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[Bremen]

- What this is -

This will be a Let's Play of the game Aurora, with community interaction.

Aurora is a Space 4x game with the quirk of being incredibly detailed. It's similar to Dwarf Fortress in that it is intended to be as much of a story simulator as an actual game, and in fact it was originally a tool for keeping track of the author's sci-fi campaigns before an AI was eventually added.

It's a very, very in depth game, where you can do things like determining the resolution your ships scan at, design the individual missiles they are firing (out of custom designed launchers), or colonize any one of several hundred asteroids in the Solar System alone. It would be called old school except there was never anything this complicated back in the day simply because the computers couldn't handle it.

There's a 650 page thread on Aurora here. This forum seems to have a special fondness for the game, probably because of its similarities to Dwarf Fortress.

As a final note, Aurora has essentially no graphics; don't expect a lot of pretty screenshots. I suggest you pretend you're reading an extremely interactive book.

- How this will work -

Since the AI is spotty at best, I'll be playing both main sides of this game, and probably also doing a little cheating editing behind the scenes to make sure everything goes smoothly and stays interesting. However, the Federation is democratically inclined, and I'll do my best to take into account suggestions of anyone in the thread.

If you haven't played Aurora, don't let that stop you from making suggestions; it's the kind of game where if you can think of something the game probably lets you do it. Aurora isn't called "the Dwarf Fortress of 4x games" for nothing. And please don't spare the suggestions; playing against myself is boring. Even if it's just "build a 10,000 ton ship that uses missiles" I'll do my best.

In addition, Aurora includes named officers. Feel free to request one be named after you; I'll be keeping lists and naming officers as needed (we probably wont need 20 naval officers right at the start, and they do get old and die eventually). Officers are available as Naval Officers (command ships or task groups), Ground Forces Officers (command ground forces, and probably wont see a lot of action), Civilian Administrators (govern colonies and sectors), and Leading Scientists (research technologies). And feel free to suggest what your namesake should be doing/how they should act in combat if you have a preference.

This game will also use a few house rules, mostly for the sake of convenience:
1) I wont be using geosurvey teams; they're overly powerful and micromanagement intensive. If we want more minerals we'll have to find them.
2) No inexperienced fleet penalty: Because fleet training is more micromanagement I'd prefer to avoid
3) Missiles will do half damage (enforced by making warheads half geo sensor). Missiles are overly powerful in the base game, and I think this adds another strategic layer. This rule applies both to the Terran Federation and the Myriad, but not NPRs.
4) Component design research will all be done instantly and for free. Mostly just a matter of taste, since I think otherwise it encourages a homogenous fleet without any interesting variety.
5) Somewhere out there is another race, that I am controlling. This isn't a "Me vs You" game, though, and I have a sort of script that race will be following rather than trying to straight out win.
6) As part of the story, the human side begins this game with fairly high tech; everything with a cost <10,000 RP. This should slow down early research and prevent ships from becoming obsolete before they even finish being built.

- The Story so Far -

In the year 1983, by the old Earth calender, an experimental Soviet orbital telescope called the Budushchyee detected intelligent radio signals of extraterrestrial origin. Under total secrecy, the Soviet scientists began attempting to translate the message, eventually deciphering the name of the aliens (transliterated as the "Thuem Concordat") and large amounts of technical data using new elements which did not obey Newton's laws. Applications of these new technologies began to spring up all over the Soviet Union, including distressingly effective military vehicles, and the western nations were quick to take notice.

Secrecy could not be maintained long, especially not in the espionage heavy environment of the time, and soon the United States began a rush program to deploy its own version of the Budushchyee satellite called the Stargazer. After an unexplained explosion destroyed the Stargazer on its launch pad, US military forces destroyed the Budushchyee with a surprise missile attack, though the government claimed it was the work of a rogue military commander. Open war broke out soon after, and the records become uncertain and contradictory.

