Space Battleship Andromeda

[QTesseract]

It's also worth noting that not every novital ship is going to be mustered for a coup attempt. There's the question of all the captains (or crews) and even flag officers you can't trust, because you don't want the people who will object to you couping the military right next to you inside of your defenses, in an armed warship. Anything too far away probably also won't show, even if they aren't essential.

 

[Pyro Hawk]

I also think you're probably overestimating how many capitals there are. I think it's probably closer to 20-1 of sub-capital versus capital and supercapital warships. Admittedly, this is only if the fleet's not a main battle fleet or the like, which is more likely to be the 10-to-1 ratio you suggested. But if the fleet's not being used solely for active battle engagements, then a large chunk of the fleet is going to be assigned on patrol, sentry and scouting duties. All of which don't require an expensive battleship or fleet carrier to perform them. If you need a larger ship as a flagship for the squadrons, then a cruiser of some sort is perfectly fine for the task.

So maybe triple the numbers of 'non-vital' ships, but only adjust the numbers of capitals in the fleet up a little bit to factor in the fact that non-vital tasks are going to be things that smaller, faster ships are usually better at whilst also lacking the concentrated combat power capital ships give. Then you axe half or two thirds of the ships because they're either too far away to arrive in time for the coup attempt, too uncertain loyalty-wise so are better off kept busy doing what they originally were, or are close enough and of sound loyalty but there's a force with uncertain loyalty nearby and it's better for that force there to keep an eye on the uncertain ships to prevent them interfering.

That said, most of the capitals assigned to 'non-vital tasks' are likely to be in the border regions of the empire, or the core regions. So they'd be over-represented in the fleet conducting the coup compared to how many of them there are in the wider fleet.

 

[ExNihilo]

Andromeda is pretty objectively the strongest starship currently in use by any major galactic player. Thanks to the Wave Motion core and gun, she should outperform even Gamilas superdreadnoughts with relative ease. However, a Main Battle Fleet isn't just one superdreadnought. Ten superdreadnoughts, twenty-five fleet carriers, a hundred dreadnaughts, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of assorted cruisers, escort carriers, destroyers, and patrol craft, none of which would be a match for the Andromeda individually, but together even the scatter mode of the Wave Motion Gun wouldn't be enough. Add in any static bases along the way and any secret weapons Domel might have, if it comes down to a fleet-versus-fleet encounter, it would take a literal miracle for us to come out alive.

However, a head-on battle was never the plan. Fundamentally, our advantage is that space is gigantic. There's no real way to put how big and empty it is into a human perspective. Even when limiting it to 'space in the direction we're heading' and 'systems and exoplanets big enough to mine for repairs' it's still a tremendous amount of places that we could be or might be. If Domel kept his fleet concentrated, he'd certainly win if he encountered us, but he never would, statistically speaking. Thus, he'd be splitting it up into smaller fleets, scattered in locations we'd likely end up. These flotillas, likely a capital ship and her escorts, would be beatable by the Andromeda, but present a different game entirely.

The fundamental nature of repeated odds is that even unlikely events can become more likely if you encounter them more often. Thus, the more often we encounter Gamilas fleets, and the more often we are forced to battle them, the more likely something will go wrong. As Domel likely doesn't have much hard data on our full capabilities, and we not much on his strategic planning styles, it was anyone's guess how he'd split his fleet, whether into weaker but more likely to encounter squadrons or tougher but easier to dodge. However, even a weak task force could damage us, and damage wouldn't always be like last time, a few armor plates and some hull damage. Even a nonvital but long repair could be disastrous, as staying in one system for longer could mean gathering enough assets to pose a serious risk.

That's why our first encounter with Domel's fleet, in this case a Heavy Cruiser flotilla, ended with us fleeing out of the system immediately, into the black where they wouldn't be able to find us. The routine maintenance check had already finished, and the last bit of repairs could be done, if more slowly, while underway. Rumor has it Admiral Okita was reluctant, but strategic use of resources is more important than winning one battle against one task force.

