Have either of you read any of Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet, Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, or to a lesser extent, The Lost Stars series?
Because it read rather similar to one of those engagements. Probably not the only person to write like that, but the only one I know of recently, and they are good.
Have either of you read any of Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet, Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, or to a lesser extent, The Lost Stars series?
Because it read rather similar to one of those engagements. Probably not the only person to write like that, but the only one I know of recently, and they are good.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
That was fun and Ineed o look into these books.
Unfortunately I have no idea what ships we should use for prisoners.
Well, funny story, the kinetic grapeshot of the Lost Fleet books has survived, albeit in a slightly different role.
See, every ship mounts a number of smaller launchers for defensive missiles, or 'Interceptors.' Now, given that the relative velocity of an Interceptor and an incoming laser-head will be in the region of 0.5c, it's nearly impossible for the Interceptor to physically hit it. So, each Interceptor essentially has a canister of grapeshot in the nose, and a one-shot grav driver behind it. When an incoming missile salvo is within the Interceptor's attack range the grav driver fires and disperses the grapeshot in a reasonable wide spread. Most capital ships can throw out hundreds of Interceptors and just create a wall of grapeshot in space, and even a chunk of metal the size of a golf ball can put a missile out of action at a relative velocity of 0.5c.
Just to give you an idea of how well missile defenses work in this setting, Phoenix Wing launched a total of 1,352 missiles during their approach. Gazinitah, 1,276. Those numbers would've been lower in days gone by, but missile defenses have had to step up their game ever since the autoloading missile launcher was developed, which (on, say, a cruiser) can quickly fire off six missiles in a row as opposed to just one. For a brief while, the missile salvo was king of space combat. Then somebody realized the smaller Interceptor launchers could have an autoloader drum attached as well, and the balance was restored.
Also, as far as I'm concerned the Lost Fleet books set the gold standard for space combat in sci-fi! Although the tech here is different, most of the mechanics of space combat are the same.
I think the Ilwariverse is far better off without hypernet gates, though. True, hyperspace travel can kill you stone dead if you decide to be incredibly stupid and ignore your hyperspace field's 'crush depth' rating (more on this in another infodump, coming soon!)... but it can't potentially wipe out an entire system, and that is a definite plus.
Hm... go for new Naval ships, or go for Evidence on the planet.
[X] No, you don't want to annoy Hazitean, and surely they are only mercenaries, and know nothing. And the ships...well...okay, mostly it's the annoying Hazitean part. She's pretty scary and the way she leers at you and...eugh.
If we wait longer it gives them a lot of chances to destroy evidence. Given that this is the only major lead we have on Zaeswin, if we don't take it we have to wait for him to make another move before we can do anything. Being in a purely reactive mode is bad, so let's get to the planet ASAP.
There are, actually. Lk is wrong...there just aren't any giant mecha that are used in war. Hobbyists, however, have done giant robot things, and simulators and virtual-reality software can allow you to 'live' giant robot battles, and the like, complete with cartoonish physics and weapons that IRL wouldn't work/would be too risky to use.
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL IN THE 25TH CENTURY: AN AVERAGE PERSON'S EXPERIENCE
STEP ONE: SLIP THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH
The first step in any interstellar journey is to leave the planet you're on, since hyperspace-capable vessels are rarely designed for atmospheric entry. Thus, the first stage of the journey happens aboard a ship that is essentially the 25th century equivalent of an airliner- a short haul, high-capacity craft used primarily for intercontinental travel, surface-to-orbit transit, and intra-system journeys between local bodies.
Almost every garden world in known space has a terminus station in orbit above it. These immense hubs contain docking slips for passenger liners and freighters, recreational areas for passengers awaiting transit, cargo handling facilities, and bays to receive passenger and cargo craft capable of atmospheric travel.
STEP TWO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPACELINERS
The most common way to travel from one star system to another is by passenger liner. It is important to note that travel between systems is nowhere near as casual as travel by airliner in the 20th and 21st centuries- rather, it is more akin to travelling during the golden age of ocean liners, before air travel became commonplace. A cheap ticket, obtaining you a steerage berth not dissimilar to a cheap hotel room, isn't terribly expensive, and so interstellar travel is relatively accessible.
