March 29, 2018: The archaeology team arrives at Alpha Centauri-A 1 and excitedly sets to work exploring the strange ruins. The Leonidas will remain in orbit to provide support and protection.
April 18, 2018: While surveying the system of Proxima Centauri, the Newton finds a jump point that already has a jump gate of obviously alien manufacture. The gate appears quite old, however, and the system shows no sign of inhabitation.
May 5, 2018: Scientists on Earth develop the technology for Marine Companies specialized in boarding other vessels in space. The scientists involved decide they are much more comfortable working with sensor technology than military grunts, and will work on tier 2 Electronic Countermeasures next.
June 28, 2018: Three Lexington Strike Carriers emerge from their shipyards, enormous and majestic. They then turn around and land back in their shipyards for refits to Magneto-plasma drive technology. Shortly thereafter a Zeus class cruiser does the same.
December 29, 2018: The three Lexington class and one Zeus class complete their refitting. Combined, the ships can transport as many gunboats as 6 Cornwallis class, move at more than twice the speed, and have defenses in case they are attacked.
Once sufficient new model gunboats are available it will be time to enter the Lacaille system once again.
February 11, 2019: Though the news is quiet, Earth's shipyards are working at all hours to expand and update the UHF navy
March 1, 2019: The Archaeology team in Alpha Centauri transmits their report. The ruins appear to have belonged to a race called the Metis Consciousness, and 29 installations remain at least partially intact. Examining and restoring them will requiring transportation of an engineering brigade to the planet. Currently the only shipyard capable of producing a sufficiently large ship is busy building terraformers, but expansion of other yards are underway.
The team boards the Leonidas and sets course back for Earth. As Alpha Centauri has now been fully surveyed, the carriers will begin a detailed survey of Barnards star.
May 1, 2019: Two new civilian space docks finish expansion efforts, and are now capable of constructing Freighter size vessels. They go to work on two new designs
New York class Troop Transport 30,000 tons 340 Crew 959 BP TCS 600 TH 1200 EM 0
2000 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 3-86 Shields 0-0 Sensors 11/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 20 Max Repair 64 MSP
Troop Capacity: 5 Battalions Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
JC30K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 30000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Civilian Magneto-plasma Drive (6) Power 200 Fuel Use 6% Signature 200 Armour 0 Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 300.0 billion km (1736 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 kmThe New York is intended to ferry troops to various colonies and the archaeological dig in Alpha Centauri. If the design for a combat drop ship eventually come to fruitition it may also transport marine companies to board enemy ships, so it was designed with a jump drive and enough armor to survive a few hits in combat.
Jones class Salvager 35,000 tons 450 Crew 820 BP TCS 700 TH 1400 EM 0
2000 km/s Armour 1-95 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 15000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Civilian Magneto-plasma Drive (7) Power 200 Fuel Use 6% Signature 200 Armour 0 Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 428.6 billion km (2480 days at full power)Little is known about about the AC Automaton ships, and this design is intended to fix that. Capable of analyzing wrecked ships and salvaging minerals and intact parts, it may even be able to aid us in recreating their advanced technology.
July 5, 2019: Sufficient new model gunboats are now available to load the three Lexington class, and Vice Admiral Hannah Avram decides it is time to deal with the AC Automaton ships in Lacaille 9352.
July 27, 2019: Within weeks of departing Earth, the flag bridge onboard the Zeus begins reporting that Earth is under attack by the Evil Galactic Empire. Luckily it turns out to be a computer malfunction which is quickly corrected. Admiral Hannah Avram is not amused. Hopefully this is only an isolated incident.
August 9, 2019: The First and Second Fleets arrive in the Lacaille system. The fleet launches gunboats and they head in system.
While previous battles amounted to mostly just each side wailing at the other, Vice Admiral Avram feels that something more complicated is called for here. First of all, she has two gunboat forces with differing speeds; keeping them together would sacrifice the speed of the newer ships.
