2102 brought the first Japanese explorations of systems two jumps from Sol. Because of the jump gate providing easy access, Wolf 359 was the one of the first systems beyond Sol to be surveyed, despite being located beyond Sol's outermost jump point. Three jump points were discovered by mid-2102, leading to WX Ursae Majoris, DX Cancri and the already known system of Epsilon Eridani, located beyond Sol's fifth jump point. The primary stars of the two new systems were both red dwarfs and WX Ursae Majoris also had a red dwarf companion. Between them they had eighteen planets, none of which was habitable. Although one world in each system could be classed as a long-term terraforming candidate, they both had only minimal atmospheres. The gravitational survey of Wolf 359 was halted when only sixty percent complete due to the short endurance of the Japanese survey craft. However, a full geological survey was completed in July 2102, revealing a few potential candidates for an extra-solar mining colony.
Wolf 359-A IV - Moon 6 Mineral SurveyDuranium 627,200 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 82,944 Acc: 0.3
Tritanium 389,376 Acc: 0.7
Boronide 36,864 Acc: 0.4
Uridium 984,064 Acc: 1
Gallicite 9,216 Acc: 0.7
Wolf 359-A IV - Moon 17 Mineral SurveyDuranium 8,008,002 Acc: 0.8
Corundium 7,273,809 Acc: 0.3
Wolf 359-A V Mineral Survey (gas giant)Sorium 8,468,000 Acc: 0.9
Another partial gravitational survey was carried out in Epsilon Eridani, which resulted in the discovery of a jump point to Giclas 99-49, an unremarkable red dwarf system with three planets. A geological survey found a number of asteroids with deposits of several accessible mineral in the range of thousands of tons, plus a vast accessible deposit of Duranium on the innermost planet.
Epsilon Eridani-A I Mineral SurveyDuranium 129,927,200 Acc: 0.8
Neutronium 24,403,600 Acc: 0.1
Corbomite 270,400 Acc: 0.6
Tritanium 49,280,400 Acc: 0.1
Boronide 73,616,400 Acc: 0.1
Mercassium 8,179,600 Acc: 0.1
Vendarite 2,044,900 Acc: 0.1
Uridium 6,100,900 Acc: 0.1
Corundium 16,900 Acc: 0.1
Gallicite 4,884,100 Acc: 0.1
A complete gravitational survey was carried in the planetless system of Proxima Centauri, located beyond the closest jump point to Earth. Four jump points were discovered, leading to Sirius, Lacaille 9352, Luyten 726-8 and Epsilon Indi. Sirius was a binary comprising a massive A1-V primary and a white dwarf companion with a total of four unremarkable planets and an asteroid belt. Lacaille 9352 was a red dwarf orbited by eight planets, one of which was in the habitable zone but lacked an atmosphere. Luyten 726-8 comprised two red dwarves 825m km apart with a total of eight planets. One world had acceptable temperature and gravity but its thin 0.09 atm atmosphere was mainly composed of methane.
The jump point to Epsilon Indi had existing jump gates on both sides, leading to some speculation that it might contain an alien presence but the system was a disappointment. Two planets orbited the primary, an orange K-class star, but neither was of significant interest and the B and C components were planetless brown dwarves. The inner planet of the K5-V was a Venusian world while the outer had a temperature of 62C and lacked an atmosphere. A subsequent geological survey determined that both worlds were devoid of minerals.
Epsilon Indi did have one redeeming feature however. A jump point discovered in the system in late 2102 led to Fomalhaut, a blinding white A3-V star, thirty-eight times more luminous than Sol. The star had eight planets, the fourth of which was an ideal habitable world with gravity of 1.2G, a surface temperature of 4.3C and a nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere of 1.45 atm, 18% of which was oxygen. Six moons of the third planet, a gas giant, were also in the habitable zone and rated as colony cost 2.00. Once news reached Earth, Japan began a strategic reorientation to take advantage before any other power could learn of this extremely important discovery. The outer planet in Epsilon Indi took on new significance as the General Staff decided to colonize this world as well and use that as a reason to claim the Epsilon Indi system. Epsilon Indi could then be used as a buffer to prevent other nations reaching Fomalhaut and the presence of a colony would provide strategic misdirection as to the reason for the Japanese claim on the system. Claiming a system with an ideal habitable world could very well cause conflict with the other Earth-based powers but a claiming minor system two jumps from Sol with a small Japanese colony would pass with little dispute.