The war was fought without reservation, and utilized conventional, nuclear, and biological weapons on an enormous scale. Countries all over the world found themselves involved, and even those who managed to stay neutral (mostly in the southern hemisphere) suffered famine and plague as the world economy collapsed and engineered diseases spread. Within ten years the world population had fallen from approximately 5 billion to less than one, and the war still appeared to be at a stalemate.

But just as the strange signal began the war, it was also what ultimately brought it to an end. Hoping more technological data could prove key to winning the war, both sides eventually rebuilt and launched more of the long range radio telescopes. But the signal was different now, telling the story of the Thuem's war with a horrifying new race they called "The Myriad". A war that they were losing.

As the transmission grew bleaker and bleaker, the aliens also transmitted technology they had been unwilling to share before, including weapons designs and the secret of faster than light travel through strange "jump points". Where thousands of years of diplomacy had failed, an external threat was all it took to unite the world. Peace treaties were signed, and bitter enemies agreed to work together in case the Myriad came to Earth; as scientists were quick to caution, the signal was decades old and an invasion could come at any time. In the end an agreement was reached; while individual nations would retain their autonomy, a new global government known as the Unified Human Federation was formed with the purpose of defending the human race and expanding to the stars.

It is now January 1st, 2000, and it is time for the human race to finally reach out to the stars.


Named Characters
Civilian Administrators
Raymond Smuckles, President of the UHF

Naval Officers:
Sky Marshal Hannah Avram, CO 1st Fleet
Vice Admiral Max Yeskly, CO CS Buddha
Rear Admiral Elfeater Jr., CO CS Zeus
Commodore Sarganto, CO Brazwell III 068

Ground Forces Officers:
Colonel Johnson, CO 63rd Marine Company
Major General Euchre Jack Jr., CO 57th Marine Company "EJs Heroes"
Colonel NRDL Jr., CO 58th Marine Company "NRDL Raiders"


The Price of Freedom
Rear Admiral Sheb Bravski, killed in the first battle of Alpha Centauri
Commodore Hartman, killed in the first battle of Alpha Centauri
Rear Admiral Flying Dice, killed in the first battle of Alpha Centauri

Major General Euchre Jack, killed in the battle of Lalande
Brigadier General NRDL, killed in the battle of Lalande

[Bremen]

Status of the Unified Human Federation, January 1st.




Earth is a shattered wreck. A decade of war has destroyed much of its industry, the planet is frozen in a nuclear winter, and as a result of radioactive fallout global population is still decreasing. Most high tech centers were destroyed in the war, and other than cottage industry about all that remains is a handful of secret military labs and the two radio telescopes built by the respective sides.

However, the Thuem's technology offers hope that the situation can be improved. With a few Trans-newtonian updates to remaining industry it should be possible to greatly increase productivity, and once a space program is developed it should be possible to colonize radiation-free Mars or even extra-solar planets.

January 1, 2000: Stating that the future of humanity lies in space, the UHF leadership begins construction of a commercial shipyard using what neutronium supplies are available. Small projects to update factories and mines are launched with what industry can be spared from the project.



The surviving labs will be split into two projects; one will work on developing new Trans-Newtonian tools for further research and development, and the second will work on a new improved spaceship engine.



January 6, 2000: With the war over, civilians protest the conditions on Earth, though for now a strong police presence is enough to keep problems from escalating



January 1st, 2001: An end of year census by the UHF reveals that the global population is no longer shrinking, citing relocation of groups to cleaner areas. Births are now outnumbering deaths, but only slightly.

August 21, 2001: Phoenix Orbital Docks is officially opened for construction work. As deposits of TNEs on Earth are estimated not to last much longer, it begins work on a vessel capable of surveying the solar system for more deposits.

Code: [Select]

Discovery class Geological Survey Vessel    1,750 tons     70 Crew     175.3 BP      TCS 35  TH 100  EM 0
2857 km/s     Armour 1-12     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/1     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 63    Max Repair 100 MSP

Civilian Nuclear Pulse Engine (1)    Power 100    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 100    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 857.1 billion km   (3472 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour
Citing the dangers of the Myriad and as yet unknown other threats, the UHF re-tasks industry to building a second shipyard, this one aimed for the more demanding engineering of military vessels.

