. As the hours pass, the Patroclus begin to increase speed. Six and a half hours after their entry into the system, with the lead Patroclus now moving at 6588 km/s, eight of the Pythons launch their missiles from a range of eighteen million kilometers. Thirty-two AGM-3A Katanas close rapidly on the damaged cruiser. Eight are shot down by point blank point defence and thirteen miss. The other eleven obliterate the resilient alien warship. At the same moment the Patroclus is destroyed, seven incoming missiles are detected by the area defence cruisers on the jump point, protecting Belisarius. Before the NATO cruisers can fire their anti-missiles, the hostile missiles self-destruct, presumably due to a loss of fire control. The wreckage of the alien ship is one hundred and twenty million kilometers from the jump point, so taking into account the fact it continued closing after missile launch, the range of the alien anti-ship missiles must be almost one hundred and fifty million kilometers.

The eight A-28A Pythons that have fired their missiles head for home while the other sixteen move in for the kill on the other two Patroclus. The alien cruisers are still moving at less than 4500 km/s and probably suffered more than their recently deceased sister ship at the hands of the Cobras. They are both blown to pieces by salvos of Katanas. All the remaining Pythons turn for home. By now the F-24A Cobras are arriving at the jump point, ready to be escorted into Gliese 105 to land, refuel and rearm. A salvage ship that was waiting at the far side of the jump point transits into Gliese 87 and heads for the closest alien cruiser wreck and a construction ship enters the system to begin building a jump gate. A Kobyashi class jump freighter is available to escort the salvage ship, its accompanying freighters and the construction ship back into Gliese 105 if any more alien warships turn up. The Alexander task group is still 1160m kilometers from safety.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

26th January 2033
The four survivors of the Alexander task group transit into Gliese 105, ending their seven month ordeal in Gliese 87. After taking on maintenance supplies from the Enterprise class carriers, they leave for Epsilon Eridani via TZ Arietis and Teegarden's Star. Rear Admiral Arno Kolbe faces an enquiry over the loss of three ships, serious damage to four more and the deaths of hundreds of NATO crewmen. With the four ships now safely rescued, Rear Admiral Bethea turns his attention to securing the Gliese 87 system so he can take his carriers home. Belisarius, accompanied by Dartmouth and Spruance, heads for the inner system to conduct an active sensor sweep while Daring and Dragon return to Gliese 105 to watch over Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin. The gravitational survey ships Kepler and Newton transit into Gliese 87 to begin a search for jump points. Salvage operations and the construction of a jump gate continue.

1st February 2033
A new alien ship transits into Sol from Luyten 726-8. The 2650 ton vessel, classified as the Tyr class by the GRU and the Malar class by NATO naval intelligence, moves away from the jump point at 4527 km/s on a course that will take it slightly further from the Sun, possibly to carry out a gravitational survey. Despite still not being able to communicate with the aliens, both NATO and the Soviet Union order the ship to return to the jump point. The alien ship either ignores them or more likely doesn't understand them. Neither superpower is prepared to start a war with an unknown alien race on the basis of either the construction ship or a small survey ship heading well away from Earth. The Virginia class cruiser New Mexico follows the survey ship while the Richelieu remains close to the Luyten 726-8 jump point. Similarly, the Soviet Project 1200 'Berkut' class cruiser Kronstadt moves in pursuit, leaving the Project 1204 Chervona Ukrayina and an intelligence ship to monitor the jump point A Saratoga class scout frigate is ordered to leave its picket duty at the Alpha Centauri jump point and also intercept the survey ship. The Soviets send the intelligence ship at the Sol - Epsilon Eridani jump point to the outer system as well.

3rd February 2033
The NATO and Soviet cruisers both lose track of the survey ship as its speed advantage takes it out of sensor range. When the contact is lost it is still following a course that would indicate a gravitational survey. The cruisers head back to the jump point. NATO and the Soviet Union both prioritize upgrades to their planetary sensor systems.

4th February 2033
The NATO fleet base in Epsilon Eridani is being moved from Jamestown to Roanoke. As the latter colony is intended to function as NATO's primary shipbuilding centre, Admiral Thorn has persuaded the NATO council that it would make sense to base the fleet in the same location. All the maintenance facilities on Jamestown will be transported to Roanoke, opening up Jamestown for more construction factories.

5th February 2033
The Illustrious class light carrier Indefatigable is upgraded to the new Illustrious Mod 1 class, which has much greater speed and better armour, although it does lack the CIWS system of its predecessor. Two new Illustrious Mod 1 class light carriers are under construction.

