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The Federation of Mars

9 (37.5%)

The Outer Systems Republic

15 (62.5%)

Total Members Voted: 23

[TalonisWolf]

  Release any unclassified information on the event so the public doesn't turn against us. Put it on public record that it is policy to confirm any unknown claims, and be sure to announce each claim we make after we have actually claimed it and have operations there.

[Lorknis]

As governor of Ganymede, I'd like to release a statement to the public in regards to the recent events.

"My fellow Republicans, I'm sure that almost all of you are aware of the events that transpired earlier on April 7th. Our freighter, the Amirani 005, was on a routine flight through unclaimed space when it was hailed by the person in charge of Aurelia. They falsely claimed that we had transgressed on their space and demanded we leave though we had not slighted them. Even when the Federation sent a ship to try and intimidate us from an unclaimed asteroid, Lieutenant Commander Hartley of the Amirani 005 bravely defied them and kept on his course. In the end, we have placed a mine on Klotho and now we can all breathe a sigh of relief as he returns home to his friends and family.

But remember this, citizens of the Federation and Republic: That no matter where our ships sail, the republic and by extension humanity, will never be daunted by those who would use fear to dissuade others from living freely. While we never put our Carrier Fleet on stand by, know this: That we will not back down and we will never surrender.

Thank you, citizens of the Republic. And as for Lieutenant Commander Hartley, I recommend he receive the Badge of Courage for his brave efforts."

[Hanzoku]

((I second that. We also gained some useful information about the observed speed of one of their warship classes from this.))

[Hanzoku]

Transcript from a closed meeting between CEO Hanzoku of Ganymede Aerospace and the Governor’s Council of the Republic

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your time. I know that in the aftermath of the confrontation with the Federation you are all quite busy, so I will keep this brief.

As some of you are aware, I will be stepping down as CEO of Ganymede Aerospace shortly – in fact, the press conference is scheduled right after we are done here. I will be taking a new position, with the newly formed Ganymede Military Shipworks, a state-controlled company that will own the designs and production rights of Ganymede Aerospace’s combat fighters, as well as the design for the raider that we submitted a short while ago.

As you can see in the cliff’s notes that your aides are handing out, you will see that the position of the CEO is unpaid… this is not a mistake. I’ve already made my millions, and I wish you to know that I, and any future CEO of this new company has taken that position out of love of their country, not with an eye on lining their own pockets.

Make no mistake, I am just as much a patriot as you are, and I love our Republic dearly. I wanted to get that out of the way before delivering my proposals here today, because the safety and security of our nation is foremost in my mind.

The confrontation with the FNS Hubris, an appropriately named ship given the actions of the Federation, could have potentially ended in a war if the captain of that ship had been reckless. This war is one that many in this room and in the public feel that we are unready for. I share this sentiment, as I fear that our current navy is not strong enough to both protect our moons and be able to strike back effectively at the Federation.

As there has not yet been a void war, all tactics are theoretical. None the less, the analysis from within Ganymede Aerospace is that our focus on fast attack craft and fighters means that ship casualties are inevitable in any engagement – but building smaller vessels also makes it far easier for us to put more guns in space then the Federation can, and limits the number of casualties when a vessel is destroyed. To be cold blooded, that is the tradeoff we have chosen to make in focusing on building smaller vessels as our main battle force.

My proposal for this council can be summed up in six points.
1.   A new class of fast attack craft should be designed to replace the Achilles. While a fine design, it is essentially a larger version of a fighter and requires hanger space for extended deployments away from bases. The proposed class should fill much the same role, but should have extended deployment time to allow for combat operations and patrol duties.
2.   The fast attack craft shipyard should be retooled to produce this new class, and the Achilles currently in service should be reassigned to home defense squadrons here and around Titan, where their limited endurance is not a factor.
3.   The fast attack craft shipyard should be expanded with new slipways until ten fast attack craft can be constructed at any given time.
4.   New carriers should also be laid down, so that squadrons of fighters can also be deployed to support the fast attack craft.
5.   Construction of fighters should continue to fill the carriers currently in service. The advantage of fighters is that they can be built groundside, adding to our ability to increase our fleet’s combat capabilities rapidly.
6.   Intelligence efforts should go towards finding out more about the Federation’s naval capabilities – the number of ships in service, their shipbuilding projects, and anything we can learn about the classes already in service.

