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[evilcherry]

To keep off clutter.

Main gamehttp://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=83644.0

[Knave]

Duke Benedict Hanzat sat on his throne silently. The Throne Room was alive with battle strategy and economic forecasts. For the last 30 minutes he had been listening quietly to his advisers give him the latest sector reports and briefings on the various alien inhabitants. The 3D rendering of the Sector swirled in front of him from a nearby holovid projector. Soon it would be time for House Hanzat to make it's move for control of it.

But others were in play as well. His advisers and generals warned of a multitude of usurper races looking to take control of the Sector capital as well. Some of them he knew, others were unknown even to his most trusted aides. It seemed that all together there were eight viable contenders,(Including Hanzat) for the race to control the Sector. The nearest being a scientific race of lizards calling themselves the Defiance of Change and a rather mysterious race of telepathic plants called the Thrile.

Though Benedict would never admit it, the seer number of aliens in this sector had always unsettled him. He didn't have any delusions that Humans were superior to these other races(Though many of his staff would disagree), he disliked not knowing the capabilities of his rivals, and alien cultures and beliefs were always an X-factor. The Thrile Free Space as described by one of his leading Biologists found their home in the nearby Yarrow System. The idea of a race with such telepathic and telekinetic powers dominating the minds of their thralls made the Duke uneasy, especially when faced with the prospect of a ground war, where the Thrile had a significant advantage.

On the opposite side lay Jan-Fortua and his Reptilicus people. Little was known about their leader, but intelligence reports suggested that they were mainly concerned with scientific progress and ship building above all else. Their upgraded Duke destroyers are renowned for being some of the most dangerous and reliable vessels in the Sector.  The Duke did not like the idea of being put in a slugging-match with the lizards.

The Duke's main power lay on his industrial and economic might. Biizan had been relatively untouched by the centuries of war that plagued many planets in this sector. He hoped he could leverage that might to give him an advantage and maintain peaceful relations with most of the sector until absolutely necessary.

[Ahra]

did you recive the foundation of the turn?

[Knave]

The foundation of the turn?

There is a sample turn in the main rules if that's what you're referring to?

[Ahra]

no im simply reffering to the first edition of my turn as its doomed to be remade

[Nirur Torir]

The Head Organizer of the Eternal Order of Sapphiria swam towards the assault transporting loading with marines, flanked by an honor guard. As an aide babbled happily about what a great day it heralded, he glanced once more at the datapad containing the already-memorized technical readouts for the marine equipment.

Since most aliens lived much of their lives outside the water, each marine wore a helmet that constantly passed oxygenated water over their gills. The basic rifle was a projectile rifle that could easily fire either the standard electroshock AP darts for use in water, or bullets for use on land. The standard-issue suit of armor was light, but retained and regulated moisture for up to a day to prevent its occupant from drying out, and only minimally interfered with the Sapphirian ability to fit into tight, only shaped spaces, which had proven its worth time and time again during The War.

To complement the infantry, several brigades of vehicles had already been loaded. Tanks similar to the human versions for assaulting fixed positions. APCs for expediting the slow crawling speed of the troopers. Artillery. Support trucks. Various aircraft, no doubt based on long-obsolete designs. Only a light complement of sea-going vessels were brought in favor of more troops, as their infantry had proven superior to most human naval vessels, which had obviously not been designed for fighting sea creatures armed with modern weaponry, their cobbled refits largely proving ineffectual.

His aide interrupted his thoughts and switched his datapad to the speech. It was an inspiring speech, although the troops were already clearly excited over the prospect of being the first Sapphirians to land on another world (The first laser-armed destroyers already had the honor of being the first to leave the star system two years ago.)

Two days later, the assault transport joined the DD Dukes in orbit.

[ggamer]

The Troopers ran down the beach to the watery starport. Reptilicus Architecture was a strange thing, but ready access to cooling material helped when you're working on volatile matter. The large landing dock opened, and out flew a transport. It raced into orbit to join it's brethren off to conquer a nearby planet.

But Jan was busy. He watched the takeoff from his data-pad, then went straight back to work. Research was beginning on The Niaomi type frigates, which would allow for fast attack capabilities. Also of importance was the research on Heavy spike rifles.

Reptilicus rifles use abnormal material. The metals, usually a mixture of pure iron and steel, were mined from the earth and separated into spikes, which were used as ammo. Fuel gel could be refined and solidified as well, but first, the mixture made to use spikes was getting a useful supplement; lead. lead would increase the weight of the spike, allowing it to travel further and penetrate heavier armor.