In May 2102 the first German fuel harvesters were deployed to Jupiter. By this point the Spanish Theocracy was the only power without any fuel harvesters, a situation that was entirely due to the fact the Spanish had yet to develop the Sorium harvester module.
Bayern class Fuel Harvester 97,650 tons 420 Crew 1650.8 BP TCS 1953 TH 600 EM 0
307 km/s Armour 1-188 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 11 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 2
Fuel Harvester: 36 modules producing 1008000 litres per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (2) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 22.3 billion km (841 days at full power)Also in May, the leaders of the Spanish Theocracy decided to relocate their fuel refineries to their Lunar colony. The Spanish civilian shipping line was very active in moving colonists and infrastructure to Earth's moon and the colony had become the largest extra-terrestrial population of any power. In fact, the Spanish population on Earth dipped below the six hundred million mark due to the level of activity. With concerns rising over the availability of workers for Spanish industry on Earth, the shifting of fuel production to the Moon seemed to be an ideal solution.
Colony Populations - 9th May 2102Luna (Spain) - 41m
Luna (Commonwealth) - 23m
Luna (Germany) - 17m
Mars (Japan) - 16.5m
Mars (France) - 2.3m
Ganymede (France) - 0.8m
Mars (Commonwealth) - 0.16m (new colony)
By the middle of 2102, Germany and the Commonwealth were both suffering economic problems. The Commonwealth was almost out of Duranium while Germany's wealth reserves were running very low. Germany appointed a new planetary governor with expertise in wealth generation and began a program of constructing financial centres. The Commonwealth cut back on Duranium-intensive activity such as shipyard expansion and planned a program of industrial expansion that concentrated on installations requiring little or no Duranium.
On July 19th 2102 Japan launched Hosho and Hyuga, a pair of 10,000 ton scout carriers designed to support longer-range survey operations. While their hangar bay was small, capable of holding only five survey craft, and their fuel reserves were limited, they did possess a jump drive, enabling them to escort full size vessels through jump points. They used this ability to convey the Katsuriki class geological survey ships into Epsilon Eridani and Alpha Centauri. After the discovery of the ideal world in Fomalhaut, Hosho was re-deployed to support operations around Epsilon Indi.
Hosho class Scout Carrier 10,000 tons 221 Crew 1063 BP TCS 200 TH 504 EM 0
2520 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-41 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 10 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.33 Years MSP 664 AFR 80% IFR 1.1% 1YR 57 5YR 854 Max Repair 191 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months Flight Crew Berths 81
Hangar Deck Capacity 2500 tons
JX-10 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 10000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Mitsubishi ION-168E Main Engine (3) Power 168 Fuel Use 22.96% Signature 168 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 390,000 Litres Range 30.6 billion km (140 days at full power)
OPS-35 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
NOLQ-39 EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
Strike Group
1x Kawanishi H8K Recon Fighter Speed: 4800 km/s Size: 10
1x Watanabe E9W Survey Craft Speed: 2400 km/s Size: 10
3x Yokosuka E14Y Survey Craft Speed: 2400 km/s Size: 10In late July 2102, the Commonwealth launched Challenger and Melisande, a pair of jump-capable gravitational survey vessels. Unlike the Commonwealth's geological survey ships the Challenger class was unarmed, as the requirements of the jump drive left little available space for weapons. They began an immediate gravitational survey. One month after their launch, the Commonwealth became the second human interstellar power when Melisande transited into Lalande 21185. In September 2103 Melisande entered Epsilon Eridani and the Commonwealth began its own project to salvage the alien wrecks in that system. While Japan had a considerable head-start, the Commonwealth had already made advances in both commercial jump drives and salvage technology.