Once your liner leaves the terminus station and begins to head out of the system, it will still be a while before the transition into hyperspace- even at the standard sublight cruising speed of 0.2c, it will (for example) take a liner departing Earth orbit around forty-eight hours to reach the system's hyperspace terminator.
Hyperspace transition deep within a star's gravity well is prevented by automatic safety systems in the hyperspace field generator. While hyperspace underlies normal space and is separate to it in some ways, the gravity wells of large objects are reflected and amplified in hyperspace- thus, a ship in hyperspace must maintain a significant distance from an object as large as a star- in the case of Sol, the minimum distance is approximately 70 AU. The point of closest possible hyperspace approach to a star is called the Hyperspace Terminator- colloquially referred to as the 'red line' when inbound toward it from interstellar space, or the 'green line' when outbound from within the system.
STEP THREE: HYPERSPACE AIN'T A SCARY PLACE
As long as your crew are professionals who know what they're doing, that is.
Hyperspace is essentially a parallel reality underlying normal space. A popular simile for the relation between the two is that if a vessel travelling in normal space is akin to a ship on the ocean surface, then a vessel in hyperspace is a ship capable of diving beneath the water completely. The 'surface tension' between normal space and hyperspace is very resilient, however- the only way to break through it, to transition into hyperspace, is by forming a hyperspace field around the ship. Continuing with the simile, the field essentially acts as ballast, allowing the ship to break the surface tension and transition.
While hyperspace possesses all of the four normal dimensions- the three dimensions of space, plus time- unlike normal space it also possesses a fifth, referred to as 'depth'- yeah, that simile is a common theme, because hyperspace tends to defy all attempts to describe it in its own terms. For example, when a ship increases or decreases it's depth in hyperspace, it's direction of movement in the three dimensions of space does not actually change at all. The only thing that depth appears to affect is rate of travel, so a ship's depth is measured by the rate of travel at that depth, assuming that the ship was travelling at the standard sublight cruising speed of 0.2c when it transitioned. Again, the hyperspace field acts as a ballast control, allowing the crew to control and adjust the ship's depth, and the deeper a vessel goes, the faster it travels. A ship skimming along just beneath the dividing line between hyperspace and normal space will only travel at 1c, while a ship that dives deeper will travel much faster.
There is, however, a limit to how deep a ship can go, and that limit is set by the strength of the hyperspace field. Continuing with the submarine theme, a hyperspace-capable ship will have two important ratings- it's 'test depth' and it's 'crush depth.'
A ship's test depth is its optimum travel depth, and should only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances- while doing so allows for faster travel, it will also increase wear on the hyperspace field generator and dramatically shorten the recommended time until next major service. Most modern vessels have a test depth of around 3000c.
Crush depth, however, is the 'do not exceed' depth. It is calculated with some margin of error, just in case, but spacers are taught never to count on that margin of error being present- a ship's crush depth in hyperspace should never under any circumstances be exceeded. It is not quite clear exactly what happens to ships that do, for whatever reason, exceed it, but the event is generally referred to by spacers as Total Existence Failure. Most modern vessels have a crush depth rating of around 3500c.
Travelling at 3000c, a journey from Sol to the nearest human colony at Tau Ceti (12 light-years away) would take a mere 36 hours- a quicker journey than the trip from Earth to Sol's hyperspace terminator. Travelling longer distances, between the territories of various powers and races, can take longer, in excess of a month in some cases.
When a ship is approaching its destination system, it begins to surface from whatever depth in hyperspace it was travelling at, its ascent timed so that it will be traveling at 1c just as it reaches the hyperspace terminator. At that point the crew will collapse the field and the ship will pop back into normal space. All that remains after that is the sublight cruise in-system.
ADDED NOTE: HYPERSPACE COMMUNICATIONS AND NAVIGATION
While the gravitational fields of large bodies are easily detectable in hyperspace, the actual bodies themselves are not- thus, navigation in hyperspace unaided is rather difficult. The necessary aid is provided by a network of navigational beacons that double as communication buoys.
Every star system has two beacons, each placed just outside the system's terminator- one at the system's zenith (directly above the orbital plane) and one at the nadir (directly below.) Each beacon rests in hyperspace at the test depth rating of its hyperspace field, connected to normal space by a relay. The beacons provide a clearly identifiable navigational signal for ships in hyperspace to fix onto and follow. The hyperspace field used by the relays is an odd variant of the standard- in times long gone by the relays used to oscillate imperceptibly back and forth over the dividing line between hyperspace and normal space, but in this day and age they sit balanced precisely on the line, technically existing in both.