Thank you for your time. I will be available to answer any questions, and hope to form a solid relationship between the Council and Ganymede Military Shipworks.”

[Azzuro]

Additional Briefing by unnamed RVN aide-de-camp to the Governor's Council

CEO Hanzoku is partially correct. Our navy as it stands is insufficient to both defend the inhabited moons and strike effectively at the Federation simultaneously, but we have good reason to believe that the Federation navy is likewise insufficient as they are economically on par with us. At the moment, the 'winner' of a potential war will be the one who does not divides his forces between attack and defence: either gambling on all-out attack or solely defending. However, given the establishment of the asteroid colonies and the richness of the belt, the defender will necessarily have to abandon them or risk defeat in detail, thus defence is not a winning strategy in the long term. Contrariwise, all-out attack risks a Pyrrhic victory that brings humanity closer to the edge of extinction.

The good CEO has also explained our ship roles, so I shall not go over it again. The Navy generally approves of the raider gunboat design, and notes that if the asteroids are colonised via infrastructure, a squadron of raiders may be stationed at an asteroid colony for nearly five years, limited only by the need to return for overhaul. This will position them closer to the Federation shipping routes should they ever be needed. While the raiders are undergunned, this is irrelevant if they are not expected to engage enemy warships, when its extreme speed also allows it to retreat if necessary.

Perhaps it is his pride in Ganymede Aerospace speaking, but the rate of construction of fighters is not exactly rapid. At current rates, it will take more than a year to complete the 20 Falcons to fill out one carrier wing, so the Governors may wish to consider construction of additional fighter factories to speed up the process.



Shipyard-wise, Menhit Manufactory, our FAC shipyard is currently in the long process of adding extra capacity from a previous order, but it can be halted and retooled to the Persus-class in a week, owing to similarity in the designs. Congress will need to agree on how many to be built in total, considering that we can build five at a time. The older carrier Moksha can also be refitted to the Nelson-class carrier for less than the cost of a completely new one.

In response to Governor Lorknis' comments, we have established an office of Fleet Intelligence, to compile the known Federation ship classes sighted thus far. We caution reading too much into the speed of the cruiser Hubris: the Federation could be deliberately going slower than maximum speed (still sufficient to catch a slow freighter) or the ship could be outdated, like our own Liu Bei-class gunboats.

Finally, our compatriots in the Intelligence Service assure us that they are hard at work penetrating Federation internal security. They promise results by the end of the year, so let's leave them to it.

((If no one speaks against, I'll go with Hanzoku's new orders. Still need the number of gunboats to be produced.

Also, I can't think of a good way to explain the following in universe as it should already be common knowledge, so I'll put it here. The Governors are not elected directly by Republic citizens, but are instead high-level civil servants who are appointed by the Republic Congress and serve indefinitely until reassignment or resignation. They have wide leeway over all aspects of the economy from production to shipbuilding. The Republic Congress is a combined legislative-executive body which represents all posters, including those who don't have ingame characters, such as TalonisWolf, thus being the general will of the readers. If economic orders conflict, I'll take the Governor's side in case of a tie and the majority otherwise.))

[Hanzoku]

((I suggest that gunboat shipyards shouldn't expand their capacity, unless we want to move away from building 1000t designs. Especially once a lot of slipways are put down, it takes a long time to do so.))

[Karlito]

((I generally agree with Hanzoku's plans for the future of the RVN, and how we should handle the gunboat shipyard.))

In the wake of the Kotho crisis, I'd like to repeat my call for high-level diplomatic talks with Federation officials on the topic of transit and mineral rights within the Sol System, though I'd like to ask the Congress's advice on setting our agenda. It's been established that we want non-military ships to travel freely throughout the system, but what of mineral rights. Personally I'd like to cede our future claims to the inner asteroid belt in exchange for exclusive rights to the outer system bodies (such as the Kuiper belt and the Jupiter Trojans), but it would be good to hear others' opinions on this.

[TalonisWolf]

Well, claim them first and then make a deal. That way we look like the good guys and can bargain for better terms in any sort of 'Trade and Mineral Rights Treaty' we negotiate.

