Skies of Earth [ISOT/Airship Admiral Quest]

[Murtox]

Skies of Earth
​

The world had advanced so much in the five millennia of recorded history going from using stone to bronze, then to iron, and finally steel. The population of the world was on a steady rise and then an exponential rise during the industrial revolution. There were roughly one point five billion human beings on Earth by 1900 and that number would continue to rise. Economically, Europe was at the peak of its economic might and most of the world was under its control and influence. Yet, the mighty empires of Europe were headed towards a confrontation, one that would change the history of the world as they knew it. But this is not the story of how those mighty empires fought each other, this is a tale about the Skies of Earth.

Our story begins on the 1st of July of 1914, it is a day like any other and the people of Europe continue on with their lives. People get happy or sad, they celebrate and mourn. It is just a day until the skies of the world turn into a dark blue color, dark clouds begin to mass on the skies and lightning begins to strike the earth from the skies. This is not an isolated event as from New York to Beijing, the entire world is witness to this most strange meteorological phenomenon. One that will surely be written down in the annals of history due to its intensity and size.

The Greatest Storm as it is called by scientists in London cannot be explained and it won't be explained even as it subsides barely two days after it began. The people of Earth find themselves happy and certainly amazed by nature, many of them returned once more to their daily concerns until reports of strange sightings begin to appear. The strangest of which comes on the night of the 4th of June, telescopes in Europe, Asia, and America all see the same thing. The moon is changed, lights can be seen on the lunar surface, lights that had not been there but that's not even the beginning of it. Telescopes observe structures on the surface that extends for probably thousands of kilometers. There is no clear answer for the sudden change and the thousands of questions about the how or why. But humanity doesn't have the time to even answer the mysteries of the moon as sightings of strange airships are reported to the authorities all throughout the world, not only that, strange city-like structures are seen in places where there were none before and strange non-human beings are also sighted.

Without any way of knowing it and without a way to stop it, humanity has been thrown into a new era. An era of chaos, war, and mystery. You? You are an admiral not associated with any of Earth's nations, you do not command naval vessels either. You command airships and come from another world, thrown into this one by mysterious forces that you can't even comprehend. What do you know is that you must lead your crew to survive in this new world. But first, you must get to know your fleet.

This is art from @aoi_waffle 's twitter and they have very nice art so check him out​

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Hello, this quest is mostly an admiral quest with fleet management set on 1914 on Earth. Of course, this is not going to be a run of the mill 1914 Earth since this is a quest that's meant to be a rather strange mix of ideas and concepts that I have had over the years from aliens, demons, elves, and other weird stuff that will be seen as the quest advances. The major focus will be on the particular character leading the fleet and on the events that occur on this strange alternate earth. There will be (I think) three-character creation phases, the first is to set the tech level of the fleet and the background, the second is to build the fleet and the third is to build the admiral character.

Inspirations for this are Record of Garm's War, Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series, Salvation's War, Silence's SDs in Spacebattles, Lots of anime, anime airships, and lots of other crazy stuff that I can't remember.

Now as for the first phase! In this phase, you will pick a background for the admiral and his fleet, a technology level, and a setting to determine what kind of world the admiral came from. The background will impact the composition of the fleet in terms of vessel size, type and serve as different starts. Admiral is basically a standard start, the pirate is more a raider start, a mercenary is well combat-focused, and civilian more resource-focused. Technology will impact the capabilities of your vessels and the technologies that you have access to, generally, the more advanced the tech level the smaller your fleet will be due to point constraints. Finally, Setting is mostly for fluff and will help me build up some of the basics of the world that your fleet comes from.

Please vote in plan format, that's all!
Example Plan:
[X] Plan Pirate Pikachu
-[X] Pirate
-[X] Digital Age
-[X] Fantasy

Background: Pick 1

[X] Admiral: You were perhaps a proud admiral of your nation's air forces, either by merit or noble birth, you ascended through the ranks to your post. Perhaps, you are no longer in the world of your birth, however, you are still an admiral and still have the duty of keeping your men alive. Allows all vessels to be purchased at game start, your flagship has an expanded upgrade limit of 6.

[X] Pirate: Some may call you a scoundrel but you managed to avoid many navies, defeat forces larger than yours or avoid defeat, nonetheless, you still feasted on the plunder of your raids and laughed at your enemies. Your men follow you because they know you are competent and perhaps also ruthless. Bonuses to raids and bonus to morale, however, you can only purchase units of L size and below.

[X] Mercenary: Doing mercenary work in the skies wasn't always the easiest job, but it paid and with time you managed to form your own mercenary fleet. Can only purchase vessels of M size and below. All purchased units start with the veteran trait(which doesn't count to the upgrade limit) and extra rewards when dealing with earth nations.

[X] Civilian: Manage the trade company's fleet they said, it will be fun they said. Can only purchase S-size units and below, however, manufactories and cargo ships cost half at game start. Manufactories are not affected by the size limit purchase at game start.

Tech Level: This will determine the tech level of the vessels that your fleet has. Time periods are referential and other traits that you take may impact the performance and capabilities of your vessels. Overall, the more advanced the technology level the fewer points you will have available to use for building your air fleet. Similarly, technology will also impact the cultural facets of your crew. Pick 1

[X] Steam Age: (1776-1880) High-Pressure steam engines power up your vessels, most likely aided by other rare materials that make flight of such heavy vessels possible in the first place. Vessels of this era are often well armored but lack in firepower, more often than not, requiring long periods for combat to be fully over. A mixture of smoothbore and rifled breech loaded guns are used this timeframe, although, breech-loaders are yet to be perfected for naval guns. Communication between vessels is also limited to light and flag signals, as the wireless telegraph and the radio are yet to be invented. [x2 Build Points]

[X] Machine Age: (1880-1945) Development of combustion engines and refinements in technology led to the creation of the first battleships. Heavily armored, faster than their predecessors, and with far more firepower. This era also sees the arrival of lighter than air flight, planes begin to see mass use in civilian and military sectors. Radar and radio begin to be used to increase the capabilities of airship vessels, allowing for greater coordination for fleets. This era also sees the largest vessels in terms of size and weight. [x1 Build Points]

[X] Atom Age: (1946-1980) Vessel sizes shrink as jet-powered planes begin to dominate the skies. Developments in missile technology also create new problems for large airship vessels, naval defense systems are developed to counter the threat of the missile. Missile and plane carriers become the dominant airship vessel during this era. Nuclear missiles are also developed and begin to deploy to special launching units. [x0.5 Build Points]

[X] Digital Age: (1980-20XX) Advances in computation, stealth materials, deployment of early laser weaponry, and missile technology lead to a whole different way to do warfare. What previously took hours or days, now takes minutes. The concentration and coordination of firepower are at their peak and every second counts during a combat situation. Drones begin to replace pilots in some situations and airship vessels can unload enormous amounts of firepower very precisely and with ease. [x0.25 Build Points]

[X] Forgotten Age: (10XXXX-XXXXXX) The world has experienced too many cycles, civilization has risen and fallen as many times as a number of stars that have disappeared from the firmament. The past of the world is obscured and the technology that is currently used is just a mix and match of pieces of knowledge from that past that are no longer fully understood. Not even the wisest sage or a one-in-a-billion genius could ever hope to reconstruct the technological base of old, what the people know is that the machines built by previous civilizations still work and have within them an incredibly destructive power. Nobody can hope to unleash the full power of the ships you command and perhaps that's for the better. [x0.1 Build Points]

Setting: For fluff reasons. Pick 1

[X] Crapsack World: The place you came from is not a nice place, but it is certainly not hell at least not for now. Perhaps, you are even glad to be able to leave it behind. Be it, because of an apocalypse that happened, the world is under control of a very efficient and tyrannical empire because the environment is simply too damn bad for anything to prosper in that world or a combination of many things that make the world not such a good place to live in.

[X] Realistic: Your world followed overall the same historical leanings as ours, it is not horrible but it isn't a very happy place either. Only a few of humanity's constant problems have been solved if any at all and people can be extremely diverse in their beliefs and feelings.

[X] Fantasy: The world that you know is a bit different from ours, different rules apply and maybe there are gods that can be felt or seen intervening in the world many times.

Vote will finish after three days on 6/11 at 12:000 GMT-5

Spoiler: Ships (No fleet building in this phase)

Ships: Here are the ships, I am thinking of giving you guys like 1500 to 2000 points for building your fleet. This figure will be modified by your tech level and other traits in the next phase though. Also, I would recommend thinking about these stats and upgrades as just placeholders. Tech-Level and Background will impact the kind of ships that you may have access to too. Ground units will also be included in the next phase.

Air Manufactory[M/L/XL]: A ship that serves as a mobile factory, quite costly and mostly used to provide support to large fleets. Depending on its size it may be able to build small or large ships. Can build anything that is below its size. [Cost 50/125/250 Points] [Gives 15/30/55 IC]
Upgrades:
*Automatized Processes: The manufactory counts with specialized equipment and staff that allows for a faster assembly and production of units. Reduces build speed by 25% (+50% of the cost)
*Efficient Resources: The staff of the manufactory is experienced in keeping the factory running and is able to use resources more efficiently. Reduces costs by 25% (+50% of the cost)

Cargo Ship: Serves as a depot for supplies for most of the time, however, it can also be used to transport troops. These often carry negligible weaponry, however, in times of need they can be upgraded to have half the firepower of a destroyer. It can carry normally 2 ground units. (5 Points)
Upgrades:
*Mounted Weapons: If needed your engineers can add some weapons to the cargo ships, granting them firepower equal to a quarter of a destroyer. (5 Points)

Generic Upgrades to Air Warships: These upgrades can be added to any ship. All Warships can have up to three upgrades.
*Extra Firepower: Guns go boom! (+25% to Cost)
*Landing Bay: Adding a landing bay allows for the ship to carry a determined amount of ground units depending on its size. S/M/L/XL Size: 1/3/5/10 Ground Units (+25% to cost in points)
*Ground Support: Installing specialized air-to-ground guns on the below decks allows to provide ground units with accurate close fire support from the skies. (+25% to cost)
*Close Defense: Engineers can install extra systems to deal with close defense such as missiles or fighters. (+10% to cost in Points)
*Extra Armor: These make the vessel more durable but also slower. (+25% to cost)
*Veteran Crew: (+50% to cost)
*Improved Engines: Increases speed and maneuverability, if used with extra armor there is no bonus or malus for either., (+25% to Cost)
*Hangar Bay: Allow the warship to hold fighter or bomber squadrons depending on its size. S/M/L/XL 1/2/3/5 (+15% to cost)

Destroyer: The most basic form of worship, the destroyer is fast and agile, however, it has no big weaponry, nonetheless, it still serves the purpose of screening larger ships and sometimes transporting ground units into combat-heavy situations, with the needed upgrades. (30 Points)

Cruiser[M]: Larger vessels with bigger guns and better armored, although, still arguably rather fast. (75 Points)

Battleship[L]: The backbone of many air fleets, the battleship has many deck guns and one dedicated to ground support. Armored and with big firepower, it carries the curse of being a slow vessel. (125 Points)

Dreadnought[XL]: The Flagship of many air fleets, perhaps, this was the first dreadnought of your world or one of many, no matter, for it will be the king of these new skies (300 Points)

Carrier[L]: An aircraft carrier, capable of holding up to 15 fighter squadrons and capable of holding its own against smaller craft. (150 Points)

Fighter Aircraft [XS]: A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, and small size relative to other combat aircraft. (5 Points)

Bomber Aircraft : A bomber is a combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry. (10 Points)

 

[Murtox]

[X]Plan Long Live the [Monarch]
-[X] Admiral
-[X] Machine Age
-[X] Realistic

An Excursion to Another World​

The world you come from is a world that is reaping the benefits of the 2nd industrial revolution, new technologies have been unveiled that have improved standard of living and life expectancy throughout the board. Industrial economies continue to rise to produce massive amounts of products that get bought and sold on a daily basis. The empires that formed during that industrial boom are still strong and control most of the world, however, not all of the world is still under their grasp, and tensions between the various modern nations have led to wars that have unveiled the incredibly destructive capability of modern warfare.