The other use of the beacons is as communication relays. Hyperspace has the same effect on light and other forms of EM radiation as it does on ordinary matter- so, if a ship travelling at 3000c transmits a radio message, the radio waves emitted by the ship will travel at 15000c. Just as travelling by hyperspace is more akin to traveling via ocean liner than airplane, in terms of convenience and length of journey, hyperspace communications are more akin to sending messages by postal service than email. For example: when sending a message from Earth to Tau Ceti, it will take the message approximately 10 hours to travel from Earth to the nearest of the system's two beacons, and then just over seven to travel from the Sol beacon to the Tau Ceti beacon, and then a similar amount of time to reach the colony in that system- taking, overall, 27-28 hours from sending to receipt. Over longer distances, of course, this stretches out into weeks.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
We've spent hours getting to this point anyway. If there's any evidence that takes longer than that to destroy, another few hours probably aren't significant.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
I'm editing the Gazinith warship specifications out of the Warships Guide post, and posting them up here- with a few new additions thrown in!
GAZINITAH CLASS BATTLESHIP (Gazinitah, Prince Hazanit)
Mass: 9,518,000 tons
Length: 1,200m
Beam: 240m
Draught: 160m
Armament: 16x Class B Graviton Cannon (obsolete model), 28x Class A Missile Tube (non-autoloading, obsolete model), 28x Class B Graser (obsolete model), 100x PD Laser Cluster (hex mounts, obsolete model), 36x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading, obsolete model)
Crew: 1,390
Gazinitah's very own home-grown battleship design, and looking distinctly creaky in this day and age given that they were both first laid down in 1910 CE, and their last refit (in 2374 CE) didn't even bring them to parity with the designs of the time- there is only so much you can do with such an old hull. Gazinitah's battleships mount proportionally fewer graviton cannons than other designs, have fewer and less capable point defence mounts, and lack autoloading missile launchers despite the technology having been developed by the time of the last refit- there simply was not enough space to fit in the required extra capacitors and equipment. They are completely outclassed by more modern designs.
PRINCE IZEC CLASS HEAVY CRUISER (Prince Izec, Prince Iltixx, Prince Zaynzem)
Mass: 2,492,000 tons
Length: 900m
Beam: 158m
Draught: 88m
Armament: 8x Class C Graviton Cannon, 16x Class B Missile Tube (autoloading), 16x Class C Graser, 76x PD Laser Cluster (oct mount), 48x Interceptor Launcher (autoloading)
Crew: 1,090
Gazinitah's newest heavy capital ships- the Prince Izec class vessels were laid down in 2330 CE, and last refitted around 2400. While they are smaller than more recent designs, with a lower proportion of graviton cannons and sparser point defences, engineers managed to fit in modern, drum-fed autoloader systems for both their offensive and defensive missile launchers during the last refit, though at the cost of some magazine space.
WARRIOR CLASS HEAVY CRUISER (Warrior, Defender, Guardian, Powerful, Thunderous)
Mass: 1,740,000 tons
Length: 800m
Beam: 140m
Draught: 78m
Armament: 8x Class C Graviton Cannon, 14x Class B Missile Tube (non-autoloading), 14x Class C Graser, 76x PD Laser Cluster (hex mount), 48x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading)
Crew: 860
The Warrior class heavy cruisers used to be the pride of Gazinitah's navy, but those days are now long gone. Although refits managed to squeeze in modern grasers and graviton cannons, the class' missile mounts, both offensive and defensive, lacked the space to fit autoloader systems. The Prince Izec class, though less numerous, overshadow them in every way. Of the class, the nameship Warrior is probably in the best condition, while Defender and Powerful are in the worst, both ships in a sad state of decrepitude indeed. Guardian and Thunderous are serviceable, though they could both probably use some time in drydock in the next few years.
