I feel like I forgot something this report, so please let me know if it turns out I accidently posted an entire paragraph about Amaok's secret black hole project.
(That's not a real thing) And yes, that typo in the design for the Iliad-Class was about Amaok's new ship. But that's definitely the only time I've made a mistake like that. Definitely.
Combat Phase of 2210Instead of the orbit of B2 like last year, orbital combat was present at C2, where we sent the MSS Iliad. And in what was definitely not a coincidence, C2 was also the location of a new Amaokian ship.
MOERTH CENTRAL COMMAND
RADIO RECEIVER TRANSCRIPT: ORBITAL BATTLE OF C2
- Command, MSS Iliad reporting. We have sightings of an unidentified vessel on the radar scope. Changing orbit to intercept course with vessel and sounding general quarters.
- Command, MSS Iliad has visual contact with unidentified vessel. It's Amaokian, but it doesn't match anything on records. Current angle of missile pods to Amaokian vessel is unviable, and we're changing our heading to reach valid firing angles.
- Command, MSS Iliad has sighted two Amaokian fighters, one visual and one radar - behind the bigger ship. Looks like they were deployed from the vessel sighted earlier. Hang on - getting reports of incoming missiles.
- Command, MSS Iliad has been hit by both Amaokian missiles in a volley of two from a fighter craft. Hull breaches confirmed, but no vital systems have been hit, overall integrity is still positive, and all impacted systems have been shunted to redundant electronics. No confirmed casualties.
- Command, MSS Iliad has confirmed destruction of one Amaokian fighter craft. First missile volley missed due to poor firing angle, but next volley had one missile impact and destroy a returning fighter craft - likely the same craft that had fired missiles earlier.
- Command, MSS Iliad has confirmed the destruction of the second and final Amaokian fighter craft, but we are bracing for impact from a two-missile volley fired moments before fighter destruction.
- Command, MSS Iliad has suffered damage in the weapons bay. Six dead, two wounded. Redundant system shunting is confirmed and overall integrity remains positive, but we have lost operation of the weapons bay. Two Amaokian missiles hit the weapons bay head-on, destroying armor and causing a severe breach. We will compile a comprehensive report of what we can see of the Amaokian craft before returning to Moerth for repairs and refitting.The MSS Iliad confirmed destruction of two Amaokian fighters - the same type our soldiers on the ground at B2 saw last year - before being forced to return due to damage in the weapons bay. From compiled reports, it would appear that the Amaokian vessel left as well, as it likely ran out of fighters. So it would appear that Amaok has developed a primitive carrier. Without any combat-oriented ship in the area, the orbit around C2 remained clear of hostiles and both Amaok and Moerth ITCs unloaded supplies this year.
In her report of the aftermath, the Iliad's Captain stated that the poor turning speed (and speed in general) as well as having all the missile pods in the same area were of notable concern during the battle. If the Iliad could manuever faster or just generally had viable firing angles sooner, then they could have eliminated the fighters and carrier before further damage is caused.
The Orbital Zone of C2 is now Conflicted.Planetside at the oceans of C2, our forces aren't as well-equipped as we'd prefer. Only one Unit out of the two stationed on C2 have access to Bolters, with the rest being left with Mk 1.1 Printed Pistols. The remnants of the Amaokian Unit on C2 rally at the landing sites where they reinforce and re-equip with Amaokian battle rifles. From scattered reports, we can conclude that another Amaok Unit as well as enough battle rifles for two Units has been sent to C2.
Our Commander chose to hold his ground and allow Amaok to slaughter themselves on our shores, but that decision proved to be fatal. On the few larger islands of C2, Amaok sends two-pronged invasion forces. First, we're harassed by Marksmen on the standard-issue rafts. They harass and shoot at our sentries at defending forces at long range and we're forced to bring our bolters to deal with them. At such long ranges, our bolts are still quite inaccurate but the occasional hit always sinks the raft thanks to the bolts' explosive power.
But when our troops are preoccupied with Amaokian marksmen, the rest of their soldiers land on the shores where they can engage us on the island from primarily long and medium range using their battle rifles. Eventually, our soldiers are overrun and forced to retreat.
Yet in the rest of the planet on the small islands, we prevail. Even with only half of our soldiers holding Bolters, we retain a decisive advantage at close range. Their floating marksmen can only do so much damage before being sunk and regardless of what they do, they're forced to engage at close-range on the shores where our Printed Pistol Mk 1.1s and Advanced Bolters easily beat their basic Printed Pistols.