You belong to one of the nations that have advanced in the art of modern warfare. You lead thousands in a fleet composed of well-armored airships that are there to contest the skies against any enemy of your nation. You left your nation's aerodrome with a fleet of varied and different vessels, each unique be it on design or because of the crew aboard. The skies of your world were as welcoming as ever, but without knowing it you would be embarking on your last journey on this world.

One night, while most of the ship was asleep. The sky was lit up with boreal lights, the only problem was that these lights did not belong here and that the shape the lights took was extremely strange. The intensity of the lights was enough to light up the skies as if it was day and then in a flash, a wave of energy surrounded you and your fleet. A wave of energy with enough force to knock many of the ships off course and almost put them on a crashing course with the ground. Even the men sleeping in their bunks were thrown away from their sleep by this force.

When you got to the bridge, it was too late to do anything. A bright sphere of cyan light engulfed the fleet completely and then suddenly it disappeared but not before creating another shockwave strong enough to be felt inside of all of your ships. Soon your crew notified you that the ship had not sustained any permanent damages, however, you were notified that none of the radio connections with other fleets worked. The compass was also working weirdly and pointed in an entirely different direction than before. Then when you told your soldiers to seek friendly frequencies and they found none. Instead, they were met with static, and only in some cases could they receive any sort of signal. The only problem was that the languages that the radio operators head could not be identified and this only brought further questions that were left unanswered, at least for now.

2nd Phase

You start with 2000 points for customization. You may reduce your selection of traits by one to get 500 extra points for force building. You have 4 traits that you can pick from the available ones below. The tech level is roughly Early-WW2.

Note: It is recommended that you buy supply ships to cover the total logistic points of your military vessels.

There will be a 72-hour moratorium on voting, so there can be some discussion and planning for how the fleet composition should be. I will also be taking any suggestions for traits that fit with the Machine Age tech era so feel free to suggest any. Also, remember to designate one of your ships as your flagship and that ship gets 3 extra free upgrades.

Airship Traits:

[X] Caelum Craft: A unique airship design making use of a completely isolated environment similar to a submarine, the Caelum craft is thus capable of ascending far more than normal craft. Being able to reach extreme altitudes grants it virtual invulnerability against conventional attacks, however, the necessary equipment to make an airship capable of reaching that high leaves little space for ammo and gunnery. It is helpless against any airship in combat and it is generally geared towards ground support. [Caelumcraft available for purchase 200 Points each][L Size vessel]

[X] Battleship Yamato: Over Designed and extremely big, your dreadnoughts are both marvels of engineering and also very expensive. However, bigger is better right? [Dreadnoughts and Battleships can have up to 6 upgrades, upgrade cost is flat reduced by 75% in total]

[X] Rocket Launchers: Your ships can equip the rocket launcher platform, it gives the ships the capability to launch not very accurate but very fast strategic rockets against general areas like cities or fortifications through the Rocket Platform upgrade or fast firing rockets through the Rocket Launcher upgrade. [These upgrades add 25% and only cost 1 Upgrade slot.]

[X] Big Bertha: Any L-sized vessel or above can buy the upgrade, Railway gun. This upgrade adds an 80cm gun on the belly of the airship. This gun is enormous and cumbersome, it generally makes the ship's underbelly have less armor and as such be more vulnerable. However, the firepower of an 80cm gun aimed against the ground from several kilometers up in the sky can be quite effective and or scary. [This upgrade costs 2 Upgrade Slots and adds a 25% Cost to the ship. Scales with size and firepower if bigger than L]

[X] Castle in the Sky: A castle in the sky is exactly what it says on the tin. Heavily armored, with heavy firepower but extremely slow. It is basically a static floating fortress that could serve as an HQ for operations. [This allows the purchase of a flying fortress, it costs 1200 points.][It is considered an XXL sized vessel]

[X] Blitzing: Your fleet prioritizes speed and it shows. [All of your airships get a free engine upgrade that does not count towards the upgrade limit.]

[X] Air Nomads: Your fleet has civilian ships alongside its military ships. The reason? It could be because they are refugees or simply because some of your nation's population lives in the sky. Regardless, having some actual civilian population will aid you in some different ways. [Allows purchase of Population upgrade, this upgrade is free. It gives 500/1000/2000/5000/10000 Population depending on size. S/M/L/XL/XXL respectively.] [Each 100 Population gives 0.5 Points in manufacturing capacity][Population can also be recruited to crew ships or battalions.]

Aeronautical Traits:

[X] Advanced Aircraft: The development of aircraft has led to the construction and deployment of all-metal planes with higher speeds, higher maneuverability, and overall a lot more firepower. Think about late ww2 designs that couldn't be produced like the Grumman F8F Bearcat and Focke-Wulf Ta 152. [Improves performance of conventional aircraft]

[X] Jet Aircraft: You have access to early turbojet aircraft designs, allowing the purchase of jet fighters and jet bombers respectively. These aircraft have much higher speeds than conventional aircraft, however, they also require more maintenance and fuel to operate. Generally outperforms conventional aircraft in most situations as long as they have experienced pilots. [Requires Advanced Aircraft Trait][Allows purchase of Jet versions of all conventional aircraft]

[X] Efficient Hangars: The power of the aircraft carrier was realized early in the history of your world and as such, even greater efforts were put in carrier design and structure allowing for far more planes to be carried inside of an airship. [+50% Hangar Capacity to all ships rounded up]

[X] Aerial Hussars: Personal flying equipment is available and allows for marines to engage in boarding operations against other enemy vessels. Generally vulnerable against AA guns and planes, and as such are better used against disabled ships or airships without too many anti-air guns. [Allows purchase of Air Hussars Battalions at a cost of 20 must be carried]

[X] Veteran Pilots: Your aircraft fleet is crewed by veteran and experienced pilots. They know their stuff and know how to get the most out of their planes. [All fighters/bombers gain a free veteran upgrade]

Ground Traits:

[X] Advanced Tanks: Tanks are good, but it took many decades to perfect their designs. However, you are in luck as you have access to late WW2 types of tanks. Panthers, Shermans, ISs, and Centurions. [Improves Tank Units and allows the purchase of super-heavy tank battalions at a cost of 50 each]

[X] Walkers/Mechs: For when tanks aren't enough, mechs are available to your arsenal. Mechs generally cost more than tanks but make up for it through their better performance in hilly and mountainous terrain. [Walkers Battalions cost 40 Points each. Also unlocks exo-infantry for 20 points each.][Use of Exo-Suits for civilian work increases IC production by 10% across the board]

[X] Super-Soldiers: Gain access to genetically engineered infantry battalions. These super-soldiers have enhanced endurance, enhanced accuracy, and overall less fear against their enemies. [Can purchase Super-Soldier Battalions for 50 Points each]

[X] Landcruisers: Somehow, Somewhat, your nation has been able to develop what can be considered land cruisers, consider the crazy Ratte project made into reality but about half the size. It is basically a mobile artillery platform, that's even more vulnerable than a super-heavy tank to air attacks, however, it is also a weapon of fear and perhaps useful in a way.[Unlocked the Landcruiser ground unit, it costs 100 points and requires two cargo ships to carry it.]

[X] Experienced Soldiers: Your ground combat units are considered to have the veteran unit trait.

Background Traits:

Pick 1. Only affect Flavor and aesthetics of equipment. It does not cost a trait point.

[X] Liberal Republic: Your nation is a liberal republic. There is a representative democracy, lobbying, and overall lots of freedom that are not found in many other places.

[X] Monarchy: A nation of order that begins at the top. You serve a monarch and his state. Generally more conservative yet with a passion for tradition and honor.

[X] Communist State: You serve an orthodox socialist state, where government ownership of the means of production is implemented. You stand for the revolution and for the progress of the human race under the banner of the Internationale or so they make you say.

[X] Theocracy: You come from a theocratic nation whose leader is either considered a divine entity or acts as the representative of a god or gods. Generally, religion and spirituality are valued more in your society.

[X] Dictatorship: Someone took power in your nation in a non-legitimate way and as such, they are considered a dictator. They may rule through intelligent politicking or an iron fist or perhaps both.

Ground Units: These are in battalions.

Infantry Battalion: 5 Points. An infantry battalion with machine guns, mortars, medics, and lots of small guns. Good for taking over positions and defending them.

Paratrooper Battalion: 7 Points. A battalion of paratroopers that can make use of heavy bombers to drop and land in a particular area. Their equipment makes them less useful against armored targets.

Aerial Hussar Battalion: 20 Points. Aerial hussars have personal flying equipment that allows them to attempt boarding an enemy ship without their home ship being close. They are very vulnerable to AA fire and can still fail at reaching the enemy ship without proper maneuvering. [Requires Aerial Hussar Trait]

Super-Soldier Battalion: 50 points. A battalion of basically enhanced humans that break most Olympic records for breakfast. However, they are still very much human and bullets still hurt. They are good for morale and for assaulting heavily fortified positions with support. They can also go long days without sleeping or rest, making them very good soldiers, however, they are also very expensive. [Requires Super-Soldier Trait]

Tank Battalion: 30 Points. Enough tanks to make a man blush. A tank battalion has an assortment of medium, heavy and light tanks. Alongside a small complement of mechanized infantry to support them.

Super-heavy tank Battalion: 50 points. Ever heard about the Mouse? Well, this is it but even heavier and actually in service. Basically impenetrable to most guns, but also painfully slow to move and as vulnerable to air attacks as any other tank. [Requires Advanced-Tanks Trait]

Artillery Battalion: 20 Points. An artillery battalion has plenty of long-range guns for ground combat and enough crew for logistical support.

Anti-Air Battalion: 15 Points. A specialñized Anti-Air battalion that can be used against flying units.

Walker Battalion: 40 points. Two, three, or sometimes four-legged mechanical beasts that tower over any other vehicles. Useful in hilly or mountainous terrain.

Exo-Skeleton Battalion: 20 Points. An infantry battalion with exoskeletons that allow them greater endurance and some added protection in combat.

Air Ships:

Flying Fortress [XXL]: 1000 points. A Massive aerial fortress that without any upgrades is already a formidable force. It provides 100 points in manufacturing capacity alongside 150 Logistical Points. It has 20 Hangar Slots and is capable of holding up to 20 ground slots. Painfully slow and would require months for relocation.