Challenger class Gravitational Survey Vessel 8,000 tons 184 Crew 1079.6 BP TCS 160 TH 504 EM 0
3150 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 3-35 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/3/0 Damage Control Rating 7 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.42 Years MSP 590 AFR 73% IFR 1% 1YR 49 5YR 731 Max Repair 128 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months Spare Berths 0
REL-8000 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 8000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Rolls Royce RR-168E Ion Drive (3) Power 168 Fuel Use 22.96% Signature 168 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 700,000 Litres Range 68.6 billion km (252 days at full power)
RN/SPS-2 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 5760 Range 31.5m km Resolution 120
The RN/SLR-7 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per HourIn November 2102 France became the third interstellar power when the newly launched survey cruiser Audacieux transited into Proxima Centauri. By the end of 2012, Audacieux and her sister ship Castiglione had located and explored three more jump points. The Audacieux class was less capable than the Commonwealth Challenger class in terms of survey speed but possessed almost thirty percent great range.
Audacieux class Survey Cruiser 6,000 tons 160 Crew 809 BP TCS 120 TH 360 EM 0
3000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-29 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/18/2/0 Damage Control Rating 7 PPV 0
Maint Life 5.35 Years MSP 590 AFR 41% IFR 0.6% 1YR 35 5YR 518 Max Repair 135 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months Spare Berths 0
J6000 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 6000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
SEMT Pielstick V360E Ion Engine (1) Power 360 Fuel Use 20.46% Signature 360 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 600,000 Litres Range 88.0 billion km (339 days at full power)
EMPAR-G25 Active Sensor (1) GPS 4320 Range 23.7m km Resolution 120
EM-18 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 18m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per HourIn late 2102, France developed the technology needed to build 20cm ultraviolet lasers. Because of its alliance with France, the Spanish Theocracy gained the knowledge required for 15cm near-ultraviolet lasers and due to the general dissemination of laser-related technology on Earth, Germany and Japan would now be able to design 12cm visible light lasers if they so desired.
In February 2103, the scout carrier Hosho escorted two Katsuriki class geological survey vessels into Fomalhaut. While no minerals were discovered on Fomalhaut IV, the ideal habitable world, the survey did reveal a strange alien installation. A landing party determined that it was a long-abandoned facility dedicated to Biology and Genetics research. While there was little to learn directly because no research materials were available, the extremely high standard of the facility meant that human projects within that field of research taking place on Fomalhaut IV would progress much faster, perhaps by as much as 40%.
In March, Japanese survey forces explored two recently discovered jump points in Epsilon Indi, the system lying between Proxima and Fomalhaut. One led to Lacaille 8760, an unremarkable red dwarf star with four planets. The second led to Delta Pavonis, a yellow G8-V star with nine planets, including one with acceptable gravity, almost breathable atmosphere and surface temperature of -59C. The colony cost was 2.02. A second planet in the same system had acceptable gravity, a surface temperature of -12C and a nitrogen - methane atmosphere of 0.32 atm. The system also contained the wrecks of four alien ships, ranging in size from 15,000 tons to 23,000 tons. A Japanese salvage ship was under construction so once it had it salvaged the wrecks in Epsilon Eridani it would immediately be dispatched to Delta Pavonis, assuming the planned jump freighters were available to escort it.
The H8K recon craft that had transited into Delta Pavonis set course for the near habitable world to determine if it was inhabited. Two thirds of the way to the planet it detected unknown active sensor emissions at a range of twenty million kilometres. The scout craft reversed course but the alien ship was moving at 8915 km/s and the Japanese scout was capable of only 4800 km/s. Fifty minutes after initial contact, the alien ship moved within active sensor range of the H8K and its size was determined at 7750 tons. Once within three million kilometres, it slowed and shadowed the fleeing scout. Wary of betraying the location of the jump point, the commander of the scout, Shosa Yamakazi Kinsada, decided to hold position once his ship arrived and attempt to communicate. It took five days for the Japanese scout to reach the jump point, during which time a number of communication attempts took place. The alien ship responded but the signals were completely unintelligible. A further five days passed without any progress but the alien ship seemed content to remain at three million kilometres.