March 26, 2002: The FSS Discovery is completed, and departs on her maiden voyage to begin surveying the moon for mineral deposits. Construction begins on a second ship of her class.

April 11, 2002: Survey results from the Moon come back negative, but the Discovery moves on to continue its survey.

April 26, 2002: FSS Discovery reports deposits of Tritanium and Mercassium on Mercury.

May 26, 2002: Deposits of Duranium, Corbomite, Mercassium, and Sorium are discovered on Venus

June 16, 2002: Deposits of Duranium and Uridium are found on Mars; the planet's environment is fairly tame and it seems suitable for terraforming as well.

November 5, 2002: A second discovery class is launched, and begins surveying the asteroid belt for easily accessible deposits.

December 6, 2002: Drake orbital docks is official completed, but work will continue on it until it is capable of building larger vessels. Remaining industry will concentrate on rebuilding factories and mines with TN technology.

Expansion begins on Phoenix orbital docks as well, with plans already being made for a slow, extremely large freighter to move mining equipment to newly discovered deposits.

July 21, 2003: Lesley Setlock completes plans to use Thuem technology in research labs. He is given the new task of improving the factories that are even now being built across the planet.

November 26, 2003: Work on expanding the Drake Orbital Docks completes, however with scientist Brooks Jessamy promising his new work on Ion engines will show fruit within a few months, work on a military vessel is delayed to use the new technology.

December 26, 2003: Brooks Jessamy successfully tests a prototype Ion Drive with 50% more thrust than a comparable Nuclear Pulse engine. He begins work on a smaller ion drive suitable for use on a missile, and his new drive is utilized in the design of a new vessel:

Code: [Select]

Napoleon class Patrol Ship    2,250 tons     200 Crew     341.4 BP      TCS 45  TH 180  EM 0
4000 km/s     Armour 2-15     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 18
Maint Life 12.42 Years     MSP 285    AFR 13%    IFR 0.2%    1YR 3    5YR 51    Max Repair 36 MSP

Military Ion Drive (3)    Power 60    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 60,000 Litres    Range 80.0 billion km   (231 days at full power)

Advanced Coil Gun (3x3)    Range 30,000km     TS: 4000 km/s     Accuracy Modifier 100%     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Patrol Ship Targeting Computer (1)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 4000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0

Short Range Targeting Sensor (1)     GPS 21     Range 2.3m km    Resolution 1
Drake Orbital yards begins construction of a Napoleon class, and also begins work on adding a second slipway so two vessels can be built at the same time.

January 1, 2004: Four years have passed since the UHF was formed, and it is time for elections to fill various positions.



The situation on Earth, while not perfect, has greatly improved over the last four years. Temperatures are nearly back to their pre-war levels, and overall radiation levels have fallen. Thanks to both of these, the planet's population is also finally beginning to grow again.

Industrial development continues, and the product of Earth's mines and factories are roughly double what they were immediately after the war. Over 75% of available industry still remains to be upgraded, however, and many question what the industry should be focused on next.ed, however, and many question what available industry should be focused on next.

Known Solar System TNE Deposits >10,000 tons total

Code: [Select]

Mercury:
Tritanium 3,906,157 (.8)
Mercassium 4,003,201 (.1)

Venus:
Duranium 183,134 (.9)
Corbomite 9,903,861 (.1)
Mercassium 1,058,512 (.1)
Sorium 618,991 (.1)

Earth
Duranium 180,319 (1)
Neutronium 31,587 (.3)
Corbomite 22,370 (.2)
Tritanium 53,351 (.6)
Boronide 25,241 (.2)
Mercassium 35,868 (.4)
Vendarite 89,476 (.3)
Sorium 113,835 (.8)
Uridium 111,176 (.3)
Corundium 65,384 (.2)
Gallicite 63,527 (.9)