Dreadnought [XL]: 900 Points. A Dreadnought is the equivalent of a super-sized Yamato, basically a one-in-a-lifetime project that costs more than your average battleship. It has heavy amounts of firepower and armor making it a beast on the battlefield, at the same time, it also consumes lots of fuel and requires sufficient logistic support to operate.

Super-Carrier [XL]: 800 Points. An ever bigger carrier, with greater armor and higher hangar capacity for aircraft. [It has 24 Hangar Slots]

Battleship [L]: 600 Points. A run-of-the-mill battleship, it is a balanced but large ship with more than adequate firepower to fight against most things in the sky, while at the same time, being well armored and with a reasonable speed.

Carrier [L]: 400 Points. An airborne aircraft carrier, the dream of many, and the plight of the enemy. An aircraft carrier is used to operate different types of carrier-borne aircraft. [It has 12 Hangar Slots. Fighters take one, Bombers two and Heavy Bombers 4]

Heavy Cruiser [M]: 250 Points. A ship known for its long-range and speeds, a heavy cruiser is a cheaper option than deploying a battleship or a carrier. Its speed also makes it particularly good for patrolling and hunting smaller enemy vessels.

Escort Carrier [M]: 150 Points. A smaller version of the Carrier, faster but with generally less space for aircraft. [4 Hangar Slots]

Light Cruiser [M]: 150 Points. A light cruiser is generally well suited for escort missions and providing screening to larger vessels.

Destroyer(S): 50 Points. A destroyer is often used as a screener and can be good for anti-air duty, at the same time, it can be deployed in squadrons for escort duties and ground support.

Support Ships: These ships do not consume any Logistical Points.

Supply Ship [L size]: 150 Points. A supply ship is a vital element of a fleet. It serves as the logistics hub of the fleet and without it, the fleet would probably not be able to last during long deployments. [A supply ship provides 30 Logistics Points. S-sized vessels consume 1 Point, M-sized vessels consume 3, L-sized vessels consume 5 and XL-sized vessels consume 9.]

Cargo Ship [M Size]: 50 Points. A cargo ship is often used for transport and logistics, although it can be armed to serve as a Q-ship but it serves its duty better away from combat than in it. [Cargo ships have 3 Cargo Slots. All Ground units unless otherwise specified take up one cargo slot.]

Flying Manufactories [XL]: 300 Points. Sometimes deployments up in the skies are done far away from any base or logistic network. As such, some navies decide to create flying factories that can manufacture ammunition, ships, or even mechanized units. These enormous vessels can also be used during the war to move the industrial base of the country from one place to another. [Flying manufactories can manufacture any units below their size and they provide up to 300 points per year in terms of manufacturing capabilities][Flying manufactories can also speed up repairs or serve as hubs for resource extraction operations][NOTE: They require access to resources to work][Flying Manufactories can also replenish Supply ships at a cost of 20 Points per supply ship.]

Mobile Repair Platform [M] 50 Points. A simple repair ship for deployment with smaller vessels. This ship is capable of speeding up repairs in most vessels but is specialized for vessels of size M and below. It can also be used to build any ship below size L. It gives 10 IC for manufacturing capacity.

Aircraft:

Fighter: A fighter squadron that has up to ten aircraft. It is useful against flying units and can be customized to carry bombs, rockets, or extra firepower to provide ground support. [10 Points][1 Hangar Slot]

Bomber: A specialized ground support unit. These are larger aircraft that can carry bigger payloads and can accurately hit ground targets. [15 Points][2 Hangar Slots per unit]

Heavy Bomber: A large aircraft that can carry more multiple tons of bombs and can otherwise transport paratroopers to deploy if under the right configuration. Serves for strategic bombing or just to make an enemy have a very bad day. [30 Points][4 Hangar Slots]

General Upgrades: All ships have three upgrade slots that can be filled or not depending on how you guys want to build the fleet.

• *Landing Bay: Adding a landing bay allows for the ship to carry a determined amount of ground units depending on its size. S/M/L/XL Size: 1/3/5/10 Ground Units (+25% to cost in points)
• *Ground Support: Installing specialized air-to-ground guns on the below decks allows to provide ground units with accurate close fire support from the skies. (+25% to cost)
• *Anti-Aircraft Improvements: Engineers can install extra guns to deal with enemy planes. (+15% to cost in Points)
• *Extra Firepower: Adds higher caliber guns or more guns to the airship increasing its firepower. (+25% to Cost)
• *Extra Armor: These make the vessel stronger, although slower. (+25% to cost)
• *Experienced Crew: (+50% to cost)
• *Improved Engines: Increases speed and maneuverability, if used with extra armor there is no bonus or malus for either., (+25% to Cost)
• *Hangar Bay: Allow the warship to hold fighter or bomber squadrons depending on its size. S/M/L/XL 1/2/3/5 (+25% to cost). Hangar bays applied to carriers give double the hangar slots.
• *Long-Range Radar: This adds specialized radar equipment for extreme range early warning. (+25% to Cost)

Aircraft Upgrades: All Aircraft can also have up to three upgrades.

• • Range: Improves the range of the aircraft. (+25%)
  • Firepower: Gives more pew pew per pound. (+25%)
  • Speed: Painting it red makes it go faster. (+25%)
  • Armor: Survivability improves by X%. (+25%)

Specialized Upgrades: [Requires Traits]

• • Belly Gun: Adds an 80cm gun to the belly of the ship for ground support. Only ships L-sized or more. (+25% to Cost).
  • Rocket Launchers: Adds several rocket launchers to the ship that fires volleys of rockets against enemy targets. (+25% to Cost)
  • Rocket Platform: Adds strategic rocket launchers that use equivalents of the super-sonic V2 rockets. Not very accurate but useful against large targets. (+25% to Cost)
  • Population: This upgrade adds 500(S)/1000(M)/2000(L)/5000(XL)/10000(XXL) population to a ship. This population is only semi-self sufficient and would still require trade with the ground for fuel and materials. Each 100 pop grant 0.5 Points in manufacturing capacity [This upgrade is free but the extra compartments for population make it more vulnerable.][This IC can only be used for M sized vessels or less][Flying Manufactories cannot take this trait]

 

[Murtox]

Alright, voting is open. I recommend people repost their finished plan. Voting will last for three days that's all. Voting for multiple plans is allowed but keep it to 3 at most.

 

[Legion0047]

I will try to do some for descriptions, but anything more in detail is up to yall.

Click to shrink...

Right, in that case have these:

Scarab Class Fleet Carrier "Onyx":
The beating heart of any respectable nomad fleet, the Scarab Class has been in use for over a century with relatively little changes to the original design.

Constructed with the simple goal of allowing a fleet to achieve air superiority against anything short of the few super carries that have started being commissioned in the last few years, the Scarab achieves this with the addition of a vastly expanded hangar deck compared to other classes of its type as well as a unique deployment mechanism.

While larger bombers and transport craft have to use the sizeable runway on top of the Scarab to build up sufficient speed and lift, lighter craft light fighters and scout planes can be fired from catapults located on the ship's sides with their engines roaring, pilots skilled in this kind of takeoff being able to immediately turn into the wind and catching lift - and those less skilled generally falling into a terminal tumble. This not only saves deck space, but as the craft can be stored ready on their catapults, they also represent a force of fighters that can be scrambled in a hurry.

Champion Class Heavy Cruiser "Jules XIX":
Not actually a domestic design, the Champion is of noticeable different construction than the rest of the fleet - still visible even after years of work. For one, it still sports a usually large forward bulwark that originally housed the ammunition and support for the battleship scale weapon denoting it as the Jules subclass, that upon purchase was removed and replaced (much to the wailing of the crew) with the extra stores and crew facilities needed for the ship to keep up with the rest of the fleet and for another the ship relies much more heavily on engines instead of the lift sails that make nomad ships so distinct even after significant refits.

In exchange, however, the Jules is covered in the heavy armor and large caliber guns needed to take part in fleet action without putting an extraordinary strain on the fleet's resources - though its complement of Anti Air guns is a bit anemic with only parts of its secondary battery able to act as dual-purpose guns and a greater ratio of simple machine guns to proper AA than would be comfortable without air support.

Gryphon Class Ground Cruiser "Bucekol":
A widespread design of your people, in that a full twelve of them were planned and constructed, that has spawned many follow-on designs, each of the original Gryphon's is named after one of the twelve Gryphons of legend that thaught your ancestors to fly.

These ships fulfill a pair of simple, yet Vitaly important roles in your people's fleet in that they are fast and maneuverable enough to bring the Hussars they carry to bear with maximum effect, but as light cruisers they are also small enough to land on any terrain - having no need for the landing pads and cradles of heavier ships - meaning that they can deploy troops directly to the ground before taking off again and supporting their charges from the air with accurate artillery fire.

Despite this, the ship is still a light cruiser and as such should not be thrown into the thick of any fleet engagement without expecting at least some damage from shells punching through the thin or even entirely unprotected hull, though this also means that the class rarely suffers actual detonations as most shells will simply pass through for better or for worse.

Hammerhead Class Destroyers "Claw","Ball Peen","Club":
The least vulnerable part of a ship is its front, and this is doubly true for our ships with massive lift sails sprouting from their sides and tops like sailing ships of old. As such, the Hammerhead class is a relatively simple approach to ship design of making an armored tube - the hammerhead - that can act halfway independent even if the rest of the hull is simply shot off, and putting everything important in there. While cramped, hot and uncomfortable, they are cheap, found everywhere with enough money to buy them, but not enough to shell oit for something better and effective for their pricepoint, while mutinies can be kept to a minimum by simply rotating the crew every so often.

If weapon size/numbers, hull size and armor thickness is roughly equal to WW2 then I will do a second version where I actually specify, but I didn't want to assume on that. What I did however assume is three things: One that as nomads we would buy ships. Two that as nomads we would use a passive lift system where appropriate cause fuel would kill us otherwise. Three that as a relatively low population and industry dense people, we would generally only construct few ships in any run even if it is something small like a destroyer, instead opting for masses of roughly similar classes and subclasses to keep some kind of coherence.

Civilian ships and aircraft will come next.

 

[Murtox]

[X] His/Her/Their Imperial/Royal/Princely Aerial Navy + Enterprise but better
-[X] Monarchy
-[X] Blitzing
-[X] Air Nomads
-[X] Advanced Aircraft
-[X] Aerial Hussars

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4C7qwWbtE

The Fleet at your disposal
​

An aircraft carrier and her escort were all that you needed for this journey. Yet, another mission was added to that list. The protection of an outpost in some faraway post in the sky, was basically a small running colony with a total of 15,000 people, not that many by the standards of the city that could be found throughout your world but it was certainly no small number when compared to other towns that had the capability of traversing the skies with free will.

The largest city in the skies was one that sustained one million people on its structure and it had the most advanced means of lift ever procured in your world.

Even though your fleet lacked in battleships, it did not lack in firepower. For it boasted about a hundred and fifty or so airplanes that we're able to fly and strike down targets that were too far away for your cannons or your aerial hussars. Planes that had seen combat and been tested carefully many times.