Suddenly three more alien ships, each one 15,500 tons, entered the scout's maximum sensor range of ten million kilometres, A few minutes later, active emissions were picked up from a fourth. All four ships were closing at 3340 km/s. Given that one alien ship was all that was necessary for communication and tracking his ship, Shosa Yamakazi became concerned that the four new ships were moving into attack. He decided that warning the Empire of a powerful alien force in Delta Pavonis was more important than concealing the location of the jump point and ordered his pilot to enter Epsilon Indi. As soon as the H8K transited he contacted the Hosho, located on the Epsilon Indi - Proxima jump point, and informed its commander, Chusa Karubo Masatoo, of recent events. A second H8K was immediately launched from the Hosho with orders to enter Proxima, travel across the system and transit into Sol to warn the Imperial Navy General Staff.
The H8K recon craft arrived in Sol on March 19th 2103. As the craft had travelled across Proxima, regular updates had been sent from Shosa Yamakazi, whose H8K was still picketing the Epsilon Indi - Delta Pavonis jump point, via the alien jump gate on the Epsilon Indi - Proxima jump point. Up until the point the H8K entered Sol, there had been no alien incursion into Epsilon Indi from Delta Pavonis. Despite the urgent nature of the situation, there was little that could be done. The Akagi class carriers, six of which were now in service, were far too large to be escorted into Proxima by the smaller Hoshos, while the Agano and Sendai class light cruisers were escort vessels completely unsuited to any form of independent operation. In an emergency, a few A7M Zeroes could be carried on the Hoshos but there was no way to rearm them. The only real solution to sending significant firepower to Epsilon Indi was the three Kagero class construction ships being built in the Asakawa Shipyard, although it would still be many months before a jump gate could be constructed on the Sol - Proxima jump point.
Kagero class Construction Ship 70,000 tons 297 Crew 1900.2 BP TCS 1400 TH 2100 EM 0
1500 km/s Armour 1-151 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 17 Max Repair 75 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Jump Gate Construction Ship: 180 days
Commercial Ion Drive (7) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 20.8 billion km (160 days at full power)
CIWS-160 (1x6) Range 1000 km TS: 16000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
OPS-35 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
NOLQ-39 EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m kmIn the meantime, the situation had raised doubts within the General Staff regarding the ability of the Imperial Navy to defend or assault jump points. Originally the carriers were intended for deep space combat within Sol and some senior officers believed the new reality required a new design that was capable of both holding and forcing jump points. This would in no way replace the carriers but would provide support when fixed positions were involved. As the Empire had recently acquired laser technology as a result of information filtering out from French research, a new program was put in place to further develop that research until 15cm near-ultraviolet lasers could be designed. At that point a decision would be made as to the feasibility of a Japanese energy-armed combatant.
Order of Battle of the Imperial Japanese Navy - March 21036x Akagi class Carrier
2x Hosho class Scout Carrier
1x Ise class Fighter Storage Base
8x Agano class Light Cruiser
8x Sendai class Light Cruiser
4x Katsuriki class Geological Survey Vessel
10x Hakudo Maru class Freighter
6x Nippon Maru class Colony Ship
4x Taigei class Fuel Harvester
101x Mitsubishi A7M Zero class Fighter
4x Nakajima C6N Saiun class Scout
3x Kawanishi H8K class Recon Craft
6x Yokosuka E14Y class Survey Craft
3x Watanabe E9W class Survey Craft
Under Construction2x Shokaku class Carrier
1x Hosho class Scout Carrier
2x Agano class Light Cruiser
2x Sendai class Light Cruiser
3x Nippon Maru class Colony Ship
2x Taigei class Fuel Harvester
3x Kagero class Construction Ship
3x Kamikawa class Jump Freighter
1x Haruna class Salvager
By the end of March Japanese linguists had reached the conclusion that the language of the alien race in Delta Pavonis was simply too alien. They could not even begin to decipher it. Despite the fact the aliens had shown no hostile intent beyond bringing several ships close to the Japanese scout craft in what was probably their home system, the completely inability of the Empire to communicate with them meant that eventual conflict seemed inevitable. All the Empire could do was to ensure that when war finally broke out, it had the forces necessary to secure a swift victory.