ASPEREIZ CLASS LIGHT CRUISER (Aspereiz, Active, Brazen, Chaser, Crescent, Denguard, Highflyer, Hunter, Pathfinder, Patrol, Pioneer, Skirmisher, Skitterer, Watchkeeper)
Mass: 903,000 tons
Length: 650m
Beam: 114m
Draught: 63m
Armament: 4x Class C Graviton Cannon, 8x Class B Missile Tube (autoloading), 8x Class C Graser, 48x PD Laser Cluster (hex mount), 28x Interceptor Launcher (autoloading)
Crew: 550
The most active capital ships in Gazinitah's fleet are surely its light cruisers- unsurprising, given that light cruisers are the most useful capital ship class outside of wartime. The Aspereiz class are perhaps twenty to thirty years newer than the Prince Izec class heavy cruisers, and received their last refit around the same time.
IPRISKIN CLASS LIGHT CRUISER (Ipriskin, Chazak, Kekkep, Rizokis)
Mass: 686,000 tons
Length: 590m
Beam: 104m
Draught: 58m
Armament: 4x Class C Graviton Cannon (obsolete), 6x Class B Missile Tube (non-autoloading, obsolete), 6x Class C Graser (obsolete), 44x PD Laser Cluster (quad, obsolete), 24x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading, obsolete)
Crew: 415
The Ipriskin class light cruisers are about the same vintage as Gazinitah's venerable battleships- that is to say, hopelessly out of date. There were once more of them in commission, but now only four remain.
ZYNSHOS CLASS DESTROYER (Zynshos, Afen, Ektin, Emena, Fleix, Greai, Ilnik, Irabrius, Kementak, Kleyika, Kluos, Orvestath, Ozos, Phen, Quiax, Shraw, Styax, Uznal, Zeyri, Zim)
Mass: 134,000 tons
Length: 400m
Beam: 65m
Draught: 27m
Armament: 2x Class D Graviton Cannon, 4x Class C Missile Tube (autoloading), 6x Class DGraser, 28x PD Laser Cluster (quad), 16x Interceptor Launcher (autoloading)
Crew: 165
The Zynshos class destroyers, at only around sixty years old, are Gazinitah's newest ships. A design issue with their core structural elements caused a delay in the class' development while the keel section was redesigned- and, while the redesign was in progress it was decided to reconfigure the spaces for their armament as well in order to follow a new shift in naval design. Thus they are not as lacking in graviton cannons, relative to their size, as other ships in Gazinitah's service are. There are currently twenty in service.
EXQUISITE CLASS DESTROYER (Exquisite, Burrower, Concordance, Feeder)
Mass: 111,000 tons
Length: 380m
Beam: 61m
Draught: 25m
Armament: 2x Class D Graviton Cannon (obsolete), 4x Class C Missile Tube (non-autoloading, obsolete), 6x Class D Graser (obsolete), 28x PD Laser Cluster (triple, obsolete), 16x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading, obsolete)
Crew: 135
A failed experiment, the Exquisite class destroyers were designed as competition to the Zynshos class, and attempted to pack the same amount of firepower into a smaller hull, with a lower unit cost. The class proved to be underpowered, sluggish by destroyer standards, and a little too cramp even for Xvorzit. Only four were ever built, and they have not received a refit in some considerable time.
PULSAR CLASS FRIGATE (First Batch: Pulsar, Asteroid, Comet, Constellation, Eclipse, Galaxy, Meteor, Moon, Nebula, Nova, Planet, Quasar, Solarwind, Singularity, Star) (Second Batch: Blizzard, Cyclone, Downburst, Gale, Hurricane, Lightning, Tempest, Thunderstorm, Tornado, Typhoon, Whirlwind, Windstorm)
Mass: 71,000 tons
Length: 320m
Beam: 52m
Draught: 22m
Armament: 2x Class D Graviton Cannon, 4x Class C Missile Tube (autoloading), 4x Class D Graser, 36x PD Laser Cluster (quad), 16x Interceptor Launcher (autoloading)
Crew: 100
Gazinitah's newest class of frigate, with a total of 27 in service- the Pulsar class was introduced as part of the same naval upgrade program that introduced the Aspereiz class light cruiser and Zynshos class destroyer. The first group of ships ordered and built (the original Pulsar class) were named after celestial phenomena- the second group, meteorological.
