Turn 36 - Summer 2183/3033
WCDC Defense Council:
[] Forwards Operation Base Circinus: active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 50%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 87 - Success
Roll 2 of 4, Roll 1d100: 87 - Success
Roll 3 of 4, Roll 1d100: 92 - Success
Roll 4 of 4, Roll 1d100: 11 - Failure
Combined: 69 - Success
While the construction of the main military base for the seven Expeditionary Batallions continued, it did not complete according to schedule, as the local suppliers of various materials, such a concrete or timber, simply ran out. For the most part their logistics could not keep up withe the generally higher consumption of materials by the various construction sites in and around Clayborne Remembered.
This was not the only problem that pushed the schedules further back, as supplies from the WCDC were stuck in the WCDC, thanks to failures of some spacecraft delaying convoys from Circinus, as well as a pirate jump ship by chance forcing one convoy to retreat into Heim-Feynman Space, while its military escort destroyed the jumpship and its accompanying dropships, according to standing orders.
Still FOB Circinus could enter full service, even if it happened two months late and lacking some supplies still being delivered.
Reward: Forwards Operation Base for Space Forces and Ground Force assets (15 Squadrons & 5 Regiments)
[] Project Indigo Putter: active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 70%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 41 - Success
Roll 2 of 4, Roll 1d100: 48+5 = 53 - Success (Recent Pirate Attack)
Roll 3 of 4, Roll 1d100: 79+5 = 84 - Success
Roll 4 of 4, Roll 1d100: 68+5 = 73 - Success
Combined: 63 - Success
Slowly the network of Surveillance Nodes was completed, reducing the reaction time to possible pirate attacks, and it directly showed its efficiency, as it detected a jump ship of pirates, previously detected at Clayborne II, recharging in a system near Ammann, planning to raid the defenseless Amish living on the world. One of the Patrol Squadrons was diverted from its patrol to react to the pirates, appearing just in time, as the jump ship was moving to jump out towards Ammann, retracting its solar sail.
Patrol Squadron Four, hailed the jump ship and requested it to identify itself and its intentions, which was answered by a refusal. After a warning shop from the lead craft USS Bellerophon, the jump ship began to show the signs of a beginning jump, after the solar sail was completely retracted. Seeing no choice, USS Belerophon and its squadron opened fire to prevent a jump, which in turn seemed to damage the jump drive itself, destroying the jump ship and making a large part of it and its dropships disappear, while other parts remained behind. Later on the remains of the jumpship were discovered outside the standard jump points of the Ammann system by the system's Surveillance Node.
All in all, Project Indigo Putter was regarded as a success.
Reward: reaction time to pirate attacks reduced to 5 days, +5 to diplomacy on affected worlds, +5 to external trade with affected worlds
WCDC Survey Office:
[] Marian Intelligence: active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 60%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 27+10 = 37 - Failure (Permanent Survey Squadrons)
Roll 2 of 4, Roll 1d100: 74+10 = 84 - SuccessTurn 36 - Summer 2183/3033
While it was at first considered important to make use of A Ship With A View to ship several agents to the Marian Hegemony, the decision was made to instead put a second Invader class jump ship into service for the Survey Office, the No Pirate Life For Me, which had previously been used to test the HFEG in combination with the Jump Drive. Indeed, the jump ship had seen more massive rework over the past months and years since it was taken from the Circinan armed forces, though its exterior and interior remained visibly the same.
Combined with two modified dropships, one Union and one Leopard, each equipped with a Heim-Feynman Event Generator of their own as part of Project Blue Danube, Profit Margain and Flexible Demeanour, it was going supplied for the relatively short mission to the Marian Hegemony and arrived at New Venice in late Summer.
active for 2 more turns
[] Deep Cover Intelligence II: - 7 votes active
Time: 10 turns, Chance of Success: 60%
Roll 1 of 10, Roll 1d100: 78+10 = 85 - Success (Permanent Survey Squadrons)
As its crew had been given shore leave for a long overdue vacation, A Ship With A View had seen a massive rework of its internal systems, complete with a repair of the systems that had led to the jump ship's two jump drive failures. Indeed, the jump drive had been discovered to have suffered from thermal shock in its past, which led to micro fissures forming within its substrate. An actual repair was regarded as impossible, so the jump drive was removed to be recycled. Instead, a new Advanced Jump drive was installed within the A Ship With A View and its dropship collars replaced by the new advanced versions.