In April 2103, the Commonwealth completed a geological survey of 61 Cygni, the only system adjacent to Sol with a near-habitable world. Despite high hopes, the system was almost entirely devoid of minerals. Only four tiny deposits were discovered, all of which were on asteroids orbiting the B component, over twelve billion kilometres from the jump point. While it was probably still worthwhile to terraform and colonise 61 Cygni III, any industrial activity in the system would have to rely on imported minerals. Later the same month, the Commonwealth completed its gravitational survey of Sol. All eight jump points had been investigated. The French survey was ongoing and had so far found six jump points. Germany and Spain had yet to launch gravitational survey ships, although both had vessels under construction.
In late May, the Commonwealth became the first nation capable of sending colonists and freight through a jump point with the launch of two Hyperion lass Jump Freighters. One was dispatched to the Sol - 61 Cygni jump point to facilitate the creation of a small colony on 61 Cygni III, which would be more symbolic than useful, while the second headed for the Sol - Epsilon Eridani jump point in preparation for the launch of the Commonwealth's first salvage ship.
Hyperion class Jump Freighter 45,000 tons 236 Crew 1574.8 BP TCS 900 TH 1800 EM 0
2000 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-112 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 22 Max Repair 76 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 6
Cargo 10000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 10
JC45K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 45000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Commercial Ion Drive (6) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 6,500,000 Litres Range 420.0 billion km (2430 days at full power)
RN/SPS-1 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
RN/SLR-7 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m kmWith the gravitational survey of Sol now complete and two new Challenger class survey ships, Vidal and White Bear, in service, the Commonwealth Admiralty had to decide where to devote its survey effort. A number of Japanese ships had been detected entering and departing the Sol - Proxima jump point, although the focus of their attention was unknown. The Admiralty was keen to avoid any potential points of conflict while ships were outside communication range so they decided to concentrate Commonwealth efforts on Lalande 21185, the system beyond Sol's second jump point.
The Commonwealth launched the salvage ship Phoenix on July 13th 2103. With a Hyperion already in place on the Sol - Epsilon Eridani jump point, the Phoenix, along with seven Atlas class freighters, set out to salvage the six wrecks in that system. Much of Commonwealth industry was shut down to a Duranium shortage so it was hoped that any minerals recovered from the wrecks would alleviate that problem, at least in the short term. Minerals were not the only problem for the Commonwealth. Due to extensive fleet training exercises, total fuel reserves had fallen below ten million. Additional fuel harvesters and refineries were needed but could not be built due to the aforementioned Duranium crisis.
Phoenix class Salvager 34,050 tons 299 Crew 1037.6 BP TCS 681 TH 1500 EM 0
2202 km/s Armour 1-93 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 19 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 2
Salvager: 2 module(s) capable of salvaging 1000 tons per day
Commercial Ion Drive (5) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 25.6 billion km (134 days at full power)
RN/SPS-1 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
The RN/SLR-7 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m kmJapan completed a geological survey of Fomalhaut in August. Although the ideal habitable world lacked any mineral deposits, there were significant finds on several other bodies, further increasing the desire of the General Staff to colonise the system as soon as was practicable. Three moons of the third planets that had substantial deposits also had acceptable gravity and a surface temperature in the habitable range. They all lacked atmospheres so the General Staff began to consider a project to design and build a terraforming ship. If these worlds could also be colonised, there would be no need to convert further manned mining complexes into automated mines.
