- Location
- Here, there, everywhere.
Traveller, The Rise of Empire: A Naval Design, Procurement and Command Quest
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
- Original Art Quest Sci-Fi
I'll admit the communist part might be untrue, but they very much seem like your standard stalinesque "You and your family are traitors of the state types." authoritarian reign of terror.
Coyote Niff
the most transbian obligate scavenger on the 'net!
- Location
- Misery!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
A: we know little about the Cassalonians other than their being a "People's Republic", which isn't indicative of anything other than mild socialist leanings-Bangladesh and Algeria are People's Republics and I wouldn't call either nation communist.
B: We fragged the Xyphoni ICBM capacity in a way that the Dynasts were able to exploit so damn hard that I doubt they could rebuild any of it.
- Location
- Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I would suggest that the phrasing of that whole update would strongly suggest that our info was coming from the Dynasts themselves, and was likely biased. I'm not going to say it's impossible they were authoritarian nuts, but I would not read that update as neutral.
The junta's introduction, for instance, starts "the so-called are nothing but a bunch of" which sounds like our info was either from the Dynasts, or from the very much pro-Chambrestrong CC.
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This whole thing is, frankly, making me think we should try to centralize control of or dismantle any atomics on Home.
Doubloon
Quelle horreur!
Yeah. To make this totally clear to everyone at hand, by that way: Home has Law Level 0.
A world's Law Level in Traveller is pretty laser-focused on arms control, given the perspective of a bunch of nomadic armed lunatics (player characters.)
Law Level 0 in this case means that there are no restrictions on private ownership of nuclear weapons. The individual corporations represented in the Citizen's Council are nuclear-armed. This is very troublesome.
Regarding the "who shot first question," I will say...
A world's Law Level in Traveller is pretty laser-focused on arms control, given the perspective of a bunch of nomadic armed lunatics (player characters.)
Law Level 0 in this case means that there are no restrictions on private ownership of nuclear weapons. The individual corporations represented in the Citizen's Council are nuclear-armed. This is very troublesome.
Regarding the "who shot first question," I will say...
- We have/had personnel on-station with the nuclear weapons sats. I'm going to be optimistic and hope that rogue elements in our force did not cause a planet-wrecking nuclear war.
- The Chambrestrong Dynasty, of course, also had crews aboard the weapons sats. I don't know if they had any stations under their complete control, or if all were under power-sharing agreements by the time of the exchange. There is an open possibility that the Dynasts were attempting a first strike before they lost the capability to do so.
- We bombarded the former Xyphonite nuclear silos, but in update 2-5 it is noted they were in possession of "mobile missile launchers which maintain nuclear warheads." This opens the possibility that the Xyphon Freedom League (who did not accept the treaty as signed) took possession of nuclear systems that fell through the cracks, and attacked in a vengeance strike.
- I do not believe the other Xyphonite successor states (signatories to the armistice) would have motivation to break the peace. I can't rule them out in their entirety, but I would be very surprised!
- Cassalon is not described as having any space attack capability. I think this almost totally rules them out as being responsible.
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON S'TAXU INCIDENT
Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON S'TAXU INCIDENT
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Colonel Amine Bennani, HSWS Command Staff
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON S'TAXU INCIDENT
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Colonel Amine Bennani, HSWS Command Staff
Note: for ease of readability, the beginning of the S'taxu Incident is noted as '0 Hour'.
00:00 - PMC Indefatigable starts on track that, if continued, will enter the DMZ/cross into the inner system. HSWS Pallas flash PMC warship with warning broadcast; no response.
03:00 - HSWS Pallas flashes second inquiry to PMC Indefatigable after several hours; no response. Sakumo and Pallas discuss.
06:00 -HSWS Sakumo receives recorded broadcast on Dynast frequencies and passes to Pallas. Unclear if the PMC ship has crossed the DMZ.
06:01 - Pallas and Sakumo begin to go to action stations; request flash traffic and update from station crews.
06:05 - Pallas and Sakumo at action stations; no response recorded from station crews. Sakumo reports multiple launches from multiple Dynast stations in orbit and ground launch vehicles.
06:06 - Pallas initiates SCRAM procedure; receives data dump from Sakumo and maneuvers for jump point. Sakumo begins evasive maneuvers. Turrets are fire free.
06:09 - Two missiles with atomic warheads penetrate Sakumo's defense perimeter and explode. Sakumo continues to maneuver. Pallas initiates emergency jump to Home system.
06:11 - Second missile volley tracks on Sakumo. Sakumo returns fire and destroys an orbital defense station.
06:13 - Two more atomics explode close-in on the Sakumo, causing battle damage.
06:17 - Third missile volley. Additional stations are now firing. Sakumo destroys a second orbital defense station with particle beam fire.
06:19 - Sakumo struck by seven warheads. This is enough to knock the jump drive offline, cause hull ruptures across three frames, knock out a particle bay, and disable two weapons turrets. Captain Nacar orders Sakumo out of orbit.
06:20 - Captain Nacar wounded in action by additional missile strike. Senior Lieutenant Terzi takes command as the Sakumo leaves orbit and evades further damage.
END OF INITIAL INCIDENT
Following the exchange of weapons fire, the Indefatigable continued their inbound track and took control of S'Taxu-4's orbitals. It is presumed that the nuclear exchange caused mass casualties on the surface. All orbital stations destroyed or rendered inoperative. Sakumo suffered ten KIA, four WIA.