Illustrious Mod 1 class Light Carrier   15,000 tons     899 Crew     2134.2 BP      TCS 300  TH 1680  EM 0
5600 km/s     Armour 4-54     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/14/0/0     Damage Control Rating 10     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 180%    IFR: 2.5%    Maint Capacity 889 MSP    Max Repair 84 MSP    Est Time: 2.96 Years
Hangar Deck Capacity 5000 tons     Magazine 600    

Rolls Royce RR80 Magneto-Plasma Drive (21)    Power 80    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 80    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres    Range 100.0 billion km   (206 days at full power)

AGM-1C Sabre Anti-Ship Missile (150)  Speed: 36,000 km/s   End: 34.7m    Range: 75m km   WH: 6    Size: 4    

SN/SPS-28 Area Search Sensor (1)     GPS 10080     Range 128.8m km    Resolution 120
SN/SLR-25 EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 14     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  14m km

ECM 10

Strike Group
18x F-24B Cobra Strikefighter   Speed: 9795 km/s    Size: 4.9
1x J-30B Vanguard Jump Scout   Speed: 8000 km/s    Size: 6

8th February 2033
Belisarius and her escorts complete a sweep of the inner system of Gliese 87 without finding any sign of additional alien ships or bases. The small task group heads back to the Gliese 105 jump point to protect the construction and salvage ships.

18th February 2033
NATO builds a new PDC type, designated as the Davis-Monthan Fighter Storage Centre. It has a hangar bay larger than those on the Enterprise class carriers and is intended as a storage centre for obsolete fighters that may be needed should any emergency arise.

Davis-Monthan class Fighter Storage Centre  22,950 tons     515 Crew     2400 BP      TCS 459  TH 0  EM 0
Armour 9-71     Sensors 1/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Hangar Deck Capacity 20000 tons    

23rd February 2033
NATO completes a Sector Command headquarters on Jamestown. This will allow better administrative control over colonies in Epsilon Eridani and nearby systems, enhancing production efficiency.

1st March 2033
The absorption of the two Chinese shipping lines has led to significant changes within the Soviet 'civilian' shipping sector. The two original Soviet shipping lines, Kazakov Transport and Matveyev Marine, were still state-controlled and represented a desire to prevent the Defence Ministry from controlling all off-world shipping rather than civilian-driven private enterprise. The ex-Chinese lines, Liu Container Services and the Chiang Freight Corporation, were both more efficient companies and the existing Soviet lines began to copy some of their working practices. Eventually, in an attempt to meet the demand for shipping colonists and infrastructure into Alpha Centauri, the Soviet Union gave the shipping lines more autonomy and allowed a small amount of private investment. In addition, the laws on state control were relaxed to allow true privately-owned shipping lines on the NATO model. The first of these, Burturlin Carrier Services, is now ready to begin operations. In total, the five Soviet shipping lines now control seventeen colony ships and thirty-two freighters. In comparison, NATO shipping lines control sixteen colony ships and thirty-four freighters.

3rd March 2033
The atmosphere of New Amsterdam is now breathable, making it the third ideal habitable world in Epsilon Eridani. Until now, the population of New Amsterdam, previously known as Epsilon Eridani III, has mainly been employed by the huge terraforming operation conducted over the last few years. NATO's future plan for the colony is as a research centre and three research facilities have recently been transported from Earth. The twenty-four Terraforming Installations on New Amsterdam will eventually be moved to the seventh moon of Tau Ceti IV where a small NATO colony has been established near the site of a partially intact but abandoned alien colony.

12th March 2033
Both the Soviet Union and NATO establish communications with the alien ship in Sol. The commander of the construction ship informs both superpowers that the name of his race is the Goavelha Host. Beyond that he is prepared to give them no information except that his mission is to build a jump gate and he recommends they do not interfere. There is still no visual communication. He ignores all requests to take his ship out of Sol and to recall the missing alien survey ship.

20th March 2033
A tiny alien population signature is detected on an asteroid in the Gliese 87 system. It is almost certainly a small sensor outpost similar to those discovered in Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti. Troops are dispatched from Epsilon Eridani to secure it.

26th March 2033
As there is still no sign of any alien presence in Gliese 87, except for the suspected listening post, Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin, along with their escorts, are recalled to Epsilon Eridani. Future exploration protection will be provided by the Illustrious class light carriers. Indefatigable, along with a small escort group, is dispatched to Gliese 87. Illustrious and Invicible will follow after being repaired and refitted.