Fomalhaut-A III - Moon 4 Mineral Survey (colony cost 2.00 - no atmosphere)Duranium 1,843,200 Acc: 0.6
Neutronium 295,936 Acc: 0.4
Corbomite 1,721,344 Acc: 0.3
Tritanium 200,704 Acc: 0.6
Vendarite 451,584 Acc: 0.2
Sorium 719,104 Acc: 0.8
Uridium 25,600 Acc: 0.4
Corundium 160,000 Acc: 0.5
Fomalhaut-A III - Moon 7 Mineral Survey (colony cost 2.00 - no atmosphere)Duranium 3,246,152 Acc: 0.7
Corbomite 925,444 Acc: 0.5
Boronide 511,225 Acc: 0.9
Vendarite 781,456 Acc: 0.4
Uridium 28,561 Acc: 0.4
Corundium 608,400 Acc: 0.9
Gallicite 6,084 Acc: 0.5
Fomalhaut-A III - Moon 12 Mineral Survey (colony cost 2.00 - no atmosphere)Duranium 247,808 Acc: 0.9
Neutronium 147,456 Acc: 0.9
Corbomite 419,904 Acc: 0.8
Tritanium 73,984 Acc: 0.7
Boronide 7,744 Acc: 1
Mercassium 313,600 Acc: 0.7
Sorium 61,504 Acc: 0.7
Uridium 304,704 Acc: 0.7
Fomalhaut-A VIII Mineral Survey (gas giant)Sorium 1,504,000 Acc: 0.9
Fomalhaut-A VIII - Moon 17 Mineral SurveyDuranium 453,152 Acc: 0.9
Tritanium 117,649 Acc: 0.9
Vendarite 5,929 Acc: 0.9
Uridium 164,836 Acc: 1
Gallicite 67,081 Acc: 0.9
In August, two jump points were discovered in Lalande 21185 by Commonwealth survey ships. The first led to the known system of Wolf 359, which lay beyond Sol's outermost jump point. The second led to Procyon, a yellow-white sub-giant star with five planets, all of which were terrestrial. Procyon IV was a good terraforming candidate with gravity of 0.39G, a surface temperature of -9 Celsius and a thin nitrogen - oxygen atmosphere of 0.15 atm.
Japan launched three Kagero class construction ships in September 2103. One ship immediately left orbit and moved to the Sol - Proxima jump point to begin construction of a jump gate. At the end of September, a Commonwealth salvage ship completed the recovery of all six wrecks in Epsilon Eridani, frustrating the efforts of the Japanese who were rushing to finish their own salvage ship. However the Commonwealth found nothing beyond several hundred tons of minerals.
As October began the Third French Empire completed its survey of the Sol system. Unlike the Commonwealth, France had no concerns about confronting the Japanese so two newly constructed French survey ships immediately began a jump point survey of the Proxima system. Meanwhile the Japanese continued their own survey operations around Proxima and Epsilon Indi and discovered the system of Gliese 784 two jumps from Proxima via Lacaille 9352. The red dwarf primary was orbited by seven unremarkable planets plus a substantial asteroid belt. There was also four alien wrecks in the system. Although the Empire of Japan had been beaten to the wrecks in Epsilon Eridani by the Commonwealth, there were now wrecks to be salvaged in both Gliese 784 and Delta Pavonis, although the latter system also contained several alien ships. Fortunately those ships had not made any attempt to enter Epsilon Indi.
On November 1st, the Third French Empire launched a pair of Régénérateur class Jump Freighters. Much larger than their Commonwealth equivalents, they were capable of escorting the 72,000 tons Polyphème class freighters (sixteen of which were in service with three more under construction) through jump points, enabling France to engage in interstellar colonization.
Régénérateur class Jump Freighter 75,000 tons 392 Crew 1484 BP TCS 1500 TH 3300 EM 0
2200 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-158 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 12 Max Repair 191 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Cargo 25000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 10
JC75K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 75000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Commercial Ion Drive (11) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 29.1 billion km (152 days at full power)
Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120Germany launched Medusa, its first gravitational survey ship, on November 5th. She was mid-way between the French and Commonwealth equivalents in terms of size but had greater range than either of them.