This in turn allowed the jumpship to carry more equipment needed for its new long duration Intelligence Mission into the Free Worlds League under the same legend as on its journey through the Lyran Commonwealth. Additionally, it was decided to improve the vessel's drive section, exchanging it for higher powered thrusters that externally looked exactly like the normally used drives of an Invader, as well as several hidden weapon systems, including Class II missiles and a pair of 250MW laser apertures connected to a laser core. This turned the jump ship into a Q-ship, which necessitated the replacement and increase of armor protection with Advanced Composite Armor. Modern ECM, made sure that A Ship With A View was producing the exactly same EM and heat signatures as it had done before.
Much like No Pirate Life For Me, the two Union class dropships the vessel had carried, were equipped with Heim-Feynman Event Generators.
With its crew aboard, the jump ship and its two dropships I Blame Your Mother and I Blame My Mother, completed a record transit to Circinus, using the new double jump capacity of its new Advanced Jump Drive.
active for 9 more turns
Deep Space Signal Intelligence Network
[] Base Operations: active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 60%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 90 - Success
Roll 2 of 4, Roll 1d100: 84 - Success
Roll 3 of 4, Roll 1d100: 78 - Success
As the first materials became available to the new fabricators of FOB Pine Gap, they immediately began with the construction of new modules for the station. The first modules fabricated were truss and hull modules to extend the docking area of the station, extending two kilometers into space from the surface of its host asteroid, allowing up to 40 space craft to dock simultaneously. This was followed by the construction of a Kalpana type habitat, to increase the living space available to the crew and transients.
active for 1 more turns
WCDC Diplomatic Corps:
[] Long Range Diplomacy - Lyran Commonwealth: active
Time: 8 turns, Chance of success: 50%
Roll 1 of 8, Roll 1d100: 33 - Failure
Roll 2 of 8, Roll 1d100: 73 - Success
While the WCDC Diplomatic Corps waited for the responses for the proposal to open contact with the Lyran Commonwealth, the Star Lord Unexpected Oversupply Of Gravitas was given an extensive overhaul, integrating a Heim-Feynman Event Generator into the jump ship, allowing it to travel through Heim-Feynman Space as part of a conventional squadron, much like most of the dropships that would be part of the force that would travel with the Unexpected Oversupply Of Gravitas.
One was the Overlord class dropship recovered over Circinus and had been transported to Sol by the Unexpected Oversupply Of Gravitas after the Invasion. The It's Character Forming had been equipped with a Heim-Feynman Event Generator, as well as massively upgraded armaments, armor and internal systems, while retaining the same external appearance, while the Mech Bays had been reduced in number, replaced by a command center and modular transport bays, while quarters for diplomatic personnel replaced the Aerospace fighter bays.
The remaining carried vessels were made up of two Leopard class dropships, as well as two Sleipnir and one In-umi class combat crafts.
By the end of Summer, the last vote had been given by the governments of the WCDC, with an absolute majority being for the establishment of diplomatic contact with the Lyran Commonwealth. However, most national governments wished to reduce the number of military squadrons accompanying the Unexpected Oversupply of Gravitas to a single one, stating that the WCDC did not want to show the wrong signals. Though the squadron would be dropping Surveillance Nodes on their way towards Tharkad to establish a low bandwidth Ansible Link between the WCDC and the Lyran Commonwealth, which was not under control of Comstar.
active for 6 more turns
[] Humanitarian Aid III: - 6 votes (Santa Alvarez (5)) active
Time: 3 turns, Chance of success: 50%
Roll 1 of 3, Roll 1d100: 74+20 = 94 - Success (Various Boni)
With the reconstruction of Circinus now largely happening on its own, the Prometheus Foundation was asked to provide help to the world of Santa Alvarez, which has been hit quite hard by the pirate attack, that a government had been left without leadership, with the governments of the other large nations on the world helping various groups in the world's civil war, splitting Hispanola into two distinct nations along the line of support for Nuevo Tjeas and Gran Bolivar.