That's right, you also had a complement of aerial hussars. La creme de la creme of your nation's army and probably a cutting edge technology that allowed for soldiers to fly without needing aircraft, of course, this required lots of training and they were vulnerable against AA but could serve as assault troops or to board enemy ships that had been mostly disabled.

Finally, the speed of your ships was nothing to scoff at. Aerial ships are already known for fast speeds when compared to blue water navies, but your nation went a step further and created a series of ships that were faster without sacrificing in any way armor or firepower. These were truly the wonders of technology

But there was one more thing, the weapon to surpass them all. The one thing that this fleet couldn't do without during combat. That was you, The admiral of this fleet, the one with the responsibility for the lives of your men and of the ambitions of your nation. You also served a monarch and were part of his/her majesty's royal navy.

Fleet: (All have +Engines)
1x Carrier (Long-Range Radar, Hangar Bay, Experienced Crew) (18 Hangar Bays)
1x Heavy Cruiser
1x Light Cruiser (Landing Bay, Ground Support)
3x Destroyer
1x Supply Ship (3x Population)(6,000 Population)(30 IC)
3x Cargo Ships (3x Population)(9,000 Population)(45 IC)
1x Flying Manufactories

Aircraft: 18 Hangar Slots. All in the carrier.
3x Fighter (Range)
3x Fighter (Range, Speed, Firepower)
2x Bomber
2x Heavy Bomber

Ground Units: 12 Cargo
CL 3x Aerial Hussar Battalion

Cargo ships
4x Infantry Battalion
2x Artillery Battalion
1x Anti-Air Battalion
2x Tank Battalion

Fleet Traits:
Blitzing: Your fleet prioritizes speed and it shows. [All of your airships get a free engine upgrade that does not count towards the upgrade limit.]

Air Nomads: Your fleet has civilian ships alongside its military ships. The reason? It could be because they are refugees or simply because some of your nation's population lives in the sky. Regardless, having some actual civilian population will aid you in some different ways. [Allows purchase of Population upgrade, this upgrade is free. It gives 500/1000/2000/5000/10000 Population depending on size. S/M/L/XL/XXL respectively.] [Each 100 Population gives 0.5 Points in manufacturing capacity][Population can also be recruited to crew ships or battalions.]

Advanced Aircraft: The development of aircraft has led to the construction and deployment of all-metal planes with higher speeds, higher maneuverability, and overall a lot more firepower. Think about late ww2 designs that couldn't be produced like the Grumman F8F Bearcat and Focke-Wulf Ta 152. [Improves performance of conventional aircraft]

Aerial Hussars: Personal flying equipment is available and allows for marines to engage in boarding operations against other enemy vessels. Generally vulnerable against AA guns and planes, and as such are better used against disabled ships or airships without too many anti-air guns. [Allows purchase of Air Hussars Battalions at a cost of 20 must be carried]


Population: 15,000
IC: 375

Admiral Creation

This is the last phase and the phase of admiral creation. Generally speaking, this will be divided into two categories. Admiral Traits and fluff. Nation fluff must be voted separately from admiral-related votes. It is not necessary to vote for any of the fluff options, in which case I will just pick some at random.

There will be a 48 moratorium on voting for this one. Suggestions for admiral traits will be accepted during this period.

Here begins the fluff voting.
Nation Traits: Pick one for fluff.

[X] Hegemon: In your world, your nation was the undisputed hegemon. There was no nation greater or more powerful than it was, it dominated, the air, the seas, and the land with ease. Its name was uttered from one end of the globe to the other and their monarchs were considered the wealthiest and most powerful people in the entire world. There is pride in such a nation, pride and perhaps snobbiness that follows with having the legs of giants.
[X] Great Power: Your nation was a great power, one among many but not the first among them. Your nation had a combination of industry, population, and military might that could be deployed throughout the globe with ease. Yet, they had rivals and probably more than one at that that opposed them.
[X] Regional Power: Yours was but a regional power, industrious enough to deploy an airship fleet for the defense of your country from the prying eyes of the great powers.
[X] Minor Power: You come from a small nation, small either in power or size that did not weight in much in the world. You are not used to being at the top of the food chain, but you could certainly get used to it given enough time.

Era Traits: Pick one for fluff.
[X] 2nd Great War: You have knowledge of the true proportions of a great war, you were either there or your predecessors did. In its wake, you could tell that the world had changed for better or worse. Yet, another one more terrible than the last would come and preparations were made for it.

[X] Great War: The great war has just begun in your world. A monumental conflict of epic proportions that will teach it that industrial warfare is something truly horrific for the sapient monkeys that invented it.

Government Traits: Pick one for fluff

[X] Absolute Monarchy: The monarch in your nation has the last word and his word is the law.
[X] Constitutional Monarchy: Your monarch doesn't have unlimited power and has given most of his legislative faculties to a body of representatives. How representative that body is can be discussed.
[X] Elective Monarchy: The monarch is selected by a council or by the nobles.
[X] Feudal Monarchy: Your monarch must deal with nobles who have privileges inherited from birth.

Lift Methods: Pick One

[X] Aether Crystals: Crystals that create lift on their own, but that must be treated in order to reach their full potential.

[X] Liftium: A gas that when superheated creates lift, requires very special boilers to work.

Culture: Please pick one for overall cultural influences.
[X] Western
[X] Eastern Asian
[X] Central Asian
[X] Original
[X] Write-In
[X] Random

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From here begins the admiral voting.

Admiral Stats: Ranks are from levels 0 to 6, each rank grants a +10 in rolls that cover that area of expertise. You begin with 10 points to distribute as you wish amongst these stats. Rank 1 costs 1 Point, Rank 2 Costs 2 Points so 3 in total, Rank 3 costs 3 points and 6 in total. And so on.
Diplomacy: Solves problems with charm and well-placed words.
Politics: Solving problems through speech and power.
Intrigue: Covers backstabby stuff and learning information through underhanded means.
Fleet: Covers fleet strategies and tactics.
Ground: Covers ground strategies and tactics.
Science: Covers, research into science stuff. Which you may aid with or guide through certain ideas.
Occult: Covers, research into weird stuff. Old Gods from your world, strange curses, and all that.

Name:
[X] Write-in
[X] Random

Fleet Name: Because every fleet needs one.
[X] Write-In
[X] Random

Sex:
[X] Male
[X] Female

Age: Pick one
[X] 18-25
[X] 26-35
[X] 36-45
[X] 46-55
[X] 56-65

Admiral Traits: Pick 3+2 (Omakes)

[X] Connections in High Places: You were either born with them or were savvy enough to get them. We are talking about connections that are. Political and military ones, in particular, are the kind that helps you increase your budget and avoid the harshest punishments. However, a chain of command is not something that can be teleported away to Earth, but even the strings that you pulled for your fleet are noticeable. [Retroactively adds +250 points in customization for the fleet.] [May take more than once]

[X] Skilled Admiral: You had time to refine your skills, you have studied more than just the art of war or perhaps studied it even more. Regardless, you can show it through a diverse cadre of skills to use.

[You gain 3 more points to spend for admiral stats][May take more than once]

[X] Admiral of the Skies: War in the skies is a completely different thing from war on the ground. Strategy and tactics differ significantly from these forms of warfare that humans have become so adept at. You became were one of such adepts either due to natural talent, your experience, or the sheer number of hours that were spent learning the texts about aerial warfare. All in all, you are a good commander of your fleet and know how to get most of it in combat.
[+10 Bonus to fleet rolls.]

[X] Red Baron: Airplanes always were something that you admired, the sleek small crafts that took to the sky on their own and with pilots that managed to make crazy feats seem reasonable. Perhaps, you were an earlier supporter of aircraft for airships or you yourself were a pilot for your nation's aerial navy that rose through the ranks. Regardless, your reputation precedes you and you managed to gather knowledge about their use in combat through experience and with the help of experienced officers. As such, your operations with aircraft are smoother.
[+10 Bonus to rolls for aerial operations You know how to make use of aircraft better than most. Bonus to fighters and Bombers in combat. Also affects air hussars.]

[X] General of War: Ground combat never goes out of fashion. There is nothing that can replace a soldier with a rifle on his hands and a tank that can hit at more than 2000 meters. Plus the fact that artillery bombardments are always pretty to look at. You are one to recognize the importance of ground combat and have managed to combine your abilities to lead in the air with those on the ground. Making you more capable of leading ground troops.

[+10 to ground combat rolls for the units you command.]

[X] Diplomat: A bottle of wine and a couple of nice words are often more than enough to win a battle before the shooting has even begun. You have become experienced in the craft of learning the way of the ink and pen, as well as with your words. This is useful when negotiating with dignitaries and other high-ranking officials, not so much with dealing with your rank and file cadet sailor. You have a little something that will help you sweet-talk some of the new faces you will see in this world.

[+10 to rolls with dealing with NPC's and Earth Nations.]

[X] Engineer: Boilers, gears, and metal sheets. You know the blueprints of your flagship by heart and know them even better than the engineer that made it. But that is only the tip of the iceberg of your knowledge, at heart, you are also a master of logistics and are quite capable of managing the logistical footprint of your ship.

[Construction of Facilities takes half the time, +5% to IC. Increase supply of supply ships by 5.]

[X] Ruthless: Your word is the law in your fleet and sometimes your word is not so kind to your enemies or those who disobey your orders. Your crew has learned that it's better to listen and obey than to receive a punishment that could be worse than death. As such, they will follow in the good and bad, regardless of how many occasional casualties there are.

[Taking actions that may seem harsh or brutal has no penalties to the morale of your fleet. ]

[X] Heir to the Throne: You are either the heir to the throne or the king himself, one way or another, you found yourself leading one of your nation's ships. But being a king means nothing if you cannot have the loyalty of your people and that loyalty has to be won and maintained through respect and your men respect you, both as a person and as admiral, at least most of them do, which is already far more than many admirals ever get to since it's not really needed. Now that you are in another world, you are the sole figure of home for these people. A king and a leader to them.

[Morale issues are mostly non-existent unless food goes scarce or consecutive defeats happen to the fleet. You must look out for your people and find them a new home probably. Increases morale in battle due to the monarch being present and also increases population by another 30% This one costs two traits]

[X] Friend of Refugees: You are well known for your charity, your acts of kindness and overall people have a perception of you as a helper of refugees and champion of the people in general. This has made it so that your flying towns have accommodated more people that find your protection desirable and well accommodating. However, your status as a champion of the people must be maintained in order to keep this up.

[Increase your population by 30% and round up to the nearest multiple of 250. However, you must maintain your reputation for kindness and must put these people as your priority.]

[X] Voices from Beyond: Sometimes you hear strange whispers in your ears, you look around and see nothing there at all. Whatever it is that follows you at night, it's not dangerous to you not yet at least, but sometimes, you can make out the whispers and grab them learning secrets from others and other things.

[+10 to rolls that deal with the occult. Plus a chance of weird fuckery that may benefit you or not]

[X] A Jules Verne: The future is bright, powerful, and extremely appealing in your dreams that is. For you can envision the future of technology and beyond even though you are not an engineer or a scientist. But you do know a good idea when you see one. Maybe, nudging the people in the right direction could do wonders for your survival in this new world.