Medusa class Gravitational Survey Vessel 7,000 tons 164 Crew 1018.6 BP TCS 140 TH 360 EM 0
2571 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 3-32 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/5/3/0 Damage Control Rating 7 PPV 0
Maint Life 5.21 Years MSP 637 AFR 56% IFR 0.8% 1YR 39 5YR 588 Max Repair 101 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months Spare Berths 1
Daimler-Benz DB-700 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 7000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
MTU Friedrichshafen FE180 Ion Engine (2) Power 180 Fuel Use 27.28% Signature 180 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 1,040,000 Litres Range 98.0 billion km (441 days at full power)
ThyssenKrupp TK-27 Active Sensor (1) GPS 6000 Range 26.8m km Resolution 125
EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 5m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per HourJapan launched three Kamikawa class Jump Freighters in late November, One was immediately deployed to the Sol - Proxima jump point to provide an escort for any transiting freighters and colony ships. An alien jump gate was in place on the Proxima - Epsilon Indi jump point so a second Kamikawa headed to the Epsilon Indi - Fomalhaut jump point, which would allow Japanese colonization of the ideal habitable world in Fomalhaut, along with the moons of the third planet. With all the necessary assets now in place, Japan announced it was formerly annexing Epsilon Indi. There was little in the way of protest. None of the other four powers had even located Epsilon Indi and their governments were well aware that they too would wish to annex systems at some point in the future. A few days after the Japanese announcement, the French geological survey ship Hercule transited into Epsilon Indi. The Japanese had not yet picketed the jump point so the transit went undetected. However, after determining the system had only two planets, one of which was a Venusian world while the other had no atmosphere, the ship withdrew as the French had no desire to go to war over what appeared to be a system of low value. The assumption within the French intelligence services was that the Japanese had discovered significant mineral deposits on one of the planets. If France failed to find its own sources of minerals then the question of Epsilon Indi could be revisited in the future.
Kamikawa class Jump Freighter 45,000 tons 213 Crew 1208.8 BP TCS 900 TH 1500 EM 0
1666 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-112 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 17 Max Repair 76 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 1
Cargo 15000 Cryogenic Berths 200 Cargo Handling Multiplier 10
JC45K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 45000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Commercial Ion Drive (5) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 4,000,000 Litres Range 258.4 billion km (1795 days at full power)
OPS-35 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1920 Range 10.5m km Resolution 120
NOLQ-39 EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m kmOn the same day that Japan launched its jump freighters, the Spanish Theocracy completed the construction of two Marigalante class Survey Cruisers and the last two Torquemada class strike cruisers. At 9000 tons, the Marigalante was the largest survey ship in service with any navy, which allowed the inclusion of more spacious crew accommodations and a larger engineering deck than the Challenger, Audacieux and Medusa classes. She was intended to operate in deep space for up to five years, although some refuelling would be required during that time.
Marigalante class Survey Cruiser 9,000 tons 224 Crew 1230.4 BP TCS 180 TH 576 EM 0
3200 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-38 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/24/3/0 Damage Control Rating 11 PPV 0
Maint Life 6.13 Years MSP 940 AFR 58% IFR 0.8% 1YR 43 5YR 643 Max Repair 158 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Spare Berths 0
ES90 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 9000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Navarre-144E Ion Drive (4) Power 144 Fuel Use 28.64% Signature 144 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 1,150,000 Litres Range 80.3 billion km (290 days at full power)
Galicia-30 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 5760 Range 31.5m km Resolution 120
Large EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per HourWith the launch of the last two units of the class, Spain had fifteen Torquemada class strike cruisers in service - enough to make any of the other powers very wary about challenging the Armada Española. Both shipyards building the Torquemada had been enlarged and retooled in order to construct the much larger Torquemada II. The Torquemada II added a second twin gauss cannon turret, two more meson cannons and an extra layer of armour.
Torquemada II class Strike Cruiser 12,800 tons 398 Crew 1987.6 BP TCS 256 TH 1200 EM 0
4687 km/s Armour 7-48 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 5 PPV 69.12
Maint Life 2.08 Years MSP 485 AFR 262% IFR 3.6% 1YR 149 5YR 2240 Max Repair 95 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 11.7 months Spare Berths 0
Navarre-150 Ion Drive (8) Power 150 Fuel Use 110.05% Signature 150 Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 850,000 Litres Range 10.9 billion km (26 days at full power)
Asturias Meson Cannon (6) Range 200,000km TS: 4687 km/s Power 10-4 RM 20 ROF 15
Twin Gauss Cannon Turret (2x6) Range 30,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 0-0 RM 3 ROF 5
Gauss Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16000 km/s
Meson Fire Control (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4000 km/s
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (6) Total Power Output 27 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Galicia-20 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 3840 Range 21.0m km Resolution 120
Galicia-2 Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 32 Range 1.9m km MCR 209k km Resolution 1
EM Detection Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m kmOn the last day of November 2103 the Commonwealth launched HMS Dreadnought and her sister ship Bellerophon, the largest warships constructed by any Earth-based power up to this point. In comparison to the preceding Renown class, the Dreadnought class was sixty percent larger, with fifty percent more missile launchers, one third more lasers and almost double the magazine capacity. The most significant change was a sixty percent increase in armour thickness, making the ships of the Dreadnought class very hard to destroy. The construction requirements of the two ships had only exacerbated the Duranium crisis that was causing significant disruption to the Commonwealth economy. Along with the two new battlecruisers, the Royal Navy had six Renown class battlecruisers and nine Devonshire class escort cruisers in service.