As it was, the Prometheus Foundation arrived by the end of Summer, offering all nations of Santa Alvarez access to Planetary Settlement Kits, as well as trainers and teachers. Thankfully, through the work of the WCDC diplomats over the past years, relations between the powers and smaller nations of Santa Alvarez was cordial, and they were aware of the WCDC's willingness to help either of them out in the same way. As such, there was little in the way of diplomatic problems as Nuevo Tejas and Gran Bolivar received three Planetary Settlement Kits, while the smaller ones received up to two, depending on the size of their populations and existing industrial base.
active for 2 more turns
WCDC Trade Organization:
[] Von Neuman: active
Time: 6 turns, Chance of success: 40%
Roll 1 of 6, Roll 1d100: 88+10+10+10+10 = 128 - Success (Scientific-Industrial Complex, Stronger Economy, Economic Ties, Interstellar Communication Network)
Roll 2 of 6, Roll 1d100: 64+10+10+10+10 = 104 - Success
Roll 3 of 6, Roll 1d100: 54+10+10+10+10 = 94 - Success
Most of the focus had shifted to the development of the smaller asteroid mining craft, which would be similar in size and mass to the Drashy class combat craft, equipped with their own HFEG and a specialized ALI, as used on various automated asteroid mining stations already, but enhanced by sub-systems to control an entire spacecraft. Also, equipped with a single channel Ansible node, the main ASI of the Von Neumann would be able to observe and control them in real time, should unexpected things happen to them.
They in turn would control smaller mining drones that would pick up material from carbonaceous condrite asteroids to be fed to the internal systems of the mining craft, which in turn would make use of the light from the local primary to reduce the asteroid material to its component materials, from volatiles, over iron to platinum group metals.
active for 3 more turns
[] Interstellar Jump Trader: - 6 votes active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 60%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 24+10+10+10+10 = 64 - Success (Scientific-Industrial Complex, Stronger Economy, Economic Ties, Interstellar Communication Network)
With trade to the Inner Sphere potentially to be opened up by the diplomatic mission to the Lyran Commonwealth, it was an industrial initiative, rather than one of the WCDCTO, to begin with the design and construction of jump drive equipped space craft to sell to the Inner Sphere. As far as was known, the Inner Sphere had only limited capabilities to construct new Jump Ships and the various dock yards were seeing an opportunity for profit.
Of course, they were aware of the potential military situation of the WCDC regarding the Inner Sphere, so they were careful to point out that they would not develop jump ships equipped with advanced jump drives or dropship collars, but make use of the conventional versions that had been recovered from Inner Shpere vessels.
The WCDC governments were not enthusiastic at first, but after some analysis noted business deals with the Inner Sphere for jump ships they could use and maintain, would not only improve WCDC economy, but also the Inner Spheres, as well as provide incentives to the Inner Sphere for friendly diplomatic relations. There was, however, the temptation to integrate a sort of 'fail-safe' into the design of those jump ships to prevent, or at least limit, their use against the WCDC.
active for 3 more turns
WCDC Office for Science and Development:
[] Superliminal Wave Detector: active
Time: 5 turns, Chance of success: 55%
Roll 1 of 5, Roll 1d100: 47+10+10 = 67 - Success (Research Center Sol, Interstellar Communication Network)
Roll 2 of 5, Roll 1d100: 8+10+10 = 28 - Failure
Roll 3 of 5, Roll 1d100: 32+10+10 = 52 - Scuccess
Roll 4 of 5, Roll 1d100: 64+10+10 = 84 - Success
Work on the Superlimunal Wave Detector continued successfully, and the first prototype was available in late Summer, though it still had significant problems to work out until it could be presented as a fully functional design.
This first prototype was only capable of detecting hyperwaves up to 1 light year away, but it was enough to show that the general principle of the design did work and would only need some additional work to be useful for detecting jump ships over a longer range.
active for 1 more turn
Alien Robot - even
Hypercom III - odd
Roll 1d6: 2 - even - Alien Robot!
[] Alien Robot!: - 4 votes active
Time: 4 turns, Chance of success: 55%
Roll 1 of 4, Roll 1d100: 27+10+10 = 47 - Success (Research Center Sol, Interstellar Communication Network)
While there were calls to finish up with the Hyperwave Communication, the discovery of the unknown alien robot on York sent the scientific community into something of a frenzy, and the Office for Science and Development felt itself forced to give priority to that project. And while there was something of a frenzy, there were voices within the community and outside of it, calling for the robot to only be researched in an extra secure facility.