Mars
Duranium 4,892,192 (.3)
Uridium 3,247,204 (1)

Sol-A Asteroid #142
Duranium 8,398 (1)
Neutronium 1,109 (1)
Gallicite 2,725 (1)

Mimas
Duranium 19,208 (1)
Neutronium 33,124 (1)
Corundium 6,400 (.9)

Dione
Duranium 241,096 (1)
Corbomite 2,540 (.7)
Tritanium 9,063 (1)
Boronide 7,056 (.9)
Uridium 6,147 (1)
Gallicite 116,691 (.9)

Uranus
Sorium 24,563,160 (.5)

[Flying Dice]

More conversion to construction factories, fuel refineries, and mines; ordinance factories can come once you've got the shipyard and maint. capacity for warships.


Long term goal is the same as in every game of Aurora: every other sentient species enslaved or exterminated.


Ship design: we all know missiles are massively overpowered, Gauss and lasers are standard PD, and railguns and mesons are both decent secondary EW tracks, so we should go for ships armed with microwaves, particle beams, and plasma carronades, because they hardly ever get used. 

[Sheb]

I request the officer leading the first Napoleon. Sheb Bravski shall be his name.

I support Flying Dice's ships design ordnance. I suggest a fleet of heavy carrier carrying fleets of FACs with various wepons. And boarders.

Establishing a colony on Mars should be a priority, to get our civies started. The military yard should retool to produce a small, jump-capable Gravsurvey ship.

[Bremen]

Well, I was hoping for a little more response than two posts, but have an update.

------------------------------------------

January 1, 2004: Planetary governor Majorie Ives decides to continue with the industrial rebuilding project, though small amounts of production are diverted to work on fuel refineries and maintenance facilities to care for the new space fleet.



January 16, 2004: While surveying the asteroid belt, a micrometeorite impact kills the captain of the Discovery II while the hands-on Commodore is conducting EVA. A space burial is held alongside memorial services on Earth.



Commodore Rolando Nhek will be replaced by Commodore Mimi Wachsman, who shows excellent promise in the field of planetary survey.

March 22, 2004: Commodore Mimi Wachsman develops a severe allergy to space tape, and must retire back to Earth. Rumors begin to circulate that the Discovery II may be cursed.



Captain Norbert Nusbaum takes command; though he is not as skilled at survey as his higher ranking predecessors Earth is running out of qualified commanders for the job. The UHF begins considering the construction of a dedicated academy for naval officers.

April 30, 2004: The Discovery completes its survey of all planetary bodies in the Solar System (and Pluto). It begins a trip to Earth for refueling and shore leave before it will join the Discovery II in surveying the asteroid belt.

June 5, 2004: The Phoenix Orbital Yards complete their expansion project, and are now capable of constructing 35,000 ton ships. A new freighter design is already planned to take advantage of the shipyard.

Code: [Select]

Liberty class Freighter    34,700 tons     236 Crew     475.4 BP      TCS 694  TH 1050  EM 0
1512 km/s     Armour 1-94     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 9    Max Repair 38 MSP
Cargo 25000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 5   

Civilian Ion Engine (7)    Power 150    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 86.4 billion km   (661 days at full power)
The Phoenix shipyards begin tooling to produce the design.

October 30, 2004: Drake shipyards complete construction of the first patrol ship, the FSS Napoleon. Earth is no longer defenseless in the case of an alien attack. Rear Admiral Sheb Bravski takes command of the ship and leads it on a shakedown cruise.

The shipyard keeps busy, building more ships of the Napoleon class. Additionally, as planetary maintenance facilities are currently insufficient to maintain the ship, more industry is devoted to producing the required infrastructure.

February 10, 2005: Phoenix shipyards begin construction of the first Liberty class freighter. The shipyard also begins laying down a second slipway in order to construct civilian shipping more quickly.

March 25, 2005: Scientist Lyndon Sinko completes work on a miniaturized ion drive suitable for missiles. His next project will be to find a way to improve the productivity of our mines.