Ultimately, Amaok gains ground. But to advance any further they have to begin conquering the small islands - a nearly impossible task for them at this point. And to advance, we have to invade their positions while they're equipped with plenty of long-range rifles that can easily snipe our soldiers before they even land. Without any changes, no change in territory will occur next year.
Our Commander
really wants some kind of aquatic vehicle. It would do wonders on C2 and anywhere else there's water.
Amaok has gained ground at C2. [M: 2/3, A: 1/3]At B2, we continue advancing. The Amaokian troops are left without any reinforcements or new equipment and we continue outnumbering and out gunning them.
Their long-range advantages are somewhat mollified by our Advanced Bolters, and our short-range advantage grows stronger. We're still harassed by hidden Amaokian snipers, but they're simply throwing rocks at an avalanche. Our suicide charges have been phased out with the new advanced bolters, and instead we can just force their snipers out of their cover with suppressing fire then advance into medium range.
With each passing day, we start gaining ground. Our troops admire the beauty of new parts of the continent as the fighting starts moving beyond the years-old battle lines.
We finally gain ground at B2. Amaok's forces are on the run and if nothing changes, we'll continue stomping them out. Our Commander here is happy with what they have here and anything you come up with in the future.
Moerth has gained ground at B2. [M: 2/3, A: 1/3] At A3 and C3, we can see from afar civilian vessels ferrying people and construction materials between Amaok and A3 + C3. Surely by this point they can begin extracting resources.
Amaok has gained access to the resources at A3 and C3.The barren landscapes of A2 prove problematic for our now-outnumbered soldiers. Even the advanced-bolters don't fix that.
Our convoys are constantly under assault by Amaokian snipers, our camps are always harassed by snipers. We can't move forward without snipers! At least we can see them, but our long-range bolter fire only does so much. Eventually, they start learning to simply hide behind thicker cover and not panic from our suppressing bolter fire. The occasional Amaokian sniper killed by bolt isn't enough.
At close range our advantage is nullified by their numbers and their armoured suits which still help somewhat against our nonexplosive close-range bolts and Mk 1.1 Printed Pistols. Eventually we're forced to retreat to places where their snipers are less effective, such as caves and enclosed rock formations. But without any changes, it's only a matter of time before they eliminate the rest of our troops.
Our Commander is requesting some kind of defensive design to protect against Amaokian snipers here. Countering it with long-range fire of our own could work, but may not be as effective as nullifying the advantage entirely.
Amaok has gained ground at A2. [M: 0/3, A: 3/3]Interplanetary Transport Craft: A primitive “shuttle” capable of carrying a unit and basic equipment to another planet. It’s quite large, and built completely in space. Docked to it are SSTO rocket shuttles designed with just enough fuel to carry things to/from planetside and return. However, the lack of large empty spaces in the shuttle and craft as well as limited fuel in the rocket shuttles means it can’t carry “heavy” things. The ITC relies on efficient chemical engines for thrust and powers essential systems via solar panels. While it can still carry units, the ITC cannot carry any item with a minimum weight above 1 CU.
Cargo: 4 CU
Expense: 3x
Resources: Metal, Exotics
Interplanetary Makeshift Warship: A converted ITC with an armament of 16 missile tubes located at the front of the vessel, near the command and crew module. Lacks a dedicated radio and operates via couriers and standing orders, and can't receive essential combat data and telemetry. Missiles are loaded in manually (by hand) by the crew, and the ship only has space for roughly 32 missiles - enough for two volleys. The missiles have only minor course correction capabilities and mostly rely on the aim of the pilot, and have minor destructive capabilities but still enough to completely destroy an unarmored ship and heavily damage lightly armored ships. A notable percentage of fired missiles remain unarmed after firing and are duds. Has light armor reinforcing the ship's structure, making it resistant to most small arms fire and capable to not fall apart because of one damaging event. Targets enemies through a combination of basic radar, optics, and gets general areas to look in from routine courier intelligence reports from Moerth.
Expense: 1x
Resources: Metal, Exotics
Iliad-Class Destroyer: A vessel a bit larger than the ITC equipped with 4 missile pods (1 missile each) and 48 missiles. The missile pods have a firing angle of 30 degrees in front of the ship. Reinforced hull along with redundant printed electronics radically increase the ship's survivability, guaranteeing the ability to "tank" at least one low-yield missile in a spot, with another partially crippling (or destroying it) if in the same spot, and if a 3rd missile impacts the same site, the ship will be destroyed. Inefficient and buggy chemical thrusters make the Iliad-Class slower than the already-slow ITC. A long-range radio allows for sending and receiving of basic messages to and from Moerth as well as relaying messages to and from ground forces on the orbited planet. A radar suite has only the practical range of human eyesight, but is always-on, reliable, and constantly scanning the entire proximity around the ship.