To improve their chances to get more funding, the team that worked on the project elected to make use of an insulated research complex at the lunar north pole, which was designed to work on dangerous biological and chemical research and set up there, with the alien robot brought to the facility in late summer, to first be taken apart to see what made it tick.
active for 3 more turns
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Deep Space Signal Intelligence Network Report:
Lothian League:
There is little of note to say.
Illyrian Palatinate:
There is little of note to say.
Circinus Federation:
There is little of note to say.
Marian Hegemony:
There is little of note to say.
Inner Sphere:
Lyran Commonwealth:
Nothing out of the ordinary as far as can be decerned.
Federated Suns:
Nothing out of the ordinary as far as can be decerned.
Draconis Combine:
Nothing out of the ordinary as far as can be decerned.
Free Worlds League:
Dutchy of Andurien:
The war between the Free Worlds League and the Dutchy of Andurien has quickly reached a sort of stalemate, where both war parties are invading worlds, but are bogged down by the defenders.
It has quickly become clear the Free Worlds League has attempted to smash through the thinnest part connecting the former Capellan space of the Dutchy from the main part and then fight either side independently , while the Dutchy attempted to do the same in a more sweeping arc to insulate the attacking forces from the rest of the Free World League, enabling them to defeat the forces in a pocket.
Comstar:
Considering the way the FWL-Andurien war is progressing, with each side apparently being aware of the plans of the other side, it appears Comstar is feeding them information to force a drawn out war, for an unknown reason.
Expansion and Suggestions:
Currently there is a gradual expansion of the Deep Space Intelligence Network deeper into both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League.
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Random Event - Nothing Happens
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Event Chain:
"Emergance in one minute."
Captain Marcus Wellesley, Royal Space Force (England) eyed the little screen on his display, once again wondering how it was possible it faithfully showed the strange 8 dimensional space outside, with its endless shades of pure pitch black, whirling around each other. And again, he was ready to blame weird n-dimensional effects bleeding through the magnetic field bubble that kept the five additional dimensions outside. He could certainly understand why the Quetzal were calling it 'The Everchanging Black', and many spacers were slowly adopting the term, as its neatly described the strangeness of the realm.
"Five quid that we find our bogies," he heard from the side, as Leftenant Ramakrishnan, his weapon systems officer, talked to Leftenant Abernethy, the communication officer.
Wellesley rolled his eyes. He knew that other commanders of space crafts would intercede here, but he knew fully well it was just a way to fight the boredom of the anti-piracy patrol.
"Make it a tenner, and we have a deal."
"Done."
He snorted, as Winston the space craft's AGI piped up.
"You are aware that the chances of the bogies appearing in the next system are low."
"Emergance in twenty seconds."
Wellesley took a breath.
"That's enough, people," he said. "We have a job to do."
There was a chorus of 'Yes, sirs' from the command deck of the HMSC Southampton as Winston began to count down the seconds.
As Winston had noted, the chances of the bogie being in the NSC-43124* was low, and even if, the jumpship and dropships were more likely to flee again, than wait to be intercepted. The way they had been sighted all over the core wards parts of surveyed space was particular, not the behavior of pirates at all. Personally, he expected the craft to belong to Comstar. Ever since that incident on Ceres and their shady dealings on Circinus, many on the Royal Space Force didn't trust them.
"Emergance."
There was that minuscule sense of oddness that accompanied every Heim-Feynman Event and for a moment, he thought that the window of The Everychanging Black had shown a woman all dressed in black, but it was not the first time, and he believed the doctors that said it was randomly firing neurons.
"Contact," Leftenant Cramer called out, shaking him out of that momentary line of thought. "Three bogies, distance 35000 kay-em."
His fingers twitched and moved, sensors in his uniform reading the minute movements and calling up optical and ECM data screens, making him raise an eyebrow.
"Looks like you owe Ragnar ten quid, Andy," Cramer said after a moment, before continuing more formal. "Bogies identified as Red October Alpha, Beta-1 and Beta-2, with 89 percent reliability. And we have them with their pants around their ankles."
And indeed, Wellesley could see the enormous reflection of Alpha's jump sail. They were recharging their jump drive.
"Leftenant Abernethy, we go to Defensive Station Yellow. All craft are to bring up their Shrivatsa System to full power and maneuver for minimal cross section. Weapon systems on active standby. Passive fire control only."
"It's not like we could miss them if we tried from this range," he heard Ramakrishnan mutter under his breath, but chose to ignore it, while the Leftenant worked on his station to set up his orders.