Population growth was inching along. this was saddening, but acceptable. The reptilicus race pride themselves on the quality of their species.

A sector assessment popped up on his data pad. Several parsecs to the right of them lay the planet of Biizan, under the "Peaceful" guidance of one Duke Benedict. Jan had his suspicions whenever dealings were made with the house, and still kept an eye on him.

To the south, lay the Thrile, a race of sentient plants. He did not hold suspicion to these beings as he did with the humans on Biizat, and had even had dealings with the Archon Ituem. Still, war was a possibility, so he kept his eye on them.

[Knave]

It seems you've received a communication from the “Hanzat Friendship and Trade Committee”

Hello Friend,

It's clear to see that you and your race are a major part of this sector. Your goods and services provide jobs and supplies to billions of people. Unlike some major government institutions, House Hanzat firmly believes that all races are equals and those looking to do business and trade in this sector should have the opportunity no matter what race they might hail from. In that regard, Duke Benedict Hanzat himself would like to extend an invitation to send your trading delegations to his beautiful capital of Biizan and help establish a Sector-wide trade pact in which all parties  involved can benefit. If all parties agree we can establish acceptable trade routes and even discuss zones of industrial and economic control.

If we all work together we can lift this Sector to new heights not seen in thousands of years and usher in a new Renaissance.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Your Friends,

The Hanzat Friendship and Trade Committee

[evilcherry]

Excerpts from Jane's Space Weapons Compendium, vol. 26598, issue 3

Space Weapons

Space weapons can be, broadly speaking, categorized into three types: Kinetic, Energy and Warhead weapons.

Kinetic weapons are logical expansions to mass drivers, which is widely used to catapult spacecrafts into space. Utilizing a long pair of electrodes, a projectile is sped up to very high speeds, in terms of hundreds to ten thousands kilometers per second. They do not tend to be very damaging, but at the same time hard to defend against. Defensive fields have a hard time deflecting them, and they are best defended by specially designed absorption armor, which serves to slow down, deflect and transmit the kinetic energy of the projectile to minimize damage. Even then, they are not very effective, and generally useless towards anything else.

Energy weapons started as lasers, but in the last ten millennia weapons based on exotic particles are developed. Immense energy is directed towards an opponent, and usually concentrated at one spot to create a hull breach. Therefore, many ways are developed to defend against them. Special coating is used to distribute the energy and ensure no melting of the hull occurs. More exotic forms, like deflection fields are also used, using a temporal change in space-time to change the course of photons and light particles, like these deadly beams. However, experienced gunners will utilize the shield-training technique, to deliberately use these field to one's own advantage.

Warheads are a nightmare to the unprepared. In space, there is no fear of fallout, and nuclear torpedoes is the basic starting point. Even the smallest of modern spaceships are already city-sized, a well-placed warhead can still transform it into debris. Therefore, a fleet usually employs enough close-in weapons system(CIWS) to track-down these deadly weapons. Fighters can also be used to defeat them at range, or, in addition, defeat the bombers which launches them.

A note on ship sizes

Those who read stories of historical battles on planets might notice how the word "Carrier" is used to fighter-carrying craft. Nowadays, spaceships are not classified by function, but simply by hull size. The difference in tactical maneuverability of different ships are not much different - though their strategic speed is, and even the smallest ship can house facilities for a fighter wing, if that means forgoing other weapons.

[ggamer]

The Fleet came to a rest above the planet, Imperium classification 9. The battle was slow and grueling, as the Duke's lasers bored through the enemy armor. In the end, the battle was decided by a small number of troops.

Next comes occupation, and dealing with the local defenses.

[evilcherry]

The Fleet came to a rest above the planet, Imperium classification 9. The battle was slow and grueling, as the Duke's lasers bored through the enemy armor. In the end, the battle was decided by a small number of troops.

Next comes occupation, and dealing with the local defenses.

Apparently the local governor did not even put up a decent defense force.

The Imperial land, even it is just a cadet branch, lead by a man who is a 12th cousin four times removed from the emperor, may actually put up some reputable resistance. Rumors tell that he keeps a fleet of Battleships locally, using imperial funds.