2nd April 2033
The first in a new class of escorts is laid down at the BAE Systems Shipyard at Roanoke. The Daring Mod 1 class Area Defence Cruiser is 1500 tons larger than the original Daring and has greater speed, much more capable sensors and fire control systems and thicker armour. As a result of the lessons learned in Gliese 87, the total number of launchers has been reduced from twenty-five to twenty and the magazine space increased by sixty-six percent. The Daring will be armed with the SN-N-24 Gargoyle, an alien-built missile recovered from the alien listening posts in Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti that is far more advanced than the RIM-8A Stiletto. Eight thousand Gargoyles are in storage on Roanoke.

Daring Mod 1 class Area Defence Cruiser    10,500 tons     850 Crew     2022 BP      TCS 210  TH 1120  EM 0
5333 km/s     Armour 5-42     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 6     PPV 20
Annual Failure Rate: 147%    IFR: 2%    Maint Capacity 722 MSP    Max Repair 252 MSP    Est Time: 1.47 Years
Magazine 1040    

Rolls Royce RR80 Magneto-Plasma Drive (14)    Power 80    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 80    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres    Range 71.4 billion km   (155 days at full power)

Mk5 Guided Missile Launching System (20)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
SN/SPG-31 Anti-Missile Fire Control (4)     Range 35.3m km    Resolution 1
SA-N-34 Gargoyle (1040)  Speed: 65,500 km/s   End: 1.5m    Range: 6m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 655 / 393 / 196

SN/SPN-27 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1680     Range 30.4m km    Resolution 60
SN/SPS-30 Missile Detection Sensor (1)     GPS 252     Range 35.3m km    Resolution 1

3rd April 2033
A Soviet research team led by Helga Chernov completes research into Magneto-Plasma Drive technology. New engines based on the technology will be developed as quickly as possible.

4th April 2033
The Goavelha construction ship in Sol completes the jump gate on the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point and sets course for the Sol - EZ Aquarii jump point. With the jump gate in place, which will allow non-jump capable human ships to enter Luyten 726-8 and maintain communication with Sol, both NATO and the Soviet Union begin planning reconnaissance missions into the system. Because of the prospect such missions might result in conflict, NATO is waiting until all five Enterprise class carriers are back in Epsilon Eridani and the Soviet Union is waiting until its ordnance factories have provided full missile loads for all its warships.

5th April 2033
A second small alien population is detected In Gliese 87. After the identification of the alien race in Sol as the Goavelha Host, there has some pressure within NATO to create an official designation for the alien race encountered in Epsilon Eridani, Tau Ceti and Gliese 87. Until recently they were commonly referred to as the Eridani Aliens. However, with the impending formation of the Eridani Republic, that is generally accepted as no longer suitable. In fact, given the ships seem to be entirely robotic in nature, with no internal atmosphere and no biological remains, there is some doubt as to whether they should be considered a race at all. There is also confusion over the motive of the robotic aliens, as they seem to be concerned with defending systems with nothing in them except ruins while showing no interest in nearby populated system. There are several competing theories in the NATO scientific community, with some believing the robotic ships are guardians of abandoned colonies, some taking the view the ships are destroyers of those same colonies and others that the ships are simply cut-off from central control and incapable of leaving their assigned systems. Whatever their motivation, they are highly advanced and potentially deadly. During the debates over the origin and intentions of the alien ships, one scientist compares to them to the Golems of ancient folklore and the name quickly catches on.

21st April 2033
Another Goavelha Malar class survey ship transits into Sol from Luyten 726-8. There has been no further contact with the first Malar since it headed outward from the jump point. The new 2650 ton survey vessel heads in-system instead, which is of far greater concern to both NATO and the Soviet Union as it could locate the jump points to Epsilon Eridani and Alpha Centauri. Both superpowers hail the ship and demand that it returns to the jump point. The hail is ignored. Richelieu and New Mexico, which are positioned between the Luyten 726-8 and EZ Aquarii jump points, move to keep the survey ship in sensor range as long as possible. Saratoga class scout frigates remain near to both jump points to provide close monitoring of any further Goavelha activity. Similarly, the Soviet Union leaves Vishnaya class intelligence ships near the jump points and pursues the new vessel with both cruisers. Both NATO and Soviet commanders on the scene request permission to fire before they lose track of their target.