[+10 to rolls that deal with science. Plus increased chance of collaboration in research going successfully, plus a better chance of dealing with higher-tech enemies.]

[X] Extra Prepared: All your ships were filled up with supplies perhaps even in overabundance. This will mean that you will have no trouble with materials or supplies for the first year of your arrival to Earth.

 

[Murtox]

Voting is open! Please post your finished plans.

 

[Legion0047]

Rattlesnake Class Fighter:
Designed with a particularly long loiter time, the Rattlesnake is aptly named, patrolling the long stretches of deserts and arid hills that cover many of your homelands borders as an affordable, reliable platform warning of intruders - though its age means that this range is gained from a larger internal fuel tank instead of the more modern drop tanks that have started to enter service in the last few years, meaning it is a bit sluggish in dogfights until it had time to lighten the load. For weapons, the Rattlesnake is limited to a quad of machine guns with two in each wing, a central bay capable of carrying a single bomb and mounting points for a few rockets.

Viper Class Heavy Fighter:
A cutting-edge design, the Viper has only entered service last year and its only thanks to your pedigree that you managed to get 3 squadrons of them assigned to your fleet. Powered by one of the most powerful radial engines in the world, it can achieve astounding speed while the sleek and modern design allows it to remain nimble like a fighter half its mass, despite its heavy weapons loadout consisting of 6 machine guns and 2 autocannons for dogfighting while a number of bombs and rockets could be carried under wing for attack runs on ground targets - the centerline bomb bay containing ether more bombs or a torpedo for naval engagements.

A7 Shuttle:
A rugged, workmanship like design, the A7 is more or less a brick powered by an Aether Crystal to float and move cargo around. Its nature as a shuttle means its great amount of surplus lift can easily be used to mount armor or weapons for the desperate.

Falcon Class Dropship:
Designed to bring troops from the sky, to the ground in an active warzone, the Falcon's main draw is the pair of massive engines that allow it to carry heavy armor and a number of turreted machine guns to fend off interceptors, as well as its cargo of men, guns or tanks.

@Murtox Here are our small craft.

 

[Murtox]

[X] The Hang Tuah/Zheng He has arrived

I do gotta say, reading about Malay history has been rather fun. I have not finished the book that I started just yet and I doubt I even have 1% of the knowledge to fully represent Malay culture but since this is just a quest, it will have to make do for now. Btw assume that you guys have a different language than any of the Earth ones even if there are similarities so if names and stuff are similar just assume that it is different tbh.

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A Brief History of Melaka:

The world of Ribia is one similar to Earth in many respects yet different nonetheless. One such difference lies in the existence of aether crystals, a special type of material that exists as a combination of many factors during the formation of their solar system, this crystal is known for its strange properties. In the early stages of civilization in Ribia, many peoples and cultures believed them to be the gift of the gods and in those cultures where storms were common, they would often see these crystals hovering in the air after being hit by thunder. It wouldn't be until the equivalent of our 18th century that the people of this world would learn how to use them for the creation of ships capable of traversing the skies.

This invention took place in the majestic heavenly kingdom of Xi, after all, it was a hub of commerce and a hub of learning. It was also the most powerful state in the world and it kept that position thanks to its population, its fleet, and its armed forces. Almost all of its immediate neighbors and even those from far away sent tribute the way of the emperor of Xi for his patronage and protection was of utmost importance to many. When an inventor managed to make a way to use steam engines to heat up the crystal in a contained environment the world changed forever.

The Heavenly Kingdom of Xi came to dominate the skies but soon this precious invention spread elsewhere. It spread in all directions and one of the places that learned its importance was the Sultanate of Melaka, this nation was a nation avid in commerce as it was located near an important strait that connected the Empire of Xi with the rest of the world. This kingdom had long been a protege of the Empire of Xi and it recognized quite quickly that the world would change with the invention of airships. They realized that they wouldn't lose too much given their strategic geographic position but they needed their own merchant fleet and expand their commercial network further.

The sultanate of Melaka under the protection of the Empire of Xi began to grow and extend its influence through much of its archipelago and in the straits. Its importance as an entrepot for trade didn't diminish during this time and instead, it grew, creating much wealth for the rulers of this land. Their abundant reserves of Aether crystals also made them a particularly attractive location to many merchants from the far west who sought to use this crystal to propel their own aerial navies.

In due time, the sultanate of Melaka grew in influence and strength. Waves of migrants from a western sub-continent, the empire of Xi, and eastern peoples led to a boom in population for Melaka during the 19th century. This multicultural nation also began its way to change its foundational structure, while they maintained the deified nature of their rulers as descendants of Iskandar Zulkarnain. The institutions of government began to change to represent the increased power of burghers, entrepreneurs, and industrialists. In a way, this served to further legitimacy the Sultans of Melaka as the final arbiter in many aspects of life while a parliament and prime minister dealt with much of the day-to-day affairs of the country. This was in many ways similar to the previous structure of Melaka during its early days and as such, it wasn't too hard to accept these changes for Melakan rulers.

By the 20th century, the Sultanate of Melaka was basically a federation of several states in their region. A powerful one at that, modern and industrialized. Just like many other nations of Faresia, they had set up aerial outposts in many places serving as waystations for airships and even managed to colonize a significant part of the far eastern lands. However, not all was pretty and dandy. For another empire had risen in the far west, an empire that went by name of the Holy Reman Empire, which could match in size and power to that of the Empire of Xi. It didn't take long for tensions to rise between the two. A great war took place in which most of the world was involved, during this time Melaka aided the Empire of Xi against the Remans.

The war was very costly, it was also very damaging and the true potential of modern warfare was first realized then. Battlefields between fleets often became scrapyards and in the case of ground combat, they became wastelands devoid of most life. The war would be an inconclusive affair, neither side ever gaining a true edge over the other. Melaka itself didn't see any fighting with its own territories with the exception of some outposts and colonies in the fringes of its sovereignty. But it did cement a divide between the west and the east that would only serve to spark tensions in barely just two decades after the end of the first war.

Tales of the Aerial Hussars

During the great war, a lot of inventions for warfare were developed. Amongst them is the invention of personal flying equipment or PFE for short. It was invented simultaneously in the Holy Reman Empire and in the Empire of Xi due to a series of improvements in propellant and miniaturization of aether crystals. The Sultanate of Melaka wasn't the exception when it came to deploying them in battle, although, they did so only after a year in the conflict once their effectiveness had been proved in an assault against an aerial fortress of the HRE.

Their deployment against enemy airships was also common often in one on one engagements where distances were shorter or at night when the effective range of guns was reduced. In any case, the Melakan air hussars showed that they were an important asset for the aerial fleet and even managed to capture a battleship during the early stages of the war.

Although, their effectiveness waned due to the deployment of more countermeasures against them in ships they still managed to serve as forwards marines to aid in the taking of fortified structures and overall act as a fast-moving force.

The Dominion of the Skies

After the great war, the development of aircraft began to move at a fast pace. Melaka during the war had been one of the pioneers in deploying heavier than air aircraft as scouts and then later on as bombers. At first, they lacked much firepower but as the war went on their firepower increased and it became easier for them to strafe or bomb enemy airships.

Melaka cooperated closely with the Empire of Xi to develop new aircraft designs both for civilian purposes and for their respective militaries. This got them an important advantage in terms of aircraft, one that the HRE began to compensate for in the form of the deployment of more and more escort vessels in their fleets. But by the current point in time, the designs of the empire of Xi and Melaka were advanced enough to create a fear of obsoletism amongst the aircraft fleet of the HRE.

An Expedition to the West
​

The moods in the fleet were as high as they could be. The crew was filled with a mix of veterans and new blood, although, the proportion heavily favored the latter. Their mission was a prestigious one and simple as well, they were to move to a new waystation near the border between one of Melaka's colonies and one of the HRE's colonies. It was a show the flag mission, after all, tensions had been high ever since the assassination of a president in a neutral buffer country near the border of the Empire of Xi and the HRE. Some believed that the assassination had been ordered by the Emperor of Xi or by the Ministry of External Affairs of the HRE. Regardless of belief, everyone was preparing for war.

Prince Muzaffar Shah was the admiral of the fleet sent to accomplish this mission. He had been given the mission to escort a few ships that would serve as civilian hubs for the waystation, these included a few cargo ships and a large supply ship that was meant to act as a logistical hub for the new waystation. They would resupply when they would arrive there and then engage in naval exercises near the border. All in all, it was an easy mission to accomplish but others may have thought of it in a different way.

The fleet was after all a provocation for the HRE and a way for the current parliament to win popularity after their bad handling of the past economic crisis. The fact that a prince had been sent to do it was also rather telling, the royal family was still loved and respected by the people, and the fact that one of the princes would be the one to carry out the mission lent it legitimacy and popularity. Yet, the stakes were high and the admiralty knew it.

The HRE was a behemoth in international politics much the same as the Empire of Xi and their fleet had grown larger than that of the Empire of Xi and Melaka combined. Some within the admiralty of Melaka believed that this could make them bolder and they wouldn't react well to the provocation coming from the movement of one of the fleets so close to one of their colonies. Yet, their warnings were mostly ignored by politicians.

Vice-Admiral Arhab bin Faisal was the second in command for this fleet. He was an old hand that had seen service during the great war, his rank was a testament to his career which had begun barely as a common sailor amongst the thousands that crewed the airships of Melaka's fleet. He had been assigned to Admiral Muzaffar due to his reliability and experience, probably a good choice given the lack of experience of the prince.

"No radar signatures Admiral." Said one of the staff on the bridge.

Indeed, it had been quite quiet ever since they left their homeport in Melaka a few days ago. Not much to see except for merchant vessels, the occasional waystation, and the white clouds. At least for now.

"How much longer do you think it will take for us to get there?" Prince Muzaffar asked the vice-admiral. "It's already been a few days hasn't it?" The prince said, although he had checked the routes beforehand he still wasn't sure of how long it would take.

"Two to three days at most your royal highness." The vice-admiral answered. A stern expression on his face, a natural one for someone like him. "Any transmission?" He asks the radio operator.

"No, sir!" the operator answers but then his face changes just a little. "Wait, sir. I am receiving a transmission from the 3rd Destroyer Division." He says as he gets to work, the face of the operator is that of surprise as the message he receives isn't encrypted at all. It's just an open transmission and that's strange.

"There is a request for help, unknown vessels have begun firing at the 3rd Division." The radio operator almost shouts but calms himself.

This piques the interest of prince Muzaffar, who already believes that the HRE must be involved and as such, it is his righteous duty to provide help and also destroy a few HRE vessels. "Tell all ships to change course towards the 3rd Destroyer Division then. We won't leave our fellow men to die alone, repeat the transmission to other nearby units."

Meanwhile, the vice-admiral isn't as excited instead he just feels a little tremor on his legs. A stark reminder of what war means for him, of all the men that lost their lives and all the men that will lose them. But he stays hopeful, it doesn't have to be the HRE it could be a minor nation that has mistaken them for another.

The red alert is sent throughout much of the fleet not long after the transmission was received, pilots and sailors alike are going to combat stations. The aircraft carrier's hangars turn into a very busy place and some distance is created between the ships that the fleet is currently escorting and the main fleet.