As of this writing, only seven service-members are known to have survived from the station crews in orbit. The rest of the watch crews are currently missing in action, but (in the opinion of this writer) must be presumed lost, either by treacherous Dynasts or as a result of being aboard the orbital stations when they were destroyed by weapons fire from the Sakumo or Indefatigable.
CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
If we have to intimidate them we might as well go home. The PMC are the strongest power in the system and the ones we were mostly closely aligned with before things went south. They're now also the only game in town. Intimidating them is risking writing off S'Taxu.
Reminder that we accepted the use of the PMC's docks, which were four times what the Dynasts could offer us, and that we were recruiting from most of the other powers in the system, not the Dynasts. Our apparent allegiance shifted fairly obviously. I warned people of such when the docks came up. We were literally working with everyone else. They made better offers. If you didn't think that would have political consequences, that's on you.
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No doubt, switching our favourites was a mistake. If it turns out the Dynasts fired the nukes, the Citizens' Council would be right to put the blame on HSWS. However, faced with problem of losing our favour the Dynasts had better chances if an attempt at political solution was made rather than just self-immolation.
It still wouldn't make sense to attack our ships. We were meant to enforce keeping the Junta out of the inner system. The Junta ship was on a course for the inner system, but it's unclear what the distance was. It would have made more sense for them to form up with us and prepare for the defense of their planet.
Also, maybe we should establish rules of engagement. Our ships waited in orbit while the Junta ship maintained course for the inner system. It's likely that our ships could have intercepted the Junta Vessel, stayed at particle lance distance, and attempted to hail them a couple more times before threatening an engagement.
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
We are the thing keeping them from bringing everyone else to heel through the righteousness of the divine right of kings. We showed them the hand of friendship at first and then when everyone else was able to offer them more changed our tune after the peace.
GUNNERY LOG, HSWS SAKUMO
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
A note: the Sakumo broke orbit quite late in the engagement, considering it would have restricted her freedom to maneuver a good bit. Unless, of course, she was staying in orbit for a reason...
GUNNERY LOG, HSWS SAKUMO
ACTION IN ORBIT S'TAXU 4
SUBMITTED VIA HSWS TISHTRAYA
IN ACTION: 22 minutes 45 seconds.
00:00: SAKUMO Actual orders beat to quarters.
00:15: SAKUMO Sandcaster turrets report manned and ready
00:35: SAKUMO Beam Laser turrets report manned and ready
00:37: SAKUMO Pulse Laser turrets report manned and ready.
00:56 SAKUMO Particle Beams report manned and ready. SAKUMO Guns reports all gunnery stations manned and ready to Actual.
01:45: SAKUMO Guns requests permission from Actual to dirty vectors to PMCS INDEFATIGABLE. Actual grants permission.
01:48: Sandcaster turrets active to dirty direct course and best-time course vectors to PMCS INDEFATIGABLE.
02:43: Nearest orbital station reported opening silo doors.
03:05: SAKUMO Guns orders cease fire on Sandcasters. Fire Control is directed to develop plan to dirty as many vectors between ground targets and stations as possible.
05:02: Multiple orbital stations opening silo doors. SAKUMO Guns requests permission to implement plan to dirty vectors to ground targets unless the stations respond to comms.
05:32: SAKUMO Actual orders Point Defense free, Helm free to conduct orbital maneuver, turns to close nearest station.
05:55: Copied Dynast transmission. SAKUMO Actual orders immediate implementation of Guns' plan to dirty vectors. Sandcasters in action.
06:10: Multiple launches detected. Sand effectively clogs groundward vectors for the nearest two stations and degrades or destroys several missiles and reentry vehicles. Beam and Pulse Lasers in action.
06:50: Guns orders Particle Beams weapons free, fire as they bear. Captain orders Helm to bring Particle Beams to bear on nearest orbital station as feasible. Multiple successful interceptions by Beam and Pulse Lasers of missiles exiting nearest station and attempting to get up to speed.
07:00: Sandcasters retargeted. Nearest station combat ineffective in face of SAKUMO point-defense hitting birds as they come off their launchers. Particle Beams attempt to engage missile flight headed groundward from distant station. One hit.
08:03: Volley from second most distant station enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Multiple interceptions.
08:30: Sandcasters retasked to point defense against incoming missiles.
08:55: Sandcaster Turret 2 has feed jam, cause unknown. Damage Control responding.
09:01: Two nuclear warheads initiate in close proximity to SAKUMO. Multiple turrets report on-mount IR and LIDAR systems blinded, still functional on main sensors. External hull damage. Ship systems holding.
09:33: Sandcaster Turret 2 manages to remove offending round in feed manually, resumes fire. Sandcaster turrets attempting to dirty field towards the next-nearest orbital station.
10:01: Nearest surviving station conducts coordinated launch against SAKUMO. Sand degrades multiple missiles.
11:05 SAKUMO Particle Beams fire on nearest orbital station. Target destroyed. SAKUMO Actual orders turn to engage second station.
11:45: Multiple missiles from multiple vectors enter SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Sandcasters again retasked.
12:30: Nuclear warhead initiates out of effective range of SAKUMO.