"Order is out," Abernethy said and Wellesley could feel the rumbling of the thrusters firing a long burst to stabilize the Drashy class craft, as one of the superconducting rings of the Heim-Feynman Event Generator rapidly lost its rotational energy, shunting it into capacitors, before the energy was fed back into the ring to reverse its rotation to full speed, reshaping the magnetic field the two rings created into a mini-magnetosphere. Clacking sounds were barely audible, as valves released tiny amounts of hydrogen into space, where it quickly ionized into a plasma grabbed by the magnetic field lines and spread through the volume. Other valves released Smart Dust that used the magnetic field to move on their own, creating an immense passive optical and EM sensor grid through the space.
On his screen a small animation showed him the field status. It might not be much, but the Shrivatsa Mini-Mag System protected them from cosmic radiation and more targeted particle, plasma and dumb kinetic weapons by showing them aside.
"Mini-Mag at 13 percent."
"Leftenant Abernethy, get me a full spectrum broadcast," he continued, looked into his camera and began. "This is Captain Marcus Wellesley, of the Royal Space Force craft HMSC Southampton and Anti-Piracy Squadron Five. To unknown spacecraft, please identify yourselves and state your intentions."
With a flick of his wrist the recording stopped and the message was broadcast over just about every frequency used in the Inner Sphere, in just about every way such a message could be encoded.
"Repeat the message every three minutes, Leftenant."
There was no immediate answer, as the mini-mag field slowly built up to full strength and the first Samrt Dust particles reached the unknown space craft.
Wellesley called up the initial analysis of the spacecraft, Winston already analyzing the optical scans, blocks of color flashing up for a brief moment, indicating offensive weapon systems, airlocks, thrusters, docking collars. Studying the jump ships, it became clear it was not meant for war, its only equipment apparently a few relatively light armaments, while there were some substantial air locks, large enough for the standard shipping containers used in the Inner Sphere. The seen behavior of the jump ship however showed it had to be equipped with an equivalent to the advanced jump drive developed by the WCDC, or they would not do two jumps in quick succession.
The dropships however were clearly meant as combat spacecraft and heavily armed.
"They launch their fighters into a defensive posture."
Wellesley fought down a sigh. The invasion of Circinus had shown fighters could become a problem, but that the Sleipnir had proven itself to be a quite capable counter. As fast as a fighter, with heavier weapons and armor and only slightly less maneuverable, it could take on several fighters at once.
"Continue the passive scans and prepare targeting solutions," he ordered. "I would like to be prepared, should this situation turn sour."
He heard some acknowledgements, while he waited.
"We are getting a response," he heard after a few moments. "From the jump ship."
"Put it on."
A small video window opened up on his displays, next to many read outs and the tactical plot. The man on it did seem somewhat impressive, though also somewhat haggard and obviously startled. Not that Wellesley blamed him. He had heard the sudden appearance of comparably small space craft out of 'thin space' was unnerving to most jumpship and dropship crews of the Inner Shpere. If his face had extended over the entire display, he might even have looked intimidating.
"This is Star Captain Andrew Bavros, of the Bright Star," the man said and paused for a few moments. "I have been tasked with a quest by my superiors and have been asked to look into this area of space."
Wellsesley made a humming noise and nodded towards Abernethy, who opened the return channel.
"Well, Star Captain," she responded, noting the strangeness of the rank, but put it away for now. "I can safely say you did indeed find something."
His eyes narrowed.
"Though the way you have played cat and mouse with our patrols over the past few months does not make yourself appear all too peaceful. Neither do your fighters."
Bavros didn't respond for a few moments.
"They are for self defense," he answered finally. "I do not intend to fight."
"Neither do I," Welleyley said. "And if you have peaceful intent, I doubt you would be opposed to an inspection."
There was the twitch of an eye on the face of Bavros, but after a few moments he nodded.
"You are welcome," he said, and Wellesley nodded.
"Very well," he notes. "HIMSS Algaron will be docking on your dorsal dropship collar shortly. I hope you do not mind being inspected by non-humans. Southampton out."
It would be interesting to see how the crew of that jump ship would react to an inspection by alien space dragons. Some of which would be wearing heavy powered armor.
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*: NSC means New Star Catalogue, as the realization that the Three Systems are not where they used to be, led to an effort to recompile a new star catalogue.