Admiral Thorn contacts Admiral Melnikov to discuss the situation and both admirals agree that whatever their differences, the Goavelha Host cannot be permitted to learn any more about the astrography of the Sol system. They further agree to speak to their civilian leaders and confer again within thirty minutes. The Soviet Politburo meets in emergency session and concurs with Admiral Melnikov's recommendation to destroy the survey ship unless it accedes to a second demand to return to the jump point. As usual, NATO's political leadership cannot agree on a decisive course of action and prevaricates for thirty minutes. Admiral Thorn warns them, rather more forcibly than usual, that unless they act soon, an alien race of unknown power and intent that appears to have no concept of the sovereignty of human space, will gain vital strategic information. The NATO council backs the Admiral's recommendation to take out the newly arrived survey ship and scour the Sol system for the missing first survey ship. That is still not enough for the various Presidents and Prime Ministers to reach a unanimous position and Admiral Thorn has to inform Admiral Melnikov that NATO is still undecided. However, he wishes Admiral Melnikov the best of luck if the Soviet Union decides to act alone.

Ten minutes later, after a further warning is ignored, the Soviet Project 1200 class escort cruiser Kronstadt launches a dozen P-500 Palash anti-ship missiles at the Goavelha survey ship. Nine missiles hit, smashing through the small vessel's minimal armour. For a few seconds, atmosphere streams into space and then the Goavelha ship explodes. Kronstadt and the second Soviet cruiser, Chervona Ukrayina, move into pick up survivors before heading back toward the jump point to adopt a defensive position. The incident causes uproar within NATO governments, with many leaders accusing the Soviet Union of provoking an interstellar war. The Soviets completely ignore the NATO protests and begin preparations to defend the jump point, starting with the dispatch of the four Chinese-built Jiangwei class cruisers, armed with 20cm lasers, and two more cruisers.

Admiral Thorn participates in a chaotic inter-planetary video conference with leaders of NATO countries on Earth, the NATO council, the election candidates for governors of the five colony worlds and the election candidates for President of the Eridani Republic. After two hours of achieving little but arguments, Admiral Thorn informs everyone that as head of the NATO naval forces, he is assuming that an alien invasion force is almost certainly going to arrive in the Sol system in the near future and that invasion force is not going to care about the difference between the Soviet Union and NATO. Therefore, he will treat the Goavelha host as a hostile power until the NATO leadership can reach a consensus. With that, he cuts the connection and begins making his deployments.

His first order is to the cruiser New Mexico, out on the edge of the Sol system with Richelieu. Destroy the construction ship at the EZ Aquarii jump point then join the two Soviet cruisers in defensive positions. Richelieu is unarmed so he orders her to remain in position between the two jump point and monitor events. The cruiser Arizona, which was moved from Titan to the Sol - Epsilon Eridani jump point when New Mexico and Richelieu were redeployed to the outer system, is ordered to refuel and resupply at Earth then join New Mexico near the Luyten 726-8 jump point. Texas, which has only just completed repairs, is ordered to leave Roanoke and rendezvous with the other two cruisers. The carriers Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin are still in Gliese 105, although already en route to Epsilon Eridani via TZ Arietis and Teegarden's Star. Akagi, along with four of her escorts, is in overhaul. Independence and Ark Royal are both in orbit of Roanoke. Admiral Thorn decides to hold the two carriers in Epsilon Eridani until Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin return as he doesn't want to expose the system to attack. In his view, NATO could probably survive the loss of the Sol system as long as Epsilon Eridani remains a safe haven.

At the Roanoke shipyards NATO is building three Cerberus class Monitors, a design intended specifically for jump point defence. When they were laid down, the monitors were intended to defend the Epsilon Eridani - Sol jump point. After recent events, the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point seems a far better choice. In effect, they are a modern version of the Jiangwei, with more speed, better armour protection and much longer endurance on station. They will be launched within six weeks. Admiral Thorn hoped to have time to train their crews before deploying them but that may no longer be possible.
 
Cerberus class Monitor    9,000 tons     1048 Crew     1724 BP      TCS 180  TH 720  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 8-38     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 19     PPV 48
Annual Failure Rate: 34%    IFR: 0.5%    Maint Capacity 2275 MSP    Max Repair 96 MSP    Est Time: 11.29 Years

Rolls Royce RR80 Magneto-Plasma Drive (9)    Power 80    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 80    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 33.3 billion km   (96 days at full power)

20cm C4 Ultraviolet Laser (8)    Range 320,000km     TS: 4000 km/s     Power 10-4     RM 4    ROF 15      10 10 10 10 8 6 5 5 4 4
SN/SPG-7 Beam Fire Control (2)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 4000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor (7)     Total Power Output 42    Armour 0    Exp 5%

SN/SPN-27 Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1680     Range 30.4m km    Resolution 60
ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 10

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

22nd April 2033
To conserve her anti-ship missiles, New Mexico intercepts the Goavelha construction ship and destroys its with 20cm lasers. She picks up two hundred and thirty-two survivors and NATO gets its first look at the alien race. They are humanoid in form, although larger and more powerfully built than humans and with leathery, scaled hide rather than skin. Rows of small, bony spikes run along the sides and top of their head, razor sharp ridges protrude from their spine and their clawed hands are dexterous and deadly. The interrogations reveal little as the construction ship crew do not appear be among the intellectual elite of their species. As far as they are concerned, they have been given a task to complete and no member of the Host ever challenges an order. If anything, they find the intervention of humans as amusing and regard their interrogators as having foolishly signed their own death warrants.