13:09: Two nuclear warheads initiate in proximity to SAKUMO. Pulse Laser Turret 1 does not answer and is not connected to bridge controls. Sandcaster Turret 2 reports feed jamming again. Fire Control reports heavy degradation of main sensors on aft vectors.
14:02: SAKUMO Point Defense envelope now encompasses nearest surviving orbital station. Station is combat-ineffective as missile launches are killed before they can gain speed. SAKUMO Actual demands station surrender.
14:32: Station refuses to surrender. Sandcasters attempting to dirty aft arc where sensor coverage is degraded. Pulse Laser Turret 1 crewman reported dead at station, turret open to space, control linkages down. Cause: Impulsive shock from nearby nuclear initiation cracked turret seals. Damage Control brings the turret back online with relief crewman in suit, on local control.
14:56: Coordinated launch from multiple stations reported inbound. Sandcaster Turret 2 cleared for action.
15:05: SAKUMO Actual orders Helm to present as many working weapons as possible.
15:12: Coordinated launch enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Beam lasers doing superlative work.
15:52: Missile volley defeated. SAKUMO Actual logs recommendation for decoration for skill for Beam Laser crews, orders Helm to bring Particle Beams to bear on nearest station.
16:02: Additional missile volley inbound. Time on target with several stations behind the limb of the planet.
16:38: Particle Beams destroy orbital station. SAKUMO Actual orders helm to again present as many weapons as possible on inbound vectors.
17:02: Sand degrading inbounds. Six fallen off-course.
17:33: Missile volley enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Nuclear warhead initiates early, destroys several other missiles.
17:35: Second volley detected. Hard radiation flash just below planetary horizon; possible station fratricide or ground-based response.
18:02: Missile volley defeated. Second volley will enter Point Defense envelope in twenty seconds. Fire Control reports ground-based laser flash on primary sensor array is blinding IR, LIDAR, Vislight. Station jamming degrading the effectiveness of radar.
18:07: SAKUMO Actual orders maneuver to bring primary array clear.
18:22: SAKUMO Point Defense again in action. SAKUMO Actual orders Helm at ten seconds from inpact to present most minimal target profile. Efforts to maneuver clear of ground-based laser jamming ineffective.
18:57: Multiple nuclear warheads initiate in proximity to SAKUMO, including at least one contact hit. Fire Control reports lost power. Particle Beam 1 and 2 report inoperable. Pulse Laser Turret 1 does not answer. Sandcaster Turret 2 reports turret and weapons inoperable. Inner hull breached. Crew ordered to suits, seal helmets.
19:02: Incoming missile volley from nearest surviving station. Sandcaster Turret 2 has been dirtying bearing without orders, degrades multiple missiles. Fire Control reports backup sensors online, Pulse Laser and Beam Laser turrets remaining operational engaging. Incoming missile drive flares on ballistic arcs from the PMCS INDEFATIGABLE targeting orbital stations. SAKUMO ACTUAL orders break orbit, SAKUMO no longer able to degrade attacks on ground targets.
19:32: Nuclear weapon believed disabled by sand overshoots, initiates behind SAKUMO. Drive flutter. Multiple casualties from equipment breaking loose. Fire Control reports primary sensors back online. SAKUMO Actual injured.
19:55: SAKUMO pivots on course and fires at nearest surviving orbital station with remaining Particle Beams, scores damage. Missile volley inbound. SAKUMO Actual, Acting, orders Helm to outrun them on primary drives.
20:27: Final missile volley unable to achieve intercept. SAKUMO Guns orders particle beams secure from stations, requests they report status of Pulse Laser Turret 1 relief crewman.
21:43: Pulse Laser Turret 1 relief crewman reported dead at station. Cause: Impulsive shock from nearby nuclear initiation dished in helmet visor. SAKUMO Guns logs recommendation for decoration for bravery for relief crewman of Pulse Laser Turret 1 and decoration for initiative for crew of Sandcaster Turret 2.
22:45: SAKUMO Actual, Acting, orders secure from action stations, maximum damage-control effort. Log ends.
GUNNERY LOG, HSWS SAKUMO
ACTION IN ORBIT S'TAXU 4
SUBMITTED VIA HSWS TISHTRAYA
IN ACTION: 22 minutes 45 seconds.
00:00: SAKUMO Actual orders beat to quarters.
00:15: SAKUMO Sandcaster turrets report manned and ready
00:35: SAKUMO Beam Laser turrets report manned and ready
00:37: SAKUMO Pulse Laser turrets report manned and ready.
00:56 SAKUMO Particle Beams report manned and ready. SAKUMO Guns reports all gunnery stations manned and ready to Actual.
01:45: SAKUMO Guns requests permission from Actual to dirty vectors to PMCS INDEFATIGABLE. Actual grants permission.
01:48: Sandcaster turrets active to dirty direct course and best-time course vectors to PMCS INDEFATIGABLE.
02:43: Nearest orbital station reported opening silo doors.
03:05: SAKUMO Guns orders cease fire on Sandcasters. Fire Control is directed to develop plan to dirty as many vectors between ground targets and stations as possible.
05:02: Multiple orbital stations opening silo doors. SAKUMO Guns requests permission to implement plan to dirty vectors to ground targets unless the stations respond to comms.
05:32: SAKUMO Actual orders Point Defense free, Helm free to conduct orbital maneuver, turns to close nearest station.