Soon enough, the fleet is already on course to meet with the known position of the 3rd. Just half the distance before they reach the engagement radius to deploy fighters and bombers, something happens.

"Admiral there are a few radar signatures, they are approaching us fast." The radar operator says. "No, wait. It can't be, it's only one signature?" He looks confused and prince Muzaffar prepares himself for the worst.

"Tell all squadrons to deploy right now." He says but before the orders can be given. He and the rest of the crew in the bridge see something huge in front of them, it's a massive ship, unlike anything they have seen before. At that moment, they realize that it can't be of HRE origin, it just can't. None in the world can make something that big and it's big enough to cast a huge shadow on the sea below. They can sight blue flashing lights coming from the sides.

Prince Muzaffar grips the arm of his chair and clenches his teeth. He himself can't believe what's he seeing and then, a huge force is felt throughout the ship. It would be almost as if they had clashed with another ship, but that can't be it. Immediately, the clouds begin to darken around them and thunder can be heard coming from all directions.

"What's going on?" Prince Muzaffar asks but nobody can give him an answer. Instead, the crew braces themselves as the ship begins to be pulled to the west by an unknown force. The ship tilts to the right and then there is a blinding flash of blue light. A pulse wave resonates through the ship, Prince Muzaffar can feel as he pushed against his chair and his head hits the metal wall behind him and then everything goes dark.

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When the prince wakes up, he finds himself in his quarters. He sits on the bed and feels pain on the back of his head and throughout much of his body too. The pain makes him realize that what he saw wasn't a dream, it was reality. The call for help, the strange ship, and the anomalous weather. It all happened, but so far it seems that he is fine and so far his ship doesn't look destroyed.

He stands up and feels his legs lacking somewhat in strength, but he manages to open the door and head to the bridge. On his way there, he sees that his crew is up and running, he realizes that he has vice-admiral Arhab to thank for that. When he reaches the bridge, he finds Arhab and his crew, the skies are blue and everything seems back to normal.

"Admiral, glad to have you here now." Arhab says. "I have news that you must hear."

Prince Muzaffar nods and salutes. "Good morning and yes please do go on, I want to know what happened after I lost consciousness."

"The fleet is in good shape admiral, but." He stops. "But that's not the issue, we are in unknown skies admiral."

"What? Please, elaborate Arhab." The prince says, not really understanding what he meant. Does he mean that they could be lost?

"I mean it quite literally, your grace. We are not just lost, we are in a place different than any other we have chartered before, our radio transmissions don't reach anywhere and at night, we didn't see any constellations that we could identify either." Arhab explains. "The days here are also about an hour shorter."

Prince Muzzafar takes a while to get the information that Arhab is explaining nonchalantly. Vice-Admiral Arhab receives a pair of photographs in an envelope, takes them out, and presents them to the prince. The prince nods and takes them, he goes through each one of them. What he sees in the desert.

"The first one is from what's below us. There is a desert in all directions except to the north." Arhab explains. "The next photographs are about towns, ports, regions that our scout planes have managed to spot."

Indeed, the photographs show cities and ports. There are not that different from what the prince is used to seeing, but what surprises him the most is that there are no aerodromes or airports in any of the cities. At the same time...

"No aerial waystations amongst these." The prince says. "There is no place I know of that doesn't have at least one in a 1000km radius and it seems we are in a civilized place. Those ports didn't look that different from the ones back home."

Vice-Admiral Arhab nods.

"Correct, we have not sighted any airships either. We have not been able to receive any transmissions and it's not because our equipment is malfunctioning." Arhab notes adding yet another element to the equation of figuring out exactly where the Far Western Expeditionary Fleet had found themselves in.

"Then our best will be just to make contact with the locals and try to pinpoint our location from their whereabouts." Prince Muzaffar says, although, he isn't exactly sure that he knows a nation with railways and that yet doesn't have any airships of their own not even merchant ships.

"Understood. I will do the arrangements then your royal highness." Vice-Admiral Arhab says.

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??????
​

The device had been activated successfully, yet the results were not the expected ones. The fallout of the success of the activation had been great, probably far more than any previous catastrophic event that had happened in their history. The scientists and the politicians who had agreed on this radical solution now had the blood of billions in their hands, yet millions still lived and that was enough for them to save their people.

"There is enough food in the shelters for a year, but I don't know about oxygen."

"Just make sure, that we get everyone into a safe shelter as far as possible."

Shelters had been built in case of this scenario, yet there were not enough of them and they certainly didn't have the conditions to grant their dwellers a long lifespan. They could have done that before perhaps, but not without an atmosphere. So far the only things that could give them calm were the fact that the sensors were calm and that just a few clicks above they could see a big blue orb with white brushes that could perhaps be their salvation.

​

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London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
​

The news of the passing of the great storm had been eclipsed in barely just one day. What seemed to have been the event of the century if not the millennia had turned into a minor thing. The same thing had happened with the assassination of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand, a story that had gone from newsworthy to overshadowed by the same exact great storm that was now another thing in the past in the minds of the civilized people of Europe.

Newspapers were barely unable to pick and choose what headlines to pick. From the appearance of strange airships at New Orleans to the sighting of strange creatures flying in the skies of Spain, to the strange new luna that had appeared to replace the moon. There was simply said, so much to pick from that at some point some of the newspapers just left it to luck and published articles based on what they believed would be the hot topic of this day.

But perhaps something that many newspapers were not expecting in London was to hear about the fall of a certain city in the Balkans to strange forces.

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Planning Phase
Day 0
This turn will last a single week​

Fleet Actions: Pick up to Two Actions and assign forces to each one of them or none if you believe there is no danger. These are a mix of actions and events/plotlines to follow. Admiral Muzaffar can only grant his bonus to one of these actions.

[X] A Flying Embassy: A single large beep appears on the radar of the flagship. It turns out to be a sort of primitive airship or at least one that works rather differently but it is enough to do the trick of flying. It approaches our fleet with a tricolor flag made up of black, white, and red. We aren't able to make much of it the flag as it isn't in any of our records, but its symbol does reassemble that of the eagle of the Holy Reman Empire.

[X] The Local Governor: Given that our current location is completely unknown and yet it doesn't look like an inhabited region, we have decided to send a scout group ahead to make contact with the nearest towns and ask about our whereabouts. It will surely not take us that long to find out about who we are exactly dealing with in these regions.

[X] Ships on the Sea: While the skies in this area are completely devoid of airships, the seas are not. We have seen many vessels of many sizes just north of our position, from what our pilots tell us most of these have flags that we can't recognize but it seems they follow modern designs. Today we have sighted a different kind of ship, a battleship in the sea that is flashing lights at our fleet from below. Perhaps, it would be wise to make contact with them?

[X] A Call for Help: The sight of strange winged creatures in the skies was something that we never really thought of as possible. Nor did we expect them to pursue a biplane that was heading our way. Given that the strange winged creatures proved to be hostile towards us too, we didn't have any other choice than to take them down.

[X] Investigating Strange Lights: At night we are sighting strange lights on the skies, these do not belong to our ships and so far it doesn't seem like they belong to the natives either. The lights often move around at slow speeds at a height above our fleet's, sometimes some of the crew says that they manage to spot a sort of metal structure around the lights but nothing has been confirmed yet. We could send scout planes with searchlights to pursue these lights and find out more about them.

[X] Addressing the Civilians: While we don't know much about where we are just yet, we can affirm that we are nowhere near close to home. Perhaps giving a speech or two to the group of civilians could help them calm their minds a bit.

[X] Search for Resources: We currently lack any sort of supply network to support our fleet in the long term, maybe a little prospecting around the area won't cause us too much trouble. We will have to use our flying manufactory as a hub and it may require protection. Free Action

[X] Move the Fleet: You can move in any direction that you would like to pick. But you can only pick one direction for the fleet to move towards, this may change the available actions for the fleet. Also, this action is FREE.

Personal Actions:

Pick 1

[X] Matters of the Great War: Prince Muzaffar spends some time with vice-admiral Arhab, hopefully learning a bit more about his whereabouts and who knows may even win a little more of his trust which would be a good step to win his respect which may be useful in this trialing times.

[X] A Matter of Family: Family is rather important, but what will you do when you are told that you have no more family to rely on. This could be a blessing or a curse depending on the background.

[X] The Merchant of Melaka: An important merchant that lives in one of the nomad ships of your fleet has requested an audience with you. They state that their concern is mostly financially based and they hope that a member of the royal family may help.

Far West Expeditionary Fleet​

Admiral: Tengku (Prince) Muzaffar Alam Shah bin (Son of) Sultan Mizar Makmur Shah
Nation: Grand Sultanate of Melaka

Fleet: (All have +Engines)
1x Carrier (Long-Range Radar, Hangar Bay, Experienced Crew) (18 Hangar Bays)(Flagship)
1x Heavy Cruiser
1x Light Cruiser (Landing Bay, Ground Support)
3x Destroyer
1x Supply Ship (3x Population)(7,800 Population)(39 IC)
3x Cargo Ships (3x Population)(11,700 Population)(58.5 IC)
1x Flying Manufactories

Aircraft: 18 Hangar Slots. All in the carrier.
3x Fighter (Range)
3x Fighter (Range, Speed, Firepower)
2x Bomber
2x Heavy Bomber

Ground Units: 12 Cargo
CL 3x Aerial Hussar Battalion

Cargo ships
4x Infantry Battalion
2x Artillery Battalion
1x Anti-Air Battalion
2x Tank Battalion

Spoiler: Fleet Traits

Blitzing: Your fleet prioritizes speed and it shows. [All of your airships get a free engine upgrade that does not count towards the upgrade limit.]

Air Nomads: Your fleet has civilian ships alongside its military ships. The reason? It could be because they are refugees or simply because some of your nation's population lives in the sky. Regardless, having some actual civilian population will aid you in some different ways. [Allows purchase of Population upgrade, this upgrade is free. It gives 500/1000/2000/5000/10000 Population depending on size. S/M/L/XL/XXL respectively.] [Each 100 Population gives 0.5 Points in manufacturing capacity][Population can also be recruited to crew ships or battalions.]

Advanced Aircraft: The development of aircraft has led to the construction and deployment of all-metal planes with higher speeds, higher maneuverability, and overall a lot more firepower. Think about late ww2 designs that couldn't be produced like the Grumman F8F Bearcat and Focke-Wulf Ta 152. [Improves performance of conventional aircraft]

Aerial Hussars: Personal flying equipment is available and allows for marines to engage in boarding operations against other enemy vessels. Generally vulnerable against AA guns and planes, and as such are better used against disabled ships or airships without too many anti-air guns. [Allows purchase of Air Hussars Battalions at a cost of 20 must be carried]

Population: 19,500
IC: 397.5

Laksamana Muzaffar Alam Fleet Operations Important Characters Production and Resources

• Admiral: Tengku (Prince) Muzaffar Alam Shah bin (Son of) Sultan Mizar Makmur Shah
  Stats:
  Diplomacy: II (+20 to Related Rolls)
  Politics: II (+20 to Related Rolls)
  Intrigue: I (+10 to Related Rolls)
  Fleet: II (+20 to Related Rolls)
  Ground: II (+20 to Related Rolls)
  Science:
  Occult:
  Traits:
  
  Red Baron: [+10 Bonus to rolls for aerial operations You know how to make use of aircraft better than most. Bonus to fighters and Bombers in combat. Also affects air hussars.]
  