[Azzuro]

Ny Enhet, Ganymede - 7th April 2100

The Republic government holds a press release regarding the events around the asteroid Klotho six hours ago. Key points include that the Federation made a baseless claim to Klotho to prevent Republic settlement, that a Federation cruiser tried to threaten an unarmed Republic freighter, and that the Amirani 005 was eventually able to deposit its automine and claim the asteroid for the Outer Systems Republic. A statement by Ganymede Governor Lorknis reiterates these points and denounces the Federation's threat of force, stating that the Republic will not be dissuaded by fear tactics. He also recommends that the captain of Amirani 005, Lieutenant Commander Joe Hartley, be awarded the Badge of Courage for refusing to give in, a move that is quickly approved by the Republic Congress.



Public opinion is overwhelmingly in support of the government, aided by a brief interview conducted via ansible with the Lieutenant Commander.

Separately, CEO Hanzoku announces he is stepping down as CEO of Ganymede Aerospace, instead moving to an unpaid position as CEO of the newly formed Ganymede Military Shipworks, a state-owned company that will take over management of the three military-rated orbital shipyards and ground-based fighter factories. They will also own the design and production rights to the void fighters, while Ganymede Aerospace will return to its civilian shuttlecraft business.

His first action is to unveil a new gunboat design, the Persus-class raider. Menhit Manufactory switches to retool for production of the Persus-class, which is expected to complete in a week. The RVN is expected to order an initial run of 10 of these raiders, expected to supplement the Achilles-class with their long-term deployment capability.

Code: [Select]

Persus class Raider    1 000 tons     33 Crew     171.4 BP      TCS 20  TH 96  EM 0
4800 km/s     Armour 3-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 3
Maint Life 5.1 Years     MSP 54    AFR 16%    IFR 0.2%    1YR 3    5YR 52    Max Repair 48 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 9 months    Spare Berths 0   

Siemens AG 96 EP Gunboat Nuclear Pulse Engine (1)    Power 96    Fuel Use 177.47%    Signature 96    Exp 15%
Fuel Capacity 40 000 Litres    Range 4.1 billion km   (9 days at full power)

Price Systems 100mm 'Kineti-kill' Railgun (1x4)    Range 30 000km     TS: 4800 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BAE Avionics Mod 98 Gunboat Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 96 000 km   TS: 5250 km/s     90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Chapman Thrust 45 Ton PBR-3.1 Power System (1)     Total Power Output 3.1    Armour 0    Exp 12%

Thales Orbital  Gunboat Target Acquistion Sensor (1)     GPS 64     Range 1.1m km    Resolution 40
Fuller-Hunter OSR/AQR-03 Thermal Bloom Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 1     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  1m km
Fuller-Hunter OSR/ADR-02 Electromagnetic Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 1.1     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  1.1m km

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
Behind the scenes, Europa Governor Karlito instructs the Republic Diplomatic Service to look into arranging a diplomatic summit between Federation and Republic leaders, to prevent future such crises from occurring.

Aubernia, Mars - 7th April 2100

The Federation government also releases its take on the events around Klotho. State media highlights that the Federation in fact made its claim first, which was violated by a Republic freighter. Federation officials admit that at the time of claiming, the Federation did not have installations on the asteroid, but maintain that the claim was valid nonetheless. Notably, there is no mention of the fact that the ship sent to intercept the Amirani 005 was a warship.

Among Federation citizens, there is widespread debate over the matter. Some point out that claiming without occupation goes against previously set precedent and the Republic was within its rights to ignore the claim, but many believe that the Republic colonisation of Klotho was inherently an aggressive move, as Klotho lies very close to the already established Federation colonies of Astraea and Aurelia.

Abroad RVS Andes, Asteroid Belt - 11th April 2100, 15:20 UTC

A stunning variety of TNE deposits are found on the asteroid Hebe, with larger deposits on the comets Borrelly and Comas Sola, all in the southern belt.

Code: (Hebe) [Select]

Duranium 3 042 (1) Neutronium 81 (1) Corbomite 5 184 (1) Boronide 2 500 (1) Mercassium 1 681 (1) Uridium 4 (1)

Code: (Borrelly) [Select]

Sorium 21 245 (0.6) Uridium 55 590 (0.8)

Code: (Comas Sola) [Select]

Boronide 23 049 (0.9) Gallicite 19 242 (0.5)
Ny Enhet, Ganymede - 16th April 2100



Europa Governor Karlito cuts the ribbon at the opening of the Republic's first fighter base, RNB Tapperhet. Capable of supporting a wing of 22 fighters, the base will provide last-line defense for the Republic capital and hold new fighters coming off the production line. The two already-built Falcons are transferred from RVS Moksha to RNB Tapperhet.