05:55: Copied Dynast transmission. SAKUMO Actual orders immediate implementation of Guns' plan to dirty vectors. Sandcasters in action.
06:10: Multiple launches detected. Sand effectively clogs groundward vectors for the nearest two stations and degrades or destroys several missiles and reentry vehicles. Beam and Pulse Lasers in action.
06:50: Guns orders Particle Beams weapons free, fire as they bear. Captain orders Helm to bring Particle Beams to bear on nearest orbital station as feasible. Multiple successful interceptions by Beam and Pulse Lasers of missiles exiting nearest station and attempting to get up to speed.
07:00: Sandcasters retargeted. Nearest station combat ineffective in face of SAKUMO point-defense hitting birds as they come off their launchers. Particle Beams attempt to engage missile flight headed groundward from distant station. One hit.
08:03: Volley from second most distant station enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Multiple interceptions.
08:30: Sandcasters retasked to point defense against incoming missiles.
08:55: Sandcaster Turret 2 has feed jam, cause unknown. Damage Control responding.
09:01: Two nuclear warheads initiate in close proximity to SAKUMO. Multiple turrets report on-mount IR and LIDAR systems blinded, still functional on main sensors. External hull damage. Ship systems holding.
09:33: Sandcaster Turret 2 manages to remove offending round in feed manually, resumes fire. Sandcaster turrets attempting to dirty field towards the next-nearest orbital station.
10:01: Nearest surviving station conducts coordinated launch against SAKUMO. Sand degrades multiple missiles.
11:05 SAKUMO Particle Beams fire on nearest orbital station. Target destroyed. SAKUMO Actual orders turn to engage second station.
11:45: Multiple missiles from multiple vectors enter SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Sandcasters again retasked.
12:30: Nuclear warhead initiates out of effective range of SAKUMO.
13:09: Two nuclear warheads initiate in proximity to SAKUMO. Pulse Laser Turret 1 does not answer and is not connected to bridge controls. Sandcaster Turret 2 reports feed jamming again. Fire Control reports heavy degradation of main sensors on aft vectors.
14:02: SAKUMO Point Defense envelope now encompasses nearest surviving orbital station. Station is combat-ineffective as missile launches are killed before they can gain speed. SAKUMO Actual demands station surrender.
14:32: Station refuses to surrender. Sandcasters attempting to dirty aft arc where sensor coverage is degraded. Pulse Laser Turret 1 crewman reported dead at station, turret open to space, control linkages down. Cause: Impulsive shock from nearby nuclear initiation cracked turret seals. Damage Control brings the turret back online with relief crewman in suit, on local control.
14:56: Coordinated launch from multiple stations reported inbound. Sandcaster Turret 2 cleared for action.
15:05: SAKUMO Actual orders Helm to present as many working weapons as possible.
15:12: Coordinated launch enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Beam lasers doing superlative work.
15:52: Missile volley defeated. SAKUMO Actual logs recommendation for decoration for skill for Beam Laser crews, orders Helm to bring Particle Beams to bear on nearest station.
16:02: Additional missile volley inbound. Time on target with several stations behind the limb of the planet.
16:38: Particle Beams destroy orbital station. SAKUMO Actual orders helm to again present as many weapons as possible on inbound vectors.
17:02: Sand degrading inbounds. Six fallen off-course.
17:33: Missile volley enters SAKUMO Point Defense envelope. Nuclear warhead initiates early, destroys several other missiles.
17:35: Second volley detected. Hard radiation flash just below planetary horizon; possible station fratricide or ground-based response.
18:02: Missile volley defeated. Second volley will enter Point Defense envelope in twenty seconds. Fire Control reports ground-based laser flash on primary sensor array is blinding IR, LIDAR, Vislight. Station jamming degrading the effectiveness of radar.
18:07: SAKUMO Actual orders maneuver to bring primary array clear.
18:22: SAKUMO Point Defense again in action. SAKUMO Actual orders Helm at ten seconds from inpact to present most minimal target profile. Efforts to maneuver clear of ground-based laser jamming ineffective.
18:57: Multiple nuclear warheads initiate in proximity to SAKUMO, including at least one contact hit. Fire Control reports lost power. Particle Beam 1 and 2 report inoperable. Pulse Laser Turret 1 does not answer. Sandcaster Turret 2 reports turret and weapons inoperable. Inner hull breached. Crew ordered to suits, seal helmets.
19:02: Incoming missile volley from nearest surviving station. Sandcaster Turret 2 has been dirtying bearing without orders, degrades multiple missiles. Fire Control reports backup sensors online, Pulse Laser and Beam Laser turrets remaining operational engaging. Incoming missile drive flares on ballistic arcs from the PMCS INDEFATIGABLE targeting orbital stations. SAKUMO ACTUAL orders break orbit, SAKUMO no longer able to degrade attacks on ground targets.
19:32: Nuclear weapon believed disabled by sand overshoots, initiates behind SAKUMO. Drive flutter. Multiple casualties from equipment breaking loose. Fire Control reports primary sensors back online. SAKUMO Actual injured.
19:55: SAKUMO pivots on course and fires at nearest surviving orbital station with remaining Particle Beams, scores damage. Missile volley inbound. SAKUMO Actual, Acting, orders Helm to outrun them on primary drives.
20:27: Final missile volley unable to achieve intercept. SAKUMO Guns orders particle beams secure from stations, requests they report status of Pulse Laser Turret 1 relief crewman.