In addition to the defence of the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point, the priority for both NATO and Soviet forces is to track down the missing Goavelha survey ship before it can locate the jump points to Epsilon Eridani and Alpha Centauri. As part of that effort, NATO is building additional deep space tracking stations in an attempt to detect its thermal signature. The Soviet Union sends out Molniya fast attack craft, Molniya-S intelligence ships and its own survey ships to sweep the area between Uranus and Saturn where a survey ship would have to operate in order to detect the inner jump points.

23rd April 2033
The Soviet scouting forces have barely left their bases on Earth and Ganymede when NATO planetary sensors pick up the thermal signature of a Malar class between the orbit of Jupiter and the outer edge of the asteroid belt on a bearing of 104 degrees. The NATO technicians have just finished congratulating themselves when they release that this is not the same Malar that entered Sol on February 1st. It is a third, previously undetected, unit of the class and presumably entered Sol before the construction ship was detected and human ships began picketing the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point. There is also some concern about why the ship is so far in-system when a gravitational survey could be conducted without ever breaching the orbit of Saturn. Admiral Thorn informs Admiral Melnikov of the contact then orders three F-24B Cobras from the Cheyenne class PDC on Earth to intercept and destroy the Goavelha ship. As neither the Cobras nor their missiles have onboard sensors and the contact is only thermal, Admiral Thorn diverts the cruiser Arizona from its voyage out to the Luyten 726-8 jump point to pin down the Malar's exact location. While the cruiser could use its own RGM-2A Scimitar anti-ship missiles to destroy the intruder, Admiral Thorn wants it to have a full loadout when it eventually reaches the jump point. It is unlikely to be able to use its lasers as the Goavelha survey ship has a top speed of 4527 km/s compared to 4000 km/s for the Virginia class cruiser

As the contact firms up and a course can be determined, the situation becomes even worse. The survey ship appears to be on a direct heading for the Sol - Alpha Centauri jump point, which means that not only has it detected that jump point but that it has probably completed its survey of Sol, locating all six jump points, and is now moving into a new system. The news that the Sol system has probably been under survey and surveillance by an alien race for at least several months is extremely worrying for both human powers. One of the three fighters launches a salvo of four AGM-1B Sabre anti-ship missiles. Three strike the survey ship and its speed drops by fifty percent. The fighters hold position, allowing Arizona to move in and finish the crippled ship with her lasers. She picks up the few survivors and then resumes her original course for the Luyten 726-8. The fighters return to base.

1st May 2033
The cruiser Virginia is repaired and dispatched to the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point to join the defenders.

3rd May 2033
NATO salvages the Goavelha survey ship destroyed in the asteroid belt. Unfortunately, no salvageable components or technical data are recovered.

9th May 2033
Enterprise and Graf Zeppelin arrive at Roanoke, accompanied by a Redoutable class command cruiser, two Daring class area defence cruisers, two colliers and a tanker. A task group comprising the light carrier Indefatigable, the jump cruiser Belisarius, the Virginia class cruiser Tennessee, the Daring class area defence cruisers Dartmouth and Demon, and the destroyer escorts De Ruyter and Spruance remains in Gliese 87 to watch over the system survey.

While there is no sign of further Goavelha activity, Admiral Thorn decides to overhaul some of his overworked ships. Akagi, two cruisers and two destroyers are already in overhaul. To that, Admiral Thorn adds Enterprise and three more cruisers. The rest of his carriers and escorts form into a single task group comprising the Enterprise class carriers Ark Royal, Independence and Graf Zeppelin, the jump cruiser Leonidas, the command cruiser Dunkerque, the cruiser Nevada, the area defence cruisers Defender, Dragon and Duncan and the destroyer escorts Jean Bart and Raeder. In addition, the CA California, the ADC Dervish and the DE Farragut are assigned to protect the troop transports and ground assault carriers in orbit of Roanoke. The light carrier Invincible is also in orbit, awaiting shipyard space for a refit, and the light carrier Illustrious is already undergoing her refit to the new Mod 1 standard.