DIAMOND CLASS FRIGATE (Diamond, Heliotrope, Sapphire)
Mass: 46,000 tons
Length: 300m
Beam: 45m
Draught: 19m
Armament: 4x Class C Missile Tube (non-autoloading, obsolete), 4x Class D Graser (obsolete), 24x PD Laser Cluster (triple, obsolete)), 12x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading, obsolete)
Crew: 85
The Diamond class frigates, dating to around the same time as the Gazinitah class battleship and Ipriskin class light cruiser, have been almost completely decommissioned by this point. Only three, including the nameship, remain in service. They are still useable, though, given their outdatedness, how useful they might be is another matter entirely.
GZ SERIES CORVETTE (GZ-002, GZ-015, GZ-016, GZ-017, GZ-027, GZ-028, GZ-033, GZ-042, GZ-048, GZ-049, GZ-050, GZ-057, GZ-058, GZ-061, GZ-072, GZ-073, GZ-100, GZ-101, GZ-108, GZ-111, GZ-115, GZ-119, GZ-124, GZ-131, GZ-161, GZ-163, GZ-164, GZ-165, GZ-166, GZ-189, GZ-190, GZ-192, GZ-193, GZ-194, GZ-197, GZ-199, GZ-203, GZ-209, GZ-213, GZ-215)
Mass: 26,000 tons
Length: 200m
Beam: 35m
Draught: 19m
Armament: 6x Class D Graser (obsolete), 20x PD Laser Cluster (twin, obsolete), 8x Interceptor Launcher (non-autoloading, obsolete)
Crew: 35
The concept of the corvette is obsolete, and so are these two score of relics. Their usefulness in combat is very questionable- a good portion of the navy believes that if they were sent into battle, all they would be capable of is to serve as communal coffins for thirty-five Xvorzit at a time.
The only thing that depth appears to affect is rate of travel, so a ship's depth is measured by the rate of travel at that depth, assuming that the ship was travelling at the standard sublight cruising speed of 0.2c when it transitioned. Again, the hyperspace field acts as a ballast control, allowing the crew to control and adjust the ship's depth, and the deeper a vessel goes, the faster it travels. A ship skimming along just beneath the dividing line between hyperspace and normal space will only travel at 1c, while a ship that dives deeper will travel much faster.
Does this mean that the minimum reachable hyperspace depth has a 5x speed multiplier, or that higher initial speeds make it possible to slip into more shallow waters (e.g. if you start at .25c, you can slip into 4x hyperspace)?
Also, can a ship use conventional acceleration in hyperspace; e.g. can it put on further speed, change direction, or the like in hyperspace? If so, what happens if it decelerates to bring the speed under 1c?
How quickly do ships move up/down on the hyperspace?
Lastly, how similar is the "depth" dimension to a normal dimension of space? In particular, can multiple objects coexist at the same point in space-time but different hyperspace depths, and can an object (e.g. a cable) be stretched between different depths?
Let me know if this is too many questions - the system just sounds like a lot of fun to play with and I'm curious about the details!
The concept of the corvette is obsolete, and so are these two score of relics. Their usefulness in combat is very questionable- a good portion of the navy believes that if they were sent into battle, all they would be capable of is to serve as communal coffins for thirty-five Xvorzit at a time.
Though they aren't entirely useless, for, say, border patrol, or scouting around. But if they actually get used in a combat (rather than, say, checking ships for contraband, since what the heck is a merchant supposed to do against even an outdated military ship), they'll be dying even faster than the Frigates in battle.
[X] Yes, and demand they surrender. They know they're hosed, and those ships will be valuable, though guarding them will take up some of your fleet. It'll slow you down a few hours, but the rewards are huge.
When humans first met your kind, they wondered whether you had psychic powers, and the Xvorzit in turn at first mistook humans for closed-off robots. The loss of nearly two thousand lives sends a ripple of shock throughout the fleet. Friends, family, loved ones. Xvorzith love and make friends easily, they forge bonds and they mourn losses and forge them anew. So to lose that many so quickly, it was a hurt that should have been assuaged by talking, by slowly remembering those bonds that remained, honoring the dead, preparing yourself further. But the necessities of war cut all of this off- for you, Captain Bizentara, have work to do.