21:43: Pulse Laser Turret 1 relief crewman reported dead at station. Cause: Impulsive shock from nearby nuclear initiation dished in helmet visor. SAKUMO Guns logs recommendation for decoration for bravery for relief crewman of Pulse Laser Turret 1 and decoration for initiative for crew of Sandcaster Turret 2.
22:45: SAKUMO Actual, Acting, orders secure from action stations, maximum damage-control effort. Log ends.
Where are we able to see details of the battle? Did I miss a post somewhere?
Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
@Night and I are mostly just extrapolating and building off of the short snippet in the latest update from the POV of the bridge crew, the information in the first report, and the info from the XO in the latest update.
EDIT: Here's the quote!
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4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
5-9: Justice?
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
There is a great deal to understand and review here, but one thing is obvious to the Citizens Council - the Chambrestrong Dynasty will not enjoy a fair trial in S'Taxu. The HSWS must find a way to have them transferred to Home while investigations are ongoing. How will this be achieved?
- Offer to conduct multilateral trial of the Chambrestrongs, with a set of judges from both S'taxu and Home.
- Begin detailed investigation into the sequence of events and motives leading toS'taxu-4 being bombarded with nuclear weapons.
We clearly need to reappraise our approach to peace in S'Taxu. What is the advice or recommendations of the HSWS?
- If the false flag operation has been ruled out, work to improve cooperation and bring the Junta into closer ties with Home.
- Assing both FSSs with escorts to ferry aid to S'taxu. Work with the Civilians' Council to have the Interstellar Converyors assist.
Any other comments on ongoing operations or operations that should be conducted in S'Taxy should be added here. You can get as deep into it or as light on information as you need:
- Review information flow and reporting procedures within HSWS. Create an intelligence service within HSWS.
The S'Taxu Debacle
Aid Efforts
Months pass as the HSWS scrambles to provide aid and succour to the people of S'Taxu - those not killed in the blasts. It is perhaps fortunate that the people are accustomed to living in dome-cities, only venturing out wearing respirators and visors to protect against the thin atmosphere and the ravenous dust storms. As such, when the consequences of multiple nuclear detonations on the surface are felt and the skies grew dark, those not already directly affected simply sheltered in place as their crops withered and their solar panels failed.
The efforts of both Home and Xyri - once notified - were immediate. Almost every available interstellar merchant was pressed into service shuttling supplies from Home and from further afield. Both of the Flotilla Support Ships began regularly rotations delivering hundreds of tons into the system. Even the Monitor makes several deliveries, Most of these supplies were simple things; food aid, chemical power plants to replace temporarily blinded solar, medical supplies and the like. Other elements were more complex; replacement panels for damaged domes, great industrial machines to help with the growing of food in dire conditions and more. Most of this aid is funnelled into Cassalon territory and distributed with the assistance of local chapters of the Daughters of the People.
None of this aid is given freely of course. The Citizens Council keeps a log of every grain of food, every gram of replacement machinery, every drop of fuel expended delivering the supplies into S'Taxu space. To deliver the bill while the planet is suffering would be crass. It will be saved until the people of S'Taxu are in a position to actually pay their debts and cover the cost of their own dire circumstances.
It is rumoured that the Daughters leader, a prophetic figure and messiah, has visited S'Taxu in secret. Whether that is true or not is unknown, but it implies a hole in our security net that positively must be closed.
Casualties
It will likely take months - perhaps years - for the true death count of this tragedy to become known. With S'Taxu's main world already reeling from the effects of the HSWS orbital bombardment a census will take significant time to effectively implement. What is known is that most of the casualties are contained on the Western continent. Nuclear detonations have cracked the Capital city dome despite the attempts of local interceptors, likely killing hundreds of thousands on the low end. The palace of the Chambrestrong Dynasty is gone, eliminated in a flash of explosions. Multiple weapons also detonated above the domes of the remaining Xyphoni cities, with casualty estimations reaching the low millions.
Cassalon received less damage, with a highly effective interceptor system neutralising most incoming threats. A few coastal towns are suffering from Dome cracks and irradiated sea water. Casualties are, again, in the low hundreds of thousands. It and the Peoples Military Council - who have had their asteroid ships on orbit since the disaster to assist in all ways possible - have been coordinating aid efforts and plugging gaps in services wherever possible.
The short platoon aboard the HSWS Caturix has been deployed to the surface since the recovery operation began. There is now a company of FLF soldiers on the surface, delivered piecemeal by the Caturix and other ships with spare bunks, integrated with the Cassalon and PMC command and control networks and doing their level best to provide support.
Sequence of Events
As far as anyone is able to piece together, based on best evidence, interviews with survivors, the black-boxes from the weapon stations and reports from the Indefatigable and other PMC ships, the following is the sequence of events that led to this tragedy:
- A message is passed through back-channels to multiple senior personnel in the Peoples Military Council that 'an incident' is planned on S'Taxu in the coming days. The Indefatigable is ordered to go radio silent and drift towards the inner system at low power just in case.
- A bomb detonates in the Chambrestrong Capital, killing several senior members of the Dynasty. Type of device unclear, nuclear deployment rumoured. Surviving senior officers in the military hierarchy order PLAN UNTHINKABLE into effect. The order is transmitted to all Chambrestrong loyalist military installations.