It is, however, the nature of radiuses that the closer we get, the fewer places we are likely to go. Especially for the second half of the journey, where we'll be traveling through intergalactic space and stars and bodies are less numerous, it'll be easier to predict and entrap us. For now, at least, we shouldn't push the odds.

Even then, that leaves 135 vessels strong enough to seriously threaten Andromeda, with backup, plus whatever tricks Domel's assembled through his career. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but there are still millions of possible stars for us to go to. Not immediately, and not entirely blindly, there are routes more and less likely, but it will very much be two forces mostly blind trying to avoid or encounter each other. Perhaps not the most glorious of combat, but the fate of the world, and possibly others as well, rests in our hands. As little as possible must be left to chance.

Spoiler: AN

AN: Interlude: Space Wolf is up next, I'm going to try something a little experimental. Also, how does formatting work here? It's really weird. The paragraphs are supposed to be indenting and seperated, is it normal that that doesn't happen?

 

[PyroTechno]

XenForo doesn't like it when you try to copy-paste rich text, it likes to eat formatting. If that's what you did, then that's what happened.

As far as your actual formatting goes, it looks pretty normal to me (for fanfiction, anyway).

 

[ExNihilo]

You'd think being on break would leave me more time to write. Turns out, that would be wrong.

Scene Set:

Command Room: GINS Haym, Heavy Cruiser of the Naval Group Orion.
PERSPECTIVE of Captain Garl Melren

There is currently an ongoing meeting, in HOLOGRAM. The center is currently held by Captain Gonther Pries and his Intelligence commander, Ermann Brandi, both of the GINS Liesenbar, likewise a heavy cruiser. Several low-resolution IMAGES are likewise in display, as are several important admirals, including Erich Domel, onboard the Superdreadnaught Domelaze II, and some of his command staff.

BRANDI: Thus, our overall conclusions from the encounter are a dreadnaught grade warship, between 440 and 470 meters long, heavily armed and armored, but deceptively nimble and with high acceleration. The presence of a wave motion core is not guaranteed but is most likely present. Though theoretically an efficient Spheromak reactor could output that kind of power, it would be pushing the absolute limits and would leave them little power for anything else. Detailed analysis of weapons and maneuvering is still underway, but simulations indicate it is likely a match for dreadnaughts, and given their likely desperation in launching this mission, they will no doubt fight like cornered Scrals.

A BRIEF SILENCE

Seodur Mainel, Rear Admiral, Supercarrier GINS Kuthenar: Bullshit.

MUTTERING IN THE BACKGROUND

PRIES: I assure you…

MAINEL: Bullshit. No way the Terons could build something like that. That's a Gatlantis Titan-grade freighter with a paintjob and some weapons bolted on, you're just covering your asses because it escaped from under you.

PRIES: What? No, I'd never…

DOMEL: Now, Seo, that's not a productive argument. The data Captain Gonther presented matches the scans from Outpost M273, including in places not released for security reasons. A repurposed Gatlantis freighter could hardly kill a Suppression Fleet by itself, after all.

MAINEL, muttering: ...could have been support…

DOMEL: A whole fleet of warp-capable vessels? That's even less likely, and you know it. For now, let's assume a dreadnaught-grade warship, capable of long-range nonsupported operations, crewed by the cream of what a single world can produce.

Taul Gedenk, Vice Admiral, Superdreadnaught GINS Porglitz: Well, they're clearly not headed to Gatlantis space, or if they are, they're very lost.

A STAR MAP appears, with projected paths from Zul to it's last known location. No lines approach the region marked GATLANTIS CONTROLLED.

Hanns Buchacard, Rear Admiral, Supercarrier GINS Ohenlohen: Not surprising. Politically, they probably dislike Gatlantis more than us. They probably wouldn't accept aid from them in the first place.

GEDENK: Then how did they get all their new tech? Some of it's reverse engineered, but not all of it.

BUCHACARD, loudly: A traitor in Weapons and Development, sending information...