April 10, 2005: Drake shipyards completes work on a second slipway, enabling the construction of two vessels at once. The public demands the UHF fulfill its mandate to explore the stars, so the facility begins retooling to produce a new vessel capable of finding and using the "Jump Points" mentioned in the the extraterrestrial signal

Code: [Select]

Newton class Gravitational Survey Vessel    2,500 tons     146 Crew     263.3 BP      TCS 50  TH 150  EM 0
3000 km/s    JR 1-50     Armour 2-16     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/1/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 0
Maint Life 8.46 Years     MSP 214    AFR 15%    IFR 0.2%    1YR 5    5YR 80    Max Repair 100 MSP

Einstein-Golgotha Dynamo FTL Drive     Max Ship Size 2500 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 1
Civilian Ion Engine (1)    Power 150    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 600.0 billion km   (2314 days at full power)

Gravitational Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour
July 10, 2005: Construction begins on the FSS Newton. Drake shipyards also begins a new round of construction to enable production of larger vessels.

October 30, 2005: Construction of the first Liberty freighter finishes at Phoenix Yards. A second hull is immediately laid down, with expectations of many more to come.

The public is nearly unanimous in their goal to colonize Mars and make a second home for the human race. President Majorie Ives orders some of the new industrial capacity be diverted to produce pre-fab domed colonies. These can be set down on Mars by the Liberty and await the first colonists.

January 5, 2006: A civilian startup company establishes a mining colony on Triton; as the UHF currently has a budget surplus and little to spend it on it negotiates to purchase the output of the mines.

February 5, 2006: A civilian startup, Pesek Freight Limited, annouces it has completed its own freighter based on the Liberty design.

February 28, 2006: The FSS Newton is declared flight worthy, and leaves orbit on a mission to survey the system for jump points; its sister ship will join the survey as soon as it is ready.

May 12, 2006: The Newton II detects odd gravitational fluctuations that are later confirmed as evidence of a jump point. After reporting the location the crew of the vessel vote unanimously to ignore established procedure and immediately attempt a jump before completing their survey.

May 15, 2006: The Newton II disappears from the system, re-appearing two hours later to report that the jump drive works as designed, and transmitting initial data on the system of Wolf 359.

The system contains nine planets, numerous moons, and an asteroid belt. Spectral readings indicate that the second planet contains an oxygen rich atmosphere that should be breathable unaided, though the planet is too cold to sustain human life without technological support. It would require less infrastructure for a colony than Mars would, though experts note that, even if our freighters were jump capable, it is a much longer round trip.

May 30, 2006: Lesley Setlock completes research into improved construction techniques for the new factories; his next project will be to develop improved alloys to build and armor ships with.

June 8, 2006: The Newton II detects a second jump point near the first, but this one slightly closer to Earth. Again, it diverts to find out what lies beyond the point.

June 12, 2006: The Newton II transits and returns with information on the system of Barnards Star. Compared to Wolf 359, the system is less promising; it holds 12 planets and an asteroid belt, but all of the planets are frigid compared to Earth, and none have oxygen atmospheres.

August 1, 2006: The Newton II detects a third jump point. The crew of the original Newton is not happy at their sister ship seemingly having much better luck.

August 5, 2006: The Newton II discovers the binary system of Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri A has only one planet with only trace atmosphere, though its temperature and gravity are nearly ideal, making it suitable for colonization. Alpha Centauri B has four planets and a few asteroids, none of which hold promise for colonization.

Earth completes work on fuel refining infrastructure. Given the increasing number of civilian mining colonies, construction is begun on a new mass driver device designed to allow transportation of minerals without need of a freighter.

September 10, 2006: Phoenix shipyard completes work on a second slipway. Preparation begins to build a Liberty class refitted to carry passengers instead of cargo; with infrastructure ready and waiting on the red planet colonists are clamoring for a chance to move there.