- PMCS Indefatigable accelerates to combat speeds and begins fast transit to S'Taxu-4.
- Aboard the nuclear weapon stations, commanding officers are flashed their orders and the vast majority obey without delay. Many watchdog crews are disarmed or executed in a pre-planned strike that returns control of the stations to the dynasts. Several stations see conflict, running gun fights in crew sections and are essentially disarmed.
- Four separate armoured surface bunkers receive the orders to enact PLAN UNTHINKABLE. The commanders of the system defence boats coordinate over land-line comms. Agree to delay launch until more information is provided.
- Weapon stations on orbit begin fire at both orbital and surface targets. Xyphonese mobile launchers begin deployment operations. Most are caught in the open by initial wave of strikes and are destroyed. Several do manage to fire, but poorly maintained systems means only two manage to land on target.
- HSWS Sakumo is engaged repeatedly by orbital weapon stations and is forced to retreat. Before succumbing she manages to intercept multiple weapons in flight that are aimed at the surface. HSWS Sakumo heads for the gas giant.
- PMCS Indefatigable engages remaining stations, destroying or disabling even those that fired on their fellow stations. It is likely that Indefatigable destroyed several stations that were in the hands of Home watchdogs, a tragic consequence of battle.
- Indefatigable orders all surface forces to lay down their arms and stand down. Several precision strikes are conducted against known surface installations after they fail to respond. It is possible that several of these strikes were simply 'bouncing rubble' on already destroyed installations, but the PMC considered this a case of 'better safe than sorry'.
- Commanders of the Dynast SDB's surrender themselves to the Indefatigable via vid-link communication. Surviving junior members of the dynasty are transported aboard the Indefatigable and placed in the brig. Twelve survivors of the watchdog crews are recovered from orbital wreckage, five succumb to their wounds before Operation Bowshot returns Home forces to the system.
- HSWS Sakumo is invited to dock with the yards at S'Taxu-8 in PMC territory, where they can refit and receive adequate medical care for their wounded.
Responsibility for the 'first shot', as it were, is ill-understood. It is considered quite possible that this was a last desperate gasp from the Xyphon Freedom League, but given the almost total destruction of the Xyphoni people and the deaths of the vast majority of their political class, that will remain unclear. It is also considered plausible that this was a false flag engineered by a mid-ranking member of the Chambrestrong Dynasty which was supposed to lead to their rule. If that is the case, it would appear that it got out of hand.
The Dynasts
The fates of the remaining members of the Dynasty are as follows:
- Seneca Amealia Chambrestrong, Duchess, Noted as killed in initial blast.
- Boris Laurenz Tertius Chambrestrong, Duke, Missing, presumed dead.
- Ruedi Adelbert Chambrestrong, Baron, Missing, presumed dead.
- Dietfried Kasimia Hartwig Chambrestrong, Lord, Noted as wounded in initial blast, presumed dead.
- Dimo Marcius Chambrestrong, Baronet, Noted as killed in initial blast.
- Diana Mechtilde Chambrestrong, Lady, Missing, presumed dead.
- Valaria Arissa Chambrestrong, Lady, Alive and in custody.
- Damjana Simona Chambrestrong, Baroness, Alive and in custody.
- Julius Danial Stefan Chambrestrong, Marquess, Alive and in custody.
The three surviving members of the primary branch - Valaria (sister of Boris), Damjana (wife of Ruedi) and Julius (Son of Boris and Seneca) - are in the custody of the Peoples Military Council and are awaiting trial.
It has been made very quietly clear that none of the Chambrestrongs are going to survive the coming months. Whatever the result of the trial, the Dynasts will be executed. They - or their family or their advisors - planned for the nuclear annihilation of their peoples and managed to succeed at least partially. They have succeeded in reducing the Xyphonese from a political entity and cultural force to a wasteland with only a few survivors. They or their family or their subordinates have committed a genocide. Home forces absolutely have a right to be present, given their losses in the recent conflict, but there is no two ways about it - they will be executed. Even the 11 year old.
The local forces have made their positions clear. So have the Citizens Council. As the link between those two groups, the Home Space Warfare Service has a decision to make. They can:
[ ] Find a way to recover the survivors of the Chambrestrong Dynasty and deliver them to Home.
[ ] Acknowledge the rights of the S'Taxu people to decide upon and enact justice.
[ ] Write ins are welcome but note that failing to satisfy both sides is inadvisable.
A new intelligence branch will be established within the Home Space Warfare Service, intended to operate both inside and outside the service to ensure a broader understanding of the situations the Service finds itself in. It will be the:
[ ] HSWS Intelligence & Espionage Branch
[ ] HSWS Security Branch
[ ] HSWS Military Intelligence Corps
[ ] Write in.
What is next for the HSWS? Select as many as required or desired:
[ ] Continue to negotiate with the Aslan. What would you like to achieve?
[ ] Scouting towards and around Hermosa, since the Heimdall station is soon to be online.
[ ] Continue to explore North to increase our knowledge of the systems there.
[ ] Design and produce a carrier ship which can deploy the X-40 or similar strike craft. How many?
[ ] Design and produce a landing ship which can deploy FLForces. How many?
[ ] Continue to produce the Interstellar Cruiser block IIa as possible.
[ ] Continue to produce the Multi-Mission Vehicle as possible.