Orders are sent out, and those who receive them seem almost shocked at the haste in which you give them, spending barely a minute commiserating with each one about their losses, all while busy doing other work. The ships turned, though, obeying your will. It would take time for them to turn, of course, and the enemy was moving away, but they were crippled, having to move with their slowest ships, the damaged ones. They didn't have to, but you were right in guessing they wouldn't abandon their Commodore, their leader, for nothing. The pirates were under their guns, and would be dead if they tried to break away. Thus, you chose to pursue them and hope that Hazitean didn't react too badly.
You explained your logic as best you could to Hazitean, made a very pretty speech indeed and sent it to her, unwilling and unable to break away from assigning ships to where they are best suited. Chaser was too damaged for the pursuit, so they'd allow it to catch up in its own time, by which point hopefully the enemy ships would be captured. More pressingly, someone needed to capture prisoners, inspect the wrecks to tell whether or not they are total write-offs, and of course also rescue the survivors from your own ships. The 1st Destroyer Flotilla could handle that- none of the escorts were carrying troops or dropships that Hazitean would need, and your other destroyer flotilla had lost it's flagship. Hazitean sent a message which seemed rather annoyed, talking about how this would delay things, but admitting that it made sense to gain more strength for the fleet, since the enemy could be caught relatively quickly and easily
You nod to yourself, but do not stop to eat a quick meal. It'll be just a few minutes until your fleet has caught up, and you are ready, truly ready for the first total naval victory in centuries. You needed this, needed it. And this time, you'd get what you needed, for those who died, and for Gazinitah which might yet rise.
*****
Commodore Speight had decades of experience under her belt. She'd been shot at, had ships shot from under her, and though the galaxy was relatively calm nowadays there were always small wars, pirate cleanups, internal Barsa politics and occasional escort duty to pass the time. Hers had not been a career free of defeat, but she'd never been captured. Her forces had retreated in good order, fighting the whole way to the hyperspace terminator if need be, the Phoenix reborn anew from any setback, any defeat.
Were she petty, the woman, in her early fifties but looking--by the standards of some earlier age when healthcare and medical technology were less advanced--in her early thirties, at latest, might have blamed the unfamiliar Iashec ships. After all, they weren't the ships they were accustomed to- it was tempting to think that with a more sturdy division of Consuls at her back, the result would've been different. But no, she'd been outmaneuvered, and, on top of it, her luck had been atrociously bad. She brushed back her red and black hair, parted by a single bright-red streak in the middle, and waited. She saw that the enemy fleet had turned around and was pursuing them, and she could do the math. Could do it in her sleep, knew what the numbers meant. They'd be caught, far short of the terminator- in about six minutes' time, in fact. All that remained was to wait for the message that was sure to come. Surrender, it would say.
But, who had done this, bested her so handily? The Gazinitah navy had no reputation at all, she knew they had been nothing more than Iashec stooges, yet... the way that fight had gone. It wasn't perfect, she'd seen exactly what he was doing- but she wasn't able to counter it in time, which is the part that counted. The ship handling and the overall plan was excellent, and managed to allow an engagement that was about as favorable as could have been achieved. If luck had helped from there, if some systems had not worked as well as hoped for, that was down to fate. Commodore Speight hated fate, hated that thousands were dead and she could do nothing. She'd known the captains and their senior officers. Their crews not so much, perhaps, but it was still a blow, and one that might have shattered her if she wasn't so hardened by now. Hardened and curious as to just who had beaten her.
She could only hope that the Gazinith Navy showed basic mercy towards prisoners, even those Iashec that were among the crew. Iashec, Barsa, even a single Xvorzit on a ship that was destroyed, an oddball loner by the species' standard.
The bridge felt like a mausoleum. And indeed, it was the tomb for a full half of Phoenix Wing. The left wing, in the fanciful descriptions of their structure that some had written for it in its half-century of operation. If they kept their lives, they wouldn't keep their ships, as the ships they normally used were in the possession of their… contractor, and no doubt they would be taken as collateral now that they wouldn't be there for the hand-off. Surrender was inevitable- in only five and a half minutes they'd be within weapons range again. If a demand didn't come, she'd order her ship to drop their shields and hope that they were unwilling to murder people who were essentially defenceless. One last act of desperation and spite would achieve nothing.