Code: [Select]

Terra Nova class Colony Ship    34,750 tons     313 Crew     1436.2 BP      TCS 695  TH 1050  EM 0
1510 km/s     Armour 1-94     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 26    Max Repair 38 MSP
Colonists 100000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 5   

Civilian Ion Engine (7)    Power 150    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres    Range 86.3 billion km   (661 days at full power)
Retooling will require over a year, so for now construction continues on a third and fourth Liberty.

November 25, 2006: Scientist Lesley Setlock is killed in a research accident when an early prototype of his experimental ceramic composite armor proves exceptionally pyrophoric. Scientist Jamar Kashuba will succeed him on the project, while Wilson Tisby uses some of the labs to explore the possibility of the prototype substance in enhancing particle beam weapons.

December 25, 2006: Drake Orbital Docks completes its second round of expansion, and is now capable of constructing military vessels up to 4,000 tons. While maintaining that the Napoleon is a capable ship, the UHF claims that more than patrol ships will be necessary to defend the human race, and begins work on a newer ship with an emphasis on heavy long range firepower using particle beams.

Code: [Select]

Nelson class Battlecruiser    4,000 tons     539 Crew     693.2 BP      TCS 80  TH 300  EM 0
3750 km/s     Armour 3-22     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 3     PPV 30
Maint Life 7.02 Years     MSP 368    AFR 37%    IFR 0.5%    1YR 13    5YR 196    Max Repair 77 MSP

Military Ion Drive (5)    Power 60    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 37.5 billion km   (115 days at full power)

Particle Beam Projector (5)    Range 200,000km     TS: 4000 km/s     Power 7-4    ROF 10        3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Long Range Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 256,000 km   TS: 4000 km/s     96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
Gas-Cooled Fission Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 18    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Short Range Targeting Sensor (1)     GPS 21     Range 2.3m km    Resolution 1
January 1, 2007: In honor of the new year, president Marjorie Ives holds a "State of the Homeworld" press conference.



Industrial conversion is nearly complete, after which it will be an open question what to build next. Radiation levels continue to fall as well, and the human race is now healthier and growing steadily.

Code: [Select]

Known habitable planets by colonization cost:

Wolf 359-A II (.65)
Alpha Centauri-A I (2.00)
Mars (2.18)

[Elfeater]

Ah I Captain Hartman, Captain of our flagship (Not an admiral) signing up.

[Sheb]

As senior officer, I request command of the first Nelson as soon as it gets out of the docks.

We should also start work toward a Jumpgate Builder. We need those colonies.

Finally I'd like several smaller military shipyards built for FACs. FACs should be the mainstay of our fleet, even our survey should be done by carrier with surveyor FACs.

[NRDL]

PTW. 

[Flying Dice]

Also requesting a medium-rank naval officer. And I saw that pic in the main discussion thread of the Swarm deciding to stomp you. 

[Bremen]

Updated the officers roster. I tried to do the best I could with what the game gives me    (We only have like 5 captains, and they're all pretty bad for commanding combat vessels).

Edit: Turns out Captains aren't high enough ranked to command capital ships, so Hartman gets a un-asked for promotion to Commodore.

[EuchreJack]

I'll lead a Marine detachment.  Or other ground forces if you currently have no marines.

[Flying Dice]

Updated the officers roster. I tried to do the best I could with what the game gives me    (We only have like 5 captains, and they're all pretty bad for commanding combat vessels).

Edit: Turns out Captains aren't high enough ranked to command capital ships, so Hartman gets a un-asked for promotion to Commodore.

You can change the minimum command rank for a class in the DAC/Rank Info tab of the class design window.

[Bremen]

You can change the minimum command rank for a class in the DAC/Rank Info tab of the class design window.

I learn something new every time I play this game.

[Bremen]

March 15, 2007: A fourth jump point is located, this time by the original Newton. The jubilant crew immediately sets course for the point to begin their first survey of another system.

After the jump they find themselves in the system of Lacaille 9352. The system is mostly unremarkable, with only two planets, one moon, and a small asteroid field. Though cold, one of the planets could be terraformed with only moderate effort.