[ ] Deploy forces. Where? With what tasking?
[ ] Write-in.
Welcome to the end of part 5 of this traveller game. I'm going to be away this weekend, so I figured I'd set you up with plenty to talk about. As such, Voting will not open until . Discussion is v welcome. You have plenty of time to formulate grand and all-encompassing plans. I will be available for questions and curiosities, I just am unlikely to have the time to sit and write until Monday.
Best of luck to you all. I hope you're enjoying the quest so far.
We weren't warned.
So, just panic then.
Why? These guys saw the explosion from afar, but we didn't see it from orbit?
Do we know why Citizens Council wants them? I'd much rather side with our own government and prevent show-trials, but it would be good if we were provided with their reasoning.
HSWS Security Branch sounds good. We were a branch once, now we've got our own branches. Scouting can continue even with FFSs being tied up for a while, we've got the range, it'll just take a bit longer. As for ships contruction, more ICs, Frigates and some landers should be prioritized. We want to fulfill our mandate, plus we want to harden ourselves against potential Aslan incursion. I'd also want to proceed on the trade station.
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
Honestly the fact that something like what Plan Unthinkable seems to be was issued and executed against anything but an immediate and horrible threat to the population of S'Taxu 4 is...worrying? Horrific? It is probably for the best that Indefatigable apparently killed the entire senior military leadership of the Dynasts. But we should also make sure of this, if any FLF forces can be spared.
The culpablity of the surviving Dynasts may be questionable, or at least diffuse, but I don't see that trying to intervene on their behalf them will accomplish anything worthwhile. Two whole planets are baying for their blood and we'd make enemies of them for at least a generation if we tried to intervene. They have no meaningful civilian or military support left. Unthinkable's execution leaves their ruling legitimacy at ruinous discount. And, honestly, we don't know, and short of mindreading or timetravel will probably never be able to establish, what their responsibility really is. It seems unlikely that you could have actually authenticated an order like Unthinkable without having established who's in charge clearly.
It's a hell of a case of panic if your response to an only partially successful decapitation strike is to order at best the total nuclear annihilation of your enemies (and technical allies) and at worst the total nuclear annihilation of your enemies, allies, and own population.
The culpablity of the surviving Dynasts may be questionable, or at least diffuse, but I don't see that trying to intervene on their behalf them will accomplish anything worthwhile. Two whole planets are baying for their blood and we'd make enemies of them for at least a generation if we tried to intervene. They have no meaningful civilian or military support left. Unthinkable's execution leaves their ruling legitimacy at ruinous discount. And, honestly, we don't know, and short of mindreading or timetravel will probably never be able to establish, what their responsibility really is. It seems unlikely that you could have actually authenticated an order like Unthinkable without having established who's in charge clearly.
It's a hell of a case of panic if your response to an only partially successful decapitation strike is to order at best the total nuclear annihilation of your enemies (and technical allies) and at worst the total nuclear annihilation of your enemies, allies, and own population.
True. That's the reason I'm asking why the Civilians Council wants them. What's the policitical benefit for them or for Home? I can argue the point about the S'taxu committing an abuse of justice, but I somehow doubt the Council is concerned with that. The best I can guess, is them attempting to gauge our loyalty.
Yeah, no argument on that point, but aside from creating the intelligence branch and sidelining officers with confirmed Daugher sympathies I've got no idea how it would be accomplished.
Blackangel
Preacher of the dice gods
Well friend home politics called. They want them transported back home. Literally.
I don't know why but they want them transported back home. So let's start thinking about this. I think we can sell for the 11 year old, if we promise to keep it quiet and have them just say they executed him in private. The other two no way. I'd rather deal with the backlash of only half fulfilling their wishes.
Edit: Oh also there's about 7 governments in real life with similar plans. No aliens, no great threat to human life, just humans ready and willing to flip the board.
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The good thing is that we've now got an entire company of marines on the ground and can patch together enough of them with some shuttles to conduct the extraction. Possible less invasive options would be:
1. Gunboat Diplomacy. Put an Interstellar Monitor in front of their asteroid ship and demand their release.
2. Leverage our aid to them. If S'taxu doesn't maintain humanitarian principles, Home won't continue providing assistance.
3. Quiet agreement. Stage an incident aboard the asteroid ship and announce the deaths of the remaining three Dynasts.
4. Open agreement. Pressure the Dynasts to renouce their throne and all claims to S'taxu. Pressure the Junta to sentence them to exile, unless actual evidence of crimes warranting death was established during trial.
5. Wacky RPG-Player Plan. Find out how bodies are disposed. While interrogating the Dynasts slip them a drug to fake their deaths. Recover the 'bodies' in secret.
EDIT: I forgot to mention it earlier, but it turns out our watchdog crews did make a difference after all. Small one, but still better than nothing.
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Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
tbh no there aren't because it's been a long time under nuclear limitation treaties, increased precision means the warheads got smaller, and there just aren't enough of them anymore. And that's for the big two. Most nuclear powers have never had enough warheads to actually destroy their enemies utterly, just enough to make one primary enemy really regret their decisions.