Dreadnought class Battlecruiser 24,000 tons 595 Crew 3425 BP TCS 480 TH 1920 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 8-74 Shields 0-0 Sensors 10/18/0/0 Damage Control Rating 12 PPV 92
Maint Life 2.42 Years MSP 1070 AFR 384% IFR 5.3% 1YR 251 5YR 3763 Max Repair 144 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 1
Magazine 960
Rolls Royce RR-240 Ion Drive (8) Power 240 Fuel Use 56% Signature 240 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,080,000 Litres Range 14.5 billion km (41 days at full power)
15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser (8) Range 180,000km TS: 4000 km/s Power 6-3 RM 3 ROF 10
RN/SPG-5 Beam Fire Control (1) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 4000 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
RN/SPG-6 Beam Fire Control (1) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 4000 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (6) Total Power Output 27 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Mk1 Guided Missile Launching System (12) Missile Size 5 Rate of Fire 50
RN/SPG-4 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 94.6m km Resolution 120
RGM-1A Sabre Anti-Ship Missile (192) Speed: 28,800 km/s End: 65.6m Range: 113.4m km WH: 5 Size: 5 TH: 96/57/28
RN/SPY-3 Area Search Sensor (1) GPS 17280 Range 94.6m km Resolution 120
The RN/SQR-9 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 10m km
The RN/SLR-8 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 18m kmJapan finally launched its first salvage ship in December. Accompanied by a Kamikawa class jump freighter, she headed for Gliese 784 to salvage the four wrecks in that system. All ten of Japan's Hakudo Maru class were on a mission to deliver infrastructure to Epsilon Indi II so some would be diverted from their return journey to rendezvous with the Haruna.
Haruna class Salvager 23,650 tons 215 Crew 761.6 BP TCS 473 TH 1500 EM 0
3171 km/s Armour 1-73 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 20 Max Repair 200 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 3
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Commercial Ion Drive (5) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 30.7 billion km (112 days at full power)State of the Nations 1st January 2104CommonwealthPopulation: 894m
Research Facilities: 32
Shipyard Capacity: 109,000 / 756,000
Factories: 1296
Mines: 598
Automated Mines: 178
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 1.12m tons
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes: 0 / 0
Wealth Last 12 Months: 41,333
Empire of JapanPopulation: 1305m
Research Facilities: 36
Shipyard Capacity: 171,000 / 719,000
Factories: 1990
Mines: 942
Automated Mines: 230
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 1.79m tons
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes: 5 / 21
Wealth Last 12 Months: 49,568
Greater GermanyPopulation: 889m
Research Facilities: 34
Shipyard Capacity: 102,000 / 600,000
Factories: 1288
Mines: 608
Automated Mines: 160
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 1.05m tons
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 2 / 3
Wealth Last 12 Months: 36,106
Spanish TheocracyPopulation: 634m
Research Facilities: 32
Shipyard Capacity: 95,000 / 580,000
Factories: 1006
Mines: 446
Automated Mines: 130
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 1.10m tons
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 2 / 9
Wealth Last 12 Months: 38,669
Third French EmpirePopulation: 1307m
Research Facilities: 36
Shipyard Capacity: 138,000 / 1,000,000
Factories: 1954
Mines: 835
Automated Mines: 317
Civilian Shipping Tonnage: 0.79m tons
Civilian Mining Colonies / Complexes : 5 / 21
Wealth Last 12 Months: 47,261
to be continued...