April 16, 2007: The Discovery completes its survey of the last sizeable asteroid in the Sol system. Unfortunately neither it nor its sister possess the jump drives they would need to begin survey operations in other systems, though perhaps they can be refitted at a later date. Instead, both ships return to Earth for a badly needed vacation after a five year cruise.

July 18, 2007: A group of jump point theory experts review the data from the Newtons' system survey and conclude that all jump points in the Sol system have likely been found. The two craft will proceed to Earth for refueling and maintenance before moving on to begin a similar survey in the Wolf 359 system.

August 18, 2007: Economists announce that all of Earth's remaining industry has been updated to use Trans-Newtonian technology. The gains in productivity are enormous; Earth's GDP is already higher than it was before the war.

The report raises the question of what to do next. While more industry could be constructed, building it from scratch would be much slower and more expensive. Instead, the UHF decides to focus on other long neglected areas for now. The first priority will be to expand maintenance services to deal with the new 4,000 ton Nelson class Battlecruisers, even now beginning construction.

Second will be the construction of more shipyards; the time required to retool a yard to produce a new ship is proving wasteful, and spreading the load between smaller shipyards will keep major portions of Earth's construction capacity from lying idle between jobs.

November 8, 2007: Phoenix Orbital Yards begins construction of two Terra Nova class colony ships.

Mindful of the expense involved in developing Jump drives for ships as large as freighters or colony ships, UHF scientists develop plans for a "Jump Gate", a large system that can be places on a jump point to effectively take the place of a ship's jump engines. Phoenix Orbital Yards begins preparations for a massive engineering ship capable of placing these gates where required.

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Outreach class Jump Tender    34,550 tons     498 Crew     1005.4 BP      TCS 691  TH 1050  EM 0
1519 km/s     Armour 1-94     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 18    Max Repair 38 MSP
Jump Gate Construction Ship: 360 days

Civilian Ion Engine (7)    Power 150    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 43.4 billion km   (330 days at full power)
December 28, 2007: After enjoying Christmas with their families, the crews of the two Newton vessels depart to begin surveying the Wolf 359 system.

January 18, 2008: A new civilian shipyard is completed; Pegasus Orbital docks was intended from the outset to update the aging Discovery vessels with jump drives and new technology, and immediately sets to the task of refitting the two vessels:

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Discovery II class Geological Survey Vessel    2,500 tons     131 Crew     262.8 BP      TCS 50  TH 150  EM 0
3000 km/s    JR 1-50     Armour 2-16     Shields 0-0     Sensors 11/11/0/1     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 66    Max Repair 100 MSP

Einstein-Golgotha Dynamo FTL Drive     Max Ship Size 2500 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 1
Civilian Ion Engine (1)    Power 150    Fuel Use 6%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 600.0 billion km   (2314 days at full power)

Thermal Sensor TH1-11 (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  11m km
EM Detection Sensor EM1-11 (1)     Sensitivity 11     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  11m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour
February 28, 2008: Scientists on Earth develop new mining techniques which should greatly enhance productivity. A new project is begun to find quicker and cheaper ways of retooling shipyards for new designs.

March 23, 2008: Construction is finished on a pair of new naval shipyards. Sphinx and Manticore yards are intended to operate in tandem, developing a new class of fast and light combat ships.

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Brazwell class Gunboat    800 tons     93 Crew     144.2 BP      TCS 16  TH 138  EM 0
8625 km/s     Armour 2-7     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 4
Maint Life 7.82 Years     MSP 56    AFR 10%    IFR 0.1%    1YR 2    5YR 24    Max Repair 38 MSP

High Performance Ion Drive (1)    Power 138    Fuel Use 780%    Signature 138    Armour 0    Exp 36%
Fuel Capacity 30,000 Litres    Range 8.7 billion km   (11 days at full power)

Light Plasma Cannon (1)    Range 60,000km     TS: 8625 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 1    ROF 10        6 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Gunboat Fire Control (1)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 8000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
Miniaturized Fission Cell (3)     Total Power Output 3.1    Armour 0    Exp 12%