Expense: 1x
Resources: Metal, Exotics
Printed Pistol Mk 1.1: A basic pistol that’s created via advanced 3d-printing techniques, making it very cheap. Unfortunately, its benefits stop there. It’s uncomfortable to use, inaccurate, works at short ranges, and fires very weak rounds. Fortunately, these rounds are still enough to puncture the basic suits and unarmored clothing used by soldiers on the field. Very light. The Mark 1.1 offers marginally better ergonomics and noticeably improved reliability. It still suffers from every other drawback of the Printed Pistol, and is still somewhat unreliable.
Weight: 1 CU = 10x
Expense: Unlimited
Advanced Jormungandr Bolter: A relatively large infantry rifle designed for full deployment, using miniature missiles as its rounds. Surprisingly easy to use, and can easily pierce through current armor and is likely future-proof in terms of armor piercing to some degree. Very effective anti-infantry weapon and even has very minor area of effect. The Advanced model incorporates basic circuitry in the bolts, including a timer to allow deactivation of a bolt's payload at close range and limited manipulation of course at long range. Rather inaccurate at long ranges, and the bolts are no longer explosive at close range.
Weight: 1 CU = 4x
Expense: 4x
Resources: Metal
X112 Space Suit: A bulky space suit originally designed for the vacuum of space. It’s relatively flexible compared to spacesuits used by earlier space agencies such as NASA, but greatly restricts agility. Its complete lack of armor doesn’t help either. Luckily it’s cheap to produce.
Weight: 1 CU = 3x
Expense: Unlimited
Kevlar Armor & Uniform: Very basic thin-layered and light-weight partial Kevlar armor. Not even a helmet is included. This armor was originally used for security personnel sent with the colonies. It cannot be used in conjunction with regular armor. The facilities for producing Kevlar are still very limited in the colonies, making this armor a luxury.
Weight: 1 CU = 5x
Expense: 1x
Resources: Metal
Radio: Communications are done via basic radio systems. However, the size required means units would have to lug expensive radio systems to planets with them in order to communicate with Central Command back at their homeworld.
Weight: 2 CU = 1x
Expense: 2x
Resources: Metal
Akhsoyrtam Printers: Upgraded industrial 3d printers on Moerth allow for more detailed and fine manipulation of 3d-printed items. Originally planned to be able to build the components for more 3d printers, but preciseness of manufacturing was deemed too imprecise to accomplish this task.
PlanetsA1 - 1 Metal Unclaimed
A2 - 1 Exotic A: 3/3, M: 0/3
A3 - 1 Metal A: 3/3, M: 0/3
B1 - Nothing Unclaimed
B2 - Nothing A: 1/3, M: 2/3
C1 - 1 Metal Unclaimed
C2 - 1 Exotic A: 1/3, M: 2/3
C3 - 1 Metal A: 3/3, M: 0/3
Production Line 1: Interplanetary Transport Craft (3/3)
Production Line 2: Printed Pistol Mk 1.1 (Unlimited)
Production Line 3: X112 Space Suit (Unlimited)
Production Line 4: Kevlar Armor & Uniform (0/1)
Production Line 5: Radio (2/2)
Production Line 6: Interplanetary Makeshift Warship (1/1)
Production Line 7: Jormungandr Bolter (0/4)
Production Line 8: Iliad-Class Destroyer (1/1)
Production Line 9:
Production Line 10:
Items covered in [brackets] aren't fully deployed, and the Unit must be sent the design again successfully to fully deploy the item. Partially deployed items still cost an expense level, and attempting to fully deploy it does not cost any expense levels.
Unit 1:
Equipped: Kevlar Armor, Advanced Jormungandr Bolter, Printed Pistol Mk 1.1
Location: B2
Unit 2:
Equipped X112 Spacesuit, Advanced Jormungandr Bolter, Printed Pistol Mk 1.1
Location: A2
Unit 3:
Equipped: Advanced Jormungandr Bolter, Printed Pistol Mk 1.1
Location: B2
Unit 4:
Equipped: X112 Spacesuit, Advanced Jormungandr Bolter, Printed Pistol Mk 1.1
Location: C2
Unit 5:
Equipped: X112 Spacesuit, Printed Pistol Mk 1.1
Location: C2
Transports
Interplanetary Transport Craft #1: Unassigned
Interplanetary Transport Craft #2: Unassigned
Interplanetary Transport Craft #3: Unassigned
Combat Vessels
Interplanetary Makeshift Warship #1: Unassigned
Iliad-Class "MSS Iliad": Unassigned
It is now the design phase of 2210.