"Commodore," the communications officer said, glancing at Gorgon's' captain and then at Speight, "There is a message from the Gazinith heavy cruiser...Heir Iltixx, though my translation might be too accurate. Likely the flagship. It seems to be authentic." Despite the name, the communications officer, and the wider comms section, did much more than relay messages. Electronic warfare, cyberwarfare, encryption, SIGINT… all of these fell under comms section's purview. Even escorts had at least a small comms section, and a flagship like the Gorgon had a well-staffed, well-equipped one.
"Bring it up."
The figure standing there, was a weird, wide-eyed bug. What had she expected, really? The medals on his legs seemed to indicate that he might have some status and rank. Or she? They were impossible to tell apart because they were all the same, she'd been told once, gender was even more of a construct. "Greetings," they said, or rather, a translator said so after a moment of incomprehensible chittering, "This is Captain Bizentara, Provisional Leader of the Expeditionary Flotilla of the Gazinith Navy. I am requesting that you surrender, if it is pleasing to you, and that you do not allow the pirates to escape, for their ships and information about their activities are important for the wholeness and wellbeing of all sentient peoples. You shall be accorded the rights of prisoners of war, and the pirates shall be prosecuted at a later date. We await your response." The message ended, and Commodore Speight had a choice.
Their orders had been to protect the pirates' safety and secrets, and to fire on them would not only be failure, it would be betraying the mission...
[Commodore Speight Choice: 1d100+5 (Bloody Pirates)-30 (Terms of the Contract)+18 (Nice Xvorzit)+20 (With Plenty of Big Guns)=102]
On the other hand her shipmates, her subordinates, their lives were on the line, "All ships, power down your drives to idle. Anybody who fails to do so will be fired upon." Predictably, the pirates who'd stayed with them didn't seem to pleased about this, nor particularly willing to comply, but that was a predictable response and Speight had expected it. As the pirates failed to cut their engines Gorgon opened fire, targeting the closest raider. It's shields flared bright before the cruiser's particle beams tore the entire side of the converted freighter open, thin composite armor flashing into vapor in an instant, before it's shields collapsed entirely and a graviton cannon bolt blew it clean in half.
The other pirates seemed to lose their enthusiasm for escape after that, their drives powering down to idle. To be on the safe side, Speight sent another message.
*****
"This is Commodore Speight, we have surrendered. We are powering down shields and weapons now. We shall do as you said, and will comply. We surrender unconditionally."
******
"Thank you, Commodore. You will be accorded the rights of prisoners of war, and perhaps we might talk more later, after the mission is over. You performed admirably, though at a task whose grim success is literal murder. Your surrender is accepted."
*****
He compliments my skills and then calls my job murder? What game is this guy playing?
*****
It wasn't long before what was left of Phoenix Wing's force was under the guns of your fleet. Boarding parties began to transfer come across, one by one, with engineers, moving to secure each ship- checking for traps, making sure nothing sensitive was deleted, keeping things in line. To guard the ships, you detach 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron and 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, as well as Guardian and Thunderous. It took a little while for you to make sure that the ships are properly positioned, and to transfer troops from any ships staying behind to those ships going ahead. Hazitean's forces wouldn't be the only troops needed, since some of the targets they were hitting when they swung around past the moon might need some people to sit on them.
Once all of that was squared away, what remained of your fleet not tied up, heavy cruisers, light cruisers and the remaining frigates, turned, and you began to head towards your target at last. The Pirates' Moon.
Hazitean has to decide where she's going to personally drop.
[] Administrative Capital: There is, in theory, a government on the Pirates' Moon, and while it was rather vestigial it still had plenty in the way of records that might be in danger- or might already be destroyed. It's less likely to be defended to the death, but also less likely to be abandoned.
[] Main Spaceport
-[] Docks: Aim for the heart, the ships themselves and the docks, taking control of them and making sure that nobody tries to run.
-[] Slave Pens: Go after the slaves, focusing on trying to free them, if any are still alive to be freed in the first place.
[] Military Base: A military base protected by a shield. It is fully stocked and rather dangerous, but also completely isolated and vestigial, unable to directly affect events. But why are they just sitting there? What's their deal?
[] Pirates Villa: The richest, most influential of the pirates had a reinforced, armed villa, and while it was mostly abandoned, there apparently was still someone there, possibly more than a few someones, and they might even have slaves captive, since the pirate in question was known for recreating human 'plantations', whatever those are.