16th May 2033
The survey of Gliese 87 is completed, revealing three new jump points. The Indefatigable task group moves to rendezvous with the two NATO survey ships in the system, Newton and Kepler so that a probe of the jump points can be carried out.

23rd May 2033
A J-30B Vanguard jump-capable scout from the light carrier Indefatigable enters jump point two of the Gliese 87 system and finds a white dwarf star orbited by a gas giant with eleven moons and a rocky chunk six hundred kilometers in diameter. The star is identified as Luyten 870-2. The system appears to be an unlikely place to find alien life but after recent events no chances are being taken. The task group heads in-system.

24th May 2033
The first three Cerberus class monitors, Centaur, Cerberus and Chimera, are launched by the Norfolk Navy Yard in orbit of Roanoke. As there is still no sign of any more Goavelha ships, Admiral Thorn decides to let the monitors train as a squadron in Epsilon Eridani before sending them into Sol. Three more Cerberus are laid down.

3rd June 2033
The Soviet Union salvages the Goavelha survey ship destroyed near the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point and finds evidence that the ship was powered by ion engines. As NATO and the Soviet Union are both building new ships with magneto-plasma engines, this news suggests they may have a technological edge over the alien race.

12th June 2033
As it has been several weeks since the destruction of the Goavelha scout and construction ships and there is no sign of additional Goavelha ships, Admiral Melnikov and Admiral Thorn agree to both send a small scout ship into Luyten 726-8 to look for signs of alien activity. No larger force will be risked until more is known about the capabilities of the Goavelha. Luyten 726-8 is a binary system with two red dwarf stars. Two planets orbit the primary, including a small, icy terrestrial world with a thin oxygen - nitrogen atmosphere of 0.16 atm. A Venusian world and four gas giants orbit the B component, which is currently at the far side of the primary from the Sol jump point. Both scout ships head for the terrestrial world as the most likely site of any Goavelha colony. The Soviets detected such a colony during their last visit to the system but the Politburo agreed with a recommendation from Admiral Melnikov not to reveal that information.

13th June 2033
NATO salvages the wreck of the Goavelha construction ship. Six commercial ion engines are recovered, along with a CIWS system. All the components will be taken to Earth for analysis.

16th June 2033
The United States 11th Marine Regiment secures the Golem listening post in Gliese 87. Three deep space tracking stations are captured. There is no stockpiled ordnance.

19th June 2033
The NATO Saratoga class scout frigate in Luyten 726-8 detects a Goavelha EM signature of strength-490 on the terrestrial world. As a comparison, the small NATO colony in Tau Ceti has a population of one million and an EM signature of strength-400.  Once the scout is in orbit of Luyten 726-8A II, it also detects Goavelha ground forces. The Soviet scout is following the same course and picks up the same contacts. After confirming there is no Goavelha presence on the inner planet of the primary, both scouts head for the B component.

Hours after the scouts detect the Goavelha colony, a Soviet cruiser breaks away from the rest of the Soviet force near the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point and transits into Luyten 726-8. Shortly thereafter, Admiral Melnikov contacts Admiral Thorn and informs him that the Soviet Union intends to eliminate the alien outpost. Admiral Thorn asks him to consider an invasion instead but the Soviet Union has memories of the assault on Asteroid Fifteen, when a Soviet airborne regiment engaging robotic ground forces was wiped out by alien warships that evaded detection. They have no intention of sending ground forces out on a limb once again. With no evidence so far of Goavelha warships in Luyten 726-8, both human powers also dispatch gravitational survey ships to locate the jump point through which the Goavelha entered the system.

21st June 2033
The 11th Marine Regiment secures a second Golem listening post in Gliese 87 and captures two deep space tracking stations.

23rd June 2033
After an uneventful sweep of  Luyten 870-2 the Indefatigable task group returns to Gliese 87 and probes the innermost jump point, discovering the system of EP Eridani. The primary, an orange K1-V star, presides over eight planets, seventy-nine moons and almost three hundred asteroids. Although there are no habitable, or even near-habitable, worlds, there is a lot of real estate in the system. The carrier and its escorts begin the long task of checking each planet.

24th June 2033
The Soviet cruiser Gorshkov opens fire on the Goavelha outpost on Luyten 726-8A II, firing three Garpun anti-ship missiles at the ground forces and a fourth directly at the colony. The colony, with a population of just over two million, promptly surrenders. Apart from the colonists themselves and enough infrastructure to support a population of two point five million there is nothing else on the planet. The Soviet Union now finds itself with an unwanted colony. Admiral Melnikov cannot bring himself to order the obliteration of two million sentients but does not want to put ground forces on the planet unless they can be protected and does not want to send a sizeable fleet into the system in case it is cut off and destroyed. Instead, he consults Soviet engineers about the possibility of prefabricating PDCs and transporting them to the planet. The main problem is that such PDCs would have to be missile-armed and the Soviet Union does not have enough missiles for its existing warships, FAC, bombers and fighters.