[Nirur Torir]

Head Organizer Torir and a gaggle of aides and scientists stood around a holograph projector table, a rarity left over from forgotten days. The system scan of #45, from the DD Dukes, was displayed. A geologist was giving a report. "...The only body able to sustain an independent colony of any size is this one. Its mineral deposits were almost completely drained in the war, however, and what's left is nearly useless or completely inaccessible. There are a multitude of debris there, which would work in the short term if they haven't already been salvaged by the sentient living there. We -"

Torir interrupted "What species?"

"Mostly human, we think, with a few other species scattered in. The system scans haven't been completed yet, but there are two moons with higher concentrations of ore, as well as an asteroid belt. This matches what data we have in the records from the Imperium surveys. It would be quite time consuming to properly utilize that ore, greatly reducing potential manufacturing capacity.

The planet itself is completely dry. Due to its orbit and only having a trace atmosphere, any oceans we added would be frozen year-round. We believe, however, that it would be possible to ship in ice from a frozen world at the outskirts of the system, and modify the atmosphere with enough effort. Frankly, though, it is my humble opinion that the system is far from worth the effort."

The Head Organizer nodded. "Perhaps not for the strategic value, but there are no more suitable planets in range that have sufficiently low populations to annex. The Order needs a second planet, to send the message that we are important. We are a threat to those who would wish to enslave us. The past shall not be repeated. Never Again."

Throughout the chamber, "never again" was repeated by most, if not all, who were present. The meeting was adjourned in short order; they knew what jobs they had to do.

----------

Sapphirian Communication

Having evolved underwater, Sapphirians lack a standard pure verbal communication system. Rather, their shrill whistles only play a minor role in their language, with much more emphasis on gestures and subtle shifts of their skin tone. (Because they have a here-to-for unmentioned natural pigment-changing camouflage ability akin to cuttlefish, which they can consciously control. It's generally limited to "natural" colors and only the simplest of patterns, although certain dancer/artists have more variation.) During their enslavement, they were taught to use "spoken" Common with electronic text-to-speech conversion devices.

[evilcherry]

On Stealth

It is always a commander's dream to be able to hide a fleet. The advantage is obvious: if you do not know where a fleet is, you simply cannot respond. Stealth fleets can, for example, slip through enemy lines, and strike directly at an important industrial facility.

To make a ship invisible is, however, not easy. Stealth ships utilizes a different array of systems to keep it undetected. To begin, optical camouflage is used, so it cannot be seen by the naked eye, or optical sensors. Fields that deceive gravitational sensors must also be used so that it appears to have no mass.

However, fooling the warp space interdictor is not so easy. Unless one is willing to travel in sublight speed, the distortion of time-space from a warp engine is very difficult to hide. Numerous scientists had tried and failed, until circa 21600, that the Cygnus labs had perfected an engine which enables stealth warp travel. It does not try to remove or hide the distortion; but rather, accelerates everything that at a rate so slow that it would be hardly detectable, especially when it is more than a few sectors away.

That said, it has a few limitations. Firstly, the enormous energy used and its low rate of change means warp speed is severely limited. Secondly, even then, at close ranges, the system still have flaws leading to detection. Thirdly, as a consequence, only smaller spacecrafts can equip them, but not as small as fighters.

Even then, it still holds an advantage, so much that the traditionalists in the imperial navy department raised concern of its proliferation, and correctly shown in the battle of Laguna as an invisible fleet took a battleship group by surprise. As a compromise, the treaty of Zoll was signed, that stealth ships must uncloak and broadcast its identifier (that is still called a "flag") before commencing attacks. Regardless of this treaty, stealth ships are still favoured by pirates and they are a hazard to shipping and trade.

[ggamer]

"Fuck."

These were the first words Jan-Fortua uttered when he saw the report on colony 9. According to the report, some asshole kissed enough ass to gain control of a colony- Of his former people! They were so depressed, that if someone invaded, they wouldn't be able to put up a fight!

Even though there were hardly any manufactories there, The governor still figured out how to fuck the planet over. When he made his trip there, he could hardly breath for all for all the smog in the atmosphere!

So, the first thing that was done was investment. credits poured in to rebuild local infrastructure, and improve on ventilation inside of the buildings. the governor had worked his people into the ground, and now they were almost all dead. Money also went to rebuild the manufactories lost in the raid.

His federal reserves took a big hit, but it was worth it. The new buildings housed the population, keeping their lungs clean. In turn, more of them began to pay taxes, albeit only half of them.