Second, and perhaps more troubling, is the enemy missile gunboats. The newer ships are faster, but only just, and the small ships are difficult to track on sensors. If the gunboats launch missiles and then retreat, the newer gunboats would have to leave the fleet to pursue, and possibly be lead into firing range of the enemy's medium size craft. Instead, the admiral decides to set a trap.
During the first battle of Lacaille, it was proven that the enemy converges on active sensor emissions. Therefor, the slower gunboats will play the bait by activating their sensors and attracting the enemy vessels, while the new model gunboats wait in stealth. Once the Second GB Squadron detects enemy vessels the first will circle around behind them.
Soon the enemy is detected, but to the surprise of the admiral it is the five enemy capital ships rather than the gunboats. The trap is activated regardless; the smaller ships may still be out there but will only be detected at close range. The First Fleet gunboats begin moving in behind the enemy vessels.
As the 2nd Squadron closes, two salvos of 8 missiles are detected, likely from the two contacts designated Anzone. The gunboats reverse course while openning fire on the incoming missiles.
The gunboats weather 9 sets of 16 missiles. Most are shot down, but enough leak through to destroy a brazwell and damage two others. Then 3 salvos of 9 missiles are detected, implying the Simbwaye contacts have joined the fight. The gunboats have trouble dealing with the larger salvos, and ships begin to explode or fall behind as their engines are damaged.
Finally, the missile bombardment ends, and sensors reveal the contacts are heading back in system. It appears they are out of missiles and returning for reloads. Though the plan was originally formulated to catch the gunboats, the ambush will work just as well against the capital ships.
Several hours later, the First Fleet gunboats activate their sensors from a position directly between the enemy ships and any possibility of reload. It is unknown if the AC automatons feel emotion, but if so they are probably feeling terror and despair. The gunboats open fire and the enemy vessels attempt to evade them rather than ram, but they can only postpone the inevitable.
One of the contacts is crippled and reduced to a speed of 645 km/s. This would be an ideal opportunity to make use of the boarding shuttles if they were finished; Admiral Avram sends a message to Earth urging that development be expedited.
Soon, it's all over. The gunboats destroy the frantically evading enemy ships without ever coming under fire. However, no sign has been seen of the light craft who were the original target of the trap. Both groups shut down their active sensors; The second fleet gunboats collect lifepods and then return to their motherships for repair and refueling.
Within 12 hours, all of the gunboats that were able to dock have their armor patched up and internal systems repaired. They launch again and resume trying to draw out the small craft.
The plan works, but somewhat too well; the Nyryat craft, apparently through pure coincidence, approach the 1st gunboat squadron close enough to detect them with active sensors, and abruptly switch targets. The first fleet gunboats move to engage. Soon enough, 66 incoming missiles are detected from the 6 Nyryat; the point defense capability of the new gunboats is about to be tested.
37 out of 66 missiles are shot down; impressive for a group of only 30 ships. The remaining 28 missiles impact and destroy 3 Brazwell IIIs. The 27 surviving gunboats of the 1st Squadron close to inflict their revenge as the enemy runs, but it does not save them. The faster gunboats eventually chase down and rip apart the fragile craft.
All known enemy forces have been eliminated, so the gunboats return to their carriers. The second fleet carriers move to retrieve those gunboats that are intact but rendered immobile by engine damage.
All told the UHF has lost 13 gunboats and received damage to a dozen more which was repaired by maintenance teams on the carriers at a minimal cost in supplies. In return they have destroyed 5 7,750 ton capital ships and 6 1,000 ton gunboats; a favorable rate of exchange. Even more important is that, if the survey of this system comes up clear, all known forces of the AC Automatons have been eliminated.
After picking up damaged fighters, the carriers move in system to make sure there are no remaining ships or orbital installations.
September 10, 2019: The navy completes an exploration of Lacaille 9352 and pronounces it clear of enemy forces.
That was the last known group of precursors, at least near earth, so probably no more grand battles for awhile. I suspect everyone was getting tired of them anyways.
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Topic: Let's Play Aurora - Ad Astra per Aspera (Read 38492 times)