GAZINITH FLEET
Attacking the Moon
Heavy cruiser Prince Iltixx
Heavy cruiser Princezec
Heavy cruiser Prince Zaynzem
1st Light Cruiser Squadron
Aspereiz
Brazen
Crescent
Hunter
Skirmisher
1st Frigate Flotiila
Asteroid
Comet
Eclipse
Guarding Phoenix Wing
Heavy cruiser Guardian
Heavy cruiser Thunderous
2nd Light Cruiser Squadron
Active
Chaser (damaged - when it catches up)
Denguard
Pathfinder (Boo, 4e!)
Patrol
2nd Destroyer Flotilla
Ilnik
Irabrius
Kluos
Phen
Zim
Zynshos
Retrieving escape pods, assessing wrecks:
1st Destroyer Flotilla
Afen
Greai
Orvestath
Ozos
Shraw
Zeyri
PHOENIX WING FLEET (Captured)
Heavy cruiser Basilisk (damaged)
Heavy cruiser Gorgon (damaged - flagship)
Light Cruiser Squadron
Escutcheon
Gauntlet
Lorica (damaged)
Spaulder
Destroyer Flotilla
Gladius
Kukri
Rapier
Tulwar
Frigate Flotilla
Bombard
Culverin
Falconet
Howitzer
Serpentine
Information has come in, provisionally, from the destroyers that were assigned to check, about some of the wrecks that might be repairable. Some definitely are but others are marginal, and further investigation will be done over the next dozen hours just to see whether they can actually be salvaged.
The Laurent: This took a while, and in some ways, yes, I admit it was a functional update, but it was pretty fun to get through with the calculations, and to wrap up the space portion. Next up are the bombardment and ground war portions of this exercise, which in some ways, like the various other first 'X-turns' is a tutorial of how it would work, what sorts of questions you would face...though this is also a repeat, since you had a war-turn before, albeit sans naval combat. Hope you've enjoyed so far.
LKMcClenahan: It's been interesting working out the mechanical side of naval battles- which has been revamped since the battle of the Pirate's Moon was played out, so that it works for engagements of all sizes. Still not perfect though- currently, playtests are showing that the destruction on both sides becomes a little too extensive when dreadnoughts enter play in any quantity. Watch this space for further updates on that front.
[] Administrative Capital: There is, in theory, a government on the Pirates' Moon, and while it was rather vestigial it still had plenty in the way of records that might be in danger- or might already be destroyed. It's less likely to be defended to the death, but also less likely to be abandoned.
Hmm, good on information on what's going on locally in big picture stuff, but it's too undefended to likely hold high value targets.
[] Main Spaceport
-[] Docks: Aim for the heart, the ships themselves and the docks, taking control of them and making sure that nobody tries to run.
Ensures nobody gets off planet. More captives, but more time to lose hard evidence.
-[] Slave Pens: Go after the slaves, focusing on trying to free them, if any are still alive to be freed in the first place.
The moral choice. Good for Hazitean though.
[X] Military Base: A military base protected by a shield. It is fully stocked and rather dangerous, but also completely isolated and vestigial, unable to directly affect events. But why are they just sitting there? What's their deal?
High value target? Or bait?
If they're staying in position, they must have a reason or something they're waiting for.
[] Pirates Villa: The richest, most influential of the pirates had a reinforced, armed villa, and while it was mostly abandoned, there apparently was still someone there, possibly more than a few someones, and they might even have slaves captive, since the pirate in question was known for recreating human 'plantations', whatever those are.
Good for peripheral data.
I'll go for the military base, in case they have a weapon that takes time to power up. Or have key personnel hoping to wait out for reinforcements.
How would communications work on bases like this? Would it be hardlines connecting each section together? Planet/moon-wide wireless comms? System-wide wireless comms?
How would communications work on bases like this? Would it be hardlines connecting each section together? Planet/moon-wide wireless comms? System-wide wireless comms?
Hardlines would connect the base together, and they could send messages outwards, though there would be a chance of interception, though there are closed outward systems that messages can be sent to. System-wide, well, I didn't focus on it, but you got a lot of panicked messages you intercepted that had been sent out when they first saw you, though not from the base, which seems to have gone quiet, as it were.