27th June 2033
The Soviet Vishnaya class intelligence ship sent into Luyten 726-8 is returning to the Sol jump point when its active sensor detects a jump gate two hundred and ten million kilometers from the primary. The captain of the scout informs Fleet Headquarters on Ganymede and is given permission to carry out a probe. Gorshkov is still in orbit of the defeated Goavelha colony so she is ordered to move to the new jump point and cover the probe. The NATO Saratoga class scout frigate is nearby and there is no way to hide the course change so Admiral Melnikov informs Admiral Thorn. He in turns orders the Saratoga to conduct its own probe.

The Vishnaya jumps into Gliese 908, a red dwarf system with ten planets. The second planet, orbiting less than thirty million kilometers from the star, is slightly larger than Earth and has a nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere with a pressure of 1.08atm. The oxygen content is slightly too high for humans but otherwise it would be breathable. The surface temperature is -20C. The wrecks of five unknown ships are located within the orbit of the same planet. Of far more immediate interest though are the fifty-four thermal contacts on top of the entry jump point. The scout turns to leave immediately, just as the NATO Saratoga class frigate arrives. The two human ships just have time to broadcast their sensor logs back through the jump point before they are blown to pieces. Gorshkov immediately runs for the Sol jump point.  

Twelve 13,800 ton Goavelha ships jump into Luyten 726-8 and pursue the Soviet cruiser at 4000 km/s. They are divided into three squadrons with each group consisting of one Hodur class and three Freya class. Even the most distant group is at just 26,000 kilometers and Gorshkov cannot outrun them. Instead, she locks her three 200mm railguns on the Hodur leading the nearest squadron and launches twenty Garpuns each at two of the Freyas in the same group. All twelve railgun shots score strength-4 hits but there is no sign of atmosphere loss. Gorshkov is shaken to her keel by a single strength-16 hit from some form of energy weapon. Her armour barely absorbs the damage. Without waiting to see the results of the initial missile salvo, Gorshkov launches all of her thirty-six remaining Garpuns at the other two Hodurs, guessing they are probably some form of jump cruiser. The second missile salvo has only just cleared the launchers when she is struck sixteen times by the same Goavelha energy weapon. The cruiser simply disintegrates. The first Soviet salvo arrives before Gorshkov's destruction, inflicting twelve strength-9 hits on one Freya and eight on the other. Two hits on each cause atmosphere loss. The results of the second salvo are unknown as Gorshkov's sensors have been reduced to irradiated debris. The Garpun has an onboard sensor though so the thirty-six Soviet anti-ship missiles should still cause significant damage, probably to ships of the closest alien squadron.

The events in Luyten 726-8, relayed through the jump gate to Sol, cause a serious re-evaluation of defensive strategy for NATO and the Soviet Union. At the moment, the Soviet Union has deployed two Project 1200 Berkuts, a Project 1204 Atlant and the four Chinese-built Jiangweis at the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point. NATO has four Virginia class cruisers on station and three Cerberus class monitors will join them after they complete training exercises in Epsilon Eridani. The devastating close-range firepower of the Goavelha ships that destroyed Gorshkov and the speed with which they recovered from transit effects makes that defensive force seem hardly adequate. Unfortunately, the missile supply problems of the Soviet Union mean that any Soviet defence based on long-range firepower cannot be mounted for long. A short-ranged defence that relies on energy weapons can at least be repeated. NATO has more ordnance stockpiled but not enough to fight a prolonged missile-only conflict. Both powers originally designed and built their naval forces for the scenario of a short, brutal fight against each other within the inner Sol system. A campaign against an interstellar enemy of unknown size and capability was not even contemplated. After consultation, Admiral Thorn and Admiral Melnikov agree to continue their current point blank defence strategy but with reinforcements sent to the jump point.

The three NATO monitors abandon their training exercise and head for the Sol - Luyten 726-8 jump point. NATO also sends its eight Valhalla class fast attack craft and a pair of Spruance class destroyer escorts. The fast firing laser turrets of the Spruances should make them formidable opponents in a point blank slugging match. The Soviet Union sends a new project 1204 Atlant to replace Gorshkov and diverts its twenty-five fast attack craft and five fast scouts from the search for the still-missing Goavelha survey ship in Sol to the Luyten 726-8 jump point. Both powers decide to allow their gravitational survey ships to enter Luyten 726-8 and try to find additional jump points, although they will operate with active sensors off to try and avoid detection. The actions of the Goavelha warships in the system are of course unknown, although the damage inflicted by Gorshkov may cause them to return home for repairs.

to be continued...