Can we? To actually conduct an opposed boarding operation of one of the asteroid monitors is going to be a tough assignment. We'd have to either get the company or at least a platoon aboard by subterfuge, we don't really know what they have internally for crew or possible marine forces, and we don't know their internal layout or where they're being held so in the time we spend searching it some enterprising guard can shoot the prisoners. If we can't get the FLF aboard by subterfuge in sufficient numbers, we'll have to do it by force, and that means we have to disable the ship first, which might kill the prisoners depending on luck and our ability not to blow it to shreds in the process, and the we get to do all the ways it can go wrong from the first option again except higher-risk.
Like it honestly feels like the best move is to stall the Council with negotiations and present them fiat accompli when the PMC executes the Dynasts anyways because an extraction operation has all the makings of a clusterfuck even if it was a good idea in the first place.
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[ ] HSWS Military Intelligence Corps
I like the sound of this one, the other two have some worrying connotations.
This seems like a reasonable compromise. What possible argument could be worth executing an 11 year old?
I imagine the Council want the surviving members of the Chambrestrong dynasty under their control to perhaps try to push a claim on control of S'Taxu in the future. Which is questionable. Though, if that was their goal having custody of the sole remaining member of the Dynasty be a child, reliant on our care, and moldable to our aims should be right up their alley.
[ ] Scouting towards and around Hermosa, since the Heimdall station is soon to be online.
I would rather we continue to build-up our navy and settle affairs in S'Taxu before we go potentially sparking another conflict.
[ ] Continue to negotiate with the Aslan. What would you like to achieve?
Perhaps see if we can exchange cultural and historical records, so that we can better understand one another. Request to hire Aslan military advisors (focused on carrier / fighter doctrine) through an intermediary, though I see little reason why they should grant this. Who knows. We don't know enough about them to hazard a guess at their intentions.
[ ] Continue to produce the Multi-Mission Vehicle as possible.
We could do with laying down another of these.
[ ] Write-in - Produce defensive stations for Home. Long-range, and point-defence armament. Design hangars for basing X-40 craft, both as an additional line of defense for Home and also as a test-bed for experimenting with fighter/bomber doctrine prior to moving to a full-fledged carrier design.
I think we need to experiment with this new doctrine before commiting to producing a large carrier hull. I'm particularly expecting that the X-40 will struggle in fulfilling the 'fighter' aspect of it's currently envisaged Fighter-Bomber designation. I expect this will reveal the need for a dedicated fighter of a smaller tonnage in the 10-30 ton range.
[ ] Design and produce a carrier ship which can deploy the X-40 or similar strike craft. How many?
[ ] Design and produce a landing ship which can deploy FLForces. How many?
I think these two could be combined into a single assault carrier design. Minimum complement of an FLF company, preferably a battalion. Enough landing craft to disembark at least half the force at once. Minimum of an X-40 squadron to provide top-cover and strike capability in support of the landing forces. Ship itself to have a strong Ortillery and point-defense armament.
I like the sound of this one, the other two have some worrying connotations.
This seems like a reasonable compromise. What possible argument could be worth executing an 11 year old?
I imagine the Council want the surviving members of the Chambrestrong dynasty under their control to perhaps try to push a claim on control of S'Taxu in the future. Which is questionable. Though, if that was their goal having custody of the sole remaining member of the Dynasty be a child, reliant on our care, and moldable to our aims should be right up their alley.
[ ] Scouting towards and around Hermosa, since the Heimdall station is soon to be online.
I would rather we continue to build-up our navy and settle affairs in S'Taxu before we go potentially sparking another conflict.
[ ] Continue to negotiate with the Aslan. What would you like to achieve?
Perhaps see if we can exchange cultural and historical records, so that we can better understand one another. Request to hire Aslan military advisors (focused on carrier / fighter doctrine) through an intermediary, though I see little reason why they should grant this. Who knows. We don't know enough about them to hazard a guess at their intentions.
[ ] Continue to produce the Multi-Mission Vehicle as possible.
We could do with laying down another of these.
[ ] Write-in - Produce defensive stations for Home. Long-range, and point-defence armament. Design hangars for basing X-40 craft, both as an additional line of defense for Home and also as a test-bed for experimenting with fighter/bomber doctrine prior to moving to a full-fledged carrier design.
I think we need to experiment with this new doctrine before commiting to producing a large carrier hull. I'm particularly expecting that the X-40 will struggle in fulfilling the 'fighter' aspect of it's currently envisaged Fighter-Bomber designation. I expect this will reveal the need for a dedicated fighter of a smaller tonnage in the 10-30 ton range.
[ ] Design and produce a carrier ship which can deploy the X-40 or similar strike craft. How many?
[ ] Design and produce a landing ship which can deploy FLForces. How many?
I think these two could be combined into a single assault carrier design. Minimum complement of an FLF company, preferably a battalion. Enough landing craft to disembark at least half the force at once. Minimum of an X-40 squadron to provide top-cover and strike capability in support of the landing forces. Ship itself to have a strong Ortillery and point-defense armament.
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We've had access to the prisoners for interrogation, so we've got some data to plan the potential operation. (At least, the plan had us ask for that access and there was no contradition in the update.)
It doesn't improve our situation with the Council, since it'll be seen as an attempt to dodge their instructions.
But the Chambrestrong legacy is tarnished and their claim on S'taxu is non-existant. Without exagerration, it would be easier for us to invade and setup a non-descript collaboration government that to rely on a Chambrestrong figurehead.
We should at least be doing deep space scans of the region to discover whether there are systems near Heimdall.