  Diplomat: [+10 to rolls with dealing with NPC's and Earth Nations.]
  
  Heir to the Throne: [Morale issues are mostly non-existent unless food goes scarce or consecutive defeats happen to the fleet. You must look out for your people and find them a new home probably. Increases morale in battle due to the monarch being present and also increases population by another 30% This one costs two traits]
  
  Biography: To be filled up. Suggestions appreciated.
• This tab will be used to track plot lines and actions. Currently...
  
  A New World: While your fleet doesn't know it yet, you are in a completely new world and it may not take that much time to make them fully realize that.
• More to be added later
  
  Vice-Admiral Arhab bin Faisal: The second in command in the fleet, he is 53 years old and keeps a stern face wherever he goes. A veteran of the great war and a man with deep-rooted beliefs.
• LP: +30 From Supply Ship
  Current LP Use*: 1 L 2 M 3 S = 5+6+3 = 14 LP currently in use.
  *S-sized vessels consume 1 Point, M-sized vessels consume 3, L-sized vessels consume 5 and XL-sized vessels consume 9.
  Population: 19,500
  IC: 397.5
  Resources: Currently you have enough supplies to use up to 300 worth of IC.
  Supplies: Currently your population's needs are satisfied
  Dockyard Slips:
  Flying Manufactory: Can build 5 ships at the same time but only one of L size.
  [Slot 1]
  [Slot 2]
  [Slot 3]
  [Slot 4]
  [Slot 5]
  
  Times:
  L sized ships take 3 years to build
  M sized ships years take 1.5 Years to build
  S sized ships takes 1 Year to build
  
  Production:
  
  Producing stuff doesn't cost actions and the plan that's voted for must include what the slots of the flying manufactory are currently being used for.
  
  
  Spoiler: Unit List and Costs

  Ground Units: These are in battalions.
  
  Infantry Battalion: 5 Points. An infantry battalion with machine guns, mortars, medics, and lots of small guns. Good for taking over positions and defending them.
  
  Paratrooper Battalion: 7 Points. A battalion of paratroopers that can make use of heavy bombers to drop and land in a particular area. Their equipment makes them less useful against armored targets.
  
  Aerial Hussar Battalion: 20 Points. Aerial hussars have personal flying equipment that allows them to attempt boarding an enemy ship without their home ship being close. They are very vulnerable to AA fire and can still fail at reaching the enemy ship without proper maneuvering. [Requires Aerial Hussar Trait]
  
  Tank Battalion: 30 Points. Enough tanks to make a man blush. A tank battalion has an assortment of medium, heavy and light tanks. Alongside a small complement of mechanized infantry to support them.
  
  Artillery Battalion: 20 Points. An artillery battalion has plenty of long-range guns for ground combat and enough crew for logistical support.
  
  Anti-Air Battalion: 15 Points. A specialñized Anti-Air battalion that can be used against flying units.
  
  Air Ships:
  
  Dreadnought [XL]: 900 Points. A Dreadnought is the equivalent of a super-sized Yamato, basically a one-in-a-lifetime project that costs more than your average battleship. It has heavy amounts of firepower and armor making it a beast on the battlefield, at the same time, it also consumes lots of fuel and requires sufficient logistic support to operate.
  
  Super-Carrier [XL]: 800 Points. An ever bigger carrier, with greater armor and higher hangar capacity for aircraft. [It has 24 Hangar Slots]
  
  Battleship [L]: 600 Points. A run-of-the-mill battleship, it is a balanced but large ship with more than adequate firepower to fight against most things in the sky, while at the same time, being well armored and with a reasonable speed.
  
  Carrier [L]: 400 Points. An airborne aircraft carrier, the dream of many, and the plight of the enemy. An aircraft carrier is used to operate different types of carrier-borne aircraft. [It has 12 Hangar Slots. Fighters take one, Bombers two and Heavy Bombers 4]
  
  Heavy Cruiser [M]: 250 Points. A ship known for its long-range and speeds, a heavy cruiser is a cheaper option than deploying a battleship or a carrier. Its speed also makes it particularly good for patrolling and hunting smaller enemy vessels.
  
  Escort Carrier [M]: 150 Points. A smaller version of the Carrier, faster but with generally less space for aircraft. [4 Hangar Slots]
  
  Light Cruiser [M]: 150 Points. A light cruiser is generally well suited for escort missions and providing screening to larger vessels.
  
  Destroyer(S): 50 Points. A destroyer is often used as a screener and can be good for anti-air duty, at the same time, it can be deployed in squadrons for escort duties and ground support.
  
  Support Ships: These ships do not consume any Logistical Points.
  
  Supply Ship [L size]: 150 Points. A supply ship is a vital element of a fleet. It serves as the logistics hub of the fleet and without it, the fleet would probably not be able to last during long deployments. [A supply ship provides 30 Logistics Points. S-sized vessels consume 1 Point, M-sized vessels consume 3, L-sized vessels consume 5 and XL-sized vessels consume 9.]
  
  Cargo Ship [M Size]: 50 Points. A cargo ship is often used for transport and logistics, although it can be armed to serve as a Q-ship but it serves its duty better away from combat than in it. [Cargo ships have 3 Cargo Slots. All Ground units unless otherwise specified take up one cargo slot.]
  
  Flying Manufactories [XL]: 300 Points. Sometimes deployments up in the skies are done far away from any base or logistic network. As such, some navies decide to create flying factories that can manufacture ammunition, ships, or even mechanized units. These enormous vessels can also be used during the war to move the industrial base of the country from one place to another. [Flying manufactories can manufacture any units below their size and they provide up to 300 points per year in terms of manufacturing capabilities][Flying manufactories can also speed up repairs or serve as hubs for resource extraction operations][NOTE: They require access to resources to work][Flying Manufactories can also replenish Supply ships at a cost of 20 Points per supply ship.][They can build up to five ships at once, but only one of L size at the same time, they can build as many ground units as needed.]
  
  Mobile Repair Platform [M] 50 Points. A simple repair ship for deployment with smaller vessels. This ship is capable of speeding up repairs in most vessels but is specialized for vessels of size M and below. It can also be used to build any ship below size L. It gives 10 IC for manufacturing capacity.
  
  Aircraft:
  
  Fighter: A fighter squadron that has up to ten aircraft. It is useful against flying units and can be customized to carry bombs, rockets, or extra firepower to provide ground support. [10 Points][1 Hangar Slot]
  
  Bomber: A specialized ground support unit. These are larger aircraft that can carry bigger payloads and can accurately hit ground targets. [15 Points][2 Hangar Slots per unit]
  
  Heavy Bomber: A large aircraft that can carry more multiple tons of bombs and can otherwise transport paratroopers to deploy if under the right configuration. Serves for strategic bombing or just to make an enemy have a very bad day. [30 Points][4 Hangar Slots]
  
  General Upgrades: All ships have three upgrade slots that can be filled or not depending on how you guys want to build the fleet.
  

  • *Landing Bay: Adding a landing bay allows for the ship to carry a determined amount of ground units depending on its size. S/M/L/XL Size: 1/3/5/10 Ground Units (+25% to cost in points)
  • *Ground Support: Installing specialized air-to-ground guns on the below decks allows to provide ground units with accurate close fire support from the skies. (+25% to cost)
  • *Anti-Aircraft Improvements: Engineers can install extra guns to deal with enemy planes. (+15% to cost in Points)
  • *Extra Firepower: Adds higher caliber guns or more guns to the airship increasing its firepower. (+25% to Cost)
  • *Extra Armor: These make the vessel stronger, although slower. (+25% to cost)
  • *Experienced Crew: (+50% to cost)
  • *Improved Engines: Increases speed and maneuverability, if used with extra armor there is no bonus or malus for either., (+25% to Cost)
  • *Hangar Bay: Allow the warship to hold fighter or bomber squadrons depending on its size. S/M/L/XL 1/2/3/5 (+25% to cost). Hangar bays applied to carriers give double the hangar slots.
  • *Long-Range Radar: This adds specialized radar equipment for extreme range early warning. (+25% to Cost)

  Aircraft Upgrades: All Aircraft can also have up to three upgrades.
  

  • Range: Improves the range of the aircraft. (+25%)
  • Firepower: Gives more pew pew per pound. (+25%)
  • Speed: Painting it red makes it go faster. (+25%)
  • Armor: Survivability improves by X%. (+25%)

  Specialized Upgrades: [Requires Traits]
  

  • Belly Gun: Adds an 80cm gun to the belly of the ship for ground support. Only ships L-sized or more. (+25% to Cost).
  • Rocket Launchers: Adds several rocket launchers to the ship that fires volleys of rockets against enemy targets. (+25% to Cost)
  • Rocket Platform: Adds strategic rocket launchers that use equivalents of the super-sonic V2 rockets. Not very accurate but useful against large targets. (+25% to Cost)
  • Population: This upgrade adds 500(S)/1000(M)/2000(L)/5000(XL)/10000(XXL) population to a ship. This population is only semi-self sufficient and would still require trade with the ground for fuel and materials. Each 100 pop grant 0.5 Points in manufacturing capacity [This upgrade is free but the extra compartments for population make it more vulnerable.][This IC can only be used for M sized vessels or less][Flying Manufactories cannot take this trait]

Moratorium of 24 Hours for discussion and then 48 hours for voting.

OOC: I will get out what I have right now. This is mostly a basic form of what turns will look like from now on, but I am still going to figure out things as we go. I hope you enjoy this even though its very rough in its current stage.

 

[Murtox]

Voting is now open please vote in plan mode.

 

[Murtox]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Plan The Sky is our Domain
-[X] A Call for Help: The sight of strange winged creatures in the skies was something that we never really thought of as possible. Nor did we expect them to pursue a biplane that was heading our way. Given that the strange winged creatures proved to be hostile towards us too, we didn't have any other choice than to take them down.
--[X] Carrier (Long-Range Radar, Hangar Bay, Experienced Crew) (18 Hangar Bays)(Flagship)
---[X] 3× Fighter (Range)
---[X] 3× Fighter (Range, Speed, Firepower)
---[X] 2× Bomber
--[X] 2× Destroyer
-[X] The Local Governor: Given that our current location is completely unknown and yet it doesn't look like an uninhabited region, we have decided to send a scout group ahead to make contact with the nearest towns and ask about our whereabouts. It will surely not take us that long to find out about who we are exactly dealing with in these regions.
--[X] Light Cruiser (Landing Bay, Ground Support)
---[X] 2× Infantry Battalion
---[X] Tank Battalion
--[X] Cargo Ship (3x Population)(3,900 Population)(19.5 IC)
-[X] Matters of the Great War: Prince Muzaffar spends some time with vice-admiral Arhab, hopefully learning a bit more about his whereabouts and who knows may even win a little more of his trust which would be a good step to win his respect which may be useful in this trialing times.
No. of Votes: 7
[◈] Plan: The Sky is our Domain
[X] Ebanu8
[X] last admiral
[X] LeatherySoup
[X] Lord Necromancer
[X] Precursor Omnia
[X] RandyTrevelyan
[X] Rolen von Keng

A Call for Help​

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A Dragon's Roar
​

A thunderous noise came to be. It was followed by a rippling in the waves of the astral realm, Cayldrig could feel it and the rest of his clan could too. It was as if a thousand claps of thunder formed an orchestra of mythic proportions. The red dragon closed his eyes as he felt a massive shockwave approaching him, he braced himself for the impact and muttered some words in draconic that immediately created a magical arcane field around his body.