Federal Astraea - 17th April 2100

In a widely-broadcast media event, the Federation government shows the first colonists stepping through the airlock and into a newly-built, partially-underground settlement on the asteroid Astraea. Officials are quick to note that these colonists, 100 thousand in total, are the first humans to permanently colonise another body in nearly thirty years, since the devastation of Earth. Public opinion, at previously lacklustre levels, once again jumps to a new high. The government also lays out plans to ship manned mines to Astraea, providing jobs for the workforce in place there and being cheaper than automated mines to boot.

Across the Republic, response to the Federation colonisation is muted. Many see it as more motivated by political posturing than the desire to spread humanity, but a small section of the population calls for the government to match this latest Federation achievement.

Ny Enhet, Ganymede - 17th April 2100

Over the last week, talks have been underway between Republic and Federation diplomats regarding a meeting of the two powers. Ambassador Patel submits an offer for a diplomatic summit regarding asteroid claims and mineral and transit rights, to be held in one month on 20th May. The summit would take place on the Federation automated mining colony of Ariadne, and both sides would be allowed to bring 3 warships, with total tonnage not exceeding 5000 tons and active sensors allowed only for an initial scan, to escort their leaders. As a sign of good faith, the Federation indicates it will cease claiming additional bodies until the summit as long the Republic does likewise. The proposal is submitted to the Republic Congress for approval.



Location of Ariadne within the belt, at bottom middle.

((Accept/reject the proposal, or further negotiate the meeting terms? Also, should we refit the RVS Moksha to the Nelson-class carrier? Expected conversion time is one year one month, saving one month and being cheaper than building a new Nelson, proposed by Hanzoku. Time can be further cut down if willing to dedicate some percentage of industry to prefabricate the engines.))

[Hanzoku]

((For only saving a month, we might just want to keep the Moksha as a training carrier and to ferry fighters and Spartans between Jupiter and Saturn.))

[Karlito]

((Yeah, it's not worth the refit to only save a month of construction time. We should just build new Nelsons. Dedicating some percentage of ground-based industry to help with the naval build-up is definitely worth considering though))

Over the last week, talks have been underway between Republic and Federation diplomats regarding a meeting of the two powers. Ambassador Patel submits an offer for a diplomatic summit regarding asteroid claims and mineral and transit rights, to be held in one month on 20th May. The summit would take place on the Federation automated mining colony of Ariadne, and both sides would be allowed to bring 3 warships, with total tonnage not exceeding 5000 tons and active sensors allowed only for an initial scan, to escort their leaders. As a sign of good faith, the Federation indicates it will cease claiming additional bodies until the summit as long the Republic does likewise. The proposal is submitted to the Republic Congress for approval.

Mostly acceptable, but I'd rather not set the precedent that we go to the Federation for such meetings. My counter-offer is same-terms, except that the meeting shall take place on the dwarf planet Ceres, for its symbolic importance as the largest body in the asteroid belt. The Republic will supply the necessary infrastructure for life-support.

[Sheb]

((Yeah, it's not worth the refit to only save a month of construction time. We should just build new Nelsons. Dedicating some percentage of ground-based industry to help with the naval build-up is definitely worth considering though))

Over the last week, talks have been underway between Republic and Federation diplomats regarding a meeting of the two powers. Ambassador Patel submits an offer for a diplomatic summit regarding asteroid claims and mineral and transit rights, to be held in one month on 20th May. The summit would take place on the Federation automated mining colony of Ariadne, and both sides would be allowed to bring 3 warships, with total tonnage not exceeding 5000 tons and active sensors allowed only for an initial scan, to escort their leaders. As a sign of good faith, the Federation indicates it will cease claiming additional bodies until the summit as long the Republic does likewise. The proposal is submitted to the Republic Congress for approval.

Mostly acceptable, but I'd rather not set the precedent that we go to the Federation for such meetings. My counter-offer is same-terms, except that the meeting shall take place on the dwarf planet Ceres, for its symbolic importance as the largest body in the asteroid belt. The Republic will supply the necessary infrastructure for life-support.

I support Karlito's proposal.