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Rodney class Command Ship    800 tons     50 Crew     143.4 BP      TCS 16  TH 138  EM 0
8625 km/s     Armour 5-7     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 6.69 Years     MSP 56    AFR 10%    IFR 0.1%    1YR 2    5YR 33    Max Repair 34 MSP

High Performance Ion Drive (1)    Power 138    Fuel Use 780%    Signature 138    Armour 0    Exp 36%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 43.3 billion km   (58 days at full power)

Short Range Targeting Sensor (1)     GPS 21     Range 2.3m km    Resolution 1
These small, speedy ships should be able to operate from planetary bases or, according to a suggestion by Rear Admiral Sheb Bravski, future carrier motherships. Critics complain that the ships are untested and that the military budget should be spent on more conventional ships, but proponents retort that all of the combat designs are currently untested. Observers suggest the possibility of war games between the two schools once sufficient ships are completed.

July 8, 2008: The Newton Task force returns from Wolf 359 with news that there is only a single new jump point in the system. Keeping in mind the cautionary tale of the curious cat, they did not explore it.

The two ships will report to Earth for fuel and maintenance before moving on to Barnards Star

August 29, 2008: The first Rodney and Brazwell class ships are completed; their fast construction time is touted as one of their advantages. More immediately begin construction.

September 24, 2008: Now equiped with enhanced sensors and a jump drive, the GEV Discovery sets out for Wolf 359 to begin surveying for minerals.

December 13, 2008: Construction finishes on the first two ships of the Nelson class, the BC Nelson and BC Sun Tzu. Admiral Sheb Bravski and Commodore Hartman will command the two vessels.

February 5, 2009: The current phase of industrial production finishes, and Earth's industry begins to work on additional research labs, as well as a project to automate a large number of mines to make them suitable for use on uninhabited colonies

June 10, 2009: The survey of Barnards Star is completed. The system is a virtual nexus, with a total of 7 jump points including the one to Earth.

August 25, 2009: It is a proud day for humanity as the two Terra Nova class colony ships glide out of Phoenix orbital docks, ready to transport 100,000 colonists each. The two ships immediately begin loading from Earth's new spaceport, as tickets to Mars have been sold out since they were announced.

Phoenix Orbital docks begins work on an additional freighter as well as a new Outreach jump gate construction ship.

January 1, 2010: A decade has passed since the end of World War III, and humanity has made enormous leaps towards rebuilding.



The Earth is no longer dangerously radioactive, and the population has grown by nearly 125 million in the last decade. Modernization of the industry is fully completed and the planet is now a powerhouse of construction.

Additionally, there is now a two and a half million population colony on Mars. Though it has no industry to speak of, it is making some income as a tourist destination and a source of exotic trade goods.

If the population is going to continue to increase at the current rate, it will probably be necessary to construct additional pre-fabbed domes and transport them to Mars.



Naval construction is growing at an ever increasing rate; the fleet already encompasses 2 Battlecruisers, 2 Patrol Ships, 7 Gunboats, and 3 Command Ships. Expansion of Drake Orbital Docks is underway with the intention of developing a carrier ship for the Fast Attack Craft.



Not all news is good, though; Geologists report that many of Earth's mineral deposits will be exhausted over the next three years. Though we have major stockpiles of all minerals except corundium, it is likely that offworld mining colonies will soon be necessary to maintain supplies.



Another future problem is that, for the first time since its founding, the UHF is running a deficit. Industrial production has far outgrown tax collection, and the government is currently using the savings of the last decade to fund industrial and military production. At the current rate the savings could be expected to last another decade, but it is likely expenses will continue to grow. Ceasing to purchase civilian minerals and instead collecting taxes on their private sale has been suggested, and would likely be enough to correct this deficit in the short term.

[majikero]

Mining Mimas and Dione will solve the problem in the short term. Colonizing Mars could solve the Duranium crunch if you could get some civilian trade going. They'll provide the infrastructure for the colony without using resources.