The wave of arcane energy clashed down on his shield and create a massive surge of wind. Cayldrig tried to make sense of what was going around him and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange place. A pitch-black place surrounded by a strange field of cosmic energy. This was unlike anything he had seen before, it was both captivating and frightening. Cayldrig attempted to recall from his long memory anything that resembles his current situation, however, there was nothing in that centuries-long memory that could come close to describing or explaining what was going around him.

Then Cayldrig's vision was disrupted by a blinding flash of light of such intensity that he felt his eyes drying up. The arcane energies that were all around him before disappeared and an odd calm came to be. Cayldrig found himself under the sun, the ground below him was no longer dirt but sand. All of his fellow dragons were in a state of confusion not so dissimilar to him and Cayldrig sensed that many of them had their senses too overwhelmed by the strange event as they began to behave erratically.

Calydrig extended his wings, the darkened red scales shining under the intense sun. He looked around and noticed that this was no place where they had been before. These were not the mountains of Sofmarson, where a gathering of the great dragons had taken place. A dark dragon approached him as he flew down to inspect the terrain. It was Qisaicreg, a black dragon of five hundred years guardian of an Obsidian clan.

"Calydrig, you felt the change. This is not Sofmarson. Who could have done this?" Qisaicreg speaks, for non-dragons, his speech would be equal to a series of loud roars unintelligible to non-dragons.

Calydrig's massive eyes just stare at Qisaicreg. His focus was taken away due to this interruption. "None did. Not even the gods could have wielded such power." The dragon lets out his breath in a similar way to a sigh. "I have no answers, not yet. I need time. For now, search food for the brood."

Qisaicreg nods and flies westward. Finding food in a desert would not be easy, especially anywhere near enough for such a large gathering of dragons. An ocean was needed, there ought to be one somewhere.

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A Photographer and a Pilot​

Giraldo Sinagra did not believe that updated photographs of the Libyan geography were needed by the Italian army, however, this was his job and he needed to go through with it. There was already delay enough with the strange storms that took place a few days ago and he wasn't one to go slack on the job for too long.

"You think the people at home are alright?" Giraldo says to the pilot, trying to make conversation while on this long trip with the scorching sun above them.

"Rain and thunder are nothing that bad. I just hope not that many things caught fire during the storm." The pilot replied, taking some water from his canteen as they kept flying in a straight line.

"I agree, I assume that the government can handle that at least." Giraldo adjusts the lenses of the camera one last time to make sure that it works fine. He aims it at the area he is supposed to photograph and then another photograph is taken. Of course, it is impossible to see yet but well he is only supposed to take them not process them in a dark room.

Giraldo looks upwards. The sun is as bright as ever if not harsher than before. Then he finds a single dark spot coming from above, it's moving and it's getting bigger....then it divides in two? Was the sun having an effect on him? No, that couldn't be his head wasn't warm enough for him to be hallucinating. So he just touches the shoulder of the pilot. "Hey, you know what those things are?"

"Huh?" The pilot looks away from the front and sees the two dark spots. He rubs his eyes, finding it unlikely again that he was hallucinating. "No, I don't know what those are. They must be a pair of eagles or something." His eyes widen as he notices a particular characteristic of those things approaching. "Huh, are those its eyes? Those eyes are massive." The small dark spots have turned into larger figures of birds or something similar and they are approaching fast.

Giraldo takes his binoculars trying to make out what those things are. What he sees through his eyes is something that he can only equate to big reptiles with wings flying down on the biplane. "You have to see this." He hands over the binoculars to Vasco but as he gives them to him, immediately one of those things flies down with incredible speed just right beside him. The two of them are able to catch the hungry eye of the beast looking at them both.

Both Giraldo and the pilot immediately feel a chill through their spine. Yet, Vasco, the pilot, realizes what's going on quickly and maneuvers the plane before the other draconic being clashes on their fragile plane. He makes a cross and then swears. "What in the name of God is that?!"

Giraldo had no answer and it quickly became pretty easy to tell that their biplane was nowhere near equipped to handle the scaly beasts roaming these skies. The maneuvers of the flying beasts were certainly on par with their plane if not better, however, whether it was due to Vasco's skills or perhaps because the beasts were toying with them they were able to maneuver their way out of their claws. However, they were not going to be able to get them in speed and it was only a matter of time until they were taken down. But then...

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A Hand Raised
​

The flagship of the western expeditionary fleet had remained static in the air. After all, it had been decided that to send it out in a random direction would just be a waste of fuel and supplies. There was only a small flight of scout planes out and that was bound to return soon, as such, the radar operator was surprised to find that three signatures began to approach from the west of the fleet. He had only expected two, and yet soon those three became five as the scouts returned from the north.

The situation was quickly informed to the bridge of the ship. Admiral Muzzaffar was quick to order the scout planes that still had enough fuel to check on the other radar signatures. They could be aircraft from another civilization nation after all.

"Going in, admiral." The lead pilot said as they changed their direction towards the incoming radar signatures. One thing was noticeable and that was the speed at which the three radar signatures, it was a slow speed in comparison to most aircraft and even then they behaved erratically as if moving around in circles rather than going in a single particular direction.

Admiral Muzzaffar reasoned that it could be due to a problem with their engines or perhaps as a result of the confusion caused by a similar phenomenon to which his fleet had been subjected. However, soon the observers in the carrier and the scout planes quickly reported a strange situation taking place.

"Two winged beasts and one biplane?" Admiral Muzzaffar, couldn't really believe what he was hearing. Yet, there was no reason to doubt the words from the deck observers and pilots they were both seeing the same thing.

The fact that biplanes were being used by the locals proved that they were at least at some level of aircraft development which was good but even then their aircraft technology could be considered somewhat obsolete if not primitive.

The obvious next step for Admiral Muzzaffar was to help the biplane to reach a safe haven. He knew that the planes he had sent as scouts were not fully armed for combat, but they would have to do enough against the flying reptiles. "Proceed to take down those things or at least make them back away from the biplane."

The scout pilots nodded and headed towards the winged beasts with the intent to shoot. The Rattlesnake class fighters aimed at the dragons with great accuracy. Given the apparent agility of the dragons, the pilots decided to go for a boom and zoom approach. They dived down on the dragons from above and fired their quad machine guns at them.

The dragons in front of them were larger than their planes at least by a ratio of 50% making them sizable targets for the pilots. The machine guns of their aircraft roared and hit the two dragons almost in unison. The bullets hit and destroyed part of the flesh of the dragons, making them bleed and roar.

Soon the dragons stopped playing around and extended their wings to their full span. They stopped hunting down the biplane and began to pursue their attackers.

The lone biplane in the meantime headed towards the carrier and made a sorry attempt at a landing that had to be saved by an aircraft net.

Meanwhile, viper class fighters were heading out of the carrier to deal with the two dragons. The two original scout planes had the dragons in their tails, however, their speed was enough to just about make the dragons realize that they were not in a good playing field and retreated back into the windy desert.

The first victory of the Far Western Expeditionary Fleet had been achieved even if had not been against an enemy air fleet but against dragons.

[To be continued in the next update.]

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The Local Governor​

5th of June, 1914. Italian Governorate of Cyrenaica

The light cruiser landed on the ground with ease a fair bit of sand and dust were thrown into the air as the loud engines of the airship began to throttle down. The scene that unfolded was very much to the amazement of the local Bengasi crowd and the Italian officials present. None amongst the crowd had seen or expected to see such a large vessel capable of flight and not one so sophisticated as to look and act as a flying battleship.

"I cannot believe it." The Italian governor of Cyrenaica and a general of the Regio Esercito, Giovanni Ameglio said and it was indeed not hard to not start to doubt one own's eyes when something brought out of Paris's universal exposition was before him in full working conditions.

"It is indeed hard to believe but here it is." His aide, Alfonso said.

The Italian governor upon first seeing the ship on the horizon believed that he was under attack by Austro-Hungarians or Germans and had sent an immediate order for the colonial troops to rally. That included the Berber cavalry and the Italian colonial soldiers. All of which were in full formation outside of the city in preparations for an incoming attack, however, that attack did not come and Alfonso had to convince the Italian governor that if this was an attack, then they would have fired first and not waited for the governor to rally his troops.

Communications between the light cruiser and the colonial governor were not easy to say the last. But a small expedition composed of a Melakan officer and a few technicians made their way down to the ground and communicated their intent to land and resupply with the locals. They also communicated their wish to establish contact with the leader and go into more detail about their whereabouts. Of course, this conversation took not minutes to take place but an entire day as attempts by both sides were made to understand each other languages.

For the Italians, the strange clothing and exotic faces of the Melakans were very telling that they did not belong to any of the armies or navies in Europe, but they certainly considered for a moment that they could be Japanese, Chinese, or even Indian. They couldn't really be blamed given that they had little knowledge about East Asia as a whole.

On the other hand, Melakans were quick to recognize the Italians as similar to the Remans that they had known. Of course, not all were similarities and the flag they used and the language they spoke were clear ways for the Melakans to tell that they weren't part of the Holy Reman Empire, which only made things more complicated when it came to learning where they were exactly.

After landing and dealing with the formalities of greetings, the Melakan Captain Kumar Zeng Mang talked with the Italian governor in very simple terms about resupply, whereabouts, and the situation nearby.

Once the Italian translator finished speaking Giovanni Ameglio, the governor, spoke up. "Supplies can be arranged and you will be allowed into the city for such matters."

Captain Kumar nodded at the Italian governor. He had not expected to find a civilized settlement too soon or so close, but well that was luck. However, the information he gathered was enough to know very well that he was nowhere in his own world.

Suffice to say that Captain Kumar was quick to relay the information through radio back to the carrier flagship. That they were under the territory of an Italian Kingdom and that they were in Italian Cyrenaica. Not much more information was gathered by Captain Kumar so far, but this initial opening of diplomatic channels was certainly better than being isolated from the world.

[Access to Bengazi as a market and basic knowledge about the Italian Kingdom gathered.]

As far as Governor-General Giovanni Ameglio was concerned, this strange visit from strange floating airships was something that had to be immediately notified to the capital in Rome. It was a good thing that there was already an underwater telegraph cable connecting the colony with Rome and the communications were able to take place without much trouble.

His directions from the capital were simple. "Keep diplomatic channels open, wait for the arrival of an ambassador and keep the visitors from making contact with the Senussi Order or put them against them."

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OOC: So this is it for the first part of the update of turn 0. So far you have met the Italian governorate in Libya, some spooky dragons and you will get decisions on how to deal with them in the upcoming update.

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