[Azzuro]

Ny Enhet, Ganymede - 17th April 2100

Europa Governor Karlito, along with Chief of Staff of the RVN Commodore Sheb, submit a counter-offer for the diplomatic summit to be held on the currently-unclaimed dwarf planet Ceres, for its symbolic importance as the largest body in the main belt, with all other terms remaining the same. After an hour, the Federation accepts the offer. The Ceres Summit is officially set for 20th May.

Epigeus City, Ganymede - 20th April 2100



Menhit Manufactory completes its retooling to build the Persus-class raider, and the first five of the class are immediately laid down. The first squadron of 5 raiders are expected to complete in early September. At the same time, shipyard staff also begin work on adding extra slipways to improve the rate of FAC production, according to a directive from CEO Hanzoku.



Ganymede Military Shipworks also subcontracts out the prefabrication of two massive Siemens AG Nuclear Pulse Engines, which will be complete in two weeks.

Abroad RVS Andes, Asteroid Belt - 21th April 2100, 12:05 UTC

RVS Andes reports major TNE elements with decent quantity and high accessibility found on the asteroid Pallas, marking it as a lucrative target for colonisation.

Code: (Pallas) [Select]

Neutronium 12 300 (0.9) Tritanium 4 233 (1) Sorium 16 100 (1) Corundium 9 891 (1) Gallicite 12 844 (0.9)

Area of the Southern Main Belt. Asteroidal TNE deposits circled in green, surveyed bodies in white. TNE deposits found on Pallas (near-centre), Hebe (northwest of Pallas, large variety), Sappho (northeast of Pallas, only Corundium) and Diana (far east, insignificant amounts). Ceres is far to the right, southeast of Diana. For reference, the Jovian system is currently northwest of the entire belt.

A day later, further deposits are found on the asteroid Alkmene.

Code: (Alkmene) [Select]

Corbomite 10 392 (0.9) Mercassium 13 766 (0.9) Sorium 5 438 (0.9) Corundium 19 151 (1)
Federal Astraea - 25th April 2100

Federation news media covers the opening of two manned mines on Astraea, providing jobs for the colonists there. Reaction is mixed among Republic citizens, but the segment of the population calling for the Republic government to increase their own colonisation efforts grows daily.

Abroad RVS Andes, Leaving Asteroid Belt - 28th April 2100, 12:05 UTC



RVS Andes takes a short detour from the main asteroid belt to survey the 'Greek camp', the Jupiter trojan asteroids ahead of Jupiter in its orbit.

Epigeus City, Ganymede - 1st May 2100



A conglomerate of the Republic's largest transport companies, Davis Shipping Lines, unveils the first two wholly civilian-owned voidships in the Republic. The two slow, giant freighters are expected to take up commercial shipping on the lucrative Jupiter-Saturn route, but executives indicate they are willing to take government contracts for a reasonable price. Nevertheless, officials note that the Republic government still has its five freighters unemployed, and there is little need for private contract at present.



In low Ganymede orbit, the engines are mated to the spine of a new Nelson-class carrier, the RVS François-Joseph de Grasse. The use of prefabricated engines is estimated to have shaved almost three months off the build time, from early July to early April of next year.

Abroad RVS Andes, Greek Camp Asteroids - 8th May 2100, 20:05 UTC

The Andes completes its survey of the Greek Jupiter Trojans and heads back into the main belt. Unfortunately, only an insignificant deposit of Duranium was found on the asteroid Eurybates within the Greek camp.

Code: (Eurybates) [Select]

Duranium 5 832 (1)
Callisto Fleet Base, Callisto - 11th May 2100



As the freighter Amirani 001 departs for Ceres to set up infrastructure for the summit, Fleet Command debates on which ships to send to guard the Ceres Summit, codenamed Operation VELVET FIST. It is generally agreed that the warships should not go at full speed to keep their top speed a secret, but opinions are split on whether to send older Liu Bei-class gunboats for the Federation to underestimate, or a single Marius-class destroyer to intimidate them, considering that the Federation will gain some information from the initial active sensor scan.

((Which ships should we send to the Ceres Summit? Refer to the first page for all the ships in our OOB, and choose 3 ships with total tonnage <5000 tons.

Also welcome back Sheb! Good to see you around again, any suggestions for the game?))

[Sheb]

The admiralty propose detaching the Marius-class William Herschel. No need to show our more recent assets. I also propose limiting its spreed to 2500 km/s for the duration of the trip.


((Still catching up, sorry for not follwoing more closely).

[Karlito]

I'd vote to send a trio of Liu Beis instead.