DOMEL: Keep your conspiracy theories about subversive scientists for later, Hanns, right now we have to focus on the Teron vessel. While I'm inclined to agree with NAVINT that their end goal in the Large Magellanic Cloud, they likely have targets along the way, where we could intercept them.

Ledwig Dentch, Rear Admiral (Lower), Dreadnaught GINS Jagstegen II: System T94 has a habitable world, they could be stopping to set a colony there, or somesuch.

Walth Cleist, Vice Admiral, Superdreadnought GINS Meltoria: The sector command center is, uh,

A gesture to someone out of shot. A SYSTEM highlights itself on the STAR MAP.

CLIEST: Ganzig. Losing that could be bad, and would cripple C2 in the entire region.

Henz Godering, Rear Admiral, Supercarrier GINS Bierisen: What about the gate?

A PAUSE

GEDENK: What?

GODERING: The Aquarius Gate. If they breach the defences and push straight through Balun, that old network could put them in the heart of the Magellanic Clouds.

A MUTE HORROR. Even DOMEL looks shocked.

Erik Secht, Vice Admiral, Superdreadnought Hornesbau IV: The defenses are strong, but not strong enough. They could, couldn't they.

DOTTED LINES have been added to the STAR MAP, radiating out from BALUN. TWO are HIGHLIGHTED, one in AQUARIUS, the other in the LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD.

Gillmane Kanarus, Intelligence, Domelaze II: As you can see, the only gate viable is the Aquarius gate. While the Pisces Gate is theoretically an option, it is also the mustering point of the Fifth, Ninth, and Twelfth Fleets.

GEDENK: They're still preparing for the assault against Gatlantis, right? It might be strong, but three full battle fleets in one spot is not a target they could beat. Still, Aquarius's defence should only be a few heavy fortresses and an Asteroid base.

DOMEL: Beyond the Gate and the two aforementioned locations, Intelligence has located six other important targets in their projected flight path. Forces, at least a Superdreadnought or a Supercarrier, will be deployed to each, and a heavier fleet to Aquarius. Cliest, I think, should lead that force.

CLIEST: Of course, sir. May I request additional construction ships and minelayers from the support? If I'm to prepare there, static defenses wouldn't be amiss.

DOMEL: Certainly. Put in your request with Hans [Triller, chief quartermaster] and I'll fast track it. For everyone else, I'll have assignments of fleet order by day's end.

Low MURMURING breaks out among all parties.

DOMEL: Before we disperse, I'd like to see if any of you have a solution to this. Intelligence hasn't been able to come up with an answer that satisfies me

KANARUS: Sir…

DOMEL: so I'm asking you all here. What could their goal be, for this mission? If they had a single warp drive, surely it would have been better put to use as a scout, or a colony ship, or a raider. Kept small scale, Gamilas would hardly investigate, and the Terons could continue to improve the situation in their own system. Even if this ship gets past us and into our core territory, the home fleet will crush it, and then Teron will be destroyed in a bombardment that will make the assault on Alteria look like a strongly worded letter. So, why?

SILENCE, then various THEORIES are wildly proposed. Many are discussing with their own aides.

MERLEN: Oh, no.

He pulls up a TABLET, looking up old data.

...

A prevailing THEORY is beginning to take hold. Championed by BUCHACARD, the idea is developed that the TERON VESSEL will travel to Garmillas core territory, spreading rebellion and supplying partisans, drawing off reports from the picket fleet that the TERONS had good intelligence operations, which KANARUS is unable to deny.

MERLEN: Sirs, I just had a terrible thought. We've said it has a wave motion core, correct?

DOMEL, curiously: Yes, why?

MERLEN: Well, the Iskandarians were famous for their use of the technology. They used it to power their devices, and propel their starships, but it had a third, more famous use for them.

The image of an ASTEROID FIELD is brought up. It takes a moment for the collective officers to realize what the photo is of, but only a moment.

It hadn't always been an ASTEROID FIELD. It was once STRUMANIA, a planet with a billion sentients, until one day the ISKANDARIANS deemed it a threat to galactic peace.

MERLEN: Planet killing.

 

[NHO]

So right and so incorrect.