[Maltay]

Steve, this may be out of character, but are you also playing the opposing forces in this campaign?

[Beersatron]

Is it wierd that when I see the word Monitor that I immediately thought that it would be a ginormus ship 3 or 4 times the size of anything else they have?

too use to starfire i guess!!

[Vanigo]

What's with the excess reactors on the Cerberus? Planning to replace the beams with recharge rate 5 versions?
(And is 4000 km/s really fast enough for a beam ship, even on jump point defense? Seems like you'd want them to be at least as fast as whatever they wind up fighting so they can stay at optimal range, especially if they don't have full TF training. How fast were the alien ships you've seen, other than the survey ships?)

[Maltay]

Is it wierd that when I see the word Monitor that I immediately thought that it would be a ginormus ship 3 or 4 times the size of anything else they have?

too use to starfire i guess!!

Do not worry.  I immediately envisage the same thing.

[Beersatron]

What's with the excess reactors on the Cerberus? Planning to replace the beams with recharge rate 5 versions?
(And is 4000 km/s really fast enough for a beam ship, even on jump point defense? Seems like you'd want them to be at least as fast as whatever they wind up fighting so they can stay at optimal range, especially if they don't have full TF training. How fast were the alien ships you've seen, other than the survey ships?)

I think the speed was based on known speeds from Earth powers? With good training they could probably get to battle stations and moving after a new jumper with long enough to get a few massive salvos in. Anything after that and they are already dead!

(thats the way I would design them at any rate)

[RaidersOfTheVerge]

>Admiral Thorn participates in a chaotic inter-planetary video conference with leaders of NATO >countries on Earth, the NATO council, the election candidates for governors of the five colony >worlds and the election candidates for President of the Eridani Republic. After two hours of >achieving little but arguments ...

Steve

Is there some ingame system for FTL communications are you just ignoring insystem light speed communications delay for story telling purposses?

[MWadwell]

Is it wierd that when I see the word Monitor that I immediately thought that it would be a ginormus ship 3 or 4 times the size of anything else they have?

too use to starfire i guess!!

Heh - I always think of the RN bombardment ships (such as HMS Terror and Erebus).

Here is a link to HMS General Wolfe - which was armed with a 18 inch gun, hitting a land target over 20 miles away at the end of WWI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_General_Wolfe_(1915)

Later,
Matt

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Steve, this may be out of character, but are you also playing the opposing forces in this campaign?

I am playing NATO, the Soviet Union and China, although the latter doesn't need much managing at the moment . All the non-humans are computer players.

Steve

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

What's with the excess reactors on the Cerberus? Planning to replace the beams with recharge rate 5 versions?
(And is 4000 km/s really fast enough for a beam ship, even on jump point defense? Seems like you'd want them to be at least as fast as whatever they wind up fighting so they can stay at optimal range, especially if they don't have full TF training. How fast were the alien ships you've seen, other than the survey ships?)

The extra reactor is for redundancy. I don't want a single lucky reactor hit slowing down my rate of fire. When the Cerberus was designed it was intended to keep the Soviets out of Epsilon Eridani so the 4000 km/s was fine. The Goavelha don't seem any faster, apart from their grav survey ships, so given their intended role I am happy with the speed/armour/weapon ratio for the moment.

Steve

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

>Admiral Thorn participates in a chaotic inter-planetary video conference with leaders of NATO >countries on Earth, the NATO council, the election candidates for governors of the five colony >worlds and the election candidates for President of the Eridani Republic. After two hours of >achieving little but arguments ...

Steve

Is there some ingame system for FTL communications are you just ignoring insystem light speed communications delay for story telling purposes?

Aurora assumes FTL comms due to <insert Trans-Newtonian technobabble here>. It makes life much easier all round. However, there is nothing in the actual game mechanics, as opposed to RP storytelling, that depends on communication speed so if you wanted to assume light speed comms there is nothing to stop you doing so.

Steve

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Is it wierd that when I see the word Monitor that I immediately thought that it would be a ginormus ship 3 or 4 times the size of anything else they have?

too use to starfire i guess!!

Yes, Starfire has somewhat corrupted the historical use of the term monitor . The wiki page regarding monitors is worth a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_%28warship%29

Steve